After a long silence, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly became clear again, and with a thoughtful look upon his face, he summoned out his pill furnace while taking a few herbs from his Black Book space.
Next, his Conflagrated Divine Sense burst forth and wrapped up the herbs, quickly using his blazing hot Spiritual Energy to condense them into medicinal liquids and then depositing them into the pill furnace.
His Conflagrated Knowledge Sea then penetrated the pill furnace and manipulated the various medicinal liquids, combining and refining them in an orderly fashion.
A moment later, a fresh pill fragrance filled the air.
With a light whooshing sound, a round pill flew out of the pill furnace and Yang Kai grabbed it in his hand before carefully examining it, soon revealing a smile on his face.
A Saint Pill! It had been far simpler and straightforward to refine this pill compared to using his True Qi to do so, all while requiring less time. On top of all that though, Yang Kai felt that if he became more skilled at using his Conflagrated Divine Sense in this manner, the average quality of the pills he refined would increase as well.
Using his Conflagrated Divine Sense for Alchemy was on a completely different level than using his True Qi.
Throughout the process, Old Man Li and Di Yao were also completely engrossed.
Di Yao was thoroughly amazed. Even though he had seen his Master refine pills using his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea many times, he still couldn’t help feeling a sense of wonderment each time it was done. Regarding this unique advantage Yang Kai possessed, naturally he was quite envious.
Old Man Li also gave a firm nod, his eyes flashing brilliantly, the comprehension ability and aptitude Yang Kai just displayed made him feel that sharing his own experiences with this young boy was worthwhile.
This youth will certainly be able to thoroughly understand his many experiences and from there form his own unique opinions and insights.
“Many thanks for Old Man Li’s guidance!” Yang Kai stored away the pill and cupped his fists once more.
“Ho ho, little brother is too polite, this old master teaching you these things also comes with a condition,” Old Man Li smiled.
“Old Man Li, please name it.”
“This old master wants to ask, how did you acquire your Conflagrated Knowledge Sea? Also, I sense that the strength of your Conflagrated Knowledge Sea seems to be no worse than this old master’s. It is difficult for me to imagine, at your age, you being able to cultivate your Conflagrated Knowledge Sea to this level. If it is convenient, can you dispel this old master’s doubts?”
Yang Kai paused to organize his thoughts for a moment before replying, “En, about the first question, it was actually an unexpected accident. I once acquired a piece of Yang Crystal Jade which had given birth to a True Spirit. Hoping to enhance my own cultivation, I attempted to absorb and refine that Jade True Spirit, but I had never anticipated that during the process I would acquire a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea.”
“A Jade True Spirit?” Hearing this, Old Man Li’s expression changed greatly, “You’re courage isn’t small, actually daring to absorb such a thing.”
“At the time, I didn’t think too much of it, but looking back now, I realize just how reckless that act was,” Yang Kai grinned wryly, “Fortunately, the Jade True Spirit was not too strong, or there would be no me here today.”
Old Man Li nodded slightly and contemplated for a moment before saying, “Refining a True Spirit indeed could allow one to give birth to a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, but this method is a bit too dangerous.”
Old Man Li asking this was obviously for Di Yao’s sake, the former very much wanted his apprentice to acquire a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, but Yang Kai’s approach was obviously not suitable.
Even setting aside all the danger involved in refining a Jade True Spirit, at the end of the day there was no guarantee this method would allow Di Yao to acquire a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, the fact that Yang Kai could was simply a coincidence.
“About the second question…” Yang Kai slowly said, “My Conflagrated Knowledge Sea’s intensity being comparable to Old Man Li’s is probably because I swallowed someone else’s Conflagrated Knowledge Sea rather than because of my own efforts in cultivating it.”
“Swallowed the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea of another?” Old Man Li’s brow wrinkled slightly.
“Old Man Li misunderstands, I did not rob someone of their Knowledge Sea. In a certain place, I found the sealed Conflagrated Knowledge Sea remnants of a number of cultivators. Since their Spiritual Energy had been relatively well preserved, it allowed me to swallow and refine them to enhance my own.” Yang Kai explained.
“Your opportunities really make others jealous!” Di Yao said without trying to hid his intense envy.
In this world, cultivator with mutated Divine Senses were incredibly rare, to the point it could be said that the only high-level Alchemists with Conflagrated Knowledge Sea in Tong Xuan Realm were Yang Kai and Old Man Li.
There may be others with Conflagrated Knowledge Seas, but most if not all were not proficient in Alchemy and could only use their mutated Divine Senses to fight.
“En, this old master understands,” Old Man Li nodded lightly, “Thank you, little brother, for answering this old master’s questions, the information you provided has been quite helpful.”
“Old Man Li is too polite, Junior has benefited greatly from Old Man Li already,” Yang Kai quickly said, pondering for a moment before asking, “Senior, is there anything else you wish to tell me?”
Before, Old Man Li had correctly guessed that Yang Kai had only joined Soaring Heaven Sect recently but had not revealed his reasoning behind this assumption which intrigued Yang Kai.
Someone of Old Man Li’s status would never make random guesses or say meaningless words, since he had made a point of asking this question, there was obviously something more to it.
“En, this may or may not be related to you,” Old Man Li smiled before handing over a pill to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai accepted the pill and after carefully inspecting it took asked, “Isn’t this the pill I refined?”
This pill was the one he had refined in the inn when he was competing with Di Yao, the one with Pill Veins.
“If it is convenient, could little brother portray the Spirit Arrays you used to refine this pill?” Old Man Li said, quickly adding, “Rest assure, this old master is not trying to spy on your secrets, I just have some doubts about your methods.”
“It’s not inconvenient at all,” Yang Kai smiled. Regarding people like Old Man Li, Yang Kai felt completely relieved sharing his knowledge, quickly using his True Qi to inscribe the Spirit Arrays he had used into his pill furnace.
Soon, the Spirit Arrays had been completed and Yang Kai handed over his pill furnace.
Accepting it, Old Man Li carefully inspected the Spirit Arrays, a thoughtful look appearing on his face after a moment before handing it to Di Yao and saying, “Have a look.”
Di Yao wore a confused expression but still followed his Master’s instruction, a short time later also revealing an interested look.
“How is it?” Yang Kai asked, confused by the reactions of this Master, apprentice pair.
“Interesting,” Di Yao looked at Yang Kai with a smile, “The Spirit Arrays used by Brother Yang have some subtle differences from the ones we use now, they seem more ancient.”
“En,” Old Man Li nodded lightly, “These are very old Spirit Arrays, ones that have been lost to time, and they are definitely superior to the ones we use now.”
“I learned them from a very ancient book,” Yang Kai explained, “If Old Man Li wants, I can portray all of the Spirit Arrays I have learned for you.”
Old Man Li chuckled lightly in response, “There’s no need, this old master asking you about this is not because I want to acquire your methods, but because this old master and Yao’er have encountered these Spirit Arrays before, so I thought that incident might be related to little brother.”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkles, “I’d like to hear the details please!”
“Brother Yang, it’s like this,” Di Yao began narrating, “I have been cultivating with my Master in the mountains since birth, studying the Alchemic Way for an entire twenty years. Just a few years ago, Master decided to take me out of the mountains and experience the world. I had always thought I was invincible among my peers in the field of Alchemy, but in this Floating Clouds City, I lost to Brother Yang… And before that, I lost to another person two years ago!”
Hearing this, Yang Kai was shocked, “Is there someone out there in our generation who is superior to Brother Di in Alchemy?”
“Good, what made me feel especially depressed was that she was a young woman!” Di Yao looked at Yang Kai with a grin.
Yang Kai was stunned, but suddenly remembering something, his eyes brightened as he eagerly asked, “What kind of woman?”
“I don’t know, her face was covered with a veil but she wore a small sapphire on her forehead and her eyes were exceptionally bright and pure, she should be a great beauty with innocent and cute looks.”
Yang Kai’s breathing gradually became hurried and his voice trembled as he asked, “Was there a somewhat lewd looking old man with her?”
“Lewd?” Di Yao’s expression became bewildered, “En, there was an old man with her who had a bit of a rascally look in his eyes.”
“Was that old fogey surnamed Meng?” Yang Kai took a deep breath and asked.
“Sure enough, they really are related with little brother,” Old Man Li gently nodded, “When I saw some traces of the Spirit Array little brother used to refine this pill, this old master had some guesses, but was unsure. Now it really seems like little brother and that young miss are from the same Sect, yes? After all, the Spirit Arrays you use are identical.”
“En, she is my Senior Sister!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
There could be no mistake. Two years ago, the young woman who beat Di Yao in an Alchemy competition must have been Xia Ning Chang! In this world, only Xia Ning Chang could accomplish this, of that Yang Kai was certain!
“Which insanely fierce Sect are you from?” Di Yao was dumbstruck, “That woman seemed to have some kind of special constitution that allowed her to use not only her own True Qi but the surrounding World Energy to perform Alchemy. She could even produce Pill Veins at will! I lost all three matches I had with her miserably, it was quite a heavy blow to my confidence. Then there’s you who is even more of an anomaly, you even have a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea. I can’t compare with either of you Senior Sister and Junior Brother pair.”
“She does have a special constitution, one related to Alchemy,” Yang Kai nodded, a great excitement filling his heart, after looking for so long, he had finally found a useful clue to his friend’s whereabouts.
“The Sacred Spirit Medicine Body!” Old Man Li suddenly said, “No wonder… she possess the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body! In time, her achievements will definitely surpass this old master’s. Meng Wu Ya, that old bastard, actually trying to be mysterious and refusing to disclose such an important matter to this old master.”
Yang Kai expression changed. From the way he referred to Meng Wu Ya, he could infer that Old Man Li and Treasurer Meng were old acquaintances and may even belong to the same generation of masters.
“Senior, when you met them, was there anyone else with them? I have another Senior Sister and a friend who should have been together with them.”
“Are they also proficient in Alchemy?” Di Yao asked worriedly.
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Unfortunately no, at the time, this old master only saw Meng Wu Ya accompanying that little girl surnamed Xia.”
Yang Kai’s complexion immediately became bad as his heart began to pound.
If Meng Wu Ya was with Xia Ning Chang, what about Su Yan and Old Demon? Where had the two of them gone?
Yang Kai wasn’t too worried about Old Demon; after all, the latter was originally from Tong Xuan Realm and had occupied the body of a Demon General. Except for Saint Realm masters, no one would be able to hurt him, but Su Yan was different. A young woman all alone in this world, with her weak strength and great beauty, what would become of her if she encountered some kind of danger?
What reason was there for her to separate from Meng Wu Ya, or what accident she had she encountered?
Yang Kai’s heart suddenly sank to the bottom of a valley as all kinds of negative thoughts swirled about his head.
Seeming aware of Yang Kai’s anxiety, Old Man Li quickly offered some words of comfort.
Yang Kai also understood that thinking the way he was would not help the situation, only by finding Meng Wu Ya and asking him would he be able to grasp what had actually happened.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai’s mood gradually settled and he asked, “Old Man Li, where did you and Brother Di meet them?”
“Blue Water City!”
“Blue Water City?” Yang Ka’s brow furrowed slightly.
“En, it’s a city a few months journey away from here, but even if you go there, you most likely won’t find them. We met them two years ago and at the time, Meng Wu Ya said they would be leaving in short order. They have likely long left Blue Water City,” Old Man Li said slightly apologetically. From the intense reaction Yang Kai had shown, it was clear that Meng Wu Ya and that little girl surnamed Xia were very important to him.
“Regardless, this is the first clue I’ve obtained about them, so even if they left long ago, I still have to go and investigate,” Yang Kai said solemnly.
“En, very well,” Old Man Li smiled and nodded, “Then I will simply wish little brother good luck.”
“I must take advantage of Old Man Li’s auspicious words!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Bidding farewell to Old Man Li and Di Yao, Yang Kai hurried back to the inn.
This time, in addition to a wealth of knowledge, he had obtained a valuable clue from Old Man Li about Meng Wu Ya and his Little Senior Sister’s whereabouts which was a pleasant surprise. Armed with this information, Yang Kai didn’t want to delay, so after explaining the situation to Cang Yan and Fei Yu, he immediately set off for Blue Water City.
Both Cang Yan and Fei Yu knew that Yang Kai had been looking for his two Senior Sisters. So now that he had a clue about them, although his chances of finding them were somewhat slim, they made no effort to stop him and instead volunteered to escort him to Blue Water City.
Yang Kai of course politely refused.
The Thousand Year Demon Flower’s medicinal liquid, which he had taken more than a year to bring back, was something his Martial Uncles and Martial Aunt had even sought after in their dreams as it was the key to them breaking through to the Saint Realm, how could Yang Kai delay them for his personal matters?
Yang Kai’s attitude was incredibly firm, so Cang Yan and Fei Yu eventually relented, urging him to pay attention to his safety and reminding him that if he was to suffer any grievances outside, he must return to the Sect and inform them.
Feeling the care and concern of his Martial Uncle and Martial Aunt, Yang Kai’s heart was warmed.
As for acting alone outside, it was something Yang Kai was very skilled at. For so many years, he had basically single-handedly forged his own path in the world.
Tidying up his things, Yang Kai immediately departed.
Outside Floating Clouds City, Cang Yan and Fei Yu watched him leave before turning in a different direction and flying off towards Soaring Heaven Sect, they needed to return and prepare to break through to the Saint Realm.
Inside the City Lord’s Mansion, Old Man Li and Di Yao also said their goodbyes to Ao Gu and the others before setting off on the road again.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling impatient and rushed ahead as swift as wind and quick as lightly the whole way.
Although he knew that after so long, there was not much hope he would be able to see them, he still tried his best to get to Blue Water City as soon as possible to see if he could obtain some useful clues about Treasurer Meng and Xia Ning Chang’s whereabouts.
Even crossing famous mountains and rivers, Yang Kai ignored everything around him and madly dashed forward.
Now that he had broken through to the Transcendent Realm, his speed had increased dramatically and when he came to uninhabited regions, Yang Kai also unfurled his Wind and Thunder Wings to further increase his pace.
Although Transcendents were by no means weak, in Tong Xuan Realm, reaching such a cultivation was still not enough to dominate the world.
Yang Kai estimated that at the very least, he would have to break through to the Saint Realm before being able to move about unobstructed here.
He had to become stronger and stronger in order to establish a real foothold in this place. Although he had become a disciple of Soaring Heaven Sect, and his Ancestral Founder and Martial Uncles were all very good to him, in the end that was not his own strength.
What Yang Kai wanted was a power that belonged to him.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s feeling of urgency gradually calmed down.
After his mood settled, Yang Kai suddenly became more and more cheerful. The self-confidence and unyielding determination he had relied on in the past seemingly returning. He felt that as long as he was given enough time, one day, he would once again stand at the top of the world and become a true hegemon.
He had the Unyielding Golden Skeleton and the Demon Eye of Annihilation,. With this legacy of the Great Demon God, as long as Yang Kai could bring out their full potential, there was no limit to how strong he could become.
On the road, Yang Kai did not idle, immersing himself in the sentiments he had obtained from the Starry Sky as well as comprehending the knowledge regarding Conflagrated Knowledge Seas that Old Man Li had taught him, integrating all of these insights into his own strength.
This change in mentality and rise in self-confidence was like a catalyst that allowed Yang Kai to comprehend and solidify his own foundation and strength.
His recently promoted Transcendent Realm cultivation was quickly stabilized as a result.
Across the endless wilderness, there were endless forest filled with ancient towering trees and vast rivers and lakes filled with pristine waters. Beautiful sighs and fresh air rich in World Energy and vitality surrounded Yang Kai. Traces of Monster Beast and Human activity could also be seen every now and then.
As Yang Kai flew past, the psychological burden he had originally felt gradually melted away.
After half a month, after passing through a vast forest and crossing over a towering mountain range, Yang Kai felt wind wash over him.
This breeze had a faint salty smell to it.
Yang Kai’s expression couldn’t help changing slightly as a feeling of familiarity came over him.
When he was still young and weak and left High Heaven Pavilion for the first time, when he arrived at Sea City, he had smelled a similar scent in the air.
Because it was the breeze coming in off the ocean, it contained the smell of salt and fish.
Looking into the distance, on the remote horizon, there was an endless expanse of sparkling blue. The wind was blowing in from that direction but it was only after Yang Kai had crossed the mountain range behind him that he had been able to realize this ocean’s existence.
[The ocean?] Yang Kai raised his eyebrows.
He hadn’t expected the so-called Blue Water City to be a coastal city and only realized now that, in his hurry, he had failed to acquire any information about this place before rushed off.
Cang Yan and Fei Yu had not informed him about this either, so when Yang Kai saw this scene, he couldn’t help reminiscing about his previous experiences.
It was as if he had suddenly returned to his former world and arrived at Sea City once again.
Remembering about the masters from the Endless Sea Island Sects and the young peacock raising girl Zhong Miao, Yang Kai couldn’t help smiling warmly, shaking his head a moment later to dispel these thoughts from his mind before flying forward once more.
The closer he got to Blue Water City, the more concentrated the Water Attribute Energy in the air became. This place was definitely a good place for Water Attribute cultivators to practice.
Three days later, Yang Kai finally arrived at Blue Water City, paid a Crystal Stone to the guards, and entered safely.
Inside Blue Water City, the atmosphere was lively. Many cultivators here wore light blue robes because they cultivated Water Attribute Secret Arts and Martial Skills so they had a special affection for this colour.
Here, Yang Kai’s True Yang Secret Art was faintly suppressed but that did not affect him too seriously.
Those like him who cultivated Yang or Fire Attribute Secret Arts would not be willing to live in a place like this, if they were to remain here for too long, not only would their Secret Art be suppressed, their strength might even degrade.
Although he already knew the chances were slim, Yang Kai still felt somewhat disappointed shortly after arriving in Blue Water City.
He had not released his Divine Sense yet, but he was certain that Meng Wu Ya was no longer here.
Treasurer Meng’s Heavenly Palace defensive artifact was still in Yang Kai’s possession, so when he arrived in Blue Water City, Yang Kai had deliberately taken it out of the Black Book space.
If Meng Wu Ya was really here, the Heavenly Palace would have shown some reaction; after all, this artifact still had Meng Wu Ya’s Soul mark on it.
Since there was no reaction though, it showed that Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang have long since left.
After a brief bout of depression, Yang Kai collected himself and began to search for information in Blue Water City.
Although Meng Wu Ya and his Little Senior Sister had already left, they might have left behind some clues Yang Kai could use to search for them.
Now that he had an official identity as an Alchemist and an Alchemist Guild Token, it was no longer necessary for him to wander about on his own to inquire about news.
After strolling around for a while, Yang Kai arrived at the Blue Water City Alchemist Guild Branch. Once he showed his Alchemist Guild Token, he easily obtained information from the other Alchemists in the branch.
Yang Kai’s Alchemist Guild Token was the one he had acquired when he first came to Grand Boulder City, so it still only showed he was a Spirit Grade Low-Rank Alchemist.
Even so, the other Alchemists of Blue Water City were still amazed. Regarding this Alchemist Guild branch, the manager was only a 100-year old Spirit Grade Top-Rank Alchemist, so Yang Kai was extremely warmly received and praised as a talent from the younger generation.
Yang Kai had to admit that having an Alchemist Guild Token really made things more convenient wherever he went.
Although this world was vast, almost every city had an Alchemist Guild branch unless the city was too small.
Of course, not every Alchemist Guild branch had a manager like Old Man Du who was a Saint Grade Alchemist. For example, Blue Water City’s highest ranked Alchemist was only Spirit Grade Top-Rank.
In other places, even Spirit Grade Mid-Rank Alchemists could be branch managers.
Yang Kai came here to inquire about information firstly because with his Alchemist status it was convenient to do so, and secondly because Xia Ning Chang was also an Alchemist, there was a chance she had interacted with the other Alchemists here.
However, after asking around, everyone here simply shook their heads. Only one person said that he had seen this old and young pair, but even he had never had any interactions with them. Moreover, his memory of the event was somewhat foggy as it had already been two years.
Yang Kai felt helpless but still thanked this man for his help.
It seemed as though the clue he had obtained from Old Man Li was a dead end, Yang Kai thought to himself with a forced smile.
Although this series of disappointments made Yang Kai feel somewhat depressed, he did not become disheartened. He firmly believed that one day he would be able to reunite with Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang and even Old Demon that old bastard.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai continued to looking for clues in Blue Water City while searching for a number of medicinal herbs.
These herbs were things he needed to refining the Saint Pill for the Ancient Demon Clan and were only produced in ocean regions, thus they were quite rare and precious.
Yang Kai believed he may be able to find them here.
Time passed by quickly yet Yang Kai did not make much progress, not only did he not find any messages or clues left behind by Meng Wu Ya, even the herbs he was searching for eluded him. The people he asked always shook their heads or gave him strange looks, claiming that these herbs were almost extinct or they had never heard of them before.
One month later, when Yang Kai was inquiring about the news in a certain medicine store, he suddenly noticed that there were several people who were clearly following him.
His brow wrinkling, Yang Kai looked back and saw a group of cultivators led by a burly middle-aged man making no attempt to hide themselves approaching him.
This group of people weren’t very strong, all of them only Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators, but there was a large number of them and their auras were fierce, obviously they were not a peaceful bunch.
When they arrived in front of Yang Kai, the middle-aged man unscrupulously stared at him.
“Do you need something?” Yang Kai asked in a somewhat disgruntled tone.
Since this group of people weren’t giving him friendly looks, naturally Yang Kai wouldn’t treat them with courtesy. His mood at the moment was not too good, so if someone provoked him, he wouldn’t mind using them to vent his frustrations.
“Brat, I heard you’ve been asking about the whereabouts of an old guy and a little girl, right?” The middle-aged man leaned over and asked Yang Kai bluntly.
“You’ve met them?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed.
“Does that old man have a lewd look in his eyes and the little girl wearing a veil?” The man asked.
“That’s them!” Yang Kai was overjoyed and suddenly felt that the group in front of him became somewhat adorable.
“Then we have met them,” The big man nodded lightly, “Why are you looking for them? What is your relationship with them?”
“You don’t need to know that,” Yang Kai shook his head, “As long as you can provide me with any clues about them, I can offer you appropriate compensation!”
“You’re gonna pay us?” The big man suddenly grinned wryly, “What kind of compensation are you offering?”
“Crystal Stones, pills, as long as your information is useful, I can give you anything you want.”
Hearing this, the big man couldn’t help revealing a look of surprise. From Yang Kai’s age and the way he dressed, he really didn’t expect this youth to have anything of significant worth.
“Seems your quite sensible kid,” The big man nodded slightly, “But although we’ve seen that old man and young lady you spoke of, we don’t have any specific information about their current whereabouts.”
“Then don’t waste my time,” Yang Kai’s mood suddenly sank and his expression became cold.
The big man laughed at this and continued, “Although we don’t know much about them, that doesn’t mean others don’t. If you’re interested, why not take a little trip with us?”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed and also wore a grin, “Good, lead me to this person who knows about them.”
The big man nodded in agreement, turning around and walking off. Yang Kai hurried to keep up while the other who had accompanied the big man followed behind, silently sealing off Yang Kai’s path of retreat.
This group of people didn’t have any good intentions, of this Yang Kai was naturally aware, but it was also likely they had some information regarding Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to describe them so accurately.
What exactly did Old Man Meng do to them? Why did this group of people seem to have a deep grudge with him?
Despite knowing he was walking into a disadvantageous situation, Yang Kai boldly followed as he had confidence in his skills. Not showing the slightest hint of anxiety, he simply followed along while secretly observing his surroundings.
He had been active in Blue Water City for an entire month now and naturally knew there were no Saint Realm masters here, so he had nothing to fear.
After following the big man for some time, Yang Kai suddenly found himself in front of a large manor.
Upon entering the manor, the big man led Yang Kai to a grand courtyard and eventually came to a tranquil garden.
In the garden, there was a young man with a sullen look sitting upon a chair. Kneeling in front of the youth were two scantily clad women who were snuggling up next to him.
These two women were not very strong, probably only True Element cultivators, but at the moment, their two snow white necks actually had collars around them. The collars were attached to some kind of rope that was being grasped by the youth.
One of the women’s bottoms curled upwards as if defying gravity and was half squatting on the ground in a seductive pose, as if she was acting like a puppy, wagging her tail and begging towards the seated young man; as for the other woman, her head was actually buried in the youth’s lap, her head moving back and forth rhythmically, each time she did a faint slurping noise could be heard.
These two women wore extremely thin dressings that did nothing to conceal their tall peaks upon their chests and the soft grasslands between their thighs.
When they arrived there, the big man and his group of followers couldn’t help breathing a little heavier, licking their lips as obscene light flashed across their eyes.
As for the young man sitting in the chair, his expression was one of absent minded indulgence.
Yang Kai face immediately went black.
He had long heard of that some young masters from wealthy families had unusual fetishes and would do all kinds of extreme and distasteful acts.
But upon seeing an example of this debauchery for the first time, it was still somewhat off-putting.
“Young Master, I’ve brought the person you were seeking,” The big man observed for a while before seemingly realizing his gaff and quickly reporting.
The young man sitting in the chair seemed to have not heard and simply continued reveling in his ‘activities’.
Suddenly, the young man’s face changed and became enraged, reaching out and grabbing the hair of the woman whose head was buried in his crotch, lifting her up and slapping her face several times, “Damn slut! How many times have I told you not to use your teeth!”
These slaps were extremely heavy and the woman’s cheeks instantly swelled up, but she did not dare to complain, hastily kowtowing at the youth’s feet, her body shivering in fear.
Seeing all this, Yang Kai’s eyes gradually narrowed and his aura became somewhat dangerous.
The young man lazily reorganized his clothes before finally turning a cold look to Yang Kai and asking in an arrogant voice, “Are you the one looking for that old guy and little girl?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded, “Do you have clues about their whereabouts?”
“No, I’m also looking for them!” Young grinned menacingly, “If you have any information about them, can you tell me?”
“Are you also looking for them?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, “What are you looking for them for?”
“I should be the one asking you that,” The face of the youth suddenly became hazy and unpleasant, “But since you’ve asked, I might as well tell you.”
As he spoke, the youths expression became uglier and uglier, his hand gripping the arm of his chair so tightly it cracked as his True Qi surged up, “I’m looking for them, because I want them to die! The reason this Young Master has fallen into such a state is all because of that old bastard! Brat, tell me right now, what is your relationship with them, you better think clearly before you answer though, if you are their friend or relative, I’ll let you taste the worst torture this world has to offer until the day you die!”
“That old guy actually attacked you?” Yang Kai heard this and was stunned.
What kind of identity did Meng Wu Ya posses? If there wasn’t an extremely compelling reason, it was impossible for him to use a heavy hand on a Junior.
The only explanation was that this young man had done something to enrage Meng Wu Ya.
Yang Kai immediately thought of Xia Ning Chang. Treasurer Meng regarded his Little Senior Sister as a treasure. If this young man had any ideas about Little Senior Sister, that might be enough to set Meng Wu Ya off.
Also, from what Yang Kai had seen of this young man, how he indulged in females, he had an idea of what had happened. Although his Little Senior Sister never revealed her face, anyone who laid eyes upon her could tell she was an astonishing beauty, one that with an especially innocent and cute temperament, causing anyone to unconsciously be attracted to her.
Considering all this, Yang Kai’s expression also became unpleasant.
“My Cheng Family treated that old bastard like an honoured guest yet he actually dared to harm our young master,” The big man who led Yang Kai came, explained, “Brat, what is your relationship with that old man? If you dare to lie, I, your Grandpa, will teach you a harsh lesson.”
“Why would he act against your family’s Young Master? Can you explain this to me?” Yang Kai glanced over at him, his eyes flickering a dangerous light.
The big man, as if unaware of Yang Kai’s murderous stare, openly replied, “My family’s Young Master favoured that girl and put some medicine in her food.”
“Put medicine in her food?” Yang Kai gently nodded, “I can see your Young Master doing something like that.”
Xia Ning Chang possessed the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, trying to use drugs on her was the very definition of foolish. Although he was clear that his Little Senior Sister was never in any real danger and was perfectly safe and sound, anger still burned in Yang Kai’s heart.
“That old guy beating you was too merciful, if it was me, I wouldn’t have done just that,” Yang Kai snickered.
“Little brat, what do you say?” The big man’s expression became cold as he angrily roared.
The young man looked at Yang Kai with great interest and asked, “If it was you, what would you have done?”
“Kill!”
When everyone heard Yang Kai say this, all of them laughed and spat out words of ridicule.
“Boy, you’re certainly crazy enough. In my Cheng Family’s house, actually daring to say something so bold, I’m afraid you don’t know how to write the word ‘dead’! In this Blue Water City, my Cheng Family is…” The big man began ranting off arrogantly, but before he could finish, his words came to an abrupt end.
A faint bloody smell filled the air and the eyes of the big man bulged as his face was dyed red. At that moment, he could feel all the meridians and veins in his body constantly expanding, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t suppress this trend.
*Hong…*
Flesh and blood suddenly spattered all over the garden. No one knew what had happened, only that the big man who once stood next to them had exploded, bones and all, leaving behind only a pool of blood where a man once existed.
Those who were standing close to him were covered in fresh meat.
Being thrust into this hellish scene, everyone was stunned, standing there stupidly, unable to even react. The young man sitting in the chair was even more stunned, incapable of comprehending what had just happened.
“I’ll ask you once, do you know where that the old guy and little girl went? Anyone who tells me, I can leave with a whole corpse,” Yang Kai swept his eyes around, his gaze filled with an intense chill.
“Kill him!” The young man’s face drained of all colour, finally coming to his senses upon hearing Yang Kai’s words and quickly ordering his underlings to attack.
The remaining henchmen also woke up from their dazed state and began moving.
A burst of Wind and Thunder forces welled up, and although Yang Kai stood perfectly still, a wave of this force burst forth from his body.
Though Yang Kai did not summon his Wind and Thunder Wings, the concentrated Wind and Thunder pulse he released transformed the garden into a land of death.
All the Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators caught in this miniature hurricane didn’t even have a chance to resist before they were cut into countless pieces, their deaths extremely miserable.
The young man sitting in the chair was dumbstruck, never had he imagined he had actually provoked such a god of disaster.
Because he heard Yang Kai was very young, he had simply sent some of his underlings to bring him back, but now it was apparent this youth possessed strength far beyond what one his age should have.
“A Transcendent? Impossible!” The youth’s eyes nearly popped out of their socket, his expression filled with terror.
Being able to kill so many Immortal Ascension cultivators without even moving, only a Transcendent Realm master would be capable of such a feat, but could there really be such a young Transcendent in this world?
Seeing the incomparably cold expression on Yang Kai’s face as he stepped towards him, the young man cried out in panic, “Don’t come over! I don’t know where those two went, don’t come over!”
“Then you can die,” Yang Kai said indifferently; after confirming that this young man was not lying, he struck out with his fist and smashed the latter’s head.
Inside the once tranquil garden, the smell of blood filled the air, and only an indifferent Yang Kai remained standing. This incident couldn’t even be called a battle, the other party daring to provoke him was simply them seeking their own deaths.
The two scantily clad women were uninjured, but they seemed to have been overwhelmed by the whole situation, both of them staring at Yang Kai absentmindedly, their tender bodies trembling lightly, not daring to move.
When Yang Kai’s eyes landed on them, his gaze softened slightly. He had no intention of finding trouble with these two.
All of sudden though, Yang Kai’s eyes became sharp again as he turned to stare in a certain direction.
From the direction he was staring, a pair of fierce auras rose and it was clear that a master was approaching.
This Cheng Family was a local overlord in Blue Water City, so it was only natural they had Transcendent Realm masters keeping watch. Feeling the True Qi fluctuations indicative of battle in the garden, this master immediately came over to investigate.
Even before these masters had arrived, one of their voices had already called out, “Who dares act dissolute in my Cheng Family?”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and stood still, quietly waiting, not making any attempt to escape.
The ones who were approaching were only First Order Transcendents, the same as Yang Kai, so although there were two of them, Yang Kai was not afraid.
No one in the same realm could defeat him, of this he was completely confident.
A moment later, from the left and right, two old men arrived, one of them wearing beige-coloured robes, the other wearing light blue clothes. After seeing the horrible scene in the garden, both of these old men couldn’t help feeling stunned.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed because upon seeing these two old men, he noticed they were both half-crippled, both of them were missing one arm and one leg. In place of their limbs was some kind of artifacts that, although appearing lifelike, were still obviously made of some kind of metal.
“Boy, were you the one who killed these people?” The old man in the beige coloured robes loudly questioned.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, not denying the charge.
“Why did you kill my Cheng Family’s people, what injustice or enmity do you have with my Cheng Family?” The old man angrily screaming blue shirts.
“We have neither enmity nor injustice between us!”
“Then why have you wantonly murdered our people? Since when was my Cheng Family so easily bullied?” As they spoke, the two old man’s True Qi condensed, apparently preparing to exact revenge for their fallen clansmen.
Yang Kai’s calm demeanor made them realize he had some skill, but when they tried to probe him with their Divine Senses, it only felt as though they were trying to explore a dark, bottomless pit like. Unable to determine anything about this strange youth inevitably caused these two old men some unease, both of them wondering just where this inscrutable Junior had come from.
“If you don’t give us a proper confession for this, my Cheng Family will use all its might to eliminate you!” The old man in beige robes gritted his teeth and declared.
“Eliminate me?” Yang Kai sneered in a low tone, “Good, I’ll just ask my questions after I beat the two of you!”
The young man Yang Kai had just killed didn’t know where Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang went, but that didn’t mean these two old men didn’t.
As he spoke, Yang Kai sent out a burst of burning hot Spiritual Energy, instantly condensing it into an invisible ray of heat and shooting it towards the two old men.
The age of the other party was not small and the length of time they had spent cultivating was not short so obviously their Knowledge Seas’ defence was not fragile and they possessed Soul type artifacts for defense.
But the two old men’s Soul type artifacts only flashed brilliantly for an instant before shattering and they were struck with a scaling hot aura, both of their expression immediately filling with panic.
Having received the guidance of Old Man Li, Yang Kai now had a certain understanding of how to use his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea.
His Conflagrated Knowledge Sea was not only useful for Alchemy, but also for fighting.
This was Yang Kai’s first true battle after breaking through to the Transcendent Realm and his opponents were actually two veteran cultivators in the same realm, naturally he wanted to use them to test his current strength.
As such, Yang Kai did not hold back at all.
What he didn’t expect though was that these two old men’s Knowledge Sea’s defenses would be torn through so easily. If they weren’t wearing good Soul type defensive artifacts as well, this one strike from Yang Kai could have incinerated their Souls.
Also realizing this, the two old men’s foreheads immediately leaked cold sweat and they frantically raised their defences.
Yang Kai retracted his Conflagrated Divine Sense attack while simultaneously darting forward like lightning, arriving in front of the two old men in the blink of any eye.
With two palm strikes, the two old men’s defences crumbled like paper and were both sent flying, the two of them coughing up blood unceasingly.
Smashing into the ground, the two old men had yet to climb up when Yang Kai’s figure appeared right before their eyes, like a towering mountain they were unable to surmount, blocking out the sun’s rays and causing their eyes to grow dim.
[We can’t resist him!] The two old men both instinctually thought this but were unable to accept it.
Yang Kai was also somewhat dissatisfied, thinking that trying to compare against others in the same realm was something of a mistake.
As a dangerous aura enveloped the two old men, they did not dare to move recklessly, only able to lie on the ground, a chill creeping into their hearts, as if they had been tossed into a deep abyss from which there was no return.
“Who the hell are you?” The old man in the beige robes still tried to keep up appearances, enduring the fear in his heart as he tried to probe Yang Kai’s origins.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Who I am, you don’t need to know. I ask you something, you answer. If I am satisfied, I can let you go, if I am not, heh heh… by this time tomorrow your Cheng Family will no longer exist!”
The ruthless words of this youth deeply impacted the two old men, both of them immediately nodding in agreement. From the strength Yang Kai displayed when dealing with them, the two old men were convinced the former had the ability to carry out this threat.
“Two years ago, did your Cheng Family receive an old man and a veiled young woman?” Yang Kai stared directly into their eyes and asked.
As soon as this statement came out, the two old men’s faces suddenly went white, seemingly recalling something truly terrifying, their eyes filled with fear and panic.
The old man in beige robes called out, “It turns out you’re with them! Little brother, our Cheng Family was indeed in the wrong that time and we paid a heavy price for it, even the two of us were punished severely. Two years later, is there still a need to act ruthlessly?”
The blue clothes man also quickly nodded, “Our Cheng Family has learned its lesson, should we not consider this matter finished?”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as ne noticed that these two old men were seemingly misunderstanding his intentions.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Yang Kai asked, “Were your hands and legs taken off by that old man?”
Both of them nodded with strained expressions upon their faces, obviously unwilling to recall what had happened two years ago.
Yang Kai grinned slightly, his dissatisfaction with Treasurer Meng swiftly diminishing.
With Meng Wu Ya’s personality, someone daring to drug Xia Ning Chang really wouldn’t just result in breaking the legs of a young man, it seemed the two Transcendents of the Cheng Family were also punished by him.
The old man in beige quickly followed up, “That Senior seemed to have some friendship with one my Cheng Family’s ancestors, so when he came to this Blue Water City, he entered the Cheng Family for a few days and was received as an honoured guest. My Cheng Family treated him with courtesy, but we never thought… Haa… My Cheng Family’s disobedient Young Master had ideas about that Senior’s disciple and actually dared to slip drugs in her food. When that Senior discovered this, he immediately flew into a rage. At that time, if not for one of Water Spirit Temple’s Elders coming forward to sooth his anger, I’m afraid my Cheng Family would have been wiped out. Even so, we paid a heavy price. In the end, out of respect for his friendship with our Cheng Family’s ancestor, that Senior showed mercy and spared our lives!”
“Water Spirit Temple?” Yang Kai eyes lit up, “Did you say Water Spirit Temple?”
“Yes?” The old man in the beige robes was somewhat confused, not understating why Yang Kai suddenly looked a little excited.
“Did that old man and veiled woman go to Water Spirit Temple?” Yang Kai asked eagerly.
“Most likely. That Elder from Water Spirit Temple seemed to have come to Blue Water City specifically for them. On top of that, this city is under Water Spirit Temple’s jurisdiction. My Cheng Family is also one of the forces attached to Water Spirit Temple.”
Yang Kai held his chin and sunk into contemplation for a moment, his expression changing back and forth, frightening the two old men somewhat.
After a long silence, Yang Kai suddenly laughed, “So that’s it!”
At that moment, he suddenly became cheerful.
This was really a case of finding a carriage while lost on a mountain road, experiencing joy after disappointment!
“Little brother, you…” The old man in the beige robes trembled and hesitantly spoke, fearing that Yang Kai would destroy the Cheng Family after becoming angered.
“This matter has nothing to do with you anymore. Since that old guy didn’t destroy you, it means his relationship with your ancestor was not shallow, so I won’t overstep my bounds, but… I’ve already killed so many of your henchmen and even your Young Master, what do you have to say about this?”
“That disobedient waste, his death isn’t worth pitying!” The old man in beige coldly snorted, “If it wasn’t for him, how could the two of us have been reduced to this state?”
As he spoke, his expression twisted noticeably, apparently he was still quite angry about this even though two years had passed.
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, restraining his impulse to cut weeds and pull out roots here, faintly asking, “Which direction is Water Spirit Temple?”
“That way, across the sea there is a set of islands that serve as the foundation of Water Spirit Temple,” The old man in beige quickly pointed Yang Kai in the right direction.
Before the old man finished speaking, Yang Kai had already taken off and disappeared from sight.
After waiting for a long silence, confirming that Yang Kai had really left, the two old men breathed a sigh of relief, the two of them sluggishly getting up, the colour of their faces alternating between red and blue.
Losing to a little brat who still reeked of his mother’s milk, they had really lost face. Fortunately, no one was around to see this embarrassing display or they really might have to silence some witnesses.
Such misfortune!
Leaving Blue Water City, Yang Kai rushed forward, not caring about his True Qi consumption in the slightest.
Water Spirit Temple was Shui Ling’s Sect.
Since crossing the Abandoned Earth and entering the Void Corridor together with Shui Ling, arriving in Tong Xuan Realm, it had been almost three years. Before they separated at Bold Independent City, Shui Ling had also invited him to join Water Spirit Temple, but Yang Kai had refused.
If he had not rejected her offer at the time, perhaps he would have already been reunited with Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang, thinking so, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit of regret.
Yang Kai was sure that Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang went to Water Spirit Temple to find Shui Ling, and perhaps Treasurer Meng had left a message for Shui Ling to convey to himself!
After all, back in the Central Capital, Meng Wu Ya knew about Shui Ling’s origins so it wouldn’t have been odd for him to guess Yang Kai might come here, but after not being able to find any trace of the latter, he could go to Water Spirit Temple.
This was all just Yang Kai’s speculations, but it was probably close to the truth.
The words of the two Cheng Family old men also reinforced Yang Kai’s hypothesis.
An Elder from Water Spirit Temple coming to Blue Water City to greet Meng Wu Ya meant the latter had gone to Water Spirit Temple and met with Shui Ling.
After meeting with Shui Ling, Meng Wu Ya would know for certain that Yang Kai had arrived in Tong Xuan Realm!
Burning with impatience, Yang Kai shot across the sea like a bolt of lightning, all but cutting the water apart as he flew forward.
After a day and night of flight, Yang Kai spotted some traces of islands in the distance. These islands were scattered about randomly, like chess pieces on a board.
Some of these islands were large while some were small, ranging from only a dozen kilometres to several hundred or even thousands of kilometres in radius.
Yang Kai’s spirit shook as he recognized this island chain as Water Spirit Temple’s territory.
On the sea near the islands, a number of large and small vessels were sailing back and forth, transporting various materials and people for the Water Spirit Temple. The scene was grand and magnificent, highlighting the extraordinariness of Water Spirit Temple.
Dark Clouds Island was one of the islands under the direct jurisdiction of Water Spirit Temple. For some unknown reason, the sky over this particular island was always filled with clouds. On Dark Clouds Island, eight out of every ten days it would be drizzling, while the other two it would be pouring.
He Pu was only an Immortal Ascension cultivator, but he had good interpersonal skills, so although he couldn’t become a high ranking member of Water Spirit Temple, he had managed to acquire a steward’s position.
Nowadays, he managed the various business affairs of Dark Clouds Island. Today as well, the weather was bad, the rain never ceasing. He Pu silently cursed the Heavens while directing his fellow brothers to unload the goods from several recently arrived ships.
These materials were to be sent to Water Spirit Island to be used by the Sect’s Elite Disciple for cultivation and daily life.
While no one was paying attention, He Pu quietly took two Crystal Stones from one of the crates and stuffed them into his pocket before pretended nothing had happened and continuing to order the others about.
“Steward He, Steward He…” He Pu turned around quickly after being called out to, finding one of his Juniors named Cuttlefish waving towards him.
“What is it?” He Pu asked in a disgruntled tone. At that moment, he was feeling slightly guilty, so when Cuttlefish called out to him he nearly panicked.
Water Spirit Temple had strict rules. Even if he was the steward of Dark Clouds Island, if he was found to be embezzling resources, a light punishment would be expulsion from the Sect while a heavy one would be breaking his four limbs.
“Steward He, there’s a suspicious black spot over there, it looks like someone is flying over.” Cuttlefish wasn’t his real name, but due to his fish shaped face, someone had given him this nickname and now everyone called him that. However, the one in question didn’t mind and after so many years, most of his fellow brother and sister disciples couldn’t remember his real name.
“Someone flying over?” He Pu narrowed his already small eyes and stared in the direction Cuttlefish was pointing, a moment later wearing a mocking grin, “What an idiot, doesn’t he know about the mysterious power surrounding Dark Clouds Island? Well, whatever, just let him taste a little bit of the Heaven’s Wrath.”
“But… what if he dies?” Cuttlefish asked, slightly worried.
“If he dies, he died, why should I care?” He Pu coldly snorted, “Flying over like that while not even knowing about our Dark Clouds Island’s natural barrier, obviously he’s not an acquaintance; even if a thousand such people died it doesn’t matter.” Saying so, he turned his eyes up towards the sky and muttered, “This damn weather, it’s really too depressing.”
After hearing what He Pu said, Cuttlefish felt it was reasonable. Now he was no longer worried about this newcomer but instead was somewhat looking forward to his arrive, wanting to know how miserable the latter’s death would be.
As Yang Kai flew across the ocean, the first major Island he came upon was Dark Clouds Island. Looking up and seeing the dense cloud formation above this place, he faintly felt something was unusual about them, but even after pausing and spending a moment to investigate he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
Shooting off again like a bolt of lightning, Yang Kai rapidly approached Dark Clouds Island.
Ahead of Yang Kai there was a crowd of people that seemed to have noticed him. Many of these people were pointing at him and calling out to him from the shore but because they were separated by too great a distance and the winds were whistling too loudly, Yang Kai wasn’t able to hear what they were saying.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived above Dark Clouds Island. All the cultivators down below stared at him, a look of pity and sympathy flashing across their eyes.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled; although he didn’t know what was going on, he didn’t notice any hostility from these people so he didn’t pay it too much mind, but just as he was about to descend, from above his head a crackling noise erupted.
Immediately after, Yang Kai felt a blast of lightning crash down from the sky and land upon his head.
The strength of this bolt of lightning was so intense that it almost caused Yang Kai to fall into the sea.
His whole body stiffened and all his hair stood on end, but after a brief loss of control, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a pervasive sense of comfort.
His Wind and Thunder Wings seemed to have absorbed the majority of the Lightning Attribute Qi and stored it in his right shoulder blade.
The crowd down below all called out in alarm when the lightning bolt struck, but in the next moment, they abruptly stopped, all of them showing dumbfounded looks as they stared at Yang Kai in something of a daze.
After being struck by a bolt of lightning as this as an adult male’s arm, aside from his hair standing on end, this little brat was completely unscathed; this development was somewhat beyond their ability to understand.
The defining feature of Dark Clouds Island was not only it’s overcast skies, but also the incredible amount of Lightning Attribute energy that lingered high up in the atmosphere. Normally, the dark clouds would not release this Lightning Attribute energy, only when some unfortunately living creature strayed too close would they be struck by lightning.
As such, Dark Clouds Island was not just a territory marker on the farthest outskirts of Water Spirit Temple, or a place for trade with the outside world, but also a natural defense barrier.
If a person who was not aware of this flew over, they would end up suffering a baptism of lightning.
This kind of Heavenly Wrath was something that even the Elders of Water Spirit Temple weren’t capable of withstanding.
Every six months, the Elders of Water Spirit Temple would use some special methods to release the Lightning Qi that accumulated in the clouds to prevent a situation where too much accumulate and suddenly discharged, destroying Dark Clouds Island.
He Pu recalled that the last time the Elders drained this Lightning Qi was a few months ago. After such a long period, the Lightning Attribute Energy accumulated within the clouds should have reached a level that would force Transcendents to yield and withdraw, so why was this little brat able to all but ignore it?
As the crowd watched absent-mindedly, bolts of lightning continued to fall from the dark clouds in rapid succession like snakes striking from their burrows, all of them, without exception, striking Yang Kai.
The burst of crackling noise resounded continuously and the light given off was so bright that the onlookers soon had to shield their eyes.
He Pu squinted and circulate his True Qi, attempting to continuing watching, but he was unable to see anything in the end.
This scene lasted for some time before the Lightning Qi in the dark clouds became somewhat sparse and the intensity of the light finally decreased enough that everyone could open their eyes again and scan the skies.
Screams rang out soon after as the crowd soon found that the youth who had rashly flown into Dark Clouds Island’s airspace was still floating up in the sky. On top of that, not only was he uninjured, his face had a happy smile upon it.
“Steward He, was that kid’s brain fried by the lightning?” Cuttlefish came over and whispered.
He Pu was also dumbstruck, unable to determine what to make of this situation.
If this young man wasn’t struck stupid, the only explanation was he possessed enough strength to ignore this degree of lightning!
However, how could that be possible? The Sect’s Elders had said that even a Third Order Transcendent wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed from such Heavenly Wrath. This little brat looked to only be twenty-three or four years old, was he really that powerful?
As the crowd down below was lost in such thoughts, the young man up in the sky shook his head, revealing a look of disappointment for a moment before hurriedly putting his clothes in order and flying down to Dark Clouds Island.
Noticing this, everyone on the shore became alert and secretly began circulating their True Qi.
Aware of their vigilance, Yang Kai made a silly grin, wearing a look of someone harmless to humans and animals alike and slowly landed on the island.
“Who are you?” He Pu asked in a cold voice, sizing up Yang Kai, quickly discovering that he had really never seen him before.
Anyone who entered Water Spirit Temple’s territory from the mainland would first have to pass through Dark Clouds Island. If this youth was really an acquaintance, given his freakish performance just now, He Pu should have had some impression of him.
“Pardon me, is this Water Spirit Temple?” Yang Kai did not answer the question directly, instead, asking this question while sweeping his eyes across the crowd. Relaxing when he noticed that there was no Transcendent Realm masters on the island. Most of those present were just Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators.
“Indeed!” He Pu nodded, “This Water Spirit Temple’s Dark Clouds Island. May I ask who your Excellency is? Why have you come to my Water Spirit Temple?”
Yang Kai’s outrageous performance just now made He Pu feel that this young man was not someone he should provoke, so he did not dare act too overbearing; however, as the island’s steward, he still had to learn the identity and purpose of the other party.
“Don’t misunderstand, I have no malicious intentions here,” Yang Kai smiled, “I’m just here to find someone.”
“Find someone?” He Pu’s brow wrinkled slightly, “Who are you looking for?”
“En, a girl named Shui Ling. If I remember correctly, she should be the daughter of your Water Spirit Temple’s Sect Master!”
“Looking for Shui… Looking for the Little Princess?” He Pu’s eyes widened, a weird expression suddenly appearing on his face as he let out a chuckle.
Everyone else also gave Yang Kai wry looks when they heard this.
“Right, I’m looking for your Little Princess!” Yang Kai nodded, “If it is convenient, can you tell me where she is? En, it would be best if you could take me to see her.”
“Kid!” He Pu smiled and said in a light tone, “Although I don’t know which force you come from, considering you have some skill, I won’t embarrass you, but you’d still best turn back, the Little Princess is not someone the likes of you can get close to.”
Saying so, He Pu waved his hand as if to shoo Yang Kai away.
Seeing everyone’s attitude, Yang Kai frowned and said, “Are you misunderstanding something?”
Thinking Yang Kai was acting reluctant, He Pu just grinned spat and continued, “Misunderstanding? Are you trying to say you’re not here to try to court our Sect’s Little Princess? I don’t have time to waste with you then. My Sect’s Little Princess is a rare beauty so you young people seeking after her is quite normal, even my fellow brothers and I have had such fantasies once or twice,” Letting out a sigh, He Pu wore a distant look and said, “But although I understand and even somewhat sympathise with you, I can’t bend the rules, if you don’t leave, don’t blame us for being polite to you.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help himself from laughing despite trying his best not too, this group of people had really misunderstood him.
Although Shui Ling was truly quite pretty, like a playful spirit, Yang Kai had never had any impure intentions towards her.
Back in the Central Capital, the two of them had started off as enemies but gradually become friends. Because of that friendship, when Yang Kai decided to travel to Tong Xuan Realm, he had brought her along with him, sublimating their relationship quite a bit.
From beginning to end though, Yang Kai had never had any feelings of love towards Shui Ling, only friendship.
After thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai took something out from his Black Book space and handed it over, “Take a look at this.”
He Pu glanced over at him suspiciously before accepting the object. After carefully examining it for a while, he suddenly called out in surprise, “Little Princess’s token? Where did you get this?”
“Huh? Naturally your Little Princess gave it to me,” Yang Kai replied somewhat dumbfounded.
“Gave it to you?” He Pu’s eyes bulged, slapping his forehead a moment later, seemingly remembering something, “Right, you must be the person the Little Princess spoke of. Oh, please pardon my rudeness from before, Brother. If Brother had taken out this token from the start, I wouldn’t have made things so difficult for you.”
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai shook his head and curiously asked” “What did your family’s Little Princess tell you?”
“Three years ago, when the Little Princess returned, she made a point of telling me that if a Young Master holding her token appeared here one day, be sure to treat him courteously.”
It had been three years since Yang Kai parted ways with Shui Ling in Bold Independent City.
After learning that Yang Kai was Young Lord who the Little Princess had once spoken about, He Pu quickly dispensed with his previous careless attitude and immediately became enthusiastic and respectful.
He Pu was a smooth talker and spared no expense in praising Yang Kai as a talented, handsome young man with extraordinary strength.
After no longer being able to stand He Pu’s prattling, Yang Kai interrupted and asked, “I want to meet with your Sect’s Little Princess, can you take me to see her now?”
He Pu suddenly looked a little embarrassed, “Under normal circumstances, with the prior urging of the Little Princess and given the fact that brother has this token, this He Pu would have taken you to meet her right away, but… Little Princess apparently isn’t on her private island right now. Would Brother be willing to let me send some people to inquire about Little Princess’ current location before I lead you to see her?”
“Of course!” Yang Kai nodded; in any case, he had found Water Spirit Temple already, so long as he could meet with Shui Ling now, he could obtain news about Meng Wu Ya, Su Yan, and Old Demon. Since it was just a matter of time now, Yang Kai could not do anything but wait. “Then I’ll have to trouble you with this.”
“It’s no trouble at all! Brother should have a seat for now, I’ll be right back,” He Pu said hurriedly before stepping away and ordering someone to bring some refreshments and courteously entertain Yang Kai before bringing a group of people and hastily departing from Dark Clouds Island.
Dark Clouds Island was the natural barrier at the outskirts of Water Spirit Temple, a place where many goods and people flowed through, so it was quite lively.
Yang Kai waited for half a day before He Pu returned, a big smile upon his face as he laughed and said, “Brother, fortunately I did not fail my task. When I found and reported to her about brother’s arrival, Little Princess seemed quite anxious to see you as well and urged me to bring you to her right away, are you prepared to leave now?”
“En,” Yang Kai stood up and walked off with He Pu.
Usually, those who arrived or departed Water Spirit Temple via Dark Clouds Island had to take a boat, because once they left the ground and tried to fly, the Lightning Attribute Qi gathered in the clouds above the island would fall on them, but earlier today, all of this Lightning Qi had been absorbed by Yang Kai, so He Pu boldly and confidently led Yang Kai through the skies.
On the road, He Pu introduced Water Spirit Temple’s various features to Yang Kai.
In a several thousand kilometer radius, every island, large and small, all belonged to Water Spirit Temple. Many of these islands had rich World Energy and abundant spirit grasses and herbs, making them excellent environments for cultivation in.
Because there were so many islands spread out over such a large area, it was often quite troublesome to find a single individual.
As the Little Princess of Water Spirit Temple, it was natural for Shui Ling to have her own island. Her private residence was also one of the best in all of Water Spirit Temple, but today she was not on her own island but instead in a place called Cloud Wind Island.
The foundation of Water Spirit Temple was set on the sea, away from the mundane turmoil and the hustle and bustle of the mainland. This environment was pristine and filled with natural beauty, but there was one aspect that was a constant thorn in the side of Water Spirit Temple’s members.
That was the sea beasts that would, from time to time, invade and rampage across the islands.
The Monster Beasts of the sea were very different from the Monster Beasts on land. Aquatic Monster Beasts were generally large in size and proficient in the Water Attribute Qi manipulation, making them quite troublesome to deal with. If it was just some weaker Aquatic Monster Beasts causing trouble, the problem wasn’t difficult to solve, but when a powerful Monster Beast surfaced, even the elite cultivators of Water Spirit Temple would have to expend a lot of effort to repel or kill it.
At this moment, on Cloud Wind Island, Shui Ling was commanding a group of cultivators to fight off a sea beast the size of several houses.
The reefs around Cloud Wind Island had been smashed to pieces and great waves surged back and forth. The scene was extremely dangerous.
This Aquatic Monster Beast had eight long tentacles and was surprisingly nimble for its size. From its great mouth, it was constantly spitting out water arrows, each of which contained significant power.
Although there were a large number of masters under Shui Ling’s command, this sea beast’s vitality was extremely strong and it could not be defeated in a single blow so it was impossible to drive it away in short order.
When she received He Pu’s report a moment ago, Shui Ling could hardly believe her ears and her thoughts immediately became somewhat chaotic, impeding the smoothness with which she issued her commands. This cause her scattered subordinates to fall into a dangerous state, some of them nearly losing their lives as a result.
“Liu Zhuo, you take command!” Shui Ling’s heart was in a mess, how could she possible calmly direct this Monster Beast subjugation? Her beautiful eyes filled with a look of pleasant surprise and anticipation, although she remained in place, she all but stood on her tip toes as she scanned the distant skies, seemingly searching for someone.
The cultivator named Liu Zhuo’s heard Shui Ling’s order and quickly nodded, swiftly assuming command and re-establishing order amongst the faltering troop, quickly calming the chaotic battlefield.
Quietly glancing over, Liu Zhuo found that his Little Princess’ mood seemed to be fluctuating quite a bit and appeared quite happy, prompting him to ask, “Young Lady, what kind of person is the one He Pu just mentioned? Why does Young Lady seem so concerned with him?”
“He’s a friend!” In Shui Ling’s mind, Yang Kai’a appearance surfaced, but upon remembering all the rude behaviour he had shown her back in the Central Capital, she couldn’t help grinding her teeth and spitting, “A very hateful friend.”
Liu Zhuo was stunned, if he was a friend, why was he also hateful? Shaking his head, he wasn’t able to understand what the Little Princess was thinking.
However, as the Little Princess’ retainer, he knew it wasn’t his place to pry into her private affairs so he simply let the matter drop. In truth, he was somewhat curious about this person. He had been serving the Little Princess for a few years now but had never seen her show such a wide range of expressions before.
About half an hour later, two small black spots appeared on the horizon. Noticing this, Shui Ling trembled slightly and quickly looked over only to see He Pu leading someone towards her direction.
As the distance shrank, Shui Ling finally saw the person’s appearance.
Her heart clenching up, Shui Ling’s clear eyes quickly became somewhat watery.
His appearance hadn’t changed much since a few years ago, only seeming a bit more robust and mature.
Still up in the air, Yang Kai spotted Shui Ling and suddenly increased his speed, leaving He Pu behind and in the blink of an eye arriving in front of Shui Ling.
“Beautiful woman, it’s been some time since we last met,” Yang Kai gave a snarky greeting with a friendly smile upon his face.
Shui Ling could be considered as one of his few friends.
“You bastard!” Shui Ling ground her teeth as she stared at Yang Kai menacingly, rushing over in the next instant and punching and kicking him.
Liu Zhuo, who was still commanding the beast subjugation, and He Pu, who had just caught up, were both stunned by this scene.
How could they not be stunned seeing their aloof Little Princess openly flirt with a young man?
“What?” Yang Kai did not evade, letting her get in a few good hits before asking in confusion.
“Didn’t you die? How are you still alive?”
“Who said I died?” Yang Kai asked back angrily.
“That beauty from Bold Independent Union told me,” Shui Ling said in a huff, “Last time, when I went to Bold Independent Union to find her, she told me you had been abducted. Since then there had been no news from you so she said you were probably dead!”
With so many others around, Shui Ling didn’t openly say anything about the Coffin Carrying Man, obviously afraid of causing Yang Kai trouble.
“Oh, that did happen,” Yang Kai nodded, not making any attempt to deny it.
“How did you escape?” Shui Ling was shocked.
“My luck was good, he just let me go,” Yang Kai replied thoughtlessly.
“Haa… Good people really don’t live long while scourges lasts a thousand years,” Shui Ling sighed forlornly, “When that beauty told me about you, she was crying almost inconsolably; did something happen between the two of you? Or else, why would she be sad that you died? When I left, your relationship wasn’t so good, quickly tell me what all of that was about, don’t tell me, to her, you actually… em?”
Seeing Yang Kai rise from the grave, Shui Ling was particularly happy and without any pause began bombarding him with various questions.
“You little girl, why are you asking so many questions all of a sudden?” Yang Kai stared at her somewhat dumbfounded.
“Fair enough, I already know the answer anyways,” Shui Ling spat disdainfully, “You shameless bastard, wherever you go you are surrounded by women, I really shouldn’t have let her approach you back then, I really harmed her!”
“It was an accident, just an accident,” Yang Kai said awkwardly. At that time, under the influence of the Charm Monster’s Spiritual Energy toxin, he really had been helpless.
“Hmph, who would believe you?” Shui Ling snorted, suddenly wearing a solemn expression as she sincerely said, “In any case, you being alive will definitely make many people happy.”
“Are you also happy I’m alive?” Yang Kai asked, a sly look appearing on his face.
“I’m looking forward to you dying sooner!” Shui Ling pouted, her face blushing slightly.
Seeing this scene, He Pu and Liu Zhuo only became more and more surprised. From this brief interaction, it was obvious to them that the relationship between their Little Princess and this young man was not shallow. What kind of origins did this youth have that caused their Little Princess to lose all trace of her usual etiquette? It was really mysterious.
“It’s quite lively here,” Yang Kai glanced around and this sea-side region was occupied by a group of cultivators fighting against a giant Monster Beast. These cultivators weren’t weak, with a Transcendent master in command and the rest having at least reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, but the Monster Beast they were fighting seemed to be a Seventh-Order one and was perfectly suited to fighting in the water, it’s eight long tentacles possessing incredible strength and lethality, able to summon waves and split the seas.
The group of cultivator had inflicted many large and small wounds on this Aquatic Monster Beat, but they had been unable to kill it. Blue blood flowed from wounds that were opened on its skin but after its flesh squirmed a bit, its injuries would be healed.
Yang Kai only observed for a moment before determining that this Monster Beast could not be killed by this group.
Its vitality was simply too tenacious.
“En, this bastard seems to be eyeing the spirit grasses on Cloud Wind Island and has already stolen quite a few,” Shui Ling said in a somewhat annoyed tone as she glared angrily at the Monster Beast.
“Young Lady, I’m afraid we’ll need reinforcements if we want to drive it off,” Liu Zhuo also saw that the situation was not good and quickly advised.
Shui Ling nodded in agreement.
“Why don’t you go up?” Yang Kai turned to look at Liu Zhuo blankly. This person was a First Order Transcendent, if he joined the subjugation, their group should be able to kill this sea beast, but it seemed as though he had no intention of doing so and was only standing back and issuing commands.
Liu Zhuo glanced over at Yang Kai and coldly snorted, “If I go up, who will protect the Young Lady’s safety?”
Yang Kai was stunned by this comment and no longer said anything.
It seemed like Shui Ling had yet to break through to the Transcendent Realm and was still just a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator. In other words, her cultivation was the same as when she had separated from Yang Kai. After three years, she had still not broken through this barrier, it could be seen from this how difficult taking that single step was.
Shui Ling had a distinguished status, so of course Liu Zhuo had concerns about her safety. Knowing this, Yang Kai knew well enough not to argue any further. This was someone else’s territory, if recklessly tried to push his opinion onto them, it would only stir up the other side’s resentment.
Shui Ling on the other hand though just spit her tongue out towards Yang Kai teasingly before turning to Liu Zhuo and saying, “Go join them, that’s the fastest way to finish that guy off.”
“But Young Lady…” Liu Zhuo’s brow wrinkled, obviously somewhat unwilling, his duty was to protect Shui Ling; everything else came second.
“Since I’ve told you to go, just go, I still have some things to discuss with this bastard,” Shui Ling glanced at him and casually said, “Rest assure, I’ll remain back here. Also, with this bastard here, even if that Monster Beast rushes over, I’ll still be perfectly safe, right?”
Her last words were pointed towards Yang Kai.
In response, Yang Kai just smiled and didn’t answer.
Although this Seventh-Order Monster Beast was enormous and possessed not weak strength, if Yang Kai wanted to, he would surely be able to kill it; however, it would be a bit presumptuous for him to step forward here given that he was just a guest, he had no intention of drawing any unwanted resentment towards himself.
“Go on, what are you still doing here?” Seeing Liu Zhuo still not moving, Shui Ling couldn’t help urging him once more.
Liu Zhuo expression became cold as he shot a glare towards Yang Kai and muttered, “Little brat, you better look after the Young Lady carefully, don’t let her suffer any kind of mishap.”
“Don’t worry,” Yang Kai shrugged.
Seeing this, Liu Zhuo begrudgingly used his movement skill and shot towards the sea.
With him joining in, the situation immediately improved. Now that there were two Transcendents teaming up, supported by a group of Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators, the Water Spirit Temple forces quickly gained the advantage and the sea beast was soon howling in pain as its eight tentacles took significant damage.
Yang Kai stood and observed the battle for a moment. After determining that there was no problem over there, he smiled slightly and said, “That guy seems quite loyal to you.”
“He’s my subordinate, of course he’s loyal to me,” Shui Ling said proudly, “You think this Young Lady is the same as she was back in the Central Capital? Let me warn you, if you dare to bully me now, I’ll let them chop you up into bits.”
“When did I ever bully you?” Yang Kai asked completely naturally.
Shui Ling snorted meaningfully, “Whether you bullied me or not, you yourself are clear in your heart! After not seeing you for a few years, you seem to have grown quite a bit, what’s your current cultivation?”
Yang Kai rubbed his nose and replied back vaguely, “Why do you want to know?”
He didn’t want to conceal something so simple from Shui Ling, but he was afraid if he said something it would depress her. When they had first met, Shui Ling was already a master at the Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage while Yang Kai was still just a Peak True Element cultivator, but now, less than five years later, Yang Kai’s cultivation had completely surpassed Shui Ling’s. The rate at which he progressed was really a bit too ridiculous.
Even if Yang Kai didn’t say anything though, Shui Ling wasn’t ignorant, smiling lightly as she said, “From what I know of your cultivation speed, I have some idea about just how far you’ve advanced. That also goes to prove my assessment of you was correct, no matter where you go, you can always stir up great storms; it’s really quite enviable. I’m different, once I left Water Spirit Temple, I couldn’t do anything.”
“Silly girl, what do you want a high cultivation for anyways?”
“Not telling! How about it, after seeing the foundations of my Water Spirit Temple, do you have any thoughts of joining? My offer still stands, if you join, I can provide you with the best cultivation environment. We have a lot of unoccupied islands, as long as you see one you like, I can give it to you as your private domain.”
Three years ago, Shui Ling had tried to win over Yang Kai. And now that she had met him again, that idea resurfaced.
This was because there had never been anyone Shui Ling had such high expectations for; only Yang Kai could make her anticipate his future achievements so much. Although this person was somewhat hateful, his ability and aptitude were truly astonishing.
“Joining this place would be the same as ruining myself,” Yang Kai smiled and rejected Shui Ling’s kindness, “The Water Attribute Qi here is so rich, how am I supposed to cultivate?”
“My Water Spirit Temple certainly has places appropriate for you to cultivate. There are several volcanic islands where the climate is burning hot all year round.”
“Even then, I’ll have to politely refuse, I have a place to stay already.”
“Where?” Shui Ling asked with great interest, “What kind of place could you have taken a liking to?”
Yang Kai spoke briefly about what happened in Soaring Heaven Sect, and after hearing that the Ancestral Founder who created High Heaven Pavilion was that Sect’s current Sect Master, Shui Ling immediately gave up any idea of recruiting Yang Kai again.
High Heaven Pavilion was Yang Kai’s home Sect, him choosing to settle in Soaring Heaven Sect was reasonable. On top of that, Soaring Heaven Sect was a great force in Tong Xuan Realm, even Shui Ling had occasionally heard about it.
In the time it took them to finish their conversation, the nearby battle had come to an end.
After Liu Zhuo joined in, the Aquatic monster Beast was quickly defeated and escaped after suffering severe wounds. Although it was regrettable they failed to kill it, repelling it while not suffering any losses on their side was still something to celebrate.
Shui Ling issued a few follow-up commands before leaving her subordinates to handle the clean up and leading Yang Kai off.
Among the thousands of islands under Water Spirit Temple’s jurisdiction, Water Spirit Island was the largest and possessed an incredibly rich World Energy aura. Shui Ling’s name also came from this island.
Usually, Shui Ling lived and cultivated on this island.
Most of the island’s inhabitants were disciples of the Water Spirit Temple along with those disciples’ families. On this island, houses were arranged in a patchwork manner and the crowds would come and go as they pleased, making for a lively environment.
Atop the highest point of the island, there was a row of palace-like buildings, one of which belonged to Shui Ling.
As soon as Shui ling led Yang Kai here, a beautiful young maidservant came out to greet them and immediately offered an assortment of delicious food and wine, crafted from the bounty of the sea, displaying the highest level of cordiality possible.
However, because of all the things weighing on his heart, Yang Kai couldn’t taste any of the food or drink.
Seemingly aware of this, Shui Ling quickly dismissed her maids and said, “I know what you are here for, and I can tell you right now that I really do have the information you’re looking for.”
Yang Kai’s breathing became a bit hurried as he stared at Shui Ling and said excitedly, “Meng Wu Ya really did leave a message with you.”
“En, two years ago, he suddenly came to the Water Spirit Temple along with your Little Senior Sister who was proficient in Alchemy. After leaving behind some words, he quickly left, hoping I would pass along his message to you. Originally I went to Bold Independent Union to find you, but when I arrived there, I heard from Yun Xuan that you had probably died,” Shui Ling sighed faintly, “Fortunately you’re alive and well. The Heavens haven’t abandoned you yet it seems.”
“What message did Treasurer Meng ask you to convey to me?” Yang Kai asked eagerly.
“He said, that old fogy Old Demon had separated from them, saying he was going to the Demon Land to develop a force in anticipation of his Young Master’s arrival,” Shui Ling grinned wryly.
“That old nut…” Yang Kai shook his head and smiled. Of course, Old Demon’s ambition really might be possible; after all, he now possessed the body of a Demon General, that along was enough to warrant his confidence. At the very least, he shouldn’t have any trouble mixing in with the Demon Race.
“What about Su Yan? Where is Su Yan?”
Shui Ling glanced over at him hesitantly before saying, “I can’t tell you where she is specifically, but I can tell you that she is alright. Senior Meng and your Little Senior Sister seemed to have something to do, so Senior Meng entrusted Su Yan to a Sect one of his old friends resides in and let her temporarily cultivate there. The location of that Sect is very suitable for Su Yan, so not only will she not encounter any danger, she will be able to obtain a lot of benefits.”
“Then why can’t you tell me where she is?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
“Because if I told you, you’d immediately go seek her out. The force she is staying with doesn’t allow any outsiders inside their territory. The people there are somewhat unreasonable and the strength they possess is actually much greater than my Water Spirit Temple. There are countless masters in that Sect. Given your temperament, if you go there and they refuse to let you see Su Yan, once you make a mess of things, you’ll probably be in danger.”
“Seriously? I’m just going there to see my Senior Sister, why would they make things difficult for me?”
“I told you, those people are unreasonable, that’s just how they think. It can’t be judged by common sense.”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, sinking into thought for a moment before muttering, “Since Treasurer Meng entrusted Su Yan to that Sect before he came to Water Spirit Temple and left this message with you, that force must be quite close to here. Su Yan Senior Sister cultivates an Ice Heart Secret Art, the most suitable environment for her is one that is extremely cold… A Sect based in an icy region near your Water Spirit Temple that is also stronger than your Water Spirit Temple…”
“Stop stop!” Shui Ling’s called out helplessly, Yang Kai’s words had all but inferred Su Yan’s location so she knew trying to hide it any further was useless. Glaring at him angrily, she snorted bitterly, “You’re too smart for your own good!”
“Then tell me about it, I can’t really think of a place that matches those conditions so I have to find someone to ask about it anyways!” Yang Kai grinned, he really wasn’t too knowledgeable about this world’s forces, or else he would have already known the answer to his inquiry.
“Ice Sect!” Shui Ling said reluctantly, “Have you heard of it?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
“A few thousand kilometers west of my Water Spirit Temple, there is a glacial region. Ice Sect is based in that frozen land. They live a mostly isolated life and rarely come into contact with outsiders, so they don’t have any particularly close ties with the rest of the world. It’s only because they are located relatively close to my Water Spirit Temple that we have some interactions. Occasionally, my Water Spirit Temple will do some business with them, but whenever we make an exchange, the men, women, and even children who we meet with are as cold as ice. Your ice fairy Senior Sister entering that place was really quite appropriate.”
“Why would Treasurer Meng take Senior Sister to such a place?” Yang Kai frowned.
“It seems that Senior Meng and the Sect Master of Ice Sect have some friendship so he felt relieved entrusting Su Yan to her,” After Shui Ling finished, she looked at Yang Kai solemnly and asked, “Do you insist on going to Ice Sect?”
Yang Kai nodded.
It had already been several years since he came to this world and now that he finally had a definite piece of news about his Senior Sister, of course he had to check it out and see how Su Yan was doing. If Ice Sect really was suitable for her, letting her stay there to cultivate wouldn’t be a bad idea, but if she wanted to leave with him, Yang Kai would bring her to Soaring Heaven Sect.
Chu Ling Xiao was the Ancestral Founder of the High Heaven Pavilion, naturally that meant he was Su Yan’s Martial Ancestor as well.
“When do you plan to leave?”
“Now.”
“Do you even know where to go?” Shui Ling rolled her eyes at him, “Wait a few more days, I’ll find someone familiar with the route to guide you. You flying off on your own now will just be a waste of time.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded, not rejecting Shui Ling’s kindness. Having someone lead him was naturally better than him wandering around by himself.
Above the vast ocean, a massive iron boat sailed forward against the wind and waves, heading west at an extremely fast speed.
The ship was filled with cultivation resources and was crewed by disciples of Water Spirit Temple.
Yang Kai stood at the bow of the ship and stared west, his thought somewhat distracted. Since he had first become involved with Su Yan, they had never been separated for such a long time. The deep ache and longing for her he felt in his heart was like a fine wine, the longer it remained bottled up, the more potent it became.
After roughly half a month’s stay on Water Spirit Island, his opportunity finally came when this trade mission between Water Spirit Temple and Ice Sect came up, and Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to seize it.
Over the past half a month, Shui Ling had taken very good care of him and provided him with every kind of convenience he could want, making one more attempt to persuade Yang Kai to join the Water Spirit Temple. Unfortunately, Yang Kai ultimately refused.
When he finally left, Shui Ling threw something of a fit and didn’t even show up to say goodbye.
Taking advantage of this down time, with Shui Ling’s help, Yang Kai also managed to acquire a number of the herbs he needed to refine the Ancient Demon Clan’s Saint Pill.
Although these herbs could not be found in Blue Water City, for a great force like Water Spirit Temple, they weren’t too difficult to acquire.
Although the speed of the great ship was nowhere near what Yang Kai was capable of, it was definitely not slow. Obviously, it had been specially built by skilled masters and even had some characteristics in common with high grade artifacts. The several times it was attacked by Monster Beasts, it had easily shrugged them off.
The ship also had several Transcendent Realm masters aboard to prevent any accidents from happening.
He Pu of Dark Clouds Island was here too and was actually the one responsible for this trade mission with Ice Sect. Ice Sect was very powerful and had many high-level masters, each and every one of them possessing a frigid demeanor; however, because of this, they were very honest and upfront when it came to transactions. Water Spirit Temple had been cooperating with them for more than a few years now so there was a certain degree of trust built up between the two Sects. When Water Spirit Temple delivered Ice Sect various cultivation resources and supplies, they would receive a large amount of Ice Attribute spirit grasses and herbs in return.
Ice Sect was rich in Ice Attribute ores which were of great value to Water Spirit Temple.
“Young Master Yang,” He Pu smiled as he appeared next to Yang Kai, “After about half a month, we will arrive at the edge of a great glacier, from there, we have to disembark and fly the rest of the way. The people you’re looking for live in the depths of that glacial world.”
“What kind of Sect is Ice Sect?” Yang Kai turned around and asked.
“I don’t know much about them actually,” He Pu smiled awkwardly.
“You don’t know much about them? Don’t you trade with them quite often?”
“We indeed have an established relationship, but I have never been to Ice Sect itself. Every time we trade, we do so on one of the outer glaciers quite some distance from Ice Sect’s headquarters. Those Ice Sect people are really aloof and unreasonable though, every time we meet they stare at us with disgruntled expressions, as if we owe them an incredible amount of money. On top of that, they’re quite averse to outsiders; they consider Ice Sect to be a pure land and outsiders will only bring filth into their realm. If anyone dares to approach their territory, they will certainly not be polite.”
“So, what you mean to say is, you don’t actually know where Ice Sect is, do you?” Yang Kai knit his brow.
He Pu shook his head before coughing lightly, “Young Lady specifically instructed that if things did not go smoothly, Young Master Yang should return to Water Spirit Island where the Young Lady will be waiting to receive you.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help chuckling when he heard these words, “That little girl still has ideas about me.”
He Pu’s mouth twitched slightly. He had never heard anyone dare call the Young Lady ‘little girl’. The courage of this Young Master Yang was simply too big, but what was even more astonishing was his relationship with the Young Lady was good enough that she didn’t mind him speaking to her in such a manner.
“The wind outside is quite strong, let’s go inside,” He Pu quickly adjusted his expression and said with a smile, “My Junior Brothers have prepared some food and wine, I hope Young Master Yang will accept this invitation.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded and walked into the cabin with He Pu.
Although He Pu didn’t know the details about Yang Kai and Shui Ling’s relationship, he had a few guesses. At the very least, Shui Ling treated him differently than an ordinary guest, so naturally He Pu thought it was a good idea to make friends with him.
Yang Kai also didn’t have any kind of arrogance and soon mixed in the crew, laughing and drinking together with everyone harmoniously.
The days passed by and the air obviously became colder, it seemed like as the great boat sailed forward, it was gradually approaching a world of ice and snow.
The waves on the sea also became smaller and weaker than before, and around the ship, floating chunks of ice could be seen.
As time passed, this change in situation became even more obvious.
Yang Kai knew this meant he was getting closer and closer to the glacial world and his heart filled with endless expectation and excitement.
Half a month later, the great ship finally came to a stop as the sea in front of it was completely frozen over. Snowflakes the size of goose feathers fell from the sky and from just a quick look, it was obvious the ice on the water’s surface was several meters thick.
The ship couldn’t proceed any further.
He Pu skillfully commanded the crew to pack the ship’s supplies into a number of Universe Bags and prepare to land on the glaciers.
After a short hustle and bustle, everything was prepared.
Leaving a few people behind to look after the boat, the rest of the Water Spirit Temple team leapt off of the deck and, brazing the frigid wind and snow, continued heading west.
The temperature here is extremely low; even a cultivator like He Pu wore a lot of warm clothing, Yang Kai was the only one still a casual shirt and pants. Not only did he not feel cold, he even seemed to be enjoying the weather. This cause He Pu and the others to stare in amazement, wondering just what kind cultivation Yang Kai possessed that allowed him to treat this terrible environment as if it was nothing.
As far as the eye could see it was pure white, a frozen glacial world seemingly devoid of any impurities.
The team from Water Spirit Temple flew forward for several days before the Transcendent leading them suddenly made a gesture to stop.
The team all halted and stared towards their front.
Amidst this snowy world, there seemed to be a few vague figures dressed in pure white robes. Against the glacial background, these people were nearly impossible to detect.
Yang Kai had discovered these people’s auras some time ago, but had not said anything, choosing to sit back and observe first.
After searching the area in front of him for a while, the leader of Water Spirit Temple’s team finally confirmed his counterparts, smiled happily, and hurried forward.
A moment later, their team arrived in front of these half-hidden figures.
Obviously these people were disciples of Ice Sect. Sweeping his gaze over them quickly, Yang Kai could help narrowing his eyes.
Although these people’s expressions were aloof and indifferent, even somewhat disgruntled, giving them an unwelcoming and unreasonable aura, all of them had incredibly dense and pure True Qi, each of them giving off a chilling aura that was difficult to ignore.
The harsher the environment, the stronger the cultivator that could be honed, this was a well-known truth.
Living a life of isolation in this glacial world, Ice Sect’s disciples not being formidable would be strange.
It seemed like Treasurer Meng entrusting Su Yan to this place had by no means been out of simple convenience. With Su Yan’s temperament, this environment really was perfectly suited to her.
The two sides were obviously familiar with each other so the lead Ice Sect disciple, upon seeing the Water Spirit Temple delegation, didn’t refrain from showing some impatience as he indifferently asked, “How come you’re so late this time?”
He Pu quickly stepped forward and replied with a flattering smile, “Sorry, sorry, some matters delayed our trip here, causing us to arrive a bit later than expected.”
“It better not happen again,” The man was coldly snorted.
He Pu almost choked on his words, secretly rolling his eyes and no longer trying to exchange pleasantries, instead quickly getting his people to hand over their Universe Bags to the Ice Sect disciples so the latter could confirm the goods.
After a quick inspection, the leader of the Ice Sect group nodded, expressed his satisfaction with the materials sent by Water Spirit Temple, then handed over two Universe Bags from his sleeve to He Pu.
He Pu swiftly checked the contents of the Universe Bags before smiling and saying, “Good, this time’s exchange has been fruitful, I hope we can continue to cooperate in the future.”
Upon hearing this, without saying anything more, the Ice Sect delegation turned around and prepared to leave.
“Please wait a moment!” He Pu called out.
The lead Ice Sect disciple turned around and asked in an unhappy voice, “What?”
“Ahem, I’d like to ask you about someone,” Yang Kai stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said.
“Ask about someone? Who do you want to ask about?” The man frowned, his expression clearly impatient.
“A young woman named Su Yan, she should currently be residing in your Ice Sect.”
“Su Yan?”
“En, she should have entered your Ice Sect two years ago, if possible, I hope you can allow me to see her…”
“There’s no one with that name in my Ice Sect, you’ve come to the wrong place!” The man didn’t wait for Yang Kai to finish before waving his hand and gruffly cutting him off.
A tinge of anger welled up in Yang Kai’s heart but didn’t immediately act out, choosing instead to stand by and watch this group depart.
Soon, these people disappeared into the snowy world.
“Young Master Yang, this…” He Pu looked at Yang Kai somewhat sympathetically. Although he knew the people of Ice Sect were not easy to converse with, this group had simply been too cold, even refusing to give the other side a chance to speak.
“You go back first, give my thanks to Shui Ling for all her help and tell her I’ll come thank her in person when I get a chance.”
“But Young Lady said that if things don’t go well, we have to bring you back with us lest you suffer any injustice here,” He Pu hesitated.
“Her good intentions are something I’ll make a note of in my heart. When you go back, just tell her I insisted on staying,” Yang Kai smiled and patted He Pu’s shoulder, “This time you’ve worked hard.”
Being treated in such a friendly manner, He Pu immediately felt flattered and let out a laugh, “Young Master Yang is too polite, this Hu wishes Young Master Yang success in your coming venture. If things are truly impossible, please don’t hesitate to leave, these Ice Sect people really aren’t good to provoke.”
“En, I know, if there’s a chance, we’ll meet again in the future,” Yang Kai cupped his fists before quickly turning around and following after the Ice Sect disciples.
Looking at his disappearing back, He Pu sighed and shook his head before also turning around and leading his team back the way they came.
Yang Kai subtly released his Divine Sense and locked onto the group of Ice Sect disciples, following them from a safe distance.
He was certain this group of people knew Su Yan.
Although the man who spoke did not expose any flaws, the young woman standing behind him, trembled slightly as a look of surprise briefly appeared on her face when Yang Kai mentioned Su Yan’s name.
Although she had quickly regained her composure, Yang Kai had not missed this slight change.
Yang Kai didn’t know why they denied Su Yan’s existence, but he couldn’t feel at ease without seeing her for himself.
There was also a faint uneasiness in his heart, as if he knew something was wrong.
Su Yan had been entrusted to Ice Sect by Meng Wu Ya. Ice Sect’s Sect Master and Treasurer Meng seemed to have some kind of friendship, and that friendship definitely wasn’t shallow. If not, Meng Wu Ya would not have done this.
Yang Kai believed in Treasurer Meng!
Since that was the case, Su Yan shouldn’t have been wronged in Ice Sect, but the faint restlessness in Yang Kai’s heart still unsettled him and he vowed to find Su Yan and see for himself how she currently was.
Atop the glacier, several Ice Sect disciples in their pure white robes rushed forward. They were the ones who had just traded with He Pu.
Under the leadership of a middle-aged man, the group of people walked in a seemingly random pattern across the snowy landscape.
There were many large and small outcroppings on this vast glacier, and with their white clothing and special methods of concealing their auras, it would be almost impossible to detect them if one didn’t carefully inspect the area.
As the middle-aged man led his fellow disciples back towards the Sect, he couldn’t help wrinkling his brow. He instinctively felt like they were being tracked, but even after sweeping the surroundings with his Divine Sense repeatedly, he couldn’t detect anyone, causing him some distress.
After traveling for quite some time, not only was this group not closer to Ice Sect, they were instead getting farther and farther away.
The young woman next to him finally couldn’t help but ask, “Ni Ren Martial Uncle, why are we flying in this direction?”
The middle-aged man didn’t answer, as if he hadn’t even heard her.
The young woman didn’t give up though, her expression becoming somewhat puzzled as she asked, “Also, when that youth asked about Junior Sister Su Yan, why did you tell him that Junior Sister wasn’t in the Ice Sect? She is obviously there, I even spoke a few words to her less than a year ago.”
Ni Ren just shot a cold glance towards the young woman, scaring her and immediately causing her to stop talking.
A young man next to the woman quickly explained, “Don’t ask too much Junior Sister, Martial Uncle naturally has a good reason for doing this. Everything he does is for our protection. Outsiders are all sinister and deceitful; at first glance it was obvious that guy back there wasn’t anything good, actually wanting to intrude into our Ice Sect, who knows what kind of evil plot he has.”
“Oh… en,” The young woman simply replied; although she somewhat disagreed in her heart, she didn’t dare say any more.
Another seemingly concerned disciple sped up and approached Ni Ren, whispering, “Martial Uncle, are we being followed?”
Ni Ren frowned a moment before muttering, “I don’t know, it may just be my imagination. Among that group of people, no one should have the ability to shadow us without me noticing, but just in case we’ll take a roundabout way back.”
“Yes.”
Ni Ren’s expression did not relax though; recalling Yang Kai’s appearance though, he just shook his head and felt he was being overly cautious.
Although that young man seemed out of the ordinary, and was certainly not an average Junior, in the end, he was still nothing but a kid. It should be impossible for his cultivation to be higher than his own.
However, what Ni Ren really cared about was that he was actually looking for Su Yan.
The young woman who had suddenly entered Ice Sect two years ago!
Not long after joining, that young woman created a huge sensation, the Sect Master and all the Elders lavishly praising her, saying that one day she would certainly become a Third Order Saint!
Her performance was certainly awe inspiring. When Su Yan joined the Sect, she was still just an Immortal Ascension Boundary Eighth Stage cultivator, but in less than a year, she successfully broke through to the Transcendent Realm and continued progressing rapidly. According to Elder Qian Yue, for the past year, Su Yan had been in secluded retreat, as to what kind of realm her cultivation had reached, Ni Ren could only imagine.
On top of that, Su Yan easily mastered all of Ice Sect’s Secret Arts and Martial Skills, becoming proficient in most of them almost at first glance.
This kind of achievement was unheard of in all of Ice Sect’s history.
Her aptitude actually didn’t differ much from one who possessed the legendary Ice Crystal Jade Body special constitution. Unfortunately, the Ice Crystal Jade Body was incredibly rare and had essentially never been seen before.
Ni Ren hadn’t had much contact with Su Yan, but he had learned from Elder Qian Yue that this young woman was simply supremely suited to cultivating in Ice Sect! Originally, the Sect Master had half forcibly admitted her into the Sect against the other Elder’s objections, but after discovering her amazing talent, Elder Qian Yue’s attitude completely changed and even hoped to accept her as a direct disciple. Forget about allowing Su Yan to freely read the Sect’s Secret Arts and Martial Skills, Elder Qian Yue even allowed her to freely enter the Sect’s Sacred Ground, the Ice Cave, to cultivate.
Unfortunately, Su Yan didn’t seem willing to join Ice Sect, causing Qian Yue no small frustration, but there was really nothing she could do.
When Yang Kai mentioned Su Yan, he made Ni Ren feel quite wary.
If it was any other disciple, Ni Ren probably won’t have bothered concealing the truth, but since it was about Su Yan, Ni Ren thought he should first report the incident to Elder Qian Yue.
As these thoughts swirled about his head, Ni Ren’s feet never stopped moving, shuttling back and forth across the glacial landscape.
Yang Kai, who was a fair distance behind this group, saw this and merely snickered lightly.
The other party seemed to be faintly aware they were being tracked but were not certain, so they were eagerly trying to shake Yang Kai off.
Unfortunately for them, having been locked onto by Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense, everything Ni Ren tried was in vain.
Three days later, Yang Kai noticed that the group he was tracking had suddenly disappeared into an ice mountain, their life auras seemingly vanishing into thin air.
After stopping in place for a moment, Yang Kai frowned and decided to walk closer to the region they had disappeared, soon coming across a dense field of ice mountains.
Even after examining the area in front of him for some time, Yang Kai couldn’t discover anything out of place; all he knew was that these ice mountains were concealing some kind of secret.
However, his efforts weren’t completely fruitless as, to his great joy, he felt Su Yan’s aura!
Because they had cultivated the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, as long as the two of them were within a certain range of each other, they could sense the other’s existence.
After they had absorbed the energy of the Yin Yang Monster Ginseng, this invisible spiritual connection had grown even stronger.
Su Yan was inside one of the ice mountains a short distance in front of him, her aura incredibly calm and peaceful, as if she was in some kind of deep sleep, but when Yang Kai tried to reach out to her, he wasn’t able to obtain the slightest response.
Yang Kai’s expression instantly became gloomy upon realizing this.
Most likely, Su Yan had encountered some kind of accident! Otherwise, after sensing his presence, she would definitely excitedly run out to see him.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s anger flared up and a murderous aura began leaking from his body, his eyes becoming sharp and dangerous.
Inside the ice mountain field lay a snowy paradise.
Ice Sect’s foundation was in this mountain range. Innumerable years ago, Ice Sect was a well-known super force in Tong Xuan Realm, but because of a certain incident, Ice Sect had abandoned its former domain and secluded itself here, no longer contacting the outside world or accepting outsiders into its territory.
Every ten years, Ice Sect’s Elders would go out and search for some disciples with excellent aptitude to inject fresh blood into the Ice Sect; these disciples would all be orphans without any other family members.
The strictness with which Ice Sect selected its disciples was incredibly harsh so each one of them was a talented elite.
There weren’t many people in Ice Sect; from the Sect Master to the youngest disciples, there were only about five hundred in total. However, there were quite a few masters including several Saints and at least twenty or thirty Transcendents. It could be seen from this alone that Ice Sect’s cultivation methods and vision were extraordinary when it came to its disciples.
At this moment, in the center of one of the ice mountains, inside an ice room, Ni Ren was reporting about the recent transaction to Elder Qian Yue.
Qian Yue was a middle-aged beauty and although she did not look old, she was already a powerful First Order Saint. Like Fei Yu, she had simply done a good job in maintaining her appearance.
After listening to Ni Ren’s report, Qian Yue nodded lightly, “Well done, you’ve worked hard, bring the disciples of your team to take some of those supplies to cultivate with.”
“Many thanks, Elder Qian Yue,” Ni Ren said, but did not immediately retreat, a look of hesitation appearing on his face.
“Is there something else?” Qian Yue stared at him with her pair of beautiful eyes, realizing something was not quite right thus taking the initiative to ask.
“It’s like this, Elder. During this time’s transaction, something happened that concerns this disciple.”
“Go on.”
“There was a young man who asked this disciple about Su Yan’s whereabouts. I don’t know where he obtained his information, but he seemed to be aware that Su Yan was in our Ice Sect!”
“He was looking for Su Yan?” Qian Yue’s pretty face dimmed, her brow wrinkling slightly “What kind of man?”
Ni Ren quickly described Yang Kai’s appearance and added, “He is not old, but there was something strange about him. Disciple is incompetent and wasn’t able to spy on his strength, but he faintly gave me a sense of oppression.”
“He gave you a sense of oppression?” Qian Yue said slightly shocked, muttering to herself, “Is he the person that old guy mentioned to the Sect Master before? How could he have come so quickly?”
When that old fogy brought Su Yan to Ice Sect and handed her over to the Sect Master, he had once said that someday a young man might come looking for her. He also made a point of saying, when that time came, the Sect Master should not shut him out. Otherwise it would very likely cause some form of heaven shaking disaster.
The Sect Master and Elder Qian Yue weren’t aware of Su Yan’s aptitude at the time, so they only reluctantly agreed, but after witnessing Su Yan’s talent first hand, neither of them wanted to let her leave. As long as Su Yan stayed in Ice Sect, given her natural ability, she would definitely one day inherit the position of Sect Master.
What made Qian Yue feel helpless though was that Su Yan had encountered an accident and currently was unable to meet with anyone.
This young man’s relationship with Su Yan must be very close, if he were to learn of Su Yan’s current state, it would likely lead to some unwanted consequences.
Qian Yue couldn’t help rubbing her forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on as she asked, “Did you lead that young man back to the Sect?”
“No,” Ni Ren shook his head, “Disciple thought it best to report the situation to Elder first, so he did not tell him the truth.”
“Good, well done,” Qian Yue nodded with satisfaction, but before she could offer a few words of praise for Ni Ren’s quick judgement, her expression suddenly changed. Releasing her Divine Sense into the surrounding area, she soon coldly snorted and said, “Ni Ren, Ni Ren, you really are incompetent! Allowing someone to follow you back to our Ice Sect, yet not even realizing it?”
“Ah?” Ni Ren was stunned, “Impossible, I lead my team to wander through the ice fields for several days outside just in case someone was following us before coming back, how could he have…”
“Hmph!” Qian Yue coldly snorted, “If I say he followed you, then he follow you. Also, that little brat seems to be very dissatisfied with our Ice Sect, the aura he’s emitting right now is quite unfriendly.”
“Please calm your anger, Elder disciple will go now and drive him away!” Ni Ren quickly said, a tinge of irritation on his face.
When he came back, he had been extremely cautious and alert, but he had still been silently follow, not even realizing after he returned to the Sect, it was really a big loss of face to him.
“Go and send him away. This little brat is obviously not the friendly type so give him a good lesson, but remember, you mustn’t endanger his life,” Qian Yue ordered. In the end, this youth was somehow related to that old fogy, if they were really to kill this young man, it would be difficult for the Sect Master to explain to that old fogy.
The Sect Master had already reprimanded Qian Yue regarding Su Yan’s accident, so she was not eager to receive another sermon.
Ni Ren hurriedly nodded before rushing out, his look cold and gloomy.
Outside the ice mountain range, Yang Kai’s face was also quite gloomy, his eyes closed as he silently continued to examine Su Yan’s condition. Although he was certain her life wasn’t in any danger, he could not understand what had happened to her that would cause her to not respond to his call. It was like she was in some kind of coma and completely unaware of his presence.
A moment later, several not weak auras suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s perception range and rapidly flew over towards him.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and a cold light flashed across them as he stared in the direction the Ice Sect disciples were approaching from.
Not long after, this group arrived in front of Yang Kai.
“Brat, sure enough, it’s you!” Ni Ren snorted as he stared at the slightly familiar youth in front of him. Just staring at the cold, murderous look on the opposite party’s face, Ni Ren knew this brat wasn’t anything good.
Regarding this person, Ni Ren didn’t have the slightest good impression.
“You dare follow me? Your courage really isn’t small,” Ni Ren coldly snorted, saying in a disgruntled tone, “It seems I’ll have to have a talk with Water Spirit Temple, how could they have raised such an insidious villain?”
When he met Yang Kai before, the latter had been moving together with the disciples of Water Spirit Temple, so naturally he thought Yang Kai was also member of Water Spirit Temple.
“Water Spirit Temple has no relationship with me!” Yang Kai snorted.
Ni Ren frowned as he stared at Yang Kai, calmly saying, “I don’t care what Sect you belong to, this is my Ice Sect’s territory. Go back to wherever you came from, otherwise don’t blame us for being unkind.”
“Before I see the person I have to see, I’m not going anywhere,” Yang Kai glared at Ni Ren, flames of anger rising in his heart. This guy clearly knew Su Yan, but when he had asked about her before, the latter had simply cut him off before Yang Kai could finish his question. And now that Yang Kai had arrived here and confirmed Su Yan’s presence, this guy wanted to force him to leave without so much as a word of explanation.
This attitude was simply arrogant to the extreme!
Yang Kai was furious, but still didn’t act immediately. Ice Sect’s Sect Master had some kind of relationship with Meng Wu Ya. Meng Wu Ya entrusting Su Yan to this place obviously stemmed from the former’s good intentions, so if Ice Sect could give him a reasonable explanation he could accept, Yang Kai didn’t want to make a big deal out of things.
Right now, he just wanted to know what had happened to Su Yan and how she was.
However, even if Yang Kai didn’t let his anger erupt, Ni Ren did, roaring loudly, “Little brat, don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, speaking such bold words to me in my Ice Sect’s territory, you are the first! If you utter any more nonsense, I’ll teach you a harsh lesson!”
“You can try!” Yang Kai sneered.
Ni Ren’s expression became indifferent as he nodded lightly, “Very well, I didn’t want to hurt you, but you’ve brought this upon yourself. A mere junior daring to act so arrogantly in front of me, your ignorance knows no bounds! Today, I’ll let you know who the master is around here!”
Saying so, Ni Ren’s eyes flashed and a burst of white light shot out from them. In this white world, it was extremely difficult to detect this light.
The light seemed to be composed of the coldest ice and cut through the air like a sword, slicing into Yang Kai’s head and ripping through his Knowledge Sea’s defence, trying to defeat him in one fell swoop.
“A Divine Sense attack…”
Yang Kai’s mouth curled into a cold sneer and slowly shook his head, “I thought your Ice Sect cultivators were supposed to be strong, but it turns out you’re nothing much. If that was all you’ve got, then I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.”
Although Ni Ren’s Divine Sense attack had easily penetrated into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, it was quickly incinerated, causing no damage at all.
Ni Ren’s face changed dramatically upon realizing this and all the other Ice Sect disciples around also stared at Yang Kai in amazement.
Ni Ren was a First Order Transcendent master, and though he did not major in cultivating Spiritual Energy, his Divine Sense was still quite powerful. To deal with such a junior should have been a simple task, so the other party not taking with any damage and even leisurely being able to taunt them really was difficult for the Ice Sect disciples to accept.
“Junior Brother, this little brat is a little strange!” Another Transcendent beside Ni Ren quickly said.
Ni Ren nodded heavily; just now, when Elder Qian Yue told him to bring others to drive this little brat away, he had felt she was making too much of a fuss, but now he knew otherwise. Fortunately he had brought some of his fellow brothers to help or else, if he had come all alone, facing this strange kid in battle likely would have result in him suffering an embarrassing loss.
As he thought so, Ni Ren stared at Yang Kai fixedly, his expression a lot more solemn then it was before, a moment later saying, “Little brat, I see you have some skill. I won’t embarrass you any further, so leave now.”
“I said, before I see the one I need to see, I’m not leaving,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, his attitude firm, his expression sinking as he coldly stated, “If you don’t let me see her, I’ll flatten every one of your ice mountains!”
“Bold! You think we’ll allow you to act as you please in our Ice Sect?” Ni Ren shouted furiously.
“It seems it’s useless for me to speak with someone of your status in Ice Sect. Since that’s the case, I’ll have to find someone with some real authority!” Just as Yang Kai’s voice fell, his figure flickered and he shot towards a certain ice mountain in the distance. From that mountain, he could feel a powerful Divine Sense monitoring the situation over here.
“Don’t even think about it!” Ni Ren shouted, his True Qi bursting forth, “Frozen World!”
The bone chilling wind suddenly became even colder and in a flash, Yang Kai’s body was surrounded by a mysterious energy. This energy quickly solidified into innumerable icy blades that shot towards him from every possible direction, each of these blades giving off an imposing and dangerous aura.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s figure was lost in this torrent of blades.
However, Ni Ren’s expression did not relax and instead became even more solemn.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The ice blades continued to fly towards Yang Kai from all around, but at the centre of this barrage a blazing inferno had erupted and was spreading outwards at incredible speed. Soon, a red hot ball of flames as dazzling as the sun formed, blinding those who tried to stare at it.
*Hong…*
When Ni Ren’s Frozen World exploded, Yang Kai stood mid-air, surrounded by his flames, radiating a scalding hot aura as he stared down at Ni Ren indifferently.
“Transcendent Realm!” Ni Ren complexion changed greatly as his eyes bulged in disbelief.
Feeling Yang Kai’s True Qi fluctuations, he finally understood what his opponent’s cultivation was.
This young man, like him, was a First Order Transcendent master! And his opponent’s True Qi was actually several times purer and denser than his own. What made Ni Ren truly unease though was that this youth’s True Qi had a potent Yang Attribute, the nemesis of his Ice Attribute Qi!
“Junior Brother, watch out!” In the instant that Ni Ren lost his composure, his Senior Brother nearby suddenly called out and hurriedly pulled him away.
*Xiu…*
A fiery red spear scratched Ni Ren’s body and sank into the ground, instantly melting the ten thousand year old ice and opening a hole dozens of meters across and at least a thousand meters deep.
Feeling the power of that spear which was purely condense of this strange youth’s True Qi caused all the Ice Sect disciples present to go pale.
All of them had broken through to the Transcendent Realm, but none of them was confident they could have withstood such an attack. If they had been hit directly with that flame spear, they would likely have vaporized as easily as the ice around them had.
*Hu hu…*
An unbearably hot True Qi aura spread out and instantly covered a several thousand meter radius. Within this scalding domain, anyone who cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts was suppressed to some degrees and their True Qi seemed to circulate more slowly.
Yang Kai stood mid-air, a cold chill flashing across his eyes as he stared down below and solemnly said, “I’ll ask you one last time, what happened to Su Yan?”
“Boy, we don’t know anyone named Su Yan, so how are we supposed to know what happened to her? If you want to fight, stop trying to find excuses and just fight!” Ni Ren stubbornly declared.
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded and no longer wasted his breath. Condensing a drop of Yang Liquid at his fingertips before flicking his wrist and shooting it out.
The drop of Yang Liquid exploded and transformed into thousands of tiny droplets that flew towards the Ice Sect disciples below.
“Ice Curtain!”
“Ice Lock!”
“Ice Crystal Beasts!”
Ni Ren and the others Transcendents all immediately responded to Yang Kai’s attack, each of them using their own Ice Attribute Martial Skills.
A shield of ice filled with profound chill rose up in front of the Ice Sect disciples while chains comprised of Ice Attribute Qi shot towards Yang Kai. At the same time, a series of roars rang out and a number of giant Monster Beasts appeared above the glacier, fierce looks upon their faces.
These Monster Beasts were composed entirely of Ice Attribute True Qi and had the appearance of elaborate ice sculptures; however, each of them behaved incredibly lifelike, running atop the ground and soaring through the sky as they struck towards Yang Kai.
*Chi chi chi…*
The drop of Yang Liquid which had transformed into countless tiny droplets effortlessly penetrated the Ice Curtain, causing Ni Ren and his fellow brothers’ faces to pale, all of them quickly summoning their own defensive artifacts in the next instant to protect themselves.
Simultaneously, the Ice Lock’s chains wrapped up Yang Kai, but before their summoner could celebrate, to his horror, his Martial Skill which should have been able to tie down a Second Order Transcendent was actually instantly melted by Yang Kai’s True Yang Yuan Qi, not even slowing the latter down for a single breath.
Yang Kai stepped forward leisurely and confronted the ice crystal beasts next.
After not having used this particular Martial Skill for so long, Yang Kai once again pushed forward his palms and with a great tiger roar and ox bellow, the Heaven Shaking White Tiger and Earth Splitting Divine Ox appeared, their bodies radiating a burning hot golden aura as they charged forward.
*Pa pa pa…*
All of the ice crystal beasts that charged towards Yang Kai were no match for the White Tiger and Divine Ox phantoms and were easily crushed and evaporate by the latter, disappearing in a puff of steam.
In less than three breaths, Yang Kai had crushed the Ice Sect disciple’s techniques and arrived in front of them. The True Qi fiercely overflowing from Yang Kai’s body made each of these disciples tremble unconsciously. They had never thought that a cultivator in the same realm as them could so completely overwhelm them in combat. Even though it was three against one, not only was this strange youth not showing any signs of defeat, he even appeared calm and relaxed, as if he hadn’t even used half his full strength yet.
Feeling the power surging through his body, Yang Kai truly felt carefree.
Certainly, the cultivators of Ice Sect had much higher combat power than average, the two First Order Transcendents of the Cheng Family which Yang Kai had cleaned up previously in Blue Water City weren’t even in the same league.
Even if two people had the same cultivation, depending on their comprehension of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, their combat power could be vastly different.
Regarding this point, Yang Kai had achieved something of a pinnacle amongst the same realm, although these Ice Sect disciples were all rare talents in this field, their achievements were still incomparable to Yang Kai’s.
After making a move, Yang Kai’s anger seemed to have been released somewhat and his emotions gradually calmed down.
He came to Ice Sect not to fight or kill, but to see Su Yan.
Thinking so, his murderous intent converged significantly but his momentum did not. Ni Ren and the other Ice Sect disciples did their best to stop Yang Kai, but not only could they not block him, they were actually teetering on the brink of total defeat.
This whole scenario made them feel quite fearful and their attitudes towards Yang Kai changed dramatically as a result.