Yang Kai seemed to have changed the Spirit Array in his pill furnace instantaneously!
Moreover, none of them had seen him use the slightest amount of True Qi.
When portraying a Spirit Array inside a pill furnace, one had to pour their True Qi into it and carefully control it in order to succeed. It was like treating ones True Qi as ink and the pill furnace as paper.
However, Yang Kai didn’t show any signs of injecting his True Qi into the pill furnace just now.
Where did this new Spirit Array come from then?
“He used his Spiritual Energy and Divine Sense!” Du Wan’s eyes lit up as he quickly said.
“Impossible…” He Feng snorted and kept shaking his head, “While it’s possible to draw a Spirit Array with ones Spiritual Energy, it isn’t strong enough to be used for Alchemy. If someone tried to do that, it would only end up collapsing and destroying the materials inside.”
“See for yourself!” Du Wan didn’t bother explaining and simply motioned for the others to observe.
Of everyone here, only he knew that Yang Kai possessed an attributed Spiritual Energy because of his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea.
The same as The Old Man of Heaven’s Keep.
Spirit Arrays built with ordinary Spiritual Energy really couldn’t be used for Alchemy, but those built from Conflagrated Spiritual Energy were different. Not only could they be used for Alchemy, they were actually superior to ones drawn with True Qi.
Everyone was now holding their breath and watching nervously.
Seeing Yang Kai not even hesitate to add the medicinal liquids he had condensed back into the pill furnace, each of them felt their hearts leap up into the throats.
All of them were afraid he would waste these precious materials.
Unexpectedly though, after the medicinal liquids were returned to the pill furnace, there was no signs of the Spirit Array shattering and the different liquids began mixing and smelting together, interacting with one another as a medicinal fragrance began to gradually leak out.
Each of the gathered Grandmasters was amazed, not understanding what kind of mysteries were hidden inside Yang Kai’s pill furnace that allowed this to happen.
Yang Kai’s expression remained completely focused, both his hands waving about as his True Qi surged up and down, controlling the furnace’s temperature precisely so as not to inadvertently damage the medicinal efficacies contained within.
Everyone’s eyes suddenly became bright again.
A moment later, a cracking sound rang out from inside the pill furnace, accompanied by a flash of light.
The Spirit Array Yang Kai was using was destroyed once again, causing the nerves the Grandmasters had just settled to once again tense up.
In the blink of an eye, a third Spirit Array appeared inside the pill furnace.
“This…” He Feng’s eyes widened, not having any idea what he should say anymore.
When each of them performed Alchemy, they too would change Spirit Arrays as the process went on, but such rapid and frequent replacements like the ones Yang Kai was using was something they had never even heard of before.
Also, they vaguely felt that Yang Kai was not just using his True Qi to perform Alchemy, but also his Spiritual Energy.
A two-pronged approach.
The strength of this little boy’s Spiritual Energy was also somewhat strange!
Yang Kai had a Third Order Transcendent Realm cultivation which was actually higher than any of the Grandmasters present. Thus, even though they noticed something out of place, it was impossible for them to unravel the secrets of Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Spiritual Energy, so naturally they were quite confused.
*Pa pa pa…*
Almost every half an incense stick worth of time, the Spirit Array inside Yang Kai’s furnace would be replaced. The several Grandmasters really couldn’t comprehend why Yang Kai was doing this as such frequent changes didn’t seem to serve any practical purpose and instead introduced a greater risk of failure.
Time passed by and a pill fragrance gradually began wafting through the air, one more potent than any of the ones the previous Grandmasters had managed to produce.
“It’s only been two hours…” Chang Bao’s fat trembled as he exclaimed in shock.
The appearance of a pill fragrance meant that the pill was about to be completed, yet from beginning to the end, Yang Kai had only spent two hours.
In comparison, they had each taken almost twice as long to refine their respective Saint Pills!
“Is this boy really refining a Saint Pill?” Hong Fang frowned, “Could it be he’s just using Saint Grade materials to refine a Spirit Grade Pill?”
Listening to this comment, the gathered Grandmasters thought it was indeed possible.
It wasn’t uncommon to refine lower-grade pills with higher-grade materials. Some less skilled Alchemists would even deliberately select high-grade materials to boost the success rate of the pill they were trying to refine.
At this moment, everyone felt that Yang Kai was probably doing something similar to this.
After all, the two hours was just too short a time to refine a Saint Pill, but for a Spirit Grade Pill, it was actually just right for someone Yang Kai’s age.
“Haa… this boy really scared this old master,” He Feng exclaimed exaggeratedly, “For a moment there, this old man thought the younger generation had already overtaken us and lost all confidence in himself.”
Chang Bao also chuckled, “But his performance is truly quite good, en, very good… Hey, Du Wan, you really should allow this little brat to come to my Lightning Flash City, I promise to not treat him poorly.”
Du Wan ignored the loose commentary and continued staring at Yang Kai instead.
He always felt that given Yang Kai’s personality, he would not engage in such wasteful and defeatist practices. Moreover, Du Wan knew Yang Kai was already a Spirit Grade Top-Rank Alchemist several years ago. If he really wanted to refine a Spirit Grade Pill, there was no need for him to intentionally choose Saint Grade materials.
Just want kind of pill was he refining? Only time would tell, but even someone as calm and steady as Du Wan couldn’t help feeling somewhat anxious.
The pill fragrance continued to grow stronger and it was obvious it was nearing completion.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s hands began moving even more rapidly as visible golden True Qi appeared at his fingertips, drawing beautiful arcs through the air. As these arcs connected together, a mysterious and complex Spirit Array appeared.
Everyone stared wide eyed at this unexpected development.
This exquisite Spirit Array was then inserted into the pill furnace, quickly integrating into it and disappearing.
Inside the small pill furnace, a violent bang rang out as if the nearly formed pill had come alive and was struggling to escape.
The surrounding World Energy suddenly became turbulent and began flooding like a tide towards the pill furnace.
At this moment, it seemed as if Yang Kai’s little pill furnace had become a bottomless whirlpool, drawing in all the nearby World Energy.
Perceiving this, the expressions of everyone gathered inside the pill room changed greatly, none of them knowing what was happening.
After several breaths of time, everything became calm once more.
Yang Kai reached out and patted his furnace, causing the pill to leap out. Quickly catching it, Yang Kai stuffed the freshly refined pill into a prepared jade bottle.
Gently exhaling a breath, Yang Kai didn’t even look at the pill he had just refined and instead closed his eyes, sinking into a kind of meditative state, clearly reviewing his gains.
While he was at it, he also seemed to be restoring the energy he had consumed.
As the room falling silent, the five Grandmaster all exchanged glances hesitantly.
The pill was now inside a jade bottle so they could not immediately tell what grade it was, but from the strange phenomenon they had just witnessed, it was obvious to all of them that the pill Yang Kai had refined was very unusual.
After waiting for a time yet not seeing any signs of Yang Kai waking from his meditation, Chang Bao finally couldn’t take it anymore and called out, “Du Wan, open that bottle.”
“En, I’m also curious whether the boy refined a Spirit Grade Pill or a genuine Saint Pill!” Hong Fang also spoke up.
Yang Kai was a member of Grand Boulder City’s Alchemist Guild Branch, so right now the responsibility naturally fell to Du Wan.
With all his old friends urging him on, Du Wan was also helpless and acquiesced, “Okay…”
Stepping forward, Du Wan picked up the jade bottle as everyone else huddled around and stared at him unblinkingly.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Open it already,” He Feng eagerly shouted.
Du Wan smiled wryly and opened the jade bottle. The moment he did and smelled the scent of the pill within, his hand trembled.
Du Wan didn’t even have to look at this pill as he could tell from the fragrance alone that Yang Kai had without a doubt refined a Saint Pill!
[He has actually grown to this level!] Du Wan was amazed.
The jade bottle was quickly snatched up by He Feng and after he glanced inside, he called out hoarsely “It really is a Saint Grade pill?”
“Let me see that…” Chang Bao hurriedly said, grabbing the jade bottle and confirming for himself that inside it was a freshly refined Saint Pill, his fat jiggling as he stared at it in disbelief.
The jade bottle made its way around the Grandmasters until it finally landed in Kong Ruo Yu’s grasp.
After examining the pill for a moment, Kong Ruo Yu’s expression suddenly became solemn, double-checking to make sure she wasn’t seeing things before haltingly muttering, “You old farts, are your eyes blind?”
“What? Isn’t it a Saint Grade pill?” Chang Bao stared at her blankly.
“En, it’s definitely a Saint Pill. What is Senior Sister Kong trying to say?” He Feng frowned.
Kong Ruo Yu smiled strangely at their reactions before handing the jade bottle back to them and saying, “Look again, this is no ordinary Saint Grade pill.”
Seeing her so serious, everyone quickly leaned in to take a second look.
Observing the pill again, whether it was its fragrance, quality, or radiant aura, all of them met the requirements of a genuine Saint Pill.
As they were carefully examining it though, they noticed that the Saint Pill had some faint lines crossing its surface which seemed to fade in and out of existence, similar to the meridians of a human body.
Within these meridian-like lines, a subtle energy pulsed, and if they listened very carefully, they could even hear the sound akin to flowing water coming from the pill.
“Pill Veins?” Several of them all shouted at once.
“Heh heh, a Saint Pill which had given birth to Pill Veins refined right in front of this old lady! Truly an eye opening experience,” Kong Ruo Yu’s voice quivered, a somewhat unwilling look mixed with pleasant surprise filling her face.
“This…” Everyone else in the room found themselves too shocked to even speak.
Yang Kai simply refining a Saint Pill was enough to shock them, yet now the pill he had refined actually had Pill Veins.
This was a dream many Alchemy Grandmasters had pursued their entire lives yet few had ever accomplished.
Each of the five Grandmasters here had refined a lot of Saint Pills over their careers, yet none of them had ever refined one with Pill Veins.
Simply by possessing Pill Veins, the value and efficacy of this Saint Pill multiplied several times over. Most importantly though, it could be preserved forever.
As long as it was not physically destroyed, no matter how many years passed, the efficacy of this pill would never decrease!
This was the true value of Pill Veins.
Ordinary pills did not possess such an advantage. No matter how well they were preserved, over time their medicinal efficacies would leak out.
That was why, for ordinary pills, the sooner one took it after it was refined, the better.
Silavin: Okay. 10 Chapters this week. Woohooo!
Also, Rebuild World is out 😀 Yay!
Inside the pill room, the five Grandmasters took turns staring at the Saint Pill with Pill Veins that was just refined by Yang Kai, each of them rendered speechless for quite some time.
To the side, Mi Na heard everything that was just said and was also dumbstruck, her beautiful eyes constantly flashing with complicated light. From time to time, she would glance over at Yang Kai who was still meditating and grind her teeth, obviously somewhat unwilling.
“This boy… his luck is truly good,” After a long time, Chang Bao muttered with clear envy in his voice.
“En, too good in fact,” He Feng echoed.
Du Wan glanced over at them and murmured, “Is this really just luck?”
“What else could it be?” Hong Fang chuckled, “Pill Veins and Pill Clouds are the ultimate pursuit of every Alchemist; unfortunately, these two magical existences are extremely difficult to come by and no one knows for sure how they form. Every pill that gives birth to Pill Veins or a Pill Cloud is the result of coincidence of opportunity. However, it is undeniable that Alchemists must perform a perfect refinement to even have any chance of forming Pill Veins, from this point alone, it seems this little brat is better than us.”
“En,” Kong Ruo Yu also gently nodded, “When I had my epiphany that year, the pill I refined also could be called perfect, something I was very proud of, but now, compared with this little fellow, it seems it wasn’t actually much.”
Four of the Grandmasters present seemed to have attributed the appearance of Pill Veins to luck; only Du Wan didn’t comment.
Luck was no doubt an important factor, but the Alchemy process could not be discounted, especially this Saint Pill which Yang Kai had used so many different Spirit Arrays to form…
Du Wan faintly felt that this Saint Pill giving birth to Pill Veins was the result of Yang Kai’s efforts, not just luck.
“A youth’s potential…” Chang Bao’s said with a rare serious expression, “Should we bring out our own Saint Pills for comparison?”
“Is there any need?” He Feng blushed with shame. Before Yang Kai refined his Saint Pill, each of them had full confidence in their own and felt it was superior to the others present.
But now, in front of a Saint Pill that had given birth to Pill Veins, they no longer felt like there was any point to their little competition.
Even if they discounted the appearance of Pill Veins, just the time required for Yang Kai to refine his Saint Pill was something they couldn’t hope to match, causing them a great deal of embarrassment.
The five Grandmasters glanced around at each other silently before quietly stowing away the Saint Pills they had just refined, as if trying to hide them.
…..
Yang Kai had sunken into a state of enlightenment, his Soul Avatar standing in an empty space where nothing existed except a myriad of Spirit Arrays hovering high up in the sky.
Yang Kai’s consciousness shuttled back and forth amongst the massive wealth of information and knowledge he had gleaned from the True Alchemic Way over the past many years, all of it now seemingly on display right before his eyes.
Up until now, this seemingly unimaginably vast amount of knowledge and experience in the Alchemic Dao had just been scattered memories floating about Yang Kai Knowledge Sea, but at this moment, he actually felt that there were some subtle connections between all of it, slowly turning his simple memorization of it into a kind of comprehension.
It was as if a closed door had suddenly cracked open and was slowly exposing the hidden secrets of the Alchemic Dao to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai dove straight in and soon became obsessed, not daring to relax his mind for an instant as he soaked up this new enlightenment.
As time passed by, the True Alchemic Way, which had been engraved into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, was finally completely understood by him, leaving no more hidden places to uncover or explore.
Now, Yang Kai could recite and explain any section of the True Alchemic Way off the top of his head.
His understanding of Alchemy also sublimated and advanced to a new height.
Before, it was like he was standing before a great mountain, staring up at the mysteries of Alchemy, but now Yang Kai felt he was standing atop the clouds, looking down on everything, all of it within his control.
This also included the generation of Pill Veins and Pill Clouds.
These ultimate pursuits of Alchemy were not just chance coincidences but could really be produced by applying the appropriate process!
Pill Veins were like the meridians of a pill. With these meridians, a pill could be preserved forever.
A Pill Cloud was an enhanced version of Pill Veins.
Both of these were a kind of natural Spirit Array and could be comprehended and interpreted via a large number of Spirit Arrays which were contained within the True Alchemic Way. By compiling those Spirit Arrays ingeniously and refining a pill with them, it was possible to promote the chance of Pill Veins and Pill Clouds appearing!
At the last moment of refining the Saint Pill, Yang Kai had simply tried out this wild thought of his and to his great surprise and joy succeeded, allowing him to unexpectedly comprehend the mysteries behind forming Pill Veins.
This was what ultimately led to his leap in understanding and the enhancement of his Alchemic technique.
However, although by applying the correct process it was possible to promote the appearance of Pill Veins and even Pill Clouds, actually doing so was quite troublesome and had a fair chance of failure.
The Grandmasters had concluded that Yang Kai had gotten lucky, and in truth they weren’t wrong.
Thoroughly comprehending the True Alchemic Way, Yang Kai felt his Alchemy skill had undergone encouraging improvements.
Still quite excited, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and glanced around, but upon seeing his surroundings, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat stunned.
He was still sitting cross-legged in the pill room, but the five Grandmasters, Ye Xiong, and Mi Na had all disappeared. There was only one young girl with a pair of twin-tails sitting down nearby, curiously observing him.
Seemingly because he had suddenly woken up, the young girl was surprised and couldn’t help letting out a cute yelp.
“Wu’er?” Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, “Why are you here?”
Wu’er quickly adjusted herself and grumbled back, “Why can’t I be here?”
Yang Kai chuckled at this sight, not quite sure why this little girl was acting a bit hostile towards him, quickly asking, “What about Grandmaster and the others?”
“They saw you not waking up after a long time and left, telling Wu’er to come here and watch over you until you woke up,” Wu’er muttered in a discontent tone.
“En, you’ve worked hard,” Yang Kai nodded lightly before standing up.
“Why you…” Wu’er snorted, “Since you’re already an Alchemist, why did you ask Wu’er for help performing Alchemy? Senior Sister laughed at me because of that…”
“Why would she laugh at you?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“She laughed because a Mysterious Grade Alchemist like Wu’er was actually trying to help a Saint Grade Alchemist perform Alchemy… Are you really a Saint Grade Alchemist?” Saying so, Wu’er cocked her head to the side and stared at Yang Kai.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, not intending to hide this fact from her.
Wu’er however just grinned and said, “I don’t believe you, you can’t be a Saint Grade Alchemist, Senior Sister must have been lying in order to make fun of me again.”
“Why don’t you believe me?” Yang Kai suddenly felt interested.
Wu’er wore a serious expression as she said in a completely natural tone, “Saint Grade Alchemists all have long white beards… your hair is still black, so you can’t be one!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help bursting into laughter at this innocent comment.
Seeing him like this, Wu’er’s mood immediately soured, “What are you laughing at? Do you think that Wu’er is easy to deceive just because she’s young? Just you wait; I’ll let Senior Sister come tidy you up, she’s much more fierce than me! Also, these are the pills you wanted Wu’er to refine, there wasn’t quite enough time, so Wu’er only managed to refine thirty of them… The rest you can find a way to handle on your own, Wu’er will return your herbs to you!”
“No need,” Yang Kai waved his hand casually, “Keep all of it for yourself. The pills will help you cultivate, they should be just right for your current strength. Those herbs will also be useful for you to practice with.”
Saying so, Yang Kai seemed to think of something and immediately began withdrawing Mysterious Grade herbs from the Black Book space, “I’ll also give you these, I have no use for them now anyways.”
Wu’er had originally wanted to reject his offer; after all, her Senior Sister had taught her that accepting gifts from strangers would come at a cost.
Although the person in front of her looked tall and heroic, that didn’t necessarily mean he was anything good.
However, before she could refuse, a massive pile of herbs appeared in front of her.
Wu’er’s jaw slowly began to drop as she stared at this sight.
These herbs weren’t very high grade, but they were indeed something she needed right now. By refining them into pills then taking them to sell, they would create a substantial amount of wealth for her.
More importantly though, they were perfect practice materials for her to improve her Alchemy proficiency!
Wu’er quickly swallowed back down the words of rejection she was about to utter.
Gradually, the pile of herbs in front of her transformed into a mountain, yet the young man in front of her still didn’t stop, as if he had an inexhaustible supply of treasures on him.
Wu’er stared dumbfounded at this.
Only after a long time did Yang Kai stop and say, “With this much you’ll need to prepare a few Universe Bags, go ask your Senior Sister or your master for some.”
“Eh? Ah… en…” Wu’er responded somewhat dazed.
Yang Kai smiled warmly, reached out and patted her head before walking out.
It took some time after Yang Kai left for Wu’er to come to her senses, quickly gripping her floral patterned skirt with both hands and rushing out, eager to ask her master for several Universe Bags.
Inside Old Man Du’s room, Du Wan sat in meditation, reflecting back on all the actions Yang Kai had taken that day while refining that Saint Pill, trying to picture each of the different Spirit Arrays which had been used in the process.
The more he thought about it, the more mysterious Du Wan felt the whole process was.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Old Man Du’s brow furrowed. Sending out his Divine Sense to see who it was, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face in the next instant, “Come in.”
Yang Kai pushed open the door and cupped his fists respectfully.
Old Man Du smiled, got up and greeted Yang Kai, pouring him a cup of tea before asking, “How was your harvest this time?”
“Very good,” Yang Kai nodded, sincerely continuing, “I must say my thanks to Old Man Du and the other Grandmasters. If not for all of you allowing me to observe your Alchemy processes, I would not have obtained this opportunity.”
“You’re too polite,” Du Wan shook his head, “You being able to gain so much is naturally due to your own skills. Ye Xiong and Mi Na were also both there, but they didn’t seem to gain much. Only you managed to reap so many benefits.”
“The other Grandmasters?” Yang Kai asked, looking around but not finding any of their figures.
“Gone, they came here just to see if this old man could unlock the secrets of that Spirit Array. After they achieved their objective, they waited half a month, but seeing you not showing any signs of waking up, they departed.”
“Oh, I had wanted to thank them in person,” Yang Kai felt somewhat regretful.
The several Grandmasters had not concealed anything when they performed Alchemy, which was equivalent to them exposing their most precious secrets to Yang Kai, something he was very grateful for.
“You’ll have an opportunity to do so in the future. Those old fellows are a restless bunch, they’ll likely be back in Grand Boulder City in the near future,” Du Wan chuckled, “It won’t be too late to express your gratitude when you next see them.”
After a while, Du Wan handed over the Saint Grade Low-Rank pill that Yang Kai had refined before.
This Saint Pill had previously been kept by the several Grandmasters, but now that Yang Kai was awake, Du Wan naturally returned it to him.
Yang Kai accepted it and gently grasped it, a thoughtful look soon appearing on his face.
Possibly because he had fully comprehended the True Alchemic Way, leading to a leap in his Alchemy skills, Yang Kai noticed that he could clearly feel all the details and nuances of the pill in his hand without even looking at it.
It was as if it was a part of him, a wondrous feeling.
“Right, I saw that at the last moment when you were refining this Saint Pill, you suddenly portrayed a large compound Spirit Array… Was that in some way related to producing Pill Veins?” Du Wan asked suddenly.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Indeed, the appearance of Pill Veins was thought to be a purely coincidental occurrence, but at that moment I thought there were actually some subtle ways to promote the probability of Pill Veins being born, hence why I used so many Spirit Arrays.”
“Promoting the probability of their appearance?” Du Wan’s eyes lit up and hurriedly asked, “How much can you improve that probability?”
If this method was really effective, then Alchemy across Tong Xuan Realm would undergo a sensational change. Being able to frequently refine pills that gave birth to Pill Veins would allow the value of Alchemy to multiply several times over.
However, Yang Kai smiled wryly and shook his head, “I can’t give you an answer to that question, all I can say is that it can improve the chances of Pill Veins appearing to some degree. I’ve yet to comprehend and understand everything related to this as well… En, some time ago I came across an ancient Saint Pill that allowed me to spy on some of the Alchemy techniques a Grandmaster from long ago used. I hadn’t expected those techniques were actually to promote the appearance of Pill Veins.”
“A Saint Pill left over from ancient times?” Du Wan’s expression became solemn, “How did you know that Saint Pill came from a previous era?”
“Because it did not have Pill Veins… but a Pill Cloud. Through the condensation of its medicinal efficacies, I could infer that it had existed for at least a few thousand years!”
Du Wan inhaled sharply, his eyes flashing brightly, “A Saint Pill with a Pill Cloud? Where is it now? Can you let me see it?”
Yang Kai scratched his head awkwardly and muttered, “I ate it.”
“Y… you… ate it?” Du Wan was stunned.
“I nearly exploded as a result!” Yang Kai smiled bitterly, thinking back to the scene when he had swallowed that ancient Saint Pill. It was truly a rash move, but thanks to consuming that ancient Saint Pill, his Five Coloured Soul Warming Lotus had finally evolved into a six coloured one.
“Such a waste of Heaven’s gifts!” Du Wan stood up and shouted angrily, “A Saint Pill that had given birth to a Pill Cloud was eaten just like that by you? How could you…. the nerve!”
Du Wan didn’t hold back, vehemently scolding Yang Kai for wasting such a precious treasure.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai couldn’t understand Du Wan’s mood. When one’s knowledge of Alchemy reached a certain height, they would be able to comprehend some of the methods and techniques another Alchemist used by examining their finished works, even possibly uncovering many long-lost Alchemy mysteries.
At the time, Yang Kai had similar thoughts, hence his decision to swallow the ancient Saint Pill in order to examine it while refining it.
It was no surprise that Du Wan became angry when he learned about this.
After ranting indignantly for a while, Du Wan took a deep breath and steadied himself, saying, “Fortunately your luck was good, or there wouldn’t be a Yang Kai today.”
Pill Clouds and Pill Veins were fundamentally different. Pill Veins could only guarantee that a pill could retain its full efficacy indefinitely, but a Pill Cloud would allow any pill to slowly absorb the surrounding World Energy, thus increasing its efficacy over time.
An ancient Saint Pill from thousands of years ago which had been nourished by its Pill Cloud would have condensed an unfathomable amount of medicinal energy.
Yang Kai not dying in a violent explosion after swallowing it was already a miracle.
“What exactly did you realize from that ancient Saint Pill?” Du Wan asked eagerly.
“That Pill Cloud… it had some traces of being artificially produced, that’s why when I was performing Alchemy a few days ago I took those actions. Looking back now, it seems that Pill Veins and Pill Cloud can really be artificially induced, even if the probability of producing them is still somewhat small,” Yang Kai frowned.
“Any increase in probability is good,” Du Wan’s immediately said, quickly following up, “You must study this method well. If you can one day fully comprehend it, it will have a huge impact on the entire Alchemy world. If you need any assistance, don’t hesitate to ask, this old man will do everything in his power to help.”
“Then I must thank Old Man Du in advance, I will most likely be troubling you in the future,” Yang Kai replied honestly.
“Right,” Du Wan suddenly remembered something, reaching down and sifting through his Universe Bag, a moment later pulling out a golden token and handing it over, “This is your new identity token, the original one only recorded you as being a Spirit Grade Low-Rank Alchemist, right? Now that you are a Saint Grade Alchemist, you’ll have to change it.”
“No, Old Man Du… I don’t care about such things.”
Du Wan smiled at him knowingly and said, “I know that you don’t care about such formalities, but as the Manager of Grand Boulder City’s Alchemist Guild Branch, it is my responsibility to hand this token to you. En, if you agree, I’d actually like to report this to the guild’s headquarters! When those old stick in the mud learn there’s such a young Saint Grade Alchemist here, won’t their eyes pop out of their sockets?”
As if he could already see those people’s reactions, Du Wan smiled very cheerfully.
“Old Man Du, is there any way you can not report this?” Yang Kai bitterly said, “While high-level Alchemists indeed receive much respect and privilege, it’s also accompaniee by a lot of trouble… I don’t want people bothering me each day seeking Alchemy services.”
Du Wan’s expression became solemn hearing this and after a moment let out a long sigh, “I must ask you something, and I hope you will answer honestly.”
Seeing Old Man Du suddenly turn so serious, Yang Kai couldn’t help also become so, nodding, “Old Man Du, please.”
“Have you really not thought about dedicating your life to the pursuit of Alchemy?” Du Wan asked almost forlornly, “Seeing your recent performance, I believe you will one day reach even Old Man Li’s height in the Alchemic Dao. I don’t wish to see such Heaven defying aptitude buried in vain.”
Yang Kai smiled and firmly shook his head firmly, “Old Man Du… You and I are not strangers, so I won’t try to gloss over this. I told you once before, what I pursue is the peak of the Martial Dao, Alchemy is only an auxiliary in that pursuit… today, I still hold that same belief, which one is primary and which one is secondary cannot be confused.”
Du Wan’s expression dimmed slightly, seemingly somewhat saddened.
“However… studying Alchemy has brought me tremendous benefits and assisted me greatly in my pursuit of the Martial Dao, so in the future, as I cultivate the Martial Dao, I won’t slack in my study of the Alchemic Dao.”
Du Wan frowned and sighed, “When one studies two different paths, one is destined to be the main while the other the branch… But you are still young and have infinite possibilities ahead of you. En, good, this old man will do his best to live on to see if, while majoring in the Martial Dao, you can reach the pinnacle of Alchemy as well!”
Speaking these words, it was as if a knot in his heart was untied, allowing Old Man Du to let out a hearty laugh.
Yang Kai also grinned and nodded, “Then I must ask Old Man Du to wait and see.”
“En,” Du Wan gently nodded, “I won’t report your promotion to the Guild Headquarters, but in exchange you must promise me a request.”
“What request?”
“You’ve met Wu’er, yes?” Du Wan did not answer immediately.
Yang Kai nodded.
“What do you think of her?”
“Her aptitude is good, whether it is cultivation or Alchemy, she is far above average.”
Du Wan chuckled happily, “En, in my Alchemist Guild Branch, there are very few of us; not long ago, it was just Ye Xiong and Mi Na accompanying this old man. Ye Xiong is a little dull, but if there is enough opportunity in this life, he can still improve, even possibly becoming a Saint Grade Low-Rank Alchemist. Mi Na is better than her master, but her future achievements are still likely limited. Without some life changing encounter, she won’t be able to surpass this old man… but about Wu’er, I am very optimistic.”
“The meaning of Old Man Du is…”
“Heh heh, if you have free time, I hope you can grant Wu’er some guidance. If your Alchemy skills were by chance buried and lost, this old man would die from regret.”
“Old Man Du is too serious.” Yang Kai quickly said.
“This old man can take responsibility and let Wu’er worship you as her master, what do you think?”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, “Old Man Du, like you said, I am still young and immature, how could I be qualified to take on a disciple? Also, I have many matters I need to attend to and won’t be able to dedicate a lot of time to caring for and raising her. I think it best if we go with your original thought and I simply provide her with some guidance from time to time.”
“Well… fine, this old man won’t force you.”
Du Wan making such a proposal was understandable to Yang Kai. As a cultivator who frequently ran around outside, his life was accompanied by many dangers. If one day Yang Kai was to accidentally die, all the Alchemy knowledge he had mastered would also fade from existence.
Old Man Du definitely didn’t want to see such a result.
Therefore, he had asked Yang Kai to teach Wu’er.
After agreeing to Old Man Du’s request, Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry to return to Soaring Heaven Sect, so he asked Mi Na to send a message to the Sect saying he would be staying in the Alchemist Guild for a while.
He too needed to upgrade his Alchemy proficiency, as he was just a small step away from becoming a Saint Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist.
Time passed by quickly as he spent his following days together with Mi Na and Wu’er.
Everything he had grasped about Alchemy he shared freely with the two girls, allowing Mi Na and Wu’er’s skills to grow rapidly.
From time to time, even Ye Xiong would shamelessly join in on Yang Kai’s lectures.
However, Yang Kai was surprised to find that the Spirit Arrays which he could quickly comprehend were actually quite difficult for others to grasp, even if he was there to personally guide them through it.
After thinking about it though, Yang Kai understood.
The reason he could so easily grasp these concepts was naturally because the True Alchemic Way had been directly branded into his Knowledge Sea, all of its mysteries and wonders available for him to review and study at a glance. Others were different, they had to learn everything from scratch.
Wu’er was the best of the three; after all, the time she had been exposed to Alchemy was the least so her ability to learn and accept new things was quite good. Mi Na was also quite flexible in this regard and learned nearly as quickly. Ye Xiong, on the other hand was another story, sometimes, even after hearing things explained multiple times and ways, he couldn’t comprehend them.
After such things happened two or three times, Ye Xiong was too embarrassed to return again.
As time went by, Wu’er’s attitude toward Yang Kai also gradually changed, going all the way from hostile to fondness and eventually reaching something akin to worship.
The little girl was lively and energetic, seemingly bursting with enthusiasm the whole day long, many ideas and insights popping out of her head as she voraciously learned. There were even times when some of her casual words allowed Yang Kai to gain something.
In a blink of an eye, three months had passed.
During this time, Yang Kai had remained inside the Alchemist Guild, teaching Wu’er and Mi Na while simultaneously polishing his own Alchemy technique.
Yang Kai watched as Wu’er’s skills rapidly grew, causing him to become even more enthusiastic about teaching her. Yang Kai had a very favourable impression of this slightly eccentric, energetic young girl.
One day, as Yang Kai was making himself busy inside the pill room, he suddenly noticed some movements behind him, quickly stopping what he was doing and turning to look at the exit only to find Old Man Du walking in with a worried look upon his face.
The three Juniors quickly got up to offer greetings.
Old Man Du waved his hand to stop them and said, “This old master has something to say. If you don’t have a compelling reason, in the near future, don’t go outside.”
“What happened?” Mi Na asked.
“The situation outside is somewhat turbulent…” Old Man Du said in a dignified tone, “If you exit rashly, you might find yourself in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Mi Na was puzzled.
Yang Kai also frowned and suddenly asked, “Is it related to the influx of outsiders in Grand Boulder City?”
Du Wan glanced over at Yang Kai in surprise, soon continuing, “En, it seems that you also noticed. A few months ago, many foreign cultivators suddenly appeared in Grand Boulder City and set up a temporary camp. They seem to have come here searching for something and have been recruiting others since they arrived.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Although Yang Kai had basically not left the Alchemist Guild since arriving here three months ago, the changes in Grand Boulder City did not escape the investigation of his Divine Sense.
Various groups of outsiders would frequently enter Grand Boulder City, buy up living materials and cultivation supplies from the various shops, and then rush out again. It was an unusual phenomenon.
Especially in the recent period, more and more foreigners were seemingly using Grand Boulder City as a transit point, staying for a while to re-supply before leaving just as quickly as they came.
It seemed like they were exploring the endless Snow Mountain Range.
Considering all this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown and ask, “Old Man Du, have you heard anything specific about all this?”
Du Wan gently nodded and, “I know a bit. Today, Ancient Moon Cave Heaven’s Ran Jing and Luo Sheng Sect’s Mao Da came to me and asked for my help refining a few Dispelling Poison Pills. When I casually asked them what for, the two of them said they were going to the depths of the Snow Mountain Range in order to search for something, the Dispelling Poison Pills were just a precaution… En, I assume whatever it is they’re searching for is related to something poisonous.”
After one took a Dispelling Poison Pill, one would temporarily be able to resist various types of toxins, and if the one to refine such a pill was a Grandmaster like Du Wan, it would basically make one immune to all poisons throughout the world. Although it was expensive, it was well worth the money.
As for Ran Jing of Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Mao Da of Luo Sheng Sect, Yang Kai was familiar with their names.
Centered around Grand Boulder City, there were four fairly prominent forces.
Soaring Heaven Sect, Bright Thunder Spirit Religion, Ancient Moon Cave Heaven, and Luo Sheng Sect.
Yang Kai has even served as an Honoured Guest in Bright Thunder Spirit Religion for a time.
When Yang Kai first came to Grand Boulder City, Du Wan had explained to him the various strengths and weaknesses of these four forces. Excluding Soaring Heaven Sect, the remaining three forces were similar in strength and composition, none of them possessing Saint Realm masters. Ran Jing and Mao Da were both Third Order Transcendents, similar in strength to Religion Master Xia Cheng Yin who had recently died.
Not only had many outsiders flooded into the Snow Mountain Range, but the nearby Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Luo Sheng Sect had also gotten involved.
Listening to Du Wan, Yang Kai suddenly thought of something, his expression changing dramatically, immediately pushing his Divine Sense to its limits, forming it into a thread which contained a short message he sent thousands of kilometers away.
After a long time, his eyes shook as he took back his Divine Sense, his expression becoming extremely solemn.
“Old Man Du, I have to go out!” Yang Kai suddenly said.
“Ah?” Du Wan was stunned. He had deliberately come here to warn these three to not go outside but now Yang Kai had suddenly told him he needed to do just that. After thinking about it for a moment, he asked, “The matter these outsiders have come here to handle, is it related to you in some way?”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly as he said, “I hope I’m mistaken, but from what I can tell, that seems unlikely.”
Du Wan was deeply confused as he stared at Yang Kai for a while before finally relenting, “You must pay close attention to your safety. It would be best if you went back to Soaring Heaven Sect first and find your four Martial Seniors. As long as you have their protection, you shouldn’t encounter any danger.”
“En, I’ll do that,” Yang Kai replied casually before rushing out.
After he left, Du Wan slowly shook his head and grumbled, “If I knew it would turn out like this I wouldn’t have said anything…”
Mi Na’s brow furrowed deeply as she asked, “Old Man Du, what exactly is going on? What relationship does it have with Yang Kai?”
“I don’t know… I just hope he stays safe,” Du Wan replied, somewhat annoyed. If he had known this would happen, he would have pressed Ran Jing and Mao Da for details, as they surely knew more than they told him.
……
After leaving the Alchemist Guild, Yang Kai shot out like a bolt of lightning, bypassing Soaring Heaven Sect and flying straight towards the vast Snow Mountain Range.
With the news he heard from Du Wan, coupled with his own investigation, Yang Kai had vaguely guessed what was happening here.
He had never expected something so dramatic to happen though.
Waiting until there was no one around, Yang Kai unfurled his Wind and Thunder Wings, flew high up into the clouds, and boosted his speed to its limit, wrapping himself in his own Spiritual Energy to conceal his aura.
As he soared through the sky, from time to time, down below, Yang Kai spotted cultivators shuttling back and forth across the tundra.
Three days later, Yang Kai had traveled deep into the Snow Mountain Range.
An endless chain of mountains wrapped in glistening snow and ice stretched out in every direction.
Quietly releasing his Divine Sense to investigate his surroundings, Yang Kai soon discovered a faint response, grinned, and flew off in that direction.
Half a day later, Yang Kai hid himself inside a small snowy mountain as he stared off in a certain direction.
In that direction, a large group of cultivators, numbering several thousand in total, were gathered, many of whom had come here from Grand Boulder City recently.
Among these thousands of people, Yang Kai noticed a particular Spiritual Energy fluctuation which had some subtle connection to his own Soul.
In that direction, Yang Kai silently sent out a Divine Sense message.
At the same time, inside a large tent, several Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators were silently cultivating. Although they had all reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the temperatures here were simply too cold and their consumption of True Qi just to stay warm was massive so they had no choice but to frequently restore themselves like this.
One of the youths who had been meditating suddenly opened his eyes as his aura fluctuated unstably.
When they noticed his strange behaviour, several other people inside the tent also opened their eyes and looked at him, quickly discovered that the young man had gone completely pale, as if he had just encountered something terrifying.
“Liu Gui, what happened?” One person hurriedly asked.
The young man named Liu Gui didn’t respond at first, his expression changing back and forth between bitter and helpless, only a while later replying, “It’s nothing you need to worry about, I just need to go out for a moment.”
“You want to go out now? We’re scheduled to go out tomorrow to search a new region, if you exit now, how will you support yourself later?” Someone else said.
Liu Gui however did not respond, simply getting up and walking out.
Seeing this, everyone in the tent slowly shook their heads and stopped paying attention to him.
All of these people belonged to the same force and were familiar with one another. The former youth called Liu Gui didn’t possess very good aptitude and was actually several minor realms below them not long ago, but for some unknown reason, over the past two years, his cultivation had soared, reaching the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary, putting him on the same level as all of them.
This time they had come to journeyed tens of thousands of kilometers into the endless Snow Mountain Range just to seek out a single person. But amidst this seemingly infinite expanse of snow and ice, with no clues as to where that person was hiding, none of them thought they had a high chance of succeeding.
Liu Gui shuttled through the snow and after a while arrived in front of a different tent following the instructions he had just received.
This tent was very different from the others nearby. It was large and luxurious with subtle traces of light flashing around its perimeter. Obviously a Spirit Array had been placed around it, blocking anyone from probing inside it with their Divine Sense.
The only things people could notice about the inside of this tent was a faint green aura which lingered about it and the eerie cries which leaked out from within, causing everyone nearby to shudder unconsciously.
Standing outside the tent, Liu Gui couldn’t help swallowing hard, glancing around anxiously to make sure no one was paying attention to himself while trying to work up the courage to speak. However, before he could say a word, the tent’s entrance suddenly split open and a large hand grabbed Liu Gui, dragging him inside in the next instant.
Even with his Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivation, Liu Gui wasn’t able to put up the slightest bit of resistance and could only stare helplessly as he felt the hand of death reach out towards him, his eyes filled with terror.
A strange laughter suddenly filled his ears as Liu Gui stared at the person in front of him, a man wrapped in a black robe covered in an eerie green aura. This man was currently staring at him coldly, his eyes seemingly pulsing a green light, making him appear extremely scary.
“Little brat, you’re quite courageous, actually daring to spy on This King’s tent!” The person wrapped in the green aura chuckled menacingly as he said, “Tell me, how would you like to die? This King will grant you this final request.”
Liu Gui’s face paled as he desperately squeezed out his words, “Forgive me, Senior Wu Jie, this Junior had no intention of spying…”
“Then why are you sneaking around outside my tent? Were you ordered by your War Spirit Temple’s Cao Guan to come here?” Wu Jie coldly snorted.
“No, Senior,” Liu Gui fell to his knees and hurriedly said, “This Junior was simply entrusted to deliver a message to Senior.”
“Entrusted? By who?” Wu Jie frowned.
“This…” Liu Gui hesitated, seemingly not daring to reveal the identity of his employer.
Wu Jie sneered, “What do you want to say to me?”
Liu Gui didn’t dare dally and hurriedly said, “He said… he wants to see you. As for his identity, he said that as long as I said the words ‘tearing space’, Senior would understand.”
As soon as Lui Gui spoke those words, Wu Jie’s expression changed dramatically, immediately waving his hand and activating all the barriers around his tent, completely isolating it from outside investigations, frowning as he stared at Liu Gui and said, “How are you related to him?”
Liu Gui let out a pained laugh, “Can I not say?”
“Then, let me ask you this. What are your thoughts on this?” Wu Jie stared at him coldly.
Liu Gui sighed helplessly and explained.
After understanding how Liu Gui was connected with that young man, and why he could receive orders from him, Wu Jie laughed raucously, causing Liu Gui a great deal of discomfort, as if his Soul was being stripped from his body.
After flying over a large stretch of the Snow Mountain Range, Yang Kai sat down quietly atop a small hill, the falling snow soon burying him.
Yang Kai was indifferent to this and instead focused on concealing his aura. Even if an ordinary Saint Realm master were to pass by, it was unlikely they would be able to notice him.
A short distance away from the mountain, a green streak of light was quickly approaching.
A moment later, the green streak of light came to a stop above the mountain top, revealing a black-cloaked figure; naturally, it was Wu Jie of Netherworld Sect.
In Wu Jie’s hand was a dispirited Liu Gui, the young disciple from War Spirit Temple seemingly having accepted his fate and making no attempt to resist.
“Where is he?” Wu Jie glanced around, asking coldly upon not finding any trace of Yang Kai nearby.
Liu Gui quickly said, “This is the location he gave me, is he not here?”
As he spoke these words, Liu Gui hurriedly searched his surroundings.
“What took you so long?” Suddenly, a voice called out from nearby, greatly surprising Liu Gui. Immediately after he identified the source of this voice though, Liu Gui wore a big smile and shouted, “Lord Holy Master!”
Wu Jie also starred in front of himself towards a nearby snowdrift, his eyes flashing brilliantly.
Soon, a person emerged from the snowdrift and with a light pulse of True Qi melted the snow which had covered him.
Wu Jie grinned, casually tossing aside Liu Gui before cupping his fists, “Sir Holy Master, it’s been several years; I see you’re doing as well as ever!”
As he spoke, his glowing eyes swept over Yang Kai, wondering how much this young Holy Master had grown, and upon discovering Yang Kai had actually become a Third Order Transcendent, his heart couldn’t help clenching slightly in shock.
“Sect Master Wu as well,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Wu Jie quickly said, “Heh heh, it took some time to escape those people’s detection, I hope Sir Holy Master won’t take it to heart.”
“Sect Master Wu appearing is all that matters,” Yang Kai replied lightly before finally glancing over at Liu Gui, “You’ve worked hard.”
Liu Gui quickly waved his hand, “It is my honour to work hard for Lord Holy Master; moreover, it is all thanks to Sect Master Wu’s strength that this lowly one could appear here… heh heh…”
As he spoke, Liu Gui wore a somewhat anxious expression, as if there was something he really wanted to say but didn’t dare to.
Understanding what all this was about, Yang Kai tossed him a jade bottle and said lightly, “This is your reward for this time. I may still have need of you in the future, go back and cultivate well.”
Liu Gui was overjoyed as he quickly caught the jade bottle, “Many thanks, Lord Holy Master!”
Last time, when Liu Gui brought Yun Xuan and Ruan Xin Yu of Bold Independent Union to see Yang Kai, he had obtained a bottle of pills as a reward. It was all thanks to that bottle of pills that Liu Gui’s strength had grown so rapidly recently. Today, Yang Kai had rewarded him with another bottle so naturally, Liu Gui was ecstatic.
Tightly holding the jade bottle, Liu Gui cautiously said, “If two Sirs have no further need of me, this lowly one will retire first. If I am gone for too long, those in my unit will become suspicious.”
“En, go!” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Liu Gui took off and never looked back.
As Yang Kai was speaking with Liu Gui, Wu Jie just stood nearby and listened, showing no intention of interjecting, a somewhat puzzled look appearing on his face as he did so.
Only after Liu Gui left did Wu Jie ask curiously, “How are you related to that War Spirit Temple disciple?”
Yang Kai smiled lightly and replied, “When you all attacked Nine Heavens Holy Land, I subdued him and made him remain in War Spirit Temple, I never expected to get so much use out of him though. En, I hold his life in my hands so I feel relieved letting him run around, there’s no need for you to concern yourself over him.”
Wu Jie grinned and nodded, “Sir Holy Master’s vision is quite profound. Even seeing through this, it seems that your Soul is also stronger than mine now.”
If that wasn’t the case, when Wu Jie arrived here, he would have been able to detect Yang Kai’s existence.
A Third Order Transcendent having a stronger Soul than a First Order Saint, how was that even possible?
Wu Jie felt deeply shocked, though he didn’t show much on his face.
Saying so, Wu Jie waved his hand and a moment later, a creepy black wisp flew back to him from the direction Liu Gui left and soon disappeared into Wu Jie’s body.
“Sect Master Wu, how come you’re here?” Yang Kai’s expression became serious as he got down to business.
Back in Grand Boulder City, when Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, he faintly felt Liu Gui’s presence and couldn’t help feeling surprised. Since Liu Gui was here, it meant that War Spirit Temple had deployed its forces here, which in turn made it likely Netherworld Sect and Shattering Mystical Palace had as well.
These three forces formed the core of the crusade against Nine Heavens Holy Land.
However, this group of people travelling all the way to the endless Snow Mountain Range was nothing short of odd, and although Yang Kai had some guesses about their purpose, he still had to find Wu Jie to confirm it.
“You couldn’t still be chasing me, right?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he stared at Wu Jie with a grin.
Wu Jie sighed and said, “You could say that, but not at this moment. Simply put it, we’re here to find someone!”
“Who are you looking for?” Yang Kai continued to stare at Wu Jie, silently causing the latter to feel a faint sense of oppression.
Wrinkling his brow, Wu Jie explained, “This person should have some relationship with Sir Holy Master, and it seems that you also have some concerns regarding him, so Sir Holy Master has likely already guessed our purpose in coming here! It seems Sir Holy Master really does know the secrets of the Coffin Carrying Man ad even knows where he is hiding, yes?”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he let out a sigh, it seems his enemies had really come here for the Coffin Carrying Man.
When he first met Wu Jie, Yang Kai recalled him seemingly casually mentioned that a cultivator from War Spirit Temple named Yao Di once witnessed him being abducted by the Coffin Carrying Man outside Raging Flame City. It was also because he seemed related to the Coffin Carrying Man that Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple were so reluctant to give up chasing Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai didn’t care what these two forces thought as he truly wasn’t afraid of them.
Unexpectedly thought, two years later these enemies of his had actually found their way to the endless Snow Mountain Range.
“Whether I know something or not isn’t of importance, just tell me, why did you all decide to come here?” Yang Kai frowned.
Wu Jie grinned and didn’t bother speaking any nonsense, directly explaining, “It was actually quite simple to trace Sir Holy Master here. Sir Holy Master caused both Zhang Ao of Shattering Mystical Palace and Cao Guan of War Spirit Temple to lose a massive deal of face, so naturally, they spared no effort in investigating your background and origins. It wasn’t difficult to learn that Sir Holy Master originated from Soaring Heaven Sect… but what was surprising was that Sir Holy Master didn’t seem to have been born in Soaring Heaven Sect but instead came from some remote countryside and only joined Soaring Heaven Sect recently. Knowing this, it was easy to learn that Sir Holy Master served as an Honoured Guest in the nearby Bright Thunder Spirit Religion for a time. En, after questioning some disciples of Bright Thunder Spirit Religion, we learned that Sir Holy Master first appeared in the Snow Mountain Range, coupling that with the fact that Sir Holy Master’s last known appearance was when he was abducted by the Coffin Carrying Man, it was easy to draw some conclusions.”
“Seems your minds are quite sharp,” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
He had been taken away by the Coffin Carrying Man and then appeared in the Snow Mountain Range, just this fact alone was enough for some people to infer that the Coffin Carrying Man might be hiding somewhere in this endless Snow Mountain Range.
And they were right!
Wu Jie’s expression became solemn suddenly as he continued, “Zhang Ao and Cao Guan both hate you deeply and extremely covet the strength behind the Coffin Carrying Man, so naturally they went all out to uncover this information; moreover, it truly wasn’t much effort, simply asking a few people was enough to learn all of this.”
“However…” Wu Jie continued with a somewhat grim look upon his face, “Despite guessing the Coffin Carrying Man is hidden somewhere in this Snow Mountain Range, with how vast this region is, trying to find a single person with no other clues was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack the size of a mountain, so originally Zhang Ao and Cao Guan weren’t willing to come here.”
“Hm, then why are you here?” Yang Kai frowned.
Wu Jie paused before wearing a bitter smile, “I’ll be honest, Sir Holy Master, two years ago or so, the three of us pursued you for a few months, but after thoroughly losing your tail the three of us returned to our respective Sects in defeat. At the time, Zhang Ao And Cao Guan both sat on pins and needles, worrying about when Nine Heavens Holy Land’s restored its former strength and sought revenge, thinking they needed to find a strong backer that could compete with Nine Heavens Holy Land or uproot and move their Sects! But before they could implement either of those plans, a mysterious individual appeared before Zhang Ao asking about Sir Holy Master. It was because of that mysterious person that we entered the Snow Mountain Range.”
“A mysterious individual?” Yang Kai’s brow rose, “Mysterious how?”
Wu Jie look became dignified, “That person completely concealed themselves in a black robe so we were unable to even determine their gender, all we know is that he or she possesses an unfathomable cultivation and is always accompanied by a subordinate. But that subordinate is actually a First Order Saint!”
Yang Kai’s face also couldn’t help becoming serious hearing this.
If this mysterious fellow’s subordinate was already First Order Saint, how strong was he himself?
“This time’s exploration was under the command of that person, so my Netherworld Sect had no chance to reject.”
“Do you know anything about that mysterious individual’s background?”
Wu Jie slowly shook his head, “He only promised us that if we followed him, Nine Heavens Holy Land would no longer pose a threat to us, so Zhang Ao and Cao Guan both immediately agreed, not only inviting all their allies to join this expedition, but also spending a massive amount of resources to rope in the nearby Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Luo Sheng Sect.”
Yang Kai nodded. The Snow Mountain Range was so vast that it was only natural they sought out more manpower. Although there were no top-level masters in Ancient Moon Cave Heaven and Luo Sheng Sect, they didn’t lack people who could be used.
Ran Jing and Mao Da going to Grand Boulder City to find Du Wan in order to ask him to refine them Dispelling Poison Pills was obviously in preparation for facing the poisonous aura released by the Coffin Carrying Man.
“Although this Wu doesn’t know who that guy is… but in this world, there are very few who have achieved such profound cultivation, and… whether it was him or his subordinate, the auras surrounding their bodies is quite discomforting!”
“Oh, what kind of aura?”
Wu Jie lowered his voice and declared, “A demonic aura!”
Yang Kai’s expression changed greatly, “You mean that the person is from…”
Wu Jie slowly shook his head, “I can’t say for certain, but the aura around them certainly does feel like that. Sir Holy Master, I believe you should not involve yourself in this matter; it’s not something this Wu can help you with. To be honest, even I feel on edge every moment I stay here.”
“Don’t worry. I know what to do.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
After meeting Wu Jie, Yang Kai confirmed his own guess, these people had really come to the endless Snow Mountain Range for the Coffin Carrying Man.
The Snow Mountain Range was vast, but with thousands of cultivators scouring it, it wouldn’t be long before they discovered the hiding place of the Coffin Carrying Man.
Yang Kai felt both agitated and frustrated. His Alchemy skill was still slightly lacking, otherwise, he would have already flown to the Coffin Carrying Man’s location and entered the Mysterious Small World inside the blood-red coffin.
What concerned him most though was the powerful mysterious individual mentioned by Wu Jie, this person’s presence was a massive unexpected variable. From Wu Jie description, it wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai to infer that this mysterious master was a Third Order Saint!
There really weren’t many such masters in this world.
Who could it be?
Yang Kai wracked his brain in confusion.
“Sir Holy Master?” Wu Jie saw Yang Kai lost in thought, not moving for a long time and couldn’t help calling out.
Yang Kai returned to his senses and was just about to speak when he suddenly wore a cold expression as he stared at Wu Jie meaningfully.
“Em, what happened?” Wu Jie frowned, not knowing why Yang Kai’s attitude had suddenly become so hostile.
“Wu Jie, I remember you saying your Netherworld Sect’s policy was to receive money in exchange for dispelling disasters.”
“En, this Wu has always maintained such a policy!” Wu Jie nodded firmly, “That was why even after offering tribute to Nine Heavens Holy Land, my Sect has not lacked supplies for its development.”
“Then… how much benefit did you receive from these people?” Yang Kai coldly spat, roaring in the next breath, “Even daring to betray me, your courage is not small!”
Wu Jie was startled, drawing back several steps as he asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai stared at him deeply, his Divine Sense piercing into Wu Jie’s mind in the next instant. The latter’s face changed greatly but noticing Yang Kai bore him no murderous intent, did not resist.
A moment later, Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense and nodded, “It seems like you were unaware…”
“You mean…” Wu Jie finally comprehended, his green eyes flashing brilliantly as he swept them over his surroundings, a moment later chuckling lowly as he quietly moved closer to Yang Kai.
“Come out! What point is there in still trying to hide now?” Yang Kai shouted.
“Fierce! Even being able to see through this technique, worthy of the one my Master is interested in, wouldn’t you say… Sir Holy Master?” With a series of snide comments, the space around Yang Kai and Wu Jie seemed to distort as a number of figures strangely appeared.
Upon hearing this voice, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he stared towards the source, fixing his gaze on a handsome middle-aged man and muttering in disbelief, “Yu Mo?”
The one who just spoke was no stranger, but instead someone Yang Kai was quite familiar with.
The Demon Land’s Demon Race master, First Order Saint Yu Mo of Sand City.
Beside Yu Mo stood a black-cloaked figure still wrapped in shadows. This individual’s aura was non-existent, as if they were an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before, but that did not stop Yang Kai from sensing great pressure from them.
As for the other masters in his surroundings, Yang Kai did not bother looking at them.
“Little brat, since I last saw you several years ago you’ve grown quite a bit!” Yu Mo commented, a calm and composed look upon his face as he stared towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai shot him a faint glance before turning his eyes to the mysterious black figure, smiling bitterly as he said, “Since Yu Mo is here, will Senior Xue Li be making an appearance as well?”
Hearing this, the mysterious black-cloaked figure let out a laugh like a silver bell, causing many of the assembled masters to turn and stare in shock, all of them apparently never having imagined that the enigmatic master with unfathomable strength who was leading them was actually a woman!
Removing the black cloak, a beautiful woman with a gorgeous face appeared.
When Zhang Ao of Shattering Mystical Palace and Cao Guan of War Spirit Temple saw this face, they both showed absent-minded expressions, as if their entire being had been drawn in by her.
Although Xue Li’s wasn’t a peerless beauty, she was incredibly attractive if one were to account for her fantastic strength and noble temperament.
“Hmph!” Yu Mo, clearly disgruntled, coldly snorted.
As if they were woken from a dream, Zhang Ao and the others quickly removed their gazes, their hearts filling with anxiety.
“Boy, you’ve caused this Queen no small amount of trouble!” Xue Li sneered lightly, “Since you escaped from my Sand City, I have been searching for you for three whole years. This Queen has never spent so much effort on anyone before.”
“Oh? I’m honoured,” Yang Kai laughed, his face still showing a calm and confident look.
“Senior Xue Li?” Wu Jie muttered to himself. Just now, he had clearly heard Yang Kai call this mysterious woman by that seemingly familiar name, a moment later his entire body trembling as he called out in shock “Demon General Xue Li?”
It was only now that Wu Jie finally figured out the true identity of this mysterious woman.
At that moment, his surrounding green aura became discovered as his blood ran cold.
Throughout the Demon Land, below the Demon Commander, there were four Demon Generals, each of them a top-level powerhouse, and Demon General Xue Li was one of them.
Wu Jie couldn’t believe such a figure had actually infiltrated so far into the Human Territory and even forced Zhang Ao and several others to work for her.
And obviously, she had done all of this just to get to Yang Kai!
What exactly did this young Holy Master posses that would cause someone like Xue Li to go so far?
The four words ‘Demon General Xue Li’ rang like thunder in the ears of the other Human masters as well, causing all of them to gawk as they once again stared at her, seemingly trying to confirm whether this was really the case or not.
Xue Li paid them no heed as her beautiful eyes were fixated on Yang Kai, an overwhelming sense of greed and desire apparent in their depths.
“Senior Xue Li daring to come here, are you not afraid be being besieged by my Human Race’s masters? This place is nowhere near your lands after all,” Yang Kai quipped.
In his heart, he was quite anxious though.
When he first heard Wu Jie describe this mysterious person, Yang Kai was still wondering who it might be.
His first thought was that it might be Demon General Gou Che!
Although he had never met Gou Che face to face, that Demon General had wanted to put him to death twice! So, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to send people here to kill him.
Even Demon General Meng Ge was a possibility.
After all, when Yang Kai was weak, he had killed his Soul Clone back in the Evil Cavern by taking advantage of the Demon Sealing Chain. Meng Ge should still remember his aura as a result.
However, Yang Kai hadn’t expected the one who had come was actually Xue Li.
Yang Kai simply felt that there wasn’t much hatred between them. Although he had escaped from Sand City in the past, he hadn’t damaged any of her interests or prestige, so would it really be necessary for her to pursue him for three whole years?
What’s more, she actually chased after him personally.
Hearing Yang Kai’s words, Xue Li just laughed, “If I was afraid, this Queen would not have come; although your Human Race certainly has a number of masters, which one would care about you?”
“Senior Xue Li seems to have great confidence in her strength!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
“En, however… you’ve given me quite a surprise as well little boy. Your strength growing at such an astonishing pace is one thing, but more importantly, how did you discover this Queen’s presence? With your current cultivation, that should have been impossible.”
Hearing this, Wu Jie also turned a curious glance towards Yang Kai. Everything had happened too suddenly and even he had not noticed anything out of the ordinary, it was only after Yang Kai’s attitude suddenly changed that he realized something was afoot.
“Liu Gui died!” Yang Kai spoke flatly, “As the pawn I placed in your camp, of course I’d notice if he were to die.”
“I see!” Xue Li nodded lightly, faintly recalling their group had just killed a stray Immortal Ascension Boundary youth a moment ago, never having expected that would expose their presence.
“Sir Holy Master… things are quite difficult,” Wu Jie whispered to Yang Kai as he glanced around.
“Difficult indeed!” Yang Kai also frowned, “If I had known Xue Li was here, I wouldn’t have called you out, it was my mistake.”
Yang Kai had thought only people on Zhang Ao’s level were around and hadn’t anticipated a Third Order Saint Realm Master would also be present.
Wu Jie wanting to sneak off to meet him without her noticing was obviously not realistic.
“Wu Jie, you disappoint me, originally you were colluding with this little brat!” Zhang Ao suddenly roared, “No wonder you didn’t show much enthusiasm two years ago.”
“It seems that Brother Wu doesn’t want his Netherworld Sect to remain in this world any longer,” Cao Guan cynically said.
“Are you threatening this Wu?” Wu Jie glared back at these two coldly.
“So what if we are” Zhang Ao coldly snorted, “There’s still time for you to repent, out of respect for our many years of friendship, as long as you capture that little brat this instant, we will not embarrass you.”
Yang Kai snuck a glance towards Wu Jie, somewhat interested in how he would respond, but the latter simply snickered, “Aren’t you the ones mistaken here? Originally, we didn’t know the true identity of this person, but now that we know she is Demon General Xue Li, you still want to work yourselves to death for her? Did all of your brains melt or something?”
“Now that things have gotten to this point, we have no way back, at worst we’ll just have to migrate to the Demon Land!” Zhang Ao declared, his expression dim and helpless, suddenly turning to look face Xue Li and flatteringly speaking, “I just don’t know if Senior would be willing to accept.”
“Naturally this Queen is willing, there are still some idle places near my Sand City, vast regions that stretch tens of thousands of kilometres in every direction. If you’d like, I can grant those lands to you. Frankly, I quite enjoy watching you Humans fight amongst yourself,” Xue Li laughed.
“Tens of thousands of kilometres…” Zhang Ao and Cao Guan both heard this and suddenly became enthusiastic, a greedy lightly flashing across their eyes.
Governing a territory of several tens of thousands of kilometres, what kind of concept was that? If they could utilize it well, it would greatly benefit the development of their Sects.
Seeing their appearance, Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh.
These two idiots clearly had no clue about Sand City and its surrounding territory, if they did, they’d realize that Xue Li was obviously talking about the vast, barren dessert!
If Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and their subordinates were really thrown into there, it wouldn’t be long until only a few top masters remained, yet these two were actually looking forward to it, it was the epitome of stupidity.
Having surrounded him, and with Xue Li herself being present, she felt that it would be impossible for Yang Kai to flee, so she wasn’t in any hurry to act and was instead looking forward to watching a good show, pitting the Humans she despised against each other.
Yu Mo, who was standing beside her, seemed to also be acting quite casually, but in fact, he had locked onto Yang Kai with his Divine Sense and would immediately block him if he tried to escape.
This whole situation made Wu Jie, who was standing next to Yang Kai, uncomfortable. He felt as if a sword was being held to his neck.
“Sir Holy Master, this time, this Wu won’t be able to help you. Although I won’t work for that woman, if I remain here, I will definitely die in vain… so when the time comes, this Wu will immediately take his leave,” Wu Jie whispered.
“Good, you don’t need to care about me,” Yang Kai gently nodded, increasing his evaluation of Wu Jie once again after seeing his attitude. In the first place, he wasn’t counting on Wu Jie to help him, as long as he didn’t side with Zhang Ao against him it would be enough.
On top of that, if Yang Kai wanted to leave here, as long as he tore space, it should be possible for him to escape even from a master like Xue Li.
However, whether he could escape successfully or not was still up to chance.
With Wu Jie’s current strength, tearing space would come with huge risks, and once he failed, only death without burial would remain.
On the contrary, Yang Kai, who had grasped the true meaning of tearing space, was actually in a much better situation than Wu Jie.
“Mistress, should we begin?” Yu Mo was evidently becoming somewhat impatient as he quietly asked Xue Li.
“There’s no rush! I still have some things I wish to discuss with him,” Xue Li giggled before calling out to Yang Kai, “Boy, it would be in your best interest to obediently follow this Queen back to Sand City. Do so and I promise not to harm your life,” Saying so, her eyes flashed a cold light, “But if you dare to resist, then you’ll have to suffer a bit. Breaking your arms and legs will be the lightest of punishments while crippling your cultivation is entirely possible!”
“Senior must not underestimate this boy, he is as slippery as a snake, if he finds an opportunity to escape, it will be very difficult to corner him again…” Zhang Ao anxiously called out.
“Yes, Senior, the last time we chased him we were unable to catch up even after a few months. This little brat is the new Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land and has mastered their Nine Heavens Divine Skills, once we capture him, the method to cultivate the Nine Heavens Divine Skills, as well as their core inheritance, will be ours for the taking,” Cao Guan vigorously added, trying to tempt Xue Li into acting.
The last time they attacked Nine Heavens Holy Land, it was because they didn’t seize the opportunity when it presented itself that Yang Kai had humiliated them and then escaped unscathed.
“Shut up! How Mistress chooses to act is none of your business!” Yu Mo stared at Zhang Ao and coldly reprimanded.
Zhang Ao immediately felt awkward and resentful, his cultivation was higher than Yu Mo’s, but right now he had no choice but to choke down his anger.
“You think this Queen came here for the Nine Heavens Divine Skills and inheritance?” Xue Li glanced over at them with a sneer, “What do those count for?”
Both Zhang Ao and Cao Guan were stunned.
If it wasn’t for the Nine Heavens Hold Land’s inheritance, what did this woman travel hundreds of thousands of kilometres from the Demon Land for?
Yang Kai’s brows also rose as he said, “Senior Xue Li, I don’t believe I’ve done anything to offend you so. Although I can’t say our relationship was pleasant, back in Sand City, I did earn you a great deal of money, so why are you now trying too hard to oppress me?”
This was what Yang Kai most couldn’t understand. If there weren’t enough benefits to doing so, it was impossible for a character like Xue Li to leave the Demon Land so easily, what did he possess that was so attractive to her?
“You want to know why?” Xue Li smiled softly.
Yang Kai wore a serious expression and nodded.
“Good, in any case, since I’ve already found you and you have nowhere to flee, I might as well let you understand,” Xue Li suddenly became talkative, seemingly alright with solving Yang Kai’s confusion, causing everyone else to perk up their ears as well.
But in the next instant, Xue Li waved her hand and used her True Qi to isolate them from the outside, leaving on Yang Kai, Yu Mo, and herself to talk in private.
Yang Kai’s expression also changed as he quickly glanced around but soon discovered that he was unable to see or perceive anything beyond the cyan barrier which had appeared around him; even Wu Jie, who was practically standing shoulder to shoulder with him, had somehow disappeared.
This woman’s means… they were really unfathomable! Yang Kai thought to himself with a hint of dread.
On the other hand, Xue Li’s beautiful face filled with excitement as she waved her jade finger and sent a blade of True Qi towards Yang Kai without the slightest murderous intent.
Yang Kai frowned but did not evade, allowing the light blade to gently brush past his arm.
*Chi…* A light splashing sound rang out.
From his arm, Yang Kai felt a tiny prick after which his dark red blood mixed with a hint of golden radiance began leaking out before his powerful flesh healed itself in the next instant.
“Sure enough!” Xue Li’s eyes filled with a near-fanatical lus,tre as she stared at Yang Kai’s wound.
Yu Mo, who was still standing next to her, furrowed his brow, still not comprehending what was happening.
“Are you curious as to why a great Demon General like myself would personally chase after you for so long?” Xue Li asked.
Yang Kai nodded.
“Hehe…” Xue Li smiled tenderly, “Naturally it’s because you and I have the same power flowing through our blood!”
Saying so, Xue Li suddenly reached out and cut her own jade arm, a trace of blood soon flowing out across her pure white skin.
“Mistress…” Yu Mo exclaimed, but in the next moment freezing in place.
Because the blood trickling down Xue Li’s arm had a faint golden radiance to it as well, though noticeably weaker compared to the one Yang Kai possessed.
Her wound also healed at a visible rate under the influence of some strange force, but it actually closed much slower than the one she inflicted on Yang Kai, there was simply no comparison between the two.
“Demon God Golden Blood!?” Yang Kai called out in alarm.
“You really know!” Xue Li could barely contain her own excitement, her pretty face warping in desire.
“How come you have Demon God Golden Blood?” Yang Kai stared at Xue Li in disbelief.
“I could ask you the same thing!” Xue Li took a step forward, a crushing pressure suddenly descending upon Yang Kai, nearly causing him to collapse as his breathing became laboured.
“Demon God Golden Blood?” Yu Mo’s look also changed greatly, “The blood of the legendary Great Demon God? How can this little brat possess it!? Isn’t the golden hue in his blood because of the Yang Attribute True Qi he cultivates? Does this mean he is a member of our Demon Race?”
Saying so, he stared towards Yang Kai in shock, many subtle changes occurring in his mentality at that moment.
“No, he’s Human,” Xue Li slowly shook her head, “As for where he acquired his Demon God Golden Blood, I’ll have to ask him. The Demon God Golden Blood is truly similar in colour to his Yang Attribute True Qi which is why this Queen was fooled at first; in fact, if I hadn’t watched his last fight in the Death Arena, even I would not have suspected anything!”
“Is that why Mistress suddenly decided against killing him at that time?” Yu Mo suddenly realized.
Back in Sand City, Xue Li truly planned on killing Yang Kai, but after watching his last battle in the Death Arena, Xue Li had suddenly changed her mind and instead ordered Yu Mo to capture and bring Yang Kai back.
Yu Mo had never been able to figure out why Xue Li’s attitude had changed so dramatically at that time; that is, until now.
“Since Mistress has Demon God Golden Blood, does that mean she is a descendent of Great Demon God?” Yu Mo asked excitedly, turning a reverent gaze towards Xue Li.
The Great Demon God was the object of worship for the entire Demon Race. Even if he had passed away countless years ago, his majesty and influence had in no way diminished.
Each new Demon Commander wanted to reproduce the glory of the Great Demon God in this world, but none had ever succeeded.
There was also a legend amongst the Demon Race that although the Great Demon God had passed on, his inheritance still existed, but no one had been able to find it.
Now that Xue Li had Demon God Golden Blood flowing through her veins, it was reasonable to assume she was a descendant of Great Demon God and thus his legitimate successor.
Yu Mo was overjoyed because this meant, in time, Xue Li would at the very least one day become Demon Commander, the supreme ruler of the Demon Race.
Unfortunately, Xue Li slowly shook her head and denied, “This Queen is not a descendant of Great Demon God, I only inadvertently obtained a drop of Demon God Golden Blood many years ago and managed to refine it. It was thanks to that drop of Demon God Golden Blood that this Queen has her current achievements!”
Suddenly gritting her teeth, she continued, “But this little bastard’s body seems to have even richer Demon God Golden Blood than this Queen, and he clearly knows some secrets about Great Demon God. I suspect he even knows where Great Demon God’s inheritance is hidden.”
Yu Mo’s eyes lit up as he turned a fiery gaze towards Yang Kai.
If this was true, and as Xue Li said they were able to obtain the inheritance of Great Demon God from this brat, it was not necessarily impossible to return the Demon Race to the height of its former glory.
Just imaging such a future caused Yu Mo’s heart to pound and his blood to boil.
“Boy, don’t you think it’s about time you should come clean to me?” Xue Li smiled towards Yang Kai, “In front of this Queen, petty tricks won’t be enough to save you, since I have finally found you, you no longer have any hope of escaping.”
“What does Senior wish to know?” Yang Kai still didn’t show any signs of panic and asked indifferently.
“Where did you obtain your Demon God Golden Blood?”
“And if I refuse to say?” Yang Kai sneered.
Xue Li was slightly startled by his defiant attitude but soon gently nodded, “Then you’ll have to suffer a bit, even if I cripple and waste you, you’ll still be able to speak. Moreover… Demon God Golden Blood is a wondrous treasure, even if you don’t cooperate, I can just kill you and then extract the Demon God Golden Blood from your corpse.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have such skill!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. Now he understood that Xue Li had come for the blood in his body while Zhang Ao and Cao Guan wanted to obtain the secrets of the Coffin Carrying Man. Because of this, Xue Li was able to subdue and use Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others. Ironically, Xue Li was unaware that the Coffin Carrying Man which was being eyed by Zhang Ao was actually the key to what she most wanted to obtain.
“Bold!” Yu Mo shouted, his aura becoming dangerous, “Last time I let you escape, but this time you shouldn’t even dream of fleeing!”
As he spoke, his Demonic Qi flared up and his entire figure transformed into a thick black mist and pounced towards Yang Kai, like a ferocious black spectre.
Yang Kai’s eyes became sharp as he summoned his Silver Leaf Saint Grade Top-Rank artifact, transforming it into a silver barrier that blocked the black mist.
In the next moment, a wave of silver light burst forth from the black mist and proceeded to tear a hole right through the cyan coloured barrier Xue Li had erected.
Like a Great Peng, Yang Kai spread his wings and soared up into the sky.
Ordinarily, Yang Kai was not willing to use artifacts in battle, but with the enemy in front of him was the Demon General Xue Li so he did not hesitate to summon his Saint Grade Top-Rank Silver Leaf artifact.
If he hadn’t, there would have been no way for him to escape.
In a burst of silver light, the Divine Sense that were locked onto Yang Kai were all dispelled and in Xue Li’s brief moment of shock, Yang Kai had already soared a thousand meters into the sky.
“Such a powerful artifact!” Xue Li also felt the terrible power contained within the Silver Leaf artifact and furrowed her brow, seeming quite disgruntled.
Yu Mo’s figure flickered and chased after Yang Kai, his Demonic Qi roiling as he used an exquisite Martial Skill to block Yang Kai’s path, sneering as he shouted, “You think you can run?”
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to him and simply lifted his hand up high before making a slashing motion towards the empty space in front of him.
The next moment, a dark crack appeared mid-air right in front of Yang Kai.
Yu Mo was suddenly dumbstruck, feeling like he was staring into a bottomless abyss, the threads of Divine Sense he used to probe this crack seemingly sinking into it, never to return.
This dark crack was like the mount of a great beast which could swallow everything, including his Divine Sense, into it.
“Yu Mo, draw back!” Xue Li hurriedly shouted. Although she didn’t know what kind of method Yang Kai had just used, the aura which pulsed from this strange dark tear made even her feel restless.
From what little she could sense, the physical space around the dark crack seemed to be somewhat fragmented.
At the same time she shouted to Yu Mo, Xue Li’s Demonic Qi surged up, transforming into a number of thin threads that flew straight towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was already half-way into the crack but before he could fully dive into The Void, Xue Li’s attack hit his shoulder, instantly dislocating and fracturing it.
The violent burst of energy caused the dark crack to become unstable and as if a slumbering beast which had been awoken, Void Energy flowed out from it.
Not daring to neglect, Yang Kai plunged into The Void, shooting a hate filled glare back towards Xue Li as he did.
The void tear quickly sealed after Yang Kai entered, returning the world to its original calm.
Atop the small snowy mountain, Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and all the other masters stared blankly towards the spot Yang Kai disappeared, each of them visibly shaken.
Yu Mo’s face was also somewhat pale as he landed back on the ground, frowning deeply as he quietly asked, “Mistress, what was that?”
“I don’t know…” Xue Li slowly shook her head, quickly releasing her Divine Sense to scout the surrounding area, her expression dimming greatly a moment later as she spoke, “That boy is already a hundred kilometers away!”
“What?” Yu Mo was shocked. That little human brat was right in front of him only a moment ago yet now he was a hundred kilometers away? How was that even possible?
Even a master like Xue Li wouldn’t be able to travel such a distance in such a short period of time. Could it be that human boy had somehow accessed a hidden Void Corridor?
Gazing carefully at the spot where the dark crack had appeared, Yu Mo was unable to find any clues.
“Where is that other man who was just with that little brat?” Xue Li turned around and asked upon noticing that Wu Jie was not there.
“He escaped!” Zhang Ao hurriedly replied.
“Wastes!” Xue Li gnashed her teeth. This entire group of masters had tightly surrounded those two yet they actually let both of them escape. Yang Kai being able to escape wasn’t too surprising; after all, the method he used was simply too inexplicable, even Xue Li was unable to block it, yet the other man was just an ordinary First Order Saint, how could he too have escaped?
“Mistress, do we pursue them?” Yu Mo asked quietly.
“Of course we pursue them, even if I have to chase him to the ends of the earth, I must catch him! This time he should give up any idea of escaping!” Xue Li snorted before her tender body transformed into a streak of light and shot off towards where Yang Kai had reappeared.
Yu Mo hurriedly kept up.
Zhang Ao and Cao Guan both looked at each other, the latter asking hesitantly, “Brother Zhang, what do we do?”
“What else can we do now but follow them?” Zhang Ao smiled bitterly. He had never imagined the mysterious person who had brought them to this endless Snow Mountain Range would be Demon General Xue Li, but now that he did, there was only one path forward for him to walk.
Otherwise, once news of them colluding with a Demon General spread out, his Shattering Mystical Palace and Cao Guan’s War Spirit Temple would definitely condemned by the entire Human Race and would no longer have any place in the world.
Now, he could only hope Xue Li would keep her word and allow him and Cao Guan to settle in that vast unclaimed territory she governed.
The various Human Saint Realm and Transcendent Realm masters soon began using their movement skills to chase after Xue Li.
A hundred kilometers away, the surrounding space suddenly twisted in on itself and in the next moment, a dark crack appeared and Yang Kai tumbled out, his face as pale as ice.
“The power of a Demon General really lives up to its name!” Lightly coughing a few times, Yang Kai grit his teeth and stood firm.
He had thought that with his ability to tear space, he would easily be able to escape, but in reality he had greatly underestimated Xue Li’s tyrannical strength.
While Xue Li really didn’t understand the Divine Ability Yang Kai had used to tear space, for a master on her level, just by using her instincts and conventional methods, she could still throw his plans to escape into chaos.
However, it was also thanks to his ability to tear space that Yang Kai was even able to escape from such a tight encirclement.
Releasing his Divine Sense to scout his surroundings, Yang Kai’s expression immediately darkened.
He found that Xue Li was actually rapidly approaching his location and was now less than fifty kilometers away. At this rate, it would only be a few tens of breaths before she caught up with him.
Gritting his teeth even harder, Yang Kai once again tore space and dove into The Void.
Xue Li, who was rushing over, suddenly came to a halt and fully released her powerful Divine Sense, a frown soon appearing on her face.
A moment later, Yu Mo caught up and saw her hovering mid-air, quickly approaching and asking curiously, “Mistress, have we already caught up with him?”
Xue Li slowly shook her head, “His aura has disappeared. I don’t know what kind of method he is using but it’s almost as if he can open Void Corridors and use them to instantly move hundreds of kilometers away in an instant…”
“Is there such a magical method in this world?” Yu Mo was stunned.
“In the ancient past, there were many methods that we cannot even begin to comprehend, each one of them is not something we should underestimate,” Xue Li said before waving her hand, “Don’t talk, I have to search for his position… heh, little boy, you think I’ll let you escape so easily? You are looking down far too much on this Queen!”
Yu Mo immediately bowed and stood back, silently waiting for Xue Li’s next order.
Inside the boundless darkness of The Void, Yang Kai gasped for breath as he sat down cross-legged, looking quite helpless.
Xue Li’s pursuit was too fast and tearing space consumed far too much of his strength. At most, he could display it one more time before he became an arrow at the end of its flight, and even if he were to escape a few hundred kilometers in at once, he knew it wouldn’t help things as Xue Li would certainly catch up in short order.
As such, he simply decided not to leave.
By hiding inside The Void, even if Xue Li’s methods were extremely profound, there was no way for her to catch him.
Taking out some good pills, Yang Kai immediately swallowed them down.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s gradually restored himself. Fortunately, the injury he suffered under Xue Li’s attack was not serious and with the assistance of his Demon God Golden Blood, had basically healed.
Just as Yang Kai opened his eyes, his ears caught a faint sound coming from nearby.
His brow furrowing, Yang Kai listened carefully and a moment later, turned an awkward look towards a certain direction and flew off.
As he approached, the sounds became more and more obvious; it seemed like someone was gasping for breath while violently struggling, as if death was upon them.
A short time later, Yang Kai finally arrived at the source of the sound.
Staring forward, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling surprised as he called out, “Sect Master Wu?”
In front of him, submerged in a pocked of void turbulence was Wu Jie who had tightly wrapped himself in his green aura while struggling to free himself. Unfortunately for him, the more he struggled, the deeper he fell.
The void turbulences were like a swamp, constantly sucking his body in, wanting to swallow him whole.
Wu Jie was covered in wounds and his breathing was chaotic, the green aura wrapped around his body was also noticeably dimmer than usual, it seemed he was already a lamp running out of oil.
Yang Kai never expected he would meet Wu Jie here, in The Void.
Wu Jie had also never expected that in this life or death crisis, someone else would appear, but when he suddenly heard Yang Kai’s voice and looked up to see the young man standing not far away. What’s more, the void turbulence which was threatening to consume him whole was actually gently flowing around Yang Kai, not influencing him in the slightest.
Immediately overjoyed, Wu Jie quickly begged, “Sir Holy Master, save me!”
Yang Kai laughed dumbly and with a wave of his hand, released a strange force which smoothed out the void turbulence trapping Wu Jie.
Wu Jie took this opportunity to escape and hurried over to Yang Kai’s side, a big smile forming on his pale face as he said, “Many thanks Sir Holy Master, your life saving grace was really too timely.”
“You’re too polite; Sect Master Wu also used this method to escape?” Yang Kai instantly realized what had happened.
Wu Jie’s presence here meant he had no doubt torn space to escape. Thinking back, Yang Kai hadn’t seen Wu Jie back on that snowy mountain peak, so he had obviously fled before Yang Kai freed himself from Xue Li’s grasp.
“En,” Wu Jie nodded quickly, “But I didn’t expect my luck to be so bad, after escaping from them I nearly died here.”
“En, this place truly is quite dangerous,” Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
Wu Jie turned a thoughtful look towards Yang Kai at that moment, “But from what I can see, Sir Holy Master seems to have already comprehended the mysteries of this place.”
“At least more so than you,” Yang Kai bluntly admitted.
Wu Jie’s face went black, but he didn’t argue.
The method of tearing space was something he had given Yang Kai, yet now the disciple had become the master with Yang Kai’s abilities far surpassing his own in this field.
But regardless, Wu Jie was grateful for Yang Kai’s prompt assistance.
“Xue Li is still chasing me, so we temporarily can’t leave this place. Sect Master Wu should make use of this time to recover,” Yang Kai glanced over at him and declared, “If we exit now, we’ll certainly be caught by that woman.” “
“Restore? Here?” Wu Jie was flabbergasted, his eyes noticeably bulging.
“Is there a problem?”
“No problem! With Sir Holy Master’s asylum there is no problem! Then this Wu will not be polite,” Wu Jie was quick to adapt, not asking for any explanation and instead simply taking out some pills and Crystal Stones before sitting down and circulating a healing art.
Yang Kai didn’t bother him and instead silently observed this endless void.
He hadn’t thought that if two people tore space at the same time they could meet each other in The Void. Originally, Yang Kai thought that The Void was some kind of independent space but now it appeared that it was actually a universal one. That was the only possible explanation that he and Wu Jie would meet.
It seemed like there were still some hidden mysteries here he had yet to comprehend.
In the skies above the endless Snow Mountain Range, Xue Li’s face remained tranquil as she stood, unmoving.
Yu Mo stood nearby, silently waiting.
Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the other masters had all caught up, all of them standing around as well.
“Brother Zhang, that woman has been standing in that exact spot for so long already, could it be that little brat has already escaped?” Cao Guan whispered in a slight uneasy tone.
Zhang Ao’s expression was also quite gloomy, his Divine Sense constantly scanning the surrounding area as he muttered back, “I don’t know. I can’t find any trace of that little bastard’s aura… but that woman much stronger than me, perhaps she has found some kind of clue and is currently tracing it.”
“The growth of that little brat is too terrifying, the last time we were chasing him it took him months to throw us off, yet this time he immediately managed to evade our sensation, and… his cultivation has actually reached the Third Order Transcendent Realm!”
Zhang Ao let out a soft breath, “Allowing him to remain will only lead to disaster! This time, no matter what, we must kill him, otherwise when he really matures he will certainly exact his revenge.”
“It is exactly as Brother Zhang says… I just hope that woman isn’t just a pretty face.”
The voices of the two men were extremely light so naturally they weren’t worried Xue Li would hear them, otherwise they wouldn’t dare speak so casually about a Demon General.
After a while, Xue Li’s beautiful eyes suddenly shot open, a look of confusion appearing on her face.
Her cultivation was deep and profound so although she didn’t understand what kind of method Yang Kai had used to move hundreds of kilometers in a flash and completely hide his own aura from her senses, she was still able to use her incredibly sharp senses to find some traces of him.
However, what surprised her was that Yang Kai didn’t seem to be in this world, but rather some kind of separate space. On top of that, the space he was in was filled with a strange energy that even caused her to feel somewhat uneasy, so she didn’t dare to recklessly probe it with her Divine Sense.
She felt like she could see Yang Kai standing in the distance, but his figure was blurry and ethereal.
Sneering, she muttered, “You think this Queen has no way to reach you in that strange place?”
Saying so, her hair danced and a large number of them fell from her head, each of them filled with a rich amount of Demonic Qi. A moment later, these fallen hairs transformed into terrifying vipers that quickly shot forward, seemingly baring their fangs towards the empty sky.
Seeing Xue Li suddenly take action, Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others immediately took note and focused their attention.
A strange scene then took place right before their eyes.
The space in front of Xue Li seemed to distort and ripple, like it was a calm lake that had been disturbed by a falling stone. The vipers then shot into the centre of those ripples and disappeared.
No one knew where it was going or what it was trying to accomplish.
Even Xue Li wore a pensive look. The Divine Ability she had just used had a superior homing effect. Of course, the premise was that she could grasp some traces of Yang Kai’s location.
Normally, she was unwilling to use this ability; after all, in order to display it she had shed a large number of her beautiful hairs. Although Xue Li was a Demon General, she was also a woman, losing so many hairs all at once was naturally a distressing matter for her, and if she were to use this ability too often, it was possible she would become bald.
How could Xue Li accept such an appearance?
But this time, in order to force Yang Kai out from his hiding place, Xue Li had decided to make this sacrifice.
Even with this Divine Ability though, Xue Li couldn’t accurately determine where Yang Kai was; fortunately, both her Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi were attached to her hairs, so the attack would be able to find Yang Kai autonomously with no need for her to personally direct it.
Clenching her teeth as she grimaced, her heart filled with bitterness, Xue Li swore that once she forced Yang Kai out, she would teach him a lesson he’d never forget.
Inside The Void, Wu Jie was still restoring himself. Unlike Yang Kai, he didn’t carry with him a massive amount of high grade resources so naturally it took him longer to recover.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, was observing the surrounding space, trying to uncover more of its hidden mysteries.
Suddenly, a feeling of uneasiness hit Yang Kai, causing all of his hairs to stand on end, as if great danger was quietly approaching him.
Yang Kai’s face changed as he quickly released his Divine Sense around himself.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
With a sharp tearing sound, a spot in the distance tore open and hundreds of black serpents appeared and swam towards their position.
Yang Kai was shocked because from these serpents, he detected Xue Li’s aura!
Every one of these snakes contained a substantial amount of power and with hundreds of them swarming towards him, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a sense of impending death.
Also detecting something was wrong, Wu Jie’s eyes shot open as he urgently asked, “What happened?”
Just as he uttered these words though, he saw the approaching snakes and shivered in fright.
“Sect Master Wu, we need to leave!” Yang Kai’s expression was incredibly ugly; he really couldn’t understand how Xue Li’s attack had penetrated The Void and found them. The means of a Third Order Saint were really unpredictable.
However, from this scene Yang Kai judged that Xue Li wasn’t able to personally come here so he relaxed quite a bit.
Waving his hand, Yang Kai opened a new space crack and hurried out.
“Wait for me!” Wu Jie called out and immediately followed.
Immediately after leaving the chaotic void, Yang Kai couldn’t help cursing, “Smelly whore!”
The instant he left The Void, Xue Li’s Divine Sense had firmly locked onto him.
About a hundred kilometers away, Xue Li grinned fiercely, her pretty face distorting with greed as she faced towards Yang Kai’s direction and shouted through her grit teeth, “This Queen thought you’d never show up!”
Her tender body flickered and shot off.
Yu Mo quickly kept up.
Zhang Ao, Cao Guan, and the others all exchanged helpless glances before also activating their movement skills and following after them.
Currently, they all felt like puppets on strings, incapable of acting independently or even making their own choices, only able to chase after Yang Kai’s ass while coughing on his dust.
“Is that woman chasing after us still?” Wu Jie saw Yang Kai’s bitter expression and quickly asked.
Yang Kai gave him a faint glance and nodded lightly.
“Then it seems we’re at a dead end!” Wu Jie smiled bitterly.
“Sect Master Wu, there should still be enough time for you to save yourself,” Yang Kai frowned at him.
“Save myself?” Wu Jie asked in confusion.
“Draw a line with me and pledge allegiance to that woman just like Zhang Ao and Cao Guan.”
“Sir Holy Master must be joking, although this Wu admits he is a sinister villain, pledging allegiance to that woman is no different than feeding myself to a tiger. Zhang Ao and Cao Guan are destined to be abandoned by her, why should I try to hire myself to her knowing she’ll just kill me in the end?”
“Oh? Sect Master Wu is really far thinking,” Yang Kai was genuinely surprised.
“This Wu already told Sir Holy Master a few years ago, I have no other strengths other than knowing what must be done…” Wu Jie grinned.
“Good! Then currently you have two options.”
Wu Jie looked confused for a moment but quickly cupped his fists, “This Wu hopes Sir Holy Master will enlighten him.”
“Separate from me, and escape by yourself! Xue Li’s currently goal is me, so she probably won’t care whether you live or die, before she catches me, you may be able to escape!”
Wu Jie knit his brow and didn’t immediately make a decision, instead asking, “What about the second option?”
“Stick with me!”
“I’ll follow you!” Wu Jie said without a moment’s hesitation.
Yang Kai couldn’t help staring at him blankly, to which Wu Jie smiled and said, “Sir Holy Master currently looks annoyed and angry, but in no way panicked, so this Wu figures Sir Holy Master has some way to escape. Although I might be able to escape by separating from you, if Sir Holy Master is indeed caught, I know I won’t be spared. Xue Li may not kill me, but Zhang Ao and Cao Guan definitely will… so I’m still safer with you. Besides, this Wu was just saved by Sir Holy Master, if I abandon you now, wouldn’t that be paying a life saving grace with betrayal?”
Yang Kai stared at him deeply before wearing a grin, “Sect Master Wu is quite clever.”
“Sir Holy Master is too polite.”
“Good, let’s go!” Yang Kai said, waving his hand and tearing space once again, leaping back into The Void along with Wu Jie.
Back in The Void, Yang Kai felt Xue Li’s viper attack lock onto his aura once again.
Not paying any attention to this homing attack, Yang Kai quickly found his bearings before tearing space once more and exiting The Void.
A moment later, Yang Kai and Wu Jie appeared atop the Snow Mountain Range. Without a pause, Yang Kai tore space again.
After tearing space a total of three times within a short ten breath span, Yang Kai and Wu Jie were nearly a thousand kilometers away from where they stared.
Wu Jie couldn’t help but revealing a look of shock; he found that every time they exited The Void, the surrounding environment would become colder. It seemed as if the two were consistently traveling deeper into the Snow Mountain Range.
Thinking about it for a moment, Wu Jie called out in shock, “Can Sir Holy Master navigate accurately from within The Void?”
“More or less!” Yang Kai replied while taking out a pill and restoring his Spiritual Energy consumption.
Wu Jie’s expression became strained; he found that the more he contacted this young Holy Master, the more he couldn’t see through him.
The method to tear space was something he had taught Yang Kai only two or three years ago, yet after such a brief period, not only had he comprehended plenty of The Void’s mysteries, he was also able to find his way within it and even determine where he would emerge from it.
Wu Jie simply couldn’t imagine how he managed to accomplish this.
In order to simply use this Divine Ability, Wu Jie had spent more than ten years of hard effort, and even though he was able to comprehend some things, he still didn’t dare use it at will.
In fact, counting a moment ago, Wu Jie had only used this Divine Ability three times in his entire life.
“Where are we going?” Wu Jie quickly gathered his wits and no longer thought about such things, quickly focusing on the situation at hand.
“You’ll know when we get there,” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings to find his way amidst all the snow and ice.
At the same time, Xue Li, who was now nearly a thousand kilometers away, was also rushing forward, her entire body pulsing with powerful Demonic Qi, flying across the snowy terrain at an incredible speed, constantly drawing closer to Yang Kai.
For the Demon God Golden Blood in Yang Kai’s veins, or the inheritance, there was nothing she wouldn’t do!
As long as she could obtain Yang Kai’s Demon God Golden Blood, Xue Li was confident she could even compete with the current Demon Commander.
If she was very lucky, she might even be able to uncover some hidden secrets about the Great Demon God from Yang Kai.
With such a rare opportunity right in front of her, how could Xue Li bare to let it go?
For this matter, she had concealed herself and dove deep into Human territory, bringing along only Yu Mo, leaving Sand City unattended for several years.
From what she could sense, Yang Kai was constantly moving deeper into the Snow Mountain Range, seemingly moving toward some kind of goals, making her even more excited.
Xue Li didn’t know why, but she instinctually felt that wherever Yang Kai was headed, it was somehow related to Great Demon God!
In the skies above the endless Snow Mountain Range, Yang Kai and Wu Jie fled while Xue Li and the others followed, the distance between them slowly growing closer.
By now, Wu Jie was continuously leaking cold sweat. Although Xue Li was still quite far away, just her aura alone was enough to cause him panic.
Suddenly, Yang Kai came to a stop and spread his Divine Sense out, a moment later turning towards a particular direction and shouting, “Here!”
As he shouted, his figure flickered and shot a thousand meters forward.
Wu Jie didn’t dare to delay and hurriedly followed after Yang Kai.
A moment later, a cave that had been completely hidden by snow was dug up by Yang Kai. With a smile on his face, Yang Kai dove inside.
Seeing that Yang Kai seemed quite familiar with this place, Wu Jie couldn’t help revealing a thoughtful look, but he didn’t ask much, and instead just silently kept up.
Inside the cave, the air was so cold it felt as if it could freeze one’s Soul. Upon entering this place, Wu Jie had to circulate his True Qi in order to withstand the chill in his surroundings.
While looking around, he followed close behind Yang Kai.
A short time later, Yang Kai came to a stop again and stared forward.
Following his gaze, Wu Jie’s eyes bulged as he took a few steps backwards and exclaimed, “The Coffin Carrying Man?”
In front of the pair, at the bottom of this cave, a tall figure covered in half-rotting flesh lay with its back against the icy walls, completely still and unmoving.
Wu Jie had never seen the Coffin Carrying Man before, but he recognized him at a glance.
Because there was a large gloomy blood red coffin on his back!
However, what surprised Wu Jie the most was that the Coffin Carrying Man seemed to have perfectly melded into his surroundings, a thin layer of ice even appearing on his skin while not the slightest bit of Death Qi leaked out from his body.
“En, he is who Zhang Ao and Cao Guan are looking for,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“En… it seems like Sir Holy Master really is related to the Coffin Carrying Man,” Wu Jie’s expression fluctuated, faintly feeling like he was witnessing something historic, silently wondering just what hidden secrets lay buried before him, unable to help some excitement from appearing in his heart.
“Good, I indeed have a connection with him!” Yang Kai admitted without hesitation before ignoring Wu Jie’s reactions before walking over and calling out to the Coffin Carrying Man, “Senior, Senior!”
The Coffin Carrying Man offered no response.
Wu Jie’s brow furrowed but he kept his silence. Although he could tell that, just as in the legends, the Coffin Carrying Man in front of him was already dead, since Yang Kai was calling out to him, he must have some kind of plan.
After a few more attempts, the Coffin Carrying Man suddenly showed some reactions.
The Death Qi which had been concealing itself within his body suddenly became active and the icy layer which covered his flesh creaked, as if it would soon break apart.
Wu Jie narrowed his eyes, not even daring to blink.
*Kacha…*
Spider web like cracks soon appeared on the ice and the Death Qi contained with it began spilling out, becoming more and more intense with every passing breath.
Suddenly, the icy layer burst apart, transforming into dust and the Coffin Carrying Man, who should have died many eons ago, actually slowly opened his eyes.
Wu Jie was startled by this sight and couldn’t help retreating a few steps.
When the Coffin Carrying Man’s eyes blinked open, an aura far stronger than his own suddenly pulsed.
A Second Order Saint’s aura!
That is to say, this Coffin Carrying Man was actually a Second Order Saint Realm powerhouse.
Or rather, he had at least been one when he was alive.
His pair of terrifying eyes though were completely blank, like dead fishes, only adding to his fearful appearance.
“Senior, I must enter!” Yang Kai stared at the Coffin Carrying Man, not even sure he could understand his words or not, but given the circumstances, all he could do was try his luck!
Fortunately, the Coffin Carrying Man seemed to somehow understand, his blank eyes brightening for the briefest of moments, clearly conveying a sense of joy and excitement, the next moment, his giant body standing up.
The rich Death Qi and the putrid toxins leaking from his body quickly filling the entire ice cavern, causing it to melt and distort.
Even someone as strong as Wu Jie felt somewhat dizzy after being exposed to these toxins, quickly holding his breath in response.
A touch of red light suddenly bloomed from the blood red coffin behind the Coffin Carrying Man, in the next moment its lid slowly opening.
Yang Kai grinned, “Many thanks, Senior.”
As he spoke, he didn’t hesitate to grab the nervous Wu Jie and leap into the open coffin.
At the same time, Xue Li, who was still rushing over, couldn’t help exclaiming, “Demonic Qi? The aura of Great Demon God?”
Sensing these, Xue Li pushed her speed even higher, seemingly unable to wait to find the source of these auras.
…
Demon God Citadel.
Li Rong, the leader of the Ancient Demon Clan, stood quietly on the highest deck of the castle, staring out at the chaotic sky, her pretty face wearing a wistful expression, as if she was waiting for something.
Light footsteps resounded behind her but Li Rong didn’t have to look back to know it was Han Fei.
Sure enough, a moment later, Han Fei, in a plain light coloured dress appeared and stood beside her, turning her eyes towards the sky.
Two beautiful and graceful women, one as cold as ice the other as pure as jade, the breeze gently blowing through their long hair and dresses, surely this was the most enchanting scene in the entire Mysterious Small World.
Many Ancient Demon Clan disciples who happened to be passing by down below and inadvertently saw this picturesque scene couldn’t help sighing in appreciation.
However, when they remember the tyrannical methods and strength Li Rong and Han Fei possessed, they all quickly averted their eyes and scurried away, not daring to take a second look.
“Haa…” Han Fei suddenly sighed, softly whispering, “Senior Li, do you know how long it has been?”
Li Rong shook her head, “There is no sun, moon or stars here, so I can’t grasp the passage of time, but it should have been at least five or six years.”
“Perhaps even longer!” Han Fei nodded lightly.
“When will we be able to see the outside world?” Li Rong sighed faintly.
“That depends on the growth of that little guy.”
“En, everything will be up to how fast he can mature. When he left here, he was only an Immortal Ascension Boundary Seventh or Eighth Stage cultivator and his Alchemy level seemed to be around the peak of the Spirit Grade, wanting him to become capable of refining a Saint Grade Mid-Rank pill should take him a decade or so.”
“Is Senior Li so optimistic about him? With his aptitude in Alchemy, it indeed shouldn’t take him very long to reach an appropriate level of skill, but in order to refine a Saint Pill he will need a corresponding cultivation. He’ll need to raise both his Alchemy proficiency and cultivation greatly. Is it really possible to do so in less than ten years?” Han Fei brushed her windswept hair back behind her ear as she turned to look inquisitively towards Li Rong.
“If ten years isn’t enough then we’ll wait twenty years. If that still isn’t enough then we’ll wait thirty years. No matter how long it takes, one day I believe our clan will be able to leave here,” Li Rong smiled slightly, a look of yearning appearing on her pretty face.
The Ancient Demon Clan had been sealed in this small place for too long. For so many generations, so many millennia they had waiting without ever seeing any hope of leaving, but now, a light had finally appeared in the endless darkness, and the one who brought them this light was none other than the new possessor of the Demon Eye of Annihilation.
Both Li Rong and Han Fei believed that this was all the arrangement of Great Demon God and that Yang Kai was the one destined to free them from this Mysterious Small World.
“We can wait, but outside he has no one to depend on, no one to protect him as he grows. Whether or not he encounters any kind of accident is uncertain,” Han Fei couldn’t help voicing her concerns.
Li Rong’s heart tightened at these words, not daring to think too deeply about them.
This was the very issue she was most worried about.
With Yang Kai’s aptitude, as long as there were no accidents, it was all but guaranteed he would grow to a point where he could fulfill his promise to them, but the outside world was by no means free from danger and accidents were also a normal part of life.
The Ancient Demon Clan was sealed inside this Mysterious Small World though, so even though she wanted to help him, there was simply nothing she could do!
“Even if he hasn’t yet grown to such a point, if he could find some time to come and see us, just to let us know he is safe, it would certainly be good,” Li Rong muttered in complaint.
If Yang Kai wanted to enter this place, he could do so very easily, all he needed to do was find Coffin Slave Senior and ask to enter; then, in order to leave, all he’d need to do would be to ask Li Rong to let him out.
It was because of this that Li Rong didn’t understand why they hadn’t received any word from Yang Kai even after so long.
Han Fei suddenly wore an awkward look as she whispered, “Hua Mo said… he probably won’t be back.”
“What do you think?” Li Rong turned to look at her.
“I think he will come back!” Han Fei replied without any hesitation, “When he set out, he quietly left us with so many Crystal Stones. He also isn’t a cold-hearted person, if he never planned on coming back, he would certainly have not left so much wealth behind for us. I’m sure he thought it would help us strengthen ourselves so that when he did return we would be able to provide him with even greater support.”
Li Rong smiled lightly and nodded, “I think so too. Hua Mo… he didn’t interacted with him much so it is only reasonable for him to have some suspicions.”
Han Fei nodded in agreement, suddenly saying excitedly, “But thanks to the Crystal Stones and Pills he left behind, our clansmen have really experienced an explosion in growth these past few years. Two have even broken through to the Saint Realm. Even Hua Mo and myself have made some small breakthroughs.”
“En, we really should thank him for this,” Li Rong also looked happy.
Before Yang Kai exited this Mysterious Small World, he secretly left behind a large amount of Crystal Stones and finished pills, resources that were urgently needed by the Ancient Demon Clan.
They had been sealed here for countless years so their reserves of Crystal Stones had long been used up and they were unable to refine pills on their own, so the best they could do was directly ingest raw spirit herbs, but now that there were pills they could use, the effects were noticeably better.
“The two newly promoted Commanders, have they managed to consolidate their cultivations yet?” Li Rong asked with concern.
“En, their cultivations are now stable. Hua Mo has been lecturing them on the mysteries of the Saint Realm to speed up their development.”
“That’s good…”
“We should go back inside, the wind is quite cold today.”
“En,” Li Rong glanced back at the sky one last time before walking back inside together with Han Fei.
Just then, however, a bang resounded through the air and the two beautiful women couldn’t help freezing up, turning around in the next instant to stare at the source of the sound, their eyes flashing with shock as their pretty faces overflowed with surprise.
High up in the sky, a bright red light appeared, followed by what seemed like a great bolt of lightning descending from that light and falling a dozen or so kilometers away from Demon God Citadel.
Faintly, Li Rong and Han Fei even saw a vague figure inside that bolt of red light, one that was all too familiar to them.