Saying so, the Soul Clone of Great Demon God reached out and waved his hand, opening up a Void Corridor entrance a short distance away, one large enough to accommodate several people.
“Use your Demonic Qi to free yourself from the bonds of the Tong Xuan Pillars and then leave this place,” Great Demon God decreed as if giving an order.
Li Rong turned her eyes to Yang Kai, seemingly waiting for him to make a decision.
Yang Kai just stared at Great Demon God’s Soul Clone silently, his eyes filled with profound light.
“You haven’t left yet?” Seeing Yang Kai now moving, Great Demon God’s Soul Clone snorted, his voice thundering in Yang Kai’s mind like a sledgehammer, causing his blood to boil and his face to turn red.
However, Yang Kai quickly regained his composure and shook his head, “I have to take them with me.”
Great Demon God coldly snorted, “Don’t act so presumptuous, I have given you a chance, if refuse to grasp it, then you can just remain here forever! Even though you are the successor of my main body’s skeleton, you must pay the price for intruding upon this place!”
Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged though, sweeping his eyes across his surroundings once before asking, “You just called these eight stone pillars the Tong Xuan Pillars. We also encountered another stone pillar on our way here, it was much larger than these eight though and was even engraved with the words Tong Xuan Pillar, what does that one have to do with these eight?”
Even trapped as he was, Yang Kai not only did not display any signs of anxiety but instead was leisurely chatting with Great Demon God’s Soul Clone, causing Great Demon God to feel quite surprised; even Li Rong was looking at Yang Kai curiously, not comprehending what he was trying to do.
“There are many Tong Xuan Pillars in this place, but these eight are the cornerstones… Why do you ask this?” Great Demon God replied faintly.
“No reason,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders and grinned, “I just thought that since this array was set up by Great Demon God, it should have nothing to do with you. You’re nothing but a guard who was left behind by your main body to watch over this place.”
The eyes of Great Demon God’s Soul Clone flashed as he stared deeply at Yang Kai, nodding lightly a moment later, “Your mind is quite sharp.”
“Just a casual guess, heh heh,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Along our way here, we came across a green sea filled with countless Soul-Spirit Bodies as well as a strange, deadly blood sea. If I’m right, those were all barriers arranged by Great Demon God to prevent anyone from getting too close to these eight pillars, right?”
“What of it?” Great Demon God nodded in acknowledgement, Yang Kai speaking with such confidence had suddenly made him feel a bit interested.
“Nothing!” Yang Kai’s smile suddenly became treacherous, “I just found it a bit strange that with a powerhouse like you here, who can instantly incapacitate and capture any master, regardless of their cultivation, who arrives at this place, why would Great Demon God go through all the trouble of setting up so many barriers to stop people from approaching? Doesn’t that seem a bit unnecessary?”
“What are you trying to say?” Great Demon God’s Soul Clone narrowed his eyes, and a sense of unease slowly creeping into his heart.
“I just want to say… although you appear incomparably formidable; in truth, you don’t have much power at all! The eight pillars that are binding us here are simply another method arranged by Great Demon God; they have no relationship to you at all!” Yang Kai declared in a low, forceful tone.
Listening to him, Li Rong was quite startled as she turned a look of suspicion towards Great Demon God’s Soul Clone, trying to use her Divine Sense to examine him but quickly discovering that the stone pillar she was bound to was sealing her Spiritual Energy.
“What makes you so sure?” Great Demon God’s Soul Clone stared at Yang Kai coldly. His biggest secret had just been revealed, so he could not help his expression from flickering slightly, but his eyes still remained a piercing as ever.
“You trying so hard to get Li Rong and me to leave here as quickly as possible is because you don’t want to leave two uncontrollable variables here. I think, when Great Demon God set up the barriers of this place, he had left a kind of back door to them, allowing anyone who can use the Demon God Transformation to remain unharmed. Unfortunately for you, Li Rong and I both fulfil this condition, correct?”
Great Demon God suddenly burst into laughter, “An interesting thought, but in the end, all of that is just your own speculations.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “After death, one’s Soul cannot remain in the world for a long time and will soon dissipate. Even if you are Great Demon God’s Soul Clone, this is a fate you can’t avoid. You have no physical vessel to sustain yourself and are probably dependant on these eight pillars to maintain your existence, but after so many thousands of years trapped here, how much strength do you have left?”
“How much strength I possess, you can verify for yourself,” the Soul Clone of Great Demon God snorted.
“Of course I have to verify it for myself, because you simply don’t have the ability to drive these eight pillars. Therefore, you have no way to free them either!” Yang Kai shouted, “Since that’s the case, then I can only destroy the eight pillars by myself!”
“Boy, you dare?!” Great Demon God’s Soul Clone’s expression finally changed, filling with a mix of anger and anxiety.
“Just stand there and see for yourself if I dare!” Yang Kai laughed, pushing his strength to its maximum, his Demonic Qi and Blood Qi skyrocketing in intensity.
The whole world suddenly seemed to tremble as the vision before everyone’s eyes began to distort. This wild and violent surge of power astonished the Monster Race Great Seniors.
Neither of them could figure out how a mere Transcendent Realm cultivator like Yang Kai could suddenly unleash such power.
*Ka…*
As if something kind of chain had been broken, Yang Kai fell down from the pillar that he was bound to, shaking his hands and feet as he cracked his joints.
“Li Rong, come down and help!” Yang Kai called out.
Li Rong looked at Yang Kai, then looked at Great Demon God’s Soul Clone, uncertain of what to do.
Great Demon God held an irreplaceable position in the heart of every member of the Demon Race, a sense of worship which had been engrained into her very bones made it impossible for Li Rong to oppose Great Demon God.
However, Yang Kai was her Ancient Demon Clan’s master, any order Yang Kai issued she had to obey.
Suddenly she found herself in a difficult position.
“He is not Great Demon God, the true Great Demon God fell many years ago, you don’t need to feel any psychological burden.”
“B… but…” Li Rong hesitated.
“Nevermind, it’s alright, just stay there,” Yang Kai no longer forced her, instead turning his attention to Great Demon God’s Soul Clone, “I’m going to start destroying these pillars now. If you have some way to stop me, I suggest you use it now.”
Great Demon God’s Soul Clone just stared at him solemnly, not showing any intention of stopping him, only speaking after a long silence, “Do you really want to destroy this place?”
“Does it look like I’m cracking a joke?”
“Do you know what consequences there will be if you destroy this place?”
“I only know that if I don’t destroy these pillars, my friends and Elder will die. However, you should understand the mysteries of this place. Can you explain those things to me now? I heard you say a moment ago that this place is the keystone to the entire world.”
“What would the point in that be?” Great Demon God’s Soul Clone smiled faintly, “When you destroy this place, you will naturally learn what its true purpose is; I just hope you can afford the price.”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, muttering under his breath, “Trying to be mysterious.”
No matter why Great Demon God set up so many barriers here or how important this place was to Tong Xuan Realm, since Meng Wu Ya was being trapped here by these stone pillars, Yang Kai had to free him, regardless of the consequences.
Having finished talking, Yang Kai condensed his Demonic Qi onto his right fist, transforming it into a deep black abyss that gave off a frightening energy fluctuation.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai’s fist hit the stone pillar that had trapped him before, causing it to tremble.
Immediately after, a cracking sound rang out and the entire stone pillar began to fill with hundreds of spider-web like lines, as if it was on the verge of shattering.
Yang Kai was somewhat startled, not having expected this stone pillar to be so easily destroyed. Originally he had been preparing for a long and difficult fight.
Seeing Yang Kai really take action, Great Demon God’s Soul Clone not only didn’t seem anxious but instead let out a hearty laugh, nodding firmly, “An unyielding will not inferior to this Senior’s main body, no wonder you were able to inherit his bones.”
“You’re not going to try to stop me?” Yang Kai didn’t look back at him and simply waved his fist, “The next strike will certainly break this stone pillar.”
Great Demon God’s Soul Clone shrugged his shoulders, “You yourself said that I have no power to stop you, so why should I even try? En, this world has indeed been sealed for too long, it should be time for it to step into the light again. Little boy, if you have time, you should take a trip to the Demon Capital. If you go there, you will naturally be able to understand the mysteries of this place.”
“Why can’t you just explain clearly?” Yang Kai frowned.
Great Demon God’s Soul Clone simply laughed and said nothing more; wearing an inscrutable expression as his body gradually faded and eventually disappeared.
Regardless of how Yang Kai called out to him, he didn’t appear again.
“Kid, hurry up and get us out of here, we shouldn’t remain here any longer…” Thunder Dragon Great Senior turned a gloomy look towards Yang Kai, his gaze revealing deep powerlessness.
Nodding, Yang Kai no longer delayed and sent another punch onto the stone pillar.
The stone pillar shattered into a million fragments that all flew out with great force while the huge energy which had been sealed inside of it also burst out in a violent explosion.
Yang Kai didn’t panic, quickly summoning his Silver Leaf artifact and transforming it into a light halo that surrounded him.
At the same time, he condensed several Grand Heavenly Shields around himself, somehow blocking the damage from this energy explosion.
After the first pillar was destroyed, the remaining seven began to crack open like a chain reaction and the force that was binding the others instantly disappeared.
Everyone else fell to the ground.
*Kacha…*
The seven remaining stone pillars all made cracking sounds, appearing as if they were all about to explode, the energy sealed within each of them showing signs of destabilizing.
“Hurry!” Yang Kai shouted. He had barely been able to resist the energy explosion from the collapse of a single stone pillar. If the remaining seven were to all explode at the same time, it was likely no one here would be able to survive.
Li Rong wrapped Meng Wu Ya and the four Monster Race masters in her Demonic Qi and without any hesitation flew towards the nearby Void Corridor entrance which had been opened by Great Demon God’s Soul Clone.
Yang Kai’s figure flashed, appearing next to Xia Ning Chang in an instant, picked her up and hastily followed after Li Rong and the others.
Just after entering the black corridor, a tremendous explosion resounded behind Yang Kai, causing him to glance backwards for a moment, his face draining of all colour at what he saw.
The Mysterious Small World behind him seemed to be completely disintegrating, its fracturing space rapidly spreading towards the Void Corridor.
In the original position of the eight stone pillars, Great Demon God’s Soul Clone once again revealed himself and quietly stared in the direction Yang Kai and the others left for a moment before he too, was swallowed by the shattering space.
High up in the air, a dark hole suddenly materialized and a moment later, Li Rong flew out together with the four Monster Race masters and Meng Wu Ya and quickly descended to the ground.
Yang Kai, who was holding Xia Ning Chang, appeared right after them.
Just as the two of them left the Void Corridor, a glimmer of light flashed behind them and the black corridor rapidly distorted, shrank down to a point, and then disappeared without a trace.
Yang Kai felt a cold sweat drip down his back as he realized that if he had been even a single breath slower, he and his Little Senior Sister would have been buried inside that Mysterious Small World forever.
Looking down, there was a jungle below filled with a beautiful and refreshing spring-like warmth, lush green mountains in the distance providing pleasant scenery.
Li Rong stood in an open space below and was waving towards Yang Kai, “Master, over here!”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded and flew down.
At the same time, he spread out his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings.
He thought that this was somewhere in the Beast Sea Jungle; after all, he had entered that strange world from there, but after a thorough investigation, he found that there weren’t any Monster Beasts within a few dozen kilometres.
Although this was somewhat confusing to him, after determining that there was no danger in the vicinity, Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense.
Gently setting Xia Ning Chang down, Yang Kai hurriedly asked, “How is their situation?”
“Not too serious, after all, they weren’t bound to the pillars for too long. They should be able to restore themselves shortly, but the old gentleman…” Li Rong directed a look of pity towards the extremely emaciated Meng Wu Ya and released a sigh.
According to Thunder Dragon, this was the Human Race’s current strongest master, but now he had actually been reduced to such a miserable state. If he didn’t receive treatment soon, it would not be long before his last vestiges of vitality went out.
“It’s fine, with me here, he won’t die,” Yang Kai said so, walking over to Meng Wu Ya and helping him up.
Treasurer Meng was in such terrible shape that Yang Kai could not help feeling his heart clench as though it froze and his head turned light, almost ready to faint. Over the many years he had known him, Yang Kai has never seen Treasurer Meng in such a pitiful condition.
Meng Wu Ya stretched out his nearly completely withered hand haltingly, using all his remaining strength to lightly cling to Yang Kai’s clothes, his pair of dull eyes to stare at him as he attempted to move his lips and say something.
“Don’t say anything, I know what you mean, I’ll take care of Little Senior Sister,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Meng Wu Ya’s eyes flickered brightly for just an instant, pleased that Yang Kai understood his worries, seemingly wearing an extremely thin smile on his lips to express his gratitude.
Yang Kai quickly took out a jade bottle which was filled with Myriad Drug Milk and made Meng Wu Ya take it.
The Myriad Drug Milk had an incredible effect when it came to treating serious injuries, so even though Meng Wu Ya was having trouble even breathing right now, with this there would be no risk of him immediately dying.
Immediately after, Yang Kai took out the Blood Essence Stone again.
A powerful beating sound resounded from inside the Blood Essence Stone.
Seemingly feeling the huge amount of Blood Qi inside the Blood Essence Stone, Meng Wu Ya’s dimmed eyes became brighter as he felt there might still be hope.
The stone pillars had the power to sap the vitality of anyone bound to them, so after so long, Meng Wu Ya’s life essence had almost been entirely drained; what he needed most right now was to supplement his vitality.
As long as he had access to enough pure Blood Qi, restoring his vitality wouldn’t be a problem.
Undoubtedly, the Blood Essence Stone was the ideal solution to Treasurer Meng’s current need.
By using both the Myriad Drug Milk and Blood Essence Stone, Yang Kai didn’t believe he couldn’t save Treasurer Meng.
Pouring his True Qi into the Blood Essence Stone, Yang Kai extracted a stream of Blood Qi from it and sent it into Meng Wu Ya’s body.
With the infusion of Blood Qi, Treasurer Meng also felt his vitality rapidly being restored, closing his eyes comfortably and allowing Yang Kai to heal him.
Time passed by slowly.
Meng Wu Ya’s body underwent earth-shaking changes at a speed visible to the naked eye.
As if he was an empty sack that was being blown up, his emaciated physique gradually inflated.
The innumerable wounds all over his body also quickly healed and his skin became firm and radiant, no longer looking dry and wrinkled like before.
After an hour, Meng Wu Ya suddenly opened his eyes, a profound light flashing across their depths as he turned to Yang Kai and said in a hoarse voice, “I can handle the rest; you take care of Ning Chang.”
Yang Kai nodded and handed over the Blood Essence Stone to Meng Wu Ya before turning his eyes to the others.
The four Monster Race masters were all still sitting in meditation, but after an hour restoring themselves, their complexion had become much better.
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before hiding a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid into a few pills he was carrying on him and handing one to each of them.
The four Monster Race masters didn’t hesitate at all and immediately swallowed the pill they received.
Yang Kai then walked over to Xia Ning Chang’s side.
Li Rong had been standing guard here without moving a single step away the whole time, seemingly understanding that this veiled young woman was very important to Yang Kai.
Xia Ning Chang’s situation was much better than Meng Wu Ya’s as she had only fainted because she had been overusing her strength for so long.
Yang Kai fed her a drop of Myriad Drug Liquid before sitting down and waiting.
“Master…” Li Rong suddenly called out, “Just now, Li Rong failed to obey Master’s order and violated the pledge my clan swore to you, bringing shame upon myself and my family, I hope Master will punish me for this offence.”
“Hm?” Yang Kai had been staring at Xia Ning Chang fixedly but upon hearing Li Rong say such words, he couldn’t help turning his eyes towards her in confusion. It was only after thinking for a while that he understood why she was saying such things.
“About that matter… you don’t need to concern yourself; rather, it was because I hadn’t considered clearly what it meant to order you to oppose the Soul Clone of Great Demon God that such a situation occurred, it’s not your fault.”
“But Master, since my clan swore to serve you, we must not have any hesitation about any order you issue.”
“There’s no need to be so inflexible, that was Great Demon God’s Soul Clone, you hesitating was unavoidable. En, if one day Great Demon God suddenly appeared before you and ordered you to kill me, would you hesitate?”
Li Rong was startled by this question and didn’t know how to respond.
Yang Kai smiled and said, “That’s right, you will hesitate because I am your Master, but Great Demon God is Great Demon God, after all. His status in your heart is unparalleled. Everything is in the past, there’s no need to mention it again.”
Li Rong bit her lip lightly and only after a long time nodded, “Yes!”
Suddenly, she smiled again, “Master, is this girl your beloved woman?”
“En,” Yang Kai admitted without hesitation.
“No wonder Master looks at her with such tender eyes,” Li Rong smiled warmly, “I have never seen Master show this kind of expression towards any female before and was wondering just what kind of woman could attract your attention. Although this girl is wearing a veil so I cannot see her appearance, it’s obvious she is a great beauty.”
“A great beauty?” Yang Kai brow furrowed slightly before a wry smile appeared on his face, “Whether she is beautiful or not I can’t say for certain, because I’ve never seen Little Senior Sister’s true face.”
“Ah?” Li Rong shouted, somewhat unable to believe what she just heard, “You’ve never seen her real face?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
Xia Ning Chang’s veil was obviously some kind of magical artifact. Before, Yang Kai was unable to judge the quality of this piece of cloth or understand its mysteries, but now he could.
As long as she was wearing this veil, even if someone wanted to use their Divine Sense to spy on her face, they would be unable to see anything.
“Master’s sentiment towards her must be very deep,” Li Rong said decisively. If that was so, how could Yang Kai never forget about a woman he had never seen the face of?
Also, when he saw her, he wouldn’t have lost his self-control.
Li Rong’s impression of Yang Kai was that he was always calm and composed, with very little that could excite him.
“Kid, if she actually turns out to be ugly, what are you going to do?” Thunder Dragon Great Senior suddenly spoke.
Yang Kai turned to look and found that the two Great Seniors had almost completely recovered while Cai Die and Jin Ni were still meditating.
The two Great Seniors apparently heard the previous conversation and couldn’t help cracking a joke.
“It doesn’t matter, Little Senior Sister’s heart is incomparably pure. In my eyes, she will always be a beautiful woman,” Yang Kai smiled calmly.
Thunder Dragon Great Senior frowned a moment before suddenly nodding, “Fair enough, relationships can also be beautiful with sentiment.”
“But aren’t you at least curious to see what she looks like?” Earth Splitting Divine Ox interjected, egging him on, “She’s currently in a deep stupor, and it’s a golden opportunity.”
“No, I will wait for the day Little Senior Sister lifts her veil of her own free will. At that time I’ll be able to look all I want!” Yang Kai shook his head firmly, “If I were to sneak a peek at her now, the only ones who will benefit are you two.”
Thunder Dragon laughed out loud, “I didn’t expect you to be so overprotective, kid. You can’t even allow others to see your beloved woman’s face?”
“Mind your own business!” Yang Kai spat disdainfully. Of course he wanted to see Xia Ning Chang’s true face, but wasn’t it better to see it for the first time in private?
“But this King is curious, what Sect do you two come from? Actually having such profound cultivation at such a young age, don’t tell me it’s Soaring Heaven Sect. Soaring Heaven Sect doesn’t have that kind of ability.”
“I still have another Senior Sister, she’s no worse than us,” Yang Kai smiled proudly.
Thunder Dragon’s face twitched, “If there is a chance, I have to see just what kind of place was able to raise so many monsters like you.”
“If there’s a chance…” Yang Kai’s look suddenly became somewhat low-spirited; he still didn’t know how to return to the Central Capital.
“Forget it, let’s put that aside for now,” Thunder Dragon changed the subject forcefully, his look becoming serious, “What were you discussing with that man back at those eight pillars? Who was he?”
Yang Kai and Great Demon God’s Soul Clone’s conversation was carried out completely via Divine Sense Messages so the Monster Race masters were only able to see the changes in their expression and didn’t know what was said between them.
“Who he was, doesn’t Thunder Dragon Great Senior already know?” Yang Kai smiled at him.
Thunder Dragon’s eyes narrowed, a look of amazement filling his face, “So… he really was Great Demon God?”
“Great Demon God?” Earth Splitting Divine Ox exclaimed, “No, didn’t that guy already fall thousands of years ago? How could he suddenly appear in such a place?”
“He was probably a remnant Soul of some kind!” Thunder Dragon guessed in a deep voice, “Even though he had no physical form, his remnant Soul was actually that powerful. Just what kind of level did Great Demon God’s true body posses when he was alive?”
Rumour had it that Great Demon God had reached to the pinnacle of this world.
However, from everything they had seen and experienced in that place, it was clear Great Demon God possessed methods and means beyond what a Third Order Saint was capable of.
Three Third-Order Saint Realm powerhouses and two Second-Order Saints were powerless to resist against a method he had arranged thousands of years prior.
If Great Demon God was truly only a Third Order Saint, he wouldn’t be able to achieve such a feat.
Recalling everything that they experienced in that weird space, the two Monster Race Great Seniors felt a cold chill.
Whether it was the green sea, the blood sea, or the last eight pillars, each one contained unimaginable power. Third-Order Saints like them were barely able to withstand the first two barriers and were instantly rendered powerless by the last stone pillars.
The mere methods laid out so many years ago were already so powerful, so how strong was the real Great Demon God?
Thunder Dragon and Earth Splitting Divine Ox could hardly imagine it!
In front of that legendary figure, they suddenly felt as weak as children and deeply recognized their own insufficiencies.
“Who knows how strong he was,” Yang Kai smiled brightly, “Perhaps he was a Third-Order Saint, perhaps he reached a realm above the Saint Realm.”
“A higher realm?” Thunder Dragon’s eyes narrowed, “Why has This King never heard of such a thing?”
“A decade ago, I didn’t know that there was a Transcendent Realm above the Immortal Ascension Boundary. In the place I came from, the top powerhouses didn’t even know the Transcendent Realm’s name, let alone about the existence of the Saint Realm.”
Thunder Dragon Great Senior stared at Yang Kai in amazement, after a long time his mouth twitching as he asked, “Just what kind of backwater countryside did you grow up in? How could there still be such an ill-informed place?”
“Let’s not talk about that, have the two of you finished restoring yourselves?” Yang Kai asked.
“Pretty much. Although the pill you gave us didn’t seem to be very high grade, its restorative effects were surprisingly good. Send some more of those to this King. In any case, your Nine Heavens Holy Land is constantly producing pills right?” Thunder Dragon demanded without the slightest bit of politeness.
During their exploration of the Mysterious Small World, the four Monster Race masters trekked across mountains, oceans, and desserts, but none of them obtained a single benefit and instead almost lost their lives. On the other hand, Yang Kai had gained a lot.
Li Rong obtained an epiphany and broke through to the Third-Order Saint Realm while Yang Kai found and rescued his Senior and his Senior Sister who he had not seen for ten years.
Thunder Dragon felt that if he couldn’t extract at least something now it would be too much of a waste of his time and effort.
“Let’s head back for now. When I return, I’ll send you some pills,” Yang Kai said generously, knowing that they would not be satisfied if they couldn’t obtain some benefits.
“En, then This King will wait for the good news,” Thunder Dragon nodded and let out a satisfied laugh.
“Don’t forget this Old Ox’s share!” Earth Splitting Divine Ox called out.
“Of course, of course,” Yang Kai nodded, “In the future, everyone will still be neighbours, I’m sure I’ll have times I need to rely on two Great Seniors.”
“Your too polite, hahaha!”
Finished saying what they wanted to say, Thunder Dragon and Earth Splitting Divine Ox sat in meditation while waiting for Cai Die and Jin Ni to finish restoring themselves.
Yang Kai sat down next to Xia Ning Chang while, once in a while, glancing towards Meng Wu Ya with an expression of relief.
Even after ten years, Little Senior Sister’s aura hadn’t changed at all, but her figure had become more mature, the curves of her body now filled with adult charm that was only emphasized by her tight black robes. Each time she took a light breath, her rich peaks gently rise and fall.
Yang Kai’s eyes couldn’t help being drawn to her.
The sweet fragrance which wafted from his Little Senior Sister was refreshing to both his mind and body.
“Master… this little girl seems to be awake,” Li Rong quietly sent him a Divine Sense Message.
Yang Kai glanced at her face and noticed that his Little Senior Sister’s long lashes were fluttering somewhat while her aura had become somewhat uneven. Even the sound of her heartbeat had become more powerful and slightly faster than just now.
“When did you notice?” Yang Kai asked back.
“When you were talking to Thunder Dragon.”
“At that time…” Yang Kai was somewhat astonished but simply smiled in the end, “Just pretend you didn’t notice.”
“En,” Li Rong gently nodded, not knowing what kind of strange dynamic was playing out between Yang Kai and his Senior Sister. After not seeing each other for ten years, if she had already woken up, why did she keep pretending to be asleep instead of opening her eyes and greeting him?
Yang Kai just stared at Xia Ning Chang with a tender smile.
Little Senior Sister really hadn’t changed at all, after a whole decade; she still had the same marvellous ‘pretending to be asleep’ ability as before.
After half a day, Cai Die and Jin Ni finished restoring themselves; however, recalling the bitter torture and powerlessness they had just experienced, it was clear they still felt some lingering fear.
They had never even dreamed that with their current cultivation and ability, a place that could pose such danger to them still existed in this world.
Jin Ni went out to inquire about the situation and soon confirmed that they really weren’t in the Beast Sea Jungle. After returning to inform the group, everyone was stunned.
“Then where is this place?” Yang Kai asked.
“There was a small town about a hundred kilometres from here. I went there to ask about our location and learned that we’re about a two months journey from your Nine Heavens Holy Land… well, calculated by the speed of a Transcendent Realm cultivator that is.”
“That far out?” Yang Kai exclaimed.
Thunder Dragon and the others were also equally shocked about this. They had obviously entered that place from the Beast Sea Jungle, yet when they came out, they had actually appeared tens of thousands of kilometres away. In the end, they could only blame the discrepancy on the Void Corridor they left through.
It was likely the stretch of The Void they crossed was different from the one they entered through.
“How strange, this old master entered that realm from the Demon Land,” At that moment, Meng Wu Ya’s voice sounded somewhat hoarsely, probably because he was still in the midst of recovering.
“Treasurer Meng,” Yang Kai was shocked and quickly looked over at him.
Meng Wu Ya smiled and nodded, “I didn’t expect that the one to save this old master this time would actually be you, you little brat. It seems that I’ll have to find an opportunity to repay you later!”
Yang Kai grinned and waved his hand, “We’re all one family, there’s no need for such words between us.”
Meng Wu Ya’s face instantly went black as he coughed a few times, “You can eat whatever you want, but you cannot speak words so freely. Since when did we become family?”
Obviously, he was not willing to admit that Xia Ning Chang only had eyes for Yang Kai.
“These are…” Meng Wu Ya quickly fixed his expression before sweeping his gaze over Thunder Dragon and the others.
The four Monster Race masters returned a serious stare to Meng Wu Ya, none of them daring to take him lightly.
In front of them was a man hailed as the Human Race’s strongest master, someone who had defeated Blood Dragon Great Senior in less than an incense stick worth of time. On top of that, not all Humans were like Yang Kai who had no racial biases, if this old man harboured hatred towards the Monster Race…
In any case, they had to keep their guard up.
“These four are my friends from the Monster Race!” Yang Kai immediately introduced them to Meng Wu Ya.
“It turns out they’re from the Monster Race, no wonder the Monster Qi around them is so thick,” Meng Wu Ya nodded slightly before turning a look of suspicion towards Thunder Dragon, “Have we met before? You seem somewhat familiar.”
Thunder Dragon Great Senior solemnly nodded, “Five hundred years ago, in the Beast Sea Jungle!”
Meng Wu Ya frowned as he saw Thunder Dragon directing a somewhat unfriendly look towards him, wondering where he had offended him. Thinking for a while though, his eyes lit up, “Were you one of Blood Dragon’s subordinates from that time?”
“Your Excellency’s memory is impeccable,” Thunder Dragon smiled, “One day, this King will exact revenge for Blood Dragon Great Senior!”
Meng Wu Ya laughed and said, “It’s not like this old master killed him, it was just his capacity was too small. After suffering just one loss he was unable to pick himself back up again, how is that my fault?”
“How dare you insult Blood Dragon Great Senior!” Thunder Dragon stood up and roared.
Seeing the two of them starting to get riled up, Yang Kai quickly interjected.
At this time, if they really were to fight, he would no doubt wind up in the middle; plus, Meng Wu Ya was still in the process of recovering, he was clearly not in a suitable condition to fight.
“It seems we’re unable to agree about even a word,” Thunder Dragon Great Senior coldly snorted before turning to Yang Kai, “Kid, we’ll take our leave first, don’t forget about your promise to deliver this King those pills.”
“En, I’ll remember,” Yang Kai nodded.
The four Monster Race masters nodded once more before flying off.
Meng Wu Ya shrugged indifferently before turning a smile to Yang Kai, “Smelly brat, it seems after not seeing you for ten years you’ve picked up a trick or two. How did you get to know such powerful people?”
“It’s all thanks to Treasurer Meng’s teachings,” Yang Kai quickly said.
“Quit trying to flatter this old master, it’s disgusting!” Meng Wu Ya rolled his eyes, “Don’t think that I don’t know what you’ve been up to. You’re nothing short of a walking disaster, always wandering about getting into trouble, I can’t possibly feel relieved leaving Ning Chang by your side.”
“Like she’ll be safe following you around, old man,” Yang Kai snickered and shot back.
Meng Wu Ya felt like he was choking on his own words, quickly coughing and switching the subject, turning to Li Rong and asking, “How should I call this lady?”
Yang Kai quickly introduced him.
Meng Wu Ya stared at Li Rong, the look of suspicion in his eyes growing stronger as time passed, “Why do I feel that this lady’s cultivation technique is somewhat unusual.”
Hearing his thinly veiled words, how could Li Rong not understand the deeper meaning to his question? Smiling lightly she openly admitted, “Senior is quite observant, I am actually from the Demon Race.”
Meng Wu Ya’s face went a bit stiff before he quickly sent Yang Kai a Divine Sense Message and asked, “Little brat, what have you been up to? How come you’re making friends with such powerful Monster Race and Demon Race masters? Haven’t you learned that those from different races can’t be easily trusted?”
Before Yang Kai even had a chance to answer, Li Rong said, “Senior, if you are worried that I’m harbouring ill intentions towards Master, you need not concern yourself. My clan has sworn a vow to only obey Master’s commands so long as he may live, for the rest of our lives.”
“Master?” Meng Wu Ya eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he glanced back and forth between Li Rong and Yang Kai, asking hesitantly after a while, “You willingly address him as ‘Master’?”
“Yes!” Li Rong nodded sincerely.
Meng Wu Ya’s expression fluctuated back and forth, after a long time before solemnly saying to Yang Kai, “Another day, when there’s an opportunity, we need to have a long chat.”
After not seeing him for ten years, he suddenly discovered that Yang Kai was associating with Demons, causing Meng Wu Ya a great deal of worry. In particular, the strength of this Demon lady was much higher than Yang Kai’s, it would be a simple task for her to force him into a dead end.
“We can talk later, for now, let’s head back,” Yang Kai grinned, knowing what Meng Wu Ya was worried about.
“I’ll return this thing to you now, the Blood Qi inside has almost been consumed clean by me,” Meng Wu Ya said as he handed Yang Kai the Blood Essence Stone.
Yang Kai took it and felt it, his expression changing greatly in the next moment, “What cultivation level do you have right now Treasurer Meng? How did you drain such a massive amount of Blood Qi from this thing?”
Meng Wu Ya smiled, “Before entering that place, this old master was only a First Order Saint, but now… my cultivation has been fully restored. Thanks to the torture I received while bound to that stone pillar, the seals in my body were greatly damaged, giving me the opportunity to completely destroy them.”
Yang Kai’s spirit shook as he asked enthusiastically, “So the seal has been completely removed?”
“En,” Meng Wu Ya nodded.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he smiled, feeling sincerely happy for Treasurer Meng.
Back at High Heaven Pavilion, Meng Wu Ya had been a mystery, and this mysterious background had not been uncovered even in the Central Capital.
Yang Kai had never understood Treasurer Meng’s true depths until he came to Tong Xuan Realm and talked with Ancestral Founder Chu Ling Xiao. It was only then that he gained a faint idea of Meng Wu Ya’s true cultivation: Third-Order Saint!
Chu Ling Xiao had said that Meng Wu Ya had fought a great battle with the current Demon Commander after which he disappeared. Whether he was alive or dead was uncertain.
After learning about Meng Wu Ya from Yang Kai, Chu Ling Xiao speculated that he had been struck by the Demon Commander’s Profound Heavenly Seal, causing his strength to be restricted to the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary.
The Profound Heavenly Seal consisted of three seals in total, each one stronger than the next; Meng Wu Ya had been looking for a way to break these seals all this time.
Back in the Central Capital, he had successfully lifted the first seal and restored his cultivation to the Third-Order Transcendent Realm.
Then, after returning to Tong Xuan Realm, at some point over the last ten years it seems he was able to lift the second seal and regain the strength of a First-Order Saint.
Now, after enduring the torture of the stone pillar, the third seal had been forcefully broken, allowing him to return to his peak.
It was a small blessing in disguise.
“This old master just restored his original strength, you don’t have to act so shocked; rather, it’s you, you little brat, who is the real surprise. After not seeing you for ten years, how did you manage to keep up with Ning Chang’s growth? Just how many rare opportunities did you encounter?” Meng Wu Ya swept Yang Kai with his Divine Sense and couldn’t help feeling some shock upon discovering his current cultivation.
He was well aware of how terrifying Xia Ning Chang’s aptitude was and he had also spared no effort in raising her these past few years, allowing her to have her current accomplishments.
However, Yang Kai’s own progress had not lagged behind at all, and even showed some signs of surpassing his treasured apprentices.
On top of that, when he left the Central Capital a decade ago, his apprentice’s cultivation was higher than this little brat’s.
This thoroughly shocked Meng Wu Ya.
“Heh heh, I just had a little luck,” Yang Kai scratched his head.
Meng Wu Ya laughed and no longer pursued the matter. Yang Kai encountering a variety of opportunities really could be considered a form of luck, but being able to improve one’s strength to such a degree in just ten years no doubt also required incredible aptitude and hard work.
[This little brat… he definitely went all out!] Meng Wu Ya thought to himself.
“If Brother Ling knew about your current situation, he would be very pleased,” Meng Wu Ya sighed, reminiscing about his old friend Ling Tai Xu who was back in the Central Capital.
“Treasurer Meng, do you know how to get back to the Central Capital from here?” Hearing him mention his Grand Master, Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
“Do you want to bring over Brother Ling too?” Meng Wu Ya guessed what Yang Kai was thinking.
“En. The cultivation environment here is many times better than the one over there. If Grand Master had been born here instead, he would likely already be a Saint!”
“You’re right about that, but unfortunately, this old master doesn’t know how to return to the Central Capital!” Meng Wu Ya sighed once more, “This old master only managed to arrive on that side by coincidence, and when I did so I was heavily wounded and in something of a daze. It would be impossible to find the Void Corridor I passed through at that time.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai was slightly disappointed.
“You wanting to bring them over to this side is a good idea, but do you have the resources and ability to accommodate all of them?” Meng Wu Ya looked at Yang Kai and smiled, “There are so many people back in the Central Capital. If you really brought them all to Tong Xuan Realm, forget about anything else, would you even be able to protect their safety? In addition, you would need a place to house that many people and a way to provide them with cultivation resources. You alone won’t be able to take care of so many people. If you can’t handle these issues, then it would be better to leave them in the Central Capital for now, at the very least, they won’t have to worry about a place to live or encountering dangers.”
“About all that, old sir doesn’t have to worry,” Li Rong pursed her lips and laughed, “Master is not alone in this world and is fully capable of protecting the safety of any number of people.”
“Hm? Why do you say that?” Meng Wu Ya looked at Li Rong suspiciously.
“Because Master is now the Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land.”
Meng Wu Ya’s look changed greatly as he shifted his eyes back to Yang Kai. Upon seeing Yang Kai nod in acknowledgement, Treasurer Meng’s face couldn’t help twitching, “You actually became the Holy Master of that place? Were all those Saintesses blind or something? What the hell did they see in you?”
Yang Kai rolled his eyes, falling speechless while Li Rong covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
Meng Wu Ya’s expression became serious in the next instant, “So that means, the old Holy Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land is dead?”
“En, it happened not long after you left the Holy Land with Little Senior Sister.”
Meng Wu Ya sighed, “Sure enough, when I met him last time, I saw that he didn’t have long to live, I just didn’t expect him to pass on so soon. Little Brat, your rapid growth in strength isn’t because you cultivated the Holy Land’s core inheritance Secret Art, right?”
“No.”
“Good, you must absolutely not cultivate that Secret Art! As far as I know, that technique consumes one’s vitality in exchange for a massive increase in cultivation speed. The faster one’s strength improves, the shorter their life becomes. This old master does not want to see Ning Chang’s tearful face one day when you die young. In any case, with your aptitude, as long as you work hard, you’ll reach the level of this old master sooner or later, so living a thousand years will be easy, there’s no need to use that kind of Secret Art that only chases shadows while sacrificing substance.”
“What Treasurer Meng said is also what I thought,” Yang Kai nodded.
“That’s good,” Meng Wu Ya seemed to have rested enough as his face had regained a rosy complexion and his aura had become deep and calm like the sea, “Since you have a place to live, this old master and Ning Chang will stay with you for a while! These years have been bitter, running east and west all the time. That girl has not been able to live a stable life for quite some time.”
As he spoke, Treasurer Meng glanced over at Xia Ning Chang, who was still pretending to be asleep, several times, shaking his head helplessly.
[I know my treasured apprentice is outstanding in every way… but when it comes to her fondness for this little bastard, Ha…
She is so shy that just after ten years of not being able to see him has left her hesitant to even look at him.
If she were to follow this little brat in the future, wouldn’t she be bullied to death by him?]
Thinking of this, Meng Wu Ya couldn’t help breathing somewhat heavily as he felt like a fishbone had gotten stuck in his throat, wishing he could reach out and choke Yang Kai half to death right now!
Yang Kai had already picked up Xia Ning Chang, gently holding her in his arms.
The tender body of Little Senior Sister also gradually began to give off an amazing heat.
“Lead the way,” Meng Wu Ya faintly said, thinking the less he saw the better.
Treasurer Meng had heard the conversation a moment ago between Yang Kai and the Monster Race masters so he knew this place was quite far from Nine Heavens Holy Land.
However, Yang Kai didn’t have any intention of flying, instead summoning out a small glowing object. The blue glow soon expanded and revealed a long shuttle-like object which suspended itself in front of everyone, stopping its expansion upon reaching about ten meters in length.
“Hm, this artifact’s grade is quite high,” Meng Wu Ya had an experienced eye so when the saw the long shuttle, he couldn’t help praising it, “It seems the Nine Heavens Holy Land’s Holy Master receives quite generous treatment.”
He naturally believed that this artifact was some kind of treasure left behind by one of the previous Holy Masters of Nine Heavens Holy Land.
However, Li Rong recognized the true origins of this long shuttle and exclaimed, “Isn’t this that thing?”
“En, after refining it, I discovered it’s actually a flight type artifact.”
“A flight type artifact?” Meng Wu Ya’s brow rose slightly, “A rare sight.”
“Its speed is very high.”
“Oh, how high?” Meng Wu Ya stared blankly at Yang Kai.
“You’ll know once you try it,” Yang Kai grinned, not stating things clearly; the speed of the Flying Heavens Shuttle was something one had to experience for themselves, no words could describe it. “Please hop on.”
Meng Wu Ya and Li Rong didn’t say much and just jumped up onto the Flying Heavens Shuttle.
Yang Kai brought Xia Ning Chang up as well and sat down at the back of the shuttle, settling Little Senior Sister into a comfortable position in his arms before calling out, “Hold on to your hats.”
Issuing a command with his Divine Sense, the Flying Heavens Shuttle transformed into a stream of light and seemingly broke free of the fetters of space, crossing a hundred kilometres in the blink of an eye.
Meng Wu Ya, who was sitting at the bow of the Flying Heavens Shuttle, felt his eyes bulge. Spreading out his Divine Sense, he quickly discovered how sensational the speed of this artifact was and couldn’t help feeling incredibly shocked.
Li Rong also covered her mouth and exclaimed.
“Little brat, how does this artifact possess such astonishing speed? Who refined it?” After a long time, Meng Wu Ya asked Yang Kai via Divine Sense Message, still somewhat unable to contain his emotions.
This Flying Heavens Shuttle’s speed was several times faster than any top master’s all out sprint.
“I don’t know who refined it, it’s something Li Rong and I inadvertently found in the Starry Sky about a year ago,” Yang Kai briefly explained how he had obtained the Flying Heavens Shuttle, not feeling any need to conceal anything from Meng Wu Ya.
“The Starry Sky? You’ve been to the Starry Sky?” Meng Wu Ya was shocked once more.
“En, if you want to see it, I can show it to you another day,” Yang Kai thought he might be curious about the legendary Starry Sky.
“No need…” Unexpectedly though, Meng Wu Ya just slowly shook his head, a solemn expression appearing on his face as he hesitantly said, “This old master has probably seen the Starry Sky.”
“Old sir isn’t certain?” Li Rong felt somewhat puzzled by his words and asked with a chuckle.
“Because this old master’s consciousness was somewhat blurry at the time. It was actually while I was bound to that stone pillar,” Meng Wu Ya recalled and explained, “I always felt that place was extremely important and profound. While I was being tortured, it felt as if my Soul left my body and travelled to many different places, the Starry Sky being one of them. Those places were located in the north, east, west, and south of Tong Xuan Realm, each one separated by tens of thousands of kilometres. However, because of the pain from the torture, I cannot remember much detail about them.”
Pausing for a moment, he continued in a solemn tone, “Little Yang Kai, my instincts are telling me that you should not have destroyed that place.”
“You’re saying that too, Treasurer Meng?” Yang Kai heard this and was startled.
“Who else told you that?”
“Great Demon God’s Soul Clone! He said that it was the keystone of the entire world, and that if I destroyed it, I would have to bear unimaginable consequences.”
“Keystone?” Meng Wu Ya frowned and asked, “What else did he say?”
Yang Kai thought for a moment and replied, “He also said that this world had been sealed for too long and that it was time for it to step into the light again.”
Meng Wu Ya suddenly went silent as a pensive look appeared on his face, seemingly in deep thought over something…
Seeing his dignified expression, Yang Kai quickly asked, “Treasurer Meng, what is the meaning behind those words? What did he mean when he called this place a sealed world?”
“This old master doesn’t know,” Meng Wu Ya slowly shook his head, “But don’t tell others about this for now, give me some time to think about it.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, recalling the words of Great Demon God’s Soul Clone and remembering he had also said that by visiting the Demon Capital, he would naturally understand all of these hidden mysteries.
However, the Demon Capital wasn’t exactly a place he could freely enter.
Soaring forward, the Flying Heavens Shuttle maintained a lightning fast pace.
Meng Wu Ya was continuously amazed at the speed of this artifact.
Yang Kai sat with Little Senior Sister at the back of the Flying Heavens Shuttle, gently breathing in her delicate fragrance while feeling the softness and warmth of her body, relaxing his mind and body.
As time passed, his embrace grew tighter.
The tender body of Little Senior Sister trembled as her long eyelashes fluttered constantly, the heat from her body ever increase as a red blush spread across her jade white skin.
Being held by Yang Kai, their two bodies pressing against one another, feeling each other’s heat and pounding heart, for the incredibly pure and innocent Little Senior Sister, it was undoubtedly incredibly stimulating.
Yang Kai didn’t wake her, simply enjoying this rare moment of peace as he stared at her face, softly whispering, “Little Senior Sister, you’re really beautiful!”
Meng Wu Ya, who was sitting in front of him, clenched his fists as he called out indignantly, “Such shamelessness!”
The explicit words of love that seeped into his ears made him feel an unbearable rage.
Li Rong’s eyes remained clear and bright as she licked her red lips gently and moved a little further forward, giving Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang some more space while speaking to Meng Wu Ya, “Old sir, since we have time, could you tell me about Master’s past? Unfortunately my knowledge of Master is still quite shallow.”
“You want to know about his past?” Meng Wu Ya brow rose up, an evil grin appearing on his face, “This old master knows a great many things about that, come, come, this old master will carefully let you know just how brazen, impudent, and shameless this Master of yours truly is! This little bastard is nothing more than a reckless delinquent and an incorrigible womanizer, stirring up trouble wherever he goes.”
Li Rong pursed her lips and giggled, not interrupting, only listening attentively.
Meng Wu Ya immediately launched into a tirade, but as if fearing Yang Kai would overhear all the malicious remarks he was making, he quickly waved his hand a wrapped himself and Li Rong in a sound proof barrier.
Yang Kai turned a blind eye to this and began acting even bolder.
Holding Little Senior Sister’s soft, seemingly boneless little hand while lovingly caressing her face and gently blowing in her ear, “These past ten years, there hasn’t been a single day I didn’t wish to see you, and when I finally achieved this cherished wish, it was actually under such a situation. Little Senior Sister, do you think this is fate? Could it be the Heavens secretly arranged for me to appear in that place so I could rescue the most important woman in my life?”
Little Senior Sister’s eyelashes were fluttering even more rapidly now, seemingly moved by Yang Kai’s words, the blush on her slender neck deepening even more, filling her white skin with a seductive luster.
“Thinking back now, Junior Brother feels very fortunate, if I hadn’t insisted on traveling together with Li Rong at that time, I’m afraid I would never have been able to see you again,” Yang Kai said with a hint of fear apparent in his tone.
The two Monster Race Great Seniors had mainly been interested in inviting Li Rong to go to that place, Yang Kai had simply been tagging along, yet that actually allowed him to meet Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang there.
It was all a bit too coincidental.
“En, after the past ten years, I have met a variety of women here, many of them quite beautiful in their own right, but none of them had anywhere near the impact you and Su Yan had on me, making me never able to forget them while engraving themselves on my heart, leaving a mark that could never be erased. You being here, being well, nothing makes Junior Brother more satisfied…”
These sweet nothings flowed out from Yang Kai’s mouth like a gentle stream, conveying his tender affections straight to Xia Ning Chang’s heart, causing her to take the initiative to tightly embrace him, pouring all her strength into her two arms, as if she wished she the two of them could merge together and never separate.
Yang Kai raised his head slightly and looked at Little Senior Sister, seeing her beautiful limpid eyes and faintly blushing cheeks, her delicate neck that seemed aglow with shyness as she let out fragrant breath.
As they stared into each other’s eyes, Little Senior Sister put aside her vision timidly as she ever so softly whispered, “Your words are really pleasant to the ear… can you say a few more…”
After putting forward her request, she quickly closed his eyes and buried her head in Yang Kai’s chest, not daring to meet his eyes again.
“Of course,” Yang Kai naturally could not disappoint her, racking his brain to find as many words of sentiment as possible, gently whispering them like a spell that infiltrated Xia Ning Chang’s heart, making it tremble as her tender body shivered in delight.
Feeling the warmth of Yang Kai’s body and listening to his voice, Xia Ning Chang felt incredibly satisfied, thinking that even if she were to die right now, she would die happy.
“That… little… bastards….” Meng Wu Ya ground his teeth as his eyes filled with an ominous light.
Li Rong laughed lightly, “Old sir does not need to worry so much, with Master’s aptitude and temperament, he can definitely make that girl happy.”
“Haa…” Treasurer Meng sighed heavily, “The little girl has become a woman, I can’t shelter her forever, and this old master might as well settle down in Nine Heavens Holy Land and enjoy the treatment of an elder.”
“How can old sir say such words? You are still hale and hearty; Master even said he will need to depend on your help in the future.”
Meng Wu Ya let out a wry laugh before turning his eyes back to Li Rong, “You are very loyal to that boy, with you by his side, this old master can feel relieved. But you have to be careful not to be deceived by his wiles and end up like this old master’s treasured apprentice, losing your very soul to him. He may look like a young man but in truth he’s no more than a beast.”
Li Rong’s face blushed red, “Old sir must be joking, my Ancient Demon Clan is the sharp blade of Master, the shield which guards his life, none of us dare hope to become anything more.”
“There’s no need for you to call me old sir, you and I are both Third Order Saints, we should interact as peers,” Meng Wu Ya smiled lightly.
“That will not do, you are the Senior of Master, naturally that makes you my Senior too,” Li Rong quickly waved her hands.
Seeing her appearance, Meng Wu Ya suddenly felt exasperated and immediately closed his eyes to mediate.
Behind him, the whispers of Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang continued, the two of them seemingly very happy.
Just two days later, the nine peaks came into sight.
The Flying Heavens Shuttle’s flight speed was simply astonishing.
A blue light streaked across the sky and rushed straight into the nine peaks.
Realizing the appearance of this streak and the powerhouses that accompanied it, the various Saints around the Holy Land emerged one after another and flew over.
Meng Wu Ya’s brow furrowed slightly as he spread out his Divine Sense, asking suspiciously, “Little Yang Kai, why are there so many people outside your Nine Heavens Holy Land? What are they doing here?”
“They’ve come to request Alchemy services,” Yang Kai grinned.
“Ask for Alchemy?” Meng Wu Ya brow rose slightly, snorting disdainfully, “Your Nine Heavens Holy Land has some kind of Alchemy Grandmaster?”
“Master is actually a Saint Grade Alchemist!” Li Rong quickly explained, “The people who came here were attracted by his reputation but outsiders do not know the true identity of the Alchemy Grandmaster.”
“Oh? You also studied Alchemy?” Meng Wu Ya stared at Yang Kai in surprise.
“I learned a little, nothing compared to Little Senior Sister,” Yang Kai glanced over at Xia Ning Chang, who was standing next to him.
“Hmph, seems you still have a little self-awareness!” Meng Wu Ya nodded.
Li Rong delicate brow rose as she directed a stunned look towards Xia Ning Chang, a trace of doubt surfacing on her face.
She, more than anyone else perhaps, understood how great Yang Kai’s Alchemy aptitude and proficiency was, yet if she had not misunderstood his words, he actually considered himself inferior to his Little Senior Sister in the Alchemic Way.
Was that even possible?
As the few of them chatted, many Saint Realm masters, the Elders of Nine Heavens Holy Land and the leaders of the Ancient Demon Clan, all flew over.
After seeing that Yang Kai had returned, all of them were overjoyed. Xu Hui and the others quickly stepped forward and hastily saluted, the heavy expressions on their faces faded somewhat, as if they had just been freed from a great burden, “Holy Master, it is good that you have returned, if you had remained out for much longer, this old master’s heart might have given out.”
“What happened? Has there been an accident in the Holy Land?” Yang Kai asked hurriedly.
“Although it is nothing so dire, it is still a serious matter. The Grandmasters have been inquiring about your whereabouts all day, hoping you can soon come back. Moreover, you have been gone for three months, during that time, the Grandmasters have quickly become exhausted from constantly performing Alchemy. Whenever they wanted to complain, even if I wanted to hide, I could not.”
“Ah…” Yang Kai went silent.
He had almost forgotten about Du Wan and the others.
Xu Hui saying this reminded him that after he had left, the Holy Land’s Alchemy services had been handed over to the five Grandmasters. Over the past three months, they had no doubt become exhausted.
The Grandmasters were all respected Seniors but now they had actually been reduced to free labour for the Holy Land.
Yang Kai’s heart immediately filled with guilt.
“Quickly announce that the Holy Land will not be providing Alchemy services for the next ten days, let the Grandmasters take a break!” Yang Kai declared.
“But there are more and more people coming to request Alchemy services every day. If we suddenly stop, won’t that provoke a wave of public anger?” Xu Hui showed a worried look; it was precisely because of this concern that after Yang Kai left they had never dared stop.
“Just say that my Holy Land’s Grandmaster has taken ill and needs some time to recover. Since they are here to request pills, they need to have enough patience. If they can’t wait, they’re welcome to leave. We’re not saying they won’t be able to request Alchemy services, they just need to wait ten more days. I doubt any of them would dare raise a fuss.”
Moreover, if anyone did leave here and tried to request Alchemy services somewhere else, they would definitely have to wait many times longer.
“Yes,” Receiving this command, Xu Hui quickly arranged for some nearby disciples to pass the message along to the Elders who were currently on duty outside.
After he finished arranging everything, Xu Hui finally turned to look at Meng Wu Ya and couldn’t help calling out in shock, “Isn’t this the friend of the old Holy Master?”
When Meng Wu Ya came here last with Xia Ning Chang, he only spoke openly with the old Holy Master. Although he had been a guest in the Holy Land for a few days, Xu Hui and the others never learned of his identity or origins, so naturally they didn’t know his name and only had a faint impression of his appearance.
“Allow me to introduce you all, this is a Senior from my Sect, Meng Wu Ya.” Yang Kai said.
“Welcome, welcome!” Xu Hui cupped his fists and greeted politely. Feeling the great strength of the man in front of him, Xu Hui didn’t dare act disrespectful, he could also tell that this person was much stronger than the last time he had visited the Holy Land.
However, the name of this person… Xu Hui felt as if he had heard this name somewhere before, but he could not recall where. After spending moments thinking about it yet not coming up with anything, he just slowly shook his head.
In the main square of the Holy Land, a crowd of Saint Realm masters gathered around.
Yang Kai introduced Treasurer Meng and Xia Ning Chang to them, the several Elders of the Holy Land, and Great Commanders of the Ancient Demon Clan returning the greetings.
When they heard that Xia Ning Chang and Yang Kai had come from the same Sect and were Junior Brother and Senior Sister, all of them wore serious expression, not daring to act the least bit impolite.
Seeing the intimacy between Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang, many of them immediately guessed the true nature of the pair’s relationship.
”I had thought our Holy Master was uninterested in women, but it turns out he simply had someone in his heart already,” Yu Ying stood on the periphery and laughed lightly.
“Poor Ling’er…” Cheng Yue Tong couldn’t help feeling somewhat sorry for An Ling’er as all of the Elders thought she and Yang Kai had already begun cultivating the core Secret Art of Nine Heavens Holy Land. What they didn’t know was that An Ling’er was just colluding with Yang Kai to fool them.
“Ling’er should know about this already,” Yu Ying smiled, “The Holy Master is such a character, having a few women is very normal. Ling’er is not someone petty, so what need is there to worry about her being accepting of others? Also, this little girl clearly has a gentle personality; she won’t try to compete with Ling’er.”
“I hope so.” Cheng Yue Tong nodded lightly.
“Meng Wu Ya!?” At that moment, Xu Hui suddenly exclaimed, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as he stared towards Treasurer Meng, a look of excitement filling his face.
“Why are you calling out his name, Great Elder? Didn’t I just introduce you a moment ago?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“I suddenly recalled where I had heard that name before! A few hundred years ago, the strongest master of the Human Race also had that name! You couldn’t possibly be…”
“Strongest master?” Treasurer Meng frowned before putting on a forced smile, “The world’s common people love attaching titles to others like that, who is the strongest or who is the second strongest, such things are of little significance.”
“It really is you?” Xu Hui said with astonishment.
The other Elders were also dumbfounded as they gawked at Meng Wu Ya, as if someone had suddenly struck them over the head with a hammer, stunning them.
With Xu Hui’s reminder, all of them finally recalled the name Meng Wu Ya.
“Good good, this Xu had not expected that in this life he would have the honour of meeting Elder Brother Meng, this is truly a fortune encounter,” Xu Hui cupped his fists and bowed deeply. When Yang Kai had introduced him to Meng Wu Ya, Xu Hui had only offered a casual greeting.
After all, Nine Heavens Holy Land was now world-famous. As the Holy Land’s Great Elder, his status was quite lofty so the average masters were really nothing in his eyes.
It was only because he was Yang Kai’s Senior that Xu Hui took the initiative to greet Treasurer Meng.
However, now that he knew the identity of the person in front of him, Xu Hui’s attitude became completely different, even containing a faint trace of worship.
“En, Treasurer Meng and Little Senior Sister will be living in our Nine Heavens Holy Land from now on, so there will be plenty of opportunities to communicate with each other,” Yang Kai waved, cutting off Xu Hui’s endless chatter.
“Oh? Elder Brother Meng intends to stay in the Holy Land? You are certainly most welcome!” Xu Hui’s eyes shone brightly.
“Treasurer Meng and Little Senior Sister can take up residence in the Holy Master Court, which is where I currently live. What do you think?” Yang Kai turned to ask Meng Wu Ya for his opinion.
“Good, as long as it’s clean anywhere is fine,” Meng Wu Ya nodded.
“Then come with me,” Yang Kai beckoned.
“Holy Master, please allow Elder Yu Ying to process this matter, there are still some things I must inform you of,” Xu Hui saw that Yang Kai was preparing to leave and quickly called out to stop him.
“Can’t whatever it is wait a moment?”
“Unfortunately it cannot!” Xu Hui replied seriously.
Yang Kai was surprised by this forceful declaration and could only helplessly agree, “Very well, Elder Yu Ying, please take them to the Holy Master Court and let An Ling’er arrange a place for them to stay.”
“Yes, please come with me,” Yu Ying immediately complied.
Xia Ning Chang shot a reluctant look towards Yang Kai but quickly collected herself and followed after Yu Ying.
“Master, if there is nothing else, I’ll also take my leave here,” Li Rong asked to be excused before leading the other leaders of the Ancient Demon Clan back to the peak where they lived.
Soon, only a few of the Holy Land’s Elders and Yang Kai remained in the square.
“So, what is this important matter?” Yang Kai asked, somewhat dissatisfied with Xu Hui interrupting his and Little Senior Sister’s reunion.
“It’s the Holy Tomb!” Xu Hui quickly replied, “There’s been an accident with the Holy Tomb. Holy Master will understand once you see it.”
“What can possibly happen in the Holy Tomb?” Yang Kai asked uninterestedly.
The Holy Tomb was a restricted area of Nine Heavens Holy Land, the place where all previous Holy Masters were laid to rest, but after Yang Kai first entered it, the Holy Tomb had been transformed into an empty space. Afterwards, the Holy Land’s several thousand disciples had taken refuge inside of it for three or so years.
This incredibly small and barren Mysterious Small World, aside from being a good place to enter secluded retreat, essentially had no other worth.
Yang Kai couldn’t even think of what kind of problems it could have.
Arriving in front of the Holy Tomb a short time later though, Yang Kai directed a dignified stare towards its large stone entrance.
Originally, there was a profound array set up on this large stone slab and only the Holy Master Spirit Ring in Yang Kai’s possession was capable of opening it and revealing the entrance to the Mysterious Small World.
But now, in the centre of the stone slab, a pitch-black Void Corridor appeared, like the open mouth of a great beast.
The Holy Land’s Elders had collaborated to set up a barrier a thousand meters out from Holy Tomb’s and forbidden any disciples from approaching it.
“What happened?” Yang Kai asked, “How did the Holy Tomb open?”
“Subordinate does not know what transpired, the Holy Tomb just suddenly opened on its own. In order to prevent the disciples from entering it, the Elders set up numerous restrictions around here.”
“Have you gone in to investigate yet?” Yang Kai turned to ask Xu Hui.
“Subordinate and Elder Shi Kun have entered once.”
“What did you find?”
“Nothing, the Holy Tomb itself doesn’t seem to have experienced any changes.”
“I’ll go in and have a look, you wait here,” Yang Kai issued a command before diving into the Void Corridor.
After about the time it would take to burn a stick of incense, Yang Kai returned from the Holy Tomb with a look of confusion on his face.
Just as Xu Hui had said, besides the entrance opening on its own, there was no change to the inside of the Holy Tomb, the World Energy aura was still as potent as always and there were no signs of any kind of danger.
After sinking into contemplation for a long time, Yang Kai couldn’t come up with any reasonable explanation and asked, “When did this happen?”
“About two or three days ago.”
“Two or three days ago?” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, suddenly feeling slightly uneasy.
“En, did Holy Master think of something?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
Two or three days ago was around the time he had rescued Treasurer Meng and Xia Ning Chang.
However, could these two matters have any relationship with one another? After all, these two places were tens of thousands of kilometres apart, a two-month journey for a Transcendent Realm cultivator.
“Was it just a coincidence?
“For the time being, don’t let any of the disciples get close to here, perhaps there is some hidden danger yet to reveal itself. Let’s just observe the situation for a while,” Yang Kai was helpless and could only issue such instructions, he was unable to figure out why this Mysterious Small World’s entrance had suddenly opened.
Receiving his orders, the Elder quickly made the appropriate arrangements.
As soon as he arrived back at the Holy Master Court, Yang Kai felt a bunch of stares land on him.
The five Grandmasters were standing there. It seems they had heard about his return and had rushed out to meet him.
“Little brat, you deceived us. Your three-month trip nearly exhausted these old masters to death!” Chang Bao shouted loudly as soon as their eyes met.
As the manager of Lightning Flash City’s Alchemist Guild branch and a Saint Grade Alchemist, he possessed incredibly high status. Usually when someone came to ask him for Alchemy services, whether he agreed or not was simply up to his mood, if he was feeling generous, perhaps he would refine one or two Saint Pills a month.
There had never once in his life been a time like these past three months where every day he actually had to fulfil a pill refining quota.
It was almost as if he had come to Nine Heavens Holy Land to work for free for Yang Kai.
After three months of strenuous effort, Chang Bao had lost a few dozen kilograms of fat and his body was noticeably slimmer than before.
“That’s right, the several of us discussed a few days ago that if you didn’t come back soon, we would drop this troublesome burden and leave without caring about your Nine Heavens Holy Land’s reputation,” Hong Fang also called out.
“Enough already, you don’t need to keep acting like pitiful victims here!” Kong Ruo Yu gave them a harsh stare, “Thanks to these past three months of constant Alchemy, which one of you has not obtained great benefits? Even putting aside how Du Wan has become a Saint Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist, haven’t all of you now seen hope of reaching such a height? True it was tiring, but the harvests you gained weren’t small either.”
Receiving Kong Ruo Yu’s reprimand, the two of them quieted down, neither of them able to refute her, instead just turning a dissatisfied glare towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai quickly stepped forward and apologetically cupped his fists, “I really must apologize. I didn’t expect to be gone for such a long time. Originally I had expected to be out for just a few days but a great many accidents happened along the way, dragging things out until this point. Junior offers his sincere thanks to several Grandmasters for preserving my Holy Land’s hard-earned prestige and reputation these past three months.”
“Hmph, as long as you understand,” He Feng nodded with satisfaction, “And, for treating us old guys here as free labour, how do you intend to compensate?”
Yang Kai glanced around and soon caught sight of his Little Senior Sister who was chatting happily with An Ling’er nearby, a grin soon appearing on his face, “I’ve ordered that for the next ten days, the Holy Land will not be accepting Alchemy requests, which will give several Grandmasters an opportunity to rest.”
“A simple break is not enough to satisfy our appetite,” Chang Bao shook his head.
“Ten days from now, Junior will surely provide several Grandmasters with a satisfactory compensation.”
“Good!” Chang Bao’s fat face filled with smiles, “We don’t have any other requests, as long as you continue demonstrating your Alchemy in front of us, we’ll be satisfied.”
“Several Grandmasters should look forward to ten days from now, there will surely be a surprise for you,” Yang Kai chuckled.
The five Grandmasters exchanged a suspicious glance, all of them wondering what kind of snake oil Yang Kai was peddling.
Du Wan eventually smiled and said, “You don’t need to concern yourself too much since we now have a ten-day break. You should also have a good rest. En, I see you are quite anxious to go to that young miss over there, us old folks won’t bother you anymore. Since we came here, we’ve actually yet to experience the scenery of this place. Several old friends, how about we go out for a leisurely stroll?
“Agreed, sitting around inside all day long will only make us stiff, we should get out and stretch our legs a bit.”
And so, the several Grandmasters left the Holy Master Court in a good mood, seemingly planning on touring around the nine peaks.
“You two chat; I’ll take my leave first. If Sister Ning Chang has anything she wants to ask about, feel free to come see me, I also live in the Holy Master Court anyways,” An Ling’er saw the five Grandmasters leave and also tactfully withdrew.
“En, I’ll have to trouble Elder Sister in the future,” Xia Ning Chang nodded gently as she watched An Ling’er depart.
The next moment, she felt Yang Kai lift her into his embrace and couldn’t help letting out a small yelp, her two small hands reaching up and lightly wrapping around his neck as she hurriedly asked, “Junior Brother, what are you trying to do?”
“I have many things to discuss with you,” Yang Kai smiled and carried her into his room.
“So do I…” Xia Ning Chang rested her head against Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Inside the room, atop his bed, Yang Kai gently sat down, placing Little Senior Sister atop his lap, maintaining an intimate posture.
As Xia Ning Chang sat on his lap, their chests pressed up against one another and Yang Kai’s eyes filled with burning flames, a bad smile formed at the corner of his lips as his hands began to wander around dissolutely.
Little Senior Sister was wearing a long, form-fitting black robe, perfectly outlining her beautiful bodyline and showcasing her full, milk-white peaks. Feeling Yang Kai’s hands caressing her waist and thighs, his fingers seeming to send shocks of electricity into her body, causing her to shiver unconsciously. She couldn’t help averting her limpid eyes, too shy to look at him.
Her breathing gradually became heavier as a strange yet pleasant heat began to rise from her tender body.
Yang Kai feigned ignorance, continuing to tease his Little Senior Sister, slowly becoming more and more unscrupulous.
“Junior Brother… I feel strange…” Xia Ning Chang bit her lip and whispered as softly as a mosquito.
“Oh, how so?” Yang Kai asked wickedly. He didn’t know why, but when he saw Little Senior Sister acting so coyly, he felt particularly excited and couldn’t help wanting to see just where the limit of her bashfulness was.
“I… I’m quite uncomfortable,” Xia Ning Chang worked up her courage and said as she reached out and held Yang Kai’s hand, stopping it from wandering around her waist.
As she did so though, the feeling from her thigh became sharper, and she couldn’t help tightly clamping her legs.
At this moment, Little Senior Sister suddenly felt that she had become a hundred times more sensitive, able to clearly sense every change in Yang Kai’s body.
Inside her chest, her heart pounded fiercely, sounding out like a great war drum.
Experiencing this kind of overwhelming mental and physical stimulus, Xia Ning Chang froze up, her thoughts becoming chaotic and having no idea how she should react.
“Didn’t you bring me here because you wanted to talk?” Xia Ning Chang whimpered, trying to maintain the last fragments of rationality, but the surging tide of emotions she was feeling continued to wear down her defences.
“Aren’t we talking?” Yang Kai looked at her with a smile.
“En…” Xia Ning Chang couldn’t argue back or endure any more, only feeling like her body had lost all strength and had gone limp, the heat coming from her core making her think she had been tossed into a volcano as her most precious place unknowingly became slightly damp.
“What does Little Senior Sister want to talk about?” Yang Kai asked again.
“I… I don’t know. Is it okay to go on like this?” Xia Ning Chang closed her eyes and completely entrusted herself to Yang Kai, never having felt so satisfied in her entire life.
Looking at her appearance, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a boiling heat rising up within him and almost failed to hold it in, quickly circulating his Secret Art to dispel the evil thoughts gripping his heart.
The movement of his hands also stopped as he calmly watched Xia Ning Chang, waiting for his mood to calm down.
A short time later, Xia Ning Chang opened her eyes shyly and revealed a faintly unsatisfied look.
Yang Kai sat up straight and seriously said, “A few days later, after you’ve settled in here, we’ll carry on.”
Xia Ning Chang gently nodded as she whispered lightly, “En, whenever Junior Brother wants.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened as he tightened his embrace. His shy Little Senior Sister had obviously worked up a great deal of courage to say such words.
“We should have a good talk for now; I really do have many things to ask you.” Yang Kai said with great satisfaction.
“What does Junior Brother want to ask?” Xia Ning Chang asked softly.
“How have you been for the past ten years?”
“I just followed Master around everywhere…” Xia Ning Chang as sat up comfortably, leaning on Yang Kai’s chest as she began telling him about her various experiences these past ten years. Yang Kai listened quietly, digesting all of his Little Senior Sister’s words, doing his best to try to understand her hardships and triumphs.
After a long time, Little Senior Sister finished speaking and asked about what Yang Kai had experienced these past ten years.
Yang Kai naturally did not conceal anything from her.
As time passed, the two seemed to never run out of words to exchange, whispering tenderly to one another as they enjoyed this peaceful time together.
“Right, Su Yan Senior Sister is in a place called Ice Sect…” Xia Ning Chang suddenly remembered and raised her head up.
“I know, I went to find her,” Yang Kai grinned, “The environment there is very suitable for her cultivation. When I went to see her, she was in retreat so I could only exchange a few Divine Sense Messages with her before leaving. I don’t know how she is now.”
“Does Junior Brother want to bring her back?”
“After I finish tidying up matters here, we’ll go pick her up together.”
“En,” Xia Ning Chang nodded repeatedly before leaning onto Yang Kai’s chest again.
“What about Old Demon? Do you know anything about what he’s currently up to?” Yang Kai asked.
Xia Ning Chang shook her head, “When we came here from the depths of the Central Capital, Old Demon Senior separated from us. He said he was going to go to the Demon Land, but I also went to the Demon Land with Master, yet we didn’t hear any news about him, so I don’t know where Senior is now.”
“That old devil… well, we don’t need to worry about him, he’s not the kind to end up dead by another’s hands,” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
Old Demon’s cultivation may not be too high right now, but his physical body once belonged to a true Demon General! That was the body of the Third Order Saint.
Only masters in the same realm as him could even hurt him.
It was for this reason that Yang Kai had never worried about Old Demon, after all, Third Order Saints were incredibly rare.
“All of this makes me fondly remember our days back in High Heaven Pavilion. At that time, although I was very small and weak, not even knowing about the secrets of the Transcendent and Saint Realm, I felt free and peaceful,” Xia Ning Chang whispered softly, a look of nostalgia flashing across her eyes.
“En,” Yang Kai also sighed, “As our strength increases, we keep encountering more and more matters we cannot ignore.”
As he spoke, Yang Kai suddenly remembered something and said happily, “Right, Little Senior Sister, I have a gift for you.”
“What kind of gift?” Xia Ning Chang sat up straight and looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took out a jade bottle that contained two drops of crystal clear liquid.
When she saw the two drops of liquid, Xia Ning Chang’s expression became dignified as she immediately recognized their extraordinariness.
“What is this?”
“The Thousand Year Demon Flower’s medicinal liquid!” Yang Kai replied.
Xia Ning Chang couldn’t help covering her mouth in shock; obviously she had also heard about this famous treasure, hurriedly exclaiming, “Is it the medicinal liquid of the Thousand-Year Demon Flower that bloomed near Floating Clouds City a few years ago?”
“Yes, Little Senior Sister also knows about that event?”
“En, at the time, Master brought me there to experience the blossoming and to see if there was an opportunity for me to acquire the Demon Flower’s medicinal liquid, but because there were too many people around making it too dangerous and Master didn’t have confidence he could completely guarantee my safety, we left halfway through,” Xia Ning Chang explained, a somewhat complicated light soon colouring her beautiful eyes, “Does that mean Junior Brother was also there?”
With an extremely bitter look upon his face, Yang Kai sighed, “You as well, apparently.”
Xia Ning Chang sadly nodded.
The two of them stared at each other for a moment, a look of regret filling their faces. Back in Floating Clouds City, neither of them had known the other was nearby, so they had ended up passing each other by without realizing, delaying their reunion for many years.
“It turns out that this treasure was obtained by Junior Brother.”
“Although I was the one who obtained it in the end, there is one other person who deserves an equal share of the credit, someone you should know too,” Yang Kai smiled, not keeping her guessing as he continued, “A young man named Di Yao, do you remember him?”
“Old Man Li’s disciple?” Little Senior Sister really had an impression of him, “I remember him, I also competed in Alchemy with him.”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “Di Yao seems to not have been convinced about his loss and was saying that he must compete with you again the next time you meet. Of course, I don’t believe he is worthy to be Senior Sister’s opponent.”
“That’s not true, at the time I also only barely won. He has Old Man Li as his Master, so his skill in Alchemy is quite refined,” Xia Ning Chang said modestly.
“You possess the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, no one is worthy to be your opponent in the field of Alchemy,” Yang Kai shook his head before taking out another empty jade bottle and pouring a drop of the Thousand-Year Demon Flower’s medicinal liquid into it and handing it to Little Senior Sister, “When the time is right, refining this medicinal liquid should help you break through to the Saint Realm. Your Sacred Spirit Medicine Body can refine all spirit medicines in the world without any side effects so you are the most suited to use this.”
“En, thank you, Junior Brother, but I still need some time to enhance and consolidate my current cultivation,” Xia Ning Chang had no need to be polite with Yang Kai and accepted his gift, placing it carefully into her Universe Bag.
“Come, I still have another gift for you,” Yang Kai said, picking her up and placing her on the bed.
Sitting across from Little Senior Sister, Yang Kai solemnly said, “Release your Knowledge Sea’s defences!”
Xia Ning Chang didn’t hesitate and immediately complied.
The next moment, she felt Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy flow in.
The Knowledge Sea reflected the inner heart of a person, so Xia Ning Chang’s Knowledge Sea was a beautiful and pristine environment, as pure and innocent as she was.
The pair’s Soul Avatars manifested and stood opposite each other, Yang Kai then asking, “Do you remember the True Alchemic Way I once taught you before?”
“Of course, it was all thanks to it that my Alchemy proficiency increased so rapidly.”
“Back in War City, I had yet to thoroughly comprehend everything in the True Alchemic Way, so I only taught you a portion of it, now I can pass the rest of it to you.”
Hearing this, Xia Ning Chang smiled happily.
“Little Senior Sister, what is your current Alchemy level?” Yang Kai asked before beginning.
“I haven’t been certified by the Alchemist Guild yet, but I can refine Saint Grade Mid-Rank pills,” Xia Ning Chang replied with a somewhat annoyed look, “But after reaching this step, I had no way to further advance as Saint Grade materials are too difficult to find, limiting the chances I’ve had to practice.”
Although he had faintly guessed as much, Yang Kai was still astonished at Xia Ning Chang’s Alchemy aptitude, her words just now only serving to confirm his speculations.
Why am I even doing this?
Both Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang were Saint Grade Mid-Rank Alchemists, but the time and resources they had spent achieving that rank were completely different.
Xia Ning Chang had been constantly running around with Meng Wu Ya for the past ten years and had very few stable days to spend improving her Alchemy technique. On top of that, Treasurer Meng wouldn’t have been able to easily gather large quantities of Alchemy materials like Yang Kai had in order to allow Xia Ning Chang to continually practice and build up her experience.
It could be said that Yang Kai being able to achieve his current level of Alchemy proficiency was completely thanks to piling up an incredible amount of time and resources.
On the other hand, Little Senior Sister has used her innate talent and special constitution to reach such a height while the time and resources she consumed was only a fraction of what Yang Kai had spent.
Yet now, they had both reached the rank of Saint Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist.
The difference in talent between the two was easy to judge.
Although he was surprised, Yang Kai was not discouraged but rather felt a great sense of joy, the more amazing his Little Senior Sister was, the happier he was.
Unlike the common men who would feel annoyed or even jealous that their woman had surpassed them in a certain field, Yang Kai only felt a sense of pride.
“Don’t worry, from now on, you will never lack for herbs to practice your skills with. I believe that soon, your Alchemy technique will experience rapid growth and it won’t be long before you reach the same standard as Old Man Li!” Yang Kai grinned, stretching out his hand and condensing a white ball of light on top of his palm before passing it over to Xia Ning Chang’s Soul Avatar, “Inside this is all the knowledge of the True Alchemic Way, take your time to comprehend it.
“En,” Xia Ning Chang opened her mind and body and absorbed the Spiritual Energy light containing the complete True Alchemic Way into her Soul Avatar before immediately beginning to study it.
Yang Kai did not bother her and quietly left.
Leaving his room, Yang Kai came out and strolled over to the main hall of the Holy Master Court.
An Ling’er was there going over recent reports, seemingly taking inventory of the Holy Land’s current accounts, her pretty face filled with a joyful smile.
Yang Kai’s arrival did not alarm her as she continued to immerse herself in her work, compiling the various documents into a single summary.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai sat down opposite her and poured himself a glass of water that An Ling’er looked up at him and grinned, “What’s wrong? After you finally managed to reunite with each other, shouldn’t you be spending a long time alone together? How come you came out after just two days?”
Yang Kai’s expression became somewhat awkward as he muttered, “We talked about everything we needed to, what else were we supposed to do?”
“Oh? You just talked?” An Ling’er’s grin grew even wider.
“What did you think we were doing?” Yang Kai quickly discovered the strangeness in her expression and understood she had gotten some wrong ideas in her head.
“Who knows, a single man and single woman spending several days all alone together, certain things are bound to happen, no?” An Ling’er seems to be in a good mood as she teased.
“You’re not jealous, are you?” Yang Kai stared at her blankly.
An Ling’er snorted, “Stop flattering yourself, the Elders might think we have that kind of relationship but you and I know better.”
“A Saintess daring to say such words to the Holy Master, you must definitely be the first,” Yang Kai laughed.
“Who made you turn out so differently from all the previous Holy Masters? It’s you who gave up this opportunity on your own. Good, enough about that, the Holy Land’s income for these past few months is all recorded here, do you want to take a look?”
“Why not,” Yang Kai took the account book from her and began glancing over it. Just from scanning the document briefly, Yang Kai saw various entries about which pill the Holy Land’s Grandmaster had refined and what kind of compensation they were given. No matter how small the exchange was, all its details were clearly recorded.
Most of the remuneration paid was in the form of Crystal Stones but there were also things like rare materials and even some Secret Arts, Martial Skill, artifacts, and other strange items.
Browsing through this long list, Yang Kai soon became disinterested and tossed the account book back to An Ling’er, “Forget it, you keep track of things.”
Spreading his Divine Sense out across the Holy Master Court, Yang Kai suddenly wrinkled his brow and asked, “Where’s Treasurer Meng? Why can’t I sense him?”
Hearing him ask this question, An Ling’er replied, “If you didn’t ask, I would have also forgotten. Senior Meng said he was going out for a while and asked me to tell you to take care of his apprentice. He also said that if you dared to bully her, he would make you unable to walk or eat.”
“He went out? When did he go out? Did he say when he might be back?”
“He left yesterday and didn’t say anything about when he would be back,” An Ling’er shook her head.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow; although he didn’t know exactly why Meng Wu Ya had left so soon after coming to the Holy Land, he could faintly guess it had something to do with the strange Mysterious Small World they had entered before and was possibly even related to the words Great Demon God’s Soul Clone had spoken.
However, Treasurer Meng’s strength had been completely restored now so as long as he didn’t do something like flying over to the Demon Capital to challenge the Demon Commander, he shouldn’t be in any danger.
Just as Yang Kai was pondering this issue, Xu Hui hurriedly walked in from the outside and shouted, “Holy Master, Wu Jie wishes to meet you!”
Yang Kai brow rose, “Wu Jie?”
“It seems that something worrying has happened as his expression is a bit disturbed,” Xu Hui followed up.
“Let him come in,” Yang Kai commanded.
Yang Kai had not met with Wu Jie in several months but from listening to Xu Hui and the others’ reports, it seemed that after taking in a lot of elite disciples from Shattering Mystical Palace and War Spirit Temple, Wu Jie’s Netherworld Sect had grown considerably and was developing at a good pace.
A moment later, a black-robed Wu Jie appeared like a ghost and cupped his fists said, “Sir Holy Master!”
“Sect Master Wu,” Yang Kai greeted, “Has something happened?”
Wu Jie nodded slightly and said in a solemn tone, “Indeed, it’s related to the stone forest inside Shattering Mystical Palace.”
Yang Kai expression instantly became serious, “What happened to that stone forest?”
“If it is convenient for Sir Holy Master, I believe it would be best if you come and see for yourself,” Wu Jie did not immediately explain.
However, from his behaviour and tone, Yang Kai could basically guess what this was about. No longer saying anything, Yang Kai simply agreed and stepped out of the Holy Master Court.
At the same time, Yang Kai sent a Divine Sense Message to Li Rong, asking her to come along, and a moment later the trio set out for Shattering Mystical Palace.
“Master, is something wrong?” Li Rong asked curiously.
“Wu Jie said that something happened in the stone forest and requested I see it personally.”
“The stone forest?” Li Rong half-shouted, “You mean the stone forest that leads to the Starry Sky?”
“En.”
“What happened there?”
“I don’t know,” Yang Kai shook his head.
After an incense stick worth of time, the group of three arrived in the sky above the stone forest. Looking down at it, Yang Kai’s eyes instantly shrank.
At the centre of the stone forest, a pitch-black entrance had silently opened, exactly like what had happened to the Holy Tomb.
Li Rong hurriedly asked, “Who opened the entrance to the Starry Sky?”
Wu Jie shook his head and explained, “This situation was inadvertently discovered by my Sect’s disciples. Because this Wu knew that this place was important to Sir Holy Master, since the last time we met, I ordered my disciples to stop coming in and out of the Shattering Mystical Palace, but yesterday, when a group of disciples from my Netherworld Sect flew nearby this place, they suddenly saw the situation down below and out of curiosity, several of them went in to explore, but none of them ever came back. The ones who remained behind hurried back to the Sect and told the story to one of the Elders who relayed it to me. After receiving this news, I rushed over to Nine Heavens Holy Land.”
Listening to his story, Yang Kai nodded faintly, “You should be glad that you did not go in to investigate it yourself.”
Wu Jie smiled and said, “This Wu is well aware of his limits. So, is this really an entrance to the Starry Sky?”
“Yes. Last time, Li Rong and I went in to examine this Void Corridor once and discovered that it really does lead to the legendary Starry Sky. Anyone below the Third Order Saint Realm who enters it will definitely die; your disciples won’t be coming back.”
Wu Jie’s face paled, “Only Third Order Saints can enter?”
“There is a horrible pressure filling the entire Starry Sky and only those who possess physiques on par with Third Order Saints can withstand it,” Li Rong explained.
Wu Jie couldn’t help feeling a bit of cold sweat drip down his brow as a lingering fear gripped his heart.
Fortunately, when he first received word of this situation, he had chosen to first inform Yang Kai rather than rush in to investigate the matter himself, otherwise with his current cultivation, he would likely have shared the same fate as his lost disciples.
“But the question is… who opened this entrance?” Li Rong muttered in confusion.
“It may be that it opened on its own,” Yang Kai said pointedly.
“Opened on its own?” Li Rong and Wu Jie looked at him with some surprise.
“En, there is also a Mysterious Small World in the Holy Land called the Holy Tomb. Originally it was the place where all previous Holy Masters were laid to rest, but several days ago, the entrance to that Mysterious Small World opened by itself, causing the Great Elder no small amount of panic. Even now, it remains open and we have yet to find a way to close it,” Yang Kai explained in a casual tone while on the inside he was feeling more and more uneasy.
The entrance to the Holy Tomb opened on its own, as did the entrance to the Starry Sky, and both of these strange events occurred a few days ago. Strictly speaking, all of this took place on the day he brought Meng Wu Ya and Xia Ning Chang out of that strange place.
Did all of this really have something to do with that strange Mysterious Small World?
The distance between each of these places was really quite far though, how was it possible they were all related?
“Sir Holy Master, what should we do here? Do you need me to place some people here as guards?”
“No, you go back and warn your Netherworld Sect’s disciples that none of them should enter this Void Corridor. I’m not exaggerating; no one under the Third Order Saint Realm will be able to survive.”
“Yes, this Wu firmly believes the words of Sir Holy Master,” Wu Jie nodded sincerely.
“I will also let the Holy Land’s disciple stay away from this place, as for outsiders… if they want to go in, just let them; their lives have nothing to do with me!” Yang Kai snorted, “Let’s head back first.”
“This Wu will also take his leave; this time’s trip to the Holy Land was mainly to inform Sir Holy Master about this matter.”
“Good, do as you please. Oh right, if you have any Saint Pill that needs refining, just come to the Holy Land and find me,” Yang Kai urged, “I can give you priority in refining it.”
Wu Jie was overjoyed hearing this and repeatedly offered his thanks, claiming that he would patronize the Holy Land as soon as he went back to retrieve the required materials.
In fact, he had long wanted to go to Nine Heavens Holy Land to request Alchemy services, but because of his friendly relationship with Yang Kai, if he were to suddenly make a request, it would be quite embarrassing and might even damage Nine Heavens Holy Land’s reputation.
However, since Yang Kai had taken the initiative to offer, how could Wu Jie refuse? After saying goodbye he immediately left in an excited mood.
After Wu Jie departed, Yang Kai and Li Rong rushed back to the Holy Land, both of them remaining silent the whole way as Yang Kai was deep in thought, going over the words Great Demon God’s Soul Clone had said to him back in that strange world, trying to find some clues or information that might explain these strange happenings.
Yang Kai and Li Rong returned together, but seeing his state of concentration, Li Rong said nothing for fear of disturbing him and only followed behind him silently.
A short time later, the pair returned to the nine peaks.
Upon arriving though, Li Rong suddenly whispered, “Master, there seems to be something going on down below with the people who have come to request Alchemy services.”
“Hm?” Yang Kai woke up from his contemplation and looked down, quickly noticing the commotion that was taking place. Many of the cultivators who came to request Alchemy were gathering together in groups, whispering to each other while some others even left the line entirely and flew away from the nine peaks.
Seeing them leave in such a hurry, it seemed like they had just discovered something important.
Because the Holy Land had announced that they would not be accepting any Alchemy requests for ten days, many of the masters waiting outside the nine peaks had become a bit bored; however, none of them had ever left, yet now, for some reason, many people were giving up their spots in the queue and flying off.
What’s more, the number of cultivators leaving was actually quite high.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, unable to understand why this was taking place, quickly changing direction and flying over to the stone pavilion just outside the nine peaks.
Inside the stone pavilion, Meng Tian Fei and Luo Sheng, two Holy Land Elders who were currently responsible for maintaining the order of this place, were also directing curious looks towards the crowd, also seemingly at a loss to explain why this was happening.
A moment later, Yang Kai appeared in front of them along with Li Rong.
The two Elders quickly stood up and saluted.
“What happened here?” Yang Kai gestured to them to relax and asked quietly.
“This subordinate does not know. A short time ago, a lone cultivator came to join the lineup but after he quietly whispered something to some of the others nearby, many people began leaving,” Luo Sheng answered.
“Where is that person now?” Yang Kai asked.
“At the end of the queue,” Luo Sheng pointed the person out. Yang Kai looked around and soon found that standing at the end of the line was a Transcendent Realm middle-aged man with a shrewd look on his face, his eyes flashing with a crafty light as he saw more and more cultivators leave the lineup, slowly stepping forward each time with a smug smile on his lips.
“Do you want us to go investigate the situation?” Luo Sheng asked.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
Luo Sheng immediately set out.
A short time later, Luo Sheng returned with a strange look on his face and reported, “Holy Master, that man said he coincidentally discovered the entrance to a Mysterious Small World on his way here; the ones who are leaving are apparently going to explore that Mysterious Small World.”
“The entrance to a Mysterious Small World?” Yang Kai muttered.
“En, the words he said are reliable, it’s unlike he is lying.”
“Since he found the entrance to a Mysterious Small World, why not go in and explore it himself instead of coming here and spreading the news. If others go in, would they take away all the benefits inside?” Meng Tian Fei put on a suspicious look, “Is that fellow plotting something?”
“He said that his strength is low and that he is alone so he dared not enter rashly,” Luo Sheng shrugged his shoulders.
Yang Kai wore a dignified expression as he sank into contemplation for a moment, occasionally glancing over at the man in question, a moment later asking, “Did he state clearly where the entrance to that Mysterious Small World was?”
“Two thousand kilometres east of here!” Luo Sheng pointed east.
“Li Rong, let’s go have a look,” Yang Kai stood up immediately.
“Holy Master, do you want me to inform Great Elder and let him go with you too?” Luo Sheng asked.
“No need, we’re just going to have a look, and if my guess is right, there should be nothing valuable inside that Mysterious Small World,” Yang Kai said confidently before leaving together with Li Rong again.
Arriving in an isolated spot, Yang Kai summoned the Flying Heavens Shuttle, hopped on board, and then took off like a streak of blue lightning, disappearing across the horizon in an instant.
Onboard the Flying Heavens Shuttle, Li Rong asked, “Master, do you believe what that man was saying? The entrances to Mysterious Small Worlds have always been hidden and are generally quite difficult to discover, there are many issues with his story.”
In this world, there were many hidden, isolated spaces, some of which were large while others were small, collectively they were known as Mysterious Small Worlds. Some Mysterious Small Worlds were barren; containing nothing at all inside, others though were home living creatures, some Mysterious Small Worlds even contained ancient ruins and relics. In short, there was always a chance that one of these isolate spaces would contain shocking wealth, allowing the one who found it to instantly become rich, never having to worry about food or resources for the rest of their life.
So, in Tong Xuan Realm, there were some cultivators who dedicated their lives to seeking out Mysterious Small World, braving the various dangers they discovered inside and obtaining treasures from them.
However, over time, the undiscovered Mysterious Small Worlds were becoming few and fewer, with all of the easy-to-find entrances having already been sought out by various cultivators while the rest were extremely well hidden or difficult to enter.
The cultivator who came to seek Alchemy services said that he just happened to find an entrance to a Mysterious Small World. Naturally, it was suspicious.
But in this world where people constantly risked their lives for even meager benefits, it was inevitable that some would be captivated by this man’s story and rush to the position he indicated to investigate.
If an undiscovered Mysterious Small World really existed, as long as they could enter and search it, they might be able to find something of value. Even if there was nothing inside though, they’d only have lost a little time.
“I know, but this time I’m pretty sure he was being at least somewhat earnest. That man’s strength wasn’t very high, yet he still dared to spread such a rumour, if those people go there and discover nothing, they’ll all come back looking for compensation. How could he possibly dig his own grave like that when he’s constantly wearing that shrewd look?”
Listening to Yang Kai, Li Rong felt his analysis was reasonable and nodded, “So, he really found a hidden entrance? His luck is quite good.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It has nothing to do with him at all, the entrance to that Mysterious Small World probably showed up all on its own, he just happened to pass by and discover it.”
“Opened on its own?” Li Rong covered her mouth and called out in alarm, “Does Master mean it’s the same as the entrance to the Holy Tomb and the door to the Starry Sky?”
“It’s just my guess, therefore I need to see it for myself,” Yang Kai nodded.
“I wonder if there is anything good inside,” Li Rong couldn’t help feeling a bit more enthusiastic.
“There should be nothing inside,” Yang Kai laughed, “That man surely took a look inside or there were others who had taken the lead to investigate it already rather than the excuse he gave about his strength being too low that he didn’t dare to explore it. It was because he somehow determined that there was nothing valuable inside that he decided to spread the word of it so that the cultivators who were ahead of him in the line would leave, reducing the time he would need to wait to request Alchemy services from the Holy Land.”
“Master is quite observant,” Li Rong looked at Yang Kai with a tinge of admiration.
“It was mainly because whenever that guy saw someone leave the queue in front of him his eyes would light up and a smirk would form on his lips,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, “His thoughts were all but written on his face, it would be difficult not to see what he was up to; the cultivators who left were just blinded by greed and failed to notice this point.”
Soon after, the Flying Heavens Shuttle arrived two thousand kilometres to the east of the nine peaks.
The azure bolt of light came to an abrupt stop midair and Yang Kai and Li Rong spread out their Divine Senses to explore their surroundings.
After a moment, Yang Kai smiled and flew the Flying Heavens Shuttle off in a certain direction.
Ten breaths later or so, the two of them appeared in front of the entrance to a Void Corridor.
Just as Yang Kai had expected, this place had already been occupied by others and there was a number of cultivators gathered around the entrance, watching the surroundings with vigilance, silently circulating their Qi in preparation to respond to anyone who approached.
Yang Kai secretly observed this group and quickly discovered that their strength wasn’t very high, all of them only at the Immortal Ascension Boundary without even a single Transcendent among them. Sensing this, he no longer bothered hiding and simply walked over together with Li Rong.
“Stop! Who goes there?” As soon as the pair revealed themselves, the cultivators guarding the entrance immediately went on high alert as one of them shouted out, “This is my Chen Family’s restricted area, no outsiders are permitted to enter, if Your Excellency does not turn back, we will have to act impolitely.”
“Master, how do you…” Li Rong asked.
“Be gentle,” Yang Kai waved his hand lightly.
An invisible pulse of Spiritual Energy burst from Li Rong’s Knowledge Sea and in the next instant the eyes of all the cultivators gathered around the entrance became dim, all of them standing in place as if they were in a daze, not even trying to hinder Yang Kai and Li Rong anymore, allowing them to pass by them and enter the Void Corridor behind them.
With Li Rong’s means, dealing with these Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators was a trifling matter, causing them to blank out for a moment was as simple as breathing for her, it was only because Yang Kai did not order her to kill them directly that Li Rong showed mercy.
Only after the two of them had disappeared into the Void Corridor’s entrance that the surrounding cultivators suddenly woke up looked around and found that young man and a woman who had been walking towards them a moment ago had suddenly disappeared. These guards immediately realized the incredible strength of the other party and felt a cold sweat trickled down their foreheads.
Yang Kai and Li Rong leisurely appeared inside the Mysterious Small World.
Spreading out their Divine Senses, the pair quickly found a number of cultivators spread out across the isolated world, apparently searching for something.
Yang Kai once again summoned the Flying Heavens Shuttle and together with Li Rong shot off in a blue flash of light.
After half an hour, the pair returned to the entrance.
There were indeed some ruins inside this Mysterious Small World, but there were no signs of anyone having lived here for many, many years. The cultivators currently inside should have just recently entered and were combing the ruins for treasure.
This Mysterious Small World was also not large, about one-third the size of Demon God Citadel.
However, the Chen Family should have gained quite a harvest this time. This family did not have any true masters with a few weaker Transcendents being the strongest among them, a force quite similar to the Central Capital’s Eight Great Families in strength. As such, the scattered artifacts they found among the ruins would become a big boost to such a small force.
“Let’s go, there’s nothing to look at here,” Yang Kai took a soft breath before stepping through the entrance with Li Rong.
When the cultivators outside saw this man and woman reappear, all of them stared with wide eyes but none of them dared act in an imposing manner again, all of them too scared to even speak.
The other party’s means were absolutely overwhelming, something they had already experienced once.
The only thing that made these guards feel relieved was that this man and woman did not seem interested in embarrassing them; after walking out of Mysterious Small World, the pair just kept walking off casually.
“Right, there are a lot of Transcendent and Saint Realm masters coming here, they’ll arrive in at most half a day, you should inform your family’s leaders and quickly withdraw from this Mysterious Small World, otherwise you won’t be able to afford the consequences,” Yang Kai suddenly turned back and kindly remind them before leaving together with Li Rong.
Only after the backs of this mysterious pair had vanished from their sights did the cultivator who first called out to them breathe a sigh of relief and wipe the cold sweat from his brow. After collecting himself, he hurriedly entered the Mysterious Small World; obviously, he was going to inform his family’s Elders about Yang Kai’s warning and allow his Patriarch and the others to decide what to do.
After returning to Nine Heavens Holy Land, Yang Kai immediately summoned Xu Hui and let him send out people to inquire about all kind of recent news.
Yang Kai didn’t tell him what kind of news he wanted the Holy Land’s disciples to seek out, only ordering him to deploy them in all directions with instructions to pay attention to any big events that occurred and then report back a month later.
Xu Hui didn’t ask anything and swiftly executed the command.
From the solemn look on Yang Kai’s face, Xu Hui detected that this was a significant matter and that the Holy Master had surly discovered something, otherwise he would not have given such an order.
A few days later.
Early in the morning, Yang Kai came to his room and walked over to the bed with light steps.
On the bed, Xia Ning Chang was still sitting in meditation, her tender body motionless, obviously still immersing herself in the True Alchemic Way.
Yang Kai waited quietly for a while, but seeing her not respond at all, he quietly sent his consciousness into her Knowledge Sea.
Seemingly noticing Yang Kai’s arrival, Little Senior Sister’s Soul Avatar slowly opened her eyes and wore a beautiful crescent-shaped smile, forming a mesmerising picture.
“How was your harvest?” Yang Kai asked.
“I’ve basically absorbed everything, but I’ll need to practice a little to become familiar with it,” Xia Ning Chang nodded lightly.
Yang Kai nodded back. He had delivered the complete contents of the True Alchemic Way to Little Senior Sister’s Soul Avatar in the form of a Spiritual Energy package which would allow her to directly absorb it, coupled with her own understanding of Alchemy and her exceptional aptitude in the Alchemic Way, completely comprehending the True Alchemic Way within a few days wouldn’t be difficult.
“Come with me, we’ll start performing Alchemy now. I’ll also introduce you to several Grandmasters while we’re at it,” Yang Kai grinned and took the initiative to withdraw his Soul Avatar.
The next moment, both of them opened their eyes.
Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang, hand in hand, entered the pill room that had been set up in the Holy Master Court.
The five Grandmasters had long been waiting here, each of them with their own pill furnace set out in front of them. Each of these Alchemy furnaces was small yet exquisite, flowing fluorescent lines circling them, obviously not ordinary items, each of them Saint Grade quality. A pill furnace was the most important artifact of any Alchemy Grandmaster.
After ten days of rest, these five were now full of energy and anticipation.
Seeing Yang Kai show up, the five Grandmasters all smiled and nodded.
Chang Bao leaned against the wall and joked, “After not performing Alchemy these past ten days, this old master actually felt his hands becoming itchy, kid, let’s get started.”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “I was thinking so too.”
“But this is a place for Alchemy, what do you want to do by bringing along your beloved woman? Could it be you can’t bear to separate from her?” He Feng chuckled and slowly shook his head, “Young man, your vitality is quite impressive.”
“You two mustn’t do anything too stimulating in the presence of us old guys, we’re not young anymore, too much excitement won’t be good for our hearts,” Hong Fang also laughed.
Xia Ning Chang immediately became flustered, turning a helpless, pleading look towards Yang Kai, as if doing so would allow her to have some self-confidence.
“Come here little girl, come and sit by this old lady, don’t pay any attention to these bad old man!” Kong Ruo Yu kindly beckoned to Xia Ning Chang.
Xia Ning Chang looked to Yang Kai once more and upon seeing him nod, she lightly stepped over to Kong Ruo Yu and sat down cross-legged.
“Such an innocent young lady, with pure, untainted eyes, as if she is untainted by this world, Yang Kai, you cannot mistreat her in the future,” Kong Ruo Yu commented seriously.
“Senior can rest assured, this Junior has only love in his heart for Senior Sister, I will never treat her poorly.”
The five Grandmasters all stared, seemingly not having anticipated that Yang Kai would speak such frank words in front of all of them; however, since he had, it was clear these were his true feelings, or it would have been impossible for him to say as much.
Realizing the depths of Yang Kai’s feelings for this veiled young lady, they all couldn’t help nodding in approval.
Xia Ning Chang’s eyes also became more spirited as a look of happiness filled her face.
“Good, enough idle chit-chat, let’s get started,” Du Wan smiled, finally speaking up to move the situation along.
Yang Kai nodded and called out, “Great Elder!”
Xu Hui opened the door in the next instant, wearing a serious look upon his face, “Subordinate has prepared everything.”
Saying so, Xu Hui pulled out several batches of herbs and said, “These are the twenty sets of materials for today’s pills. Many thanks in advance for Holy Master and several Grandmasters’ hard work; when evening arrives, I will return to collect the finished pills.”
“Great Elder, go out and accept ten more sets of materials,” Yang Kai gave a command.
Xu Hui was stunned, “Accept ten more?”
The five Grandmasters also direct looks of astonishment towards Yang Kai with Chang Bao calling out in shock, “Kid, Alchemy is also a matter that requires a balance of work and rest, if one’s condition deteriorates, they will likely produce an inferior quality pill or possibly even fail altogether. You can refine ten pills a day, we have already seen this, but we old fogies can only refine ten as well, how do you intend to handle another ten on top of that?”
“En, if you can’t refine good pills, it would be better to not refine them at all,” Du Wan also earnestly persuaded. Excellent Alchemists also had strict requirements for the pills they refined, if the quality of their work was poor, it would destroy their hard-earned reputation.
Therefore, excellent Alchemists generally would not allow inferior quality pills to circulate outside. If they refined such a low-quality pill, they would almost always end up destroying it themselves rather than selling it out.
Yang Kai glanced around at them and smiled, “What several Grandmasters say is reasonable, but you need not worry, these additional ten pills won’t require me to refine them, nor will several Grandmasters need to act.”
“Then who will refine them?” He Feng widened his eyes and suddenly looked towards Xu Hui, his expression filled with suspicion.
Great Elder hurriedly waved his hand and smiled wryly, “Grandmaster does not need to consider me, I only know how to take pills, I am a complete novice in terms of studying the Alchemic Way.”
He Feng slightly nodded, “True, you don’t look like someone who knows anything about Alchemy.”
Xu Hui’s face went black, secretly thinking that these Alchemy Grandmasters were really a bit too blunt.
“Yang Kai…” Kong Ruo Yu turned a thoughtful look towards Xia Ning Chang, “Are you planning to tell us that these ten extra pills will be refined by your Senior Sister, right?”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone turned their eyes towards Xia Ning Chang.
Yang Kai however just smiled and nodded, “That’s exactly what I mean.”
“She can also refine Saint Pills?” Chang Bao’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, hoarsely calling out, “Impossible, her age isn’t much higher than yours. Even if she began studying Alchemy in her mother’s womb, it would still be impossible for her to have the ability to refine Saint Pills.”
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he smiled bitterly, “I didn’t start studying Alchemy in my mother’s womb…”
The five Grandmasters turned somewhat indignant glares towards him and muttered, “You’re different, you can’t be judged using common sense.”
“Is she really able to refine Saint Pills?”
“This old master does not believe it.”
“Little brat, don’t try to play tricks on us, be careful that we old guys get upset with you.”
This was their field of expertise, the skill which defined their existence. Being surpassed already by the young Yang Kai could be written off by them as him being one of this world’s rare geniuses, but if they were to be overtaken by his Senior Sister as well, the several Grandmasters didn’t know what they would think.
At the very least, they would definitely feel depressed, possibly even defeated, and unable to ever recover their confidence again…
“I can…” Xia Ning Chang suddenly declared.
Du Wan brow suddenly rose as he remembered something, turning his eyes to Yang Kai as he asked, “Is she the one you mentioned before, the Senior Sister whose Alchemy talent surpassed your own?”
Back in Grand Boulder City, Yang Kai had once casually mentioned that he had a Senior Sister who was even better at Alchemy than he was. Du Wan hadn’t believed him at the time, but now he suddenly recalled it.
Yang Kai nodded.
Du Wan sucked in a deep breath and solemnly stated, “Words are unreliable while seeing is believing. Great Elder, please bring in ten more sets of materials.”
Xu Hui no longer said anymore and quickly left.
A short time later, he returned with ten more sets of materials.
The pill room’s doors were shut, leaving only the seven people scattered about, sitting cross-legged.
The five Grandmasters were not in a hurry to start refining pills and instead focused all their attention on Xia Ning Chang, all of them quite anxious to see if this little girl was really able to refine Saint Pills as she had said.
Being stared at by these five, Xia Ning Chang couldn’t help turning a timid look towards Yang Kai.
However, she discovered that Yang Kai had already begun to refine a pill and couldn’t help pouting slightly.
“Little girl, what pill furnace do you use, can you take it out and let this old lady have a look?” Kong Ruo Yu asked kindly, she saw that Xia Ning Chang was somewhat nervous and deliberately tried to ease her mood.
“I don’t have a pill furnace,” Xia Ning Chang replied softly.
“You don’t have a pill furnace?” The five grandmasters were shocked, Chang Bao muttering in the next moment, “How can you perform Alchemy without a pill furnace? This smelly brat is really taking us old masters for fools, teasing us like that. Does he think we are naïve five-year-old children? This brat.”
“You keep quiet!” Kong Ruo Yu shot a glare at him before turning back to Xia Ning Chang with a smile, “You don’t use a pill furnace for Alchemy?”
Xia Ning Chang gently nodded.
This time, even Kong Ruo Yu couldn’t help wearing a strange expression; although the words she was speaking were somewhat unbelievable, from the pure and limpid light she saw in her eyes, Kong Ruo Yu could tell that this little girl possessed an innocent heart and it was highly unlikely she was lying.
Patiently, she continued to ask, “How do you usually perform Alchemy? Could you demonstrate for us? We old fogies don’t have any other interests other than Alchemy, so we are all very interested in seeing how you refine a Saint Pill without a pill furnace.”
Xia Ning Chang still just nodded, slowly closing her beautiful eyes, seemingly calming her mood.
A short time later, when she opened her eyes again, the several Grandmasters discovered that the temperament of this little girl had undergone a drastic change.
The original Xia Ning Chang was shy and innocent, but now she exuded a sense of self-confidence, without the slightest hint of panic in her eyes, her every movement measured and stable.
Placing a set of Alchemy’s materials in front of herself, she began meticulously inspecting each spirit grass and herb.
“Saint grade materials…” Kong Ruo Yu whispered softly, “The first thing she took up were the ingredients for a Saint Pill. Can she really refine Saint Pills?”
The five Grandmasters stared fixedly at Xia Ning Chang.
However, Little Senior Sister no longer showed any nervousness or tension; at this moment, it was as if she had entered her own world, and the only thing she could see was the Saint Pill’s materials in front of her.
Suddenly, Xia Ning Chang’s body began emitting a gentle strength.
The moment they felt this energy, the five Grandmasters were all stunned.