“Fully mastered their strength?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Having a comply understanding of the mysteries of the strength one uses, allowing them to display its full potential and might!” Bi Ya explained with a smile.
“Fair enough,” Yang Kai was a bit confused. Although Gui Zu’s previous words had made him very excited and he secretly felt that a whole new world of possibilities had opened in front of him, it may have also just been Gui Zu speaking randomly.
He couldn’t offer Yang Kai any kind of advice or guidance on the matter.
“Your slave has never met such an astonishing genius, but I have witnessed two people who cultivate opposite attribute strengths fight side by side. Those two forces should have interfered with one another but instead they mutually enhanced each other,” Bi Ya added, “These types of cultivators are actually not that rare, I believe Master has also encountered some before.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he turned to stare at Bi Ya, his burning gaze making it seem as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
Bi Ya wore a forced smile and shyly whispered, “What does Master want, staring at your slave so?”
Yang Kai didn’t answer as a thousand different thoughts flashed across his mind.
It was as if he had found a light in the darkness, Bi Ya’s unintentional words had made Yang Kai remember a vital point.
It was indeed extremely difficult or even impossible for two opposing forces to fuse together; however, two people who cultivated different attribute forces could work side by side while complementing one another, such things often happened.
This was also the case when him and Su Yan!
Su Yan controlled frigid cold while he used blazing heat, the two of them shouldn’t be able to cooperate at all, but when they fought side by side, each of them would obtain a massive boost in strength!
And this was all because of the existence of the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art!
The two of them were dual cultivators, the primary forces in each of their bodies blending with one another before returning back to themselves in an endless cycle. Su Yan’s icy strength and his True Yang strength would purify and sublimate one another, increasing their density and intensity.
[Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art?]
Yang Kai’s expression changed, sinking into an even deeper state of contemplation.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled the scene of him and Su Yan dual cultivating. He entered a state of epiphany, as if Su Yan was right in front of himself, the two of them achieving a union of heart and soul, unable to extricate themselves.
*Hong…*
In the midst of his reflection, Yang Kai felt like a barrier of fog around him lifted, allowing him to see further into this unknown realm.
His body shook greatly and a profound light overflowed from his eyes.
At this moment, he had thought of a possibility.
Ice and fire were able to fuse because they flowed together in a never-ending cycle, not restraining one another, but promoting and enhancing each other’s strength.
Ice and fire were capable of this, so his True Yang Saint Qi and evil power should be able to as well.
Strictly speaking, the evil power contained inside his Unyielding Golden Skeleton was a type of Cold Attribute strength, just different from Su Yan’s Ice Attribute strength; it was a type of cold that could cause one’s mind and soul to feel as if they had been dropped into the deepest levels of purgatory.
An invisible wave of force exploded from Yang Kai’s body and in instant, an alternating hot and cold aura surrounded Bi Ya, causing her to feel a sweltering heat difficult to bear, then a frigid chill like the coldest of winters in rapid succession.
“Are you alright?” She called out in alarm, immediately discovering that Yang Kai’s situation was unusual, frightening her greatly.
During this time, she had done her very best to please Yang Kai in order to make him feel some sympathy, all so she could obtain his asylum. If Yang Kai had any kind of accident, all her efforts would be wasted.
Bi Ya was naturally nervous.
“Get back!” From somewhere unseen, Gui Zu’s sternly shouted, and immediately, Bi Ya found herself held by an invisible force and thrown out of the stone chamber.
A breeze brushed past her face in the next instant and Bi Ya was amazed to discover that Gui Zu was now standing beside her, his gloomy eyes filled with profound light as he stared towards Yang Kai who was sitting in the stone room in front of him.
“Senior, what happened to him?” Bi Ya summoned her courage and asked.
“I’m not sure, but he seems to have had some kind of harvest!” Gui Zu frowned, “What were you talking to him about just now?”
Bi Ya quickly explained everything that just transpired.
Gui Zu listened to her explanation as his expression fluctuated, soon grinning strangely, “This boy, just because of a few words from this old master, was actually able to achieve such a result? I really don’t know if it’s a blessing or a calamity!”
“Senior… Is he in danger?” Bi Ya covered her mouth in fear.
“He’s trying to fuse together two opposite attribute forces, what do you think?” Gui Zu grinned, “It’s already impressive he wasn’t killed on the spot, his courage is certainly not small.”
“Senior, can’t you stop him?” Bi Ya exclaimed and hurriedly said, “Don’t you need him to help find a way to escape this place? If he dies…”
“If he dies, he dies. Besides, this little boy isn’t sincerely trying to help this old master. Even if he does find a way to escape, I’m afraid the first thing he’ll do is look for a way to leave this old master behind! Heh, if he dies, this old master just needs to collect his remnant Soul and search his memories.”
Bi Ya suddenly understood that it was useless. Regardless of what she said now, Gui Zu would not change his stance of non-interference.
“Little girl, it’s not like you really care about his safety, why act so nervous?” Gui Zu looked at Bi Ya and snickered.
Bi Ya wore a forced smile, “Senior must be joking… I really don’t want him to die now.”
“What happened?” Shen Tu shouted and quickly appeared, falling into a state of shock the moment he arrived at the stone chamber’s door and hurriedly calling out, “Brother Yang, what’s happening? Why is his appearance so strange? “
As soon as he asked this though, Gui Zu’s brow furrowed and he shouted, “Fall back!”
Saying so, he disappeared.
Seeing the seriousness with which Gui Zu was acting, how could Bi Ya and Shen Tu dare to remain? Using their movement skills, they quickly rushed out.
Just as the two of them appeared outside, two opposing forces suddenly broke out from the mountain.
One was burning hot, the other was cold and malevolent.
Both of these forces were incredibly powerful and had flooded the entire stone tunnel network before spreading out beyond the confines of the mountain peak.
Lu Gui Chen, who had been staying nearby, turned his head and stared in shock towards the mountain.
Yue Xi, who was talking with He Zao and He Miao, also turned to face the same direction, her pretty face filling with surprise.
The entire mountain was now engulfed in a bizarre phenomenon, seemingly having been divided into two distinct zones.
The left half of the mountain was filled with burning hot Yang Attribute strength, radiating bright golden light, while the right half was bathed in a jet black evil energy that was filled with a bloodthirsty and cruel aura.
These two forces were polar opposites and were visibly clashing against one another, causing the entire mountain to tremble, as if it would collapse at any moment.
“What’s going on?” Lu Gui Chen muttered as he rapidly withdrew. At the same time, everyone else around the mountain fell back more than a dozen kilometres before coming to a stop.
“This is that Junior’s aura. What is he doing?” Yue Xi narrowed her eyes and asked He Zao and He Miao.
“I don’t know. When we came out, he didn’t seem to be doing anything in particular,” He Miao shook her head.
“Bi Ya of Purple Star should know something,” He Zao turned her eyes to the side where both Bi Ya and Shen Tu were staring towards the mountain with nervous looks.
Lu Gui Chen also noticed this point and immediately asked them about it.
Listening to their conversation, Yue Xi quickly understood the truth of the matter.
A strange look appeared on her pretty face and soon a burst of laughter escaped from her lips, “That Junior is dead for sure this time, I don’t even need to take action. Hmph, just an overconfident brat, a mere First Order Saint daring to try such a stunt, it really makes one wonder how he lived this long.”
“Master, is Yang Kai in danger?”
“His life is hanging by a single thread!” Yue Xi said with a happy look upon her face.
“Master, please save him. I know you’re annoyed that he acted disrespectfully towards you, but you don’t really wish to see him die, right?” He Zao begged.
“Naturally I want him to die, the sooner the better!” Yue Xi ground her teeth, “And besides, this kind of thing can’t be interfered with by others. Haven’t you seen that Senior Gui Zu standing back?”
He Zao and He Miao looked up and indeed saw Gui Zu’s just standing in the sky, observing.
“If anyone tries to forcefully stop him, he will die without a doubt!” Yue Xi frowned and quickly said, “Now, whether he lives or dies, is all up to him.”
After saying this, Yue Xi suddenly noticed that He Zao and He Miao were staring at her strangely, causing her to snort and turn her pretty face away.
He Zao giggled, “Master’s really had a change of heart. You don’t seem to be bearing much of a grudge anymore.”
“Little girl, don’t make fun of your Master,” Yue Xi said bitterly, “If he doesn’t die this time, later you must keep your distance from him, at least ten meters!”
“Yes!” He Zao and He Miao nodded.
“Senior, can’t you try to find some way to help him?” Shen Tu stood at the foot of the mountain and yelled towards Gui Zu.
Gui Zu grinned, “There’s nothing this old master can do. After this, he will either die or soar to untold heights. No matter which end it is though, this old master is very much looking forward to it, so even if this old master had a way to, he wouldn’t stop this.”
He was truly quite interested in Yang Kai now.
Although he had been shocked when he learned that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, and had been paying more attention to Yang Kai’s movements these past few days, it wasn’t until this moment that he discovered he had somewhat underestimated Yang Kai.
With only a few words from him, this boy had been able to rapidly comprehend the deeper mysteries of his own strength. This wasn’t something an ordinary cultivator could achieve.
Gui Zu wanted to see if Yang Kai could succeed, and if he did, what this new fusion of these two opposite attribute strengths would be like and how much his strength would improve.
If he didn’t die, his future would certainly be incredibly bright, even possibly becoming the greatest genius in the entire Star Field.
At the foot of the mountain, everyone stood and stared towards the mountain peak covered in these two opposite forces as they clashed against one another.
Some people hoped Yang Kai would quickly die, some hoped he would survive, and some were completely indifferent, only taking this as an interesting show to watch. Everyone had a different mood and watched with different expressions upon their face.
At the foot of the mountain, everyone waited and watched, each of them holding their own different thoughts.
Inside the belly of the mountain, Yang Kai felt his own power explode outward and his expression became extremely ugly!
The maximum amount of power a cultivator could have was dictated largely by their realm. A Transcendent would have the limits of the Transcendent Realm while a Saint would be limited to the power of a Saint Realm.
However, this limit didn’t apply to Yang Kai because his Secret Art was incredibly special.
While cultivating the True Yang Secret Art, once the Yang Attribute energy within his body reached a certain level of saturation, it would condense into a drop of Yang Liquid that he could store in his dantian that could be later called upon when needed.
The Unyielding Golden Skeleton also had the unique ability to accommodate an unimaginably large amount of energy.
These two power storages inside Yang Kai’s body couldn’t be compared with that of an ordinary cultivator, it could almost be said that there was no limit to the amount of Qi he could store.
But now, Yang Kai had forced open both of these storages.
The vast stores of evil energy inside the Unyielding Golden Skeleton had all of a sudden erupted out, and in order to balance its influence on his body and not become corrupted by its malevolent intent, Yang Kai had to burst drop after drop of Yang Liquid.
The evil energy and Yang Yuan Qi violently burst forth like water from a broken damn, quickly engulfing the entire mountain around Yang Kai.
The enormity of this eruption even caused Yang Kai some fear as this amount of energy was over a hundred, possibly over a thousand times what his physical body could withstand…
Yang Kai convulsed and the blood in his veins flowed rapidly. The massive eruption of force had caused his skin to crack open and golden blood to flow out, his intrepid physique healing itself, only for new wounds to be reopened, this process repeating in a seemingly endless cycle.
Yang Kai’s mood, however, was as stable as stone as he felt the two forces in his body, studying the way they flow, comprehending the laws governing them, deepening his understand of their true natures.
Time passed slowly, and more and more evil energy and Yang Yuan Qi dissipated in their fierce confrontation.
As these forces melted away, Yang Kai became more and more aware of their natures.
His Divine Sense was fully spread out, examining every detail of the changes he was undergoing. Yang Kai had never imagined that under such distressing circumstances, he would be able to witness such astonishing transformations in his own strength.
These two strengths seemed to possess a life of their own and were constantly whispering their secrets into Yang Kai’s ears. It was as if he was watching an endless ebb and flow filled with profound mysteries.
Yang Kai’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, his confidence growing stronger with each passing moment.
He didn’t pay any attention to the collision of his own strength and instead immersed himself completely in this ethereal state, leaving himself in the middle of the two forces’ confrontation, focusing his attention on the changes in the evil energy and Yang Yuan Qi.
It was as if he was an outsider, observing everything silently from the sidelines.
After a long time, he suddenly felt something marvellous.
At that moment, it was as if he had fully comprehended the nature and meaning of his own strength.
His expression trembling, Yang Kai began circulating his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, using it as a type of guide for his Yang Yuan Qi and evil energy that had escaped his body to return to him once more.
Hundreds of millions of his pores opened and Yang Kai’s body became like a bottomless pit, easily swallowing up the two forces which had previously burst out.
As these two forces returned to his body, they followed the path Yang Kai guided them on, no longer clashing with one another, but instead beginning to fuse together, resulting in miraculous changes.
Feeling these incredible changes, Yang Kai’s face filled with joy and he put forth even more effort to merge his strength together.
At the foot of the mountain, everyone was whispering amongst themselves, discussing whether Yang Kai’s end would be life or death, when suddenly, He Miao exclaimed, “Something’s happening.”
Even without her reminder, everyone present was aware that the atmosphere had changed, causing all of them to turn their eyes towards the mountain peak.
When the scene before them appeared in their eyes, everyone was dumbfounded.
Prior to this, the whole mountain had been divided into two zones, one filled with golden light and blistering heat, the other blanketed in profound darkness and malevolent chill.
But now, everyone could faintly feel that these two forces were slowly blending together, as if they were being attracted to one another, each of them no longer seeking the annihilate the other.
“He actually succeeded?” Gui Zu’s expression became strange as he released his Divine Sense towards the mountain, a moment later curling his lips into a sharp grin as he snorted lightly, “This little brat…”
Obviously, Yang Kai had fully comprehended the nature of his own strength and found the correct method forward. As long as this process continued, he would be able to turn the casually made joke of Gui Zu into reality and perfectly fuse together two opposite attribute forces.
Gui Zu found that even now he had still been underestimating Yang Kai’s ability, a hint of admiration and envy appearing in his gaze.
Before, he had only made an irresponsible comment to Yang Kai about this possibility, figuring he could work towards this direction in the future, possibly spending the next several hundred years to accomplish it.
The premise being he could live that long of course.
Gui Zu had never thought Yang Kai would be able to achieve this astonishing feat so quickly.
This kind of transformation couldn’t be achieved in one shot, it was likely this boy’s understanding of his own strength had reached a great height beforehand and Gui Zu’s joke had simply served as the impetuous to awaken him to this possibility. Even if Gui Zu had not said anything to him, as long as he had the right opportunity in the future, Yang Kai would likely have been able to achieve this on his own.
Realizing this, Gui Zu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He had inadvertently helped Yang Kai achieve a massive growth in strength.
“Senior, is Yang Kai all right?” Shen Tu raised his head to the sky and asked.
“How would this old master know? Hmph!” Gui Zu grumbled unhappily, waving his sleeve before disappearing.
“That’s good,” Shen Tu took note of the meaning behind these words and smiled happily, his heart finally relaxing.
A short time later, the scenery around the mountain underwent a dramatic change. The golden light and pitch-black darkness merged together into one whole, making it look like the entire peak was on fire, but this fire was actually jet black, a Demonic Flame!
This bizarre Demonic Flame seemed capable of incinerating everything in the world, inherently irresistible.
Just looking at it made one feel uncomfortable, as if their soul was being drawn in by this Demonic Flame and was suffering from an infernal burning, making it forever impossible for them to reincarnate. Not only did it contain the aura of True Yang Yuan Qi, resistant to all evil and malevolence, it was also filled with a bloodthirsty and brutal aura that stimulated the innermost evils one hid in the depths of their heart. These contradictory auras made it nearly impossible for anyone to think of a way to defend themselves against it.
Everyone quickly put aside their gaze, not daring to pry into this Demonic Flame’s mysteries.
“It looks like he really has soared into the sky…” Bi Ya’s eyes flashed with a strange light, secretly feeling she should change her attitude towards Yang Kai once more and treat him with full devotion and sincerity.
Before now, she had compromised for her immediate benefit, not even hesitating to treat herself as a slave to attend to Yang Kai all because she was afraid he would try to make trouble for her. It was only because of this point that she had humiliated herself so.
She had never felt that there was anything good about Yang Kai; rather, she felt that Yang Kai could only be unscrupulous on this continent because of Gui Zu’s favour, and that without it, he was nothing.
This kind of bullying the weak by taking advantage of the strong was quite repugnant to her.
Therefore, although she had truly done her best to serve him during this time, and had fulfilled every request Yang Kai made of her, she had never once respected him and instead had been looking down on him.
But now, she didn’t dare have such thoughts.
The young man in front of her now really had his own unique strength, a great potential that would sooner or later have all the big forces in the Star Field scrambling to win him over. Just give him enough time, and he would surely become an astonishing master.
He would hold a high post and become an overlord who ruled over a vast territory. Maintaining a good relationship was a wise course of action.
Bi Ya’s beautiful eyes took on a dazzling glow as her pretty face blossomed radiantly. Secretly glancing over towards them, she found that Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi also had dignified expressions now, none of their previous contempt for Yang Kai apparent on their faces.
She knew that these two people had finally realized the potential of Yang Kai and were now reconsidering how to approach him.
Disdainfully curling her lips, Bi Ya couldn’t help feeling a subtle sense of superiority, because she had the advantage of distance over these two. She was the one closest to Yang Kai right now as his servant, this sense of superiority made her feel both shame and inexplicable excitement. Licking her thin red lips, she felt a heat rise in her tender body.
Realizing there wasn’t any risk to Yang Kai’s life, Shen Tu immediately stopped paying attention to the movements around the mountain and went back to his own business.
Over on the Sword Union side, the remaining five cultivators all gathered together. Yue Xi frowned deeply and tried to say something, pausing awkwardly for a moment before coughing, “Ignore your Master’s previous words, from now on, you two sisters should stick close to him. En, if he is willing to join Sword Union, it would be best, if not though, don’t push the matter.”
He Zao and He Miao exchanged a bright-eyed glance before quickly nodding, “Yes, Master!”
He Miao continued, “Actually, he’s not so bad, it’s just that he spends a lot of time with that slut Bi Ya. It’s simply shameful!”
Yue Xi stared at her and quickly followed up, “Making friends with him is alright, but make sure to keep a safe distance so he doesn’t take advantage of you.”
“En, I know, Master!” He Miao nodded repeatedly.
Inside the belly of the mountain, within his stone room, Yang Kai continued to circulate the Joyous Unification Art, guiding the two forces to fuse together.
Initially, the process was not very smooth, and some conflicts arose between the two forces as they fused together inside his body, but no major harm was done.
As time passed, Yang Kai found that everything became easier, and even the minor obstructions had disappeared.
The evil energy from his Unyielding Golden Skeleton, and the energy contained in the Yang Liquid in his dantian, with the exception of the part which had mutually destroyed at the beginning, all returned without any waste.
Yang Kai clearly felt that he was quickly becoming more powerful.
The power now contained within his body was incomparable to before, making him ecstatic.
What Gui Zu had said was right. After the two forces fused together, his own strength had really undergone an earth-shaking change, one he could clearly feel and perceive.
Having tasted the sweet benefits of this fusion, Yang Kai began circulating his Joyous Unification Art even more rapidly.
The entire mountain suddenly became like an invisible vortex, swirling rapidly, pulling a vast amount of World Energy towards it.
Under the influence of this vortex, the stream of spirit liquid that ran through the stone chambers vaporized into the purest of energy and poured into Yang Kai’s body where it was completely absorbed.
The mountain where Gui Zu originally lived was lush and verdant, filled with beautiful scenery.
But now, the whole mountain seemed like it had been incinerated, the forest burned to the ground and the earth covered in ash, retaining none of its previous splendour.
Even the giant Spirit Array which had been arranged inside it to gather the surrounding World Energy aura seemed to have been destroyed.
Inside the mountain, the stream of spirit liquid that had flown for so long had evaporated and disappeared.
In one of the stone rooms, an invisible vortex continued drawing in massive quantities of World Energy and absorbing it.
Gui Zu’s figure appeared leisurely and stood in front of Yang Kai, frowning at him while remaining motionless.
Yang Kai didn’t seem to notice him, and only after a long time did he let out a soft breath and stopped circulating his Secret Art.
Examining himself in silence, Yang Kai’s face filled with excitement.
The Yang Liquid in his dantian and the evil energy in his Unyielding Golden Skeleton had both disappeared and were replaced with his newly fused strength that contained characteristics of both but with far greater power and lethality.
A part of this new strength flowed through his meridians, constantly moisturizing every bit of his physique while the bulk of it was stored inside his Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
Yang Kai felt that inside and out, he had been reborn, his body now filled with unparalleled explosive power.
What was certain was that his strength had undergone an earth-shaking enhancement!
He even felt that he could fight on par with a Saint King Realm master!
His cultivation realm had also increased, reaching the Second-Order Saint-level without any hindrance.
Yang Kai hadn’t even realized when he had broken through as his entire consciousness had been immersed in the process of fusing his two forces together. This was a pleasant surprise that only added to his happiness.
With a thought, Yang Kai activated his Demon God Transformation.
The Demon Crests that none could see appeared beneath Yang Kai’s skin and melded into his physique, and a moment later, his vitality, as well as the strength of his flesh, rose rapidly…
It seemed that he could still use the Demon God Transformation, causing Yang Kai to put down one of his worries. This was what he expected though as the strength flowing through him now had the characteristics of both his Yang Qi and evil energy.
“Good good, you’re very good!” Gui Zu’s voice suddenly came from in front, offering sincere praise.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and dismissed his Demon God Transformation, quickly standing up and cupping his fists, “Senior, many thanks for your valuable guidance.”
Gui Zu wore a strained look and coldly snorted, “This old master didn’t teach you anything, don’t offer your thanks!”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Senior may have just been speaking casually, but without those few words, Junior does not know when he might have achieved this step, it may have been many years, or possibly even longer, so regardless of Senior’s intentions, I must offer my thanks!”
“Do whatever you want!” Gui Zu waved his hand impatiently, seemingly unwilling to have any kind of friendly relations with Yang Kai, solemnly saying, “This old master did not disturb you as you sat in retreat for an entire month, giving you the time you required to improve your strength, now that you’ve succeeded, shouldn’t you fulfil your part of our agreement?”
He stared at Yang Kai coldly, seeming a little unhappy because he had been forced to wait so long.
Yang Kai quickly nodded, “Junior can begin immediately, en, but before that, I’d like to take a look at that Space Array.”
“Go ahead. As long as you can find a way to leave this place, this old master doesn’t care where you go, but remember, if you can’t find a way out of this cage, this old master will extract your Soul and torture it forever. Disappointing this old master will guarantee you the most miserable of ends!”
As he issued this threat, he released a wisp of pitch-black energy that flew into Yang Kai’s body, disappearing in a flash.
This dark energy shuttled through Yang Kai’s body before finally arriving at his right arm and transforming into an eerie mark.
This mark contained a threat of Gui Zu’s Divine Sense, allowing him to constantly monitor Yang Kai’s every move.
Yang Kai just smiled wryly and shook his head before walking out.
A short time later, he left the mountain and came out to the flat area where the Space Array had been set up.
This Space Array had been idle since the last time Gui Zu used it and the numerous Saint Crystals that were scattered about it were now quite dim, clearly having been almost completely drained of energy. The door which had been forged from broken Starship debris and covered in a thin layer of Space Spirit Crystal still stood where it had originally been.
Yang Kai had secretly observed this Space Array more than once in an attempt to gain some inspiration and enhance his own understanding of the Dao of Space.
It was only now that he was able to investigate it unscrupulously though that he discovered that even though Gui Zu’s aptitude in the Dao of Space was terrible, after a thousand of years of research, he did have some accomplishments.
He had been able to come up with the idea of using Space Spirit Crystal as the key to opening and stabilizing a Void Corridor.
Unfortunately, the door used to form the Void Corridor was made from broken scraps from a Saint King Grade Starship, which was somewhat insufficient. The Space Spirit Crystal that covered the door frame was also too thin, these two factors were the main cause of the instability of the Void Corridor which was formed.
If he had enough materials, Gui Zu might very well have been able to arrange a stable Space Array. As for where that Space Array would transmit a person who entered it, that was still unknown.
Yang Kai observed this Space Array while absorbing Gui Zu’s insights into the Dao of Space, enhancing his own comprehension of its mysteries.
After a while, several sets of footstep suddenly sounded behind him.
Yang Kai lifted his head and turned around to discover that everyone who was still alive on this continent, with the exception of Gui Zu of course, had come over.
They seemed to have realized Yang Kai had exited his retreat and had come to see him.
“Master…” Bi Ya, not caring about the scornful eyes which stared at her, shouted intimately before walking up to Yang Kai with a smile, sincerely saying, “Congratulations on your great increase in strength, Master.”
This time, when she shouted Master to Yang Kai, she really meant it, not like before where it was mere flattery and platitudes, her smile much more dazzling than before.
Yang Kai gently nodded.
“Brother, it’s good that you’re alright. In the future, you should really refrain from acting so recklessly,” Shen Tu laughed happily, but in the depths of his eyes, a hint of doubt arose.
He had never been clear about what Yang Kai’s true strength was. Though back in the Purple Star Starship, Yang Kai had suddenly and violently killed a Third-Order Saint, that was partially due to catching the enemy off guard with a sneak attack so it couldn’t be used as an accurate assessment.
Shen Tu had frequently speculated about the true depths of Yang Kai’s strength.
Before Yang Kai entered this latest retreat, he hadn’t felt any pressure from Yang Kai, but every time he was with him, a voice in his heart would constantly sound.
If he were to really fight with Yang Kai, the person who would die would undoubtedly be him!
This was Shen Tu’s intuition as a cultivator, so he had always felt that Yang Kai had hidden his own cultivation and strength.
But now, meeting him again, Shen Tu found that the sense of danger he felt from Yang Kai had disappeared and the uneasy voice in his heart had gone silent.
Shen Tu was greatly puzzled, not knowing what Yang Kai’s retreat had been about. Had he succeeded or had he failed?
However, his cultivation has improved a Minor Realm, a fact that was obvious to all.
“I’ll be careful later,” Yang Kai chuckled.
The He sisters also ran up to Yang Kai with smiling faces. Yue Xi naturally stood behind her two Disciples, a cold look on her pretty face.
Nearby, Lu Gui Chen squeezed out an ugly smile and nodded before reluctantly asking, “Little brother, there is one thing we have not understood. If it is convenient, could little brother enlighten us?”
Yang Kai glanced at him and asked lightly, “What?”
Lu Gui Chen looked around for a moment before calming his breathing and whispering, “You said that Senior Gui Zu needed something from you, what exactly was it?”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone looked towards Yang Kai with expectant gazes, clearly interested in his response.
They really couldn’t understand how Yang Kai, a trivial Saint Realm cultivator, could actually reach an agreement with a master like Gui Zu.
Given Gui Zu’s great strength, what could he possibly want from him?
“You might as well ask Senior Gui Zu. If he is willing to tell you, he’ll tell you,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Lu Gui Chen’s expression cramped and he immediately shut up.
Whenever he saw Gui Zu, his first thought would be to escape. How could he possibly ask him about this kind of thing, if doing so made the other party the slightest bit displeased, Lu Gui Chen’s life would probably come to an abrupt end.
“Little brat, if you keep wasting time with them, this old master will teach you a lesson!” Gui Zu’s voice, filled with intolerance, suddenly sounded in Yang Kai’s ear, causing his face to change greatly. Cupping his fists, Yang Kai hurriedly apologized, “Excuse me, Senior is urging me to continue my work. I cannot chat with you any longer.”
Saying so, Yang Kai summoned his Star Shuttle and disappeared in a blue streak of light.
Ten thousand kilometres away from the mountain peak, Yang Kai came to a stop.
Only Gui Zu knew that Yang Kai possessed the ability to tear space. This was one of Yang Kai’s greatest cards, so he was naturally unwilling to expose it, at least not to people like Lu Gui Chen.
Checking his surroundings, Yang Kai began circulating his strength, gathering it at his fingertips in the next moment and making a slicing motion.
Immediately, the space in front of him was torn open and a portal to the cold, black Void appeared, a strange strength leaking out from it.
Yang Kai didn’t rush into this tear though and instead stared at it fixedly.
In the past, when he had torn space, the crack he had formed seemed as if it was cut by a sword, its edges smooth and flat.
But now, the edges of this tear were actually lined by a layer of black Demonic Flame that simultaneously emitted a hot and cold aura, making it impossible to understand.
It seemed that it was even capable of burning space, making it so the torn crack could not instantly repair itself.
Yang Kai’s expression became stern.
He hadn’t expected that the Demonic Flame that had been born from the fusion of his two strengths would be so strange.
It seems it was necessary for him to re-examine it carefully.
After a brief pause, Yang Kai stepped into this tear, then used his Divine Sense to extinguish the Demonic Flames, allowing the crack in space to seal.
Inside the turbulent flow of The Void, Yang Kai didn’t panic or rush, turning his eyes to the black mark Gui Zu had left on his arm and chuckling.
What Gui Zu was thinking, Yang Kai knew better than anyone.
The reason why Gui Zu had not killed him, and instead was constantly urging him to look for a way to escape this place, was because he wanted to use this opportunity to enhance his own understanding of the Dao of Space by monitoring Yang Kai’s movements, spying on how he tore space and on the turbulent flow inside The Void.
In short, he wanted to steal this method for himself.
For someone like Gui Zu, he would never place all his hopes on a single person. He will always make an alternative to his own plans!
Gui Zu’s little schemes, Yang Kai was well aware of, but never brought to light.
Because inside the turbulent Void, everything from the outside world was cut off. Gui Zu wouldn’t even be able to sense where he was much less what he was doing, so Yang Kai wasn’t worried that his methods and abilities would be stolen by Gui Zu.
Although Gui Zu had enlightened him and allowed his strength to greatly increase, earning him Yang Kai’s gratitude, this and that were two different matters. Vigilance was always necessary as Yang Kai could never feel truly at east around Gui Zu.
For an old monster like Gui Zu, going back on his word was something all too common, so Yang Kai not only had to search for a way out of this place, but also a way to ensure that after leaving, Gui Zu wouldn’t kill him!
It was difficult! Yang Kai felt overwhelmed and was unable to think up any good way to accomplish these two goals simultaneously, only able to take one step at a time.
After spending a short time inside The Void, Yang Kai left.
As soon as his figure reappeared, Gui Zu’s voice rang in his ear, “Little brat, what did you learn?”
It was clear from this alone how anxious Gui Zu was for news.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “How could things be so easy? Senior should have some patience, I was only confirming whether or not the space around this place had stabilized.”
“And the result?” Gui Zu continued to press.
“En, it has stabilized and should not interfere with my judgment any longer.”
“That’s good!”
“Senior, how far did I move this time?”
“A thousand kilometres or so,” Gui Zu coldly snorted, “Your ability compared to last time has improved significantly, it seems your strength has grown quite a bit.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help smiling upon hearing this. In the past, whenever he tore space, he could move at most a few hundred kilometres, but now that distance had increased to over one thousand kilometres. This was a massive improvement!
“Don’t think you can play any tricks in front of me, you and I know that you can’t escape from this old master’s palm, so work hard and as long as we can leave this place, this old master promises not to hurt you!”
“Junior understands,” Yang Kai gently nodded, “Senior, if there is nothing else, I’d like to continue studying the problem.”
“Go on!”
Yang Kai once again tore space and stepped into the turbulent flow of The Void, searching for the correct way out of this strange place.
Although Yang Kai’s strength had improved greatly over the past few years. Standing in The Void, he suddenly realized that his understanding of the Dao of Space was still very shallow. Although it was far better than Gui Zu’s, at his current level of comprehension, it was obviously not enough for him to find a way out from this floating continent.
And so, as he had done many years ago, Yang Kai submerged himself in The Void in order to study its mysteries and improve his comprehension of the Dao of Space.
He didn’t explain this to Gui Zu though because Gui Zu was very impatient and was hoping that Yang Kai would immediately be able to take him away from here.
Time passed by and Yang Kai spent much of his time inside The Void, studying its mysteries and complexities.
Every day, he would return to the continent to make a progress report to Gui Zu in order to appease his anxiety.
Yang Kai had made remarkable progress and had gained much, his understanding of the Dao of Space becoming deeper and deeper.
One day, Yang Kai suddenly had an interesting idea and immediately left The Void.
He then released his Divine Sense and sent it into The Void without his physical body, projecting it in all directions.
If he wanted to leave this place, Yang Kai would need to pass through the strange seven coloured sky, but Gui Zu had said that this sky was formed by the chaotic interactions of the Chaotic Abyss’ various energy fields and spanned at least several thousand kilometres, possibly as much as ten thousand kilometres.
Even with Yang Kai’s current means, he would need to accurately tear space a dozen times in order to cross this chaotic region of space.
He didn’t dare run tests with his own body though, because a single mistake would cause him to become forever lost in that chaotic domain.
However, he could replace himself with his Divine Sense, because even if threads of his Divine Sense became lost, it wouldn’t cause him much trouble.
At most, his Soul would receive some minor damage, but with the Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, that damage could quickly be restored.
Sending out a tidal wave of Divine Sense in all directions, Yang Kai condensed his Spiritual Energy into invisible threads before attaching his own understanding of the Dao of Space to them and then piercing them into The Void.
These threads of Divine Sense, coordinating with Yang Kai’s understanding of the Dao of Space, began jumping across the entire continent, disappearing from one place and reappearing in another as they rapidly and repeatedly traversed The Void.
The range Yang Kai’s Divine Sense covered grew wider and wider!
Inside the mountain peak, Gui Zu, who had been monitoring Yang Kai’s movements, suddenly saw this scene and couldn’t help muttering to himself, “Good, it seems that he’s making some progress.”
He grinned widely seeing Yang Kai’s efforts, as every step forward Yang Kai made meant they were one step closer to leaving this cage. As such, Gui Zu didn’t bother disturbing Yang Kai and simply let him experiment.
After an hour, Yang Kai showed a tired look. His Divine Sense had spread out too far now, far beyond what should be possible for his current realm.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense covered almost half of the entire continent, a feat no Second-Order Saint should be able to achieve. Even masters like Yue Xi and Lu Gui Chen may not be able to cover such a vast area.
Because Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was leaping across space though, he didn’t have to spread it step by step like ordinary cultivators.
It was for this reason he could cover half of the continent.
He then took back his Divine Sense and began to restore himself.
However, at this moment, one of the threads of Divine Senses Yang Kai had sent out noticed something unusual.
Yang Kai’s brow rose as he first took back all his other Divine Sense threads before focusing his attention on that particular place.
After a moment, a look of shock appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he made an amazing discovery!
Right in the very centre of the continent, several thousand meters underground, there was a hidden mass of energy, one that was concealed so well that if Yang Kai’s Divine Sense thread hadn’t inadvertently passed by it, he would never have even noticed its existence.
Moreover, Yang Kai discovered that there was a barrier around this mass of energy that not only firmly protected it but also concealed its aura fluctuations from leaking out, making it nearly impossible to detect.
The thread of Divine Sense Yang Kai had accidentally made a jump inside this barrier and had only been there for a moment but it had actually received an incredible strengthening, going from nearly dissipating to stronger than when he had released it.
Yang Kai was incredibly shocked and quickly realized that this mass of energy was something extraordinary.
Recovering his composure, Yang Kai left that thread of Divine Sense in place so he could continue to determine the position of this strange energy mass before sitting down cross-legged and beginning to restore himself.
He wanted to figure out what this mass of energy was!
Could Gui Zu, who had lived here for more than two thousand years, know what it was?
Soon though, Yang Kai faintly felt that Gui Zu shouldn’t know about the existence of this energy mass! Because if he did know about it, he certainly would not have left it alone. Such a huge mass of energy would be enough to attract even an old monster like Gui Zu.
However, why didn’t he know about it? Gui Zu was an Origin King Realm master and had spent innumerable years in this place, he should be well aware of everything minute detail here.
“Senior,” Yang Kai called out with his Divine Sense.
“What?” Gui Zu immediately responded.
“Junior wants to ask, after having lived on this continent for so long, have you discovered any special places?”
“Special places?” Gui Zu coldly snorted before angrily growling, “What are you talking about? In addition to the rich aura and abundance of spirit herbs, this place is nothing more than a hateful prison! A cage that has trapped this old master for two thousand years, this old master cannot wait to leave here!”
“Why do you ask? What did you discover?” Gui Zu suddenly became alert.
“No, I simply wanted to learn more about this place. Perhaps it might help me find a way out!” Yang Kai replied casually.
“Good, if you let this old master discover you’ve been up to some kind of scheme, don’t blame me for not showing kindness!” Gui Zu snorted.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “Do you want to use your special Divine Sense to find the Star Source of this damned place?”
“Star Source? What’s that?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“You don’t know?” Gui Zu was stunned.
Yang Kai shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Junior came from a lower world, one where no one has ever even visited the Starry Sky before I, so I know next to nothing about the Star Field.”
“Barbarians!” Gui Zu snickered disdainfully, “A Star Source is the heart of a star, any Cultivation Star will have one. It can be thought of as the crystallized essence of a Cultivation Star. For example, if you think of a cultivator as a star, the Star Source would be equivalent to their dantian and Knowledge Sea. If any cultivator can engrave his Soul Brand on the Star Source of a Cultivation Star, he will become the master of that Cultivation Star and clearly understand everything about it. If he wishes, he can even cause natural disasters to happen at any place on that Cultivation Star. While he is alive, he can turn mountains into oceans and abysses into plains.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help raising his brow and asking, “Does that mean they could control that Cultivation Star?”
“Exactly! Throughout the Star Field, every Star Master that controls the Star Source of their Cultivation Star can draw energy from that entire star to supplement their own. While standing on their own Cultivation Star, their strength will never dry up, it’s literally inexhaustible! Little brat, do you now understand the power of a Star Master?”
“I understand,” Yang Kai turned pale, “Then this place…”
“Hah, it seems you really are a barbarian from some remote backwater. This strange continent isn’t even a proper star, so how could it have a Star Source? This old master did a thorough search of this place a thousand five hundred years ago. If I had found something, do you think I’d let it off?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “It’s as Senior said, I was just asking casually, not looking for some Star Source. Before now I’d never even heard of that.”
“Good, since you understand then stop wasting time and get back to finding a way out of this place. Don’t bother seeking for something that doesn’t exist, it won’t do you any good,” Gui Zu reprimanded before cutting off the conversation with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai continued restoring himself while sinking into contemplation.
As Gui Zu said, this place wasn’t anything like a complete star, it was just a strange floating continent.
However… Yang Kai had seen an ancient tree-like star in the Chaotic Abyss, one that towered high into the sky and emitted a rich Wood Attribute aura.
Considering that, it wasn’t really much of a stretch to say that this continent was also a star; after all, its volume wasn’t small, at least far beyond the scope of an asteroid.
This unintentional discovery shook Yang Kai’s mind greatly. Whether or not the strange mass of energy he found was this continent’s Star Source, Yang Kai couldn’t say for sure, and under Gui Zu’s strict surveillance, he didn’t dare investigate it further right now and simply set the issue aside.
However, that didn’t stop Yang Kai from contemplating this situation. If it really was the Star Source of this continent, it must have been formed in the last thousand five hundred years, or it was capable of concealing itself from Gui Zu’s senses. Otherwise, there was no way Gui Zu would be ignoring it.
Yang Kai didn’t retrieve his thread of Divine Sense, allowing it to remain where it was and receive nourishing from the strange energy mass.
He intended to wait for a chance before sneaking over and examining it further.
Leaving a thread of his Divine Sense there would allow Yang Kai to know the accurate location of this energy mass.
Yang Kai made sure to act quietly so as not to draw too much attention from Gui Zu.
As time passed by, Yang Kai’s comprehension of the Dao of Space continued to increase, his Divine Sense was now able to spread out across half of the continent with ease and even jump across space to any particular point in this range to quietly investigate it.
He then began repeatedly exploring the seven coloured sky, constantly experimenting by sending out countless threads of Divine Sense, losing many of them in the chaotic domain but finally gaining some confidence in his ability to leave this place.
He maintained his composure though and didn’t disclose this fact, instead continuing to explore and test his surroundings, striving for perfection.
Every day, Yang Kai would make a progress report to Gui Zu, but he didn’t explain the entire truth, so Gui Zu knew nothing about this.
One day, when Yang Kai returned from exploring the seven coloured sky, he landed on the flat region of the central mountain and smelled a faint bloody scent in the air.
His face changed slightly and he quickly spread out his Divine Sense, soon discovering that something wasn’t right.
Everyone who was still alive on this continent had gathered together, the atmosphere around them heavy as they were immersed in deep discussion.
“What happened?” Yang Kai flew over and asked.
“Someone died!” Shen Tu said with an ugly expression.
Yang Kai was stunned as he turned to see a cultivator lying on the ground, his vitality gone. It looked as if his body had suddenly been exposed to great pressure which caused it to burst open, making for a terrifying scene.
“What side did he belong to?” Yang Kai asked.
“Ours!” He Zao replied dispiritedly.
He Miao and Yue Xi also wore sad and indignant expressions. Even Lu Gui Chen revealed a look of consternation.
When they first arrived here, there were more than a hundred cultivators from Purple Star and Sword Union, but after spending one year here, there were now less than a dozen of them left alive. There had been a brief reprieve for the last couple of months, but now, someone else had died.
No one even knew how he died.
“Who killed him?” Yang Kai looked around and asked.
No one dared to answer, all of them just wearing helpless looks.
Yang Kai immediately understood. In this place, besides Gui Zu, no one else had the guts to kill another.
The old monster’s mood must have been particularly bad, otherwise, he wouldn’t have killed a Junior for no reason.
“Yang Kai, can you talk to Senior Gui Zu? We swear we won’t rebel against him, so can you ask him not to kill us again?” He Zao bit her lip and pleaded to Yang Kai.
This time, it had been a cultivator from Sword Union, the next time Gui Zu decided to kill someone, who knew who would be targeted?
Maybe it would be someone from their side, maybe it would even be them!
Besides Yang Kai who was able to sit back and relax, everyone else was now completely on edge!
Also, once Gui Zu killed everyone here and could no longer see any hope of leaving, he probably wouldn’t let Yang Kai keep his life anymore. He would strip Yang Kai’s Soul from his body then search his memories in order to obtain his insights into the Dao of Space before seeking a way to leave himself.
“Yes, Yang Kai,” Shen Tu also spoke, “Only you can talk to Senior Gui Zu… I don’t want to just inexplicably die.”
Everyone else stared at him eagerly, as if he was their last hope.
Yang Kai gently nodded, “I’ll talk to him, but whether he’ll listen to me, I can’t guarantee.”
“It’s enough if you can put in a word with him,” Shen Tu smiled bitterly.
“He Zao, He Miao, help me bury him,” Yue Xi whispered.
“Yes,” The only three remaining members of Sword Union collected their dead companion before walking off to find a place to bury him.
Yang Kai flew to the mountain cave and after a few twists and turns, came to the stone room where Gui Zu lived.
Yang Kai knew that this stone room existed and that Gui Zu lived here, but it was actually his first time coming to it.
This stone room was very different from all the others and was filled with a thick, seemingly endless darkness. There was no trace of light anywhere and phantasmal wraiths swam about wherever one looked. Upon arriving outside this stone room, Yang Kai felt his whole body shiver as this gloomy scene appeared in front of him and a series of eerie shrieks drilled into his ears.
From the darkness, a few spectres with hideous green auras rushed out and brushed past his body, circling around him as they seemed to harass his mind, trying to pull him into the deepest depths of purgatory, never to return or reincarnate.
Yang Kai went stiff and couldn’t move.
At that moment, a cluster of Demonic Flame suddenly erupted from his body, making it look like he was on fire.
Having done this, he managed to break free from this illusion.
In his ear, Yang Kai heard Gui Zu’s wicked cackle before he asked, “Little brat, what are you doing here?”
Yang Kai frowned, allowing his Demonic Flame to continue burning, dispelling the influence of the various ghost while looking for the right words, eventually deciding to get straight to the point, “Did Senior kill someone today?”
Gui Zu chuckled, “What’s the big deal about killing someone? You wouldn’t be looking for this old master just because of such a minor issue, right?”
“Everyone else outside is very nervous, afraid that they’ll be the next to die,” Yang Kai quickly said.
“En, they should be anxious,” Gui Zu seemed to be very happy, “This place has nothing to do for entertainment, so this old master decided to make his own fun, this old master most likes seeing people on edge and extremely uneasy.”
“Just because you’re bored you decided to kill someone?”
“What of it?” Gui Zu coldly snorted, the dark stone room suddenly brightening and returning to its original state, revealing Gui Zu’s figure sitting at its centre, his pair of gloomy eyes staring straight at Yang Kai while he maintained a malevolent grin, “Did you come here to ask for leniency for them? Were you really such a person? Even if this old master killed all of them, I think you wouldn’t care at all.”
“Senior must be joking, Junior has several friends among those people, naturally I don’t want to see you continue killing them.”
“Friends?” Gui Zu was startled for a moment before bursting out into wicked laughter, “You may be able to deceive others, but you can’t lie to this old master. En, you have some friendship with a couple of those people, but nothing to the extent that you would disobey me for them. If there’s some advantage to it, you’ll be good to them, but if you were to face a crisis, you wouldn’t hesitate to abandon them. You’re not so stupid to not understand what the consequences of disappointing me are!”
Yang Kai remained silent, allowing Gui Zu to continue.
“What you’re afraid of is that once this old master has killed all of those people, he will kill you too!” Gui Zu yelled.
Yang Kai nodded calmly, “Yes, Senior is well aware of Junior’s concerns!”
Gui Zu gently nodded, “If you really have such concerns, you should work harder to find a way to leave this place as soon as possible so we can all leave here before this old master kills all of them and kills you. I believe that you still aren’t trying your best in this matter.”
“Junior has already found some clues,” Yang Kai frowned.
Gui Zu’s body trembled as his eyes lit up, grinning as he said, “Good good, a clue is good. En, this piece of news makes this old master very happy, happy enough to not become bored for a while; you should continue to work hard to not let this old master down!”
“Junior will take his leave!” Yang Kai cupped his fists and quickly withdrew.
The moment he turned around, Yang Kai’s expression became dignified.
He understood that Gui Zu had killed that person not because he was in a foul mood, but rather as a warning to him and to put pressure on him.
Gui Zu should be wary of him concealing something; otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly decided to kill someone.
However, Gui Zu didn’t know what Yang Kai was hiding, and it wasn’t convenient to simply come out and ask about it, so he had used this method instead.
He was telling Yang Kai that his patience was limited and that if he couldn’t satisfy him, his fate would be the same as the man who had just died!
Yang Kai understood this so he had spoken a few words to calm Gui Zu down.
However, this small bit of comfort wouldn’t last for very long, the next time Gui Zu became impatient, he may really kill him.
Yang Kai’s face was incredibly ugly and he couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of weakness.
He had always planned to sneak away after finding a way out, not paying any attention to Gui Zu, leaving him here to die in this cage!
However, the difference in strength between them was far too vast, causing Yang Kai to constantly be on the defensive at every turn.
He was aware that his thoughts were somewhat unrealistic.
Even if he really found a way out of this place, before he could escape safely, he would certainly be stopped by Gui Zu.
Yang Kai pondered over the issue incessantly, wondering if he should believe in the oath that Gui Zu made before and take him out of this place, satisfying everyone.
This was undoubtedly very risky, and Yang Kai wasn’t certain if Gu Zui would really honour his word.
All kinds of thoughts flowed through Yang Kai’s mind and his expression became more and more serious.
Back inside his own stone room, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and began restoring himself while continuing to ponder.
Outside his stone room, light footstep sounded and Bi Ya soon walked in unsolicited, circling around to Yang Kai’s back before pasting her tender body onto him while gently massaging his shoulders.
She then whispered lightly into his ear, “Master, when the day comes that you can leave this place, can you also bring your slave with you?”
“Naturally,” Yang Kai said casually.
Bi Ya wore a forced smiled and continued moving her hands as she spoke, “You don’t need to keep up appearances around me, I know you never planned on leading me out of this place with you… After all, I was rude and disrespectful to you from the moment we met, and I know I’m not a good person.”
Hearing her suddenly admit to her own faults like this, Yang Kai felt confused and didn’t know what kind of scheme she was up to.
Inside the stone room, Bi Ya wore a desolate look upon her face as she smiled bitterly.
During this time, she had served Yang Kai diligently, and although she had performed very docilely and well-behaved, not disobeying a single request made of her, she wasn’t by any means stupid or submissive. On the contrary, she was a sharp woman with keen instincts.
She had already clearly seen that when Yang Kai found a way to leave here, he would not be bringing her with him.
It was because of this that Bi Ya had brought up the subject ahead of time.
She wanted to change Yang Kai’s mind by showing her sincerity.
“If I can leave here, I will only listen to you in the future, obeying any command you may give me. I don’t want to be left here, I truly don’t… I swear that I will be loyal to you alone…” Bi Ya implored. Even a master like Gui Zu had been trapped here for two thousand years, if she was to be stranded here, dying alone of old age would certainly be her fate!
Such an ending was simply terrifying.
Yang Kai didn’t show any expression on his face and only stared at her deeply.
Bi Ya calmly met Yang Kai’s eyes, her beautiful face showing neutral look.
After a while, Yang Kai gently nodded, “When that day comes, I’ll think about it.”
Bi Ya was startled but immediately wore a wry grin, “Thank you!”
“Good, I have some things to think about. Draw back!” Yang Kai waved.
Bi Ya elegantly bowed before quickly departing, her expression even more bitter than before because she knew Yang Kai’s last words to her just now were still perfunctory, he hadn’t changed his mind at all.
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
On this day, another person died. This time it was Lu Gui Chen’s subordinate, a Saint King Realm First Stage master.
He had been meditating on the mountainside when all of a sudden his body burst into blood fog.
The death of a second person caused all the remaining cultivators to become even more anxious, all of them quickly seeking out Yang Kai and asking him to think of a way to convince Gui Zu to show mercy. Even Yue Xi, who had always stubbornly refused to bow her head, did not hesitate to plead with Yang Kai about this matter.
Yang Kai casually accepted their request.
However, he knew persuasion was useless. The most important task he had right now was to let Gui Zu see some clear hope of escape. Only when this old monster was happy would he not kill again.
Yang Kai put aside everyone else’s worries and flew his Star Shuttle up to the seven coloured sky.
Sitting cross-legged on his Star Shuttle, Yang Kai condensed his Divine Sense into thousands of threads, attached his comprehension of the Dao of Space to them, and had them shoot out.
These threads of Divine Sense advanced at a rapid pace, leaping across space, ignoring the constraints of distance, quickly flying more than a thousand kilometres away from Yang Kai’s position.
Soon, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled.
He had released thousands of Divine Sense threads, but all of them quickly became lost inside the chaotic field, a number of them losing contact with Yang Kai entirely, never to be found again.
After an hour, Yang Kai managed to take back eighty percent of his threads, but the remaining twenty percent, he was unable to retrieve.
His face paled as his Soul received some slight damage.
Stuffing a Saint Pill formulated to supplement his Spiritual Energy into his mouth, Yang Kai began urging the power of the Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus to repair his Soul.
After another hour, he once again released his Divine Sense.
Inside the belly of the mountain, within a room filled with cold darkness, Gui Zu grinned, “Little brat, do you really think this old master doesn’t know what kind of wicked scheme you’re up to? If this old master doesn’t give you a little pressure, you wouldn’t put in any real effort. I hope that after this lesson you’ll become more diligent; if not, this old master will have to start killing again… The first two times this old master showed some mercy, but next time I’ll kill someone you have friendship with; I must see if you’re really capable of ruthlessly discarding all of them.”
In Gui Zu’s eyes, Shen Tu, He Zao, and He Miao’s figures were suddenly reflected.
At the same time, these three youths all felt a chill shoot up their spine as if they were being stared at by the incarnation of death, causing them to shiver unconsciously.
Amidst the seven coloured sky, Yang Kai silently sat atop his Star Shuttle, his Divine Sense shuttling back and forth randomly throughout the chaotic field.
He could no longer realize the passing of time, all of the attention now focused on his threads of Divine Sense piercing The Void.
After repeating this process more than twenty times, each time losing roughly twenty percent of his Soul’s strength, he still hadn’t obtained any substantial results.
If it were anyone else in Yang Kai’s place, they wouldn’t have been able to withstand using such a crazy method. Even if they were significantly stronger, once their Soul took too much damage, it would leave a permanent injury that would render them disabled or demented.
However, with the Six Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai could quickly repair his damaged Soul, freeing him of such worries.
At some point, Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy once again dried up and he couldn’t help revealing a look of disappointment.
Because this time too, he had failed.
Just as he was about to take back his threads of Divine Sense, he suddenly noticed a subtle change in the field in a particular location and quickly focused the threads he had control over still to investigate it.
To his surprise, when he tried to investigate this location, his Divine Sense threads easily passed through it, instantly breaking through the seven coloured sky and leaping out of the chaotic field.
From these threads of Divine Sense, Yang Kai saw countless beautiful and magnificent stars.
Each of these stars exuded a powerful energy wave, some of them extremely cold, some of them blisteringly hot, some filled with fierce howling winds while still others seemed like giant ancient trees growing amongst the Starry Sky.
“The Chaotic Abyss!” Yang Kai couldn’t help crying out in surprise, his eyes lighting up.
This was the first time any of his Divine Sense threads had broken free from this prisoner’s cage and arrived at the Chaotic Abyss.
He couldn’t help feeling ecstatic!
Being trapped here not only made Gui Zu anxious but also caused Yang Kai a great deal of anxiety. Remaining nearby an old monster like Gui Zu made him feel a constant sense of life-threatening crisis!
Now that he saw the Chaotic Abyss once again, he saw the hope of survival!
Yang Kai’s heart was filled with joy.
Forcefully calming himself down, Yang Kai once again determined that his Divine Sense threads had arrived at the Chaotic Abyss before carefully withdrawing his Divine Sense to himself.
As he recalled his Divine Sense threads, Yang Kai left behind individual wisps of Spiritual Energy along the way to serve as guideposts.
These wisps of Divine Sense, however, wouldn’t be able to persist for too long; Yang Kai estimated that in no more than one day, all of these threads would dissipate and disperse, but as long as he had these wisps to guide him, Yang Kai didn’t have to worry about becoming lost as he crossed the seven coloured sky’s chaotic field and had full confidence in leaving this place.
Soon, Yang Kai took back all the other Divine Sense threads he could and a look of hesitation appeared on his face.
He wanted to follow these guideposts immediately!
However, once he left, everyone left on this continent would definitely die, but more importantly, Yang Kai wasn’t certain he could successfully leave here before Gui Zu intercepted him.
Looking down at the black mark Gui Zu had left on his arm, Yang Kai sighed helplessly.
He stood up, putting aside all other thoughts, and flew his Star Shuttle down towards the mountain.
A short time later, Yang Kai landed and walked straight to the stone room where Gui Zu lived.
Soon, Yang Kai stood in front of the pitch-black room once more.
“Little brat, what progress have you made?” Aware of his arrival, Gui Zu asked in a deep voice from within the darkness, his pair of sharp eyes staring fixedly towards Yang Kai as if refusing to miss even the slightest change in his expression.
“We can leave!” Yang Kai replied.
Stunned by this reply, Gui Zu actually became dumbfounded for a time, after a while shouting in disbelief, “Really?”
Gui Zu’s voice was trembling slightly, highlighting his inner excitement.
“Little brat, you should know what your fate will be if you dare play games with this old master. This old master has waited far too long for this day,” Gui Zu muttered solemnly.
“I’m not playing games with you, we really can leave!” Yang Kai replied indifferently.
“Ha ha ha ha!” Gui Zu burst into wild laughter, his voice echoing like thunder, shaking the entire mountain around him.
On the plain nearby the mountain, Lu Gui Chen, Yue Xi, and all the others wore panic-stricken expressions, none of them knowing what had suddenly caused such a great reaction from Gui Zu, or if it signalled danger for them. Feeling insecure, all of them quickly gathered together, hoping to find some sense of security.
“Good, I knew you wouldn’t disappoint this old master!” Gui Zu’s figure appeared in front of Yang Kai, his hand grabbing onto Yang Kai’s arm with a vice-like grip as he cried out impatiently, “Let’s go, let’s go, I must leave this damned place!”
Because of his excitement, the strength of his grip was quite strong, nearly causing Yang Kai’s bones to crack under the pressure.
“Don’t be so anxious!” Yang Kai struggled for a bit to work his arm loose from this vice grip.
“Don’t be anxious? This old master is very anxious!” Gui Zu squinted at him, his eyes filled with malice, “What scheme are you still thinking about?”
“Senior is thinking too much, I just need to make a few things clear before we leave,” Yang Kai said faintly.
Gui Zu’s eyes flashed with a strange light, his excited expression suddenly calming down and gently nodding, “Speak, this old master will hear you out!”
Yang Kai considered his words for a moment before saying, “Although Junior is willing to believe in Senior’s character and commitment, for the sake of insurance, Junior wants to confirm once again that after we leave this place, you will not act against me!”
Gui Zu grinned evilly, “Rest assured, if you can satisfy this old master’s desire to leave, this old master will not hurt you. Leaving this damned place is this old master’s lifelong wish, after leaving I will only be grateful to you, how could I even consider attacking you?”
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled, quickly nodding, “I hope so, and I hope Senior can remember the oath he swore to me before.”
“Good, this old master remembers,” Gui Zu pointed to his own head, “I remember clearly! Good, can we leave now?”
Yang Kai once again shook his head.
Gui Zu’s expression sank as he grumbled impatiently, “What else do you still have to do?”
“I want to take a few people together with us.”
Gui Zu immediately knew who he wanted to take away and didn’t mind, “As long as they don’t get in the way of this old master, bring whoever you want.”
“They won’t get in your way, en, I’ll have to bother Senior to call them over.”
Gui Zu looked at him with great interest, “Who do you want to call?”
Yang Kai immediately listed a few names; Gui Zu then nodded and summoned them with his Divine Sense.
On the plain beside the mountain, Yue Xi, He Zao, He Miao, and Shen Tu, who were already nervous because of Gui Zu’s crazy laughter, suddenly went stiff and pale.
This was because Gui Zu’s voice had just sounded in their ears.
“What happened?” Lu Gui Chen hurriedly asked.
“Gui Zu summoned us…” Yue Xi couldn’t help but swallow.
The look Lu Gui Chen shot Yue Xi immediately changed, a hint of taking pleasure in other’s misfortune present, along with some sorrow and relief, but he no longer said anything.
“I was also summoned!” Shen Tu’s face paled as a deep sense of powerlessness filled his heart.
“I… as well!” Bi Ya rubbed her hands together nervously, her tender body shivering.
“What should we do, Master?” He Zao looked at Yue Xi nervously.
Yue Xi’s heart was also in chaos, not sure what to say for a while. When they first arrived here, there were more than a hundred of them, yet almost all of them had died at Gui Zu’s hands. Today, Gui Zu had actually summoned so many people of them at once though, who knows what his intentions were?
“It’s a blessing, not a curse…” Yue Xi smiled and gave up any plans to escape because, in front of an Origin King Realm master, there was no way to escape. “Come with me. If today… if today is the day of our deaths, Master will at least be able to accompany you on the road.”
She looked at He Zao and He Miao with great affection, secretly deciding to do whatever she could to protect her two Disciples.
Even if this was no different from a mantis trying to stop a cart, she wouldn’t hesitate.
The three of them began walking up the mountain while Shen Tu and Bi Ya exchanged a glance before sighing and keeping up.
Looking at their departing backs, a cultivator from Purple Star came up to Lu Gui Chen and said, “Senior, they…”
“They probably won’t return…” Lu Gui Chen sighed softly and smiled bitterly, “I don’t know I should feel glad or sad for them, but for now we’ve managed to escape, as for what will happen next time, I’m afraid…”
Saying so, he showed a dispirited look to his three remaining subordinates.
All of them thought that those who had been summoned were going to die.
Yang Kai waited in the heart of the mountain and after a while saw Shen Tu and the others walk in, gently nodded and was about to say hello when he suddenly wore a confused expression, “What’s wrong with you all? Why do you all look so depressed?”
The corner of Shen Tu’s mouth twitched as he somewhat unwillingly replied, “We were summoned by Gui Zu.”
Letting out a sigh, he reached out and gently patted Yang Kai’s shoulder, whispering quietly, “Brother, I’m afraid that there’s no way we can flee from this disaster. If you have the chance to escape from this place, please deliver a message to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. Tell my father I’m sorry for disappointing him, and that if I had only known this would happen, I wouldn’t have been so stubborn and disobedient.”
Appearing as if he was making his last confession, Shen Tu looked unusually solemn.
“Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce?” Yue Xi heard this and directed a thoughtful look towards Shen Tu, her eyes flashing a slight bit of doubt.
“Remember to deliver my last message; of course, if you can’t leave here that is,” Shen Tu patted Yang Kai’s shoulder, sighing heavily again.
Yang Kai’s expression became weird.
But after thinking about it, he suddenly understood why these people were so downcast, like they were marching to their own execution, causing him to smile with astonishment, “What do you think Senior Gui Zu Senior summoned you all for?”
“I don’t know, but it’s certainly not anything good,” Shen Tu replied before gawking towards Yang Kai, “Do you know what we’ve been summoned for? Can you tell us so we can prepare ourselves?”
Everyone cast their vision towards him.
“I asked Senior Gui Zu to call all of you over,” Yang Kai bluntly said.
Everyone expression became puzzled.
“I’m going to take you out of here,” Yang Kai continued.
Shen Tu shook visibly while Yue Xi, He Zao, He Miao, and Bi Ya’s beautiful eyes lit up as the stared towards Yang Kai incredulously.
“I found a way to leave this place, en, and when I told Senior Gui Zu about it, he agreed to let you come with us.”
“Wha… Did I hear you right? Can we really leave this place?” Shen Tu muttered absent-mindedly, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
He Zao and He Miao’s pretty faces both lifted, their eyes filling with a light of gratitude, He Miao eagerly asking, “Yang Kai, are you telling the truth? You’re not deceiving us right?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
Hearing this, the little girl suddenly became filled with joy as she covered her small mouth and teared up, “Good, good…”
She was so excited that she couldn’t stop crying. Just now, she had thought being summoned by Gui Zu, she would have to die, but now those worries had disappeared and were replaced with the prospect of being able to escape from this prison, so her reaction was only natural.
He Zao gently held her shoulders, the two sisters exchanging a knowing glance and smiled.
Bi Ya seemed to have been shocked by this news, standing there stupidly for a time, unable to compose herself as she stared towards Yang Kai, unable to understand why he had suddenly changed his mind.
Not long ago, Bi Ya had looked for Yang Kai to discuss this very matter, but the perfunctory answer she had received at the time had been very discouraging, yet not he was actually telling her he would bring her out from this place. Bi Ya couldn’t help wondering if she was dreaming right now.
Amongst this group though, the most confused was undoubtedly was Yue Xi.
Staring at Yang Kai, her look was particularly complex, her expression fluctuating, no one able to determine what she was thinking.
She wanted to offer her thanks, but she couldn’t find the words to say, her heart was tangled up in knots.
“You all wait here for a moment. Bi Ya, come with me,” Yang Kai didn’t pay any attention to Yue Xi and instead beckoned to Bi Ya.
“Ah, en…” Bi Ya quickly responded and followed after Yang Kai.
Standing a short distance away, Yang Kai stared at this promiscuous woman, his brow slightly wrinkled, eventually letting out a long sigh, “To be honest, I don’t really want to take you out from this place. Whether you live or die means nothing to me!”
Bi Ya smiled bitterly, “I understand, after all, I did many terrible things to you before.”
“There is a saying that one’s behaviour is easy to change, but their nature is not. You are a woman who treats men as nothing but playthings, a resource to be consumed to increase your own strength. Right now you may be acting docile, but who knows what will happen once we leave this place, perhaps your original personality will re-assert itself and you will bear a deep grudge for what has transpired here then bide your time to seek vengeance.”
“No, I won’t do such a thing,” Bi Ya quickly waved.
“I don’t trust you!” Yang Kai shook his head.
Bi Ya’s face went white, as if she was seeing the hope of leaving here slipping away before her very eyes.
“However, during this time you did serve me well. En, whether it was out of necessity or sincerity, you took care of me very attentively, so if I was to simply discard you here, that would be too ungrateful.”
“What do I need to do to win your trust?” Bi Ya understood the meaning of his words and her eyes immediately lit up, quickly asking Yang Kai, “Just say the word and I will comply!”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “Let loose your Knowledge Sea’s defences. I must take your Soul Brand and control whether you live or die!”
Bi Ya was stunned, her face filling with a look of horror as she hesitated for a moment, but she quickly recovered and nodded, lowering her Knowledge Sea’s defences.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense penetrated into Bi Ya’s Knowledge Sea and shuttled back and forth.
After a few breaths, Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense as well as Bi Ya’s Soul Brand.
Bi Ya’s face had turned slightly pale from this experience, her red lips muttering, “Is this enough?”
Yang Kai looked at her in a strange expression and nodded. “Yes.”
After a pause, he asked again, “Just how many men have you harmed so far?”
Bi Ya pursed her lips and giggled, “Did you peek at my memories?”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “I didn’t intend to.”
Inside Bi Ya’s Knowledge Sea, so many of her memories were filled with obscene scenes, so much so that even an experienced man like Yang Kai felt frightened. This woman was nothing less than a walking disaster; any man she targeted would be unable to escape her poisonous hands, ultimately resulting in their vitality being sucked away.
But when each of these men died, their expressions were all filled with bliss, as if they remained ignorant of the terrible fate that had befallen them until the very end.
Yang Kai couldn’t help shivering slightly. If it weren’t for the many twists and turns back on the Purple Star Starship, his life may have ended like all those others, a dry husk beneath Bi Ya’s profane power.
“I am only yours now,” Bi Ya bit her thing thin red lip seductively, her tender body seemingly emitting a fragrant pheromone that assaulting Yang Kai’s mind, “I will serve you even more attentively from now on.”
“No need, I don’t want to have anything to do with you. After we leave here, you and I will part ways,” Yang Kai snorted.
“You shouldn’t really be…” Bi Ya covered her mouth and swept her eyes up and down, but mostly down Yang Kai.
“Shouldn’t really be what?”
“Do you… have problems down there?” Bi Ya asked the doubt she had held in her heart for so long, her eyes staring fixedly between Yang Kai’s legs, a tinge of sadness and pity appearing on her face.
Yang Kai’s face went black as he shouted, “If you dare talk any more nonsense I’ll leave you to rot here!”
Saying so, he no longer bothered with this crazy woman, turning around and leaving, Bi Ya’s delightful giggles resounding behind him; she seemingly didn’t care one bit about Yang Kai’s threat.
After Yang Kai arrived back at the place where everyone had gathered, Gui Zu appeared leisurely.
Everyone who had been whispering back and forth a month ago promptly shut up.
“Done?” Gui Zu looked at Yang Kai.
“En.”
“Then let’s go!” Gui Zu laughed.
“Wait a moment, I have some things to say first,” Yang Kai turned to face the crowd and put on a solemn expression, “All of you need to know that in order to take you out from this place, I will be using a method to tear space.”
“Tear space?” Yue Xi called out in shock as she stared Yang Kai, “Do you understand the Dao of Space?”
Nodding, Yang Kai admitted, “A little.”
Yue Xi’s beautiful eyes lit up, suddenly turning to look at Gui Zu, “No wonder, no wonder Senior Gui Zu made an agreement with you, it was like this.”
All of them had been speculating about just what would make Gui Zu take interest in Yang Kai, even going so far as to protect his safety and provide him with a the best cultivation environment, his attitude towards Yang Kai completely different from all the others. Now, they understood.
Being able to tear space meant Yang Kai had the ability to escape from this prison. This was similar to the approach Gui Zu had researched for a thousand years, his one hope to leave here, but also something he could not grasp clearly.
No one had thought that Yang Kai was also familiar with the Dao of Space. The Dao of Space had always been an extremely esoteric field, one that was extremely difficult to comprehend and even more difficult to practice. The number of cultivators even slightly familiar with the Dao of Space was extremely small.
Even if one were to take the entire Star Field into consideration, cultivators proficient in the mysteries of space were a rarity.
A master like Gui Zu, who had been studying the Dao of Space for a thousand years hadn’t even had any significant accomplishments, the Space Array he had painstakingly arranged ultimately being of no use.
“Brother…” Shen Tu licked his dry lips and muttered, “Do you really come from a lower world? You haven’t been playing the pig to eat a tiger this whole time right?”
Although Shen Tu was the one asking, this question was the one everyone present wanted to ask, all of them suspecting that Yang Kai actually came from some extraordinary background and these days had just been putting on an act.
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “If I hadn’t come from a lower world, how could I have been so ignorant about the Star Field’s common sense?”
Shen Tu thought about it for a moment before nodding lightly, “Fair enough.”
Since he met Yang Kai, Yang Kai had asked him many questions about things even children should have understood, saying he was acting the whole time really was a bit of a stretch.
“But regardless, you really an amazing guy…” Shen Tu grinned wryly, “And, why are you telling us this now?”
“Because in order to lead you away from this place, I need you to coordinate with me,” Yang Kai’s expression became dignified again, “I can tear space and allow all of you to enter the turbulent flow of The Void in order to lead you out of this place, but the path I create by tearing space is very different from a long-established Void Corridor… Void Corridors that have existed for extended periods of time have already stabilized and only connect two points in space together, allowing people to freely move between those two points while on the other hand, the path I create while tearing space is fluid and unstable.”
The looks on everyone’s face changed slightly as they suddenly realized that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. The road leading out of this place was apparently full of thorns.
“I need all of you to guarantee that you won’t use any of your strength while following me!” Yang Kai glanced around at everyone in a serious manner, his eyes eventually landing on Gui Zu, “This is especially true for you, Senior, because once you release your strength, there’s a high chance you will disturb the void turbulence around us, causing us to sink further into The Void. Once we lose our position in The Void, even I won’t be able to safely bring us out!”
“Oh?” Gui Zu grinned and nodded, “Good, this old master won’t use any of his strength!”
“Do all of you understand?” Yang Kai glanced over at the others.
Everyone nodded together.
“Good. Other than that, there’s nothing else, just follow me and don’t cause any trouble,” Yang Kai thought about it for a moment but really couldn’t think of anything else to say, “If you’re ready, let’s get underway.”
Saying so, he reached out his hand and sliced through the space in front of him, opening a thin, dark slit. Then, as if two giant hands were pulling it apart, the slit opened up until it was more than a meter in width and two meters in height, forming a pitch-black portal to The Void out of which a terrifying Void Energy pulsed.
Gui Zu’s expression became serious as he peered deep into The Void while the others were only more nervous than him.
Yang Kai pulled one of the high-quality luminous stones from the wall then stepped into the portal without even saying a word.
Gui Zu’s eyes flashed and did not rush to keep up with Yang Kai, but instead tossed Shen Tu inside.
Bi Ya followed Shen Tu, then Gui Zu, then Yue Xi and her two disciples stepped inside last.
After all seven people entered it, the tear in space quickly and silently disappeared.
Amidst the profound darkness, the only source of light was from the glowing stone in Yang Kai’s hand, this stone served as a guidepost for everyone.
None of them dared fall behind, each of them walking tepidly through this turbulent space, quietly observing their surroundings.
They had never had such a peculiar experience, none of them ever even thinking they would one day be able to walk through The Void.
The turbulent flow of space around them was disorienting and seemed like the mouth of the most terrifying beast imaginable just waiting to swallow them whole. All around them was like a thick swamp, with pitfalls and sinkholes everywhere, one careless misstep and they would be pulled under, banished to the end of the world forever.
Everyone’s heart pounded loudly in their chest.
Even as they admired the scene around them, it did not lessen their trepidation.
The only thing that gave them some comfort was that everywhere Yang Kai passed, the chaotic flow of space seemed to be smoothed out, and the unsteady ground became solid, making it easy to walk upon.
Everyone was keenly aware that Yang Kai’s aura had some kind of mysterious resonance with the turbulence here, allowing him to understand its flow and accurately find his way through it.
As they held their breaths, each one of them followed exactly in the footsteps of the person in front of them.
Suddenly, a cry of surprise rang out and Yang Kai couldn’t help but pause and turn back to ask, “What happened?”
“Nothing…” He Miao patted her chest and apologized, “Sorry, I suddenly felt like I was falling.”
Looking down at where her foot was, space seemed to have burst open and shattered like a broken mirror. Staring into this crack gave one the illusion they were falling into the abyss.
Yang Kai nodded and didn’t say anything more, simply continuing to lead the way.
“Little girl, don’t startle us like that, this old master was nearly scared to death by you!” Gui Zu turned back and grinned towards He Miao, his gloomy smile causing He Miao’s bad complexion to turn even paler.
Yang Kai, who was walking ahead, suddenly came to a halt, stretched out his hand, and tore through space again, opening another crack in The Void!
Quickly, he stepped through.
The others followed right on his heels.
Breathing in the fresh air, everyone felt like they had just emerged from the depths of purgatory. Looking around for a while, Shen Tu suddenly furrowed his brow and commented, “Yang Kai, we don’t seem to have gone far!”
As he spoke, he turned his glance downwards.
Beneath the feet of their group was a giant burnt mountain peak and nearby there were a few cultivators moving about. These people were clearly Lu Gui Chen and the other remaining Purple Star cultivators.
They had also noticed the situation above them and were pointing towards Yang Kai’s group, not understanding the situation.
“En, we really haven’t gone too far, a thousand kilometres or so I’d say,” Yang Kai nodded and explained, “This time was just to familiarize you with the feeling of moving through The Void. What comes next is the main event!”
Saying so, he pointed above his head at the seven coloured sky, “We have to break through the chaotic field surrounding this floating continent.”
“Got it!” Shen Tu nodded.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai smiled faintly, “I can use this method a few times in a row.”
Carefully sensing the fluctuations from the Divine Sense marks he had left behind, Yang Kai confirmed the direction he needed to go and tore space again.
As everyone was stepping into the tear, He Miao suddenly turned her head and squinted, whispering softly, “Master, Lu Gui Chen and his people seem to be coming here.”
“Don’t care about them, keep up!” Yue Xi urged.
“En.”
“Lu Gui Chen, just wait here for death!” Yue Xi sneered softly as she shot a glance down towards the ground before finally stepping through the portal.
A moment later, Lu Gui Chen, who was riding his Star Shuttle from down below, arrived only to discover no trace of anyone left and quickly realize that they had been abandoned here, his face draining of all colour.
The few people that Gui Zu had summoned before were all clearly related to Yang Kai, with the only ones not summoned being his group from Purple Star.
At the time he had the attitude of taking pleasure in other’s misfortune, thinking that Yue Xi and the others were walking to their deaths, but little did know that it was actually the path to survival.
On the contrary, he and his remaining three subordinates had forever been abandoned here!
His face twisted in rage and he let out a roar of anger.
The seven coloured sky was formed by the intersection of the many chaotic energy fields from the stars of the Chaotic Abyss, forming a ten-thousand-kilometre wide domain of distorted space.
Somewhere amongst this chaotic domain, space suddenly split open with Yang Kai walking out. There, he stopped and quickly began determining his position.
Sensing the Divine Sense mark he had left behind was not far away, although there was some slight error in the position, he had emerged within an acceptable margin of error. As long as he followed the paths laid out by these guideposts, Yang Kai was confident they could arrive at the Chaotic Abyss.
Once they arrived at the Chaotic Abyss, they would really be free.
One after another, figures appeared behind him, and after everyone saw the scenery in front of them, they were filled with amazement because all around them was a gorgeous seven coloured space.
However, everyone quickly discovered that their Divine Senses couldn’t play any role here because as soon as they extended them out more than a few meters, they would become affected by the chaotic domain, possibly even becoming lost, without the possibility of recovery.
Gui Zu gently nodded, “Very good, you really have the ability to leave this place, this old master was not mistaken about you.”
At a glance, he could tell that this place was above the floating continent, a place he had never been to, increasing his confidence in Yang Kai greatly. Seemingly because the wish he had held onto for two thousand years was about to be completed, his expression wasn’t as ghastly as before and instead filled with a smile of expectation.
Yang Kai glanced at him and smiled lightly.
The black mark on his arm, however, was sending out an even chillier aura than before.
He knew that Gui Zu was on guard against him, lest he try to suddenly abandon him here in this strange space.
If he were really to be left here, Gui Zu wasn’t confident he could return to the Floating Continent.
Yang Kai did have such thoughts, but he didn’t dare make any rash actions. He didn’t have the confidence to plot against Gui Zu’s right before his eyes, so, for now, he behaved very honestly.
Once again perceiving the position of the next guidepost, Yang Kai tore space.
Yang Kai led the other six people through The Void, one thousand kilometres at a time, everything proceeding smoothly, bringing them closer and closer to the Chaotic Abyss.
After tearing space five times, Yang Kai immediately sat down cross-legged and gasped for breath, “Wait here a moment, I need to restore myself for a while.”
Every time Yang Kai tore space, it drained a huge amount of his strength, so it was impossible for him to do it continuously without end. The Spiritual Energy in his Knowledge Sea had already been greatly consumed, so he needed to supplement it in case some unexpected situation came up, otherwise, he wouldn’t have the strength to deal with it.
After an hour, Yang Kai had finished restoring himself and began leading the way forward again.
Every time he tore space, Yang Kai would first confirm the direction he needed to go by tracing the Divine Sense marks he had left behind, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to advance through the confusing seven coloured field.
Things progressed far smoother than Yang Kai had anticipated, none of his previous concerns coming to pass.
The six people behind him also remembered Yang Kai’s warning and didn’t dare use any of their strength; even Gui Zu carefully cooperated, not stirring up any trouble along the way.
Everyone seemingly felt that so long as things continued on like this, they would soon reach the Chaotic Abyss.
With hope right in front of them, everyone’s spirits rose.
Somewhere amongst the seven coloured sky, Yang Kai’s figure again emerged from The Void, quickly followed by the other six.
Turning around, he smiled to the group, “This is the last jump. Once we pass through The Void again, we’ll reach the Chaotic Abyss!”
Hearing him say this, everyone’s eyes lit up and their sense of anticipation increased once more.
“Little brat, make it quick. This old master can’t wait to see the outside world,” Gui Zu grinned and encouraged.
“I have to restore myself again!” Yang Kai said faintly.
“Good, make it quick!”
Yang Kai sat down without saying another word. He wasn’t lying, there really was just one last jump left. As long as he tore space once more, Yang Kai was confident they could arrive at the Chaotic Abyss, but even so, he still felt quite uneasy.
This uneasiness, of course, came from Gui Zu.
Yang Kai had no way to guarantee that this old monster, who had lived more than two thousand years, would keep his promise not to harm him after they escaped.
In this situation, he could only passively choose to believe in him while praying Gui Zu would not go back on his word.
This feeling of helplessness made Yang Kai very uncomfortable.
“Senior, can you take back this thing in my arm?” Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and asked Gui Zu, “We’re almost free now, is there any reason to keep monitoring me?”
Gui Zu grinned lightly and didn’t say anything, simply nodding and waving his hand, removing the black mark left atop Yang Kai’s arm, taking back the evil spectre it was made from into his body.
Yang Kai’s mind and body both felt as if they became lighter like a shackle had been removed from him.
“Little brat, behave yourself and this old master won’t make trouble for you,” Gui Zu snorted.
“Senior is broadminded,” Yang Kai chuckled, standing up and taking a soft breath before tearing space apart under the gaze of the crowd.
He, as always, was the first to step through.
After entering The Void though, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became dignified as he stood in place, not moving forward and instead silently perceiving his surroundings.
“Why are you stopping now? Are you still trying to play some kind of tricks at this last moment?” Gui Zu, who had followed Yang Kai in, saw him acting strangely and couldn’t help grumbling.
Yang Kai didn’t answer him though and continued his investigation.
Suddenly, his face changed and he shouted, “Move quickly, don’t stop, space here is far more chaotic than anywhere we’ve been so far, probably because we’re closer to the Chaotic Abyss.”
Seeing the alarmed look on Yang Kai’s face, the other six people realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly followed after him, moving as fast as they safely could.
Up until now, wherever Yang Kai passed, the void turbulence would temporarily subside, allowing everyone to safely pass while not being dragged into the surrounding chaotic flow, but now, the other six in the group could faintly feel that where they were stepping had become less smooth and muddier, like there was a faint suction tugging at them from all directions. The turbulent flow also seemed closer than before, like a swarm of locusts that were eyeing them from nearby.
*Kacha…*
A dense sound of cracking resounded all around the group, sending shivers into each of their souls. Glancing around, the barrier separating all of them from the turbulent flow of The Void was clearly beginning to shatter.
From the surrounding Void, the force of attraction increased greatly and threatened to swallow them whole.
Although none of them besides Yang Kai were proficient in the Dao of Space, they were well aware of the terrors of The Void, once any of them fell into one of these cracks, with no references to find their way out, they would become forever lost, never to return again.
Therefore, they huddled even closer to Yang Kai, not daring to fall behind.
Yang Kai’s expression was also solemn, not saying a single word and devoting all his attention to moving forward, soon arriving at a certain point and stretching out his hand to tear a hole in The Void.
When this tear was opened, from the other side of the portal, a familiar scene appeared in everyone’s eyes.
Massive, energetic stars arranged closely together, creating a vibrant and enchanting picture.
The Chaotic Abyss!
Yang Kai smiled and prepared to step out.
But just then, Shen Tu and Bi Ya suddenly shouted in alarm, as if something had happened just behind them.
Upon hearing their shouts, Yang Kai turned his head and saw Gui Zu’s figure flicker as he prepared to take one step ahead and flee through the portal.
However, in the instant he circulated his strength to propel himself forward, he had also stimulated all the turbulence throughout the surrounding Void and shattered the safe passage Yang Kai had established.
Before Gui Zu could escape, half his body was swallow up by The Void, and no matter how hard he tried to struggle, he was unable to escape its grasp.
Yue Xi and her two disciples who were following behind Gui Zu had also been caught up in the turbulent flow and were quickly sinking into The Void.
When Yang Kai turned to look back, he saw the three women staring at him with pleading looks as they silently prayed to him for rescue.
Even now, all of them were carefully abiding by Yang Kai’s words and had not used any of their strength.
Gui Zu on the other hand, upon noticing the dire situation he was in, pushed his strength wildly in an attempt to break through the crack that was trying to swallow him.
However, it was like the crevice he had fallen into was filled with quicksand, and the more Gui Zu struggled, the faster he sunk, causing his old face to pale.
“Fuck!” Shen Tu couldn’t help cursing, “Brother Yang, let’s go!”
Yang Kai’s look changed, and a look of hesitation flashed across his eyes. He glanced over at Gui Zu, who was being engulfed by The Void, only his head still visible; he then looked over at He Zao and He Miao, all sorts of thoughts surfacing in his mind.
Yang Kai went stiff, as a struggle took place in his heart.
With just one more step, he could reach the Chaotic Abyss and escape from under Gui Zu’s oppression, and now that this old monster had gotten caught up in the void turbulence it was likely he would never be able to find his way out, forcing him to endure an even bitterer and difficult life than the one where he was trapped on the floating continent, a lifetime spent drifting through The Void.
Yang Kai very much wished for such an outcome.
However, He Zao and He Miao would also die.
Yang Kai still remembered when Gui Zu had wanted to throw him into the Space Array to test the Void Corridor’s stability, how He Zao had stood up bravely and spoken for him.
“Brother Yang!” Shen Tu shouted again. Yang Kai was lead the way and blocking both him and Bi Ya from exiting. Shen Tu was so anxious to pass him and flee to safety he could barely contain himself.
Bi Ya’s heart was also in chaos, her beautiful eyes staring towards Yang Kai, wondering what choice he would make.
Yang Kai’s hesitation only lasted a moment though before his eyes became firm. Sending a palm strike towards the portal leading out of The Void, he released a cluster of pitch-black Demonic Flame that temporarily help it open.
“Go!” Yang Kai shouted before grabbing hold of Shen Tu and Bi Ya and tossing them out then with a gloomy expression flew in the opposite direction.
“Brother Yang!” Shen Tu’s face paled as he passed by Yang Kai, but before he could recover, he found himself already amidst the Chaotic Abyss.
Inside The Void, Yang Kai soon arrived in front of the void crevice which was swallowing the group of four and stared at Gui Zu, hurriedly shouting, “If you want to live, withdraw your strength, don’t make this more difficult for me!”
Gui Zu’s face was pure white by this point and quickly took back his strength, no longer struggling.
“I’ll save you now, don’t panic, don’t do anything at all!” Yang Kai called out to He Zao and He Miao before sitting down in front of the four of them, his Spiritual Energy and Saint Qi bursting out and pouring into the crevice.
Incorporating his own understanding of the Dao of Space into this crevice slowly allowed Yang Kai to produce a resonance with it and eventually control it.
Soon, the four people who were gradually sinking down were pleasantly surprised to find that the suction, which was drawing them in was gradually becoming weaker and soon disappeared altogether. Not only that, an opposite force which was trying to push them out soon appeared and began freeing them from the void crevice.
All four of their expressions brightened with He Zao and He Miao tearing up as they stared at Yang Kai, their eyes filled with joy.
They had thought that this time they had encountered an inescapable disaster and would certainly die, they hadn’t anticipated Yang Kai would return at the last moment, they all knew just what kind of risk he was taking to save them.
This caused their moods to undergo a subtle change as an inexplicable feeling filled their hearts and brought them a sense of warmth and comfort.
The feelings of panic and despair were quickly swept away and a radiant glow appeared on their faces, seemingly no longer afraid of any danger.
Even Yue Xi, at this moment, finally changed her opinion about Yang Kai, a look of pure gratitude appearing on her pretty face.
“Ah…” He Miao suddenly screamed and pointed to Yang Kai.
The other three all turned to look in the direction she was pointing and their expression sank once more.
At the spot where Yang Kai was sitting, a new set of cracks was forming, threatening to swallow his body into the void crevice.
As time passed, more and more cracks formed and spread out, seeming to engulf the entire space surrounding them.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly shot open as he shouted, “Come out!”
With this shout, the four others who hadn’t dared to move so far were finally freed from the void crevice and immediately rushed outward.
Whether the ground beneath her was too unstable of she was too anxious in that moment, Yue Xi stumbled and nearly fell, but before she could hit the ground, Yang Kai wrapped his arm around her waist and leapt out just as the cracked space around them began to completely collapse.
Yue Xi’s body instantly went stiff when she felt Yang Kai’s strong hand grab hold of her. It was like she had been struck by lightning, all her strength draining from her body. Her eyes landing on the Junior carrying her, she suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of safety, like she had just entered a tranquil harbour that gently cradled her, causing her mood to become incredibly complicated.
Amidst the Chaotic Abyss, Shen Tu and Bi Ya looked anxiously towards the black portal leading to The Void, hoping to see Yang Kai.
However, they were unable to see the situation inside, and the Demonic Flames burning the edge of the portal, keeping it open, were already beginning to fade, yet there were still no signs of the ones still inside escaping.
If they didn’t escape soon, Yang Kai and the others would be forced to remain inside forever!
“They couldn’t have had an accident, right?” Shen Tu stuttered, “Brother Yang’s understanding of the Dao of Space has reached a very high level. Nothing should have happened to them, wouldn’t you say?”
Saying so, he turned to look at Bi Ya, hoping she would affirm his statement.
“I don’t know…” Bi Ya shook her head, her mood extremely complicated, “But I hope nothing bad happens to him!”
Yang Kai currently possessed her Soul Brand, allowing him to control whether she lived or died, so if he didn’t emerge and instead became lost in The Void, she would also die!
More than anyone, she didn’t wish to see anything happen to Yang Kai.
“They’re coming out!” Shen Tu suddenly shouted as he saw a figure leap out from the crack just as it was about to close.
Naturally, it was Gui Zu!
Seeing his face, Shen Tu anxiously called out, “How is it you, where’s Brother Yang?”
“Right behind!” Gui Zu turned back just in time to see the He Zao He Miao sisters escape, swiftly followed by Yang Kai and Yue Xi.
Just as Yang Kai stepped out from The Void, the Demonic Flames holding the portal open burned out and the crack in space disappeared without a trace.
“Haha, I knew Brother Yang’s luck wouldn’t run out here. How could he have had any accidents?” Shen Tu laughed and was sincerely happy for Yang Kai, but as he said so, his expression suddenly became weird as he stared towards him with great interest, an ambiguous grin quickly spreading across his face.
Everyone else’s eyes also gathered on Yang Kai, each of their expressions becoming weird.
Yang Kai’s arm was currently carrying Yue Xi by her waist, and Yue Xi actually showed no signs of resisting, her neck dyed bright red as a slightly unusual expression filled her pretty face.
He Miao couldn’t help covering her mouth in shock when she saw this incredible scene, not knowing what had happened after she and her Elder Sister left that caused her Master and Yang Kai to become so intimate with one another.
What was most incredible about this situation though was that her Master wasn’t struggling at all.
In the past, her Master had never left any man get anywhere close to her, much less allow them to embrace her. This was undoubtedly a first. If such a scene were to be shown to all her Master’s admirers back in Sword Union, He Miao didn’t know how many of them would come seeking a fight with Yang Kai.
He Zao coughed lightly, unsure what she should say to remind her Master of her current position.
Being stared at by all these eyes, Yue Xi’s expression became even more embarrassed and she couldn’t wait to jump back into The Void and never come out again.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, didn’t say a word and easily put Yue Xi down before swiftly falling back a thousand meters, staring coldly and vigilantly towards Gui Zu as he prepared to tear space once again.
The ambiguous atmosphere was instantly broken and gave way to an incredibly grave one, everyone else staring towards Gui Zu worriedly.
Now that everyone had left the floating continent and successfully arrived at the Chaotic Abyss, Gui Zu had accomplished the wish he had cherished for two thousand years. If at this time he suddenly decided to start a slaughter, of the people present, besides Yang Kai who might have a chance to escape, everyone here would have to surrender their lives.
With the Chaotic Abyss as a backdrop, everything went silent as everyone’s mood became anxious.
Gui Zu grinned lightly, his pair of gloomy eyes staring towards Yang Kai who stood a thousand meters away, no one able to guess what he was thinking.
Violent heartbeats echoed as loudly as drums from everyone’s chest.
“Little brat, what are you afraid of?” Gui Zu asked.
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he bluntly said, “I’m afraid Senior will not honour his words and go back on our agreement!”
“Is this old master so untrustworthy?” Gui Zu coldly snorted, “For even saying that, this old master could condemn you to a dozen deaths! Don’t think that you can escape from this old master’s palm by tearing space. You’re too weak, I can easily stop you before you even try!”
“I believe Senior has such strength, but if you must act, Junior won’t just sit still waiting for death!” Yang Kai said solemnly.
“Senior Gui Zu, in light of Brother Yang fulfilling his promise and bringing you out from that place, can’t you…” Shen Tu wanted to put in a good word but before he could finish, Gui Zu stared coldly at him, causing Shen Tu’s expression to fill with pain as he gripped his head and howled miserably.
Seeing this, Yang Kai slightly paled.
“Senior…” Yue Xi also opened her mouth to speak.
But Gui Zu only glanced at her before Yue Xi’s face became pale and she began screaming just like Shen Tu.
“This old master is Gui Zu, this old master was never a man of his word. You believing in me was your greatest mistake!” Gui Zu scorned.
His body suddenly blurred and Yang Kai’s heart screamed out in alert, but before he could tear space, a gloomy aura pressed down on him making him unable to move.
Gui Zu appeared in front of Yang Kai’s eyes, a sneer upon his face.
“Good, this old master really intended to kill you after you brought me out from that cage. As for the reason, it was because you never sincerely wished to work with me,” Gui Zu sneered, “You think this old master didn’t know what you were planning? It was only because this old master’s strength dominated over you that you cooperated. If it were any other Saint King or Origin Returning Realm cultivator, they would have been long ago abandoned by you!”
Yang Kai didn’t say anything, because what Gui Zu said was the truth.
It was only because this old monster’s strength was so much higher that Yang Kai couldn’t plot against him.
“A few breaths ago, this old master still planned to settle things as such,” Gui Zu’s expression suddenly changed and a frown appeared on his face, “But now, this old master has changed his mind. You put your own life at risk to save mine, and although I know that was not your intention and you only did so to rescue those two little girls, if this old master were to kill you, that would be too ungrateful. If word spread out, it would only turn this old master into a joke.”
“This old master doesn’t like the feeling of owing someone a debt, regardless of the reasons; you saved this old master’s life, giving him the chance to seek his vengeance, so this old master will spare your life!”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he stared at Gui Zu dubiously.
“Surprised? Did you think this old master was someone lacking all sense of humanity?”
Yang Kai frowned and shook his head, “Junior never thought so. Since Senior did not forget his hatred for an entire two thousand years, he could not lack humanity. Perhaps two thousand years ago, Senior was a good man!”
“Ha ha ha!” Gui Zu laughed riotously, “A good man? Good, this old master was really a good man at the time, but two thousand years of hatred and solitude is enough to change one’s nature.”
“Little brat, do you want to follow this old master?” Gui Zu suddenly lowered his voice and stared at Yang Kai seriously, “This old master appreciates your talent. If you follow this old master, no one across this vast Star Field will dare to embarrass you. This old master can also guide your cultivation, allowing you to reach the Origin Returning Realm in the shortest time. With your aptitude, that will definitely be less than a hundred years!”
Yang Kai didn’t even think about it before shaking his head, “Senior’s offer is quite generous, but Junior doesn’t intend to live his life like this.”
“You would refuse this old master?” Gui Zu looked at Yang Kai with amazement, “You actually dare reject this old master’s offer? Are you looking down on this old master?”
His expression suddenly became violent, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction because of Yang Kai’s answer, even arousing his just settled killing intent.
Yang Kai however just smiled and said, “Senior must be joking, you are an Origin King Realm powerhouse on the same level as a Star Master, I don’t think anyone wouldn’t wish to take shelter under your wings. Junior as greatly admires your achievements, how could I possibly look down on you?”
“Then why do you refuse?”
Yang Kai frowned for a moment before saying, “Junior doesn’t wish to grow up as a greenhouse flower, too delicate to withstand the wind and rain. I believe Senior’s words, that with your help, within less than a hundred year I will reach the Origin Returning Realm, but… perhaps after maturing in such an environment, the Origin Returning Realm will be my limit. I wish to pursue higher realms, such as the realm of Senior… in order to do that, I must temper myself with danger and slaughter!”
Gui Zu’s originally unhappy look gave way to one of approval as he nodded to Yang Kai, “What you say has some truth. This old master won’t force you. If you ever change your mind, you can always come find me, this old master’s name will soon resound throughout the Star Field, so it shouldn’t be difficult to seek me out.”
“Junior wishes Senior success in his revenge and that your thousand-year-old grudge may be swiftly settled!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
These words seemed to go straight to Gui Zu’s heart and elicited a smile on his face. A moment later he nodded, “Little brat, seems you can speak well. This old master appreciates you more and more. En, here, you can hold on to this thing, it’s useless to this old master in any case. Consider it as a thank you for saving my life!”
Saying so, Gui Zu tossed a small black object over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai instinctually caught it and upon examining it, he discovered that it was some kind of token engraved with a single word, ‘Emperor’!
Even though it was just a simple engraving, the sense of oppression that this ‘Emperor’ gave off made it difficult for Yang Kai to even breathe.
“The Star Sect Command?” Yang Kai exclaimed.
He remembered that this token had been found inside Yue Xi’s Space Ring by Gui Zu. When this token had appeared, Yue Xi, Lu Gui Chen, and everyone else had shown near fanatically looks.
Yang Kai had realized then that this Star Sect Command was some kind of supreme treasure that was enough to attract everyone’s attention.
“Senior, this thing…”
“Don’t you know what it is?” Gui Zu asked.
Yang Kai shook his head.
“En, you come from a lower world, so not knowing is understandable. A Star Sect Command, also known as a Star Emperor Token, is the token of the Starry Sky Great Emperor!”
“Starry Sky Great Emperor?” Yang Kai asked in confusion.
“He is a legendary character from the past, and was said to have single-handedly controlled an entire Star Field at one point. His cultivation was exceedingly high, superior to even this old master! When he took control of the Star Field, he produced ten Star Emperor Tokens, each one of them sealing one of his Divine Abilities, each of which was capable of destroying a star!”
Yang Kai paled as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, only now realizing why Lu Gui Chen and Yue Xi were willing to expend so many resources and people to compete for this Star Emperor Token. He also thoroughly understood just how precious this Star Emperor Token was.