Before the scarred man could recover his stance, Yang Kai sent a punch straight into his face.
With another muffled thud, the scarred man was sent flying through the air, tumbling a few times before cratering heavily, throwing up a cloud of dust.
This man was a Third Order Saint King, so if not for his Junior Brother being injured just now, disrupting his focus greatly, he would not have so easily been beaten by Yang Kai, at the very least he would have been able to exchange a few moves.
However, his negligence allowed Yang Kai’s plan to succeed.
This incident happened far too rapidly, with less than a breath of time passing between when the First Order Saint King cultivator was caught by Yang Kai to the time the scarred man hit the ground.
This made the other cultivators who had been secretly paying attention to the movement here gasp as they stared with dumbstruck looks.
Had this First Order Saint King defeated a Third Order Saint King in a single move? Even if the latter had been somewhat careless, wasn’t something like this still impossible?
“Which family does that boy come from? How is he so fierce?”
“Fortunately, I wasn’t the one to jump out just now, otherwise I’m afraid I’d be the one lying there instead of Yin Jian.”
“It’s over for this kid though. Although his strength clearly isn’t normal, he must be brain dead to hit Yin Jian in front of so many Blue Sparrow Sect disciples. Even his family won’t survive this!”
Whispers spread amongst the surrounding crowd instantly.
The nearly thirty disciples from Blue Sparrow Sect all wore cold expressions as they stood up together and glared towards Yang Kai, rapidly moving to surround him.
From the Blue Sparrow Sect group, only an old man at the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm remained in place as he glanced over grimly towards this scene. Although he would not lower his own status to deal with this matter personally, he also didn’t stop his disciples from seeking vengeance.
Obviously, he intended to let his disciples teach Yang Kai a lesson.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had been surrounded by thirty people. These people all stared at him menacingly, many of them laughing lowly, their voices sounding quite gloomy.
The scarred man named Yin Jian climbed up from the ground with difficulty, his expression still filled with a look of shock. He hadn’t imagined he would suffer such a big loss at Yang Kai’s hand, so after getting to his feet, his face couldn’t help going from blue to white.
The other First Order Saint King whose arm had been broken by Yang Kai was in a far worse condition though, still howling in pain as he kneeled nearby.
“Stop!” Yin Jian shouted angrily, stopping his fellow disciples from attacking Yang Kai, his eyes blurring with aggressive light as murderous intent pulsed from his body.
Naturally he had to wash this shame away himself in order to recover his face.
“Boy, you really have guts! Father here only wanted to do some honest business with you, but rather than discussing things like a honest man you actually dared to launch a sneak attack,” Yin Jian cracked his neck and shouted, treating his loss just now as a result of his own carelessness and Yang Kai’s deviousness rather than him being weaker than his opponent.
Sure enough, after he said these words, many people who were watching showed looks of comprehension, thinking that Yin Jian had suffered a loss just now only because he had been sneak attacked.
“Business?” Yang Kai sneered, his expression growing cold as he shouted loudly, “Buying and selling by compulsion is your idea of ‘honest business’?”
An unnatural expression flashed on Yin Jian’s face and he decided to no longer continue arguing over this issue, instead just coldly snorting and declaring, “Don’t talk nonsense boy! You dared to hurt me and my Junior Brother, so today I will surely cripple you!”
Saying so, Yin Jian pushed his Saint Qi fully and summoned out a broadsword artifact.
Having taken Yang Kai’s fist just now, Yin Jian understood that there was something off about this First Order Saint King, so he had immediately summoned his artefact, hoping to end this battle as quickly as possible to avoid suffering another embarrassment at Yang Kai’s hands. If he were to suffer another loss, no amount of words would be enough to cover his incompetence.
This kid was a trivial disciple from some unknown small family, without any Elders present to lead or protect him, so even if Yin Jian killed him here, at most Blue Sparrow Sect would have to pay some Saint Crystals to settle the matter. It might even be possible to brush this matter off entirely if this kid’s background was small enough.
Yin Jian had not placed the force behind Yang Kai in his eyes at all.
But before Yin Jian could launch his attack, a burst of laughter came from afar, “Interesting, this Wei had only left for a moment, yet someone actually came over and is now trying to ride atop my Shadow Moon Hall’s head?”
“Shadow Moon Hall?” Yin Jian was startled and quickly swept Yang Kai up and down, a flurried look appearing on his face.
The thirty or so disciples of Blue Sparrow Sects surrounding Yang Kai also went pale.
Not far away, Wei Gu Chang, who was surrounded by a dark mist, strode forward, a pitch-black ball of energy casually being tossed about with his hand like some kind of toy. This black ball of energy clearly contained a fearful amount of power though.
A suffocating amount of pressure emanated from him, causing the faces of the disciples from Blue Sparrow Sect to all turn incomparably ugly.
Dong Xuan’er followed closely behind him and also seemed to have a kind of inexplicable energy flowing about her, a faint wind caressing her tender body adding a hint of radiance to her beautiful appearance.
“Are you from Shadow Moon Hall?” Yin Jian no longer dared to underestimate Yang Kai as he asked quickly.
“Although it has nothing to do with you, I’ll still tell you. I’m not from Shadow Moon Hall,” Yang Kai stared at him mockingly, “If you want to fight, just fight, you don’t need to worry about Shadow Moon Hall retaliating.”
A moment ago, Yin Jian was behaving extremely domineeringly, but as soon as Wei Gu Chang said the words ‘Shadow Moon Hall’, he immediately became like a mouse who saw a cat.
Listening to the ridicule in Yang Kai’s words, Yin Jian’s complexion became ugly. Although he was incredibly angry on the inside, he didn’t dare to openly display hostility towards Yang Kai anymore.
Wei Gu Chang brought Dong Xuan’er together with him and the Blue Sparrow Sect disciple in front of him involuntarily parted, allowing him to easily walk over to Yang Kai.
“Brother Yang, are you okay?” Wei Gu Chang looked at Yang Kai and found him unharmed, allowing him to feel relieved.
Although Qian Tong had said Yang Kai had killed a cultivator at the Third Order Saint King, that was nothing but hearsay, seeing was believing. Wei Gu Chang didn’t know the true extent of Yang Kai’s strength, but seeing him here surrounding by thirty people yet not showing the slightest sign of anxiety, Wei Gu Chang was secretly surprised.
Without real ability, it would be impossible to remain so indifferent; was Yang Kai confident he could escape from the siege of thirty Saint Kings?
“Brother Wei arrived a little early,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Wei Gu Chang was surprised once more, suddenly discovering that Yang Kai was not the peaceful type. In fact, he still seemed eager to fight it out with these disciples from Blue Sparrow Sect.
“Wei Gu Chang, he’s Wei Gu Chang!” Among the Blue Sparrow Sect disciples in the surrounding, someone who recognized Wei Gu Chang couldn’t help shouting.
Although none of these Blue Sparrow Sect disciples had ever met him, Wei Gu Chang had openly declared he was from Shadow Moon Hall while announcing his surname as Wei. Coupled with his Saint King Realm cultivation and incredible imposing manner, he could only be Wei Gu Chang.
On top of that, it was well known that Wei Gu Chang from Shadow Moon Hall was always together with a woman named Dong Xuan’er, so seeing the beautiful yet equally powerful woman beside him, if the people from Blue Sparrow Sect couldn’t guess Wei Gu Chang’s identity, then they’d really be blind.
Among Shadowed Star’s young generation, Fang Tian Zhong, Qu Chang Feng, Yin Su Die, Wei Gu Chang, Dong Xuan’er, and a few other outstanding talents had world-shaking reputations. However, Wei Gu Chang wasn’t like Qu Chang Feng who liked to show off and was usually very low-key, so many even among Shadow Moon Hall’s disciples had only heard his name but never met him.
This did nothing to hinder the deterrence his name carried though.
After knowing that this person was Wei Gu Chang, Yin Jian’s expression fluctuated wildly as his mouth filled with bitterness.
If he had known this information earlier, how could he have brought his Junior Brother over to Yang Kai to try to buy his entry pass? He would have avoided him at mere sight. How could he deliver himself up to be humiliated?
Unlike the annoyance and bitterness Yin Jian was feeling, the other cultivators who had previously been thinking of trying to buy Yang Kai’s entry pass were currently rejoicing. All of them were grateful Yin Jian had acted so swiftly; otherwise the ones suffering this embarrassment would not be Blue Sparrow Sect but themselves.
“Brother Yang, what happened?” Wei Gu Chang asked curiously. He really had just left with Dong Xuan’er a moment ago to greet their Martial Uncles Wang and Yan, but the moment they returned they saw Yang Kai surrounded.
Yang Kai didn’t seem like the type to look for trouble, so how did this situation come to be?
“It’s nothing much, this guy just brought his Junior Brother over to buy my entry pass for the Flowing Flame Sand Field. Brother Wei, what is this entry pass thing, why didn’t you mention it before?” Yang Kai looked at Wei Gu Chang curiously.
“Ah… Sorry, I forgot about that,” Wei Gu Chang scratched his head and apologized, “But you can’t blame me, I hadn’t gotten the entry passes yet, they’re being kept by Elder Qian right now. When he comes here, he will distribute them to everyone. When the Flowing Flame Sand Field opens, anyone who wants to enter through the entrances will need to present an entry pass otherwise the Seniors on guard won’t allow them though. These entry passes were specially manufactured by masters from the various great forces so they’re impossible to counterfeit or copy. Right, in addition to the entry pass that Elder Qian will later distribute, he will also give each of us something called a Yuan Magnetic Compass. After entering the Flowing Flame Sand Field, we’ll need to depend on that thing to determine our direction.”
“I see,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Something Wei Gu Chang wasn’t responsible for wasn’t something Yang Kai would expect him to tell him about. Additionally, it didn’t seem to be something important in the short term, so he didn’t think much of this. After Qian Tong arrived Yang Kai would have naturally understood.
As the two of them were chatting, the disciples of Blue Sparrow Sect felt incredibly uncomfortable.
These few obviously didn’t put them in their eyes, otherwise, how could they casually be discussing entry passes and Yuan Magnetic Compasses while ignoring them?
Waiting for Wei Gu Chang and Yang Kai to finish talking, Yin Jian struggled to cup his fists and politely said, “Originally, it was Brother Gu Chang from Shadow Moon Hall…”
“Did I allow you to call me Brother Gu Chang?” Wei Gu Chang interrupted him immediately, displaying an overbearing arrogance that caused Yin Jian’s face to twitch and flush red, but even so, the latter didn’t dare to complain.
Although both of them were Third Order Saint Kings, Yin Jian knew that if he really fought Wei Gu Chang, he would only last a few moves before being defeated. All of these famous young talents possessed such extraordinary ability.
So, Yin Jian also had some self-knowledge.
Yin Jian was the top disciple among Blue Sparrow Sect’s younger generation, and although his reputation wasn’t as prominent as that of Wei Gu Chang, he was indeed qualified to call him Brother Gu Chang. Every time he had dealt with geniuses from other great forces he had addressed them as such, and no one had raised a fuss.
However, Wei Gu Chang didn’t give him the slightest bit of face this time, causing Yin Jian to feel quite embarrassed. Gritting his teeth he tried again, “Brother Wei…”
“Were you the one who just said you would surely cripple Brother Yang?” Wei Gu Chang stared at Yin Jian coldly, the accusatory tone in his voice clear to any who heard it.
Qian Tong had made him travel ahead with Yang Kai in order to give him a chance to form a good relationship, but Wei Gu Chang had never expected that the moment he let Yang Kai out of his sight, trouble would find him, annoying him greatly. Naturally, Wei Gu Chang had no intention of simply letting this matter drop, if he couldn’t even handle such a minor incident, he wouldn’t be eligible to associate with Yang Kai.
“It was just a misunderstanding. If I had known this friend was from Shadow Moon Hall…”
“I said I’m not from Shadow Moon Hall,” Yang Kai interrupted him again.
Yin Jian’s face turned red, really not knowing what to say. In front of thirty of his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, humbling himself in front of Wei Gu Chang was already a massive loss of face, but how could he have anticipated that these people would actually be so relentless? Yin Jian quickly understood that if he couldn’t show enough sincerity here, he wouldn’t be able to resolve this situation peacefully.
Choking down his anger and depression, Yin Jian declared, “This time, it was this Yin’s mistake. This Yin had eyes but failed to see, I ask Brother Wei and this friend to not haggle over this matter!”
Saying so, he cupped his fists quickly before turning around and trying to lead his Sect Brothers and Sisters far away from this troublesome place.
“You think you can just swagger over then waltz off as you please?” Wei Gu Chang coldly snorted, he most despised this kind of man who could bully the weak but feared the strong. If Yin Jian had dared to fight against him, perhaps he would have been willing to let him off, but this fellow who only knew how to bluff and bluster could only elicit disdain from Wei Gu Chang.
In comparison, Yang Kai who was able to calmly stand his ground even when surrounded by thirty people was worthy of his admiration.
Yin Jian froze in place, his fists clenched tightly as blue veins popped up on his forehead, gritting his teeth as he squeezed out his voice, “What more does Brother Wei want? My Junior Brother’s arm was already broken by this friend here and I took a punch to my face while your friend hasn’t suffered any loss, no?”
“Hasn’t suffered any loss? I doubt that; after all, you were all surrounding him by the time I arrived. Even if Brother Yang didn’t suffer any physical harm, what about the psychological trauma and fear he must have suffered?”
Yang Kai maintained an indifferent face as he nodded slightly.
The several dozen disciples from Blue Sparrow Sect all gawked when they heard this.
This person was frightened? Clearly he was completely fearless, the type to not even blink if a blade was resting on his neck, so how could he now claim to have been afraid? Obviously, Wei Gu Chang was shamelessly speaking nonsense.
However, even if they knew Wei Gu Chang and Yang Kai were acting out a bad play, no one dared question them. Knowing these two were deliberately looking for trouble, who would be stupid enough to jump into the fiery pit they opened?
“Brother Yang, it must have been terrifying,” Wei Gu Chang turned to Yang Kai with a serious look and said in a forlorn tone.
“Brother Wei, just name a price, this Yin will not decline,” Yin Jian sighed helplessly, his left eye completely bloodshot, possibly from rage or possibly because of Yang Kai’s punch just now.
“One million Saint Crystals!” Wei Gu Chang didn’t beat around the bush any further and immediately sent out a number.
“Brother Wei, don’t go too far!” Yin Jian grimaced and gritted his teeth, “Do you really expected me to just be able to take out a million Saint Crystals?”
Blue Sparrow Sect was indeed a powerful force, but it was impossible for Yin Jian to be carrying so many Saint Crystals on him all the time.
“You don’t even have a trivial million Saint Crystals, yet you wanted to buy Brother Yang’s entry pass? Is the space between your ears filled with nothing but hot air?”
Yang Kai shot a glance over at Wei Gu Chang in surprise, suddenly discovering that this guy wasn’t as calm and straightforward as his appearance portrayed. In fact, he was quite ruthless and sinister, with a tricky, forked tongue. It reminded Yang Kai to not rush to judge a person by their face.
Yang Kai began wondering what Wei Gu Chang was like when he was alone with Dong Xuan’er. From how quiet and temperate she seemed; Yang Kai estimated Dong Xuan’er had eaten quite a few losses at his hands.
Yin Jian felt like flames are about to spout from his nostrils and from his exasperated expression it was clear he wanted to simply fight it out with Wei Gu Chang.
Some of the other Blue Sparrow Sect disciples turned their attention towards a different direction, seeking help from the Second Order Origin Returning Realm Elder who had escorted them here. However, this old man remained where he was with an ugly look on his face; although he noticed his Sect’s disciples silently begging for rescue, he didn’t show any intention of meddling.
Blue Sparrow Sect was truly in the wrong here, but fortunately, it had simply been a conflict between the younger generation up until now; however, if an old man like him was to step in, that would go against the unwritten customs of such situations. Blue Sparrow Sect had Origin Returning Realm masters here, but Shadow Moon Hall also had some.
If he really dared to step forward, it would only make the situation worse.
Therefore, even if he felt deep anger in his heart, he could only stand there and watch from a distance. This was not a matter he could easily intervene in.
“Then how many Saint Crystals do you have?” Wei Gu Chang hurried the conversation along.
Yin Jian glanced around at his Junior Brothers and Sisters, quickly exchanging a few words with them before dejectedly saying, “Five hundred thousand!”
Wei Gu Chang glanced over at Yang Kai, with the latter indifferently saying, “Fine then, half a million, it should barely be enough to make up for the wounds on my heart.”
Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t care about a trivial five hundred thousand Saint Crystals, but since these people from Blue Sparrow Sect dared to provoke him, they had to pay a certain price. Him not immediately slaughtering these people was already the best result possible, as for these people’s loss of face, since Wei Gu Chang didn’t pay it any mind, neither would Yang Kai.
When Yin Jian brought his Junior Brother to buy his entry pass by compulsion, did he give a single thought to Yang Kai’s face? Fortunately, his skill could not be judged by common sense; had Yang Kai been an ordinary cultivator from a small family, Yin Jian would have robbed him of his pass already.
“Half a million then, hurry up!” Wei Gu Chang shouted, snorting with discontent, “You’d best be thankful for Brother Yang’s magnanimity, letting you off for a trivial half-million Saint Crystals. If it were me, if I didn’t leave here with all your underpants, I would no longer be called Wei Gu Chang!”
Immediately after he spoke these words, Wei Gu Chang’s face cramped up noticeably.
Before anyone had noticed, Dong Xuan’er had appeared by his side and ruthlessly pinched the soft meat around his waist, her face blushing bright red as she scolded, “Can you not speak more properly? There are many female disciples among them.”
Not only was Dong Xuan’er blushing, the dozen or so female disciples from Blue Sparrow Sect were also blushing, many of them shooting glares filled with resentment towards Wei Gu Chang.
Blue Sparrow Sect’s thirty disciples took quite a while to collect the required five hundred thousand Saint Crystals; after all, all of them had come here to explore the Flowing Flame Sand Field which was filled with danger and crisis, naturally, they wouldn’t be carrying too many Saint Crystals on them. The Saint Crystals they were carrying were only meant to for restoring themselves inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
After delivering the half-million Saint Crystals to Yang Kai, Yin Jian and the others hurriedly left.
“A pack of gutless rats!” Wei Gu Chang looked at the backs of this group of people and shook his head dismissively.
“Hmm… well, this matter is settled, there’s no need to bother with them anymore,” Dong Xuan’er said softly, deftly changing the topic, “Didn’t you bring your favourite Fine Jade Wine to entertain Senior Brother Yang this time? Since we’ve arrived here so early, you might as well take it out.”
“Right, if Junior Sister hadn’t mentioned it, I might have completely forgotten,” Wei Gu Chang laughed while patting his head once, the ring of his hand flashing in the next instant as he took out a table and some chairs before inviting Yang Kai to sit down. “Martial Uncle Wang and Martial Uncle Yan just now told us that it should be three days before the Flowing Flame Sand Field officially opens. Elder Qian will also not arrive for a while, so while we wait, we might as well drink.”
“Sounds great,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded, naturally having no reason to refuse.
The so-called Fine Jade Wine was taken out by Wei Gu Chang, and as soon as the two small bottles were delicately unpacked, a rich fragrance immediately filled the air, stimulating Yang Kai’s nostrils greatly.
Dong Xuan’er took out two plates of glistening spirit fruits from her Space Ring. Just from looking, it was clear these fruits weren’t common treasures.
Yang Kai wasn’t versed in the ways of wine, so after Wei Gu Chang handed the bottle to him, he unceremoniously took a sip. After drinking this Fine Jade Wine though, Yang Kai discovered that it was actually a Spirit Wine that could provide some benefits to a cultivator’s physique and cultivation, similar to his Fei Yu Martial Aunt’s Thousand Safflower Wine.
However, this Fine Jade Wine was clearly far higher grade than his Martial Aunt’s Thousand Safflower Wine; after all, this was the Star Field, and the materials that were available were also higher end.
With just a sip of wine, Yang Kai immediately felt that his Saint Qi was circulating a little faster. This liquor seemed to swiftly penetrate into every part of his body, hiding in his physique, seemingly waiting to burst out at any moment.
Wei Gu Chang drank a big mouthful before wearing a pleasant expression on his face, explaining to Yang Kai, “This Fine Jade Wine is something I brewed myself after collecting the ingredients on many different adventures. It can be said that no one other than I can brew it on Shadowed Star. Yang Kai, don’t underestimate this spirit wine, although it’s not particularly potent, it actually has a long-term restorative effect. Drinking this bottle alone will help Brother Yang more rapidly restore his Saint Qi for the next half a month.”
After listening to these words, Yang Kai immediately understood that what he had sensed just now was accurate. This liquor had really seeped into his body and was simply waiting to display its effects. Thinking so, he quickly said, “I don’t understand much about wine, so me drinking such a good thing seems a bit like wasting Heaven’s precious gifts.”
Wei Gu Chang however just let out a big laugh, “No matter how good it is, if there is no one to share it with, it still just tastes mediocre. Xuan’er does not like to drink, and this Wei has no like-minded friends in Shadow Moon Hall, so meeting Brother Yang now is really a pleasant surprise. Brother Yang shouldn’t try to act modest, saying such words is the same as not giving me any face.”
Yang Kai didn’t know if these words were truly heartfelt or the result of Qian Tong’s orders, but regardless of the case, Wei Gu Chang seemed intent on getting along with him.
“Then I won’t be polite,” Yang Kai laughed, learning from Wei Gu Chang’s example and taking a big swig of the wine after which, he offered liberal praise.
Dong Xuan’er sat quietly to the side, a happy smile adorning her face as she glanced between Wei Gu Chang and Yang Kai, her quiet demeanour making her seem all the more beautiful.
Whether it was the atmosphere or the alcohol, Yang Kai couldn’t help being moved by the scenery around him and recalling some fond memories. If Su Yan or Xia Ning Chang were here at the moment, would they be the same as Dong Xuan’er? Sitting peacefully beside him.
For these women, as long as they could be with the man they loved, even if the Heavens collapsed, they wouldn’t show the slightest frown.
After about half a day, Qian Tong led a group of two hundred people to the vicinity of the Flowing Flame Sand Field. He hurriedly said a few words to his Sect’s disciples and the cultivators who had followed him here, then went to discuss something with the other two Origin Returning Realm masters from Shadow Moon Hall.
As if they had reached some kind of agreement beforehand, a large number of cultivators began appearing after Shadow Moon Hall made an appearance, all of them scattering about, searching for open spaces to sit down and wait.
Many groups of three to five arrived one after another, each of them from small families and Sects, quickly filling up the periphery of the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
In less than a day, the number of cultivators gathered has reached more than two thousand, and it was clear that some were still on their way. After all, the numbers right now were too small to hail it as a legendary event.
Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er were also surrounded by a crowd of around seventy disciples from Shadow Moon Hall. He was urging his fellow disciples about what they ought to do inside and these Saint King Realm men and women just bobbed their head.
Yang Kai didn’t see any disciples from Thunder Typhoon Sect, Heaven Battling Union, or Coloured Glass Sect here. Apparently, they would be entering from a different entrance. The Flowing Flame Sand Field didn’t have just one access point; according to Wei Gu Chang, there were actually four entrances, one for each cardinal direction, and the various great forces would naturally select the one closest to them to enter, so there was no one place where everyone would be gathering.
Compared with the excitement of the others, Yang Kai sat cross-legged alone in a remote location, seemingly content to remain by himself. However, no one came to find trouble with him anymore. Many here knew he had a close relationship with Wei Gu Chang so none dared to come over and disturb him.
On the other hand, the cultivators from the small family forces were constantly surrounded by disciples from more powerful Sects, their purpose was self-evident. These people all wanted to buy the entry passes from these small family cultivators.
However, as more and more people arrived, the disciples from these big Sects no longer tried to use strong-arm tactics like Yin Jian and instead were going all out to persuade and bargain. Their efforts weren’t in vain as some small family cultivators really were willing to sell their entry passes to the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
There were also some who were absolutely determined to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field to seek out opportunities, making these big Sect disciples waste a great deal of breath and saliva trying to convince them, frustrating them greatly.
When Yang Kai’s eyes swept over a certain location, he couldn’t help raising his brow, standing up, and slowly walking over.
In that direction, there were two elderly men, both of whom were wearing bitter smiles as they stood in place. There were several other people, apparently also from small family forces, who were standing around trying to persuade these two to sell their entry passes.
“A hundred and fifty thousand Saint Crystals, not a crystal more, such a price is fair! A hundred and fifty thousand Saint Crystals isn’t a small amount, what do two Seniors think? If you agree, we can close the deal immediately,” A middle-aged man did his best to convince them. Although his cultivation realm was the same as these two-elderly men, all of them Third Order Saint Kings, but it was clear that these two were far older so it wasn’t inappropriate for this middle-aged man to address them as Seniors.
One of the two elderly men cupped his fists and with a forced smile said, “Several friends, it is not that we don’t want to give you face, it’s just that we do not have entry passes on us. Our entry passes are currently being held onto by Shadow Moon Hall’s Elder Qian.”
“It doesn’t matter,” The middle-aged man smiled heartily, “Even if you don’t have them right now, you will shortly. You can just hand over your passes after you receive them; I can even give you the Saint Crystals in advance!”
The middle-aged man spoke with full sincerity and immediately reached for his Space ring, as if he planned on bringing out the Saint Crystals right now.
The two elderly men looked at each other helplessly. A hundred and fifty thousand Saint Crystals was indeed a huge sum for them, but they were still more interested in entering the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Although they may die if they entered, there was also a chance they could gain massive benefits, even find an opportunity to break through to the Origin Returning Realm!
Both of them were old and had no descendants or family, so their greatest wish in this life was to break through to the Origin Returning Realm before they died. What did it matter if they were to die while striving to achieve this wish?
The two of them really did not want to sell their entry passes. Obtaining an opportunity to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field was rare, and the two of them had only obtained this chance through a series of coincidences. If they couldn’t hold onto it, even if they delayed their time of death, they wouldn’t be satisfied.
But with the middle-aged man in front of them already counting Saint Crystals, if they were to refuse now, it would only irritate the other party. Although the two of them had come here with Shadow Moon Hall, they had no friendship with the Sect. On the contrary, Elder Qian clearly felt they weren’t pleasing to the eye so there was no way he would step forward to assist them. It was already extremely gracious of Elder Qian to even grant them two entry passes to the Flowing Flame Sand Field, so how could they possibly hope for more?
Just as the anxiety in their hearts was reaching a breaking point, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in their ears, “What’s this? Is someone also trying to buy and sell by compulsion again?”
This voice contained a hint of ridicule, causing the middle-aged man counting Saint Crystals to suddenly wear a cold expression and turn towards its source. However, after seeing who was speaking, this man immediately cupped his fists with a smile and cautiously spoke, “Friend, I’m not like those arrogant disciples of Blue Sparrow Sect and am certainly not trying to buy and sell by compulsion. While it’s true I want to buy these two Seniors’ entry passes, I’ve offered them a hundred and fifty thousand Saint Crystals as a price. If you ask around you’ll understand that this is a fair price.”
Although this man was smiling as he explained, he was feeling incredibly bitter in his heart, wondering why this guy had suddenly run over and interfered in his business. Did he have some kind of connection with these two old men?
One day ago, this man had witnessed the entire scene of Yang Kai and Wei Gu Chang dealing with Yin Jian. This First Order Saint King wasn’t someone he could afford to offend, if he were to inadvertently anger him, forget about a hundred and fifty thousand Saint Crystals, it would be at least half a million to simply appease him!
Half a million Saint Crystals… just thinking about it frightened him.
“Yang Kai?” After seeing this familiar youth, the two old men couldn’t help calling out in surprise, a hint of embarrassment on their faces.
“Foreign Elder Chang, Foreign Elder Hao!” Yang Kai cupped his fists and greeted them.
Yang Kai naturally knew these two, otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered coming over to talk to them. One of them was Chang Qi while the other was Hao An, and both of them were Foreign Elders of Hai Ke Family. Yang Kai had spent several months with the former one out in the Starry Sky while the later was often spoken highly of by Wu Yi. In the Hai Ke Family, these two Foreign Elders were the ones who treated her the best. Besides them, only one of the female Foreign Elders named Huang Juan had a good relationship with Wu Yi.
Time had proven Wu Yi right. When the Hai Ke Family’s Patriarch Yi En went to the City Lord’s Mansion to invite masters to deal with Yang Kai, all three of these Foreign Elders had sent messages to Wu Yi in different ways to let her leave Dragon Cave Mountain as early as possible to avoid suffering calamity.
Although it was ultimately the Hai Ke Family which suffered a calamity, Wu Yi was still deeply grateful to these three. These days, Wu Yi would occasionally mention these three. Unfortunately, since leaving the Hai Ke Family, Huang Juan had disappeared without telling anyone where she was going. Chang Qi and Hao An had remained with the Hai Ke Family and occasionally had some contact with Wu Yi.
Their current embarrassed expressions were obviously due to their identities.
Yang Kai and the Hai Ke Family were quite at odds with each other, and they were still Hai Ke Family Foreign Elders in name, so they were worried Yang Kai was here to find trouble with them.
Therefore, when they saw Yang Kai back at Heavenly Fate City’s Space Array hall, they didn’t dare to come up and say hello, half due to fear, half due to shame.
But now that Yang Kai actually took the initiative to politely greet them, the two of them realized they had actually been overly suspicious and pessimistic. Obviously, Yang Kai had not borne a grudge against them.
Naturally Yang Kai had no hatred towards them, the entire Hai Ke Family incident was due to its Patriarch, Yi En, having eyes but failing to see. On the contrary, Yang Kai’s impression of Chang Qi and Hao An was quite good, and considering Wu Yi’s worries, he felt it might be worth him looking after these two.
“He wants to buy your entry passes?” Yang Kai asked.
“Yes,” Chang Qi nodded naturally.
“And he offered you a hundred and fifty thousand Saint Crystals?” Yang Kai asked again.
They nodded again.
The middle-aged man laughed wryly, “Friend, as you can see, I didn’t lie. On top of that, a hundred and fifty thousand Saint Crystals is not a low offer.”
“What do you want to do?” Yang Kai ignored the middle-aged man and looked straight at Chang Qi and Hao An. If the two of them intended to sell their entry passes, Yang Kai wouldn’t intervene; after all, it was truly quite dangerous to enter the Flowing Flame Sand field, but if they weren’t willing to sell, then Yang Kai would make sure this middle-aged man didn’t pressure them any further.
Yang Kai actually thought it might be better for these two to sell their passes. Although a hundred and fifty thousand Saint Crystals were nothing to him, it would be a great deal of wealth to Chang Qi and Hao An. There was no need for them to risk their lives and they could obtain a large amount of Saint Crystal, so why not sell?
To his surprise though, Chang Qi and Hao An only exchanged a brief glance before resolutely shaking their heads and declaring, “We don’t want to sell, we want to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field!”
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback, but soon recovered and said to the middle-aged man, “Friend, I believe you heard them, my two Seniors don’t want to sell their entry passes.”
“I heard, I heard,” The middle-aged man nodded quickly, wearing a big forced smile before nodding, “Then I won’t bother you any further, goodbye!”
Saying so, he left with his colleagues.
After they left, Chang Qi and Hao An let out a sigh of relief and looked at Yang Kai with astonishment.
They had arrived too late to witness the Blue Sparrow Sect incident, so naturally, they didn’t know why this middle-aged man was so afraid of Yang Kai, actually backing off with just like that.
“Two Foreign Elders, this place is a bit too crowded here for us to talk,” Yang Kai beckoned to them as he walked over to the place he had been sitting before.
Chang Qi and Hao An both had complicated feelings at the moment, grateful yet also awkward; however, they still followed after Yang Kai.
A short time later, the trio left the noisy crowds behind and arrived at a relatively quiet place.
There was nothing particularly special about this place, but it was at least empty, so all of them quickly sat down cross-legged.
Chang Qi had spent far more time together with Yang Kai, so he was the first to adapt to this new situation, smiling as he asked, “You must have some questions, right?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “Why did the Hai Ke Family send the two of you?”
It was also because he was curious about the situation that Yang Kai had brought these two over to chat.
Entering the Flowing Flame Sand Field was a rare opportunity that had not appeared for over four hundred years. The Hai Ke Family was a small family force so it should have been granted at most three quotas, so it would only make sense for such an opportunity to land in the hands of the family’s Elders or possibly even the Patriarch himself. Yet now, Chang Qi and Hao An, two Foreign Elders, had actually appeared here.
Chang Qi let out a sigh and said, “No one wanted to come! Otherwise, how could two old fogeys like us have picked up such a bargain.”
“How come no one wanted to come?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Hao An grinned and explained, “After the previous incident, the Hai Ke Family has become something of an eyesore to Shadow Moon Hall. Everyone, from the Patriarch to the common disciples is constantly on edge while all of the other Foreign Elders have fled, leaving just the two of us. Now, all of those direct family Elders are in secluded cultivation, not daring to go out easily and meet people.”
“Are they afraid of me?” Yang Kai suddenly understood.
“Essentially,” Chang Qi nodded, “Naturally they are afraid you’re just biding your time while plotting your revenge. Many of the Hai Ke Family’s industries have already been abandoned and Yi En is still working hard to shrink and consolidate the family’s strength. All disciples have been ordered to enter retreat. In addition, Shadow Moon Hall now finds us quite repugnant so life has only been getting harder for the family. Now, beside myself and Brother Hao, no one from the Hai Ke Family dares show their face in public.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help letting out a laugh.
He hadn’t expected Patriarch Yi En to act so timidly.
Even if Yi En had provoked him several times in the past, out of consideration for Wu Yi’s face, Yang Kai had dropped the matter entirely. Yang Kai had no plans to seek revenge on the Hai Ke Family, but it seems the opposite party still felt it was walking on thin ice and had decided to curl up and hide.
Ultimately, they were just getting what they deserved, so although Yang Kai wasn’t going to haggle over them, he also didn’t sympathize with them.
“Elder Qian was still kind enough to give two quotas to the Hai Ke Family to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field, so Brother Hao and I rushed over,” Chang Qi continued, “If Brother Hao and I don’t break through this time, both of us will only have a few years left to live. The two of us are hoping to find some kind of opportunity in the Flowing Flame Sand Field to break through while at the same time complete the agreement we made with the Patriarch.”
“Agreement?” Yang Kai frowned.
“En, the Patriarch has decided to seclude the entire family, and there is no need for us Foreign Elders to remain, so as long as we can turn over half the benefits we obtain in the Flowing Flame Sand Field, he’ll allow us to leave the Hai Ke Family.”
Yang Kai’s expression immediately became cold, “He’s still trying to take bully you two?”
When all the other Foreign Elders had left, Yi En had not said a word, but when it was Chang Qi and Hao An’s turn, he actually demanded they hand over half their harvest from the Flowing Flame Sand Field. Yi En was really a crafty old miser.
Without having to risk any of his own people, he could potentially obtain many good supplies and precious treasures, a perfect example of taking advantage of honest men.
Yang Kai opinion of Yi En fell even further.
Chang Qi and Hao An were also somewhat strange. The other Foreign Elders had already left, so why had they stuck around? On top of that, they had actually agreed to Yi En’s unreasonable request.
Seemingly aware of Yang Kai’s doubts, Chang Qi explained with a hint of weariness, “Brother Hao and I have been Foreign Elders of the Hai Ke Family for many years, after all. We’ve received many benefits during that time so just abandoning the family now made us feel uneasy, that’s why both of us agreed to the Patriarch’s request.”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head. Although he didn’t agree with how they thought, the loyalty these two showed was worthy of admiration. If not for their sense of honour and duty, they would never have agreed to such conditions.
Considering all this, Yang Kai asked, “If the two of you can safely return from the Flowing Flame Sand Field this time, what do you plan to do?”
Chang Qi and Hao An glanced at each for a moment before slowly shaking their heads, “We’ve spent most of our lives in the Hai Ke Family, so after leaving it we really don’t know where to go. A Third Order Saint King cultivation isn’t too low, but the problem is that both of us are quite old, so it’s unlikely anywhere will be willing to accept us.”
Neither of them had children or relatives, so naturally, they had no place to turn for help.
Yang Kai smiled, “If the two of you don’t mind, how about coming to Dragon Cave Mountain to settle down? Wu Yi and Yu Feng often mention you and the disciples there all originally belonged to the Hai Ke Family. If the two of you were present to manage them, I’m sure those brats would settle down.”
Chang Qi and Hao An’s eyes brightened, the former calling out in disbelief, “Can we really?”
“Of course, it’s not like Dragon Cave Mountain is some Forbidden Zone. This Junior would be more than happy to welcome you,” Yang Kai laughed.
Both Foreign Elders’ faces flushed as their beards trembled, Chang Qi replying incoherently, “How… how would that be acceptable?”
From the looks of it, these two very much wanted to go to Dragon Cave Mountain. Today’s Dragon Cave Mountain was no longer what it used to be, its peaks were shrouded in mist and the World Energy aura rich enough to establish a small school or Sect. Best of all, as time went on, that aura would only become denser.
“There’s no need to feel embarrassed, none of us here are outsiders. I’d feel relieved if you two would come and help guide those young disciples in their cultivation.”
The two Foreign Elders exchanged a knowing look before simultaneously getting up and bowing deeply, “If that is the case, the two of us will not stand on ceremony.”
Chang Qi added, “If we can return safely this time, what’s left of our short lives will be entrusted to little brother.”
“Senior is too serious, the two of you staying alive is what’s most important,” Yang Kai quickly asked them to sit down before continuing, “Are two Seniors fully prepared to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field?”
“We’ve made some preparations, but whether they’ll be enough is questionable,” Hao An sighed. “Brother Chang and I spent our entire life’s savings to purchase two Saint King Grade High-Rank Ice Attribute defensive artefacts along with some healing pills, but that was all we could afford in the end.”
This was the difference between people. A Saint King Grade High-Rank artifact ordinarily cost between thirty and forty thousand Saint Crystals, but because of the current situation, Ice Attribute defensive type artefacts had risen sharply in price, costing around fifty or sixty thousand now.
For these two Foreign Elders, that represented their entire fortune.
But to Yang Kai, such a small amount of Saint Crystals weren’t even worth mentioning!
After thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai pulled out eight jade bottles from his Space Ring and handed them over, dividing them up evenly as he explained, “One bottle has healing pills while two have pills for restoring Saint Qi. The last one is to drive out the heat. Take them.”
The pills that could resist heat were the same Snow And Ice Pills he had refined, so after Yang Kai gave Chang Qi and Hao An these two bottles he had none left for himself.
The two of them were about to refuse when Yang Kai added, “I have a lot of these things, so don’t hold back.”
Chang Qi and Hao An glanced at each other before gratefully accepting the pill bottles, tears were even threatening to form at the corners of their old eyes.
At this moment, they couldn’t help feeling a little emotional. Both of them had served the Hai Ke Family for most of their lives and contributed much during that time, yet now, Yi En was intent on driving them away while at the same time forcing them to offer up compensation. In contrast, they had only just agreed to join Yang Kai yet the latter had handed them eight bottles of pills without even blinking.
The gap in treatment was as far apart as Heaven and Earth.
Chang Qi and Hao An suddenly felt that leaving the Hai Ke Family and following Yang Kai might not be a bad thing, the sadness and loneliness they had been feeling these days fading away greatly.
“Also, take these Saint Crystals, I heard that no one can circulate their Secret Art in the Flame Area to absorb World Energy as the heat itself is like poison; if one absorbs it, it will cause great harm. In order to restore one’s strength they can only rely on Saint Crystals and pills,” Yang Kai took out another Space Ring and tossed it over.
This time they didn’t try to refuse, but when Chang Qi accepted this ring and swept the contents with his Divine Sense, he immediately called out in alarm, “This is too much.”
The Space Ring that Yang Kai gave them was the one that was handed to him by Yin Jian a day ago, the one that had half a million Saint Crystals inside!
Chang Qi had never even seen so many Saint Crystals in his life and was so frightened he nearly dropped the ring.
Yang Kai however just waved his hand, “I still have more Saint Crystals. Hold onto those for now, consider whatever you don’t use up inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field as your hiring fee for agreeing to join Dragon Cave Mountain.”
An idea had suddenly emerged in Yang Kai’s heart a moment ago. Now with Qian Tong on his side, and Yang Yan arranging a grand Spirit Array, Dragon Cave Mountain could be considered extremely safe, but in terms of available combat strength, it was actually quite lacking.
Among all the people living there, besides Yang Kai himself who had abnormal combat ability, the others weren’t worth mentioning. Although Wu Yi and Yu Feng’s were both First Order Saint Kings, and their aptitudes weren’t bad, it would still take a long time for them to fully mature.
Chang Qi and Hao An, on the other hand, were both Third-Order Saint Kings, and if they could break through to the Origin Returning Realm, Dragon Cave Mountain would be able to add another strong layer of protection.
Any Origin Returning Realm cultivator was capable of using Shi, a power that could give even Yang Kai trouble.
Asking these two to join Dragon Cave Mountain, on the one hand, was because Wu Yi had a good relationship with them, as well as their upright and loyal characters; but that was not all. He also wanted to add some powerful cultivators under him.
These two Foreign Elders had remained in the Third Order Saint King for many years but had not been able to break through due to insufficient aptitude and resources. If Yang Kai provided them with an Origin Condensing Pill though, breaking through shouldn’t be an issue.
However, the Emerald Silk Grass required to refine Origin Condensing Pills was quite rare and Yang Kai had already used up his only two stalks.
It seemed that this time, Yang Kai would have to visit the Treasure Area of the Flowing Flame Sand Field to see if he could find some Emerald Silk Grass. If there was some, that would be best, but if there weren’t any, he could always just buy them. In any case, Yang Kai wasn’t lacking Saint Crystals.
After arguing back and forth for a while, Yang Kai finally convinced Chang Qi and Hao An to accept the Space Ring.
Yang Kai then began to explain to them everything he had heard about the Flowing Flame Sand Field from Wei Gu Chang.
Although Chang Qi and Hao An had also obtained some information beforehand, it was not as complete as what Yang Kai knew, so both of them listened attentively, not daring to miss a word.
Since there are a ton of people who are new, I wish to clarify that the number of chapter have been consistent with the goals set on Patreon. That’s why it fluctuates.
Yang Kai was now thinking about whether Chang Qi and Hao An could follow the Shadow Moon Hall disciples and act together with them; after all, if they all moved together, their safety factor would improve significantly.
Making two old fogeys follow a crowd of young men and women might seem a little awkward, but age was also synonymous with wisdom and experience. Chang Qi and Hao An weren’t weak and it wasn’t impossible for them to provide assistance to Shadow Moon Hall’s disciples.
However, when he mentioned this idea, both Chang Qi and Hao An shook their heads and refused.
This wasn’t because they were concerned about their ages being too far apart from those of Shadow Moon Hall’s disciples, but rather because their whole purpose in entering the Flowing Flame Sand Field was to seek out their own opportunities. Acting together with others wouldn’t be ideal as if they did, any benefits they obtained would have to be shared with the others in their group. The two of them didn’t even plan on travelling together, having already decided to split up after entering the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Yang Kai thought about it and figured their plans had merit, so he didn’t insist.
Two days later, Qian Tong gathered everyone around and distributed entry passes and the small Yuan Magnetic Compass artefacts.
The Flowing Flame Sand Field was too large, and the sun, moon, and stars weren’t visible from the inside. Once someone entered, it was almost impossible to maintain one’s sense of direction. This Yuan Magnetic Compass was used to solve this problem.
Wei Gu Chang had mentioned this to Yang Kai before, and after receiving it and fiddling around with it for a bit, he immediately understood how it worked.
This compass was exquisitely refined so that no matter which way it or its owner turned, it would always point towards a specific location. With the help of such a guide, there was no need to worry about getting lost in the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Yang Kai carefully stored the Yuan Magnetic Compass in his Space ring before sitting down cross-legged with Chang Qi and Hao An to meditate.
Over time, the dark red energy curtain covering the Flowing Flame Sand Field became less opaque while a number of unstable energy fluctuations burst out from inside its boundaries.
Sensing this, everyone stood up as they understood that this Forbidden Zone was about to open. Full of enthusiasm and eagerness, many people turned to stare at the Flowing Flame Sand Field with anticipation, wondering to themselves just what benefits hid inside.
Only the Origin Returning Realm masters who had led their disciples here showed worried looks.
Because they knew the dangers of the Flowing Flame Sand Field better than anyone! Most of these Origin Realm masters had entered this place four hundred years ago, and only after overcoming many dangers, did they manage to return alive. Those Origin Realm masters who had not entered this place though had at least seen records about it in the records of their respective Sects.
Although they were worried, none of these Origin Realm masters revealed much more than a slight frown.
They knew that if one wanted to obtain benefits, they had to pay a certain price, so even if it cost thousands of human lives, as long as the Core Disciples from their forces survived, they wouldn’t care.
Origin Returning Realm masters constantly flew over the heads of the crowd, shouting loudly to the Saint Kings who were about to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field. Aside from encouragement, these masters were also warning them to remain cautious and to avoid conflict with others once inside.
How many people would actually listen to these warnings was unknown as, where there were benefits, there would be conflicts. Each time the Flowing Flame Sand Field opened, twenty to thirty percent of those who entered died as a direct result of competing for treasures with others.
Half a day later, the unstable energy fluctuations from the Flowing Flame Sand Field suddenly subsided and the energy curtain went from dark to pale red, also becoming somewhat stable.
There was also a section of the energy curtain that took the shape of a gate that was clearly lighter in colour than the rest.
The Flowing Flame Sand Field had officially opened!
The Elders from the various Sects swiftly brought their disciples towards the entrance and within moments, nearly three thousand people had crammed together, pushing shoulders as they tried to be first the enter.
More than a dozen Third Order Origin Returning Realm masters who were standing at the entrance saw these Saint Kings rush up and immediately released their Shi.
The whole world seemed to freeze over, with all the jostling Saint Kings going stiff, some of those with weaker strength even going pale as their clothes filled with sweat.
The sensation of being suppressed by the layers of Shi was quite uncomfortable, it was akin to feeling like one was no longer in control of their own life or death.
“What are you all so anxious about?” A ruddy-faced old man flew up into the sky and swept his eyes over the crowd in a majestic manner, shouting loudly in the next instant, “Line up for this old master! You’ll all enter one by one, anyone who dares try to rush ahead will immediately have the entry rights taken away!”
After listening to these words, all the Saint Kings started to line up honestly. Fortunately, the entrance was not small and could accommodate five lines with ease. Following the instructions of the old master, everyone who entered the Flowing Flame Sand Field displayed their entry pass so the many Origin Realm masters could inspect them. Anyone who did not have a pass was denied entry.
“Brother Yang, Brother Yang!”
As soon as Yang Kai brought Chang Qi and Hao An to the end of a line, he heard Wei Gu Chang call out to him.
Looking over, Yang Kai saw Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er standing in a separate line nearby, all the disciples of Shadow Moon Hall lined up behind them.
“Brother Wei,” Yang Kai smiled at him.
“Brother Yang, I’ll be sending out a general message through the communication artefact once everyone has entered. If you receive my message, it would be best if we could gather together. I also have a few Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters who will be accompanying me on this exploration. If we work together we should be able to break through the Flame Area in short order,” Wei Gu Chang said while pointing to a few people around him.
The young men and women he pointed to were clearly also Core Disciples of Shadow Moon Hall, and even if they weren’t as good as Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er, they shouldn’t have lagged too far behind. After hearing Wei Gu Chang’s words though, many of these people wore puzzled and uncertain looks.
Obviously they thought that if Yang Kai, a mere First-Order Saint King, was really to act together with them, he would be nothing but a burden. They were all the elites of Shadow Moon Hall, naturally, they didn’t want to bring a stranger like Yang Kai along for free.
Yang Kai simply nodded and replied, “Sure!”
Wei Gu Chang could tell he was just being perfunctory, but he didn’t raise any fuss. He had noticed when chatting with Yang Kai the other day that the latter seemed intent on acting alone.
The speed at which people entered was quite fast; after all, there were more than a dozen Third Order Origin Returning Realm masters standing around checking entry passes. After a Divine Sense swept their credentials, a cultivator could proceed to the entrance, and so the three thousand Saint Kings were reducing at a rapid rate.
Soon, it was Yang Kai’s turn.
Holding his entry pass, Yang Kai allowed the surrounding Origin Returning Realm master to inspect it with their Divine Senses, after which he heard Qian Tong’s voice, “Nephew Yang, please be careful inside, no matter what, you must return safely!”
Yang Kai nodded slightly towards Qian Tong before walking straight through the entrance.
A slight sense of dizziness then came over him and by the time Yang Kai recovered, he found himself submerged in a stiflingly hot environment.
All around him, waves of heat washed back and forth. The ground beneath his feet was also a kind of reddish-brown dirt that as a result of being baked at high temperatures for years on end had developed in a cracked crust. Spider-web like cracks spread out in all dictions; some were as small as shallow gullies while others were as large as canyons. As far as the eye could see, there were no signs of vegetation, only chaotic stone hills and piles of earth hindered one’s line of sight.
[Is this the Flame Area?]
Not using his Saint Qi to shield his body, Yang Kai felt a slight tingling sensation on his skin.
Even with his incredibly tough physique, he could still feel some pain just from standing here, so other Saint Kings who entered this place would likely have to use their Saint Qi to protect themselves from the omnipresent heat.
The World Energy here contained a strange type of fire attribute energy that was akin to poison if one tried to absorb it. As such, cultivators could only use Saint Crystals or pills to restore themselves. If one couldn’t at least restore themselves as fast as they expended energy here, they would soon become exhausted and fall into danger.
However, this slight tingling sensation didn’t hinder Yang Kai at all. He could weather Void Storms with his bare skin so this little bit of heat was not an issue.
This was only the outer periphery though, so Yang Kai believed if he travelled deeper into the Flowing Flame Sand field it would become progressively hotter.
There was no way to find one’s bearings in this place, and none of the cultivators who had walked through the entrance before him were anywhere to be seen. Obviously they had been sent to different locations than Yang Kai.
While others may not have been able to tell, Yang Kai noticed that the space in his surrounding was a bit unstable. It was likely because of this instability that cultivators who passed through the same entrance appeared in different locations inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
In front of him, a pale red flame-like aura was drifting about slowly. Yang Kai glanced around and found that there were actually many of these auras floating nearby, almost like tiny spirits flying through the air, providing a somewhat interesting scenery.
While observing his surroundings, Yang Kai felt a slight spatial fluctuation nearby and two figures soon appeared.
Clearly, they were cultivators who had passed through the entrance after him.
Both of these two were men and before they had time to take in the sights around them, their faces changed dramatically as they felt the blistering heat.
One of these two immediately pushed his Saint Qi to protect his body while the other, whose strength seemed higher, had not done so right away. However, the latter man quickly began sweating as a result.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly when he noticed that the cultivator who was using Saint Qi to shield himself was actually wearing a Shadow Moon Hall disciple uniform.
After these two managed to stabilize themselves, they began looking around. Discovering that there were actually two others here, the look on the face of the disciple from Shadow Moon Hall changed slightly, especially when he saw Yang Kai, a strange light flashing across his eyes.
This man didn’t even try to greet Yang Kai though and simply identified a direction and ran off.
On the other hand, the other man looked at Yang Kai thoughtfully, grinned, and called out sincerely, “Friend, are you interested moving together with me?”
“No. I’m not interested!” Yang Kai said indifferently.
He didn’t even want to move together with Wei Gu Chang, much less this man of unknown origin.
The man didn’t seem to think that Yang Kai would refuse him so flatly, rubbed his nose awkwardly but didn’t push the issue, cupping his fists before also walking off.
After walking far away, the man who invited Yang Kai to accompany him looked back, a strange expression upon his face as he muttered to himself, “A First-Order Saint King can stand the heat here without using his Saint Qi? How strange…”
Even he, a Third-Order Saint King, was having some difficulty coping with this environment, his clothes quickly become soaked in sweat. When he saw Yang Kai looking perfectly fine, on the other hand, he had sent out an invitation.
Because he subconsciously felt that Yang Kai wasn’t as simple as he seemed.
However, the other party seemed a bit impersonal, simply declaring he wasn’t interested before refusing to say anymore. In this kind of place, a casual slip of the tongue could lead to one’s death, so acting cautiously was for the best. Who knew what kind of character that First Order Saint King had? If he were to say something to annoy the other party, it might have even turned into a fight. The Flowing Flame Sand Field had last opened over four hundred years ago, so it could be said that treasures were everywhere, what was most important right now was to search for benefits.
After this man left, Yang Kai stood in place for a while, thinking that the voice of the cultivator who had just invited him sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, but Yang Kai was sure he hadn’t met this person until now.
How could he know the voice of someone he had never met?
Thinking about it for a while but unable to come up with anything, Yang Kai put this issue aside and took out the Yuan Magnetic Compass from his Space Ring.
There seemed to also be some Divine Sense fluctuations coming from the communication artefact. It should be Wei Gu Chang’s message. Yang Kai examined this message and confirmed his suspicions. In fact, not only had Wei Gu Chang sent out a message, Dong Xuan’er and several other Shadow Moon Hall disciples were also exchanging messages, seemingly trying to determine each other’s whereabouts and where to meet up.
Yang Kai directly ignored these messages and threw the communication artefact into his Space Ring. Then he confirmed which way led deeper into the Flowing Flame Sand Field with the Yuan Magnetic Compass before departing.
About three hundred kilometres away from Yang Kai, Wei Gu Chang stood below a large mountain. This mountain was very conspicuous, and even if one was far away, they would be able to see a trace of its outline. He and several Core Disciples from Shadow Moon Hall had agreed to rendezvous here, believing that as long they weren’t idiots they would be able to quickly find this place.
Dong Xuan’er actually appeared the closest to him so after a half cup of tea’s time, she arrived first.
“Senior Brother!” Dong Xuan’er shouted happily as she landed, a pale blue halo surrounding her body. This halo was emitting a faint cold aura completely isolating her from the surrounding heat. It was obviously created by the Origin Grade Low-Rank defensive artefact Yang Yan had refined for her.
Wei Gu Chang, like Yang Kai, did not immediately use any artefacts or Saint Qi to protect himself, standing tall in the hot air, even seemingly enjoying the temperature. After seeing Dong Xuan’er arrive, he immediately smiled mildly.
“Senior Brother, the few Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters who were supposed to accompany us to the Treasure Area all responded quickly, but Senior Brother Yang hasn’t sent any reply. Could he have appeared too far away, outside the range of our communication artefacts?” Dong Xuan’er asked with some worry.
“Probably not,” Wei Gu Chang shook his head, “Our communication artefacts were refined by Grandmaster Ge Lin himself, the distance they can relay messages across is over five hundred kilometres. There wasn’t much time between when we and he entered, so even if we were all scattered, he should still be nearby. Brother Yang not responding… is probably intentional.”
“Senior Brother, do you mean Senior Brother Yang wants to act alone? He’s not willing to join us?” Dong Xuan’er was also a beautiful and intelligent woman. Listening to Wei Gu Chang’s words, she immediately understood Yang Kai’s plan.
“Those who are skilled like to adventure alone!” Wei Gu Chang grinned.
“Does Senior Brother want to act on his own as well? To wander about freely?” Dong Xuan’er asked faintly.
Wei Gu Chang laughed, “Senior Brother naturally wants to travel together with you! The two of us love and understand one another, so spending time with each other even in this Forbidden Zone naturally makes me happy!”
Hearing what he said, Dong Xuan’er couldn’t help spitting out her tongue cutely, but even that couldn’t hide the happiness on her face.
However, Wei Gu Chang soon snorted coldly, “Of course, if it were possible, I’d rather it just be the two of us, but there’s no way we can do that. Martial Uncle Wang and Martial Uncle Yan specifically ordered me to take good care of those Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters so I can’t just leave them behind. It’s truly ridiculous, when I invited Brother Yang before, all of them were obviously dissatisfied. How could they understand Brother Yang’s true strength? I would rather go travel together with Brother Yang than have to look after those burdens.”
“When you belong to a Sect, there are always some unsatisfactory responsibilities one needs to deal with, Senior Brother shouldn’t let it bother him!” Dong Xuan’er comforted softly.
This was Dong Xuan’er’s greatest strength, and what Wei Gu Chang liked most about her. She could always find the right words and the right timing to soothe his heart. Every time he fell into a foul mood, she only needed to say a few words to calm him down immediately.
“Of course I understand. Forget it, let’s not discuss it any further, they should be arriving soon, it’ll be bad if they heard,” Wei Gu Chang smiled and shook his head, instead discussing what course and direction they should take next with Dong Xuan’er.
At this moment, Yang Kai was encountering his first Fire Spirit Beast.
He had thought that Fire Spirit Beasts would be the same as Monster Beasts, easy to discover, so he had been searching around ever since he entered, eager to see what kind of strange being this creature unique to Flowing Flame Sand Field was like. On top of that, he was interested to learn what was so special about that Fire Crystal Stones these creatures carried.
With no clue where to find Fire Spirit Beasts, Yang Kai had simply been searching randomly when suddenly a burst of fire came from the ground beneath his feet and a fiery tiger-like Fire Spirit Beast appeared in front of him.
Yang Kai didn’t rush to attack and observed it carefully.
Just as Wei Gu Chang had said before, this Fire Spirit Beast’s body seemed illusionary and ethereal, its aura perfectly matched with the atmosphere inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, so even though Yang Kai had been incredibly vigilant, he hadn’t detected it until it leapt from the crack beneath him.
This tiger-like Fire Spirit Beast looked weak and fragile though, probably as strong as a Fifth-Order Monster Beast at best. Fifth-Order Monster Beasts were equivalent to human race Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators. In fact, this creature didn’t even have a complete body, only a majestic tiger head and half a body while the rest was only a ball of fire.
Yang Kai was immediately disappointed. Seeing this tiger-like Fire Spirit Beast take the initiative to attack, Yang Kai simply threw out a casual punch, Saint Qi spewing from his fist.
In a burst of flame, the tiger-like Fire Spirit Beast disappeared and a dark red grain of sand replaced it.
Yang Kai reached out and grabbed it.
Was this the Fire Crystal Stone he had heard about? Even if Yang Kai was seeing it for the first time, he was able to recognize it at a glance as Wei Gu Chang had enthusiastically described it to him.
However, this thing was too small, and while the aura contained in it was pure enough, the amount it had stored was quite pitiful. Yang Kai casually circulated his Saint Qi and absorbed the energy inside it clean.
Shaking his head with dissatisfaction. Yang Kai estimated that the size of the Fire Crystal Stone should be directly related to the level of the Fire Spirit Beast.
The higher the level of Fire Spirit Beast, the larger the Fire Crystal Stone would be. This sand sized Fire Crystal Stone was just the crystal of a Fifth-Order Fire Spirit Beast. Sixth-Order Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order First Crystal Stones may be different.
The outermost region of the Flame Area posed no challenge to him, so Yang Kai quickly lost interest in carefully investigating it. Concentrating for a moment, a burst of wind and thunder manifested and a pair of beautiful wings suddenly opened behind Yang Kai. These wings were somewhat transparent and faint arcs of lightning rippled across them. It was the Wind and Thunder Wings that Yang Kai had not used for a long time.
Back on Tong Xuan Realm, the Wind and Thunder Wings had helped him many times, but after obtaining the Star Shuttle flight type artefact, the usefulness of the Wind and Thunder Wings had gradually decreased.
After arriving in the Star Field, he had never used his Wind and Thunder Wings again.
Yang Kai hadn’t expected they would come in handy in such a place.
Injecting Saint Qi into his Wind and Thunder Wings, the intensity of the wind and thunder increased, allowing Yang Kai’s speed to soar as he transformed into a streak of light, disappearing from where he once stood.
Yang Kai looked pleased. He found that his conjecture was actually correct. Although Star Shuttles couldn’t be used and cultivators couldn’t fly inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, his Wind and Thunder Wings were usable. As long as he didn’t leave the ground, he wouldn’t receive any kind of suppression.
However, once Yang Kai tried to fly, an incredible pressure would force him back down.
After a few fruitless attempts, Yang Kai gave up and simply relied on the Wind and Thunder Wings to improve his running speed.
This Forbidden Zone was quite strange. Yang Kai couldn’t tell what kind of profound laws of Heaven and Earth were at work here, but the number of restrictions they applied wasn’t small.
Along the way, Yang Kai didn’t meet anyone, as if he was the only one exploring this huge Flowing Flame Sand Field. Of course, he knew that this was just an illusion. The Flowing Flame Sand Field was simply too large. As a giant circular boundary, the outermost layer was obviously broader, meaning there was less of a chance of running into people, but as he dove further inside, the chances of him encountering other cultivators would naturally increase. After all the elites gradually migrated towards the centre regions, meetings with others would become commonplace and conflicts would also start occurring.
Fire Spirit Beasts were indeed a common existence in this Flame Area. As Yang Kai hurried along, from time to time, one or two Fire Spirit Beasts of varying strength would pop up from the cracks in the ground. Some of these beasts tried to hinder his progress while others were simply wandering about.
Yang Kai didn’t have any interest in killing these Fifth or Sixth-Order Fire Spirit Beasts so for the most part he ignored them.
The further he went, the higher the ambient temperature became. Not only was did the temperature rise though, causing the stinging sensation on Yang Kai’s skin to become stronger, but even the fire poison contained in the air also became more potent. Through Yang Kai’s pores, this poison slowly began seeping into his body, hindering his physical functions and the circulation of his Saint Qi.
This fire poison was incredibly resilient and even if Yang Kai circulated his Secret Art, he couldn’t refine it. If he continued allowing it to accumulate, it would pose a significant danger, so Yang Kai could only force it out of his body.
As the temperature and heat increased, Yang Kai was forced to use his Saint Qi to protect his body while simultaneously resisting the intrusion of the fire poison.
Three days later, Yang Kai arrived at the mouth of a mountain valley-like area. During these three days, he had been hurrying along, and with the help of his Wind and Thunder Wings, his speed was much faster than others. Besides spending some effort to kill an Eighth-Order Fire Spirit Beast, nothing else of note had happened.
That Eighth-Order’s Fire Spirit Beast had solidified to a certain extent, and when it suddenly emerged from the cracks in the ground, it really surprised Yang Kai. If it wasn’t for his rapid response, and the speed boost his Wind and Thunder Wings provided him, this sneak attack might have injured him.
It was at that point that Yang Kai realized the real threat of Fire Spirit Beasts weren’t their strength, but their ability to perfectly integrate into the environment of the Flowing Flame Sand Field. As long as they did not appear of their own accord, cultivators wouldn’t be able to find them.
However, when one did appear, they would immediately launch a deadly sneak attack.
Eighth-Order Fire Spirit Beasts were equivalent to Saint Kings, and if it had been any other cultivator, that sneak attack would have claimed their life.
Fortunately, Yang Kai managed to kill it and acquired a Fire Crystal Stone the size of a pigeon egg for his efforts.
This piece of Fire Crystal Stone was far larger than the one he first obtained and its value was certainly not low. As long as an Alchemist or Artifact Refiner perfectly integrated the pure fire aura contained inside this Fire Crystal Stone into the pill or artifact they were refining, they could improve the grade and quality of that pill or artefact.
This small harvest pleased Yang Kai, and he couldn’t help wanting to search for other Eighth-Order Fire Spirit Beasts to kill; after all, he was an Alchemist, this thing was quite useful to him.
Inside the mountain valley, Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to cover a three hundred meter radius around him to guard against sneak attacks from powerful Fire Spirit Beasts.
The terrain here was strange. In all directions, there were bare mountains, and the whole mountain valley itself looked like a giant pit. This valley was also quite large, and from the entrance, one could not see the end, only an endless expanse of crisscrossed gullies and cracked crevices, almost like a deep abyss that made one shudder at the mere sight.
Yang Kai, however, didn’t care and promptly used his Wind and Thunder Wings to continue deeper into the valley.
He and Wei Gu Chang had the same idea, to rush to the Treasure Area as soon as possible and collect some spirit grasses and spirit medicines before others arrived en masse. Once the elites from all the great Sects made their way over, there would be fewer chances to obtain good things.
Everyone should be hurrying right now, but with his Wind and Thunder Wings, Yang Kai had a big advantage.
Half a day later, Yang Kai reached the interior of the mountain valley, but surprisingly, he had not encountered a single Fire Spirit Beast along the way. Earlier, no matter how good his luck was, Yang Kai would run into at least one or two Fire Spirit Beasts every hour, but now half a day has passed without any Fire Spirit Beasts appearing, making him feel quite puzzled.
It was as if this mountain valley was some kind of restricted area that Fire Spirit Beasts wouldn’t enter.
Yang Kai was pleased with this development though and simply continued onwards.
But all of a sudden, Yang Kai’s face changed as he instantaneously dodged to the side.
Just now, his Divine Sense had detected traces of abnormal energy fluctuations. This type of energy fluctuation was something he was now quite familiar with as it was a sign that Fire Spirit Beasts underground were about to launch an attack.
Sure enough, the instant after he dodged, the place Yang Kai had originally been standing was set upon by a number of different shaped and different levelled Fire Spirit Beasts.
Yang Kai didn’t want to bother with them, he just wanted to keep moving, but before he could even come to a halt, more abnormal energy fluctuations appeared beneath his feet.
Yang Kai frowned and changed position again.
A third set of energy fluctuations appeared…
At the same time, in all directions, the whole mountain valley seemed to boil as chaotic flows of energy burst forth and streams of fire erupted from the cracked ground, transforming into various strange and grotesque Fire Spirit Beasts.
The number of flames which leapt from the earth were innumerable and more were appearing in the distance with every breath.
Yang Kai’s face finally changed.
There was something off about this mountain valley!
He never thought that so many Fire Spirit Beasts would appear in a single location. This place was completely different from what he had imagined. Rather than a restricted area for Fire Spirit Beasts, it was clearly their paradise.
Who knew how many Fire Spirit Beasts had gathered here? In just a few breaths, Yang Kai found himself completely surrounded by Fire Spirit Beasts, all of them eyeing him menacingly.
Sweeping his surroundings with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai’s face sank.
Tens of thousands of Fire Spirit Beasts had filled the surrounding thousand-meter radius around him alone. Although the majority of these Fire Spirit Beasts were Fifth or Sixth-Order, there were some Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order ones mixed in. On top of that, more Fire Spirit Beasts were arriving with every passing moment.
Yang Kai felt like he had accidentally broken a bee-hive and the look on his face became extremely ugly.
Since he couldn’t fly, he could only kill his way out of this encirclement, but against so many Fire Spirit Beasts, could he really do that?
As Yang Kai stood in a daze though, a beastly roar rang out and the Fire Spirit Beasts surrounding him began their assault, all of them swarming towards him in large groups, baring their fangs and flashing their claws as some even launched Fire Attribute energy attacks from a distance. Fireballs spewed from a number of Fire Spirit Beasts’ mouths while others materialized arrows of flame that they shot towards Yang Kai at speeds that split the air apart.
Thankfully, these energy attacks could only be sent out by the Seventh-Order Fire Spirit Beasts.
Yang Kai also let out a war cry as he pushed his Saint Qi to its limits, condensing a giant Demonic Flame sword in his hand and swept it around fiercely, sending out a shocking sword wave that sliced apart any Fifth or Sixth-Order Fire Spirit Beast it touched.
Yang Kai waved his hands again and sent out a dozen Demonic Flame spears in all directions, each one piercing the bodies of countless Fire Spirit Beasts before gradually disappearing.
Yang Kai repeatedly displayed the Profound Heavenly Sword and Heaven Punishing Spear, using these two Nine Heavens Divine Skills to slaughter the Fire Spirit Beasts around him.
If others had come across so many Fire Spirit Beasts, even if they were in a large group, they would likely resign themselves to death immediately, because there were simply too many of them. Even if most of these Fire Spirit Beasts collapsed in a single blow, the amount of energy it would take to kill all of them was simply unfathomable.
Before a cultivator could kill them all, they would likely run out of strength and simply be drowned in the sea of Fire Spirit Beasts.
Yang Kai was different though, he never worried about how much strength was stored in his body. Before, he stored Yang Liquid in his dantian, but now that his Saint Qi had taken on the form of Demonic Flames, he directly stored it in his body.
The amount of Saint Qi Yang Kai possessed was hundreds or even thousands of times greater than any Saint King. Even Origin Returning Realm masters couldn’t compare to him in this aspect.
Recklessly releasing his own Saint Qi let these Fire Spirit Beasts who were coming for his life understand that he wasn’t some easily had prey.
Soon, however, Yang Kai frowned.
When such a massive number of Fire Spirit Beasts appeared just now, he had truly been startled for a while, but soon he actually became excited.
Because with so many Fire Spirit Beasts, he could harvest an enormous amount of Fire Crystal Stones. Even if the Fire Crystal Stones from Fifth-Order or Sixth-Order Fire Spirit Beasts weren’t very useful, the ones from those at the Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order were different, each one of these Fire Crystal Stones could definitely be useful for Alchemy or Artifact Refining.
But now, Yang Kai noticed a strange phenomenon. After these Fire Spirit Beasts were destroyed by him, he discovered a fundamental difference between them and the Fire Spirit Beasts outside the strange valley: They didn’t have Fire Crystal Stones in their bodies.
After the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, Yang Kai killed at least three hundred Fifth and Sixth-Order Fire Spirit Beasts. He had even killed a dozen or so at the Seventh-Order but strangely, no matter Order they were, after their bodies dissipated, not a single Fire Crystal Stone appeared
Something was drastically wrong here! Yang Kai only became more confused as he continued killing, but suddenly he set his sights on an Eighth-Order Fire Spirit Beast not far away.
He wondered if the same thing would happen with this guy!
The Demonic Flame sword in his had traced a wide arc, contaminating the Fire Spirit Beasts around him with Demonic Flames, causing them to instantly collapse and dissipate. He then dashed out through the gap he had created and went straight towards the Eighth-Order Fire Spirit Beast.
Before he even arrived, Yang Kai hurled a Heaven Punishing Spear.
This Eighth-Order Fire Spirit Beast actually possessed some skill and swiftly retreated into the herd, using the bodies of more than a dozen companions to resist the Heaven Punishing Spear, sending out a blast of flames from its mouth before Yang Kai could launch another attack.
Yang Kai didn’t even try to evade, condensing his Saint Qi in front of him and diving straight into this blast of flame, emerging on the other side a moment later and swinging down the Demonic Flame long sword in his hand.
The Eighth-Order Fire Spirit Beast could not avoid this strike and was instantly decapitated. After suffering this blow, the Eighth-Order Fire Spirit Beast fizzled out of existence.
Yang Kai searched carefully but quickly found that no Fire Crystal Stone had appeared.
Seeing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help cursing out loud. There were countless Fire Spirit Beasts trapping him here, but even after killing them, he didn’t obtain a single thing; it was simply intolerable.
If he could harvest a large number of Fire Crystal Stones here, Yang Kai would still feel that killing these Fire Spirit Beasts was worthwhile, but with no prospective benefits, how could he retain any interest in slaughtering these creatures.
After letting out an angry cry, a hundred-meter long dragon suddenly leapt out of Yang Kai’s body. It was the Golden Dragon Tattoo on his back.
However, after Yang Kai poured his own unique Saint Qi into it, this Golden Dragon had become jet black, the Demonic Flame composing its body surging about as its giant pair of eyes swept over the herd of beasts.
This black dragon shook its head and waved his tail as it rushed into the crowd of Fire Spirit Beasts, rampaging as it destroyed wide swaths of them in short order.
At the same time, Yang Kai took out the purple shield refined for him by Yang Yan and used it to resist the attacks of the Fire Spirit Beasts behind him. He also took out the Hundred Mountains Picture which originally belonged to the Xu Family and used one the phantom mountains contained within to smash the Fire Spirit Beasts in front of him.
Yang Kai’s strength was much higher than Xu Zhi Shen’s was at that time, so while Xu Zhi Shen was only able to reluctantly summon six mountain peaks, Yang Kai was easily able to bring out eight in an instant.
While the Hundred Mountains Picture was a good artefact overall, it was most suited to mass killing.
The eight huge mountain phantoms look illusory and misty, but each one possessed the weight a mountain should. There was no need to add any additional force to them, simply allowing them to fall from the sky was impactful enough. Being madly stimulated by Yang Kai’s Saint Qi, these giant mountains had already begun to give off traces of Demonic Flame. Soon, the entire mountain valley was shaking from the falling mountain peaks, with countless Fire Spirit Beasts being smashed and dissipating with every breath.
This was the first time Yang Kai has used the Hundred Mountains Picture in battle, and he was quite satisfied with its killing power. At the very least, it was much faster at clearing out these Fire Spirit Beasts than him using Profound Heavenly Swords and Heaven Punishing Spears. Dismissing his Demonic Flame sword, Yang Kai began focusing on releasing the power of the Hundred Mountains Picture.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Thunderous noises echoed through the mountain valley as the very ground around it trembled.
At the same time, from the direction Yang Kai had come, a group of three people appeared at the mouth of the mountain valley. Two of these three were Third Order Saint Kings while the last was a First Order Saint King. The two Third Order Saint Kings stood in front and behind the First Order Saint King cultivator, seemingly protecting him.
When they came to the mountain valley, the cultivator who was walking in front suddenly stopped, a look of suspicion appearing on his face as he examined the scene in front of him.
With him coming to stop, the two behind him naturally stopped as well, the cultivator in the rear immediately becoming vigilant, but the young man in the centre, who was at least a head shorter than the other two, still wore a loose and aloof expression, as if he wasn’t exploring the dangerous Flowing Flame Sand Field but was instead out for a casual stroll.
After the lead cultivator spent a cup of tea worth of time examining the mountain valley, not showing any intention to continue forward, the short young man couldn’t help shouting in annoyance, “Xie Yong, what are you gawking at, hurry up and move.”
The cultivator called Xie Yong looked back at the young man and said, “Young Master, please wait a moment, there’s something off about this mountain valley.”
Saying so, he beckoned to the other Third Order Saint King and the two of them both went forward to investigate their surroundings more carefully, whispering to each other from time to time.
Even after seeing them acting in such a serious manner, the young man just coldly snorted with dissatisfaction, “Aren’t you two making too much of a fuss over nothing? This entire way we have not encountered anything slightly dangerous. Weren’t all the Fire Spirit Beasts that jumped out easily killed by this Young Master? It seems the rumours about the Flowing Flame Sand Field are all nothing but nonsense, all that talk about it being dangerous instead must have been spread to frighten away those ignorant fools. Hmph, unfortunately those fools can’t scare this Young Master!”
This young man was none other than the Xie Hong Wen who had grievances with Yang Kai. The other two Third Order Saint King cultivators were naturally disciples the Xie Family had sent to protect him.
Qian Tong had previously told Yang Kai specifically that these two cultivators weren’t from Shadow Moon Hall.
After hearing Xie Hong Wen’s words, Xie Yong and the other cultivator looked at each other and shook their heads secretly. They also knew that Xie Hong Wen had been used to riding roughshod, never encountering the slightest inconvenience, so naturally he didn’t understand the dangers of the outside world. On top of that, they truly hadn’t encountered anything too dangerous these past few days, so Xie Hong Wen was now underestimating this place.
Although the two of them had also never entered the Flowing Flame Sand Field before, since this was one of Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones, it was undoubtedly dangerous.
If someone else had said these words, these two wouldn’t even bother to pay attention to them, if because they let their guard down they died, then that would be that. Unfortunately, the two of them were responsible for protecting Xie Hong Wen’s safety, and if he were to die because of his own carelessness, even if they survived and returned to the Xie Family, they would certainly have grim futures.
The other square-faced cultivator felt that it was necessary to explain to Xie Hong Wen and said seriously, “Young Master, this is still the outermost edge of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, and we were lucky to have only met some Fifth or Sixth-Order Fire Spirit Beats. With Young Master’s divine might, killing them was naturally easily.”
Listening to this praise, Xie Hong Wen’s look of impatience eased a lot, puffing out his chest and holding his head high as if to say that beneath the Heavens only I am supreme.
The cultivator then continued, “But Young Master, you must not take this place too lightly, it’s still fine if we just encounter Fifth or Sixth-Order Fire Spirit Beasts, but there are also Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order ones out there…”
After hearing this, Xie Hong Wen narrowed his eyes and stared at the square face cultivator, sneering, “Xie Yun, it is you who is underestimating this Young Master, with all the artefacts on this young master, as well as his exquisite Divine abilities, let alone Seventh -Order or Eighth-Order, who cares if even Ninth-Order Fire Spirit Beasts appear? This Young Master can still easily kill them! This young master is most afraid he will not be able to meet those so call High-Order Fire Spirit Beasts. En, quickly find a few of them for this Young Master so you can bear witness to this Young Master’s might!”
He couldn’t wait to prove himself.
Xie Yong and Xie Yun were calm on the surface, but in their heads they were cursing out Xie Hong Wen with all they could.
The two of them had heard that Xie Hong Wen was an idiot, but it wasn’t until now that they realized the rumors were drastically understating the stupidity of this Young Master.
He was a trivial First Order Saint King, let alone kill a Ninth-Order Fire Spirit Beast, even a Seventh-Order or Eighth-Order could easily kill him, yet he still insisted on so shameless boasting.
There was no way to reason with such a fool, so Xie Yun and Xie Yong stopped even trying. They just wanted to make Xie Hong Wen satisfied, and not hold them accountable for staying here. While nodding repeatedly, “You may rest assured, as long as this Young Master can get his revenge this time, when we return, I will have my father report your great deeds to the Patriarch. The benefits you receive won’t be small.”
Xie Yun and Xie Yong’s eyes brightened as they both nodded.
They had only taken this job because Xie Hong Wen’s father, Xie Li, had promised them a huge reward of three hundred thousand Saint Crystals per person after they succeed. If not for such generous compensation, why would they have accompanied Xie Hong Wen to the Flowing Flame Sand Field?
What’s more, the family wouldn’t ask them to turn over the gains they made in the Flowing Flame Sand Field, as for how much they could harvest, that was up to them.
A few months ago, when the Xie Family first announced this mission, countless Xie Family disciples boiled with enthusiasm with Xie Yong and Xie Yun eventually becoming the ones to win the right to participate.
They also knew that the one Xie Hong Wen wanted to seek revenge upon was just a First Order Saint King cultivator named Yang Kai.
According to Xie Hong Wen, Yang Kai was nothing more than an uncivilized, arrogant, weakling who wasn’t even capable of beating him in a fair fight and had only forced him to withdraw with the help of Elder Qian Tong.
Xie Yong and Xie Yun certainly didn’t believe such nonsense. There was no such thing in this world as a Saint King Xie Hong Wen could defeat, even if it was only one who had just broken through. Defeating trash like Xie Hong Wen for such a person would still be child’s play.
The two of them had learned the truth from Xie Li.
The young man called Yang Kai, despite his low cultivation, was capable of killing Third-Order Saint Kings, a so-called genius cultivator, an elite who could fight and defeat others far above his own realm.
However, Xie Yong and Xie Yun were also elites, among the best disciples in the entire Xie Family. They had absolute confidence in killing cultivators like Yang Kai.
“Are you sure that waste went this way?” Xie Hong Wen suddenly asked, “Why is it that after chasing him for a few days we haven’t seen him? Is this the wrong direction?”
Xie Yong grinned and proudly said, “Young Master need not worry, this is definitely the path he took. No one can escape from my pursuit.”
It was precisely because Xie Yong was good at tracking, along with his high combat abilities, that he was able to stand out from all the other Xie Family disciples and win this assignment.
After determining the location where Yang Kai entered, the three of them had gathered with the help of their communication artefacts and begun tracking Yang Kai’s footsteps.
“Why haven’t we found him yet then?” Xie Hong Wen asked, puzzled.
“Because he entered this mountain valley,” Xie Yong pointed forward.
Xie Hong Wen immediately looked pleased, “Really?”
“I’m certain.”
“What are you waiting for then? Hurry up and follow him, I want him dead!” Xie Hong Wen shouted before quickly shaking his head, “No no, first we need to capture him so this Young Master can torture him well. Simply killing him would be letting him off too easy, I’ll make him experience a life worse than death!”
“Young Master, perhaps there’s no need for us to even act anymore,” Xie Yong said was a strange expression.
“What do you mean?” Xie Hong Wen squinted at him.
Xie Yong smiled faintly, “Since he entered this mountain valley, even if he has ten lives he would still have died! There’s no need for us to follow him any further, he can never walk out of this mountain valley alive. In fact, he’s probably dead already.”
“Why? How do you know?” Xie Hong Wen became even more confused.
Xie Yun also smiled and explained, “Before we came here, the Patriarch gave us some information about the Flowing Flame Sand Field, and this mountain valley was also mentioned. It seems that the last time the Flow Flame Sand Field opened, one of our Xie Family Seniors also arrived here, but less than an hour after entering this mountain valley, he suddenly noticed that there were countless Fire Spirit Beasts gathered inside, surrounding and killing a group of people. That group was completely composed of elite cultivators from a great force and their number was no less than thirty. At that time, the situation was incredibly dangerous, so the Senior of our Xie Family did not want to get involved and quietly exited the mountain valley. Afterwards, when the Flowing Flame Sand Field closed, he asked around and learned that no more than thirty cultivators he saw trapped in this mountain valley survived, none of them even reached the Treasure Area.”
“They all fell in this mountain valley?” Xie Hong Wen’s face changed slightly. Unlike when he was bragging just a moment ago, when he thought about facing countless Fire Spirit Beasts, he couldn’t help going pale.
“It’s true, those cultivators all perished in this mountain valley, and the reason they fell was only known to that Senior of our Xie Family. In other words, besides our Xie Family, no one else has any information about this mountain valley. Since that Yang Kai entered, naturally it is impossible for him to survive. I stopped just now because I had some doubts about this place, and after confirming with Xie Yong, we’ve determined that the terrain here is exactly the same as the information left by our Xie Family Senior. That is to say, this is the exact mountain valley he entered four hundred years ago.”
After hearing this, Xie Hong Wen stomped his foot fiercely and sighed, “Damn it, why did he die like this? This Young Master wanted to capture him alive.”
Being unable to kill Yang Kai personally made him sigh with regret.
As soon as Xie Hong Wen’s words came to an end, the three of them suddenly heard a booming sound coming from inside the mountain valley.
The source of the sound seemed to be quite far away, but it was still extremely clear in their ears. On top of that, the ground beneath their feet seemed to shake slightly with each sound.
Xie Yun and Xie Yong looked at each other and couldn’t help showing slightly surprised looks. Although they didn’t see for themselves what was happening, being able the feel the fallout this far away showed just how terrifying the battle taking place in the depths of the mountain valley was.
Xie Hong Wen, on the other hand, thought about it for a moment before letting out a cry of joy, “Could it be that piece of trash?”
Xie Yong frowned and answered hesitantly, “It should be, after all, he was the only person who walked this way. He should be surrounded by Fire Spirit Beasts right now.”
“Good good good, hahaha, the Heavens are helping this Young Master!” Xie Hong Wen laughed wildly and waved his hand, “Let’s go in and see, this Young Master must see that bastard die without burial, otherwise, I won’t be able to soothe the hatred in my heart!”
“Young Master…” The faces of Xie Yong and Xie Yun changed greatly, the former hurriedly urging, “This mountain valley is definitely a Restricted Area inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, one can enter but not leave. Since that person has already waked inside, he will die without doubt, why should we take on any unnecessary risk? It doesn’t matter if something happens to us two, but if any harm were to come to Young Master…”
Xie Yong knew that Xie Hong Wen most liked listening to flattery, so he tried to persuade him this way instead of trying to forcefully stop him as doing so would definitely just lead to Xie Hong Wen resenting him.
Sure enough, Xie Hong Wen also felt there was some truth in these words, but a look of unwillingness still filled his face. Compared to those invisible dangers, he was more interested in seeing how Yang Kai died.
All his life, no one had dared to shame him like Yang Kai, much less threaten his life. Xie Hong Wen often felt like he was sleeping on pins and needles, filled with grief and indignation towards that old bastard Qian Tong. At that time, instead of avenging him, he was clearly favouring that damn outsider Yang Kai, even acting all polite to him.
Xie Hong Wen swore that sooner or later he would make Qian Tong pay for this insult!
Xie Hong Wen’s way of thinking was truly warped. Last time, Qian Tong had saved his life from Yang Kai, yet not only was he not grateful, but he was even holding a grudge against Qian Tong.
Remembering all this, the anger in Xie Hong Wen’s heart flared up and his desire to see Yang Kai die a miserable death could not be suppressed. His expression became firm as asked, “If we just watch from afar, there should be no problem right?”
Xie Yong was shocked and was just about to persuade him again, but Xie Hong Wen quickly cut him off, “Since my Xie Family’s Senior was able to retreat without suffering any harm, there’s no reason we can’t as well, or do you two not have any confidence in yourselves? If that’s the case, you can stay here, this Young Master will go in alone, just don’t expect to collect those three hundred thousand Saint Crystals when this is all over.”
Was this even a choice? Xie Yong and Xie Yun immediately became anxious. The only reasons they had accepted the task of protecting Xie Hong Wen were those three hundred thousand Saint Crystals and the benefits they could obtain inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field. If they couldn’t obtain those three hundred thousand Saint Crystals, their gains from this trip would be cut in half!
For a moment, Xie Yong and Xie Yun hesitated. The danger of this mountain valley was something they knew better than anyone. Before coming here, Xie Li had told them clearly that they must not enter this mountain valley. Xie Li naturally wasn’t worried about their safety, but rather that they wouldn’t be able to protect Xie Hong Wen.
If something were to happen to Xie Hong Wen, neither of them would be able to survive.
But now, with Xie Hong Wen acting so obstinate, they couldn’t refuse.
Seeing the two of them still look hesitant, Xie Hong Wen snorted and added, “As long as you can take me in and allow me to watch that bastard die from afar, after going back, I will personally give you some benefits. En, the two of you shouldn’t be qualified to learn the Xie Family’s Asura Palm, right? About this Martial Skill, this Young Master knows a thing or two.”
Hearing the words ‘Asura Palm’, Xie Yun and Xie Yong hesitation disappeared; looking at each other, their intentions were clear.
Xie Hong Wen continued struck while the iron was hot, “You need not worry, we just need to watch from a distance, this Young Master doesn’t want you to go up and kill him. After he dies, we will immediately leave the mountain valley!”
Xie Yong sighed heavily and looked at Xie Yun and asked, “What do you think?”
Xie Yun frowned for a moment before helplessly replying, “What else can we do?”
They had no other choice but to do as Xie Hong Wen’s words. Although listening to him would mean taking a risk, the benefits they would obtain would be greater. There was no other way than accepting Xie Hong Wen’s proposal, unless they didn’t want any benefits at all.
The two reached an agreement and Xie Yong nodded, “Good, Young Master, we will take you there, but you must promise not to act recklessly. If we notice anything wrong, we will immediately take you away. Please agree to this, Young Master.”
“Fine. I agree. Now enough nonsense, hurry up, if we delay any longer that bastard will die before we get there,” Xie Hong Wen urged impatiently.
With no other choice, the two Xie Family cultivators could only continue to protect Xie Hong Wen as they headed deeper into the mountain valley.
As they moved forward, the shaking of the mountain valley grew more and more intense. In the beginning, Xie Yong was still acting cautiously and moving slowly, but with Xie Hong Wen constantly pestering him, plus there not seeming to be any danger around them, he couldn’t help speeding up.
After half a day, the trio saw a reddish glow from a distance.
These fiery red lights were clearly different from the ambient colour of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, and all seemed to be gathered into a single large fire-filled area.
Taking a closer look, they realized this wasn’t the light of a fire at all, clearly, it was a massive amount of Fire Spirit Beasts which had gathered together to seemingly attack someone they had surrounded.
From time to time, huge illusionary mountain peaks flew up from the centre of this horde of Fire Spirit Beasts before pounding down fiercely. Each time one of these mountains fell, the earth would tremble fiercely.
Xie Yong and Xie Yun were both shocked!
Although the two of them had received information from Xie Li that there were countless Fire Spirit Beasts in this mountain valley, they didn’t realize just how exaggerated this matter was until they saw it with their own eyes.
No wonder four hundred years ago more than thirty elites from that great force had been annihilated here. With so many Fire Spirit Beasts swarming about, even if an Origin Returning Realm master were to rush in, they wouldn’t be able to survive, not to mention only Saint Kings were able to enter the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Xie Hong Wen’s performance was even more unbearable. He was used to running his mouth and acting superior to others, but after seeing the sea of Fire Spirit Beasts, he couldn’t help feeling faint, his face paling as his legs froze up, refusing to move.
“Hide!” Xie Yong’s swiftly caught Xie Hong Wen and pulled him behind towards a few several dozen meters tall hills nearby. At the same time, he summoned an artefact that created an invisible barrier around the trio, isolating their auras.
Climbing up one of the hills, the trio carefully looked over towards the battle and were astonished by what they witnessed.
There must have been tens of thousands of Fire Spirit Beasts in front of them, and both Xie Yong and Xie Yun were certain that if they were the ones surrounded by this horde, they would be dead within a cup of tea worth of time.
But this cultivator named Yang Kai, even surrounded like this, was still engaged in a fierce battle.
If had been more than half a day since the three of them first heard the violent rumblings and rushed to this place. After such a long time, how much Saint Qi would be consumed to use the artefact which was creating those giant mountain shadows? How was he restoring himself? How many Fire Spirit Beasts had he killed?
As soon as one of the illusory mountains fell, all the Fire Spirit Beasts beneath it disappeared.
What shocked them even more though was that after the three of them spent another two or three hours hiding behind this hill, such reckless slaughter had continued without the slightest signs of abating. Yang Kai was still surrounded by Fire Spirit Beasts, but he showed no signs of exhaustion. Odder still though, was that the number of Fire Spirit Beasts surrounding Yang Kai did not seem to decrease no matter how many he killed, always maintaining a strange kind of balance.
This strange battle seemed as if it would until the end of the world.
“Why isn’t he dead yet?” Xie Hong Wen muttered impatiently. The person in front of him surrounded by Fire Spirit Beast was no doubt the Yang Kai he hated so much. After arriving here, Xie Hong Wen had thought Yang Kai would immediately die, but even now this bastard was alive and well, frustrating Xie Hong Wen greatly.
“He’s amazing!” Xie Yong praised sincerely. Although they knew that Yang Kai was an elite, they had thought that because his realm wasn’t high, even if he was some kind of genius, his true combat power would be limited.
But now, Xie Yong discovered that he had completely underestimated this young man. If he were to fight him alone, Xie Yong had no confidence he would win.
“Xie Yun, kill him for me now. This Young Master can’t wait anymore!” Suddenly, Xie Hong Wen shouted loudly.
Both Xie Yong and Xie Yun were chosen by Xie Li for this task because of their unique abilities. The former was proficient in tracking; as long as it was not an Origin Realm master, he could find some clues to trace them, almost no one could escape his pursuit. His ability to find someone in a place like the Flowing Flame Sand Field was essential.
Xie Yun, on the other hand, had a different kind of ability, a certain death strike!
Against an elite like Yang Kai, sneak attacks were undoubtedly the best option, and this was Xie Yun’s strongest point, which was why he was also selected.
After hearing Xie Hong Wen’s words, Xie Yun shook his head and lowered his voice, “No, Young Master. There is no problem hitting him from this distance, but that guy is surrounded by too many Fire Spirit Beasts; moreover, that purple shield behind him is a powerful defensive artefact, I can’t guarantee a one-hit kill under these circumstances.”
Even if he were to attack now, he would only be able to wound Yang Kai at best. If they couldn’t kill him in a single blow, rather than alerting him to their presence, it would be best to wait. Xie Yun was also concerned about disturbing the horde of Fire Spirit Beasts, causing them to be the next ones surrounded.
He and Xie Yong didn’t have the ability to kill tens of thousands of Fire Spirit Beasts.
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Xie Hong Wen asked in an aggravated tone. His hated enemy was alive and well in front of him, yet he couldn’t find an opportunity to exact his much-sought revenge. This fact obviously annoyed him to no end.
“Please be patient Young Master,” Xie Yong smiled lightly, “He has been fighting for so long, so even if he has some special method to restore himself in combat, it’s impossible for him to continue maintaining his peak form. If those Fire Spirit Beasts can kill him, that would be best, but even if he manages to kill his way through these Fire Spirit Beasts, he will definitely wind up like an arrow at the end of its flight. At that time, it won’t be too late for Xie Yun to take his shot. Presumably, he won’t even be able to put up any resistance at that time. For now, why doesn’t Young Master just sit back and watch him desperately struggle?”
“En, it is indeed as you say!” Xie Hong Wen immediately showed a satisfied look as he stared towards Yang Kai, doing just as Xie Yong had said, revelling in Yang Kai desperately cling to life.
When Xie Yong and Xie Yun looked at each other, they saw the helplessness and ridicule in each other’s eyes. Only an idiot like Xie Hong Wen could be deceived so easily, if it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have been fooled by such simple words.
While the three of them continued to lie in ambush, Yang Kai, who was surrounded by the Fire Spirit Beasts, was feeling extremely gloomy.
He had actually not discovered he had been followed all the way to this mountain valley and that his pursuers were quietly lying in wait for him atop a nearby hill, ready to attack at any moment.
All of his energy at this moment was focused on this swarm of Fire Spirit Beasts; he didn’t have the spare energy to care about anything else.
After nearly a full day of killing, he had still only managed to push forward about ten kilometres. At this rate, if he wanted to kill his way out of this mountain valley, Yang Kai estimated it would take at least half a month!
After half a month, the elites from the various big Sects and families would have already broken through the Flame Area and entered the Treasure Area to collect spirit grasses and spirit medicines. At that point, what good things would he be able to obtain?
However, he also understood that becoming anxious was useless now. Even though the strangeness of this mountain valley had far exceeded his expectations.
The Fire Spirit Beasts in this place were endless, and no matter how many he killed, none of them dropped any Fire Crystal Stones.
However, after such a long time, Yang Kai had finally noticed something amiss with these Fire Spirit Beasts’ behaviour. Although they seemed to emerge from the cracks in the earth in all directions, they all seemed to be originating from one specific direction.
It was as if something from that direction was able to endlessly produce new Fire Spirit Beasts.
Yang Kai spread his Divine Sense in that direction. If this were anywhere else, with his proficiency in the Dao of Space, he could easily locate this unseen source, but inside this Flowing Flame Sand Field, his Divine Sense was so severely suppressed that it took quite some effort to try to find it.
Fortunately, after half a day of investigation and observation, Yang Kai finally determined the location of the Fire Spirit Beast source.
It was a huge crevice. Using his Divine Sense, Yang Kai saw how flame-like snakes were constantly springing from this crevice and quickly making their way over towards Yang Kai along the other cracks in the ground, transforming into Fire Spirit Beasts when they got close enough and proceeding to attack him.
Having found the root of the problem, Yang Kai no longer entangled himself with the Fire Spirit Beasts and in a flash, recalled all eight illusionary mountain peaks, gathering them together before smashing them forward fiercely while the purple shield continued guarding his back. Black Demonic Flames surged in Yang Kai’s palm, condensing into a giant sword that he viciously thrust forward.
The Fire Spirit Beasts in front of him were hit hard, and although it was difficult to tell, Yang Kai’s strike just now had killed a large number of Fire Spirit Beasts; the problem was that there were simply too many of them. Immediately after Yang Kai released this focused attack, a number of Sixth and Seventh-Order Fire Spirit Beasts rushed in to claw at him, ripping his clothes to shreds with some even managing to leave shallow scars on his body.
As soon as they saw Yang Kai suddenly dart in the direction of the massive crevice, all the Fire Spirit Beasts suddenly became even more frenzied and violent, the Seventh and Eighth-Order Fire Spirits Beasts recklessly throwing themselves at him to block his path.
Yang Kai put more strength into his charge, pushing the eight illusionary mountain peaks in front of him while using his purple shield to guard his back, he did not need to worry about his defence. The Demonic Flame sword in his hand slashed through all the Fire Spirit Beasts who were in his way, cutting them down as easily as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.
After finally arriving at the huge crevice, Yang Kai saw the same scene as he had previously with his Divine Sense investigation. From somewhere down inside this crevice, all the flame auras were flying upwards, each one of them soon transforming into a Spirit Beast to block his advance.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered as he leapt into the crevice, tens of thousands of Fire Spirit Beasts chasing after him.
This scene was not missed by Xie Hong Wen’s group, who were secretly observing from the nearby hill.
They didn’t know why Yang Kai suddenly jumped into a crevice and could only watch as the entire mountain valley turned quiet. The swarm of Fire Spirit Beast from before all disappearing and the only roars now coming from that large crevice.
“What is he doing?” Xie Hong Wen frowned.
“I don’t know, but he should come out soon. If he doesn’t, it means he is dead!” Xie Yun thought for a while before pointing to a hill which was closer to the crevice Yang Kai had disappeared into and saying, “Let’s set up an ambush there, if he doesn’t come out, it’s fine. If he does, we can just kill him. From that position, even if it was an Origin Returning Realm master, he wouldn’t be able to avoid my certain kill strike!”
“Good!” Xie Hong Wen saw Xie Yun being so proactive and quickly agreed, the group of three then quietly moving to the designated hill.
Below ground, Yang Kai descended several thousand meters. His goal was simple, he just needed to search for the position where the streams of fire aura were originating from. He was quite interested in unravelling the mystery of this mountain valley and how it could actually continuously spawn Fire Spirit Beasts that did not have Fire Crystal Stones!
He had wasted an entire day here while consuming a massive amount of Saint Qi, so wouldn’t it be too much of a waste if he didn’t manage to fish some kind of benefit from this place?
Whatever it was that was allowing these Fire Spirit Beasts to continuously be created, it would certainly be rare and valuable.
After descending quite a distance, killing numerous Fire Spirit Beasts along the way, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed.
He found that he had finally reached the source, because, from a cave-like location, he found saw many snake-like auras emerge, the same ones that were taking on the form of Fire Spirit Beasts.
Landing on a rocky outcropping, Yang Kai prepared to dive into this cave.
At that moment though, an unusual flame suddenly flew out from the cave. This flame aura was far richer and substantial than any Yang Kai had previously seen.
This fire aura flickered and transformed mid-air, in the blink of an eye becoming a python-like Fire Spirit Beast.
“Ninth-Order!” Yang Kai’s face changed as he discovered to his amazement that this Fire Spirit Beast was actually a complete physical entity, completely different from those at the Seventh or Eighth-Order, it was like a living python!
This python materialized in an instant, attached itself to the rock wall, then opened its great maw towards Yang Kai and spat out a red beam of light. Even before this beam of light reached him, Yang Kai felt an incredible and unstoppable heat, forcing him to hurriedly defend himself with his Saint Qi.
At the same time, a loud dragon roar rang out and the black dragon appeared once again.
The Golden Dragon Tattoo on Yang Kai’s back contained the aura of an ancient True Dragon, so how could a trivial python compared to it? Above snakes were Flood Dragons, and above Flood Dragons were True Dragons! There was an insurmountable gap between the two.
The black dragon and the python Fire Spirit Beast immediately clashed, causing the rock walls of the crevice to crack and collapse, sending them both falling further into the abyss.
Yang Kai took this opportunity to leap into the cave, but what he saw inside caused his expression to drop once more.
There were two other abnormal flame auras in front of him, both of them undergoing a metamorphosis that would seemingly transform them into Ninth-Order Fire Spirit Beasts.
Yang Kai cursed in his heart. His black dragon could entangle one of them, but there was absolutely no way he could deal with three of them at the same time. If these two flame auras fully materialized, Yang Kai knew his only option would be to flee.
Once he was forced to escape, all the hard work he had put into this little expedition would be wasted. Worse, he couldn’t fly in this damned place, so even reaching the surface to escape might not be possible.
Just as he was growing anxious, Yang Kai suddenly spotted a huge dark red stone.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s eyes were widened. This dark red stone exuded an aura exactly the same as that of the Fire Crystal Stones he had collected before, but purity and density were on a completely different scale. The Eight-Order Fire Crystal Stone that Yang Kai obtained earlier was only the size of a pigeon egg, incomparable to the one in front of him. Comparing the two, that Eight-Order Fire Crystal Stone was simply trash.
This dark red Fire Crystal Stone was as big as a plate, and was simply sitting there not far from Yang Kai.
Almost as if it were a conditioned reflex, Yang Kai sprang forward, grabbed this giant Fire Crystal Stone, stuffed it into his Space Ring, then withdrew. He wanted to take advantage of the fact that these two Ninth- Order Fire Spirit Beasts had yet to form to escape from the cave.
However, just before he left the cave, Yang Kai suddenly noticed that the two Ninth-Order Fire Spirit Beasts which were about to materialize had suddenly begun dissipating and soon disappeared altogether.
A thought occurred to him at that moment and Yang Kai quickly became overjoyed.
The python which was being tied down by his black dragon had also disappeared.
Even the tens of thousands of Fire Spirit Beasts which had been chasing him down were gone.
Yang Kai suddenly understood what was going on.
These Fire Spirit Beasts were clearly generated from this plate-sized Fire Crystal Stone, so no matter how many Yang Kai killed, he wouldn’t be able to obtain any Fire Crystal Stones, because their true core was inside this cave.
Now that Yang Kai had thrown the plate-sized Fire Crystal Stone into his Space Ring though, the Fire Spirit Beasts it had spawned lost their source of power and naturally dissipated.
After understand this, Yang Kai couldn’t help laughing.
This day’s worth of work and delay had finally proven worthwhile. This massive Fire Crystal Stone was enough to make this entire trip worthwhile. In fact, even if he was unable to obtain anything else, this expedition could already be considered a success.
What’s more, the Flowing Flame Sand Field had only opened a few days earlier and everyone was still rushing about inside, who could guarantee that there wouldn’t be even better treasures to be had?
Immensely satisfied, Yang Kai put away his Hundred Mountains Picture and recalled his black dragon before taking a breath.
Today’s long battle had caused him a great amount of consumption. Fortunately, the Saint Qi reserves in his body were incredibly large, so this kind of loss was still acceptable for Yang Kai.
After resting in the cave just long enough to restore a bit of his physical strength and Spiritual Energy, Yang Kai began the long climb back up to the surface.