Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye before a young man and a black-robed young woman stood two thousand metres outside Heavenly Fate City. Naturally, it was Yang Kai and Yang Yan.
After leaving the Flowing Flame Sand Field, Yang Yan made the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle tear space again, but unfortunately, while the distance travelled this time did not change, the position the Battle Shuttle emerged from The Void was completely wrong, delaying the pair’s return trip by a few days.
However, this little mishap did not matter too much as the Emperor Garden was still not open, so there was no need to rush.
Yang Kai figured out another important point during this trip, and that was why the Emperor Garden had settled in the sky above Dragon Cave Mountain, bringing so much attention to Heavenly Fate City. This was no accident, nor did it have anything to do with Dragon Cave Mountain’s good or bad fortune, but rather because Yang Yan lived on Dragon Cave Mountain!
The Emperor Garden was both the Great Emperor’s residence as well as the place where her true body slumbered, so there being an inextricable connection to Yang Yan was only natural.
Of course, this was just Yang Kai’s conjecture, and he did not ask Yang Yan to confirm it, but he felt all of this shouldn’t just be a coincidence.
Now, Yang Kai was staring out towards a certain direction where multiple flashes of light were constantly occurring accompanied by strong energy fluctuations. Exchanging a knowing glance with Yang Yan who was standing next to him, the pair both showed gloomy expressions.
It was obvious that a battle was taking place, and this fight was surrounding Dragon Cave Mountain.
Could it be that, in the month he and Yang Yan had been gone, someone had decided to attack Dragon Cave Mountain?
Thinking so, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense before summoning his Star Shuttle and rushing over at full speed with Yang Yan following close behind.
Yang Kai’s expectations were soon confirmed as he determined that Dragon Cave Mountain was indeed under siege, and the leader of this assault was none other than the Xie Family that held many grudges against him.
Due to Lu Ye’s staying in the Xie Family and because Yang Kai had been busy with a number of issues recently, he hadn’t had time to settle his grievances with the Xie Family, but he hadn’t expected the other party would actually launch an all-out attack.
At the moment, outside Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, a middle-aged man wearing a purple robe with a hazy look in his eyes stared angrily towards the flashing light display occurring in front of him.
This man was none other than Xie Li, the Xie Family’s most powerful master, a genuine Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master. He held a fairly high position in Shadow Moon Hall, but currently, he had not hesitated to leave Shadow Moon Hall in order to avenge the dead Xie Hong Wen!
It was no secret that Xie Hong Wen had died at Yang Kai’s hands, and although no one had publicly revealed it, before Xie Hong Wen dived into the Flowing Flame Sand Field he had a secret technique planted on his body, proving Yang Kai killed him as this secret mark had been stealthily transferred to him during the process.
Afterwards, as long as the Xie Family investigated, they could confirm who the murderer was.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai had Qian Tong as a backer, forcing Xie Li to act cautiously lest he harm himself. The only option Xie Li had was to wait for an opportunity to act.
Such an opportunity came quickly though. When Qian Tong disappeared, he naturally wanted to immediately take revenge, so Xie Li instructed his subordinates in Heavenly Fate City to embezzle Dragon Cave Mountain’s Saint Crystals then seize the cultivators who came to investigate in an attempt to draw out Yang Kai.
This strategy worked perfectly, but Xie Li had greatly underestimated Yang Kai’s strength. After storming into Heavenly Fate City, Yang Kai had killed a Xie Family Origin Returning Realm master in front of the entire city’s eyes and, even after Fei Zhi Tu intervened, Yang Kai was able to calmly leave.
Afterwards, Qian Tong returned safely and Xie Li was forced to withdraw temporarily.
What Xie Li had not expected, however, was that Qian Tong actually announced that Shadow Moon Hall would not intervene in any way in the grievances between the Xie Family and Dragon Cave Mountain. This statement made Xie Li both happy and wary, thinking that Qian Tong was simply trying to lure all the snakes from their holes to destroy them all at once.
However, after inquiring through many parties, Xie Li learned that this non-interference pledge was made at Yang Kai’s request; Qian Tong was only cooperating with him.
[This little brat was seeking his own destruction!] Xie Li was overjoyed; without Qian Tong as a backer, and without Shadow Moon Hall’s support, how could a trivial Dragon Cave Mountain withstand the Xie Family’s strength?
As far as Xie Li knew, there were only two Origin Returning Realm masters on Dragon Cave Mountain, and both were just First-Order Origin Realm cultivators that had broken through a few years prior.
There was even a time when Xie Li could not wait to personally rush to Dragon Cave Mountain to kill Yang Kai, but after seeing Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, Xie Li realized he had greatly underestimated this place.
He was unable to see the slightest flaw in this protective Spirit Array, and even after sending many of the Xie Family’s disciples in to probe it, Xie Li had been unable to learn anything, instead incurring severe losses.
Originally, Xie Li planned to invite members of the Cai Family and Du Family who were proficient in Spirit Arrays to try to crack Dragon Cave Mountain’s protective array, but to his surprise, the leaders of both the Cai Family and Du Family categorically rejected his request and sent back all the rewards he promised them without hesitation.
Afterwards, Xie Li learned that Yang Kai had once saved the lives of the Cai Family’s Cai He and the Du Family’s Du Si Si, so when these two heard someone wanted to act against Dragon Cave Mountain, as the rising stars of both families, they used their influence to force their families to reject Xie Li’s invitation, frustrating the latter greatly.
Fortunately, the Heavens opened another path for Xie Li. Dragon Cave Mountain was apparently extremely proud of its defensive capabilities and did not put anyone in their eyes. As a result, they had offended a great force from the Limitless Ocean, Sea Heart Sect, and then offended Myriad Beast Mountain and Demon Blood Temple.
On top of that, the Young Master of Flowing Cloud Valley staying at the Xie Family, Lu Ye, had some kind of deep grudge with Yang Kai.
Xie Li’s confidence soared when he learned these several forces were willing to collaborate! He even believed that Dragon Cave Mountain would be trampled flat this time and immediately assembled the elites of his family and declared their separation from Shadow Moon Hall before beginning an assault on Dragon Cave Mountain.
There were more than thirty Origin Returning Realm masters in this attacking force, and although there was no Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master leading them and Myriad Beast Mountain and Demon Blood Temple did not openly cooperate with them, just secretly sending some masters to provide assistance, Xie Li was still very satisfied.
In any case, there were no masters on Dragon Cave Mountain, so they could only rely on the protection of their Mountain Defending Array. As long as this protective array was destroyed, Xie Li was confident he could easily slaughter the people inside by himself.
Every time he imagined Yang Kai kneeling before him, begging for mercy, Xie Li felt great happiness.
The saddest thing in this world was for a parent to have to bury their child. When he first learned that Xie Hong Wen had died in the Flowing Flame Sand Field, Xie Li had been overcome with grief. Then, after finding out that Yang Kai was the murderer, Xie Li had been unable to rest at ease these past few years, or even eat or sleep in peace, knowing Yang Kai was still alive. Yang Kai’s very existence had become a kind of heart demon for Xie Li, even preventing him from cultivating properly.
Although he was no longer young, Xie Li’s violent temper had not changed since his youth.
Revenge for the death of his child was one thing, but the incredible wealth of Dragon Cave Mountain had also drawn Xie Lie’s attention. The heritage exhibited by Dragon Cave Mountain in recent years was extremely shocking. Just the materials it had purchased from Shadow Moon Hall alone were worth hundreds of millions of Saint Crystals.
Xie Li even wondered whether Dragon Cave Mountain sat atop a rich Saint Crystal lode; how else could they have acquired so many Saint Crystals?
If the attack on Dragon Cave Mountain was successful this time, the biggest gains would go to his, Xie Family. The people from Myriad Beast Mountain and Demon Blood Temple had already declared they did not want anything other than the Profound Gold Yang Kai had taken from them. As for who would ultimately end up owning the Profound Gold, that was a matter for them to decide among themselves and had nothing to do with the Xie Family.
Being offered such good conditions, Xie Li naturally agreed.
As for the condition that Flowing Cloud Valley put forward, it was even stranger. That Flowing Cloud Valley Young Master Lu Ye wanted Yang Kai’s body and nothing else.
What use did a mere Saint King Realm cultivator’s corpse have? Although Xie Li didn’t understand, he had no intention to dwell on the matter. Lu Ye, on the other hand, was worth being vigilant about. Whenever he saw this young man, Xie Li always felt a sense of unease, as if he weren’t facing a Saint King Junior but rather a poisonous snake hiding its fangs!
What surprised Xie Li even more was that this Lu Ye’s subordinates consisted of more than a dozen Origin Returning Realm cultivators. Although all these cultivators were just First-Order Origin Realm masters, Flowing Cloud Valley was just a small force so they shouldn’t have had so many masters in the first place.
These Origin Returning Realm masters also gave Xie Li a sense of incongruity. The few times he had seen them interact with Lu Ye, Xie Li could clearly tell these Origin Realm masters were incredibly respectful towards Lu Ye, displaying a mix of awe and fear, as if they were slaves facing the master who controlled whether they lived or died.
All sorts of miscellaneous thoughts flashed across Xie Li’s mind, but he soon shook his head to dismiss them before shouting to the crowd of people gathered around him to bombard Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array.
Since he could not bring an excellent Array Master to come here to crack this array, he could only use brute force to break it open.
Xie Li firmly believed that he could eventually break open this protective array.
This method also aligned with Xie Li’s temperament. He wanted to see the look on Yang Kai’s face when this Spirit Array was broken and he wantonly destroyed Dragon Cave Mountain.
Two days had passed since the siege was launched, but over this time the more than thirty Origin Returning Realm masters had exhausted themselves, not to mention the many Saint Kings under their command. Countless Saint Crystals and pills had already been consumed to supplement everyone’s Saint Qi.
This Mountain Defending Array was far stronger than Xie Li ever imagined. After two days of continuous bombardment, the light curtain itself had only become slightly dimmer and was nowhere near breaking.
Up until now, Dragon Cave Mountain had not launched any kind of counterattack, as if everyone inside was already dead.
Various artifacts of different shapes and sizes radiated dazzling light as all of the cultivators present pressed down their shock and continued to attack the light curtain in front of them.
None of them had ever encountered such a solid Spirit Array before. All of them could only describe it as impregnable.
Suddenly, inside the Spirit Array, the fog began to tumble and revealed several figures.
Xie Li frowned and raised his hand, motioning everyone to stop.
In the next moment, everyone withdrew their artifacts and looked towards the newly appeared figures. What they saw was two beautiful women standing side by side, with three old men who were clearly First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators standing behind them.
Xie Li’s eyes were cold as he observed the two women leading this group with a sneer.
Many other cultivators revealed ill-intent as well, some even directing lecherous looks towards these two women, sweeping their eyes over their beautiful bodies as if these two women already belong to them. Many of them wished to hurriedly break through this barrier and devastate these two.
On the other hand, the two women remained indifferent, not showing the slightest fear.
Xie Li recognized the identity of these two women at a glance. In order to deal with Dragon Cave Mountain, he had naturally investigated the details of this place. One of these two women was named Wu Yi, a disciple of the Hai Ke Family who later left her family to join Dragon Cave Mountain. As for the other woman, she was called Qian Yue and seemed to have been brought back by Yang Kai from somewhere.
The cultivations of these two were not even worth mentioning. A Second-Order Saint King and a First-Order Saint King could not be placed in Xie Li’s eyes at all.
Of the three old men standing behind them, two of them must be Chang Qi and Hao An, former Foreign Elders of the Hai Ke Family. These two had entered the Flowing Flame Sand Field when it last opened and obviously obtained some opportunities which allowed both of them to break through to the Origin Realm, after which they joined Dragon Cave Mountain.
As for the last person, Xie Li looked at him suspiciously for a moment before calling out to him in surprise, “Brother Ning, why are you here?”
The last old man with a snow-white beard was none other than Ning Xiang Chen, who had accompanied Yang Kai to the Emperor Garden.
Ning Xiang Chen felt extremely helpless at the moment. After returning from the Emperor Garden and receiving Yang Kai’s promise, he had immediately gone to collect the necessary materials to repair his Origin Grade Artifact before coming to Dragon Cave Mountain to borrow Yang Kai’s Firebird Artifact Spirit.
Finally, he had managed to gather the materials he needed and rushed to this place, but unexpectedly, Yang Kai was out.
With no other choice, he decided to stay on the mountain to wait for Yang Kai to return.
However, he had barely gotten settled in before the Xie Family began its assault on Dragon Cave Mountain.
Ning Xiang Chen immediately fell into an embarrassing situation. It would be dangerous to remain here as, once the Mountain Defending Array of Dragon Cave Mountain was broken, he would definitely be lumped together with the others here, but simply escaping was also somewhat inappropriate. At the very least, he could forget about ever borrowing Yang Kai’s Firebird Artifact Spirit to repair his artifact if he abandoned this place now.
Ning Xiang Chen was now riding a tiger, uncertain of what to do next.
He was a lone wanderer with neither a Sect nor family. Cultivating to his current realm had been a treacherous journey filled with countless dangers and narrow escapes.
In the past, when Shadow Moon Hall’s Grandmaster Ge Lin was still alive, if his artifacts became damaged, Ning Xiang Chen could bring them to the former to have them repaired as the Grandmaster was quite friendly and approachable. Ning Xiang Chen had been under the care of Grandmaster Ge Lin for many years and did not know any other Origin Grade Artifact Refiners as a result. If this was not the case, how could he have come to ask for help from Yang Kai?
Ning Xiang Chen had spent the last two days on Dragon Cave Mountain in a constant state of unease as so many cultivators were constantly bombarding the protective barrier, but after these two days, he noticed something very strange.
Even facing such a heavy siege, none of the cultivators on Dragon Cave Mountain showed the slightest sign of panic, all of them simply going about their business, cultivating calmly, as if the enemies outside did not even exist.
One or two cultivators behaving like this could be interpreted as them having unusual mental fortitude, but everyone behaving so was a bit strange.
This was especially true for Wu Yi and Qian Yue. These two women were calmer than anyone else, even gathering to drink tea and chat happily several times these past two days. Did they simply not know how to write the word ‘death’?
Ning Xiang Chen felt shock and admiration after seeing this. Compared to him constantly weighing the pros and cons of remaining here and suffering in anxiety, the performance of these Juniors was markedly superior.
What truly shocked Ning Xiang Chen though was that Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array had been assaulted for two straight days by more than thirty Origin Returning Realm masters and two hundred or so Saint Kings but had barely taken any damage.
This small hilltop was not simple!
This Mountain Defending Array alone was not something ordinary people could arrange.
Recalling Yang Kai’s incredible performance back in the Emperor Garden, Ning Xiang Chen grit his teeth and decided to take a risk! He would stay here and fight together with Dragon Cave Mountain. There were various indications that this hilltop was not a soft persimmon that could be easily pinched and very likely had many powerful hidden cards that could turn danger into safety.
Of course, Ning Xiang Chen making such a choice was not out of a sense of chivalry, but rather a deliberate gamble.
He was betting on Dragon Cave Mountain being able to survive this disaster, and once it did, he would be able to easily borrow the Firebird Artifact Spirit from Yang Kai. Otherwise, Ning Xiang Chen would have already left.
As such, when Wu Yi and Qian Yue went out to meet the enemy, Ning Xiang Chen requested to follow them without even being asked.
Hearing Xie Li’s question, Ning Xiang Chen chuckled, “Brother Xie, it’s been too long since we last met. I heard Brother Xie has recently left Shadow Moon Hall, is that true?”
“Why ask something you already know, Brother Ning?” Xie Li coldly snorted. Ning Xiang Chen was a lone cultivator without any background, so even if he was an Origin Realm master, Xie Li didn’t put him in his eyes. The only reason he bothered speaking to him was because they had met before in the past, “Since Brother Ning is here though, this Xie has a suggestion. I wonder if Brother Ning would be willing to consider it?”
“Oh? And what does Brother Xie propose?” Ning Xiang Chen frowned.
Xie Li glanced over at Qian Yue and Wu Yi before using his Divine Sense to send a message, “Brother Ning, I’m certain you can understand the current situation. In the face of so many forces collaborating with me, this puny hilltop is as good as doomed. Once this annoying barrier is broken, Dragon Cave Mountain will be a fish on a chopping board. I do not know what kinds of benefits Dragon Cave Mountain promised you, but this Xie is willing to pay double the price as long as you can capture those two women and turn them over to me. It shouldn’t be difficult for Brother Ning to accomplish this, yes?”
Ning Xiang Chen raised his brow for a moment before revealing a faint smile and saying out loud, “Brother Xie, this Ning doesn’t believe he is a noble warrior, but he at least understands honesty and loyalty, sneak attacking two Juniors from behind is an incredibly improper act. If this Ning were really to perform such a scandalous act, I’m afraid there would be no place left in this world for me to take shelter in the future.”
Hearing Ning Xiang Chen’s words, Xie Li’s complexion sank. The other party had not sent him a Divine Sense Message but chose to speak openly, so that everyone present could hear him. This was a naked display of contempt, something which made Xie Li annoyed.
Ning Xiang Chen continued to speak however, “Brother Xie does not need to speak any exaggerated words. Although there are indeed many people who have come here to stir up trouble, I’m afraid that breaking this barrier is not a matter that can be accomplished in just a day or two. En, this old master choosing to interfere in this matter is also my own decision, no one has offered me any kind of reward or compensation, so I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint Brother Xie.”
When they saw Xie Li quietly sending messages to Ning Xiang Chen, both Wu Yi’s and Qian Yue’s expressions had become a little nervous, worried the other party would be won over by Xie Li. After all, they were not familiar with Ning Xiang Chen, but listening to his words just now, they couldn’t help showing a relieved look while nodding to him in appreciation.
As for Chang Qi, he patted Ning Xiang Chen’s shoulder and said with a hearty laugh, “Brother Ning, you will rejoice you made this choice one day.”
Hao An also smiled as his opinion of this old fellow Ning Xiang Chen improved greatly.
[I hope so…] Ning Xiang Chen portrayed calm on the surface while his heart was pounding like a drum on the inside. Ning Xiang Chen making this choice was also due to him not being able to stand Xie Li and these people using strength to bully the weak. However, now that he had torn face with Xie Li, if Dragon Cave Mountain were really to fall, he would certainly suffer severe consequences.
Wu Yi smiled lightly while a look of confidence filled her face, making it impossible to read what she was thinking as she spoke, “Seniors, my Dragon Cave Mountain has neither grievance nor grudge with any of you, why make things difficult for us?”
“Neither grievance nor grudge?” Xie Li heard this and grinned angrily, “If there was no injustice or hatred between us, do you think we would all assemble here to attack your pathetic little hill? This old master will not speak any nonsense with you. Girl, you’d best know your place and withdraw this Mountain Defending Array. Do so and I will spare you some suffering, otherwise…”
“Otherwise what?” Wu Yi raised her head slightly and stared towards Xie Li, not displaying a hint of timidity.
Xie Li coldly snorted, “Otherwise, when this barrier breaks, we will peel your skin and crack your bones!”
“Senior’s words are big, are you not afraid the wind will clip your tongue after speaking so forcefully?” Wu Yi still laughed lightly, but her words were filled with ridicule. Sweeping her beautiful eyes over the many enemies eyeing her covetously, Wu Yi declared, “Junior advises all the Seniors present to leave now. Do so and my Dragon Cave Mountain will not hold you responsible for what has already transpired here, but if you fail to heed this warning, do not blame my Dragon Cave Mountain for acting ruthless!”
The words she spoke were nothing less than astonishing.
Many of the Origin Returning Realm masters present could not help staring at Wu Yi as if they were looking at a fool.
They had been attacking this barrier for two days but still had not managed to break through Dragon Cave Mountain’s protection, so they were already quite disgruntled, but listening to Wu Yi’s shameless boasting, they immediately became incensed!
All of the cultivators who had come here to attack Dragon Cave Mountain either had ulterior motives or deep hatred against Yang Kai, so how could they be scared off by a few empty threats from Wu Yi? Not only were they not deterred, they became even more aggressive.
Some of the more hot-tempered people present immediately attacked with their artifacts or Martial Skills towards Wu Yi.
*Hong long long…*
A series of explosions rang out as the light curtain in front of Wu Yi shone brilliantly blocking all these attacks.
Wu Yi’s expression remained completely calm as she glanced over at the cultivators who just attacked and declared, “Since you insist on acting besotted, I can only hope you won’t regret the decision you made today!”
Saying so, she waved her hand and the thick layer of fog re-emerged, engulfing the figures of Wu Yi and the others, causing them to disappear from the sight of their enemies.
“Arrogant little bitch, when this old master catches her, he will let her know what a life worse than death feels like!” An old Origin Returning Realm master sitting cross-legged atop a giant toad-like Monster Beast stared at the spot where Wu Yi disappeared and cursed.
This old man was extremely ugly, with bulging eyes, a crooked nose, a bald head, and warts covering his face. On top of that, he was at least a head shorter than average, making his appearance perfectly match with the toad he was sitting on.
Needless to say, this person was from Myriad Beast Mountain, and although no one present was wearing any robes or markings that could identify them as being from Myriad Beast Mountain, people would easily be able to see their origins as long as they weren’t fools because these people’s main method of attack was by controlling Monster Beasts.
Such an obvious trait could not be concealed.
The Blue-Eyed Blood Toad this old man was sitting on was a powerful Ninth-Order Monster Beast, and combined with his own techniques, this human-beast combination was powerful enough to take on Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators. Everyone present also knew that not only was this man’s outer appearance ugly, his mental state was also quite distorted. While being petty and lustful, he most enjoyed torturing and humiliating beautiful women, often to death, deriving some kind of sick, vindictive pleasure from such acts.
If Wu Yi really fell into his hands, she would certainly experience a fate worse than death.
“Heh heh, those two girls both have good strength, if this old master can capture them, they can be made into two good Blood Slaves!” Nearby, a middle-aged man covered in a blood-red aura flashed an evil grin and was undoubtedly from Demon Blood Temple.
“There’s no point talking about any of this until we find a way to break through this barrier!” Xie Li chided, showing a disgruntled look. Their group had barely made any progress trying to destroy this Mountain Defending Array, so what use was there discussing how to carve up the benefits behind it?
The old man from Myriad Beast Mountain cackled, “Originally this old master didn’t want to use this trick, but since that little bitch wants to seek death, this old master can only offer a helping hand, haha!”
Saying so, his expression suddenly became solemn as Saint Qi burst from his body. At the same time, the cheeks of the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad beneath him swelled up and a low croaking like the sound of a frog rang out.
Suddenly, the surrounding World Energy aura became turbulent and began gathering towards the man-beast pair.
Xie Li’s eyes lit up as he stared at the old man’s movements for a moment before asking, “Do you plan on using the Blood Toad Poisonous Smoke?”
Hearing this, the other Origin Returning Realm masters all looked startled and turned shocked gazes towards the old man.
The old man from Myriad Beast Mountain just coldly snorted and said, “Blood Toad Poisonous Smoke is my baby’s unique skill, but the number of times it can use it in its lifetime is limited. This old master is putting forward such effort, so I hope friends will not continue to conceal their cards as well!”
Finished with his explanation, this old man suddenly spat out a blood arrow. This blood arrow shot forward towards the Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array. Simultaneously, the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad blew a jet of black venom from its mouth towards the blood arrow.
When the blood arrow and black venom mixed together, they instantly transformed into a dark fog that bombarded towards the barrier’s light curtain.
*Ci la la…*
A sound reminiscent of something being corroded filled everyone’s ears in the next moment as the light curtain surrounding Dragon Cave Mountain began to flicker and at a speed visible to the naked eye, a gap was melted in it.
This gap was large enough to allow a person to pass through, and although it quickly repaired itself, it still demonstrated the great power of this blow.
Over the past two days, no one had been able to open even a tiny hole in this barrier, but now this old man from Myriad Beast Mountain had done just that.
Even if the barrier was quickly restored, this blow had depleted a significant amount of the Mountain Defending Array’s power, so if a few more attacks of similar intensity could be unleashed, perhaps it really could be broken.
After using this technique though, the old man’s complexion became slightly pale and the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad he was riding also seemed a little emaciated. Without saying a word, the old man took out a jade bottle from his Space Ring, poured out a blood red pill, and tossed it forward. The Blue-Eyed Blood Toad spat out its scarlet tongue and caught this pill, swallowing it down in the next moment, its blue eyes flashing a look of enjoyment as it did.
For the Blue-Eyed Blood Toad, this blood red pill was undoubtedly a great supplement.
“Excellent,” Xie Li laughed loudly while carefully concealing his shock, nodding in approval as he declared, “In that case, this Xie will not hold back either.”
Saying so, he quickly summoned a small dagger-like artifact that radiated a silvery luster and potent spirituality.
“White Rainbow Dagger!” When the old man from Myriad Beast Mountain saw this dagger, he could not help calling out in surprise, “I never expected Brother Xie would possess this kind of barrier breaking artifact. It seems that Brother Xie’s opportunities in life have not been small.”
The other Origin Returning Realm masters present also turned greedy looks towards this White Rainbow Dagger, as if they had all heard about it before.
Xie Li chuckled and said lightly, “Rather than an opportunity, I simply obtained it by accident.”
As he said so, he poured his Saint Qi into the White Rainbow Dagger with a solemn expression. Naturally, no one believed Xie Li when he said such words; as far as they knew, this White Rainbow Dagger was an artifact specifically designed to break Spirit Arrays and barriers, and its grade was also extremely high, reaching the Origin Grade Mid-Rank. Perhaps such an artifact was not considered much when considering the entire Star Field, but on Shadowed Star, it was incredibly valuable.
After all, when something is rare, it becomes precious.
Moreover, this White Rainbow Dagger should be an heirloom from some small family. As for why it fell into Xie Li’s hands, that was unknown, but it was likely that Xie Li had forcefully obtained it at some point in the past.
Nevertheless, this was someone else’s problem, so although everyone felt Xie Li’s actions were somewhat shameful, they did not bother commenting out loud.
A moment later, Xie Li activated the White Rainbow Dagger and the tiny dagger transformed into a mass of silvery light in a flash and vanished in place, reappearing just outside Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array in the next instant.
With a loud bang, the White Rainbow Dagger plunged into the barrier, penetrating it without any kind of difficulty. While seemingly not having any effect, everyone present could tell that the spirituality of this grand Spirit Array had been greatly damaged.
The reason why this White Rainbow Dagger was known as a Spirit Array breaking artifact was because it utilized a trace of Space Force to penetrate any kind of barrier and directly disrupt Spirit Arrays from the inside.
Such artifacts could not be refined by Shadowed Star’s current Artifact Refiners, making this White Rainbow Dagger a relic from ancient times.
Sure enough, after Xie Li drove the White Rainbow Dagger back and forth a few times through the Mountain Defending Array, the light curtain became somewhat dim.
Seeing this, Demon Blood Temple, Sea Heart Sect, and Lu Ye’s Origin Returning Realm masters all began displaying their own methods which they would normally try to conceal to attack the Mountain Defending Array.
Anyone who could reach the Origin Realm was no vegetarian, everyone present had experienced countless life or death battles and been on countless adventures, so it was only natural for them to possess some hidden means or treasures. However, these cards normally remained hidden and were only brought out as last resorts.
With more than thirty Origin Returning Realm masters acting together, it became a spectacular display of force that even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master would have to tread carefully before.
Seeing this, the remaining Saint Kings also began taking action and for a time, this hastily organized coalition of forces’ momentum became greatly inspired.
Under such a violent attack, the Mountain Defending Array began to buckle, causing everyone to become even more excited.
At the same time, in Heavenly Fate City, atop a certain building fifty kilometres away from Dragon Cave Mountain, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were sitting opposite each other, each of them holding a glass they occasionally raised to their mouths, seemingly lost in thought as they casually drank.
Behind Qian Tong, Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er stood together with anxious looks upon their faces.
Feeling the violent energy fluctuations coming from Dragon Cave Mountain, Wei Gu Chang finally could not bear it and shouted, “Elder, please allow this disciple to go!”
Although Dong Xuan’er did not say anything, it was clear to anyone that worry filled her beautiful eyes.
Qian Tong just smiled lightly however, put down the glass in his hand, and turned to Wei Gu Chang, “What can you do even if you go?”
“Although disciple has only recently broken through to the Origin Realm, I can still offer some kind of help to Brother Yang. At least it’s better than just sitting and watching!” Wei Gu Chang declared forcefully.
Qian Tong raised his brow, grinned, and asked, “Do you think this old master is just sitting here drinking and having fun?”
“Disciple wouldn’t dare!”
“You don’t dare to even admit your own thoughts?” Qian Tong didn’t seem to mind.
Wei Gu Chang wore a look of struggle on his face for a moment before it became firm, cupping his fists and saying, “Elder, please forgive this disciple for speaking with disrespect!”
“Good, speak,” Qian Tong gently nodded.
“Elder, without even mentioning Brother Yang’s life-saving grace for both Xuan’er and myself, just him being willing to risk entering the Emperor Garden last time to rescue Elder should be enough reason for Elder to not stand idly by. What thing is Xie Li? In order to deal with Brother Yang, he even declared he was separating himself from Shadow Moon Hall. Is our Shadow Moon Hall a place anyone can join or leave as they please? As for that dead Xie Hong Wen, hmph, everyone is well aware of his nature. Even if Brother Yang had not killed him back then, this disciple would definitely have done so one day! Elder, please allow this disciple and Xuan’er to go kill Xie Li! Even if Xuan’er and I have only reached the First-Order Origin Realm, killing Xie Li will not be a problem!”
“Bold!” Qian Tong roared loudly, but with a wide smile on his face. Obviously, he didn’t feel that Wei Gu Chang was simply speaking nonsense and acknowledged his strength. “Then tell this old master, what justification do you want to use to kill Xie Li? Because he arbitrarily decided to leave Shadow Moon Hall?”
“Is such a reason insufficient?”
“Even if it wasn’t, it would be the Law Enforcement Hall’s responsibility to handle this matter, it is not your place to intervene.”
“But…”
“I understand. You don’t have many friends, but Yang Kai is definitely one of them, naturally you don’t want to just stand back and watch this, but… he was the one who requested Shadow Moon Hall to not interfere in his grievance with the Xie Family.”
“It’s not just the Xie Family that is attacking Dragon Cave Mountain though! Demon Blood Temple, Myriad Beast Mountain, Flowing Cloud Valley, and Sea Heart Sect are all particip…”
“Yes, this old master is well aware, which is why I am so interested in seeing what kind of method he is going to use to resolve this disaster. If he can really turn danger into safety this time, haha, this little brat would be too amazing.”
“And if Brother Yang can’t?” Wei Gu Chang did not seem to have much confidence in such a possibility, the gap in strength between the two opposing forces was too great. As long as they weren’t blind, anyone would be able to see that Dragon Cave Mountain was completely outmatched.
“Calm down, do you really think Old Ghost Qian is really just observing the situation?” Fei Zhi Tu, who had remained silent this whole time, shot a mild glare towards Wei Gu Chang. He had not wanted to intervene, but this little boy was being a bit too noisy and spoiling the mood while he was trying to watch the good show in front of him.
Wei Gu Chang turned to look at Fei Zhi Tu in amazement, wondering what he meant.
Fei Zhi Tu snickered in response, “Do you think the Heaven Gathering Hall’s forces really went out to perform some kind of task? The Sect is currently besieged by troubles and is being constantly monitored by all of Shadowed Star’s great forces. Everyone is worried that the Emperor Garden will suddenly open and Shadow Moon Hall will use its proximity to gain a decisive advantage. At such a sensitive time, what kind of task could possibly make the Sect deploy its elite forces outside? Wouldn’t such a rash action only allow others to take further advantage of us?”
Hearing this, Wei Gu Chang’s eyes lit up, “Sir City Lord means…”
Wei Gu Chang had also heard about many masters from the Heaven Gathering Hall being sent out on some task a few days ago, so when Fei Zhi Tu mentioned this point, he immediately understood what was happening.
“You still fall far short when it comes to using your head, young man!” Fei Zhi Tu snorted before taking another sip from his glass.
Wei Gu Chang scratched his cheek for a moment before awkwardly nodding and turning an apologetic look towards Qian Tong, bowing deeply as he declared, “Elder, please forgive this disciple for misunderstanding you.”
“Hahaha!” Qian Tong laughed heartily, “Daring to stand up for your friends, even if it meant acting against this old master’s wishes, not acting pretentious nor hypocritical, good, you’ve not disappointed this old master. Come fill this old master’s cup, there will be a good show to watch today!”
“Yes!” Wei Gu Chang hurried forward, picked up a nearby jug, and filled both of his elder’s glasses before stepping back and standing next to Dong Xuan’er, the two of them exchanging a glance devoid of the anxiety and worry that had just been plaguing them.
Heaven Gathering Hall was a special existence in Shadow Moon Hall; it didn’t have many members, only about sixty or so, but each one was a powerful elite ranging in cultivation from First-Order Saint King Realm to First-Order Origin Returning Realm. However, because of the special Secret Arts and Martial Skills they cultivated, each of these people was capable of fighting across realms. More importantly, every member of the Heaven Gathering Hall was trained in group combat tactics, making them stronger when more of them fought together.
If the entire Heaven Gathering Hall joined forces, even fighting a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master head on would be easy.
So, as soon as Wei Gu Chang heard that the Heaven Gathering Hall’s forces had been deployed, his worries faded greatly. Even without mentioning Dragon Cave Mountain’s incredibly mysterious Mountain Defending Array, just the Heaven Gathering Hall’s forces alone would be enough to make this shameless group of bandits suffer a cruel death.
It was just… Elder Qian was taking a big risk. Once others noticed what was happening, it was highly likely that Shadow Moon Hall would be further suppressed by the other great forces.
The appearance of the Emperor Garden had forced Shadow Moon Hall into an incredibly uncomfortable position already.
Elsewhere, on a desolate hillside a few dozen kilometres away, a ruddy faced old man stood with his arms crossed as he stared towards Dragon Cave Mountain, his demeanor as tranquil as an ancient well, devoid of any joy or sorrow, however, the strong vitality which pulsed from his body created an intimidating atmosphere.
Next to him there was an old woman with a rickety body supporting herself with a dragon head walking stick. This old woman had a seemingly frail appearance and even coughed weakly from time to time, as if she might collapse at any moment. Beside this old woman was a young beauty who seemed to be assisting her by supporting her arm. As the wind blew through these two women’s hair, a sharp contrast in image became apparent between the two of them.
The old man was none other than Demon Blood Temple’s Elder Jin Shi, and the old woman was Myriad Beast Mountain’s Old Woman Feng!
Two top-level Origin Returning Realm masters gathering in such a spot was not difficult to understand; after all, both of them were seeking the piece of Profound Gold in Yang Kai’s hands. As such, it was only natural for them to be monitoring the activity on Dragon Cave Mountain. Once Dragon Cave Mountain fell and Yang Kai had been killed, the two of them would immediately move to snatch the Profound Gold.
As for why they had not moved personally, it was simply because it was inconvenient for them to use their strength to bully the weak.
After all, this place was still within Shadow Moon Hall’s territory, so if they took direction action, it was difficult to guarantee that Shadow Moon Hall would not respond in force.
“Senior Sister Feng, are you interested in considering this Jin’s proposal? As long as you can give up on obtaining this piece of Profound Gold, this Jin promises to fulfill three of your requests in your lifetime,” Jin Shi said suddenly.
“Hmph!” Old Woman Feng struck her cane against the ground and sneered, “Old Ghost Jin, don’t address me so intimately, my Myriad Beast Mountain and your Demon Blood Temple have never been allies and we have never been Senior Sister and Junior Brother. Still, if you can give up on this Profound Gold, this old woman will accomplish three tasks for you in your lifetime.”
She threw his proposal right back to him.
Both of them knew this kind of verbal commitment carried very little weight, and that the one who obtained the Profound Gold would be the biggest winner regardless.
Jin Shi’s eyes narrowed as his expression became a little unpleasant, but after thinking about it for a moment, he chuckled, “Why must Senior Sister Feng insist on refusing my offer? As far as this Jin knows, Senior Sister’s age is not small. How many more years do you have to live? What matters could you possibly accomplish for me in that time?”
“Is that so? This old woman can guarantee that she’ll live longer than you at least!”
“Ahem… There’s no point in us arguing here,” Jin Shi suddenly felt that arguing like this with Old Woman Feng was juvenile and instead decided to get to the root of the problem, “How about this, why don’t we exchange pointers here and whoever wins will also win the Profound Gold. What does Senior Sister Feng think?”
“You think this old woman fears you?” Old Woman Feng’s rickety waist suddenly straightened up and as an astonishing fighting intent pulsed from her body. Sneering, she declared, “This old woman has been interested in witnessing the power of your Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art for some time now!”
Saying so, she directed a shocking momentum towards Jin Shi, indicating she was more than willing to fight with him here. Old Woman Feng was indeed advanced in age, but although she was now an elderly figure, in her youth she had been as hot-tempered and aggressive as any man, something which had not been calmed with age. In fact, her vicious nature was even more pronounced now than when she was young.
Jin Shi, on the other hand, as an Elder of Demon Blood Temple Elder and a man who had cultivated the Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art, possessed extremely powerful vitality and an equally short temper. Facing such naked coercion, he naturally wasn’t going to show any weakness as a top-level Origin Returning Realm master.
An invisible pressure began to spread out, forcing these two masters’ in-name disciples standing behind them to retreat in fear.
The young woman who stood beside Old Woman Feng, holding her arm, stumbled briefly before standing firm; however, her face had become slightly pale as she was caught up in the storm these two masters were creating.
“Grandmother, Senior Jin, please show some patience,” The young woman brushed her hair back behind her ears as she laughed helplessly, “Dragon Cave Mountain’s protective array is yet to be broken, so you bothengaging in a fight now to decide who will claim ownership of the Profound Gold, it will only make outsiders laugh. Not to mention, both of you are top masters on Shadowed Star, if you really fought, I am afraid deciding a winner will take quite some time, no?”
How could Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng not already understand what this young woman pointed out? It was just that both were somewhat short-tempered and neither was willing to show weakness to the other, slowly forcing them into this kind of confrontation. After listening to this young woman though, Jin Shi borrowed her words as an excuse to de-escalate and let out a laugh, “What you say is quite right little girl. En, what is your name?”
As he spoke, he also withdrew his aura.
The young woman’s complexion improved greatly with the reduction in ambient pressure and gave an elegant salute, “Disciple’s name is Feng Yan.”
“Feng Yan?” Jin Shi frowned before glancing suspiciously towards Old Woman Feng, after which the latter coldly snorted, “She is this old woman’s granddaughter. Don’t get any ideas about her, otherwise this old woman will fight with you to the death!”
A hint of awkwardness flashed across Jin Shi’s face as he lightly coughed, “She’s just a junior, how could this old master have any ideas about her? En, no wonder this little girl’s cultivation is so good despite being so young, it turns out she is Senior Sister Feng’s descendant. Alright, little girl, let me ask you, if Senior Sister Feng and I do not compare notes, how should we decide who the Profound Gold belongs to? Since you have already intervened, you must have a proposal regarding this, hurry up and inform us.”
Feng Yan smiled lightly, “In front of Senior Jin, how could this Junior dare insert her opinion?”
“There’s no need to fear, just speak freely, this old master won’t blame you,” Jin Shi said with a temperate expression.
Feng Yan glanced at Old Woman Feng for her approval before continuing, “Since that is the case, Junior will offer her suggestion. Grandmother and Senior Jin are both powerful masters, so it is somewhat inappropriate for the two of you to settle things with each other directly. If by some chance something goes wrong, wouldn’t it push our two Sects into a precarious situation? Now that the Emperor Garden has appeared and no one knows when it will open, having more friends is always better than having more enemies.”
Hearing this, Jin Shi nodded lightly, apparently feeling that what Feng Yan said made sense. Even Old Woman Feng’s face eased greatly as her anger faded.
“Although it is not suitable for the two of you to confront one another, both my Myriad Beast Mountain and Senior Jin’s Demon Blood Temple have sent forces to participate in this attack on Dragon Cave Mountain, so why not let them decide who will claim ownership of the Profound Gold? If Demon Blood Temple’s disciples manage to snatch it, my Myriad Beast Mountain is willing to withdraw and wishes that Senior Jin manages to reach new heights in strength!”
“Oh?” Jin Shi looked at Feng Yan with a faint smile on his lips, “Are you so confident in the disciples of your Myriad Beast Mountain?”
Feng Yan returned the smile and asked, “Is Senior Jin not confident in your Sect’s disciple’s methods?”
Jin Shi’s eyes narrowed slightly before letting out a laugh, “Little girl, there is no need for you to provoke this old master, this old master naturally has full confidence in the methods of his Sect’s disciples. Good, this old master can agree to your proposal, but can your words represent Senior Sister Feng’s opinion as well?”
“Since Yan’er has made this proposal, this old woman will naturally agree!” Old Woman Feng lightly tapped her cane and nodded.
“Since you have said it, I will take it that you really mean it!” Jin Shi coldly snorted before extending his hand to Old Woman Feng. The latter glanced down at it for a moment before clasping it. After exchanging an oath about this agreement, the two masters began completely ignoring one another as they turned all their attention towards the distance, strange smiles appearing on both of their faces.
Both of them were clearly completely confident in their own disciples.
While Dragon Cave Mountain was under siege, it was not just Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, Jin Shi, and Old Woman Feng who were observing from afar. At this moment, at various positions between a dozen and hundreds of kilometres away from Dragon Cave Mountain, there were strong observers pointing and whispering to one another as they spectated this event.
Treasure Trove Pavilion’s auction had happened not long ago, so many of the masters who had come to participate had yet to leave. They had wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to observe the movements of the Emperor Garden, but after several days of nothing happening, these masters found themselves idle. Now that such a good show had appeared, no matter who it was, they were willing to take a look in hopes of finding some small entertainment.
The extraordinary sturdiness of Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array was of particular concern to the observing masters.
Needless to say, Thunder Typhoon Sect, Heaven Battling Union, Twin Heart Valley, Grand Fire Temple, Floating Mist Palace, Clear Sky Sect, Flame Shield Union, and the various other great forces from Shadowed Star were coveting this Mountain Defending Array.
A small, trivial hill possessing such a powerful defensive array, the question all of them was asking was, [Who arranged it?] No one cared whether Dragon Cave Mountain survived or not, but all of them cared about the Grandmaster who arranged this formation. If they could rescue this master at a critical moment, they might be able to recruit them for their own force.
Everyone was silently making such plans, but all of them had tacitly chosen to stand by and let the Xie Family take the lead along with its allies that were attacking Dragon Cave Mountain.
At the same time, inside Dragon Cave Mountain, Wu Yi and Qian Yue, who had retreated back behind the Mountain Defending Array, couldn’t help going slightly pale.
The two of them had stepped forward just now in order to negotiate, and although they appeared calm and composed, not displaying the slightest fear or cowardice, anyone who saw so many masters gathered against themselves would feel pressured. When had either of these two young women encountered such an astonishing scene? What was especially troubling though was that neither Yang Kai nor Yang Yan were present at this critical moment.
If it weren’t for Wu Yi having a thorough understanding of Dragon Cave Mountain’s various Spirit Arrays, she would likely have already fallen into a panic.
In terms of familiarity with the grand Spirit Arrays covering Dragon Cave Mountain, after Yang Yan who had arranged them, Wu Yi’s understanding was the best; even Yang Kai didn’t know these Spirit Arrays as well as she. After all, when Yang Yan was arranging these formations, Wu Yi had often accompanied and assisted her, so she clearly knew just what kind of terrifying heritage lay in the region surrounding Dragon Cave Mountain.
As such, even though she was somewhat anxious, her emotions remained relatively stable and she was able to withdraw calmly while issuing instructions to the other cultivators present.
However, relying on the protective barrier was not a long term plan. Even if the Mountain Defending Array was incredibly sturdy, under a persistent bombardment, it would eventually break. Wu Yi’s only hope was to somehow establish contact with Yang Kai and Yang Yan. As long as either of them could return to take charge of the situation, Dragon Cave Mountain would be able to mount an effective defence.
Unfortunately, Wu Yi had no idea where the two of them had gone, nor when they would return.
Just as her anxiety was beginning to well up, Qian Yue beside her suddenly let out a cry of surprise and pulled out her communication artifact. Pouring her Divine Sense into it, Qian Yue soon smiled and reported, “Yang Kai and Yang Yan are back.”
“Really?” Wu Yi was overjoyed and hastily asked for confirmation, almost like a drowning person catching hold of a life-saving straw.
“En, Yang Kai sent me a message.”
“Where are they?” Wu Yi looked around, but was unable to spot any trace of Yang Kai or Yang Yan.
“They’re in a hidden spot nearby. Yang Kai said there are too many people outside so it’s difficult for them to sneak in without anyone noticing, so they haven’t returned yet, but…”
“But what?”
“But, he sent a message saying to deactivate the Mountain Defending Array and then let everyone hide inside the cave mansion while Foreign Elder Chang and Foreign Elder Hao confront the enemy. He and Yang Yan will also find an opportunity to act in ensuing chaos.”
“Is that so…” Wu Yi showed a thoughtful expression while everyone else wore calm expressions. Everyone except for Ning Xiang Chen, who had only been here for two days, was calm.
[Could it be that this little brat surnamed Yang has gone crazy? Why else would he issue such an outrageous order?] Although he had not been on Dragon Cave Mountain for long, Ning Xiang Chen knew that there were only a few dozen cultivators here, most of whom were just Saints or Saint Kings, there were even a few Transcendents. There were only two First-Order Origin Realm cultivators, Chang Qi and Hao An.
On the other hand, there were more than thirty Origin Returning Realm masters attacking them, a number of whom were Second-Order. As for Saint Kings, there were more than two hundred among the enemy’s force. In this situation, if Dragon Cave Mountain continued to use its Mountain Defending Array, it could hold out for a while longer, but once the barrier was lowered, the only option left would be to fight a hopeless battle. How was this any different from digging their own grave?
Even if Yang Kai’s strength was exceptional, he was still just a single person. How were Yang Kai, Chang Qi, and Hao An planning on overcoming such impossible odds?
Ning Xiang Chen’s mind was simply unable to keep up with all of these sudden developments, and just as he was about to ask what exactly was happening, he suddenly saw Wu Yi smile and calmly declare, “If that’s the case, then we’ll do as he says! It’s about time we show those shameless bastards Dragon Cave Mountain’s fangs.”
With how she so categorically issued this order, it was as if she didn’t place the invaders outside in her eyes, like Yang Kai’s presence alone gave her unlimited confidence.
Ning Xiang Chen on the other hand nearly bit his tongue off.
Qian Yue responded immediately by issuing orders to everyone to take shelter inside Yang Kai’s cave mansion as it was the most secure and strongly fortified position on Dragon Cave Mountain. Unless one had a token to open it, Yang Kai’s cave mansion’s barriers would be even more difficult to break through than the Mountain Defending Array itself.
After Yang Kai’s order was given, Wu Yi understood what he wanted to do and naturally wouldn’t make any objections.
The other cultivators on Dragon Cave Mountain acted swiftly after receiving orders from Qian Yue, all of them rushing over to the cave mansion. In the blink of an eye, only Chang Qi, Hao An, Qian Yue, Wu Yi and Ning Xiang Chen remained.
At this time, Wu Yi frowned as she glanced towards Ning Xiang Chen. Despite her insight and intelligence, she didn’t know what to do with Ning Xiang Chen at this moment.
Allowing him to enter the cave mansion to take refuge was clearly impossible; the cave mansion was Yang Kai’s retreat where many incredible secrets were hidden, and although all of the important treasures were protected behind powerful barriers. If Ning Xiang Chen accidentally discovered something, it would inevitably lead to trouble.
But it was even more impossible to simply make him leave at this point. Just now, Ning Xiang Chen had taken the initiative to stay and offer his assistance to Dragon Cave Mountain, earning him Wu Yi’s gratitude. If she were to shut him out at this point, making him fend for himself, it would be too ungrateful. Not to mention, Ning Xiang Chen couldn’t even leave if he wanted to because Dragon Cave Mountain was completely surrounded by enemies.
Wu Yi immediately felt a headache.
Fortunately, Ning Xiang Chen was a worldly person and was quickly able to discern Wu Yi’s concerns, so he actively proposed, “If you have use for this old master, please don’t be polite. Although this old master’s strength is not high, he is still willing to contribute.”
In that short moment of time, Ning Xiang Chen had again weighed the pros and cons in his mind and decided to gamble once more!
Although he didn’t know where Wu Yi and others were getting their confidence from, their calmness and indifference facing their current situation put him more at ease. Perhaps this Dragon Cave Mountain really was as dangerous as a dragon’s den!
What’s more, after having shown himself to everyone outside and torn face with Xie Li, even if he wanted to withdraw now, he didn’t possess the necessary strength or status, so he might as well see this through to the end.
Ning Xiang Chen had encountered many desperate situations throughout his life, some even more dangerous than the one he currently found himself in, so he was well aware that the greater the investment, the higher the return.
This was the best time for him to make his standpoint clear.
Moreover, even if Dragon Cave Mountain really wound up powerless to resist this foreign invasion, he may still be able to escape.
Based on these considerations, Ning Xiang Chen decided to take a risk.
“Alright. Since Senior Ning is willing to contribute, this Junior won’t be polite. In light of this, I hope Senior Ning can join Foreign Elder Chang and Foreign Elder Hao to meet the enemy. This Junior will retreat first. I wish the three Seniors a swift victory!” Saying so, Wu Yi cupped her fists respectfully before turning around and entering the cave mansion.
Wu Yi was just a Second-Order Saint King, so she understood that there was no point in her remaining outside. As such, she decisively entered the cave mansion.
Ning Xiang Chen was once again left with his mouth slightly agape, standing in place with a dumbfounded look upon his face.
He had thought that Wu Yi would have some kind of clear instructions or proper plan, but what he received instead was just a request to wait here to confront the enemy. It was simply too irresponsible.
[Have I just dug my own grave?] Ning Xiang Chen’s heart filled with bitterness as he wondered to himself.
But Chang Qi just patted him on the shoulder and laughed, “Brother Ning, you will definitely rejoice you made this decision in the future!”
[This sentence again!] Ning Xiang Chen had now heard this line twice within a stick of incense worth of time, but as for what kind of cards this place had hidden, he had no idea, so how was he supposed to rejoice? As far as he could tell, he had made a stupid decision in the heat of the moment and as a result dug his own grave! Ning Xiang Chen really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Old Hao, you still have two bottles of that Moon Beam Wine don’t you?” Chang Qi suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Hao An.
“What are you trying to say?” Hao An asked back vigilantly.
Chang Qi grinned widely, “You and I are old brothers, are you still unclear what I’m trying to say?”
Hao An was immediately filled with righteous indignation, “Last time, little Wu Yi bought back ten bottles of that wine and you and I split them evenly between us, five bottles each. You drank all of yours already so now you’re having ideas about this old master’s? You think this Hao is so easy to bully?!”
“We’re all one family, why speak such distant words? Brother Ning has also joined us so you shouldn’t act so stingy Old Hao, take those bottles out and let us have a drink before we kill our enemies!” Chang Qi pestered Hao An with both logical and emotional pleas.
Hao An ground his teeth as he glared at Chang Qi with grief and anger for a time before finally letting out an exasperated sigh, “Damn it, I know you’re just coveting this old master’s two bottles of good wine, but since you’ve involved Brother Ning as well, this Hao won’t be stingy lest others accuse me of being mean-spirited.”
Saying so, he wiped his Space Ring with his hand and took out two bottles of wine from it.
Chang Qi laughed happily before quickly taking out a few plates of splendid spirit fruits from his Space Ring along with a table and a set of chairs.
Hao An opened a bottle of the Moon Beam Wine and filled three glasses with it before sitting down in an exhausted manner.
At the same time, Chang Qi beckoned to Ning Xiang Chen before reaching out and picking up one of the glasses and sipping it, his face filling with joy as he urged Hao An to continue to fill it.
Ning Xiang Chen looked at this absurd scene and couldn’t help his expression from contorting weirdly. He couldn’t understand anything anymore. With such strong enemies literally knocking on their door, knives placed against all of their necks, how could these two old fogeys still have the thought to drink and make merry? Could it be that they really not know how to write the word ‘death’?
After a long hesitation, Ning Xiang Chen let out a sigh and asked, “Brother Chang, Brother Hao, if it is convenient, could you enlighten this Ning how you plan to repel the enemy outside? With just the three of us, how are we supposed to overcome so many masters?”
Hearing this, Chang Qi and Hao An both looked at each other and laughed.
Ning Xiang Chen secretly felt irritated seeing this and anxiously asked, “Do you two think my words are so funny?”
Chang Qi waved his hand lightly before adjusting his expression to a serious one and declaring, “Brother Ning, you’ve only recently come to Dragon Cave Mountain, so although this Chang is quite impressed with your temperament, it is a bit inconvenient for us to disclose too much. However, this Chang suggests you just wait and see how this group of clumsy mischief-doers brings about their own destruction. En, this glass of wine is by no means the last toast before our demise, but rather one to our coming victory. Each of these bottles is worth 100,000 Saint Crystals and is exceedingly difficult to buy. Brother Ning should really give it a try.”
Ning Xiang Chen’s expression changed dramatically as he was overwhelmed with shock. Not because of the price of this Moon Beam Wine, of course, since Moon Beam Wine was quite famous Ning Xiang Chen had naturally heard about its incredible cost; what he was surprised by was Chang Qi’s confidence.
He clearly didn’t put any of these invaders in his eyes!
After his expression fluctuated for a while, Ning Xiang Chen grit his teeth, steeled his heart, and sat down with a snort, “Alright then! This old master will see if you are all bringing about your own destruction or are luring the enemy into a deadly trap! If it is the former though, don’t blame this old master for greasing his soles and taking off.”
Chang Qi and Hao An looked at each other, smiled, and nodded, “Should be so!”
Saying so, they filled up Ning Xiang Chen’s glass.
With varying thoughts, the three old men sat around eating spirit fruits while tasting this fine wine, not showing any awareness that the enemy was approaching.
Inside the cave mansion, Wu Yi had settled the disciples and had joined Qian Yue inside a separate room before taking out a silver and gold disk from her Space Ring. Tossing this glowing disk forward, Wu Yi said with a solemn expression, “Elder Sister Qian Yue, this is the master control plate for all of Dragon Cave Mountain’s Spirit Arrays. By myself, I’m afraid I will not be able to operate it smoothly, so I must ask Elder Sister to assist me.”
“Okay,” Qian Yue nodded.
Wu Yi reached out and poured her Saint Qi into the control plate. In an instant, the gold and silver colours began rotating an incredible speed, filling the room with a brilliant light.
Wu Yi’s expression turned solemn as she shouted, “Open!”
The control plate made a whirring sound as the gold and silver colours on its surface intertwined as if they had come to life before withdrawing to their respective sides and in the blink of an eye, splitting apart cleanly.
At the same time, outside Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, the more than thirty Origin Realm masters headed by Xie Li continued their assault on the barrier. After everyone had displayed some of their powerful hidden methods, this seemingly solid Spirit Array had begun to crumble, dimming significantly as it flickered weakly.
“Everyone, keep it up! This damn Spirit Array won’t be able to last much longer!” Xie Li’s eyes shone cruelly as he shouted. Simultaneously, he used his White Rainbow Dagger to shuttle back and forth through the light curtain, continuing to apply damage.
There was no need for him to remind these Origin Realm masters, as all of them who were participating in this attack could see that they were making progress. From the intensity of their assault, many judged that this Mountain Protecting Array wouldn’t be able to last more than half a day before breaking.
For a time, this group became excited and their blood boiled as they poured more Saint Qi into their artifacts and Martial Skills.
Brilliant rays of light continued to bombard the light curtain, setting off a continuous rumbling.
Suddenly, along with a strange buzzing sound, the light curtain of Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array began fading at an extremely fast speed before disappearing altogether.
The attacks of more than thirty Origin Returning Realm masters suddenly passed through the place where the barrier once stood and blasted the surrounding ground.
“It broke?” The old man from Myriad Beast Mountain who was riding the Blue Eyes Blood Toad raised his brow and revealed a surprised look. Just now, he clearly felt that this Spirit Array could last a while longer but now it had suddenly disappeared, making him wonder if some kind of unexpected accident had occurred.
“It doesn’t seem like it, it looks more like they closed it on their own!” A middle-aged man wrapped in a blood-red aura from Demon Blood Temple narrowed his eyes towards the interior of Dragon Cave Mountain, a trace of vigilance appearing on his face.
“Hmph, maybe they realized that resisting to the end would only cause them to suffer more, so they took the initiative to lower the barrier thinking they could somehow escape?” Someone posited.
Naturally, not many agreed with this idea, but since the other party had indeed withdrawn their defensive array they must have some other method to rely on. With the layer of fog still tumbling outside Dragon Cave Mountain, not to mention their eyes, even their Divine Senses were greatly restricted, so no one could determine the situation inside, causing all of them to become cautious. No one wanted to be the first to act.
“A group of spineless cowards!” Xie Li ground his teeth secretly as he prepared to force others to move forward and investigate the situation, but before he could say anything he saw the fog bank covering Dragon Cave Mountain begin to dissipate.
A short time later, the rolling clouds and mists lifted revealing the scenery inside Dragon Cave Mountain.
Today’s Dragon Cave Mountain had become quite picturesque actually, the surrounding mountains and streams all appearing clean and refreshing. The ambient World Energy aura was also rich. It was a far cry from the barren hill it once was.
But what shocked everyone present was that no one had left the mountain to meet the enemy. There were no apparent defences or cultivators lying in wait, just three old Origin Realm men gathered around a table drinking and relaxing.
When this kind of rampant contempt entered everyone’s eyes, all of their expressions became cold.
Clearly these people weren’t putting them in their eyes, otherwise, how could they be sitting there leisurely drinking?
“Hmph, still trying to act mysterious after reaching a dead end!” Xie Li coldly snorted as he released his Divine Sense to explore Dragon Cave Mountain. Although he was unable to discover anything suspicious, he still instinctively felt a sense of trepidation, as if stepping into this hill was akin to treading through the gates of death.
This feeling made him extremely uncomfortable and as he turned his head to look at the others, and found that everyone was similarly wearing a solemn expression.
However, this situation was akin to an arrow already having left the string, so although Xie Li hadn’t carefully inspected the surrounding region, he knew that many eyes were currently watching him. If at this point, he was to meekly withdraw, he would no longer have any face to appear in public.
Understanding this, Xie Li’s expression became firm and he shouted loudly, “Everyone, this damn barrier has finally broken. If we don’t act now, when will we?”
As he said so, he waved his hand and immediately sent twenty Saint Kings from the Xie Family towards Dragon Cave Mountain.
Although these twenty Saint Kings were clearly not capable of defeating the three Origin Returning Realm masters in front of them, they could at least test Dragon Cave Mountain’s depths. Xie Li had such intentions and after these twenty flew forward, he immediately began carefully monitoring them.
With the Xie Family taking the lead, the people from Demon Blood Temple and Myriad Beast Mountain were naturally unwilling to be outdone. Lu Ye, who was hidden from view, also quietly issued a command and soon after, sixty more Saint Kings stepped forward from the main force and began approaching Chang Qi, Hao An, and Ning Xiang Chen.
Seeing the number of enemies, Ning Xiang Chen’s hand trembled and he nearly spilled the wine in his glass. Even though he was an Origin Realm master, he wasn’t confident he could face so many Saint Kings all at once.
Chang Qi obviously didn’t miss this but simply let out a chuckle and said, “Don’t worry, Brother Ning, it’s not yet time for us to act.”
“Yes, Brother Ning, you should put your heart at ease,” Hao An echoed, not even bothering to look at the approaching Saint Kings.
Unfortunately, Ning Xiang Chen didn’t share their calmness and couldn’t help turning to observe the nearing enemies while secretly condensing his Saint Qi, preparing to take action at a moment’s notice.
However, in the next moment, these aggressive Saint King Realm cultivators all let out a cry of shock as panic filled their faces and their bodies fell from the sky one by one, making for quite an amusing scene.
“A Flight Inhibiting Array?” Ning Xiang Chen’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, never having expected that this tiny Dragon Cave Mountain would actually have a Flight Inhibiting Array.
This Spirit Array was extremely complex and only some large cities and Sect headquarters would be equipped with them. Once they entered the range of such an array, cultivators would lose the ability to fly. Of course, the ability of such an array to restrict cultivators varied greatly depending on the skill of the master who arranged it and the materials invested in its construction.
Ning Xiang Chen tried circulating his own Saint Qi, wanting to fly up into the air, but to his horror, after reaching a height of just two metres, he felt a crushing pressure restricting him from ascending further.
In light of this, Ning Xiang Chen determined that the Flight Inhibiting Array here was capable of at least suppressing Second-Order Origin Returning Realm masters. Even if a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm came here, they wouldn’t be able to fly very high!
The power of this Spirit Array was simply astonishing!
Just as he was immersed in his shock, the dozens of Saint King Realm cultivators fell like raindrops onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust upon impact.
Fortunately for these Saint Kings, they had not been flying very high, so with the innate strength of their physiques, other than becoming slightly dirt and embarrassed, none of them suffered any harm. Of course, after getting up, all of them wore frowns filled with resentment.
Having suffered such shame, these Saint Kings’ hatred towards Dragon Cave Mountain increased dramatically.
But before they could completely recover, another abrupt change occurred.
Suddenly and strangely, energy fluctuations appeared all around these Saint Kings. These energy fluctuations were extremely well concealed and inconspicuous at first, but they quickly condensed into a whirlwind. When this whirlwind first appeared, it wasn’t very strong, but in the blink of any eye, its size and intensity multiplied many times over. Countless wind blades flew about, slicing into all of the nearby Saint King Realm cultivators.
Screams rang out as the sound of flesh being torn apart filled everyone’s ears, horrifying all who were watching. Soon, this whirlwind was dyed blood red as smashed meat and broken flesh swirled through it.
At a different location, numerous ice cones as thick as a grown man’s thigh strangely materialized mid-air and shot forward like arrows, immediately passing through the chest of two absent-minded cultivators, causing them to explode into blood fogs.
There were also fireballs the size of washbasins being shot about, causing several unlucky Saint King Realm cultivators who were hit to instantly be burned to ashes.
Other Saint Kings from this group just inexplicably disappeared before everyone’s eyes, seemingly vanishing from existence with only their panic-filled screams remaining behind.
A rich scent of blood soon filled the air as this first batch of more than eighty Saint Kings who rushed into Dragon Cave Mountain failed to advance more than a few metres before suffering serious losses.
In literally the blink of an eye, yet in what seemed to last unbearably long, less than half remained alive of the more than eighty Saint Kings who had gone forward to test Dragon Cave Mountain’s defences. Those who were left now scrambled about like headless flies, unable to escape.
As they witnessed this eerie scene, the cultivators outside all felt their blood go slightly cold.
Everyone could tell that these Saint Kings acting so erratically was due to them falling into some kind of Illusion Array, making it impossible for them to determine where they were or where they were going, making the few steps it should have taken them to escape an impassable moat separating life and death.
Moving around indiscriminately would only lead to triggering more Spirit Array traps, akin to seeking one’s death.
Sure enough, with all the Spirit Arrays arranged around Dragon Cave Mountain’s periphery, the more than eighty Saint King Realm cultivators that entered to probe its defences were wiped out in just half an incense worth of time.
Ning Xiang Chen could hardly believe his eyes!
That was eighty plus Saint King Realm cultivators! If he were to encounter such a force, he would have no choice but to avoid head on confrontation, but now, without even needing to deploy a single soldier, Dragon Cave Mountain had easily annihilated them.
What did a dragon den count for? This little hilltop was clearly more terrifying than any dragon den or tiger cave!
However, Ning Xiang Chen also realized that with the power of these Spirit Arrays alone, it would have been impossible to kill those eighty or so Saint Kings so quickly. The decisive factor was the expenditure of the master who had arranged these Spirit Arrays.
The Array Cores of each of these Spirit Arrays was actually a powerful artifact! With these Spirit Arrays powering these artifacts, the might they could display was greatly enhanced, making it impossible for those Saint Kings to put up any kind of resistance at all.
Just how many powerful artifacts were used to arrange all these Spirit Arrays? Ning Xiang Chen couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Back in Heavenly Fate City, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were also dumbfounded as they exchanged an astonished glance. Although they both knew that there were many Spirit Arrays arranged on Dragon Cave Mountain, they never thought that they would be able to display such power.
Eighty Saint King Realm had been sent in, but before they could even probe Dragon Cave Mountain’s depths, they had been eliminated. This time, the Xie Family, Myriad Beast Mountain, and Demon Blood Temple were bound to suffer a great loss.
“It seems Heaven Gathering Hall’s forces may not even need to move!” Wei Gu Chang snickered, taking great pleasure in others’ misfortune.
“Not necessarily!” Fei Zhi Tu shook his head slowly, “The attacking force only lost Saint Kings during this probe, none of the Origin Realm masters have acted yet. We should continue monitoring the situation.”
Wei Gu Chang pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement; after all, the might an Origin Realm master could display was in a different league compared to mere Saint Kings. While it was true that the Xie Family coalition had taken heavy losses just now, they hadn’t suffered a fatal blow.
Outside Dragon Cave Mountain, Xie Li, the old man from Myriad Beast Mountain, and the middle-aged man from Demon Blood Temple all wore gloomy looks, their expressions were all dark. None of them had anticipated that Dragon Cave Mountain’s defensive power would be so overwhelming. Even without those three drinking old men acting, all of the Saint King Realm disciples they had deployed had been killed.
If all the Spirit Arrays around Dragon Cave Mountain were this strong, Saint Kings wouldn’t be able to play much role here other than becoming sacrificial pawns.
After hesitating for a moment, Xie Li suddenly proposed, “Friends, shall we try attacking separately?”
“Attacking separately?” The old man from Myriad Beast Mountain frowned.
“Yeah, there seems to be a massive number of Spirit Arrays arranged at the front of this mountain, so breaking through from this spot won’t be easy. But since that’s the case, we can simply try attacking from different directions. This Xie doesn’t believe that this mountain is completely surrounded by such troublesome Spirit Arrays, it’s bound to have weak spots,” Xie Li explained.
“Yes, what Brother Xie says makes sense,” The old man nodded in agreement, feeling that what Xie Li said was correct, immediately following up, “Then this old master will take that side.”
Saying so, he pointed his finger towards a certain direction, signaling to the disciples of Myriad Beast Mountain to follow him, sat down on his Blue-Eyed Blood Toad and flew over.
The middle-aged man from Demon Blood Temple naturally had no objections and immediately brought his Sect’s disciples in the opposite direction.
The others from Sea Heart Sect and Flowing Cloud Valley did not move, instead choosing to stick together with the Xie Family and follow Xie Li’s lead.
Immediately, the coalition of forces split into three groups and began probing Dragon Cave Mountain’s defenses from three different directions.
Xie Li’s eyes flashed a ruthless light and issued a few commands before waving his hand and rushing towards Dragon Cave Mountain. Under his leadership, a dozen or so other Origin Returning Realm masters, accompanied by several Saint Kings each, split up and began advancing forward while maintaining a high degree of wariness.
Divine Senses began probing every rock and patch of grass on Dragon Cave Mountain, the invading enemy unwilling to miss the slightest detail or suspicious place in worry they would accidentally trigger a Spirit Array and doom themselves to disaster.
This extremely cautious approach soon bore fruit.
Several traces of Spirit Arrays were quickly discovered by these masters and were subsequently avoided with great vigilance. Even if someone did accidentally touch some restriction or trap, they didn’t fall into the kind of hopeless situation that had been witnessed moments earlier.
After all, with the addition of Origin Returning Realm masters, even if someone fell into a Spirit Array, they could put up some resistance.
What made everyone even more overjoyed was that, after the Spirit Arrays arranged around Dragon Cave Mountain had displayed such profound might, they seemed to have exhausted their strength and could now only display relatively weak attacks. Even if some of these arrays were triggered, they could be easily resisted by the Origin Realm cultivators.
After proceeding a distance of five hundred metres and not suffering any casualties, the attacking forces’ morale soared upwards as many people began directing malicious glares towards Chang Qi’s group of three who were still casually drinking. It was as if these invaders couldn’t wait to soar over to these three old men and cut off their heads to vent the anger in their hearts.
A moment later, the many cultivators following Xie Li arrived just twenty metres away from Chang Qi’s group of three and Xie Li raised his hand to signal his group to stop. Staring at these three old men with a cold glare, Xie Li sneered, “You three, if you have any other means, why not let this Xie experience them now? Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t get a second chance.”
Hearing this, Chang Qi simply looked over at him without the slightest panic on his face and smiled very strangely, “Brother Xie, why do you think you were able to travel this far unscathed? Do you really think my Dragon Cave Mountain is so easily trespassed?”
These two faint questions caused Xie Li’s face to fill with alarm as he cried out, “Not good!”
As he spoke, he lashed out with a jet black long whip. This whip seemed to contain a potent Wind and Thunder Attribute energy and was clearly a powerful artifact. Striking out, it was like a dragon soaring out of the sea towards Chang Qi’s chest.
What made Xie Li feel strange though was that Chang Qi didn’t make any attempt to defend himself, simply remaining where he sat smiling towards him, not moving at all.
Xie Li’s plan had been to capture Chang Qi in order to force Dragon Cave Mountain to act cautiously lest he be hurt, but how could he have anticipated that facing his vicious attack, his opponent would not even try to resist?
[Hmph, courting death!] Xie Li’s eyes flashed sharply, not retracting his whip but instead pouring his Saint Qi into it, intending to instantly kill Chang Qi.
*Hong…*
With a loud bang, the jet black whip struck Chang Qi’s body and released a burst of lightning, splitting its target apart and reducing the nearby table and chairs to dust. Even Hao An and Ning Xiang Chen who were sitting nearby were not spared.
When Chang Qi’s body was torn apart, the two of them also burst into pieces.
However, there was no spattering of blood or smell of iron, nor did it feel like he had hit anything. Xie Li’s eyes shrank as he called out in shock, “An Illusion Array?”
Looking again, there was no table or chairs in front of him, and even the surrounding scenery had disappeared, being replaced by a dull grey world with no sun, moon, or stars. All that surrounded Xie Li was a barren world that stretched out without end.
Unexpectedly, he had stepped into an Illusion Array his enemy had arranged, causing Xie Li’s heart to sink.
What disturbed him even more though was that the Origin Realm masters who should have been accompanying him were now all gone, leaving just four Saint King Realm cultivators beside him.
It seems that the moment this Illusion Array activated, all the masters in his group had been separated and forced into a situation where they had to fight alone.
“How can this be?” Xie Li’s complexion became ugly. How could a puny little hilltop arrange such a profound Spirit Array? He suddenly felt that it was not a wise decision to provoke Dragon Cave Mountain.
While the group of cultivators headed by Xie Li were trapped in an Illusion Array, the group from Myriad Beast Mountain was also struggling hard.
The Myriad Beast Mountain cultivators, led by the old man, had detoured around Dragon Cave Mountain preparing to look for a weak spot in its defences. Everything had gone smoother than anyone expected and it seemed that the direction they had chosen to invade from had no powerful Spirit Arrays to block them. Without much difficulty, this group had soon made it halfway up Dragon Cave Mountain.
The old man leading the group even noticed that many cultivators were hiding inside a cave up ahead.
This caused the old man to rejoice and immediately prepare to end this once and for all by breaking into that cave and finding Yang Kai.
But all of a sudden, his good fortune came to an end as Monster Beasts of all different shapes, ranks, and sizes, seemingly composed of flaming red aura, strangely appeared all around his group just after this old man gave the order to attack.
The old man was shocked by what he saw as these Monster Beasts clearly didn’t have physical bodies and were simply condensed of pure Fire Attribute energy. On top of that, these Monster Beasts seemed a bit familiar to him.
It was not until one of the young disciples following him shouted that this old man suddenly realized that these things were the Fire Spirit Beasts that were supposed to be unique to the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
[How could these things appear in this damned place? There doesn’t even seem to be a strong Fire Attribute Aura in this area?]
Although he didn’t understand how this was happening, the old man didn’t show any fear and was even somewhat happy instead because Fire Spirit Beasts would produce Fire Crystal Stones when they died. Each Fire Crystal Stone was a treasure that could be used for Artifact Refining or Alchemy. The only shortcoming was that Fire Crystal Stones could only be acquired by Shadowed Star’s cultivators when the Flowing Flame Sand Field opened.
But now, with such a large group of Fire Spirit Beasts in front of them, the gains would definitely not be small if they could kill them all.
Feeling excited, the old man began coordinating with his Blue Eyes Blood Toad to kill these Fire Spirit Beasts.
Soon though, the old man noticed something wrong. No matter how many of these Fire Spirit Beasts he beheaded, none of them produced a Fire Crystal Stone! It was as if these Fire Spirit Beasts didn’t have Fire Crystal Stones to begin with.
Instead of a great harvest, this fight turned into an endless killing grind with several of the leading Fire Spirit Beasts equivalent to Ninth-Order Monster Beasts causing considerable casualties among the old man’s disciples.
The old man became enraged and used a powerful Secret Technique to cut open a path through these Fire Spirit Beasts.
Unfortunately for him, the Fire Spirit Beasts with strength equivalent to Ninth-Order Monster Beast simply refused to die no matter how much he attacked, as if they were immortal.
This situation occurred several times in succession, causing the old man to gradually become anxious.
Although most of these Fire Spirit Beasts weren’t difficult to deal with, enough ants would still be able to bite an elephant to death. If they continued fighting like this, besides a few of the stronger Origin Realm masters in this group, everyone else would certainly die.
From the opposite direction Myriad Beast Mountain’s group was invading, the other force from Demon Blood Temple was carefully walking through a thick jungle, the middle-aged man covered in a blood-red aura in the lead was extremely alert. Although this man was constantly examining his surroundings with his Divine Sense and had yet to discover any kind of anomaly here, he could still feel a vague sense of unease in his heart, as if there was great danger all around him.
This place should be regarded as the right flank of Dragon Cave Mountain, and was not too far from its centre; after all, Dragon Cave Mountain itself wasn’t very big to begin with.
Suddenly, a few screams came from far away as the characteristic rumblings and violent energy fluctuations of battle appeared.
The expressions of the Demon Blood Temple disciples behind this middle-aged man all changed when this occurred and one of the First-Order Origin Realm cultivators said with a somber face, “Senior Brother Wu, those sounds came from Myriad Beast Mountain’s side, it seems something has happened to them. We should not take this small hilltop for granted.”
“En, although there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong here, everyone should remain vigilant. Don’t fall into the enemy’s traps or Spirit Arrays,” Wu Xun turned back and said lightly.
“Yes.”
“Huh, what’s this?” Suddenly, one of the Saint King disciples behind Wu Xun seemed to discover something strange and asked aloud. However, before Wu Xun and the other Origin Realm masters were able to investigate, a panic-stricken scream rang out before coming to an abrupt halt, after which the fresh smell of blood filled the air.
*Kacha…*
A gruesome crunching sound echoed, and as Wu Xun looked back, he saw that, where once one of his disciples stood, there was now a strange blood-red plant at least ten metres in height. At this moment, the plant had actually wrapped itself around a corpse and was squirming violently, as if it was a mouth tasting delicious food.
The crunching sound was clearly coming from this plant.
What was even more terrifying though was that as the corpse of this Demon Blood Temple disciple was being chewed up, it was also shrivelling at a rate visible to the naked eye, as if the very essence of its physique was being drained, transforming it into a dry husk moments later.
After this strange plant absorbed the corpse’s blood and vital essence, it turned an even darker shade of red, like a giant sword giving off a blood-red aura, causing everyone who saw it to shudder.
*Xiu…*
This seemingly hard blade suddenly danced like a long whip, shooting out tens of metres towards another Demon Blood Temple disciple who was standing dumbfounded.
This disciple’s reaction was not slow, and he hurriedly summoned a golden shield-type artifact to defend himself in a panic. Although this artifact was not high grade, it was still a decent defensive artifact.
With this shield protecting his front, the Demon Blood Temple disciple could not help breathing a sigh of relief, but just as he was about to retreat, his eyes caught sight of an incredible scene.
*Kacha…*
The tough shield was unable to withstand a single blow from this strange plant and was sheared directly in half. The strange plant’s momentum was not even slightly diminished as it continued forward and quickly pierced this cultivator’s lower abdomen before wrapping around him and dragging him back.
“You dare!?” Wu Xun roared angrily. How could he simply stand by and watch as his Sect’s disciple was brutally murdered? His failure to respond in time just now was simply because this scene had been so unusual; he had never met such a strange and cruel plant.
As he shouted, Wu Xun’s right hand flicked, sending out a sword-wave-like attack that cut towards the retreating blood red plant.
The blade struck its mark and caused a series of sparks to fly along with a grinding sound of metal to ring out; however, besides causing the long blade of grass to tremble slightly and slow down a bit, it had not actually been cut apart.
[How could it be so hard!] Wu Xun sucked in a sharp breath. Although he had not put much strength into his attack just now, it was still a blow delivered by a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, yet it had failed to cut down a mere plant.
A sharp light flashed across Wu Xun’s eyes as he again flicked his wrist and sent out a jet-black thread from his fingertip. This black thread revealed a very strange aura and had a strong black Qi pulsing from it.
Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique!
Rather than the Secret Technique Yang Kai was cultivating, this was the real Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique. Almost every high-ranking member of Demon Blood Temple was proficient in this flexible and mysterious method that was even capable of cutting apart Shi.
The black thread flashed forward and the long blade of grass that was dragging the helpless Demon Blood Temple disciple was swiftly cut apart. With a crisp sound, the strange blade of grass was cut into two sections, the base rapidly retreating back towards its roots while the section which was wrapping the Demon Blood Temple disciple fell to the ground.
What made everyone’s skin crawl though was that the section of this strange plant that had been cut off continued to wriggle on the ground, as if it had a life of its own.
The Demon Blood Temple disciple that had been caught by this strange plant was still unable to escape misfortune. Even though Wu Xun attacked swiftly to rescue this disciple, by the time the strange plant was severed in two, this unfortunately disciple had been completely drained of all his blood.
“What the hell was that?” Wu Xun turned slightly pale as he stared towards the strange plant, a clear look of fear appearing on his face. A single plant had managed to do this, but if there were ten or them, or a hundred…
Wu Xun didn’t dare think about it any further, for if that was the case, everyone here would definitely fall today. Where had Dragon Cave Mountain found this monstrosity? Moreover, weren’t they worried they would bring about their own destruction by planting it here?
Just as he was frowning deeply and his expression was filling with bitterness, another First-Order Origin Returning Realm nearby suddenly shuddered, “Senior Brother Wu… Isn’t this bad?”
“What do you mean?”
“That damn thing has been constantly smacking the ground as if… as if…”
“As if what?” Wu Xun asked but suddenly seemed to think of a possibility which caused him to pale greatly.
The moment after Wu Xun realized this possibility, the ground all around his ground began to tremble and crack. Soon, one after another, more strange plants began bursting up from below, like mushrooms sprouting after a spring rain.
These strange plants all had different heights, some of them an imposing five to ten metres tall while others barely reached half a metre in height, as if they were newly sprouted; however, all of them were deep red in colour, as if they had been soaked in fresh blood.
The most terrifying thing was that after these plants sprouted, they began probing around, as if they were predators drawn here by the scent of their prey.
Wu Xun’s forehead began dripping with cold sweat.
In fact, all the Demon Blood Temple disciples were currently standing perfectly still, not daring to move.
Just now, all of them had witnessed the terrifying power of this strange plant. Their two fellow disciples had not even had a chance to fight back before dying on the spot. Now, many of these strange plants had emerged from the ground and surrounded their group so how could they act rashly? Wouldn’t that be akin to seeking death?
However, them not moving did not mean these strange plants would not. After these strange blade-like plants swung back and forth for a moment, all of them suddenly pierced forward like arrows towards the Demon Blood Temple disciples.
“Dodge! Quickly!” Wu Xun shouted as he pushed his Saint Qi violently. Using his Demon Blood Thread again, he began cutting through the blood red blades of grass approaching him before his figure flickered and disappeared as he took evasive action.
But not everyone had Wu Xun’s strength. The Saint King Realm cultivators were the first to fall, with six of them dying instantly during the first wave of attacks, cut into pieces of bloodied meat by these strange plants. The broken remains of these six splashed out across the ground, but a moment later their flesh and blood was absorbed by these plants. After absorbing fresh blood, these strange plants seemed to become even more violent and began swinging around wildly, turning the surrounding several-hundred-metre region into a bloody killing field filled with terrified screams, each one representing another dead cultivator.
Wu Xun was both startled and furious, but at the same time he was helpless. Although he was not afraid of these strange plants, wanting to rescue all the others from Demon Blood Temple with his strength was nothing but a fantasy.
Above Dragon Cave Mountain, Yang Kai and Yang Yan stood quietly, overlooking the whole situation.
The reason why these two could stand here undetected by anyone was thanks to a cloak artifact Yang Yan had refined. This artifact had an incredibly powerful concealment ability. Of course, this artifact could not hide them from the senses of a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, but the closest master of that level was more than fifty kilometres away so it was impossible for them to be exposed from across such a distance.
“Did the Blood Sword Grass already grow to such a scale?” Yang Kai was greatly surprised. The strange blood-red plant Demon Blood Temple had encountered was clearly the Blood Sword Grass he had brought back from the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
At that time, Yang Kai had only brought a single seed with him. After planting it, he had given it a drop of Golden Blood, but Yang Kai has not paid any attention to it since then. Now, the Blood Sword Grass had given him a pleasant surprise.
“This thing has astonishing growth potential. With enough blood, it can grow indefinitely. It once caused a lot of trouble on Shadowed Star,” Yang Yan explained lightly, but in her beautiful eyes, a trace of suspicion flashed, “However, it shouldn’t have grown this fast. We haven’t given it much blood in recent years… strange.”
Yang Kai wrinkled his nose as he secretly speculated that this was related to the drop of Golden Blood he had fed it, but he didn’t bother explaining this and instead asked curiously, “But I only brought back one Blood Sword Grass seed, how come there are so many of them now?”
“This thing’s vitality is tenacious. As long as there is a mother plant, it can produce an endless stream of offshoots.”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded lightly before glancing over towards Myriad Beast Mountain’s group that was fighting with the Fire Spirit Beast horde and grinning, “We should make our move, it’s time to cut off the enemy’s retreat and annihilate them.”
Yang Yan had been waiting for this for a long time now and immediately took out a plate from her Space Ring. This plate was similar to the one Wu Yi was using, half gold and half silver, but it was significantly smaller.
Although this control device was smaller, it was still fully capable of manipulating all of Dragon Cave Mountain’s Spirit Arrays.
After Yang Yan poured her Saint Qi into this plate, a whirling sound immediately rang out from it and the silver and gold colours began moving closer together, quickly merging into one solid state.
At the same time, the originally clear Dragon Cave Mountain was once again obscured by fog as the Mountain Defending Array surrounded the mountain.
“I’m going back first. Wu Yi isn’t very skilled at controlling the various Spirit Arrays,” Yang Yan said.
“En.” Yang Kai gently nodded.
Yang Yan flew down below in a flash, and as soon as she left, Yang Kai’s figure was immediately exposed. This scene surprised all the masters who were staring at this place.
Yang Kai swept his eyes around coldly. Although he could not see anyone, he knew that, at this moment, Dragon Cave Mountain had attracted the eyes of many powerful masters. Most of these people were just here to enjoy the show while a few had a role in the current siege.
Sneering dismissively, Yang Kai also quickly flew into Dragon Cave Mountain.
“This little brat… opening his Mountain Defending Array again, does he want to trap and kill all of these people?” In Heavenly Fate City, Fei Zhi Tu stared blankly.
Qian Tong also starred in confusion, “Does he really have such a ravenous appetite?”
The two exchanged a glance but really did not know how to explain the scene in front of them.
Elsewhere, Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng also had similar doubts, but they were still completely confident in their subordinates, so they did not display any worry. Only Feng Yan, who had been attending to Old Woman Feng, showed a look of interest as she stared towards Dragon Cave Mountain.
She very much wanted to know what the result of this battle would be.
“Doesn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth!” Among Coloured Glass Sect’s group, a glamorous young woman in magnificent dress slowly shook her head, a look of disapproval flashing across her eyes. Originally, when she had witnessed all of Dragon Cave Mountain’s powerful Spirit Arrays, she had been somewhat impressed, but now, after seemingly gaining some small advantages, Dragon Cave Mountain being so pretentious as to open their Mountain Defending Array again only disappointed her.
Without possessing an absolute advantage, opening this protective barrier was not catching a turtle in an urn but trying to contain a ferocious tiger.
Behind this young woman stood two other women, one seemingly taking pleasure in Dragon Cave Mountain’s misfortune while the other was slightly pale with worry.
These two young women appeared to be the same age and their bodies were equally enchanting, but their appearances could not have been more different. One of them was incredibly beautiful while the other was extremely ugly. These two were naturally Yin Su Die and Dai Yuan of Coloured Glass Sect, and the young woman who had spoken just now was none other than Gong Ao Fu, the daughter of Coloured Glass Sect’s Sect Master who was Yin Su Die and Dai Yuan’s Honoured Master.
“Honoured Master, what do you think Dragon Cave Mountain’s fate will be this time?” Although Yin Su Die seemed to be asking her Honoured Master for her opinion, her beautiful eyes were fixed towards Dai Yuan.
Yin Su Die had once suffered a big loss at Yang Kai’s hands, so she naturally hated him. Now seeing Dragon Cave Mountain battered by wind and rain, she could not help rejoicing, especially when she saw the worried look on Dai Yuan’s face. This whole situation brought her immense satisfaction.
“Why bother asking something so obvious?” Gong Ao Fu coldly snorted.
“Honoured Master means that Dragon Cave Mountain won’t be able to overcome this tribulation?” Yin Su Die grinned.
“From the beginning, the decision of the person who owns this Dragon Cave Mountain was wrong,” Gong Ao Fu slowly shook her head, not directly answering the question, “With just the power gathered on such a small hilltop, opposing Myriad Beast Mountain and Demon Blood Temple was akin to trying to break a rock with an egg. Even if this hilltop had numerous powerful Spirit Arrays that allow them to gain a victory this time, what does it matter? With Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng still here, do you believe they will stand by and watch Dragon Cave Mountain bluff and bluster before them? If those two take action, what other choice will there be but to submit?”
“So that’s how it is!” Yin Su Die showed an enlightened look before glancing proudly towards Dai Yuan who was biting her red lips tightly without saying a word.
With a chuckle, Yin Su Die continued, “Then what Honoured Master means is that Dragon Cave Mountain should have known its limits and not provoked Myriad Beast Mountain and Demon Blood Temple.”
Gong Ao Fu showed neither approval nor disapproval, simply saying, “The way of the world is just like this, whoever’s fist is bigger is right.”
“But Honoured Master, if Senior Jin Shi and Senior Feng really take action, Shadow Moon Hall won’t just sit back and do nothing, Elder Qian Tong will surely not stand idly by!” Dai Yuan suddenly asserted with a serious expression.
“Shadow Moon Hall?” Gong Ao Fu glanced lightly towards Dai Yuan and chuckled, “Even so, what of it? If Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng want to deal with this Dragon Cave Mountain, it will not take them more than a few breaths. Even if Qian Tong moves, will he be able to stop them? When the time comes and everyone on that hilltop is dead, do you think Shadow Moon Hall will choose to make enemies of Myriad Beast Mountain and Demon Blood Temple?”
Hearing this, Dai Yuan could not help shivering.
Gong Ao Fu frowned seeing this and asked suspiciously, “Yuan’er, are you feeling alright?”
Before Dai Yuan could answer, Yin Su Die giggled and said, “Honoured Master, Senior Sister isn’t feeling unwell, she is just worried about Dragon Cave Mountain.”
“Why would you be worried about this Dragon Cave Mountain’s fate?” Gong Ao Fu looked at Dai Yuan puzzledly and asked, “Do you know someone there?”
“Honoured Master, have you forgotten? Didn’t two people come to visit Senior Sister at the Sect a while ago?”
“Naturally, I remember this, it was a young man and a young woman, right? Could it be that man and woman were…” Gong Ao Fu suddenly thought of something?
“Yes, that young man’s name is Yang Kai and the woman’s name is Yang Yan, they are the leaders of this Dragon Cave Mountain and their relationship with Senior Sister seems to be quite good,” Yin Su Die replied with a smile.
Gong Ao Fu wrinkled her brow as she stared towards Dai Yuan and asked, “Yuan’er, is that true?”
“Yes!” Dai Yuan nodded heavily.
“No wonder you look so worried, but even if that is the case, you must not draw calamity to yourself. This time, whether Dragon Cave Mountain wins or loses, their future will certainly be quite bleak. Too many great forces are involved in this matter so my Coloured Glass Sect must not wade into these muddy waters.”
“But Honoured Master, I owe Junior Brother Yang a life-saving grace!” Dai Yuan said anxiously.
“So what?” Gong Ao Fu glared at her, “Just looking at his rampant behaviour, he is clearly a foolish and arrogant child. Such a person is not one to become friends with, otherwise you will sooner or later suffer disaster. Su Die!”
“Exactly!” Yin Su Die responded quickly.
“Your Senior Sister’s mood is unstable, stay close to her and do not let her do anything stupid.”
“Yes!” Yin Su Die looked over at Dai Yuan with a harmless smile upon her lips, but in her heart, she was secretly rejoicing. The meaning of her Honoured Master was already obvious, she wanted her to monitor this Senior Sister of hers and not allow her to go to Dragon Cave Mountain and involve herself in this matter.
Looking at Dai Yuan’s sorrowful face, filled with helplessness and anxiety, Yin Su Die felt happier than if she had picked up a million Saint Crystals. Although her cultivation level had now reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, one step higher than Dai Yuan’s, because of the special Secret Art Dai Yuan cultivated, she was an indispensable asset to the Sect, so Yin Su Die still felt uncomfortable in her heart. She always dreamed about completely suppressing Dai Yuan inside Coloured Glass Sect so she could enjoy all her Honoured Master’s attention and favour.
…..
Inside Dragon Cave Mountain, Ning Xiang Chen stared blankly at the enemy in front of him who had the same cultivation as him, like he was lost in a dream.
The enemies in front of him no longer had any vitality and had only a single wound on his body, a bloody hole in his chest the size of a finger out of which red blood still flowed.
Needless to say, this enemy had been killed by him.
But the ease with which he had made this kill made Ning Xiang Chen unable to believe it had happened. If it were not for him being certain it was impossible, he might have thought he had somehow instantly become a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master.
After encountering this enemy just now, Ning Xiang Chen simply summoned a short sword artifact and fought for half a cup of tea’s time before everything was over. Originally, he had wanted to feign weakness to lure the enemy into lowering their guard then take advantage of the situation by launching a killing strike, but how could he have anticipated that this enemy would be completely incapable of resisting him, allowing Ning Xiang Chen to thrust his short sword through his opponents chest and kill him on the spot.
Was this person really an Origin Realm master like him? Why did it feel like he was casually killing a Saint King Realm cultivator?
Moreover, this was already the second Origin Returning Realm master Ning Xiang Chen had killed.
In the past, when he encountered an opponent in the same realm, when had he not fought a hard battle for at least an hour? The longest time Ning Xiang Chen remembered fighting continuously was eight hours, after which he and his opponent had both exhausted their Saint Qi and mutually withdrawn, swearing to settle the score another day.
But now, in just the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, he had killed two opponents who possessed strength equal to his own.
Both of these enemies had died with their eyes wide open, as if they had seen something impossible at the moment of their death.
Although Ning Xiang Chen didn’t quite understand what happened to his enemies here that caused them to act so erratically, he knew there was some kind of mysterious force at work helping him, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to kill these two masters so easily.
Obviously, this mysterious force was related to the Spirit Arrays arranged here, as when Ning Xiang Chen encountered these two Origin Returning Realm masters, he had keenly noticed that they seemed disoriented and unable to circulate their Saint Qi properly, as if they were suffering both suppression and confusion. When he was fighting these two masters, they would often scream out in panic and attack towards empty space for no apparent reason.
Ning Xiang Chen had lived for many years, but this was the first time he had ever encountered such an outrageous scene. The evaluation of Dragon Cave Mountain in his heart soared upwards after experiencing all this. Being able to completely confuse the sense of and suppress the Saint Qi of enemy Origin Returning Realm masters while not hindering the strength of their own allies was not a feat an ordinary Array Master could achieve.
Recalling the inscrutable smiles of Chang Qi and Hao An, Ning Xiang Chen suddenly realized why they had remained so calm even in the face of so many strong enemies.
Perhaps this time he had really made the most brilliant decision of his life!
Thinking so, Ning Xiang Chen stretched out his hand, recalled his short sword from a short distance away, then continued walking forward calmly, without any of his previous uneasiness and anxiety.
He did not need to understand how these mysterious Spirit Arrays worked, he just needed to casually kill the enemies that kept ‘appearing’ in front of him.
The situations of Chang Qi and Hao An were almost exactly the same as that of Ning Xiang Chen, but the two of them had long known the phenomenal power of Dragon Cave Mountain’s Spirit Arrays. Therefore, after picking a spot to defend, they were acting in a far more calm and relaxed manner.
From time to time, some enemies would appear in front of them in a state of bewilderment and would be killed unceremoniously.
After Yang Yan returned to take control of Dragon Cave Mountain’s defences, she used the various Spirit Arrays she had arranged to split up the enemy forces and slowly guide them towards the positions where Chang Qi and Hao An were waiting.
As such, Chang Qi and Hao An were having an even easier time than Ning Xiang Chen.
The Saint King Realm invaders, who were significantly weaker than Chang Qi and Hao An from the start, had their Saint Qi further suppressed by Dragon Cave Mountain’s Spirit Arrays, so they were unable to last even three breaths in a fight while even the First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators were forced into a desperate struggle. As time passed, they too began falling one after another.
The number of cultivators from the Xie Family, Sea Heart Sect, and Flowing Cloud Valley began decreasing at a terrifying rate, sending those who were still alive into a state of panic. Every time an anguished scream rang out, the fear of the survivors inside this forsaken place increased, making all of them wish they had never come here in the first place. Many of them secretly vowed that if they were able to escape this calamity, they would never come near Dragon Cave Mountain again.
Xie Li, on the other hand, had not encountered any kind of danger, but he and the several Saint Kings trapped together with him in this Illusion Array were unable to escape and quickly became anxious like ants on a hot wok.
The Spirit Arrays arranged by Yang Yan already exceeded the limits of Shadowed Star, so it was naturally effortless to keep a few people trapped like this.
On the left flank of Dragon Cave Mountain, the old man from Myriad Beast Mountain managed to lead a number of his Sect’s disciples to break through the horde of Fire Spirit Beasts and arrive at the inner depths of Dragon Cave Mountain.
Looking at the elaborate lofts and large open scenery up ahead, the surviving Myriad Beast Mountain cultivators shivered with excitement and rushed forward at full speed.
A moment later, the crowd arrived at what seemed to be a safe location and glanced back with fear. Fortunately for them, the inexhaustible Fire Spirit Beasts did not pursue them after they left a certain range, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief.
The old man riding his Blue Eyes Blood Toad narrowed his eyes and glanced around to find that only eight of his subordinates remained with him, causing his heart to sink.
When he entered this place, there were forty cultivators in his group, but now, only eight remained. Two of these survivors were First-Order Origin Realm masters while the rest were just Saint Kings, and each and every one of them had visible injuries.
What kind of place was this Dragon Cave Mountain? Just crossing the periphery had cost them so many lives so who could say what kind of dangers lay ahead of them?
Thinking so, the old man stopped his pulse from racing as thoughts of retreating came to mind, but he knew that returning the way they came was impossible because they would have to once again face the horde of Fire Spirit Beasts.
The only option now was to capture the king!
The old man squinted towards the cave where all the cultivators in this area seemed to be gathered and a trace of cruelty flashed across his eyes.
However, in the next instant, the old man’s expression cramped up because a young man with a sturdy figure appeared not far away with a sarcastic grin on his lips and a cold glint in his eyes.
Whether the other party was originally there or suddenly appeared, the old man was uncertain, but he naturally recognized that this young man was none other than the owner of Dragon Cave Mountain and the one who had won the Profound Gold at the recent auction: Yang Kai!
He was no different from the description in the information, only a trivial Third-Order Saint King!
What made the old man truly rejoice was that the other party had boldly appeared by himself, like a tiny mantis trying to stop a runaway cart. Even if his group had suffered heavy losses arriving here, there were still three Origin Realm masters and five Saint King Realm cultivators together with him, not to mention that he himself was a Second-Order Origin Realm master, so there shouldn’t be any problem capturing this boy.
The only thing to worry about was whether this boy was plotting something!
Considering all this, the old man pointed and shouted angrily, “Boy, you dare make enemies of my Myriad Beast Mountain? Today I’ll make you die without a burial!”
“Shameless boasting!” Yang Kai snickered, “After daring to invade my Dragon Cave Mountain, your life and death are no longer yours to control!”
Yang Kai was disinclined to say anything more to this group, so he simply shouted, “Yang Yan!”
As soon Yang Kai called out, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, the exquisite lofts and open fields distorting and being replaced by a vast expanse of green grassland.
“Illusion Array?” The old man’s face changed slightly. He never thought that Dragon Cave Mountain would arrange such a profound Spirit Array in such a place. Logically, the periphery and core regions of a force would be filled with powerful defensive barriers, not the space between the two where nothing of importance was housed. So, generally, there should not be any Spirit Arrays. After all, this was ordinarily the location where the force’s cultivators lived and worked; if a disciple accidentally triggered a dangerous Spirit Array, wouldn’t that result in more harm than good?
This logic was why the old man from Myriad Beast Mountain and his subordinates had rushed over when they saw an open space just now.
Little did they know that what they thought was safe harbour was the location of another powerful Spirit Array.
Dragon Cave Mountain was just a small hilltop so there should not have been a reason for them to arrange so many Spirit Arrays. Did they anticipate that a day would come when they would be invaded by powerful enemies?
How could this old man have understood the strange thoughts of Yang Yan? In truth, the reason why Dragon Cave Mountain had so many Spirit Arrays arranged all over the place was entirely because Yang Yan wanted to use this method to unlock the Spirit Array and Artifact Refining knowledge buried in her subconscious mind.
Only by constantly arranging Spirit Arrays would Yang Yan be able to recall more of her original knowledge about Spirit Arrays.
In short, the arrangement of Spirit Arrays on Dragon Cave Mountain did not follow common sense at all.
After falling into the Illusion Array, the old man did not panic however, because his strength wasn’t weak. Laughing wildly, he shouted, “You think a trivial Illusion Array is enough to put this old master to death? You look down on this old master far too much!”
“I never said anything about killing you with this Illusion Array,” Yang Kai sneered.
“Then what were you planning on doing? If you have some other shocking means, feel free to display them!” The old man smiled proudly, “Today, this old master will let you understand the gap between you and me.”
“Sure, but there is no need to be so restless, I’ll be right back! Wait for me here patiently, okay?” Yang Kai nodded lightly before his figure strangely and rapidly began fading away.
“You want to run?” The old man shouted furiously as he released his Divine Sense and sent a burst of scarlet light towards the position where Yang Kai stood.
However, the old man was a step too late as Yang Kai’s figure disappeared before the scarlet light could hit him.
The old man’s expression became extremely gloomy!
He had allowed Yang Kai to escape from him, proving that this Illusion Array was not simple! No matter how he tried, the old man was unable to figure out how this boy had managed to evade his sight and Divine Sense, nor did he know what Yang Kai was planning on doing.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to the old man and he quickly scanned his surroundings, his face turning green in the next instant.
The two Origin Realm masters and five Saint King Realm juniors that had been accompanying him had mysteriously disappeared, as if the only one trapped in this Illusion Array was him.
When he thought about what Yang Kai said just now, the old man immediately understood what this boy was going to do and his heart filled with rage. Roaring hysterically, he summoned a one-handed hatchet filled with malevolent aura and poured his Saint Qi into it before ruthlessly slashing the air, trying to destroy the illusion in front of him.
He did not even notice when he had fallen into this Spirit Array, so he naturally had no idea how to crack it and could only use the crudest method of breaking it by force.
The grade of this one-handed hatchet artifact certainly was not low, reaching the Origin Grade Mid-Rank. Although the Artifact Refiners of Shadowed Star were not capable of refining such an artifact, such items could still be obtained from ancient ruins so albeit rare, they still existed.
After pouring his Saint Qi into this one-handed hatchet, the old man swung it to release a giant black wave which flew out several dozen metres before smashing into the air, creating a loud buzzing sound and producing an amazing shockwave.
However, such an attack obviously was not enough to destroy this Illusion Array, not to mention that this Spirit Array was currently being controlled by Yang Yan.
After releasing five such attacks and consuming a great deal of Saint Qi, the old man stayed his hand as a dark expression filled his face. Silently, he waited and observed his surroundings.
He believed that Yang Kai would appear again soon.
Sure enough, after the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, a blurry figure suddenly emerged out of thin air and, as it solidified, it revealed Yang Kai’s appearance.
The old man’s eyes were instantly drawn to Yang Kai’s face and clothes because there were several fresh blood stains on them now, seemingly having been spattered onto him. There was also some lingering Monster Qi in this fresh blood.
As a master from Myriad Beast Mountain, this old man was naturally familiar with this aura. It was the blood of powerful Monster Beasts, and the only cultivators around who possessed such powerful Monster Beasts came from his Myriad Beast Mountain.
“What happened to my subordinates?” The old man glared at Yang Kai and asked coldly.
“Why ask something you already know? Since I have returned, what fate do you think befell your disciples?” Yang Kai sneered. Two First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators and five Saint Kings were not enough to trouble Yang Kai here on Dragon Cave Mountain.
After all, when he was just a Second-Order Saint King, Yang Kai was able to kill First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, so now that he had Yang Yan controlling the various Spirit Arrays here to assist him, if he couldn’t solve these invaders he would really have cultivated all these years in vain.
Although he already had some speculation in his heart, the old man still grit his teeth when he heard this response and nodded, “Good! Good! Daring to slaughter my subordinates, from today onwards, my Myriad Beast Mountain and you cannot exist under the same sky!”
Even though he was making such a dramatic declaration, the old man’s face remained incredibly calm.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was incredibly surprised. Unexpectedly, even at this moment, this old guy was able to restrain his anger. It seemed that this old man’s mental fortitude was commendable. Yang Kai immediately raised his vigilance while maintaining an arrogant and rampant facade, “How Myriad Beast Mountain acts from today onward is none of your concern old dog, because today, you will die here!”