The arrogance and methods of this woman surnamed Ye were something Qian Tong and the other masters here had profoundly learned of at a young age. As the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain and the highest level master on Shadowed Star, she had reached a strength and status that only a handful of people in this world could compete with one on one.
She had casually commanded and scolded others, but had spoken gently to Yang Kai. Could this… be some kind of illusion?
Qian Tong and the others were unable to believe what they were seeing for a moment.
As if understanding Yang Kai’s concerns, this woman surnamed Ye did not push him, instead taking a step back and asking, “It’s alright. This Queen won’t force you to withdraw this barrier, but could you allow this Queen to exchange some words with that girl named Yang Yan? This Queen certainly has no malicious intentions toward you and only wants to confirm one thing.”
Sure enough, she was looking for Yang Yan! Yang Kai looked up at her and gently nodded, “If you just want to say a few words, then there is no problem. Please take this, Senior.”
Saying so, Yang Kai wiped his Space Ring and took out a communication artifact before tossing it up to the other party. He didn’t see how this woman surnamed Ye moved, but she was holding the communication artifact in the next instant.
Immediately, in the front of everyone’s eyes, this woman surnamed Ye closed her beautiful eyes and poured her Divine Sense into this communication artifact and contacted Yang Yan, who was deep inside the mountain.
Time passed slowly as everyone on the scene, regardless of cultivation or background, did not dare take a breath, seemingly afraid to disturb this woman.
But soon, her tender body actually began trembling slightly and her expression changed from calm to panic, panic to anxiety, then anxiety to excitement. In an instant, an overwhelming wave of Shi spread out uncontrollably with her as its centre.
Every Saint King Realm cultivator present trembled unstoppably under the influence of this Shi as they suddenly felt like they were wandering the line between life and death, as if all this woman surnamed Ye needed to do was think it and they would die.
The First and Second-Order Origin Returning Realm masters were forced to circulate their Saint Qi in order to resist this pressure as well, while only those who had reached the Third-Order weren’t seriously affected; however, that didn’t mean these top-level masters weren’t feeling shocked.
They were also Third-Order Origin Realm masters, the same as this Ye woman, but none of them could achieve what she had just done unconsciously.
This was clearly a sign that her Shi had reached the grand accomplishment stage! In other words, if not for the suppression of Shadowed Star’s World Principles, this woman may already have broken through and become an Origin King.
Any Origin Realm master who wanted to break through to the Origin King Realm first needed to have their Shi reach the grand accomplishment stage, but no one present other than this woman had achieved this.
Aware of the gap between them, everyone instantly felt a sense of inferiority. At the same time, Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng exchanged a knowing look, both of them secretly rejoicing that they had not acted out in anger just now and attacked. Even if it was two against one, neither of them was certain they would be able to escape unharmed if they were to fight this woman.
After what seemed like an unbearably long time, the Shi was withdrawn and the woman surnamed Ye opened her eyes, but now they were filled with radiant light and her pretty face had a dazzling, reddish glow to it, as if she had encountered an incredibly auspicious matter worthy of celebration.
Yang Kai could clearly tell that this woman’s breathing had quickened slightly, as had her heartbeat.
[What exactly did they talk about?] Yang Kai was filled with doubts.
Everyone else was just as curious as Yang Kai, wondering who or what existed here on Dragon Cave Mountain that could cause such a dramatic change in mood for such a master.
It must be known that masters such as this woman would not have violent mood swings unless they encountered an extraordinarily significant matter.
The woman surnamed Ye took a few deep breaths to calm her excitement before turning to Yang Kai again and asking softly, “Little brother, would you be willing to give this communication artifact to this Queen? This Queen can offer you appropriate compensation.”
Yang Kai wore a forced smile and replied, “There is no need for any kind of compensation for a trivial communication artifact. Senior can just keep it.”
By now, Yang Kai had determined that this woman had no malicious intentions towards Dragon Cave Mountain and most likely had some kind of connection to Yang Yan. In short, she was a friend, not an enemy.
After suddenly obtaining such a powerful ally, Yang Kai couldn’t be happier, so how could he even care about a simple communication artifact? The value of that thing wasn’t even worth mentioning as its only purpose was to help send messages. If he wanted another one, he could just ask Yang Yan to refine another.
“Since that’s the case, this Queen will accept with gratitude,” The woman surnamed Ye was not one for false platitudes so she accepted Yang Kai’s gift and stored it into her Space Ring with a happy smile upon her pretty face.
At this moment, everyone could see that this woman surnamed Ye had some kind of relationship with someone in Dragon Cave Mountain, causing Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng to look like they had just swallowed a dead fly.
They had been exerting pressure on Yang Kai and Dragon Cave Mountain just now, but if this woman surnamed Ye really sided with Dragon Cave Mountain, they would have to retreat. Falling out with such a master for their subordinates who had died here was an extremely unwise matter that they would only take if they had lost their minds.
Realizing all this, Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng both began preparing to withdraw.
After all, the future was still long and it would be best to determine the exact relationship between this woman surnamed Ye and Dragon Cave Mountain first.
“He was really able to turn danger into safety?” Over on Clear Sky Sect’s side, Great Elder Mo Yu’s eyes shone brilliantly. He simply couldn’t believe what was happening right now. A moment ago he had still been teaching Chen Shi Tao to not take stock in ethereal concepts like luck and destiny, but all of a sudden, the seemingly impossible-to-defuse crisis he had been using as a teachable example had been casually resolved.
[Isn’t this little brat’s luck a bit too good?]
“I said that his luck has always been good, but it seems even I underestimated him!” Chen Shi Tao was also quite excited by this development. On the one hand, her friend Yang Kai had managed to overcome this danger, and on the other hand, her long-held belief in destiny had been proven correct.
Over on Coloured Glass Sect’s side, Dai Yuan was also secretly relieved while Yin Su Die’s pretty face had gone cold and was filled with displeasure.
She had been looking forward to the scene of Yang Kai powerlessly begging for mercy, but now this woman surnamed Ye had appeared out of nowhere and subdued all the masters on the scene.
Being denied such a good show at the last moment, how could Yin Su Die be reconciled?
[Wastes!] She sullenly cursed in her heart, but was helpless to do anything. She had only just broken through to the Origin Returning Realm so whether it was in terms of cultivation or status, she was among the lowest-ranked of all the masters present. She simply had no right to speak here.
“What’s wrong? Is there some kind of extraordinary treasure here that you all want? Why are you still gathered here?” The woman surnamed Ye wore a cold look on her pretty face and shouted as she swept her gaze across the crowd after speaking with Yang Kai.
Hearing this, many of the masters here unconsciously took a step back as they revealed awkward looks, but Qian Tong simply laughed heartily and replied, “Senior Sister Ye must be joking, there is no such treasure here.”
“Since that’s the case, you can all leave, or do you want this Queen to expel you personally?”
“We’ll leave, we’ll leave!” Qian Tong said quickly before nodding to Yang Kai gently.
Yang Kai returned a grateful look.
With Qian Tong taking the lead, the other masters from the forces that had only come here to join in the fun naturally didn’t plan on staying, all of them cupping their fists to the woman before turning around to depart. Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng saw this and knew that they alone could not salvage this situation so they similarly planned to depart, despite their unwillingness.
Just as this great storm seemed to be settling down and dispersing though, a sudden change occurred.
The World Energy aura in the surrounding region suddenly became turbulent and extremely disordered.
Everyone showed a horrified expression as they instinctively thought that the woman surnamed Ye had suddenly decided to attack, but upon looking back, they became even more surprised.
Because even the woman surnamed Ye had gone pale and was just as shocked as all of them.
She had not taken action, it was the world itself that had undergone some kind of change!
*Hong long long…*
A violent rumbling suddenly filled the air, the source of which seemed to be both close and far, making it impossible to determine its true origin, but as everyone looked up, their eyes shrank in shock.
Because high up in the sky, where the Emperor Garden was located, bolts of silvery lightning were filling the air, as if it was the end of the world.
The Emperor Garden had been floating directly above Dragon Cave Mountain since it first appeared, but it had remained silent for so long. The masters of Shadowed Star had once joined forces to try to reach it, but had ultimately failed and suffered heavy losses in the process.
Eventually, everyone came to the conclusion that although the Emperor Garden had appeared, it had not yet opened and no one could force their way in.
All of the great forces had deployed people to Heavenly Fate City to monitor the movements of the Emperor Garden and report back immediately if it were to open.
But no one had anticipated that after remaining silent for many months, the Emperor Garden would suddenly come to life at this moment. No one knew what this change represented; after all, the Emperor Garden was the private residence of the Starry Sky Great Emperor, so the secrets it held were known essentially to no one.
At this moment, in the place where the Emperor Garden was located, densely packed bolts of lightning filled the air, seemingly tearing apart to sky as they shot back and forth.
As the movements in the sky became more instant, the World Energy aura also became more and more disordered and violent until eventually, parts of it transformed altogether into a five-coloured radiance that rapidly rose up and flew towards the Emperor Garden.
“Five Element World Energy!” Someone called out in alarm. There were many masters present, so naturally when they saw this five-coloured light, they realized it was a convergence of the five elemental auras and Shadowed Star’s ambient World Energy.
Watching from down below, no one could help but show looks of awe and amazement.
All of them watched as these masses of five-coloured light began to condense together as they floated high up into the sky.
These clusters of Five Element World Energy seemed to be moving slowly but, in fact, they were all converging towards the Emperor Garden at incredible speed, as if drawn in by some invisible attraction.
Gradually, the Emperor Garden, which had originally been visible to the naked eye, became shrouded in a massive cloud of five-coloured light, but at the same time, louder and louder rumblings rang out from it, causing the entire world to tremble.
“Is the Emperor Garden opening?” Someone muttered, and although this was just a baseless and unfounded guess, it still caused everyone’s eyes to light up.
The cultivators from all the great forces residing in and around Heavenly Fate City had been waiting for the moment when the Emperor Garden opened!
No one could explain the scene occurring before their eyes, but there was indeed a possibility that it signified the Emperor Garden opening.
Believing so, everyone could not help feeling agitated, their bodies trembling as they carefully monitored the movements surrounding the Emperor Garden.
Although everyone was excited, no one dared fly up to see what was happening. The aura fluctuations coming from the original location of the Emperor Garden were nothing short of terrifying, so among those gathered, none dared risk their lives to investigate. In the current situation, before anyone could even arrive at the Emperor Garden, they would likely be torn to pieces by the rampaging World Energy.
Even the woman surnamed Ye did not dare move any closer, simply standing in place as her expression fluctuated.
The expressions of Yang Kai, Chang Qi, and the other two old men were equally awed as the four of them stood at the edge of Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array and stared up into the sky.
Suddenly, a fragrant wind brushed past them as another person appeared by their side. Yang Kai turned his head and, sure enough, discovered Yang Yan standing nearby, looking up into the sky.
“That is not the Emperor Garden opening!” Yang Yan muttered softly with an indifferent expression. Unfortunately, her words were only heard by Yang Kai since the others present had their full attention fixed on the dramatic changes unfolding before them, none of them even realizing that Yang Yan had spoken.
“What is happening then?” Yang Kai asked hurriedly. In the chaos and confusion just now, he had momentarily forgotten that Yang Yan was the Starry Sky Great Emperor’s Soul Clone and should know about the Emperor Garden’s situation.
Since Yang Yan said that this was not a sign that the Emperor Garden was opening, she must have a reason for thinking so.
“I’m not certain, but this is not the Emperor Garden opening. However… it does seem to be related to how one is supposed to enter the Emperor Garden,” Yang Yan’s brow furrowed, not quite sure of herself. This was understandable though as she was not the complete Great Emperor and many of her memories were blurry and unclear.
Yang Kai frowned but did not ask any more.
When she noticed that Yang Yan had appeared, the woman surnamed Ye showed a look of joy and arrived in front of the Mountain Defending Array with a flicker. Gazing respectfully and excitedly towards Yang Yan, this woman was about to say something when Yang Yan stopped her, “We can speak later. For now, just come inside!”
Saying so, Yang Yan waved her hand and sent out a pulse of Saint Qi to open a hole in the light curtain big enough for a single person to pass through.
The woman surnamed Ye blushed slightly as she wore a flattered look before nodding politely and replying, “Yes!”
In the next instant, her tender body flickered and she passed through the Mountain Defending Array, followed closely by Ge Qi who was still wearing the same timid look upon his face as he occasionally glanced over at Yang Yan. His glances didn’t last long though, seemingly worried that, if he stared, he would be blaspheming her with his eyes.
Chang Qi, Hao An, and Ning Xiang Chen finally came to their senses but were immediately dumbstruck as they stared towards the woman surnamed Ye, their faces filled with disbelief.
As the three of them were standing next to Yang Yan the whole time, they had naturally heard how this woman surnamed Ye spoke to her just now.
This made them unable to believe their ears as they exchanged confused glances.
Did they hear wrong? A woman like this, whose strength was astonishing and whose status was immense, when facing Yang Yan, acted like a faithful servant. What exactly was happening here?
Although Yang Kai also felt a little surprised, he was still far better off compared to Chang Qi and the others; after all, he already knew Yang Yan’s true identity. He thus suspected this woman was somehow connected to the true Starry Sky Great Emperor, otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to display such an attitude.
Although he still had some doubts, Yang Kai understood that this was not the time to sort them out and firmly pressed them down, preparing to ask about them when an opportunity arose later.
Glancing over at the buck-toothed cultivator, Yang Kai chuckled and cupped his fists, “Brother Ge, we meet again.”
*Hai hai…*
Ge Qi coughed uncomfortable before quickly lowering his head and insisting, “It’s Xiao Qi, please just call me Xiao Qi.”
Although he had not figured out the relationship between Yang Kai and Yang Yan, he didn’t dare try to act aloof; after all, his Martial Ancestor was humbling herself in front of Yang Yan, so if he did not act humbler, would not that be the same as disparaging his Martial Ancestor?
How could he dare act superior to his Martial Ancestor?
Yang Kai’s brow twitched but he did not object. He was just a Third-Order Saint King while this monkey-faced man was a genuine First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, so although the latter was not very old, calling him Xiao Qi made Yang Kai quite uncomfortable.
After this brief episode, everyone’s eyes once again turned to the Emperor Garden high up in the sky.
The crash of thunder continued endlessly as countless bolts of lightning continued to rampage across the sky, like great dragons swimming through the Heavens, a terrifying scene to behold. At the same time, the Emperor Garden was now completely covered in five-coloured clouds, leaving only its outline visible amongst the innumerable flashes of lightning.
The clouds of Five Element World Energy continued to rapidly gather towards the Emperor Garden.
And this scene did not just appear near Dragon Cave Mountain and Heavenly Fate City, but was actually occurring all over Shadowed Star!
Almost everyone witnessed this grand event with their own eyes, and under the immense pressure this phenomenon released, even Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters felt as weak as ants.
Somewhere on Shadowed Star, there stood a towering mountain over ten thousand metres high with its peak hidden amongst the clouds where rivers of World Energy seemed to ebb and flow. Obviously, there were several excellent Earth Veins that converged here, otherwise, the ambient aura would not have been so dense.
The scenery of this high mountain was also quite beautiful, with rugged rock faces dotted with numerous exquisite pavilions. It was clearly the headquarters of a certain Sect.
Star Emperor Mountain!
This was the most tyrannical existence on Shadowed Star, a behemoth that greatly surpassed even Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect. Although its name resounded like thunder across the world, Star Emperor Mountain always kept a low profile, with few of its members ever even leaving the Sect. As such, it was nearly impossible for Shadowed Star’s ordinary cultivators to see a cultivator from Star Emperor Mountain in their lifetime.
At this moment, in a palace built at the highest point of Star Emperor Mountain, an elderly man with sage-like features and not the slightest energy fluctuations radiating from his body, as if he were a mere mortal, sat cross-legged, looking as tranquil as an ancient well.
When the sudden mutation occurred, however, this elderly man awoke from his meditation and stared towards the direction of the Emperor Garden, a profound light flashing across his eyes that seemingly allowed him to see across all obstacles and observe the Emperor Garden directly.
It took a while before he raised his brow and said to himself, “Are the Emperor Jades about to appear?”
After he finished muttering to himself, a look of joy flashed across the elderly man’s face and he immediately stood up. The moment he got to his feet; a wave of Shi no less intense than the one released by the woman surnamed Ye spread out.
His figure flickering, this elderly man suddenly disappeared from the place he was standing, and when he appeared again, he was already several thousand metres away, where an indifferent-looking young man sat cross-legged on a stone platform, staring transfixed at the clouds of five-coloured aura lingering in the air.
Seeing the elderly man suddenly appear, the young man was startled and hurriedly got up and bowed, “Disciple greets Honoured Master.”
If Yang Kai was here, he would surely recognize this indifferent young man at a glance, it was Leng Qing who he had met twice in the Flowing Flame Sand Field!
After demonstrating his incredible strength and means, this young man had managed to occupy the best location in the pool of Soul Cleansing Divine Water, angering and frustrating Qu Chang Feng. Later, Yang Kai had met Leng Qing face-to-face in the fourth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
At that time, Leng Qing was attacking the Supreme Profound Sect’s Sect Defending Array.
Of the cultivators on Shadowed Star in the same major realm as him, Yang Kai only cared about two, Lu Ye and Leng Qing.
Although that was said, Leng Qing had already broken through from the Third-Order Saint King Realm to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm.
“En, relay my orders: All Elders are to be dispatched,” The elderly man commanded lightly.
Leng Qing was stunned by this command and hurriedly cupped his fists to ask, “May disciple dare ask Honoured Master what you want the Elders to leave the mountain for?”
The elderly man was not upset by this question and calmly explained, “The Emperor Jades are about to appear, so all Elders are to collect as many as possible. This matter is related to the quotas for entering the Emperor Garden, so they must exert their full effort. Even if they must snatch them from others, they should not hesitate.”
“Yes!” Although Leng Qing was confused, he did not dare ask any more and quickly withdrew.
After Leng Qing left, the elderly man coughed slightly while covering his chest, his face turning slightly pale.
He was injured, but it was a mystery what kind of foe or what kind of profound method could wound a master like him.
“Since the Emperor Jades have appeared, it won’t be long before the Emperor Garden opens. Hateful, it’s all that slut’s fault that I am wounded at such a time!” A fierce look appeared on the elderly man’s face as he grumbled an annoyance.
As for who the ‘slut’ he was talking about was, no one knew.
Near Dragon Cave Mountain, all the gathered cultivators were closely watching the movement of the Emperor Garden.
The strange mutation lasted for more than half a day before suddenly a new change occurred which caused everyone’s spirits to shake and their eyes to widen, drawing in the attention even further.
Everyone saw high up in the sky the five-coloured glow which had engulfed the Emperor Garden fade at a rate visible to the naked eye.
At the same time, the loud rumbling which had filled the air ceased while the rampant flood of Five Element World Energy became tranquil, as if it had never happened.
Everyone stared at the Emperor Garden again in amazement, but in the next moment, they all gasped.
Because the Emperor Garden now looked quite different from before. Not only was it larger, but many new buildings that had not been there originally could also be seen now, as if they had been revealed during the strange mutation which had shaken the world.
This discovery caused everyone to wonder if the recent changes were a good or bad thing.
“Yes, this is the true form of the Emperor Garden…” Yang Yan muttered thoughtfully as she explained, “What we saw before was only half of the Emperor Garden while the other half had been hidden somewhere. Only after the two combined into one could the Emperor Garden truly manifest. En, the Emperor Garden will be soon open!”
After hearing this, Yang Kai turned back to look at her but saw that Yang Yan’s brow was furrowed, as if she was lost in thought.
Right now, the Emperor Garden gave off an even more majestic and profound aura than before, causing everyone present to tremble.
Emperor Pressure!
The power of the Emperor Pressure exuded by the Emperor Garden after its most recent change was truly terrifying, dispelling any thoughts of moving the people gathered here had as they all unconsciously gulped.
Shrouded in Emperor Pressure, everyone felt difficulty breathing as their extremities felt icy cold.
At this time, no matter what their cultivation was and regardless of their age or status, all the masters present felt like they had become three-year-old children in front of this Emperor Pressure. This discovery shocked and terrified everyone as they profoundly realized just how high an existence the Starry Sky Great Emperor was.
This residual Emperor Pressure alone was enough to overwhelm them, meaning if the Great Emperor was still alive today, it would likely take a simple thought to crush them.
This was a power that exceeded the level of an Origin King!
Fortunately, the Emperor Pressure did not persist for long, only lasting about a stick of incense worth of time before gradually fading away completely. However, this was long enough for everyone present to be drenched in a cold sweat as looks of fear lingered on their faces long after.
Before everyone could steady themselves though, another mutation occurred!
A deafening rumbling suddenly spread out from the Emperor Garden, shaking the entire world.
“What now?” Some people exclaimed in alarm. The repeated accidents which occurred today had left everyone exasperated as well as concerned about just what was happening with the Emperor Garden.
Looking up, everyone saw that a beam of light appeared from the Emperor Garden and slowly began falling towards the ground. This beam was only about as thick as an arm, but it seemed to contain Heaven Destroying and Earth Shattering power, making it difficult for one to even look at it for long.
Yang Kai’s complexion instantly turned black.
After all, this strange beam of light was falling directly towards his Dragon Cave Mountain!
The Emperor Garden had been suspended directly above Dragon Cave Mountain, so with this beam of light falling straight down, Dragon Cave Mountain would naturally bear the brunt of the impact and there was obviously no way to avoid it.
Although the Mountain Defending Array was indeed amazing, and the number of internal barriers was great, Yang Kai had no confidence they would be able to withstand this strange beam of light, and seeing Yang Yan look just as anxious as he felt, he immediately understood that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.
In the blink of an eye, the beam of light from the Emperor Garden touched Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, and the great barrier that had held more than thirty Origin Returning Realm master at bay for two days and two nights without breaking began melting like snowflakes under the scorching sun.
Silently, the Mountain Defending Array was pierced through and the light curtain itself flashed wildly as it rapidly grew dim.
Immediately, the beam of light fell somewhere inside Dragon Cave Mountain before disappearing, leaving behind only a subtle energy fluctuation.
Countless eyes turned towards Dragon Cave Mountain in that instant, the faces they belonged to wearing all kinds of different expressions filled with surprise, confusion, greed, dread, etc…
No matter what that light beam had been, there was no doubt it had come from the Emperor Garden; after all, everyone had seen it. What’s more, when it disappeared, it had left something behind.
Everyone wanted to know what that something was!
Was it an incredible treasure, or perhaps an entrance to the Emperor Garden? Whatever it was, just the thought of it was enough to draw out the greed in people and make them want to take a closer look. The appearance of this beam of light had made Dragon Cave Mountain the focus of attention once again.
Now that Dragon Cave Mountain’s protective barrier had been destroyed, if it were not for the woman surnamed Ye’s sweeping her sharp gaze over the crowd, the situation would likely have already devolved into a chaotic struggle. The fragile balance was barely being maintained because of the deterrence this woman’s presence exerted.
But no one could guarantee how long this deterrence would last! After all, this matter was of extraordinary importance, so even if the woman surnamed Ye was incredibly strong, she alone could not stop everyone here.
The woman surnamed Ye also seemed to realize the growing tension in the air and began sending out an invisible pressure from her body, assuming a ‘one woman acts as a mountain’ stance, blocking ten thousand invaders.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as his mouth filled with bitterness.
With things as they were now, there were only two courses of action he could take: either relent and allow the masters present into Dragon Cave Mountain to see for themselves what that beam of light left behind and satisfy their curiosity, or assuming a defiant stance and forbid anyone from entering the mountain while seizing the newly appeared treasure for himself.
Blocking was impossible though. A strong tiger could not defeat a pack of wolves. The woman surnamed Ye alone could not stop all the masters present from invading.
Giving way to difficulties was not Yang Kai’s style either. However, while others were curious about what remained after that beam of light disappeared, he was as well!
Observing the disposition of the crowd and seeing that the masters from the various great forces were on the verge of making a move, Yang Kai knew he had to make a choice, otherwise, he would lose the initiative.
Thinking so, Yang Kai sent a Divine Sense Message to the woman surnamed Ye, who raised her eyebrows and showed a look of surprise before gently nodding.
Just as the two of them reached a consensus, Mo Xiao Sheng of Heaven Battling Union finally lost out to his curiosity and took a step forward, cupping his fists with a dignified expression, “Senior Sister Ye…”
Before he even finished speaking though, the woman surnamed Ye raised her brow and shouted, “Don’t even think about it!”
At the same time, Yang Kai’s body flickered, and he quickly began fading away. At the same time his body blurred, the surrounding space rippling slightly.
“Space Force?” Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes shrank as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai’s gradually dissipating figure. As the Great Elder of Heaven Battling Union, Mo Xiao Sheng also cultivated Space Force, so he was more familiar with these residual fluctuations than anyone else present.
Seeing Yang Kai not hesitate to use Space Force to withdraw from this place, Mo Xiao Sheng instantly understood what he was thinking, and while hiding his shock at how masterful Yang Kai’s control of Space Force was, he roared, “Boy! You dare!?”
He was truly afraid of the woman surnamed Ye, but other than this woman, he did not put anything or anyone on Dragon Cave Mountain into his eyes. A trivial Saint King Realm Junior like Yang Kai presumptuously thought he could make the first move in full view of so many masters, how could he possibly tolerate such arrogance?
As he shouted, Mo Xiao Sheng also stepped out, his figure gradually blurring.
Like Yang Kai, he also used Space Force.
“Come back here!” The woman surnamed Ye shouted as she stretched out her jade white hand and grabbed towards the surrounding space, causing the World Energy to suddenly contract and sending a figure that seemingly materialized out of thin air tumbling backwards. Naturally, this figure was Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder whose face was currently filled with panic.
He had not expected that this woman surnamed Ye’s methods were so profound that she could easily negate his own trump card.
The situation’s delicate balance had been instantly broken by Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Sheng’s actions. So many other masters were already staring at Dragon Cave Mountain, wanting to enter to see what kind of treasure had been deposited here by the Emperor Garden, so now that such a good opportunity had appeared, how could they hesitate? One after another they began displaying their Movement Skills as they rushed towards where the pillar of light fell.
“No one is going anywhere!” The woman surnamed Ye’s tender body flickered to intercept the advancing mob and with a flash of light, summoned an oil-lamp-like artifact in front of her. Stretching out her hand and placing it on the lamp’s wick, she condensed a blue flame at her fingertips and with a flick of her wrist, sent forth a wave of blue flames.
These blue flames gathered and expanded, swiftly transforming into a majestic firebird several tens of metres in length that exuded an astonishing pressure. This giant bird quickly proceeded to open its mouth and spit out a washbasin sized fireball that flew towards the approaching crowd of masters.
“The Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp!” One well-informed master among the crowd cried out in panic when he saw this oil lamp, his face going completely pale as he hurriedly summoned his strongest defensive artifact to protect himself.
When the name Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp was shouted, everyone else displayed a similarly panic-stricken expression and rapidly stepped back, none of them daring to advance again.
These masters could not be blamed for this though as the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp’s reputation was simply that astonishing; after all, it was one of the handful of Origin King Grade artifacts on Shadowed Star!
Artifacts of this grade could not be refined by the Artifact Refiners on Shadowed Star, so they were all relics from ancient times and held unfathomable power. One had to avoid being contaminated by the flames from this artifact at all costs. Because, once a cultivator was contaminated by them, they would inevitably perish. Although this woman surnamed Ye was alone, with this artifact, her strength was not much worse than that of an Origin King master, so who here would dare challenge her alone?
For a time, many of the gathered masters wore gloomy looks as they hesitated whether to move forward or retreat, creating an incredibly lively and tense scene.
However, although this woman surnamed Ye was an incredible master, she still could not handle so many opponents at once as there were many enemies among them who were in the same realm as her. Worse, after releasing this first attack from the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, her complexion had paled slightly.
With her cultivation, using this Origin King Grade artifact put a heavy load on her body.
“Sister Ye, do you really want to make enemies of so many of us?” Cheng Peng Xuan of Thunder Typhoon Sect looked at the woman surnamed Ye with an ugly expression and asked solemnly.
The woman surnamed Ye just glanced at him lightly and snorted, “If you all stand still, this Queen will naturally not trouble you, but if you dare try to break into this mountain, this Queen will be the first to disagree!”
“Bold words! Is it possible Sister Ye really thinks we are weaklings that can be casually bullied?” Mo Xiao Sheng also called out sullenly. Just now he had wanted to chase after Yang Kai but was blocked by this woman, causing him to lose a great deal of face, so he was feeling particularly aggressive now.
“This Queen is also no weakling. I won’t repeat my words a second time!” The woman surnamed Ye’s attitude was extremely firm.
Mo Xiao Sheng and Cheng Peng Xuan exchanged a look and gently nodded to one another.
Although the two of them usually could not stand one another and had been competing against each other for countless years, it was only natural for them to stand united at this time, and because they were both incredibly familiar with each other, a single glance was all it took to communicate this intent.
“Since that’s the case, then this old man won’t act polite!” Mo Xiao Sheng shouted before suddenly summoning a pitch-black short staff into his hands. This short staff seemed quite ordinary, but when Mo Xiao Sheng poured his Saint Qi into it, it began exuding a shocking energy fluctuation and instantly transformed into a stream of light that shot towards the woman surnamed Ye.
Just as Mo Xiao Sheng launched his attack, Cheng Peng Xuan also took action.
A long delay would lead to many problems and neither of them was willing to be blocked here by this woman, so in order to break into Dragon Cave Mountain as quickly as possible and investigate what kind of treasure had been deposited here, they both resorted to their strongest methods.
Cheng Peng Xuan summoned a seal-type artifact which rapidly expanded to the size of a mountain before slamming down towards the woman surnamed Ye.
Jin Shi of Demon Blood Temple, Old Woman Feng of Myriad Beast Mountain, and several other Origin Returning Realm masters from the various great forces were not willing to fall behind and quickly joined in this assault.
Although the reputation and strength of the woman surnamed Ye were daunting, she was still just one person, so with so many masters present, how could she possibly stop them all?
Only Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu stood in place. Due to their relationship with Dragon Cave Mountain, they naturally would not try to find trouble with this woman and were currently more worried about Yang Kai’s situation.
In addition to them, there were two other forces that had yet to move: Clear Sky Sect’s group led by Great Elder Mo Yu and the group of women from Coloured Glass Sect led by Elder Gong Ao Fu.
It was impossible to tell what the former was thinking about as he smiled lightly while looking towards the inside of Dragon Cave Mountain with amusement, as if he was content to be a spectator and admire the show.
As for the latter, while she too wanted to break into Dragon Cave Mountain, Gong Ao Fu had only recently broken through to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and her strength was significantly lower than the other top masters present. Seeing the woman surnamed Ye display such overwhelming might, Gong Ao Fu could only stand back helplessly.
Besides these few, almost everyone else had desperately rushed into Dragon Cave Mountain regardless of their cultivation. Most people didn’t want to offend the woman surnamed Ye, but they were simply too curious about what that beam of light had deposited here. Taking advantage of the many Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters holding down the woman surnamed Ye, everyone else used various methods to bypass their battle and rush into the mountain.
Seeing that the situation was spiralling out of control, Ge Qi, Chang Qi, Hao An, and Ning Xiang Chen immediately took action, summoning their respective artifacts and joining the fray.
Various colours of Saint Qi burst forth and outside Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, an intense battle began.
The battle began and ended quickly; after all, there were simply too many enemies, so the woman surnamed Ye and the other four Origin Returning Realm cultivators supporting Dragon Cave Mountain had no way to stop all the invaders. While the woman surnamed Ye was being suppressed, Mo Xiao Sheng once again used his Space Force and broke past her blockade.
This time, the woman surnamed Ye couldn’t stop him and was only able to watch as he disappeared into Dragon Cave Mountain.
“Hateful!” The woman surnamed Ye clenched her teeth as she cursed. In that moment of distress, more Origin Returning Realm masters slipped past her and rushed up the mountain.
The woman surnamed Ye felt a deep sense of powerlessness in her heart. If she was a true Origin King, it wouldn’t have taken her much effort to stop this group of people in their tracks, but she was just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, in the end, so even though she was only half a step away from the Origin King Realm, she was unable to break through that last layer of constraints while suppressed by Shadowed Star’s World Principles.
When continuing to try to defend this position no longer holding any significance, the woman surnamed Ye grabbed hold of her Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp before wrapping Yang Yan up in her Saint Qi and chasing after the others who had entered the mountain.
With her gone, the others naturally no longer stayed put and hurriedly kept up.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu glanced at each other, both frowning with their faces filled with worry, but sighed helplessly. They, too, followed along.
On Clear Sky Sect’s side, Mo Yu contemplated for a moment before saying, “You wait here, this old master will go in and take a look.”
Looking at this situation, there would likely be a great battle in the near future, so Mo Yu wasn’t about to let his disciples follow him into this dangerous situation.
“Honoured Master!” Chen Shi Tao shouted suddenly.
Mo Yu glanced over at her and smiled benignly, “Do you wish to say something?”
Chen Shi Tao bit her red lips lightly but still forced herself to speak, “I and Junior Sister Lu Yin owe Junior Brother Yang a life-saving grace. If possible, I hope that Honoured Master… can assist him. Even if it is only slightly!”
It had taken all her courage to say this; after all, Mo Yu was her Master and she did not have the qualifications to make such a request to him, not to mention that this matter was far too complex and choosing to side with Yang Kai would likely draw fire to Clear Sky Sect. When she made this request, Chen Shi Tao was already psychologically prepared to be scolded by her Honoured Master.
But to her great surprise, Mo Yu only thought about it for a moment before nodding lightly, “No problem, this old master will do his best but don’t have too many expectations. After all, this time… heh heh!”
Mo Yu didn’t finish his words because everyone here knew what he meant. All of them clearly felt that this time Dragon Cave Mountain’s situation was beyond redemption.
However, Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying were both overjoyed and offered their profound thanks, elegantly bowing their heads. By the time they straightened themselves back up though, Mo Yu had already disappeared. The two young women looked at each other and exhaled softly, never having expected their Honoured Master to agree so readily.
Regardless of the final result, both of them had worked up the courage to ask Mo Yu to help Yang Kai, so they had already done all they could.
On the other side, Gong Ao Fu also instructed Yin Su Die and Dai Yuan to remain outside and wait before entering Dragon Cave Mountain alone.
Along the way, she met no resistance, but Gong Ao Fu could still perceive the many barriers and Spirit Arrays all over this mountain, but all of these Spirit Arrays had already been destroyed.
With so many masters having rushed in ahead of her, no matter how many Spirit Arrays were arranged here, they could not have stopped their pace. What’s more, there was currently no one in Dragon Cave Mountain operating these Spirit Arrays, so they simply couldn’t display too much power.
Gong Ao Fu secretly felt startled at this sight, but a short time later, she arrived at a spot inside Dragon Cave Mountain where a large number of Origin Returning Realm masters had gathered, including over twenty who had reached the Third-Order. These masters had formed a large semicircle around the spot where the beam of light from the Emperor Garden had descended.
At this moment, a young man was standing proudly at the centre of this encirclement with an indifferent look upon his face. Naturally it was the owner of Dragon Cave Mountain, the cultivator called Yang Kai, a Third-Order Saint King!
Gong Ao Fu only spared him a fleeting glance before her attention was instantly attracted to something in his hand. It looked like some kind of Jade Token approximately half the size of a palm. Pure and flawless, this Jade Token had some kind of red light swimming about inside of it, like a small fish in a pond of water, giving it a profound and mysterious appearance.
Even with Gong Ao Fu’s vision, she was unable to see what material this Jade Token was made from and could only tell that an inexplicable force was emanating from it.
Countless curious, greedy eyes stared at this Jade Token!
[Was this what had fallen from the Emperor Garden?] Gong Ao Fu inevitably thought to herself.
A beam of light had been emitted from the Emperor Garden just now, and after it disappeared, it was clear that something had been left in this place. Yang Kai had arrived here first, so if there was anything to be found, it would definitely be this Jade Token; why else would everyone be coveting it?
Gong Ao Fu’s guess was right. With the help of the woman surnamed Ye, when Yang Kai rushed here, he really only found this Jade Token, but before he had a chance to study it, Mo Xiao Sheng had slipped through and rushed over.
It wasn’t that the woman surnamed Ye was incompetent, it was simply that two fists couldn’t block four strikes. It wouldn’t be difficult for her to defeat Mo Xiao Sheng in a one on one battle, but stopping him from leaving was different; after all, the other party cultivated Space Force so his mobility was essentially unmatched.
Although the situation had become treacherous, Yang Kai didn’t display any fear.
This was only natural since, if he was compelled to, he could simply tear space and escape. Although there were many enemies surrounding him, he had at least fifty percent confidence he could withdraw safely.
With this confidence, of course he would not be afraid, not to mention, with that Ye woman helping him, it wasn’t like he was powerless to resist.
“Little brother…” The silence was broken by Mo Xiao Sheng suddenly. Staring at the Jade Token in Yang Kai’s hands, he asked in as calm a tone as he could manage, “Could you let this old master take a look at that Jade Token?”
Regardless of what this Jade Token was, since it came from the Emperor Garden, it was certainly connected to the Starry Sky Great Emperor. How could anything related to the Great Emperor not be valuable?
It wasn’t just Mo Xiao Sheng who wanted to take a closer look, everyone present did, Mo Xiao Sheng just happened to be the first to ask.
“Let you see it?” Yang Kai sneered, “What difference is that from beating a dog with a meat bun?”
Yang Kai already had a very poor impression of Heaven Battling Union, so he didn’t even bother being polite.
Mo Xiao Sheng’s complexion instantly became gloomy as he coldly snapped, “Boy, mind your words. This old master simply wants to take a look at that thing. Do you think that with this old master’s status he would covet the possessions of a junior?”
“Don’t you?” Yang Kai spat disdainfully, “If you didn’t, why come here in the first place?”
Saying so, Yang Kai directly stuffed that Jade Token into his Space Ring.
Seeing this, many masters’ faces suddenly became ugly. As the saying goes, treasures belong to those who can keep them. Although this strange token had landed on Dragon Cave Mountain after falling from the Emperor Garden, and Yang Kai was the first to snatch it, as a trivial Third-Order Saint King, what qualifications did he have to possess it?
Yet, in the front of everyone’s eyes, he actually put this Jade Token into his Space Ring, displaying naked contempt for all the masters present, annoying them greatly.
If it was any other occasion, these people wouldn’t mind killing Yang Kai and snatching this treasure; after all, it was not the first time these people had performed such an act, but currently they were on Dragon Cave Mountain and they had to concern themselves with the woman surnamed Ye’s presence.
This was especially true after seeing the power of this woman’s Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp.
“Little brother, if you can give this Jade Token to this old master, I can compensate you 100 million Saint Crystals! What do you think?” Compared with the hypocrisy of Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan of Thunder Typhoon Sect actually acted upfront. Knowing that it was impossible to take this thing for free, he immediately attempted to acquire it at a high price.
To him, 100 million Saint Crystals was an astronomical figure for this tiny Dragon Cave Mountain, an amount of wealth this young man likely had never even dreamed of before, so as long as this boy wasn’t stupid and understood that holding onto this Jade Token would only bring him trouble, he wouldn’t reject this proposal.
“100 million…” Yang Kai raised his brow, seemingly taking interest in this proposal before replying, “Well, I’ll consider it.”
Cheng Peng Xuan smiled happily and asked, “And how long does little brother need to consider this old master’s offer?”
A long delay would lead to many problems, so he wanted to conclude this transaction as quickly as possible.
“Perhaps ten to fifteen days, maybe three to five years, who can say for certain? After all, this matter is of great importance so Junior should consider it carefully. How about Senior Cheng returns to Thunder Typhoon Sect first and await news from this Junior?” Yang Kai wore a sincere look and proposed.
Listening to Yang Kai say this, Cheng Peng Xuan’s smiling face immediately darkened. As long as one wasn’t blind and deaf they could tell Yang Kai was simply being perfunctory; if Cheng Peng Xuan really left like this, he could forget about ever seeing this Jade Token again.
Cheng Peng Xuan felt livid but managed to maintain a look of calm on his face.
He held the position of Great Elder in Thunder Typhoon Sect, giving him a lofty and respected status, so he would not allow his emotions to get the better of him for something like this.
“Brother Cheng, Brother Mo, why bother speaking with this little brat? Since he doesn’t put any of us in his eyes, all we need to do is snatch that token,” Jin Shi coldly snorted, “A trivial Saint King Junior actually daring to lay claim to a rare treasure in front of us is utter nonsense!”
In any case, he and Dragon Cave Mountain had already completely fallen out so there was no need for him to speak politely. In fact, Jin Shi couldn’t wait to drag Cheng Peng Xuan and Mo Xiao Sheng into these muddy waters to help him deal with Dragon Cave Mountain. Although he feared the strength of the woman surnamed Ye, if all the masters here teamed up, even she would definitely not be their opponent.
As long as they killed Yang Kai, not only could they take that Jade Token, Jin Shi would also have a chance to obtain that piece of Profound Gold; how could he let this opportunity pass?
There were many people present who had the same thoughts as Jin Shi, but no one openly agreed with him except Old Woman Feng of Myriad Beast Mountain. Old Woman Feng had always been short-tempered and straightforward, so she did not hesitate to tap her dragon-head cane against the ground and declared coldly, “Old Ghost Jin’s proposal is sound, this old woman agrees with him. What does everyone else think?”
Although they could guess what Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng were scheming, whether it was Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, or the masters from the other great forces, they couldn’t help wanting to agree.
With everything that had transpired already, there was no way this situation could be resolved peacefully, so since they all wanted this strange treasure, their only option was to snatch it.
Mo Xiao Sheng and Cheng Peng Xuan looked at each other and instantly understood the other’s intentions.
“Anyone who dares to act will become this Queen’s lifelong enemy!” The woman surnamed Ye looked around coldly and shouted.
Many people avoided her gaze as they felt a sudden headache.
But Jin Shi just smiled at her sarcastically, “Sister Ye, did you lose your sense of reason after spending so long in the mountains? You really think that all by yourself you can disregard so many of us, not putting us in your eyes? Sister Ye, this old master will only remind you once, get too close to the flame and you will burn yourself. It would be best if you quickly retreat!”
This light threat was clearly made in an attempt to force everyone here into two camps, increasing his number of enemies this woman would need to confront.
“If any of you want to die, this Queen will gladly fulfil your request!” The woman surnamed Ye glared at Jin Shi as she once again summoned her Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, suspending it above her head in preparation to attack.
Jin Shi’s expression dimmed once more. Although his tone was incredibly rampant, the moment he saw this Origin King Grade artifact, he couldn’t help his heart from clenching up. Nevertheless, he couldn’t flinch if he wanted that Jade Token and the Profound Gold.
Fortunately, Old Woman Feng also stood with him at the critical moment, wearing a dignified look on her old face as she shouted, “Sister Ye, although your means are exceedingly profound, you’re still just a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator. You’re not someone who doesn’t understand advance and retreat, so why do you insist on interfering in these turbid waters? Why not take a step back here? If you can withdraw, after we process this matter, we will personally visit you to show our appreciation!”
These words were neither humble nor overbearing, giving the woman surnamed Ye the face her status and strength deserved. As long as the other party still had any thoughts of compromising, it shouldn’t be difficult for her to make the right choice.
Listening to Old Woman Feng say this, Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, and many others nodded together, doing their best to persuade this woman surnamed Ye in hopes she would do the sensible thing and back down.
Unfortunately for them, they were destined to be disappointed. This woman left her seclusion solely to meet Yang Yan, so now that the Dragon Cave Mountain where Yang Yan lived was facing trouble, how could she let the matter drop?
“Enough nonsense, if you want to act then make your move, that is, if you can withstand this Queen’s anger and revenge! This Queen is now just a lone cultivator, you’d all best consider if you can protect your Sect and its industries from this Queen!” The woman surnamed Ye’s attitude and position were extremely firm.
“Excellent! Shamelessly rejecting a face-saving offer!” Jin Shi’s expression became stern, “Since that’s the case, Sister Ye should not blame us for being ruthless!”
Saying so, a malevolent aura suddenly emerged from his body as a golden cicada phantom suddenly appeared behind him. Jin Shi waved his hand and countless jet-black insects condensed from his Saint Qi appeared, releasing a terrifying buzzing sound as they swarmed towards the woman surnamed Ye.
This was Jin Shi’s Golden Cicada Extreme Demon Art, a technique he obtained from an ancient Demon Race ruin, one that was extremely profound and powerful.
Old Woman Feng also tossed out her dragon-head cane as she poured her Saint Qi into it. A moment later, this cane transformed into a scale-armoured Flood Dragon several dozen metres in length that opened its great maw and bit towards the woman surnamed Ye.
Since things had reached this point, there was naturally nothing more to say, they either withdrew or went all out. The masters present were all decisive people, and they knew that if this woman surnamed Ye managed to escape today, they would definitely face her revenge in the future, so when they took action they did so with the intent to kill.
The moment Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng began, Cheng Peng Xuan and Mo Xiao Sheng also acted without hesitation, the former’s giant seal and the latter’s short staff artifacts both radiating intense energy fluctuations as they struck towards the woman surnamed Ye.
This battle was completely different from the one earlier. A moment ago, everyone had only wanted to escape the entanglement of this woman surnamed Ye, so they had not acted fully, but now they were fighting with the intent to kill this woman surnamed Ye, so they displayed their complete strength.
With four Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters attacking this woman surnamed Ye, even though she possessed an Origin King Grade artifact like the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, she immediately found herself at a disadvantage.
However, worthy of her status as the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain, a character famed for her strength for hundreds of years, she was not one to be underestimated even if she was being pressured. The blue flames from her Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp flew out and counterattacked her four attackers, throwing them into disarray and even causing them some slight panic.
From this initial confrontation, it was apparent that the battle between these five top masters would not be settled any time soon.
However, the goal of Jin Shi and the others had already been achieved. Now that they had completely tied down this woman surnamed Ye, the rest of Dragon Cave Mountain’s defenders were just fish on a chopping board.
The conclusion of this conflict was clear to everyone.
Seeing the woman surnamed Ye completely entangled, the remaining masters were naturally unwilling to stand idly by and immediately attacked Chang Qi and the others.
At this moment, there were just over a hundred Origin Returning Realm masters on Dragon Cave Mountain, many of whom had reached the Second or Third-Order. Chang Qi, Hao An, and Ning Xiang Chen were all just First-Order Origin Realm cultivators, so they were immediately surrounded by peril. Fortunately, the artifacts they were using were all refined personally by Yang Yan and had immense power, so they didn’t have to worry about dying for a short time.
Moreover, at this critical moment, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu also joined the fray. They couldn’t just sit back and watch as Dragon Cave Mountain was besieged by so many enemies. Without even mentioning the good relationship they shared with Yang Kai, as a force within its territory, Dragon Cave Mountain was technically under Shadow Moon Hall’s protection. Therefore, with so many masters using their strength to bully them, these two had more than enough reason to intervene.
However, the two of them could only entangle a few enemies and soon found themselves beset with difficulties, causing them to grow anxious.
Almost everyone instantly became involved in this fight, but just as their attention had been attracted, Yang Yan formed a set of profound seals with her hands and suddenly disappeared, no one able to detect where she had gone.
With the help of the barriers and Spirit Arrays here, Yang Yan easily managed to escape.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was facing the greatest danger. The women surnamed Ye, Chang Qi, and all the others were now entangled, even Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were having trouble taking care of themselves and had no time to attend to him, allowing a dozen or so Origin Realm masters to target Yang Kai.
The dozen masters who were eyeing Yang Kai had faces filled with greed as they rushed forward, hoping to be the first to kill this boy and snatch his Space Ring.
As long as they could grab this Space Ring, they won!
“Brother Yang, quickly leave! Xuan’er and I will delay them!” At the last moment, Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er stood before Yang Kai and shielded him.
With no time to say anything, Yang Kai simply cast them a grateful look.
He did not need to worry about Wei Gu Chang or Dong Xuan’er’s safety; after all, these two were the young rising stars of Shadow Moon Hall, famous characters among Shadowed Star’s younger generation. Now that they had broken through to the Origin Returning Realm, they had enough strength to protect themselves.
More importantly, however, these enemies likely didn’t have the courage to really kill Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er, for if they did, Shadow Moon Hall would definitely not let the matter drop.
In an instant, Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er joined forces and engaged the approaching enemies, pushing their Saint Qi and releasing their Secret Techniques to tie down four enemy masters, making it impossible for them to pursue Yang Kai, earning him some breathing space.
In this situation, quickly leaving was undoubtedly the best option, but how could Yang Kai just ignore his friends and allies and flee on his own? Standing on the spot with an icy look on his face, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged as he summoned out his Artifact Refining Furnace.
The Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace leapt into the sky and in an instant expanded to over a dozen metres in size before a giant Firebird soared out of it with a piercing cry. Spreading its wings out, the Firebird released a wave of flames to swiftly engulf several enemies.
The Firebird Artifact Spirit combat power wasn’t inferior to an ordinary Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, so it had no problem dealing with these enemies.
But Yang Kai was not finished and with a sneer reached into the Artifact Refining Furnace, grabbed onto something, and began pulling it out with great effort.
A wave of earth-shattering energy emanated from the Artifact Refining Furnace, one so powerful it caused many of the remaining enemy masters to pale.
Although they didn’t know what Yang Kai was trying to take out from this Artifact Refining Furnace, they weren’t about to just sit back and wait for him to succeed. One by one, these masters summoned their artifacts or used their Secret Techniques to attack Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he waved his free hand, summoned his Purple Shield, and activated its sandstorm ability to protect himself.
All the attacks launched against Yang Kai at that moment smashed into the whirling sandstorm. The defensive strength of the Purple Shield was certainly outstanding, but this time there were simply too many enemies, all of whom were Origin Realm masters with powerful artifacts of their own.
Under this bombardment, the protection of the Purple Shield would be broken through in just two breaths.
Yang Kai’s complexion darkened and he was just about to use another method to defend himself when a far more terrifying blow suddenly approached. This attack was just a simple beam of light and it seemed to be aimed directly at Yang Kai, but when it arrived in front of the Purple Shield, it actually interfered greatly with the other artifact attacks and Secret Techniques being used against him.
Suddenly, the pressure Yang Kai was facing greatly reduced. This change made him frown but when he turned to look in the direction of the source of the attack, he saw a middle-aged robed man with waist-length hair and an unfettered expression on his face smiling at him with folded arms.
[What were this man’s intentions?] Yang Kai wondered.
Yang Kai’s enemies similarly were confused, one of them even yelling out yelled, “Elder Mo, what are you doing?”
This middle-aged man with long hair was none other than Clear Sky Sect’s Great Elder Mo Yu. His personal strength was great, not in any way under Mo Xiao Sheng or Cheng Peng Xuan, even slightly surpassing Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng. He was one of the Shadowed Start famous figures.
Hearing this question, Mo Yu just smiled indifferently, “What does it look like I’m doing, this Mo knows that treasure is in this boy’s hands and wanted to kill him to seize it, what of it?”
The man who just spoke wrinkled his brow as a look of resentment flashed across his face, but he didn’t have time to investigate this matter further.
Judging from the attack just now, Mo Yu indeed looked like he was trying to kill Yang Kai and seize his treasures; however, the result was that he had actually helped Yang Kai significantly because his attack dispersed most of the other attacks aimed towards him.
This man didn’t know whether Mo Yu acted intentionally or unintentionally, but either way, he was quite annoyed and loudly warned, “I hope Elder Mo can act with a little more discretion, alright?”
Mo Yu smiled faintly but didn’t respond, instead just turning to look at Yang Kai with interest.
In his heart, he was actually quite looking forward to how this situation would develop. Before, Dragon Cave Mountain had been thrust into a worrying situation and was seemingly on the verge of being overrun, but then that woman surnamed Ye arrived at the critical moment and dispersed this danger. In fact, if not for the sudden mutation of the Emperor Garden, Dragon Cave Mountain would currently be calm and stable.
However, because of the Emperor Garden’s change, Dragon Cave Mountain was once again pushed to the edge of a fiery pit, one even more dangerous than the previous one.
Mo Yu wanted to know if Yang Kai’s luck had been used up or if he still had enough to resolve this crisis again.
As the Great Elder of Clear Sky Sect, Mo Yu was not a man with so much free time to waste on such thoughts, nor did he believe in destiny or good fortune, but Yang Kai had saved his two disciples and he was not a man who did not know how to separate grace and grievance. He had agreed to Chen Shi Tao’s request just now, so naturally, he would not go back on his word.
If not for Chen Shi Tao, Mo Yu would not have minded adding insult to injury here; after all, he too was greatly interested in the treasure the Emperor Garden had deposited here.
Additionally, if Yang Kai really died here, he wouldn’t hesitate to snatch his Space Ring.
After striking a blow, Mo Yu didn’t take action again and instead stood back and observed the situation, most of his attention focusing on Yang Kai’s Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace. The strong energy fluctuations emanating from it surprised Mo Yu and he couldn’t help wondering what was hidden inside it.
As for the group of enemies who had been targeting Yang Kai, they had already regrouped and had their artifacts at the ready, preparing to launch another round of attacks.
At that moment though, a whooshing sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Together with this sound came a scorching hot aura as well as a number of glowing golden whips that struck towards each of these master’s heads.
Each of these strikes contained enough power to make those being targeted pale in fright.
These enemies, who were originally prepared to attack Yang Kai, were suddenly forced to defend themselves.
“This is…” Mo Yu’s eyes bulged as he stared towards the source of these attacks in disbelief. He suddenly discovered a tree several dozen metres tall with innumerable branches and a lush canopy.
This big tree gave off a brilliant golden radiance and at this moment was waving its branches furiously, sending out a rain of golden leaves that all transformed into arrows which shot towards the invading masters.
The whip-like attacks were also clearly the transformed branches of this tree.
Mo Yu, however, was not shocked by the attack of this tree, but rather by the clear face which appeared on its thick trunk. At this moment, this face was filled with a twisted, enraged expression.
Each of the golden leaves this tree had shot out contained power equivalent to the full-powered attack of a First-Order Saint King.
And the density of this barrage made for quite a terrifying scene.
Even a master like Mo Yu would need to hurriedly withdraw if he was subjected to such a hail of attacks, so there was no need to mention what kind of response these weaker enemies had to make. Only a couple Third-Order Origin Realm masters were among the group currently targeting Yang Kai, and if not for possessing an overwhelming numerical advantage, facing this unexpected wave of attacks, they would likely have quickly experienced casualties.
“A Sentient Ancient Tree!” Mo Yu exclaimed in surprise, never having expected to find such a treasure on Dragon Cave Mountain.
What’s more, this Sentient Ancient Tree was actually a rare Yang Attribute Spirit Tree!
Although trees were technically another kind of life form, achieving sentience was far more difficult for them than it was for animals and beasts. Mo Yu had lived many years but had only ever heard of existences like this Sentient Ancient Tree and had never seen one until now.
In order for such a tree to gain sentience, it had to be at ten thousand years, if not tens of thousands of years old, making it an extremely rare and precious treasure! If it were to be used for Artifact Refining, it could definitely serve as the foundation for an extremely powerful artifact.
What dumbfounded Mo Yu however was that this Sentient Ancient Tree possessed such a strong offensive power.
[How could this be? Even if this ancient tree had obtained sentience, it should not have much strength and be forced to use its special Divine Abilities to conceal itself from powerful cultivators.]
However, this Sentient Ancient Tree on Dragon Cave Mountain was actually capable of becoming a sharp weapon of war. With its seemingly endless stream of branches and leaves, it was fully capable of holding the line against this wave of invaders for some time.
[This Dragon Cave Mountain… is incomprehensible.]
Mo Yu’s eyes brightened even further as he found himself becoming more and more excited.
The Divine Tree suddenly displaying such incredible might had even caught Yang Kai by surprise, but he soon felt relieved. The Divine Tree had opened up its consciousness before he encountered it and was originally a high-grade Spirit Tree. Since Yang Kai had met and taken it away though, he had fed it no less than a dozen drops of Golden Blood, so it wasn’t difficult to explain how it had grown to such an extent.
Considering all this, Yang Kai couldn’t help grinning.
Suddenly, the air nearby Yang Kai rippled. From this disturbance, a cultivator wearing Heaven Battling Union robes appeared out of nowhere.
Judging from the aura fluctuations coming from this man, he was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master, on top of that, he was very good at concealing himself. While everyone’s attention had been attracted by the Divine Tree, this man had crept close to Yang Kai and had now taken this opportunity to launch a fatal blow.
This man’s plans had to be commended and it was clear he knew how to make the best use of opportunities on the battlefield. The moment he saw Yang Kai slightly relaxed, this man realized he had a better chance to land a sneak attack and didn’t hesitate to act.
Even a lion would use all its strength to kill a rabbit, and although this man was confident in his strength, he didn’t dare to underestimate Yang Kai on Dragon Cave Mountain, so when he attacked, he did so with all his strength.
The distance between Yang Kai and this man closed rapidly as a cold long sword pierced straight towards Yang Kai’s chest. Before this long sword even reached its mark, it released a sharp light which condensed into a snake phantom that pulsed with cold murderous intent that pricked Yang Kai skin.
In response though, Yang Kai didn’t even try to move, just flashing a cold, gloomy smile towards this man as if he wasn’t the slightest bit worried or even surprised.
[Something is wrong!] This Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master’s heart jumped as he instinctively felt danger, but he was unable to identify the source of this palpitation, all he could sense was that if he continued his attack, the one to suffer a loss would be him.
This thought flashed across this man’s mind, but in the next instant, his expression became firm. He did not draw back and instead poured more of his Saint Qi into his sword to promote its might.
Sword Qi exploded as this man’s killing intent surged!
Mo Yu stood not far away, staring at Yang Kai in this instant, wondering what he had to rely on that allowed him to remain so calm and confident when facing the sneak attack of a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master.
The answer was revealed a moment later, as just before the enemy’s attack connected, a small figure appeared in front of Yang Kai. This figure was quite inconspicuous, only reaching as high as Yang Kai’s waist.
“Hm?” Mo Yu raised his brow in surprise as he stared at this grey figure curiously, unable to recognize what it was.
It looked like it was made from stones, but it had limbs and clearly defined facial features like thick brows, a crooked mouth, big nose, and carved out ears. Most distinctive was this creature’s eyes, which showed an intelligent light. With a somewhat hunched posture, this creature’s long arms reached past its knees, giving it a somewhat awkward appearance.
[Can rocks also obtain sentience?] Mo Yu could hardly believe his eyes.
The most surprising thing to Mo Yu though, was he couldn’t feel any kind of energy fluctuations or vital aura from this thing.
Was it alive or dead?
The Stone Puppet answered Mo Yu’s doubts with actions.
Facing the sneak attack of a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, the Stone Puppet opened its mouth wide and spat out a black stick before immediately stretching out a hand, gripping it tightly, and casually swinging it forward.
When this stick was swung though, the world seemed to tremble as the World Energy within several kilometres was greatly disturbed.
Mo Yu’s brow twitched as with his eyesight he could naturally see that this seemingly casual swing carried with it an astonishing amount of power and force.
[This cultivator from Heaven Battling Union… has really bad luck…] Mo Yu thought secretly.
Mo Yu’s expectations were correct. This cultivator from Heaven Battling Union was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master, but after witnessing the power of this attack, he realized dodging was fundamentally impossible, so he could only desperately push his Saint Qi, enhancing the power of his sword strike further.
The dazzling brilliance of this master’s Sword Qi only lasted a flash before it was seemingly blown away and a loud cracking sound rang out. When the relatively high-grade artifact in the hands of the Heaven Battling Union cultivator made contact with the black stick, it instantly shattered as if it were a frail toy.
“How is that possible!?” The master’s eyes bulged. Even if his sword was not all that impressive, it was still an Origin Grade artifact. Because it was designed for speed, being thin and sharp, it may not have been too sturdy, but it still should not have been so easily destroyed.
This artifact had accompanied him for dozens of years and he had killed countless enemies with it, constantly nourishing it with his Saint Qi and Divine Sense. This sword was the artifact he most treasured and relied on.
But suddenly, it had been smashed to pieces.
Along with grief and anxiety, a trace of horror flashed across this man’s eyes. He couldn’t tell how this stick worked or how a seemingly simple swing of it could contain enough power to destroy his sword, but if he were to be struck by it head-on, how was he supposed to survive?
Thinking of this, a look of decisiveness filled this man’s face as he hurriedly bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood mist while at the same time quickly withdrawing, trying to avoid being hit by this black stick.
There was no fault in his plan, however, he had looked down upon the strangeness of this black stick.
Naturally, this stick was the Heaven Shaking Pillar Yang Kai brought back from the Emperor Garden. According to Yang Yan, this stick was refined entirely from Heavenly Crystal Profound Iron, an Origin King Grade Artifact Refining material known for its extreme weight. A palm-sized piece of this material weighed ten thousand kilograms and it was incredibly tough and durable. There were nearly no ways in this world to damage an artifact refined of this material.
Even Yang Kai himself had no way to freely wield this Heaven Shaking Pillar.
It was a mystery who had refined this thing, but whoever it was had given this artifact the ability to change its size at will. When the humanoid puppet in the Emperor Garden used this Heaven Shaking Pillar, it was more than a dozen metres in length, but after giving it to the Stone Puppet, it had casually shrunk so it could be swallowed.
At this moment, in order to confront its enemy and with the Stone Puppet body shape and size, the Heaven Shaking Pillar was only two metres in length.
Looking at the cultivator from Heaven Battling Union, after spitting out a blood mist, seemingly try to avoid the range of its attack, the Stone Puppet’s round eyes flashed and the Heaven Shaking Pillar in its hand actually rapidly extended, bringing the fleeing man back into its range without reducing the force behind this blow in the slightest.
This change made the cultivator from Heaven Battling Union fall into despair, and with no other recourse, he condensed his Saint Qi to its limits to protect himself while assuming a defensive posture.
*Pa…*
A light sound spread as the Heaven Shaking Pillar smashed into the cultivator’s body and broke through his seemingly intrepid Saint Qi protection like it was a bubble. The body of the Heaven Battling Union cultivator was twisted into an impossible shape as the sound of his bones breaking filled the air, causing the skin of all who heard it to crawl.
Blood spewed out of his mouth, mixed with fragments of his five viscera and six organs. The man himself then flew out like an arrow from a string, swept far away by the Heaven Shaking Pillar.
A single strike had caused this man heavy losses, and although he did not die on the spot, the injuries he suffered were by no means light.
If he was only facing the Stone Puppet as his opponent, this man may not necessarily be unable to escape, but how could Yang Kai miss such a good opportunity to beat him while he was down? Sending out a Golden Blood Thread, Yang Kai slashed out with it, filling the air with a web of golden light.
*Xiu xiu…*
The sound of something slicing through the air rang out and was soon followed by the appearance of a cloud of blood mist.
Suddenly, a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm had been killed!
A Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator meeting such a miserable end in just the blink of an eye instantly filled everyone with shock and surprise!
In fact, the scene just now was not actually that dangerous, the Heaven Battling Union cultivator only had his bad luck to blame. Encountering the Stone Puppet holding the Heaven Shaking Pillar that could instantly change its length had caught this man completely off guard and was the biggest reason he had died. If he had known about this strange stone man and artifact in advance, he would not have been so careless.
But now, it was too late for such thoughts.
After killing an enemy, the Stone Puppet let out a bestial roar from its mouth as its small body rapidly grew, in a flash becoming a ten-metre-tall stone giant. The Heaven Shaking Pillar in its hand also grew to a proportional size.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
After its transformation, the Stone Puppet charged forward into battle.
This ten-metre-tall stone giant, holding the terrifying Heaven Shaking Pillar, was capable of displaying such overwhelming strength that even Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters had to steer clear of it. Every time the Stone Puppet swung its stick, the surrounding space seemed to solidify, causing the many enemies who had been entangled by the Divine Tree to tremble in fear. Screams rang out as several of these people did not hesitate to use Secret Techniques that greatly damaged themselves in order to escape from the Stone Puppet’s rampage.
But how could the Divine Tree let them escape so easily? Transforming its innumerable branches into long whips, it swept the airspace around these panicking enemies and delivered multiple blows to them from all sides.
The Stone Puppet took this opportunity to display its full power, waving around its Heaven Shaking Pillar randomly, sweeping up all the enemies around it, sending them flying while coughing up blood.
The Heaven Shaking Pillar itself weighed several hundreds of thousands of kilograms, but in the Stone Puppet’s hands it seemed as light as air. Even without any Saint Qi infused into this stick, it displayed unparalleled might. Origin King Realm masters might be able to resist such a blow, but no Origin Realm master could accomplish this.
With such overwhelming power at its disposal, the Stone Puppet did not need to be proficient in any kind of Secret Technique as it could already shake the world.
Several enemy masters who were struck died immediately, while those who managed to survive by luck suffered grievous wounds and became easy targets for the golden leaves of the Divine Tree.
Second-Order Origin Realm masters might be able to withstand a blow from the Stone Puppet, but even Third-Order Origin Realm masters didn’t dare take it lightly, preferring to avoid it whenever possible.
Mo Yu, who was not far away, had his brow twitch sharply as he observed this scene.
What kind of Dragon Cave was this Dragon Cave Mountain?
First there was the Sentient Ancient Tree and now this stone giant. Mo Yu had never seen so many novel and dangerous things appear one after another.
Mo Yu was not a man who was ignorant and uninformed; on the contrary, he was incredibly experienced and well informed as the Great Elder of Clear Sky Sect, but everything he witnessed today brought him great surprise.
This Sentient Ancient Tree and stone giant pair alone could hold their ground against any invading army. Not to mention, this boy called Yang Kai seemed to have not really taken action personally yet, causing Mo Yu to wonder what exactly he was trying to accomplish.
Although he had not seen Yang Kai fight yet, anyone who could command this Sentient Ancient Tree and Stone Giant must not be much worse off. At the very least, assuming he was just an ordinary Third-Order Saint King would be a big mistake.
For a time, Mo Yu felt somewhat fortunate he had listened to his disciple’s request and not sought conflict with Dragon Cave Mountain. Otherwise, a grudge would’ve been formed here today and Clear Sky Sect would only have accumulated disadvantages with no benefits!
Although that Sentient Ancient Tree was quite powerful in its own right, it was a Spirit Tree in the end, so its mobility was extremely restricted. Having taken root, it could display a powerful defensive strength, but it was not capable of taking long distance offensive actions.
This stone giant on the other hand was truly terrifying; who could fight such a monster on Shadowed Star? Not even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters could be its opponent! Only if a large number of powerful masters joined forces and besieged this stone giant would it be possible to defeat it.
[This boy should have been able to recognize my intention to help him a moment ago, right?] Mo Yu worried slightly, wondering if Yang Kai had understood his actions just now.
Just as the Divine Tree and Stone Puppet were putting on a great display of their strengths, a resounding dragon roar rang out, causing the skies themselves to darken and a terrifying pressure to descend upon Dragon Cave Mountain.
This powerful pressure caused everyone present to tremble, as if a giant pair of eyes capable of consigning them to death was staring at them.
Even if this pressure was not as strong as the Emperor Pressure generated during the Emperor Garden’s most recent mutation, it wasn’t far off.
Everyone’s movements came to a halt as they all simultaneously turned their heads towards the source of this pressure, their eyes filling to shock and terror the moment they did.
Before their eyes, Yang Kai stood solemnly beside the slowly rotating Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace, but in his hand was a kind of verdant-coloured long sword. As Yang Kai slowly pulled this strange sword out from the Artifact Refining Furnace, the invisible coercion in the air grew ever stronger.
A moment later, this verdant coloured sword like object had been taken out completely.
This object was only about a metre in length, its whole body a bluish green in colour. It seemed like a sword, but it did not have an edge or blade at all. Moreover, it was not refined from any kind of metal and instead appeared to be fashioned from some kind of bone.
There was a longan sized round bead inlaid at its hilt, and inside this bead was something resembling a small green snake, which was swimming about happily.
This sword seemed to have its own consciousness and was constantly trembling in Yang Kai’s hand, as if it wanted to break free of his control and soar up into the sky.
An enormous, phantom, dragon’s head suddenly emerged from this green sword. This dragon’s head was extremely lifelike, its two water basin-sized eyes exuding an endless majesty as they swept across the countless gathered masters, involuntarily causing them to feel as if they had suddenly become tiny, insignificant ants.
There was no doubt the terrifying pressure they all felt was coming from this strange green sword.
No one dared to stare into this dragon head’s eyes other than Yang Kai, who raised his head thoughtfully as he activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation.
An invisible shockwave centred on Yang Kai appeared as a terrifying Spiritual Energy which seemed to have physically manifested swept forward. Facing this shockwave, even the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters present felt their Knowledge Sea tumble momentarily.
Yang Kai let out a grunt and frowned deeply as a phantom lotus appeared in his Demon Eye of Annihilation before rapidly submerging into this dragon head.
The Blossoming Lotus was the most powerful Soul Secret Technique Yang Kai possessed.
Another dragon roar echoed through the air, but this time it contained a trace of dread and panic. The phantom dragon head’s eyes revealed a pained expression before it distorted greatly and disappeared into the long sword in Yang Kai’s hand.
The rumbling sound which had filled the air also disappeared and the sword body stopped trembling, no longer trying to break free. Seeing this, Yang Kai exhaled gently as a pensive look filled his face.
This green sword was naturally the artifact Yang Kai had refined from the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead.
This Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead had been obtained by Yang Kai in the Saint Crystal lode in the second layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field several years ago. When he first obtained these treasures, Yang Kai didn’t know what to do with them; after all, they were a real Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead, materials from a true Ancient Divine Spirit and not something an ordinary Artifact Refiner could work with.
Fortunately, Yang Yan had taught him a way to use his Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace and Firebird Artifact to slowly refine the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead on his own.
The Artifact Spirit’s Soul was connected to Yang Kai, so it refining it was no different from Yang Kai refining it.
This method didn’t require any kind of exquisite Artifact Refining skill or technique, only the accumulation of time, and although this led to a somewhat crude end product, it was still far better than allowing an unreliable Artifact Refiner to waste these precious materials.
Even Yang Yan herself was not confident that she could use this Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead for Artifact Refining as they belonged to a grade of materials which was still beyond her ability to work with.
It could be said that this method was only suitable for Yang Kai to use because he possessed an Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace that had formed an Artifact Spirit! This rare combination of conditions was essential for success.
Several years had passed by and the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead had been completely integrated; after all, they originally belonged to the same creature so this wasn’t too difficult to achieve. Now, it was time to use it.
Yet to Yang Kai’s surprise, his first attempt to use this Dragon Bone Sword had nearly caused him to embarrass himself as the Remnant Dragon Soul in the Dragon Bead did not want to submit to his will.
Even if it was just a weak Remnant Soul without any consciousness, it was nevertheless the Remnant Soul of an Ancient Divine Spirit. With its innate pride, how could it be willing to submit to another? Fortunately, Yang Kai had his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique and forcibly suppressed the tenacious Dragon Soul at the critical moment.
This was not a long-term solution though, so in the future he would need to find time to fully subdue this Dragon Bone Sword, otherwise, he would not be able to use it with peace of mind. As such thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, his eyes went cold as an icy grin appeared on his lips.
The terrifying pressure emanating from the Dragon Bone Sword dispersed, but everyone still felt cold sweat dripping down their foreheads and a light breeze which blew past caused them to shiver from head to toe.
Everyone had thought that with so many masters on their side, trampling flat Dragon Cave Mountain would be a simple task, but seeing such a powerful fighting force emerge from the tiny hill at this moment left them all thoroughly shocked.
Whether it was the Sentient Ancient Tree, the stone giant, or the strange verdant-coloured sword, which one of these treasures did not warrant dread? Especially the verdant sword, everyone understood it was definitely an astonishing treasure, but none of them knew just how much power it could exert.
For a time, Yang Kai once again became the focus of attention as many greedy and fearful eyes fixed on the verdant sword.
Yang Kai was also interested in trying out the power of his new artifact, so he didn’t waste time and rapidly poured his Saint Qi into it, causing it to once again tremble and release a fearsome dragon roar.
“Go!” Yang Kai waved his hand and the verdant long sword he was holding rapidly shot out before immediately transforming into a giant creature dozens of metres long.
This creature was a deep bluish-green colour and had massive wings that seemed capable of covering the sky. It was also covered in thick scales which made it look nigh impervious to harm.
This creature opened its great maw to reveal sharp, sword-like teeth as it swung its giant spear-like claws about, exuding a faint cold light that caused anyone who saw it to shudder.
“Ancient Divine Spirit!” Mo Yu shouted in alarm, almost stumbling, and falling to the ground in shock.
Although he had never personally seen an Ancient Divine Spirit, Mo Yu was no stranger to this kind of creature as almost every great Sect’s ancient books would contain records of long extinct Ancient Divine Spirit.
The behemoth in front of him was exactly the same as the records he had seen and was undoubtedly an Ancient Divine Spirit.
What is more, it was the highest ranked Ancient Divine Spirit, a True Dragon!
Even without displaying any of its strength, the pressure this Ancient Divine Spirit’s presence exuded alone was enough to any cultivator below the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm shiver in fright.
“Another Remnant Soul! He actually had another Ancient Divine Spirit Remnant Soul!” At a different spot, Fei Zhi Tu’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets as he muttered to himself, standing frozen in place and forgetting to even continue fighting his opponent.
The same was true of Qian Tong and of their opponents as well. At this moment, no one had the presence of mind to continue fighting as all their eyes were staring transfixed by the colossal, verdant dragon before them.
During their last exploration of the Emperor Garden, Fei Zhi Tu had seen the phantom of an Ice Phoenix and realized that Yang Kai possessed the Remnant Soul of an Ancient Divine Spirit.
At that time, Fei Zhi Tu had been completely astonished with Yang Kai’s luck that allowed him to obtain this kind of Heaven defying treasure. It was also because of this incident that Fei Zhi Tu changed his attitude towards Yang Kai and no longer dared treat him like an ordinary junior, because even if it was just a Remnant Soul, as long as it had enough time and opportunity, it would likely be able to grow into an existence comparable to an Origin King.
Do not bully the young lest they bully you when they grow up. With this Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul in his possession, who dared to guarantee that Yang Kai would not one day stand at the top of this world?
Maintaining a good relationship with him now would be of great benefit in the future.
So, when Dragon Cave Mountain was in trouble this time, Fei Zhi Tu had run out without hesitation to offer his assistance along with Qian Tong. Otherwise, with his personality that preferred avoiding trouble, how could Fei Zhi Tu do such a thankless job? He would much rather sit back in Heavenly Fate City and indifferently watch the show.
He thought that Yang Kai possessing an Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul was already a Heaven defying opportunity, but how could he have known this brat also had a True Dragon Remnant Soul!
On top of that, this True Dragon Remnant Soul seemed to be more powerful than the Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul he saw last time.
Fei Zhi Tu nearly coughed up blood from the envy he felt.
Compared to Yang Kai’s heritage, his life’s possessions were trash.
In front of everyone’s dumbfounded eyes, the verdant dragon rushed towards a Thunder Typhoon Sect Origin Returning Realm master. This cultivator had reached the peak of the First-Order Origin Realm and was just one step away from reaching the Second-Order, so his strength even in this place could not be considered weak.
He had been fighting with the Divine Tree and Stone Puppet just recently but was still completely unharmed, despite being slightly disheveled. This illustrated his strength.
But no matter how great his personal strength was, he could not face an Ancient Divine Spirit directly.
Seeing the True Dragon suddenly approach him, this man’s face went pale as he hurriedly summoned a black shield to defend himself.
A hint of disdain flashed across the eyes of this massive True Dragon and the black shield was torn apart like tofu with one swing of its claw, along with a light slicing sound.
Immediately after, the verdant dragon opened its giant mouth and swallowed the First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator in the front of everyone’s eyes.
Screams rang out for a moment before abruptly coming to an end as the life aura belonging to this cultivator vanished.
After the verdant dragon rushed past the position of this Thunder Typhoon Sect master, a shocking scene appeared. A skeleton, still assuming a defensive posture, stood mid-air, all its flesh and blood stripped away clean.
Like a cold wind blew past them, everyone shivered.
Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, Jin Shi, and Old Woman Feng all paled at this sight and were nearly defeated by the woman surnamed Ye in their moment of distraction.
After swallowing the vital essence of the Thunder Typhoon Sect cultivator in one gulp, the verdant dragon soared up into the sky as it released a deafening roar, opening its great maw once more and spraying out a bluish green mist that began enveloping the area around it.
More than a dozen Origin Returning Realm masters were instantly shrouded by this mist and their panic filled screams immediately rang out.
“Poison!”
“Run away!”
The verdant coloured mist was actually a violent toxic plume and every cultivator that had been covered with it fell dizzy and had difficulty breathing. Even their Saint Qi no longer circulated smoothly.
Those with slightly weaker strength staggered and fell to the ground as their bodies literally began melting at a speed visible to the naked eye, soon revealing their bare bones in a terrifying and shocking manner.
Only cultivators at or above the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm were able to escape from this verdant mist, but all their faces were green when they did so. This was obvious signs that they had been poisoned and were in urgent need of an antidote.
[This verdant dragon was a Poison Dragon!]
Yang Kai was also surprised by this. He did not know what the true nature of the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead he obtained was, or what kind of Divine Abilities it possessed in life. Right now, he was just experimenting with his new artifact, but the results he obtained caused him to rejoice greatly.
Among the True Dragon family of Ancient Divine Spirits, Poison Dragons and Fire Dragon had the highest offensive strength, so this discovery naturally made him extremely happy.
During his trip to Grand Burial Valley, Yang Kai had been forced to self-destruct his only offensive artifact. This didn’t bother him though as he had full confidence in his own means, so he didn’t feel the need to let Yang Yan refine one for him because even if she did refine him a good offensive artifact, it would require a lot of time and effort for him to refine and nourish it.
However, the main reason Yang Kai didn’t request Yang Yan to refine him a new offensive artifact was because he was waiting for this Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead artifact to be completed.
Now, it seemed that his anticipation had not been in vain. This Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead long sword artifact was almost comparable to Origin King Grade, and it seemed to have great room for growth because, after this verdant True Dragon swallowed the vital essence of an Origin Returning Realm master, Yang Kai could clearly feel that its aura had grown a little stronger.
This was an obvious indication it could improve itself.
As Yang Kai was thinking about this, the few Origin Returning Realm masters who managed to escape alive from the poison mist were targeted by the Stone Puppet. These masters had good luck and strength, but all that ended here. When the Heaven Shaking Pillar descended upon them, the entire world seemed to free, and their lives were harvested like wheat from a field.
A bloody smell rose to fill the air as Dragon Cave Mountain instantly transformed into a red purgatory.
The situation had become completely lopsided!
It was not how everyone had imagined, where Dragon Cave Mountain was casually destroyed by these invading masters. Instead, it was the invaders who were being slaughtered in droves, causing their morale to rapidly plummet.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chang Qi and the others launched a desperate counterattack and seized back the initiative.
In fact, Chang Qi and the others were not very powerful and were essentially relying on the exquisite artifacts they possessed to survive and fight back. These artifacts were all Origin Grade High-Rank and had been tailored-made by Yang Yan for them, allowing them to display their strength to the utmost limit.
Originally, the situation had been highly unfavourable to them, and they could only go all out to stall for time while beset by worries.
But as the morale of the invading party had fallen sharply though, Chang Qi and the others were greatly inspired and facing the fierce resistance, their enemy began to retreat. Chang Qi and the others didn’t lose themselves in the heat of the moment, however, and instead just strove to solidify their position, causing their enemies a great deal of frustration as they showed no flaws that could be taken advantage of to reverse the situation again.
Not far away, Mo Xiao Sheng and the other masters who were holding down the woman surnamed Ye sighed to themselves, knowing that there was nothing they could do to regain control of the situation. They had greatly underestimated the heritage of Dragon Cave Mountain, thinking that this tiny hilltop had been able to kill the first group from the Xie Family only because of their powerful Spirit Arrays. Never had they expected that even without these Spirit Arrays, this hilltop could not be arbitrarily insulted!
The four top Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters looked at each other and all saw the intent to withdraw in each other’s eyes.
There was no need to discuss anything as, after reaching a certain level of strength, a single glance was enough to convey many things. The four of them made a feint and escaped from the entanglement of the woman surnamed Ye, in the next instant beginning to escape.
With these four turning tail and fleeing, how could the others dare to remain? Naturally, everyone else began to hurriedly withdraw.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu did not try to block their opponents. Although they helped Dragon Cave Mountain this time, they did not want to unnecessarily make enemies of these people; after all, the two of them represented Shadow Moon Hall and had many concerns of their own, so without hesitation they allowed their opponents to retreat safely.
Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er did the same. The two of them had only recently broken through to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, so although their strength wasn’t bad, if their opponents were determined to leave, they were unable to stop them.
In fact, the main reason these two had been able to last this long was because their opponents had held back and never attempted to really kill them; otherwise, facing so many masters, Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er would definitely not have been unharmed, even if they didn’t die.
The enemy withdrew like the tide, with several dozen Origin Returning Realm masters all escaping at once from Dragon Cave Mountain. Besides the few who were blocked by Yang Kai’s Dragon Bone Sword, Stone Puppet, and Artifact Spirit Firebird, the rest managed to escape.
Yang Kai frowned when he saw this and felt a deep sense of powerlessness in his heart.
He could not stop his enemies from coming or going as they pleased. However, although the invasion of Dragon Cave Mountain annoyed him greatly, the other party paid a terrible price as a result, so it was not as if Yang Kai could not accept the results.
Moreover, if the fight continued, there would be casualties on Dragon Cave Mountain’s side.
He and the woman surnamed Ye did not have to worry about themselves. Yang Kai possessed his Dragon Bone Sword, Stone Puppet, and Artifact Spirit along with the Divine Tree, while the woman surnamed Ye’s strength was phenomenal from the start, but Chang Qi, Hao An, and the others were a different story. If Yang Kai insisted on continuing this battle, his allies would be the next to suffer, which was a result Yang Kai did not wish to see.
Yang Kai was willing to let this matter stop here, but this did not mean others would do the same.
Just when the enemy masters were about to leave the range of Dragon Cave Mountain, the originally broken Mountain Defending Array lit up again and barred their path forward.
A trace of surprise flashed across the eyes of Mo Xiao Sheng and the others before their expressions became cold.
Them withdrawing at this point did not mean they really feared Dragon Cave Mountain, so the other party behaving so rampantly, unwilling to let them leave, naturally elicited feelings of anger and irritation.
“You want to leave? Wishful thinking! You think my Dragon Cave Mountain is a place you can come and go as you please?” Suddenly, a tender voice rang out, its origin unclear, seemingly coming from all around, making it impossible to localize.
However, this voice no doubt belonged to Yang Yan.
Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise, not understanding what Yang Yan wanted to do.
Just as Yang Kai’s expression cramped though, the earth suddenly began to tremble and a great rumbling rang out as the ground beneath Dragon Cave Mountain began to crack apart.
*Hong…*
With a loud crack, a large section of Dragon Cave Mountain collapsed, revealing a deep pit out of which a large black behemoth slowly rose.
After seeing the true form of this behemoth, gasps of shock rose all around as everyone began crying out in surprise.
“Impossible!”
“A Starship?”
“There’s even a Starship here?”
Dragon Cave Mountain was destined to become the focus of all of Shadowed Star after today, with one shocking thing emerging after another. Everyone present had yet to recover from the shock of an Ancient Divine Spirit Remnant Soul appearing when they were again confronted by such an incredible scene.
Beneath this Dragon Cave Mountain was a hidden Starship!
This Starship was not quite the same as the Starships the various great Sects regarded among their greatest treasures. The main thing was size. This Starship was only about a quarter the size of ordinary Starships and had a sleek and smooth design.
However, this Starship also gave off an intense pressure that was even more unbearable than the True Dragon Remnant Soul from just now.
A mechanical clanking sounded suddenly, and barrel-like things began to extend from the hull of this Starship. None of the people present were ignorant or uninformed so they naturally know what these things were.
Crystal Cannons! The destructive artifacts every Starship possessed. More accurately referred to as weapons, these things used Saint Crystals as an energy source to fire off beams of incredible destructive power.
Ordinarily though, a Starship would not use its Crystal Cannons because every shot fired consumed a massive amount of Saint Crystals.
Also, a Starship would have at most two or three Crystal Cannons installed on it in general as each one was known as the most powerful trump card of a Starship.
But at the moment, it was plain to see that this small, hundred-metre-long Starship was actually outfitted with more than ten crystal cannons! Each of these cannons was aimed at a different direction, targeting the most crowded locations.
Staring down these dark barrels, everyone felt a sense of uneasiness in their heart, as if death itself was staring at them.
As a silver-bell like laughter filled the air, Yang Yan’s tender voice called out, “Since you’ve come uninvited, don’t even think about leaving at will!”
As soon as her words fell, a dazzling light appeared from the dozen plus Crystal Cannons, accompanied by energy fluctuations which caused the entire region to tremble.
“Not good!” Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes shrunk as he called out in alarm, “Spread out!”
With his knowledge and experience, he could tell what kind of heaven-destroying and earth-shattering power these Crystal Cannons possessed.
Although Mo Xiao Sheng had promptly warned his disciples and subordinates, the charging rate for the Crystal Cannons on this Starship refined by Yang Yan was extremely quick. Almost at the same time as his voice had sounded, more than ten pure white beams only as thick as a human arm shot forth from the Crystal Cannons.
Silent, without a single scream or sound of struggle, a dozen or so seemingly slender beams of light swept forward, erasing everything in their path from existence.
Not only was the Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array broken again, but all the cultivators who were hit by this barrage were vaporised like snowflakes under the hot summer sun.
The ten plus white beams of light continued for several dozen kilometres before gradually weakening and disappearing.
The entirety of Dragon Cave Mountain was in disarray and the World Energy aura in the surrounding fifty-kilometre radius had become extremely chaotic.
*Dida, dida…*
A clear sound suddenly broke the silence as Mo Xiao Sheng and the other masters stood in place, looks of terror filling their pale faces as they stared at the Starship in front of them, unable to believe their eyes.
When this Starship suddenly appeared just now, none of them had been to concerned about it; after all, this Starship wasn’t very big so they subconsciously thought that its grade wasn’t high, but when the dozen or so Crystal Cannons were deployed, Mo Xiao Sheng and the other masters felt they might have misjudged the threat it posed.
But it was not until now that they realized just how wrong they had been.
The grade of this Starship was beyond the scope of their imagination. It was definitely above Origin Grade, which meant it could only be Origin King Grade. If this were not the case, these Crystal Cannons could not possibly have such power.
An Origin King Grade Starship! How could that be?
However, with the facts laid bare in front of them, they had no choice but to believe it. The best evidence was that, when those Crystal Cannons fired just now, Mo Xiao Sheng and the other top Origin Returning Realm masters didn’t dare take the blow head on and could only desperately evade.
Even so, Jin Shi of Demon Blood Temple had been brushed by one of these beams and lost an entire arm as a result. The dripping sound filling the eerie silence was none other than the blood dripping from his wound as his face twisted in pain.
The faces of Old Woman Feng and Cheng Peng Xuan were also extremely ugly. If it were not for them instinctually dodging just now, they would likely have wound up the same as Jin Shi.
Sweeping his eyes around quickly, Mo Xiao Sheng’s expression was filled with sorrow.
Because now, there were only a dozen or so people still alive, which meant fifty to sixty Origin Returning Realm masters had died under that Crystal Cannon salvo just now.
Those were fifty or sixty Origin Returning Realm masters, not fifty or sixty cabbages! Those masters were the pillars of their respective Sects, but now they had all died here on Dragon Cave Mountain without even being able to resist!
Mo Xiao Sheng and the other masters felt like they had been run through by a sharp sword.
If possible, the masters from the various great forces would have preferred to have never set foot on this hill today, but unfortunately, regret could not bring back the dead. Many great forces had not only suffered heavy losses today but also made an extremely powerful enemy, causing many of those who barely managed to survive to pale in fright.
“Withdraw!” Mo Xiao Sheng grit his teeth and shouted, not wanting to remain here a moment longer, his body flickering as he used his Space Force to quickly leave.
With him leaving, how could Cheng Peng Xuan, Jin Shi, or Old Woman Feng dare to stay? Worried that this Starship would fire another volley from its Crystal Cannons, each one of them fled like a frightened rabbit.
This time, however, Yang Yan did not try to stop them because, while she was strong in will, she was weak in strength. Although the Starship she refined was indeed extraordinary, it was not all-powerful. The Crystal Cannons salvo she just fired may have looked all-conquering, but in fact it had been extremely expensive to fire.
A single scream rang out as Yang Kai killed his last opponent before recalling the verdant dragon back to his hand.
Observing it for a moment, Yang Kai revealed a satisfied look before storing it away into the Artifact Refining Furnace again and taking it back into his body.
Dragon Cave Mountain had fallen silent once more, with only the hundred-metre-long Starships floating midair.
This hilltop, which had originally been a picturesque paradise, had now been completely devastated by this incredible battle.
The Stone Puppet shrank back down to its original size, the Heaven Shaking Pillar nowhere to be seen, probably swallowed back into its belly. Using its hands and feet, it scrambled over to Yang Kai like a small monkey, climbed his clothes, and then sat on his shoulder with a smile.
Sweeping his eyes around, Yang Kai sighed dully.
It had been several years since he arrived on Shadowed Star and settled down on this Dragon Cave Mountain, and under Yang Yan and Wu Yi’s careful management, it had become a beautiful home. However, now, it had turned into an inhospitable wasteland.
Fortunately, there was a place to move to that Yang Kai had in mind, so he did not feel too much regret. That place was far better than Dragon Cave Mountain and he had intended to move there eventually, this event simply accelerated his timeline.
“Yang Kai!” Suddenly, a voice called out from nearby, and when Yang Kai looked over he saw Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu staring at him as they occasionally glanced over at the Starship suspended in midair, seemingly wanting to say something but always stopping themselves at the last moment.
Although these two were top masters on Shadowed Star, they were still thoroughly shocked by what they had just witnessed.
That was not surprising though; after all, how could they have ever seen an Origin King Grade Starship?
It was not like Shadow Moon Hall didn’t possess Starships, but the very best one was still just Origin Grade Low-Rank. This Starship had been refined when Grandmaster Ge Lin was still alive and had taken all of the Sect’s Artifact Refiners years to complete while consuming countless materials.
Such a Starship had no trouble searching for mineral lodes near Shadowed Star, but wanting to use it to travel far into the Star Field was undoubtedly a fantasy.
The dangers out amongst the Star Field could not be measured with common sense.
However, just because Shadow Moon Hall’s Starship was not capable of this did not mean Dragon Cave Mountain’s was not! An Origin King Grade Starship had the ability to make a long-distance voyage and with its help could even possibly restore Shadowed Star’s connection to the outside world.
At worst, one could use this Starship to leave Shadowed Star, free themselves from the shackles of the World Principles here, and possibly break through to the Origin King Realm!
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu instantly understood all the implications of this Starship’s existence so, for a time, their heart could not help pounding with excitement.
Whether they could re-establish a connection between Shadowed Star and the outside world did not matter to them much, but with their cultivations having been stuck at the peak of the Origin Returning Realm for so many years due to the suppression of the World Principles here, suddenly seeing hope of breaking through naturally thrilled them.
However, even if their relationship with Yang Kai was good, suddenly raising this kind of request was really quite difficult; after all, the value of this Origin King Grade Starship was simply too great.
After glancing at them, Yang Kai vaguely guessed what they were thinking and just smiled lightly, “Elder Qian, City Lord Fei, I have a number of affairs that need to be attended to right now, but after I settle these issues and have some free time, how about I contact you again?”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu heard this and immediately nodded, “Good.”
Although Yang Kai did not make them any kind of commitment, and didn’t mention anything specific in his words, they would naturally be able to contact him again as long as he remained on Shadowed Star. On top of that, since Dragon Cave Mountain had been razed to the ground, it was clearly no longer suitable to live on. Considering all this, Qian Tong proposed, “Yang Kai, if you’d like, why not bring your people to live in my Shadow Moon Hall’s headquarters?”
As the saying goes, it is easier to borrow something from a neighbour than from a distant friend. Qian Tong’s proposal, although made with some ulterior motives in mind, was also done out of consideration for the now homeless Yang Kai; a proposal that benefited both parties.
But Yang Kai shook his head slowly and said upfront, “Elder Qian’s kind intentions are appreciated, but Junior already has a destination in mind so I’ll have to politely refuse.”
“Is that so…” Qian Tong’s face flashed a look of disappointment but he didn’t try to press the issue, simply nodding lightly, “No problem. Although this old master doesn’t know where you plan on going, since you already have a place to stay then this old master won’t say anything more. Just remember to send a message to us when you finish settling down so this old master can come to visit in person.”
“Of course, of course!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Immediately after, he turned to look at Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er and thanked them as well.
This time, Dragon Cave Mountain had been besieged by many powerful masters while very few had taken action to help him. Apart from the mysterious woman surnamed Ye, it was only the four people Shadow Moon Hall who had stood on his side. This kindness was something Yang Kai naturally would not forget.
At this moment, it was also only these people who had the courage to remain here while everyone else still alive had already fled. Even Clear Sky Sect’s Mo Yu, who displayed an ambiguous position, had gone missing.
*Kacha…*
A light sound came from mid-air as the Starship’s main hatch opened suddenly. Seeing this, Yang Kai smiled and called out, “Elder Qian, City Lord Fei, Junior will say goodbye here.”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu nodded lightly, not trying to retain him.
Yang Kai’s body flickered and quickly arrived beside the Divine Tree before sending out a flood of Spiritual Energy to wrap it up and take it back into the Black Book Space.
In the next moment, several figures headed by the woman surnamed Ye flew up and disappeared into the Starship, with Yang Kai bringing up the rear. Once everyone was aboard, the hatch closed and the Starship turned towards a certain direction with a light hum and shot off like a bolt of lightning, soon disappearing from sight.
“So fast!” Fei Zhi Tu stared in the direction the Starship disappeared with a shocked expression.
Compared to the speed of Shadow Moon Hall’s, this Starship was multiple times faster.
Qian Tong’s face filled with an excited yet complicated expression as he muttered, “I never expected this small hilltop to have so many talented people and such a magnificent heritage. Mo Xiao Sheng and those old ghosts have provoked an enemy they never should have this time.”
Fei Zhi Tu grinned meaningfully as he sneered, “Why bother worrying about their futures, what you and I should be doing right now is considering how to persuade Yang Kai to let us use his Starship to leave Shadowed Star. As long as you and I can break through to the Origin King Realm, this Shadowed Star will belong to our Shadow Moon Hall.”
Hearing this, Qian Tong’s expression shook before a strong light flashed across his eyes and he nodded repeatedly.
Several dozen kilometres away from Dragon Cave Mountain, Mo Xiao Sheng and several of his subordinates who had fled in distress all stared in the direction of the disappearing Starship with pale blue faces. Without even mentioning the massive losses they had suffered this time, considering the background and heritage that Dragon Cave Mountain had displayed today, just becoming enemies with them made Heaven Battling Union’s future grimmer.
Mo Xiao Sheng’s expression was filled with worry and distress.
With Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder like this, how could Cheng Peng Xuan, Jin Shi, Old Woman Feng, and the other survivors be feeling any better? Each and every one of them wore grief-stricken looks as they felt enough regret to make their stomachs turn, especially Jin Shi who had lost an arm, severely damaging his overall strength and foundation.
However, while many people were sad, others were celebrating. Over on Clear Sky Sect’s side, Mo Yu was in a phenomenally good mood. In any case, he had not shown any malicious intentions towards Dragon Cave Mountain this time and had even taken action once to help Yang Kai resolve some of the trouble he was facing. As long as the other party was not blind, he should be able to understand he had done so with good intentions.
Moreover, his two disciples seemed to have some friendship with Yang Kai, so there was a chance he could gain some advantage from this opportunity.
Since the matters Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were thinking of were pertaining to people of his realm, naturally, Mo Yu had some ideas as well.
Considering all this, Mo Yu slowly said, “Tao’er.”
“Yes,” Chen Shi Tao stepped forward in response.
“In the future, make sure to associate with that Yang Kai frequently, and if possible, find a way to capture his body and mind.”
“Honoured Master…” Chen Shi Tao blushed greatly. Although her Honoured Master was usually lenient and mild-tempered, never once bringing up such sensitive topics with her, at this moment he had actually spoken in a manner that could only be described as blunt, causing Chen Shi Tao to feel a little overwhelmed.
As a woman, Chen Shi Tao was quite proud of her strength, looks, and brains. She had an enchanting appearance that was able to fascinate others with just a single glance, causing many of Clear Sky Sect’s male disciples to secretly drool over her.
“Your Master is not cracking a joke,” Mo Yu’s declared seriously, “If you can really marry him, you will go down as my Clear Sky Sect’s greatest hero!”
Chen Shi Tao was instantly dumbfounded.
She had waited outside Dragon Cave Mountain with Lu Ying and her other Sect Brothers and Sisters just now, so although she had heard how fierce the clash inside had been, she wasn’t clear on what exactly had transpired. However, inferring from the words her Honoured Master spoke just now, it seemed that Yang Kai’s performance had immensely impressed him.
What exactly happened inside that made her Honoured Master’s attitude change so dramatically? Chen Shi Tao was very aware of how high her Honoured Master’s vision was. Not long after she was accepted as one of her Honoured Master’s disciples, an Elder from the Sect proposed that one of his descendants marry her, but was categorically rejected by Mo Yu.
That Elder’s descendant had excellent aptitude and strength and was regarded as a rising star in the Sect, yet such a person couldn’t even enter the eyes of her Honoured Master, so what did Yang Kai possess that made him have such a high opinion of him?
In Chen Shi Tao’s impression, Yang Kai’s strength was indeed astonishing and could be regarded as an elite amongst cultivators in the same realm, but she had always felt his greatest advantage was the great destiny he carried which made his luck exceptionally good.
However, her Honoured Master had already said that he did not believe in relying on something like luck or fate.
Chen Shi Tao was completely unable to figure out what had happened.
Regardless of the swirling changes that were occurring outside, inside the Starship, Yang Kai looked around curiously. When he had accompanied Yang Yan to the Flowing Flame Sand Field a few days ago, he had heard from her that she had built a bigger Starship beneath Dragon Cave Mountain, so he had not been surprised when it had suddenly appeared.
The only thing he had taken note of was how small this Starship was.
After entering this Starship though, he realized that, similar to the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, it was actually bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside, with quite a spacious interior.
In addition to an exquisite main hall, there were meditation rooms, an Artifact Refining facility, a Pill Room, a sparring room, and various other facilities.
Such a Starship was far bigger than the massive Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship Yang Kai had previously ridden!
Strolling forward, Yang Kai soon came to an arched hall that was finished with high-grade polished wood and was decorated with the finest of tapestries while being illuminated by brilliant lighting stones that made it seem as bright as day.
At this moment, basically everyone who had any authority on Dragon Cave Mountain was here, including the new woman surnamed Ye and Ge Qi who were standing beside Yang Yan.
Chang Qi, Hao An, and the others all wore their usual looks; after all, they had participated in this Starship’s refinement, so they had seen it inside and out numerous times. As for Qian Yue and Wu Yi, who had already become like Yang Yan’s right and left arms, they looked perfectly at home here.
Ning Xiang Chen, on the other hand, wore a permanently dumbfounded expression, as if he still could not believe what he was seeing.
Glancing over at the woman surnamed Ye from time to time, his expression only became more timid and astonished.
He was far more aware of the origins of this woman than anyone else present and was naturally unable to relax in her presence. What shocked Ning Xiang Chen the most though was that this woman surnamed Ye called Yang Yan ‘Madam’! Even with her peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, she displayed complete obedience towards Yang Yan as well as clear respect and admiration.
Ning Xiang Chen wanted to punch himself to confirm whether he was dreaming.
When Yang Kai arrived, he saw that Wu Yi and the others wore somewhat depressed looks and were sighing constantly.
Although Dragon Cave Mountain had won an incredible victory in this battle, not only killing countless enemies and not suffering any losses themselves, with their home having been levelled, how could they possibly have the mood to celebrate?
That was the home they had all built together with all their might.
But now, it had been razed to the ground in this unexpected battle. After several years of hard work, they had watched as everything they built was destroyed, so it was only natural for them to feel sad.