“Why do you all look so distressed?” Yang Kai suddenly probed, even though he knew exactly why. Grinning, Yang Kai continued, “It’s just that Dragon Cave Mountain is now gone, there’s no need to agonize over it.”
“But that was our home,” Wu Yi sighed deeply.
“There’s a saying that if one does not let go of the old, they will never be able to obtain the new!” Yang Kai smiled at her, “Even if Dragon Cave Mountain is gone, we have another place to settle down, and its environment is thousands of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain.”
Wu Yi and others looked over at Yang Kai suspiciously, clearly not believing him.
Although Dragon Cave Mountain had originally been just a small hill with half-decent World Energy aura density and unsuitable for long term residence, it had been transformed into a well-known cultivation paradise over the past few years that many cultivators without Sects or families were eager to join.
Unfortunately for these people, Dragon Cave Mountain never accepted outsiders and had refused all of them. If this were not the case, Dragon Cave Mountain would not have remained at its current scale and would likely be a small Sect with thousands of members already.
Yang Kai saying that they had another place to go and that it was thousands of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain naturally elicited doubt from Wu Yi and the others.
“Even the headquarters of Shadow Moon Hall couldn’t possibly be thousands of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain,” Wu Yi pouted, subconsciously thinking that Yang Kai was just trying to comfort them.
“And if that place is far superior to even Shadow Moon Hall’s headquarters?” Yang Kai looked at her with a smile.
“How could that be? If there was really such a good place out there, how could it not already be occupied by some great force? On Shadowed Star, the great Sects and other powerful forces have already occupied all the places with rich World Energy auras. How could we possibly take one for ourselves?” Chang Qi argued despondently.
“What Old Chang said is indeed correct, but the place I’m speaking of cannot be occupied by those who wish to. In fact, besides us, others who wish to even visit it are completely incapable of doing so,” Yang Kai said mysteriously, “Even if this battle had not occurred, Yang Yan and I were planning to move everyone over to the new site. This incident simply moved up our schedule so you all don’t have to feel so sorry about Dragon Cave Mountain.”
“Big Sister Yang Yan, is what he said true?” Wu Yi turned her head to Yang Yan in amazement.
Yang Yan gently nodded, indicating that what Yang Kai was saying was true. Seeing Yang Yan nod, everyone showed an astonished look.
“Where is this place? And if the environment there is so good, why is it not already occupied by some great force?” Wu Yi understood even less.
“It’s just as I said. Even if those forces want to occupy that place, they do not have the ability to,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Because that place is inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field!”
“Inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field!?” Wu Yi and the others exclaimed.
However, upon hearing this, the woman surnamed Ye wore a thoughtful look on her face and asked, “The Supreme Profound Sect ruins?”
“Oh? Senior actually knows about it?” Yang Kai was a little surprised. Him knowing that place was the former headquarters of the Supreme Profound Sect was because Yang Yan had told him, but this woman surnamed Ye knowing about it as well was a bit unexpected.
“Naturally, I know about it. I have seen records of it in ancient books before; after all, that was the force that Ma… the Sect that the Great Emperor formerly supported,” The woman surnamed Ye’s eyes flashed slightly as she glanced over at Yang Yan seemingly unintentionally.
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai gently nodded. Although he didn’t ask much about her relationship with Yang Yan, it was obvious that this woman surnamed Ye knew Yang Yan’s true identity, otherwise, it would simply be impossible for her to show so much respect towards Yang Yan with her strength and status.
It seemed that this woman knew many profound secrets.
However, it was not convenient to inquire about this right now. Yang Kai could simply ask Yang Yan about it in the future.
Meanwhile, Chang Qi and the others listened to the conversation between the woman surnamed Ye and Yang Kai and could not help showing looks of surprise. It seemed that none of them even knew there were ruins of a Sect inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
“You’ll understand when we arrive. For now, let us end the discussion here. Just keep monitoring the Starship’s operations. I’ve already laid the course, so we just need to maintain the current speed,” Yang Yan said lightly.
Chang Qi and others all nodded before withdrawing.
Soon, only Yang Kai, Yang Yan, the woman surnamed Ye, and Ge Qi remained in the hall.
Yang Yan shot a faint look towards the woman surnamed Ye, who instantly understood her meaning and waved to Ge Qi, “Xiao Qi, you also draw back.”
“Yes, Martial Ancestor!” Ge Qi bowed slightly before leaving the hall.
After only three people remained, Yang Yan hurriedly extended a hand to Yang Kai and said, “Show me that thing you obtained.”
Yang Kai was surprised for a moment before quickly nodded, taking out the Jade Token from his Space Ring, and tossing it over to Yang Yan. The latter caught it and after a brief examination mutter, “It really is an Emperor Jade!”
“Emperor Jade?” Yang Kai frowned, “What’s the use of this thing?”
“It’s used to resist Emperor Pressure and serves as an entry pass to the Emperor Garden. Without this, no one can enter the Emperor Garden.” Yang Yan explained quickly. “When the Emperor Garden opens, only those holding an Emperor Jade will be able to safely enter.”
“Oh? Does that mean that many of these Emperor Jades will soon appear?” Yang Kai immediately grasped the key point.
If the Emperor Garden truly opened, only one person being able to enter would clearly not make sense, and since this Emperor Jade was an entry pass, that meant there should be many Emperor Jades appearing in the near future.
“En, this piece of Emperor Jade landing on Dragon Cave Mountain ahead of time is likely related to my presence; however, more Emperor Jades will begin appearing soon,” Yang Yan frowned, seemingly thinking about something.
After a moment, she raised her and met eyes with Yang Kai, the two of them immediately understanding the other’s plans.
They needed to snatch more Emperor Jades!
No matter what, they needed to obtain more Emperor Jades; otherwise, when the Emperor Garden opened, if they didn’t possess enough entry passes, it would be impossible for Yang Kai and Yang Yan to both enter the Emperor Garden.
Moreover, there was also this woman surnamed Ye joining Dragon Cave Mountain now, so she would also need to enter the Emperor Garden. In other words, they needed at least three Emperor Jades before they could relax.
At that moment, a rumbling sound suddenly echoed from outside, breaking the silence surrounding the Starship.
Yang Kai hurriedly released his Divine Sense, and after a quick investigation, his face sank. “More Emperor Jades really are appearing.”
At the same time, the Emperor Garden directly above Dragon Cave Mountain suddenly ejected several dozen streams of light. These streams of light were white and flawless, and they seemed to be shot out without any kind of distribution or destination in mind. Their speed, however, was incredibly fast and they had all crossed the horizon in the blink of an eye.
The masters who had just evacuated from Dragon Cave Mountain were also attracted by this bizarre scene, and after a moment all hurriedly summoned their Star Shuttles to pursue these white lights.
None of them knew that these were Emperor Jades, but just because they had come from the Emperor Garden, these masters naturally did not want to miss them.
Only a lucky cultivator was simply standing still when an Emperor Jade happened to land nearby. Rushing over, this cultivator joyfully picked up this Emperor Jade, but before he had a chance to even see what it was, someone stronger arrived and immediately began fighting him for it.
Some cultivators put their all into tracking these Emperor Jades but soon lost sight of them as the latter simply flew too fast.
Still others desperately used various Secret Techniques to follow the flying Emperor Jades, determined to snatch it for themselves.
All Shadowed Star was instantly thrown into chaos as masters from all the great forces were dispatched to hunt down and obtain these Emperor Jades.
Yang Kai, Yang Yan, and the woman surnamed Ye left the Starship immediately after they noticed the emergence of these Emperor Jades. Standing outside the Starship, Yang Kai’s eyes fixed on a certain spot in the sky as a look of joy flashed across his face. One of the white beams of light just happened to be flying towards their direction.
It seemed their luck was truly quite good!
Not only did Yang Kai show a joyful look, but the woman surnamed Ye also had a face filled with smiles as she summoned an ancient-looking lamp above her head that had a terrifying blue flame burning atop it.
The Origin King Grade Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp! An artifact famous throughout Shadowed Star.
In an instant, the white light which had come from the Emperor Garden arrived within a thousand metres of the trio, and seeing that it was about to rush past them, the woman surnamed Ye stretched out her hand gracefully and tapped her Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, sending out a burst of blue flames and condensing it into a light curtain to block this Emperor Jade’s path.
This light curtain had only just formed when the Emperor Jade ran into it and silently pierce a hole straight through it.
The woman surnamed Ye’s face changed slightly when she saw this and hurriedly sent her Saint Qi into the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp, condensing a series of light curtains from its blue flames in the path of the Emperor Jade.
Puncturing sounds rang out one after another as the white light of this Emperor Jade displayed a terrifying power, piercing through the barriers the woman surnamed Ye set up with ease.
This time, her face changed dramatically.
Without waiting for her to act again, Yang Kai stepped up, sending out his Firebird Artifact Spirit to block this Emperor Jade.
Unfortunately, the Firebird Artifact Spirit was also unable to stop this Emperor Jade’s advance and its body collapsed the moment it came into contact with the jade.
Despite being unable to stop this Emperor Jade though, the woman surnamed Ye and Yang Kai’s efforts had still managed to slow its pace significantly.
A strange look flashed across Yang Yan’s face as her beautiful eyes lit up and she flicked her wrist lightly, transforming the crimson ring bracelet she was wearing into a ring of flames she sent out to cover the Emperor Jade.
Three Blazing Flame Rings!
This artifact belonged to the Starry Sky Great Emperor and its grade could not be understood with common sense. The Flowing Flame Sand Field was one of Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones yet its true form was this Three Blazing Flame Rings.
Although Yang Yan had only managed to collect a single one of these flame rings and was unable to display its full power, as an Emperor Artifact, it was not to be underestimated.
The Emperor Jade, which could not be blocked by the combination of the Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp and the Firebird Artifact Spirit, seemed to encounter its nemesis the moment it came into contact with this flame ring and halted mid-air. The flame ring then quickly shrank and wrapped up the Emperor Jade tightly.
A buzzing sound rang out as the Emperor Jade seemingly tried to escape from the Three Blazing Flame Rings’ suppression, but having already been caught, how could it be so easy to flee?
Yang Yan quickly poured her Saint Qi into the Three Blazing Flame Rings and bound this Emperor Jade tightly, decisively capturing it.
Half a month later, a one hundred metre long Starship was suspended quietly in mid-air outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field while Chang Qi, Hao An, Wu Yi, and Qian Yue were anxiously waiting inside.
After the Emperor Garden’s sudden change that day, Yang Kai and Yang Yan had left the Starship and disappeared, not returning even until now.
No one knew where they had gone, but after this Starship arrived at the Flowing Flame Sand Field smoothly, Chang Qi and the others did not dare to rush in and could only stop outside and wait.
Fortunately, after the battle half a month ago, Dragon Cave Mountain’s reputation had become famous, so even if the Starship was just floating here and was incredibly eye-catching, no one dared to try finding trouble with it.
After the disappearance of the First-Layer Flame Area of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, many cultivators had been attracted to this place, so rather than being deserted like normal, the region around the Flowing Flame Sand Field had become quite lively.
Now that such a Starship had suddenly appeared here, it naturally attracted much attention.
Chang Qi and the others had been waiting here for three days now but still had not seen any trace of Yang Kai or Yang Yan. Just as they were becoming anxious though, the buck-toothed Ge Qi suddenly raised his brow and with a joyful look shouted, “Martial Ancestor is back, she’s just three thousand kilometres away!”
“Oh?” Wu Yi was overjoyed, not doubting him in the slightest as she quickly said, “Since Senior Ye is back, Yang Kai and Big Sister Yang Yan must be back as well.”
Saying so, she immediately ordered the Starship’s main hatch to be opened as everyone gathered around respectfully.
Sure enough, a moment later, a stream of light from the horizon shot over and arrived in front of the Starship. When this brilliant glow dispersed, a very small Starship appeared in its place, looking like a shark which had leapt out of the sea. Naturally, it was the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle refined by Yang Yan.
Yang Kai, Yang Yan, and the woman surnamed Ye all flew out from inside before Yang Yan quickly took back the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle.
Floating mid-air, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense all around and could not help frowning.
He noticed that there were many cultivators lingering nearby the Flowing Flame Sand Field when he and the others arrived, most of them showing curious looks as they stared towards them and whispered amongst themselves.
Standing on the spot and pondering for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly circulated his Saint Qi and shouted, “From today on, the region ten thousand kilometres outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field belongs to Dragon Cave Mountain. Please leave quickly. Those who intrude upon this range after today will be considered enemies of Dragon Cave Mountain and will bear the consequences!”
With just these words, countless people went into an uproar.
Although Dragon Cave Mountain had won an awe-inspiring battle half a month ago, causing many masters from various great forces to suffer heavy losses, in the end, this was all just rumours and hearsays. Whether it was true or not, no one here had been able to confirm, so when Yang Kai made such a declaration it was no different from him carelessly poking a hornet’s nest.
This could not be helped though; after all, with the strange disappearance of the First-Layer Flame Area of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, the Second-Layer Treasure Area had been exposed. Although the cultivators who had come here had not found many precious herbs, they were able to occasionally discover some rare ores.
It was even rumoured that there was an incredibly rich Saint Crystal lode in the Second-Layer Treasure Area where countless Saint Crystals could be found, enough to allow a small Sect to rise to the level of a first-class Sect.
Saint Crystal lodes were scarce on Shadowed Star, and although all the great forces had Saint Crystal lodes under their control, none of them had an abundance and their mining efficiency was not very high.
Most of the cultivators who came here did so with the idea of looking for that Saint Crystal lode, so how could they bear Yang Kai simply trying to drive them out?
All of a sudden, the crowds became indignant and began noisily clamouring, shouting out things like ‘the law does not punish the public’, that ‘the Flowing Flame Sand Field was one of the Three Great Forbidden Zones and thus belonged to all of Shadowed Star’, and so on and so forth.
Listening to all this noise coming from all directions, Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent and unmoved. In the future, he would regard the Supreme Profound Sect ruins inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field as his new home, so it was naturally impossible for him to allow irrelevant people to loiter nearby.
“Shut up!” Before Yang Kai could speak again though, the woman surnamed Ye suddenly shouted while using her Peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation in combination with a profound Soul type Secret Technique. As a result, although her shout had not been too loud, it instantly caused all of those who were clamouring just now to become dizzy and their faces to fill with shock.
The scene immediately fell silent.
Sweeping her beautiful eyes around, the woman surnamed Ye declared coldly, “You have one day to comply. After that, if this Queen sees you still here, don’t blame this Queen for being impolite.”
As these words fell, a powerful coercion suddenly spread out, as if the surrounding space had suddenly solidified. All the nearby cultivators were instantly wrapped up in this invisible power and were shocked to find that not only could they not move or speak, even their Saint Qi no longer circulated.
Under this kind of pressure, it was as if they had all become tiny ants.
This was the power of a Shi that had reached the grand accomplishment stage, so how could these stray cats and dogs resist? Even if a top Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master fell into the Shi of this woman surnamed Ye, they would feel like they had become stuck in a quagmire, their mobility and strength greatly suppressed, let alone these stray cultivators.
“A Third-Order Origin Realm master!” Suddenly, someone with sharper judgement realized what kind of cultivation the woman surnamed Ye possessed and cried out in terror.
Powerhouses were respected, this was a truth which never changed. The woman surnamed Ye only needed to reveal a bit of her strength and everyone who had just been arguing doggedly shut their mouths obediently. After she withdrew her Shi, these terrified cultivators hurriedly summoned their Star Shuttles and began fleeing.
The Second-Layer Treasure Area of the Flowing Flame Sand Field truly had many benefits and opportunities scattered about, but one needed to keep their life to enjoy such things. What did it matter how great the benefits were if they lost their lives in the process?
Although they were unwilling, it was truly unwise to remain here and provoke this kind of powerful existence with their lives at stake.
After the first batch of cultivators escaped, more and more people quickly left, and after half a cup of tea’s worth of time, everyone who had been loitering nearby had disappeared.
The woman surnamed Ye saw this and just coldly snorted before turning around and nodding to Yang Yan, respectfully reporting, “Madame, the idlers have been removed.”
“En,” Yang Yan responded faintly before turning back to face the flame barrier blocking before them and flicking her wrist, sending out one of her Three Blazing Flame Rings and merging it with the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
In the next moment, a gap large enough for the Starship to pass through opened in the flame barrier mysteriously.
The Third-Layer Flame Area of Flowing Flame Sand Field was originally one of the Three Blazing Flame Rings, an Emperor Artifact, so as the Soul Clone of the Great Emperor, Yang Yan was naturally able to manipulate it to a certain extent, even if she could not completely recover it yet.
After opening a path, Yang Kai and the others entered the Starship and it slowly proceeded into the Flowing Flame Sand Field with a light hum.
They were able to move here freely!
Sometime later, in what was once the fourth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, in front of the Supreme Profound Sect ruins, Yang Kai and the others stood before the great Sect Defending Array, gazing up at the expansive mountains covered in rolling fog.
Amidst these fog banks, they were able to make out the outlines of various pavilions and palaces as well as palatial mountains and spirit springs, an absolutely beautiful and majestic scene to behold.
Standing here, Wu Yi and the others breathed in the air exaggeratedly, their expressions flushed with excitement.
Earlier, when Yang Kai said that he had a new place for them to settle down that it was hundreds, if not thousands of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain, all of them had felt great doubt and thought such a paradise could not possibly really exist. Standing here at this moment, they no longer had any doubts at all.
Just standing at the perimeter of this place, they could already tell just how rich the World Energy aura was here, so if they really entered, just what kind of scene would they be able to see?
It truly was not an exaggeration to say that this place was hundreds of times better than Dragon Cave Mountain!
Moreover, if they could really establish themselves here, with the protection of the flame barrier of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, no one would be able to pose a threat to them ever again. This place was truly a paradise that anyone and everyone would desperately covet.
Inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, did such a place really exist?
However, this Sect Defending Array seemed impregnable, at least many times stronger than the one which protected Dragon Cave Mountain, so whether they could destroy it and gain access to this place was highly questionable.
Just when everyone secretly worried about this issue, Yang Yan turned to look at Yang Kai, stretched out a hand towards him, and mouthed something to him.
No one heard what she said but Yang Kai wore a look of understanding on his face, wiped his Space Ring, and took out a token-like object before tossing it over to Yang Yan.
“Emperor Token…” The woman surnamed Ye had a sharp eye and at a glance naturally realized that this was a Star Emperor Token, but thinking about how she had actually taken out the Star Emperor Token that had been passed down through countless generations of Sect Masters of Star Emperor Mountain in order to exchange for a healing pill, she couldn’t help growing slightly anxious.
This Star Emperor Token was something she had once possessed and was a treasure that the Great Emperor had personally gifted to her ancestors, so although the Divine Ability sealed within it had already been used, it wasn’t something that should have been taken out and bartered with. Thinking like this, the woman surnamed Ye became uneasy, wondering if the Madame would blame her for this action.
Fortunately, Yang Yan did not seem to have any intention of pursuing this matter, simply holding the Star Emperor Token in her hand and pouring her Saint Qi into it, causing it to send out a ray of light towards the Sect Defending Array barring their path.
With a burst of light, the seemingly impregnable golden Sect Defending Array flashed as streams of profound and complex runes swam across its surface, and then, with a low hum, accompanied by strong energy fluctuations, the Supreme Profound Sect’s Sect Defending Array suddenly split open a gap, revealing a path that lead directly to the inside.
Although he had a hunch that this would happen, when Yang Yan opened the light curtain in front of him so easily, Yang Kai could not help smiling bitterly.
When he arrived in the fourth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field last time, Yang Kai saw the cultivator from Star Emperor Mountain called Leng Qing attacking this light curtain, but no matter how hard Leng Qing tried, he was not even able to shake this barrier.
At that time, Leng Qing had invited Yang Kai to help him, but Yang Kai had swiftly rejected his proposal.
Now, Yang Kai realized how wise his decision back then had been. Although this Sect Defending Array had remained unattended for countless years, it was not something a mere Saint King Realm cultivator could break with brute force.
“Let’s go,” Yang Yan’s expression became a little complicated, seemingly almost recalling something but unable to form a clear picture in her mind. This was only natural, however, as she was not the true Great Emperor. Although she had inherited some of the memories of the Great Emperor, they were by no means complete, so this Supreme Profound Sect must seem familiar and unfamiliar to her at the same time.
The massive Supreme Profound Sect ruins that had laid untouched for over ten thousand years finally ushered in its first visitors today.
The World Energy here was so rich it was practically tangible, wrapping around one’s body while providing a sense of warmth and comfort. One hardly even needed to circulate their Secret Art for the surrounding World Energy to pour into their body.
Cultivating in this environment would be several times more efficient than in the outside world!
Not only did Wu Yi and the others from Dragon Cave Mountain wear excited looks, even the woman surnamed Ye couldn’t help revealing a look of fascination.
As the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain, this woman was well aware that it had the densest World Energy on Shadowed Star. Nevertheless, Star Emperor Mountain’s World Energy aura was dwarfed by this place.
Beneath Star Emperor Mountain was an Earth Vein of the highest grade that provided a constant stream of World Energy; however, beneath these Supreme Profound Sect ruins, it seemed that there was far more than just one peak-grade Earth Vein.
The first place the group arrived was a set of immaculate white-jade steps that remained completely spotless despite ten thousand years having passed. These white-jade steps were constructed from the finest of materials and numbered several thousand at least, each one releasing a warm, lustrous glow as they led higher up into the mountains.
Yang Kai and Yang Yan walked up these steps at a leisurely pace, basking in the rich aura of this place while releasing their Divine Senses to examine their surroundings.
The woman surnamed Ye followed behind them, and behind her were Chang Qi and the other Origin Realm cultivators. The several dozen disciples that originally belonged to the Hai Ke Family brought up the rear and were all constantly whispering amongst themselves.
They had followed Wu Yi to leave the Hai Ke Family and join Dragon Cave Mountain even though they had all felt somewhat distraught about leaving their original family at the time.
However, in the following few years, they had obtained near-unlimited cultivation materials and an excellent cultivation environment on Dragon Cave Mountain, gradually allowing them to develop a sense of belonging to the place.
Now though, Dragon Cave Mountain had been razed to the ground, and although they felt it was something of a pity, Yang Kai and Yang Yan had led them into this new world, to a paradise countless times better than Dragon Cave Mountain.
Reminiscing about the past, each and every one of these cultivators secretly rejoiced about their decision to follow Wu Yi all those years ago. If they had chosen to remain in the Hai Ke Family, they would likely still be struggling every day for a few meagre cultivation resources. Now, they didn’t need to worry about such things at all, only needing to focus on their own cultivation. In addition, they had near unlimited amounts of Saint Crystals and pills to help them, as well as extremely high-quality artifacts.
Such treatment couldn’t be enjoyed even by the top Sects on Shadowed Star for cultivators like them.
If someone from Heaven Battling Union or Thunder Typhoon Sect were to invite them to join their Sect, they would definitely sneer in disdain.
Heaven Battling Union? Thunder Typhoon Sect? What things were they? Could they compare to Dragon Cave Mountain?
Step by step, the small crowd ascended the steps, and after about half an hour, they finally arrived at the top. Looking forward, the group led by Yang Kai saw two giant pillars which formed a kind of entryway above which a massive plaque was hung with three words emblazoned upon it in majestic characters.
Supreme Profound Sect!
There was a profundity to these words that immediately drew in one’s attention and elicited a sense of wonderment. It was impossible to know who had carved this plaque, but it was certain that their strength had not been low, most likely at the Origin King Realm!
As the mountain breeze gently blew through, bringing with it a clear and refreshing scent, the group’s line of sight passed through Supreme Profound Sect’s main gate and towards its inner sanctum. Mountains filled with exquisite pavilions and palaces went on as far as the eye could see, but what was eerie was that this magnificent Sect ruin didn’t have the slightest trace of vitality or life inside it.
Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense but was shocked to discover that he was unable to encompass the entire Supreme Profound Sect ruin.
Such a massive Sect could accommodate a hundred thousand disciples and still not feel the slightest bit crowded, but right now, there were less than a hundred people in this place. On top of that, it was likely that there would be less than one hundred people living here and cultivating for some time to come.
It wouldn’t be a problem for each of them to occupy their own mountain.
“This should be the Front Court,” Yang Yan’s brow wrinkled slightly as she spoke, “We should explore separately. It seems there are no active barriers or Spirit Arrays inside but don’t act carelessly. If you encounter anything suspicious, don’t rush in on your own, send a message to Yang Kai or me and we will come to investigate.”
“Alright,” Wu Yi acknowledged before dividing up the other cultivators into groups of two or three before having them disperse in all directions.
Naturally, Yang Kai did not remain idle either and began exploring this Front Court of the Supreme Profound Sect alone.
He thought that there would still be some good things left here, but to his disappointment, there was essentially nothing of value at all. It was as if all that remained here was the massive Sect ruin itself, disappointing him.
After exploring for a whole day, Yang Kai failed to gain anything of worth.
The former disciples of the Hai Ke Family, on the other hand, had better luck, some of them finding old artifacts or pills that could still be used, rushing back over to report their finds, eager to hand them over.
After examining these things briefly, Yang Kai simply allowed these disciples to keep them as he had no interest in them.
This decision further stimulated these disciples’ desire to explore. From the Supreme Profound Sect Front Court, one could see people coming and going excitedly with great frequency.
Time flew by and soon half a month had passed.
During this half-month period, the only thing everyone did was explore the Supreme Profound Sect ruins, but even so, they had not finished exploring it all.
There were a total of eighty-one mountain peaks here, each one with its own unique features, but they all had incredibly rich World Energy aura, far better than any great force’s headquarters.
Among these eighty-one peaks, nine had far greater World Energy density.
Although they hadn’t been able to reap any major gains, just being able to settle down in this place already satisfied everyone greatly.
After some debate, everyone decided to live together around the Front Court; after all, there were just too few of them and the Supreme Profound Sect ruins were too large. If they all scattered, it would become inconvenient to even contact one another much less work together.
The World Energy aura of the Front Court wasn’t as dense as the nine largest mountain peaks, but it was still better than anywhere in the outside world.
Yang Kai occupied a magnificent palace by himself, one that was located above a Spirit Spring. An exquisite Spirit Array had been arranged in this palace to channel and contain the aura which was released from the Spirit Spring, so it was an ideal place to cultivate.
Regarding this whole situation, Yang Kai was very satisfied.
However, since everyone who had originally belonged to this Sect had fallen, continuing to call it Supreme Profound Sect wasn’t appropriate; after all, when dealing with other great forces on Shadowed Star in the future, they couldn’t use the name Dragon Cave Mountain or Supreme Profound Sect to represent this place. Yang Yan, Wu Yi, and the others came to consult Yang Kai about this and he immediately replaced the Supreme Profound Sect plaque hanging above the main gate with a new one that read ‘High Heaven Sect’!
Although there had been no formal announcement to the world, this was actually the moment a new Sect was founded.
High Heaven Pavilion was Yang Kai’s original Sect, so it only seemed reasonable to name this place High Heaven Sect. No one else had any opinion about this, or even asked Yang Kai what the significance of this name was.
They had long regarded Yang Kai as their leader, so even if the name Yang Kai came up with was awful, they wouldn’t complain.
On the other hand, the woman surnamed Ye actually praised this new Sect’s name quite liberally.
After spending so long together, Yang Kai had also learned about the origins of this woman surnamed Ye.
Ye Xi Yun was the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain! One of Shadowed Star’s most prestigious and famous figures; unfortunately, she had abandoned Star Emperor Mountain for some unknown reason many years ago. Everyone thought she died, but it seems that she had actually been secluding herself from the world.
If not for Ge Qi accidentally discovering Yang Yan this time, Ye Xi Yun would likely have remained hidden from the world.
Even though she was the former Sect Master of Star Emperor Mountain, Ye Xi Yun had only brought two things with her when she left, the Origin King Grade Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp artifact, and a certain portrait.
A portrait of the Starry Sky Great Emperor!
Star Emperor Mountain’s ancestral teachings stated that the Great Emperor had fallen into a deep sleep, but would reappear one day.
The years passed though, and after ten thousand years, these ancestral teachings had gradually been forgotten. Star Emperor Mountain itself didn’t know if it really had any relationship with the Starry Sky Great Emperor, but Ye Xi Yun had never doubted it.
In order to explore the secrets of the Great Emperor, she had searched through ancient records from all around Shadowed Star and eventually learned a shocking truth. Apparently, the Great Emperor had encountered a powerful enemy, suffered a heavy loss, and used some kind of Divine Ability to put herself into a deep sleep to slowly recover over the ages.
This coincided with the story Yang Yan had told Yang Kai before.
In order to discover this piece of buried history, Ye Xi Yun had used several dozen years of time, during which she had not paid any attention to Star Emperor Mountain’s matters. As a result, she had fallen out of power and eventually had her position usurped, forcing her to flee from Star Emperor Mountain.
The reason she had dedicated so much time to researching the Great Emperor was quite simple: She wanted to break through to the Origin King Realm!
Although she didn’t know what the Great Emperor’s true cultivation was, Ye Xi Yun could tell that she had definitely transcended the Origin King Realm. Since the Great Emperor could reach such a realm ten thousand years ago, why couldn’t she?
Ye Xi Yun’s original intention was to find a way to break through to the Origin King Realm by taking advantage of the Great Emperor’s past experiences, but instead, she had actually stumbled upon such grand secrets.
After leaving Star Emperor Mountain and going into hiding, Ye Xi Yun had hung the Great Emperor’s portrait in her secluded home.
Ge Qi was a disciple she had taken many years ago, and although they had a relationship of Master and Disciple, Ge Qi insisted on calling her Martial Ancestor. When Ge Qi visited Ye Xi Yun to ask for her guidance, he had naturally seen the portrait of the Great Emperor.
As such, when this guy came to Heavenly Fate City and saw Yang Yan, he felt like he had seen a ghost, quickly becoming timid and respectful.
When he returned to Ye Xi Yun and told her of what he had seen, Ye Xi Yun had immediately rushed out to Dragon Cave Mountain without even taking the time to fully heal her injuries, coincidentally arriving just as Dragon Cave Mountain was being besieged.
Although there were people with similar appearances in this world, it was impossible for two strangers to have exactly the same face. As such, Ye Xi Yun had guessed that the woman named Yang Yan might have something to do with the Great Emperor.
After rushing to Dragon Cave Mountain and conversing with Yang Yan, however, Ye Xi Yun immediately became convinced of her guess.
If this wasn’t the case, how could she have helped Dragon Cave Mountain for no apparent reason or obey Yang Yan’s every order as a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master?
If Ye Xi Yun had any doubts before, all of those had been laid to rest during these days of contact. Only the Great Emperor could refine such a Starship, and only the Great Emperor could easily open the Supreme Profound Sect’s Sect Defending Array.
She subconsciously thought that Yang Yan was the reincarnation of the Great Emperor, not suspecting that the true body of the Great Emperor was actually still sleeping in the Emperor Garden.
Ten days passed by, and after experiencing the initial excitement and novelty of this place, Dragon Cave Mountain’s survivors gradually adapted to life in the Supreme Profound Sect ruins, which had now become High Heaven Sect.
Here, the World Energy aura was rich, the mountains were beautiful, the water was pure, and the air was fresh. It was simply the best cultivation paradise in the world, only a single step below the floating continent Yang Kai had first encountered after entering the Star Field.
The only flaw was that the entire Flowing Flame Sand Field was still wrapped up by the two rings of the Three Blazing Flame Rings, making it a completely isolated space from the rest of the world. Not only did this make it difficult to communicate with others on the outside, but when one looked up they were unable to see the sun, moon, stars, and sky. All that was there was a fiery red light curtain.
Of course, there were advantages and disadvantages to every situation. The current High Heaven Sect seemed to be isolated from the rest of the world, but it was also shielded from any kind of outside disturbances. If this wasn’t the case, the trivial few dozen people here would never have been able to occupy such a wondrous cultivation paradise.
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
The Ten Thousand Year Incense Yang Kai brought back from the Flowing Flame Sand Field sixth layer was placed in one of the Front Court’s main palaces by Yang Yan where it was guarded behind a powerful Spirit Array so that, in the future, if a disciple needed to break through, they could apply to Wu Yi to enter this palace and take advantage of the wonderful effects of the Ten Thousand Year Incense to assist them.
The Nine Branch Jade Crystal Tree was also placed in this palace.
These two extraordinary treasures both helped cultivators comprehend the mysteries of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way as well as help them maintain mental tranquillity and purge heart demons, so they were the perfect auxiliaries to have when a cultivator wanted to break through.
Whether it was the Ten Thousand Year Incense or the Nine Branch Jade Crystal Tree, they had originally been placed inside Yang Kai’s cave mansion on Dragon Cave Mountain, but more than the month ago, Yang Yan had taken advantage of the time while Yang Kai was attracting everyone’s attention when strong enemies had invaded to sneak into his cave mountain and transfer these precious treasures.
Yang Yan had also retrieved the Red Candle Stalk and the small piece of Red Candle Fruit at that time and had now moved them to the Front Court’s Medicine Garden. Although neither of these things would grow anymore, their medicinal efficacies could be perfectly preserved here.
Even the progenitor Blood Sword Grass had been collected and brought here by Yang Yan, along with the huge Blood Essence Stone and the Illusion Stone. These things were all treasures that could be used as Array Cores for powerful Spirit Array, so how could Yang Yan just abandon them?
It could be said that although Dragon Cave Mountain had been razed to the ground, High Heaven Sect had not suffered the slightest loss at all. Instead, it was able to use that battle to make a name for itself!
At least a dozen great forces and over a hundred Origin Realm masters had joined forces to attack them, but in the end, the invaders had suffered heavy casualties and fled in distress. With the possible exception of Star Emperor Mountain, no other Sect on Shadowed Star was capable of accomplishing such a feat.
After that battle, no one dared disdain Dragon Cave Mountain, and the name of Yang Kai, the owner of Dragon Cave Mountain, was widely circulated. Achieving such an incredible victory with just a trivial Third-Order Saint King cultivation made Yang Kai the topic of discussion in every city and tavern across Shadowed Star.
High Heaven Sect, on the other hand, was established in an extremely low-key manner, and without Yang Kai knowing anything, Wu Yi and the others had acknowledged him as Sect Master.
Yang Yan became Vice Sect Master, and Ye Xi Yun was installed as Great Elder with Chang Qi, Hao An, Ning Xiang Chen, and Ge Qi becoming Elders.
A small Sect with only a few dozen members began taking shape, and although there were so few of them occupying such a massive site, no one here was eager to open their doors and recruit others to join them. If they were, simply by releasing word that they were recruiting, it likely wouldn’t be long before countless cultivators swarmed here to join them.
However, their foundation was unstable, so now was not the time to try to expand; everyone understood this truth.
Yang Kai also let out the Divine Tree again during this time. In the battle more than a month ago, the performance of the Divine Tree had stunned Yang Kai. After receiving such a big pleasant surprise, Yang Kai naturally wasn’t stingy with it and he immediately fed the Divine Tree two drops of Golden Blood after letting it out.
The Stone Puppet’s performance had also been remarkable, so Yang Kai rewarded it with a rich spread of rare metals and ores! The Stone Puppet could enhance its strength by absorbing the essence of these ores after all.
The Front Court of High Heaven Pavilion gradually calmed down, with everyone settling into a set routine, so Yang Kai decided it was time to enter retreat.
Only Yang Yan was still running around frantically, with Wu Yi and Qian Yue in tow; after all, this place would be their Sect from now on so Yang Yan naturally wanted to arrange new Spirit Arrays and barriers. Fortunately, the majority of the barriers and Spirit Arrays from when the Supreme Profound Sect was active were still intact and only required some slight repairs or recharging with Saint Crystals to activate.
To Yang Yan, this wasn’t difficult, and even somewhat enjoyable.
Ye Xi Yun also accompanied her all day long, remaining a single step behind her, behaving exactly like a loyal subordinate.
Yang Kai occasionally noticed that there was a look of fanaticism and even worship in her eyes when this woman looked at Yang Yan. It seemed that she would execute any order given to her by Yang Yan without hesitation.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged inside his palace, now deemed First Heavenly Palace while holding a blue-green artifact that looked somewhat similar to a long sword.
Although this artifact looked like a sword, it did not have a blade edge but was dull instead. At its hilt was also a distinctive longan sized round bead inside of which there was a green, snake-like creature swimming about happily.
This long sword artifact was naturally the product of the refined and fused Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead. This Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead apparently belonged to an aggressive Poison Dragon, an Ancient Divine Spirit whose true strength was simply beyond comprehension.
So even though all that remained of this Poison Dragon was a piece of Dragon Bone that had been roughly refined into an artifact along with its Dragon Bead, this long sword artifact was still able to display incredible might.
During the battle on Dragon Cave Mountain, Yang Kai fully realized how powerful this artifact was, but unfortunately, the Remnant Dragon Soul retained its arrogance from when it was alive and was unwilling to be controlled by him, nearly causing him to embarrass himself when he first summoned it. At that time, Yang Kai had been forced to suppress it forcefully by using his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique.
Although he had succeeded in bringing this unruly Dragon Soul to heel at the time, this was only a stopgap measure, not a long-term strategy.
Yang Kai taking it out now was naturally because he intended to permanently solve this problem, otherwise, he would be forced to suppress it every time he used it. Not only would this reduce the power this artifact could display, but it might even lead to Yang Kai to suffer backlash.
This was no small matter. It actually was not uncommon for cultivators to suffer backlash from their own artifacts, normally occurring when a cultivator tried to use an artifact that was powerful beyond their control. As such, when choosing an artifact, a cultivator would rarely choose one that had a grade far exceeding their own cultivation. Possessing a powerful artifact one couldn’t control completely wasn’t necessarily better than having a weaker one they could completely control.
Moreover, this Dragon Bone Sword in Yang Kai’s hand could only be regarded as the prototype of an artifact and had yet to be completely refined, barely in a usable condition.
This was only natural though; after all, how could it be easy to refine the materials of an Ancient Divine Spirit?
However, what made Yang Kai happy was that this Dragon Bone Sword seemed to be capable of growing and evolving. During the battle on Dragon Cave Mountain, this sword had transformed into a giant dark-green dragon, and after it swallowed the vital essence of an Origin Returning Realm master cultivator, its aura had clearly been enhanced slightly.
After discovering this, Yang Kai didn’t dare allow it to swallow up other Origin Real masters at will. It was already difficult for him to completely suppress it, so how could he do something akin to lifting a stone only to smash his own foot?
Only when this hidden danger was completely resolved could Yang Kai allow this Dragon Bone Sword to grow unscrupulously.
“Your whole body is an alluring emerald-green, so I’ll call you Verdant from on,” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he muttered to himself.
Saying these words, Yang Kai gripped the sword’s hilt and began pouring his Saint Qi into it without reservation, causing a resounding dragon roar to fill First Heavenly Palace. In the next instant, dazzling green light and a powerful wind burst from the palace.
As a violent pressure descended, a giant dark-green dragon suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai.
When the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword transformed, its appearance became extremely lifelike, just like a real dragon hovering in front of Yang Kai, its two large eyes blinking lightly as it stared down at the human in front of it with clear disdain.
Although it was only a Remnant Soul and didn’t even possess any sentience, the pride of being an Ancient Divine Spirit had been indelibly ingrained into it.
Compared to the power of an Ancient Divine Spirit, Yang Kai’s strength was as small as an ant’s.
Dragon pressure filled the air, causing Yang Kai’s bones to crack as he felt as if he was carrying a giant mountain on his back and an indescribable sense of powerlessness emerged from his heart.
However, Yang Kai did not retreat, nor did he show the slightest timidity, instead glaring back at the giant dragon head coldly.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation appeared in his left eye, its golden pupil seemingly emitting an endless sense of majesty while another ethereal glow surrounded it.
Naturally, this glow was the Coloured Glass Divine Light.
Together with the Demon Eye of Annihilation, the two complimented one another, making the power they could display more than the sum of their individual strengths.
This time, Yang Kai did not use his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique; after all, if he wanted to conquer this prideful Dragon Soul, relying entirely on this Secret Technique was clearly not an option. Yang Kai had to let this Dragon Soul willingly recognize him as its master, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to control it in the future without worrying about suffering backlash.
One big and one small, two pairs of eyes stared at each other, one contemptuous, one majestic, and neither willing to back down or show any kind of weakness.
Even if the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead had been refined with Yang Kai’s Saint Qi for several years, and had long been dyed with his aura, it was still not a simple task to make it completely submit.
As this invisible contest between Yang Kai and the giant dark-green dragon unfolded, an invisible shockwave of Spiritual Energy spread out. Fortunately, the barriers protecting the First Heavenly Palace were quite powerful, otherwise, this palace might have been destroyed in the initial moments of this competition.
Although Yang Kai’s cultivation had only reached the Third-Order Saint King Realm, his Soul was no less powerful than a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master, and with the assistance of his Demon Eye of Annihilation, he could even cause serious losses to a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master that was caught off guard. But even so, it was extremely difficult for Yang Kai to deal with this Remnant Dragon Soul.
Regardless of how Yang Kai urged his Divine Sense to exert pressure on it, the other party remained unmoved, not showing the slightest fear, panic, or intention to surrender.
As time passed slowly, Yang Kai’s complexion gradually grew pale as he was using his Spiritual Energy uninterruptedly and without restraint, making it difficult for even him to endure.
A faint trace of blood began to leak from Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation, and his whole left eye went slightly red as the golden pupil continued to exert an invisible suction force, wanting to shake this Dragon Soul. Unfortunately, it was like waves crashing upon a reef, although there were some signs of a splash, the reef remained unmoved.
The stalemate lasted for three days and three nights with no progress.
On the contrary, his Spiritual Energy had been completely exhausted, and his Knowledge Sea had dried up. If not for him possessing a supreme treasure like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai would already be in a comatose state.
Even so, Yang Kai currently felt as if his head was being pierced by thousands of needles, causing him extreme pain.
In the main hall of the First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai groaned in a low voice, his Demon Eye of Annihilation deactivating on its own as it couldn’t be sustained without Spiritual Energy to support it.
This was the first time ever his Demon Eye of Annihilation had proven useless! In the past, whenever Yang Kai had used it, whether it was to defeat or deter an enemy, the Demon Eye of Annihilation had proven incredibly effective.
But now, dealing with the Remnant Soul in the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword, it had no effect.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was not annoyed, but instead even more pleased.
The harder it was for him to make it submit, the more valuable the Dragon Bone Sword was. As long as he could find a way to make the Dragon Soul surrender to him, the boost it would provide to him would be immense.
However, how was he supposed to subdue it? Yang Kai gasped for breath as he stared at the giant dark green dragon in front of him, contemplating deeply.
Suddenly, he remembered something and raised his brow as excitement flashed across his eyes. Although it was just a stray thought, Yang Kai felt it was absolutely worth a try.
Not having used it for so long, Yang Kai had completely forgotten that there was another True Dragon Remnant Soul in his body!
Back in the Great Han Dynasty, Yang Kai had accepted a profound inheritance inside the Inheritance Heaven Cave that left a Golden Dragon Tattoo on his body. Later, when he arrived in Tong Xuan Realm and entered Dragon Phoenix Palace’s Dragon Valley, Yang Kai had learned that this Golden Dragon Tattoo was related to the Dragon Emperor’s Inheritance.
Yang Kai was somewhat ignorant before and didn’t understand what exactly this Golden Dragon Tattoo was or what secrets it held, but after his previous exploration of the Emperor Garden with Fei Zhi Tu, he had come to learn of the existence of Ancient Divine Spirits.
Since the Phoenix Empress Inheritance he had brought with him from the Phoenix Nest was an Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul, the Dragon Emperor Inheritance he obtained from Dragon Valley must similarly be so.
Although he had yet to verify this, Yang Kai felt his guess should not be wrong. It would not make sense of the Dragon Emperor Inheritance to be weaker than the Phoenix Empress Inheritance!
Perhaps… he could achieve his objective here with the help of the Dragon Emperor Inheritance.
Thinking so, Yang Kai no longer hesitated. In any case, there was no harm in trying.
Discarding his upper robes, Yang Kai exposed his toned body to the air.
Yang Kai didn’t have a robust figure, but his body was extremely well-built and his muscles were perfectly chiselled, giving him a rather heroic look.
At this moment, there are two figures emblazoned on his body, one was the Golden Dragon Tattoo while the other was the Ice Phoenix Tattoo, both looking extremely lifelike.
The difference, however, was that the Golden Dragon Tattoo was lively, randomly swimming across Yang Kai’s skin while the Ice Phoenix Tattoo remained motionless.
This was only natural though, as the Ice Phoenix Tattoo was the Phoenix Empress’ Inheritance, not something that belonged to Yang Kai. Currently, it was just using his body as a carrier while the Golden Dragon Tattoo was the Dragon Emperor Inheritance which had become part of Yang Kai.
When Yang Kai’s Divine Sense swept across the Ice Phoenix Tattoo, he felt that its eyes moved slightly, seemingly meeting his gaze for a moment before once again freezing in place.
However, Yang Kai didn’t know whether this actually happened or he had just imagined it.
Even so, Yang Kai could not help thinking of Su Yan at this moment. The whole reason the Ice Phoenix Tattoo was willing to remain with him was because he promised to bring it to Su Yan. Unfortunately, after so many years, he had not had an opportunity to see her again.
He did not know how she was now.
Or if she was being bullied.
Or if she was able to continue her cultivation smoothly.
…..
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai adjusted his mood and focused his consciousness on the Golden Dragon Tattoo. Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai began circulating his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art. Although Su Yan was not here to cooperate with him, Yang Kai was intimately familiar with this Secret Art, so it was not difficult for him to circulate it.
As Yang Kai’s Saint Qi surged, the Golden Dragon Tattoo began swimming faster and faster, as if receiving some kind of nourishment.
A moment later, a deafening dragon roar rang out and a dazzling golden light burst from Yang Kai’s body, flooding the entire First Heavenly Palace while the verdant hue filling the air suddenly dimmed greatly.
The eyes of the giant dark green dragon, which had been staring at Yang Kai indifferently and disdainfully for the past three days, suddenly filled with panic when this golden light appeared, as if it had encountered its nemesis, trembling violently as it seemingly became flustered.
*Hou…*
The golden light radiating from Yang Kai grew ever stronger until a giant phantom image of a Golden Dragon appeared above his head, like an ancient god overlooking the giant dark green dragon.
The two dragons looked roughly the same size and had very similar appearances, the only difference being their colours.
One gold, one green.
Although the verdant dragon looked terrified, it was still obviously unwilling to show weakness in front of its enemy and stubbornly lifted its head while resisting the majesty of the Golden Dragon.
Yang Kai was overjoyed when he saw this scene as he knew that, like a blind cat hitting a dead mouse, he had stumbled upon the right method. Naturally, Yang Kai was unwilling to give up halfway so he immediately began circulating his Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art more vigorously.
The golden radiance grew even stronger, further suppressing the verdant glow.
Things did not end here though. Seemingly receiving stimulus from this situation, the Ice Phoenix Tattoo on Yang Kai’s back suddenly let out a piercing cry and also soared out of his body to manifest in the sky above his head.
A cold chill burst forth from the Ice Phoenix while a terrifying heat emerged from the Golden Dragon. With hot and cold energy meeting, according to common sense, they should have mutually cancelled one another out, but they began blending together instead, not only harmoniously but also enhancing each other’s power.
The golden, green, and white light collided with each other as crackling sounds filled the air.
However, the green light had already been suppressed by the golden light, so with the addition of the white light, its defeat became inevitable.
The sound of something cutting through the air reached Yang Kai’s ears, but the light in front of him was so bright that he was unable to clearly see what was happening; only vaguely sensing that the golden and white auras were rapidly suppressing the green one. Using his Divine Sense, Yang Kai confirmed that the green light was shrinking at an incredible speed.
*Hong…*
A muffled bang rang out, causing Yang Kai’s body to shake, but when he opened his eyes and looked forward again, he suddenly found that his room had become a chaotic mess, as if a great storm had blown through it. Even the barriers protecting the First Heavenly Palace had been destroyed.
On his back, at some point unknown to Yang Kai, the Golden Dragon Tattoo and the Ice Phoenix Tattoo had returned, the former swimming about happily while the latter once again sat dormant.
It was as if everything just now had been an illusion, never even happening.
However, Yang Kai’s attention was immediately attracted to the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword on the ground. Reaching out and holding it, he felt an inexplicable sensation coming from it.
Before, Yang Kai had felt like he was holding an artifact when holding this Dragon Bone Sword, but now he felt a sense of connection with it, as if this Verdant Dragon Bone Sword had become a part of his body and could be freely manipulated by him.
Although this feeling was quite weak and indistinct, it was completely different from before.
Raising his brow, Yang Kai infused his Saint Qi into the verdant sword and it immediately transformed into a familiar giant dark-green dragon, but different from before it no longer wore a look of contempt and disdain on its face, instead wearing a look of meekness and obedience.
Yang Kai grinned as he was unable to contain his joy.
Unexpectedly, his random idea of using Dragon Pressure to suppress Dragon Pressure had turned out to be effective.
After this brief confrontation, Yang Kai also vaguely felt that his Golden Dragon Tattoo seemed to be stronger than the giant dark green dragon.
Both of them were Remnant Souls of Ancient Divine Spirit, but the giant dark green dragon was obviously at a disadvantage when confronting the Golden Dragon, so even without the support of the Ice Phoenix Remnant Soul, Yang Kai thought it would have only been a matter of time before he was able to completely subdue it.
The addition of the Ice Phoenix only shortened the time this process took.
With a flash of thought, Yang Kai had the giant dark green dragon fly through the air according to his commands.
From now on, when he used this Verdant Dragon Bone Sword, Yang Kai no longer needed to worry about suffering backlash from it disobeying him, relieving a big hidden danger, so naturally, he was in a happy mood.
After experimenting inside his room for some time, Yang Kai stored the Dragon Bone Sword in his body again to continue nourishing it with his Saint Qi. His strength was still too low right now, so he was unable to exert the full power of this artifact, and it also seemed like it had not been completely refined. Understanding this, Yang Kai began to wonder just how powerful this Verdant Dragon Bone Sword would be once it reached its peak.
This was something he was very much looking forward to.
Taking out some pills from his Space Ring, Yang Kai calmed his mind, sat down cross-legged, and began restoring his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy.
In just one day, Yang Kai had recovered to his peak state, but just as he was about to get up, a loud humming noise rang out outside, causing the entire First Heavenly Palace to tremble.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed as his first thought was someone was attacking High Heaven Sect, but immediately after he realized this was impossible. High Heaven Sect had occupied the ruins of the Supreme Profound Sect, which was protected by the Three Blazing Flame Rings on all sides. With such a barrier around it, who could possibly attack High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star?
At the same time, Yang Kai felt the surrounding World Energy was not reacting the same way it would if the Sect was under attack.
Rather, it seemed like it was flowing differently because of some kind of internal changes in the Sect.
Frowning slightly, Yang Kai stood up, pushed open the doors, and exited the First Heavenly Palace before turning to look in a certain direction. In the next instant, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and flew off with great speed.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived at the huge open square of High Heaven Sect’s Front Court.
Looking around, Yang Kai saw that the Sect’s several dozen disciples were all gathered here, along with all the Elders as well. Everyone was looking up into the sky at this moment, as if something there had attracted their attention.
Following their line of sight, Yang Kai was surprised to discover that suspended mid-air was a solemn-looking Yang Yan. Her long, beautiful black hair was flowing freely in the wind as her hands constantly weaved a series of complex signs. There was also a stream of Saint Qi constantly being emitted from her tender body towards the sky.
Realizing Yang Kai had arrived, everyone turned and saluted.
Now that High Heaven Sect had formally been established, as Elders and disciples seeing the Sect Master, they needed to salute him. Even Ye Xi Yun, the strongest master present, nodded in acknowledgement towards Yang Kai.
However, her eyes soon turned back to continue staring at Yang Yan’s movements with a kind of fanaticism.
This woman really regarded Yang Yan as her idol, Yang Kai thought to himself with slight amusement.
He did not blame her for this, as the reputation of the Starry Sky Great Emperor was worthy of such devotion. The only reason Yang Kai could treat Yang Yan so casually was that he had become very familiar with her over the past few years.
“What’s happening?” Yang Kai turned his attention to the sky and asked in a puzzled voice.
“Reporting to Sect Master, Vice Sect Master Yang is opening the Flowing Flame Sand Field’s barrier so we may once again see the sun, moon, and stars,” Ning Xiang Chen quickly replied, his tone filled with respect as his old eyes sparkled with vigour, seemingly unable to conceal his respect for Yang Yan.
In this world, who else could manipulate the Flowing Flame Sand Field’s flame barriers? Only Yang Yan could achieve such a feat, so it was only reasonable for Ning Xiang Chen to show her great respect.
Hearing what he said, Yang Kai gently nodded. Knowing what Yang Yan’s plan was in his heart, he no longer continued asking.
Although everyone was happy they had moved to this Supreme Profound Sect ruin and established High Heaven Sect, with the Three Blazing Flame Rings constantly blocking out the sun, moon, and stars, they had become a bit depressed with the living environment.
As such, Yang Yan was intending to open the flame barrier that covered the sky so that High Heaven Sect could feel reconnected with the outside world.
This was a good deed that only Yang Yan could do, so Yang Kai naturally did not have any intention of stopping her, simply standing together with the rest of the crowd and waiting.
Pure Saint Qi continued pouring from Yang Yan’s tender body, transforming into thin streams and shooting off into the sky before disappearing in the next instant.
As time passed, a vortex appeared in the fiery red sky. This vortex was still small in the beginning but gradually became larger in scale.
The swirling vortex was quite visually shocking and caused the people down below to shudder as they had the illusion that they were about to be sucked up into the sky.
After another half an hour or so, the red ring on Yang Yan’s wrist buzzed and flew up into the sky along with her soft shout and transformed into a giant ring nearly a dozen kilometres in diameter.
This ring slowly floated upwards and eventually touched the flame barrier that covered the sky before coming to a halt as it wrapped around the massive swirling vortex.
Immediately, the vortex began to pull back, as if being drawn in by some kind of incredible suction and, with a low rumbling, the flame barrier that covered High Heaven Sect withdrew like a tide, revealing a circular patch of sky more than a dozen kilometres wide.
Sounds of cheering burst out as the disciples jumped for joy.
Yang Kai also grinned, showing a look of happiness on his face, but soon, his eyes were attracted to something high up in the sky and his expression turned to one of shock.
“Sure enough…” Yang Yan muttered softly, her beautiful eyes staring up into the sky, her brow wrinkling slightly as she flicked her wrist again and retrieved the first of the Three Blazing Flame Rings.
However, the flame barrier did not close when Yang Yan did this, instead remaining open, allowing sunlight to pour down as well as granting a view of the blue sky and white clouds outside.
However, at this moment, in addition to the long-lost blue sky and white clouds, there was another clearly noticeable object within view.
A huge and grand palace!
The Emperor Garden!
“Why is that thing here?”
“Wasn’t it floating over Dragon Cave Mountain?”
“When did it arrive here?”
A burst of chatter erupted from the several dozen disciples as they all became somewhat worried. Once bitten by a snake, fearful of ropes for ten years, as the saying goes. Last time, Dragon Cave Mountain encountered great difficulties and ultimately met its end thanks to the appearance of the Emperor Garden.
Originally, after leaving Dragon Cave Mountain and finding a new place to settle down, one that was a thousand times better than Dragon Cave Mountain at that, the haze which had plagued everyone’s heart had been swept away, but never had they imagined that the original source of their calamity, the Emperor Garden, had actually appeared directly above them again.
This was a reality that was somewhat difficult to accept.
The Emperor Garden, one of Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones, seemed to be following them around, unwilling to leave them in peace.
What’s more, no one knew when the Emperor Garden had made the long journey from Dragon Cave Mountain to the sky above High Heaven Sect; after all, High Heaven Sect had been enveloped by the Three Blazing Flame Rings until now, cutting it off from the outside world.
Only Yang Kai and Yang Yan knew why it was here, while Ye Xi Yun had some faint ideas why but was not quite sure.
Yang Yan flew down from the sky and landed lightly next to Yang Kai, her expression calm and indifferent.
After glancing at her, Yang Kai asked softly, “Did you realize this thing had arrived here and decided to open the barrier?”
“En, I had a feeling but I wasn’t sure. Regardless, opening the barrier to expose the sky was always part of my plan so I simply took advantage of this opportunity to confirm my theory,” Yang Yan gently nodded.
Yang Kai understood clearly and pondered for a moment before turning his head to the unsettled disciples and shouted, “Settle down. Since the Emperor Garden has appeared here, there must be a reason for it, so there’s no need to make a fuss about something we can’t control. Just attend to your own affairs.”
After hearing Yang Kai’s words, the commotion amongst the crowd calmed down.
After the lower strength disciples left, Yang Kai thoughtfully said, “We may not know when the Emperor Garden transferred here, but since it has, I think it should be quite lively outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field right now!”
The Emperor Garden had all but played a practical joke on all of Shadowed Star. When it first appeared, it had suspended itself directly above Dragon Cave Mountain, causing countless great forces to gather in Heavenly Fate City.
But who could have anticipated that it would suddenly move away one day?
Now that it appeared above High Heaven Sect, the masters from Shadowed Star’s various great Sects must have chased after it. There was no doubt about this either as, now that the Emperor Jades had appeared, there was certainly not much longer before the Emperor Garden officially opened. No one wanted to miss such a good opportunity.
“Would you like to go out and take a look?” Yang Yan asked.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Knowing that there were so many ‘guests’ at his door, Yang Kai naturally wasn’t about to just sit back and watch.
“I’ll come with you,” Yang Yan said immediately.
Yang Kai glanced over at her but did not raise any objections, simply nodding, “Good.”
After a brief discussion, Yang Yan immediately summoned the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle and the two of them quickly boarded. Ye Xi Yun, who refused to leave Yang Yan’s side, naturally accompanied them as well.
The place High Heaven Sect was located was originally in the fourth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, but now that the First-Layer Flame Area had disappeared, only the Third-Layer Flame Area stood between High Heaven Sect and the outside world.
A short while later, the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle passed through the fourth layer and entered the third, but with Yang Yan here, the extreme heat and rolling Flame Attribute Energy posed no threat to the trio at all, all of it simply moving aside as if it had a mind of its own, allowing them to pass through unhindered.
The Flying Shark Battle Shuttle appeared outside the Third-Layer Flame Barrier sometime after.
The door opened, and Yang Kai flew out, but just as he stood firm, he could not help raising his brow as he swept his eyes around and grinned.
At this moment, there really were a lot of cultivators gathered outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field. There were small scattered groups of two or three as well as large contingents that had set up organized camps, but one thing all of them had in common was that they were gazing towards the Flowing Flame Sand Field with anxiety.
Yang Kai recognized a couple of these forces, some of which he shared enmity with, while others he was friendly with; all in all, almost every big and small force on Shadowed Star had assembled here.
It could be said that all the cultivators who had originally been staying in Heavenly Fate City had come here chasing the Emperor Garden.
When the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle emerged from the Flowing Flame Sand Field and Yang Kai appeared, everyone instantly focused on him, many showing shocked and dumbfounded expressions.
Since the Flowing Flame Sand Field was known as one of the Three Great Forbidden Zones, it was naturally an extremely dangerous place to enter.
During the time when it was in a closed state, no one should have been able to step into it. There had been no shortage of Origin Returning Realm masters who were extremely confident of their strength that had tried to force their way into the Flowing Flame Sand Field, but the instant they entered the First-Layer Flame Area, they were vaporized without exception.
The Flowing Flame Sand Field in its closed state was not something Shadowed Star’s cultivators could resist. Only during the period when it opened could those below the Origin Realm enter.
But now, Yang Kai had casually appeared from inside. Did that mean he had some method to safely traverse this Forbidden Zone and even remain inside?
How could that be?
Many masters present almost thought they had been imagining things as they were unable to believe their own eyes, causing them to feel both dread and envy. Although they did not know what method Yang Kai used to freely enter and exit the Flowing Flame Sand Field, this method was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Moreover, with so many benefits hidden inside this Forbidden Zone and only Yang Kai being able to enter and exit it, didn’t that mean that all these treasures were his to do with as he pleased?
For those masters who had forged a grudge against Yang Kai, each and every one of them wore gloomy expressions and were so depressed they nearly coughed up blood.
Yang Kai was still just a Junior, yet he was already this difficult to deal with. If they really let him occupy all the resources in the Flowing Flame Sand Field for an extended period of time, who on Shadowed Star could possibly oppose him when he fully matured?
Realizing this, many masters present secretly exchanged glances as murderous intent welled up in their hearts.
However, not everyone directed killing intent towards Yang Kai. Shadow Moon Hall’s Great Elder Qian Tong and Heavenly Fate City’s City Lord Fei Zhi Tu both simply wore looks of surprise and joy when they saw Yang Kai. After hesitating for some time, Qian Tong finally called out, “Yang Kai, it was rumoured that you settled down here, could those rumours be true?”
After the incident on Dragon Cave Mountain, when Yang Kai and the others had arrived here, they had expelled a group of treasure hunters and declared that a ten thousand kilometre radius around the Flowing Flame Sand Field was now a restricted area. Naturally, word of this event had spread out.
The masters on Shadowed Star also caught wind of these rumours, but none of them took it seriously.
No one had believed that Yang Kai and his trivial Dragon Cave Mountain could establish themselves inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, most of them were simply thinking that this little brat was spreading nonsense to boost his reputation. Even Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had laughed when they heard this, thinking that Yang Kai was just venting his anger after his Dragon Cave Mountain had been destroyed.
But now, no one dared to think like this. Yang Kai had clearly come out from the Flowing Flame Sand Field inside his extremely small Starship. Seeing was believing, so no one doubted this truth anymore.
Seeing how it was Qian Tong who had asked, Yang Kai certainly wouldn’t refuse to answer, smiling lightly as he politely cupped his fists and said, “Junior greets Elder Qian, greets City Lord Fei.”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu exchanged a glance and saw the happiness in each other’s eyes.
They could clearly tell that Yang Kai didn’t show them any less respect just because he now possessed such a powerful Starship. This boy still regarded them as his Seniors and even greeted them courteously as decorum dictated.
Realizing this, both of them unconsciously relaxed.
“Brother Wei, Sister Dong, you’re here too!” Yang Kai next turned to a young man and woman who were standing behind Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu and greeted them with a smile.
The two of them returned the greeting politely but couldn’t hide the surprise in their eyes, seemingly still unable to believe the scene they had just witnessed.
“Yang Kai, that rumour…” Qian Tong asked again, unable to restrain his curiosity.
A ray of light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes before he declared loudly, “Haha, the outside rumours are true: I, along with a small group of friends and disciples have indeed settled down inside this Flowing Flame Sand Field.”
Although he did not shout, Yang Kai spoke loudly enough to allow everyone in the vicinity to hear him, and when this statement came out, it immediately triggered a great uproar with many people expressing doubt, envy, and even awe.
“Great!” Qian Tong was both shocked and was happy for Yang Kai, “Having a place to stay is for the best, and such a wonderful paradise at that! It seems that those kinds of unfortunate matters will never happen again.”
The inside of the Flowing Flame Sand Field could be said to be the most secure location on Shadowed Star, allowing one complete peace of mind without fear of being attacked. In order to get to Yang Kai, one had to first get through an impenetrable Flame Area. Who could possibly do this?
At the very least, no one on Shadowed Star had such ability.
“Many thanks for Elder Qian’s concern, Junior also believes that in the future, there won’t be any blind fools who dare disturb my peace,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, his eyes intentionally and unintentionally sweeping a number of masters among the crowd.
While this caused many people’s expression to become gloomy, none of them dared to comment.
“Junior should have sent word of his status earlier, but these days, I have simply had no free time; fortunately, two Seniors have come here in person. Since you’ve arrived here, why not come inside so we can chat? Of course, Brother Wei and Sister Dong are also invited. There are some things this Junior wishes to ask about after all,” Yang Kai suggested earnestly as he really did have some questions to ask.
“Enter inside?” Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu heard this and couldn’t help showing happy looks, both of them nodding without hesitation, “Alright, us old masters had such intentions but were worried you would not welcome us.”
“Senior must be joking, how could this Junior not welcome you?” Yang Kai stepped to the side and beckoned, “This way, please!”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu smiled at each other and did not hesitate to accept the invitation, both of them flying up and entering the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle’s hatch. Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er also hurried to keep up. The Flying Shark Battle Shuttle did not look very big from the outside, but inside, it could easily accommodate twenty or thirty people without feeling crowded. There were also many rooms inside, so upon entering, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu couldn’t help looking around with great interest, constantly leaking praises from their lips.
After noticing Ye Xi Yun standing behind Yang Yan though, the two of them hurried forward to offer their greetings.
Facing Ye Xi Yun, neither of them dared put on airs. Strictly speaking, both of them were much younger than Ye Xi Yun, so if anyone deserved to act aloof here, it was Ye Xi Yun alone.
“No need for excessive politeness, just find a place to sit down and wait for the Sect Master to handle matters outside then we can return together,” Ye Xi Yun waved her hand lightly.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu responded quickly, found a chair, and sat down obediently.
With their two Elders trembling like they were sitting on thin ice, how could Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er dare say anything? Standing up straight behind Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, the two of them made sure to not even breathe loudly.
Outside the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, Yang Kai stood in place, upright and with an expression of indifference. Although the masters on the scene all possessed higher cultivations than his, this was his site, so how could Yang Kai show any fear?
After remaining silent for a moment, Yang Kai declared loudly, “Previously, this Yang’s words must not have been heard by everyone. From now on, this Flowing Flame Sand Field is my High Heaven Sect’s territory. Please do not linger here for long, otherwise, I will consider it a provocation of my High Heaven Sect, and the consequence, heh heh…”
“High Heaven Sect?”
“What Sect is that?”
“Was there such a Sect on Shadowed Star?”
Many suspicious voices began clamouring in confusion, but Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, and several others immediately frowned, vaguely guessing something.
“High Heaven Sect is a Sect which I conveniently founded for myself and my like-minded friends. Its headquarters is located inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field. Do you all understand now?” Yang Kai shouted again, taking advantage of this opportunity to announce High Heaven Sect’s establishment to the rest of the world.
“Founded a Sect?”
“You?”
The doubting voices only grew louder after Yang Kai’s curt explanation.
It wasn’t surprising that these people responded like this though. Founding a Sect wasn’t something that could just be casually done; at the very least, one needed to have a powerful enough master to assume command of the Sect. Even the smallest Sects on Shadowed Star were founded by Origin Realm masters. Occasionally, there would be a Saint King who didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth who tried to found a Sect but none survived very long, disappearing into the long river of history for one reason or another.
As such, no one took this new High Heaven Sect seriously, just as they didn’t take a mere Saint King Realm Junior like Yang Kai seriously.
Listening to the various voices of scorn and mockery, Yang Kai simply curled his lips into an indifferent sneer.
“Boy,” An authoritative voice suddenly called out, and upon hearing it, Yang Kai turned to its source and saw that it was actually Mo Xiao Sheng of Heaven Battling Union looking at him with a sombre face, “Is what you just said true?”
“What does Senior Mo think?” Yang Kai didn’t answer the question directly. Although Mo Xiao Sheng had participated in the siege of Dragon Cave Mountain last time, Yang Kai wasn’t interested in settling accounts with him now; after all, his personal strength was still a little insufficient to do so. Yang Kai figured he could take his time to deal with this old man; after all, Heaven Battling Union was a great force that wouldn’t disappear suddenly.
Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes narrowed, remaining silent for a moment before asking, “This old master does not believe you are cracking a joke, but may I ask who your noble Sect’s Sect Master is?”
“This Junior is somewhat unworthy, but he currently holds the position of Sect Master. In the future, I may need to ask Seniors for advice regarding this matter,” Yang Kai smiled meaningfully.
“I see…” Mo Xiao Sheng wore a grave expression as he muttered to himself. Although he knew that Yang Kai would definitely not simply forgive him for what had transpired between them, at this moment, he also had no intentions of making trouble, a moment later putting on a smile and speaking enthusiastically, “Little Friend Yang is a dragon among men, so there is nothing wrong with holding the position of Sect Master of a newly established Sect. En, your noble Sect will surely become a great force not inferior to my Heaven Battling Union in time, possibly even exceeding us one day. Congratulations, congratulations, this is truly an event worth celebrating.”
A light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes as he wore a faint grin and replied “Senior Mo is too polite. High Heaven Sect was founded simply because this Yang and his friends wished for a place to belong. High Heaven Sect’s policy is and always will be the same as this Junior’s. We have neither lofty ambitions nor desires, we simply wish to live safely and peacefully in our little corner of the world. If others don’t provoke us, we won’t provoke them!”
[Old Dog, trying to direct public hatred towards me is simply shameful.]
While maintaining a smile, Yang Kai cursed Mo Xiao Sheng out in his heart. Although this old dog’s expression was one of geniality and his tone was pleasant, his words were clearly suspicious. There were essentially two great forces on Shadowed Star vying for dominance, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, so if another force with even or stronger power were to emerge, what room would there be for other great forces to survive?
Mo Xiao Sheng’s intentions were clearly to have the masters gathered here direct their animosity towards High Heaven Sect. Really, each of these old dogs was not easy to deal with.
“Good, ‘if others don’t provoke us, we won’t provoke them!’” Mo Xiao Sheng’s eyes flashed with a hint of anger. Naturally, he understood the meaning of Yang Kai’s words. Clearly, this boy was telling him that he would not let the matter of him attacking Dragon Cave Mountain simply drop. However, now wasn’t the time to break this stalemate, so after pausing for a moment, Mo Xiao Sheng asked, “Since your noble Sect has just been founded, you must surely have many things to attend to. If you could allow this old master to enter though, perhaps he can be of some assistance. What does Sect Master Yang think?”
“I’m afraid such a proposal is not appropriate at this time,” Yang Kai shook his head slowly, not even bothering to give Mo Xiao Sheng any face, “Senior Mo is well aware that my Sect has just been founded and has no time to entertain guests. Perhaps in the future, we will extend an invitation to Senior to visit, if there is an opportunity.”
Mo Xiao Sheng fell silent; wanting to enter High Heaven Sect wasn’t because he wanted to inquire about its secrets or status, but rather because the Emperor Garden had suddenly appeared here. If he could get closer to it, he certainly wouldn’t want to wait outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Otherwise, once the Emperor Garden really opened, the people inside who were closer would gain an advantage over those outside. Even with their fastest speed, it would take half a day longer for those outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field to bypass the flame barrier and arrive at the Emperor Garden.
After all, the area occupied by the Flowing Flame Sand Field wasn’t small.
One mustn’t underestimate this half a day’s worth of time. Perhaps it would be the difference between obtaining some huge opportunity inside and obtaining nothing.
Not just Mo Xiao Sheng believed so, most of the other masters here had similar thoughts.
Seeing Mo Xiao Sheng’s attempt at negotiation fail, Cheng Peng Xuan stepped forward and shouted, “All of us have come from so far away, so why is Sect Master Yang being so unaccommodating, refusing to allow anyone to approach? Why not lower this barrier and invite us inside your noble Sect for some tea?”
“That’s right, we should all sit down and discuss this matter slowly.”
“Yes, Sect Master Yang should show some hospitality!”
Immediately, shameless shouts rang out, each and every one of these old masters taking advantage of their age and position to try to force Yang Kai to give them face.
Naturally, Yang Kai paid them no heed, simply standing in place indifferently as he waited for the noise to gradually subside before declaring, “It is not that this Yang does not wish to invite others to visit his Sect, but how would your Sect’s react if you suddenly discovered so many outsiders lingering within your Sect’s territory without your permission? Wouldn’t you immediately expel these loiterers by force? However, since this Yang’s Sect is newly established and has not had a chance to inform the world of its presence yet, and considering this is your first offence, this Yang will not hold you accountable. However, I must insist you depart quickly.”
“This is also your High Heaven Sect’s territory?” Some people raised their brows.
“Yes, starting from this flame barrier and extending out a hundred kilometres is my High Heaven Sect’s territory!” Yang Kai replied solemnly, “No outsiders are allowed to set foot in this region. Otherwise, they will be regarded as invaders provoking my High Heaven Sect!”
As soon as this remark came out, everyone frowned.
Myriad Beast Mountain’s Old Woman Feng stamped her dragon head cane hard on the ground and coldly snorted, “Boy, aren’t you looking down too much on this world’s people? Actually daring to bluster so wantonly!”
“You believe I’m just blustering?” Yang Kai tilted his head towards her and chuckled, “Then dare I ask Senior Feng, how many kilometres outside Myriad Beast Mountain’s headquarters do you forbid outsiders from entering? One hundred kilometres? A thousand kilometres? More?”
Old Woman Feng’s face immediately went black as she choked on her words.
“What about Heaven Battling Union?” Yang Kai turned to look at Mo Xiao Sheng again, the latter wearing a gloomy expression as he remained silent.
“Thunder Typhoon Sect?” Yang Kai looked at Cheng Peng Xuan, who just coldly snorted and looked away.
Yang Kai smiled heartily and waved his hand, “Several Seniors are all prominent figures so do not try to quibble with this Junior. Not to mention the first-class Sects several seniors hail from, which second or even third-class forces allow outsiders to approach their headquarters at will. As far as this Junior knows, the region a thousand kilometres outside any first-class Sect is considered a restricted area that no outsiders may set foot into, yes? Many of you even claim more than this! This Yang is not asking for much, just a hundred kilometres, or could it be that several Seniors believe that since this Yang is young and High Heaven Sect has just been established, we can be bullied as you wish? Do you not place my High Heaven Sect in your eyes at all?”
As he spoke, Yang Kai’s voice gradually became colder, and his expression chilled to match.
“Sect Master Yang, may I say a few words?” A charming voice suddenly called out, one that was crisp and sweet and instantly attracted everyone’s attention.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw a beautiful young woman standing next to Old Woman Feng, looking at him with a smile.
Yang Kai did not know who this girl was, but since she was standing beside Old Woman Feng, she was clearly a disciple of Myriad Beast Mountain.
“What advice does young miss have?” Yang Kai looked at her lightly.
The girl stepped forward and bowed elegantly, seeming knowing how to observe proper etiquette, and with her graceful looks and sweet smile, it was difficult for others to have a poor impression of her.
Pursing her red lips lightly, she sweetly spoke, “I believe this is our first meeting, Sect Master Yang. This little sister is Myriad Beast Mountain disciple Feng Yan.”
“Feng Yan,” Yang Kai raised his brow as he glanced thoughtfully towards Old Woman Feng. These two shared the same surname and the cultivation of this Feng Yan was not very high, Third-Order Saint King Realm the same as him; however, she was standing in an almost equal position to this old woman, so she was likely one of Old Woman Feng’s descendants. Moreover, she must be quite talented, otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to speak rashly on such an occasion without fear of being punished.
“Little sister doesn’t dare claim to advise Sect Master Yang, I simply wished to remind Sect Master Yang that this Flowing Flame Sand Field was originally one of Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones, a place with no owner. In fact, it could be said that this place is the common property of all Shadowed Star’s cultivators. Every time the Flowing Flame Sand Field opens, many people will come here to seek benefits and opportunities inside. Sect Master Yang now declaring that place is his territory, and even forbidding others from approaching to within a hundred kilometres of its border… doesn’t that seem somewhat improper?” Feng Yan spoke clearly and concisely, immediately illuminating the crux of the problem, causing many of the gathered masters’ eyes to light up and nod in agreement. The entire crowd’s attention quickly became focused on her, with everyone’s face filled with great anticipation, and Feng Yan did not disappoint them. At first glance, it was clear she had experienced many big scenes and continued with a light laugh, “If one really wishes to discuss semantics, every great force on Shadowed Star has partial ownership of this Flowing Flame Sand Field, so Sect Master Yang’s current behaviour is equivalent to snatching that which belongs to everyone. If My Myriad Beast Mountain were to snatch Sect Master Yang’s property, Sect Master Yang would likely be displeased, no? For the same reason, before declaring that your noble Sect has now occupied and controls the Flowing Flame Sand Field, should you not ask the Seniors gathered here for their opinions?”
“Indeed!” Mo Xiao Sheng immediately beat the snake with a stick, nodding nearby and declaring, “Flowing Flame Sand Field is one of the Shadowed Star’s Three Great Forbidden Zones, but the wealth inside it is shared by all of my Shadowed Star’s cultivators. No one alone should be allowed to possess it!”
“Shared wealth?” Yang Kai sneered, curling his lips into a grin, “That may have been how things were in the past, but now the Flowing Flame Sand Field is my High Heaven Sect’s territory! If you are not convinced, you are welcome to try to seize it from me! If any one of you is capable of wresting control of the Flowing Flame Sand Field from my hands, this Yang will hand it over without any complaint!”
“Sect Master Yang…” Feng Yan frowned, her face showing a look of displeasure as she argued lightly, “Is there any need to speak so aggressively? If you really insist on doing this, you will surely be provoking public anger. Does Sect Master Yang not understand what the consequences of doing so will be?”
Yang Kai sneered, “Before, my Dragon Cave Mountain never provoked public anger, yet it was still besieged by so many people. If not for this Yang’s luck being good, perhaps I would have been buried on that hill, so what does provoking or not provoking public anger matter? Girl, don’t try to play word games with me or to threaten me, you’re not qualified to speak to this Sect Master. Let your Elder come out to speak.”
“You…” Feng Yan bit her red lips lightly as she glared at him with resentment, “Aren’t you being unreasonable?”
“Haha, unreasonable? Don’t you understand that, in this world, whoever has the bigger fist is the one who is reasonable?” Yang Kai looked at her with utter ridicule, causing Feng Yan to shiver in anger, her face blushing with embarrassment but not daring to argue back aggressively.
Not interested in giving others an opportunity to make trouble anymore, Yang Kai coldly snorted and swept his eyes over the crowd before shouting loudly, “This Yang has said everything he needs to. If any of you insist on being besotted, this Sect Master does not mind paying a visit to your respective headquarters in the future to return the courtesy. If you fail to heed this Yang’s advice and continue to willingly trespass upon my High Heaven Sect’s territory, then this Yang will no longer be polite! If your Sect suffers any losses as a result, then don’t blame this Yang for not having warned you beforehand.”
This blatant warning, made without any consideration for others’ faces, caused everyone’s expression to become ugly.
Yang Kai looked around and was very satisfied with the reactions of these people. As long as they feared him, they wouldn’t do anything to displease him in the future; after all, Dragon Cave Mountain had displayed astonishing combat strength in the previous battle, especially when their Origin King Grade Starship was counted. No Sect Master would dare disregard the power of this Starship’s Crystal Cannons as they could likely devastate any Sect Defending Array on Shadowed Star.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s gaze landed on a certain spot in the crowd and he smiled happily, calling out loudly, “Sister Dai Yuan!”
Among this crowd, there was a group of disciples from Coloured Glass Sect present, led by Gong Ao Fu, Dai Yuan, and Yin Su Die.
Yang Kai had not seen them until now.
Hearing Yang Kai call out to her, Dai Yuan showed a smile on her face and gently nodded to him.
“Sister Dai Yuan should also come inside, it will allow us to communicate more easily in the future,” Yang Kai warmly invited.
In an instant, everyone’s attention was redirected towards Dai Yuan, their faces showing looks of surprise and shock as they did.
If Dai Yuan was a great beauty, then Yang Kai extending her an invitation could be explained; after all, which young man did not have a weakness for beauties?
But not only could Dai Yuan not be considered beautiful; she was extremely ugly. Her face was pockmarked and scarred, filled with green and yellow pustules that made her look both ill and malnourished. Even if her figure was quite enchanting, it couldn’t conceal the utter travesty that was her face.
If such a woman were to go out for a walk, most people would actively try to avoid her.
Yet Yang Kai, who had just ridiculed and embarrassed Feng Yan without hesitation, actually took the initiative to invite this Dan Yuan to visit his High Heaven Sect and even said it would make it more convenient for them to communicate in the future.
What was happening here?
Did this boy have some kind of ‘special’ interests, disliking beauties and preferring ugly women? As this thought crossed many people’s minds, they could not help shaking their heads, feeling this was unlikely.
“I…” Suddenly being scrutinized by so many people, Dai Yuan’s expression cramped up slightly; after all, there were too many masters here, making her uncertain of how she should answer for a while.
Gong Ao Fu, on the other hand, had a splendid light flash across her beautiful eyes as she lightly moved her lips and communicated with Dai Yuan, “Yuan’er, since he invited you personally, you should accept. Go in and see what this High Heaven Sect of his looks like. En, if possible, ask him if he will allow the people from of my Coloured Glass Sect to enter the Emperor Garden from inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field when it opens as well.”
Dai Yuan’s brow furrowed. Although she subconsciously wanted to reject, she could not disobey her Honoured Master’s orders so blatantly, so she could only acquiesce, “Since Junior Brother Yang has been kind enough to invite me, this Dai Yuan will not stand on ceremony.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“Yang Kai!” Yin Su Die suddenly called out, her pair of beautiful eyes glowing subtly, releasing a seductive and enrapturing charm. She had cultivated a profound Beguiling Technique and now that she had broken through to the Origin Returning Realm, this technique, combined with her natural beauty, while unable to confuse the old Origin Realm masters present, no Saint King Realm male could resist staring at her.
“Little sister would also like to accompany you inside to have a look. May I?” Yin Su Die asked tenderly, her voice so sweet and melodious that those who heard it felt like a pair of jade white hands were brushing their heart, giving them a sense of comfort that penetrated deep into their bones.
“Do I know you?” What shocked everyone present was that Yang Kai not only did not care about her, he actually bluntly rejected her.
Yin Su Die’s pretty face went from green to red as she gritted her teeth, the infinite style and charm disappearing from her beautiful eyes and being replaced with endless hatred.
But Yang Kai did not pay any further attention to her, simply continuing to scan the crowd for a moment before his gaze fixed on a particular group. Cupping his fists, he called out, “This Senior…”
In the direction he was looking, a middle-aged man in plain robes with long hair giving him a wild and unruly look raised his brow and revealed a happy expression, laughing heartily as he shouted, “Since Sect Master Yang has invited, this old master will not refuse!”
Yang Kai scratched his cheek, musing that he had not actually said anything, yet the other party had already accepted; obviously, this man had long been expecting this to happen.
However, this did not matter; in any case, Yang Kai’s plan really was to invite this man inside.
This man seemed to be called Mo Yu. Yang Kai did not know his details before, only that he had no malicious intentions towards him and was from Clear Sky Sect. During the battle on Dragon Cave Mountain, this man had even taken action once to help Yang Kai resolve some troublesome attacks directed towards him.
Yang Kai did not quite understand why Mo Yu had helped him back then, but everything became clear after seeing Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying standing behind him now.
Obviously, Mo Yu had helped him at Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying’s request.
These two young women knew how to express their gratitude, and the middle-aged Mo Yu from Clear Sky Sect was also quite upright. If this were not the case, he would not have secretly helped Yang Kai back on Dragon Cave Mountain, and even though it was just a small action, Yang Kai was not one to forget such a grace.
After all, no one had been optimistic about Dragon Cave Mountain’s survival at that point, so taking a righteous stance proved Mo Yu knew how to distinguish gratitude and grudge.
“Sister Chen and Sister Lu Ying, you two come as well,” Yang Kai called out.
Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying’s pretty faces filled with happiness as they nodded and quickly flew up after Mo Yu.
Through the open hatch of the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, Dai Yuan and the Clear Sky Sect trio entered. After seeing the situation inside, however, Mo Yu’s expression became solemn as he hurriedly greeted Ye Xi Yun before following Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu’s example, sitting down with a straight back, and remaining silent.
Finished delivering his ultimatum, Yang Kai swept his eyes around once more before also entering the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, after which this strange flight type artifact flickered slightly and disappeared into the flame barrier.
Outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, countless masters wore gloomy expressions as they stared towards the flame barrier resentfully, but they were powerless to act.
After seeing Yang Kai’s rampant appearance just now, many people couldn’t help wanting to attack him, but since characters like Mo Xiao Sheng and Cheng Peng Xuan didn’t take action, naturally everyone else restrained themselves, leading to them missing their opportunity. Now that Yang Kai had re-entered the Flowing Flame Sand Field, there was nothing they could do to catch him.
“Elder Mo, that little brat acts far too supercilious. Could it be that we’re just going to let him go like this?” A burly man stepped forward and asked Mo Xiao Sheng, his face filled with unwillingness.
This man was not unknown, and his cultivation was not low. Just a few years ago, he had broken through to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and was the Sect Master of a second-class force.
Although he was a Sect Master-level figure, his identity was still lower compared to the Great Elder of Heaven Battling Union; after all, Heaven Battling Union and his Sect were simply not comparable.
“So what does Sect Master Lan wish to do?” Mo Xiao Sheng glanced at him faintly, his expression not betraying any emotion.
“This Lan cannot bear such an insult,” The Sect Master surnamed Lan declared angrily.
“If Sect Master Lan really cannot stand it, then you are free to attack this Flowing Flame Sand Field, perhaps you will even be able to break through the flame barrier. If you can accomplish this, this old master will definitely bring the full power of Heaven Battling Union to assist Sect Master Lan in twisting off that boy’s head!”
Hearing Mo Xiao Sheng speak so mockingly toward him, Sect Master Lan didn’t become upset, simply wearing an awkward look on his face and quickly waving his hand, “Elder Mo must be joking. This Flowing Flame Sand Field has been Shadowed Star’s Forbidden Zone since ancient times. No one can even touch it, so how is this Lan supposed to break through it?”
“Since that’s the case, then stop wasting this old master’s time with such meaningless drivel!” Mo Xiao Sheng coldly snorted.
Receiving such rebuke, Sect Master Lan’s face filled with embarrassment and could only silently retreat.
“Brother Mo, it seems we have no choice but to feign deference here,” Cheng Peng Xuan frowned while letting out a sigh.
“En, this Mo also thinks so. For now, our best option is to try to find a way to enter this Flowing Flame Sand Field, otherwise, when the Emperor Garden opens, we will definitely miss out on some opportunities. As for that High Heaven Sect… Hmph, the future is still long, we’ll let that boy have his moment and demand twice the repayment later.”
“What Brother Mo says makes sense. In the meantime, we shouldn’t remain here and continue to annoy him. If that little brat really decides to take that Origin King Grade Starship and rush to my Thunder Typhoon Sect…” Cheng Peng Xuan shivered as he thought about such a possibility before quickly shouting to his subordinates to follow him, taking the lead to withdraw.
Mo Xiao Sheng did the same.
Seeing that these two giants compromised at this junction, how could any of the other great forces dare to remain? All the assembled masters gathered their companions and disciples and quickly retreated beyond the hundred-kilometre mark Yang Kai had delimited.
At the same time, inside the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle, Yang Yan stared at a projection in front of herself and said with a grin, “Sure enough, they all retreated.”
“Wise choice,” Yang Kai sneered, seemingly having anticipated this scene.
It was not that Yang Kai had some kind of foresight ability, it was just that with the power High Heaven Sect had shown, these loiterers had no other choice.
Without even mentioning High Heaven Sect’s location inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, which allowed them to sit back and relax without ever worrying about being attacked, High Heaven Sect also had its Origin King Grade Starship as a deterrent.
With just this Starship at its disposal, none dared to easily provoke High Heaven Sect.
After all, once such a provocation was made, they would spend all day on edge, worrying about that Origin King Grade Starship coming to attack them while they could not attack High Heaven Sect at all. Only being able to passively defend while unable to fight back was a strategy that could only end in defeat.
What’s more, this Origin King Grade Starship was the sole existence on Shadowed Star that could possibly do long-distance voyages.
With it, Shadowed Star could completely restore its contact with the outside world, and those masters who had reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm could use it to travel to other stars, escape the suppression of Shadowed Star’s World Principles, and obtain a chance to break through to the Origin King Realm.
Who among Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, and Old Woman Feng had not had such thoughts? Which one of them did not want to take advantage of this Origin King Grade Starship?
They were all masters who had reached and been stuck at the peak of the Origin Returning Realm for countless years, so their greatest wish in life was to be able to break through to the Origin King Realm. Now that an opportunity to do just that had presented itself to them, they naturally wanted to grab hold of it tightly.
It could be said that if not for the incident on Dragon Cave Mountain, they would all be finding ways to establish a good relationship with High Heaven Sect and Yang Kai.
Unfortunately, they had torn face with High Heaven Sect along with many other great forces during the battle of Dragon Cave Mountain. Naturally, they were extremely reluctant and embarrassed to lower their heads and apologize because, if they had done so, they would become laughing stocks for the rest of their lives. Mo Xiao Sheng, Cheng Peng Xuan, and several others could only take a step back and try to stabilize their relationships with High Heaven Sect by not offending it or its interests for now. From there, they could try to find a way to slowly win over Yang Kai.
If there was a chance to resolve their grievances in the future, that would naturally be best.
If they could not though, they would definitely not just sit back and watch High Heaven Sect grow, doing everything they could to uproot and destroy it.
As people mature, they begin to look more long term rather than focusing solely on immediate gains, if this were not the case then Yang Kai’s warning alone would not be enough to force them to withdraw hundreds of kilometres away.
Everyone’s actions today were due to High Heaven Sect’s strategic location and the existence of its Origin King Grade Starship.
Since Yang Kai was well aware of his advantages, he acted with such overbearing confidence.
Although the speed of the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle was quite quick, the Flowing Flame Sand Field was also quite expansive, so it took half a day before it arrived in front of High Heaven Sect’s front gate.
After Yang Yan opened the battle shuttle’s hatch and took the lead with Ye Xi Yun, Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, and Mo Yu hurriedly exited as well, each of them taking in deep breaths of the fresh air around them.
Inside the Starship just now, the atmosphere had really been quite stifling.
Each of these three was a top-level presence in their respective Sects and was famous across Shadowed Star; however, when facing Ye Xi Yun, they always felt suppressed, not daring to act aloof or to even speak casually.
Only after they left the shuttle were they able to relax somewhat, but moments later, all of them became stunned as their eyes bulged and their faces filled with shock.
Seeing the magnificent white jade steps and feeling the incredibly rich World Energy aura made each of these guests almost think that they were no longer on Shadowed Star.
“This…” Qian Tong opened his mouth to speak but was unable to form his thoughts into words.
“Senior, this is my High Heaven Sect’s headquarters. What do you think?” Yang Kai stood up beside him and introduced with a smile.
Qian Tong and the others glanced over at him speechlessly. It was only after quite some time that Qian Tong managed to say, “Little brat, why did you have to show off such a sight to us? The richness of the aura here is something this old master has never seen before in his life.”
“Yeah… this is without a doubt the best cultivation paradise on Shadowed Star,” Mo Yu also nodded solemnly, his face filled with envy. Clear Sky Sect’s headquarters was also located in a mountain range with rich World Energy aura, but compared to this place, the disparity was not small. On top of that, this was just the entranceway to the Sect, so what would it be like inside?
“These must be the ruins of some ancient Sect, yes? There’s no way you could have built such a massive headquarters in such a short time,” Fei Zhi Tu looked at Yang Kai thoughtfully.
“City Lord Fei’s insight is quite sharp. Yes, this is indeed the ruins of an ancient Sect. We are simply the doves occupying this magpie nest,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“Nonsense, you being able to occupy this place is due to your own good fortune. Even if others wanted to occupy this place, they couldn’t,” Qian Tong smiled and shook his head. He was still unable to figure out how they had so easily crossed the Flame Area just now.
Wasn’t this place a Forbidden Zone? Wasn’t it supposed to be impossible for Origin Returning Realm masters to step into this place?
“If you want to talk, we should go inside first. Why just stand around gawking at the entryway?” Ye Xi Yun said lightly before walking up the jade steps alongside Yang Yan.
Since Ye Xi Yun had spoken, no one dared disagree, all of them quickly following behind her.
Walking along the road, Qian Tong and the others secretly surveyed their surroundings and were thoroughly shocked by the richness of the World Energy aura here. A few words were exchanged now and then as the overall atmosphere remained harmonious.
Yang Kai brought up the rear, accompanied by Wei Gu Chang and the others from the younger generation, laughing and chatting with each other the whole way.
Not long after, this small group of people arrived at the Front Court of High Heaven Sect. Seeing the exquisite palaces and massive, open squares once again amazed the newcomers, and the richness of the World Energy made them unconsciously take a few more deep breaths.
Fascination and envy appeared on all their faces.
Looking up, the entire Flowing Flame Sand Field was still surrounded by the red flame barrier, but directly above the Front Court, there was actually an opening more than a dozen kilometres in size, allowing the natural sunlight to pour in.
The Emperor Garden could also be seen floating directly above.
“Please come in!” Yang Kai said aloud as he led everyone inside the reception hall.
This palace was where High Heaven Sect had decided to welcome honoured guests, and with Qian Tong and the others being their very first guests, Yang Kai would certainly not show any neglect.
After entering the reception hall, the host and guests were seated while High Heaven Sect disciples immediately began serving tea and trays of spirit fruits with great diligence.
Ye Xi Yun and Yang Yan did not join them, so Qian Tong and the others no longer felt suppressed and began drinking tea while offering liberal amounts of praise, expressing their respect and expectations for High Heaven Sect’s future.
Only after chatting casually for some time did Yang Kai smile and raise a more serious topic, “Although this is a bit abrupt, Junior would like to ask how many Emperor Jades have appeared now and how many have several Seniors’ Sects managed to acquire.”
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu’s eyes flashed as they pondered for a moment before the former replied, “You and I are not strangers, and Brother Mo and I have known each other for hundreds of years and can be considered old friends. If someone else were to have asked this, this old master would definitely not respond, but since it is you… En, my Shadow Moon Hall has worked hard but only managed to obtain two pieces so far.”
Saying so, he turned his head to look at Mo Yu, who grinned meaningfully and said, “While my Clear Sky Sect is situated quite far from where the Emperor Garden originally appeared, our luck was quite good with one piece of Emperor Jade landing near the Sect’s headquarters while this Mo, through some coincidences, managed to obtain another!”
They had two pieces, equaling the number Shadow Moon Hall had.
On the other side, Dai Yuan lightly opened her lips and replied, “I don’t know exactly how many Coloured Glass Sect managed to obtain, but from listening to my Honoured Master, it doesn’t appear to be many, at most one or two pieces.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, the numbers reported here were similar to what he had predicted. The day the Emperor Jades appeared; the first piece landed on Dragon Cave Mountain, causing Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array to be destroyed. After obtaining this piece of Emperor Jade, Yang Kai, Yang Yan, and Ye Xi Yun managed to collect another on their way to the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
Afterwards, the three of them left to track down other Emperor Jades but had failed to obtain any, instead wasting quite a bit of time and effort.
In other words, Yang Kai only had two Emperor Jades as well!
Emperor Jades were entry passes to the Emperor Garden and could be used to resist the omnipresent Emperor Pressure. A piece of Emperor Jade could only guarantee a single person’s safe entrance into the Emperor Garden and the quantity that each of the great Sects was able to obtain was quite low, so when the Emperor Garden really opened, there would definitely be some disputes and even bloodshed.
The Emperor Garden was far too attractive for any Third-Order Origin Returning Realm Master. They, more than anyone else, would want to enter it to seek opportunities that may let them break through to the Origin King Realm.
The disciples from the younger generation also needed to be counted amongst the hopeful entrants; after all, each Sect had one or two young geniuses whom they considered to be the future hopes of their Sect. By allowing these disciples to enter the Emperor Garden for life experience and to seek opportunities, it would benefit their future growth.
However, the number of people who could enter was severely limited, and how to decide who would go would depend heavily on the individual Sects themselves. Yang Kai estimated that at least one member of the older generation would lead a member from the younger generation to enter together.
“Heh, although the Emperor Jades appearing is no doubt a good thing, they also set off a reign of terror on Shadowed Star. It seems that a lot of small forces and families were completely destroyed during the recent period, all because of the Emperor Jades!” Qian Tong sighed, shaking his head slowly.
An ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make one guilty! Some small Sects and small families had the good fortune of obtaining an Emperor Jade, but after word leaked out, they were naturally targeted by powerful masters, ultimately leading to their destruction.
In addition, Emperor Jades had become the most sought-after treasure now, so some cultivators without backers that obtained them tried to sell them since they knew they were too weak to keep the Jades.
This naturally attracted countless buyers and robbers.
Today, the price of an Emperor Jade could be calculated by the hundreds of millions, but they were still in short supply.
Which Sect did not want to have one more entry pass? This was different from the Flowing Flame Sand Field. After the Flowing Flame Sand Field opened, only cultivators below the Origin Returning Realm could enter, but the Emperor Garden had no such restrictions.
It could be said that the emergence of Emperor Jades had stirred up chaos and intrigue all across Shadowed Star.
Although Shadow Moon Hall only had two Emperor Jades today, that did not mean it would stay that way. Perhaps they would be lucky enough to purchase another Emperor Jade and increase the number of cultivators they could send in.
After these thoughts flashed across his mind, Yang Kai asked, “May I ask then, do all of you understand what the purpose of this Emperor Jade is?”
Qian Tong smiled slightly before touching his Space Ring and taking out a white jade token the size of a palm, an Emperor Jade. He naturally, and calmly responded, “Although no one has ever used this kind of thing before, according to the analysis of my Shadow Moon Hall’s Elders, this Emperor Jade is probably a pass which allows one to enter the Emperor Garden.”
Saying so, he began pouring his Saint Qi into the Emperor Jade, causing a white light to burst from it which soon spread out past Qian Tong’s palm.
This white halo was not very big, only about half a meter in diameter after fully forming.
“Oh? It’s slightly bigger than before,” Qian Tong raised his brow, showing a touch of joy, explaining to Yang Kai in the next moment, “When this old master poured his Saint Qi into this Emperor Jade a few days ago, this light halo wasn’t so big. It seems that as time passes, the light halo produced by this Emperor Jade gradually becomes larger, and when it can completely cover a person, that’s probably a sign they can enter the Emperor Garden safely.”
“Exactly!” Mo Yu nodded lightly to the side, “Brother Qian’s speculations match with this Mo’s.”
Saying so, Mo Yu took out his own Emperor Jade and poured his Saint Qi into it, causing another white halo equal in size to the one covering Qian Tong’s palm to appear before continuing, “No one is capable of resisting the Emperor Pressure emitted from the Emperor Garden; it can only be resisted by this Emperor Jade. If this weren’t the case, no matter how high one’s cultivation might be, there would only be one fate for approaching the Emperor Garden!”
Death!
After the Emperor Garden had appeared, nearly a hundred masters from Shadowed Star’s great forces banded to try to approach it, but during this attempt, half of these masters were killed by the ambient Emperor Pressure. Since then, the various great forces on Shadowed Star had been monitoring the Emperor Garden’s movements while trying to find a way to resolve the problem of the Emperor Pressure it constantly exuded, but none of them had come up with a good solution.
The emergence of the Emperor Jades had solved this issue though.
Mo Yu and Qian Tong thought that Yang Kai didn’t know anything about this matter so they kindly explained their hypotheses to him; what they didn’t know was that Yang Kai was clearer about this than any of them.
Yang Kai had invited them into High Heaven Sect with the intention to tell them about the purpose of these Emperor Jade, but now it seems he had done something unnecessary. These old fogies were not stupid, so they had naturally come up with some ideas on their own through observation and experimentation.
“Judging from the rate at which these light halos are increasing in size, I’d say it will be another half a year at least before we are able to enter the Emperor Garden safely!” Qian Tong looked over at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gently nodded in agreement.
Half a year was quite a long buffer period, enough time for at least the various great forces to buy up more Emperor Jades and do some preparations before entering the Emperor Garden. Although trying to increase their cultivation level in such a period would be impossible for most, it was actually just right to Yang Kai.
Now that he had reached the peak of the Third-Order Saint King Realm, he was just one step away from the Origin Returning Realm. If his luck was good and he had enough opportunity, he could use this half a year to break through, and as long as he reached the Origin Realm, his strength would greatly increase.
If Yang Kai could achieve this, his safety would be much more assured when the time came to enter the Emperor Garden.
Secretly making up his mind, Yang Kai next thought about some issues which had been bothering him, pausing for a moment before asking, “Right, how and when did the Emperor Garden suddenly rush over to my High Heaven Sect?”
Qian Tong and the others looked at each other and smiled bitterly.
Fei Zhi Tu explained, “Only the Heavens would know why this happened. This old master even suspected it was some kind of trick you pulled, or that someone from your little group had some kind of connection to the Emperor Garden. Otherwise, how could it chase after you like this?”
Although he knew the other party was joking, Yang Kai’s brow could not help twitching. After all, what Fei Zhi Tu said was essentially right, the reason the Emperor Garden seemed to be chasing after Yang Kai was completely because of Yang Yan, but this was naturally not something which could be spoken aloud.
“As for when it happened, it was about a month ago. For a time after you left Dragon Cave Mountain, the Emperor Garden did not show any kind of change, but one day, it just disappeared, all of a sudden. At that time, all of us old masters had a scare, thinking that the Emperor Garden had vanished and we missed a giant opportunity as a result, but we soon learned that it had simply relocated to the Flowing Flame Sand Field. In the end, we all ran over and sure enough, the Emperor Garden really was here,” Fei Zhi Tu spoke helplessly while shaking his head, seemingly exhausted after being made to run after the Emperor Garden.
This was the former private residence of the Starry Sky Great Emperor; naturally, no one wanted it to just disappear from sight.
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai gently nodded before smiling, “It seems my High Heaven Sect and the Emperor Garden share some kind of fate, wherever we go it seems to follow.”
When these words were spoken, everyone present smiled, not taking Yang Kai seriously.
After chatting again for a while, Mo Yu’s expression became serious and he spoke, “Sect Master Yang, this old master has a request I hope you can agree to!”
Yang Kai grinned heartily and said, “Senior Mo is too polite, although I am a Sect Master, I am still just a Junior. If Senior Mo would like, feel free to just address me as Yang Kai, the title Sect Master does not really suit me.”
A slightly startled light flashed across Mo Yu’s eyes before he let out a burst of hearty laughter and spoke happily, “Good, good, Sect Master Yang is truly a free spirit, not bothered by meaningless trifles, very much in line with this old master’s own personality.”
“Senior is too kind,” Yang Kai replied modestly before asking, “What request does Senior wish to discuss with me?”
Although he was asking this, Yang Kai vaguely guessed what Mo Yu wanted to say.
Mo Yu lightly coughed, his expression turning serious again, “Now that the Emperor Garden is floating directly above your noble Sect, your noble Sect clearly has a distinct advantage over all others. I was wondering if it would be possible for my Clear Sky Sect to depart from here on the day the Emperor Garden opens to enter it.”
Sure enough, it was just as Yang Kai had guessed. Now that the Emperor Garden was floating above High Heaven Sect, if one could depart from here, it would save them at least half a day of time compared to setting out from outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field. Half a day would be enough to find and obtain many good things.
It was not easy for Mo Yu to make this request though; after all, his relationship with Yang Kai was quite thin, and it would not be surprising for him to be rejected outright.