Worried about this very possibility, Mo Yu immediately added, “Of course, if you Sect Master Yang feels this is inappropriate then just pretend this old master had not asked.”
“Inappropriate?” Yang Kai shook his head slowly while saying casually, “Since Senior Mo is the Honoured Master of Sister Chen and Sister Lu Ying, this Junior certainly won’t refuse. Not to mention departing for the Emperor Garden from here, if Senior Mo likes, you are free to wait here in my High Heaven Sect until the day arrives.”
As soon as this statement came out, Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying, who had been standing behind Mo Yu, both had a brilliant light flash across their beautiful eyes as they cast grateful looks towards Yang Kai.
Mo Yu also wore a look of joy on his face, not previously expecting Yang Kai to agree so easily. He had still been considering whether he should have Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying ask personally if Yang Kai refused, but it seems there was no need to do so at all now.
Mo Yu deeply admired Yang Kai’s forthrightness; after all, this kind of matter was not something to be casually decided upon. Clearly, the other party so readily agreeing was completely because of Chen Shi Tao and Lu Ying’s face.
Although these two disciples of his did not have the best of aptitudes, their luck was quite good and they had made a very good friend. Mo Yu immediately felt relieved and offered his sincere thanks. As for Yang Kai inviting him to remain here in High Heaven Sect, Mo Yu naturally had not taken him seriously as it was obvious that this was simply Yang Kai being polite.
High Heaven Sect had only just been founded, and certainly had many matters to attend to, having Yang Kai agree to let Clear Sky Sect use it as a staging ground on the day the Emperor Garden opened was already more than Mo Yu could have expected, so how could he be brazen enough to remain and take advantage of the latter’s hospitality as well?
“En, Elder Qian and Shadow Moon Hall’s contingent are also welcome to set out for the Emperor Garden from my High Heaven Sect!” Yang Kai turned his head to Qian Tong and spoke.
“If that’s the case, this old master will offer his thanks in advance,” Qian Tong grinned meaningfully, not bothering to be polite. Yang Kai had already agreed to allow Clear Sky Sect to enter the Emperor Garden from here, so he definitely would not refuse Shadow Moon Hall doing the same; Qian Tong understood this well.
“Sister Dai Yuan, if you’re interested, you can also set out from here,” Yang Kai looked over at Dai Yuan and said, adding afterwards, “But the others from Coloured Glass Sect may not.”
Although Yang Kai was good to his friends, that did not mean he was charitable to others. Allowing these people to enter the Emperor Garden from High Heaven Sect was all because he had personal friendships with them, but that did not mean he would extend the same courtesy to Coloured Glass Sect. He had no friendship with anyone else in Coloured Glass Sect, and even had a grudge with Yin Su Die.
Dai Yuan’s face became gloomy as she smiled bitterly, “Dai Yuan thanks Junior Brother Yang for his kindness, but… I probably won’t have an opportunity to enter the Emperor Garden.”
Yang Kai frowned but soon understood why she said this. In Coloured Glass Sect, Dai Yuan was not thought of very highly. If there really was a disciple from the younger generation eligible to enter the Emperor Garden, it would be Yin Su Die, not her; after all, the quotas for entering were simply too precious.
Qian Tong, however, grinned meaningfully and said, “Dai Yuan, there’s no need to belittle yourself so. If it was before, I’d agree that you really don’t have a chance to enter the Emperor Garden, but now… heh heh, although this old master doesn’t dare make a guarantee, there’s probably at least a seventy percent chance you will be able to, as long as that old fogey Gong Xing He hasn’t gone senile yet.”
Dai Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly as she turned to look at Qian Tong in surprise, seemingly not understanding why he would make such an assertion.
However, she was not a fool and quickly understood after some thought!
Indeed, if it were before, she would not have a chance to enter the Emperor Garden, but now, the only one who had any kind of relationship with Yang Kai in Coloured Glass Sect was her. They could even be considered close friends. If Coloured Glass Sect really wanted to be on good terms with Yang Kai, they would not mistreat Dai Yuan.
And did Coloured Glass Sect want to be on good terms with Yang Kai? Absolutely.
Without even mentioning that High Heaven Sect was the best place to enter the Emperor Garden from, the Origin King Grade Starship in Yang Kai’s possession was not something Coloured Glass Sect’s Sect Master Gong Xing He could ignore. He was also a master at the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and wanted to break through to the Origin King Realm!
To break through to the Origin King Realm, one needed to leave Shadowed Star to escape the shackles of the World Principles here.
The only way to do this, however, was by travelling aboard Yang Kai’s Origin King Grade Starship.
As such, Gong Xing He definitely wanted to be on good terms with Yang Kai and High Heaven Sect, which would lead to Dai Yuan having an opportunity to obtain an Emperor Jade in turn.
Considering all this, Dai Yuan could not help feeling excited as she cast her beautiful eyes towards Yang Kai with gratitude.
Although this matter was far from certain, she now had a chance to enter the Emperor Garden at least, and it was all because of Yang Kai.
When a person’s ability and resources reach a certain level, they can affect the destiny of others, both subtly and overtly! Before now, Dai Yuan had not really given such sentiments much thought, but now she was able to experience it personally, astonishing her somewhat.
With Dai Yuan immediately understanding the crux of this matter, Yang Kai naturally wasn’t ignorant of it either, grinning as he said, “Sister Dai Yuan, after returning to your Sect, please mention to Senior Gong that if Coloured Glass Sect’s delegation is lead by you, this Sect Master would have no reason to not allow them to depart for the Emperor Garden from High Heaven Sect!”
As soon as this remark came out, Dai Yuan’s tender body shivered as she bit her thin lip, not knowing what to say, only able to wear a look of gratitude on her face that everyone was able to understand.
Yang Kai’s words just now were tantamount to forcing Coloured Glass Sect to give her an entry quota!
Although his remarks may have sounded somewhat overbearing, Coloured Glass Sect would obviously make a smart choice; after all, Dai Yuan was a disciple of Coloured Glass Sect, so if she obtained some benefits from the Emperor Garden, it would also increase Coloured Glass Sect’s strength.
Taking a deep breath, Dai Yuan slowly got up and elegantly bowed to Yang Kai. Although she did not speak any words, this gesture was enough to express her attitude.
Qian Tong and the others present all observed this with thought-provoking smiles.
In truth, the few old men present did not quite understand why a young man like Yang Kai cared so much about a woman like Dai Yuan; after all, she was unattractive!
Unattractive was putting it politely, ugly was really the only way Dai Yuan’s face could be described!
However, as a result, their evaluations of Yang Kai rose further, thinking this boy was not someone who judged others by appearance, placing more importance on sentiment and friendship.
After Dai Yuan excitedly took her seat again, Yang Kai suddenly had a thought and grinned as he asked, “Several Seniors, if you can, I’d like you to help this Junior with a little something.”
“Oh?” Qian Tong looked at Yang Kai with a surprised look, “Boy, your means and methods are now extraordinarily high. What do you need our help for? Well, whatever it is, feel free to mention it, it’s a chance for we old masters to do you a favour.”
Fei Zhi Tu and Mo Yu also nodded, turning to Yang Kai curiously.
Yang Kai smiled treacherously and whispered a few words to them.
After Qian Tong and the others heard what he said, they all exchanged a somewhat blank glance before grinning themselves, Qian Tong putting on a forced smile, “Boy, you’re seriously quite crafty. If this kind of news gets out, you’ll likely be able to achieve your objective in short order!”
“Exactly. High Heaven Sect now occupies this incredible geographical advantage, so not using it to your advantage to do some business would be a shame!” Fei Zhi Tu grinned fiercely.
“I’m simply making use of local resources, drinking fresh water from the local stream. Several Seniors don’t need to taunt this Junior,” Yang Kai quickly waved his hand.
“Rest assured, after this old master leaves here, he will definitely spread the word for you, and… even if we don’t say anything, those people outside will probably come here on their own to ask. In fact, I’m sure they’re impatiently trying to figure out a way to do just that right now,” Mo Yu chuckled.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he could not help somewhat looking forward to the future.
This was understandable though. Just now, he had asked Qian Tong and the others here to spread word that High Heaven Sect intended to sell several spots to outside Sects to depart from inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field on the day the Emperor Garden opened.
However, there would only be three such spots, and as for the price, Yang Kai did not mention one, simply implying that whichever great force bids the highest would win the best starting position.
The best spot and the worst spot would mean a difference of three to four hours extra distance from the Emperor Garden.
If anyone was willing to offer up an Emperor Jade, their Sect would even be allowed to set off directly from High Heaven Sect’s Front Court.
Yang Kai currently only had two Emperor Jades, but High Heaven Sect required at least three. He and Yang Yan needed to enter the Emperor Garden, and Ye Xi Yun would certainly need to accompany them as well; after all, she was one of, if not the, strongest master on Shadowed Star, having her by their side would increase their safety margin greatly. Lacking this last Emperor Jade, Yang Kai had been somewhat worried, but now there was a good chance for him to solve this problem.
Departing from High Heaven Sect’s Front Court to enter the Emperor Garden had an incredible appeal, one strong enough that trading an Emperor Jade might be worth it.
Qian Tong and the others praised his proposal, but also warned Yang Kai to remain cautious and not let the people he sold these spots to take advantage of him.
Yang Kai naturally nodded. Since he had decided to do this, he would certainly not make any careless mistakes, planning on having Yang Yan arrange several powerful Spirit Arrays at the designated departure spots so as not to let outsiders wander about freely in his territory.
If anyone dared to leave the designated spots, he would show them no mercy!
As such, this danger was not difficult to avoid.
Afterwards, Yang Kai politely asked Qian Tong and the others for their insights about breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm, a request to which everyone freely offered their own experiences and comprehensions, allowing Yang Kai to benefit greatly.
In particular, the opinions of Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er were extremely helpful to Yang Kai; after all, these two had only broken through recently, so many of their experiences and insights were still quite fresh in their mind. Although their overall comprehension of this matter fell behind Qian Tong and other masters’, they won out in terms of familiarity and understandability.
Dai Yuan also listened very seriously!
Like Yang Kai, she was a peak Third-Order Saint King and would enter retreat to break through to the Origin Returning Realm after returning to Coloured Glass Sect. She also had the Origin Condensing Pill that Yang Kai had given her a while back, so she was completely confident in succeeding.
After half a day, Yang Kai got up and saw his guests off from the reception hall. Outside, Wu Yi personally escorted them out of the Flowing Flame Sand Field via the Flying Shark Battle Shuttle.
Sitting in the reception hall, Yang Kai sank into contemplation for a moment before taking out his communication artifact and pouring his Divine Sense into it.
A moment later, Yang Yan arrived.
Yang Kai told her about his idea of selling departure spots, causing Yang Yan to nod in praise and immediately set off to start making preparations. After all, this news would draw the attention of countless forces and would no doubt set off intense competition.
As for who would end up winning these precious few spots, Yang Kai believed that Wu Yi and Yang Yan would be able to handle it properly. With nothing else for Yang Kai to worry about now, he could focus on breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm!
After giving a brief explanation of things to Yang Yan, Yang Kai immediately returned to First Heavenly Palace and entered retreat.
Inferring from the rate at which the protective cover formed by the Emperor Jades was expanding, the Emperor Garden would open in roughly half a year. Breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm in half a year would be a bit rushed, but it shouldn’t be a problem.
This was the first time Yang Kai had deliberately entered retreat to achieve a breakthrough.
In the past, his breakthroughs had all occurred naturally and were never forced, but this time’s expedition to the Emperor Garden was extremely important. Therefore, with his strength slightly lacking at the Third-Order Saint King Realm, it was natural that Yang Kai wanted to try and raise his cultivation to the next realm.
Forcing a breakthrough was somewhat contrary to the meaning of cultivation, but this was not a big problem. Yang Kai had remained in the Third-Order Saint King Realm for some time now and had experienced several great battles, so he was not lacking in comprehension of his realm. There was also no need to worry about the purity, density, and amount of his Saint Qi, so all he was lacking now was some kind of opportunity to break through.
Inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, his expression indifferent, not hurrying to enter a meditative state or accumulate strength. Instead, he calmly began taking out a large number of herbs from his Space Ring and summoned his Alchemy Furnace.
He was preparing to refine pills!
Alchemy was also a part of his cultivation. Through Alchemy, Yang Kai could stabilize his mood while tempering his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy, something which had been of great benefit to him.
Few people knew he was an Alchemist. Besides Dai Yuan who had asked him to help him once, Yang Yan was likely the only one who knew this. Even Wu Yi wasn’t in the know. Yang Kai had told her once but Wu Yi hadn’t believed him at the time.
After all, a cultivator being able to reach the Third-Order Saint King Realm at Yang Kai’s age was already an incredible feat, so how could he have the extra time and energy to study Alchemy as well?
She had figured that Yang Kai was just joking with her.
However, Yang Kai was indeed an Alchemist, and an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist at that. Currently, Yang Kai could easily refine Origin Grade Mid-Rank pills, and occasionally, with good luck, he could even refine Origin Grade High-Rank pills.
If this information were to be leaked out, Yang Kai’s status would immediately soar and countless great forces would no doubt try to recruit him.
Even if this was a different Cultivation Star in the Star Field, an Origin Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist would still be a remarkable existence, not to mention in a place like Shadowed Star. But along with such lofty status, it would also cause countless masters to target him.
Yang Kai only used Alchemy as an auxiliary to his cultivation and did not intend to fully devote himself to the Alchemic Way, so how could he allow such sensitive information leak out knowing that it would only cause him trouble?
As he pushed his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy and wrapped it around his Alchemy furnace, Yang Kai began refining one spirit herb after another in an orderly fashion.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was a month later.
At this moment, inside First Heavenly Palace, there was an array of big and small jade bottles in front of Yang Kai, each one filled with pills of varying grades, many of which had fine lines that resembled human meridians emblazoned across their surfaces.
Pill Veins!
These special lines dramatically increased the value of a pill. Pill Veins not only doubled the efficacy of a pill, they also ensured that its potency would not diminish over time if stored properly.
Pill Veins were thought to only be coincidental, and countless Alchemists spent their entire lifetimes trying to find a way to refine pills that formed Pill Veins only to ultimately fail. Yang Kai, however, had a different approach to forming Pill Veins by treating them as a special type of Spirit Array and arranging them thus. As a result, the pills stemming from his hand normally had a terrifying chance of forming Pill Veins.
On Rainfall Star, Grandmaster Zong Ao was thoroughly shocked by Yang Kai’s methods.
At that time, Yang Kai was just a Saint King Grade Alchemist while Zong Ao was already an Origin Grade High-Rank Alchemist, but the problem which had plagued Zong Ao for over a hundred years was something Yang Kai actually managed to accomplish with ease, so how could Zong Ao not be shocked?
Although the two made a deal and Yang Kai taught Zong Ao his special method of forming Pill Veins, the latter was still somewhat frustrated because he didn’t possess Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Knowledge Sea and could not easily use his Divine Sense during Alchemy to portray the necessary Spirit Arrays. However, carefully cutting rough stone into jade, Zong Ao did not leave empty handed from this transaction, and after so many years, Yang Kai wondered whether this old man had reached the rank of Origin King Grade Alchemist.
If Zong Ao was successful, he could be counted among the peak characters in the entire Star Field, enjoying admiration and worship from trillions of cultivators.
Putting away these miscellaneous thoughts, Yang Kai’s eyes swept over the results of his one month’s labour.
Tri-Clear Pill, Jade Spirit Pill, Saint King Pill, Returning Yuan Pill…
There were many types of pills laid out before Yang Kai and he had nearly exhausted his supply of spirit grasses and spirit fruits.
With a flick of his wrist though, a certain pale blue pill appeared between Yang Kai’s fingers, one that released a rich, stimulating fragrance. This pill was only the size of a longan and was densely covered with Pill Veins.
Origin Condensing Pill!
Saint Kings who attempted to break through to the Origin Returning Realm could use this pill as an auxiliary to promote their chances of success! Dai Yuan had gone to Dragon Cave Mountain some time ago specifically to ask Yang Kai to refine an Origin Condensing Pill for her; however, at that time, Yang Kai had not acted fully and only produced an ordinary Origin Condensing Pill without Pill Veins, causing it to be vastly different in value to the one he was currently holding.
Staring at this pill, Yang Kai revealed a thoughtful look, but after a long silence, he put it away again.
This was the fallback guarantee he prepared for himself, to ensure that he could break through to the Origin Realm!
If he could not achieve a breakthrough on his own before the Emperor Garden was scheduled to open, he would use this Origin Condensing Pill to assist him.
Breaking through to the next realm with the assistance of some special pills was not uncommon; in fact, ninety nine percent of cultivators would do so at some point, but doing so would result in a cultivator losing out on the insights and comprehensions they could gain by achieving a breakthrough on their own. This led to varying degrees of imperfection in one’s breakthrough.
It was difficult to say if this ultimately resulted in any disadvantages to a cultivator. Perhaps it would affect their future achievements negatively, or perhaps it would have no effect at all, there was even a chance it had some deleterious effects, but they were so minimal that they could essentially be ignored.
Yang Kai, however, had never used any pills to assist him in breaking through as he did not want any flaws to appear in his cultivation path.
Of course, this was simply a convention he had followed until now and Yang Kai was not so rigid that he would adhere to it at the expense of more urgent and important considerations. This Origin Condensing Pill that had Pill Veins was refined by him simply as a measure of last resort.
Now that he had finished adjusting his mood by refining so many pills, Yang Kai inhaled a deep breath and took out a fist-sized spherical white crystal from his Space Ring.
Saint Crystal Source!
This was a special product that the Stone Puppet could produce by swallowing and condensing Saint Crystals and was an existence above High-Rank Saint Crystals in terms of purity and richness of energy. It was the best auxiliary source of Saint Qi to use during a secluded retreat.
Below First Heavenly Palace, there was a Spirit Spring that constantly produced a steady stream of World Energy, making the aura here extremely rich. Together with these Saint Crystal Sources, Yang Kai’s cultivation speed could only be described as rapid, so with a five month buffer period, he was confident he could break through to the Origin Realm.
Just as he was preparing to enter a state of meditative cultivation, Yang Kai suddenly showed a look of surprise as he glanced outwards.
Someone had touched upon First Heavenly Palace’s barrier, causing Yang Kai to frown.
Before entering retreat, he had specifically told Yang Yan to not disturb him until the opening day of the Emperor Garden, so why after just one month had passed had someone come to seek him?
Could something important have come up in High Heaven Sect?
Thinking so, Yang Kai quickly got up and walked out, waving his hand to open the isolation barrier.
Not long after, Yang Kai arrived outside First Heavenly Palace and found Qian Yue waiting for him. Upon seeing Yang Kai walk out, Qian Yue saluted him quickly.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Kai asked while carefully observing her reactions but not finding any sign of tension on Qian Yue’s face. Obviously, High Heaven Sect had not encountered some kind of difficulty.
“Sister Yang Yan asked me to call you over,” Qian Yue replied softly.
“Yang Yan?” Yang Kai’s brow twitched when his suspicions were confirmed. In High Heaven Sect, no one would dare disturb him while he was in retreat besides her. Pausing for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Did she say why she wanted me to see her?”
Qian Yue shook her head slowly, pursing her lips and smiling, “Sister Yang Yan just said she had something good to show you.”
“A good thing?” Yang Kai frowned before snorting and mumbling, “That woman’s head is getting a bit too big, disturbing me at this critical time and even calling me over to see her. If this good thing of hers isn’t worth my attention just watch how I tidy her up!”
Saying so, he flew off.
Releasing his Divine Sense around, Yang Kai quickly found Yang Yan’s location.
Hundred Flower Peak, the place where Yang Yan and Ye Xi Yun lived, a mountain covered in a profound Spirit Array that made the temperature feel spring-like all year round and was completely covered in all kinds of rare and precious flowers, making it one of the most elegant and beautiful places in High Heaven Sect.
Hundred Flower Peak was a dozen or so kilometres away from First Heavenly Palace, so with Yang Kai’s current speed, this kind of distance could be crossed in but a moment.
Soon, Yang Kai landed on Hundred Flower Peak and across the expansive fields of blossoms, he saw Yang Yan sitting at a stone table next to a small pavilion, one leg crossed across the other, drinking tea leisurely. Ye Xiang Yun actually stood behind her with a respectful and humble look upon her face, just like a humble maidservant.
The Stone Puppet was also here, squatting on the stone table in front of Yang Yan, its face completely blank, like a statue.
“Yang Kai!” Yang Yan shouted happily when she saw Yang Kai arrive.
“Whatever this good thing is, hurry up and show me,” Yang Kai appeared in front of her and declared, disinclined to engage in idle chatter. Time was short for him right now, so how could he have the mind to discuss any nonsense with Yang Yan?
“Why so anxious?” Yang Yan curled her lips, but still didn’t waste any time, wiping her Space Ring and taking out something that looked like an ore.
This thing was bronze-coloured and irregular in shape, roughly the size of a washbasin with its surface full of pits.
Looking at this thing, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as he showed a look of confusion.
With his eyesight, he could naturally tell this ore was some kind of very high-grade material, but he could not tell what it was.
It wasn’t surprising that Yang Kai couldn’t recognize this material though. Although Yang Kai had travelled widely over the years and could be considered well-informed, he still could not identify all of the strange materials in this world.
However, since Yang Yan had deemed to disturb him at such a critical time for this piece of ore, its value was certainly not trivial and was also very likely of great use to him somehow.
Otherwise, Yang Yan would not have acted so.
Sweeping this ore with his Divine Sense though, Yang Kai still couldn’t see anything extraordinary about it, as if it was nothing more than an ordinary stone.
“Try pouring your Saint Qi into it!” Yang Yan prompted.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate, stretching out his hand to touch the ore and pouring out his Saint Qi, but in the next instant, his expression changed dramatically and he quickly withdrew his hand, calling out in alarm, “It absorbed my Saint Qi?”
This was not Yang Kai simply raising a fuss, this ore was simply that strange. When he poured his Saint Qi into it, it was as if he was pouring water into a bottomless sea, causing no reaction at all. It was like this ore could endlessly absorb his Saint Qi.
This kind of situation was one he had never encountered before.
This piece of ore was truly amazing!
“What is this?” Yang Kai suddenly became interested and raised his head to ask.
“Divine Nullification Stone!”
“Divine Nullification Stone?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed. He had never heard of such a thing before. Even Ye Xi Yun, who was standing behind Yang Yan, frowned, obviously hearing about it for the first time as well.
“What use does it have?”
“Didn’t you see just now?” Yang Yan smiled softly, “Nullifying Saint Qi is the most important property of Divine Nullification Stone. It is a genuine Origin King Grade Artifact Refining material as well, so what do you think would happen if you were to fight an opponent using an artifact refined from this?”
Hearing her explanation, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. If this was the case, then an artifact refined from Divine Nullification Stone could instantly destroy any kind of Martial Skill, because Martial Skills were condensed from a cultivator’s Saint Qi, which this Divine Nullification Stone could essentially erase before it even had a chance to do any damage.
“Yup, this really is a treasure,” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, and since it was an Origin King Grade Artifact Refining material, any artifact refined from it would also be Origin King Grade. This grade of artifact on Shadowed Star was incredibly rare.
The Bone Incinerating Flame Lamp in Ye Xi Yun’s hands was an Origin King Grade artifact that was famous across all of Shadowed Star for instance.
After offering his sincere evaluation, Yang Kai’s brow suddenly furrowed again as he asked, “But what does this have to do with me?”
He didn’t believe Yang Yan had called him out just to show off this piece of Origin King Grade Artifact Refining material! After all, Yang Yan wasn’t bored to such an extent. There had to be another purpose to all this.
“This Divine Nullification Stone really has nothing to do with you, but the things inside of it are very useful to you!” Yang Yan smiled meaningfully.
“There’s something inside of it?” Yang Kai looked surprised.
“En, Divine Nullification Stone is a very special ore that can absorb and nullify all forms of energy, even the ambient World Energy aura. This piece of Divine Nullification Stone was given to us by a mid-scale family. According to their Patriarch, it was obtained by one of their ancestors in an Ancient Ruin several thousand years ago, so from this, it can be deduced that this ore definitely has a very long history.”
“Why would a mid-sized family deliver us this kind of treasure?” Yang Kai was even more confused.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to sell a few entry spots to the Emperor Garden? Now, all the great forces outside are struggling to obtain as many quotas to enter the Emperor Garden as possible. The fighting has been intense; even we need another Emperor Jade. This Divine Nullification Stone was the bargaining chip that a family offered!”
“So that’s how it is, it seems the people from that family aren’t very knowledgeable,” Yang Kai grinned, taking pleasure in others’ misfortune. An Origin King Grade material was far too precious on the Shadowed Star, so Yang Kai believed the other party did not understand just how valuable this ore was otherwise they wouldn’t have offered it to them.
“You’re wrong,” Yang Yan, however, shook her head, “Although that Fang Family is now in decline and doesn’t possess any kind of great strength at the moment, it had a number of powerful masters a few thousand years ago, so although they might not have been able to positively identify this Divine Nullification Stone, they would at least understand that it is an Origin King Grade material.”
Yang Kai frowned and hesitantly asked, “Then why…”
“It’s precisely because they know that it is Origin King Grade material that they decided to take out this Divine Nullification Stone to impress us. Do you think something worthless can snatch one of my High Heaven Sect’s departure spots from Shadowed Star’s countless forces?” Yang Yan smiled, “That Fang Family’s luck was good as they managed to obtain a single Emperor Jade, but their strongest master has only reached the Second-Order Origin Realm. If they want to have any hope of obtaining something good in the Emperor Garden, they can only try to win one of the early departure spots from us wholeheartedly.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, revealing a look of understanding.
An Origin King Grade material was indeed worth a fortune, but even if it was incredibly precious, compared to the temptation of entering the Emperor Garden in advance, it was still inferior because on all of Shadowed Star, no one could refine Origin King Grade materials. In other words, this Divine Nullification Stone was a very expensive but useless treasure to that family.
Since they had no way to make use of it, using it as a bargaining chip to win one of the departure spots from High Heaven Sect was a better idea.
Their luck was indeed good, bumping into someone as knowledgeable as Yang Yan. If it was someone else, they wouldn’t have been able to realize the value of this Divine Nullification Stone instantly.
After obtaining a lot of Saint Crystals and this Divine Nullification Stone from that small family, High Heaven Sect agreed to sell them one of the departure spots. Now, all they needed to do was wait for the Emperor Garden to open and they could set out from High Heaven Sect’s territory.
“What did you mean when you said the things inside this are of great use to me?” Yang Kai asked.
“Even if you didn’t ask, I would tell you. Otherwise, why do you think I would call you out here? Weren’t you looking for a supreme Earth Attribute treasure?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, a look of joy appearing on his face in the next instant, calling out in surprise, “You’re saying…”
“Exactly!” Yang Yan smiled, “Although the Divine Nullification Stone itself is not of the Earth Attribute, the Divine Nullification Sand inside it undoubtedly is a supreme Earth Attribute treasure, one that can meet your requirements!”
“Divine Nullification Sand!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
“After the Divine Nullification Stone swallows World Energy for a very long time, it will begin generating Divine Nullification Sand particles inside it. As for the Divine Nullification Stone itself, it has no use to you, but I can use it to refine some good artifacts instead.”
“Amazing!” Yang Kai grinned and rejoiced.
He had been looking for a supreme Earth Attribute treasure in order to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art. This Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was a Body Tempering Secret Art he found in the Ancient Yang Sect’s ruins, and according to the descriptions recorded inside it, if one cultivated it to the extreme, they would obtain an immortal and indestructible physique.
Yang Kai had anxiously wanted to cultivate it for some time now.
Unfortunately, the requirements to begin cultivating this Body Tempering Art were extremely high. Not only did one need to already possess a much higher physical strength than average, but they also needed a powerful Soul and supreme treasures from each of the five elements.
Regarding these supreme treasures, Yang Kai already possessed a Thunder Wood, Sun’s True Essence, Profound Yin Sunflower Water, and Ten Thousand Year Ice Jade.
At the last auction of Treasure Trove Pavilion, he had obtained a Profound Gold, a Gold Attribute supreme treasure. It was also for this reason he had gotten into a dispute with Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng. From that point, Yang Kai only needed to find an Earth Attribute supreme treasure.
If this Divine Nullification Sand was as Yang Yan said it was, then Yang Kai would now have supreme treasures from all five elements and he could immediately begin to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art!
The benefits of a strong physique were self-evident. Without even mentioning the advantage it brought when confronting enemies, if Yang Kai’s body wasn’t so powerful, every time he tore space and crossed thousands of kilometres in an instant, he would be shredded by the turbulence present in The Void.
As Yang Kai’s comprehension of the Dao of Space and his use of Space Force became more profound, the requirements of his physical body also became greater, so when he understood what the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art truly was, he was naturally ecstatic and immediately set about collecting the required materials.
In his excitement, Yang Kai hurriedly said, “What are you waiting for, hurry up and extract that Divine Nullification Sand!”
Yang Yan couldn’t help sneering at him when she heard this, “Do you think it’s so easy to take out? The Divine Nullification Stone can absorb and disperse all forms of energy, even I can’t refine it with my current abilities.”
“Uh…” Yang Kai’s expression stiffened for a moment, as if a pot of cold water had been dumped on his head, all his previous excitement and joy instantly vanishing.
Seeing this, Yang Yan giggled happily.
“You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” Yang Kai was furious. Seeing Yang Yan like this, how could he not know she had a solution to this problem? If she really couldn’t extract the Divine Nullification Sand, why would she have called him over?
“You didn’t let me finish speaking,” Yang Yan said smugly but no longer acted mysterious, her expression becoming serious as she explained, “While it’s true I don’t have the ability to refine this Divine Nullification Stone right now and extract the Divine Nullification Sand inside, he does!”
Saying so, Yang Yan pointed to the Stone Puppet sitting on the table.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up with understanding!
When one was too close to the solution, they often overlooked it. Yang Kai had forgotten about the Stone Puppet’s innate ability to devour the mineral essence of any kind of ore. While Divine Nullification Stone was indeed a very high grade of material, it certainly couldn’t resist the Stone Puppet.
After all, even the Thousand Illusion Coloured Glass Mountain was easily bitten into by the Stone Puppet, so how could this trivial Divine Nullification Stone be any different?
“However, I should warn you first, although Divine Nullification Sand will definitely form inside Divine Nullification Stone, the amount of Divine Nullification Sand will vary greatly depending on how old this Divine Nullification Stone is. Perhaps there will only be two or three grains inside that meet your requirements, or perhaps there will be dozens, it’ll be up to you to evaluate that, which is why I asked Qian Yue to call you out.”
Yang Kai frowned, what Yang Yan said just now he naturally understood. The longer they age, the more Divine Nullification Sand grains there would be, this was simply the way things were.
After hesitating for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “How long will it take for a grain of sand to form?”
“Hehe, the formation of this kind of thing is calculated in the thousands of years. If you’re thinking of waiting in order to increase your chances, I am afraid you’ll have to wait for a very long time!”
“Then I might as well extract them now!” Yang Kai’s look became firm as he turned to the Stone Puppet and gave it a command.
With Yang Kai’s order, the Stone Puppet immediately got up, pounded its two fists on its chest, then rushed over to the Divine Nullification Stone, clasping it in his hand and shoving it into its mouth.
The Stone Puppet’s mouth was not very big, but this bizarre thing was easily able to swallow the entire washbasin-sized Divine Nullification Stone, stunning Ye Xi Yun.
…..
An hour later, inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai sat cross-legged with a happy look on his face as he observed the six materials in front of him.
There was a piece of wood with rich vitality that had lightning arcs jumping between its green leaves. This was the Thunder Wood Yang Kai had preserved for many years. This Thunder Wood was born from the vital essence and Monster Core of a fallen Tenth-Order Thunder Luan Monster Beast through a series of opportunities and coincidences. Its value was much greater than the Monster Core of a Tenth-Order Monster Beast, and although it also had Thunder and Lightning Attributes, it was still categorized as a Wood Attribute supreme treasure.
A piece of Profound Gold the size of a palm that he had won the Treasure Trove Pavilion auction for 70 million Saint Crystals emitted an incredibly strong Gold Attribute aura, to the point where Yang Kai could feel a stinging pain on his hand from it.
The dozen or so milk-white drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water that Yang Kai had not yet used up exuded a profound chill from the bottle which held them.
A fiery-red, metallic sphere the size of a melon sat upon a large, pure, and flawless Ice Jade Pedestal. Both appeared rather plain, but one could freeze the Divine Sense of anyone who tried to examine it while the other alternately held a terrifying heat. They were the Ten Thousand Year Ice Jade Pedestal and Sun’s True Essence!
And now, in addition to these supreme treasures, there was a small pile of roughly a hundred gravel-like grains. These things looked no different from ordinary sand, but they were actually the Divine Nullification Sand grains that the Stone Puppet had extracted from the Divine Nullification Stone.
That piece of Divine Nullification Stone having formed so many grains of Divine Nullification Sand not only caused Yang Kai to rejoice, even Yang Yan was secretly shocked. She thought it would be quite good if there were twenty or thirty grains, but there ended up being several times that many in the end!
Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth; Yang Kai had gathered the supreme treasures from each of the five elements! There were even two treasures of the Water Attribute!
Each of these six materials was incredibly valuable and difficult to encounter over an entire lifetime, yet at this moment, they were all placed in front of Yang Kai. How could he not be happy?
With these, he could begin cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
If these materials were judged purely on their monetary value, the Thunder Wood and Profound Gold would undoubtedly be the least valuable while the rarest and most precious would no doubt be the melon-sized Sun’s True Essence.
After all, Sun’s True Essence was an extraordinary product refined by legendary masters from the cores of Sun Stars. If all the energy contained in this seemingly small piece of Sun’s True Essence were to be unleashed all at once, destroying Shadowed Star would not be a problem.
Looking at the materials in front of him, Yang Kai took a deep breath, calmed his excitement, and sank into contemplation.
The Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was a Secret Art dedicated to Body Tempering. A lot of time had passed since Yang Kai first obtained this Body Tempering Art, so he had naturally studied it thoroughly. Strictly speaking, this Secret Art was not very complicated, on the contrary, it was actually quite simple and easy to understand. What was difficult was acquiring the materials and meeting the requirements to begin cultivating this Secret Art.
Additionally, by using different materials to cultivate it, the end results would also differ. This was the most flexible aspect of the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art. In simple terms, the higher the grade of materials one used, the better the effects would be.
While there were good and bad points to the other materials, the Sun’s True Essence could be regarded as a pinnacle material, absolutely unequalled!
The Profound Yin Sunflower Water and Divine Nullification Sand were also nearly legendary existences. As for the Thunder Wood and Profound Gold, they were definitely slightly inferior in rank but were still extremely rare.
By using these materials to cultivate this Body Tempering Art, Yang Kai’s foundation would be extremely robust. Yang Kai believed that even if some other cultivator elsewhere in the Star Field managed to obtain the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, they would not be able to match him when it came to cultivation materials.
Feeling excited, Yang Kai began arranging a certain Spirit Array around himself.
In order to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, one needed to use a special Spirit Array. Regarding this, the Secret Art’s manual had explained in great detail.
Although Yang Kai wasn’t proficient in arranging Spirit Arrays, he had been together with Yang Yan for so long, observing her means and methods, that even if Spirit Arrays was not his speciality, it wasn’t difficult for him to arrange this simple Spirit Array.
Yang Kai first laid down a few Saint Crystal Sources in a specific pattern, then began arranging the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth attribute supreme treasures appropriately.
Two days later, Yang Kai gave a satisfactorily nod as he looked down at the Five Elements Indestructible Array he had painstakingly arranged. After carefully inspecting it one last time to confirm that he had not made any mistakes, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged in the centre of the array.
Wiping his Space Ring, Yang Kai took out a few pills before popping them into his mouth, closing his eyes, and circulating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
Saint Qi began flowing freely around Yang Kai as the surrounding ground lit up in a complex and complicated pattern, many large and small patterns and runes flickering unpredictably and mysteriously.
With a loud humming noise, the Saint Crystal Sources placed in the Five Elements Indestructible Array emitted a dazzling brilliance as the rich, pure energy contained inside them began pouring out.
With the Saint Crystal Sources supplying energy to it, the Five Elements Indestructible Array arranged around Yang Kai instantly activated.
An indescribable feeling permeated Yang Kai’s body as a profound and desolate aura flooded the entire First Heavenly Palace. It was almost as if, at this moment, Yang Kai had returned to a long-forgotten ancient era.
With a great whooshing sound, the Profound Gold, Thunder Wood, Profound Yin Sunflower Water, Sun’s True Essence, and Divine Nullification Sand seemed to be stimulated by some kind of invisible force and began leaking out the pure energy contained within them. The energy was then channelled towards the centre of the Five Elements Indestructible Array.
Naturally, at the centre of this array was where Yang Kai sat.
First Heavenly Palace suddenly became filled with five coloured light.
A green light came from the Thunder Wood, gold light from the Profound Gold, white light from the Profound Yin Sunflower Water, red light from the Sun’s True Essence, and yellow light from the Divine Nullification Sand… all of which seemed to possess some kind of spirituality as they drilled towards Yang Kai’s body.
In the next instant, Yang Kai trembled violently and his closed eyes shot open as he released a terrible roar from his throat, like a wounded beast which had just had its injuries set on fire.
An intense, unimaginable pain suddenly wracked Yang Kai’s body, making him feel like his bones were slowly being crushed. The pain suffered from injuries he had sustained in battle with others was incomparable to this as it seemed to be penetrating all the way to his Soul.
In a flash, Yang Kai understood why the requirements for a cultivator’s physique were so. They were necessary to even begin cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
If one’s physique was not intrepid enough, the pure elemental attribute energies from these five supreme treasures would cause their body to explode the instant they began pouring into their body! There was no need to even think about being able to cultivate this Body Tempering Art if this initial requirement could not be met.
Additionally, if the strength of one’s Soul wasn’t high enough, they would be unable to withstand this kind of pain and be driven mad sooner or later, ultimately resulting in cultivation deviation swiftly followed by death.
Yang Kai felt that he had more than met the requirements to cultivate this Body Tempering Art, but upon really cultivating it, he realized that he had greatly overestimated himself. The firm and resolute will he had honed over many years was nearly broken in an instant.
Of course, this was also due to the fact that the materials he had chosen were too high-grade. If they had all been replaced by materials on par with the Thunder Wood, for example, the pain would not have been so intense.
However, this also stimulated Yang Kai pride. Since embarking on the path of cultivation, he had wandered the line between life and death many times, suffered many tribulations, and faced many desperate situations, but had ultimately overcome all of them.
If he were to fail here, all those years of hard work would have been in vain.
Forget everything else, when he first obtained the Wordless Black Book back in High Heaven Pavilion, it was his perseverance alone that allowed Yang Kai to make this life-altering treasure submit to him, allowing him to obtain the Unyielding Golden Skeleton.
At that time, Yang Kai had obtained his mysterious Unyielding Will Martial Skill, and although as his strength had grown to the point this Martial Skill had gradually become useless, it was something he managed to comprehend from the Unyielding Golden Skeleton itself, after all.
That was his self created Martial Skill!
Yang Kai’s comprehension of this Martial Skill also had a lot to do with Su Yan. It was she who had frozen him into a block of ice for several days, which helped him fully understand Unyielding Will.
All sorts of miscellaneous thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, resulting in him unconsciously using Unyielding Will which, to his surprise, actually caused the pain he felt to weaken a little. It was nothing that would affect his overall situation, but was something positive nonetheless.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he immediately sent his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea to stabilize his Soul while no longer paying attention to the changes his body was experiencing in the outside world.
Crackling sounds rang out in a great chorus that filled First Heavenly Palace. Yang Kai’s skin split apart and pale golden blood oozed out, thoroughly soaking his robes within a few breaths of time.
Not only did his body tremble and his skin crack, but even Yang Kai’s meridians were unable to bear the destructive power of the pure five-element energy, causing them to fray and burst.
Yang Kai’s Golden Blood’s incredible restorative power was vividly illustrated at this moment.
His cracked skin, torn muscles, and broken meridians were completely repaired in a short period of time only to be immediately ripped asunder again, thus beginning a seemingly endless cycle of destruction and restoration.
As time passed and this process continued, Yang Kai’s body gradually became stronger to an obvious degree. Not only that, but the Saint Qi inside his body seemed to become purer and richer. Even his Spiritual Energy was quenched to a certain extent.
Although the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was a Secret Art dedicated to Body Tempering, it seemed to bring benefits to one’s Saint Qi and Spiritual energy as well, a small side benefit.
Terrible roars filled First Heavenly Palace, but fortunately, there were layers upon layers of barriers protecting and isolating it, so these horrific sounds did not leak out. If this were not the case, they would have attracted all of High Heaven Sect’s attention.
Time passed slowly as all of Shadowed Star prepared to enter the Emperor Garden. Each Emperor Jade represented a single entry quota, and each great force only managed to obtain a few of these Emperor Jades. Deciding who would be assigned these Emperor Jades was also a difficult task, and as a result, many great forces began holding competitions between their most talented disciples for the right to enter the Emperor Garden.
High Heaven Sect was also remarkably busy. High Heaven Sect only needed three Emperor Jades and didn’t need to go through any kind of selection process, but it still had many things to prepare. Only Yang Kai had completely disappeared after he entered retreat inside First Heavenly Palace.
Half a year later, on a certain day, High Heaven Sect’s reception hall was extremely lively.
After waiting for half a year, the Emperor Garden’s opening was just days away, and those forces that had reached agreements with Yang Kai to depart from High Heaven Sect’s territory had naturally arrived early.
Shadow Moon Hall’s representatives were, unsurprisingly, Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, Wei Gu Chang, and Dong Xuan’er. Unfortunately, not all of them were going to the Emperor Garden. Although Shadow Moon Hall had paid a massive price and managed to obtain a third Emperor Jade over the past six months, that was ultimately their limit, so for this expedition to the Emperor Garden, Dong Xuan’er would not be going.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu would only be accompanied by Wei Gu Chang this time.
Needless to say, Clear Sky Sect’s group was led by Mo Yu. In addition to him, there was a grey-haired Third-Order Origin Returning Realm old man whose strength rivalled Mo Yu’s: Clear Sky Sect’s Sect Master Gu Zhen. Rounding out the group was Chen Shi Tao who, thanks to her close relationship with Yang Kai, had obtained Clear Sky Sect’s final entry quota.
Strictly speaking, Chen Shi Tao’s aptitude and cultivation were not sufficient to warrant her entering the Emperor Garden. Clear Sky Sect had a large number of talents in its younger generations who were superior to Chen Shi Tao in both of these respects, but Mo Yu and Gu Zhen were both worldly old foxes and understood that Clear Sky Sect establishing a connection with High Heaven Sect was completely dependent on Chen Shi Tao’s existence. Therefore, they naturally were not going to deny her the chance to explore the Emperor Garden. Instead, over the past half a year, they helped Chen Shi Tao raise her cultivation to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm by using various precious pills as well as a special Secret Technique executed by several of the Sect’s high-level Elders!
The price Clear Sky Sect paid to accomplish this was not small!
Chen Shi Tao felt immense gratitude towards Yang Kai! Standing behind Gu Zhen and Mo Yu, her beautiful eyes continued to glance around since they arrived, hoping to express her thanks to Yang Kai in person.
Shadow Moon Hall and Clear Sky Sect both arrived right on time, so obviously Coloured Glass Sect did not fall behind.
As Qian Tong had suspected, Dai Yuan had obtained the right to enter the Emperor Garden, but it seemed that Coloured Glass Sect’s luck was better than Shadow Moon Hall and Clear Sky Sect’s, having obtained four Emperor Jades.
Sect Master Gong Xing He had come in person, accompanied by Dai Yuan, Gong Ao Fu, and Yin Su Die.
At this moment, Yin Su Die was gritting her teeth secretly as her red lips wriggled from time to time, whispering something under her breath, her beautiful eyes shooting glances towards Dai Yuan from time to time, a somewhat depressed look on her face.
Dai Yuan simply turned a blind eye to her, however, while like Chen Shi Tao, her attention was focused outside the reception hall, seemingly waiting for something or someone to appear. Her cultivation had already reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, but unlike Chen Shi Tao, she had achieved a breakthrough through her own efforts without borrowing assistance from others’ hands.
Both Gong Xing He and Gong Ao Fu were quite surprised by this result, neither of them having expected Dai Yuan to break through to the Origin Returning Realm so quickly. If not for this point, they might not have agreed to let Dai Yuan enter the Emperor Garden.
It was precisely because Dai Yuan showed no inferiority to Yin Su Die in terms of aptitude and cultivation speed that the two of them had relented. In any case, both Dai Yuan and Yin Su Die were disciples from Coloured Glass Sect, so there was no reason to vehemently refuse Dai Yuan from entering the Emperor Garden, and by doing so they could take advantage of this opportunity depart from High Heaven Sect ahead of all their competitors.
In addition to the familiar faces from these three Sects, there were also two strangers present, both of whom were old Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters.
Yang Kai hadn’t had any dealings with these two before, but they were also famous characters on Shadowed Star.
They were the Sect Master and Great Elder of Floating Mist Palace! Floating Mist Palace was also a first-class force on Shadowed Star, so the cultivations of its Sect Master and Great Elder were naturally not bad. The reason they were here was that they had sold an Emperor Jade to High Heaven Sect.
In exchange for this Emperor Jade, High Heaven Sect allowed these two old men to set off directly from the Sect’s Front Court.
At this moment, there were eight Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters seated inside High Heaven Sect’s reception hall, all of them possessing extremely lofty status, but even so, none of them dared to even breathe too loudly and all of them wore solemn looks upon their faces.
The reason for this was simple. With Ye Xi Yun also seated here, who among these guests would dare act arrogantly?
After tasting some of the tea and eating some of the prepared spirit fruits, Qian Tong lightly coughed, looking over at Yang Yan who was sitting at the head of the table, and asked politely, “Lady Yang Yan, has Yang Kai not come out yet?”
Yang Yan just slowly shook her head in response, “There’s been no sign of him exiting yet.”
Qian Tong couldn’t help frowning with worry, “He’s been in retreat for almost half a year, and now the Emperor Garden is about to open, possibly within the next day or two but at latest seven or eight days from now. If he doesn’t exit soon, won’t he miss this opportunity?”
“Thank you for your concern, Elder Qian, but I don’t believe he will miss this opportunity. Perhaps he will make an appearance in the next couple of days,” Yang Yan smiled lightly, but although her expression looked calm, she was actually feeling quite anxious inside.
She naturally knew what Yang Kai was in retreat for, he wanted to enhance his strength as much as possible before the Emperor Garden opened, but until now, there had not been any significant movement from First Heavenly Palace, so Yang Yan was unable to tell if things had gone well for Yang Kai or not.
She wanted to investigate, but worried about disturbing him, Yang Yan could only wait patiently.
“All of you are our honoured guests and you have travelled far to reach here, so for now you might as well return to your temporary residences and rest. Before the Emperor Garden opens, there will definitely be some significant signs; it won’t be too late to assemble and depart at that time,” Yang Yan proposed, fulfilling her duties as Vice Sect Master flawlessly.
Hearing this, everyone exchanged a glance before standing up, thanking Yang Yan for her hospitality, and setting out, preparing to return to the courtyards High Heaven Sect had prepared for them.
But before they could even leave the reception hall, the surrounding World Energy flow became slightly turbulent.
Everyone present was a top-level master, so despite this change in the World Energy being quite minor, they still detected it.
Everyone’s face immediately changed, not bothering to speak with Yang Yan anymore, dashing out of the reception hall and staring up into the sky.
Up above their heads, from the dozen kilometre wide gap in the flame barrier, the sun still shone down brightly, nurturing the vegetation around High Heaven Sect. Although everything appeared normal, everyone present could feel a certain pressure in the air, like a storm was approaching.
Soon, this feeling became obvious, and the World Energy aura began tumbling and surging as if it were a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, making everyone uneasy.
“This is…” Gong Xing He’s eyes narrowed as he showed a startled look.
“Father, is this a sign the Emperor Garden is about to open?” Gong Ao Fu asked softly, her beautiful eyes filled with excitement. Yang Yan had also just said that if the Emperor Garden really opened, there would be some kind of obvious disturbance in the atmosphere, but no one had expected it to occur so quickly.
Most people present shared the same thoughts as her, Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, Gu Zhen, Mo Yu, and the pair of old men from Floating Mist Palace all wore looks of anticipation.
But soon, the brows of these top experts wrinkled as they all turned to look in a different direction.
“No, someone is about to break through!” Qian Tong muttered, stunned silent for a moment before excitement returned to his old face, “It must be Yang Kai!”
He quickly understood what this disturbance was all about.
Yang Yan’s expression also filled with joy as she flew off towards First Heavenly Palace.
The others present naturally wanted to take a closer look as well, but before they could move, Ye Xi Yun’s figure flickered and appeared before them, a cold look filling her face as she declared, “Stay where you are!”
Although most of the people had some friendship with Yang Kai, several of them even having quite close relationships, Yang Kai was at a critical juncture right now, so how could Ye Xi Yun possibly allow them to approach? Yang Kai was about to break through to the next Great Realm, and if he were to fall short because he was disturbed at the last moment, the consequences would be disastrous.
As such, she forced everyone else to remain here without hesitation.
Qian Tong and the others naturally understood this and nodded their heads, halting their steps and preparing to observe from where they stood.
Seeing that everyone was keeping their place, Ye Xi Yun did not say anything more and chased after Yang Yan.
In an instant, only Qian Tong and the other guests remained in front of the reception hall.
“Senior Brother, do you think Senior Brother Yang will be able to break through smoothly?” Dong Xuan’er asked with some concern; after all, she had just crossed this step and well understood the difficulty of breaking through from the Saint King Realm to the Origin Returning Realm.
Every time a cultivator made a breakthrough, they would experience great risks; after all, cultivation itself was an act of struggle against oneself and against the Heavens!
Without even mentioning others, when she and Wei Gu Chang were breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm, they had both experienced several tribulations. When Dong Xuan’er was accepting the World Energy baptism which accompanied her breakthrough, she had almost found it impossible to bear and a stream of heart demons which appeared one after another nearly caused her to fail.
Overcoming this ordeal had nothing to do with aptitude and was something every cultivator had to face.
After hearing Dong Xuan’er’s question though, Wei Gu Chang simply grinned, “Relax, while I wouldn’t dare make any guarantees about others, Brother Yang breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm will absolutely not be a problem.”
While Wei Gu Chang’s words were filled with confidence towards Yang Kai, Yin Su Die nearby bit her lip even harder. Although she dared not say anything here, she was secretly looking forward to Yang Kai dying here.
At the same time, three kilometres away from First Heavenly Palace, Yang Yan came to a stop and observed the situation quietly.
It was not long before Wu Yi, Qian Yue, and Chang Qi and many others arrived, all of them briefly exchanging a few words before they grasped what this situation was about.
In order to prevent Yang Kai from being disturbed, an order was issued that no one was to approach closer than three kilometres to First Heavenly Palace. All the Sect’s disciples also immediately set up a patrol to guard against anyone trying to sneak a closer look.
Not long after this order was disseminated, the atmosphere around Heavenly Palace underwent a dramatic change.
High up in the sky, a great World Energy funnel appeared. This funnel was only a few metres across at first, but it rapidly expanded until it was several hundred metres in diameter in the blink of an eye.
As this funnel revolved though, it disturbed the World Energy aura within a several-hundred-kilometre radius, pulling it all violently towards First Heavenly Palace.
Different coloured lights soon began to appear, some bright red like flame while others pure white like ice. These multi-coloured lights integrated into the funnel one after another, causing the pressure it was emitting to increase dramatically.
“Five Element World Energy?” Ye Xi Yun frowned, a look of shock appearing on her face.
These colourful wisps of light were clearly formed by the integration of the Five Element Energy with the ambient World Energy. In fact, during one of the Emperor Garden’s mutations, such a scene had appeared across all of Shadowed Star.
At this moment, a similar scene was occurring, but unlike the previous incident, the scale was far smaller; however, this was still a remarkable phenomenon.
The Emperor Garden was an Emperor Artifact, it being able to cause a change which affected all of Shadowed Star was not surprising in the slightest.
But now, Yang Kai simply breaking through from the Saint King Realm to the Origin Returning Realm had caused Five Element World Energy to once again appear, making it impossible for Ye Xi Yun to not be shocked.
Could a cultivator breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm really create such a massive disturbance?
The answer was obviously no!
Ye Xi Yun, as a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, was certainly qualified to comment on such matters. She had seen many people pass through this checkpoint to becoming Origin Realm masters. When Ge Qi went through this process, she had personally stood guard to protect him, but never before had she witnessed a scene like this.
This could already be described as a Heavenly Manifestation!
Ye Xi Yun was thoroughly amazed, and couldn’t help remembering some ancient records she had read a long time ago that said that if a cultivator was strong enough, and had enough potential, they could even cause Heavenly Manifestations when they broke through a Great Realm.
Of course, such cultivators were rare existences. Even when taking all of history into account, one possibly appeared once in ten thousand years.
Did this Sect Master of hers have such potential?
In all fairness, Ye Xi Yun and Yang Kai did not have much friendship between them, nor were they particularly familiar with one another. Ye Xi Yun remaining in High Heaven Sect and assuming the position of Great Elder was entirely because of Yang Yan. Besides Yang Yan, she had never really put anyone here in her eyes.
With her vision, she could naturally tell that Yang Kai was far more powerful than an average Saint King and could be regarded as an elite amongst the elite; but even so, this was not of much interest to her.
However, at this moment, she could not help but raise her evaluation of Yang Kai; after all, if her guess was right, the potential future achievements of this Sect Master of hers were simply unfathomable!
At this point, Ye Xi Yun’s beautiful eyes glowed strangely as she began looking forward to the future.
High up in the air, the massive World Energy funnel swirled about, filled with astonishing and terrifying amounts of energy. On top of that, with the continuous influx of Five Elements World Energy, this World Energy funnel became extremely dazzling as it hung above First Heavenly Palace.
Even if they were all standing three kilometres away, everyone could feel the incredible pressure emanating from this funnel, making them wonder just how much pressure Yang Kai must be enduring as he was directly beneath it.
Outside First Heavenly Palace, multiple light halos flashed wildly as the many defensive Spirit Arrays and barriers were battered by this pressure.
“Great Elder, how is Sect Master’s situation?” Chang Qi and the others were all anxious, but none of them dared release their Divine Senses to investigate this oppressive phenomenon, so they could only consult Ye Xi Yun.
“So far it seems like everything is going smoothly. He has already touched upon Shadowed Star’s World Principles,” Ye Xi Yun replied lightly.
Chang Qi and others heard this and could not help showing joyful looks. Since Yang Kai had already made contact with Shadowed Star’s World Principles, it meant his breakthrough was within sight.
“But whether or not he can succeed will depend on him being able to withstand the approaching World Energy baptism.”
Everyone’s face changed slightly when they heard this, falling silent as they stared forward with worry.
The World Energy baptism was a step every cultivator would experience each time they broke through to a new Great Realm. During this process, a cultivator would have to bear unimaginable suffering and pain and it was a method by which a cultivator’s quality and fortitude were tested. Once one successfully passed through this baptism, their strength would increase dramatically, allowing them to break through the shackles holding them back and reach the next Great Realm.
If one failed, however…
Best case, they would suffer severe injuries, worst case, they would die!
After all, the World Energy baptism was akin to a test imposed on a cultivator by the world itself. If one failed it, the results were obviously not going to be pleasant.
Every year, countless cultivators failed to pass this threshold and fell, so for any cultivator, breaking through to the next Great Realm was both an opportunity and a challenge! The survival of the fittest was vividly reflected in this process.
But how could an ordinary cultivator break through to the next Great Realm cause such an amazing Heavenly Manifestation? Yang Kai accomplishing this was certainly a joyful development, but now that he had arrived at this point, if he wanted to survive, succeeding was his only option.
Judging from the concentration of World Energy at this moment, if Yang Kai were to fail to break through, the only possibility would be his body and soul being completely obliterated!
After all, the power contained in this five-coloured World Energy funnel was simply too much for any Saint King Realm cultivator to bear.
Just as everyone was feeling worried, the massive World Energy funnel suddenly underwent a dramatic change, as if something in First Heavenly Palace was drawing it in. The World Energy funnel began to rotate even faster and in the next instant it, along with all its stored energy, crashed down towards the ground.
There was no delay or reservation at all, as if all the potential it had been storing up burst out in a single eruption!
The layers upon layers of barriers protecting First Heavenly Palace were like thin paper in the face of the massive amount of swirling World Energy, all of them being torn apart in an instant. Seeing this caused Ye Xi Yun’s countenance to change as the five-coloured World Energy poured into First Heavenly Palace and rapidly disappeared.
The massive World Energy funnel shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, and within a few breaths, had been reduced to half its original size.
“Sect Master!” Chang Qi and the others exclaimed in horror as their faces filled with alarm.
This unrelenting torrent of World Energy pouring down from above caused all of them to stare in astonishment! Everyone present had broken through to the Origin Returning Realm before and passed through this checkpoint.
But the World Energy baptism they experienced when they broke through was best described as streams of energy falling like lightning upon their bodies, with a certain gap between each strike. Although it had been difficult to bear, they at least had some time to breathe and adjust themselves during the process.
The scene in front of them now though was obviously vastly different. Yang Kai simply had no chance to catch his breath at all.
Even if Yang Kai was incredibly strong, how could he survive in the face of such overwhelming pressure?
The faces of Chang Qi and the others suddenly went pale as they instinctively thought that Yang Kai was dead for certain.
Ye Xi Yun’s expression also became quite gloomy as she let out a sigh, a trace of disappointment flashing across her face. She thought she had encountered an extraordinary genius that was only born once in a few thousand years, but now it looked like he was destined to be just a flash in the pan.
Soon, however, her brow wrinkled, and an astonished light flashed across her eyes.
Because the massive World Energy funnel still had not dissipated and the astonishing deluge of World Energy was still pouring down, creating a deafening rumbling sound that filled the air.
[He has not died!]
Ye Xi Yun’s brow rose as she could not help feeling surprised.
If Yang Kai had died just now, the Heavenly Manifestation generated by his breakthrough would naturally have begun to dissipate, but since the World Energy funnel continued to exist, it meant he hadn’t died and was still undergoing the World Energy baptism!
This was also the key step to breaking through to the next Great Realm.
Listening carefully, Ye Xi Yun was able to hear the pained roars of a person amidst the thunderous rumbling.
Yang Kai really had not died. Ye Xi Yun’s eyes brightened as she quickly turned her head to look at Yang Yan, only to discover that the latter was far calmer than herself. It was as if Yang Yan had been expecting this kind of result, but upon closer inspection, Ye Xi Yun clearly saw Yang Yan’s delicate fists clenching tightly and her beautiful eyes flashing with worry and anxiety.
While High Heaven Sect’s group were all feeling incredibly on edge, the masters from Shadow Moon Hall, Clear Sky Sect, Coloured Glass Sect, and Floating Mist Palace all showed looks of amazement.
“Elder, can Brother Yang bear this kind of World Energy baptism?” Wei Gu Chang asked anxiously.
“This old master doesn’t dare make any kind of judgments, but since things have developed to this point, if he can’t bear it, he will definitely die!” Qian Tong frowned as he let out a sigh, he had not expected Yang Kai breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm would result in such a strange and astonishing scene, inevitably causing him to worry greatly.
“It’s not necessarily unbearable…” Clear Sky Sect’s Sect Master Gu Zhen said pensively, “If his physique is strong enough, he should be able to accept this vast amount of World Energy in a short period of time, but… It would be incredibly difficult!”
Although the Sect Master and Great Elder of Floating Mist Palace did not comment, both of them continued observing this scene fixedly, clear looks of shock filling their faces.
When Gong Xing He and Gong Ao Fu of Coloured Glass Sect exchanged a glance, the father-daughter pair clearly saw the shock in each other’s eyes. Both had believed that High Heaven Sect’s shocking reputation and prestige depended entirely upon the special location of their headquarters and Ye Xi Yun’s presence.
However, it now seemed that High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master was also no ordinary character, forcing them to re-examine him. If he fell here today, they naturally would not be upset. On Shadowed Star, there were already two giants vying for supremacy, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect. Two such forces were plenty, and Gong Xing He would rather not have another great force that could compete with them, but if Yang Kai managed to survive this ordeal, it would be necessary for them to earnestly make friends with him!
Various thoughts flashed across the minds of the people present, but regardless of what they were considering, at this moment, everyone’s attention was concentrated on the huge, multicoloured World Energy funnel. A short time later, the funnel shrank down further, halving in size once more, and it was still continuing to shrink.
After another moment, in the front of everyone’s eyes, the huge multicoloured funnel disappeared, all the World Energy which had originally been contained within having poured into First Heavenly Palace. The original tense and oppressive atmosphere suddenly disappeared, as if it had never even existed, gentle rays of sunlight streaming down from a blue sky that had not a cloud in sight for ten thousand kilometres.
Only a few wisps of Five Coloured World Energy lingered about like fish trapped in a net above First Heavenly Palace.
High Heaven Sect fell silent, as everyone’s eyes remained fixed on First Heavenly Palace, all of them wanting to know what the result of this shocking breakthrough was.
However, for a long time, there was only still silence, as if Yang Kai had really fallen.
Wu Yi and Qian Yue’s complexion turned pure white!
Had he failed? Wu Yi and Qian Yue did not dare continue to think about it; however, they couldn’t think of another explanation for the scene before them.
No cultivator could withstand such an astonishing influx of World Energy in such a short time, even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master couldn’t accomplish such a feat, let alone Yang Kai who was just a peak Third-Order Saint King.
Although Wu Yi and Qian Yue had not yet reached this level, with their level of insight they could at least determine this much.
Chang Qi and the others also wore ashen expressions.
“Why are all of you wearing such gloomy looks?” Ye Xi Yun swept her eyes around and frowned slightly, “You think he died?”
Chang Qi heard this and immediately wore a look of shock, turning towards her and hesitating for a moment before asking, “Great Elder, you mean…”
Ye Xi Yun’s lips curled upwards and a smile appeared on her chilly face, making her appear exceptionally attractive. Brushing her hair back gently, she replied without any trace of panic in her voice, “Although this Queen doesn’t know how he managed it,… he’s definitely not dead. Not only that, but he also seems to be quite lively.”
Listening to Ye Xi Yun’s words, Chang Qi and the others were all shocked.
Yang Kai hadn’t died… that must mean that his breakthrough was successful!
Chang Qi and the others could hardly believe their ears, but Ye Xi Yun declaring so was extremely authoritative, so none of them thought to question her. Everyone simply wore looks of pleasant surprise as they turned their gazes back to First Heavenly Palace.
Just after Ye Xi Yun finished speaking, the World Energy above First Heavenly Palace suddenly underwent a change again, all of it gathering and forming into a giant palm.
This palm contained a mysteriousness that made it seem like it could cover the Heavens themselves.
As soon as it finished condensing, this palm grasped towards the wisps of five coloured aura still floating above First Heavenly Palace before it quickly retracted and disappeared inside the building.
Seeing this scene, Ye Xi Yun could not help gawking, but soon the smile on her lips rose even higher as she muttered to herself, “This little brat…”
Clearly, Yang Kai did not even want to let off these last few remnants of Five Elements World Energy. These wisps of aura were leftovers from his baptism and had not poured into Yang Kai’s body on their own, so he had simply taken the initiative to grab and refine them himself. If he had the leisure to do this kind of thing, it meant his breakthrough had gone incredibly smoothly, causing Ye Xi Yun to be unable to stifle her laughter.
“Ah! Great! Alright, everyone should disperse, there’s no need for you to worry about Yang Kai anymore,” Yang Yan was finally able to let out a sigh of relief before shouting to everyone.
“Yes!” Chang Qi and the others responded respectfully before quickly departing.
“Great Elder, since he just broke through, he will need some time to consolidate his cultivation. I’ll have to trouble you to stand guard for him,” Yang Yan spoke to Ye Xi Yun.
“Yes, Madam!” Ye Xi Yun gently nodded, immediately obeying Yang Yan’s orders!
After glancing at First Heavenly Palace one last time, Yang Yan smiled lightly before flying off, her figure quickly disappearing. Now that the Emperor Garden’s opening was only days away and Yang Kai was indisposed, all the matters related to High Heaven Sect fell to her. Fortunately, Wu Yi and Qian Yue were there to help her, so Yang Yan did not have too many difficulties.
Inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai was ragged, his clothes ripped apart, covered in traces of pale golden blood and his hair completely dishevelled, giving him an incredibly embarrassed appearance, as if he had just experienced an incredible life or death battle.
However, his expression was filled with joy and comfort.
He had not expected that his breakthrough would go so smoothly.
After obtaining the Divine Nullification Sand five months ago, completing his collection of the five supreme treasures, Yang Kai began to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, but he had not had too many expectations, originally just intending to become slightly familiar with it.
To his surprise though, this became the very turning point he had been seeking.
Over the past five months, Yang Kai had cultivated the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to its first stage, not only greatly increasing his physical strength but also tempering his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy to a certain degree. Compared to before he began cultivating this Body Tempering Art, Yang Kai’s overall strength had increased by about twenty percent!
And it was this twenty percent improvement that had allowed him to reach a critical point, where he broke through the shackles of the peak Saint King Realm and touched upon the barrier to the Origin Returning Realm.
Ending his cultivation of the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art at that point, Yang Kai began refining the remnant Souls he had stored in his Knowledge Sea.
During the battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, many Origin Returning Realm masters had died, and most of their remnant Souls had been drawn into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and purified, but until now he had not tried to absorb them.
After swallowing the remnant Souls of these fallen masters, Yang Kai received their insights into the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, making a subsequent breakthrough only a matter of time.
However, this time’s breakthrough was different from any Yang Kai had experienced before, namely the appearance of the Five Elements World Energy. Yang Kai did not know why this had occurred, but he vaguely speculated that it had some relationship with the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
In the end, this breakthrough had come about thanks to a mixture of opportunities and coincidences, but was also achieved quite naturally, differing greatly from Yang Kai’s original plans. This time, Yang Kai had entered retreat specifically to break through, even going so far as to prepare an Origin Condensing Pill that had formed Pill Veins.
But the plans of man were inferior to the plans of Heaven, and Yang Kai ended up not using any of his prior preparations.
This, however, was a good thing that made Yang Kai extremely happy.
Although he had cultivated the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to its first stage, Yang Kai was still a long way off from obtaining an immortal and indestructible body. This Secret Art had a total of nine stages, each one more difficult to achieve than the previous, so if one wanted to reach the pinnacle of this Body Tempering Art, it would clearly take a massive amount of time and five elements supreme treasures!
After cultivating to the first stage, Yang Kai carefully checked the five supreme treasures he had been using and discovered that the highest-end Sun’s True Essence hadn’t experienced much change, but the others had all experienced some obvious consumption.
The pure elemental energy in the Profound Gold and Thunder Wood had been noticeably reduced while three drops of Profound Yin Sunflower Water had been consumed. As for the Divine Nullification Sand, their number had been reduced by more than twenty grains…
This kind of consumption was not small, but it didn’t matter too much as Yang Kai figured the remaining energy in these treasures was enough to support his cultivation of the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to the second or even third stage. As for the Sun’s True Essence, he estimated he could continue using it much longer than that.
With such a time buffer, Yang Kai figured that he could collect other five elements’ supreme treasures to replace the ones he depleted.
He also was not in a hurry to do this.
Thinking so, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and condensed a ball of five-coloured light on his palm with a thought.
This ball of light was about the size of an egg and was a swirling mixture of gold, blue, white, red, and yellow.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi! After five months of cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, Yang Kai had completed the first step of this Heaven defying Body Tempering Art, not only greatly enhancing his physical strength, but also allowing him to produce this incredible Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi.
This Sword Qi could be formed by condensing all five of the elements together, or individually one by one, allowing it to take on an array of different characteristics.
However, the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi floating atop Yang Kai’s palm right now appeared quite weak, like a fledgeling bird that had just hatched and was not yet able to withstand great wind and rain, seemingly not usable in combat.
But this did not hinder Yang Kai’s enthusiasm to experiment.
With a thought, Yang Kai dismissed four of the five colours from the ball of light on his palm, leaving behind only the golden light that he then proceeded to transform into a golden sword.
Although this sword was quite small, the sharpness it radiated was not to be underestimated. This was the pure Gold Attribute Indestructible Sword Qi Yang Kai had condensed from the Profound Gold’s essence and had an extremely sharp, offensive nature.
“Go!” Yang Kai shouted as it flicked his wrist, causing the small golden sword to shoot out from his palm. In a flash, this small golden sword penetrated the remaining barriers around First Heavenly Palace and flew several kilometres away. Observing the golden sword with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai clearly saw the path it traced and could not help raising his brow and revealing a happy look.
Although he had yet to test this golden sword’s offensive strength, its speed alone would make it difficult for others to defend against.
Recalling it with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai had the small golden sword instantly fly back to him, manipulating it as easily as if it were an extension of his body.
Yang Kai’s mood was excellent and he quickly proceeded to test the other four Indestructible Sword Qis one by one, his satisfaction only growing as he did.
These five Indestructible Sword Qis each had their own strengths and weaknesses, none superior or inferior to the others, the Gold Sword Qi and Fire Sword Qi had the greatest offensive power, the former focusing on sharpness and speed while the latter emphasized destructive force.
The Earth Sword Qi and Water Sword Qi were mainly focused on defensive strength, the former being thick and solid while the latter was soft and flexible.
The Wood Sword Qi was the most versatile, capable of both offensive and defensive action, but it was also not to be underestimated.
Moreover, if these five types of Indestructible Sword Qi were cultivated to a certain height, one would be able to arrange a Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi Array. This array would allow the five different elements to mutually reinforce one another, multiplying their might in an endless cycle. If an enemy were to be subjected to this array and fail to immediately break free, they would suffer greatly, even if they were in a higher realm than the one who activated it.
After happily experimenting for quite some time, Yang Kai took the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi back into his body. Although this Body Tempering Art was incredibly powerful, it was not something which could show results after just a day or two of effort. A long period of cultivation and accumulation would be required to bring out its true might.
Yang Kai was already psychologically prepared for this.
Now that he had broken through to the Origin Returning Realm, his strength was dramatically different from before; it was almost as if every part of his body was bursting with power.
This was the Origin Returning Realm, the highest Great Realm achievable on Shadowed Star!
It had been more than twenty years since Yang Kai first entered the Star Field. At first, he was just an insignificant Second-Order Saint, but since then he had surmounted two Great Realms. Although he did not dare say that this was an unprecedented achievement, or that there would be no one else in the future who could match it, the number of those who had or would was definitely not great.
While Wei Gu Chang, Dong Xuan’er, and the other young talents on Shadowed Star all looked similar in age to Yang Kai, in truth they were all much older than he was; however, because of their high cultivations, they retained their youthful appearances.
As for masters like Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, which one of them had not lived for hundreds of years?
Tidying up his mood, Yang Kai remembered not to become complacent; after all, the Origin Returning Realm was just another step on his cultivation path, and there was still the Origin King Realm above it that he had to reach! Beyond that, there were other realms as well; at the very least, the Starry Sky Great Emperor had reached a far greater height than the Origin King Realm.
It was simply that Yang Kai had yet to reach a height where he was capable of peering into these deeper secrets.
There were also many abilities Yang Kai needed to cultivate now, all of which would take a non-negligible amount of time.
Fortunately, using his Golden Blood to cultivate Golden Blood Threads no longer took Yang Kai as much time or effort as it first had, and as long as he condensed one, all he needed to do was warm and nourish it within his body. The longer he did so, the greater the power that Golden Blood Thread would be able to display.
The Verdant Dragon Bone Sword also didn’t require much of Yang Kai’s attention anymore as he could have his Firebird Artifact Spirit help him refine it.
As for his Demon Eye of Annihilation, it had also gradually begun to merge with the Coloured Glass Bead, and as time passed, the Golden Light and Coloured Glass Divine Light were also slowly beginning to amalgamate.
What Yang Kai really needed to spend time cultivating was his Space Blade and the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art!
Even with so many different methods requiring differing degrees of his attention, Yang Kai did not feel the slightest bit distressed. These Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities were all strongly related to his future development, and he was not planning on adding any additional methods to his repertoire. Yang Kai felt as long as he was able to cultivate each of these techniques to the grand accomplishment stage, in this world, there would be nowhere he couldn’t go, and no one who could challenge him!
Setting these thoughts aside, Yang Kai took out two Saint Crystal Sources, held them in his hands, closed his eyes, and began to consolidate his cultivation.
The period right after achieving a breakthrough was a precarious time, and if one did not properly stabilize their realm, there was a chance their cultivation might fall.
In the blink of an eye, several days had passed!
On this day, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, frowned, and released his Divine Sense to check his surroundings before standing up and walking out of First Heavenly Palace, ending his six-month-long retreat.
At this moment, in the huge open square of High Heaven Sect’s Front Court, all the Sect’s cultivators had gathered along with Qian Tong and all the other foreign guests.
Everyone was looking up, their eyes clearly attracted by something in the sky, their expressions solemn and respectful.
This scene was not just happening in High Heaven Sect though. All of Shadowed Star’s cultivators were staring up into the sky towards the same spot at this moment.
The Emperor Garden!
Right now, the Emperor Garden was releasing a dazzling five-coloured light as it hovered quietly high up in the sky, clouds drifting around it, making it somewhat difficult to make out.
At the same time that this change in the Emperor Garden occurred, an invisible coercion appeared.
Emperor Pressure! Fortunately, this Emperor Pressure was not too strong, otherwise, at least eighty percent of cultivators on Shadowed Star would have already collapsed.
*Weng…*
A buzzing sound echoed across all of Shadowed Star and jade tokens the size of one’s palm exuding soft white light appeared. Even if these jade tokens had been stored in cultivator’s Space Rings, seemingly attracted by some mysterious force, they flew out all on their own.
The owners of these Emperor Jades reached out and grabbed hold of them hurriedly, but the instant they did, an indescribable feeling spread across each of their bodies, causing them shock and joy.
The Emperor Garden was about to open!
Although no one told them this explicitly, when they held onto their respective Emperor Jades, these cultivators were somehow able to sense this truth. Since the Emperor Garden first appeared, everyone had been waiting for more than two years for it to open, and now, finally, it was going to.
This was a huge opportunity; one countless people couldn’t help feeling exuberant about.
Inside High Heaven Sect, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and appeared beside Yang Yan and the others before he too turned a solemn gaze skyward.
“Yang Kai!” Yang Yan called out, her red lips opening lightly, seemingly wanting to say something, but before she could, Yang Kai smiled at her and simply said, “I know.”
Yang Yan nodded lightly and said nothing more.
Although Qian Tong and the others wanted to ask if Yang Kai had managed to finish consolidating his cultivation, it was clearly not the time for such questions, so they all remained silent.
Time continued to pass, the five coloured glow surrounding the magnificent Emperor Garden high up in the sky was suddenly drawn into it and seemingly absorbed in front of everyone’s eyes.
Immediately afterwards, three beams of white light shot straight down from the bottom of the Emperor Garden at an extremely slow speed.
Seeing this situation, Yang Kai’s heart froze as his face paled.
When the first Emperor Jade appeared, a similar situation had occurred, and as a result, Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array had been torn apart. Now that three such beams of light were descending from the Emperor Garden; would High Heaven Sect suffer the same fate?
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s worries turned out to be unnecessary, as although the three beams of light shot straight down, they stopped about half-way to the ground. After these three beams of light disappeared, however, they each left something which radiated a brilliant light floating mid-air.
Everyone held their breaths as they stared towards these floating objects.
Although the distance was quite far, everyone had a certain level of cultivation, so they were naturally able to clearly see what these objects were. To everyone’s surprise though, what remained after the three beams of light disappeared was three white jade discs strangely hovering high up in the sky.
These discs were not large, only a few metres in diameter each, but engraved on each of these jade white platforms was a complicated set of flashing lines. Clearly these lines composed some type of Spirit Array. The distance between each of these discs was at least a hundred kilometres.
“Space Array!” Yang Yan’s beautiful eyes flashed an unusual light before she thoughtfully remarked, “It looks like we need to pass through one of those three Space Arrays to enter the Emperor Garden.”
“So that’s how it is!” Qian Tong and others showed a look of enlightenment.
These days, they had all been pondering over how they were supposed to enter the Emperor Garden after it opened. After all, from what they could see, the Emperor Garden did not have any kind of clear entrance, causing countless masters on Shadowed Star to knit their brows in frustration.
All of them had guessed entering the Emperor Garden had something to do with the Emperor Jades which had appeared not long ago, but now it seems their idea was completely wrong.
When the Emperor Garden opened, it deployed three Space Arrays. Apparently, all one needed to do was use one of these Space Arrays to enter the Emperor Garden! The Emperor Jades were simply used to resist the omnipresent Emperor Pressure.
Without an Emperor Jade, there was no way to get close to these three Space Arrays!
Everything suddenly became clear.
“This old master will be going on ahead!” Just as everyone was lost in thought, an aged voice called out from the side and two figures flew up into the sky, turning into a stream of light that headed towards one of the Space Arrays.
Naturally, these two were the Sect Master and Great Elder of Floating Mist Palace!
Now that the Emperor Garden had finally opened and these Space Arrays had appeared, they were reluctant to delay any further. The one who strikes first gains the advantage so to speak, so these two decisively set out.
In exchange for an Emperor Jade, these two had won the right to depart for the Emperor Garden from High Heaven Sect’s Front Court, granting them nearly a half-day advantage over the rest of Shadowed Star’s cultivators.
These two could use this half-day to explore more places and obtain more treasures!
Moments after these two old men departed for the Emperor Garden, two other groups of people flew up into the air from within High Heaven Sect’s territory; unfortunately for them, their locations didn’t grant them as much advantage as the pair from Floating Mist Palace.
These two groups of people had also paid a massive price to purchase the other two departure spots from High Heaven Sect. Yang Kai had obtained his Divine Nullification Sand from one of them in fact.
At the same time, outside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, the groups from the various great forces of Shadowed Star also rose into the air.
However, if these people wanted to get close to the Emperor Garden’s Space Arrays, they needed to first get around the flame barrier formed from the Three Blazing Flame Rings, a process that would take a significant amount of time.
Seeing that Floating Mist Palace had already gone on ahead, Qian Tong could not help turning an anxious look towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai understood what he wanted to say, grinned, and nodded, “Let’s head out as well.”
Qian Tong was overjoyed and immediately pushed his Saint Qi along with Fei Zhi Tu to wrap up Wei Gu Chang and fly upward.
The four from Coloured Glass Sect followed suit, as did the three from Clear Sky Sect.
“Elders, while we’re away, I’ll have to trouble you to look after the Sect!” Yang Kai turned to Chang Qi and the others and said lightly.
“As Sect Master commands!” Chang Qi and the others responded in unison.
In truth, there was not anything for those remaining in High Heaven Sect to worry about. Although Yang Kai, Yang Yan, and Ye Xi Yun were all leaving for the Emperor Garden, dramatically reducing High Heaven Sect’s available strength, thanks to its unique location, even if someone had malicious intentions, there was simply no way they could break through the Three Blazing Flame Rings’ barrier and launch an attack.
High Heaven Sect could be said to be perfectly safe.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai glanced over at Yang Yan before his figure flickered and disappeared, reappearing a thousand metres away in an instant.
Yang Kai didn’t know what method Yang Yan used to accomplish it, but the speed she displayed was not inferior to his at all, and needless to say, Ye Xi Yun was easily able to keep up with the two of them with her peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation.
The trio flew straight up, not showing any of the tension or expectation the others around them were displaying. In fact, whether it was Yang Kai or Yang Yan, both wore incredibly calm looks upon their faces.
Yang Kai did not feel rushed because he had already visited the Emperor Garden once and knew a fair bit about the situation inside. With this kind of prior experience, he would not need to waste time searching around for opportunities like the others.
Yang Yan, on the other hand, was the Great Emperor’s Soul Clone. With the Emperor Garden being the Great Emperor’s personal residence, although she did not know much about it now, as soon as she entered it, her dust-laden memories would no doubt rise to the surface. In a sense, no one was more familiar with the Emperor Garden than she was.
Affected by the two of them, Ye Xi Yun’s excitement gradually calmed down as well.
“Yang Kai, what’s your condition like now?” Yang Yan asked with some concern as they continued their upwards flight.
“I haven’t had time to fully consolidate my cultivation, but it’s not a problem. A few battles should be enough to completely stabilize my realm,” Yang Kai grinned, not showing any signs of concern.
Generally speaking, after a cultivator broke through to a new Great Realm, it would take them a certain amount of time to stabilize their foundation. The most common and safest way to do this was through a long period of calm meditation; however, engaging in battle with others was another option, one that carried far greater risks but was arguably faster.
Yang Kai never worried about such things though as he had complete confidence in being able to stabilize his realm through battle.
“En, that sounds good!” Yang Yan gently nodded.
After this brief exchange, the trio fell silent as they continued to fly upwards. The Emperor Garden seemed to be suspended directly above High Heaven Sect, but after really rushing towards it, Yang Kai found that it seemed to be floating several hundreds of thousands of kilometres away, and no matter how high up he flew, it still remained beyond his reach.
Moreover, the further up he flew, the greater the ambient Emperor Pressure around him became. Soon, the Emperor Pressure became so powerful it was almost tangible, making Yang Kai feel like he was swimming through mud, his Saint Qi circulation even becoming sluggish.
Yang Kai was not discouraged by this and instead rejoiced, his eyes lighting up as a thoughtful and eager expression filled his face.
After flying a thousand metres upwards, the intensity of the Emperor Pressure suddenly increased, and Yang Yan and Ye Xi Yun had to stimulate the effect of their Emperor Jades, forming white light halos around their bodies to protect themselves.
Yang Kai, however, just came to a stop.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Yan turned a puzzledled at look at him, not understanding why he had suddenly decided to stop here at this critical moment.
“You go on ahead! I want to cultivate here,” Yang Kai looked over at her.
Yang Yan frowned for a moment but soon showed a look of understanding, “Do you want to use the Emperor Pressure here to condense your Shi?”
Ye Xi Yun was shocked as soon as this remark came out.
“Yup!” Yang Kai did not try to deny it, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I want to seize it!”
When he had gone to rescue Qian Tong with Fei Zhi Tu and the others, upon entering Fallen Emperor Mountain, Ning Xiang Chen had told Yang Kai that one day, when he broke through to the Origin Returning Realm, he could use the Emperor Pressure which filled Fallen Emperor Mountain and condense his Shi!
Shi condensed with the assistance of Emperor Pressure seemed to be much stronger than the Shi of an ordinary cultivator, providing incredible benefits for one’s future cultivation; however, such rumours had yet to be truly confirmed by anyone.
At that time, Yang Kai had decided that regardless of whether these rumours were true or not, when he broke through to the Origin Realm, he would go to Fallen Emperor Mountain.
If things were as rumoured, naturally that would be best, but if not, it didn’t matter. In any case, Emperor Pressure really could help a cultivator condense their Shi, this was a fact recognized by everyone.
However, since the Emperor Garden appeared, the Emperor Pressure which had always been present inside Fallen Emperor Mountain had disappeared, so if Yang Kai wanted to use Emperor Pressure to help condense his Shi, this would probably be his only chance. If he were to miss this opportunity, it would be impossible in the future to find such favourable conditions again.
Compared to the various treasures and benefits he could obtain in the Emperor Garden, increasing his own strength was far more important to Yang Kai; after all, one was related to his foundation while the other was simply external tools.
Yang Kai could naturally determine which was more important.
As such, Yang Kai decided that entering the Emperor Garden a bit later wasn’t a problem. As long as his plan succeeded, the benefits he would obtain were far greater than any treasure he could find inside the Emperor Garden!
Considering all this, Yang Kai became quite enthusiastic.
Yang Yan didn’t try to persuade him otherwise, simply pondering for a moment before saying, “Do as you please then, just remember not to act recklessly. I have Great Elder here to protect me, so you don’t need to worry about my safety.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly before turning to look at Ye Xi Yun, cupping his fists, and saying, “Senior Ye, I’ll be leaving Yang Yan in your hands.”
“Sect Master may rest assured, as long as this Queen still draws breath, no harm will come to Madam!” Ye Xi Yun declared proudly.
Yang Kai grinned and waved, “Go. I’ll find and meet up with you inside the Emperor Garden if possible!”
Yang Yan glanced at him, urged him to be cautious again, then continued to fly upwards. A moment later, however, she suddenly paused again, turned back, and shouted, “Yang Kai!”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked at her curiously.
“For the days we spent together… Thank you,” Yang Yan smiled radiantly, saying some incomprehensible words before turning around and flying off again.
Yang Kai stared towards Yang Yan’s back blankly, frowning slightly, wondering what this woman was trying to say and why she had suddenly become so sentimental. But unable to understand no matter how much he thought about it, Yang Kai soon shook his head and focused on the task at hand, condensing his Shi with the help of the Emperor Pressure here.
Sweeping away any distracting thoughts, Yang Kai continued to fly upwards unhurriedly.
Every cultivator, after breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm, would begin to condense their own Shi! No one was an exception to this process.
Shi wasn’t something which could be clearly categorized or described. It wasn’t the same as the fighting intent of a cultivator, but rather a fusion of will, Saint Qi, and Spiritual Energy. Once one successfully condensed their Shi, it provided them with a great boost in strength when fighting against opponents!
There were even cultivators who could incorporate their Shi into their Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities, allowing it to play an indispensable role.
However, it was extremely difficult to condense and cultivate one’s Shi, generally requiring years of meditation, insight, and amalgamation. Only after cultivating one’s Shi to the grand accomplishment stage could an Origin Realm cultivator attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm!
This was one of the necessary conditions to achieve a breakthrough.
On Shadowed Star, the number of Origin Returning Realm masters was innumerable, and there was no shortage of those who had reached the Third-Order, but only about one percent of these peak level masters had actually cultivated their Shi to the grand accomplishment stage.
Ye Xi Yun was undoubtedly one such master!
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu’s situations were somewhat vague, they may have reached the grand accomplishment stage, but perhaps not. On the other hand, masters like Jin Shi and Old Woman Feng had certainly not reached this level. As such, even amongst masters at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, strengths varied greatly, and the primary reason for this was the difference in their respective Shi.
After initially condensing their Shi, an Origin Realm master would see their combat strength rise at least thirty percent.
Thirty peak Third-Order Saints may be able to defeat a First-Order Saint King.
But thirty peak Saint Kings would definitely not be the opponent of a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who had condensed their Shi. This clearly illustrated the massive gap between the two Great Realms. Once an opponent fell into their enemy’s Shi, whether it was their Saint Qi circulation or the power of the Secret Techniques they executed, both would receive dramatic suppression, unless they cultivated some kind of Secret Technique which specialized in destroying Shi, such as Demon Blood Temple’s Demon Blood Thread!
Yang Kai had formed a plan for condensing his Shi long ago.
Although he had just broken through to the Origin Realm a few days ago, he had not absorbed the Soul remnants of so many Origin Realm masters in vain, and together with the teachings and personal experiences Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, Wei Gu Chang, Dong Xuan’er, and others had given to him, Yang Kai was confident he could quickly succeed in condensing his Shi.
His foresight and pre-planning had now finally come in handy.
High up in the sky, Yang Kai stood straight like a sword, the Saint Qi in his body condensed to the limit as it rapidly circulated through his meridians.
Above him, there seemed to be an invisible set of stairs that allowed him to climb upwards, and with a relaxed expression, Yang Kai slowly ascended these steps, seemingly not experiencing the slightest pressure.
At this time and place, the Emperor Pressure wasn’t too strong and could only impede the circulation of his Saint Qi slightly. Yang Kai was using this slight suppression to silently ascertain how to integrate his will and Spiritual Essence into one.
As he continued to climb higher, the Emperor Pressure surrounding his body gradually increased, eventually reaching a point where he began to struggle.
Every step soon became laborious and consumed a massive amount of Yang Kai’s strength. At the same time, crackling sounds rang out from his body. The Emperor Pressure here not only hampered Yang Kai’s movements but had also greatly suppressed the speed at which he could circulate his Saint Qi.
It was as if he had fallen into a quagmire, with the surrounding space becoming thick and viscous.
Yang Kai’s expression was grim and the blood vessels on his neck and forehead were now clearly visible. His eyes were bloodshot and looked akin to those of a feral beast.
Although Yang Kai looked quite distressed, there was a deep joy flashing across the depths of his eyes.
Using Emperor Pressure to condense his Shi really had a wondrous effect! At this moment, it seems like every bit of his physique was being crushed by the surrounding Emperor Pressure, which in turn served as a kind of magical catalyst for fusing together his will and Spiritual Essence.
This forced fusion allowed Yang Kai to vaguely comprehend what Shi was, and how to condense his own.
Looking up into the sky, Yang Kai once again took a step forward with great difficulty.
The distance spanned by his foot was less than a normal walking pace, but Yang Kai still felt like it took him several dozen days to make this simple movement!
The Emperor Pressure around him not only slowed Yang Kai’s movements but also began to distort his senses. This kind of slowness was obviously not actually occurring in the outside world, and was all a product of Yang Kai’s mental state, a truly rare and unusual experience.
Crossing this seemingly short stride allowed Yang Kai to experience what would take an ordinary cultivator a massive amount of time to in one moment.
After advancing this one step, Yang Kai closed his eyes and pushed his Saint Qi fiercely, feeling it break free from the Emperor Pressure’s shackles slightly and circulate a tiny bit faster than before.
After a long pause, Yang Kai opened his eyes again, and took another step forward, then closed his eyes again to feel the changes within himself before repeating the process all over again!
At this moment, the benefits of a strong physique fully manifested. If Yang Kai’s physical body wasn’t so intrepid, he wouldn’t have been able to persist in this environment for so long as under the surrounding Emperor Pressure. Instead, he would have already been badly battered.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had just finished cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to its first stage and greatly enhanced his physical strength.
Simultaneously, Yang Kai’s newly achieved Origin Returning Realm cultivation was rapidly being consolidated.
Studying the strange sensation filling his body saved Yang Kai a significant amount of time and effort; if not for it, he would have needed to spend at least a year or two in meditative cultivation to achieve the same result.
This alone made this trip worthwhile.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t satisfied with just this. He continued the excruciating climb higher, completely immersing himself in his comprehension, as if he had forgotten everything else around him.
After a full day, Yang Kai managed to climb a thousand metres. This distance was nothing worth noting and he was still extremely far from the Emperor Garden, but this short ascension had allowed Yang Kai to obtain insights in the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao which would ordinarily take a cultivator a hundred years to achieve.
A kind of invisible force was now beginning to spread out from Yang Kai’s body and countering the Emperor Pressure.
Shi!
This was the Shi which belonged to Yang Kai! Although his Shi was weak compared to the awe-inspiring Emperor Pressure, like a newborn fledgeling not even worth mentioning, reaching this step in such a short time was nothing short of a miracle!
No cultivator had ever managed to condense their Shi and reach the minor accomplishment stage in a single day before!
If someone were to even hear of such a feat, they would definitely not believe it to be true.
But Yang Kai, taking advantage of this rare opportunity, truly managed to achieve this.
The Emperor Pressure which emanated from the Emperor Garden was far more coherent and powerful than the one which had permeated Fallen Emperor Mountain.
In the past, many cultivators had gone to Fallen Emperor Mountain to use the profound and mysterious Emperor Pressure to condense their Shi, most of them reaping huge benefits as a result.
Yang Kai had simply imitated this practice but was doing so under far more advantageous conditions than were present in Fallen Emperor Mountain, allowing him to obtain twice the results with half the effort. Nevertheless, Yang Kai was far from done, this was just the beginning.
With a firm expression, Yang Kai continued to climb while immersing in this wondrous experience.
During the past day, some cultivators had caught up to Yang Kai. These cultivators had rushed to the Emperor Garden starting from the periphery of the Flowing Flame Sand Field and had wasted a great deal of time going around the flame barrier. All of these cultivators now showed anxious looks, obviously fearing that others who had gone ahead of them would take away all the benefits inside the Emperor Garden.
When passing by Yang Kai, however, these same people would all gawk at him in complete shock.
They were easily able to resist the Emperor Pressure here and fly upwards because of the protective light halo produced by their Emperor Jades.
But here, they saw that Yang Kai was actually resisting the Emperor Pressure with his own strength.
How could this scene not shock them?
Many of these people were well-known characters on Shadowed Star, and all of them had cultivations at the Second or Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, but even so, none of them dared dismiss the Emperor Jade’s protection.
Occasionally, there were some masters who saw Yang Kai’s actions and couldn’t help feeling a competitive impulse, dismissing the Emperor Jade’s light halo, but in a flash, their forward momentum plummeted and they were quickly surpassed by others.
Although this impact wasn’t enough to cause these masters to immediately fall, just tasting the ambient Emperor Pressure was enough to make them extremely uncomfortable. Thinking about the benefits inside the Emperor Garden, all of these people quickly re-activated their Emperor Jades and flew past Yang Kai.
Not everyone had possessed Yang Kai’s boldness to willingly sacrifice time inside the Emperor Garden searching for treasure in order to condense and cultivate their Shi.
Additionally, not everyone was willing to turn a blind eye to Yang Kai’s existence. Most of these masters were shocked by Yang Kai’s actions, but all of them still quickly left because the seduction of the Emperor Garden was simply too great.
When the masters from the several great forces that had grievances passed by Yang Kai, all of them showed fierce expressions, seemingly wanting to solve this problem once and for all.
Not only did Jin Shi of Demon Blood Temple think this way, he actually acted upon this impulse as well.
During the battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, Jin Shi had participated in order to snatch the piece of Profound Gold from Yang Kai, but after going to steal a chicken he had failed miserably and ended up losing his rice as well, losing an arm to Dragon Cave Mountain’s Origin King Grade Starship’s Crystal Cannons. That battle had forged a deep hatred inside Jin Shi towards Yang Kai and Dragon Cave Mountain.
After half a year of recuperation, Jin Shi finally managed to recover, and although he was still lacking an arm, that didn’t have much impact on his strength. Passing by Yang Kai at this moment and seeing his hated enemy, Jin Shi naturally became enraged.
Without hesitation, Jin Shi summoned his dark red Demon Blood Thread and lashed out in an attempt to behead Yang Kai.
He believed that by catching Yang Kai unprepared, he could definitely kill him!
However, Jin Shi dramatically underestimated the power of the Emperor Pressure in his surroundings.
The moment the reddish-black Demon Blood Thread Jin Shi sent out left the Emperor Jade’s protective halo, it was instantly submerged in the ambient Emperor Pressure, slowing its speed so much it could no longer play any kind of role as a sneak attack.
At that moment, Yang Kai glanced over at Jin Shi faintly, flashed a smile full of ridicule towards him, spoke some kind of profanity towards Jin Shi who was unable to hear it due to them being too far apart, then turned away.
Yang Kai essentially ignored Jin Shi altogether.
*Pa…*
With a soft popping sound, the reddish-black thread which was slowly advancing towards Yang Kai actually burst, filling the air with a thick bloody smell which caused those nearby to want to retch. The Demon Blood Thread Jin Shi had spent countless years condensing and nurturing was vaporized by the Emperor Garden’s Emperor Pressure.
*Pu…*
Jin Shi’s face suddenly went pale as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body nearly collapsed as a look of horror filled his expression, seemingly suffering a serious injury.
Demon Blood Threads were extremely special, similar to artifacts but much more closely related to the cultivator who condensed them. As a result, once one was destroyed, the cultivator who condensed it would naturally suffer a strong backlash.
Jin Shi not only failed to kill Yang Kai with this blow, he lost an extremely valuable Demon Blood Thread in the process, causing his eyes to go bloodshot with frustration.
Mo Xiao Sheng, Old Woman Feng, and several others who were nearby saw this scene and couldn’t help showing terrified looks on their faces, their expressions quickly becoming solemn and dignified.
They too had wanted to deal with Yang Kai just now, but Jin Shi had moved faster than them.
However, now it seemed it was their good fortune they had not acted hastily, otherwise, they would likely not be much better off than Jin Shi. After shivering slightly, all of these masters cast a glance towards Yang Kai before silently flying upwards.
“Boy, don’t let this old master meet you in the Emperor Garden, otherwise, I swear I’ll peel your skin and flay your flesh to soothe my hatred!” Jin Shi roared furiously.
Yang Kai glanced over at him once again, raised his hand with great difficulty, clenched his fist, then gave Jin Shi a middle finger.
“Hateful!” Jin Shi’s eyes filled with murderous intent, exhibiting a clear desire to fight Yang Kai to the death right there and then. He was also a famous character who held the position of Demon Blood Temple’s Great Elder; when had he ever been so despised and provoked?
Anyone who dared to show him such disrespect had already been drained of their blood by Jin Shi using a forbidden technique to enhance the power of his Demon Blood Thread.
Yang Kai’s naked contempt for him undoubtedly sent Jin Shi into a rage.
“Great Elder, reaching and exploring the Emperor Garden is our priority now. This little boy will definitely go in as well, so it won’t be too late to find trouble with him when we meet inside,” A beautiful woman in a highly revealing pink dress next to Jin Shi lightly comforted.
This woman’s style could only be described as bold, her jade-white arms and long slender legs almost completely exposed while her pink dress failed to conceal the luscious curves of her body, especially her immense peaks and the deep valley which lay between them, this sight alone was like a whirlpool which drew in the eyes of men, seizing their souls and driving them to distraction.
This woman’s most distinctive feature, however, was her dark red lips. This pair of ruby-like lips seemed to exude a lustrous glow which gave her a seductive allure difficult to ignore.
Like a ripe juicy peach, this woman seemed incredibly tempting and sweet.
Although this woman only appeared about thirty years of age, she was radiating the aura of a top Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master.
At this moment, Jin Shi was filled with indignation, but he still did not dare act dissolute towards this beautiful woman, quickly nodding to her words, “It is as Temple Master says!”
This beautiful woman was none other than the Temple Master of Demon Blood Temple! Those who weren’t familiar with the details of Demon Blood Temple would surely be shocked that a woman actually stood at its helm, but those who did know about her would avoid her like a viper.
Demon Blood Temple was by no means a righteous force, and although they didn’t commit acts of evil with absolutely no restraint, most of its disciples frequently engaged in malicious acts such as murder and robbery.
As the saying went, if the upper beam were crooked, the lower beams would be too, so with the Temple’s disciples committing vile deeds, this beautiful woman who was the Temple Master naturally was not anything good.
It was rumoured that this woman never spent the night without the company of a man. Any male in Demon Blood Temple she felt was to her taste could not escape from her clutches, even several Elders of the Temple were rumoured to be having affairs with her.
Every year, a large number of physically strong, outstanding-looking male cultivators were captured by Demon Blood Temple and disappeared without a trace.
Supposedly, all of these men had been sucked dry by this beautiful woman, quite literally dying beneath her.
However, although Demon Blood Temple carried out such repugnant acts, it still remained safe and sound because the males they targeted all came from small forces or had no stronger background or backers. As such, even if Demon Blood Temple’s reputation was terrible, no powerful force went to find trouble with it.
What’s more, Demon Blood Temple was also a first-class force on Shadowed Star, so unless Thunder Typhoon Sect and Heaven Battling Union joined forces and gathered additional masters from the other great forces on the star, it would be all but impossible to uproot it.
At this moment, this beautiful woman was staring towards Yang Kai, her eyes flashing with a predatory glint as her tongue licked her ruby-red lips, her breathing even becoming a little quick.
No wind leaked through a wall without a hall; all the rumours about this woman were basically true. For example, what she liked the most was strong men!
It was not that she had a deep need for warmth and companionship. As the master of a great force and a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, how could she waste time on such things? The reason she liked strong men was that the vitality these men had was much richer than that of average cultivators!
While sleeping with such men, she could use a special set of Secret Techniques to devour their vital essence and use it to enhance the strength of her Demon Blood Threads!
Yang Kai being able to stand at this position without relying on the Emperor Jade’s protection, solely depending on his physical body to resist the surrounding Emperor Pressure, clearly displayed how intrepid his vitality was, which in turn greatly stimulated the desires of this beautiful woman.
Moreover, Yang Kai’s cultivation at the First-Order Origin Returning Realm was not low. If she could devour the vitality of this boy, her strength would definitely increase substantially!
After having reached her current cultivation, wanting to increase her strength further became incredibly difficult. If it was another star in the Star Field, she could attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm, but in the special environment of Shadowed Star, where the Origin King Realm was simply unattainable, she could only strengthen her Secret Techniques instead.
To her, Yang Kai’s body was the greatest of delicacies!
The more she looked, the more delighted she became. This beautiful woman wanted nothing more than to rush over, capture Yang Kai, and find a place where no one could interrupt their good deal, but having been frightened greatly by the tragedy which befell Jin Shi after he attacked just now, she knew that now was not the right time to act aggressively.
Giggling lightly, the beautiful woman looked towards Yang Kai and said, “Little brother, hurry up and enter the Emperor Garden, this Temple Master will be waiting for you inside!”
Saying so, she and Jin Shi flew upwards past Yang Kai.
Staring at the backs of these two, Yang Kai just coldly snorted, not paying them any mind.
He had long known his trip to the Emperor Garden would not be peaceful; let alone others, the great forces that had deep grudges with him and Dragon Cave Mountain would not let this opportunity to silence him go.
But what of it?
Now that he had broken through to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, and his Shi had reached the minor accomplishment stage, even if he was besieged by four or five top-level masters he could not defeat, Yang Kai was confident he could easily escape.
As such, he was not the slightest bit afraid; on the contrary, he was actually feeling quite eager to find an opportunity to test the power of his Shi.
Rays of light flashed past from all directions as the cultivators from Shadowed Star who had obtained Emperor Jades rushed up towards the Emperor Garden. As time passed, everyone who was qualified eventually passed through the floating Space Arrays and entered the Emperor Garden.
Hovering in mid-air, only the lone figure of Yang Kai remained, still climbing upwards at an incredibly slow pace.
Instead of becoming impatient though, he only became calmer.
Now that everyone had gone on ahead, he had nothing more to worry about and could focus all of his attention on tempering and condensing his Shi here.
Yang Kai was not willing to miss such a rare opportunity!
Time continued to pass, and three days later, Yang Kai stood mid-air, pale-faced, his legs trembling nonstop, as if he was on the verge of collapsing.
Having reached this point, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t take another step forward. The Emperor Pressure around him was already so oppressive that it seemed like it would crush him to death if he advanced even one step higher.
These three days of hard work had given him insight and understanding an ordinary cultivator would need to spend hundreds of years to achieve.
Comprehension of Shi!
Yang Kai’s Shi was no longer just at the minor accomplishment stage and had made great strides forward, making it comparable in intensity to masters who had long ago achieved great fame.
[Is this my limit?] A glimmer of sadness flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes. Although he still wanted to continue to climb upwards, willpower alone would not allow him to do so, making him feel quite helpless.
But soon, Yang Kai thought of something and frowned deeply, sinking into a state of contemplation.
After an incense stick worth of time, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as a smile appeared on his face before he slowly and arduously raised his foot to tread another step upwards.
*Hong…*
The increase in Emperor Pressure Yang Kai experienced after lifting his foot nearly extinguished him in body and soul as it tightly wrapped around him.
At the same time though, a strange series of crackling noises rang out.
A strange force burst out from Yang Kai’s body, turning into innumerable invisible blades, cutting the Emperor Pressure apart which was pressing down on him!
Suddenly, Yang Kai felt significantly lighter, and his figure quickly ascended another step!
The crackling noises became even more numerous and the space around Yang Kai actually became distorted, as if it was constantly collapsing and repairing itself over and over again in an endless cycle.
Space Force!