Yang Kai had checked the short arrow before, so he was more curious about what was inside the jade box.
This jade box was made from a strange material that could block Divine Sense from penetrating it, so obviously its grade was not low. Yang Kai took it out of his Space Ring and with a flick of his wrist opened its lid.
Vigorous and pure energy suddenly rushed out from the jade box, causing Yang Kai’s eyes to brighten. Unconsciously taking a deep breath, he suddenly felt refreshed.
Looking inside, Yang Kai found that the jade box contained only two hexagonal-shaped pure white, flawless crystals, each one about the size of a fingernail. However, when he used his Divine Sense to investigate these two crystals, he was shocked by the amount of energy they contained.
“What is this?” Yang Kai muttered to himself as he gently pinched one of the crystals and brought it up to his eyes to look more carefully.
This crystal looked a bit like Saint Crystal, but its grade was clearly far superior. Even the Saint Crystal Sources condensed by the Stone Puppet could not compare to these hexagonal crystals.
The two were not even on the same level.
The energy stored inside this crystal seemed to have gone beyond the scope of Saint Crystals.
Yang Kai was thoroughly shocked.
He was widely travelled and had encountered a wealth of opportunities over the years, allowing him to see countless treasures. He had even seen several Origin King Grade artifacts, so there weren’t many things which could arouse his interest now.
However, these two fingernail-sized crystals in front of him were one of them.
Yang Kai examined the crystals for a long time but was still unable to determine what exactly it was, only that the amount of energy contained within each was incredibly dense, pure and could be directly absorbed into his body without any unique kind of refinement method, instantly supplementing his Saint Qi. Yang Kai only absorbed a small amount of energy from this crystal for a moment, but that was all it took to completely restore all the Saint Qi he had consumed just now.
Despite that, the small crystal did not change in the slightest, as if the energy stored inside it was inexhaustible.
Of course, that was impossible and it was more accurate to say that, compared to how much energy this crystal stored inside itself, the amount Yang Kai absorbed was just a tiny fraction, so any change was negligible.
High-Rank Saint Crystals and even Saint Crystal Sources were completely dwarfed in every respect by these two crystals.
[What amazing treasure!] Yang Kai grinned and laughed happily.
Although he never had to worry about exhausting his Saint Qi reserves or running out of Saint Qi in the midst of battle, these two crystals were still undoubtedly helpful to him.
At the very least, there was no longer a need for him to deliberately look for a place with rich World Energy during future breakthroughs.
As long as he had these two pieces of crystal, Yang Kai could make a breakthrough anywhere without worrying about running short of World Energy.
However, this kind of treasure was something Yang Kai naturally felt reluctant to use. After all, besides supplementing the World Energy aura during a breakthrough, perhaps it had some other, more significant use.
After inspecting the two crystals a bit longer, Yang Kai solemnly put them back into the jade box and stored it away carefully.
Next, he began a detailed investigation of the short arrow.
This short arrow was clearly an artifact, but its shape was a bit peculiar. It was only about as long as a forearm and it was engraved with the words ‘Feather Spirit’, which was obviously the artifact’s name.
This Feather Spirit Arrow had two pieces of flawless white jade inlaid on its shaft.
However, this artifact gave off no discernible energy fluctuations.
This was very strange. Since it was an artifact, it must have a grade, and as long as it had a grade, it would surely give off some kind of energy fluctuation which would allow people to classify it.
However, this Feather Spirit Arrow seemed to deviate from this common sense. It looked quite inconspicuous, Yang Kai was unable to notice anything special about it even when scanning it with his Divine Sense, as if it were just some kind of worthless decorative item.
But since this Feather Spirit Arrow had been stored together with the two hexagonal crystals that contained massive amounts of pure energy, it naturally could not be something ordinary; it was just that Yang Kai was unable to immediately identify it.
After thinking about it for a while, Yang Kai circulated his Saint Qi and began pouring it into the Feather Spirit Arrow slowly.
When one was experimenting with the power of a new artifact, this was generally the first step.
The Feather Spirit Arrow smoothly accepted Yang Kai’s Saint Qi, and as he continued this process, the pure white jade inlaid in its shaft slowly began turning black.
If one looked closely, they would even notice a trace of fiery red in this black hue, as well as an extremely hot aura.
It was similar in colour to Yang Kai’s Demonic Flame!
Yang Kai brow furrowed and while paying close attention to the changes of the jade, he began pouring even more Saint Qi into the Feather Spirit Arrow.
After about an hour, Yang Kai stopped his output of Saint Qi and stared closely at the Feather Spirit Arrow.
The arrow no longer seemed dead and was instead exuding a shocking energy fluctuation that was in no way inferior to that of an Origin Grade High-Rank artifact, possibly even somewhat greater.
The energy fluctuations of this strange artifact increased as more Saint Qi was infused into it!
Moreover, Origin Grade High-Rank was far from its limit.
The limiting factor seemed to be Yang Kai’s cultivation. The Saint Qi he poured into it only capable of producing an Origin Grade High-Rank aura.
The amount of Saint Qi he had poured in this arrow over the past hour was also quite astonishing.
If it were an ordinary Origin Returning Realm master, it would have been impossible to replicate this in such a short time. Only Yang Kai, with his massive reserves of Saint Qi, could continuously fill up this arrow without any adverse consequences.
Yang Kai estimated that the amount of Saint Qi he had poured into this Feather Spirit Arrow was equivalent to an average Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master’s entire reserve!
In other words, if any other Origin Returning Realm cultivator obtained this Feather Spirit Arrow, even if they were a Third-Order master, they would need to consume all of their strength to fill it.
If it were a First or Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator, they would probably need to repeat this filling process multiple times before they could saturate one of the jades inlaid in the arrow shaft.
Yang Kai was stunned speechless.
Soon though, he cast his gaze onto the jades inlaid in the Feather Spirit Arrow.
There were a total of two jades in this artifact’s shaft which should be able to store Saint Qi.
Considering this, Yang Kai continued pouring out his Saint Qi.
After another hour, the second jade in the Feather Spirit Arrow also reached saturation, confirming Yang Kai’s guess.
Taking a light breath, Yang Kai’s face filled with joy. Although he did not know how powerful this Feather Spirit Arrow was, it was undoubtedly an incredible artifact. If it was used well, it could be treated as one of his trump cards.
Moreover, even though it had not been refined by him, it could still absorb his Saint Qi. It could be seen that this Feather Spirit Arrow either had no owner before, or it had been too long and the brand its owner left inside of it had dispersed entirely.
Now, all Yang Kai needed to do was take some time to refine it and it would belong to him.
Thinking so, Yang Kai did not hesitate. Holding the Feather Spirit Arrow in both hands, he began to pour his Divine Sense into it, trying to carve his aura and mark into it.
The sun sank and the moon rose as time passed by.
After half a month, Yang Kai stood up, and with a slight thought, the Feather Spirit Arrow turned into a stream of light and disappeared into his body.
The refining process had gone even more smoothly than expected. Yang Kai did not know if it was because this artifact was from ancient times and was somewhat different from modern artifacts, but it had taken significantly less time than he anticipated to refine it.
After he finished this refinement, Yang Kai gained some insight into the power and usage restrictions of this Feather Spirit Arrow.
Strictly speaking, this Feather Spirit Arrow’s power was enormous. The two strange jades inlaid in its shaft could store a massive amount of Saint Qi and compress it into an imposing attack.
When encountering a powerful enemy, one only needed to activate the internal Spirit Array to release this attack, and even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master would suffer significantly if they were struck by it.
Its power was immense, but there were naturally drawbacks.
Because there were only two jades on the Feather Spirit Arrow, even if it were fully charged, it could only be used twice!
After two uses, the energy inside the jades would be exhausted and you would first need to charge it up if you wanted to use it again.
Even with Yang Kai’s strength, it took him an hour to fill a single piece of jade, so this Feather Spirit Arrow could only be used twice in a battle.
Despite this limitation, this Feather Spirit Arrow was an incredibly powerful artifact, one Yang Kai was quite satisfied with.
There was nothing perfect in this world. The power of this Feather Spirit Arrow was scary enough, so how could it possibly be used endlessly?
Yang Kai wanted to test the power of the Feather Spirit Arrow, but there was no suitable target here, so he had no choice but to set this matter aside. After walking out of the natural cave, Yang Kai picked a direction at will and flew off.
For the next few days, Yang Kai wandered around Fallen Emperor Mountain.
Now that he knew that rumours about the existence of ancient secluded homes and cave mansions weren’t groundless and he had some gains, he planned to continue treasure hunting; after all, one could never have too many good things.
Unfortunately, maybe because there were too many cultivators pouring into this place, even if Yang Kai found something over the next few days, he wasn’t able to reap any kind of harvest as others had thoroughly ransacked these secluded homes and cave mansions.
Murder and robbery were also common, with sneak attacks and counterattacks happening everywhere Yang Kai went.
On this day, Yang Kai took out his communication artifact as usual and poured his Divine Sense into it.
Although treasure hunting in Fallen Emperor Mountain was important, Yang Kai did not forget his original intention, so he would take out this communication artifact and try to contact Qian Tong now and then.
However, even until now, Yang Kai had not been able to reach either Qian Tong or Fei Zhi Tu.
This time though, things were different. After pouring his Divine Sense into this communication artifact, Yang Kai suddenly felt a different Divine Sense fluctuation coming from it and hurriedly checked it.
A moment later, Yang Kai flew off in a certain direction after putting the artifact away.
Somewhere, ten thousand kilometres away, countless Origin Returning Realm masters had gathered and were staring towards a set of palaces and pavilions surrounding a specific mountain up ahead.
An Ancient Sect Ruin!
Although there were many cultivators enthusiastically searching for secluded homes and cave mansions outside to gain something, the great forces that were well-informed had sent most of their masters to this spot.
After all, the temptation of an Ancient Sect Ruin was simply too high. Who would not want to enter such a place to search for treasures?
At this moment, masters from various great forces had all gathered here in a display of power that was even more imposing than when the Emperor Garden had opened.
When the Emperor Garden opened, the number of cultivators who could enter was limited due to the small supply of Emperor Jades, but this time was different. There was no danger in Fallen Emperor Mountain and anyone could penetrate its depths, so as long as a cultivator received word of this event, they had hurried over to join the fun.
And so, they gathered around this Ancient Sect Ruins, a gathering that consisted far more than just those from the great forces.
Many cultivators from small families and sects were also here, hoping to drink some soup after the masters harvested the meat, but none of them dared get too close for fear they would be attacked or even killed; after all, they weren’t qualified to stand on equal footing with the masters from the great forces.
At this moment, at least a few hundred Origin Returning Realm masters from various great forces were bombarding the Sect Defending Array in front of themselves. Different Secret Techniques and artifact attacks released brilliant flashes of light as they tore through the air and impacted the invisible barrier, creating numerous ripples across its surfaces. However, the Sect Defending Array that protected this Ancient Sect Ruin was extremely powerful, so even after almost twenty days of continuous bombardment, it was still barring everyone’s path, preventing them from intruding.
However, the Shadowed Star masters’ efforts weren’t in vain. After such a long period of time, the Sect Defending Array had clearly become less stable and it was clear it wouldn’t be long before it broke.
While most people were focused on attacking this Spirit Array, there were also some masters who had formed teams to expel others who had heard the news and come to try their luck. These teams were composed of cultivators from different Sects in order to guarantee that the interests of their respective forces were maintained. These masters forbid anyone not associated with them from approaching and trying to fish in troubled waters; after all, they had expended a great deal of time and energy breaking the protective barrier and weren’t about to allow others to just pick up a bargain at the last moment.
If anyone didn’t understand discretion, they would be killed without mercy!
Many who didn’t know the whole story had died tragically at the hands of these people. Others who came later learned from these unfortunate souls’ mistakes, as well as their broken corpses, and took the initiative to remain on the periphery, not daring to rush forward.
Although these Ancient Sect Ruins were very tempting, one first needed their life in order to reap any gains.
Those who didn’t have powerful backgrounds could only wait ten kilometres away and look on anxiously. Envy was inevitable, and all these cultivators naturally wanted to participate in this grand event, but unfortunately, their respective Sects’ statuses weren’t high, nor were their personal strengths, so they could only stand back and grumble amongst themselves.
“Tsk, seems like this is a truly grand occasion. Nearly all of Shadowed Star’s great Sects and masters have arrived.” A burly, bald man shook his head as he stood among the crowd of onlookers. Although he was offering words of admiration, everyone was able to hear the disgruntled tone in his voice.
“Countryside hick!” Hearing what this man said, another old man in plain robes who was standing not far away snorted coldly, “Do you think Shadowed Star only has this many masters? Those big Sects have all sent out less than half of their true powerhouses and news about this place is still spreading, so there are obviously others still on their way here.”
“Old Dog, are you trying to pick a fight? Father here was just speaking his mind, why don’t you just mind your own damn business?” The burly bald-headed man snapped back harshly. He had truly just been venting but now that he was being openly refuted he couldn’t help becoming somewhat angry.
The old man in plain robes just glanced at the burly man faintly and sneered, not showing any interest in arguing with him.
Seeing this contemptuous look made the burly bald-headed man even angrier and with a fierce look upon his face he was just about to attack the old man when suddenly, a flash of light crossed his eyes and a young man strangely appeared in front of him.
This young man had a stalwart look to him and wore a light blue outfit, giving him a competent air.
The burly bald-headed man was taken aback for a moment but after staring at this young for a moment, doubt flashed across his eyes as he vaguely felt that this young man was familiar, but he was unable to remember where he had seen him before immediately.
“There are so many people here…” The young man looked around and muttered in a somewhat surprised tone.
The burly bald-headed man casually answered, “Of course there are lots of people here, they’re all expecting to go in and find something good. Where is this friend from?”
When the young man heard this question, he turned his head, smiled, and said, “I came from the outside region. I just heard news about this place and decided to come check it out. En, I’ll be going on ahead.”
Saying so, he flew up and rushed forward.
“Little friend, wait!” The old man in plain robes who had been bickering with the burly bald-headed man called out hurriedly, trying to block this youth, but he was too late as the other party was already a thousand metres away, moving at an astonishing speed.
“That boy is doomed!” The old man shook his head slightly with a look of regret. He saw that this young man was truly young and his cultivation wasn’t weak, but since he dared rush towards the Sect Defending Array, he would certainly be killed on the spot.
“Not necessarily, he might be able to join that crowd,” The burly bald-headed man’s eyes lit up as he finally remembered where he had seen that youth before.
A while ago, someone caused a huge uproar in Heavenly Fate City, and at that time, this burly bald-headed man just happened to be staying there. As such, he had seen the young man who was the root of all the ruckus and later learned that the youth was actually Yang Kai, the master of Dragon Cave Mountain. After that incident, not only had Yang Kai not suffered in any way, he still roamed about freely without the slightest of worries.
Today, Yang Kai was already High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master, the enigmatic character who had conquered the Flowing Flame Sand Field!
“What do you mean?” The old man looked over suspiciously at the burly bald-headed man, “There are many who want to try to enter and fish in troubled waters, but everyone who dared do so died, and their fresh corpses are still strewn all over the place. Why do you think that boy can pass safely?”
“Heh heh, just watch. If he can pass, old man, you must apologize to Father here,” The burly bald-headed man declared confidently.
“And if he’s killed?” The old man narrowed his eyes.
“Father here will kneel down and lick your shoes!” The burly bald-headed man shouted loudly.
When he said this, everyone nearby directed an interested look towards him; even the old man couldn’t help doing a double-take.
These stakes were really quite amazing! As the saying goes, a person’s face was like the bark of a tree, losing it was more serious than simply being killed, so why was this burly man so confident?
“Fine. This old master will take that bet,” The old man was also a decisive character and agreed after just a moment of hesitation. He didn’t believe that the great forces that were attacking the Sect Defending Array all this time would be willing to let some random young man strut in and join them.
For a time, all the cultivators around focused their attention on Yang Kai, wondering whether he would be able to pass the blockade of the great forces’ masters safely.
Yang Kai also quickly discovered that something was wrong.
Although he contacted Qian Tong through his communication artifact and knew the general situation here, he hadn’t expected it to be so complicated.
Not long after he started his approach, a group of seven or eight Origin Realm masters flew out from around the Sect Defending Array towards him, all of them wearing different robes, indicating they did not belong to a single great force.
There were three uniforms, however, that Yang Kai recognized.
Heaven Battling Union, Thunder Typhoon Sect, and Floating Mist Palace!
Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, needless to say, were the two giants of Shadowed Star while Floating Mist Palace was also a first-class Sect, at least on par with Shadow Moon Hall and Coloured Glass Sect.
Although Yang Kai couldn’t tell where the others came from just by their uniforms, each of the approaching masters was at least a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator.
These people stopped about a thousand meters away and stared towards Yang Kai indifferently. Immediately, one of the old men in a grey robe stepped forward without saying a word, pointed his finger, summoned a fiery red long sword, and shot it towards Yang Kai.
The speed of this sword was quite extraordinary.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed as he felt the murderous intent coming from his opponent’s move and immediately summoned his Purple Shield to protect himself.
*Hong…*
The sword collided with the Purple Shield and a violent energy wave burst forth. Flaming light completely engulfed Yang Kai in the next instant, causing him to disappear from sight.
The grey-robed old man sneered, waved his hand and summoned the fiery red sword back to himself before casting an indifferent look towards the spot where Yang Kai once stood.
He thought that Yang Kai was dead; after all, from what he could tell, Yang Kai was just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy and could not possibly block his blow.
But soon, the old man frowned before letting out a surprised mutter.
Ahead of him, after the light faded, Yang Kai’s figure appeared again, his Purple Shield still blocking his front, seemingly not having suffered any injuries. His face, however, was icy.
As soon as he arrived here, he was attacked by a stranger, and it was an attack that contained clear murderous intent, so Yang Kai’s mood wasn’t good.
“What is Your Excellency doing?” Yang Kai glared towards the grey-clothed old man coldly.
“What is this old master doing?” The grey-clothed old man snorted, “All trespassers are to be killed without mercy, what else do you think I’m doing?”
Yang Kai frowned as he glanced around at the broken corpses down below, vaguely figuring out the situation.
After the grey-clothed old man failed to achieve anything with his first blow, he felt he had lost a lot of face and was just about to attack again when suddenly a loud shout rang out from behind “Wait!”
Hearing this call, the grey-clothed old man didn’t make any follow-up movements and instead put on a flattering look and turned around to face the white-haired old man who just spoke, “What advice does Brother Liang have?”
The other party didn’t answer immediately but instead stared at Yang Kai with interest, a slight grin soon appearing on his face as he asked loudly, “Dare I ask, is Little Brother High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai shifted his gaze to this old man and nodded, “Yeah, I am Yang Kai.”
“What, this boy is High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master?” The grey-clothed old man who attacked Yang Kai just now called out in alarm.
Instantly, he regretted his hasty actions just now.
Regardless of what Yang Kai’s personal cultivation was, the High Heaven Sect he controlled today could not be underestimated by anyone. Forget about the fact that High Heaven Sect possessed an extraordinarily powerful Origin King Grade Starship, it was even rumoured that Yang Kai’s combat power was astonishing. The grey-clothed old man couldn’t help feeling a chill up his spine just thinking about this.
It was rumoured that when he was just a Third-Order Saint King, Yang Kai had killed numerous Origin Returning Realm masters, and now that he had also reached the Origin Returning Realm, his strength likely was not inferior to any Third-Order Origin Realm master.
This old man was just a Second-Order Origin Realm master, so if he were to really engage in a fight here, it was likely he would be the one to fall.
The grey-clothed old man was naturally frightened and could not help shivering slightly as he secretly thanked Elder Liang for stopping him in time; otherwise, he might have made a tragic mistake.
What’s more, almost every great force on Shadowed Star was actively trying to befriend High Heaven Sect; unfortunately, there was no easy way to contact this reclusive Sect.
The grey-clothed old man’s Sect also had such intentions, but now that he had suddenly attacked Yang Kai with intent to kill, it was inevitable that the other party’s opinion of him would be terrible.
Considering all this, the grey-clothed old man became extremely anxious.
“It really is Sect Master Yang,” The old man smiled lightly before cupping his fists and saying, “Please excuse this one’s lack of courtesy, I am Heaven Battling Union’s Third Elder Liang Yong!”
[Heaven Battling Union?] Yang Kai frowned. Although he didn’t have a good impression of this great force and even had some friction with it, since the other party had displayed proper etiquette, Yang Kai reciprocated in kind, “Yang Kai greets Elder Liang.”
“En, perfect,” The smile on Liang Yong’s face became more and more kind, but Yang Kai always felt that this smile was somehow strange; unfortunately, he couldn’t tell why. Before he could figure anything out, Liang Yong pointed to someone next to him and spoke, “This is Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Vice Sect Master Si Tu Hong, Sect Master Yang must have heard of him.”
“I have indeed!” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Si Tu Hong and Liang Yong’s names were indeed among those he had heard of as they were both Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters on Shadowed Star as well as famous figures in their own right; however, today was the first time he had seen either of them in person.
Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had a number of grievances between them. Although they weren’t as incompatible as fire and water, they were by no means friendly with one another, so how had they suddenly decided to join forces? Yang Kai felt the situation was somewhat strange, but when he looked over at the Sect Defending Array, he quickly understood.
There are no eternal enemies, only eternal benefits. This scene was the best illustration of this saying.
“Please excuse us, Sect Master Yang, it’s not that we intentionally wanted to intercept you, but I’m sure you can see what the current situation is. Several dozen of Shadowed Star’s great forces have joined forces to break through this Sect Defending Array in order to explore the ruins inside, so our guard around the periphery must be somewhat tight so no one can trespass without permission. I ask Sect Master Yang to forgive Brother Yu for his earlier disrespect, Brother Yu was simply following orders,” Liang Yong spoke again, explaining the situation with the man who had just attacked Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled faintly and said, “It’s fine, I haven’t suffered any harm, so we can just consider this matter finished.”
Liang Yong laughed loudly, “Sect Master Yang is indeed magnanimous, this Liang offers his sincere thanks.”
The old man surnamed Yu also hurriedly apologised.
“Elder Liang, is no one allowed to enter here now?” Yang Kai asked uncomfortably; after all, Fallen Emperor Mountain was originally an ownerless stretch of land so the Ancient Sect Ruins inside should also be accessible to everyone. Now that the great forces had designated it as their private territory and were killing all trespassers without mercy, of course, Yang Kai would feel somewhat uncomfortable.
However, since several dozen great forces had joined forces here, Yang Kai couldn’t raise any objections that would violate public anger.
“Yes, we here had reached such an agreement since half a month ago,” Liang Yong gently nodded. “The seven of us here were sent to enforce this order.”
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai nodded, expressing his understanding.
Suddenly, however, Liang Yong smiled lightly and said, “But it’s not that no one is allowed to enter. As long as they can obtain the permission of the seven gathered here, anyone is eligible to participate in this grand event!”
“Oh? So how should I go about obtaining your permission?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“En, that might be a bit difficult,” Liang Yong put on an awkward look as he rubbed his temples and said, “It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Sect Defending Array is about to be broken, and anyone who wants to participate in this event must first pay the appropriate price. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be unfair to the others here who had been contributing all this time?”
There was some truth to this statement. There were hundreds of Origin Returning Realm masters who had been bombarding the Sect Defending Array for half a month now and were extremely eager to enter inside to look around. So close to success, how could they just allow an outsider who didn’t provide any assistance during this process to reap the same benefits? If someone tried to do this, there would be plenty of others who would disagree.
“What kind of price?” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before asking, “Elder Liang might as well name a price. I’ll see if I can bear it.”
Liang Yong just laughed though, “Sect Master Yang need not act so estranged. If someone else had come, we would definitely have them pay a high price, but since Sect Master Yang is High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master, then… there’s no need for such trifles. High Heaven Sect is also considered a great force famous across Shadowed Star, so it too is eligible to participate in this event. What’s more, Sect Master Yang came here alone so it’s not a problem for this old master to bend the rules and allow Sect Master Yang to go in.”
Yang Kai wore a look of surprise as he tilted his head and asked, “Won’t doing this cause things to be awkward for Elder Liang?”
Yang Kai was somewhat at a loss. He didn’t understand why the other party was acting so accommodating. Yang Kai didn’t have any friendship with Heaven Battling Union, and in fact had a number of grievances with them, so there was no reason for Liang Yong to give him any face.
Liang Yong chuckled and said, “This old master can’t say the final word here, this is simply my own opinion. Whether or not Sect Master Yang may pass will depend on what everyone else has to say.”
Saying so, Liang Yong turned his gaze to the other six masters beside him.
For a moment, these Origin Returning Realm masters exchanged awkward glances with one another, but it wasn’t long before Vice Sect Master Si Tu Hong of Thunder Typhoon Sect spoke up while nodding his head, “If it is just Sect Master Yang, this old master has no problem allowing him to pass.”
Since the representatives of Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect agreed, what else could anyone say? They were originally here following Liang Yong and Si Tu Hong’s lead, so everyone else immediately nodded in agreement.
“Since that’s the case, this Yang must offer his thanks,” Yang Kai cupped his fists before swiftly flying past this group of seven towards the Sect Defending Array.
“Sect Master Yang, since you’ve come, please assist us in breaking through this barrier. The sooner we break through it, the sooner we can reap the benefits it is protecting,” Liang Yong shouted from behind, but Yang Kai was already a few thousand meters away, so there was no way to know if he heard him or not.
After this shout, Liang Yong turned to look at Si Tu Hong and flashed a knowing grin.
This was really a case of wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet.
They had obtained news a while ago that Yang Kai had headed to Heavenly Fate City, but after tracking him all the way there, they found that he had come to Fallen Emperor Mountain. Later, after hearing about the change in Fallen Emperor Mountain, the masters of the two great forces also gathered here.
Just as they were worried about being unable to find Yang Kai’s trail, he had actually delivered himself to them.
There was now no path to Heaven or road to Hell for this boy. Since he had come to court death, he couldn’t blame others for obliging.
However, this was not a place where they could take action. There were too many people here and Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had to take into account their face and reputation, so for now, the best option would be to let this little brat in first. As long as this boy entered these Ancient Sect Ruins, they could lead him to a secluded place and deal with him quietly.
Even if Yang Kai didn’t have intentions of joining them, Liang Yong would have taken the initiative to invite him in. Si Tu Hong had the same objective, so he didn’t raise any objections, simply finding an excuse to allow Yang Kai to pass safely.
On the other hand, Yang Kai understood that nothing in life came without paying an appropriate price. He didn’t know what kind of scheme Liang Yong and the others were up to, but with full confidence in his skills, Yang Kai didn’t care.
In an instant, he had arrived in front of the Sect Defending Array and quickly flew over to a certain position.
In the direction he flew, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were using their artifacts to bombard the Sect Defending Array, the light curtain in front of them rippling noticeably each time they attacked.
“Elder Qian, City Lord Fei!” Yang Kai landed and called out.
The two couldn’t help turning their heads upon hearing someone call out to them, and when they saw Yang Kai, Qian Tong couldn’t help grinning, “Yang Kai, did you also catch wind of this and come to investigate?”
“En, by coincidence. I went to Heavenly Fate City to find you but didn’t expect either of you to be there.”
“To find us? For what?”
“A small matter, nothing too important. We can discuss it after we finish up the matter at hand,” Yang Kai laughed.
“Sure. However, why did those people from Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect let you in? It’s a bit strange, anyone who dared try to approach until now was killed.”
“I don’t know,” Yang Kai shrugged.
“Since you’re here, you should help out. This Sect Defending Array is quite amazing, many times stronger than your Dragon Cave Mountain’s Mountain Defending Array, at least,” Fei Zhi Tu interrupted.
“En.”
The three of them no longer spoke and instead turned their focus to attacking the barrier in front of them.
The artifact used by Fei Zhi Tu was the Blue Jade Bowl he relied upon the most. He had caused it to expand to a few dozen meters in diameter and release a hail of blue light beams towards the Spirit Array, causing quite the effect.
Qian Tong, on the other hand, used a short-sword-like artifact. After pouring his Saint Qi into the blade, a dragon roar sounded from it and it transformed into a several-dozen-metre long green dragon that used its tail and claws to batter the Spirit Array loudly.
Yang Kai observed from the side with some admiration. Whether it was Fei Zhi Tu or Qian Tong, both were worthy of their status as famous masters of Shadowed Star. Both of their Saint Qis were pure and powerful. In fact, judging just from the quality of their Saint Qi alone, both of them should have the qualifications to break through to the Origin King Realm.
However, if one wanted to break through to the Origin King Realm, they first needed to condense their Shi to the grand accomplishment stage.
This requirement was enough to cause ninety-nine percent of Origin Returning Realm masters to fall short. Yang Kai didn’t know whether Fei Zhi Tu and Qian Tong had such achievements with their Shi.
Yang Kai had no intention to just observe though and soon raised his hand to send out more than a dozen Golden Threads.
He currently only had two offensive artifacts, one was the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword and the other was the Feather Spirit Arrow he obtained half a month ago and hadn’t yet had a chance to test out. However, neither of these two artifacts could be used casually.
The Dragon Bone Sword, needless to say, had the Remnant Soul wisp of a True Dragon and was extraordinarily eye-catching to use. The Feather Spirit Arrow, on the other hand, was something of a consumable artifact and could only launch two attacks before needing to be re-charged with Saint Qi, not a suitable artifact to use for this task.
As such, Yang Kai could only resort to using his Golden Blood Thread Secret Technique.
Fortunately, as he was travelling the past few months, Yang Kai had been studying the second half of the Golden Blood Thread Secret Technique and was now eager to try out its power. The Sect Defending Array in front of him happened to provide a good practice target.
The dozen or so Golden Threads each released a dazzling golden radiance as well as a shocking vital aura.
As soon as Yang Kai released these Golden Threads, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu raised their brows and slowed down their movements to observe.
“Old Fei, why do I feel like Yang Kai’s move is somewhat similar to Demon Blood Temple’s Secret Technique, the Demon Blood Thread?” Qian Tong asked suspiciously. He had dealt with several Elders of Demon Blood Temple over the years and understood the strange and mighty power of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique, so it was only natural for him to see some clues from Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads.
“It’s more than similar, it’s like the two techniques are carved from the same mould,” Fei Zhi Tu was also shocked. “But their former Temple Master spent her entire life to cultivate two Demon Blood Threads while the other Elders like Jin Shi only have one. The number Yang Kai has is… a bit too high, isn’t it?”
More than a dozen, what kind of concept was this? Although Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had not cultivated the Demon Blood Thread, they also knew about its requirements. They knew it was based on condensing one’s vital essence into a type of hybrid artifact and Secret Technique. As such, even if those from Demon Blood Temple were quite strong, they couldn’t cultivate many of these Demon Blood Threads.
Demon Blood Temple’s Temple Master cultivated her Demon Blood Threads by using a vicious Secret Technique that gathered Yang to supplement Yin, essentially harvesting the vital essence of strong men on a large scale. Still, even she was only able to produce two Demon Blood Threads. How much vital essence would Yang Kai need to condense a dozen then? And looking at his complexion, there were obviously no signs that his vitality was deficient, instead, it seemed to be stronger than most.
This was a strange situation.
Could it be it wasn’t the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique and simply looked like it?
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu couldn’t figure out no matter how they thought about it.
The two of them also didn’t know that a dozen Golden Blood Threads wasn’t Yang Kai’s limit. In fact, Yang Kai had already condensed several dozen Golden Blood Threads in his body, each of which was transformed from a drop of pure Golden Blood.
With the pure Life Revitalizing Jade Cream, Yang Kai no longer needed to worry about having a shortage of pure Golden Blood, so he spared no effort to condense new Golden Blood Threads.
After the dozen or so Golden Blood Threads appeared, they did not immediately attack the Sect Defending Array. Instead, they began twisting and intertwining, as if they had their own spirituality, gradually combining into a single strand that after trembling slightly transformed into a five-metre-long golden spear.
Golden light radiated from this spear together with an astonishing pressure before it suddenly struck towards the Sect Defending Array.
*Hong…*
There was a loud noise as the tip of the golden spear hit the Sect Defending Array. The light curtain suddenly reacted like a thick bubble filled with air, sinking deeply, causing the eyes of Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu to bulge in shock as they watched from the sideline.
The two of them had been participating in attacking the Sect Defending Array here for half a month, so they were very familiar with the sturdiness of this barrier. Seeing how it reacted to Yang Kai’s golden spear, they were able to infer just how powerful this attack was.
Such power was enough to cause even them to shiver.
However, the Sect Defending Array was also mighty, and no matter how Yang Kai thrust his golden spear, he still couldn’t break it open. Instead, after deflating to a certain extent, the light curtain violently rebounded, not only restoring its original form but also sending the golden spear condensed from a dozen Golden Blood Threads hurtling backwards.
Yang Kai’s expression remained as tranquil as an ancient well though as he used his Divine Sense to manipulate the spear. Breaking the spear down into its original Golden Blood Threads, Yang Kai wove them together again in a different configuration to create a golden axe. This axe descended from the sky towards the barrier again in the next moment, carrying with it a Heaven-destroying power.
Manipulating the Golden Blood Threads to undergo such transformations was the essence of what was recorded in the second half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique.
Yang Kai quickly became excited and forgot about his surroundings completely, immersing himself completely in controlling his Golden Blood Threads, transforming them into various forms as he tested each one’s might with the Sect Defending Array again and again.
This kind of Golden Blood Thread manipulation could not be fully displayed with just two threads; only when a cultivator condensed a certain number of them would they be able to bring out this technique’s full might.
Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of cultivation the Senior who created the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique possessed, but ever since Shadowed Star’s World Principles began acting as shackles, no one from Demon Blood Temple had truly been capable of properly displaying it.
Even the glamorous Temple Master had barely been able to cultivate two Demon Blood Threads over the course of her entire life, so how could she display such magical transformations? However, it wasn’t like she was completely incapable of using this technique. At least on the ice road, Yang Kai had seen her transform her two Demon Blood Threads into blood snakes that resembled living creatures.
This was one of the other transformations described in the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique, and although Yang Kai knew how to cultivate it, he currently didn’t meet the requirements for it.
That was because this transformation required the Soul and Monster Core of a powerful Monster Beast to complete.
Yang Kai was currently focusing on transforming his Golden Blood Threads into different kinds of weapons.
At first, Yang Kai wasn’t very proficient in using this technique, but as time passed, and he continued displaying various transformations, he became more and more skilled at manipulating his Golden Blood Threads.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were also amazed as they watched from nearby, neither of them going to disturb Yang Kai rashly as they could tell from his expression that he was immersed in his own practice and comprehension of this Secret Technique.
This was a good thing, so how could they interfere?
The Sect Defending Array of the Ancient Sect Ruins in Fallen Emperor Mountain was bombarded by hundreds of Origin Returning Realm masters for half a month and was already beginning to falter, so two days after Yang Kai joined, it was teetering on the brink of collapsing.
A light cracking sound suddenly rang out, and though it was faint, every cultivator in the vicinity clearly heard it.
Turning in the direction of the source of the sound, everyone saw a tiny crack appear on the Sect Defending Array’s light curtain.
In an instant, everyone became excited and filled with joy.
Although it was only a small crack, one that was nearly negligible, it showed that the Sect Defending Array here had reached its limit and as long as they tried for just a while longer, they should be able to break it open.
Without any orders from anyone, after a moment of silence, everyone attacked the light curtain even more forcefully.
*Kacha…*
Soon, cracking sounds rang out from various places. Like sparks setting a dry prairie field on fire, innumerable spider-web like cracks began propagating across the entire Sect Defending Array, centred on the cracks that first appeared.
A violent pressure slowly spread out from a certain location, causing all of the attacking masters to turn their heads and stare in that direction.
What they saw was a cultivator wearing blue robes slowly rising up into the sky, like an ancient god ascending from the earth, releasing an unparalleled might as he held his hands up high, lifting up a dazzling ball of light like the sun that gave off energy fluctuations which caused everyone to pale.
For a time, the blue-robed cultivator became the focus of everyone’s attention.
“Qu Zheng’s Great Sun Radiant Seal really lives up to its reputation,” Fei Zhi Tu looked over and muttered, a tinge of fear lacing his voice.
“That’s Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master Qu Zheng?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
“En,” Qian Tong was gently nodded as a touch of dread flashed across his face, “He’s one of Shadowed Star’s top masters. Although this old master is also a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator like him, if we were to really fight, I’d estimate my odds of winning are less than twenty percent!”
Cultivators in the same realm could have wide gaps in strength which were often the result of the differences in their Secret Arts, Secret Techniques, and artifacts they mastered.
So even if they were both Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, Qian Tong didn’t dare say he was on par with Qu Zheng.
Yang Kai was an extreme example of this, as although he was just a First-Order Origin Realm cultivator, no ordinary cultivator in his realm could put up any kind of resistance against him.
As they spoke, Qu Zheng had already flown to a height of several thousand metres, his expression extremely solemn as he gently threw the ball of light in his hand downward.
As if it had no weight, the ball of light began to slowly descend towards the ground.
[So slow?] Yang Kai frowned. If this was really the so-called Great Sun Radiant Seal’s power, its reputation wasn’t justified; after all, with such a slow speed, how could it cause any threat? Would any opponent simply stand there waiting to be hit?
However, since both Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were extremely wary of this Secret Technique, things must be different from what Yang Kai was imagining.
Thinking so, Yang Kai watched more intently.
A moment later, an abnormal change occurred.
The Great Sun Radiant Seal, which had been falling slowly, suddenly disappeared from everyone’s vision, and when it reappeared, it was already on top of the Defending Array.
It seemed to have crossed a few thousand metres in an instant.
Yang Kai paled as he exclaimed, “The power of Space?”
But soon, he shook his head and denied his suspicion. If this Secret Technique really made use of ‘Space’, he would have felt some residual fluctuations; after all, in terms of his attainments in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai didn’t feel he was inferior to anyone. Even Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng, who was also proficient in the Dao of Space, could not compare to him.
Rather than using the power of Space, this Great Sun Radiant Seal was simply too fast, it’s previous slowness a mere illusion.
Possessing both power and speed, this Secret Technique mastered by Qu Zheng was truly really extraordinary. If Yang Kai were to take such a blow head-on, even if he didn’t die he would certainly be grievously wounded.
All kinds of thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s mind as the Great Sun Radiant Seal made contact with the light curtain before exploding silently, the energy contained within this light ball bursting out in a brilliant explosion so bright that everyone nearby had to shield their eyes.
Although there was no sound, the energy fluctuations that erupted at this time were extremely terrifying. A wave of wind and World Energy centred on the point of contact spread out, uprooting trees and sending rocks flying together with numerous unlucky cultivators. Even some of the weaker cultivators who were simply observing from ten kilometres away were blown away by this explosion.
*Kacha…*
As if lightning had struck, a violent, crackly sound resounded before the world fell silent again.
When the light dissipated and everyone opened their eyes again, they found that the Sect Defending Array’s light curtain had disappeared and the mountains and forest hidden within were exposed along with the Ancient Sect Ruins.
Qu Zheng stood mid-air with an expression of pride on his face.
Although the Sect Defending Array was broken thanks to the contributions of everyone present, in the end, he was the one to deliver the final blow, allowing him to enjoy the looks of adoration and worship from the crowd.
From all directions, countless words of flattery, praising Qu Zheng’s incredible might and unparalleled strength rang out.
“Good, good, now that this array has been broken, it’s time to go in and take a look. Everyone, this old master will be going on ahead!” Qu Zheng cupped his fists quickly before immediately flying forward, many of the Heaven Battling Union masters naturally following closely behind.
Immediately, Thunder Typhoon Sect’s group also rushed in.
After the masters from the two giants left, the numerous Origin Returning Realm masters who were present also rushed inside, each of them flying off in a different direction towards the depths of this Ancient Sect Ruin, all of them hoping to reap some valuable gains.
They had worked hard here for the past half a month, so now was the time to collect their reward; no one wanted to fall behind.
Yang Kai, Fei Zhi Tu, and Qian Tong were also among this crowd, their Divine Senses sweeping their surroundings for a moment before Qian Tong pointed in one direction and said, “That way!”
This Ancient Sect Ruins was located inside Fallen Emperor Mountain Range and covered a vast area. Yang Kai estimated that this Sect was not inferior to High Heaven Sect in size, and the aura inside its territory was also vibrant. Even if it was not quite as good as the current High Heaven Sect, it wasn’t far off.
Many great forces would likely struggle over this place in the future!
With such a good environment, those great forces would certainly not surrender it easily. If any power could claim this land as their headquarters, the benefits it brought to the future development of their force were immense.
Yang Kai already had High Heaven Sect, so he wasn’t concerned about this issue, but Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were both filled with enthusiasm and had considered this idea.
Although Shadow Moon Hall’s headquarters was situated on an excellent piece of land, it was incredibly inferior to this place. Shadow Moon Hall was also only a few days away, so if they could move their Sect here, their disciples would be able to grow faster.
Even if they did not move their main headquarters to this location, it was entirely feasible to turn this place into a sub-headquarters.
As such, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu were both excited, but thinking about the hardships and hindrances that would likely occur because of this place’s discovery, their enthusiasm died down significantly.
Such a cultivation paradise would not be ignored by Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, so in all likelihood, Shadow Moon Hall would not have any chance to lay claim to it.
The trio travelled deeper into the interior of this Ancient Sect Ruin and saw many grand palaces and pavilions which, despite being left idle for over ten thousand years, were still in almost pristine condition.
In their field of vision, many cultivators were already searching through these palaces, coming in and out, obviously exploring.
Yang Kai, Qian Tong, and Fei Zhi Tu exchanged a glance before immediately dispersing, each of them travelling to a different region to explore independently.
In the current situation, it was naturally more efficient to split up and search. Although the risk would increase a little, the three were not timid by any means so how could they act so restrained? There was not even a need for discussion before they made this decision.
After a while, Yang Kai walked out of a palace with a calm expression.
He had not gained anything. Although the palace was well-preserved, there was nothing of value inside.
This was also normal, and Yang Kai had expected it.
When he and the others were exploring High Heaven Sect for the first time, they had also not found much treasure left behind, so now Yang Kai was mentally prepared for this experience.
The cultivators who belonged to this ancient Sect may have taken away all their prized possessions before disaster befell them, so finding anything of worth remaining here was really a matter of luck.
Without pausing, Yang Kai quickly entered another palace.
At the same time, somewhere inside the Ancient Sect Ruins, a group of Origin Returning Realm masters gathered together led by a man in green robes and a man in blue robes. These two people were naturally Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master Qu Zheng and Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Sect Master Fang Peng.
At this moment, Qu Zheng held a communication artifact in his hand and poured his Divine Sense into it. After a while, he raised his head and said, “That little brat is ten kilometres west of here. Brother Fang, should we act now?”
Fang Peng pondered for a moment before asking, “Are Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu with him?”
“It seems they separated,” Qu Zheng replied, “But it doesn’t matter even if they are together. Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu wouldn’t even be able to block us for a moment.”
“Even if that’s true, those two belong to Shadow Moon Hall, if we really did something to them, Shadow Moon Hall would…” Fang Peng seemed a little hesitant.
“What thing is Shadow Moon Hall? Star Emperor Mountain is intervening in this matter personally. If Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu know what’s good for them, they would gladly back down, and if they don’t, hmph, Shadowed Star won’t mind another Sect disappearing.”
“Fair enough,” Fang Peng sneered, feeling that he was a bit too cautious.
“Father, since that kid has such a good relationship with Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, shouldn’t we capture them so we can force him to act cautiously, lest innocents are hurt?” From the crowd, a brave and heroic-looking young man with piercing eyes proposed. This young man was holding a folding fan and had his hair tied up with golden threads which emphasised his white skin, giving him a free and unrestrained appearance.
If Yang Kai was here, he would definitely recognise this young man as Heaven Battling Union’s Young Union Master Qu Chang Feng, a famous rising star on Shadowed Star.
Yang Kai had a bad impression of Heaven Battling Union, and the primary reason for this was Qu Chang Feng. This young man’s playboy style was quite repugnant, and he had even tried to kill Yang Kai inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field once.
Yang Kai naturally would not have a good impression of him.
“Oh?” Qu Zheng raised his brow, “Why should we try to capture Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu? Those two old dogs are Third-Order Origin Realm cultivators, two Minor Realms higher than that little brat. Wouldn’t targeting them be more trouble than simply targeting him?”
Fang Peng and others also turned to look at Qu Chang Feng, somewhat puzzled by his proposal.
Qu Chang Feng just chuckled though as he snapped his folding fan open and fanned himself lightly, “Although that might be the case, as far as I know, that boy seems to be able to use Space Force. We may have a lot of manpower with us, but if we can’t thoroughly block him from fleeing, he may still be able to escape.”
“That little brat uses Space Force? Where did he learn that from?” Qu Zheng and Fang Peng both looked surprised.
“I accidentally heard Great Elder speak of it. Father might as well ask Great Elder about this; he should know more than I,” Qu Chang Feng didn’t explain much and instead turned his eyes towards an old man among the crowd, Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng.
Suddenly becoming the focus of attention, Mo Xiao Sheng stepped forward and said with a solemn expression, “Exactly, it is as the Young Union Master said. That Yang Kai does indeed have some attainment in the Dao of Space. This Elder witnessed him use it during the battle on Dragon Cave Mountain that day! Others may not have been able to notice, but the truth couldn’t be hidden from this Elder’s eyes as he also cultivates Space Force.”
“He actually cultivates Space Force?” Qu Zheng frowned as he asked with surprise. As the Master of Heaven Battling Union, Qu Zheng understood how difficult it was for someone to comprehend the Dao of Space.
This had nothing to do with cultivation aptitude, the Dao of Space was an esoteric field that was extremely difficult even to begin comprehending and even harder to cultivate afterwards. Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng wouldn’t have even been able to touch upon this field if he had not had a fortuitous encounter many years ago, but even after all this time, his accomplishments in the Dao of Space were still extremely shallow with no way to seemingly go any further as well.
“Great Elder, in your opinion, what kind of mastery does that little brat have of the Dao of Space?”
“He only used Space Force once in front of this Elder that day, so it’s not easy to judge, but he should be on par with this old master,” Mo Xiao Sheng’s mouth twitched slightly. Although he was very unwilling to acknowledge Yang Kai’s accomplishments in this field as equal to his own, Mo Xiao Sheng had no other choice. Yang Kai suddenly disappearing from in front of him that day was clearly the result of using Space Force, a feat he could only match, not best.
It was precisely because of his comprehension of the Dao of Space that Mo Xiao Sheng could occupy the position of Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder. Otherwise, just considering the density and purity of his Saint Qi, along with the degree to which he had condensed his Shi, there were several other Elders in the Union who were superior to him.
This point showed just how profound and mysterious the Dao of Space was.
“If that’s the case, this might be a little difficult,” Qu Zheng frowned. From what he knew about the Great Elder’s means, Qu Zheng understood just how difficult it was to capture a cultivator who cultivated Space Force alive.
Yang Kai was a trivial First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who no one here put in their eyes, but knowing what they did now, none of them had complete confidence that they could capture him.
Anyone who could use Space Force had an unmatched advantage in speed and mobility, which made their ability to escape and outrun pursuers extremely high.
“That said, if we capture Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, we really could add a layer of shackles to him,” Fang Peng pondered.
“Yes. Elder Liang, go monitor Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu. If you have an opportunity, capture them,” Qu Zheng ordered lightly, “If Shadow Moon Hall makes a fuss I’ll handle them.”
“Yes!” The Elder named Liang Yong, who let Yang Kai pass through before, immediately set off.
“Father, I have a presumptuous request!” Qu Chang Feng put away his folding fan and cupped his fists respectfully.
“Let’s hear it!” Qu Zheng doted on his son greatly so he would not dismiss him out of hand in front of so many people.
“If we really block off all of Yang Kai’s paths of retreat, please let me fight him!” Qu Chang Feng said solemnly.
“You?”
“Yes! During that battle on Battle of Dragon Cave Mountain, that boy made a big name for himself and is now being touted as the strongest of the younger generation. There are even rumours on Shadowed Star saying that his strength is not inferior to that of a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master. I, on the other hand, think this is nothing but an exaggeration, so I wish to challenge him and prove who the true leader of this generation is,” Qu Chang Feng declared proudly. After finishing saying so, he even turned his head to look at another young man who was wearing simple robes and asked with a smile, “Brother Tian Zhong, what do you think?”
This young man was none other than Fang Tian Zhong, another famous rising star whose status equalled Qu Chang Feng. During this joint operation between Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, both these extraordinary youths had tagged along.
With his arms still folded, Fang Tian Zhong heard Qu Chang Feng’s question and only raised his brow slightly before replying indifferently, “It’s all nothing but unwarranted rumours. How outsiders evaluate him has nothing to do with this Fang.”
“Really? Then why were you so eager to join this little hunt? Didn’t you want to see with your own eyes what Yang Kai’s strength was like and whether there was any disparity with yours?” Qu Chang Feng snickered and needled him with no trace of politeness, “This Qu is a man of action and came here simply to fight him. Since Brother Tian Zhong has no interest, this Qu will take the lead.”
“Do as you like!” Fang Tian Zhong snorted indifferently.
“Good, then it’s decided. Have our people monitor Yang Kai’s movements. When he enters a place where there are no outsiders, we will act. This mission was assigned to us by Star Emperor Mountain, so failure is not an option,” Qu Zheng was a decisive man so seeing that negotiations here were finished, he waved his hands and gave the command.
As for his son’s challenge to Yang Kai, he would not stop it. It was a good thing for his son to desire to compete.
Yang Kai was completely oblivious to these machinations and had no idea so many were monitoring and plotting against him at this moment.
Although this Ancient Sect Ruin was quite vast, there were many cultivators now combing it, and since Yang Kai did not want to stir up unnecessary conflict, he had purposefully chosen more remote locations to explore.
After a few days, Yang Kai had some gains; artifacts, pills, Secret Arts, Secret Techniques, and more.
However, compared to his trip to the Emperor Garden, this kind of harvest could only be described as pitiful, not giving Yang Kai the slightest satisfaction.
Still, it was better than nothing.
One day though, after entering the depths of a particular palace, he did not leave for several days. The Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect cultivators who had been monitoring his activities were at a loss seeing this, not understanding what Yang Kai had found or encountered.
Inside that palace, in a certain hidden underground room, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged, circulating his Secret Art to absorb the nearby World Energy greedily.
In this hidden secret room, the World Energy aura was so dense it was visible to the naked eye, and there were even wisps of white silk threads lingering about. As Yang Kai breathed in, these pure white silk threads seemed to be attracted to him and quickly poured into his body.
As time passed, the number of these silk threads slowly decreased.
Pure Spirit Qi!
Yang Kai had never expected to have such an encounter in this place.
It was rumoured that there was a unique form of World Energy that could be directly absorbed by cultivators without the need to refine it with a Secret Art, instantly enhancing the cultivation realm and strength of the cultivator.
This was Pure Spirit Qi, and it had an indescribable effect on any cultivator, providing countless times more benefits than cultivating in the highest quality Earth Vein.
But Pure Spirit Qi was extremely rare and difficult to find. Even if it did manage to form in this world, it would quickly disperse and simply become part of the ambient World Energy unless it was specially stored.
This Ancient Sect Ruin was located above an excellent quality Earth Vein, and occasionally one or two strands of Pure Spirit Qi would be formed from it. This secret underground room was equipped with many profound Spirit Arrays that Yang Kai could not decipher, but there was a good chance they were explicitly designed to trap and preserve this Pure Spirit Qi.
One or two years of accumulation would not result in anything noticeable, and even the gathering of a hundred, or a thousand years would still be quite thin.
However, the accumulation of ten thousand years was quite shocking.
When Yang Kai opened the door of this room, he almost thought he saw an illusion as the Pure Spirit Qi inside had become so dense it was nearly solidified and tangible.
This unexpected discovery greatly excited Yang Kai, and after figuring out that this was really the rumoured Pure Spirit Qi, how could he hesitate? Closing the door to this secret room, Yang Kai immediately sat down and began to absorb everything he could.
Generally speaking, this kind of secret room where Pure Spirit Qi was being accumulated would only be opened once every few hundred years and was not meant for general cultivation. After all, although Pure Spirit Qi was extremely rare and valuable, it was simply too potent to increase one’s strength with.
It was mainly used to allow a cultivator who had encountered a bottleneck to break through.
Good steel was required to forge a quality blade.
When a cultivator broke through, the stronger the surrounding World Energy, the easier time they would have, and with Pure Spirit Qi as a catalyst, any cultivator could increase their chances and reduce the risk of breaking through.
But right now, this precious existence was being inhaled, strengthening his cultivation little by little. It was not an exaggeration to say that so much potent Pure Spirit Qi was enough to support the breakthrough of hundreds of cultivators.
It only took Yang Kai three days to absorb seventy percent of the Pure Spirit Qi in this room.
His own Saint Qi had become more and more powerful, and his realm had risen steadily to the peak of the First-Order Origin Realm!
However, at this moment, Yang Kai vaguely felt a layer of shackles impeding his progress, a bottleneck of sorts.
If it were any other cultivator, once they encountered this kind of impediment, they would need to calm their mind and spend time comprehending the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, spending a great deal of time to break through this bottleneck.
But Yang Kai was different. He had absorbed the Soul Remnants of many cultivators in realms higher than his own, so his comprehension of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao far exceeded his own realm. All he lacked at this moment was a certain degree of mental tempering.
Yet as long as he was willing, Yang Kai could still force himself to break through and arrive at the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm!
Yang Kai was not so eager for quick success though.
It hadn’t been long since he broke through to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm. Although Yang Kai had successfully condensed his Shi with the help of the Emperor Pressure emanating from the Emperor Garden, if he were to break through again so quickly, it would very likely cause some hidden dangers.
So, after pondering for a moment, Yang Kai decided against refining the remaining Pure Spirit Qi; nevertheless, just leaving it here would be too wasteful. After considering for a while, Yang Kai took out his communication artifact and poured his Divine Sense into it, wanting to contact Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu.
He planned to let the two of them absorb the remaining Pure Spirit Qi.
But to Yang Kai’s disappointment, Qian Tong did not respond!
This was somewhat strange. Although this Ancient Sect Ruin was not small, it wasn’t so big that these communication artifacts couldn’t reach each other. What happened to Qian Tong? Why did he respond to his message?
This development was not too surprising, though. Since this was the ruins of an Ancient Sect, there would no doubt be some locations that were isolated from the outside world. Perhaps Qian Tong was current inside some kind of shielded building.
Unable to contact Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu, and unable to bear just leaving this valuable Pure Spirit Qi behind, Yang Kai scratched his head for a while, uncertain of what to do.
However, after a while, his eyes lit up as he thought of an idea. Waving his hand, a fiery red light flew out of his body, spread its wings out, and transformed into a strange-looking bird.
Firebird Artifact Spirit!
Although it had no physical form, it possessed a high degree of sentience, so it shouldn’t be a problem for it to absorb the Pure Spirit Qi here; after all, it was even capable of refining the Sun’s True Fire.
Sure enough, after the Firebird flew out, it immediately cried out happily, opened its beak wide, and began sucking away the Pure Spirit Qi like a great whale.
The number of pure white silk threads of Pure Spirit Qi decreased at a rate visible to the naked eye.
…..
Outside the palace, more than twenty Origin Returning Realm masters from Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had gathered.
This place was quiet and remote, making it a perfect location for them to act without worrying about being seen by outsiders.
Although using such a luxurious lineup to deal with a First-Order Origin Returning Realm felt like overkill, since the other party was skilled in the use of Space Force, Qu Zheng and Fang Peng did not dare act carelessly.
Now there is only one problem, one that left them all at a loss.
Yang Kai would not come out!
They were regularly using their Divine Senses to explore the inside of the palace, but they couldn’t detect his aura. However, according to a report from a master from Heaven Battling Union, he had seen Yang Kai enter this palace with his own eyes.
“Brother Qu, the little brat hasn’t run, has he?” Fang Peng asked impatiently.
“Brother Fang wouldn’t be questioning how this Qu handles his subordinates?” Qu Zheng asked in annoyance; he too wished he could rush inside and personally drag Yang Kai out.
“This Fang didn’t have such intentions, but Brother Qu also knows that little brat cultivates Space Force. Perhaps he noticed someone was watching him and quietly escaped,” Fang Peng frowned.
“Brother Fang’s worries too much. Although Deacon Jia is only a Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator, he has a unique concealment technique. If he wants to conceal himself to monitor someone, forget this little brat, even this Union Master is not certain he would notice. Since Deacon Jia said that brat is inside, he is definitely inside.”
“Subordinate is willing to use his head as a guarantee that the little brat is still inside this palace!” A dozen metres away, an old man with a white goatee quickly declared with complete confidence.
“Fine. If that’s the case, then we’ll continue to wait, but with so many of us gathered here now, that little brat must have noticed already. Perhaps he does not dare to come out,” Fang Peng snickered.
“That is no longer a matter he can decide,” Qu Zheng sneered.
Just as these words were spoken, a life aura appeared inside the palace, causing everyone’s eyes to light up. Using their Divine Senses to investigate, they quickly confirmed this life aura belonged to Yang Kai.
Soon, Yang Kai’s figure appeared from the main entrance of the palace, his brow furrowed slightly as if he was surprised, but he did not show any signs of anxiety as he stepped forward.
“He came out!” Fang Peng muttered in a low voice.
“Finally, at last!” Qu Zheng sneered, his eyes flashing a cold light, “It saves this Union Master from having to go in and drag him out.”
Yang Kai strode forward, his hands crossed behind his back calmly, the surprise on his face already replaced with extreme indifference. Not only did he not panic, but he did not even show any intention of trying to avoid the crowd outside, stepping out and glancing around as he grinned, “Quite a number.”
“Yang Kai!” Qu Chang Feng snapped his folding fan closed as he called out with a grin, “You’ve made this Young Master wait!”
“Heaven Battling Union, Thunder Typhoon Sect…” Yang Kai nodded lightly, with a smile on his face, “Good, good, so many of you waiting here must be to kill me, yes?”
“You think we need so many people to kill you? Yang Kai, don’t act so arrogant, you’re not qualified,” Qu Chang Feng laughed.
“Really? Then why are so many of you gathered here?”
“To prevent you from running away.”
“So that’s how it is!” A look of understanding appeared on Yang Kai’s face, “I was wondering why Elder Liang had been so accommodating before, so it was all to prepare for this moment. En, this is a good place to silence witnesses. Can I ask why? Although there are some grievances between us, they are far from warranting such a dramatic response, right?”
“Do you think this Young Master will tell you?” Qu Chang Feng smiled contemptuously.
“It doesn’t matter if you talk or not, I can guess. It’s all for the Starship, right?” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
The only thing that could move Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect to dispatch so many people for him was the Origin King Grade Starship.
This wasn’t just an ordinary Starship; it was also hope for all the masters on Shadowed Star to break through to the Origin King Realm.
Yang Kai frowned slightly as he secretly blamed himself for underestimating the allure of his Starship. He had not considered just how much turbulence the appearance of an Origin King Grade Starship would bring to Shadowed Star, but seeing this scene, he finally understood.
“Seems you’re not completely ignorant!” Qu Chang Feng did not try to deny it. Although Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had indeed been ordered by Star Emperor Mountain to work together and seize Yang Kai this time, when all was said and done, this really was all about the Origin King Grade Starship.
Outside the palace, nearly thirty Origin Realm masters from Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect surrounded Yang Kai in an airtight formation with the leaders of the two great forces assuming personal command of the situation.
Although they had not taken any offensive action yet, various Shi were spread out over the surrounding few thousand metres, locking down the entire region. It was not an exaggeration to say that even trying to move a step inside this range would be difficult.
“Yang Kai, seeing how you are also the master of a Sect, if you are willing to surrender without a fight and waste your cultivation, this Young Master may be inclined to ask his honoured father and Sect Master Fang to give you a chance to survive!” Qu Chang Feng shouted while lightly fanning himself.
“Give me a chance to survive?” Yang Kai snickered without showing the slightest signs of panic, “What is this? Does Young Master Qu think that I’ve been backed into a corner here? That my only option is death? Are you all so confident you can force me to remain here?”
“It’s not confidence,” Qu Chang Feng slowly shook his head. “It’s simply a fact! Do you still believe you can flee from this place safely? Open your eyes and look how many of us there are here.”
“Do you think just having a few more people would help?” Yang Kai curled his lips.
“Hehe, if what you’re relying on is your Space Force, you should understand that you’re not the only one here who understands this power,” Qu Chang Feng sneered, “If you plan on using your Space Force to escape, this Young Master advises you to throw away that idea so as not to waste our time.”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened as he glanced around the crowd, his eyes quickly landing on Mo Xiao Sheng.
He had heard many times that the Great Elder of Heaven Battling Union cultivated Space Force, and although he had not seen it with his own eyes, there was no way so many rumours were all just false. Even now, this old man was watching him vigilantly, his Saint Qi locked onto him, apparently guarding against him using his Space Force to escape.
“What’s wrong? Has this Young Master exposed your plan?” Seeing Yang Kai hesitate, Qu Chang Feng laughed, thinking that he had hit upon Yang Kai’s weakness.
Yang Kai simply ignored him though and instead turned his gaze to Qu Zheng and Fang Peng, taking a light breath before narrowing his eyes and asking, “Do you two really want to do this?”
“Now that things have gotten to this point, is there any point in asking such nonsense? Waste your cultivation and we’ll let you keep your life!” Qu Zheng said indifferently in an unquestionable tone.
The order from Star Emperor Mountain was to capture Yang Kai alive so they could use him to force High Heaven Sect to surrender the Origin King Grade Starship. From the beginning, Qu Zheng and the others had no intention to kill Yang Kai. They had brought so many people simply to ensure they caught him.
“Haha,” Yang Kai grinned, “I had thought our two sides had not reached the point where all-out conflict was the only option, but since you two insist on compelling me, I hope you are able to bear this Yang’s anger!”
“Shameless boasting!” Qu Chang Feng shouted, “I’ll give you ten breaths of time to consider. After ten breaths, this Young Master will personally force you to submit!”
“There’s nothing to consider,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, a sneer appearing on his face, “Young Master Qu, you should stop thinking so highly of yourself, because the truth is, you’re nothing!”
“Impudence!” Qu Chang Feng had never suffered such an insult. His suave posture was replaced by a ferocious visage, like a poisonous snake that had its tail stomped on and was now baring its fangs.
“From the first time I saw you, I felt you weren’t pleasing to the eye, but as long as you didn’t provoke me, I was disinclined to deal with you. Since you want to die, I’ll grant your request!” Yang Kai declared as he shot a sharp, aggressive look towards Qu Chang Feng.
The audience was shocked!
They had seen boldness before, but never like this.
Surrounded by nearly thirty Origin Returning Realm masters, this young man named Yang Kai not only did not flinch, he instead threatened Qu Chang Feng’s life in front of all of them. Was there something wrong with his head?
Didn’t Yang Kai see that he had already lost?
Even Qu Zheng and Fang Peng, who had incredible mental discipline, could not help feeling stunned as they secretly began wondering if Yang Kai had gone mad from the pressure.
But in the next moment, the expressions of these two changed dramatically as Yang Kai’s left eye flashed a golden light. From this golden light, a lotus bud appeared, flickered for an instant, then vanished.
Even Qu Zheng and Fang Peng, under the influence of that golden light, felt their thoughts become slightly confused.
By the time they recovered, cold sweat had appeared on their backs, but before they could collect themselves, a pitiful scream filled their ears. Looking towards the source of the sound, they saw Qu Chang Feng, who was acting arrogant just a moment ago, now holding his head and shouting, as if he was suffering from some kind of unbearable torture, red blood oozing from all seven of his orifices.
“Chang Feng!” Qu Zheng’s complexion changed drastically as he called out in panic and immediately rushed towards his son.
But before he could do anything, a loud bang resounded.
A gorgeous blood-red flower blossomed in that instant as Qu Chang Feng’s entire head burst apart. Blood sprayed out like a fountain from where his head once was before raining down and dying the surrounding earth red.
“Impossible!” Fang Peng could not help exclaiming in shock.
The Other Origin Returning Realm masters also stared at this scene with a mixture of shock and horror.
There was no sign of Yang Kai acting at all, yet Qu Chang Feng had now died inexplicably and in such a miserable manner.
Spiritual Energy! The only way one could kill without showing any physical signs was with Spiritual Energy. A moment ago, no matter who it was, as long as they were staring at Yang Kai they could feel their consciousness being disrupted with the appearance of that golden light.
There was also that indistinct lotus bud.
[How strong was his Spiritual Energy?] To kill a cultivator in the same realm in an instant, such a powerful Soul or strange Secret Technique, neither Qu Zheng nor Fang Peng had ever heard of anything like it.
If that Secret Technique had been targeting them just now… Many of the gathered masters could not help having such thoughts and feeling a chill shoot up their back, their hearts instantly beating fast.
“Father!” Fang Tian Zhong also turned pale as he gritted his teeth and called out to Fang Peng anxiously.
Both he and Qu Chang Feng were famous leaders of Shadowed Star’s younger generation, and although Qu Chang Feng’s daily conduct was somewhat disgraceful in Fang Tian Zhong’s opinion, the former’s skills were real. Fang Tian Zhong and he had fought for many years, each time their battle ending in a draw. In truth, the reason he had come here this time was just as Qu Chang Feng had said, to see whether Yang Kai was actually strong or weak.
But never had Fang Tian Zhong expected to witness such a scene.
Since Yang Kai could kill Qu Chang Feng in an instant, he could certainly do the same to him!
There was no longer any need to verify who was stronger or weaker, with such strength, even if Fang Tian Zhong and Qu Chang Feng joined forces they wouldn’t be able to defeat Yang Kai. Fang Tian Zhong’s heart trembled as his face filled with unwillingness.
He possessed an incredible background and even better aptitude. He had enjoyed the best cultivation resources and environment since he was born. He had already established his fame from a young age, and few among his generation were even worthy of his attention.
He had the capital to support his pride.
He could not even imagine what kind of opportunity Yang Kai had that led to him obtaining such terrifying combat power.
The tragic death of Qu Chang Feng had caused Fang Tian Zhong’s pride to be ground to dust and had left an indelible psychological shadow in his heart.
“Tian Zhong, withdraw. This is not a place you can intervene in!” Fang Peng frowned and ordered in a deep voice.
Qu Chang Feng’s fate was a harsh lesson, one he didn’t want his son to repeat.
“Yes!” Fang Tian Zhong gritted his teeth and shook his figure before retreating a thousand metres.
“Brother Qu!” Fang Peng called out to Qu Zheng.
Qu Zheng remained utterly stunned.
It seemed he had not yet recovered from the scene of his son’s tragic death, merely standing there blankly, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
“Not bad. Not bad at all. No one has decided to run,” Yang Kai smiled lightly. The golden light in his left eye had receded and a carefree expression appeared on his face, as if killing Qu Chang Feng had not required any effort for him, “Worthy of the two giants of Shadowed Star, your mental fortitude is commendable. Don’t worry, there’s no need to rush. None of you will be escaping here today.”
Saying so, Yang Kai pointed towards someone on his left, a cruel sneer appearing on his face, “You’re next!”
“Me?” The person pointed to by Yang Kai was a middle-aged woman whose beauty was only so-so but whose figure was quite alluring. She wore a water-blue dress and possessed a kind of mature charm.
Her strength was also not low, Second-Order Origin Returning Realm.
This middle-aged woman’s tender body could not help shivering when she was pointed at by Yang Kai, as if she had just received a death sentence. Her elegant face quickly wore an ugly, panicked expression as she could not help glancing over at Qu Zheng in fear, as if she wanted to seek protection.
But Qu Zheng still stood there dumbly, not paying any attention to her. Seeing how she could not count on her leader, the middle-aged woman gritted her teeth and shouted, “You want to take my life? Let us see if you have the ability!”
Everyone present suspected that Yang Kai killing Qu Chang Feng so easily was a result of him using a sneak attack, but this middle-aged woman’s strength was not only higher than Qu Chang Feng’s by a Minor Realm, she was also highly vigilant of Yang Kai now.
Saying so, this woman pushed her Saint Qi and quickly condensed a thin blue light curtain around herself, forming a solid barrier that made it look as if she was surrounded by some kind of bubble from a distance.
Not finished yet, this middle-aged woman hurriedly summoned a gauze-like artifact which after pouring her Saint Qi into immediately transformed into a second blue light curtain in front of her.
“Pointless struggling!” Yang Kai sneered as he summoned out a small arrow which fit in the palm of his hand.
Feather Spirit Arrow!
This strange artifact was something Yang Kai had only just obtained.
Yang Kai didn’t know how powerful this artifact was, but he estimated that it wasn’t low, so now was a good chance to experiment.
Facing the middle-aged woman, Yang Kai gently pointed the Feather Spirit Arrow forward, his movements looking calm and relaxed.
A shocking energy fluctuation burst out from the Feather Spirit Arrow in that instant as one of the jades inlaid in its shaft lit up and sent tiny glowing runes flowing across its length. As these runes flashed, they condensed into an illusionary arrow which suddenly shot out towards the middle-aged woman.
This illusionary arrow was pitch black in colour and its entire body seemed to be comprised of burning hot energy.
The Feather Spirit Arrow had been charged by Yang Kai’s own Saint Qi, so now that he was using its power, its characteristics were the same as his Demonic Flame.
The heat radiating from the illusionary arrow was so great it even distorted the surrounding space.
When Yang Kai attacked, the middle-aged woman immediately had a bad omen.
The black arrow shooting towards her was comparable to the full-powered strike of a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator!
[That’s not possible!] Even with the help of an artifact, a cultivator couldn’t produce an attack far beyond their own cultivation. The short black arrow had far exceeded the understanding of the middle-aged woman.
Could it be an Origin King Grade artifact? With such a thought, the middle-aged woman’s beautiful face changed colour, and she could not help letting out a panicked scream.
“Be careful!”
“Junior Sister Zhou, quickly dodge!”
Shouts came from all directions, clearly indicating that this woman from Heaven Battling Union, Zhou Ya, was quite popular. Seeing her in a life-threatening crisis at this moment, many called out towards her.
Some were even racing over towards Zhou Ya, wanting to help her.
How was Zhou Ya supposed to hide though? After sensing the immense power of this black arrow, she realised her situation was grave, but the speed of the black arrow was incredible, giving her no chance to avoid it.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the pitch-black arrow arrived at the first blue light curtain Zhou Ya had erected using her blue gauze artifact.
Silently, this protective artifact she had often relied on in the past was instantly pierced, not playing any role at all. The black arrow was like a hot knife piercing butter, crushing dry weeds, and smashing rotten wood as it flew forward, easily piercing the second Saint Qi defence Zhou Ya had around her body.
*Xiu…*
A black streak of light shot out behind the middle-aged woman and disappeared in the next instant.
The masters who had rushed over to try to rescue Zhou Ya came to a halt as they stared towards her chest in utter shock and horror.
Zhou Ya also seemed to realise something was wrong and following her companions’ gazes looked down, her face going ashen in the next instant.
She saw a hole as big as a rice bowl that ran straight through her chest. At the top of the hole, her still-beating heart was even vaguely seen.
Strangely though, there was no blood flowing out of the wound.
“Union Master… Save me!” Zhou Ya’s expression collapsed as she stretched out her hand towards where Qu Zheng was standing, seemingly trying to grab hold of her own life.
However, her struggles were in vain.
The moment her words fell, black Demonic Flames flared up from her wound, followed by a short, terrified scream, then silence as Zhou Ya was quickly reduced to ash!
Gasps rang out from all around.
Yang Kai killing Qu Chang Feng in an instant just now was largely because he had launched a clever sneak attack, but Zhou Ya’s instant death was something he accomplished in a frontal clash. What’s more, he had even given his Zhou Ya a warning and allowed her to ready her defences before he struck.
Even so, it was an instant kill!
No one dared to despise Yang Kai any longer, their expressions all becoming solemn as fear flashed across their eyes.
With a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, being able to kill a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master in a breath was a situation too difficult to believe. Perhaps their Union Master could accomplish this if he used his full strength, but did that mean this boy’s strength was already comparable to Qu Zheng’s?
On top of that, what was that short arrow-like artifact? Why was it so powerful?
Outside the palace, there was no sound as almost everyone was fully immersed in their shock.
Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction. Although he knew that the Feather Spirit Arrow was incredibly powerful, he had not expected it to be this strong. It was just a pity that its usage came with such significant restrictions, needing to be charged up first and even then it could only be used twice in combat.
“Why are you all just standing there gawking? Do you want to let him pick us off one by one? He’s just one person, what are you so afraid of? He’s just relying on the power of his artifact!” Fang Peng suddenly shouted out before sneering, “If this old master isn’t mistaken, the methods he used just now can only be used a few times in quick succession. Is just this enough to destroy your courage? Surround him, this old master wants to see if he really has three heads and six arms!”
Old ginger was truly spicier than young ginger, in the end. As Thunder Typhoon Sect’s Sect Master, Fang Peng’s vision and insight were far sharper than an ordinary cultivator’s. Although he knew little about Yang Kai’s Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique and his Feather Spirit Arrow, Fang Peng was still able to see through their respective weaknesses.
Needless to say, the Feather Spirit Arrow could only be used twice in battle.
As for the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique, even with Yang Kai’s vast Spiritual Energy, using it was very taxing.
Even at his peak, after using the Blossoming Lotus three or four times, Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea would dry up.
The biggest reason Yang Kai used such powerful methods right from the start to kill two enemies was to deter others! There were too many enemies here for him to face, and although he was not afraid of them, if he couldn’t at least dampen their momentum, he would find himself in a troublesome spot.
The quick deaths of Qu Chang Feng and the middle-aged woman could put a great deal of psychological pressure on his opponents. In a duel between masters, aside from cultivation and methods, mindset also played a big factor in deciding who the victor was.
If one’s mental state was unstable, they would not be able to display their full strength.
Yang Kai’s plan had been half-successful, but it fell short at the last moment as Fang Peng exposed him to everyone.
These few words shook everyone out of their daze.
Hearing Fang Peng’s shout, everyone quickly came to their senses and carefully thought about what they just witnessed. No matter how strong a person was, they always had limits, let alone Yang Kai, who was just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm boy.
If he really had invincible strength, why choose to kill Qu Chang Feng and Zhou Ya? One of these two was a First-Order Origin Realm cultivator while the other was just a Second-Order.
If his strength was truly Heaven-defying, why not kill Qu Zheng and Fang Peng directly?
By only picking the soft persimmons, Yang Kai had exposed that he was just putting up a front.
Realising this, the crowd’s scattered momentum once again condensed and their fear disappeared, all using their artifacts and Secret Techniques one after another to bombard Yang Kai.
In an instant, colourful rays of light shot towards the spot where Yang Kai stood, causing the surrounding atmosphere to become extremely chaotic.
Facing attacks from more than twenty Origin Returning Realm masters, Yang Kai’s expression turned ugly as he hurriedly summoned his Purple Shield and activated its sandstorm ability to protect himself.
At the same time, the Firebird Artifact Spirit flew with a loud cry, opened its mouth wide, and sprayed out several washbasin-sized fireballs towards the attackers.
Not finished yet, Yang Kai summoned several dozen Golden Blood Threads and, under the guidance of his powerful Divine Sense, each one clashed with an incoming attack.
The battle instantly became heated instantly.
Yang Kai was at a severe disadvantage, and it was not long before his several dozen flailing Golden Blood Threads began to dim. Although the Artifact Spirit Firebird possessed great power two fists couldn’t block four strikes, and its body was quickly struck, scattered, then forced to re-condense, the cycle repeating over and over again.
The sandstorm guarding Yang Kai was scattered at an alarming rate, almost unable to maintain its shape and soon exposed his figure to the outside world.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and desperately tried to hold on in this extremely unfavourable situation.
Fang Peng stood aside, not in a hurry to make a move, just looking at Yang Kai’s awkward posture while laughing loudly, “Boy, it’s too late to regret now. This old master can spare your life, but some suffering is inevitable now. Who asked you to kill Young Master Qu?”
These words were laced with great meaning, as Fang Peng was taking pleasure in his partner’s misfortune. Qu Chang Feng had died tragically at Yang Kai’s hands, something Fang Peng was happy to see. Although he was temporarily cooperating with Heaven Battling Union, there were still a lot of grudges between the two forces. With Qu Chang Feng dying, Heaven Battling Union lost one of its most powerful youths, which was bound to be detrimental to its future development.
If things went well, when the next generation fully matured, no one would be able to compete with his son, Fang Tian Zhong.
*Boom boom boom!*
The spot where Yang Kai stood was impacted by several artifacts and Secret Techniques, causing a wide gap to form in the sandstorm created by the Purple Shield, exposing his figure.
At that moment, Heaven Battling Union’s Great Elder Mo Xiao Sheng’s figure appeared strangely in that spot with impeccable timing.
Like Yang Kai, he too had cultivated Space Force, so his actions were both quick and silent.
Pushing out his palm lightly, Mo Xiang Sheng’s hand passed through the gap in the sandstorm towards Yang Kai, potent Saint Qi surging from it.
With a cold snort, Yang Kai pushed out his own palm towards this attack, and when the two palms met, a burst of Saint Qi erupted.
A muffled bang rang out as Mo Xiao Sheng was sent several tens of metres backwards while Yang Kai’s figure also shook violently, exposing more flaws in his defence.
Facing a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, the Great Elder of Heaven Battling Union no less, Yang Kai was able to pull off a draw, a reality that thoroughly shocked Mo Xiao Sheng.
However, although his sneak attack did not hurt Yang Kai, his goal had been achieved. Yang Kai had been thrown off balance and exposed many openings.
Everyone present was an Origin Returning Realm master, and their eyesight was naturally first-class, so none of them had missed the opportunity created by Mo Xiao Sheng, immediately pushing their Saint Qi even harder as they attacked Yang Kai.
*Hualala…*
The sandstorm completely dispersed, and the Purple Shield re-appeared, its glow severely diminished, indicating its spirituality had been greatly damaged. Yang Kai’s body was then completely submerged in countless attacks.
Although the Purple Shield was an Origin Grade High-Rank artifact and had strong defensive strength, it could not withstand the attacks of so many masters. Since Yang Kai summoned it until now, it had only managed to last ten breaths of time.
Fang Peng frowned though and quickly released his Divine Sense to investigate the situation.
He did not want Yang Kai to die like this. If Yang Kai died, High Heaven Sect would never compromise, and there would be no way to force them to hand over the Origin King Grade Starship.
However, his worries were unnecessary. Even after such an attack, Yang Kai’s life had not been extinguished and only his aura had become somewhat chaotic.
This was only to be expected though. If Yang Kai was capable of taking such an attack head-on and still remain unharmed, Fang Peng would need to consider whether he should be withdrawing.
When the light and dust dispersed, Yang Kai’s embarrassing appearance was revealed, and everyone’s spirits rose!
How mighty and domineering Yang Kai was just now? He had not placed anyone in his eyes and even killed two Origin Returning Realm masters in a flash, but now it seemed that was all he was worth…
The crowd flashed happy expressions as they assumed Yang Kai had exhausted his bag of tricks.
*Dida dida…*
A soft sound reached everyone’s ears as blood dripped from Yang Kai’s body, but strangely, his blood was golden in colour and exuded an amazing amount of vitality.
Standing in place, Yang Kai’s eyes were as sharp as a blade with cold light overflowing from them.
Obviously, he had become truly enraged.
“Boy, it seems this is the extent of your ability! You should refrain from shamelessly boasting in the future! Young people who do not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth always have to suffer a bit to see the reality. I advise you to surrender now without a fight!” Fang Peng laughed loudly, the muscles on his face twitching slightly as he did, but no one noticed.
Although he made light of Yang Kai, he was actually quite shocked in his heart.
[This little brat is a monster!] A trivial First-Order Origin Realm cultivator was able to withstand the indiscriminate bombardment of more than twenty Origin Returning Realm masters. Although he had only managed to resist for ten breaths, that was already enough to be called a miracle.
Even Fang Peng did not dare say he could do this. Did that mean the strength of this boy was comparable to his own then?
Moreover, Fang Peng had heard that Yang Kai was just a Third-Order Saint when he first arrived on Shadowed Star, yet after just ten years, he had now broken through to the Origin Returning Realm!
This rate of growth was astonishing.
No cultivator on Shadowed Star could achieve such terrifying growth in such a short period of time.
No cultivator could have such terrible combat power compared to their realm!
When Fang Peng looked at Yang Kai, it was as if he saw infinite possibilities and hope, hope to break through to the Origin King Realm!
This boy could not be allowed to grow anymore. He was already so terrifying with such low cultivation, so if he were really allowed to fully mature, who on Shadowed Star could possibly oppose him?
Today, Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect had thoroughly offended him, and if he had the opportunity in the future, he would definitely return it back a hundredfold. From the look in his eyes, Fang Peng could tell that Yang Kai was not one to easily forget his grudges.
[This boy must die!]
Fang Peng’s heart filled with murderous intent and dread as he secretly decided to kill Yang Kai once the task assigned by Star Emperor Mountain this time was completed. As long as this boy was alive, Fang Peng would have trouble just sleeping and eating.
“He’s already an arrow at the end of its flight, capture him!” Fang Peng shouted decisively. A long delay led to many problems, so he didn’t plan on hesitating.
When these words fell, half of the Origin Returning Realm masters rushed towards Yang Kai while the other half remained in place to prevent him from escaping.
In a blink, more than a dozen masters had approached to within ten metres of Yang Kai. At that moment though, the frustrated, hate-filled expression on Yang Kai’s face, as if he was incapable of fighting back any longer, suddenly transformed into a grin and he roared out in a furious voice.
“There was a path to the Heavens but you refused to take it, no gate to Hell but you still charged in. Since that’s the case, I will send you to the underworld myself!”
As he spoke, Yang Kai took out a wooden token the size of a palm. This wooden token had several complicated and subtle patterns carved onto it and radiated a mysterious power and brilliant, blinding light that.
“Not good!” Someone exclaimed, hurriedly wanting to withdraw.
But it was too late. The brilliant light which was being emitted by the wooden token suddenly spread to the surroundings and the dozen or so Origin Returning Realm masters near Yang Kai were engulfed in the next instant.
In the blink of an eye, these dozen Origin Returning Realm masters found themselves in a different world.
White clouds filled the sky as lush grass and trees surrounded them.
Everyone was stunned, with blank expressions filling their faces, unable to comprehend what their situation was.
At the same time, Fang Peng and the dozen or so Origin Returning Realm masters who did not move were also shocked as they stared blankly towards the scene in front of them.
In that instant, Yang Kai and a dozen of their companions had disappeared together without a trace. When the white light enveloped them, everyone seemed to disappear into thin air.
This was truly strange.
However, in the place where Yang Kai originally stood, there were some odd energy fluctuations.
An old man wearing Thunder Typhoon Sect robes and possessing a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation frowned, as if he had noticed something, and raised his hand to attack. However, this attack only flew out a short distance before it was blocked by a thin invisible barrier.
“A Spirit Array!” The old man’s eyes bulged as he exclaimed in shock.
“Why is there a Spirit Array here?” Fang Peng’s expression was also ugly to the extreme. They had just driven Yang Kai into a corner and were on the verge of capturing him, but now this unexpected development had occurred.
Yang Kai and a dozen or so cultivators from their side were trapped inside this Spirit Array! People outside of the Spirit Array could not see them at all and were also blocked from entering it, so even if they wanted to rush in to assist their companions, they couldn’t.
But how could there be Spirit Array here?
If it had been here all along, it should have been triggered long ago, and it was even more impossible for it to suddenly activate at this critical moment. Could it be that Yang Kai was aware of it, gained control of it, and had been planning to use it when a crisis broke out?
This was also highly unlikely!
“Sect Master, this Spirit Array shouldn’t have been arranged here,” The old man seemed to have studied Spirit Arrays and was able to see some clues.
“It wasn’t arranged here?” Fang Peng frowned and looked at him, “Elder Zou, what do you mean? If this Spirit Array was not arranged here to begin with, are you saying that brat Yang Kai suddenly just arranged it?”
“It should be so,” Elder Zou gently nodded.
Fang Peng coldly snorted and said, “Although this old master doesn’t know much about Spirit Arrays, he at least knows that such a powerful Spirit Array cannot be easily arranged. Let’s not talk about all the auxiliary tools required to do this, just the amount of time required should be far greater than the instant that boy was provided, so how could he have instantly arranged a Spirit Array?”
“Sect Master, I believe the answer lies with that wooden token that boy took out,” Elder Zou said thoughtfully, “If this old master is correct, then that wooden token is very likely to be a long lost, legendary Array Plate!”
“Array Plate?” Fang Peng’s eyes narrowed, apparently having heard about Array Plates at some point. Staring at the old man surnamed Zou in amazement, he could not help asking, “Are you sure it was such a thing?”
“Besides this, this old master cannot think of another suitable reason to explain why this boy was able to instantly arrange such a Spirit Array. That wooden token was most likely an Array Plate with a Spirit Array sealed inside of it. Moreover, it is an extremely powerful Spirit Array.”
“How could he possibly have such a thing?” Fang Peng’s face went pale, “Can you crack this array?”
Elder Zou hesitated for a moment before answering, “If this old man was given two days, he would be able to crack it. Just now, this old man probed this Spirit Array slightly and discovered that it was quite powerful, so… two days is the fastest.”
“Two days…” Fang Peng smiled bitterly.
Such a long time was enough for spilt blood to go cold.
“It doesn’t matter what Spirit Array it is; we can just destroy it!” An angry shout suddenly rang out, causing Fang Peng’s look to shake. Turning his head, Fang Peng discovered that the speaker was Qu Zheng, but at this moment, Heaven Battling Union’s Union Master’s eyes were completely bloodshot and an extremely violent aura was pulsating from his body.
The pain of losing a son had obviously infuriated him!
“Ahem, Brother Qu, please restrain your grief!” Fang Peng put on a sorrowful expression and comforted while celebrating in his heart. No matter what kind of trouble Yang Kai caused him, it was nothing compared to Qu Zheng’s pain of having to bury his son.
However, since the two forces were now working together, Fang Peng had to at least keep up appearances, otherwise Qu Zheng would likely turn his anger on him.
“A mere Spirit Array is enough to block you?” Qu Zheng ground his teeth and shouted with a ferocious expression, “Break this damn thing and drag that little brat out for me! He and I are absolutely irreconcilable! This old master will rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces!”
“Brother Qu, calm yourself,” Fang Peng was taken aback, and quickly repeated, “You must stay calm.”
“You dare to stop me?” Qu Zheng glared at Fang Peng, “Whoever dares try to stop me will be this Qu’s enemy. This Qu will not let anyone off!”
Fang Peng frowned in displeasure as he said, “That boy truly deserves death. It is just as Brother Qu says, just as you cannot tolerate him, neither can this old master!”
“In that case, help this Qu break this Spirit Array, Brother Fang.”
“This Spirit Array definitely needs to be broken and that boy dragged out, but… Brother Qu, before we complete our task, that boy cannot die. Don’t forget who gave us this task, if Brother Qu kills that boy out of anger and causes us to fall short of success, I believe Brother Qu should understand the consequences.”
Qu Zheng shivered slightly when he heard these words and finally regained some of his composure, casting a glance towards a certain person among the crowd while revealing a look of dread before muttering, “What Brother Fang said is correct, this Qu was not thinking just now.”
“Good, as long as you understand,” Fang Peng breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was eager for Qu Zheng to kill Yang Kai and implicate Heaven Battling Union, his Thunder Typhoon Sect would not escape unpunished if such a thing happened. He had to dissuade Qu Zheng using both emotion and logic, and fortunately Qu Zheng had not yet reached a point where he couldn’t be reasoned with.
“But… after this matter is finished, that little brat must be handed over to this Qu. I want him to taste the most brutal torture this world has ever known!” Qu Zheng grit his teeth and shouted sternly.
“Certainly, after this matter is over, whether that boy lives or dies will be up to Brother Qu to decide,” Fang Peng nodded before shouting, “Stop standing around! Quickly break open this Spirit Array and capture that boy!”
“Yes!” The remaining dozen or so Origin Returning Realm masters simultaneously shouted before hurriedly summoning their respective artifacts and releasing their Secret Techniques towards the invisible barrier in front of them. Even Fang Tian Zhong, who had been observing from a thousand metres away, ran over and contributed his strength.
While these people attacked the Spirit Array from the outside, the dozen or so Origin Returning Realm masters who had been caught by Yang Kai looked around the inside the Spirit Array created by the Array Plate, confused.
A moment ago, they were attacking Yang Kai, but now they had suddenly come to this strange place, so they were at a bit of a loss. On top of that, after looking around, each of them realized they were no longer close to each other, all of them spread out somewhat.
“Brother Si Tu, what is this place?” Elder Liang Yong of Heaven Battling Union turned his head and asked someone not far away, Vice Sect Master Si Tu Hong of Thunder Typhoon Sect.
Before, it had been the two of them who let Yang Kai pass and join up with Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu.
“I don’t know, but it looks like we’re trapped in some kind of Spirit Array.”
“Spirit Array!” Liang Yong’s face changed slightly, “What about Yang Kai?”
“What do you think?” Si Tu Hong answered with a question of his own.
Liang Yong’s heart clenched before sinking considerably.
It wasn’t surprising that Liang Yong was panicked. Yang Kai managed to withstand the concentrated bombardment of so many people on his own, so now that he had a Spirit Array to support him, wouldn’t he be even more difficult to handle?
Moreover, Liang Yong was unable to find where Yang Kai was even when using his Divine Sense. In this weird place, it seemed that there were only his companions and himself, no one else.
Liang Yong naturally didn’t believe that this Spirit Array was just meant to trap them; Yang Kai would definitely have an additional hand to play.
“Everyone, gather together, don’t disperse.” Liang Yong suddenly yelled. He couldn’t find any trace of Yang Kai, but that didn’t matter. As long as he and his dozen or so companions stuck together and watched each other’s backs, they should be able to hold out until their allies outside broke this Spirit Array. If they spread out and allowed Yang Kai to defeat them one by one though, it was very likely they would be completely wiped out.
Yang Kai’s profound methods had left a deep impression on him.
Hearing Liang Yong’s call, everyone recovered their senses and quickly moved closer to where he was.
But at that moment, the change occurred.
The pure white, flawless clouds which were originally floating high up in the sky began dropping down at a frightening speed.
Although no one understood what was special about these white clouds, none of them dared allow them to approach unchallenged, instantly using their Movement Skills to avoid them while summoning their artifacts to attack.
However, the white clouds seemed to be completely intangible, so even if they were attacked, they only became slightly scattered and would soon reform.
“What the hell are those!” A middle-aged man shouted impatiently as he poured his Saint Qi into a long dagger-like artifact he was holding and slashed out fiercely, wanting to split apart the white clouds which were descending upon him.
This middle-aged man had a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation and possessed great strength. The dagger he was wielding was an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact he had obtained accidentally in a mysterious cave many years ago and now regarded it as his most precious treasure. This dagger had helped him kill powerful enemies many times and was the artifact he most relied upon.
A shocking wave burst forth from the dagger and smoothly bisected the white cloud in front of the middle-aged man, allowing him to sneer and leap forward to pass through the opening he had made with a flicker.
But just as his figure was about to emerge from this split white cloud, the cloud which had been split in half quickly converged and immediately wrapped around him.
A startled shout rang out.
Immediately, the white clouds within a twenty-metre radius actually began to gather together and transform into a majestic lion.
This lion was more than seven metres tall, its entire body yellowish-brown in colour. Lifting its head up high, the lion let out a deafening roar as shocking energy fluctuations burst from its body.
At the same time, the abdomen of this giant lion visibly bulged, as if something was struggling inside of it, wanting to burst out.
Obviously, it was the middle-aged man who had been engulfed by the white clouds just now.
However, there was nothing he could do. The lion’s stomach swelled and shrank repeatedly as a shocking burst of energy pulsed from it, but soon, a crunching sound rang out, almost as if something was being crushed and ground down.
The movement inside the lion’s abdomen also stopped abruptly while the life aura of the middle-aged man was quickly dispersing.
“A Great Desert Lion?” Liang Yong exclaimed with a shocked expression on his face.
He was able to recognize what kind of Monster Beast this lion was at a glance, but it was a little different from a real Monster Beast. It didn’t emit any Monster Qi, but its form was definitely that of a Great Desert Lion. What’s more, the aura radiating from it was comparable to a fully matured Great Desert Lion!
A mature Great Desert Lion was a peak Ninth-Order Monster Beast, and in terms of combat capabilities, it was completely capable of overwhelming a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm human cultivator and could even win against ordinary Third-Orders.
As soon as Liang Yong’s words rang out, all the other surrounding white clouds began transforming and soon, massive and varied Monster Beasts began appearing all around the dozen or so remaining masters.
Giant Horn Rhinoceros, Deep Sea Flood Dragon, Profound Black Tiger, Roaring Moon Wolf, Ironback Centipede, Golden Poison Toad…
There were many different Monster Beasts here, each one belonging to an extremely fierce species.
Regardless of what type of Monster Beast it was, the weakest was Eighth-Order and there was no lack of those at the Ninth-Order; however, all of them were slightly different from orthodox Monster Beasts. Not only were they massive in size, but they also pulsed with astonishing energy.
As soon as these Monster Beasts took shape, they searched for the nearest target and began madly attacking the Origin Returning Realm masters.
There were so many Monster Beasts that everyone was instantly separated and forced to fight against at least three or four enemies.
The dozen or so Origin Realm masters from Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect quickly began letting out panic-filled screams. Although their cultivations weren’t low and their strength wasn’t weak, caught inside this strange Spirit Array and besieged by so many powerful Monster Beasts, they instantly found themselves at a massive disadvantage.
Yet what truly made them desperate was that these Monster Beasts seemed to be immortal. Even if they are cut to pieces, they would soon reform, making them incredibly difficult to deal with.
The first casualty appeared less than a half cup of tea’s worth of time after the battle began. No one was able to tell if the first to die was from Thunder Typhoon Sect or Heaven Battling Union, but in a moment of distraction, this man was struck by a giant horned lizard and tossed up into the air.
Before this man could land, a dark green dragon several dozen metres in length flew over from his side, opened its mouth, bared its giant fangs, and viciously bit down onto him.
The man’s protective layer of Saint Qi flashed violently but was ultimately unable to resist the force of the Deep Sea Flood Dragon’s bite.
*Ka…*
With a loud cracking sound, the layer of protective Saint Qi shattered and the man’s body was directly bitten in half. Blood splashed out all over the battlefield as the man died a truly miserable death.
The terrified scream this man released just before his death sent chills up his remaining companion’s spines. They were all struggling desperately, barely able to protect themselves and now their morale had taken a hit, causing their situations to instantly worsen
“Yang Kai, is hiding in the dark all you’re capable of? Get out here and fight this old master head-on!” Liang Yong angrily shouted.
Yang Kai’s hearty laughter rang out immediately, “Elder Liang, don’t try to irritate me, I’ll come out when the time is right, but in the meantime… Heh heh, you should all have a taste of this Spectral Cloud Array’s power. En, I’m looking forward to how many of you I can send to your graves!”
The voice was vague and seemed to be coming from close by but also from far away, making it impossible for Liang Yong to locate Yang Kai’s position. For a time, his face was ashen and desperate to the extreme.
But from Yang Kai’s words, he finally knew what this damned Spirit Array was.
Spectral Cloud Array! Liang Yong was not proficient in Spirit Arrays, and he didn’t know about the mysteries of this particular one, some others in his group couldn’t help exclaiming, “Spectral Cloud Array, it’s actually the Spectral Cloud Array, impossible! This Spirit Array was lost long ago and is impossible for anyone to arrange today!”
“Oh, this friend seems to be a bit more knowledgeable and has dabbled in Spirit Arrays. En, at the current level of Shadowed Star, no one can arrange a Spectral Cloud Array, but mine was not arranged by any living cultivator.”
“Does that mean…” The man’s expression changed drastically as he quickly understood.
No one currently being able to arrange it did not mean that no one from ancient times couldn’t.
The difficulty of arranging the Spectral Cloud Array lay with the white clouds which were in fact real clouds. A cultivator who wished to arrange a Spectral Cloud Array needed the incredible Divine Ability to reach the sky, refine the clouds, and seal the Soul Core and Essence of powerful Monster Beasts into them.
Currently, the strongest cultivators on Shadowed Star were only Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters. Who among them had the ability to refine the clouds in the sky?
Only an Origin King could possibly accomplish such a feat.
After this refinement was finished, these clouds could transform into Cloud Beasts which were capable of displaying the strength of the Monster Beast Soul which was sealed into them. Because they were simply condensed from clouds though, they were extremely difficult to destroy as they could quickly coalesce and re-form even if they were scattered to pieces.
The Array Plate of the Spectral Cloud Array was a treasure Yang Kai obtained when he entered the depths of the Emperor Garden the first time.
After refining and warming it in his body for so long, Yang Kai had only used it once, when he dove into the Emperor Garden for the second time and hunted the Seven Coloured Elk Variant.
That Seven Coloured Elk Variant’s speed was simply too great, and Yang Kai had no other way to constrain it than using this Spirit Array.
Apart from then, he had not used this Array Plate again.
However, being besieged by so many people this time was an excellent opportunity to display the power of the Array Plate.
Previously, when he, Fei Zhi Tu, and the others had fallen into the Spectral Cloud Array, they had barely been able to protect themselves, which showed just how powerful this Spirit Array was. Moreover, at that time, the Spectral Cloud Array was not being controlled by anyone and was simply attacking them autonomously, only able to display about twenty to thirty percent of its might.
Now that this Spirit Array was being controlled by Yang Kai, although he didn’t dare say he could exert one hundred percent of its power, seventy to eighty percent was entirely possible.
With his extremely powerful Divine Sense, it wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai to control the powerful Cloud Beasts. If his Divine Sense had been strong enough, he could have controlled more Cloud Beasts and killed those trapped within even more easily.
Hidden from view, Yang Kai Divine Sense flickered about, controlling each Cloud Beasts to attack the enemy, showing no mercy.
Now that he had torn face with Heaven Battling Union and Thunder Typhoon Sect, Yang Kai certainly wouldn’t have any scruples when dealing with them.
He didn’t want to stir up trouble, but he was forced to do so. Since the other party wanted to deal with him, they should be prepared for the consequences.
More than a dozen Origin Returning Realm Masters were by no means a weak force, but they were now divided by all the Cloud Beasts, unable to group up to mount a proper defence.
As long as there was enough time, these Cloud Beasts killing all of these masters was inevitable.
However, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and turned to look at a certain position.
As the owner of the Spectral Cloud Array’s Array Plate, he could naturally perceive that the people outside were attacking that place fiercely at this moment, and they were not sparing any effort. It was likely that it wouldn’t be long before this Spirit Array was broken.
This wasn’t a result Yang Kai was willing to see.
After grumbling for a moment, Yang Kai waved his hand slightly and the Firebird Artifact Spirit flew out again, stretching its wings as a monstrous heat wave burst from its body.
“Go!” Yang Kai gave a light command, sending the Firebird out with orders to find opportunities to kill the enemy.
Yang Kai wasn’t finished though and quickly stretched out his hand again, this time summoning a green long sword into it. This long sword had no blade edge and looked extremely strange, especially the longan sized bead which was embedded in its hilt that seemed to have a tiny snake swimming about inside of it.
Verdant Dragon Bone Sword.
Saint Qi madly poured into it and the Dragon Bone Sword began releasing a terrifying majesty. In the next moment, a giant dark-green dragon appeared in front of Yang Kai, opening its mouth and letting out a loud dragon roar. Without even needing Yang Kai’s careful manipulation, it shook its head and waved its tail before rushing towards the nearest enemy.