“Fei’er!” The old man was startled and glared at her quickly.
In response, the young girl couldn’t help pouting.
Yang Kai chuckled, nodded and said, “Yeah, I am High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master. Why were you wondering if I was pretending?”
“I was just asking,” The girl stuck out her tongue. Next, she seemed to gather her courage, bit her lip, and asked, “Since you’re High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master, your word should carry a lot of weight, yes?”
“En, it should be useful!”
“Then can you accept me into High Heaven Sect?”
As soon as this remark came out, the old man was shocked and quickly begged for forgiveness.
He knew that High Heaven Sect never accepted outsiders.
A master like Liang Yong, who was also Heaven Battling City’s City Lord, had not been officially admitted into High Heaven Sect, so how could his Junior, Liu Fei’er, who was just a Saint Realm cultivator, possibly join such a Sect?
Although he was apologizing in a panic, the old man was also feeling somewhat expectant inside.
If Fei’er could really join High Heaven Sect, her future was guaranteed to be bright! Now on Shadowed Star, High Heaven Sect was the dominant force, with no Sect comparable to it in the slightest, how could it be bad to enter such a Sect?
Yang Kai stopped the old man’s apologies before turning a serious look towards Liu Fei’er and asking, “Do you want to enter High Heaven Sect?”
The girl nodded.
“Why?” Yang Kai asked.
“Under a big tree one can enjoy the cool shade!” The girl replied without the slightest hesitation.
The old man’s face twitched when he heard this, and even Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he burst into laughter.
“If I become a High Heaven Sect disciple, no one will dare to bully my family again,” The girl blushed and added.
Yang Kai laughed even more happily as he nodded, “Good, although your motives are a bit selfish, your personality is also reasonable and straightforward. Since you want to enter High Heaven Sect so much, this Sect Master will accept you.”
“Huh?” The girl looked dazed, seemingly not having expected happiness to come to her so suddenly. She had thought she would definitely be rejected and had mentally prepared herself for such an outcome.
“Stupid girl, why haven’t you thanked Sect Master Yang for his kindness yet!” The old man quickly urged.
Only then did Liu Fei’er come back to her senses and hurriedly knelt, giving a formal salute.
The other youths who had accompanied her here all stared at her with envy.
“Alright, get up. I’ll give you one day to deal with any unfinished matters you have at home, after that you will leave for the Sect together with me,” Yang Kai declared.
“Yes!” The girl bit her red lips, flushed, and replied excitedly.
There was no need for Yang Kai to worry about Blue Wave City or Heaven Battling City, so one day later, Yang Kai took Liu Fei’er through the Space Array of Blue Wave City, passed directly through Heaven Battling City, then proceeded to Demon Blood City!
By now, however, Demon Blood City had been renamed High Heaven City.
High Heaven City was High Heaven Sect’s link to the outside world as its headquarters were located deep inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field. High Heaven City was also under the direct jurisdiction of High Heaven Sect.
A few years ago, inside the Emperor Garden, Demon Blood Temple’s Great Elder and Temple Master had both died at Yang Kai’s hand. As a result, Demon Blood Temple had been plunged into a constant state of infighting with numerous Elders dying, causing the Sect to decline greatly in strength, almost to the point of collapse.
Ye Xi Yun had not missed this and taken action to quell the situation. At the same time, she took the opportunity to occupy Demon Blood City, which was the closest major city to High Heaven Sect, and rename it High Heaven City.
Even if Demon Blood Temple hadn’t been on the decline and was still at its peak, with the current strength of High Heaven Sect, if they wanted to occupy Demon Blood City, Demon Blood Temple wouldn’t have dared to resist.
Demon Blood City thus easily became the private industry of High Heaven Sect.
All materials and cultivators that passed through High Heaven City were now subject to fees and taxes levied by High Heaven Sect, so although High Heaven Sect still resided inside the Flowing Flame Sand Field, its connection with the outside world was much more pronounced.
As soon as he appeared atop the Space Array, Yang Kai heard a loud roar of voices.
“Subordinates welcome Sect Master’s return to the Sect!”
These voices caused Liu Fei’er to jump in fright, and in a fluster, she quickly hid behind Yang Kai.
Yang Kai swept his eyes around and found that almost all the high-level executives of High Heaven Sect were present, led by Great Elder Ye Xi Yun.
Obviously they had received news he would be arriving today and had been waiting.
Ye Xi Yun couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that Yang Kai wasn’t missing any arms or legs.
During the battle atop Star Ascendance Peak, Yang Kai, Qi Tian Che, and Fang Peng had suddenly disappeared. This disappearance lasted a whole three years, during which all of High Heaven Sect worried constantly about Yang Kai, expending much effort to inquire about his whereabouts and status, but unfortunately learnt nothing.
It was as if Yang Kai had suddenly disappeared from Shadowed Star altogether!
Now that he finally returned safely, Ye Xi Yun was naturally quite happy.
A moment later, her beautiful eyes couldn’t help shrinking as she suddenly realized that Yang Kai’s cultivation had actually reached the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm! Even Ye Xi Yun, who had experienced countless storms, felt shocked by this discovery.
It had only been a few years since he reached the Origin Realm yet he had already taken another step forward. Wasn’t the cultivation speed of this Sect Master of hers a bit too exaggerated?
“Great Elder, it’s been hard on you!” Yang Kai faced Ye Xi Yun and gently nodded, “All of you have worked hard too.”
“Sect Master is too polite, we’ve done nothing worthy of note, it is Sect Master who has been facing difficulties these past few years,” Ye Xi Yun smiled, her beautiful eyes finally turning to Liu Fei’er before turning back to Yang Kai curiously, wondering why he had brought a little Saint Realm girl back with him.
“This girl wants to join High Heaven Sect, and as Sect Master I took the liberty to accept her,” Yang Kai explained casually.
“So that’s how it is,” Ye Xi Yun nodded.
“Come on, don’t hide, greet your new Elders,” Yang Kai fished Liu Fei’er from behind himself.
Liu Fei’er blushed greatly as she swept her eyes across the faces before her, clear excitement and admiration covering her face.
These were the strongest masters of the strongest Sect on Shadowed Star! Anyone here could cause Shadowed Star to tremble with a stamp of their foot.
She had never seen such a grand scene before!
Quickly stabilizing her mood, Liu Fei’er cupped her fists and bowed reverently.
“There’s no need for excessive courtesy, since Sect Master has admitted you already, you are now a disciple of my High Heaven Sect. Cultivate diligently in the Sect. If you perform well enough, you may have an opportunity to worship one of the people you see before you and become their disciple,” Ye Xi Yun looked at her kindly.
“Yes!” Liu Fei’er nodded excitedly.
“En, let’s head back before we talk,” Yang Kai motioned.
Half a day later, inside High Heaven Sect’s main hall, the various Elders gathered together to report to Yang Kai about the Sect’s current condition and the events that had transpired over the past three years.
The best description would be to say that the Sect had grown by leaps and bounds.
Without mentioning anything else, the simple addition of the more than two hundred cultivators from Star Emperor Mountain alone caused the overall strength of High Heaven Sect to reach the number one position on Shadowed Star! This was an undisputed fact; no Sect could compare with today’s High Heaven Sect.
Also, led by Heaven Battling City, the various cities and industries owned by High Heaven Sect generated a massive amount of income every year. Today, High Heaven Sect did not need to worry about cultivation materials in the slightest.
The Sect’s population wasn’t very large, but materials were constantly being delivered to it from all directions. High Heaven Sect currently had three grand storehouses, each one filled with various cultivation resources, but that was still not enough. Ye Xi Yun was even now planning to open up several more.
The Sect also had two close allies, Clear Sky Sect and Shadow Moon Hall.
These two great forces had been on good terms with Yang Kai since long ago, and during the past three years when Yang Kai had disappeared, both great forces had provided great assistance with High Heaven Sect’s development. As such, Ye Xi Yun decided to make a formal alliance between the three Sects.
With strong cooperation, mutually beneficial developments and exchanges could be achieved.
Countless other great forces wanted to ally with High Heaven Sect; however, none of them had any form of prior relationship they could use as an opening, so they could only stare jealously at the opportunities that Shadow Moon Hall and Clear Sky Sect had gained.
Yang Kai listened to these reports and nodded with satisfaction.
[The High Heaven Sect is currently on the right track.] When he founded this Sect, he hadn’t expected it to reach its current scope and scale.
Back then, he had simply brought Wu Yi and the others here in their Starship to settle down.
It could be said that the destruction of Heaven Battling Union, Thunder Typhoon Sect, and Star Emperor Mountain had provided an unimaginable impetus to the rapid rise of High Heaven Sect. Without the demise of these three great forces, there would absolutely be no High Heaven Sect today.
These three great forces had become stepping stones on High Heaven Sect’s rise.
Half a day later, the other Elders dispersed, leaving only Yang Kai and Ye Xi Yun.
The Great Elder also knew that Yang Kai must have other important questions, but before Yang Kai could speak, she took the initiative to say, “If Sect Master wants to ask about Madam’s situation, Subordinate can only say that all is as it was before!”
“So… nothing has changed, huh…” Yang Kai murmured.
“Yeah, Sect Master need not worry, since Madam said she would need ten or twenty years more, we simply have to wait patiently until that time.”
“Okay,” Yang Kai nodded, not asking any more questions.
“In addition, Sect Master’s Artifact Spirit is currently resting and building up its strength inside the Earth Lung Fire Pond in the fifth layer. As for the Verdant Bone Sword, Subordinate brought it back and placed it inside Sect Master’s First Heavenly Palace.”
“Understood.”
In fact, there was no need for Ye Xi Yun to explain these points as Yang Kai was able to sense his two helpers after he returned to the Flowing Flame Sand Field; after all, whether it was the Firebird or Dragon Bone Sword, both shared a connection with his Soul.
When Qi Tian Che dragged him into the Small Sealed World within the Sealed World Bead, the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword was left outside. Later, the Firebird Artifact Spirit had been expelled during the battle, resulting in Yang Kai being left with only Xiao Xiao.
Ye Xi Yun naturally brought the other two back to the Sect with her.
“What happened back then? Why did Sect Master suddenly disappear? Does it have anything to do with that Emperor Artifact?” Ye Xi Yun pondered for a moment before asking seriously.
She only knew that the Sealed World Bead was an Emperor Artifact, but she didn’t know what kind of powers or abilities it possessed.
No one from Star Emperor Mountain had ever been able to refine the Sealed World Bead, so Ye Xi Yun did not know its details.
“Yup, I was dragged into a Small Sealed World by Qi Tian Che,” Yang Kai replied.
“A Small Sealed World…” Ye Xi Yun’s eyes narrowed.
“Fortunately, it only took me three years to find a way to escape. Great Elder need not worry about it any longer.”
Seeing him not want to explain further, Ye Xi Yun naturally didn’t ask anything more.
After thinking for a while, she suddenly took out something and handed it to Yang Kai, “Madam sent me a message while she was still in a state of deep sleep, asking me to hand this to you to keep.”
“A Star Emperor Token!” Yang Kai looked at what Ye Xi Yun handed over and couldn’t help exclaiming.
Reaching out to take it, Yang Kai gently caressed this Star Emperor Mountain with a solemn expression.
He already had four of these tokens in his hand. The first was given to him by Gui Zu and still had the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability sealed inside, the second piece was something he found in the loft in the sixth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field. The third piece was brought to him by Ge Qi, and this fourth piece was the one currently in his hands.
Yang Yan had also said before that the Great Emperor refined a total of ten Star Emperor Tokens, each of which sealed one Divine Ability belonging to the Great Emperor.
Now, she wanted him to take these tokens for safe-keeping, and it made Yang Kai wonder: Was there some other hidden mystery in these Star Emperor Tokens?
However, no matter what this secret was, it would likely require him to collect all to expose it.
This was by no means an easy task. It has been many years since Yang Kai entered the Star Field and he had managed to collect four through numerous opportunities and coincidences, which meant there were still six remaining.
The only other Star Emperor Token Yang Kai knew of belonged to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and was stored on Water Moon Star, a detail he had learned accidentally when chatting with Xue Yue long ago.
Yang Kai didn’t spend any more time on this issue, simply storing away the fourth Star Emperor Token before asking Ye Xi Yun to send a message to Qian Tong, Fei Zhi Tu, and Clear Sky Sect, telling them that the time had come. After he finished giving instructions, Yang Kai left the hall.
Three years ago, Yang Kai was planning on taking a long-distance voyage.
If complications had not arisen before, he would likely already be sailing through the Star Field by now.
Because of the provocation of Star Emperor Mountain, these plans had been delayed, but now that these various problems had been resolved, it was time to set sail, find his way home, and look for the beautiful woman he knew was somewhere out amongst the stars.
On his way back to First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling Su Yan’s face, causing his gaze to soften.
Since he left Tong Xuan Realm, it had already been more than twenty years…
Over the past two decades, through ups and downs, Yang Kai’s cultivation had risen from the Saint Realm to the Origin Returning Realm, and he was more than a hundred times stronger than he was when he first entered the Star Field back then.
However, the Martial Dao had no end, and the higher his cultivation rose, the more Yang Kai realized his own shortcomings.
He desperately wanted to become stronger, to climb to the summit of the Martial Dao, stand at its peak, and look out on all living beings!
Cheers and shouts suddenly reached Yang Kai’s ears, pulling him out of his reverie. Turning his gaze to the source of the sound, Yang Kai saw a group of people gathered together. He couldn’t immediately see what they were doing, but it was very lively.
These people were all former disciples of the Hai Ke Family who had followed Wu Yi, left the family, and joined up with Yang Kai.
Although their cultivations back then were somewhat low and scattered, with the help of various cultivation resources and a good cultivation environment, all of their strengths had improved by leaps and bounds, most of them having now reached the Saint King Realm!
Yu Feng and Wu Yi were both now just one step away from breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm.
In High Heaven Sect, as long as one’s aptitude wasn’t too bad, there was no need to worry about problems breaking through. With various precious pills to assist them, the Ten Thousand Year Incense to soothe heart demons, and the Nine Branch Jade Crystal Tree to illuminate the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, breaking through had become a simple task.
No disciple felt any difficulty when making breakthroughs, and everything occurred calmly and naturally.
Now though, more than twenty of these disciples had gathered together and were watching a certain battlefield, cheering loudly for the combatants.
It seemed two people were fighting one another, and the sound of punches and kicks being exchanged constantly rang out.
Disciples often sparred with one another as their strength improved to examining their own shortcomings. This was a good thing and Yang Kai simply smiled lightly upon seeing it, not having any intention to join in the fun, but when he inadvertently spotted one of the figures locked in battle, he couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise and walking over quickly.
Everyone was completely focused on the battle, so Yang Kai’s arrival did not alarm anyone.
In the middle of a small arena, two people were competing, but unlike what Yang Kai imagined, they weren’t comparing Secret Techniques or artifacts; in fact, they weren’t even using their Saint Qi, they were simply competing with pure physical strength and reflex, fighting hand to hand!
One of them looked familiar to Yang Kai, but he couldn’t remember his name. He was a burly man with a strong body and thick muscles. At first glance, he was the kind of person who specialized in brute force and his cultivation also wasn’t bad, a First-Order Saint King!
However, what drew Yang Kai’s attention was this burly man’s opponent.
It was actually a little girl!
This little girl looked about ten years old, but her petite body was as agile as a monkey. She flitted about with incredible speed and finesse, constantly engaging the burly man in a rapid close-quarter brawl.
The little girl’s hair had a hint of yellow in it and was tied into twin-tails that hung down to her shoulders and moved about freely as she dashed back and forth. She had delicate features which made her appearance quite cute.
She was the picture of a still maturing beauty.
When avoiding the attack of the burly man, she could often find openings to swing her small fists and score hits on her opponent.
Her punch looked light and fluttering, but it contained astonishing power, enough to cause the burly man to tremble and grimace each time he was hit.
Yang Kai found that both of the burly man’s eyes had dark blue circles around them, obviously the result of him being punched in the face by the little girl.
The burly man wasn’t showing any mercy when he attacked, punching out with all his might, creating howls of wind each time he swung his fists. Just watching caused Yang Kai to feel a little on edge, for fear that the little girl could not bear such a blow and would be beaten to pieces.
But his worries were clearly unnecessary. None of the onlookers were worried about the little girl either, all of them were shouting, some cheering on the little girl while others taunted the burly man. The scene was incredibly raucous.
“Lin Yun’er?” Yang Kai suddenly recognized the little girl.
She was the one Yang Kai had brought back from Sea Side City.
The adopted daughter of Huang Juan.
When he brought her back, this little girl was only seven or eight years old, now three years had passed and she was slowly approaching the age of maturity.
Yang Kai had long known that Lin Yun’er small body contained extremely powerful force, but seeing her today he realized that he had deeply underestimated her potential.
At a mere ten years old, she was able to fight evenly with a fully grown man in the First-Order Saint King Realm in a competition of pure strength, even showing signs of suppressing her opponent.
[What kind of monster is she?] Yang Kai was amazed.
Just as he was observing Lin Yun’er with interest, the little girl’s body flickered and she entered into the big man’s chest before leaping up and delivering a beautiful uppercut, hitting him square in the jaw and knocking him flying.
*Peng…*
The big man fell to the ground, his face flushed, and struggled for quite some time before managing to get back onto his feet.
The onlookers cheered, with Yu Feng laughing the most happily.
After defeating her opponent, Lin Yun’er seemed very happy, jumping up and down excitedly while cheering as well.
Yang Kai looked at her with a pensive expression.
If this was a real life-or-death struggle, she would definitely not be the opponent of this burly man; after all, there was too much of a difference in their cultivations, but in terms of physical flexibility and strength, Lin Yun’er had absolute superiority.
She was only ten years old, but her potential was simply astonishing. If she could be taught in accordance with her aptitude, her future achievements would be limitless!
[Interesting, really interesting!] Yang Kai thought to himself.
“Hey, you’re that uncle!” Lin Yun’er suddenly spotted Yang Kai, pointed her finger at him, and started shouting.
Yang Kai’s face instantly went black.
“Ah, it’s Sect Master!” Yu Feng turned his head, exclaimed, and quickly covered his eyes with his hand, seemingly wanting to hide something.
Yang Kai glanced over and found that most who were gathered here had dark circles around their eyes and looks of embarrassment on their faces.
“You were all brought down?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“Hehe…” Yu Feng felt like dying of shame, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into and never come out.
He was a Third-Order Saint King now, only one step away from breaking through to the Origin Realm, but in his competition with Lin Yun’er, he still took a blow from her by accident, leading to his current embarrassed state.
It was one of the greatest shames of his life…
“Truly disgraceful,” Yang Kai grinned before turning and beckoning to Lin Yun’er, “Yun’er, come here.”
The little girl was very obedient and hurriedly dashed over to Yang Kai. Pausing to think for a moment, she called out crisply, “Disciple Lin Yun’er, greets Sect Master… uncle!”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, showing a harmless smile, “You don’t need to use that last word next time.”
“En!” The little girl nodded.
[Ye Xi Yun had taught her well.] Yang Kai looked at the little girl with great satisfaction. After bringing her back three years ago, Yang Kai had asked Ye Xi Yun to instruct her, so her being so sensible was obviously thanks to the Great Elder’s efforts.
“Do you like this place?” Yang Kai asked lightly.
“I like it!” Lin Yun’er replied immediately, “There is food here, and no one bullies Yun’er. Aunty Ye and the other uncles are also very good to Yun’er.”
“It’s good that you like it,” Yang Kai smiled, “Did your Aunty Ye find a master for you?”
Lin Yun’er shook her head slowly.
“Oh, why?” Yang Kai was astonished.
Lin Yun’er was very young, but it was also obvious she was a rare genius; for her, Yang Kai could imagine that group of Star Emperor Mountain masters coming to blows to be her master.
Although they all had strict criteria to accept a disciple, Lin Yun’er absolutely met those requirements. No one accepting her as a disciple was a bit strange.
“Aunty Ye said none of them can teach me,” Lin Yun’er replied crisply, tilting her head and happily saying, “Yun’er now follows Aunty Ye to cultivate, so there’s no need to worship anyone else as a master.”
“Alright, that’s good. Your Aunty Ye has outstanding strength, following her to cultivate will be good for you!”
“Yes!”
“En, carry on,” Yang Kai waved his hand, turned, and left.
Voices called out to see him off, but Yang Kai was too lost in thought to listen.
Ye Xi Yun saying no one could teach Lin Yun’er was also a bit strange.
Although there were only about two hundred cultivators from Star Emperor Mountain, each of them was proficient in their own field, so it shouldn’t be a problem to find someone from these elites to teach Lin Yun’er.
There was only one possible reason Ye Xi Yun would make such a decision.
She was incredibly optimistic about Lin Yun’er’s future and didn’t want to handle her carelessly. She probably wanted to teach Lin Yun’er only the best.
It seemed he would have to ask Ye Xi Yun about this. Yang Kai was curious how this young little girl possessed such amazing power.
Presumably, after spending three years together with Lin Yun’er, Ye Xi Yun had learned something.
As his thoughts turned, Yang Kai returned to First Heavenly Palace.
Just after stepping inside, a deep dragon roar faintly rang out from the depths of the palace and a green light shot towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grinned and stretched out his hand, grasping the green light in his palm.
When the light dissipated, a bone sword without any edge appeared.
Dragon Bone Sword, Verdant!
Feeling a connection on both a spiritual and bloodline level, the green dragon’s Remnant Soul, which was swimming inside the sword’s hilt, seemed happy.
After three years, the aura of the Dragon Bone Sword seemed to have become stronger. After all, in the battle three years ago, Yang Kai had killed many people and allowed the Dragon Bone Sword to swallow a large amount of vital essence.
Three years of refinement could indeed allow it to grow somewhat.
After carefully examining it and confirming that he didn’t feel anything wrong, Yang Kai happily put away the Dragon Bone Sword.
Turning his head and looking around, First Heavenly Palace seemed just the same as he left it.
Although Yang Kai had been missing for three years, no one had dared to enter High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master’s private quarters at will. Aside from the disciples Ye Xi Yun had clean the place every day, First Heavenly Palace saw no other visitors.
After a while, Yang Kai nodded to himself and was just about to take a rest when his expression suddenly changed and he shouted sharply, “Who!”
As he spoke, he sent out a burst of Spiritual Energy towards a certain spot nearby.
He had suddenly felt a sense of being spied on at that moment.
As such, he did not hold back.
The space twisted under Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense attack, a strike even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master would find difficult to take.
However, the twisted space calmed down a moment later, as if an invisible hand smoothed it out.
Yang Kai’s attack yielded no effect.
This discovery made his face change and his eyes flash sharply.
Inexplicable energy visible to the naked eye began to emerge next, twisting and changing mysteriously.
“Divine Sense Manifestation!” Yang Kai called out in shock, but at the same time, he relaxed his vigilance because he perceived a familiar feeling from this visible Spiritual Energy.
As soon as Yang Kai called out, the Divine Sense Manifestation condensed into a figure.
Although this figure was slightly fuzzy, Yang Kai could see it wore a long black robe that covered head and face, only revealing a pair of star-like eyes while outlining an extremely graceful body-line.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he stared straight at this figure, his heart pounding slightly.
The other party also stared back at him motionlessly, appearing as tranquil as an ancient well, displaying neither joy, nor anger, nor sorrow of any kind.
After a long silence, Yang Kai took a deep breath and asked in a solemn voice, “Are you Yang Yan… or the Great Emperor?”
The figure which appeared belonged to none other than Yang Yan. Clearly it was the Divine Sense Manifestation of the person sleeping in the sixth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field, but Yang Kai wasn’t certain whether she was the Yang Yan he knew or the Starry Sky Great Emperor of legend!
If she was the former, things would be simple.
If she was the latter, Yang Kai would need to tread carefully.
Hearing Yang Kai’s question, the figure frowned for a moment before declaring, “Both!”
“Really…” Yang Kai responded with a sigh, “It looks like you have already begun to merge.”
“En, but it will still take a few years to complete.”
“Then how should I address you?”
“Whether it is the person you know or the so-called Great Emperor, both are named Yang Yan,” The figure replied.
Yang Kai gently nodded, “So why have you sent your Divine Sense here instead of continuing to sleep in your loft?”
“I sense that you brought back something interesting, so I came to take a look.” Yang Yan smiled lightly.
“Something interesting?” Yang Kai frowned.
“This…” Yang Yan said while stretching out her hand, waving it towards Yang Kai. This action seemed light and casual, but under its influence, Yang Kai suddenly felt that something from his body was snatched away.
The speed at which everything happened was so fast that he did not even have time to think of resisting.
In a flash of light, a bead appeared in Yang Yan’s hand.
“The Sealed World Bead!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he stared at the seemingly inconspicuous bead.
“En, the Sealed World Bead!” Yang Yan gently nodded, closing her beautiful eyes after speaking, as if she was sensing something, a while later opening her eyes again and whispering, “Sure enough, you were able to refine it.”
Yang Yan was well aware that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space.
The most basic requirement for refining the Sealed World Bead was to comprehend Space Force. Therefore, none of Star Emperor Mountain’s Sect Masters for ten thousand years was able to accomplish this. It was not until Qi Tian Che’s generation that anyone had an opportunity to discover the mysteries inside the Sealed World Bead.
In the end, however, it fell into Yang Kai’s hands.
“You actually managed to open a hundred-kilometre radius space inside, a truly amazing feat considering your current cultivation,” Yang Yan seemed to have discovered something that surprised her and muttered in admiration.
Yang Kai frowned, hesitated for a moment, then spoke, “I know that this bead belongs to you, but in order to escape from inside of it, I had no choice but to refine it. If you want to take it back, I will not object, but could you at least lend it to me for a while? I need it to ferry some people.”
“Lend it to you?” Yang Yan glanced at Yang Kai and smiled, “Why ask if I can lend it to you? You’ve already left your Soul brand on this Sealed World Bead so it belongs to you now, I won’t take it back.”
Saying so, Yang Yan tossed the Sealed World Bead back.
Yang Kai caught it before glancing at Yang Yan suspiciously.
Although he had yet to figure out all the details of this Sealed World Bead artifact, since it was an Emperor Artifact, it obviously had some kind of huge use to the Great Emperor. Yang Kai had not expected to be able to claim the Sealed World Bead for himself, he simply wanted to use it to bring his friends and relatives here from Tong Xuan Realm.
Without the Sealed World Bead, he would not be able to bring so many people over at once.
“You’re mistaken about one point,” Yang Yan said softly.
“Oh?”
“This Sealed World Bead isn’t mine.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“Strictly speaking, I have never refined this Sealed World Bead, I was just holding onto it,” Yang Yan’s Soul body floated down and stood in front of Yang Kai like a real person, “It was something a friend of mine gave me.”
“Your friend?” Yang Kai was shocked.
Yang Yan’s true body was that of the Starry Sky Great Emperor, so would not a friend of the Great Emperor… be an existence on par with a Great Emperor?
“Yup, a friend of mine!” Yang Yan nodded, “My friend and you have something in common, can you guess what?”
Yang Kai fell into deep thought for a moment before his eyes lit up and he asked, “We both cultivate the Dao of Space?”
“Exactly!” Yang Yan looked at Yang Kai approvingly, “He too cultivated the Dao of Space, but he had reached a profound height in his comprehension. This Sealed World Bead was something he used his own Space Force and comprehensions to refine. Although my strength is not inferior to his, I don’t have any attainments in the Dao of Space, so the Sealed World Bead isn’t very useful to me. At the very least, I am unable to fully open and expand the space inside the Sealed World Bead. You are different, however. You have cultivated the Dao of Space, so perhaps you will have the opportunity to reach his height with time.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched.
Not because Yang Yan spoke highly of him, but because of the origins of the Sealed World Bead.
It was refined from the comprehensions of a cultivator on the same level as the Great Emperor!
This was too sensational.
Yang Kai had never seen an Origin King Realm master act, but according to his estimations, even an Origin King would absolutely not have this kind of ability.
The Great Emperor really was beyond the existence of the Origin King Realm!
Above the Origin King Realm, there actually was a higher realm. Sure enough, the Martial Dao had no end.
“Since you knew the former Yang Yan, it seems we share some common destiny, so with the Sealed World Bead having been refined by you, I have no issue with you keeping it. Expand it well, perhaps one day you will discover something interesting,” Yang Yan smiled mysteriously.
Yang Kai’s interest was piqued as his eyes shined.
From what Yang Yan said, it seemed there was some kind of hidden mystery related to this Sealed World Bead.
Yang Kai did not ask anything though, as he knew that doing so wouldn’t net any results. Pondering for a moment, he began to ask, “Your friend…”
“I don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen him for over ten thousand years, so perhaps he is off wandering or even fallen, there’s no way to tell.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
Expanding the space inside the Sealed World Bead was of great benefit to his comprehension of the Dao of Space, so even if Yang Yan had not mentioned it to him today, Yang Kai would not have slacked off regarding it.
Now that he vaguely knew there was another mystery hidden inside the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai would certainly spare no effort to refine it.
“Okay, by the way, I’m planning to depart on a long voyage in a few days. You are still sleeping in that loft though so it should be safe. I’ll make sure some people maintain it,” Yang Kai suddenly remembered and said.
Yang Yan opened her mouth, as if she wanted to mention something, but ultimately chose not to, instead just saying lightly, “There are many dangers in the Star Field, I hope your journey goes smoothly.”
Saying so, her figure suddenly disappeared.
Just as suddenly as she came, she left.
Yang Kai frowned and stood in place, only after a long time calming his mood, sitting down cross-legged on his bed, and adjusted his breathing.
…..
The next day, on Hundred Flowers Peak.
Yang Kai found Ye Xi Yun and asked her about Lin Yun’er.
After three years, Ye Xi Yun had indeed done some research on Lin Yun’er’s physique and learned some things.
“Yun’er possesses a Special Constitution.”
“What is it?” Yang Kai nodded, having expected such a result.
Some people in this world were given great innate gifts that were difficult to match by others, often time manifesting as Special Constitutions.
For example, Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang possessed the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, making her proficient in all things related to Alchemy. She could also cultivate by performing Alchemy, meaning the more pills she refined, the higher her strength would grow.
Shan Qing Luo’s Poison Widow Body was also a Special Constitution which caused her entire body to become extremely poisonous once her emotions became overly excited.
Xue Yue’s Dragon Marrow Phoenix Body caused her Primordial Yin Qi to be incredibly rich, allowing the one who claimed it to greatly increase their strength without any hidden dangers.
The effects and benefits of each Special Constitution were different, but one characteristic they all shared was extreme rarity.
At Lin Yun’er’s extremely young age, how could she possess such incredible strength? Yang Kai could only think of one explanation.
She too possessed a Special Constitution.
The answer he obtained from Ye Xi Yun now coincided with his guess.
“Then, what kind of Special Constitution does she have?” Yang Kai asked as he turned his head and glanced at the little girl who was sitting nearby, gnawing on some spirit fruits happily.
“This Queen has searched through many ancient books and if I am not mistaken, Yun’er should possess the Tyrant Strength Body!” Ye Xi Yun quickly said.
“Tyrant Strength Body?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Those who have this kind of physique are born with incredible physical strength, and as their age and cultivation rise, this power will only become stronger. They are truly blessed by the Heavens as, after growing to a certain extent, they are able to compete with other cultivators in the same realm with their physical strength alone, always having the absolute upper hand in combat!”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed a light of amazement.
“However…” Ye Xi Yun frowned suddenly, looking at Lin Yun’er worriedly.
“However?” Yang Kai looked over at her.
“However, those who have this Special Constitution are granted physical strength which exceeds the natural ability of their body to tolerate, so they often cannot fully exert their strength when fighting. Yun’er is still young and her cultivation isn’t high, so this drawback has not yet manifested, but when she really matures, this will become a severe constraint on her power.”
The Heavens were fair in everything.
Although those with Special Constitutions possessed amazing advantages in certain fields, most of them had shortcomings that could not be ignored.
Xia Ning Chang’s Sacred Spirit Medicine Body allowed her to easily comprehend Alchemy and enhance her strength by refining pills, but any other method she tried to use to improve her cultivation, like meditation and secluded cultivation, were highly inefficient.
Shan Qing Luo’s Poison Widow Body doomed her to lose her loved ones and live a life of loneliness, forging a deep regret for killing her lover the very day she truly became one with them.
This was an unimaginable torture for anyone.
Although Xue Yue’s Dragon Marrow Phoenix Body gave her astonishing aptitude and strength, those gifts would ultimately benefit another rather than herself.
Lin Yun’er’s Tyrant Strength Body was no exception.
The incredible power contained in her body would eventually grow to the point where Lin Yun’er herself was unable to bear it, and once that happened, the result of trying to use her strength would be self-harm or even death!
“Is there a solution?” Yang Kai asked worriedly.
“Yes!” Ye Xi Yun gently nodded.
“Oh? Let’s hear it then. Since there’s a solution, we just need to implement it,” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. Lin Yun’er was still young and her potential was unlimited, he did not want her future to be ruined because she was unable to bear her own strength.
“The solution is actually quite simple, but actually achieving it is not…” Ye Xi Yun gave a wry smile. “The drawbacks of a physique like Yun’er’s are obvious, but as long as these drawbacks are dealt with by tempering her body, everything will be fine. In other words, she just needs her body to be able to keep up with her physical strength. However, in order for her to begin Body Tempering, and appropriate Secret Art is necessary, and its grade cannot be low.”
“A Body Tempering Art!” Yang Kai’s expression became strange.
“Exactly. Although Star Emperor Mountain also has a few Body Tempering Arts, none of them come close to meeting Yun’er’s requirements. I have been looking for an appropriate Secret Art for several years now, but so far there have been no gains. None of them have even been as good as the ones Star Emperor Mountain originally possessed,” Ye Xi Yun said a little sadly, “It has only been three years since Yun’er came to Sect, but the growth in her strength has already been so terrifying. I’m afraid that if she is allowed to continue to grow at this pace, in less than ten years…”
“If you need a profound Body Tempering Art… I have one.”
“Sect Master has such a Secret Art?” Ye Xi Yun looked at him in amazement.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded as he took out an ancient book from his Space Ring and handed it to Ye Xi Yun, “Have a look.”
Ye Xi Yun accepted the book while glancing at Yang Kai suspiciously, but she quickly immersed herself in this Secret Art, reading it carefully.
Yang Kai did not disturb her, instead playing with Lin Yun’er. This little girl was still very young. Before, she had been living with Huang Juan in Sea Side City, staying in a house where she could not even see the sun on most days. Only three years ago, was she brought to High Heaven Sect.
She had almost no contact with the outside world, so her innocence still remained and her childlike mannerisms and speech greatly relaxed Yang Kai’s mood.
Two hours later, Ye Xi Yun let out a long breath and put down the ancient book, a look of pleasant surprise flashing across her eyes.
“Does Great Elder think it will be sufficient?” Yang Kai raised his head and asked.
“Indeed!” Ye Xi Yun said excitedly, “It should be possible for Yun’er to cultivate. This Secret Art is quite peculiar. Its grade isn’t actually very high, but its effects aren’t really connected to that grade, but rather the resources used to cultivate it.”
“En, I thought so too. I’ve cultivated this Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art myself, and I’ve found that the higher the grade of materials used, the better the body tempering effects. It has almost nothing to do with the Secret Art itself,” Yang Kai said with a grin, “The rarest part is that the resources used to cultivate it can be replaced.”
If one wanted to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, they must look for the supreme treasures from all five elements.
Each treasure must not be lower in quality than the Monster Core of a Tenth-Order Monster Beast.
Yang Kai had spent a great deal of energy and time to collect all the required materials.
Now that High Heaven Sect’s influence had grown so immense though, it should not be difficult for it to collect a set of five-element supreme treasures. Even if the collected treasures were not on par with Yang Kai’s Sun’s True Essence or Divine Nullification Sand, they could at least match the Profound Gold he used.
Once a set of treasures was collected, Lin Yun’er could begin cultivating this Secret Art with them first, then replace them with better materials in the future without any trouble.
Ye Xi Yun noticed this detail too and seemed extremely excited.
“Sect Master may rest assured, this Secret Art will only be cultivated by Yun’er and will not be spread out,” Ye Xi Yun said solemnly.
“It’s fine, even if you were to spread it out, there are probably few people who could cultivate it,” Yang Kai chuckled.
The Monster Core of a Tenth-Order Monster Beast was equivalent to the heart of an Origin King Realm master, how many people could hunt this kind of existence? So, it didn’t matter if this Secret Art leaked out.
“However, one needs a strong Soul to cultivate this art, or else they will be unable to bear the intense pain,” Ye Xi Yun glanced at Lin Yun’er pityingly.
This little girl knew little of the word, or even about herself. She only knew that she possessed great strength but was unaware that this strength was actually like a rope tied around her neck, slowly tightening and threatening her life.
“It will be up to Great Elder to train her,” Yang Kai smiled.
“En, I will arrange Yun’er and to begin cultivating her Soul as soon as possible,” Ye Xi Yun nodded.
“Putting Yun’er’s matter aside for a moment, Great Elder, I have something to ask you,” Yang Kai looked at her solemnly.
“Sect Master, please ask.”
“I will soon set off on a long voyage and will be taking some of the Sect’s disciples with me, otherwise there won’t be enough manpower to operate the Starship. Elders Yang Xiu Zhu, Chu Han Yi, and Lin Yu Rao will also be accompanying me. Great Elder, what about you? Will you come with me?”
“Me?” Ye Xi Yun flashed a hint of desire, but soon shook her head, “I appreciate Sect Master’s kindness, but I will be remaining here.”
“As expected…” Yang Kai sighed, as if he had expected this answer.
Ye Xi Yun’s strength and aptitude were superb. It was not an exaggeration to say she was the strongest master on Shadowed Star. Her Shi had reached the grand accomplishment stage and had even touched the threshold of Domain, so she had long obtained the qualification to break through to the Origin King Realm.
In this aspect alone, no one on Shadowed Star could compare with her.
It could be said that as long as she was freed of the shackles of Shadowed Star World Principles, Ye Xi Yun would have at least an eighty percent chance of breaking through to the Origin King Realm!
This was a terrifying probability!
However…
With the Great Emperor still asleep in the secluded loft, Ye Xi Yun could not bring herself to leave.
Yang Kai had already guessed this a long time ago, but he still had to ask. Now that he obtained her answer, he did not try to persuade her again.
“If that’s the case, I will leave the Sect in Great Elder’s care,” Yang Kai said sincerely.
“En, with this Queen here, the Sect will surely be fine.”
“With you here, I can rest fully assured,” Yang Kai nodded before adding, “If you have time, I’d also like you to find someone for me.”
“Who are you looking for?” Ye Xi Yun looked at Yang Kai curiously, wondering who exactly he needed to pay so much attention to.
“Flowing Cloud Valley’s, Lu Ye!” Yang Kai smiled viciously, “If you find him, don’t bother with any nonsense, just kill him immediately.”
“Alright!” Ye Xi Yun nodded.
Although she did not understand why Yang Kai was looking for this person, since it was the Sect Master’s order, she naturally wouldn’t ask any questions.
Yang Kai then got up to leave to make the final preparation.
He wanted Ye Xi Yun to look out for Lu Ye because he had an ominous feeling about him.
Yang Kai vaguely felt that there was something wrong with this Lu Ye, not to mention that the two had repeatedly encountered one another as enemies. It wasn’t that Yang Kai wanted to let Lu Ye off repeatedly, it was that the other party was simply too difficult to kill, but every time they met, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling he was somewhat strange.
It was this feeling that caused Yang Kai to be wary, as if this Lu Ye was somehow extraordinarily dangerous.
…..
Although the chances of successfully using the Starship for a long-distance voyage were very high, it still needed to be fully prepared.
All kinds of materials needed to be loaded aboard and the staffing needed to be just right.
All of High Heaven Sect mobilized to fulfil this task.
Within a few days, everything was ready.
Five days later, Qian Tong, who received the news, rushed to High Heaven Sect.
Fei Zhi Tu did not accompany him though, as after surviving a brush with death in Fallen Emperor Mountain, his cultivation had fallen to the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm. Even if City Lord Fei left Shadowed Star with Yang Kai, there was no chance for him to break through, so he was currently in secluded retreat in Heavenly Fate City.
Fei Zhi Tu missing this opportunity caused Qian Tong to sigh.
Mo Yu had come from Clear Sky Sect as well.
Over three years ago, Yang Kai and Clear Sky Sect had already negotiated for a single quota aboard the Starship. Yang Kai did not know what kind of internal negotiations followed, but Sect Master Gu Zhen had not come, and it was Mo Yu who was more familiar with Yang Kai that took this spot instead.
All were old acquaintances, so naturally, they had a friendly chat after meeting.
High Heaven Sect was sending three Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters this time. Naturally, they were Yang Xiu Zhu, Chu Han Yi and Lin Yu Rao.
These five people carried the hopes and expectations of countless cultivators from Shadowed Star from the past ten thousand years. Whether they could break through to the Origin King Realm now would depend on their efforts and opportunities.
Yang Kai was simply providing them with a chance.
Since ancient times, it had been extremely difficult for Origin Returning Realm masters to break through to the Origin King Realm. Looking at the entire Star Field, there were few Origin Kings, and each one of them was a famous existence that entire Cultivation Stars would hail as supreme masters.
As such, even if these five people were qualified to break through, it was entirely possible things would not go as planned.
Perhaps all of them would fail!
Half a month later, inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai opened his eyes from his meditation, leisurely got up, and walked out.
Outside his palace was a young woman dressed in long white robes waiting for him quietly.
Seeing Yang Kai come out, she took a deep breath, her chest heaving slightly as she clenched her fists in excitement and tension.
Qian Yue!
For this long-distance voyage, Yang Kai certainly wouldn’t leave her behind.
As someone from the same Star as Yang Kai, Qian Yue was also looking forward to finding Sect Master Qing Ya, Su Yan, and her other fellow Elders from Ice Sect.
She was so eager to see those familiar faces that she even dreamed about them.
“Is everything prepared?” Yang Kai looked at her.
Qian Yue nodded, “Everything is in order, we are just waiting for you.”
“Then… let’s go,” Yang Kai grinned and strode forward.
In his own clenched fist was a crystal-clear bead which exuded a faint chill.
Su Yan’s Ice Soul Bead! This bead would only break once its creator died.
As long as it remained intact, Yang Kai could be sure that Su Yan was alive in some corner of the Star Field. Yang Kai firmly believed that they could one day reunite.
After half an hour, the pitch-black Starship slowly lifted off into the sky as all the members of High Heaven Sect who stayed behind cheered until it disappeared.
In the endless Star Field, the pitch-black Starship sped along. Its speed was seemingly slow, but it was actually as quick as lightning, travelling several hundred kilometres in a flash.
Looking through the transparent window, everyone gazed at the huge star behind the Starship in amazement.
Many people had never observed Shadowed Star from this perspective, so it was not until this moment that they realized the star they had been born on was so grand and magnificent. Facing such a star, everyone felt a profound sense of respect.
The speed of the Starship was extremely fast, but it was also very stable. Inside the hull, no one could feel the slightest bump or vibration.
There were several meteorites drifting about, with some small Dead Stars without vitality floating like icy giants asleep in the Star Field.
There was a region of the Star Field several million kilometres outside of Shadowed Star that was considered a safe zone.
The great forces with Starships on Shadowed Star would often send them out to find ore deposits in this area. Although the harvest was small, that did not dampen the enthusiasm of these forces as they could occasionally obtain some rare treasures from the meteorites and Dead Stars nearby.
These were products not found on Shadowed Star.
However, beyond ten million kilometres was where a dangerous region began.
There was an Astral Wind of the Star Field beyond this point that constantly swirled about and could easily destroy a low-grade Starship. Big and small Starry Sky storms formed here and shredded almost everything they touched, breaking meteorites caught in them into dust.
It was known as the Dead Zone!
This was the first barrier that isolated Shadowed Star from the outside world, and the strongest one at that!
It was like a protective film, surrounding the Shadowed Star for millions of kilometres and prevented anyone from leaving or entering.
Over the past ten thousand years, it was not that no one wanted to leave Shadowed Star and explore the wider world outside, but no one had been able to succeed as all of them had been stopped by this Dead Zone.
When the Starship sailed into this region, everyone felt their clenched palms sweat.
Yang Kai immediately ordered the disciples to strengthen the Starship’s protective barrier to its maximum, not minding the consumption of Saint Crystal Sources.
The fierce Astral Wind swept over, like an invisible beast, slashing its claws at the Starship, trying to rip it open and drag the people hiding inside of it out.
A sharp grating resounded outside the Starship as the hull creaked, causing everyone’s face to pale slightly.
A huge meteorite which had yet to be broken up by the Astral Wind was flung towards the Starship, causing a loud thud and a violent shaking.
Like a small boat caught in a stormy sea, the Starship flew left and right in the Dead Zone, the disciples unable to control its direction, only able to follow along with the natural flow.
Exclamations of alarm from the disciples were constantly heard.
Yang Kai quickly shouted and, while using his Divine Sense to inspect the outside world, directed the disciples’ actions.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the other peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters also rushed to the power room under Yang Kai’s instructions and sat down to channel their Saint Qi into a special array, using their own strength to help power the Starship.
Everyone was fighting against death.
No errors would be tolerated, as any negligence in this place may lead to the ship’s destruction and everyone’s doom.
In this terrifying place, the power of a single person was far too small. The Dead Zone outside of Shadowed Star was so violent that even Origin Kings would not be able to withstand it, let alone the people inside the Starship.
Only by working together could they overcome this crisis.
It took a while, but the chaotic situation eventually stabilized. After realizing that the Starship was being tossed about but was still undamaged, the panic of everyone gradually calmed and they began performing their duties in an orderly fashion.
While frightening, there was no danger. The Origin King Grade Starship refined by Yang Yan provided a safe refuge for everyone onboard.
A full month later, High Heaven Sect’s Starship broke free of the Dead Zone and rushed out into the vast Star Field.
The grating noises no longer came from outside and the Starship no longer swayed randomly. After the disciples were certain they had successfully left Shadowed Star’s vicinity, a huge cheer broke out inside the Starship, one filled with joy and excitement.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the others soon appeared in front of Yang Kai with pale faces, each one of them clearly exhausted, their auras fluctuating unstably.
“You’ve all worked hard,” Yang Kai nodded at them.
“Yang Kai, did you feel it?” Qian Tong asked him with a solemn expression.
Yang Kai gently nodded.
He noticed it the moment the Starship rushed into the Dead Zone, but over the past month, all his focus had been on surviving, so he had not had time to think about it carefully.
Now that they had left the Dead Zone behind, Yang Kai had a moment to contemplate just what he had been sensing.
“So you noticed it too, I thought I was mistaken,” Qian Tong said solemnly.
“Emperor Pressure!” Mo Yu commented, “The Dead Zone was filled with Emperor Pressure, and more than one.”
“En, two distinct Emperor Pressures were flooding that place!” Qian Tong gently nodded, “One is similar to the aura which came from the Emperor Garden, but the other is completely different. What exactly was that?”
“I have a guess, but I can’t be certain…” Mo Yu showed a thoughtful expression.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Mo Yu’s face twitched as his eyes shifted, saying in a dry tone, “If I were to say it, you’d all think I was crazy.”
“Nonsense,” Qian Tong shook his head, “Old Mo, you can relax and tell us anything.”
Yang Kai also nodded, “Yes, let’s hear it, everyone has their own analysis.”
Mo Yu smiled bitterly, “This old master considers himself quite experienced, and knowledgeable, but after passing through the Dead Zone, he realized that he was just a frog sitting in a well, staring up at the sky thinking how wide it is. Alright, this is what I think; however, all of this is just this old master’s speculation, and he has real evidence to back it…”
“Stop stalling and just say it!” Yang Xiu Zhu interrupted him impatiently.
“The Dead Zone is flooded with two different Emperor Pressures, and those two Emperor Pressures seem to be entangled and fighting with each other in an endless struggle. I think the aura we are familiar with belongs to the master of the Emperor Garden, in other words, the Starry Sky Great Emperor! As for the other Emperor Pressure, it should belong to a figure on the same level as the Great Emperor!” Mo Yu declared solemnly, “Perhaps… perhaps the formation of the Dead Zone was a result of a great battle between these two characters.”
After giving his thoughts, Mo Yu turned silent.
Qian Tong’s jaw dropped wide as he stared at Mo Yu with a strange expression on his face.
Yang Kai, Yang Xiu Zhu, and the other Elders from High Heaven Sect, however, exchanged a quiet yet calm glance.
“Haha, that’s impossible, isn’t it? This old master also thinks he is just imagining things,” Mo Yu gave a dry laugh.
The Great Emperor was a legendary figure, one whose existence had not even been confirmed, but now Mo Yu was speculating that another character on the same level had appeared and engaged in a colossal fight with the Great Emperor, a speculating even he found difficult to believe.
“Senior Mo’s theory should be correct,” Yang Kai gently nodded, affirming his guess.
“Huh?” Mo Yu looked at Yang Kai suspiciously, his eyes suddenly lighting him as he asked anxiously, “Yang Kai, do you know something?”
Qian Tong also turned a curious and eager look towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai chuckled, “I don’t know much, but I do know that the Great Emperor had an opponent that was not weaker than her, and that the two of them indeed fought one another.”
Yang Xiu Zhu and the other Elders also knew about this detail, but it was the first time Qian Tong and Mo Yu had heard of it.
Both of them were dumbstruck and stared at Yang Kai with dull eyes, unable to close their hanging jaws.
“It turns out the main culprit behind Shadowed Star’s isolation is her!” Yang Kai murmured.
The situation in the Dead Zone was the best proof, where the two different Emperor Pressures were still fighting against one another, unable to determine an outcome even after ten thousand years.
Perhaps Yang Yan and her unknown enemy had once fought out amongst the Star Field, which led to the formation of a dangerous and desolate region around Shadowed Star.
The Supreme Profound Sect of ancient times should also have been one of their battlefields, but Yang Kai could not determine whether it was the first, or whether the Dead Zone held that position.
Qian Tong and Mo Yu seemed to want to ask something, but Yang Kai didn’t give them a chance, “The past month has been extremely tiring for everyone, let us rest and recuperate for the time being. After passing through the Dead Zone, the rest of the journey will be quite safe, perhaps it will be a few years before we even encounter anything worthy of note, so now is the perfect time to enter retreat and cultivate.”
Hearing Yang Kai say this, Qian Tong and the others could not ask more questions and simply nodded before withdrawing to their own rooms.
Yang Kai stood in place, casting his eyes out towards the Starry Sky. A moment later, he walked over to the main control panel of the Starship and stretched out his hand before immersing his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea.
Above his Knowledge Sea, a vast Starry Sky which had been shrunk down countless times, like a massive model, was quietly suspended.
This was Yang Kai’s Star Chart!
If a cultivator from Shadowed Star wanted to leave and enter the Star Field, the first difficulty they had to pass was the Dead Zone. So far, no one had managed to overcome this barrier.
As for the second hurdle, it was finding a direction to go after escaping the Dead Zone.
There were many dangers in the Star Field, and when any Starship set sail, they would need a master with rich experience to chart its course. This responsibility generally fell on those who held the title of Chart Master.
Chart Masters could draw Star Charts, allowing cultivators or Starships to advance safely and efficiently through the Star Field while avoiding dangerous regions.
Without a Star Chart drawn by a Chart Master, Starships were highly likely to get lost in the Star Field and never arrive at their destinations.
Shadowed Star was too isolated though, so there were no Chart Masters on it, and thus no one who could draw up an effective Star Chart. However, on other Cultivation Stars in the Star Field, Chart Masters were extremely well respected, their status not inferior to that of high-grade Alchemists and Artifact Refiners.
The Star Chart in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea was a type of treasure he had obtained through a series of coincidences from a Chart Master called Wu Suo when he first entered the Star Field.
With this Star Chart, Yang Kai did not need to undergo any kind of training, he was the best natural-born Chart Master! The entire Star Field’s situation could be seen in his mind whenever he wanted, including where Tong Xuan Realm was located.
He had once taken Qian Yue to see it and would often gaze upon it himself when he had idle time.
For so many years, he had not had the opportunity to use this Star Chart to chart his direction.
But now, it finally came in handy.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense flickered back and forth around the massive Star Chart, consuming vast amounts of Spiritual Energy in the process, before quickly locating a specific spot.
This spot was where Qian Yue had been separated from Su Yan and the others.
It was Yang Kai’s first destination.
He wanted to see if he could find Su Yan there!
Thinking this way in his heart, Yang Kai’s took back his consciousness from his Knowledge Sea before pouring his Divine Sense into the control panel in front of them, setting the Starship’s course.
For a long time to come, he wouldn’t need to worry about this anymore, as the Starship would follow the route he drew all the way to its destination, of course, provided that there were no dangers along the way.
Time flew by.
The Starship had been sailing forward steadily and safely following the route drawn by Yang Kai without any mishaps.
Occasionally, a few odd-shaped Star Beasts would spring out from nearby Dead Stars, but they were all killed by the disciples controlling the Starship’s Crystal Cannons.
Inside his private room, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged, the Purple Origin Furnace he obtained from the Emperor Garden in front of him, and various boxes and bottles lying around him.
Yang Kai skillfully placed herb after herb into the Purple Origin Furnace then poured his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy into it to extract the medicinal essences from the herbs, portray Spirit Arrays, then merge these essences so they fused together.
Precisely controlling the heat and the timing of each step.
Yang Kai was meticulous about every detail, but still enjoyed the process greatly.
At a certain point, however, he frowned and quickly increased his input of Conflagrated Spiritual Energy.
The next moment, a popping sound came from the Purple Origin Furnace, followed by an unpleasant burnt smell.
Yang Kai gawked for a moment before his brow furrowed.
He had failed again!
His expression was dull as he lifted the lid of the Purple Origin Furnace and poured out a mass of blackened ash from inside it.
There was already a large pile of such ashes lying nearby, the result of Yang Kai’s previous failed attempts!
Instead of continuing, Yang Kai sank into contemplation.
It had been two years since the Starship left Shadowed Star, and during these two years, Yang Kai had not slacked one bit, cultivating his various Divine Abilities, comprehending various Secret Techniques, and improving his Alchemy skills, leading an extremely fulfilling life.
Since he first embarked on the Alchemic Way, Yang Kai had failed very few times when refining pills. His success rate was far higher than the average for most Alchemists and the quality of the products he refined was also very high as he was proficient in condensing and utilizing the medicinal efficacies of the herbs he used to the greatest extent.
These achievements could be attributed to his excellent talent in Alchemy, but also his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea which was far superior to Saint Qi in pill refining.
However, during the past two years, he had experienced failure again and again.
He could refine Origin Grade High-Rank pills at will, so what Yang Kai was attempting to refine now was an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill!
But so far, many Origin King Grade herbs had been consumed, but Yang Kai had yet to produce a single Origin King Grade pill from his furnace, everything winding up as burnt waste.
This result made him a little frustrated.
For any profession, it is extremely difficult to reach the peak, and in the Star Field, Origin King Grade was the peak.
There weren’t many Origin King Realm masters out there, but there were countless Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators who had been stuck at this bottleneck and unable to move forward a single step until they died of old age.
In the same way, Origin King Grade Alchemists and Artifact Refiners were also rare, their number actually far less than the number of Origin Kings.
Yang Kai’s Alchemy skills were now stuck at this bottleneck and he was unable to advance any further.
He had gained immense knowledge from the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture he found in the Emperor Garden, but he was still unable to obtain the answer he sought now.
He felt that his techniques and his control were sufficient, but for some reason, he just couldn’t refine an Origin King Grade pill.
‘Only when a pill obtains a spirit can it be called a Spirit Pill!’ There was such a line in the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture, which was of great concern to Yang Kai.
[But how am I supposed to give a pill a spirit? To enable it to come to life? I just do not understand…]
Although he had collected a lot of Origin King Grade herbs, it still pained him to consume them like this. Yang Kai thought for a while before gathering up and storing away the remaining herbs. Before he could truly understand those words, he felt that no matter how hard he worked, it would all be in vain.
He needed to spend some time pondering this issue.
Taking out the Sun’s True Essence and his other five elements supreme treasures, Yang Kai began cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art while trying to comprehend the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture’s words.
After another half a year, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes.
He felt that the Starship had come to a stop.
There was a sound of quick footsteps outside his door, as if something had happened.
Yang Kai got up, stretched out his hand, and opened the door, the next moment seeing Qian Yue’s figure appear in front of him.
“We’re here!” Qian Yue shouted with excitement!
“We’ve arrived?” Yang Kai raised his brow and his figure flickered to appear beside Qian Yue.
Reaching out to hold her waist, his figure flickered again as obvious Space Force fluctuations emerged. Qian Yue only saw a flash before her eyes before she found herself and Yang Kai already outside the Starship.
Surrounded by the icy and vast Star Field, an array of large and small Dead Stars came into view.
This scene was extremely familiar to Qian Yue.
She had recalled this place in her mind every time she thought about how she had been separated from Ice Sect’s Sect Master Qing Ya and her fellow Elders, so she could not have mistaken this place.
“It’s here!” Qian Yue muttered again, “It’s here. There was a Void Corridor nearby, and we were separated after entering it!”
For some unknown reason, the Void Corridor had sent Qian Yue to Shadowed Star after she entered it, but sent Qing Ya and Su Yan somewhere else instead.
If it weren’t for Yang Kai chancing upon her, Qian Yue didn’t dare imagine what her fate would be like now.
After entering the Star Field, she deeply realized how small and weak she was.
“A Void Corridor…” Yang Kai murmured, closing his eyes and releasing his Divine Sense outwards to carefully investigate the surrounding area.
A short time later, he opened his eyes and quickly flew out together with Qian Yue in a certain direction.
The High Heaven Sect disciples, who received his orders, hurriedly piloted the Starship after them.
After a moment, Yang Kai came to a stop and stared straight ahead.
In front of him, there was a very obvious Space Force anomaly which swallowed any kind of Divine Sense that touched it in an instant.
This Void Corridor had completely collapsed, however, and could not be used again. In fact, it would likely disappear entirely soon. If Yang Kai hadn’t cultivated the Dao of Space, he would not have been able to so easily find it.
Yang Kai investigated this anomaly carefully while Qian Yue waited nervously nearby, not daring to interrupt.
A while later, Yang Kai let out a sigh.
“How is it?” Qian Yue asked hurriedly.
Yang Kai shook his head, “With this Void Corridor alone, I can’t locate where Su Yan and the others went.”
Qian Yue’s beautiful eyes, which were full of expectation, dimmed instantly.
“However… this Void Corridor isn’t too powerful, so wherever it connects to shouldn’t be too far away. For you to be able to make it all the way to Shadowed Star was probably an accident. As for Su Yan and the others… they should be nearby. Wait a moment, I’ll see which Cultivation Star is closest to this location and then we’ll set out for it.”
Saying so, Yang Kai closed his eyes and immersed his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea to check with his Star Chart.
Yang Kai opened his eyes a short time later and returned to the Starship with Qian Yue. Ordering the disciples to adjust the Starship’s heading, they set off in the direction of a certain Cultivation Star.
A few days later, a light blue star appeared in everyone’s view. Looking at it from afar, this star seemed to be much smaller than Shadowed Star, possibly only a quarter the size.
However, it was very beautiful and possessed an extremely rich World Energy aura.
There was no doubt that this was a bountiful Cultivation Star.
Stopping here, Yang Kai took the Starship into the Sealed World Bead before setting off.
Although Yang Kai didn’t know much about the situation in the Star Field, he at least knew that Origin King Grade Starships were far too conspicuous.
Even extremely rich and powerful forces like Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would likely only have a few such Starships.
If they really rode the Starship to this star, it would definitely arouse ill intentions from others.
Yang Kai had only come here to search for someone, so he didn’t want to cause any trouble.
The lower strength disciples also entered the Sealed World Bead. With such an Emperor Artifact, Yang Kai found it much more convenient to act.
All of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters and Qian Yue remained outside, using their Star Shuttles together with Yang Kai to approach the star.
Half a day later, a group of seven people set foot on this beautiful star.
The World Energy density here was similar to that on Shadowed Star, with neither having any significant advantage over the other, but Qian Tong and the others couldn’t help breathing the air here exaggeratedly as they stood in place with constantly changing expressions, seeming silently perceiving something.
Suddenly, Qian Tong let out a loud laugh and smiled extremely brightly.
“There’s no suppression here! I feel as if the shackles that had been binding me have suddenly disappeared!” Mo Yu also had an exhilarated expression and a spirited look.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the other High Heaven Sect elders were the same, all of them looking around, seeing the joy in each other’s eyes.
“Congratulations,” Yang Kai naturally knew what they were talking about, grinned, and congratulated.
This Cultivation Star did not have the same World Principle suppression of Shadowed Star, which meant that the powerful invisible shackles which had prevented them from gaining a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao had disappeared.
This meant there was now hope for them to break through to the Origin King Realm!
The excitement of these five was difficult to describe.
“Yang Kai, this old master will never forget this benevolence!” Qian Tong looked at Yang Kai and declared seriously.
Mo Yu also quickly thanked him.
If not for Yang Kai taking them away from Shadowed Star, they would be like all of their ancestors, dying of old age without ever having an opportunity to reach the Origin King Realm.
This opportunity was given to them by Yang Kai.
“Elder Qian is too polite. It’s alright, let’s find a place to stay first, perhaps we will be here for a while,” Yang Kai turned his gaze towards a city in the distance and said.
“En, although there is no World Principle suppression here, whether it is suitable to break through here or not, we’ll need to investigate first,” Qian Tong nodded in agreement.
Everyone reached a consensus and immediately set off for the distant city.
Inside one of Green Water City’s teahouses, Yang Kai and his group sat around a large table.
The young shop-hand offered a pot of spirit tea and was about to withdraw, but was stopped by Qian Tong.
“What are Senior’s orders?” The shop-hand bowed to Qian Tong, with a smile on his face.
With so many people coming and going from this shop, this shop-hand had long developed a pair of sharp eyes, so although he couldn’t feel what kind of cultivation Qian Tong possessed, he knew that this group was filled with masters, so naturally he dared not show any neglect.
Qian Tong smiled kindly, “Don’t be nervous, young man, this old master stopped you just to ask you a few questions. En, if you answer well, these are yours.”
Saying so, Qian Tong took out a few pieces of High-Rank Saint Crystals and threw them on the table.
The shop hand’s eyes bulged at that moment. By serving tea and water here, he could perhaps earn two or three Low-Rank Saint Crystals per month, so these few High-Rank Saint Crystals on the table were a shocking amount of wealth for him.
By being frugal, he wouldn’t have to worry about eating and drinking for the rest of his life.
He quickly nodded and bowed deeply, “Please ask, Senior, if this little one knows anything, he will surely say it. Although this little one is just an ordinary person who has not cultivated, he is still a native of this place. If Senior wants to know something, this little one will surely not disappoint!”
“Very good.” Qian Tong nodded, satisfied that the shop hand was so cooperative and asking directly, “This old master wants to ask you, are there any Origin King Realm masters on this star?”
“Origin Kings?” The shop hand looked at Yang Kai and the others gathered around the table in amazement before wearing a look of understanding and laughing, “Seniors should not be natives of my Green Mountains Star, yes?”
“You’re quite sharp!” Qian Tong didn’t try to deny it; after all, if he was born on this star, he wouldn’t be ignorant of this kind of thing.
An Origin King was a peak existence on any Cultivation Star, so if such a master lived on Green Mountains Star, they would surely be famous.
The shop hand laughed dryly, “Senior jests, this little one was speculating thoughtlessly. En, but since several Seniors have come to Green Mountains Star at this time, why do you not even know about such things?”
“Why should we know about them?” Qian Tong coldly snorted.
The shop hand didn’t panic nor become anxious, simply answering, “Since several Seniors are here, this little one assumes you have come for the grand event. Although it’s still a bit early, that should not matter much, it’s only another two years or so before it begins. En, regarding whether there are Origin Kings here, heh heh… when did Green Mountains Star lack a master of this level?”
He wore a proud expression, as if Origin Kings could be seen everywhere on this Green Mountains Star.
Everyone exchanged a glance and saw the interest in each other’s eyes, signalling for the shop hand to continue talking.
“Truthfully, there are now two or three Origin Kings on our Green Mountains Star. At its peak, Green Mountains Star had more than ten, two who had reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin King Realm.”
“Two Third-Order Origin Kings?” Qian Tong and the others trembled, their eyes bulging slightly, shocked by the words of the shop hand.
“Is that really true?” Mo Yu asked in a deep voice.
“This little one would not dare to lie, everyone knows about this kind of thing. If Senior wishes to confirm it, it will be as simple as asking around.”
“So this Green Mountains Star is quite suitable for breaking through to the Origin King Realm?” Qian Tong’s eyes brightened as his face filled with excitement.
Although he didn’t feel World Principle shackles here like on Shadowed Star, he still needed to inquire about whether it was suitable to stay here and attempt a breakthrough.
Now that he obtained such information from the shop hand, he was of course quite happy.
“Naturally,” The shop hand nodded his head with a triumphant look, “Did several Seniors not come here for this matter?”
“You can even see this?” Qian Tong was surprised.
“Senior must be joking, although this little one is an ordinary mortal, word of this once-in-a-lifetime event has already spread across all of Green Mountains Star. Even three-year-old children have heard about it now, so how could this little one be ignorant of it?” The shop hand replied seriously.
“Wait, what once-in-a-lifetime event?” Yang Kai looked at him curiously. This shop hand had mentioned something about this before, but Yang Kai hadn’t cared too much. Every Cultivation Star has its own customs and special events. For example, Shadowed Star’s Flowing Flame Sand Field only opened once every few hundred years.
This Green Mountains Star obviously had similar occasions.
However, listening to what the shop hand said, it seemed this particular event was somehow related to Qian Tong and the other’s breakthrough, so Yang Kai immediately took an interest.
Hearing his question, the shop hand was stunned and scratched his head before asking, “Was I mistaken? Did several Seniors not come here to participate in the Blood Prison Trial?”
“Blood Prison Trial?” Qian Tong and others looked at each other with blank expressions.
“Tell us in detail, what is this Blood Prison Trial?” Yang Kai threw a few more pieces of High-Rank Saint Crystals on the table and said lightly.
The shop hand gulped hard as his face filled with joy. Knowing he had run into some rich and powerful masters today, he dared not be negligent, quickly cleared his throat, and said, “The Blood Prison Trial is specifically for powerful masters such as several Seniors.”
“Why do you say that?” Qian Tong raised his brow.
“Because those who participate in the Blood Prison Trial are all top masters at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm. This little one has heard that these masters participate because they can obtain an opportunity to break through to the Origin King Realm!” The shop hand said enthusiastically.
“Really?” Qian Tong suddenly stood up, his expression extremely excited.
The shop hand was taken aback but quickly nodded, “This little one dares not deceive several Seniors. Everything this little one has said about the Blood Prison Trial is true, but as for the specific situation, this little one is unfortunately ignorant. Several Seniors should also be able to see that this little one is just an ordinary person who has never even cultivated before, so I do not know the details of the Blood Prison Trial.”
“Then what do you know?” Yang Kai signalled Qian Tong to sit down again before turning to the shop hand to ask.
“This little one knows that each of the Lords that managed to achieve their Origin Kings Realm in Green Mountains Star has participated in the Blood Prison Trial. Not only them, but there are also many Origin Kings from other Cultivation Stars who came to this star to participate in the Blood Prison trial.”
“There are cultivators from other Cultivation Stars here right now?” Qian Tong frowned.
“Yes, as early as a few years ago, some cultivators from other Cultivation Stars arrived on Green Mountains Star, but their number isn’t that large. However, as the time approaches for the trial to begin, more and more people will come here, which is why this little one thought that several Seniors…” The shop hand glanced around at Qian Tong and the others anxiously.
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded, “Good, talk about this Blood Prison Trial. Just tell us whatever you know, even if it’s some trivial details or rumours, we won’t mind.”
Qian Tong and others echoed this sentiment as they turned expectant looks towards the shop hand.
The shop hand calmed himself for a moment before he began explaining again.
The Blood Prison Trial was the biggest event on Green Mountains Star, and it only occurred once every thousand years. Every time this trial opened, it would attract a large number of Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, but the trial itself was quite bloody and many cultivators would fall during it.
But just as there were great dangers, great opportunities also existed.
Quite often, new Origin Kings would emerge from this trial!
Sometimes there would be more than one!
So even if it was dangerous, Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters flocked to it.
This trial was no different from bringing thousands of masters together to cross a single-plank bridge. Throughout the Star Field, there were countless Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, but Origin Kings were extremely rare, and even though there were many opportunities to be had inside the Blood Prison Trial, it was still extremely difficult to break through.
Many, if not most of the Third-Order masters who rushed into the Blood Prison Trial would fall, and perhaps none of them would be able to break through when all was said and done, but that was still not enough to extinguish the determination of those masters to pursue great heights.
The reason why the Blood Prison Trial had such a magical effect was because of the existence of Domain.
There were many pockets of incomplete Domain inside the Blood Prison Trial which Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators could absorb, and if they could gain enough comprehension regarding Domain, they would have a chance to break through.
“Why is this Blood Prison flooded with the power of Domain? And why are these Domains incomplete?” Qian Tong asked curiously.
“It is said this was the result from a great war,” The shop hand had an innate gift for storytelling, so his explanations were clear and easy to understand.
According to his description, the Blood Prison was once a battlefield, a battlefield where more than twenty Origin Kings and a large number of their subordinates fought.
In an ancient era, Green Mountains Star had two top masters at the Third-Order Origin King Realm, and even considering the entire Star Field, these two were amongst the strongest.
Each of these Origin Kings led a great force and were bitter enemies with one another, with many grudges and fights between their respective forces.
These grievances piled up for hundreds, even thousands of years, and eventually came to a head where even the two great masters became personally involved.
Not only that, but the two masters also widely invited their friends and allies to come and assist them.
Friends of Origin Kings were naturally other Origin Kings.
And so, a battle which could destroy stars broke out somewhere on Green Mountains Star.
In that battle, not only did more than twenty Origin Kings participate, but innumerable disciples from various Sects and forces were involved.
The casualties were countless!
No one knows what the final result of that great war was, only that when it ended, the land was covered in mountains of bones and rivers of blood.
From the twenty-odd Origin Kings who participated, it seemed like none survived.
From then on, this place had been called the Blood Prison by the people of Green Mountains Star, and it was rumoured that the land inside was still dyed red, as if the blood split during that battle still remained.
This was how the Blood Prison was formed.
Inside the Blood Prison, there were all kinds of broken Domains, their power dangerous and unpredictable. Those below the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm who entered basically could not survive, only those at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, at certain times, could delve into the Blood Prison to try to gain benefits from the broken Domains.
If one was lucky enough, they may be able to break through to the Origin King Realm.
If this was all though, it may not be enough to attract so many Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters.
However, it was also rumoured that there were still artifacts used by those ancient Origin Kings inside the Blood Prison! Each of those artifacts was Origin King Grade, treasures difficult to find in the outside world.
It seemed that the inheritance of the two top masters was also hidden somewhere inside.
If someone could obtain one of these inheritances, they could undoubtedly break through to the Origin King Realm in the future, and possibly even reach the height those two masters reached in time.
With so many temptations and all kinds of benefits, the Blood Prison had an allure that many found difficult to resist.
Whenever the Blood Prison Trial opened, Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters who heard the news would come from all over the Star Field to participate.
This was also the liveliest time on Green Mountains Star.
It was still two or three years until the next Blood Prison Trial would start, so the shop hand misunderstood Qian Tong’s questions.
He thought Qian Tong and the others had come here to participate in the Blood Prison Trial after hearing the news.
Inside the teahouse, a group of seven people sat quietly.
Qian Tong and the others were understandably excited and unable to calm down for a long time.
The news they heard from the shop hand caused them to be overjoyed.
Originally, as long as they were able to break away from the shackles of the Shadowed Star’s World Principles, they would have been satisfied, but now they knew that their arrival on Green Mountains Star had actually coincided with such a golden opportunity.
For those who had been struggling on Shadowed Star their whole lives to pursue a higher Martial Dao, nothing could have sounded sweeter than this news.
There was no need for discussion, everyone could see the intent in each other’s eyes.
Obviously, they wanted to participate!
“All of you don’t need to be so anxious. If what that shop hand said is true, there will still be some time before the Blood Prison Trial opens. If you are interested in participating, you can spend some time here to inquire about the news before making a final decision,” Yang Kai glanced around at them.
“Yeah, that shop hand was just an ordinary person, so although the Blood Prison Trial is a truly a sensational once-in-a-thousand-year event, he probably doesn’t know too much about it. We should first go confirm this news with other sources,” Yang Xiu Zhu gently nodded, agreeing with Yang Kai’s point of view.
“In that case, let’s stay. It’s still too early anyway. If it’s really that good here, we won’t leave for the time being.” Qian Tong suggested.
“Agreed.” Mo Yu nodded.
After a brief negotiation, they quickly found a good inn in this Green Water City to stay at and reserved a few rooms for an extended time.
Yang Kai, however, did not remain. After entrusting Qian Yue to Qian Tong and the others, he left Green Water City alone and flew off on his Star Shuttle.
He needed to see if Su Yan was here on Green Mountains Star.
Based on the connection between him and Su Yan, if she was living on this Cultivation Star, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find her. As long as the two of them were within a certain proximity, they would naturally sense one another.
What’s more, Su Yan’s Ice Soul Bead was still in Yang Kai’s hands, and this thing would surely have some reaction if Su Yan was nearby.
Yang Kai acted swiftly, sitting above his Star Shuttle full of anticipation as he flew around Green Mountains Star.
Across lofty mountains and expansive plains, large tracts of land were left in Yang Kai’s wake.
As time passed by, however, he gradually grew disappointed.
Green Mountains Star was the closest Cultivation Star to where Qian Yue and Su Yan had been separated, so there was a great possibility of the latter winding up here.
Still, this Cultivation Star was a few months journey away from that place.
Yang Kai felt that Su Yan shouldn’t have gone any further than that.
But after a long search, there was no trace of Su Yan and no reaction from her Ice Soul Bead, a result that surprised him.
Su Yan wasn’t here.
Six months passed, and Yang Kai had now covered almost all of Green Mountains Star in his search, but the final result disappointed him.
Standing above a lone peak, Yang Kai looked out at the distant scenery, a feeling of loneliness filling his heart.
Having not found Su Yan, his mood was naturally quite sour.
In the jungle behind Yang Kai, a pair of wild eyes stared towards him, and under the cover of the brush, a figure silently approached.
This was the territory of a powerful Monster Beast, and without its permission, no other creatures could set foot on it.
Any who dared to violate this rule had become a meal for this Monster Beast.
This Monster Beast had its own sense of intuition, and as it stared at Yang Kai quietly, it realized that this person’s strength wasn’t too great, so it was preparing to teach him the consequences of infringing on its territory.
With the help of the wind direction, this Monster Beast was able to eliminate its scent as it crept closer to Yang Kai step by step, looking for the best place and time to attack.
Suddenly, it saw Yang Kai turn his head and glanced towards its hiding place.
“Seems your luck is quite bad!” Yang Kai murmured as he grinned menacingly. This smile caused the Monster Beast to shiver down to its bones as an extremely uneasy feeling suddenly spread from the bottom of its heart.
Before it could move though, Yang Kai waved his hand and his three great helpers appeared around him.
Carrying the Heaven Shaking Pillar, the Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao suddenly turned into a stone giant. The Artifact Spirit cried out as it transformed into a giant red Firebird. The Dragon Bone Sword released an amazing pressure and accompanied by a resounding dragon roar morphed into a giant green dragon dozens of metres long.
The Monster Beast’s eyes flashed an almost human-like look of terror as he quickly turned around and hurriedly tried to escape.
It knew at this moment that it had chosen the wrong target.
“Kill it!” Yang Kai ordered bluntly.
The earth trembled immediately as Xiao Xiao chased after the Monster Beast, leaving deep footprints on the earth every time he took a step.
The Firebird turned into a red streak of light that also quickly approached the fleeing Monster Beast, incinerating the trees it passed by in an instant.
The giant dark green dragon followed closely behind.
Yang Kai exhaled lightly, as if he was trying to spit out the depression in his heart before he too tagged along in a leisurely manner.
Right then, his mood was quite low, so when this Monster Beast dared to treat him like prey, it was simply seeking its own death.
Yang Kai needed something to vent his frustrations on.
The roars of the Monster Beast and the dull growls of Xiao Xiao were heard from up ahead, sometimes mixed with the cries of the Firebird and the roars of the Dragon Bone Sword.
The surrounding World Energy aura fluctuated as the massacre in the jungle took place.
Although this Monster Beast wasn’t weak, being at the pinnacle of the Ninth-Order, just one step away from breaking through to the Tenth-Order, how could it possibly be the opponent of the combination of the Stone Puppet, Firebird, and Dragon Bone Sword?
Even escaping was impossible.
There was no suspense about this battle, and by the time Yang Kai strolled over, the Monster Beast that had just been eyeing him as a snack was now lying on the ground dead.
Its waist had been broken, with bone fragments poking out from its flesh, seemingly having been smashed by the Heaven Shaking Pillar. Its fur was also scorched black from the Artifact Spirit’s flames.
The giant dark green dragon, meanwhile, hovered over its corpse, seemingly wanting to swallow its physical essence.
Yang Kai stopped it, however, as he walked up to this Monster Beast’s corpse and unhurriedly sent a Golden Blood Thread into its body.
Under the control of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, the Golden Blood Thread swam through the Monster Beast’s body like a fish through water.
A bizarre scene appeared next as the Monster Beast’s corpse shrivelled at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the energy contained in its body seemed to be swallowed by something!
Yang Kai observed this scene indifferently, as if he had been expecting to see it.
After a while, the Monster Beast’s corpse became a withered husk, with even its Monster Core disappearing.
Yang Kai waved his hand, and a golden red thread flew out from this corpse and like a tiny snake danced between his fingers.
Looking at this threat quietly, Yang Kai showed a look of surprise and joy, his previous depression abating somewhat.
With a single thought, the Golden Blood Thread in his hand suddenly twisted and squirmed before transforming into a Monster Beast.
This Monster Beast looked almost no different from the one which lay dead before him, even its shape and size were nearly identical while its eyes turned about, seemingly possessing great spirituality. The only difference was that it was transformed from Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Thread and had a two-toned gold and red colour.
This was the second type of transformation the Golden Blood Thread could undergo!
This transformation was recorded in the second half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique. Yang Kai had thoroughly comprehended it long ago, but had not had a chance to use it until now.
The first advanced manipulation technique of the Golden Blood Threads was the ability to integrate and condense several different Golden Blood Threads into various shapes to perform different actions.
The second, however, allowed the Golden Blood Thread to absorb a Monster Beast’s physique and spirit, allowing the Golden Blood Thread to transform into a replica of that Monster Beast.
This was one of the miraculous uses of the Golden Blood Thread Secret Technique. Whichever Senior expert created this Secret Technique was a true genius.
Inside the Emperor Garden, Yang Kai had fought against the glamorous Temple Master of Demon Blood Temple and seen her two Demon Blood Threads transform into two life-like snakes. He had been very curious at the time about how she had accomplished this.
Later, he had obtained the second half of the Demon Blood Thread Secret Technique and understood the mystery.
Each Golden Blood Thread was condensed from a drop of Yang Kai’s Golden Blood, and each could absorb and fuse itself with the physical essence of a Monster Beast and the energy in its Monster Core, after which, it could transform into one of these so-called Blood Beasts.
The two bloody snakes the Temple Lord of Demon Blood Temple had used were Blood Beasts transformed from her Demon Blood Threads!
Blood Beasts could inherit a Monster Beast’s abilities from when it was alive, and because it was transformed from Yang Kai Golden Blood, it was directly linked with his Soul, allowing him to manipulate it like he would his own limbs.
Before, on Shadowed Star, Yang Kai had not had time to find a suitable Monster Beast, so he had not cultivated any Blood Beasts.
Now that he had chanced upon a suitable test subject, Yang Kai wasn’t about to just let it go.
With the assistance of all his helpers, he had easily succeeded.
Releasing his Divine Sense and examining this Blood Beast, Yang Kai nodded gently in satisfaction.
As far as aura was concerned, this Blood Beast formed from his Golden Blood Thread should be equivalent to a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator. This strength was somewhat lower than the original Monster Beast it was condensed from, but the difference wasn’t too great.
The most important thing, however, was that Yang Kai had more than one Golden Blood Thread!
As long as there were sufficient Monster Beasts, Yang Kai could transform all of his Golden Blood Threads into Blood Beasts. At that time, with hundreds of Blood Beasts being released together, even if he had to face an Origin King, Yang Kai would not be helpless.
However, it wasn’t easy to find appropriate Monster Beasts, so this kind of plan had to be implemented slowly.
As he was thinking about this, Yang Kai lightly reached out towards the Blood Beast.
The Blood Beast immediately shrank and in the blink of an eye became only the size of a pigeon egg, its figure landing lightly on Yang Kai’s palm.
Yang Kai smiled slightly but just as he was about to store it away, he suddenly thought of something and his eyes fixed on the life-like Blood Beast on his palm, a pensive look covering his face.
Seemingly lost in thought, Yang Kai sank into a state of comprehension.
Only after a long time did Yang Kai’s body shiver and his eyes flashed a profound light, muttering out loud, “Only a pill with spirituality can be called a Spirit Pill… So that’s it!”
At this moment, he somewhat understood the meaning of the words that had confounded him for so long in the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture.
Although it was just a guess, it was worth a try. If it succeeded, Yang Kai would finally be able to successfully refine Origin King Grade Spirit Pills and officially rise to the rank of Origin King Grade Alchemist!
“Disperse, stand guard for me nearby and don’t let anything disturb me,” Yang Kai commanded.
His three helpers immediately scattered and established a strict perimeter nearby.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged, waved his hand, and summoned out his Purple Origin Furnace along with several boxes containing herbs from his Space Ring.
Yang Kai picked up a jade box, opened its lid, took out an Origin King Grade herb from it, then placed it directly into the Purple Origin Furnace.
Conflagrated Spiritual Energy burst out, and Yang Kai began heating the furnace to condense the herb inside into medicinal liquid.
He went about this task with familiarity and ease.
Yang Kai had lost count of how many times he had repeated this process aboard the Starship, so he was crystal clear about each step.
He felt he had made no mistakes in the timing and temperature he used for each herb, but still hadn’t figured out why he wasn’t able to refine an Origin King Grade pill.
But now, he had an extremely bold conjecture; whether this idea could be realized or not had yet to be verified though, so he still acted extremely cautiously, not daring to show the slightest carelessness.
Each Origin King Grade herb was placed into the Purple Origin Furnace and under the tempering of Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Spiritual Energy, and with the help of various Spirit Arrays, these herbs were transformed into medicinal liquids, merged with each other, and underwent profound and mysterious changes.
Yang Kai’s demeanour became more and more focused, his actions of adding herbs becoming more and more careful. Each Spirit Array was portrayed precisely using his Conflagrated Divine Sense and inserted into the Purple Origin Furnace to assist with the refining of herbs at precisely the right time.
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion without the slightest of mistakes.
As time went by little by little, fine beads of sweat began appearing on Yang Kai’s forehead.
Refining an Origin King Grade pill was still a great test for him, not only because of the demands on his Spiritual Energy control but also because of the psychological burden.
He felt a mountain of pressure.
Faint fragrances began diffusing from the Purple Origin Furnace, an indication that the various medicinal liquid had begun to fuse properly, a positive sign; however, Yang Kai did not celebrate yet.
During the two years aboard the Starship, he had smelled medicinal fragrances from the Purple Origin Furnace countless times, but never once had he succeeded in refining a true Spirit Pill, always winding up with burnt failed products.
It was what came next that was the most critical moment in Alchemy.
This was the final step in a thousand step journey, and as Yang Kai gently inhaled the medicinal fragrances, monitoring their development, he looked for a suitable opportunity.
The aroma gradually thickened, and soon, a unique medicinal fragrance filled the surrounding thousand-metre radius, refreshing the sense of all who smelt it.
At a certain moment, when this fragrance reached the height of its potency, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly flashed brilliantly.
It was now!
Stretching out his hand, Yang Kai summoned a ball of gold and red light into his palm. Inside this ball of light was the phantom image of a Monster Beast that had been shrunk down countless times.
Blood Beast!
It was the Blood Beast that Yang Kai had just finished refining with his Golden Blood Thread.
Lifting the lid of the Purple Origin Furnace, Yang Kai tossed the Blood Beast inside.
Silently, under the huge power of his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy, the Blood Beast instantly dissipated and completely merged into the medicinal liquid inside the cauldron.
A faint bloody smell mixed in with the medicinal fragrance, but this did not create any sense of dissonance and instead only made the medicinal fragrance stronger.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, faintly feeling that he had grasped the key point, but still not daring to neglect. Quickly urging his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy, he continued to refine the medicinal liquid.
The knowledge he had gained from comprehending the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture was transformed into the foundation of Yang Kai’s Alchemy skill at this moment, and his movements flowed smoothly without any hint of delay.
The Blood Beast condensed from his Golden Blood Thread and the essence of a Monster Beast completely dissolved and transformed into a part of the medicinal liquid.
The Purple Origin Furnace shook suddenly, as if something unknown had happened inside, but Yang Kai quickly suppressed these tremors with his Conflagrated Divine Sense.
A clattering sound rang out from the Purple Origin Furnace, as if there was some kind of living creature hitting its walls, trying to escape.
Yang Kai remained focused, however.
After a half cup of tea’s time, the movement of the furnace gradually subsided.
Yang Kai retracted his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy and took a deep breath as he stared at the Purple Origin Furnace solemnly and hesitantly.
Whether he succeeded or failed would become clear in the next moment. Yang Kai couldn’t be sure which result he had achieved in his Alchemy this time, but at least, he didn’t smell anything burnt like before, so it was a good start.
After hesitating for a long time, Yang Kai stretched out his hand towards his Purple Origin Furnace.
Whatever the result was, it was better to simply take action and find out.
The lid of the Purple Origin Furnace’s was lifted by Yang Kai, and at that moment, a stream of light flew out, circling only once before trying to flee towards the distance.
“Where are you trying to run!” Yang Kai shouted as he stretched out his hand towards the streak of light, swiftly grasping it.
Although he grabbed hold of this stream of light, Yang Kai still held it gently as he felt it struggling and resisting. Soon, this struggle subsided, as if whatever it was had accepted its fate.
Yang Kai opened his fist and stared at his palm carefully.
A pale, silver pill, about the size of a longan, appeared before his eyes, and although its fragrance was not as strong as when it was being refined, when Yang Kai inhaled this scent it gave him a completely different feeling than previously.
It was significantly more refreshing than before.
An Origin King Grade Spirit Pill! Under the examination of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, he could determine that the medicinal efficacies contained in this Spirit Pill were indeed Origin King Grade, and although it was only a Low-Rank Origin King Grade pill, it was of extremely high quality.
Yang Kai’s face filled with joy as he carefully studied this pill, letting out a hearty laugh after a while.
He finally understood the meaning of the phrase, ‘only if a pill had a spirit could it be called a Spirit Pill’.
This Origin King Grade Spirit Pill was the best proof.
His Golden Blood Thread was rich in spirituality, and the Blood Beast which had been transformed from his Golden Blood Thread was even more so. As such, using that Blood Beast during the refinement process had allowed Yang Kai to produce an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill.
It could be said that before he refined this pill, everything had only been speculation. But now, it had turned into confirmation.
A pill would not obtain spirituality for no reason. Even peak level Origin King Grade herbs could not possibly possess spirituality unless they had mutated to become World Spirit Treasures that had their own sense of sentience.
As such, one needed to use something that had spirituality to refine it.
In other words, a pill spirit! As long as Yang Kai could imbue a pill spirit, he could refine Origin King Grade Spirit Pills!
His Blood Beast has served as the pill spirit of this Spirit Pill.
It was when Yang Kai saw the rich spirituality of his Blood Beast that he suddenly had an epiphany and after trying it out, it worked just as he suspected.
Yang Kai didn’t know how other Origin King Grade Alchemists refined their Origin King Grade pills, but the method he now used was perfectly acceptable. The True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture had not clearly guided him to this result, it was an original method he had developed all on his own.
If one thousand Alchemists studied the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture, they would produce one thousand different interpretations.
Yang Kai had now discovered his own Alchemic Way from the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture!
The pill in hand was a Three Spirits Cleansing Pill that could be used to increase one’s cultivation. In terms of Origin King Grade pills, it wasn’t very high grade, and although its value was still quite good, it was by no means a Heaven defying treasure.
At the very least, it was a bit wasteful to use a Blood Beast refined from a Golden Blood Thread as its pill spirit.
Although the method Yang Kai had discovered was feasible, if he were to really use this method for all his Alchemy in the future, it likely wouldn’t be long before Yang Kai exhausted his supply of Golden Blood Threads.
Yang Kai couldn’t afford this kind of consumption.
But how could he improve upon this result?
Yang Kai was not satisfied with this momentary success and instead fell into contemplation.
Soon, he had a new idea.
Since a Blood Beast, which had spirituality, could become a pill spirit, then perhaps a pure Golden Blood Thread or even just a drop of his Golden Blood would suffice.
Additionally… Perhaps the spirit of a Monster Beast could also be used.
As soon as he thought of this, Yang Kai immediately went into action and began verifying his own ideas.
Half a day later, another Three Spirits Cleansing Pill appeared in Yang Kai’s hands. This Spirit Pill had been refined using a drop of Yang Kai’s Golden Blood.
Comparing the two Spirit Pills together, Yang Kai surprisingly discovered that the first batch of Three Spirits Cleansing Pill he had refined actually had a denser medicinal efficacy than the second batch.
Realizing this, Yang Kai adjusted his thinking again.
Instead of continuing with his Alchemy, Yang Kai began searching for appropriate Monster Beasts in the jungle.
One month later, Yang Kai held a jade bottle in his hand. This bottle was filled with Origin King Grade Spirit Pills, each one a pale silver colour.
In order to refine this bottle of Three Spirits Cleansing Pill, Yang Kai had expended a great deal of effort. The number of Monster Beasts above the Eighth-Order he had killed alone numbered several dozen.
After some experiments, he determined that his previous ideas were feasible.
To refine an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill, he didn’t need to use his own Golden Blood as a pill spirit. Any existence that had spirituality and did not conflict with the herbs could become a pill spirit!
For example, the spirit of a Monster Beast.
Yang Kai had his Demon Eye of Annihilation, and it had incorporated the power of the Coloured Glass Divine Light, so it was an easy task for him to suppress and collect the Soul of a Monster Beast. By integrating this Monster Beast spirit with the necessary herbs, he could give the pill spirituality.
However, Origin King Grade Spirit Pills had high requirements for their pill spirits. The spirit of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast was completely insufficient, Eighth-Order was passable, while Ninth-Order was the best choice. If he could use the spirit of a Tenth-Order Monster Beast, Yang Kai felt he could even refine a Spirit Pill that formed Pill Veins!
In addition to Monster Beast spirits, World Spirit Treasures that had formed sentience could also fulfil the role of a pill spirit.
The higher the grade of pill spirit used was directly related to the probability of successfully refining a Spirit Pill. After many experiments and failures, Yang Kai had created a basic framework for success.
He had gained a lot!
One month’s hard work had resulted in a bottle of Origin King Grade Spirit Pills and consumed countless materials, but it also marked his official promotion to Origin King Grade Alchemist, allowing Yang Kai to stand at the pinnacle of the Star Field’s Alchemic Way.
His method of refinement was his own original creation, and only he could use it.
It would be extremely difficult for others to capture the spirit of a dead Monster Beast and integrate during pill refinement, so even if someone were to steal Yang Kai’s Alchemy method, they wouldn’t be able to use it unless they cultivated a special Soul type Secret Technique which allowed them to produce similar results.
The sublimation of Yang Kai’s Alchemy’s skills had also deepened his understanding of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, so although his cultivation realm hadn’t changed much, his mastery of his strength was far superior to a month ago.
After becoming an Origin King Grade Alchemist, the next step Yang Kai needed to take was to study a particular Alchemy technique.
He had always thought that only one pill could be refined from a single batch of herbs.
This was also how he had done things since he began performing Alchemy years.
But the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture had put forward a different and revolutionary opinion.
Supposedly, one batch of herbs could actually be used to refine more than one pill. Using this method, if one’s luck was bad, perhaps they would only be able to refine three to five pills at once, but with good luck and skill, one could refine seven or eight pills at once, while a perfect result would yield a full ten pills.
This theory allowed Yang Kai to peer into a far vaster Alchemy world.
However, to produce such an astonishing result, one needed to utilize a special technique at the exact moment before pills were formed. This required a lot of experience and skill and was not something every Alchemist could accomplish.
This Alchemy technique caused Yang Kai’s excitement to surge.
In the past, the pills he refined weren’t of very high grade, and the materials were easy to find, so there was no problem with only being able to obtain one pill from each set of materials.
Backed by High Heaven Sect, Yang Kai didn’t need to worry about sourcing such materials.
But now that he was an Origin King Grade Alchemist, the materials he needed to refine each Spirit Pill weren’t just extremely valuable, they were also incredibly difficult to find and needed an appropriate pill spirit to successfully produce. Even with High Heaven Sect, there was no way so many materials could be found.
However, if he could refine more than one Spirit Pill from a single set of materials, the profit for him would be enormous.
This matter wasn’t urgent though. Yang Kai had just become an Origin King Grade Alchemist, and he would need to accumulate a vast amount of experience refining Origin King Grade Spirit Pills before he could begin trying to comprehend more profound techniques.
…..
Half a month later, Yang Kai returned to Green Water City.
He had not found Su Yan here, so he wasn’t prepared to continue idling on this Cultivation Star. He still needed to return to Tong Xuan Realm as soon as possible so he could migrate his relatives and friends to Shadowed Star so they could have a better cultivation environment and resources.
When he arrived at the inn where Qian Tong and the others had been staying, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to find them but was immediately shocked.
Qian Tong and the others weren’t here.
This unexpected discovery caused his heart to clench as he wondered if Qian Tong and the others had some kind of accident; after all, when he had left that day, he had told them he would meet them back here around this time.
Where had they gone?
Yang Kai frowned, took out a communication artifact, and poured his Divine Sense into it.
A moment later, the artifact lit up as a new Spiritual Energy fluctuation appeared inside of it. Yang Kai quickly sank his mind into it.
After hearing the message Qian Tong sent to him, Yang Kai was astonished.
Rather than an accident, Qian Tong and the others were living quite well right now and became High Ranking Guest Elders of Green Water City through a series of events.
This result surprised Yang Kai greatly.
Putting away the communication artifact, Yang Kai left the inn and walked towards a building at the centre of Green Water City.
When he got there, Qian Tong and the others were already waiting outside for him.
Even though they hadn’t seen each other for several months, none of them asked what Yang Kai had been doing, instead just enthusiastically welcoming him into the building. After having a few maids serve tea, they began explaining the situation to Yang Kai.
Soon after Yang Kai left that day, the City Lord of Green Water City personally came to visit Qian Tong and the others.
This was not a surprise, however, as a group of five peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters could not be ignored, even on this Green Mountains Star. What’s more, Green Water City was just a small city, and besides the City Lord and Vice City Lord, there were no other cultivators in this city who had reached the Third-Order Origin Realm.
Qian Tong and the others arriving so suddenly had obviously put Green Water City’s City Lord on edge, not knowing what this group’s intentions were. Worried, he came to inquire about Qian Tong and the others’ purpose.
After learning that Qian Tong and the others weren’t from Green Mountains Star and had only come here to participate in the Blood Prison Trial, Green Water City’s City Lord finally relaxed.
Immediately, he invited Qian Tong and the others to serve as the Elders of Green Water City!
Qian Tong and the others didn’t intend to agree at first, as Green Mountains Star was just a place for them to attempt to break through and they would sooner or later return to Shadowed Star.
Rashly agreeing to serve as an Elder of a city here would be too irresponsible.
However, after hearing out Green Water City’s City Lord’s entire proposal, learning that he too intended to participate in the Blood Prison Trial and that he wished for them to assist him in exchange for some inside information, Qian Tong and the others thought about it for a while and agreed.
However, they refused to become official Elders and instead decided to accept roles as Guest Elders.
They had also informed Green Water City’s City Lord that they would be leaving Green Mountains Star after the Blood Prison Trial.
Green Water City’s City Lord readily agreed.
This was why they no longer lived at the inn and had settled in a residence arranged for them by Green Water City’s City Lord.
“In the end, we’re outsiders, so this City Lord being wary of us is only natural. As is his desire to win us over, and since he is a native cultivator of Green Mountains Star, he clearly knows a lot more about the Blood Prison Trial than we do, so joining him is beneficial to us as well. It’s essentially an alliance of mutual interests,” Qian Tong said lightly.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “That’s reasonable. Having a local on our side at least means we don’t need to bother inquiring about intelligence on our own. Several Seniors can manage affairs as you see fit, just… be careful not to get deceived or used by this Green Water City’s City Lord; after all, it’s difficult to know the true nature of people from just their appearance.”
Qian Tong and the others laughed.
Mo Yu nodded, “Sect Master Yang may rest assured, although Green Water City’s City Lord is shrewd, from our contact with him, his character doesn’t seem to be bad and he should understand propriety in this situation. However, even if he tried to use some sort of scheme, we do not need to fear him.”
“En, this Junior was worrying too much,” Yang Kai nodded. “Good, since several Seniors are all well here, then I can rest assured and leave.”
“How long will it take you to come back?” Qian Tong looked at him solemnly.
“I don’t know, it could be as short as one or two years, possibly as long as three or four years. Hopefully, I can make it back before the Blood Prison Trial so I can join you to see the excitement inside,” Yang Kai grinned.
“That would be for the best. If you are with us, this trial will be much safer,” Qian Tong’s spirit was roused, obviously extremely confident in Yang Kai’s strength.
The others also looked at Yang Kai and smiled, as if wishing him to go and return quickly.
Yang Kai smiled back before turning to Qian Yue and asking, “Do you want to come back to Tong Xuan Realm with me, or will you remain here?”
“Me?” Qian Yue showed a look of hesitation on her face.
She really didn’t know what choice to make.
Tong Xuan Realm was her and Yang Kai’s homeland, so she missed it quite a bit. She had been forced to leave in the past, but now she had an opportunity to return to see the land where she grew up.
However…
While the scenery might have remained the same, the people she wished to see were no longer there.
Everything related to Ice Sect should no longer exist, wiped away to the point where others might not even know Ice Sect once stood there.
“I’ll stay,” Qian Yue’s beautiful eyes gradually became firm and she made a decision, “Everyone I wish to see should be out here in the Star Field already, so going back will only sadden me. Rather, if I remain here, perhaps… perhaps I can inquire about some useful news.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, not trying to persuade her otherwise.
She had made this choice for clear reasons.
“Then I shall be entrusting Qian Yue to several Seniors,” Yang Kai turned to Qian Tong and the others.
“You can rest assured, no harm will come to her as long as we old masters are here; after all, it seems Origin Kings are rare everywhere,” Qian Tong gave a low laugh. Beneath the Origin King Realm, they were the strongest, and with the five of them joining forces, it was highly unlikely anyone would dare find trouble with them.
“This Mo won’t be wordy then. We wish Sect Master Yang a good journey and a swift return!” Mo Yu said solemnly.
“Sect Master must act carefully along the way,” Yang Xiu Zhu also said to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded.
After knowing that Qian Tong and the others were safe and sound, Yang Kai didn’t delay in Green Water City anymore, setting off the next day for home.
Using his Star Shuttle, Yang Kai left Green Mountains Star and only took out the Starship from the Sealed World Bead once he was a day’s distance away. After setting the course, the Starship quickly sailed off into the Starry Sky.
In the past, Yang Kai boldly ventured into the Star Field with just a Saint Realm cultivation; now, several dozen years had passed, and he could not help wondering what kind of changes had occurred in his homeland.
Yang Kai’s heart pounded as he suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia and anticipation while nearing his home.
This mood only became more obvious over time.
He made the Starship return along the path he had travelled back then, feeling the changes in his mood, allowing all the sweetness and bitterness in his heart to condense and settle.
His state of mind was consolidated without him even realizing it.
Suddenly looking back, he was no longer the little boy he used to be.
Now, he was a powerful Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, an invincible existence under the Origin King Realm, and the Sect Master of High Heaven Sect. On Shadowed Star, his position was akin to beneath one, but above ten million!
Straightening himself up, like a tall spear, Yang Kai wore a proud and resolute expression.
Suddenly, as if he had sensed something, Yang Kai turned his head and looked in a certain direction, releasing his Divine Sense at the same time.
A beautiful scene appeared in his observation.
Several massive stars, each emitting different attributes of energy, were gathered closely together at a certain place in the Starry Sky.
And at the centre of this cluster was a void where something seemed to be calling out to Yang Kai faintly.
Even tens of millions of kilometres away, he could still feel this faint signal.
The Chaotic Abyss!
He had already reached this place. Yang Kai quickly returned to his senses, only then realizing he had lost track of time as he contemplated his old memories.
This place was the first stop Yang Kai made after entering the Star Field.
This was also the most dangerous and unpredictable region of the entire Star Field. In this seemingly peaceful and beautiful area, there was a hidden danger that no one could resist.
Domain Eruptions countless times more terrifying than ordinary Starry Sky Storms could swallow up and shred Starships with ease in this place.
Yang Kai had been swallowed up by one such Domain Eruption and been dragged down to the strange floating continent where he had met Gui Zu and learned all about the excitement and dangers of the Star Field from various masters.
Back then, he hadn’t been able to understand the mysteries of this place, but now that his strength had dramatically improved and his vision and insight had become sharper, he was able to comprehend some things he wasn’t able to before.
The massive amount of energy here was actually able to compress a section of space at its centre, making it impossible to detect under normal circumstances, but every time a Domain Eruption occurred, a door to that compressed space would open.
In the very centre of the Chaotic Abyss was where that small world was hidden!
The floating continent.
Before Yang Kai left the floating continent with Gui Zu and the others, he had left a thread of his Divine Sense behind in a hidden underground chamber.
There was a giant mass of energy in that chamber, and Yang Kai even suspected that it was the floating continent’s Star Source.
At that time, his strength was too low so he didn’t dare to touch it rashly.
Passing by here now, that thread of Divine Sense immediately formed a connection with him, as if calling him to it.
Yang Kai did not respond, however.
Although his current strength was completely different from when he originally came here, he wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he could refine that mass of energy. If a Star Source was so easy to refine, Gui Zu would not have been trapped in that place for two thousand years.
Yang Kai still needed to wait until his strength grew stronger before he could attempt such a feat.
The Starship did not even slow down and soon left the Chaotic Abyss behind as it flew straight towards Tong Xuan Realm.