“So it is Senior Luo Hai!” Yang Kai looked towards Luo Hai with some difficulty and frowned, “I wonder what Senior’s intentions are?”
A faint smile appeared on Luo Hai’s face and instead of answering, he asked, “The two of you seem to be in a hurry, where do you plan on going?”
“Naturally we wish to leave here and return to Shadowed Star, does Senior have some kind of objection?”
“Of course not,” Luo Hai slowly shook his head, “But Old Jiu, Sister Lei and the others are all waiting to discuss with this friend. The two of you leaving without even saying goodbye is not very appropriate, is it?”
“It is somewhat impolite,” Yang Kai gently nodded. “But we truly must rush back to Shadowed Star as soon as possible. Since we’ve seen Senior here by chance, we will have to bother Senior to relay our apologies for not being able to bid our farewells in person.”
“That won’t do!” Luo Hai obviously didn’t intend to compromise, “They have all been waiting for quite some time now, so you two must come back with this King.”
“Sir Luo Hai’s words are somewhat unreasonable,” Qian Tong took a deep breath and spoke, “Whether we go or stay is our decision to make, why does Sir Luo Hai insist on forcing us to remain?”
He had learned from Yang Kai that Luo Hai had ill intentions towards them, so he didn’t bother acting polite. Having just broken through to the Origin King Realm, Qian Tong was in very high spirits, so even facing Luo Hai, he didn’t intend to flinch.
Luo Hai glanced over at Qian Tong and his eyes flashed.
Qian Tong immediately felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his entire body shivering as his face went pale and his eyes bulged, immediately realizing the immense gap between him and Luo Hai.
After giving Qian Tong a small lesson, Luo Hai smiled happily towards Yang Kai, “You should consider well before replying to this King. En, I’ll give you ten breaths.”
His attitude was completely inflexible.
Yang Kai’s face sank as he never expected a master of this level to be so shameless.
Qian Tong and Yang Kai’s eyes met and they could both see each other’s helplessness. When facing Luo Hai on Green Mountains Star, even a Third-Order Origin King might not be able to defeat him, not to mention Yang Kai and Qian Tong.
Ten breaths of time passed in the blink of an eye and Luo Hai asked faintly, “Have you considered?”
As he spoke, the solidification of the surrounding space became stronger and stronger, making it more and more difficult for Qian Tong and Yang Kai to move.
Qian Tong looked at Yang Kai and signalled that he would follow his lead.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, and said solemnly, “I have.”
“Oh? And what is your answer?”
“To comply!”
Luo Hai showed a satisfied smile on his face.
“Is impossible!” Yang Kai shouted.
As soon as his voice fell, Qian Tong’s body emitted a weak Domain, one that allowed them to contend with the Star Force of Green Mountains Star, bit his tongue, then sprayed out a mouthful of blood.
Qian Tong’s life essence was hidden in this blood fog and quickly transformed into an arrow that shot towards Luo Hai at lightning speed.
“Impudence!” Luo Hai was furious. No one had dared challenge him before on Green Mountains Star. Yang Kai and Qian Tong were the first.
Glaring sullenly at Qian Tong, Luo Hai simply waved his hand and the blood arrow that was shot at him shattered. At the same time, Qian Tong was sent flying, his chest caving in as more blood sprayed from his mouth.
His face instantly went as pale as paper.
“Die!” Luo Hai’s eyes flashed coldly, not intending to let off Qian Tong for this insult.
Having already torn face, Luo Hai had no intention of showing mercy. In any case, they were at the edge of the Starry Sky, almost beyond the range of Green Mountains Star’s World Principles, no one could perceive their battle here.
His biggest goal was Yang Kai. As for Qian Tong, his life or death didn’t matter.
Stretching out his hand, Luo Hai condensed a ball of white light at his fingertip before suddenly sending out a beam towards Qian Tong.
*Kacha…*
At that moment, however, a booming sound of thunder and lightning appeared above Luo Hai’s head, along with an aura that caused him to pale greatly.
Luo Hai’s expression changed dramatically and as he looked up, his eyes shrank fiercely.
Above his head, a black cloud had appeared, and in that cloud, countless tiny arcs of lightning shuttled back and forth.
Although these lightning arcs were small, each one contained a Heaven destroying and earth-shattering power.
Even Luo Hai was deeply shocked.
Suddenly realizing something, he turned to look at Yang Kai and found that this boy was now holding a dark blue bead in his hand which he was madly pouring his Saint Qi into. There were lightning arcs on the surface of this bead which greatly resembled the ones currently above his head.
What was this little boy plotting? What was this strange bead?
Luo Hai’s thoughts turned sharply, but before he could see through the mysteries of this inexplicable blue bead, the countless tiny lightning arcs above his head rained down and shrouded his figure.
Intense crackling sounds rang out!
Luo Hai’s angry roar instantly resounded through the sky and directly impacted the surrounding Star Field.
Green Mountains Star shook in response to its Star Master’s anger.
At this moment, the entire Green Mountains Star seemed to tremble, with the earth trembling and tsunamis forming, as if it was the advent of Armageddon.
Green Mountains Star’s trillions of inhabitants all paled.
Old Jiu and the others leapt to their feet as well, their faces filled with shock.
“It’s Sir Luo Hai!” A hint of panic appeared on the face of the old woman surnamed Lei.
“Who made him so angry?”
“Who could make him so angry?”
Everyone raised their heads to look towards the sky, their eyes seemingly penetrating through the barriers of space as they detected something unusual.
“Emperor Pressure!” Li Wan Ning exclaimed, her pretty face draining of all colour.
The others trembled as well.
They were Origin Kings, able to stand atop the clouds and overlook all living beings, but in front of the legendary Starry Sky Great Emperor, they were still nothing but ants! The moment they felt this Emperor Pressure, all of them were astonished.
However, why would Emperor Pressure suddenly appear in the Starry Sky above Green Mountains Star? And why did this Emperor Pressure carry a rich murderous intent with it?
What had happened to Luo Hai?
Everyone looked around at each other, wanting to take a closer look, but none of them daring to do so. Without even mentioning the fact that they could not resist the intense Emperor Pressure, if they were to accidentally spy on something Luo Hai did not wish them to see, they would certainly suffer for it.
All they could do was stand in place with dignified expressions, waiting quietly while silently feeling the changes around them.
At the edge of the Starry Sky, a ten thousand kilometre sphere radius was filled with countless tiny arcs of lightning that flashed back and forth.
It was akin to a world of thunder and lightning!
Luo Hai’s expression was extremely gloomy as he stared towards a certain direction, gritting his teeth as he shouted, “Emperor Artifact! You actually have an Emperor Artifact! Little brat, you’ve forced this King’s hand! Now, even if you don’t want to die, you must!”
He never expected that Yang Kai possessed a Heaven-defying Emperor Artifact.
Only an Emperor Artifact could tear through the shackles he had placed on Yang Kai and Qian Tong and allow them to depart safely.
Naturally, Luo Hai had heard of Emperor Artifacts.
These were artifacts used by the Great Emperor and had been marked with the Great Emperor’s aura, hence the term Emperor Artifact.
But throughout the Star Field, although Emperor Artifacts were famous, no one had personally seen one in over ten thousand years. No one even knew what the Emperor Artifacts looked like or what kind of amazing powers they had.
Luo Hai was experiencing all of this firsthand this time.
If not for Yang Kai’s low cultivation, and for him being within the range of Green Mountains Star’s Star Force, the blow just now would probably have been enough to hurt him.
A Second-Order Origin Returning Realm boy hurting a Second-Order Origin King was nothing but a fantasy, but this little brat named Yang Kai almost managed to achieve just that.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind before Luo Hai’s eyes lit up and he muttered aloud, “Annihilation Thunder Bead, that should be the legendary Annihilation Thunder Bead!”
Every artifact used by the Great Emperor was famous, and while ordinary cultivators may not have heard much about them, Luo Hai, as a Star Master and a Second-Order Origin King, had naturally heard about the Annihilation Thunder Bead.
After feeling the power of this Emperor Artifact for himself, Luo Hai immediately judged that it was the Annihilation Thunder Bead!
Luo Hai grinned and let out a burst of fierce laughter.
If he could obtain the Annihilation Thunder Bead, he would definitely be able to exert most of the Emperor Artifact’s power. At that time, even if he were to face a Third-Order Origin King, he would have the confidence to win.
He, Luo Hai, would instantly become the strongest in the Star Field!
The lightning arcs gradually weakened and then disappeared.
The Starry Sky once again regained its calm!
“You want to run?” Luo Hai flicked his sleeve, and with his hands behind his back, like he was taking a leisurely stroll through his courtyard, he flew out hundreds of kilometres, chasing after Yang Kai.
Without even mentioning the Origin Essence Crystal in Yang Kai’s hands, just the Annihilation Thunder Bead was enough for Luo Hai to never let Yang Kai escape.
He wanted the Annihilation Thunder Bead as well as that Origin Essence Crystal!
What surprised him though, was that right now he could only feel Yang Kai’s aura in the distance, while Qian Tong seemed to have vanished entirely.
Not only that, but Yang Kai also seemed to have disappeared inexplicably for a time, to the point where even Luo Hai was unable to sense how he had moved.
A distance of ten thousand kilometres from Luo Hai, Yang Kai was desperately pushing his Saint Qi and adjusting his breathing while running away, his face extremely solemn.
Although he had escaped from Luo Hai’s suppression with the help of the Annihilation Thunder Bead and left the bounds of Green Mountains Star, even without Green Mountains Star’s Star Support, Luo Hai was still a genuine Second-Order Origin King.
Escaping from him would be incredibly difficult!
What’s more, using the Annihilation Thunder Bead had almost emptied all the Saint Qi in Yang Kai’s body. He had no choice but to explode a drop of pure Golden Blood to restore himself.
The more Saint Qi poured into the Annihilation Thunder Bead, the greater the power it could display. Even if it was used by a Third-Order Origin King, it would definitely not be able to exert its full might.
Yang Kai estimated that he could only bring out ten percent of the Thunder Bead’s power.
There was also a stinging pain in his head as his Knowledge Sea rolled and cracked, a clear sign he had overused his Spiritual Energy.
This kind of wound wasn’t too serious, and in normal times, Yang Kai would not even pay it much mind. All he would need to do was rest for a few days, then with the help of the Soul Warming Lotus, his Knowledge Sea would be completely restored.
But how could he spare any time to recuperate in his current predicament?
Throwing a number of pills into his mouth, Yang Kai tried his best to accumulate some Spiritual Energy as quickly as possible. Only by doing so would he have a chance to escape.
Fortunately, these pills were hand-made by Yang Kai, so each of them was of extremely high grade and quality. When the pills entered his stomach, they instantly turned into a stream of heat which flooded his body and began supplementing the Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy he had lost.
He had taken Qian Tong into the Sealed World Bead after the latter took a blow from Luo Hai. Qian Tong had suffered some injuries, and although they weren’t too serious, it was undoubtedly better for him to not fight again at this moment.
In the unlikely event that Luo Hai’s assault caused Qian Tong’s realm to fall, it would become a lifelong regret!
Qian Tong had just broken through to the Origin King Realm after all, and his realm had not stabilized yet.
In terms of cultivation, Yang Kai was far below the current Qian Tong, but in terms of being able to escape, Yang Kai was confident he would not lose to anyone.
His speed was already extremely fast, and with his Wind and Thunder Wings spread out behind him, he was able to soar through the Star Field like a bolt of lightning.
However, Luo Hai’s speed was still superior, and the ten thousand kilometre gap between was noticeably shortened in just a cup of tea’s worth of time.
Feeling a strong pressure coming from behind him, Yang Kai immediately understood that Luo Hai was closing in.
“Boy, cooperate with this King obediently and this King may spare you! If you continue to defy this King, don’t blame me for being merciless!” Luo Hai’s threatening voice clearly reached Yang Kai’s ears.
Yang Kai naturally ignored him and continued to flee. Facing such an opponent, he did not have any intention to fight, only by running as fast as possible was there a chance he could survive.
“You court death!” Luo Hai was furious when he saw Yang Kai disregard him. Now, just a thousand kilometres away from Yang Kai, he stretched out his hand and condensed a ball of energy at his fingertip and in the next instant, shot it out at a terrifying speed towards Yang Kai.
Feeling the murderous aura approaching from behind, Yang Kai grit his teeth and pushed his Space Force, stretching out his hands, grabbing the space in front of him, and tore it apart.
A Void Crack immediately appeared in front of him.
Yang Kai flew into the Void Crack and disappeared in the blink of an eye, a moment after which Luo Hai’s attack pierced through his afterimage.
“A Void Crack!” Luo Hai called out in surprise, and with a flicker, he arrived at the position where Yang Kai disappeared. He wanted to follow Yang Kai and rush into the chaotic void.
But Yang Kai obviously didn’t give him this opportunity and sealed the Void Crack behind him.
“This boy is proficient in the Dao of Space!” Luo Hai muttered in shock.
After reaching such a height in his cultivation, Luo Hai had seldom been surprised by anything, but Yang Kai had repeatedly shocked him.
First summoning the Emperor Artifact, then casually tearing space, how extraordinary was this little brat?
Possessing an Emperor Artifact could be written off as Yang Kai simply having had an extremely profound opportunity in some unknown place in the past. However, even Luo Hai had never heard of someone possessing the ability to tear space freely.
Among the Star Field’s trillions of cultivators, there were indeed a few who cultivated the Dao of Space, but the few people Luo Hai knew about had only dabbled in this field and could at best patch slightly damaged Space Arrays.
How could that even compare to the ability to tear space?
“Is this your trump card? No wonder you dared display such impudence in front of this King!” Luo Hai said gloomily before chuckling lightly, “But if you think this is enough for you to escape from this King’s palm, you are gravely mistaken.”
As soon as his words fell, he released his terrifying Divine Sense outwards.
After only three breaths, his eyes flashed and he turned his head to look in a certain direction, “Oh, seems you’re quite quick, little boy. You unexpectedly managed to flee five thousand kilometres!”
Taking a deep breath, Saint Qi exploded from Luo Hai’s body and he shot forward like a comet, rapidly approaching Yang Kai’s position.
Five thousand kilometres away, Yang Kai had only managed to take a few breaths before he felt a powerful Divine Sense lock onto his position, one he could not throw off.
Looking back, in the distant Starry Sky, a stream of light was rapidly approaching him.
Yang Kai grit his teeth, reached out his hands and tore space once more.
A moment later, Luo Hai arrived and came to a halt. After expanding his Divine Sense for the second time and searching for Yang Kai’s location, he set off in pursuit again.
One escaped, one pursued, the distance sometimes narrowing and sometimes expanding, but the atmosphere was always extremely tense.
Yang Kai knew that he must not fall into Luo Hai’s hands, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.
Time flew by and half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
Luo Hai’s originally calm and relaxed mood, as if victory was in his hand, had long ago disappeared and been replaced by fierce anger.
He thought that even if Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, he would never be able to escape his palm.
The Dao of Space was extremely mysterious, and any cultivator who was proficient in it was extremely difficult to kill, but compared to Luo Hai, Yang Kai’s cultivation was simply too low!
How much Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy was required to tear space even once, Luo Hai did not know, but he estimated that the cost was not small. He only needed to follow after Yang Kai, and once his prey grew weak, he would be able to easily capture him.
This was his plan all along!
But what surprised Luo Hai was that during this past half a month, Yang Kai had torn space at least two hundred times, and every time, he was able to escape a distance of two to three thousand kilometres. What’s more, as time passed, the distance he escaped seemed to be increasing, likely a result of Yang Kai’s mastery of the Dao of Space increasing due to the intense pressure he was under.
Worse yet, the little brat showed no signs of exhaustion!
How could he have so much Saint Qi to splurge? Where was he getting all his Spiritual Energy from? Even taking high-grade pills constantly would not allow him to escape for such a long time.
Luo Hai was completely baffled!
Nevertheless, he didn’t give up. He firmly believed that his guess was correct, and that Yang Kai would eventually have no choice but to stop from exhaustion.
Luo Hai’s assumptions were indeed correct, Yang Kai needed to consume a huge amount of Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy to tear space, and after two months of fleeing like this, he was akin to a lamp without oil!
Fortunately, he still had more than enough Saint Qi to spare as all he needed to do was explode a drop of pure Golden Blood to refill his reserves.
Spiritual Energy was another matter, however. Yang Kai was consuming Spiritual Energy at a terrifying rate, faster than he could restore it. If it weren’t for him possessing a supreme treasure like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai would have already been rendered powerless.
Even so, he was now an arrow at the end of its flight!
He had taken a lot of pills already and almost exhausted the ones which were capable of restoring his Spiritual Energy!
With no other choice, Yang Kai could only swallow raw herbs that helped restore Spiritual Energy now.
Although swallowing such herbs was nothing short of wasting Heaven’s precious gifts and was extremely inefficient, in the middle of this desperate escape how could Yang Kai care about such things?
As a side effect though, pushing his limits again and again was unconsciously expanding Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea as well as strengthening his Spiritual Energy.
His mastery of the Dao of Space was also increasing with time.
But Yang Kai didn’t notice this as all his energy was focused on escaping from Luo Hai’s tracking!
After thinking about it for so long, Yang Kai knew there was only one option.
He had to hide inside the Sealed World Bead! However, this method was far too risky, and once Luo Hai found where he was hiding, he would become akin to a turtle hiding in its shell.
He didn’t dare to do this unless he had no other choice!
Five more days passed.
The pursuer and pursued had now crossed an unknowable part of the Star Field, but Luo Hai was relentless, remaining not far behind Yang Kai the entire time, forcing the latter to tear space to open up some distance only to have it closed in short order.
Origin Kings were truly not to be underestimated!
With his Knowledge Sea almost completely dried up, even swallowing raw herbs couldn’t replenish Yang Kai’s waning Spiritual Energy. Right now, he could tear space three more times at most before he was completely exhausted.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Kai tore space and leapt into the Void Crack. The next moment he appeared a few thousand kilometres away.
Without pause, Yang Kai tore space a second time…
Then a third time…
In a single breath, he had put ten thousand kilometres between himself and Luo Hai.
Yang Kai’s face was as pale as paper, and as he looked around, his sight immediately landed on a massive nearby asteroid.
This asteroid was about a hundred kilometres wide, as big as a mountain.
After arriving at the asteroid, Yang Kai looked for an extremely well-concealed location and immediately took out the Sealed World Bead, hid it in the crevice, then with a flicker entered the Small Sealed World.
This Small Sealed World was incredibly peaceful.
The relatives and friends Yang Kai had brought from Tong Xuan Realm had lived here for some time now.
There was no competition in this world and the World Energy aura was quite strong. Apart from the incomplete World Principles, this place was simply a paradise.
Inside the Small Sealed World, there were many recently constructed lofts scattered in a roughly hundred-kilometre radius. Inside each of these lofts were cultivators meditating in seclusion.
They were built by the cultivators from Tong Xuan Realm. Inside the Small Sealed World, there were mountains, rivers, plains, and forests, so it was very convenient for them to collect basic construction materials.
The Three Clans, Human, Demon, and Monster, lived in harmony without disputes.
Everyone treasured their current life greatly.
The cultivation conditions and environment here were many times better than those on Tong Xuan Realm. Almost ninety-nine percent of the people had already made some kind of breakthrough in recent years.
Meng Wu Ya, Chu Ling Xiao, Ling Tai Xu, Demon Commander Zhang Yuan, the Monster Race Great Seniors…
All of these veteran Third-Order Saints had successively broken through to the Saint King Realm.
Although the World Principles of this Small Sealed World were incomplete, they were still able to meet the breakthrough requirements for these people; after all, the Saint King Realm did not require that much.
When Yang Kai appeared, the entire Small Sealed World remained silent.
No one noticed his arrival.
Relying solely on willpower to endure the pain in his head, Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense to investigate.
Quickly, he found the location of Xia Ning Chang and his figure flickered, immediately arriving on the second floor of her loft.
Xia Ning Chang was still wearing her black veil as she performed Alchemy silently. When she was focused on Alchemy, she seemed to exude the faint halo that gave her a mysterious and dignified atmosphere, and although one could not see her face clearly, just the outline of her figure was enough to make any man lose his soul.
Yang Kai’s appearance greatly surprised her, but after she noticed his weak aura, her beautiful face paled immediately and she rushed over to support him, anxiously asking, “Junior Brother, what happened? Who hurt you?”
“It’s nothing, I just met a strong enemy who is currently chasing me,” Yang Kai wanted to laugh to relieve Xia Ning Chang’s worries, but he was too weak to even do that.
Xia Ning Chang’s expression changed noticeably but she didn’t ask anything. She knew that anyone who could force Yang Kai into such a state must at least be an Origin King!
She understood Yang Kai’s strength very well. Back at Chi Yue’s palace, even a master like Xue Lian was not Yang Kai’s opponent. So with him being in such a miserable state now, who else besides an Origin King could be responsible?
Xia Ning Chang grit her teeth and a pained look flashed across her wet eyes.
“I’ll be fine if I rest for a while, it’s not a big problem,” Yang Kai saw her crying, and knowing she was worried about him, he quickly tried to comfort her.
Xia Ning Chang nodded slightly as her eyes reddened.
“Do you have pills for restoring Spiritual Energy? Give me as many as you can!” Yang Kai reached out to her.
Xia Ning Chang quickly searched her Space Ring and took out several dozen jade bottles!
She had been concentrating on refining pills in the Small Sealed World almost the whole time she was here. Furthermore, with no shortage of materials, the results were remarkable. The pills in these jade bottles were all used to restore Spiritual Energy and ranged from Saint King Grade to Origin Grade High-Rank.
So many pills, if put outside and sold, would definitely be worth a fortune.
“This Clear Mind Restoration Pill is the best I have, there are also a few with Pill Veins. Use them first,” Xia Ning Chang picked out a jade bottle, opened it, and poured out the pills onto Yang Kai’s hand.
Yang Kai took them without saying a word and stuffed them into his mouth.
Stretching out his hand, he then swept all the other jade bottles into his Space Ring before sitting down cross-legged to meditate.
Little Senior Sister held her breath and quietly moved away from Yang Kai so as not to disturb him, her long eyelashes trembling lightly as she paid close attention to his condition.
Yang Kai’s complexion began to recover at a visible rate, allowing Xia Ning Chang to confirm he really was fine and had simply overdrawn his Spiritual Energy.
As long as Yang Kai was well, she could feel relieved.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai meditated to restore himself, but he still maintained his Divine Sense outside to monitor the surroundings and prevent any accidents.
As the owner of the Sealed World Bead, this was not a difficult task.
Yang Kai was not certain if he could escape from Luo Hai with this method. This was a Second-Order Origin King, the most powerful enemy Yang Kai had ever encountered!
If Luo Hai discovered the existence of the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai would truly become a turtle hiding in its shell.
A figure flew past the huge asteroid where the Sealed World Bead was hiding a moment later and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Luo Hai!
He really did not manage to find the Sealed World Bead and instead continued in the direction Yang Kai had been fleeing.
Yang Kai calmed down but didn’t dare become careless. While desperately refining the pills’ medicinal efficacies to restore his Spiritual Energy, he continued to pay attention to the outside world.
After a short while, Luo Hai returned and came to a stop roughly fifty kilometres away from the asteroid.
The terrifying Divine Sense of a Second-Order Origin King spread out like a tide, sweeping the surrounding several ten thousand kilometre radius, not overlooking a single spot.
His eyes flashed a sharp light like a predatory eagle, seemingly able to see across vast distances at a glance.
Suddenly, his gaze was cast towards the massive asteroid where the Sealed World Bead was located.
Yang Kai could not help holding his breath as he secretly became nervous.
Fortunately, Luo Hai quickly shifted his sight and continued to search elsewhere, obviously not discovering anything out of the ordinary.
However, he was still an Origin King Realm master, and having lost Yang Kai suddenly in this area obviously did not make sense to Luo Hai. He didn’t think Yang Kai could escape from the range of his Divine Sense in an instant and was certain Yang Kai was hidden nearby, but it was a mystery what kind of method this boy had used to obscure his aura from him.
“Interesting!” Luo Hai muttered to himself as he continued shuttling back and forth in the surrounding several tens of thousands of kilometres range, searching for any suspicious place while shouting, “Boy, this King knows you are hiding here, but do you think this is enough for you to escape this King? Nonsense! Come out obediently now, hand over the Emperor Artifact and Origin Essence Crystal to this King, and this King can spare your life, if you force this King to find you, hmph…”
Yang Kai ignored these threats entirely.
Since Luo Hai had severed any form of reconciliation with him, there was no chance he would let Yang Kai go. Otherwise, if today’s events were spread, it would be a serious blow to his reputation.
Also, the mere existence of an Emperor Artifact and the Origin Essence Crystal was extremely sensitive, so how could Luo Hai allow a witness like Yang Kai live?
As long as he could obtain these two treasures, Luo Hai would certainly burn down bridges after crossing them.
Yang Kai secretly scolded Luo Hai for being so shameless.
While on Green Mountains Star, Luo Hai’s impression was still quite good. As a Star Master and a Second-Order Origin King, he did not display any pretentiousness and was quite approachable, but now, without any witnesses, he had revealed his true face.
If it had been a different Origin Realm cultivator, they may have buckled under Luo Hai’s pressure and staked everything on the remote chance the other party would show mercy.
But Yang Kai knew admitting defeat would only result in a quick death.
A day passed by, and Luo Hai had traversed the surrounding ten thousand kilometre region several times, carefully searching it again and again but never finding anything.
This made him extremely annoyed.
He was even beginning to doubt whether Yang Kai was really hiding here. Perhaps this little brat had actually already managed to escape!
Suddenly coming to a stop, Luo Hai’s expression became gloomy, as if he had made some kind of decision. He grits his teeth and shouted, “Boy, you’ve forced this King’s hand! I hope you won’t regret it when you arrive in the next life!”
Saying so, Luo Hai suddenly stretched out his hands and faced his palms towards one another.
A terrifying Saint Qi erupted from his figure as a ball of light appeared between his palms.
The Saint Qi in his body seemed to have found an exit and began gathering in this glowing ball of white light.
In the blink of an eye, a white energy ball the size of a fist appeared in front of Luo Hai.
Although this ball was not very big, it contained a terrifying amount of power capable of shattering worlds.
And as Luo Hai continued infusing more of his Saint Qi, the energy inside this light ball only grew more intense.
The Divine Sense Yang Kai left outside the Sealed World Bead sensed this scene and he realized that the situation was deteriorating. Knowing what Luo Hai was planning to do, for a moment, Yang Kai did not know how to respond and could only force himself to calm down and watch.
Ten breaths later, the white ball of light between Luo Hai’s hands had expanded to the size of a washbasin.
Luo Hai gave a slight grin and pushed his hands forward.
The white ball of light floated forward lightly, flying out a hundred kilometres in no time at all.
The next moment, a dazzling white light blossomed from that location, and the surrounding ten thousand kilometres were instantly flooded with a blinding brilliance. With the white light as its centre, within a radius of a few ten thousand kilometres, everything was disintegrated into dust.
Countless asteroids suspended in the Starry Sky were vaporized and even a small Dead Star nearby cracked apart and disappeared.
The full-powered blow of a Second-Order Origin King produced such terrifying effects!
Luo Hai did not move, simply expanding his Divine Sense while paying attention to any movement in his surroundings.
He believed that as long as Yang Kai was still hiding nearby, he would definitely die!
With a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, it was simply impossible for him to resist such a violent attack.
As for the Origin Essence Crystal and Emperor Artifact, neither was an ordinary treasure and they couldn’t be destroyed in such an energy blast.
Luo Hai doesn’t need to catch Yang Kai alive; he only needed those two treasures!
Everything within a few ten thousand kilometres disappeared, leaving an empty void. What shocked Luo Hai, however, was that there was no trace of Yang Kai at all, nor any sign of the Origin Essence Crystal or Emperor Artifact.
“Did he really escape?” Luo Hai’s face sank and his mood immediately became extremely gloomy.
Suddenly, he turned his head to look towards a certain direction.
In that position, there seemed to be something being driven by the violent energy impact and flying away quickly!
Luo Hai frowned and became a little suspicious.
The attack he just used had already destroyed everything in the vicinity, so what was this object that had survived?
No matter what it is, it was something extraordinary.
With his curiosity stimulated, Luo Hai planned to give chase.
When Luo Hai cast his eyes on the location of the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai knew the situation had become bad.
Hurriedly warning Xia Ning Chang, he put a pill into his mouth and rushed out of the Sealed World Bead.
The next moment, Yang Kai appeared in the Starry Sky, collected the Sealed World Bead, then tore space and rushed into the newly formed Void Crack.
“You are still here!” Luo Hai snorted sharply before transforming into a flash of light and hurriedly pursuing.
This time, though, when Luo Hai locked onto Yang Kai’s aura again, he was shocked to discover this boy was five thousand kilometres away!
“Did his use of Space Force become more refined?” Luo Hai changed countenance and, not daring to neglect, chased after Yang Kai.
Yang Kai also quickly discovered this point.
Just now, he had escaped five thousand kilometres in one leap, and… this didn’t seem to be his limit as he had accomplished this feat with ease just now.
Being chased after by Luo Hai and forced to constantly tear space to escape seemed to have helped him cultivate his Space Force!
Yang Kai suddenly felt an epiphany strike him.
Pushing his Space Force fiercely, he stretched out his hands again, tore space, and stepped into The Void.
When he appeared again, he silently calculated the distance moved this time.
Five thousand five hundred kilometres!
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed brilliantly, and he couldn’t help letting out a joyous laugh.
He suddenly discovered that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to squeeze out his own potential by overcoming this life or death crisis.
Standing in place, Yang Kai waited for Luo Hai to close to within a certain distance before leisurely tearing space to escape.
Six thousand kilometres!
Six thousand five hundred kilometres!
Seven thousand kilometres!
…..
“This little bastard!” What kind of character was Luo Hai? He could easily guess what Yang Kai’s actions meant. This brat was using him to cultivate his understanding of the Dao of Space.
To Luo Hai, this was an immense shame!
Cultivators who were proficient in the Dao of Space were terribly difficult to deal with. If it were any other Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, they would have long ago been killed.
But Yang Kai could even play a game of cat and mouse with a master like Luo Hai.
Luo Hai’s face was blue, and his fists clenched tightly, his bones creaking under the strain.
When had he ever suffered such an insult?
In the Star Field, apart from those old ghosts and hidden dragons who never showed their faces, Luo Hai was amongst the strongest. Senior Wu Dao had even commented that he was the most promising candidate to break through to the Third-Order Origin King realm in the Star Field.
This was an unparalleled honour!
Yet now, such a master had been rendered powerless to take an unknown little brat, a reality that nearly drove Luo Hai seething with rage.
Seeing Yang Kai once again disappear cockily from a position not far away, Luo Hai suddenly stopped in place, a terrifying calm spreading across his face, a sign a great storm was coming.
Releasing his Divine Sense, he locked onto the position where Yang Kai re-appeared, his deep gaze piercing space as he took a deep breath and roared furiously, “Green Mountains Star, hear your Star Master and obey his command, send me your Star Force!”
As soon as these words fell, on Green Mountains Star, which was billions of kilometres away, suddenly shook and an unfathomable beam of energy shot out from it, leaping across space as it raced towards Luo Hai.
Luo Hai’s already extremely powerful aura soared, nearly breaking through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm!
At the same time, in the main hall of a certain City Lord’s Mansion, Old Jiu and the other Origin Kings paled in shock as they leapt to their feet.
“Star Force Support!” The withered body of the old woman surnamed Lei trembled as her turbid eyes flashed an amazing light.
“It’s truly Star Force Support! Sir Luo Hai actually used the source strength of Green Mountains Star!”
“As a Star Master, no matter where they are, as long as they are still within the Starry Sky, they can summon the power of their star’s Star Source. What danger has Brother Luo Hai encountered that could force him into such a situation?”
“Who is he fighting against?”
The seven Origin Kings looked around blankly, with none of them able to understand what kind of crisis had befallen Luo Hai that required him to borrow the power of Green Mountains Star’s Star Source.
One had to know, even as a Star Master, it was not easy to use the power of their Star Source.
Star Master and Cultivation Star were closely related, sharing honour and disgrace. Once a portion of the Star Source’s power was used up, it could not be restored in short order. This was more serious than the Star Master himself suffering a grievous wound. Whether he won or lost the subsequent battle, Green Mountains Star’s loss could not be made up for within a thousand years unless Luo Hai broke through again with that time and reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm.
If Luo Hai had not been forced into a desperate situation, he would never have done this, but just how many people in this world could threaten Luo Hai so?
Had he provoked some hidden top master?
The faces of Old Jiu and the others turned pale!
Although they were all Origin Kings themselves, they were just First-Orders. The Second-Order was completely out of reach for them, not to mention the illusory Third-Order.
Everyone realized the situation had become grave.
Just after Luo Hai summoned the Star Source power of Green Mountains Star to him, the World Energy aura of Green Mountains Star weakened.
This subtle difference was not too obvious, but it was real.
This was the direct consequence of drawing the power of the Star Source!
It was rumoured that in ancient times, there was a battle between two Star Masters who wantonly used the power of their respective Star Sources, and in the end, both of them died and their Cultivation Stars degraded from extremely prosperous lands to ones that were barren, forever unable to recover.
Out in the Star Field, with the aid of the Star Force Support, Luo Hai’s aura rose wildly as he stared at the location of Yang Kai from afar. Opening his mouth, Luo Hai condensed a white beam of light that he then spat out like a flying sword.
Ten thousand kilometres away, Yang Kai’s hair all stood on end as a feeling of crisis gripped his heart.
Although he did not know what happened to Luo Hai, he knew that his opponent had become truly enraged. Not daring to neglect, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and slashed the space in front of him.
This time, however, his attempt to tear space did not go smoothly. The space where Yang Kai stood seemed to be sealed by something, and no matter how he tried to tear it open, he could only create a half meter long Void Crack and was unable to expand it any larger.
*Chi chi chi…*
Violent scraping sounds resounded all around as the white light approached. Even before this attack arrived, Yang Kai felt as if he had fallen into a blizzard from the potent murderous intent it contained. It was as if he was stuck atop a snowy mountain and the sharp wind was cutting into his skin.
[Not good!] Yang Kai’s complexion changed drastically as he saw the sword light getting closer and closer. Not daring to remain, he desperately pushed his Saint Qi and flew out.
But, as soon as he began moving, the white sword light slashed through the spot he was previously.
Space seemed to be torn in half as a massive Void Crack appeared!
Luo Hai did not understand anything about the Dao of Space, but his attack was so powerful it was actually able to affect the stability of space around him.
The remaining power of this attack exploded outwards, some of it landing on Yang Kai and releasing a terrifying sound.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s clothes were dyed golden by his blood and hundreds of tiny holes appeared in his intrepid flesh! From each hole, a fierce Qi penetrated Yang Kai’s body and tried to destroy his meridians and physique.
The fallout from this attack was already so strong, it made Yang Kai realize that if he had been struck head-on, he would likely have been vaporized instantly.
His face was slightly pale, but he didn’t have time to check his injuries as he desperately pushed his Saint Qi to suppress the sharp Qi which had penetrated his wounds and used his Space Force to again tear open a Void Crack.
The moment Yang Kai stepped into the Void Crack, Luo Hai arrived behind him!
“Let’s see you escape this time!” Luo Hai shouted as his face became gloomy, seemingly stunned that even after using his Star Force Support, he could not kill Yang Kai. His already dark mood instantly became worse and his body flickered as he continued to pursue Yang Kai.
One escaped while the other pursued, but different from before, Yang Kai was going all out this time.
Seeing Luo Hai’s strength soar inexplicably, Yang Kai guessed that it had something to do with the beam of light he had seen a moment ago which was in all likelihood the legendary Star Force Support!
[To think this old dog was willing to use such extreme measures to deal with me!] Yang Kai could not help cursing as he too knew the consequences of using the power of the Star Source like this.
After narrowly escaping from death again, Yang Kai’s face was extremely gloomy.
Luo Hai, with his Star Force Support, was completely different from earlier. Yang Kai estimated that once he ran out of Spiritual Energy again, he would be powerless to resist.
The Sealed World Bead had already been exposed once, so it was impossible to deceive Luo Hai with it again, making it dangerous to use while still out in the Starry Sky.
He could only go to a Cultivation Star!
With countless lives on a Cultivation Star, even Green Mountains Star’s Star Master Luo Hai could not act too presumptuously. Only by arriving at the nearest Cultivation Star would Yang Kai have an opportunity to use the Sealed World Bead to hide again!
Yang Kai’s eyes became firm as he sank his consciousness inward, transforming into a Soul Avatar above his Knowledge Sea.
Looking up at the sky, Yang Kai found his current position in the vast Star Chart hanging there and then looked for the nearest Cultivation Star!
With this Star Chart, he could see a miniature version of the Star Field anytime he wanted, so it was not difficult to find a Cultivation Star.
A moment later, his eyes lit up and his Soul Avatar escaped from his Knowledge Sea. Changing directions, he then continued to flee!
There was a great Starry Sky Storm ahead of him, but Yang Kai was not afraid. Directly breaking into it, Yang Kai used his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi to protect himself.
Luo Hai, who was right behind him, naturally did not fear this Starry Sky Storm. Exhaling another burst of white Sword Qi from his mouth, he flew straight into the storm.
Wherever he went, the Starry Sky Storm seemed to be disturbed and even took the initiative to separate to the sides to make way for him.
After only a quarter of an hour, Luo Hai emerged from the Starry Sky Storm safely.
But looking around, where was Yang Kai?
The little brat had somehow managed to disappear again, only leaving behind a residual Space Force fluctuation.
“So troublesome!” Luo Hai was in a bad mood as he turned his head towards a huge, vibrant Cultivation Star a few hundred thousand kilometres away. Narrowing his eyes, he muttered, “So you want to hide there? Good, this King wants to see how long you can hide!”
He quickly inferred Yang Kai’s intentions and judged that he was definitely hiding on this Cultivation Star.
Because once he hid there, it would be impossible to find him easily.
Cultivation Stars were different from Dead Stars in the Starry Sky. Dead Stars could be destroyed at will and no one would care, but if a Cultivation Star was destroyed, it would likely lead to the entire Star Field becoming his enemy. Even if Luo Hai hid back on Green Mountains Star, he would probably still die.
Without destroying this Cultivation Star, however, looking for someone who was deliberately hiding was undoubtedly like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even Luo Hai was powerless here; after all, this was not Green Mountains Star where he could use his connection to the Star Source to spy on everything at once.
“Is this Scarlet Wave Star?” Luo Hai quickly came to the place a hundred thousand kilometres above the Cultivation Star, and after scanning it with his eyes, he realized that he had been here before and coldly snorted, “Fine, I’ll go see that old ghost Chi Huo first. I haven’t seen him for a thousand years now; I wonder if that old ghost’s cultivation has made any progress since then!”
Saying so, he flew off in a certain direction.
At the base of a barren mountain, in a river that flowed from north to south of, under a layer of silt, the Sealed World Bead lay quietly.
This was simply named Blue Mountain, and the river was called the Blue River.
Yang Kai passed through the Starry Sky Storm and successfully escaped Luo Hai’s Divine Sense tracking. After flying down to the surface of this Cultivation Star, he quickly found a deserted place to hide the Sealed World Bead then entered it himself.
He believed that Luo Hai would not dare act recklessly on this Cultivation Star, so he was safe for the time being.
On the second level of a loft in the Sealed World Bead, Xia Ning Chang’s tears dripped down as she saw Yang Kai’s situation this time was much worse than before.
Last time, he had only exhausted his Spiritual Energy and was slightly tired, but this time, he was covered in wounds. These wounds were like tiny pinholes which were not visible to the naked eye, but Xia Ning Chang keenly felt that a sharp Qi was festering in these wounds, destroying Yang Kai’s body from the inside out.
Yang Kai’s face was also as pale as paper.
“Don’t worry, I just need to enter retreat for a while!” Yang Kai comforted Xia Ning Chang once before he sat down cross-legged down and began trying to resolve the foreign Qi in his body.
Xia Ning Chang walked out of the attic silently, glancing back anxiously as she silently guarded him.
Quickly, however, she seemed to come to some kind of conclusion, took out a large number of herbs and other ingredients, sat cross-legged there, calmed her mood, and began performing Alchemy!
She felt that she was too weak and hated that she could not help Yang Kai.
On Tong Xuan Realm, she did not feel a sense of crisis, because as long as she wanted, she could suppress the entire realm by herself.
But since Yang Kai brought her out from that small world, she was able to understand the true splendours and dangers of the Star Field.
She now knew how weak she was.
If she was strong enough to fight alongside her Junior Brother, maybe he wouldn’t have been injured!
With such thoughts filling her head, Xia Ning Chang started desperately performing Alchemy!
Yang Kai’s arrival did not cause any kind of disturbance as, inside the Small Sealed World, nine out of ten cultivators were currently in secluded retreat.
In the loft, Yang Kai sat cross-legged and took out some pills to help him physically recover before he began using his Saint Qi to resolve the sharp Qi in his body.
These tiny strands of Qi contained the Domain of an Origin King Realm master and were filled with killing intent. If Yang Kai’s physical body had not been strong enough, these threads of Qi would have been enough to shred his body to pieces.
The methods of a Second-Order Origin King could not be judged by common sense.
Pushing his Saint Qi, Yang Kai began trying to purge these tiny threads of Qi from his meridians and physique.
But soon, Yang Kai’s complexion changed and became extremely ugly.
His own dense Saint Qi, which was powerful enough to show disdain for any other Origin Realm cultivator, was helpless to dissolve these foreign Qi threads. No matter how much Saint Qi Yang Kai condensed, the moment he tried to use it against these Qi threads, it would be ripped apart and scattered.
Not becoming discouraged, Yang Kai continued condensing his Saint Qi again and again, trying to slowly wear down the foreign Qi.
Ten days passed in a flash.
Inside the loft, rather than recovering, Yang Kai’s aura had instead become fainter.
After ten days of hard work, he had obtained no results. Not only had he not managed to expel Luo Hai’s Qi, but he had also wasted a massive amount of his own Saint Qi in the process.
With a difference of an entire Great Realm between them, Yang Kai’s Saint Qi was simply not a match for Luo Hai’s.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and stopped this pointless exercise. Although his expression was sluggish, his eyes were still bright.
This Qi was dead while he was alive, so he was still confident he could rid himself of it, but he had not found the right method yet.
Since Saint Qi was useless, what about the other forces Yang Kai had in his body?
Namely, there was his Space Force and his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi…
Thinking so, Yang Kai began to experiment.
Condensing his Space Force, Yang Kai tried to wrap up the small threads of Qi in his body. Seemingly aware of his Space Force, the Qi threads immediately began to counterattack. The extremely sharp Domain stabbed towards Yang Kai’s concentrated Space Force, and although it was still able to tear it apart, it seemed to be having a more difficult time than with Yang Kai’s Saint Qi.
[This could work!] Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he began pushing his Space Force more carefully.
A short time later, Yang Kai successfully wrapped his Space Force around one of the tiny threads of foreign Qi, and no matter how the thread struggled back and forth, it was unable to escape.
The next moment, Yang Kai pushed his Divine Sense and in conjunction with his Space Force instantly shifted the thread of Qi outside of his body.
Yang Kai’s Space Force dissipated, and the invisible Qi thread sputtered about before shooting off, leaving behind a pin-hole in the loft before dissipating entirely.
Seeing this scene, Yang Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had now determined that Space Force could be used to get rid of Luo Hai’s Qi in his body, the only problem was it was quite cumbersome and inefficient.
While he was escaping, Yang Kai had been hit by several tens of thousands of Qi threads. If he were to try to drive them all out with this method, he would need at least three years to finish!
Naturally, this was far too long!
Yang Kai frowned and next tried his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi.
The Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was a profound Body Tempering Secret Art. Cultivators who cultivate it would be able to form Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, and each of the five different elements had their own specialty. Metal and Fire were specialized in attacking, Wood specialized in recovery, and Earth and Water specialized in defence. The five elements mutually constrained one another and when cultivated to the extreme, allowed one to obtain an immortal and indestructible body.
Yang Kai’s Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art was barely at the minor accomplishment stage. It could be used in battle, but it was far from the legendary immortal and indestructible body.
Activating his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, Yang Kai extracted the Metal and Fire Sword Qis, the two specialized in attacking, and began using them to disperse Luo Hai’s Qi.
Inside his body, golden and red rays of light bloomed and shuttled through Yang Kai’s wounds, attacking the foreign Qi.
Although Luo Hai’s Qi had no form of sentience, it instinctively responded to a threat and began counterattacking the two Sword Qis.
However, this was in vain as the Metal and Fire Sword Qi only took three breaths to disperse one of the invisible Qi threads!
Yang Kai raised his brow and showed a joyful look.
He had not expected that the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi would be so effective at resolving Luo Hai Qi, making his Space Force seem somewhat lacking in comparison.
However, this was also understandable. Although the Dao of Space was broad and profound, Luo Hai’s Qi was a variant of Sword Qi, so with the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi also being a form of Sword Qi, it naturally had some ability to restrain the former.
Seeing hope, Yang Kai spared no effort to push his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi. Not only did he use the two offensive elements, but also the Water, Wood, and Earth Sword Qis as well. Doing so, Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised to find that his efficiency increased once more.
No longer thinking about it, Yang Kai didn’t waste any time, took out his Five Elements supreme treasures, arranged the appropriate Spirit Array around himself, then began cultivating his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art while simultaneously driving out Luo Hai’s Qi.
Time flew by and soon, three months had passed.
Yang Kai’s body had finally been purged of Luo Hai’s Qi, and Yang Kai also felt that the power of his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi had increased greatly as a result.
He guessed that it had something to do with dissolving Luo Hai’s Qi and absorbing it with his own Sword Qi!
As for the Five Elements supreme treasures, the Sun’s True Essence, Profound Yin Sunflower Water, Divine Nullification Sand, Profound Gold, and Thunder Wood were all in different states of depletion.
There was no need to worry about the Sun’s True Essence. As the core of a sun star, even after Yang Kai had used it to cultivate for so long, it had basically not shown any change while about half of his Profound Yin Sunflower Water and Divine Nullification Sand were left. On the other hand, the Profound Gold had shrunk to the size of a baby’s palm while the Thunder Wood also did not seem like it would last much longer.
Cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art consumed too much of the energy from these Five Elements supreme treasures.
Most people could not afford to cultivate this Body Tempering Art.
It seemed that besides the Sun’s True Essence, the other four treasures would soon need to be replaced. Otherwise, once Yang Kai finished consuming even one of them, he would no longer be able to continue cultivating.
Thinking so, Yang Kai ended his cultivation.
He next began to examine his body carefully.
Luo Hai’s Qi had been completely expelled, and all the injuries he suffered had basically been healed. Moreover, after experiencing a life or death crisis while escaping from Luo Hai, Yang Kai faintly felt that his cultivation had made a lot of progress.
It seemed he was on the verge of breaking through to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm!
This was not too surprising, as Yang Kai had also gained a lot inside the Blood Prison. However, because it had not been too long since he last broke through, Yang Kai didn’t want to rush ahead and risk destabilizing his foundation. If this was not the case, Yang Kai felt that he could have broken through to the Third-Order inside the Blood Prison.
He did not feel rushed and simply decided to let things happen naturally.
Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai soon spotted Xia Ning Chang who was still immersed in her Alchemy with a firmness to her beautiful, somewhat bloodshot eyes. It was difficult to tell just when she had last rested seeing her like this.
Yang Kai sighed slightly before sending her a Divine Sense Message telling her he had fully recovered, eliciting a smile from her.
However, Yang Kai did not rush to exit his seclusion and instead continued to remain in the loft.
During his escape from Luo Hai, Yang Kai had constantly used his Space Force which in turn gave him great inspiration and caused his comprehension of the Dao of Space to deepen.
His situation was too dire at the time, so he didn’t have any freedom to carefully digest these insights.
Now that the crisis had passed, he would certainly not miss this opportunity. Staying inside the loft, Yang Kai continued cultivating his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art while enhancing his comprehension of the Dao of Space.
……
Pure Ice Island was a famous spot on Scarlet Wave Star.
It was the headquarters of one of the two most powerful Sects on Scarlet Wave Star, Ice Heart Valley.
Pure Ice Island was surrounded by the sea on all sides and had ice flows around it that never melted thanks to the extremely low temperatures. The disciples of Ice Heart Valley all cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Martial Skills while the artifacts they used were also Ice Attribute.
The reason Ice Heart Valley was one of the two most powerful Sects on Scarlet Wave Star was because of its Supreme Elder, an Origin King Realm master!
In addition to the Supreme Elder, however, the Valley Master and several of the Elders were peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, only one step away from breaking through to the Origin King Realm.
Purely in terms of Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, Ice Heart Valley had over a hundred.
Such a number was extremely frightening. No great force on Shadowed Star was comparable. The once most powerful force, Star Emperor Mountain, only had thirty Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, all of whom now belonged to High Heaven Sect.
On par with Ice Heart Valley was the equally famous Brilliant Flame Sect.
These two Sects had held the title of Scarlet Wave Star’s strongest Sects for over ten thousand years, but whether because of the nature of their Secret Arts, or because there was simply no way for a mountain to have two tigers, many grievances and grudges had formed between the two Sects and they were now in a perpetual state of conflict.
With grievances forged over thousands of years, there was now no longer any no possibility of resolving them peacefully.
At this moment, at the centre of Pure Ice Island, inside a magnificent ice palace, a dozen or so women with unique styles and features, each a great beauty in her own right, sat in two rows facing one another.
At the head of the hall was a woman wearing a long white dress. While this woman’s beauty was not country destroying, her eyes radiated a kind of cold purity that could entrance anyone who stared into them.
Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master: Bing Long! A master at the very peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm with Shi that had reached the grand accomplishment stage. She was the strongest master beneath Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder.
The disciples of Ice Heart Valley were all female, and there had never been a precedent for males being accepted here.
However, no one dared to look down upon them just because they were women as anyone who tried to would die a swift death.
The atmosphere in the ice palace was a bit solemn, with the leadership of Ice Heart Valley seemingly discussing some particularly important matters.
“Valley Master, Brilliant Flame Sect’s recent movements are a bit strange, the pressure they are putting on our Ice Heart Valley has become much weaker while many of their disciples seem to frequently be out of the Sect, searching for someone.” The woman sitting in the first seat on the left said. She had the appearance of a thirty-year-old woman and seemed quite youthful, but her expression was extremely cold.
She was Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder, Ran Yun Ting, and had a cultivation equivalent to that of Valley Master Bing Long; however, her strength was slightly inferior to the latter, so she could only take the position of Great Elder.
“Looking for someone? Why?” Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master Bing Long raised her brow, her voice extremely soft and melodious. “What information did our disciples gather?”
Ran Yun Ting shook her head, “The disciples of Brilliant Flame Sect themselves don’t seem to understand much, only that they are looking for a young man. I have a portrait of him here, please have a look, Valley Master!”
Bing Long nodded, stretched out her hand, and accepted the portrait. Looking at it, the person on the portrait seemed to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a stoic and resolute expression. His appearance was not particularly handsome or ugly, and there did not seem to be anything special about him that would make Brilliant Flame Sect try so hard to find him.
“All of you have a look,” Bing Long tossed the portrait casually to another Elder, “Remember what this person looks like. If you find him, be sure to bring him back to Pure Ice Island! Brilliant Flame Sect has been pressuring our Ice Heart Valley for some time now, yet suddenly pulled back because of this person. This person seems to be of great importance to them. Otherwise, Brilliant Flame Sect would not act this way. Perhaps the best way for Ice Heart Valley to weather our current crisis is to find him.”
“If that’s the case, should we also actively search for this person?” Ran Yun Ting asked.
Bing Long nodded and replied, “Naturally, but we don’t have to dedicate too much attention to it. After this meeting, be sure to pass this portrait to the disciples and have them keep their eyes open for him when they go out.”
“Yes, Valley Master is wise!” All the Elders responded in unison.
The portrait was passed from one Elder to the next then. All of them were Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, so their memories were naturally excellent, and they were able to remember this person’s appearance with just a glance.
Bing Long then continued, “A few years ago, the Supreme Elder suffered backlash from dissonance in her cultivation and has yet to recover. Do we have any clues regarding the herbs we require for the pill to heal her?”
Hearing this, the dozen women present all shook their heads sadly, one of them saying out loud, “The other herbs have been purchased at great expense, but the Profound Scarlet Ginseng is too rare. Perhaps the only place to find one is… Brilliant Flame Sect’s Extreme Thunder Mountain.”
“Extreme Thunder Mountain!” Bing Long’s face sank, “That is one of Brilliant Flame Sect’s Restricted Areas and only a few people from their Sect are allowed to enter. Keep searching, no matter what price we need to pay, we must find that Profound Scarlet Ginseng.”
“Yes!”
“Hateful!” Ran Yun Ting gritted her teeth, “If it were not for Supreme Elder’s cultivation dissonance, how could my Ice Heart Valley have been so badly suppressed by Brilliant Flame Sect! For thousands of years, the strength of the two Sects has always been equal, but now…”
Hearing what she said, all the Elders present wore resentful expression.
“Great Elder, enough nonsense. Are you trying to blame Supreme Elder for having a cultivation dissonance?” Bing Long glared at her and shouted.
Ran Yun Ting’s tender body trembled lightly as she hurriedly said, “Naturally not, I did not mean to imply so.”
Bing Long’s complexion cleared up as she nodded and said, “This Queen knows you don’t have such intentions; this is all of our Ice Heart Valley’s disaster, and although Supreme Elder cannot move easily now, it won’t be so easy for Brilliant Flame Sect to harm us either. En, enough about this matter, this Queen has something else of concern to discuss. Great Elder, how is your disciple now?”
Ran Yun Ting smiled lightly, “She is very good, she has recently reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm.”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the room was moved.
“First-Order Origin Returning Realm, so soon?”
“Is her aptitude really that good? When Great Elder brought her to the Sect, she was only a Third-Order Saint, right? How many years have passed since then?”
“Even with abundant cultivation resources, isn’t her rate of advancement too fast?”
Bing Long seemed to be extremely pleased and said joyfully, “Great Elder, I heard that your disciple has an Ice Crystal Jade Body Special Constitution. Is that true?”
“Indeed!” Ran Yun Ting nodded, “She does possess an Ice Crystal Jade Body, but it is not an innate Special Constitution, it’s an acquired one. I do not know what kind of fortuitous encounter she had in the past, but she is now perfectly compatible with our Ice Heart Valley’s core Secret Art and her cultivation is now advancing extremely rapidly. In truth, Valley Master, my disciple is currently preparing to break through to the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm!”
Inside the ice palace, many Elder’s expressions became even more excited, their faces filled with astonishment and shock.
Bing Long was also extremely happy, “Innate or acquired, it makes no difference, her Ice Crystal Jade Body is the key to the future of Ice Heart Valley. It seems the Heavens have not abandoned our Valley! If there are no surprises, she is highly likely to reach the same level as Supreme Elder in the future. At that time, our Ice Heart Valley’s rise will depend on her.”
Ran Yun Ting said modestly, “Valley Master should not praise her too much, that little girl’s cultivation is still quite low and she still needs much guidance from Valley Master.”
“Do everything possible to satisfy her cultivation needs!” Bing Long declared.
“Yes!” Ran Yun Ting respectfully nodded.
“Great Elder, I heard that the reason Brilliant Flame Sect is targeting our Ice Heart Valley this time is because of your disciple?” Someone suddenly asked with a chuckle.
“En, I have heard about it. It is said that Wei Feng, the son of Brilliant Flame Sect’s Sect Master, met that girl while out for life experience and instantly lost his soul to her. After returning, he urged Wei Qing to come to my Ice Heart Valley to propose marriage!”
“I haven’t actually met her yet. After coming to Pure Ice Island, she rarely goes out and is often in secluded retreat.”
“I saw her once and she is indeed a stunning beauty. It is no wonder that little bastard Wei Feng was never able to forget her. If I were a man, I’m afraid I would also have become fascinated by her.”
All the Elders present laughed, and the atmosphere became more relaxed.
“It’s all nothing but a flimsy excuse,” Ran Yun Ting gave a wry smile.
Bing Long nodded, “All of you are Elders of my Ice Heart Valley, so how could you not understand the truth of this matter? Brilliant Flame Sect is just using this as an excuse to embarrass us while taking the opportunity to probe the condition the Supreme Elder is in! Once they are sure that Supreme Elder is injured, I am afraid they will begin moving far more aggressively.”
“We’ll see if Brilliant Flame Sect’s teeth or my Ice Heart Valley’s defences are stronger!”
“They won’t dare act too aggressively unless they’ve stopped caring about the lives of their disciples.”
“If they dare to come, we’ll make sure they never return!”
The group of women shouted as their anger flared.
An old woman on the left who looked like she was about sixty years old, suddenly frowned as some concern appeared between her brow. After the others had finished speaking, she said, “Reporting to Valley Master, I heard a disturbing bit of news a few days ago.”
“What news could make Elder Wu so concerned?” Bing Long turned her eyes to the old woman and asked as everyone else also looked towards her.
“I heard that Luo Hai has arrived at Brilliant Flame Sect!” Elder Wu quickly said.
“Luo Hai?” Inside the ice palace, everyone frowned. It was as if they didn’t remember who Luo Hai was immediately, but soon, someone exclaimed, “Green Mountains Star’s Star Master, Sir Luo Hai?”
“Him?”
“It can’t be, why would he leave Green Mountains Star suddenly to come to our Scarlet Wave Star?”
Luo Hai was the Star Master of Green Mountains Star and a Second-Order Origin King, a famous character across the entire Star Field. As such, even the Elders from Ice Heart Valley who normally secluded themselves on Pure Ice Island had heard his name long ago.
Now hearing that such a character had arrived on Scarlet Wave Star and was staying in Brilliant Flame Sect, their beautiful faces could not help darkening.
“Is this news reliable?” Bing Long tender body leaned forward slightly, and her jade white hands squeezed the armrest of her chair, causing them to creak under the strain, clearly showing that her mood was fluctuating greatly.
“It is!” Elder Wu nodded solemnly, “This old woman has spies placed in Brilliant Flame Sect and they reported seeing Sir Luo Hai with their own eyes.”
The ice palace immediately fell silent as everyone’s face seemed to be covered with a layer of fog, their expressions becoming gloomy.
“All of you may also know that although Sir Luo Hai is Green Mountains Star’s Star Master, he has a close relationship with Chi Huo of Brilliant Flame Sect. His coming to Brilliant Flame Sect at this time…” Elder Wu did not finish her words, but everyone present could understand what she was implying.
“Impossible!” Bing Long shook her head, “While he may have some friendship with Chi Huo, it is only a casual acquaintance. There is no way he came all the way from Green Mountains Star to deal with us, Chi Huo doesn’t have such influence.”
“But Valley Master, our situation right now is quite sensitive, and we must guard against such a possibility no matter how remote. If Luo Hai and Chi Huo were to join forces, then the future of Ice Heart Valley would become dire.”
Bing Long’s pretty face paled at the thought!
If this was really the case, then Ice Heart Valley would truly be in danger. Just Luo Hai alone was more than Ice Heart Valley could possibly resist as he was a master a whole Minor Realm higher in cultivation than Chi Huo and their own Supreme Elder.
“I think that Sir Luo Hai’s arrival on Scarlet Wave Star at this time may have something to do with the person Brilliant Flame Sect is looking for,” One of the Elders suddenly guessed.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because of the timing. Brilliant Flame Sect began searching for this person only recently, and they even let up on the pressure they were exerting on us to do so. Sir Luo Hai’s arrival on Scarlet Wave Star is also a recent event and the place he is currently staying is Brilliant Flame Sect. If Sir Luo Hai was the one who asked Brilliant Flame Sect to help him find this person, doesn’t everything make sense?”
Everyone’s eyes lit up!
“The possibility is indeed great! If this is the case, then we must find this person before Brilliant Flame Sect!” Bing Long’s eyes flashed with a strange brilliance. “As long as we find him and hand him over to Sir Luo Hai, then the current crisis of my Ice Heart Valley can be resolved. After Supreme Elder has completely recovered, Brilliant Flame Sect definitely won’t cause any more trouble!”
“Valley Master is right,” Ran Yun Ting nodded in agreement.
“Order all the disciples that can be dispatched to go out and seek this person as soon as possible!” Bing Long said decisively, gritting her teeth as she shouted.
“Yes!” All the Elders nodded before leaving the ice palace together.
On that day, thousands of Ice Heart Valley disciples left from Pure Ice Island to traverse Scarlet Wave Star, each of them bringing with them a portrait of Yang Kai’s face.
That night, near the centre of Pure Ice Island, inside a certain ice room, Ran Yun Ting sat down cross-legged while cultivating.
The temperature in this ice room was extremely low and even a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator would feel extremely uncomfortable inside and need to circulate their Saint Qi to resist the omnipresent chill, but for Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder, this was the best kind of cultivation environment.
The pervasive chill in the air seemed to be drawn into her body and was resonating with her Saint Qi, strengthening her slowly.
A slight sound of footsteps appeared outside the door at a certain point and soon after a voice called out, “Disciple has come to see Honoured Master!”
“Come in!” Ran Yun Ting smiled slightly and opened her eyes.
The next moment, the door was opened, and a beautiful figure walked inside.
A young woman wearing spotless white robes walked in. She had long silky black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, a pair of exceptionally bright phoenix eyes, a beautiful, delicate nose, crystal clear jade white skin, and a slender yet supple figure.
She was like an ice fairy carefully crafted by the Heavens, without a single flaw.
Ran Yun Ting swept her eyes over this young woman and a hint of approval flashed across her face, “En, it seems you’ve made progress in your Ice Jade Secret Art once again. You have not disappointed your Master’s expectations.”
The young woman’s expression showed no change at all, her whole body still just radiating a deep chill, as if she was truly carved from ice.
Hearing these words of praise, however, the woman still spoke, “Disciple dares not neglect Honored Master’s care.”
“Very good, sit down!” Ran Yun Ting nodded lightly before pointing to an ice jade cushion in front of herself.
Once every month, this young woman would come to Ran Yun Ting’s residence to consult with her about any questions or doubts she had in her cultivation, and today was that day.
Both Master and Disciple had obviously experienced this kind of meeting several times so the young woman did not hesitate to sit down obediently.
“Have you encountered any difficulties in your cultivation recently?” Ran Yun Ting asked lightly.
Although Ran Yun Ting’s current cultivation was two Minor Realms higher than this disciple of hers, with the latter’s cultivation speed, it would likely only be a few more years before the two were on equal footing. A few years after that, her disciple may even reach the same height as the Supreme Elder. Ran Yun Ting had high hopes for her disciple, so she did not hold back when cultivating her.
The young woman nodded lightly and was just about to speak when her beautiful eyes suddenly caught sight of a portrait hanging on the ice wall behind Ran Yun Ting.
The young woman’s tender body shivered suddenly and her always calm demeanour and expressionless face filled with shock and amazement as she stared fixedly at this portrait.
The look on the young woman’s face was an extremely complex mix of pleasant surprise, disbelief, and loss… changing several times in an instant.
However, in just the blink of an eye, she once again regained her composure.
“Do you know this person?” Although the young woman’s expression had calmed down quickly, her sudden change had not been missed by Ran Yun Ting, causing the latter to ask doubtfully.
The young woman shook her head slowly, “I don’t.”
Ran Yun Ting frowned, as if she did not quite believe her.
The young woman explained, “Honoured Master’s house has always been sparse, with only a bed, chair, and table inside, so when disciple suddenly saw the portrait of a man hanging on the wall, she was a little surprised.”
Hearing her explanation, Ran Yun Ting narrowed her eyes and simply said, “En, I have never met the person in this painting, but apparently Brilliant Flame Sect is searching for him. Valley Master has ordered all the disciples who go out to search for him as well since he may be the key to resolving our Ice Heart Valley’s crisis!”
“So that’s how it is!” The woman tried her best to control her emotions and nodded lightly.
Ran Yun Ting carefully observed the young woman’s reaction but was unable to see anything suspicious in her expression. At this point, she was about eighty percent confident her disciple was telling her the truth, so she simply smiled lightly, “This matter is for others to worry about. Your only concern right now is to cultivate and strive to reach the same realm as your Master as soon as possible. Once you reach this height, Ice Heart Valley will be your world. Do not disappoint these expectations.”
“Disciple will do her best!” The young woman quickly said.
“Very good, en, tell me about the problems you have encountered in your cultivation recently,” Ran Yun Ting gestured kindly.
The young woman immediately opened her mouth and asked a few questions that had been confounding her. Ran Yun Ting listened and answered her carefully. The Master and Disciple pair continued this session for some time.
In a blink of an eye, it was dawn, and the young woman stood up and bid her Master farewell.
After leaving the ice room, the young woman walked outwards without any haste. A while later, she left the inner section of Pure Ice Island and arrived at the outer region.
Pure Ice Island was divided into an Inner Island and Outer Island. The Inner Island was tightly protected, and ordinary disciples weren’t allowed to enter unless they were summoned. Only those direct disciples of the Sect’s Elder and the core personnel of Ice Heart Valley could enter the Inner Island freely.
The Outer Island was where common disciples lived and cultivated.
The Outer Island was vast, but the young woman flew straight towards a certain peak in its southeast without stopping.
On that ice peak, there were hundreds of artificially excavated ice caves, and on the Outer Island, there were hundreds of similar ice peaks!
These ice caves were naturally caved mansions for Ice Heart Valley’s disciples, and depending on their cultivation and their contributions to the Sect, disciples could occupy different grades of ice cave mansions.
The young woman came to an icehouse near the foot of the mountain, stretched out her hand, and poured a bit of her Saint Qi into the barrier around it before waiting quietly.
After a long time passed, however, there was no response.
The young woman frowned, took out a token from her Space Ring, and placed it on the barrier around the cave mansion. The next moment, the barrier split apart, revealing a passage that led inwards.
The woman stepped through this opening quickly.
Soon, she came to the innermost area of the cave mansion but after looking around, she couldn’t find any trace of its inhabitant. Only a letter left on the desk which read ‘For Su Yan!’ caught her eye.
With her hands shaking lightly, the young woman picked up the letter, unsealed it, and pulled out a piece of paper from inside before reading it carefully.
“Su Yan, the Elder Council has issued orders for me and the other disciples to go out and perform a task for the Sect. The orders came so quickly that I was unable to send word to you before we departed. If you have come here to find me, you will definitely see this letter. The task we were assigned is to look for someone. But, to think that person turned out to actually be Yang Kai! He is here on Scarlet Wave Star! I do not know why, but Brilliant Flame Sect is looking for him as well! Remember, don’t act rashly, wait for me to return first so we can discuss this!”
Then the letter was signed by Qing Ya!
Ice Sect’s Sect Master Qing Ya, a former peak-level master on Tong Xuan Realm!
Su Yan read this short letter several times from beginning to end as her tender body trembled, making sure she understood it correctly.
Yang Kai was here!
Seeing the portrait of Yang Kai in the room of her Honoured Master, Su Yan could hardly believe her eyes. For a variety of reasons, it was difficult for her to ask Ran Yun Ting anything about it, so early this morning, she had hurriedly came to see Qing Ya and see if the latter had heard anything.
Qing Ya had come to Ice Heart Valley with her back then; after all, Qing Ya also cultivated an Ice Attribute Secret Art. The reason for her low cultivation, however, was because of Tong Xuan Realm’s insufficient World Energy aura, so when Ran Yun Ting brought Su Yan back to Ice Heart Valley, she had brought Qing Ya as well.
Although Qing Ya also had a good aptitude, she was incomparable to Su Yan, so she could only live in the Outer Island and become a common disciple of Ice Heart Valley. Now, Qing Ya was a Second-Order Saint King and would soon break through to the Third-Order.
Su Yan would often take time to visit Qing Ya as the two were both from Tong Xuan Realm and naturally had a close relationship.
But this time, it seemed Su Yan had arrived a bit too late.
Yesterday, after the Elder Council’s meeting, it was immediately decided that disciples be sent out to look for Yang Kai, and upon receiving this order, Qing Ya left Pure Ice Island with countless others from the Sect.
Qing Ya could not go to the Inner Island to send a letter to Su Yan, but she knew that Su Yan would definitely come to visit her, so she left behind this note before she left.
Holding the letter in her hand, Su Yan’s mood fluctuated rapidly, and her eyes became slightly moist.
If Ran Yun Ting saw this scene, she would be stunned.
She always thought that her disciple’s heart was as firm as ice and that she had no worldly attachments, so how could she be this moved by a simple letter?
Several dozen years of longing were now being released all at once, and these emotions were enough to overwhelm Su Yan!
Suddenly, her blood boiled and Su Yan’s face paled as she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her Saint Qi also fluctuated wildly and became unstable.
Su Yan’s beautiful face filled with fright. Not daring to neglect, she quickly sat cross-legged and began to calm the chaotic fluctuations in her cultivation.
After quite some time, her chaotic aura gradually calmed down. Getting up, Su Yan carefully collected the letter and quickly left Qing Ya’s icehouse!
The two top forces on Scarlet Wave Star frequently sent out a large portion of their disciples, causing the entire Cultivation Star to stir for a time.
The smaller Sects and families that had close ties with the two great forces also began cooperating with Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley to search for Yang Kai.
Scarlet Wave Star was almost turned upside down!
However, Yang Kai seemed to have disappeared into thin air, with no one even catching a glimpse of him.
….
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai devoted himself to cultivating.
He did not rush outside the first chance he got. He had finally escaped from Luo Hai, so how could he rashly show himself now?
It was likely that Luo Hai was still looking everywhere for him. If Yang Kai rushed out and fell into a trap, he would be forced to escape in distress again.
This was a good opportunity to take some time and consolidate his most recent gains.
An invisible power permeated from the loft where Xia Ning Chang lived; naturally, it was Space Force.
The Small Sealed World was originally only about a hundred kilometers in radius, and with ten thousand people from the Three Clans living here, although it was not crowded, it wasn’t exactly spacious either.
But today, with the spread of these invisible Space Force fluctuations, the area of the Small Sealed World began expanding outwards at an incredibly rapid rate. Soon, some previously unseen sceneries appeared in front of the Small Sealed World’s inhabitants.
Two hundred kilometers, five hundred, one thousand…
Two thousand…
Three thousand…
Soon, the masters from the Three Clans who were in retreat sensed something was changing in the environment around them and began exiting their seclusions. One after another, they released their Divine Senses to investigate their surroundings and immediately discovered the Small Sealed World was expanding.
“Brother Ling, this Small Sealed World is expanding, right?” Standing mid-air, Meng Wu Ya observed the bizarre scenes in the distance with a shocked expression.
“En,” Ling Tai Xu nodded his head slightly, “It’s really expanding.”
“Hahaha!” A loud laugh rang out as the Monster Race Great Senior Thunder Dragon appeared beside Meng Wu Ya and said, “This is wonderful. Now, we don’t have to squish up against Zhang Yuan’s group anymore. This King has had more than enough of that cold Demonic Qi of theirs!”
“Thunder Dragon, this Senior isn’t deaf!” A cold snort sounded as Demon Commander Zhang Yuan appeared.
“So what if you heard me? This Thunder Dragon wasn’t speaking behind your back, he was just telling the truth,” Thunder Dragon curled his lips into a grin.
Zhang Yuan snorted in response, “You think this Senior likes living next to you? Your Monster Qi isn’t anything good either.”
Thunder Dragon grinned freely, not seeming to care.
Although the Three Clans were all living in the Small Sealed World now and there were no major disputes between them, their competitive natures had not been dulled. Yang Kai had given them this opportunity and all of them were determined to pursue greater heights in the Martial Dao with all their might.
As such, when these masters occasionally met one another, they would naturally bicker and quarrel amongst themselves.
“But why is this place expanding? Could there have been some kind of accident?” Chu Ling Xiao was a little worried.
“It should be related to Sect Master, you don’t have to worry about it,” A voice suddenly came from behind. The masters from the Three Clans turned around and saw Yang Xiu Zhu, Chu Han Yi, Mo Yu, and Lin Yu Rao. All of these peak Origin Returning Realm masters had come together.
The Three Clans’ masters did not dare show any neglect and politely offered their greetings.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the others responded in kind.
Everyone was familiar with one another and knew what their respective identities were.
Although Yang Xiu Zhu and the other Origin Realm masters were far stronger and older than the master from the Three Clans, Ling Tai Xu and those from Tong Xuan Realm had a very close relationship with Yang Kai, so they all treated each other as equal peers.
“This is related to Yang Kai?” Ling Tai Xu was intrigued, “Brother Yang, could you explain a little more?”
Everyone turned to look at Yang Xiu Zhu curiously.
Yang Xiu Zhu pondered for a moment before replying, “The higher Sect Master’s cultivation becomes, and the more profound his attainments in the Dao of Space are, the broader this world will become.”
He did not know much about doesn’t know much about Sealed World Bead. As one of the former Elders of Star Emperor Mountain, he only knew that it was a kind of storage artifact and an Emperor Artifact, but he could still explain roughly what was happening.
Hearing what he said, everyone nodded.
“So, this was all caused by Yang Kai somehow? Is he here?” Zhang Yuan showed a suspicious expression, releasing his Divine Sense and a moment later saying, “He’s really here! It seems he is in Xia Girl’s loft. There is also a strange energy fluctuation coming from his location. Is this Space Force?”
“It should be!”
While everyone was chatting, the expansion of the Small Sealed World did not stop.
From the original hundred-kilometre radius, it expanded all the way to ten thousand kilometres in diameter before finally stopping.
At the edge of the Small Sealed World, there still seemed to be a strange force which was blocking Yang Kai’s Space Force from advancing, indicating that there was still more to this place but also making it impossible for anyone inside to see it yet.
“Hey, there seem to be some buildings over there!” Thunder Dragon’s eyes were sharp and could see that in the distance there was a new set of building. These buildings were not too densely constructed and although they seemed a bit scattered and disorderly, their arrangement also seemed to contain some kind of hidden mystery as well.
“Should we go have a look?” Everyone was curious and eager to explore.
“Haha, this old master will be going on ahead!” A loud laugh came out as Old Demon turned into a stream of light and rushed towards that side fearlessly.
The others shook their heads slowly and followed close behind.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the other Origin Realm masters exchanged a wry look before also keeping up.
A short time later, everyone arrived at the location of the buildings and were shocked as soon as they did.
Because the World Energy here was more than three times richer than their original position, which meant that cultivating here would be three times as efficient as before!
“This place is good. My Monster Race will take this section!” Thunder Dragon held out his hand and motioned towards a large area.
“Then my Demon Race will occupy this piece.” Zhang Yuan followed suit.
Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya looked at each other, the former looking calm and relaxed as he said, “Then the rest will be occupied by my Human Race.”
With a few words, the masters from the Three Clans divided up this newly emerged building complex, each of them claiming a large swath of land for their respective race.
“It seems that this new stretch of the world has richer aura than before, but does that mean if Yang Kai continued to expand this place in the future, there will be even better places to occupy?” Chu Ling Xiao pondered thoughtfully.
“That should be the case.”
“It’s just a question of how big this place will eventually be then. If it is big enough, this Senior is willing to remain here for the rest of his life,” Zhang Yuan laughed.
He reaffirmed at this moment that his decision to leave Tong Xuan Realm with the Demon Race elite and follow Yang Kai was the right one.
If he had remained on Tong Xuan Realm, how could he have a chance to break through to the Saint King Realm or spy on a higher Martial Dao?
Perhaps he would have died of old age, never being able to surpass the achievements of Great Demon God.
But now, the legend of Great Demon God had been broken by countless people.
Since Zhang Yuan has such thoughts, so how could Thunder Dragon be different?
Both were extremely grateful to Yang Kai.
Over the next few days, the Three Clans collectively relocated, abandoning their previously built lofts and flooding into the newly emerged region.
Time flew by and soon another three months had passed.
Yang Kai finally exited his secluded retreat.
Xia Ning Chang had been standing guarding in front of the loft all this time, and when Yang Kai called her to ask about the situation in the Small Sealed World, he was surprised to learn just how huge the changes here had been.
The expansion of the Small Sealed World was a matter of course. As his cultivation and understanding of the Dao of Space increased, this world would surely continue to grow and gradually reveal all its hidden mysteries.
Yang Kai was also very curious about how big this place was.
The appearance of a new set of buildings also surprised Yang Kai greatly.
None of this was bad, however, and after finishing his retreat, Yang Kai brought Xia Ning Chang around to confirm that there were no dangers in this Small Seal world. Discovering nothing harmful and realizing that the new cultivation environment was two to three times better than before, Yang Kai felt happy and relieved.
Finished with these necessities, Yang Kai next went to see Qian Tong.
Qian Tong was fine. Although he had been slightly injured by Luo Hai at the periphery of Green Mountains Star, in the end, he was still an Origin King. Qian Tong had recovered quickly and was now working hard to consolidate his cultivation.
Seeing everything going well, Yang Kai put down the last of his worries and then picked out an excellent palace for him and Xia Ning Chang to stay in inside the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai wanted to take this opportunity to cultivate his Monster Transformation and develop the Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body.
Living together with Little Senior Sister, he naturally enjoyed the time shared with his precious lover.
Out of the several years that he lived, it was during times like these that Yang Kai felt the most comfortable.
Pure Ice Island, inside the ice room of Ran Yun Ting.
Su Yan stood like a white flower blossoming in a world of ice and snow, her aura cold and her white clothes untainted by the mundane.
“You want to go out for life experience?” Ran Yun Ting frowned.
Su Yan came here to look for her today to make such a request, surprising Ran Yun Ting quite a bit.
“Yes!” Su Yan nodded.
“Why do you suddenly want to go out for life experience?” Ran Yun Ting smiled, “Right now is a critical moment for you to break through to the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm. It is also not a good time for you to be outside as Scarlet Wave Star’s situation is quite tense. Although you have lived in the Inner Island all this time, you have probably heard some rumours about what is happening in the outside world. If you were to meet someone from Brilliant Flame Sect now, it would do you no good. You should know that little bastard Wei Feng is still thinking about you and that Brilliant Flame Sect is using this as an excuse to suppress Ice Heart Valley into handing you over to them.”
“Disciple understands clearly,” Su Yan lightly spoke. “But it is also for this reason that disciple wishes to go out for life experience. Perhaps, after taking a walk outside, Disciple will receive some kind of inspiration, which will allow her cultivation to improve.”
“En, a reasonable proposition,” Ran Yun Ting nodded but still felt things were a bit difficult. If Su Yan had asked to go out at any other point, she certainly would not have tried to stop her. Although her disciple only had a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, her combat power was not inferior to an average Third-Order cultivator.
She was the type of genius who could fight above her realm, an elite among elites!
With her Ice Crystal Jade Body’s Special Constitution and Ice Heart Valley’s Ice Jade Secret Art, Su Yan had few rivals below the Origin King Realm.
Cultivation was not just a matter of cultivating in secluded retreat, going out for experience had always been an essential part of one’s growth.
But now, Scarlet Wave Star was in a state of upheaval, so how could Ran Yun Ting feel safe allowing Su Yan to wander outside?
Just as she was considering what kind of excuse she could use to persuade Su Yan to remain in the Sect, Ran Yun Ting suddenly noticed something and stared at Su Yan firmly, her brow gradually furrowing.
Immediately, she released her Divine Sense and scanned Su Yan.
“What kind of problem did you encounter in your cultivation? Why is your Pure Jade Ice Heart suddenly unstable? Why has your cultivation regressed?” Ran Yun Ting’s beautiful face paled.
She suddenly realized that Su Yan’s cultivation had not risen since the last time she saw her, but had fallen instead.
Although this decline was quite small, as Su Yan’s Master, Ran Yun Ting was naturally able to notice.
This development stunned Ran Yun Ting.
Even if Su Yan’s own aptitude was not the highest, her Special Constitution and its unprecedented compatibility with Pure Ice Island’s core Secret Art was enough to make up for any slight deficiencies in talent.
What’s more, Su Yan’s aptitude was exceptional, perhaps there were few people in the entire Star Field comparable to her.
Her cultivation had always progressed at a rapid yet steady pace, but now this kind of strange situation had occurred.
Ran Yun Ting’s expression fluctuated for a time before she realized something, “You have actually been affected by the Secret Art’s backlash due to unstable emotions? Who was it that moved your heart!?”
At this moment, Ran Yun Ting’s expression had turned fierce and her Saint Qi was pulsing madly from her figure.
Cultivating the Ice Jade Secret Art required Su Yan to maintain a Pure Jade Ice Heart. As long as her Pure Jade Ice Heart was calm and serene, her cultivation would advance rapidly!
On the other hand, she would suffer from increasingly intense backlash the more disturbed her Pure Jade Ice Heart became.
The greatest disturbance to a Pure Jade Ice Heart was passion!
This was something that any cultivator who cultivated the Ice Jade Secret Art must avoid at all cost.
The Pure Jade Ice Heart must not be dyed with emotion, and love was by far the blackest of inks which would pollute it the fastest.
Ran Yun Ting understood the truth of the matter almost immediately.
“No, you’ve lived in the Inner Island all year round and have not had any chance to contact men from the outside world!” Ran Yun Ting shook his head in confusion, but soon recalled a certain incident, grit her teeth, and questioned, “Su Yan, tell your Master honestly, is this related to that portrait you saw the other day? Do you know that man?”
Ran Yun Ting was a sharp person and, after considering countless possibilities in a very short period of time, she felt this was the most likely!
When Su Yan saw the portrait that day, a strange expression had appeared on her face, a fact that strengthened Ran Yun Ting’s suspicions.
Facing her Honoured Master’s questioning, Su Yan bit her red lips lightly as a trace of guilt flashed across her face, but that soon disappeared and she replied softly, “Disciple knows him.”
Ran Yun Ting turned pale and she asked in a trembling voice, “What is your relationship with him…?”
“He is my Junior Brother and my man!”
When she said this, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Su Yan’s mouth, one that made her look extremely happy.
Ran Yun Ting was stunned.
Since she brought Su Yan back to Pure Ice Island nearly thirty years ago, she had never seen her smile. Today was a first.
This sudden blooming smile formed a diametrically opposite contrast to Su Yan’s cold aloofness, and combined with her flawless beauty, Ran Yun Ting was slightly dumbstruck for a moment.
In her heart, a sense of inferiority welled up uncontrollably.
Unfortunately, Ran Yun Ting soon dispelled these distracting thoughts and asked with a gloomy face, “You actually had a man? Since when?”
“Since a long time before I met Honoured Master.”
“Has your relationship with him ever been intimate?” Ran Yun Ting continued to ask.
Su Yan’s cheeks blushed slightly as she nodded.
Ran Yun Ting’s body trembled and she nearly lost her ability to stand, stumbling backwards a few steps as an obvious look of disappointment flashed across her eyes and she said in a pained voice, “Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”
“Honoured Master never asked,” Su Yan bit her red lips lightly.
Ran Yun Ting snapped back, “I didn’t ask because your aura was completely pure, so I assumed you still had your innocence! But since you have had intimate relations with a man, why is there no impurities in your aura?”
Once a woman experienced intimacy with a man, some Yang Essence which belonged to that man would inevitably remain in her body. This aura was more than enough to indicate a loss of innocence.
Su Yan’s aura, however, was still pure, so Ran Yun Ting never even dreamed she was no longer a virgin.
[Is it because of her Special Constitution?] It was also possible that Su Yan’s physique was not innate but one she acquired, and perhaps when this happened her aura had been purified.
“Such impropriety!” Ran Yun Ting grit her teeth and shouted.
“Disciple has disappointed Honoured Master,” Su Yan lowered her eyes.
“If I knew about this, I would never have allowed you to cultivate the Ice Jade Secret Art!” Ran Yun Ting was heartbroken as all her expectations for Su Yan turned into disappointment and she said with red eyes, “Do you know that after cultivating the Ice Jade Secret Art, once you encounter an emotional backlash, things will only get worse? Your current situation isn’t too serious, but if things are left as they are, you will eventually lose your entire cultivation and degenerate into a waste!”
“Disciple did not know!” Su Yan shook her head but showed no trace of fear.
When she came to Pure Ice Island and worshipped Ran Yun Ting as her Master, she had simply followed Ran Yun Ting’s instructions and cultivated whatever Secret Art she was given. How could she have raised any objections? It was only a few days ago, when she noticed a problem with her Secret Art, that any doubts came to her mind.
Ran Yun Ting’s expression darkened as she was aware of the seriousness of this problem, and although she was greatly disappointed in Su Yan’s concealment of her romantic history, in the end, she was still very optimistic about her Disciple. Anxiously, she said, “Su Yan, it’s not too late. Cut off your emotional ties immediately, otherwise, your cultivation will continue to regress, and you will eventually become an ordinary mortal. Once that happens, no one will be able to save you.”
“Cut my emotional ties?” Su Yan raised her head and looked at Ran Yun Ting, a strange light flashing across her beautiful eyes before she slowly but firmly shook her head. “Honoured Master, forgive me, but Disciple is unable to do this.”
“You…” Ran Yun Ting was infuriated as she pointing to Su Yan, unable to say a word.
Su Yan simply smiled again, “If I can see him again, even if Disciple degenerates into an ordinary mortal, she is willing.”
Ran Yun Ting became dazed as she stared at Su Yan blankly, “Are these your true feelings? Are you certain you won’t regret it?”
Su Yan nodded.
“Have you not realized that this is just you seeking temporary happiness at the expense of your future? If you really become an ordinary mortal, your life span will become less than a hundred years and it won’t be long before you become a withered old woman. When that happens, will that man of yours still have any interest in you? When that happens, it’s likely he will simply abandon you!”
Su Yan’s tender body trembled as a hint of fear flashed across her beautiful eyes.
When Ran Yun Ting saw this, she knew she had a chance and was just about to strike while the iron was hot, but before she could, that trace of fear in Su Yan’s eyes disappeared. Su Yan stretched out her hand, brushed her hair back behind her ear, and whispered, “If I can be together with him again, Disciple is still willing. When the time comes, Disciple will simply leave before she grows old, so she does not have to show him such an unsightly appearance.”
“Madness!” Ran Yun Ting’s chest heaved up and down violently.
She had never known that her disciple has such a stubborn, unreasonable side.
“Honoured Master, disciple wants to go out!” Su Yan quickly said.
“Do you want to go out to look for that man?” Ran Yun Ting looked at her coldly. Before, she thought Su Yan wanted to go out to seek for an opportunity to break through her current bottleneck, but now, how could she not understand her Disciple’s true intentions?
Obviously, Su Yan wanted to leave to seek out the person from that painting.
“Yes, please permit me, Honoured Master!” Su Yan did not try to deny it.
“In your dreams!” Ran Yun Ting coldly snorted, “From now on, you will remain in the Inner Island and not take one step outside. Master will find a way to solve your current difficulties for you, I hope you will not disappoint me any further.”
“Honoured Master!” Su Yan objected anxiously.
Ran Yun Ting just snorted and yelled sharply, “Come in!”
Two women with First-Order Origin Realm cultivations walked in immediately and politely cupped their fists, “What are Great Elder’s orders!”
“Bring Su Yan back to her residence and watch her carefully. If she dares to take a single step outside without my permission, I will hold both of you responsible!”
The two women looked at each other with stunned expressions, neither of them understanding what Su Yan could have done to anger Great Elder so greatly.
One had to know that Great Elder Ran had always been extremely proud of Su Yan and even bragged outside countless times that accepting Su Yan as her Disciple was the best decision she had ever made in her life.
Su Yan was definitely the greatest candidate to become the future pillar of Ice Heart Valley.
But now, Ran Yun Ting had obviously become infuriated with Su Yan, to the point of putting her under house arrest.
What exactly had happened?
The two women did not dare to ask more and just glanced at Su Yan thoughtfully and said, “Junior Sister Su, please.”
“Honoured Master…” Su Yan looked at Ran Yun Ting beggingly, hoping she would change her mind.
“Take her!” Ran Yun Ting turned her back to Su Yan and screamed, as if she never wanted to see her again.
“Junior Sister Su, please don’t make things difficult for us,” Among the two girls, the taller woman frowned and urged impatiently.
Su Yan stared at Ran Yun Ting’s back and sighed softly, knowing that nothing would work. Bowing slightly, she turned around and walked out.
Soon, only Ran Yun Ting was left inside the ice room.
Staring at the portrait hanging on the ice wall with fiery eyes, she wanted nothing more than to cut up this man into a thousand pieces. Lifting her hand, she palmed forward mercilessly.
With a bang, the portrait instantly turned into dust.
“Little brat, you best not fall into the hands of this Queen, otherwise, I will definitely tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!” Ran Yun Ting declared viciously.
As long as there was still a chance to rectify Su Yan’s situation, Ran Yun Ting wouldn’t hesitate to kill Yang Kai to dispel her disciple’s heart demon.
If Su Yan was unwilling to cut off her emotions, her Honoured Master would do it for her!
As long as this man died, Su Yan’s path forward would no longer be hindered, and she would not continue to suffer backlash from the Ice Jade Secret Art.
Perhaps she would be sad and disappointed for a while, but Ran Yun Ting believed that as time passed, Su Yan would only feel grateful and not resent her.
After thinking so, Ran Yun Ting quickly left her ice room and headed towards the ice peak where the Supreme Elder was in seclusion. She had to ask the Supreme Elder about this matter as she was not actually certain if this method would be effective. So long as Ran Yun Ting could get a nod from the Supreme Elder, she wouldn’t have any worries left.
The Inner Island of Pure Ice Island had many cross-crossing paths that lead in all directions.
Many female disciples of Ice Heart Valley were walking about the unique buildings carved from pure, crystal ice.
Su Yan walked along a certain ice road in despair, making her way back to her room step by step.
The two female responsible for guarding her followed closely behind while exchanging Divine Sense Messages with each other.
“Senior Sister Zhou, what mistake do you think Su Yan made to enrage Great Elder to this extent?” The shorter woman asked suspiciously.
The taller Senior Sister Zhou just coldly snorted, “Great Elder didn’t say, so how would I know? But no matter what happened, it certainly is no trivial matter. Otherwise, Great Elder would not put Su Yan under house arrest. Hmph, this little girl truly does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth; since entering Ice Heart Valley, she has always had eyes atop her head, never putting us Senior Sisters in her eyes. Even if we met by chance, she would never offer greetings or display any kind of courtesy at all.”
“En, she’s relied completely on Great Elder’s favour to do as she pleases,” The petite woman snickered, “Now that she has offended Great Elder and fallen out of favour, let’s see if she dares act arrogant again in the future.”
“As her Senior Sisters, it’s time we teach her how to behave.”
The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly. They felt extremely happy right now, as if the sky had become brighter today.
As she was walking along though, Su Yan suddenly stopped, and her eyes brightened. Turning towards a certain direction, her figure flickered and flew off.
The expressions of the two women who had been following her changed dramatically as they thought Su Yan was trying to escape, but in the next moment, they saw her arrive in front of a few other Ice Heart Valley disciples.
“What now?” The woman surnamed Zhou showed an unhappy expression as she hurried over.
Nearby, a few Ice Heart Valley disciples who were talking in low voices wore confused looks on their faces. They did not understand why Su Yan had suddenly run over to them. The leader of this group, a woman with a powerful Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, frowned slightly as she observed Sun Yan and asked, “Aren’t you Great Elder Ran’s Disciple, Su Yan?”
“She’s Su Yan?”
“I heard that she was only a Third-Order Saint when she first arrived here, but now, in less than thirty years, she’s almost reached the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm.”
“I also heard those rumours, so this is what she looks like.”
The several women walked up to and began looking towards Su Yan, as if this was the first time they had ever seen her.
“Yes,” Su Yan nodded. “Greetings, Senior Sisters!”
“En, do you have some business with us?” The lead woman asked.
“I just heard several Senior Sisters discussing… discussing the person in that portrait. Have you met him before?” Su Yan pointed to the portrait held by the leading woman.
“You mean this fellow?” The lead woman raised the portrait and laughed lightly. “I’ve indeed met him before.”
Su Yan’s eyes lit up and she asked urgently, “When did Senior Sister meet him, is he… is he well?”
The woman frowned and asked back doubtfully, “Does Junior Sister know this person too?”
When she asked, Su Yan realized that she had made a mistake.
When she was walking just now, she suddenly heard someone talking about Yang Kai and rushed over immediately.
Su Yan took a gentle breath and restrained her swirling emotions before nodding lightly, “En, I know him. Senior Sister, can you tell me when you met him and how he was? If you can, Junior Sister will be incredibly grateful.”
“The relationship between Junior Sister and him seems to be quite good,” The lead woman giggled lightly but did not dig any deeper into the subject. “Telling you is naturally not an issue; however, this was a matter from several years ago.”
“A few years ago?” Su Yan frowned.
“Yeah, Junior Sister, you also know that the Emperor Garden opened a few years ago and that I and several others from the Sect entered to explore it, right? It was there that I met him. If it were not for his help at that time, we Senior Sisters would likely have suffered heavy casualties at the hands of Brilliant Flame Sect’s Kong Wen Dong! He even helped us kill that Kong Wen Dong.”
“He killed Kong Wen Dong?”
“Kong Wen Dong is a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, being able to kill him must mean that man is very powerful, yes?”
The group of women who had gathered previously all chatted in amazement.
If Yang Kai was here, he would recognize this woman leading the group.
During his expedition to the Emperor Garden, the first real fight Yang Kai had encountered was between this woman and Kong Wen Dong over an ancient cave mansion.
Yang Kai’s True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture and Purple Origin Alchemy Furnace were obtained at that time.
“Could you tell me more about that encounter?” Su Yan’s beautiful eyes flashed as she looked towards the woman expectantly.
The woman looked back at Su Yan thoughtfully, seemingly becoming aware of something, and nodded, “Sure.”
The lead woman began telling the story of what happened to her in the Emperor Garden a few years ago, entrancing the group of disciples from Ice Heart Valley, but Su Yan had long ago fallen into a daze.
[He’s already so strong.]
She did not know who this Kong Wen Dong was, but from the reactions of her fellow disciples, Su Yan was able to infer some information.
Kong Wen Dong was definitely a peak level master in the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, and Yang Kai was already able to kill him a few years ago when he was just a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator!
Several years had passed now, so what realm had Yang Kai reached? Just how powerful was he now?
Her Junior Brother, her man, was already so outstanding.
A light smile filled Su Yan’s face, one that seemed to brighten the entire Pure Ice Island.
“Junior Sister Su, please come with us now. Don’t make things more difficult than they need to be!” The tall woman in charge of guarding Su Yan urged impatiently as the happy look on the latter’s face somehow annoyed her.
“Yes, if we are delayed here and Great Elder finds out, we will be the ones who are punished, or is Junior Sister Su saying you are willing to take responsibility for us?” The shorter woman snapped.
The others all looked at them in surprise, then at Su Yan, not understanding what was going on.
Su Yan thanked the Senior Sister who told her about Yang Kai before quickly saying goodbye and continuing to walk towards her ice mansion, walking briskly as she tried to sweep away her previous sorrows.
…..
At the bottom of a blue river, the Sealed World Bead sat silently covered in silt for almost an entire year.
One day, however, a school of fish swam by, close enough to disturb the silt covering the Sealed World Bead, exposing it from its hiding spot.
One curious fish from this school spotted the Sealed World Bead, opened its mouth, and swallowed it down. Twisting about a bit uncomfortably for a moment, the fish then casually caught up with the rest of its school.
Ten days later, these fish swam into a vast lake, and as soon as they entered this place, a huge black shadow appeared from the depths. This black shadow opened its mouth wide, like a whale, and inhaled deeply, swallowing almost eighty percent of the school of river fish.
A short time later, this black shadow belched and left contentedly.
A few days later, ten thousand kilometres away from the entrance of the lake, an iron ship was sailing along slowly. Aboard this iron ship, a group of cultivators were pushing their Saint Qi to use Secret Technique and artifacts in combat with a huge black shadow below the water’s surface.
Half an hour later, the shadow was killed, and the cultivators happily fished up the shadow from the lake.
This strange fish was nearly twenty metres in length and had large, bulging red eyes. Its mouth was filled with jagged fangs, giving it a truly terrifying appearance. Most notable however was its tail, which was ball-shaped and filled with spikes.
Many of the cultivators aboard the ship were injured while fighting this strange fish, but at this moment, they all had joyful looks upon their faces as they examined their spoils.
“Uncle Wang, this Flowing Star Fish is enormous! From the struggle it put up just now, it’s likely a peak Eight-Order Monster Beast,” A young man at the First-Order Saint King Realm stood next to the strange fish and kicked its belly lightly with his foot, smiling as he called out to an old man in green robes nearby.
The old man smiled and stroked his beard as he nodded, “En. This is a Flowing Star Fish that has grown to its limit, a genuine peak Eighth-Order Monster Beast.”
“Hahaha, we’ve struck it rich this time. The Flowing Star Fish’s Monster Core is extremely rare and worth at least 200,000 Saint Crystals, much more than the Monster Core of other Monster Beasts of this level,” The young man laughed.
“Yes, with this Flowing Star Fish, our trip this time has already been worthwhile! Selling the Monster Core will provide our Wang Family’s cultivators six months worth of cultivation resources.”
“Uncle Wang, should I process it, or do you want to do it yourself?” The young man looked at the old man.
“You do it, of course! This old master is too old to do such bloody work!” The old man said, drawing a laugh from everyone on the boat.
The young man did not complain and immediately took out a small silver dagger before pouring his Saint Qi into it to form a long blade which he stabbed into the fish’s body. A moment later, the young man extracted a fist-sized Monster Core from the fish’s head.
The young man then respectfully handed the Monster Core to the old man. The old man took a closer look and nodded, “En, this is an excellent Monster Core, one that contains an extremely rich Water Attribute energy. If this is used by a cultivator who cultivates a Water Attribute Secret Art, they will be able to rapidly improve their strength. Alright, this old master will look after this Monster Core for the time being and hand it over to the Patriarch when we return. Everyone here will be rewarded well for this merit!”
Hearing this, the cultivators who participated in the battle just now cheered in excitement.
“This Flowing Star Fish is quite rare, and its flesh is also a delicacy that cannot be wasted. Call someone over to process it,” After the old man gave the order, he turned around and entered his cabin.
The young man standing next to the fish then called over a few of the younger disciples to handle it.
This young man was naturally unwilling to handle such menial work and assigned the disciples with the lowest cultivation onboard to handle it. Generally, these low-level disciples wouldn’t participate in the battle and were only responsible for doing chores to earn some Saint Crystals for their cultivation.
Although the Flowing Star Fish was quite big, it was not too much trouble to handle.
A short time later, everything was processed, and the fish meat was specially preserved to not lose its freshness while its organs which were of no use were thrown overboard.
Somewhere at the bottom of the boat, in a rather crude room, a young girl about sixteen or seventeen years old closed her door tightly and sat on her bed. Looking left and right, with a guilty expression her face, she carefully reached into her pocket and pulled out an unremarkable-looking bead.
This bead was only about the size of a longan and did not seem to be anything special.
But this did not stop the young girl’s heart from pounding.
“Is this a Monster Core?” The girl muttered to herself, her face flushing with excitement as she bit her thin lip and looked at the bead in her hand anxiously.
Just now, she was one of the lower base disciples who had processed the fish and at the time she had accidentally found this bead in its belly, after which she quickly hid it from the others.
She thought it might be the Flowing Star Fish’s Monster Core!
Now, thinking about what she had just done, however, she couldn’t help feeling fearful.
Since she came out with her family’s iron ship, everything she obtained should technically belong to the family. She did not know what came over her at the time to actually try to pocket this bead for herself.
It was obviously impossible for her to turn it in now; if she tried to, she would likely be punished by the Family Law for theft.
“This isn’t a Monster Core,” The girl was not able to calm herself, so she instead tried to convince herself that she hadn’t done anything wrong to ease her guilt.
The Monster Core had been taken away by her Uncle Wang, and she had never heard about a Monster Beast that formed two Monster Cores. Moreover, this bead had no energy fluctuations, so 0bviously it could not be a Monster Core.
But since it wasn’t a Monster Core, what was it? Why was it in the belly of that fish?
The girl tilted her head to the side and kept staring at the bead in her hand in confusion.
Suddenly, the bead flashed and mysteriously disappeared from her hand.
At the same time, strangely, a person appeared in front of her.
The girl turned pale when she witnessed this and quickly lifted her head to examine this stranger.
Standing in front of her was a young man who seemed to be around twenty-five or sixty years old. His expression was also slightly confused, seemingly puzzled by his current situation.
Four eyes suddenly met, and the girl’s beautiful eyes flashed with terror as she opened her small mouth to try to shout.
Yang Kai moved faster though and quickly managed to cover her mouth.
The girl struggled, punching and kicking Yang Kai as her face filled with panic, obviously thinking Yang Kai was some kind of heinous criminal.
“Don’t shout and don’t move!” Yang Kai frowned as shouted in a low tone.
He still does not quite understand what had happened, but he quickly discerned that after coming out he had appeared on an iron ship that was carrying several cultivators. Although the strongest cultivator aboard was only at the First-Order Origin Returning Realm, nothing he needed to worry about, Yang Kai did not want to stir up trouble unnecessarily.
As such, he would first need to deal with this girl, albeit, a bit roughly.
The girl remained undeterred however and continued struggling.
Yang Kai saw that any attempt at gentle persuasion here would be ineffective and instead wore a vicious grin and as he swept his eyes over the girl’s figure and whispered maliciously, “If you don’t cooperate obediently, this King will have his way with you first then feed everyone else on this ship to the fishes!”
The young girl’s tender body shivered as a pleading look appeared in her beautiful eyes. She kept shaking her head as tears flowed out, obviously uneasy.
But despite being terribly frightened, she really calmed down and stopped struggling.