“Everything will be fine as long as you remain obedient!” Yang Kai showed a faint smile, pausing for a moment before following up, “I will warn you now, I could crush this boat and everyone on it to dust with a snap of my fingers; after all, the old fogey with the highest strength here is nothing but a First-Order Origin Returning Realm weakling. However, I am merciful and do not enjoy slaughtering the innocent. So, if you care for your family and friends, you’d best not annoy me. Lest you suffer the consequences.”
The girl’s beautiful eyes trembled as she nodded repeatedly.
Yang Kai casually stating the realm of the strongest person on board had made the young girl realise just how scary the young man in front of her was.
Naturally, she wasn’t going to act carelessly with her and her clansmen’s lives.
Yang Kai released her a moment later, and sure enough, the young girl no longer tried to scream, instead just choosing to stare at him apprehensively without saying a word.
“Okay. There is no need to be afraid. Although I will not claim to be a good person, I am also not someone wicked either, as long as you cooperate, there will be some benefits for you,” Yang Kai finally comforted.
This young girl’s courage apparently wasn’t small, and after recovering from her initial fright, and seeing the amiable look on Yang Kai’s face, she truly calmed down, but she still didn’t dare to speak at will and just stood there uneasily.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense next to carefully scan his surroundings before formulating a hypothesis for why he had appeared here.
Originally, he had hidden the Sealed World Bead at the bottom of a river, but now, it seemed it had somehow found its way into this little girl’s hands.
The exact chain of events was of course still a mystery to Yang Kai, but that did not really matter.
The other party’s cultivation only reached the Third-Order Transcendent Realm, meaning she was not even a Saint yet. She was slender and looked a bit delicate.
“Where is this place and who are you?” Yang Kai focused his attention, found a chair to sit down in, and asked the girl.
The girl gulped before suppressing the panic in her heart and replied with a trembling voice, “Reporting to Senior, this is Thorn Lake, and we are from the Wang Family.”
[Thorn Lake, Wang Family!] Yang Kai naturally hadn’t heard these names before, but he figured it was the territory of some family on this Cultivation Star.
Once again, this did not really matter to Yang Kai. Now that he had exited the Sealed World Bead, his first task was to find out if Luo Hai was still on Scarlet Wave Star.
Although Yang Kai figured he had been here for more than a year now, and Luo Hai had probably given up searching for him, he could not act carelessly or act too overtly. This was why he had forced this young girl to cooperate with him; he needed to gather some intelligence from her.
It was unlikely that this little girl would know much, but seeing how Luo Hai was a Second-Order Origin King, his every move would be very eye-catching, so there was a chance this girl had at least heard some useful rumours.
“En, what Cultivation Star is this?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Scarlet Wave Star!” The girl looked at Yang Kai in amazement, her beautiful eyes full of curiosity.
“Scarlet Wave Star?” Yang Kai frowned for a moment but quickly recalled the many dealings he had with cultivators from this Cultivation Star. Without even mentioning Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley, just Xu Ding Yang he had met in the Blood Prison seemed to be from Scarlet Wave Star.
Before Xu Ding Yang died, he had asked Yang Kai to go to Blue Feather Sect to inform them of his death.
Coincidentally, Yang Kai had come to this very Cultivation Star.
“Is the Scarlet Wave Star occupied by Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley?”
“Yes,” The girl nodded, “Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley are the two most powerful Sects on Scarlet Wave Star and both have an Origin King Realm master who commands them.”
After answering several of Yang Kai’s questions, the girl’s mood settled greatly and she became bolder, even taking the initiative to come forward and pour Yang Kai a glass of water.
She could tell now that Yang Kai was not some kind of villain.
“Both have Origin Kings overseeing them!” Yang Kai was surprised. He didn’t know much about these two Sects but judging from the strength of the people he had come into contact with, it wasn’t too much of a shock that they possessed masters of such level.
“Then is there a force called Blue Feather Sect here?” Yang Kai asked next.
The girl’s beautiful eyes brightened for a moment, “Does Senior have some friendship with Blue Feather Sect?”
“Not exactly, answer my question!”
The girl’s expression changed slightly as she nodded and quickly replied, “En, our Wang Family is attached to Blue Feather Sect.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “Is that true?”
“Junior dares not deceive Senior,” The girl bit her red lips.
“Then tell me, what is the name of Blue Feather Sect’s Sect Master?”
“Sect Master Xu Ding Yang!”
Yang Kai gently nodded. Observing this young girl’s words and expressions, he could tell that she was not deceiving him. After confirming that the other party was not lying to him, Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before he took out a Space Ring and handed it to her.
“Senior, this is…”
“Your Blue Feather Sect’s Sect Master died in the Blood Prison. This is his Space Ring. I only met him by chance right before the end, at that point, he requested I inform Blue Feather Sect about his death if I ever visited Scarlet Wave Star. Now that I have met you here though, I shall hand this task over to you. If you bring this Space Ring to Blue Feather Sect, they will naturally be able to confirm its authenticity.”
“Sect Master died?” The girl was shocked.
In her opinion, the cultivation of Blue Feather Sect’s Sect Master was extremely profound, higher than she would ever be able to reach. Yet, now, she was hearing that such a powerful master had actually fallen.
The young could not help feeling a bit dazed!
Yang Kai gave her some time to digest this news before he asked, “What is your name?”
“Junior is called Wang Ying!”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “Wang Ying, what important matters have happened on Scarlet Wave Star recently? Has some powerful foreign master arrived here?”
“A powerful master?” Wang Ying was at a loss and shook her head, “Junior doesn’t know, but if it is about important matters, there really has been something occurring recently.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Wang Ying proceeded to tell him about how Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley were both searching for someone.
Although Wang Ying didn’t know what person Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley were looking for, or even what they looked like exactly, she had heard rumours that it was a young man in his twenties or thirties.
Hearing this, Yang Kai realized the situation was not optimistic.
[Could the one they were looking for be me? The timing at least matched when I arrived on Scarlet Wave Star.]
Brilliant Flame Sect looking for him, Yang Kai could understand; after all, in the Blood Prison, Yang Kai had heard that the Supreme Elder of Brilliant Flame Sect had some friendship with Luo Hai. If Luo Hai was still on Scarlet Wave Star, he would definitely seek assistance from Brilliant Flame Sect.
But why was Ice Heart Valley looking for him as well?
Yang Kai had some intersection with the people from Ice Heart Valley, but that was only a small incident back in the Emperor Garden. There were no grievances between him and Ice Heart Valley, so why were they interested in finding him?
Word of the Emperor Artifact and Origin Essence Crystal would never have been leaked. Luo Hai’s entire purpose was to obtain these two treasures, so how could he possibly tell anyone else about them?
Yang Kai thought about it but couldn’t figure out the whole story.
“Senior…” Wang Ying could not help calling out when Yang Kai stopped talking for some time.
“En, I’m very satisfied with your answers, this is for you,” Yang Kai said as he placed a small package on a nearby desk before casually getting up and with a flicker, disappearing from the room.
Wang Ying did not even see how he moved.
Stunned for a moment, Wang Ying soon took a deep breath as she felt a great pressure suddenly lift from her shoulders.
Stepping forward slowly, she walked over to the desk and opened the package. The next instant, her beautiful eyes brightened.
Inside were at least twenty exquisite jade bottles, each one filled with precious pills.
…..
No one noticed Yang Kai leaving the iron ship. After Yang Kai was outside, he casually picked a direction and flew forward.
Scarlet Wave Star was not safe as Luo Hai was still searching for him with the assistance of one the biggest Sects on the star. Yang Kai wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Otherwise, once Luo Hai found some trace of him, things would become troublesome.
Now that his control over Space Force had increased dramatically, Yang Kai was not worried he would die at Luo Hai’s hands, but being chased around by such a master was still an unpleasant experience.
How to leave safely was his biggest problem though.
The Divine Sense of an Origin King Realm master was incredible and there was no way to tell if Luo Hai or Brilliant Flame Sect were paying attention to the movements of cultivators leaving Scarlet Wave Star. If someone noticed him, Yang Kai would be right back where he started. For now, it was probably safest for him to remain in hiding on Scarlet Wave Star.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai considered his options.
This was the first time he had been hunted down by an Origin King Realm master, and a Star Master at that.
It was a stressful experience!
The atmosphere on Scarlet Wave Star was quite tense right now. Although Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley had always been at odds, there had never been a time when they were openly attacking one another like now.
The small families and Sects attached to the two great forces had also been mobilized.
Throughout Scarlet Wave Star, battles could be seen almost everywhere, and many cultivators died every day.
As Yang Kai flew along, he witnessed countless small skirmishes. Some fights were between two opponents while others involved hundreds or even thousands all at once, making for an extremely lively scene.
One day, as he flew high up in the sky, Yang Kai heard a shout come from below.
Yang Kai looked down and found that there were at least six hundred people gathered below, assembled into two camps, fighting each other.
Needless to say, this was another conflict between Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley, with each side suffering casualties and staining the ground red with blood. The brilliance of artifacts and Secret Techniques was extremely dazzling even from afar.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly and continued on his way
After flying forward a few dozen kilometres, though, Yang Kai sensed the fluctuations of battle coming from below again.
However, this fight was quite small, only involving three people who had seemingly been separated from the main battlefield.
Two men were besieging a woman. The cultivations of this group were not high. The woman was just a Second-Order Saint King while the two men were the same.
Fighting two opponents of the same level, the woman was clearly at a disadvantage. No matter how she tried to move, she would be flanked and forced back. However, the two men seemed to be wary of this woman’s methods and didn’t move in for a decisive blow, instead choosing to wear down her stamina and Saint Qi.
The woman was dressed in pure white robes and gave off an ice-cold aura while the two men clearly cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Arts. The blazing hot aura from their bodies easily countered the chill pulsing from the woman’s body and while they attacked, they would constantly taunt her in an attempt to disturb her concentration.
With their Saint Qi attributes mutually restraining one another, the situation of the woman was extremely difficult.
When Yang Kai passed by above, he couldn’t help frowning slightly and glancing down.
When the woman’s profile entered Yang Kai’s line of sight, he immediately came to a halt as his eyes shrank. Staring at the woman, Yang Kai was dumbfounded, as if he discovered something impossible.
The woman moved about lithely, and as her hair flew about, Yang Kai was able to catch a glimpse of her face.
“It’s actually her!” Yang Kai’s body trembled as an astonishing light flashed across his eyes.
He never expected he would encounter this woman on Scarlet Wave Star!
“Woman, this Liu advises you to surrender without a fight, do so and you’ll suffer less! This Liu is a man of culture and does not want to embarrass a woman.” On the battlefield down below, the older looking man called out while attacking, as if he was trying to persuade the woman to give up resisting.
The other man, who looked a little younger, coldly snorted in response, “Why bother speaking any nonsense with her, Senior Brother Liu? This woman’s looks are pleasing. So, once we capture her alive, we’ll be able to thoroughly enjoy her while she begs for death!”
Although the cultivators from Brilliant Flame Sect all cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Arts, they possessed a Secret Technique that could allow them to harvest the Ice Attribute Saint Qi of Ice Heart Valley disciple to achieve a rapid rise in their cultivations.
The two Sects had been enemies for countless years, and many female disciples from Ice Heart Valley had disappeared over those millennia, almost all of whom were captured and taken away by Brilliant Flame Sect.
The fate of those female disciples was easy to imagine.
Although this kind of Secret Technique was also quite dangerous to Brilliant Flame Sect’s cultivators, many of their disciples were hot-headed and took pride in tormenting Ice Heart Valley disciples to harvest their cultivations.
Brilliant Flame Sect’s leaders ignored such behaviour and even condoned it in secret.
The two Brilliant Flame Sect men engaging in such banter greatly disturbed the woman’s focus.
“Despicable! Shameless!” The woman grit her teeth and pushed her Saint Qi even harder, sending out a wave of Ice Attribute energy which condensed into the shape of a flock of birds which weaved through the air as they honed in on the two vile men, trying to blind their vision.
“She’s trying to run away!” The younger Brilliant Flame Sect disciple reacted quickly and pushed his Fire Attribute Saint Qi, turning him into a burning ball of flame as he dove straight into the flock of ice birds.
The ice vaporized on contact as the flames were far too intense.
Liu Xiang took advantage of the momentary opening his partner had created and punched towards the gap in the ice bird screen.
A huge flame tiger suddenly appeared and sent out a shocking roar as it charged towards the fleeing woman.
Being attacked from both left and right, the woman was immediately suppressed, and although she used all the means she had at her disposal to resolve this crisis, she was still hit by the flame tiger on her shoulder, creating a long gash, out of which her blood poured.
As she staggered from the blow, the two Brilliant Flame Sect disciples rushed towards her with grim expressions.
The woman’s face became desperate as she felt her life flash before her eyes, a trace of regret and nostalgia overwhelming her for a moment before she quickly steeled her will and made her resolve.
She knew that if she really fell into the hands of this pair from Brilliant Flame Sect, her fate would be worse than death.
In fact, whenever the disciples of Ice Heart Valley went out, the Elders would warn them that if they had a choice, it was better for them to die than to be captured!
Every disciple of Ice Heart Valley remembered these words.
“Damn, this cheap slut wants to commit suicide!” The younger Brilliant Flame Sect disciple shouted. He had fought with many disciples of Ice Heart Valley and had seen this scene numerous times before, so he understood this woman’s intentions.
“She won’t get to die so easily!” Liu Xiang smiled wickedly as he stretched out his hand flung out a rope-like artifact covered in flaming light that swiftly wound around the woman.
Immediately yanking on the rope, it tightened up greatly.
The woman’s rapidly surging Saint Qi’s fluctuations suddenly subsided and she stood in place, a look of horror filling her face.
“Haha, this Liu’s Yuan Sealing Rope was specially created by an Artifact Refining Grandmaster to suppress you Ice Heart Valley women. As long as you’re bound by this rope, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to detonate your Saint Qi,” Liu Xiang saw he had succeeded and didn’t bother keeping up his previous ‘moral’ image, instead lewdly gazing at his capture prey with a wicked grin on his face.
“Kill me!” The woman struggled, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not circulate her Saint Qi. This rope artifact seemed to not only bind her body, but her cultivation as well.
Liu Xiang was not joking, this artifact had indeed been created specifically to deal with disciples of Ice Heart Valley, and now that she was tied up by it, she couldn’t circulate her Saint Qi at all.
“How could I be willing to kill you!” Liu Xiang grinned evilly, “It’s not easy to catch a woman from Ice Heart Valley alive, and you’re such a beauty. This Liu cannot wait to savour your taste.”
The woman’s face was pale as she could almost foresee how miserable her fate would be in the future.
“You still want to bite your tongue and commit suicide? In your dreams!” The younger man snorted coldly, reached out his hand, and sent a wave of his Saint Qi into the woman’s body, causing her to stiffen in place, unable to even speak.
“Let’s leave here first,” Liu Xiang glanced over at the main battlefield several dozen kilometres away but did not show any intention to go help. For him, catching one enemy alive was enough.
“Junior Brother will accompany you,” The other man grinned meaningfully.
“Naturally, don’t worry, Junior Brother will have his share as well!” Liu Xiang understood his meaning, stepped forward, and grabbed towards the captured woman.
However, after taking only three steps, in a flash, a strange figure appeared in front of him and stood between him and the woman.
Liu Xiang was taken aback and instinctively jumped back several dozen meters. Staring at this newcomer vigilantly, he questioned in a low voice, “Friend, who are you?”
The other party’s only response was an icy cold glare, one that made Liu Xiang, who cultivated a Fire Attribute Secret Art and should be immune to most cold, shiver uncontrollably.
“Senior Brother…” The younger cultivator also found that something was wrong. The young man who appeared suddenly looked at them with an unkind look and there was a rich murderous intent pulsing from his body. Obviously, this stranger didn’t have good intentions here.
Liu Xiang frowned as he stared for a moment before his eyes suddenly bulged and he exclaimed, “It’s you!”
He clearly recognized the identity of this person!
As soon as these words fell, Liu Xiang didn’t hesitate to use his Movement Skill to flee!
Liu Xiang’s partner was stunned for a moment but did not dare to remain either, quickly turning into a flaming beam of light as he tried to escape.
This stranger who had suddenly appeared was an Origin Returning Realm master, not someone they could compete with at all. Although the two of them did not want to give up the woman they had worked so hard to capture, preserving their lives was far more important compared to her.
Moreover, both of them recognized that this newcomer was none other than the person they had been looking for this past year. Right now, their most important duty was to report discovering him here as soon as possible.
The speed of these two was quite good, and in the blink of an eye, they had already run a few thousand meters.
The young man didn’t seem to care, however, and only when their figures were about to disappear from sight did he stretch out his hand unhurriedly and snapped his fingers twice.
The sound of something shattering rang out next.
Suddenly, in the distance, two screams rang out and the two Brilliant Flame Sect disciples stopped in place, as if struck by lightning, then fell to the ground.
The captured woman was completely startled as her beautiful eyes stared at the back of the man in front of her. For a moment, she felt that this broad figure, that stood before her like a mountain, was quite a pleasant sight and her heart filled with gratitude.
She had not expected that at this critical time, a master would suddenly appear to help her.
There were no male disciples in Ice Heart Valley, but perhaps this person was someone from a Sect attached to Ice Heart Valley.
She wanted to open her mouth to offer her thanks, but the seal which was placed on her by the Brilliant Flame Sect disciple before was still preventing her from speaking.
However… why did this person’s back seem somewhat familiar? The longer she stared, the more she felt she had seen it somewhere before.
The puzzled the woman greatly.
After killing the two Brilliant Flame Sect disciples, the murderous intent radiating from the man in front of him quickly dissipated and he turned around to direct a complicated look towards her.
Looking at each other, it was as if she had been struck by a petrification technique as she stared at the face of the man who had saved her.
She could hardly believe her eyes!
Yang Kai let out a sigh and spoke first, “Senior Qing Ya, it’s been many years since we last met.”
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and with a wave, cut off the rope-like artifact that was binging her. Without the shackles of this artifact, Qing Ya was able to break the seal which was placed on her by circulating her Saint Qi slightly; however, instead of doing so, she simply remained frozen in place, staring at Yang Kai in shock.
She never expected that it would be Yang Kai who came to her rescue!
One had to know that Yang Kai, the one responsible for stirring up all the chaos on Scarlet Wave Star this past year, had never once shown his face!
On top of that, his current strength was impossible for Qing Ya to see through, which meant his cultivation was at least a full Great Realm higher than her own! Only such a massive gap would prevent her from being able to properly gauge his level.
How did he manage to grow so quickly?
Qing Ya had thought that Su Yan’s growth was scary enough; after all, they had all left Tong Xuan Realm together and at the time, Su Yan’s cultivation was lower than hers, but after entering the Star Field, Su Yan seemed to fully blossom and her cultivation soared upwards, reaching the First-Order Origin Returning Realm not long ago.
Yet, Yang Kai seemed to have reached an even higher cultivation than Su Yan.
[Where had he been all these years? How did he cultivate?]
Qing Ya’s thoughts were a mess
Only after a long time did Qing Ya gradually calm down and ask hesitantly, “Yang Kai? Is it really you?”
“It’s me,” Yang Kai nodded gently.
He too had not expected to meet the former Sect Master of Ice Sect, Qing Ya, here on Scarlet Wave Star.
The moment he saw her, Yang Kai had doubted whether he was imagining things.
Qing Ya and Su Yan were supposed to be together though, so if Qing Ya was here, what about Su Yan? Was she here too? Yang Kai’s thoughts became turbulent and he was barely able to suppress the expectations deep in his heart.
“Senior Qing Ya, Su Yan…” Yang Kai took a deep breath and asked, his voice nearly cracking, afraid he would not hear the answer he was looking for.
“Su Yan is fine, you don’t have to worry,” Qing Ya’s answer lifted a great weight from Yang Kai’s heart.
It had been more than thirty years, thirty years since they last met! This kind of parting was different from the one he had with Xia Ning Chang as although Yang Kai had not seen Little Senior Sister for many years, he at least knew she was safe on Tong Xuan Realm, waiting for him to return.
Su Yan’s situation was entirely different. For so many years, Yang Kai did not know where she was, how she was living, or whether she was safe.
This worry tormented him far more than them simply being separated.
Qing Ya’s few words brought a broad smile to Yang Kai’s face, one filled with relief.
“Did you arrive here together?” Yang Kai asked again, “Where is she now?”
“She’s not here right now, she’s currently back in Ice Heart Valley.”
“Ice Heart Valley? You joined Ice Heart Valley?” Yang Kai was stunned.
I probably won’t do so the next time if it is this obvious but do share your thoughts.
Title – Qing Ya
Su Yan and Qing Ya actually joined Ice Heart Valley!
Fate was truly unpredictable.
As early as a few years ago, Yang Kai had dealings with people from Ice Heart Valley in the Emperor Garden, and now, after arriving on Scarlet Wave Star by accident, he had learned just how powerful a force Ice Heart Valley was.
However, Yang Kai had never thought that Su Yan and Qing Ya had joined Ice Heart Valley.
If he had known this earlier, he would have come looking for them sooner.
However, Ice Heart Valley only accepted female disciple and was famous for its disciples all cultivating Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Technique. It was truly a suitable place for Su Yan and Qing Ya; after all, Ice Sect, which they had originally belonged to, was quite similar.
“Su Yan has missed you greatly, but she was unable to return to Tong Xuan Realm. She kept telling me all these years that once she could travel the Star Field alone, she would definitely go back to find you,” Qing Ya looked at Yang Kai and couldn’t help reminiscing about Tong Xuan Realm which she had left all those years ago.
“I know, I’ve been looking for her all these years as well,” Yang Kai smiled, but just as he was about to inquire more about Su Yan with Qing Ya, he suddenly frowned and said, “This isn’t a place to stay and talk, we should leave here first.”
Saying so, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and used his Saint Qi to wrap up Qing Ya before quickly disappearing from where they stood.
Ten breaths or so later, a group of seven or eight cultivators appeared in the spot Yang Kai and Qing Ya had just left and their leader furrowed his brow, “There were people here just now, how did they suddenly disappear?”
“Perhaps they noticed our auras and ran away,” Someone speculated.
“En, no matter, our priority is to reinforce our Sect in the battle up ahead,” The leader waved his hand and led the others towards the battlefield.
A few tens of thousands of kilometres away from that battlefield, in a small city, Yang Kai and Qing Ya found an inn and rented a small room.
Inside the room, Yang Kai asked about how Su Yan had been these past few years carefully.
Learning that she was well and had not only entered Ice Heart Valley but also worshipped its Great Elder Ran Yun Ting as her Master, Yang Kai felt completely relieved.
Ice Heart Valley had an Origin King Realm master protecting it, and could not be considered a weak force, so the cultivation of their Great Elder was not low. Being accepted as the disciple of such a master was a great blessing for Su Yan.
Yang Kai even felt faintly grateful to this Ran Yun Ting.
Had it not been for her careful guidance, it would have been impossible for Su Yan to reach the First-Order Origin Returning Realm in such a short time!
Xia Ning Chang had refined Tong Xuan Realm’s Star Source to achieve her current cultivation, so Su Yan being able to stand on equal footing with her simply through her own efforts in cultivation showed how outstanding her aptitude was.
Qing Ya even informed Yang Kai that Su Yan was already preparing to break through to the Second-Order.
Yang Kai felt happy for her from the bottom of his heart!
As for why the pair had joined Ice Heart Valley, it was a simple stroke of luck.
According to Qing Ya, after they were separated from Qian Yue, they had arrived on Green Mountains Star through a Void Corridor. There, Qing Ya, Su Yan, and Qian Hao stayed and cultivated for a time on Green Mountains Star, but with their low strength at the Second and Third-Order Saint Realm, they were unable to earn too many Saint Crystals, far from enough to satisfy their cultivation needs.
All that changed when they met Ran Yun Ting by chance.
At that time, Ran Yun Ting had been on Green Mountains Star for some unspecified reason and after seeing Su Yan, was overjoyed with her innate talent and immediately offered to bring her back to the Ice Heart Valley to cultivate.
How could the trio refuse such a good offer?
After carefully inquiring about Ice Heart Valley, Su Yan and Qing Ya decided to join. As for Qian Hao, because he was a man, he was unable to follow them.
However, Ran Yun Ting arranged for Qian Hao to enter a Sect which was attached to Ice Heart Valley and now he had reached the Second-Order Saint King Realm.
After hearing what Qing Ya said, Yang Kai wore a strange expression.
“So you really were at Green Mountains Star,” He smiled bitterly.
Qian Yue had stayed on the Green Mountains Star for some time but was never able to find any information on Su Yan and the others. Apparently, they had simply been too late.
If Yang Kai had arrived on Green Mountains Star twenty or thirty years earlier, he might still have been able to meet them, but when Qian Yue was there searching for them, Su Yan and the others had already left for Scarlet Wave Star.
“Right, Qian Yue has been missing you greatly as well.”
“You’ve met Qian Yue? Is she alright?” Qing Ya asked with pleasant surprise. After they had been separated that year, she no longer knew how Qian Yue was doing and had been worried about her all this time. Now hearing Yang Kai’s words, Qing Ya was incredibly happy.
“Naturally, she is well, but you should ask her yourself,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“Ask her myself?” Qing Ya frowned slightly, wondering what Yang Kai meant.
Yang Kai simply closed his eyes and scanned the Sealed World Bead with his Divine Sense. Quickly finding Qian Yue and confirming that she was not in retreat, he called out to warn her before swiftly bringing her out of the Sealed World Bead.
“What’s the matter?” Qian Yue asked with some confusion after she appeared.
“Look who I found,” Yang Kai pointed behind her and smiled.
Qian Yue turned around and her beautiful eyes instantly bulged as tears formed at their corners. Trembling slightly, she called out in joyful surprise, “Sect Master!”
“Qian Yue…” Qing Ya was also extremely excited.
Although the Star Field was filled with wonders, they had never forgotten their longing to reunite with one another. On Tong Xuan Realm, in the Ice Sect, Qing Ya and Qian Yue had a close relationship, just like sisters, so now that they had met once more after so many years of separation, they were both naturally very emotional.
Both of them had puffy red eyes.
Embracing one another and confirming that they were both well and had advanced greatly in their respective cultivations, the two women continued celebrating joyfully.
“Yang Kai, you actually found Sect Master!” Qian Yue turned a grateful look towards Yang Kai. Since meeting him on Shadowed Star, Qian Yue had always taken looking for Qing Ya and the others as her goal, almost to the point where it became a heart demon for her.
Yang Kai had fulfilled her greatest wish today!
“Where is my brother? Where is Su Yan? Are they alright?” Qian Yue asked anxiously.
“Both your brother Qian Hao and Su Yan are doing well. The Sect he has joined is called the Illusion Soul Sect, you don’t have to worry about his wellbeing,” Qing Ya comforted.
“That’s good, that’s good,” Qian Yue’s cheeks were wet as she continued weeping tears of joy while her face was filled with smiles.
“Come, tell me about your situation over these past few years, I’ve already told Yang Kai about our affairs,” Qing Ya took Qian Yue’s hand and sat down to chat.
Qian Yue obliged and began telling her story.
Learning that she had almost become a brothel woman used to satisfy men, Qing Ya’s expression became ice-cold and she could not help shooting a grateful glance towards Yang Kai.
When she heard that Yang Kai had now almost unified an entire Cultivation Star, Qing Ya was thoroughly shocked.
Even if there were no Origin Kings there, it was not a simple matter to unify a Cultivation Star. Not only did it require overwhelming strength, but also great personal skill and charisma.
Time passed slowly as the two women revelled in their reunion, seemingly never running out of words to say to one another.
Yang Kai did not try to interrupt them and simply sat the side, listening attentively.
It was not until evening that Qing Ya seemed to come back to her senses and apologized to Yang Kai, “It seems we’ve become lost in our conversation.”
“Senior Qing Ya is too serious, I can understand how you feel.”
If he had met Su Yan again like this, he would likely not have shown any more restraint.
“Your cultivation is now far beyond mine, so don’t call me Senior anymore,” Qing Ya smiled. “On top of that, you are a Sect Master now, so whether it is in terms of strength or status, I am no longer comparable to you. If you call me Senior again, it will only make me feel ashamed.”
“Senior is my Senior, that will never change,” Yang Kai shook his head. He never felt that he could despise his elders just because of his strength grew beyond theirs.
“If you don’t mind, please address me as Elder Sister,” Qing Ya smiled, “Su Yan and I now share a Senior Sister, Junior Sister relationship, and this is the Star Field, not Tong Xuan Realm anymore, so there’s no need to be tied down to our past.”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “Then just as I address Su Yan, I will call you Senior Sister.”
“Very good,” Qing Ya nodded, thinking of Su Yan, she smiled knowingly. “Su Yan should have heard about you by now, and although she mostly remains in the Inner Island in secluded retreat, not having contact with the outside world, before I left the Sect I wrote her a letter. She comes to visit me at least once a month, so she must have seen that letter and know you are on Scarlet Wave Star by now.”
“Can I enter Ice Heart Valley?” Yang Kai asked expectantly.
“Do you want to go?” Qing Ya frowned, “Although Ice Heart Valley hasn’t treated Su Yan or me poorly, Ice Heart Valley has moved quite overtly to search for you this time. I don’t know the specific reason, but if you take the initiative to show up in Ice Heart Valley, it is impossible to say what might happen.”
“Then can Su Yan leave Ice Heart Valley?” Yang Kai asked again.
Qing Ya shook her head, “Great Elder has extremely high expectations for Su Yan, and right now is a crucial moment for her as she prepares to break through to the Second-Order. With the battles between Ice Heart Valley and Brilliant Flame Sect growing ever more frequent, it is highly unlikely Great Elder will allow Su Yan to leave the Sect.”
“Then I must go!” Yang Kai quickly said.
“You…” Qing Ya opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to persuade him, but as soon as she saw the firmness in his look, she knew that no matter what she said it would be useless and immediately sighed. “Let me think about it for a moment.”
Yang Kai nodded and fell silent.
After a long time, Qing Ya sighed and looked up at Yang Kai again, “If you want to enter Ice Heart Valley, you’ll have to expose your identity and allow my Ice Heart Valley’s people to take you in. There is no other way. Ice Heart Valley has never allowed men to set foot into its territory, and for thousands of years there has never been an exception!”
“As long as I reveal myself, they will take the initiative to welcome me in?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“I am not certain, because I don’t know why Ice Heart Valley is looking for you. However, since the actions they took are so big, the Great Elder and Valley Master must have some concerns about you. So, I think it is possible.”
“Then we’ll do that!” Yang Kai grinned, “I’ll have to bother Senior Sister Qing Ya with this.”
“It’s no trouble for me, I simply need to report to the Elders and they will definitely send someone over to escort you back to the Sect!” Qing Ya said seriously, “But are you sure you want to do this? If you enter Ice Heart Valley, there’s no way to predict what will happen to you.”
“It’s fine, I just want to meet Su Yan as soon as possible,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Good. Since you’ve decided to do so, I will contact them,” Qing Ya nodded, took out a communication artifact from her Space Ring, and poured her Divine Sense into it.
Soon after, an obvious Divine Sense fluctuation came from her communication artifact.
A moment later, Qing Ya put away her communication artifact, turned to Yang Kai, and said, “Thirteenth Elder is nearby, she will personally take you back to Ice Heart Valley!”
In the foyer of the inn, a beautiful woman in a full-length white outfit stared at Yang Kai with a cold expression, nodded, and replied, “Yes, he’s the one! Qing Ya, you have done a good job in finding this man, this Elder will report to the Valley Master and Elder Council about this merit and you will definitely receive an appropriate reward!”
After Qing Ya sent her a message, it only took two hours for Ice Heart Valley’s Thirteenth Elder to arrive and meet Yang Kai at the inn.
On the orders of the Valley Master, Ice Heart Valley’s disciples had been searching for Yang Kai outside for a year now, so all of them were naturally familiar with his appearance. Being able to find him made the Thirteenth Elder quite pleased.
“Many thanks, Elder,” Qing Ya didn’t show much joy on her face and instead asked with some worry. “Elder, may disciple ask, why has our Ice Heart Valley been seeking him?”
Thirteenth Elder turned her head and glanced at Qing Ya, her beautiful eyes flashing an icy light as she asked coldly, “Are you concerned about him?”
Qing Ya’s expression remained unchanged as she spoke, “He rescued me from a pair of Brilliant Flame Sect disciples and can be considered my lifesaver, so…”
Thirteenth Elder gently nodded, her doubts swept away, and slowly said, “We naturally have a reason for looking for him, but you need not ask about it. However, since he is your saviour, this Elder can at least tell you that Ice Heart Valley will not treat him poorly.”
Hearing this, Qing Ya let out a sigh of relief and quickly thanked her.
Thirteenth Elder next turned to Yang Kai, examined him carefully for a while, then nodded in approval, “Your strength isn’t bad, what is your name?”
“Yang Kai.”
“You’re not from Scarlet Wave Star?” Thirteenth Elder seemed to be wary of Yang Kai.
“No, I came from Green Mountains Star.”
“Green Mountains Star!” Thirteenth Elder narrowed her eyes as some vague speculations came to her mind. However, unable to verify any of these suspicions here, she simply asked, “You know that Brilliant Flame Sect and Ice Heart Valley are looking for you, so why have you chosen to go to Ice Heart Valley?”
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “I have some grievances with the Brilliant Flame Sect and have killed a number of their people, so if I want to seek refuge now, I can only choose Ice Heart Valley.”
After explaining himself, Yang Kai asked back, “Is Senior doubting my motives?”
“One cannot know the hearts of others at the first meeting!” Thirteenth Elder did not deny the charge, “But your choice is correct, now only Ice Heart Valley can shelter you. En, very well, we’ll remain here for a day until preparations are completed. Tomorrow, this Elder will personally escort you back to Ice Heart Valley!”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai suppressed his emotions and offered his thanks.
[At last, I will be able to meet Su Yan!] Yang Kai was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. He wanted to see with his own eyes how she was doing now.
Yang Kai waited anxiously in the inn.
As for Thirteenth Elder, she was making some kind of arrangements in secret.
That night, the cultivators belonging to Ice Heart Valley Sect and their attached forces took the initiative to launch an all-out assault on the disciples of Brilliant Flame Sect. Instantly, a myriad of battles erupted, consuming nearly everyone’s complete attention.
While it was still dark, Thirteenth Elder came to the inn again and brought Yang Kai and Qing Ya out of the city.
Roughly thirty kilometres outside the city, a group of about a dozen or so women were waiting quietly.
After seeing the arrival of Thirteenth Elder, all of them bowed their hands.
“Let’s go!” Thirteenth Elder did not bother with any nonsense and led the group forward with a wave of her hand.
The dozen or so women scattered about, keeping Yang Kai in the middle of their group as they followed Thirteenth Elder towards Pure Ice Island.
Wisps of different fragrances assaulted him from all sides, lingering at the tip of his nose, causing Yang Kai to become aware he was surrounded by a group of beauties.
These female disciples of Ice Heart Valley, regardless of their cultivation, all had outstanding appearances, slim figures, and assorted temperaments, each showcasing their own characteristics.
While on the way, however, all these disciples would stare at Yang Kai from time to time, their expressions somewhat strange.
They had been rushing around for a year, engaging in many battles, all to search for Yang Kai, so now that they got to see him in person, they naturally paid attention to him.
All of them were very curious as to what was so special about this man that Scarlet Wave Star’s two top Sects were going all out to find him.
For this man, many of their companions had died tragically while many others had unknown fates…
Naturally, Yang Kai did not miss the hostility these women were directing towards him.
Of the dozen or so women who were responsible for protecting him, at least half were directing hostile intent towards him.
Yang Kai was completely bewildered by this situation!
If it were not for Thirteenth Elder assuming command here, Yang Kai estimated that these women would have already joined together to beat him before they bothered trying to speak with him.
“Senior Sister Qing Ya, they don’t seem to like me very much,” Yang Kai whispered to Qing Ya quietly.
Qing Ya gave a wry smile. As a disciple of Ice Heart Valley, she had participated in this operation so she naturally knew why her fellow Sect Sisters were acting this way; however, explaining this was somewhat awkward so she could only say, “Don’t mind it, Ice Heart Valley’s disciples are generally hostile towards men.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded, not doubting her words.
The group continued to advance at an extremely fast pace.
Three days later, the group passed by a certain mountain valley.
Suddenly, Yang Kai frowned and turned to look in a certain direction.
Thirteenth Elder, who was at the front of the team, also seemed to sense something and shouted, “Enemy attack!”
As soon as her voice fell, hot, domineering, and violent energy fluctuations burst forth. Several fire dragon phantoms charged out from the mountain valley down below and bared their fangs towards the Ice Heart Valley disciples.
There were eight of these fire dragons in total, and each one contained a terrifying power and killing intent.
The timing of the enemy’s attack was also just right. Even with Thirteenth Elder’s warning, the women from Ice Heart Valley were too late to react.
The light of Saint Qi shone from their bodies as the eight fire dragons crashed towards them.
Screams rang out as two women with lower strength were swallowed by the fire dragons and instantly disappeared. The others were caught in a precarious situation as they hurriedly tried to dodge.
Yang Kai stood to the side, protecting Qing Ya as he narrowed his eyes towards the valley.
From the mountain valley down below, several people flew up. There were fewer in this ambushing group than there were in the Ice Heart Valley’s team, but each of these attackers was an Origin Returning Realm master. The two who led this group also had auras which were on par with Thirteenth Elder.
Thirteenth Elder’s phoenix eyes narrowed as her expression became extremely ugly.
She had not expected that even after doing her best to act in a covert manner she had still been exposed.
Before setting out, she had eliminated any possibility of them being tracked. For this mission, the dozen or so disciples she had arranged to help her escort Yang Kai were strictly selected to ensure their absolute loyalty to Ice Heart Valley. Each of these women also had deep personal enmity towards Brilliant Flame Sect so it was impossible for them to have betrayed their fellow sisters to the enemy.
Was all of this just a coincidence? Thirteenth Elder’s thoughts flashed like lightning as she quietly shot a glance towards Yang Kai. Finding that he was unharmed, she was able to relax slightly.
“Yu Xue Qing, you must not have expected this old master to be waiting here for you!” A loud laugh came from below as a middle-aged man with pale skin appeared and began ogling Thirteenth Elder’s shapely and attractive figure.
“Yan Chi Lei!” Yu Xue Qing grit her teeth and shouted lowly.
The opponent’s surprise attack had caused the death of two Ice Heart Valley disciples, so Yu Xue Qing was making no qualms about exposing her killing intent.
“It is this Yan!” The middle-aged man took a step forward, “I knew what happened on that battlefield three days ago was your doing. Now the question is, what are you sneaking about like this for?”
“Elder Yan, why bother talking nonsense with her? We should just attack and get this over with,” A short old man next to Yan Chi Lei snorted coldly and said.
Yu Xue Qing looked towards the old man and her beautiful eyes immediately shrank, “Jiang Xi!”
“Heh heh, I didn’t expect that this old master’s name would even be known to Ice Heart Valley’s Thirteenth Elder. This old master is truly honoured!” The short old man smiled triumphantly.
Yu Xue Qing’s expression turned even uglier and she quietly signalled to the Ice Heart Valley women to prepare themselves while asking in a solemn voice, “Jiang Xi, my Ice Heart Valley has neither grievance nor grudge with you, so why are you inserting yourself into this chaotic situation?”
“Neither grievance nor grudge?” Jiang Xi coldly snorted, “Thirteenth Elder, are you purposefully talking nonsense? This Jiang has not forgotten the shame of twenty years ago. If you want to talk about grudges between your Sect and this King, you should ask your Ice Heart Valley’s Fifth Elder!”
“That story is true?” Yu Xue Qing was visibly surprised.
She had thought that rumour was just that, a rumour, but now it was apparently true.
If this was the case, it was not surprising Jiang Xi had decided to side with Yan Chi Lei of Brilliant Flame Sect; it seemed things were about to become troublesome.
She was not afraid of Yan Chi Lei on his own, but Jiang Xi was actually more difficult than Yan Chi Lei. Jiang Xi had cultivated numerous Poison Arts that were both difficult to defend against and deal with. The disciples who she had brought with her were not Jiang Xi’s opponent, and to make matters worse, it wasn’t just him and Yan Chi Lei they had to face.
“Those rumours were true…” Qing Ya looked at the short, ugly old man with a weird expression and muttered to herself.
She too had apparently heard about this story.
“What rumours?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“It was said that twenty years ago, this old man wanted to marry my Ice Heart Valley’s Fifth Elder, but not only was he rejected outright, Fifth Elder seriously injured him as well. However, I thought it was just a rumour, not something that actually happened.”
“Him?” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched.
Sizing up Jiang Xi seriously again, Yang Kai was unable to find a single redeeming feature in his appearance.
Not only was Jiang Xi short, but he also seemed to have been born ugly, with a fat, crooked nose, large, beady eyes, thick lips, long ears, yellow skin, thick neck, short limbs…
Yang Kai had never seen Ice Heart Valley’s Fifth Elder before but judging from the quality of the women who were escorting him, this Fifth Elder was definitely not ugly.
Jiang Xi coveting this Fifth Elder brought only one phrase to Yang Kai’s mind.
“A toad lusting after a swan!”
Although the situation was extremely grave, Qing Ya still could not hold back her laughter.
Jiang Xi’s hearing was naturally not bad, and as soon as Yang Kai uttered these words, he immediately turned his head towards him and said in an icy voice, “Boy, what did you just say?”
Jiang Xi’s ugly physique had caused his personality to become ugly as well, and the one thing he hated the most was others insulting his appearance.
Yang Kai had undoubtedly hit upon his reverse scale.
Yan Chi Lei also glanced over at Yang Kai and suddenly showed a look of pleasant surprise, shouting in a low voice, “It’s you!”
At this moment, he could not help wanting to laugh.
One really wore out iron shoes while seeking their feet. This gain had come without needing any special effort. Brilliant Flame Sect had been searching for this boy for over a year, yet now, Yan Chi Lei had bumped into him by accident, so he was feeling overjoyed.
At this moment, he finally understood why Yu Xue Qing had ordered a full-scale assault on Brilliant Flame Sect a few days ago.
Obviously, she was trying to create a massive diversion to sneak this boy out unnoticed!
Moreover, judging from the direction this group was travelling, they were definitely heading back to Pure Ice Island.
“So that’s how it is!” Yan Chi Lei nodded lightly before turning to look at Yu Xue Qing, “It turns out that this was your purpose, but it’s a pity. Since you’ve met this Yan here, you’re doomed to fail!”
Yu Xue Qing was screaming to herself about how bad the situation was as she shot a glare at Yang Kai, blaming him for opening his mouth and creating trouble. At the same time, she shouted to the rest of her companions, “What are you all standing around in a daze for, quickly flee! No matter what, this boy must be sent to Pure Ice Island!”
As soon as her words fell, Yu Xue Qing pushed her Saint Qi violently and a burst of Ice Attribute energy visible to the naked eye spread out from her location, madly spreading to the surrounding area.
This frigid energy seemed to create a frozen world as it instantly covered the nearby ground in a thick layer of frost.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Ice spikes suddenly appeared behind Yu Xue Qing, each one thin and sharp, gleaming with icy light. Raising her hand, Yu Xue Qing pushed her jade palm forth and sent the countless ice spikes towards the Brilliant Flame Sect group.
“I’ve long heard of Thirteenth Elder’s prowess in battle! This Yan will accompany you here, I hope you won’t disappoint me!” Yan Chi Lei roared as he faced the storm of ice spikes without any fear and threw out a punch.
With a bursting sound, a blazing hot aura flared up as a massive flame fist intercepted the storm of ice spikes.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The ice spikes continuously shattered as the giant flame fist also gradually dimmed, the two attacks eventually cancelling each other out entirely.
“Brother Jiang, you can do with those women what you please, but that boy must be captured alive!” Yan Chi Lei diffused Yu Xue Qing’s attack with a single move then shot towards her while calling out to his ally.
“Heh heh heh… since that’s the case, this old master won’t refuse!” Jiang Xi grinned as he activated his Poison Art.
In an instant, the surrounding ten-kilometre region was shrouded in a multi-coloured poisonous fog. Inside this dome-shaped poison fog bank, an unpleasant aura filled the air, causing any who inhaled too deeply to feel like vomiting. All the Ice Heart Valley women who were caught in this poison fog began feeling somewhat dizzy and had difficulty circulating their Saint Qi smoothly.
“Not good, it’s Jiang Xi’s Annihilating Poisonous Mist!” One of the Ice Heart Valley disciples shouted in horror.
“No matter what, we need to send this boy off first!” One of the Ice Heart Valley women echoed Yu Xue Qing’s instructions loudly.
The Ice Heart Valley disciples suddenly returned to their senses after hearing this shout.
For more than a year, at least a thousand of their sisters had died tragically just to find Yang Kai, so now that they finally had him in their grasp, if he was to be snatched from them, all of their fellow disciples would have died in vain.
“Come with us!” A young woman called out to Yang Kai.
With Yu Xue Qing being entangled by Yan Chi Lei, this woman took charge.
“Leave?” Yang Kai looked at her and shook his head slowly, “That old frog is stronger than you, and this poisonous fog is not simple. If you try to run, you’ll only be tortured to death.”
“Enough of your nonsense, if I say leave, you leave!” The young woman grit her teeth hard and screamed, “This old man is strong, we can’t resist him!”
“Very strong? How strong?” Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged.
“He is a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master! On Scarlet Wave Star, he is one of the most promising candidates to break through to the Origin King Realm. Only the top five Elders of my Ice Heart Valley can compete with him. Don’t just stand there waiting for death.”
“En, very strong,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“You…” The young woman’s heart filled with grievances and dissatisfaction towards Yang Kai’s flippant attitude. She had already explained the seriousness of their situation, yet this boy didn’t seem to care at all. Was he planning to just drag all of them down with him?
“We’ve missed the best opportunity to escape!” A woman next to her said sadly.
Hearing this, the young woman sighed.
If they had acted immediately after Thirteenth Elder warned them, they might have managed to escape, but after being delayed here for so long by Yang Kai, how could they possibly flee now?
Jiang Xi hated Ice Heart Valley deeply, and his strength was extremely high. On top of that, the Poison Arts he used were extremely difficult to deal with, so the fate of this group of women was looking quite grim.
Thinking so, the young woman glared at Yang Kai fiercely, grit her teeth, and shouted, “If we die here, it will be all your fault, and I swear I won’t let you off even in the next life.”
“Why so serious?” Yang Kai remained indifferent, “We just need to kill him.”
The young women from Ice Heart Valley were all dumbfounded as they stared at Yang Kai like he was an idiot, all of them thinking that men really were foolish creatures. Didn’t he understand how big the gap in strength was between him and Jiang Xi? He could not have picked a worse time to boast to shamelessly!
During this brief delay, a potent aura had surrounded Jiang Xi’s body, one that gave off the same feel as the poisonous fog around them. Only this time, it was denser, making it impossible to see his figure. Only the old man’s creepy laughter gave away his position.
“Assist this old master, but remember, don’t kill any of these women. These cheap sluts from Ice Heart Valley are all going to serve this old master from now on and learn there’s more to a man than just his face!” Jiang Xi shouted wickedly.
The other cultivators from Brilliant Flame Sect rolled their eyes when they heard this command, but knowing they were not as strong as this old man, they could only nod their heads and cooperate. Immediately after Jiang Xi shouted, a rich Fire Attribute Saint Qi rolled towards the Ice Heart Valley group.
“Here they come! We have more people than them so focus on defending first, be especially wary of Jiang Xi’s poisonous fog!” The leading young woman called out as the ten or so Ice Heart Valley women began pushing their Saint Qi together, plunging the temperature around them.
Turning to look at Yang Kai again, the young woman ordered, “You hide behind… hey, what are you doing!”
As she was shouting, she actually saw Yang Kai take a step forward to meet Jiang Xi and the Brilliant Flame Sect disciples head-on, as if he didn’t care at all about whether he lived or died.
“Get back!” The young woman was shocked.
On the other side, Yu Xue Qing, who was entangled with Yan Chi Lei, noticed something was wrong and turned her head to check out the situation, only to have her beautiful face immediately go pale.
In this moment of distraction, Yan Chi Lei was able to seize the initiative in their battle and gain the upper hand, forcing Yu Xue Qing onto the defensive as she cursed Yang Kai for not understanding the situation he was in and acting so recklessly.
She knew that everything was over.
Not only would it now be impossible to bring Yang Kai back to Ice Heart Valley, but the dozen disciples she had brought with her would all probably die as well. As for herself, the chances of her escaping with her life were less than thirty percent! Right now, Yu Xue Qing was feeling incredibly anxious, but there was simply nothing she could do.
“This boy is somewhat interesting! En, Elder Yan strictly ordered us to not take his life, so we can only capture him alive. This will be a bit troublesome!” Jiang Xi looked at Yang Kai who was rapidly approaching him and condensed his poisonous mist around his fist before punching towards him.
In the blink of an eye, this mass of poisonous mist flew over to Yang Kai, transformed into a rope, then attempted to wrap around him.
“It’s over!” The young woman behind Yang Kai felt her heart sink as she could barely bring herself to watch what was sure to happen next.
If it weren’t for Yang Kai wasting time with his stupid questions and then rushing out foolishly, they would have at least had some chance of completing this task, making the sacrifices and injuries they were certain the suffer worthwhile, but now, even that was impossible.
As if the poisonous mist had a mind of its own, it wrapped around and tied up Yang Kai’s body.
“Your Brilliant Flame Sect seems to have some use for this brat, so I’ll leave him to you!” Jiang Xi commanded, without even sparing Yang Kai another glance, flying past him as he aimed for the crowd of young women not far ahead.
The Brilliant Flame Sect disciples exchanged a glance before one of them rushed over towards Yang Kai while the others followed after Jiang Xi.
A team of eight passed by Yang Kai in the next instant.
Suddenly, there was a flash of golden light!
Blood splattered and broken limbs flew out…
The vital auras of several people instantly vanished!
Pieces of hashed meat and broken bone fell like rain, crashing down to the ground and creating an extremely bloody sight.
Perceiving the energy fluctuations behind himself, Jiang Xi frowned and looked back suspiciously.
The next instant, his eyes bulged, and he quickly turned around and directed a solemn yet shocked gaze towards Yang Kai.
The poison mist rope which he used to tie up this little brat had disappeared at some unknown point, and all the Brilliant Flame Sect cultivators who had been behind him just now were dead!
There were no sounds of battle, nor screams before death, only a momentary energy fluctuation and then seven Origin Returning Realm master cultivators had died inexplicably.
Suddenly, Jiang Xi felt the situation was far more precarious than he anticipated, and a chill ran up his spine.
“What just happened?” Over on the Ice Heart Valley side, the group of women were equally stunned. The leading young woman was even shivering slightly as she wore a blank look on her face, wondering if she was seeing things.
Qing Ya’s beautiful eyes flashed as only she wore a look of understanding.
Yang Kai insisting they not run and even taking the initiative to meet the enemy had really ended up how she thought it would.
She didn’t know Yang Kai very well, but from Su Yan, she understood that Yang Kai was a man who could always perform miracles and fought against those who had higher cultivations than him like it was commonplace.
Before, she was just guessing this to be the case here, but the facts were laid out before her.
The seven Brilliant Flame Sect disciples were all First-Order to Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters, but the moment they passed by Yang Kai, they had all died in an instant.
This could no longer be described as the ability to fight above one’s realm, it was nothing less than a miracle!
No one knew exactly how Yang Kai accomplished this, only that there was a flash of golden light just before everything ended.
“How?” The lead young woman stared at Yang Kai in shock. At this moment, a golden thread was floating leisurely in front of Yang Kai. This golden thread gave off a strange aura, one filled with potent vitality, as if it was alive. From this aura alone, it was clear this golden thread was not to be underestimated.
With a faint smile on his face, Yang Kai looked at Jiang Xi with a somewhat mocking grin.
Jiang Xi instantly felt tremendous pressure, as if he was not facing a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm boy but a genuine Origin King!
Forcefully dispelling the uneasiness in his heart, Jiang Xi shouted in a low voice, “Little brat, your dare play the pig to eat a tiger?”
“You were the ones who decided to underestimate me,” Yang Kai grinned, not showing any kind of panic as he lightly said, “Old frog, are you ready to die?”
“Shameless boasting!” Jiang Xi sternly shouted as he released his Shi, trying to suppress Yang Kai.
“Shi nearly at the grand accomplishment stage,” Yang Kai raised his brow and immediately understood why Jiang Xi was so feared by the young women from Ice Heart Valley. With just his Shi, which had nearly reached the grand accomplishment stage, Jiang Xi was indeed qualified to be one of the most likely candidates on Scarlet Wave Star to break through to the Origin King Realm.
This extremely powerful Shi spread out rapidly and soon approached Yang Kai.
Immediately before this Shi reached Yang Kai, however, an invisible power not inferior to Jiang Xi’s burst out from Yang Kai’s body and pushed it back.
This collision was silent and invisible to the naked eye.
However, to Jiang Xi, it was as if thunder had just gone off in his head.
The Shi he was so proud of, at this moment, reacted like an egg smashing against a boulder, shattering to pieces and completely falling apart. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Xi was the one enveloped by an extremely suppressive force.
Yang Kai’s Shi!
Jiang Xi was shocked, and his face turned pale. Only now did he realize that Yang Kai was far from being as simple as he appeared. While this boy’s cultivation was only Second-Order Origin Returning Realm, his comprehension of Shi had greatly exceeded his own.
Pushing his Saint Qi madly, Jiang Xi did his best to resist this Shi’s influence on him, releasing a multi-coloured poisonous mist from his body wantonly, forming a kind of protective shell around himself while also sending a blast of it towards Yang Kai in an attempt to counterattack.
Although Jiang Xi had fallen into a disadvantage in terms of Shi, he was naturally not going to just stand there frozen and surrender.
His speciality was using poison, and the poisonous mist he had just shot out was incredibly lethal to anyone it managed to invade.
Yang Kai frowned when he saw this and did not dare take risks. After considering his options for a moment, he stretched out his hand and summoned the Firebird Artifact Spirit. Accompanied by a sharp, shrill cry, a several-dozen-metre-long flaming bird appeared above Yang Kai’s head, opened its beak, and sprayed out a stream of fireballs towards Jiang Xi.
Jiang Xi was taken aback as his poisonous fog was absolutely no match for the Firebird’s attack. Instead, his poisonous mist was rapidly burned down by the Firebird’s fireballs, after which, the protective layer of fog he had surrounded himself with rapidly began evaporating, revealing his extremely embarrassed figure.
The speed and frequency of the Firebird’s fireballs rapidly increased, leaving Jiang Xi completely suppressed, unable to fight back. Jiang Xi had to continuously push his Saint Qi to replace the poisonous fog around his body. However, Jiang Xi was unable to keep up with the rate of loss and his defences were soon broken, forcing him out into the open again.
Yang Kai stood in place and stared as Jiang Xi coldly, grinning as he taunted, “Old frog, you’re too weak.”
The women from Ice Heart Valley all stared dully at this scene.
The strange Firebird and Yang Kai’s Shi were completely suppressing Jiang Xi, and if Yang Kai found the right opportunity, Jiang Xi would most likely be killed here and now.
They simply could not comprehend what it was they were witnessing.
They had just prepared themselves to suffer heavy casualties as they believed that this disaster was inescapable. They had expected the worst to happen.
But now, after acting so low-key, Yang Kai had made a shocking move and his performance had completely overwhelmed their expectations.
Just this Firebird alone was enough to suppress Jiang Xi to the point where he was having difficulty protecting himself, having no spare energy to deal with them.
Perhaps this time, none of them would have to die… Everyone was excited as this thought filled their heads and the looks they gave Yang Kai gradually changed from their original hostility to wonder and gratitude.
The Firebird continued to increase the intensity of its attack, shooting out flames not only from its mouth but also from its wings, preventing Jiang Xi’s poisonous fog from spreading out while also inflicting numerous big and small burns on his body.
The smell of burnt flesh gradually began to diffuse.
Jiang Xi’s expression suddenly turned fierce as he summoned an artifact and spat a mouthful of multi-coloured poisonous mist onto it.
The artifact rapidly absorbed the poisonous mist before transforming into a massive five-coloured python.
This poisonous python twisted its body and rushed directly into the sky to face the Firebird, displaying an incredible might.
Taking this opportunity, Jiang Xi once again pushed his Saint Qi to free himself from Yang Kai’s Shi’s suppression then charged towards him.
He obviously wanted to use this opening to kill Yang Kai! As long as Yang Kai died, he would be able to do whatever he wanted.
As for Brilliant Flame Sect Yan Chi Lei’s words… At this moment, he could not even protect himself, so how was he supposed to care?
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Xi had rushed to a position only ten metres away from Yang Kai and many jets of poisonous mist shot out from his figure and towards Yang Kai.
At this time, the Ice Heart Valley disciples finally recovered, and the leading young woman shouted, “Help him!”
As she spoke, powerful Ice Attribute Saint Qi surged out of her tender body and condensed into a large ice spike that flew out towards Jiang Xi.
The other women also reacted, and each used their strongest Secret Techniques to attack Jiang Xi.
A golden light suddenly flashed as a Golden Blood Thread appeared in front of Yang Kai again before flickering and disappearing once more.
Jiang Xi felt a deathly chill grip his soul, warning him that if he did not flee now, he would surely die. Freezing in place awkwardly, he grit his teeth and dove to the side
The Golden Blood Thread suddenly appeared as it shot through the afterimage Jiang Xi left behind when he hastily dodged.
Jiang Xi broke out in a cold sweat, but before he could recover, the attacks from the ten or so Ice Heart Valley women were already upon him.
The place where he stood was instantly covered by hundreds of ice lances.
Chaotic energy fluctuations filled the air as Jiang Xi’s muffled cries rang out, signalling that he was injured.
The disciples of Ice Heart Valley weren’t as strong as Jiang Xi in terms of cultivation, and one-on-one, any of them would be killed in mere breaths, but the power of nearly a dozen of them attacking all at once was not to be underestimated.
Dust flew up, covering everyone’s view.
The young woman leading the Ice Heart Valley disciples felt her heart pound as she stared at that spot nervously.
“Did he die?” Someone asked anxiously.
As soon as these words fell, however, Jiang Xi’s voice echoed from far away, “Ice Heart Valley sluts, this old master won’t forget this! Sooner or later, this old master will destroy your Pure Ice Island and devastate each one of you to death!”
He had clearly escaped at some unknown point.
The lead young woman turned pale as she turned to look in the direction Jiang Xi’s voice came from. There, she saw a multi-coloured light flying away at an extremely fast speed; naturally, it was Jiang Xi.
She immediately turned back to look at Yang Kai, expecting him to give chase.
But the sight there dumbfounded her once again, as Yang Kai had also mysteriously disappeared.
The young woman searched around for a moment before turning back in the direction where Jiang Xi was fleeing where she spotted a figure standing in front of him and understood.
This battle had exceeded the level she was capable of comprehending or interfering with. Whether it was Jiang Xi or Yang Kai, their strength far exceeded her own.
She did not even know when Yang Kai and Jiang Xi had moved.
“How did you…” Jiang Xi looked at Yang Kai who was blocking his way as if he was staring at a ghost.
He had taken advantage of the chaotic explosion just now to blind his opponents and use a Secret Technique to escape, thinking that none were the wiser, but this young man had actually seen through his plans and somehow managed to overtake and intercept him.
Although he was feeling terrified inside, Jiang Xi was also a decisive person and understanding that he could not escape without breaking through the blockade, Yang Kai. Therefore, he clenched his fists and spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence, causing his aura to increase thirty percent while a crimson hue appeared around his body. He then charged towards Yang Kai mercilessly.
Yang Kai’s expression remained cold as he simply snorted and spat, “You court death!”
Without trying to evade, Yang Kai clenched his fist and condensed a layer of golden light around it, causing a faint metallic scraping to ring out as an incredibly sharp aura wrapped around him.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, Metal Sword Qi.
Among the Five Elements Sword Qis, Metal was the sharpest.
Using this Metal Sword Qi, Yang Kai’s fist became shrouded in countless sword blades difficult to see with the naked eye.
Perceiving the terrifying power and sharpness of this fist, Jiang Xi naturally did not just sit still and once again condensed a thick poisonous smoke around his body.
When Yang Kai’s fist flew out and slammed into Jiang Xi’s body, though, the poisonous fog was instantly scattered, after which the crimson hue covering his body also collapsed. Jiang Xi’s Saint Qi defence had failed to provide him with any protection as the countless tiny golden sword lights easily sliced through it.
The sound of bones shattering rang out as Jiang Xi’s body was knocked backwards and blood spurted from his mouth.
His hideous face filled with horror as he desperately tried to stabilize his figure, but the golden light from the Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Thread caught up before he could and instantly surrounded him.
When the golden light faded, Jiang Xi’s whole body collapsed into countless pieces and fell from the sky.
Scarlet Wave Star’s famous Jiang Xi, a master qualified to break through to the Origin King Realm, had fallen!
The group of women from Ice Heart Valley’s cheeks flushed as they cheered in excitement.
Yan Chi Lei, who was locked in a fierce battle with Yu Xue Qing, also gawked as he stared at Yang Kai in shock, his movements becoming sluggish in that instant.
Yu Xue Qing was not the Thirteenth Elder of Ice Heart Valley just for show. Although her rank was a bit low, her strength was praiseworthy. So, how could she miss such an opportunity? Taking advantage of this shift in momentum, Yu Xue Qing launched a fierce counterattack and swiftly forced Yan Chi Lei onto the defensive.
She too was quite shocked, never having expected that Yang Kai could actually kill Jiang Xi.
After all, Jiang Xi’s Poison Arts were notoriously difficult to handle; even if she had been the one fighting him, she would definitely be at a disadvantage.
However, Yang Kai had killed Jiang Xi in less than thirty breaths of time.
In Ice Heart Valley, it was likely only the Great Elder could accomplish this.
Was this young man comparable to Great Elder Ran? Yu Xue Qing’s heart trembled as she felt she needed to re-examine Yang Kai.
“Senior Brother, please help Thirteenth Elder!” The young woman leading Ice Heart Valley’s group called out to Yang Kai suddenly.
“Sure,” Yang Kai nodded faintly, stretching out his hand and pointing to Yan Chi Lei as he called out, “Kill him!”
The Firebird immediately flew straight towards Yan Chi Lei.
Yan Chi Lei and Yu Xue Qing were an even match for one another, neither able to defeat the other in short order, so with the addition of the Firebird Artifact Spirit, Yan Chi Lei instantly found himself suppressed and rapidly losing the strength to fight back or even protect himself.
“Boy, I am an Elder of Brilliant Flame Sect! If you dare take action against me, you’ll die a miserable death! Cease now! Otherwise, even if you escape to the ends of the Star Field, Brilliant Flame Sect will never let you go!” Yan Chi Lei shouted angrily, hoping he could make Yang Kai back down and not join forces with Yu Xue Qing.
As long as Yang Kai didn’t involve himself, Yu Xue Qing wouldn’t have enough ability to stop him and he could still escape calmly.
As such, whether he lived or died was in Yang Kai’s hands.
Yu Xue Qing frowned and hurriedly shouted, “Little brother, there’s no need to fear him, his Brilliant Flame Sect is indeed strong but my Ice Heart Valley is not weak. Naturally, we will protect you if you help me kill this villain.”
She was worried that Yang Kai would give in to Yan Chi Lei’s threats.
After all, Yan Chi Lei was different from Jiang Xi. Although Jiang Xi’s strength was high, he was just a lone cultivator, if he was killed, no one would seek revenge for him, but Yan Chi Lei was an Elder of Brilliant Flame Sect, so there was a huge backer behind him.
“Naturally, I’ll help you kill him!” Yang Kai grinned towards Yan Chi Lei sarcastically. “Trying to threaten and intimidate me after things have gotten to this point, are all your Brilliant Flame Sect people so stupid?”
Yan Chi Lei’s face turned pale.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you, this isn’t the first time I killed someone from your Brilliant Flame Sect. I killed a guy named Kong Wen Dong in the Emperor Garden, and I also killed a guy named Zhang Qing in the Blood Prison some time ago. Weren’t they all from your Brilliant Flame Sect as well?”
Yan Chi Lei really panicked this time.
He had not expected that Yang Kai would have such a deep grudge with Brilliant Flame Sect. Whether it was Kong Wen Dong or Zhang Qing, both were famous figures in Brilliant Flame Sect, Elder-level figures who even ranked above him.
However, Kong Wen Dong had simply failed to return from the Emperor Garden while Zhang Qing had gone to the Blood Prison and had not been heard from yet.
If what Yang Kai said was true, though, didn’t that mean that they and everyone who accompanied them had died at his hands?
“I don’t have any kind of favourable impression of your Brilliant Flame Sect, so… die!” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became cold as a stream of extremely powerful Spiritual Energy shot out from his forehead and crashed towards Yan Chi Lei.
This attack was silent but extremely powerful. Like a sharp sword, it easily pierced through Yan Chi Lei’s defences and invaded his Knowledge Sea.
Yan Chi Lei cried out pitifully as his face went white, his Soul suffering severe damage.
Yu Xue Qing’s beautiful eyes lit up and she took this opportunity to push her Shi to its maximum extent. With her body as the centre, the area within a three hundred metre radius immediately became extremely cold, as if even the air was frozen.
A thin layer of frost appeared on Yan Chi Lei’s body and the frigid energy began seeping into his body, affecting his Saint Qi circulation and physical strength.
The Firebird used this opening to pounce, opening its giant maw and swallowing Yan Chi Lei into its abdomen.
The Firebird Artifact Spirit’s stomach bulged visibly as something inside of it seemed to be struggling, but it was quickly suppressed by the Firebird’s intense flames.
As time passed, this struggle became smaller and smaller until it eventually disappeared.
A flash of lightning suddenly appeared in the Firebird’s body before it turned into a stream of light and returned to Yang Kai’s body.
Yan Chi Lei obviously also cultivated the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire Secret Technique, just like Zhang Qing and Kong Wen Dong, so after his death, his Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire was swallowed by the Firebird to strengthen itself.
And so, the crisis had been rapidly resolved with a completely unexpected ending.
Yu Xue Qing stood in place, looking at Yang Kai with complicated eyes while breathing heavily.
The other women from Ice Heart Valley also wore shocked expressions.
Only Qing Ya was showing a happy smile.
After a long silence, Yu Xue Qing was barely able to accept the reality in front of her and nodded to Yang Kai, “Many thanks.”
This time, if it weren’t for Yang Kai suddenly taking action, it would have been a miracle for even two or three of Ice Heart Valley’s team to escape, but now, not only were most of them essentially unharmed, they had even managed to kill several of Brilliant Flame Sect’s people.
Yu Xue Qing was naturally incredibly grateful to Yang Kai.
“No need for thanks, I was just protecting myself. Can we set off now?” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Yu Xue Qing nodded before getting one of her subordinates to clean up the battlefield then leading the group towards Pure Ice Island again.
This time no one showed any ill will towards Yang Kai.
They all dismissed their original hostility and no longer surrounded Yang Kai to protect him as before. The battle against Brilliant Flame Sect’s people had made all of them realize that Yang Kai was the strongest in this group.
He did not need their protection at all!
Along the way, many of these women would shoot Yang Kai curious looks from time to time. They could not understand how this young man cultivated. Obviously, he was only at the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm but his combat power was absurdly high.
“Thirteenth Elder, why have we been looking for him all this time?” Qing Ya took this chance to ask as she knew it was the best time to inquire about such matters.
The other disciples of Ice Heart Valley also wore curious expressions as they turned expected looks towards Yu Xue Qing.
They, along with thousands of their fellow Sect Sisters, had been running around and fighting for nearly a year all to find Yang Kai. Many of their Senior and Junior Sisters had died as a result, so it was only natural that they wanted to know why.
Yu Xue Qing frowned and with a slight look of embarrassment replied, “I don’t know the specific reason, but since Brilliant Flame Sect was looking for him, our Ice Heart Valley didn’t want them to succeed. Perhaps… perhaps he knows the real reason.”
While saying this, Yu Xue Qing turned to look at Yang Kai thoughtfully.
Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent, seemingly unaware of his surroundings, showing no intention to answer.
“You don’t need to worry about this though. Since Sect Master and the Elder Council have decided this, they must have a good reason.”
“Yes!” The women nodded.
Nothing more happened along the way as the team lead by Yu Xue Qing travelled for another half a month.
Only after half a month did this group arrive at a seaside city.
This was obviously a city under the jurisdiction of Ice Heart Valley, and once they arrived, Yu Xue Qing brought Yang Kai straight to the Space Array and used it to teleport to Pure Ice Island.
Once he arrived at Pure Ice Island’s Outer Island, Yang Kai noticed a certain change and a trace of excitement appeared on his face. Turning his eyes to stare in a certain direction, he seemed to be peering across space towards a distant location.
At the same time, in a certain ice room on the Inner Island, Su Yan, who was in meditation, opened her beautiful eyes as her tender body shivered.
At this moment, she too sensed something.
She felt Yang Kai’s aura!
Since the two of them cultivated the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art, as long as they weren’t too far apart, they could sense each other’s existence.
Although the Outer Island and the Inner Island were a few hundred kilometres apart, that could not impede the connection between Yang Kai and Su Yan!
[She’s here!]
[He came!]
At the exact same moment, the two noticed each other’s existence.
Yang Kai stood in place, his expression softening greatly.
Su Yan also hurriedly got up and went towards the entrance!
But as soon as she walked out of her ice room, she was stopped by two women.
“Junior Sister Su, where are you going?” The woman surnamed Zhou quickly stood in front of Su Yan and questioned coldly.
“Senior Sister Zhou, I want to go out!” Su Yan looked at her pleadingly.
“No!” The woman surnamed Zhou shook her head decisively, “Great Elder ordered that you are not to take a single step outside this room. Don’t make things difficult for your Senior Sisters.”
“Yes, Junior Sister Su, the two of us are responsible for monitoring you and also cannot move from this place. Just because you are Great Elder’s disciple, do you think you can not put us Senior Sisters in your eyes? Please go back inside,” The other woman also looked at Su Yan coldly.
Being forced to monitor Su Yan was an incredibly dull task, one where they could not leave or focus on their cultivation, causing them no small amount of grief.
This task had caused both women to complain deeply about Su Yan in their hearts. Also, they did not like how Su Yan was so heavily favoured, so they did not even try to speak politely.
“Two Senior Sisters, Junior Sister doesn’t want to make things difficult for you, but I must go out. I promise I will be back in half a day!” Su Yan bit her red lips and looked at them helplessly.
“Junior Sister really doesn’t put us Senior Sisters in her eyes!” The woman surnamed Zhou sneered, “Have you ever thought about the consequences? What will happen if you go out and Great Elder finds out? What kind of punishment will we receive? I don’t know what you want to go out for, but I’m not going to take responsibility for your truant behaviour.”
“Junior Sister is Great Elder’s favourite disciple, so Great Elder may not punish you too harshly, but what about us? You do not know how severe Great Elder is. Could it be that Junior Sister wants to push us to the brink of death? Junior Sister may look like a beautiful flower but apparently, she’s nothing but a vicious snake.”
Su Yan opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Although these two were clearly exaggerating things, it was also undeniable that if she went out, the two of them would be implicated.
Su Yan’s expression turned sad for a moment before she said softly, “Junior Sister has been inconsiderate.”
Her man had arrived on Pure Ice Island and was so close to her, but she could not go out to meet him, making Su Yan feel like a knife was being driven into her heart.
“Since you understand, hurry back inside!” The woman surnamed Zhou coldly snorted.
Su Yan nodded helplessly and turned back.
Seeing the door to the ice room close shut, the two women standing guard outside sneered.
The woman surnamed Zhou even snickered, “Finally, we’ve gotten some revenge. Did she think she could do whatever she wished after becoming Great Elder’s disciple?”
The other chuckled and said cheerfully, “Who told her to have eyes higher than the top of her head? If she had a good relationship with us before, we wouldn’t have embarrassed her here.”
“We are her Senior Sisters; it is our responsibility to teach her how to behave appropriately.”
“Then, should we inform Great Elder about this matter?”
The woman surnamed Zhou contemplated for a moment before shaking her head, “There’s no need. Since she was not able to go out, she won’t be punished even if we make a report. It will not be too late to inform Great Elder once she really makes some kind of mistake. At that time, Great Elder will definitely not spare her.”
“Senior Sister is wise,” The other woman’s eyes lit up.
…
“Little brother!” Yu Xue Qing’s call awakened Yang Kai and he finally retracted his gaze.
Ice Heart Valley’s Thirteenth Elder had a strange expression on her face as she lightly coughed and said, “The Inner Island of Pure Ice Island is in that direction. As a man, you can’t step foot into it. We are now on the outer island, but if it weren’t for the special situation this time, you wouldn’t have been allowed to enter this place either.”
“It is already Junior’s honour to be able to enter Pure Ice Island, this Junior offers his sincere thanks to Senior!” Yang Kai declared.
Because he could sense Su Yan nearby, Yang Kai was in a good mood and suddenly felt that these women from Ice Heart Valley were more radiant and genial.
Although she did not know why Yang Kai suddenly underwent some subtle changes, Yu Xue Qing didn’t probe any deeper, instead just nodding and saying, “You will have to remain here for the time being. As for what happens next… I will inform you after I report to Valley Master and the other Elders.”
Inside a small guest house on the Outer Island, adjacent to the sea, the sound of waves gently crashing echoed lightly.
After Yu Xue Qing arranged for Yang Kai to live here, she took her subordinates and left, leaving only a lower rank disciple to attend to Yang Kai’s daily life.
Before leaving, Qing Ya cast Yang Kai a glance, silently telling him to remain calm.
Yang Kai understood her meaning clearly.
Now that he had arrived on Pure Ice Island, and learned that Su Yan was only a few hundred kilometres away, his yearning to see her had grown far stronger. However, he also knew that Pure Ice Island was no ordinary place, so he wasn’t about to charge in recklessly.
Sitting down cross-legged in the small house, Yang Kai held Su Yan’s Ice Soul Bead in his hand motionlessly.
Yang Kai did not release his Divine Sense, but he could clearly feel that hundred of kilometres away, there was an aura closely tied to his own, sharing a deep and profound connection.
Of course, this was Su Yan’s aura.
At the same time, Su Yan was also sitting in her ice room, her beautiful eyes closed tightly and her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
The two of them were immersed in feeling each other’s existence, feeling each beat of the other’s heart.
This kind of silent, invisible connection was deeper than any kind of verbal communication could be and allowed both to feel warm in body and spirit.
At a certain moment, the two smiled at exactly the same time and a wondrous energy burst from their bodies, crossing the barrier of space to meet at the centre of Pure Ice Island.
Yang Kai felt as if he was able to see Su Yan standing in front of him happily. Her figure remained the same as it had thirty years ago.
He could even feel that Su Yan was reaching out to touch him.
He responded in kind.
This spiritual resonance between the two of them grew more intense as their auras gradually began merging.
There was no need for words as the two of them were clearly able to sense everything about the other and know what they had experienced over these years, as if they had lived them, themselves.
At a certain spot on the Inner Island, in Ran Yun Ting’s ice room, Ran Yun Ting was meditating when she suddenly frowned, seemingly noticing something as she turned to look up into the sky doubtfully.
In the next instant, the communication artifact beside her suddenly received a Divine Sense Message. Picking up the communication artifact and pouring her Divine Sense into it, Ran Yun Ting learnt of a certain piece of information and her face couldn’t help but sink, “Junior Sister Yu found that little brat and even brought him to Pure Ice Island? So that is how it is, it’s that little beast who is disturbing Su Yan’s mind!”
“Little bastard, you court death!”
Ran Yun Ting’s eyes flared with hostility and an extremely tyrannical Spiritual Energy burst from her forehead and smashed towards the sky, bombarding a certain spot above Pure Ice Island.
Yang Kai, who was silently meeting with Su Yan, did not expect anyone to attack him at that moment.
The resonance of their minds was different from interacting with one another via Divine Sense. The former had no killing and defensive power at all while the latter was capable of attacking and defending.
As soon as Ran Yun Ting used her Divine Sense, Yang Kai felt that his connection with Su Yan was cut off arbitrarily. Not only that, but the shock on his mind made his face pale and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Who dares!” Yang Kai opened his eyes suddenly, his face extremely ugly.
He could naturally feel that there was some murderous intent behind the attack which cut off his connection with Su Yan, as if his assailant did not care whether he lived or died. If Yang Kai’s Soul had not been far stronger than ordinary, he would have suffered heavy losses.
This kind of injury to one’s Soul could not be healed by ordinary means.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed coldly, but soon he shook his head helplessly.
He was the one mostly at fault just now; after all, this was Pure Ice Island, the headquarters of Ice Heart Valley. In thousands of years, he was the first man to set foot onto its Outer Island, so him taking such rash action just now was truly somewhat improper.
After thinking about it, Yang Kai calmed down and no longer concerned himself about it.
But judging from the power of that Spiritual Energy burst, it had most likely come from one of the top five Elders in Ice Heart Valley.
After suffering such a loss, Yang Kai no longer dared to act rashly. In any case, there would always be a chance for him to meet Su Yan again. As for Su Yan’s safety, Yang Kai was not worried as she was the Disciple of Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder. No matter which Elder interfered with them, they would naturally not have targeted Su Yan as well.
Inside Su Yan’s ice room, she suddenly opened her eyes and her face paled as she called out loudly, “Honoured Master!”
“Reflect on your mistake behind closed doors, if you try to do the same thing again, this Elder will personally take the head of that little bastard!” Ran Yun Ting’s ice-cold voice sounded in Su Yan’s ears.
Su Yan’s face went even paler as she opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out in the end.
“You need to take care of yourself!” Ran Yun Ting seemed to be quite disappointed with Su Yan now and after leaving these cold words, she no longer spoke.
In Ice Heart Valley’s Elder Hall, the Sect’s leadership had all gathered again after their last meeting nearly a year ago.
“Valley Master, what is so important that you had to call all of us here at this time?” One Elder asked.
Bing Long smiled gently and replied, “There is indeed something important, but it is a happy event.”
“Oh? What happy event?” Everyone became curious.
“Elder Yu has found the young man we’ve been searching for and brought him back to Pure Ice Island,” Bing Long did not keep them in suspense and said with a smile.
“He’s been found?”
“Junior Sister Yu’s methods are impressive, finding that boy is a great merit!”
“Very good, very good! It has been more than a year since we began searching and the Sect has suffered many casualties as a result, now we can finally have the disciples fall back and rest.”
“But Valley Master, did we ever discover why Brilliant Flame Sect was searching for him? What secrets or value does he possess that would cause Brilliant Flame Sect to seek him so doggedly?”
“This… this Queen doesn’t know. Elder Yu, you brought him back, were you able to learn anything regarding this?” Bing Long cast her gaze to Yu Xue Qing.
The latter, however, just shook her head slowly, “On the way back, I asked him, but he refused to answer. However, from my observations, he is definitely no ordinary person.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He… he should be a genius among geniuses. Yan Chi Lei of Brilliant Flame Sect died at his hands.”
“What? He killed Yan Chi Lei?” Bing Long’s brow furrowed, “Didn’t you report that this boy was only a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator?”
“En, he is truly only a Second-Order Origin Realm cultivator, but he is capable of fighting above his realm, which is why I called him a genius among geniuses.”
“Impressive!” Bing Long nodded.
“Jiang Xi was also killed by him,” Yu Xue Qing expression turned solemn, “In single combat and in less than twenty breaths at that!”
“Jiang Xi? That Jiang Xi?” The Fifth Elder of Ice Heart Valley narrowed her eyes as a look of shock appeared on her face.
“That Jiang Xi.”
“How is that possible?”
“Although Jiang Xi is not from a prominent Sect and has always been a lone wanderer, he had many fortuitous encounters in his early years and his strength is extraordinary. Not only is he a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, his Shi was also close to reaching the grand accomplishment stage.”
“He is one of the most likely candidates on Scarlet Wave Star to break through to the Origin King Realm. How could he have been killed by that young man? Junior Sister Yu, are you making a joke?”
“How could I be joking about this kind of matter? Junior Sister witnessed the entire fight with her own eyes, and there are a dozen disciples who can testify to the veracity of my words,” Yu Xue Qing said seriously.
The Elders of Ice Heart Valley all wore looks of amazement, several of them soon turning to their Fifth Elder, wanting to hear her opinion.
Among everyone present, she was the only one who had personally fought Jiang Xi, so her thoughts on this matter were critical.
Fifth Elder didn’t refuse and after pondering for a moment said, “The last time I fought Jiang Xi was twenty years ago, and it took me a whole day to severely wound him, but I still failed to kill him. Today, I would not necessarily be his opponent. In Ice Heart Valley, the Elders who could stand alone against Jiang Xi should number no more than three!”
*Si…*
Gasps resounded throughout the hall as the expressions of all the Elders present turned solemn.
Fifth Elder was not making any exaggerations and was simply stating the facts, but because of this, it had all the more impact.
“Does this mean that young man’s strength can rank amongst the top three of us Elders?”
“He is only a Second Order, if he breaks through to the Third-Order…”
“It’s more than that! Fighting and killing are two entirely different concepts. Him being able to kill Jiang Xi in less than twenty breaths means that only Great Elder is on par with him!”
The expressions of this group of Elders suddenly dimmed as none of them had confidence in what they were saying, because they knew that even if Great Elder took action personally, she may not be able to kill Jiang Xi in just twenty breaths.
After all of them realized this, their expressions only contained shock.
“It’s a pity he is not a woman,” Bing Long rubbed her brow lightly and smiled bitterly.
If Yang Kai was a woman, Bing Long would have done whatever it took to recruit him into Ice Heart Valley. Such talent had a much higher chance of breaking through to the Origin King Realm in the future, much more than the ordinary Origin Realm Cultivators.
The reason why Ice Heart Valley was one of the two great forces on Scarlet Wave Star was that it had an Origin King Realm assuming command of the Sect. But, if there was an additional Origin King among their ranks they could completely suppress Brilliant Flame Sect and possibly even destroy it, allowing them to become the sole ruler of Scarlet Wave Star.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s not a woman, he just has to marry one of our Ice Heart Valley’s disciples.” An Elder suggested with a smile.
“Not a bad idea, but he may not agree,” Another Elder sitting next to her shook his head slowly, “His strength and aptitude are incredible, and he doesn’t seem to be very old, so how could he have any lack of women? There are likely many women who would willingly follow him.”
“How could those cheap women compare to the elite disciples of my Ice Heart Valley? It would be his blessing to marry into Ice Heart Valley.”
“Fair enough.”
The Elders began chattering and expressing their opinions, seemingly quite eager to find a suitable candidate to marry Yang Kai right now so they could tie him to Ice Heart Valley.
Bing Long lightly coughed and interrupted with an awkward expression, “Have you all forgotten that Brilliant Flame Sect has been searching for him? Although Brilliant Flame Sect is not enough on its own for our Ice Heart Valley to dread, this matter likely involves Sir Luo Hai of Green Mountains Star… if we were to upset Sir Luo Hai, our Ice Heart Valley may not be able to bear his anger.”
All the Elder’s expressions darkened hearing this and they all fell silent.
“You’re right. This Queen will find a chance to talk to him. At the very least, we need to know if Sir Luo Hai coming to Scarlet Wave Star has anything to do with him. If not, we can try to recruit him, but if Sir Luo Hai really is here because of him…” Bing Long sighed softly, “We can only hand him over at that time in exchange for Ice Heart Valley’s security.”
“Valley Master is wise!” All the Elders agreed with her decision.
Yang Kai’s aptitude and potential were indeed excellent. He was able to fight above his realm and was also highly likely to break through to the Origin King Realm in the future.
But that was only a possibility for the future; after all, right now he was just a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm boy.
Between the wrath of a Second-Order Origin King Star Master and a great individual with a bright illusionary future, which was more important, all of them could naturally distinguish.
“When Valley Master meets with him, this Elder will accompany you!” Ran Yun Ting’s voice suddenly sounded inside the hall.
Everyone turned their heads towards the entrance and saw Great Elder Ran Yun Ting walk inside.
“Oh? Great Elder is also interested in him?” Bing Long was surprised.
Although Ran Yun Ting’s strength wasn’t quite as high as hers, the difference was almost negligible, but since Ran Yun Ting brought Su Yan back to Pure Ice Island more than thirty years ago, she had been devoting herself to cultivating her Disciple while ignoring all other matters and people.
Now that she was taking the initiative to meet Yang Kai, Bing Long was naturally surprised.
“Of course I am interested in such an outstanding talent, this Elder is naturally interested!” Ran Yun Ting smiled softly.
Without knowing why, everyone felt a chill run up their spines when they saw this smile.
————-
Millions of kilometres away from Pure Ice Island stood Scarlet Wave Star’s other peak force, Brilliant Flame Sect.
Brilliant Flame Sect’s headquarters was located in the best cultivation environment on Scarlet Wave Star. Its headquarters was extremely beautiful and filled with outstanding masters. In this place, Brilliant Flame Sect’s disciples could cultivate at an extremely rapid pace.
Scarlet Wave Star’s two great forces had always stood as equals; however, in recent years, Brilliant Flame Sect had slowly been gaining the upper hand in their millennia-old battle. The reason for this was the rumour that Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder had experienced a cultivation dissonance and been badly wounded.
Supreme Elder level figures were naturally Origin Kings, and although this kind of powerhouse would not intervene in the fights between juniors, such news had naturally affected the morale of Ice Heart Valley.
Brilliant Flame Sect had been steadily taking more and more aggressive actions these past few years intending to suppress Ice Heart Valley.
In the southern region of Brilliant Flame Sect headquarters, there were several huts built in a bamboo forest.
These huts seemed simple and unremarkable, with a set of mountains behind and a lake in front, making them seem rather picturesque situated among the vast grove of red bamboo.
At this moment, two men were sitting cross-legged across from one another at a low stone table. There was a simple chess board placed in the middle of the table where a match was being played.
On the left side was an old man with fiery red hair who, despite his aged appearance, had a bright complexion and skin that seemed youthful and vibrant as a thick imposing manner surrounded his body.
Opposite him was a middle-aged man wearing a golden robe with a golden crown on his head.
In addition to these two, a middle-aged man was standing motionlessly roughly a hundred metres away like a statue, only glancing towards the two seated men occasionally, his face flashing a trace of yearning.
The red-haired old man and the golden-crowned man were engaged in a battle of wits.
The red-haired old man made his moves extremely quickly, often not even needing to think about the position of his pieces before moving them with his fingers. On the other hand, the man with the golden crown often frowned and thought hard about each move he made.
On the chessboard, the black pieces belonging to the red-haired old man seemed to take a commanding position, encircling the golden-crowned man’s white forces.
As time passed, the golden-crowned man took longer and longer to make each move, his expression turning more and more cautious.
The red-haired old man did not rush his opponent though, instead just closing his eyes and maintaining mental tranquillity while he waited.
At a certain moment, the golden-crowned man suddenly showed a grin, reached out his hand, and with a single move, reversed his unfavourable position, taking a decisive edge.
The red-haired old man’s eyes widened as he stared in astonishment.
After thinking for a long time, the red-haired old man slowly shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Brother Luo Hai’s chess skills have improved greatly, this old master is no longer your opponent.”
The man with the golden crown smiled slightly, “Chi Huo, it is not that my chess skill surpasses yours, it’s that you’re too impatient. Your intentions and actions are written on the board for all to see, this King only needs to examine them to understand your strategy.”
“Acting straightforwardly is not a misdemeanour,” The red-haired old man shook his head and said. “Life is so short, how can one waste so much time thinking about each possibility or consequence of his actions? En, in any case, I have lost this battle.”
“En, it was an interesting match!”
The red-haired old man turned his head towards the side and beckoned to the other figure present.
The scholarly looking man who had been standing a hundred metres away immediately stepped forward, walked over to the two seated men, and saluted respectfully, “Wei Qing greets Supreme Elder, greets Senior Luo Hai!”
Luo Hai nodded lightly, waving his hand to indicate there was no need for formalities.
This scholarly looking man was none other than Wei Qing, the Sect Master of Brilliant Flame Sect, so his position and status were not low. Although Luo Hai was Green Mountains Star’s Star Master, he could not afford to act too arrogantly here. What’s more, he had a good relationship with Brilliant Flame Sect’s Supreme Elder Chi Huo, so Wei Qing could be considered his Junior.
“Why have you come?” Chi Huo raised his head and looked at Wei Qing.
Wei Qing replied respectfully, “Reporting to Supreme Elder, there has been a development in the matter Senior Luo Hai entrusted to us.”
Luo Hai’s eyes flashed brightly but he quickly concealed his burgeoning expectations.
Chi Huo said lightly, “Continue!”
“A few days ago, one of our spies saw Ice Heart Valley’s Thirteenth Elder Yu Xue Qing lead a young man into Pure Ice Island through a Space Array. Although Ice Heart Valley put up a strict guard and our spy did not see the young man’s face clearly, there is a good chance he is the person Senior Luo Hai is looking for.”
After delivering his report, Wei Qing stood aside respectfully and kept silent.
Although on Scarlet Wave Star, his position was under one, above ten million, Wei Qing didn’t dare act out of turn in front of Luo Hai and Chi Huo.
“Brother Luo Hai, what do you think?” Chi Huo turned to Luo Hai.
“Pure Ice Island is Ice Heart Valley’s headquarters, and no man has set foot on it for thousands of years. Them bringing a young man in at such a time shows how much value they place on him. He might very well be the one I am looking for and they plan on trying to use him as some kind of bargaining chip.”
“En, most likely they want to gain Brother Luo Hai’s favour and have you act as a peacemaker to resolve their current crisis,” Chi Huo seemed quite gruff on the outside but his mind was still extremely sharp.
Luo Hai simply laughed and said nothing.
“By the way, Brother Luo Hai, isn’t it about time that you tell this old master what you want with that little boy? What is it about him that can cause a character like you to pay so much attention to him?” Chi Huo asked suspiciously. He had been thinking about this question for a long time but was still unable to come up with any plausible answer.
What masters like Luo Hai cared about was breaking through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm, or Origin King Grade High-Rank artifacts! Besides these two things, in this world, essentially nothing else could even gain so much as a glance from Luo Hai.
A treasure which Luo Hai coveted was something Chi Huo was also extremely concerned about.
But every time Chi Hou attempted to probe Luo Hai’s intentions, he would receive only vague answers, leaving him helpless.
“Didn’t this King tell you? That little boy used his Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation to survive the Blood Prison Trial and his aptitude is also quite good. This King happens to not have any heirs and wants to take him as a Disciple to inherit this King’s legacy!” Luo Hai replied with a smile.
“So that’s how it is! This is a great blessing for that boy,” Chi Lu laughed and nodded while in his mind dismissing this obviously fake answer.
Luo Hai was a Second-Order Origin King and had refined a Star Source, so it was highly likely he would eventually break through to the Third-Order. How could he now be so eager to accept a Legacy Disciple?
Besides, even if he did want to accept a disciple, it would be impossible for him to drag so many people into this matter. If a Second-Order Origin King announced he was looking for a disciple, there would be countless geniuses who flocked to him to fight for the chance, how could Luo Hai chase after a mere boy so doggedly just to force him to be his disciple?”
No matter how Heaven-defying a genius this boy might be, Luo Hai couldn’t go through this much trouble for that alone!
There was definitely more to this than Luo Hai was willing to reveal.
“Since Ice Heart Valley has found that boy, then this King will go pay them a visit,” Luo Hai said, slowly getting up.
“This old master will come with you!” Chi Huo grinned meaningfully.
Luo Hai glanced at him thoughtfully for a moment before nodding, “Good, I’ve heard that Ice Heart Valley’s Pure Ice Grand Array is quite powerful, with Brother Chi Huo accompanying me, this trip will go much more smoothly.”
He didn’t try to refuse.
“Great. By the way, Wei Qing, tell that little bastard boy of yours to come and see this old master. This old master will bring him along to enjoy the scenery of Pure Ice Island!” Chi Huo shouted at Wei Qing again.
“Supreme Elder wants to take Wei Feng to Pure Ice Island?” Wei Qing was startled and said in a half-panic, “But that boy…”
He knew better than anyone the character of his son.
As the son of a Sect Master, Wei Feng’s aptitude was actually quite poor. Over the years, Wei Qing had used countless pills and magical resources to try to improve his son’s cultivation, but even so, Wei Feng had barely managed to enter the First-Order Origin Returning Realm.
Although Wei Feng had indeed reached the Origin Returning Realm, he was still unable to condense his Shi at all!
In this lifetime, his son would likely never reach beyond the First-Order Origin Returning Realm and would never possess the strength an Origin Realm cultivator should have.
In other words, Wei Feng was just a bit stronger than a peak level Saint King, and any Origin Realm master who had condensed their Shi to any extent would easily be able to defeat him.
The Supreme Elder had always disliked Wei Feng, feeling he was a disgrace to the Sect, and had even severely injured him once with a palm.
But today, why did the Supreme Elder say he wanted to take Wei Feng to Pure Ice Island?
“Enough nonsense, since I’ve made a decision, you simply need to follow it! It’s not like this old master is planning to kill him!” Chi Huo always had a short temper and shouted angrily when he saw Wei Qing hesitate.
“Yes!” A trace of fright flashed across Wei Qing’s face as he quickly stepped back.
Luo Hai frowned and turned to Chi Huo, not knowing what he was doing.
Pure Ice Island was no ordinary place, and even if Luo Hai was a Second-Order Origin King, he was still wary of the Pure Ice Grand Array that protected Ice Heart Valley. He and Chi Huo going alone would be the optimum plan, so why were they now trying to bring along a mere Junior?
What’s more, Chi Huo clearly disliked this Junior very much.
After frowning for a moment, however, Luo Hai suddenly understood something and shook his head with a wry smile.
Chi Huo laughed and said, “Brother Luo Hai, this time, this old master will have to borrow a bit of your momentum.”
“Only this time, but don’t go too far. Luo Li’s strength is not bad and if you really push her into a desperate situation where she uses the Pure Ice Grand Array, you and I will both suffer.”
“This old master naturally understands this, Brother Luo Hai. There is no need to worry.”
Not long after, Wei Qing returned with a young man.
This young man had good looks, but his sallow complexion and the dark circles under his eyes ruined his appearance. On top of that, at a glance, it was obvious he was the type to indulge in wine and women, putting up a strong front while actually being weak and cowardly.
When he came here, the young man was shivering and his face was pale as he constantly kept gulping, his eyes glancing towards Chi Huo in fear and horror.
Although he was already an Origin Returning Realm cultivator, he behaved like an ordinary mortal without the strength to truss up a chicken, hiding behind Wei Qing as if trying to seek shelter, not daring to face Chi Huo directly.
Chi Huo glanced at him and coldly snorted, a look of contempt and disdain clearly covering his face.
“Supreme Elder, I’ve brought Feng’er,” Wei Qing said helplessly.
“Good, you may leave,” Chi Huo waved his hand at Wei Qing.
Wei Qing opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent in the end, simply sighing while looking back at his son and shaking his head slowly before quickly leaving.
Wei Feng immediately fell into a panic as he watched his father’s disappearing back and cried out, “Father…”
“Shut up!” Chi Huo shouted.
Wei Feng was so frightened he nearly collapsed to the ground in terror as he struggled to turn his head and look at Chi Huo, his face lacking any form of colour.
He had no idea why the Supreme Elder had summoned him. He had an extraordinary status in Brilliant Flame Sect and could rely on his father’s power and strength to do as he pleased, but before the Supreme Elder, he was not worth a fart.
If the Supreme Elder wanted to kill him, even his father could not do anything.
“Su… Supreme… Elder… disciple has… has spent the p… p… past few days be… behind closed doors, c… cultivating i… in the Sect. I… I haven’t made a… any mistakes, p… please understand… Supreme Elder… don’t… don’t kill me… please!” Wei Feng stuttered and fumbled over his words as he whimpered like a baby, snot dripping from his nose as he knelt on the ground and kowtowed vigorously, knocking his head against the ground repeatedly.
The contempt and disgust in Chi Huo’s eyes rapidly grew stronger.
Luo Hai on the side also slowly shook his head, frowning as he said, “Wei Qing is worthy of being the future pillar of Brilliant Flame Sect, so how did his son end up as such a waste?”
“Defeated by a loving mother!” Chi Huo coldly snorted as he angrily glared at Wei Feng and shouted, “This old master orders you to stand up!”
Wei Feng yelped in panic but dared not refuse, quickly getting to his feet but still hunching over as his tears continued to pour down while he squeezed out a flattering smile, his face an utter ugly mess.
“Can you not even stand up straight you good-for-nothing waste?!” Chi Huo’s heart filled with grievances as he stepped forward and slapped Wei Feng twice.
With two crisp slaps, Wei Feng felt that his face had been beaten out of shape and gone completely numb.
Chi Huo was an Origin King Realm master, so even if he did not use any of his cultivation’s power, a casual slap would be enough to shatter Wei Feng’s body. Fortunately, Chi Huo still had a use for Wei Feng, so he couldn’t kill the latter here.
Grabbing Wei Feng’s neck and lifting him up like a butchered chicken, Chi Huo said coldly, “Boy, today is your lucky day. Weren’t you obsessed with a certain female disciple from Ice Heart Valley? This old master is going to bring you to Pure Ice Island to obtain her!”
“Huh?” Wei Feng wore a blank look as he stared at Chi Huo, seemingly never having expected the Supreme Elder to have called him here for this.
After a moment of stunned silence, Wei Feng became overjoyed and said eagerly, “Does Supreme Elder really mean it?”
Su Yan’s exquisite face, which seemed to be carved from the purest ice jade, suddenly flashed before his eyes, causing Wei Feng to tremble with excitement.
“Do you think this Supreme Elder will crack a joke with you?” Chi Huo snickered.
“But… but what if Ice Heart Valley refuses to give her up?” Wei Feng asked.
“They have no choice but to accept. Regardless of anything else, you are still the son of my Brilliant Flame Sect’s Sect Master and possess extraordinary status. Marrying you is an extreme honour for a mere Ice Heart Valley female disciple. Even if they want to refuse, they won’t be able to!”
“That’s right, that’s right…” Wei Feng’s excitement had completely overwhelmed his fear and he repeatedly nodded to Chi Huo and began to fantasize about all the things he would do once he obtained Su Yan, a stupid and obscene grin appearing on his face.
Luo Hai watched faintly from the side and shook his head slowly.
He naturally understood why Chi Huo was doing this, it was nothing more than another method to suppress and humiliate Ice Heart Valley.
Chi Huo was using this opportunity to borrow from Luo Hai’s prestige, something he had admitted to a moment ago.
But Luo Hai did not care. The struggles on Scarlet Wave Star had nothing to do with him. He came here only for Yang Kai. Since Chi Huo only wanted to make use of his power to gain a small advantage, Luo Hai was willing to accept.
After he ate the meat, Luo Hai could not stop Chi Huo from drinking the soup. As long as Chi Huo didn’t pursue the real reason he wanted to find Yang Kai, Luo Hai wouldn’t object.
“Brother Luo Hai, let’s go!” Chi Huo turned to Luo Hai while still gripping Wei Feng in his hand.
Luo Hai nodded and the two immediately turned into streams of light, disappearing from the bamboo forest and flying straight towards Pure Ice Island which was a few million kilometres away.
—
Pure Ice Island, the Outer Island.
Yang Kai was sitting in meditation in the guest room he was provided while trying to think of a way to meet with Su Yan.
He couldn’t set foot on the Inner Island, so if he wanted to meet Su Yan, he had to somehow get her to come to the Outer Island.
However, Yang Kai soon realized that Su Yan had no intention to come out and meet him as her aura remained essentially stationary somewhere on the Inner Island.
[Is she at a critical point in her cultivation and cannot move?] Yang Kai was puzzled. If it were not for her cultivation being at some kind of turning point, he was certain Su Yan would have come out to see him by now.
Yang Kai never suspected that Su Yan was not at a critical juncture in her cultivation but had been put under house arrest by Ran Yun Ting.
But now that he was here on Pure Ice Island and knew that Su Yan was only a few hundred kilometres away, Yang Kai no longer felt rushed.
There would certainly be a moment when they reunited.
After their last spiritual communication was disturbed, Yang Kai did not dare to reach out to Su Yan in the same manner. He was a mere guest here while Su Yan was in the Sect’s inner sanctuary, if he acted rashly, it would only backfire on him.
And so, he waited patiently for the right opportunity.
The next day, Yang Kai was still sitting in meditation when suddenly he opened his eyes and called out loudly, “I don’t know which Senior has come, but Junior offers his humble greetings.”
A soft voice came from outside the door, “This Queen is Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master.”
A hint of surprise flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes; although he knew that there would definitely be a high-level Elder from Ice Heart Valley coming to meet him at some point, he hadn’t expected the one to come would be the Valley Master herself!
Ice Heart Valley’s Bing Long was a character Yang Kai had heard about from Qing Ya. Bing Long was the strongest master beneath Ice Heart Valley’s Supreme Elder Luo Li and was rumoured to be on the verge of breaking through to the Origin King Realm.
Did Ice Heart Valley really take his existence so seriously?
With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai opened the front door and stood up solemnly to greet this visitor.
Two women walked in from outside, both beautiful middle-aged women. The one in front wore a temperate but dignified smile and exuded a type of noble grace as she lightly stepped forward.
However, the woman who followed wore an ice-cold expression, and even though this was the first time they had met, Yang Kai could sense some inexplicable hostility coming from her.
Yang Kai frowned and wondered why this woman seemed to have a prejudice against him.
Bing Long stopped ten metres in front of Yang Kai, swept her eyes over him, and gently asked, “Are you Yang Kai?”
“Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Bing Long!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Bing Long nodded lightly, “Truly a dragon amongst men, your aura is calm yet profound, no wonder you were able to kill Jiang Xi and Yan Chi Lei so easily. For the act of saving Junior Sister Yu, this Queen offers her sincere thanks.”
Yang Kai shook his head and replied politely, “Junior was simply protecting himself; Valley Master need not be so polite.”
After saying so, Yang Kai turned a curious look at the beautiful woman behind Bing Long and asked, “This is…”
“This is my Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder!” Bing Long introduced.
Yang Kai raised his brow as he realized that this beautiful woman was actually Su Yan’s master!
And judging from her aura, Yang Kai could tell that she was the one who interfered with the spiritual connection between him and Su Yan yesterday!
[She seemed to have a deep prejudice and hostility towards me… Have I done something to offend her?] Yang Kai frowned in confusion.
Even thinking so, Yang Kai still cupped his fists again and said, “So it is Great Elder, Junior has been disrespectful!”
Ran Yun Ting just snorted coldly, not reciprocating any politeness with Yang Kai.
A trace of astonishment flashed across Bing Long’s eyes as she saw this and wondered what Great Elder was trying to do here, but she hurriedly took control of the conversation, “Great Elder and I have arrived here uninvited, please don’t take offence.”
“Valley Master must be joking; this is Pure Ice Island. This Junior is merely a guest here. Junior should be apologizing for failing to take the initiative to visit and offer his greetings.”
A hint of approval appeared on Bing Long’s face. She felt that Yang Kai was not only a cultivation genius but was also quite humble and polite, vastly different from other rising stars of the younger generation. Most of the so-called young handsome men had eyes atop their heads and acted insufferably arrogantly, doing whatever they wanted and parading around their strength as if they hoped everyone would know their strength. These young rising stars all seemed to lack the virtue of respecting the old and caring for the young.
Bing Long’s first impression of Yang Kai was quite good.
Bing Long and Ran Yun Ting then sat down at a small ice table with Yang Kai while a female disciple from Ice Heart Valley served tea.
Yang Kai did not know why these two had come here at this time, so he didn’t dare speak rashly, simply sipping his tea while waiting quietly for them to reveal their purpose.
Ran Yun Ting on the other hand had been glaring at Yang Kai since he took his seat, as if she was trying to pierce him with her sharp gaze.
Fortunately, Bing Long took the initiative to make some small talk with Yang Kai, asking him a few irrelevant questions to lighten the atmosphere.
After a cup of tea, Bing Long suddenly asked, “Little Brother Yang is not a Scarlet Wave Star cultivator, right?”
Yang Kai knew that she was trying to obtain some background information on him, but he didn’t have a reason to conceal something so simple so he nodded and replied, “Indeed, I am not from Scarlet Wave Star.”
“Then where does Little Brother Yang come from?”
“My homeland is Tong Xuan Realm!”
“Tong Xuan Realm?” Bing Long frowned, apparently never having heard of such a place.
On the other hand, Ran Yun Ting’s phoenix eyes narrowed, and a faint light flashed across their depths.
Bing Long had never heard of Tong Xuan Realm, but she had.
After all, Su Yan also came from Tong Xuan Realm!
[This brat really is the one who sullied Su Yan’s innocence! This little animal is preventing her from reaching the peak of the Martial Dao!]
A faint murderous intent began leaking from her body as Ran Yun Ting thought of this, and although it was extremely faint, Bing Long still noticed it. After shooting a glance towards Ran Yun Ting suspiciously, Bing Long found that Yang Kai seemed to be unaware of this ill-intent so she did not make a fuss and instead smiled slightly, “It looks like this Queen is somewhat ignorant and uninformed as she has never heard of such a star before.”
“Senior need not improperly belittle herself, my homeland is extremely barren and has no contact with the wider Star Field, so it is normal to not have heard of it.”