“The Heavenly Blessings Frozen Pond is the ultimate Restricted Area of my Ice Heart Valley. No one is allowed to enter without explicit permission. The cold pool is divided into twelve layers, and the lower one goes, the higher the difficulty and the greater the danger, but the more benefits one can obtain,” Luo Li looked at Yang Kai and continued to explain.
“Oh? How deep has Senior managed to descend?” Yang Kai asked with interest.
“The deepest this Queen has managed to dive was the eighth layer,” Luo Li said with some slight embarrassment.
“Su Yan is inside?”
“En, her aptitude is superb, and she possesses an Ice Crystal Jade Body. Originally, I wanted to wait a few more years before allowing her to enter this place to seek opportunities, but she has now managed to break through to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm far ahead of when I anticipated, so she has the qualifications to enter the cold pond. Although she is no longer my Ice Heart Valley’s disciple, this can be considered a parting gift from this Queen.”
“If that is the case, I offer Senior my thanks.”
Naturally, he understood that Luo Li had done this to ease the relationship between Ice Heart Valley and him. In any case, allowing Su Yan to enter this Heavenly Blessings Frozen Pond wouldn’t have any detriments and could improve his opinion of Ice Heart Valley.
Luo Li smiled lightly, “This is what Ice Heart Valley owes her, Young Master Yang need not be so polite. En, she should be coming out soon, so it is just a question of how far down she was able to dive.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s expression changed, and from his connection, he realized that Su Yan’s aura was truly rising up slowly from this deep pond.
A short time later, a small vortex suddenly appeared on the surface of the water and released a profound chill from deep below.
Soon, a beautiful figure’s shadow flew out from this vortex.
A bit of cold light flashed along with this beautiful figure’s appearance, forcing Yang Kai to narrow his eyes. Even with his current strength, he could not help feeling a chill on his skin, like a million tiny needles were piercing him when this cold light shone upon him.
Yang Kai’s expression turned to one of shock as he stared towards the source of this cold light.
“This is…” Luo Li was also shocked as she stared up into the sky.
Up above, Su Yan’s figure stood quietly, motionless as an extremely tyrannical frozen aura pulsed from her right hand. In her grasp, there was a meter-long shining sword.
The stinging cold light was emanating from this long sword.
Yang Kai and Luo Li’s eyes instantly fixed on the long sword, the former flashing a smile as warm as the sun while the latter could not help trembling with shock.
The sword held by Su Yan was slightly strange in shape. Although it was a meter long, it was far slenderer than a normal sword of such length. The sharp aura it gave off was also quite astonishing.
The cold light shone without restraint from this sword as Su Yan held it in one hand while caressing it with her other.
The sword gave off a light hum as the cold light it was emitting suddenly transformed into a terrifyingly cold field centred around Su Yan.
Pure Ice Peak, which was already extremely cold, suddenly plunged in temperature once more.
The barrier outside the thatched hut creaked under this field, as if it was being overwhelmed and about to collapse.
“Profound Frost?” Luo Li could no longer maintain her composure as she leapt to her feet and exclaimed, her pair of beautiful eyes staring fixedly at the slender sword in Su Yan’s hand, a look of disbelief filling her face.
Yang Kai did not miss her reaction and instantly understood that Su Yan had picked up a big bargain this time, one that Luo Li apparently hadn’t expected her to, so he couldn’t help letting out a hearty laugh.
Su Yan also seemed to have finally recovered at this moment and turning her head, the ice aura suddenly faded and she revealed a warm smile, her tender body flickering as she flew down to the thatched hut and asked, “Junior Brother, why are you here?”
“Senior Luo asked me to come over,” Yang Kai explained with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
He discovered that Su Yan’s aura was extremely calm and stable, becoming far stronger than when they had separated a dozen days ago. Obviously, she had obtained many benefits from this Heavenly Blessings Frozen Pond.
Yang Kai’s gaze then fell on the slender long sword again and after observing it for a moment, Yang Kai, who had seen several Origin King Grade artifacts before, couldn’t help feeling startled.
This slender sword was like a pure condensation of cold energy and was constantly releasing a sharp, invisible aura, one that pierced his mind all on its own, as if it was resisting his investigation.
“Su Yan, this sword… can you let this Queen examine it?” Luo Li composed herself and asked solemnly.
“Please have a look, Supreme Elder!” Su Yan respectfully held up the slender sword and handed it over.
Luo Li reached out and accepted.
A gleam of brilliance flashed across the sword as an unimaginable chill emerged from it and spread towards Luo Li’s body.
Luo Li’s delicate hand was being frozen at a speed visible to the naked eye, with a thin layer of ice quickly condensing on her fair skin.
However, she seemed to have expected this to happen and with a slight flick of her wrist, the ice broke.
Yang Kai raised his brow as he revealed a look of surprise.
This slender sword was truly extraordinary; even without anyone operating it, it could cause some minor trouble for a master like Luo Li. If it was being used consciously by a person, just how powerful would it be?
With this sword alone, Su Yan’s combat power would soar several levels!
This was probably a peak level Origin King Grade artifact! Yang Kai secretly guessed.
“Sure enough, it is Profound Frost!” Luo Li carefully observed the sword and nodded after a long time, a somewhat emotional expression filling her face as she muttered, “This Queen never expected to see Profound Frost in her lifetime.”
Yang Kai could not help asking, “What is the origin of this sword?”
A hint of respect appeared on Luo Li’s face as she solemnly replied, “This is the personal sword of my Ice Heart Valley’s Ancestral Founder: Bing Yun.”
Yang Kai and Su Yan exchanged a look of shock.
Ice Heart Valley had existed for over ten thousand years and it was rumoured that its Ancestral Founder was a peak Third-Order Origin King, a true powerhouse of the Star Field. However, although she had left behind her complete inheritance, throughout Ice Heart Valley’s history, it had never been able to replicate its original glory. The strongest master it had produced after its founding was only a Second-Order Origin King.
In this generation, Luo Li was the only Origin King, and she was only a First-Order.
“This is Ancestral Founder’s sword?” Su Yan was in a daze, but after coming back to her senses she said, “Since it is the Ancestral Founder’s sword, it should be kept by Supreme Elder. Disciple did not know the significance of this sword and only thought it was extremely valuable when she brought it out.”
Luo Li slowly shook her head, “You still calling me Supreme Elder is more than this Queen deserves. As for keeping this sword, hehe… this Queen cannot do that.”
As she spoke, she shook her arm and broke the layer of ice which had covered her arm. If she had not done so, the frost would likely have reached her chest and soon after, frozen her solid.
Luo Li did not dare to continue holding the sword. Reaching out, she handed Profound Frost back to Su Yan and said, “Since you’ve managed to obtain it, you should keep it. This is your opportunity after all! This Queen has no reason to take it back. Ancestral Founder’s last teachings state that Profound Frost will choose its own master, so if this Queen kept it, she would be disobeying Ice Heart Valley’s ancestral precepts. This Queen cannot bear such a sin.”
“But…” Su Yan seemed to want to say something.
“Fate works as so. Profound Frost’s decision is equivalent to Ancestral Founder’s decision,” Luo Li sighed.
If Su Yan was still an Ice Heart Valley disciple and she managed to obtain Profound Frost, Luo Li would feel only joy. However, Su Yan was no longer an Ice Heart Valley disciple, so her being recognized by Profound Frost was nothing less than a huge loss to Ice Heart Valley.
Even so, Luo Li did not dare violate the Ancestral Founder’s teachings.
At this moment, Luo Li very much wanted to ask Su Yan to return to Ice Heart Valley, but when she remembered the attitude she and the other Elders had shown, she was unable to voice such thoughts.
“Since Senior Luo has said so, you should accept it, Su Yan. As long as you keep Ice Heart Valley in your heart, what does it matter if you are an Ice Heart Valley disciple or not?” Yang Kai said indifferently from the side.
Luo Li glanced over at him thoughtfully before nodding in gratitude.
Although Yang Kai had not spoken too clearly, Luo Li was able to understand the meaning behind his words. Though what was broken once could never be fully restored, with the weight of Profound Frost in her hand, if Ice Heart Valley were to really encounter disaster in the future, Su Yan would definitely not just sit back and watch.
This was the best outcome Ice Heart Valley could currently ask for.
“En, Su Yan, since you managed to obtain Profound Frost, that must mean you reached the twelfth layer, yes?” Luo Li suddenly remembered something and asked nervously.
“Disciple does not know how many layers she managed to penetrate, but she did reach the bottom of the pond,” Su Yan replied softly.
“En, the bottom of the pond is the twelfth layer,” Luo Li sighed, “It seems that, with the power of the Ice Phoenix Source added to your body, your future achievements will be much higher than this Queen’s.”
She had cultivated diligently for many years but was still only able to reach the eighty layer. On the contrary, Su Yan managed to reach the twelfth layer of the Frozen Pond on her first attempt. This was more than enough to illustrate the great power of her Ice Phoenix Source.
Without the Ice Phoenix Source, Su Yan would never have been able to accomplish this feat at her current level.
“Since you reached the bottom of the pond, did you manage to find Ancestral Founder’s Origin Essence Crystal?” Luo Li’s expression became even tenser when she asked this.
“Origin Essence Crystal?” Su Yan frowned, “I did not see anything like that. Besides an extremely powerful Domain at the bottom of the pond, there was only Profound Frost. Disciple did not find any Origin Essence Crystal.”
“You truly did not find it!?” Luo Li’s beautiful eyes flashed brightly, as if she was thinking of something, her expression constantly changing. Only after quite some time smiling brightly as she muttered, “It seems the rumours were true after all, haha!”
In the end, she could not help laughing, as if extremely excited.
Yang Kai frowned and asked suspiciously, “What is Senior referring to?”
“My Ice Heart Valley’s Ancestral Founder may not be dead!” Luo Li made a shocking statement!
Yang Kai’s face changed dramatically, and Su Yan could not help covering her mouth in shock.
“Of course, this is only a possibility,” Luo Li smiled lightly, “A grand character like Ancestral Founder could not have fallen easily, and according to my Ice Heart Valley’s ancient books, it was only recorded that Ancestral Founder left behind Profound Frost in the deepest depths of the Heavenly Blessings Frozen Pond, but there was never any mention of whether she fell or not. However, since Ancestral Founder’s Origin Essence Crystal was not at the bottom of the pond, there is a chance she may still be alive!”
When one’s cultivation reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm, an Origin Essence Crystal would be condensed in their body. An Origin Essence Crystal contained the life experiences of an Origin King as well as the accumulation of their insights into the Martial Dao. Even if such a cultivator died, their Origin Essence Crystal would not disappear.
The Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley left Profound Frost at the bottom of the Heavenly Blessings Frozen Pond, but her Origin Essence Crystal was nowhere to be seen, which was enough to raise many suspicions.
She might really still be alive!
Even if this was the case, no one had seen her for over ten thousand years, so there was no way to tell for certain if Ancestral Founder Bing Yun was alive or dead.
This was undoubtedly extremely exciting news for Luo Li nonetheless.
Luo Li turned to look at Yang Kai once more and sighed slightly.
She discovered that if Yang Kai were a disciple of Ice Heart Valley, he would surely bring them a great fortune!
Since his appearance in Ice Heart Valley, there had been too many happy events for them. First, Chi Huo was killed, second, her injuries had been healed, now Profound Frost had reappeared in this world, and if what Su Yan had seen was any indication, there was a chance Ice Heart Valley’s Ancestral Founder may still be alive somewhere in this universe…
This series of events were all excellent news for Ice Heart Valley.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai was a man, so he couldn’t join Ice Heart Valley, not to mention he did not hold a very good impression of them in the first place.
“Senior, it’s time we go to Brilliant Flame Sect,” Yang Kai suddenly said.
“En,” Luo Li nodded when she heard these words, “It is indeed time.”
Turning her gaze towards the distance, a strong light flashed across her eyes.
From now on, Scarlet Wave Star would be dominated by Ice Heart Valley!
…..
A fleet of five Starships took off from Pure Ice Island a few days later. These five Starships carried a total of three thousand Ice Heart Valley elites as they sailed towards Brilliant Flame Mountain Range.
Ice Heart Valley was one of the top two Sects on Scarlet Wave Star, so it had its own Starships.
However, Yang Kai could tell that there was only one Origin Grade High-Rank Starship, which served as a flagship of sorts, while the other four were only Origin Grade Mid-Rank.
The quality was incomparable to the one he possessed.
Evidently, Origin King Grade Starships were extremely rare even when the entire Star Field was taken into consideration.
To lay siege to Brilliant Flame Sect and thoroughly destroy it, Luo Li chose to use these Starships, as they were powerful mobile fortresses.
The disciples of Ice Heart Valley also knew the purpose of this expedition, so all of them wore solemn and fierce expressions.
Countless years of conflict made the feud between Ice Heart Valley and Brilliant Flame Sect incredibly deep, unable to be resolved in any other way than total victory. Many of these disciples had seen their Senior and Junior Sisters die tragically at the hands of Brilliant Flame Sect cultivators, and because they were all women, once one of them was captured alive, their fate would be worse than death.
Knowing that their Supreme Elder was personally leading a crusade against Brilliant Flame Sect, these three thousand elites immediately took the initiative to volunteer. All of them enthusiastically participated in this war and could not wait to charge into Brilliant Flame Mountain Range to destroy their hated enemy once and for all.
The fleet moved extremely fast, and although Ice Heart Valley was several million kilometres from Brilliant Flame Sect, it only took a few days for the five Starships to arrive outside Brilliant Flame Mountain Range.
At the head of the flagship, Luo Li stood looking into the distance as a group of high-level Ice Heart Valley Elders stood behind her.
Yang Kai and Su Yan were also present amongst this group.
“This is Brilliant Flame Mountain Range?” Yang Kai looked around with some admiration.
This mountain range looked like a long dragon laying on the ground that stretched on and on for tens of thousands of kilometres.
More importantly, this entire mountain range possessed a rich Fire Attribute aura, a faint red-light halo seemingly surrounding the mountains themselves.
Even the ambient temperature here was quite warm.
“En, this is Brilliant Flame Mountain Range. There is a giant Fire Dragon Earth Vein buried beneath this place which matches perfectly with Brilliant Flame Sect’s Secret Arts, allowing its disciples to cultivate very rapidly in this environment,” Bing Long explained softly to Yang Kai.
“Hmph, starting today, there will be no more Brilliant Flame Sect here,” Ran Yun Ting coldly snorted.
As soon as she spoke these words, she suddenly seemed to sense something, turned her gaze towards a certain spot, and stretched out her hand to grasp towards the void.
Accompanied by a panicked shout, a cultivator wearing Brilliant Flame Sect robes was dragged up and thrown onto the deck of the ship by Ran Yun Ting from the forest down below.
This person appeared middle-aged and did not have an extremely high cultivation, only First-Order Origin Returning Realm. His Fire Attribute Saint Qi was easily suppressed by Ran Yun Ting and after falling on the ship, seeing such a variety of beauties, he couldn’t help gulping as he immediately understood what his situation was and shouted, “Ice Heart Valley, why have you appeared here? So aggressively invading my Brilliant Flame Mountain Range, are you planning to start a war with my Brilliant Flame Sect?”
“Start a war?” Ran Yun Ting sneered, “Since when has my Ice Heart Valley and your Brilliant Flame Sect been at peace?”
The cultivator’s expression stagnated as he became speechless.
Indeed, the two great forces that dominated Scarlet Wave Star had never once called a truce. Small conflicts continued to happen without end, but a blatant full-scale invasion like this had never occurred before.
“What are your intentions here?” The Brilliant Flame Sect cultivator apparently had some backbone so even though he was facing so many masters whose strength far exceeded his own, he was still able to ask questions clearly.
“What are our intentions?” Ran Yun Ting sneered, “Naturally we’re here to trample your Brilliant Flame Sect flat!”
This cultivator turned pale as he stared at Ran Yun Ting with wide eyes, seemingly trying to tell if she was telling the truth or just bluffing.
“Your cultivation isn’t bad, and it seems your status in Brilliant Flame Sect isn’t low. Fine, scram back to your Sect and tell Wei Qing to wash his neck and wait for me, Ran Yun Ting, to claim his head.”
“Ran Yun Ting!?” The cultivator cried out in terror.
He naturally knew who Ice Heart Valley’s Great Elder was and what her reputation was like. Turning his head around, he quickly discovered that every woman here had a cultivation which far surpassed his own and could only shout out instinctually, “My Brilliant Flame Sect’s Supreme Elder will not let this pass!”
“You mean that old monster Chi Huo?” Ran Yun Ting sneered, “Don’t you know? Chi Huo is already dead.”
“Supreme Elder is dead?” The man’s eyes bulged as he parroted hoarsely, “Impossible, Supreme Elder is an Origin King, who among you has the ability to kill him?”
“Is that so? Go ask Wei Qing yourself then, this Elder has no time to talk nonsense with you!” Ran Yun Ting stopped talking, reached out, and tossed the hapless man off the Starship.
Regaining his balance mid-air, the cultivator hurriedly flew off while occasionally glancing back at the five imposing Starships behind him, pushing his Saint Qi to its limits so he could report this news to the Sect’s leaders as quickly as possible.
“En, sending a warning ahead is only proper. Allowing them some time to prepare will prevent them from slandering this Luo Li as someone who bullies the weak,” Luo Li, who hadn’t been paying attention to the previous situation, simply said lightly as the Brilliant Flame Sect cultivator disappeared from sight.
The fleet continued to move forward at a pace neither swift nor slow; however, the invisible and terrifying pressure quickly began spreading across Brilliant Flame Mountain Range from their presence.
A stick of incense worth of time later, chaos erupted inside Brilliant Flame Sect’s headquarters.
“Ice Heart Valley is actually attacking?”
“How dare they!”
“It seems that the lessons they have received this past year weren’t enough. Haha, good, since they’ve come of their own accord, we can teach them again, ruthlessly.”
“I heard that all of Ice Heart Valley’s top Elders are country toppling beauties, but there has never been an opportunity to capture one of them before. Now that they’ve delivered themselves to our door, this old master can snatch a few of them and train them well.”
“Elder Qi, at your age, you’re still interested in such pursuits?”
“Hmph, this old master’s prowess only grows stronger with age, why wouldn’t he be able to satisfy a few cheap sluts?”
“En, those sluts will definitely submit to Elder Qi’s might.”
A group of Elders all boasted and blustered heartily, not feeling at all anxious after hearing that Ice Heart Valley was attacking and instead feeling quite excited. Thinking of the screams they would pull from these tender women before they died or when they were devastating them put all the Elders into high spirits.
Ravaging a pure and innocent beauty, especially one that was unwilling, had always provoked the bestial instincts of men.
And the women of Ice Heart Valley were undoubtedly the purest of them all.
“Sect Master, please order us into battle immediately, we need to meet them head-on!” Many of the Elders called out to Wei Qing, who was sitting at the head of the hall.
However, when Wei Qing heard all these cries, all he could do was sweep his eyes around as a deep anxiety covered his face.
“Sect Master, you…” Wei Qing’s demeanour made many Elders furrow their brows and the noise inside the hall gradually subsided as everyone turned to him suspiciously.
“Catastrophe has come to Brilliant Flame Sect!” Wei Qing sighed.
The expressions of all the Elders changed when they heard these words.
“Sect Master, what do you mean?” One of the Elders who had spoken before wore a solemn expression and asked, “Ice Heart Valley is indeed strong, but since they dared to violate my Brilliant Flame Sect’s territory, all we need to do is defeat them and send them back, how could this be a catastrophe for my Brilliant Flame Sect?”
“Because… Supreme Elder may have already fallen.”
As soon as this statement came out, the audience fell silent.
Only after a long silence passed did one Elder ask hesitantly, “How is that possible? Sect Master, are you making some kind of joke?”
“At this time, how could this King make such a bad joke?” Wei Qing said solemnly.
“But… How could Supreme Elder fall? Wasn’t Supreme Elder entertaining Sir Luo Hai in his residence in the mountains?”
Wei Qing rubbed his forehead as he explained, “A few months ago, Supreme Elder and Sir Luo Hai left Brilliant Flame Sect and went to Ice Heart Valley, but they have not returned since then.”
“That doesn’t mean Supreme Elder has fallen though,” Some could not believe it and still held onto a glimmer of hope, but even while speaking this conjecture they did not have much confidence in their voices.
If the Supreme Elder had not fallen, how could this have happened? Why hadn’t he simply returned to Brilliant Flame Sect?
If Supreme Elder had not fallen, how could Ice Heart Valley dare act so aggressively?
Ice Heart Valley obviously knew the truth of this situation and was using this opportunity to launch an attack.
“Ice Heart Valley’s Luo Li could not possibly have killed the Supreme Elder! Could it be… Sir Luo Hai?” Someone exclaimed.
Only Luo Hai could kill their Supreme Elder on this star. However, wasn’t it rumoured that the two of them had a good relationship? Moreover, when Sir Luo Hai visited Scarlet Wave Star this time, he had been a guest at Brilliant Flame Sect for over a year, so why would he suddenly launch a deadly attack against their Supreme Elder?
“It was not Sir Luo Hai,” Wei Qing shook his head with a heavy expression, “Sir Luo Hai… also fell.”
“What?”
Gasps sounded all around as everyone in the hall showed a look of shock. All of Brilliant Flame Sect’s Elders turned incredulous gazes towards Wei Qing as the words he just spoke were even more unbelievable than the fall of their Supreme Elder.
“There is no need to doubt. I have received a message from Green Mountains Star two months ago saying the statue of their Star Master shattered and Sir Luo Hai’s Soul Brand, which was encased within it, disappeared. He has indeed fallen, and considering the timing, it should have happened during the few days he went to Ice Heart Valley together with Supreme Elder.”
“Supreme Elder and even Sir Luo Hai fell… who in Ice Heart Valley has such skill?”
“That’s right, a few months later, weren’t there earth-shattering energy fluctuations emanating from Ice Heart Valley? Could they be related to that matter?”
“Could it have been Ice Heart Valley’s Ancestral Founder? This old master has heard some rumours saying she has not died.”
“How could that be? Ice Heart Valley was founded more than ten thousand years ago. If their Ancestral Founder had really not died, why has she not shown up before now?”
“What’s the point of speculating about this now? Ice Heart Valley has already reached our borders! Right now, we need to quickly devise a way of dealing with them.”
“How are we supposed to deal with them? My Brilliant Flame Sect’s Supreme Elder has already fallen, and Ice Heart Valley’s Luo Li will definitely take action personally. No one from Brilliant Flame Sect can resist her!”
“Stop with your cowardly drivel! Even if Luo Li has come personally, this old master pledges to fight! If this old master is to die here today, he will at least do so after landing a blow on her!”
…..
After learning that Chi Huo had died, the group of Elders no longer had the same carefree attitudes they had before as all of them began expressing their own opinions of how to proceed with solemn expressions.
Wei Qing sat at the head of the hall without saying a word, as if he were just an outside observer.
After a long time, he raised his hand and the noisy hall instantly became silent, with everyone turning their attention towards him.
“Enough, calm down!” Wei Qing said lightly, “Ice Heart Valley is threatening our borders as we speak, and although this may be the greatest catastrophe my Brilliant Flame Sect has ever faced, if we handle this properly, we may yet emerge from this predicament intact. Luo Li is indeed an Origin King Realm master and none of us on our own are her opponent, but do not forget that they are the attackers while we are the defenders. We can take advantage of our Sect Defending Array to consume their strength, and… the rumours say that Luo Li experienced a cultivation dissonance recently and suffered backlash as a result, so she should not be able to display her full strength.”
“Exactly! What Sect Master says is correct, we are the defenders here so we have the advantage!”
“Jie Jie… don’t forget, we still have that thing as well! If we let that thing out, even Luo Li won’t get off easily!” Someone laughed strangely as a smile filled with madness filled his face.
Others also quickly realized what this old man was talking about and their expressions grew serious.
Even Wei Qing’s expression became more solemn as he pondered for a moment before saying, “Unless we have no other choice, that thing cannot be released! Transmit my orders, have all disciples prepare to meet the enemy. Today, we fight to the death!”
“Fight!” All the Elders shouted together.
….
Ice Heart Valley’s five Starships slowly sailed towards the depths of Brilliant Flame Mountain Range, approaching Brilliant Flame Sect’s headquarters at a steady pace.
Some Spirit Arrays and barriers appeared along the way to obstruct their advance, but none were able to dampen Ice Heart Valley’s momentum. Often, it only took a single volley of the Starships’ Crystal Cannons to destroy these barriers.
“Bing Long, go on ahead and announce that this Queen is only here to punish the leaders of Brilliant Flame Sect and that any disciples who leave now will not be targeted. Anyone who remains by the time my Ice Heart Valley’s Starships arrive will be considered enemies and shown no mercy,” Luo Li suddenly said.
“Yes!” Bing Long cupped her fists and flew off.
Soon, Bing Long’s Divine Sense spread out widely, conveying the message that only the Elders of Brilliant Flame Sect were targets of their assault while the common disciples were of no concern to them.
When Brilliant Flame Sect received this message, all of the Elders and leaders couldn’t help cursing Bing Long for her despicable behaviour, debasing her as a shameless and lowly slut.
Brilliant Flame Sect had tens of thousands of disciples, and although their cohesion was not frail, not all of them would choose to die with the Sect when facing this life or death crisis. Also, Bing Long deliberately spread the news that their pillar of support, Supreme Elder Chi Huo, had fallen, causing much panic and fear amongst the Brilliant Flame Sect disciples.
It was not long before some began fleeing from Brilliant Flame Mountain Range.
Once they discovered a deserter, the higher-ups of Brilliant Flame Sect would act decisively, killing a few to warn the many.
Although this bloody and cruel method temporarily deterred most of the common disciples, more and more Brilliant Flame Sect’s people became panicked and tried to flee as time passed.
Streams of light rose from many different places inside Brilliant Flame Sect, speeding away in all directions.
Luo Li quickly released her powerful Divine Sense to envelop all of Brilliant Flame Mountain Range.
The cultivators below the Origin Returning Realm were allowed to escape, but any Origin Realm master who tried was personally executed by Luo Li.
Any Brilliant Flame Sect cultivator that had reached the Origin Realm had the blood of countless Ice Heart Valley disciples on their hands, so Luo Li was naturally not about to let them escape.
Soon, the disciples with cultivations below the Origin Realm also discovered this situation and they immediately rejoiced, many of them ignoring the threats from their leaders and fleeing with all haste.
For a time, Brilliant Flame Sect became chaotic as even the Elders and Deacons’ bloody methods of suppression were unable to salvage the situation.
“Senior Luo Li, I’ll be going on ahead,” Yang Kai’s gaze suddenly landed on a mountain at the back of Brilliant Flame Mountain Range.
Luo Li also turned to look in that direction, understood what Yang Kai’s intentions were, and did not try to stop him, simply exhorting, “Be careful.”
Yang Kai gently nodded.
“Junior Brother, do you want me to accompany you?” Su Yan asked.
“No, you can stay here with Senior Luo Li,” Yang Kai waved his hand before disappearing from the flagship. When he reappeared, he was already a thousand metres away.
Luo Li’s beautiful eyes shrank slightly.
Only now did she realize how Yang Kai was able to escape from Luo Hai’s pursuit for several months.
Based on this profound Movement Skill alone, any ordinary Origin King would have no way to catch him. Even she was unable to see how he moved despite standing right next to him.
Was this the mysterious Dao of Space?
Luo Li wore a look of interest on her face as she took a moment to observe Yang Kai carefully, but no matter how she tried, she was unable to comprehend anything about how he used Space Force, simply feeling that everything around him blurred momentarily before he disappeared and reappeared.
With a slight sigh, Luo Li retracted her gaze as she confirmed that the Dao of Space was not something she could fathom. Immediately, she focused her attention back on Brilliant Flame Sect.
At the deepest depths of Brilliant Flame Mountain Range, there was a barren, extremely high temperature thousand-metre high mountain.
Standing at the base of this mountain and looking up, one could vaguely see a bright red light at its peak.
This volcanic crater was extremely active and the energy aura which diffused from it not only contained a potent Fire Attribute, but also an overbearing Thunder Attribute.
Inside the volcano was a hideous, suppressed aura, one that was filled with brutality and ferocity, making any who approached shudder.
“This must be it,” Yang Kai arrived at the base of the mountain and muttered thoughtfully.
This time, he did not intend to intervene in the battle between Ice Heart Valley and Brilliant Flame Sect. His only goal was Brilliant Flame Sect’s Heavenly Thunder Fire!
This was an ominous flame creature that even Luo Li feared.
According to the rumours, this creature seemed to have gained sentience and was extremely formidable.
From his Divine Sense investigation, Yang Kai determined that this entire volcanic mountain peak was covered in a powerful Spirit Array.
Yang Kai cast his gaze towards a certain spot in the sky and said with a grin, “Two friends, why show your tails while trying to conceal your heads? Why not just show yourselves openly?”
As soon as Yang Kai spoke these words, a cold snort sounded, and the air rippled as two figures appeared strangely.
It was as if they had appeared from a different world.
The two who appeared were both very old, with white hair and beards, but their cultivations were at the peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and the Fire Attribute Saint Qi radiating from their bodies was extremely hot. The one on the left was tall and thin while the one on the right had dark brownish-red skin. Obviously, these two held high status in Brilliant Flame Sect.
“Boy, who are you?” The skinny Elder stared at Yang Kai and asked in a cold voice.
“Don’t worry about who I am, I just came here to collect this Heavenly Thunder Fire. If two old gentlemen do not mind, could you tell me how to open the Spirit Array blocking this place?” Yang Kai smiled and asked lightly.
“Bold Junior!” The skinny Elder was furious, “You dare covet my Brilliant Flame Sect’s Heavenly Thunder Fire? Out of consideration for your young age and high cultivation, we old masters won’t embarrass you and give you one chance to withdraw peacefully!”
This old man seemed somewhat easy to speak to as he did not try to immediately kill Yang Kai for trespassing into Brilliant Flame Sect’s Restricted Area.
“Old sir is quite kind!” Yang Kai raised his brow as a sarcastic grin appeared on his face. Stomping his foot lightly in the next instant, Yang Kai snickered, “Is this what old sir meant by not embarrassing me?”
*Hong…*
As Yang Kai’s foot fell, the ground suddenly cracked and a fissure spread from his position towards the two old men.
From this fissure, two well-concealed wisps of Fire Attribute energy flew up from a point only a few metres away from Yang Kai.
These two wisps of Fire Attribute energy were like venomous snakes lying in wait to strike out without warning.
“Your vision isn’t bad little brat. Since you’ve already seen through everything, there’s nothing left to discuss. For trespassing into Brilliant Flame Sect’s Restricted Area, you must die!” The skinny Elder did not hesitate after Yang Kai saw through his little trick, immediately removing his hypocritical face and pushing his Saint Qi, causing the wisps of Fire Attribute energy down below to transform into flame pythons that leapt towards Yang Kai.
“Paltry tricks!” Yang Kai laughed loudly as he summoned the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword into his hand and with a single swing sent out a wave of green light that easily split the terrifying flame python in half, causing it to scatter and dissipate.
[Strong!] The two old men both wore solemn expressions when they saw this display.
The Dragon Bone Sword in Yang Kai’s hand released a pressure akin to a giant mountain that pressed down on the two old men from Brilliant Flame Sect, causing their expressions to distort.
A thunderous dragon roar also resounded in their ears, deafening them.
“Take care of them quickly, I’ll be waiting up ahead,” Yang Kai said casually as he waved his hand to release the Stone Puppet and Firebird Artifact Spirit.
After saying so, Yang Kai did not even glance at the two old men again as he calmly stepped forward.
With this one step, Yang Kai seemed to cross over space, his figure flickering and disappearing before reappearing halfway up the mountain.
“Bold!” The skinny Elder’s face flushed as the naked contempt Yang Kai showed them greatly angered him. In an attempt to chase after Yang Kai, he turned his old figure around and prepared to dash off.
But the moment he acted, a jet black stick struck towards him, releasing an incredible pressure as it approached, as if it weighed a million kilograms, even ripping apart the air as it passed through it.
A harsh whipping sound rang in the old man’s eardrums.
The skinny Elder’s face sank as he hurriedly raised his arms to guard himself while simultaneously releasing a blazing flame around his body.
*Hong…*
The flames were instantly snuffed out as the thin Elder responded like he was struck by lightning, his figure flying out several dozen metres before finally stabilizing, his complexion completely pale as blood leaked from the corners of his mouth.
With one blow, he had been slightly injured.
Looking up in shock, the skinny Elder only saw a stone man less than a metre in height standing in front of him, carrying a long black stick on its shoulder, its small beady eyes showing a lifelike intelligence as it stared at him like he was prey.
On the other side, a crisp bird cry rang out as the dark-skinned old man battled the Firebird high up in the sky. The two figures exchanged volleys of flames, creating an intense and dazzling display that shook space itself.
“What the hell is this?” The skinny Elder muttered dumbfoundedly.
He could vaguely tell that the Firebird which was fighting with his companion was some kind of Artifact Spirit, but he had no clue what the stone man in front of him was.
There was no energy fluctuation coming from this thing’s body, but it still radiated a tyrannical aura he could not ignore.
“Ohhhhhhhh…” Xiao Xiao suddenly roared towards the Heavens as he pounded his chest with his fist, raising a resounding clatter that shook the soul like a great war drum.
As this sound rang out, the Stone Puppet, which was less than a metre tall, rapidly grew in size to become a dozen-metre-tall stone giant!
The long black stick it was shouldering also grew proportionally in size.
In addition, a scorching, dark-red light began radiating from the Stone Puppet’s body and covered it with a layer of lava armour in an instant!
This lava armour released a terrifying energy that caused the old man’s heart to clench.
In the next moment, the knees of the lava giant bent and its huge body shot out like an arrow from the string, shaking the earth and opening a giant pit where it once stood.
In a flash, the skinny Elder saw the lava giant rush up to him and swing its giant stick down towards his head with an unstoppable momentum that cracked the very space around him.
Perceiving the terrifying power contained in this attack, the skinny Elder roared as he dared not take it lightly, hastily using his Movement Skill to dodge.
However, despite his rapid reaction, the incoming attack was still faster.
Although he was only grazed by this attack, half his body went numb and his Saint Qi circulation became chaotic.
There was no hope of resistance!
The skinny Elder’s eyes shrank violently as he realized how big the gap between him and this lava giant was.
Before he could compose himself though, the pitch-black stick once again attacked from above, pressing down on him like Mount Tai.
The skinny Elder’s pupils shrank to the size of needles as he desperately pushed his Saint Qi and roared while summoning a shield-like artifact to protect his head.
*Hong Hong…*
The giant stick fell, and the shield artifact shattered into tiny fragments that shot off in all directions.
The power of Xiao Xiao’s attack remained undiminished as it smashed down towards the skinny Elder, pounding half his body into a paste and exposing his internal organs to the open air.
Even with such a grim injury, the skinny Elder did not immediately die, and if he could get his hands on powerful enough pills quick enough, he may even be able to recover.
But the fear that had been pounded into his heart made him lose all fighting spirit.
Staring blankly at the pitch-black giant stick that swept towards him once more, only one thought flickered across his mind.
[What the hell is this…]
At the end of his life, the last scene the skinny Elder saw was his companion being swallowed by the Firebird as the former howled miserably!
The black stick swept across and minced meat flew out, staining the surrounding world in red.
A ball of thunder fire flew out from the corpse of the skinny Elder, and the Firebird Artifact Spirit immediately inhaled it, like a whale drinking water, pulling the thunder fire into its belly before letting out a satisfied cry.
On top of the volcano, Yang Kai stood mid-air, looking down into the fierce volcanic crater that was filled with surging crimson lava as far as he could see.
The intense temperature around the peak of this volcano would be unbearable even for an ordinary Origin Realm master, and any cultivator below the Origin Realm master would certainly be burned to death in an instant just by standing here.
The Artifact Spirit flew over to Yang Kai’s side while the Stone Puppet resumed its harmless appearance, carrying the Heaven Shaking Pillar on its shoulder as it sat atop the Firebird Artifact Spirit.
“That was fast, you guys are also a little too violent.” Yang Kai grinned.
The Stone Puppet scratched his head, as if he did not know what Yang Kai was talking about, while the Artifact Spirit merely let out a cheerful chirp.
“Xiao Xiao, you come back for now,” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and sent the Stone Puppet into the Sealed World Bead, leaving only the Firebird Artifact Spirit behind.
The Firebird flew circles around Yang Kai letting out crisp tweets from time to time, seeming extremely excited, several times almost rushing directly into the volcanic crater.
Along with its cries, however, a thumping sound echoed from deep inside the volcano, as if responding to Firebird’s provocation.
“You can sense it, right?” Yang Kai squinted towards the volcanic crater and grinned.
The Firebird responded affirmatively.
“Can you defeat it?” Yang Kai asked again.
The Firebird went silent for a moment, before letting out an even louder cry.
“Okay, if that’s the case, then I look forward to your success. However, you need to be sure about this; there is no turning back once you begin, and if you don’t succeed, only oblivion will await you!”
The Firebird responded with a loud cry again.
“En, I understand. Then… good luck,” Yang Kai nodded solemnly before immediately waving his hand and summoning a massive Artifact Refining Furnace.
This was the Artifact Refining Furnace that gave birth to the Firebird Artifact Spirit. It was brought out by Yang Kai from the Earth Lung Fire Pond in the fifth layer of the Flowing Flame Sand Field.
It was the Firebird’s true body!
If the Artifact Refining Furnace was destroyed, the Firebird would perish together with it without any doubt.
Since obtaining the Firebird Artifact Spirit, Yang Kai had basically never used this Artifact Refining Furnace, first for the safety of the Artifact Spirit, and secondly because he did not need to use it.
But this time, he had not hesitated to summon this Artifact Refining Furnace.
By coordinating with its true body, the strength the Artifact Spirit could display would increase by at least twenty percent.
As soon as the Artifact Refining Furnace appeared, the Firebird opened its mouth and swallowed it into its belly.
Yang Kai closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, his left eye had become golden in colour.
Demon Eye of Annihilation!
The golden pupil in his left eye now seemed to contain an endless majesty that made all who saw it shudder in fear.
Looking down again, everything which had previously been hidden was revealed to Yang Kai.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation was able to see through all illusions, and with its help, Yang Kai immediately discovered the huge Spirit Array which was sealing the volcanic crater.
Stream of pure energy, like giant shackles, locked the entire volcanic crater from eight different directions.
This Spirit Array not only sealed the violent energy of the volcano inside its caldera, it also chained the creature which was hidden down below in place.
Yang Kai observed carefully for a moment before his eyes flashed with light and he began pouring his Saint Qi into the Dragon Bone Sword in his hand.
A thunderous dragon roar shook the sky.
“Go!” Yang Kai threw out the Dragon Bone Sword.
In a dazzling flash of green light, the Dragon Bone Sword transformed into a giant dark green dragon and bombarded a certain point in the sky with an unstoppable charge.
The Eight Shackles Spirit Array that was sealing the volcanic crater shook slightly as a small gap was opened in it.
A scorching aura immediately burst from this opening, burning everything in its path.
“Enter!” Yang Kai shouted.
The Firebird Artifact Spirit turned into a stream of light and rushed into the opening, quickly followed by Yang Kai.
The Eight Shackles Spirit Array shook slightly before it repaired itself, continuing to seal off the huge volcanic crater.
Inside the Spirit Array, Yang Kai’s face changed slightly as he hurriedly circulated his Saint Qi to resist the pervasive burning heat.
The Firebird meanwhile shot towards the base of the volcanic crater.
Looking around, the magma inside the volcano was rolling, and along the red lava, faintly flashes of blue lightning swam about like snakes. The entire caldera stirred, as if stimulated by the Firebird Artifact Spirit, like a sleeping dragon slowly awakening.
The Artifact Spirit rushed into the magma in the next instant and disappeared.
A moment later, an astonishing pressure suddenly erupted as a thunderous voice rang out.
“A trivial Artifact Spirit dares challenge this King’s majesty? A foolish ant that knows not its place! Tremble before my power!”
Yang Kai’s body trembled as he stared downwards in amazement, his gaze seemingly penetrating the thick magma and staring directly into the depths of the earth.
It seemed the rumours were true. Brilliant Flame Sect’s Heavenly Thunder Fire had indeed obtained sentience, and… this sentience was not low, at least more complete than the Firebird.
It was able to clearly convey its thoughts and meaning while the Firebird obviously did not have such ability.
The Firebird was clearly in a dire situation, causing Yang Kai to worry.
Before coming here, he had not expected the Heavenly Thunder Fire to have evolved to this level. He thought that the Heavenly Thunder Fire was at best on the same level as the Firebird, but now it seemed that the Heavenly Thunder Fire was superior.
Beneath the volcanic crater, a shocking struggle began between the Firebird Artifact Spirit and the Heavenly Thunder Fire, causing the World Energy aura which pervaded Brilliant Flame Sect to tumble.
In front of Brilliant Flame Sect’s headquarters, the elites of Ice Heart Valley, led by Luo Li, broke through countless layers of defensive barriers as they drove towards the center of the Sect.
The five Starships formed a line in the sky and continuously shot volleys of Crystal Cannon fire, bringing death and destruction wherever they went.
Aboard the fleet’s flagship, Luo Li watched indifferently as the Elders of Ice Heart Valley all displayed their might.
In a certain square up ahead, a thousand meters below, at this moment, the leaders of Brilliant Flame Sect had all gathered, led by Wei Qing, all of them wearing ugly expressions as they stared upwards.
Between these two groups, a fiery red-light barrier remained intact.
This was Brilliant Flame Sect’s last defensive barrier, and once it was breached, Brilliant Flame Sect would become completely undefended and fall to the mercy of Ice Heart Valley.
Staring across the barrier and each other for some time, Wei Qing shouted, “Senior Luo Li, is Ice Heart Valley really determined to fight to the death with my Brilliant Flame Sect?”
“Yes!” Luo Li responded immediately.
Wei Qing laughed, “Forcing Senior Luo Li to act personally is my Brilliant Flame Sect’s honour, but… does Senior believe Brilliant Flame Sect is some soft persimmon you can crush at will? If that is the case, Junior must advise Senior to reconsider. If Senior is not prepared for all of us to die here together, Junior advises her to retreat, otherwise Senior will surely regret it!”
“Are you threatening this Queen?” Luo Li’s cold gaze pierced Wei Qing, like a sharp knife, causing even someone as strong as him to stumble back a few steps.
With shock in his heart, he cupped his fists and shouted, “Junior would not dare; however, this Wei Qing is Brilliant Flame Sect’s Sect Master, so he must take into consideration the safety of the Sect’s tens of thousands of disciples. Senior’s cultivation is profound, and there is indeed no one in Brilliant Flame Sect that can serve as your opponent, but if you wish to destroy my Brilliant Flame Sect, know that it will not be as easy as you believe.”
“I know what it is you are relying on!” Luo Li smiled suddenly, “To be honest, this Queen also felt that dealing with that thing would be quite difficult, and if at all possible I do not wish to confront it.”
“If Senior understands, everything can be discussed!” Wei Qing’s face brightened slightly, thinking Luo Li was still worried about acting rashly, lest innocents be hurt.
Unexpectedly though, Luo Li simply smiled even more brightly, “But this Queen is only responsible for dealing with you, as for that thing, someone else will take care of it, so… you’d best surrender quickly. This Queen does not enjoy bullying the weak. As long as you waste your cultivation, this Queen will give you a chance to survive!”
Wei Qing’s face turned angry and was just about to snap back when suddenly his Knowledge Sea rolled as an astonishing and terrifying will spread out from a certain direction, carrying with it a message that caused a chill to run up his back!
“A trivial Artifact Spirit dares challenge this King’s majesty? A foolish ant that knows not its place! Tremble before my power!”
As soon as this voice sounded, a fierce battle erupted at the volcano in the deepest part of Brilliant Flame Sect.
Everyone clearly felt the energy fluctuations from this clash spread out.
Brilliant Flame Sect’s leadership all wore looks of shock as they turned in the direction of this disturbance.
“Who would dare provoke the Heavenly Thunder Fire!” An Elder of Brilliant Flame Sect exclaimed.
“It has already started?” Luo Li narrowed her eyes.
She had apparently still underestimated the speed with which Yang Kai would act. She thought it would take some time before Yang Kai engaged the Heavenly Thunder Fire in battle, but now, she had barely reached her main target with her forces and Yang Kai had already begun.
“You have ten breaths to cripple yourselves. Do so and this Queen will spare your lives. If you still refuse to comply and force this Queen to break this barrier, you will all perish!” At this moment, Luo Li’s temperament, which should have been cold and indifferent, became fierce and aggressive.
The grievances between the two great forces were too deep, reaching the point where they could simply not live under the same sky.
Wei Qing’s expression changed dramatically as he felt the powerful fluctuations coming from the Heavenly Thunder Fire’s Restricted Area and understood that the last card he had to play was no longer available to him. However, crippling himself was naturally impossible.
All cultivators fought against the Heavens throughout their lives, crossing one narrow bridge after another, with countless trillions falling along the way. Wei Qing had spent three hundred years cultivating to the peak of the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm and had high hopes to break through to the Origin King Realm.
How could he be willing to waste his cultivation now?
Rather than linger on in disgrace, it would be better to put his life on the line to fight for a chance to survive.
“To battle!” Wei Qing roared.
Brilliant Flame Sect’s leadership obviously held the same idea as Wei Qing. All of them knew how deep the grievances were between their two Sects and that even if they begged for mercy, there would be none. As such, once Wei Qing cried for war, all the Elders present pushed their Saint Qi, summoned their artifacts, and struck towards the five Starships.
“Death!” Luo Li’s face went cold as she lifted her hand and gently tapped the air in front of her.
She did not make any fancy movements, nor create any spectacular display, but the moment her finger pointed forward, a crystal-clear six-petal snowflake condensed before her.
In the blink of an eye, this six-petal snowflake expanded to cover the entire sky above the square.
A chill that caused all to shiver quickly descended from the sky!
“Endless Frozen Seal!” Bing Long, Ran Yun Ting, and all the other Ice Heart Valley Elders shouted in unison.
Saint Qi surged from all their bodies and gathering together before flooding into the space in front of them.
Wherever their Saint Qi passed, the ground began to freeze.
Snow then began falling from the sky.
Shocking energy fluctuations pulsed from each tiny snowflake and as they landed lightly on the fiery red barrier, it seemed to melt through it, slowly opening holes in Brilliant Flame Sect’s last protective shield.
A region of frozen earth spread out towards the square.
The less powerful Brilliant Flame Sect disciples instantly turned into ice sculptures.
Wei Qing instantly fell into despair, knowing that Brilliant Flame Sect was doomed this time.
With Luo Li taking action personally, all hope was basically lost. Originally, he had been relying on the sealed Heavenly Thunder Fire making Luo Li cautions, but now it had somehow been entangled by some unknown force and was of no use.
Moreover, looking at Luo Li’s appearance and aura, where were there any signs of injury?
She was clearly at her peak!
[Is Brilliant Flame Sect really going to fall today?] Darkness covered Wei Qing’s eyes, as if dark clouds had descended upon him, blocking out any trace of light.
…..
Inside the volcanic crater, Yang Kai landed on a red rock outcropping. This rock was extremely hot, and Yang Kai was forced to use his Saint Qi to protect himself so he would not be burned.
The magma in front of him roiled as two different auras fought desperately down below. From time to time, the low roars of the Heavenly Thunder Fire and the cries of the Firebird rang out
It seemed the two were evenly matched.
However, as the owner of the Artifact Spirit. Yang Kai was keenly aware that the Firebird was at a disadvantage.
It was not as evolved as the Heavenly Thunder Fire as the conditions for its birth were not as profound as the latter.
The Artifact Spirit was born from an Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace after ten thousand years of accumulation in the Earth Lung Fire Pond, meaning it was an acquired entity.
As for this Heavenly Thunder Fire, it was an innate existence that had steadily grown since the formation of this star, a rare, pure energy entity.
Both in background and strength, the Firebird was inferior, so even with the assistance of its host Artifact Refining Furnace, the Firebird was gradually being suppressed.
It needed assistance.
Yang Kai promptly sat down cross-legged atop the rock, summoned Xiao Xiao to protect him, closed his eyes, and began releasing his Divine Sense.
An illusory shadow suddenly projected from Yang Kai’s forehead, one that had an appearance identical to Yang Kai himself.
However, this figure had no physical essence.
Soul projection!
What had appeared was Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar!
With a flicker, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar plunged into the magma and dove down deep.
Releasing one’s Soul Avatar outside one’s body was an extremely dangerous move as, once it was done, one’s physical form would be left in a completely undefended state.
This was why Yang Kai summoned Xiao Xiao again.
Moreover, the Soul was a fragile and sensitive existence. Without the protection of a physical body, it would be easily damaged.
Even in an ordinary environment, one would need to be wary of releasing their Soul Avatar, much less in this burning hot volcanic crater. The Soul of an ordinary cultivator would not be able to survive in this kind of environment and would likely be incinerated the moment it appeared.
But Yang Kai was different.
He possessed a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, which meant that his Spiritual Energy and Soul had the same attribute as the flaming magma of this place.
As such, the burning heat that would even deter an Origin King in this place was no hindrance to Yang Kai.
Without much effort, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar penetrated deep underground.
The surrounding environment grew hotter and more terrifying the deeper he proceeded.
After finally reaching the deepest depths, a strange subterranean battlefield appeared.
In this battlefield, with a wingspan of nearly three hundred meters, the beautiful Firebird Artifact Spirit flew back and forth as it fought against a massive red and purple shadow.
This shadow had a figure somewhat similar to a human’s as it floated in the sea of magma, but instead of ordinary limbs, it had long tentacle-like arms that swayed back and forth throughout the entire space.
At the head of this shadow, there was a single massive eye that emitted a frightening light.
Its body pulsed with rich Fire Attribute energy as purple arcs of lightning danced across the surface of its figure.
Heavenly Thunder Fire!
Yang Kai could not help staring for a moment, not having expected the true body of the Heavenly Thunder Fire to look like this.
However, just as he expected, this Heavenly Thunder Fire contained a terrifying destructive power that could make any who felt it tremble.
Its tentacle-like arms swept about, shrouding the entire battlefield in a torrent of attacks. Any time the Firebird was impacted by these attacks, the light of its body would slightly weaken.
It was as if the Heavenly Thunder Fire was sapping the strength of the Firebird.
The Firebird did not back down though, and whenever an opportunity presented itself, it would rush forward and bite into the Heavenly Thunder Fire, swallowing its essence to restore itself.
These two strange creatures regarded one another as prey and were using their own unique methods to try to consume the other, resulting in a strange but still earth-shaking battle.
However, Yang Kai keenly noticed that behind this Heavenly Thunder Fire, eight golden energy chains locked its body in place.
These eight chains gave off the exact same aura as the Spirit Array which surrounded the volcanic crater.
It seemed that the existence of these eight chains greatly limited the abilities of the Heavenly Thunder Fire. If not for it, the Firebird would not have been this entity’s opponent.
Realizing this, Yang Kai felt deeply shocked.
It was hard to imagine just how strong the Heavenly Thunder Fire would be without the shackles of this Spirit Array. Would it be equivalent to a Second-Order Origin King? Perhaps even a Third-Order Origin King?
Moreover, which kind of master was able to chain it here in the first place?
Nevertheless, this situation was fortunate for the Firebird. With the eight chains restricting the Heavenly Thunder Fire, the Firebird was barely able to contend with it.
As soon as Yang Kai appeared on the battlefield, the Heavenly Thunder Fire sensed him, and a bright light flashed from its single massive eye towards him.
“Another ant, but this one seems to be a tasty snack for me! Feel honoured to become my strength!”
The voice of the Heavenly Thunder Fire caused the entire chamber to shake.
A strong suction force descended on Yang Kai as the light beam seemed to have an irresistible attractive force which was trying to swallow Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and released a burst of his Spiritual Energy.
A crackling sound rang out in the next instant and the attractive force shattered, freeing Yang Kai.
“A mere ant dares resist my will? Unforgivable!” The Heavenly Thunder Fire seemed to be irritated and it quickly swung one of its giant tentacles towards Yang Kai.
The Firebird let out a fierce cry as it shot a column of fire from its mouth, blocking the tentacle from reaching Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stood in place indifferently, focusing all his attention on observing the situation around him.
He did not currently have a method to successfully deal with this strange Heavenly Thunder Fire.
Right now, his Soul Avatar was here, but his physical body was still up above inside the volcanic crater, so he could not use his Saint Qi to help the Firebird against this enemy, only his Spiritual Energy.
Yang Kai did not want to act recklessly and rile up his opponent before coming up with a plan.
Tentacles swept in all directions as the Heavenly Thunder Fire seemed to have sensed the importance of Yang Kai to the Firebird, so he shamelessly began targeting Yang Kai almost exclusively.
The Firebird was instantly put on the defensive.
The sudden arrival of Yang Kai seemed to make the Firebird’s situation worse.
The two strange creatures thus began a fierce struggle over Yang Kai.
As time passed, the aura of the Firebird gradually weakened while the Heavenly Thunder Fire was as fierce as ever, not showing any signs of fatigue.
“Here, I am the master! You ants must surrender to me!” The Heavenly Thunder Fire’s voice roared once more.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed brightly, and he couldn’t help laughing out loud, “So that’s how it is!”
Sensing Yang Kai’s joy, the Firebird’s waning momentum surged upwards again, and a brilliant radiance burst from its body as it once more entangled the Heavenly Thunder Fire, trying to swallow its energy.
“I’ve seen through your trick already. Today, you will fall!” Yang Kai shouted as he swiftly stretched out his hand and slashed it through the air.
A strange wave of power lashed out.
Instantly, the space around the Heavenly Thunder Fire became somewhat distorted.
Space Force!
Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar could not use the Saint Qi which was contained in his physical body, but that did not hinder him from using his comprehension of the Dao of Space.
Using his Space Force, Yang Kai cut off the Heavenly Thunder Fire from a certain nearby position.
The Heavenly Thunder Fire was instantly taken aback, and a look of panic flashed across its massive eye. At that moment, it gave up attacking the Firebird entirely and instead launched a flurried attack towards Yang Kai.
“So, my thoughts have proven to be true!” Yang Kai laughed, concluding from the Heavenly Thunder Fire’s reaction that his guess was correct.
Without any hesitation, Yang Kai released a burst of Space Force from his Soul Avatar and rapidly spread it outwards to form a type of cage around the surrounding region.
After just ten breaths, the cage had taken shape!
This invisible cage isolated the Heavenly Thunder Fire from the outside world, enclosing it here with the Firebird.
This cage had no effect on the Firebird, but it was a fatal threat to the Heavenly Thunder Fire.
Now, the Heavenly Thunder Fire was no longer able to draw strength from its surrounding environment to restore itself!
Yang Kai had observed for a while and found that the Heavenly Thunder Fire had some kind of invisible connection with the surrounding magma and the scorching heat of the ground; because of that, no matter how much of its essence was swallowed by the Firebird, it was quickly able to restore itself.
On the other hand, the Firebird obviously had no such advantage!
This wasn’t too much of a surprise, however. The Heavenly Thunder Fire had been sealed in this place for countless millennia, so it had found a way to use this environment to its benefit.
Yang Kai’s Space Force cage, however, cut off this advantage in an instant.
“We’ll attack it together, it can’t restore itself anymore,” Yang Kai shouted to the Firebird before using his Soul Avatar to charge forward.
“Pitiful ants, you cannot defeat me! Even without the help of this place’s power, you are still not my opponents!” The Heavenly Thunder Fire roared disdainfully.
“Then we’ll just have to see who is stronger!” Yang Kai smiled fiercely as he shouted, “Demon Eye of Annihilation!”
From his left eye, a golden light suddenly flashed, and a majestic golden pupil revealed itself.
From this golden pupil, a beam of light containing a mysterious power shot forward and pierced the massive one-eyed Heavenly Thunder Fire.
The Heavenly Thunder Fire’s huge body froze up for an instant before it released a resounding howl, as if it had been wounded.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation was able to purify Souls.
When the Heavenly Thunder Fire obtained sentience, it formed its own Soul, so it was vulnerable to the Demon Eye of Annihilation.
Its huge body twisted as its countless tentacles waved about madly, seemingly threatening to collapse the entire space.
The Firebird shot forward, opened its mouth wide, and bit into the Heavenly Thunder Fire’s body.
A stream of pure power visibly to the naked eye flowed into the Firebird’s body from its mouth.
At the same time, the Heavenly Thunder Fire’s aura dropped noticeably.
“Ants! You dare anger me!? I will have all of you dead!” The Heavenly Thunder Fire roared madly as its tentacles flew back, wrapped up the Firebird, and hurled it away.
Immediately, its single eye locked onto Yang Kai and a fierce and destructive aura descended upon him. From that single eye, a mysterious light blasted out, one which was capable of fighting against Yang Kai’s golden light and slowly began pushing it back.
It was conceivable that once this profound light covered Yang Kai, his Soul Avatar would be erased.
“Blossoming Lotus!” Yang Kai shouted sharply.
Within the golden pupil of his left eye, a lotus bud suddenly appeared.
Immediately after this lotus bud appeared, it flickered and disappeared.
But from the perspective of the Heavenly Thunder Fire, this lotus bud rushed into its Knowledge Sea.
This lotus bud took Spiritual Energy as its nutrients and began madly swallowing all it could from the Heavenly Thunder Fire, slowly blossoming in the process.
The more it blossomed, the more Spiritual Energy it drew in. By the time the lotus bloomed halfway, the Heavenly Thunder Fire’s figure was shaking, and its originally solid form became a bit illusory.
Yang Kai had a splitting headache and was unable to stop himself from letting out a miserable cry.
To deal with Heavenly Thunder Fire, he had used almost all of his Spiritual Energy at once to condense this lotus bud.
But the effects were astonishing. The Heavenly Thunder Fire took a devastating hit and lost the strength to target him.
An angry growl and miserable howl burst from the Heavenly Thunder Fire’s mouth.
The Firebird took this opportunity to free itself from its restraints and summon its base Artifact Refining Furnace.
Stimulated by the Firebird, the Artifact Refining Furnace began rotating rapidly as it sent out an amazing attractive force from its mouth.
The Heavenly Thunder Fire’s unstable body could not withstand this suction and was gradually pulled towards the Artifact Refining Furnace.
“Nooo!” The Heavenly Thunder Fire yelled madly but to no avail.
Yang Kai’s Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique had swallowed most of its Spiritual Energy, rendering it incapable of resisting the Firebird’s attack.
As it howled miserably, the Heavenly Thunder Fire was pulled into the Artifact Refining Furnace like a plume of blue smoke!
The Firebird then turned and glanced towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gripped his temples as their four eyes met and gently nodded, conveying an encouraging look.
The Firebird flapped its wings, turned into a ball of flame, and wrapped itself around the Artifact Refining Furnace before immediately sinking deeper into the magma below.
Its battle was not over yet!
The next stage of this battle would be fought inside the Artifact Refining Furnace, but unlike before, it would be on the Firebird’s home field where it would occupy the absolute advantage.
Yang Kai was no longer able to intervene.
However, he believed that when the Firebird appeared again, it would bring him a big, pleasant surprise.
Turning his head and looking around, Yang Kai did not choose to remain and immediately sent his Soul Avatar back to his body.
Opening his eyes, Yang Kai saw the Stone Puppet’s concerned gaze.
After giving it a comforting look, Yang Kai immediately took out some pills and stuffed them into his mouth before closing his eyes and refining their efficacies.
Time passed by.
The tearing pain in Yang Kai’s mind gradually faded, and with the help of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, his Spiritual Energy was restored in short order. Recovering to the point where he could move about within a day.
After this battle, Yang Kai surprisingly found that his Spiritual Energy had also increased.
This was a fortunate accident.
A fragrant wind appeared behind him at a certain point, but Yang Kai didn’t even turn his head to look, instead just smiling slightly and saying, “Congratulations Senior, now Ice Heart Valley may dominate Scarlet Wave Star and become its sole ruler.”
Luo Li’s faint voice sounded, “This Queen has no intention of dominating anything. Everything done today was simply to settle our long-standing grievances. As long Brilliant Flame Sect remained, many from Ice Heart Valley would die.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, thinking these words conformed well with Luo Li’s mentality.
“However, this success was only thanks to Young Master Yang’s assistance. If you had not been here dealing with the Heavenly Thunder Fire, my Ice Heart Valley would not have been able to act so easily,” Luo Li said gratefully.
“We each simply attended to our own needs, Senior need not be so polite,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “En, what about Brilliant Flame Sect’s people?”
“All those in the Origin Returning Realm were killed, those below the Origin Realm who were known to have killed my Ice Heart Valley disciples were also killed. As for the rest… their cultivations were crippled and they were set free,” Luo Li replied.
“Senior is benevolent.”
“What you mean to say is this Queen shows too much womanly compassion, right?” Luo Li smiled softly.
“Junior wouldn’t dare. Senior must have her reasons for acting this way, Junior has no reason to question that,” Yang Kai replied calmly.
Luo Li smiled and said, “If you wish to say it, just say it, I doubt there’s anything you dare not do. En, if this Queen really slaughtered every Brilliant Flame Sect disciple from weak to strong… the Heavens would not reflect kindly upon it.”
Yang Kai nodded and said nothing more.
Cultivators had to act following their own convictions. Luo Li was not one who enjoyed killing, so if she were to engage in a reckless slaughter of Brilliant Flame Sect, it would no doubt have an impact on her mental state, which was not good for her. Although releasing these Brilliant Flame Sect disciples may seem like benevolence, it was just Luo Li obeying her own heart.
“Young Master Yang, where is the Heavenly Thunder Fire now?” Luo Li asked curiously.
Yang Kai pointed to the magma below, “It’s still inside right now, but it won’t be around much longer.”
Luo Li’s body shook as terrified light flashed across her beautiful eyes.
She naturally knew how powerful the Heavenly Thunder Fire was, but listening to the meaning of Yang Kai’s words, he seemed to have found a way to completely extinguish it, a development beyond Luo Li’s expectations.
Originally, she believed that Yang Kai merely had some kind of ability which he could use to hold back the Heavenly Thunder Fire, allowing her to freely deal with Brilliant Flame Sect.
As such, once she was done processing the remnants of Brilliant Flame Sect, she immediately rushed to this place to assist Yang Kai.
Never had she imagined that there would be nothing more for her to do here.
“Young Master Yang’s methods are truly astonishing, this Queen is incredibly impressed,” Luo Li spoke with sincere admiration. Even if she had acted personally, she was not confident she could destroy this strange flame, but Yang Kai apparently had this ability.
“Senior is too polite.”
“Since everything is settled here, this Queen won’t linger. If Young Hero has free time in the future, please accept my open invitation to Ice Heart Valley as a guest. Ice Heart Valley will offer Young Hero a fitting welcome.”
“If there is a chance,” Yang Kai replied in a noncommittal manner.
Luo Li nodded lightly before departing quickly.
After Luo Li left, another person flew down from the volcanic crater and, with a burst of refreshing icy air, arrived by Yang Kai’s side, sitting down.
Naturally, it was Su Yan.
Yang Kai turned his head, reached out, and grabbed one of her delicate hands, holding it in his own appreciatively.
Su Yan did not speak, simply smiling lightly as she turned to look at the rolling magma in front of her while leaning her head on Yang Kai’s shoulder with a satisfied look on her face.
It seemed the Senior Sister and Junior Brother pair simply wanted to spend some quiet time together.
“Junior Brother, where are we going next?” After a long silence, Su Yan asked.
“To Shadowed Star.”
“Shadowed Star? Where is that?”
“Shadowed Star is extremely far away, but it has a much better environment than today’s Tong Xuan Realm. Although there is a strange World Principle suppression there, it is suitable for everyone from Tong Xuan Realm to grow and develop. I founded High Heaven Sect there on a cultivation paradise…”
Yang Kai began describing the various aspects of Shadowed Star one by one, causing Su Yan to feel a sense of yearning.
The Star Field was incredibly vast, filled with wonders, but to her, it didn’t really matter where she went. As long as she could accompany the man beside her, even the ends of the universe could be a warm home.
At this moment, Su Yan felt a sense of satisfaction she never experienced before.
The battle between the Firebird and Heavenly Thunder Fire lingered on for quite some time.
Yang Kai and Su Yan waited next to the volcanic crater for half a month, but still, the battle down below had not been decided.
Bing Long came at one point and handed Yang Kai a large number of Space Rings filled with an astonishing amount of wealth which formerly belonged to Brilliant Flame Sect. There were many precious ores, herbs, artifacts, pills, and Secret Arts, Martial Skills, and billions of Saint Crystals.
Ice Heart Valley was able to wipe out Brilliant Flame Sect in one fell swoop thanks to Yang Kai, so they did not take sole possession of Brilliant Flame Sect’s wealth. After receiving instructions from Luo Li, Bing Long personally divided this huge harvest in half, one part going to Ice Heart Valley while the other was given to Yang Kai exclusively!
Naturally, this was a gesture of goodwill from Ice Heart Valley that was meant to ease the relationship between them and Yang Kai.
Yang Kai understood this and did not refuse, readily accepting the Space Rings.
Now that he was bringing over ten thousand of his friends and family to Shadowed Star, he would need an extraordinary amount of cultivation resources to support them. This wealth from Brilliant Flame Sect was enough to support those from Tong Xuan Realm for ten or twenty years without any difficulty.
Although Yang Kai had not left the volcanic crater after he arrived, he could still detect the movements of those from Ice Heart Valley.
After Brilliant Flame Sect was eliminated, Brilliant Flame Mountain Range became a treasured land without any owner, but since Ice Heart Valley’s disciples all cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts, they were not going to open a branch here.
Nevertheless, there were many Sects attached to Ice Heart Valley, so they had several of them migrate to Brilliant Flame Mountain Range to occupy this cultivation paradise.
All of this had nothing to do with Yang Kai as he was simply a passerby to Scarlet Wave Star.
While they waited, Yang Kai and Su Yan had plenty to talk about, sharing their respective experiences from the past thirty years, from the stunning adventures to the trivial occurrences.
From time to time, they would sit in meditation to cultivate as well.
The two found that when they cultivate together, their rate of cultivation increased ten-fold compared to when they were alone.
Saint Qi flowed between them and merged together, forming an endless cycle that rapidly drew in the surrounding World Energy to strengthen themselves.
Time flew by and soon another half a month passed.
While they were cultivating today, Yang Kai and Su Yan both sensed something and simultaneously opened their eyes before turning their gazes down.
Below, the originally tumbling and roaring magma was rapidly calming down and the terrifying heat which filled the air began to abate. Even the liquid magma was solidifying at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Obviously, something was absorbing all the Fire Attribute energy in this volcanic crater.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he had a vague guess in his heart about what was happening, raising his expectations greatly.
After half a day, the situation became more obvious as the temperature in the volcanic crater dropped to a normal level where even an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated would not feel much discomfort.
The tumbling magma in front of him had already become semi-solidified.
Suddenly, a stream of aura rapidly rose from the depths.
This aura was very familiar to Yang Kai and when he sensed it, a smile appeared on his face.
*Xiu…*
A red light blasted out from below and a Firebird with a ten-metre wingspan suddenly flew up into the air.
Its entire body was a dazzling fiery red while purple streaks of lightning flashed across its surface, giving it a domineering and devastating aura.
Yang Kai raised his brow as he looked at the radiant Firebird in surprise, secretly feeling shocked by the intensity of the aura it gave off.
The Firebird had undoubtedly successfully swallowed the Heavenly Thunder Fire and obtained a quantitative evolution, but the increase in its strength was actually quite shocking, possibly ten times more than before.
Yang Kai felt a pressure from the Firebird now comparable to an ordinary Origin King.
Was the Firebird now comparable to an Origin King? Yang Kai could not help smiling happily thinking so.
*Li…*
The Firebird raised its head high and released a resounding cry, seemingly extremely excited.
Immediately after, its figure began to distort, its wings folding in as its body underwent a rapid and dramatic transformation.
Soon, a beautiful young woman with fiery hair appeared in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded!
The beauty that appeared in front of him was so dazzling it was somewhat unbelievable. Her delicate face was dotted with elegant features, without the slightest flaw, and her slender willow brows, dazzling eyes, and tender lips which had a shimmering ruby lustre easily provoked the imagination.
Her figure was also extremely provocative, full in all the right places while slender in all the others, complimented perfectly with two long, beautiful legs.
Most noticeable was the highly exposed way she dressed.
She wore a fiery red armour which only covered her most sensitive places while revealing much of her thighs and lower abdomen.
Her seductive neckline, flat abdomen, and delicate belly button were all exposed to the air, as was much of her beautiful legs along with her snow-white jade feet which lightly stepped through the air, enchanting all who bore witness to them.
Yang Kai suddenly felt a little dizzy.
Su Yan also covered her mouth with her small hands in surprise, but immediately thinking of something, she shot Yang Kai a light smile as a profound light flashed across her eyes.
“You… you… how did you become like this?” Yang Kai pointed at the evolved Firebird in a somewhat incoherent manner.
“Greetings, Master!” The Firebird suddenly saluted Yang Kai elegantly and spoke in a clear voice.
Her voice and expression were cold and indifferent, a clear contrast to her scorching hot figure.
Moreover, her voice seemed to contain an aura of destruction and killing intent while her dark red eyes burned like flames.
Gazing into her eyes, Yang Kai faintly felt he saw a world of flames that could incinerate one’s Soul if they stared too long.
“You… can talk?” Yang Kai was even more shocked, his mouth hanging agape.
The Firebird nodded, thought for a moment, then explained, “After consuming that guy, I suddenly discovered I could speak. Why, does master not like this me?”
“Am I supposed to?” Yang Kai brow furrowed as he caught a glimpse of Su Yan staring at him with interest from the corner of his eye, making him feel a little guilty.
“It should… I have been following Master for many years and felt that my current appearance should match very well with Master’s interests, so…”
“Shut up!” Yang Kai roared frantically as he took a deep breath, turned to Su Yan, and declared solemnly, “This is slander, pure slander! Senior Sister, don’t take her seriously.”
Su Yan smiled lightly and said, “Naturally, I believe in Junior Brother.”
“It seems… I was mistaken,” Firebird thought about it for a while before sincerely admitting her wrongs. After completing this, she turned to Su Yan and bowed with a serious expression, “Greetings, Madam.”
[Seems her vision is sharp, at least!] Yang Kai cast an approving look towards the Firebird.
Su Yan pursed her lips and giggled, walking forward as she took the Firebird’s hand and said, “You don’t need to be so polite. Your current image is not old, so from now on, we will be sisters. En, you said you have followed Junior Brother for many years, so you must be very clear about all he’s done these years. If we have time, we should have a good chat.”
“Master probably wouldn’t want me to expose his private affairs, especially with regards to certain women,” Firebird frowned and replied, appearing somewhat reluctant.
Yang Kai’s face became as black as the bottom of a pot.
He suddenly discovered that the Firebird who was obedient to him and did not know how to talk was more likeable.
The current Firebird’s sentience had advanced greatly, and her strength had soared, but why did it feel like he had lost something in the process?
“By the way, Junior Brother, she now has a human form, so does she have a name?” Su Yan did not try to dig into these trivial matters and suddenly asked.
Yang Kai shook his head and turned to the Firebird to ask, “Do you want a name?”
A strange brilliance flashed across the Firebird’s eyes and she quickly nodded, “Please bestow me a name, Master!”
Possessing a true name was a special privilege that only existences which had achieved a certain level of sentience could possess, in other words, only those that had true names could be considered true, independent beings!
“En, then from now on your name will be Liu Yan,” Yang Kai did not think much before replying.
The black Origin King Grade Starship sailed through the vast Star Field without much need for human intervention, moving quickly towards a certain destination.
Inside the Starship, only a few cultivators were stationed to monitor the surrounding environment.
Yang Kai himself was inside the Sealed World Bead.
This was a homeward journey.
Shadowed Star would be the new home of all those from Tong Xuan Realm.
It had been a year since Yang Kai departed from Scarlet Wave Star, and since then, the Starship had sailed safely and smoothly according to the Star Chart drawn by Yang Kai.
The occasional minor problems that came up were quickly taken care of by a volley of Crystal Cannon fire, allowing the Starship to proceed unimpeded.
The tyrannical power of the Origin King Grade Starship was not something many could afford to challenge.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang were constantly refining pills, spending massive quantities of resources to improve the cultivation of those from Tong Xuan Realm.
The overall strength of the Three Clans had now soared with Saints everywhere. As for the top masters of the Three Clans, many had reached the Second or Third-Order Saint King Realm, their strength having risen greatly.
Cultivation was a process of accumulation. Tong Xuan Realm was different from Shadowed Star. The former had insufficient World Energy, so it severely limited the development of cultivators while the latter actually suppressed cultivators from reaching peak heights.
Now inside the Small Sealed World, with rich aura and abundant cultivation resources, the cultivators from Tong Xuan Realm were able to develop and improve their strength at astonishing speed.
Yang Xiu Zhu and the other Origin Realm masters also spent much time teaching those from Tong Xuan Realm the mysteries of cultivation, so it was no surprise that the latter group progressed quickly.
The atmosphere inside the Sealed World Bead was jubilant as every day someone would break through to the next realm.
Yang Kai gave special treatment to his closest relatives.
All people had selfish desires, and Yang Kai was no exception
His parents, Grand Master, Ancestral Founder, Martial Uncles and Aunt, Old Demon and others were all given Heaven-defying pills that Yang Kai refined personally, allowing them to transform their physiques, dredge their meridians, and thoroughly enhance their potential and aptitude.
Inside a certain loft, at a window on the second floor, a beautiful figure stood enjoying the breeze blowing through her hair, staring out across a nearby square, her eyes fixed on a brave and heroic-looking young man, a touch of gentleness and nostalgia across her face.
“Elder Sister Qiu.” Suddenly, a shout came from behind her and Qiu Yi Meng retracted her gaze, turned her head around, and saw a pair of twin sisters arriving together. Naturally, it was Hu Jiao’er and Hu Mei’er.
“You’ve come?” Qiu Yi Meng smiled slightly, bringing her thoughts to the present and motioning, “Have a seat!”
Hu Jiao’er glanced at her thoughtfully before turning her eyes to the window where she noticed a bustling figure in the square, heaving a sigh as she muttered, “It seems that the gap is only getting wider and wider between us. I don’t know if it will ever be possible for us to catch up to him in this lifetime.”
“En, the more I cultivate, the farther I feel from him,” Hu Mei’er’s expression also dampened.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled at them and said, “Why are you two sisters so discouraged? At least your cultivation pace is shockingly quick compared to your Elder Sister here. The two of you have reached the Second-Order Saint King Realm while I just entered the Saint King Realm.”
“Even so, I heard that he has already reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm,” Hu Mei’er said sadly. “Now, those who can stand next to him are only Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang. I really wonder how they cultivated, all of them actually reached the Origin Returning Realm already. A few days ago, Xia Ning Chang also seems to have broken through to the Second-Order Origin Realm. It’s simply maddening to think about it.”
“They have their own opportunities. We just need to work harder ourselves. Don’t try to catch up to him, just strive to not be left too far behind,” Qiu Yi Meng persuaded.
“Elder Sister Qiu’s determination and resolve are inspiring,” Hu Jiao’er was a little moved as she looked at Qiu Yi Meng admiringly.
Qiu Yi Meng smiled and said, “Since we chose to leave Tong Xuan Realm with him, we should have at least this much heart. If we could not withstand this kind of desperation, we should have just remained on Tong Xuan Realm where we would still be considered peak level masters. Isn’t that what you thought as well, two little sisters?”
Hu Jiao’er and Hu Mei’er looked at each other and nodded solemnly.
“Good, enough about this topic. Come with me, it’s time for the youths from the Three Clans to compare notes. Only by competing constantly can we really mature,” Qiu Yi Meng got up and motioned to the two sisters.
Hu Jiao’er and Hu Mei’er quickly followed.
…..
The days in the Sealed World Bead were calm and steady, allowing time to flow by freely and before anyone knew it, another year had passed.
One day, Yang Kai was cultivating together with Su Yan, their palms pressed against each other’s, their Saint Qi circulating between them.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes as if sensing something.
“What happened?” Su Yan also opened her eyes and asked curiously.
“It seems we’ve arrived,” Yang Kai grinned.
“We’ve finally arrived?” Su Yan was also quite pleased, “The journey was quite long.”
“En, Shadowed Star is very remote. If it were not for this Origin King Grade Starship, we wouldn’t have been able to reach this place. Come with me to have a look.”
“Good, call Ning Chang too.”
After meeting up with Xia Ning Chang, the trio moved out to the Starship.
Immediately, a disciple from High Heaven Sect came forward to report, “Sect Master, Shadowed Star is directly in front of us. We’re finally home.”
His expression was very excited.
Unlike those from Tong Xuan Realm, this disciple was originally a member of the Hai Ke Family, a native of Shadowed Star. He had come out with Yang Kai for eight years now, so he missed his hometown.
“Please give the order, Sect Master!” The disciple of High Heaven Sect respectfully bowed.
“En, bring us down.”
“Yes!”
The next moment, the Starship sailed towards the massive Cultivation Star and in just over a quarter of an hour, it entered the atmosphere, revealing the charming scenery below.
Yang Kai did not order the Starship to continue forward and instead took Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang out before putting the Starship into the Sealed World Bead and using his Star Shuttle to finish their descent.
The Origin King Grade Starship was a bit too noticeable and Yang Kai was not willing to draw too much attention to himself at this moment.
Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang breathed Shadowed Star’s air for the first time and immediately felt the rich World Energy surrounding them, both wearing expressions of pleasant surprise as they inhaled gently.
“Junior Brother, what city is down below? It’s so big,” Xia Ning Chang pointed to a city nearby and asked.
“Well… I actually don’t know,” Yang Kai scratched his head awkwardly. Although he had spent many years on Shadowed Star now, Shadowed Star itself was simply too big so he could not recognize every city at a glance.
Xia Ning Chang smiled seeing this and no longer embarrassed Yang Kai.
“Oh…” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed, however, and after carefully examining the outline of the city below, he laughed, “Never mind, I do know where we are.”
“Where?”
“This is Heavenly Fate City!” Yang Kai pointed down, “Look over there, do you see that small mountain range? When I first arrived on Shadowed Star, this is where I settled down, Dragon Cave Mountain. Later, after being besieged by many people and engaging in a great battle, Dragon Cave Mountain was destroyed, and we moved to the current High Heaven Sect.”
Turning towards the direction Yang Kai pointed, Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang saw a small, dilapidated mountain range.
Perhaps because of the relationship this place shared with Yang Kai, the two women looked at the mountain range with cordial eyes.
“It seems you share some fate with this place,” Su Yan said with a little emotion.
When Yang Kai first came to Shadowed Star, this was where he arrived and settled, and now that he had returned after a long journey, this was the first place he came back to. It was almost serendipitous.
“There must indeed be some fate at work here. Good, let’s go down, I know the City Lord of Heavenly Fate City quite well, so we should be able to borrow their Space Array without any trouble,” Yang Kai waved his hand and flew down.
The City Lord of Heavenly Fate City was Fei Zhi Tu. If it had not been for his cultivation having fallen after suffering a serious wound, he would have followed Yang Kai to leave Shadowed Star like Qian Tong.
After so many years, Yang Kai wondered whether Fei Zhi Tu’s cultivation had recovered.
When Yang Kai was still weak, Fei Zhi Tu had taken good care of him, so Yang Kai naturally felt grateful to him.
Suddenly, a violent energy fluctuation erupted from nearby.
“Junior Brother, someone is fighting,” Su Yan noticed and pointed to a certain direction.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked over, only to reveal a look of shock in the next instant as he froze in place with a stunned expression on his face.
“How could it be them?”
Although they were separated by a great distance, with the strength of Yang Kai’s current Divine Sense, he was easily able to tell the identity the parties which were fighting.
It was Shadow Moon Hall’s top disciples Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er.
These two were the rising stars of Shadow Moon Hall, famous figures who were well-known throughout Shadowed Star. Yang Kai had not seen them for many years but he could tell that their cultivation had been progressing quite rapidly. Together, the two of them were able to exert power far beyond that of ordinary First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators.
However, their opponents were even stronger. There were more than a dozen Origin Returning Realm masters engaging them, with a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm powerhouse taking the lead. Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er were currently surrounded and had no chance of escape.
But how was this possible? Yang Kai was extremely puzzled.
They were currently right next to Heavenly Fate City, which was a city under the direct jurisdiction of Shadow Moon Hall. Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er were the future pillars of Shadow Moon Hall, with the former being the disciple of the Hall Master and the latter the disciple of its Great Elder, Qian Tong. Both of them possessed extraordinary status.
Who would dare to attack them within the territory of Shadow Moon Hall?
Yang Kai instinctively realized something was terribly wrong, as if something big had happened to Shadowed Star during the years he had left.
“You know them, Junior Brother?” Su Yan asked.
“En, let’s go take a look,” Yang Kai calmly led Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang towards the direction of the battle.
A few hundred kilometres away, Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er were engaged in a bloody battle. Their opponents were five Origin Returning Realm masters.
Even if Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er possessed extraordinary combat strength for their realm, they were still being suppressed heavily because they were outnumbered and outmatched. Moreover, it seemed they have experienced many battles recently, causing their Saint Qi auras to be somewhat weak.
If not for their opponents seemingly worrying about the moon-shaped artifact floating above Wei Gu Chang’s head, they would already have rushed forward and killed them.
This moon-shaped artifact was being driven by Wei Gu Chang with some special method, exuding a soft light that flexibly floated about the battlefield, protecting Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er’s lives at critical moments several times.
Although this round moon-shaped artifact was incredibly powerful, Wei Gu Chang’s frequent use of it was consuming his strength rapidly. During the battle, he was constantly stuffing pills into his mouth in an attempt to restore his Saint Qi, but it was far from sufficient.
The five Origin Returning Realm masters who were besieging him and Dong Xuan’er were acting quite cautiously, not going for a decisive blow but instead keeping their distance while focusing on consuming their physical strength and Saint Qi, seemingly intent on capturing them alive.
Not far away, a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master stood with his hands behind his back, watching Wei Gu Chang with cold eyes while occasionally shouting, “Martial Nephew Wei, don’t be stubborn, hand over the Heavenly Moon Silver Mirror and Martial Uncle will give you a chance to live!”
“Ptui!” Wei Gu Chang spat. Although he was completely dishevelled, the look of contempt on his face was still clear, “Xie Chen, it is repulsive to think you once called yourself an Elder of Shadow Moon Hall. Not only are you a coward who covets life and fears death, stooping to colluding with those evil monsters to harm the Sect, but you’re even serving them like a whipped dog now, hahaha… if you want the Heavenly Moon Silver Mirror, come get it yourself!”
Wei Gu Chang was covered in blood, but that did not change his heroic character.
Xie Chen’s face went cold as his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Wei Gu Chang’s words undoubtedly hit his sore spot.
Taking a deep breath, however, he remained where he was and continued to call out, “Nephew Wei, you may be a rising star of the younger generation, but don’t you understand that wise birds choose the best roosts to live in? Today’s Shadowed Star has only one true ruler, the glory Shadow Moon Hall and all other big Sects once possessed is gone forever. Out of consideration for your youthful naivety, Martial Uncle will not make things difficult for you. If you hand over the Heavenly Moon Silver Mirror, you may leave. You are free to refuse, but… You may not care if you die, but what about Xuan’er? She is still just a young flower; do you not feel the slightest guilt about dragging her to death here with you?”
Wei Gu Chang’s expression changed slightly when he heard these words. Still immersed in this fierce battle, he could not help turning his gaze towards Dong Xuan’er, the hot-blooded ruthlessness on his face instantly being replaced with a touch of tenderness.
Xie Chen was extremely cunning, only needing a few words to shake Wei Gu Chang’s momentum.
Noticing his Wei Gu Chang’s gaze, Dong Xuan’er grit her teeth and shouted, “Senior Brother, don’t listen to his nonsense! He is no longer our Martial Uncle. Xuan’er being able to live and die together with Senior Brother is her greatest wish! No matter what, we cannot hand the Heavenly Moon Silver Mirror over to them!”
“Xuan’er…” Wei Gu Chang murmured.
At that moment, Xie Chen’s eyes flashed, and he swiftly condensed his Saint Qi as he pointed his finger towards Wei Gu Chang.
A black light burst from Xie Chen’s fingertip the moment Wei Gu Chang’s guard dropped and delivered a blow to the latter’s chest.
Wei Gu Chang was knocked back, seemingly taking a serious hit, coughing up a mouthful of blood as his momentum quickly weakened, only managing to stabilize himself after tumbling a few dozen meters through the air.
“Senior Brother!” Dong Xuan’er called out pitifully, her voice filled with a hint of profound sadness and distress.
A vicious look flashed across Xie Chen’s face as he cackled loudly, “Brat, this is the price for daring to fight with this old master! Now, let us see how you refuse to die. Kill him for me!”
“Despicable!” Wei Gu Chang grit his teeth and yelled as he saw his enemies madly charge towards him, releasing many artifact attacks and Secret Techniques. At this moment, Wei Gu Chang’s Saint Qi was in chaos and the silver moon artifact above his head had grown dim, so he was unable to put up any kind of defence.
Death was beckoning to him.
Strangely, Wei Gu Chang’s expression softened at this moment as he cast a glance towards Dong Xuan’er, his eyes filled with guilt and distress.
Behind Dong Xuan’er, two other Origin Realm cultivators launched violent attacks towards her.
Dong Xuan’er simply smiled back at him, as if everything else in the world had faded from her view.
Before death, the two did not need words, just a simple glance was enough to convey their satisfaction. They had not been born in the same year, the same month, or the same day, but they could die together, never to be separated again
Wei Gu Chang reached out his hand towards Dong Xuan’er, a gesture Dong Xuan’er returned.
Their two palms met mid-air, and it was as if their hearts and minds merged into one.
Pulling each other into a tight embrace, the pair closed their eyes and waited for the inevitable to come.
Screams filled the air in the next instant as violent energy fluctuations erupted and the sound of bones breaking rang out; however, the death Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er were expected never came…
Wei Gu Chang frowned and opened his eyes suspiciously only to see a familiar face not far away, smiling towards him.
Wei Gu Chang was instantly stunned as his eyes widened, unable to believe what he was seeing.
After rubbing his eyes vigorously to make sure he was not imagining things, Wei Gu Chang could not help crying out, “Brother Yang!”
The person standing next to him was none other than Yang Kai!
Wei Gu Chang’s heart jumped wildly.
Yang Kai had left Shadowed Star for a long voyage across the vast Star Field, something Wei Gu Chang was well aware of because he had heard Fei Zhi Tu mention it more than once, each time wearing a disgruntled and regretful expression.
If not for his cultivation having fallen that day, Fei Zhi Tu would have left Shadowed Star together with Yang Kai to experience the mysteries and excitement of the Star Field.
But at that last moment, fate played a cruel prank on him and his cultivation fell.
In the end, only Qian Tong left with Yang Kai from Shadow Moon Hall.
Yang Kai had left seven or eight years ago and there had been no news from him since then. No one knew whether he had safely made it to the Star Field or not.
But today, at this critical moment, Yang Kai had magically appeared and saved their Senior Brother Junior Sister pair!
[Since Yang Kai is back, what about Elder Qian?] Wei Gu Chang hurriedly turned his head to look around, but apart from discovering two shockingly beautiful women, there were no signs of Elder Qian.
Wei Gu Chang’s heart sank.
“Elder Qian is fine. Brother Wei doesn’t need to worry,” Yang Kai knew what he was thinking when he saw his look and quickly comforted him, “It’s been many years since we last met, but Brother Wei… en, it seems you’re doing quite well for yourself.”
Hearing Yang Kai’s joking tone, Wei Gu Chang grinned, blood dripping from the corner of his lips, giving him a wild and fierce look as he snickered, “Is Brother Yang making fun of this Wei?”
“I wouldn’t dare!”
“Senior Brother… let me go first,” Dong Xuan’er’s shy whisper entered Wei Gu Chang’s ears.
Startled, only now did he remember that he was still embracing Dong Xuan’er tightly.
Feeling the soft and tender body in his embrace heat up sharply while exhaling an orchid scent beside his ear aroused a certain sense of euphoria in Wei Gu Chang that made him extremely reluctant to let go.
Although the Senior Brother and Junior Sister pair had been in love with each other for many years, they had never truly been intimate. Only when they were facing death a moment ago had they tossed away all sense of shyness and embarrassment and broken this final barrier between them.
Gently letting go of Dong Xuan’er, Wei Gu Chang scratched his head, “I’ve shown Brother Yang something embarrassing.”
Dong Xuan’er stood aside with a blushing smile, her head down, keeping silent.
Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
“Brother Wei and Sister Dong being able to express their true feelings in the face of adversity is something quite touching. How could this Yang laugh at such a display?” Yang Kai said seriously before immediately turning his eyes forward and asking indifferently, “What happened here? I was only gone for a few years but it seems something big has happened to Shadow Moon Hall.”
Hearing this, Wei Gu Chang’s face grew cold as he recalled, “Not just Shadow Moon Hall, all of Shadowed Star has been turned upside down. I won’t be able to explain everything in short order, but to be succinct, this dog here was once a high-level Elder of my Shadow Moon Hall, but he betrayed the Sect and helped a terrible enemy commit all kinds of heinous sins, including killing the older Hall Master and imprisoning City Lord Fei!”
“The old Hall Master was killed, and City Lord Fei was imprisoned?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“Exactly!”
“Little beast, it’s you!” On the opposite side, Xie Chen looked at Yang Kai gloomily, hatred flashing across his eyes, as if he held some kind of absolutely irreconcilable resentment with him. Smiling wildly, Xie Chen shouted, “You’ll really wear out iron shoes while seeking your feet! This old master has been searching for you for so many years, but I never expected you would actually deliver yourself to me today! Magnificent! Today this old master will kill you and avenge my clansmen’s deaths!”
“Do you know me?” Yang Kai looked at him suspiciously.
Xie Chen growled, “Do you remember Xie Li and Xie Hong Wen who died at your hands nearly ten years ago?”
“Xie Li, Xie Hong Wen?” Yang Kai frowned but quickly recalled, “You mean that Xie Family Young Master who led people to attack me in the Flowing Flame Sand Field and his father who later tried to seek revenge for him?”
“Indeed!”
“Who are you to them?” Yang Kai asked, still not certain about the other party’s identity.
“Xie Li is my Elder Brother and Xie Hong Wen is my nephew! Today, this old master will finally have his revenge! Little beast, do you have any last words to say?” Xie Chen ground his teeth and roared, his eyes turning red, like a wild beast.
Yang Kai sneered, “Xie Hong Wen and Xie Li died because of their own stupid decisions, they have no one to blame but themselves.”
“To think you dare still make such an audacious argument, you murderer!? Fine. If that is how you think, you dying today is no one’s fault but your own!” Xie Chen cried out hysterically.
Yang Kai sneered and shook his head, “Old dog, that’s where you’re wrong, you’re the one who’s going to die today.”
Xie Chen laughed, “Yellow-mouthed brat, you think this old master will listen to your nonsense?”
“It doesn’t matter whether you listen or not. Forget it, since this is Shadow Moon Hall’s business, I will not intervene. Elder Qian can clean up his Sect himself,” Yang Kai didn’t bother with Xie Chen anymore and instead used his Divine Sense to communicate with Qian Tong inside the Sealed World Bead
“Elder Qian…” Wei Gu Chang heard this, and a happy expression flashed across his face as he looked around, “Where is Elder Qian?”
“Is my Master here?” Dong Xuan’er also wore a look of pleasant surprise.
“En,” Yang Kai grinned, waving his hand as he condensed a mysterious power, forming a whirlpool mid in front of him.
Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er’s gazes were instantly drawn to this whirlpool and soon saw an elderly figure walk out from it.
Qian Tong!
“What is this!?” Xie Chen’s face changed slightly as he stared at the strange vortex, unable to figure out how Qian Tong came out from it. This vortex seemed to be connected to another world, but he was unable to draw any definitive conclusions about it.
Soon, however, Xie Chen’s gaze focused on Qian Tong, a look of dread spreading across his face.
As Shadow Moon Hall’s Great Elder, Qian Tong had a resounding reputation within Shadow Moon Hall for many years, and with the old Hall Master in retreat all year round, striving to comprehend the mysteries of the Origin King Realm, Qian Tong was all but in charge of Shadow Moon Hall.
Coupled with Qian Tong’s extremely high cultivation, Xie Chen had always been afraid of him.
Now that Qian Tong appeared before him suddenly, Xie Chen instinctively took a few steps back while looking a little panicked.
But soon, he stopped in place and his expression turned fierce.
Indeed, he would not have been Qian Tong’s opponent ten years ago; after all, his cultivation was a Minor Realm lower, but now…
As the deep-seated fear of Qian Tong in his heart abated, it was replaced with an eagerness to compete.
“Oh, we’re home?” Qian Tong walked out of the vortex, saw Heavenly Fate City nearby, and couldn’t help letting out a laugh, “We’re really home! This old master was getting quite bored staying in that isolated place.”
Although the Sealed World Bead was peaceful and rich in aura, it seemed to lack a certain something which made Qian Tong feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Now returning to his homeland and even arriving at Heavenly Fate City again, Qian Tong was naturally in a good mood.
“Good good good, Chang’er, Xuan’er, I haven’t seen you for many years but it seems your cultivations have not stopped improving. En, you will both likely break through to the Second-Order Origin Returning Rea… hm? Why are you injured?” Qian Tong’s face suddenly sank, and cold anger began filling it, “Who hurt you?”
He was not clear about the current situation.
Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er looked at Qian Tong in a daze, unable to return to their senses for a long time, but after a prolonged silence, the two of them dropped to their knees.
“Elder Qian, Disciple has failed in the task you entrusted him with. To protect Shadow Moon Hall, please deliver punishment, Elder Qian!” Wei Gu Chang pressed his forehead to the ground and shouted.
“Master, please also punish me!” Dong Xuan’er also kowtowed as she sobbed softly.
Even in the face of enemies several times more powerful than themselves, even in the face of death, the Senior Brother and Junior Sister had not shown the slightest weakness, but now that Qian Tong had appeared, the firm will supporting this pair finally collapsed like they were aggrieved children who had finally seen their parents again.
Qian Tong quickly realized that something was very wrong and swept his eyes around coldly, eventually focusing on Xie Chen and vaguely guessing something, but not immediately pursuing it. Reaching out, Qian Tong waved his hand and lifted Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er up, quickly saying, “Get up first and explain, what has happened to Shadow Moon Hall?”
Qian Tong’s face was calm, but like before an approaching storm, there was a heaviness to the atmosphere around him.
“Shadow Moon Hall… has fallen,” Wei Gu Chang replied sadly.
“Fallen?” Qian Tong’s face sank, “Who did it? Speak carefully.”
“Understood!” Wei Gu Chang nodded respectfully before explaining everything which had happened to Shadow Moon Hall.
Two years ago, Shadowed Star experienced a great upheaval. A new and powerful great force suddenly surfaced and rapidly began suppressing various Sects and families on Shadowed Star. Any who failed to submit were ruthlessly slaughtered. Shadowed Star experienced a reign of terror, with countless cities turning into ruins overnight and hundreds of millions perishing, leaving behind mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
Soon, the claws of this mysterious great force stretched out towards Shadow Moon Hall. In the face of this seemingly unstoppable foe, the leaders of Shadow Moon Hall were at a loss about how to respond.
Shadow Moon Hall was originally divided into two factions, a truth which dated back to before Qian Tong had left Shadowed Star, and in the face of this crisis, this division only became more serious.
In the end, the faction led by Xie Chen won out.
Xie Chen and his supporters launched a sneak attack on the old Hall Master as well as some of the Sect’s core Elders, causing the Shadow Moon Hall to suffer heavy casualties and collapse.
Overnight, ownership of Shadow Moon Hall changed, with Xie Chen becoming the new Hall Master and surrendering to the new mysterious great force.
The senior cultivators who used to support and stand on Qian Tong’s side were almost all killed ruthlessly, while Fei Zhi Tu, who oversaw Heavenly Fate City, was also imprisoned.
Only a few elites from Shadow Moon Hall managed to escape. Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er were summoned by the old Hall Master, who realized what was about to occur just before it did, and entrusted them with the Heavenly Moon Silver Mirror before ordering them to escape from Shadow Moon Hall.
For the past two years, the two of them had hidden, running around while living under extremely difficult circumstances.
The reason why they had appeared so close to Heavenly Fate City today was to try to rescue Fei Zhi Tu.
Xie Chen had announced that Fei Zhi Tu, who had refused to submit to him, was to be beheaded in Heavenly Fate City today to serve as a warning, forcing Wei Gu Chang and Dong Xuan’er out of hiding.
Even if they knew it was a trap, the two had jumped into it without hesitation.
“Old Hall Master is dead? Old Fei was imprisoned?” Qian Tong’s face was covered in haze like a black cloud, and it was clear to anyone that his anger was soaring.
“What about High Heaven Sect?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice, “With Shadow Moon Hall suffering such a disaster, did High Heaven Sect not send help?”
If High Heaven Sect had really stood by and done nothing, Yang Kai would be greatly disappointed.
When Yang Kai was in trouble, Qian Tong and Fei Zhi Tu had always offered their help. The reason why Fei Zhi Tu’s cultivation had fallen was also related to Yang Kai.
However, thinking about it carefully, with Ye Xi Yun in command of High Heaven Sect, it was impossible that she had not acted.
“High Heaven Sect sent aid. Many of the disciples who escaped from Shadow Moon Hall were sheltered by High Heaven Sect. Moreover, Great Elder Ye deployed several Third-Order Origin Returning Realm masters to assist, but…”
“But what?”
“They were ultimately outmatched and they had no choice but to withdraw after a few died,” Wei Gu Chang reported sadly.
“What?” Yang Kai was thoroughly shocked.
Even Qian Tong wore a look of disbelief.
The Origin Realm masters dispatched by High Heaven Sect must have been masters from Star Emperor Mountain, so how could they be outmatched to the point where some of them even died?
Shadow Moon Hall couldn’t possess such powerful strength!
“The masters of the Corpse Spirit Religion are as numerous as clouds. It is even rumoured that they have four Origin Kings leading them. The masters from High Heaven Sect who died were killed by one of those Origin Kings,” Wei Gu Chang explained.
Corpse Spirit Religion was the title of the newly emerged great force.
“Impossible!” Qian Tong denied vehemently.
Yang Kai was also astonished.
An Origin King Realm master had risen on Shadowed Star? And four of them at once?
How was that possible?
There was a mysterious suppression from the World Principles on Shadowed Star which prevented an Origin King from rising for the past ten thousand years. If that wasn’t the case, Qian Tong and the others would not have so eagerly followed Yang Kai on his long-distance voyage.
But now, Wei Gu Chang was telling them that four Origin Kings had appeared on Shadowed Star; naturally, they found this fact difficult to accept.
“Disciple has only heard rumours, so he cannot say for sure whether they are true or not,” Wei Gu Chang added before suddenly thinking of something and saying. “Right, Great Elder Ye should know the truth.”
“Why do you say so?” Yang Kai brow rose.
“It was said that Great Elder Ye encountered two of those four Origin Kings and was seriously wounded, forcing her to return to High Heaven Sect to recover.”
Ye Xi Yun was seriously injured!
This was extremely bad news.
But Yang Kai and Qian Tong also exchanged a glance as this piece of news gave them some important information.
The rumours about there being four Origin Kings were likely false. If they were true, it would have been impossible for Ye Xi Yun to retreat when facing two of them. As long as one Origin King took action, they should have easily been able to kill Ye Xi Yun.
However, Ye Xi Yun was only seriously injured and managed to flee.
Unfortunately, this still meant the strength of the enemy could not be underestimated. Ye Xi Yun’s cultivation had reached the absolute limit of the Origin Returning Realm, and if not for her unwillingness to leave Shadowed Star, it was likely she would already be an Origin King. The enemy only needing two masters to seriously wound Ye Xi Yun indicated that they were at least on par with her, possibly even stronger.
The expressions of Yang Kai and Qian Tong were constantly changing as they quietly digested the information Wei Gu Chang gave them.
Unexpectedly, Shadowed Star had experienced a great change over the past seven or eight years. What exactly was this Corpse Spirit Religion? Why had they waited until now to reveal themselves?
“Brother Yang doesn’t have to worry about High Heaven Sect. Today’s High Heaven Sect can be regarded as the last piece of pure land on Shadowed Star. Although the periphery is heavily surrounded, no one can attack it,” Wei Gu Chang saw Yang Kai’s ugly expression and quickly comforted.
“I understand that,” Yang Kai nodded.
Yang Kai was not worried about the safety of High Heaven Sect. Outside High Heaven Sect were the Three Blazing Flame Rings, an Emperor Artifact that even an Origin King would be helpless before.
“Many people who didn’t want to submit escaped to High Heaven Sect, but…” Wei Gu Chang sighed.
He and Dong Xuan’er also wanted to enter High Heaven Sect at the beginning, but there were too many enemies between them so there was no chance to seek refuge there and they were instead forced to live in hiding outside.
“Are you finished with your little chat?” Suddenly, a cold voice called out from the side.
Xie Chen!
He had been watching indifferently the entire time, neither attacking nor preventing Wei Gu Chang from revealing anything, only now deciding to speak up.
Qian Tong turned his head and looked at him, his gaze as cold as a knife.
Xie Chen’s heart jumped, being stared at like this, but he quickly regained his calm and sneered, “Great Elder Qian, it’s been too long!”
“Xie Chen!” Qian Tong took a deep breath, “It seems this old master was indeed too kind back then. I thought that since we all belonged to Shadow Moon Hall, if I killed all of you, it would only result in damaging Shadow Moon Hall, which was why this old master let you go when the Xie Family rebelled in the past. Who would have ever thought that showing compassion in the past would result in such a tragedy today? Even if this Qian were hacked to death by a thousand blades, it would be impossible for him to atone!”
“Hahaha!” Xie Chen laughed madly, “Qian Tong, death has come for you, yet you still bother speaking such nonsense! What do you think you are? True, this old master feared you and you could kill me in the past, but since you failed to do so back then, you will no longer have such a chance! This old master has now reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm as well and is the Hall Master of Shadow Moon Hall. You are no longer my opponent! Qian Tong, out of consideration for your past contributions to Shadow Moon Hall, this Hall Master can give you a chance to survive. As long as you pledge allegiance to the Corpse Spirit Religion, this Hall Master will restore you to your position as Great Elder!”
Qian Tong simply stared at Xie Chen indifferently, as if he was looking at a pitiful ant, a thick meaning of sarcasm and contempt flashing across his eyes.
Yang Kai was also quite amused by Xie Chen’s pompous rhetoric.
Xie Chen only broke through to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm a few years ago, yet he dared to challenge the current Qian Tong today. It seemed he really did not know how to spell the word ‘death’.