When Yang Kai returned to Hundred Flowers Peak, Ye Xi Yun, who was instructing the little Lin Yun’er, was stunned for a moment. Before he could say anything, she asked suspiciously, “Sect Master, why have you returned so soon? Did you encounter some kind of danger?”
Her surprise was understandable; after all, the last time Yang Kai left Shadowed Star, he had been gone for eight years. From Yang Xiu Zhu and the others, Ye Xi Yun had learned just how remote Shadowed Star was and understood that simply travelling to a nearby Cultivation Star took well over a year.
But now, only a year later, Yang Kai had returned to Shadowed Star.
Why would he return so quickly this time?
“I found an Ore Star,” Yang Kai said concisely, and while answering Ye Xi Yun’s words, he swept Lin Yun’er with his Divine Sense.
Yang Kai was shocked to discover that this little girl, who possessed the Tyrant Strength Body and was only about fifteen years old, had physical vitality rivalling an ordinary Origin Returning Realm master who had lived for hundreds of years!
Although her petite body still looked delicate and weak, the strength contained within it was impossible to ignore.
Compared with the last time Yang Kai saw her outside Clear Sky Sect’s Black Sea City, Lin Yun’er had grown slightly taller, and her body had begun to acquire some slight curves while her legs had become longer and slenderer. Her hair was tied up in a bun behind her head, giving her a heroic look.
Seeing Yang Kai staring at her, Lin Yun’er smartly greeted him as Uncle Sect Master.
Yang Kai nodded gently in response.
“An Ore Star?” Ye Xi Yun’s eyes lit up.
Although she had lived her whole life on Shadowed Star and had never seen the wonders of the Star Field for herself, that did not mean Ye Xi Yun was unaware of what discovering an Ore Star meant.
An Ore Star represented wealth, power, and bright future prospects!
Especially for a Sect.
“A rich Ore Star?” Ye Xi Yun asked with interest.
“Very rich, rich beyond your imagination!” Yang Kai replied seriously, “I only explored it for a month and already found eight mineral lodes ranging from rich to poor, including an Annihilation Crystal lode, a Blue Phoenix Tear Iron lode, a Heaven Grasping Jade lode, a Mountain Piercing Ice Copper lode, a Water Cloud Steel lode, and a Saint Crystal lode!”
“So many?” Ye Xi Yun, who was normally extremely calm and composed, could not help feeling shocked by this piece of news Yang Kai had brought back, her beautiful brow rising slightly as her long eyelashes fluttered.
“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!” Yang Kai emphasized.
“Are there any dangers?”
“None. It’s a Dead Star without any World Energy!” Yang Kai laughed, “If there was any discernible danger, I wouldn’t have made a special trip back. I searched it for a month and I didn’t even see a single living thing, let alone anything dangerous.”
“Then Sect Master intends to…” Ye Xi Yun looked at Yang Kai with bright eyes.
“Naturally, we need to deploy a large amount of manpower to begin mining it!” Yang Kai grinned, “However, even for High Heaven Sect, that Ore Star is too big to monopolize. Invite some of the Sects that had good relationships with us and are reliable to share this news with, to join us.”
“Since it is Sect Master’s orders, this Queen will naturally not object, but… Although there are a few Sects we can cooperate with on this project, we cannot just give them benefits in vain. We should allow them to mine the ore there, but have them pay thirty or forty percent to High Heaven Sect as tax. Also, this will have to wait until after we establish a foothold there.”
“Yeah, Great Elder’s thoroughness is reassuring,” Yang Kai nodded. “But Shadow Moon Hall…”
“Shadow Moon Hall is naturally an exception!” Ye Xi Yun smiled. She also knew that the friendship between Yang Kai and Qian Tong has transcended mere profits and benefits.
“Great, I’ll leave processing this matter in your hands. I’ll refine some special Transmission Tokens as well to assist in the project,” Yang Kai finished speaking and left immediately.
Because there was a need to bring many people to the Ore Star to mine it this time, special Transmission Tokens needed to be specially refined.
It took some time for Yang Kai to finish refining fifty special Transmission Tokens.
This type of Transmission Token was different from the previous ones and could ensure that fifty people could pass through the Space Array arranged by Yang Kai at once. Moreover, when Yang Kai refined these Transmission Tokens, he also set up a Spirit Array inside that would only respond to his or Ye Xi Yun’s Saint Qi. This way, if one wanted to use this Transmission Token, they would first need Ye Xi Yun to pour her Saint Qi into it.
Although this method was a bit cumbersome, it could ensure safety and guarantee that if this Transmission Token ever fell into enemy hands, they would be unable to use it.
Anyone who needed to use this Transmission Token must obtain Ye Xi Yun’s approval!
These special Transmission Tokens were much more cumbersome to refine, so it took Yang Kai ten days to complete all fifty.
Once he was finished, Yang Kai went to see Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang again, but surprisingly, both were in retreat.
With no other alternative, Yang Kai could only give up. In any case, after he completed the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array network, he could return to High Heaven Sect at any time, so he was not in a rush to disturb them.
By now, Qian Tong had led a group of Shadow Moon Hall’s elites to High Heaven Sect.
He was obviously quite interested in the news from Ye Xi Yun, so this time, he brought a thousand disciples with him. For Shadow Moon Hall, which was still in the process of rebuilding, these thousand people were actually quite a large number.
After arriving at High Heaven Sect and listening to Yang Kai explain the situation regarding the Dead Star, Qian Tong immediately said, “What are we waiting for then? We should rush over immediately! If we can mine all those rare ores, how could we not get rich?”
“Old Qian seems anxious to leave Shadowed Star,” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile.
Qian Tong was stunned for a moment before he let out a hearty laugh, “Indeed, this old master has been struck by lightning a few times these past few days. As time passes, the World Principles here are repelling this old master more and more. This old master was originally worried about what he would do if you did not return for a dozen years. Now that there is such an opportunity, this old master is very eager to take it. Yang Kai, you can rest assured, with this old master overseeing that Ore Star temporarily, if any blind fools come along and try to cause trouble, this old master will take care of them.”
“Since Old Qian has said so, I really can rest assured,” Yang Kai nodded, stood up, and waved, “No point in delaying any longer, let us set out.”
Before the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array inside High Heaven Sect, more than two thousand cultivators had gathered.
Among these two thousand people, half belonged to Shadow Moon Hall while the rest belonged to High Heaven Sect.
The cultivations of these people were varied, with most being Saint Kings while a few were Origin Realm masters. While mining could be performed by Saints and Saint Kings without a problem, there would always be a need for some masters for security.
Teams of fifty people were quickly organized, with each team leader holding a Transmission Token given to them by Ye Xi Yun. These groups took turns boarding the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array, with Qian Tong being in the first batch to explore the way and ensure there was no danger on the other side.
White light flashed brilliantly as the Space Array continued to operate almost without pause.
A stick of incense worth of time later, all two thousand people had disappeared.
On the cold and deserted Dead Star, two thousand people appeared inside a deep mountain valley. Turning their heads and looking around, almost everyone felt a little nervous.
For these two thousand people, it was their first time experiencing the vastness and horror of the Star Field. This Dead Star, without World Energy or living creatures, was quite a dark and foreboding environment for them.
Seeing Yang Kai appear with the last batch of people, Qian Tong rushed over and asked, “Is this the Ore Star you spoke of?”
“En.”
“It doesn’t appear very bountiful,” Qian Tong knit his brow.
Yang Kai laughed and said, “A Dead Star is naturally filled with a desolate aura, so of course it doesn’t appear bountiful. The real mysteries are hidden here!”
Saying so, Yang Kai lightly tapped his foot.
“Underground?”
“En, come with me!” Yang Kai beckoned before leading the way.
The team of two thousand cultivators followed after Yang Kai, remaining vigilant of their surroundings as they set out.
However, after discovering that there was really nothing here to be wary of, everyone slowly relaxed.
Without World Energy, it was incredibly difficult for anything that could pose a threat to appear here.
It took the team of two thousand about an hour before they arrived at a giant pit which Yang Kai promptly dove down into.
The two thousand cultivators orderly followed him down.
Soon, everyone stood in front of an ancient ruin.
Listening to Yang Kai’s various speculations about these ruins, Qian Tong and Ye Xi Yun could not help sighing slightly.
Birth, ageing, sickness, and eventually death, such is the Heavenly Way that even stars could not escape. But if that was so, could cultivators defy that natural order? Perhaps they too would become just a handful of scattered ash after many years. Perhaps the now powerful High Heaven Sect and Shadow Moon Hall would one day fall into ruin and be forgotten by history.
The expressions on these two leaders became somewhat complicated and forlorn when thinking about such a future.
“My idea is this: We use this place to set up a camp, as there is already a site ready to be used here. All it needs is a bit of repair and tidying up. With this place as the centre, everyone can spread out and explore, mine ore, then return here to rest and recuperate, what do you two think?” Yang Kai asked as he pointed to the ruins before them.
“Very good! I don’t have a problem with it,” Qian Tong nodded.
“Great Elder?” Yang Kai turned to Ye Xi Yun.
“Naturally, I have no objections.”
“But the building materials…” Qian Tong frowned.
Ye Xi Yun laughed lightly and said with a smile, “We’ve brought enough. Since Sect Master has had this idea for some time now, how could we not make appropriate preparations? Before we came, we had the disciples gather any necessary supplies.”
“In that case, this old master will be profiting from your preparedness,” Qian Tong laughed before turning around and shouting, “Shadow Moon Hall disciples, assist your brothers and sisters from High Heaven Sect in building some houses here. This will be our temporary home.”
The thousand Shadow Moon Hall disciples voiced their understanding and got to work.
The ruins, which had been abandoned for countless years, suddenly became lively again, with two thousand people wandering about, setting up houses with the various materials they had brought.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai began arranging a Space Array here!
Since this would be their main camp, there was naturally a need for a Space Array here to contact the outside. Whether it was the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array in the mountain valley on the surface or the Space Array Yang Kai had left outside the Saint Crystal lode before, there was a need for this place to be connected to them.
By doing this, it would be far more convenient for the disciples to make roundtrips while mining ore, saving much time and effort.
Ten days later, inside the original ruins, there was now a cluster of newly built houses. Because this would be a long-term camp, the disciples of the two great forces had spared no effort in their construction.
These houses were not exquisite in design, but they were extremely practical. Living in them would be just like living in their respective Sects, except for the lacking of World Energy.
However, this was not a big problem. If one really wanted to cultivate, they simply needed to rely on Saint Crystals.
Along the roads of the former ruin, light stones were hung at regular intervals to provide a soft illumination, brightening up the originally dark and dreary space.
Yang Kai had informed Qian Tong and Ye Xi Yun about the locations of the eight mineral lodes he had already found; as for how they were mined, Yang Kai did not need to concern himself. Qian Tong and Ye Xi Yun would take charge of everything.
If they needed more manpower, they could always bring people over from Shadowed Star at any time; Yang Kai had arranged everything for them.
Not only that, once everything in the camp was in order and the disciples began mining operations, Yang Kai went out alone, and within a ten-million-kilometre radius, he arranged several Space Arrays!
Over the next several dozen years, these Space Arrays arranged by Yang Kai would allow the cultivators from Shadowed Star to move about easily within this range.
One month later, Yang Kai was ready to leave.
After all, his original intention was to open up a connection between Shadowed Star and the outside world; finding this Ore Star was just an inadvertent harvest.
Now that things were settled on this Ore Star, there was not any reason for Yang Kai to delay his trip further.
Standing amidst the ruins, Yang Kai summoned Xiao Xiao back!
Since arriving on this Ore Star, Yang Kai had never taken Xiao Xiao back, because this place was a paradise for him. By devouring all kinds of rare ores, Xiao Xiao could strengthen himself, and if there was enough of a particular type of ore, Xiao Xiao might even be able to acquire new abilities related to their properties.
His lava armour was a perfect example!
This was an ability Xiao Xiao gained after refining some of the Sun’s True Fire.
As soon he donned his lava armour, no one could approach to within ten metres of Xiao Xiao, as the heat he gave off was enough to force even Origin Realm masters back.
In any case, the resources on this Ore Star were extremely abundant, so no matter how much Xiao Xiao swallowed, the overall amount would not decrease. As such, Yang Kai had left Xiao Xiao to his own devices.
However, when he tried summoning Xiao Xiao, Yang Kai discovered that Xiao Xiao had dug extremely deep into the star, apparently having found something good.
Perceiving Yang Kai’s call, Xiao Xiao began tunnelling his way back up from below.
An hour later, Xiao Xiao appeared in front of Yang Kai.
But with just a glance, Yang Kai could not help becoming worried.
Because Xiao Xiao’s current state seemed somewhat improper.
Xiao Xiao had always appeared a bit gruff and silly because his sentience simply was not very high, a trait that was reflected by his somewhat dull outward appearance. However, at this moment, he appeared even dimmer than before, with the intelligent glint in his eyes now severely diminished.
When he walked about, Xiao Xiao staggered and swayed, as if he was drunk.
Yang Kai was taken aback and instinctually thought that Xiao Xiao had swallowed something he should not have, causing some kind of accident. But after performing a thorough check, Yang Kai was surprised to find that nothing was wrong with Xiao Xiao. In fact, his physical condition had never been better.
Additionally… Yang Kai sensed a strange, mysterious power coming from Xiao Xiao’s body.
This kind of power was familiar to Yang Kai as it was like the World Principles he felt as he refined the Star Source of Shadowed Star to become its Star Master.
“World Principles?” Yang Kai’s complexion changed drastically as he quickly began investigating more carefully.
After a long, silent probe, Yang Kai took back his Divine Sense and knitted his brow.
He did not feel anything was wrong with Xiao Xiao, but it was also undeniable that he now gave off a trace of World Principles from his body. This fluctuation was quite faint, though, countless times weaker when compared to Shadowed Star’s.
However, World Principles were still World Principles, a concept that even Origin Kings were unable to touch!
The question was now, how could Xiao Xiao suddenly begin giving off traces of Heavenly Law?
After recalling all his previous experiences in search of an answer, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as a bold guess emerged in his heart, “Did you swallow and refine the Star Source of this Dead Star? Did this Dead Star actually have a Star Source to begin with?”
Xiao Xiao raised his dim eyes and looked at Yang Kai with a blank expression for a while before raising his foot and began stumbling about before tripping over himself and falling to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he realized that Xiao Xiao wasn’t in any danger, but was simply unable to completely digest the power of the Dead Star’s Source, causing his control over his own strength to become unstable. Realizing this, Yang Kai simply took Xiao Xiao back into the Sealed World Bead.
However, this entire situation was quite a surprise to Yang Kai.
That this Dead Star still had its own Star Source was a shocking discovery.
It should be impossible for a Dead Star to possess a Star Source because, without World Energy, there simply could not be World Principles, naturally meaning there was no way for a Star Source to be born. This was the same concept as a person dying and their body rotting, their essence disappearing leaving behind only withered bones.
However, there were always exceptions to the rules.
According to Yang Kai’s own previous speculations, this Dead Star was originally an extremely vibrant Cultivation Star that had for some reason died throughout thousands, if not millions of years. As such, some of its original Source could have remained.
Xiao Xiao had obviously dug deep underground and found the remains of this Star Source and swallowed it.
This was a great blessing. If it was the Star Source of a true Cultivation Star, Xiao Xiao would never have been able to refine it.
This kind of refining was completely different from the refining Yang Kai performed to become a Star Master. Star Master and Cultivation Star were closely linked, sharing honour and disgrace. After Yang Kai became a Star Master though, Shadowed Star’s Star Source still existed, there was now just a mysterious connection between them that allowed Yang Kai to use many conveniences on Shadowed Star that others could not.
Xiao Xiao, on the other hand, had directly swallowed and absorbed this place’s Star Source, meaning it was gone forever and would not be completely converted into Xiao Xiao’s strength.
Various thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s head, making him more and more certain his guess was correct.
Since Xiao Xiao was fine though, Yang Kai was no longer as worried about this. After talking to Qian Tong and Ye Xi Yun, he departed from the Ore Star and continued his journey.
Traversing the Star Field was desolate and lonely, especially in this region where there were no Cultivation Stars at all.
Through his Star Chart, Yang Kai confirmed that the nearest Cultivation Star was at least a year away.
Not becoming irritable or impatient, Yang Kai would sometimes travel under his own strength, while at other times he would land on an asteroid and cultivate while allowing it to carry him forward.
Sometimes, he would land on Dead Stars he came across to search for gains.
However, Dead Stars were Dead Stars in the end, and despite searching a number of them, Yang Kai didn’t have much of a harvest. It could be said that his discovery of that Ore Star was simply a stroke of luck.
Such an accident was not going to happen a second time.
That being said, Yang Kai arranged another Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array on a certain Dead Star he passed by, connecting it with the previous one.
During this period, Xiao Xiao had been asleep inside the Sealed World Bead, not moving at all. However, Yang Kai was aware that Xiao Xiao was now slowly releasing a thick, impurity-like casing from his body, forming a kind of stone cocoon around himself.
This was quite similar to his original state as a stone embryo.
[Could Stone Puppets evolve?] While Yang Kai was suspicious, he was also looking forward to it, wondering what kind of changes Xiao Xiao would experience after he emerged from the cocoon.
After many days of cultivating, Yang Kai also faintly noticed a kind of barrier blocking his path forward.
This was the barrier which separated him from the Origin King Realm! Only by breaking through these shackles could Yang Kai reach the Origin King Realm.
At this time, if he could find a Cultivation Star and enter retreat for a year, or even half a year, Yang Kai was confident he could make a breakthrough attempt.
One day, Yang Kai was performing a check on Xiao Xiao’s condition.
Because Xiao Xiao had not moved at all for the past year or so, Yang Kai would check in on him occasionally. This time, however, some faint fluctuations were coming from the cocoon, a clear sign Xiao Xiao was about to emerge from it.
Joyful, Yang Kai immediately looked for a place to stay for a while to wait for Xiao Xiao to complete his evolution.
After scanning his surroundings, Yang Kai rushed straight towards a nearby Asteroid Sea.
This Asteroid Sea was quietly suspended in the void, with no signs of movement at all within or around it, the perfect place to enter retreat for a while.
However, when Yang Kai approached the Asteroid Sea, he suddenly frowned.
He noticed that several auras were trying to conceal themselves in this Asteroid Sea. Although these people were doing their best to remain hidden, it was obvious each one was a powerful Origin Realm master.
It was only because Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was much more powerful than average that he could notice this group.
These people sneakily hiding here were obviously plotting something nefarious.
Yang Kai felt his luck was quite bad, as he did not want to be caught up in this kind of turbid water, so he quickly turned around and left.
However, his figure had only moved slightly when a brilliant glimmer flashed in the distance, transforming into a beam of light which shot out from behind one of the asteroids.
A terrifying power radiated from this streak of light as it rapidly closed the several-dozen-kilometre distance between Yang Kai and the asteroid, causing him to feel a slight tightness on his skin.
“An Origin King!” Yang Kai’s face sank when he realized there was an Origin King Realm master hidden in this Asteroid Sea! Even he had not noticed the presence of such a powerful master until just now.
Although with his current strength, Yang Kai was already invincible under the Origin King Realm, facing an Origin King still put a great deal of pressure onto him.
Origin Kings and Origin Realm masters were completely different existences, and there was a vast gap between them, which was why so many remained stuck at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm their entire life, never able to spy on the mysteries of the Origin King realm.
This hidden master suddenly making a move obviously indicated they intended to kill Yang Kai with a single blow.
However, the master who took action greatly underestimated Yang Kai’s strength. Faced with such a terrifying blow, Yang Kai let out a long roar, stretched out his hand, and weaved together hundreds of his Golden Blood Threads to condense a great golden shield to protect himself!
*Hong…*
With a loud bang and a flash of golden light, Yang Kai was sent flying as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The sturdy shield he condensed from hundreds of Golden Blood Threads had failed to completely block this blow, which shocked him greatly.
However, at the moment of impact, Yang Kai was able to see clearly what he had been attacked by.
It was a long spear over three metres in length and the thickness of a small child’s arm, its whole form radiating a dazzling light and an extraordinary energy fluctuation.
An Origin King Grade artifact!
Although the spear’s main thrust was blocked by the blood shield Yang Kai condensed, the sharp aura it gave off was not completely dissipated and managed to pierce his body, making him feel as if he had been stabbed by countless tiny needles and causing his meridians and physique to ache while his face to distorted.
With the cultivation of the person who launched this sneak attack and the terrifying power of this spear, an ordinary Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator would have been killed instantly, but thanks to his strong foundation and form, Yang Kai was only slightly injured.
From when he left Shadowed Star until now, this was the first encounter Yang Kai had with foreign cultivators, but he never expected that he would actually be attacked by an Origin King with an Origin King Grade artifact.
Yang Kai’s heart filled with anger as he turned his head and glared towards the distant Asteroid Sea like a fierce beast before turning around and flying off into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
After delivering its blow, the long spear which hit Yang Kai flew back the same way it came and landed in the hands of a middle-aged man standing on a huge asteroid.
The middle-aged man had a sinister look about him and wore dark blue robes on his body. A gloomy aura pulsed from his figure, making none dare to approach within ten metres of him.
Holding his artifact, the middle-aged man showed a look of surprise on his face, as if he was shocked he could not kill Yang Kai.
“Interesting. Not only was he able to sense our presence, he even managed to survive after taking this King’s attack,” The middle-aged man smiled fiercely before glancing over in the direction Yang Kai escaped and asking. “Do any of you know who that was?”
Around this man there stood at least twenty Origin Returning Realm masters, all of them above the Second-Order. Hearing this question, these masters exchanged glances before all shaking their heads, indicating that none of them knew who Yang Kai was.
“Since none of you know him, he must really be a passerby,” The middle-aged man pondered for a moment before declaring. “But this matter is very important and there is no room for mistakes, so even if he was just passing by, we cannot let him go.”
“Sir, after taking your blow, will he survive?” Someone asked.
Just now, they all saw the attack this middle-aged man launched and none of them were confident they could take it without dying! Although the other party’s origins were unknown, he was still just an Origin Realm cultivator in the end, so it should be impossible for him to live.
“It never hurts to be cautious. Zhang Fu and Liu Dong, go bring his corpse back to this King!” The middle-aged commanded, clearly thinking that Yang Kai surviving was simply a stroke of luck and he escaped on the verge of death.
“Yes!” Two Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators who were named immediately summoned their Star Shuttles and chased after the escaping Yang Kai.
Thirty thousand kilometres away from where Yang Kai had been attacked, atop a drifting asteroid, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, watching the direction he had come from, waiting quietly.
Although he did not know why that Origin King had just attacked him, judging from how they were stealthily trying to conceal themselves, it was fairly obvious they were lying in ambush for someone, and even if Yang Kai had only passed by on accident, he might have disturbed their plans.
In other words, the other party had attacked him in an attempt to silence the witness to the crime.
That being the case, even if he tried to escape now, the other party would definitely not let him go! Yang Kai was certain someone would come to pursue him soon.
It was precisely because of this judgment that Yang Kai had deliberately stopped and did not leave in a hurry.
After inexplicably suffering such a big loss, how could Yang Kai simply walk away? Although the opponent’s attack was terrifying, Yang Kai also noticed that the one who delivered it was just a First-Order Origin King.
He had even killed Luo Hai, so why would he need to fear a mere First-Order Origin King? Although there was no Star Emperor Token for Yang Kai to use anymore, even if he could not defeat this Origin King, he would have no problem escaping.
Luo Hai had chased Yang Kai for several months through the Star Field back then, causing him extreme distress but never capturing him. Could this unknown First-Order Origin King be faster or more powerful than Luo Hai?
Yang Kai’s guess was correct, and after waiting just half a cup of tea’s time on this asteroid, two rays of light suddenly appeared in the distance. Judging from the brightness and speed of these streaks, the pursuers who had arrived were two Third-Order Origin Realm cultivators.
A sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Yang Kai’s lips but as his pursuers got closer, he quickly put that expression away and instead wore one of panic, hurriedly leapt up from the asteroid, summoned his Star Shuttle, and continued to fly forward.
However, making the most of this act, Yang Kai deliberately moved at much less than his peak speed, pretending his injuries were not light and giving the appearance of an arrow at the end of its flight.
When the two cultivators named Zhang Fu and Liu Dong saw this, they exchanged a knowing glance before following behind Yang Kai at a leisurely pace, intending to play a game of cat and mouse and enjoy this little distraction before killing him.
Flying forward, Yang Kai would occasionally look back, as if he was afraid that he would be overtaken.
This sight made Zhang Fu and Liu Dong even more unscrupulous, not only intentionally tailing behind Yang Kai instead of immediately attacking, but also repeatedly taunting and threatening him.
After an hour, estimating that he had travelled far enough now, Yang Kai suddenly came to a stop, turned around, and stood his ground.
With a flash of light, Zhang Fu and Liu Dong appeared in front of Yang Kai and stood at a distance of about three hundred metres, looking at him mockingly.
The taller Zhang Fu swept his eyes over Yang Kai and snickered, “Boy, you’re pretty good. Even after suffering a blow from Senior Li’s Soul Breaker Spear, you didn’t immediately die. This Zhang is impressed!”
“Senior Li?” Yang Kai frowned, his face pale and gloomy to the extreme, coughing frequently as he asked, “I have no grievances with you, why would your Senior Li attack me? “
Zhang Fu smiled coldly as he casually played with a ring-shaped artifact he was holding as he spoke lightly, “We truly have no grievances or grudges between us, you can only blame your bad luck for passing through here. Heh heh, Senior Li hates it when his plans are interrupted the most.”
“What plans?” Yang Kai asked.
Liu Dong, standing next to Zhang Fu, cut in impatiently, “Brat, you’re about to die, why bother asking so many questions?”
“It is precisely because I’m about to die that I’m asking, so at least I don’t die ignorant!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
“You want to understand why you’re about to die?” Zhang Fu looked at Yang Kai and sneered.
“Yes!”
“It’s not that I can’t tell you. You-” Zhang Fu said in a joking tone, but Liu Dong interrupted him before he finished.
“Enough nonsense, just hurry up and kill him, it’s important we bring his corpse back to Senior Li as quickly as possible!”
“Fair enough!” Zhang Fu nodded in agreement before he glanced towards the Space Ring on Yang Kai’s hand, “This brat was able to take Senior Li’s strike without dying, so he can’t be an average guy. There must be many good things on him. How about we split whatever is in his ring fifty-fifty?”
“Agreed!” Liu Dong nodded.
The two of them began deciding how to divide up Yang Kai’s belongings before even finishing him off. In any case, Senior Li only said they needed to bring his corpse back, he never said anything about the treasures on him. Naturally, these items would line their pockets as they believed that with his status and strength, Senior Li would disdain to snatch them from them.
“You want my things?” Yang Kai grinned slightly as he suddenly spoke in a cold tone, “I’m afraid they’ll cost you your lives!”
“Insane brat!” Liu Dong snorted coldly, but in the next moment, his complexion changed drastically, and his eyes bulged as he stared towards Yang Kai’s original location, because no one was there.
At some point, Yang Kai had mysteriously vanished.
Suddenly Liu Dong felt a faint chill run across his neck, and he heard Zhang Fu’s horrified shout ring in his ears, “Brother Liu, dodge!”
Liu Dong was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master, so the moment he noticed Yang Kai had disappeared, he realized something was not right. Hearing Zhang Fu’s warning, he pushed his Saint Qi to its limits and tried to flee without any hesitation.
But to his horror, the Saint Qi in his body was instantly suppressed by an astonishing Shi, causing not just him, but the space around him to completely freeze.
Could such a powerful Shi really exist? Liu Dong felt his blood run cold as he desperately tried to push his own Shi to resist.
This was a standard part of battle between Origin Realm masters, where the difference in strength between their respective Shis ultimately determined who emerged victoriously.
However, the reality in front of Liu Dong only made him more desperate. The Shi he released from his body was like a snowflake under the scorching sun, melting away in an instant, unable to even take shape.
At that moment, he felt a chill come from his neck and as he gazed down, he saw a headless corpse standing in the void, red blood spraying from its neck like a beautiful fountain.
This person’s clothes, figure, and even the ring on his hand looked so similar to his own.
[I’m already dead?]
Cold sweat leaked from Liu Dong’s forehead as he faintly realized his situation, but soon darkness overtook him, swallowing his consciousness and vitality.
“Can you explain now?” When Yang Kai reappeared, he was already standing just ten metres in front of Zhang Fu, his complexion ruddy with no sign that he was injured at all.
Staring at Zhang Fu coldly, Yang Kai played with a single Golden Blood Thread at his fingertips that waved around like a living snake, looking for an opportunity to strike.
Zhang Fu shuddered as he felt a cold chill from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, his spirit almost collapsing entirely!
Liu Dong, whose strength equalled his own, was decapitated by this young man in a single instant.
When it happened, Zhang Fu only saw a golden light flashing across Liu Dong’s neck, he did not even see how Yang Kai moved.
Did such a powerful Origin Realm cultivator exist in this world?
Even if Senior Li wanted to kill them, he could not have done so this easily, right?
Zhang Fu stood on the spot with a pale face as big beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and slid down his face.
“Your companion was a bit tactless, so he died!” Yang Kai looked at Zhang Fu indifferently, without the slightest emotion in his eyes, making Zhang Fu sweat even more profusely.
He wanted to escape but found that he couldn’t muster the courage.
He had a feeling that if he really tried to run, he would be the next one seeing his own decapitated body.
“I hope your answers can satisfy me!” Yang Kai continued to put pressure on Zhang Fu as he observed his victim carefully.
Zhang Fu’s complexion was forlorn, and his eyes showed a clear light of fear. Pursing his dry lips, he asked, “If I tell you what you want to know, will you let me go?”
“What do you think?” Yang Kai sneered.
Zhang Fu’s body trembled as he gathered his courage and said, “Since you won’t let me go, why should I cooperate with you? Either way, I’ll die.”
“I can kill you quickly, so you won’t even notice you died!” Yang Kai smiled gently.
This smile was like that of a reaper from hell and Zhang Fu felt that this young man he was facing was scarier than Senior Li.
“I need to think about it!” Zhang Fu gulped hard as his eyes drifted about, obviously trying to find a way to escape.
Yang Kai just observed with a smile for a moment before flicking his wrist, causing the golden thread at his fingertips to flicker. Zhang Fu saw this, screamed, and hurriedly tried to dodge.
However, before he could dodge, a powerful Shi wrapped him up making it impossible for him to even move!
Zhang Fu’s eyes shrank as he looked down to find that the tips of his fingers on his left hand had been sheared off, as if they were sliced by some kind of extremely sharp blade, leaving a smooth wound that blood continued to splash out of.
The pain of this injury was nothing for a battle-hardened Origin Realm master, but what frightened Zhang Fu was that he had no power to fight back in front of Yang Kai.
Both of them were Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, but the other party was like an aloof god who could easily control his life or death!
The golden light flashed again…
Zhang Fu felt a twang of pain again as his left fingers were shaved down slightly more, the severed pieces drifting away slowly right before his eyes.
The other party did not speak anymore and simply kept waving his hand, sending out the golden thread every once in a while.
Another slice was taken, then another…
Zhang Fu’s left hand was slowly but surely cut away and soon disappeared altogether, leaving him with only a handless left arm. Yang Kai showed no intention of stopping though and instead continued his task with meticulous precision, cutting off small pieces of Zhang Fu’s left arm now that his hand was gone.
What caused Zhang Fu to tremble though was that while this young man continued this slow torture, he spoke in a callous voice to explain what he was doing. “After cutting off your left arm, I will cut off your right, then your left leg, then your right leg. I believe that with your cultivation, you won’t die even after that, so I’ll then begin cutting off parts of your body, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure you survive long enough to witness your heart being cut apart, so you understand exactly how you died.”
Zhang Fu could no longer hold back the panic in his heart and shouted, “Enough, whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you! Just stop!”
One death was not equal to another. Suffering slowly and dying painlessly were completely different concepts. Zhang Fu could not bear watching himself slowly be cut apart; just thinking about such a scene made him shudder uncontrollably.
Yang Kai paused and looked at him lightly before chuckling, “If you’d done this earlier, you could have avoided some pain. What was there to hesitate about?”
Zhang Fu grit his teeth and spat, “The winner is the King, the loser is the villain, just tell me what you want to know.”
“Good! Who are you!” Yang Kai went straight to the point.
“We’re from Sword Union!”
“Sword Union?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Sword Union was one of the Star Field’s hegemons, a super force that controlled several Cultivation Stars. Although it was not as large as Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, its strength was not to be underestimated.
In fact, Yang Kai had some dealings with Sword Union’s cultivators before, but that was many years ago. In the Star Field, in addition to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and Sword Union, there was another super force Purple Star, as well other significant players like Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair, each one occupying their own territory, fighting amongst themselves for dominance.
“Who are you trying to ambush by hiding here?” Yang Kai asked again.
Zhang Fu’s eyes flickered as his look became hesitant, but in the end, he grit his teeth and replied, “The one we’re here to ambush is also from Sword Union.”
Yang Kai looked at him with a strange expression.
Zhang Fu quickly explained, “I’m not lying to you! The one we’re here to ambush is our enemy! Although everyone belongs to Sword Union, there are different factions!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. From the other person’s eyes, Yang Kai could see that he wasn’t lying and his explanation was also reasonable.
For a great force such as Sword Union, its internal structure was naturally complicated and power struggles were inevitable; however, setting up an ambush like this seemed somewhat excessive.
“Explain in detail,” Yang Kai asked, just to be safe.
Since Zhang Fu had chosen to cooperate, naturally he did not try to hide anything and immediately told Yang Kai everything he knew.
In Sword Union, there were apparently several different factions, but two dominated above the rest. One faction was led by the current Union Master while the other was headed by the Vice Union Master. These two factions had been fighting one another for many years.
The Senior Li Zhang Fu mentioned before, whose real name was Li Ming Hai, belonged to the Vice Union Master’s faction.
This time they were here to ambush the rising star of the Union Master’s faction, the direct descendant of Sword Union’s Union Master Gu Cang Yun, Gu Jian Xin!
“A rising star, even the descendant of your Union Master, is actually worth dispatching an Origin King to ambush?” Yang Kai looked at Zhang Fu in astonishment before pensively asking, “What is it about this person that you are all so afraid of?”
Zhang Fu smiled bitterly, “If it was just an ordinary Origin Realm master, naturally we wouldn’t need to pay him so much attention, but the Young Union Master possesses the Universe Sword Body and has now reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm. If he breaks through to the Origin King Realm, the Vice Union Master’s faction will have no future, so we need to take advantage of this time, when he has no strong guardians, to take action. Your appearance disrupted Senior Li’s plan, so he tried to kill you.”
“Universe Sword Body?” Yang Kai touched his chin, “Some type of Special Constitution, isn’t it? What’s so terrifying about it?”
“The Young Union Master is only sixty years old this year yet has already reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, what isn’t terrifying about it?” Zhang Fu said solemnly, “I think your true age is also not very big, and your strength is quite good, but if you were to be facing our Young Union Master, it’s not certain who would win or lose!”
“Really?” Yang Kai chuckled.
A cultivator who reached the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm in less than sixty years was indeed a top talent! However, Yang Kai was only about fifty, even younger than this Gu Jian Xin!
When cultivators cultivated, they often did not notice the passage of time, so they didn’t care much about age.
“If it’s true what you say, then I am somewhat interested in your Young Union Master,” Yang Kai snickered.
Zhang Fu swept his eyes over Yang Kai before nodding, “People like you will collide with each other one day, creating great sparks, but… that will all depend on the Young Union Master escaping this tribulation alive! Good, have I told you everything you want to know?”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded lightly at him.
“Then do it!” Zhang Fu urged impatiently, but there were still no signs of Yang Kai acting. Instead, his consciousness just became blurred in the next moment.
Sure enough… he did not even know what happened!
Standing in place, Yang Kai took Zhang Fu and Liu Dong’s Space Rings then burned down their bodies with his Demonic Flames. Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai summoned his Star Shuttle again and flew back the way he came.
He had not sought trouble, but that Li Ming Hai hadn’t even said a word and tried to kill him for simply passing by. How could Yang Kai tolerate such an affront? After being beaten by someone, how could he not hit back?
Yang Kai was planning on joining the fun! If he could find a chance to kill Li Ming Hai, that would be best.
In the Asteroid Sea, the group of cultivators headed by Li Ming Hai waited quietly, like patient beasts ready to pounce.
After a long time though, someone frowned and said, “Why haven’t Zhang Fu and Liu Dong come back? With their skills, could they have failed?”
“Did they encounter some kind of danger?”
“Is there any danger around here? You don’t want to say they were killed by that guy, do you?”
“How could that be? That guy took a blow from Senior Li and was lucky to have even survived. How could he have the strength to fight against Zhang Fu and Liu Dong? However, it is strange they have not come back after so long, should we go out and look for them?” A man asked Li Ming Hai.
“No, if they cannot even handle such a simple matter, their lives are worthless! Do not act carelessly, within a day or two the Young Union Master’s Starship will pass through here. Just wait quietly.”
“Yes!”
After a brief conversation, the group of ambushers went silent, only occasionally glancing in a certain direction, looking forward to the arrival of the Young Union Master’s Starship.
This Asteroid Sea was quite large, so it was easy to hide in, otherwise, Li Ming Hai would not have chosen to ambush Gu Jian Xin’s Starship in this place.
It was because it was so big that Yang Kai was not spotted when he snuck around and approached.
At this moment, Yang Kai had gotten to within a hundred kilometres of Li Ming Hai’s group.
He also hid behind a big asteroid and stared in the direction of Li Ming Hai with a cold expression.
With his current strength, he could simply have charged forward and attacked. Even if he could not kill Li Ming Hai this way, it would not be a problem for him to kill a few of his subordinates and retreat calmly.
But Yang Kai didn’t choose this course of action. It was Li Ming Hai who injured him before, so he wanted to settle accounts with him personally.
Yang Kai was also waiting. Waiting for the Young Union Master to arrive and for the two sides to fight so he could find an opportunity to launch his own sneak attack, repaying the earlier favour he received in kind!
Somewhere in the Asteroid Sea, Yang Kai concealed both his figure and aura. He believed that it would be impossible for them to find any trace of him even if they were separated by just a hundred kilometres and the opponent was an Origin King Realm master.
Taking the opportunity, Yang Kai inspected Xiao Xiao’s condition again.
It was because he noticed some changes in Xiao Xiao before that he thought about entering this Asteroid Sea to stop for a while, ultimately resulting in him being sneak attacked by Li Ming Hai.
With some time on his hands now, Yang Kai naturally turned his attention to Xiao Xiao again.
After a brief inspection, Yang Kai was overjoyed.
The stone cocoon which had formed around Xiao Xiao now showed visible cracks, similar to the ones which appeared when he was first born. This was an obvious sign that Xiao Xiao was about to break out of his shell.
It was not suitable to have him break out in the Asteroid Sea. Yang Kai didn’t know if the Stone Puppet’s evolution would cause any obvious signs. If he stayed here, it would only be discovered by Li Ming Hai and others.
With no other choice, Yang Kai could only dive into the Sealed World Bead with Xiao Xiao.
Since bringing the elites from the Human, Monster, and Demon Races from Tong Xuan Realm to High Heaven Sect, the Small Sealed World had once again become vacant.
Staring at the stone cocoon in front of him, Yang Kai waited quietly.
Soon after, the stone cocoon made a cracking sound, and the existing fissures became bigger and denser.
Finally, after cracks filled the entire stone cocoon’s surface, Xiao Xiao burst out of it.
Xiao Xiao’s body dexterously fell in front of Yang Kai, his eyes which had been somewhat dull before were now extremely bright, seeming to contain the light of wisdom.
Discovering that Yang Kai was watching him, Xiao Xiao grinned, then stood there scratching his head with his knee-length arms.
Yang Kai stroked his chin as he released his Divine Sense and scanned Xiao Xiao.
“Nothing changed!” After a long while, he murmured with a suspicious look on his face.
After this most recent evolution, Yang Kai had expected Xiao Xiao to experience some kind of radical change, but now it seemed his expectations were a little too high. Xiao Xiao did undergo some changes after swallowing so many rare ores on that Dead Star.
After absorbing the essence of these ores, Xiao Xiao had become noticeably stronger.
This was similar to how a cultivator would take pills used for cultivation, resulting in a definite increase in strength.
But other than that, there did not seem to be any big changes!
If there was anything, it was that Xiao Xiao’s eyes had become nimbler, a clear sign his sentience had increased, but it had still not reached a remarkable level.
“Show me your bigger form!” Yang Kai commanded.
Xiao Xiao immediately obeyed and transformed into his stone giant form, reaching a dozen metres in height, giving off an awe-inspiring and oppressive air!
“And your lava armour?” Yang Kai asked again.
Xiao Xiao’s surface instantly released flaming hot Sun’s True Fire, creating a layer of flowing, terrifying magma around him.
“Yeah… there are no noticeable changes!” Yang Kai frowned as he felt he was failing to understand something. It was reasonable to think that after swallowing the remnant Star Source of that Dead Star Xiao Xiao had obtained some great benefits.
After all, after swallowing it, his reaction was extremely strong and even caused him to revert to a stone cocoon form.
But the final result turned out to be so anticlimactic.
Unable to understand it for the time being, Yang Kai did not bother continuing to probe this matter. There was plenty of time in the future to study what had happened so Yang Kai simply commanded Xiao Xiao to resume his regular form and left him in the Small Sealed World.
As soon as he returned to the asteroid he was hiding on before, Yang Kai realized that something had changed.
A hundred kilometres away, Li Ming Hai’s group had used some kind of Secret Technique to further conceal their auras, almost disappearing from Yang Kai’s perception.
Additionally, in the distance, a Starship was slowly approaching!
This was the Starship of Sword Union’s Young Union Master!
This Young Union Master had come rather quickly. No wonder Li Ming Hai had not hesitated to attack Yang Kai. Obviously, the time before their plan was to start was very soon and Li Ming Hai had not wanted there to be any accidents.
In the end though, not only had Li Ming Hai failed to kill Yang Kai, he had also provoked a hidden enemy for himself. If Li Ming Hai knew this, it was not clear how he would react.
Yang Kai looked towards the location of the approaching Starship and judged it would be at most an hour before the two parties met. Unable to stop himself from drawing a sharp breath, Yang Kai waited in anticipation for a good show!
As time passed little by little, the atmosphere in the huge Asteroid Sea seemed to become tense.
Soon, Yang Kai discovered that Sword Union’s Young Union Master was travelling in a convoy of Starships, with the centre one being slightly larger, about three hundred metres in length.
The left and right Starships were only two hundred metres each.
A small fleet of three Starships!
As they were still too far away, Yang Kai did not know what grade these three Starships were, but they weren’t lower than Origin Grade.
Sword Union was indeed a super force! Origin Grade Starships were considered strategic assets to the Sects on Shadowed Star, but Sword Union could send out three together.
However, the appearance of these three Starships was far different from the one refined by Yang Yan. Bluntly put, these Starships looked more like big sailing ships, especially the one in the middle. It was like a great ocean vessel sailing across the Starry Sky. Its bow was quite sharp, and the body was slender, almost giving it the appearance of a long sword from a distance.
On the decks of the three Starships, cultivators could be seen moving about.
The approaching Starships were clearly unaware of the crisis waiting in ambush in this Asteroid Sea and sailed straight towards it at speed. When the distance shrank to only fifty kilometres though, Li Ming Hai, who had been hiding behind a giant asteroid, decided to take action.
Even if they were separated by a hundred kilometres, Yang Kai could clearly feel a powerful wave of energy well up and from several nearby locations in the Asteroid Sea, an intense light appeared.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of white light beams shot out from the Asteroid Sea like arrows from a bow, showering down on the three Starships in the distance like a rain of lightning.
With such an obvious disturbance and such powerful energy fluctuations, the three Starships obviously took notice and the cultivators on deck all rushed out, summoned their defensive artifacts, and protected the Starship as best they could.
The three Starships themselves also reacted extremely quickly.
With a brilliant flash, a visible energy barrier surrounded each of the three Starships. The Starships also rapidly changed course in an attempt to dodge the incoming fire.
However, Li Ming Hai and his subordinates had been waiting here for quite some time and were well prepared. The sneak attack they launched was perfectly timed, making it impossible for the three Starships to avoid being hit.
The several dozen white pillars of light hit upon the three Starships like a giant wave crashing upon them.
A brighter light erupted as the Starship on the far left was unable to withstand this attack, its shield shattering before its hull was penetrated by several beams of light, resulting in severe damage and a massive explosion!
No one could escape from the ship’s destruction.
The cultivators on this Starship, along with the Starship itself, were extinguished entirely by Li Ming Hai’s first sneak attack!
The Starship on the right had better luck. Although its defensive shield was also worn down rapidly, it had suffered far fewer attacks and its hull was only penetrated by two pillars of light.
Although the Starship was clearly crippled, it did not explode apart, so at least part of the crew had managed to survive.
The cultivators who survived fled from the Starship in a hurry though with everyone in a flurry as they searched for the enemy. After seeing what had become of the left-most Starship, these survivors felt both fear and anger deep in their hearts.
Among the three Starships, only the one in the middle, the largest, remained in relatively good condition.
Although it had withstood more attacks than the other two ships, this Starship was obviously of a very high grade and its defensive shield was not completely breached, though it had become extremely dim.
Before the survivors could recover, Li Ming Hai and his subordinates rushed out.
Immediately after triggering the pillars of light, Li Ming Hai and his subordinates took action, seemingly having anticipated this situation. Arriving in front of the surviving starships, these ambushers summoned their offensive artifacts and began attacking.
The already dim defensive shield was quickly broken.
“Li Ming Hai! So it’s you!” From the middle Starship, a terrifying roar rang out. By listening to this voice, it was clear it belonged to a young man who was filled with monstrous anger, “You dare attack this Young Master? Do you understand the consequences of your actions?”
“The consequences of attacking the Young Union Master, this old master is well aware,” Among the crowd, the exposed Li Ming Hai remained indifferent, not showing the slightest panic. “This old master is also an Elder of Sword Union, so how could he not understand the rules? However, if Young Union Master thinks he can dissuade this old master with such flimsy talk of rules, this old master will have to disappoint.”
“Good, very good! It seems that you are ready to bear the violent anger of this Young Master,” From the Starship, Gu Jian Xin’s voice echoed and soon, a young man appeared on its deck. This young man had a brave and heroic appearance, with a handsome face and a sharp light in his eyes that seemed to gleam like swords.
Sword Union’s Young Union Master, Gu Jian Xin!
Standing tall, like a sword, on the Starship’s deck, even facing an Origin King like Li Ming Hai, he did not show the slightest bit of fear, his expression simply remaining cold and indifferent.
Next to Gu Jian Xin there were two women, one to the left, one to the right. One was tall and had rich curves and lustrous eyes. The other was quite petite and had a delicate-looking face and long black hair that reached all the way down her back. These two women had completely different appearances and temperaments, but they both shared the same fearless, even somewhat eager, look on their faces as Gu Jian Xin.
Li Ming Hai and Gu Jian Xin’s eyes collided and sparks seemed to fly.
The former soon frowned slightly though.
He was shocked to discover that Gu Jian Xin’s aura was thicker than when he saw him last.
It seemed the rumours were true. If there were no surprises, Young Union Master Gu Jian Xin would be able to attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm within the next three to five years!
Once he successfully reached the Origin King Realm, with his Universe Sword Body’s Special Constitution, coupled with the Left and Right Sword Servants, no ordinary First-Order Origin King would be his opponent. He would even be able to fight with some Second-Order Origin Kings!
A true monster! No wonder Vice Union Master Wei Qian Zong was so eager to eradicate Gu Jian Xin, obviously, he had noticed just how terrifying the latter’s growth had become.
Fortunately, a rare opportunity had presented itself here today. As long as Gu Jian Xin died, Sword Union would fall into the Vice Union Master’s hands in the future; after all, a genius who failed to mature was no genius!
“Li Ming Hai, this Young Master has only one question!” Gu Jian Xin stood on the deck with his hands behind his back, “How did you know that this Young Master would travel through here?”
Li Ming Hai narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Young Union Master already knows the answer in his heart, why bother asking this old master?”
Gu Jian Xin nodded lightly, “It seems that there are traitors around this Young Master. Very well, once this is all over, this Young Master will route them out.”
“Young Union Master need not worry about such matters as you have no future!” Li Ming Hai waved his hand and shouted, “Kill them all, don’t let a single one escape!”
If there were any survivors from this incident, it would bring great trouble, so Li Ming Hai didn’t plan to leave any witnesses alive.
With the order given, the Origin Realm masters around Li Ming Hai took action, attacking the enemy cultivators who had escaped the right escort Starship.
Atop the middle Starship where Gu Jian Xin stood, a large number of cultivators also emerged, eager to meet the enemy.
Instantly, the Asteroid Sea was filled with brilliant flashes of light as artifacts and Secret Techniques continued to bloom.
Although there weren’t many people on Li Ming Hai’s side, thirty at most; all of them were masters at or above the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm, giving his side a very high combat effectiveness. On the other side, Gu Jian Xin had two hundred or so cultivators supporting him, but their cultivations were somewhat mixed and the number of masters they had was less than Li Ming Hai’s side.
Most importantly though, with an Origin King like Li Ming Hai presiding over the situation, the pressure on Gu Jian Xin’s side was too great, making it difficult for the Origin Realm masters on the latter’s side to display their full strength.
As such, when the two sides made contact, Gu Jian Xin’s side immediately began suffering heavy casualties while Li Ming Hai’s side remained undamaged.
For the start, Li Ming Hai’s group had absolute superiority over Gu Jian Xin’s people.
The battle had already started, but Li Ming Hai did not rush to take action, instead just staring at Gu Jian Xin and the two women next to him with a solemn look on his face.
It seemed that this man and two women in front of him were opponents worthy of him taking seriously.
He didn’t move, but Gu Jian Xin, whose side was clearly weaker, naturally didn’t dare to act rashly, only able to watch his subordinates fall one by one in frustration.
After a long silence, Li Ming Hai said faintly, “Young Union Master, do you want to take your own life or do you need this old master to send you on your way?”
“Old dog, you think you’ve already defeated this Young Master?” Gu Jian Xin shouted coldly.
Li Ming Hai slowly shook his head, “Since this Li dared to appear here, naturally he is fully prepared. Young Union Master is indeed a dragon among men, with your Universe Sword Body and your Left and Right Sword Servants who have cultivated together with you since childhood, you are truly extremely difficult to deal with, but… Young Union Master has not arrived at the Origin King Realm, after all. If you had already reached the Origin King Realm, this old master would definitely not be your opponent. Unfortunately, Young Union Master is destined to be unable to escape today.”
“Whether I can escape this crisis today or not, you will know after you try,” Gu Jian Xin roared as he summoned a white long sword into his hand. Sword light surrounding his body, he soared up from the deck!
This sword light was like a rising sun covering the earth, brilliant and majestic.
When he moved, the two women who had been standing behind him also moved. Like Gu Jian Xin, they summoned their swords, released brilliant sword light from their bodies, and followed after Gu Jian Xin.
Different from Gu Jian Xin, however, the sword light these two females emitted manifested as a great crescent moon and a sea of shimmering stars.
The three sword lights rapidly merged into one and exuded a shocking momentum that far surpassed what an Origin Returning Realm master should be able to. A long sword light cut through the void and slashed towards Li Ming Hai in the next instant!
Li Ming Hai’s eyes flashed as he was truly shocked by the might of Gu Jian Xin’s Secret Technique, calling out loud, “Sun, Moon, and Stars, the Three Swords Brilliance Secret Technique is truly deserving of its reputation! With just this, Young Union Master can already be considered invincible in the Origin Returning Realm! Unfortunately… your Left and Right Sword Servants are slightly worse than your own, and you are not an Origin King. Let this old master show you just how big the gap between the Origin Realm and the Origin King Realm is!”
Saying so, an invisible force spread out from Li Ming Hai’s body.
Domain!
Li Ming Hai had broken through to the Origin King Realm over five hundred years ago and could already be considered an established master in this realm. Even if he had no hope of advancing his cultivation higher in the future, and his Domain was not that strong, in the end, it was still a Domain!
An Origin Returning Realm cultivator who was enveloped in a Domain was destined to be completely suppressed, unable to resist.
However, Li Ming Hai’s Domain was actually unable to stop Gu Jian Xin’s trio. From the sword light of these three, a new force emerged suddenly and easily broke through the Li Ming Hai Domain suppression.
Li Ming Hai’s eyes shrank as he shouted in a low voice, “Bright Sea Domain Dividing Mirror! To think Union Master gave you this treasure!”
The Bright Sea Domain Dividing Mirror was an Origin King Grade artifact, and after being activated, it could nullify the effects of an Origin King’s Domain to a large extent. If the opponent wasn’t strong enough, it was even possible for this mirror to shatter their Domain entirely.
This strange treasure was quite famous throughout the Star Field; after all, artifacts that could resist Domain were extremely rare.
With the help of this treasure, Gu Jian Xin and his two Sword Servants weren’t suppressed by Li Ming Hai’s Domain and were able to send their attack towards him.
Facing the Sun, Moon, and Stars Three Swords Brilliance Secret Technique, Li Ming Hai didn’t dare act carelessly. Flipping his wrist, the long spear artifact which he had used to attack Yang Kai before appeared again and he began pouring his Saint Qi into it. A shocking force condensed at the tip of the spear as Li Ming Hai flew forward to meet Gu Jian Xin’s trio in close combat.
The clank of metal rang out instantly.
Sword and spear shadows flooded a massive region as the four figures of Li Ming Hai and Gu Jian Xin’s trio were engulfed by brilliant flashes of light.
In the distance, Yang Kai stared at all of this in amazement, an expression of surprise on his face.
Being able to compete with an Origin King with just an Origin Returning Realm cultivation was not something that could normally be achieved, but Gu Jian Xin had done just that. Even though he was drawing strength from the two women behind him, it was clear he wouldn’t be suppressed any time soon.
Moreover, the cultivation of those two women was obviously inferior to Gu Jian Xin, both of them seemingly just Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators; however, it was also clear that these three had cultivated some kind of profound Secret Technique that allowed them to consolidate their strength and exert a force far beyond that of an ordinary Origin Realm master.
[This Young Union Master of Sword Union is quite impressive!]
When the battle between the two sides started, Yang Kai had already left his hiding place and stealthily approached the battlefield to observe more closely.
Eighty percent of his attention was focused on Li Ming Hai as he looked for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
To deal with an Origin King like Li Ming Hai, if the right timing was not grasped, it would only result in alerting the enemy, so Yang Kai had to wait patiently.
Originally, he was a little worried that Gu Jian Xin and the others would be defeated in a single blow, but now, it seemed like this Young Union Master could actually fight on for some time.
While observing the fight, Yang Kai noticed a few streaks of light escaping towards the Asteroid Sea.
Obviously, the battlefield had begun to expand, with some cultivators trying to escape, and this Asteroid Sea, which was filled with obstacles, was undoubtedly the best place to escape to.
Two weaker cultivators appeared to be fleeing, and from the outline of their figures, they were probably women. At the same time, a cultivator from Li Ming Hai’s side was chasing after them.
Judging from the aura fluctuations, the two escaping women were Third-Order Saint Kings. Such cultivations really had no use in this kind of battle.
The cultivator chasing behind them was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master, and with the vast gap in their strengths, it was nothing less than a miracle these two women had even managed to escape this far.
Because of Li Ming Hai’s order not to leave anyone alive, the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master didn’t intend to let the two women go and hurriedly chased after them, closing the gap between them rapidly.
The relationship between these two women was obviously close, as even when they were fleeing, they didn’t abandon one another and kept guarding each other tightly. What made Yang Kai feel helpless though, was that the direction they were moving towards was actually where he was hiding.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would fly past him within a few breaths.
Letting out a sigh, Yang Kai prepared to take action.
A moment later, the two women who were escaping flew past the asteroid where Yang Kai was hiding. At such a close distance, and with the two women already looking for suitable hiding places, they naturally found Yang Kai right away.
When their eyes met, Yang Kai was stunned for a moment while the two women on the opposite side were also stupefied.
In the next instant, the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who had been chasing them arrived though and sent out a palm towards the two frozen women.
Judging by the power of this attack, even if these two women resisted with all their strength, they would probably be seriously injured at best.
However, the palm the man sent out suddenly collapsed half-way to its target.
“What happened?” The Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator who had been chasing the pair of women was startled, but before he could react, he saw a golden light flash in front of him and vaguely felt a golden thread-like object cut through his neck.
The Saint Qi he used to protect himself was like paper in front of this golden thread, unable to play any effect at all. After a slight stinging pain, the cultivator’s vision grew dim and faded into darkness.
In the Asteroid Sea, Yang Kai looked at the two women standing nearby in amazement.
These two women were undoubtedly more surprised than Yang Kai though. When the Origin Returning Realm master who was chasing them died all of a sudden, the two women screamed and turned around, wanting to see who it was that saved them.
Seeing none of their allies nearby though, the two women finally turned their eyes back to Yang Kai as they had a fairly good guess what had just transpired. But despite knowing in their hearts what the truth was, their beautiful eyes still showed incredible shock.
“What are you dawdling for? Come here quickly!” Yang Kai called out in a low voice while beckoning to them.
Only then did the two women come back to their senses, exchange a glance, and quickly hurried over to a spot ten metres away from Yang Kai while eyeing him suspiciously, their expressions wavering in uncertainty.
Yang Kai looked at them with a grin and said teasingly, “What’s wrong? After only a few years you don’t recognize me anymore?”
Hearing his words, the two women gasped fiercely and confirmed the guess in their hearts was not wrong, but because of this, they felt more and more shocked, the taller of the two covering her mouth as she called out hesitantly, “Yang Kai?”
“Is it really you? Did you kill that person just now? When did you become so powerful? Why are you here in the first place?” The other woman, who seemed to be younger, quickly spat a flurry of questions before suddenly becoming alert again and asking, “Are you with Li Ming Hai?”
As soon as she began speaking, she seemed unable to stop, leaving Yang Kai no gap to answer her questions.
The older woman observed Yang Kai seriously for a moment before slowly shaking her head, “Little Sister, don’t talk nonsense. If he was with Li Ming Hai, why would he bother helping us just now?”
Yang Kai chuckled, looking at the younger woman and teasing, “He Miao, seems you are still as scatterbrained as before.”
He Miao heard this, and her face turned red as she shyly said, “I’m sorry, I was just too frightened.”
“It’s alright,” Yang Kai smiled lightly as he observed the two women and said with nostalgia. “I didn’t expect that we would meet again in such a place after a few dozen years.”
These two women were the very same ones Yang Kai had first met when he entered the Star Field, He Zao and He Miao.
After escaping from the floating continent all those years ago, they had never met one another. So, upon seeing them here, Yang Kai was also quite surprised. But after thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai recalled that these two sisters, He Zao and He Miao, were disciples from Sword Union, so while unlikely, it wasn’t impossible for them to be here.
Nevertheless, being caught up in this kind of incident, it seemed these two sisters had quite the bad luck.
“En, it’s been many years since we last met,” He Zao sighed, “I didn’t expect you to be so powerful now. You killed that person just now, right?”
“En.”
Seeing Yang Kai admit it, even though they had their suspicions, the two sisters were still a little speechless.
When they met Yang Kai for the first time, Yang Kai was nothing but a First-Order Saint, and even their own cultivations were higher than him at the Third-Order and Second-Order Saint Realm.
After thirty years, the two sisters had used their excellent aptitude and hard work to rapidly reach the Third-Order Saint King Realm.
But compared to Yang Kai, their achievement seemed completely insufficient!
Being able to kill a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm master instantly, even under the premise of a sneak attack, proved that Yang Kai was at least an Origin Realm cultivator himself! And most likely… a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master!
The moment when Yang Kai showed his hand, He Zao felt an energy fluctuation not weaker than the Young Union Master Gu Jian Xin.
Both sisters were deeply shocked.
Suddenly, He Zao’s expression changed again and she asked solemnly, “Yang Kai, can you please help us?”
“With what?”
“Please save our Honoured Master!”
“Your Honoured Master?” Yang Kai frowned, but quickly realized that He Zao should be referring to that beautiful woman Yue Xi!
When they were trapped on the floating continent that year, the Honoured Master of the He Zao and He Mao sisters, Yue Xi, was also there. Yang Kai had some dealings with her, but they had not been very pleasant. Because Yang Kai’s birthplace was too remote and his cultivation wasn’t high, Yue Xi had looked down on him.
Furthermore, Yang Kai also killed Yue Xi’s other disciple at that time, causing her to bear open hostility towards him.
But later, Yue Xi’s perception of Yang Kai improved for various reasons and ultimately, with his help, she and her two disciples were able to successfully escape the floating continent. On top of that, it turned out that her last disciple wasn’t a good thing, and his death wasn’t worth pitying.
“Yue Xi is here too?” Yang Kai glanced towards the battlefield again, only to see a large area of brilliant flashes and chaotic energy fluctuations, making it impossible for him to tell who was fighting from this distance.
An anxious look appeared on He Zao’s face, “We were only able to escape thanks to Honoured Master delaying the enemy, but her situation is not optimistic. I don’t know how long she can hold on, Yang Kai, can you…”
She obviously knew that her request was a bit excessive. The battlefield was in a state of chaos right now and even an Origin King Realm master was fighting. Anyone who entered haphazardly would certainly be at great risk.
However, He Zao was just a Third-Order Saint King and was unable to help Yue Xi at all, so she could only swallow her embarrassment and ask Yang Kai for help.
“Big Brother Yang…” He Miao also called out in a pitiful voice with a pleading look on her face. Her previous liveliness had all but vanished and she now appeared quite helpless and forlorn. Thinking that the Honoured Master who raised her might fall in that battlefield, He Miao almost burst into tears.
Perhaps because of their experience when escaping from the floating continent, or perhaps because Yang Kai just killed a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator with a single blow, the two sisters had inexplicable confidence in him and believed that if he took action, their Honoured Master could be saved.
Yue Xi had a bad impression of Yang Kai at the beginning, but she had only the warmest of intentions for her two disciples, otherwise, she would not have taken such great risks to delay the enemy in order to let He Zao and He Miao escape.
Yang Kai brow furrowed deeply.
Seeing this, He Zao and He Miao did not dare to urge him and simply waited anxiously.
After a short silence, Yang Kai raised his eyes and said seriously, “The main reason why I am hiding here is to launch a sneak attack against that Li Ming Hai!”
He Zao and He Miao suddenly exclaimed as they stared at Yang Kai in shock, an incredible brilliance flashing across their beautiful eyes.
An Origin Returning Realm master wanting to sneak attack an Origin King! This was like an ant hiding in the shadows, then stretching out its leg to try to trip an elephant, a completely unbelievable scenario.
“I’m serious. When I passed by here before, I was attacked by him, which is why I remained!” Yang Kai looked at them lightly. “So it’s not convenient for me to come forward now.”
The brilliance in the sisters’ eyes quickly dimmed.
“However, since He Miao calls me big brother, I can’t just sit back and watch,” Yang Kai chuckled.
He Miao looked at Yang Kai in pleasant surprise, and the pale, bloodless complexion on her face was replaced with a shy blush.
“Come out!” Yang Kai suddenly called, and in the next moment, a stream of fiery red energy burst from his body before quickly condensing into a human figure.
In the blink of an eye, a glamorous woman with an exotic figure appeared strangely in front of He Zao and He Miao.
This glamorous woman had fiery red hair which looked like the most gorgeous of burning flames and her clothes were all crimson red in colour. At such a close distance, both He Zao and He Miao felt an astonishing and dangerous energy fluctuation coming from this woman.
This was an aura of pure destructive power!
“Master, what are your orders?” As soon as the woman appeared, she asked Yang Kai respectfully, without even looking at He Zao or He Miao, as if in her eyes, the two women were like air and could be ignored.
“Accompany and protect them!” Yang Kai pointed to He Zao and He Miao.
The woman finally glanced towards the two sisters and nodded lightly.
“Yang Kai, she is…” He Zao asked hesitantly.
“My friend, you can call her Liu Yan!” Yang Kai replied.
Even Yang Kai did not notice that when he introduced Liu Yan to the two sisters this way, her beautiful eyes flashed with a subtle but extremely bright light.
“So it is Elder Sister Liu Yan. We will be imposing on Elder Sister then,” Although He Zao saw that Liu Yan didn’t have a physical form, the other party’s sentience was clearly quite high, so she did not dare act negligently.
“Liu Yan will obey Master’s orders!” Liu Yan didn’t say much, replying promptly and concisely.
“En, go,” Yang Kai nodded faintly at Liu Yan. Liu Yan nodded back before her body transformed back into a stream of fiery light and dove into He Zao’s body before she could even react.
He Zao exclaimed in shock, but soon, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face.
Because she felt that there was a terrifying power now hidden within her body. Although this power was not under her control, and even brought her some discomfort from its heat, with this power, she was confident she could save her Honoured Master!
Turning a look filled with gratitude to Yang Kai she bowed her head, “Thank you!”
“Be careful!” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
The He Zao and He Miao sisters looked at each other quickly before turning around and flying towards the battlefield.
With Liu Yan’s assistance, the safety of the two sisters was assured. Since she swallowed and refined the Heavenly Thunder Fire in Brilliant Flame Sect, not only had Liu Yan’s sentience evolved greatly, her strength had also soared!
Before swallowing the Heavenly Thunder Fire, she was able to fight against Third-Order Origin Realm masters.
After swallowing it, she was now capable of competing with an ordinary First-Order Origin King.
On the battlefield, there was only one Origin King, Li Ming Hai, so no one else was Liu Yan’s opponent. It was conceivable that once He Zao and He Miao returned with Liu Yan, the entire course of the battle would shift dramatically, flipping which side was overwhelming the other.
Collecting his thoughts, Yang Kai refocused his attention on Gu Jian Xin and Li Ming Hai.
Their battle was the fiercest in the entire battlefield and gave off the greatest energy fluctuations, so it was easy for Yang Kai to find them at a glance.
Gu Jian Xin and his Left and Right Sword Servants were still fighting together as one, wrapping themselves in three the image of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, releasing potent Sword Qi waves towards Li Ming Hai who used his long spear to nimbly fight back against them.
The two sides seemed to be locked in an even battle so far!
After observing for a moment though, Yang Kai could tell that Gu Jian Xin’s side was starting to have difficulties.
When he and the two women performed this Secret Technique before, the Sun, Moon, and Star Sword Brilliances were extremely bright, with a radiant sun, bright crescent moon, and sea of stars supporting and enhancing one another, but now, these three manifestations were slowly beginning to dim and their aura had become somewhat depressed.
On the other hand, Li Ming Hai’s strength had not diminished.
It seemed that, if nothing happened, Gu Jian Xin would ultimately lose.
Taking advantage of the fierce fighting between them, Yang Kai also began to draw closer.
Gu Jian Xin being able to fight until now was already quite impressive, and even if at that last moment, he was unable to cause heavy losses to Li Ming Hai, he should at least be able to wear him down and draw his full attention.
As long as Li Ming Hai’s attention was diverted, Yang Kai could take the opportunity to attack.
Soon, Yang Kai had approached to within ten kilometres of the battle’s perimeter! This was the limit of how close he could get, any closer and Li Ming Hai would definitely notice him.
Just after Yang Kai concealed himself once again, Li Ming Hai’s shout rang out, “Young Union Master, if this is the extent of your ability then this old master will be sending you to the afterlife today!”
Gu Jian Xin did not respond, but it was not clear whether he disdained to do so, or he did not have the spare capacity to. The sword light he and his Left and Right Sword Servants were emitting suddenly bloomed, transforming into a massive sword thousands of metres long and swiftly chopped towards Li Ming Hai’s head.
Li Ming Hai saw this and laughed loudly, “Paltry tricks! Even now you insist on this futile resistance, Young Union Master?”
As soon as these words fell, the Soul Breaker Spear in Li Ming Hai’s hand flicked and from its tip a profound dark light shot out to meet the massive sword light.
The white and black rays of light collided and burst into a massive explosion that sent out a wave of powerful ripples. These ripples of energy were violent enough to force all the surrounding Origin Returning Realm masters in the vicinity to retreat.
The two opposite energies clashed in the void, but soon, the stalemate was broken.
Li Ming Hai had used some kind of Secret Technique to greatly increase the intensity of his dark light and directly suppressed the sword light.
A loud bang resounded.
The sword light burst to pieces and a muffled snort echoed as three shadows shot out in different directions.
Gu Jian Xin’s face was pale and there were clear traces of blood at the corners of his lips; obviously, he had suffered some injuries.
His Left and Right Sword Servants were in even worse condition. These two attendants had cultivated together with Gu Jian Xin from when he was a child until now, and as auxiliaries who supported him, their cultivation had always been one step lower than for Gu Jian Xin’s.
As a result, the two Sword Servants suffered greater damage in this exchange. The Left and Right Sword Servants coughed up blood as their tender bodies tumbled uncontrollably, their robes dyed a dark crimson-red.
Li Ming Hai’s eyes flashed a ruthless light, but instead of taking this opportunity to take Gu Jian Xin’s life, his figure flickered and he thrust his spear towards the Left Sword Servant who was closest to him.
As an Origin King, his combat experience was naturally extremely rich, and although this might be the best time to kill Gu Jian Xin, given the latter’s extraordinary identity, and the fact that he was carrying a famous artifact like the Bright Sea Domain Dividing Mirror, there was no telling what other kinds of life-saving treasures he had on him.
Li Ming Hai was not confident he could kill Gu Jian Xin in a single blow.
As such, he chose to attack the Left Sword Servant. As long as the Left Sword Servant died, Gu Jian Xin would no longer be able to use his Sun, Moon, And Stars Three Swords Brilliance Secret Technique. Once that happened, Li Ming Hai was confident he could slowly wear down Gu Jian Xin until he died!
Witnessing Li Ming Hai’s actions, the Right Sword Servant’s beautiful eyes filled with determination and anxiety, hurriedly stabilizing her tumbling figure before pushing her Saint Qi and gathering her sword light again as she flew towards the Left Sword Servant.
Gu Jian Xin also let out a near-hysterical shout, “Ling Yue, watch out!”
As he shouted, he too desperately rushed over.
Three figures rapidly moved towards the Left Sword Servant, shrinking the distance between them in an instant.
A sardonic grin appeared at the corner of Li Ming Hai’s lips and when he felt that the timing was just right, he suddenly whirled around and threw the Soul Breaker Spear in his hand towards the Right Sword Servant.
Everyone was stunned.
Only now did they understand that Li Ming Hai’s initial goal was not the Left Sword Servant, but the Right Sword Servant!
Or perhaps, he had reacted in the moment after discovering a better target…
After the Soul Breaker Spear flew out of Li Ming Hai’s hand, it transformed into a giant python which opened its blood-red mouth and bit towards the Right Sword Servant, as if wanting to swallow her whole.
This was a genuine Origin King Grade artifact, not something the Right Sword Servant could handle alone. If she were to take this attack head-on, death was the only possibility.
At that moment, Gu Jian Xin’s body released a flash of brilliance and using some kind of Secret Technique or artifact, he instantly appeared in front of his Right Sword Servant, grabbed hold of her, and placed his body between her and the incoming attack. At the same time, a cyan coloured Artifact Armour that seemed to be composed of numerous tiny scales appeared on Gu Jian Xin’s body.
On the Artifact Armour, flowing runes and light flashed, and at first glance, it was obviously a high-grade defensive artifact. After being activated by Gu Jian Xin’s Saint Qi, the Artifact Armour released a firm energy barrier.
The moment the light barrier formed; Li Ming Hai’s attack reached its target.
The giant python smashed up against Gu Jian Xin’s Artifact Armour.
The bright energy light film dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye, only managing to persist for two breaths before bursting apart. The python’s remaining power struck Gu Jian Xin’s body at that moment, causing him to fly out while coughing up mouthfuls of blood onto his Right Sword Servant and turning his face pale and bloodless.
“This old master admires Young Union Master’s loving heart and righteousness, but… though you managed to save one, can you save the other as well?” Li Ming Hai’s triumphant voice sounded with a hint of sarcasm and mockery.
Gu Jian Xin, who was still tumbling flying backwards, fixed his eyes and found that Li Ming Hai was now flying towards the Left Sword Servant again and was condensing his Saint Qi onto his palm.
From that palm, a powerful vortex began to form!
With the power of this vortex, coupled with the innate pressure of an Origin King Realm master, the Left Sword Servant was suppressed to the point where she could not move or put up any resistance.
However, as death befell her, she did not show the slightest worry about her own safety, instead turning her beautiful, worry-filled eyes towards Gu Jian Xin. Seeing that Gu Jian Xin had not been killed and had only suffered a serious injury, her expression relaxed, and her red lips moved lightly.
He could not hear her voice, but Gu Jian Xin knew that she was telling him to escape!
“Li Ming Hai!” Gu Jian Xin roared like a wounded beast, his voice filled with hatred as he echoed through the void, his eyes going completely bloodshot.
“Young Master, you must go!” The Right Sword Servant, who was still being held in Gu Jian Xin’s arms, firmly grasped him, and cried out pleadingly, “Sister Ling Yue would not want you to throw your life away here. As long as you can escape, Sister Ling Yue’s death won’t be in vain!”
Gu Jian Xin froze in place as he hesitated about what to do, but in the next instant, the rage-filled expression on his face changed to one of utter astonishment. Immediately, a burst of pleasant surprise flashed across his eyes as his gaze landed behind Li Ming Hai.
Gu Jian Xin had suddenly discovered that a figure had appeared behind Li Ming Hai at some unknown point. This person was like a ghost, approaching to within ten metres of Li Ming Hai without the old dog Li even noticing.
Immediately, this mysterious young man waved his hand through the air rapidly, sending out a series of pitch-black, crescent-shaped blades that flew towards Li Ming Hai.
Each of these attacks gave off a profound and mysterious power that even from a great distance, Gu Jian Xin was able to clearly sense it.
As soon as this attack was launched, Li Ming Hai noticed and he roared, “Who!”
Hurriedly turning around, Li Ming Hai pushed his palm out towards this unknown assailant.
Shock and excitement filled Gu Jian Xin’s face when he saw Li Ming Hai’s palm fail to fully disperse this wave of attacks, allowing several the black crescent blades to reach his arm.
Suddenly, little pieces of the old dog surnamed Li’s arm vanished!
As if they never existed, they were swallowed by The Void…
When the pain of losing his arm finally registered, Li Ming Hai roared madly as he stretched out his undamaged arm and drew the Soul Breaker Spear back to him. His eyes practically spitting fire, he glared at the young man who attacked him and shouted, “Junior, I’ll make you pay for this!”
“You won’t have the chance!” The young man coldly snorted as he summoned a bladeless, green long sword with a flip of his wrist. The long sword trembled and twisted slightly as it transformed into a giant dark-green dragon that pounced towards Li Ming Hai.
A mighty dragon roar shook the sky as thick Dragon Pressure descended from above, causing Li Ming Hai to let out a strange cry as he quickly pushed the Soul Breaker Spear’s power, transforming it into its giant python form.
The two transformed artifact monsters collided with each other violently, but how could a mere python ever defeat a dragon? After only a brief resistance, the python was destroyed by the dragon!
Li Ming Hai finally showed a look of horror in his eyes as he hurriedly searched for the young man who attacked him, but to his shock, he was unable to find him anywhere! Just as he mysteriously appeared, after summoning this terrifying dragon artifact, the young man had vanished like a ghost.
A thick murderous intent suddenly appeared behind him, causing Li Ming Hai heart to jump and he instinctually released his Domain in an attempt to regain the initiative.
Although their confrontation had been brief, Li Ming Hai had keenly noticed that the young man who attacked him was only a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator. To deal with an Origin Realm cultivator, Domain was undoubtedly the best choice!
Not everyone was like Gu Jian Xin, possessing an extraordinary treasure like the Bright Sea Domain Dividing Mirror that could resist Domain.
Li Ming Hai’s had made the best response possible, but to his shock, the moment his Domain spread out, it was met by a potent Shi, one that was not only unsuppressed by his Domain, but was even able to confront it head-on.
There was a mysterious power integrated into this Shi.
The surrounding space began to collapse, and innumerable tiny Void Cracks began to fill Li Ming Hai’s surroundings, enveloping him in an airtight field!
“Space Force!” Li Ming Hai exclaimed.
At that moment, the giant dark-green dragon that destroyed the giant python rushed over and opened its giant maw to bite towards Li Ming Hai.
Behind him, an icy chill struck Li Ming Hai as an intense murderous washed over him like a tidal wave.
He was completely surrounded, with no way out!
“Old dog Li!” Gu Jian Xin rushed over and released a dazzling sun-like sword light towards Li Ming Hai.
At the same time, the surrounding burst with golden light as hundreds of golden threads slashed through space.
The Void Cracks around Li Ming Hai’s body also rapidly enlarged and traversed towards him.
In that instant, Li Ming Hai was submerged by a myriad of different deadly attacks.
The place where Li Ming Hai stood was instantly enveloped by a dazzling burst of light, blinding all who were nearby and releasing a Heaven destroying and Earth-shattering energy fluctuation.
Gu Jian Xin flew out again even faster than before, but fortunately, the Right Sword Servant, having anticipated this moment, was there to catch him.
With a loud cough, Gu Jian Xin slumped over into the arms of his Right Sword Servant and sprayed out a thick blood mist.
“Young Master!” The Right Sword Servant cried out as her beautiful eyes filled with worry.
Gu Jian Xin did not have the luxury to answer as his eyes fixed straight ahead.
He did not know if Li Ming Hai was dead, but the piercing feedback he felt from his sword just now was a clear indication that he had managed to stab Li Ming Hai’s vitals.
Nevertheless, his opponent was an Origin King! This was the first time Gu Jian Xin had truly fought an Origin King in a life or death battle, so he was naturally somewhat inexperienced. Before seeing Li Ming Hai’s corpse with his own eyes, he dared not act carelessly.
The brilliant flash of light gradually dissipated, and a figure emerged.
Gu Jian Xin’s eyes shrank suddenly.
Li Ming Hai!
Even after suffering such a terrifying attack, Li Ming Hai had not died. However, having been struck by such a powerful wave of attacks, Li Ming Hai had been reduced to a dishevelled and embarrassing appearance. His clothes were ragged and the Artifact Armour he had summoned in the nick of time was also clearly destroyed.
What made Gu Jian Xin overjoyed though was that Li Ming Hai’s injuries were obviously not light, with blood leaking from many places and numerous wounds so deep that his bones were showing.
On Li Ming Hai’s face, an expression filled with anger and fear had appeared.
He was truly frightened as he felt the threat of death just now!
Unable to calm his nerves, Li Ming Hai looked around, his gaze only staying on Gu Jian Xin and the Right Sword Servant for a moment before it continued scanning the surrounding void.
Unfortunately, Li Ming Hai was not able to achieve anything as he couldn’t discover a single trace of the mysterious young man who attacked him before.
“Junior, this old master will make you pay the price one day!” Li Ming Hai tried to put up a strong front as he shouted before turning into a stream of light and fleeing towards the distance, leaving behind a trail of blood as he flew.
“He must not escape!” Gu Jian Xin shouted towards the void as he gasped for breath.
Just as his voice fell, from somewhere in the void, a multi-coloured burst of light appeared, and a five coloured Sword Qi formed into a giant blade that flashed towards the fleeing Li Ming Hai.
Li Ming Hai was horrified when he felt this approaching attack and hurriedly used a Secret Technique to protect himself.
Unfortunately, he was strong in will but weak in strength, and the method he used was only able to block the five coloured Sword Qi for an instant before it was shattered. The sword wave sliced through Li Ming Hai’s body before disappearing into the distance like a shining comet.
Li Ming Hai’s body froze in place, his eyes wide and unmoving.
The vitality of his body and the light in his eyes quickly dissipated.
A dignified Origin King Realm master died here!
Gu Jian Xin, who was watching from a distance, could not figure out the situation. After being severely wounded, he did not dare to act rashly and just continued to stare at Li Ming Hai’s body vigilantly. Soon though, the still-shaken Left Sword Servant flew over and inspected Li Ming Hai before happily flying over to rendezvous with Gu Jian Xin.
When his Left Sword Servant returned, Gu Jian Xin asked eagerly, “How is it?”
“Li Ming Hai is dead!” Left Sword Servant replied.
Gu Jian Xin exhaled a long breath, his whole figure relaxing as he limply fell into the Right Sword Servant’s embrace as he said with some lingering fear, “Good, good, as long as he’s dead it’s good!”
“Young Master, that person just now…” The Left Sword Servant wore a suspicious look on her face.
“He’s not from our Sword Union,” Gu Jian Xin shook his head, took out some pills from his Space Ring, stuffed them into his mouth, and said, “We can figure it out later, but we need to go support the others first. Old Dog Li brought a lot of masters with him, I am afraid they won’t… huh…”
While Gu Jian Xin spoke, he turned his head and looked towards the distant battlefield and was greeted by a strange scene.
Many of the cultivators from his side were still alive while, on the contrary, Li Ming Hai’s subordinates were almost all dead or severely injured. Gu Jian Xin had been fighting Li Ming Hai just now, so he did not have the time to pay attention to anything else, so this scene came as quite a surprise to him.
Gu Jian Xin was naturally well aware of the gap in strength between the two sides and knew his side was far weaker than Li Ming Hai’s.
After all, Li Ming Hai had laid an ambush for him here, so how could he not have made appropriate preparations?
This time, Gu Jian Xin was lucky enough to kill Li Ming Hai and keep his life thanks to the help of that noble stranger, but how were his subordinates also able to emerge victoriously?
Gu Jian Xin could not believe his eyes.
However, after watching for a while, he finally understood what was happening.
It turned out to be because of Yue Xi and her two Disciples!
Gu Jian Xin had met Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Miao before. In any case, the Master and Disciple trio were cultivators who followed him, so although Yue Xi was only a First-Order, she was still an Origin Realm master. Gu Jian Xin naturally had some impression of them.
At this moment, the Master and Disciple trio were leading the charge against the enemy who should be far stronger than them, but it was actually the three of them who were in complete control of the battle.
Whenever a battle erupted, a red light would burst from He Zao’s body and the enemy would inexplicably fall…
[What is that red light?] Gu Jian Xin could not understand it at all. He never knew that there was such an astonishing cultivator hidden amongst his subordinates who was capable of such an incredible feat!
The overall situation had been determined over there, with Li Ming Hai’s side’s defeat being inevitable. The few survivors from the original ambushers were now fleeing while Gu Jian Xin’s subordinates were in pursuit.
Gu Jian Xin felt relieved and took a deep breath before cupping his fists and calling out to the void, “Dare I ask honoured friend’s name? For this life saving kindness, this Gu is extremely grateful. If it is convenient, could friend come out and meet with me?”
“Haha, Young Union Master is too polite,” A hearty laughter came from nearby and Gu Jian Xin turned his head to find a familiar young man, who he might have met before but could not put his finger on it, was now slowly walking over to him.
Gu Jian Xin’s eyes flashed as his Left and Right Sword Servants looked at Yang Kai with curiosity and gratitude.
If it were not for Yang Kai’s sudden appearance, while it didn’t matter if they had died, it was certain their Young Master would have perished as well. As such, the Left and Right Sword Servants were extremely grateful towards Yang Kai, who had turned the tide of the battle, and their eyes reflected a kind light as they observed him.
Gu Jian Xin also observed Yang Kai carefully and confirmed that the other part was truly just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator as he had detected before. But the combat power this young man had shown before was clearly far beyond his realm.
Perhaps, even if he were to join forces with his Left and Right Sword Servants, they would not necessarily be this young man’s opponents! Gu Jian Xin was thoroughly shocked.
As Sword Union’s Young Union Master, from infancy until now, he had received resources and training beyond anything ordinary people could dream of. He also wasn’t a second-generation child with no ambition, he had lofty ideals and a broad future before him, so he had never slacked in his cultivation over the years.
He thought that there were few of his generation in the Star Field worthy to be his opponent within the Origin Returning Realm!
But today, he saw one! A cultivator of the same generation who made him feel intense pressure.
“Third Young Master Xue Yue?” Gu Jian Xin asked suspiciously.
Yang Kai’s face twitched visibly as he spat, “Do I look like such a womanly boy?”
Gu Jian Xin smiled awkwardly as his Left and Right Sword Servants also couldn’t help tittering lightly, the more playful looking Left Sword Servant even giggling out loud, but feeling that she was acting indiscreetly she quickly used her jade hand to cover her mouth.
“Sorry, this Gu and Third Young Master Xue Yue have not met for many, many years,” Gu Jian Xin explained. “Then is Your Excellency Zi Dong?”
“Who?” Yang Kai asked in confusion.
“Purple Star’s Young Master…” Gu Jian Xin was at a loss.
“Ho, it seems Young Union Master believes only Young Masters from other great forces are qualified to speak with you?” Yang Kai looked at Gu Jian Xin with a smile.
“This Gu meant no such thing,” Gu Jian Xin said solemnly, “It’s just that this Gu finds it difficult to imagine that someone could become so strong without the support of such a great force! If I have shown any impropriety, please forgive me.”
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “I am not a person from any great force. My name is Yang Kai.”
Gu Jian Xin was taken aback as he truly had never heard the name Yang Kai before. What was certain was that he was definitely not from any great force, but this reality only shocked Gu Jian Xin even more.
Cupping his fists solemnly again, he politely called, “So it is Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly before glancing towards the distance where the other battlefield had settled down. With Liu Yan’s help, how could Li Ming Hai subordinates have any chance to escape? All of them were executed without a single one being able to escape.
“Brother Yang, this Gu has a question, but I don’t know if it’s appropriate to ask,” Gu Jian Xin suddenly spoke.
“When I passed by here before, Li Ming Hai attacked me by surprise, so I decided to lie in ambush here to return the favour,” Yang Kai glanced at him and answered before the question was asked.
“Brother Yang is brave, bold, and strong!” Gu Jian Xin brow jumped.
An ordinary Origin Returning Realm cultivator who was sneak attacked by an Origin King and managed to survive would normally run as far away as possible. They may gnash their teeth and curse violently to vent their anger, but very few would dare do what Yang Kai did, daring to come back and launch his own sneak attack.
Those who acted this way either didn’t fear the Heavens or had something to rely on that gave them confidence in success.
And from the results, it was obviously Yang Kai belonged to the latter category!
It seemed he had not used his full strength in the previous battle.
Moreover, this Yang Kai was obviously a man who sought revenge for any grievance he suffered!
“Since it was supposed to be a sneak attack, why didn’t Brother Yang wait for a better opportunity? For example, when old dog Li killed me and relaxed his guard? Brother Yang could have chosen to take action at that time and saved himself some effort,” Gu Jian Xin asked.
“Needing to put in more effort doesn’t mean I couldn’t kill him,” Yang Kai smiled confidently. “What Young Union Master wants to ask is why I saved you, yes?”
Gu Jian Xin nodded.
“It would be a pity for a man who is willing to sacrifice himself for his woman to die just like that,” Yang Kai replied.
Earlier, Gu Jian Xin had personally resisted Li Ming Hai’s blow for his Right Sword Servant, and Yang Kai was clear on how dangerous that was. If anything had gone wrong, Gu Jian Xin and his Right Sword Servant would have both died together.
Yang Kai had also fought side by side with Su Yan before against a master like Luo Hai, so he very much approved of Gu Jian Xin’s approach.
A man who was willing to go so far for his beloved was definitely not a cunning and sinister character.
Gu Jian Xin was stunned.
The Left and Right Sword Servants also blushed slightly as they glanced towards Gu Jian Xin with clear affection reflected in their beautiful eyes.
Soon though, Gu Jian Xin let out a hearty laugh and the last traces of vigilance in his eyes finally dissipated, saying with great heroic spirit, “It seems that Brother Yang is also a man among men. En, this Gu being able to encounter Brother Yang here is truly an honour!”
Yang Kai touched his nose and said, “The other reason is… I am acquainted with someone from your Sword Union.”
“Oh? Brother Yang knows someone from our Sword Union?” Gu Jian Xin asked with joy.
Without even mentioning that he now owed Yang Kai a live-saving grace, Gu Jian Xin felt it quite enthusiastic about Yang Kai and wanted to make friends with him. As such, hearing that Yang Kai had some contact with Sword Union already naturally made Gu Jian Xin incredibly happy.
“Who is it that Brother Yang knows?”
“They’re coming over now,” Yang Kai gestured.
Gu Jian Xin turned his head and soon found that the Yue Xi Master and Disciple trio, who had shined so brightly in battle, were flying over.
“So it’s them!” Gu Jian Xin was genuinely surprised.
He thought that the one Yang Kai knew was some top master among his subordinates, but it actually turned out to be these three.
Soon after, Yue Xi, He Zao, and He Miao crossed the short distance separating them and saluted Gu Jian Xin before asking about his situation. After learning that the Young Union Master was fine, they all visibly relaxed.
“Big Brother Yang,” He Zao and He Miao turned to Yang Kai next. This time, they had relied on Yang Kai’s help to turn danger into safety, so they did not treat him as an outsider and called out to him charmingly.
Yang Kai nodded slightly, stretched out his hand, and took back a brilliant red light from He Zao’s body, sucking it into his palm.
“Thank you, Yang Kai. If not for your help, we would all have perished here. This Mistress and her Disciples are eternally grateful!” Yue Xi sincerely thanked him.
Yang Kai did not stand on ceremony and calmly accepted the other side’s gratitude.
“Brother Yang is actually acquainted with Lady Yue and her disciples, it seems all of this was truly predestined,” Gu Jian Xin laughed loudly. “If Brother Yang doesn’t object, why not come aboard this Gu’s Starship to rest? This Gu will offer the finest entertainment.”
Yang Kai heard this but did not immediately agree.
The reason why he stayed here was mainly because he wanted to launch a sneak attack on Li Ming Hai, so now that the latter was dead, he had no particular reason to remain.
Seeing him go silent, Gu Jian Xin did not try to urge him, but He Zao and He Miao both stared at Yang Kai pleadingly, as if hoping he would agree.
“Might I ask what Young Union Master’s destination is for this trip?” After a while, Yang Kai looked up and asked.
“Brother Yang can just call me Brother Gu, being referred to as Young Union Master seems a bit stiff,” Gu Jian Xin smiled. “As for Brother Yang’s question, this Gu is heading towards Azure Tree Star this time.”
“Azure Tree Star?”
“Yeah, it is one of the Cultivation Stars under the jurisdiction of my Sword Union and about a month’s journey away from here.”
“Is that so….” Yang Kai thought for a while before coming to a conclusion and nodding, “Since Brother Gu has made such a generous invitation, then this Yang will be imposing on you.”
Seeing Yang Kai agree, Gu Jian Xin’s eyes brightened, and he seemed to be extremely happy. Walking forward, he put his arm around Yang Kai’s shoulder and led him towards the Starship, acting like old friends who had just reunited.
Under the attack of Li Ming Hai and his group, one of the three Starships had been destroyed while another had been crippled, leaving just the largest Starship Gu Jian Xin was sailing aboard intact. Although this Starship was also somewhat damaged, it only needed some minor repairs before it was able to get underway.
Aboard the Starship, Gu Jian Xin arranged for quarters for Yang Kai before excusing himself so he could heal his injuries. Gu Jian Xin had just fought an intense battle against Li Ming Hai, and although he had not suffered any fatal injuries, he had several heavy wounds. This damage needed to be addressed quickly with pills and meditation.
Yang Kai naturally understood this and did not mind.
After a day of repairs, the Starship got underway again.
Yang Kai was given an extremely luxurious room by Gu Jian Xin, one that was not only large but ornately decorated, with hundreds of luminous stones providing a soft and warm light not inferior to natural sunlight.
There was also an incense burner in the room which a calming fragrance wafted from.
Yang Kai also had his reasons for accepting Gu Jian Xin’s invitation.
He had travelled quite a distance on his own while arranging Space Arrays on a few Dead Stars as transfer points. Now, he needed to connect this network to a real Cultivation Star, otherwise, the cultivators from Shadowed Star would have no end destination.
According to Yang Kai’s own observations from his Star Chart, this Azure Tree Star was quite a good Cultivation Star.
If Ye Xi Yun and the others could travel through the Space Array network to Azure Tree Star, they could take advantage of the World Energy and World Principles there to attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm.
Another reason was that he did not have many Space Spirit Crystals left.
Although Ye Xi Yun and the others had collected almost the entire supply of Space Spirit Crystals available on Shadowed Star for him before he left, the amount required to arrange a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array was simply too great.
The Space Spirit Crystal he had on hand was only enough to arrange one more Space Array!
He needed to find a way to acquire more.
Azure Tree Star was a Cultivation Star under the jurisdiction of Sword Union, and Yang Kai now had a friendly relationship with Gu Jian Xin, the Young Union Master, so he could use this opportunity to acquire more Space Spirit Crystals.
Before doing so though, Yang Kai could take a trip back to the Ore Star to see if Qian Tong, Ye Xi Yun and the others had found a Space Spirit Crystal mineral lode. If so, it would save him some trouble.
Sitting down in his room, Yang Kai took inventory of his gains.
He had not actually acquired much though; after all, he had only killed three people in the conflict. Needless to say, Zhang Fu and Liu Dong’s Space Ring basically had nothing of interest to Yang Kai, all of their items would likely wind up in High Heaven Sect’s storehouse.
As for Li Ming Hai’s Space Ring, there was a lot of wealth stored inside.
Of note was the Origin King Grade Soul Breaker Spear artifact which had now fallen into Yang Kai’s hands.
Even considering the entire Star Field, Origin King Grade artifacts were rare things that could not be purchased at will! However, Yang Kai was not too excited about this artifact as among the people he knew, there wasn’t anyone suited to using it.
For now, he could only set it aside.
While taking inventory, a knock suddenly came from his door and after a moment of surprise, Yang Kai called out casually, “Come in.”
The door opened and two beautiful figures walked in one after the other.
“Big Brother Yang!” He Miao greeted him crisply before setting down a few trays on a nearby table together with He Zao.
Yang Kai glanced over and found that these trays were filled with exquisite delicacies and wine, but he did not pay these things too much mind. At his level of strength, even the finest of foods and wines were nothing but luxuries to stimulate the palate without much practical purpose. Only some special dishes were capable of improving his strength directly.
“Are we disturbing you?” He Zao was a little more mature and when she saw Yang Kai wearing such a casual appearance, she asked worriedly.
“No,” Yang Kai smiled lightly before motioning, “Have a seat.”
“We couldn’t,” He Zao waved her hands, “We are here to serve you, standing is more appropriate. If you have any instructions, please don’t hesitate to tell us.”
“Gu Jian Xin asked you to come?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“En,” He Zao lowered her eyes respectfully, while on the other hand, He Miao looked around curiously.
Obviously, she had never entered this type of luxurious room before.
“Then first sit down, this is an order,” Yang Kai smiled.
He Zao hesitated for a moment before nodding lightly and taking a seat with her sister. After assuming an extremely respectful posture, however, He Zao saw He Miao’s restless appearance and shot her a vicious glance.
He Miao spat out her delicate tongue before finally settling down as well.
“It seems that every time I meet you, your situation is quite bad,” Yang Kai said with a smile.
The first time he met these two sisters in the Star Field, they were being chased by Purple Star’s cultivator. Just now, they had been ambushed by Li Ming Hai here. Although the situation was different, the circumstances were quite similar.
Hearing Yang Kai’s joke, He Zao’s face flushed while He Miao muttered, “We should be the ones saying that.”
“He Miao!” He Zao glared at her little sister immediately, causing He Miao to pout in dissatisfaction, “What’s wrong, Big Brother Yang won’t care.”
He Zao’s expression became helpless as she looked at Yang Kai apologetically, “Please forgive my little sister, Big Brother Yang, she grew up a bit spoiled.”
“It’s fine, there’s no need to be so nervous,” Yang Kai waved his hand. When he met the two sisters back then, because everyone had similar strength, with their cultivation being higher than his own, they were able to interact as members of the same generation. Now though, with such a massive gap in strength appearing between them, He Zao was having some difficulty adapting.
After all, even their Honoured Master was only a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, while Yang Kai had become a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master and was even on good terms with their Young Union Master.
Seeing her like this, Yang Kai could only change the subject and promptly asked about how they had been these past years.
With nothing to hide, He Zao immediately explained.
After escaping from the floating continent all those years ago, they had gone their separate ways. Yue Xi took the two sisters back to Sword Union, but because such massive losses were incurred during this operation, with a Starship destroyed and many Sword Union cultivators dying, as the leader at the time, Yue Xi almost suffered a disaster. In the end, though, a high-level Elder from Sword Union stepped forward to put in a good word for her, allowing Yue Xi to escape heavy sanction.
For this reason, Yue Xi and her two disciples began to follow Gu Jian Xin, because that Senior who spoke for them was one of the Young Union Master’s supporters.