Yang Kai could tell at a glance that this person covered in darkness was the Origin King Realm master who had been eyeing him before!
This guy seemed to be watching him before entering the Severed World, and Ni Guang had also said that this person was very dangerous, and it was best not to provoke him easily.
Yang Kai never expected to encounter this man here, or for the other party to have caught the prey he was after. The dark curtain which was currently trapping the Shocking Void Beast was obviously an artifact belonging to this unknown Origin King.
This artifact gave off a malevolent aura and was obviously the type that required a large number of living beings to be sacrificed in order to refine and enhance. It could be seen that the owner of this artifact was a vicious person who had killed countless people.
Yang Kai frowned.
The current situation was not favourable to him. Although Yang Kai did not need to fear this individual with his current strength, the Shocking Void Beast was now in the other party’s hand.
Yang Kai had worked hard to heavily injure this Shocking Void Beast, but it had now ended up in another person’s pocket, a reality Yang Kai could not swallow.
However, trying to snatch the Shocking Void Beast’s Monster Core in this situation would not be appropriate either.
Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of this man, and was confident he could escape without too much difficulty, that didn’t mean he could break through his artifact and snatch the Shocking Void Beast from him. In fact, Yang Kai estimated that his fate would likely be the same as this Monster Beast’s if he were to charge in recklessly.
What was he supposed to do now?
How could he obtain the Shocking Void Beast’s Monster Core without irritating this man? Yang Kai thought it over but was unable to come up with a suitable answer.
“Heh heh heh…” Just as Yang Kai’s thoughts were churning, the Origin King wrapped in darkness once again let out an intrigued laugh, as if he was in a good mood, and immediately said. “Yang Boy, you sure have your way with women. Having a beauty cling to you even in this kind of place, this old master is truly envious.”
As soon as these words came out, Yang Kai’s expression couldn’t help changing.
The other party had called his surname as soon as he spoke, so obviously he knew him, but… Yang Kai did not remember ever meeting such an Origin King Realm master before.
He had not met many Origin Kings, and his impression of every one of them was profound, but none resembled this man.
Yang Kai stared at the other party calmly and tentatively asked, “Senior recognizes me?”
“Of course this old master recognizes you! Hah, why, did you forget this old master?” The Origin King asked in a teasing tone.
Yang Kai looked at him and didn’t feel any malice coming from the other party, so after pondering for a moment, he cupped his fists and said, “Forgive this Junior for his lack of vision, but he truly does not remember Senior. Since Senior recognizes Junior, could you perhaps show your true face?”
“It’s only natural you don’t recognize this old master; after all, this old master has changed greatly compared to when we last met!” The other party did not seem to take offence and nodded lightly, “You take a closer look at who this old master is.”
Saying so, the black Qi which had been enveloping him dissipated slowly like a receding tide.
In the next moment, the face of the other party appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes.
“Huh?” Yang Kai was taken aback and stared at this man in a daze, muttering in amazement a moment later, “Senior Gui Zu, it’s you?”
When the black Qi disappeared, he immediately recognized who the other party was.
This Origin King was surprisingly the first Origin King Yang Kai had encountered when he entered the Star Field: A man who had been trapped on that floating continent for two thousand years and who called himself Gui Zu!
Gui Zu was inadvertently swallowed by the Domain Eruption in the Chaotic Abyss and had been imprisoned on the floating continent for two thousand years. During those two millennia, he had risen from the Saint King Realm all the way to the Origin King Realm, a near-legendary feat.
However… he had also spent almost two thousand years in isolation on that floating continent until Yang Kai and the others were stranded there as well.
At that time, Gui Zu had been trying to construct a Space Array that could send him out of the floating continent. Unfortunately, his efforts had failed. In the end, he had to rely on Yang Kai’s achievements in Space Force to allow him to escape.
A total of seven people escaped at that time. In addition to Gui Zu and Yang Kai, there was the Yue Xi Master and Disciple trio, Shen Tu, a son of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President Ai Ou, and another woman named Bi Ya.
Such events were now part of the distant past, but they still left a great impression on Yang Kai, as it was his first real experience after entering the Star Field. How could he possibly forget such an event?
Gui Zu was a First-Order Origin King when they met, and Yang Kai’s impression of him was also quite memorable.
Yang Kai had never imagined that they would meet again in this place.
Although Gui Zu was no doubt a cruel and violent man, he also clearly distinguished between gratitude and grievance. Back then, he accepted Yang Kai’s life-saving grace, and after escaping from the floating continent, besides not killing him, he even gifted Yang Kai the complete Star Emperor Token as thanks!
Without that Star Emperor Token, Yang Kai would never have been able to kill Luo Hai on Scarlet Wave Star.
So, after learning that the other party turned out to be Gui Zu, Yang Kai’s vigilance immediately relaxed and he smiled at this unexpected and happy reunion.
“It is indeed this old master!” Gui Zu was in a good mood and laughed heartily as he scanned Yang Kai up and down, nodding lightly as he commented, “Kid, you’re quite amazing. How long has it been since we separated? You are already a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator! This old master remembers you were just a Saint back then, right?”
“Second-Order Saint!” Yang Kai replied with a grin, “Senior Gui Zu has a good memory.”
Gui Zu nodded, “It seems that your opportunities these years have not been small! Otherwise, it would have been impossible to achieve such shocking growth.”
“Many thanks, Senior.” Yang Kai replied, “How has Senior been these years?”
“What can I say… not as good as you young kids apparently,” Gui Zu joked as he glanced towards Xue Yue, who was still sleeping on Yang Kai’s back, with a meaningful grin.
Yang Kai simply chuckled, “This was an accident of sorts.”
After thinking about it, Yang Kai suddenly asked, “By the way, Senior, have you managed to avenge your grievance?”
Back then, Gui Zu had said that after he escaped from the floating continent, he would seek vengeance for his past grudge. Before he became trapped, he seemed to have been framed by someone and plotted against, but his enemy’s power was too great and at that time he was unable to resist. After reaching the Origin King Realm, Gui Zu had sworn to wipe clean this stain on his past.
Now that several dozen years had passed, Yang Kai wondered if this wish had been fulfilled.
Gui Zu’s expression turned gloomy as he went silent for a while before shaking his head and saying, “This old master’s grudges are not so easy to repay. Why do you ask, Kid? Are you interested in helping this old master?”
“Senior must be joking,” Yang Kai waved his hand quickly, “Junior’s strength is low, so how could he offer any help to Senior? If Junior were to involve himself and become a burden instead, it would be an unforgivable sin towards Senior.”
Yang Kai did not dare to agree casually. Although he had some small friendship with Gui Zu, he naturally wouldn’t rush into such matters.
“Haha, don’t be so serious, I was only joking,” Gui Zu chuckled. “But you don’t need to improperly belittle yourself either. You were able to seriously wound this Shocking Void Beast, so this old master can somewhat estimate your true level of strength.”
Yang Kai scratched his nose but did not argue.
While the two were speaking, the Shocking Void Beast received brutal torment, the countless Yin Soul-like human faces gnawing away at it constantly. No matter how the Shocking Void Beast struggled, it was unable to escape the black curtain, and all its attempts to resist ended up in vain.
By now, the Shocking Void Beast’s cries had become somewhat weak and its struggles had become less violent.
Soon after, the Shocking Void Beast stopped moving, leaving only the countless Yin Soul-like human faces howling and shuttling back and forth inside the black curtain, a terrifying sight to behold.
Gui Zu stretched out his hand and the black curtain immediately condensed into a black banner that flew back to his hand.
Seeing this black banner, Yang Kai suddenly remembered!
This black banner-like artifact was used by Gui Zu when he was on the floating continent back then, but it did not have nearly this much power at that time. It was obvious that Gui Zu had sacrificed many to refine this artifact in recent years which in turn greatly enhanced its power.
The black banner flew back, leaving only the shrivelled up body of the Shocking Void Beast behind. When the wind blew, the last remaining traces of flesh on the Shocking Void Beast crumbled into dust, revealing its bones.
Soon after, even these bones, which appeared to have been drained of all essence, crumbled and collapsed into a pile of ash.
Amongst this pile of dust, only one round, fist-sized bead with a lustrous glow remained.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he stared at this thing fiercely.
Gui Zu gave a chuckle, stretched out his hand, and with a flick, the bead flew towards Yang Kai, “If you want it, just ask this old master. Why act so hesitant?”
Yang Kai was overjoyed and quickly caught the bead, looking it over for a while in order to confirm it was the unscathed Monster Core of the Shocking Void Beast. The energy contained in this Monster Core had not leaked out in the slightest. Smiling, he turned around and said, “Many thanks, Senior!”
“It was yours in the first place!” Gui Zu didn’t care, “This old master also knows you’re proficient in the Dao of Space, so of course he left this Monster Core behind. With it, your comprehension of the Dao of Space will advance quite a bit, yes?”
Yang Kai did not bother concealing anything and nodded, “Yeah, the purpose of me coming here is for this Shocking Void Beast’s Monster Core, so now I’ve obtained what I wanted.”
“Kid, you’re as bold as ever, even daring to enter this kind of damned place,” Gui Zu looked at Yang Kai with a bit of amazement. “Since you got what you wanted, perhaps you can help this old master get what he wants now?”
“What does Senior need help with? If this Junior can be of assistance, he will certainly not refuse,” Yang Kai carefully put away the Shocking Void Beast Monster Core before turning to address Gui Zu with a solemn expression.
Although Gui Zu did not seem like a good thing, he had been quite good to Yang Kai, especially during this unexpected reunion of theirs. Gui Zu seemed very approachable and amiable, so Yang Kai naturally reciprocated in kind.
What’s more, Gui Zu was strong, to the point that even Ni Guang was wary of him, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to establish a good relationship with him. Perhaps there would come a time when Yang Kai would need help from Gui Zu in the future.
“There is a place in here that I will need to borrow your powers to explore,” Gui Zu pondered for a moment, “This old master doesn’t dare to enter that place on his own, but it will be fine if you are there.”
Gui Zu was a decisive character, so after reaching an agreement, he immediately led the way forward.
Yang Kai adjusted Xue Yue on his back, allowing her to lean on him more comfortably as he hurriedly kept up.
Along the way, through some idle chatter, Yang Kai learned that since Gui Zu saw him before entering the Severed World, he had been searching for him; after all, there were many Void Cracks in this Severed World, and only someone proficient in the Dao of Space could travel through here safely.
And Gui Zu happened to know that Yang Kai was quite accomplished in the Dao of Space.
Gui Zu originally intended to find a chance to snatch Yang Kai from under Ni Guang and Luo Lan’s noses and then take him to explore the Severed World, but after entering this place, he had been unable to track Yang Kai down and was only able to use some clues to chase after him.
But suddenly, an accident occurred, and he completely lost track of Yang Kai.
It was not until just now, when Yang Kai suddenly rushed out of The Void and appeared in front of Gui Zu that the latter picked up the former’s trail.
“It seems that Senior and I do indeed share some fate,” Yang Kai laughed after hearing his explanation.
The Void was connected to almost everywhere in the Severed World, yet the injured Shocking Void Beast had appeared right in front of Gui Zu with Yang Kai following close behind. It was a coincidence within a coincidence.
“This old master was also quite surprised, I was beginning to believe I’d lost my chance to meet up with you,” Gui Zu wrapped himself in his black Qi again, making it impossible for others to see his face, but from his tone, it was still obvious he felt quite pleasantly surprised.
“By the way, where are you taking me, Senior?”
“A medicine valley!” Gui Zu flew ahead and replied without looking back, “When this old master passed by there before, he spotted many rare spirit medicines. Unfortunately, that damned place was filled with Void Cracks, so this old master didn’t dare enter too deep and only collected a few Enlightenment Flowers which had bloomed around the periphery before having to withdraw.”
“Enlightenment Flowers!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
Enlightenment Flowers were Origin Grade Mid-Rank spirit flowers! They were extraordinarily rare in the Star Field because the current World Principles did not seem suitable to their growth. Only in places where an ancient environment persisted could Enlightenment Flowers survive.
Fortunately, the Severed World was just such an environment, so it wasn’t surprising that there were Enlightenment Flowers here.
This type of ancient spirit flower, whether it was used to refine the Enlightenment Pill or directly consumed, was of great help to Origin King Realm cultivators in improving their strength and state of mind!
It was no wonder even Gui Zu, with his profound cultivation, was so interested in that medicine valley. It turned out that he obtained a few Enlightenment Flowers there.
“Yeah, in addition to Enlightenment Flowers, there are many treasures there. Some of those herbs even I, an old master, can’t recognize, but I am certain it is a paradise for Origin Kings! If I can obtain enough benefits from there, this old master is confident he will be able to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm in this lifetime!” There was a hint of fanaticism in Gui Zu’s voice.
Hearing what he said, Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly as he was able to speculate that Gui Zu was already a Second-Order Origin King Realm master, otherwise, he would not be speaking so confidently about the Third-Order!
It seemed like it was not unreasonable for Ni Guang to fear him.
“After this old master left that place, he was even more determined to search for you. If anyone here can safely enter that medicine valley, it would definitely be you! This old master didn’t hold out much hope, but… en, it seems this old master’s luck has not run out!” Gui Zu said.
“That should be the medicine valley that Uncle Ni spoke of.”
As soon as Gui Zu finished speaking, Xue Yue’s voice came from behind Yang Kai.
The voice was still weak, but it did not sound haggard or distressed like before.
“You woke up?” Yang Kai turned his head and glanced at her, quickly discovering that Xue Yue’s face had become quite ruddy. It seemed that her healing technique was quite extraordinary, allowing her to rapidly stabilize her injuries.
“En, things were blurry just now, but it seems I’m alright,” Xue Yue nodded, not showing any intention to get off Yang Kai’s back. Instead, she hugged him tighter, enjoying the warmth and care Yang Kai showed her with peace of mind. Glancing over at Gui Zu suspiciously though, she asked into Yang Kai’s ear warily, “This Senior is…”
“This is Senior Gui Zu,” Yang Kai chuckled. “Don’t worry, Senior and I are old acquaintances.”
“Jie Jie…” Gui Zu gave a weird laugh, “Little girl, your thoughts are quite scattered. If this old master really wanted to attack you, do you think you would still be alive? Rest assured, since your boyfriend is this old master’s acquaintance, you can be regarded as this old master’s acquaintance as well. This old master has no ill will towards you.”
Hearing the word ‘boyfriend’, Xue Yue could not help blushing a hint of pink, but a smile soon formed on her lips as she replied softly, “Senior is too kind. Unfortunately, this Junior is wounded and cannot offer a proper greeting, please forgive me.”
“It’s fine!” Gui Zu didn’t care, giving Xue Yue a thoughtful look before asking, “Little girl, you’re Xue Yue of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, right?”
Xue Yue’s expression cramped, but she quickly recovered and nodded, “How did Senior figure that out?”
She used an artifact to change her appearance and figure, making her normal look completely different from her natural one. Moreover, that artifact was refined by an Artifact Refining Grandmaster of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, so unless it was a peak Third-Order Origin King, no one should have been able to notice any flaws.
Xue Yue didn’t know why Gui Zu had uncovered her identity at a glance.
“This old master is not a fool,” Gui Zu chuckled. “Only a few people entered the Severed World, and you’re wearing the same clothes as Xue Yue, and you just spoke about your ‘Uncle Ni’. If this old master is still unable to figure out who you were, he would have lived all these years in vain,” As Gui Zu spoke, he felt relaxed. He had been curious about the origins of the woman Yang Kai was carrying as he had not noticed such a woman upon entering the Severed World.
Later, he had managed to figure it out through various clues, and now he had confirmation.
“So that’s how it is!” Xue Yue nodded, realizing that Gui Zu recognizing her was not because of his strength but because she had shown too many flaws.
“The famous Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Third Young Master is actually a woman, simply astonishing,” Gui Zu expressed true surprise.
“Senior, Xue Yue has her secrets, so she doesn’t want others to know about her true identity as a woman. I hope Senior can keep it a secret,” Yang Kai asked. “You know, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is a super force, so if this matter were to spread out…”
“This old master isn’t loose-lipped,” Gui Zu snickered, “Whether she’s male or female has nothing to do with this old master.”
“Many thanks, Senior,” Xue Yue bit her red lips lightly and offered her thanks.
After thinking about it for a moment, she leaned over and whispered into Yang Kai’s ear, “I’d best change my appearance back, otherwise, if I meet someone again, they may also see through my identity.”
“If that’s what you think is best!” Yang Kai nodded.
Xue Yue tapped something on her chest and pushed her Saint Qi, activating the artifact which concealed her appearance and figure, quickly returning to her male image.
“Little girl, what did you mean just now? Does your Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce also know the location of that medicine valley?” Gui Zu asked.
“En,” Xue Yue gently nodded, “My Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce has long known about the existence of that medicine valley. Every time the Severed World opens, someone will come over and we will have some gains occasionally, but because that place is filled with so many Void Cracks, no one dares enter too deeply. Our previous goal was also that medicine valley, but after encountering that swarm of Illusionary Void Butterflies, we became separated from Uncle Ni.”
“It turns out that it’s not a secret,” Gui Zu expressed his disappointment. “Yang Boy, it looks like we need to speed up a bit; if others get there first, we may not even have soup to drink. Let this old master carry you for now!”
Saying so, Gui Zu formed a series of seals with his hands and summoned his Ten Thousand Soul Banner. The next moment, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner wrapped around the trio and transformed into a streak of black light that flashed across the sky, more than doubling their previous travelling speed.
It was only a coincidence that Gui Zu was able to discover the medicine valley. He did not have any special purpose in entering the Severed World. He had only heard that there were many good things inside that could help Origin Kings enhance their strength, so he decided to come and explore. Then, while tracking Yang Kai, he happened to pass not far from the medicine valley and found a few Enlightenment Flowers.
Unfortunately, even with his great strength, he did not dare to explore too deeply and could only reluctantly retreat.
Now that he was bringing Yang Kai with him, he could not wait to dive in and begin reaping as many rewards as possible.
The medicine valley was not too far away from the place where he and Yang Kai met, but it also was not close. It took a full day for the trio to reach their destination.
The Ten Thousand Soul Banner was withdrawn, and three figures appeared.
However, after Gui Zu released his Divine Sense to investigate the surroundings, his expression sank and he coldly muttered, “As I thought, many people came!”
Within a hundred-kilometre radius, Gui Zu sensed a number of Origin Kings, the only question was whether these people knew about this place beforehand or had discovered it by accident like he had.
Yang Kai swept his eyes around at random and saw the figures of Purple Star’s Sect Master Zi Long and Young Master Zi Dong, both of them sporting the same long, purple hair, making them stand out against the barren hillside they stood upon.
In addition to them, Xu Wei, who had previously plotted against Yang Kai, was also here. Even Kong Fa had come.
These two were quite dishevelled, with Kong Fa obviously injured and pale-faced. It seemed he had suffered greatly under the siege of the Illusionary Void Butterflies and had only barely made it out alive.
“Xue Yue!” Not far to the right, a nervous and delighted voice rang out.
Yang Kai turned his head and found that Ni Guang was rushing towards their side hurriedly while watching Gui Zu vigilantly. Behind him, Luo Lan followed closely.
“Uncle Ni!” Xue Yue called out in pleasant surprise from Yang Kai’s back.
In this damned place, there was nothing more pleasant than seeing familiar faces. Although she was at ease when she was with Yang Kai, she still worried about whether Ni Guang was safe or not, so seeing him here, in good condition, Xue Yue naturally let go of her last concerns.
“What happened?” Ni Guang did not approach too close and instead came to a halt about ten metres away from Yang Kai’s group, his eyes fixed vigilantly on Gui Zu.
He was worried that Yang Kai and Xue Yue had been captured by Gui Zu, and if this was the case, his actions needed to be restrained.
Ni Guang thinking this way was not him being overly cautious or pessimistic, but rather a necessary measure. Gui Zu was easily identified as a villain, so anyone with some common sense would treat him like this.
“Don’t worry, Uncle Ni. I was only slightly wounded, it’s not a problem,” Xue Yue slipped off Yang Kai’s back while answering.
Hearing what she said, Ni Guang’s expression brightened slightly as he glanced over Yang Kai and Xue Yue before returning his eyes to Gui Zu to make sure that this unknown party did not do anything to Xue Yue. After a slight pause, Ni Guang cupped his fists and spoke, “Dare I ask this friend…”
In any case, Gui Zu was clearly travelling with Xue Yue, so Ni Guang had to at least ask for his identity.
Gui Zu simply gave a strange, somewhat grating laughter as he waved his hand, “You don’t need to ask for this old master’s name and origin, this old master has no plans to join forces with you. Just take your Junior back and go about your business, no need to pay attention to this old master!”
His stand-offish tone clearly indicated he did not put Ni Guang in his eyes.
Yang Kai simply scratched his nose to the side.
Ni Guang’s face could not help sinking slightly as he snorted, his expression extremely unhappy.
He was amongst the highest-ranking members of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and a famous figure in the Star Field, anyone with lower cultivation would greet him with extreme respect, and even those in the same realm did not dare treat him rudely, except for a few like Zi Long. As such, Gui Zu’s words were somewhat off-putting.
Ni Guang immediately lost interest in chatting with the other party and coldly declared to Xue Yue, “Let’s go!”
Xue Yue opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the words, simply glancing over at Yang Kai and entreating him, “Be careful!”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “You too!”
In this situation, he couldn’t remain with Xue Yue as she needed to stay by Ni Guang’s side, and he had to act with Gui Zu.
“Yang Kai, aren’t you coming?” Luo Lan asked in amazement.
Yang Kai shook his head, hesitated, then said, “I have something to do with this Senior, so I’m afraid I cannot fulfil our previous agreement, Senior Luo. If there is a chance in the future, this Junior will give you appropriate compensation.”
“That’s…” Luo Lan smiled, “It’s fine, I was not fully prepared and implicated you this time. Since you have agreed to assist this nobleman, then… Good luck!”
She was a reasonable individual and did not blame Yang Kai for not acting together with her.
“Kid, trying to take the skin from a tiger only leads to being eaten. Think about it clearly,” Ni Guang gave Yang Kai a stern look as he subtly warned him.
“Many thanks for Senior’s care, Junior understands well!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Gui Zu cackled to the side, seemingly intentionally worsening his image.
Ni Guang nodded towards Luo Lan before bringing Xue Yue back to the place where they had originally been waiting. On the way, Ni Guang naturally asked about what happened after they separated, but Xue Yue did not explain in detail, only telling Ni Guang that she and Yang Kai had expended a lot of effort to escape from the Illusionary Void Butterflies before coincidentally meeting Gui Zu.
As for what happened in the void crack, Xue Yue did not dare to explain.
“His name is Gui Zu?” Ni Guang frowned, “Why have I never heard of such a character in the Star Field? Elder Luo, have you ever heard of this person?”
“This Mistress is also ignorant of such a man,” Luo Lan shook her head.
“Strange, how could a Second-Order Origin King possibly be so unknown? Especially one with such obvious traits. Has he intentionally been secluding himself from the world…?” Ni Guang couldn’t understand why he had never heard of Gui Zu before. It was if he had suddenly leapt out from a stone without warning, surprising everyone around.
“Uncle Ni, what’s the situation right now?” Xue Yue asked, skillfully changing the subject.
“The situation isn’t optimistic,” Ni Guang glanced over towards a certain direction. “That bastard Kong Fa followed this old master and Elder Luo all the way to this medicine valley, and after he arrived, he used some kind of secret technique to call over Xue Wei. What’s more, before we even arrived, Zi Long was already here along with that old bastard Meng Tong, who somehow learned of this place.”
“Meng Tong?” Xue Yue frowned and glanced over at a certain spot where a short old man stood, his eyes narrowed tightly and shifting around frequently, like a guilty thief.
This short old man was a true Origin King, and although he was just a First-Order, he had reached the very peak of that realm!
It was rumoured that Meng Tong had reached the Origin King Realm more than a thousand years ago but had never had an opportunity to break through to the Second-Order. If he could obtain some kind of opportunity, breaking through was almost assured!
Meng Tong’s origins were also very mysterious. No one knew where he came from, and the man himself never joined any great force, always cultivating all on his own.
It was extremely difficult for a cultivator without a powerful background to reach great heights because there was no one to teach them, making it much more likely for them to stumble and make mistakes on the long road of cultivation, eventually falling short.
Also, a cultivator without a great force behind them would have limited access to resources. Any time such a lone cultivator wanted resources, they would need to acquire them personally, wasting a great deal of time.
Therefore, such lone cultivators generally did not have high achievements; simply reaching the Origin Realm was already quite impressive.
But Meng Tong was a genuine Origin King! It could be seen that his luck and opportunity in this life were quite good, and with his perseverance and effort, he was able to have his current achievements.
Therefore, although Meng Tong’s cultivation was not at the top of the Star Field, his reputation was quite loud.
Many cultivators without great forces backing them regarded Meng Tong as a role model as well as a goal they strove to match, making the number who looked up to and even worshipped him very large.
Purple Star, Sword Union, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce… All of the Star Field’s great forces had extended invitations to Meng Tong, hoping to win him over and even offering him honourable positions as an Elder. Unfortunately, Meng Tong had refused them all so far, preferring to remain alone and not even accepting disciples of his own.
In a sense, he was another legend in the Star Field.
He did not engage in evil or provoke any great force, nor did he get too close to any great force, simply living an unfettered life.
At times, even Ni Guang admired Meng Tong’s life and yearned for it, but even if he really abandoned everything and lived a life like Meng Tong’s, he might not be happy.
This time, among the cultivators who entered the Severed World, Meng Tong was also one of them. He had come here to seek treasures, and seeing how he found his way to this medicine garden, it was clear his good luck had not run out yet.
Counting Meng Tong and Gui Zu, who had just arrived, there were a total of seven Origin Kings present!
This accounted for about sixty percent of the people who entered the Severed World, and if one took into account those who had already died, the number of Origin Kings who had come to this medicine valley might be as high as eighty percent of the total number of people still alive!
“The spirit medicines and herbs outside the valley have already been divided up,” Ni Guang motioned towards the huge mountain valley in front of him.
“Divided up?” Xue Yue was astonished, “How was the harvest?”
Ni Guang smiled slightly, “Not bad; although there weren’t many, each one was a rare treasure.”
As the two spoke, Luo Lan also unconsciously stroked her Space Ring, as if she too had gained a lot.
“The remaining spirit medicines are hidden inside, but we can’t enter it for now!” Ni Guang continued.
Xue Yue stared at the huge mountain valley in front of her and saw that there was a dazzling seven-coloured light blanketing it, making it seem like the entire valley was filled with a vibrant tide.
What’s more, from this seemingly solid light, Xue Yue felt a deadly threat.
“Seven Coloured Radiant Light?” Xue Yue’s face sank as she uttered the name of this phenomenon.
Given her status, it was obvious she knew something about this medicine valley.
“Indeed!” Ni Guang gently nodded, “This is the Divine Bird’s – Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock’s – innate Seven Coloured Radiant Light. This aura completely ignores all forms of defence, whether they’re artifacts, Secret Techniques, or Divine Sense. Once shrouded in it, no matter how high one’s cultivation is, it will not take long for them to disintegrate and die. It’s extremely dangerous!”
“Then how are we supposed to enter?” Luo Lan asked with some worry. Although she had followed Ni Guang this entire time and gained some knowledge, she was still ignorant of this situation.
It was even her first time hearing about this Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock and its Seven Coloured Radiant Light. Against this dazzling light that even Ni Guang was powerless before, she felt a profound sense of weakness.
“We wait!” Ni Guang quickly said, “This radiant light is diffused when the Divine Bird exhales. When it inhales, it will take it back and we can then enter the medicine valley. Inside the valley, there are numerous Void Cracks that, while dangerous, can serve as natural barriers against the Seven Coloured Radiant Light. We only need to find an appropriate Void Crack to hide behind in order to protect ourselves when the Divine Bird exh…”
Hearing what he said, Luo Lan showed a look of understanding.
While explaining though, Ni Guang suddenly frowned and stared at Xue Yue gravely.
“What’s wrong?” Xue Yue gave a stunned expression.
Ni Guang didn’t speak, but instead focused on a certain spot on top of Xue Yue’s head for a moment before suddenly coldly snorting and shouting, “Despicable!”
Saying so, he condensed his Saint Qi onto his fingers and struck towards Xue Yue.
In the face of Ni Guang’s sudden attack, Xue Yue stood still and did not move. She believed that Ni Guang would not harm her and that her Uncle Ni must have his own reason for doing this.
*Xiu…*
A strong wind blew past the top of Xue Yue’s head and a strand of black Qi suddenly flew from her hair and hovered for a moment before flying over towards Gui Zu’s location like an arrow from a string.
This strand of black Qi escaped so fast that even Ni Guang could not stop it.
He could not clearly see what this strand of black Qi was, but it resembled a human figure with a distorted face, like a Yin Soul. It had been hidden in Xue Yue’s hair just now, and because both were black and it had completely restrained its aura, even Ni Guang had not been aware of it at first.
By the time he noticed, it was too late.
The strand of black Qi quickly flew over to Gui Zu, and as he let out a burst of wicked laughter, he opened his mouth and swallowed the black Qi into his belly.
“Don’t you feel ashamed of acting like that, Your Excellency?” Ni Guang looked over at Gui Zu and shouted coldly.
“Heh heh heh…” Gui Zu still just grinned strangely, “How this old master acts, there’s no need for others to comment on!”
Ni Guang’s face went gloomy as he glared at Gui Zu for a long time before waving his hand and saying, “This King cannot be bothered with you now, but he will certainly settle this account another day!”
Although he was displeased with the little trick Gui Zu had pulled on Xue Yue, it was obviously not the time to fight. Zi Long, who was not far away, was already watching with interest, seemingly eager to see the only two present who could rival him fight.
Naturally, Ni Guang wasn’t about to do what Zi Long wanted. What’s more, he could tell that Gui Zu hadn’t harmed Xue Yue in the slightest and was only trying to eavesdrop to obtain information.
With no other choice but to set the matter aside for now, Ni Guang snorted coldly and turned back towards the medicine valley.
“Yang Boy, did you hear what they said just now?” On the other side, Gui Zu whispered to Yang Kai.
“I heard,” Yang Kai looked surprised, “Senior, when did you leave that thing on Xue Yue?”
He had been carrying Xue Yue this whole time, yet he didn’t even notice when Gui Zu planted that strand of black Qi.
“When this old master handed over the Shocking Void Beast’s Monster Core to you,” Gui Zu smiled triumphantly, “What’s wrong? Are you dissatisfied with this old master’s conduct?”
“Nothing of the sort…” Yang Kai chuckled. “I just felt that Senior really stands high and sees far.”
Gui Zu laughed, “Don’t try to flatter this old master, it’s just that this old master has always worked alone, so he needs to be vigilant of everything and take advantage of every opportunity! En, now that you’ve heard what they just said, this old master will be counting on you.”
“I’ll do my best!” Yang Kai nodded, not arguing.
Outside the medicine valley, there was silence for a time as all the gathered Origin Kings waiting patiently. Those like Zi Long and Ni Guang knew how they needed to act next, and while those like Kong Fa, Xu Wei, and Meng Tong may not have any idea about this place, they were still Origin Kings who possessed extraordinary observational skills and analysis capabilities. Even if they did not know how to enter the mountain valley safely right now, watching Ni Guang and Zi Long gave them enough clues.
Xu Wei would cast his eyes towards Yang Kai from time to time. He was very curious about how Yang Kai and Xue Yue survived after being surrounded by so many Illusionary Void Butterflies. At that time, he had used them as bait to delay the Illusionary Void Butterflies so he could escape and was certain these two Juniors would die.
He never thought that he would see both of them appear here a few days later, completely unscathed.
Xu Wei could only attribute their survival to Gui Zu who came with them, thinking it was Gui Zu who appeared and rescued them.
Time passed by.
After about an hour, a strange sound suddenly came from a certain location deep in the huge mountain valley ahead. This sound was almost like a great beast inhaling deeply in its sleep.
The sound was dull and rolling, like the mixture of drums and thunder pounding heavily on one’s soul.
Almost all the Origin Kings present wore solemn expressions upon hearing this sound.
On the other hand, Ni Guang, Luo Lan, Zi Long, and a few others wore eager looks as they secretly condensed their Saint Qi in preparation to move.
The next moment, a change suddenly occurred.
The peaceful mountain valley suddenly filled with a strong gust of wind that blew straight towards its deepest depths. At the same time, the inhalation sound became even more obvious.
As this inhalation continued, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light flooding the mountain valley seemed to receive an irresistible attraction and rapidly receded from the mountain valley like a tide. In the blink of an eye, the scenery inside the mountain valley was exposed to everyone.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
At that moment, three Origin Kings, Ni Guang, Luo Lan, and Zi Long, all moved, shooting out like arrows from the string and chasing after the ebbing Seven Coloured Radiant Light as they charged into the mountain valley!
Seeing this movement, Kong Fa, Xu Wei, and Meng Tong, who had been waiting and watching, no longer restrained themselves, each of them using their movement skills to turn into streaks of light that shot off in different directions.
Gui Zu let out riotous laughter, summoned his Ten Thousand Soul Banner, wrapped it around Yang Kai, and rushed forward.
His cultivation was profound, and among the Origin Kings present, only Ni Guang and Zi Long could match him, so his speed was naturally extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, he crossed ten kilometres.
Inside the mountain valley were innumerable Void Cracks, some tiny, some massive, all scattered about randomly. These cracks were like scars in space that could never be repaired.
Many Void Cracks were also hidden, and while some could be located by Divine Sense, some were completely undetectable.
Both Ni Guang and Zi Long carried artifacts that were able to detect Void Cracks, and at this moment they relied on them to push forward while constantly changing directions to avoid these hidden dangers.
The other Origin Kings, who had not prepared for this in advance, had to release their Divine Senses to the greatest extent possible to avoid as many dangers as they could.
After only ten breaths of effort, everyone had settled into a steady pace, and although they had all rushed into the mountain valley at almost the same time, Ni Guang and Zi Long were undoubtedly much further ahead.
However, Gui Zu’s progress was even more exaggerated.
With Yang Kai showing him the way, he did not even need to worry about the threat of Void Cracks. He only needed to follow Yang Kai’s guidance and was easily able to surpass Ni Guang and Zi Long in a short time, leaving them in his dust as he disappeared into the valley.
“That bastard!” Zi Long looked at Gui Zu’s figure in the distance and could not help cursing.
He had spent so many years waiting for the Severed World to open so he could come here to harvest the rare ancient herbs that had long gone extinct in the greater Star Field. Every time the Severed World opened, many rare herbs were obtained from this medicine valley, and those who were faster naturally obtained more.
He thought that his biggest competitor here would be Ni Guang, but then the unanticipated variable, Gui Zu, had appeared halfway and caught him by surprise.
“Does that fool want to die?” Zi Dong, who was following Zi Long, also looked up ahead with a stunned expression, “Rushing in so quickly, once he touches a hidden Void Crack, even if he’s an Origin King, he’ll surely suffer greatly.”
“Don’t concern yourself with him!” Zi Long coldly snorted, “If he wants to court death, let him.”
“Yes!” Zi Dong thought about it and agreed. Even if one rushed in quickly, that did not guarantee good results and instead might lead to a quick death.
Thinking so, his mood became stable.
On the other side, Ni Guang, who was keeping pace with Zi Long, also shook his head and sighed, “Xue Yue, that boy is probably going to meet disaster. That guy named Gui Zu doesn’t know how dangerous this place is, how could their end be good?”
“I doubt that,” Xue Yue shook her head. She knew what Yang Kai and Gui Zu had to depend on, but she did not bother explaining.
Only Luo Lan sighed softly.
If Yang Kai was with them now, their situation would definitely be much better, but unfortunately, he wasn’t.
…..
“We’re here,” After releasing his Divine Sense, Gui Zu confirmed there was no one around for a dozen kilometres and suddenly slowed, allowing his and Yang Kai’s figures to be revealed.
“Hm? There’s a medicinal fragrance!” Yang Kai suddenly sniffed and said with shock.
“Heh heh, we’ve only just come in and we already have a harvest,” Gui Zu chuckled before his expression suddenly turned solemn. “Yang Boy, this old master will make this clear right now, whatever we find in this medicine valley, we’ll split evenly, this old master won’t take advantage of you. What do you think?”
“We’ll do as Senior proposes,” Yang Kai nodded readily.
In this kind of place, although Gui Zu had to rely heavily on Yang Kai’s expertise in Space Force, that did not mean he couldn’t act without Yang Kai, it’s just his speed would be much slower.
Therefore, Gui Zu’s proposal to split the gains evenly was actually a bit of a loss to him; so of course, Yang Kai wouldn’t object.
“Over there!” Yang Kai confirmed the source of the medicinal fragrance and pointed in a certain direction.
Saying so, he rushed over with Gui Zu following close behind.
Ten breaths later, the two arrived in front of a fruit tree about half a person tall. The branches of this fruit tree were a bit sparse and only a few scattered cone-shaped leaves adorned its branches.
On these branches, there were a total of four purple fist-sized fruits that gave off a light twinkling. Their skin was crystal clear and one could see the sweet flesh on their inside.
An indescribable aura lingered around these four fruits, making them stand out all on their own.
Gui Zu’s whole body was wrapped in black Qi, but the piercing fire in his eyes was still difficult to contain.
He could see just how extraordinary these four fruits were at a glance and that they were of great use to improve his strength!
“Divine Nirvana Fruits!” Yang Kai took a moment of observation to identify these fruits from his vast knowledge, and when he did, he could not help calling out in alarm.
“These are Divine Nirvana Fruits?” Gui Zu raised his brows and asked with pleasant surprise, “The ones that are used to refine the Great Nirvana Pill?”
He had obviously heard about the Divine Nirvana Fruit before and what pill it was used to refine.
“En, I’m certain this is the Divine Nirvana Fruit!” Yang Kai grinned, “In this world, there are many kinds of spirit flowers and grasses, but each one that has the descriptor ‘Divine’ in their name is an incredible treasure. Such herbs innately gather elements of the Heavenly Way, which makes them extremely difficult to mature and will easily perish if certain conditions are not met! However, once one does mature, they come to possess incredible effects, whether they are swallowed directly or refined into pills. These effects are even useful to Origin Kings! Senior, we’ve struck it lucky!”
“Heh heh heh… kid, it seems you know quite a bit about spirit medicines,” Gui Zu was in a good mood as he observed Yang Kai in surprise.
“I know a little something,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“Good, there are exactly four, so as we agreed, we’ll each take two!” Gui Zu said as he stretched out his hand to grab the Divine Nirvana Fruit nearest him.
“Wait!” Yang Kai stopped him quickly.
“What’s wrong?” Gui Zu looked at him suspiciously.
“Senior, if you pick the Divine Nirvana Fruit like this, there won’t be any immediate problems, but if you don’t preserve it properly, the medicinal efficacies will quickly pass,” Yang Kai warned.
“Hm? Then how should they be preserved?” Gui Zu asked humbly. He knew that some exotic herbs needed to be preserved in special ways, otherwise, their medicinal efficacies would leak out. The Divine Nirvana Fruit was incredibly valuable, so if its medicinal efficacies were to deteriorate due to improper storage, it would be an unacceptable loss. Listening to Yang Kai’s tone, it was obvious he knew the proper preservation method though, so Gui Zu did not hesitate to ask.
“Simple, it only needs to be stored in a Metal Attribute container,” Yang Kai explained with a smile, “Senior, look, there is a rich Metal Attribute aura in the area around this Divine Nirvana Fruit. If my guess is right, down below this fruit tree, there is some kind of mineral lode. If we maintain a similar environment for the picked fruits, it would be best.”
“So that’s how it is!” Gui Zu lightly nodded.
Among the five elements, needing to store the picked Divine Nirvana Fruit in a Metal Attribute box wasn’t unreasonable, but… the fruit tree itself needing to grow atop a mineral lode was a bit strange.
Gui Zu naturally would not think too deeply about such things, though, and simply took out a dark red metal box from his Space Ring, turning to Yang Kai and asking, “Is this alright?”
“Oh… a box made from Profound Red Gold! Senior actually has such a treasure, of course there won’t be a problem with this. Storing the Divine Nirvana Fruit inside such a box will ensure its medicinal efficacies don’t leak for a thousand years or more!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Good, then this old master won’t delay any further,” Gui Zu laughed as he picked two Divine Nirvana Fruits first and placed them carefully into his box for storage.
Yang Kai picked the remaining two Divine Nirvana Fruits, and although he did not have a treasure like Gui Zu’s Profound Red Gold box, as an Alchemist himself, he was naturally well prepared and had an appropriate Metal Attribute box to store them in.
After splitting the four Divine Nirvana Fruits, the two happily moved on, avoiding the surrounding Void Cracks while searching for ancient herbs inside the medicine valley.
This medicine valley was enormous, so large that no one even knew its full extent, so no matter how Yang Kai and Gui Zu rushed about, they never encountered anyone else.
Moreover, it was extremely convenient to find spirit medicines in this kind of place because each one had an extremely high medicinal age and released a rich medicinal fragrance. As long as one followed these medicinal fragrances, they would definitely obtain something good.
After half an hour, the pair followed their noses to a palm-sized flower.
This flower was growing in a well-concealed crevice and was extremely difficult to spot. In fact, if it were not for it emitting such a potent medicinal fragrance, Yang Kai and Gui Zu might have missed it.
“Demon Melting Iris!” Upon seeing this flower, even without Yang Kai’s explanation, Gui Zu readily recognized it and could not help calling out in joy. “It’s really a Melting Iris! Hahaha, this old master’s luck is too good!”
“Congratulations Senior, this Demon Melting Iris seems to be at least two thousand years old and if it is used to refine a Demon Vanquishing Pill. It is imaginable that Origin Kings would go to war to snatch it!” Yang Kai cupped his fists with a smile.
Gui Zu glanced over at Yang Kai and said, “Good, this thing is of great use to this old master, so he will take it first. If there is anything we discover later, no matter what it is, you can freely take it. Yang Boy, is that agreeable?”
“Naturally,” Yang Kai replied boldly.
The primary function of the Demon Melting Iris was to melt heart demons. When a cultivator was cultivating or trying to break through, heart demons would occasionally appear. These heart demons were negative shadows hidden in a cultivator’s heart.
For example, witnessing the strong bully the weak and not drawing one’s sword to help may become a heart demon.
Being bullied and failing to obtain justice was another way a heart demon could form.
Being unable to save one’s beloved woman from death could also become the source of a heart demon.
Heart demons was a general term that encompassed all kinds of regrets and negative emotions that weighed on a cultivator’s heart.
Heart Demons were extremely harmful, and while they normally did not have much impact on a cultivator’s day to day life, as one’s strength grew, the degree of danger a heart demon posed would also grow stronger, especially when one was trying to break through. During the delicate period when a cultivator was trying to reach the next realm, the power of a heart demon would be infinitely magnified, and once the cultivator failed to suppress or overcome it, the breakthrough would fail, resulting in severe backlash or possibly even a dissonance in his or her cultivation, the ultimate result of which could be death.
Therefore, high-level cultivators would generally make many preparations before attempting to break through, especially when it came to preventing or resolving heart demons. The easiest way to do this was to take certain types of pills.
The Demon Vanquishing Pill, refined from a Demon Melting Iris, was the best Spirit Pill to suppress heart demons! Even if the Demon Melting Iris weren’t refined into a pill, just consuming one of its petals during a breakthrough would have a miraculous effect.
Gui Zu was now a Second-Order Origin King, but if he wanted to break through to the Third-Order, there would be many difficulties. Gui Zu’s life was filled with tragedies, and he had yet to obtain the vengeance he sought, so the power of his heart demons would not be small. In this world, only the Demon Melting Iris could suppress such a powerful heart demon.
That is why he made such a proposal.
Yang Kai certainly would not refuse.
Gui Zu treated the Demon Melting Iris like a supreme treasure, but Yang Kai didn’t actually care much about it.
High Heaven Sect’s Rising Dragon Hall had the precious Ten Thousand Year Incense which could also resolve heart demons, and its effects were even stronger than the Demon Vanquishing Pill. In other words, this Demon Melting Iris was useless to Yang Kai.
“This old master won’t forget the favour,” Gui Zu said solemnly before collecting the Demon Melting Iris. During the harvesting process, he also consulted Yang Kai about whether it needed to be preserved in a special way. After obtaining the appropriate information, the Demon Melting Iris quickly entered Gui Zu’s pocket.
After Gui Zu collected the Demon Melting Iris, Yang Kai, who had been standing next to him, suddenly frowned, and asked in a low voice, “Senior, do you hear something?”
Gui Zu was startled and quickly perked up his ears.
A moment later, both his and Yang Kai’s expressions changed drastically as they called out in alarm, “This is bad, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light!”
*Hu…*
The exhaling sound came from somewhere far away, and along with it, the medicine valley began to tremble slightly. Looking towards the source of the vibrations, a seven coloured light came crashing forward like a great tide.
“Where’s the nearest Void Crack?” Gui Zu immediately looked at Yang Kai and asked nervously.
There were countless Void Cracks nearby, but none of them were visible, so Gui Zu could only pin his hopes on Yang Kai.
The Seven Coloured Radiant Light was an innate ability of the Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock Divine Bird, and was capable of rapidly disintegrating both a cultivator’s body and Soul while ignoring any kind of defence. Even Gui Zu had no confidence he could resist the Seven Coloured Radiant Light.
The only way to survive was to hide behind one of the Void Cracks nearby!
“Here!” Yang Kai did not become flustered though and simply pointed towards a certain direction with confidence while rushing off.
Gui Zu’s figure flickered and followed close behind.
A moment later, the pair stood in a certain spot mid-air.
“Is there really a Void Crack here?” Gui Zu looked around as he watched the Seven Coloured Radiant Light diffuse towards them from the depths of the medicine valley. This tide was about to cover the spot they were standing in so he could not help feeling a little panicked.
“Of course,” Yang Kai smiled lightly and gestured, “Senior doesn’t need to be so nervous; this Junior would not play tricks with his life. En, this Void Crack is both tall and long!”
Seeing him speak with such confidence, Gui Zu relaxed somewhat.
Soon, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light swept past them!
Even with Yang Kai’s assurances, Gui Zu still leaked cold sweat as he watched the terrifying light flow over them.
Since breaking through to the Origin King Realm, he had not experienced such palpable fear.
Silence reigned…
The Seven Coloured Radiant Light swept over the location where the two stood as it continued to fill up the entire medicine valley at a rapid pace.
Yet where Yang Kai and Gui Zu stood, there was a ten-metre long patch that was not filled with Seven Coloured Radiant Light. The terrifying light in front of this narrow strip seemed to have flown into some kind of bottomless abyss, disappearing entirely while leaving a safe place behind.
Gui Zu finally let out a sigh of relief.
Yang Kai was right, there was indeed a Void Crack here, but Gui Zu was unable to sense it even though he was standing right beside it. However, now that the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was outlining its existence, Gui Zu could see that its size and shape were just as Yang Kai had described earlier.
Looking at Yang Kai beside him, Gui Zu’s eyes flashed a complicated light.
He too had studied the Dao of Space and understood just how difficult it was to cultivate this esoteric Dao. He had been trapped on that floating continent for two thousand years yet barely scratched the surface, while Yang Kai had such profound achievements in this domain, making Gui Zu feel like his aptitude was simply unsightly.
What’s more… when he met Yang Kai some thirty years ago, this boy was only a First-Order Saint, but he was now a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator. This boy’s cultivation speed was simply too fast, quite likely faster than anyone in the entire Star Field.
This kid would definitely become the most dazzling star in the Star Field’s future, Gui Zu thought in his heart.
“By the way, Yang Boy,” While waiting for the Seven Coloured Radiant Light to retreat, Gui Zu casually asked, “This old master noticed you have quite a deep knowledge of spirit medicines and herbs. Have you studied Alchemy, perhaps?”
Although the pair had only harvested Divine Nirvana Fruits and a Demon Melting Iris so far, Yang Kai had been able to quickly identify these herbs, how to properly preserve them, and which pills could be refined from them, speaking about all of it clearly and confidently. Naturally, Gui Zu would become suspicious.
“En!” Yang Kai nodded, not trying to deny it.
“Oh?” Gui Zu looked at Yang Kai in amazement, “In this short thirty or forty year period, you managed to grow from the Saint Realm all the way to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm. That was surprising enough for this old master, but now you say you also had time to study Alchemy? Are you not afraid you will delay your cultivation by pursuing too many diverse fields?”
Yang Kai chuckled and replied, “My original intention of studying Alchemy was as an auxiliary to my cultivation, the pursuit of the peak of the Martial Dao has always been my priority.”
“Very good,” Gui Zu looked at him approvingly, “Alchemy, Artifact Refining, arranging Spirit Arrays, although each of these fields is of great importance, none are comparable to the Martial Dao. Cultivation should always be one’s priority, everything else can only serve as supplementals to it.”
Regarding Gui Zu’s opinion, Yang Kai naturally nodded in agreement.
“En, but that being said, if you can achieve something in any of these three domains, it is still a remarkable accomplishment,” Gui Zu was satisfied with Yang Kai’s attitude, smiled, and asked curiously, “Do you mind telling this old master what grade of pills you can refine now?”
Hearing his question, Yang Kai thought about it seriously before solemnly replying, “Since it is Senior asking, this Junior won’t conceal anything. En, this Junior can be regarded as an Origin King Grade Alchemist and can refine Origin King Grade Spirit Pills!”
As soon as these words were spoken, Gui Zu’s body shook violently as he stared straight at Yang Kai without speaking for quite some time.
“Senior?” Yang Kai gave a dry laugh when he saw the reaction he was expecting from Gui Zu. After all, how many Origin King Grade Alchemists were there in the entire Star Field? Which of those Alchemists was not grey-haired and extremely famous? At Yang Kai’s age, it should have simply been impossible to become an Origin King Grade Alchemist.
Gui Zu was silent for a long time before taking a deep breath and asking in a shaky voice, “Are you making a joke?”
He thought Yang Kai was playing a prank on him at first, but after observing him for some time and not seeing the slightest signs that Yang Kai was joking, he began to suspect that perhaps… he might be telling the truth.
“No!” Yang Kai shook his head.
“You’re really an Origin King Grade Alchemist!?” Gui Zu exclaimed and after speaking, immediately swept his eyes around, as if he was afraid someone might have heard him shout just now.
“How could this Junior joke about such a matter? En, although I have only refined a few Origin King Grade Spirit Pills, I have indeed refined some. According to the Star Field’s method of classifying Alchemists, this Junior should be regarded as an Origin King Grade Alchemist.”
Gui Zu took another deep breath as he stared at Yang Kai like some strange monster.
Yang Kai was not old, he possessed such high cultivation, and now he also seemed to be an Origin King Grade Alchemist! How did he do it? Even if he began cultivating in his mother’s womb, it should have been impossible to achieve this, right? Only if he had somehow managed to split himself into a dozen clones that could cultivate independently would something this absurdity be possible.
Gui Zu absolutely could not understand!
“There are very few people who know I am an Origin King Grade Alchemist. Besides my women and family, only Senior knows, so I hope Senior can keep it a secret for me,” Yang Kai grinned.
Yang Kai usually concealed his identity as an Alchemist because he lacked strength and had to worry about others trying to take advantage of him.
But now that his strength had reached such a height, exposing his identity as an Alchemist would not cause him any trouble; on the contrary, being known as an Origin King Grade Alchemist would bring huge benefits, so Yang Kai didn’t intend to hide it from his acquaintances if they asked.
Hearing this, Gui Zu nodded and said in a serious tone, “This old master knows what he should do, he won’t spread such information about. What’s more, this old master doesn’t have any associates, so how could he do something as dull as bragging to strangers about another’s accomplishments? However… Kid, why did you just tell this old master the truth? Aren’t you afraid this old master would act against you? You should know just how attractive an Origin King Grade Alchemist is to people like this old master. If one can capture such an Alchemist and force them to refine pills for them, improving one’s strength becomes easy.”
“Haha, Senior is not such a person,” Yang Kai touched his nose. “If I wasn’t confident in Senior’s character, I wouldn’t have told the truth. Besides, between offending an Origin King Grade Alchemist and befriending one, Senior surely understands which is the wiser choice. Even if you were to capture me and force me to perform Alchemy for you, you would constantly need to worry about poison being hidden in the pills I refined for you.”
Saying so, Yang Kai grinned at Gui Zu.
He had chosen to tell the truth to Gui Zu after some consideration, not on a whim.
Gui Zu stared at Yang Kai deeply for a long time before suddenly bursting into laughter, “Hahaha! This old master is deeply honoured. En, I never expected that a little brat this old master almost completely wrote off in the past would not only have such profound cultivation but also become an Origin King Grade Alchemist! If this kind of matter were to spread, it would only be giving this old master face.”
“Senior surely jests,” Yang Kai said modestly.
“En, then regarding that Great Nirvana Pill and Demon Vanquishing Pill you mentioned before, can you refine them?” Gui Zu asked nervously.
The Great Nirvana Pill could improve his cultivation while the Demon Vanquishing Pill could suppress his heart demons, both of which were of great use to him. He originally planned to go out to find an Origin King Grade Alchemist in the Star Field to request Alchemy from.
But this would undoubtedly cost him a huge price and would likely take many years; after all, which of these Alchemy Grandmasters wasn’t highly sought after? These were not masters one could simply take raw materials to and then expect a pill from, everything depended on the other party’s schedule.
Due to Gui Zu’s unique circumstances, he was not familiar with all the procedures around such things, but he at least understood common sense. With his cultivation, he may have to agree to some harsh conditions such as helping a certain Alchemy Grandmaster kill someone or take a huge risk to obtain some precious material before the other party would even consider accepting his request for Alchemy.
Even an Origin King like him may not necessarily be able to bear the price that these Grandmasters demanded.
But now, there was an Origin King Grade Alchemist in front of him, and one he had a good relationship with.
Gui Zu was so happy he wanted to shout!
He secretly rejoiced in his heart that he had not killed Yang Kai back then and even offered him thanks for his life-saving grace, forging a kind of friendship with him. Fortunately, in the Severed World this time, he had been genial with Yang Kai at every turn!
Gui Zu suddenly felt that befriending Yang Kai was the wisest decision he had ever made in his life.
“The Great Nirvana Pill and Demon Vanquishing Pill are both Origin King Grade Spirit Pills, so neither is easy to refine, but as long as you can obtain the other ingredients, I should be able to give it a try,” Yang Kai thought about it carefully before nodding.
“What chance do you have to succeed?” Gui Zu hurriedly asked.
“At least sixty percent.”
“Sixty percent!” Gui Zu drew a sharp breath as he realized he was still underestimating Yang Kai. Origin King Grade Spirit Pills were extremely difficult to refine, and the failure rate was surprisingly high. Even most famous Alchemy Grandmasters would not dare guarantee a sixty percent success rate.
Yang Kai was also not the kind to idly boast. Gui Zu was well acquainted with this boy’s stable temperament, so he did not doubt him. Since Yang Kai said he had a sixty percent chance to succeed, he meant sixty percent.
“But…” Yang Kai suddenly laughed.
“But what,” Gui Zu’s heart tightened once more.
“If Senior wants to refine the Great Nirvana Pill and Demon Vanquishing Pill, this Junior can recommend another person, she has far more exquisite skill in Alchemy. If she takes action, the success rate will be higher.”
*Si…*
Gui Zu audibly inhaled as he stared at Yang Kai incredulously, “Do you know another Origin King Grade Alchemist? Right, you should have been taught by some famous Grandmaster, could it be you’re referring to your Honoured Master?”
As Gui Zu spoke, his eyes flashed with brilliant light.
Yang Kai’s Honoured Master was definitely an Origin King Grade Alchemist, and definitely superior to Yang Kai. Gui Zu definitely wanted to befriend such a person. As long as he could form a friendship with such a Grandmaster, he would be able to ask for high-grade pills at any point in the future. At that point, how could he not benefit enormously?
Gui Zu had secretly made up his mind that after this trip to the Severed World, he needed to visit Yang Kai’s Honoured Master.
How many Origin King Grade masters wanted to meet with such an Alchemy Grandmaster but had no way to, yet now Gui Zu had a chance to meet two! Gui Zu almost felt his heart burst from his chest.
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head, “The person I’m referring to is my Senior Sister!”
He was speaking about Xia Ning Chang!
Although her Alchemy skills were not as good as his when Yang Kai brought Xia Ning Chang out from Tong Xuan Realm, he was confident that her Alchemy skills had already surpassed his after practising for so many years with the near-unlimited supply of herbs High Heaven Sect provided her, as well as the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture guiding her, and the Special Constitution that allowed her to comprehend everything about Alchemy.
“Your Senior Sister is also an Origin King Grade Alchemist?” Gui Zu was shocked.
Didn’t that mean… that there were three Alchemy Grandmasters at this level in one single group? How Heaven defying was that!?
Gui Zu hardly dared to imagine what kind of Sect could possess three Origin King Grade Alchemists! With such powerful support, how could this Sect ever lack for high-grade pills?
If this kind of news were to spread, Gui Zu was certain it would set off great waves across the entire Star Field. Even giants such as the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Purple Star, and Sword Union would definitely send people to win over the Sect Yang Kai belonged to.
After all, even these three great forces did not all have their own Origin King Grade Alchemist! Among the three, only Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and Purple Star had one each, while Sword Union did not have one in its employ.
“Little Senior Sister is indeed an Origin King Grade Alchemist,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Yang Kai!” Gui Zu suddenly took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, “Which Cultivation Star is your Sect established on? Is your Sect recruiting? Do you need a high cultivation Elder or something? En, an Honoured Guest Elder would also be fine. No matter what it is, any title would be acceptable.”
Gui Zu could not calm down at all.
Although he had spent his years alone at ease, only he knew how sorrowful and difficult such isolation could be.
For example, he had no one to ask if he wanted a pill refined. If he wanted to enter retreat to cultivate some Secret Technique, no one would protect him. He even needed to acquire the resources to cultivate by himself.
All kinds of trivial matters put a great strain on him and wasted much of his time.
This was very different from Origin Kings who belonged to great forces. Each of these masters would have extraordinary status and if they needed anything, all they had to do was issue a command and countless disciples would rush around to fulfil their request. All those Origin Kings needed to do was cultivate with peace of mind.
As such, there were times when Gui Zu envied those Origin Kings who belonged to great forces.
However, if he really was asked to join a great force, he would definitely refuse; after all, he wasn’t willing to be restrained by others and did not want to tie himself to some force he had no connection with.
But if it was the Sect where Yang Kai was, it would be completely different!
This Sect had three Origin King Grade Alchemy Grandmasters! This alone was a fatal attraction to Gui Zu.
Furthermore, he felt Yang Kai was quite easy to get along with, and their relationship was amicable, so his feelings of rejection towards the Sect Yang Kai belonged to were comparably less.
Seeing Gui Zu offer himself up without him needing to take the initiative to invite him, Yang Kai was quite happy.
He had not expected that Gui Zu would suddenly propose joining High Heaven Sect, but it made sense to Yang Kai after some thought.
With both him and Xia Ning Chang being Origin King Grade Alchemy Grandmasters, it really was not too difficult to win over an Origin King. It was just that Yang Kai had not been too keen on doing this. Even if there was no Origin King in High Heaven Sect currently, that did not mean there would not be one or more in the future.
Ye Xi Yun could already be considered a quasi-Origin King, and given her aptitude and foundation, breaking through to the Origin King Realm in the future was basically a given, all she was lacking was an opportunity.
However, if Gui Zu wanted to join, that was not something he couldn’t accept. After this period of getting along, Yang Kai also understood that Gui Zu was not as sinister and vicious as he seemed.
His ghastly aura was simply because of the Secret Art he cultivated.
As various thoughts flashed across his mind, Yang Kai grinned, “Junior belongs to a force called High Heaven Sect that has its headquarters on Shadowed Star. Despite lacking in many places, this Junior also serves as High Heaven Sect’s Sect Master…”
He briefly explained the situation of High Heaven Sect to Gui Zu.
When he heard that High Heaven Sect was founded by Yang Kai himself, Gui Zu could not help admiring him greatly. When he learned that there was currently no Origin King in High Heaven Sect, and that across Shadowed Star there was only a single, newly promoted First-Order Origin King, Gui Zu was overjoyed.
He had thought that a great force which possessed several Origin King Grade Alchemy Grandmasters would not be weak, and perhaps already have many Origin Kings serving it. If that was the case, his joining would just be adding flowers to a bouquet, but now it seemed that he could directly become the strongest master of High Heaven Sect and Shadowed Star if he really joined!
The difference in status between these two situations was completely different from what he had expected before. He could become a supreme existence in one leap!
So Gui Zu was even more enthusiastic and could not wait to ask, “Yang Kai, this old master has wandered about all alone for most of his life, and ever since escaping that floating continent, he has drifted about without any place to stop and rest. What do you say to this old master calling your High Heaven Sect home? This old master doesn’t have many requirements. As long as he can hang the title of Honored Guest Elder next to his name and he can enjoy the care of those Origin King Grade Alchemists to occasionally refine a few pills, this old master will be satisfied, haha…”
He was very direct and honest.
Yang Kai laughed, “A master like Senior wishing to join High Heaven Sect. How could this Junior ask for anything more?”
“Then it’s settled?” Gui Zu’s eyes lit up. Although he knew that Yang Kai probably would not refuse him, Gui Zu was still happy when he heard Yang Kai agree.
This way, he could approach the Origin King Grade Alchemist Yang Kai spoke of, and as long as he found the appropriate herbs in the future, he wouldn’t need to worry about having someone to refine them into pills for him! How could his strength not improve rapidly at that point?
Gui Zu could already imagine a future where he broke through to the pinnacle of the Third-Order Origin King Realm and stood at the very peak of the entire Star Field.
“It’s settled!” Yang Kai nodded happily, “But the status of Honoured Guest Elder doesn’t fit Senior’s great strength, so instead… you shall be the Sect’s Supreme Elder.”
Gui Zu’s body shook violently as he stared deeply at Yang Kai, his heart unable to settle for quite some time.
Although he had never joined any great force before, he knew the difference between an Honoured Guest Elder and a Supreme Elder. An Honoured Guest Elder, although granting some rights and privileges, was really nothing more than an in-name position with no real power at all.
On the other hand, a Supreme Elder was completely different. Supreme Elders held real power. Strictly speaking, that power was so great it only ranked below that of the Sect Master. There were even some great forces where Supreme Elders were ranked higher than the Sect Master and were existences that could easily mobilize all the Sect’s resources and disciples with absolute authority.
However, being an Honoured Guest Elder also had its advantages. When the Sect encountered grave danger it could not resolve, an Honoured Guest Elder could choose to help or not according to their own situation, giving them a high degree of freedom, but a Supreme Elder had to advance and retreat together with the Sect, sharing life and death with it.
Supreme Elders were generally the highest in terms of seniority in a Sect, and only those with superb qualifications could hold such a post.
Gui Zu had not expected that Yang Kai would directly give him the title of Supreme Elder, and although the risks he would have to bear became greater if he accepted, the benefits and treatment he would receive would be proportionally better.
“Yang Boy, you treating this old master with such courtesy demands that this old master respond with equal sincerity. Alright, this old master does not speak empty words. When the time comes, this old master will not disgrace his title as a Supreme Elder!” Gui Zu quickly said.
Even though he was not a young man anymore, Yang Kai’s words had still made his blood boil, so he directly spoke these bold words.
“Senior is too serious. Since this Junior offered you the position of Supreme Elder, he does not doubt you,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“You still call me Senior?” Gui Zu asked with a grin.
“En… Junior greets Supreme Elder!” Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists and replied sincerely.
“Many thanks, Sect Master!” Gui Zu also replied, “From now on, this old master is a member of High Heaven Sect and will thus be troubling Sect Master. If Sect Master has any instructions, please don’t hesitate!”
After speaking, the two looked at each other and laughed loudly, as if they had made some kind of illicit deal just now…
“Good, after this trip to the Severed World is over, this old master will follow you back to the Sect,” Gui Zu said with a look of yearning. He was very curious about what kind of Sect could cultivate a monster like Yang Kai. Since he had chosen to join High Heaven Sect, he wanted to see it and determine its strength and prospects.
“A simple matter. I’ll be together with you so this news will reach the Sect promptly and without incident,” Yang Kai nodded.
Saying so, Yang Kai’s brow suddenly rose and he said, “Supreme Elder, I suddenly had a thought.”
“What?”
“We should act separately, that way our search range will greatly increase and the number of treasures we can collect will double. What do you think?”
Yang Kai had not made such a suggestion before primarily because although he had a good relationship with Gui Zu, they were not true allies, so such a proposal wasn’t appropriate as it may cause Gui Zu to misunderstand his intentions.
But now it was different. With Gui Zu joining High Heaven Sect, Yang Kai no longer had any scruples making this proposal.
Gui Zu thought for a while and said, “If we separate, we can indeed search a wider area and our gains will also increase, but there are too many Void Cracks here. Although this old master can discover most of them, there are some which are hidden so deeply that this old master cannot discover. Without you, this old master is not confident he can act freely.”
Just like the situation a moment ago, when the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was approaching, Gui Zu would have been engulfed by the multi-coloured light and the consequences would have been disastrous if Yang Kai had not found a place to escape.
“Heh heh, since I am suggesting this, I naturally have a method to allow Supreme Elder to discover those Void Cracks,” Yang Kai smiled confidently.
“Oh? Does Sect Master have some way to allow this old master to sense the surrounding Void Cracks?” Gui Zu asked in surprise.
Yang Kai grinned, “I can leave a Space Mark on you so that you can perceive those hidden cracks.”
“You can do that?”
“It should be possible. Come, let’s try,” Yang Kai wasn’t completely sure as he had never done this before, but after swallowing and fusing with the energy of the spatial helix, his understanding of the Dao of Space had reached a new height so he felt he could be able to accomplish this.
“If you can really do it, then it would undoubtedly be a boon,” Gui Zu nodded.
With Gui Zu’s consent, Yang Kai took a deep breath and pushed his Space Force to condense a small, swirling vortex at the tip of his finger.
The next moment, Yang Kai gently tapped towards Gui Zu’s chest.
This spiral suddenly exploded and transformed into a type of seal which remained on Gui Zu.
“Oh… this is Space Force?” Gui Zu muttered in surprise. Even though he was a Second-Order Origin King, he could not help marvelling at the profoundness of the Space Force mark on his chest. This mark seemed to send Space Force fluctuations into his surroundings, then feedback information to him.
There were a few places nearby where the feedback information was different, and when Gui Zu looked towards those places, he suddenly discovered that there were Void Cracks at each of them!
And one of them was the hidden crack he and Yang Kai were hiding behind! Before, he couldn’t sense this Void Crack at all, and only after its shape was outlined by the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was he able to see it; but now, he could perceive it clearly.
It was as if a certain special perception had been added to his own.
“Is it useful?” Yang Kai asked. Although he felt that his idea should be feasible, using a Space Force mark to sense the existence of Void Cracks, in the end, was a newly formulated Secret Technique he was using on another person, so he was not completely confident.
“It’s useful, very useful!” Gui Zu nodded repeatedly, “This old master can feel all the surrounding Void Cracks now. There are three hidden cracks nearby, right?”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded and smiled, “It seems that there is nothing wrong with this idea.”
“Yeah, this old master won’t run into any problems anymore, but… are you sure you’ll have no problems on your own?” Gui Zu asked worriedly. Most of the people who entered here were Origin Kings, with only Xue Yue and Zi Dong being Origin Realm cultivators, but those two would definitely be following Ni Guang and Zi Long respectively. If Yang Kai was alone, he would need to bear some great risks to act here, and if he encountered any masters, he would be vulnerable to attack.
This made Gui Zu somewhat nervous.
“There’s no problem,” Yang Kai grinned, “Supreme Elder hasn’t forgotten what power I am proficient in, right? There are so many Void Cracks here that this place is simply tailored made for me. If I encounter some aggressive fool, even if I cannot defeat them, I can still run.”
Hearing what he said, Gui Zu also agreed and nodded, “Good, in that case, we’ll act separately, but you must still remain vigilant. En, I will leave something with you as well; as long as you and I are within a few thousand kilometres, I will be able to perceive your location if you stimulate it and I will rush over to assist.”
As Gui Zu spoke, he waved his Ten Thousand Soul Banner, reached into it, and pulled something out.
The next moment, a Yin Soul roared eerily as it was handled by Gui Zu.
This Yin Soul looked incredibly terrifying and had clear facial features while also exuding an extremely powerful aura. This aura was just as strong as an ordinary Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator’s.
“This is the vice-soul of this old master’s Ten Thousand Soul Banner and has a direct link to this old master’s Soul. For now, I’ll leave it with you!” Gui Zu stretched out his hand and placed the Yin Soul on Yang Kai’s shoulder.
The next moment, Yang Kai felt a hint of coldness coming from his shoulder, but it did not affect him much.
After a quick scan to confirm the Yin Soul was attached to his body, Yang Kai nodded slightly to indicate that everything was in order.
Now, all that was left to do was wait for the Seven Coloured Radiant Light to retreat so the two could set off.
While the seven coloured light covered the mountain valley, no one was able to move and could only hide behind nearby Void Cracks.
Yang Kai silently kept track of time.
Finally, the sound of a deep inhalation from the depths of the mountain valley sounded, and along with a slight rumbling, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light receded like a great tide.
“Sect Master, be careful,” Gui Zu entreated.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded before immediately setting off in the opposite direction Gui Zu took.
After separating from Gui Zu, Yang Kai’s speed became much faster. Even though he was much safer while acting with Gui Zu, Yang Kai still had to constantly warn Gui Zu when to change directions to avoid Void Cracks, slowing Yang Kai’s progress slightly. Now, this wasn’t a concern.
In the medicine valley, medicinal fragrances were everywhere, so it was quite simple to find these precious herbs; just by following the flow of medicinal fragrances, one could reap gains.
The only thing to worry about was the existence of Void Cracks and the Seven Coloured Radiant Light.
But Yang Kai estimated that since the Seven Coloured Radiant Light had just retreated, it would not appear again for some time, so he acted boldly.
After a stick of incense, he squatted happily beside the roots of a towering tree to pluck a ginseng-like root.
This root did not appear any different from ordinary ginseng besides its glimmering red glow, making it look like a red starry sky that had been shrunk down countless times.
“Red Star Ginseng, this really is a good place,” Yang Kai muttered. All of the herbs he had acquired so far were Origin King Grade, and each was a rare, if not extinct treasure. These herbs could be used to refine Origin King Grade Spirit Pills that even Origin Kings would desperately fight for.
Yang Kai was on the verge of another breakthrough, so these herbs were incredibly useful for his future cultivation.
This trip to the Severed World had provided him with such a rare opportunity to collect herbs so he certainly spared no effort.
After half a stick of incense worth of time, Yang Kai was already three hundred kilometres away as he frowned at a patch of spirit grass in front of him and some disturbed soil, cursing under his breath for being too late.
The spirit medicine which grew in this place had already been harvested.
The only spirit grass remaining was immature, so it would be useless even if it were to be collected.
It seemed that the cultivator who came here before followed the principle of not killing the chicken which laid the eggs. This person took away the mature spirit medicines while leaving behind the seedlings, a courtesy to future generations.
It was not clear who this person was, but after a moment of grumbling, Yang Kai simply shook his head and began tracing the next medicinal fragrance which stimulated his nose.
Another stick of incense worth of time passed before Yang Kai finally gained something, and although this herb was inferior to the Divine Nirvana Fruit and Demon Melting Iris, it was still an invaluable treasure one could not buy even if they had enough money.
“It should be time soon,” Yang Kai muttered to himself.
According to his previous estimates, the period of time between when the Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock inhaled and exhaled was roughly half an hour. If this calculation was accurate, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light would soon flood the mountain valley again.
Yang Kai could not be sure about his speculation, though, as he had yet to verify it.
Just to be cautious, Yang Kai began paying attention to the locations of nearby Void Cracks as he continued his search.
Suddenly, he turned his head to look in one direction as he sensed something. He noticed that there was a life aura quickly approaching from about thirty kilometres away, and after some quick checking, he realized that this aura was quite familiar and muttered, “Oh, it’s her!”
Understanding this, Yang Kai did not try to avoid this newcomer and instead turned towards them in order to greet her.
A moment later, a figure appeared nearby.
Yang Kai raised his voice and called out, “Senior Luo!”
Luo Lan had also discovered Yang Kai some time ago, which was why she was flying over towards him, constantly releasing her Divine Sense in order to scan for Void Cracks in her path.
Luo Lan smiled when she heard Yang Kai’s voice and increased her speed.
“Wait!” Yang Kai shouted suddenly.
Luo Lan stopped immediately and asked, “What’s wrong? Is there a Void Crack in front of me?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes. If you go forward five steps, you’ll touch it.”
Luo Lan’s pretty face paled slightly as she felt some slight fear, staring towards the space in front of her as she asked, “Here?”
“En, you’ll be fine if you move a metre to either side,” Yang Kai instructed.
Luo Lan moved cautiously, following Yang Kai’s directions as she flew over to his side, saying when she arrived, “Many thanks. If you had not reminded me just now, I’m afraid I’d have already lost my head.”
“A minor matter, Senior doesn’t need to worry about it,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“By the way, why are you here alone?” Luo Lan looked at Yang Kai and asked curiously. She had clearly seen Yang Kai enter the medicine valley with Gui Zu before, but now, Gui Zu was nowhere to be seen.
“That’s what I was about to ask,” Yang Kai chuckled. “I acted separately from Senior Gui Zu so that we could have greater gains, but what about Senior Luo? Why aren’t you together with Senior Ni?”
“For the same reason,” Luo Lan said with a smile. “Following him, I was not able to obtain anything good, so I decided to take a chance and explore on my own. Although I have had some gains so far, it seems that the reason I haven’t gotten into trouble yet was merely luck.”
If it had not been for Yang Kai’s warning just now, she definitely would have struck that Void Crack head-on, and the consequences would have been disastrous.
Thinking she might have passed by countless invisible Void Cracks so far; Luo Lan broke out into a cold sweat.
As the two talked, the sound of a great exhalation came from the depths of the medicine valley. Yang Kai and Luo Lan, who had already experienced this phenomenon before obviously knew what it meant and what they had to do.
[Seems my estimates were right], Yang Kai thought secretly. Every time the Divine Bird breathed; it would take about half an hour to complete a cycle.
While he was thinking about this matter, Luo Lan turned her head around to try to find a place to hide. Unfortunately, there were no visible Void Cracks nearby, so with no other choice, she could only turn to Yang Kai.
She did not show any panic though; after all, she was certain there were hidden Void Cracks here that could be used to avoid the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, it’s just that she couldn’t find them.
“Senior, come here!” Yang Kai said without any hesitation, beckoning to Luo Lan as he stood behind a nearby Void Crack, but in the next moment, Yang Kai’s expression cramped up, “Ah…”
“What’s wrong?” Luo Lan stood in front of Yang Kai and asked as she saw an awkward look appear on his face.
“This Void Crack…” Yang Kai looked embarrassed, “It’s a bit small.”
“Small?” Luo Lan was confused at first but quickly realized what Yang Kai was trying to say.
Since the Void Crack was small, there would not be much room for the two of them to hide. If a man and a woman were forced into a small space, it was inevitable they would have some physical contact.
Considering this, Luo Lan’s expression also became a little awkward.
Although she was many times older than Yang Kai, she was still a woman, and a beautiful one who appeared no older than her thirties at that.
“It’s fine, we only need to hide here for a while,” Luo Lan calmed her mind and said she shuffled closer to Yang Kai, leaving only half a metre or so between them before she looked over at Yang Kai and asked, “Can I stand here?”
Yang Kai shook his head.
Luo Lan gave a dry laugh as she realized that this Void Crack was really quite small.
At that moment, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light suddenly flooded out, quickly blanketing the medicine valley.
In the blink of an eye, the wall of light rushed towards the Void Crack in front of Yang Kai and Luo Lan like a great flood.
“Senior, your position is still very dangerous. Forgive me!” Yang Kai called out sharply before rapidly grabbing Luo Lan’s waist and pulling her into his arms.
Caught off guard, Luo Lan had no time to resist and soon found herself nestled in Yang Kai’s embrace.
“Ah!” Letting out a yelp, her eyes bulged as she instinctively pushed her Saint Qi.
“Senior, check behind you!” Yang Kai spoke extremely fast before Luo Lan could act.
Luo Lan was startled and quickly released her Divine Sense to check the situation behind her.
In the next instant, her expression changed dramatically.
Less than a finger’s length behind her, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was freely flowing.
If it weren’t for Yang Kai pulling her in a moment ago, at least half her body would have been covered by the Seven Coloured Radiant Light body. With the terrifying power of this light, she could imagine how terrible her end would be.
Even now, her position was precarious as the light which washed around the Void Crack could touch her body at any time.
Quickly understanding her situation, Luo Lan felt some lingering fear.
She realized that Yang Kai was not trying to take advantage of her and had really just acted out of necessity. Dispersing her Saint Qi, she said with some embarrassment, “I apologize, I overreacted a bit.”
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai shook his head, frowning to himself as he felt his situation was quite difficult.
Although the safety zone created by this Void Crack was technically big enough to accommodate him and Luo Lan, their current state was quite uncomfortable for both of them. Right now, they were almost face-to-face and their bodies were close enough that Yang Kai could clearly feel two astonishingly soft and elastic peaks whenever Luo Lan leaned in closer.
On top of that, when Luo Lan spoke, the orchid scent and heat of her breath was directly transmitted to him…
If someone who did not know the truth saw this, they would likely think that Yang Kai and Luo Lan were doing something shameful, but in fact, both of them were stuck in an abyss of suffering.
Yang Kai was better off as he was a man. Although it was somewhat uncomfortable, he soon calmed down and after purging his heart of wicked impulses, he was not too uncomfortable. Thinking about Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang to dispel any distracting thoughts that surfaced in his mind, it did not take long for him to return to a state of calm.
On the contrary, Luo Lan’s face gradually became redder and redder, that blush soon spreading to her neck, her embarrassment and shy response giving her another layer of attraction. Her tender body which was being held by Yang Kai was extremely stiff but still shivered slightly due to her tension.
She never thought that a situation like this, where she would have such close contact with a young man like Yang Kai, would ever have happened to her!
This was something that had never happened before.
The feel of his solid chest, broad arms, and rich male aura flooded her senses, making it impossible for her to calm her mind.
Her cheeks felt like they were on fire and she was certain her face was completely red!
Blushing like this front of a junior… Luo Lan simply could not wait to find a hole to crawl into and never emerge from again.
But when she remembered that the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was less than a finger-length away from her back, and she had to maintain this position with Yang Kai for at least half an hour, Luo Lan became more and more uncomfortable.
Anxious, she began fidgeting involuntarily…
“Senior… please don’t move around,” Yang Kai smiled bitterly. He had just dispelled all the impulses in his heart and was able to reach a state of mental tranquillity, but Luo Lan had instantly nullified his previous efforts, especially when he felt two small bumps which were pressed up against his chest become slightly stiff…
Listening to Yang Kai’s words, Luo Lan became even more embarrassed, quickly lowering her head and burying it in his chest.
“I’ll turn around,” Luo Lan suddenly whispered.
It was too embarrassing for the two of them to continue facing each other, and she thought that if she turned around, the situation would become somewhat easier.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, letting go of his hands which had been holding Luo Lan’s waist.
Luo Lan turned around cautiously, lest she touch the Seven Coloured Radiant Light which was so close, but she eventually managed to put her back to Yang Kai’s chest.
“Uh…” Yang Kai immediately discovered a new problem though.
When they were facing each other, he could clearly feel Luo Lan’s incredible peaks, and while now he could no longer feel that amazing elasticity… now her perfectly round half-moons were pressing up against his lower half.
Luo Lan was also clearly aware of this. After turning around and settling into place, she instantly went stiff as if struck by lightning, no longer daring to move at will.
The two people felt like every breath that passed was an eternity.
“Senior…” Yang Kai suddenly spoke.
“Hm?” Luo Lan was taken aback and her whole body tensed. In this embarrassing atmosphere, Yang Kai suddenly calling out to her really shocked her, especially when she felt his breath right on her delicate ear, as if someone was gently stroking it.
“After thinking about it carefully, I think it’s best if I leave,” Yang Kai said.
“Leave?” Luo Lan was stunned, “Where can you go now?”
After forcefully stabilizing her mind, she quickly understood that Yang Kai’s proposal was made out of consideration for her innocence and reputation, and her heart couldn’t help warming. She felt that this young man was quite agreeable. Instead of taking this opportunity to take advantage of her, he was able to remain rational and composed, a commendable feat.
However, the entire medicine valley was currently covered in the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, so there was nowhere for Yang Kai to go.
“I can enter the Void Crack!” Yang Kai replied.
“Enter the Void Crack?” Luo Lan gawked. Although she knew that Yang Kai was proficient in Space Force, she did not know how profound his achievements were, so the instant she heard Yang Kai’s proposal, she immediately worried about him putting himself in danger. If he were to enter the Void Crack and become trapped, unable to find his way out, he might even wander about inside The Void until the day he died.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “This place is big enough for a single person to hide comfortably, but for two people… hehe, it’s a bit tight.”
“But… are you sure you can come out from there?”
“Leaving won’t be a problem,” Yang Kai nodded. He had already traversed the Void Crack here so he was not concerned about his safety, the only risky factor was that the place he re-emerged might not be this medicine valley but rather another place in the Severed World. If that were to happen, his loss would be great. The only way to guarantee that didn’t happen would be to not move once he entered The Void, so when he tore space again, he could return to the exact same spot.
But Yang Kai was not interested in explaining all of this to Luo Lan; after all, their relationship wasn’t so close he could share the secrets of his abilities with her.
Luo Lan went silent for a while before whispering, “Actually, you don’t need to take such risks. We… we can just stay like this for a while and wait for the Seven Coloured Radiant Light to disperse…”
Yang Kai being so considerate made her quite reluctant to let him take unnecessary risks.
“Many thanks, Senior, but I’ve already decided,” Yang Kai said with a smile and moved to dive into the Void Crack behind him when suddenly he thought of something and said, “That’s right. Senior, this Junior will give you a little gift.”
“A gift?” Luo Lan asked curiously.
As soon as she asked though, Yang Kai reached out and tapped her shoulder gently.
“Good luck, Senior!” Yang Kai called out before diving into the Void Crack and disappearing.
The space behind Luo Lan suddenly became empty, leaving her somewhat absent-minded, but soon, she stepped back once to improve her margin of safety.
Only after she stood firm did she have time to check what Yang Kai had given her.
Probing her shoulder with her Divine Sense slightly, in the next moment, Luo Lan exclaimed, “This is…”
She did not know how, but when her Divine Sense probed the spot where Yang Kai had just tapped her, she was suddenly able to clearly feel the Space Force fluctuations around her and perceive the hidden Void Cracks in her vicinity!
She immediately understood what kind of gift Yang Kai had given her!
With this gift, she could travel unimpeded through this Severed World without having to worry about running into hidden Void Cracks.
Luo Lan was ecstatic!
“Thank you!” Even though she knew that Yang Kai would not hear her thanks, Luo Lan still called out gratefully.
This encounter had made her thoroughly understand what kind of person Yang Kai really was, and just how great his potential was. It was no wonder Young Master Gu Jian Xin admired Yang Kai so much, it was because he has such charm and ability.
In the past, Luo Lan showing goodwill towards Yang Kai was almost entirely because of Gu Jian Xin and because she wanted to rely on his proficiency in the Dao of Space. But now, even without these factors, Luo Lan would not despise Yang Kai despite him only being an Origin Realm Junior.
This boy was an upright character full of potential and definitely someone who should be befriended. In the future, there may be many times she would want to draw on his support.
Thinking so, Luo Lan secretly made up her mind that after returning to Azure Tree Star, she would take good care of the Twin Shark Island Yang Kai now owned.
…..
Inside the Void, Yang Kai floated alone.
Leaving behind that Space Mark for Luo Lan so she could perceive the existence of Void Cracks around her was not something Yang Kai had done because blood had rushed to his head.
From beginning to end, he never had any improper thoughts about Luo Lan.
He just felt that if Luo Lan was safe and grew stronger, his residence on Azure Tree Star and the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array which was housed within it would be safer. What’s more, giving her that Space Mark didn’t take him any effort or cost him anything.
Since that was the case, why not?
After entering the Void, Yang Kai did not remain in place but instead began wandering around.
In any case, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light would not withdraw for the next half an hour, so he had some time to search for true Space Spirit Crystals in this Void Crack.
In this land filled with opportunities, Yang Kai did not want to waste any time. However, he also did not want to move about randomly and accidentally leave the scope of the medicine valley.
For this reason, he deliberately left behind some markers wherever he went. If his hypothesis was correct, he could follow these markers back to the place where he had separated from Luo Lan.
Yang Kai searched for Space Spirit Crystals in The Void while silently keeping track of the passage of time.
Just as he felt that half an hour was up, he stopped.
In less than half an hour, he had some gains, but it was not anything much, just five Space Spirit Crystals which had been bred by The Void.
At this moment, Yang Kai came to a stop and looked around his surroundings thoughtfully.
While he was moving through The Void, he noticed that there were several places where the Space Force fluctuations were very unstable.
If his guess was right, these unstable places were where the countless Void Cracks in the Severed World connected to The Void.
In other words, exiting through these unstable points would be equivalent to leaving through Void Cracks.
In order to verify his hypothesis, Yang Kai moved forward.
The next moment, he left The Void and returned to the Severed World again.
Looking around, there was no Seven Coloured Radiant Light while behind him there was a large Void Crack, visible to the naked eye, hovering mid-air.
Yang Kai had clearly walked out of this Void Crack just now.
Looking at the Void Crack behind, Yang Kai nodded slightly as he confirmed his guess was not wrong. Inside the Void, the unstable positions were connected to the Void Cracks spread throughout the Severed World.
It was just that… Yang Kai didn’t know if this place was still inside the medicine valley.
Yang Kai scanned the surrounding environment carefully, and after a short time, he wore a happy smile and muttered to himself, “Seems my luck is good.”
Obviously, he was still within the scope of the medicine valley, because various medicinal fragrances were lingering in the air and there was a short fruit tree with three pale yellow fruits hanging from its branches not far from him.
This was a location that had not been searched yet!
This was not surprising when he thought about it. The medicine valley was massive and only a few people had entered it. On top of that, with the interference of the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, the amount of time people could search for herbs was greatly shortened. Therefore, there must be a large number of precious herbs still remaining in this medicine valley.
Yang Kai stepped out and arrived in front of the short fruit tree, leaned over slightly, and after a moment of inspection, smiled widely.
He recognized what spirit fruit these were.
They were Longevity Fruits!
These fruits had no effect on one’s cultivation, but they could prolong one’s life, and their efficacy was excellent.
With the increase in a cultivator’s strength, their lifespan would grow proportionally. If no accidents occurred, Origin Kings were capable of living for three to four thousand years, sometimes even longer; however, there was always a limit to a person’s lifespan and when they reached it, their physical body would wither away, and their vitality would scatter. At that time, there was no choice but to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
Generally, when their predestined time of death approached, masters would begin searching for precious treasures to extend their lives in the hopes that by living longer, they would achieve more breakthroughs and thus increase their lifespan.
However, ordinary treasures were of no use to powerful masters, only Spirit Pills at the Origin King Grade would be able to affect the lifespan of an Origin King. But in the Star Field, just how many Origin King Grade Spirit Pills were there that could increase one’s lifespan, and how many Grandmaster Alchemists could refine them?
Pills and herbs which could increase the lifespan of an Origin King were incredibly rare.
The Longevity Fruit in front of Yang Kai right now though could be used to refine the Longevity Pill, a Spirit Pill which could increase the lifespan of an Origin King by at least one hundred years! Unfortunately, a person could only take three such pills before they no longer had any effect, and with each pill they took, the effects would grow weaker. If one took three pills, increasing their lifespan by less each time, a two hundred year increase in lifespan wasn’t unreasonable to expect.
Two hundred years was enough for Origin Kings to do many things.
If they were able to make a breakthrough again during those two hundred years, their lifespan would be greatly increased.
It could be said that if a Longevity Pill was refined and sold to the right person, it would garner a sky-high price!
Everyone only had one life, who would not cherish it?
Even if an Origin King’s lifespan was nowhere near its end, who would not prepare for emergencies? On top of that, such a Spirit Pill could be passed down from generation to generation as a family heirloom.
Yang Kai recalled all kinds of information about the Longevity Fruit and Longevity Pill while carefully collecting the three fruits in front of him carefully to ensure that none of their medicinal efficacies would leak. Storing these fruits into a Wood Attribute container, Yang Kai carefully sealed the box before placing it in his Space Ring.
After this harvest, Yang Kai was in a good mood and continued to explore around.
Just as he suspected, no one had come here before, so during the next period of time, Yang Kai reaped significant gains.
After half an hour passed, when the Seven Coloured Radiant Light struck again, Yang Kai found a Void Crack to escape into and search for Space Spirit Crystals while he waited.
Keeping track of time again, Yang Kai returned to the medicine valley from The Void just at the right moment.
And so, he repeated this process many times…
Yang Kai truly did not waste any time. Not only was he harvesting spirit medicines from the medicine valley, but he was also gathering true Space Spirit Crystals from The Void. Alternating between the two, Yang Kai’s harvest was definitely greater than anyone else’s.
[As I thought, it was more convenient to explore on my own rather than with others!] Yang Kai secretly sighed to himself as he thought about what would have happened if he had not chosen to prioritize Luo Lan’s reputation at that time and not dived into the Void Crack to escape.
If he had simply waited out the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, he wouldn’t have discovered such an efficient way to use time.
An unintentional good deed had yielded him this huge return.
Time passed by and Yang Kai eventually lost track of how long he had been searching through the medicine valley. Travelling back and forth between The Void and the medicine valley, Yang Kai managed to collect more than two hundred Space Spirit Crystals and nearly one hundred precious herbs.
This was an incredible harvest.
The value of both these Space Spirit Crystals and the rare herbs was extremely high, and Yang Kai was certain that others had not gained as much as he had.
However, since he separated from Luo Lan, he had not met anyone else, which Yang Kai found strange.
At one point though, as Yang Kai was following a strange medicinal fragrance, his brow suddenly furrowed.
His Divine Sense had picked up the presence of other people nearby, and it was not just one person, but three.
Two of them were together, with one being a Second-Order Origin King and the other a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator! The third person was alone.
Yang Kai and these three currently formed a kind of triangle and were all heading in the same direction, which obviously indicated that all of them were attracted by the same medicinal fragrance.
Because there were not many people who entered the medicine valley, Yang Kai immediately identified these three.
The pair was the easiest to identify because the only Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators here apart from himself were Zi Dong and Xue Yue, and seeing how this aura did not belong to Xue Yue, it was obviously Zi Dong.
The one together with Zi Dong was undoubtedly Zi Long, the Sect Master of Purple Star! This father and son pair obviously would not separate in this medicine valley.
As for the lone Origin King, Yang Kai was familiar with his aura so was able to identify him as well: It was none other than Xu Wei!
Xu Wei was an Elder of Abandoned Lair and the one who had tried to use Yang Kai and Xue Yue as bait to distract the Illusionary Void Butterfly swarm.
Since Yang Kai was able to detect them with his Divine Sense, naturally the others had discovered Yang Kai as well.
As such, the instant they found there was competition, Zi Long and Zi Dong’s speed soared. Undoubtedly, they wanted to rush to the source of the medicinal fragrance before Yang Kai or Xu Wei could snatch this unknown treasure!
Zi Long acting so boldly was due to his confidence in his great strength.
As a Second-Order Origin King, in this mountain valley, only Gui Zu and Ni Guang were worthy to be his enemy. As for everyone else, Zi Long did not put any of them in his eyes, especially a junior like Yang Kai who he figured he could kill with a single finger.
On the other side, after Xu Wei hesitated for a moment, he too rushed forward.
Facing the temptation of these precious herbs, he was not willing to retreat, even if the opponent was Zi Long. On top of that, as an Elder of Abandoned Lair, Xu Wei did not need to give Zi Long any face as they were already enemies.
As the speed of both his competitors increased, Yang Kai also made his move.
A total of four people began racing towards a single central position at top speed.
“Hmph, courting death!” Zi Long thought that his presence alone would be enough to deter Yang Kai and Xu Wei and make them turn around and flee, but it now seemed these two were set on competing with him for this unknown herb.
This annoyed Zi Long greatly as he felt he was being underestimated.
Xu Wei was one thing. Although his strength was not as high, he was at least an Origin King. Killing Xu Wei here would take quite a bit of effort, and in this place, Zi Long did not want to waste time on such a fruitless endeavour.
But what was this little Third-Order Origin Returning Realm brat? Daring to challenge him despite his pitiful strength, did this boy not know how to write the word ‘death’?
“Father, do you want me to…” Zi Dong asked with a cold light in his eyes.
He too had felt uncomfortable with Yang Kai’s presence.
As the Young Master of Purple Star, him being able to enter this place was entirely because Zi Long had brought him here. Xue Yue was also a young genius comparable to him, so naturally ‘he’ too had the qualifications to appear here.
But what was this thing called Yang Kai? Zi Dong had never seen Yang Kai before, nor had he heard his name at all.
But this unknown boy had unexpectedly come to this precious place just like he and Xue Yue had.
Zi Dong felt that this place’s majesty was tainted just because Yang Kai had entered it!
Entering the same place with a random nobody was an insult to Zi Dong! Only by killing him could this humiliation be washed away.
As such, when he noticed the existence of Yang Kai, Zi Dong became eager to fight, wanting to show Yang Kai just how great the gap was in their strength and let him know that not everyone was qualified to enter the Severed World, and the price for daring to enter without the qualifications was death!
“A pitiful weakling, why bother with him!?” Zi Long coldly snorted, “If he dares to appear in front of you, you can act as you please.”
“Understood!” Zi Dong nodded when he heard the words and said with a sneer, “I’m afraid he doesn’t have the guts though.”
As soon as these words came out though, Zi Dong was stunned again because in his perception, instead of shrinking away from danger, Yang Kai increased his speed again.
“Interesting, it seems there are people who are eager to die in this world!” Zi Dong smiled viciously as he turned his eyes towards Yang Kai’s direction, as if he could not wait for Yang Kai to appear soon.