While Zi Long and Zi Dong were speaking, Yang Kai had already identified the location of the spirit medicines from the richness of the surrounding medicinal fragrances.
This was not difficult as he had already stayed in this medicine valley for a long time and collected many different herbs. On top of that, Yang Kai himself was an Alchemist, so he was experienced in this area.
Fortunately, the unknown herbs were closest to him, and for some unknown reason, the region up ahead was filled with many Void Cracks that happened to be in Zi Long and Xu Wei’s ways. As such, while Yang Kai had an almost clear path to the herbs, the other two would have to spend some time to avoid these Void Cracks.
Thinking so, Yang Kai sped up again.
Suddenly, Yang Kai sniffed the air again as a look of surprise appeared on his face, “More than one kind?”
At this moment, he was able to identify several different medicinal fragrances, which was why previously the fragrance itself had seemed a bit turbid and indistinguishable.
Yang Kai gazed up ahead and saw that a few thousand metres away, on a small hillside, five small lavender flowers were blowing in the wind. Each of these flowers was about the size of a palm and had nine petals that were releasing an inexplicable charm.
Behind these flowers, there was also a huge Void Crack that seemed like a giant beast’s mouth that was just waiting to swallow up these five strange flowers.
“Those are…” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, but in the next moment he recognized what they were and shouted, “Enlightenment Flowers!”
These were the Enlightenment Flowers mentioned by Gui Zu before!
Gui Zu had previously stumbled upon this medicine valley and managed to collect a few Enlightenment Flowers that were growing on its periphery. It was at that point Gui Zu realized the value of this medicine valley, but because of several scruples, he couldn’t explore its depths. Even so, he had been quite satisfied with his harvest because Enlightenment Flowers were able to help a cultivator perceive the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao and improve their realm. This was an incredibly attractive treasure for Origin Kings.
When cultivating, a petal of Enlightenment Flower in one’s mouth could offer miraculous effects.
Enlightenment Flowers also had different appearances depending on their medicinal age, and as they grew older, their medicinal efficacies also increased. An Enlightenment Flower would not bloom until it was at least three hundred years old, and when it first blossomed it would only have three petals. Every hundred years thereafter, one more petal would be added until it reached a maximum of nine petals.
Nine was the highest! An Enlightenment Flower with nine petals would have a medicinal age of at least nine hundred years.
From that point on, although the number of petals would not increase, the Enlightenment Flower’s colour would slowly change, from its original white to bright red, blood red, then eventually purple.
Each transformation would take many years and be much harder than the growth of its petals.
The five Enlightenment Flowers in front of Yang Kai were already a deep lavender colour; in other words, the medicinal age of these Enlightenment Flowers was at least three thousand years!
This kind of treasure had incalculable value to an Origin King. If an Origin King was able to collect these five Enlightenment Flowers, they wouldn’t even need any other kinds of auxiliaries to assist them in their future cultivation. As long as they digested a single petal at appropriate times in their secluded meditation, they would be able to steadily improve their cultivation.
So as soon as Yang Kai discovered these five Enlightenment Flowers, he realized their great value.
Of all the precious treasures Yang Kai had collected up until now, only the two Divine Nirvana Fruits were comparable in value to these Enlightenment Flowers!
Yang Kai’s blood boiled as he prepared to rush up and snatch these five Enlightenment Flowers.
But just as he moved, his whole body suddenly tightened as a chill shot up his spine. At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a purple streak of light fly towards him like an all-piercing sword.
This purple light contained an indescribable and extremely terrifying aura.
This was definitely not the attack of an Origin Returning Realm cultivator, but rather one from an Origin King. On top of that, the Origin King who released this strike was definitely not weak.
Zi Long!
Yang Kai immediately knew who had attacked him!
Yang Kai had heard from Xue Yue that Zi Long and Zi Dong cultivated a special technique called the Purple Qi Eternal River Secret Art. This Secret Art was famous throughout the Star Field and belonged exclusively to Zi Long’s family. Zi Long being able to rise to the Second-Order Origin King Realm was entirely because of this Secret Art.
In order to cultivate this Secret Art, one needed to rise every morning to absorb the special purple qi that was generated while the sun rose. Once cultivated to the extreme, this purple qi could transform into great rivers and oceans that could easily destroy a million kilometres of land.
Under normal circumstances, a master like Zi Long would prioritize his face, and even if he had a blood enmity with Yang Kai, he would not have launched a sneak attack against such a junior. If Zi Long wanted to kill Yang Kai, he would do so in an upfront manner with absolute strength.
After all, he was fully capable of acting in such a dignified manner.
But the situation now was a little different. Zi Long had undoubtedly discovered the five Enlightenment Flowers and knew how precious and rare they were, possibly even being the key to his breakthrough to the Third-Order Origin King Realm. In the face of such benefits, how could Zi Long care about face?
Yang Kai was obviously the closest to the Enlightenment Flower, with him and Zi Dong being in second place while Xu Wei was still more than five kilometres away.
If Zi Long did not delay Yang Kai somehow and allowed this boy to reach the Enlightenment Flowers, Zi Long would then have to steal from a dead rat.
So, when he discovered the Enlightenment Flower and Yang Kai, Zi Long didn’t even think about it and directly made a move. Although this was just a casual blow, coming from a Second-Order Origin King, it was still quite terrifying, not something an Origin Realm junior could resolve.
After making one move, Zi Long’s speed increased sharply, not even sparing another glance towards Yang Kai. In his eyes were only the five lavender flowers.
As for whether Yang Kai was dead or alive, that was not his concern.
Why should he care about if an ant lived or died?
On the other side, Yang Kai roared as he waved his hand and summoned a hundred Golden Blood Threads and condensed them into a giant shield in front of him.
Not finished yet, with a solemn expression, Yang Kai pushed his Saint Qi madly as he sent dozens of punches around his golden shield to intercept the incoming blow.
*Peng peng peng peng…*
Saint Qi burst forth as a violent explosion erupted mid-air.
Punches impacted the purple light, each one of them diminishing the purple light’s radiance slightly.
Next, the Golden Blood Thread shield was struck and rapidly dimmed until it burst apart into its individual Golden Blood Threads; however, the purple light had still not been dispersed and struck towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai snorted as his body involuntarily flew backwards, his face paling slightly.
Although he had not taken any serious injuries, he had still suffered a slight loss! Staring at Zi Long, who was quickly approaching the Enlightenment Flowers, a look of astonishment appeared on Yang Kai’s face.
This was not the first time he had competed against a Second-Order Origin King. Luo Hai was also a Second-Order Origin King.
But the pressure Yang Kai felt from Zi Long was much stronger than the one he felt from Luo Hai.
This person had definitely reached the peak of the Second-Order Origin King Realm! Perhaps, as long as he had some kind of opportunity, Zi Long could break through to the Third-Order.
The Sect Master of Purple Star deserved his reputation!
“Hm?” Zi Long also let out a call of surprise, and as he dashed towards the Enlightenment Flowers, he turned his head and glanced at where Yang Kai was in disbelief.
He had not expected that Yang Kai would actually be able to block his attack. Although Yang Kai looked somewhat dishevelled, and Zi Long had only struck at him casually rather than using his full strength, an Origin Realm boy being able to achieve this was still quite amazing.
[This boy… is strange!]
Zi Long estimated that if his son, Zi Dong, was the one who had been attacked just now, at the very least, he would have been seriously injured, yet Yang Kai actually only had a slightly pale face and nothing else.
[Is this boy actually stronger than my son? When did such an astonishing young man appear in the Star Field? Is this boy the disciple of some old monster who had secluded himself from the world?]
In that instant, many thoughts crossed Zi Long’s mind and the expression on his face as he stared towards Yang Kai grew solemn.
Suddenly, at that moment, an exhaling sound appeared from the depths of the medicine valley.
“Father!” Zi Dong, who had been following behind Zi Long, exclaimed loudly as a look of fear appeared on his face.
The Seven Coloured Radiant Light was coming!
Judging from past experiences, the speed at which the Seven Coloured Radiant Light flooded the medicine valley was extremely terrifying and if they did not find a place to hide in time, they would swiftly be engulfed by it.
So Zi Dong could not help but panic.
At this time, Zi Long was less than a thousand metres away from the Enlightenment Flower, closer than Yang Kai, so victory was practically within his grasp.
However, this distance was still too great. A look of struggle and hesitation flashed across Zi Long’s face, but in the end, he did not dare take the risk. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed Zi Dong and swiftly moved behind a nearby Void Crack to take shelter.
Not far away, Xu Wei, who had been rushing towards this side, also stopped quickly and hid behind a Void Crack.
Yang Kai did the same!
Fortunately, there were many Void Cracks in this area. Otherwise, the three parties would have had no choice but to risk rushing towards the Enlightenment Flowers to hide behind the giant Void Crack overlooking them.
At this moment, the three parties stood motionless, almost equidistant from their target, forming a triangle with the Enlightenment Flower in the middle.
Silently, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light flooded the medicine valley.
The whole world seemed to go quiet at this moment, with only the faint sound of breathing to be heard.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, glanced coldly towards the spots where Xu Wei and Zi Long were, then sat down cross-legged and threw a healing pill into his mouth.
Although he had blocked Zi Long’s attack just now, his Saint Qi flow had become somewhat turbulent, so he needed to stabilize it quickly.
Fortunately, this was not difficult, and Yang Kai’s condition stabilized after a few breaths. Now, all he needed to do was rest until the medicinal efficacies from his healing pill took effect.
Zi Long’s face had become extremely gloomy as he cast a fiery gaze towards the five Enlightenment Flowers. But behind Zi Long, Zi Dong was now directing a contemptuous look towards Yang Kai, a sneer clearly displayed on his lips.
As for Xu Wei, his gaze was shifty, glancing back and forth, as if he was hatching some kind of wicked scheme.
“Heh heh heh…” When the three parties were locked into a temporary stalemate, Yang Kai suddenly let out a muffled laugh.
Zi Long frowned, turned his gaze, and asked in a disgruntled tone, “Boy, what are you laughing at?”
Yang Kai just shot him a side-long glance without making a sound.
Zi Long narrowed his eyes as a cold light flashed across their depths.
A trivial Origin Realm Junior dared ignore him, it was the epitome of not knowing how high the sky was and how thick the earth was.
Although he was annoyed in his heart, Zi Long was still able to endure it, but Zi Dong who was next to him immediately called out in response to Yang Kai’s disrespectful conduct, “Brat, did you not hear my father ask you a question? Are you deaf?”
Yang Kai shifted his eyes, pretended to clean his ear, then scoffed towards Zi Long and Zi Dong, “If he asks something, I have to answer? What thing is he? What thing are you?”
Yang Kai had neither grievance nor grudge with Zi Long and Zi Dong, but Zi Long had still launched a sneak attack against him just now. If it were not for his strength being out of the ordinary, Yang Kai would already be dead.
The other party was a Second-Order Origin King but still disregarded his status and launched a sneak attack against him!
This annoyed Yang Kai greatly, and seeing Zi Dong’s domineering and arrogant attitude did nothing to improve his mood.
As such, Yang Kai did not bother being polite with this father and son duo.
Hearing his rude words, Zi Long’s murderous intent flared up momentarily while Zi Dong angrily sneered, “You’re finished! This Young Master hasn’t met anyone as crazy as you in a long time, just you wait, in half an hour, this Young Master will personally take your life!”
“Your name is Zi Dong, right?” Yang Kai squinted at him with an expression of disdain, “I wonder if you’ve heard a certain saying.”
“And what’s that?” Zi Dong came to look at Yang Kai with a sneer.
“Dogs that can bite… don’t bark. Dogs like you who can only yell can’t bite!” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“You dare curse me?” Zi Dong Lai’s face suddenly became cold as his tone dropped noticeably.
“So what if I cursed you!?” Yang Kai laughed as a look of madness filled his face and he continued to taunt, “Hit me then! Come on, hit me! If you’re not a lame dog come over here and kill me!”
Zi Dong’s lungs almost exploded when he heard this.
He was the Young Master of Purple Star, a noble existence with incredible cultivation for his age. No matter where he went, he would receive lavish praise and anyone whom he found unpleasant to the eye would be dead before the next sunrise.
When had he ever been forced to endure such humiliation?
Under any other circumstance, he would have rushed out to teach Yang Kai a harsh lesson long ago, but in this damned place, this medicine valley covered in Seven Coloured Radiant Light. No matter how much he wanted to torture and kill Yang Kai, he could not.
He did not have the ability to rush through the Seven Coloured Radiant Light to where Yang Kai stood.
He had never encountered such a suffocating situation before and was extremely angered by it, wishing he could rush out and beat Yang Kai to a pulp immediately.
Zi Dong glared towards Yang Kai viciously, his eyes practically spraying hatred and anger.
“Idiot!” Yang Kai snorted coldly as he snorted towards Zi Dong and Zi Long with a look of disdain.
“Just you wait, in half an hour, I’ll let you know the consequences of provoking this Young Master!” Zi Dong shouted viciously.
“Did you just bark again?” Yang Kai looked at him mockingly.
Zi Dong fumed and was about to say something more, but Zi Long glared at him and said flatly, “Why waste time arguing with him? In half an hour, he’ll be dead. Is there any reason to speak so much with a dead person?”
Zi Dong’s heart clenched as he realized his father was a little dissatisfied with his performance. Humbling accepting his lesson, Zi Dong nodded and although he no longer spoke to Yang Kai, his expression only became more sullen. Obviously, he was concocting how to shame Yang Kai after half an hour was up.
“Hahahaha!” On the other side, Xu Wei laughed loudly and clapped, “Interesting, interesting, really interesting. Kid, you’re too amusing, this old master has suddenly become interested in you.”
He had been standing nearby, watching silently as Yang Kai unscrupulously offended both Zi Long and Zi Dong. Seeing such a display of recklessness, Xu Wei could not help feeling Yang Kai wasn’t quite right in the head.
Didn’t this boy know he would definitely die after the Seven Coloured Radiant Light retreated? And judging from how this kid had provoked Zi Long, the latter would definitely not make his death quick.
This brat was simply looking for trouble at this point. If he could choke down his anger and then flee the instant the Seven Coloured Radiant Light retreated, he might still have been able to survive, but now…
Xu Wei looked at Yang Kai as if he was looking at a dead person.
“How about it boy, are you interested in joining hands with this old master?” Xu Wei smiled and suggested.
“Cooperate with you?” Yang Kai looked at Xu Wei and curled his lips into a grin, “Not interested, this Young Master hasn’t forgotten what happened between us before.”
“Kid, you’d best speak more politely,” Xu Wei’s expression became cold when he heard Yang Kai refer to himself as ‘Young Master’ in front of him, it was nothing short of an insult.
“Is there a need to be polite with someone like you?” Yang Kai sneered.
Seeing that Yang Kai and Xu Wei also had friction between them, Zi Dong suddenly snickered. At this moment, he also felt that Yang Kai’s head was messed up. Among the three parties present, Yang Kai had the lowest strength, but instead of trying to keep a low profile and concealing his abilities, he openly acted defiantly and extremely arrogantly. After offending one party, he chose to offend the other as well. It was nothing less than courting death.
How had a person with such poor judgement managed to cultivate to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm?
“Elder Xu, this kid seems to be looking down on you,” Zi Dong sneered and provoked discord.
Xu Wei frowned and ignored Zi Dong’s provocations; after all, Zi Long’s existence put a great deal of pressure on him and he did not want to snap back at Zi Dong lest it cause him further trouble.
Moreover, if he wanted to obtain the Enlightenment Flowers later, his personal strength definitely would not suffice. Although Yang Kai seemed like a fool, it was a fact that he had resolved Zi Long’s attack just now, so there was no question about his strength. Perhaps there was a chance this boy could stall Zi Long, even if just for a moment, which would give Xu Wei an opening to snatch the Enlightenment Flowers and immediately escape.
He could not beat Zi Long, but there shouldn’t be any problem with just running away.
“It’s fine, this old master won’t lower himself to deal with you,” Xu Wei waved his hand magnanimously as he continued to look at Yang Kai, “Actually, this old master didn’t have much of a grievance with you, everything before was just a small misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” Yang Kai chuckled lightly, “Then the misunderstanding must have been quite big.”
Xu Wei frowned and said sincerely, “Boy, in this place, people die all the time, that’s only normal. This old master was indeed in the wrong though, so if you insist on pursuing the matter, this old master can compensate you.”
Mentioning this in passing, Xu Wei didn’t explain how he would compensate Yang Kai before continuing, “But let us not mention this for now. This old master wants to cooperate with you. What do you think?”
“Cooperate how?” Yang Kai asked casually while refining the medicinal efficacies in his body.
“Simple, you and I join forces to exchange moves with this pair from Purple Star. You should know how precious these Enlightenment Flowers are, and if you and I don’t join forces, neither of us will obtain any of them,” Xu Wei said solemnly.
Yang Kai raised his brow but did not answer immediately, as if he was considering this proposal.
On the other side though, Zi Long’s eyes flashed as he stared at Xu Wei faintly and said, “Xu Wei, you’re far too presumptuous! Do you really think you can snatch these Enlightenment Flowers from this King’s hand just by joining forces with this boy!?”
Xu Wei laughed, “Whether I can snatch them or not, you’ll have to wait and find out. There are five Enlightenment Flowers right in front of us, and this Xu does not want to miss out on them. These are treasures this Xu is willing to risk his life to obtain!”
“In that case, this King will wait and see if you and this little brat can achieve what you want,” Zi Long’s expression remained indifferent, and after speaking, he closed his eyes lightly.
“Kid, have you considered it clearly?” Xu Wei urged Yang Kai, “Take a look around, there are many spirit flowers and grasses here. Besides the Enlightenment Flowers, there are also some stalks of Heavenly Infant Grass. Do you know how precious Heavenly Infant Grass is? It is a main ingredient in the Origin King Pill. If you can obtain such a pill, breaking through to the Origin King Realm in the future will be assured. There are also several Seeking Heart Lotus over there. These are treasures that can discipline one’s state of mind. You being able to have such achievements at such a young age must mean you need to temper your mind. The Seeking Heart Lotus are perfectly suited to you. If we can succeed later, this old master only wants those Enlightenment Flowers, everything else is yours for the taking. Is this old master’s sincerity enough for you?”
“It’s enough!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Then you agree?” Xu Wei smiled.
Yang Kai shook his head.
Xu Wei’s face sank as he shouted angrily, “Brat, are you mocking me?”
Yang Kai snickered, “Old dog, do you think this Young Master is a fool? You offer nothing but a few honeyed words and expect me to work to the death for you? Are you stupid? This Young Master has never met such an idiot before!”
Saying so, Yang Kai simply shook his head and sighed, looking distressed.
After being scolded by Yang Kai, Xu Wei’s face became gloomy to the extreme and his eyes burned with anger. At this moment, he was not any different from Zi Dong, wishing he could rush out to beat Yang Kai to a pulp to relieve his hatred!
Now it was Zi Dong’s turn to laugh, “Elder Xu, this boy is clearly messed up in the head, you’d be better off not wasting your breath on him.”
“Is barking all you can do?” Yang Kai turned his head to stare at Zi Dong again, flicking his poisonous tongue freely, “A toothless dog that can only run its mouth and can’t even remember when it’s taught a lesson. If I were your father, I’d have choked you to death the moment you were born, but it seems your father must be just as stupid if he sired such an idiot son.”
The smile on Zi Dong’s face instantly stiffened and his brow twitched vigorously.
Even Zi Long suddenly opened his eyes and stared deeply at Yang Kai.
Even though his mental discipline was strong, he could not help becoming irritated by Yang Kai. If it were not for the Seven Coloured Radiant Light that could even corrode Spiritual Energy, Zi Long would definitely have used a Soul Skill to turn Yang Kai into a true idiot in order to shut his mouth permanently.
But now, even if he couldn’t wait to strangle Yang Kai, he could only endure his anger.
He believed that Yang Kai had seen this too, which was why he was acting so unscrupulous.
“I, Zi Dong, swear here: I will make you taste the most brutal torture in the whole world!” Zi Dong ground his teeth as he shouted with extreme hatred.
He was completely enraged now. He had been humiliated by Yang Kai three times in front of his father and even implicated his father in that abuse. How could he bear such a thing? Yang Kai had to suffer immensely to soothe the hatred in Zi Dong’s heart.
“I’m so scared!” Yang Kai looked at Zi Dong coldly, “But little doggy, swearing a vow isn’t something you should just do at random. If you fail to follow through, you will be condemned by the Heavens!”
Zi Dong glared bitterly at Yang Kai without saying a word.
He could see that he was not Yang Kai’s opponent when it came to trading insults; after all, he had almost no experience in this field before. After being provoked by Yang Kai several times, he was completely unable to stabilize his mood and his face twisted in a mixture of hatred and gloominess.
To the side, however, Zi Long frowned.
Zi Dong was blinded by his anger at the moment and might not be aware of the insidiousness of Yang Kai’s words just now, but as an established Origin King with immense life experience, how could Zi Long not understand the hidden implications of what had just transpired?
Yang Kai’s words sounded plain on the surface, as if he was just having a meaningless argument with Zi Dong.
But if one thought about it carefully, they were extremely vicious.
Because once Zi Dong failed to uphold his oath, Yang Kai’s existence would definitely become a heart demon to him!
Zi Dong was now a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator and his next breakthrough would be to the next Great Realm, the Origin King Realm. This was an extremely critical and dangerous juncture, and if a heart demon were to disturb Zi Dong during his breakthrough, it would cause his breakthrough to fail at best, and his Soul being extinguished at worst.
So, when Zi Long heard Yang Kai say this, he realized just how shrewd and vindictive the latter was.
This boy was clearly not a fool; but if that was the case, why had he intentionally angered him and Xu Wei over and over again? What exactly was this young man trying to do?
Did he have complete confidence that he could escape from under the nose of himself and Xu Wei?
Despite his immense cultivation and wealth of knowledge, Zi Long really could not understand what Yang Kai was thinking.
However, judging from the current situation, it was absolutely impossible to simply let this boy off. As long as he was alive, he would become a heart demon that interfered with Zi Dong’s rise. As such… he had to die!
Zi Long secretly made up his mind that, he would do his utmost to suppress Yang Kai once the Seven Coloured Radiant Light retreated and allow Zi Dong to complete his vow. After suppressing Yang Kai, he would snatch the Enlightenment Flowers from Xu Wei.
Zi Long was confident that with his great strength, he would not have any difficulty accomplishing these tasks.
“Boy!” Xu Wei called out again, his tone impatient, “This old master will ask you one last time, will you cooperate with this old master or not?”
“Scram!” Yang Kai turned his head towards Xu Wei’s direction and spat with a disdainful expression, “What the hell do you count for? Do I need to cooperate with you?”
“Good, good, good!” Xu Wei was also livid at Yang Kai and coldly declared, “Then, this old master will watch to see how you die!”
There was no doubt that Yang Kai would die here. Xu Wei was confident that even if he didn’t take action, Zi Long would not let Yang Kai go, so he didn’t bother trying to win over Yang Kai anymore and was simply preparing to sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight.
“You don’t need to worry about that!” Yang Kai chuckled lightly as he began to stretch, cracking his neck and rotating his shoulders, seemingly loosening himself up. Speaking to himself, while at the same time jabbing at Zi Long and Xu Wei, “It’s almost time, this Young Master won’t waste any more words on you.”
He put up the appearance of a man about to do something special.
The other three watched fixedly, not knowing what Yang Kai was up to.
But in the next instant, three pairs of eyes bulged as they observed Yang Kai’s movements in a daze, looks of shock covering their faces.
On the other side, Yang Kai took a step forward with an indifferent expression, then another, then another, and another…
After only a few steps, he arrived at the edge of the safe zone the Void Crack provided for him and as long as he proceeded another step, he would enter the glowing Seven Coloured Radiant Light, putting himself in an extremely precarious position.
“What’s wrong? Are you so certain you’ll die you want to commit suicide now?” Zi Dong sneered.
He could not think of any other possibilities, even though he felt it was highly unlikely.
Yang Kai glanced over at him faintly before ignoring him altogether and simply lifting his foot once more to take another step forward!
“Haha!” Zi Dong’s laughter rang out as he felt there was no need for him to even take action to vent the anger in his heart.
But his laughter stopped just as abruptly as it began.
Right before his eyes, Yang Kai suddenly disappeared, as if he had never been there in the first place!
At that exact same moment, a strange and mysterious force seemed to emanate from Yang Kai and shroud his body in obscurity.
“Where did he go?” Zi Dong was stunned, but in the next moment, he caught sight of a figure abruptly appearing nearby out of the corner of his eye.
Zi Dong could not help exclaiming in surprise.
The figure that appeared suddenly was none other than Yang Kai who had just disappeared a moment ago, but now, he had actually arrived at another safe zone, and this safe zone happened to be the one where the five Enlightenment Flowers were growing!
At the base of the small hill, where the five Enlightenment Flowers grew, there was a large Void Crack that prevented the Seven Coloured Radiant Light from washing away.
When Yang Kai reappeared, he was standing beside the Enlightenment Flowers.
Zi Dong stared at him in a daze before glancing back to the spot where Yang Kai had once stood, unable to figure out what kind of shocking Secret Technique he had used to leap over space and instantly appear a thousand metres away.
Beside him, Zi Long’s eyes shrank as a profound light flashed across their depths, as if he had just witnessed something terrifying.
“Space Force!” Xu Wei exclaimed as he pointed at Yang Kai, calling out in alarm, “Kid, you’re proficient in Space Force? How is that possible?!”
Xu Wei looked like he had just seen a ghost.
“Space Force?” Zi Dong was taken aback for a moment but soon realized what Xu Wei was talking about.
In that instant, his eyes filled with incredible envy as he stared at Yang Kai.
The Dao of Space was extremely esoteric, difficult to comprehend and even harder to master. In the entire Star Field, there were trillions upon trillions of cultivators, but how many of them could use Space Force? The number was certainly less than a thousand.
And among these thousand people, how many could use Space Force proficiently?
Zi Dong did not know, but he was certain there were fewer such people than there were Origin King Grade Alchemists.
Purple Star also had few masters who cultivated the Dao of Space, but none of them could achieve what Yang Kai had just displayed, crossing a thousand metres instantaneously. This was a true instant movement, not an illusion created by incredible speed.
The few cultivators in Purple Star who comprehended the Dao of Space only knew how to patch Space Arrays and could not use their Space Force to do anything else.
Even so, their status in Purple Star was extremely high, each of them receiving treatment better than the average Foreign Elder.
Those few people were regarded as treasures by Purple Star!
But compared to this unknown young man, those people were nothing but trash!
If Yang Kai’s accomplishments in Space Force were at a level of a master, then those people who belonged to Purple Star were just apprentices who had barely entered the Martial Dao. Even with Zi Dong’s inexperienced eyes, he could see that the two were completely incomparable.
What kind of opportunity did this little brat have that allowed him to cultivate the Dao of Space and reach such astonishing achievements in it? Zi Dong’s eyes nearly burned with jealousy as he glared towards Yang Kai, his heart extremely disturbed.
He was the Young Master of Purple Star, an honoured and lofty position, so why was he unable to comprehend the Dao of Space?
If he could master this power, it would absolutely make him stronger than he was now!
Zi Dong clenched his fists, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
“So, that’s how it is!” Zi Long took a deep breath and spoke, the confident expression on his face being replaced with an extremely solemn one, “It turns out that this is what you were relying on. No wonder you dared to speak so wildly before.”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and did not deny the charge.
Him being proficient in the Dao of Space was not known to many people, and he had taken great pains to hide this fact, but Yang Kai had no choice but to expose his cards when facing the attraction of these five Enlightenment Flowers.
Enlightenment Flowers were extremely rare, especially ones that were lavender like the ones in front of him. The medicinal ages of these five flowers were extremely high, and if Yang Kai missed them this time, he would find it difficult to ever find similar ones in the future.
As such, Yang Kai made his choice.
“Young man, your name is Yang Kai, right?” Zi Long’s temperament was undoubtedly better than his sons, and after learning that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, he quickly composed himself despite his shock and asked.
Although he had not paid much attention to Yang Kai before, he has vaguely recalled hearing Xue Yue call Yang Kai’s name before, so he had taken note of it at the time.
“What about it?” Yang Kai looked at Zi Long flatly.
Zi Long chuckled, not angered by Yang Kai’s attitude and instead saying in a pleasant tone, “This King attacking you before, was this King’s mistake!”
He wore a sincere look when he spoke.
“Father…” Zi Dong gawked at Zi Long in astonishment, his face filled with shock.
His father was the Sect Master of Purple Star, one of the most powerful people in the entire Star Field, a man who could stomp his foot and cause the Star Field to shake, yet he had actually apologized to a Junior who had repeatedly insulted and provoked him? Zi Dong could hardly believe his ears and secretly began to wonder if everything he was seeing now was some kind of elaborate illusion.
“You shut up!” Zi Long glanced at him faintly while releasing a thick majesty. Seeing the sharp light in his father’s eyes, Zi Dong did not dare to say anything again.
“You’re apologizing?” Yang Kai grinned.
Zi Long frowned, and said lightly, “If that’s how you want to take it, so be it.”
“En… since it is an apology, then I’ll reluctantly accept.”
Reluctantly…
Zi Dong was so mad he nearly coughed up blood!
After the Sect Master of Purple Star took the initiative to apologize, this little brat did not even show the slightest gratitude and instead pretended like it was some kind of burden for him to accept? Didn’t he know how much of an honour this was? This bastard… was simply unforgivable!
“However… what are you really trying to say?” Yang Kai ignored Zi Dong’s glares and focused on Zi Long, a meaningful grin filling his face.
This kind of apology was nothing more than a few bits of spit that could be casually thrown out, so Yang Kai naturally did not take Zi Long’s words to heart; however, the other party’s attitude had raised his suspicions.
He did not believe that Zi Long couldn’t see the heart demon he had planted for Zi Dong just now, nor did he believe that Zi Long was really so magnanimous that he would forgive all the provocations and insults he had made a moment ago.
The Sect Master of Purple Star was not to be underestimated!
“This King doesn’t have any hidden intentions. This King simply wants to ask if you are interested in joining my Purple Star?” Zi Long looked at Yang Kai solemnly and asked while sending out an invitation.
“Join Purple Star?” Yang Kai chuckled.
“En, although your cultivation hasn’t reached the Origin King Realm, this King can offer you the position of Honoured Guest Elder based on your performance just now!”
“Honoured Guest Elder!” Zi Dong could not hold his silence anymore when he heard this.
Being an Honoured Guest Elder of Purple Star was far different from being one of some other random Sect or family. This was not just an immense status, it also represented incredible strength!
Currently, there were only seven Honored Guest Elders of Purple Star, each one of them an Origin King. What’s more, Honored Guest Elders of Purple Star had always been Origin Kings, none had ever been an Origin Realm cultivator.
But now, the Sect Master of Purple Star was personally inviting a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm youth to join Purple Star while offering him such an identity.
If words of this spread, it would likely rock the entire Star Field.
“Honoured Guest Elder…” Yang Kai snickered, showing the slightest interest as he shook his head, “No thanks, I’ve always been a lone wanderer and don’t like being restricted, so I’ll have to decline your generous offer of an Honoured Guest Elder post.”
[Is this kid an idiot?] Zi Dong looked at Yang Kai like he was some kind of fool. Didn’t he know how much weight the words Honoured Guest Elder represented? How could he refuse without the slightest hesitation?
Zi Dong’s mind was in chaos.
“Honoured Guest Elders are not restricted by my Purple Star in any way, they maintain complete independence. Little friend seems to have misunderstood my proposal…” Zi Long explained patiently.
Before he could finish what he was saying though, Yang Kai interrupted him, “No need to explain, I know what an Honoured Guest Elder is, it’s just… I don’t plan on joining any great force.”
Zi Long narrowed his eyes and said with a faint smile on his face, “Little friend, are you sure you won’t reconsider?”
“You talk too much,” Yang Kai looked at him contemptuously, without giving him any face.
Zi Long’s face immediately sank.
“Haha, kid, you were right to refuse!” Xu Wei called out, clearly taking pleasure in Zi Long’s misfortune, “Don’t believe his rhetoric, if you really agree to his proposal, your future will definitely be miserable. However, this old master very much appreciates your attitude, so why not consider joining my Abandoned Lair? You’ve offended this guy now, so it will be difficult for you to mix into the Star Field in the future, but my Abandoned Lair does not fear his Purple Star. This master guarantees that there won’t be any problems with you joining, and with your abilities, you will quickly become one of Abandoned Lair’s leading characters!”
“You’re also too long-winded!” Yang Kai turned to look at Xu Wei and sneered, “Old dogs, do you think I don’t know what you’re trying to do? You think you can stall me with these cheap antics?”
As soon as this remark came out, both Xu Wei and Zi Long’s expressions changed slightly; obviously, Yang Kai had exposed their true intentions.
Although Xu Wei and Zi Long were by no means friends, and could even be considered enemies, seeing Yang Kai’s performance just now and watching him approach the treasures they coveted, they naturally felt a sense of crisis. With their sharp wits, without even needing to discuss the matter, these two old masters knew that their best option in this situation was to try to stall Yang Kai until the Seven Coloured Radiant Light retreated.
After being exposed by Yang Kai, Zi Long’s face suddenly became ugly and he declared coldly, “Boy, being too smart is not a good thing. Don’t think your paltry mastery of Space Force is enough for you to escape this King’s palm! You are just an Origin Realm junior who does not understand the horrors of the Origin King Realm, and this King is a master even amongst the Origin Kings. If you think you can rely on your Space Force to escape, you could not be more wrong. This King will give you one last chance: Pick those Enlightenment Flowers and deliver them to this King and this King will spare your life!”
With everything else having failed, he finally tore all face with Yang Kai.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai laughed, “How terrifying are those in Origin King Realm? I’ve killed more than one of you ‘terrifying’ Origin Kings.”
“Madman!” Zi Dong muttered to the side.
Even a genius like him, who could fight opponents above his realm, could not pose any threat to an Origin King despite his peak Origin Realm cultivation. On the contrary, such a master would easily be able to kill him.
Between the Origin Returning Realm and the Origin King Realm, there was an uncrossable gap!
As such, he subconsciously thought Yang Kai was talking nonsense.
But what Zi Dong did not know was that Yang Kai had really killed more than one Origin King. One of them had even been a Second-Order Origin King, and although Yang Kai achieved that with the help of a Star Emperor Token, it was still his experience.
If Zi Dong came to know the truth, he would definitely feel crushed.
“Forget it, I don’t have time to care about you,” Yang Kai said dully and turned around. Although he had been verbally sparring with Xu Wei and Zi Long, Yang Kai had not lost track of time either.
There was about a stick of incense worth of time before the Seven Coloured Radiant Light retreated, which was more than enough!
“Wow, such rich medicinal fragrance!” Yang Kai exclaimed exaggeratedly as he breathed in the scent of the five Enlightenment Flowers in front of him, putting on an intoxicated expression as he commented out loud, “Good, as expected of Enlightenment Flowers, the efficacy is really extraordinary. I can even feel my bottleneck loosening somewhat, could this be my chance?”
While saying so, he scratched his head and wore an awkward appearance.
It was obvious he was bluffing, like a seller bragging about the quality of his wares, but that did not stop Zi Dong’s eyes from going red.
A single breath of this medicinal fragrance was all it took to loosen a bottleneck?
Yang Kai had the same cultivation as him, peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, only one step away from breaking through to the Origin King Realm, and now… Yang Kai had seemingly seized this opportunity.
But now, Zi Dong could only stare blankly at him from a mere thousand metres away, powerless to do anything.
This situation caused Zi Dong to suffer both physically and mentally and he could not wait to rush forward and take Yang Kai’s place, his fists clenched so tightly they began to crack.
“Not good, not good, breaking through in this damned place is tantamount to seeking death, I need to quickly suppress this feeling and only breakthrough when it is safe!” Yang Kai shouted again.
Zi Dong really wanted to cough up blood.
A chance he sought for more than anything else was placed in front of Yang Kai but the latter actually abruptly suppressed it, was there anything more frustrating to see in this world?
Zi Dong began to believe that encountering Yang Kai in this Severed World was his life’s biggest nightmare! He had to make sure Yang Kai died without a complete corpse…
“Little brat, enough!” Zi Long saw what was happening to his son and could not help shouting at Yang Kai.
“Heh heh…” Yang Kai glanced at him lightly before turning back and rubbing his hands like a pervert standing before a naked beauty, saliva almost leaking from his lips, his image completely unsightly as he stretched out his claws towards an Enlightenment Flower.
With just a light pull, the Enlightenment Flower was plucked by Yang Kai directly, roots and all.
Generally, when one picked extremely precious herbs, they would only harvest the usable parts while trying to leave the plant itself undamaged, this way they could obtain the maximum benefits without destroying this opportunity for future generations. As long as the roots of the Enlightenment Flowers were left here, they may bloom again after enough time had passed.
Alchemists would be especially careful to adhere to this principle when collecting herbs.
However, Yang Kai felt that leaving behind any trace of these Enlightenment Flowers would only benefit Zi Long and Xu Wei, so he decided to literally pull out the problem at its roots so these two old foxes didn’t gain anything.
“En, so this is the legendary Enlightenment Flower, not bad! Not bad at all. Nine petals and a lavender colour, it seems to be at least three thousand years old! With such a rich medicinal age, once I break through to the Origin King, using this it will certainly provide a great boost when cultivating. Even if I do not use it myself, I’ll definitely be able to exchange it for many good things!” Yang Kai said as he took out a jade box from his Space Ring and stored the Enlightenment Flower carefully inside.
His movements were slow and exaggerated, making the whole process visible to Zi Long and Xu Wei.
Watching this display, the two Origin Kings felt like their hearts were leaking blood.
This bastard was definitely doing this on purpose!
Xu Wei and Zi Long had such a thought in their hearts at the same time, and their hatred for Yang Kai only grew more intense as a result.
This was like two starving men who had not had food or drink for days suddenly coming across a table filled with delicacies, but not only could they not eat, they had to sit there and endure watching another stuff their face. It was nothing short of torture.
Yang Kai was undoubtedly the one sitting at the table, eating his fill, blabbering on and on about just how delicious the food was…
“Now for the second, hahaha…” Yang Kai picked another Enlightenment Flower and continued talking to himself as he placed it in another jade box.
His actions were the same as before, painfully slow and deliberate!
Zi Long took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
He no longer wanted to watch, simply thinking that ‘what the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve.’
Zi Long really could not stand seeing Yang Kai’s shameless antics anymore, so he decisively closed his eyes to not allow the scenes taking place less than a thousand meters away to disturb his mind.
However, Yang Kai had no intention of letting things end here.
His voice continued to flow into Zi Long’s ears, “Oh, why is this Enlightenment Flower not as big as the first two? The petals are a little thin and wilted as well. It must have been malnourished. The medicinal efficacies of this one are definitely not as good, but… well, it’s better than nothing. I might as well collect it.”
Zi Long’s body shook slightly as his Saint Qi almost burst out involuntarily.
On the other side, Xu Wei’s forehead was also covered with bulging veins, an obvious sign of how irritated he was by Yang Kai.
But instead of closing his eyes like Zi Long, he stared stubbornly at Yang Kai’s movements, praying that Yang Kai would at least leave some soup for him to drink after Yang Kai ate this large piece of meat.
It was not long though until he noticed something wrong.
This little brat was simply too vicious. When collecting the Enlightenment Flowers, he was pulling them out roots and all, leaving nothing behind.
Xu Wei sighed in exasperation, knowing that no part of these five Enlightenment Flowers were destined to belong to him. Taking a hard breath, he followed Zi Long’s lead and closed his eyes.
“Ah!” Yang Kai suddenly cried out, as if he had discovered something astonishing, his voice filled with surprise and excitement.
Xu Wei, who had just closed his eyes, opened them again as he stared over towards Yang Kai, trying to figure out what had just happened.
Even Zi Long could not hold back his curiosity and opened his eyes slightly…
But the sight that greeted them was just Yang Kai laughing happily as he put the third Enlightenment Flower into a jade box as he muttered to himself, “That was close, I almost put it into the wrong box and wasted its medicinal efficacies.”
Xu Wei opened his mouth as if he wanted to scream, but he somehow held his tongue in the end and just cast his cold glare to the side.
Next, the fourth flower, then the fifth flower…
Yang Kai acted like a complete countryside hick who had never seen the world before, shouting and cheering about every little detail as he picked the Enlightenment Flowers one by one. The elaborate praises and long, drawn-out descriptions sounded like the most grating screeches in Xu Wei and Zi Long’s ears.
Those words were like sharp sticks poking their hearts, making both of them feel incredibly uncomfortable.
After Yang Kai finished collecting all five Enlightenment Flowers, Xu Wei and Zi Long actually couldn’t help letting out sighs of relief, inexplicably feeling like some kind of torture had finally ended…
At that moment, it seemed like the world itself had become a lot brighter.
“A good harvest indeed!” Yang Kai patted his Space Ring and smiled.
Xu Wei grinned wickedly hearing this and quipped, “You should wait until you carry those things off before celebrating.”
Although he knew Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space and could even teleport a thousand meters in an instant, Yang Kai was still just an Origin Realm cultivator. He and Zi Long were both Origin Kings, so there was a massive gap in strength between them. Xu Wei would not let Yang Kai leave here easily, and he was certain Zi Long wouldn’t either.
When the Seven Coloured Radiant Light dissipated, both he and Zi Long would immediately attack Yang Kai!
Only at that time could it really be determined who the Enlightenment Flowers would belong to.
Right now… This little brat was only holding onto them, he did not own them yet.
“Carry them off? Just wait and see,” Yang Kai replied lightly, not showing the slightest worry about the coming crisis. Immediately, he straightened himself up and turned his attention to a spot not far away and declared loudly, “En, those Seeking Heart Lotuses are also good things, I can’t just ignore them.”
Yang Kai did not know what was special about this particular area to not only have so many Void Cracks but also to nurture so many rare and precious herbs.
When the three parties entered a stalemate just now, all of them had already noticed this peculiarity and taken note of the Seeking Heart Lotuses and Heavenly Infant Grass which also grew here in addition to the Enlightenment Flowers.
Seeking Heart Lotuses could be used to steady the mental state of a cultivator and hone their state of mind, while the Heavenly Infant Grass was one of the main ingredients in the Origin King Pill. Taking an Origin King Pill could increase the chance of one successfully breaking through to the Origin King Realm. It was an incredibly valuable pill.
However, among these three precious herbs, the Enlightenment Flowers were undoubtedly the most valuable, so everyone’s attention had been focused on them before and not much focus had been placed on the Seeking Heart Lotuses and Heavenly Infant Grass.
But now that the Enlightenment Flowers had entered Yang Kai’s pocket, the targets of everyone’s attention naturally shifted.
Fortunately, the Seeking Heart Lotuses, like the Enlightenment Flowers, were growing behind a certain Void Crack, so it was not currently covered by the Seven Coloured Radiant Light. Only the Heavenly Infant Grass was now submerged in the seven coloured tide.
When Yang Kai spoke these words, Xu Wei’s heart could not help clenching.
It seemed the Seeking Heart Lotuses would not be able to escape this little brat’s poisonous hands! Realizing this, Xu Wei’s face went dark.
The situation played out exactly as Xu Wei feared. After Yang Kai finished speaking, he pushed his Space Force and directly arrived at the spot where the Seeking Heart Lotuses were growing.
Just like when he appeared next to the Enlightenment Flowers, Yang Kai leapt over the barrier of space, moving a few dozen meters in an instant.
Zi Long has been staring at Yang Kai, seemingly wanting to discover some clues about how he was moving, but he quickly gave up as he realized the Dao of Space was simply too elusive for him, making it impossible for him to tell how Yang Kai moved.
Zi Long only felt a strange force enveloping Yang Kai before the latter disappeared. By the time Yang Kai reappeared, that strange force had disappeared.
[Has Space Force always been this unfathomable?] Zi Long frowned deeply as a feeling of weakness gripped his heart.
However, his determination to kill Yang Kai was stronger than ever. Without even mentioning the fact that he would be a heart demon for Zi Long’s son as long as this boy lived, just this brief interaction had forged a deep grudge between them. If this boy really grew up and broke through to the Origin King Realm, he would certainly pose a great risk to Purple Star.
An Origin King who was proficient in Space Force, how terrible would that be? Zi Long could not even imagine it.
This danger had to be nipped in the bud!
“Hello.”
While Zi Long was lost in thought, Yang Kai actually called out to taunt him and Zi Dong with a grin.
The Seeking Heart Lotuses were only forty meters away from where Zi Long and Zi Dong were standing, so Yang Kai was relatively close at the moment.
“Boy, act rampantly all you’d like for now. This Young Master will definitely torture you brutally in a moment,” Zi Dong glared at Yang Kai and ground his teeth.
After being humiliated so many times by Yang Kai, he seemed to completely lose his ability to think and could only keep mouthing off, putting his own powerlessness on display.
“Haha!” After Yang Kai let out a burst of grating laughter, he ignored Zi Dong entirely and squatted down to carefully collect the Seeking Heart Lotuses.
What made Zi Long and Xu Wei breathe a sigh of relief secretly at the same time though was that Yang Kai did not continue his harassment this time and simply completed the harvesting process in silence.
It seemed that as time passed, this little brat was gradually beginning to feel uneasy! This was the assumption these two made.
Shortly after, the few Seeking Heart Lotuses were properly preserved by Yang Kai and stored in his Space Ring.
“Haha, giving up on the Heavenly Infant Grass, Kid?” Xu Wei stood in the distance and laughed. He had been irritated by Yang Kai just now and finally found a way to hit back, so he was not going to pass up the opportunity. Staring at Yang Kai triumphantly, he mocked, “Is that all there is to your skill, boy? If you have the ability, why not pick those Heavenly Infant Grass as well?”
Whether it was the Enlightenment Flowers or the Seeking Heart Lotuses, both were growing in spots that weren’t covered by the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, so Yang Kai was able to use his Space Secret Technique to easily collect them.
But the Heavenly Infant Grasses were different and were currently completely shrouded in Seven Coloured Radiant Light. Even if Yang Kai had astonishing talent, he should not be able to collect these spirit grasses.
Xu Wei’s provocation was obviously just trying to annoy Yang Kai as a way of soothing his own hatred.
Zi Long smiled faintly and joined in, “Why must Brother Xu embarrass this boy now? How could he possibly achieve such a feat?”
“If he can do it, this Young Master will immediately waste his meridians!” Zi Dong was even more arrogant and boldly declared.
Hearing what he said, Zi Long could not help frowning. He secretly felt that his idiot son was looking for trouble for no reason. Mocking and ridiculing Yang Kai was one thing, but going so far as to say he’d waste his own meridians just to make a point was highly improper.
Such words should never be spoken so casually.
But… Zi Long did not reprimand him, because Yang Kai was truly incapable of collecting the Heavenly Infant Grass, in his opinion.
All three of them taunting like this only showed how eager they were to see Yang Kai’s frustrated face.
Yang Kai, however, just stood in place and glanced between Xu Wei, Zi Long, and Zi Dong before chuckling, “It looks like you all haven’t learned your lesson yet. Seems like I’ve been too soft-hearted.”
When collecting the Seeking Heart Lotuses just now, Yang Kai did not bother provoking them anymore mainly because he didn’t feel interested in doing so anymore. After repeating the same thing once or twice, it lost its appeal and became boring, but Yang Kai had not expected that these three would actually try to provoke him again.
Since that was the case, Yang Kai coldly snorted and decided they needed to pay the price.
“Say whatever you’d like, Brat. It won’t change the fact that you can’t collect those Heavenly Infant Grasses,” Xu Wei shouted.
“And if I can collect them?” Yang Kai looked at him coldly.
Xu Wei was startled, but quickly laughed even louder, “Such craziness! Go on then, show this old master how you plan to pick them.”
Yang Kai spat disdainfully and shook his head, “Old dog, if you want this Young Master to collect those Heavenly Infant Grasses, you’ll have to pay an appropriate price. After all, entering this Seven Coloured Radiant Light isn’t something that can be done for free.”
Xu Wei snickered and declared, “If you can really take them away, this old master will call you grandpa!”
Yang Kai was stunned, never having expected Xu Wei to go to such an extent just to provoke him. Apparently, this old dog hated him to the bone and whole-heartedly wished for him to rush into the Seven Coloured Radiant Light to seek death.
Recovering quickly, Yang Kai chuckled as he looked at Xu Wei, “You said it yourself.”
“So what if this old master said it?” Xu Wei snorted defiantly.
“In that case, I’ll look forward to you calling me Grandpa!” Yang Kai laughed loudly before his figure flickered and appeared behind the Void Crack nearest to the Heavenly Infant Grass.
This Void Crack was less than twenty metres away from the Heavenly Infant Grasses.
After Yang Kai stood firm, the eyes of Xu Wei, Zi Long, and Zi Dong fixed on him, waiting for the show to begin.
None of them believed Yang Kai could succeed.
Standing still and thinking for a while, Yang Kai eventually waved his hand and sent out a Golden Blood Thread.
He had never tested the power of the Seven Coloured Radiant Light and had only heard from Ni Guang that it was extremely dangerous, so he did not know whether his Golden Blood Threads would be useful here.
A golden light flashed, and under Yang Kai’s careful control, the Golden Blood Thread penetrated the Seven Coloured Radiant Light slightly.
But in the next moment, Yang Kai’s expression changed dramatically.
Because the moment the tip of his Golden Blood Thread touched the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, it began to sizzle and melt away.
Things did not end there though as the corrosive force continued to eat away at the Golden Blood Thread and rapidly moved up it towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was shocked and quickly disconnected the Golden Blood Thread from his hand, discarding it on the ground just in time to see it completely melt away.
Yang Kai could not help showing a look of shock.
The Seven Coloured Radiant Light really deserved its terrifying reputation.
Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads were condensed from his own pure Golden Blood, and since condensing them, aside from the ones he had intentionally detonated, none had ever been destroyed, but now, under the corrosion of the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, one of them had almost instantly disintegrated.
The Seven Coloured Radiant Light ignored any form of defence and not only had the ability to corrode physical forms but could also annihilate one’s Soul. These characteristics perfectly restrained Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads.
According to Yang Kai’s observations, as long as it was a flesh and blood living creature, once it was contaminated by the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, the consequences would be disastrous.
On the other side, Xu Wei and Zi Long, who were carefully monitoring Yang Kai’s movements, were also secretly shocked.
This was also their first time witnessing the power of the Seven Coloured Radiant Light. Having seen it firsthand, the two Origin Kings both concluded that if they were accidentally contaminated by this strange light, they wouldn’t be able to resist its corrosion.
But soon, Xu Wei sneered loudly and called out, “Boy, is that all you’ve got? Come on, try again.”
Yang Kai glanced over at him and sneered.
The reason why he had used a Golden Blood Thread just now was mainly because he wanted to test whether the power of the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was really as rumoured, and now that he had his answer, he wouldn’t experiment any further.
Yang Kai had figured out how to harvest the Heavenly Infant Grass a while ago. In any case, the Heavenly Infant Grass was very valuable, and Yang Kai never planned on letting it off, much less let it fall into Xu Wei or Zi Long’s hands.
Ignoring Xu Wei’s ridicule, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged directly.
Immediately, he reached out and waved his hand, summoning a small, somewhat stupid-looking stone.
Stone Puppet number two!
The second Stone Puppet was Yang Kai’s Embodiment. When this Stone Puppet was born in High Heaven Sect, its sentience had failed to form properly, and although it had survived, it did not possess its own consciousness. Unable to act on its own, it was essentially brain dead, so Yang Kai had used it as a body for his Soul Clone to create an Embodiment.
And because Yang Kai had injected a lot of his Golden Blood into it when it was born, it had turned golden, a bit different from Xiao Xiao.
For a long time, this Embodiment had not played any role. When fighting against his enemies, Yang Kai had Firebird Liu Yan and Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao to rely on, so he had always kept the existence of his Embodiment a secret.
But now was the perfect opportunity to put it to use.
Yang Kai did not dare to release Xiao Xiao; after all, Xiao Xiao was one of his biggest helpers, and if something were to happen to him in the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, the loss would be immense.
The Stone Puppet’s physique was not composed of flesh and blood, so it should not be affected by the Seven Coloured Radiant Light. It also lacked its own sentience, so it should not fear the Seven Coloured Radiant Light’s ability to corrode Spiritual Energy. The only thing to worry about was whether it could protect Yang Kai’s Soul Clone.
In order for the Stone Puppet Embodiment to act, Yang Kai had to infuse his Soul Clone into it, which he normally kept inside his Knowledge Sea. This way, Yang Kai could directly manipulate it.
Yang Kai did not know whether the Seven Coloured Radiant Light would destroy his Soul Clone inside the Embodiment’s form.
However, the only way to find out was to try, so Yang Kai steeled himself, reached out his hand, and tapped the head of his Embodiment.
The Soul Clone which had been resting inside his Knowledge Sea immediately poured into the Embodiment and the sluggish eyes of the Golden Stone Puppet quickly became bright and agile.
As for Yang Kai, he felt as if his consciousness had been split in two at this moment. Not only could he see and perceive everything from his own perspective, but also from the perspective of his Embodiment, a truly strange and wonderful feeling.
Controlling the Embodiment, Yang Kai’s Soul Clone moved its hands and feet slightly, adapting to this new body.
“What is that?” On the other side, Zi Dong stared with a stunned expression towards the Golden Stone Puppet.
He had never seen such a peculiar existence. This stone man looked more like a living creature rather than a puppet, but it also did not appear to be alive, a peculiar sight indeed.
Although the aura from this stone body was not very strong, it was still something he had never seen before, so he turned to his father for answers.
He thought that, with his father’s experience and knowledge, Zi Long would definitely know something, but what he didn’t expect was that after a long silence, his father muttered, “Your father also doesn’t know what that is.”
Zi Dong was shocked.
[There are still existences in the Star Field that Father is unaware of?] Zi Dong looked towards Xu Wei, hoping he would know something, but he soon discovered that this Abandoned Lair Elder was staring at this strange stone creature with a frown on his face and uncertainty in his eyes.
He too did not know anything!
Where did this brat named Yang Kai find this thing, and why did two Origin Kings have no idea what it was? Zi Dong could not help feeling stunned.
However, in the next moment, Zi Dong’s heart clenched, and he subconsciously whispered, “This thing, it couldn’t…”
Although he could not recognize what the Stone Puppet was, Zi Dong could tell that it did not have a flesh and blood body, so it shouldn’t be a problem for it to enter the Seven Coloured Radiant Light; and if that was the case, could Yang Kai really obtain the remaining Heavenly Infant Grass?
Realizing this, Zi Dong’s face sank as he recalled he would waste his meridians if Yang Kai achieved this, his mood instantly becoming gloomy.
Xu Wei also felt rotten.
Zi Dong had said he would waste his meridians while he had said he would call Yang Kai Grandpa; if Yang Kai really managed to obtain the Heavenly Infant Grass…
[Damn it, why has the Seven Coloured Radiant Light not withdrawn yet!] Xu Wei cursed constantly in his heart, wishing he had some Secret Technique that could disperse the Seven Coloured Radiant Light and allow him to attack Yang Kai.
Under the piercing gazes of these three, Yang Kai controlled his Embodiment to step forward and enter the Seven Coloured Radiant Light.
As soon as the Embodiment stepped into the flowing light, Yang Kai felt his entire body sink, as if a hundred thousand kilogram boulder was pressing down on him, on par with the Domain of an Origin King. The Seven Coloured Radiant Light made the surrounding space extremely thick and difficult to move through.
Fortunately, after a quick observation, Yang Kai found that his Soul Clone inside the Embodiment was not taking any damage. It seemed the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was completely isolated by his Embodiment’s body.
This discovery made Yang Kai incredibly happy, as it confirmed his previous guess. The Seven Coloured Radiant Light ignored all forms of defence, not by aiming at a physical body but at the existence of flesh and blood, so the Stone Puppet’s physique was not restrained by it.
Now, if Yang Kai found any precious treasures here later and he was unable to collect them himself, he could simply dispatch his Embodiment.
Taking note of this option, Yang Kai continued to control his Embodiment to move forward.
His Soul Clone had inherited his will and understanding of cultivation, so although Embodiment itself was not that powerful, it could still use Space Force.
The Embodiment began emitting a field of Space Force around itself in the next instant, greatly reducing the pressure it felt and increasing its speed significantly.
The distance of twenty metres was crossed by the Embodiment at an extremely quick rate.
Xu Wei’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He was now certain the few stalks of Heavenly Infant Grass would be unable to escape Yang Kai’s clutches, but this was not the biggest problem; that lay with the words he had spoken just now.
Naturally, it was impossible for him to really call Yang Kai, a mere Junior, Grandpa. If Xu Wei were to do this, he would not be able to show his face in the future, and he would need to scram back to Abandoned Lair to hide for the rest of his life.
But if he did not honour his word, he would surely be ridiculed by Yang Kai again. Xu Wei was quite familiar now with how poisonous this brat’s tongue was.
He felt a headache coming on as his expression turned ugly.
After just ten breaths of time, the Embodiment arrived in front of the Heavenly Infant Grass, and although the hands of the Stone Puppet were quite large and thick, under Yang Kai’s delicate control, it was still able to skillfully harvest the Heavenly Infant Grass. Finished with its task, the Embodiment got up, turned around, and walked back over to where Yang Kai sat.
Once his Embodiment returned, Yang Kai collected the Heavenly Infant Grass, stored them into a box he had prepared ahead of time and put them into his Space Ring before taking back his Soul Clone and Embodiment with a smile.
Immediately, he turned his head and glanced towards Xu Wei.
Xu Wei’s eyes avoided his…
“What? Refusing to admit your loss?” Yang Kai sneered, “Didn’t you say you’d call me Grandpa?”
Xu Wei suddenly became angry out of shame and with a stern face glared towards Yang Kai, as if warning him to keep his mouth shut or he would immediately attack.
He had decided to act shamelessly as there was nothing Yang Kai could do to him regardless.
Yang Kai sneered and turned to Zi Dong next, “Didn’t you say you’d waste your meridians?”
Zi Dong roared angrily, “What thing are you? You dare ask this Young Master to waste his meridians?”
Yang Kai stroked his chin and grinned as he nodded, “So your words are as meaningless as farts.”
Zi Long coldly snorted, “Boy, this old master will give you some advice. Act according to your station or you will suffer in the future. Why do you insist on going so far?”
“Act according to my station?” Yang Kai sneered, “Do I need to show any respect to trash like you?”
“Boy, pay attention to your words. Don’t forget, this Seven Coloured Radiant Light will soon retreat, and once it does, you should know what your end will be,” Zi Long glared Yang Kai coldly.
“That’s right boy, obediently take out all the things you’ve collected, throw them on the ground, kneel down and kowtow a few times to admit your mistakes and this old master swears that once this damned light dissipates, he will spare your life!” Xu Wei also yelled from the side.
The two Origin Kings had lost a great deal of face this time, so their hatred for Yang Kai ran very deep, but fortunately for the two of them, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was about to withdraw. After enduring half an hour of taunting from Yang Kai, they would finally be able to make him pay the price, causing both to feel jovial.
Once the Seven Coloured Radiant Light retreated, what did it matter if Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space or not?
As soon they used their Domains to lock him down, he could not escape no matter what!
As long as they captured Yang Kai, not only could they solve the hatred in their hearts, they could also obtain the Enlightenment Flowers, Seeking Heart Lotus, and Heavenly Infant Grass that had been collected by Yang Kai.
They had both been secretly looking forward to this moment.
“You think you’ve won already?” Yang Kai looked at Zi Long and Xu Wei with disdain, not showing any signs of panic, shocking the two Origin Kings. On the contrary, his expression was one of gloating, as if victory was in his hand.
Zi Long frowned, wondering if Yang Kai was bluffing or he really had something to rely on still.
“Little brat, what are you up to now? This old master advises you to obediently cooperate while you still have a chance to survive.” Xu Wei shouted in a deep voice.
“Laughable, there’s actually such an ignorant fool like you in this world,” Yang Kai laughed before suddenly saying in a bored tone. “Forget it. I have no more time to play with you. This Seven Coloured Radiant Light should retreat soon so I’ll be going on ahead, enjoy waiting here!”
Saying so, Yang Kai waved his hand goodbye.
“Go on ahead?” Zi Long frowned deeply, but soon he thought up a frightening possibility. Could this boy actually…
Before he finished his thoughts, his eyes bulged as he watched Yang Kai’s movements in shock, an expression of complete disbelief covering his face.
Zi Long saw Yang Kai turn around and step into the Void Crack behind him, disappearing from sight.
This boy entered the Void Crack!
Zi Long could not help drawing a sharp breath!
On the other side, Xu Wei’s jaw dropped. He seemed to be trying to say something, but no matter what, the words would not form. The look of shock on his face was no better than the one on Zi Long’s.
“He, he, he…” Zi Dong also called out incoherently, pointing in the direction of where Yang Kai disappeared, unable to form a complete sentence for quite some time.
“Brother Xu!” After a long time, Zi Long took a deep breath and with a gloomy expression called out, “It seems we’ve all underestimated his accomplishments in the Dao of Space.”
Xu Wei nodded and said with a serious expression, “En, unscrupulously rushing into a Void Crack, this brat’s attainments in the Dao of Space are simply unprecedented.”
“Brother Xu, you don’t need me to remind you how terrifying a cultivator who has mastered Space Force is. Right now, he is just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm boy, but if he manages to break through to the Origin King Realm in the future…”
“He won’t have a future. This old master won’t let him leave this place alive!” Xu Wei’s face filled with a sullen expression.
Zi Long nodded with satisfaction, “In that case, we’ll put aside our grievances for now and cooperate. This King will also try his best to find him and eliminate him here in this Severed World.”
Both were aware of just how terrifying Yang Kai’s future potential was and were rightfully frightened by it. They did not dare allow Yang Kai to continue to grow and made up their minds to kill him here in the Severed World.
A few words were all they needed to negotiate a temporary alliance.
At that moment, Zi Dong, who had not been able to calm his mind, suddenly exclaimed as he pointed behind Xu Wei and shouted, “He, he…”
Zi Long was startled, turned his head, and looked towards Xu Wei. In the next moment, his eyes shrunk as he shouted, “Watch out!”
Hearing this shout, Xu Wei rapidly reacted, but before he could turn to look back, a familiar voice that filled his heart with disgust called out, “Hahahaha, little grandson, grandpa is here to teach you a lesson!”
It was Yang Kai!
Xu Wei’s expression changed drastically. He had never imagined Yang Kai would appear from the Void Crack behind him and launch a sneak attack.
A scorching force struck at him from behind, accompanied by a strong wind.
Xu Wei roared as he furiously condensed his Saint Qi on his back, forming a thick protective layer while at the same time he hurriedly tried to turn around and face.
His movements were quick, but Yang Kai was faster.
Just as his Saint Qi began to condense, Xu Wei felt a fist impact his back with such terrifying force it almost shredded his Saint Qi defences.
Fortunately, his cultivation was higher than Yang Kai’s, otherwise, this punch alone would have been enough to render him powerless.
Even so, this punch was not easy to withstand. Xu Wei felt his blood roil and his face could not help turning pale as his body staggered forward involuntarily.
What’s more, right in front of him was the Seven Coloured Radiant Light that everyone present dreaded!
“Not good!” Xu Wei exclaimed as cold sweat leaked from his forehead. Instinctively, Xu Wei released his Domain and bit his tongue before spitting out a mouthful of Blood Essence as he stamped his feet hard on the ground.
In an instant, his legs sank all the way to his knees into the ground and his body stopped lurching forward.
*Chi chi…*
A harsh cracking sound rang out as a look of desperation filled Xu Wei’s face.
Although his response was not slow, and his actions had been well executed, he still couldn’t completely stop his forward momentum, and one of his arms entered the Seven Coloured Radiant Light. In an instant, a stinging pain filled his arm and looking down, Xu Wei clearly saw his flesh being corroded at an extremely frightening speed, exposing his meridians and bones.
Things had not ended yet though as Yang Kai, who was standing behind him, was already preparing to launch a second blow.
Feeling Yang Kai’s thick murderous intent, Xu Wei was furious and grit his teeth while roaring, “Little Brat, don’t look down on this old master!”
Saying so, a dazzling light burst from his body and, together with a grating sound, terrifying waves of energy burst from his figure and spread out in all directions.
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became dignified as he realized that Xu Wei had become desperate and was going all out. Quickly withdrawing his attack, Yang Kai rapidly retreated while at the same time summoning his Golden Blood Threads to condense a golden shield in front of himself.
*Dang dang dang dang…*
A series of metallic noises rang out as Yang Kai’s golden shield trembled.
Looking at Xu Wei, who was only a few steps in front of him, Yang Kai sneered slightly and did not continue his assault, instead choosing to jump back into the Void Crack.
The moment his figure was about to disappear, cold words entered the ears of Zi Long and Zi Dong, “I’ll be hiding in The Void and accompanying you from now on so you won’t be lonely.”
Hearing this, Zi Dong felt a chill fill him from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. In a flurry, he turned around and stared at the Void Crack behind him, his eyes wide.
He was terrified Yang Kai would appear suddenly and try to kill him.
Yang Kai’s existence had become a nightmare to him!
“Ahhh!” On the other side, Xu Wei’s screams rang out. At this moment, the terrifying Seven Coloured Radiant Light had eroded half of his arm and was rapidly spreading towards his shoulder.
Grinding his teeth, a savage look appeared on Xu Wei’s face as he desperately urged his Saint Qi to resist the damage caused by the Seven Coloured Radiant Light.
But no matter how he tried, everything was futile.
Seeing that the situation was getting worse and worse, Xu Wei mercilessly chopped at his shoulder.
What remained of his arm fell to the ground as blood splashed from the fresh wound.
As the pain hit, Xu Wei’s face went as pale as paper and his figure staggered slightly. Hurriedly using his Saint Qi to staunch the flow of blood, Xu Wei took out a few high-grade healing pills from his Space Ring and stuffed them into his mouth.
But he did not even dare to sit down cross-legged to refine these pills and immediately turned around and stared vigilantly at the Void Crack to guard against Yang Kai, just like Zi Dong.
Although Yang Kai’s sneak attack failed to kill him, it had cost Xu Wei an arm.
The atmosphere became extremely solemn, and whether it was Xu Wei or Zi Dong, none of them dared to even breathe heavily, their nerves as tight as could be.
Even Zi Long did not dare relax his guard, focusing his Divine Sense on the Void Crack behind him…
Time passed slowly.
When the sound of inhalation came from the depths of the medicine valley, and the Seven Coloured Radiant Light dissipated like a tide, Zi Dong gasped for breath, as if he had just been saved from death, and he immediately fled from the Void Crack to a relatively safe place.
The same was true for Xu Wei.
He had been bitten by a snake once and was now frightened of even ropes. Every time he glanced towards a Void Crack, it was as if he saw that bastard just waiting to leap out and attack him.
However, even if Seven Coloured Radiant Light had withdrawn, and there was now no need to worry about Yang Kai’s sneak attack, Xu Wei’s crisis had not ended.
With a pale face, he stood on the spot, watching Zi Long not far away vigilantly, his Saint Qi condensed as he stood ready to escape at any time.
Although he and Zi Long had reached a kind of agreement just now to deal with Yang Kai together, Xu Wei was well aware of the hatred between Abandoned Lair and Purple Star as well as the gap in status and strength between him and Zi Long.
If Zi Long acted against him now, Xu Wei was certain it would be disastrous for him.
At his peak, he might have been able to escape from Zi Long’s clutches, but in his current state… it would be nearly impossible!
“Brother Xu, this King advises you not to think about running away!” Zi Long looked at him faintly, “You should know something about this King’s Purple Qi Eternal River Secret Art. With this King’s means, you have no hope of escaping.”
Xu Wei smiled miserably while cursing in his heart how his worst fears had come true.
Zi Long obviously intended to add insult to injury here and had no intentions of letting him go. If he tried to escape now, Zi Long would attack.
“Brother Zi, why must you be this way!” Xu Wei squeezed out an ugly smile, “This Xu was not your opponent from the beginning, if you really wanted to kill me, this Xu would have no ability to resist. But Brother Zi, do not forget, that little brat said he will be hiding in the cracks, following us around. Young Lord Dong is only a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator, if that boy were to launch a successful sneak attack, what would the consequences be? Brother Zi should be clear.”
“Naturally, this King understands,” Zi Long’s expression remained indifferent. “But what does this have to do with you? If my son is in danger, this King will notice.”
“You can’t say that for certain,” Xu Wei shook his head, “If this old master is still around though, that boy will have to split his attention, improving everyone’s safety, right?”
Zi Long frowned, as if he was thinking for a while before raising his brow slightly a moment later, “What Brother Xu says is correct.”
Xu Wei secretly let out a sigh of relief.
“But… Brother Xu, your situation isn’t optimistic now. Even if you can divert a part of that boy’s attention, just how much is debatable. This King would be happy to take this opportunity to kill you and avenge the many Purple Star cultivators who suffered at your hands,” Zi Long squinted slightly, a murderous intent flashing across his eyes.
Xu Wei’s heart, which had just relaxed, clenched tightly as he secretly cried to himself while cursing Yang Kai again and again in his heart. If it were not for the attack by Yang Kai just now, how could he have fallen into this predicament?
Zi Long coldly snorted, “Brother Xu, don’t say this King didn’t give you a chance. This King will now give you two choices: First, I kill you. Death ends all troubles!”
Xu Wei bit his lip and asked in a deep voice, “And the second option?”
“Hand over your Soul Brand and obey this King’s orders from now on!” Zi Long crossed his hands behind his back and stared down at Xu Wei in an imposing manner, “You are a worldly man who has experienced great winds and waves, you should know what decision to make!”
“Hand over my Soul Brand?!” Xu Wei’s face became cold as he thought about attacking Zi Long on the spot; however, considering the consequences of such actions, he forcefully suppressed his anger.
If he handed over his Soul Brand, he would have to obey Zi Long’s orders in the future, if not, Zi Long could make his life a living hell with a single thought!
However, if he refused, he would definitely die!
Xu Wei surprisingly discovered that Zi Long disgusted him even more than Yang Kai!
Yang Kai taunted him, played some cheap tricks, and sneak attacked him, but Zi Long, as the revered Sect Master of Purple Star, a famous figure throughout the entire Star Field, was actually shameless enough to add insult to injury at this moment!
“Time is short and this King’s patience is also limited. Think quickly, Brother Xu.” Although Zi Long’s words were light, they were nothing less than thunderous in Xu Wei’s ears, causing him great suffering.
A look of struggle filled Xu Wei’s face for a moment before he grit his teeth and said, “Fine, this old master accepts. If you want the Soul Brand of this old master, then this old master will hand it over to you! However, I hope Brother Zi won’t make things too difficult for this old master in the future!”
Zi Long nodded with satisfaction, and said, “This King will naturally not embarrass you, because… It won’t be this King who is in charge of your Soul Brand, but my son!”
“What? Zi Dong?” Xu Wei shouted as he turned to look at Zi Dong, a look of rage appearing on his face.
Zi Dong was also startled when he heard this, but in the next moment, he turned an ecstatic look towards his father, one filled with gratitude.
Even if he was the Young Master of Purple Star, and had some rights to mobilize the Origin King Realm masters of Purple Star to do things for him, this power was extremely limited; after all, which Origin King did not have great power and authority as well?
Any time Zi Dong asked these masters for something, he would have to pay them handsomely for their services.
Now there was a chance for him to completely control an Origin King. This was nothing short of a treasure falling from the sky into his lap, causing Zi Dong great happiness.
His thoughts quickly turning, Zi Dong’s face sank as he glared towards Xu Wei, “What, does Elder Xu think that this Young Master is not qualified to control your Soul Brand? If that is the case, then this Young Master doesn’t want it either. This Young Master has no interest in forcing a man to act against his will.”
While this rhetoric seemed upright and appropriate for a Young Master of Purple Star on the surface, Xu Wei could not help cursing violently in his heart.
Right now, he was nothing more than a fish on the block, so how could he dare to resist? What’s more, he had already made a concession before, so even though he knew the situation would be quite different from what he had imagined, his unwillingness had decreased noticeably.
There were many cases where, after one made a concession, it became easier to make a second concession… and then a third concession…
After thinking about it, Xu Wei squeezed out a smile and said, “Young Master misunderstands. Young Master is a dragon among men, and his future achievements will certainly be higher than this old master’s, so how could this old master have such thoughts? Being able to serve Young Master is this old master’s honour.”
“En, it is indeed as you say!” Zi Dong smiled widely, the gloom which had clouded his mood thanks to Yang Kai being quickly wiped away. Zi Dong’s mood was extremely happy right now and, in his heart, he swore that if he were to ever see Yang Kai again, he would make Xu Wei kill him to soothe the hate he felt.
Although Xu Wei was missing an arm due to the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, this damage had little effect on his strength as an Origin King. As long as he recuperated well, Xu Wei would still be a powerful master.
“Brother Xu, if you’d please!” Zi Long urged to avoid complications due to delay.
Even though Xu Wei was unwilling, he had to condense his Soul Brand, walk over to Zi Dong, and transfer it to him.
During this whole process, Zi Long was watching him vigilantly, so he had no chance to play any tricks.
After completing this, Xu Wei felt a deep sense of loss.
From this moment on, he was no longer an Elder of Abandoned Lair, but a servant, a thug… he no longer had his freedom.
As he was thinking so though, Xu Wei’s expression suddenly changed dramatically as he felt his Knowledge Sea churn and a splitting, almost unbearable pain assaulted his head.
Even though he was an Origin King, Xu Wei could not resist this kind of pain and suffering.
He could not help screaming and instantly collapsed to the ground, holding his head in his hands as he writhed in agony.
He quickly realized what was going on, and bracing his spirit, he grit his teeth and called out, “Young Master, why are you…”
“En… it’s really effective,” Zi Dong looked down at Xu Wei, who had fallen to the ground howling, without the slightest pity on his face. Instead, he watched with great interest as he continued to apply pressure to the Soul Brand he had just acquired.
Xu Wei’s cries grew more desolate and more violent by the moment as he continued to wail, “Young Master, stop quickly. If this continues, this old master’s Soul will be extinguished!”
“This old master?” Zi Dong’s eyes flashed coldly, “In front of whom are you daring to call yourself old master? Who gave you such gall?”
“Aaah! Old… Old Servant was wrong! Young Master, please stop, Old Servant won’t dare act presumptuously again!”
“Hahaha, you’re quite clever. It seems you’ll make a good dog in the future!” Zi Dong laughed as a wicked, ferocious grin filled his face. Tormenting an Origin King like this gave him immense satisfaction.
Yang Kai had repeatedly insulted him as a dog that could only bark and not bite, so Zi Dong was now venting this resentment on Xu Wei.
“Enough, despite everything else, Elder Xu is still in some sense your Senior. You cannot treat him like this in the future!” Zi Long looked at his son and indifferently ordered.
“Yes!” Zi Dong replied and immediately ceased.
The intense pain in Xu Wei’s Knowledge Sea disappeared at that moment, but even so, he was still unable to get up and was forced to lay on the ground for a long time before struggling to his feet, keeping his head lowered to conceal the hatred which was flashing across his eyes.
A moment ago, he was an Origin King Realm Elder of Abandoned Lair, but now his Soul Brand was controlled by another and he had also been humiliated and tortured by a mere Junior. How could he not feel resentful?
But people under the eaves have to bow their heads, and Xu Wei was naturally not stupid enough to show open hostility here.
He had to hide everything well now if only to find an opportunity in the future to make Zi Long and his bastard son pay.
“Does Elder Xu have any objections to this Young Master’s conduct? Just now, this Young Master was simply experimenting a bit to determine the usefulness of this thing; after all, this Young Master has never controlled an Origin King’s Soul Brand before. It was a novel experience,” Zi Dong stared at Xu Wei and asked with a faint smile on his lips.
“I wouldn’t dare!” Xu Wei gasped as he lowered his head deeply, “Young Master should address Old Servant by his name directly in the future. Old Servant does not dare claim to be an Elder before Young Master. As for what happened just now, Old Servant naturally does not mind.”
“Great!” Zi Dong nodded with satisfaction, “Follow this Young Master carefully and protect his safety. When this Young Master becomes stronger in the future, it will naturally benefit you.”
“Yes!” Xu Wei nodded respectfully.
“By the way, what have you gained since entering this medicine valley? Bring out everything you have for this Young Master to inspect,” Zi Dong seemed to think of something again and asked brightly.
Xu Wei’s face twitched slightly, and his heart stung, but he didn’t dare to resist in the slightest. Quickly removing his Space Ring from his hand, Xu Wei handed it to Zi Dong and said with a flattering smile, “All of Old Servant’s possessions are inside, please have a look Young Master, if there is anything you like, feel free to take it.”
He had to do this; after all, his life was now no longer his to control, so he would not be able to control his possessions either.
Zi Dong did not act polite and after taking the Space Ring, he released his Divine Sense to investigate it. After a while, an expression of joy appeared on his face as he began removing all the valuable treasures from Xu Wei’s ring.
These things not only included everything Xu Wei harvested in the medicine valley, but also the treasures he had collected over the many years of his life.
Abandoned Lair was a gathering place for people who committed all kinds of evil, and as an Elder, Xu Wei had killed many and robbed them of their possessions, so there were truly a lot of good things in his Space Ring.
Each of these treasures was worth a great deal, even to someone like Zi Dong, so he was not planning on letting anything off.
As he watched his possessions being taken out and put into Zi Dong’s Space Ring, Xu Wei felt like his heart was bleeding, but he did not dare to show any dissatisfaction, simply standing to the side and squeezing out a smile.
“Huh…” Zi Dong suddenly let out a cry of surprise as he took out a token-like object from Xu Wei’s ring.
The material of this token was quite strange, being neither wood nor metal, and even with Zi Dong’s eyesight, he was unable to identify it. The token was black in colour and simple in design, with only the character for ‘Emperor’ engraved on its front.
A profound aura radiated from this character though, and as Zi Dong glanced at it, and felt that his very soul was being bathed in this aura, causing him to fall into a state of astonishment.
“A Star Emperor Token!” After seeing this token, Zi Long, who had been standing to the side silently, snatched it from Zi Dong’s hand and his eyes burst with red hot light, releasing his Divine Sense to carefully investigate it.
This was indeed a Star Emperor Token!
Star Emperor Tokens were relics the Great Emperor had personally refined millennia ago and were legendary existences that few in the entire Star Field had ever seen. However, as the Sect Master of Purple Star, Zi Long stood at the pinnacle of the Star Field’s hierarchy so he was naturally familiar with the secrets of the Star Emperor Tokens.
What’s more, there was also a Star Emperor Token in Purple Star’s possession, which was personally kept by the Supreme Elder, a Third-Order Origin King. The Supreme Elder used the light Emperor Pressure which radiated from the Star Emperor Token to cultivate while he was in retreat, trying to use it to comprehend the mysteries of the Martial Dao and break through to the next realm.
“A used Star Emperor Token…” After scanning it for a while, Zi Long found that the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability which had been sealed in this Star Emperor Token had already been used, causing a faint trace of disappointment to appear on his face.
“This thing is something this old servant managed to obtain after braving many dangers…” Xu Wei explained with a smile on the side, feeling extremely distressed. If it had not been for this Star Emperor Token being already used, how could he have fallen into his current miserable state?
It was rumoured that the Great Emperor refined nine Star Emperor Tokens in total, each one containing one of his supreme Divine Abilities.
No one knew how strong the Great Emperor truly was, but Xu Wei was certain that with the help of the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, killing Zi Long and his son would have been a breeze.
If the Divine Ability sealed in this Star Emperor Token still existed, Xu Wei would have used it rather than turning over his Soul Brand and accepting the humiliation of becoming a slave.
“Father, I’ve heard that there is a shocking secret hidden within the Star Emperor Tokens, is that true?” Zi Dong asked curiously as he stared at the Star Emperor Token held by Zi Long. He was Purple Star’s Young Master, but this was his first time seeing a real Star Emperor Token. Until now, Zi Dong had at most read some ancient records regarding the Star Emperor Tokens.
“There are indeed such rumours, but I don’t know if there is any earth-shattering mystery hidden within them,” Zi Long replied faintly, “Even if there was some kind of earth-shattering mystery, it’s not something that would be revealed with just one or two Star Emperor Tokens. One would need to gather all nine before they could try to discover this secret.”
“Gather all nine?” Zi Dong was stunned for a moment but soon laughed, “I’m afraid no one is capable of that. The Star Emperor Tokens are ancient, and many have been lost in the Star Field. The only one I know of for certain is the one that Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce holds…”
“Not just Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Sword Union also has one!”
“Sword Union has one too?” Zi Dong was a little surprised.
“Don’t underestimate Sword Union. Although Sword Union is the weakest among the three super forces of the Star Field, it is by no means weak. In the age when the Great Emperor lived, our three forces were able to provide the Great Emperor with some small assistance, and in return, we were each granted a Star Emperor Token that had one of his Divine Abilities sealed inside as compensation. Purple Star, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, and Sword Union all came to possess Star Emperor Tokens this way.”
“Something like that happened?” Zi Dong was shocked, and even Xu Wei showed a dumbfounded look.
Although he was an Elder of Abandoned Lair, he still knew nothing about such a secret.
“It happened a long time ago,” Zi Long sighed slightly. “After over ten thousand years, the Star Emperor Tokens owned by our three forces have already been used when respective disasters struck. If it had not been for those Star Emperor Tokens, our three forces might not have survived to this day. The rise and fall of great forces are like the ebb and flow of the tide, nothing is infinite and immutable, so great forces can fall at any time. Only individual strength is real strength, remember this well.”
“Yes, Father, I will remember!” Zi Dong nodded respectfully, secretly making up his mind that he needed to enter seclusion after returning from this expedition and not leave until he broke through to the Origin King Realm! If he could reach the same realm as the Great Emperor one day, he would become the new legend of the Star Field and assume the Great Emperor’s lauded mantle. Just how glorious would that be?
While lecturing his son, Zi Long stored the Star Emperor Token into his Space Ring.
Although this Star Emperor Token had already been used, its value was still enormous.
Zi Dong also returned Xu Wei’s Space Ring to him, but everything of value had already been looted. When Xu Wei used his Divine Sense to investigate, he nearly coughed up blood from distress, feeling as if a good chunk of his flesh had been flayed off.
“Let’s go, but be careful of the surrounding Void Cracks. That boy may really be hiding nearby, looking for opportunities to launch sneak attacks!” Zi Long swept the surrounding Void Cracks with his eyes before leading the way forward.
Zi Dong quickly followed while Xu Wei, pale and helpless, brought up the rear.
Inside The Void, Yang Kai wandered freely.
After attacking Xu Wei, he returned to the extremely safe Void and began happily searching for Space Spirit Crystals.
The words he left behind just before disappearing were only meant to intimidate the enemy, he was not really interested in following after Zi Long and the others. A single successful sneak attack was likely the most he could get away with in any case; now, his enemies would be taking precautions, so Yang Kai did not plan to linger around any longer.
There were so many good things here, how could Yang Kai bother wasting time with those three anymore?
Therefore, after uttering that threat, Yang Kai immediately left.
His choice of a target last time was also something Yang Kai carefully considered. Zi Long was a Second-Order Origin King, so Yang Kai was not certain he could successfully sneak attack him or Zi Dong, who was standing beside him. As such, Yang Kai had to settle on targeting Xu Wei. Although he did not manage to kill Xu Wei, he did cost the latter an arm, collecting a little interest in advance.
Yang Kai estimated that Xu Wei would have to cut off his arm in order to save himself which would result in a serious injury and a massive temporary drop in strength. Once that happened, Zi Long likely would not let him off, quite possibly killing him on the spot!
What Yang Kai did not anticipate was that Zi Long did not kill Xu Wei but instead allowed his son to collect Xu Wei’s Soul Brand…
With the Seven Coloured Radiant Light having just receded, there was plenty of time to hunt for treasure, so after Yang Kai shuttled The Void for half a cup of tea’s time, he found a random weak spot and returned to the medicine valley.
The surroundings were quiet, without a single person, so Yang Kai enthusiastically began to search for more precious herbs.
After half an hour, he returned to The Void again.
Repeating this process over and over again, Yang Kai’s gains continued to pile up.
At the same time, he was silently keeping track of time.
Before entering, Ni Guang mentioned to him that the longest one could remain in the Severed World was a month, after which they needed to return to the Star Field; otherwise the consequences would be extremely serious.
Because the ancient aura here was too rich, it was not suitable for modern-day cultivators to remain for too long. If they did, they would encounter suppression and rejection by the World Principles here.
Similar to how Qian Tong was repelled by Shadowed Star’s World Principles, the world itself would begin imposing punishments that no cultivator could resist for long.
However, Yang Kai estimated that from entering the Severed World until now, only eleven or twelve days had passed, so even if it would take him some time to return to the entrance, he should have at least ten more days to continue exploring.
As such, he wandered around the medicine valley with peace of mind.
In the blink of an eye, another few days passed.
As time went on, the number of precious herbs that could be found in the medicine valley gradually reduced, but that was not surprising; after all, no matter how large this medicine valley was, it still had a limit. Even if the number of cultivators who entered this place was not large, after so many days of searching, most of the good things here had already been collected.
Even Yang Kai’s gains in terms of Space Spirit Crystals had shrunk dramatically.
On this day, Yang Kai spent half a day inside The Void and only managed to harvest a total of three Space Spirit Crystals and one somewhat valuable herb.
Compared to the first day he entered the medicine valley, it was quite a shabby result.
“It’s time to rendezvous with Gui Zu!” Yang Kai stood in place, stored the herb into his Space Ring, and muttered to himself.
Now that the harvest had started to become thin, it did not matter if he acted separately from Gui Zu or not. If they joined up though, they could assist one another if need be.
Thinking so, Yang Kai poured a bit of his Saint Qi into the mark left by Gui Zu on his shoulder.
Yang Kai stood in place for quite some time but did not see any trace of Gui Zu.
It seemed that Gui Zu was not within a thousand kilometres of him or he would have sensed his call.
Yang Kai was not in a hurry though and simply decided to change position before trying again, but at that moment, a deep rumbling suddenly rang out from the depths of the medicine valley.
The moment he heard this sound, Yang Kai instinctively thought that the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was about to appear, but he realized that something was wrong in the next moment.
The Seven Coloured Radiant Light’s cycle was incredibly regular, allowing Yang Kai to grasp the time when it would appear and disappear with near-perfect accuracy, yet according to his calculations, the Seven Coloured Radiant Light should not appear for another cup of tea worth of time.
Not only that, but the sound he heard was wrong somehow.
Every time the Seven Coloured Radiant Light appeared; the Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock Divine Bird would release a loud exhalation sound from where it roosted in the depths of the medicine valley.
The sound that reached Yang Kai’s ear now though was vastly different from a breathing beast, but rather like… the sound of wings flapping, stirring up the air.
Thinking so, Yang Kai’s complexion changed abruptly as he gazed off in the direction the sound was coming from.
At that moment, a piercing cry rang out.
This cry sounded similar to the call of a cat, but many, many times louder as it pierced the sky like a sharp sword, seemingly wanting to penetrate the Severed World itself.
Yang Kai Knowledge Sea even shook slightly from the impact of this sound.
Immediately afterwards, high up in the air, a seven coloured light appeared and blanketed half the sky!
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai exclaimed, standing on the spot, looking at the horizon with trembling eyes.
That was the place where the sound came from every time the Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock breathed, where the Divine Bird lived!
Yang Kai had always been curious about how strong this Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock Divine Bird was, but until now, he remained clueless.
However, judging from the power of the Seven Coloured Radiant Light it breathed out, this Divine Bird was at least as strong as a Third-Order Origin King! Perhaps it was even stronger than that.
He had thought about going to see what this Divine Bird looked like, but had not acted on this impulse; however, now it seemed something had changed with the Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock.
[Could some blind fool have provoked it?]
Yang Kai thought this might be the case and paid silent tribute to this poor soul. Anyone who provoked the Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock would definitely die without burial.
“No, that’s not right!” Yang Kai’s expression changed once again because he noticed that although the movements coming from the depths of the medicine valley were obvious, there was not any fallout from combat. Clearly, the Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock had not been provoked. As a brilliant light covered the sky, a massive figure flew up from the ground and blended into seven coloured radiance before soaring off into the distance!
“It flew away?” Yang Kai frowned, making a guess.
The next moment though, excitement filled his face!
The Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock had always occupied a certain location deep inside the medicine valley, so there was no doubt some incredible treasure there which had attracted its attention. In other words, the greatest treasure of this medicine valley should be located there!
Now that the Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock had left, wouldn’t it be the perfect opportunity to go search its nest?
Once he had this thought, Yang Kai could not suppress it and his desire to go explore grew stronger rapidly. After struggling with himself for a moment, Yang Kai grit his teeth and flew off quickly.
At the same time, in a certain place in the medicine valley, Zi Long stood in place, his eyes flashing with fanaticism as he stared towards the disappearing seven coloured streak of light, shouting in an excited voice soon after, “The time has come. I did not expect we’d be so lucky! Just ten days after our arrival, the Divine Bird has decided to leave its nest. Hahahaha, what a Heaven-sent opportunity!”
Zi Long had always been very calm and composed, but now he couldn’t contain his excitement, as if he had encountered a once-in-a-million-year opportunity.
Xu Wei wore a confused expression.
However, Zi Dong immediately understood and asked joyfully, “Can we obtain the Immortal Tree now?”
“Immortal Tree?” Xu Wei’s eyes bulged instantly as he stared at Zi Dong in amazement, asking with shock, “Young Master, did you just say Immortal Tree?”
He obviously also knew about the existence of the Immortal Tree, and what the Immortal Tree represented; however, he had only heard of it in rumours and was not even certain a supreme treasure like the Immortal Tree really did exist.
However, just now, he was certain he heard the words ‘Immortal Tree’ from Zi Dong’s mouth.
Combining all he knew, Xu Wei immediately deduced that the place where the Divine Bird made its nest was also where a supreme treasure like the Immortal Tree would be growing.
“What does it matter to you?” Zi Dong casually glanced over at Xu Wei coldly. His mood had been disturbed just now and he had accidentally exposed some important information, but that did not matter much now. In any case, all three of their group would be travelling together, so even if Zi Dong did not say anything about the Immortal Tree, Xu Wei would figure it out himself soon enough.
Xu Wei looked at him and did not dare to ask more.
“I don’t know if I can obtain it, but this is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity!” Zi Long took a deep breath, “Let’s go. If my guess is right, others will also be rushing over.”
“Then, they’re courting death!” Zi Dong coldly snorted.
The Immortal Tree was a Heaven defying treasure that only Purple Star was qualified to possess, and only he and his father were qualified to refine. Sharing the benefits together, this father and son duo would become immortal and indestructible. In time, they would cultivate to the peak of the Martial Dao and dominate the Star Field. How glorious would that be?
Anyone who dared try to snatch the Immortal Tree from them deserved to be damned!
Elsewhere, Ni Guang and Xue Yue were also flying towards the Divine Bird’s nest.
“Uncle Ni, how long will the Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock be gone?” Xue Yue asked as she followed Ni Guang.
“I don’t know,” Ni Guang shook his head. “The Divine Bird will leave its nest every once in a while, but as for how long it is gone, it all depends on its mood; nevertheless, this is a rare opportunity. Even if we cannot obtain the Immortal Tree, we must take away the Immortal Source Liquid! Although it is not as precious as the Immortal Tree itself, it is still one of the Three Great Divine Waters, a true miracle medicine!”
“Will Zi Long also appear?” Xue Yue frowned.
“He will definitely not let this opportunity pass. We are prepared to collect the Immortal Source Liquid, so how could Zi Long not be prepared as well? However, when we reach that place, who can obtain what will depend on their own ability. At that time, you must be careful as I may not have the spare capacity to look after you.”
“I understand, Uncle Ni. You can rest assured,” Xue Yue nodded and looked ahead, wondering if that guy would also be attracted by this movement. If they could converge, it would increase their odds of success.
Two thousand kilometres away from where Ni Guang and Xue Yue were, Gui Zu was wrapped in his black Qi as he stared towards the direction of the Divine Bird’s nest. After a long silence, he grinned with interest and muttered, “Good, let us go take a look. Yang Boy definitely won’t miss this kind of chance to join in the fun, and it’s about time I met up with him. The treasures that can be collected in this place are becoming fewer and fewer anyways.”
The three Second-Order Origin Kings were attracted by the Divine Bird’s movement and flew towards the direction of its nest one after another. At the same time, many First-Order Origin Kings became interested and also planned to participate in this treasure hunt.
Although most people did not know about the existence of the Immortal Tree and the Immortal Source Liquid, their thinking was the same as Yang Kai. They all felt that the place where the Divine Bird nested must contain extraordinary treasures, so none of them were willing to miss such a rare opportunity.
Suddenly, all the people in the medicine valley began converging towards a single point.
At the centre of the medicine valley, there was a large flat piece of land where no trees or weeds grew. There was only a one-metre tall, verdant sapling, with leaves blowing in the wind.
This young sapling looked weak and frail, but its leaves and trunk seemed to contain an infinite vitality. This vitality was so strong that it was visible to the naked eye, forming a visible halo around its frame.
Only seven leaves grew on the saplings, and on a few of them was a drop of dew. These drops of dew were round and flawless, showing a creamy white colour while exuding a refreshing fragrance.
There were only three drops of dew in total.
These drops were the rumoured Immortal Source Liquid, an incredibly rare and precious treasure that formed on the leaves of the Immortal Tree! It was rumoured that the Immortal Source Liquid had Heaven defying properties that could even save someone from the brink of death. As long as a person had not truly died and their body had not been damaged beyond repair, they only needed to take a single drop of Immortal Source Liquid and they could completely recover.
Among the Three Great Divine Waters, Immortal Source Liquid could be considered the most valuable because it was a life-saving treasure.
Suddenly, a figure appeared on the horizon and soon landed on an empty part of the flat ground. Judging from the speed of this man and the Saint Qi fluctuations coming from his body, he was a First-Order Origin King.
Meng Tong!
The Origin King with no deep background and had cultivated by himself to this point!
“There’s no one here yet!” Meng Tong glanced around and realized that he was the first to arrive, feeling slightly ecstatic as his small eyes scanned the surroundings and quickly landed on the Immortal Tree not far away.
“What’s this?” Meng Tong stared at the Immortal Tree in amazement, unable to identify it.
Although he could not recognize the Immortal Tree, he could tell how extraordinary this young sapling was. Not only was this sapling clearly a priceless treasure, but even its leaves and the drops of dew on them were treasures!
“Damn it, why is it surrounded by Seven Coloured Radiant Light? How vexing!” Meng Tong cursed in anger.
The Divine Bird had indeed left, and Meng Tong was the first to arrive here, but a ten-metre radius around the Immortal Tree was still covered in a dome of Seven Coloured Radiant Light.
Anyone who wanted to obtain this treasure would have to pass through this Seven Coloured Radiant Light barrier.
Meng Tong did not dare to take risks with his life and scratched his head in frustration as he couldn’t come up with any good ideas.
*Shua shua…*
The sound of strong wind came from nearby and Meng Tong’s face sank as he realized that someone else was approaching. Turning his head, he saw three streaks of light flying over, and a moment later, the figures of Zi Long, Zi Dong, and Xu Wei appeared.
Meng Tong frowned as he put some distance between himself and Zi Long’s group before his eyes landed on Xu Wei’s severed arm and his eyes shrank as a tinge of regret filled his heart.
He did not know what happened to Xu Wei to cause him to lose an arm, or why Xu Wei would act together with Zi Long and his son, but he knew that he wasn’t this group’s opponent.
It seemed he had missed this Heaven-sent opportunity, causing Meng Tong to sigh heavily while cursing the existence of the Seven Coloured Radiant Light dome.
If not for this barrier, he would have snatched the Immortal Tree away rather than just stand here in a daze.
“What an excellent opportunity!” Zi Long landed and his eyes lit up as he shouted.
He had not expected that when he arrived, only Meng Tong would be here, and from the look on Meng Tong’s face, it was obvious he didn’t know what to do.
Since he was basically the first one here, Zi Long would naturally not waste time and immediately tried to approach the Immortal Tree.
“Brother Zi, you’re quite quick!” At that moment though, a voice that caused Zi Long to frown rang out and he couldn’t help freezing in place. Glancing over, Zi Long quickly spotted Ni Guang with Xue Yue, who had landed not far away.
“Brother Ni isn’t slow either!” Zi Long snorted, feeling extremely upset. If Ni Guang had come just a little later, he may have been able to pocket this treasure without opposition.