After having relieved the uneasiness in his mind, the young man asked in a raised voice, “Friends, can I have the pleasure of knowing your honoured name?”
Having come to realize that it wouldn’t be in his best interest to provoke Yang Kai and Gui Zu, he immediately lowered his posture. He was no longer as aggressive as before.
Just as he finished speaking, a figure appeared before him in a flash. It was the very same person who suddenly fell from the air. A vicious face was almost sticking nose to nose with his face. The young man couldn’t help but feel a little flustered in the face of Yang Kai’s gaze. He backed away in fright.
“Who are you? Where did you come from?” Yang Kai asked in a cold voice.
Only two of the men in black robes were in the First-Order Origin Returning Realm. The rest were all in Saint King Realm. Yang Kai didn’t care about cultivators of these levels.
What he wanted to figure out most was the background of these people and how they came to Tong Xuan Realm.
The two Origin Returning Realm masters guarding the young man didn’t see how Yang Kai appeared before the young man. But they immediately knew that this man was even more horrifying than they had guessed. Their hearts started pounding. The more courageous of the two smiled and answered cautiously, “Reporting to Young Lord. We are members of Spirit Devouring Sect. This is our Spirit Devouring Sect Young Sect Master, Young Lord Mu Cheng Feng!”
While answering, he pointed at the young man and introduced him to Yang Kai.
Mu Cheng Feng straightened his chest as if he had come to realize that his performance just now was a bit unsightly. He tried to calm himself down to save his face.
“Spirit Devouring Sect!?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow and glanced back at Gui Zu.
“This Old Man has not heard of such a sect either. I’m afraid they aren’t that famous.” Gui Zu indifferently replied.
When Mu Cheng Feng and the two Origin Returning Realm masters heard Gui Zu’s remark on their sect, they immediately became a little angry. Be that as it may, their fists weren’t bigger than the opposite party; they didn’t dare to act rashly.
“Is this damned Spirit Array your work!?” Yang Kai stretched his hand out and pointed at the Hexagonal Array behind him.
“Yes…” The Origin Returning Realm master, who had just answered earlier, replied quickly as he furtively wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. “This Bi Zong had spent a lot of time and energy to lay this Array.”
“Very good!” Yang Kai sneered. “Since it was your handiwork, then…”
“Little Brother!” As if he knew what Yang Kai was going to say next, the Origin Returning Realm master interrupted him in horror. “Little Brother, you know that there is not just this one Spirit Array arranged on this world! Led by our Sect Master, all disciples of my Spirit Devouring Sect are on this planet, planning for something big. I request Little Brother to be accommodating.”
“More than one!?” Yang Kai’s face blackened with rage. Furious, he retorted with a smile, “No wonder the World Energy has gotten worse. So it was your damned work. Great, absolutely great!”
That Origin Returning Realm master smiled in embarrassment. “Little Brother, you can’t say that. The cultivation of the cultivators of this continent is too low. Even if we leave the World Energy and let them cultivate, they would not amount to anything in their lives. But it would be completely different if my Spirit Devouring Sect obtained this World Energy. My Sect Master is in the Origin King Realm. His strength would advance by a huge leap if he could devour this world’s World Energy, and if he refines this world’s Star Source, it would bring a ray of life to this place. This dying star would be reborn. Little Brother is so powerful, I think you understand this truth.”
He deliberately brought to notice that the Spirit Devouring Sect Master was an Origin King Realm master, trying to make Yang Kai retreat.
After hearing this, Yang Kai grew even more furious. “You guys also want to refine the Star Source!?”
“Naturally!” Mu Cheng Feng straightened his back. “My Father has already taken the sect elites to the Cultivation Starplanet’s core. I’m afraid he will refine the Source there.”
Mu Cheng Feng was filled with confidence when he recalled that his father was an Origin King Realm master.
He believed that these two guys before him would not dare to kill him without a shred of doubt, even though Mu Cheng Feng had no idea of their origins, let alone their strengths. Anyone with a brain would not be willing to be an enemy of Origin King Realm master.
Therefore, he returned to his former leisure and confident manner.
But after speaking, he found that Yang Kai was staring at him with an even more terrifying gaze. Mu Cheng Feng was taken aback. He immediately screamed, “What do you want to do?”
Yang Kai pursed the corner of his lips into a grim smile. “What else can I do apart from killing you!?”
Just as the last of Yang Kai’s words fell, all the Spirit Devouring Sect disciples in black robes were struck simultaneously as a few swishes rang through the air. They fell down one after another. They were killed right then and there; they didn’t even have the chance to scream.
“Ah!” Mu Cheng Feng screamed in horror. His eyes bulged and quivered in shock and fear. He pointed at Yang Kai and rebuked, “How…how dare you make an enemy of my Spirit Devouring Sect?”
“Make an enemy!?” Yang Kai sneered. “Don’t overestimate yourself. You guys aren’t even fit to be my enemy. Since you dare to act so wantonly in my territory, you can never go back.”
Not only was the Spirit Devouring Sect unscrupulously extracting the Tong Xuan Realm’s World Energy and enslaving its cultivators, but they were also aiming for its Source. How could Yang Kai not get angry?
[Since the Star Source had been taken by Little Senior Sister, there is no need to worry about the Spirit Devouring Sect getting their hands on it. But their reckless behaviour should have caused some damage to Little Senior Sister.]
“You… you… My father is an Origin King. How dare you attack me!?” Mu Cheng Feng was scared silly. Originally, he believed that after he brought his father up, the opposite party would take caution before taking any action. But how could he have known that the young man before him would not care about this at all?
“Origin King, hmph! I have killed more than one. I’ll take your father’s head later!” Yang Kai sneered as he pressed towards Mu Cheng Feng, step by step.
Mu Cheng Feng was so scared that he stumbled on the ground as an obnoxious smell wafted from his crotch. He looked as if he would cry at any moment.
Yang Kai frowned at the sight of this. He hadn’t expected this little kid to wet his pants. After a second thought, he waved his hand and shot a streak of Saint Qi, sealing his cultivation. He then turned to the cultivators of Shrouded Heaven Mansion and said, “He is all yours. You can kill him as you like.”
Over a thousand cultivators, who had been maintaining the Spirit Devouring Array, were watching from the sidelines since Yang Kai and Gui Zu’s appearance. The sight of Yang Kai killing the Spirit Devouring Sect disciples, against whom they were completely powerless, as easily as lifting his hands had left them in complete shock.
Some cultivators had seen Yang Kai’s portrait and immediately understood Yang Kai’s origins and identity.
They didn’t show any hesitation after hearing Yang Kai’s words. Over a thousand men, young and old, men and women, swarmed at Mu Cheng Feng with a murderous look on their faces.
“You… you group of ants…” Mu Cheng Feng was afraid of Yang Kai but not of these Shrouded Heaven Mansion cultivators. He warned them harshly, “If you dare to hurt even a single strand of my hair, I guarantee that you will beg me to kill you!”
The swarm of thousand or so cultivators paused for a moment before they rushed at Mu Cheng Feng even faster.
In the blink of an eye, Mu Cheng Feng was completely surrounded to the point that not even a drop of water could escape.
One after another, kicks and punches struck Mu Cheng Feng. The Shrouded Heaven Mansion disciples at the centre seemed to have a tacit understanding of not using their Saint Qi. They only attacked Mu Cheng Feng just with their physical strength. This way, Mu Cheng Feng would last longer and taste even more painful torture.
“Asshole, how dare you kill our Sect Master! I will make you pay for it!”
“Vengeance for Seventh Elder!”
“I will avenge Senior Sister Liu… Boohoo, Senior Sister Liu, I hope your spirit in the Heavens is watching this. I will avenge you!”
“Make way, make way! Let me smash this bastard’s balls!”
The sight of thousands of people beating one person was especially spectacular. In a flash, a cloud of dust rose around Mu Cheng Feng’s position as constant sounds of thrashing with miserable wails of Mu Cheng Feng echoed in the surroundings.
But after a while, Mu Cheng Feng’s voice slowly started weakening. And after another while, there were no more movements.
“Are you… Holy Master Yang!? Are you truly Holy Master Yang!?” As Yang Kai watched on with a cold look in his eyes, a girl’s voice rang in his ear.
Yang Kai turned to the source of the voice and found that it was the very same girl who was caught and humiliated by Mu Cheng Feng before. Her face was smeared in mud; she looked like a cat. And the torn baggy clothes still on her shapely figure gave her the impression of a grass bearing the brunt of wind and rain. She looked rather pitiful.
(Ash: She looked like a cat here means that her makeup was all ruined. It’s not a derogatory term. Think of it as when someone’s mascara is ruined after crying.)
“Do you know me?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
“You really are Holy Master Yang!?” Suddenly, a sliver of red glow appeared on her beautiful face as she stared at Yang Kai in a daze. The bright glow in her pair of eyes seemed to speak for itself. Tears soon filled her eyes as if she saw her saviour. She immediately knelt down before Yang Kai. “I beg Holy Master Yang to uphold justice on behalf of fellow cultivators across the world!”
“Get up and speak!” Yang Kai was startled. He quickly stretched his hand out and raised it up. The girl immediately felt a gentle force lifting her up, preventing her from kneeling down.
“Don’t cry!” Yang Kai was in a pinch. She kept choking, looking at Yang Kai with teary eyes. Tears kept falling down her cheeks just like pearls from a broken necklace. Just as she wiped off the tears, another round of tears would trickle down her cheeks.
Slowly, her beautiful face was brought to light.
Sure enough, she was extremely beautiful. Mu Cheng Feng might be a bit deplorable but his experience in checking a girl’s features was pretty good.
“If you have something to say, please speak.” Yang Kai heaved a sigh and comforted. “Please stop crying.”
“Yes!” The girl immediately wiped the tears off the corner of her eyes. She could barely hold her excitement. Her plump chest heaved up and down a few times before she could finally calm herself down, “Holy Master Yang is all-knowing and omnipotent. Only you can save our world from this disaster. I beg Holy Master Yang to show mercy on our generation and save the world from misery!”
“We request Holy Master Yang to show mercy and save the world from misery!” All of a sudden, thunderclaps-like shouts reverberated through the sky.
Yang Kai turned to look and suddenly found that the thousands of Shrouded Heaven Mansion cultivators had gathered around him and looked at him with pleading looks in their eyes.
On the other side, Mu Cheng Feng had been whacked to the point that his figure had lost all resemblance to a human figure. His battered and broken corpse was lying in a puddle of blood.
Yang Kai touched his nose in embarrassment and said, “Don’t be so serious. Um, I know a little about the current situation but I just came back. I don’t have that much of an idea. How about you tell me in detail. What’s happening in the world currently? When did these people come?”
“Let me answer Holy Master Yang’s question. These people came to Tong Xuan Realm a year ago…” The girl slowly parted her lips as her beautiful eyes fell into reminiscence. As she narrated, the look in her eyes gradually changed to panic and anger as she recalled the horrifying days and the tragic sight of her fellow disciples being killed.
After an hour, Yang Kai and Gui Zu set out again, disappearing into the horizon.
Watching the disappearing duo, the girl from the Shrouded Heaven Mansion immediately cheered in her heart.
[Our world is saved with the return of Holy Master Yang.] Although she had never met Yang Kai before, she was completely convinced after meeting him for the first time.
“Yang Kai, according to that little girl, this Spirit Devouring Sect is sinister.” Gui Zu fell into thoughts, “This method of extracting World Energy from the entire planet and transforming it into Spirit Devouring Crystal is brilliant. Even this Old Man is left puzzled.”
“Indeed, but this is only possible by hurting the base of the star.” Yang Kai played with the Spirit Devouring Crystals that were almost of the same size and same colour.
He had found these Spirit Devouring Crystals in Mu Cheng Feng’s Space Ring.
One of them was incomplete, which he had obtained from the Spirit Devouring Array, whereas the remaining were complete. Obviously, it was this year’s harvest.
Every strand of World Energy in these Spirit Devouring Crystals belonged to Tong Xuan Realm.
According to the girl from Shrouded Heaven Mansion, the Spirit Devouring Sect suddenly came to Tong Xuan Realm a year ago. Tong Xuan Realm cultivators were baffled by the sight of a Starship descending; they had no idea what was going on. And soon, the Spirit Devouring Sect suddenly started enslaving Tong Xuan Realm cultivators after suppressing the entire Tong Xuan Realm with absolute strength to work for them and maintain the Spirit Devouring Array.
And all those, who tried to resist, were killed without mercy.
In a year, several dozen powerful families on Tong Xuan Realm were wiped off the face of the earth!
Their Shrouded Heaven Mansion had also suffered heavy losses. In the end, only a thousand members survived.
“Has Elder never heard of the Spirit Devouring Sect?” Yang Kai looked at Gui Zu.
Gui Zu shook his head and denied, “No. You also know that this Old Man was trapped for two millennia and escaped not too long ago. In fact, I don’t know much about the affairs of this Star Field. However… don’t you just happen to have someone you can ask?”
“You mean…” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before he understood who Gui Zu was referring to. He immediately took out the Soul Sustaining Bowl from the Space Ring, focused his Divine Sense inside, and shouted, “Come out!”
Next moment, the swaying Zi Dong’s soul suddenly emerged, looking at Yang Kai with fear and trepidation. He immediately asked with a smile, “Brother Yang, what can this Lowly One do for you? Could it be that we are at Purple Star already?”
“We are not at Purple Star but I have something to ask you.”
“Brother Yang, just ask. This Lowly One would tell you all I know and without reserve.” Zi Dong Lai wiped his forehead as if he was relieved.
“Have you heard of the Spirit Devouring Sect?”
“Spirit Devouring Sect?” Zi Dong Lai’s face changed at once as a look of extreme fear took over his face.
“So you really know!?” Yang Kai, judging by his expression, immediately knew that this guy had heard of the Spirit Devouring Sect.
“This Lowly One indeed knows. What’s wrong!? Did Brother Yang encounter someone from the Spirit Devouring Sect?” Zi Dong Lai looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.
“Yes! I just came across a group of cultivators who claimed to be from Spirit Devouring Sect. They had laid a Spirit Devouring Array, refining something called Spirit Devouring Crystal.” Yang Kai took out a Spirit Devouring Crystal while speaking. “This thing.”
“A Spirit Devouring Crystal!” A fervent look instantly appeared in Zi Dong Lai’s eyes; his eyes were completely glued on the Spirit Devouring Crystal; his face was overflowing with greed. But very soon, he remembered that his body was completely destroyed now. The Spirit Devouring Crystal would be utterly useless in his current predicament. He lowered his head, saddened.
“Tell me about this Spirit Devouring Sect. Why did you look so scared?” Yang Kai continued with his questions after putting away the Spirit Devouring Crystal.
“Spirit Devouring Sect … well, this one has never encountered them before. I have only seen some records in some ancient books of my Purple Star. According to the records, the Spirit Devouring Sect suddenly came to existence on a cultivation star called Heavenly Wolf Star a century ago and then rose like a comet. It’s rapid rise immediately drew attention from the entire Star Field. The Spirit Devouring Sect gave birth to many experts in less than a decade, including several Origin King Realm experts. It was really unusual for a sect that was completely unknown until then.”
“So, three great forces in the Star Field carried investigations and research on the Spirit Devouring Sect. Later, it was found that this Sect had discovered a set of secret methods from somewhere, which were the methods to lay the Spirit Devouring Array that Brother Yang just spoke of and refine Spirit Devouring Crystals. And the cultivators of their Sect advanced by leaps and bounds by absorbing and refining the energy of Spirit Devouring Crystals.”
“It was okay if it was just like this. The key point was that their rise was accompanied by the decline of Heavenly Wolf Star. In less than half a century after the birth of the Spirit Devouring sect, the density of Heavenly Wolf Star World Energy had dropped by several levels. Only then did the three great forces of Star Field realized the seriousness of this. Any Cultivation Star was a valuable asset of a Star Field. How could they allow the Spirit Devouring Sect to act so recklessly? If they let them continue like this, the Heavenly Wolf Star would collapse sooner or later. So, after some discussion, the three great forces jointly dispatched experts to the Heavenly Wolf Star and attacked the headquarters of the Spirit Devouring Sect.”
“Though the Spirit Devouring Sect was uprooted in that battle, the three great forces also lost a lot of experts. This was something that had never happened before; a Sect that could compete with the three great forces. Since that battle, the Spirit Devouring Sect had disappeared from the stage of history. I thought that the Spirit Devouring Sect had long disappeared but who would have thought that a fish still had slipped through the net.”
“The three great forces joined hands!” Yang Kai was also startled but he soon sneered. “The three great forces allied not just to prevent the Spirit Devouring Sect from destroying the Heavenly Wolf Star, right? What else were they eyeing?”
Zi Dong Lai smiled in embarrassment and replied, trying to flatter Yang Kai, “Brother Yang is truly farsighted. Which force would not be greedy for the Spirit Devouring Sect’s shocking method that can quickly train cultivators. A man’s wealth is his own ruin by causing another’s greed. However… as far as I know, although the three forces had destroyed the Spirit Devouring Sect, they never got the method of arranging the Spirit Devouring Array.”
“Oh!? Why is this?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“I have no idea. I have only read some records from the Sect’s ancient book and don’t know about the specifics of what happened back then.” Zi Dong Lai furrowed his brow as a look of worry appeared on his face, “But for the Spirit Devouring Sect to have unexpectedly returned after several decades, this is bad news. By the way, Brother Yang, where are we? The Spirit Devouring Sect has become the target of everyone’s hatred after that incident. They can’t make any move under the noses of the three forces.”
“This is my homeworld!” Yang Kai replied casually. “No outsider has come here for a long time. Maybe this attracted the Spirit Devouring Sect, and they had laid the Spirit Devouring Arrays here.”
“So that’s how it is. Brother Yang, since you have found the Spirit Devouring Sect, you should eradicate them as soon as possible. If you give them a breath of respite, they will turn into a big problem. Judging by the density of this world’s World Energy, I think there are no experts here. If you take me back to Purple Star, I can mobilize Purple Star experts … hey, hey, Brother Yang, let me finish, Brother Yang … “
After Yang Kai stuffed the Soul Sustaining Bowl back to the Space Ring, he said to Gui Zu, “Elder, can I trouble you to take a trip?”
“Sect Master, if you have any orders, just let me know.” Gui Zui chuckled.
“The Spirit Devouring Sect seems to have a lot of people. As you just heard from the girl, they have scattered across the continent and laid the Spirit Devouring Array. I would like to ask you to help me eradicate them all.”
“That’s easy,” Gui Zu let out a peal of weird laughter. “It’s also very easy to find them. I just have to follow the flow of World Energy. It’s as easy as following the vines to get the melons. Moreover, this Old Man is also very interested in the Spirit Devouring Array. This Spirit Devouring Array is so heaven-defying, you shouldn’t have watched Mu Cheng Feng get killed. You should have interrogated him first.”
“The Spirit Devouring Array can be studied but can never be used.”
“Naturally, this Old Man is aware of it. This Old Man doesn’t want to be a public enemy of the Star Field, Sect Master doesn’t have to worry about that. This Old Man will be right back in a jiffy. By the way, where should I find you after dealing with them.”
“Nine Heavens Holy Land!” replied Yang Kai. “You can just ask anyone, they will know where it is.”
“Okay, this Old Man will take his leave then!” Gui Zu broke into laughter as the Ten Thousand Soul Banners wrapped around him and shot into distance, leaving a streak of light.
After Gui Zu left, Yang Kai gazed deep in a certain direction before the Wind and Thunder Wings spread behind him and he too disappeared, leaving howls of winds and roars of thunder.
It never occurred to him that Tong Xuan Realm would face such a crisis. Now that the survivors of the Spirit Devouring Sect were being eradicated by Gui Zu himself, he wasn’t worried, but he would have to go to the core himself.
[Mu Cheng Feng had said that his father is planning on refining the Star Source of Tong Xuan Realm. In that case, the Spirit Devouring Sect Master must be at the core now.]
[The Star Source of a Cultivation Star is always hidden in the depths of its core, but it’s extremely difficult to reach it. Not just anyone can resist the law contained in the power of Star Source; only a Third-Order Origin King can put up some resistance.]
[Also, the Star Source of Tong Xuan Realm has been refined by Little Senior Sister, who is not on this planet. So, it shouldn’t be difficult to sneak into the core.]
If Yang Kai’s guess was right, the Spirit Devouring Sect Master should already be at the planet’s core.
Having flown for a while, Yang Kai looked for a suitable place and landed. He then released Xiao Xiao with a wave of his hand while he himself got into the Sealed World Bead, letting Xiao Xiao take this Emperor Artifact.
Xiao Xiao’s figure then disappeared into the earth as he used his natural Divine Ability, moving towards the core at a very fast speed.
After half an hour or so, Yang Kai spread his Divine Sense to investigate the outside. He was immediately surprised to find that he had reached the core. It was very hot and had surging magma. Even the World Energy here contained unimaginable heat toxin.
He could also sense some faint movements at a very distant location.
Yang Kai’s face turned stiff as he sprang out of the Sealed World Bead. His expression grew worse as he listened closely for a movement. He hurriedly shot towards the source of the movements.
About a hundred miles away from Yang Kai stood a tough-looking middle-aged man with his hands crossed behind his back and five Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators standing on either side behind him.
The middle-aged man was looking ahead with a dignified look in his eyes.
A dazzling ball of energy happened to be floating right before him. There was a clear face on that ball of energy. The face was covered by a veil, hiding its true appearance, had a blue crystal on its forehead and its eyes were as clear and pure as elves.
It was none other than Xia Ning Chang!
It was quite evident that it wasn’t Xia Ning Chang’s true body rather an embodiment of her made from the wisp of her soul, that’s all. At this moment, Xia Ning Chang’s clear and crystal eyes were filled with anxiety and helplessness, along with a sliver of anger.
Meanwhile, that middle-aged man and the other Origin Returning Realm cultivators looked calm and steady, like everything was in their grasp.
Both sides seemed to be locked in a confrontation.
After a long time, the middle-aged man parted his lips and spoke, “This King had been waiting for many days, I wonder if Young Lady Xia had given it a thought? Can you give this King a satisfactory answer?”
Xia Ning Chang furrowed her brow and responded gently, “Can you wait a little longer? This matter is very important. I need to discuss it with my Junior Brother but the problem is that I can’t get in touch with my Junior Brother.”
The middle-aged man let out a cold harrumph in response. “Young Lady Xia, are you kidding me? This King has been tolerant and doesn’t want to use force because of the fact that you have refined the Star Source at such a young age. I love people with talents, but you have been passing the buck several times. Do you think that this King is a fool? Everyone would generally consult with their Honored Master when in trouble, why would you discuss with your Junior Brother? It’s really ridiculous.”
“But…” Xia Ning Chang said to herself. [Honored Master’s cultivation is even worse than mine, how can it be comparable to Junior Brother?]
“No buts,” the middle-aged man interrupted Xia Ning Cheng impatiently. “Since you’re unwilling to cooperate, then this King can only extract all of this world’s World Energy and turn it into a Dead Star! As for the Star Source, since you aren’t willing to let it go, then this King doesn’t want it either! When I have extracted all its World Energy, this King would like to see how long will you be able to hold its Star Source without the support of World Energy! How would Missy bring it back to life? Hehe, there are hundreds of millions of beings living on this planet … without the nourishment of World Energy, I’m afraid they will be reduced to nothing but bones!”
“Wait!” Xia Ning Chang turned pale in fear. Her eyes were filled with hesitation and helplessness.
The middle-aged man sneered at her as a steadfast look appeared on his face.
He might not have been communicating with Xia Ning Chang for long but he could see that she had a scanty experience of life and was kind-hearted. She didn’t want to see this planet slowly go extinct. It was for this reason that he could threaten her to let go of the Star Source.
Otherwise, it was impossible to get an already refined Star Source unless he found her true body and killed her.
But how could the middle-aged man know where her true body was? Xia Ning Chang let a wisp of her soul come here only because she had sensed that there was something wrong with the planet. Unless he had some super Divine Ability that could follow her Divine Sense and track the location of Xia Ning Chang’s true body.
Judging by the extremely distressed look on Xia Ning Chang’s face, the middle-aged man knew that his threat had worked. [How can a little and kind-hearted girl like her bear it when I’m using the lives of billions of creatures to pressure her?] He timely struck the iron while it was hot, “Young Lady Xia, this King is unwilling to resort to acts of cruelty. If you release your reign over this Star Source and allow this King to refine it, this King will become this planet’s Star Master. How can I not care about this planet as its Star Master?”
“But… but haven’t you been extracting its World Energy?” Xia Ning Chang wasn’t clear about the sinister Spirit Devouring Crystal. As such, she hadn’t noticed the evil intentions of the other party for the moment.
“It’s just deconstruction before reconstruction.” The middle-aged man smiled a little. “Young Lady Xia, I can’t tell you why. Young Lady just needs to know that if you allow this King to refine the Star Source, this King will definitely lead this planet to prosperity!”
“Is that really so!?” Xin Ning Chang murmured to herself. She might be kind and simple in nature but it didn’t mean that she was a fool. She could naturally tell that this middle-aged man was far from honest and good. But the opposite party was threatening her weakness.
[If I don’t let go of the Star Source and let him refine it, he would really draw all the World Energy of this world sooner or later. By then, it would already be reduced to a Dead Star.]
The very day she became the Star Master of this Cultivation Star, she could feel the billions of lives living on Tong Xuan Realm. She could feel all the ups and downs of this planet. How could she bear to watch this planet be reduced to a cold and lifeless planet?
Xia Ning Chang really had no idea what to do. There was only one thing echoing in her mind, [Junior Brother, where are you? What would have done if you were in position?]
“Little Senior Sister, don’t listen to his bullshit!” Suddenly, a voice reverberated in the depths of the core.
Xia Ning Chang immediately raised her head. Instinctively, she thought that she was just imagining things; her ears were playing tricks on her. But when she saw a familiar figure walking out of the darkness not far away, and saw the smile on that familiar face, she realized that her Junior Brother was actually here.
Xia Ning Chang looked as if she would break into tears anytime now; she was extremely aggrieved.
Having been negotiating with the middle-aged man over the past few days, her delicate and sensitive heart was under unimaginable pressure, but she was still dealing courteously but without insincerity. But when this figure appeared, Xia Ning Chang suddenly felt that her entire body was about to collapse. Her shoulders had been bearing a burden all the while; it almost crushed her bones. Only when this burden was relieved that she came to realize what she was carrying.
“Junior Brother!” Xia Ning Chang pursed her lips and shouted.
“Senior Sister, don’t cry!” Yang Kai’s figure flickered before he appeared right before the wisp of Xia Ning Chang’s soul, staring at her. He then pursed his lips into a smile and immediately consoled her, “It’s okay, everything’s okay! I’m here now!”
He comforted her like he was comforting a little child. He almost patted Xia Ning Chang’s head several times.
Xia Ning Chang nodded obediently.
“Did you notice that something was wrong here, so your wisp of soul came?” Yang Kai immediately understood everything with just one glance. Only a Star Master could do this. He too could let a wisp of his soul return to Shadowed Star if he wanted to, but his consumption would be too much. “It’s not good for the soul to remain this far for so long. It can cause irreparable harm easily. Go back and tell them that I will return to the Sect soon, they don’t need to worry.”
“Mhmm, Junior Brother, be careful. These people…”
“It’s okay! It’s just a few wastes who can’t show their faces in public, that’s all.” Yang Kai sneered.
Xia Ning Chang smiled sweetly upon hearing this. She was no longer worried. She then formed some seals as the embodiment of her soul slowly disappeared.
But just before Xia Ning Chang left, she suddenly seemed to have remembered something. She hurriedly said, “By the way, Junior Brother, Yang Yan, she …”
“What happened to Yang Yan?” Yang Kai panicked. But there was no trace of Xia Ning Chang before him. Her wisp of soul had already crossed the Starry Sky and returned to Shadowed Star.
“What the hell happened?” Yang Kai was depressed. Xia Ning Chang might not know Yang Yan’s true identity, but he was completely aware of it. Yang Yan had been sleeping after returning from the Emperor Garden; apparently, her true body and embodiment had completely fused. It had been over a decade now, and he had no idea about her current situation. And now when Xia Ning Chang suddenly brought up Yang Yan but failed to finish her sentence, Yang Kai grew completely impatient.
“Look how I deal with you after I return!” Yang Kai thought in his mind, furious.
“Brat, how dare you judge this King like this.” The middle-aged man and the Origin Returning Realm cultivators had been staring at Yang Kai vigilantly since he showed up. But Yang Kai’s recent comment that they were just wastes who can’t show their faces in public had immediately drawn their ire.
In addition, Yang Kai had also denied them the opportunity of getting the Star Source that they were just about to get with just a few words. How could the middle-aged man take this? He immediately shouted in anger.
Yang Kai slowly turned around and responded with a sneer, glaring at them, “What’s wrong? Are you guys not wastes? Several grown men were threatening and bullying a little girl. Calling you guys wastes is an insult to all wastes!”
The middle-aged man let out a cold snort as an intense murderous intent filled his eyes.
“Who just said that he will turn this planet into a Dead Star? If you stand up now, this Sect Master promises not to kill you!” Yang Kai glared at the people before him and acted in a completely rampant manner.
“Kid, don’t think that you can act lawlessly with just a little bit of strength. A frog in a well knows nothing of the ocean. Judging by the fact that you have reached the Origin King Realm at such a young age, you can be considered to have good talent. How about you join this King? This King can provide you with an awesome Secret Technique that can let you reach the top as quickly as possible,” the middle-aged said in a serious voice, carrying his hands behind his back. His tone and bearing gave the impression of a grandmaster.
“What!? This kid is in Origin King Realm!?”
“This kid!?”
“Impossible!?”
The Origin Returning Realm masters behind the middle-aged man were struck with terror, screaming one after another. They had been trying to sense Yang Kai’s cultivation all the while but they noticed that they couldn’t find any clues at all, so they believed that he was wearing some artifact that could isolate their Divine Senses. How could they know that the other party was stronger than themselves?
[But … is there such a young Origin King Realm expert?]
Yang Kai chuckled and rebuked contemptuously, “You people from the Spirit Devouring Sect are really idiots! No wonder your Sect was destroyed.”
The middle-aged man’s pupils immediately shrunk upon hearing this. “You know that we are from the Spirit Devouring Sect, so what gave you the guts to act so rampantly?”
The Origin Returning Realm masters shuddered as if someone came to know of their deep, dark secrets. Fear apparent in their eyes.
“So what if I am acting rampantly? Come and bite me if you don’t like it!” Yang Kai sneered. “If you don’t have guts to do it, how about I lend you some?”
The middle-aged man’s entire body shook in anger but he didn’t dare to make a move. He had long noticed that Yang Kai was in First-Order Origin King Realm, the same as him, so he wasn’t a hundred percent sure that he could Yang Kai. That’s the only reason why he had been bearing Yang Kai’s arrogance.
But he couldn’t let the secret of the Spirit Devouring Sect be brought to anyone’s notice. Or else, they would quite likely be chased and killed by all the cultivators of the Star Field.
The middle-aged man was in a big dilemma. He didn’t know what to do.
Yang Kai, noticing his hesitation, sneered and added fuel to the fire, “By the way, I killed a few members of your Spirit Devouring Sect before coming here. One of them happened to be someone called Spirit Devouring Sect Young Sect Master. What was his name? Right, Mu Cheng Feng, that guy was your son, right!? Sect Master Mu Wu!?”
Mu Wu shuddered as his eyes turned bloodshot. “You killed Cheng Feng!?”
“Uh, that’s not right, per se. I’m sorry.” Yang Kai smiled apologetically. “I didn’t kill him. I just beat him up a bit. Well, he was beaten to death by the members of the Shrouded Heaven Mansion, dying miserably. He was minced to pieces. Sect Master Mu Wu, if you had been there and saw it, you would have surely cried. Tsk, tsk…”
“Bastard, I will kill you!” Mu Wu scowled and shouted in anger. A pulse of Saint Qi spread around him as he released his Origin King Realm Domain, pushing it towards Yang Kai. At the same time, he left a streak of light as he appeared right above Yang Kai’s head.
He was well aware of how strong the people of Shrouded Heaven Mansion were. Naturally, his son couldn’t be killed by them, no matter what. The only way he would die was that his cultivation was suppressed by the kid before him; he was the man behind his son’s brutal killing.
Mu Wo simply couldn’t let his son’s killer live, he would either destroy him or die trying! Even if the sect master feared Yang Kai, he could not stand the sight of him!
He clapped his hands and pushed them forward as a pulse of energy shot out from his hands and transformed into a cross-cut visible to the naked eyes, pressing down on Yang Kai like an unstoppable avalanche. It seemed as if it would split Yang Kai into two.
“That’s it!?” Yang Kai spat disdainfully as a look of disdain appeared on his face.
He could already tell Mu Wu’s next course of action just by looking at his body movements. Mu Wu might be a First-Order Origin King, but his real combat power was worse than any Origin King Realm expert Yang Hai had encountered.
This gap was mainly in the refinement of Saint Qi as well as the power of his Domain.
And it shouldn’t be that surprising, as the Spirit Devouring Sect cultivators mainly depended on refining and absorbing the Spirit Devouring Crystals for cultivation, it was just a shortcut. Unfortunately, there was no shortcut for cultivating Martial Dao. The price of their rapid growth was an unstable foundation.
The cultivators of Spirit Devouring Sect might be able to cultivate to the Second-Order or even Third-Order Origin King Realm with the help of Spirit Devouring Crystals, but their real combat power was definitely much lower than the cultivators of the same level.
The same was true for Mu Wu, his Saint Qi was heterogeneous and his Domain wasn’t perfect either.
The cross energy slash might appear to have unparalleled momentum but to Yang Kai, it was full of flaws.
The next moment, he bent his waist and took a horse stance as he sent a punch to greet the oncoming attack.
A streak of fist energy swished through the air, hitting right at the centre of the cross energy slash.
CRACK… A feeble and crisp sound immediately rang in Mu Wu’s ear, shaking him up. His eyes almost popped out in shock as a look of horror took over his face.
Much to his shock and dismay, his Domain was shattered by the opposite party’s punch, and the same could be said for his cross energy slash; it was extremely weak and fragile.
[So strong!] Mu Wu immediately came to realize that he was not Yang Kai’s opponent.
Just as this thought flashed in his mind, the streaking fist energy smashed through all his barriers, hitting him hard in the chest.
Puff… Mu Wu was immediately sent flying, spurting a mouthful of blood.
“What!?”
“Sect Master actually…”
“Impossible! My eyes must be playing tricks!”
The Origin Returning Realm masters of the Spirit Devouring Sect immediately cried in surprise. They turned pale. They immediately rubbed their eyes in succession, wondering whether they were seeing correctly.
An Origin King Realm master had always been synonymous with a top expert of the Star Field. But to their shock, their Sect Master, an Origin King Realm expert, was sent flying at the very start of the confrontation with this young man. They could hardly accept this fact.
Mu Wu too was shuddering in his heart. Just one punch had cooled him down. He immediately started thinking of escaping the very moment he came to realize that he wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent.
However… a flash of white light suddenly blinded his eyes as the source of his terror appeared before him out of nowhere, standing nose to nose with him.
“Demon Eye!” Yang Kai gently uttered two words as his left pupil constricted in the next moment, turning into a long and narrow vertical pupil. Immediately after, a dazzling golden glow filled with majesty bloomed from the long vertical pupil.
Mu Wu lost consciousness at that moment. In his mind, all he could see was a terrifying eye hovering in the sky, gazing down at him coldly. He didn’t dare to make a rash move. Even his Soul was shaken up.
And Yang Kai, taking advantage of his loss of consciousness, made his move.
He promptly punched right into Mu Wu’s Dantian, pouring his surging Saint Qi into Mu Wu’s body. His Saint Qi coursed through Mu Wu’s meridians and body and destroyed his meridians in an instant, as if he was stabbed by a thousand swords.
The Origin King Realm aura around Mu Wu instantly started weakening.
In just three breaths, the Spirit Devouring Sect Master’s cultivation was abolished by Yang Kai.
Bam… Mu Wu crashed straight into a ground and lay still on the ground like a dead fish.
The few Origin Returning Realm cultivators of the Spirit Devouring Sect in the depths of the core gulped a mouthful of saliva. Everything happened just too fast. It was so fast that their Sect Mast was crippled before they even had the chance to react.
Now that they realized their own situation, all of their faces turned ugly. They looked at Yang Kai standing by Mu Wu as if they were looking at a demon. Their faces were filled with shock and horror.
[If this young man can cripple Sect Master in three breaths then killing us would be a matter of lifting his finger.]
The Demon Eye of Annihilation in Yang Kai’s left eye was still active. Next, Yang Kai bent over and lifted Mu Wu, raised him to his eye level and stared straight into his eyes. His Divine Sense surged as he spoke in a deep and reverberating voice, “If you don’t want to die, tell me the method to arrange the Spirit Devouring Array?”
Even though Yang Kai had seen the Hexagonal Array, he couldn’t find out anything. He wasn’t that proficient in Spirit Arrays. Therefore, if he wanted to know how to arrange it, he had to start with Mu Wu.
Mu Wu was the Sect Master of the Spirit Devouring Sect. It was well within reason that he knew the method to arrange the Spirit Array.
How could Mu Wu, whose cultivation was completely abolished, be able to resist the might of Demon Eye of Annihilation? Under the suppression of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, a lifeless look immediately appeared in his eyes as he blurted out subconsciously, “The Spirit Devouring Array was given to my Mu Family by that Sir, and Sir said that I can’t tell anyone about it!”
“Sir!?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow; he was a little surprised. All he wanted was to understand the working principle of the Spirit Devouring Array from Mu Wu and let Yang Yan study it to see if it could be improved after he returned to Shadowed Star. But how could he have known that it would involve some mysterious ‘Sir’?
[It seems to be a very big secret…] Yang Kai thought to himself.
Suddenly, he had a very bad feeling.
Right then, a glimmer of intelligent gleam flickered in Mu Wu’s lifeless eyes as he shouted aloud, “Sir, save me!”
Yang Kai’s expression immediately changed. Just as he was about to withdraw, a bright beam of light shot out of Mu Wu’s eyes, shooting straight towards Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
“Damn it!” Yang Kai was shocked. He flung Mu Wu away and closed his eyes as his Soul Avatar manifested in his Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea appeared quite calm but Yang Kai immediately noticed a ball of unusual energy.
That ball of energy was floating in his Knowledge Sea, twisting and changing. Yang Kai felt a completely strange aura from that energy. This aura definitely didn’t belong to Mu Wu.
The energy wasn’t that strong but Yang Kai felt a huge threat from it.
“Soul Warming Lotus! You actually have a Soul Warming Lotus!” A husky scream suddenly reverberated from that ball of energy. Judging by the voice, Yang Kai could tell that it belonged to a man but he couldn’t tell the opposite party’s age. In the next moment, that ball of energy transformed into a man wearing Changshan.
(Ash: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changshan)
His face appeared blurry and Yang Kai couldn’t see it clearly.
At this moment, the man’s attention was completely occupied by the seven colours island in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. There was a vague crazy look in his eyes.
“Hahaha, you have already evolved it into Seven Colored Soul Warming Lotus, just a one step away from the Supreme Soul Warming Lotus. What a surprise! What a pleasant surprise! Who would have thought that there would be such a precious heaven and earth treasure in this Star Field! It looks like that this King didn’t waste his Yuan Qi by coming here, it was well worth it!”
That person didn’t seem to care about Yang Kai at all. His eyes were completely glued on the Soul Warming Lotus; he was very excited.
His figure jolted again as he stared blankly at the sky above the Knowledge Sea. An even crazier look flickered in his eyes as he shouted in excitement, “Star Chart, it’s actually the Star Chart of this Star Field. Hahaha, I have really been wearing out the iron shoes just to find it in my backyard. Lady Luck is on my side! Lady Luck is on my side! Hahaha!”
“Your Excellency, who are you? You are not Mu Wu!?” Yang Kai glared at him coldly. Although this guy was giving Yang Kai a feeling of threat, they were in the world of his Knowledge Sea. He was the master of this world. Therefore, he wasn’t that afraid.
That man, on the other hand, just glanced at Yang Kai indifferently before his gaze turned colder.
Under this gaze, Yang Kai felt like an ant being stared at by a giant dragon, as if he was just an insignificant being in this man’s eyes.
Yang Kai was completely shaken up!
Yang Kai’s Martial Dao Will was extremely firm and resilient. All the enemies he had faced along his journey were far stronger than him. He was currently an Origin King Realm cultivator. Even a Third-Order Origin King couldn’t give him a feeling of inferiority.
[But this man…]
Yang Kai composed himself, dispelling the feeling of inferiority in his heart before speaking in a cold voice, “Your Excellency must be that Sir mentioned by Mu Wu.”
The opposite party raised his brow as he said with a shadow of a smile lingering on his face, “Kid, this King is surprised to see a talented young kid like you in this Star Field, who not only has good cultivation but also good disposition at such a young age. Kid, you will surely become a great tool in time. Yes, this King is that Sir mentioned by Mu Wu.”
“So to say, you attached a ray of your Divine Sense to Mu Wu to prevent Mu Wu from revealing the secret of Spirit Devouring Array. Once he wants to tell the secret, you will show up to stop him, am I right!?”
“What a smart lad, you are worth teaching!”
Yang Kai nodded slightly. Yang Kai had some inkling of an idea about this man’s origin from the man’s self-talk and the brief conversation with him. After a while, he suddenly raised his head and asked with a smile, “Can I ask you a question Sir, have you heard of someone called… Insect Emperor?”
The man’s figure suddenly quivered upon hearing these words. A look of surprise appeared in his eyes as he cried in surprise, “A trivial ant like you actually know the existence of Sir Insect Emperor!? It seems there is more to you than meets the eyes!”
“Hehe, I understand, you too are from that place!”
“So you know about the Star Boundary!?” That man gazed at Yang Kai with even more surprise and disbelief. “Who are you?”
He finally looked squarely at Yang Kai.
“So that place is called Star Boundary…” Yang Kai appeared to have been struck with a realization. At the same time, a look of yearning appeared on his face.
“You don’t know!?” The figure frowned. He couldn’t figure out why Yang Kai knew about the Insect Emperor but had never heard of the Star Boundary. He suddenly grew a little upset by the fact that he was disturbed by Yang Kai. He flung his hand and threatened, “Kid, I don’t care where you have heard about Sir Insect Emperor but since you saw this King, I can’t let you go! This King gives you two choices: either die or surrender to this King. If you offer the Soul Warming Lotus with both your hands, this King might just consider letting you live.”
“Thank you very much, Sir.” Yang Kai cupped his fists and bowed slightly, but then narrowed his eyes and said calmly, “But… I choose neither.”
“You are courting death!” The figure’s face blackened in rage as his murderous intent surged.
Although that man scolded Yang Kai fiercely, he had no intention of attacking Yang Kai. He just kept glaring at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai immediately broke into laughter. “In that case, Sir, please kill me!”
Yang Kai looked as if he wasn’t afraid of death. He kept provoking the man.
The figure’s face blackened in anger.
“What’s wrong!? You don’t dare to… or you can’t!?” Yang Kai’s glare suddenly became as sharp as a sword, trying to pierce straight into that figure’s heart to see through his lie and truth.
But the figure remained as stable as a mountain.
Yang Kai’s voice grew heavier as he sneered again and again, “Perhaps if it was your true body here, I would not have a chance to resist. I might not know how strong you are, but a cultivator of my level should not be able to resist you. Even still, a trivial wisp of Soul wants me to surrender without a fight? Are you an idiot? This is my Knowledge Sea, I am the master here!”
Just as he said this, the calm sea below them suddenly started to swell as thick water columns rose from the sea, one after another. It gave the impression of an evil dragon waking up from its sleep. The Knowledge Sea was suddenly filled with intense murderous intention.
The figure slowly took a deep breath and looked at Yang Kai indifferently. He finally nodded his affirmation and praised, “Kid, you really are extraordinary, it looks like this King underestimated you. Now that you have seen through everything, this King has no excuse. Kid, you better take care of your life, this King will come for you. You better not die before that.”
Having said this, he suddenly formed some mysterious seals with his hands as his figure started to slowly fade away.
“You want to leave!?” Yang Kai shouted furiously. “This is my Knowledge Sea, it’s not your own backyard where you can come and go as you like!”
All of a sudden, a dazzling golden glow bloomed in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea as the Demon Eye of Annihilation emerged over the Knowledge Sea, shooting the golden light of annihilation straight down at the figure and enveloping him inside.
The fading figure solidified as if it was imprisoned by the golden light of annihilation.
The figure furrowed his brow as he wondered suspiciously, “What kind of power is this!? How strange!? It’s actually dispersing my wisp of Soul!”
Suddenly, his body jolted, scattering the golden light of annihilation. The man then kept retreating, again and again. Yang Kai was unable to get close to him.
ROAR ROAR ROAR…
At this moment, dozens of evil dragons formed by the energy of Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea swarmed at the figure from all directions, biting at him viciously.
An extremely solemn look immediately appeared on the figure’s face. He then drew a semi-circle before him as a curtain of light appeared around his Soul Phantom to protect him.
BANG BOOM BANG…
The evil dragons crashed into the curtain of light with deafening claps. Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea momentarily shook, and even his Soul Avatar grew extremely weak.
It was a head-on confrontation between Souls. No matter who won and who lost, Yang Kai and that man would be severely injured.
Yang Kai didn’t come out scot-free but neither did that figure, it too paid an equal price. This wasn’t ordinary Spiritual Energy but the power of mutated fire-attribute Divine Sense. He might not have been annihilated under this wave of attack but that scorching power was burning his Soul; he was in great pain.
After having resisted dozens of dragon attacks, the figure started to grow transparent as if it might collapse any moment. Moreover, a scorching-hot energy could be vaguely seen coursing through the figure, eroding his Soul power continuously.
“Great, you are really good!” The figure greeted his teeth as he glared at Yang Kai in anger. “A trivial ant actually dares to harm this King’s Soul Phantom. This King has noted this and will make you pay a hundred times for this someday!”
Just as he finished speaking, he formed some seals again as his figure completely faded from Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
However, Yang Kai vaguely noticed him throw a seal into his Knowledge Sea before leaving.
After three breaths, the turmoil in his Knowledge Sea slowly calmed down.
A pale Yang Kai stood there carefully sensing the entirety of his Knowledge Sea. That mysterious figure had already left. There was no doubt in this as there was no aura of him.
[But… What seal did he leave before he left? Where is it hiding?] Yang Kai couldn’t sense it at all.
A deep sense of powerlessness rose in his heart, making Yang Kai extremely uncomfortable.
[However, that was just a Soul Phantom, perhaps just a wisp of that man’s Divine Sense, but that guy can come and go in my Knowledge Sea as he likes. Even a Third-Order Origin King can’t do this.]
[That guy should be on par with Yang Yan and Insect Emperor!?]
What Yang Kai was sure of was that he, Yang Yan, and Insect Emperor came from the same place. And that place was called Star Boundary! It was something of higher-level than Star Field.
There were two things Yang Kai was concerned about. The First was that he paid great attention to the Soul Warming Lotus in Yang Kai’s knowledge. He was even more excited at the sight of Star Chart than when he saw the Seven Colored Soul Warming Lotus.
[What’s the secret of this Star Chart!?] Yang Kai was extremely puzzled.
Since he got this Star Chart, Yang Kai had only used it to identify his bearing, he hadn’t found any other use. [But that guy cared so much about this Star Chart. He yearned for it more than the Seven Colored Soul Warming Lotus. Perhaps there is some secret about it that I am unaware of.]
The second was the Seven Colored Soul Warming Lotus.
Much to Yang Kai’s surprise, that figure said that the Seven Colored Soul Warming Lotus could be evolved into Supreme Soul Warming Lotus.
Yang Kai always believed the seven-coloured form to be the final form of the Soul Warming Lotus. It never occurred to him that it had even higher form!
This Soul Warming Lotus had brought great benefits to Yang Kai. The reason why his Spiritual Energy was so strong, not the least bit weaker than a Third-Order Origin King’s, was all due to the constant warming of his Soul by this precious heaven and earth treasure.
The seven-coloured form of the Soul Warming Lotus had already given Yang Kai untold benefits. If it evolved again… Yang Kai’s heart was beating crazily in excitement.
He had gained a lot of information just having talked with that figure for such a short while. He failed to come to his senses for a long time.
After a full fifteen minutes, Yang Kai finally dispelled the distracting thoughts in his heart. He then dispersed his Soul Avatar as his Divine Sense returned to his body.
He glanced back and noticed a pale Mu Wu sitting by his side, motionless. Apparently, abolishing his cultivation had caused his vitality to weaken.
Even those Origin Returning Realm masters hadn’t moved an inch. After having seen Yang Kai cripple Mu Wu without even breaking a sweat, how could they dare to have other thoughts!? They didn’t dare to escape, even if Yang Kai was standing still; they were afraid of angering Yang Kai and causing their own doom.
Only at this moment did they notice Yang Kai look at them, and these Origin Returning Realm masters were struck with panic. Each of them forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
“Young Hero, please give us a chance to live. We were also forced by Mu Wu. We had no choice but to help a tyrant oppress the innocents. We are regretting it now and hope that Young Hero will give us a chance to live. We will listen to Young Hero’s order from now on. We will not even hesitate even if we have to climb a mountain of blades or tread through a sea of fire!” One of them begged quickly.
As soon as he took the lead, the others also voiced their own difficulties. They accused Mu Wu for being overbearing and brutal. They cast their relationship with the Spirit Devouring Sect aside and pushed all the blame on Mu Wu.
Pu…
The already weakened Mu Wu was so angered by this that he could not help but spurt a mouthful of blood. He died right then and there.
Yang Kai coldly looked at their ugly faces. He was already feeling worse because of the mess made by that figure. How could he bear to listen to their bullshit? A golden flash of light illuminated this dim space as Golden Blood Threads shot out from Yang Kai, taking their lives instantly.
Afterwards, Yang Kai picked up their Space Rings and went through them, one by one. He found nearly a hundred Spirit Devouring Crystals from their Space Ring.
He placed all the Spirit Devouring Crystals by the Star Source and formed some seals before pointing at the crystals.
BOOM…
All the Spirit Devouring Crystals burst with a muffled explosion, releasing a tide of World Energy that spread in all directions.
From the start, the energy in these Spirit Devouring Crystals belonged to Tong Xuan Realm, Yang Kai was just returning it to where it belonged. Soon, the World Energy of his homeland would improve.
After having done all this, he summoned the Sealed World Bead and entered it, letting Xiao Xiao take it back to the surface.
At this same time, on a Cultivation Star billions of miles away from Tong Xuan Realm, a man was sitting in a cross-legged position in a valley rich in World Energy. He sat there as if he was blended into heaven and the earth. Even a Third-Order Origin King would fail to sense his existence if he hadn’t laid his eyes on him.
Butterflies were dancing around him. A bird was even sitting on top of his head, gracefully combing its feathers with its beak.
As far as the bird was concerned, standing on top of this person’s head was no different than standing on an ordinary branch.
This person’s understanding of the Martial Dao had surpassed the entire Star Field, reaching the rumoured Self-Existing Dao Realm.
If those so-called Third-Order Origin Kings saw this, they would immediately kowtow in worship.
The man’s body suddenly jolted as he fiercely opened his eyes, gazing into the distance.
After a short while, a streak of imperceptible energy shot over from the distance, drilling into his body.
The man then closed his eyes and felt it silently. His body jolted again after a while before he screamed in surprise, “A Seven Colored Soul Warming Lotus and the Star Field Map, these two treasures are actually on the same guy!? Isn’t his luck heaven-defying!? But so what!? Since you dared to harm this King’s Soul Phantom, how can this King let you go? However, I will let you keep them for the time being. With this King’s Soul Seeking Seal on you, you will never be able to escape from me, even if you fled to the ends of the world.”
Having said this, he slowly stood up as a cruel gleam flashed in his eyes. He thought for a while and said to himself, “All right, I haven’t found any strong energy fluctuation in this Star Field even after a century, so it seems like this Star Field really doesn’t have a Protector. If that’s the case, then it will become a stepping stone for this King to mount the throne.”
After having said this, a cold smile suddenly appeared on his lips as his entire figure strangely sank into the earth.
In just a moment, he had reached the depths of the planet’s core, standing before the Star Source of this Cultivation Star.
His hands danced in the air as he punched seals into the Star Source, one after another. The World Energy of this Cultivation Star started to surge with this man’s movement, converging towards the Star Source before being sucked in by this man.
All the cultivators on this Cultivation Star instantly noticed that there was something wrong. They could clearly feel the World Energy around them getting thinner and thinner at a horrendous rate, but they had no idea what was going on.
In Tong Xuan Realm, there was a cultivation paradise that had given birth to many talents. It was the world-famous Nine Heavens Holy Land, which was surrounded by nine peaks. Strength was revered here. It had untold masters and was the ruler of the entire Tong Xuan Realm.
But many years ago, the people in the Nine Heavens Holy Land had disappeared all of a sudden. No one knew where they left.
Some rumours had it that they were taken to the vast Star Field by the Nine Heavens Holy Lord, but others said that they had provoked some extremely powerful character and were completely annihilated. There were all kinds of tales, but no one had a clear idea.
Be that as it may, Nine Heavens Holy Land no longer had any owner.
Many Sects and families were eyeing this paradise. After the disappearance of the Nine Heavens Holy Land disciples, everyone was locked in a fierce struggle to grab it, leading to many fights and friction in which countless people lost their lives.
Afterwards, this paradise fell into the hands of two cultivators: Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai.
Both of them were lone wolves with no fixed abode and they had no reputation, for they had never participated in worldly affairs. They only cared about wine and roses, and their goal in life was to tour the entire continent, taste all the best dishes and see all the famous scenic spots.
But when they were passing by the Nine Heavens Holy Land, saw its rich World Energy and beautiful scenery, they occupied it impolitely.
Both of them were Third-Order Saints, so how could any run-of-the-mill Sect or family stop them? All they could do was retreat unwillingly.
This status quo remained for several years, and the two of them slowly got accustomed to this place, so they never left.
At this moment, the two were sitting in a pavilion located on one of the nine peaks facing each other, boiling tea and discussing the Dao. All in all, they were enjoying themselves.
They were surrounded by a dozen or so beautiful young girls who served the duo, their beautiful eyes were glimmering with a strange glow. All these girls were either rescued by the duo during their travels or brought back when their family was destroyed. All of them had either lost their homes or were bullied by villains, unable to defend themselves.
These two were free and easy-going. They neither competed with others nor with the world, and were handsome and suave. Despite being Third-Order Saints, the strongest cultivators in Tong Xuan Realm, they were very amiable and therefore loved and admired by these girls.
At this moment, a Go board filled with criss-cross black and white pieces was lying on a stone table between the two. The way they played was also in line with their temperament; there was no sense of killing on the chessboard. Amazingly, they had surrounded many of each others’ pieces but had not taken them out.
“Brother Yi, I heard that the Money Sect that had 3,000 members was destroyed by a group of people with unknown origins a few days ago. Apart from the people who died or fled, the rest were enslaved by them. These outsiders are really abominable.” Lin Yu Hao gracefully placed a piece but a faint worry was quite visible on his face.
Yi Zheng Kai fiddled with the piece but didn’t place it. He then raised his head and glanced at Lin Yu Hao before speaking indifferently, “Is Brother Lin planning on leaving and doing something about it?”
Lin Yu Hao chuckled as he opened the folding fan in his hand and fanned himself. He then said, “Back then, when you and I became sworn brothers, we swore that we will only seek freedom and will not kill anyone in this life, and if we do, we should be struck by lightning and split asunder. It’s tragic, many people have lost their families, but what’s that got to do with me?”
“Does Brother Lin actually think so?” Yi Zheng Kai looked at Lin Yu Hao with a shadow of a smile on his lips as he went straight to the heart of the matter, “I’m afraid that’s not the case! Brother Lin has been upset these days, even your playing style has changed.”
The latter lowered his head and pulled the Go board before him before laughing in embarrassment. “Haha, that’s really the case. My last move was really wrong.”
“Brother Lin didn’t make a wrong move but… Brother Lin’s heart is filled with murderous intent!” Having said this, Yi Zheng Kai placed his pieces with a solemn look on his face. At that moment, the entire atmosphere of the board changed. Its original calm atmosphere immediately turned fierce and murderous. That cold murderous intent seemed as if it would flow out of the board and soar straight to the sky.
Lin Yu Hao’s expression changed ever so slightly as he remarked calmly, “Brother Yin, it might not be a bad idea!”
Yi Zheng Kai burst into laughter. “You and I are indeed sword brothers. We even think alike.”
Lin Yu Hao heaved a sigh. “All these years, you and I only cared about living freely. We never really cared about the life and death of others on this continent. Even these girls…”
He glanced at the girls around him as a trace of guilt appeared on his face. “I really couldn’t ignore them, so I brought them back. I have been living freely for most of my life. But sometimes I think, is that kind of living really good?”
“In the past, when the Bone Race revived, we completely ignored it. But the masters of three races, the Human, Monster, and Demon Race, under the leadership of Nine Heavens Holy Lord defeated them and protected this land. If not for the Nine Heavens Holy Land Lord and the masters of three races, you and I wouldn’t have been able to live freely all these years! I’m afraid our bones would have been swallowed by the Bone Race already, sow could we make tea and discuss Dao today?”
“You are right!” Yi Zheng Kai nodded his agreement and said, “So Brother Lin is thinking what this Yi is thinking. In the past… we should have fought with the masters of three races. Even if we might have ended up dead, we would have died with a clear conscience.”
“Whenever I think about what happened back then, this Lin feels uneasy. The peace of this continent was bought with their lives, but we have been enjoying and squandering it wantonly…. We don’t deserve this.” Lin Yu Hao had a guilty smile on his face.
Yi Zheng Kai narrowed his eyes. “But now, we have a chance to rectify it. Would Brother Lin join this Yi to follow the footsteps of Nine Heavens Holy Land Lord and make up for the regrets in my heart!?”
“It’s only right and proper!” Lin Yu Hao stood up at once and proclaimed with heroic ardour, “This continent birthed and raised me, how can I watch those outsiders act recklessly? You and I are the strongest cultivators in this world. If even we don’t do anything, then who would raise this banner?”
“Well said!” Yi Zheng Kai clapped and stood up, “Since Brother Lin has made up his mind, then this Yi will bet his life and join you in this fight!”
“Depending on you two!?” A disdainful voice suddenly rang.
The righteous and passionate flame in Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai’s hearts was suddenly doused with cold water. Their expressions immediately changed as they looked around and shouted, “Who’s there?”
Just as their words fell, a young man appeared out of nowhere and approached them step by step, treading the air with a scornful smile hanging on his lips.
He appeared without warning, as if he had come out of the Void.
Yi Zheng Kai and Lin Yu Hao immediately focused their gaze straight at him before releasing their Divine Sense towards the young man, but the two brothers turned pale as they noticed that their Divine Sense went right through him. Like a rock sinking into the sea, they didn’t get any reaction.
More importantly, they couldn’t sense any energy fluctuation coming from the young man. He gave the impression of an ordinary person.
However, the two knew that this young man was far from ordinary and it was all because his cultivation far superseded theirs.
“Are you an outsider who is wreaking havoc on the continent?” Yi Zheng Kai appeared to have been struck with a realization and he asked aloud, at the same time winking at Lin Yu Hao. The duo secretly started circulating their Saint Qi, preparing to fight to their deaths if something went wrong.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, didn’t even pay any attention to them. He just walked right by them and sat down by the stone table. He then beckoned to a dazed girl and said with a smile, “Miss, can you pour me a cup of tea? I just had a fight with someone, so I’m really thirsty.”
But that girl didn’t move an inch as if she was still reeling from a big shock.
In these girls’ opinion, Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai were almost omnipotent. They were the strongest people in the world, but when Yang Kai appeared, the two men they admired looked as if they had encountered the God of Plague; their foreheads were drenched in sweat.
The girl immediately wondered what made Yang Kai so tyrannical? He looked very ordinary!
But after having heard Yi Zheng Kai, she gritted her teeth and said, “Bad Guy, I will not pour you the tea prepared for the Young Lords.”
“Bad Guy!?” Yang Kai was taken aback. He pointed to his nose and asked, “Me!? How do I look like a bad guy to you?”
“You are one of the outsiders who had been killing and enslaving us! If you aren’t a bad guy, what are you? A good guy?” The girl was young and ignorant. She spoke rudely. She didn’t give even a bit of face to Yang Kai.
Not just her, the dozen or so girls standing nearby were all glaring at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai felt extremely uncomfortable under their murderous gazes. He touched his nose and said, feeling ill at ease, “When did I say I was an outsider? Just because your Young Lord said so? Do you trust him so much?”
“Young Lord is always right!” The girl straightened her chest, which just emphasized her developing chest. It was quite an interesting sight.
Yang Kai took a side glance at Yi Zheng Kai before chuckling.
Yi Zheng Kai’s face turned ugly. He quickly reprimanded, lest Yang Kai was offended, “Ling’er, don’t be rude! Pour tea for this friend!”
After Yi Zheng Kai had spoken, the girl named Ling’er reluctantly walked up to Yang Kai, picked up the teapot, and filled up a cup before retreating angrily.
“Thanks.” Yang Kai thanked as he picked the cup and drank in one go. “It’s just passable.”
“Just passable!?” Lin Yu Hai’s veins bulged in anger as he quickly retorted, “Do you what kind of tea is this?”
“I don’t know.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Lin Yu Hao let out a cold snort and explained, “It’s White Snow of Sun. No money can buy it because it will only be produced once or twice in a century. Also, it’s prepared using Supreme True Water, yet you said it’s just…”
“Alright! Alright!” Yang Kai waved his hand and interrupted his grumbles. “It’s just tea, isn’t it? Isn’t it just used for drinking? What’s the point of praising it so much? It will be gone in one sip.”
“You…” Lin Yu Hao was almost angered to death.
Yi Zheng Kai said, “Brother Lin, why are you explaining this to him? You can see in one glance, this guy is not a man of elegance.”
“Hmph!” Lin Yu Hao let out a cold snort.
“What’s the point of elegance?” Yang Kai sneered. “Can you eat it? Can it kill anyone? The world is in chaos. If you are so elegant, why don’t you two wield this elegance and kill those guys, returning peace and order to this continent?”
Just as Yang Kai said this, Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai looked embarrassed. Lin Yu Hao tried to justify himself, “You don’t need to tell us! Brother Yi and I were just about to go out and teach those scoundrels a good lesson.”
“Forget it.” Yang Kai burst into laughter. “You two would just be slapped to death if you really went with just this level of strength.”
“How dare you humiliate us!” Lin Yu Hao blew his top. He formed some weird seals and shouted angrily, “I don’t care who you are, since you dare to humiliate Brother Yi and I, be ready to accept due punishment! Plucking Flower Finger!”
Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai were both straightforward people that could not bear being so despised and humiliated by Yang Kai.
Plucking Flower Finger was a supreme Secret Technique that Lin Yu Hao had developed after many years. It was extremely powerful and could kill the target without drawing any blood, very much in line with his style.
In a flash, a flower made of World Energy shot out from his finger, while an invisible energy locked on to Yang Kai.
Yin Zheng Kai, on the other hand, stood aside; he had no intention of attacking with Lin Yu Hao, focusing all his attention on Yang Kai instead. He had a hunch that Lin Yu Hao’s ultimate technique would be useless against Yang Kai because this young man seemed very strong.
Be that as it may, he could gauge Yang Kai’s depth through Yang Kai’s reaction. So, Yi Zheng Kai was keeping an eye on him.
But in the next moment, a look of terror took over his face as he muttered to himself, “How is this possible?”
Yang Kai didn’t even move his body. All he did was gently blow and it directly dispersed Lin Yu Hao’s Plucking Flower Finger, the flowers scattering into petals before it could touch Yang Kai.
Lin Yu Hao was also dumbstruck. He glanced at Yi Zheng Kai as a chill ran down his spine.
The other party had broken his strongest Secret Technique just like that, evidence that Yang Kai’s cultivation had reached a level that the two couldn’t even fathom. Even if there was too big of a gap in their cultivation, such a thing was still impossible.
“What a superb Secret Technique.” Yang Kai chuckled lightly. “Unfortunately, your cultivation is too low. It can’t play a big role.”
It sounded insulting, but rather than feeling insulted, a pondering look appeared on Lin Yu Hao’s face.
In cultivation, it didn’t matter who started cultivating first, what mattered was who had higher cultivation. Yang Kai might seem young, but he was naturally qualified to comment with his strength.
Having said this, Yang Kai’s face sank again. “You two have been hiding here, drinking tea and discussing the Dao without paying attention to the worldly affairs. It might look like you are free and unrestrained but are you really free to do as you like?”
Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai looked at each other. An embarrassed look appeared on their faces.
Yang Kai sneered and continued, “If you feel that you are free and at peace, then forget it, but I don’t think you are. If you want to escape from the world, then why care about the world? Why bring trouble to yourself for nothing? It’s really ridiculous. Either seclude yourself in the mountains and forests for your entire life or enter the world of mortals, enjoying all aspects of life. On the road of Martial Dao, your heart needs to be free and at ease. You need to keep forging ahead with firm determination. If you calculate your gain and losses, being overly cautious and indecisive, you will never achieve anything in your life!”
“Needs to be free and at ease!” Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai were hit with a shock. A pondering look immediately appeared on their faces. Their expression kept on changing; sometimes they looked confused, sometimes they looked excited. It seemed as if they were comprehending something.
Yang Kai glanced at them and chuckled. He then beckoned to the girl named Ling’er. “Miss, pour me another cup, and don’t be so angry.”
Ling’er nibbled her lips and hugged the teapot tightly while glaring at Yang Kai. It seemed as if she could guard it with her life.
Yang Kai rubbed his nose in embarrassment.
Right at this moment, Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai suddenly let out a long roar towards the sky. Their long roars immediately summoned the winds and clouds. In the blink of an eye, the Nine Heavens Holy Land was covered in lightning and thunder. It seemed as if a blanket of dark clouds had fallen from above.
“Oh!? It looks like they are about to advance!” Yang Kai looked at the sky. It was clearly the baptism of the world that a cultivator had to face when he was about to break through by a Great Realm.
He hadn’t expected these two guys, who had occupied the Nine Heavens Holy Land like a dove occupies the magpie’s nest, would break through their own shackles because of his words. Just from this, it was quite evident that these two guys were very talented. It was just that they were limited by the meagre World Energy of Tong Xuan Realm, and were unable to break through.
Just as they finished howling, Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai flew into the sky with a serious look on their faces and separated from each other, preparing to face the World Energy baptism.
“What did you do to the two Young Lords?” Ling’er’s beautiful face lost all colour as she rushed to Yang Kai and asked loudly.
The other girls also rushed over and surrounded Yang Kai. Worry and anger were clearly visible in their beautiful eyes; worried for Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai while angry at Yang Kai.
It seemed that as long as something happened to Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai, they would beat Yang Kai to death.
“I didn’t do anything. Weren’t you watching?” Yang Kai was in a jam. “I just spoke a few words to them that’s all.”
“Then why are they like this?” Ling’er was on the verge of crying.
“Don’t worry, they will come down stronger in a while!” Yang Kai patiently explained.
“Save it for someone who would believe you, you scoundrel! Sisters, let’s beat him up.” A round-faced girl from the crowd shouted angrily.
Just as she proposed this, all the girls raised their fists and rained their punches at Yang Kai.
“Huh, where is he?” In the next moment, Ling’er screamed in shock. She was shocked to discover that Yang Kai, who should be sitting on the chair, couldn’t be found anywhere. All their punches just hit the air.
“Was he… a ghost?” That round-faced girl turned pale as she asked cautiously.
Just as she said this, everyone turned pale and shuddered in horror when they recalled that they had been with the ghost for so long.
On one of the Nine Peaks, Yang Kai heaved a sigh. “The girls are afraid of nothing these days.”
These girls’ Martial Dao cultivation might not be high, but their determination to defend Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai was not a joke. It really made Yang Kai helpless. If he stayed any longer, he might have been crushed by the waves, so Yang Kai had no choice but to flee decisively.
In the sky, two human figures stood in the air as the might of heaven and earth struck them one after another, making them scream, but their cries contained unyielding will and joy.
After a long while, the phenomena over the Nine Heavens Holy Land finally and slowly scattered.
Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai immediately appeared in the pavilion at the same time. They looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Although the two looked quite embarrassed, they had already broken through the Saint Realm and advanced to the Saint King Realm.
“Young Lords, are you all right?” Ling’er and the girls anxiously rushed over and asked.
“We are okay! Well, where is that friend?” Lin Yu Hao looked around but when he didn’t find Yang Kai, he was shocked.
“That Ghost was driven away by us!” Ling’er waved her fist as she claimed the credit.
“Ghost…” Yi Zheng Kai’s face twitched a little. Although he had no idea how strong Yang Kai was, judging by the fact that Lin Yu Hao and he advanced simultaneously with just a few words from him was a proof in itself that Yang Kai stood at a height they could only look up to. Even if they had broken through to the Saint Realm, they didn’t dare to compare themselves with Yang Kai.
Such a powerful expert had been called a ghost by these girls.
“You actually drove him away?” Lin Yu Hao looked upset.
“Young Lord, did we do something wrong?” Ling’er asked nervously.
“No harm, no harm!” Yi Zheng Kai hurriedly waved his hand, “It’s not related to you, you guys…”
Yi Zheng Kai abruptly paused before he could finish anything. He perked his ears to listen closely. Suddenly, a look of joy appeared on his face. He immediately looked at Lin Yu Hao and found that he too was looking at him happily. The two understood each other and nodded slightly.
“You guys stay here, Brother Yi and I will be back in a jiffy.” Lin Yu Hao ordered before he stamped on the ground and shot towards a direction. Yi Zheng Kai closely followed behind him.
After a few minutes, the two simultaneously arrived at the peak where Yang Kai was. When they caught sight of that mysterious and eminent figure, both of them turned serious and cupped their fists. “Thank you very much for your advice, Senior. I hope Senior can forgive us for our past transgression.”
Although they didn’t know how old Yang Kai was, since he was stronger than them, he might be an old monster who had lived for hundreds of years. Addressing him as a Senior wasn’t shameful.
“Senior!?” Yang Kai touched his nose and said with a chuckle, “Don’t address me like that, I’m very young. Furthermore, I didn’t point you to how to break through, you broke through on your own. It has nothing to do with me.”
Had Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai not prepared to go out and contribute to the continent, Yang Kai would not have bothered to pay attention to them.
At first, he had decided to drive the two away. This Nine Heavens Holy Land was his territory, so he wanted to lay a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array here. How could he allow someone else to occupy it? But after he noticed that these two were good-hearted, Yang Kai came up with another idea.
Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai looked at each other before the former asked, “Then… how do we address you, Friend?”
“Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai!?” Yi Zheng Kai furrowed his brow. “I think… Where have I heard this name? It sounds so familiar.”
“Your Excellency, you wouldn’t happen to be…” Lin Yu Hao, on the other hand, looked at Yang Kai in shock. “Are you…”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
“It’s really you!?” Lin Yu Hao was dumbfounded.
“Brother Lin…” Yi Zheng Kai looked at Lin Yu Hao for help. He still hadn’t figured out where he had heard the name Yang Kai.
“Brother Yi is truly forgetful.” Lin Yu Hao smiled bitterly, “Weren’t we just discussing that we will follow the Nine Heavens Holy Lord’s footsteps? Now, that very Lord had appeared before us and Brother Yi can’t even recognize him!?”
Yi Zheng Kai lost his voice, “Nine Heavens Holy Lord! So you are the Nine Heavens Holy Lord!?”
Nine Heavens Holy Land Lord was like the Great Demon God to the entire Tong Xuan Realm. He was a legendary figure.
Many people only knew of Nine Heavens Holy Land Lord but unaware of his name, just like the Great Demon God. After so many years, everyone only knew of Great Demon God, but most had forgotten his name.
Yi Zheng Kai couldn’t recall for a while, but when Lin Yu Hao reminded him, he was completely shocked.
In the next moment, his expression changed as drops of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He immediately cupped his fists and apologized, “It turns out that Holy Master Yang had appeared before us, but Brother Lin and I had eyes but failed to see. I hope Holy Master Yang will forgive us.”
Lin Yu Hao too apologized in horror, “Since Holy Master Yang has returned, Brother Yi and I will immediately leave the Nine Heavens Holy Land. I hope Holy Master Yang won’t blame us for disturbing this paradise.”
Occupying someone else’s headquarters without even informing them was a very serious issue. Although the Nine Heavens Holy Land had been empty for many years, it didn’t mean that one could occupy it at will. In case Yang Kai chose to look into it, Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai would not be able to compensate for it with their deaths, no matter how many lives they had.
So, after they came to know Yang Kai’s identity, Lin Yu Hao had immediately decided to withdraw.
“Why? You don’t have to leave,” Yang Kai chuckled.
But Lin Yu Hao looked horrified. He immediately tried to explain, “Holy Master Yang, Brother Yi and I had no idea that you were still in Tong Xuan Realm. We thought you had…”
“You don’t have to explain. Well, I don’t mean to make trouble for you,” Yang Kai waved his hand and interrupted him before adding in an indifferent manner. “If you like this place, I can gift you the Nine Heavens Holy Land.”
“Gift us!?” The two were really dumbstruck this time. They had no idea what Yang Kai was cooking.
“That’s right, gift you.” Yang Kai nodded. “But you have to do something for me.”
Lin Yu Hao sunk into silence for a moment before asking cautiously, “I wonder what we can do for you. Holy Master Yang, can you please elaborate.”
“It’s nothing big. You don’t have to be so nervous.” Yang Kai smiled kindly. “You just have to keep watch on this place, stopping any outsiders from coming in at will. I will be arranging a Spirit Array here, and you just have to guard that Spirit Array in the future.”
“So simple!?” Yi Zheng Kai was extremely surprised.
“It’s just that simple.” Yang Kai nodded. “Of course, I don’t like forcing anyone. If you don’t want to, then forget it. I will find someone else.”
Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai glanced at each other. They were finding it rather difficult to make up their minds.
Even though Yang Kai looked calm and relaxed when he mentioned this, they knew that the Spirit Array should be of absolute importance. If they couldn’t guard it well, they would just be offending Yang Kai for no reason, and judging by the strength Yang Kai had just displayed, it was not a responsibility they could bear.
The two exchanged glances and conversed with their Divine Senses for a long time, but they couldn’t reach an agreement.
“Oh, you two seem reluctant. If that’s the case, then forget it, I’ll look for someone else. It doesn’t matter if their cultivation is low, I will give them some artifacts, pills, and Secret Arts. That will be enough to guard this place,” While speaking, Yang Kai turned around to leave.
“Wait!” Lin Yu Hao stopped him at once. A serious look appeared on his face as he said, “Holy Master Yang, please wait. We have already decided.”
“Really?” Yang Kai turned and looked at them.
“Yes,” Yi Zheng Kai hurriedly nodded his agreement. “Back then, Holy Master Yang commanded the masters of three races and confronted the Bone Race, defending the continent. Although our cultivation is low, we have received Holy Master Yang’s guidance. We don’t want to just drag out our ignoble existence anymore. We would like to contribute to the peace of this continent.”
“We might not have an idea what Spirit Array Holy Master Yang wants us to guard, but since it’s laid by Holy Master Yang, it must be related to the safety of the continent. It’s our duty, and we can’t decline it, so please leave it to us, Holy Master Yang!” Lin Yu Hao said in a loud and sonorous voice.
“You don’t need to force yourselves.” Yang Kai rubbed his forehead, “I don’t like to force others. It will be very boring to guard the Spirit Array here. You might even need to guard it for generations.”
“Why would that be difficult?” Yi Zheng Kai proudly said, “Brother Lin and I don’t like to hustle and bustle, we like to keep away from distracting thoughts and desires. The Holy Land is beautiful and rich in World Energy. It would be a great honour for us to stay here, so how can it be boring?”
“Brother Yi is right.” Lin Yu Hao nodded with an earnest look. “This seems to be very important. If Holy Master Yang has no candidates, I hope Holy Master Yang can consider us two brothers.”
“But your cultivation is a little low.” Yang Kai rubbed his chin as if he was being picky.
“We aren’t that old. Also, we have broken past the Saint Realm. We will grow stronger as long as we keep on cultivating.” Lin Yu Hao eagerly looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai pondered for a long while before he heaved a sigh and said, “Forget it! Since you insist so much, this Holy Master would entrust you with this important task. I hope you don’t take it lightly, you must guard this place well.”
“Holy Master Yang, don’t worry. As long as we two are alive, no outsider can set foot in Holy Land. If anyone dares to force themselves in, we will stop and kill them within five steps!” Lin Yu Hao said in a low and deep voice.
“Great! I like this kind of determination. Then, I will leave the Holy Land to you two, I hope you will pay more attention to it.”
Yi Zheng Kai and Li Yu Hao were overjoyed upon hearing this. The former put a grin on his face and said, “Holy Master Yang, you mentioned gifting some Secret Techniques and pills. I…”
“And Secret Arts… Cough Cough…” Lin Yu Hao coughed in embarrassment.
“I’ll find something suitable for you,” having said this, Yang Kai rummaged through his Space Ring.
There were many things in his Space Ring, looted after killing his enemies. Naturally, there was no shortage for Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai. After a while, Yang Kai took out a few Saint King Grade artifacts and numerous Spirit Pills. He also taught them two suitable cultivation techniques and few Secret Techniques and Martial Skills.
The two had never seen Saint King Grade artifacts and pills, or the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques that seemed to be tailor-made for them. They could not hold their excitement.
Although they pursued free and easy life, every cultivator yearned for stronger and higher Martial Dao.
Yang Kai seemed to have opened another door for them.
After rejoicing, Yi Zheng Kai seemed to have thought of something. He immediately notified in a solemn voice, “By the way, Holy Master Yang, many things have happened in Tong Xuan Realm this year. A group of foreign cultivators had been wreaking havoc. I wonder whether Holy Master Yang would get rid of them?”
“You don’t have to worry about this. I have already punished their leader. As for the remaining trash, my companion is cleaning them up. Peace and order will return to the continent in a few days,” Yang Kai calmly said.
Having heard Yang Kai speak of it in such a dismissive manner, Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai were extremely shocked.
They might not have any idea about how powerful these outsiders were, but judging by the fact that they could destroy and enslave those great forces, Tong Xuan Realm cultivators definitely could not resist these outsiders. But much to their surprise and horror, these very outsiders were completely powerless before Yang Kai and would be wiped clean in just a few days.
The two immediately realized Yang Kai’s strength in disguise.
“Hmm, you two have just advanced. If you don’t know anything about your current realm, you can ask me. I will explain it to you.” Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry to arrange the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array. Since he wanted Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai to guard this place, he would naturally make them stronger. Therefore, he intended to help them.
Lin Yu Hao was taken by surprise. He immediately asked, “I hope Holy Master Yang can explain to us what realm we are actually in? Although we can feel that we have already surpassed Saint Realm, we are still at a loss.”
“Mhmm, due to Tong Xuan Realm thin World Energy, Saint Realm is the highest anyone can generally reach and it’s natural that you don’t understand this. Your current realm is called the Saint King Realm, a realm above the Saint!”
“Above the Saint Realm!” Both were dumbstruck.
Over the next few hours, Yang Kai systematically taught Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai of the division of upper realms in the Martial Dao, and also explained to them the matters they should pay attention to during cultivation. The two kept nodding over these hours. They had received a lot of benefits.
Only after half a day did Yang Kai ask them to withdraw and consolidate their current realm. Meanwhile, he began to look for a suitable place to arrange the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array.
More than ten days later, the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array had taken shape in the Holy Land. Yang Kai, after making the final adjustments, poured his Saint Qi into it. The Array immediately started running, shining with dazzling white light and overflowing with an intense Space Force.
“It can really connect to Azure Tree Star!” Yang Kai looked surprised, “It looks like these Space Spirit Crystals from the Severed World are indeed extraordinary.”
He wasn’t sure that the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array would connect to the one in the Azure Tree Star Palace, but after finishing it, he discovered that it was powerful enough to do so. The two Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays resonated with each other as they established a mysterious connection in the void.
All of this was due to those pure Space Spirit Crystals. If he didn’t bring them from the Severed World and look for them outside, perhaps he would not have been able to achieve this.
“Isn’t this a Space Array?” Gui Zu appeared beside Yang Kai like a ghost. His eyes were glued to the Array before him, incredibly surprised.
“Mhmm, it’s a Space Array.” Yang Kai nodded his affirmation.
In fact, Gui Zu had arrived at Nine Heavens Holy Land a few days ago, it was just that Yang Kai was busy, so the former didn’t bother him until now.
After circling around the Space Array a few times, Gui Zu shook his head and praised, “It’s really amazing. I’m afraid this Old Man will never be able to understand its mystery! This Old Man deserved to be trapped on the floating continent for two thousand years. Where can this Array teleport?”
“Azure Tree Star.”
“What!?” Gui Zu stood slack-jawed. “You mean… Azure Tree Star? The same Azure Tree Star of the Sword Union!?”
“Indeed!”
“We are hundreds of millions of kilometres away from Azure Tree Star. Can just this one Space Array…?”
“There is not just this one. There are other Space Arrays in-between the two, that’s why the connection could be achieved,” Yang Kai explained a little, but Gui Zu still couldn’t believe it.
That was billions of kilometres away. Even with his cultivation, it would take almost a year to fly there, but now, this distance was narrowed to zero by two Space Arrays.
“Well, what’s the result of Elder’s action?” Yang Kai looked at Gui Zu and asked.
“All killed.” Gui Zu grinned. “I also seized an Origin Grade High-Rank Starship! This Spirit Devouring Sect is really rich.”
“Excellent! What about the Spirit Devouring Crystals!?” Yang Kai looked at him with a happy smile.
Gui Zu immediately grew vigilant and said, “What do you mean? Those are this Elder’s trophies. Even if it’s Sect Master, you can’t ask for it like this.”
“Don’t be so serious, Elder. The energy in these Spirit Devouring Crystals belongs to this continent, it’s reasonable to return it. Be good and give me those Spirit Devouring Crystals. Besides, they won’t be of much help to you. They might improve your strength but I’m afraid it would make your foundation unstable, and I don’t think Elder would like that.”
After squabbling with Gui Zu for a long time, Yang Kai finally got him to return those Spirit Devouring Crystals. In exchange, he would ask Little Senior Sister to refine a few Origin King Grade pills for him after returning to High Heaven Sect.
How would Gui Zu know that Little Senior Sister could refine Origin King Grade pills easily? With her natural talent, she could refine pills with less effort than ordinary alchemists, so it was as simple a matter as asking. If he came to know this, he would probably call Yang Kai cunning and insidious.
Gui Zu brought back forty to fifty Spirit Devouring Crystals, all of which were smashed by Yang Kai, returning their energy to this world.
Tong Xuan Realm was already connected to the entire Star Field and could continuously absorb the energy of stars. With Xia Ning Chang as its Star Master, it would surely prosper again in time.
Next, Yang Kai summoned Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai from their retreat and gave a Transmission Token refined by him. He asked them to take good care of Nine Heavens Holy Land and enter the Space Array with the Transmission Token, reporting to Azure Tree Star, if Tong Xuan Realm was in a crisis due to outsiders again.
The two had just advanced to Saint King Realm. They weren’t that strong, and as such, Yang Kai left a Blood Beast just to be on the safe side. Naturally, it was the Steel Flame Ghost Spider that had reached the Tenth-Order. Although the Steel Flame Ghost Spider’s strength had declined slightly after being refined into a Blood Beast, anyone below the Origin King Realm was not its opponent. Even if it was up against an Origin King, it could still deal with the situation.
With the Steel Flame Ghost Spider guarding the Nine Heavens Holy Land, Yang Kai could finally rest assured and leave.
After he left Shadowed Star, he had arranged several Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays along the road, completely connecting Shadowed Star with his homeland. In the future, it would be extremely convenient to go back and forth or to another Cultivation Star.
This was just the beginning. Yang Kai’s plan was to spread the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array throughout the Star Field so that every prosperous Cultivation Star would be connected.
However, this was a time-consuming and laborious project. More importantly, it needed a lot of Space Spirit Crystals, so Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry.
After arranging the matters of Tong Xuan Realm, Yang Kai stepped into the Space Array with Gui Zu, poured in his Saint Qi, and activated the Spirit Array.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai respectfully sent them off.
Azure Tree Star, Twin Shark Island, Yang Kai’s palace…
He Zao and He Miao sisters were sitting cross-legged in the depths of the palace, facing each other. The two sisters had no idea how profound the Secret Art they were cultivating was. As their palm came in contact with each other, their Saint Qi met and circulated non-stop in their bodies. Meanwhile, the World Energy outside kept pouring into their acupoints.
There was no wind blowing in the hall, yet their hair was dancing and their clothes were flapping continuously.
At this time, the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array in the main hall gave off strange noises as it bloomed with a dazzling white glow.
He Zao and He Miao were instantly jolted in shock. They opened their pretty eyes and immediately stood up, looking towards the Array.
“Someone came from Shadowed Star again,” He Zao said, pondering. Ever since Yang Kai left with Luo Lan, cultivators of the High Heaven Sect kept arriving from Shadowed Star. All of them were at the peak of Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, and one had even reached the Origin King Realm. The sisters gradually realized the power and heritage of the High Heaven Sect, feeling proud to be a member of such a Sect. Now, when they saw the Spirit Array up and running again, He Zao suddenly thought that someone was coming from High Heaven Sect again.
As soon as her voice fell, two vague figures appeared in the centre of the Array and slowly grew distinct with time. After the white light dissipated, Yang Kai and Gui Zu appeared at the same time.
“Ah, it’s Brother Yang Kai!” He Miao cried in joy.
The nearby He Zao immediately knocked her head and rebuked, “It’s Sect Master!”
He Miao stuck out her tongue, showing a coy expression.
The two sisters came to Yang Kai, elegantly bowed, and greeted with joy, “Greetings, Sect Master!”
“Are you on duty here?” Yang Kai looked around and asked with a smile.
“Yes,” He Zao replied with a sweet smile.
“Thank you.” Yang Kai nodded gently to her.
Gui Zu recovered from the long-distance teleportation only now. He shook his head and complained, looking ill at ease, “It was really uncomfortable, I felt like I was going to be swallowed by the void.”
Even someone as strong as he felt uncomfortable during this kind of super-long-distance teleportation. As for those with weaker cultivation than his, it would take them a good long while to recover and stabilize their aura after each teleportation.
If anyone stepped into the Space Array without the Transmission Token specifically refined by Yang Kai, they would be banished into the endless void, unable to find their way forever.
“He is…” He Zao looked at Gui Zu with a frown. Gui Zu was radiating a sinister and loathsome aura. It made her extremely uncomfortable. In just one glance, she could tell that he was far from good. She didn’t understand how Yang Kai could mingle with someone like him.
“Heh heh, are these two little girls your Sect’s disciples?” Gui Zu asked before Yang Kai could explain.
“Mhmm, He Zao, He Miao, and their master, Yue Xi, have been accepted into the High Heaven Sect by me,” answered Yang Kai, nodding his head. While answering, he beckoned to He Zao and He Miao and said, “Come and greet Supreme Elder.”
“Supreme Elder!?” He Zao and He Miao were shocked. They hadn’t expected this old guy with such a detestable aura to actually be their Sect’s Supreme Elder.
But since Yang Kai had said so, there would naturally be no mistake.
They immediately converged their thoughts, bowed and greeted Gui Zu earnestly, “Disciple greets Supreme Elder!”
“Hahaha!” Gui Zu suddenly started laughing like crazy. He looked very proud. He forced a kind smile, raised his hand, and said, “Relax, relax! You girls are pretty good. Well, since we are meeting for the first time, this Old Man will have to give you some gifts.”
“Ah!?” It never occurred to He Zao and He Miao that they would receive such benefits by just greeting. Amazed, they looked at Yang Kai for his opinion.
Yang Kai looked at Gui Zu with a strange look. He could easily guess that Gui Zu, who had been alone for so long, was feeling a little complacent after suddenly becoming the Supreme Elder of High Heaven Sect and respected by the disciples so much.
Otherwise, why would he give them any gifts after just meeting the Sect disciples?
None of the other Sects’ Supreme Elders was so generous.
All Supreme Elders were symbolic existences. They were the target of every disciple’s admiration and worship. Only those disciples who had made great contributions to the sect or had outstanding aptitude would be eligible to meet them in person, let alone receive some advice and gifts.
By acting like this, Gui Zu might have shown the amiability of a Supreme Elder, but it was at the expense of his majesty.
However, that didn’t matter, it was a novel experience for him. How could Yang Kai stop it? He smiled and said, “Since Supreme Elder is gifting you, take it.”
He Zao and He Miao were overjoyed. They immediately thanked, “Thank you, Supreme Elder.”
“Mhmm.” Gui Zu smiled in return. He took out two copper lock-like things from his Space Ring as if he was already prepared. He waved his hand and said as the two copper locks floated to He Zao and He Miao, “This is a set of Twin Lock artifacts. They are not used for fighting, but to assist in cultivation. Refine them separately, and when you cultivate with these Twin Locks in the future, they will help you two reach the ‘One Heart and Soul State,’ doubling your cultivation efficiency.”
“How generous of Supreme Elder!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up immediately. Although this set of artifacts weren’t high-grade, just releasing Mid-Rank Origin Grade fluctuations, these kinds of auxiliary artifacts were extremely rare. They were especially suitable for siblings like He Zao and He Miao.
Clearly, Gui Zu had noticed that they were related by blood, so he especially gave them these Twin Locks.
Gui Zu smiled and didn’t say anything, acting like a powerful master.
He Zao and He Miao sisters took the Twin Locks and played with them joyfully.
“Ask your master to come and see me. I have something to ask her,” having said this, Yang Kai left the hall with Gui Zu and moved to the bedroom.
Yue Xi rushed over after a short while. She must have heard about Gui Zu from He Zao and He Miao, as she didn’t look that surprised after meeting Gui Zu. Rather she generously bowed to Gui Zu.
“How did the Sect Master’s trip go?”
In the bedroom, Yang Kai and Gui Zu were sitting apart. Yue Xi stood before the right-hand seat and asked in a gentle voice.
“It was okay! Did anything unusual happen during my absence? Did any ignorant people come looking for trouble?” Yang Kai took a sip of tea and asked indifferently.
“Nothing happened. Now, everyone on Azure Tree Star knows that Twin Shark Island is under Senior Luo Lan’s shelter, so no one dares to come here and seek their deaths. The cultivators are also living peacefully on the island, and would pay Saint Crystals as tribute every month.”
“That’s better! Did anyone come from the High Heaven Sect?”
“I was just about to report it to the Sect Master.” Yue Xi smiled slightly with grace. “Many people have come from the High Heaven Sect after Sect Master left. This Disciple has written down their names. Sect Master, please check.”
Having said this, she stepped forward and offered a sheet of beast hide.
Yang Kai went through it and found Qian Tong, Yang Xiu Zhu, Lin Yu Rao, Chu Han Yi, Mu Yu, and others’ names on it. Except for Qian Tong, who was in Origin King Realm, everyone else had reached the peak of Third-Order Origin Returning Realm.
Their purpose was self-evident: They wanted to use the World Principles of Azure Tree Star to attack the barrier of Origin King Realm.
“Huh, Great Elder has also come?” Yang Kai was puzzled at the sight of Ye Xi Yun’s name on the list. Ye Xi Yun had once said that she wanted to protect Yang Yan. Before the Great Emperor woke up, she would never leave the High Heaven Sect. [And yet she had come to Azure Tree Star. Could it be…]
Having considered everything, Yang Kai was stunned. He hurriedly asked, “When did the Great Elder arrive?”
“Great Elder Ye arrived three months ago.”
“Do you know where she is now?”
Judging by the eager look on Yang Kai’s face, Yue Xi knew that this was important. She immediately answered in embarrassment, “This Disciple only knows that Temple Master Qian is currently in Azure Tree Palace to discuss the profundities of Origin King Realm. As for the others… Please forgive me, Sect Master. Disciple has no idea where they have gone. After arriving here, every Elder only told Disciple that they are leaving to search for a secret place to enter retreat. Therefore…”
“Hmm, I’m not blaming you for this, you don’t have to rebuke yourself.” Yang Kai said in a comforting voice. Ye Xi Yun and the others came here to break through to the Origin King Realm, so they went looking for a suitable place for their retreat. Azure Tree Star was so big, and they could easily find a secluded spot. How would Yue Xi know where they were?
Ye Xi Yun actually leaving Shadowed Star to come to Azure Tree Star came as a great shock to Yang Kai.
Frowning, various thoughts churned in his mind as his expression fluctuated.
Seeing him like this, Gui Zu and Yue Xi did not disturb him.
After a while, Yang Kai got up and said decisively, “Supreme Elder, let’s return to the Sect!”
“I’d like nothing more!” Gui Zu grinned meaningfully. Although he had just joined High Heaven Sect and could now be regarded as its Supreme Elder, he had yet to see the Sect itself, so he was quite eager to. This was also his chance to establish a lofty and majestic image.
Gui Zu was interested in what being admired by thousands of people would feel like.
“Sect Master, Senior Luo Lan visited once after returning to Azure Tree Star and told this disciple that if Sect Master returned, she would very much like for him to visit Azure Tree Palace, or allow her to visit you here,” Yue Xi saw Yang Kai about to leave and quickly reported.
“That can wait; Luo Lan shouldn’t have anything vital to discuss with me,” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before shaking his head, “Just tell her that I will see her when I have time.”
Luo Lan probably just wanted to offer her thanks; after all, in the medicine valley of the Severed World, he had helped her a lot. If he had not given her that Space Mark, Luo Lan wouldn’t have been able to move about freely.
Although Yang Kai did not know how much she had gained exactly, it certainly was not a small amount.
“Yes! Safe travels, Sect Master and Supreme Elder!” Yue Xi bid formal farewells.
“En, you’ve worked hard as well. Take this little thing as a gift for our first meeting,” Gui Zu said, throwing something out. Yang Kai did not see what it was, but it should be an artifact.
Yue Xi’s voice cried out from behind as the pair walked off, “Many thanks for the gracious reward, Supreme Elder!”
Soon after, the two arrived at the room where the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array was placed, and under the admiring gazes of He Zao and He Miao, Yang Kai and Gui Zu activated the array to travel to Shadowed Star.
“This old master’s luck seems a bit bad, following you and experiencing this unpleasant sensation without any chance to recuperate,” Gui Zu kept complaining. Although teleporting over a trillion kilometres in an instant was not an experience many could have, doing so multiple times in short order was truly unpleasant.
Yang Kai just grinned and ignored him. In the next moment, the two figures disappeared from the palace.
Azure Tree Star’s Space Array only connected to the rich Ore Star Yang Kai had discovered, so if he wanted to return to High Heaven Sect, he had to make a stopover there first to reach Shadowed Star.
After arriving on the Ore Star, Yang Kai didn’t disturb the disciples who were mining ore and just silently released his Divine Sense to confirm all was well before immediately activating the Space Array again.
After so many consecutive transfers, when he appeared in the massive main square of the High Heaven Sect, Gui Zu’s face was pale, and his whole body was a bit shaky.
He did not cultivate Space Force like Yang Kai, so this kind of uninterrupted chain of ultra-long-distance transmissions really caused him some discomfort.
It was only thanks to his profound cultivation that he was able to even stand here like this, otherwise, he would have already passed out.
In the square, the disciples on duty saw Yang Kai and were immediately overjoyed, “Sect Master has returned! Sect Master has returned!”
These disciples were some of the earliest cultivators to follow Yang Kai from the former Hai Ke Family. Over the years, each of them had made great progress, the best of which being Wu Yi and Yu Feng, who were on the verge of breaking through to the Origin Returning Realm. As for the rest, all of them had at least reached the Saint King Realm.
One had to know that the most powerful cultivators in the Hai Ke Family back then were only Saint Kings. If these disciples had remained in that family, they may not have been able to reach the Saint King Realm even if they spent their entire lives cultivating, yet all of them had achieved this milestone after following Yang Kai for just a few decades.
While the disciples on guard duty shouted loudly, one of them ran over and began ringing a large bell that had been set up nearby.
*Dang dang dang dang…*
The bell echoed among all eighty-one of High Heaven Sect’s peaks, reaching every corner of the Sect.
In the next moment, it was as if the entire Sect began to boil and from the majestic peaks streaks of light shot out and rushed towards the square.
As if seeing Yang Kai’s suspicion, the disciple on duty quickly reported, “The two Madam Sect Masters issued an order are to ring this bell to inform them if Sect Master returns.”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai gently nodded before turning in the direction of Pristine Ice Peak, his eyes softening as a warm smile appeared on his lips.
He could feel that from Pristine Ice Peak, Su Yan was rushing over rapidly.
From Pill Treasure Peak, the figure of Little Senior Sister had also appeared and was riding the wind towards the square.
The other peaks also had similar activity.
“There are a lot of disciples in the Sect,” Gui Zu looked around happily, doing his best to restrain the evil aura coming from his body, determined to make a good first impression.
Soon after, a beautiful figure fell from the sky, wearing a long snow-white dress that paired perfectly with her warm-jade white skin, her limpid eyes staring at Yang Kai as if trying to silently tell him she had longed to see him.
Who else could it be but Su Yan?
In the next moment, Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang also landed and stood next to Su Yan, showing both deep affection and shyness.
Gui Zu’s eyes flashed as he wore a meaningful grin and muttered, “Boy, seems you’re quite lucky in love…”
As he thought so though, Gui Zu was also secretly astonished. With his level of vision, he could naturally tell that these two young women weren’t just stunning beauties, but each had remarkable talent and prowess.
Moreover, these two girls were both Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators, while the girl in white had an aura that was far stronger than average. The cold aura she radiated naturally even had some influence on his Saint Qi, being both oppressive and sharp.
Although the girl in green did not have such an intimidating aura, the power hidden within her body was not to be underestimated.
This Sect… seemed to be larger and more powerful than what he had imagined, causing Gui Zu to feel much more confident in his decision.
After all, he was a Second-Order Origin King, and although Yang Kai had tempted him to join by saying High Heaven Sect had several Origin King Grade Alchemists, if the Sect itself was just a bunch of loose sand without any foundation, it would be uncomfortable for him to remain.
At this moment though, Gui Zu felt this Sect had great future prospects.
“Smelly Brat, seems you finally remembered to come back after going out for so long,” A low shout rang out from nearby. There was only one person who dared to talk to Yang Kai like this.
Yang Kai turned his head and chuckled as he called out, “Father.”
Yang Ying Feng’s face was rosy, and although he had just been reprimanding his son, there was no way to hide the relief in his expression. Yang Kai going out for a few years had caused his father to worry, so seeing him safe and sound with both his arms and legs, Yang Ying Feng was finally able to put down the huge stone which was weighing on his heart.
“Oh stop it, our son is already big, why do you insist on meddling so much?” Dong Su Zhu glared at Yang Ying Feng, “You can’t even manage these affairs, yet you dare call yourself a father?”
Yang Ying Feng smiled awkwardly, “An old fortune-teller once told me that I would only fully realize my greatness later in life, so apparently, my time to rise has not come yet. When it does, I will surely soar up into the sky and become…”
Dong Su Zhu narrowed her eyes as clear disbelief filled her expression.
Yang Ying Feng immediately felt deflated and turned his ire towards Yang Kai, his eyes filled with bitterness.
The square immediately became extremely lively, and just like every time Yang Kai returned, everyone warmly welcomed him.
“En en… the Sect having such cohesion, it seems there’s no need to worry about its future prospects. This old master feels very relieved,” Gui Zu suddenly found himself out of place and ignored, so he coughed lightly a few times to make his presence known.
As a Second-Order Origin King, he thought that he would \be welcomed with the admiration and worship of the various disciples when he arrived here, but it seemed like no-one even noticed him and all the attention and limelight were taken up by Yang Kai, causing Gui Zu to feel a bit awkward in his heart.
“Yang Kai, this is…” Ling Tai Xu looked at Gui Zu suspiciously and asked solemnly.
Ling Tai Xu was now also a Third-Order Saint King. The masters from Tong Xuan Realm, such as Ling Tai Xu and Meng Wu Ya, had all made great strides in recent years, but with their cultivation, it was only natural that they were unable to sense Gui Zu’s true depths and were thus puzzled about why Yang Kai had brought back such an inscrutable master.
“En, that’s right, I forgot to introduce everyone. This is Senior Gui Zu, who will be serving as Supreme Elder of High Heaven Sect in the future!” Yang Kai straightened his face, pointed to Gui Zu, and announced loudly.
“Supreme Elder?” The crowd immediately went into an uproar as they stared at Gui Zu curiously.
After all, even a cultivator as powerful as Ye Xi Yun was only the Sect’s Great Elder. High Heaven Sect had only been founded recently and didn’t even have a Supreme Elder position. Now, suddenly having a Supreme Elder surprised everyone.
After the initial surprise came speculation about Gui Zu’s cultivation realm.
Since he was a Supreme Elder, a position below one but above ten thousand, he needed corresponding strength; at the very least he should be stronger than the Great Elder. Great Elder was a peak Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator, so could this old man be…
[An Origin King?] The hearts of everyone jumped.
“Supreme Elder is a Second-Order Origin King. Even considering the entire Star Field, he is a peak-level master and it is the Sect’s good fortune he has decided to join.” Yang Kai said, causing the entire square to fall silent as everyone stared at Gui Zu in shock, many of the disciples even showing looks of fanaticism and worship.
A real Origin King Realm master, and a Second-Order one at that!
Shadowed Star was no longer an isolated Cultivation Star, and the information brought back from the outside world by Qian Tong and the others had spread far and wide, so the disciples here knew what a Second-Order Origin King represented.
A Second-Order Origin King was a top master that could stand at the peak of the Star Field. Besides a few old monsters that were in perennial retreat, Second-Order Origin Kings were the highest authority and strength in the Star Field.
The Sect had actually attracted such a powerful person to join?
For a while, the disciples felt like they were in a dream, unable to believe their ears.
“Haha, Sect Master is too serious. It is this old master’s honour to join High Heaven Sect,” Gui Zu chuckled, very satisfied with the reactions of the disciples in front of him. Trying to remain humble but also make a strong impression, he slowly released his Second-Order Origin King aura to allow the disciples to feel his strength while smiling and saying, “Since this old master has become a Supreme Elder of this Sect, he swears to advance and retreat together with the Sect. If there is someone who wishes to bring misfortune upon the Sect one day, they will have to first deal with this old master, however… this old master is only one man and his power is limited. For the Sect to truly prosper in the future, it will require everyone to contribute their strength for generations to come!”