Gui Zu’s words were both upright and profound, so he was shocked and somewhat embarrassed that no one responded to him after he finished. The nearly ten thousand disciples in the square seemed to have been struck by lightning and were unable to move.
Quietly turning his head to look at Yang Kai, Gui Zu discovered that this little brat had already wrapped his arms around Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang and was whispering something to them quietly, totally ignoring his plight.
[Little bastard! Abandoning me when I need you most!] Gui Zu cursed in his heart.
But in the next moment, a loud shout suddenly sounded.
“What Supreme Elder said is right! I won’t disappoint Supreme Elder and Sect Master’s expectations!”
“Advance and retreat together with Supreme Elder, live and die together with the Sect!”
“Supreme Elder and Sect Master can rest assured, I will definitely work hard to cultivate so the Sect will soon stand equal then dominate above the three great forces of Star Field!.”
“Supreme Elder is mighty! I will obey all of Supreme Elder’s orders!”
Gui Zu’s recruitment seemed to have injected a dose of hot blood into the High Heaven Sect, causing everyone to be excited.
Gui Zu secretly breathed a sigh of relief as he experienced an inexplicable feeling. If he were to put it into words, it would be like the ugly daughter-in-law who came to see her in-laws and finally managed to obtain their approval…
[This is quite stressful. Aren’t I a Second-Order Origin King? Didn’t I come here to accept worship and blessings? Why did it all become so complicated?]
Gui Zu really could not understand his own feelings.
Quickly adjusting himself, he tried to put on the appearance of a powerful master and smiled lightly, “Today is the first time this old master has stood before you but… En, this old master has not prepared anything as a gift on first greetings, so instead, this old master will speak about his comprehensions of the Martial Dao for the next three days. During this time, if any of you have any questions about your cultivation, you may ask them, and this old master will answer them if he can.”
As soon as this statement came out, the nearly ten thousand disciples became even more excited. Although they were excited, all of them tried to restrain themselves and immediately sat down cross-legged, giving their full attention to Gui Zu.
There were not many opportunities to listen to the teachings of a Second-Order Origin King, and every cultivator, throughout the course of their cultivation, would encounter difficulties and questions. These problems may appear when one tried to cultivate Secret Arts or Martial Skills, when refining artifacts, or even when trying to comprehend the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way. If at that time, there was someone to guide and teach them, they could save much time and difficulty.
Now, there was a Second-Order Origin King who would speak of his own experiences and answer their questions. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so how could the disciples not get excited?
Seeing all the disciples give him so much face comforted Gui Zu’s heart, and after clearing his throat, he began to speak, his words reverberating across the square. Within a short time, all the disciples showed mesmerized expressions, completely immersed in his explanations of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way.
“Two Senior Sisters, I haven’t seen you for many days. Junior Brother has missed you very much. Come come, let’s find a quiet place to talk in private,” Yang Kai saw that Gui Zu was at ease, so he didn’t pay him anymore mind, tightening his hold on Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang as he walked out with them shamelessly.
“Junior Brother!” Su Yan’s pretty face flushed red as she gave him a disapproving glance, “We have lots of time. Today, Supreme Elder is discussing his life experiences, so it is a rare opportunity. I want to stay…”
“I want to stay too…” Xia Ning Chang looked at Yang Kai eagerly.
“There will be plenty of opportunities for that. If you want to, I can have him speak to you personally another day,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
Hearing this, Gui Zu, who was full of vigour on the stage, almost tripped and fell to the ground. Shooting a glare towards Yang Kai viciously, he felt that this boy was just using him to please his women. Absolutely shameless!
“How could we do that? Supreme Elder is the Supreme Elder after all…” Xia Ning Chang was a little worried.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Yang Kai ignored Gui Zu’s glare and just chuckled lightly, “Supreme Elder wants to ask you for Alchemy, so he can teach a little to you when the time comes.”
“Supreme Elder want to request Alchemy from me?” Xia Ning Chang glanced over at Gui Zu.
Gui Zu’s heart was shaking as he wondered if this woman was the Origin King Grade Alchemist mentioned by Yang Kai. Indeed, Yang Kai had said that his Senior Sister was an Origin King Grade Alchemist back then, and this innocent looking woman did have a strong pill fragrance about her, one that could only be obtained by constantly refining pills.
[So, it really is her!]
Thinking so, Gui Zu hurriedly squeezed out a smile and nodded to Xia Ning Chang, not daring to be careless while he continued to speak without stopping.
“Look, Supreme Elder has agreed,” Yang Kai struck while the iron was hot and quickly ran off with Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, not giving them a chance to hesitate. The two women flushed with shame and lowered their heads, unable to argue any further.
Halfway back though, Xia Ning Chang suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, Junior Brother, Sister Yang Yan…”
“I know!” Yang Kai interrupted her.
When he returned to High Heaven Sect just now, Yang Kai had already noticed Yang Yan’s Divine Sense sweeping him briefly before disappearing in a flash, so he was almost certain she had awakened!
The legendary Starry Sky Great Emperor had returned!
However, he did not have time to deal with Yang Yan’s affairs right now as he first needed to attend to Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang.
…..
Five days later, Hundred Flowers Peak.
Yang Kai walked up the long mountain road, but as soon as he reached the peak, a young girl suddenly flew towards him. Mid-air, her slender calf swept out. There was no energy fluctuation coming from her body, so it seemed she was only using her physical strength.
Yang Kai’s face turned extremely solemn, however, and with a low shout, he stabilized his stance and raised his right arm to block.
*Hong…*
As if two giant mountains collided with one another at high speed, a violent blasting sound filled the air and the ground under Yang Kai’s feet suddenly turned into dust. The young girl who suddenly attacked Yang Kai also cried out as she flew backwards.
Turning mid-air, the young girl dexterously adjusted her position before landing gracefully. The next moment though she bent down and began rubbing her leg while glaring at Yang Kai, “Uncle Sect Master, is your body made of steel? That hurt so much!”
While complaining, a few tears squeezed out from her eyes.
“Silly little girl,” Yang Kai looked at her with a smile. “Every time I see you, you try to attack me. Why, are you that confident in your physical strength?”
“Hmph,” The little girl snorted slightly as she pointed her nose towards the sky, “Great Elder said that I have the Tyrant Strength Body that grants immense strength, and Martial Aunt Yang Yan also said that I have great talent, but they must be lying to me. I can’t even tidy up Uncle Sect Master after eating so many Shadowed Heaven Pills.”
“Haha, they’re not lying to you, it’s just that you’re too young. When you’re my age…”
“Then I can tidy you up?” The little girl asked excitedly.
“Nope! You’re still growing, but so am I, so you’re not the only one who will be getting stronger and stronger, but… why are you so keen to tidy me up?” Yang Kai stared at the little girl in amazement.
The little girl was of course Lin Yun’er, the orphan adopted by Huang Juan.
As time passed, Lin Yun’er’s physical prowess was becoming more and more terrifying. The power hidden in her tiny body was almost on par with that of an average Origin Realm master, and if she used her Saint Qi as well, she would be able to fight against Origin Returning Realm cultivators with ease.
[How old is this little girl? This year, she should not be more than sixteen. Nevertheless, she has already achieved such astonishing strength.] Yang Kai could almost imagine that she would become the most famous master of the Star Field in the future.
Hearing Yang Kai’s question, Lin Yun’er promptly replied, “Martial Aunt Yang Yan said that if Yun’er can clean up Uncle Sect Master, she will take me to a good place to make me stronger.”
“Haha…” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he glanced over towards Yang Yan who was sipping tea lightly in front of her Hundred Flower Pavilion.
After awakening, Yang Yan gave off a vastly different feeling from before, and when Yang Kai looked at her, he could not help feeling this difference, causing him to frown slightly.
“I thought you would stay in First Heavenly Palace forever and never come see me,” Yang Yan put down the teacup in her hand and smiled at Yang Kai meaningfully. “Were these past few days enjoyable?”
“It was alright,” Yang Kai’s face was not thin, but even he couldn’t help going slightly red at this moment. Glancing over to the side and seeing Gui Zu standing next to Yang Yan, he could not help asking in surprise, “Oh, Supreme Elder is also here, what a coincidence.”
“Haha…” Now it was Gui Zu’s turn to have his face twitch.
Actually, Yang Kai had noticed him the moment he arrived, but looking at Gui Zu’s appearance, it seemed that he had suffered a big loss at Yang Yan’s hands. At this moment, he stood behind Yang Yan respectfully like a servant, not daring to reveal the slightest bit of his evil aura, instead even shrinking his neck as if trying to make himself seem smaller.
“This is your newly recruited Supreme Elder, right?” Yang Yan pointed to Gui Zu and asked Yang Kai.
“En, Senior Gui Zu has a Second-Order Origin King cultivation. which is sufficient for a position of Supreme Elder of the Sect,” Yang Kai said as he walked up to the Hundred Flower Pavilion and sat opposite Yang Yan.
Lin Yun’er followed obediently and poured Yang Kai a glass of water with a smile.
She seemed very relaxed in front of Yang Yan, without the slightest pressure, a stark contrast to Gui Zu, who was like a mouse being stared at by a cat…
“His cultivation is so-so, but… he doesn’t seem to know the immensity of Heaven and Earth,” Yang Yan snorted softly.
Yang Kai clearly saw Gui Zu shiver when he heard these words come out.
As Yang Kai has guessed, he had suffered a big loss at Yang Yan’s hands! But what had Gui Zu done? Yang Kai also became curious and could not help looking at him.
Gui Zu squeezed out an ugly smile and said, “Senior, this is the first time this old man has held the post of Supreme Elder so he couldn’t help acting a bit insolent and having eyes but failing to see, causing him to accidentally offend Senior. I hope Senior can be forgiving and not lower herself to this old man’s level.
“Lower herself to your level, this Queen?” Yang Yan looked at him with a grin, “Just yesterday you said you would answer this Queen’s questions about cultivation. This Queen has not even thanked you for your offer yet. In fact, I have some things I wish to ask you today. I wonder if Supreme Elder has the time?”
“Senior must be joking…” Gui Zu almost cried, “This old man really didn’t know Senior’s identity and thought you were just an ordinary disciple, as such…”
“Supreme Elder, you didn’t take the initiative to try to teach her, did you?” Yang Kai’s jaw dropped.
Gui Zu nodded slightly with a distraught look on his face.
Yang Kai picked up the teacup and took a light sip as he tried very hard not to smile, his shoulders shaking noticeably from the effort.
Gui Zu was feeling quite miserable.
After his three-day lecture, his image in the minds of High Heaven Sect’s ten thousand disciples became tall and mighty. Gui Zu was also feeling quite proud and happy that he had quickly won the approval of the disciples and integrated into High Heaven Sect.
Yesterday, he had been wandering around High Heaven Sect to familiarize himself with its sights and scenes; after all, this place would be regarded as his Sect in the future.
High Heaven Sect had a total of eighty-one peaks, each one rich in World Energy aura and natural beauty, making Gui Zu extremely satisfied.
The Three Blazing Flame Rings that protected High Heaven Sect also shocked him, and it really made him wonder which Grandmaster had arranged such a profound array that even a master like him did not dare to enter.
He had, at one point, passed by Hundred Flowers Peak on a whim.
Yang Yan was sleeping with her eyes closed at the time, but when Gui Zu saw her he mistakenly thought she was cultivating some kind of Secret Art. After Yang Yan opened her eyes, Gui Zu acted the part of a powerful master and ‘graciously’ gave some pointers. He thought she would definitely thank him for his advice with gratitude and worship, but how could he have known all Yang Yan would do was give him a light ‘hehe’.
This faint laughter was like a crack of thunder in his ears though, completely overwhelming his senses.
Gui Zu froze up in that instant as the sound of her laughter echoed continuously in his mind, as if it would continue on forever, only stopping earlier today and allowing him to slowly wake up.
How could Gui Zu not understand he had kicked an iron plate? He was greatly startled by Yang Yan’s shocking methods and did not dare to act presumptuously in front of her again.
Even now, he still could not figure out what kind of cultivation Yang Yan had.
A simple, casual laugh had sunk him into a nightmare, unable to return to his senses for almost an entire day. This was not something a Third-Order Origin King could do. If he had not personally experienced it, Gui Zu would never have even believed such a thing was possible.
All he could say for certain was that Yang Yan’s cultivation was far superior to his own because, no matter how Gui Zu observed, he couldn’t tell what Yang Yan’s true depths were. There were no artifacts on her that isolated Divine Sense probing either, so it was not that she was simply hiding her strength from him.
[Just what are the origins of this woman? She is too terrifying!]
[That damn Yang Boy is too insincere. Why didn’t he warn this old master there was such a powerful character hidden inside the Sect.] Now, he had embarrassed himself by trying to show off his meagre skills before an expert like her.
Recalling those few words of instruction he spoke yesterday, Gui Zu couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into and not come out for a lifetime.
It was like a toddler who had barely learned to walk standing before an honoured Senior and saying he would teach her how to fight…
Just what kind of Sect was this? In the Sect, not only was there a monstrous rising star like Yang Boy, a freak who had reached the Origin King Realm at such a young age, but there was that frightening young woman in white as well as another young woman who was an Origin King Grade Alchemist. Now, there was even this terrifying woman as well!
[This old master has not just stepped into a monster pit, right?] Gui Zu’s heart beat rapidly as unease filled it.
“Sect Master, you know that this old master was just trying to be helpful, please say a few good words for him,” Gui Zu saw that Yang Yan was still unhappy, so he could only look to Yang Kai for help.
Yang Kai lightly coughed, and said after thinking for a while, “Yang Yan, Senior Gui Zu acted out of good intentions. Just let this matter slide.”
Gui Zu nodded repeatedly, “This old man indeed only wanted to be of assistance. Please do not blame him for his ignorance, Senior.”
Yang Yan snorted lightly, but her expression eased noticeably.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Since you fell asleep, you and I have not seen each other like this for more than ten years, so do you insist on throwing a tantrum as soon we meet?”
“Who’s throwing a tantrum with you?” Yang Yan glanced at Yang Kai coldly.
Yang Kai hesitantly scratched his nose, “You seem to be quite upset right now, completely different from before.”
Gui Zu chimed in angrily from the side, “It must be because you’ve been out picking flowers and enjoying the snow and moon while ignoring and treating Senior here so coldly!”
As soon as these words were spoken, Gui Zu realized he had used some poor phrasing. He intended to please Yang Yan, his statement came off as ambiguous and incendiary.
Sure enough, Yang Yan shot him a glance and hehe’d once more.
[Not again…]
Gui Zu’s complexion changed drastically and in the next moment he went stiff and his eyes went blank…
“Why…?” Yang Kai smiled bitterly. With his eyesight, he could see that Gui Zu’s Soul had been overwhelmed and suppressed by Yang Yan, likely experiencing some kind of nightmarish torture.
“It’s just a small punishment, nothing to worry about,” Yang Yan said lightly. “Moreover, it’s not a misdeed for him. Do you think just anyone can have the honour of being suppressed by this Queen’s Divine Sense?”
“Since it’s good for him, then it’s fine,” Yang Kai smiled lightly before he stared at Yang Yan and said, “It feels like after you woke up, you’re a bit different from before.”
“The one you interacted with before was this Queen’s Embodiment, but now you are before this Queen’s true body, how could it be the same?” Yang Yan’s expression remained indifferent, the kind of indifference that seemed to push all others far away, making Yang Kai feel a little uncomfortable and lose interest in chatting. Instead, he just focused on tasting his tea silently.
After a long silence, Yang Yan suddenly said, “Your progress is quite good, I didn’t expect you to break through to the Origin King Realm in such a short period of time. Perhaps with your ability… you can really protect this Star Field.”
“Me?” Yang Kai pointed his finger at himself and said with a smile, “All I want to protect is my relatives and friends. The Star Field is too big and has nothing to do with me.”
“If you really think so, then you are wrong,” Yang Yan looked at Yang Kai seriously, “Do you know why I came to this Star Field?”
Yang Kai frowned, faintly realizing that Yang Yan was about to reveal some great secret, but he still shook his head and said, “You never told me, so how could I know. However, if I had to guess, it would be related to the Insect Emperor.”
In this Star Field, only the Insect Emperor was comparable to Yang Yan over the countless years. Ten thousand years ago, when these two fought, one had their body destroyed while the other fell into a deep sleep. In the region around Shadowed Star, many Stars had been crushed, and a thick Emperor Pressure still lingered about, creating the Dead Zone that stretched for millions of kilometres, a physical reminder of just how fierce the battle at that time had been.
When Yang Yan asked this question, Yang Kai immediately thought of the Insect Emperor.
“En, my coming here was indeed related to the Insect Emperor. Then, do you know why the Insect Emperor came here?” Yang Yan continued to ask.
Yang Kai shook his head again.
Yang Yan explained, “He came here to swallow World Principles. If he had succeeded, all the Cultivation Stars in this Star Field would have been turned into Dead Stars, so I pursued him here and engaged in a life or death battle with him.”
“Why would he want to devour World Principles?” Yang Kai looked at Yang Yan in shock.
“The Emperor’s Dao is to gain control over the Principles of Heaven and Earth. Only by controlling such Principles can one become an Emperor!” Yang Yan explained, “But how could it be easy to master Principle Strength? It isn’t like simply becoming an Emperor grants you such power, one needs to comprehend the Heavenly Way deeply if they wish to control such strength, but aside from years of hard cultivation, there is a shortcut…”
Yang Kai faintly thought of something and said in amazement, “Refining Star Sources?”
He had refined the Star Source of Shadowed Star, which allowed him to faintly feel its World Principles, which was why he thought of this.
“Correct,” Yang Yan nodded, “But what the Insect Emperor wanted to do wasn’t refine a Cultivation Star’s Source, he wanted to swallow them! Swallowing a Source and integrating the Principle Strength of Cultivation Stars into his own is the shortcut he wanted to take.”
Yang Kai felt cold sweat all over his body at this moment…
If the Insect Emperor had succeeded, then countless Cultivation Stars across the Star Field would have been destroyed. It is even possible that all life in the entire Star Field would have been annihilated.
“You should know that this Star Field is not the only Star Field that exists. There is a powerful barrier that separates individual Star Fields from one another, formed by the Star Field’s Principles themselves. Even for an Emperor, trying to break through these barriers is very difficult, which is why you don’t know of the existence of anything outside your Star Field,” Yang Yan ignored Yang Kai’s shock and continued to speak without pause, “Many, many years ago, a powerful master from the place I came from reached the Emperor level and discovered this shortcut to strengthening himself, so he used his powerful Divine Abilities to break through these barriers and went from one Star Field to the next, swallowing all the World Principles of those Star Fields, resulting in the total destruction of nineteen Star Fields in just one hundred years! Each of those nineteen Star Fields was even more prosperous than the one you reside in now.”
More cold sweat dripped from Yang Kai’s forehead hearing this.
“Star Fields are the foundation of cultivators, so the destruction of any Star Field is a matter of great significance. At that time, the top ten masters realized the seriousness of this problem, so they joined forces to create rules which prevented other masters from abusing this practice. From then on, if anyone is found trying to act against a Star Field in this manner, they would be killed without mercy. Although this solution was quite effective, it didn’t eradicate the problem as there are always some who are willing to take risks. The Insect Emperor was one such character. I was sent here to stop him.”
“This… this is all a bit overwhelming and difficult to accept. How about we put this matter aside for now and continue once you’re feeling better?” Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat on his forehead while trying to get up to leave.
He had an ominous feeling about what was about to transpire.
However, in the next moment, Yang Kai discovered that his movements were completely suppressed by some invisible force and he could only sit in place, unable to move.
Yang Yan glanced at him obliquely before continuing on, “Every Star Field actually has its own protector. This is the most efficient method to prevent those with bad intentions from invading. Once a cultivator that exceeds the power of a Star Field is discovered trying to break in, those protectors are the first to receive a notification, and they are then charged with preventing anything from happening. However, the guardian of your Star Field has been missing for over ten thousand years and no one knows whether he is alive or dead, so I was sent in his stead. By the way, your Sealed World Bead was originally his.”
Yang Yan looked at Yang Kai with a grin that clearly held some mischievous intent, “I also have my own Star Field I am charged with protecting, and I have been away from there for long enough. Now that I have truly awoken, I can’t continue to remain here, and you can only depend on yourself from now on. Now that you’ve obtained that person’s Sealed World Bead, you should inherit his mantle and become the Protector of this Star Field. Your relatives and friends all live here, so you can’t exactly refuse, can you?”
“If you do not have the strength and skill, one day, when someone comes and tries to refine Shadowed Star, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself. If you want to ensure that your friends and family can live in peace, work hard to cultivate, and when your cultivation reaches my level, you will be able to properly protect this Star Field.”
After Yang Yan finished speaking, she ignored Yang Kai, picked up her teacup, and drank from it lightly.
The power that imprisoned Yang Kai also disappeared, but Yang Kai did not leave, instead just sitting there and frowning in thought, as if he was digesting what Yang Yan said.
The Emperor’s Dao, multiple Star Fields, Principle Strength, Protectors…
All these new and novel things impacted Yang Kai’s mind, leaving him silent for quite some time.
Yang Yan seemed to have opened a new door in front of him, one that was filled with dazzling light that, although painful to Yang Kai’s eyes, also filled him with excitement…
“According to what you said, this Star Field’s Protector has been missing for over ten thousand years. Wouldn’t that make this Star Field a big piece of unclaimed cake that everyone would covet? Why has only the Insect Emperor invaded after so many years?” After a long silence, Yang Kai raised his head and asked Yang Yan.
Yang Yan laughed lightly, “Do you think it is such a simple thing to break through the barriers of a Star Field? Principles are the laws that govern the world, and those laws are supreme. Even the top ten masters from the place I come from do not dare infringe upon those Principles at will. To break through those Principles and reach this place, one must pay an enormous price!”
Saying so, Yang Yan’s brow furrowed, as if she was thinking of something.
After a brief pause though, she continued, “In short, this price is not something everyone can afford. If one can sense and comprehend Principle Strength all on their own, why take the risk to come to a Star Field to refine the Sources of Cultivation Stars? Only those whose cultivation has stagnated and see no hope of advancing any other way will choose to do this. You must know that once you come to a Star Field that is not yours, your realm will drop significantly. No master wants this to happen.”
“Even if their realm drops, they still want to refine Star Sources in violation of those rules?” Yang Kai exclaimed in shock.
As a cultivator, he naturally knew how painful it was to have one’s cultivation regress. If he, as an Origin King, were to suddenly have his cultivation fall to the Origin Realm or Saint King realm, it would be a massive blow.
Such a setback would likely be impossible to recover from, bringing one’s path on the Martial Dao to an end.
“Naturally!” Yang Yan raised her white chin slightly, “You haven’t reached this realm yet, so you don’t understand the temptation Principle Strength holds to those people. If one’s realm falls, it can be regained through cultivation, but it is not so simple to master Principle Strength. You are now the Star Master of Shadowed Star, so you have vaguely experienced the benefits of Principle Strength. This is an excellent opportunity that only belongs to Star Masters. If their fortune is good enough and they can break through the void to arrive at that place, many great forces will try to recruit them.”
“That place… is called Star Boundary, right?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes at Yang Yan.
Yang Yan was startled, “How do you know that name? I don’t remember telling you…”
Saying so, her expression suddenly changed, “Who did you meet?”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “I did meet someone, and he mentioned the name Star Boundary.”
Yang Kai gave a detailed account of the Spirit Devouring Sect he encountered on Tong Xuan Realm.
After listening to his story, Yang Yan coldly snorted, “As I thought, someone has come down again. They must be anxious to die! Spirit Devouring Crystals are so evil that they are even forbidden in the Star Boundary. All knowledge of how to create them was sealed or destroyed long ago, but it seems there are still those who have access to that information and actually dared bring it to this Star Field.”
“Although that Spirit Array is quite profound and the Spirit Devouring Crystals refined from World Energy are good treasures, they’re not very effective resources, right?” Yang Kai thoughtfully, “Using those Spirit Devouring Crystals to improve one’s strength is indeed faster than cultivating normally, but when I fought that Spirit Devouring Sect’s Sect Master, although he was also a First-Order Origin King, his combat power was far lower than any Origin King I’ve encountered before.”
“Do you think that person passed Secret Techniques to that Spirit Devouring Sect to improve their strength?” Yang Yan coldly snorted, “That person only wanted to use them to test whether this Star Field’s Protector would act. Before he is certain there is no Protector here, he will not dare act rashly. The Spirit Devouring Sect was just a pawn to him.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “I heard that the Spirit Devouring Sect suddenly emerged a hundred years ago, so doesn’t that mean that person came to the Star Field a hundred years ago? He actually remained in hiding for that long?”
“Compared to his life, what is a hundred years?”
“That’s right, you fell into a deep sleep for ten thousand years…” Yang Kai thought about it and realized that a hundred years of patience was really nothing compared to the time Yang Yan had been asleep.
“Lower your Knowledge Sea’s defences, I’ll check what that guy left in you. If possible, this Queen will find him personally and deal with him. It will be this Queen’s final gift to you before leaving this Star Field.”
“Alright!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The next moment, he sent his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea and released all his defences.
He did not need to feel the least bit of wariness toward Yang Yan. Although the feeling he got from her was not exactly the same as before, Yang Kai still found many things familiar about her.
With a light breeze, a beautiful figure appeared inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and stood beside him. Naturally, it was Yang Yan’s Soul Avatar.
Looking around for a while, she nodded in approval, “Your Soul is far stronger than an average cultivator of your realm, probably on the same level as a Third-Order Origin King. What’s more, you have a Mutated Conflagrated Knowledge Sea… Hm? A Soul Warming Lotus? A Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus?”
Yang Yan suddenly exclaimed as she covered her small mouth with her delicate hands, her beautiful eyes flashing as if she had seen something astonishing, “You actually possess a Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus?”
This was the first time she had entered Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, so after seeing the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, she was thoroughly stunned.
It was no doubt a Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus. The seven coloured radiance which gently lingered around this supreme treasure gave her Soul a comfortable and pure feeling.
“Is this thing really that valuable? Why does everyone who sees it wear such an expression?” Yang Kai scratched his nose. The unknown master who saw the Soul Warming Lotus in his Knowledge Sea the other day reacted almost identically to Yang Yan.
“Is it valuable?” Yang Yan glanced at Yang Kai, “The value of this treasure is immeasurable. As its owner, I am sure you’ve experienced the benefits it brings to you. What more do I need to say?”
Yang Kai nodded.
“So that’s how it is. I wondered why your Spiritual Energy was so much stronger than a normal cultivator’s, it turns out you’ve had this Soul Warming Lotus all along! And this Soul Warming Lotus is actually in its seven coloured form. Your luck is definitely not ordinary,” Yang Yan showed a look of envy as she told Yang Kai’s solemnly, “Even in the Star Boundary, the Soul Warming Lotus is a legendary treasure. Very few people have ever even seen it before. If you one day reach the Star Boundary, you must keep its existence secret.”
“I know. Only those closest to me know I have this Soul Warming Lotus,” Yang Kai nodded.
Hearing what he said, a strange look flashed across Yang Yan’s eyes, but it disappeared in the next instant and she gradually restored her previous calmness before saying, “That’s not enough. I will give you a set of Soul-Type Secret Techniques later that you can cultivate to block off probing of your Knowledge Sea. I will also place a barrier for you. With these two things, unless it is someone with cultivation equalling mine, no one will be able to forcefully invade your Knowledge Sea. The barrier won’t harm you and as your strength improves, it will slowly lift on its own.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai smiled happily.
Yang Yan nodded lightly before continuing to sweep her eyes around, eventually directing them upwards where she saw a sea full of stars and was stunned once again, muttering out loud, “The Star Chart?”
“Oh, it’s something I obtained by accident when I first entered the Star Field,” Yang Kai casually explained while carefully examining Yang Yan’s expression.
Yang Yan’s expression was quite strange actually. When she saw this Star Chart, it was like a forlorn and lonely aura washed over her, as if she had lost something unbelievably valuable, sadness filling her pretty face.
Yang Kai was not clear about what happened. When that unknown master saw this Star Chart before, he was obviously extremely excited, even more so than when he saw the Soul Warming Lotus, so why was Yang Yan reacting like this…
“The Star Chart actually appeared here!” Yang Yan closed her beautiful eyes and stood motionless.
Yang Kai did not dare to interrupt and just waited quietly.
After a long time, Yang Yan slowly opened her eyes and sighed, “Yang Kai, it seems the role of Protector for this Star Field is destined to fall on your shoulders.”
Yang Kai frowned, “Please don’t joke, how could I be this Star Field’s Protector with just my strength? Although I do not know what kind of masters roam the Star Boundary you come from, I do know I’m no match for them right now.”
“You can’t escape this, because this Star Chart can only belong to the Star Field’s Protector!” Yang Yan turned his head to look at him.
“What do you mean?”
Yang Yan whispered, “A Cultivation Star has its own Star Source, which a cultivator can refine to become its Star Master. In another sense, a Star Master is the guardian and protector of their Cultivation Star. The same principle applies to Star Fields: they have their own source as well, and that source is this Star Chart!”
As she said so, she pointed to the sky, “Only by refining the Star Chart Source can you qualify to be a Star Field’s Protector. Now that this Star Chart belongs to you, do you think you can escape this fate?”
Yang Kai was stunned, “This thing is the entire Star Field’s Source? You must be kidding me, I’ve only ever used it to find directions, other than that, I haven’t discovered any other use for it.”
Yang Yan just looked at him with a solemn expression.
“You’re serious?” Yang Kai’s face changed slightly.
“Why would I joke about such an important matter? It’s almost like the Heavenly Way is silently guiding you towards this destiny,” Yang Yan said with mixed emotions. “You have the Star Chart and that person’s Sealed World Bead. You also cultivate the Dao of Space. Hehe, it seems you really are inheriting that guy’s mantle. As for the reason you can’t discover any of this Star Chart’s effects, it’s just because you aren’t strong enough yet. When you reach my level, you will understand how precious this Star Chart is. It is a treasure that countless people wish to possess but cannot obtain.”
“The person you spoke of was this Star Field’s previous Protector, right?”
“En.”
“Where is he now?”
“He disappeared thousands of years ago and this Star Chart is now with you, where you do think he is?” Yang Yan looked straight at Yang Kai.
“Dead?” Yang Kai was shocked.
“Who knows?” Yang Yan sneered with a mix of frustration and resignation, “He likes to wander through The Void, so perhaps he was swallowed up by it one day. If that is the case, he brought his fate upon himself!”
Yang Yan’s sorrowful expression was definitely not fake and even the fluctuations emanating from her Soul Avatar were extremely unstable, showing her mood was quite unsettled.
Yang Kai suddenly became a little curious, wondering what the relationship between her and the owner of the Sealed World Bead was.
“Enough, let us not mention him anymore. In any case, he has been missing for so long I already figured he had died. I’ll deal with what that person left in your Knowledge Sea first,” Yang Yan said after a while before sitting down cross-legged with a solemn expression, forming a series of seals with her hands as she swept her beautiful eyes across the sea down below.
A thread of Divine Sense that was visible to the naked eye rushed out from her fingertips, transformed into a snake-like appearance, and dove into the sea.
Yang Kai stood by and watched silently.
His Knowledge Sea was calm at first, but soon, the sea of flames began to become restless and at a certain location, large bubbles appeared.
Yang Kai turned his attention to that side and suddenly found that there was a triangle mark he had never seen before there, one which was vague and misty, nearly making it invisible.
The snake-like thread of Yang Yan’s Divine Sense was swimming around this mark and as it moved, the mark became clearer and clearer.
After the mark was completely revealed, Yang Yan took back the spirit snake.
Relaxing, Yang Yan explained, “It’s the simplest form of Soul Tracing Mark, but even so, you can’t get rid of it nor would you have been able to find it.”
“You can’t get rid of it?” Yang Kai was astonished.
“I can, I just chose not to,” Yang Yan slowly got up and spoke.
Yang Kai looked at her thoughtfully, “Casting a long line to catch a big fish?”
“Exactly,” Yang Yan smiled coldly, “After ten thousand years of silence, it seems like some from the Star Boundary are becoming restless again. This is a good opportunity to teach them a lesson they won’t soon forget. After this Queen returns to the Star Boundary, she’ll hang the head of whoever dared to come here above the Star Gate and see who else dares to come down and covet the Star Field’s Principles again.”
Yang Kai quietly wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, almost feeling sad for this pitiful fellow, but he quickly said, “Whatever you need, I’ll cooperate with you.”
“You don’t need to do anything in particular, he’ll come to you. Just go about your life, I will monitor you secretly,” Yang Yan said before suddenly stretching out her finger and condense a ball of light at its tip before sending it to Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar, “This is the Secret Technique to block off your Knowledge Sea, take some time to cultivate it.”
Yang Kai nodded seriously before closing his eyes to comprehend this new Secret Technique.
His Knowledge Sea had supreme treasures like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus and the Star Field Star Chart. If he went to the Star Boundary in the future, it was inevitable that these things would be discovered by some master if he took no precautions, so Yang Kai diligently cultivated this Secret Technique to seal off his Knowledge Sea.
Seeing him like this, Yang Yan did not say any more, simply leaving him to his studies while she erected a number of powerful barriers around his Knowledge Sea before taking her leave.
One day later, Yang Kai opened his eyes as a faint trace of exhaustion filled his face.
The Secret Technique that Yang Yan handed to him to seal his Knowledge Sea was extremely profound, and he had consumed a great deal of his Spiritual Energy to comprehend it; however, although he was quite tired, his harvest had been rich, so he felt full of energy.
Yang Yan and Lin Yun’er had disappeared from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and when Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, he was unable to perceive their existence, having no clue where they had gone.
Only Gui Zu was now sitting directly opposite Yang Kai, wearing a solemn expression on his face, seemingly pondering something.
“Elder!” Yang Kai greeted him.
Gui Zu came out of his reverie and looked over towards Yang Kai to ask, “Sect Master, that Senior… who was she? Why does this old master feel as weak and vulnerable as a three-year-old child in front of her?”
Gui Zu was truly shocked.
After reaching the Second-Order Origin King Realm, he had thought that despite the world being vast, there was not anyone left who he needed to truly fear, but soon after arriving at High Heaven Sect, he had met Yang Yan and been tossed about by her ruthlessly, making him lose a great deal of confidence.
Although he had gained some benefits from the experience, Gui Zu really couldn’t accept this profound feeling of weakness.
“If I told you she is the Starry Sky Great Emperor, would you believe me?” Yang Kai smiled back at Gui Zu.
Gui Zu’s jaw dropped so far a melon could be stuffed into it as he stared at Yang Kai in shock, his eyes trembling violently.
“Hahaha… didn’t Supreme Elder want to refine some Origin King Grade Spirit Pills? You can go to Pill Treasure Peak to find my Little Senior Sister, she will refine whatever you want,” Yang Kai laughed before getting up and leaving leisurely.
Gui Zu sat alone for quite some time, unable to recover.
Only after a long silence did he pound the table with his fist and curse, “Damn brat, daring to play tricks on this old master! The Great Emperor is just a legend, how could she really appear here all of a sudden? What’s more, as a woman… This old master is not a naïve character, how could he have been fooled so easily? Never mind, those pills are more important now!”
Regardless of the true origins of that woman named Yang Yan, Gui Zu knew that she was definitely not someone he could provoke, and after having suffered two complete losses at her hand, Gui Zu no longer dared act self-righteous.
The Martial Dao was endless, and one needed to always strive to improve themself…
Inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes tightly.
Calming himself, Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense and integrated it into Shadowed Star’s aura. As long as he wanted to, he could even feel the wind or grass anywhere on Shadowed Star now.
It was as if he and the Cultivation Star had merged into one, the two indistinguishable from one another.
The World Principles which had felt vague before had now become clearer, and his grasp of Shadowed Star’s power was much stronger than before.
“Is it because I broke through to the Origin King Realm?” Yang Kai muttered thoughtfully, “It should be, the Origin King Realm and Origin Returning Realm are two completely different Great Realms, after all. As my strength improves, there are bound to be some changes… oh? The World Principles seem to have changed a little…”
Yang Kai suddenly noticed something unusual and began to investigate. After a long time, he was slightly surprised, “The World Principles here are no longer disordered and have become flawless? Is this also a result of my breakthrough? It being impossible to reach the Origin King Realm on Shadowed Star was a direct result of the imperfect World Principles disrupted by the battle between Yang Yan and the Insect Emperor. My breakthrough seems to have altered this situation though… If the flaws in the World Principles have been repaired now, does that mean Shadowed Star will no longer reject Origin Kings? Right, I have not noticed Shadowed Star rejecting me at all since I returned, but I’m also its Star Master, so I can’t use myself as proof. En, I can use Supreme Elder to give it a try.”
Thinking this way, he quickly found where Gui Zu was.
Currently, there were only two Origin Kings on Shadowed Star: him and Gui Zu. Yang Kai was Shadowed Star’s Star Master and would not be rejected by the star, so he could only experiment on Gui Zu.
At this moment, inside a grand palace on Pill Treasure Peak, a strong pill fragrance filled the air.
Gui Zu sat cross-legged on the ground while carefully explaining his own experiences and comprehensions on the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way.
Su Yan sat opposite Gui Zu, in front of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Jade Pedestal, her whole body exuding a deep chill and her hands resting on her knees lightly, listening attentively.
Next to her, Little Senior Sister was also listening very seriously, but her hands never stopped moving, continuously taking out Origin King Grade herbs and extracting medicinal liquid from them.
With her Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, Alchemy was like eating or drinking to Little Senior Sister, an all but instinctive behaviour, so while she listened to Gui Zu’s cultivation experiences, she was not distracted when performing Alchemy.
From time to time, a Spirit Pill would be completed and placed into a pre-prepared jade bottle by Xia Ning Chang.
Gui Zu was delighted and motivated every time he saw this happen.
Suddenly, Gui Zu frowned and turned his head to look around, his expression suspicious.
At that moment, he felt someone spying on him.
Shocked, he immediately and mistakenly thought that Yang Yan was observing him; after all, the only one who should be able to spy on him without revealing their location was Yang Yan.
Not daring to be negligent, Gui Zu became more focused on explaining the many difficulties and intricacies of cultivation, a faint trace of sweat leaking from his forehead as he did.
Fortunately, this feeling disappeared after a while, allowing Gui Zu to breathe a sigh of relief.
“There really is no sense of rejection,” Inside First Heavenly Palace, Yang Kai smiled happily. He had just tried to mobilize the World Principles to apply some pressure to Gui Zu, but found that they didn’t reject his presence.
The perfection of its World Principles was a massive breakthrough for Shadowed Star.
This meant that the World Principles on Shadowed Star would no longer suppress cultivators and restrict them from breaking through to the Origin King Realm. At the same time, they would not repel Origin Kings anymore, like when Qian Tong had been struck by lightning or burned by Earth Fire.
In the future, Shadowed Star would now just allow Origin Kings to rise, it also would not force these masters to leave.
In this way, it would save all the Origin Returning Realm masters of Shadowed Star from having to travel to other Cultivation Stars to make breakthroughs.
It seemed he would need to send word to Azure Tree Star and let Ye Xi Yun, Qian Tong, and all the others know about the good news.
Shadowed Star’s Principles had been repaired thanks to his breakthrough, but the World Principles of the Sealed World Bead were still incomplete, a fact that made Yang Kai feel quite helpless. These incomplete World Principles meant that breakthroughs could not be made inside.
However, this was an artifact left behind by the previous Star Field Guardian, so Yang Kai certainly had not uncovered all of its secrets yet.
For the next six months, Yang Kai remained on Shadowed Star.
He had just broken through to the Origin King Realm not long ago, and although thanks to his Embodiment inadvertently refining the entire floating continent, allowing his realm to rise to the peak of the First-Order, Yang Kai had yet to carefully consolidate his cultivation.
Over the past six months, besides consolidating his realm, Yang Kai also cultivated the Secret Technique to seal off his Knowledge Sea.
After half a year, he had reached the minor accomplishment stage and his entire Knowledge Sea was now shrouded by the invisible layer that seemed to blend and cooperate with the barriers left behind by Yang Yan. With his current cultivation, it was likely there was no one in the entire Star Field now who could invade his Knowledge Sea.
This way, the secrets in his Knowledge Sea were safe.
Today, Yang Kai was enjoying some family time and completing his filial duties by accompanying his parents on the mountain where they lived.
Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang were also present. Some time ago, the two women had been in retreat and had some gains, their auras now fluctuating somewhat, as if they were on the verge of a breakthrough.
As such, Yang Kai pulled them out to relax for a while, since breakthroughs were not something to be anxiously pursued.
Their son was a dragon among men and their two daughters-in-law were great beauties, making Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu feel as if their lives had been worth living. Dong Su Zhu also kept urging Yang Kai to hold a proper wedding ceremony soon, causing his two Senior Sisters to become both excited and shy.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s brows furrowed, and he quickly released his Divine Sense, the next moment his expression becoming solemn as he said, “Mother, Father, wait here a while. I’ll be right back.”
Saying so, he gave a wink to Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, to which both of them nodded in understanding.
Yang Kai’s figure then flickered and disappeared.
Shadowed Star, the Limitless Ocean, above a vast, calm sea, a middle-aged man stood mid-air. Dressed in white, he exuded an extraordinary aura and temperament.
With closed eyes, this man felt the surging World Energy around him and practically smelled the World Principles in the air, his face showing a joyful look.
“The World Energy is rich here. Although the Principles are not perfect, they’re still quite good. En, it’s been a long trip, might as well replenish myself,” The middle-aged man said to himself as he began forming a series of seals.
In the next moment, his body seemed to transform into a bottomless pit that madly swallowed the surrounding World Energy.
Suddenly, the originally calm sea became unsettled and the winds began to howl.
Although with the disappearance of a large amount of World Energy, something else seemed to also be vanishing from the surrounding hundred thousand kilometre radius, causing many cultivators to feel uncomfortable as well as slightly anxious.
Sea Temple headquarters, on a massive island, the current Temple Master Sha Hu was discussing some important matters with the other high-level officials when suddenly he sensed something. Raising his hand and looking in the direction of the middle-aged man, a solemn expression filled Sha Hu’s face.
“Temple Master, what happened?” The Second Temple Master asked.
Sha Hu did not answer directly but his expression grew more and more solemn. It took a while before he stood up and said, “Someone is making trouble on the Limitless Ocean. This old master will go take a look.”
Saying so, his body shot out like lightning, the many masters in the hall exchanging confused looks before following along.
Deep under the sea, instruments played as many young Sea Clan girls sang and danced, brightening the scene inside Sea God Palace.
Suddenly, the waters for several tens of thousands of kilometres around Sea God Palace became turbulent and a violent earthquake shook the ground violently. Lie Kong, the King of Sea God Palace, who sat at the head of the banquet, wore a solemn look as he raised his head up and a profound light flashed across his eyes. The next moment, a vague figure appeared in front of his eyes, and although they were separated by a few ten thousand kilometres, this vague figure still seemed to be aware of his gaze, he just smiled disdainfully and ignored Lie Kong.
Lie Kong was furious and roared in a majestic voice that resounded through Sea God Palace, “Who dares act presumptuously on my Limitless Ocean? If you come to Sea God Palace immediately and admit your sins, this King may spare your life!”
This sound crossed the barriers of space with the help of the Sea Clan’s Secret Techniques and directly sounded in the middle-aged man’s ears.
The middle-aged man who was madly absorbing the surrounding World Energy coldly snorted when he heard this threat and directed an icy glare in Lie Kong’s direction as he shouted, “Pathetic ant, you dare speak to this Senior with such disrespect? Come here now!”
Saying so, he waved his hand lightly, as if he was brushing away a fly.
However, this light movement seemed to contain unimaginable power, causing the seawater to split like a mirror all the way to the seabed. From above, it looked like a huge canyon had appeared in the middle of the Limitless Ocean.
Sea God Palace under the sea was suddenly exposed to the vision of the middle-aged man above.
“Huh?” Lie Kong’s face changed drastically as he felt incredibly stunned.
He had only caught a glimpse of this middle-aged man with the assistance of the Sea Clan’s Secret Technique, but never did he imagine it would result in the other party waving his hand and cutting the entire Limitless Ocean in half.
Such methods were simply beyond Lie Kong’s comprehension or imagination.
[An Origin King? Impossible, even an Origin King wouldn’t have such ability!]
The Sea Clan girls screamed and fled, trying to rush into the sea to seek refuge, but when their bodies touched the edge of the canyon, their bodies burst into blood fog, causing countless casualties.
The many masters of the Sea Clan were shocked as they all looked up in horror at the figure standing in the sky who seemed like some kind of god they were unable to defy.
“I told you to come, did you not hear me? This Senior won’t repeat his words a second time!” The middle-aged man showed a look of impatience and snorted as he stretched out his hand and pointed towards Lie Kong.
Being pointed at like this, Lie Kong suddenly broke out into a cold sweat as he could not even muster the will to resist. This move seemed to be made slowly, but at the same time cut off all avenues of retreat.
*Pu…*
Lie Kong coughed up a mouthful of blood and felt his body imprisoned by an invisible force that dragged him upwards at a rapid speed.
“Palace Master!” The many masters from the Sea Clan called out, but none dared to act rashly.
Lie Kong was the strongest master of Sea God Palace, and even he was easily captured by this unknown opponent, so acting hostile now would be the same as courting death.
A feeling of despair began to spread as no one knew where this middle-aged man came from or what kind of cultivation he had.
The only thing everyone knew was that this person had the power to destroy all of Shadowed Star.
In just a few breaths, Lie Kong was dragged a few tens of thousands of kilometres away and arrived in front of the middle-aged man.
“Kneel down!” The middle-aged man did not even glance at him but uttered two words lightly.
Lie Kong did not feel this man use any kind of strength, but these two words shook his mind like thunder and had a kind of coercive force that seemed to be forcing him to obey, his knees softening instantly as he nearly knelt like he was commanded.
Quickly though, Lie Kong’s eyes turned red and he roared, “This King is the lord of Sea God Palace, how could he kneel to you? If he did, how could he face Sea God Palace ever again?”
Desperately pushing his Strength, a kind of white light burst from Lie Kong’s body as he resisted, but because of the tremendous pressure he was under, his skin cracked, and blood began to leak out.
The middle-aged man just looked at him coldly and said indifferently, “You have no right to refuse!”
“Even if this King must die, he won’t give you what you want!” Lie Kong roared as blue veins throbbed on his forehead, swearing an oath on his life.
*Pa pa pa…*
A loud series of bangs rang out from Lie Kong’s legs, and with them, his legs from his knees down exploded.
The intense pain only further stimulated Lie Kong though as he grit his teeth tightly and despite his miserable appearance let out a hearty laugh, “This King no longer has any knees, so how will you make me kneel now? Try again in your next life!”
The middle-aged man’s expression finally changed slightly as he spoke, “Seems your spirit is stronger than expected. Don’t worry, I won’t let you die here, I’ll keep you alive to teach you some manners later!”
Saying so, with a wave of his hand, a bubble-like object flew out and directly wrapped up Lie Kong. No matter how hard Lie Kong struggled to resist, he was unable to escape.
Nearby, Sha Hu and a group of masters from Sea Temple had appeared, but after witnessing this terrifying scene, all of their hearts froze.
The people of Sea Temple knew well of Lie Kong’s strength; after all, the two great forces had fought for countless years on this Limitless Ocean, so it was not an exaggeration to say that they knew each other intimately.
Lie Kong had always been regarded by Sea Temple as their greatest enemy, as well as the most difficult one to deal with. Even Sha Hu was not certain he could kill Lie Kong in the sea.
But now, the leader of the Sea Clan, the lord of Sea God Palace, a man of great power, was as powerless as a baby in front of this unfamiliar middle-aged man. Not only did he not have any power to resist, even his legs had been destroyed.
This scene caused Sha Hu and the others to feel quite distressed.
“Withdraw!” Sha Hu saw that something was wrong and quickly shouted, preparing to evacuate this place.
An opponent who could easily defeat Lie Kong was definitely not one he could resist.
“Since you’ve come, don’t think you can just go!” The middle-aged man sneered, “This Senior simply wanted to absorb some of this Star’s Source Strength, so if you had just minded your own affairs obediently, this Senior wouldn’t have come to trouble you, but since you seek death on your own, this Senior doesn’t mind sending you all on your way!”
Saying so, he waved his hand in the direction where Sha Hu and the others stood.
It was as if he was swatting away flies.
World Energy gathered together at that moment into a huge palm and fell fiercely.
An aura of death rapidly approached, causing Sha Hu and the others to pale, all of them raising their heads to look at the giant hand which seemed to cover the sky, none of them able to muster the strength to resist.
[What are the origins of this man?] Sha Hu knew that death was imminent, but was still puzzled about where such a powerful cultivator had come from and just who could deal with him?
Could it be Shadowed Star was about to experience a tragedy and he was about to become a casualty?
At that moment, Yang Kai suddenly appeared in his mind.
Perhaps… only that boy could deal with this person. But as soon as that idea came to mind, Sha Hu denied it. That boy was indeed powerful, but compared with the person in front of him, there was still an obvious gap.
The palm arrived above the top of Sha Hu’s head in an instant and some of the masters with him with lower cultivation burst apart and died on the spot before even being struck.
Even Sha Hu with his great strength felt intense pain all over his body as it literally began to crack apart.
“Scatter!” A low shout suddenly rang out.
It was only a mere word, but it seemed to contain a kind of supreme power that affected reality itself.
The surrounding World Energy suddenly became chaotic and the huge palm which was descending towards Sha Hu’s group instantly dispersed.
The sky cleared up and Sha Hu and his group felt the sun’s gentle rays beam down on them, a look of shock covering their faces.
“Oh?” The middle-aged man finally showed a look of interest on his indifferent face as he turned towards the source of this voice and in the next moment he grinned, “It’s you, hahahaha! Before this Senior even went looking for you, you’ve delivered yourself to him. Good, very good, you’ve saved this Senior some trouble. As thanks, this Senior will let you off slightly easier when he kills you!”
Yang Kai frowned as he glanced down at the scattered flesh and blood, then at Lie Kong’s miserable condition, saying with a calm tone, “Seems I came a bit late!”
“Yang Kai!” Sha Hu was overjoyed and called out in excitement.
“Sect Master Yang!” Lie Kong also smiled miserably towards Yang Kai from his bubble.
Sha Hu and Yang Kai had met on Shadowed Soul Island and formed a kind of friendship while Lie Kong also knew Yang Kai because of a trade relationship Sea God Palace had with High Heaven Sect. The last time Yang Kai left the seabed, the Sea Clan’s Little Princess also gave him the Sea God Orb which contained some of the Ocean’s Source, a treasure which was perfectly suited to Yang Kai’s Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
After seeing Yang Kai, both Sha Hu and Lie Kong couldn’t help feeling happy but also extremely anxious.
Sha Hu called out anxiously, “Yang Kai, leave this place quickly, this man is definitely not something you can resist!”
“Old Sha can relax,” Yang Kai smiled at him. “Since I’ve come here, I’m prepared. What’s more, he’s here for me. Old Sha and Palace Master Lie Kong being hurt is partially my responsibility, so just stand back for now.”
Saying so, Yang Kai waved his hand lightly.
An invisible force enveloped Sha Hu and he found that he and the Sea Temple masters had been teleported ten thousand kilometres away while the bubble which had enveloped Lie Kong also burst apart.
By the time Lie Kong knew what was happening, he had returned safely to Sea God Palace.
“Palace Master!” The many Sea Clan masters were overjoyed and rushed up quickly, several of the Elders hurriedly taking out good healing pills from their Space Rings to give to Lie Kong.
“A Star Master? Did you refine this Cultivation Star’s Source?” The middle-aged man’s eyes flashed and he looked at Yang Kai in surprise.
If he were not the Star Master of this place, it would have been absolutely impossible to perform such acts with just Yang Kai’s First-Order Origin King’s cultivation. What’s more, the moment Yang Kai waved his hand, the middle-aged man sensed a fluctuation in the World Principals around him.
“What? Sect Master Yang is actually the Star Master of Shadowed Star?” Although the people from Sea Temple and Sea God Palace were watching from afar, when they heard the middle-aged man’s words clearly, they couldn’t help showing looks of shock and excitement.
This was especially true for Lie Kong. After learning that Yang Kai is actually the Star Master of Shadowed Star, the light of hope was rekindled in his eyes.
If it was the Star Master, on this Star, it would really be possible to fight this inexplicable enemy!
“Boy, this Senior is talking to you, are you deaf?” The middle-aged man could not stop his face from sinking when he saw that Yang Kai blatantly ignored him.
Thinking of his noble status and his great strength, him taking the initiative to speak to a little First-Order Origin King brat was a great honour yet the other party actually ignored him, causing him to feel a little angry out of shame.
Only after being shouted at like this did Yang Kai turn his head and glance indifferently towards the middle-aged man, cleaned his ear with his finger impudently, and called out, “What did you just say? Sorry, this wind is quite strong when we are above the sea, so I didn’t hear you clearly. Say it again.”
Sha Hu, Lie Kong, and everyone else gawked…
They could clearly hear this man’s voice from ten thousand kilometres away, so Yang Kai, who was standing only a few kilometres away obviously could as well. This was nothing short of naked contempt!
While feeling somewhat refreshed themselves, the Shadowed Star cultivators all worried whether it was really a good idea for Yang Kai to provoke such a terrifying enemy.
“You’re certainly rampant enough, boy!” The middle-aged man snickered, “This Senior will congratulate you: You have successfully angered me. You won’t die so easily now.”
“Whether I die or not has nothing to do with you, because you’re going to die very soon,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, not showing the slightest fear despite facing an enemy whose depths he could not even comprehend.
“This Senior admires your courage, but courage without strength is useless,” The middle-aged man raised a finger and shook it gently in front of him, “Little Brat, obediently hand over your Soul Warming Lotus and Star Chart and this Senior will leave you a complete corpse, otherwise this Senior doesn’t mind letting you taste the world’s more exquisite torture first.”
“You want my things? If so, take them yourself and see if you have the ability,” Yang Kai still didn’t show any change in expression.
“Fool!” The middle-aged man did not seem to have much patience, so seeing Yang Kai still refuse his ‘generous’ offer, he snorted and sent his Divine Sense crashing towards Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Whether it was the Soul Warming Lotus or the Star Chart, both were kept inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, so if the middle-aged man wanted to snatch them, he could only invade his Knowledge Sea first.
Yang Kai finally changed slightly as he felt his Knowledge Sea being struck hard by some invisible force. Going dizzy, Yang Kai felt a wave of nausea overcome him as his heart pounded and his face turned pale.
*Hong…*
When this invisible spike impacted Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, a number of profound barriers suddenly appeared and directly blocked the middle-aged man’s Divine Sense from entering inside.
“What?” The middle-aged man was taken aback.
He thought that with his strength, he would easily be able to invade this boy’s Knowledge Sea and seize the Soul Warming Lotus and Star Chart. How could he have imagined that this little brat’s Knowledge Sea actually had such a powerful barrier around it, one that seemed quite impossible to penetrate?
“Boy, you have a lot of secrets!” The middle-aged man looked at Yang Kai with a vicious grin on his face, “Good, after this Senior captures you, he will be sure to study you carefully!”
Saying so, he suddenly reached out to grab Yang Kai.
Within the range of several tens of metres around Yang Kai, space seemed to solidify and an invisible force bound him as it dragged him towards the middle-aged man.
Yang Kai understood his situation and desperately pushed his Space Force while at the same time mobilizing the Star Source’s power to shell and disperse this invisible power, successfully breaking free and teleporting away.
“Now, now, there’s no rush. Your opponent here isn’t me,” When Yang Kai appeared again, he was already a thousand metres away, but this time only a mocking grin appeared on his face when he looked at the middle-aged man.
“Nonsense, is there a cultivator here stronger than you? Even you do not dare fight with this Senior, so who here can stop me?” The middle-aged man sneered, unmoved.
“Your opponent is me!” Suddenly, from the void, a clear female voice suddenly rang out, one that seemed to drift about and come from all directions at once.
The middle-aged man was shocked and showed a serious look for the first time as he shouted, “Who goes there?”
A series of ripples suddenly appeared at a certain point in the sky, like the surface of a calm lake that had a stone thrown into it, and from the centre of these ripples a woman in black robes walked out. Next to the woman, there was another young girl who only looked about fifteen or sixteen, her hair done up in a long ponytail, making her look quite cute.
As soon as this little girl appeared, her pair of bright eyes looked around and in the next moment, they landed on Yang Kai and she smiled and waved, “Uncle Sect Master!”
“Yun’er, come here!” Yang Kai also beckoned at her.
Lin Yun’er glanced at Yang Yan and saw her nod slightly before she made her way over to Yang Kai’s side.
“Uncle Sect Master, I haven’t seen you in half a year! Yun’er missed you very much,” Lin Yun’er was so innocent that she did not seem to notice the treacherous situation around her and the moment she arrived next to Yang Kai she began acting spoiled.
“En, Uncle missed you too… I mean, no, that’s not right, when did I become your Uncle?” Yang Kai looked at Lin Yun’er with some dissatisfaction, “You should call me Brother, I’m not that old.”
“Hehe, if I call you Brother Sect Master, what should I call Martial Aunt Yang Yan?” Lin Yun’er looked at Yang Kai slyly.
“Forget it, Uncle it is,” Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat on his forehead.
In the distance, Sha Hu, Lie Kong, and all the others gawked, wondering what was happening. Why were neither of these two taking this deadly situation seriously? Moreover, what were the origins of the woman in black, and how did she appear here without them noticing?
What exactly was happening on Shadowed Star? Before, there had not been an Origin King for ten thousand years, but today, one master at or even beyond that level was appearing like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
“Uncle Sect Master, can’t you beat that bad man?” Lin Yun’er looked up at the middle-aged man in the sky and asked Yang Kai.
“I’m not his opponent,” Yang Kai admitted frankly as even now he was unable to see through the depths of his opponent, much less fight with him. Even if he was the Star Master of Shadowed Star, occupying favourable conditions and an advantageous position, if he really had to fight with this unknown man, Yang Kai was fairly certain he would die.
In this world, only one person could subdue this man!
Yang Kai turned his gaze to Yang Yan and felt a strong desire deep in his heart to rise further up the Martial Dao!
“It doesn’t matter, Martial Aunt Yang Yan will take care of him. Yun’er will also cultivate hard, so if anyone bullies you in the future, Yun’er will protect you!” Lin Yun’er patted her steadily developing chest and promised heroically.
“Haha, then I’ll rely on you in the future,” Yang Kai laughed.
In the sky, the middle-aged man showed a solemn expression after Yang Yan appeared. He did not know why, but he felt a very dangerous aura from this woman in black robes, as if fighting her would result in a miserable end for him.
Yang Yan on the other hand looked calm and relaxed as she stared at him indifferently.
A light sweat dripped down from the middle-aged man’s forehead as he took a deep breath and tried to calm his mood, cupping his fists, and asking, “Dare I ask Your Excellency’s name?”
“That’s none of your business,” Yang Yan replied faintly before observing the other party’s robes and frowning slightly, “Are you from Falling Star Sect?”
The middle-aged man was shocked as he stared at Yang Yan incredulously, “Do you know my Sect? It seems that you are also from Star Boundary. Could it be you’re this Star Field’s…”
“No!” Yang Yan didn’t wait for him to finish and interrupted him directly, “Since you’ve displayed appropriate courtesy, this Queen will offer you a chance to surrender without a fight. This Queen isn’t fond of bullying the weak.”
“You want me to surrender without a fight?” The middle-aged man seemed to have heard a bad joke and his expression turned grim, “I do not care who you are, but since you’re not this Star Field’s Guardian, then mind your own business. There is nothing this Wu Sheng Feng has set his eyes upon that he has been unable to obtain.”
“Really? Then you are destined to be disappointed this time. With this Queen here, you will obtain nothing and will pay for it with your life,” Yang Yan still had a calm, indifferent expression.
“Does Your Excellency wish to oppose my Falling Star Sect?” Wu Sheng Feng grit his teeth and shouted.
“What thing is Falling Star Sect? Even that old dog Yu He Ling would not dare act presumptuously in front of this Queen, so what do you count for? Do you think you can suppress this Queen with a mere Falling Star Sect? Laughable!” Yang Yan sneered.
Wu Sheng Feng’s eyes bulged, “You know my Sect Master?”
The Yu He Ling that Yang Yan mentioned was Falling Star Sect’s Sect Master, and hearing this woman rampantly disdain him, Wu Sheng Feng really began to slightly panic. This woman’s status and cultivation were clearly unfathomable, and existence he should not provoke.
Any previous sense of superiority disappeared at that instant as Wu Sheng Feng’s expression fluctuated and cold sweat gradually dripped down his back.
“You have three breaths to give this Queen a satisfactory answer or this Queen will obtain one herself,” Yang Yan declared before raising a jade finger and counting, “One!”
As soon as this count began, the atmosphere changed and became heavy, causing Wu Sheng Feng to panic further, “Wait, I have something to say!”
“Two…” Yang Yan remained unmoved.
“Don’t go too far! My Falling Star Sect is not weak! Even if you are stronger than me, so what? I have already determined that there is no Guardian in this Star Field! Why are you trying to insert yourself into my business for no reason?”
“Three!” Yang Yan called out lightly before suddenly appearing in front of Wu Sheng Feng.
*Pa…*
No one saw exactly what happened, only hearing a crisp sound echo before Wu Sheng Feng was sent flying while half of his face swelled up.
“You dare hit me?” Wu Sheng Feng roared, his tone filled with anger and indignation.
*Pa…*
Wu Sheng Feng, who had just stood firm, suddenly flew out again as the other side of his face began to swell up.
“Bitch, don’t think I’m afraid of you! This Senior wanted to show mercy because you were a woman…”
*Pa…*
“Enough!”
*Pa…*
“Don’t just beat others without considering the consequences…”
*Pa…*
“Miss, it’s important to show decorum in battle!”
*Pa…*
“Senior, show mercy…”
*Pa…*
“Wuwu… I was wrong, Senior, I admit my wrongs and accept my punishment, so please stop…”
Ten thousand kilometres away, Sha Hu, Lie Kong, and everyone else stared at this scene dumbfounded. Even Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er both had their jaws slacken as they stared at the funny scene playing out before them.
The majestic and imposing Wu Sheng Feng from before, the one who carried the demeanour of an aloof master who was unchallenged below the Heavens, was as weak and helpless as a three-year-old child in front of Yang Yan, unable to resist or even dodge the blows that Yang Yan rained down on him.
The crisp sound of him being beaten and Wu Sheng Feng’s pleas for mercy filled the air, causing some complicated emotions to fill everyone’s hearts.
Yang Kai gulped as he quietly asked Lin Yun’er, “Yun’er, has your Martial Aunt been in a bad mood recently?”
“En,” Lin Yun’er nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice, a slight tinge of fear flashing across her face, “Martial Aunt has been quite quiet and gloomy recently.”
“I feel sorry for that guy,” Yang Kai sighed slightly.
In the sky, Wu Sheng Feng’s face had been beaten into the shape of a pig’s head that had been stung by countless bees, making him look extremely ridiculous. Any sense of majesty he once possessed had been thoroughly thrashed and his head was now drooping as he stood obediently in front of Yang Yan, a look of resignation filling his expression.
Yang Yan looked down at him faintly and declared, “Originally, for daring to violate the Star Boundary’s laws, I should take your life.”
Wu Sheng Feng heard this, and he began to tremble, looking up at Yang Yan in horror and squeezing out a smile even uglier than if he was crying and hurriedly begging, “Senior… please reconsider! This is my first offence and I swear there won’t be a second! I only ask Senior to spare my life!”
“Hmph!” Yang Yan coldly snorted, “If that weren’t the case, do you think you’d still be alive now? But while the capital punishment may be exempted, you must still suffer some penalty. For your crimes, you will follow me back to the Star Boundary and stand guard the Star Gate for three thousand years!”
“Three… three thousand years?” Wu Sheng Feng was shocked.
Guarding the Star Gate for three thousand years, without even mentioning the unending dullness, one was unable to cultivate there at all because of the barrier which protected the Star Gate. If he was really forced to spend three thousand years in such a position, what future would he have?
“Do you have any objections?” Yang Yan looked at him coldly.
“No, no!” Wu Sheng Feng shook his head quickly, “Senior’s judgement, Junior wouldn’t dare disagree with this. This is an honour for this Junior, haha…”
“Don’t think this Queen doesn’t know what you are thinking,” Yang Yan sneered, “Do you think that after returning to the Star Boundary, you can have that old dog Yu He Ling come forward to save you? If that is what your plan is, you’re going to be disappointed again. If Yu He Ling dares to come forward, this Queen will make him guard Star Gate for three thousand years as well!”
Wu Sheng Feng’s eyes immediately bulged as his face filled with horror and he called out hoarsely, “Senior, who… who…”
His Sect Master, Yu He Ling, in the Star Boundary, could be regarded as a famous figure, but from this woman’s tone, it was not difficult to tell that she did not put him in her eyes at all.
Throughout the entire Star Boundary, the number of people who were qualified to do this did not number more than fifty, and besides the top ten masters, each one of these people was an Emperor existence.
“Who is this Queen?” Yang Yan coldly snorted, stretching out her hand and waving to summon a palace-like artifact before her before she slapped Wu Sheng Feng one last time and shouted, “Get in!”
The next moment, Wu Sheng Feng was wrapped in an invisible force and involuntarily thrown towards the palace-like artifact.
“The Emperor Garden!” When Wu Sheng Feng saw this palace-like artifact, he called out in shock, “You’re…”
Before he finished speaking though, his body was swallowed by the artifact.
Yang Kai squinted at the palace-like artifact and found that it was none other than the Emperor Garden that had been suspended above High Heaven Sect many years ago. With Yang Yan’s awakening, the Emperor Garden had now obviously been taken back by her.
Wu Sheng Feng had been easily subdued, but Sha Hu and Lie Kong did not dare to step forward to offer their thanks, instead just standing in place with dignified expressions. They understood that this woman was a master beyond their comprehension, one they were not even worthy to address. What they had seen and heard today had exceeded Shadowed Star’s bounds, from ancient to present.
Perhaps, today’s battle would go down as something of a legend.
Midair, Yang Kai stared at Yang Yan, suddenly feeling like this woman stood above the clouds and he needed to stretch his neck up just to catch a faint glimpse of her shadow, a somewhat uncomfortable feeling.
Yang Yan did not show any intention to speak either, simply standing in place quietly as she stared at Yang Kai.
Only after a long time did she say lightly, “I should go.”
“Back to the Star Boundary?” Yang Kai frowned and asked.
“En,” Yang Yan nodded, “I have my own Star Field to protect, one I haven’t visited in over ten thousand years, so I have no way of knowing what its situation is or if it’s been invaded by anyone. After so long, there’s no telling if an accident has happened.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, expressing his understanding.
“If you want to go to the Star Boundary, the nine Star Emperor Tokens are the key. When I came here that year, I sealed the connection between this Star Field and Star Gate, and only by using those nine Star Emperor Tokens can that seal be opened. If you want your relatives and friends to live a peaceful life, seek out a higher Martial Dao, or when someone like Wu Sheng Feng appears again one day, you will be unable to resist,” Yang Yan said while gently tapping her finger to send out a small ball of light like a firefly towards Yang Kai. “This is the method to open the channel; whether to go or stay will be up to you to decide.”
Yang Kai remained in place, allowing the small ball of light to enter his Knowledge Sea, the next moment feeling like something had been added to his mind.
Yang Yan waved her hand again and with a yelp, Lin Yun’er, who was standing next to Yang Kai, was summoned over to her.
“Yun’er is very talented and her constitution is perfectly suited to inherit a Secret Art one of my old friends, so I’m taking her with me,” Yang Yan took one last look at Yang Kai before her figure flickered and she suddenly disappeared from his view.
“I hope I can see you again in the Star Boundary!” Yang Yan’s words came from the sky.
Yang Kai opened his mouth to say something, but eventually just sighed and stood there in a daze.
On the Limitless Ocean, calm was restored again.
After a long time, Sha Hu and Lie Kong flew over to Yang Kai cautiously, the former turning his head around nervously as he asked, “Yang Kai, that Senior…”
“Don’t ask. Don’t even think about it. I have nothing to say,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
“En,” Sha Hu nodded, knowing that he had asked something he should not.
Yang Kai glanced at Lie Kong and said, “When you have time, Palace Master Lie Kong should go to High Heaven Sect and ask my Little Senior Sister to refine a Yellow Heavens Pill for you. It should allow you to reform your destroyed limbs!”
Lie Kong’s eyes bulged in shock but quickly a joyous look came to his face and he cupped his fists gratefully, “Many thanks, Sir Star Master! This Lie Kong is extremely grateful. Sea God Palace looks forward to continuing to work together with Sir Star Master in the future!”
He didn’t know that Yang Kai was the Star Master before, but now that he did, and was even being gifted a precious Yellow Heavens Pill, Lie Kong knew not to be negligent and hurriedly offered his sincere thanks.
Sha Hu’s expression on the side changed a bit as he hurriedly said, “The same is true for my Sea Temple. If Sir Star Master has any commands in the future, Sea Temple will not spare any effort to accomplish them.”
“Your sentiment is appreciated,” Yang Kai nodded faintly and replied perfunctorily before closing his eyes and expanding his perception quietly.
He could feel Yang Yan gradually leave Shadowed Star with Lin Yun’er. He did not know where they were headed, only that their final destination was the mysterious Star Boundary.
After a stick of incense, Yang Yan and Lin Yun’er’s aura completely disappeared from Yang Kai’s range, separating themselves from Shadowed Star and entering the vast Star Field.
Opening his eyes, Yang Kai waved to Sha Hu and Lie Kong faintly before his figure flickered and disappeared.
A short time later, Yang Kai returned to First Heavenly Palace in High Heaven Sect and entered a state of meditation.
Yang Yan disciplining Wu Sheng Feng was a battle not many people knew about, only a few masters from the two great forces of the Limitless Ocean who were present at the scene witnessed it with their own eyes, but under the strict orders of Sha Hu and Lie Kong, no one dared to openly discuss it. The entire incident was covered up and disappeared into the annals of history, with the only evidence of it being written briefly in the ancient records of the two Sects.
“Has Sect Master exited retreat yet?” Atop Hundred Flowers Peak, Ye Xi Yun drank tea with a carefree expression while asking Wu Yi.
She had returned to High Heaven Sect three months ago and, not disappointing Yang Kai’s and anyone else’s expectations, Ye Xi Yun had successfully broken through to the Origin King Realm.
She had long been the strongest master on Shadowed Star and had stagnated at the peak of the Origin Returning Realm master for centuries. She had already touched upon the mysteries of Domain long ago but had taken the initiative to stay in High Heaven Sect to protect Yang Yan. If not for this, she would have left with Yang Kai the first time he sailed from Shadowed Star and broken through together with Qian Tong.
Wu Yi had also broken through to the Origin Returning Realm more than a month ago, and during the recent days, she had been accepting some guidance from Ye Xi Yun. Hearing this question, Wu Yi immediately replied, “No, since Sect Master returned two months ago, he has secluded himself in First Heavenly Palace and has not even met with the two Sect Madams.”
“En…” Ye Xi Yun nodded lightly and was just about to inspect Wu Yi’s recent cultivation when she suddenly raised her head and looked towards a certain direction, saying solemnly, “That’s… the direction of First Heavenly Palace?”
“Has something happened to Sect Master?” Wu Yi asked anxiously.
“It doesn’t look like some kind of accident, it’s just that World Energy seems to be gathering towards that direction. Could Sect Master be breaking through?” Even with Ye Xi Yun’s calm temperament, she felt taken aback by her own guess.
How long had it been since Sect Master broke through to the Origin King Realm? A year? Two? How could he have another breakthrough so soon?
“I’ll go and see,” As soon as her voice fell, Ye Xi Yun disappeared.
Outside First Heavenly Palace, a ghostly figure covered in black mist had already appeared. When Ye Xi Yun saw this figure, she stepped forward and quickly greeted, “Senior Brother!”
Gui Zu turned his head and smiled back, “Junior Sister Ye!”
Although the two had only known each other for a few months, they were both Origin Kings and belonged to High Heaven Sect, so addressing each other as Senior Brother and Junior Sister was only natural. After Ye Xi Yun broke through to the Origin King Realm, her title of Great Elder was automatically replaced by that of Supreme Elder, similar to Gui Zu.
In this sense, the two shared the same status.
“Junior Sister Ye also noticed the situation here and came to have a look?”
“En, judging from the movement of the World Energy, it looks like a breakthrough, but I remember hearing from Senior Brother before that Sect Master only reached the Origin King Realm a short time ago. Why is he having another breakthrough so soon? “
“Who knows,” Gui Zu shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t understand either. This boy… cough cough, Sect Master can’t be judged using common sense.”
Ye Xi Yun frowned, “Although Sect Master is indeed a genius that broke through to the Origin King Realm at an extremely young age, if he breaks through too frequently, I’m afraid that his foundation will become unstable.”
She could not help feeling a little worried about Yang Kai.
The Origin King Realm was not like the Great Realms that came before it. It was not unusual for geniuses to make successive breakthroughs in the lower realms, but once reached the Origin King Realm, if a cultivator wanted to make further progress, they needed to do so step by step in a steady fashion.
In the Star Field, many Origin Kings had been stuck at the First-Order their entire lives, unable to spy on greater heights in the Martial Dao.
But Yang Kai’s breakthrough speed was simply too fast, enough so to worry Ye Xi Yun.
Gui Zu frowned as he mumbled, “Sect Master isn’t the type who covets advancement at the expense of strength. Him daring to make a breakthrough at this time should be because he has complete confidence. In any case, it’s useless to worry about it now, this is a matter only Sect Master can handle. We just have to wait and see what the results are.”
“It is as Senior Brother says,” Ye Xi Yun took a deep breath and stared at the gate of First Heavenly Palace.
A large amount of World Energy had gathered around First Heavenly Palace, and although a breakthrough of a Minor Realm would not result in a World Energy baptism, it was still a magnificent scene to behold.
Almost all disciples of High Heaven Sect noticed the anomaly at First Heavenly Palace, and not long after, Yang Kai’s relatives and friends had gathered behind Ye Xi Yun and Gui Zu, all of them staring nervously ahead.
The rich World Energy poured into First Heavenly Palace and soon disappeared, as if it were being swallowed by a bottomless vortex.
This situation lasted for half a day until at a certain moment, Yang Kai’s loud roar rang out from First Heavenly Palace and an aura that seemed to be stronger than Gui Zu’s burst forth.
Everyone’s knees bent at that moment and many were almost crushed to the ground, but fortunately, this aura disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
Gui Zu’s eyes lit up as he whispered, “Freely releasing and taking back one’s strength! Haha, Junior Sister, it seems we were worried for nothing.”
Ye Xi Yun finally showed a relaxed look, but she still did not dare to be careless and said, “We should still wait for Sect Master to come out before we make a final conclusion.”
At that moment, the doors of First Heavenly Palace opened with a bang and Yang Kai’s figure was revealed.
Ye Xi Yun and Gui Zu immediately released their Divine Senses and inspected Yang Kai’s condition.
After a moment, the two exchanged a knowing smile.
The energy fluctuations coming from Yang Kai’s body were stable and there were no signs of his foundation becoming unstable due to a premature breakthrough. Finally confirming this, the two were able to put down their last concerns.
“So many people?” Yang Kai swept his eyes over the sea of familiar faces in front of him in amazement, cupped his fists, and said with a sheepish smile, “Sorry, I accidentally broke through and disturbed everyone.”
Accidentally…
Many people glowered at Yang Kai!
Although most of the cultivators present were Saint Kings, with only a few Origin Realm masters, all of them understood the power of an Origin King and how difficult it was for them to achieve even a minor breakthrough, so Yang Kai’s words just now slightly irksome to them.
“Congratulations, Sect Master,” Gui Zu laughed loudly. “Sect Master’s aptitude is astonishing, something this Elder has only seen once in his life.”
“Sect Master, why did you suddenly break through?” Ye Xi Yun asked curiously.
“There’s no special reason. I was already at the peak of the First-Order and recently comprehended something important, leading to a breakthrough,” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
The main reason for this breakthrough was the stimulation Yang Kai received from bearing witness to Yang Yan and Wu Sheng Feng’s extraordinary strength. Although he had long known that the Origin King Realm was not the peak of the Martial Dao, he had not thought much about it yet. Wu Sheng Feng’s appearance though had given Yang Kai a sense of crisis.
Sitting in meditation for a month, remembering the pressure Wu Sheng Feng put on him, Yang Kai finally had a breakthrough.
Just like what he said to Lin Yu Hao and Yi Zheng Kai in Nine Heavens Holy Land, a cultivator could only advance on their path when they comprehended where they were headed.
After the questions that lingered in his mind were sorted out, his realm had naturally improved.
“Everyone, please return. Everything is alright,” Yang Kai cupped his fists to everyone and said, causing the crowd to slowly disperse.
“Two Elders, please stay a moment, I have something to discuss with you,” Yang Kai called out.
Gui Zu and Ye Xi Yun paused and looked at Yang Kai curiously.
After everyone had left, Ye Xi Yun asked, “I wonder what Sect Master’s orders are?”
“I have something here for you, please take a look,” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and while speaking pointed towards Ye Xi Yun and Gui Zu.
The two of them did not try to dodge or resist, instead just allowing Yang Kai to reach out and touch their heads. The next moment, a package of information was transmitted to their Knowledge Seas, after which Gui Zu and Ye Xi Yun closed their eyes to inspect it.
After a while, Gui Zu’s body shook and his eyes shot open, “The Star Boundary? A realm that exists above the Star Field? That Senior really was the Starry Sky Great Emperor!?”
It was not until this time that Gui Zu understood that Yang Yan was really the rumoured Great Emperor, because the message Yang Kai gave him explained all of this.
On the other hand, Ye Xi Yun wasn’t too shocked; after all, she knew Yang Yan’s identity a long time ago, but regarding the other information, she couldn’t help frowning and saying, “Sect Master, according to the method Milady left behind, if you want to go to the Star Boundary, you must gather all nine Star Emperor Tokens as well as six Third-Order Origin Kings in order to activate the Void Corridor which connects to the Star Gate. Are you… planning to go to the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “Indeed!”
“Is it because of the Guardian issue Milady mentioned?” Ye Xi Yun asked.
“That’s not the entire reason,” Yang Kai shook his head with a contemplative expression on his face, “It is just that, as a cultivator, who doesn’t yearn for a higher Martial Dao?”
Ye Xi Yun’s beautiful eyes flashed a profound light as she nodded deeply.
“That’s right,” Yang Kai grinned. “Being satisfied with the status quo will only lead your path to its end. If I remain here, I will be able to reach the Third-Order Origin King Realm sooner or later and stand at the pinnacle of this Star Field, but so what? If another Wu Sheng Feng were to appear, he would be able to trample me under his foot.”
If Yang Kai was such an easily satisfied person, he would have stayed in the Central Capital or Tong Xuan Realm and there would be no High Heaven Sect now.
“But the conditions for opening the Void Corridor are too harsh, can they even be satisfied?” Gui Zu frowned, “Although collecting the nine Star Emperor Tokens won’t be too much of a problem for Sect Master, finding six Third-Order Origin Kings… Where would we even begin to look? I’m not sure there even are six such masters in the entire Star Field, and even if there are, all of them have secluded themselves from the world, disappearing without a trace.”
“Everything depends on our own efforts,” Yang Kai grinned and patted Gui Zu on the shoulder, “Elder, I’m counting you among these six!”
“Me?” Gui Zu was shocked and waved his hands quickly, “This old master knows his own ability best. Although this old master has hope to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm in this life, he has no idea when that turning point will arrive.”
“Ten years! Within ten years, Elder must break through to the Third-Order!” Yang Kai said with a solemn expression, “I will have Little Senior Sister fully cooperate with you and supply an unlimited number of Spirit Pills, but Elder still must not advance recklessly.”
“Ten years…” Gui Zu frowned, pondered for a while, before suddenly nodding, “Alright, this old master will enter retreat for the next ten years and he will definitely live up to the Sect Master’s expectations!”
Yang Kai smiled next at Ye Xi Yun and said, “You as well, if you can break through to the Third-Order within ten years, you can follow me to the Star Boundary.”
“I’ll try my best,” Ye Xi Yun smiled bitterly and nodded. Having said that, she also knew that this was absolutely impossible. She had only just broken through to the First-Order Origin King Realm, so how could she reach the Third-Order in just ten years? Only a monster like Yang Kai could achieve such a feat.
“Even if the three of us meet the conditions, where can we find another three?” Gui Zu worried again.
“I’m not in a hurry to find others just yet. I’ll collect the Star Emperor Tokens first,” Yang Kai smiled lightly. “I’ll be leaving Shadowed Star in a few days so I must entrust the Sect to the both of you.”
“Sect Master can rest assured, with Senior Brother and I here, not even blind fools would dare act presumptuous,” Ye Xi Yun smiled lightly.
Purple Heaven Star, one of the three great forces of Star Field’s, Purple Star’s Home Star.
Together with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Water Moon Star and Sword Union’s Sword Star, they made up the top three Cultivation Stars in the entire Star Field. These three Cultivation Stars not only possessed rich World Energy but also a wealth of materials, causing the average strength of all cultivators who lived on them to far exceed that of other Cultivation Stars.
If Cultivation Stars had a strict classification hierarchy, Tong Xuan Realm would undoubtedly belong to the lowest class, Shadowed Star would be ranked in the middle, and these Cultivation Stars would rank at the peak.
Purple Star City occupied a large swath of land and had many magnificent buildings in it. Spacious streets were crisscrossing each other, lined with prosperous shops selling a dazzling array of wares as rivers of cultivators flowed through.
This was the headquarters of Purple Star.
For any Purple Star cultivator, this city symbolized honour and glory.
Purple Star City was located atop a top-level Earth Vein, so the aura in the city was no worse than that of any spirit mountain or cultivation paradise. The inner city’s aura was the richest and most important location on Purple Star. Not just any member of Purple Star would be granted entry to this holy ground.
On this day, a stream of light shot forward at a rapid pace and only came to a halt about a thousand metres away from Purple Star City. When the light dissipated, the figure of a young man appeared.
It was none other than Yang Kai.
Starting from High Heaven Sect, even though he had managed to save a great deal of time by using two Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays, it still took Yang Kai half a year to fly through the Star Field to Purple Heaven Star.
The purpose of his trip here was simple, to obtain the Star Emperor Token inside Purple Star’s Treasure Vault.
Of course, if he had other gains, it would be for the best; after all, the place where the Star Emperor Token was hidden was where Purple Star kept all its most valuable treasures as well.
Releasing his Divine Sense for a bit, Yang Kai was also secretly surprised by the grandeur and scale of Purple Star City. A city of this size could only be built and maintained by a super force.
Just the city walls alone were three hundred metres high and radiated a purple light. Yang Kai could not identify what material had been used to build this wall and only knew that it gave off the aura of a powerful barrier.
It was conceivable that if a foreign enemy invaded, Purple Star City could simply activate this Sect Defending Array to resist.
However… Yang Kai felt it unlikely there was anyone who would dare come here to find trouble.
“This is Purple Star City?” Yang Kai seemed to be muttering to himself as he narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.
The next moment, however, a faint voice reached his ear, “Replying to Young Master Yang, this is indeed my Purple Star’s headquarters, Purple Star City. Young Master Yang acts decisively, I haven’t felt much time pass but we have already arrived here.”
The voice was extremely faint, and as a Divine Sense Message, only Yang Kai was able to hear it.
Naturally, this voice belonged to Zi Dong, who was still hiding in the Soul Sustaining Bowl.
Yang Kai daring to rush into Purple Star’s headquarters single-handedly was not because he was a hot-tempered fool, but because he had access to a source of inside information like Zi Dong. With this Purple Star Young Master as his guide, as long as he acted carefully, Yang Kai felt he shouldn’t have any trouble entering Purple Star’s Vault.
Of course, the premise was that this boy was not plotting something.
After associating with him for a while, Yang Kai determined that although this boy’s talent was on par with that of Xue Yue and Gu Jian Xin, he was far behind in terms of Martial Heart. At this moment, Zi Dong no longer had any of his former spirit and had degenerated into a dog who could only beg for his life. He was respectful of Yang Kai in every way and did not dare show any disobedience.
“I see. Do all of the Starships in this sky belong to Purple Star?” Yang Kai raised his head and looked up to see some twenty or thirty Starship floating in the distance. Because they were so far away, Yang Kai was unable to perceive what grade these Starships were, but since they were floating atop Purple Star City, they were surely of high quality.
“Most of them,” Zi Dong replied proudly. “What Young Master Yang sees here is just the tip of the iceberg. My Purple Star’s influence extends across the entire Star Field and many other great forces send Starships here for various purposes like trade.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Conceal your aura, I am going in.”
“Yes!” Zi Dong replied obediently before quickly hiding inside the Soul Sustaining Bowl.
Yang Kai flew down and landed before walking towards the towering city gate. The gate was like the maw of a giant beast, as tall as the city wall and just as daunting. The cultivators who came to Purple Star City for the first time would definitely be affected by this, feeling so shocked and humbled by the imposing pressure of the city gates that they would not dare act presumptuously in Purple Star City.
There was a long line outside the gates with many cultivators waiting to enter the city.
Yang Kai didn’t want to be too conspicuous, so he obediently lined up at the back.
As time passed, people at the head of the line would pay a certain amount of Saint Crystals, receive a special permit, and walk into the city.
Suddenly, a dissatisfied cry came from the front, “Sir, why did you only charge the man who just entered a hundred High-Rank Saint Crystals but now you’re charging me a thousand? Isn’t this a flaunting of the rules?”
“Rules?” A sneer replied, “Father here is the city’s gate guard, my words are the rules! Now either hand over the Saint Crystals or scram!”
“You…” The person who spoke before became angry. “Do all Purple Star cultivators bully people like this? I refuse to accept!”
Most of the cultivators who were waiting in line to enter also showed a disgruntled look, but in the end, this was not their domain so even if they were displeased, no one raised a fuss.
Yang Kai raised his eyes and looked over to find that the one arguing with the city gate guard was a middle-aged man who seemed to be about thirty years old. This man was dressed plainly, and after sweeping him with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai determined he was just a Second-Order Saint King. It was really a wonder why such a man was stirring up trouble for just a thousand High-Rank Saint Crystals.
Yang Kai shook his head secretly, feeling that this person’s situation was worrisome.
“Bully others?” Suddenly, an elderly voice sounded. Everyone turned to see that the source of the sound was an old man who had been sitting to the side. This old man had a very wrinkled face and snickered as he stood up and walked over, the ground trembling beneath his feet as he rolled up his sleeves, seemingly getting ready for a fight, his eyes filled with cold indifference causing others to gulp unconsciously.
[Third-Order Origin Realm!] Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly as he felt Purple Star’s reputation was not undeserved. Even the gate to enter the city was guarded by a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator!
The old man walked a few steps forward while staring at the troublemaker coldly and speaking loudly, “Well said, this old master will let you know today what the meaning of bullying is!”
As soon as his voice fell, the old man’s figure suddenly flickered and appeared directly in front of the middle-aged man and under the latter’s horrified gaze stretched out his hand towards his head.
The middle-aged man was only a Second-Order Saint King, so how could he resist the sudden attack of a Third-Order Origin Realm master?
Immediately, the middle-aged man cried out and tried to retreat.
But the old man’s hand seemed to exude an irresistible suction force that held him firmly on the spot, and with a scream, a stream of energy visible to the naked eye was sucked out of the middle-aged man’s head and flowed into the dry old man’s hand.
Outside the city gate, everyone took a few steps back in shock as they stared at this scene in horror.
“Mercy! Senior! I’ll pay the Saint Crystals!” The middle-aged man yelled.
“Regretting now? Why didn’t you regret it sooner?” The old man remained unmoved and instead pushed his Saint Qi even more violently.
In just three breaths, the middle-aged man was drained until he became old and withered before collapsing to the ground. There was no aura of vitality coming from him anymore and instead the old man’s complexion had become a bit rosier, like he had become a dozen years younger.
There was silence outside the city gate as every cultivator felt a deep chill run up their backs.
After the old man finished all this, he walked back to where he was sitting before as if nothing had happened and continued to meditate with his eyes closed.
“Many thanks, Deacon Min,” The gate guard bowed to the old man with a flattering smile on his face before turning around and putting on an imposing air as he shouted. “This man was a spy sent by an enemy force to infiltrate my Purple Star City but he was seen through by Deacon Min and killed on the spot to serve as a warning. Take this filth and throw him into a pit somewhere outside the city.”
With those words, two Purple Star cultivators came out and quickly carried away the withered corpse.
Everyone knew that this guy was sleep-talking with his eyes wide open, but none dared to refute him.
“It will be getting dark soon and there are still many who haven’t entered the city yet, but when the gates close at sunset, no one will be allowed in. Heh, as for what will happen outside at night, I’m afraid you all know…” After the gate guard finished speaking, he stopped paying attention to the crowd.
However, the cultivators waiting in line had their complexions pale slightly and they hurried forward to pay the required Saint Crystals to enter the city, as if some huge danger was lurking outside just waiting for nightfall.
Although the murder of the middle-aged man made some of the people present feel a sense of pity in their hearts, who had the bigger fist and who was causing trouble was obvious. Just to save a trivial thousand Saint Crystals, that man dared to act insolently here, which was nothing short of courting death.
The city guards did not seem to have any criteria for collecting Saint Crystals and just named prices arbitrarily. Oftentimes, when a beautiful woman walked up, they would simply flirt a little then let them pass by for free.
Sometimes there would be a man who the guards felt was unpleasant to the eye and would thus be charged a large amount of Saint Crystals.
However, no one dared to complain.
Soon, it was Yang Kai’s turn.
The city guard looked up at Yang Kai and coldly snorted, “Five thousand!”
Yang Kai frowned as this number was the highest he had heard so far. He didn’t know what it was about him this guard didn’t like, but despite being disgruntled, he didn’t want to raise a fuss here, so he simply wiped his Space Ring and dumped the required Saint Crystals in front of the guard.
The guard shot Yang Kai a look of surprise, as if he did not expect the other party to be so cooperative.
Fiddling with the pass in his hand, the guard grinned meaningfully, “Friend, five thousand was just the cost of this pass, but if you want to remain in the city for a long time, you’ll have to pay another ten thousand Saint Crystals.”
“Heh…” Yang Kai could not help but laugh, wondering if this guard thought he was some kind of fool.
“Something funny?” The gate guard also looked at Yang Kai with a smile on his face.
“You were telling a joke just now, weren’t you?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he found that the other party was still looking at him without fear.
Five thousand, ten thousand, this number of Saint Crystals really meant nothing to Yang Kai. With High Heaven Sect at his back and all the masters he had killed and robbed, the number of Saint Crystals in his Space Ring totalled at least a hundred million.
But the other party reaching out for a yard after taking an inch displeased Yang Kai greatly.
“Do you think I’m telling you a joke? Boy, are you also a spy sent by enemy great forces to infiltrate my Purple Star City?” The city guard snorted coldly as he played with the pass in his hand and casually threatened Yang Kai.
As soon as this statement came out, the faces of the cultivators waiting in line to enter the city changed drastically.
They had witnessed what end the middle-aged man who had caused trouble before suffered with their own eyes, and that was just half a cup of tea’s time ago. Was this well-dressed young man planning to follow in that man’s footsteps?
Suddenly, everyone’s eyes filled with pity as they looked at Yang Kai.
“There’s no lack of pretext to falsely incriminate a man!” Just as Yang Kai’s annoyance reached a boiling point, someone suddenly appeared behind him and gently pushed him to the side before hurriedly smiling and addressing the guard, “This Sir must be joking. He isn’t a spy, he’s with our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and was just with us handling some matters outside the city.”
As soon as this statement came out, the city gate guard was taken aback, and even Yang Kai was surprised.
Furrowing his brow, Yang Kai glanced over at the person standing in front of him and found that it was a woman, but because her back was to him, he couldn’t see her face clearly. However, her long black hair was done up in a neat bun and revealed a slender white neck while her long dress outlined her slender waist and shapely bottom.
At this time, someone was willing to stand up for him?
Yang Kai was quite surprised but that did not stop him from having a good impression of this woman.
“President!” A few exclamations sounded from behind, ones mixed with fluster and anxiety as someone even rushed forward and shouted, “He’s…”
“Shut up!” The woman turned her head and glared at the speaker.
The woman seemed to hold high prestige among this group of people as with just a few words the man immediately fell silent; however, he still glared at Yang Kai while the women’s other companions also gave him an ugly look.
“Sir must know that our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce often travels outside Purple Star City to trade goods, so how could one of our members possibly be a spy? This child is a bit hot-tempered and inadvertently offended Sir. You Meng hopes this little gift will be enough to settle this unfortunate affair.” Saying so, she took out a bag from her Space Ring and placed it in the guard’s hand.
[Child…] Yang Kai could not help touching his nose hearing this.
The guard weighed the bag in his hand lightly and his eyes lit up, grinning happily, “Five Paths Chamber of Commerce? I have also heard of you. If I am not mistaken, the President of your chamber of commerce is called Hua You Meng? Yes?”
The woman smiled lightly and said, “I had not expected my trivial name had reached Sir’s ears. This Mistress is truly honoured.”
“Why would it not have?” The guard looked at Hua You Meng with bright eyes as an obscene expression crept onto his face, “Since President Hua has come forward to testify and paid enough Saint Crystals, this Sir won’t be unreasonable.”
“Many thanks, Sir!” Hua You Meng was overjoyed.
“But…” The guard’s tone suddenly dropped as he cast a cold look towards Yang Kai, “If President Hua can promise me two conditions, I will let this matter end here, otherwise…hmph!”
Hua You Meng smiled stiffly and softly asked, “Please name them, Sir.”
“I don’t like the look in this little brat’s eyes. Before, he dared talk back to me, so he must apologize,” The guard looked at Yang Kai coldly before turning his gaze to Hua You Meng and smirking. “Secondly, President Hua must have just returned from afar. After Haishi, this King happens to be free and would like President Hua to accompany him to dinner. I wonder if President Hua is willing to accept this invitation? The eastern city’s Free Wind Restaurant would be nice.”
He phrased his words as a question, but his tone indicated he would not tolerate Hua You Meng’s rejection.
Hua You Meng’s face changed slightly as she forced herself to keep smiling, “This… would it be fine to discuss this another day? I’ll let this boy apologize to Sir first.”
As she said so, she turned her head and signalled imploringly to Yang Kai.
Only now did Yang Kai catch a glimpse of her true face.
Yang Kai’s eyes couldn’t help brightening slightly as he saw that, although this Hua You Meng wasn’t a Heaven-Defying beauty; she was still very pretty and had a mature charm about her. Her whole body exuded an aura of calm and confidence, probably from running around all-year to maintain her Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and her body itself gave off a light fragrance.
This was not some exotic fragrance, but a natural one that was both fascinating and enchanting.
It was understandable why this city guard could not keep his eyes off of her.
At this moment, not only was Hua You Meng secretly winking at him, but the others from this Five Paths Chamber of Commerce were also glaring at Yang Kai, silently telling him to follow along or else.
Yang Kai smiled helplessly.
He had not expected that just entering the city would cause such a scene.
But he did not blame Hua You Meng for this; after all, she had stepped forward out of good intentions to help him…
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai cupped his fists to Hua You Meng and said, “This one is grateful for President Hua’s kindness.”
Hua You Meng frowned slightly as she suddenly had a bad premonition in her heart.
Sure enough, Yang Kai continued, “But this all happened because of me and has nothing to do with you, so I must ask President Hua to stand back.”
After speaking, despite Hua You Meng’s astonishment, Yang Kai smiled at the gate guard and sneered, “You want me to apologize to you?”
“President Hua, what’s the meaning of this? Why does it sound like this little brat is not part of your Five Paths Chamber of Commerce? Was President Hua trying to deceive me? Do you know what the consequences of such a crime are?” He did not put Yang Kai in his eyes and instead shouted at Hua You Meng.
Hua You Meng did not expect that her good intentions would be rejected like this, or that this young man would be so unyielding, causing cold sweat to drip from her forehead as she waved her hands quickly, “Sir, let me explain to you, this boy, he…”
“There is nothing to explain! President Hua, you are in great trouble this time. If you can’t give a reasonable explanation for this matter, don’t even think about escaping punishment!” The city gate guard roared, without giving Hua You Meng any face, causing her to turn pale.
“There really is nothing to explain,” Yang Kai sneered as he took a step forward and swept his hand towards the guard.
*Pa…*
With a loud clap, the city guard was sent tumbling through the air before falling several dozen metres away with half his teeth missing from his bloody mouth.
“Is this enough explanation?” Yang Kai looked ahead coldly.
“Huh?” Hua You Meng was stunned, her instincts telling her that she had really found herself in deep trouble this time and for a moment unable to think of what to do next.
“You… you dare to hit me?” The city gate guard staggered up from the ground, covered his cheek with his hands, and cried out hoarsely, a vicious look flashing across his eyes, “I am a Purple Star City guard! How dare you hit…”
Before he could say anything more though, Yang Kai swatted the air again.
The guard screamed as the remaining half of his teeth were sent flying.
“Bold!” Deacon Min, who had been keeping his eyes closed and meditating, finally moved, his figure leaping up and flying towards Yang Kai like an eagle striking from the heavens. The Shi of a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master burst forth and shrouded a ten-metre radius around Yang Kai as Deacon Min thrust his palm out.
Hua You Meng and the several Five Paths Chamber of Commerce cultivators all gasped involuntarily as under this huge pressure their knees bent and their Saint Qi circulation was disrupted. The two with the lowest strength fared even worse, coughing up blood on the spot.
“Daring to strike my people in Purple Star City, do you not put this old master in your eyes?” Deacon Min yelled as he radiated murderous intent towards Yang Kai.
“What the hell do you count for? Do I need to put you in my eyes?” Yang Kai sneered, “I didn’t want to cause trouble for no reason, but you are insisting on seeking death.”
Saying so, Yang Kai sent out a casual palm of his own.
*Hong…*
When the two palms touched, a huge shockwave was sent out and Deacon Min’s original anger and menacing murderous intent abruptly gave way to a look of horror as he was blown away like an old sack.
*Kacha…*
The sound of bones breaking rang out as Deacon Min flew through the air, spraying blood from multiple wounds all over his body.
*Hua…*
Outside the city gate, an uproar sounded.
The conflict between Yang Kai and the city guard, as well as Hua You Meng’s intervention, was seen by everyone. All of them had thought Yang Kai was courting disaster, but it was actually the city guard, and even Deacon Min, who had been the ones to suffer in the end.
With just a palm, Deacon Min had been sent flying, his life or death undetermined.
Everyone looked at Yang Kai like he was some kind of monster.
Although Deacon Min’s status in Purple Star was not high, he was still a Deacon identity. Being able to hold such a position in a behemoth like Purple Star proved he was at least a Third-Order Origin Realm master.
A Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator had been wasted with just a single palm though, so how strong was this young man? Could it be that he was an Origin King?
When this thought emerged, everyone was shocked and could no longer calm down.
After all, Origin Kings were the strongest cultivators in the entire Star Field, and even a power as strong as Purple Star wouldn’t provoke an Origin King for no reason.
Everything happened so fast that no one’s thoughts were able to keep up. President Hua You Meng of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce felt her jaw drop as she stared in shock at the scene before her eyes.
At the gate of the city, there were originally a dozen guards that were going to join Deacon Min in capturing Yang Kai and the members of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, but after seeing the half-dead Deacon Min, how could they dare step forward? All of them froze in place as they exchanged extremely nervous looks, worried Yang Kai would suddenly strike out and slaughter them.
Yang Kai, however, just stretched out his hand and summoned back all the Saint Crystals he had paid before as well as the bag Hua You Meng had handed over before coldly snorting, “Seems you don’t want my five thousand Saint Crystals, so I’ll be taking them back. President Hua, I believe these are yours.”
Saying so, he tossed the bag towards Hua You Meng.
The latter caught the bag on reflex but felt that it was slightly hot in her hand.