“Isn’t it President Hua?” Just as Hua You Meng was lost in her own thoughts, a voice suddenly called out from the side. After hearing this voice though, Hua You Meng could not help frowning as she turned her head toward its source.
Not far away, a man who seemed to be about thirty years old walked straight toward the pair, a lewd smile on his face as his two eyes constantly swept over the sensitive parts of Hua You Meng’s body.
This man was dressed in luxurious clothes and had overall good looks, but his narrow eyes gave him an insidious air. When he stared at her like this, Hua You Meng suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Behind this man, there are two Origin Returning Realm cultivators with cold expressions on their faces, obviously guards.
“Jiang Chao!” Hua You Meng’s beautiful eyes could not help flashing with a light of disgust and fear, but soon, she thought that she was not alone now and was being accompanied by Yang Kai, so she quickly restored her indifference.
“Haha, meeting President Hua here by chance. This must be fate,” Jiang Chao didn’t seem to notice Hua You Meng’s revulsion and spoke to her with great enthusiasm.
“President Jiang surely jests. You and I are both Presidents of our respective chambers of commerce. As the saying goes, your closest peers are also your rivals, there is certainly no fate between you and me,” Hua You Meng said coldly.
“Rivals?” Jiang Chao didn’t pay her insults any mind and simply grinned widely, “I prefer the saying that one is most intimate with their rivals. If that’s the case, this Young Lord would very much like to be President Hua’s rival.”
Hearing this blatant innuendo in his words, Hua You Meng could not help her pretty face from sinking as she snapped, “President Jiang, please show some propriety!”
“Haha, why need does this Young Lord have to show propriety in front of you? We will soon become one family after all.” Jiang Chao laughed, “By the way, have you considered the proposal I made to you six months ago? This Young Lord’s patience is running a bit thin. President Hua suddenly left Purple Star City half a year ago, making it impossible for this Young Lord to find you, but now that we’ve encountered one another again, I hope you can give this Young Lord an answer.”
Hua You Meng’s expression was extremely ugly as she ground her teeth and glared at him.
Jiang Chao saw this but simply sneered, “President Hua, you should know well that your little chamber of commerce is incapable of accomplishing anything significant on its own, yes? Since that is the case, it would be best to merge it with this Young Lord’s Saint Yuan Chamber of Commerce. Under this Young Lord’s leadership, what worry will you have about being able to develop in the future? If it were not for President Hua being a woman, with such small shoulders to carry such a heavy burden, do you think this Young Lord would offer you such a big opportunity? This Young Lord always shows tender affection and simply cannot bear to watch a beauty suffer.”
“President Jiang, I already gave you an explicit answer last time. My Five Paths Chamber of Commerce will never merge with your Saint Yuan Chamber of Commerce. Please give up and never bother me again,” Hua You Meng finished speaking and quickly turned to Yang Kai. “Let’s go.”
“Go?” Jiang Chao’s narrow eyes narrowed further as he moved quickly to block Hua You Meng’s path, “You think you can just leave? Since we have met today, don’t even think of leaving without giving me a satisfactory answer. Today, you have to agree to my proposal, even if you don’t agree!”
“You can’t stop me!” Hua You Meng exclaimed, “This is Purple Star City…”
“Ha!” Jiang Chao sneered, “So what if it is Purple Star City? President Hua seems to be misunderstanding this Young Lord’s previous courtesy for weakness. Have you forgotten about my identity? This Young Lord truly has not done anything yet, but even if he did, so what? What’s more… This Young Lord has heard that your Five Paths Chamber of Commerce made some trouble at the city gate yesterday. Although this Young Lord does not know why nothing has happened to you yet, if this Young Lord were to seize you and hand you over to the guards, surely he would be rewarded rather than punished.”
Hearing him mention his identity, Hua You Meng seemed to have remembered something and her pretty face could not help paling slightly, looking quite fearful.
Seeing her hesitancy, Jiang Chao sneered, “President Hua, don’t refuse a toast only to drink a loss. This Young Lord only has so much patience. Give me a satisfactory answer now and we will still be one family. If not…”
Hua You Meng looked helpless and had no choice but to turn to Yang Kai imploringly.
Yang Kai sighed, knowing that he would not be able to stay out of this matter anymore and took a step forward, patting Hua You Meng’s shoulder before having her step back behind him. Looking at Jiang Chao in front of him, Yang Kai suddenly chuckled, “Friend, did you forget to bring something when you went out today?”
Jiang Chao looked Yang Kai over with his slit eyes and spat fiercely, “Where did you come from little brat? You dare speak to this Young Lord?”
Seeing Hua You Meng’s docile and submissive appearance towards Yang Kai, he suddenly felt flames of jealousy burning in his heart, so he didn’t choose to be polite.
“You dare to call yourself ‘Young Lord’ in front of me, it seems you really forgot something when you went out today,” Yang Kai smiled.
Jiang Chao coldly spat, “Boy, why don’t you tell me what this Young Lord forgot!”
Yang Kai lifted his hand lightly, and before Jiang Chao could even react, Yang Kai tapped his finger on his forehead, smiled, and said, “Didn’t this friend forget his brain when he went out?”
Jiang Chao stumbled back several steps as a look of horror appeared on his face. He was a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, yet he could not even resist a light tap on his forehead, showing just how great the gap in strength between him and his opponent was. Given that, if the other party had any murderous intent just now, wouldn’t he already be dead?
Thinking so, Jiang Chao suddenly broke out into a cold sweat while simultaneously becoming angry out of shame and shouting, “Bastard, you dare mock me?”
Yang Kai laughed heartily and shook his head, “If you really brought your brain with you, how could you not understand the reason why we are still doing fine after beating someone up at the city gate yesterday?”
“What? Why is that?” Jiang Chao was confused by Yang Kai’s words.
“So, it turns out that friend didn’t go out without his brain but instead has a pig’s brain!” Yang Kai showed a sudden look of understanding.
*Puchi…*
Hua You Meng heard this and could not stop herself from laughing, but quickly realizing she was acting inappropriately, she hurriedly covered her red lips with her delicate hand.
“Impudence!” Jiang Chao was furious and his Saint Qi unconsciously burst forth as he charged forward, wanting to beat Yang Kai up.
The expressions of the two cultivators who had been following him changed drastically when they saw this and they both hurried forward to grab him, one of them seeming to realize something and quickly whispering into Jiang Chao’s ear.
Jiang Chao snorted and shouted angrily, “Has some kind of background? Even if he does, could it be stronger than this Young Lord’s? This Young Lord is a member of the Jiang Family! My Grandfather is Purple Star’s Eighth Elder! Whose background could be bigger than mine?”
Yang Kai took a look at Hua You Meng in amazement, “Is Purple Star’s Eighth Elder from his Jiang Family?”
“En, Elder Jiang Chang Feng is one of his Jiang Family’s Ancestors,” Hua You Meng nodded solemnly. Because of this, she was helpless regarding Jiang Chao’s harassment. Although Jiang Chao and the Eighth Elder were separated by many generations, possibly only meeting a few times a year and making them practically strangers, he could still walk sideways in Purple Star City with such a background.
Jiang Chao had taken an interest in Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and Hua You Meng personally for more than just a day or two, and if it were not for Hua You Meng actively avoiding him, it was difficult to say how things would have ended up already.
“Boy, are you scared?” Jiang Chao looked at Yang Kai triumphantly, “Kneel down and admit your mistakes now and this Young Lord may spare you, otherwise…”
“Otherwise?” Yang Kai looked at Jiang Chao with a smile, without any fear.
“Ignorant boy!” Jiang Chao raged and his anger overcame his hesitation, waving his hand as he commanded, “Take him for me!”
The two cultivators behind him hesitated, knowing that Yang Kai was not someone they should provoke, but since Jiang Chao had given an order, they had no choice but to obey. With a flicker, the two of them rushed towards Yang Kai one after another.
Both of these guards were Third-Order Origin Realm masters, and their personal strength was quite good, so although they were unable to figure out Yang Kai’s depths, they thought that the other side wouldn’t be able to resist when they teamed up.
But reality was destined to surprise them. Just as they rushed out towards Yang Kai, before they could even use any of their methods, they saw Yang Kai grin at them and simply wave his hands lightly.
This action was carefree and casual, as if he was driving away an annoying fly.
However, these two light slaps caused them to be simultaneously involved in a vortex of power they could not break away from.
“This is…”
“Not good!” The two yelled at the same time as they madly pushed their Saint Qi to resist, but in front of the powerful vortices, their Saint Qi was as vulnerable as weak as paper and was instantly shredded.
Two screams rang out as the two guards were thrown to the left and right respectively, smashing the shop walls on either side of the street and leaving behind gaping holes.
Suddenly, much cursing and scolding sounded from the nearby shops as many cultivators rushed out of the damaged buildings, searching for the one who dared stir up trouble in Purple Star City.
Jiang Chao standing stunned, his slit eyes bulging wide as he drew a sharp break and stared at Yang Kai in amazement, instantly understanding something and calling out in alarm, “Origin King Realm!?”
Although his two guards were not masters that stood at the apex of Origin Realm, they were definitely not weak, but the two of them had been defeated swiftly with just a light slap to the air. Only an Origin King would be able to accomplish this.
This simple-looking young man, who was definitely less handsome than him, was actually an Origin King? And he had just cursed him as a bastard?
Jiang Chao’s teeth began to chatter as he stared at Yang Kai in horror, feeling like the light smile on the other party’s face now looked quite terrifying.
He wanted to escape, but was shocked to discover that he couldn’t even circulate his Saint Qi at all. His feet seemed to be fixed in place and he was only able to watch as Yang Kai stepped towards him slowly.
The aura of death which began to shroud him caused Jiang Chao to shiver in fright!
“Who dares act dissolute in Purple Star City!” An angry shout suddenly came from far away and a group of guards flew out of the crowd, instantly surrounding the place where Yang Kai and Jiang Chao stood, glaring at the two troublemakers with gloomy faces.
“Purple Star City expressly forbids fighting and killing! If anyone dares disobey, their cultivation will be wasted, and they will be thrown into the Frozen Prison or immediately killed. Commander Lu has publicly proclaimed this several times, yet there seems to be some who still don’t take it seriously. This Vice Commander is here to ensure that those who refuse to obey Purple Star City’s laws… ah… So, it was Sir here… Qu Zheng greets Sir!”
Purple Star City Guard’s response time was fast. It had only been five breaths or so since Yang Kai swatted away the two Third-Order Origin Realm cultivators, yet someone had already rushed to the scene.
What’s more, the one who appeared was Qu Zheng, one of the eight Vice Commanders of Purple Star City’s Guard!
Hearing Qu Zheng’s stern shout, all the onlookers felt that Yang Kai was about to face great trouble and would possibly even lose his life.
In Purple Star City, there were very few fights so the guards had nothing to do all day; as such, when even a small dispute broke out, they would deal with it harshly. Yet today, someone thrashed two Origin Realm cultivators in the street, so how could this young man’s fate possibly be good?
After hearing Qu Zheng’s voice, Jiang Chao became so excited tears nearly left his eyes. Right now, he was like a wronged young wife who saw her in-law’s family come to her rescue. Staring at Qu Zheng, Jiang Chao was eagerly awaiting him to uphold justice for him…
However, Qu Zheng’s abrupt change in attitude caused Jiang Chao’s anxiety to resurface.
Qu Zheng actually called this bastard ‘Sir’ and was now bowing to and flattering him…
[Just who the hell is this boy?] Jiang Chao was completely confused.
“So it is Vice Commander Qu!” Yang Kai recognized at a glance that this person was the Vice Commander who came to deliver the box of land deeds to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. Although the two had never met face to face, with Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, he naturally remembered Qu Zheng’s appearance.
The reason why Qu Zheng was able to recognize Yang Kai was some simple deductive reasoning.
At this moment, a young man who he could not see through stood next to Hua You Meng. Besides the Great Sir Commander Lu told him about, who else could it be?
After hearing Yang Kai’s voice, Qu Zheng immediately confirmed his guess and knew that this was the Sir who even Commander Lu had to treat with great respect!
Qu Zheng immediately became even more humble and waved his hand quickly, “I dare not! Sir is too polite. How could this Qu call himself Vice Commander in front of Sir?”
After speaking, he asked carefully, “Sir, what happened here?”
“Nothing much,” Yang Kai chuckled and pointed at Jiang Chao. “This friend here wanted to rely on his status to annex President Hua’s Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, but after being rejected by President Hua, he became angry out of shame and tried to use force. This King couldn’t just stand by and watch so he simply gave him a small lesson.”
“What?” Qu Zheng was furious, “Who doesn’t fear the Heavens and dares to use force against President Hua? Are they impatient to die?”
Saying so, he cast a menacing glance towards Jiang Chao, but after seeing the other party’s face clearly, Qu Zheng could not help being startled, “Young Master Jiang?”
Upon recognizing Jiang Chao, Qu Zheng’s mood turned gloomy…
Jiang Chao, a mere rich second generation, had a conflict with Sir. What was Qu Zheng supposed to do? Although Jiang Chao was a waste, he was still the descendant of Elder Jiang Chang Feng, not someone a small Vice Commander like him could afford to offend. This mysterious Sir, however, was someone even Commander Lu treated with reverence. Sandwiched between these two, how was Qu Zheng supposed to settle this matter?
Qu Zheng suddenly wished he had never come to this place…
However, there was no point in regretting now. Qu Zheng could only curse Jiang Chao in his heart while wondering how this good for nothing rich second generation could be so blind as to offend this Sir.
“So it is Vice Commander Qu! Please enforce justice for this Young Lord!” Jiang Chao saw Qu Zheng’s apprehensive look and was immediately overjoyed, putting on a pitiful expression as he pleaded, “Vice Commander Qu, this Young Lord was not trying to use force on President Hua and was simply trying to have a discussing with her about merging our two chambers of commerce. Vice Commander Qu must also know that in business, both parties must meet to agree on mutual terms in order to be successful, but this man came in out of nowhere and indiscriminately attacked my two guards! Vice Commander Qu, just look at them! They haven’t even gotten up yet! Who knows if they’re even alive or dead? I don’t know whether they have families of their own or parents they need to care for, but in their condition…”
Speaking with emotion, Jiang Chao began shedding tears and snot.
“This…” Cold sweat broke out on Qu Zheng’s forehead as he constantly lifted his hand to wipe it. This was no longer a situation a small Vice Commander like him could handle. No matter who he sided with, he would offend the other.
“Vice Commander Qu, you just said that Purple Star City does not allow anyone to fight or kill within its borders, and if there are violators their cultivation will be crippled and they will be thrown into the Frozen Prison, or they will be executed on the spot! This man clearly despises our Purple Star City’s laws. I ask Vice Commander Qu to enforce the law impartially to preserve the peace of Purple Star City!” Jiang Chao said with a rousing tone, secretly celebrating to himself as he imagined the scene of Yang Kai being brought down and shamed.
Yang Kai only looked at him like a fool.
Qu Zheng’s expression had gone completely ugly and he could not wait to slap Jiang Chao’s mouth shut.
Purple Star City indeed had such rules, but everything depended on who those laws were aimed at. People with enough background could ignore these rules, and the Sir standing in front of Qu Zheng was obviously one such person.
Qu Zheng did not dare to deal with Yang Kai, much less the ability, but he was backed into a corner by Jiang Chao’s words, so now he felt like he was being roasted on a fire, uncomfortable all over. More than anything though, he hated Jiang Chao to death.
“Vice Commander Qu, do you want to arrest this King?” Yang Kai looked at Qu Zheng with a smile.
“Sir surely jests! I wouldn’t dare!” Qu Zheng’s forehead was now dripping wet and his face was flushed red, “The circumstances here are unclear. This Qu needs to investigate before making a decision.”
Jiang Chao slit eyes widened as he exclaimed in dissatisfaction, “Vice Commander Qu, why are you speaking such nonsense? My two guards being injured is a clear fact, what more needs to be investigated?”
[Damn your eighteen generations of ancestors!] Qu Zheng cursed viciously in his heart…
Just when he was at a loss and did not know how to deal with the matter though, Qu Zheng suddenly raised his head and perked up his ears, as if he had heard something, his face soon filling with joy.
In the blink of an eye, Qu Zheng restored his calmness and he cast a stern gaze towards Jiang Chao. Under the Young Lord’s stunned gaze, Qu Zheng yelled, “Young Master Jiang, the truth of this matter has been illuminated. What happened today is not the fault of this Sir but is instead a result of your endless pestering and disrespect. This Sir only acted to give some slight punishment for your offence.”
“Huh?” Jiang Chao was taken aback, never having expected Qu Zheng would dare to say this. What’s more, Qu Zheng only stood in place and did nothing, so how could he now ‘know the truth of the matter’?
“Young Master Jiang, since you are the guilty party, please come with this Vice Commander,” Qu Zheng was already incredibly angry with Jiang Chao, so now that he had someone stronger supporting him and didn’t have to fear any consequences, he was looking forward to dealing with Jiang Chao.
“Qu Zheng, you dare!” Jiang Chao shouted, “You dare arrest me?! This Young Lord is the grandson of Eighth Elder! If this matter today is brought to Eighth Elder’s attention, do you think you’ll have a good end?”
Qu Zheng’s face changed slightly, but he soon sneered and shouted, “Young Master Jiang’s courage is great! This Vice Commander is responsible for enforcing the law on behalf of Purple Star City and Purple Star! Even if this matter is brought to Eighth Elder’s attention, he will not raise any objections, but you dare try to intimidate and threaten this Vice Commander? Do you not put Purple Star in your eyes?”
“What bullshit are you spouting?” Jiang Chao roared at the injustice he felt, never having imagined things would develop like this.
“You have no say in this matter, come with this Vice Commander immediately.”
“Qu Zheng, don’t use chicken feathers as arrows! Think carefully about this Young Lord’s identity before you act!” Jiang Chao tried to act strong and snarled.
Qu Zheng simply waved his hand impatiently and shouted, “Take him!”
Several Purple Star City guards rushed forward and subdued Jiang Chao.
Jiang Chao struggled violently while cursing everyone around him.
Qu Zheng frowned and said, “Seal his meridians.”
When the guards holding down Jiang Chao heard this, they slapped their palms onto his back and rendered him immobile, unable to even speak.
“Vice Commander Qu enforces the law impartially and acts with high character and integrity. This King is impressed!” Yang Kai smiled at Qu Zheng and cupped his fists.
Qu Zheng flushed and said humbly, “Sir is too polite, this is only this Qu’s duty. En, since the culprit has been caught, this Qu won’t disturb Sir any further.”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Qu Zheng bowed once more before leading the guards off quickly.
The many onlookers were still in shock to this point, unable to believe that Jiang Chao, who had always walked sideways in Purple Star City, had actually been captured and taken away by Qu Zheng. When everyone looked at Yang Kai now, their expressions contained a mix of awe and fear, wondering just what this young man’s origins were that actually made Qu Zheng favour him so heavily over Jiang Chao.
Hua You Meng’s face was also blank.
Although she knew that Yang Kai could even scare Lu Tian Feng and his identity must be extraordinary, in front of everyone’s eyes, Qu Zheng had actually given no face to Eighth Elder Jiang Chang Feng to support him!
How high did Yang Kai’s status have to be for Qu Zheng to make such a choice?
Was he even more powerful than Purple Star’s Eighth Elder?
Hua You Meng stared at the stalwart figure in front of her in a daze, like she was trying to see through a cloud of mist shrouding a giant mountain, confusing her beautiful eyes.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai whispered to Hua You Meng before walking towards the direction of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce. Before leaving though, Yang Kai glanced up in a certain direction and grinned slightly.
“Ah… en,” Hua You Meng followed in a kind of trance.
A thousand or so metres away from where Yang Kai and Jiang Chao’s little conflict occurred, there was a restaurant called First Under Heaven.
This First Under Heaven establishment had nine floors. The first through third were for ordinary cultivators to drink and have fun while the fourth floor and above were reserved for those with strength and status. The higher the floor, the higher the requirements to enter.
The ninth floor only entertained peak-level masters and it was not possible to enter it with money alone; one needed to have a high reputation and status as well.
It was said that First Under Heaven was actually the private industry of several Elders from Purple Star.
At this moment, two people were sitting by a window on the ninth floor looking down at the scene below.
One of these two was an old man with half-squinted eyes. This old man’s aura was reserved to the limit, but the occasional energy fluctuations that came from him indicated he was an Origin King.
Opposite the old man sat a young man dressed up in noble attire. This young man had a folding fan in his hand and wore a proud and aloof expression that seemed to come from his very bones. His temperament and aura were quite extraordinary.
Both the old and young man stared at Yang Kai’s fading back, remaining silent for quite some time. The old man wore a solemn expression, but the young man seemed to be quite interested in Yang Kai, even showing a faint smile on his lips.
After Yang Kai’s back disappeared from his vision, the young man smiled slightly, “Interesting!”
“Rude boy!” The old man coldly snorted.
“Why does Old Ji say that?” The young man looked at the old man in surprise.
Ji Jun snorted, “That boy discovered that this old master and Second Young Master were sitting here, and also seemed to realize that the change in Qu Zheng’s attitude had something to do with us, but rather than thank us he simply chose to leave. How is that not rude?”
The young man was slightly surprised, “That person was even able to sense where Old Ji was hiding?”
Ji Jun nodded, “Second Young Master may not have seen it clearly, but that man glanced towards us directly before he left. Obviously, he found us long ago.”
The young man raised his brows, “Old Ji is a master at the peak of the First-Order Origin King Realm. Without a Divine Sense equivalent to a Second-Order Origin King’s, it should be impossible to find Old Ji. Doesn’t that mean this person really has a Second-Order cultivation?”
Ji Jun frowned slightly and pondered for a moment before saying, “This old master didn’t dare to probe too much, so he is unable to judge the cultivation of this person exactly. Although Lu Tian Feng had direct contact with him, according to him, he also could not see through the other party’s strength… so it seems that even if this person isn’t as strong as this old master, he may not be far off. As for whether he is a Second-Order or not, that remains to be verified.”
The young man grinned, “Good, good! It seems he dares act so arrogant because he has the strength to back it up; en, very much to this Young Lord’s liking.”
“Second Young Master…” Ji Jun looked at the young man hesitantly, “Do you want to recruit this person?”
The young man nodded, “Yes, the waters in Purple Star City have become turbulent for some time now. The faction headed by Great Elder is actively acting and has already touched many things it shouldn’t. If this Young Lord does not act decisively, then Purple Star’s surname will surely change.”
Ji Jun’s face changed slightly as he coldly snorted, “Great Elder’s faction must be seeking death if that’s really the case. After Master returns, they will all definitely be held accountable. However, Second Young Master, you… you have been keeping a low profile for so many years, so why are you anxious this time? Master and Young Master have been missing for almost two years, but after the Master left two years ago, he said that he and the Young Lord would be going out to take care of some important matters. They may return any time now. If Master returns and finds Second Young Master has… Second Young Master should understand. With Master’s ability, there are not many people in the Star Field who can threaten him, and fewer who can kill him. He will return sooner or later.”
A faint worry flashed across the young man’s eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as he chuckled and said, “What Old Ji said is true, but it is not that this Young Lord is anxious, it’s just… time will not wait for me. What’s more, I am not doing this for my sake, but for the Zi Family. Even if Father comes back, he won’t blame me for my actions.”
“I hope so,” Ji Jun nodded worriedly, seeing the young man in front of him insist on this, ceasing his admonishing.
“Old Ji, from your perspective, do you think I can win this person over?” The young man stared in the direction Yang Kai was leaving and asked.
“Everyone has a price, it only depends on whether Second Young Master can afford it.”
“En, what Old Ji said is true,” The young man smiled lightly. “In that case, we need to find out this man’s wants. Heh, Purple Star’s Third Venerable… This is a force that cannot be underestimated. At this point, he must not be allowed to slip away from this Young Lord’s palm!”
As he spoke, he clenched his fist, as if to clench the entire world, his purple hair flying out behind him…
When Yang Kai and Hua You Meng returned to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, he could not help frowning as he narrowed his eyes towards the inside.
He discovered that there was an Origin King in the chamber of commerce, sitting in the backyard at this moment. Yang Kai did not know what this person was here for, only that the aura wasn’t familiar, so it definitely wasn’t Lu Tian Feng.
At that point in time, Gao Hong hurriedly came out from the chamber of commerce to greet them with an anxious look on her face.
“Sister Hong, what happened?” Hua You Meng looked at Gao Hong suspiciously.
Gao Hong glanced at Yang Kai and said softly, “Eighth Elder is waiting in the back… for Sir!”
“Eighth Elder?” Hua You Meng’s mind went dizzy as she almost fell over, her beautiful eyes glancing over at Yang Kai with a complicated look in them, feeling quite uneasy.
Since Yang Kai appeared in their Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, these great Sirs, who Hua You Meng only knew of before by reputation, were visiting her small shop one after another, causing her to feel like she was caught in some kind of strange, fantastical dream.
It was almost like the small Five Paths Chamber of Commerce had become a giant invisible vortex that was drawing in these powerful masters one by one.
What worried Hua You Meng was that any one of these Sirs could grind the chamber of commerce into dust with a single finger. Worse yet, it was actually Eighth Elder, the ancestor of Jiang Chao from before, who had come here. Could it be that the Eighth Elder’s sudden visit was related to what happened just now?
Hua You Meng panicked suddenly and could only turn to Yang Kai pleadingly, “Sir.”
Yang Kai just frowned slightly before saying, “I’ll go take a look.”
Although he had already expected to be embroiled in countless troubles once he took out the Venerable Token, he hadn’t expected trouble to find him so quickly.
Yang Kai had never met Purple Star’s Eighth Elder, but the latter was no doubt an Origin King Realm master. Yang Kai also did not know what purpose the other party had in coming here, but he was at least certain it had nothing to do with Jiang Chao; after all, the timing was too tight. This Eighth Elder could not possibly have taken action so quickly for such a minor matter.
It seemed this Eighth Elder had some other business with him.
In the backyard, a white-faced old man was waiting gloomily, an extremely impatient look on his face. It was none other than Purple Star’s Eighth Elder, Jiang Chang Feng. To the side, Xia Jing Wu, Yao Qing, Hai Tang, and several others were standing nervously, stiff smiles pasted on their faces as none of them dared to even breathe loudly.
How were they even supposed to handle a Sir of this status? Although many came and went in Purple Star City, the overwhelming majority were Origin Returning Realm masters or Saint Kings. In fact, before recently, none of them had even spoken to an Origin King before.
The encounter with Lu Tian Feng last night was the first time any of them had been close to such a master.
But today, an Elder with even higher status than Lu Tian Feng had appeared! What’s more, this Eighth Elder didn’t seem to be in a very good mood. An oppressive aura radiated from his body, causing Xia Jing Wu and the others’ blood to roil. It was only with some difficulty that all of them managed to suppress the rioting of their vitality, so they didn’t cough up blood.
“You call this tea?” Jiang Chang Feng impatiently took a sip from the teacup on the table before furiously throwing it onto the ground and shouting, “You’re quite bold! This Elder came here in person, yet you dare use such poor quality tea to entertain him? Could it be that you don’t put this Elder in your eyes?!”
Xia Jing Wu shivered with fright as he was forced to the ground by the other party’s coercion and tremblingly said, “Eighth Elder, please understand, that was not our intention. This Distant Mountain Fog Tea is the best our Five Paths Chamber of Commerce has to offer.”
“This is your best tea? It’s nothing but garbage!” Jiang Chang Feng coldly snorted, his expression extremely displeased.
Xia Jing Wu smiled bitterly just thinking of the other party’s strength and status. How could the tea their small chamber of commerce possibly compare to the tea this Eighth Elder drank on a day to day basis?
This Distant Mountain Fog Tea was a rare and expensive brew for Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, but it was directly rated as trash by Eighth Elder.
Hai Tang and Yao Qing looked at the tea splashed on the floor and distressed expressions flashed across their faces. They were quite reluctant to drink this tea themselves and reserved it only for entertaining honored guests.
“Sir, please calm yourself. If this tea does not suit Sir’s taste, shall this old man go out and buy some better tea?” Xia Jing Wu accompanied him carefully.
“Hmph, there’s no need,” Jiang Chang Feng said gloomily, “This Elder didn’t come here to drink tea. Where is the one I’m looking for? Why is he still not here?”
“This…” Xia Jing Wu turned his head and looked out the door, but not seeing any approaching figures, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead, “Reporting to Eighth Elder, that Sir went out with our President early in the morning and I don’t know where they went.”
“Then why aren’t you out looking for him?” Jiang Chang Feng was in an irritable mood and as he asked, he exerted an even stronger pressure onto Xia Jing Wu and the others and shouted, “I’ll give you a stick of incense worth of time, if you can’t find him by then…”
“You’ll do what?” Before Jiang Chang Feng’s words were finished, a different voice sounded from the chamber of commerce. As soon as this voice spoke, a person suddenly appeared from the building and quickly stood in front of Xia Jing Wu and the others, lifted his hand, and gently scattered the pressure weighing on them.
“Sir!” Xia Jing Wu and the others stared at Yang Kai’s back joyfully, “You’ve returned.”
Yao Qing and Hai Tang also looked at Yang Kai with grateful expressions. Although they were not familiar with Yang Kai, him appearing at this moment and helping them earned their gratitude.
As an Origin King himself, Yang Kai faced this Eighth Elder without any fear.
Yang Kai swept his eyes back and frowned when he saw Xia Jing Wu and the others’ condition, a trace of anger flashing across his face as he stretched out his hand to pull them up one by one before saying, “You can leave now.”
“Yes!” Xia Jing Wu and others did not raise any objections hearing these words and quickly ran out, panting heavily after they reached the interior of the shop, their faces pale.
In the backyard, Yang Kai turned his head to look at Jiang Chang Feng coldly before sneering, “Your Excellency certainly has an imposing air!”
Jiang Chang Feng frowned as he looked at Yang Kai, releasing his Divine Sense blatantly to probe him, seemingly wanting to spy on Yang Kai’s cultivation, but in the next moment, he realized that he could not see through the other party’s background.
Just when Jiang Chang Feng wanted to take his Divine Sense back, a look of amazement appeared on his face, because the other party’s body seemed to have turned into a whirlpool that drew in his Divine Sense continuously.
Jiang Chang Feng was shocked and desperately urged his Divine Sense to break free.
At that exact moment, the whirlpool that was holding his Divine Sense disappeared strangely.
Jiang Chang Feng couldn’t stop his actions in time, so his Divine Sense was drawn back forcefully, causing a powerful gust of wind while also rocking his Knowledge Sea.
With a muffled snort, Jiang Chang Feng stumbled back a few steps, his face turning pale as if he had suffered some small injuries.
There was a sneer at the corner of Yang Kai’s mouth as he looked at him mockingly.
This grin made Jiang Chang Feng a little bit embarrassed as he realized he had kicked an iron plate. More-so irritated though, he shot back, “Friend, what is your intention here?”
“What do you think my intention is?” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Seeing Yang Kai not give him any face, Jiang Chang Feng glared but didn’t dare try to test him again; after all, he had wanted to use his Divine Sense to probe Yang Kai’s depths but how could he have known this young man would have such strange methods, causing him to suffer a small loss?
Taking a deep breath to calm his roiling vitality, Jiang Chang Feng suppressed his anger and said, “Is this friend my Purple Star’s Third Venerable?”
Yang Kai looked at him lightly and did not even respond, instead walking over to the table, picking up the pot of Distant Mountain Fog Tea, pouring himself a cup, then taking a sip before putting on a look of ecstasy and praising, “Good tea, good tea!”
Jiang Chang Feng’s old face was incredibly cold and gloomy as he knew this young man was doing this deliberately because of what happened just now. His annoyance at not being given any face began irritating him again. Regardless of anything else, he too was an Origin King; when had he ever been so despised? Unable to contain himself any longer, Jiang Chang Feng coldly snorted before proceeding, “This old master is Purple Star’s Eighth Elder, Jiang Chang Feng. Dare I ask if this friend is my Purple Star’s Third Venerable?”
Yang Kai picked his ear indifferently before sitting down and glancing back at Jiang Chang Feng frivolously, “Old Thing, in front of whom are you calling yourself ‘old master’? Who exactly are you calling your friend?”
“You…” Jiang Chang Feng was furious, trembling with anger.
Yang Kai just coldly snorted though, “You know that this King is a Purple Star Venerable, yet you still dare to show such disrespect? Have you lived all these years in vain?”
Since he knew that the one he was dealing with was Jiang Chang Feng, Yang Kai didn’t even make an effort to be civil. If the upper beam was crooked, the lower beam would be too. Yang Kai had just witnessed Jiang Chao’s disgraceful behaviour, so he was certain Jiang Chang Feng was also another waste.
Seeing Xia Jing Wu and others being persecuted by Jiang Chang Feng so ruthlessly without cause, Yang Kai only felt more annoyed.
What everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce experienced was essentially Yang Kai’s fault, so he was going to get some justice for them and did not display a courteous attitude.
Those who held a Purple Star Order were Purple Star Venerables, a position that was not below the top three Elders of Purple Star in terms of rank and privilege. Jiang Chang Feng was only the eighth-ranked Elder, so it stood to reason that when he saw Yang Kai, he should assume the stance of a subordinate. Yang Kai took full advantage of these rules, making Jiang Chang Feng helpless even if he was enraged.
As such, when Yang Kai’s words were uttered, Jiang Chang Feng could only endure.
Taking a deep breath to calm his anger again, Jiang Chang Feng narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Just because Your Excellency says he is a Venerable, he is? Only those who hold a Venerable Token personally granted by the Sect Master can become one of my Purple Star’s Venerables. So far, Sect Master has only granted such tokens to two people, and as far as this old master knows, Your Excellency is not one of them!”
Yang Kai glanced at him faintly before taking out the Purple Star Order and tossing it over while snapping in an arrogant tone, “See with your own dog eyes if this Venerable Token is real or fake.”
Jiang Chang Feng hurriedly caught the Venerable Token and began carefully inspecting it. After he finished though, a look of confusion appeared on his face as he muttered, “This Venerable Token is real, but… why have my Purple Star’s Elders never been informed about the appearance of a third Venerable? When did Sect Master give Your Excellency this Venerable Token?”
“Is that any of your business?” Yang Kai sneered, “Or what? Does Eighth Elder believe your Sect Master needs to report his actions to you?”
Jiang Chang Feng’s face changed drastically as he said in a flurry, “Naturally not! This Jiang has no right to question how Sect Master acts.”
“Since you have no right to question then keep your mouth shut.”
Jiang Chang Feng’s expression fluctuated several times, but he eventually managed to choke down his anger before holding the Venerable Token in both hands and walking over to Yang Kai, “This Venerable Token is indeed authentic, so it is a certainty that Your Excellency is my Purple Star’s Third Venerable. This Elder had previously offended Third Venerable and asks to be forgiven!”
Yang Kai glanced at him sideways before continuing to drink his tea. A moment later, he clearly enunciated, “Do you think this King wanted to be a Venerable of your Purple Star? If it were not for Zi Long’s persistent pleading, this King would never have accepted this Venerable Token. What a farce!”
Jiang Chang Feng’s jaw dropped wide in astonishment as he stared at Yang Kai in shock. He did not know if these words were mere bluster or the truth; after all, the facts couldn’t be verified by anyone.
However, regardless of the case, holding onto the Venerable Token was inappropriate so seeing Yang Kai make no effort to take it back, Jiang Chang Feng could only respectfully place it onto the table before backing away.
“Eighth Elder appearing here is not just to verify the identity of this King, is it?” Yang Kai spat out a tea leaf as he looked at him indifferently.
Jiang Chang Feng’s heart clenched as he suddenly remembered he had an actual purpose in appearing here and quickly said, “Please understand, Venerable. This Jiang came here on orders from the Great Elder.”
“Great Elder?” Yang Kai’s brow rose.
“Indeed, Great Elder was very pleased to hear that my Purple Star had received another Venerable, so he instructed this Jiang to come here especially to invite Venerable to the Inner City to chat.”
“Not interested!” Yang Kai spat disdainfully.
“Huh?” Jiang Chang Feng looked at Yang Kai in amazement with a stunned expression.
“You can’t understand simple words? I said I am not interested. You can go.”
Jiang Chang Feng suddenly burst out into cold sweat as he hastily said, “Venerable, this Jiang is here to invite you on behalf of the Great Elder!”
“I heard it, so what?”
[So what?] Suddenly Jiang Chang Feng found out all the humiliation he just endured was not unjust. This enigmatic Venerable did not even give face to Purple Star’s Great Elder, so how could he care about a mere Eighth Elder?
Suddenly, Jiang Chang Feng felt less stifled in his heart.
However, having received orders to come here, Jiang Chang Feng could not just go back like this, so he frowned and said to Yang Kai solemnly, “Venerable, Sect Master is not currently here to assume command of Purple Star City, so all of Purple Star’s affairs are being managed by Great Elder. Isn’t Venerable refusing this invitation a bit inappropriate?”
“Inappropriate how?” Yang Kai looked at Jiang Chang Feng with a smile.
“That is…” Jiang Chang Feng could only think that Yang Kai was intentionally acting dense. How could not giving Great Elder face possibly be appropriate?
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “This King is Purple Star’s Venerable, not some Purple Star lackey. Even if Zi Long wants to see me, he has to visit me personally. If he has some request for me, he must first discuss it with this King and receive this King’s agreement. Go back and tell Gong Sun Liang that if he wants to see this King, he can come here himself! This King doesn’t have so much leisure time to listen to his nonsense!”
The Gong Sun Liang Yang Kai mentioned was none other than Purple Star’s Great Elder! A powerful Second-Order Origin King.
Jiang Chang Feng’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he finally realized just how arrogant and domineering this new Venerable was, and while somewhat disturbed in his heart, he also could not help laughing wryly to himself.
“Get out!” Yang Kai saw Jiang Chang Feng still lingering and shouted impatiently. Mixed in with Yang Kai’s shout was the power of his Divine Sense, which caused Jiang Chang Feng to tremble and a look of horror to fill his face. Hastily, he nodded, “Since that is the case, this Jiang will take his leave. Please excuse me, Venerable!”
Saying so, he tried to quickly depart.
“Wait!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted again.
Jiang Chang Feng was shocked, turned around to Yang Kai in confusion, and asked, “What else does Venerable have to say?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and said in a cold tone, “Since today is our first meeting, and this is your first offence, just leave some Saint Crystals as compensation. When you go back, bring a message to Gong Sun Liang: If any blind fool comes here to trouble Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and frighten this Venerable’s friends, the matter won’t be resolved with just some Saint Crystals. This King will go to the Inner City in person and have a good chat with him.”
When he spoke the word ‘chat’, Yang Kai put a heavy emphasis on it while wearing a fierce grin.
Jiang Chang Feng was stunned for a moment before he seemed to understand what Yang Kai meant and a strange expression appeared on his face, “Venerable is asking this Jiang to leave Saint Crystals here to compensate those people?”
“After wounding others in their own home, you want to just leave?” Yang Kai looked at him sarcastically, “It’s fine if you don’t want to leave any Saint Crystals. Where there is grievance, there is revenge. This King will simply make a move, as long as you withstand it, you can go!”
Jiang Chang Feng was taken aback by this. Although he had not been in contact with Yang Kai for long, he understood that the other party was strong enough to back up his arrogant behaviour. With his First-Order Origin King cultivation, he would never be able to compete. Taking a single move from Yang Kai couldn’t kill him but being injured was certain.
After weighing his options in this situation, Jiang Chang Feng did not hesitate to take out some Saint Crystals from his Space Ring before angrily spitting, “As per Venerable’s command, this Jiang would not dare disobey. This Jiang will be certain to convey Venerable’s words to Great Elder precisely!”
“That would be best!” Yang Kai smiled wickedly, as if he didn’t even fear the Heavens.
Jiang Chang Feng snorted coldly before turning around and walking away.
After Jiang Chang Feng left, Yang Kai frowned imperceptibly and began to think.
He suddenly felt that there were some swirling currents under the calm appearance of Purple Star City.
When he went out with Hua You Meng today, he encountered a conflict between the people from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and Purple Star, then someone secretly showed favour to him as they were returning back where he then found Jiang Chang Feng waiting for him.
There were indications that Purple Star City was about to undergo some great change and experience a period of unrest.
“Sir…” Hua You Meng walked in, and after seeing Yang Kai sink into deep thought for a while without saying a word, she could not help calling out worriedly.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Kai looked up at her.
“These Saint Crystals…” Hua You Meng pointed at the Saint Crystals which had been scattered all over the floor. Although she did not have an exact count, she was certain there were at least 300,000 piled up, a dazzling sight to behold.
“Oh, these are the compensation given by Jiang Chang Feng to Uncle Xia and the others. Have them share them amongst themselves,” Yang Kai explained with a smile.
“Compensation… compensation?” Hua You Meng’s expression was dazed and surprised.
“Yeah, just now, Elder Jiang’s anger frightened Uncle Xia and the others quite a bit. Elder Jiang felt sorry for his rash actions and left some Saint Crystals to comfort them.”
Hua You Meng showed an expression somewhere between laughing and crying hearing this. With her shrewdness, how could she not know Yang Kai had extorted this compensation for Uncle Xia? As Purple Star’s Eighth Elder, Jiang Chang Feng was aloft and arrogant, not caring at all about the life or death of ordinary cultivators and he certainly wouldn’t take the initiative to compensate one unless someone forced him to do so.
Understanding this, Hua You Meng nodded gratefully to Yang Kai and said, “Many thanks, Sir.”
“By the way, can I trouble you to do something for me, President Hua?”
“Sir only needs to issue an order and Five Paths Chamber of Commerce will do everything in its power to carry it out. Also… Sir does not need to call this Mistress ‘President’ anymore, it’s not a title this Mistress can afford before Sir. Sir should just… address this Mistress by her… name,” As she spoke, Hua You Meng blushed and lowered her head.
Yang Kai lightly coughed and said, “Ah, en, I want you to investigate if there have been any signs of unrest or trouble in Purple Star City recently. Your chamber of commerce has operated in Purple Star City for a few decades now so surely you have some sources of information.”
“Signs of trouble?” Hua You Meng frowned but did not ask too much, immediately replying in a serious tone, “Sir may rest assured, this Mistress will go all out!”
Late at night, the moon was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds.
In Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s backyard guest house, Yang Kai, who was meditating, suddenly opened his eyes, formed a seal with his hands, pushed his Space Force and disappeared.
A moment later, near the Inner City, Yang Kai appeared in the darkness.
It had been two days since he came to Purple Star City, and although he had been delayed because of the issues with Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, he had never forgotten his original purpose. So tonight, he was going to try to sneak into Purple Star Palace to steal the Star Emperor Token.
If he managed to succeed, he would immediately leave. The undercurrents and upheaval in Purple Star City had nothing to do with him.
As for the people from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, he would carry them off with him at worst. Yang Kai was not planning on abandoning them to take the blame for him.
Purple Star City was divided into Inner and Outer Cities. The Outer City could be entered by any cultivator as long as they paid a certain amount of Saint Crystals, but the Inner City was open only to cultivators belonging to Purple Star. Of course, the Inner City of Purple Star City was the most prosperous and World-Energy-rich area.
Many of Purple Star’s Elders, Protectors, Deacons, and other various high-level officials lived in the Inner City, occupying good pieces of land and enjoying endless cultivation resources.
In the Inner City, there was a guard every three steps and a watchtower every five steps. The defence was extremely strict.
Nevertheless, these defences were practically useless in front of a powerful cultivator like Yang Kai. He did not even need to deliberately use his Space Force to conceal himself; simply wrapping himself in his Divine Sense was enough for him to break into the Inner City. Even if he passed close to a guard, they would not notice his presence.
The average cultivation in the Inner City was much higher than that in the Outer City, and as Yang Kai infiltrated, he was secretly shocked to discover more than one Origin King aura. Each of these Origin Kings was like a dormant lion, entrenched in their own territory. Any signs of trouble would be enough to disturb these masters.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was extremely powerful, so he was able to avoid all dangers in advance while concealing himself perfectly.
Walking in the dark, his footsteps were neither fast nor slow, his body not releasing any discernible fluctuations. Quickly, Yang Kai approached a huge palace compound at the centre of the Inner City.
Purple Star Palace!
This was a symbol of Purple Star’s power, a sacred place revered by the billions of cultivators who lived under Purple Star’s rule.
The entire palace complex was built of a type of purple jade, giving it an extreme magnificence. From a distance, Purple Star Palace was like a purple torch flame that stretched up into the sky, almost as if the sun would rise from it in the next moment to illuminate the world.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense slightly to observe the movement inside Purple Star Palace while muttering to himself, “Five, six, ten, twelve… good, here.”
Moving along a certain path, Yang Kai quickly came to a certain location where the defensive barrier was weaker. Smiling with satisfaction, his body flickered as he directly entered.
Zi Dong’s knowledge was indispensable to him being able to enter Purple Star Palace so smoothly.
Although Purple Star Palace was enormous, it still had a powerful barrier arranged outside it that was impossible to pass through without a special token. Once anyone tried to force their way in, the barrier would react and alert everyone inside; however, things were different with guidance from Zi Dong. He was Purple Star’s Young Master and had lived in the Purple Star Palace all year round, so he knew the weakness of this barrier very well.
As the saying went, a thief in the family is the hardest to ward against.
Although there were not many barriers or defensive arrays inside Purple Star Palace, each one was extremely powerful and extremely well hidden. Yang Kai’s goal this time was stealth, so he did not want to expose his position. This was where Zi Dong came in handy.
Before coming here, Yang Kai had asked Zi Dong about the situation inside Purple Star Palace. Zi Dong did not dare to hide anything, explaining everything he knew about Purple Star Palace’s defensive arrangements. This knowledge, of course, was not comprehensive as Zi Dong, Purple Star’s Young Master, wasn’t responsible for such things.
Fortunately, this information was enough, and Yang Kai felt that, there would not be any problems as long as his luck wasn’t too bad.
While observing the surrounding environment and avoiding various barriers and traps, Yang Kai quietly approached a palace in the centre of Purple Star Palace.
This was where Purple Star’s Vault was located, and it was also the palace with the strongest defences. However, it was still easy to reach this place for Yang Kai because Zi Dong knew the situation here well. Yang Kai also had the key to open the vault.
As long as he could get close to that palace, his chances of success were high!
Time passed slowly as Yang Kai moved closer and closer to the palace.
With only a third of the distance left to his destination from where he entered, Yang Kai, who was still walking stealthily, suddenly came to a halt as his face sank. At that moment, he felt he had touched some kind of barrier, which sent out energy fluctuations to the surroundings.
[Shit!] Yang Kai’s face turned green as he never expected that the barrier arrangements in Purple Star City would be so well concealed that even his Divine Sense could not find them all.
In the next moment, Yang Kai felt two powerful Divine Senses sweeping towards him.
Both of these Divine Senses could only have belonged to Origin Kings, so someone had obviously noticed the movement here.
Despite Yang Kai being a powerful master himself, he could not help feeling a cold sweat at this moment. Though he was proficient in the Dao of Space and was a Second-Order Origin King, this place was still the centre of another’s territory, with countless masters present. Neither the conditions nor the terrain were to Yang Kai’s advantage. If he were really to become entangled here, it was difficult to say whether he could escape.
Not daring to hesitate, Yang Kai’s fled quickly.
But at that moment, a powerful Domain pressed down out of thin air, one that seemed capable of sealing off this space, making it impossible for Yang Kai to leave immediately.
“What rat dares run wild in my Purple Star Palace!?” An angry shout came from afar, shaking all the cultivators in Purple Star Palace before a massive vortex suddenly appeared above Yang Kai’s head. From that vortex, a giant palm that seemed to cover the Heavens and Earth manifested and pressed downward.
“Second-Order Origin King!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and immediately judged the true level of the person who was attacking him.
This opponent wasn’t actually present but was instead attacking from afar. Such ability was not something a First-Order Origin King could possess, only a master who had reached the Second-Order many years ago could have such means.
The palm formed from the concentration of energy pressed down while a seemingly irresistible suction force came from it, trying to draw Yang Kai into it and not let him break free.
This was definitely a powerful Secret Technique, and if Yang Kai had only been a First-Order Origin King, he may not have been able to easily block it, but now that he was a Second-Order master, equivalent to the cultivation of his attacker, Yang Kai naturally didn’t have anything to fear.
Instead of resisting, Yang Kai straightened his body and rushed towards the giant palm.
Midair, Yang Kai stretched out his hand to eject several dozen Golden Blood Threads, which released a blinding golden radiance that shot forward with Yang Kai following closely behind.
*Hong…*
With a loud explosion, the world shook.
The golden radiance penetrated the giant palm, causing it to shatter and disperse. At the same time, the force which was sealing the surrounding space collapsed.
Yang Kai immediately tore space and disappeared.
In the next moment, three figures arrived at the scene of the incident, one after another. The first to arrive was an old man with a beard that hung down to his chest, grey hair, and a cold, gloomy face. Scanning the surrounding area though, a clear look of shock flashed across his eyes.
Soon after, a man and a woman appeared, but before they were able to figure out what was happening, they saw the old man standing mid-air and immediately wore respectful looks, cupped their fists together, and shouted, “Great Elder!”
This old man was none other than Purple Star’s Great Elder, Gong Sun Liang!
A Second-Order Origin King and one the strongest masters in the Star Field, one whose prestige was not inferior to that of Purple Star’s Sect Master Zi Long.
“Great Elder, what…” The female Origin King asked hesitantly.
“Someone trespassed into the Purple Star Palace!” Gong Sun Liang shouted with a gloomy face.
“What?” The other male Origin King’s complexion changed, “Who would dare be so presumptuous?”
“I don’t know!” Gong Sun Liang shook his head and narrowed his eyes, “Whoever it was, he was strong, able to break through this old master’s Extinguishing Void Palm, a feat no ordinary person could achieve.”
The two Origin Kings exchanged a glance and both saw the shock on each other’s face.
They had been far away just now, so although they had noticed the energy fluctuations here, they had not seen exactly what happened and did not know that someone had actually exchanged blows with the Great Elder and even broke his Extinguishing Void Palm until now.
The female Origin King hesitated before asking, “Doesn’t that mean that the other party was a Second-Order Origin King?”
As soon as she said this, she herself was shocked. If a Second-Order Origin King really wanted to cause trouble in the Purple Star Palace, it would be a disaster. Besides the Great Elder, everyone else was just a First-Order.
There was a world of difference between the First Order and Second Order!
“Whether he was a Second-Order or not is something this old master cannot determine, the opponent took action rapidly before disappearing, and their speed of escape is…” Gong Sun Liang’s brow furrowed deeply, unable to understand how this mysterious intruder had just vanished in the blink of an eye. Even when he pushed his Divine Sense to its limits, Gong Sun Liang was unable to notice any of the other party’s aura.
It was almost like the scene just now was a play he had put on himself.
While these three had been speaking, more masters who were alarmed had rushed over.
Even Zi Wu Ji had flown over together with Ji Jun.
“Second Young Master!” Everyone saluted Zi Wu Ji. Although everyone knew that Zi Dong would be the next Sect Master of Purple Star, Zi Wu Ji was still Zi Long’s son after all, so they could not simply disregard him.
Only Gong Sun Liang stood firm without offering any form of greeting.
“Wu Ji greets Great Elder!” Instead, Zi Wu Ji needed to salute Gong Sun Liang.
This all stemmed from the fact that he was not Purple Star’s Young Master; if it had been Zi Dong here, the situation would be different.
Gong Sun Liang did not utter any words, simply nodding lightly with an indifferent expression.
Seeing this behaviour, Zi Wu Ji’s eyes flashed a cold light before he wore a light smile and asked, “Great Elder, what’s going on here? How come this Wu Ji sensed someone fighting?”
But Gong Sun Liang turned a deaf ear to him, as if he had not heard Zi Wu Ji’s question, not even bothering to acknowledge it.
Everyone’s expressions fluctuated when seeing this, and the atmosphere quickly became tense.
Since there are people asking why there is a next chapter Patreon link, it is cause there were people who asked where they can read ahead.
Also, this has been done for all novels on this site when I was still doing it manually (for MP, it was around chapter 15xx). Just that Martial Peak stretched from Monday to Sunday, meaning that you don’t see it since I schedule that chapters on Sunday. (For other novels that end on Friday, you can technically see the Patreon link on Saturday, which will be updated to link to the chapter on Sunday.)
Now that it is automated, and I no longer manually set the links on each chapter, I just set it to how it was suppose to be.
Well, I guess most of the readers don’t know this since they don’t read the other novels on this site. But for those that do, this should not be that much of a surprise.
Anyways, I won’t address this anymore even if some don’t read this footer note.
Though, I want to address an issue, which is that the Patreon link is still there even though the latest chapter is already out. This is more of a caching issue on the CDN. We messed around with the code some more and it should be fixed now. If you see Next Chapter (Patreon), that means you are getting the updated template of the chapter. If it is still an issue, for now, you can just go to the index or the homepage to get to the new chapter.
There another method, such as entering the number of the browser and tab, it would auto-fill. Not sure if it works for you. I use Vivaldi so yeah.
Although everyone knew that the Second Young Master and Great Elder were incompatible, they had always maintained a public sense of decorum up until now. Unfortunately, the relationship between the two parties seemed to have become more and more volatile over the past year.
The reason was simple: The Great Elder was Young Master Zi Dong’s grandfather, and his daughter, Gong Sun Yu, was Zi Dong’s biological mother. With this kind of relationship, Gong Sun Liang spared no effort to support Zi Dong, waiting for him to become the Sect Master of Purple Star.
Zi Wu Ji’s mother, on the other hand, was just a woman from a small family on Purple Star; as such, how could he compare with Zi Dong?
Gong Sun Liang had always looked down on Zi Wu Ji.
Roughly two years ago, Zi Long and Zi Dong had left Purple Star together and had yet to return. So, those with power on Purple Star had begun struggling for power and profit.
Especially over the past year, Zi Wu Ji had secretly moved to win over many masters. Gong Sun Liang had also begun to amass support, and the conflict between the two parties had become almost impossible to hide.
The actions of these two sides had caused many of Purple Star’s masters to split into three distinct factions. One of these factions supported Zi Wu Ji while another faction was headed by Gong Sun Liang, both taking advantage of Purple Star’s Sect Master and Young Master’s absence to further their own agendas. The rest were cultivators who were waiting for Zi Long’s return without joining either side.
Since the two were secret opponents, Gong Sun Liang certainly would not be willing to talk to Zi Wu Ji.
Zi Wu Ji frowned as some displeasure appeared on his face; after all, he was still Purple Star’s Second Young Master. Gong Sun Liang not giving him any face in front of so many masters was a difficult insult to swallow.
“Gong Sun Liang, how dare you act so dissolute!” Ji Jun, who had been standing behind Zi Wu Ji, suddenly shouted, “Second Young Master asked you a question, why have you not answered?”
Gong Sun Liang’s eyes flashed as he looked down at Ji Jun coldly, snorting as he said, “Who are you accusing of acting dissolute? This old master is Purple Star’s Great Elder. With Sect Master not here, all decisions fall to this old master. What thing are you to dare yell at this old master?”
Ji Jun smiled coldly, “Gong Sun Liang, don’t think that others don’t know what you are thinking. With the tiger not home, the monkey acts like a king. When Sect Master returns, we’ll see how arrogant you can be.”
“Who did you just call a monkey?” When had Gong Sun Liang ever been so insulted? He could not help angrily glaring at Ji Jun.
“You know it in your heart,” Ji Jun sneered again.
“You court death!” Gong Sun Liang was furious and the Saint Qi in his body surged fiercely, seemingly on the verge of attacking Ji Jun.
Everyone’s face changed drastically.
“Great Elder, please restrain your anger!” Zi Wu Ji suddenly stood forward and blocked Ji Jun, hurriedly cupping his fists and saying lightly, “Old Ji has always been blunt with his thoughts, if he has offended you, this Wu Ji will apologise on his behalf and hope that Great Elder will not take it to heart.”
“Hmph,” Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted in a noncommittal manner.
Zi Wu Ji simply chuckled in response, “This is not the time for infighting. Right now, what’s most important is to figure out who it was that broke into Purple Star Palace. I do not know what this person’s objective is, but if they have malicious intentions, the situation is worrying. What does Great Elder think?”
Gong Sun Liang also recognised that this was not the time to fight with the other party. The sudden intrusion of a Second-Order Origin King to Purple Star Palace had simply agitated him a bit too much. As such, he quickly held his tongue.
Zi Wu Ji continued, “With my father not here and my eldest brother out accompanying him, Purple Star Palace currently has no leader. Although this Wu Ji is willing to offer his assistance, he is somewhat powerless to help. Since Great Elder is in charge of all matters in the palace, I will have to entrust Great Elder to find out who this intruder is and what his purpose is. I hope Great Elder can find this villain and tear his corpse into ten thousand pieces to serve as a warning. Otherwise, what face would our Purple Star have?!”
Gong Sun Liang frowned and quickly spat, “There is no need for the Second Young Master to say anything more, this old master will handle the matter appropriately. Second Young Master should withdraw.”
“En, Wu Ji will take his leave!” Zi Wu Ji nodded and smiled before leaving calmly with Ji Jun.
After he left, Gong Sun Liang shouted, “Spread out and search the palace, don’t let off even the slightest clue! That person could not have gone far and must be using some kind of Secret Technique to conceal their aura. If you find them, don’t engage, notify this old master and he will arrive as quickly as possible!”
“Yes!” Everyone agreed and dispersed.
For a time, Purple Star Palace was abuzz with activity with masters combing every path and flying across the sky. Powerful Divine Senses continuously swept every corner of the grounds as they continued an exhaustive search…
“Second Young Master, why must you show such tolerance to that old fart?” Ji Jun asked in a disgruntled tone on the way back.
A sneer appeared on Zi Wu Ji’s face as he snorted lightly, “It’s not time to tear face with him yet. Let that old thing act arrogant for a while more.”
Ji Jun frowned, but having received such an answer, he didn’t refute.
“However… the thief who suddenly appeared this time has helped me greatly,” Zi Wu Ji smiled lightly. “No matter who this person is, this Young Lord must offer his sincere thanks.”
Ji Jun frowned and thought about it for a moment before asking, “Second Young Master means that this intruder helped you distract that old fart?”
“That is part of it,” Zi Wu Ji smiled slightly, “The person who appeared is clearly very strong, capable of casually exchanging blows with Gong Sun Liang before freely leaving. He must also be a Second-Order Master and Gong Sun Liang finding him will not be easy. Old Ji, think about it, if that old thing can’t find this person, what face will he have left?”
“Indeed!” Ji Jun’s eyes flashed with joy, “If he can’t find that person, that old fart will be disgraced. Hahaha, no wonder Second Young Master was so eager to withdraw just now, so it was for this reason!”
“Why else do you think this Young Lord would act so cooperative? Although this matter is somewhat troublesome, it can also be a good opportunity to accumulate prestige if handled properly,” Zi Wu Ji stroked his chin lightly. “But… who would dare to break into my Purple Star Palace? Among the Star Field, Second-Order Origin Kings are a rarity, and each of them is a well-known master. None of them would need to act so sneakily.”
For some reason, when Zi Wu Ji said this, Yang Kai’s image suddenly flashed across his mind.
Yang Kai was Purple Star’s Third Venerable and only recently appeared in Purple Star City. Tonight, Purple Star Palace was broken into, so Zi Wu Ji naturally thought of Yang Kai.
“Could it be him?” Zi Wu Ji couldn’t be sure, but a thick suspicion appeared between his brow that he could not dismiss.
In a certain courtyard inside Purple Star Palace, Yang Kai was concealing himself while silently observing the masters of Purple Star Palace search for him.
He had made this trip in vain now that he had been noticed, and to make matters worse, he could not leave freely at the moment. With so many masters’ Divine Senses probing around, he would definitely be noticed if he made too much movement.
As such, he could only endure and wait for an opportunity to present itself.
Time passed slowly, but Yang Kai was not in a hurry. The coming and going masters in the sky passed by not far away, but not one of them ever noticed him.
Suddenly, a familiar figure fell not far away, took a look around, then walked straight towards a certain pavilion.
In front of this pavilion were several Origin Realm masters standing guard. After seeing this visitor though, all of them saluted, “Subordinate greets Seventh Elder!”
“En,” This Seventh Elder gently nodded and asked, “Nothing has happened inside, right?”
“Reporting to Seventh Elder, there has been nothing unusual,” The lead Origin Realm guard replied respectfully before asking suspiciously, “Seventh Elder, what happened just now? Why did this subordinate sense someone was fighting?”
“Someone trespassed into Purple Star Palace. Great Elder was concerned they might have come for the people inside, so he asked me to come and have a look. Open the barrier.”
“Yes,” The several Origin Returning Realm masters heard this and without hesitation took out a kind of stone tablet like artifact from their Space Rings and poured their Saint Qi into them. The next moment, a layer of ripples appeared around the pavilion as a barrier opened.
Seventh Elder then walked straight inside. A short while later, an angry series of curses rang out from inside.
However, these curses quickly turned into miserable cries, as if whoever was shouting was being beaten by this Seventh Elder.
Seventh Elder walked out a moment later with a hint of irritation on his face, coldly snorted, and said, “Overconfident fool, daring to act against this old master. If you did not have some use left, I would have taken all your lives! Watch these people well, if any of them manages to escape, it will be all of your heads!”
The Origin Realm guards all wore terrified expressions as they hurriedly nodded in acknowledgement.
Seventh Elder then flew off into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
After the Seventh Elder left, the several Origin Realm masters looked at each other with solemn expressions, preparing to activate the barrier again.
In his hiding spot, Yang Kai wore a strange expression as he stared towards the pavilion with a suspicious look on his face.
From the voices that were angrily cursing just now, he seemed to have heard one that was familiar to him!
This was a completely unexpected development.
After hesitating for a moment, Yang Kai made up his mind, and before the barrier was raised again, his figure flickered and rushed directly into the pavilion.
The Origin Realm masters who were opening the barrier frowned as at that moment they all felt a slight sense of unease, but that feeling disappeared in the next instant, leaving them all at a loss.
However, none of them discovered anything wrong, so they did not pay this incident any mind and simply activated the barrier again.
Inside the pavilion, Yang Kai revealed himself leisurely.
Before he could see the scene inside the room clearly, two figures suddenly rushed up and tried to attack him.
Yang Kai’s face sank and his Domain burst forth, completely solidifying the surrounding space. Under his delicate control, the Domain field he formed was extremely small, only covering the interior of the pavilion, without touching any of the barriers outside.
“Shhh…” Yang Kai quickly stretched out his finger and gestured.
Only then did he see the situation inside the house clearly.
There were a total of five people inside, all of whom were Origin Realm cultivators, the strongest of which was a Third-Order. Four of these people were complete strangers to Yang Kai, but one young man was actually familiar to him.
At this moment, the young man was held mid-air by Yang Kai’s Domain and had a suspicious expression on his face as he stared at Yang Kai fiercely, but in the next moment, his eyes bulged and he pointed towards Yang Kai as he haltingly called out, “You…”
Yang Kai grinned, “Brother Shen Tu, the world is really too small. I trust you’ve been well since we last met?”
The young man in the house turned out to be Shen Tu, the son of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President Ai Ou and Xue Yue’s Second Brother!
When Yang Kai was first trapped on the floating continent, Shen Tu was among the others with him. Both of them had low strength at the time, only Saints with Shen Tu’s cultivation being slightly higher at the Third-Order.
The two had cooperated with each other on the floating continent and also formed a friendship.
Later, after escaping from the floating continent, Yang Kai followed Shen Tu to the Home Star of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce: Water Moon Star. Since then, several dozen years had passed.
Yang Kai never expected to meet Shen Tu on Purple Star, so this sudden reunion came as quite a surprise.
Shen Tu also looked at Yang Kai as if he could not believe what he was seeing. Only after Yang Kai took the initiative to say hello did Shen Tun rub his eyes vigorously and ask, “Yang Kai?”
“It is this Yang!” Yang Kai chuckled.
“Why are you here?” Shen Tu frowned and asked in amazement.
“That’s a long story… Brother Shen Tu, can you let these… en, can you calm them down?” Yang Kai looked at the other four cultivators who were glaring at him sternly.
Shen Tu gently nodded and called out, “All of you stop, Brother Yang… he’s an old acquaintance of mine!”
The four Origin Returning Realm masters looked at each other and withdrew their Saint Qi one after another. Yang Kai saw that they were no longer aggressive and withdrew the Domain.
In an instant, everyone in the pavilion regained their freedom.
“You’ve actually reached the Origin King Realm?” Shen Tu was shocked by Yang Kai’s sudden appearance just now and only now realized his true cultivation, his face filling with disbelief.
His cultivation had been slightly higher than Yang Kai’s back then, but after a few dozen years, he had only reached the First-Order Origin Returning Realm while the Yang Kai had arrived at the Origin King Realm. Comparing the two sides, it was only natural for Shen Tu to be shocked.
One had to know that breaking through from the Origin Returning Realm to the Origin King Realm was no simple feat. Throughout the ages, how many promising talents had become stuck at this juncture, unable to make progress for a lifetime?
Every cultivator that was able to break through to the Origin King Realm was not just talented, they also needed great luck and opportunity.
“I was just lucky,” Yang Kai chuckled lightly.
Shen Tu shook his head slowly. As the son of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President, his vision and experience were naturally extraordinary, so how could he believe Yang Kai was simply ‘lucky’. Obviously, Yang Kai was just acting humble. However, this was not a good opportunity to discuss this matter. Frowning slightly, Shen Tu looked at Yang Kai with a solemn expression in silence for a while before asking in a solemn voice, “Brother Yang, I have to ask… you suddenly appearing here, are we… friends or enemies?”
“Friends… not enemies!” Yang Kai said sincerely.
Shen Tu looked overjoyed and could not help but laugh, actually walking forward and giving Yang Kai a bear hug, patting him on the back vigorously as he said, “Brother Yang, it’s been several dozen years! I’ve missed you!”
He was so enthusiastic that Yang Kai actually felt a bit embarrassed.
Shen Tu then said, “Back then, I learned that something happened to you after you took that Starship to leave Water Moon Star. Almost all the cultivators on that ship perished, and there has been no news from you since then, making this Shen Tu feel quite guilty!”
“That had nothing to do with you, it was just bad luck,” Yang Kai felt his sincerity and his heart warmed.
When he left Water Moon Star that year, he had chosen a Starship at will. No one thought that Xue Yue would also take that same Starship, becoming targeted and destroyed as a result.
When they reached a certain Asteroid Sea, they were bombarded by a special type of explosive artifact that killed everyone else aboard except for Yang Kai and Xue Yue.
It was also on that occasion that Yang Kai accidentally discovered that Xue Yue was a woman, leading to many subsequent matters.
After a while, Shen Tu let go of Yang Kai and said with emotion, “For so many years, I have been inquiring about you. Third Brother seemed to know something, but he would not say anything no matter how I asked. In fact, he would beat me severely each time!”
Shen Tu gritted his teeth in frustration, “That bastard, he’s so disrespectful! If it wasn’t for my strength being inferior, I’d have already taught him a lesson.”
Yang Kai’s face twitched slightly when he heard this. At that time, Xue Yue had lost all face in front of him, and was even taken advantage of; Shen Tu asking about that incident was nothing short of asking for a beating.
“Everything is alright now, I’ve finally seen you alive and well again,” Shen Tu exhaled heavily, as if he was breathing out all the anxiety that had been weighing his heart down for the past few decades, feeling much more relieved.
“I’ve been fine, sorry for worrying Brother Shen Tu.”
“Second Young Master, this is…” One of the Origin Returning Realm masters who had been watching patiently until now finally couldn’t help but ask.
Shen Tu laughed heartily and introduced, “This is Brother Yang Kai, he is a life and death friend with this Young Master. Come here quickly, greet Brother Yang!”
When these four heard this, they didn’t dare to neglect, quickly stepping forward and cupping their fists, “Greetings, Senior Yang!”
Yang Kai was an Origin King Realm, as well as a brother to Shen Tu, so they could not show any disrespect.
Shen Tu touched his chin and pondered for a moment before asking, “Yes, Brother Yang is now an Origin King, so should I call you Senior too?”
“Brother Shen Tu must be joking!” Yang Kai waved his hand, “However, I’m quite curious. Why are you here… and seemingly under arrest?”
Listening to what Yang Kai said, Shen Tu was immediately filled with outrage and cursed, “Damn it! This Young Master also doesn’t know what’s going on. This time, I received an order from the chamber of commerce to deliver a batch of materials ordered by Purple Star, but how was I supposed to know that I would be captured as soon as I entered Purple Star City? I still haven’t even been able to ask what this is all about, it’s a great misfortune.”
“Purple Star captured you without saying anything?” Yang Kai was shocked. “Don’t they know that you are from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce?”
“How could they not know?” Shen Tu grumbled angrily, “That group of Purple Star bastards have truly eaten some bear hearts and leopard galls, daring to attack this Young Master! Just wait, when this Young Master escapes one day, he will bring a hundred Starships here to raze Purple Star to the ground!”
A thoughtful look appeared on Yang Kai’s face at that moment as he speculated, “So, the battle in the city during the day was related to you?”
“En,” Shen Tu nodded, “I wanted to escape, but I failed and was shamefully captured again.”
“Second Young Master, this Elder feels like Purple Star is undergoing some kind of upheaval!” A sallow-looking old man said from the side.
“Why does old Sir say that?” Yang Kai looked at him.
“It’s just a feeling. Since entering Purple Star City, this Elder felt that something was not right. It’s as if something is churning in the darkness. What’s more, they knew our identities yet they still dared to detain us for some unknown purpose… Although Purple Star is strong, it’s not stronger than our Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. If there wasn’t something happening inside Purple Star, this Elder simply can’t comprehend their actions.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “I also think something is happening inside Purple Star.”
“Let them sort out their own problems, this Young Master just wants to leave this damned place now,” Shen Tu said angrily before suddenly turning to Yang Kai again and asking, “By the way, Brother Yang, why are you here?”
“Haha, I’m here to steal something,” Yang Kai grinned and explained what had happened just now.
The several people in the room were dumbfounded as they directed looks of admiration towards Yang Kai.
Daring to sneak into Purple Star Palace to steal something required a boldness and courage that no ordinary master could possess. What’s more, even after being discovered, he had still managed to elude capture, causing everyone to raise their evaluation of Yang Kai’s strength once again.
“Now that I’ve alerted the enemy though, I can only put my plans aside for now,” Yang Kai helplessly rubbed his forehead.
“Brother Yang, can you leave here?” Shen Tu asked while looking at Yang Kai.
“The barrier outside is very powerful, and if I forcefully break through, I will definitely be discovered, but if you can help me attract some attention, I can leave safely.”
“Not a problem, just leave it to us,” Shen Tu grinned, “Brother Yang, can you help me bring someone a message after you leave here?”
“Who?” Yang Kai looked at him curiously.
Shen Tu leaned forward and whispered something into Yang Kai’s ear.
Yang Kai’s expression quickly became strange hearing this message.
“I’ll leave the rest up to you, Brother Yang!” Shen Tu cupped his fists sincerely.
“Rest assured, I’ll deliver your words,” Yang Kai nodded. “Don’t worry too much, I’ll find a way to get all of you out.”
“I’m not worried,” Shen Tu smiled broadly, “With my identity, these Purple Star dogs wouldn’t dare do anything extreme to me unless they really want to start a war between our two great forces.”
After saying so, he suddenly took a step back and began shouting, “Bastards! Kill me! Just kill me!”
While shouting, he winked at the other Origin Realm masters behind him.
Everyone immediately understood and began yelling while pushing their Saint Qi violently, raising as much of a fuss as they could.
The movement inside the pavilion quickly spread out, causing the expression of the Purple Star cultivators outside, who were in charge of guarding, to change dramatically.
After a moment, one of the guards called out in alarm, “Not good, they’ve gone crazy! Quickly, stop them!”
None of them dared to neglect and they quickly opened the barrier to rush inside and quell the riot.
The moment the barrier was lowered, Yang Kai’s figure flickered, and he rushed out to seek a hidden corner to conceal himself.
Inside Purple Star Palace, many masters conducted an extensive search, but none managed to discover anything.
After waiting for a long time, Yang Kai found a suitable opportunity to tear space and silently depart.
Although he failed to achieve his original objective, the unexpected discovery of Shen Tu’s situation meant Yang Kai did not leave without any gains.
Inside Clear Sky Auction House’s inner courtyard, Li Nuo was sitting cross-legged in meditation but was unable to calm her restless emotions.
“Who!?” Suddenly, Aunt Chun’s shout rang out outside.
At the same time, a man’s voice rang in Li Nuo’s ears. When she heard this voice, Li Nuo went stiff, but a look of pleasant surprise soon appeared on her face as she quickly raised her head to stare out the window.
Unfortunately, the sky was pitch black, with only the faintest rays of light appearing in the east.
Dawn was about to break!
A smile appeared at the corner of Li Nuo’s lips as she called out, “Aunt Chun, come back, the one who came is harmless. In fact, he’s brought me some good news!”
For the next few days, everything was calm.
After sneaking into Purple Star Palace that night and alerting his enemies, Yang Kai did not act rashly again. He believed that the level of alert in Purple Star Palace had been raised to the extreme now, and even with his abilities, he was not certain he could sneak in again.
Hua You Meng took advantage of her connections to probe into the situation in Purple Star City over the recent period and reported everything she learned to Yang Kai.
It was then that Yang Kai learned that, because Zi Long and Zi Dong had been away from Purple Star for such a long time, the other leaders in Purple Star had split into several factions. Among these factions, the ones led by Second Young Master Zi Wu Ji and Great Elder Gong Sun Liang were by far the strongest and were now secretly clashing with one another.
Although Purple Star’s higher-ups tried to conceal this matter, paper could not cover fire and word had already begun to leak out, allowing Hua You Meng to easily uncover the truth.
But the information she was able to obtain was all well-known, nothing specific or particularly insightful.
Yet this was enough. It allowed Yang Kai to understand just what was brewing beneath the calm façade of Purple Star City.
There were only two things that Yang Kai cared about right now: Stealing the Star Emperor Token and getting Shen Tu and his entourage out safely. Unfortunately, no good opportunity had presented itself yet, so he could only continue to wait patiently.
Time flew by, and the day of Clear Sky Auction House’s auction soon arrived.
Yang Kai had nothing else to do at the moment, so he gladly accompanied Hua You Meng to the auction after all. The value of the land deeds that were being auctioned on behalf of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce this time was too large, so if there was no master present, it was impossible to guarantee that others would not get malicious ideas.
Hua You Meng was incredibly happy to see this as she had been wondering how to invite Yang Kai to come with her. Now that he had volunteered to accompany her, her gratitude towards Yang Kai rose even higher.
On the day of the auction, Hua You Meng dressed up in a tight-fitting purple dress that perfectly complemented her figure and noble temperament. As she walked next to Yang Kai down the street, she drew the attention of many.
Presenting the invitation she had received, a member of Clear Sky Auction House’s staff led Yang Kai and Hua You Meng to one of the private rooms, offered some spirit fruits and tea, then respectfully withdrew.
Hua You Meng stood sternly to the side, and only after Yang Kai urged her several times, did she restlessly take a seat.
There was still some time before the auction started, so Yang Kai looked around to ease his boredom.
After a short while though, he could not help frowning as a hint of suspicious appeared on his face.
“Sir, has something happened?” Hua You Meng’s attention had always been on Yang Kai, so seeing his expression change at this moment she could not help asking quickly.
“Is there something extremely valuable being auctioned today?” Yang Kai frowned and asked.
“I don’t know…” Hua You Meng smiled awkwardly.
“En, never mind,” Yang Kai smiled slightly before taking back his Divine Sense and frowning slightly.
Just now, he had noticed that there were many Origin Kings in this auction house!
This was quite strange. There were not many things that could attract the attention of Origin Kings in this world, and even if something like that did appear, it shouldn’t have made it all the way to Clear Sky Auction House’s auction floor.
An Origin King would not visit this kind of auction house for no reason. In fact, if not for him accompanying Hua You Meng today, Yang Kai would not have even considered coming here either.
But now, there were at least five Origin Kings present besides him.
Private Rooms A1 through A4 all had Origin Kings in them. Of special note was room A1, where even Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was being blocked slightly. Obviously, someone very strong was inside.
What’s more… the aura coming from this room gave Yang Kai a familiar feeling.
In fact, the person in room A1 was none other than Purple Star’s Great Elder Gong Sun Liang, whom Yang Kai had fought with a few days ago!
This auction was actually able to attract Gong Sun Liang, which showed that there was definitely something good here!
This discovery immediately raised Yang Kai’s interest in this auction.
After a short wait, a beautiful figure appeared lightly on the high platform in the middle of the auction house. It was Li Nuo.
Smiling faintly in her sleeveless, low cut cyan dress that exposed her slightly pinkish arms as well as part of her deep valley to the air, Li Nuo appeared particularly seductive. Her long, beautiful legs were also adorned with a pair of special jade sandals that drew the eyes of many of the cultivators to her. From the crowd, countless greedy looks were directed towards her unscrupulously.
Li Nuo paid these gazes no mind and simply smiled warmly as she spoke, “Thank you all for coming to today’s auction. This Mistress is grateful for your attendance, as it brings great honour to my Clear Sky Auction House. This Mistress is Li Nuo, and will serve as the host of today’s auction. I hope that everyone will treat this Mistress favourably.”
Saying so, she gave an elegant salute.
“Without further delay, today’s auction will officially begin, however… let this Mistress first say that among today’s auction items, there are many extremely valuable treasures. Ones that will satisfy the desires of everyone present!” While saying so, she glanced towards the A Block private rooms, and although she did not state things clearly, her meaning was self-evident.
Yang Kai smiled knowingly and thought to himself that with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce backing it, Clear Sky Auction House was certainly out of the ordinary. Otherwise, it would have never been able to come up with items that could even tempt Origin Kings.
“Let’s have a look at the first auction!” Li Nuo called out before gesturing to the side. The next moment, a woman dressed as a maidservant and with a brilliant smile on her face brought out a tray.
This tray was covered with a red cloth that was made of some unknown material that seemed capable of blocking the Divine Sense of most of the cultivators in the auction house, causing everyone to feel somewhat eager and to crane their necks to get a better look.
There was also a curious look in Hua You Meng’s beautiful eyes as she stared at this tray fixedly.
Although it was not the first time that she had participated in an auction, it was the first time she had the privilege of entering a private room, a completely different experience compared to squeezing into the seats in the auction house’s lower section.
“It’s just an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact, you don’t need it,” Yang Kai saw the eager look on her face and immediately spoke.
Hua You Meng was taken aback, “Sir, can you see what is beneath that cloth?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “That red cloth is made from the silk of a Red Snow Heavenly Silkworm. Its only effect is to block Divine Sense, but its effects are limited to Origin Realm cultivators. It can’t block the Divine Sense of an Origin King.”
Hua You Meng gently nodded as a look of longing appeared in her eyes. She was also a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator now. If she had enough opportunity, she could also try to break through to the Origin King Realm, but the chances of that were not very good. She had broken through many years ago, but she had still yet to condense her Shi to the grand accomplishment stage, much less touch upon the mysteries of Domain.
In all likelihood, breaking through again in this lifetime was hopeless!
On stage, Li Nuo smiled lightly, walked forward, and lifted the red cloth covering the tray, revealing the contents to everyone.
Sure enough, it was an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact, a delicate-looking dagger that exuded a deep chill.
Li Nuo picked up the dagger, twirled it in her hands, then poured her Saint Qi into it, causing the dagger to buzz and reveal a flowing set of runes on its blade.
In an instant, the already strong chill became even more piercing.
Li Nuo held the dagger in her hand as she pushed her Saint Qi again, “This Severing Yuan Dagger was forged from Deep Sea Cold Iron with Cold Ocean Sand and the fangs of a Ninth-Order Black-Eyed Tapir Monster Beast by an Origin Grade High-Rank Artifact Refiner. It is capable of releasing extremely frigid energy and specializes in piercing protective Saint Qi. Please observe.”
Saying so, she actually stabbed her arm.
Everyone saw as the tip of this dagger quickly struck Li Nuo’s Saint Qi protection, and the layer of Saint Qu around her body was torn through.
Fortunately, Li Nuo’s control of her strength was excellent, so despite the dagger piercing her protective Saint Qi, she was not injured in the slightest.
Withdrawing the dagger, Li Nuo smiled and said, “Although the Severing Yuan Dagger is only an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact, if used properly, it can provide a great boost even when fighting Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators. What’s more, it is easy and quick to refine. This Mistress does not need to explain further how valuable such an artifact is. The starting price is 150,000 Saint Crystals, please!”
As soon as Li Nuo’s voice fell, bids flew out from the house seats as many were obviously extremely interested in this artifact.
Hua You Meng also looked interested as this dagger was small and suitable for women, but remembering Yang Kai’s words just now, she reluctantly held herself back.
At that moment, Yang Kai spoke, “This dagger has a slight defect. If I’m not mistaken, it is probably a failed product.”
“Failed product?” Hua You Meng was startled when she heard these words.
“Yeah, did you notice that, when Li Nuo was demonstrating the power of the dagger just now, she intentionally used an Ice Attribute Secret Technique first? One probably needs to cultivate an Ice Attribute Secret Art or Secret Technique in order to use this dagger. Seeing how you don’t have any cold attributes in your Saint Qi, even if you were to obtain this thing, it won’t be of any use.”
“Is that true?” Hua You Meng was shocked, “Then isn’t Li Nuo deceiving others by doing this?”
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “You can’t say that. At most, you can only say she didn’t give a complete explanation. What’s more, if this dagger is really obtained by someone who cultivates an appropriate Secret Art, its power will still be commendable.”
“En, this Mistress understands,” Hua You Meng gave an enlightened nod.
In the hall, the bids continued to come in and the base price of 150,000 quickly rose to 280,000.
The first item being so popular made Li Nuo happily smile.
The most important thing about an auction was to have a good start. This would stimulate the enthusiasm of the participants and raise the price of all the following items.
After the price climbed to 320,000, the bids gradually became scarce; after all, this was about the upper limit of the price of an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artifact, any more and it wouldn’t be worth it.
Not every cultivator had so many spare Saint Crystals. Even if one was able to earn a large amount of Saint Crystals, they would still need to buy a variety of pills and also use Saint Crystals for their cultivation. In the end, artifacts were just auxiliary tools.
Eventually, this Severing Yuan Dagger was bought by a male cultivator in the hall for 350,000 Saint Crystals.
The auction continued in full swing. After the first item sold for such a good price, the enthusiasm of a large number of cultivators was high and each subsequent item that was brought out was steadily bid on, filling the hall with excitement.
Artifacts, pills, herbs, ores, even Secret Arts and Secret Techniques… all kinds of items were available at this auction.
Time flew by, and soon the auction had reached the two-hour mark. Almost every auction item brought out during this period sold for a very high price, allowing Clear Sky Auction House to earn a hefty profit.
However, the cultivators who participated in the auction up until now had almost all been from the lower seats while very few from the private rooms had made any bids. As for the five Origin Kings in the A Block private rooms, none had even spoken so far, making Yang Kai wonder all the more, what they were waiting for.
Hua You Meng, on the other hand, had participated twice and managed to obtain both an artifact and a powerful Secret Technique which she was currently studying happily.
The auction was approaching its end, so Yang Kai knew that the main event would soon make an appearance, raising his own enthusiasm a bit.
“The next item to be auctioned is a Spirit Pill, an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill!” Li Nuo said with a smile on the auction stage.
As soon as her voice fell, there was an uproar in the hall as many looked at Li Nuo in surprise.
After all, Origin King Grade Spirit Pills were extremely rare, no matter where one went, and it was even rarer to see one appear at an auction. Generally, the cultivators that obtained Origin King Grade Spirit Pills would do everything in their power to conceal its existence and either use it for themselves or their family. The other option would be to privately look for a master to exchange such a pill for a large amount of Saint Crystals. A Spirit Pill being auctioned off was an unusual occurrence.
Only auctions with strong heritage would auction Origin King Grade Spirit Pills.
Although Clear Sky Auction House was a well-known institution in Purple Star City, it was by no means the biggest, and it had never auctioned truly expensive items before. Yet this time, it had suddenly brought out an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill to auction, exceeding everyone’s expectations and immediately raising the excitement in the hall.
In private room A5, Hua You Meng also stopped what she was doing and looked down at the stage with interest.
Li Nuo smiled lightly, walked out a few steps to a maidservant who had just appeared, reached out to pick up a jade bottle from the tray, shook the bottle, and immediately smiled, “This jade bottle contains an Origin King Pill!”
*Hong…*
The cultivators in the hall immediately erupted after Li Nuo’s voice fell.
“What, an Origin King Pill?”
“It’s actually an Origin King Pill? Lady Li Nuo, are you serious?”
Li Nuo smiled and said, “This is my auction house, so how could I dare deceive you. This Spirit Pill is indeed an Origin King Pill. Please see for yourselves.”
Saying so, she opened the jade bottle and poured out a round pill. When this pill appeared, its fragrance filled the air and many cultivators instantly wore looks of ecstasy as they felt their bottlenecks loosening slightly.
Just smelling the fragrance of this pill had such a magical effect, so how amazing would it be to actually take it?
Sure enough, it was an Origin King Pill!
The Origin King Pill was a Spirit Pill that all peak Origin Returning Realm masters craved for because it could increase the chance of them breaking through to the Origin King Realm. After taking this Spirit Pill, one would be able to more easily sense the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao. Allowing them an easier time to condense their own Domain.
Although this kind of pill was not a miracle cure that could bring someone back from the dead, it had a fatal temptation to all Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivators.
The Origin King Pill was an Origin King Grade Low-Rank Spirit Pill, which meant it needed to be refined by an Origin King Grade Alchemist. What’s more, the ingredients required to refine the Origin King Pill were quite scarce, so Origin King Pills were a rarity throughout the Star Field.
Combining all these factors made every Origin King Pill invaluable.
“I believe this Mistress doesn’t need to explain what role this pill is to perform,” Li Nuo seemed to have expected the crowd’s reaction and smiled. “This Origin King Pill’s base price has been set at 20 million Saint Crystals. Everyone, please!”
When her voice fell, the entire hall went silent, with no one even daring to bid.
20 million Saint Crystals was not a sum an ordinary cultivator could take out. Only those with the backing of a great force or a big family or Sect would have such strong financial resources.
However, Li Nuo was not in a rush because she knew that this Origin King Pill would definitely sell, it’s just that those who wanted it weren’t in a rush to bid.
*Huchi… huchi…*
In room A5, the sound of heavy breathing rang out. Yang Kai turned his head and saw that Hua You Meng was anything but calm, her tender body trembling lightly as her cheeks flushed and her fists clenched together, her pair of beautiful eyes staring at the Origin King Pill on the stage.
She was also a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, and although she had not made much progress in her cultivation since she had reached her current realm, how could she possibly remain calm with an Origin King Pill appearing right in front of her? This wasn’t just any Spirit Pill, it was an opportunity to reach the Origin King Realm.
If she could really use this Origin King Pill to break through to the Origin King Realm, let alone 20 million, even 200 million would be worth it.
In her excitement, she unconsciously blurted out, “20 million!”
Her voice broke the treacherous silence at the scene, causing Li Nuo to look up and cast a kind smile towards room A5.
“25 million!” As soon as Hua You Meng’s voice fell, a voice from the B Block private rooms immediately followed, directly increasing the price by 5 million.
No one could sit still any longer and new bids began flooding in, all of them from the private rooms.
In just ten breaths of time, the price had risen to 80 million.
Hua You Meng pretty face could not help going slightly pale as she realized that she was unable to compete for this Spirit Pill. 80 million was simply an unbearable number for her, and although there was still the thirty land deeds that were about to be auctioned off, just how many Saint Crystals could she obtain from that?
The competition for the Origin King Pill had only just begun, so who knows what kind of final price it would fetch.
Maybe it would not be enough even if she used all the Saint Crystals she gained from auctioning the land deeds, and she didn’t have the courage to do so anyway.
“100 million!” From a private room in B Block, an old voice called out. Although this voice tried to sound calm, everyone could hear the excitement and anxiety in it.
As soon as this price was called, the scene fell silent again.
An Origin King Pill was indeed precious, but it only increased the chances of one successfully breaking through, it was not a guarantee. It only brought a glimmer of hope.
A price of 100 million had already reached the limit of what most cultivators could afford.
So, after the initial enthusiasm, many people began to calm down and stopped increasing the price.
For a time, no new bids were made.
Li Nuo was not worried at all though. Standing on the stage, she smiled and asked, “The old gentleman from room B8 has bid 100 million. Is there any higher offer?”
“There isn’t, quickly begin the count!” The cultivator from room B8 yelled anxiously.
He could not easily take out 100 million Saint Crystals, but it would be worth it to obtain an Origin King Pill, so he was quite fearful someone else would try to compete with him now and urged vigorously.
“Haha, 110 million!” At that moment, hearty laughter came from one of the private rooms, raising the price by 10 million.
“Who!? Which bastard dares to bid against this old master, damn it!” The cultivator in room B8 was incensed and immediately cursed.
However, when he noticed that the voice actually came from room A2, his face changed drastically.
He was only in room B8, while the other party sat in room A2, meaning the other party’s status was no doubt higher than his own.
At that moment, from room A2, a powerful Divine Sense burst forth and blasted towards the cultivator in room B8.
A muffled snort sounded as the old man in room B8 turned pale, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth as he stared at room A2 in horror and shouted, “Origin King!”
“Hmph, since we’re here to participate in the auction, obey the rules. The next time you show such disrespect, this King will take your life!” Another voice sounded from room A2.
“Yes, yes. What Sir said is correct,” The cultivator in room B8 did not dare to complain, simply nodding in fright as cold sweat dripped down his forehead. Although the room was isolated by a barrier, and he could not see the other side’s face, just the fact that the other party was an Origin King meant he could not provoke them.
“Bold. In Purple Star City, someone actually dares to say they will kill people at will. Do you not put the rules of Purple Star City in your eyes?”
Suddenly, another old voice sounded out and everyone was stunned when they heard it. It seemed that things were destined to not be calm today. Looking towards the source of the voice, everyone quickly discovered that the speaker turned out to be in room A1!
This was the noblest room in the entire auction house, and many had been trying to guess who had been occupying it, but as soon as this voice came out, someone immediately called out in alarm, “Great Elder, it’s Great Elder!”
“Heavens! It’s Great Elder! I was fortunate enough to witness Great Elder scolding someone from far away two years ago. There’s no doubt, it’s Great Elder’s voice.”
“Why is Great Elder here too?”
For a time, the auction house was abuzz with conversation.
But if Great Elder Gong Sun Liang was really sitting in room A1, this was an understandable reaction; after all, Great Elder had the highest authority on Purple Star currently.
This made many wonder who was sitting in room A2 though, as it seemed Great Elder didn’t have a very cordial relationship with him.
“This old master wants this Origin King Pill. 200 million!” Gong Sun Liang said unhurriedly.
*Hua…*
The cultivators in the hall went into an uproar again, not only because Gong Sun Liang was taking part in the auction, but also because the bid he made was so terrifying, directly increasing the price of this Origin King Pill from 110 million to 200 million.
Everyone couldn’t help feeling a sense of admiration towards this Purple Star Great Elder. The wealth he carried on him was probably something that an ordinary cultivator couldn’t spend in a hundred generations.
“210 million!” To everyone’s surprise, the person who had previously bid in room A2 actually bid again.
“300 million!” Gong Sun Liang said with a cold snort.
“310 million!”
“500 million!”
…..
Everyone’s expression went dull as their eyes bulged listening to the bids coming from these two private rooms in A Block.
Even Yang Kai frowned as he showed a strange look.
Although an Origin King Pill was of great value, wasn’t a price of 500 million Saint Crystals too unreasonable? Moreover, with Gong Sun Liang’s cultivation, this Origin King Pill was of no use to him at all. Even if he wanted to buy it for one of his Juniors or a descendant, he still would not normally spend such a massive amount to do so.
Yang Kai was quite confused.
As soon as Gong Sun Liang’s 500 million Saint Crystal bid came out, the bidding from room A2 suddenly stopped, seemingly unable to keep up with this furious pace.
At that moment, in Room A2, Zi Wu Ji gloomily stared in Gong Sun Liang’s direction, his fists clenched tightly around bits of broken wood from what was once his chair’s armrest.
Ji Jun, who was standing next to him, also had an ugly face.
“Second Young Master, this old fart is absolutely doing this intentionally!” Ji Jun exclaimed angrily.
“This Young Lord is not a fool. How can I not know this?” Zi Wu Ji ground his teeth, “I was wondering why he suddenly appeared today at Clear Sky Auction House. It turns out he came here deliberately to cause trouble for this Young Lord. That old dog really has too much free time.”
Ji Jun said with a cold face, “This old fart is definitely afraid that you, will gain more strength, Young Lord. That is why he is so insidiously trying to hinder you.”
“One day, this Young Lord will make him pay the price!” Zi Wu Ji swore sternly.
The sky-high price of 500 million had exceeded his expectations, and although he was Purple Star’s Second Young Master, because he had been concealing his ambitions for so long, he had no force of his own and thus lacked deep financial resources. All the resources from Purple Star were put towards his big brother, Zi Dong.
If it hadn’t been for Zi Long and Zi Dong going missing for the past two years, Zi Wu Ji would have chosen to keep lying low.
But if he wanted to fight with Gong Sun Liang now, he needed great strength and prestige, so this Origin King Pill was particularly important to him. If he could use this pill to help him quickly break through to the Origin King Realm, it would be a great boost to his current position.
An Origin King Pill was something even he could not obtain easily!
After pondering for a moment, Zi Wu Ji did not shrink back but gritted his teeth and shouted, “600 million!”
600 million Saint Crystals was already his bottom line! It was also the largest amount he could bring out right now. If Gong Sun Liang increased the price again, he could only give up.
Unsurprisingly, Gong Sun Liang did not give him any face and quickly said, “1 billion!”
The way he called out, it was as if it was just 100 thousand, or 100 million, not 1 billion.
As soon as this bid was made, everyone’s complexion changed. Even Li Nuo, who was standing on the auction stage with a smile on her face, could not help wrinkling her brow slightly as she had a bad premonition in her heart.
“1… 1 billion!?” One of the cultivators down below exclaimed, “Am I hearing things? Did Great Elder just bid a billion Saint Crystals?”
“I must be hearing things also; how could such a high price be called?”
“En, an Origin King Pill is, of course, expensive, but one can’t sell for a billion Saint Crystals. The last time the Glorious Source Auction House sold an Origin King Pill, it only went for 580 million.”
“As expected of Great Elder, he is simply too wealthy, a billion is like nothing to him!”
Various opinions appeared, but some with shaper minds noticed a deeper meaning behind this bid.
Gong Sun Liang’s unrestrained increase in price was obviously because he had some kind of disagreement with the people in Room A2, but even if that was the case, wasn’t taking out a billion Saint Crystals a bit too much?
“Gong Sun Liang, are you deliberately making trouble?” From Room A2, Ji Jun couldn’t bear it any longer and shouted accusatorily.
*Hong…*
The hall erupted again as everyone stared towards Room A2 in shock, wondering who was so bold to dare call Great Elder directly by his name.
An originally unremarkable auction, because of these successive changes, had suddenly become treacherous, and a dangerous aura now permeated the entire auction floor.
On the stage, Li Nuo’s palms had also begun to sweat as a faint uneasy look flashed across her beautiful eyes.
Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations, Gong Sun Liang didn’t get angry and warmly smiled instead, “Ji Jun, what do you mean by this? This Elder has taken a fancy to this Origin King Pill, what’s wrong with him bidding for it?”
“What’s wrong, you know it in your heart!” Ji Jun coldly snorted and said, “Even if you are Purple Star’s Great Elder, one billion Saint Crystals can’t be taken out casually. Fine! Now that you have already bid, I want to see how you plan to pay for it! Lady Li Nuo, this old master suspects Gong Sun Liang is fraudulently bidding and is simply not capable of paying a billion Saint Crystals here and now! I ask that you confirm the authenticity of his bid.”
“Well…” Li Nuo showed hesitation. Asking Gong Sun Liang to prove he could pay a billion Saint Crystals, wasn’t the same as courting death?
Gong Sun Liang had already made his bid, and whether he could pay it or not, this Spirit Pill was already his. Even if Clear Sky Auction House suffered a loss here, they could only choke it down.
“Nonsense! Questioning the credibility of Great Elder, are you seeking death, Ji Jun?!” From Room A1, another voice rang out before Gong Sun Liang could respond.
Yang Kai’s expression changed when he heard this voice as he recognized it as Eighth Elder Jiang Chang Feng who had visited Five Paths Chamber of Commerce before.
“I am only seeking to enforce justice! If Great Elder can really pay the billion Saint Crystals, this Ji will have nothing to say,” Ji Jun did not back down.
“Ji Jun, you dare!” Jiang Chang Feng yelled, a strong Saint Qi fluctuation bursting from Room A1, as if a fight was about to break out.
In the hall, all the cultivators panicked, their faces filled with fright.
If these two parties really fought, they were the ones who would suffer. The fallout from a battle between Origin Kings was not something they could withstand.
“Why bother stooping to his level, Eighth Elder?” Gong Sun Liang chuckled, “Since he wants to verify if this old master’s words are credible, then let him. Lady Li Nuo, please bring that Spirit Pill here.”
“Yes,” Li Nuo heard this and stepped towards Room A1.
A moment later, she entered the room with a smile on her face, placed the jade bottle in her hands in front of Gong Sun Liang, and said, “Great Elder, this is the Spirit Pill you won.”
“En.” Gong Sun Liang nodded lightly, not even glancing at Li Nuo directly.
To the side, Jiang Chang Feng coldly took out a ring and gave it to Li Nuo before saying loudly, “Lady Li Nuo, please confirm whether there are a billion Saint Crystals inside.”
Li Nuo took the ring solemnly and used her Divine Sense to sweep its content, her complexion changing slightly as she did as a smile soon reached her lips, “The quantity is confirmed, this transaction is thus complete. Great Elder is a man of integrity and did not make a fraudulent bid.”
“With the transaction taking place in your room, who knows if it is real or not?” Ji Jun sneered again.
Jiang Chang Feng snorted gloomily, “Ji Jun, Lady Li Nuo has personally verified the amount, how could this transaction be fake? As the owner of this auction house, she would never compromise when it comes to business.”
“Lady Li Nuo is nothing but a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, how could she dare say otherwise under your despotic power?”
“Enough, Old Ji. There’s no need to say anymore,” In Room A2, Zi Wu Ji said lightly.
Ji Jun’s face remained irritated, but he obediently stopped speaking.
Zi Wu Ji chuckled, turned to Room A1, and said, “Congratulations Great Elder for winning this Spirit Pill.”
Gong Sun Liang replied in kind, “Second Young Master is too polite, winning an auction is just a matter of wealth. However, this Spirit Pill has no use for this old master. On the contrary, it would be of some small use to you, Second Young Master. If Second Young Master wants it, this old master can give it to you, what do you say?”
In Room A2, Zi Wu Ji frowned deeply before relaxing and smiling, “Great Elder must be joking, how could this Wu Ji bear to accept such a precious gift?”
The words the two spoke now were said in a normal, almost cordial tone, as if the whole dispute just now never even happened.
Only now did everyone in the hall learn that Room A2 was occupied by Purple Star’s Second Young Master, Zi Wu Ji.
Thinking about the competing bids between the two parties and the various rumours which had been swirling around recently, everyone immediately understood that the discord between the Second Young Master and Great Elder was real. After understanding this, many people felt a sense of anxiety.
For most cultivators, who was in charge of Purple Star didn’t matter to them; however, they had no choice but to care about being involved in the confrontation between these two sides.
The auction of the Origin King Pill came to an end, with no one knowing whether Li Nuo had truly received the billion Saint Crystals.
The next item to be auctioned was the land deeds that Hua You Meng handed over to Clear Sky Auction House.
Only merchants from big firms were interested in these land deeds, so none of the masters from the A block participated. On the other hand, many from the B Block competed fiercely over these.
If all the shops on Soaring Dragon Street could be owned and operated by a single firm, that chamber of commerce would be able to make a massive profit, so how could any merchant miss this opportunity?
As such, the competition quickly became fierce.
The starting price of 100 million Saint Crystals rose steadily and finally stopped at 260 million.
In Room A5, Hua You Meng nearly fainted from happiness.
Although Li Nuo had explained to her before, Hua You Meng had still never expected that these land deeds would really sell for such a high price.
A million Saint Crystals was already a huge number to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, let alone hundreds of millions.
With 260 million, the development of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was no longer just a dream. On top of that, it would allow all of them to boldly purchase cultivation resources to enhance their own strength.
With greater strength, the development of the chamber of commerce would also become smoother, creating a kind of snowball effect.
And all of this was brought to her by the man sitting beside her.
Hua You Meng looked at Yang Kai in a daze, with a look filled with gratitude on her face.
“Sir, would you taking ninety percent of these Saint Crystals and leaving us with ten percent be acceptable?” Hua You Meng looked at Yang Kai timidly. Even if it was just ten percent, that was still more than 20 million.
Yang Kai glanced at her and chuckled, “These Saint Crystals are from selling your land deeds, why should I take ninety percent?”
“Even if that is technically true, how could this Mistress have acquired those land deeds without Sir?”
Yang Kai just waved his hand lightly, “Saint Crystals are meaningless to me. The things I need cannot be bought with Saint Crystals.”
“But…”
“There’s nothing more to discuss,” Yang Kai interrupted her with a smile.
“Sir…” Hua You Meng whispered, almost sobbing from her speechlessness as she felt so touched. If at this moment, Yang Kai asked her to give herself to him, she likely would not even hesitate…
“The next item to be auctioned will be the final one,” On the stage, Li Nuo said loudly, “However, please forgive this Mistress and the appraisers of Clear Sky Auction House for their limited vision. What this item is exactly is not known.”
“Huh? You dare to put out an item to auction you can’t identify? Isn’t your Clear Sky Auction House being a bit unreasonable?”
“Yes, don’t think that ordinary cultivators like us are so easy to deceive! Our Saint Crystals aren’t so light they can be carried off by the wind.”
“Why make such a fuss? Since this item is the last one to appear, it must be of great value, perhaps even more precious than that Origin King Pill. Let us take a look at it first.”
The cultivators in the hall immediately began to argue.