Li Nuo turned a deaf ear to the shouts of the cultivators in the audience and simply gestured sideways, summoning a maidservant to immediately present the auction item.
This time, there was no red cloth to conceal the item, so everyone was able to see that it was actually some kind of ore.
This ore was about the size of a small melon, its whole-body round and radiant, exuding a light blue colour.
Judging from the posture of the maidservant holding it, this item was not heavy.
The noise in the audience gradually subsided as everyone’s eyes were attracted to this ore, many staring curiously while Divine Senses were also being extended from the private rooms, constantly scanning this unknown item.
However, no one was able to see any clues.
Even Yang Kai frowned with a suspicious look on his face.
One had to know that there were few things in this world he could not see through with his current Divine Sense, but this ore was one of them. From this fact alone, even if this last auction item was not a priceless supreme treasure, it was still a rare and valuable item.
Yang Kai’s interest was thus stimulated.
On the central platform, Li Nuo lightly curled her red lips and said softly, “This item was something my Clear Sky Auction House coincidentally obtained, and ever since we did, we have been studying it; unfortunately, no one from Clear Sky Auction House has been able to identify its use as of yet and we were only able to conclude that it is a good Artifact Refining material. Today, with so many powerful masters present, perhaps there is a Sir who will be able to identify this bead and knows its true purpose. This Mistress hopes that if any Sir is able to do so, please enlighten me to dispel this Mistress’ doubts.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? How could you bring something like this out to auction?” Someone immediately yelled impatiently.
Li Nuo just smiled lightly however and declared, “The final auction item, the unknown Artifact Refining material, base price…30 million!”
In the hall, many cultivators burst into laughter after experiencing a brief silence. Obviously, they all felt that Li Nuo’s reserve price was ridiculous.
Li Nuo did not care though, and just stood atop the stage with a smile on her face.
As she had said, this item had been studied by Clear Sky Auction House for many years, but nothing was ever discovered about it. Even Aunt Chun was unable to judge what it was for, but that did not hinder its value.
Li Nuo had compared it with some Origin King Grade Artifact Refining materials already but discovered that no matter which Origin King Grade material it was, it was not as firm as this.
In other words, this ore was at least Artifact Refining material at the Origin King Grade.
It would be best if this thing could be sold, but it also did not matter if it couldn’t be. It would be perfectly acceptable for this auction to fail.
After a long time, with no one bidding, it seemed this last auction item was destined to not be sold. Li Nuo glanced around with her beautiful eyes, and couldn’t help showing a look of disappointment realizing this.
“Lady Li, could you allow this King to investigate that item?” Suddenly, a calm voice spoke from one of the private rooms.
Li Nuo followed the voice to its source and discovered it belonged to the occupant of Room A5. Smiling lightly, she nodded and said, “Naturally that is not a problem. Please wait a moment, Sir.”
Saying so, she gestured to the maidservant and had her quickly walk towards the room where Yang Kai was.
In Room A5, Yang Kai frowned as a solemn look appeared on his face.
Hua You Meng asked in surprise, “Sir, do you recognize this thing?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “I’m not sure, that’s why I want to take a closer look.”
Hua You Meng nodded.
Nearby, in Room A1, Jiang Chang Feng’s face changed slightly as his expression turned sullen, “Great Elder, the one who spoke just now is ‘that’ man.”
Gong Sun Liang raised his brow before narrowing his eyes, “My Purple Star’s Third Venerable?”
“Indeed!” Jiang Chang Feng nodded sincerely, “Just a few days ago, this Jiang was ordered by you to invite this person to the Inner City, but he rudely refused. This Jiang specifically explained that Great Elder had requested to meet with him, but he refused to give any face. This man is simply too arrogant.”
Gong Sun Liang stroked his beard and snickered, “Anyone who has the ability can be arrogant. This old master wanted to find a chance to meet this person another day, but I didn’t expect to meet him here today. Since that’s the case… we can talk now. This old master wants to see if this Venerable’s strength is real or if he is just a fraud!”
Jiang Chang Feng was surprised when he heard these words as a grin appeared on his face just imagining Yang Kai’s coming misfortune. He knew that, while Gong Sun Liang acted as if he did not care on the surface, in truth, he was very upset about not being given any face.
Inside Room A5, Yang Kai held the unknown auction item and observed it solemnly, probing it with his Divine Sense.
Hua You Meng and the maidservant did not dare to bother him.
At first, nothing unusual stood out, but at a certain moment, Yang Kai’s complexion could not help changing and a piercing light flashed across his eyes, as if he had been attacked by someone and he pushed his Divine Sense madly to condense a barrier around him.
*Pa…*
A faint sound rang out as Yang Kai’s Divine Sense defense was broken in an instant, but just as he was about to resist again, suddenly, everything subsided.
The entire auction house was now silent, with ninety-nine percent of the cultivators present pale and trembling.
The moment when Yang Kai Divine Sense broke out, it was as if a dormant dragon had stuck its head out from its cave, causing everyone to cower in fear.
Fortunately, this ominous pressure disappeared as quickly as it appeared, otherwise, many in the audience would have had their minds crushed.
Inside the private room, a light of pleasant surprise flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes, and immediately after, he returned the auction item to the maidservant with a calm expression and said lightly, “That will be all. You can return.”
“Yes!” The maidservant took the auction item and hurriedly left, not daring to even breathe heavily.
“This old master would also like to observe the item, I wonder if Lady Li Nuo can be accommodating?” Gong Sun Liang’s voice came from Room A1.
He was also quite curious. He did not know why Yang Kai suddenly released such a powerful Divine Sense fluctuation, but whether it was because of something Yang Kai did himself or because of this final auction item, Gong Sun Liang was determined to find out.
“Naturally, there is no problem if Great Elder wants to look,” Li Nuo pursed her lips and smiled.
The maidservant quickly turned around and brought the last auction item to Gong Sun Liang.
Gong Sun Liang observed it for much longer than Yang Kai, but he did not cause a sensation like the latter did. The entire audience remained on edge, but they began to breathe a sigh of relief after a while, thinking that the Great Elder was truly the Great Elder; how could some outside powerhouse be comparable to him?
With Yang Kai and Gong Sun Liang taking the lead, the masters in the private rooms all put forward similar requests.
The last auction item was passed between the hands of many masters and did not return to the auction stage until after a stick of incense worth of time.
Li Nuo smiled and said, “Now that so many Sirs have seen, I wonder if there is anyone who can tell this Mistress what material this is? If anyone is willing to inform this Mistress, if that Sir is able to obtain it in the coming auction, this Mistress can offer that Sir a ten percent discount.”
“Lady Li Nuo, this old master is not talented and can only tell that this material is extremely hard, Origin King Grade at the least,” From one of the B Block private rooms, an old voice sounded immediately.
“What point is there in saying that? This old master can also tell that this is a piece of Origin King Grade material, but what it is exactly is unknown.”
“Could this be a piece of Phoenix Star Silver? It is rumoured that Phoenix Star Silver is formed when an Ancient Divine Spirit True Phoenix releases its fire breath to smelt together extremely hard ores, sealing some of its Fire Attribute essence into it. This old master can sense a hint of heat overflowing from this object which is remarkably similar to the rumoured Phoenix Star Silver.”
“Old Xu, are you blind? Phoenix Star Silver should be a fiery red colour, this thing is a pale blue. Obviously, it’s something else!”
“This…” The person who had spoken before was speechless, apparently feeling that his guess was too arbitrary.
“Hehe,” Li Nuo stood on the stage and smiled slightly, “Sirs, please calm yourselves, let us auction this thing first and then discuss it, shall we?”
She could also see that this group of people did not recognize what this last auction item was and therefore wasn’t prepared to waste any more time.
“It is as Lady Li Nuo says.”
“Good, this old master bids 30 million!” From a B Block private room, the old man who just hypothesized the item was Phoenix Star Silver called out.
Regardless of this thing’s true identity, there was no doubt that it was a piece of Origin King Grade material, and a very large piece at that. If this item could be brought back and refined into an artifact, it would definitely be worth spending some Saint Crystals on.
An Origin King Grade artifact could become a family heirloom. Many Sects didn’t even have a single Origin King Grade artifact.
“31 million!”
“33 million!”
After being investigated by the various masters, this last auction item suddenly became a popular one, and although its price did not rise very high, it at least avoided the fate of being unsold.
Soon, the price rose to 42 million.
By this time, many people had gradually withdrawn.
Perhaps in the hearts of these people, it was not cost-efficient to spend so many Saint Crystals on an unknown item. Only three or five people were still bidding. If no one else stepped in now, this item would likely be sold for around 50 million.
This was indeed the case as, after another round of price-raising, the bids finally came to a halt at 51 million. At this time, no one tried to increase the price further.
A hint of disappointment flashed across Li Nuo’s eyes seeing this, but just as she was about to ask if there were no other bidders, a voice from Room A5 spoke, “60 million!”
Yang Kai had made a bid.
Li Nuo raised her eyes towards Room A5 as a trace of shock flashed across them.
Yang Kai had remained silent until just now, so she thought he had no interest in this item. Now, she knew he did not want to waste his time bidding against these people and simply wanted to swoop in at the end and have the last word.
This was a tactic used by powerful cultivators and was tried and tested.
Was he able to identify this material? Li Nuo was suspicious; after all, Yang Kai was the first to check the auction item just now and he had also made a stir while doing so.
If someone told her that Yang Kai paid such a high price without knowing anything, Li Nuo would not believe it.
However, she knew better than to ask anything and simply waited for the final price to be called.
Yang Kai making a bid here caused others to suddenly become dumbfounded.
Without even mentioning that this price had exceeded everyone’s bottom line, just Yang Kai’s immense strength was enough for them to not dare challenge him.
As such, after the price of 60 million was called, no one tried to enter another bid.
Li Nuo also spoke very quickly, “This Sir has bid 60 million, is there any higher offer? If not, this Mistress will begin the count…”
Li Nuo had a good impression of Yang Kai, not only because Yang Kai gave her an approachable feeling when she first met, but also because of the message that night.
Li Nuo heard at the time that it was none other than Yang Kai who secretly sent her that message!
As such, she naturally considered Yang Kai an ally, and now seeing him bid, she of course did not hesitate to support him, planning on quickly ending the auction so he could acquire this item.
At the same time, she felt a bit annoyed in her heart. If she knew that Yang Kai was interested in this thing, she would not have put it out for auction and simply given it to him. However, this did not matter much. At worst, she could simply return his Saint Crystals later to not let him suffer a loss.
Various thoughts floated across Li Nuo’s mind as she kept talking, “60 million once…”
“70 million!” Before Li Nuo could make it to the second count though, another bid came in.
Li Nuo raised her head in amazement and looked to the side to discover that the new bidder was none other than Great Elder Gong Sun Liang, causing her to frown slightly.
Inside from A5, Yang Kai also raised his brow, feeling quite surprised, but soon, he quoted a new price, “100 million!”
*Si…*
The cultivators in the hall gasped.
In the past, few items exceeded 100 million Saint Crystals during Clear Sky Auction House’s auctions, but today, the last three items met this standard. The Origin King Pill even managed to reach a billion Saint Crystals in price.
This unknown Artifact Refining material had also broken the 100 million mark, and this was just the beginning…
For a time, everyone became excited. The confrontation between two Origin Kings, whether in terms of strength or wealth, was always quite thrilling. How could they miss this good show?
As soon as Yang Kai’s voice fell, Gong Sun Liang called out, “200 million!”
Everyone was stunned as their hearts shook!
Gong Sun Liang had only participated in the bidding for two auction items today, but the way he increased the price for each item he bid on was so arrogant and unrestrained that it was like he did not put his opponent in his eyes.
This wasn’t just bidding anymore; it was simply overwhelming others with money.
Thinking so, many people showed a thoughtful look, wondering whether the Sir in room A5 had somehow offended the Great Elder, causing Great Elder to deal with him in the same manner he dealt with the Second Young Master.
“Haha, Great Elder’s financial strength is truly great, this one is impressed!” Inside his private room. Yang Kai smiled lightly and called out directly, allowing everyone in the hall to hear his words.
“This friend is too polite; it is just a trivial 200 million Saint Crystals. When one reaches the realm that friend and I have, Saint Crystals are meaningless,” Gong Sun Liang replied indifferently.
“What Great Elder said is correct,” Yang Kai agreed, “In view of that, then…”
Yang Kai’s voice paused slightly, causing all the cultivators in the hall to turn sideways and perk up their ears, as if trying to hear more clearly.
“500 million!”
As soon as these words came out, the hall boiled again, with everyone’s eyes bulging as they stared around blankly, wondering if they had heard wrong.
Great Elder’s price increase was ruthless, but this person was even more ruthless than Great Elder! What were the origins of this man, daring to so blatantly compete with the Great Elder? Doesn’t he know how to write the word ‘death’?
Atop the high platform, Li Nuo’s beautiful eyes filled with restlessness as she secretly scolded herself for putting this thing up for auction at all. Now, this had caused a hostile relationship to form between this Sir and the Great Elder. If things were not handled well now, it would be a disaster. While worrying in her heart, she quietly sent a message to Aunt Chun who was hiding nearby, asking her to look for an opportunity to settle this matter peacefully.
Inside room A1, Gong Sun Liang’s voice called out once more, “Friend, are you sure you want to pay 500 million for this thing?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “What’s wrong? Great Elder was willing to spend a billion Saint Crystals on a worthless Origin King Pill, so why can this King not spend 500 million on this unknown Artifact Refining material?”
Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted.
Yang Kai addressing himself as ‘this King’ in front of him upset him greatly. In addition, the last time he asked Jiang Chang Feng to invite Yang Kai, the other party did not give him any face, so his tone became cold, “There is nothing wrong with it, I’m just afraid Your Excellency might be too caught up in the bidding and not be able to pay up later.”
“There’s no need for Great Elder to worry about that,” Yang Kai chuckled, “Great Elder can afford to pay a billion Saint Crystals, so naturally this King can too.”
Being rebuffed again, Gong Sun Liang became even more unhappy and said without hesitation, “600 million!”
“One billion!” Yang Kai did not back down.
These few words caused the price of this unknown Artifact Refining materials to rise to the same level as the previous Origin King Pill, which was not only shocking but also quite ironic.
Is there anything in this world worth a billion Saint Crystals? An Origin King Pill was certainly not worth that much, and this unknown Artifact Refining material was not either, only face was worth so much.
A cold light flashed across Gong Sun Liang’s eyes but just as he was about to increase the price again, Zi Wu Ji’s chuckle suddenly came from room A2, “You two have such immense wealth, Wu Ji is deeply impressed. However, Great Elder, you just spent a billion Saint Crystals, so do you still have the ability to increase the price?”
Zi Wu Ji was still quite disgruntled at the moment. He had been defeated earlier by Gong Sun Liang, losing out on the Origin King Pill, so he was in a foul mood. At this moment, he saw Yang Kai fighting against Gong Sun Liang, so how could he just sit on the sidelines? Immediately he stood up to help Yang Kai.
The enemy of your enemy is your friend! Zi Wu Ji thought clearly in his mind. On top of that, he wanted to win over Yang Kai in the first place, so how could he not support him now? This was the perfect time to sell a favour so Zi Wu Ji spoke without hesitation.
“Is this old master’s ability to pay any concern of Second Young Master’s?” Gong Sun Liang’s expression was gloomy as he spat coldly.
“Wu Ji naturally has no right to interfere with Great Elder’s private affairs, but… now that my honoured father and eldest brother are not on Purple Star, Great Elder leads Purple Star. Great Elder’s reputation is not just his own now, but also that of all of Purple Star, so due care must be taken when matters of integrity and credibility are concerned. Before, Great Elder managed to acquire that Origin King Pill, but no one saw whether Great Elder paid the full billion Saint Crystals he bid. Of course… Wu Ji has confidence in Great Elder’s character and does not doubt his righteousness, but there are thousands of cultivators in this hall now, so it is difficult to say whether everyone has the same trust Wu Ji has. I’m afraid that even now some are suspecting Great Elder acted deceptively and forcibly acquired that Origin King Pill.”
“Impudence!” Jiang Chang Feng roared, “Whether the billion Saint Crystals were paid just now or not, Lady Li Nuo knows best. Lady Li Nuo has personally verified this matter already. What are Second Young Master’s intentions still trying to dispute the truth of this matter?”
“Hehe, it is as Eighth Elder said. Those billion Saint Crystals were surely paid just now!” Zi Wu Ji chuckled.
“Exactly!” Jiang Chang Feng’s face went dark.
“However, doubt only grows when proof is repeatedly denied,” Zi Wu Ji ignored Jiang Chang Feng’s clamour and continued. “Since Great Elder now represents all of Purple Star, even the slightest suspicion against him cannot be tolerated, otherwise my Purple Star will have no credibility at all. Great Elder stands below one but above ten thousand, everything he says and does is an example to my Purple Star, so certainly he does not want such uncertainty to persist.”
Inside room A1, Gong Sun Liang’s eyes were half-squinted, but after Zi Wu Ji finished speaking, he said indifferently, “Then in Second Young Master’s opinion, how should this old master win the trust and others? Please enlighten us, Second Young Master!”
“Wu Ji would not dare act so presumptuous, Great Elder is too serious!” Zi Wu Ji quickly acted humbled, “This matter can be solved simply: If Great Elder wishes to bid again, he only needs to provide proof his offer is real, so… why not send the appropriate number of Saint Crystals to the stage for all to see so none may doubt my Purple Star’s reputation again!”
Zi Wu Ji clever use of words, trying to entrap him, annoyed Gong Sun Liang greatly, so he silently motioned to Jiang Chang Feng. The latter understood his intentions and immediately shouted, “Nonsense, how could there be such an auction in this world…”
“Good idea,” Yang Kai smiled and interrupted Jiang Chang Feng’s words, using his Divine Sense to render the other party unable to speak as he said, “I have no objections. Since I want to bid, I don’t want to be accused of fraud, that would only make me look foolish. En, Young Master Wu Ji’s thoughts are quite keen!”
“This Sir is too polite,” Zi Wu Ji was ecstatic and while answering he quietly whispered to Yang Kai, “Sir, this Wu Ji has 600 million Saint Crystals here, if Sir needs them, this Wu Ji will definitely help!”
“No need. Second Young Master’s kindness, this Yang has noted,” Yang Kai echoed, “I wonder what Great Elder thinks?”
Gong Sun Liang was now even more annoyed, but he was also riding a tiger and could only nod, “Fine, this old master will accompany you!”
He was Purple Star’s Great Elder and had the strongest financial resources in Purple Star City, competing with him this way was the height of folly!
“Since the two Sirs have reached an agreement, this Mistress will do everything she can to facilitate,” Li Nuo sighed secretly. Although the atmosphere in the auction room was still quite tense, there were at least no signs a fight would immediately break out. Turning in Yang Kai’s direction, she called out, “This Sir just bid one billion…”
“En, I don’t have that many Saint Crystals,” Yang Kai replied lightly.
“You don’t have enough Saint Crystals yet you still dare to bid, haha, isn’t this exactly the fraud you spoke of just now?” Jiang Chang Feng laughed.
“Eighth Elder, this Sir only said he does not have so many Saint Crystals, not that he couldn’t pay. Does this Sir perhaps have other items he wishes to barter?” Zi Wu Ji immediately cut in.
“Second Young Master is correct,” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “I don’t have so many Saint Crystals, but I do have other treasures that can be offered. Lady Li Nuo, does this violate your auction house’s regulations?”
“No, my Clear Sky Auction House can accept other items of corresponding value,” Li Nuo said seriously.
“Good, then please take a look at this,” Yang Kai said while throwing a jade bottle casually, which under his exquisite Saint Qi control flew precisely to the stage.
Countless eyes fixed onto the jade bottle as everyone wondered what pill was inside that could possibly be worth a billion Saint Crystals.
Li Nuo caught this jade bottle suspiciously, opened its lid, and peeked inside, only to call out in alarm in the next moment, “This is… an Origin King Pill!”
“What? An Origin King Pill?”
“It couldn’t be?”
“This Sir actually has an Origin King Pill in his hands?”
As soon as Li Nuo’s voice fell, the cultivators in the hall erupted, all of them stretched their necks to try to get a better look at the stage, their eyes seemingly trying to penetrate the jade bottle to see whether there was really an Origin King Pill inside or not.
Li Nuo knew that further words would be pointless so she quickly poured out the contents of the jade bottle.
In an instant, a rich pill fragrance filled the hall.
When the original Origin King Pill was taken out, everyone had smelled its unique fragrance, so after smelling it again so soon, everyone was able to conclude this new pill was an Origin King Pill.
If there was any difference, it was that this pill fragrance… seemed to be more intense.
“Look, isn’t this Origin King Pill slightly bigger than the one from just now? Could its quality be better?”
“Nonsense, how can you judge the quality of a Spirit Pill by its size… however, judging from the colour and richness of its scent, it does seem higher quality than the one from earlier.”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
“Uh… in a sense.”
The cultivators on the auction house floor endlessly called out while, in Room A2, Zi Wu Ji’s eyes were glued to the Origin King Pill on the stage, joy nearly bursting from his heart.
The Origin King Pill that was auctioned off before was snatched from him by Gong Sun Liang, causing him to feel helpless and annoyed, but just when he thought he had missed this opportunity, Yang Kai had unexpectedly taken out another Origin King Pill, one of even higher quality at that.
How could Zi Wu Ji not be pleasantly surprised?
No matter what, he needed to find a way to obtain this Origin King Pill. With the help of this Spirit Pill, he could attempt to break through to the Origin King Realm as long as he could prepare appropriately!
Once he succeeded, he would have a far stronger position with which to challenge Gong Sun Liang!
“How much is this King’s Spirit Pill worth?” Yang Kai’s voice floated out from his private room.
Li Nuo eyes flashed for a moment before she laughed lightly, “Because the Origin King Pill just now was sold at a price of one billion, this Origin King Pill is naturally worth such an amount in this Mistress’ eyes!”
Obviously, she was assisting Yang Kai.
A haze flashed across Gong Sun Liang’s eyes as he snorted coldly, “Lady Li Nuo, you should think clearly. This old master was willing to spend a billion to buy that Origin King Pill, but that does not mean it is really worth that price. If you intend to say it is worth a billion Saint Crystals, this old master will not agree.”
Li Nuo frowned and was about to say something when Zi Wu Ji’s voice suddenly came out, “Great Elder, don’t worry, this Wu Ji will purchase this Spirit Pill for a billion Saint Crystals.”
Although he did not have a billion Saint Crystals on him now, with his status and position, it would be fine to just give Li Nuo an IOU.
Li Nuo nodded lightly before turning to smile towards Gong Sun Liang, “Since that’s the case, does Great Elder still have any objections?”
“Hmph,” Gong Sun Liang just coldly snorted and quickly declared, “1.1 billion!”
“Great Elder, please send enough Saint Crystals or items of corresponding value to the stage to show fairness!” Zi Wu Ji needled loudly.
Gong Sun Liang said nothing as he sent a Space Ring from Room A1 towards the stage.
Li Nuo stretched out her hand, grabbed it, and began to investigate with a solemn expression.
Zi Wu Ji grinned lightly and said, “Please look carefully, Lady Li Nuo; after all, this is a huge number, not something that can be counted in a short time.”
As soon as this statement came out, many people could not help showing a thoughtful look and silently nodded to themselves. How could such a large number of Saint Crystals be counted at once? But when Li Nuo went to Room A1 to count Saint Crystals just now, she had confirmed the number instantly. Was there something nefarious afoot?
Great Elder could not have actually failed to pay the appropriate number of Saint Crystals, right? If that was the case, it would simply be going too far.
This time, Li Nuo counted for a full incense stick worth of time before smiling and declaring, “The number is confirmed, it is indeed 1.1 billion Saint Crystals!”
“Great Elder is indeed wealthy; this one is truly impressed!” Yang Kai smiled and acknowledged.
“If Your Excellency is unable to increase the price, this last auction item will belong to this old master,” Gong Sun Liang replied lightly.
Yang Kai just chuckled, stretched out his hand, and threw out an object from his private room to land in front of Li Nuo.
It was another jade bottle!
“A pill again?”
“Could it be another Origin King Pill?”
“Of course not, the Origin King Pill can only be refined by an Origin King Grade Alchemist, and its main ingredient is extremely scarce. It is a rare treasure one can only hope to see once in a lifetime, so how could another one possible appear today? This jade bottle must contain some other type of Spirit Pill.”
“That makes sense, but this Sir has an extraordinary background. I think the value of this new pill shouldn’t be any lower than that of an Origin King Pill.”
Everyone was immersed in discussion as they curiously speculated about the pill inside the jade bottle, wondering what kind of treasure Yang Kai had put out this time.
Li Nuo opened the jade bottle and glanced inside suspiciously, only to have her tender body shake noticeably as a look of pure shock appeared on her face as she shouted, “Another Origin King Pill!”
“What? It really is another Origin King Pill?”
“How many Origin King Pills does this Sir have in his hands!”
“Sir, do you want a servant? This old man has a peak Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation. If Sir is willing, this old man would like to offer Sir a lifetime of service!”
“Bullshit! Old Chen, you want to follow this Sir even at your age? You want that Origin King Pill that desperately? With your aptitude, even if you get an Origin King Pill, you can’t break through to the Origin King Realm. Giving it to you would only be a waste! Sir, please take a look at this Sun’s aptitude. This Sun is already a pinnacle Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator with solid Saint Qi and Shi just below the grand accomplishment stage. Please let this Sun offer his service to Sir!”
“Old Sun, you dare to slander this Chen’s reputation? This Chen will fight with you!”
“You two old fools, how could you think yourselves worthy of serving this Sir? Sir, this Mistress has a Special Constitution, and although it does not compare to the legendary Wonderful Furnace Divine Body, it is not far off. Is Sir interested in having a taste? Although this Mistress is only a small Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator now, she will definitely be able to break through to the Origin King Realm sooner or later. If Sir is willing to accept, this Mistress will offer herself as a maid or servant!”
“You whore, how many thousands of men have you been sullied by already? Do not dirty this Sir with your filth! Sir, please accept this Mistress as your servant, I promise I have never been touched by a man before and still retain my purity.”
“No, choose me! I know several boudoir arts that will definitely please Sir!”
The entire auction hall suddenly became as noisy as a hawkers market, with numerous Origin Returning Realm cultivators shouting in the direction of Room A5, everyone trying to promote themselves while some women even shamelessly tried to use seduction.
Yang Kai had taken out two Origin King Pills at once, so everyone could see how wealthy he was. If he could take out two so easily, there may be more. An Origin King Pill was a priceless treasure for any Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator and had a near-fatal temptation to them. If any of them could follow Yang Kai and obtain an Origin King Pill, a lifetime of service was really a cheap price to pay.
Inside the private room, Hua You Meng’s pretty face distorted as she watched a sea of women who had clearly been deflowered throwing coquettish glances towards the man next to her, her brow twitching from a mixture of disgust and disdain.
However, when she cast her beautiful eyes towards Yang Kai, even she could not help being somewhat tempted; after all, she was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator as well!
On the stage, Li Nuo looked at the funny scene below with a wry smile, not knowing what she should do. She had hosted many auctions before, but she had never seen a situation like this.
Her limelight had actually been stolen by a bidder, but she didn’t complain, only feeling this was all… quite strange.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai coughed lightly and said, “Everyone’s sincerity, this King has noted, but this King has no intention of taking any followers. What’s more, these Origin King Pills were only obtained by this King by chance. There are only two, no more.”
Yang Kai really only had two. He had refined them himself on the floating continent in case he needed to take one during his breakthrough to the Origin King Realm, but his breakthrough had gone smoothly in the end so he no longer had a use for these Origin King Pills.
As soon as Yang Kai finished speaking, many cultivators showed looks of disappointment and besides a few people whose eyes still shone brightly, the rest sat down and no longer shouted.
Yang Kai then directed his attention to Li Nuo and asked, “How valuable is this Origin King Pill?”
Li Nuo said without hesitation, “Since the Origin King Pill just now was worth a billion, then this one is the same.”
Gong Sun Liang angrily snapped, “Can you find another person who is willing to spend a billion to buy it?”
Li Nuo suddenly showed a look of embarrassment.
Yang Kai let out a hearty laugh at this and said, “Lady Li Nuo does not need to make things awkward, just mark its value at 500 million.”
Li Nuo showed a look of gratitude and nodded, “Since Sir has said so, then 500 million it is. Does Great Elder have any objections?”
Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted in response.
Everyone knew the value of an Origin King Pill was between 500 to 600 million, with many people even willing to spend more than that. As such, an estimate of 500 million was actually quite low. With Yang Kai being so generous, if Gong Sun Liang still objected, he would only look petty.
Li Nuo smiled slightly, “This Sir from Room A5 has offered 1.5 billion. Does Great Elder want to increase the price?”
Inside Room A1, Gong Sun Liang’s eyes flashed with struggle.
Jiang Chang Feng whispered from the side at that moment, “Great Elder, what special use does that thing possess? Why are you and that person willing to bid such a large amount of money to win it?”
Gong Sun Liang just glanced at him, sneered, and said, “Nothing, we are competing for face.”
“Uh…” Jiang Chang Feng began to leak cold sweat, thinking that a battle over face could actually cost a billion Saint Crystals. These two were truly prodigal. After grumbling silently to himself, he followed up, “If that is the case, Great Elder should not fight with him anymore. This is Purple Star, does Great Elder need to worry about him not giving face?”
A gloomy light flashed across Gong Sun Liang’s eyes before he finally nodded and said, “Fine, this matter will stop here.”
Although he still had the ability to continue bidding, just looking at Yang Kai’s momentum, he wasn’t sure he would be the ultimate winner. As Jiang Chang Feng said, this was Purple Star, where he was the one in charge. What did it matter if he allowed the other party to have a small win for now?
Saying so, his figure actually flickered and he disappeared from the private room.
In Room A1, Jiang Chang Feng looked helpless, knowing that Gong Sun Liang had thrown this to him to clean up and causing him to curse silently to himself.
On the stage, Li Nuo waited for a while, but seeing that Gong Sun Liang still had no intention of increasing the price, she began the countdown joyfully. After a full three count, the unknown Artifact Refining material went to Yang Kai.
When the maidservant brought the unknown material to Room A5, Yang Kai directly stuffed it into his Space Ring, his face filling with joy.
Hua You Meng was very curious, wondering what secrets this material had that it could actually make Yang Kai so happy.
The auction then came to an end, and the cultivators who came to participate left one after another. After most people had gone, Jiang Chang Feng stealthily went to find Li Nuo to retrieve the Saint Crystals that Gong Sun Liang had previously given to her.
That was 1.1 billion Saint Crystals, so they could not just be abandoned.
In Room A2, Zi Wu Ji paced back and forth uneasily, looking up from time to time, as if waiting for something.
After a long time, the door was opened wide and Ji Jun’s figure was revealed.
Zi Wu Ji’s expression shook as he asked urgently, “Old Ji, how did things go?”
Ji Jun grinned, cupped his fists, and said, “This old man has not failed Second Young Master. Both matters were successful.”
“Really?” Zi Wu Ji was overjoyed, “Excellent! After everything is settled, this Young Lord will not forget Old Ji’s valuable contributions!”
Ji Jun just shook his head and said, “Second Young Master is too serious. This old master has watched over you since you were but a small boy, so doing this much is only natural. There is no need to give this old master any credit.”
Saying so, he took out a jade bottle and said, “Second Young Master, please have a look. This is the Origin King Pill that this old master just bought from Lady Li Nuo. Lady Li Nuo offered her thanks to Second Young Master for lending his aid to her during a difficult situation and decided to sell this Origin King Pill to Second Young Master at the last price you bid, 600 million Saint Crystals.”
“Oh?” A look of surprise flashed across Zi Wu Ji’s eyes, “Was Li Nuo always so bold?”
Ji Jun also wore a suspicious expression on his face, “There is no good or evil in business, and Li Nuo is a shrewd businesswoman, taking the initiative to abandon 400 million Saint Crystals… this old master does not believe she doesn’t have a reason… Perhaps she is acquainted with that Sir.”
Zi Wu Ji thoughtfully said, “What Old Ji means is that she is thanking me for assisting that Sir by giving me such a big discount?”
“Besides this, I cannot think of another reason!” Ji Jun nodded sincerely.
“Is that so,” Zi Wu Ji pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement with Ji Jun’s speculation, “If that is the case, then we need to give greater care to this Clear Sky Auction House. En, enough about this for now though, what about the other matter I asked you to do?”
“That Sir has agreed. I have asked Lady Li Nuo to arrange a secret room for Second Young Master and him to meet privately. Please come with me, Second Young Master!”
Zi Wu Ji’s eyes flashed with joy as he quickly left with Ji Jun.
Behind Clear Sky Auction House, in a secret room with multiple barriers isolating it, Li Nuo and Hua You Meng stood quietly outside. Not long after, Zi Wu Ji and Ji Jun arrived.
The two women hurriedly saluted with Li Nuo smiling and saying, “That Sir is inside. Second Young Master, please.”
“Many thanks, Lady Li Nuo,” Zi Wu Ji cupped his fists politely.
“Second Young Master is too polite, it was but a small effort.”
“Regardless, this Young Lord will not forget what happened today. If there is a chance in the future, he will certainly repay this favour!”
Li Nuo smiled and did not say anything more.
Zi Wu Ji then brought Ji Jun and stepped forward.
Inside the room, Yang Kai sat alone on a chair, his eyes closed tightly, as if he was comprehending something.
Seeing this scene, Zi Wu Ji immediately held his breath and motioned to Ji Jun, signalling for him to go out.
Ji Jun frowned and said in a low voice, “Second Young Master…”
“Old Ji, I have a sense of discretion,” Zi Wu Ji looked at Ji Jun sincerely.
Seeing this, the latter had no choice but to withdraw.
Soon, there was only Yang Kai and Zi Wu Ji left in the room. Yang Kai did not move, didn’t open his eyes, and didn’t speak, so Zi Wu Ji didn’t dare to disturb him rashly, instead just standing back and waiting quietly.
He mistakenly thought that Yang Kai was comprehending something, but in reality, Yang Kai had sent his consciousness into the Small Sealed World.
Inside the Small Sealed World, there was no one else besides Yang Kai’s huge Embodiment, Firebird Liu Yan and Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao.
The Embodiment was formed by refining the entire floating continent and was naturally far too big to fit inside a Space Ring. Only an Emperor Artifact like the Small Sealed World was capable of accommodating it.
Since the last time he had collected his Embodiment, Yang Kai had not paid much attention to it, so at this moment, Yang Kai suddenly realized that his Embodiment had actually become much smaller.
Yang Kai was ecstatic. It seemed that as time passed, his Embodiment would continue to purge the impurities from its body, so although it was becoming smaller, its strength was actually growing.
This was similar to Artifact Refining in a sense, and the innate Divine Ability of the Stone Puppet clan was enough for the Embodiment to accomplish it. It seemed that in the future, it would become smaller and smaller.
Of course, it couldn’t return to the size of Xiao Xiao’s natural state, and Yang Kai did not have any desire to see that. As long as its size of his Embodiment could be reduced by half, that would be enough. The current Embodiment was so massive it gave any enemy it faced a strong sense of oppression, but being too large also made it inconvenient to move about, which was a negative.
Liu Yan was still devouring and refining some strands of Sun’s True Fire, an extremely time-consuming process, but with each successful refinement, her strength would noticeably increase.
Xiao Xiao was doing something similar.
Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan were two of Yang Kai’s biggest supporters, so he could not favour one over the other. Now that he had allowed Liu Yan to absorb as much Sun’s True Fire as she wanted, he could not allow Xiao Xiao to fall behind.
But Xiao Xiao’s actions were a little different from Liu Yan’s. Liu Yan would absorb a strand of Sun’s True Fire, then refine and absorb it into her body to increase her strength, while Xiao Xiao would directly swallow the Sun’s True Essence!
This approach was more domineering and dangerous than Liu Yan’s, but it had higher growth potential.
When Yang Kai arrived, his two big helpers were working hard cultivating, but even after so many years of consumption, the piece of Sun’s True Essence remained essentially unchanged, in the same exact state Yang Kai had first found it, exuding a terrifying heat.
Worthy of being refined from the core of a Sun Star, it was truly a priceless treasure. The energy contained inside this small fist-sized ore was impossible to estimate.
Yang Kai brought the unknown Artifact Refining material into the Small Sealed World with him, and with a thought, summoned both Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan.
The next moment, Liu Yan in her human form appeared in front of Yang Kai and said lightly, “Greetings Master, what orders does Master have?”
“You two, swallow and refine the outer layer of material from this thing,” Yang Kai pointed to the unknown material that he spent two Origin King Pills to obtain.
“This is…” Liu Yan stared at the melon-sized ore for a moment before a look of astonishment appeared on her face, “Master, what is this? Why do I feel that it is of great help to me!”
“The outer layer is Phoenix Star Silver!” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
During the auction, one cultivator had speculated that this was a piece of Phoenix Star Silver, and he was not wrong. Phoenix Star Silver was formed when an Ancient Divine Spirit True Phoenix used its flames to smelt together various types of ores and left behind some of its aura inside the resulting ingot, making it extremely valuable.
Liu Yan was originally an Artifact Spirit and her innate form had been that of a Firebird. In this world though, the noblest species of Firebird was naturally the Ancient Divine Spirit True Phoenix!
This was also the reason she could feel that the outer layer of Phoenix Star Silver was of great help to her. If she could devour and refine this Phoenix Star Silver, she might be able to comprehend some slight inheritance of the True Phoenix which formed it.
“The outer layer?” Liu Yan showed a thoughtful look, “That means there is something inside?”
“En, leave what’s inside of it, it’s useful to me!” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“Master, what is inside this thing?”
“An Origin Essence Crystal!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and uttered a few words solemnly.
“Origin Essence Crystal?” Liu Yan was shocked, “The Origin Essence Crystal that only a Third-Order Origin King can condense?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded heavily. Although he was now a Second-Order Origin King, he had only just broken through to this realm and was ignorant about how to go about forming an Origin Essence Crystal of his own.
However, he had at least come into contact with a real Origin Essence Crystal before!
The mission entrusted to him by Monster Emperor Star’s Red Moon Tribal Lord was to enter the Blood Prison Trial and obtain the Origin Essence Crystal of Monster King Mad Crocodile!
However, that Origin Essence Crystal was from a Monster Race master, so in terms of form, it more closely resembled a Monster Core. What existed inside this Phoenix Star Silver was no doubt the Origin Essence Crystal of a Human Race master!
It was for this reason that he had spared no expense to compete with Gong Sun Liang for it!
Yang Kai believed that even if Gong Sun Liang did not know what was inside the outer layer of Artifact Refining material was an Origin Essence Crystal, he definitely knew it had extraordinary value, which was why he kept raising the price.
In that auction room, only he and Gong Sun Liang had reached the Second-Order Origin King Realm, and only their Divine Senses could pass through the outer layer of Phoenix Star Silver to see a trace of what really lay inside. No one else was capable of this, making it impossible for anyone else to judge the true value of this Phoenix Star Silver.
The biggest difference, however, was that Yang Kai was certain about what was inside while Gong Sun Liang only had a guess.
If Gong Sun Liang had been certain, there was no way he would have given up so easily. In all likelihood, he would have fought Yang Kai to the bitter end to obtain it.
An Origin Essence Crystal was of unimaginable value to an Origin King Realm cultivator as it could provide great assistance in making a breakthrough from the Second-Order to the Third-Order. Chi Yue had asked Yang Kai to help her obtain the Origin Essence Crystal from Mad Crocodile for this exact reason.
The current Yang Kai was comparable to Chi Yue from that time, so this Origin Essence Crystal was of great use to him.
Throughout the entire Star Field, how many Third-Order Origin Kings were there? These people were all old monsters who the general public didn’t even know were still alive. When these old monsters really reached the end of their lives, they would choose to die in seclusion, causing their Origin Essence Crystals to become lost.
As such, an Origin Essence Crystal was a treasure that simply could not be bought with money.
Yang Kai was able to obtain this Origin Essence Crystal because of pure luck. Compared with the Origin Essence Crystal that existed inside, the value of Phoenix Star Silver was not worth mentioning, so Yang Kai generously gave it to Liu Yan and Xiao Xiao to swallow and refine. Phoenix Star Silver was of great use to Xiao Xiao, while the True Phoenix aura contained in the Phoenix Star Silver was of great significance to Liu Yan. Coupled with the Sun’s True Essence, Yang Kai believed that his two big helpers would see even greater improvement in the future.
As for why this Origin Essence Crystal was wrapped in Phoenix Star Silver, Yang Kai did not know.
Perhaps a Third-Order Origin King was burnt to death by a True Phoenix many years ago, causing their Origin Essence Crystal to fuse together with some nearby ore.
This was nothing more than a guess, but it was probably close to the truth.
It was precisely because of the existence of the Origin Essence Crystal inside that the colour of this Phoenix Star Silver was so unique.
After dealing with matters inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai sent his consciousness back to his body and opened his eyes leisurely.
Glancing faintly at Zi Wu Ji who was standing to the side, Yang Kai said, “Take a seat, Second Young Master.”
Although he had been dealing with the Origin Essence Crystal inside the Small Sealed World just now, Yang Kai was still aware of Zi Wu Ji’s arrival, so he wasn’t surprised at all.
Seeing him act so amiable, Zi Wu Ji smiled happily and quickly said, “In front of Sir, Wu Ji can stand and talk.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes lightly before saying, “Young Master Wu Ji is Purple Star’s Second Young Master. Our statuses aren’t too different, so it would be inappropriate for you to stand up and talk.”
Zi Wu Ji only cupped his fists and said in neither a humble nor overbearing tone, “If that is the case, then Wu Ji asks Venerable to forgive his presumptuousness.”
Saying so, he sat down opposite Yang Kai before taking the initiative to pick up the teapot and pour a cup for Yang Kai, showing extreme courtesy.
Yang Kai smiled slightly and said, “This King must first thank Second Young Master for his follow up a few days ago.”
Zi Wu Ji was startled but quickly realized what Yang Kai was referring to and hurriedly said, “Venerable is too serious, Jiang Chao is nothing but a pitiful weakling. Daring to offend Venerable is a sin worthy of death. Although Wu Ji ordered Vice Commander Qu Zheng to arrest him forcefully, Great Elder’s influence is simply too great, so that waste was eventually released and ultimately not punished.”
Yang Kai simply chuckled, “Since Second Young Master also knows that Jiang Chao is just a pitiful weakling, how could this King care about him?”
Zi Wu Ji immediately cupped his fists and said, “Sir Venerable is benevolent, this Wu Ji is impressed.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Enough idle talk, Second Young Master having Li Nuo make this arrangement in secret is not for such trivialities, is it?”
Zi Wu Ji looked straight ahead and said, “Wu Ji heard that Purple Star’s third Venerable had appeared. Sir Venerable’s strength is also profound, a true blessing for my Purple Star…”
“Get to the point!”
Zi Wu Ji’s voice stopped abruptly, and he pondered for a moment before standing up and bowing deeply, “Wu Ji respectfully requests Venerable assist me in taking control of Purple Star!”
His expression was firm and his voice was sonorous and powerful, but after he said these words, big beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Obviously, he was extremely nervous and still struggling deep in his heart.
After not receiving any response for some time, Zi Wu Ji quietly looked up only to see Yang Kai looking at him with a smile. This smile was very meaningful, and although the other party’s gaze didn’t seem to give off any kind of pressure, they were so piercing that it was as if they could see straight into his soul.
Zi Wu Ji heart jumped as he suddenly felt that all his secrets were seen through, but he still grits his teeth and shouted, “Please assist this Wu Ji, Venerable!”
“Bold!” Yang Kai slammed his fist on the table and shouted with a cold, gloomy tone.
Zi Wu Ji shivered as he seemed to understand something and stared towards Yang Kai in amazement.
Yang Kai sneered, “Second Young Master, I didn’t expect you to be so treasonous! You know that this King is a Purple Star Venerable, under one but above ten thousand, a representative of Purple Star’s majesty and strength, yet you dare ask this King to help you subvert your father’s rule? Are you trying to force this King to kill you?”
Zi Wu Ji hurriedly said, “Please restrain your anger, Venerable. As Purple Star’s Second Young Master, Wu Ji understands the order of things, it’s just…”
“It’s just, what?” Yang Kai glared at Zi Wu Ji, releasing his Domain to enshroud him, as if he would kill him in the next instant if he dared utter something dissolute.
The sweat on Zi Wu Ji’s forehead fell like raindrops, and for the first time in his life, he felt a real threat of death. Under the pressure of Yang Kai’s Domain, he almost lost the ability to think and collapsed to his knees.
But at the critical moment, he bit his tongue and cleared his mind just enough to say, “If this was an ordinary time, Wu Ji would not dare to have these unreasonable thoughts. Purple Star has been commanded by my Zi Family for generations, and my father Zi Long is the sole overlord of this world, Wu Ji’s most respected and admired person. How could Wu Ji dare be disrespectful to him? But… father has already fallen, and eldest brother has disappeared, so Purple Star is currently a dragon without a head. If this Wu Ji does not stand up here, who else can?”
“What did you just say?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he stared hard at Zi Wu Ji, a true murderous intent rising from the depths of his heart.
He never expected that Zi Wu Ji knew that Zi Long had died.
Although he didn’t know how he learned it, it was clear this was not some random guess but a statement made with full confidence.
But apart from Yang Kai and Gui Zu, there was no one else present when Zi Long died, so how could Zi Wu Ji know about this? Yang Kai completely couldn’t figure it out.
Zi Wu Ji seemed to have calmed down a lot and his speech gradually became clear. Looking directly into Yang Kai’s eyes without fear, he replied, “Venerable does not need to deceive Wu Ji. Wu Ji learned about his father’s death long ago.”
Saying so, he laughed despondently and said, “Venerable must be suspicious of how Wu Ji knows about this. It’s rather simple actually, my father had a Life Lamp that continued to shine as long as he was alive. Only one person in the world knows about the existence of this Life Lamp and this is my mother! Even my eldest brother Zi Dong does not know of this Life Lamp.”
“A Life Lamp?” Yang Kai raised his brow. Although he had never heard of such a thing, he figured it was similar to the Ice Soul Bead that Su Yan had condensed before. If it broke, it meant the person it represented had died.
“En,” Zi Wu Ji nodded sincerely, “Although my father has many wives and concubines, Wu Ji’s mother is his favourite, so she was given this Life Lamp. After the Life Lamp broke, Wu Ji was informed about this matter by his mother.”
“Since Zi Long cares about your mother so much, why not train you as his successor?” Yang Kai sneered.
Zi Wu Ji smiled bitterly, “Venerable only came to Purple Star recently, so he is probably not clear about the situation. Purple Star is indeed headed by my honoured father, but under father, Great Elder is the most powerful person, and my eldest brother’s mother is the daughter of Great Elder…”
“En, I understand,” Yang Kai nodded lightly. In short, this was a political move by Zi Long. This also explained why such a weak-minded boy like Zi Dong had become Purple Star’s Young Master. Yang Kai had thought Zi Long had simply spoiled his son too much, but now it seemed there were other reasons as well.
“Venerable doesn’t seem to be surprised by the news that my honoured father has fallen. Wu Ji assumes Venerable already knew, yes?” Zi Wu Ji looked at Yang Kai and asked lightly.
“What makes you think so?” Yang Kai asked back.
“Haha, when my father went out with Eldest Brother before, he went to the legendary Severed World… an extremely dangerous and crisis-ridden place. Even my father was not certain he could return safely. My father should have fallen there… Venerable, you suddenly appeared in Purple Star City after that event, and Wu Ji had never heard of you before. Wu Ji guessed that you should have met my father in the Severed World and become my Purple Star’s third Venerable there. Perhaps Venerable was even there when Father fell, making it impossible for you to be surprised by this news.”
“Your analysis is reasonable!” Yang Kai nodded approvingly, but in the next instant his face suddenly became cold and a thick murderous intent burst from his body, “But today’s situation could also be explained by this King having killed Zi Long. Did Young Master Wu Ji not consider this possibility?”
Zi Wu Ji’s complexion changed slightly but he didn’t become flustered, instead calmly saying, “Wu Ji naturally considered such a possibility, but he decided the chances of that being the case were negligible. It is not that Wu Ji questions Venerable’s strength, but Venerable was able to obtain my honoured father’s approval, so there is no doubt Venerable possesses shocking strength and means. Despite that, Venerable should not have the ability to kill a character like my father. As such, my honoured father’s death should have nothing to do with Venerable.”
Ordinarily, there would be nothing wrong with Zi Wu Ji’s speculation, but he had seriously underestimated Yang Kai’s strength and the situation before was not just Yang Kai and Zi Long fighting, but Gui Zu and Yang Kai’s Embodiment battling together.
“Besides, there is another more important reason. My eldest brother is still alive. If my father had really been killed by Venerable, eldest brother would definitely not have survived.”
“Your elder brother also has a Life Lamp?” Yang Kai asked in astonishment.
“Naturally,” Zi Wu Ji nodded.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling fortunate that he had not destroyed Zi Dong’s Soul, otherwise, his arrival on Purple Star would have begun with an encirclement from all of Purple Star’s masters.
Considering all this, Yang Kai’s eyes gradually softened and he sighed, “Young Master Wu Ji, you are quite smart! If I were Zi Long, I would definitely train you as my successor!”
Zi Wu Ji smiled happily and humbly said, “Venerable is too polite, Wu Ji is only doing his best to survive.”
Yang Kai then sighed and said, “You are correct. Zi Long did fall in the Severed World. I also met Zi Long there and shared a life and death experience with him. He invited me to join Purple Star after we managed to survive and this King also agreed, but who would have thought that there was a Divine Bird Seven Coloured Radiant Peacock in that damned place. That wicked beast was stronger than an ordinary Third-Order Origin King, and your father was unfortunately struck by its Seven Coloured Radiant Light when it went on a rampage, causing his demise.”
Listening to what Yang Kai said, Zi Wu Ji immediately cried bitterly and sorrowfully, with tears trickling down his face…
Yang Kai looked at him coldly as he secretly admired his acting skills.
This Zi Wu Ji was definitely a talented schemer and was putting on quite a convincing performance, as if he was really devastated by this news, but it was precisely because of his desperation that he appeared artificial.
After all, he had learned of his father’s death long ago because of the broken Life Lamp. Now that Zi Wu Ji was appearing in front of Yang Kai, his current ‘sorrow’ was clearly nothing more than an act, but this also made it difficult for Yang Kai to determine if Zi Wu Ji bought his story or not.
However, whether Zi Wu Ji believed him or not didn’t really matter, Yang Kai just needed to take one step at a time.
After crying for some time, Zi Wu Ji gradually composed himself and after wiping his tears, he said in a trembling voice, “I’ve shown Venerable something disgraceful.”
“It is only natural for Second Young Master to be saddened!” Yang Kai patiently comforted.
“Venerable, this Wu Ji still has something he is unclear about and hopes Venerable can provide some clarity,” Zi Wu Ji quickly recovered, seemingly turning his grief into strength.
“Go ahead,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“My eldest brother… where is he now?” Zi Wu Ji asked in a low voice.
Yang Kai looked at him and smiled lightly, “And why do you want to know that?”
Zi Wu Ji quickly said, “The Severed World is so dangerous that even a master like my honoured father fell inside, so my eldest brother should not be safe. Perhaps, it was thanks to Venerable that he was able to survive, so the only one who would know my eldest brother’s whereabouts would be Venerable.”
“So?” Yang Kai’s brow rose, “What’s wrong? Does Young Master Wu Ji want this King to hand over your eldest brother to you to ‘deal’ with?”
Zi Wu Ji waved his hand in trepidation, “Wu Ji wouldn’t dare! Wu Ji never had such intentions! Eldest brother and Wu Ji are both the same now. With Father having already fallen, how could Wu Ji possibly have any ill intent towards his brother? It’s just that Wu Ji would like to ask if Venerable coming to Purple Star at this time was because he was entrusted to by eldest brother?”
“Nonsense, what kind of identity does this King have? Even if he is Purple Star’s Young Master, has no right to command this King,” Yang Kai sneered.
Zi Wu Ji was overjoyed hearing this and nodded, “Then everything is simpler. Venerable had a fated friendship with my honoured father, so Venerable definitely cannot bear to watch Purple Star fall into the hands of outsiders. If that truly happened, how would my father ever rest in peace? Venerable, please help Wu Ji to prevent that from happening!”
Yang Kai remained silent, seeming in deep thought.
Zi Wu Ji, however, decided to strike while the iron was hot and said, “Venerable has already met my eldest brother and certainly knows what his character is. From Venerable’s point of view, who would be more appropriate to sit in the position of Purple Star’s Sect Master between us?”
When he said this, Zi Wu Ji didn’t bother concealing his ambition anymore, his eyes flashing a brilliant light.
Yang Kai said lightly, “Although Zi Dong has a good aptitude and steady temperament, he is inferior to Young Master Wu Ji in terms of strategy. He may become a powerhouse, but he will never become a ruler.”
“Many thanks for your praise, Venerable!” Zi Wu Ji accepted this evaluation without hesitation before quickly saying, “Venerable, father and eldest brother have been missing for nearly two years now so their reputations still carry great prestige, but Great Elder has not stopped manoeuvring behind the scenes, and if things continue this way, Purple Star’s situation will soon become worrying. Venerable has accepted the Venerable Token from my honoured father, so Wu Ji considers him to be of similar faith. If Venerable were to lend his assistance now, Wu Ji is assured of success.”
“You have such confidence?” Yang Kai frowned.
Zi Wu Ji smiled confidently, “My Zi Family is supreme on Purple Star! Wu Ji has been keeping a low profile for many years, but now that I dare to jump out and fight with that old fart, I have prepared well. All that is missing is someone who can compete with that old fart head-to-head! Venerable’s arrival gives Wu Ji great hope!”
Yang Kai looked at Zi Wu Ji in surprise as he realized he had been slightly underestimating him. From Zi Wu Ji’s tone, it was apparent he already managed to win over many powerful cultivators to work for him.
Yang Kai did not care about the power struggles inside Purple Star one bit; after all, his purpose here was only the Star Emperor Token, but the last time he went to Purple Star Palace, he had alerted the enemy, making a stealthily approach far more difficult. As such, Yang Kai now felt that using Zi Wu Ji to get his hands on what he wanted was a good alternative.
At this point, Yang Kai pretended to think.
Zi Wu Ji did not dare to bother him rashly and could only stand in unease and wait.
After a long time, just when Zi Wu Ji’s anxiety was about to boil over, Yang Kai suddenly said, “Young Master Wu Ji being so open and honest pleases this King greatly. I believe that if Zi Long knew all the effort Young Master Wu Ji was putting forth, he would laugh heartily from his place of eternal rest.”
“Does Venerable mean…” Zi Wu Ji looked at Yang Kai in surprise and joy.
“It is not impossible for me to help you. As a Venerable, I should contribute to Purple Star’s prosperity, and this King is not so cold-blooded he can just stand by and watch as Purple Star’s foundation falls into the hands of others, but…”
“What are Venerable’s requirements? Please just speak them and if Wu Ji can handle it, he will definitely not refuse!” Zi Wu Ji was very eager for success and didn’t even wait for Yang Kai to finish speaking.
“Very well,” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, “This King only has two requirements. The first is that this King wants to enter your Purple Star’s Vault to take something from it. This was an agreement your father made with me when I became a Venerable!”
“The Vault!” Zi Wu Ji looked surprised before immediately revealing a bitter smile, “Venerable may not know, but Purple Star’s Vault is the most heavily guarded location in Purple Star Palace. Although Wu Ji can approach it, he cannot open it as he does not possess the key. Wu Ji has never actually entered the Vault before. Only my honoured father and eldest brother have the right to do so.”
“I have the key,” Yang Kai said, “Second Young Master need not concern himself about this point.”
“Father’s key is in Venerable’s hands?” Zi Wu Ji was shocked.
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded.
Zi Wu Ji’s face changed slightly, seemingly thinking of something, but he quickly composed himself and nodded, “If that’s the case, then it shouldn’t be a difficult matter to handle. As the Second Young Master, Wu Ji naturally has the right to approach the Vault.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction, “The second thing is to release the people of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce that are being held captive.”
Zi Wu Ji heard this and immediately wore a look of distress as he helplessly said, “Venerable may not be aware, however, those people were not imprisoned by Wu Ji, but rather by Great Elder. The ones guarding them all belong to Great Elder.”
“Of course I know he is responsible,” Yang Kai said coldly snorted. “Second Young Master is too busy just taking care of himself now, how could he have time to meddle with Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce? However, this King is very curious: Why would Great Elder do this?”
Zi Wu Ji’s face turned gloomy as he explained, “If Wu Ji has not guessed wrong, it was probably that old dog’s method to suppress me.”
“Oh? Do explain!” Yang Kai frowned.
“Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is a behemoth that, while not stronger than my Purple Star, is also not weaker,” Zi Wu Ji said in a low voice, “The one who came to Purple Star this time and was detained by Great Elder seems to be the son of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President. If Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce learns about this, they will take action. This matter could be made bigger or smaller quite easily. At worst though, it could lead to a war between our two forces. However, this matter could also be solved with some simple compensation. If Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce really gets news of this incident, as long as no one of importance has died, Great Elder just needs to hand over a scapegoat to settle the matter, making big things small and small things nothing. If that happens, I believe that Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce will not try to escalate matters further, as they would not want a war with Purple Star either. Of course, the scapegoat that is delivered must be of a certain status or this plan will not work. No ordinary cat or dog would be enough to quell the anger of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce!”
“And that scapegoat is you?” Yang Kai suddenly understood.
“Apart from me, who else in Purple Star can take on this role?” Zi Wu Ji sneered, “If Wu Ji is handed over, then Purple Star will have to change its surname.”
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai finally figured out why Purple Star would suddenly detain Shen Tu. It was a method Great Elder was planning to use to deal with Zi Wu Ji. It could only be said that Shen Tu had bad luck when he set out on this mission, entering into this undercurrent without any knowledge.
“So, if Venerable wants to save those people, that old fart needs to be dealt with first!”
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Venerable, are you… familiar with those Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce people?” Zi Wu Ji couldn’t restrain his curiosity and asked.
Yang Kai just glanced at him lightly.
Zi Wu Ji immediately smirked and said, “Wu Ji has said too much.”
“Enough, this King now wants to know how Second Young Master plans to deal with Great Elder. Don’t tell me you don’t have a complete plan?”
“Naturally not!” Zi Wu Ji’s face showed a confident look, “Wu Ji has been preparing a long time for this day to come. With Venerable’s help, this matter may finally succeed. Wu Ji’s plan is like this…”
Zi Wu Ji then began to detail his thoughts and ideas.
Yang Kai listened calmly while secretly feeling surprised in his heart. He didn’t expect that, with Zi Wu Ji’s means and abilities, he was actually able to endure until today before revealing his true face. Moreover, the number of masters on Purple Star he had won over was considerable.
This boy really knew how to bide his time and wait for his opportunity.
After listening, Yang Kai silently summed the matter up and felt that it had a high chance of success, immediately causing him to raise his evaluation of Zi Wu Ji and comment, “If the Purple Star can be controlled by Second Young Master, its future will definitely be more brilliant.”
“Venerable surely jests,” Zi Wu Ji smiled humbly.
“Alright then, it’s getting late. This matter will end here for today. When the day arrives, this King will go to find Second Young Master.”
“Wu Ji respectfully sees off Venerable!” Zi Wu Ji got up and bowed.
Outside the room, Yang Kai greeted Li Nuo before taking Hua You Meng back to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.
Inside the room, Zi Wu Ji could not hide the joy on his face as he smiled silently.
When Ji Jun came in and saw him like this, he was pleasantly surprised and asked, “Young Lord, did you reach an agreement with that Sir?”
Zi Wu Ji nodded.
Ji Jun palmed his right fist with his left and exclaimed, “Excellent, after so many days, we can finally breathe easy. However, Young Lord, is that Sir credible?”
Hearing Ji Jun’s question, the joy on Zi Wu Ji’s face reduced as he said, “It should be possible. That Sir does not have a strong sense of belonging to my Purple Star, so he will not be loyal to any side. As long as I can meet his requirements, he can be used by me. But having said that, we should still take precautions… Old Ji, follow me back to Purple Star Palace to see my mother.”
Ji Jun looked stern as he asked, “Young Lord is going to ask that Sir to intervene?”
Zi Wu Ji nodded, “Yes. My Purple Star has more than one Venerable.”
…..
After returning to Five Paths Chamber of Commerce with Hua You Meng, Yang Kai entered retreat while also asking the people from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce to not go out for the time being.
In fact, there was no need for him to even ask this, as when Hua You Meng returned with more than 200 million Saint Crystals, Xia Jing Wu and others were completely shocked.
None of them had even dreamed they would see such a huge number of Saint Crystals in their lifetime, yet now this massive wealth was right in front of them.
None of them could believe it at first.
After half a day, everyone gradually accepted this reality, and under the instructions of Hua You Meng, they allocated 20 million Saint Crystals to buy precious cultivation resources.
Over the next few days, everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce only wanted to enter secluded cultivation; how could they even think of going out?
Time flew by, and half a month later, it was the day Purple Star paid tribute to its ancestors.
On this day each year, Purple Star’s high-level officials would gather to pay their respects to their ancestors under the leadership of Purple Star’s Sect Master, to comfort their ancestors in the afterlife.
There was a huge ancestral hall set up in Purple Star Palace where tablets for all the Elder level figures from Purple Star were set up. Not just those from the Zi Family, but all who had made great contributions to Purple Star were memorialized here.
This was a major event for Purple Star, and no one dared to treat it carelessly.
Purple Star’s senior management spent great effort every year to prepare for this ceremony, considering all aspects.
As such, all of Purple Star’s executives would arrive at Purple Star Palace on time and gather in the direction of the ancestral hall.
Almost all eyes were focused on the ancestral hall at this time, so the protection of other places was largely ignored.
Yang Kai also came to Purple Star Palace at this time.
After showing his Venerable Token to the guards at the palace gate, he was welcomed inside respectfully.
After a short walk, a figure suddenly appeared and said to the guard, “Withdraw, this old master will take charge from here.”
“Yes.” The guard bowed and retreated quickly.
Yang Kai looked at the man and cupped his fists lightly, “Elder Ji!”
This person was none other than Ji Jun who had always been following Zi Wu Ji.
Ji Jun smiled and replied politely, “Ji Jun greets Venerable Yang. Venerable, please come with me. Second Young Master has already arranged everything.”
“En, lead the way!” Yang Kai nodded lightly before following Ji Jun inside.
Ji Jun was undoubtedly familiar with Purple Star Palace and led Yang Kai through a series of paths for half an hour before arriving at a well-secured palace at its centre. This palace was built from some unknown material that appeared extremely solid and had many defensive barriers erected around it.
However, no cultivators were guarding this place at the moment, obviously all having been transferred away.
Standing in front of this palace, Ji Jun wore a nearly frantic look that could not be concealed. Taking a deep breath to calm his rampaging mood, he quickly said, “Venerable Yang, this is Purple Star’s Vault. Second Young Master has said that all that is necessary to open it is the unique key and a drop of Blood Essence from a direct descendant of the Zi Family.”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed hearing this, “I still need a drop of Blood Essence from the Zi Family’s direct line? How come I haven’t heard about this until now?”
Whether it was Zi Dong or Zi Wu Ji, neither had told him this secret. Zi Wu Ji concealing something from him, Yang Kai could understand, after all, the two weren’t close and although they had reached an agreement with one another, this was a relationship built on benefits, not trust.
However, Zi Dong not saying anything about this, annoyed Yang Kai greatly.
Ji Jun chuckled, “Please calm yourself, Venerable, this is only a minor matter. Young Master Wu Ji has already prepared a drop of his Blood Essence for Venerable.”
Saying so, he wiped his Space Ring and took out a transparent bottle. This bottle had a drop of red blood in it that gave off a faint purple brilliance. It seemed that there was some mysterious power contained in this drop of blood.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and before Ji Jun realized what had happened, Yang Kai had already seized the drop of Blood Essence, causing the latter’s face to change drastically.
He was a First-Order Origin King, but before he noticed Yang Kai had been able to snatch something from his hand. It was obvious from this alone how great the gap in their strength was.
“Venerable, this…” Ji Jun looked at the drop of Blood Essence anxiously and stammered.
“How do I use this thing? Tell me,” Yang Kai spoke lightly, but his tone was filled with a commanding presence that allowed no resistance.
Ji Jun’s face was ugly, but he did not dare to disobey and replied, “Just apply this drop of Blood Essence to the key.”
Yang Kai nodded, stretched out his hand, and opened the bottle cap. With a surge of Saint Qi, Yang Kai made the drop of Blood Essence fly out of the jade bottle and directly splash onto the key he had taken out at some point.
The golden key seemed to come alive at that moment and quickly swallowed Zi Wu Ji’s Blood Essence. There was even a faint sucking sound. The next moment, the golden key turned into a tiny dragon with two horns and a faint purple halo. Circling the air a few times, it then plunged into the front door of the Vault.
The heavy door which seemed to be impregnable suddenly flickered as a series of ripples appeared on its surface.
“Elder Ji should wait here for a moment, I’ll be right back,” Yang Kai spoke before his figure flashed and flew into the Vault.
“Wait!” Ji Jun had received Zi Wu Ji’s instructions to not let Yang Kai out of his sight, so how could he allow him to enter the Vault all alone? However, before Ji Jun could follow, the Vault door returned to its normal state, barring him from entering.
Everything happened so fast that Ji Jun nearly smacked into the door.
“This is bad!” Ji Jun jumped anxiously as he cursed Yang Kai mercilessly in his heart.
This was Purple Star’s Vault, which had stored its most precious treasures for countless years. Although there were not many things inside, each item was a key part of Purple Star’s heritage and foundation. Now that Yang Kai had entered all alone, only the Heavens knew what he would do. Would he really keep his promise to only take a single item?
Because of this concern, Zi Wu Ji had told Ji Jun to follow Yang Kai closely, firstly to prevent Yang Kai from becoming greedy, and second because he wanted to know what Yang Kai wanted to take away.
No one expected Yang Kai’s movements to be so fast though, to the point where even a First-Order Origin King like Ji Jun was caught completely off guard.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Ji Jun’s face was as ugly as if his father had just died thinking about how he would explain this to Zi Wu Ji later. All Ji Jun could do now was pray that Yang Kai would not be too greedy and only take what he had been promised.
Inside the Vault, Yang Kai looked around and soon found that this place did not occupy a very large area and there weren’t many things inside. However, everything he saw made his eyes shine brightly.
Even with the current height of his vision, the content of Purple Star’s Vault amazed him.
There were no Saint Crystals here, but there were many big and small jade bottles, all kinds of artifacts, various Secret Arts and Secret Techniques…
Even without investigating them carefully, Yang Kai could tell that everything here was a rare treasure.
Yang Kai stood on the spot, grinned meaningfully, then immediately stretched out his hand and summoned the Soul Sustaining Bowl into his palm. His gaze becoming sharp, Yang Kai sent a pulse of his Divine Sense into the bowl.
The next moment, a miserable scream came from the bowl and Zi Dong’s Soul Avatar appeared in a flicker, crying out in pain and fear, “Sir, what happened?”
Yang Kai looked at him mockingly and revealed a vicious grin as he spoke, “Zi Dong, come take a look, do you recognize this place?”
Zi Dong turned his head and looked around and his face suddenly changed, muttering under his breath, “Purple Star’s Vault? How could you…”
Before he finished speaking though, he suddenly realized something and hurriedly put on a flattering smile, “Congratulations Sir, this is my Purple Star’s Vault, hehe…”
“Don’t feign stupidity in front of this King!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “To enter this Vault, one needs a drop of Blood Essence from your Zi Family’s direct line, why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
“Please calm yourself, Sir! This Dong simply wanted to wait until Sir was fully prepared before explaining this matter; however, there was simply no chance to do so. This Dong never intended to conceal anything!”
“Trying to act clever now?” Yang Kai sneered, “Do you think I don’t know what you were plotting? Did you want to borrow my hand to get rid of your second brother Zi Wu Ji?”
Zi Dong’s face paled as he went speechless.
Obviously, Yang Kai was right.
“Zi Dong, you may have thought you were acting smart, but you only harmed yourself in the end,” Yang Kai snickered.
“Mercy! Mercy Sir! This Dong won’t dare repeat this mistake!” Zi Dong’s Soul kowtowed directly in the Soul Sustaining Bowl.
“Now you want mercy? Why didn’t you think about your position earlier?” Yang Kai coldly snorted, and while talking, he pointed his finger towards Zi Dong’s Soul Avatar.
As soon as he pointed his finger, Zi Dong’s Soul Avatar was struck hard, and like a cloud hit by a burst of wind, it began to scatter. A terrified scream rang out, but even that quickly weakened, eventually disappearing altogether.
Yang Kai had no remorse in killing Zi Dong. This boy had made trouble for him again and again in the Severed World and even forced Xu Wei to try to kill him. If Zi Dong did not have some use still, Yang Kai would not have kept him in the Soul Sustaining Bowl.
At this moment, knowing that this boy was still trying to use him, how could Yang Kai let him survive?
With Zi Dong’s Soul being destroyed, Yang Kai simply stored the Soul Sustaining Bowl away. This was a very strange artifact, and it may have some role to play in the future.
Only now did Yang Kai begin to investigate the Vault’s contents.
Opening a nearby jade bottle, Yang Kai immediately became excited.
There were not many pills placed in this Vault, only eight different types in fifty-two different bottles, but each and every bottle held a Spirit Pill of Origin King Grade! These Spirit Pills would have a huge effect on the cultivation of any Origin King and were preserved here by Purple Star for many years.
Yang Kai was naturally not polite and swept all of them into his Space Ring.
The various artifacts were also not overlooked.
Five of the artifacts placed here were Origin King Grade, with the highest quality being Origin King Grade Mid-Rank, while the other four were Origin King Grade Low-Rank.
In addition, the rest were Origin Grade High-Rank artifacts.
These Origin Grade High-Rank artifacts were also different from ordinary Origin Grade High-Rank artifacts. Each of these artifacts had great power and even if they had not quite reached Origin King Grade, the difference wasn’t great.
There were also the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques that Purple Star had collected over the years. Yang Kai did not let these go either. Now that High Heaven Sect had thousands of disciples and was on its way to becoming a massive hegemon, if Yang Kai could bring back these Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, it would provide the disciples more choices to enhance their strength.
How could any Secret Art or Secret Technique placed in this Vault be bad? Cultivating these techniques would ensure that High Heaven Sect’s disciples had an advantage over average cultivators from the start. This would allow the disciples of High Heaven Sect to surpass their peers by a wide margin in the future.
In addition to these things, there were many rare and precious Alchemy and Artifact Refining materials.
Yang Kai stuffed everything he came across into his pockets.
All at once, he had made a massive profit.
Yang Kai did not have the slightest guilt about this. Although he had told Zi Wu Ji that he only wanted to take one thing, how much he took was beyond Zi Wu Ji’s control after entering this Vault.
Yang Kai never had a good impression of Purple Star, so acting ruthlessly towards them was no burden to him.
The harvest was huge, but Yang Kai still had not found what he needed.
However, he was not in a hurry and instead calmly cast his gaze on a few boxes which were placed in the most inconspicuous corner.
There were a total of three boxes over there, arranged one by one. If his guess was not wrong, the Star Emperor Token should be hidden in one of these boxes.
The Star Emperor Token was related to the key he needed to enter the Star Boundary and seek a higher Martial Dao, so Yang Kai naturally cared very much about it.
As of now, he had collected six of the nine tokens, and with the one from Purple Star, that would make seven, leaving just two more to gather before he could open the passage to the Star Boundary.
This was why he had put in so much effort here on Purple Star.
When he came to the three boxes, Yang Kai examined them for a while to confirm there were no barriers protecting them before reaching out and opening the first.
Inside this box there was something that resembled a crystal.
Yang Kai soon showed a weird look on his face as even after carefully investigating this crystal, he was unable to determine what it was. This crystal was round, pure, and flawless, while somewhat resembling a Saint Crystal.
However, it was definitely not a Saint Crystal.
A single piece of Saint Crystal could never have been preserved inside Purple Star’s Vault.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and picked up this round crystal from the box but after lifting it up, his expression only became stranger as he found no discernable energy fluctuations coming from it at all, almost as if it was just a useless decoration.
When he probed it with his Divine Sense though, his face abruptly changed as he whispered in amazement, “this powerful?”
At that moment, he felt an unimaginably mass of energy inside this unremarkable crystal!
This energy was vast like an ocean, and when Yang Kai poured his Divine Sense into it, he was stunned to discover that he simply could not estimate its total amount, as if it was endless, causing his heart to pound slightly.
“Is it really some kind of Saint Crystal?” Yang Kai was a little unsure as he could feel that the energy contained in this crystal had no impurities and could be easily absorbed and refined by a cultivator. This thing could absolutely be used as an auxiliary to cultivate, just like a Saint Crystal, but how could any Saint Crystals possess such powerful energy?
Yang Kai tried circulating his Secret Art to absorb the energy inside the crystal and found the process was incomparably smooth, the energy simply flowing into his meridians from his palm without resistance.
Yang Kai immediately felt refreshed, as if he was being enveloped by this massive warm energy.
After only a moment of absorption, Yang Kai found that he had taken in a few hundred Saint Crystals worth of energy, but this round crystal actually showed no signs of change, as if the energy it contained was limitless.
“Is this an Earth Vein Crystal?” Yang Kai suddenly remembered a rumour he had once heard, and his eyes lit up.
Earth Veins were the results of massive amounts of World Energy accumulating and solidifying underground over eons of time. Earth Veins could not be moved or transferred and where one existed, the ambient World Energy would generally be richer. Great forces would try to build their headquarters on top of Earth Veins so their disciples could have better cultivation environments.
The more powerful the Sect was, the more it tried to occupy an excellent Earth Vein.
Earth Veins were divided into three grades, with the most inferior type being quite common. Beneath every Spirit Mountain and River, there would be at least one Low-Grade Earth Vein. Mid-Grade Earth Veins, however, were few and far between, with High-Grade ones being extremely rare.
Below High Heaven Sect, there was a highest of High-Grade Earth Vein, which was why its ambient World Energy was so rich.
Earth Veins were not just divided by grade, but also by size. Some Earth Veins occupied vast areas while some only extended a few kilometers, every size was possible.
Legend had it though that in the highest quality Earth Veins, where World Energy had gathered in one place for many, many years, a crystal core could form, an Earth Vein Crystal!
Earth Veins could not be moved, but Earth Vein Crystals could be carried with you.
Carrying an Earth Vein Crystal was equivalent to carrying the highest quality Earth Vein on the person. With an Earth Vein Crystal, there was no need for a cultivator to have Saint Crystals anymore as they could simply absorb energy from the former, causing their cultivation speed to increase hundreds, if not thousands of times over.
Yang Kai had never seen an Earth Vein Crystal before and had only heard rumours about them.
But now, in this Purple Star Vault, there was actually an Earth Vein Crystal!
This was a Heaven defying treasure, and although it could only be used by one person at a time, unlike an ordinary Earth Vein that could be shared by a whole family or Sect, with this crystal, a cultivator being unable to cultivate quickly was simply impossible.
Holding this Earth Vein Crystal, Yang Kai’s grin nearly reached his ears.
At his current level of cultivation, there were very few things in this world that could hold his interest, but this Earth Vein Crystal was undoubtedly one of them.
Putting the Earth Vein Crystal into his Space Ring, Yang Kai did not think too much before picking up the second box.
Upon opening it, Yang Kai saw a special token lying inside. A faint Emperor Pressure pulsed from this token as the character for ‘Emperor’ was carved on its face. What else but the Star Emperor Token could it be?
Yang Kai stored this away with no trace of politeness.
At this moment, he had officially obtained his seventh Star Emperor Token.
Yang Kai then cast his eyes onto the last box.
The two previous boxes had an Earth Vein Crystal and a Star Emperor Token inside, both of which were priceless treasures, so Yang Kai was naturally looking forward to what was in this third box.
Upon opening the box though, Yang Kai did not even have time to see what was inside before his face drastically changed and he was forced to circulate his Secret Art madly to suppress the boiling of his blood.
At the same time, a shocking dragon roar sounded from his body.
The Verdant Dragon Bone Sword shot out uncontrollably and transformed into a giant dark green dragon, floating above him, its giant head staring down at the third jade box, seemingly transfixed by the object inside of it.
Yang Kai glanced up at his Dragon Bone Sword which had assumed its dragon form and quickly formed a series of seals to take it back into his body. Even after completing this though, Yang Kai felt his blood rampaging, like something inside this third box was calling out to it, making it run wild.
Yang Kai looked into the box cautiously and found that what was inside was a single, palm sized scale.
This scale had the same shape as a fish scale, but there were many mysterious patterns on it and it was releasing a kind of ancient and savage aura that caused one’s heart to palpitate just from a mere glance.
“Dragon Scale!” Yang Kai exclaimed in shock, “It’s actually a Dragon Scale!”
He had never imagined that what was inside this third box would be a Dragon Scale, a genuine Dragon Scale!
Yang Kai possessed a Golden Divine Dragon Source and had cultivated Monster Race’s Monster Transformation Secret Technique while his Dragon Bone Sword was refined from a piece of dragon bone and Dragon Bead. In this world, it was likely no one had a better understanding of True Dragons than Yang Kai.
So when he saw this scale, Yang Kai knew that it was an authentic Dragon’s Scale.
This was a scale from a legendary Ancient Divine Spirit Dragon!
The Dragon Pressure that radiated from this scale was so strong it was almost tangible and it resonated strongly with the Golden Divine Dragon Source in Yang Kai, making it impossible for him to calm his raging blood.
Ancient Divine Spirits only existed in legends. True Dragons, true Phoenixes, Qilins, Pixiu, all of them were Ancient Divine Spirits, but no matter which, no one alive had ever met one.
If Yang Kai had not obtained the Golden Divine Dragon Source and Dragon Bone Sword and heard personal testimony from Yang Yan, he would also probably believe Ancient Divine Spirits were nothing but myths.
His Golden Divine Dragon Source was obtained from Tong Xuan Realm’s Dragon Valley and the Dragon Bone Sword’s components were obtained from the Flowing Flame Sand Field, and both had ancient history to them. Now, in Purple Star Vault, Yang Kai had found a piece of authentic Dragon Scale.
Yang Kai’s eyes shined brightly as his heart filled with excitement.
Such a piece of Dragon Scale, and even the Dragon Bone Sword, to others, would only be excellent Artifact Refining materials, but they had a far more profound use for Yang Kai.
The first half of the Monster Transformation Secret Art Chi Yue had given him described how to draw out power from the Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body to transform himself into the shape of a Dragon and enhance his strength; however, this was still only borrowed strength.
The latter half of this Secret Art was about how to integrate various parts from ancient Monster Beasts to acquire the Divine Abilities of those Monster Beasts.
For example, if Yang Kai could integrate this Dragon Scale into his body, he would obtain defense like a true Dragon’s.
Even the Verdant Dragon Bone Sword and Yang Kai could fuse together, essentially replacing his spine with True Dragon Bone.
This was an unimaginable improvement and once successful, Yang Kai’s strength would surely soar.
However, up until now his strength had not been high enough for Yang Kai to dare attempt something like this, so he had always used the Dragon Bone Sword as an artifact instead. Now that he was a Second-Order Origin King though, he was nearly qualified to attempt this assimilation.
If he could take in his Dragon Bone Sword and this Dragon Scale, Yang Kai would be able to display some of a Dragon’s Divine Abilities.
This was almost unimaginable.
Yang Kai thought it would be difficult to see another authentic Dragon material in his lifetime, but now he had found a Dragon Scale here.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm the excitement in his heart, Yang Kai stretched out his hand to grab the Dragon Scale but unexpectedly, before he could, a terrifying force erupted from it and bombarded him.
This power swiftly wrapped around Yang Kai’s hand and held it tightly in place while simultaneously exerting a terrifying pressure, causing creaking sounds that make it seem like his bones would crack in the next instant.
Yang Kai showed a look of surprise at first but quickly recovered and coldly snorted, “Dragon Transformation!”
As soon as these words fell, a golden light burst forth and a billowing Dragon Pressure erupted from his body. The hand that Yang Kai stretched out suddenly became thicker as Dragon Scales condensed from his Saint Qi began to appear on its surface. Soon, Yang Kai’s right hand looked exactly like a Dragon’s Claw.
Dragon Pressure filled the air as faint howls and roars resounded.
Although this was a Dragon Scale, it had fallen off countless years ago whereas Yang Kai’s Golden Divine Dragon Source was essentially alive and came from an extraordinary true Dragon; how could a mere Dragon Scale resist its prestige?
The power which was locking Yang Kai’s arm in place was steadily worn down under the aura of his Golden Divine Dragon Source.
Soon, a dense crackling sound filled the air as the power from the Dragon Scale collapsed.
Yang Kai grasped the Dragon Scale and lifted it up, observing it for a moment before smiling and placing it back in its original jade box before tossing it into his Space Ring.
Once the Dragon Pressure dissipated, Yang Kai dismissed his Dragon Transformation and the atmosphere inside Purple Star’s Vault was restored to normal again. However, looking around, this small Vault was now completely empty, making it seem somewhat desolate.
Outside the door, Ji Jun paced back and forth anxiously, glancing at the gate to the Vault from time to time, but not seeing Yang Kai appear.
[That bastard is definitely ransacking the Vault!] Ji Jun understood what was happening, but was powerless to do anything about it, making him feel like his heart was being repeatedly stabbed.
While Yang Kai was cleaning out Purple Star’s Vault, a good show was also happening in the ancestral hall of Purple Star Palace.
Since Zi Wu Ji had decided to have a showdown with Gong Sun Liang today, he no longer restrained himself and instead took a forward and aggressive stance.
Gong Sun Liang noticed this, but he didn’t take it to heart, simply choosing to observe everything indifferently.
Many of Purple Star’s leaders also faintly felt that today’s atmosphere was slightly different and became somewhat anxious. Fortunately, everything proceeded as smoothly as usual, and the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the Heavens went off without a hitch.
Half a day later, everyone poured into the ancestral hall to prepare for the last worship ceremony.
The offerings had been prepared long ago, and inside the hall, Purple Star’s members were split into four ranks while Gong Sun Liang stood at the head of the hall and gave a speech praising the great achievements of Purple Star’s ancestors. The atmosphere in the ancestral hall was extremely solemn as everyone felt a sense of pride in their identity.
After a long time, Gong Sun Liang looked down and shouted, “Before our great ancestors, disciple Gong Sun Liang, on behalf of all of Purple Star, offers these tributes to the ancestors’ spirits. May the ancestors bless our Purple Star with eternal prosperity! Light the incense!”
When these words were spoken, three incense burners were lit.
Gong Sun Liang was about to receive these burners when suddenly a voice called out, “Great Elder, please wait!”
Gong Sun Liang frowned, turned his head to look in the direction the voice came from, half-squinted his eyes, and said, “Whatever it is Second Young Master wishes to discuss, it can wait until after this old master finishes placing these three incense sticks. No one may interfere with the Ancestral Worship Ceremony.”
Zi Wu Ji just smiled lightly though and said, “What Great Elder said is absolutely right, but Wu Ji thinks it is wrong to hand these three incense sticks to Great Elder.”
“This old master is Purple Star’s Great Elder, what is inappropriate about him placing these three sticks of incense?” Gong Sun Liang said lightly, his half-squinted eyes revealing a substantive coercion as he stared at Zi Wu Ji.
The latter showed not the slightest fear, however, and continued to speak, “In the past, this ceremony was presided over by my Lord Father and Eldest Brother, now that Lord Father and Eldest Brother are not on Purple Star, Wu Ji should be the one to take their place.”
“Second Young Master wants these three sticks of incense?”
“Of course!”
“Haha, Second Young Master surely jests, Master and Young Master are not on Purple Star, so this old as Purple Star’s Great Elder is responsible for fulfilling their duties in their absence. There is no need for Second Young Master to concern himself with this.”
“Great Elder, the Zi Family’s blood flows through this Wu Ji’s veins, and the Zi Family is the foundation of Purple Star. This matter most definitely concerns this Wu Ji.”
“Do you insist on this?” Gong Sun Liang stared at Zi Wu Ji indifferently.
“I hope Great Elder will cooperate,” Zi Wu Ji stared back at him in a neither humble nor submissive manner.
Gong Sun Liang grinned as he began pushing his Saint Qi slightly, trying to give Zi Wu Ji a little pressure. Placing the incense was only one step in the Ancestral Worship Ceremony, but it had extraordinary meaning. If he were to compromise today, it would mean acknowledging Zi Wu Ji’s status as equal to Zi Long or Zi Dong’s, something Gong Sun Liang would naturally not allow.
However, what Gong Sun Liang could not have imagined was that as soon as his Saint Qi left his body, a series of cracks would suddenly sound.
In the next moment, countless gasps could be heard.
Gong Sun Liang’s face sank as his eyes landed on Zi Wu Ji’s triumphant smile, a bad premonition suddenly filling his heart.
“The Ancestral Tablets have broken!”
“What?”
“Heavens, the Ancestral Tablets really broke!”
From all around, shouts rang out from all Purple Star’s leaders, causing Gong Sun Liang to swiftly turn his head around, only to have his old face go incomparably pale.
At this moment, most of the memorial tablets in the hall had broken. Even if a few of them had not shattered completely, they had countless cracks on their surface and were clearly on the brink of collapse.
These tablets represented the ancestors who had made great contributions to Purple Star in the past. Each of these ancestors had been a powerful master who was famous in his or her time and that even today was admired and respected by the trillions of cultivators who lived under Purple Star’s rule.
After their deaths, their descendants would place a tablet here to be forever remembered by future generations.
These tablets represented a kind of spirit, a kind of faith.
No one dared to be disrespectful to them! Even Zi Long, the current Sect Master of Purple Star, had to act respectfully when he entered this place.
But now, these symbols of belief had all crumbled into dust.
Gong Sun Liang’s heart trembled as he turned and glared at Zi Wu Ji.
After all, his grandfather’s ancestral tablet was among these.
Before he could speak though, Zi Wu Ji coughed out a mouthful of blood and with a face filled with sadness and despair, he pointed at Gong Sun Liang and haltingly shouted, “Great Elder… You are too vicious! Even if you are dissatisfied with this Wu Ji’s conduct, a small punishment or scolding would have sufficed, but in your rage, you’ve even gone so far as to shatter my Purple Star’s ancestral tablets? Do you even put my Purple Star in your eyes?!”
Gong Sun Liang was startled and immediately shouted angrily, “Zi Wu Ji, don’t talk nonsense…”
“Talk nonsense?” Zi Wu Ji wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered, “With so many in the ancestral hall seeing what happened just now, how could this Wu Ji be speaking nonsense? Yes, Wu Ji did offend you, but this… how could this be necessary?”
“Great Elder, you’ve gone too far! Every ancestral tablet here contains a wisp of its owner’s Soul, destroying the tablet is tantamount to killing all of our ancestor’s Souls, allowing them to really disappear into nothingness! How can you even stand before them now so shamelessly!” Someone shouted right after Zi Wu Ji spoke.
“Such viciousness and cruelty! Great Elder, what is the meaning of this?”
“Great Elder, explain your actions immediately!”
Behind Zi Wu Ji, a group of cultivators stood up one after another to accuse Gong Sun Liang. Zi Wu Ji looked sad and indignant as he covered his chest with his hands, but a sense of pride flashed across the depths of his eyes.
Gong Sun Liang wore a deep and profound expression, as by now, he had figured out he had been led into a trap. He did urge his Saint Qi just now, but he just wanted to teach Zi Wu Ji a small lesson for his presumptuousness. How could he have known his Saint Qi’s fluctuations would actually break these tablets?
Saint Qi fluctuations of that degree could never have had such a drastic effect.
The only explanation was that these tablets have long ago been rigged to react to his Saint Qi.
“Zi Wu Ji! This old master looked down on your courage!” Gong Sun Liang did not even try to explain anything, instead just turning a look of admiration towards Zi Wu Ji. Daring to use these ancestral tablets was something even he had never conceived, so Gong Sun Liang could not help admiring Zi Wu Ji’s determination and cruelty.
“What does Great Elder mean? Wu Ji does not understand. Right now, Great Elder should be giving a reasonable explanation for what has happened to the ancestral tablets, not trying to distract us with nonsense!” Zi Wu Ji forced the issue back to the broken ancestral tablets, vowing to confront Gong Sun Liang to the death today!
“An explanation?” Gong Sun Liang sneered as his eyes swept over the masters behind Zi Wu Ji, causing all of them to tremble and look away in horror.
Although these people had decided to follow Zi Wu Ji and were impressed by his plans and methods, the Great Elder was still the Great Elder. He was a man who was both majestic and commanded great respect. All of them could not help feeling fear when so blatantly opposing Gong Sun Liang.
Zi Wu Ji was aware of this and cursed all of them in his heart as wastes. Blocking Gong Sun Liang’s line of sight, he shouted in a low voice, “Great Elder, do you really not put my Purple Star’s ancestors in your eyes? No? With such arrogance, what qualifications do you have to occupy the position of Great Elder?”
“Is that all you want to say?” Gong Sun Liang smirked, “Boy, you’re quite good. If not for Dong’er, Purple Star may really have fallen to you in the future, but unfortunately… you are destined to be just another pitiful weakling. Boy, if you want an explanation, this old master will give you one!”
As soon as these words fell, Gong Sun Liang stepped forward and reached out to grab Zi Wu Ji.
He knew that everything today was an elaborate trap set against him, and no matter whether those tablets had been rigged or not before, it was still a fact that he was the one who shattered them. There was simply no way to explain that away.
Since there was no way to justify himself, he simply decided not to try.
Determining who was right was not something that could only be done with words, it could also be done with fists!
Seeing Gong Sun Liang rushing at him, Zi Wu Ji was not shocked and instead rejoiced. Wearing a confused expression on his face, he retreated and shouted, “Gong Sun Liang, are you really trying to start a fight in the ancestral hall? This is an intolerable show of disrespect to the ancestors and nothing less than a betrayal of Purple Star! Although you committed a great crime today, you are still the Great Elder. If you simply remain in the ancestral hall for a decade to repent, you may still be forgiven, why make things even worse for yourself!?”
No matter what, Zi Wu Ji had to first push all the blame onto Gong Sun Liang today so that any action he took next would be justified.
“Impudence! How this old master acts, you have no right to comment on!” Gong Sun Liang shouted coldly, not paying any attention to Zi Wu Ji at all.
Just when he was about to grab Zi Wu Ji though, a figure swiftly rushed in from outside and barred his path.
Gong Sun Liang’s complexion changed as his claw turned into a palm that he pushed forward.
This newcomer also sent out a palm.
The two palms touched silently, causing the two figures to simultaneously retreat.
At that moment, a sudden burst of energy in the space between the two figures appeared, shattering space itself before radiating outwards and causing the entire ancestral hall to collapse while shaking the whole Purple Star Palace.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
All Purple Star’s masters flew out from the ruins one by one, their expressions gloomy to the extreme as they stared at the destruction below.
This ancestral hall had stood on Purple Star for over ten thousand years and was regarded as the most sacred place by all Purple Star cultivators, yet today it had been destroyed!
Everyone felt incredibly uncomfortable and saddened by this.
Up above, Zi Wu Ji had a pale face as fear lingered in his heart.
Although everything was still going according to plan, the moment Gong Sun Liang attacked him, he felt the aura of death pressing down on him. In front of a Second-Order Origin King, he simply had no power to resist.
[Strength! Only personal strength can be counted as real strength!] Zi Wu Ji secretly clenched his fists as he muttered to himself.
On the other side, Gong Sun Liang narrowed his eyes as he stared at the figure standing in front of Zi Wu Ji.
This man seemed to only be about thirty years old and had a fresh, mild-mannered look to him; however, his eyes reflected a type of vastitude that one could only acquire with age and experience, making him appear more mature and stable.
Even at this moment, this man had a wine bottle in his hand, one that was overflowing with a rich aroma.
After exchanging blows with Gong Sun Liang, this wine bottle didn’t spill a drop.
Looking at Gong Sun Liang with a smile, this man said, “Great Elder, I trust you’ve been well since we last met.”
A dignified look flashed across Gong Sun Liang’s face as he stared at this man and said, “Li Mao Ming! You really were in Purple Star City. It seems that you have decided to stand behind the Second Young Master and support him?”
The man named Li Mao Ming smiled upon hearing these words and replied, “Great Elder is too serious, this Li is Purple Star’s second Venerable, so when such a big event is happening in Purple Star, I cannot just stand idly by. As for supporting the Second Young Master, hm… that’s not quite right. I am here because I was entrusted to by another.”
Gong Sun Liang sneered, “I’m afraid that there’s only one person in this world who can move you. Li Mao Ming, even after so many years, you haven’t been able to extricate yourself it seems. It really amazes this old master.”
A sad look flashed across Li Mao Ming’s eyes, but he quickly shook his head and chuckled, “This Li doesn’t understand either. Let us not talk about this now though. Great Elder might as well accompany this Li to have a few glasses of wine instead. Why doesn’t everyone just sit down and talk things out? Everyone here is one big family, why make things difficult for one another?”
Saying so, he held the bottle of wine in his hand up towards Gong Sun Liang, as if he was really inviting him to have a drink.
The tense atmosphere that was on the verge of exploding suddenly became a bit more tranquil after Li Mao Ming made his appearance.
Some of Purple Star’s leaders frowned as they observed Li Mao Ming from afar, wondering who this man was. Purple Star indeed had two Venerables before, but very few knew who these two were.
Having arrived at this moment though, it was obvious this Li Mao Ming was one such Venerable.
“So, it’s him! I remember now!” Someone suddenly showed a look of enlightenment and called out.
Someone next to him immediately asked, “Brother Zhang, do you recognize this Venerable?”
“I have only heard rumours of him before, but this is the first time I have seen him,” The cultivator surnamed Zhang whispered back.
“Brother Zhang, can you tell us what the origins of this Venerable Li are? Why did Great Elder say that he has been unable to extricate himself?”
Hearing this person’s question, the cultivator surnamed Zhang suddenly became energetic and he whispered in a quiet tone, “This is a secret that only a few people know. Firstly, have you heard of the Second Young Master’s mother?”
“She was the number one beauty of Purple Star back then and her reputation was thunderous. How could anyone not have heard of her?”
“Then the rest is easy to explain. I heard that the woman Venerable Li loved the most was Second Young Master’s mother.”
“Huh?” The cultivator was taken aback and said in astonishment, “But, Second Young Master’s mother is Sect Master’s…”
“Yes, this Venerable Li was apparently a close brother and rival of Sect Master in his youth, but because of Second Young Master’s mother… Hey, you understand. Love is not something one gets to decide upon, everything is up to fate. That woman chose Sir Sect Master, and afterwards this Venerable Li disappeared. Even Sect Master apparently did not know where he had gone. The only one in this world who could invite him to appear here would be Second Young Master’s mother.”
“So something like that happened. With this Venerable here, doesn’t that mean Great Elder cannot do anything to Second Young Master?” The speaker was extremely excited, after all, he was also on Zi Wu Ji’s side. The stronger Zi Wu Ji was, the safer he would be.
“Possibly,” Although the cultivator surnamed Zhang seemed to know some secrets, he was not completely confident in his heart.
“Li Mao Ming, if you can retreat now, this old master will accompany you to enjoy some good wine another day,” Gong Sun Liang stared at Li Mao Ming and quickly asked, “What do you think of this old master’s proposal?”
“I’ve been entrusted by another to be here. This is a matter of loyalty, so it would be improper to simply retreat!” Li Mao Ming slowly shook his head, lifted the bottle, and drank from it casually before saying, “Wine does not taste as good when drunk alone.”
Gong Sun Liang frowned slightly for a time before muttering quietly, “What if this old master wants you to repay that favour from all those years ago?”
As soon as this statement came out, Zi Wu Ji, who has always worn a triumphant look, suddenly had a change in expression as he looked at Li Mao Ming in amazement as asked, “Venerable Li, do you owe this old thing a favour?”
Li Mao Ming blinked and thought about it for a while before he laughed somewhat awkwardly and said, “En, I really owe him a favour. If Great Elder did not mention it though, this Li would have forgotten.”
Gong Sun Liang’s lips curled slightly as he spoke, “Brother Li may have forgotten, but this old master hasn’t. That was no small favour. This old master paid a heavy price back then.”
Li Mao Ming looked straight ahead and cupped his fists, “Great Elder’s grace back then, this Li will keep in mind.”
“There’s no need for that, this old master only asks you to retreat now and then you and I will owe each other nothing.”
Before Li Mao Ming had a chance to say anything though, Zi Wu Ji cut in anxiously, “No, Venerable Li, don’t forget what you promised that person.”
Li Mao Ming frowned and nodded, “Naturally, I remember. You may rest assured, as long as I am here, no one can hurt you.”
Zi Wu Ji was immediately overjoyed, “Many thanks, Senior Li.”
Gong Sun Liang heard this and became angry, “Brother Li is apparently not a man of his word.”
Li Mao Ming felt a slight headache as he said, “Great Elder, there is a priority to everything in life. This Li already promised to protect Second Young Master’s safety, so Great Elder making things difficult now truly puts this Li in an awkward position.”
Gong Sun Liang was very annoyed at first, but after carefully parsing Li Mao Ming’s words, his eyes flashed brightly and he said, “You’re here to protect Second Young Master’s safety?”
“Exactly!” Li Mao Ming nodded sincerely, “The Zi Family’s blood flows through Second Young Master’s veins, after all. No harm should come to him.”
“Fine!” Gong Sun Liang laughed, “If that’s the case, then you can stand there and protect him, this old master won’t act against him!”
Saying so, Gong Sun Liang waved his hand and said with a sneer, “Take these people behind Second Young Master for me but be careful not to harm Second Young Master!”
“Yes!” Everyone heard this and responded immediately by rushing towards Zi Wu Ji; however, none of them attacked him directly and instead focused on the cultivators who had chosen to support him instead.
Before Zi Wu Ji’s people could react, they were already under attack.
Suddenly, a grand battle broke out in the skies above Purple Star Palace. Dazzling rays of Saint Qi and an endless stream of brilliant artifact attacks filled the air, causing the surrounding space to tremble and the ambient World Energy aura to become chaotic.
Zi Wu Ji’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Li Mao Ming in a panic, “Venerable Li, how could you act this way?”
Li Mao Ming glanced at him with a smile and said, “Second Young Master, I promised that person to protect you, so I will fulfil that promise, but the lives of others are not this Li’s concern.”
Zi Wu Ji was incredibly anxious, but there was nothing he could say. Sweeping his eyes around, he found that all the masters he had won over were now caught in a difficult fight.
Li Mao Ming spoke again, “En, the overall situation has been determined. Second Young Master, why not have a glass of wine?”
“If you want to drink, you can drink by yourself!” Zi Wu Ji was extremely annoyed at this moment, so how could he agree to such a ridiculous request.
Up in the sky, the battle quickly developed into a stalemate. Since Zi Wu Ji dared to confront Gong Sun Liang openly today, his side’s strength was naturally comparable. Basically, the two factions were equal to one another in terms of combat strength, so after the initial scramble, it became impossible to see who had an advantage.
However… Gong Sun Liang hadn’t taken action yet!
As a Second-Order Origin King, the balance would surely be broken once he joined the battle.
As if to manifest his fears, Gong Sun Liang rushed to the side of Purple Star’s Third Elder before Zi Wu Ji could organize his thoughts.
This Third Elder had a First-Order Origin King cultivation and was among the first to support Zi Wu Ji. He was regarded as Zi Wu Ji’s right-hand, but despite being a powerful master in his own right, when facing Gong Sun Liang, he was quickly suppressed, and it wasn’t long before he fell into grave danger.
Zi Wu Ji’s face darkened as he roared, “Venerable Yang, please make a move!”
As soon as his voice fell, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared directly beside Gong Sun Liang, and with a slight sigh, he sent out a palm.
Yang Kai was extremely annoyed right now.
He had gained a lot from Purple Star’s Vault, and he planned to immediately leave after he was finished; after all, his goal had been achieved and he had no need to bother with Zi Wu Ji’s troubles.
The people of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and Li Nuo of Clear Sky Auction House had already made preparations to leave Purple Star, so all that was necessary was for Yang Kai to depart.
But Yang Kai did not anticipate that Shen Tu and the others would be transferred away by Zi Wu Ji.
Yang Kai couldn’t find any trace of Shen Tu inside Purple Star Palace, so he had to quietly release Xiao Xiao to search for them.
Now that he had heard Zi Wu Ji’s call, he could only play along with him.
As soon as Yang Kai appeared here, a profound light flashed across Li Mao Ming’s eyes as he stared forward, a feeling of shock filling his heart.
Although he had long ago noticed that there was another Second-Order Origin King in Purple Star Palace, he was unable to see how Yang Kai had suddenly appeared here.
It was almost as if this Venerable Yang simply crossed space to appear!
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Li Mao Ming’s expression became solemn, his carefree and easy demeanour from before disappearing as he whispered, “Second Young Master, is this the Third Venerable I’ve heard so much about recently?”
“En,” Seeing Yang Kai appear, Zi Wu Ji’s expression finally calmed down and he asked. “What does Venerable Li think of this Venerable Yang?”
“He’s strong!” Li Mao Ming quickly said, “His Saint Qi is more vigorous than both mine and Great Elder’s.”
Zi Wu Ji smiled and said, “So Great Elder is not his opponent?”
Li Mao Ming slowly shook his head and said, “The strength of a cultivator cannot be judged by the quality of their Saint Qi alone. There are many other factors involved, but… if this person restrains Great Elder, Great Elder won’t be able to move about freely.”
“If Venerable Li can offer his assistance, today’s matter can be settled decisively,” Zi Wu Ji’s eyes lit up as he stared towards Li Mao Ming.
But the latter just laughed and shook his head, “I only promised to protect your safety. All the people present are fellow brothers and sisters of Purple Star. How can I, Li Mao Ming, attack them?”
Zi Wu Ji frowned hearing this and a trace of hesitation flashed across his eyes before he finally steeled himself and whispered quietly, “What if I were to help you court my mother, finally allowing you to fulfil your lifelong dream. Would that be enough to let you take action?”
“What did you just say?” Li Mao Ming’s face sank as he glared at Zi Wu Ji, “You know the words you spoke just now tarnish your mother’s reputation greatly! If I hear you speak similar words again, I’ll break all your limbs!”