Li Mao Ming had been laughing and joking since he appeared, but after hearing Zi Wu Ji’s words, his expression became extremely serious and his eyes pulsed with cold light.
Being stared at like this, Zi Wu Ji could not help shivering. He did not doubt the authenticity of the other party’s words and knew that Li Mao Ming would really break his hands and feet if he misspoke.
However, Zi Wu Ji also learned from Li Mao Ming’s reaction that his mother held a sacred and inviolable position in his heart, causing him to immediately become overjoyed.
After taking a moment to compose his thoughts, Zi Wu Ji continued, “Please calm your anger, Venerable Li, it was Wu Ji’s fault for being unclear just now. The truth is…”
Zi Wu Ji did not speak the following words out loud but instead stared at Li Mao Ming and moved his lips, apparently sending his message directly to the other party’s ear.
Li Mao Ming, who had always been as tranquil as an ancient well, suddenly showed a look of shock on his face as he exclaimed, “What did you say? Zi Long, he…”
“It’s true.” Zi Wu Ji nodded sternly, “Since she learned of this, my mother refuses to eat or drink and even has trouble sleeping. Venerable Li, Honoured Father, and my mother were all friends in the past so Wu Ji was hoping Venerable Li could find an opportunity to comfort her. Wu Ji fears that if she continues like this, it will begin to affect her health, or worse. If something extreme were to happen…”
Li Mao Ming, who appeared strong and heroic, staggered slightly as an expression of disbelief appeared on his face, his eyes flashing a complicated light as he seemed to be lost in reminiscence, a deep sadness apparent from his whole body. After remaining silent for quite some time, Li Mao Ming chuckled with bitter, wry laughter as he muttered, “Zi Long, you… you really…”
Li Mao Ming was unable to finish his words though as he seemed to choke on them.
“Venerable Li, you should consider what Wu Ji just said. Wu Ji is very worried about his mother’s condition,” Zi Wu Ji said softly.
Li Mao Ming took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and glanced over at Zi Wu Ji before saying coldly, “I will visit her, but that has nothing to do with today’s matter. This King will not treat this as a transaction. If you really are filial, you should respect and care for your mother, not use her as a bargaining chip! If you try to do something like this again, I won’t forgive you easily.”
Zi Wu Ji’s complexion changed slightly as he felt a deep annoyance in his heart, but he wore an obedient look on the surface and nodded, “Venerable Li is right, Wu Ji was mistaken.”
[Fool! No wonder he lost to Father in the competition that year. A loser deserves to be a loser for the rest of his life!] Zi Wu Ji cursed in his heart.
During the time these two spoke, Yang Kai and Gong Sun Liang had already exchanged hundreds of moves, and the World Energy around them had grown far more chaotic. No one dared to approach within a thousand metres of this battle. After hundreds of moves with neither side being able to gain an advantage, Yang Kai suddenly spoke audibly, “This King is a Purple Star Venerable. It is a matter of righteousness to defend the peace of Purple Star, why would he need any benefits?”
Gong Sun Liang’s whole face twitched visibly as, even though he knew Yang Kai was spouting nonsense, he could do nothing about it.
With a sullen look, he shouted in a low voice, “If that’s the case, then don’t blame this old master for being ruthless.”
Saying so, he formed a seal with his hands and pushed his Saint Qi madly.
Yang Kai frowned as he thought this old man was going to use some profound Secret Technique. Not daring to underestimate his opponent, Yang Kai hurriedly withdrew to put up a proper defence. Although he did not put Gong Sun Liang in his eyes, the other part was still a Second-Order Origin King, so acting cautiously was not unwarranted.
However, the moment Yang Kai fell back, Gong Sun Liang flashed a smirk and his figure flickered, splitting into two, then four, then eight…
In the blink of an eye, there were hundreds of Gong Sun Lians floating in the sky, each one of them extremely lifelike.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed!
This was undoubtedly an immensely powerful Secret Technique, and had utility as both a method of attack and escape.
Moreover, even using his Divine Sense, Yang Kai was unable to tell which of these Gong Sun Liangs was the real one as each of them gave off an identical aura.
As soon as this move was executed, not just Yang Kai’s complexion turned solemn, but Li Mao Ming, who had been spectating the battle from a distance, also turned serious. Li Mao Ming’s eyes flashed a lavender light as he swept them over these countless phantom images, as if trying to identify which one was the real one.
Gong Sun Liang’s laughter rang out from all around, “Second Young Master, you have forced this old master’s hand! I hope you can bear the consequences!”
Saying so, all these phantoms no longer paid any attention to Yang Kai and instead shot off into the battlefield.
“Ah…” A scream rang out as a cultivator who was locked in combat was suddenly blasted out by the Great Elder. A fresh palm print appeared on this unfortunate man’s chest which had clearly collapsed in from the impact.
Mid-air, this person bled profusely as bits of his shattered internal organs spewed out from his mouth. This man died even before he hit the ground.
A series of screams came out one after another, each of them belonging to a cultivator who had sided with Zi Wu Ji, all of them Origin Realm masters.
In the battlefield, Gong Sun Liang’s figure was everywhere, with no one able to tell which one was an illusion, and which wasn’t. It was as if all of them were real. After they took action, these phantoms were able to quickly cut down Zi Wu Ji’s people.
In an instant, everyone was in danger as all the cultivators who were approached by Gong Sun Liang panicked and fled.
But in front of a Second-Order Origin King, how could they escape?
In the blink of an eye, several people were brutally murdered, each of them a pillar among Zi Wu Ji’s supporters.
Blue veins throbbed on Zi Wu Ji’s forehead as he clenched his fists and turned in the direction of Yang Kai to roar, “Venerable Yang, stop him!”
Yang Kai just stroked his chin as he stood mid-air though and shook his head, “Second Young Master is asking for something quite difficult. This King cannot see any flaws in Great Elder’s technique, so how is he supposed to stop him?”
These words were polite but clearly insincere. Yang Kai had been forced into this battle and did not plan on exerting any real effort. It did not matter to him what became of Purple Star, much less the lives of these people.
He just wanted to stall for time.
Once Xiao Xiao rescued Shen Tu and the others, he could leave this place immediately.
However, even just standing still and observing for a while, Yang Kai had already discovered some clues and gained some insight into how Gong Sun Liang’s trick worked. What is more, if he used his Demon Eye of Annihilation, finding the real Gong Sun Liang would be simple.
Hearing Yang Kai’s irresponsible answer, Zi Wu Ji nearly coughed up blood from anger.
If all his people were killed, he wouldn’t need to keep fighting; after all, without any supporters, what point would there be in struggling any further? Glaring at the situation in front of him grimly, Zi Wu Ji eventually roared, “If that’s the case, then I ask Venerable Yang to seek a tooth for a tooth, blood for blood!”
Yang Kai raised his brow when he heard this and showed a smirk, “That’s easy enough.”
Saying so, he stretched out his hand and released several dozen Golden Blood Threads, all of which transformed into sharp flying blades that shot off in all directions like arrows.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Wind-splitting sounds echoed through the sky and soon, several screams rang out.
Eight Origin Realm cultivators who were heavily engaged and had lost track of their surroundings were hit by Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Threads and their defensive Saint Qi and artifacts were instantly destroyed. The Golden Blood Threads penetrated their vitals and directly reaped their lives.
With Yang Kai’s current cultivation, how could these Origin Returning Realm cultivators, who were already in the midst of battle, resist his sudden attack?
The Golden Blood Threads flew back and forth again, once again taking a number of lives.
After only ten breaths, Yang Kai had caught up to Gong Sun Liang in terms of kills.
Gong Sun Liang roared in anger. Origin Realm cultivators were the indispensable backbone of any great force; after all, very few could reach the Origin King Realm. Often, the strength of a great force depended not only on the number of Origin Kings it commanded but also on the number of Origin Realm masters it could dispatch.
After today’s war, no matter who won and who lost, Purple Star’s foundation would suffer severe damage.
This was a result that neither Gong Sun Liang nor Zi Wu Ji were willing to see, but it was an unavoidable result.
The end of one era and the arrival of another was always accompanied by much blood and sacrifice.
High up in the sky, all the Origin Realm masters, and even the First-Order Origin Kings were terrified. The situation at this moment was almost as if Yang Kai and Gong Sun Liang were engaged in a competition to see who could kill the most people the quickest, a contest to see who would be unable to bear the cost first and back down…
In front of these two Second-Order Origin Kings, no one was able to put up meaningful resistance.
Standing next to Zi Wu Ji, Li Mao Ming, who seemed to be uninterested in everything in the world, wore a heavy look on his face as he realized that Purple Star would really be finished if he did not make a move.
He never expected that things would develop to this point.
If he made a move now though, it would be akin to dropping a stone on his own foot because of what he had just said.
Just as he was feeling a terrible headache from this internal conflict, Gong Sun Liang suddenly roared, “Li Mao Ming, if you still remember the favour from all those years ago, you will help this old master stop that boy first! You don’t want to see Purple Star suffer such a heavy loss, right?”
Li Mao Ming frowned and hesitated, “This Li does not want to see his brothers and sisters die needlessly, but Second Young Master’s safety…”
“This old master won’t make things difficult for you! This old master swears he won’t move against Second Young Master, and even if this old master ends up controlling Purple Star in the end, he will ensure Second Young Masters safety and prosperity!”
Li Mao Ming’s expression turned to one of struggle.
Zi Wu Ji stared at Li Mao Ming in amazement, “Venerable Li, you wouldn’t…”
“Things have reached this point, so I cannot remain idle,” Li Mao Ming sighed, “You may rest assured. With me, no one in this world can hurt you, mother and child. I will fight with my life on the line to protect you both.”
Saying so, his figure flickered and disappeared from where he stood.
Zi Wu Ji was stunned for a moment before he began cursing angrily, accusing Gong Sun Liang of being sinister and contemptible and Li Mao Ming for failing to keep his word. At this moment, he no longer had any scruples, completely discarding his prior elegant demeanour.
He was truly angered.
Li Mao Ming was constrained by the favour he owed Gong Sun Liang and was forced to fight Yang Kai. As a result, Zi Wu Ji was bound to suffer a complete defeat in today’s battle. Even though Li Mao Ming said he would protect his safety and Gong Sun Liang also promised his safety and prosperity, the leadership of Purple Star, a position which stood above trillions of others, was not something he would ever get a chance to acquire again.
The only hope was if Yang Kai could defeat both Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming!
But how could that be possible? All three of them were Second-Order Origin Kings, so their strengths should be similar. In that situation, one person couldn’t defeat two.
Despair soon filled Zi Wu Ji’s eyes.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The sound of air being cut apart rang out as the countless Gong Sun Liangs rapidly gathered and revealed his true body again. Standing in place, he stared at Yang Kai coldly without saying a word.
Not far from him, Li Mao Ming’s figure also appeared.
The two of them flanked Yang Kai from left and right.
Yang Kai just flashed a playful smile though as he stretched out his hand and summoned back his Golden Blood Threads.
Only now did everyone else breathe a sigh of relief. In a short thirty breaths of time, the total number of cultivators who died to these two Second-Order Origin Kings had exceeded sixty.
These sixty individuals were all Origin Realm Second or Third-Order masters, pillars of Purple Star!
Fortunately, the crisis seemed to be over now, leaving many with feelings of lingering fear as well as deep sadness.
As if everyone had come to some kind of silent agreement, the fighting ceased everywhere. The remaining Origin Realm masters knew that victory or defeat had nothing to do with them and would ultimately be decided by the three masters up above.
There was simply no meaning in them fighting anymore, so they did not bother trying to spill any more blood.
In an instant, the noisy battlefield calmed down and all eyes turned to stare at Yang Kai, Gong Sun Liang, and Li Mao Ming, everyone’s expression extremely solemn.
All the cultivators belonging to the Second Young Master’s side looked depressed, as if their parents had just died. They were not blind after all and understood that their chances of victory were slim. If Yang Kai lost this confrontation, they would become the losers, and the fate of the defeated was never good.
“What’s wrong? Do you want to team up to suppress me?” Yang Kai smiled as he looked around, not showing any kind of panic.
Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted and remained silent, as if he was extremely angry with Yang Kai. On the other hand, Li Mao Ming pondered for a moment and politely said, “Your Excellency, since your surname is Yang, this Li will call you Brother Yang. Brother Yang, since you have received the Venerable Token, you are my Purple Star’s Venerable, my Purple Star’s person. Today’s situation, I imagine you do not want to see either.”
Yang Kai chuckled, and said casually, “Naturally.”
Li Mao Ming gave a hearty laugh, “It’s good that Brother Yang thinks so. Since Brother Yang has Purple Star in his heart, why not hear this Li’s proposal?”
“Brother Li, please!” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile.
“Today’s matter should end here, otherwise, if we continue, it will damage Purple Star’s very foundation, which helps no one. There are no enemies here, so should we not be able to stop and talk things out?” Li Mao Ming sincerely asked Yang Kai.
Not far away, Zi Wu Ji was extremely nervous, his face filled with anxiety lest Yang Kai nod his head. If that were to happen, his defeat would be complete.
He could not help praying secretly in his heart that Yang Kai would vow to fight to the end, if he did, he would still have a chance.
What he did not expect though was that Yang Kai would nod without hesitation after listening to Li Mao Ming’s words, “What Brother Li said is correct, this Yang had similar thoughts and originally planned to stop here; after all, there are two of you, so I can’t win anyway, right?”
Zi Wu Ji’s face became stiff hearing this and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
At this moment, he understood that he really had no chance of winning. He had never expected that a Second-Order Origin King master like Yang Kai would be so spineless! Compared with him, Li Mao Ming was much more reliable.
Yang Kai agreeing so readily stunned Li Mao Ming for a moment. There was now no need for all the bitter-sounding persuasive remarks he had originally prepared, so he couldn’t help smiling and saying, “Brother Yang is truly righteous, this Li admires. Great Elder, what do you think?”
He turned his head to look at Gong Sun Liang.
Gong Sun Liang squinted at Yang Kai and quickly said, “Stopping here and making peace is permissible!”
Li Mao Ming was overjoyed, but before he could say anything, Gong Sun Liang continued, “But this Venerable Yang killed so many masters today that this matter cannot simply be dropped.”
Li Mao Ming frowned as a look of displeasure appeared on his face, wondering why Gong Sun Liang was acting so uncompromising.
“Then what do you suggest?” Yang Kai raised his brow as his eyes collided with Gong Sun Liang.
“Not putting the lives of Purple Star’s disciples in your eyes at all, what right do you have to occupy the position of Venerable? A position that is worshipped by all of Purple Star’s citizens?” Gong Sun Liang coldly snorted and said, “Your Excellency should return the Venerable Token to Purple Star. My Purple Star does not need a Venerable like you!”
As soon as he said this, Li Mao Ming’s face could not help changing slightly. Glancing over at Gong Sun Liang with complicated eyes, he seemed to want to say something, but ultimately, he just sighed and held his tongue.
With his intelligence, he naturally saw through Gong Sun Liang’s true intentions.
Today, even though these two had agreed to stop and make peace, an enmity had been formed between them, and Yang Kai was still technically supporting Zi Wu Ji’s side. If Gong Sun Liang wanted to completely control Purple Star, Yang Kai’s presence would be an obstacle, therefore it would be best to eliminate him here.
Otherwise, Gong Sun Liang would not be able to stabilize his position in the future.
For this reason, Gong Sun Liang made such a proposal.
However, this proposal was obviously very insulting, and Li Mao Ming did not know if this Venerable Yang would be willing to accept it. If he became angry and lashed out, the situation would be difficult to handle.
Li Mao Ming was incredibly anxious as he carefully observed the changes in Yang Kai’s attitude, preparing to intervene if anything went wrong to try to re-start negotiations.
Unexpectedly though, Yang Kai did not show the slightest signs of anger and instead just smiled casually, “So that’s what you’re after. Very well, this King also didn’t want to be a Venerable from the start. Since Great Elder wants this Venerable Token back, he can have it!”
Saying so, he summoned a token into his hand and tossed it towards Gong Sun Liang.
Gong Sun Liang swiftly caught the token which flew towards him and after taking a quick look, he saw it was indeed the Venerable Token, causing him to freeze in place.
He also did not expect that the other party really didn’t put the Venerable Token in his eyes and would simply give it back after he asked, causing some slight disbelief. Gong Sun Liang didn’t really want to deprive Yang Kai of his Venerable identity, he just wanted to create a situation where he could retreat in order to advance, making another less offensive request.
Yang Kai’s cooperation suddenly disrupted his plan.
Gong Sun Liang did not know what to say.
“Haha… Brother Yang is truly a free and easy person; this Li is extremely impressed!” Li Mao Ming looked at Yang Kai like he was some kind of freak before turning to Gong Sun Liang and saying, “Great Elder, Brother Yang has already returned the Venerable Token, so today’s matter…”
“This is not over yet!” Gong Sun Liang waved his hand, interrupting Li Mao Ming’s words as he stared at Yang Kai aggressively, “Although the Venerable Token has been returned, the fact that Your Excellency has killed so many people can’t just be left alone.”
“You have something more to say?” Yang Kai could not help but sneer. He truly did not care about being a Purple Star Venerable as this time he had only come to Purple Star to take the Star Emperor Token. Now that he had succeeded, he never planned to come here again, so the Venerable Token was useless to him. Since Gong Sun Liang wanted it, Yang Kai had no qualms about handing it over.
However, watching the other party still so reluctant to let things go annoyed Yang Kai greatly.
Gong Sun Liang continued, “For the crime of killing others, one should pay with their life! But Your Excellency is too strong for this old master to take your life, so why does Your Excellency not pay some compensation instead as an explanation to the people below!”
“Haha!” Yang Kai couldn’t help but grin as he stared at Gong Sun Liang with interest, “Compensation? Fine, what kind of compensation do you want?”
Gong Sun Liang looked at Yang Kai with a solemn expression as his lips moved.
Li Mao Ming did his best to eavesdrop on what was being said but was unable to tell what Gong Sun Liang had asked for, making him feel quite helpless.
In his opinion, it would be best if today’s affairs had ended here and now. He not only repaid Gong Sun Liang’s favour, but he did also so without having to fight Yang Kai. Now though, it seemed Gong Sun Liang had taken some awful medicine, which made his greed run wild.
Li Mao Ming believed that whatever Gong Sun Liang wanted Yang Kai to hand over was extremely valuable, and if they failed to reach an agreement, it would surely reignite the conflict.
Quite disgruntled with these developments, Li Mao Ming still raised his vigilance to prepare for any fallout.
Sure enough, after Gong Sun Liang’s secret message was sent, Yang Kai nodded, “So you want that thing, I understand.”
What Gong Sun Liang wanted was the Origin Essence Crystal he obtained in the auction half a month ago! This old man must have noticed it was something extraordinary back at the auction but wasn’t sure what it was at the time. However, it seemed that after these past few days, he had managed to determine the true identity of that object.
“Hand over that thing and this old master will let you leave!” Gong Sun Liang quickly said.
“And if I refuse?” Yang Kai squinted at him.
Gong Sun Liang said arrogantly, “Your Excellency best consider his situation carefully before speaking. Although your strength is good, if I join forces with Brother Li, defeating you will not be a problem. Are you really going to stand against this old master?”
“Laughable!” Yang Kai mocked, “It’s you who is reaching out for a yard after taking an inch! You want my things? Alright, take it yourself if you have the skill!”
As soon as Li Mao Ming saw this, he knew that these two had fallen out and he could not help wearing a gloomy expression.
“In that case, it’s useless to say more. Brother Li, accompany this old master!” Gong Sun Liang roared as his Saint Qi burst from his body and he summoned a short sword artifact into his hand. Grabbing this sword, he charged out.
Gong Sun Liang was an established Second-Order Origin King with great strength. Summoning his artifact only increased his combat capacity while at the same time he pushed his Domain towards Yang Kai in an attempt to suppress him.
In an instant, the space around Yang Kai became extremely viscous, with even the flow of World Energy seeming to freeze.
With a single step, he suddenly appeared over Yang Kai’s head and slashed down with his sword.
A dazzling brilliance and shocking energy fluctuation erupted from his sword as a wave that seemed capable of cutting the world apart flew out.
Yang Kai simply stood in place, staring at his opponent coldly. Just when the attack entered range though, Yang Kai suddenly stretched out his hand and summoned the bladeless Dragon Bone Sword into it to block the incoming sword.
*Hong…*
With a thunderous bang, a Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering shockwave visible to the naked eye exploded outwards from where the two swords clashed.
The attacking Gong Sun Liang’s face changed drastically as his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, staring at Yang Kai who was so close at hand in amazement with a look of disbelief on his face.
Although he had fought against Yang Kai just now, he had only been probing his strength and had not used his all, but just now, in order to obtain that Origin Essence Crystal, a treasure which would give him a chance to reach the Third-Order Origin King Realm, Gong Sun Liang had not held back.
The blow he just delivered had a hundred percent of his strength behind it but was easily blocked by his opponent.
Not only that, but the counterforce he felt from Yang Kai was almost irresistible. Under the impact of this force, Gong Sun Liang felt like he was on a small boat in a stormy sea, the waves crashing in on him from all sides, threatening to drown him at any moment.
Gong Sun Liang was terrified when he realized this and while struggling to resist, he shouted, “Brother Li, what are you waiting for!”
He had to ask for help from Li Mao Ming.
Li Mao Ming frowned and shook his head, “Why… why…”
While complaining though, he too used his Domain to suppress Yang Kai.
In the end, he still owed Gong Sun Liang a favour and Yang Kai had returned the Venerable Token, meaning he was no longer a Purple Star Venerable; there were no moral concerns about him making a move against Yang Kai now.
Even so, he did not want to fight against a cultivator who was in the same realm as himself, so this time he only released his Domain to exert some pressure on Yang Kai instead of actually making a move.
From the left and right, two Second-Order Origin King Domains pressed down like two giant mountains, trying to crush everything between them to dust.
And at the very centre point of this vice was Yang Kai.
This put Yang Kai under great pressure and forced him to divert part of his strength to resist Li Mao Ming’s Domain. Gong Sun Liang saw this and immediately moved to regain the initiative, quickly suppressing Yang Kai.
While putting pressure on Yang Kai, he grit his teeth and spoke to Yang Kai sincerely, “Young man, there is a saying ‘A wise man will submit to the circumstances.’ Hand over that thing and this old master will no longer embarrass you, you can even receive high-level treatment as a guest of Purple Star, what say you?”
“Why do you sound like victory is already within your grasp?” Although Yang Kai had a difficult expression on his face, his demeanour was still extremely leisurely as he glanced over at Gong Sun Liang and asked in a composed tone.
Gong Sun Liang laughed at this question and spat, “Because this old master already has victory in hand!”
“Is that so!” Yang Kai grinned viciously and in the next moment, his Domain burst forth.
*Weng…*
With a low hum, the surrounding space destabilized, as if it was about to collapse and cave in.
Like a giant rock had been dropped into a calm lake, the power of Yang Kai’s Domain formed visible ripples in space as it spread outward.
*Kacha…*
A faint, cracking sound spread out.
Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming’s faces changed greatly as the former exclaimed, “How can this be?”
He was shocked to discover that under the joint pressure of his and Li Mao Ming’s Domain, Yang Kai had not been suppressed; in fact, he was the one breaking their combined Domains apart.
Gong Sun Liang’s heart shook!
He had broken through to the Origin King Realm almost a thousand years ago and reached the Second-Order more than three hundred years ago. In other words, his Domain had been condensed and refined over nearly a millennium! For a thousand years, he had forged his Domain through his own unique comprehensions and insights. Few people in the entire Star Field could surpass him in this regard.
Li Mao Ming’s history was similarly profound.
But now, their two Domains combined could not push back Yang Kai’s and were literally cracking apart when faced with the latter’s. What did that mean? It meant that their two Domains put together were weaker than his!
This discovery made Gong Sun Liang’s blood run cold and his eyes filled with horror.
Only now did he realize that Yang Kai had never once used his full strength. Gong Sun Liang had overestimated Yang Kai’s strength as much as he thought possible, but he found he had still greatly underestimated his opponent, in the end.
“Not good!” Li Mao Ming shouted as he quickly withdrew his Domain, his face completely pale.
His Domain being cracked meant his foundation was cracked. If this continued and his Domain broke, it would most likely result in his realm regressing. Such a consequence was not something any Origin King would be able to bear.
Fortunately, he quickly realized what was happening and retracted his Domain, otherwise, he would have been in great danger.
With his Domain withdrawn, Gong Sun Liang alone could obviously not resist Yang Kai’s might and a dense series of cracks sounded through the air. Together with these sounds, Gong Sun Liang’s body trembled, and blood began to leak from his seven orifices.
His Domain, which had been condensed for a thousand years, was showing signs of collapsing.
After this battle, even if Gong Sun Liang did not die, he would need to enter retreat for at least a hundred years if he wanted to repair his Domain.
The battle was not over yet though, and from point blank range, Yang Kai pressed his Dragon Bone Sword fiercely towards Gong Sun Liang, sending an overwhelming force towards him that sent the latter flying.
*Huo…*
A resounding dragon roar filled the world as the Dragon Bone Sword transformed into a giant dark green dragon, its body swaying back and forth as its giant eyes fixed onto Gong Sun Liang. Diving towards its prey, it opened its giant maw and bit towards him, seemingly intending to swallow him whole.
“A Dragon Bone artifact!” Gong Sun Liang’s eyes bulged at this sight. Although he had felt that the other party’s artifact was somewhat different when Yang Kai had taken out the Dragon Bone Sword, he could not figure out why until now. This artifact was refined from Dragon Bone!
Those were the bones of an Ancient Divine Spirit! Any artifact created from such materials would be at least Origin King Grade.
The rich, nearly tangible Dragon Pressure impacted Gong Sun Liang’s Soul and body, causing him to tremble in fear and horror.
This was a kind of instinctual fear, as no one could face an Ancient Divine Spirit without having such emotions. This was something on a fundamental level!
Biting the tip of his tongue, Gong Sun Liang forcefully dispelled the discomfort in his heart and swiftly formed a series of seals with his hands while pushing his Saint Qi madly.
The next moment, his short sword artifact released a radiant light and transformed into a giant flood dragon.
This flood dragon gave off a dazzling multi-coloured light and had a mouth filled with sharp, jagged fangs. Releasing a roar, it shot towards the giant dark green dragon.
The two transformed Origin King Grade artifacts met mid-air and began to clash, releasing violent energy fluctuations that shook the whole of Purple Star City. The houses down below shattered like they were made from thousand-year-old rotten wood, bursting into pieces as massive gullies and trenches were dug out from the fallout of this great battle.
The surviving Origin Realm masters who had been observing from nearby were all hit hard as well, their expressions changing drastically as they did their best to retreat while defending themselves, each of them showing looks of shock from the terrifying aftermath they were subjected to.
Only a few of Purple Star’s Elders remained where they stood by relying on their high cultivations, but judging from their expressions, it was no easy task for them to resist the fallout from this battle. Each of these Elders’ expressions was extremely solemn but none of them were willing to withdraw or even close their eyes as they fixedly observed this raging conflict.
Battles between Second-Order Origin Kings were an extremely rare occurrence, and being able to spectate one was an even rarer opportunity. Anything they learned from observing this battle would surely benefit them greatly.
With a huge burst of energy, Yang Kai disappeared like a ghost, and when he reappeared, he was already right in front of Gong Sun Liang.
“You…” Gong Sun Liang gasped. At this moment, his momentum was already quite weak, and now that Yang Kai had mysteriously appeared within striking range…
Yang Kai did not say a word, his expression cold and determined as his fist flashed with five-coloured light, sending a punch towards Gong Sun Liang.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art!
This exquisite Body Tempering Secret Art was usable both offensively and defensively, able to penetrate the hardest of defences and protect against the most brutal of attacks. Yang Kai’s fist, covered in his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, was as solid and sturdy as an ordinary Origin King Grade artifact.
If this punch landed, Gong Sun Liang would take severe damage!
This fist was not swung very fast, and its path was extremely clear, but Gong Sun Liang was stunned to discover that he couldn’t dodge or avoid it at all.
This fist carried with it an absolute suppressive force! It was an attack that could not be resolved no matter what method he used!
If he was at his peak, Gong Sun Liang might have been able to retreat, but at this moment, having just suffered serious damage to his Domain, how could he resist? Only able to watch this glowing fist close in, Gong Sun Liang’s heart filled with panic.
At the crucial moment, a figure appeared in front of Gong Sun Liang. It was Li Mao Ming!
Li Mao Ming’s face was also extremely dignified as he lifted the wine bottle in his hand to his mouth and took a deep drink before spitting out fiercely.
*Hu…*
A blue flame burst forth from Li Mao Ming’s mouth and created a barrier between him and Yang Kai’s fist.
This flame was not hot, but extremely cold instead. As soon as this blue flame appeared, the whole surrounding world seemed to freeze over.
The five-coloured glow on Yang Kai’s fist flickered violently, as if it was about to be extinguished while at the same time a deep chill travelled up his arm all the way to his chest.
Yang Kai could not help trembling under this impact.
Glancing at the wine bottle and the blue flames in front of him, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he realized this was a rare and powerful treasure.
“Brother Yang, stop!” Seeing Yang Kai’s actions slow down, Li Mao Ming hurriedly shouted.
Yang Kai’s eyes simply narrowed though and ignoring Li Mao Ming’s plea, he shouted in a low voice, “Dragon Transformation!”
*Kacha…*
Yang Kai’s arm inflated to twice its normal size in that instant and under the shocked gazes of Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang, Dragon Scales condensed from Saint Qi covered his arm and his outstretched fist transformed into a terrifying dragon claw. The Golden Divine Dragon aura that diffused from Yang Kai’s arm caused the two men facing it to tremble.
The wall of blue flame which was separating the two sides was easily broken through as these flames were unable to harm Yang Kai’s dragon-scale-covered arm in the slightest.
Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang’s eyeballs bulged as they reacted instinctually and combined their strengths to counterattack, releasing a strike that was not weaker than an ordinary Third-Order Origin King’s attack towards Yang Kai’s terrifying dragon claw.
*Hong…*
High up in the sky, as if it was the end of the world, a brilliant burst of light erupted as a thunderous explosion rang out, blinding and deafening all who were observing.
In the next instant, three figures were sent flying out from the centre of this explosion.
All of Purple Star City shook as countless cultivators looked up into the sky towards the great battle, all of them filled with anxiety.
Ninety-nine percent of the people in the city didn’t know what was happening, only that there were extremely powerful masters engaging in a life or death battle. Everyone knew that when the city gates were on fire, it was the fish in the moat who would be affected first, so none of them wanted to get close, much less be involved.
Swiftly, throngs of people rushed towards the city gate, trying to escape from Purple Star City to avoid being swept up into the chaos.
There were also some courageous cultivators who, instead of running from the battle, ran towards it, hoping to fish in troubled waters.
The more dangerous a place, the greater the opportunity. This was an eternal truth.
Inside Purple Star Palace, Zi Wu Ji grinned silently as a fanatical look appeared on his face.
He never imagined that Yang Kai would be this powerful.
When Li Mao Ming was constrained by the favour he owed Gong Sun Liang and joined forces with him to fight against Yang Kai, Zi Wu Ji had thought that all was lost and his plans had ended in failure, causing him to feel desperate.
But now, his spirits had been lifted once more because, in the confrontation of the three Second-Order Origin Kings, Yang Kai actually had the upper hand against the combined forces of Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming.
Was this Venerable Yang really so amazing? Even his father Zi Long would not be able to compete with such methods, right? Zi Wu Ji could not believe what he was seeing, but that did not stop him from enjoying it. A beautiful picture of his future began to expand once more before him and Zi Wu Ji was so excited he could barely restrain himself shouting out loud for Yang Kai to cut down Gong Sun Liang once and for all.
Up in the air, Yang Kai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth as he straightened himself up, his eyes gleaming as he stared ahead.
A few kilometres away, Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming both had pale faces as they stared back in shock.
In that head-on confrontation just now, none of them had profited and Yang Kai was certainly injured; however, Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang were not the least bit pleased as it was clear they were still worse off.
This result was unacceptable to both Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming!
Together, the two of them could exert strength almost on par with a Third-Order Origin King, but Yang Kai was able to repel them! Didn’t that mean that he was qualified to compete with a Third-Order Origin King all by himself?
Such a possibility subverted Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang’s entire perception of reality!
Although the Second Order and Third Order only differed by a single Minor Realm, the gap in strength between the two was as wide as the gap between Heaven and Earth. In the Origin King Realm, every step forward represented a massive promotion of strength. What’s more, there wasn’t the slightest sign of fear in the other party’s eyes. Instead, only an endless fighting spirit could be seen, causing both Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang to shiver…
Just what kind of freak was he? The two of them now found that they couldn’t understand Yang Kai in the slightest.
*Keng…*
A crisp sound rang out from above at that moment as the two Origin King Grade artifacts clash seemed to come to an end. The giant dark green dragon transformed back into its Dragon Bone Sword form while the flood dragon restored its short-sword appearance. Both the sword-shaped artifacts flew back to the hands of their respective owners.
The Dragon Bone Sword was still undamaged, its green halo as bright as ever.
On the contrary, Gong Sun Liang’s sword had gone dim and its aura was fluctuating somewhat chaotically!
Looking at his sword, Gong Sun Liang’s heart ached, causing his already tenuous condition to worsen. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, his aura weakened noticeably and became somewhat dispirited.
“Brother Yang, stop!” Li Mao Ming’s expression drooped as he stared towards Yang Kai solemnly. His tone was filled with an imploring tone as he truly did not want to fight anymore. He had only made an appearance today because he was entrusted by ‘that person’ to protect Zi Wu Ji’s safety. Later, he was forced to engage in a confrontation with a cultivator of the same realm, which he was reluctant from the start to do. Now, he found himself facing Yang Kai, a true monster he had never seen the likes of before.
“You say fight and I have to fight, then you say stop and I have to stop? Do I not have any face at all?” Yang Kai grinned grimly.
“What do you want in order for this to end? Just say it! No one is an outsider here so everything is open to discussion!” Li Mao Ming still regarded Yang Kai as one of them, seemingly valuing the Venerable position very highly.
“What I want is simple!” Yang Kai grinned and took a step forward, “A fight to the death! Whether you come at me one on one or both together, I don’t care!”
“You…” Li Mao Ming looked anxiously at Yang Kai and pleaded, “Why are you acting like this?”
He never thought that Yang Kai would make such a ridiculous request. Those at the Origin King Realm generally avoided head-on conflicts because no Origin King was good to provoke. Everyone had trump cards they held in reserve that they would only use under desperate circumstances. Li Mao Ming had never met anyone like Yang Kai who seemed so eager to wage what would normally be considered a self-destructive battle.
“I only broke through to the Second-Order Origin King recently and this is the first time I’ve run into opponents of the same level, so I want to verify where my bottom line is!” Yang Kai grinned ferociously.
“Bullshit!” Before Li Mao Ming spoke, Gong Sun Liang could not help but curse as he glared at Yang Kai angrily, an unforgettable hatred blazing in his eyes as he shouted, “An old monster still wants to pretend he’s young? Have you no shame?”
He also thought that Yang Kai was not very old at first; after all he still retained a youthful look, but after fighting with him, he immediately concluded that Yang Kai was a cultivator that had lived for a thousand or more years, otherwise it would be impossible for him to have such strength.
If he really did just break through to the Second-Order and could already suppress both him and Li Mao Ming, then Gong Sun Liang might as well just commit suicide and be done with it.
“Believe what you like, there is no other way to settle this matter today.” Yang Kai snorted coldly.
Seeing him act so aggressive, Gong Sun Liang’s eyes flashed with anger and he opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t find any words in the end.
He was deeply regretting his actions now.
If he had just settled for emerging victorious in the power struggle today, none of this would have happened, but because he was greedy and wanted to snatch the Origin Essence Crystal from Yang Kai’s hands, he had instead brought great trouble upon himself.
Already, his Domain had been damaged, his artifact had lost a great deal of spirituality, and his body had been injured…
If he wanted to completely recover, at least a century of secluded retreat would be necessary.
It was useless to regret now though, so Gong Sun Liang forcefully suppressed the bitterness in his heart.
“If the two of you won’t make the first move, I will!” Yang Kai declared as he began to condense his Saint Qi.
At that moment though, he suddenly frowned and looked in a certain direction.
At the same time, Gong Sun Liang, Li Mao Ming, and even the Origin King Elders of Purple Star had their faces changed slightly as they all looked in the same direction.
Over there, a figure had appeared on the horizon and seemed to be casually strolling towards them. At first, this figure seemed quite far away, but he appeared in the centre of the battlefield in the blink of an eye.
The newcomer was an old man with snow-white hair and a long beard that matched his linen robes. His appearance, while spotlessly clean, was also incredibly plain, making him look no different from an ordinary old man.
But Yang Kai’s expression was extremely solemn as he stared at this old man because he felt an incredible pressure radiating from him!
After arriving in the middle of the battlefield, this old man swept his eyes around with a gloomy expression on his face.
Everyone who came under his gaze could not help turning aside their eyes and lowering their heads.
The vast area fell silent suddenly as everyone even suppressed the sound of their breathing, lest they draw this old man’s attention.
“Hmph!”
After a long time, the old man snorted softly.
This sound seemed common, but it was laced with some kind of mysterious force that made it hit everyone’s chest like a drum, causing their bodies to shake and their blood to roil.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as a brilliant light flashed across them.
Third-Order Origin King!
Since the old man showed up, he had his suspicions, but it was only now that he was able to determine that the other party was a genuine Third-Order Origin King!
This old man was a supreme existence whose equals in the entire Star Field could be counted on a single hand.
A name quickly popped into Yang Kai’s mind.
[Kuang Shi Zong!]
Zi Dong had once told him about the cultivation and quantity of Purple Star’s masters, so Yang Kai knew that Purple Star had a Third-Order Origin King supporting it, and that person was Kuang Shi Zong.
The seniority of this old man was terrifying, and even Zi Long had to address him as Martial Uncle when he saw him!
However, no one knew where this person was, as no one on Purple Star had seen him for two hundred years. Some people said he had long ago passed away, while others speculated he had travelled to some dangerous place in the Star Field to seek a higher Martial Dao. There were even some who thought he had shattered space and left the Star Field altogether…
No one had thought he had secluded himself in Purple Star City though and would appear at such a time.
Gong Sun Liang, Li Mao Ming, and all the Origin King Realm Elders finally recovered at this moment and respectfully bowed in the direction of Kuang Shi Zong, “Greetings, Martial Ancestor!”
Many of the Origin Returning Realm cultivators also knew who this old man was and did not dare show any negligence, each and every one of them bowing their heads in reverence.
“You still put this Martial Ancestor in your eyes?” Kuang Shi Zong looked at everyone coldly, causing cold sweat to leak from their foreheads. Even Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming had their heads lowered at this moment, like children who had been caught after making a great mistake, not daring to speak.
“It seems you’ve all made great progress these past two hundred years,” Kuang Shi Zong sneered sarcastically, “Reducing Purple Star City to such a state, you think you are worthy of the foundation passed down to you by my Purple Star’s ancestors?!”
Facing this question, everyone shivered in place as more cold sweat poured down their faces.
“If this old master didn’t appear, were you planning to completely demolish Purple Star Palace?”
“We wouldn’t dare!” Gong Sun Liang replied with trepidation.
“Why wouldn’t you dare? Don’t all of you have the courage? Or do you only have the courage to act but not the courage to admit?”
“Disciples have been unfilial, please forgive us, Martial Ancestor!” Gong Sun Liang cried out loudly.
“Disciples have been unfilial, please forgive us, Martial Ancestor!” Countless people shouted in unison from down below.
“What is this matter all about?” Kuang Shi Zong roared, his white hair blowing despite there being no wind, his face filled with anger, “Explain now!”
Gong Sun Liang’s body trembled but he did not dare to conceal anything, quickly explaining the cause and effect of today’s events.
In front of an old monster like Kuang Shi Zong, Gong Sun Liang didn’t dare to play any tricks, so his narration of the events of today contained no slander or embellishment.
When Kuang Shi Zong heard that all the ancestral tablets had been broken, he became furious and a terrifying pressure fell upon the audience. This pressure was so heavy it felt as if the sky had collapsed and was now weighing directly on everyone’s heart.
Kuang Shi Zong shot a fierce glare towards Zi Wu Ji at that moment, causing him to immediately cough up a mouthful of blood.
With his shrewdness, how could Kuang Shi Zong not understand that the broken tablets were something Zi Wu Ji had engineered. This was an intolerable disrespect to the ancestors, so he punished him.
Hearing that Yang Kai had fought two opponents at once and actually held the advantage, Kuang Shi Zong raised his brows and looked at Yang Kai with interest.
Yang Kai showed no fear though and simply grinned back at him.
After a while, Gong Sun Liang finished speaking and stood quietly in place, waiting nervously.
The atmosphere was solemn, and no one dared to speak. The place where Kuang Shi Zong stood was the focus of everyone present as no one knew what he was thinking at this moment.
Only after a long silence did Kuang Shi Zong suddenly say, “Why has this old master not heard about my Purple Star having a third Venerable? Boy, where did you obtain your Venerable Token?”
Yang Kai smiled lightly and said, “Senior’s question is quite strange, the Venerable Token was naturally given to me by Zi Long.”
“He gave it to you? When, where?” Kuang Shi Zong stared sternly at Yang Kai as he pointedly questioned.
Gong Sun Liang, Li Mao Ming, and all the others all looked suspiciously at Kuang Shi Zong, not knowing why he would ask these seemingly irrelevant questions.
Yang Kai frowned slightly as he suddenly had a bad premonition, but he still calmly said, “What does Senior mean by asking this?”
“What do I mean?” Kuang Shi Zong’s face suddenly became solemn as he took a step towards Yang Kai. It was only a step, but Kuang Shi Zong’s aura seemed to crash towards Yang Kai as a result, forcing him to retreat three steps as his face flushed slightly.
“Zi Long… Where is he? Is he dead or alive?” Kuang Shi Zong asked in a deep voice.
Yang Kai’s face changed slightly and did not make a sound. Kuang Shi Zong asking such a question obviously meant he either already knew the answer or was trying to force a response from Yang Kai in order to make a determination, so the best course of action was to not speak.
“Refusing to speak? Is that a confirmation of your guilty conscience?” Kuang Shi Zong sneered, “Boy, you may not know, but becoming a Venerable of Purple Star is not just about holding a Venerable Token. It is also required for this old master to consent before anything becomes official. Without a nod from this old master, Zi Long would never give out a Venerable Token no matter how much courage he had. You hold a Venerable Token, but this old master knows nothing about your existence, so does Zi Long no longer put this old master in his eyes or is there something else afoot here? Care to explain?”
Hearing what he said, Yang Kai could not help but chuckle and casually said, “Maybe Zi Long was planning to discuss the matter with Senior after thinking about it for a while, and… the Venerable Token has already been returned to Great Elder by me, so why don’t we end things here for today?”
“Hmph!” Kuang Shi Zong coldly snorted, ignoring Yang Kai and instead turning to Zi Wu Ji and coldly asking, “Is your father’s Life Lamp still intact?”
Zi Wu Ji had just suffered a heavy blow, but he was not critically injured and was currently adjusting his breathing. Hearing this question though, he trembled and hesitated, debating whether he should lie or not, but soon he resigned himself and answered honestly, “Reporting to Martial Ancestor, Lord Father’s Life Lamp… has broken!”
“What?” Everyone was shocked, and even Gong Sun Liang showed an expression of disbelief.
They naturally knew what a Life Lamp was and what it meant for it to have broken.
This meant that Zi Long had fallen! Purple Star’s Sect Master had died!
Only Li Mao Ming, who received the news from Zi Wu Ji earlier today, remained relatively calm, though a sad and bitter smile still adorned his face. He and Zi Long were as close as siblings when they were young, and though they had later parted ways because of a woman, they were still brothers, not enemies. When he learned that Zi Long had fallen, Li Mao Ming was not the least bit happy and instead was extremely sad.
“As I thought!” Kuang Shi Zong sighed, his already old face seemingly ageing noticeably.
After remaining silent for a moment, he turned to Yang Kai again, his eyes as sharp as a falcon’s, as if they could penetrate everything in the world, and quickly asked, “Where did Zi Long die?”
“The Severed World!” Yang Kai answered with a frown.
“Who killed him!?”
Yang Kai raised his brow and asked, “Oh? Does Senior feel that the death of Brother Zi Long has nothing to do with me?”
Kuang Shi Zong sneered, “Although you are quite good, you’re not qualified to kill Zi Long. If that weren’t the case, do you think this old master would be bothering to speak with you now? This old master would have already taken your life to avenge Zi Long.”
“Senior’s mind is sharp!” Yang Kai wore a look of admiration before immediately showing a pained look, “Brother Zi Long died under the Seven-Coloured Radiant Light, it was not under anyone’s hand!”
“Seven Coloured Radiant Light!” Kuang Shi Zong’s face changed. Obviously, he knew what the Seven Coloured Radiant Light was, perhaps he had even entered the Severed World before and thus knew of its power. Lightly nodding, he muttered, “If that is the case, then it was his own fault for acting reckless.”
“After Brother Zi Long died, I picked up his Space Ring, and as for the Venerable Token… haha…” Yang Kai smirked.
“What? You mean you never were my Purple Star’s Venerable?” Gong Sun Liang could not help but yell in a cracking voice.
“Great Elder, forgive me, forgive me!” Yang Kai cupped his fists at him with a smile.
“You… you!” Gong Sun Liang’s blood rushed to his head and his heart nearly burst from his chest.
Kuang Shi Zong glanced at him coldly before turning to Yang Kai and saying, “Boy, you are not my Purple Star Venerable, you deceived your way into this place, and damaged my Purple Star City! These sins is unforgivable!”
“It wasn’t just me!” Yang Kai protested.
“If it weren’t for you, how could today’s situation have happened?” Kuang Shi Zong looked at Yang Kai coldly, his murderous intent so strong it was tangible.
Yang Kai secretly became vigilant and condensed his Saint Qi, preparing to defend himself.
But to his surprise, Kuang Shi Zong did not immediately attack but instead said, “Boy, this old master will give you two options. One, this old master kills you here and now to comfort the departed souls of my Purple Star’s ancestors! Two, you join my Purple Star officially and work for my Purple Star! Choose!”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Why must Senior try to embarrass me? I don’t want to die, and I don’t want to join Purple Star, so what should be done?”
“Boy, do not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, this old master appreciates talents and does not want to see someone like you die young, you should consider well before replying.”
“I have considered it thoroughly!” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.
Kuang Shi Zong narrowed his eyes as he stared at Yang Kai and said unhurriedly, “You pretending to be my Purple Star Venerable, even going so far as to infiltrate my Purple Star Palace and involve yourself in this muddy water was for more than just your own entertainment, yes? If this old master isn’t wrong… you came here for these people.”
Saying so, Kuang Shi Zong stretched out his hand and waved and from down below, a slight exclamation rang out, then a loud roar accompanied by violent energy fluctuations burst forth as Kuang Shi Zong’s face went cold and he clenched his fist.
Several figures flew over towards him uncontrollably at that moment and immediately arrived beside him.
Amazingly, it was Shen Tu and his entourage.
Behind Shen Tu and the others, Xiao Xiao held the Heaven Shaking Pillar and was in close pursuit. Xiao Xiao’s body had already swelled up to his Stone Giant form and seemed to be trying to save Shen Tu and the others, but was powerless to do so.
Shen Tu and the others wore panicked expressions at this moment. They had just been rescued by Xiao Xiao and were about to use the chaos to escape from Purple Star City when they were suddenly subdued by Kuang Shi Zong and instantly became the focus of everyone’s attention.
Kuang Shi Zong fixed Shen Tu and the others in place not far away before turning and frowning at the Stone Puppet below, some curiosity apparent in his gaze.
Even with his insight and experience, he could not tell whether the Stone Puppet was a creature or a puppet and could only vaguely feel that this stone-like thing was not simple.
“What is Senior’s meaning here?” Yang Kai squinted at Kuang Shi Zong.
“Nothing,” Kuang Shi Zong saw Yang Kai become somewhat anxious when Shen Tu and the others and couldn’t help but smile, “So you’re from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce? However, this old master has never heard of anyone like you in Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. Who are you?”
“Junior is an unknown person, Senior has naturally never heard of him, but I must say, a Senior of your level resorting to such underhanded methods… if word of this were to spread out, wouldn’t it invite ridicule?” Yang Kai’s face was as cold and gloomy as ice.
“Who would dare laugh at me? This old master will kill him and all his family,” Kuang Shi Zong said indifferently. “I will give you one last chance, swear allegiance to my Purple Star and I can release this trash, otherwise, all of you will die here today!”
Shen Tu was suspended in mid-air and his strength was completely imprisoned, so all he could do is look towards Yang Kai with a wry smile and say, “Brother Yang, forget about us, just think of a way to esca…”
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly paled and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Second Young Master!” The cultivators from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce were shocked and one of them even turned his head and cursed at Kuang Shi Zong, “Old Bastard, how dare you…”
*Peng…*
Halfway through his sentence though, his head suddenly burst open, spraying a mess of red and white all over before his headless corpse fell to the ground.
Shen Tu and the others turned pale immediately as they expected that a master like Kuang Shi Zong would actually lower himself to killing an Origin Realm cultivator he had already subdued.
At that moment, none of them dared to say anything again, for fear of causing their own death.
“This old master’s patience is limited. Next, it will be him. This boy seems to have some value. If you do not want him to die, you should seriously consider this old master’s offer,” Kuang Shi Zong pointed at Shen Tu, his expression cold and unfeeling.
As soon as this was said, Shen Tu could not help shivering slightly.
“You dare!” Yang Kai shouted angrily, his complexion becoming fierce.
Without even mentioning his personal friendship with Shen Tu, just Xue Yue’s existence was more than enough for Yang Kai to act here. If he really let Shen Tu die at Kuang Shi Zong’s hand, Yang Kai would no longer have any face to see Xue Yue.
After all, Shen Tu was Xue Yue’s Second Brother.
Kuang Shi Zong looked startled for a moment before a strange grin appeared on his face, “No one has dared speak to this old master that way for many years. Interesting, boy, open your eyes and watch whether this old master really dares to kill him!”
Kuang Shi Zong’s intent to kill was real, and he had the strength to back up his arrogance. He didn’t take Yang Kai’s threats to heart at all. Having made his decision, Kuang Shi Zong did not hesitate to act, stretching out his hand and pointing at Shen Tu as if he was really intending to kill him.
Shen Tu’s face paled as he felt the aura of death enveloping him, his whole body shivering from fright.
At that moment though, a mysterious power pulsed and Yang Kai’s figure suddenly disappeared.
Kuang Shi Zong’s eyes shrank and his outstretched hand suddenly clenched into a fist as the full power of his Third-Order Origin King cultivation gathered on it and blasted towards the space in front of him.
At the spot where Kuang Shi Zong punched, Yang Kai appeared like a ghost, shielding Shen Tu and the others behind himself, his face extremely solemn as both his palms stretched out towards the void.
Secret Technique, Exile!
Space Force surged as a black hole suddenly appeared in front of Kuang Shi Zong. This black hole was like the open mouth of an ancient beast that wanted to swallow him whole. The hole itself was filled with a chaotic nothingness that even a master like Kuang Shi Zong could not help trembling slightly before.
The powerful strength of a Third-Order Origin King burst forth.
*Hong…*
With a thunderous explosion, the black hole was shattered like a mirror, collapsing in on itself as the chaotic Space Force sputtered out in all directions, quickly transforming into countless blade-like attacks that launched towards Kuang Shi Zong.
“What a bold Junior!” Kuang Shi Zong was furious and his entire body shook as Saint Qi burst forth from it to form a protective layer that blocked the chaotic blades of Space Force.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
An endless series of sounds resembling something cutting through the air rang out as pitch-black crescent-shaped blades slashed towards Kuang Shi Zong.
Secret Technique, Moon Blade!
Kuang Shi Zong narrowed his eyes as he felt huge danger from these Moon Blades. Not daring to despise them, he opened his mouth and spat out a jade-pendant-like artifact that swiftly twisted and transformed into a giant bird.
This giant bird had three heads, each the size of a house, and its wings flapped wildly as it gathered the surrounding World Energy and condensed it into countless wind blades that it shot out to intercept Yang Kai’s Moon Blades.
There was a burst of explosions as the barrage of Moon Blades and Wind Blades clashed mid-air, creating a region of space that was literally being shredded apart.
A fist slammed out from the rampaging storm of explosions and flew towards Kuang Shi Zong, five-coloured light radiating brilliantly from it. It was Yang Kai’s Indestructible Sword Qi.
Kuang Shi Zong reacted just as rapidly and threw out a punch of his own.
With a bang, Kuang Shi Zong’s body was shaken and he was forced to retreat three steps before finally standing firm. On the other hand, Yang Kai was sent flying backwards, his face turning pale as he tumbled through the air while trying to use his Saint Qi to resolve the rampaging energy that had penetrated his body.
The conflict had happened so quickly that most did not even understand what had happened. Even the First-Order Origin King Elders who were watching were confused about what had transpired, while only Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming were able to witness the entire process.
The two of them could not help gasping as they exchanged a glance and saw the shock in each other’s eyes.
When the two of them joined forces to fight Yang Kai just now, they had been at a disadvantage, so they already knew Yang Kai was no ordinary Second-Order Origin King and had even guessed he might have the ability to fight a Third-Order.
But speculations were just speculations in the end; after all, neither of them knew just how strong a Third-Order Origin King really was.
However, at this moment, what they had only guessed at was really happening before their eyes.
Yang Kai had exchanged blows with Kuang Shi Zong, and although he had been at a disadvantage from start to finish, even winding up with some slight injuries, he was far from being defeated!
Who was Kuang Shi Zong? An old monster who had lived for thousands of years and had few equals throughout the entire Star Field. Each of these Third-Order Origin Kings had the power to destroy a small Star and were masters that ordinary people would never see in their lifetime. They were the supreme symbols of the peak of the Martial Dao, undefeated legends.
But Yang Kai was able to confront such a master head-on and not die.
Not only that…
He had also managed to rescue the people from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce from Kuang Shi Zong!
This scene shocked Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang to their cores and forced them to ask themselves if would they be able to achieve the same?
The answer was a resounding no! Most likely, they would have been heavily injured by Kuang Shi Zong’s first move and then been forced to retreat.
Above Purple Star City, Kuang Shi Zong’s expression fluctuated, not showing any embarrassment or anger, only solemness as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai without saying a word.
Not far away, Yang Kai stood before Shen Tu and the others, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, raised his head slightly, and stared back at Kuang Shi Zong.
After a long time, Kuang Shi Zong asked seriously, “Space Force?”
“Senior’s perception is sharp!” Yang Kai grinned at him.
“You’ve actually managed to comprehend such an esoteric power? Even reaching such a level of proficiency!?” Kuang Shi Zong’s heart shook as his eyes nearly bulged.
Kuang Shi Zong had naturally heard of the Dao of Space as there were a number of people who had cultivated Space Force in the Star Field and even Purple Star itself, but most of these cultivators had only touched upon this mysterious force, and none could use Space Force in battle.
But the methods Yang Kai used just now clearly showed he had extremely deep attainments in the Dao of Space, otherwise, he would not have been able to move instantaneously or condense a blade of Space Force and form a chaotic black hole.
This was a shocking reality.
Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang were both stunned as well. Only now did they understand that what Yang Kai had just used was the extremely esoteric Space Force. Realizing this, both of their expressions turned even uglier than before.
Didn’t this mean that when Yang Kai had fought them just now, he was not using his full strength?
Fighting two against one, falling into a disadvantage, and not even being able to make the other side use their true strength… this ugly truth made Gong Sun Liang and Li Mao Ming feel deeply ashamed.
“Since Senior understands, is he still confident in keeping me here?” On the other side, Yang Kai smiled and declared with a confident expression, “If I want to go, no one in this world can stop me!”
Hearing what he said, Kuang Shi Zong actually nodded slightly and said, “Although your words are crazy, you are indeed qualified to say them.”
“It’s good that Senior understands. Now, why don’t we discuss this matter? Today’s affair will end here, I will leave with my few friends, and Senior will forget about everything that has happened, how about it?”
“In your dreams!” Kuang Shi Zong sneered, “It is true that since you are proficient in the Dao of Space, wanting to kill you is indeed impossible, but… That is only the truth if you were alone. Dragging along those dead-weights, do you still have the confidence to escape from this old master’s pursuit? No one here is a fool, so stop trying to play cheap tricks with this old master.”
Yang Kai brow twitched slightly as he said helplessly, “I didn’t expect that Senior would already see this far ahead. It is as you say!”
Shen Tu, who was being protected by Yang Kai heard this and a determined look appeared on his face as he said, “Brother Yang, just leave us here. If my life can ensure yours, this Shen Tu will die without regret.”
“We will follow Second Young Master to the death. On the road to the Yellow Springs, the journey won’t be lonely!” The several others expressed their opinions one after another, resolute as ever in the face of death.
Yang Kai turned his head, glanced at them, and smiled slightly, “Don’t worry, with things already having reached this point, naturally it is impossible for me to simply abandon you here. Today, all of us will leave here together!”
“Leave here together?” Kuang Shi Zong sneered, “Boy, you think too highly of yourself, in my Purple Star City, you don’t have the qualifications to act so impudently!”
Saying so, he waved his hand, and the eight Purple Star First-Order Origin King Realm Elders flew up to encircle Yang Kai together with Li Mao Ming and Gong Sun Liang. In the blink of an eye, ten Origin Kings had surrounded Yang Kai while the Third-Order Origin King, Kuang Shi Zong eyed him covetously.
Shen Tu and his entourage wore gloomy expressions as they realized that this time they were really unable to escape disaster.
Yang Kai, however, just laughed loudly, “Interesting, interesting! It’s rare to meet so many masters at once, it’s really exciting! If that is the case, then I can really cut loose and run amok!”
Kuang Shi Zong frowned, seeing Yang Kai still acting so rampantly, wondering what other cards he was hiding, unable to stop himself from worrying slightly.
“Everyone, be careful!” Yang Kai grinned before waving his hand and shouting loudly, “Come out!”
As soon as these words fell, a huge creature suddenly appeared above Purple Star City, one that was as tall as a mountain and blocked out the sunlight with its shadow as soon as it manifested.
“What is that?” Someone could not help but exclaim.
“So big? A humanoid puppet?”
“What the hell is it?”
Everyone stared up at this huge figure and almost lost the ability to think.
This figure was a thousand metres high and had a human form but was clearly composed of rock! Its body was rough and angular, but also bulky and burly, giving it an imposing appearance.
From its body, there was no aura of life, but the pure pressure it radiated was comparable to that of a Third-Order Origin King.
Every Origin King Realm standing midair felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them.
The cultivators below the Origin King Realm were under even greater strain as some with lower strength even lost the ability to fly and fell from the sky screaming.
This stone giant’s eyes were bright though, as if they were full of sentience, and once it appeared, it immediately began falling straight down.
It was as if a giant meteor was crashing to the ground.
“Not good!” Kuang Shi Zong roared upon seeing Yang Kai’s huge Embodiment falling downward, but just when he was about to move to intercept it, the sky suddenly darkened again.
Accompanied by the crisp bird cry, a massive Firebird with a long flaming tail suddenly appeared and covered the sky.
This Firebird seemed to be composed entirely of flames and had faint streaks of lightning flashing across its figure. The aura of destruction coming from it caused the hearts of many to clench and as it flapped its wings the surrounding temperature rose sharply.
Things had not ended yet though as several Golden Blood Threads shot out and transformed into various roaring beasts. The Blood Beast Army had appeared.
Thunderflame Bird, Tail Crown Snake, Silent Vermillion Bird, Star King Turtle, Eight Eyes Demon Toad, Purple Thunderbolt Sky Leopard…
There were many others as well. Besides the Steel Flame Ghost Spider that Yang Kai had left in Tong Xuan Realm to guard Nine Heavens Holy Land, all his other remaining Blood Beasts were dispatched now. Every Blood Beast emitted a powerful energy fluctuation that was no weaker than a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm master. Nearly twenty Blood Beasts gathered in one place, releasing a blinding golden light that seemed to soar up into the Starry Sky.
The situation had once again changed abruptly. So many strange creatures appearing above Purple Star Palace dazed the masters down below for a moment.
*Hou…*
A roar resounded across the sky as Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao, who had been standing to the side the whole time, received instructions from Yang Kai and slapped his chest with both fists like a war drum. As this drumbeat sounded, Xiao Xiao’s body grew even larger as he assumed his stone giant form.
In the next moment, a blazing fire emerged from Xiao Xiao’s body as a shocking scorching heat burst out, causing his skin to rapidly melt.
It looked as if he was wearing an armour of lava.
It was Xiao Xiao’s final form, the Lava Giant!
Xiao Xiao was now a hundred metres tall and his body was covered in molten lava, giving everyone around him an unimaginable sense of oppression. On his shoulder, he carried the thick Heaven Shaking Pillar that weighed several million kilograms. In Xiao Xiao’s hands, the Heaven Shaking Pillar looked as light as a feather, but when he swung it around lightly, all the buildings within a thousand metres exploded into dust.
The shockwave that rolled outwards as a result of this swing pounded the hearts of every Origin King present like a sledgehammer, eliciting looks of fear from them.
*Hong…*
At that moment, the Embodiment landed on the ground.
Yang Kai’s Embodiment, which was like a giant mountain, fell like a meteor and its impact caused the whole of Purple Star City to tremble. Even the houses far away in Outer City cracked at this moment, while the houses in the Inner City which were closer collapsed directly.
Yang Kai stood mid-air with a leisurely look on his face, grinning frivolously as he unscrupulously stared at Kuang Shi Zong, whose face on the other hand had gone from red to blue, and blue to green.
The Embodiment slowly raised one of its big feet and took a step forward.
The movements of the Embodiment were incredibly slow, as if it was struggling against some kind of profound seal that hindered its pace, but that single step was enough to leave a massive footprint in Purple Star City, crushing everything beneath it to dust…
The Embodiment made no attacking actions and simply walked back and forth.
But this was enough to bring unimaginable destruction!
“What the hell is that?”
“Quickly! Attack it! If we do not stop it now, Purple Star City will be destroyed!”
Many masters yelled and before Kuang Shi Zong even issued an order, they used their various methods to strike the Embodiment.
Ten Origin Kings, including two Second-Orders, unleashed their Secret Techniques without hesitation while also summoning their artifacts to attack. All these blows converged into a single powerful blow that struck towards the Embodiment in an attempt to prevent its actions.
A series of explosions rang out as earth and rock were sent flying. The brilliant flash from this detonation even forced the masters present to squint their eyes.
After the light dissipated and they witnessed the results of their assault though, everyone’s blood seemed to run cold.
Ten Origin Kings joining forces failed to destroy this behemoth. Although it seemed to have taken some damage and lost a fair amount of rocks from its body, the aura coming from the Embodiment had not waned in the slightest. On the contrary, it seemed to only become more ferocious.
This was Yang Kai’s Soul Clone Embodiment, so it had inherited Yang Kai’s character and thoughts, even his mannerisms, so how could it tolerate being attacked like this and not fight back?
A terrifying light burst from the Embodiment’s eyes as its huge body squatted slightly and one of its feet lifted up high before it stomped down fiercely.
*Kacha…*
Massive fissures opened up in the ground from the point of impact and rapidly spread out in all directions.
The Embodiment stretched out its hands towards the shattered earth, sweeping up countless big and small pieces of stone with an invisible force. The smaller rocks were only the size of melons while the bigger ones were comparable to houses.
The Embodiment let out a great roar next as it sent all the rocks and flying in all directions.
Such an attack may not have been able to harm an Origin King, and even the Origin Returning Realm masters could easily avoid it, but where these rocks flew, palaces and houses were levelled.
In just a short period of five breaths, half of the Purple Star Palace, centralized on the Embodiment’s location, was destroyed!
Kuang Shi Zong’s face was ugly to the extreme.
In his force’s supreme headquarters, a lone enemy was acting so rampantly while all of Purple Star’s high-end combat power was powerless to stop him. If word of this spread out, Purple Star would degenerate into a laughingstock across the entire Star Field. This would undoubtedly become the greatest stain on Purple Star’s reputation in its entire history.
He wanted to make a move to settle things quickly, but with Yang Kai’s full attention focused on him, he was unable to find an opportunity to act.
*Li…*
A piercing cry rang out suddenly as the Firebird, which had been floating lightly above Yang Kai’s head until now, flew out without receiving any kind of order.
Yang Kai raised his brow, wondering what Liu Yan was up to, but after quickly sweeping the battlefield with his eyes and noticing a certain something, he understood and didn’t try to stop her.
Liu Yan was extremely fast and with a single flap of her wings she had already crossed a kilometre distance.
Appearing right in front of Li Mao Ming, she opened her beak and spat out a streak of burning hot flames mixed with purple lightning.
Perceiving the terrifying power contained in this jet of flame, Li Mao Ming did not dare to neglect and hurriedly dodged while at the same time taking a deep drink from his wine bottle before spitting out a jet of blue flame towards Liu Yan.
Seeing this, Liu Yan’s eyes flashed a cunning light and instead of retreating, she actually shot forward, opened her beak and swallowed the blue flame into her mouth. At the same time, her belly swelled up and she let out a light belching sound, causing everyone who was watching to gawk.
She had directly sucked the blue flame into her stomach.
Having succeeded in her little plot, Liu Yan flew back towards Yang Kai without looking back.
Li Mao Ming on the other hand stood on the stop, his jaw dropped as he stared dumbly into space, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Only after a long silence did he return to his senses and exclaim, “My Blue Ice Flame!”
As he shouted, Li Mao Ming quickly formed a series of seals while pushing his Divine Sense and Saint Qi, trying to wrest control of the Blue Ice Flame from Liu Yan before she could refine it. Liu Yan’s Firebird form began to bulge and undulate, as if something was rioting inside her belly.
Flashes of red, purple, and blue light appeared continuously from her body.
Liu Yan could not help letting out painful cries.
She wanted to seize the Blue Ice Flame forcefully, which was naturally not an easy task and would require her to pay a certain price; after all, the Blue Ice Flame was no ordinary dead object, it was a rare treasure that Li Mao Ming managed to obtain after a near-death adventure he had many years ago.
Among the three colours that Liu Yan now glowed with, red represented her own Fire Attribute power, the purple was the Thunder Attribute power she obtained from swallowing and refining the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire before, and the blue was naturally the power of the Blue Ice Flame.
The three colours were in a state of chaos at the moment, with none having an advantage over the other, taking Liu Yan’s body as a battlefield in a seemingly endless struggle.
However, Liu Yan was no ordinary existence either. Having absorbed the Sun’s True Fire and the Heaven Scorching Thunder Fire, neither of which lost out when compared to the Blue Ice Flame, the stalemate only lasted a short time before the brightly flickering blue light began to dim.
At that moment, Liu Yan’s figure trembled, and the phantom image of a tripod-style furnace appeared within her.
This was her natal artifact, the Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace!
The Blue Ice Flame was quickly condensed and sealed by the Artifact Refining Furnace. Having gained control over this new flame, as long as she was given enough time, Liu Yan would be able to refine it into her being to increase her strength.
*Pu…*
In the distance, Li Mao Ming spurted out a mouthful of blood as he felt his connection to the Blue Ice Flame become severed. It was now impossible for him to retrieve it unless he were to kill this strange Firebird.
While Liu Yan and Li Mao Ming were fighting for control of the Blue Ice Flame, Xiao Xiao had been engaging in battle with Gong Sun Liang.
Although Xiao Xiao had assumed his stone giant form, compared with the enormous Embodiment, he still looked like a grandson in front of his grandfather. Gong Sun Liang saw that his strength was insufficient to deal with the Embodiment, so he instead turned his attention to Xiao Xiao.
Gong Sun Liang’s short sword artifact had been damaged quite badly already, losing much of its spirituality, so he was unable to use it again at this moment. Instead, he summoned a heavy-looking war-hammer type artifact.
Pouring his strength into this artifact, Gong Sun Liang slammed it down at Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao met his attack head-on with a swing of his stick.
The hammer-like artifact exploded into dust on contact and Gong Sun Liang’s whole body was sent flying, the bones in both his arms shattering from the impact.
Only now did Gong Sun Liang realize how big a mistake he had made. Although his hammer artifact was not Origin King Grade, it was still Origin Grade High-Rank, Yet this extremely strong artifact exploded into dust, so it was not hard to imagine just how powerful this strong stone giant’s seemingly simple stick really was.
This strength alone was enough to win ten out of ten frontal contests!
The two Second-Order Origin Kings were both easily taken down, causing the remaining eight First-Order Origin King Realm Elders to exchange lost and helpless glances for a time.
The Embodiment continued its unhurried stroll, leaving deep cracks and gullies as it took each step, its very existence like a mountain pressing down on all the Purple Star masters’ hearts, making them breathless.
Even Shen Tu and his followers, who were being guarded by Yang Kai had their jaws dropped at the moment as they stared blankly at the scene before them, unable to believe what they were seeing.
With just his own strength, Yang Kai was fighting against all the masters of Purple Star, including eight First-Order Origin Kings, two Second-Order Origin Kings, and one Third-Order Origin King… But not only was he not losing, he also occupied the absolute advantage.
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it possible.
Shen Tu was thoroughly shocked, but at the same time somewhat embarrassed and depressed.
Thinking back to when he and Yang Kai met for the first time, Yang Kai had been far behind him in terms of cultivation and the two of them had to mutually help one another in order to survive.
But upon meeting again, after just a few dozen years, Shen Tu found that his friend now stood at a height that he couldn’t see even by craning his neck up high. This massive gap would be impossible for him to close for the rest of his life…
This discovery made Shen Tu feel somewhat lost…
These years, he had not been wasting his time; rather, he had been working hard to cultivate, wanting to be recognized by President Ai Ou and wanting to surpass his outstanding Third Brother, but his achievements now seemed so worthless in front of Yang Kai.
“Senior, do you want me to continue?” Up in the air, Yang Kai, who had been silently confronting Kuang Shi Zong, suddenly smiled and asked with a leisurely expression, “If we continue this little show much longer, I am afraid Purple Star City will really be reduced to rubble… but, I suppose that’s fine too. Purple Star is so big and has thousands of cities, so even without Purple Star City, there are still others to stay in. En, maybe I should go visit those cities too. I believe I can see them all eventually if I have enough time…”
As soon as this remark came out, everyone from Purple Star trembled in fright.
If Yang Kai had said this before, most people would have laughed it off as some kind of wild joke, but after witnessing the destructive power of these strange creatures, no one dared to doubt Yang Kai’s ability anymore.
As long as he had enough patience, he could definitely level all of Purple Star with this strange army at his command!
Everyone looked at Kuang Shi Zong, and nine out of ten people had an imploring expression on their face.
They were truly frightened.
Although Yang Kai had been raising a big fuss, until now, he had not begun slaughtering people. If his hand was forced though, it wasn’t clear just how many of them would survive today.
“Enough!” Although Kuang Shi Zong felt deep anger in his heart, he still had to shout.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “So, is Senior willing to discuss terms with me?”
“You win!” Kuang Shi Zong looked at Yang Kai with a sullen face and unforgettable hatred in his eyes, “Take those people and get out of my Purple Star quickly. If you dare to step into my Purple Star again in the future, this old master vows to kill you, no matter the cost.”
“Senior may rest assured, I won’t visit Purple Star ever again!” Yang Kai grinned, not caring one bit about Kuang Shi Zong’s threat. Anyone who had any intelligence knew that this was nothing more than empty posturing.
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space and a Second-Order Origin King, so no one in the entire Star Field could kill him unless they managed to trap him inside a sealed space and then wore him down by sending multiple masters to face him one after another.
“This old master does not consider this matter over, and one day soon, this old master will go to the Water Moon Star in person to speak with Ai Ou,” Kuang Shi Zong looked at Yang Kai coldly as he emphasized every word.
Even now, he believed Yang Kai was a member of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
“Water Moon Star welcomes you any time!” Yang Kai smiled before turning to Shen Tu and saying, “Brother Shen Tu, everything has been settled, please leave first.”
“What about you?” Shen Tu frowned as he looked at Yang Kai, some faint worry on his face.
“I’ll stay here and watch them,” Yang Kai pointed down, “I’m afraid that if we try to leave together, they will try to intercept the Starship. Don’t worry, if I want to leave, they can’t stop me; I’ll join you later.”
Shen Tu thought about it for a moment before agreeing with this idea and simply cupping his fists and saying, “In that case, be careful, Brother Yang. I’ll be waiting for you aboard the Starship!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Be careful along the way.”
Shen Tu left without looking back together while the other cultivators from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce also nodded to Yang Kai to express their gratitude before quickly following.
Down below, Xiao Xiao reverted to his small and harmless appearance and shouldered his Heaven Shaking Pillar before chasing after Shen Tu and the others, seemingly having been ordered by Yang Kai to escort them to safety.
The many masters of Purple Star stood still, not daring to act rashly, only able to watch these few Origin Returning Realm cultivators fly off right from under their noses.
A look of humiliation appeared on all their faces as they gazed hatefully towards Yang Kai.
“You’re quite the cautious one, boy,” Kuang Shi Zong suddenly said.
“Senior is too kind, it is only normal to act cautiously under such circumstances,” Yang Kai chuckled.
“The one that left just now and the one still down below, what are they? Why has this old master never encountered their kind before? Are they puppets or some kind of life form?” Kuang Shi Zong asked with squinting eyes.
“They’re living creatures, but from a very rare race. If Senior wants to find one, I’m afraid it would be a futile quest.”
Contrary to Kuang Shi Zong’s expectation, Yang Kai did not try to conceal anything, instead giving him clear and direct answers, “I obtained these two by chance and coincidence.”
Kuang Shi Zong nodded lightly before turning his attention to the twenty or so Blood Beasts with interest, “What about these? You’re not going to tell this old master these are living creatures too, are you?”
“They’re condensed through a certain Secret Technique. Does Senior want to learn it? If so, I can teach you if you want,” Yang Kai said with a harmless grin.
“Forget it!” Kuang Shi Zong coldly snapped, “This old master is afraid he won’t be able to pay the price!”
He also knew that Yang Kai was simply chatting with him to pass the time, so he simply took the opportunity to gather some intelligence. As for Yang Kai saying he would teach him this Secret Technique, he would no doubt put forward some ridiculous demands in exchange, so Kuang Shi Zong wouldn’t embarrass himself by asking.
“Alright then,” Yang Kai did not care and no longer spoke to Kuang Shi Zong.
Suddenly, Li Mao Ming stepped forward with a depressed expression, cupped his fists and called out, “Brother Yang, can you give me back my Blue Ice Flame?”
“Blue Ice Flame?” Yang Kai raised his eyes and looked at Liu Yan thoughtfully, knowing immediately what Li Mao Ming was referring to.
“En, that Blue Ice Flame is of great use to me, if I lose it…” Li Mao Ming looked embarrassed.
“Haha, Brother Li is addressing the wrong person, you’ll have to ask her if you want that thing back,” Yang Kai pointed his finger at Liu Yan.
“Brother Yang must be joking,” Li Mao Ming’s mouth twitched, “Although this Li cannot see what kind of existence that is, it’s obvious that you are its master. Retrieving the Blue Ice Flame from it would only take a word from Brother Yang… Good, I can exchange it for an Origin King Grade artifact, what do you say?”
The condition put forward by Li Mao Ming was quite reasonable, so Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before saying, “Then I’ll ask for you.”
“Many thanks, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai turned his head to look at Liu Yan and asked, “You heard what was said just now, could you return that blue flame? If you agree, just nod, if you refuse, shake your head.”
Liu Yan cast a sidelong glance at Yang Kai before turning her gaze aside indifferently.
Yang Kai saw this and smirked, “Brother Li, as you can see, she has a bit of a bad temper and probably doesn’t want to return it.”
“This…” Li Mao Ming was speechless.
At that moment, a Starship rose up into the sky from nearby and soon began to accelerate away at an extremely rapid rate, breaking through the clouds soon after and sailing towards the distant Starry Sky.
Seeing this scene, Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Everyone, this Yang will say his goodbyes here, perhaps we shall meet again on some distant mountain or field!”
Saying so, he recalled his Blood Beast Army, Liu Yan, and his Embodiment before his figure flickered and he chased after the Starship.
“Brother Yang, please wait! My Blue Ice Flame!” Li Mao Ming cried out pitifully but received no response.
“Martial Ancestor, are we just going to let him leave like this?” Gong Sun Liang stood beside Kuang Shi Zong and asked despondently.
Today’s battle not only brought great shame to Purple Star, but also to Gong Sun Liang personally. In this battle, he had suffered extremely heavy losses and did not want to let things end miserably.
Kuang Shi Zong heard these words but did not answer immediately, his eyes smouldering with a burning light, as if hesitating whether to take this opportunity to pursue or not.
“Not good, not good!” Suddenly a panic-stricken shout rang out and everyone turned to see a panicked Ji Jun, the one who had always been assisting Zi Wu Ji, run out.
“Old Ji, what happened?” Zi Wu Ji did his best to ignore the pain he was feeling and asked.
“Second Young Master, that Venerable Yang ransacked the entire Purple Star Vault!” Ji Jun shouted loudly.
“What?” Zi Wu Ji and Kuang Shi Zong’s faces changed drastically at the same time while everyone else present was filled with furious indignation.
“How did that surnamed Yang enter the Purple Star Vault? Where did he get the key? Who led him to it?”
“So that’s how it is, I was wondering why Second Young Master suddenly removed all the guards from around the Vault today, so it was for this reason!” Gong Sun Liang looked at Zi Wu Ji grimly, “Were you colluding with him all along?”
“I…” Zi Wu Ji felt his chest tighten as he suddenly found that he was unable to even make a convincing argument, only uttering anxiously, “He said he only wanted a single thing, how was I supposed to know he would be so insatiable? Even so, I made Old Ji follow him to monitor it.”
Becoming the focus of everyone’s attention once again, Ji Jun looked down in shame and muttered, “I was knocked out by him and did not awaken until just now…”
“You waste!” Kuang Shi Zong roared furiously as he waved his hand and sent out a surge of power that knocked Zi Wu Ji into a nearby wall, his life or death completely uncertain, before shouting, “Pursue him! No matter the cost, we must kill that boy in the Starry Sky today!”
“Yes!” Receiving their orders, everyone used their Movement Skills to fly off in a certain direction.
A short time later, more than a dozen Origin Grade High-Rank Starships were launched above Purple Star City, with a single Origin King Grade Starship leading the way, all of them soaring up into the Starry Sky a moment later.
The others may not know what kind of treasures were stored in Purple Star’s Vault, but how could Kuang Shi Zong not know?
Almost all the items inside weren’t of too much consequence and could be replaced given enough time, but that True Dragon Scale was a priceless treasure that had been in Purple Star’s possession since its founding. For thousands of years, the geniuses of Purple Star had tried to refine that Dragon Scales for their own use, with even Kuang Shi Zong having tried once, but none had succeeded so far.
In the end, it could only be stored away in the Vault.
Although no one could refine that Dragon Scale, it did not mean it had no value. On the contrary, its value was immeasurable.
Now that the Dragon Scale had been stolen by Yang Kai, how could Kuang Shi Zong let him simply swagger away? Now things had really developed to the point where either Yang Kai died, or he died.
All of Purple Star City had felt the shocking effects of today’s events. The fallout from the battle between so many Origin Kings had made many weaker cultivators panic, and now, seeing so many Starships set sail together, even a fool would know that something big had just happened to Purple Star.
However, no one knew the truth behind what was going on.
In the Starry Sky, Yang Kai quickly caught up with the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship, and after sending a quite Divine Sense Message, its hatch was opened, and he flew inside where he found Shen Tu waiting for him together with everyone else.
“Brother Yang!” Shen Tu cupped his fists and with a solemn expression declared, “This Shen Tu will not forget this grace for the rest of his life. If Brother Yang has need of this Shen Tu’s assistance in any way in the future, he only needs to ask.”
Yang Kai laughed lightly, “Brother Shen Tu is too serious, we’re all one family so there’s no need to be so polite.”
[We’re all one family?] A trace of doubt flashed across Shen Tu’s face, but he did not think about it too much and just assumed Yang Kai was being polite with him.
However, Yang Kai being able to say this made him incredibly happy as it made it clear that Yang Kai did not despise him just because his strength had grown far beyond his.
Aboard the Starship, not only were Shen Tu and his escorts present, but also the people from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce.
Hua You Meng, Xia Jing Wu, Yao Qing, Hai Tang, Gao Hong and all the others were currently staring at Yang Kai, their eyes clearly containing worry for him but also a sense of loss for themselves.
All of them had lived on Purple Star for their entire lives, and although none of them ever officially joined Purple Star, they still considered themselves half Purple Star cultivators. Now that they were suddenly forced to escape from Purple Star and would never be able to return, they couldn’t help worrying about their future as they had lost their sense of direction.
However, they knew that after Yang Kai raised such a ruckus on Purple Star, Purple Star no longer had a place for them. Only death would await them if they remained.
In addition to the people of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, Li Nuo from Clear Sky Auction House and the beautiful woman named Aunt Chun were also aboard the Starship, as well as some cultivators from Clear Sky Auction House.
At this moment, Li Nuo and Aunt Chun looked at Yang Kai with faces filled with gratitude.
The reason was simple: Their Clear Sky Auction House was one of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s hidden assets on Purple Star, and after Yang Kai accidentally discovered that Shen Tu was imprisoned that day, the person Shen Tu asked him to contact was none other than Li Nuo.
After all this trouble, Clear Sky Auction House would certainly be unable to maintain a foothold on Purple Star, so Yang Kai had prepared Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, Li Nuo, Aunt Chun and all the others associated with them beforehand to leave Purple Star once Shen Tu was freed.
The arrangements were perfect, and the plan went off extremely smoothly, but that was only thanks to the endless trump cards Yang Kai had in his possession together with his incredible combat power.
“President Hua, let me introduce you, this is the son of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President, Shen Tu!” Yang Kai chuckled and pointed to Shen Tu.
Hua You Meng was extremely shocked when she heard these words, seemingly never having expected the young man who just fled into the Starship in such a dishevelled condition to have such an incredible background. Xia Jing Wu and the others from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce also gawked towards Shen Tu in disbelief.
Shen Tu grinned and said freely, “Since you are Brother Yang’s friends, then you are my, Shen Tu’s friends as well!”
“I was waiting for you to say that” Yang Kai smiled before saying “President Hua and her companions were implicated this time because of me and forced to leave Purple Star, so they currently have no suitable place to go. Brother Shen Tu, if it is convenient, could you find a place for them to stay on Water Moon Star?”
“Certainly,” Shen Tu thumped his chest and said righteously, “I own a million-kilometre-wide territory on Water Moon Star with seven cities and numerous big and small towns. If President Hua would like, you can accompany me back there to serve as a High-Level Managers in the chamber of commerce, handling various matters related to foreign trade.”
“A million-kilometre territory…”
“Seven cities…”
“High-Level Managers of the Chamber of Commerce?”
Everyone from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was stunned, their jaws dropping as they could hardly believe their ears.
Before they met Yang Kai, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce was just a small, little-known chamber of commerce that struggled to survive on the lowest rung of Purple Star City’s markets.
But now, with a single sentence, Shen Tu was able to elevate their position to one they could not even dream of reaching if they had toiled away for another thousand years.
With this kind of advantage, and the more than 200 million Saint Crystals currently owned by Hua You Meng, Five Paths Chamber of Commerce’s rise was all but inevitable.
“This… that is… is this really proper?” Hua You Meng’s face flushed with excitement as she stammered to Yang Kai.
“What could be improper?” Shen Tu laughed, “My Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is based on business and Water Moon Star has more large and small chambers of commerce than Purple Star City. Since you are originally members of a chamber of commerce, then your ideas and intentions already coincide with my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s. By making you High-Level Managers, I will also have less to worry about, so I’ll be relying on you in the future.”
Yang Kai smiled at Hua You Meng and said, “Since Brother Shen Tu has said so, President Hua should not refuse.”
Hua You Meng still looked like she was in a dream, a beautiful smile adorning her face as she envisioned the bright future before her, unable to even reply until Xia Jing Wu lightly coughed to awaken her. Collecting herself quickly, Hua You Meng gratefully and elegantly bowed, “In that case, this Mistress will offer her sincere thanks to Second Young Master.”
Shen Tu waved his hand lightly and said, “President Hua is too polite. From now on, we are all one big family, you don’t need to act so courteously.”
Li Nuo stepped forward, took Hua You Meng’s arm, and said affectionately, “Elder Sister Hua, Junior Sister will also be working in Second Young Master’s territory in the future, so I’ll ask you in advance to take care of me then.”
“Junior Sister surely jests; it should be Elder Sister asking for your care.”
Inside the Starship, everyone was experiencing the joy of escaping from death and was looking forward to a beautiful tomorrow, causing the atmosphere to be extremely light and harmonious.
A moment later though, Yang Kai frowned, glanced back, and snorted softly, “It seems that Purple Star isn’t willing to give up so easily.”
Shen Tu’s face changed, “What’s the situation?”
“Ten Starships are pursuing us, nine Origin Grade High-Rank with one Origin King Grade Starship leading them!”
As soon as this statement was made, everyone’s expressions changed drastically.
Origin King Grade Starships were rare no matter what force it was. Even Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce only had a few such ships. The same was true for Purple Star. It was not difficult to guess that the person commanding this Origin King Grade Starship was Kuang Shi Zong!
Although this Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship was also Origin Grade High-Rank, trying to face an enemy which was both stronger and faster in the Starry Sky would only result in it and everyone aboard being blown to pieces.
Even with just the Origin King Grade Starship as their opponent, it was more than enough to consign them to death. Not to mention, the fact that there were nine other Origin Grade High-Rank Starships as well.
“What are we going to do?”
“We need to run!”
“We can’t escape, the other party’s Origin King Grade Starship is faster than ours, we might as well turn and fight!”
Everyone fell into a panic and began shouting.
Shen Tu, however, just turned to look at Yang Kai thoughtfully before suddenly bursting into laughter, “All of you calm down, with Brother Yang here, what is there to worry about? Brother Yang could bring us out from a place like Purple Star City, now we’re in the vast Starry Sky, an ocean wider than any fish could swim and a sky broader than any bird could soar, how could those bastards from Purple Star possibly stop us here?”
Hearing what he said, everyone’s flustered mood suddenly calmed down and they all turned to Yang Kai.
Seeing him still wearing a calm and fearless look, everyone else immediately knew that he must have a way to escape from their pursuers and immediately felt relieved, even becoming somewhat eager to see what magical method he would show them this time.
“Brother Shen Tu has such great confidence in me,” Yang Kai laughed before nodding, “Okay, just as Brother Shen Tu said, I can naturally keep everyone safe, just continue sailing forward and leave the outside affairs to me.”
Saying so, his figure flickered, and he disappeared from where he stood. When he reappeared, he had already arrived outside the Starship and stood atop its deck.
Looking towards the rear, Yang Kai was able to clearly see the ten pursuing Starships approaching at rapid speed, the lead Origin King Grade Starship exuding a terrifying momentum like a fierce tiger descending the mountain.
After just ten short breaths, the distance between the two sides had halved, and soon the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship entered the range of the Origin King Grade Starship’s Crystal Cannons.
Kuang Shi Zong’s roar rang out at that moment, “Boy! Surrender everything you stole from my Purple Star’s Vault or this old master swears he will kill you today!”
This voice billowed like thunder, showing just how angered Kuang Shi Zong was.
Yang Kai just smiled slightly and called out casually, “Why is Senior so stingy? Purple Star is so wealthy and those things in your vault weren’t even being used, just let me take them with me for now and I’ll return them at some point in the future.”
“Return what you stole to this old master now and this old master can pretend nothing happened, otherwise, even if you can escape today, everyone in that Starship will be buried in the Starry Sky!”
“It seems Senior has no interest in negotiating,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders helplessly, “I have no intention of returning these things now, but if Senior continues to pester me about them, I would be happy to teach Senior an unforgettable lesson!”
“Bold! Do not think that just because you are proficient in the Dao of Space you can do whatever you want! This Starry Sky goes on forever, and there are countless capable masters you have not met, how could a frog at the bottom of the well possibly see how vast the sky truly is! This old master will give you one last chance, return what you stole or die!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Senior, I will also give you one last chance. End your pursuit now otherwise you may not be able to bear the consequences!”
“Good, good, good! Boy, for repeatedly insulting this old master, this old master will teach you how to show proper respect today!” With Kuang Shi Zong’s roar, several dozen Crystal Cannons emerged from the Origin King Grade Starship’s hull, each one covered in complicated glowing arrays.
A dazzling light burst forth, making the entire Origin King Grade Starship as bright as a dazzling sun.
Terrifying energy fluctuations filled the void.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn as he stood atop the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship, took a deep breath, and pushed his Space Force madly.
*Hong…*
With a muffled thud, the Origin King Grade Starship of Purple Star shook slightly and dozens of pure white beams of light, like streaking comets, rushed out towards where Yang Kai stood, vaporizing any stray asteroids in the Starry Sky that were unfortunate enough to be in their path.
A Crystal Cannon volley was the most terrifying attack a Starship possessed. The Crystal Cannon volley of an Origin Grade Low-Rank Starship was capable of destroying a small city, and as the rank of a Starship increased, the power of its cannons increased geometrically. An Origin King Grade Starship Crystal Cannons bombardment could destroy a tenth of a small Cultivation Star.
Ten volleys were enough to destroy a Cultivation Star.
The columns of white light flashed forward and directly penetrated the Origin Grade High-Rank Starship of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
Like a snowflake under the scorching sun, the Origin Grade High-Rank Starship did not even manage to resist for a single breath before distorting and disappearing, seemingly vaporizing directly.
Seeing this scene though, Kuang Shi Zong was startled, apparently not thinking it would be this easy.
But in the next moment, he realized that something was wrong, and he quickly shifted his gaze.
Where he was now looking, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship was safe and sound in the Starry Sky and still fleeing forward while Yang Kai stood atop it completely unscathed and wearing a carefree expression.
Kuang Shi Zong could even see a look of mockery on his face.
“He can teleport an entire Starship?” Kuang Shi Zong quickly understood what had happened and his entire body stiffened in place as if he had been struck by lightning, a look of shock covering his face.
Kuang Shi Zong had witnessed Yang Kai use Space Force before and had an idea about what he was capable of, but he had never imagined that not only was Yang Kai capable of teleporting himself without a trace, he could even move an entire Origin Grade High-Rank Starship with him as well.
This was no longer something within the realm of human ability, it was simply a miracle!
It was for this reason that the devastating Crystal Cannon volley did not have any effect.
As Kuang Shi Zong was lost in a daze, Yang Kai’s deep voice suddenly called out, “Since Senior insists on being stubborn, he must pay the price!”
“Not good!” Kuang Shi Zong exclaimed. Although he didn’t know what kind of method Yang Kai was about to use, he instinctually felt that things were about to take a turn for the worse, as if whatever Yang Kai was about to show him would be something he was completely incapable of resisting.
“Quick, activate all defences at maximum strength!” Kuang Shi Zong roared.
The cultivators responsible for controlling the Origin King Grade Starship did not dare to hesitate and quickly operated the Spirit Arrays in front of them to erect a powerful barrier around the ship. This barrier was powerful enough that even if a Third-Order Origin King used their full strength to attack it, it would not break.
But even so, Kuang Shi Zong was still uneasy, his hairs standing on end as he felt a lingering palpitation in his heart.
From the front, a faint purple light suddenly flickered.
This purple light was not dazzling in any sense, as different from the brilliant light of the dozens of Crystal Cannons from before as a firefly was to a full moon.
But when this purple light appeared, Kuang Shi Zong felt his heart clench. Staring wide-eyed at this purple light, he felt like he had been thrown into a winter blizzard and could not stop himself from shivering.
From where the purple light originated, he felt a majestic aura which made him instinctually want to kneel and surrender, even destroying the idea of trying to resist.
“Emperor Pressure!” Kuang Shi Zong was a Third-Order Origin King with vast life experience, so he immediately understood what this domineering force was.
Whatever the source of the purple light was, it was able to emit Emperor Pressure!
[Wouldn’t that mean… he possesses an Emperor Artifact? Impossible!]
Emperor Artifacts were things of legend that were rumoured to be the personal artifacts of the Starry Sky Great Emperor, treasures far beyond Origin King Grade!
If it really was an Emperor Artifact, this Origin King Grade Starship would not be able to stop it.
Realizing this, Kuang Shi Zong shouted hurriedly, “If you don’t want to die, run!”
As he spoke, he rushed directly to where the Starship’s hatch was located and punched it open before the cultivator controlling it even had a chance to respond, making a big hole in the sturdy hull before fleeing through it into the Starry Sky.
Kuang Shi Zong was the supreme existence of Purple Star, so seeing him so terrified, how could anyone else dare to remain? Everyone hurriedly followed Kuang Shi Zong to escape from the hole in the hatch.
Far away, Yang Kai held the Annihilation Thunder Bead in his hand and stared solemnly towards the Origin King Grade Starship chasing them, his Saint Qi flooding out of his body at an astonishing rate.
On the Annihilation Thunder Bead’s surface, a faint streak of purple lighting flickered back and forth as Yang Kai’s Saint Qi continued to pour in.
*Chi…*
At a certain moment, when the amount of Saint Qi poured in reached a critical point, a lightning arc suddenly burst out of the Annihilation Thunder Bead and shot out like a comet under the direction of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, piercing the Starry Sky. This purple bolt flew like an arrow from a bow straight towards the Purple Star Origin King Grade Starship.
Silently, this purple bolt of lightning impacted the barrier outside the Origin King Grade Starship, and despite the barrier being sturdy enough to resist the full-powered attack of a Third-Order Origin King undamaged, this small purple lightning bolt blew a giant hole in it.
Immediately afterwards, the hull was penetrated, and a massive hole was pierced straight through it all the way to the other side of the Starship before the purple arc continued through the barrier on the other side as well…
The purple lightning bolt remained undiminished in intensity as it swiftly flew towards one of the nine Starships that was following behind.
*Hong…*
With a loud bang, the Origin Grade High-Rank Starship did not even have time to evade before the purple lightning bolt struck, instantly vaporizing it.
Only then did a loud cracking sound echo from the leading Origin King Grade Starship.
The barrier arranged outside it shattered like a broken mirror as the massive hull was all but split in two.
Fortunately, the materials this Origin King Grade Starship were refined from were all extremely precious so despite being so damaged, it did not explode on the spot; however, it was clear this Origin King Grade Starship had basically been scrapped. In order to repair it, it would require almost as much money and manpower as simply building another from scratch.
In the Starry Sky, Kuang Shi Zong, who was the first to escape, stared at the scene in a daze, his blood running cold as his face turned pale and he muttered almost unconsciously, “It’s really an Emperor Artifact, a real Emperor Artifact!”
He could not understand no matter how he thought about it. Yang Kai himself was a supreme talent, had a large number of extremely powerful subordinates, was proficient in the Dao of Space, and possessed an Emperor Artifact!
Any cultivator that had any one of these advantages could run rampant through the Star Field, but Yang Kai actually had all of them!
Was there anyone in this world who could be his opponent? Even if Kuang Shi Zong’s cultivation realm was higher than Yang Kai’s, standing at the pinnacle of the Star Field’s Martial Dao, at this moment, facing the Heaven-defying methods that Yang Kai had shown him one by one, he could not help feeling a strong sense of powerlessness deep in his heart.
Just being proficient in the Dao of Space made Yang Kai invincible. In this entire Star Field, there was likely no one who could kill him. With such methods at his disposal, it would be a blessing for him to not find trouble with others. Who would dare take the initiative to annoy him?
For a moment, Kuang Shi Zong felt panic in his heart, a feeling he had not felt for many years and had nearly forgotten entirely.
He wanted to retreat!
Since he could not kill Yang Kai and was unable to face his Emperor Artifact’s attack, chasing him down now was just asking for trouble.
However, when Kuang Shi Zong raised his eyes and looked in the direction of Yang Kai, he immediately became overjoyed and hurriedly shouted, “Fire! Don’t let him get away!”
He surprisingly discovered that Yang Kai’s complexion had become pale after using the Emperor Artifact.
Kuang Shi Zong immediately understood that while this Emperor Artifact was extremely powerful, the price to use it was definitely not small. With Yang Kai’s current strength, he might not even be able to unleash a second attack.
Kuang Shi Zong’s guess was right.
Yang Kai really could not use the Annihilation Thunder Bead again.
He had used the Annihilation Thunder Bead several times before, and each time he did, his strength had improved greatly from the previous time, but despite that, it still completely exhausted his Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy!
Although as his strength improved, the Annihilation Thunder Bead was able to display more and more power, being so completely drained all at once was a truly uncomfortable feeling.
Perhaps only a character on Yang Yan’s level could truly use the full power of the Annihilation Thunder Bead without any side-effects.
After displaying the Annihilation Thunder Bead, Yang Kai immediately crushed the Spirit Pill he had been holding in his mouth.
A flow of sweet, clear medicinal liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach, turning into a refreshing heat that quickly dispersed to his limbs, allowing him to restore a certain amount of Saint Qi and Spiritual Energy in a very short time.
It was at that moment that Kuang Shi Zong issued the order to press the attack!
There were eight remaining intact Origin Grade High-Rank Starships, all of which swiftly pointed their Crystal Cannons towards where Yang Kai stood atop the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship.
Brilliant lights shone as a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering amount of power condensed from the eight Starships.
Yang Kai stared at this scene indifferently as he stood atop the ship, stared towards Kuang Shi Zong from afar, and said coldly, “Senior, this trip to Purple Star has made me very unhappy. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will come to greet you again to seek compensation. I pray you live a long life and don’t die before then.”
These words burned into Kuang Shi Zong’s heart like a soldering iron, causing him to tremble as he thought about Yang Kai’s various astonishing means. If he was able to escape today, then Purple Star’s future would no doubt be miserable.
Under his uneasy gaze, Yang Kai turned around and thrust his hands forward.
Something shocking happened next.
Yang Kai’s hands were directly inserted into the void, as if there was an invisible wall in front of him.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Kai vigorously pulled his hands to the sides.
*Kacha…*
Like Yang Kai was tearing about a thin curtain, a massive Void Crack appeared from where his hands spread, the entire process seemingly occurring freely and easily.
This Void Crack was like a giant beast opening its mouth to reveal a world filled with chaotic nothingness.
The Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship then slowly sailed into this blackness.
Kuang Shi Zong’s expression was incredibly ugly as he stared at the Starship diving into the Void, his Saint Qi surging several times, but he chose not to make a move in the end.
He knew that even if he attacked personally, he would not be able to stop Yang Kai from escaping and might even be dragged into The Void by him instead.
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so he did not need to worry about getting lost in The Void, but Kuang Shi Zong was different. Even if he was a Third-Order Origin King, once he fell into The Void, he would very likely become lost forever, unable to ever escape.
Only a deep unwillingness and fear lingered in Kuang Shi Zong’s heart.
The unwillingness was because not only did he fail to recover the treasures Yang Kai stole from Purple Star’s Vault, he had allowed the latter to have an opportunity to destroy an Origin Grade High-Rank Starship and an Origin King Grade Starship.
As for the fear, that was because of the last words Yang Kai left. Purple Star making such an enemy was an incredibly worrying prospect!
The Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship quickly disappeared into The Void, after which the Void Crack rapidly sealed itself.
Only then did the eight Crystal Cannon barrages from the Purple Star Starships fly over.
The hundreds of Crystal Cannon blasts were a far more dazzling display than the previous volley from the Origin King Grade Starship alone.
But all these beams of white, destructive light hit nothing but empty space and flew off into the distant Starry Sky!
The Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship and Yang Kai were long gone.
Kuang Shi Zong stood on the spot as if in despair, seemingly ageing several hundred years in an instant…
The remaining eight Starships also stopped, not knowing what to do.
After a while, many masters flew out of the Starship and gathered in front of Kuang Shi Zong, all of them looking at him with anxious expressions.
“Ha…” Kuang Shi Zong sighed deeply and laughed in a self-deprecating manner, “As I had always known, the talents from the next generation will supplant those from the old generation sooner or later. It is impossible to overcome old age.”
“Martial Ancestor…” Everyone was shocked, knowing that Kuang Shi Zong had suffered a complete defeat at Yang Kai’s hands this time, wanting to comfort him but not knowing what to say.