“It’s fine, let’s return. My Purple Star has experienced major changes. Zi Long is dead, and since Dong’er was with him, he has probably also met with disaster. Purple Star is currently a dragon without a head. In the future, Purple Star will…” Saying until here, his eyes scanned the surrounding crowd.
Gong Sun Liang straightened his chest quickly.
“You will be commanded by Wu Ji. Everyone will do their utmost to assist him and follow his orders,” Kuang Shi Zong turned to Gong Sun Liang and said. “You have suffered serious damage to your foundation this time, so you must enter retreat to recuperate.”
“Yes!” Although Gong Sun Liang was unwilling, he did not dare to object and could only nod in agreement; after all, what Kuang Shi Zong said was correct. The battle with Yang Kai had damaged his foundation, and if he did not attend to it carefully, it would likely lead to serious consequences, possibly even realm regression.
Compared to the position of Purple Star Sect Master, his own strength was more important.
“Disciple thanks Martial Ancestor! Disciple will do his best to lead Purple Star to glory!” Zi Wu Ji declared, his swollen nose and pale face unable to hide his exhilaration.
No matter how winding the process was and how many twists and turns there were along the way, he had managed to achieve his goal, in the end.
…..
Inside the Void Crack, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship sailed forward slowly, surrounded by spatial turbulence. Yang Kai remained standing on the deck, using his Space Force to surround the entire Starship so it did not get pulled into the chaotic currents around it.
Space Force inside the Void Crack was completely unpredictable and unstable, so unless a cultivator like Yang Kai was present to guide its flow, it would quickly try to crush any foreign matter. The chaotic Space Force was powerful enough to tear a Third-Order Origin King to pieces given enough time.
After experiencing some initial panic, everyone aboard the Starship gradually calmed down and no longer showed any fear; instead, many began to enthusiastically explore their surrounding environment.
After all, not everyone had the opportunity to enter the Void, much less in an absolutely carefree and safe manner.
Unfortunately for them, there was truly nothing in this space, leading to some slight disappointment.
The novelty of the situation soon wore off, and as everyone’s curiosity abated, they went back to attending to their own duties.
Some time later, a buzzing sound echoed throughout the Starship and bright light penetrated in from the outside as the stars reappeared before everyone’s eyes.
The Starship had transitioned back to the Star Field.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered and appeared in the middle of the crowd, his face pale and his footing a bit unstable.
“Brother Yang!” Shen Tu’s eyes bulged as he hurriedly moved to support Yang Kai.
“I’m fine!” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and motioned Shen Tu to relax, “It’s just that my strength is overdrawn. I’ll be fine after a few days of rest.”
He had never tried to traverse the Void Crack with something as large as an entire Starship before, and although his current control of Space Force had reached a very high level, doing so had put a great load on Yang Kai, especially after just using the Annihilation Thunder Bead.
However, by doing this, Yang Kai also learned what the current limits of his Space Force were, which was a small gain.
“Then you should hurry up and rest, leave everything else to me,” Shen Tu quickly urged.
Hua You Meng and the others also looked at him with concern.
Yang Kai simply nodded, “It should be safe now, you can just sail on carefully. If anything happens, I will appear.”
“Rest easy, Brother Yang. Li Nuo, quickly arrange a room for Brother Yang,” Shen Tu turned to Li Nuo and ordered.
“Sir, please follow me,” Li Nuo hurriedly led the way.
Although Origin Grade High-Rank Starships were not uncommon among great forces in the Star Field, this particular Origin Grade High-Rank Starship was exclusively refined for Shen Tu and represented the best Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce had to offer, so the interior decoration was extremely luxurious. Li Nuo led Yang Kai to the best room available before bowing and drawing back.
Yang Kai walked to the bed, sat down cross-legged, looked around for a moment, and soon found that the ambient energy in the air was extremely strong, probably a result of some kind of powerful Spirit Array.
The finest incense was also lit inside this room, filling it with a light fragrance that had a calming effect on one’s mind and spirit once inhaled.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and took out a Spirit Pill from his Space Ring before popping it into his mouth and swallowing it down. A moment later, the medicinal efficacies began to spread out and Yang Kai began to adjust his breathing.
Time flew by.
About six days later, Yang Kai managed to restore himself to his original state.
Inside the Void, Yang Kai had pushed himself to the limit, resulting in him gaining some insights into the use of Space Force, insights he planned on exploring after he has recovered.
After a few more days, Yang Kai showed a thoughtful look before a smile appeared on his face.
Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai confirmed the Starship was still sailing steadily in the Starry Sky and that everyone in the ship was performing their respective duties. Everything was calm and peaceful.
The final destination of this Starship was the Home Star of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Water Moon Star, which was also one of the destinations of Yang Kai’s trip, so he simply sat back and relaxed.
He even had time to wonder what kind of expression Xue Yue would have when they met on Water Moon Star again.
When he thought of Xue Yue, Yang Kai could not help but also think about Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, and then Shan Qing Luo…
With a long sigh, Yang Kai’s heart filled with guilt…
Quickly shaking his head to dispel these negative emotions, Yang Kai put up a barrier around his room before immediately taking out the Sealed World Bead and entering it.
In fact, he could have used the Sealed World Bead to take away Shen Tu and the others back on Purple Star. This was the most convenient and fastest way to escape that situation.
But Yang Kai had intentionally chosen not to do so; after all, the existence of the Sealed World Bead was too Heaven-defying, it was literally a complete world one could carry on them, so the fewer that knew about it, the better.
Although he had now become strong enough to not fear anyone in the Star Field, Yang Kai still had to be careful. If someone troublesome were to take an interest in him because of the existence of the Sealed World Bead, the gains would not be worth the loss.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, it was incredibly peaceful.
Xiao Xiao was still devouring Sun’s True Fire when Yang Kai arrived in front of him and took out all the precious ores he obtained from Purple Star’s Vault.
When Xiao Xiao saw these ores, his two small eyes suddenly rounded and shined with a strong light. Rushing out, he grabbed at the ores and began stuffing them into his mouth.
There were no chewing motions as all of these ores were quickly thrown into his small stomach, not causing his belly to swell at all, as if they had disappeared into some bottomless pit.
Shortly after, all the ores had disappeared.
Xiao Xiao then turned to Yang Kai eagerly, a somewhat unsatisfied look from being half-full filling his face.
Yang Kai could only laugh wryly and say, “There’s no more, go refine those first!”
Although the number was somewhat small, all these ores had been placed inside Purple Star’s Vault, so each one was no doubt extremely valuable. Now that they had all been swallowed by Xiao Xiao, it would undoubtedly be helpful to his growth.
Xiao Xiao was quite easy-going, so after scratching his head slightly, he showed a silly smile to Yang Kai before running off to refine the ores with peace of mind.
Yang Kai cast him a light gaze before moving on.
At his next stop, Yang Kai came across a large Origin King Grade Artifact Refining Furnace that was standing quietly on the ground. It was naturally Liu Yan’s artifact.
Inside the Artifact Refining Furnace, there were some occasional Firebird cries and every once in a while a burst of flames would erupt from the open furnace’s mouth. These bursts of flame not only contained the power of the Sun’s True Fire that Liu Yan had swallowed, but also the Heavenly Thunder Fire and Blue Ice Flame power as well.
Liu Yan was clearly working hard to digest the Blue Ice Flame.
Seemingly aware of the arrival of Yang Kai, a Firebird head poked out from the Artifact Refining Furnace, took a faint glance at Yang Kai, then dived back in again, and continued with her work…
“Seems like everything is fine!” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Liu Yan had a casual look to her, so obviously she was not having any difficulties.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered next and he soon arrived at a secluded place.
This was where he had planted countless spirit grasses and spirit medicines, the medicine garden which had laid out before. All the precious herbs that Yang Kai had brought out from the Severed World, many of which had gone extinct elsewhere in the Star Field, were planted in this medicine garden, making for a thriving, vibrant scene.
There was a strong medicinal fragrance wafting about, one that smelt almost enlightening.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged next to the garden and began taking out a few things from his Space Ring before placing them in front of himself one by one.
The first of these items was a round, transparent crystal.
Earth Vein Crystal!
This was one of the three most valuable treasures that Yang Kai took out from Purple Star’s Vault. After observing the Earth Vein beads for a while, he did not hesitate to throw it into the centre of the Medicine Garden.
As soon as the Earth Vein Crystal touched the ground, it sank downwards like the earth was nothing but water.
The next moment, an eruption of World Energy occurred and with the Medicine Garden as the centre, a thousand-meter radius saw its ambient aura intensity jump over a hundredfold.
From the ground, a series of gossamer-like threads began to fly out and linger about in the air, instantly flooding the surrounding region.
“Spirit Qi Wisps!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he saw this, his expression filled with excitement.
World Energy was ordinarily invisible and intangible, and only when its concentration reached a certain critical limit did it become visible to the naked eye.
The layers of mist above the famous mountains and rivers were often actually the physical manifestation of concentrated World Energy and was a resource of great benefit to cultivators who cultivated there.
But this mist was still incomparable to Spirit Qi Wisps.
Spirit Qi Wisps were a higher level of World Energy, both denser and more refined than simple fog.
These wisps were the purest and most concentrated form of World Energy. Yang Kai reached out and grabbed a wisp as he circulated his Secret Art slightly. With little effort, this wisp disappeared into the palm of his hand, formed a stream of heat inside his meridians, and quickly flowed into his dantian where it was rapidly assimilated into his own strength.
The countless Spirit Qi Wisps which were floating around now made this region look like a fairyland, indescribably beautiful.
Several wisps soon began landing on the exotic flowers and plants planted in the medicine garden, causing them to sway slightly, as if exuding their joy.
Yang Kai did not expect that placing the Earth Vein Crystal here would lead to such a result. His original intention was simply to use the Earth Vein Crystal to provide the herbs in the medicine garden with a constant supply of World Energy, as well as create a good cultivation environment for him.
This result far exceeded his expectations.
This Earth Vein Crystal really lived up to its reputation. That a tiny Earth Vein Crystal was able to provide such a massive amount of World Energy was simply shocking.
Yang Kai observed for a while before noting that only the surrounding thousand meters radius had been affected; however, the small circular region had now become a cultivation paradise far greater than any spiritual ground in existence.
Sitting amidst the ocean of Spirit Qi Wisps, Yang Kai felt that he was able to absorb the ambient energy without even consciously trying to.
In such an environment, a cultivator could definitely grow at a speed a hundred to a thousand times faster than ordinary.
Quickly collecting himself, Yang Kai picked up the second item.
It was the seventh Star Emperor Token he obtained from the Purple Star Vault.
This one was no different from the previous six pieces. All of them were made from some unknown material and had a domineering ‘Emperor’ character engraved on its face. There was also a faint Emperor Pressure that still lingered about it.
After observing it for a while, Yang Kai took out the other six tokens.
When the seven Star Emperor Tokens were gathered, a sudden change occurred.
The seven tokens shot out from Yang Kai’s hands uncontrollably and flew up into the air in front of him, arranging themselves into a pattern in the blink of an eye.
It looked like a circle, but it was missing a few links.
Yang Kai immediately knew that it was because he was lacking two Star Emperor Tokens and that the pattern still wasn’t complete.
After the seven Star Emperor Tokens were suspended mid-air for a while, they suddenly fell downwards. Yang Kai reached out and swept them up into his palm before placing them back into his Space Ring.
He then cast his eyes towards the last two items.
One of them was a scale the size of a palm. It almost looked like a gigantic fish scale but was covered with mysterious patterns and gave off an imposing and ancient aura.
Dragon Scale! The scale of an authentic Dragon.
The Dragon Scale in front of him and the Dragon Bone Sword in Yang Kai’s body seemed to sense each other and began resonating, forcing him to suppress them.
Such a big piece of Dragon Scale, in terms of value, was not inferior to the previous Earth Vein Crystal. It was obviously happened upon by an ancestor of Purple Star, but unfortunately, no one from Purple Star had been able to truly make use of it after so many years. Kuang Shi Zong had also attempted to refine this Dragon Scale many years ago but was unsuccessful. In the end, he had to reluctantly give up and store it inside the Vault.
If a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner took this Dragon Scale as a primary material and used it to create an artifact, it would produce at least an Origin King Grade High-Rank artifact; whether it was used to make an offensive artifact or defensive artifact, it would no doubt stand at the peak of the Star Field in terms of quality.
Of course, since a Dragon Scale was extraordinarily strong, using it to make a defensive artifact was the best choice, especially something like a shield.
Unfortunately, even an Origin King Grade Artifact Refiner may not be able to properly refine this Dragon Scale unless they possessed some kind of special divine flame.
Yang Kai was not an Artifact Refiner, so he could not smelt this piece of Dragon Scale, but he possessed a different advantage that no one else did.
He had the Golden Divine Dragon Source!
Amongst True Dragons, the Golden Divine Dragon was a supreme emperor, the ruler of all Ancient Divine Spirits! With the power of the Golden Divine Dragon Source and the Monster Transformation Secret Technique Chi Yue had given him, Yang Kai was confident he could completely refine this Dragon Scale into his body, integrating it into his own strength to gain part of a True Dragon’s Divine Ability.
The Dragon Scale was a True Dragon relic, and so was Yang Kai’s Dragon Bone Sword.
The Dragon Bone Sword was composed of a piece of Dragon Bone and a Dragon Bead. Yang Kai did not have the time or ability to refine this artifact and had definitely not brought it to its full potential. At the time, Yang Yan had simply passed him a special refining method that bypassed all the customary steps and allowed Yang Kai to use Liu Yan’s natal Artifact Refining Furnace to fuse the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead into an artifact.
This approach guaranteed the best use of the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead.
In other words, Yang Kai now had three Dragon relics in his hands: A Dragon Scale, a Dragon Bone, and a Dragon Bead!
If these three True Dragon artifacts could be completely integrated into his body, his strength would undoubtedly soar.
It would be impossible for others to do this, but Yang Kai, who possessed the Golden Divine Dragon Source, could.
But, he was not in a hurry to do so; he turned his attention to the last item.
It was a hexagonal shaped crystal that looked similar to the Earth Vein Crystal, but also completely different. The Earth Vein Crystal completely restrained its internal energy and appeared ordinary from the outside. Only when one’s Divine Sense penetrated into the crystal would the massive quantity of energy inside become apparent.
But this six-sided prismatic crystal released a potent energy fluctuation that caused even someone as strong as Yang Kai to feel some slight pressure.
This crystal was the Origin Essence Crystal that Yang Kai had won at the auction. Only a Third-Order Origin King could condense the essence of their perceptions in the Martial Dao into an Origin Essence Crystal.
An Origin Essence Crystal had a fatal temptation to any Origin King Realm cultivator, far more so than Domain Stones.
Refining a Domain Stone could only allow an Origin King to sense the power of Domain and more easily form their own, but an Origin Essence Crystal could allow an Origin King to go a step further in their cultivation!
This was something Yang Kai needed urgently!
The Phoenix Star Silver wrapped around this Origin Essence Crystal had already been divided up by Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan, so as long as he could absorb the energy in this Origin Essence Crystal, Yang Kai believed that even if he could not immediately break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm, reaching the peak of the Star Field, he would make the road ahead far smoother!
After looking back and forth between the Origin Essence Crystal and the Dragon Scale several times, Yang Kai finally made a decision. He would put the Origin Essence Crystal away for now!
He decided to refine the Dragon Scale first.
Refining and absorbing an Origin Essence Crystal was a very time-consuming process, and with many things still waiting to get done, Yang Kai felt like now was not the time to attempt to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm.
As for the three True Dragon relics, the Dragon Bone Sword itself contained both a piece of Dragon Bone and a Dragon Bead, which could still play some role in its current form, so the natural choice was to refine the Dragon Scale.
Considering all this, Yang Kai did not hesitate anymore, picked up the Dragon Scale, closed his eyes, and began to review the second half of the Monster Transformation Secret Technique.
The Monster Transformation was the Monster Race’s supreme Secret Technique and allowed a Monster Race cultivator to exert a trace of the power of its ancestral bloodline. All Monster Race cultivators could trace their lineage to the ancient Monster Beasts and had vast hidden potential in their blood. The problem was finding a way to awaken and utilise it.
This was the focus of the first half of the Monster Transformation Secret Technique.
As for the second half, it described the process needed to refine parts of ancient Monster Beasts into one’s own body.
The authentic Dragons, strictly speaking, were still Monster Beasts, the only difference was that they were born emperors of their kind. As such, Dragon relics were suited for the Monster Transformation Secret Technique.
Yang Kai spent ten full days studying the Monster Transformation’s second half before he decided to put it into action.
Opening his eyes and exhaling lightly, a look of determination filled Yang Kai’s eyes as he pointed his finger like a knife, lifted his other arm, and slashed at his wrist.
In the next moment a cut was opened and golden blood began oozing out from it. The powerful healing ability of Yang Kai’s golden blood immediately took effect, and the wound began to close at a speed visible to the naked eye, looking as if it would be healed in the next moment.
Yang Kai quickly picked up the Dragon Scale and stuck it onto the wound while circulating the Monster Transformation Secret Technique and pouring the power of his Golden Divine Dragon Source into the Dragon Scale at the same time.
*Weng…*
A faint hum rang out as a huge phantom dragon head suddenly appeared from the Dragon Scale. This phantom dragon head was more majestic and terrifying than any dragon head Yang Kai had previously encountered and, before it, he could not help feeling as small and insignificant as an ant.
The dragon head stared at Yang Kai without emotion, releasing a supreme Dragon Pressure towards his heart.
*Hou…*
A dragon roar that resounded like thunder exploded in Yang Kai’s ears, its voice radiating an unquestionable might that caused Yang Kai’s pulse to unconsciously accelerate.
Dragon Pressure filled the air!
Yang Kai stared back at the dragon head coldly, without flinching.
After a short moment, the phantom dragon head shook slightly before suddenly transforming into a golden light and retreating back into the Dragon Scale.
At the same time, this piece of Dragon Scale, which has been detached from a true Dragon for tens of thousands of years, possibly even longer, seemed to come to life and began drinking Yang Kai’s blood at an astonishing rate.
*Gudong, gudong…*
A clear sound echoed from the Dragon Scale as Yang Kai’s blood flowed into it, dying it in a rich golden light.
A feeling of dizziness and discomfort rose from Yang Kai’s heart, causing a look of shock to appear on his face. Not daring to neglect, Yang Kai quickly exploded a drop of pure Golden Blood in his body to replenish his rapidly disappearing blood.
Another high-pitched dragon roar sounded from the Dragon Scale, as if it was extremely happy, and it began swallowing Yang Kai’s blood even more unscrupulously.
Contained in Yang Kai’s blood was an unimaginable amount of vitality, especially his pure Golden Blood, which was condensed from Life Revitalizing Jade Cream. Any drop of Golden Blood was a tonic that could bring someone on the brink of death back to life.
This massive amount of vitality was indispensable for refining this True Dragon relic.
As time passed, Yang Kai was forced to explode ten drops of pure Golden Blood, but the Dragon Scale still seemed unsatisfied as it continued to swallow all it was fed uncontrollably.
The entire Dragon Scale was now a pure golden colour, and the Dragon Pressure it radiated was even more powerful than before.
After a while, Yang Kai suddenly felt that the flow of his blood stopped and he immediately became ecstatic, knowing that he had finally satiated this Dragon Scale. Turning his eyes towards it, Yang Kai discovered that the originally nigh indestructible Dragon Scale had now transformed into a halo of golden light that flowed like running water around the wound on his arm.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and prepared himself. With a single thought, a suction force appeared from his wound and drew this golden light into his body.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he grabbed the wound with his free hand, his whole body shuddering as his face went completely pale and beads of sweat began oozing from his forehead, soaking his clothes in an instant.
Unimaginable pain radiated from the wound and was seemingly magnified ten thousand times over as it strongly stimulated Yang Kai’s physique and nerves.
Yang Kai was no stranger to pain and had an incredibly firm will, but in the end, he was unable to hold back and released an unimaginable scream that resounded throughout the Small Sealed World.
The pain was simply unbearable, and Yang Kai could feel it countless times clearer than usual. He could clearly feel that the Dragon Scale, which was sucked into his body, was slowly creeping along his arm like flowing lava, burning down everything in its path as it slowly climbed higher.
Every moment brought an almost soul crushing agony.
Yang Kai’s pain filled screams rang out continuously.
In any case, he was the only living person in the Small Sealed World, so there was no need for him to feel embarrassed by this display.
However, Xiao Xiao who was refining ore and Liu Yan who was refining the Blue Ice Flame heard these screams and could not help looking over, both of their faces showing worried expressions as they feared that Yang Kai had encountered some kind of accident.
Yang Kai’s pitiful screams refused to subside even as his voice grew hoarse.
Naturally, he was suffering from unimaginably painful torment.
Every time the Dragon Scale moved upwards; Yang Kai felt as if his arm was being slashed apart by a thousand swords. Wherever the Dragon Scale passed, his physique and meridians were shredded, and even with Yang Kai’s tyrannical physical strength, he was unable to resist the corrosive force of the potent Dragon Pressure.
Fortunately, his vitality was extremely tenacious, so the rate at which he could heal was somehow able to keep up with the rate of the damage.
After an entire day, the golden light from the Dragon Scale flowed into Yang Kai’s heart.
*Peng peng…*
Two strong heartbeats sounded and Yang Kai’s whole body froze. The next moment, his heart completely stopped beating and he collapsed to the ground with a burst of golden light.
Watching from a distance, the already worried Liu Yan and Xiao Xiao were shocked and rushed over immediately. Liu Yan helped Yang Kai up as she hurriedly checked for any signs of breathing or pulse while Xiao Xiao stood to the side, jumping up and down anxiously but powerless to help.
After realizing that not only had Yang Kai’s breathing ceased, but his heart had also stopped, Liu Yan’s eyes could not help but darken as she raised her eyes to Xiao Xiao and slowly shook her head.
Xiao Xiao made a ‘wu wu’ sound from his mouth as he hurriedly pointed his finger at Liu Yan, then at Yang Kai, gesturing frantically as if imploring her to think up a solution quickly.
Liu Yan could only reply with silence though.
Suddenly, Yang Kai, who seemed to already be dead, opened his eyes and took in a sharp breath. As if his soul had just returned to his body, he clutched his chest and gasped as his eyes trembled violently.
*Dong dong…*
A heartbeat stronger than ever before sounded from his chest and continued to sound like a deafening war drum.
With time, this abnormal heartbeat gradually became stable and finally returned to normal.
It was not until this time that Yang Kai completely recovered and slowly stood up straight, his eyes filled with lingering fear.
Liu Yan frowned as she looked at him, and only after confirming that he seemed to be fine did she exhale with relief. Xiao Xiao had a simpler reaction as he simply jumped about at Yang Kai’s feet, a cheerful expression on his face.
“I had a small accident and caused you to worry,” Yang Kai smiled lightly as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
He had not expected this either. Just fusing with a single Dragon Scale was so dangerous. Everything had gone smoothly at the beginning, and even taking the Dragon Scale into his body, while painful, was still within the realm of his control, but when the dragon scale entered his heart, Yang Kai suddenly felt as if he was about to die.
Fortunately, his body was far from ordinary. Only by relying on his powerful vitality was he able to survive, and if it had been someone else, they would likely be dead by now.
With his powerful Second-Order Origin King cultivation, the mere refinement of a single True Dragon Scale had almost cost his life, so it was not difficult to imagine how dangerous this process was.
This was also only the first True Dragon relic Yang Kai planned to refine. If he wanted to refine the second and third pieces, it would likely not be possible in the near future. Only if he could dramatically improve his strength would be able to even think about refining the Dragon Bone and Dragon Bead.
Seeing that he was fine, Liu Yan nodded slightly before her tender body flickered, transformed into her Firebird form, and rushed off to a certain place in the Small Sealed World to continue her retreat.
Xiao Xiao stood at Yang Kai’s feet, patted Yang Kai’s calf, and then patted his chest, trying to straighten up his rickety waist, as if telling Yang Kai that ‘next time you encounter danger, do not worry, just leave everything to me.’
He was the picture of reliability!
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and patted Xiao Xiao’s head with a cheerful expression on his face.
At that moment though, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and released his Divine Sense, his expression becoming a bit strange before he turned to Xiao Xiao and said, “You go back and cultivate, something happened outside. I’ll go check it out.”
Xiao Xiao seemed to understand and nodded, after which Yang Kai disappeared.
In the Starry Sky, the Starship, which was supposed to be sailing towards Water Moon Star, had come to a stop, and outside, a battle was raging.
Abroad this Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship, the overall level of the cultivators was not low. In addition to Yang Kai, there was another Origin King: Aunt Chun of Clear Sky Auction House. She was only at the First Order, but an Origin King was still a top-level powerhouse.
Below her, whether it was Li Nuo, Hua You Meng, or several other cultivators belonging to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, they were all masters in the Origin Returning Realm, with no lack of those at the Third Order.
Such combat power was not weak.
But even so, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce side was being thoroughly suppressed.
Aunt Chun had been entangled by an enemy First-Order Origin King and had no energy to spare for anyone else while the several Third-Order Origin Returning Realms like Li Nuo and Hua You Meng had their own equally matched opponents.
As for Xia Jing Wu, Hai Tang, Yao Qing, and the others from Five Paths Chamber of Commerce, they were all pale at the moment, obviously lacking in strength.
On the contrary, numerous enemies were facing them, many of them scattered around the perimeter, just waiting and watching for suitable opportunities to strike.
It could be seen at a glance that this battle had been taking place for some time now. Even Aunt Chun and the other Origin King had fluctuations in the Saint Qi aura indicative of excessive consumption.
However, it was because their opponent was also an Origin King master that neither side dared to use extreme measures and was instead focused on fighting a battle of attrition.
Once an Origin King was forced into a desperate situation, both sides would surely suffer.
“Why hasn’t Brother Yang come out yet?” Shen Tu pushed back an enemy and asked Yao Qing, who was panting next to him, quietly.
Yao Qing could only reply with a depressed look, “How should I know? I went to that Sir’s door to ask him for assistance, but he never responded.”
“Perhaps he’s in the middle of some kind comprehension and is unable to extricate himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t simply ignore this situation,” Shen Tu muttered with a heavy heart. Although there was not any need to worry yet with Aunt Chun here, if some kind of accident occurred, there was a chance all of them would become prisoners again.
Shen Tu could not help cursing his luck!
Ordinarily, a Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce Starship was able to walk sideways in the Star Field; after all, as long as one recognized Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s flag, almost everyone would take the initiative to give way. However, things were drastically different this time. First, he had gotten swept up in Purple Star’s internal power struggle, getting captured and detained. Afterwards, Shen Tu managed to escape with Yang Kai’s help, but on the way home, he had encountered this mess.
Looking around, Shen Tu could not stop his heart from sinking as he found that his men’s conditions were deteriorating rapidly. If Yang Kai did not appear soon, his side would surely begin suffering casualties or be captured.
Just as he was feeling full of anxiety, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears, “Everyone stop, we’re all friends!”
Everyone from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce was overjoyed when they heard this voice and immediately turned towards the source of this sound where they saw a familiar figure standing in the void. All of them were finally able to relax as their previous anxiety was swept away.
The appearance of Yang Kai seemed to give them infinite confidence.
This change surprised the group which was opposing Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
First-Order Origin King who was battling with Aunt Chun frowned upon hearing these words and shouted, “Nonsense! Who are you calling ‘friend!’”
Yang Kai, however, just looked over and chuckled, “What’s wrong? After only a few years, has Senior already forgotten this Junior?”
“Do you know this old master?” From a distance away, the enemy Origin King was startled before quickly thinking of something and exclaiming, “This voice…”
As he spoke, he turned around to finally take a look at Yang Kai, and after seeing this familiar figure, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he pointed and stammered, “You…you…”
“Senior Ba He, I trust you’ve been well since we last met!” Yang Kai cupped his fists at him with a smile.
Ba He continued to stare at Yang Kai in a daze, only rubbing his eyes vigorously after a moment to make sure he wasn’t seeing things before calling out, “Yang Kai! It’s really you!”
“Hey, it’s Little Brother-In-Law!” A vigorous voice sounded from the side, seemingly addressing Yang Kai. The speaker was burly like an iron tower, with a shaggy beard on his face and a bear-like look that could intimidate anyone who stood before him.
“So Brother Yu Xiong is also here,” Yang Kai smiled as he addressed this man.
“Call me elder brother-in-law!” Yu Xiong insisted.
“Haha…” Yang Kai smiled without saying a word.
Yu Xiong could not help rolling his eyes.
With Yang Kai’s appearance, the fighting between the two sides abruptly came to an end as everyone looked at him with strange expressions; however, that did not mean anyone dropped their guard against their opponents.
“Brother Yang…” Shen Tu flew to Yang Kai’s side and asked softly, “Do you know this flock of Monsters?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “We have some friendship.”
When he discovered that the cultivators fighting Shen Tu belonged to Monster Emperor Star’s Red Moon Territory, Yang Kai was quite puzzled, wondering how they had met in this vast Star Field.
Ba He already having broken through to the First-Order Origin King Realm was within his expectations.
When Yang Kai first met Ba He, the latter was already a master at the same level as Ye Xi Yun. Ye Xi Yun was able to easily break through to the Origin King Realm, so Ba He was as well, especially since he had also gone to experience the Blood Prison Trial and obtained many benefits from it.
On the other hand, Yu Xiong was still a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator, though his aura had become noticeably more condensed.
“Do you know what their background is?” Shen Tu looked at Yang Kai in surprise, “As far as I know, they are Monsters from Red Moon Territory on Monster Emperor Star. Do you also know that?”
“En, I know,” Yang Kai laughed and asked. “How did you wind up fighting?”
Shen Tu immediately sneered, “This group is clearly nothing good, just like those thieves from Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair, they wanted to snatch our Starship. Maybe they thought there was something good aboard it.”
Yang Kai frowned hearing this accusation.
Yu Xiong hurriedly objected though, “We’re nothing like your Human robbers! It’s you people who trespassed into my Monster Emperor Star’s territory, we are only protecting our borders!”
“Monster Emperor Star is nearby?” Yang Kai was shocked and swept his eyes around quickly, soon locating a familiar-looking star in the distance that was exuding a thick Monster Qi!
“Five million kilometres away!” Yu Xiong replied confidently.
“Five million kilometres? Don’t you think you Monsters are a bit too presumptuous?” Shen Tu snapped back with an unhappy expression on his face.
“Father here does not! Since I’ve said that this is my Monster Emperor Star’s territory, it is my Monster Emperor Star’s territory. You Humans have stepped into our land, so we need to teach you a lesson,” Yu Xiong said without the slightest hint of restraint.
“Bullshit! Monster Emperor Star is five million kilometres away, yet you claim we violated your borders?” Shen Tu sneered, “Haven’t you woken up yet?”
Yu Xiong tilted his head and looked at him faintly before asking Yang Kai, “Brother-in-law, this brat is quite unpleasant to the eye, does it matter if I kill him?”
As soon as this statement was made, the atmosphere between the two sides suddenly became tense again, with Aunt Chun particularly upset as she pushed her Saint Qi harder, staring at Yu Xiong with murderous intent. Ba He was naturally not willing to be outdone and quickly locked his Divine Sense onto Aunt Chun. Sparks flew and another fight seemed to be inevitable.
“Don’t make trouble!” Yang Kai just coldly snorted and slightly released his Origin King Realm aura.
Perceiving this power, Ba He immediately called out in alarm, “Yang Kai, you… you’re already a Second-Order Origin King?”
As he spoke, he almost bit his tongue as he stared at Yang Kai in utter shock, unable to believe what he was sensing.
When he saw Yang Kai just now, although he faintly felt that he was much stronger than the last time, Ba He had not thought too much about it, but when Yang Kai revealed his true strength, Ba He immediately realized that he had reached an even higher realm than himself!
How was that possible though?
When he met Yang Kai that year, Yang Kai was only a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator. Even after leaving the Blood Prison Trial together, Yang Kai was still only at the Second-Order Origin Realm.
How many years had it been since then? Ten? Twenty? How could Yang Kai already be a Second-Order Origin King? Was there anyone in the world who could break through at such a rate?
Ba He stood dumbfounded on the spot.
“What? Second-Order Origin King? Senior Ba He, are you sure?” Yu Xiong also stared with bulged eyes.
“With something like this, how could I possibly make a mistake with my senses?” Ba He gulped as he felt his mouth go dry.
Anyone who knew about Yang Kai’s cultivation speed would not be able to remain calm. Compared with Yang Kai’s aptitude and promotion speed, Ba He felt he had spent all his life in vain.
Yu Xiong froze for a while before letting out a hearty laugh, “As expected of my amazing brother-in-law, only you can be matched with my little sister!”
He was a simple man and truly felt happy for Shan Qing Luo.
Hearing him mention Shan Qing Luo, Yang Kai’s expression also eased, and he opened his mouth to say, “Everyone, give me some face. Regardless of the cause of today’s matter, fortunately, there haven’t been any casualties so let’s end it here!”
Saying so, he turned to look at Ba He, then at Shen Tu.
Ba He nodded, “There is no hatred between us in the first place, and since they were brought here with you, Yang Kai, this old master will naturally not make things difficult.”
Shen Tu snorted, “I’ll give Brother Yang face as well. I didn’t know you knew these Monsters.”
“Okay,” Yang Kai nodded lightly before turning to Yu Xiong and asking, “How is Qing Luo now?”
“Little Sister?” Yu Xiong scratched his head before grinning widely, “Well, since she returned from the Blood Prison, she’s been in retreat. When she exits, she’ll be an Origin King. Adoptive Mother is extremely optimistic about her, so you don’t need to worry.”
“How is Senior Chi Yue?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Adoptive mother is also in retreat,” Yu Xiong grinned.
“Senior Chi Yue is in retreat… Does that mean…?” Yang Kai suddenly thought of something.
“Exactly,” Yu Xiong laughed, “When Adoptive Mother exits her retreat, all of Monster Emperor Star will become my Red Moon Territory’s.”
Chi Yue was originally a Second-Order Origin King, but now she had obtained the Origin Essence Crystal of Mad Crocodile Monster King and entered a state of retreat. If she could successfully break through, she would become the only Monster King level existence on Monster Emperor Star.
Among the Monster Race, only those who were Third-Order Origin Kings were qualified to be called Monster Kings! Right now, Chi Yue was still just a Tribal Lord.
Monster Kings ruled supreme over the Monster Race, so when she broke through, Chi Yue would become the sole leader of Monster Emperor Star.
“Then I’ll have to offer my congratulations to Senior Chi Yue,” Yang Kai’s expression changed as he proposed. “If it is convenient, I want to go to the Red Moon Territory to meet Senior Chi Yue. I wonder if Brother Yu can lead the way?”
“Call me Elder Brother-In-Law and I’ll bring you there!” Brother Yu chuckled heartily.
Yang Kai directly ignored him and turned to Ba He.
Ba He wore a somewhat embarrassed look as he replied slowly, “Yang Kai, you are not an outsider, so Monster Emperor Star and Red Moon Territory welcome you, but if you want to see Lady Tribal Lord… Now might not be an appropriate time. Just as Yu Xiong said, Lady Tribal Lord is currently in retreat and must not be disturbed.”
“I understand this; however, Senior Chi Yue is not in seclusion, only in retreat and I only need to say a few words to her so it won’t delay her too much.”
Ba He frowned while Yu Xiong did not interrupt anymore, knowing that this was a matter he couldn’t take responsibility for.
“Rest assured, if Senior Chi Yue is displeased, I will shoulder the responsibility, but… I believe Senior Chi Yue will be incredibly happy with the news I’ve brought and won’t blame you in the slightest.”
“Ha…” Ba He sighed. “Since you’ve said this much, what more can I say?”
“Many thanks then, Senior Ba He,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“Brother Yang, you’re going to Monster Emperor Star?” Shen Tu’s face changed slightly, and he asked in a low voice.
“Yeah, I need to meet with Senior Chi Yue,” Yang Kai nodded slightly, “What about you? Do you want to wait here for me or accompany me to Monster Emperor Star?”
Shen Tu’s brow furrowed for a moment before he eventually said, “The Monster Race is known for its brutality, so I cannot let Brother Yang go on his own. If we go together, we can take care of one another. En, I’ve also wanted to see what Monster Emperor Star is like for some time now.”
“En, then we’ll go together!” Yang Kai smiled lightly, not minding.
Shen Tu gave the order and everyone else began making preparations. At the same time, a Starship sailed out from a nearby Asteroid Sea, one that clearly belonged to the Monster Race.
The Monster Race was not skilled at Alchemy or Artifact Refining, but not everyone who lived on Monster Emperor Star belonged to the Monster Race, there were also many Humans, but their status wasn’t very high.
Monster Emperor Star was divided into ten territories, each ruled by one of the ten Tribal Lords. The attitude towards Humans varied greatly from one territory to another; some territories killed humans on sight while others gave them space to live and develop as long as they did not exceed certain limits…
Red Moon Territory was without a doubt the most welcoming territory to humans, especially Alchemists and Artifact Refiners who could obtain even higher status than average Monster Race cultivators. It was also for this reason that the development of Red Moon Territory over the years was far faster than that of the other Tribal Lords’.
There were always many talented Humans who wanted to move to Red Moon Territory to offer their services to Chi Yue.
The Starship that Ba He, Yu Xiong, and the other Monsters rode was refined by these Human Artifact Refiners, and although it was only Origin Grade Mid-Rank, it was enough to support short-to-medium-distance sailings.
The two Starships sailed side by side towards the Monster Emperor Star at a rapid pace.
The five million kilometre distance was closed after just one day and night.
Half-Moon Mountain, where Chi Yue’s palace was built, was the central and most important location in all of Red Moon Territory.
When the two Starships broke through the clouds and arrived in the sky above Half-Moon Mountain, they saw that the mountains below were enveloped by the huge energy curtain that was emitting a dazzling light.
Outside this light curtain, there seemed to be many Monster Race masters gathered, with two who had particularly strong auras, their Monster Qi seemingly powerful enough to pierce the sky.
One of these two had spiked hair and was even taller and burlier than Yu Xiong, his chest bare and his muscles rippling with strength, giving him a particularly wild look.
The other person, on the other hand, appeared quite delicate, completely unlike a typical Monster Race. Instead, there was a kind of refined aura about this man that resembled that of a refined human scholar. This person’s eyes flashed a pale silver colour and seemed to contain some kind of mysterious power.
At this moment, many Monster Race masters were attacking the light barrier while the wild-looking Monster Race leader roared, “Chi Yue, we have arrived here from afar, yet you sealed off Half-Moon Mountain right before us. Is this your definition of hospitality? You look down on this Xue Jiao too much!”
As soon as this statement was made, the identity of this person was instantly clear. It was none other than Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord, one of the Ten Great Tribal Lords and the one who most despised Humans on Monster Emperor Star. It was said that there were no humans at all in his territory other than slaves as he had ordered the rest to be killed.
His roar garnered no response from Half-Moon Mountain.
Seeing this, the scholarly looking Monster Race leader standing next to him quickly said, “Brother Xue Jiao, why bother asking a question you already know the answers to? Chi Yue acting this way clearly shows she does not give us any face. You and I are both Tribal Lords, but when we come to visit her, she actually slams the door and refuses to even speak to us.”
“Since she doesn’t give this Xue Jiao any face, I need not give her any either!” Xue Jiao was already disgruntled and was only further infuriated when he heard these words, quickly calling out, “Chi Yue, only a few years ago, my son Xue Lian left from here to travel to the Blood Prison Trial, eventually dying inside. I have yet to settle this matter with you! Yet today, you go even further to humiliate me! Good, good, good, since that’s the case, I demand you face me in combat with our titles as Tribal Lords on the line! Do you have the guts?”
Still no response came from Half-Moon Mountain.
Xue Jiao ground his teeth in anger as he roared to the feminine-looking leader next to him, “Brother Qian Yan, this woman refused to even respond to my challenge. How should we proceed?”
Qian Yan, Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord narrowed his eyes and said, “Since she refuses to respond to the challenge, we have no other choice but to storm her palace. In any case, we cannot allow her to refine the Origin Essence Crystal of Mad Crocodile Monster King. If she succeeds and becomes a Monster King, this Monster Emperor Star will definitely not have a place for you and me!”
Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord heard this, and some fear flashed across the depths of his eyes before he clenched his fists and nodded, “You’re right. Since that’s the case, I ask Brother Qian Yan to join hands with this Xue to break through this Half-Moon Mountain barrier!”
“Brother Xue must not act rashly, this Half-Moon Mountain barrier is able to absorb the essence of the moon to continuously strengthen itself, so it will definitely not be easily broken.”
Xue Jiao curled his lips and spat, “This barrier is just a dead object, it can’t retaliate. If you and I cooperate, why would we fear it? Brother Qian Yan is simply too cautious. Do not forget, it was not only my son who died in the Blood Prison, but also your son! The one who killed them was that human boy, the one Chi Yue sent out with them, I don’t believe she didn’t have any hand in this.”
Hearing what he said, Qian Yan’s silver eyes also filled with murderous intent and he nodded, “Alright, we will act together.”
The two Monster Race Tribal Lords exchanged a glance before they began pushing their Monster Qi. In an instant, the world began to tremble as a soaring Monster Qi poured out from the two Tribal Lords and condensed into a physical manifestation of their might. All the Monster Race masters who felt this pressure instantly had their faces change and hurriedly backed away, lest they be affected by this rampaging power.
The two Monster Race Tribal Lords wasted no time after making their decision. Xue Jiao let out a fierce roar as his burly body suddenly expanded and his vitality flared up so violently it actually became a visible red halo that pulsed from his figure.
With a flicker, Xue Jiao’s figure shot out like a bolt of lightning towards Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier.
The Monster Race was known for its physical prowess, and Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord was undoubtedly the most gifted in terms of physique. Even just a simple charge from him contained unimaginable destructive power.
As he flew forward, the ground beneath him and even the space around him cracked under his might.
*Hong…*
Xue Jiao smashed headlong into Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier, causing the entire mountain to tremble and the light curtain to flicker wildly, as if it was about to collapse.
Xue Jiao saw this and smiled happily, thinking that Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier was only worth this much, but just as he was about to add more force to his charge and completely break through, an extremely violent rebound force suddenly appeared, one that was even more intense than the one he had just used.
Having been caught off guard, Xue Jiao was too late to react and took the full brunt of this rebound force.
With a muffled grunt, his burly body was sent flying.
All the Monster Race masters looked at each other and saw the looks of horror on their faces.
Fortunately for Xue Jiao, Blood Flood Dragons have thick skin and a tough hide, so despite this rebounding force being quite strong, it was only able to embarrass him, not hurt him. To the side, Qian Yan said with a solemn expression, “It is rumoured that Half-Moon Mountain itself was formed from the remains of a giant ancient Monster King, so it has some unusual properties to it.”
Xue Jiao only glanced over at him, dissatisfied, though and snapped, “Stop commenting and help.”
Qian Yan nodded and began releasing a dazzling silver light from his eyes. This silver light quickly condensed into a physical substance and eventually took the shape of two sharp swords. With a flicker, these two swords shot off like arrows from the string and pierced towards the barrier like bolts of lightning.
Seeing this, Xue Jiao did not remain idle and quickly coordinated with Qian Yan’s Secret Technique, rushing forward again while throwing out his huge fist towards Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier.
The combined blows of two Monster Race Tribal Lords were enough to shatter the Heavens.
When the attacks arrived this time, the Half-Moon Mountain barrier flickered even more rapidly than before, but this time Xue Jiao was prepared and did not get flung back by the rebounding force.
After this one blow, the light from Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier seemed to dim slightly.
Seeing this, Qian Yan and Xue Jiao’s eyes flashed as the two of them exchanged a knowing glance. As Tribal Lords, naturally, they could see that as long as they joined forces and released a few more attacks of similar intensity, they could break down this troublesome barrier and dive into Chi Yue’s palace. No matter what, they had to stop Chi Yue from calmly absorbing the power of Mad Crocodile Monster King’s Origin Essence Crystal.
The two Monster Race masters who had violently been attacking the Half-Moon Mountain barrier up until now all stopped their movements. Both Blood Flood Dragon and Qian Yan have serious expressions, trying to dispel the discomfort in their hearts.
“Xue Jiao, Qian Yan, this Queen is a leader of the Monster Race just like you and does not want to make things difficult between us. If you leave now, this Queen can pretend nothing happened here, otherwise, you will have to pay the price for your actions today!”
“Chi Yue!” Xue Jiao and Qian Yan muttered at the same time.
They were all Monster Race Tribal Lords and had numerous dealings with each other before, so they could recognize Chi Yue’s voice. However, Chi Yue gave them a very different feeling from before. Her words were by no means fierce. Instead, they were quite measured, but just listening to them caused them a sense of dread, making them feel that if they continued their current actions they would really face unimaginable consequences.
The two Tribal Lords both felt their hearts shake as they exchanged an uncertain glance.
Qian Yan, however, grit his teeth soon and shouted, “Paltry tricks! If you had the ability, you would have lowered this barrier and invited us inside from the start!”
“Exactly!” Xue Jiao echoed from the side, “Chi Yue, you say we are all leaders of the Monster Race, but after I and Brother Qian Yan arrived here, you refused to even see us yet now you claim we should all show each other respect? If you believe that, open this barrier and let us in!”
“It’s useless to say more. Life or death, I leave the choice up to you, this Queen has already shown enough benevolence!” Chi Yue’s voice came from Half-Moon Mountain once more before falling silent again.
Both Xue Jiao and Qian Yan were oozing cold sweat from their foreheads as they both were faintly aware of something.
After a long time, Qian Yan turned his head to look at the Xue Jiao and asked, “Brother Xue Jiao, are you afraid?”
“I’ve never feared anyone before,” The Blood Flood Dragon snorted coldly.
“Very good,” Qian Yan nodded lightly before wearing a grin, “Since that’s the case, we should give it our all.”
Xue Jiao frowned, seemingly hesitant, but he steeled himself and nodded in the end, “Yes!”
As soon as his voice fell, the Monster Qi of the two Tribal Lords burst out again as they each used their own earth-shattering methods to attack Half-Moon Mountain’s barrier.
“Stubborn fools!” Chi Yue’s annoyed voice rang out as the World Energy in the surrounding region suddenly became turbulent. High up in the sky, a giant jade white palm rapidly condensed.
This palm fell from the sky and pressed towards Xue Jiao and Qian Yan.
The two Monster Race Tribal Lords both felt their knees begin to buckle under the approaching palm as they stared up at it in horror. Xue Jiao even exclaimed, “Commanding Heaven and Earth, has she already reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm?”
Qian Yan was also taken aback. The only reason why they dared to act presumptuously here was that they had the numerical advantage. As long as all of them were Second-Order Origin Kings, the side that had more was naturally held the advantage.
However, if Chi Yue had become a Monster King, a Third-Order Origin King Realm powerhouse, two of them would be no better than one.
At that moment, Qian Yan involuntarily began thinking of retreating, simply wanting to escape from Half-Moon Mountain, the farther away the better.
But soon, his silver eyes burst with brilliant light and he shouted, “No, it’s just a Secret Technique. Brother Xue Jiao, quickly!”
While he urged Xue Jiao, Qian Yan opened his mouth and let out a terrifying roar that created sound waves visible to the naked eye which shot towards the giant palm.
Xue Jiao had lost all fighting spirit and his face was ashen, but with Qian Yan’s shout, his survival instinct kicked in and he began releasing a violent power from his body as he sent a flurry of punches containing his full might into the sky.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Fist shadows and sound waves collided with the palm print outside Half-Moon Mountain and a chaotic explosion of energy accompanied a blinding light that seemed to engulf the entire world.
Only after some time did the light fade and the dust settle.
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao both wore beaming smiles as they exchanged a glance, quickly regaining their confidence while no further movement came from Half-Moon Mountain.
“Chi Yue really hasn’t broken through yet,” Xue Jiao grinned and muttered lowly, all the panic disappearing from his expression.
“We don’t have long though,” Qian Yan on the contrary remained worried, “Brother Xue Jiao, if we delay much longer, she’ll certainly succeed, and then there really will be no place for us on Monster Emperor Star.”
“I know,” Blood Flood Dragon’s eyes shone fiercely as he nodded firmly.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s quickly break this damn barrier! No matter what, we cannot let her succeed,” Qian Yan yelled angrily.
Just as the two Monster Race Tribal Lords were about to attack again though, a figure mysteriously appeared in front of them, standing mid-air, looking down at them indifferently.
“Who!?” Xue Jiao shouted.
“A human?” Qian Yan saw through Yang Kai’s identity at a glance and couldn’t help knitting his brow. Releasing his Divine Sense towards Yang Kai in order to probe his depths, his expression soon filled with shock as he called out, “A Second-Order Origin King!”
On Monster Emperor Star, this was an absolutely impossibility. There were no human Origin Kings here, and even Origin Returning Realm cultivators were extremely rare. As such, the only explanation was that this unknown young man had come from another Cultivation Star.
Looking at Yang Kai’s stance though, it was clear he was here to block them, which greatly confused Qian Yan.
“This guy looks familiar,” Xue Jiao muttered in a low voice, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Yang Kai hard, not knowing when he had met such a person before.
Yang Kai simply grinned back at the two Monster Race Tribal Lords as he spoke to Chi Yue in Half-Moon Mountain, “Senior, you seem to be having some trouble!”
“Little Bastard, it’s you!” Chi Yue was also greatly shocked by Yang Kai’s sudden appearance outside Half-Moon Mountain at this time.
“Ah? You’ve actually reached the Second-Order Origin King Realm already? How is that possible?” A stronger sense of astonishment soon came from Half-Moon Mountain as even the surrounding World Energy became a bit unstable in response to the swing in Chi Yue’s mood.
Yang Kai smiled lightly as he said, “The world is vast, and there are many shocking things in it, so nothing is impossible; however, rather than focus on such things, Senior should concentrate on herself right now.”
Chi Yue angrily snapped, “You think this Queen needs you to remind her of such things?”
“En, Junior has said something unnecessary,” Yang Kai chuckled. “Good, this little trouble, does Senior want Junior to help you solve it?”
“You’re quite confident,” Chi Yue was surprised, “How long has it been since you reached the Origin King Realm?”
“Hehe, against two Tribal Lords, Junior can’t guarantee too much, but self-protection won’t be an issue.”
“Oh?” Chi Yue was amazed, wondering just where Yang Kai was getting all his confidence from, but after a moment, she acquiesced, “It’s not convenient for me to act right now, so if you are really capable, play with them for a bit. In any case, you’re not an outsider, so it’s only natural you help me!”
“Junior won’t disappoint!”
“Be careful. Although this Queen does not know what miraculous elixir you took to raise your strength to this level in such a short period of time… All Origin Kings need a long accumulation of time to truly bring out their strength. In any case, don’t you dare die. This Queen doesn’t want Qing Luo to blame her in the future.” Chi Yue obviously thought that Yang Kai being able to reach his current cultivation so quickly was thanks to some kind of pill or treasure, and not an ordinary one at that!
“Many thanks, Senior. I will try my best to survive,” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.
While the two talked, Xue Jiao and Qian Yan remained silent, but as time passed, the two Tribal Lords only grew angrier.
Yang Kai clearly did not put them in his eyes, making them extremely unhappy!
They were both famous Tribal Lords of Monster Emperor Star. Even considering the entire Star Field, they were top-level masters. When had they ever been so despised?
Qian Yan looked at Yang Kai gloomily and sneered, “It is said that the Humans are inherently arrogant. This Tribal Lord had some doubts before, but now it seems those rumours aren’t exaggerated…”
“The Human Race being rampant isn’t anything new,” Xue Jiao coldly snorted as he stared at Yang Kai fiercely, “But boy, this is my Monster Emperor Star. You’d best scram with your tail between your legs if you want to keep it.”
Yang Kai just smiled without saying a word, staring at the two Tribal Lords quietly, not even trying to make a rebuttal.
Qian Yan turned his silver eyes and said, “Boy, this King doesn’t know what your relationship is with Chi Yue, but if you continue to stand in our way, don’t blame us for being impolite. If you understand, quickly make way. This is my Monster Race’s business; it has nothing to do with you.”
“En, even if all of us are Second-Order Origin Kings, two versus one, do you think you stand any chance?” Xue Jiao shouted lowly.
“Whether I can win or not, you’ll know after we fight,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, not backing down.
Qian Yan’s face sank, “Do you insist on sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
“Nothing of the sort,” Yang Kai shook his head. “According to seniority, I have to address Chi Yue as Mother-In-Law, so how could mother-in-law’s affairs not be my business?”
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao suddenly showed strange expressions, but soon, Qian Yan seemed to think of something and shouted, “So it’s about that Half-Monster girl!”
The Half-Monster he referred to was naturally Shan Qing Luo. Shan Qing Luo was born human but possessed the Poison Widow Special Constitution and had absorbed a Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Source. Now, Shan Qing Luo could be considered half-human, half-monster. She was a rising star on Monster Emperor Star and was quite eye-catching, so it was only normal for all of Monster Emperor Star to know who she was.
Inside Half-Moon Mountain, Chi Yue’s voice suddenly sounded, “Smelly Brat, don’t act so familiar! This Queen hasn’t given you her permission yet!”
Yang Kai turned his head to look over there while saying with a chuckle, “It doesn’t matter if Senior agrees or disagrees, Qing Luo agrees.”
Chi Yue was suddenly speechless.
“Enough!” Qian Yan shouted angrily, his silver eyes glaring at Yang Kai coldly as he said, “Since you court death yourself, we will oblige! Xue Jiao, you play with him while I break this barrier!”
“En, leave him to me,” Xue Jiao said with a savage grin. Licking his lips, he stared at Yang Kai as if the latter were some kind of delicious meal. “The body of an Origin King is a real delicacy; I’ve not eaten something so good in a long time.”
“Stop wasting time and finish him off!” Qian Yan urged impatiently.
As soon as his voice fell, Xue Jiao rushed out at a shocking speed. Soaring through the air, he arrived right in front of Yang Kai in the blink of an eye before swinging down his thick, iron arm.
This blow seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary but supplemented by the powerful physical prowess of Xue Jiao and his shocking cultivation, it could easily shatter a huge mountain.
“Be careful!” Chi Yue’s voice rang out, accompanied by a hint of tension.
As a Monster Race Tribal Lord herself, she knew Xue Jiao’s strength intimately. Even she herself did not dare engage in close-quarter combat with Xue Jiao as his physical strength was beyond what an ordinary cultivator could handle.
Yang Kai stood still on the spot, however, and simply raised his arms to block in front of himself.
Seeing this, the Xue Jiao was stunned, but immediately he became overjoyed as he grinned and shouted, “Arrogant boy, just watch how this Tribal Lord smashes you to paste!”
As these words fell, his thick arm landed on Yang Kai’s arms.
*Dang…*
Like metal meeting metal, a huge, deafening clang rang out and spread throughout Half-Moon Mountain before spreading even further afield.
Xue Jiao’s confident expression immediately went stiff and was quickly replaced with a look of disbelief.
Qian Yan, who was preparing to attack the barrier, could not help freezing in place as he stared in a daze while Chi Yue’s gasp also echoed from inside Half-Moon Mountain.
At this moment, the three Monster Race Tribal Lords had been thoroughly shocked and could not help wondering if they were all dreaming.
Yang Kai slowly raised his eyes at that moment to meet Xue Jiao’s indifferently before he grinned, “Friend… you seem quite confident in your body.”
“You…” Xue Jiao’s complexion suddenly changed as his eyes shrank. He could not believe that his full-powered blow was so easily blocked by his opponent, and that his opponent showed no signs of backing away.
What’s more, he was attacking while the other side simply defended, meaning his blow was unable to cause any harm!
“Your body…” Xue Jiao suddenly seemed to understand something, and his eyes filled with surprise.
Yang Kai just smiled and said, “Sorry, my body also isn’t bad.”
Xue Jiao’s eyes narrowed as he realized his conjecture was right, but soon he became angry at being despised like this and his Monster Qi violently burst forth as he roared, “Trivial Human, you want to compete with my Blood Flood Dragon clan? Today, this King will let you know what the meaning of strength really is!”
Saying so, his fists slammed toward Yang Kai like raindrops, every punch causing the surrounding World Energy aura to fluctuate from sheer power.
However, something shocking happened next.
Yang Kai did not try to dodge or avoid this barrage of fists and instead let out a hearty laugh as he sent out his own flurry of punches.
Fist collided with fist as violent explosions rang out. It was as if two giant mountains were smashing against one another at high speed, each contact causing the vitality of all nearby to roil.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
In just a short thirty breaths of time, Yang Kai and Xue Jiao had exchanged an astonishing number of attacks.
But what was strange was that neither of these two masters retreated a single step back, both standing firmly mid-air, using the subtle movements of their bodies to disperse each other’s strength.
Such a simple and brutal battle was actually quite breathtaking, but Qian Yan nearby couldn’t help flashing a look of worry. This could not be helped though as Humans did not primarily rely on their physical strength fight. It was their array of Secret Techniques and artifacts that gave them their biggest advantage in combat.
Yang Kai had given up such advantages, though, to compete with Xue Jiao purely in terms of physical power, which only showed he had not yet used his full strength.
In this confrontation, Yang Kai was simply probing Xue Jiao!
If Yang Kai were to use his Secret Techniques or artifacts, his strength would undoubtedly rise dramatically.
Realizing this, Qian Yan hurriedly shouted, “Xue Jiao, stop playing around and finish him off quickly!”
Xue Jiao heard this and let out a great shout with a sullen expression, “Flood Dragon Transformation!”
After these words fell, Xue Jiao’s body suddenly released a shocking wave of vitality that was several times more violent than before. At the same time, his body swelled up and blood-red scales began appearing on his skin. Two horns protruded from his forehead as a long, dragon tail stretched out from his back.
Xue Jiao had inherited the blood of a descendant of the true Dragons, the Blood Flood Dragon.
The technique he just used allowed him to stimulate the power of his bloodline, raising his strength and vitality greatly for a short time. With his powerful body, enhanced by the ancient Blood Flood Dragon’s aura, Xue Jiao was able to crush all opponents who stood before him.
As soon as this Flood Dragon Transformation came out, unimaginable power burst forth and smashed against Yang Kai’s whole body, sending him flying.
Xue Lian roared, “Human, this King does not know how you’ve cultivated such a body, but in front of this King’s Blood Flood Dragon ancestors, you are far from enough!”
As he shouted, he chased after Yang Kai and using both his fists and feet he launched a storm of attacks towards Yang Kai’s vital points, each punch and kick he sent out causing the surrounding space to tremble under his might.
Yang Kai did not dare to neglect and hurriedly adjusted his strength to counterattack.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The two figures flitted across the sky as constant explosions rang out from the meeting of their blows.
Yang Kai was instantly put at a disadvantage and seemed to only be able to parry, not fight back.
Qian Yan saw this and sneered, “Foolish. Trying to compete with Xue Jiao in pure strength, this human’s head must be rotten.”
High up in the clouds, two Starships remained hidden, one of them belonging to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, the other to Red Moon Territory.
Yu Xiong, Ba He, Shen Tu and all the others were looking down nervously and naturally saw how Yang Kai was being suppressed.
“Brother-In-Law bit off more than he can chew,” Yu Xiong shook his head sadly. “Xue Jiao’s physical strength is the highest amongst the entire Monster Race, Brother-In-Law trying to confront him head-on like this is the worst choice he could make. If this goes on, little sister is going to be a widow.”
“Shut your damn mouth,” Ba He snorted coldly from the side.
Although Yu Xiong was Chi Yue’s adopted son and had a high status, Ba He’s status wasn’t any lower. He was Chi Yue’s most trusted general two hundred years ago, and now, after breaking through to the Origin King Realm, he was her first subordinate, entrusted with great responsibilities.
Yu Xiong did not dare act presumptuously in front of him.
Hearing Ba He’s scolding, Yu Xiong simply chuckled, “I was just commenting casually… Perhaps Brother-In-Law has some tricks up his sleeve still. In any case, he doesn’t look like the type to die young.”
Ba He shook his head, “He really is biting more than he can chew, but his cultivation isn’t any weaker than Xue Jiao’s, so this won’t be enough to kill him. However, some suffering is probably inevitable.”
As soon as Ba He spoke, a winner in the contest down below was decided.
With a loud bang, a figure blasted towards the ground like a ragged sack, leaving another figure proudly standing in the void.
All eyes turned to the figure who was still standing and found that a surge of Blood Qi surrounded him, with two long horns sticking out his head and a dragon tail extended out his back. It was Xue Jiao!
Xue Jiao was safe and sound, so Yang Kai was definitely the one who was sent flying.
This discovery made many people’s hearts sink and they all quickly looked down.
Down there, a huge crater had appeared and from its centre, a series of spider-like cracks radiated outwards. As for Yang Kai, he had disappeared, apparently having been buried underground.
“Hahahaha!” Xue Jiao laughed riotously up in the sky as he flashed a look of disdain, “A Human Origin King, mediocre!”
He was qualified to act so rampant though; after all, no matter how unpleasant Yang Kai was to his eyes, he was still a Second-Order Origin King. So easily suppressing an opponent of the same level, Xue Jiao was naturally in high spirits.
Seeing this situation, Qian Yan, who had been on the edge the whole time, could not help but breathe a sigh of relief before reminding in a deep voice, “Xue Jiao, any delay leads to more problems!”
Hearing this, Xue Jiao nodded and was about to fly down to finish the human off when Yang Kai suddenly leapt up from the crater below, dusted himself off, and said with an approving tone, “Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord’s reputation is well-deserved. In this world, I’m afraid that few can beat you with just physical strength.”
Qian Yan’s silver eyes shrank as he stared at Yang Kai in amazement; using his Divine Sense, he immediately discovered something that filled him with shock. Although Yang Kai seemed to be dishevelled and was covered in dust, he was completely uninjured.
[How could that be?] Qian Yan rubbed his eyes a few times before looking back at Yang Kai, wondering if he had seen wrong.
The attack Xue Jiao had used just now was not something so easily resisted. If it had been Qian Yan who had taken that barrage head-on, even if he did not lose his life, he would still be seriously wounded. But this human was also just a Second-Order Origin King, so how could he be unscathed?
Qian Yan didn’t detect any Artifact Armour on Yang Kai, and when he was fighting Xue Jiao just now, he had not used any kind of defensive artifacts…
In other words, this human had resisted all of Xue Jiao’s attacks with just his body and came out unhurt! Could it be that even after Xue Jiao used his Flood Dragon Transformation, this human’s physical body was still more powerful?
When such a thought crossed his mind, Qian Yan found it difficult to remain calm as fright flashed across his eyes.
On the other side, Xue Jiao could not stop his jaw from dropping as he stared at Yang Kai stupidly, completely losing the ability to think and no longer showing any of his former arrogance.
“However, if that’s all you have, it’s not enough!” Yang Kai looked up at Xue Jiao and said faintly.
Xue Jiao’s mouth moved, as if he wanted to say something, but found that no matter what he said at this moment, it would only further add to his humiliation.
Being so despised by a mere human, in the field he was most proud, Xue Jiao could not stop his heart from twisting in knots. Now, only blood could wash away this shame!
“Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord, you probably haven’t used your full strength yet, right? It is rare to encounter someone with such a powerful physique, so… I hope you can play with me for a bit longer!”
As soon as these last words were spoken, Yang Kai’s body shot into the sky like a lightning bolt.
As Yang Kai arrived in front of Xue Jiao, a brilliant golden light suddenly appeared on his body. This pale golden colour did not come from his Golden Blood though, but rather from his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art’s Metal Sword Qi.
Covered in his Metal Sword Qi, Yang Kai’s figure appeared akin to a peerless unsheathed sword that could cut through the Heavens as it stabbed straight towards Xue Jiao.
Before this attack even arrived, Xue Jiao felt his pores shrink involuntarily. Under this terrifying thrust, how could he dare show any disdain? Immediately roaring, Xue Jiao pushed his vitality wildly, his whole body turning a brilliant crimson colour as he punched out at Yang Kai.
*Dang…*
A loud crashing sound rang out.
The glowing golden Yang Kai paused slightly before he was forced back a few steps, but this time, Xue Jiao was also forced to stagger backward. The expression on the latter’s face was no longer as easy as before because he was no longer able to completely suppress Yang Kai.
*Dida dida…*
A few very rhythmic sounds could be heard as blood dripped from Xue Jiao’s fist.
In this brief confrontation, Xue Jiao had actually been injured!
The Metal Attribute’s primary quality was sharpness, sharpness that could cut through anything. Although Yang Kai had not cultivated the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to its highest level yet, he had still reached the minor accomplishment stage, so as soon as he pushed his Metal Sword Qi, he was instantly able to seize back the initiative.
“Mediocre!” Although Xue Jiao was shocked by Yang Kai’s methods, he could not keep losing face and simply sneered while flicking the blood from his hand.
“Really?” Yang Kai grinned, “Then I’ll have to ask Blood Flood Dragon Tribal Lord to wait and see what comes next.”
As soon as these words fell, the halo of light around him changed, going from pure gold to gold and brown.
Earth Sword Qi!
The Earth Attribute’s primary quality was resilience, so this Earth Sword Qi was able to form the strongest protection. Moreover, among the five elements, Metal was born from Earth, so when the Earth Sword Qi came out, it instantly resonated with the Metal Sword Qi, enhancing it further instead of making it duller.
As the two-coloured light halo swirled around Yang Kai’s body, he shot towards Xue Jiao again, staring at him indifferently as he raised his hand and slashed towards him.
Xue Jiao’s eyes narrowed as he quickly crossed his arms.
Yang Kai’s knife-hand slashed out and blood splashed as Xue Jiao roared and was sent flying backwards. On his arms, there was a long gash, out of which blood sprayed like a fountain, instantly staining his clothes red.
This wound was bone-deep and caused the surrounding flesh to squirm, making for quite a terrifying sight.
The pain and shame made Xue Jiao’s blood rush to his head and he roared, “Boy, don’t get too cocky!”
Monster Race cultivators had a certain innate drawback; once they became angered, they would lose their ability to remain rational and would begin acting on instinct. Even if Xue Jiao was already a powerful Tribal Lord-level existence, this characteristic was something which was deeply rooted in his bones and could not be completely eliminated. He was only slightly better at controlling it than other Monster Race cultivators.
At this moment though, having been pushed back by Yang Kai while using his Flood Dragon Transformation, Xue Jiao could not help becoming angry out of shame.
His body transformed again at that moment, releasing a dazzling red light as his figure inflated to more than a hundred metres in size, with blood-red scales and two giant crimson eyes. Glaring at Yang Kai, Xue Jiao opened his giant maw and shot out a beam of blood-coloured light towards him.
“Blood Flood Dragon Manifestation!” Up in the clouds, Ba He’s eyes shrank suddenly. He never expected that Yang Kai would be able to force the Xue Jiao to such an extent after seemingly being at a huge disadvantage.
The Flood Dragon Transformation was a method for Xue Jiao to draw out strength from his ancestral bloodline to enhance his strength, but the Blood Flood Dragon Manifestation was a complete simulation of those bloodlines, allowing him to fully assume the form of his glorious ancestors.
Xue Jiao showing this form was a sign he was really going all out.
The blood-coloured beam of light flew forward with an unstoppable might towards Yang Kai, and if he were to be struck by it, he would not get off lightly as he was.
What’s more, an overwhelming corrosive aura pulsed from this blood-coloured beam, one that would pose a deadly threat even to a Second-Order Origin King.
Yang Kai still did not dodge, instead just shouting out loud, “Water!”
When this word came out, a blue light emerged from his body and enveloped him.
This blue light was as deep as the sea, and while it did not seem to enhance Yang Kai’s strength significantly, it gave off a sturdy and reliable feel, like an ocean surrounding him that could block out any violent storm from the outside, keeping him safe.
The blood-coloured beam arrived in the next moment and completely engulfed Yang Kai.
Xue Jiao’s eyes flashed fiercely as he stared forward, searching for any signs of Yang Kai’s life aura.
Suddenly, he seemed to notice something shocking, and his eyes bulged as he shouted, “Not good!”
In his Blood Flood Dragon form, this shout rang out like booming thunder, causing the surrounding world to shake.
As soon as his words were spoken, a figure shot out from the blood-coloured beam of light, moving against its flow as if it were just a gentle breeze, and sent a fierce punch towards Xue Jiao’s giant head!
Who else but Yang Kai could it be?
However, at this moment, Yang Kai’s body was not just covered in three-coloured light, but four-coloured light.
In addition to the initial golden, brown, and blue colours, there was also a bright red mixed in, one that raged like a burning flame.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s momentum seemed to have risen ten times from where it had been originally!
It seemed that every time he released a new colour from his body, his power would increase again, seemingly without end.
*Hong…*
The fist hit Xue Jiao’s head and a scream resounded through the sky. The huge body of Xue Jiao was sent flying by this punch as he howled out continuously.
After tumbling through the air for more than a dozen kilometres, Xue Jiao finally managed to stabilize himself, but a giant scorched fist mark now adorned his head. Around this fist mark, there were still burning flames, and no matter how Xue Jiao urged his vitality, he could not seem to extinguish them.
“What kind of fire is this!” Xue Jiao exclaimed in shock.
“Sun’s True Fire!” Yang Kai grinned.
Hearing this, Xue Jiao’s face changed drastically.
Sun’s True Fire was formed from the core of a Sun Star, and like the Nirvana Flames possessed by the Ancient Divine Spirit Phoenix, was considered one of the greatest flames in existence, able to burn down anything it touched. Unless one had a Water Attribute treasure of equal rank, or they were somehow able to refine it into their own body, it was all but impossible to extinguish Sun’s True Fire.
Xue Jiao’s giant eyes flashed with despair as the Sun’s True Fire that had contaminated his head suddenly became violent and began engulfing his giant body.
Screaming out, Xue Jiao seemed to be suffering unimaginable pain.
Yang Kai’s expression darkened though, not showing any joy at having defeated a master at the same level, instead just focusing on Xue Jiao’s giant form being burned down by the Sun’s True Fire with a weird expression. After a while, he suddenly grinned and muttered, “So that’s how it is!”
“It looks like you noticed,” Qian Yan’s voice suddenly rang in his ears, and the moment it did, the Xue Jiao which was being burned by Sun’s True Fire transformed into a million points of silver light and dissipated from the world.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked towards the source of the sound, only to find that not far away, Xue Jiao was floating there unharmed. However, his eyes were still filled with shock and, beside him, Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord stared towards Yang Kai solemnly.
“When did you act? I didn’t even notice,” Yang Kai looked at Qian Yan with interest.
Not long ago, he thought that he had managed to defeat Xue Jiao, but the moment Yang Kai used his Sun’s True Fire on Xue Jiao, he suddenly understood the truth.
What he hit was not Xue Jiao’s real body, but some kind of illusion.
Being able to silently cause him to fall into an illusion was something only Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord could achieve!
“Do you think I’d tell you?” Qian Yan snickered.
Yang Kai just sneered, “It must have been when I was caught in that blood-coloured beam of light. The Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil really lives up to its reputation, this Yang is impressed.”
Hearing Yang Kai utter the name of his greatest Divine Ability, Qian Yan’s expression changed slightly, but when he thought about the human’s relationship with Chi Yue, he quickly relaxed.
He obtained his title of Thousand Eyes Tribal Lord because of the existence of his Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil. This was an innate Divine Ability of the Thousand Eye Clan and no one else could learn or use it. This was also the skill he most relied on.
The existence of the Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil was a closely guarded secret, but since Yang Kai was so familiar with Chi Yue, it was only natural for him to have heard about it from her.
Looking at the four-colour halo around Yang Kai with a solemn expression, Qian Yan asked, “Your Excellency’s Secret Technique makes use of the Five Elements, right? Right now, you are only displaying four; why not show all five? Xue Jiao may not be your opponent, but if this King joins hands with him, if you don’t use all your strength, I’m afraid you won’t stand a chance.”
Yang Kai simply grinned and said, “As you wish!”
As soon as these words came out, the final green luminescence appeared.
Yang Kai’s already tyrannical momentum rapidly increased once more.
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao both saw this and could not help frowning.
The different Five Elements Sword Qi which currently lingered around Yang Kai’s body mutually promoted each other’s might, not only making for a dazzling display but also giving off a strong sense of oppression.
A hint of fear flashed across Xue Jiao’s eyes at this moment. If Qian Yan had not helped him secretly just now, he would definitely have been seriously injured. Only now did Xue Jiao understand just how difficult an opponent Yang Kai was. Both were Second-Order Origin Kings, but it was clear neither was Yang Kai’s opponent at all.
“This is your all?” Qian Yan looked solemn; however, he still sneered and shot back at Yang Kai confidently, “If this is all you have to worry, you’d best retreat now or you might get hurt.”
“Why bother with so much nonsense? What if I told you that your son died at my hands? Would you still let me retreat then?” Yang Kai looked over with cold eyes.
“What?” Qian Yan’s eyes instantly flashed with anger, “What did you just say?”
Xue Jiao suddenly thought of something and shouted, “So it’s you! I was wondering why you looked so familiar, it turns out you’re that little brat!”
“Xue Jiao, speak clearly!” Qian Yan’s silver eyes were filled with murderous intent as he turned to demand answers from Xue Jiao.
“You haven’t figured it out yet? He’s that human boy who came to Monster Emperor Star a few years ago and then went to the Blood Prison Trial with Xue Lian and Mi Tian!” Xue Jiao grit his teeth and roared.
“Impossible!” Qian Yan’s face changed drastically, “The Blood Prison Trial only allows Origin Realm cultivators to enter! How many years ago was that? How could someone who participated possibly have reached the Second-Order Origin King Realm already?”
“I also thought it was impossible!” Xue Jiao nodded lightly, “But the facts are right in front of us, so I have no choice but to believe!”
Qian Yan was stunned for a moment before he turned back to stare at Yang Kai again, nodding after a moment of silence, “Excellent, this King was never able to find his son, Mi Tian’s, murderer, but since you’ve decided to appear before this King today, don’t think you can escape alive!”
“Great!” Yang Kai laughed loudly.
“Xue Jiao, either he dies or we do!” Qian Yan was completely furious and did not wait before charging straight out towards Yang Kai, his figure mysteriously disappearing half-way there.
No one knew where he had gone.
However, Xue Jiao seemed to have long ago become accustomed to this scene and was not disturbed by Qian Yan’s disappearance, instead rushing towards Yang Kai even more fiercely than before.
The huge flood dragon body swam through the air, approaching close before shooting a beam of blood-coloured light.
Yang Kai saw this and sneered, “This trick is useless against me.”
“It doesn’t need to be useful!” Xue Jiao coldly snorted, his body flickering as the blood-red light shot forward, his tail sweeping out towards Yang Kai.
The scales on his tail jutted out like a series of extremely sharp spikes. If Yang Kai was struck by these, it would definitely draw blood.
Yang Kai avoided this tail sweep easily, but before he could adjust his stance, his brow suddenly wrinkled, and he hurriedly expanded his Domain in a hundred-metre radius all around himself.
Behind him, a figure mysteriously appeared. It was Qian Yan who had just vanished a moment ago.
At this moment, Qian Yan’s hand was stabbing forward like a blade towards the back of Yang Kai’s head.
However, encountering Yang Kai’s Domain, Qian Yan’s attack could not help stagnating for an instant. Not backing down though, Qian Yan released his own Domain to offset Yang Kai’s and pressed his attack.
Yang Kai waved his hand and summoned his Dragon Bone Sword before leisurely sweeping it backwards.
Qian Yan frowned when he saw this and was forced to give up his attack and retreat quickly.
He did not want to be swept by the Dragon Bone Sword. Although the Dragon Bone Sword had no blade or edge, anyone could see it was an Origin King Grade artifact. Being hit by such an artifact was definitely not a good idea.
“You want to leave? Aren’t you a bit naive?” Yang Kai snapped coldly as he suddenly increased the power of his Domain.
*Weng…*
The world trembled as the hundred-metre region around Yang Kai was solidified by him and innumerable tiny pitch-black fissures began to appear and disappear within this range a moment later.
“This is…” Qian Yan was shocked. He never expected Yang Kai’s Domain to have such terrifying might. Not only was it more condensed and powerful than his own Domain, it even incorporated some kind of profound and mysterious force.
This power was even able to make the surrounding space fracture, forming an uncountable number of tiny Void Cracks.
“Don’t panic!” At the critical moment, Xue Jiao’s roar sounded as he pushed his Domain, merging it with Qian Yan’s in order to counteract Yang Kai’s Space Force laced Domain.
*Kacha…*
Space only became more and more unstable though, and seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.
Xue Jiao’s giant claw stretched out at that moment, ignoring the multitude of lacerations he suffered from the randomly floating Void Cracks, grabbed Qian Yan, and yanked him back.
A crisp, cracking sound rang out in the next instant.
The place where the three Second-Order Origin Kings’ Domains were superimposed, space shattered like a mirror, exposing a large rift to the Void. There was nothing in this rift, only chaotic darkness that caused anyone who gazed upon it to shudder.
Thankfully, this Void Crack did not last long. Under the power of Monster Emperor Star’s World Principles, it quickly repaired itself and everything was restored to normal a moment later.
The two Monster Race Tribal Lords who had just retreated together though still felt their hearts pounding as they wore aghast looks on their faces.
Even two against one, they had found themselves at a disadvantage. This was a scenario they had never dreamed of before, but today it was happening right before their eyes.
[Were Human Race Origin Kings all so powerful?] Qian Yan and Xue Jiao asked this horrifying question in their hearts.
If that was really the case, was there any place for the Monster Race in the Star Field? As long as a few Second-Order Origin King humans came here today, Monster Emperor Star would be razed to the ground and their Monster Race would be driven out of their last paradise.
“We need to go all out, Xue Jiao!” Qian Yan quickly said. He knew that it would be impossible to beat Yang Kai if he did not lay everything on the line now.
When Yang Kai first appeared, he had said to Chi Yue that he would not have a problem keeping himself safe. At that time, Qian Yan had thought he was being arrogant, but now he understood the other party was not being rampant at all. Rather, he was actually being extremely humble.
Forget about protecting himself, he had an absolute advantage the entire time.
“Of course!” Xue Jiao growled lowly before opening his mouth and spitting out a fist-sized round bead.
“Monster Core!” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he realized that Xue Jiao was really going all out.
Every Monster Race cultivator had a Monster Core, but none would ever use it easily, because to a Monster Race cultivator, their Monster Core was the crystalized essence of their life, as well as the source of their combat power.
If their Monster Core was damaged or destroyed, while it may not cause them to die outright, they would definitely experience a dramatic drop in strength, one they could never recover from.
As such, no Monster Race would use their Monster Core in battle unless they had no other choice.
Xue Jiao spitting out his Monster Core proved he had been backed into a corner, and that he could only resort to his most powerful method now.
Xue Jiao was a Second-Order Origin King, so his Monster Core itself was a rare treasure. If this Monster Core could be used as a pill spirit, it could definitely refine the highest quality Origin King Grade Spirit Pill.
Xue Jiao’s body could also be refined into an extraordinary Blood Beast!
A Blood Beast at the Second-Order Origin King Realm that bore the blood of an Ancient Variant Divine Spirit would no doubt possess astonishing strength.
Yang Kai was already making plans about how to best use Xue Jiao.
Unlike Xue Jiao, Qian Yan did not spit out his Monster Core but instead released a great roar before his body suddenly inflated, turning his originally feminine-looking figure into a bloated sphere.
His clothes bursting apart, Qian Yan’s upper body was fully revealed.
Seeing this new appearance, Yang Kai could not help his skin from crawling slightly.
Because he found that Qian Yan’s upper body had many eyes on it, each of them emitting a silver light as they stared towards him with unkind intentions.
Counting those eyes carefully, there were somewhere between seventy and eighty, each one exuding a mysterious energy fluctuation.
“Forcing this King to reveal this form to you, you should be proud of yourself!” Qian Yan shouted coldly before forming a series of seals with his hands, his expression becoming solemn.
In the next moment, all the eyes on his body, as well as the two which existed on his face from the beginning, burst out with blinding silver light as an illusory moon suddenly rose behind Qian Yan.
After the silver light poured into this full moon, it flickered slightly and took on a silver hue, as if coming to life.
A bad premonition struck Yang Kai’s body at that moment and before he knew it, he found himself in an empty void with only the giant silver moon hanging above him, staring down at him like a huge eye; cold and majestic.
The silver moon’s brilliance flashed and penetrated straight into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, slowing his thoughts and causing his strength to slowly dissipate.
The brilliance of this silver moon not only affected his mind but even his physical body.
Yang Kai was startled and realized that no matter who it was, he couldn’t underestimate any Origin King. Not daring to neglect, Yang Kai took a deep breath, stretched out his hand to bite his fingertip, and wiped the drop of blood he drew over his left eye.
The next moment, a dazzling golden light burst out from his left eye and it transformed into a majestic pupil. This golden eye was long and narrow and carried with it an aura of absolute destruction.
Demon Eye of Annihilation!
Yang Kai poured his Spiritual Energy into his left eye madly to stimulate the power of his Demon Eye of Annihilation as he stared at the silver moon hanging high in the sky.
No matter what kind of magical technique conjured up this silver moon, it was still being displayed by Qian Yan, so as long as Yang Kai could overpower Qian Yan, the silver moon would break!
The Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil carried with it the power to shatter the moon while the Demon Eye of Annihilation exuded a pure aura of destruction. The two bizarre eye powers began clashing in this illusory space.
Spiritual Energy surged madly as a terrifying golden light radiated from Yang Kai’s left eye, condensing into a beam that was nearly tangible as it shot towards the silvery moon in the sky.
The silver moon trembled slightly and showed some signs of instability, but it returned to its original state in the next moment. From the silver moon, thousands of strands of silver brilliance scattered forth like willow branches to greet the golden light of destruction.
The gold and silver light met.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Violent explosions rang out endlessly.
Yang Kai’s body shook wildly!
Although he could not see Qian Yan and did not know what his condition was, Yang Kai was confident that he would not be bested in this violent clash of Spiritual Energies.
This was not just a competition of eye powers, but also the strength of Soul cultivation.
In terms of pupil power, Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation did not match up to Qian Yan’s Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil. This was not to say that the Demon Eye of Annihilation was inferior, but rather that Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation was something he acquired from an inheritance and wasn’t something he was born with or cultivated himself.
On the other hand, Qian Yan’s Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil was an innate Divine Ability he was born with and had been tempering for thousands of years.
How could Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation compare? Naturally, it fell short.
However, Yang Kai’s Soul itself was definitely stronger than Qian Yan’s; after all, the Soul Warming Lotus had been nurturing his Soul for so many years that now his Divine Sense was no less powerful than a Third-Order Origin King’s.
Each side had its own advantages and disadvantages, so their battle was quite even. All around, gold and silver light clashed, forming a kind of stalemate in the air. One side would retreat while the other advanced, only for the momentum to shift in the next instant in a continuous cycle…
Like some kind of damn had broken, Spiritual Energy flooded out in a raging torrent.
Blood soon began to leak from Yang Kai’s left eye, covering half his face in glowing golden light, a strange and hideous sight to behold.
Yang Kai quickly realized that his situation was worrying.
If he was only fighting Qian Yan, this kind of competition wouldn’t be too big a problem. Whoever could persist longer would ultimately win or at worst, both sides would wind up suffering some degree of loss.
However, at this moment, he was facing two enemies! In addition to Qian Yan, there is also a Xue Jiao.
Yang Kai did not believe Xue Jiao would let off such a good opportunity to attack him.
Realizing this, Yang Kai no longer hesitated. Taking a deep breath, while continuing to push his Spiritual Energy wantonly, Yang Kai split his Divine Sense and used it to activate his stronger Soul Secret Technique, “Blossoming Lotus!”
As soon as these words fell, a lotus bud suddenly appeared in his golden left eye.
This lotus bud disappeared in the next instant though.
On the silver moon hanging high in the sky, the previous lotus bud mysteriously appeared.
Suddenly, like a great vortex, this lotus bud began madly absorbing Qian Yan’s Spiritual Energy, blossoming as it did.
Looking up, the silver moon seemed to have become a lotus flower that was in the process of blooming, making a radiant and beautiful scene.
An unbelievably miserable howl rang out in the next moment as the silver moon in the sky began to warp; however, no matter how it struggled, it was incapable of getting rid of the blossoming lotus’ entanglement.
In just three breaths of time, the lotus flower had half blossomed and the power the silver moon was able to exert to counteract the golden light had greatly reduced. Yang Kai’s expression turned fierce as he pushed his Spiritual Energy even harder than before.
*Peng…*
With a crisp sound, the huge silver moon high up in the sky shattered like a plate.
“Ah!” Qian Yan’s roar rang out at the same time.
The illusion surrounding Yang Kai suddenly cracked apart, returning him to the place he had originally been standing.
Before Yang Kai could recover though, he felt a deep chill overcome him and all his pores contracted involuntarily, as if death itself was approaching him.
“Boy, why aren’t you running!” Chi Yue’s soft voice rang out in his ears.
“Run? Where can you run?” Xue Jiao laughed wildly, “Chi Yue, you were able to stop me once, but let us see if you can stop me a second time! If you do not show yourself, this boy will die right now!”
As he shouted, a fist-sized blood-coloured bead that carried with it a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power shot towards Yang Kai’s chest.
The blood-coloured bead contained an unimaginable amount of raging vitality. It was Xue Jiao’s Monster Core he had spat out earlier.
He knew that Yang Kai’s physique was incredibly powerful and that ordinary techniques would all be rendered useless, so when Yang Kai was trapped by Qian Yan with the Heaven Breaking Moon Pupil, Xue Jiao had directly used his Monster Core to bombard Yang Kai.
The Monster Core of a Monster Race was stronger than any kind of artifact of the same level. This time, even if Yang Kai’s body was intrepid, he was certain to at least suffer severe injuries if not die directly.
This Monster Core was not very big, but it still felt like a giant mountain was hurtling towards Yang Kai at an incredibly fast speed.
By the time Yang Kai regained his senses, the Monster Core was already less than a metre away from him.
In order to end the battle with Qian Yan quickly, Yang Kai had consumed a great deal of his Spiritual Energy, so at this critical moment, he had a splitting headache and was unable to focus enough to use his Space Force to teleport away.
Seeing the Monster Core about to hit, Yang Kai grit his teeth and a thought flashed as he summoned a certain item.
A single scale the size of a palm suddenly appeared atop Yang Kai’s chest.
There were profound and mysterious patterns adorning this scale’s surface and it gave off an ancient and desolate feeling.
The Monster Core struck in the next moment.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai was hit by a huge force and flew out. Xue Jiao saw this scene and could not help being overjoyed and was just about to check whether Yang Kai was alive or dead when suddenly he heard a very slight crack.
When he heard this sound, Xue Jiao felt as if he was struck by lightning and his entire complexion changed drastically. Involuntarily, he opened his mouth and sprayed out a cloud of blood as his aura rapidly diminished.
“My Core!” Xue Jiao cried out with a pale face as his eyes fixed onto it and shrank dramatically.
There was a crack in his Monster Core, and although this crack was small, a Monster Core was so important to a Monster Race cultivator that even such a small crack caused Xue Jiao to suffer severe damage.
As if he had been thrown into a frigid blizzard, Xue Jiao felt cold all over as he could not understand what method Yang Kai had used just now to cause such damage to his Monster Core.
He vaguely saw a little bit of the situation and thought he saw Yang Kai summon something that looked like a fish scale in the last moment, but he was not certain.
But regardless of how it happened, the most important thing right now was to take back his Monster Core. Xue Jiao’s thoughts flashed as he summoned his Monster Core back, but before he could achieve this, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and appeared in front of the Monster Core and snatched it with his hand.
Xue Jiao roared, “In your dreams!”
As he shouted, he desperately urged his strength to recall his Monster Core.
In an instant, the Monster Core of the Second-Order Origin King Realm master seemed to come alive and struggled fiercely to escape Yang Kai’s grasp.
The force it was able to exert was so great that Yang Kai almost lost control of it.
“Dragon Transformation!” Yang Kai suddenly growled and accompanied by a loud dragon roar, his arm suddenly inflated to twice its original size and his Saint Qi condensed into a layer of dragon scales. In an instant, his arm transformed into the appearance of a dragon claw.
Dragon Pressure billowed out.
Xue Jiao suddenly froze in place, not daring to move as he stared at Yang Kai blankly, his jaw hanging loosely, flapping as if he wanted to say something but was unable to form the words, pure shock filling his eyes.
His originally restless Monster Core also did not dare to move rashly once it was subjected to the thick Dragon Pressure. Instead, it was tremblingly as it was pinched in the palm of Yang Kai’s hand, seemingly instinctually feeling fear.
“Dragon Source! You actually have a true Dragon Source!” To the side, Qian Yan exclaimed and his nearly hundred eyes all bulged as they stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
His confrontation with Yang Kai just now also left him seriously injured, especially after he suffered a blow from Yang Kai’s Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique. That one technique had nearly drained all his Spiritual Energy. Qian Yan had been expecting Xue Jiao to end things for him, but how could he have known that Yang Kai still had other cards to play, including a True Dragon Source, something all Monster Race masters coveted!
“You’re human though, how could you have a Dragon Source?” Qian Yan’s voice was almost frantic and was laced with both anger and jealousy, “What’s more, you can actually use its power!”
Qian Yan could not help feeling a strong sense of powerlessness in his heart at this moment. The more he fought with Yang Kai, the less he was able to see his opponent’s bottom line.
Even after using a true Dragon Source strength now, Qian Yan faintly felt this was not Yang Kai’s strongest card…
“What kind of Dragon Source do you have?” Qian Yan asked in a low voice.
“Do you think I’d tell you?” Yang Kai smiled mockingly as he played with the Monster Core in his hand. It was quite strange, this Monster Core was originally quite unruly, but after Yang Kai showed the power of his Golden Divine Dragon Source, it suddenly became like a well-behaved rabbit. Even if he tossed it casually like this, it did not dare to fly away.
Nearby, Xue Jiao could not stop shivering.
This could not be helped since his Flood Dragon clan was descended from authentic Dragons, so there was a trace of Dragon blood in his veins.
What Yang Kai was displaying now was not only a legitimate Dragon Source aura, but one that belonged to the most powerful among all Dragons: the Golden Divine Dragon.
This aura had a natural and almost absolute suppression on Xue Jiao.
As such, Xue Jiao’s performance was far worse than Qian Yan’s at the moment.
Yang Kai played with Xue Jiao’s Monster Core while looking at the two Tribal Lords with great interest. His eyes made the two Tribal Lords feel cold as they could not tell what he was plotting now.
In fact, what Yang Kai was debating was whether he should kill them directly and refine them into Blood Beasts or take their Monster Cores first before refining them into Blood Beasts.
The Monster Core of a Second-Order Origin King was extremely rare and valuable, but without it, the Blood Beasts he could refine would certainly be weaker. However, if he completely refined them into Blood Beasts, he would not be able to use these Monster Cores…
This made Yang Kai hesitate as he was having a difficult time choosing what to do.
Unfortunately, just as he was debating to himself, Chi Yue’s voice suddenly came from Half-Moon Mountain, “Boy, let them go.”
As soon as Chi Yue said this, not only was Yang Kai stunned, but even Xue Jiao and Qian Yan were shocked and could not help turning to stare dumbly at Half-Moon Mountain.
None of them thought that Chi Yue would say such a thing.
After a long time, Yang Kai frowned and asked, “Senior, what are your intentions here?”
“I’m asking you to let them go,” Chi Yue’s voice spoke with extreme indifference, revealing no resentment or anger, as if she were speaking about some triviality, “Xue Jiao and Qian Yan have indeed offended me, but they are both Monster Race Tribal Lords in the end. If they die here, the strength of my Monster Race will drop sharply, which will be bad for my Monster Emperor Star.”
Hearing her say these words, Xue Jiao and Qian Yan could not help feeling somewhat excited and ashamed at the same time.
Compared with Chi Yue’s broad-mindedness, her concern for the Monster Race and Monster Emperor Star as a whole, their actions today felt a bit too petty.
“Beat the snake to death to avoid future calamity, let the tiger return to the mountain to court future disaster. Senior, have you thought this through clearly?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
Xue Jiao and Qian Yan immediately glared at Yang Kai, thinking that Chi Yue was already willing to let them go so why was a foreign human still making trouble!
Chi Yue snorted, “Does this Queen need you to teach her this truth? However, after receiving this lesson today, they will both need to enter retreat for at least ten years before they can recover. As for ten years from now… hehe, if I tell them to face east, would they dare face west?”
Xue Jiao and Qian Yan glanced at each other and both saw the extremely ugly look on their faces.
Although they were extremely unwilling, they knew that what Chi Yue said was true. Although Chi Yue only made a single move just now, the two Monster Race Tribal Lords vaguely felt that Chi Yue was close to breaking through, so as long as she was given just a bit more time, she would become the sole Monster King on Monster Emperor Star.
Once that happened, Xue Jiao and Qian Yan really would not dare to resist and could only submit to her.
The Monster Race always respected the strong, there was no greater truth!
At this point, Xue Jiao and Qian Yan both felt completely deflated and lost all fighting spirit. Cupping their fists, they weakly called out, “If we can escape this tribulation today, we will only obey Lady Monster King in the future, not uttering a single complaint!”
They even changed how they addressed Chi Yue.
“Your attitude changed quite quickly,” Yang Kai looked at them in astonishment.
Xue Jiao and Qian Yan blushed slightly before glaring towards Yang Kai.
“Since you’ve come to this understanding, this Queen will spare your lives today!” Chi Yue coldly snorted.
“Many thanks, Your Majesty!” Xue Jiao and Qian Yan looked overjoyed as they offered their thanks.
Yang Kai grinned at that moment though and called out, “Don’t be so happy yet, Senior Chi Yue said she would let you go, but I didn’t. Your lives are still in my hands.”
“Boy, what do you want?” Qian Yan looked up and asked angrily.
Xue Jiao also had a sullen face, but with his Monster Core still being held by Yang Kai, even if he was upset, he did not dare to say anything.
“I want… to cut out the weeds and pull-out its roots!” Yang Kai smiled evilly.
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao both involuntarily took a step back as they stared at Yang Kai warily.
“Ha…” Chi Yue sighed. “Boy, don’t scare them. Speak, what conditions do you need to let them go? If you wanted to end things once and for all, you wouldn’t bother with so much nonsense.”
“Senior seems to be misunderstanding me, I really do want to cut down the weeds and pull out its roots. Leaving them alive has no benefit to me after all. Don’t forget, their sons died at my hand, and such enmity is not easily resolved.”
“They both have so many heirs it doesn’t matter if one or two die!” Chi Yue sneered.
Although Qian Yan and Xue Jiao wore ugly expressions, they still nodded sharply.
“Then…” Yang Kai touched his chin and thought for a while, “If they swear, they won’t seek revenge against me in the future, I can let them go.”
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao both exchanged a glance and immediately nodded before swearing an oath on their ancestors that they would never find trouble with Yang Kai in the future.
Chi Yue said, “Although my Monster Race is cruel and warlike, they place great importance on their ancestral heritage. No Monster Race would dare to violate such an oath, otherwise they will be ostracized by the entire Monster Race!”
“Alright then, they can go,” Yang Kai grinned and waved at Xue Jiao and Qian Yan.
Xue Jiao however continued to stare at Yang Kai eagerly and shout, “My Monster Core!”
“I’ll be keeping this Monster Core,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“Just kill me then,” Xue Jiao snapped angrily.
Chi Yue sighed once more, “Boy, stop making trouble, give him back his Monster Core.”
Yang Kai wore a speechless look as he objected, “Senior, after exerting so much effort, I can’t leave without gaining any benefits, right? The price I paid just now wasn’t small.”
“Little bastard! You were just waiting for this Queen to mention this all along!” Chi Yue suddenly cursed as she understood Yang Kai’s intentions.
“What does Senior mean? I don’t understand at all?” Yang Kai said with an innocent expression on his face.
“Just tell me what you want!”
“I only want this Monster Core!” Yang Kai said with a firm expression.
“Lady Monster King, please enforce justice for me,” Xue Jiao turned to Half-Moon Mountain and called out pitifully, almost shedding tears.
He had spent thousands of years cultivating to reach his current achievements, but if his Monster Core was taken away by Yang Kai now, not only would his cultivation fall to below the Origin Realm, but he would also most likely never be able to take another step forward again in the future.
To Xue Jiao, this kind of fate was worse than death.
As such, he could only ask Chi Yue for help.
“Enough!” Chi Yue shouted, clearly quite annoyed, “Boy, return his Monster Core to him and I’ll give you three First-Order Origin King Monster Cores.”
“How about five?” Yang Kai bargained.
“It seems that you don’t want to see Qing Luo ever again…” Chi Yue said lightly, but from her tone, anyone could tell she was grinding her teeth at this moment.
“En… Since Senior has spoken, so be it,” Yang Kai said in an upright tone before tossing the Monster Core in his hand towards Xue Jiao.
Xue Jiao caught it in a hurry, checked it carefully, and then swallowed it down after confirming that it was not in any danger, only then feeling relieved.
“You two scram, and remember: If you ever try something like this again, this Queen won’t be so forgiving!” Chi Yue declared firmly.
Qian Yan and Xue Jiao had already suffered greatly here so they did not dare to object, simply cupping their fists before withdrawing.
After they left, Chi Yue snorted, “Little Bastard, you dare to blackmail this Queen? Just you wait for me!”
Yang Kai grinned happily.
“Come inside first.”
As Chi Yue’s voice fell, a hole in the barrier around Half-Moon Mountain immediately opened, leading to the inside.
From the clouds above, two Starships also sailed down.
A short time later, Yang Kai and the two Starships entered Half-Moon Mountain together and landed in the square.
Ba He, Yu Xiong, Shen Tu, and all the others disembarked one after another and stared at Yang Kai like he was some kind of monster.
Yu Xiong even gave Yang Kai a big thumbs up with a look of admiration.
Just now, all of them had clearly watched the battle between Yang Kai and the two Tribal Lords.
Facing two opponents who were also at the Second-Order Origin King Realm, not only had Yang Kai not fallen into a disadvantage, but he held absolute superiority and gained control over the enemy’s life or death in the end. It was an unthinkable outcome.
Even if it had been a Third-Order Origin King, they probably could not have done any better.
Yang Kai was a Second-Order Origin King, but just a few years ago he was nothing more than an Origin Realm cultivator. In other words, it had not taken him long to reach his current realm and achieve such shocking strength. After his realm fully stabilized, wouldn’t he be comparable to a Third-Order Origin King?
Shen Tu and the others were also shocked. Although Yang Kai had faced off against a master like Kuang Shi Zong back on Purple Star City, the two of them hadn’t really fought at the time as Yang Kai mainly used his helpers to threaten to destroy Purple Star City, forcing Kuang Shi Zong to compromise.
It was completely different from this head-on competition.
“Lady Tribal Lord has passed orders. It is not convenient for her to see you today, so she asks you to wait a few days. Once her condition stabilizes, she will call for you,” Ba He stepped forward and said to Yang Kai.
“No problem,” Yang Kai nodded.
He also knew that Chi Yue’s retreat would have been disturbed by today’s matters, and although the effects on her would not be great, she still needed some time to fully settle.
As such, he did not care too much.
Then, under the arrangements of Ba He and the others, the people from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and Yang Kai were assigned living spaces inside Half-Moon Mountain.
There was no special treatment given to them, but also no particular restrictions either.
Yang Kai soon found that he was assigned lodging not far from Shan Qing Luo’s residence and understood that this was specially arranged by Chi Yue.
At night, when everything had quieted down, Yang Kai sat cross-legged in his room and used his Divine Sense to observe Shan Qing Luo’s palace cautiously.
Today’s battle had been quite dynamic, but it still did not have any effect on Shan Qing Luo. It was conceivable that she was at a critical juncture of her retreat at this moment and had blocked out all disturbances from the outside world.
Outside the palace where Shan Qing Luo lived, there were several powerful barriers activated.
However, in front of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, these barriers were as useful as air, so he easily broke past them.
On the second floor of the palace, Yang Kai saw Shan Qing Luo.
This seductive queen was even more elegant than before. When he had first met her, she was also able to fascinate anyone who laid eyes upon her, and with the improvement of her cultivation and the further integration of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider Source into her being, this enchantress’ charms were so strong it almost created a tangible aura around her body.
Even a man as stalwart as Yang Kai could not help becoming slightly lost as he gazed upon her.
It was like she was a great vortex that could suck in the gaze and even Divine Sense of any man, making them unable to extricate themselves.
At this moment, Shan Qing Luo sat cross-legged in a sleeveless robe, gently forming a series of seals with her jade white hands.
Yang Kai’s attention involuntarily lingered on those supple and bright arms for a while…
There was a profound Spirit Array depicted below Shan Qing Luo’s body, which was clearly activated as well as several Domain Stones lingering around her, their energy slowly being drawn into her body.
Around Shan Qing Luo, there was already an embryonic form of Domain that pulsed and fluctuated.
For an Origin Realm cultivator to break through to the Origin King Realm, the most difficult hurdle was not the accumulation of Saint Qi, but the comprehension of Domain.
Only by comprehending the mysteries of Domain could a cultivator break through their shackles and reached a new height.
In order to achieve this, an Origin Realm cultivator needed to condense their Shi to the grand accomplishment stage before slowly transforming it into a Domain.
After observing for a while, Yang Kai’s expression became warm.
Shan Qing Luo’s performance was truly worthy of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider Source she had absorbed. Her aptitude had undergone a terrifying improvement as a result, and her Shi was now beginning its transformation to Domain. As long as she had enough time, she would break through to the Origin King Realm as soon as the opportunity arrived!