After listening to Kang Si Ran’s explanation, Yang Kai understood the gist of the matter.
The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was a supreme treasure of Star Soul Palace and was famous across the Star Boundary.
This was not only because it was a powerful Emperor Artifact, but also because it was extremely special. The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda’s internal Self-Contained World was similar to his Sealed World Bead, but it was far more complete than the Sealed World Bead.
It was rumoured that the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda belonged to Bright Moon Great Emperor, the master of Star Soul Palace, but this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda already existed in some form before Bright Moon Great Emperor became famous.
Only after it was acquired by Bright Moon Great Emperor and further refined and improved did it become what it was today.
The space inside the pagoda was said to be an ancient battlefield, one which had many scattered ancient treasures and extinct spirit grasses as well as various sealed regions to explore. Now, the pagoda was situated inside Star Soul Palace and was one of the most coveted experience zones for Star Soul Palace disciples.
As long as they met certain requirements, disciples of Star Soul Palace could enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda for life experience.
Inside, they could hone their cultivation, improve their fighting skills, and study the mysteries of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao.
Although the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda had existed for countless years, and after so many years, countless cultivators had entered it for life experience and to search for opportunities, the number of treasures inside had only increased with time.
The reason was simple: Entering came with risk. Many of Star Soul Palace’s disciples had fallen inside, leaving behind their Space Rings as well as their artifacts, enriching the bounty of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda and becoming treasures for others to seek.
The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was divided into five layers, with the first and second being for Origin Kings to explore, the third and fourth layers for Dao Source cultivators, and the highest fifth layer being for Emperors to gain experience and pursue the Dao.
Inside the pagoda, there were not only ancient hidden artifacts and spirit grasses that had matured for countless years, but there were even fragments of World Principles and Star Sources.
This was because it was a shattered ancient battlefield. In ancient times countless powerful cultivators had fought and died inside, leaving behind shattered World Principles and Star Sources.
Though neither of these were complete, they still contained much power and many insights which if obtained and comprehended by cultivators would be of huge benefit.
After cultivating to the peak of the Origin King Realm, the next step was the Dao Source Realm where one would begin to comprehend Principle Strength. However, Dao Source Realm cultivators could only stimulate and borrow Principle Strength from the world around them. In order to truly use Principle Strength, the laws of the world, one needed to reach the Emperor Realm, and even then, some simple manipulation of Principle Strength was the most that could be achieved.
In the Star Boundary, countless Origin Kings had finished the conversion of their Saint Qi into Source Qi, but only a few could break through to the Dao Source Realm because the biggest hurdle was their inability to perceive and comprehend World Principles.
This was the reason why cultivators who were Star Masters were so highly coveted in the Star Boundary.
For example, Yang Kai had already experienced Shadowed Star’s World Principles back when he was just an Origin Returning Realm master, and although those were just the World Principles of a Cultivation Star rule, incomparable to the Principles of the Star Boundary, just the experience was enough to give him a significant edge in comprehension. Because he had this experience, Yang Kai would not face much of a bottleneck when breaking through to the Dao Source Realm in the future and would even have an advantage when trying to reach the Emperor Realm.
However, this kind of advantage was not just admired and appreciated, it also inspired great envy, and sometimes even murder and robbery! Netherworld Sect’s Yin Le Sheng was the best example.
As such, Yang Kai did not reveal the secret of him being a Star Master.
“Having said all that, Alchemist Yang should understand that the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is a great opportunity, yes?” Kang Si Ran asked with a beaming face.
“En, I understand. If this is the case, then the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is indeed a good place to explore,” Yang Kai nodded.
“There’s more as well,” Kang Si Ran smiled slightly, “Alchemist Yang should know that the current Maplewood City is currently a big mix of dragons and snakes, with countless representatives of big and small forces present. So, with Sir Star Envoy opening the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, how could those top great forces not show due respect?”
“Shopkeeper Kang means…” Yang Kai was shocked as he suddenly thought of a possibility.
“Heh heh heh… Alchemist Yang, Heavenly Martial Holy Land, Orthodoxy Temple, Azure Sun Temple, and many other great forces have all brought out some precious treasures to add to the pagoda. Not only were there some rare pills, there were also powerful Secret Arts, Secret Techniques, and even some Dao Source Grade artifacts!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit hearing this.
If this was really the case, then all of Maplewood City would certainly be stirred up.
Normally, cultivators who were not born into power trying to obtain any advantage from the various great forces would be more difficult than ascending to the Heavens, but this time, such a good opportunity had appeared, with countless rare treasures hidden inside the pagoda just waiting for someone to find them! How could the various cultivators not rush out to seize this chance?
“Heavenly Martial Holy Land even took out three Dao Source Fruits as a part of their contribution!” Kang Si Ran’s expression suddenly became excited as his voice trembled, “Alchemist Yang, you are an Alchemist, so you must know the role of Dao Source Fruits better than anyone.”
“The Dao Source Fruit used to refine Dao Source Pills?” Yang Kai called out in alarm.
“Indeed!” Kang Si Ran couldn’t restrain the shaking of his hands as his tea cup even sprinkled out some water, “Only a few great forces in the Star Boundary can grow Dao Source Fruits, and in the Southern Territory, only Heavenly Martial Holy Land is capable of this, even Star Soul Palace does not have Dao Source Fruit trees. What’s more, only six Dao Source Fruits mature every ten years, yet Heavenly Martial Holy Land actually brought out three for this event, a massive sacrifice on their part.”
“Does Shopkeeper Kang want one of those Dao Source Fruits?” Yang Kai saw that his fanatical expression was and had a guess.
“Of course this old master wants one!” Kang Si Ran smiled bitterly, “Alchemist Yang, this old master has been stuck at the peak of the Third-Order Origin King Realm for more than two hundred years already. This old master knows his aptitude is poor, and unless he has some kind of great fortuitous encounter, reaching the Dao Source Realm in this lifetime will be impossible; however, if this old master can obtain a Dao Source Fruit… this old master can also make an attempt! Whether this old master ultimately succeeds or not, at least he will have a chance!”
Although Kang Si Ran was the shopkeeper of Spirit Pill Plaza, and technically a member of Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, because his strength and status were low, there was no way he could obtain a precious resource like a Dao Source Pill internally.
Each Dao Source Pill represented a great opportunity to create a Dao Source Realm cultivator, so Violet Source Chamber of Commerce would obviously not arbitrarily grant them to its subordinates. One would need to make a corresponding contribution or pay an appropriate price first.
Kang Si Ran had managed Spirit Pill Plaza in Maplewood City for two hundred years, and while he had some small achievements during this period, they were nowhere near enough to trade for a Dao Source Pill.
Yang Kai could thus understand Kang Si Ran’s excitement.
Because one Dao Source Fruit could refine a single furnace of Dao Source Pills, and there is a limit of each furnace to produce nine pills, as long as Kang Si Ran could obtain a single Dao Source Fruit, as long as he found a Grandmaster to refine it, he could at least obtain one or two Dao Source Pills.
Once he broke through to the Dao Source Realm, his status in Violet Source Chamber of Commerce would be completely different and there would be no need for him to remain in a small place like Maplewood City.
Without even mentioning Kang Si Ran’s desires, Yang Kai also wanted those Dao Source Pills.
Once he finished the transformation of his Saint Qi into Source Qi and was able to touch upon the secrets of Principle Strength, he would be eligible to break through to the Dao Source Realm, so a Dao Source Pill would greatly increase his chance of successfully breaking through.
“Alchemist Yang, do you want to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda?” Kang Si Ran calmed down and asked Yang Kai.
“Such a grand event, I certainly don’t want to miss it,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“Very good, very good!” Kang Si Ran laughed, “If we miss this opportunity, it will be impossible to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda in this lifetime.”
“But Shopkeeper Kang… If what you said is true, then this experience will likely be extremely dangerous. You and I are both Third-Order Origin Kings, so there is no worry facing other Origin Kings, but if we were to encounter a Dao Source Realm master…”
“Haha, Alchemist Yang need not worry about that,” Kang Si Ran smiled and waved. “The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is not so easy to open. Sir Star Envoy has extended a great kindness to our Maplewood City cultivators, but how could he possibly completely open the pagoda? This time, only the first two layers will be opened, so only Origin Kings and below will be able to enter. There won’t be any Dao Source Realm cultivators inside.”
“Is that so?” Yang Kai was surprised.
But when he thought about it for a bit, he understood.
The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was a powerful Emperor Artifact, so even opening it once would definitely require a significant price. Even if it was a Star Envoy of Star Soul Palace, no matter who he was, it would be impossible to completely open the pagoda.
If he did, the loss to Star Soul Palace would be too great.
However, this was just the situation Yang Kai wanted to see.
As long as there were no Dao Source cultivators, he didn’t need to fear anything. When the time came, he would only need to worry about the native dangers inside the pagoda.
“En, this is why this old master was so anxious in summoning Alchemist Yang over, I wanted to inform you about this before the official announcement. Right now, only those who followed Sir Star Envoy to Clear Jade Mountain know about this. Now that Alchemist Yang has received this news though, he can make appropriate preparations.”
“Many thanks for your consideration, Shopkeeper Kang,” Yang Kai said gratefully.
“Alchemist Yang need not be so polite. Without you, Spirit Pill Plaza might not even exist, this is simply this old master returning the favour.”
“In that case, this Yang will take his leave first. I really do need to go back and prepare,” Yang Kai spoke and stood up.
“Then this old master will await your arrival three days from now,” Kang Si Ran cupped his fists slightly.
Yang Kai nodded and left Spirit Pill Plaza.
Upon returning to his secluded home, Yang Kai took out the herbs he had collected from the Small Sealed World medicine garden before he immediately began to refine some Spirit Pills.
Although it was only cultivators at the Origin King Realm and below who would be entering, and Yang Kai was not worried he would encounter powerful enemies, having some Spirit Pills ready was only prudent. If something dangerous happened, it could mean the difference between victory and defeat, life and death.
With the pile of herbs beside him, Yang Kai began refining one furnace after another, soon immersing himself in his work.
The next day, word of Star Soul Palace opening the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda spread across Maplewood City.
Countless cultivators cheered and praised Star Soul Palace for its generosity while the few Dao Source Realm masters present felt indignant; after all, the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time had nothing to do with them.
For a time, Maplewood City’s pill and artifact shops were flooded with customers.
Two days later, the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was going to be opened, so naturally all the cultivators eligible to enter wanted to prepare themselves and did not hesitate to spend a large sum of money to buy restorative and life-saving Spirit Pills. Many also choked down their reluctance to purchase the artifacts they had been eyeing before but never dared to buy.
If one wanted to chop wood efficiently, they first needed to sharpen their axe. Every cultivator understood this simple truth.
If they wanted to gain something in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda and still emerge with their life, they needed to do the utmost to prepare themselves.
Mo Xiao Qi apparently got the news and was extremely interested in it, so she specifically sent a notification to Yang Kai through the Communication Bead she had given him, asking him to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda with her in two days.
Yang Kai readily agreed while feeling a little guilty in his heart.
Mo Xiao Qi had notified him as soon as he got the news, but he actually knew in advance and forgot to notify her.
If she wanted to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, Yang Kai certainly wouldn’t stop her.
Although she was innocent and naïve to an extreme degree, ignorant of the dangers of the world and the treacherous nature of people, with all the precious artifacts on her, no one in the Origin King Realm would even be able to touch her.
Yang Kai continued to focus on his Alchemy.
At the same time, in the City Lord’s Mansion.
In a certain secluded room, a man and a woman sat some ten metres apart, opposite each other.
The man appeared middle-aged and had a deep and profound aura. He had a majestic aura about him, and his black robes were embroidered with a number of small silver stars over his heart. These stars were extremely lifelike and even shimmered mysteriously.
A Silver Star Envoy!
Only Silver Star Envoys of Star Soul Palace would dare wear such robes as these silver star emblems were the identifying mark of Silver Star Envoys.
In Star Soul Palace, Star Envoys were divided into three classes. From top to bottom, Gold Star Envoys, Silver Star Envoys and Bronze Star Envoys. Even the lowest-level Bronze Star Envoy required one to be a First-Order Emperor.
This middle-aged man, who looked like he was in his early forties, was a Silver Star Envoy, which showed he was a Second-Order Emperor.
As for the legendary Gold Star Envoys, they were all Third-Order Emperor Realm masters!
Over the years, Star Soul Palace had sent out Gold Star Envoys only a few times, and even ordinary Emperors from other Sects would not have an opportunity to meet a Gold Star Envoy. In Star Soul Palace, there were only three Gold Star Envoys, and no one knew where they were or what they were doing at any particular time.
Opposite this Silver Star Envoy was a young woman who appeared to be about twenty years of age. This young woman had picturesque features and long silky black hair, her beautiful eyes were like a pool of clear water, without the slightest impurity. The woman wore a long blue dress with luxurious gemstones dotting it. These gems obviously were not mere decorations though as each one exuded a subtle yet profound energy fluctuation.
Sitting there cross-legged, her brow was slightly furrowed as the aura around her body fluctuated, seemingly resonating with the surrounding World Principles.
She was clearly on the verge of a breakthrough!
The cultivation of this young woman was at the peak of the Third-Order Origin King Realm, so if she were to break through again, she would naturally reach the Source Realm.
“Princess, are you alright?” Although the forty-year-old man was a Second-Order Emperor, he still used an extremely respectful tone when speaking to this woman who was merely at the peak of the Origin King Realm, clearly indicating that her status was anything but low.
The young woman heard this question and nodded gently, “There is nothing wrong for the time being.”
“Haa… Princess, you were too willful this time,” The Silver Star Envoy said with some annoyed resignation. “You deceived me with a False Face Bead in order to sneak out of Star Soul Palace with me. After going back this time, the Great Emperor will certainly punish me.”
The young woman heard this, spat out her tongue cutely, and said, “Uncle Xiao, don’t worry. Xun’er will plead for you when the time comes. You are my Father’s youngest Junior Brother, he will certainly not punish you harshly.”
“You?” Xiao Yu Yang squinted at Lan Xun, taking pleasure in her misfortune as he said, “You can’t even protect yourself now, so how are you planning to ask for mercy for me? The Great Emperor said that when you return, he will punish you with ten years of seclusion in the palace!”
“Ten years?” Lan Xun exclaimed in alarm as she sobbed, “Just kill me and get it over with. It’s so boring just staying at the palace all day long. It’s the whole reason I snuck out to play…”
“You chose the wrong time to do that then,” Xiao Yu Yang said with a sigh and smiled bitterly. “You knew you were on the verge of a breakthrough, so why did you take the risk of going out instead of staying in the palace to prepare properly?”
When Lan Xun heard this, she could not help lowering her head and muttering, “I heard that a Divine Spirit appeared. I’ve never seen a Divine Spirit before, so I wanted to come out and see it.”
“You are the daughter of a Great Emperor! You have a bright and limitless path ahead of you, so how could you not meet some Divine Spirits in the future? At worst, you could simply ask the Great Emperor to take you to Dragon Island to stay as a guest. There are Divine Spirits everywhere there.”
“What’s so good about a few big snakes?” Lan Xun pouted with dissatisfaction.
“A few big snakes…” Xiao Yu Yang’s mouth twitched. Even as a dignified Second-Order Emperor, he was struck was speechless for a while, eventually just sighing and saying, “In any case, you cannot suppress your breakthrough much longer, and there is not enough time to return to Star Soul Palace now, so the Great Emperor agreed to allow me to open the entrance to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda here. Great Emperor will activate the real pagoda at the same time, allowing you to enter to break through. In order to conceal this fact, we even announced that this was an opportunity given by my Star Soul Palace to the cultivators of this city. We also managed to deceive those few from Heavenly Martial Holy Land, Orthodoxy Temple, and Azure Sun Temple into helping, otherwise, I alone would not have been able to accomplish this. However, you must be careful when the time comes. I will use a Secret Technique to send you directly to the third layer where you need to find a good place to feel the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao and absorb as many of the shattered Principles as possible. Those broken World Principles and Star Sources will be of great benefit to your future growth.”
“I know.”
“Do you understand how to draw in those Shattered World Principles and Star Source Fragments?”
“En, my father taught me before and I’ve properly studied the set of Secret Techniques.”
“Very good, it’s just a pity that… Princess is not a Star Master. If you had managed to successfully refine a complete Star Source prior to now, you would be able to reap even more benefits this time.”
Lan Xun smiled, “Uncle Xiao is not a Star Master but he has still reached the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Although Star Masters have many conveniences on the path of cultivation, Xun’er is confident that she will reach the same height as her father one day, even without such advantages.”
Xiao Yu Yang heard this, looked shocked, but soon laughed, “Good, it’s good Princess has such ambitions, it’s just a pity you’re not a man…”
Lan Xun suddenly snorted, “So what if I’m not a man? Am I any worse than those men?”
“Uh… Uncle Xiao meant that if you were a man, Uncle Xiao would definitely be happy to share a drink with you!” Xiao Yu Yang was an experienced man and knew how to quickly change the topic without a sense of abruptness.
“I’d rather not, I don’t know how anyone could drink something so bitter and smelly.”
“Haha,” Xiao Yu Yang didn’t say much on this matter and instead solemnly exhorted. “The most important thing for Princess this time is her breakthrough. Of course, you can also go explore the third layer if there is enough time, as there are many good things inside. Even if we old folks enter, we may not be able to obtain anything good. Inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, the most important thing is opportunity and luck, but strength comes a close second.”
“Xun’er will remember.”
……
Two days passed by in a flash.
On this day, Maplewood City was extremely lively as everyone invariably gathered towards the huge square in front of the City Lord’s Mansion. Origin Returning Realm masters and Origin Kings all beamed brightly, while all other cultivators wore gloomy, disgruntled expressions.
This could not be helped, as Dao Source Realm masters would not be able to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time while cultivators below the Origin Returning Realm did not possess the necessary strength. Even most Origin Returning Realm cultivators didn’t dare to enter this time.
Those who had the guts would be putting their lives on the line in order to seek opportunities.
Before the City Lord’s Mansion, a high platform had been set up at some point.
On the high platform, several cultivators of varying ages sat.
Everyone down below looked up at these cultivators with respect and admiration.
After all, those people were all Emperor Realm masters. If they weren’t Emperors, they would not have been qualified to be seated at all. Even City Lord Duan Yuan Shan of Maplewood City could only stand to the side with a smile on his face.
Duan Yuan Shan was a master at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, so he was normally a peak-level existence in Maplewood City, but in front of these Emperors, he didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.
Time passed quietly.
More and more cultivators gathered.
Everyone was looking around, looking for the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, Star Soul Palace’s legendary treasure, hoping to catch a glimpse of its true appearance.
Unfortunately, no matter how they searched, no one was able to see the slightest clue.
Some insiders knew that the real Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was not here, nor was it carried by Sir Star Envoy. Although this was the Southern Territory, where no one dared show disrespect to Star Soul Palace, this was a foundational treasure in the end, so how could it be carried around casually?
This time, an entrance to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was being opened remotely by Sir Star Envoy and the other Emperors present, while the masters in Star Soul Palace’s headquarters coordinated with them.
So even if the pagoda was not physically here, it was still accessible.
Yang Kai stood in the crowd, listening to the conversations of the surrounding cultivator, and soon understood the situation.
This eliminated many of the doubts he had. Originally, he thought that the Star Envoy of Star Soul Palace was carrying the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda with him, but he could not understand why this was. Now he understood.
While he was waiting, someone patted him on the shoulder and Mo Xiao Qi’s voice rang out, “Big Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai turned his head and saw Mo Xiao Qi standing beside him with a smile while countless cultivators around her had backed off with grimaces on their faces as they stared at this little girl fearfully.
It was not an exaggeration to describe Mo Xiao Qi as a hedgehog with the sharpest of spikes, and everywhere she went, the cultivators who accidentally bumped into her experienced great pain and hurriedly made way.
As such, the place where she and Yang Kai stood actually became quite spacious as no one dared to approach to within a few paces of them.
“Big Brother Yang, I found you! There are so many people here,” Mo Xiao Qi said as she turned her eyes around like a country bumpkin who had just entered the city and was awed by the sights, she was seeing for the first time.
Yang Kai looked at her with an awkward smile on his face and called out to her wryly, “Xiao Qi…”
“Hm, what’s the matter?” Mo Xiao Qi turned her head back curiously, but in the next moment her beautiful face turned pale, she covered her mouth with her delicate hand, and pointed to Yang Kai’s shoulder, “Ah, your shoulder is all bloody, Big Brother Yang! Who attacked you? How could they!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine…” Yang Kai spoke calmly and in a somewhat resigned tone, as if he had already gotten used to this. A short time later, he managed to staunch the blood flow and said, “Just do not touch me so casually next time please, otherwise… I might lose too much blood and die.”
Mo Xiao Qi was stunned for a moment before she blushed, lowered her head, and squirmed in place a bit as she pinched her dress guiltily.
“Haha, you’re here, Alchemist Yang!”
At that moment, Kang Si Ran’s hearty laughter rang out from nearby and when Yang Kai turned his head to look, he saw Shopkeeper Kang striding over.
“Shopkeeper Kang!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
“Seeing Alchemist Yang’s confident appearance, this Kang is relieved. It seems Alchemist Yang has prepared appropriately.”
“This Yang can only do his best to return safely.”
“Alchemist Yang is too humble. Inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, there are countless opportunities to be had. I am certain Alchemist Yang will be able to smoothly return after obtaining great benefits. Oh, this girl is…”
“Oh, this is Xiao Qi. She’s my friend,” Yang Kai introduced Mo Xiao Qi to Kang Si Ran. Although Mo Xiao Qi was quite innocent, she wasn’t quite familiar with interacting with others, so she just nodded lightly and stood quietly at Yang Kai’s side.
“Alchemist Yang, this old master previously asked the Senior who came from the chamber of commerce headquarters for some information and learned that everyone will be separated upon entering the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, so it is unlikely we will be able to travel together,” Kang Si Ran said in an apologetic tone.
Yang Kai raised his brow and asked, “Could it be that upon entering, everyone will be sent to a random location?”
Yang Kai had already entered various Sealed and Self-Contained Worlds before, so he was not unfamiliar with such things. When Kang Si Ran mentioned this, he immediately thought of a possibility.
“Yes,” Kang Si Ran nodded solemnly. “The space inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is an ancient battlefield, so its World Principles are not complete and are even broken in certain places. As such, even if cultivators enter at the same time, they will appear in different positions. Before, this old master was thinking he could travel together with Alchemist Yang, but it seems that will not be possible now.”
Yang Kai smiled slightly and said, “If we can’t join hands, it means others can’t either, which means that everything will come down to our own individual abilities.”
“What Alchemist Yang says is right. This old master also thought of this, so he came to specifically inform you to remain cautious inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. In the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, there are numerous barriers and traps that, can kill Origin Kings like us if we fell into them. Countless Star Soul Palace disciples fall inside every year for this reason, so one cannot be careless.”
“Many thanks for the warning, Shopkeeper Kang, I will be careful,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
The two stood in place and chatted casually.
“By the way, who are those people sitting up there, Shopkeeper Kang?” Yang Kai gestured to the high platform in front of City Lord’s Mansion with his eyes and asked.
Kang Si Ran chuckled and said, “In fact, this old master only recognizes three of them. The second one from the left is one of my Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s Vice Presidents, Sir Lou Chi. Next to him is Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce’s Vice President, Sir Ceng Yuan. As for the one in the middle, he is Silver Star Envoy, Sir Xiao Yu Yang of Star Soul Palace. The others… this old master only knows their origins and is not clear about their names.”
Yang Kai nodded and was just about to respond when Mo Xiao Qi’s voice came from the side, “The first one on the left is Chen Wen Hao from Heavenly Martial Holy Land, the first one on the right is Feng Ming from Orthodoxy Temple, and the one to Feng Ming’s right is Gao Xue Ting from Azure Sun Temple.”
Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran looked at Mo Xiao Qi in amazement.
“You recognize all of them?” Yang Kai asked.
Mo Xiao Qi giggled, “I’ve learned the names and appearances of many Emperor Realm masters, so I know a little about them. Everyone except for Silver Star Envoy Xiao Yu Yang, who is a Second-Order Emperor, are First-Order Emperors.”
“Young Lady is very knowledgeable; this old master is impressed!” Kang Si Ran cupped his fists with admiration.
Mo Xiao Qi waved her hand quickly, “It’s nothing.”
Yang Kai’s expression moved slightly as well, because when Kang Si Ran introduced the Emperor Realm powerhouses up above, he still addressed them as ‘Sir’ to show respect, even if he knew these masters could not hear him. However, Mo Xiao Qi directly called those Emperors by their names, seemingly not concerned with their status or strength at all.
But that side… At this moment, there were actually six Emperor Realm masters in this tiny Maplewood City. It seemed that all of the Southern Territory’s top great forces were represented here, a rare sight indeed.
No wonder even City Lord Duan Yuan Shan had to stand to the side with a flattering smile on his face.
As time passed, none of the cultivators down below dared to show any impatience, and despite the crowd being massive, no one dared to speak too loudly; after all, six Emperors were sitting before them, so who would dare act presumptuously?
But of course, there was at least one person who did not know how to fear the Heavens and was actively hawking his wares here.
“Top-grade Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pills! Buy them now before they are gone! With just one Spirit Pill, as long as you have just one breath left, you can escape from the gates of death! Only three pills left! These are my family’s long inherited treasures! Act now before it’s too late!”
A shout suddenly sounded among the crowd.
All the cultivators were stunned and hurriedly turned towards the place where the voice came from.
If one had to ask which kind of pills sold the fastest in Maplewood City these past two days, the answer would undoubtedly be healing Spirit Pills.
After all, many cultivators wanted to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, who could guarantee that they would not be wounded inside? As such, cultivators had instantly emptied all the major pill shops of healing pills, causing the price of such pills to rise three-fold in a day. Even so, healing pills were still in short supply.
No matter how expensive the price was, could it be more expensive than one’s life? Perhaps a good healing pill would be able to save one’s life at a critical moment, so no cultivator was going to be stingy in this regard.
As early as last night, the supply of healing pills in Maplewood City was exhausted. Without even mentioning high-grade healing pills, even the most common ones were completely sold out.
But now, at this moment, in this square, someone shouted they were selling Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pills, a pill which could bring someone back from the brink of death. How could this not attract everyone’s attention?
“This voice…” Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi looked at each other and couldn’t help wondering, “Why does it sound familiar?”
“Buy now! Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pills refined from the legendary Immortal Source Liquid for sale! Immortal Source Liquid is the essence condensed from the divine Immortal Tree; a single drop is more precious than a thousand drops of Ten Thousand Year Stone Milk! Supplemented by many rare herbs, refined by an Emperor Grade Alchemy Grandmaster, if you miss this opportunity…”
The sales pitch continued.
Yang Kai suddenly remembered who the owner of this voice was.
Mo Xiao Qi apparently also remembered at that moment and shouted indignantly, “It’s that old swindler.”
As she spoke, she rushed out.
Relying on her advantage of being completely untouchable, Mo Xiao Qi smashed her way through the crowd and rushed directly towards the hawker as she shouted, “Old swindler! Still trying to deceive people with your lies! Today I’ll teach you a lesson you never forget!”
When the hawker looked over, he instantly recognized Mo Xiao Qi and his heart clenched. Before Mo Xiao Qi could reach him though, he suddenly pointed behind her with widened eyes and shouted in a voice filled with awe and excitement, “It’s the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda!”
Everyone heard this shout and was instantly overjoyed, turning their heads in the direction the old swindler was pointing.
However, where was there any sign of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda? Clearly, there was nothing there but empty air.
“Ah… I was tricked again!” Mo Xiao Qi reacted quickly and turned back.
But there was now no trace of the old swindler either. He seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
“Hateful!” Mo Xiao Qi stomped angrily.
Several thousand meters away, amidst a thick crowd of people, a sloppily dressed old man with a shaggy beard sighed in relief, “That was dangerous, I was almost caught… Why must life treat me so horribly? That little girl is simply too much, it was just a few thousand Source Crystals yet she wanted to chase down and kill this old man. Pei, such unfairness!”
After feeling sorry for himself for a while, he suddenly turned and tugged at the clothes of a man next to him and whispered, “Little Brother, you also want to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, yes? Do you perhaps need some good healing pills?”
“Oh? Old Sir has healing pills for sale?” The man suddenly became interested.
“Heh heh heh…” The old man grinned, flashing his big yellow teeth, trying to act mysterious as he took out a jade bottle from his vest pocket and quietly whispered, “These Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pills, which can even bring someone back from the brink of death, were obtained by my family’s ancestors and passed down through the generations. Little Brother, please take a look!”
Seeing Mo Xiao Qi walking back angrily, Yang Kai knew that she must have failed in her mission.
However, Yang Kai felt something about this situation was strange because he had some contact with the old man in the black market at that time and failed to find anything out of the ordinary about him. The only noticeable trait was his wicked appearance which clearly marked him as nothing good.
However, when Mo Xiao Qi charged off just now, Yang Kai had simultaneously used his Divine Sense to lock onto that old swindler.
But all of a sudden, that old man had managed to get rid of his tracing and disappear.
[That old swindler is not simple!]
This surprised Yang Kai greatly; after all, he was approaching the Dao Source Realm in cultivation and his Divine Sense was far more powerful than even that, so the other party being able to throw him off so simply was proof that the old swindler was no ordinary person.
But having said that, ordinary people would not go around cheating people out of their Source Crystals using such blatant and easily seen through scams either.
Time passed and soon, it was noon.
Atop the high platform, Duan Yuan Shan, who had been standing to the side with a big smile on his face, quickly walked over to Xiao Yu Yang and asked something in a low voice. After getting an affirmative nod, Duan Yuan Shan turned around, inhaled deeply, and shouted, “Citizens of Maplewood City, may I have your attention please…”
When the crowd heard this call, everyone immediately understood that the show was about to begin so they quickly fell silent and turned their attention towards the high stage.
Duan Yuan Shan smiled slightly and cupped his fists, “First, allow this Duan to offer his sincerest and most heartfelt thanks to Silver Star Envoy Senior Xiao from Star Soul Palace for opening the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda in my Maplewood City. Many thanks to Heavenly Martial Holy Land, Orthodoxy Temple, Azure Sun Temple, Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, and Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce as well for their assistance in this great favour and for their generous contributions of precious treasures, Secret Arts, Secret Books, Martial Skills, and artifacts. For this grace today, on behalf of all of Maplewood City and its surrounding forces and families, as City Lord, this Duan offers his praise and thanks once again, wishing several Senior’s continued good health and success on the Martial Dao, in addition…”
Words seemed to overflow from Duan Yuan Shan’s mouth once he opened it, his speech filled with lavish praise and flowered words he had clearly been preparing for some time now.
However, before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yu Yang frowned impatiently and snapped, “Enough nonsense, get to the point!”
Even though he was reprimanded so bluntly in front of so many cultivators in the city, Duan Yuan Shan did not dare show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he simply nodded and after rearranging his thoughts slightly, continued, “The time has come! Please take action, several Seniors. To the gathered cultivators, your life or death, fortune or misfortune, will be decided by your own hands upon entering the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda!”
As soon as these words fell, the six Emperors stood up one after another.
Below the high stage, countless peoples’ eyes turned towards these six.
Xiao Yu Yang gave a loud, long roar as he formed a series of seals with his hands. The surrounding World Energy hummed as stifling coercion burst forth, causing many of the Origin Kings gathered below to reel back in fright.
It was not just the Origin Kings present who felt pressured though, as even the other five Emperors on the stage were staring fixedly at Xiao Yu Yang and observing his movements, seemingly wanting to glean some clues from his actions.
Xiao Yu Yang’s movements were extremely fast, his hands flying so quickly that only a series of afterimages were visible.
With one last shout, Xiao Yu Yang suddenly pointed his palms forward.
At that moment, a complex and profound series of lines and runes appeared before him.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yu Yang used his fingers like brushes, the surrounding World Principles as ink, and the void as his canvas to draw even more patterns and runes, each of them seemingly resonating and interacting with the world itself, like living creatures.
Crackling sounds rang out constantly.
An indescribable force began to emerge from this giant array and spread outwards slowly.
Soon, a runic circular Spirit Array approximately a hundred metres in diameter had formed before everyone’s eyes.
Xiao Yu Yang at this point shouted, “Begin!”
When his voice fell, the other five Emperors leapt up and, in a flash, appeared at five different positions around the Spirit Array where each of them used their own methods to pour their strength into it.
The entire Spirit Array began to rotate with the influx of this energy.
As the power of the six Emperors poured into it, the Spirit Array rotated faster and faster, causing those who were staring at it to feel slightly dizzy.
The faces of the six Emperor Realm masters were extremely solemn as the consumption of their strength was far greater than they had anticipated. Before long, besides Xiao Yu Yang, the other five Emperors had gone slightly pale from the exertion.
Fortunately, this process did not last long, and when the huge Spirit Array began emitting a steady light and transforming into a kind of shining doorway, Xiao Yu Yang shouted again, “Great Emperor, please take action!”
After these words fell, from the light gate, an illusory palm appeared, one that seemed to emerge from beyond the Heavens, and shattered some kind of final barrier. Instantly, the light gate stabilized and the figure of a pagoda suddenly appeared, one that was emitting a brilliant five-coloured glow that somehow blurred and obscured its true appearance.
“Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda!”
Under the high stage, the cultivators who saw this scene exclaimed, their eyes widening as they stared towards the glowing pagoda.
This was obviously the core treasure of Star Soul Palace, the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda Emperor Artifact which was famous across the entire Star Boundary. Almost all had only heard rumours about this tower, while none of them had seen it with their own eyes. But now, not just seeing, these people would soon even be able to enter this paradise.
Thinking so, many felt their breathing become rapid and ragged.
“Many thanks for your hard work,” Xiao Yu Yang signalled lightly to the other five Emperors.
These five seemed to be extremely exhausted at the moment though, so after acknowledging these words of thanks, they all returned to their original seats, closed their eyes, and began adjusting their breathing.
In the next moment, a Space Ring appeared in Xiao Yu Yang’s hand, and he threw it towards the light gate with a smile before gently palming towards it.
The Space Ring instantly shattered and from inside it, hundreds of different bursts of light shot out and flew into the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda like arrows from a string.
“That’s…”
“They’re the treasures brought out by the other great forces! Look at that artifact!”
“Are the famous Dao Source Fruits among those things then? If I can obtain that fruit, I can break through to the Dao Source Realm!”
“There are only three Dao Source Fruits, but tens of thousands of competitors. How are you going to obtain one?”
“If I can, I can!”
…..
After realizing the streams of light were the treasures the other great forces had contributed to this time’s opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, everyone became excited, especially regarding the three Dao Source Fruits which greatly stimulated the desires of these Origin Kings.
Although everyone was extremely excited, no one dared to act arbitrarily; after all, Xiao Yu Yang was still watching them.
After taking a moment to sweep his eyes around, Xiao Yu Yang smiled slightly and shouted, “Everyone, you may enter.”
As soon as his voice fell, how could the cultivators who had been waiting here anxiously hold back? Everyone began using their movement skills and Secret Techniques to rush towards the light gate, seemingly afraid to be left behind.
For a time, the square in front of the City Lord’s Mansion became noisy and chaotic.
Even before entering, fights were beginning to break out about who had priority to go in.
Xiao Yu Yang did not pay this commotion any mind, however, as his eyes simply moved towards a certain young woman who was standing amongst the crowd. Seeing this young woman looking towards him, he gently nodded, before flicking his wrist secretly and sending a gentle but well-concealed force towards her.
Yang Kai’s group of three also mixed into the crowd, squeezed to and fro by the chaotic rush, winding up quite miserable.
However, the cultivators who accidentally touched Mo Xiao Qi all felt like they were being pierced by sharp swords and reeled back in pain.
Yang Kai noticed this quickly and immediately gave Mo Xiao Qi a wink. Mo Xiao Qi understood and boldly and without hesitation or looking back charged forward.
After some twists and turns, the trio finally reached the light gate and rushed inside.
A familiar feeling of long-distance teleportation overcame Yang Kai, but he quickly stabilized himself and soon, a completely different environment appeared before him.
Immediately, Yang Kai noticed that the World Energy here was not very rich, quite thin in fact.
However, all around him, there was a mysterious force that all cultivators at his level craved for, Principle Strength!
Although the Principle Strength here was somewhat strange, and not nearly as strong or complete as in the outside world, because it was shattered and fragmented, it was actually much easier to grasp and understand.
It was no wonder that Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was a highly visited experience ground for Star Soul Palace’s disciples. In this special environment, Star Soul Palace’s cultivators would far more easily be able to grasp Principle Strength. Even if the Principles in this place were incomplete, just being able to touch and study them was a great boon.
After the Origin King Realm came the Dao Source Realm, but if one wanted to break through to the Dao Source Realm, they needed to first grasp Principle Strength.
Star Soul Palace having a treasure like Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda allowed its disciples to twice as easily reach the Dao Source Realm than average cultivators.
This was an extremely terrifying advantage.
Yang Kai had not even gathered his wits when he heard a terrible scream come from nearby.
Startled, he quickly turned his head to look around.
Nearby, Yang Kai noticed a cultivator get bitten in the neck by a crocodile-like Monster Beast. Blood splashed out like a fountain from the cultivator’s throat as he tried to stop the flow with his hands but failed miserably.
Another crocodile-like Monster Beast clamped onto this man’s thigh and began dragging him into a nearby marsh.
*Gululu…*
In the blink of an eye, the cultivator disappeared, leaving behind only some bubbles on the muddy water’s surface.
The cultivator who suffered misfortune obviously arrived here before Yang Kai, but after such a long-distance teleportation, one would often feel dizzy and disoriented for a short time, so he had failed to respond in time to the approaching danger.
Regarding this, even if Yang Kai wanted to make a move, it would have been too late by the time he noticed.
The fierce beasts hiding in this swamp were simply too fast.
*Huala…*
With a soft gurgling sound, from the corner of Yang Kai’s eyes, another crocodile beast, exactly like the ones that had just killed the previous cultivator, sprang up from the swamp, its eyes filled with bloodlust as it opened its mouth and snapped towards him.
With the lessons learned from the previous cultivator, how could Yang Kai be caught off guard though? With a flicker, he threw out a punch covered in five-coloured light toward this crocodile’s head.
*Guangdang…*
As if metal struck metal, sparks flew, and the crocodile was smashed back into the swamp it emerged from.
However, the crocodile did not die and instead flicked its tail to escape under the water.
Yang Kai only then released his Divine Sense to scan his surroundings.
The next moment, his face could not help but sink.
Under his perception, there were countless fierce auras all around him, stealthily approaching under the muddy water.
These auras obviously belonged to more crocodile beasts like the ones he had just encountered. Individually these creatures were not that strong, most of them just peak Ninth-Order Monster Beasts, which was equivalent Third-Order Origin Returning Realm humans.
Such Monster Beasts really were not anything in Yang Kai’s eyes.
However… there were far too many of them, and Yang Kai didn’t want to get bogged down dealing with them.
If a different cultivator had been teleported to this place, they would very likely encounter misfortune; after all, not every Origin King could ignore the discomfort of long-distance teleportation like Yang Kai.
Ordinary cultivators would feel some sense of disorientation and dizziness.
At this point, Yang Kai immediately leapt up and decided to withdraw.
But something he did not expect happened.
As soon as he reached a height of ten metres, a huge pressure suddenly crashed down on him, like a mountain was suddenly weighing on his back, pressing him down towards the ground.
Everything happened so quickly he was unable to even resist.
“A Flight Inhibiting Array?” Yang Kai’s face turned black as he quickly reacted.
When Kang Si Ran introduced the internal situation of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda to him before, he had said that there were many Natural Arrays, restrictions, and traps scattered about. These Spirit Arrays had various functions but Flight Inhibiting Arrays were amongst the most common.
Inside such Flight Inhibiting Arrays, cultivators would not be able to fly very high, and once they exceeded a certain height, they would experience a heavy pressure that forced them back down.
What Yang Kai had just encountered was the effect of a powerful Flight Inhibiting Array.
The only thing he didn’t know was whether this Flight Inhibiting Array was artificially arranged or generated naturally.
But Yang Kai didn’t have time to think about it right now since the countless lurking crocodile beasts leapt at him from all directions the moment he fell, their mouths wide open as their sharp teeth flashed.
Yang Kai’s strength erupted in response as he threw out his fists, leading to a loud series of bangs.
In the blink of an eye, he knocked back several dozen crocodiles, but the vitality of these Monster Beasts was extremely tenacious. So, even after taking a punch from Yang Kai, not only did they not die, they were almost completely unharmed and swiftly dove down into the marsh.
More crocodiles pounced out, taking the places of their comrades.
Soon, Yang Kai was covered with crocodiles, his hands, arms, legs, all being bitten into.
These crocodiles all had amazing jaw strength, far more so than ordinary Monster Beasts, and with the peak Ninth-Order strength, how could they not be dangerous?
Ordinary Origin Kings, even if they pushed their strength to the maximum extent, would find it difficult to resist these crocodile Monster Beasts.
Fortunately for Yang Kai, his physique was far more powerful than normal thanks to his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art. As the fierce Five Elements Sword Qi burst from his body, many of the crocodiles who tried to bite him wound up with bleeding mouths instead, forcing them to release Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai was still dragged into the mud by this swarm of crocodiles.
The marsh was cold and dark, but the biggest hindrance was that it was so muddy and murky that Yang Kai was unable to see much even with his eyes opened. Even after throwing his fists out indiscriminately, Yang Kai soon realized his situation was not getting any better and instead he was simply sinking faster into the depths as more and more crocodiles besieged him.
“Secret Technique, Moon Blade!”
Sending out ten pitch-black Moon Blades in all directions, accompanied by the sound of flesh being sliced through, Yang Kai felt the pressure he was under diminish greatly.
Inside the muddy waters, red blood and dead crocodile carcasses abounded.
“Demon Eye!” when Yang Kai opened his eyes again, his left eye had gone completely golden and his vision was finally restored.
Scanning the area with his Divine Sense next, not only did Yang Kai realize that his recent slaughter had failed to repel these crocodiles, the fresh blood drawing more of them over instead.
“Courting death!” Yang Kai was furious. With his current strength, he could even face an ordinary Dao Source Realm cultivator without losing, but because of a moment of carelessness, this pack of weak Monster Beasts had actually put him in such an awkward situation.
This made him become a bit angry out of shame.
With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai directly released the Monster Insect Queen, which had still been repairing itself inside the Sealed World Bead, and issued an order with his Divine Sense.
The Monster Insect Queen was now Yang Kai’s Blood Beast, and despite having its own faint sentience, it would strictly obey any of his orders.
Wielding the dual swords accompanied by the flash of white light, a massive sword wave swept out.
*Kacha…*
An icy domain filled the surrounding area, not only causing Yang Kai to shiver but also greatly slowing down the crocodile Monster Beasts.
With a brilliant flash, Sword Qi surged and all the surrounding crocodile Monster Beasts were cut in half, dying instantly. Even the crocodiles in the distance were not spared.
With the purple and blue dual swords at its disposal, the Monster Insect Queen’s strength seemed to have greatly increased, and even if it did not use its Clear Sky Snowfall Secret Technique, simply swinging its swords could have such an effect.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and was just about to escape from these muddy waters when suddenly a flicker of light caught his eye.
In the depths down below, a clear and misty light was flickering.
Using his Divine Sense to probe it, Yang Kai noticed a subtle but potent energy fluctuation.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he pushed his energy to protect his body and dove down. The Monster Insect Queen, like a loyal guard, followed beside Yang Kai and dealt with any threats that tried to disturb him.
Soon after, Yang Kai arrived at the bottom of the swamp where the misty light was being emitted.
With the help of his Demon Eye of Annihilation, Yang Kai was finally able to see exactly what this thing was.
It turned out to be a palm-sized Spirit Mushroom of some sort.
“What is this…” Yang Kai pondered.
Although he knew most of the herbs which grew in his native Star Field, he had not had a chance to expand his knowledge about the Star Boundary’s various spirit herbs and medicines.
He had never seen nor heard of this mushroom before.
As he observed it, the mushroom’s hue went from a misty white to a faint green.
After a while, it turned red…
Even after checking through his memories again, Yang Kai was unable to recognize what this mushroom was, but judging from the aura it gave off, he could tell it was some kind of Dao Source Grade herb.
Deciding to worry about identifying it later, Yang Kai decided to first pick this mushroom and transplant it into his Sealed World Bead’s medicine garden.
And so, Yang Kai immediately went to work.
Soon, the Spirit Mushroom had been planted inside the medicine garden of his Sealed World Bead.
After finishing this though, Yang Kai did not rush to leave and instead continued to search around.
Sure enough, he found a few identical herbs in the vicinity.
It was half a day before Yang Kai rushed up from the swamp, the Monster Insect Queen following closely behind while, down below, countless crocodile Monster Beast corpses floated on the surface of the water. For hundreds of kilometres around, the marsh had been dyed red with blood.
Either because they were deterred by the strength of the Monster Insect Queen, or possibly because they had almost all been killed, no more crocodile Monster Beasts came to attack Yang Kai and he was able to leave the area freely.
Not acting rashly this time, Yang Kai only hovered a metre above the surface of the water as he flew out of the swamp.
There were many types of Flight Inhibiting Arrays, some of which completely prohibited flying while others simply restricted how high one could fly. From his previous experience, Yang Kai knew that this Flight Inhibiting Array was undoubtedly the latter type, so as long as he didn’t exceed a certain height, his ability to fly would not be suppressed.
The area of the swamp seemed quite wide, and Yang Kai needed to fly for half a day before finally reaching its edge.
The Monster Insect Queen was also taken back by him long ago.
The Monster Insect Queen was still restoring itself, so it wasn’t a good idea for it to fight too much at the moment. Yang Kai also didn’t want others to see he had such a helper with him. The Monster Insect Queen could be regarded as his biggest trump card at the moment, so concealing it until absolutely necessary was naturally for the best.
The space inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda seemed to be extraordinarily vast, as even after tens of thousands of cultivators from Maplewood City had entered this place, Yang Kai had yet to encounter even a single person.
As Yang Kai looked around, he was unable to find the landmark he was looking for, so he couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
This should be the first layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and Kang Si Ran had told him that after entering the pagoda, he should try to make his way to the second layer as quickly as possible. Although the first and second layers were both meant as experience grounds for Origin Kings, as a peak Third-Order Origin King, it was naturally better for Yang Kai to go to the second layer.
The way to enter the second layer was through a Five Coloured Light Pillar.
Yang Kai had been looking for this so-called Five Coloured Light Pillar, but he hadn’t seen any signs of it so far. He also had no clues about how to go about searching for this passageway to the second layer.
Just as he was looking around though, the ground beneath his feet trembled violently and a thunderous rumbling rang out.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed and he hurriedly circulated his Qi while scanning his surroundings vigilantly, lest some kind of danger appeared.
Nothing appeared in his immediate area though, but when he looked up, in the distance Yang Kai saw a true Dragon phantom suddenly appear.
This Dragon phantom was massive and radiated a fiery red glow. As its tail swept through the air, it soared up into the clouds and circled around before it once again came crashing down the ground, landing somewhere out of sight and disappearing.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
He never expected that in this first layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, an authentic Dragon phantom would appear.
This was definitely not caused by some Secret Technique or Secret Art but was a genuine Dragon phantom, possibly even related to a Dragon artifact. Yang Kai was certain of this because when this phantom appeared, he could clearly feel a surge of heat from his chest.
This heat came from the Dragon Scale he had fused with.
This Dragon Scale seemed to be resonating with something in the distance.
Yang Kai immediately realized that this might be a great opportunity.
No wonder the rumours said that there were many opportunities inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and those who entered it and who had good luck would obtain many benefits while at the same time, if one’s strength was high, but luck was bad, they could not hope for anything.
No longer hesitating, Yang Kai immediately rushed towards the place where the vision appeared from at top speed.
The position where the True Dragon phantom had manifested was quite far from his current position, so even using his full strength, it took Yang Kai three hours to arrive.
Looking around, Yang Kai couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.
There were already many cultivators gathered here, a rough count putting the number at several hundred, and more were arriving all the time, obviously attracted by the previous vision.
This place was a mountain valley, and at its centre was some kind of small altar. This altar seemed to have just emerged from the ground, as it still had soil and dirt on it, and was radiating an ancient and desolate aura, clearly indicating it was very, very old.
On the ancient desolate altar, there were a dozen or so unknown objects, all of them covered by some kind of faint black light curtains that resembled upside-down bowls. Although these light curtains blocked people from seeing what these objects were, they were just translucent enough for some faint outlines to be seen.
The things shrouded by these light curtains were quite diverse in shape and size.
There were hammers, swords, and dagger-like artifacts as well as yellow-coloured Secret Arts and Secret Books. There were also some jade bottles and boxes. Each of these objects was quite attractive, especially the artifacts which seemed to exude extremely powerful energy fluctuations, even the lowest of which was Dao Source Grade.
This caused Yang Kai’s eyes to flash.
Not only him, but all the other cultivators who rushed had greedy eyes as they stared covetously towards the altar.
“Were these things put here by the various great forces? Perhaps the Dao Source Fruit is here!” Suddenly, a cultivator called out.
“No!” Someone replied, “I came here earlier and heard that this altar had suddenly emerged from the ground. It seems someone activated some hidden array, causing it to appear. What’s more, all the items on the altar, as well as the altar itself exude an ancient aura, not like something that was placed here recently.”
“So, what you mean to say is that this altar is something that exited here from the beginning, and the treasures atop it are from ancient times?”
“Quite possibly!”
“Then what are we waiting for, we need to grab them quickly!”
Treasures leftover from ancient times that were so well preserved had inestimable value, countless times more than the treasures which were tossed inside by the various Southern Territory great forces. As soon as the news spread, many more cultivators could immediately come here to try to snatch them.
Many cultivators who wanted to observe for a while first couldn’t hold themselves back anymore and mustered their courage to rush forward. Their action immediately affected those around them, and more and more people leapt into the fray.
Even Yang Kai started to move, but instead of rushing up to the front of the pack, he maintained a position somewhere in the middle, leaving himself some leeway to observe the situation of the cultivators in front of him to ensure he did not accidentally fall into some kind of trap.
“Everyone, wait!” At that moment, a shout suddenly rang out and immediately, a handsome young man dressed in white robes flew up into the sky above the crowd.
This young man’s lips were red, and his teeth were white, giving him a suave look and judging from his extraordinary temperament, at first glance one could tell he came from a good background.
“Everyone, please stay calm and listen to me,” The young man shouted again.
Many cultivators frowned and looked up impatiently; after all, there were treasures in front of them, yet at this moment someone suddenly prevented them from moving forward. It was extremely unpleasant, tantamount to killing their parents or robbing them of their wealth. Such hatred was absolutely irreconcilable…
However, when everyone saw this person’s face clearly, many people stopped in place obediently while others showed looks of awe and fear.
“So, it is Young Lord Jiang Chu He!” From the crowd, a cultivator who recognized this youth cupped his fists and said, “I wonder what Young Master Jiang’s intentions are? Could it be that Young Master Jiang wishes to use his Jiang Family’s authority to monopolize the treasures on the altar? If so, I would advise Young Master Jiang to reconsider.”
“That’s right, these treasures are all without owners currently, and although the Jiang Family is a powerful force in Maplewood City, this is the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. If Young Master Jiang wants to take charge here, he should consider his own weight first,” someone immediately agreed.
Hearing what they said, Yang Kai immediately understood the identity of this young man.
He was the Young Master of Maplewood City’s Jiang Family!
In Maplewood City, under the City Lord’s Mansion, there were some powerful families and great forces. Among them, the Jiang Family was considered quite powerful as it had an Old Ancestor at the First Order Dao Source Realm. Although Yang Kai had not had any dealings with the Jiang Family, he had seen several Jiang Family cultivators killed by the Luan Feng in Clear Jade Mountain.
This time, all those who entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda were basically from Maplewood City, so naturally many people recognized Jiang Chu He. Even if one didn’t know him, they would have at least heard his name.
However… just as the previous people had said, if this was Maplewood City, everyone might still be concerned about the strength of the Jiang Family’s Old Ancestor and have to give Jiang Chu He face, but inside this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, the Jiang Family was not much of a deterrent.
What’s more, the treasures were right in front of them now.
Men die for wealth just as birds die for food, this was a well-known fact, so let alone a mere Jiang Chu He, even if the Old Ancestor from the Jiang Family was here, these hundreds of Origin Kings would not back down.
Jiang Chu He didn’t show any annoyance on his face though and said with a smile, “These friends are too serious. There are hundreds of fellow cultivators here, so even if this Jiang would not dare provoke public anger by trying to monopolize these treasures. This Jiang never had such intentions.”
“Then what does Young Master Jiang want to say?”
Jiang Chu He continued with a smile, “This Jiang simply wanted to warn everyone that where there are benefits, there must be risks. What’s more, this is the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda! Do any of you really think obtaining the things on this altar will be that easy? If that were the case, these items would have long ago been snatched up.”
“We naturally understand this, but… even if there are risks, we must not hesitate to push forward. Otherwise, what point would there have been in cultivating until now? I’m already prepared to face whatever consequences may come!” The man who spoke first coldly snorted and declared.
“This friend’s courage is admirable!” Jiang Chu He smiled and said, “But… doesn’t this friend think he should first inquire about what this altar is? Know thyself and know thine enemy and thou shalt be triumphant even in a hundred battles, no?”
“This is the first time any of us has entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, so how should we know what this altar is?” The man shook his head for, but quickly looked at Jiang Chu He in surprise and asked, “Could it be that Young Master Jiang knows something? If that is so, please enlighten us, Young Master Jiang.”
Jiang Chu He shook his head, “This Jiang is not clear, but I believe… there is someone here who should know about it.”
Saying so, he turned his head and looked towards a certain spot in the crowd with a smile on his face and asked, “Young Lady Qin, what do you think?”
Everyone followed his gaze and saw a woman standing in the middle of a group of cultivators like the bright moon among the stars. This woman looked quite young, about twenty-five or sixty-six years of age and seemed to be suffering from some kind of disease, her complexion somewhat pale and her build slightly thin.
If not for her current condition, she would definitely be a great beauty, but even so, seeing her in her frail condition, like a flower swaying in the wind and rain, still aroused great pity from others.
Seeing Jiang Chu He shifting everyone’s attention onto herself, this Young Lady Qin frowned and revealed a look of annoyance. The cultivators around her also glared at Jiang Chu He in dissatisfaction.
“Young Lady Qin? Young Lady Qin Yu from the Qin Family?” Exclamations rang out from the crowd, as if this Qin Yu was very famous.
“I heard that Young Lady Qin Yu is extremely well learnt, especially about the secrets of the ancient past. Could Young Lady Qin know something about this altar? If that is the case, and Young Lady Qin could enlighten all of us, this Jiang would be incredibly grateful,” Jiang Chu He smiled gently and asked, only causing the glares from Qin Yu and her guards to increase further.
Yang Kai’s brow also rose slightly as he suddenly understood what Jiang Chu He’s intentions were this time.
This guy obviously wanted to inquire about the situation of this altar.
However, if he were to simply ask Qin Yu on his own, she might not be willing to say anything, but by involving everyone here in this matter, he forced Qin Yu into a situation where even if she was reluctant, she had to comply.
No one wanted to become the target of public anger.
This Jiang Chu He looked like an upright and righteous man, but his methods… were quite despicable.
There were many other cultivators present who like Yang Kai understood the crux of this matter, but because it was related to their own interests, they didn’t speak up and instead turned to Qin Yu with interest.
“Yes, Young Lady Qin, if you know something about this altar, please enlighten us. If you can warn us about any potential dangers here, all of us friends will be exceptionally grateful!”
Under the attention of countless pairs of eyes, Qin Yu seemed a little uncomfortable, or perhaps the pressure here was simply too much, forcing her to cover her mouth with her handkerchief as she coughed.
“My Young Lady has been ill since childhood and is not accustomed to speaking too much; please do not make things difficult for her here!” Beside Qin Yu, a forty or fifty-year-old guard at the Third-Order Origin King Realm spoke coldly as he reluctantly cupped his fists.
Qin Yu, however, lifted her hand to him and said softly, “It’s fine. Since Young Master Jiang and all these friends wish for it so earnestly… This Mistress will share what she knows.”
It was impossible to tell what kind of disease she was afflicted with, but whatever it was, not only did it seem to limit the strength she could exert, it also seemed to be sapping her strength, a truly worrying condition.
However, when they heard that she was willing to address the situation about the altar, everyone couldn’t help gazing towards her expectantly.
“Young Lady Qin really has heard of this altar; this Jiang is sincerely impressed!” Jiang Chu He also beamed. He had previously just been trying his luck, but didn’t expect to actually be rewarded for his efforts.
On the one hand, he hoped Qin Yu would reveal everything she knew about this altar so that he could better take advantage of the situation, but on the other hand, he was worried that this information would also help his many competitors, causing Jiang Chu He to feel somewhat complicated.
“If this Mistress is not mistaken, this is the Soaring Dragon Altar…” Qin Yu slowly said as the surrounding cultivators all went silent. It was as if in the entire first layer of the Five-Coloured Treasure Pagoda, only Qin Yu’s existed, “With this altar, it is supposedly possible for a fish to leap over the Dragon Gate and soar into the skies to become a true Dragon!”
“This Soaring Dragon Altar… does not appear at any fixed interval or position. It may appear in the first, second, or possibly even fifth layer. Rumour has it that it has existed since ancient times, but even if those from Star Soul Palace enter here frequently, it is not easy for them to encounter the Soaring Dragon Altar.”
“In the records of the ancient books of Star Soul Palace, the Soaring Dragon Altar has appeared a total of eight times… With each appearance, some rare treasures will appear along with it. If one is able to obtain one of these treasures… perhaps, they really can leap over the Dragon Gate and cultivate to the Emperor Realm.”
“Leap over the Dragon Gate!”
“The Emperor Realm!”
Numerous cultivators whispered amongst each other, their eyes glowing hotly.
Most of the cultivators from Maplewood City could only be described as average. Although their strength wasn’t bad in the grand scheme of things, because they lacked powerful backgrounds and backing, rising above the Origin King Realm in their lifetime was as difficult as ascending to the Heavens.
However, Qin Yu’s words gave them hope, as if there was a road laid out before them, leading directly to the Emperor Realm!
After Qin Yu spoke, countless cultivators became even more anxious to begin.
Although they thought that the treasures on the altar were good from the start, none of them were certain and with so many others around, none dared to act too rashly for fear of bringing death to themselves.
But after listening to what Qin Yu said, everyone renewed their determination.
A chance to reach the Emperor Realm was enough for them to risk their lives.
However, some people remained calm and asked loudly, “Dare I ask Young Lady Qin if any dangers are associated with this Soaring Dragon Altar?”
“Dangers… most definitely, possibly life-threatening ones at that, but as for what specific dangers there are… This Mistress does not know; after all, the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is Star Soul Palace’s supreme treasure, so not much is recorded in available ancient books. This Mistress is also entering this place for the first time, so…”
Hearing this, everyone showed disappointment.
Although many suspected Qin Yu knew more than she was telling, she had already revealed so much which could be considered a great benevolence, so if they were to try to force the matter, it would be tantamount to slapping the Qin Family’s face.
Almost everyone present lived in Maplewood City, so who would be willing to offend one of its most powerful families? If they did that, even if they could leave the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda safely, they would have to live their life in fear of the Qin Family coming to settle accounts with them.
“However… it is said that this Soaring Dragon Altar is an artifact refined from real dragon bones, so if one wants to get close to the Soaring Dragon Altar, they must at least be able to resist the Dragon Pressure of an Ancient Dragon,” Qin Yu continued for some unknown reason.
“Refined from Dragon Bone?”
“The Dragon Pressure of an Ancient Dragon?”
Many called out in alarm.
At that moment, a whooshing sound rang out from nearby, like something was cutting through the air at an extreme speed, shocking everyone and forcing them to circulate their strength as they vigilantly observed their surroundings.
The next moment though, someone exclaimed, “Shameless! Acting so sneakily!”
It seemed that when everyone’s attention was attracted by Qin Yu’s explanation about the Soaring Dragon Altar, the cultivators from some force had concealed themselves and quietly approached the Soaring Dragon Altar.
The Secret Technique these people used to conceal themselves was quite exquisite and no one noticed their actions.
If it were not for the sudden change in the Soaring Dragon Altar, these people might have actually been able to sneak away with all the treasures without anyone being the wiser.
But at this moment… these people were all exposed. There were not many of them, just five in total, all of them approaching from different directions towards the Soaring Dragon Altar.
Now though it seemed one of these people had triggered some kind of Spirit Array around the Soaring Dragon Altar and caused it to send out bolts of light towards them.
The group of five were caught off guard and two of them were killed on the spot, blood splashing out as their bodies were cut apart. The survivors knew that they had been exposed and had lost their chance, so they immediately stopped trying to conceal themselves and instead focused on defending against the incoming attack.
Fortunately, the Soaring Dragon Altar’s attack did not seem to be too strong, so after the remaining three were able to defend themselves without too much difficulty. Glancing around and seeing the looks on everyone else’s faces, these three exchanged a knowing look, grit their teeth, and rushed forward.
“Damn it, it’s the Ghost Step Sect!”
“This group of pitiful weaklings dares to covet my treasures; they must court death!”
“Those treasures are mine!”
Seeing a group already racing towards the Soaring Dragon Altar, the remaining cultivators no longer held back, and each used their own Movement Skills to rush up as well, everyone hoping to reach the Soaring Dragon Altar as soon as possible to seize the treasures there for themselves.
Jiang Chu He was amongst the fastest and with a flicker, he flew out several hundred metres in the blink of an eye as his gaze fixed on a certain Secret Art atop the Soaring Dragon Altar and waved his hand towards it.
At that moment, a rope-like artifact shot forward towards the Secret Art which was still a few hundred metres away.
“Young Master Jiang, you…” When someone saw this, they called out in shock.
“Hahahaha!” Jiang Chu He laughed, as if the Secret Art was already in his hands and he had cultivated it to perfection, reaching the peak of the world, his arrogance greatly inflated as he shouted, “Treasures belong to those who can seize them. This Secret Art… belongs to this Jiang.”
As soon as his voice fell, however, his smile stiffened as he stared at his rope artifact in a daze and muttered, “How could this be?”
His rope artifact had only extended about ten metres forward before it fell to the ground limply, as if it had lost all spirituality, and no matter how Jiang Chu He urged it, he could not make it respond.
Not only him, but other people who wanted to use their artifacts to obtain the treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar all lost their connection with their artifacts at that moment.
While Jiang Chu He was in a state of shock, a huge pressure suddenly fell from the sky and forced him to the ground, planting his face in the dirt while sending up a big cloud of dust.
“Hahahaha, Young Master Jiang, your ability to bow your head all the way to the ground is quite exquisite. This one deeply admires your skill!” The previous cultivator laughed as he shot back Jiang Chu He, not forgetting to ridicule him before leaving.
“Damn it, I’ll remember you!” Jiang Chu He stood up from his humiliation and cursed.
Looking around, all the cultivators around who had wanted to fly over to the Soaring Dragon Altar found themselves in similar situations to his own, plummeting from the sky and landing in miserable poses.
This discovery made the bitterness in Jiang Chu He’s heart disperse greatly.
In an instant, everyone understood that if they wanted to obtain the treasures on this Soaring Dragon Altar, they would need to personally rush up and seize them.
However… this was definitely not an easy task.
The distance between the surrounding crowd and the altar was not much, so no one put it in their eyes at first, but as one got closer to the Soaring Dragon Altar, fierce and inexplicable coercion swept towards them. In the eyes of all cultivators present, the entire Soaring Dragon Altar seemed to transform into a giant Ancient Dragon that had opened its giant maw and was just waiting for its prey to leap inside.
Some of the cultivators who had weaker wills became dazed and froze on the spot, their eyes filling with fear as their bodies trembled violently.
Others, even if they were able to withstand the terrifying Dragon Pressure, were struggling simply to lift their feet, a far cry from the speed they had just shown.
“Young Lady, we…” On the other side, the Qin Family group was still huddled around Qin Yu. Under Qin Yu’s instructions, they had approached the Soaring Dragon Altar unhurriedly.
Qin Yu coughed lightly from time to time, with a completely composed expression on her face. On the contrary, the other Qin Family cultivators all looked extremely anxious, seemingly worried the others present would snatch all the benefits before they had a chance.
“Don’t panic!” Qin Yu finally took a breath and whispered, “The Soaring Dragon Altar… is not so easy to approach. Instead of rushing, we should take this opportunity… to feel the Dragon Pressure of an Ancient Dragon. This pressure has… a great effect when it comes to tempering oneself. If… in the future, you encounter a powerful foe, having this experience will allow you to maintain your composure.”
Although Qin Yu was only a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, she seemed to have enormous prestige among this group of Qin Family guards, so when she spoke, all of them immediately calmed down, stilled their hearts, and focused their minds to use the surrounding Dragon Pressure to temper their wills while guarding their Young Lady.
Suddenly, Qin Yu’s brow furrowed as she turned towards a certain direction.
When she did, she met eyes with Yang Kai who flashed her a smile as he casually strolled forward.
“He is…” Qin Yu looked deeply at Yang Kai’s back and found to her surprise that, despite her innate ability to see through others, she could not do so with him.
He did not seem to have the slightest eagerness for the treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar, and while everyone else was struggling with all their might, he acted as if he was taking a leisurely walk through his garden.
Qin Yu shook her head slightly, closed her eyes, and lowered her head. The next moment, when she raised her head up again, a profound light, like the brilliant stars in the night sky, flashed across her eyes.
At that exact moment, Yang Kai’s body went stiff, as if a gaze that was able to see through all of his secrets had been fixed onto him.
Turning his head back abruptly, he met eyes with Qin Yu once more.
The next instant, Qin Yu’s tender body trembled, and she began coughing violently.
“Young Lady!” The guards were shocked.
Qin Yu waved her hand lightly as she doubled over and covered her mouth with her silk handkerchief, coughing hard for a moment before gradually recovering.
“I’m fine,” Qin Yu gasped, but when she looked up again to where Yang Kai was before, she found that he had completely disappeared and let out a sigh.
“This woman is quite strange,” at the same time, Yang Kai, who had submerged himself into the crowd, frowned and muttered.
He had felt that this girl named Qin Yu was somehow extraordinary, but with the other party’s cultivation being just a trivial Second-Order Origin Returning Realm, he was unable to reconcile his instincts with reality.
But when Qin Yu looked at him just now, like she was peering into his very depths, Yang Kai could not help feeling chills up his spine.
“If it is not necessary, it would be best to have less contact with her in the future,” Yang Kai muttered as he made up his mind, fearing that his secret might inexplicably be leaked to her.
“Ahh!”
At that moment, a scream suddenly sounded.
A cultivator, who had been petrified in place by the Dragon Pressure for some time now let out a pitifully cry and shivered violently, like he was seeing something horrifying, and in a panic, his Qi began to riot, and he released several Secret Techniques into the air around him.
A moment later, with a resounding bang, this cultivator’s head exploded, releasing a great splash of red and white before his headless corpse fell miserably to the ground.
This shocked and terrified the nearby cultivators.
But things had not ended yet. Like a spark that lit a fuse, the death of this person set off a myriad of screams from different locations. The encounters of these cultivators were just like the first, seemingly falling into a nightmare, their strength fluctuating chaotically, launching random attacks, then having their heads explode.
“Dragon Pressure Suppression!” Someone in the crowd yelled in horror.
Everyone understood how these people were killed. Obviously, they were overwhelmed by the supreme Dragon Pressure here, causing a fault in their Souls which led to their death.
For a moment, some of the more timid and lower strength cultivators did not dare to advance and instead tried to turn around and retreat.
However, the moment these people stepped back, bursts of light rapidly shot out from the Soaring Dragon Altar towards them.
Everyone was shocked by this scene.
These lights were not shot out at random though and were actually targeted at the cultivators who were trying to flee.
In the blink of an eye, more than thirty more corpses littered the ground.
This sudden change caused everyone to freeze on the spot.
After a short silence though, someone suddenly shouted, “We can’t retreat! There’s a restriction here that will kill you if you try to withdraw! Everyone be careful!”
“Damn it, it’s a trap!”
“Damn Star Soul Palace…”
“I… what should I do?”
Many people here had low strength but had still coveted the treasures before them, but now that they found themselves in this predicament they began to blame and accuse Star Soul Palace for their misfortune.
In the current situation, if they moved forward, the Dragon Pressure they needed to resist would become fiercer, and the slightest carelessness could lead to their head exploding, an incredibly gruesome death. The few cultivators who had died just now were a perfect example of this. However, there was also no retreat from there as the thirty or so fresh corpses that had holes through their chests proved.
After realizing that they could neither advance nor retreat, many chose to simply stand in place.
However, not everyone was like this as there were still some who had real capabilities and confidence in their strength who continued to resist the Dragon Pressure as they walked towards the Soaring Dragon Altar step by step. These masters were focused on the dozen or so treasures before them, and despite the gruelling difficulty of each step forward, they only felt more and more joyful as they approached their goal.
Snatching wealth from the jaws of danger was a truth everyone understood well. Who among the cultivators here had not experienced many life or death crisis? As such, most had extremely strong determination.
What’s more, without even mentioning whether they could snatch those dozens or so unknown treasures, many cultivators still felt ecstatic just because of the benefits they gained from approaching the Soaring Dragon Altar.
Every step they took tempered their will, and under the supreme Dragon Pressure, many of the Origin Kings present even noticed that their Saint Qi was rapidly being transformed into Source Qi.
The conversion speed was far more than what taking Source Condensing Pills could achieve.
Yang Kai discovered this as well.
In truth, he was capable of completely ignoring the Dragon Pressure from Soaring Dragon Altar; after all, he possessed the Source of a Golden Divine Dragon in his body. Although the Soaring Dragon Altar was made from True Dragon Bones and could radiate intense Dragon Pressure, in front of Yang Kai’s Golden Divine Dragon Source, this paltry Dragon Pressure could play no role.
In ancient times, countless different clans belonged to the Dragon clan, but among these clans, bloodline suppression was obvious. The Golden Divine Dragon was of the highest status in the Dragon clan while, from the previous vision the Soaring Dragon Altar created, it was most likely refined from a Red Dragon’s bones.
Red Dragons primarily controlled Fire Attribute power.
The Golden Divine Dragon Source’s mere presence was sufficient to suppress the Dragon Pressure from the Soaring Dragon Altar, leaving a ten-metre radius around Yang Kai free from any kind of suppression.
When Yang Kai discovered this, his first thought was to immediately rush up to the altar and snatch everything for himself.
But after thinking about it carefully, he decided not to act rashly.
After all, there were still hundreds of Origin King Realm cultivators here. Even if Yang Kai could somehow escape from the encirclement of these Origin Kings, which was a questionable prospect at best, he would find himself in grave danger once he left the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
Once the people outside learned that he had obtained so many benefits from the Soaring Dragon Altar, he would become a public target.
An ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make him guilty. Yang Kai didn’t believe that those Dao Source Realm masters outside would not covet the treasures from the Soaring Dragon Altar. If he became the target of multiple Dao Source Realm masters, his future would become bleak.
And so, Yang Kai didn’t dare to reveal too exaggerated of a performance.
At this moment, he hid amongst the crowd while approaching the Soaring Dragon Altar step by step, relying on the Supreme Dragon Pressure to transform his Saint Qi into Source Qi while also leisurely observing the situations of the cultivators around him.
Not long after, many powerful Origin Kings were silently noted by Yang Kai.
These people were undoubtedly Masters who had fully transformed their Saint Qi into Source Qi, and when they were resisting the Dragon Pressure, they clearly had a much easier time than the others. This group was moving far faster than the rest and had created a noticeable gap between them and the others.
Yang Kai quickened his pace a bit while thinking in his mind how he should pack away all the treasures without getting caught.
Just as he was lost in thought though, a grating voice came from the side, “How dare you surpass this Young Lord, die!”
As soon as the word ‘die’ was left out, a palm print struck towards Yang Kai. This palm caused a howling and violent wind to burst form and seemed to contain great destructive power.
Yang Kai’s complexion instantly sank as he raised his own hand and palmed in response.
*Pa…*
With a light thump, the two violent palms collided with one another and released a powerful shockwave.
Yang Kai’s body shook slightly but he remained standing in place while on the contrary, his attacker gave out a shout as he was unable to resist Yang Kai’s blow and was on the verge of being blown away.
The man’s face changed drastically in the next instant, draining of all colour and blood.
After all, the cultivators that had tried to retreat earlier had all been shot through by the light beams the Soaring Dragon Altar shot out. He was not sure whether he would receive the same treatment if he was forced backwards.
If that really happened, he did not have confidence he could withstand the attack from the Soaring Dragon Altar.
Realizing this, he grit his teeth and actually forced himself into the ground like a wooden stake.
He would rather let the force from Yang Kai’s blow wreak havoc inside his body rather than be forced backwards.
*Pa pa pa…*
There was a series of popping sounds as this man’s face turned pale and blood began overflowing from his mouth and nose, turning his appearance hideous.
“Young Lord!” Someone shouted and hurried forward and pressed his hand against this half-buried man’s back, circulating his strength to resolve the last remnants of Yang Kai’s strike, allowing the half-buried man to finally stand firm.
Yang Kai finally looked back and saw a familiar face, grinning as he snickered, “So it is Young Master Jiang…”
The person who attacked him was surprisingly Jiang Chu He, who had riled up the crowd before.
When Yang Kai saw him for the first time, he felt this Jiang Chu He gave off a scholarly and upright aura, befitting his status as the Young Lord of a big family, but after watching him manipulate the crowd into pressuring Qin Yu, Yang Kai understood that this person was a sinister trickster who was both petty and manipulative.
In short, the type Yang Kai most despised!
Even just now, it seemed Jiang Chu He had only attacked him because Yang Kai had managed to overtake his progress.
“Who is Your Excellency?”
Jiang Chu He had suffered a big loss just now and nearly encountered a fatal disaster, so while he bore extreme hatred towards Yang Kai in his heart, he was equally fearful of him. He had never expected that he would be unable to even withstand a single move from another Origin King.
And in the situation just now, it was clear that the other party had only used a casual blow rather than his real strength. Didn’t that mean that if this was a life or death battle, he wouldn’t be able to resist at all?
[Is he some kind of monster?] Jiang Chu He felt a deep sense of fright.
Since when did Maplewood City have such a genius?
“Who am I?” Yang Kai grinned, “Young Master Jiang only needs to know there are some he cannot afford to offend.”
Seeing Yang Kai’s shameless boasting, Jiang Chu He flashed an unconvinced expression on his face, but after thinking about it, he realized that this young man might be from some outside great force. After all, Maplewood City currently had many masters gathered from around the Southern Territory.
Considering all this, Jiang Chu He’s expression turned solemn as he cupped his fists and said, “This Jiang previously committed an offence and asks Your Excellency not to take it to heart.”
“Seems you still have some sense. It’s fine, since it is your first offence, I will let it pass,” Yang Kai smiled coldly before turning around and ignoring Jiang Chu He as he walked off.
Jiang Chu He stared at his back, his face turning blue, then red while trying to suppress his own injuries and simultaneously resist the supreme Dragon Pressure in the air, making his situation quite difficult.
At the very back of the crowd, Qin Yu walked forward slowly, accompanied by her many guards. This couldn’t be helped as her strength was truly quite low here, so she was unable to advance as quickly as the others.
But it was precisely because of this that she was able to witness this scene just now.
“This person… What is his background?” Qin Yu frowned.
As a cultivator of Maplewood City, Qin Yu, naturally, knew what kind of strength Jiang Chu He possessed. Although Jiang Chu He’s aptitude wasn’t the best, he had the resources of the Jiang Family backing him, and after many years of cultivation, he had already reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin King Realm and fully transformed his Saint Qi into Source Qi.
In short, even if Jiang Chu He was not invincible in the Origin King Realm, he was not someone who could be injured with a single move from a cultivator in the same realm.
But someone had accomplished just that.
While this surprised Qin Yu, it also piqued her interest in Yang Kai.
“Young Lady, is there something about that man that is of interest?” When a guard saw Qin Yu staring at Yang Kai, he couldn’t help asking.
“Have any of you met this man before or know of his origins?” Qin Yu asked softly.
All the guards shook their heads, indicating they had never met Yang Kai before.
The guard who spoke earlier followed up, “If Young Lady wants to know, subordinates will make some inquiries after the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda closes.”
Qin Yu nodded, “Remember to just inquire, do not offend him.”
“Yes.”
…
Near the Soaring Dragon Altar, the gap between everyone’s strength gradually became clear as time passed. Although everyone here was basically an Origin King, and many had reached the Third-Order, those who were strong and those who were weak were quickly separated under the pressure of the Soaring Dragon Altar.
Those who had superior will, perseverance, and strength were able to approach closer faster.
The rest lagged behind.
For a time, hundreds of cultivators became divided into several rings with Soaring Dragon Altar as the core, all of whom were desperately trying to get closer to the centre.
In the first ring, there were roughly forty Third-Order Origin Kings who had only a small gap between each of them. It was foreseeable that if nothing happened, these forty masters would reach the Soaring Dragon Altar first. As for the second, third, and even further out rings, these people had no hope of obtaining anything.
However, these people did not dare to retreat, as that would be courting death, so they could only grit their teeth and march forward.
During this period, more and more cultivators died violently because they were unable to bear the intense Dragon Pressure. Within a radius of several hundred metres of the Soaring Dragon Altar, there were now a few hundred headless corpses littering the ground, making for a horrifying scene.
The thousand-metre region surrounding the Soaring Dragon Altar had become a burial ground for countless Origin Kings.
Half an hour later, the several dozen cultivators in the first group were now less than ten metres from the Soaring Dragon Altar!
At such a close distance, the dozen or so treasures on the altar could now be seen clearly, and regardless of what these people’s origins were, they couldn’t stop their breathing from becoming quicker.
However… with only a dozen or so treasures and forty or so cultivators in the lead group, it was impossible to split them evenly, and most people were destined to return empty-handed.
Everyone obviously knew this, so once they were ten metres from the Soaring Dragon Altar, everyone secretly began circulating their strength as their eyes darted about, hostility rapidly swelling up within all of them.
Suddenly, there was a sound of something breaking through the air as the surrounding World Energy turned chaotic. A golden arrow had been shot by someone and was now flying towards a certain burly figure.
“Damn it, I knew you were going to attack Father here since the beginning! Could you no longer hold back?” The burly man seemed to have been prepared long ago, so when he saw the enemy next to him attack, he immediately stretched out his hand and summoned a turquoise shield to protect his body.
*Peng…*
With a loud bang, although the golden arrow was quite powerful, it was still blocked successfully by the burly man.
Seeing this situation, the person who made the sneak attack could not help staring in a daze.
The burly man grinned fiercely as he withdrew his shield and then clenched his fists, Source Qi surging from his body as he punched out, “Tyrant King’s Holy Fist!”
This was obviously a powerful Secret Technique, and the moment it flew out, some faint traces of Principle Strength swirled around it. It was obvious from this scene that this burly man had already touched the threshold of the Dao Source Realm and perhaps was just one step away from breaking through.
From this fist wind, an aura that seemed to dominate and control the world lingered, causing the face of the cultivator who had previously attacked to pale. In a hurry, this man twisted his body whilst reaching out to summon a metre long sword into his hand at the same time.
With a flick of his wrist, Source Qi poured into this long sword and the man’s expression became solemn.
“Water Moon Mirror Flower!” Shouting, the man swung his sword in a half-circle, leaving behind a reflective afterglow.
The Tyrant King’s Holy Fist arrived in the next instant but was completely blocked by this sword light mirror.
The Origin King Realm Domains of these two, which had both reached the grand accomplishment stage, flared at the same time trying to suppress one another.
*Kacha…*
It seemed that even the surrounding space was unable to bear such a violent confrontation and small cracks began to appear in the next instant.
“Good, good, good! Finally someone decent!” Seeing this, the burly man not only was not surprised, he instead laughed and wore an even more rampant expression.
On the other hand, his opponent secretly grumbled bitterly, not having expected that the person he had just attacked at random in order to thin out the competition would actually be such a madman.
With no other choice, he could only grit his teeth and meet his enemy head-on.
Just as the battle between these two began, the forty or so cultivators in the lead group all took action, as if they had all negotiated to begin at this very moment.
However, these people did not rush towards the Soaring Dragon Altar but instead turned to attack the nearest cultivator.
All of a sudden, chaos broke out around the Soaring Dragon Altar.
Sneak attacks and counterattacks were launched one after another.
Often, a cultivator would start launching a sneak attack towards his or her target but was instead sneak attacked by another, forcing them to grit their teeth and turn to defend themselves.
Some fought alone, some fought in tangled melees, and some tried to evade fighting altogether…
These elite Origin Kings almost all belonged to Maplewood City, but they seemed to have become bitter enemies at this moment, and it was not long before the air was filled with the light of Martial Skills and artifacts.
The cultivators further back saw this scene and were stunned for a time…
But soon, many flashed looks of pleasant surprise, because this chaos meant that they still had a chance to obtain the treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar! At the moment, they went all out to stimulate their strength and advance closer.
However, their thoughts were obviously naïve. The cultivators in the first group were indeed fighting amongst themselves, but if someone from the outer groups tried to approach, those from the lead group would give up their battle and jointly attack the newcomer.
It seemed that those in the first group only regarded themselves as real competitors, while all the latecomers were just a group of pitiful weaklings. How could such wastes be qualified to seize these precious treasures?
After twenty or so from the outer groups died, the cultivators from the second group finally understood the situation and did not dare to approach at will.
Yang Kai was actually just behind the cultivators in the second group and, when he saw this, he could not help frowning.
If he wanted to get close to the Soaring Dragon Altar now, he would need to no doubt become the target of the cultivators in the first group. But if he did not close the gap, he wouldn’t be able to obtain anything from the Soaring Dragon Altar.
As soon as he thought of this, he could not help shouting loudly, “Treasures belong to those who are destined for them! These cowards are far too overbearing trying to block our path! Friends, if you wish to leap over the Dragon Gate follow me!”
After riling up the crowd, Yang Kai set an example and rushed up first.
The cultivators in the second group were not willing to be blocked here in the first place, so when Yang Kai shouted out about the Dragon Gate, and they recalled what Qin Yu said before, all of them were filled with righteous indignation and responded to Yang Kai’s cry. Gathering in groups of three or five, they began charging forward with fierce determination.
“Brat, you’ve got a sharp tongue, you can die first!” Soon, the two masters in front of Yang Kai turned their attention to him.
These two masters had been fiercely fighting one another, but when they heard Yang Kai agitating the crowd, they both regarded him as a target.
Since the two of them could join the lead group, obviously they were elites in the Origin King Realm, and under their joint efforts, even if they could not defeat a Dao Source master, they were definitely able to overwhelm ordinary Origin Kings.
One person summoned a big axe and chopped towards Yang Kai, a brilliant glow radiating from the blade’s edge making it look like a giant meteor crashing to the ground.
The other person stretched out his hand and summoned a small bell into it. Swinging the bell, an invisible shockwave was sent out and rippled towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai wore a solemn expression as he didn’t dare act careless, pushing his strength madly as he stepped forward and summoned a big sabre into his hands.
Sending his Spiritual Energy into this sabre, he energized it and sent out an attack.
With a brilliant flash, the sabre silently sliced through his target’s Knowledge Sea Defences and crashed into his Knowledge Sea.
Within this person’s Knowledge Sea, a great storm surged and it seemed as if the ocean inside was being split in two. Massive waves surged up but instead of crashing down again, the waves strangely evaporated midair!
The Knowledge Sea was the source of a cultivator’s Soul, and if the seawater in one’s Knowledge Sea evaporated, their Soul would take corresponding damage.
This person reacted like he was struck by lightning, going stiff in place, his eyes filling with horror as he stared at Yang Kai in a daze, unable to open his mouth or even make any sound.
The next moment, this person’s head slumped, and he fell directly to the ground and died!
“What!?” The other man was shocked to see his previous opponent die just like that.
He knew how difficult his opponent was as the two of them had just fought. Neither side had been able to gain any advantage over the other, but now a random Origin King had killed him in one blow.
Origin Kings absolutely could not possess such strength, so the reason for this must be the sabre.
But… just what kind of artifact could have such prestige?
During this man’s momentary shock, Yang Kai’s figure flickered, dodged the attacks which had been sent out against him, and appeared right in front of his opponent while grinning widely and raising up the sabre in his hand again.
Only now did this man discover just how strange this sabre was. The blade was actually pitch black and seemed to be almost immaterial in quality. What’s more, it gave off an inexplicable force that seemed to pierce into his Soul.
It almost felt that if he stared at this blade long enough, his Soul would be sliced open. Feeling a stinging pain in his head, the man was awoken from his shock and hurriedly looked away.
Soul Splitting Sabre!
An Emperor Artifact which originally belonged to the Insect Emperor!
After Yang Kai killed the Insect Emperor that year, he found two Emperor Artifacts, one was the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, and the other was the Soul Splitting Sabre.
However, the powers of these two Emperor Artifacts were too great and Yang Kai was not strong enough to refine them at that time, so he could only set them aside temporarily. In several subsequent adventures, the Insect Enslavement Bracelet had been able to play some role. For example, Yang Kai had repelled a swarm of Illusory Void Butterflies in the Severed World, and below Blue Feather Sect’s Ice Cliff, he had stunned the Monster Insect Queen with it, allowing him to defeat it.
With these experiences, Yang Kai realized the importance of Emperor Artifacts and had started to refine the Soul Splitting Sabre in his spare time.
Although he had spent much energy and time on this project, Yang Kai was still unable to fully refine the Soul Splitting Sabre. Even if could use it now, the power he could extract was minimal compared to its potential. This was similar to the Annihilation Thunder Bead, which Yang Kai still could not fully utilize.
However… Emperor Artifacts were still Emperor Artifact in the end.
Even a trace of its true power was not something an Origin King Realm could resist.
This was especially true of the Soul Splitting Sabre as it was able to cut through Spiritual Energy, wounding the Soul while disregarding the physical body, making it extremely difficult to guard against.
The Soul Splitting Sabre seemed to be a Soul-type artifact, a treasure even rarer than defensive artifacts!
What’s more, Yang Kai’s Soul was extremely powerful, so after using the Soul Splitting Sabre against an Origin King, how could his opponent possibly defend against it?
After a single face-to-face encounter, the enemy’s Soul had shattered, and he had died on the spot.
Yang Kai had done this deliberately. Right now, the lead group’s cultivators seemed to have reached an unspoken consensus to prevent cultivators from the second group from approaching the Soaring Dragon Altar. If he wanted to deter his enemies, he could only use overwhelming force to kill a few of them.
By easily killing one, the others would be warned and no one would dare to stop him again.
Sure enough, after this first person died, his original opponent, who saw Yang Kai standing in front of him, raising the Soul Splitting Sabre again and releasing black light from its blade, instinctually backed away in horror.
This step backwards though… immediately triggered the Spirit Array arranged on the Soaring Dragon Altar.
A bolt of light suddenly lasered towards the man who had just stepped back from the Soaring Dragon Altar.
This man’s complexion changed drastically, and without even hesitating, he flew out at the fastest speed he could muster, a radiant glow bursting from his body as he tried to defend himself.
But no matter how fast he fled, he was not able to escape the Soaring Dragon Altar’s attack, and after just a single breath, the bolt of light pierced straight through his protective Source Qi like paper and opened a hole in his chest.
“Ah…” A partial scream rang out before the man fell to the ground with a thud, just like the cultivators who had been killed by these light beams before, his entire physique mangle to a miserable state.
Everyone around paled in horror.
After all, from the moment Yang Kai took action to when these two died, less than three breaths had passed.
In just three breaths of time, two peak Origin Kings from the lead group had been killed off. Regardless of what artifacts Yang Kai had used just now, this alone was enough to demonstrate his strength and methods.
In an instant, the look in the eyes of the cultivators near Yang Kai shrank as their expression filled with fear and horror. Intentionally or unconsciously, all of them began to distance themselves, clearly indicating they had no intention to be his enemy.
This effect was exactly what Yang Kai had expected, so he simply flicked his wrist, stored away the Soul Splitting Sabre and walked forward lightly, treating all the surrounding cultivators like air, an extremely arrogant display.
*Hou…*
Suddenly, a thunderous roar rang out from amongst the crowd, one that seemed like a cross between a dragon and a beast.
Everyone was surprised hearing this and turned their eyes towards the source of this sound, their expression stiffening the moment they did.
Because at that position, a man wearing what looked like a training outfit and seemed to be about thirty years old had used some kind of powerful Secret Technique that caused his entire body to glow crimson red, like a cooked prawn. What’s more, above this man’s head, there was now a phantom image of a fiery-red Flood Dragon.
This Flood Dragon phantom was almost corporeal in its existence and with its giant teeth and claws were incredibly intimidating. After making an appearance though, this Flood Dragon’s body flickered and dove into the body of the young man below.
The next moment, this man’s aura rose noticeably, and a faint trace of Dragon Pressure even began to radiate from his body.
“Duan Tian Ci! It’s Duan Tian Ci!”
Someone suddenly exclaimed.
“He’s the son of Sir City Lord?”
“I’ve heard that when he was young, he went out on an adventure and through a fortuitous encounter obtained the complete Soul of a Flood Dragon. Now, it seems the rumours were true. With the help of this Flood Dragon Soul, the pressure he’ll have to face will definitely be lowered.”
Many cultivators cried out in unwillingness while others just stared in envy.
Yang Kai also instantly understood the identity of this person.
It turned out to be Duan Tian Ci, the son of City Lord Duan Yuan Shan. The Flood Dragon phantom that had just appeared was obviously a Flood Dragon Soul he had acquired in his early years. Duan Tian Ci had used some kind of method to stimulate it to help him resist the powerful Dragon Pressure here.
Although Flood Dragons were not part of the Dragon Clan, they still had a trace of the authentic Dragons’ bloodline, so the soul of a Flood Dragon was naturally useful in resisting Dragon Pressure.
Duan Tian Ci was clearly a man who understood patience. He had hidden this advantage all along until he got close enough to the Soaring Dragon Altar. Obviously, he had been planning this since the beginning.
However… he was not the only one who had held back their trump card.
Just as Duan Tian Ci inspired his Flood Dragon Soul, another young man nearby let out a shout as a light cover that resembled a bell appeared around him.
The surrounding cultivator’s attacks landed on this bell, but this young man completely ignored them as he strode towards the Soaring Dragon Altar step by step.
None of those attacks were able to penetrate his defenses.
“It’s the Immovable Heavenly King Bell from Raging Fire Temple! He must be Zong Zi Jin from Raging Fire Temple!”
One of the cultivators present recognized the name of this cultivator and the artifact he used.
“The Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank defensive artifact, Immovable Heavenly King Bell?”
“That’s cheating! How are we supposed to fight that?”
Many Origin Kings protested.
Although Zong Zi Jin’s cultivation was not high enough to bring out the full power of the Immovable Heavenly King Bell, it was still a Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank defensive artifact, so no attack from an ordinary Origin King could scratch it. Only if a dozen people joined forces and used their full strength would they pose a threat to Zong Zi Jin.
As he walked forward, Zong Zi Jin turned his head to look at those who attacked him and sneered, “This Zong will remember each of you! When things are settled here, this Zong will definitely return your kindness!”
Hearing these words, many Origin Kings turned pale.
“Young Master Zong, this is a misunderstanding! This one had eyes but failed to recognize Young Master Zong, thus leading him to offend him. Please show mercy, Young Master Zong, if you had reported your name earlier, how could I have possibly attacked you?” An Origin King Realm hurriedly backed down, for fear that Zong Zi Jin would come to settle accounts with him afterwards.
“That’s right, Young Master Zong, as the saying goes, it’s better to make friends than enemies. Why must Young Master Zong be insistant?”
Zong Zi Jin sneered when he heard this groveling and without stopping, said faintly, “Fine, since it is all a misunderstanding, then I shall let this matter go, but… if anyone dares to harass this Young Master again, he will not be so forgiving.”
“We would not dare.”
“Young Master Zong is merciful!”
The cultivators were overjoyed.
Zong Zi Jin obviously knew this was not the time to get tangled up with these people. If he was stubborn and drew them into a fight, it would only benefit others in the end, so he backed down without much hesitation.
The only other person present who could compete with Duan Tian Ci and Zong Zi Jin now was Yang Kai.
Having already reached this point, he naturally circulated his Golden Divine Dragon Source slightly to resist the invisible Dragon Pressure, so in truth, he was the most at ease.
As the three of them moved forward, they exchanged glances and sparks could be seen flying.
Yang Kai secretly felt bitter at this moment, because unlike Duan Tian Ci and Zong Zi Jin, he had no backing and no background, so if he really used his full strength to sweep away the treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar, he would definitely suffer public outrage.
As such, he was considering whether to let Duan Tian Ci and Zong Zi Jin start first and use them to share the pressure.
But soon, he rejected this idea because, no matter how many or how few treasures he took away, he would still be targeted. If that was the case, he should just go all out…
Just as Yang Kai made up his mind though, Duan Tian Ci suddenly formed a seal with his hands and caused his aura to soar.
He had not hesitated to use some kind of powerful Secret Technique to boost his strength at this last moment.
Immediately, he let out a loud laugh and crossed the last dozen metres or so, arriving at the Soaring Dragon Altar in one fell swoop!
Seeing this situation, Yang Kai’s heart clenched while Zong Zi Jin’s expression also changed, both of them gritting their teeth as they increased their speed.
“It’s all mine!” Duan Tian Ci laughed loudly as he stretched out his hand to grip a sword-like artifact.
This sword was undoubtedly among the best of the dozen or so treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar, its whole body radiating a powerful glow that marked it as unordinary at a glance.
Duan Tian Ci was still a cautious man, though, so when he seized the sword artifact, he also raised his vigilance while circulating his strength, preparing for anything unexpected.
What surprised him though was that he was able to pick up the sword with great ease.
This result made him freeze for a moment, but it did not diminish his joy.
Just when he was about to stuff his first harvest into his Space Ring though, something unexpected happened.
As soon as the sword left the Soaring Dragon Altar, it actually flickered and transformed into a dead tree branch. Not only did it lose its original appearance, it also lost all its aura…
With a gust of wind, the dead branch broke into two pieces and fell to the ground.
Duan Tian Ci’s smile stiffened.
The expressions of the many cultivators who had been paying attention to him weren’t any better, filled with doubt, surprise, mockery, and incomprehension…
“It’s… it’s a fake?” After a moment, Duan Tian Ci roared unwillingly as he threw away the half of the dead branch in his hand and grabbed a hammer artifact.
The second artifact was taken out by him, and similarly to the first, it turned into an ordinary stone the moment it left the Soaring Dragon Altar.
“An illusion! It’s all an illusion! We’ve been deceived!”
Suddenly, a cry of unwillingness rang out from the crowd.
There was no need for this person’s reminder, though, as almost everyone present had figured out what was happening by now.
After all, Duan Tian Ci had picked up two artifacts in front of everyone’s eyes so there was no chance for him to falsify anything or swap the artifacts for fakes without someone noticing. As such, the only explanation was that the treasures on Soaring Dragon Altar were not real. Everything was an illusion that was powerful enough to deceive everyone present.
For a moment, the cultivators who had been struggling to move forward came to halt, unsure whether they should be laughing or crying.
No one thought that the final outcome would be like this.
The Soaring Dragon Altar, which all of them believed was their chance to leap over the Dragon Gate and soar into the Heavens, turned out to be a giant fraud.
Yang Kai was also stunned stupid.
The moment Duan Tian Ci used his Secret Technique to rush forward, Yang Kai had become quite anxious, but seeing the dramatic scene before him… he was caught quite unprepared.
Swiftly, his expression changed as he closed his eyes briefly before opening them once more.
With everyone’s focus elsewhere, no one noticed that Yang Kai ‘s left eye had turned golden.
The next moment, he rushed forward.
On the other side, Zong Zi Jin also ran up to the Soaring Dragon Altar, and after exchanging a glance with Duan Tian Ci, he began snatching up one ‘treasures’ after another from the Soaring Dragon Altar before tossing each one away.
The seemingly precious treasures and Secret Arts all turned out to be extremely ordinary things, of no use or value whatsoever. Many of these things, after being thrown to the ground, even fell apart and turned to dust the wind then blew away.
Soon, Yang Kai joined them.
Picking up a jade bottle, Yang Kai opened it and looked inside before angrily cursing and tossing it away.
Not long after, under the joint efforts of the trio, it turned out that nothing on the Soaring Dragon Altar was real.
“How could this be?” Duan Tian Ci still seemed unable to accept this ending as he kept muttering disappointedly.
“It seems… we’ve all been played for fools!” Zong Zi Jin laughed wryly at himself.