Yang Kai hadn’t had any dealings with the Jiang Family of Maplewood City. But he had heard of them many times. He knew that they were quite powerful in Maplewood City. Apparently, the Jiang Family had a Dao Source Realm Old Ancestor.
There were many families in Maplewood City. However, there were only a few families with Dao Source Realm masters. The Jiang Family had one, the Qin Family also had one…
Yang Kai had seen Jiang Chue He at the Soaring Dragon Altar on the first floor of the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda. He was the leader of the new generation of the Jiang Family and was a Third-Order Origin King. As long as he encountered an adequate opportunity, he could advance to the Dao Source Realm.
The Jiang Family had been in Maplewood City for hundreds of thousands of years, so their relationship with the various families, and even the City Lord’s Mansion, was very complicated.
Yang Kai might not have an idea why Jiang Family’s men took Zhou Ruo Xi away but a Saint King Realm girl was definitely little to no use to the Jiang Family. [I’m afraid some playboy of the Jiang Family may have taken a liking to Zhang Ruo Xi’s beauty and wanted to do something indecent to her. If that’s the case, I’m afraid it will be too late.]
After all, it had already been a month since the Jiang Family men took Zhang Ruo Xi away. Anything could happen during this one month.
But Yang Kai was more concerned about why Zhang Ruo Xi left with the Jiang Family members on her own, without any resistance. However, upon giving it a second thought, he realized that Zhang Ruo Xi was young and had never left the Zhang Family. She had a simple mind and might have been deceived.
Just a few coaxing words might be sufficient to deal with a little girl like her. It was quite easy to make her obey.
While feeling secretly anxious, Yang Kai was also a little frustrated with himself for not even being able to take care of a little girl.
[Since I am going to the Jiang Family to find Zhang Ruo Xi, I can’t go in an open and aboveboard manner. If I touched any nerve of the Jiang Family and they decided to silence Zhang Ruo Xi, it would be too late to regret.]
So, Yang Kai decided to scout the Jiang Family first.
If Zhang Ruo Xi was really at the Jiang Family, he should somehow be able to find her with his powerful Divine Sense.
After having come to a decision, Yang Kai didn’t have the time to wait until dark. He rushed straight toward the Jiang Family’s location.
To the east of Maplewood City was a huge residential area covering an area of about several dozen acres. It was surrounded by tall red walls with blue tiles. People who had been in Maplewood City all year round knew that this was the base of the Jiang Family in Maplewood City.
Generally, important members of the Jiang Family lived here.
Yang Kai arrived next to the outer walls and spread his Divine Sense. He sensed for a moment and was surprised to find that the outer walls were full of restrictions and traps.
However, these kinds of restrictions were nothing for him. Since they had been discovered by him, naturally, he won’t trigger them.
Just as Yang Kai was preparing to jump over the wall to sneak in, his expression slightly changed all of sudden. He promptly turned around and used the Nihility Secret Technique to hide at one side.
After a while, a graceful figure suddenly rushed over from not too far away and landed right where Yang Kai was standing before. She looked around for a while before she scratched her head and muttered to herself, confused, “It should be here, where did it go? That’s strange!”
Yang Kai was dumbstruck after hearing this. He couldn’t help but take a closer look at the figure. Immediately, he blurted out in surprise, “Xiao Qi!?”
To his surprise, the person who discovered him was the mysterious Mo Xiao Qi!
The two had not seen each other for over a year since they parted in the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda. Now, just when Yang Kai had returned to Maplewood City, he was discovered by her.
Since it was an acquaintance, Yang Kat naturally didn’t need to hide. He dispersed the Nihility Secret Technique and reappeared. Mo Xiao Qi immediately spotted him. She walked over with a smile and happily said, “Brother Yang, it’s really you. I thought I was mistaken! Where have you been over these six months? Why were you not in Maplewood City?”
She showered him with a lot of questions, not even giving Yang Kai a chance to answer.
Yang Kai gave a wry smile and replied, “I went out for something a little while ago. I just returned today.”
“Oh!” Mo Xiao Qi nodded upon hearing this. A smile immediately appeared on her lips as she stated, “I thought that Big Brother Yang left without saying goodbye. I felt hurt for a long time.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “I will tell you if I’m going to leave. By the way, how did you find me?”
Mo Xiao Qi stuck her fragrant tongue out as she answered, a little embarrassed, “Do you remember that Sound Bead I gave you… I had put a tracking Brand on it. As long as it’s not too far away, I can find it.”
Realization suddenly dawned upon Yang Kai. He took out that bead from the Space Ring, checked it. And after having failed to find anything important, he put it back.
Suddenly, Mo Xiao Qi looked around and lowered her voice, “This is the Jiang Family’s base. Big Brother Yang, are you planning to sneak in?”
Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
Mo Xiao Qi’s pretty eyes lit up as she asked in a suppressed voice, “Why do you want to sneak in? Has someone in the Jiang Family offended you? Would you like me to help?”
She looked pretty excited as if she had found something extremely interesting.
Yang Kai heaved a sigh and briefly explained to her about Zhang Ruo Xi. Mo Xiao Qi was filled with righteous indignation after hearing this. She immediately proclaimed, “Jiang Family members’ reputation has never been good. And this time, they actually laid their hands on Sister Ruo Xi. How disgusting!”
“Currently, I’m not sure why the Jiang Family took Ruo Xi away.” Yang Kai tightly frowned. “Therefore, I have to secretly check them out.”
“I’ll help you! But Big Brother Yang, you should have told me that there was still someone in your cave mansion. If you had told me earlier, I would have taken Sister Ruo Xi with me.” Mo Xiao Qi glared at Yang Kai. She was blaming him a little.
Yang Kai forced a cough and explained himself, embarrassed, “I didn’t know that I would be away for so long! Hai, let’s not talk about this. Let me tell you what Ruo Xi looks like. After going in, you should pay attention to it.”
Mo Xiao Qi nodded repeatedly. She listened with rapt attention, memorizing Zhang Ruo Xi’s appearance.
A sixteen, seventeen-year-old girl at the peak of Second-Order Saint King Realm were pretty obvious features. If Zhang Ruo Xi was really in the Jiang Family, it should not be that hard to find her.
“Be careful, the Jiang Family has a Dao Source Realm master presiding over the base. You can’t let yourself be discovered by him,” exhorted Yang Kai.
Mo Xiao Qi immediately smiled and said, “Don’t worry. The Old Ancestor of the Jiang Family doesn’t live in Maplewood City. He retreats in a manor outside year-round.”
Yang Kai was assured after hearing this.
As long as the Jiang Family didn’t have their Dao Source Realm master, it should be impossible for anyone to find him and Mo Xiao Qi. Even though Mo Xiao Qi was just a Third-Order Origin King, she acted very secretly and her concealing Secret Technique was also outstanding. So, he wasn’t worried about her getting discovered.
Afterwards, they agreed on a meeting time before splitting up.
Since it was confirmed by Mo Xiao Qi that the Jiang Family Old Ancestor wasn’t here, Yang Kai acted more boldly. After sneaking into the Jiang Family, he let his Divine Sense lose, scanning every nook and corner of the Jiang Family’s base.
However, Yang Kai’s expression became more solemn with the passage of time.
He had failed to find any sign of Zhang Ruo Xi.
After two hours, when the sky turned dark, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi met again in a small alley not far away from the Jiang Family’s wall.
When he glanced at Mo Xiao Qi, Mo Xiao Qi slowly shook her head.
Yang Kai’s face darkened as a deep furrow appeared on his brow.
“Big Brother Yang, what should we do now? Sister Ruo Xi will be alright, right?” Mo Xiao Qi also started to worry. Now, they had neither seen Ruo Xi alive nor her corpse. This was the worst situation. Although she had never met Zhang Ruo Xi, he was worried because of her natural kindness.
“I sure hope so.” The gloomy look on Yang Kai’s face was a little scary. Next, he pondered for a moment before proposing, “Since this didn’t work out, we can only do a frontal investigation. I hope that the Jiang Family will not do anything to bring their own destruction!”
Mo Xiao Qi deeply glanced at Yang Kai after hearing this. She then nodded and said, “I will come with you.”
Yang Kai had no objection.
After a while, the two came to the front gate of the Jiang Family together.
The two Jiang Family guards at the entrance were about to stop them when one of them noticed Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi’s deep cultivation. He didn’t dare to be neglectful. He politely cupped his fist and asked, “May I ask the two why you have come to our Jiang Family at such late hours?”
Yang Kai returned the courtesy and answered, “May I trouble you to report to Patriarch Jiang that Spirit Pill Plaza Alchemist Yang Kai is asking to meet him.”
“An Alchemist from the Spirit Pill Plaza!?” That guard was surprised after hearing this. He swept his eyes over at Yang Kai and finally said with a serious look on his face, “Please wait a minute, I will go and inform the Patriarch!”
The Spirit Pill Plaza was well-known in Maplewood City. After all, it was set up here by the Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, and the Alchemists who could work for the Spirit Pill Plaza and refine pill were at least of Origin King Grade.
How could a gate guard be neglectful when such a figure had suddenly visited the Jiang Family? He immediately rushed in. Obviously, to report the Jiang Family Patriarch.
Yang Kai had no choice but to borrow the fame of Spirig Pill Plaza Alchemist.
After all, his name was worth nothing in Maplewood City. Only by using Alchemist identity could he make the Jiang Family take him seriously and be a little afraid of him. Which in turn would allow him to inquire about Rou Xi’s whereabouts safely and easily.
Mo Xiao Qi and he only had to wait outside for half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Suddenly, a burst of laughter resounded from the Jiang Family Manor. His voice could be heard even before he had arrived, “Spirit Pill Plaza’s Alchemist Yang has graced my Jiang Family with his presence. You have brought light to my Jiang Family. This old master, Jiang Lin welcomes Alchemist Yang!”
Just as the last word fell, a fifty-year-old or so elderly man with a ruddy complexion walked out and cupped his fists, greeting with an amiable look on his face.
Naturally, this man was the current patriarch of the Jiang Family, Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin was wearing a cyan robe and had an air of majesty around him. The gleam in his eyes converged, making him less conspicuous.
But the Source Qi in his body was extremely pure. Yang Kai secretly nodded in acknowledgement and realized that the rumours about Jiang Family Patriarch being on the verge of advancing to the Dao Source Realm were true.
There were some other Third-Order Origin King cultivators following behind Jiang Lin. All of them were old. Obviously, they should be the elder-level figures of the Jiang Family. Surprisingly, Jiang Chu He’s figure was also among the crowd.
When Jiang Chu He noticed Yang Kai, he couldn’t help but freeze for a moment as a look of astonishment took over his face.
Obviously, he had never expected that Yang Kai would be the
Spirit Pill Plaza Alchemist.
After all, he had met Yang Kai at the Soaring Dragon Altar in the past.
Jiang Family Patriarch, Jiang Lin and many Elders came to greet Yang Kai, giving Yang Kai enough face. Yang Kai cupped his fists and stated in neither humble or pushy manner, “I’m really sorry for visiting and disturbing Patriarch Jiang and everyone at this late hour. I hope that you won’t blame me.”
“What are you saying!? Alchemist Yang, you are more than welcome to my Jiang Family. It’s a blessing to my Jiang Family, You haven’t disturbed us!” Jiang Lin was so overly enthusiastic he broke into laughter while speaking. He then leaned closer to Yang Kai and proposed, gesturing, “Alchemist Yang, let’s talk inside.”
Yang Kai gently nodded. He then winked at Mo Xiao Qi before heading straight to the inner region of Jiang Family, led by Jiang Lin.
After a short while, everyone came to the Jiang Family’s guest hall, where the guests and the host took their seats. The servants had long been notified to prepare tea, which was presented to them.
Under Jiang Lin’s warm reception, Yang Kai took a few sips of tea and absent-mindedly gave a few praises.
Jiang Lin seemed unaware. He chuckled and stated, “I have long heard of renowned Spirit Pill Plaza’s Alchemist Yang, but never had the chance to meet. I never thought that Alchemist Yang would come to my Jiang Family in person. This Jiang is really taken aback and pleasantly surprised.”
A sliver of amazement appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he asked, “Patriarch Jiang has heard of me?”
He thought that Jiang Lin was doing lip service before. He had never expected for Jiang Lin to actually know him.
Jiang Lin smiled and explained, “Everyone with a little status in Maplewood City already knows about Alchemist Yang. Let me tell you, my Jiang Family had purchased a lot of Source Condensing Pill that you refined. Many of our disciples had benefited from this. And I have also heard about Alchemist Yang using his own power to save the Spirit Pill Plaza from closing down.”
Yang Kai was struck with realization after hearing this.
Even though Yang Kai hadn’t shown his face much during his time in the Spirit Pill Plaza, some things that happened in the Spirit Pill Plaza couldn’t be hidden from these local snakes. So, it wasn’t surprising for them to know about Yang Kai.
“Maplewood City doesn’t have many Alchemists, and the Alchemists who can refine the Source Condensing Pill are even fewer. Even if Alchemist Yang doesn’t want to be famous, someone has already spread your name,” Jiang Lin laughter. Suddenly, he changed the topic and inquired, “However, I heard that Alchemist Yang has now left the Spirit Pill Place, and is no longer refining pills for the Spirit Pill Plaza! I wonder if it’s true or false…”
Yang Kai had no intention of hiding it. He nodded, agreeing, “Yes! I had an agreement with Shopkeeper Kang, that I would only refine pills for the Spirit Pill Plaza for two months. Now, that agreement is already over.”
“Really!?” Jiang Lin was overjoyed.
Not only Jiang Lin was overjoyed, but even the Jiang Family elders sitting by the side also had a change in their expression. Each and every one of them looked at Yang Kai with an ardent gaze as if they were looking at some peerless beauty. They couldn’t wait to swallow him in one bite.
Seeing this, Yang Kai furrowed his brow and said, “Alchemy has never been my prime focus and I have no intention of pursuing it further.”
“So it’s like that…” How could someone as experienced as Jiang Lin not tell what Yang Kai was implying? He lamented, a little disappointed, “If that’s Alchemist Yang’s wish, it would really be a pity. Hmm, I wonder why Alchemist Yang has come to my Jiang Family? If my Jiang Family can help you in any way, I will definitely not refuse.”
Even though Yang Kai had proclaimed that, Yang Kai was still an Origin King Grade Alchemist, after all. It wasn’t bad for the Jiang Family to be in the good graces of someone like him, so how could Jiang Lin miss such a good opportunity? And he knew that since Yang Kai was here at Jiang Family, there had to be something he needed from Jiang Family.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and answered, “Since Patriarch Jiang had mentioned this, I’ll get straight to the point. I have come to your noble family mainly because I’m looking for someone.”
“Looking for someone!?” Jiang Lin furrowed his brow. The other Elders looked confused as well. They could not help but wonder who Yang Kai was looking for in the Jiang Family.
Jiang Lin asked, “I wonder who Alchemist Yang is looking for?”
“A sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. She should be at the peak of the Second-Order Saint King Realm…” Yang Kai briefly described Ruo Xi’s appearance and some distinguishing features.
When he was talking, a ruddy ole man sitting on the left side suddenly had his eyelids twitch before returning to normal the next moment.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense had instantly caught this minute detail. His brow instantly twitched as he glanced at him thoughtfully. That Elder immediately lowered his eyes; his expression remained unchanged.
After hearing Yang Kai’s details, Jiang Lin inquisitively looked at Everyone and asked, “Is there someone like her in our Jiang Family?”
An old man sitting under Jiang Lin immediately got up, cupped his fists, and answered, “Reporting to Patriarch, our Jiang Family may have a girl like her but I don’t know if it’s the same person Alchemist Yang is looking for.”
“Okay! Bring that girl here for Alchemist Yang to take a look. If it’s the girl Alchemist Yang is looking for, my Jiang Family naturally will not be able to keep her,” Jiang Lin happily spoke.
“No need,” Before Yang Kai could say anything, Mo Xiao Qi, who had been quietly sitting all the while, waved off her hand and stated. “The girl we are looking for isn’t here.”
Jiang Lin couldn’t help but furrow his brow. He looked at Mo Xiao Qi and then at Yang Kai before suspiciously asking, “Alchemist Yang, what’s the meaning of this? Since you have come to my Jiang Family to find someone, and yet now, you are saying she isn’t in my Jiang Family? This Jiang is really confused.”
A Jiang Family Elder’s expression changed as if he seemed to have thought of something. The next moment, he shouted in a deep voice. “Could it be that you are so sure because you have secretly investigated my Jiang Family?”
Everyone’s face darkened after hearing this. They looked at Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi, looking a little displeased.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, remained calm and at peace as he justified, “Everyone, please don’t misunderstand. I have placed a restriction on that girl. As long as she isn’t too far away from me, I can sense that restriction. That’s why we are so sure.”
“So that’s how it is!” Jiang Lin nodded as realization dawned upon him. He immediately asked again, “Since that’s that case, why has Alchemist Yang come to my Jiang Family to look for her.”
“It’s like this…” Yang Kai took a deep breath as he straightened his words. “Someone has seen that girl enter your Jiang Family’s compound, enter the Jiang Family Manor. Therefore, this Yang had taken the liberty to come and disturb everyone, but I don’t know why she isn’t here. If anyone knows about her whereabouts, please tell me if possible. This Yang will be grateful!”
“Someone saw her? Who was it?” The Jiang Family Elder, who had spoken before, furiously asked back.
“I really can’t answer this!” Yang Kai shook his head. He was unable to tell them about the young woman. [And if I’m right, she might have already left Maplewood City.]
“That’s pure slander!” That Jiang Family Elder angrily flung his sleeve, “If my Jiang Family really had her, why would we hide her? My Jiang Family won’t do anything shameful.”
“No one said that you want to do something shameful,” Mo Xiao Qi curled her lips upon hearing this.
“You…” that Jiang Family immediately blew his top.
“Alright!” Jiang Lin too furrowed his brow. He waved off his hand and glared at that Elder. Then, he turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Alchemist Yang, why are you taking it seriously when you haven’t seen that girl enter my Jiang Family without your own eyes? Isn’t that just hearsay? Besides, you even have the restriction on that girl. So, you should know better than anyone whether she is in Jiang Family Manor or not.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I know. This matter might have offended everyone a little but that little girl is very important to me.”
“So be it, Alchemist Yang! Anyway, since this matter has already involved my Jiang Family, this Jiang can’t sit idly by. My Jiang Family has some power in Maplewood City. We can investigate a little for you. It would naturally be best if we can find that little girl and clear our name. What does Alchemist Yang think?”
Having said this, Jiang Lin gazed at Yang Kai with shine in his eyes.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes for a while before lightly nodding and agreed, “Then I shall trouble Patriarch Jiang. If Jiang Family can bring that little girl to this Yang safe and sound, this Yang promises to refine pills for Jiang Family for an entire month! Hmm, I forgot to tell Patriarch Jiang that this Yang is now a High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist. If I’m lucky, it won’t be difficult to refine a Dao Source Grade pill.”
After having refined the Dao Source Pill that day, Yang Kai became a Dao Source Grade Alchemist.
However, even in the Star Boundary, Dao Source Grade Alchemists were extremely rare. Of course, Yang Kai won’t tell just anyone about being a High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist.
As expected, all the Jiang Family members looked at him with excitement just as he reported this.
“High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist!?”
“Refine pills for one month!?”
Even Jiang Lin’s gaze started to grow hotter. Even though he knew that all the Alchemists working for Spirit Pill Plaza were at least an Origin King Grade Alchemist, he had never imagined Yang Kai to actually be a High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist!
Such an Alchemist was extremely attractive to any family. And if he could enter his good graces and tie a friendship, it would be greatly beneficial to the future development of any family.
And if he advanced to Dao Source Grade, Jiang Family wouldn’t be able to afford him.
In a flash, Jiang Ling and many of the Jiang Family Elder’s breathing became rapid.
“But if that girl is harmed in any way, heh heh heh… Whoever has laid hands on her, I will make it so difficult for his family that even fowls and dogs would not be at peace!”
When these words fell, the expression of all the Jiang Family members suddenly turned cold and stern.
Jiang Lin’s face twitched a few times before he finally smiled and assured, “If the person who took that little girl came to know that she has such a relationship with Alchemist Yang, he will definitely not dare to be impolite to her and would treat her as his guest of honour.”
“I hope so!” Yang Kai nodded lightly. After having said this, he stood up, cupped his fists, and took his leave, “This Yang apologizes for disturbing everyone. This Yang will take his leave, everyone doesn’t need to send me off!”
After bidding his goodbye, he signalled Mo Xiao Qi before the two quickly left under the watchful eyes of the Jiang Family group.
The next moment, the atmosphere inside the guest hall became a bit solemn. No one uttered a single word for a long time after Yang Kai left. All the high-level figures of the Jiang Family were hesitatingly looking at each other. As their eyes met, some unknown messages were exchanged through the air.
After a long time, someone angrily shouted, “He is too arrogant. How dare he come to my Jiang Family and act wantonly!?” The speaker was none other than Jiang Chu He, the leader of the new generation.
When he met Yang Kai at the Soaring Dragon Altar on the first floor of the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda in the past, both of them were cultivators who had come in for experience and toughening. He had never expected that, when they met again today, the opposite party would have turned into an Alchemy Grandmaster whom even Patriarch and Elders dared not neglect.
He couldn’t partake in the discussion just now. The difference in their status made him very uncomfortable!
Furthermore, when the opposite party came to the Jiang Family, he had not even spared a glance at him from the beginning to the end. Clearly, the opposite party was despising him!
“That’s right! In the end, he even dared to threaten us. That was really hateful,” the Elder who had spoken earlier spoke with a gloomy look on his face.
Jiang Lin let out a cold snort and indifferently ordered, “This is not the right place to talk. All of you, follow me.”
After saying this, he stood up and left right away.
Others also hurriedly followed after him.
After a while, everyone was gathered in a secret room of the Jiang Family. Jiang Lin glanced at everyone and asked, “Elders, is the girl Alchemist Yang looking for is in that place?”
Hearing this, one of them sighed and said, “Since she is at the peak of Second-Order Saint King, she is most likely there. Patriarch, you should also know that the people we have been searching for recently are mainly at that level of cultivation. Alchemist Yang’s friend must have been taken there.”
Another Elder stood up and confirmed, cupping his fists, “I have some impressions of that little girl…”
“Huh!?” Hearing this, Jiang Lin glanced at that Elder and asked, “So she has really been sent there!?”
“Yes,” That Elder gently nodded. “Two of our disciples found that little girl all alone in the city. She had been standing somewhere for an entire month. So, it was concluded that she had no friends or relatives. After a little inquiry, we indeed confirmed that she had no background or backing in Maplewood City. She was then brought to the Jiang Family, and this old master sent her into the mine along with others.”
After a pause, the Elder continued, having a headache, “It never occurred to this old master that the girl would be an acquaintance of Alchemist Yang. Now, it seems that the person she had been waiting for all the while should be Alchemist Yang. If I had known this, I would have never sent her to the mine.”
“Since she is indeed with us, what should we do now?” Some people were very dissatisfied.
“It’s impossible for us to hand her over. The ore produced by that mine is very rare and unique. That mine is the only hope of our Jiang Family’s rise. Any word about the mine cannot be leaked. If you really brought her back, the news about the mine will no longer be hidden, and if the City Lord’s Mansion got the word of it… our Jiang Family will be in danger!”
“Since we can’t bring her back, we can only…” another person suggested in a cold voice.
Everyone turned their gaze toward Jiang Lin!
Jiang Lin was also having a terrible headache. After all, Yang Kai had proclaimed that if the Jiang Family could send Zhang Ruo Xi back safely, he would refine pills for the Jiang Family for an entire month!
Now that he had to give up on such a good deal, Jiang Lin was also feeling extremely distressed.
“Patriarch, don’t hesitate. Yang Kai himself has stated that he had placed a restriction on the girl. As long as the girl is not too far away from him, he can sense it. If Yang Kai came to sense that girl’s location, the mine’s secret would be exposed. Compared to the mine, a High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist refining pills for one month is nothing. Not to mention, this matter is related to the interests of the City Lord’s Mansion. If the City Lord’s Mansion really came to know about it, our Jiang Family have no place to stand in Maplewood City!”
“That’s right, Patriarch! You can’t hesitate anymore!”
Against everyone’s persuasion, Jiang Lin could only sigh in resignation. Obviously, he had made his decision. He turned his gaze to another Elder and ordered, “Fifth Elder, I will leave this matter to you. Finish it cleanly!”
Fifth Elder promptly cupped his fists and said, “When I do things, you don’t need to worry about anything!”
“All of you can go now,” Jiang Lin waved his hand. “No one can go anywhere near the mine for now, and tell everyone there to be careful too, lest they are noticed by Yang Kai!”
“Yes!” Everyone promptly agreed.
…
After leaving the Jiang Family, Yang Kai had a deep and profound look on his face.
Mo Xiao Qi said, “I think that there was something wrong with the Jiang Family members. Sister Ruo Xi might really be with them.”
“You might be right,” Yang Kai recalled the change in the expression of one of the Jiang Family Elders during the conversation. He had already come to a conclusion. “However, the problem is that she is not in the Jiang Family. Where is she? Why are the Jiang Family members hiding her?”
Yang Kai was really confused.
While he was thinking, Mo Xiao Qi suddenly clapped her hands as if she had thought of something. She suddenly asked, “By the way, Big Brother Yang, do you have anything that has been used by Sister Ruo Xi?”
“Something used by her?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow. “What do you want to do?”
“If you have something used by her, I may have a way to track her whereabouts.”
“Really!?” Yang Kai looked overjoyed.
“Yeah, but I need something with her aura. It would be best if it’s something used by her once, such as clothes or a piece of her hair.” Mo Xiao Qi tilted her head and said.
“I don’t have anything like that, but…”
“But what!?”
“I know a place which should have something,” Yang Kai raised the corner of his lips as beckoned to her. “Come with me!”
Just as he finished speaking, Source Qi wrapped around Mo Xiao Qi as they shot toward a certain direction as swiftly as wind.
Just as Yang Kai used his Source Qi to move, Mo Xiao Qi was immediately able to sense it a little. She looked at Yang Kai in shock and asked, “Big Brother Yang, have you advanced to the Dao Source Realm?”
She hadn’t paid attention to Yang Kai’s change before. Besides, Yang Kai had deliberately hidden his aura, so Mo Xiao Qi didn’t realize that Yang Kai had advanced.
Yang Kai answered with a nod, “I encountered some opportunity when I went out a while ago and was lucky enough to break through.”
“Big Brother Yang, you are so damn cool!” Mo Xiao Qi exclaimed with sincere admiration.
Yang Kai shook his head and stated, “Dao Source Realm is nothing. You will be able to break through soon.”
Mo Xiao Qi chuckled upon hearing this. She seemed pretty confident.
After a short while, Yang Kai brought Mo Xiao Qi to a manor three hundred kilometres away from Maplewood City.
Surprisingly, it was the Zhang Family’s residence.
Yang Kai didn’t have anything used by Zhang Ruo Xi but the Zhang Family definitely had it.
He asked Mo Xiao Qi to wait outside as he sneaked into the Zhang Mansion alone.
He didn’t alarm the old woman and that beautiful woman of the Zhang Family. After all, it involved Zhang Ruo Xi. Yang Kai didn’t want them to worry.
He spread his Divine Sense and found that the Zhang Family was completely peaceful. Although there were many restrictions and Arrays laid in the manor, how could the means of a small family as the Zhang Family block Yang Kai? Besides, his Divine Sense was a lot stronger than before advancing to the Dao Source Realm.
He easily avoided many restrictions and arrived at Zhang Ruo Xi’s boudoir.
He looked around a bit and noticed that the boudoir was spotless. It was as clean as new. Obviously, it was because someone must have been cleaning it frequently.
And lying on the fragrant bed was a pile of neatly folded clothes.
[These should be worn by Zhang Ruo Xi before.]
Yang Kai didn’t take a closer look and just casually grabbed them and stuffed it into his Space Ring. Afterwards, he quickly left the Zhang Family residence.
After a short while, he went back outside, handed the clothes he had just taken to Mo Xiao Qi, and asked, “Is this okay?”
Mo Xiao Qi took them and picked up the one at the top, spreading it apart with a flick of her hand.
The next moment, Mo Xiao Qi’s pretty face couldn’t help but turn red all over as she glared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai too had a dumbfounded look on his face. He immediately withdrew his gaze from that piece of cloth and explained himself, embarrassed, “I just took it without looking.”
Only now did he realize that it was a piece of tight-fitting corsage. It was pink, small, and exquisite. Looking at the other clothes in Mo Xiao Qi’s hands, they were all undergarments.
For a moment, Yang Kai’s face too couldn’t help but turn red, feeling awkward.
Mo Xiao Qi shyly stomped her feet and put away the rest of the clothes. She then turned around, facing her back at Yang Kai, and patted a cloth bag on her waist.
The next moment, the Heaven Escaping Bat, Xiao Fu, that Yang Kai had seen before suddenly appeared followed by strange squeaks.
The small bat circled around Mo Xiao Qi before standing stably on Mo Xiao Qi’s shoulder.
Mo Xiao Qi, on the other hand, had a serious look on her face. She formed a few hand seals and mumbled something. Heaven knows what she was mumbling.
After a while, she bit the tip of her finger, drew a weird Spirit Array on Zhang Ruo Xi’s corsage before she put the blood-stained finger on Xiao Fu’s forehead.
*Chi Chi!*
Suddenly, the Spirit Array on the corsage streaked across the air, flying straight into the Heaven Escaping Bat’s forehead, disappearing into nothing instantly.
The next moment, the Heaven Escaping Bat started sniffing. It then spread its wings and flew into the air, dexterously danced in the air before it flew straight toward a certain direction.
“Follow it!” Mo Xiao Qi tenderly shouted. She put away that little corsage and hurriedly chased after it.
Seeing this, Yang Kai hurriedly followed after them without a moment of hesitation.
There was a barren mountain about two thousand kilometres away from Maplewood City.
The barren mountain looked extremely desolate. Not even a single grass was growing on it. Furthermore, the World Energy here was extremely thin.
It wasn’t inhabited by any cultivator. There was only a small village here. All the people living in this small village were ordinary people who couldn’t cultivate.
However, because of the desolation of the barren mountain, there were no wild beasts or Monster Beasts here. Furthermore, it was close to Maplewood City. So, even ordinary people could live and work here.
In some hidden cave on the barren mountain, two First-Order King cultivators happened to be sitting in a meditative state.
Suddenly, one of the men in white robes appeared to have sensed something. He hurriedly opened his eyes as a communication artifact appeared in his palm with a flick of his hand. He promptly poured his Divine Sense into and couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise after reading the message.
“What are the orders from the family!?” the other person also opened his eyes and asked.
The man in the white robe answered as a weird look appeared on his face, “Fifth Elder has sent a message. He wants us to deal with the little girl who was brought a month ago.”
“Little girl!?” The other man frowned and doubtfully asked, “Why did the family transmit this kind of order? Was there anything weird about that little girl?”
“I have no idea, and the Fifth Elder didn’t say anything.” The man in white shook his head.
“Since it’s Fifth Elder’s command, then you should go and finish it as soon as possible. I will keep watch here for the time being,” the other man exhorted.
After a brief discussion, the man in white immediately went inside the cave and stood on an Array. Then, he took out a few Source Crystals and placed them inside the grooves around the Array before forming a hand seal, starting up the Array.
The next moment, the man in white soon disappeared followed by a thrum and faint Space Force fluctuations.
Seeing this, the other Jiang Family cultivator, who was guarding this place, withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes again, meditating.
After about the time it takes for an incense to burn, a small beast suddenly landed on a small mound three kilometres away from the cave. And hot on its tail, Mo Xiao Qi and Yang Kai’s figures appeared.
The little beast lightly sniffed toward the front and immediately after, started squeaking.
Mo Xiao Qi furrowed her black brow before she turned to Yang Kai and said with some hesitation, “Big Brother Yang, Xiao Fu said that Ruo Xi’a aura has disappeared in that cave.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s face turned cold. He promptly spread his Divine Sense to that side.
After a short white, he cried in surprise, “Space Array!?”
“There is a Space Array in there?” Mo Xiao Qi looked at Yang Kai in surprise, hearing this.
Yang Kai nodded and answered, “There is! Furthermore, it seems to have been used just recently. There are some Space Force fluctuations lingering around it. Also, there is a First-Order Origin King cultivator on the lookout inside the cave… I guess we are at the right place.”
“So, shall we break in?” Mo Xiao Qi inquired.
“Of course!” Yang Kai nodded his agreement. But right then, his expression suddenly changed as he shouted, “Dammit, Ruo Xi might be in danger!”
It suddenly struck him that he had just inquired with the Jiang Family about Ruo Qi. And someone here has used the Space Array. It was quite likely that it had something to do with the Jiang Family. Perhaps the upper echelon of the Jiang Family had sent a message to silence Zhang Ruo Xi.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai suddenly became anxious. He didn’t care about hiding anymore. With a jolt, his figure instantly shot towards the cave.
The Jiang Family cultivator inside the cave was extremely sensitive. The moment Yang Kai made a move, he sensed it and opened his eyes, and when he saw a streak of light shooting over at an astonishing speed, his expression couldn’t help but drastically change.
He promptly circulated his Saint Qi and stood up, looking ahead with an ugly look on his face.
And when Yang Kai’s aura came bearing down on him, the Jiang Family cultivator’s face immediately turned pale. He cried in horror, “Dao Source Realm!”
He was just a First-Order Origin King cultivator who had just formed his own Domain. How could he stand against a Dao Source Realm master?
Just as he cried out, Yang Kai had already arrived before him and lightly smacked his palm on his chest. The man suddenly felt a tremendous force assailing him as he was sent flying, spewing blood. By the time he crashed on the ground, he was already unconscious!
Yang Kai hadn’t killed him. After all, he still had to figure out the connection between Zhang Ruo Xi and the Jiang Family so he couldn’t bear to kill someone rashly.
However, the opposite party would remain unconscious for several days under his palm strike, which would be enough for him to find out everything clearly.
After landing, Yang Kai immediately cast his gaze on the Space Array inside the cave.
Mo Xiao Qi had also arrived by now.
After a while, Yang Kai couldn’t help exclaim in surprise.
“Big Brother, what did you find?” asked Mo Xiao Qi.
“This Array wasn’t set up by the Jiang Family, and neither was it arranged recently. It seemed to be quite old.” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
The Space Array inside the cave was old and blotched. Obviously, it was laid a long time ago. However, as it was hidden inside this barren mountain’s cave, it was unlikely to be discovered.
Heaven knows how the Jiang Family came to learn about this place and where it led to.
“Is there any secret here?” Mo Xiao Qi immediately became interested. Her pair of beautiful eyes glimmered with a strange gleam as she kept looking at the Array.
“Let’s check it out later.” Yang Kai was worried about Zhang Ruo Xi’s safety and had no intention of careful investigation. Next, he arrived on the Array with a flicker as Mo Xiao Qi nodded and stepped on it as well.
Yang Kai immediately prompted the Space Force in his body and poured it into the Array.
In the next moment, the Array started humming as the two disappeared with a flash of light.
Suddenly, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi appeared in a dark and humid area deep under the ground; how deep, no one knew.
However, before they could check their surroundings, they heard someone shouting, “Who are you? You actually dared to break into my Jiang Family’s secret land!”
Immediately after the shout, two violent attacks flew toward Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi from left and right, without any explanation. And judging by the fluctuations caused when they attacked, these two were actually Third-Order Origin King cultivators!
Yang Kai’s gaze turned colder as he shouted aloud, without even looking at the oncoming attacks, “Solidify!”
The next moment, the Space Principles fluctuated as the surrounding space suddenly solidified as if it had received some kind of order.
The next moment, the two attacks that were just about to strike Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi strangely disappeared into thin air as two figures appeared, left and right.
The two seemed to have never expected their attacks to be dealt with in such an unbelievable way. Both of them were stupefied for a while.
However, the man on the left immediately reacted as he cried in shock, “Principles! Dao Source Realm master!”
While speaking, his feet kicked the ground as his figure flew toward the rear. Surprisingly, he immediately thought of fleeing after seeing things turn bad.
But how could Yang Kai let his wish come true? Immediately, a Golden Blood Thread flew out from his fingertip with the flick of his wrist, directly tying up that man.
That man started sweating buckets, sensing the sharp aura emanating from the Golden Blood Thread. How could he dare to make any strange movements? He was more afraid of inadvertently getting cut into several pieces. He stood straight and looked at Yang Kai in horror.
The other man also stood in his place with a dumbfounded look on his face.
After all, Mo Xiao Qi was standing before him with a sharp dagger in her hand. The dagger was radiating a cold glow and happened to be pointed at his chest.
Obviously, in the momentary lapse in the man’s concentration, Mo Xiao Qi had already subdued him with lightning-fast means!
Yang Kai glanced over the two with a cold look on his face.
The man on the left asked in a trembling voice, “Who are you? Why do you break into my Jiang Family’s private land and attack us!”
“You don’t need to know who I am! And I’m here to find someone. If you obediently cooperate, perhaps I will let you live!” Yang Kai’s tone turned colder, staring at him.
“To find someone!” That man immediately furrowed his brow after hearing this. He nervously looked at Yang Kai and asked with difficulty as a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead, “I wonder who is Your Excellency looking for?”
“Is there a girl named Zhang Ruo Xi here?” asked Yang Kai.
The two Origin King Realm cultivators of the Jiang Family looked at each other before the man who had spoken earlier, justified himself with a bitter smile, “We are just ordered to guard the entrance. We have no idea about the name of those people…”
“Big Brother Yang, you don’t need to ask anything. Xiao Fu has smelled Sister Ruo Xi’s aura, she is here!” Suddenly, Mo Xiao Qi interrupted in excitement.
Yang Kai quickly looked over and noticed the Heaven Escaping Bat squeaking around toward a direction with glittering eyes, as if it had really found something.
“I’ll leave the things here to you, let me borrow Xiao Fu!” Having finished speaking, Yang Kai poked a few times toward the two Third-Order Origin King cultivators, pouring his Source Qi into their bodies. Immediately, the two let out a muffled groan as blood trickled down the corner of their lips.
Having done this, Yang Kai beckoned to the bat as the little beast immediately flew ahead.
“Big Brother Yan, be careful. There is something strange about this place!” Mo Xiao Qi exhorted from behind.
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement but he didn’t slow down.
While flying along the way, Yang Kai had the time to carefully inspect the surroundings.
He was inside an underground mine. The mine had numerous branches and forked roads. From time to time, he could hear clanking noises coming from the other end of the fork. Apparently, someone appeared to be mining something.
However, the places Yang Kai passed by had been mined already, leaving only pieces of rocks behind.
Following the little beast, Yang Kai soon entered a forked road.
Yang Kai immediately sensed the aura of many living beings inside that forked road.
After a short while, Yang Kai saw many people knocking on the walls of the dimly lit mine tunnel as broken pieces of rocks fell on the ground.
What surprised Yang Kai was the fact that everyone in here had the cultivation of Saint King Realm or lower. There wasn’t a single Origin Returning Realm Master.
All of them had their hands and feet cuffed with special bracelets and anklets, which would rattle every time they moved. They were simply unable to hide their whereabouts.
Perhaps they noticed something, all the people mining the ore turned their heads together, looking at Yang Kai.
A desolate feeling gripped Yang Kai’s heart, noticing their listless gazes. Heaven knows how long they have been kept here, let alone how long they had been mining here. Each of these cultivators appeared extremely exhausted and haggard. Only a few among them retained a little of their spirits.
There were even a few decomposing corpses lying on the ground nearby, filling the air of an already poorly circulated mine with a foul smell.
Yang Kai promptly halted his footsteps and asked, looking around, “Which one of you is the leader? Stand out and speak up!”
All those cultivators hesitatingly looked at each other after hearing this. A look of fear appeared in the eyes of most of them. They seemed to be afraid of standing out.
After a long time, a young-looking cultivator stood up. He appeared to be no older than thirty years. His tattered clothes were unable to hide his robust body. Although his aura seemed a little weaker, it was a lot better than the others.
The man, standing not too far away from Yang Kai, cupped his fists and introduced himself, “This one is Zhou Kang. May I ask what instruction Senior has for me!”
Yang Kai seemed to be about the same age as him, but his cultivation was much higher than him. So naturally, he believed Yang Kai to be an old monster, who had lived for hundreds of years. He didn’t think that there was anything wrong in addressing Yang Kai as a Senior.
“Who are you guys, why are you all here?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
Zhou Kang couldn’t help but gaze at Yang Kai in surprise after hearing this. Suddenly, he appeared to have thought of something as he exclaimed in excitement, “Senior isn’t a member of the Jiang Family?”
“Jiang Family!?” Yang Kai coldly snorted. “No, I came here to find someone.”
“Senior is really not a member of the Jiang Family!?” Zhou Kang’s voice suddenly rose a little as if he couldn’t believe it. All of a sudden, the other cultivators turned their gazes at Yang Kai as their faces beamed with joy. Their dull and listless eyes immediately started shining brightly as if they saw hope in the darkness.
“What would I get for deceiving you?” Yang Kai impatiently shouted.
“I believe you, Senior!” Zhou Land didn’t dare to suspect anymore and shouted, “Senior, since you aren’t a Jiang Family member, I beg Senior to save us from this sea of suffering.”
“Senior, please save us!”
“Free us, please!”
Suddenly, cries of help rang everywhere. All the handcuffed people pleadingly looked at Yang Kai.
Zhou Kang explained, “To tell Senior the truth, most of us are loose cultivators with no friends or families. People related to some small families have also been caught by the Jiang Family and brought here for mining. We would be punished if we resisted even a bit. Some of my brothers have even died. We can’t take it anymore. It’s really unbearable!”
“What are you mining here?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
“It’s this. Senior, please take a look!” Zhou Kan hurriedly took out something from the nearby basket and respectfully handed it to Yang Kai.
As Yang Kai took it and checked it out, he immediately cried in surprise, “Pure Heart Jade!?”
He recognized it at once. It was an extremely rare jade that could help the cultivator cleanse his heart and Soul. It had a special effect. If a cultivator in retreat was cultivating the Secret Art or was about to break through, and was wearing a piece of this jade, it had a great chance of offsetting the danger of the heart demon.
And if it was worn year-round, it had some hidden benefits as well.
Because of these reasons, this jade was very expensive. Just a thumbnail-sized piece cost 2000 – 3000 Source Crystals. And the piece Zhou Kang had picked up had the size of a palm. It was at least worth 10,000 Source Crystals!
Not to mention that the basket was filled with more Pure Heart Jade!
[This is actually a Pure Heart Jade mine!]
[No wonder the Jiang Family were trying to be so secretive and didn’t want to be discovered. If the other great forces came to learn about this, the Jiang Family alone would not be able to block them. As for the City Lord’s Mansion, they would certainly intervene to have a share!]
However, some labour was definitely needed to mine this kind of thing, and the Jiang Family didn’t have enough, so they could only target others!
And these cultivators of Saint King Realm and lower realms, with no friends and families, or backing, were the best candidates.
Even though Maplewood City couldn’t be considered big in the entire Southern Territory and the overall realm of the cultivators wasn’t that high, many people come and go every day, like carps moving down the stream. No one would notice a few Saint King and lower realm cultivators going missing from time to time.
People like Zhou Kang were captured as labour for mining.
Obviously, the same was true for Zhang Ruo Xi!
Yang Kai understood the crux of the matter in a short time. He finally realized why the Jiang Family didn’t want to disclose the whereabouts of Zhang Ruo Xi, instead pretending to be ignorant and remaining unmoved even when he gave them the right conditions.
[So, they were afraid of exposing the secret of this mine!]
Having understood this, Yang Kai’s eyes flickered with a cold gleam.
“Senior…” Zhou Kang gingerly looked at Yang Kai. He had no idea what was going on in Yang Kai’s mind.
“Leave the things and go.” Yang Kai waved his hand.
“Huh!?” Zhou Kang was taken aback, a little confused.
Right then, Yang Kai raised his hand as golden light flickered in the mine. One after another, Golden Blood Threats shot out Yang Kai’s fingertips, cutting the handcuffs and anklets binding the hands and feet of Zhou Kang and the others into two.
“I said you can leave, or do you want to stay here?” Yang Kai glanced at Zhou Kang. Not waiting for any response from him, he collected all the mined Pure Heart Jade on the ground into his Space Ring before flying toward the front right away.
Suddenly, cheers of joy and excitement rang not long after Yang Kai left. Seeing the cuffs on their wrists and ankles cut off, why would those cultivators doubt Yang Kai? The impatient prisoners were already running toward the exit.
“By the way, Senior, don’t go too deep. There is something weird about the innermost region!” Zhou Kang was also overjoyed. But he suddenly shouted a warning at Yang Kai as if he had thought of something.
But Yang Kai could not be found. Heaven knows how deep he had already gone!
“Senior should have heard it, right?” Zhou Kang tilted his head, thinking. But soon, he threw it to the back of his mind. It had already been two years since he was captured by the Jiang Family. He originally believed that he would be unable to escape this place in his life and would ultimately die here. Thankfully, a noble man had come out of nowhere today to help them and he could see the sun again.
An excited Zhou Kang dashed straight toward the exit, shouting in joy all the while.
In a short while, the entire mine was seething. Countless cultivators who had been brought here to mine rushed out in desperation, venting their joy of regaining freedom.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai followed the little bat to the depth of the mine. Along the way, he freed all the miners he encountered and took all the mined Pure Heart Jade into his Space Ring at the same time.
At the same time, somewhere in the depths of the mine, a delicate figure was rushing inward.
Clattering noises could be heard every time she moved, which happened to be the sound made by the clashing of cuffs on her wrists and ankles.
Her small figure was dressed in miserable rags and tatters while her hair was a mess and even her face covered in black dust, making it hard to discern her original appearance. However, from her panicking eyes and face that kept looking back, a bit of Zhang Ruo Xi’s image could still be discerned.
Surviving in the mine had not been easy. For the month since she was brought to this mine, Zhang Ruo Xi had been exposed to darkness and fear that she had never experienced in her teenage life.
Not to mention the harsh requirements set by the Jiang Family; she was required to mine a certain amount every day, or else she would be punished. What’s more, every miner here wasn’t that good to provoke. Having been captured and tortured here, these miners’ temperament had completely changed. When they saw a weak and lonely little girl, many would naturally be interested in her.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Second-Order Saint King Realm. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to gain a foothold here. If that was not the case, she might have been gnawed to the point that not even a single bone remained.
After she had given a beating to a few ignorant fools who were coveting her beauty and wanted to take advantage of her, no one dared to cause trouble for her anymore.
And in order to avoid similar trouble, she had deliberately made herself unsightly. As expected, no one was interested in her anymore. She had gained peace for a while.
However, the daily mining was extremely difficult. The Pure Heart Jade was embedded deep in the rocks and it took a lot of effort to mine it.
In just one month, her hands and feet had lost a few layers of skin. Her figure, which was already lean, had grown thinner, and after every day of tiresome mining, she would go to sleep in tears and pain before waking up again to continue enduring the painful life.
Since childhood, she had been spoiled in the Zhang Family. She was the apple of Zhang Family Matriarch’s eye. How could Zhang Ruo Xi have ever thought that she would have to live in such a dark place?
She missed her great grandmother, her grandmother, and everyone in the Zhang Family.
Every now and then, another face would flash before her eyes.
Naturally, it was her Sir Yang, who had the grace of giving a new lease to her Zhang Family and had not returned since he left half a year ago!
She didn’t have much contact with Sir. Although she had been with him for a while, Sir had never asked her for anything; hadn’t even asked her to serve him. All she was asked was to stay in the cave mansion and focus on cultivation. Sir even gifted her a precious pill.
She could tell that Sir was a good man and cared for her a lot.
Therefore, she did her best to cultivate and never slacked off, because Sir had said that he might need her help in the future. She wanted to improve her cultivation as much as possible to repay Sir’s kindness.
But now…
“Sir… where are you?” Zhang Ruo Xi cried in her heart as she staggered around in the mine tunnels. She was using her familiarity with the mine to escape from her pursuer.
At the most dangerous juncture of her life, there was only one person in her mind. She was hoping that he would descend before her like a god and shelter her from the oncoming storm, providing her with absolute safety.
But she knew that it was impossible. The mine was so hidden that no one would be able to discover it.
“You are so dead! Escape! Just try to escape! Once I catch you, you will taste a world of torture!” a devil-like roar came from behind.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s tender body fiercely trembled. Her heart was gripped with panic. She found her feet a little harder to move as if they were cast from lead.
Her shoes had already been lost during the escape. She just kept running through the cold and wet mine, even when her feet started bleeding from the sharp rocks. Her feet had already gone numb to the pain. Zhang Ruo Xi mechanically moved her feet toward a nearby tunnel.
When she tumbled and got up again, her eyes suddenly blurred; she almost passed out.
She immediately bit the tip of her tongue and the sharp pain jolted Zhang Ruo Xi’s mind awake. After instantly determining her bearing, she grit her teeth as she rushed toward a direction.
All the miners dared not go deeper in that direction.
Several miners had once run in that direction but they never came back. Since then, no one dared to step there.
Unfortunately, that dead zone had become her only hope of escape.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s rapid breathing could be heard loud and clear in the silent mine tunnel. She could even hear her pounding heart. Her heart was pounding like a drum as if it would break out of her body.
After escaping for a long time, Zhang Ruo Xi’s figure suddenly came to a stop as she stared forward in a daze. A sliver of despair could be found on her face.
To her dismay, she had come to a dead end. There was no way ahead!
And at this time, sounds of footsteps also came from behind.
Every step sounded like the whispers of the God of Death. Zhang Ruo Xi turned pale, and her pretty eyes seemed to have been blocked by darkness. They were full of despair. She was unable to see even a ray of light.
Under Zhang Ruo Xi’s horrified gaze, the figure of the Jiang Family’s man in white slowly emerged from the darkness.
But at this moment, the face of this First-Order Origin King looked a little hideous.
Anyone in his place would not be in a good mood after someone had evaded him this long and almost been able to escape from him despite the great disparity in their strength.
When he saw the dead-end ahead, the man in white let out a weird laugh. He suddenly became happy and wasn’t as anxious as before. Instead, he approached Zhang Ruo Xi in neither a slow nor fast manner, step by step, and spoke, “Cheap slut, go on! Run, let me see where you can run off to now!”
Zhang Ruo Xi’s figure was pressing dead against the cave wall, her eyes filled with terror. Watching the man in white’s figure approaching bit by bit, she was constantly trembling and shaking her head.
Not only had her delicate appearance failed to receive any pity from him, it had also stimulated the unknown dark side of the man in white. He suddenly looked excited and couldn’t help but lick his lips as if a delicacy was served before him.
The man in white’s sharp gaze travelled along Zhang Ruo Xi’s petite yet growing figure. His eyes flickered with an obscene gleam as he let out an even creepier and perverted laugh.
“Don’t… don’t come closer!” Zhang Ruo Xi vigorously shook her head as she curled into a ball and begged bitterly.
But the man in white remained unmoved. He quickly closed in the short distance of some hundred meters.
And when he arrived before her, the man in white reached out and grabbed toward Zhang Ruo Xi.
Right at this moment, the weak and pleading look in Zhang Ruo Xi’s eyes disappeared in a flash, replaced with determination and courage instead. Saint Qi fluctuations spread from her body as she poured her energy into a dagger-like weapon she had taken out at some unknown point. She then lifted her hand and plunged it straight toward the man in white’s chest.
If their strength had been on the same level, Zhang Ruo Xi’s attack might have had more than 50% chance of succeeding.
But the gap in their cultivation was simply too big. Even if Zhang Ruo Xi’s timing was completely perfect, the moment Saint Qi fluctuations emerged from her body, the man in white had promptly activated his Domain.
And the might of Domain wasn’t something a Second-Order Saint King girl could resist.
So, that dagger was completely imprisoned by an invisible force after reaching three centimetres away from the man in white’s chest. No matter how much Zhang Ruo Xi pushed, she couldn’t push it even a centimetre forward.
Zhang Ruo Xi was really desperate right now. She raised her head and looked at the approaching face.
At this moment, the face that should have been handsome had a devil-like hideous and mocking look on it.
Immediately, the man in white grabbed Zhang Ruo Xi by her hair and slammed her head against the cave wall.
*BAM…*
Zhang Ruo Xi felt her brain completely shaken up. Her head was in a tremendous amount of pain. Stars were circling around her eyes.
“Cheap slut, you really have guts! To think you actually dare to attack me!” the man in white hideously smiled, “Very well, I was originally planning to give you quick death, but now, don’t blame this King for being ruthless.”
While speaking, he reached out and grabbed Zhang Ruo Xi by her neck. He directly lifted her up in the air and slowly started squeezing.
Zhang Ruo Xi groaned and gasped for breath as she wildly thrashed her feet, struggling hard. But she couldn’t get free from the man in white’s grip no matter what she did. Slowly, her breathing became difficult, her long eyelashes quickly blinked as her vision slowly started to fade.
Through her fading vision, Zhang Ruo Xi thought saw a figure rushing toward her from a distance. With the help of the dim light in the mine tunnel, she identified it as Sir Yang that she had been thinking about all the while!
[Sir looks anxious, but why are his facial features distorted? He looks extremely terrifying as if he is extremely angry.]
[Great Grandma once said that a person would sometimes hallucinate before they die. It seems this is my own hallucination.]
Thinking like this, her body quickly lost strength as Zhang Ruo Xi slowly closed her eyes.
But right then, a dazzling golden beam suddenly shot over from the distance, instantly dispelling the darkness in the mine.
The next moment, the big hand squeezing her neck suddenly loosened with a muffled groan and Zhang Ruo Xi immediately fell toward the ground.
And before her feet even touched the ground, Zhang Ruo Xi clenched the dagger hard and actually fiercely thrust it forward. Even she had no idea where she got the strength to do it.
To her surprise, the dagger in her hand actually went into the man in white’s chest very smoothly. After she pulled the dagger out, blood immediately splashed all over her face. The warmth and the stickiness of the blood immediately made her hair stand on end.
She was stupefied for a moment but suppressed the fear in her heart and raised the dagger again before stabbing it into the man in white, again and again.
*Squish Squish Squish…*
Every time, she pushed the dagger all the way to the hilt and the blood splashing from the wounds soon turned into a bloody figure.
Zhang Ruo Xi only regained her wits when the man in white fell back on the ground with bulging eyes and a look of disbelief on his face. She kept staring at his corpse in a daze. She didn’t recover from the shock for a long time.
What she couldn’t figure out was how she could stab someone so strong to death…
“Ruo Xi…” an echoing shout came from not too far away.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s figure immediately shook. She looked up and found Yang Kai standing ten meters away from her, quietly staring at her with a guilty look on his face.
“Sir!?” Zhang Ruo Xi involuntarily cried in a tender voice. She could hardly believe her eyes.
Fearing that the figure in front of her was an illusion, she hurriedly rubbed her eyes. However, she forgot the fact that her hands were dyed in blood. When she rubbed her eyes, her entire vision turned red as blood, which was extremely horrifying.
Only at this moment did she seem to finally regain her wits. She looked down at her bloody hands and threw the dagger away. Her tender body started violently shuddering; her emotions in turmoil.
Seeing this, Yang Kai arrived before Zhang Ruo Xi and grabbed her by her wrist and asked in a low voice, “Ruo Xi, are you alright?”
Zhang Ruo Xi slowly raised her head. Her pretty eyes that used to be pure and clear were covered in blood at this moment. After confirming that the person standing before her was indeed Yang Kai and not a hallucination before death, tears kept pouring out of her eyes, falling down on the ground like the pearls from a broken necklace.
All her grievances immediately broke out. Her shoulders shook as she choked up on her own voice, “Mis…ter, Ruo Xi killed… killed someone… I killed… someone… Sir, save me!”
Yang Kai quietly gazed at her, slightly furrowing his brow.
He could naturally tell that Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to have suffered a huge shock at this moment.
And this shock didn’t come from being chased by the man in white, and neither was it because of escaping from the clutches of death, but rather because someone had died in her hands!
Even if that person wasn’t anyone decent, and even wanted to take her life, Zhang Ruo Xi still couldn’t bear it when she stabbed this man to death.
After giving it a bit of thought, everything became clear to Yang Kai.
Zhang Ruo Xi was just a sixteen, seventeen-year-old girl. She was just a budding teenager, and had been spoiled by the Zhang Family since childhood. Even though she cultivated, she had never fought a real life-and-death battle, much less killed anyone with her own hands.
To a young girl like her, everyone’s life was extremely precious.
And today, a life was lost under her dagger. Naturally, she couldn’t take it in a short time.
Yang Kai recalled the first time he killed someone. He felt extremely uncomfortable that time. That restlessness and panic lasted for a long time before it slowly disappeared, and when he killed more people over the years, he didn’t feel anything at all.
But Zhang Ruo Xi was different. This man in white should be the first person she killed!
Considering all this, Yang Kai heaved a sigh before hugging Zhang Ruo Xi. He lightly patted her back and comforted, “You didn’t kill that guy. He died by my hands. He had already stopped breathing by the time you stabbed him.”
Zhang Ruo Xi’s trembling body finally calmed down a little after hearing this. She raised her head and timidly asked, “Really!?”
“Really, look.” As Yang Kai spoke, he stretched out his hand as a Golden Blood Threat shot out of the corpse on the ground and circled around his fingertip. “This is what killed him.”
“I didn’t kill him!?” Zhang Ruo Xi blankly stared at the Golden Blood Thread. The panic in her beautiful eyes finally dissipated. She looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
“You didn’t kill him. Take a good rest now, and by the time you wake up, everything will be over.” While gently comforting her, Yang Kai pushed his Source Qi into Zhang Ruo Xi’s body, calming her chaotic Saint Qi.
Perhaps it was because she finally put down the burden in her heart or maybe because she was just too tired, Zhang Ruo Xi really fell asleep in Yang Kai’s arms. She closed her pretty eyes as a gentle snoring sound came from her nose.
After seeing that she was really asleep, Yang Kai finally heaved a sigh of relief and carried her up like a princess.
*Swish…*
Suddenly, the sound of something or someone travelling at high speed came from nearby. Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he released his Divine Sense to check. After discovering that it was Mo Xiao Qi, he calmly stood in his place.
After a short while, Mo Xiao Qi appeared not too far away from Yang Kai while the Heaven Escaping Bat let out squeaks as it rested on Mo Xiao Qi’s shoulder.
Mo Xiao Qi looked at Yang Kai, then looked at the bloody corpse on the ground, before finally focusing her gaze on Zhang Ruo Xi, who was held in Yang Kai’s arms, and asking, “Is this Sister Ruo Xi?”
“Mhmm.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Is she okay?”
“I just arrived at the nick of time. Nothing happened, she was just tired and fell asleep.”
“That’s good to hear,” Mo Xiao Qi patted her well-rounded chest as she sighed in relief. But soon, she ground her teeth, “These Jiang Family men are really hateful. Big Brother Yang, I’ve already found out what’s going on here. They actually captured and forced the loose cultivators to mine for them. They are simply assholes!”
“I have a rough idea about it too!” Yang Kai’s eyes flickered with a cold gleam. His face turned colder as he let out a foreboding laugh, “Jiang Family, you actually tried to silence the witness. You just wait.”
Zhang Ruo Xi’s horrendous experience made Yang Kai really angry out of shame.
He was a Dao Source Realm master, but because of momentary negligence, he had failed to take care of a little girl, which in turn led to her capture, where she was forced to mine here.
When he had gone to the Jiang Family to inquire about her, the upper echelons of the Jiang Family lied right to his face.
And if things ended just there, everything would have been fine, but the Jiang Family actually tried to silence the witness.
How could Yang Kai tolerate this? He had already made a decision to go to the Jiang Family and flip their whole estate after leaving this place. He would not even let their fowls and dogs be in peace!
“What about the Jiang Family members guarding the entrance?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice as a cold gleam flickered in his eyes.
“They are still over there,” replied Mo Xiao Qi. “Furthermore, there aren’t just two. I ran across a few more Jiang Family members along the way. I knocked them all out. As for the people caught by them, they have already been sent out through the Space Array.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. “After they escaped, the Jiang Family would not be able to keep this matter under wraps. It would be just perfect for me to go to the Jiang Family and raise a fuss. This way, even City Lord’s Mansion would not easily be able to intervene.”
“Then, shall we go back?” asked Mo Xiao Qi.
Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
After properly deliberating over the matter, the two were ready to return to Maplewood City, but right then, things suddenly changed.
They suddenly felt a tremor from the ground underneath their feet, causing Mo Xiao Qi and Yang Kai’s expression to change.
At the same time, a cracking sound came not too far away from them.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, gazing along in the direction of the source of the sound. Suddenly, he noticed that the wall in front was covered in red lines. These lines looked extremely complicated and mysterious. They gave the impression of some kind of a seal.
The lines kept squirming. And along with their squirms, more and more bloody red was being sucked in.
Only now did Yang Kai notice that this red was actually the colour of blood, and the source of it was the corpse of the white-robed Jiang Family man lying on the ground!
At this moment, the seal pattern on the wall was madly sucking the blood flowing out of the man in white. And as the blood continued to pour in, the bloody red seal pattern squirmed faster and faster.
“What’s this!?” Yang Kai’s expression drastically changed as he doubtfully gazed at the front.
Mo Xiao Qi’s expression too grew solemn. She tightly furrowed her black brow, staring straight at that seal. She was unable to recognize what kind of seal it was for a while.
But at this moment, the seal seemed as if it had swallowed enough blood. In a flash, the lines converged at the centre of the wall into a hideous and terrifying human face.
The face’s mouth was wide open as a jet black aura suddenly spurted out from inside the wall.
Yang Kai’s pupil immediately constricted. His instincts were ringing warning signs. He hurriedly pulled Mo Xiao Qi, backing away with her.
The pitch-black aura kept pouring out of the seal, and very soon, it had flooded the mine tunnel. Yang Kai could clearly feel the violent and bloody aura in that black Qi.
More importantly, the black Qi also gave him a familiar feeling.
The next moment, the black Qi divided into untold wisps of black Qi, continuously wandering around like a swarm of pitch-black snakes.
One of the wisps of black Qi drilled into the mouth and nose of the long-dead man in white lying on the ground, disappearing soon after.
But the next moment, something happened that left Yang Kai dumbfounded.
The man in white, whose upper body was riddled with holes, suddenly opened his eyes. But at this moment, his eyes weren’t black and white but showed a peculiar pitch-black colour. It looked extremely terrifying.
At the same time, dark lines suddenly appeared on the man in white’s face, arms, and on the exposed part of his body.
“Demon Crests!?” Yang Kai blurted out in surprise.
He was way too familiar with these lines. Back on Tong Xuan Realm, he had saved the clansmen of the Ancient Demon Clan. He had also once cultivated this kind of Secret Technique; it could brand Demon Crests of all kinds of shapes and sizes on its user body.
When he had used the Demon Transformation Secret Technique back in the past, his own transformation was remarkably similar to the one before his eyes.
“Demon Qi!?” Mo Xiao Qi also seemed to have felt it the same time Yang Kai said it.
Just as the two spoke, the man in white abruptly stood up. His dark eyes swept around before finally locking on to Yang Kai. Immediately, it let out a fierce scream as it lunged at Yang Kai with a ferocious look on his face; he didn’t appear to be afraid of death.
Yang Kai let out a cold snort. Immediately after, while holding Zhang Ruo Xi with one arm, he flicked his fingers of the other at the oncoming man in white, shooting Golden Blood Threads at him.
The sharp Golden Blood Threads immediately pierced through the man in white. And with another wave of Yang Kai’s hand, they cut his body into several pieces, leaving gory pieces of flesh lying on the ground. But strangely, no blood flowed out of these pieces.
However, Yang Kai didn’t look the slightest bit happy after having done this. On the contrary, there was a deep frown on his brow.
Because he sensed that after the man in white had been demonized, he had actually grown a lot stronger. He might have been able to easily deal with him, it remained true that he was much stronger than when he was alive.
*Chi Chi Chi…*
At this moment, the pitch-black Qi flooding the mine tunnels had been completely divided into black snakes. And were now madly shooting straight at Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi, like a cat that had smelled the fish.
“Dammit, let’s quickly get out of here!” Yang Kai’s expression worsened as he promptly shouted. At the same time, he stretched his hand toward the front and shouted, “Exile!”
Under the influence of the Space Principles, a black hole about the size of a round table suddenly emerged out of thin air. There was only chaos and Nihility inside the black hole. The pitch-black snakes rushed straight inside before disappearing into nothing.
But many more black snakes continued to take their places.
Not to mention, more pitch-black Qi continued to gush out of the mouth on the wall.
The Space Secret Technique only lasted for three breaths before it shattered into pieces. The pitch-black, snake-like things broke through Yang Kai’s blockade and quickly chased after him at an astonishing speed.
Yang Kai didn’t need to look back to know that the situation was far from good. He didn’t even have the time to deal with these weird things. He pushed his Source Qi before wrapping it around Mo Xiao Qi and desperately rushing toward the exit.
After backtracking, the two quickly arrived at the location where they were previously teleported to.
The two pale Jiang Family Origin King Realm cultivators, who were lying on the ground, helplessly watched Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi step on the Space Array. One of them opened his mouth as if he had something to say, but he couldn’t speak a single word.
Heaven knows what method Mo Xiao Qi had used to keep them in their places.
“Big Brother Yang, it’s almost here!” Mo Xiao Qi looked back and saw that the countless jet-black snake-like things were less than three hundred metres from them. Her pretty face immediately turned pale.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, kept a straight face as he quickly poured his Space Force into the Array.
The next moment, the Array hummed and flashed with a bright light. And when the light finally dissipated, the two had already disappeared.
The jet-black snake-like things arrived at the Array but only hit the air!
But the two Origin King Realm cultivators of the Jiang Family were wrapped in those weird things as they swept by.
Immediately, extremely tragic wails came from inside the black Qi. They sounded beyond tragic, as if they were suffering inhumane torture inside.
After a while, the screams abruptly stopped as the two stood back up together. Although there had been no change in their appearances, their auras were completely different from before. They were exuding an extremely dark and violent aura. After having been wrapped by the black energy, Demon Crests appeared on their cheeks and arms in succession as their eyeballs turned pitch black…
The two looked at each other before pursing their lips into hideous smiles. One of them raised his head and let out a howl toward the sky. His howl was filled with endless joy and excitement, as if he had gotten free after tens of thousands of years of imprisonment.
These two were not the only cultivators who encountered this incident.
Many Jiang Family cultivators in the mine, who had been knocked out by Mo Xiao Qi, had also encountered the same thing. Also, there were some miners who hadn’t had the time to escape. Everyone’s aura completely changed in a very short time after being wrapped in the black Qi. All of them seemed to have lost their original sentience.
Soon, the entire mine was flooded with that pitch-black aura…
A bright flash of light lit up the cave of the barren mountain as Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi appeared on the Space Array; fear was clearly visible on their faces.
However, the Jiang Family cultivator, who was knocked out by Yang Kai and should have been lying by the Array, was strangely nowhere to be found.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but furrow his brow after noticing this. He promptly scanned with his Divine Sense as a look of surprise appeared on his face.
“Big Brother Yang, what’s wrong?” Mo Xiao Qi doubtfully looked at him.
“Many people are waiting outside to welcome us.” Yang Kai coldly smiled.
Mo Xiao Qi furrowed her black brow and released her Divine Sense after hearing this. She was immediately struck with a realization.
“Let’s go out and take a look.” Yang Kai beckoned her before flying out of the cave and hovering in the air without a trace of fear.
He gazed around and found himself surrounded with very familiar faces; all of them were the members of the Jiang Family he had met not too long ago.
He could only guess how word got out so soon. The Jiang Family had dispatched all its experts here.
Just ahead, Jiang Family Patriarch, Jiang Lin, and various other high-level members of the Jiang Family were coldly glaring at Yang Kai.
More importantly, there was an old man in black standing before Jiang Lin, carrying his hands behind his back. Not even a little bit of aura could be felt from him. He seemed like an ordinary man but he was surrounded by an inexplicable majesty.
Some of the Jiang Family cultivators kept looking at the old man. Their gazes were filled with awe and worship.
Even Jiang Lin, who was standing behind the old man, appeared extremely respectful.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately changed. He took a careful look at the old man. He immediately knew that he must be the Dao Source Realm master of the Jiang Family, the Old Ancestor of the Jiang Family, Jiang Tai Sheng.
After all, there were only that many Dao Source Realm masters in Maplewood City. All the cultivators of Maplewood City knew about every Dao Source Realm master living in the city.
At this moment, Jiang Tai Sheng indifferently looked at Yang Kai, then turned his gaze at Zhang Ruo Xi in Yang Kai’s arm before withdrawing his gaze the next moment.
As far as he was concerned, no one deserved his attention.
Seeing this, Yang Kai let out playful chuckles.
“Alchemist Yang!” Jiang Lin suddenly stepped forward, coldly glaring at Yang Kai. His tone was awful. “This Jiang has to hand it to you, you actually found this place. I’ve underestimated you.”
Yang Kai let out a cold snort, “If you didn’t want anyone to know, then don’t do it in the first place.”
Jiang Lin’s eyes flickered with a cold gleam. He looked pretty angry. He took a look at Jiang Tai Sheng, and seeing him having the same stoic expression, he immediately took a deep breath and shouted, “Alchemist Yang, this Jiang still thinks of you as a genius and doesn’t want to ruthlessly kill you. If you sign this Soul Contract in front of my Jiang Family members here, we might not need to take your life!”
While speaking, he suddenly took out an ancient beast skin parchment.
As Yang Kai focused his gaze on it, he found that it was surprisingly similar to the one taken out by Kang Si Ran back in the past. Not just in shape and size, even the aura it was emanating was almost exactly the same.
Yang Kai immediately understood that this was the real Soul Contract. It came straight from the Serene Soul Palace.
A Soul Contract was something created by one of the Ten Great Emperors, Serene Soul Great Emperor. It had always been manufactured by the disciples of the Serene Soul Palace. Once a cultivator brands his or her Soul Imprint on the Soul Contract, the Soul Contract will impose a miraculous effect on the cultivator. It would force the cultivator to fulfill the agreement on the contract. If one violated it, he or she would suffer a Soul-crushing pain. It might be to the point that even their Soul might be destroyed.
In the past, Kang Si Ran was forced to use a Soul Contract to prevent Yang Kai from divulging the Soul Condensing Pill recipe, and it had left him in quite a bit of distress for many days. After all, this thing was extremely precious; each one was extremely valuable.
Yang Kai didn’t know where the Jiang Family got it from but they had actually taken such a treasure out now.
“Soul Contract!?” A shadow of a smile appeared on Yang Kai’s face. “Patriarch Jiang, I’ll have to hand it to you for this. But this is a very precious treasure, wouldn’t it be wasteful to use it on this Yang!?”
Jiang Lin answered, maintaining a straight face, “What’s a Soul Contract worth before Alchemist Yang!?”
Yang Kai looked at him in a calm and composed manner and asked, “But what I want to know is what’s written on this Soul Contract.”
“Wouldn’t Alchemist Yang be clear what’s written on it?” Jiang Lin slightly smiled. “I just hope that Alchemist Yang will become a part of my Jiang Family and refine pills for my Jiang Family, that’s all.”
“I’m afraid I can’t agree to this!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Jiang Lin’s face sank as he shouted in a fierce voice, “Yang Kai, you wouldn’t want to drink a loss after refusing a toast, would you? Today, you have to sign this Soul Contract. You will have to agree even if you don’t want to, you have no say in it!”
An Origin King Grade Alchemist was extremely valuable to a family like the Jiang Family. If the Jiang Family didn’t want to capture Yang Kai alive, why would the Jiang Family disturb a Dao Source Realm master like Jiang Tai Sheng? Furthermore, almost all of the Jiang Family’s elites have been mobilized just to force Yang Kai to leave his Soul Imprint on the Soul Contract.
As long as Yang Kai was controlled, the Jiang Family would not only gain an Origin King Grade Alchemist but they would not have to worry about him revealing the secret of the mine.
Listening to Jiang Lin brag without any shame, Yang Kai couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “What a joke! It’s my body, I can do whatever I want to. Your Jiang Family can’t stop me!”
Jiang Lin was immediately infuriated!
Just as he was about to say something, the stoic and silent Jiang Tai Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, calmly looking at Yang Kai. The next moment, he raised his hand, stopping Jiang Lin’s attempt to speak.
Next, he calmly stated, “Young Man, you might be a little capable, but you have no idea how high the sky is and how deep the earth goes! Today, this old master has given you a lot of face by coming here personally. I heard that you are an Origin King Grade Alchemist and can even refine Source Condensing Pills of extraordinary quality. This old master loves geniuses, so don’t force this old master’s hand. Just obediently leave your Soul Imprint on this Soul Contract, and this old master will treat what happened today like it never happened. As for the little girl in your arms and the one next to you, this old master can spare them but the premise is that they have to marry into my Jiang Family as concubines!”
“What!? You want me to marry into your Jiang Family as concubines!?” Before Yang Kai could say anything, Mo Xiao Qi, who had been standing indifferently by his side all the while as if she was watching a good show, suddenly stepped forward. She angrily glared at Jiang Tai Sheng and tenderly shouted, “You dirty old thing, how can you speak such shameless words!”
“Impudence!”
“How bold!”
The group of Jiang Family cultivators yelled at Mo Xiao Qi, one after another. They looked enraged as if Mo Xiao Qi had said something that shouldn’t be said.
Yang Kai chuckled as he held Zhang Ruo Xi in his embrace with one arm while he put the other on his ear as if he was trying to hear something. He then tilted his head and asked Mo Xiao Qi, “Xiao Qi, why am I hearing some mad dogs barking?”
“Um…” Hearing this, Mo Xiao Qi glanced at him first before solemnly nodding her head and adding, “Yeah! And they’re barking is really loud.”
Jiang Tai Sheng immediately narrowed his eyes after hearing this. His eyes flickered with a cold gleam as he quickly said, “Very well, you two juniors are really courageous. This old master hasn’t heard anyone talk to me like this in many years. You were given a path to the Heavens but you refused to take it…”
“What’s the point of putting on airs and playing cheap tricks!” Yang Kai impatiently interrupted him before he could finish, “Is being a Dao Source Realm master something to be proud of?”
As he said this, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly became blurry.
Before Jiang Family members could react to it, Yang Kai had mysteriously appeared not too far away from Jiang Lin.
“Ah!?” Jiang Lin was horrified. His body involuntarily retreated, but before he could do anything else, Yang Kai had already stretched out his hand towards him.
Jiang Lin was struck with panic. He instinctively circulated his Source Qi and fiercely punched forward.
The energy in the void immediately gathered around as a tiger roar rang out. In the next moment, an enormous tiger phantom emerged out of nowhere, opening its bloody mouth and biting toward the front.
However, this attack only struck the air. Yang Kai, who should have been in the front, had already disappeared from where he stood.
A surprised Jiang Lin looked around before he finally realized that Yang Kai had already returned to his previous position as if he had never moved.
In a flash, drops of cold sweat trickled down Jiang Lin’s forehead. The other members of the Jiang Family had also turned pale.
“Xiao Qi, check if this is real or not!?” Yang Kai handed something to Mo Xiao Qi, who took it and started carefully inspecting it.
“Ah!? My Soul Contract!” Only now did Jiang Lin finally realize that the Soul Contract in his hand had been snatched by Yang Kai at some point. He stared at his empty hands in amazement. He then looked up ahead not far away from him and his heart immediately hit rock bottom…
“Dao Source Realm!?” Jiang Tai Sheng’s pupils immediately shrank as he shouted.
Yang Kai hadn’t used any energy, and Jiang Tai Sheng hadn’t bothered to investigate Yang Kai’s exact strength. He thought that Yang Kai was just in the Origin King Realm, but when Yang Kai just made a move, Jiang Tai Sheng finally realized.
After discovering this, Jiang Tai Sheng’s face couldn’t help but turn ugly.
After all, he was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm master. If Yang Kai’s cultivation was equal to his, he would not have any advantage at all.
This was completely different from what he had thought. He thought that he would be going to easily capture two juniors, and he had never placed any importance on Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi.
Only now did he finally realize that he couldn’t be farther from the truth!
As another First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, Yang Kai had every right to talk with him on equal terms.
Furthermore, judging by Yang Kai’s speed, if he wanted to kill the other members of the Jiang Family, he could have done it with ease.
“Yeah, this is indeed the Soul Contract from the Serene Soul Place, Big Brother Yang. This is a treasure that you should keep it safe. It might come in handy in the future,” Mo Xiao Qi returned the Soul Contract to Yang Kai after having checked it.
Yang Kai took it back and stuffed it into his Space Ring, maintaining a straight face.
“This old master was disrespectful. So Your Excellency is also a Dao Source Realm cultivator. No wonder you have so much confidence!” Jiang Tai Sheng no longer looked as at ease as he was before. Rather he had a slightly serious look on his face and the corner of his lips were twitching.
Yang Kai immediately sneered and rebuked, “Wow, you’re changing your tune pretty fast.”
“How shameless!” Mo Xiao Qi also spat in disgust.
Jiang Tai Sheng’s previous and current behaviour was completely different. It really made Mo Xiao Qi look down on him.
Jiang Tai Sheng let out a cold snort and stated, “But Your Excellency, even if you are a Dao Source Realm master, you will have to give this old master an explanation for today, otherwise Your Excellency can forget leaving this place unscathed.”
“Explanation!?” Yang Kai’s face and voice turned colder as he rebuked, “It should be your Jiang Family that should give me an explanation, not the other way around! This Yang’s friend was caught by your Jiang Family to mine here for no reason, and was tortured as well. This Yang even went to your Jiang Family to inquire about her. If your Jiang Family had just tried to keep it under wraps, it would have been alright, but you actually tried to silence her. If I had not arrived on time, my friend would not have survived! And you still want an explanation!?”
“This…” Jiang Tai Sheng was rendered speechless after hearing this. He hadn’t expected Yang Kai’s words to be so sharp; he didn’t know how to respond to this for a while.
“Alchemist Yang!” As the Patriarch of the Jiang Family, Jiang Lin couldn’t stand back. He cupped his fist and tried to justify himself, “Alchemist Yang, please calm down. It… it was just a misunderstanding!”
He was already pressured to this extent by Yang Kai alone. How could he dare to belittle Yang Kai anymore? He didn’t dare to talk disrespectfully as he had before. Rather he wryly spoke bearing smiles, “It’s really a misunderstanding!”
“Misunderstanding!?” Yang Kai glared at him as a smile appeared on his lips. He might look like he was smiling but his smile carried no smiling intention. On the contrary, it gave everyone the chills. “You captured my friend and now you say that it was just a misunderstanding!? Patriarch Jiang, do you think I am a three-year-old kid?”
Jiang Lin looked troubled as he quickly justified himself, “Alchemist Yang, we had no idea that this little girl was your friend. If we had known this, we would have treated her as our most revered guest. We would have never taken her to the mine. But she could be considered to be safe now. Can’t we let the matter rest in light of this? That Soul Contract can be regarded as my Jiang Family’s apology… Hmm, besides this, my Jiang Family will send another gift to Alchemist Yang’s mansion after a few days.”
“Ha, if you can’t do it the hard way, you want to buy me!?” Yang Kai sneered. “Can you stoop any lower?”
Jiang Lin’s face turned stiff. He was extremely infuriated, but he didn’t dare to truly show his anger because of the gap in their cultivation.
Jiang Tai Sheng, on the other hand, blew his top. He immediately lashed out in anger, “Junior, my Jiang Family has already given you enough face, don’t go too far in bullying others!”
“What if I’m going too far!? Come and bite me then!” Yang Kai disdainfully looked at him.
“I’ll admit, you are really irritating me!” Jiang Tai Sheng felt the blood in his chest in turmoil. He almost coughed a mouthful of blood in anger. He viciously looked at Yang Kai and shouted, “Kid, even if you are First-Order Dao Source Realm, this old master would like to learn a bit from you!”
“If you want to fight, just say so, why do you need to beautify it!?” Yang Kai lashed out in anger as the Source Qi in his body started madly moving.
“This old master advanced to the Dao Source Realm more than a century ago, why would this old master be placed in the same category as an ignorant little brat like you!?” Jiang Tian Sheng self-complacently shouted.
“Old Thing, isn’t your aptitude horrendous? You haven’t been able to break through after a century!” Yang Kai was filled with disdain.
Jiang Tai Sheng blew his top. The Source Qi in his body also started rising. He didn’t want to reason with Yang Kai anymore, lest he was angered to death. In the next moment, he tapped the ground just a bit before he suddenly disappeared from his place as a soft puff rang from where he stood just before.
Obviously, the air exploded because of his extremely fast speed.
The next moment, he suddenly appeared before Yang Kai out of thin air and shouted with a dark and gloomy look on his face, “This old master will let you experience the strength of a master who has been in the Dao Source Realm for over a century!”
As he spoke, he pushed his palm toward Yang Kai in a very light and easy manner.
The palm was surrounded by Principles. Jiang Tai Sheng hadn’t even finished his move, yet Yang Kai was already surrounded by a violent storm.
Mo Xiao Qi, who was standing not far from Yang Kai, turned pale. Her chest heaved up and down; she was having trouble breathing.
Although Mo Xiao Qi’s origins were mysterious and extraordinary, and she was pretty strong, at the end of the day, she hadn’t reached the Dao Source Realm. She was having a difficult time bearing the pressure of Jiang Tai Sheng’s Principles.
However, she had also seen the world. She wasn’t someone whose hands and feet could be tied by simple Principles. She let out a tender cry as she pushed the energy in her body, forcefully breaking free from the oppression of the Principles and escaping into the distance with a flicker of her body.
And right at this moment, an enormous and transparent palm of energy suddenly appeared before Jiang Tai Sheng’s palm, pushing toward Yang Kai with an unstoppable momentum.
An intense gale blew on Yang Kai’s face, causing his clothes to continuously flap and Zhang Ruo Xi’s hair, who was in his arm, to dance in the air…
“You dare to show paltry tricks before me!” Yang Kai let out a cold snort. Before his opponent’s Principles could press down on him, he similarly mobilized the Space Principles, forming a strong invisible shield around his body and blocking the suppression of the opposite party’s Principles.
Then, he raised his hand as a similar enormous palm of energy formed before him, greeting Jiang Tai Sheng’s palm.
The two enormous palms of energy crashed into each other after a breath.
A deafening explosion echoed as the World Energy suddenly became chaotic and the fragments of Principles flew in every direction…
A faint mocking smile hung on Yang Kai’s face, whereas Jiang Tai Sheng’s pupils constricted and a look of horror appeared on his old face as he mumbled to himself, “How is this possible!?”
Just as his voice fell, his energy palm fell apart all of a sudden, while Yang Kai’s palm kept pressing on, with no reduction in its momentum.
Jiang Tai Sheng’s expression drastically changed. He knew that this could only be possible if the opposite party’s Source Qi was purer and more vigorous than his.
After all, this move was formed by directly mobilizing the Source Qi in one’s body. It was a pure confrontation of quality and quantity of the Source Qi!
Judging by Yang Kai’s young age and thinking that Yang Kai had advanced to the Dao Source Realm not too long ago, he thought that Yang Kai’s realm could not be as stable as his own. Yang Kai could never be his opponent, a veteran master who had been in Dao Source Realm for over a century. However, he found that he was wrong after this confrontation.
Seeing the oncoming giant palm, how could Jiang Tai Sheng dare to stand still in his position. He hurriedly twisted his body and dodged, escaping several dozen metres away. There was an unsightly look on his face as he looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, didn’t take this opportunity to chase after him. Rather, he stood in place, looking at Jiang Tai Sheng with mockery. That mocking sneer pierced straight into Jiang Tai Sheng’s heart like a sharp knife, making him feel uncomfortable.
“Dammit!” Jiang Tai Sheng shouted. Having shown such unsightly performance under the gazes of so many members of the Jiang Family, his old face couldn’t take it. He grit his teeth and stretched his hand out, grasping in the void. Suddenly, a broadsword with a tiger head on the hilt suddenly appeared in his hand.
Impressively, that broadsword was a Dao Source Grade artifact. Its blade was thick and had many complicated patterns engraved on it. The tiger head on the hilt was extremely vivid and lifelike. It appeared extraordinary.
Obviously, since he couldn’t beat Yang Kai in Source Qi, his next hope was to rely on the artifact.
This artifact was the founding treasure of the Jiang Family, a Dao Source Grade artifact that only he could use, and has always been by his side.
The next moment, he madly poured the Source Qi into the broadsword. He stared at Yang Kai with a hideous look on his face like he wanted to kill Yang Kai as soon as possible.
With an earth-shattering roar, a phantom of a tiger suddenly flew out of the sword. And as Jiang Tai Sheng kept pouring his Source Qi, the phantom of the tiger grew more and more tangible. After a moment, it looked like a real Monster Beast.
Surprisingly, it was exuding the aura of an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast!
The giant tiger was 5-6 metre tall. It raised its head and roared at the sky. It was exuding an extraordinary momentum. Right then, Jiang Tai Sheng raised the artifact in his hand high and fiercely swung it down as he shouted, “Go!”
The giant tiger immediately pounced straight at Yang Kai as swiftly and fiercely as a bolt of lightning. Its scarlet pupils were staring straight at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai let out a cold snort at the sight of this. Surprisingly, he didn’t avoid or even think of taking out his artifact. He charged straight at the oncoming giant tiger head-on.
“Overconfident!” At the sight of this, Jiang Tai Sheng fiercely shouted as he closely followed behind the giant tiger with the broadsword. His body, wrapped in sabre aura, left a dazzling streak of light.
After a moment, the giant tiger arrived before Yang Kai and bit at him. Even its fangs and teeth were distinctly visible.
Yang Kai tightened his hold on Zhang Ruo Xi while he punched with his free hand. His hand left turned blurry as it left untold afterimages, raining punches on the giant tiger.
*Bang Bang Bang…*
A strong and rhythmic sound rang as the giant tiger whimpered and wailed like a living creature before its figure distorted. In just three breaths, its figure collapsed all of a sudden.
The faces of the Jiang Family members, who were paying close attention to this battle of Dao Source Realm masters, suddenly turned gloomy.
But the next moment, Jiang Tai Sheng, who was surrounded by saber aura, arrived before Yang Kai. Suddenly, the saber aura around Jiang Tai Sheng grew bigger as it transformed into a 20 metres long blade, slashing down on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai immediately avoided this terrifying blow with a twist of his body.
The sabre of light left a five-metre or so deep gully on the ground as sand and pieces of rock flew into the air.
Before Jiang Tai Sheng could make any other move, Yang Kai fiercely punched straight at the saber of light.
Immediately, a crisp clang and muffled grunt followed as Jiang Tai Sheng’s figure appeared several tens of metres away. However, Jiang Tai Sheng’s facial features were extremely distorted at this moment and he was holding the broadsword horizontally before him.
What’s more, a vague depression had appeared on the broadsword. Judging by its shape, it appeared as if it was left by a punch.
“Your physique…” Jiang Tai Sheng looked at Yang Kai with a look of incredulity. His eyeballs were violently shaking in horror.
To his surprise, the opposite party had left his Dao Source Grade artifact in such a shape with just a punch. Its spirituality appeared to have been a little damaged. [What a terrifying physical body!]
[Is this guy even human?]
Taking advantage of his momentary loss of wits, Yang Kai fiercely flicked his five fingers at him, raining jet-black Moon Blades at him, one after another.
Jiang Tai Sheng’s face turned pale as he shouted in horror, “Space Force!?”
After seeing the jet-black Moon Blades formed from pure Space Force shooting over, how could he dare to remain still? He hurriedly escaped using every means possible.
But those Moon Blades followed closely behind him like maggots on rotting bones. Furthermore, they were so fast that he felt a little tired and exhausted from running.
“Hahaha, Jiang Family old dog, where are you running? You think you can escape!? Today, I won’t rest until I have flipped your entire Jiang Family!” Yang Kai broke into laughter and shouted. He looked extremely at ease.
At the sight of this, the faces of the Jiang Family members on the sideline started to change.
The Old Ancestor, whom they had been relying on, was fleeing like a stray dog after just two bouts with Yang Kai. Worse yet, their Old Ancestor was left with no room to retaliate! They immediately realized that they were in really big trouble this time.
“Patriarch!” an Elder of the Jiang Family quickly said, “We have to attack as well and help Old Ancestor!”
“Yes!” the others also agreed, “The Old Ancestor doesn’t seem to be this guy’s opponent.”
Jiang Lin’s face sank. He scanned the battlefield before suddenly focusing his gaze on the other side. He then proposed in a cold voice, “Rather than risking our lives to help Old Ancestor, it’s better to deal with her!”
Everyone was stunned. They immediately followed Jiang Lin’s gaze and saw an idly standing Mo Xiao Qi. She was leisurely watching the battle as if she wasn’t worried about Yang Kai’s safety at all.
“Yes! Yang Kai came with that girl, so they must have a close relationship. As long as we catch her, we will have him in our grasp!” Jiang Chu He’s eyes lit up. His gaze traveled along Mo Xiao Qi’s beautiful figure. However, when his gaze fell on the crescent-shaped birthmark on Mo Xiao Qi’s face, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh filled with emotions.
The gazes of Jiang Family members gathered together as they suddenly rushed toward Mo Xiao Qi.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen Origin King Realm masters had surrounded Mo Xiao Qi, leaving no room for escape.
“What do you want!?” Mo Xiao Qi furrowed her brow and looked around unhappily.
“Heh heh heh!” Jiang Chu He let out a sinister laughter. “Girl, do you really have no idea what we want to do? Be wise and obediently cooperate. Don’t force us to make a move, or you might get injured.”
Mo Xiao Qi, hearing this, was suddenly stunned. She contemptuously looked at the Jiang Family members and asked, “Do you want to bully with numbers?”
Jiang Lin’s old face was filled with embarrassment. He lightly coughed, “We have no other choice. Don’t blame us, Little Girl!”
“Patriarch, is there a point in talking with her, let’s just attack. If she dares to resist, she should not blame us,” a Jiang Family Elder fiercely shouted.
“You guys are too shameless. I am just a little girl,” Mo Xiao Qi tenderly shouted as a resentful look appeared on her face.
“There are no girls or women on the battlefield. If you want to blame someone, blame Yang Kai!” Jiang Chu He seemed to have a lot of resentments toward Yang Kai. So much so that his distorted thoughts had been transferred to Mo Xiao Qi, thereby leading to showing no trace of politeness to Mo Xiao Qi.
“Do you really want to make a move on me?” Mo Xiao Qi looked furious. She looked at Jiang Chu He, nibbling her lips.
“Ha, you think that this Young Master is joking with you?” Jiang Chu He coldly laughed.
Right then, he flipped his wrist as an Origin King Grade long sword appeared in his hand. The sword shook as he thrust it toward Mo Xiao Qi.
In an instant, as the sword swished through the air, Sword Qi shot out from the tip of the sword straight at Mo Xiao Qi, almost covering the entirety of her.
A playful expression appeared on Mo Xiao Qi’s pretty face. Surprisingly, she stood in her place with no intention of dodging. Instead, she glared at Jiang Chu He as she summoned something in neither a hurried nor slow manner and poured her Source Qi into it.
With a puff sound, the summoned artifact suddenly grew in size and directly enveloped Mo Xiao Qi inside, leaving not even the slightest gap.
This artifact was spherical in shape and was pale blue in colour. Its surface was shimmering like a water screen and was as transparent as a cicada’s wings.
From the outside, Mo Xiao Qi seemed to be inside a water ball.
This artifact was none other than the Weak Water Bead that Mo Xiao Qi had once used on the Clear Jade Mountain!
Just the fact that the Weak Water Body could even imprison a Luan Feng youngling was proof of its strength, and at this moment, Mo Xiao Qi was using it dynamically. The Weak Water Bead that was used to imprison had turned into a defensive artifact in her hand.
Obviously, it was quite effective as well.
Jiang Lin’s pupils shrank the moment this artifact appeared. He fiercely shouted, “a Dao Source Grade artifact!”
The moment he said this, the gazes of the Jiang Family Elders and Deacons turned hot.
“Clang…” The tip of Jiang Chu He’s long sword struck the water screen but to everyone’s surprise, this attack did not have the slightest effect. The water screen sunk bit by bit, giving the impression that the sword would pierce through any moment. But the next moment, it instantly bounced the sword back.
But that was not all. Even Jiang Chu He suffered from the recoil.
The leader of the Jiang Family’s next generation was caught off guard. To his and everyone’s surprise, he was completely unable to resolve it, and an involuntary cry of surprise escaped his mouth as he backed away a few steps. His face had gone a little pale before a look of shock appeared on it.
Fortunately, he hadn’t used his full strength. Otherwise, he would have been the one hurt instead.
“I’m afraid the origins of this little girl are extraordinary. Everyone, don’t hold back anymore and quickly end this!” Jiang Lin exhorted everyone with a low shout.
If she was an ordinary Origin King Realm master, how would she be able to summon a Dao Source Grade artifact at a moment’s notice? Furthermore, it was a defensive artifact. It should be brought to notice that of so many Origin King Realm masters of the Jiang Family, none of them had a Dao Source Grade artifact.
Only those with an extraordinary background and prospective futures could get one or two Dao Source Grade artifacts as a gift from their elders.
Before Jiang Chu He had made a move, Jiang Lin was still conscious about his status. He didn’t want to attack together, lest others say that he was bullying weak cultivators. But seeing that things weren’t looking good, how could he hesitate anymore?
Having said this, he formed hand seals with one hand and pointed the other forward.
Immediately, a streak of light shot out from the tip of his finger with a soft swish, striking the water screen of the Weak Water Bread in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, other Elder and Deacons of the Jiang Family also attacked, one after another.
In a flash, all kinds of Martial Skill and artifacts emerged, striking toward Mo Xiao Qi.
Unfortunately…
All the attacks failed and were bounced back. The Weak Water Bead enveloping Mo Xiao Qi continuously deformed, resolving those attacks one by one, and surprisingly bouncing them back.
The crowd of Jiang Family Origin King Realm cultivators immediately turned pale as they hurriedly dodged left and right.
Mo Xiao Qi’s pretty face, who was hiding inside the water screen of the Weak Water Bead, turned cold in anger as she tenderly shouted, “So you like to bully others with numbers, huh!? How shameless! I will take you all on!”
Sister Xiao Qi looked like a kid who had been bullied. As soon as she said this, she reached out and patted the small bags hanging around her waist.
No one had any idea about what was inside these bulging bags. Even when the Jiang Family members had noticed them before, they had not cared about it.
But at this moment, everyone’s eyes almost popped out in shock at the sight of what was happening.
Followed by Mo Xiao Qi’s actions, Monster Beasts of all shapes and sizes jumped out of the bags like gods descending from the Heavens. The first one to appear was a roughly seven-metre long, aloof Silver Maned Liger.
As soon as it appeared, it majestically roared at the sky before baring its fangs at the Jiang Family members. The horrified Jiang Family members immediately backed away.
At a glance, the sovereignty of a peak Tenth-Order Monster Beast was evident to everyone!
After that, a Heaven Escaping Bat appeared, followed by a Fire Qilin. Very soon, another several tens of metres long figure with two horns on its forehead appeared. It was a giant, pitch-black flood dragon that somewhat resembled a real Dragon.
The giant flood dragon coiled around Mo Xiao Qi with its head and chest raised straight. It then opened its mouth and hissed its red tongue. The colour of this black flood dragon’s pupils happened to be light blue. It was extremely weird.
“Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon!?” Immediately, some knowledgeable Jiang Family Elder cried in panic.
*Deng Deng Deng Deng…* The crowd of Jiang Family cultivators immediately backed away. Everyone looked at each other in shock before staring at the incomparably powerful and rare Monster Beasts before their eyes with incredulity!
Not to mention the small Heaven Escaping Bat, even the Silver Maned Liger, Red Fire Qilin and Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon had appeared before them. All of these Monster Beasts were almost extinct! It was basically impossible for an ordinary cultivator to see them outside.
The reason why these Monster Beasts were about to go extinct was that they all carried the bloodline of some Ancient Variant Beast! These bloodlines were extremely difficult to inherit, and with the passage of time, these Monster Beast with the Ancient Variant Beast bloodlines became rarer and rarer with every generation. Finally, they were on the verge of extinction.
And the reason why the Jiang Family Elder recognized the Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon was because he wanted to cultivate a Secret Technique that required the Blood Essence of a Black Flood Dragon in the past. Therefore, he had inquired about them many times. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the trace of the Black Flood Dragon even after spending over a decade searching. Finally, he had to give up on cultivating that Secret Technique.
He had never expected that a Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon would suddenly appear before him after so many years!
And each of these Monster Beasts was extremely difficult to provoke because of the bloodlines of the Ancient Variant Beasts. More often than not, they were able to display strength beyond their realm, and if they resorted to the natural Divine Ability they inherited, fighting someone more than one realm stronger than them was a piece of cake for them.
In other words, the true strength of these Monster Beasts should be taken as a level higher to judge it accurately.
Moreover…
“The peak of Tenth-Order!? All of them are peak Tenth-Order Monster Beasts!?”
“What Monster Beasts are these!?”
“Where did they pop out from?”
“Who the hell is this little girl?”
The Jiang Family cultivators cried in shock. The soles of their feet were almost cramped.
Originally, they thought that Mo Xiao Qi was alone and they believed her to be an easy target because of her Origin King Realm Cultivation. They were planning on taking her down to restrict Yang Kai, but how could they have known that they would poke a hornet’s nest!
Jiang Lin’s face had gone even paler. As the current Patriarch of the Jiang Family, he clearly knew that he had provoked someone he shouldn’t have this time.
Originally, he knew that Mo Xiao Qi had some background, but when he saw her summon four peak Tenth-Order Monster Beasts with a wave of her hand, he immediately understood that Mo Xiao Qi didn’t have just some background, but an extremely strong one! And it wasn’t something that a small family like the Jiang Family could provoke.
As the Patriarch, he was naturally more worried than the others.
Furthermore, looking at the small bags hanging on Mo Xiao Qi’s waist, he vaguely recalled something but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
While the Jiang Family cultivators were still in shock, Mo Xiao Qi harrumphed and ground her teeth in anger as she ordered, “Xiao Yin, Xiao Hong, Xiao Hei, teach these shameless people a good lesson. They actually dared to bully me!”
[Xiao Yin, Xiao Hong, Xiao Hei…]
All the Jiang Family members were shocked after hearing this. Beads of cold sweat immediately trickled down their foreheads.
Much to their shock and dismay, three peak Tenth-Order Monster Beasts carrying the Ancient Variant Beasts’ bloodline were actually given such simple and ridiculous names…
*Roar…*
*Huhu…*
*Si Si…*
The three Monster Beasts appeared to have understood Mo Xiao Qi’s instructions and thereby responded with strange noises.
The Silver Maner Liger roared as it leapt into the crowd of Jiang Family cultivators; its several tens of metres long humongous body showed extraordinary agility. It then lifted its front paws and made a powerful horizontal sweep.
This sweep immediately gave rise to a powerful gale, almost causing Heaven and Earth to lose their colour.
How dare the Jiang Family members take it head-on!? They cried in shock and promptly dodged, one after another.
Meanwhile, the Red Fire Qilin opened its mouth and shot red-hot balls of fire toward them like a storm. Every fireball was the size of a plate and carried extremely heat.
When these fireballs hit the ground, they caused it to melt.
The Jiang Family members were struck with terror at the sight of this. They immediately backed away into the distance, extremely afraid of letting the flames make the slightest bit of contact with their bodies.
Next, the Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon also attacked. A pitch-black aura spread over the surface of its body before it transformed into a mass of black clouds and shot straight toward the battlefield, covering three Jiang Family Origin King Realm cultivators in it.
The next moment, sounds of fighting and strange hisses came from inside the black cloud.
Mo Xiao Qi, on the other hand, calmly stood inside the water screen of the Weak Water Bead, holding the little bat in her arms and slowly caressing its hair. Looking at the chaotic battlefield, she murmured to herself, “It seems we don’t have the upper hand… Should I summon Xiao Bai, Xiao Huang, Xiao Qing, Xiao Lu, and the others?”
Jiang Family cultivators, “…”