The Eighteen Stars Grand Array reappeared in the world today so this place was destined to be visited and explored by countless Masters. Even if Yang Kai had not collected the Source Crystal lode, it would have eventually been taken away by someone else.
In other words, it was only a matter of time before the Demonic War Hammer was released.
However, Yang Kai had not expected the Demonic War Hammer to be able to retain its sentience during the countless years it had been sealed, much less assume a human form.
With a quick thought, Yang Kai changed his defensive stance to an offensive one.
“Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf!”
*Chi chi chi… *
Countless sword lights bombarded the human form Artifact Spirit like a drenching rain, beating it back and forth continuously. The Demon Qi on its surface flickered unstably, but it did not receive the slightest injury.
It was an Ancient Demonic War Hammer in human form, at least equivalent to a peak-level Emperor Artifact in terms of resilience. Yang Kai had no means to damage this opponent unless he used his Spiritual Energy to attack its consciousness.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai had just overused his Soul in collecting the Source Crystal lode, so it was difficult to utilize his Divine Sense at the moment to execute a Soul Secret Technique.
For now, he could only defend.
As soon as the sword lights came out, Yang Kai immediately retreated in a flash to Ye Jing Han’s side, grabbing her hand and shouting, “Run!”
Just as he shouted, the two flew upwards rapidly, following the direction of the surging World Energy.
Above the eighteen Spirit Spring Eyes, the cultivators looked at each other donning ugly expressions.
“Where did the Source Crystals go? Why aren’t they coming anymore?”
“Damn it, why did the eruption of Source Crystals have to cease? What happened?”
“I don’t know what happened, the Spirit Spring Eyes just seemed to stop erupting Source Crystals.”
Many cultivators were looking around and yelling, unable to fully express their feelings with their words.
After all, this was a one in a million chance to receive free Source Crystals, not to mention they were High-Rank and Mid-Rank Source Crystals. Everyone present was experiencing a joyful harvest, but the Source Crystals giveaway just ended like this.
From the Spirit Springs now, there was nothing else but pure World Energy.
How could this not sadden everyone?
“Did something happen below?” Someone guessed.
“Should we check it out? Maybe there is some Heaven-defying opportunity waiting down there for us,” another person suggested.
There was a change in everyone’s expressions with his words.
Previously, everyone had been busy collecting Source Crystals and did not pay attention to other matters. Now that there were no more Source Crystals, they naturally wanted to go down and examine the situation. Eighteen Spirit Springs and numerous Source Crystals had suddenly appeared, so even a fool would not believe that there would be nothing good down below.
Therefore, their hearts were moved.
However, they knew that the one who took the lead usually bore the brunt of the danger, so everyone was glancing around at each other, waiting for someone else to make the first move.
“Ahem… Brother Si Hai, your cultivation is worthy of respect. Why don’t you lead us down there?” An elderly man suddenly turned to another old man and asked.
The old man named Qi Shi Hai snorted coldly, “Brother Wu Hu must be joking. Why didn’t you ask this Old Master to take the lead while collecting Source Crystals just now and only thought of him when this dangerous matter came up? Are you insulting this Old Master’s intelligence or your own?”
Zhou Wu Hu gave a dry cough, “Just forget it, if Brother Si Hai is unhappy about it, you don’t have to bad-mouth me like this. Do you not rinse your mouth after eating?”
Qi Shi Hai replied coldly, “This Old Master is not stupid enough to be manipulated by others!”
Zhou Wu Hu spat disdainfully, cupped his fist and turned to the Eight Paths Sect disciples, “Little Brother Luo, this Old Master has seen your excellency’s amazing cultivation and your astonishing strength. You must be a man who is showered with great opportunities and luck. Does Little Brother Luo want to lead the exploration?”
No one had a clue of when Luo Yuan came back. Although his whole body was messy after battling with the two old men, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, he still looked energetic, as if the battle had yielded him plenty of benefits.
The few people from Flying Saint Palace had also completely disappeared at some point, perhaps scared off or forced out by Luo Yuan.
“Old man, you’re really insidious. Go down by yourself if you want, don’t instigate my Senior Brother Luo!” The round-faced woman from the Eight Paths Sect glared at Zhou Wu Hu.
Zhou Wu Hu’s face was darkened and he snorted, “Haven’t you learnt how to respect the Elders, little girl? Can’t you see this Old Master is already so old? Look at my beard and hair, they’re all white.”
The round-faced woman snorted too, “Since you’re already so old, why not just lie down somewhere and wait till your time’s up? If you keep running here and there, won’t you just die faster?”
“Little girl… you really infuriate this Old Master!” Zhou Wu Hu trembled in anger.
Qi Shi Hai was taking pleasure in his misfortune to the side, smiling happily.
“Something’s wrong!” Luo Yuan broke his silence with a single sentence, looking downwards intently into one of the High-Rank Spirit Spring Eyes, frowning, as if an enemy was approaching.
“What?” The round-faced woman turned to him after hearing him.
Luo Yuan’s face only became more solemn as time passed though, suddenly shouting, “Retreat!”
Pushing his Source Qi madly, he enveloped several disciples of Eight Paths Sect and shot backwards a thousand meters in a flash.
*Gu lu lu…*
Bubbles appeared at the centre of the High-Rank Spirit Spring, like it was boiling over.
“What happened?” Everyone looked at the Spirit Spring with a blank face.
Soon after though, a figure suddenly broke out of it, sending up a giant splash of Liquid World Energy.
“Someone already went down there?”
“When did he go down?”
“It… It’s him, that monster!”
Everyone exclaimed one after another as their faces turned ugly after seeing Yang Kai clearly. They had no idea if the sudden stop of the eruption of Source Crystals had something to do with him, and none dared to ask.
“Why did he come out from our Spirit Spring?” The round-faced woman looked at Yang Kai in confusion and frowned.
“So, that’s how it is!” Luo Yuan seemed to figure something and said, “Looks like these eighteen Spirit Springs are actually connected to each other.”
“Is that so? Senior Brother Luo is so brilliant,” the round-faced woman responded with a smile, gazing at Luo Yuan with her beautiful eyes with no intention of hiding her admiration.
The rest of the Eight Paths Sect disciples’ faces blushed with shame, knowing that their Sect’s Young Lady was completely blinded by love.
Yang Kai looked left and right as soon as he emerged, then swiftly dashed over to where Hua Qing Si and the others were.
“Master…” Liu Yan observed the bottom of the Spirit Spring Eye intently, and whispered, “I don’t know why, I suddenly have a strange feeling, that underneath, there’s…”
“En, there’s an existence similar to you,” Yang Kai quickly replied.
“It can assume human form?” Liu Yan’s tender body trembled, looking a little excited.
There were not many Artifact Spirits that could assume human form and possessed sentience. All these existences were of a similar kind, so when Liu Yan heard that there was another like herself, she naturally became enthusiastic, wondering how it assumed human form and how much sentience it had.
“It’s dangerous, don’t provoke it!” Yang Kai put Ye Jing Han down while warning, taking out a bunch of Spirit Pills from his Space Ring and stuffing them into his mouth.
*Wa la…*
Another sound was heard as the Demonic Artifact Spirit followed Yang Kai out of the Spirit Spring, a violent and gloomy aura pulsing from its erratic dark figure. Only a pair of blood-red eyes remained constant.
“Haa… Who is it this time?”
“He looks quite vicious.”
“Hahaha, looking at that monster running away, this guy seems to be quite powerful. It would be good if he could quickly finish that guy off!”
“En en, hopefully, this would involve that Eight Paths Sect brat surnamed Luo as well, then we can just sit on the mountain top and watch the tigers fight, heh heh heh…”
After the appearance of the Demonic Artifact Spirit, it still focused its attention on Yang Kai, as if he was the only one in this world it was interested in, and the others were unimportant.
It raised its hand and hastily punched towards Yang Kai.
*Chi… *
A wave of darkness that seemingly devoured all light shot forward towards Yang Kai’s head.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and slightly raised his hand, summoning all the Golden Blood Thread he had been using to cover the Spirit Spring before.
*Hong… *
The dark wave hit on the golden net, causing the surrounding World Energy to tremble. The Golden Blood Threads failed to stop this attack though and collapsed in an instant.
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he retrieved his Golden Blood Threads and swept out with his Myriads Sword towards the remainder of the dark wave.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
The two energies collided and exploded, kicking up a gust of wind that forced everyone present back a few steps.
“He’s amazing!”
Everyone paled after seeing the skill of this Demonic Artifact Spirit. Even Luo Yuan, who was far away, narrowed his eyes slightly.
Yang Kai took out another bunch of Spirit Pills and threw them into his mouth like jelly beans. While chewing and swallowing, he called out lightly, “Brother Luo, I found you a decent opponent, do you want to give it a try?”
Luo Yuan snorted coldly, “Not interested. I successfully cultivated my Secret Technique.”
“Really!?” Yang Kai exclaimed happily, “Then you should try out your Secret Technique’s might against a strong opponent.”
“You shameless man!” The round-faced woman waved her small fist at Yang Kai from far away with gritted teeth, “Don’t try to drag Senior Brother Luo into your mess, shame on you!”
“Little girl, it’s fine to be humiliated, life is more important!” Yang Kai put on a shameless face, looking proud of himself, frustrating everyone around him.
“Never mind, never mind!” Yang Kai spat disdainfully, and continued, “Since you guys don’t want an Emperor Artifact, I’ll just subdue it myself!”
“What?”
“An Emperor Artifact?”
“Where is the Emperor Artifact?”
“Quickly give it to me, I want it! Big Brother Yang! Master Yang…”
Yang Kai grinned and pointed at the Demonic Artifact Spirit, “All of you are experienced cultivators, can’t you tell this guy isn’t a living creature?”
“What does Little Brother Yang mean?” Qi Shi Hai immediately narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice.
Yang Kai smiled, “That’s not a human, it’s an Emperor Artifact Spirit assuming human form!”
“What? An Emperor Artifact Spirit in human form?”
Yang Kai’s words shocked everyone. All the cultivators stared at the Demonic Artifact Spirit in amazement as a covetous glow flickered in their eyes.
Honestly, just the two words of ‘Emperor Artifact’ were enough to make them drool, but an Emperor Artifact with an Artifact Spirit that could assume human form was something none of them had heard of, much less seen before. In other words, this treasure’s value was inestimable.
*Gudong… *
The sound of gulping filled the air as everyone stared at the Artifact Spirit in enthusiasm and greed, their Divine Senses scanning around, examining whether the condition of the Artifact Spirit was like what Yang Kai said.
After a short while, Qi Shi Hai bellowed, “It really is an Emperor Artifact!”
He could see the outline of the Demonic War Hammer inside the Artifact Spirit’s body, and could clearly feel something similar to Emperor Intent and Emperor Aura hidden within it, not something a Dao Source Realm cultivator could comprehend.
“It’s really an Emperor Artifact…” Although Zhou Wu Hu was still enthusiastic, there was fear and vigilance in his eyes too, “But since it has already assumed human form, I’m afraid that it will be difficult to deal with. Everyone, be careful not to act rashly lest you suffer unintended consequences.”
Hearing what he said, everyone seemed to be splashed with ice water and their excitement gradually cooled down.
Yang Kai glanced at him and laughed, “If you want to achieve great things, you naturally need to take the risks. Since this Sir is so cautious, why don’t you just leave? Why are you still staying here?”
Zhou Wu Hu gave two dry coughs, and replied in embarrassment, “I just want to have a look…”
Yang Kai continued, “Even though this Artifact Spirit has achieved human form, it has been suppressed for countless aeons below the Eighteen Stars Grand Array. It’s now far from its peak, so it’s impossible that it can display the full power of an Emperor Artifact. If anyone is interested in this treasure, follow this Yang in battle. As for whoever this treasure eventually belongs to… that is up to destiny!”
After his speech, he braced himself and swung his Myriads Sword, sending out a rain of Sword Qi blades towards the Artifact Spirit.
Seeing him taking the initiative, the rest of the gathered cultivators could not help joining in.
Everyone knew that there was a certain risk in dealing with an Emperor Artifact that had assumed human form, but not many people could remain unmoved before such a huge temptation.
On the spur of that moment, all the cultivators pushed their Source Qi and executed their Secret Techniques and Martial Skills one after another, flooding the underground cavern with colourful bursts of light.
The disciples from Eight Paths Sect were also eager to make a move, but when they saw Luo Yuan standing to the side, choosing not to intervene, they stayed their hands and remained anxious on the spot, observing the situation quietly.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
Brilliance flashed as several dozen Dao Source Realm cultivators bombarded the place where the Artifact Spirit stood, causing the internal situation to be unclear to them, even using their Divine Senses.
“Did it die?”
“There’s no movement at all, is it really dead?”
Everyone craned their necks and looked towards where the Artifact Spirit stood with expectation and excitement, waiting for the results.
The lights gradually dissipated and the turbulent flow of power slowly calmed down, but everyone’s heart sank when they saw the scene before them.
The Demonic Artifact Spirit was standing silently in the same place, its radiance slightly dimmer than before, but showing no signs of significant damage. Instead, being besieged by everyone seemed to arouse its anger and it began viciously sweeping its crimson eyes full of cruelty and ferocity over the surroundings, seemingly trying to remember all its enemies’ faces. When they were being glared at, everyone felt an inexplicably chill, as if they heard the call of death.
“After taking so many attacks, it’s unharmed? Is this Artifact Spirit indestructible?”
“How can we fight this?”
“Young Master Yang, the situation seems a little different from what you said… “
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “Did you guys use your full strength? The consciousness of this Artifact Spirit doesn’t seem high, what’s more, it has been suppressed for tens of thousands of years. It shouldn’t still be very powerful!”
“Ahem ahem…” Everyone showed an embarrassed look on their face after this comment.
No one had actually given it their all just now as everyone wanted to save some strength in order to snatch the Emperor Artifact when the Artifact Spirit was exterminated. However, none expected that all their blows would wind up in vain, leading to the current situation, one they felt a bit uncomfortable about after Yang Kai exposed them.
“Oh no… quickly act! It’s preparing to attack!” Yang Kai suddenly changed his expression and shouted.
The Demonic Artifact Spirit stretched out its hand and clenched the void, summoning a black War Hammer into its grip. This War Hammer looked exactly the same as the one that Yang Kai saw in its body previously and was obviously the Artifact Spirit’s original form. Various mysterious runes swam across its surface, emitting a profound and mysterious aura.
An extremely dangerous aura emerged from the War Hammer.
Inexplicably, everyone felt like they had been plunged into a blizzard at this moment, chills running up their spines.
From afar, Luo Yuan’s pupils contracted abruptly as he realized the situation was becoming dangerous, shouting out to his fellow Eight Paths Sect disciples, “Retreat! All of you!”
As soon as he finished, he instantly moved atop the Artifact Spirit’s head using a profound Movement Skill and performed a series of hand seals, pushing his Source Qi madly as he shouted, “Blazing Sun Golden Wheel!”
A small red flaming wheel abruptly formed between his hands, causing the temperature of the underground cavern to rise rapidly, sending a wave of hot air across everyone’s skin.
All present could sense a massive killing power contained in this Secret Technique and they couldn’t help gazing towards Luo Yuan with faintly pale faces.
The small sun in Luo Yuan’s hand immediately began to fall towards the Artifact Spirit, but before it could land, the Artifact Spirit roared, sensing danger as it pushed its black Qi vigorously.
“What the hell are you all doing?! Attack now!” Yang Kai bellowed as he rushed in front of the Artifact Spirit and swung his Myriads Sword at it directly.
Only then did the other cultivators regain their consciousness and once again execute their Secret Techniques and Martial Skills one after another, sending blow after blow towards the Artifact Spirit.
This time, they did not dare to hold back anymore and instead went all out, causing the scene to be several times brighter and grander than before.
Even if it was a true Emperor Realm Master here, it would still be impossible for them to take so many attacks head-on. They could only withdraw in the face of such an onslaught.
However, the Artifact Spirit remained unstirred. It was uncertain if its consciousness was too low or if it had extremely high confidence in itself, but as it was being bombarded, it simply raised its War Hammer high, causing the flowing runes on its surface to flash wildly.
Principle Strength burst forth, forming an invisible force that covered the entire underground cavern.
In the next instant, the Artifact Spirit fiercely smashed its hammer down.
The hammer impacted space itself, shattering it and creating a giant black hole.
The shocking force seemed to have crossed the barrier of space, striking the hearts of every attacking cultivator.
*Pu pu pu… *
With one blow, all the incoming attacks were annihilated and most of the cultivators present were made to cough up blood. Being knocked back and sent flying, everyone wore distressed looks as their vitality tumbled.
Luo Yuan also grunted as his Blazing Sun Golden Wheel collapsed by itself and failed to injure the Artifact Spirit.
It was the same for Yang Kai. An invisible barrier suddenly formed in front of the Myriads Sword, preventing him from delivering his blow to the Artifact Spirit. The next moment, a huge force from that barrier struck him.
*Pu… *
Yang Kai vomited Golden Blood and flew back like a rag sack, damaging his already weakened body.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
The sound of explosions rang out all around as the ground and cavern walls cracked. Gravel of all sizes fell from above and all eighteen Spirit Springs were affected by the aftershock, boiling and erupting all at once. The underground space became even more unstable due to the impact and there were now signs of it collapsing at any time.
“Oh no, this place is coming down.”
“Run!”
“Little brat surnamed Yang, this is all your fault! If I die, I will not let you off even as a ghost!” Someone yelled while escaping.
Yang Kai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shouted back, “Men die for wealth, birds die for food. You made your choice so you should bear the consequences yourself. I instigated you? If I asked you to eat shit, would you do it?”
“Bastard!” That person bellowed angrily but dared not to stay any longer, running away desperately.
At this point, the underground was bustling with everyone busy running for their lives.
Yang Kai intended to put Hua Qing Si and the others back into the Sealed World bead, but when he saw the Artifact Spirit glaring at him like prey, he could only order with his teeth gritted, “Leave by yourselves!”
As his words fell, Yang Kai immediately rushed in a certain direction.
The Artifact Spirit chased closely after him without hesitation.
A short while later, followed by a huge crumbling sound, the Earth caved in and a huge pit suddenly appeared in this wilderness two thousand kilometres away from Maplewood City. Liquid World Energy began to fill this pit, forming a kind of small Spirit Lake.
*Xiu xiu xiu… *
Rays of light burst out from the ground as cultivators who were down below fled out with lingering fears, their faces paled.
In a certain direction, the Artifact Spirit was chasing after Yang Kai, moving like lightning.
“Hahahaha! There was a path to Heaven but you refused it and chose Hell instead. Left and Right Protectors, listen to my orders, bring that brat to me! This Young Master is going to teach him some proper manners!” A burst of arrogant laughter came out from the front.
Yang Kai looked ahead and found that three figures were standing there, Ning Yuan Shu, Gao Shan, and Liu Shui, the trio from Flying Saint Palace.
Apparently, they did not leave but stayed here. Though, it was most likely that they were afraid of Luo Yuan, so they did not go deeper into the underground where the Spirit Springs were located, they continued to wander around outside.
Seeing the sight of Yang Kai at this time, Ning Yuan Shu was overjoyed. When he gave the order, he showed a ferocious grin on his face, his eyes filled with hatred and grudge.
Earlier, Yang Kai had slapped his face in front of everyone, giving him the greatest humiliation of his life, so he secretly swore vengeance on Yang Kai and just when he was worried about Yang Kai’s location, he appeared by himself.
Although the two Protectors, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, suffered a small loss at Luo Yuan’s hands, that did not mean that they could not take down Yang Kai.
Ning Yuan Shu was very confident in the strength of these two Protectors.
“Little brat, you heard what the Young Palace Master said! Crawl over here obediently if you are smart. This Old Master doesn’t want to lay his hand on you, lest he gets a bad name for bullying the weak!” Gao Shan stared coldly at Yang Kai.
Liu Shui continued, “It’s time you surrender yourself. The strength of these two Old Masters is beyond your capability to resist, do so and your efforts will only end in vain!”
“Stop speaking nonsense with him! Hurry up and capture him! This Young Master wants him to taste the greatest tortures of the world! I want to rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces to relieve my hatred!” Ning Yuan Shu shouted with a nasty expression.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui had a solemn expression upon hearing this and they began to push their Source Qi.
“Hold on, two old sirs, Junior will be right there!” Yang Kai smiled joyfully and flew towards them quickly while waving happily to Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui were stunned on the spot, as was Ning Yuan Shu, all of them wondering what Yang Kai was up to.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t Yang Kai be running away? But he actually took the initiative to show up at their doorstep happily, as if he finally saw his loved ones after many difficulties, which was very puzzling.
“Protectors, be careful, he might be trying to swindle us!” Ning Yuan Shu reminded them in a low voice.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui nodded in reply, “Don’t worry, Young Palace Master. This little brat is not as strong as Luo Yuan, he won’t be able to pull any tricks.”
“I hope so!”
After a short while, Yang Kai appeared directly in front of the trio and grinned at them.
Ning Yuan Shu seemed to be afraid of being slapped by Yang Kai, so his pupils shrank and he unconsciously took a few steps back, putting some distance between him and Yang Kai.
“Junior greets two Seniors.” Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fists, gesturing to Gao Shan and Liu Shui before immediately looking over at Ning Yuan Shu again, “Young Palace Master, there was a small little misunderstanding between us before, but why don’t we let bygones be bygones? We can still be good friends now!”
“Good friends?” Ning Yuan Shu glared at Yang Kai nastily, thrusting both of his extremely swollen cheeks in front of Yang Kai, “Look at me! Do you think this Young Master can be good friends with you?”
Yang Kai leaned back slightly, turning his face aside with a disgusted look, “Young Palace Master doesn’t need to come so close to say something… this Yang is timid, please don’t frighten me!”
Ning Yuan Shu was furious and roared, “You did this to me!”
“Alright, alright,” Yang Kai interrupted his clamour with a wave then looked at Gao Shan and Liu Shui with a smile. “Two Seniors, this Junior will now surrender to you without a fight!”
“Uh…” Gao Shan groaned and nodded, “At least you know some manners.”
Liu Shui continued, “A wise man will submit to the circumstances. Boy, your future should be bright!”
“Hehehe…” Yang Kai grinned, “Then, two Seniors are now responsible for protecting this Junior’s safety since I am one of your captives, right?”
“Protect your safety?” Gao Shan frowned.
“What do you mean?” Liu Shui also looked blank.
But soon they knew what he meant.
In the void, a figure soared over. The Artifact Spirit caught up with Yang Kai and stopped at a distance of a few dozen meters away, holding a Demonic War Hammer in its hands, viciously staring at Yang Kai.
“This… This aura!” Gao Shan was taken aback as he stared at the Artifact Spirit pensively.
Liu Shui’s expression also turned awe-inspiring as he shouted in a low voice. “Demon Qi!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Two Seniors are truly sharp! Yes, the aura around it is indeed Demon Qi, and the purest Ancient Demon Qi at that!”
“How can that be?” Gao Shan and Liu Shui looked at Yang Kai with their eyes screaming ‘are you kidding me’.
Yang Kai replied sternly, “Junior is not in the mood to joke with the two Seniors.”
Gao Shan asked, “No wonder it felt a little different from the usual Demon Qi… But how can there be Ancient Demon Qi here?”
Liu Shui was also puzzled.
“Can’t two Senior’s tell this is not a living creature? It is an Artifact Spirit assuming human form! Look at the hammer in its hand, that’s an Ancient Emperor Artifact!”
“What?” The two old men trembled violently as their eyes fixed on the Demonic War Hammer in horror. Gradually though, their horrified expressions were replaced by a look of fanatical greed.
Yang Kai took advantage of the opportunity, “Two Seniors have astounding cultivation and extraordinary strength, but have been trapped at the peak of the Dao Source Realm for countless years no doubt. The Heavens must be jealous and have no eyes for allowing this. If two Seniors can obtain this Emperor Artifact though and use it to comprehend some mysteries of the Emperor Realm, it may not be impossible to break through once more and become famous Emperors, overlords of the Star Boundary in the future!”
“You certainly have a way with words…” Gao Shan turned to Yang Kai coldly, “This old master is really moved!”
Yang Kai smiled, “Only those who are predestined can possess treasures, there’s no way any of those trash down there would be able to capture this Artifact Spirit. Only two Seniors have the strength to subdue it! As long as its consciousness can be erased, this Emperor Artifact will belong to you. Come now, please act swiftly, this Junior has the utmost confidence in you!”
After speaking, he actually retreated several dozen metres away, closed his fists and punched the air, cheering for Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui both gulped. Although they both knew that this Artifact Spirit was definitely not to be trifled with, how could they not be moved by the treasure right in front of them?
Glancing at each other, the two shouted in unison, “Let’s go!”
When the words fell, Gao Shan’s hand flashed and his Guqin artifact appeared. He sat down cross-legged in the air and placed the Guqin horizontally across his lap before he began plucking it with his fingers.
Liu Shui also took out his flute at once, placing it against his lips, and blew into it lightly.
The two completely different tunes resonated in an instant, perfectly matching each other and forming an impact visible to the naked eye, enveloping the Artifact Spirit.
Yang Kai was close by and was not targetted, but after hearing the sounds, he suddenly felt that his consciousness was blurring slightly. This sound seemed like a living thing, burrowing into his ears, using a peculiar power to affect his mind.
He was secretly surprised and hurriedly circulated his Secret Art to resist this sound attack.
The impact on the Artifact Spirit was even more significant as it was forced to bear the brunt of this attack. Although it was only assuming human form, it did not have much sentience. It was actually the perfect tactic to restrain this Artifact Spirit with a sound attack that targeted its Soul.
As soon as the music played, the Demonic War Hammer was greatly affected. The red glow of its eyes flickered and its thick Demon Qi constantly trembled. However, it still managed to hold onto its War Hammer.
Seeing this scene, Gao Shan and Liu Shui were ecstatic and pushed their attack more and more vigorously, eager to take down the Artifact Spirit.
Ning Yuan Shu watched excitedly, praying that Gao Shan and Liu Shui would succeed as soon as possible.
If the two Protectors succeeded, he would be able to bring this War Hammer back to Flying Saint Palace. An Ancient Emperor Artifact would definitely contain many great secrets, and if it was refined by his Lord Father, it would definitely be able to improve his strength greatly, which would increase the status of Flying Saint Palace and indirectly raise Ning Yuan Shu’s status.
How could he not be excited?
On the other side, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged, taking advantage of this time to restore himself.
At this moment Gao Shan and Liu Shui were holding the Artifact Spirit in check, so Yang Kai naturally had to seize this good opportunity.
Although this Artifact Spirit was ferocious, it was not undefeatable. Yang Kai had the will, but not the power to fight against the Artifact Spirit due to him over-exerting himself when collecting the Source Crystal lode earlier. As long as he was given a little time to recover, he would be able to give this Artifact Spirit a good beating.
Above the wilderness, the sound of the Guqin and flute pierced through the air in fluctuating reverberations, playing an enchanting melody. The sound waves gathered constantly, following the ups and downs of the rhythm, hitting the Artifact Spirit directly, causing its glow to flash wildly.
The cultivators who escaped from the underground were attracted by the movement here and gradually approached, watching from a distance.
Gao Shan’s and Liu Shui’s faces sank, for fear that they would end up gifting this treasure to others, especially when they saw the little brat Luo Yuan among the crowd…
They grew quite anxious.
To put it nicely, they ended in a tie in the previous battle with Luo Yuan; to put it bluntly, they were completely defeated by him.
After all, the two old men teamed up to fight while Luo Yuan was alone. It was an obvious victory when a rising star could suppress the two experienced old masters and cause them to escape in embarrassment.
With scruples in their hearts, the two old men made eye contact and as if they knew what each other was thinking, the next moment the beautiful melody changed sharply into hostility. The rhythm became intense and the sound that resonated changed from melodic to threatening, like the charge of an army of horses and soldiers rushing towards the Artifact Spirit.
Sound waves raged as the world lost colour.
“Hou!” At that moment, the Artifact Spirit, which was suppressed by sound waves, suddenly roared. The flickering red eyes suddenly stabilized and an unimaginable aura burst forth from it.
The War Hammer, which it had been holding up high, suddenly descended.
The wind and clouds changed suddenly as a massive wave of energy surged forth, swirling around the War Hammer like a great vortex.
*Hong… *
When the War Hammer hit the void, space shattered like a mirror and a halo of light spread out like a sharp blade, cutting through the sound waves that were approaching it.
The sound waves disappeared one after another like fading dandelions.
Followed by the sound of Gao Shan’s Guqin strings snapping, and the creaking sound of Liu Shui’s flute cracking.
“Not good!” The two old men’s expressions changed wildly as they quickly pushed their Source Qi to protect themselves.
Under the impact, the strength of the two old men was no better than a small canoe thrown into the stormy sea, overturned at once.
*Pu Pu… *
The two of them spat blood in unison, and their auras instantly dimmed.
“Protectors!” Ning Yuan Shu yelled in horror, his pupils shrinking.
“Wastes!” Yang Kai cursed in anger.
He was expecting Gao Shan and Liu Shui to buy him a little bit of time so that he could have a chance to recover, but he did not expect these two old fools to go all out suddenly, and as a result wound up being beaten by the Artifact Spirit in just thirty breaths.
Not only that, but both of their artifacts were damaged. The two old men had suffered huge losses in this battle and it would probably take them ten or twenty years to fully recover.
The actions of the two Protectors obviously enraged the Artifact Spirit, so after breaking free from the shackles of the sound waves, it raised its War Hammer again, causing the runes on its surface to flash even more brilliantly than before while a black hole appeared before its face, one that seemed capable of swallowing the world itself.
Everyone was filled with dread as they felt something horrendous was about to happen.
The black hole was extremely small at first, but in the blink of an eye, it expanded rapidly as if it was trying to devour the world, giving the people an illusion of a coming apocalypse.
Darkness descended on them as the entire world became pitch black.
In the boundless darkness, something was vaguely growing rapidly.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui were the first to bear the brunt as various dark emotions in them suddenly started to materialize and surged up, causing their eyes to tremble and exude an extremely evil light. The darkness seemed to be able to swallow someone’s mind and make them fall into the path of evil.
“Not good!” Gao Shan bellowed, biting the tip of his tongue and spitting a mouthful of Blood Essence, barely managing to suppress his dark impulses.
It was the same for Liu Shui. Both of them looked pained and it seemed that they would not be able to hold on for long under this strange ability before they would succumb to their impulses and become Demons themselves.
At the moment of crisis, a deep and solemn voice suddenly resounded across the world.
The sound was infinite, seemingly near yet also far, ethereal and unpredictable. When this voice sounded, a ray of light abruptly burst out of the darkness.
A figure enveloped in light quietly floated mid-air, performing a series of profound hand seals, mumbling some unknown incantation.
All the cultivators who heard the sound of this incantation seemingly felt an invisible hand brushing their minds, washing away the surging darkness, and bringing clarity back to their Souls.
“It’s her!” Yang Kai stood not far away with an odd expression on his face, staring at the shimmering figure in the sky, unexpectedly discovering that this person turned out to be Ye Jing Han.
He had no idea what kind of Divine Ability she was performing, or how it could have such a powerful purifying effect on one’s spirit, immediately pulling all the cultivators here back from the abyss of misery.
After everyone regained their senses, they dared not linger and immediately escaped from the darkness with their Movement Skills. The two Protectors, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, saw there was a slim chance of survival and quickly fled too. Of course, they did not forget to drag Ning Yuan Shu along upon leaving.
Ye Jing Han’s cultivation was only Second-Order Dao Source Realm, so even if she possessed a profound Divine Ability that could restrain the darkness, she certainly wouldn’t be able to maintain it for long. After just ten breaths, her pretty face turned pale and the light emitting from her body diminished drastically.
She seemed to have exhausted all her strength and had none left for her to escape, her head drooping as she fell from the sky, like a beautiful flower petal that had wilted and was now falling to its death.
At this crucial moment, Hua Qing Si threw out a red ribbon, wrapped it around Ye Jing Han, and pulled her out of the darkness, taking her and Zhang Ruo Xi together with Liu Yan and running away without looking back.
Seeing this situation, Yang Kai dared not to hesitate, turned around and teleported away with the help of the local Space Principles.
He could not count on any of the cultivators here and could only rely on himself. However, the priority now was to restore his strength as soon as possible.
Shortly after Yang Kai left, the Artifact Spirit lowered its War Hammer and the darkness dissipated. It turned its head and looked around, only seeing an empty surrounding with not even a shadow of a living being. However, it quickly fixed its gaze on the direction where Yang Kai escaped towards and chased after him while hefting its War Hammer.
Clear Jade Mountain, about ten thousand kilometres away from Maplewood City.
The Divine Spirit Luan Feng once appeared here and burned away a large swath of the mountain forest with its World Extinguishing Black Flames. Even though nearly two years had passed since then, the black flames showed no sign of fading and continued to burn vigorously.
This region had become a barren scorched earth, with not a blade of grass growing within a hundred-kilometre radius, only patches of black flames covering the ground.
Although this place was deserted and ruined, it had become a paradise for those who cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Techniques.
Many cultivators who cultivated the Fire Attribute came here despite the danger to seek comprehension from the profound World Extinguishing Black Flames. After all, these were the flames of an Ancient Divine Spirit and seemed to contain unlimited power. If they could refine just a tiny bit of these flames, it would be enough to benefit them for a lifetime.
Yang Kai had long heard that there were many Fire Attribute cultivators gathered around Clear Jade Mountain and had also thought of bringing Liu Yang here to absorb its power. Since Liu Yan was able to refine even the feather of the Luan Feng, there was no reason she would be helpless against these World Extinguishing Black Flames.
However, he had been too busy recently to do so.
With his continuous teleportations, Yang Kai reached Clear Jade Mountain within a short time, arriving at the land which was incinerated by the Luan Feng that day.
Sweeping his eyes across this place, Yang Kai discovered many cultivators cultivating here. Everyone’s aura was burning hot, so obviously they were cultivating Fire Attribute Secret Arts or Secret Techniques.
Perceiving the arrival of Yang Kai, many of them opened their eyes and glanced at him, but ignored him afterwards.
Yang Kai scanned them with his Divine Sense, his face turning solemn.
This was because he found that there was no one here with decent cultivation. Most were just Origin Kings or Origin Returning Realm cultivators; even the few Dao Source Realm cultivators were just First-Order which would be of no help to him now
He was hoping to rely on these cultivators to distract the Artifact Spirit, but now, it seemed his plan was doomed from the start.
But soon, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he stared towards the centre of the black flames.
There was a safe zone at the very epicentre of the devastation about ten meters in radius, a place where the black flames did not even reach.
After thinking for a while, he shouted, “Everyone, it will soon become dangerous here. If you don’t want to die, leave now.”
The cultivators were woken from their meditation by his words, opened their eyes, and glared at him.
Someone even chuckled and threatened him, “Little brat, what did you just say? Say it again if you dare!”
That person saw that Yang Kai was young, and thought that his cultivation must not be high, so he did not take him seriously.
Yang Kai glanced at the person and faintly smiled, “I spoke very clearly, and I’m urging all of you to leave for your own good.”
“Little brat, I bet you just want to monopolize this divine fire!” An old man looked coldly at Yang Kai, “Young man, you need to know that bringing convenience to others means bringing convenience to yourself. This divine fire covers a huge radius and there is plenty of space here, so just find a place to sit and comprehend its mysteries quietly. There is no need to find trouble with others right? Even if you are strong, you should know that two fists can’t block four strikes. This Old Master advises you to behave yourself and not speak nonsense here.”
Yang Kai simply shrugged, “I’m not planning to comprehend the mysteries of this divine fire. It’s just that a dangerous entity is approaching this place and if you don’t leave now, it will be too late.”
“What dangerous entity?!” A tall and robust man, who had a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, snorted coldly. Yang Kai had never met this guy before and he did not know if he was a local or a foreign cultivator.
However, he was not surprised since there were a lot of foreign cultivators appearing in Maplewood City recently. This burly man continued bellowing, “Boy, don’t be such an alarmist, otherwise, don’t blame Father here for being impolite to you!”
Yang Kai’s face changed abruptly, frowning slightly as he forced a smile, “Alright, it will be difficult for you to leave now.”
“What?”
“You little brat! You still dare to threaten us? Do you think I won’t peel your skin off!”
“This is outrageous! This brat doesn’t put us in his eyes at all! Let’s teach him a lesson!”
Just as everyone was ranting in a rage, a sound abruptly broke through the sky, and the Artifact Spirit’s figure was revealed on the horizon, startling everyone. As they all looked towards the Artifact Spirit with doubtful faces, they quickly sensed its malevolent and powerful aura and went pale, realizing that Yang Kai was telling the truth.
“Run! Why are you still sitting here like idiots? Are you hoping to die!?” Yang Kai yelled.
Everyone’s expressions changed drastically. This Artifact Spirit did not look like a being they could provoke, and the intensity of the aura it gave off was comparable to an Emperor Realm Master, so no one dared to hesitate and immediately got up and ran away using their Movement Skills.
The Artifact Spirit seemed to have no interest in anyone else but Yang Kai, so it ignored these people and simply fixed its scarlet eyes on him.
A short while later, all the cultivators who had been cultivating the mysteries of the black flames here had evacuated.
Yang Kai grinned at the Artifact Spirit, “I’m really curious how much sentience you have.” While speaking, he raised one finger and asked, “How many is this?”
The Artifact Spirit was indifferent.
Yang Kai laughed out loud and answered, “This is two! You fool!”
Just as he finished speaking, the Artifact Spirit raised its War Hammer. Yang Kai’s expression slightly changed when he saw this and hastily dived into the safe zone surrounded by the black flame, laughing arrogantly, “Come and beat me! Come and beat me if you dare!”
As if provoked by Yang Kai’s words, the Artifact Spirit rushed towards him.
However, as soon as the Artifact Spirit stepped into the land of burning black flames, it acted as if it was shocked by something and rapidly retreated.
The Artifact Spirit’s dark body was caught by several clusters of tiny black flames, and even though these clusters were small, they burned brilliantly.
There was nothing in this world that could not be burnt by the Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flames, not even an Emperor Artifact.
It was just that the black flames here had been burning for a long time without the support of the Luan Feng, so they had naturally become much weaker than before.
Even so, such flames were still not easy to put out.
The Artifact Spirit seemed to sense the danger of these flames and kept pushing its power to extinguish them, but to no avail, so it started to become irritated.
It lifted its Demonic War Hammer and directly hit itself.
That blow made a buzzing sound and released a powerful shockwave.
Yang Kai squinted in fright, “So hot-headed!”
Although the Artifact Spirit was born from the Demonic War Hammer, such an impact on its own body would still cause some unpredictable consequences. It was obvious that the sentience of the Artifact Spirit was not high, and therefore, it simply acted recklessly.
Still, the blow was actually quite effective.
The flames that were beaten by the Demonic War Hammer seemed to have dimmed a lot.
Seeing this, the Artifact Spirit tilted its head curiously; then, as if it had found an excellent solution, it lifted its War Hammer again and began constantly beating the flames on its body.
Yang Kai, who was looking coldly from the side, was thinking that this might keep it occupied for a while, so he immediately felt relieved and snorted coldly, “Take your time, this Young Master will teach you some proper manners later!”
After leaving these words, Yang Kai closed his eyes and focused, making the best out of his time to restore his own strength.
Previously, when he swallowed a bunch of Spirit Pills, the medicinal effects were condensed inside his physique and meridians, but they had yet to be dissolved, causing a hindrance to his Source Qi circulation. What he needed to do right now was to refine all the medicinal effects completely and channel them into every part of his physique.
The Artifact Spirit was still outside the scope of the black flames, busy hammering itself with its War Hammer.
Time passed slowly, and after an hour, the Artifact Spirit had finally extinguished the clusters of flames on his body.
However, after experiencing them first-hand, the Artifact Spirit seemed to realize that these black flames were not something to be trifled with, so it simply stood outside roaring impatiently in an attempt to provoke Yang Kai, not daring to rush in.
Yang Kai ignored it and continued adjusting his breathing while meditating.
After another hour, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, his face glowing a bit brighter, no longer looking weak and exhausted like before.
He straightened his body up and grinned at the Artifact Spirit, “You’re dead!”
“Hou!” The Artifact Spirit roared ferociously.
Yang Kai instantly teleported out of the black flames and pounced towards the Artifact Spirit, his eyes flashing as they stared directly into his opponent’s scarlet gaze.
“Look at me!” Yang Kai bellowed.
It wasn’t clear if the Artifact Spirit had understood him or not, but it instinctively lifted its head and looked at Yang Kai.
Their eyes met, and golden light flashed from Yang Kai’s left eye as he activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation, suppressing the Artifact Spirit.
The Artifact Spirit was paralyzed.
The illusionary shape of a sabre appeared abruptly in Yang Kai’s eye in the next moment, and soon this phantom blade was floating above the Knowledge Sea of the Artifact Spirit. The sabre was precisely crafted – with dragons and phoenixes carved onto its body, exuding a shockingly powerful aura.
It was the Soul Splitting Sabre!
This was the first time Yang Kai had used this Emperor Artifact after refining it.
The Artifact Spirit was an Emperor Artifact assuming human form, after all, so Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate it and quickly used his strongest Soul attack.
The Soul Splitting Sabre hummed as it released a brilliant halo from its blade and countless mysterious runes whirled around its body.
Yang Kai shouted, “Heaven Severing Slash!”
Just after his shout, the Soul Splitting Sabre slashed down fiercely.
“Hou!” The Artifact Spirit roared in pain, as if it had suffered a great deal of damage and its whole body flickered wildly, showing signs that it may collapse at any moment.
The Heaven Severing Slash was a Soul Secret Technique that Yang Kai learned from Tian Yan after all. During this time, he had been slowly nourishing the Soul Splitting Sabre according to the methods described in this Secret Technique, so the first blow he struck was extremely powerful.
However, due to the short time he had been nourishing the blade, and his own low cultivation, not to mention the fact that the Soul Splitting Sabre had yet to be fully refined by him, the power of this strike still had a lot of room for improvement.
But it was enough for now.
The Artifact Spirit stumbled and retreated with just one blow, without any strength to resist. The light that formed its body dimmed noticeably and began to crack apart.
However, it did not have the slightest fear and instead grew wilder, raising its War Hammer up high and charging towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and secretly felt that the situation was turning bad. In desperation, a lotus bud as white as snow emerged from his left eye.
“Blossoming Lotus!” The lotus bud flew out and appeared in the Artifact Spirit’s Knowledge Sea, slowly absorbing its Spiritual Energy in order to make itself bloom.
Yang Kai seemed to have played his last remaining card with the combination of the two Soul Secret Techniques and the Soul-type Emperor Artifact, finally halting the Artifact Spirit in place.
A line of golden blood slowly trickled down from Yang Kai’s left eye.
As the lotus flower gently bloomed, the light of the Artifact Spirit’s body grew dimmer and dimmer and its body became transparent in a blink of an eye.
Soon, only the phantom of the blooming lotus was left in the place where the Artifact Spirit originally stood. When the lotus fully blossomed, it exploded with a bang, leaving behind a familiar War Hammer in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gasped with his pale face, but before he could move, the War Hammer shook slightly and attempted to escape.
“Still not dead?” Yang Kai exclaimed. This Artifact Spirit had taken his two Soul Secret Techniques without dying on the spot; its tenacity was beyond his expectations.
But it was clearly nearing its end. Seeing the War Hammer trying to escape through the air, Yang Kai quickly took out his Sealed World Bead and performed a hand seal. Space Principles swirled from the Sealed World Bead and a Void Crack soon appeared on its surface.
“Stop it!” Yang Kai shouted.
The giant arm of the Embodiment reached out from the Void Crack with its fingers spread widely as it fell towards the War Hammer like a huge mountain, suppressing it.
Then, it immediately grabbed the War Hammer in its hand and retreated back into the Small Sealed World.
After that, the Void Crack gradually disappeared.
Yang Kai fell to the ground as he felt ill once more. The little power that he had barely managed to recover was depleted again, and he felt like he could see stars circling around his head at this moment. He tried to stand up again but found he was unable to rise to his feet.
A fragrant wind flew over at that moment and held him. Yang Kai turned his head with difficulty and saw the face of Liu Yan.
“Master, are you okay?” Liu Yan asked nervously.
Yang Kai shook his head arduously, then turned to look around, soon finding that Hua Qing Si was also here. He immediately understood that the two of them should have arrived long ago and hidden nearby in preparation to assist him after sensing the situation here. However, they did not expect that the battle would be over so quickly.
In fact, if Yang Kai had not spent too much of his Spiritual Energy in collecting the Source Crystal lode earlier, he would not have been bothered by the Artifact Spirit for so long.
Although the Artifact Spirit was an Emperor Artifact assuming human form, it could be restrained by Soul attacks, and the Soul Secret Techniques mastered by Yang Kai were extremely powerful, so as long as he restored enough Spiritual Energy, it was not difficult for him to deal with the Artifact Spirit.
“I’m fine!” Yang Kai shook his head and asked weakly, “Where is Ruo Xi?”
Liu Yan answered, “It’s too dangerous here, so I had her follow that woman named Ye Jing Han.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Good! Let me restore my strength first. Liu Yan, you should try to absorb the black flames of the Luan Feng here. They will be helpful to your growth if you can.”
“I was thinking that as well!” Liu Yan’s eyes flashed with a fiery light, staring at the World Extinguishing Black Flames which were flickering around them, as if she was looking at some Heavenly delicacy, licking her lips with her dainty scarlet tongue.
Yang Kai then looked at Hua Qing Si, “Big Sister Hua, take care of this Sealed World Bead!”
“You actually… called me Big Sister Hua…” It was Hua Qing Si’s first time hearing Yang Kai addressing her this way, and she could not help but be stunned for a moment. When she regained her composure, Yang Kai had already moved into the Small Sealed World and tossed the Sealed World Bead over towards her.
“Smelly brat, pretending to be young!” Hua Qing Si spat disdainfully, very dissatisfied with what Yang Kai called her, but she was soon distracted by the Sealed World Bead, examining it closely in curiosity.
Although she had been staying in the Small Sealed World all this time, it was her first time seeing its true appearance up close. She could not help being curious about it, wondering what mighty expert had such profound ability to refine such a world into a bead.
Soon, she set her dissatisfaction aside and started to study it with enthusiasm.
After all, this was an Emperor Artifact. If she could comprehend anything from it, it would be of great help to her growth.
She secretly guessed that the reason why Yang Kai was so proficient in the Dao of Space was that he had comprehended the mysteries of this Sealed World Bead.
In fact, she was wrong. Yang Kai had actually cultivated the Dao of Space before he obtained the Sealed World Bead, and it was exactly because of this that Yang Yan had passed him the Sealed World Bead. If that wasn’t the case, Yang Kai may not even have had the chance to possess this Sealed World Bead.
However, Yang Kai did comprehend a lot of mysteries about Space Principles inside the Sealed World Bead.
…
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai appeared leisurely. He was startled for a moment then exclaimed, “Why is the World Energy so rich here!?”
He did not realize until this moment that the World Energy inside the Small Sealed World was five to six times richer than before.
After that, he heard a muffled laugh, “Then, where do you think the World Energy that was previously absorbed in that Spirit Spring go?”
Yang Kai glanced at the Embodiment and responded with a speechless face, “It’s just that… I didn’t expect that so much World Energy had been absorbed. I’m afraid the cultivation environment here is now about the same as those first-class Sect cultivation paradises.”
The Embodiment nodded, “It’s really not bad, but… after all, the World Energy here is a river without a source, a tree without roots. If a way to replenish it is not found, it will be consumed one day.”
Yang Kai sighed, “The World Principles in this Small Sealed World are still imperfect. Even though it is an independent world, it was unable to produce its own World Energy, so I still need to find a way to make its World Principles evolve once more!”
While speaking, Yang Kai lifted his head and glanced at the Embodiment with his eyes squinted, “Why are you leaning on the Source Crystal lode?”
The Embodiment looked solemn, with his one hand performing a hand seal while the other gripped the Demonic War Hammer tightly. Sitting down close to the Source Crystal lode, he replied, “I’m cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law!”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “This Source Crystal lode produces Mid-Rank and High-Rank Source Crystals, don’t eat them all.”
The Heaven Devouring Battle Law could devour everything beneath the Heavens, including the essence of a cultivator’s physique; therefore, the Source Crystal lode here was no exception.
Under the operation of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, pure World Energy was streaming steadily from the Source Crystal lode into the body of the Embodiment, like a river returning to the sea.
The Embodiment continued, “Relax, I divided this Source Crystal lode into two and left you the other half.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That is for the best. If you have time, break the other half into pieces, I might need to use those Source Crystals someday… I need to recover first though, I’ll talk to you about the details later.”
After saying so, Yang Kai went to the nearby medicine garden in a flash and sat down cross-legged.
There was the Immortal Tree in the medicine garden, providing unlimited vitality, so although Yang Kai had not suffered too great a physical injury from the battle before, he had still consumed a lot of his strength and he could use the rich vitality here to recover faster.
With a single thought, the World Energy in the Small Sealed World gathered towards the place where Yang Kai was sitting, and in the blink of an eye, it began to liquefy around him.
Yang Kai opened up his mind and body, circulating his Secret Art while absorbing the World Energy as quickly as possible, his dispirited aura rapidly recovering as he did so.
An hour later, Yang Kai opened his eyes. He seemed as mighty as a dragon and fierce as a tiger, his face flushed red and his eyes bright, no longer looking weak and dispirited.
He circulated his Secret Art and disappeared in a flash, reappearing in front of the Embodiment.
The huge Embodiment opened his eyes and looked at Yang Kai when he sensed his presence.
Looking at each other, Yang Kai spoke, “The Artifact Spirit does not seem to have been completely obliterated. There is still a trace of its Soul hiding in the War Hammer, so be careful.”
The Embodiment grinned, spreading all five of his fingers, “You mean this?”
Yang Kai fixed his eyes and saw a mass of condensed Black Qi in the palm of the Embodiment, squirming about as if it had some spirituality, trying to escape from its confinement. However, this place was the Small Sealed World inside the Sealed World Bead, and the Embodiment and Yang Kai shared the same Soul, so with one thought, the World Principles here could be commanded by either of them. Under such a situation, how could this mass of Black Qi escape? Although it was merely held in the palm of the Embodiment, it was suppressed by the Small Sealed World itself, like a beast trapped in a cage.
“Did you force it out?” Yang Kai asked quizzically.
The Embodiment shook his head, “It appeared by itself.”
“Why?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened.
The Embodiment chuckled, “It probably sensed danger.”
Yang Kai asked in amazement, “What did you do?”
“Nothing much…” The Embodiment patted his stomach and replied grimly, “I just tried eating it.”
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched when he heard that as he grumbled, “Will that be a problem? That was an Ancient Demon Artifact on par with a peak grade Emperor Artifact, possibly even higher. What would happen to you if you just swallow it like this…?”
“According to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, there is nothing that cannot be devoured, so what does a trivial Demonic Weapon count for?” The Embodiment smiled proudly, “You haven’t cultivated this Secret Art personally, so it’s only natural that you don’t know how profound it is, but don’t worry, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have complete confidence. If I was stronger, not just the spirit of a Demonic Weapon, I could also devour that Demon Spirit sealed in your body!”
Yang Kai stiffened and asked in shock, “Is that possible? Isn’t that Secret Art invincible then?”
The Embodiment laughed, “I’m probably the only one who can do it. Even if you cultivate it, it would be impossible to achieve similar results. Although your physical body is strong enough, you wouldn’t be able to withstand the contamination of that pure Demon Qi. If you cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, I’m afraid it won’t be long before you lose your sanity and devolve into a beast driven by the instinct to slaughter.”
“Understood,” Yang Kai nodded. “That old dog Wu Meng Shan was really up to no good. I don’t know why he wanted to pass me this Secret Art in the first place. What was his purpose?”
“I’m afraid he never imagined you would be able to resist the temptation to cultivate this Secret Art and give it to me instead,” the Embodiment answered.
Yang Kai went silent for a while before he replied, “If it weren’t for you, perhaps I really would have tried to cultivate it; after all… the name ‘Heaven Devouring Battle Law’ is too glorious, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to resist this temptation alone.”
At this point, Yang Kai waved dismissively, “Fine, you can refine and devour it. If you can really refine its Soul, it should be of great benefit to you.”
Yang Kai left the Small Sealed World as soon as he finished speaking and appeared above Clear Jade Mountain.
Looking around, he found Hua Qing Si sitting cross-legged on the ground, leaning against a big tree, studying the Sealed World Bead in her hand enthusiastically.
Yang Kai glanced at her, but seeing that she did not seem to be aware of his presence, he simply stretched out his hand and took back the Sealed World Bead before scanning his surroundings again and asking, “Where’s Liu Yan?”
He did not see Liu Yan, and even the Luan Feng’s black flames which originally covered the whole region had disappeared.
“She went back,” Hua Qing Si stood up and replied.
Yang Kai was surprised by this response but quickly used his Divine Sense to check, and sure enough, he found Liu Yan inside the Sealed World Bead, working hard to refine the black flames surrounding her.
Yang Kai was not aware of when she had returned to the Sealed World Bead, so he assumed it was his Embodiment’s handiwork.
What surprised Yang Kai was that it took Liu Yan only a short time to absorb all of the Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flames. However, from the looks of it, it would take some time for her to refine them all.
“You have to go back too, I still have work to do!” With that said, he sent Hua Qing Si back into the Sealed World Bead before he took out a communication artifact. He sent a message to Qin Zhao Yang, requesting him to take care of Zhang Ruo Xi while he rushed back.
According to Hua Qing Si, Zhang Ruo Xi was now with the woman named Ye Jing Han. Although Yang Kai believed Ye Jing Han was a good person, it was better to entrust Zhang Ruo Xi to someone he was better acquainted with.
After receiving Qin Zhao Yang’s reply, Yang Kai put away the communication artifact and teleported away with a flicker of the local Space Principles.
Yang Kai returned to the site of the eighteen Spirit Spring Eyes a short while later.
The terrain of this place had undergone earth-shaking changes due to the previous battle. The most obvious change was a giant Spirit Lake with a radius of roughly ten kilometres.
The Demonic Artifact Spirit had smashed the ground here with its War Hammer, causing a massive underground collapse, resulting in a huge pit. The Liquid Spirit Qi from the eighteen Spirit Springs flowed up into this pit and gradually condensed into a lake.
This was a real Spirit Lake, comprised of sparkling liquefied World Energy.
The lake was already filled to the brim in just a few hours and was now overflowing into its surroundings, filling the space with pure and rich World Energy.
Countless cultivators gathered around the Spirit Lake excitedly.
These people were obviously from Maplewood City.
When Yang Kai arrived here, the lake was already full of cultivators.
Every cultivator occupied a place and did not waste any time in circulating their Secret Art, trying to absorb as much of the pure World Energy here as possible. The closer to the centre of the lake, the stronger the cultivation of the cultivators.
It was basically all Dao Source Realm Masters occupying the centre of the lake.
Gathered around the outskirts were numerous Origin Returning Realm and Origin King Realm cultivators.
From time to time, people would fight over better spots.
Looking at the scene here, Yang Kai knew in his heart that this place would be widely known as a cultivation paradise in the Southern Territory and even the Star Boundary, and sooner or later it would fall under the control of the top Sects.
By then, it would be impossible for an ordinary cultivator to enter it at will; at the very least, they would need to pay some kind of price to do so.
Yang Kai was not the only one who seemed to realize this; almost all Dao Source Realm Masters knew this was inevitable so they did not waste this once-in-a-million-year opportunity to hurriedly cultivate here, even if it was just for a while.
By now, the news of the Spirit Lake appearing near Maplewood City would have spread to the big Sects. In three days at most, Emperor Realm Masters would arrive and take control here.
Yang Kai saw the Dao Source Realm cultivators from before, and also Qin Zhao Yang, Zhang Ruo Xi, Ye Jing Han and others together, all of them having occupied a good spot in the middle of the Spirit Lake.
Yang Kai did not greet them immediately and instead quietly found a spot to dive into the lake.
There were also many cultivators below the lake’s surface, all of them focused on cultivating.
Yang Kai used his Nihility Secret Technique to conceal his presence. Unless one was intentionally searching for him with their naked eyes, it would now be impossible for Yang Kai to be detected by anyone in such a rich World Energy environment.
Yang Kai dived all the way down to where the eighteen Spirit Springs were previously.
It was deserted here now as no one dared to go too near to the bottom, probably due to the fear caused by the appearance of the Demonic War Hammer in human form.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense delightedly and found the centre of the eighteen Spirit Springs, then he took out the Sealed World Bead and opened a rift in it, allowing the liquid Spirit Qi to flow into it while he sat cross-legged to consolidate his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation.
Because of the imperfect World Principles of the Sealed World Bead, it could not produce its own World Energy. Only external supplements would be able to maintain the cultivating environment inside the Small Sealed World.
Right here and now was the best time to stock up on World Energy.
Yang Kai did not have much time before the arrival of the Emperor Realm Masters. By then, he would not be able to collect World Energy in this way.
Gradually, Yang Kai settled down and cleared his mind of any extraneous thoughts.
At the same time, the cultivators around the Spirit Lake discovered a strange phenomenon.
“This lake… why has it stopped spreading?”
“Huh? You’re right, not only did it stop spreading, it even seems to be shrinking a bit.”
“Could it be that this Spirit Lake was just a flash in the pan, and it will disappear in a few days?”
“Shut your mouth! Maplewood City finally has such a cultivation paradise, how could it disappear so easily? The reduction of the lake is just a natural phenomenon, it should stabilize after a while.”
Although many cultivators noticed the anomaly, they did not know the reason. Even those Dao Source Realm Masters were clueless.
However, it was not the right time to investigate the matter. Refusing to let go of such a glorious opportunity, the commotion on the lake soon settled down again.
Thousands of people had gathered here, most sitting at the periphery of the lake, and many more who had received the news were flying over from Maplewood City, making for an extremely magnificent scene.
Normally, there would not be sufficient World Energy to supply such a large group of cultivators; however, when the World Energy was rich enough to turn into a lake, even if there were hundreds or even thousands of people cultivating here, it was impossible for them to completely absorb all of the World Energy.
Time passed slowly, and every now and then, a cultivator would break through. Whenever this happened, the nearby affected cultivators would grunt with dissatisfaction and curse.
Soon, it became customary for a cultivator who sensed they were on the verge of a breakthrough to consciously leave and look for a suitable spot in the outermost area to welcome their World Energy Baptism.
The entire Spirit Lake, and even the entire Maplewood City area, was experiencing a slew of breakthroughs, and a jubilant atmosphere enveloped the entire region.
Time passed slowly, and after three full days, Yang Kai, who had been meditating at the bottom of the lake, suddenly sensed something. Opening his eyes and looking up, he sighed slightly and muttered to himself begrudgingly, “Why did they have to come so soon?”
While speaking, he put away the Sealed World Bead and teleported himself to the surface of the Spirit Lake.
Soon after Yang Kai appeared, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out and several figures flew over from the horizon, coming to a stop above the Spirit Lake!
These few people only stood mid-air and they didn’t release their auras, yet all the cultivators cultivating here were alarmed by their arrival and raised their heads to look at them.
When they got a clear look at the faces of those few people, they all drew a sharp, cold breath of air.
“Azure Sun Temple’s Gao Xue Ting!”
“Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s Chen Wen Hao!”
“Orthodoxy Temple’s Feng Ming!”
“Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce’s Cheng Yuan!”
“Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s Lou Chi!”
“Even Star Soul Palace’s Senior Xiao has come!”
Those six were familiar faces to Maplewood City’s cultivators. When the Luan Feng had appeared last time, it was these six Emperors who had come to Maplewood City to carry out an investigation, and it was also they who opened Star Soul Palace’s Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda for the city’s cultivators.
The cultivators had assumed that they were already very lucky to see these great Seniors one time in their lives and never expected to see them again.
But just two years later, these six Seniors had gathered in Maplewood City again. This was all but an impossible occurrence for the little Maplewood City.
Usually, an Emperor Realm Master might not pass by here even once in dozens of years, yet several Emperor Realm Masters were now visiting this small city repeatedly.
The Spirit Lake’s vicinity descended into silence as the crowd looked up into the sky respectfully.
It looked like those six Emperors had also thought of the same issue as they observed the situation and Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s Lou Chi chuckled as he spoke, “I always thought Maplewood City was anything but ordinary and had been considering opening a branch here, but unfortunately, I hadn’t found the time to do so. Now, it looks like I can’t delay this matter any longer.”
Maplewood City had some shops owned and operated by Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, one of which was managed by Kang Si Ran, but shops weren’t the same thing as a branch.
A branch was more like a representative of the chamber of commerce and it would be overseen by powerful Masters. An ordinary shop varied greatly in scale, but Spirit Pill Plaza was a decent example. It was only a little store, one that was so unimportant that Lou Chi wouldn’t have ever heard of it if so many incidents hadn’t occurred in Maplewood City.
As for branches, Lou Chi had a thorough understanding of the situation of every one of them.
If Violet Source Chamber of Commerce opened a branch here, then it would greatly improve the city’s economy and Maplewood City might become something more than a small unknown city in the near future.
“Glib words!” Ceng Yuan sneered. Seven Glories and Violet Source were the two greatest chambers of commerce in the Southern Territory and had an intense rivalry between them; as such, whenever Ceng Yuan and Lou Chi met, they would inevitably get into a verbal spat.
Upon hearing Lou Chi’s statement, Ceng Yuan couldn’t help but say mockingly, “Fatty Luo, if you had such good foresight, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Lou Chi squinted his eyes and cast a glance at Ceng Yuan, snorting as he said, “My acute foresight isn’t something the likes of you can comprehend.”
“Go on, continue bragging. In any case, bragging won’t cost you money,” Ceng Yuan wore a disdainful look.
Lou Chi let out an infuriated shout and turned his face toward Xiao Yu Yang, cupping his fists as he said, “Senior Xiao, I want to have a duel against this horse-faced freak, a duel to the death.”
Ceng Yuan’s brows twitched and veins popped out of his forehead, gnashing his teeth as he snapped, “Such insolence! And just who are you calling a horse-faced freak?”
As his face fell, his long face looked longer than it already was.
Lou Chi cast a sidelong glance at him then snorted and said, “Then, who are you calling a fatty?”
Ceng Yuan mocked, “You ARE fat, yet you’re admonishing people for pointing out the truth? I dare you to slice off your fat belly,” as he spoke, he chuckled and patted Lou Chi’s large belly.
Lou Chi moved back several steps and snapped, “Hey, horse-faced freak, we’re having a civilized talk here, so keep your hands to yourself.” He turned his head and looked at Xiao Yu Yang then said, “Senior Xiao, you witnessed everything just now, didn’t you? That bastard is going too far! Today, I must fight to my last breath against him.”
“Enough, enough,” Xiao Yu Yang’s brow twitched as he waved his hand. “You’re both businessmen, so don’t you understand that amiability makes money? Why are you fighting and quarrelling with each other at every meeting? You’re embarrassing yourselves in front of everyone down below.”
Upon hearing this, Lou Chi and Cheng Yuan both looked down and noticed that many eyes were observing them, and many jaws had become loose. Everyone was observing these Emperor Realm Masters in stunned shock.
“It’s really so embarrassing to stand with you,” Gao Xue Ting looked at them disdainfully.
“That’s right, our dignified status and prestige have been brought down by them,” Chen Wen Hao said expressionlessly.
Feng Ming chuckled and his eyes started shining brightly, but his expression suddenly changed as he looked towards a certain region and said in surprise, “Huh, isn’t that the boy who refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill? Why is he here in Maplewood City?”
The crowd followed his gaze and their eyes landed on Yang Kai.
“It’s really him!” Xiao Yu Yang smiled and said, “Now that you mention it… I always thought his face looked familiar, it turns out I had once seen him in Maplewood City before.”
“This boy is quite the talent, our Violet Source Chamber of Commerce needs him,” Lou Chi looked at Yang Kai with a flickering gaze.
Ceng Yuan snorted, “Didn’t he say that he’s already a member of a Sect? It isn’t up to you to recruit him.”
Lou Chi sneered and said, “If I step in personally, then which Sect won’t give me face? Horse-faced freak, I have to tell you now, if you dare to fight with me over him, then I’ll really kill you today.”
Ceng Yuan furrowed his brows and kept his silence. It looked like he was mulling over the pros and cons of this matter.
Gao Xue Ting said calmly, “Vice President Lou, why are you making such decisions by yourself? Did you forget to ask for my opinion?”
Upon hearing this, Lou Chi’s eyes widened as he looked at Gao Xue Ting in surprise, “What does this have to do with you?”
Gao Xue Ting brushed her hair back behind her ear and declared, “That boy is already mine…”
*Gudong!*
A gulping noise echoed out while an odd look appeared on Xiao Yu Yang’s face. He couldn’t help but cast some odd glances towards Gao Xue Ting.
“You… Yours?” Lou Chi couldn’t help but stutter. He felt like a lot of information was hidden behind those few words.
Ceng Yuan was also dumbfounded and he said weakly, “Doesn’t Temple Master Wen have… any objections?”
“Why would he object to this?” Gao Xue Ting saw the confusion in Ceng Yuan’s face and wondered what he was talking about, but she quickly understood something and her expression turned cold while a faint blush filled her cheeks.
The Emperor Artifact, Radiant Sun Mirror, appeared above Gao Xue Ting’s head and raging flames burst from its surface as she declared coldly, “If you dare indulge in such absurd thoughts, I’ll cut you into eighteen pieces.”
“Why is it such a specific number!? What’s so special about that?” Lou Chi was a businessman and he couldn’t help taking notice of this odd point
“That’s not the point…” Ceng Yuan cast a disdainful glance at Lou Chi then looked at Gao Xue Ting and said, “Does that mean this boy is already a disciple of Azure Sun Temple?”
Gao Xue Ting only snorted coldly in response and stored her Radiant Sun Mirror away, playing it off lightly.
She wouldn’t tell them that she had tried to recruit Yang Kai but was refused. It was an embarrassing tale after all. She was an Elder of the great Azure Sun Temple, yet she couldn’t even entice a single Dao Source Realm Junior to join her Sect. Even if she told them this, they might not believe her.
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, “That little girl Lan Xun thinks quite highly of this boy and believes he will accomplish great things in the future. Elder Gao, I have to congratulate you for recruiting him already.”
“Many thanks, Senior Xiao,” Gao Xue Ting replied calmly.
As the six Emperors exchanged a few words, they kept a close eye on Yang Kai.
The people next to Yang Kai were all engulfed by a strong wave of pressure and beads of sweat dripped down their foreheads.
Amazement was apparent in most people’s eyes as they all wondered why so many Masters were eyeing Yang Kai.
“Fine, we have already assembled and we have to start dealing with the Spirit Lake’s matter,” Xiao Yu Yang changed the subject and looked toward the Spirit Lake beneath them with a flickering gaze, “I have already obtained some information about this place before arriving here, but I didn’t expect that the World Energy would be this dense.”
Chen Wen Hao’s expression changed as he asked in a deep voice, “How is it in comparison to the Star Soul Palace’s Heaven Grade cultivation paradise?
The other people also looked at Xiao Yu Yang curiously. They all wanted to know more about the efficacy of Star Soul Palace’s treasured lands.
Xiao Yu Yang fell silent for a moment before replying, “It’s not on par, but it’s not far off.”
Upon hearing this, they were all shocked.
The Spirit Lake beneath them was the land with the densest World Energy they had seen in their lives, and it was vastly superior to any cultivation paradise in their respective Sects, yet it still wasn’t on par with Star Soul Palace’s Heaven Grade cultivation paradise. One could only imagine how high the density of World Energy was in that place.
It was no wonder that Star Soul Palace was the hegemon of the Southern Territory. Even if they didn’t have a peak-level Master such as Bright Moon Great Emperor, they would still be able to nurture a lot of experts with their Heaven Grade cultivation paradise, enough to ensure the Sect’s prosperity and dominance at least.
Upon realizing the large disparity between them, the other Emperors couldn’t help feeling a bit dejected.
“This isn’t the time to talk about this. The Spirit Lake below us has eighteen Spirit Spring Eyes and this lake has been formed by the unending stream of World Energy flowing out from them; however, if it goes on like this, then it will dry out shortly. We need to seal this land,” as Xiao Yu Yang spoke, he turned to Lou Chi and said, “Brother Lou, I remember that your Emperor Artifact, the Unified Ceremonial Record, has sealing powers, doesn’t it?”
Lou Chi smiled proudly, “Senior Xiao is not mistaken.”
Xiao Yu Yang said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you with this.”
Lou Chi said, “Senior Xiao, I’m at your command.”
As he spoke, his expression turned solemn as he strode forward, leaving visible ripples in the air, one that spread out rapidly.
As a boundless Emperor Pressure filled the region, the cultivators in the vicinity realized that the Emperor Realm Masters were finally making a move. Their expressions changed and they all moved back, trying to avoid getting caught up in whatever was about to happen.
As for Lou Chi, he stretched out his hand and summoned a heavy-looking book before him, one that gave off a profound and ancient aura. Apparently, this book had been baptized by the endless flow of time for many, many years.
The crowd’s gazes were attracted by it and Yang Kai’s eyes flickered upon seeing it.
Yang Kai knew that the book taken out by Lou Chi was an Emperor Artifact, but this was the first time he had seen such a type of Emperor Artifact and he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of miraculous abilities it possessed.
“The Emperor Artifact, Unified Ceremonial Record!” Duan Yuan Shan next to him had apparently recognized this artifact though and uttered its name in a low voice.
“Isn’t it just a book? How did it become an Emperor Artifact?” The inexperienced Zhang Ruo Xi was quite outspoken and she voiced out her doubts.
Duan Yuan Shan said with a smile, “Artifacts come in all kinds of shapes and they aren’t always a sabre, spear, sword, or something of the sort. Besides, the stranger an artifact’s shape is, the stranger its power generally is, too. I have heard about the Unified Ceremonial Record, and it is said that it is an ancient book that absorbed Emperor Aura and Intent from many different Emperor Realm Masters, gradually transforming it into an Emperor Artifact, a very strong Emperor Artifact which has now fallen into the hands of Lou Chi.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruo Xi was still as confused as before and couldn’t understand what was so amazing about it.
As for the few Dao Source Realm Cultivators, they had all revealed a solemn look as they looked excitedly towards the Emperor Artifact in Lou Chi’s hands. They all wished to reach the Emperor Realm one day and obtain their own Emperor Artifact.
…
In the sky, Lou Chi, whose expression was solemn, weaved a series of hand seals before patting the Unified Ceremonial Record several times.
As a ‘swooshing’ sound echoed out, the heavy Unified Ceremonial Record shot forth and floated above the Spirit Lake. A mysterious aura emerged from it, while Emperor Intent and Emperor Pressure emanated out of Lou Chi’s body. He started weaving hand seals again as he mumbled, “The Book of Changes has the supreme origin, which gave birth to Yin and Yang. Yin-Yang turned into the four divisions, which are the basis of the eight trigrams that go back to the ten regions…”
As he mumbled, the Unified Ceremonial Record’s pages started fluttering and a bright golden radiance emanated from the pages and spread to the surrounding area.
The golden radiance emitted indescribable energy ripples that swiftly began sealing the entire region.
Lou Chi started weaving seals at a higher speed while his expression turned more grave. All of a sudden, he stopped and let out a shout, “Perfect Boundary!”
*Hong…*
The golden radiance shone brightly, so brightly that people almost couldn’t open their eyes.
At this moment, all cultivators gathered around the Spirit Lake were pushed away by a soft and formless power and they couldn’t regain their balance until they were pushed beyond a certain point. Despite this, no one seemed to suffer any injuries.
Once the golden radiance disappeared, the crowd took another look and their jaw immediately dropped to the ground.
It could be seen that a golden dome of light had appeared above the Spirit Lake, covering it completely and sealing it thoroughly. Even a wisp of World Energy couldn’t leak out of it.
The Spirit Lake had a radius of around ten thousand meters, yet Lou Chi managed to seal it completely all by himself, and he didn’t even look tired afterwards, as if he had only done some insignificant matter.
The eyes of the numerous Dao Source Realm cultivators shone brightly as they all longed for such great power. Each of them wished and dreamed about obtaining such strength one day.
After Lou Chi had finished this task, he turned around and cupped his fists to Xiao Yu Yang, “I have fulfilled your command.”
Xiao Yu Yang nodded, “Many thanks for your hard work.”
After his voice fell, he strode forward and surveyed the region below him with his eyes.
The cultivators gathered in the vicinity had all stuck out their chests, as each one felt like Xiao Yu Yang was observing him. They were under the gaze of a Silver Star Envoy of Star Soul Palace and they all didn’t dare to act improperly.
Xiao Yu Yang spoke in a clear voice, “A Spirit Lake has suddenly appeared in Maplewood City and it is this land’s good fortune, as well as our Southern Territory’s fortune. However, if we don’t manage it strictly, it will eventually dry out one day. This is why we have sealed it for now. As for how we will use it for the benefit of the people, we Seniors here will have a detailed discussion regarding this issue now.”
After he spoke, he turned to Duan Yuan Shan and said amiably, “City Lord Duan, you are Maplewood City’s Lord, so you also have the right to take part in this discussion.”
Upon hearing this, Duan Yuan Shan was overwhelmed by the amount of respect he was given and his face got rosy. He cupped his fists to Xiao Yu Yang and shouted, “It is my honour to receive an invitation from Your Excellency.”
Xiao Yu Yang nodded, “As for everyone else, you may rest assured that since this Spirit Lake has appeared in Maplewood City, no one will steal it from you and no single force will seek to monopolize it. After we finish our meeting, we will find a way to open it to everyone. Please await good news.”
“What? The Spirit Lake will be open to everyone?”
“Is this real? Did I mishear him?”
“Senior Xiao has spoken personally. It must be true.”
“Senior Xiao is a man of impeccable integrity, as expected of Star Soul Palace, our Southern Territory’s hegemon. They are generous and magnanimous.”
The cultivators present had assumed that after today they wouldn’t get another chance to use this Spirit Lake, thus an uproar arose among them upon hearing Xiao Yu Yang’s statement, delight apparent on everyone’s faces.
But a few people revealed pensive looks. Xiao Yu Yang had a prominent status and wouldn’t lie in front of so many people. Since he had said so, then he would surely open it up to the public.
But, it surely wouldn’t be easy for cultivators to enter this cultivation paradise. They would probably have to meet some conditions or pay a certain price for a quota. If this wasn’t the case and anyone could enter it at will, then the Spirit Lake that only stretched twenty kilometres across wouldn’t be able to accommodate so many people.
It could be well imagined that news of Maplewood City’s Spirit Lake would quickly spread across the whole Southern Territory. Once that happened, many cultivators would swarm over here to seize a cultivation spot within the Spirit Lake.
Maplewood City would become the focal point of the Southern Territory and it would attract many Masters.
Duan Yuan Shan was the City Lord of Maplewood City, and his little city had always been an unwanted child, but it would shortly become popular. Complex emotions welled up in his heart as he felt both excited and worried.
He was excited because Maplewood City would become a great city thanks to the Spirit Lake. As long as it could attract enough people, it would become stronger in the future and would become one of the greatest cities.
As for the source of his worries? He was worried because he wasn’t strong enough to control the Masters that would soon arrive.
He couldn’t help starting to weigh the gains and losses.
“Good! All of you can leave for now. I believe that you will shortly receive good news,” Xiao Yu Yang spoke and waved his hand in dismissal.
Upon hearing this, the numerous cultivators didn’t dare to stay here any longer. They all cupped their fists to Xiao Yu Yang then rushed toward Maplewood City.
“Yang Kai!” Gao Xue Ting suddenly shouted.
Yang Kai turned around and said with a smile, “Elder Gao, what instructions do you have for me?”
“Come to my room tonight,” Gao Xue Ting said with an indifferent look on her face.
“Uh…” Yang Kai was left dumbstruck.
The cultivators who were just about to return home all stiffened and stood in their places in a daze. They all turned their heads and looked in shock at Gao Xue Ting, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets. They all couldn’t believe what they had just heard. Azure Sun Temple’s Elder Gao looked apathetic and as cold as ice, yet she was actually so assertive.
The crowd looked at Yang Kai with envy and jealousy. They all couldn’t help but wonder what was so good about him and why he had been able to gain Elder Gao’s favour.
The few Emperor Realm Masters also wore spectacular expressions. They were all aware that Gao Xue Ting did not mean what it sounded like, but simply uttering such words was too scandalous.
“Why are you wearing such weird looks?” Gao Xue Ting cast an ice-cold glance at the few Emperor Realm Masters near her as her pretty face’s expression turned icy.
“Nothing, it’s nothing. My belly just rumbled. I must have gotten a cold last night,” Ceng Yuan clasped his belly with a pained look plastered on his face, as if he would drop dead at any moment.
“I ate something strange before coming here, I must have gotten sick from that horrendous food,” Lou Chi had also replied with a pained look on his face.
“Are you making fun of me?” Gao Xue Ting revealed a cold smile.
The two Vice Presidents could only laugh awkwardly in response. Neither of them knowing what to say in response.
At the crucial juncture, Xiao Yu Yang coughed, “Let’s talk about business.”
“That’s right, that’s right,” Chen Wen Hao nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking rice, as if he was afraid that Gao Xue Ting would question him next.
On the other side, after Yang Kai got over this awkward ordeal, he cupped his fists and said with a solemn look, “Understood!”
Gao Xue Ting nodded, “Alright, you can leave!”
Yang Kai pulled Zhang Ruo Xi and quickly rushed into Maplewood City along with the crowd, as if he had just been granted amnesty.
On the road, many cultivators cast frequent glances at Yang Kai, and even Luo Yuan cast a glance at him with a weird look on his face.
“Damn it! That’s so unjust, I’m so ridiculously handsome with a face like jade, yet Elder Gao didn’t even spare me a glance. Why is she so cordial to you?” Ning Yuan Shu, who was under the protection of the two old men, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, yelled at Yang Kai with an indignant look.
Yang Kai sneered and shook his head, letting his black hair flutter in the wind as he let out a sigh, “It’s obvious that I’m more handsome than you.”
“Do you even believe your own words?” Ning Yuan Shu sneered in response.
“Mister is the most handsome man in the world!” Zhang Ruo Xi next to Yang Kai said shyly then lowered her head.
Yang Kai chuckled and patted Zhang Ruo Xi’s little head, “Little girl, you’ve got good eyes. En, once you grow up, you’ll surely find a good husband.”
“I don’t want to…” Zhang Ruo Xi said weakly.
Ning Yuan Shu was very infuriated to see this man and a woman flirting in front of his eyes.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn and he said in a deep voice, “Young Palace Master, let’s take this chance to make something clear.”
“What is it?” Ning Yuan Shu was startled.
Yang Kai cast a glance at him, “You two old men, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, can stand here as witnesses. I saw with my own eyes how your big brother Ning Yuan Cheng died.”
Upon hearing this, the bodies of Gao Shan and Liu Shui shook, while Ning Yuan Shu’s pupils contracted and he yelled, “As expected, you were the one responsible all along.”
Yang Kai snorted and said, “I said I witnessed the murder, not that it was me who killed Ning Yuan Cheng.”
“Who killed him then?” Ning Yuan Shu asked.
“The Wood Spirit!”
“The Wood Spirit?” Ning Yuan Shu raised his brows and revealed a confused look, as if he had never heard about it, but the pupils of Gao Shan and Liu Shui contracted.
Gao Shan shouted in surprise, “Two years ago, I heard that a Wood Spirit appeared and ran amok in Maplewood City, spreading its seeds, devouring souls and enslaving people.”
“You’re right,” Yang Kai nodded and said, “The Wood Spirit planted its seed in Ning Yuan Cheng at some unknown time and no one detected it. It is a long and complicated story, but since Ning Yuan Cheng is someone from the Flying Saint Palace, I’ll tell you everything.”
Soon after, Yang Kai told them briefly what had happened on that day.
Upon hearing him, Gao Shan quieted for a long while before summarizing, “According to what you have said, after the auction that took place on that day, the Young Lord and his companions left Maplewood City, but Star Soul Palace’s exiled disciple Han Leng tailed after them and assaulted them outside the city to steal their possessions. Han Leng even managed to defeat our Flying Saint Palace’s Elder Liu Yi, but he was killed by the Wood Spirit inside the body of the Young Lord.”
“That’s right!” Yang Kai nodded.
“I happened to pass by during the incident and unexpectedly witnessed everything. At that time, I was only a Third-Order Origin King, so I could only watch the battle from afar,” Yang Kai said.
“What? You were only a Third-Order Origin King at the time?” Gao Shan and Liu Shui were taken aback by what they had just heard and they couldn’t help but shout in alarm, as if they had just realized something incredulous.
If what Yang Kai had said was true and he was only a Third-Order Origin King two years ago, then he would have broken through two Minor Realms, even crossing a Great Realm, to arrive at his current Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation in that short span of time. This rate of advancement was too terrifying!
If he continued advancing at the same pace, then wouldn’t he be a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Cultivator next year, then an Emperor Realm Master the year after that?
It wasn’t so easy for a Dao Source Realm Cultivator to break through to the Emperor Realm. But, if Yang Kai was given twenty years, then he would be able to achieve it, would he not? Moreover, Gao Shan and Liu Shui had heard that Yang Kai consumed an Extraordinary Treasure Pill in the Four Seasons Realm, so he had a higher chance to reach the Emperor Realm than an average person.
They had spent most of their lives in cultivation, yet they still couldn’t even touch upon the Emperor Realm, while a young boy had a great chance to reach it. Upon thinking of this, they both felt quite upset and complex in their hearts.
“That is why…” Yang Kai spread his arms, “The death of Ning Yuan Cheng has nothing to do with me.”
Ning Yuan Shu furrowed his brow, not sure whether he should trust Yang Kai. He fell silent for a moment before asking, “What about my brother’s possessions? I heard that you once used our Flying Saint Palace’s flying ship artifact. Where is that artifact and where is the Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit that was bought by my brother at the auction?”
“Young Palace Master, I can’t understand what you’re saying,” Yang Kai looked at Ning Yuan Shu curiously.
“Stop playing dumb!” Ning Yuan Shu flew into a rage, “My brother has already died, and his possessions belong to our Flying Saint Palace, I have the right to retrieve them.”
Yang Kai scratched his face and said, “Do you have to insist? Your Flying Saint Palace is a great force, so one or two flying artifacts should be nothing in your eyes.”
“Since it’s nothing, then give it back to me,” Ning Yuan Shu shouted.
“Ha…” Yang Kai sighed and said, “Fine, I have to tell you that your ship artifact has already been… destroyed.”
“Destroy… Destroyed?” Ning Yuan Shu’s eyes widened up and he said in surprise, “That’s impossible, that was a Dao Source Grade Artifact, and it is able to withstand the attacks of all cultivators below the Emperor Realm. It couldn’t be destroyed so easily! Even my Flying Saint Palace only has a few ships at such a high grade.”
Yang Kai said solemnly, “It has been destroyed by an Emperor Realm Master.”
The Ship Artifact had really been destroyed, and it was destroyed with a single strike from Aunt Feng who had taken Mo Xiao Qi away. Aunt Feng was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so it had been easy for her to destroy the ship. As compensation, she did give Yang Kai a Wooden Boat Artifact though. The boat wasn’t as large as the ship, but it was simple, light and more convenient.
Upon hearing this, the corners of Ning Yuan Shu’s mouth twitched, “Who did you provoke?”
Gao Shao said in surprise, “You angered an Emperor Realm Master and are still alive?”
The members of Flying Saint Palace looked at Yang Kai in surprise.
“I didn’t really exchange blows with her,” Yang Kai’s face flushed, “I was hit suddenly by her, but fortunately that Senior didn’t seem interested in my life,” as he spoke, he added. “Besides, after Ning Yuan Cheng’s death, that ship became ownerless and naturally should belong to whoever picked it up. Since I found it, it’s mine, why grumble about it now?”
“Fine, I’ll grant you that!” Ning Yuan Shu shouted, “The ship has been destroyed, but what’s about the Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit? It’s said that the Artifact Spirit had already gained a high degree of sentience.”
Yang Kai sneered and said, “Didn’t you answer that question yourself? The Artifact Spirit already gained sentience, so it escaped the first chance it got.”
“Escaped?”
“Didn’t you just see a powerful Artifact Spirit that had gained sentience?” Yang Kai sneered, referring to the Artifact Spirit of the Demonic War Hammer.
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan Shu’s expression turned aghast as he obviously recalled the violent encounter just now.
“Then doesn’t this mean… there is nothing left?” Gao Shan furrowed his brows.
“What else would be left? Didn’t I already explain everything to you?” Yang Kai chuckled, “As for the other Master who came from Flying Saint Palace, Fu Si Tong… That man was indeed quite strong, so even if I say that I killed him, you wouldn’t believe me.”
“That’s a matter of course, you wouldn’t be able to do so,” Ning Yuan Shu sneered and mocked. “City Lord Duan already said that Elder Fu died after he was corrupted by the Ancient Demon Qi.”
“That’s right,” Yang Kai clapped and said with a smile. “Then we have already resolved our misunderstanding, so don’t keep bothering me in the future or accusing me of murdering a member of the Flying Saint Palace. Young Palace Master, you seem like a reasonable fellow, so let us retain a good relationship between us so we can still be friends when we next meet.”
Upon hearing the word ‘friends’, Ning Yuan Shu couldn’t help but gaze around in fear that the Demonic War Hammer would suddenly appear.
“You don’t have the final say in this,” Gao Shan shook his head slowly.
“Then, it’s you who has the final say?” Yang Kai’s expression turned cold.
“No,” Liu Shan replied.
“Then who has the final say?” Yang Kai’s expression had already turned gloomy.
Gao Shan said, “If you’re not guilty, then why don’t you take a trip with us to Flying Saint Palace and explain everything to the Palace Master. It will be up to him to make the final judgment.”
“That’s right,” Liu Shan nodded and said, “You must come back with us to the Sect.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai laughed in response and looked meaningfully at Gao Shan, saying, “Protectors, it looks like you have misunderstood something.”
“What?”
“I provided you with an explanation not because I’m afraid of you, but rather because I don’t want to incur trouble for no reason. It’s up to you whether you want to believe me or not; however, if you keep bothering me for no reason, then… heh,” Yang Kai still wore a smile across his face, but his gaze had already turned cold.
Gao Shan and Liu Shan suddenly shivered for no reason and their pupils couldn’t help but contract, feeling like great danger was looming over them!
As they mulled this over, they suddenly recalled that Yang Kai had a good relationship with Elder Gao Xue Ting, and she had even told him to visit her room tonight in front of so many people. They didn’t dare to make a move against Yang Kai due to this. If they incurred Gao Xue Ting’s wrath, then they would all lose their lives.
Even if the Palace Master arrived personally, he still wouldn’t dare to make a move against Yang Kai unless he planned to kidnap him stealthily.
After Gao Shan and Liu Shi came to this conclusion, they realized that this affair was more thorny than they thought.
Gao Shan said, “Young Master Yang, if you don’t want to go with us to the Sect, that is fine, but you have to write a letter for us to take back to the Palace Master. If we don’t do at least that much, then the Palace Master may accuse us of neglecting our duties. We would have wasted time in Maplewood City without accomplishing anything.”
“That’s none of my business,” Yang Kai snorted coldly.
“Please, Young Master Yang, let’s have a proper discussion about this,” Gao Shan entreated shamelessly.
“Get… lost!” As Yang Kai spoke, he placed the Myriads Sword in front of him and said viciously, “I’ll repeat it for the last time. If you keep bothering me so stubbornly, then don’t blame me for taking your lives.”
As his voice fell, he pushed his Source Qi wildly while also sending out his Divine Sense to envelop Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
The expressions of Gao Shan and Liu Shan turned aghast as they suddenly felt the silhouette of this young man before them turn large and lofty. His aura wasn’t any different than a mountain weighing on their chests and they almost couldn’t breathe properly.
It was only at this moment that they suddenly realized that Yang Kai’s power was likely… No less than Luo Yuan’s.
This short moment felt like years, and by the time the two old men came back to their senses, Yang Kai had already disappeared. They both couldn’t help but exchange a glance and they could clearly see the shock in each other’s eyes.
“That man… we mustn’t provoke him again…” Gao Shan said in a deep voice with his fright still apparent on his face. His instincts told him clearly that if he provoked Yang Kai again, then he would likely lose his life.
“You’re right!” Liu Shan wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead and nodded.
“Then, did I get beaten by him for nothing?” Ning Yuan Shu pointed at his cheeks with an aggrieved look and said, “He insulted and shamed me, and he… killed Zhuang Pan. Does our Flying Saint Palace have to bear this in silence? If we do so, I won’t have the face to stay in the Southern Territory!”
Gao Shan cast a glance at him then sighed, “Zhuang Pan is a despicable coward whose death isn’t worth pitying. As for you, just take it as a mosquito’s bite.”
Upon hearing this, the corners of Ning Yuan Shu’s mouth twitched. The two old men had already expressed their standpoints, and he couldn’t take revenge by himself even if he wanted to, so he could only bear this in silence.
…
Inside the Qin Family Residence.
Yang Kai, Qin Zhao Yang, and their companions had already arrived back home.
Yang Kai had no place to go back to in Maplewood City. In the past, he still had a rented secluded home, but once his rent expired, he didn’t bother renewing it. Fortunately, the Qin Family didn’t treat him as a stranger and offered him accommodations.
The members of Eight Paths Sect had also returned, and they had all gone back to their courtyard under the lead of Luo Yuan and the round-faced woman.
But, Yang Kai noticed that Luo Yuan was now gazing at him with a dangerous glint in his eyes. He probably wanted to have a fight against him and he almost got a headache thinking about this.
“Little Brother Yang, I have asked the servants to prepare this courtyard specifically for you, it is one of my Qin Family’s best. You can rest here,” Qin Zhao Yang brought him into a courtyard and spoke.
“Patriarch Qin, thank you for your trouble,” Yang Kai said.
“You’re welcome, if you need anything, just call the servants and ask them,” Qin Zhao Yang laughed and said, “En, I won’t stay here and disturb your rest. I need to go back and check on Yu’er’s condition.”
“En.”
After Qin Zhao Yang left, Yang Kai walked into the courtyard with Zhang Ruo Xi and observed it. This courtyard wasn’t big, but it was peaceful, refined, and clean. It also had abundant World Energy which made Yang Kai satisfied.
After he observed the courtyard for a while, he asked Zhang Ruo Xi to take a room for herself before he turned his head to look at Ye Jing Han, who had followed him in silence like a shadow the whole time. He couldn’t help letting out a long sigh upon gazing at her.
Seeing this, Ye Jing Han bit her rosy lips and revealed a faint smile.
“Stop it, don’t smile like that! It’s uglier than if you just cried instead,” Yang Kai said with an annoyed look on his face.
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han’s body shivered as she turned deathly pale, her eyes becoming slightly red.
“What’s the matter? Come in and let’s have a chat,” Yang Kai gestured lightly with his head then pushed open the door and went into the room.
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han was taken aback and the distress apparent on her face quickly turned into delight as she said sweetly, “Many thanks, Young Master Yang!”
She quickly went inside, as if she was afraid Yang Kai would go back on his word.
Inside the room, Yang Kai had just started observing the room and he still didn’t have a clear look at the ornaments and furniture here. Yet, Ye Jing Han had already moved to quickly place a chair behind him, “Young Master Yang, please sit down.”
Yang Kai cast a glance at her then raised his robe and sat down.
At this moment, Ye Jing Han had already raised the teapot on the table and poured water for Yang Kai then placed the cup in front of him, “Young Master Yang, please have a drink.”
After her voice fell, she moved her hands again and a plate of fresh spirit fruits appeared on the table. She asked with a smile, “I have brought them with me from Thousand Leaves Sect. I wonder if they are to your liking? Please don’t refuse them.”
Yang Kai’s expression turned strange, as he had never been served so attentively before by anyone. If Ye Jing Han worked as a servant or maid, then she would be a very competent one.
“Why are you serving me?” Yang Kai looked at her warily, “Did you fall for me? I know that I’m so handsome and graceful and a lot of women are in love with me…” He flung his head back and said in a deep voice, “But I’m already taken. So, you have to refrain from having any presumptuous thoughts about me.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han’s face got flushed and she said indignantly, “Young Master Yang, what are you saying…”
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had never seen someone who could boast so shamelessly.
“Huh… Am I mistaken?” Embarrassment appeared on Yang Kai’s face and he let out a hollow laugh, “I’m just joking, don’t take it seriously.”
As he spoke, he took a spirit fruit on the table and started gnawing on it. It was pretty delicious and he couldn’t help but nod, “Speak, what kind of pill do you want?”
“What?” Ye Jing Han was bewildered by his question and a confused look appeared on her face.
Yang Kai sneered, “You have been following me since you recognized me, and you’re still serving me so meticulously. The only thing left is for you to serve me in bed. Aren’t you here to ask something from me?”
“You’re right…” Ye Jing Han nodded.
“Aren’t you here to ask me to refine a pill for you?”
Ye Jing Han revealed an enlightened look and said with a smile, “Young Master Yang, your attainments in the Alchemic Dao have already reached an unimaginable height, even allowing you to refine the Extraordinary Treasure Pill. Your talent and attainments in this craft are second to none in the world.”
“I know that you are flattering me, but it’s still pleasant to hear.” Yang Kai chuckled in response.
Ye Jing Han continued, “But I didn’t seek you to ask you to refine a pill for me.”
“Then what do you want?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows and got wary.
Ye Jing Han explained, “Our Thousand Leaves Sect isn’t a big Sect, but we still have a Dao Source Grade Alchemist under our employ, so we don’t have to trouble you to refine pills for us. I have sought you out to ask you to repair something for us.”
“Repair?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows, “What is it?”
Ye Jing Han pursed her rosy lips and surveyed the surroundings warily before saying in a low voice, “A Space Array.”
“A Space Array?” Yang Kai’s pupils contracted and he chuckled then said, “It looks like a lot of people know that I am well-versed in the Dao of Space.”
In the Four Seasons Realm, he had manipulated Space Principles in front of many people, so obviously he couldn’t keep this a secret any longer. He had already expected that this matter would be exposed, but he still didn’t expect that Ye Jing Han sought him out due to this. She obviously wanted to draw help from his comprehension of the Dao of Space to repair the Space Array.
“I indeed heard such news from a certain individual.”
“If it’s just for repairing a Space Array, then you don’t have to seek me out. Why not find an appropriate Array Master?”
Ye Jing Han smiled bitterly, “If it was an ordinary Space Array, then an Array Master would have been able to repair it, but my Thousand Leaves Sect’s Array is… We have already sought several Array Masters and have even invited members of the Gong Family, but none were able to repair it.”
“Even the members of the Gong Family couldn’t repair it?” Yang Kai was surprised to hear this before he suddenly realized something, asking in a solemn tone, “Is it a… World Crossing Space Array?”
Ye Jing Han’s pretty eyes lit up and she nodded, “Young Master Yang, you’re indeed as sharp as the rumours say! It is a World Crossing Space Array.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he stared at Ye Jing Han and asked, “Does your Thousand Leaves Sect control a Sealed World?”
Ye Jing Han let out a bitter laugh, “It looks like I can’t hide anything from Young Master Yang. En, you are correct, my Thousand Leaves Sect possesses a Sealed World, and it was once used as a cultivation paradise for our disciples. We don’t know how this Sealed World was formed, and we also don’t know where exactly it is located in The Void, so we have no other way to enter it except through the Space Array, but the array somehow stopped working nearly two thousand years ago, making it impossible for us to enter the Sealed World since then.”
“Is that Sealed World so important to your Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai asked.
Ye Jing Han nodded, “Two thousand years ago, while my Thousand Leaves Sect was not on par with the top sects like Azure Sun Temple and Heavenly Martial Holy Land, we were still considered a first-class force. However, after the entrance to the Sealed World was lost, the Sect entered a period of decline. Today, we are barely…”
Ye Jing Han stopped here, as if she didn’t want to talk about their current dire straits.
Yang Kai sneered, “The members of your Sect simply didn’t cultivate hard enough, this has nothing to do with losing your Sealed World. Not every Sect has its own Sealed World, but as long as one strives to make progress and advance further, such a Sealed World makes no difference.”
Ye Jing Han’s pretty face turned pale and she said bitterly, “Young Master Yang, you aren’t mistaken; however, two thousand years ago, the Sect Master at the time brought many of the Sect’s core inheritances as well as the supreme treasures of our Sect into that Sealed World, all of which became lost to us when the entrance disappeared. Many of our Thousand Leaves Sect’s Secret Arts and Techniques could no longer be cultivated after losing those inheritances, and the Aura Gathering Array of our Sect also used that Sealed World as its core. Once the entrance shut, the World Energy density of our Sect also began thinning…”
“I understand.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai had already understood Ye Jing Han’s implication. They had lost the inheritances connected to numerous Techniques and Divine Abilities, as well as their supreme treasures and their supply of World Energy. What cultivators needed most to cultivate was abundant World Energy, and if their supply became scarce, then it was normal for subsequent generations from Thousand Leaves Sect to become weaker.
Ye Jing Han bit her rosy lips and said in a deep voice, “I want to invite you to take a trip with me to Thousand Leaves Sect in order to repair our World Crossing Space Array. If you agree to do so, then all members of Thousand Leaves Sect will be very grateful to you and we will offer you a generous reward.”
“This…” Yang Kai rolled his eyes around and racked his brain for a long time, yet couldn’t come up with any excuses, so he could only say, “I got it, but I’m quite busy now. Why don’t you go back for now? Once I have some free time, I’ll take a trip to your Thousand Leaves Sect and I’ll be sure to live up to your expectations.”
Ye Jing Han could clearly discern that he was just being perfunctory in his response. If she really trusted him and left, then she probably wouldn’t ever see his shadow again. She could only entreat him anxiously, “Young Master Yang, it is only someone who is proficient in the Dao of Space who can repair our Sect’s Space Array. But the Dao of Space is so esoteric and mysterious that ordinary people cannot even begin to comprehend it. I have heard that a great Senior living in the Eastern Territory’s Spirit Beast Island is proficient in the Dao of Space, that Senior is a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and our little Thousand Leaves Sect can’t invite him.”
“Are you implying that it’s easy for you to invite an insignificant Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator like me?” Yang Kai cast a glance at her.
Ye Jing Han quickly waved her hand and said, “That isn’t what I mean. Young Master Yang, please don’t take offence.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I have also heard about that Senior from Spirit Beast Island…”
It looked like Mo Xiao Qi was also from the Spirit Beast Island, but she had never admitted it; however, after Yang Kai gained some understanding of the Star Boundary, it wasn’t difficult for him to guess her origins after witnessing her Aunt Feng’s terrifying strength.
Only the members of the Spirit Beast Island could control so many Monster Beasts and have them fight for them.
As he thought about Mo Xiao Qi, he couldn’t help but wonder how she was faring.
He arrived at the Star Boundary not long ago and he knew only a few people. One of them was Kang Si Ran, but he had been transferred by the Violet Source Chamber of Commerce after he reached the Dao Source Realm. As for his second acquaintance, Mo Xiao Qi, she had been fetched by her Aunty Feng and taken back home.
Ye Jing Han suddenly noticed that Yang Kai had quieted and got lost in his thoughts for a long while. She could only say through gnashed teeth. “Actually, I have sought you on someone’s recommendation.”
“Which shameless bastard has done so? Tell me, just tell me, I promise I won’t kill him,” Yang Kai flew into a rage.
Ye Jing Han pursed her lips and said with a smile, “It was Gong Wen Shan, you know him, don’t you?”
“That bastard!” Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he muttered, “Do you know him?”
Gong Wen Shan was the rising star of the Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family. The Gong Family was famed for its Array Masters, and Gong Wen Shan was also an Array Master. In the Four Seasons Realm, he had drawn help from the barrier around the Flowing Time Temple to obstruct Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s Wu Chang, forcing the latter to miss a rare opportunity because of this.
That boy looked honest and simple-minded, but he was actually a sinister and scheming scourge.
Yang Kai would have never imagined that it was Gong Wen Shan who recommended him to Ye Jing Han.
Ye Jing Han replied, “Several years ago, we invited him to repair our Thousand Leaves Sect’s Space Array, but he didn’t succeed and he told us to seek a person proficient in the Dao of Space to repair it. Three months ago, I suddenly received a message from him suggesting I seek Young Master Yang out. I planned to deal with this place’s affairs first before making a trip to Azure Sun Temple to try my luck, but I didn’t expect to run into you here. Don’t you think we were brought together by fate?”
Ye Jing Han revealed an excited look, as if she was a young girl yearning for love.
Yang Kai snorted, “Only distressed men and lovestruck girls are brought together by fate, do you want to have such a fate with me?”
Ye Jing Han sweated profusely and said awkwardly, “Young Master Yang, you really know how to joke. I’m not so fortunate.”
“I have met that brat, Gong Wen Shan, only once and I’m not close to him. He has to take responsibility for his words. This has nothing to do with me.”
Ye Jing Han let out a long sigh, “Young Master Yang, you don’t want to help me, do you?”
She bit her thin lips, wearing an adorable and pitiful look.