At this moment, Yang Kai finally arrived before the new bride, extending his hand to tug away the red veil covering her face.
Luo Jin’s expression changed slightly, though he remained still and didn’t take any action, giving no indication of what he was planning at all.
The surrounding guests opened their eyes wide as they focused their attention on the new bride, quietly waiting for the impending heart-stirring moment.
With a whoosh, the red veil flew up, revealing an absolutely enchanting and beautiful face, lighting up the eyes of many guests while envy and admiration surged in their hearts.
The instant the new bride’s face was revealed, her beautiful eyes immediately pointed towards Yang Kai, brimming with excitement and rebuke, as though she was blaming Yang Kai for taking so long to remove the veil from her head.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai felt as though a large stone had been removed from his heart. Sending a smile towards the new bride, he said with relief, “It really is you, Senior!”
“Fifth Sister!” Chai Hu shouted from the back.
The new bride turned her pupils and shot a look at Chai Hu, her eyes brimming with grateful emotions. Although she could not move right now, she had witnessed everything Chai Hu had done today. Under the middle-aged man’s control, she had launched a sneak attack against Chai Hu, causing her to be filled with guilt, as well as anger for not being able to prevent it from happening.
“You can’t speak, Senior?” Yang Kai asked as he smiled towards the new bride.
The new bride shot a fierce glare at Yang Kai, as though she was asking him why he was asking this even though he already knew the answer.
Despite feeling embarrassed, Yang Kai continued, “So, you can’t move?”
The new bride blinked her eyes.
After hearing Yang Kai’s questions, looks of doubt and suspicion appeared on the faces of many guests. This was about the way Yang Kai had addressed the new bride. Although Yang Kai’s was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, he had actually addressed the new bride, who only was at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, as Senior.
What kind of situation was this?
A blank look appeared on Chai Hu’s face as he looked towards Yang Kai, “Does Little Brother know my Fifth Sister?” Despite already having his guesses earlier, Chai Hu was still somewhat astonished to personally see Yang Kai and his Fifth Sister looking as though they were exceedingly familiar with each other. That was because from what he knew, his Fifth Sister, Big Brother and the others did not have any friends in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai smiled in response, while an odd expression appeared on his face, “Of course I know her! Senior Chi Yue… is my mother-in-law!”
Shocked cries immediately rang out.
Countless guests went slack-jawed as they stared dumbly at Yang Kai, assuming that they had just misheard something. There were even quite a few people with odd expressions on their faces as they alternated their gazes between Chi Yue and Luo Jin, their emotions wavering.
If Yang Kai addressed the new bride as mother-in-law, didn’t that mean that this would-be bride was already a mother? Had the prestigious and famous Sky Crane City City Lord actually not known about this fact, and had even wanted to take her as his concubine?
Thinking about that, quite a few of the cultivators that had issues against the City Lord’s Mansion quietly revealed satisfied looks on their faces as they observed the ashen-faced Luo Jin. At this moment, they seem to be able to see a huge green hat sitting on his head, radiating with a bright lustre.
After saying those words, Yang Kai finally managed to calm his surging emotions. The new bride right before his eyes was impressively Monster Emperor Star’s Monster King, Chi Yue, whom he had met after finally journeying beyond Shadowed Star back in the Star Field! She was also the adoptive mother of Shan Qing Luo.
In the beginning, he didn’t care too much after seeing the new bride for the first time, with the exception of feeling that something wasn’t quite right. However, after the new bride had used her strength to ambush Chai Hu, he discovered that he was somewhat familiar with the Monster Qi fluctuations that she radiated. This made him start to speculate that he was familiar with this new bride.
After careful consideration, he felt that there was a possibility that she was Chi Yue, which prompted him to absolutely insist on taking a look at the new bride’s face. He had purposefully mentioned High Heaven Sect in order to observe the new bride’s reactions. With her reacting as he had expected, it confirmed his guess, only for him to be obstructed by Luo Jin, resulting in some trouble.
It was only upon seeing Chi Yue’s face that Yang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief, with elation surging up from the depths of his heart.
Back in the Starlight Corridor, he and the other five Third-Order Origin King Masters were separated due to some circumstances. In fact, even Liu Yan and the Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts became unknown.
After such a long time, he had only managed to find Liu Yan by chance. However, the whereabouts of Xiao Xiao and the others were still a mystery.
Yang Kai had always been very concerned about them and how their lives were in this foreign Star Boundary. However, due to the vastness of the Star Boundary, with no power or force to rely on, it was utterly impossible for him to conduct any kind of large scale investigation to find them.
This time, it was a minor miracle to be able to encounter Chi Yue in Sky Crane City.
If not for him agreeing to Ye Jing Han’s request to come to Thousand Leaves Sect, he would absolutely not have known about Sky Crane City. If not for Ye Jing Han receiving Ye Hen’s message halfway during the trip to participate in this marriage ceremony, Yang Kai would also have missed this chance to reconnect with Chi Yue.
Various coincidences had led to today’s meeting. Life truly was unpredictable, just like the Heavenly Ways. For a moment, Yang Kai could not help but sigh in admiration.
“What nonsense are you talking about, Boy!?” As expected, Luo Jin was unable to endure this kind of embarrassment, leading to him suddenly exploding out with a roar after a moment of silence.
Chai Hu was also shocked by Yang Kai’s words and shot a stunned look at Chi Yue. Gulping down mouthfuls of saliva as he asked awkwardly, “Fifth Sister… already has children?”
Although she stood quietly and not making a sound, Chi Yue’s face had already turned red as she stared at Yang Kai in anger, as though she was blaming him for damaging her reputation.
Yang Kai smiled sheepishly and replied, “You’re misunderstanding, Brother Chai. Senior Chi Yue has an adopted daughter, an adopted daughter!”
Hearing Yang Kai’s reply, Chai Hu gave a carefree smile, “Regardless of whether it is an adopted daughter or a biological one, we’re still one big family!”
Yang Kai said, “This Yang has seen everything Brother Chai has done. This one represents my mother-in-law to thank Brother Chai for your help!” Cupping his fists, he bowed in respect towards Chai Hu.
Chai Hu waved his hands, “When Fifth Sister is facing trouble, it ought to be my duty to help her. Little Brother, you must dispel the technique that’s restricting Fifth Sister’s freedom!”
Yang Kai nodded, taking a look at Chi Yue, he quickly apologised, “Forgive my disrespect, Senior!”
After saying those words, he grabbed Chi Yue’s delicate hand, before sending the Source Qi from his body into her meridians.
Chi Yue’s tender body shook slightly as she looked at Yang Kai in shock. Due to the red veil that she wore earlier, which prevented her from seeing clearly what happened around her, she was only able to sense that Yang Kai had fought against quite a few people just now; however, it was only at this moment that she discovered the purity and density of his Source Qi, causing shock to run through her face, as well as admiration to well up within her heart.
Currently, she also had a Dao Source Realm cultivation, so she naturally knew the disparity in strength between Minor Realms of this Great Realm. She could clearly sense that all of the Source Qi in Yang Kai’s body was extremely pure and rich compared to her own.
She thought about the time they had just arrived in the Star Boundary, where her cultivation was still higher than his. Now, after their reunion, Yang Kai’s cultivation had already far surpassed hers.
But it had only been a short span of two or three years!
Chi Yue felt extremely curious about what Yang Kai had experienced during their short period of separation, to be able to achieve such growth.
Just as Chi Yue was dwelling in deep shock, Yang Kai had already sunk his Divine Sense deeply into her body to investigate. After a short moment, Yang Kai’s forehead wrinkled slightly before he mumbled, “Indeed, there’s no Secret Technique, and no traces of any seals or restrictions…”
Upon hearing his words, Chi Yue continued to shoot an irritated look at Yang Kai, as though she wanted to tell him something. However, with her Divine Sense unable to be propagated out, and her inability to talk or move, anxiety filled her heart.
Looking over from the distance, Luo Jin merely continued to sneer, yet did not show the slightest bit of wanting to disturb Yang Kai. It seemed as though he was filled with ample confidence towards the method the middle-aged man had used, and also felt that it was impossible for Yang Kai to dispel it.
“Exactly what is this…” Yang Kai’s forehead bunched up as he investigated in detail. Not daring to overlook any slight bit of suspicion or doubt he had. The surrounding guests continued to observe curiously, as well as feeling a deep sense of dread towards that middle-aged man.
All of them had personally witnessed how strong Yang Kai was. However, despite his strength, he was still unable to identify the method this man had used to control the new bride, showing how strange the man’s method was.
One would need to be careful and vigilant when interacting with such a person. If not, once he was allowed to unleash his strange technique to gain control, one would become a dead man walking.
“Exactly what method did you use to control the new bride?” Seeing Yang Kai toiling away but unable to find the root of the problem, Ye Jing Han could not help but to ask in curiosity.
The man shook his head continuously upon hearing her question, “Don’t ask me. I don’t know anything.”
How could he dare to reveal any details? His entire family lived in Sky Crane City; if he revealed his secrets, it would result in a disaster for his family, as Luo Jin would definitely not let him off lightly.
“Spineless coward!” Ye Jing Han snorted in disdain.
A look of defeat appeared on the middle-aged male’s face, though he was helpless to refute, leaving him with no other choice but to remain silent, his eyes filled with dread as he looked towards Yang Kai.
“Eh…” All of a sudden, Yang Kai seemed to have discovered something, as a shocked look appeared on his face while his Divine Sense proceeded to scan a portion of Chi Yuan’s dantian region in detail.
After a short while, his eyes lit up as he mumbled, “Puppet Bug? It’s actually a Puppet Bug?”
Right as his words rang out, the middle-aged man’s jaw dropped, his eyes filled with shock as he looked towards Yang Kai as he cried out, “How is that possible? How can you recognise it!? This is something that went extinct a long time ago! It’s impossible for anyone to recognise it.”
“So, it’s really a Puppet Bug, huh?” He noticed Yang Kai turning around to give him a grin, “I was originally unable to confirm anything; however, seeing your response, I’m sure that it’s the Puppet Bug without a doubt.”
The middle-aged man’s face turned blank, before subsequently bursting out in anger, “You swindled me!”
Du Xian chopped his palm against the middle-aged man’s head, beating him into a stumble before sneering, “Your brain is your shortcoming, tsk!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Many thanks!”
The middle-aged man fell into a depressed daze as unease filled his entire being. He felt the malice coming from the world bearing down on him, causing him to turn his head in terror to look at Luo Jin, “Sir City Lord! I didn’t tell him! I didn’t reveal any information to him! He discovered it all by himself!”
“Waste!” Luo Jin snorted coldly.
The middle-aged man’s face turned stiff as he collapsed limply onto the ground, as though all of his strength had left his body. However, this did not last more than an instant as he suddenly remembered something. Attempting to put up a strong front, he shouted out loudly towards Yang Kai, “So what if you know about it? Without my Secret Technique, it’s impossible to remove it! If you want your mother-in-law to remain safe and sound, ask them to obediently let me go, and apologize to Sir City Lord!”
Even at this moment, he still continued to side with Luo Jin, in hope that Luo Jin would make allowances for his earlier actions.
“Shut him up!” Yang Kai growled with impatience.
Ye Jing Han simply proceeded with a chop, knocking the middle-aged man unconscious.
Puppet Bug, ranked 52nd on the Exotic Insect List’s Earth List. Covered in thin and soft fur, it lives in the dark, 30,000 meters below ground. Extremely hard to find. It has the ability to control others after fusing with its Master’s Dantian and Soul.
These few lines of information from the Exotic Insect Record flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, before he quickly remembered the way to deal with this insect.
It was all thanks to the Insect Enslavement Bracelet that the Insect Emperor had left behind, which the Exotic Insect Record had been kept within. If not for the Insect Emperor’s vast array of experience, Yang Kai would definitely have been helpless in this current situation.
The Puppet Bug wasn’t ranked high within the Exotic Insect List, and was actually nearing the bottom of the list. Despite its thin and soft fur that acted as camouflage, making it hard to detect, and its ability to turn the person who ingested it into a puppet that would listen to any command, it possessed several weaknesses, resulting in its low ranking.
After recalling the method to dispel it, Yang Kai hastily sunk his Divine Sense into his Space Ring, taking a short amount of time to find the few stalks of herbs he needed.
The surrounding guests continued to observe him in curiosity, not knowing exactly what he was doing. In fact, they were utterly confused as to what the Puppet Bug that Yang Kai had mentioned actually was.
After seeing him retrieve the few herbs from his Space Ring, all of them quietly speculated whether those were to be used to dispel that Puppet Bug.
“Sister Ye, do you have an Earth Attribute Monster Beast Core that is equivalent to Dao Source Grade or above? Would you mind lending one to me?” Yang Kai suddenly turned his head to ask Ye Jing Han.
Ye Jing Han gawked for a moment before hastily searching her Space Ring. However, before she could find what she was looking for, Du Xian retrieved a spherical yellow coloured Monster Core and looked towards Yang Kai, “This Du just so happens to have one. If Young Master Yang is alright with it, please take it.”
Right as his voice rang out, Luo Jin suddenly roared out, “Du Xian, if you still care about the relationship between Sky Crane City and your Thousand Leaves Sect, take your Junior Brothers and Sisters and leave this place! If you do so, this King will not pursue this matter!”
Hearing his words, Du Xian frowned and shot a look at Ye Jing Han. Seeing her nod slightly, he gave a faint smile and replied, “Young Master Yang is a friend of our Thousand Leaves Sect. When a friend is in need, this Du naturally won’t sit and watch by the side.”
Luo Jin’s face turned ashen before nodding in response, “Good! Very good! This King will remember this, and make sure to head to your Thousand Leaves Sect to have a good talk with Ye Hen.”
Du Xian frowned slightly towards the latter’s response, though he replied in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing, “Whatever suits Sir City Lord’s fancy.”
After he said those words, he tossed the Earth Attribute Monster Beast Core towards Yang Kai.
Catching it, Yang Kai inspected the Monster Core for its grade and quality, which left him greatly satisfied. In the next instant, he proceeded to sit down and cross his legs. While doing so, he waved his hand, causing a pill furnace to appear abruptly before him.
The pill furnace proceeded to expand in size, quickly growing to the height of a human. Dragons and Phoenixes emblazoned the outer surface of the pill furnace seemed to swim about as intense energy fluctuations radiated from it. Just a single look was enough for people to tell how extraordinary this furnace was.
“Could he also be an Alchemist?”
“Goodness gracious! That looks like a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemy Furnace. If he’s able to use such an Alchemy Furnace, wouldn’t that mean that he’s a Dao Source Grade Alchemist?”
“Where did he say he was from?”
“Yang Kai, High Heaven Sect’s Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai… that name sounds rather familiar. Where did I hear it before?”
Tongues started wagging among the guests, as shocked expressions appeared on the faces of quite a few people. They had already personally witnessed the strength Yang Kai had displayed earlier; however, after seeing him retrieve a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemy Furnace, all of them were shocked and started to make guesses in reaction.
There were already quite a few people who had drawn a link to the hot news about the person that had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill within the Four Seasons Realm and the lad in front of them.
After all, both of them shared the same name, Dao Source Realm cultivation, and were both Masters in Alchemy. Although the world was vast, it would still be rather difficult to find two people with so many similarities.
Before everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai lit a fire within the furnace, which immediately increased the temperature of the inner hall by quite a bit.
Luo Jin narrowed his eyes, though he did not show any intention of wanting to take action, appearing as though he was filled with interest towards what Yang Kai was going to do.
Yang Kai continued forming hand seals, portraying various Spirit Arrays as he tossed the few herbs and the Earth Attribute Monster Core into the furnace, before controlling the fire to a boil.
After about the time it would take to make a pot of tea, Yang Kai suddenly extended his hand towards the side. Source Qi surged out, sucking a bowl over.
In the next moment, he jumped up and appeared before the Black Jade Furnace. Giving it a pat, he shook its cover open. Extending his hand, he made a pulling action, causing something to fly out from within the furnace.
What appeared in his hand was a jade-green half-congealed medicinal liquid that appeared sticky and was exceedingly strange in texture.
From the point of an Alchemist, it was a failure to open the furnace at this point in the refinement process; however, this was precisely what he needed to remove the Puppet Bug.
Placing the strange and odd-smelling medicinal liquid into the bowl, he carefully carried it before Chi Yue and said with a serious expression on his face, “Please drink this, Senior.”
Chi Yue’s forehead scrunched up as her face turned pale.
When Yang Kai had carried the seemingly half-completed medicinal liquid before her, she immediately smelt an awful scent, one that seemed like socks that have not been washed for dozens of years. Just a whiff of this smell would cause people to feel nauseous.
Such a thing was going to enter her throat?
Seeing the disgusted look in her eyes, Yang Kai grinned, “Good medicine tastes bitter. You’ll be alright after drinking this.”
Chi Yue narrowed her beautiful eyes at Yang Kai, seemingly saying to him that he would definitely die if he dared to lie to her.
Ignoring her glare, Yang Kai took the stance one would take to coax a kid, “Come, be good and finish this!”
As he said those words, he extended one hand to open Chi Yue’s mouth, raised the bowl in the other, before pouring its contents into her mouth. While doing so, he quietly sent his Source Qi out to aid Chi Yue with the consumption of the medicinal liquid.
*Gudong gudong…*
Their gazes unwavering, the surrounding guests felt their stomachs churn as unease surged within their bodies.
“Urgh…” All of a sudden, Chi Yue suddenly vomited and fell on one knee. An extremely awful look was present on her face, as though she was trying to vomit out all of her internal organs.
Yang Kai grinned as he stood by the side. Tossing the bowl in his hand away, he extended his hand to pat on Chi Yue’s back.
“Smelly brat! You dare to make me drink such a thing!” Chi Yue turned her head and growled angrily at Yang Kai.
Having lived for so long, this was still the first time she had tasted something that awful. If not for her not being in control of her body, she would have never needed to suffer this much.
“Calm down, Senior. I’m just forced by the circumstances.” Yang Kai gave a meaningful grin.
“Fifth Sister…” by the side, Chai Hu stared blankly at Chi Yue before exclaiming in elation, “You can move?”
Chi Yue gawked, and only then did she move her body just like one would do after awakening from a dream. Standing up slowly, she gave a faint smile, “I’m not being controlled anymore!” Saying those words, she turned her head, restored her solemn expression and said in a stern voice, “Looks like you were not lying, so I’ll forgive you this time. If you dare to make me drink something like that again though…”
Halfway through her admonishment of Yang Kai, Chi Yue hastily covered her mouth, her face turning pale as though she had just recalled something extremely unpleasant.
However, she quickly turned her gaze to look at Chai Hu and said with a guilt-ridden expression, “I’ve caused harm for you, Fourth Brother.”
Chai Hu chuckled, “What are you talking about? We’re all one family, right? I believe that you all won’t sit back and watch if such a thing were to happen to me.”
Chi Yue nodded her head, gratitude surfacing on her face, before she shot a chilling gaze at the middle-aged man that was being suppressed by Ye Jing Han, “He actually dared to make me suffer like that! I want him dead!”
A blank look was present on the middle-aged man as stared blankly at Chi Yue, all while mumbling, “That’s impossible, that’s impossible. The Puppet Bug is already extinct. How can there be someone in this world who can remove it…”
He appeared to be unable to accept the fact that his secret had been dealt with so easily, causing a massive shock to his psyche, leaving him absent-minded for a period of time.
By the side, Yang Kai grinned, “You’re a few hundred years too young to play with insects before me! Hahaha!”
As he let off extremely hearty chuckles, quite a few people turned frowns to him, all of them thinking he had gone crazy.
As he laughed, Yang Kai extended his hand, before letting off a blast of energy. The energy turned into flames, which burned everything Chi Yue had vomited out into nothingness.
As that happened, the middle-aged man appeared to have suffered a serious injury, as his entire body suddenly shook violently, spurting blood from his mouth. In the next instant, his face turned deathly pale, while the strength of his aura shrank substantially.
Although the Puppet Bug had been expelled, it hadn’t died immediately. Therefore, the man was still unscathed from the removal process.
However, Yang Kai’s blast had not only destroyed the Puppet Bug, it had also caused a backlash to the middle-aged man due to his Divine Sense connection with the Puppet Bug, which naturally made him suffer such consequences.
The reason the Puppet Bug was not ranked high on the Exotic Insect List was due to the fact that its vitality was not as strong or as powerful as the other Exotic Insects, leaving it extremely vulnerable to being killed. This was not the case for Soul Devouring Insects, as it was an extremely difficult matter to completely kill them off.
If it was possible, Yang Kai wanted to keep that Puppet Bug within his Insect Enslavement Bracelet, as there might come a time where he could put it to use.
However, an Ancient Exotic Insect like the Puppet Bug was extremely rare, and it was impossible for another person to use it once someone had left an imprint on its body. Therefore, Yang Kai did not hesitate one bit when destroying it.
Seeing the miserable condition the middle-aged man was in, Chi Yue’s brow scrunched up slightly, though she did not show any intent to continue finding fault with him. Instead, she turned to shoot a cold glare at Luo Jin.
He was the main perpetrator of everything she had faced today. If not for Yang Kai’s miraculous appearance to save her from this ordeal, not only would she be incapable of escaping her earlier predicament, Chai Hu might have ended up in a horrible predicament.
Therefore, she naturally had a deep-seated hatred for a vile person like Luo Jin.
“Little Xue, there’s still time for you to come to this King’s side. If you do so, this King will guarantee to you that I’ll forget all this and let bygones be bygones for everything that happened earlier!” Luo Jin said in an indifferent tone towards Chi Yue.
“Little… Xue!” Yang Kai’s eyes snapped open as he was utterly dumbstruck by what he had just heard.
He thought back to the time on Monster Emperor Star, where Monster King Chi Yue was in control of the entire Star, with millions of Monster Races utterly loyal to her commands. Now, in the Star Boundary, she had actually been called ‘Little Xue’ by someone! If news of this happening were to be known by the few Monster Race overlords on Monster Emperor Star, who knows what kind of thoughts they would have.
Seeming to notice the minute changes to Yang Kai’s expression, Chi Yue gave him a fierce glare before snorting coldly, “Old dog! You imprisoned Big Brother and the others, forced me to marry you, and now you actually want me to go to your side! Are you still sleeping?”
Luo Jin’s expression immediately sunk down, as anger filled his face.
He knew that his face had dropped to rock bottom already. Originally, he had planned to redeem himself by seizing Chi Yue for himself. However, he did not expect her to reject him with such bluntness, causing anger to immediately burst out of him due to his embarrassment, while a murderous intent gushed out from his body.
“Big Brother and the others have really been imprisoned by this old dog?” Anger filled Chai Hu’s face as he roared out.
“Of course!” Chi Yue growled, as a glimmer of gloominess flashed across her face, “It’s all because of me falling for this old dog’s cheap words, causing Big Brother and the others to get captured by him.”
“Despicable! What a vile person!” Chai Hu cursed and spat fiercely at the ground. Although he was seriously injured, he still spat his mouthful of blood and saliva at Luo Jin. Nevertheless, the latter stood there without moving an inch, relying on a little extrusion of power to block the incoming blood and saliva, as his gaze grew exceedingly gloomy.
Yang Kai frowned, “Senior, the Big Brother you are talking about… who are you referring to?”
Although he had faintly guessed it in his heart, he did not dare to confirm it, resulting in him tossing this question out.
Chi Yue replied, “It’s your High Heaven Sect’s Supreme Elder, Gui Zu!”
“Eh?” Yang Kai’s eyebrows rose in elation, “So, Supreme Elder is here?”
“En. Not only is he here, but he’s also currently imprisoned in a certain place within this City Lord Mansion, which I’m not privy to,” Chi Yue gave a slight sigh.
“What about the others? Are they also here?” Yang Kai asked impatiently.
Chi Yue replied, “Union Master Gu and President Ai Ou are also here.”
Observing her expression, Yang Kai noticed something strange, causing him to feel slightly shocked and prompting him to continue his line of questioning, “What… about Senior Wu Dao?”
When they had set off from Shadowed Star, their group was six strong. Other than Yang Kai and Chi Yue, their group comprised the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President Ai Ou, Sword Union’s Union Master Gu Cang Yun, High Heaven Sect’s Supreme Elder Gui Zu, and the last one being the strongest person in the Star Field, Senior Wu Dao.
Other than Yang Kai, who was only a Second-Order Origin King back then, the rest were Third-Order Origin Kings, possessing the strongest combat power within the Star Field!
Relying on the Star Emperor Tokens left behind by Yang Yan, the six of them opened the Starlight Corridor, and after many trials and tribulations, they arrived at the Star Boundary, only to be met with an ambush within the corridor, leading to a chaotic fight which they lost.
Yang Kai had thought that the other five were very likely to be together. At this moment, after hearing Chi Yue mention Gui Zu, Ai Ou, and Gu Cang Yun, he immediately knew that his guess wasn’t wrong.
However, it was unavoidable for him to get a feeling of unease due to her exclusion of Wu Dao.
Indeed, after hearing Yang Kai’s question, Chi Yue’s expression turned gloomy, “Senior Wu Dao… has already passed away!”
“What?” Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically, somewhat unable to believe what he had just heard.
Wu Dao was universally recognised as the strongest person in the Origin King Realm in his native Star Field, a peak Third-Order Origin King, lacking only one step to enter the Dao Source Realm. The only thing stopping him was the insufficient World Principles within the Star Field, which led to his inability to promote his cultivation realm.
Even Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Supreme Elder, Long Tian Shang, was extremely respectful to Wu Dao.
Chi Yue and the others regarded him as the strongest Master among their ranks.
However, never in his wildest dreams did Yang Kai expect that Wu Dao would actually die! The person hailed as the strongest Master had actually passed away.
“How did Senior Wu Dao pass away?” Yang Kai’s expression turned cold as he turned to look at Luo Jin, “Was it due to him?”
Although he did not have much interaction with Wu Dao, they had gone through a life and death battle together after leaving the Star Field. Therefore, Yang Kai felt incomparably angry and pained upon hearing news of his passing.
There were only six of them that had left the Star Field to come here, yet one of them had passed away. This caused Yang Kai to feel sadness in his heart.
Chi Yue, however, shook her head, “This matter isn’t related to him. Senior Wu Dao… failed his breakthrough to the Dao Source Realm and passed away under the World Energy Baptism.”
Yang Kai turned absent-minded for a moment after hearing her reply, before finally giving a long sigh, “Such is fate!”
Originally, Yang Kai had assumed that with Wu Dao’s cultivation and background, it should not be a problem for him to break through to the Dao Source Realm after arriving in the Star Boundary. Although he was not a hundred percent confident, Yang Kai felt that it should be a guarantee that Wu Dao would have succeeded. However, from what he had heard from Chi Yue, the latter had actually passed away during his attempt to break through.
If not for receiving this news personally from Chi Yue, Yang Kai would absolutely not believe that this could happen.
That was because Chi Yue had already broken through to the Dao Source Realm. So, to him, it was unbelievable that Wu Dao had failed.
Fate was the only explanation for this, as that was something that could not be countered by the power of man.
“What about Gui Zu and the others?” Yang Kai asked again.
Chi Yue answered, “They were alright the last time we were together. Furthermore, all of them have already reached the Dao Source Realm, though I don’t know their current situation.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Right at this moment, Chai Hu, who had been listening by the side, suddenly interjected, “Little Brother, you actually recognize my Big Brother and my other Brothers?”
Hearing his question, Yang Kai laughed, “Your Big Brother is the Supreme Elder of my High Heaven Sect, and I am the Sect Master of the High Heaven Sect. Of course I know him.”
Chai Hu gawked and looked at Chi Yue, “Could he also be…”
Chi Yue nodded her head gently.
Chai Hu’s expression turned solemn and full of respect as he cupped his hands, “Forgive me for all the disrespect I’ve shown.”
Clearly, Chai Hu had known that Chi Yue and the others had come from a lower Star Field, and had now realised that Yang Kai had also come from there. Furthermore, he could not help but feel incomparable respect towards Yang Kai, who had actually been able to reach such a level of strength in such a short amount of time.
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t worry about it, Brother Chai.” After a slight pause, Yang Kai appeared to have thought about something once again, as he asked, “Ah, that’s right, Senior, where’s my Xiao Xiao?”
“Xiao Xiao?” Chi Yue wrinkled her brows, “Are you talking about that stone… didn’t he follow you?”
Yang Kai’s expression sank, “I’ve yet to find him.”
“We also haven’t encountered him. Since the day we were separated, the few of us have always been together. Even if we did separate occasionally, we always stuck close together. It took us only two days to gather together after we emerged from that place, after which we tried to find you, but we never did. Until now.”
“So, Xiao Xiao isn’t with all of you,” Yang Kai felt depressed and incomparably worried about him.
Although their cultivation realms weren’t high, Chi Yue and the others had lived for at least a thousand or so years. As such, they were flexible and capable of adapting to their circumstances, which naturally meant that it wasn’t a problem for them to survive after arriving in the Star Field. However, things were different for Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao’s sentience wasn’t high. Furthermore, he was a special kind of existence. If people were to run into him, it would be unavoidable for him to be captured by them in the name of research. Xiao Xiao’s safety had been weighing on Yang Kai’s mind the most over the past few years. Nevertheless, he was still unable to obtain any news of him after meeting up with Chi Yue.
Seeing his depressed mood, Chi Yue tried to console him, “There’s no need for you to be overly worried about him. Although Xiao Xiao is a little special, he would not die even if someone were to take him away. The only thing you can do is to continue searching. You’ll find him eventually.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I can only hope so.”
The two did not intentionally lower the volume for their conversation, resulting in the surrounding crowd being able to clearly hear what they were talking about.
Although they were not able to completely understand exactly what the two were talking about, they knew that these two had just been reunited after a long time, and had a very tight-knit relationship.
Luo Jin suddenly grinned, “Since you all are such close-knit friends, this King will send you all to meet them. How about that?”
Chi Yue burst into an angry roar, “Old dog, be tactful and release Big Brother and the others obediently, if not, I’ll raze your City Lord Mansion to the ground!”
Luo Jin replied, “You should restrain your anger, Little Yue. It’s highly improper for a lady like you to have such a fiery temper.”
Chi Yue sneered in response, “That would have to depend on what kind person I’m talking to. Being such a despicable and vile person, you dare to instruct me about how to behave appropriately?”
Luo Jin gave a cold snort, “This King can give you one chance to return obediently to this King’s side! Do so, and I won’t pursue anything that has happened today. If you still remain stubborn, don’t blame this King for being discourteous.”
Yang Kai burst into a hearty chuckle, “I really want to see how discourteous the City Lord can be. Could it be that you will be relying on the seventy subordinates that you’ve secretly arranged in the surroundings?”
“So, you’ve actually discovered them. Then, there’s nothing else for me to say. Begin!” With a loud roar, several dozen figures suddenly appeared from all directions, all of them possessing Dao Source Realm cultivations. These cultivators wore solemn expressions on their faces as their hands rapidly formed seals.
As they continued to form hand seals, the Source Qi within their bodies seemed to form a unique resonance with each other.
Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly as he mumbled in slight surprise, “A Formation?”
It only took a single look for him to realise that these people seemed to be preparing to use some kind of Spirit Array. Just like the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation, this Secret Technique also used the cultivators’ own bodies as a base for its formation.
Right as his words rang out, the recently appeared cultivators proceeded to take action in succession. They unleashed their power in pairs, taking only an instant to connect together to form a large net visible to the naked eye that covered Yang Kai and the others.
The large net was formed completely out of Source Qi. Nevertheless, it possessed an extremely powerful sealing capability. Once it enveloped its target, it would be capable of sealing an entire region.
Chai Hu and Chi Yue suddenly felt their shoulders sink down, causing them to feel as though they were being pressed down by large mountains. The circulation of Qi within their bodies turned sluggish, their meridians became blocked, and a stifling feeling filled their chests, making them gasp for air.
Compared to them, Yang Kai seemed to be in a slightly better condition, though his body had also shrunk in height slightly.
As the large net descended, it caught Yang Kai and the others off guard as it instantly trapped all of them within.
“Young Master Yang!” Ye Jing Han’s face drained of all colour as she shouted out in shock. Du Xian’s expression also turned ugly as thoughts started to whirl rapidly in his heart.
Today, he had aided Yang Kai in front of everyone’s eyes, and thus had gone against Luo Jin, which meant that he had completely entered into a confrontation against the City Lord’s Mansion. He had only done so for the sake of going along with Ye Jing Han’s wishes. If not, how could he have possibly taken such actions? He was starting to blame himself for being too impulsive upon seeing Yang Kai in a situation that was far from good now. If they were unable to escape from the City Lord’s Mansion today, the few of them might have to stay here forever.
Thinking this way, he clenched his teeth and sneakily transmitted a message to Ye Jing Han, “Ye’er, later, on my signal, we’ll rush out of here together.”
Hearing his words, Ye Jing Han shook her head, “We have to rescue Young Master Yang.”
Du Xian replied, “That’s impossible. Later, when Luo Jin finishes up with Young Master Yang, we will be the next ones on his list. It’ll be too late for us to leave by then.”
“If Young Master Yang is unable to escape from here, we will also definitely be unable to leave. If you wish to leave, the only choice will be to rescue Young Master Yang.”
Du Xian stared at her in stunned shock, “You have that much confidence in him? He’s only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator!”
Ye Jing Han gave a bitter laugh, “You will know in the future that some people will be able to achieve what others can’t despite their cultivation realm. Furthermore, Young Master Yang is related to the future rise or fall of our Thousand Leaves Sect, so we have to rescue him even if we die doing so.”
A myriad of expressions flashed across Du Xian’s face, as he went into a daze for a while. From what he could see, Ye Jing Han insisted on leaving with Yang Kai; however, how would he and the other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples save him in the face of so many Masters from the City Lord’s Mansion? Furthermore, Yang Kai and the others had already been surrounded, making it extremely difficult to rescue them.
“Hahahaha!” Seeing Yang Kai and the others being trapped by the Spirit Array, Luo Jin could not help but burst into a hearty chuckle, before saying with a look of contempt blanketing his face, “You young people don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Do you think that this King’s City Lord Mansion is a place you can act rashly and wantonly in without consequence?”
The faces of the surrounding guests turned pale, as they knew that Luo Jin was using this as an example of how he would deal with anyone who dared to follow Yang Kai’s footsteps. He had lost an immense amount of face today, so if he could not prevent Yang Kai and his group from leaving, he would really be unable to maintain his authority in Sky Crane City.
The secret command he had sent out earlier had finally come into effect at the most critical moment, causing Luo Jin’s heart to fill with glee and a glint of hatred to flash across his eyes as he stared firmly at Yang Kai. Thoughts of how to alleviate the hatred in his heart now filled his head.
Within the inner hall, the Spirit Array formed by the several dozen Dao Source Realm Masters instantly imprisoned Yang Kai, Chi Yue and Chai Hu.
Luo Jin chuckled heartily. Surveying his surroundings, he revealed a haughty look and shouted out, “Is there any friend out there willing to help this King kill off this boy? This King will be deeply grateful if there is!”
He did not have any intention of personally taking action; it wasn’t due to him being afraid of Yang Kai’s strength, but rather an attempt to regain some of his lost face and re-solidify his status as a figure of authority.
Indeed, right as his words rang out, a person immediately cupped his hands and volunteered, “White Cloud Tower’s Mu Zheng is willing to offer aid to the City Lord.”
Yet another person stood up and cupped his fists, “Heart Seeking Pavilion’s Guo Zhe Yuan is willing.”
A third person followed suit, “That boy is vile and despicable, he attempted to mislead the public with lies! I, Soul Devouring Sword Sect’s Yuan Mo, can’t put up with him any more, and am willing to take his head to serve as a warning!”
In an instant, eight people stood up, each representing a different force as they used this as a way to express their heartfelt support to Luo Jin.
Luo Jin’s pent-up frustrations finally gained some relief. With a smile, he nodded, “Good, then I shall trouble all of you.”
The few people replied together, “Please rest assured, Sir City Lord! We definitely won’t let Sir down.”
As they gave their replies, the few people turned around and smiled malevolently towards Yang Kai.
Although Yang Kai’s earlier performance was somewhat extraordinary, he was now being imprisoned by a Formation arranged by the City Lord Mansion’s guards, leaving him utterly incapable of moving. He stood there rigidly, just like a piece of meat on the chopping board, waiting for them to kill him in whatever method they chose to do so.
All of a sudden, the White Clouds Tower’s Mu Zheng gave a light smile, “Everyone, it wouldn’t be good if news of us bullying others through superior numbers were to be spread through the outside world. Furthermore, with so many guests present, it would be unfair even if we were to triumph over him in such a manner.”
Guo Zhe spoke out, “With what Brother Mu has just said, what are you suggesting we do?”
The other people looked curiously at him, not knowing what he had in mind.
With a faint smile, Mu Zheng continued, “This Mu’s intent is to have just one person to take action, while the other friends just stand by the side in support. How about that?”
Hearing his reply, everyone smiled. After understanding what he was implying, everyone immediately nodded their heads in agreement, “Brother Mu’s words are reasonable.”
Mu Zheng added, “So… who would be the one to take action?”
The Soul Devouring Sword Sect’s Yuan Mo came forward, “Since Brother Mu is the one who raised this arrangement, it would be best for Brother Mu to take action.”
The others did not show objections in light of this suggestion, as they had already expressed their support to City Lord Luo. Being the one to kill Yang Kai off was no longer something of importance, since he would die no matter who took action.
Mu Zhen revealed an eager look and smiled, “Since everyone agrees, this Mu will not shrink back from his responsibilities.”
As he said those words, the corners of his mouth curled up as he floated his gaze towards Yang Kai. With a look as though he was about to devour Yang Kai, he proceeded to move at a leisurely pace towards him.
“Yang Kai!” Chi Yue could not help but turn anxious as she desperately tried to circulate the Source Qi in her body. Nevertheless, regardless of what she did, she was unable to break out of the fetters that bound her, causing her anxious face to turn pale as she warned, “You should hurry up and leave if you can. Don’t worry about me. There will always be hope if you live.”
Chai Hu also chimed in, “That’s right, Little Brother. Just remember to take revenge for us.”
“Hahaha! Do you think you can leave in your current state?” Mu Zheng let out a mocking laugh as he looked towards Chi Yue, “Rest assured, Madam. This one’s actions are always on point, so you won’t suffer any injuries.”
At this moment in time, he still did not forget to express his goodwill towards Luo Jin.
Standing close by, Luo Jin nodded his head in satisfaction upon hearing those words.
“Do you think you can kill me with the ability you possess?” Standing at his original position, Yang Kai remained as calm as he was earlier, grinning at Mu Zheng, who was taking step after step towards him.
The grin reflected in Mu Zheng’s eyes caused his heart to jump in shock, while a feeling of unease started to rise from within, causing him to feel rather flustered. Clenching his teeth though, he tried to put up a strong front and roared, “You’re still acting rambunctiously before your impending death huh!? Look clearly at how I reap your life!”
As he roared out, he summoned a large sword into his hand and poured his Source Qi into it, causing a brilliant Blade Qi to appear. After-images of the blade appeared as it slashed down towards Yang Kai’s head.
Clearly, he did not want to drag this on and planned to wrap this matter up quickly. Therefore, he had unleashed his strike with his full strength.
His strike instantly encompassed Yang Kai and Chai Hu, but avoided Chi Yue. Obviously, he had taken Luo Jin’s wish into consideration, leaving behind the Madam while killing off the irrelevant two.
Seeing the incoming blade, a chilling glint flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes as he said in a cold voice, “How dare a trivial First-Order Dao Source Realm show such impudence before this Young Master!”
As words rang out, his body flickered before disappearing from everyone’s sight, as though he was utterly unaffected by the binding power of the Formation around him. Space Principles fluctuated without restraint, as Yang Kai leapt across space to appear right before Mu Zheng. Using his finger like a sword, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi surrounded his hand as he stabbed it forwards.
“Ah!” Mu Zheng cried out in shock, his face immediately draining of all colour, utterly incapable of believing what he just saw with his eyes.
After seeing Yang Kai’s ferocious performance earlier, how could he, with his mere First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, dare to take the initiative to smack the tiger’s butt if Yang Kai hadn’t been imprisoned within the Formation?
However, the sudden change in situation, with Yang Kai unexpectedly being able to extricate himself from the Spirit Array, had instantly scared the life out of Mu Zheng. Shivers racked his entire being as the might behind his all-out attack completely vanished.
As the Blade Qi and Sword Qi smashed into each other, a flurry of metallic clangs rang out, and in the next moment, appearing to have suffered a serious blow, Mu Zheng was sent flying back, travelling in the air as he coughed up blood.
Yang Kai roared out in a stern voice, “Since you all don’t know to write the worth ‘Death’ is written, this Young Master will give you all a lesson!”
As he said those words, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi gushed out from his hand. Travelling forward like a roaring dragon, rushing straight towards Mu Zheng before unleashing havoc on his body.
Mu Zheng’s miserable shrieks rang out across the hall, causing people’s blood to run cold, though they were clueless as to exactly what kind of torture he was suffering that led to such miserable howls.
Not a single one of the surrounding guests said anything out of fear.
Even Ye Jing Han, who was prepared to sacrifice everything to save Yang Kai, was dumbfounded by what she was seeing. Although she knew Yang Kai was extraordinary, she did not expect him to be at this level.
The Formation the City Lord had secretly arranged was unexpectedly unable to do anything to him.
However, thinking about Yang Kai’s mastery of Space Principles, Ye Jing Han found an answer to her question. Despite not being invincible, with the ability to freely traverse space at his disposal, it obviously would be no problem for Yang Kai to flee from this place. Only if an Emperor Realm Master were to personally take action to forcefully suppress him, preventing him from being able to use his mastery of Space Principles, would Yang Kai be truly trapped.
After a short moment, Mu Zheng smashed heavily against the wall, vomiting yet another mouthful of blood that was mixed with crushed organ parts, while his body remained still, not a single trace of aura radiating from him.
He had died.
Right at this moment, Yang Kai suddenly snapped his fingers.
With a splat, Mu Zheng’s body exploded, his corpse turning into a cloud of blood mist. However, for some mysterious reason, the mist did not dissipate. On the contrary, it was plastered to the wall by some inexplicable force, dyeing the wall with a blood-red shade, as though someone had lathered blood-red paint on it.
The strong smell of blood gushed out, making people feel nauseous.
*Sii…*
Gasps sounded along with heavy gulps as everyone’s eyes bulged, staring at Yang Kai in utter disbelief.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye, causing people to turn dizzy by the unexpected series of events. Before people could snap back to their senses, Mu Zheng, who had put up an imposing front in preparation to kill Yang Kai, had already been killed.
How strong would one need to be to be capable of accomplishing such a feat?
“Come, come, come!” Yang Kai shouted out as loudly as he could, pointing towards the blood-smeared wall, “For those who are illiterate, take a clear look at this to see exactly how the word ‘death’ is written!” He continued with a cold sneer, “Don’t say that this Young Master didn’t teach you, if not, it will be meaningless if you die with unfinished business.”
The crowd proceeded to look towards the direction he had pointed to, which immediately caused their legs to cramp up.
Present on the blood-smeared wall was a large ‘death’ character, written in bright red. Blood continued to drip from the wall, causing clear sounds to ring out when it hit the ground. Every time a single drop landed on the ground, it struck fear and terror in people’s hearts. Furthermore, there were countless bits of flesh also present within the strokes of this character.
Thinking back to Yang Kai’s earlier actions, everyone was terrified in the realisation that he had actually used his finger as a pen and Mu Zheng’s body as the ink to write the word on the wall.
This was a universal provocation, as well as an ample indication of his might.
Yet, there was no one that dared to stand up and speak out.
Luo Jin’s expression turned exceedingly ugly. Originally, he had hoped to be able to remove Yang Kai through other people’s hands, to use this matter as a deterrence to the guests that were present here, and to redeem some of his lost face. However, he never imagined that his attempt would backfire like this, causing his face to scrunch up so much that it started to cramp.
“Just now, there was someone who said that I was vile, despicable, and trying to delude the public with lies!” With a flicker, Yang Kai suddenly appeared right by the side of the Soul Devouring Sword Sect’s Yuan Mo. Swinging his arm around the latter’s neck as though they were long lost friends, Yang Kai sent a deep grin towards him.
Yuan Mo did not respond at all towards Yang Kai’s actions, as he was still caught in the shock of witnessing the death of Mu Zheng. When he returned to his senses and thought about escaping, it was already too late. Yang Kai was already right next to him.
On the contrary, the other people around him were frightened by this walking disaster appearing beside them. All of them proceeded to retreat, while sending looks of extreme dread as they looked at Yang Kai, terrified that he might choose them as his next target.
With Yang Kai’s earlier performance, they would definitely be incapable of resisting if he really decided to kill them.
All of their hearts were filled to the brim with terror, dread, and regret that they had chosen a side too early, leading to all of the trouble they were about to face.
Tremors racked Yuan Mo’s entire being as his legs shook uncontrollably. All colour drained from his face as he stammered, “Young Master Yang… this one had spoken irresponsibly earlier and offended Young Master Yang. Young Master Yang… please be magnanimous and don’t find fault with this one.”
“Spoken irresponsibly?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “This Young Master will give you the time to properly think it over. Tell me, exactly who is vile, despicable, and has deceived the public with lies?”
Yuan Mo trembled violently as he lowered his head, not daring to raise it as he replied in a trembling voice, “It’s me, it was me! It was all me! I’m the vile and despicable one who deceived everyone with lies!”
“Hm?” Yang Kai snorted coldly and said in an emotionless voice, “Looks like you still don’t know how the word ‘death’ is written! Do you want me to teach you one more time?”
Yuan Mo felt like bursting into tears. In an instant, he knelt down on the ground and sobbed, “It is Sir City Lord that’s vile, despicable, and deceived the masses with his lies! He lied to us! Please spare my life, Young Master Yang! Please spare my life, Young Master Yang!”
Despite knowing that he would offend Luo Jin by saying this in public, how could he care about that when his life or death would be decided at this very moment?
“A promising young lad!” Yang Kai let out a hearty chuckle and patted Yuan Mo on the head a few times.
However, Yuan Mo thought that Yang Kai was about to take lethal action against him, and was so frightened that his entire body shook, his eyeballs flipping as he fainted.
“Waste!” Luo Jin cursed out between his clenched teeth.
Yang Kai turned around to look at the few others, his eyes gleaming with a chilling glow.
Before he could say anything, they started to blurt out, “Young Master Yang, this one already knows how to write the word ‘death’!”
“It’s this one’s extreme honor to be able to witness Young Master Yang’s calligraphy.”
“Young Master Yang is a true genius! Being able to use blood as a substitute for ink to write such a wonderful character! You have my utmost respect!”
These few people gave their all in their attempts at flattery. Although they tossed various kinds of praises from their mouths, the smiles present on their face were uglier than if they were crying. Clearly, extreme fear had overtaken their hearts, all of them terrified that Yang Kai would kill them off from any displeasure he felt.
The surrounding guests shot looks of contempt at these people, their hearts hurting from the shamelessness shown by them.
However, thinking about it, would they have put up a better reaction when faced with such a situation? When a knife was placed at their neck, neither shame nor loyalty mattered, as the most important thing was to continue living! Considering all these factors, many people proceeded to sigh, as they knew that those few people weren’t cowardly, but just faced with a dire circumstance.
“Since you all know how to write the word death, then hurry up and scram! Don’t continue staying here, fouling this Young Master’s eyes!” Yang Kai retracted his smile and gave an impatient shout.
Like eunuchs that had just been granted pardon, the few men ran back into the crowd, no longer daring to reveal themselves.
Only after this happened did Yang Kai turn around and sneer coldly towards Luo Jin, “Hand them over, if not, you’ll know the consequences!”
Remaining unmoved, Luo Jin replied with a cold snort, “Is that how your family’s Elders taught you to treat your Seniors?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve always respected the old and cherished the young. However, you, Sir City Lord, can’t appreciate kindness, so don’t blame me for beating you till your mother can’t recognise you.”
As he said those words, he started walking towards Luo Jin at a steady pace. Clearly, he did not wish to drag this matter out and wanted to end this fight quickly and decisively.
Luo Jin could not help but let a sliver of anxiety flash across his face. Although his cultivation was a Minor Realm higher than Yang Kai’s, Yang Kai’s earlier display made him realize that this youth was not someone he could easily offend. Seeing him continue to move closer, Luo Jin immediately looked towards a certain location, “Sir Ke, please assist me! This Luo will be grateful for your help!”
He knew that it was already totally meaningless to call those in the First or Second-Order Dao Source Realms for aid. Therefore, he immediately requested help from a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master that he knew and had a close relationship with. In this current situation, only a Third-Order Source Realm Master would be able to suppress Yang Kai.
As Luo Jin said those words, an old man proceeded to step out from the crowd. The old man had a beard full of white hair, a restrained aura, an exceedingly bright gaze, and a rosy expression, giving off the impression of a wise sage.
With a faint smile, he gave a nod, “Since Sir Luo has invited me, this Old Master will naturally comply.”
A sliver of delight flashed across Luo Jin’s eyes as he nodded, “Many thanks!”
At this point, Yang Kai came to a stop, raised his head to look at the old man, and grinned, “Old man, you want to interfere in this matter?”
With a smile, the old man surnamed Ke replied, “Parties in conflict should resolve the problem through talk instead of inflaming tensions. If Little Brother is okay with it, how about everyone sit down and have a nice conversation? This old man’s bones are already creaking and can’t be compared to you youngsters. If possible, this Old Master doesn’t wish to take action against you, Little Brother.”
“Very good!” Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Then how about you sit down and watch from the side, drinking some wine and eating some food?”
The old man shook his head, “I’m afraid that isn’t possible. Since Sir Luo has spoken, this Old Master can’t sit by the side and watch.”
Yang Kai sighed, “It’s not easy to live up to your age, old man. The king of hell is still unwilling to receive you, so why do you insist on knocking on his door?”
The old man narrowed his eyes, “Youngsters are indeed full of vitality and are always very arrogant in their speech. If this Old Master’s guess is right, this Little Brother should be the rumoured Grandmaster Yang that recently refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, yes?”
It wasn’t strange that the old man surnamed Ke was able to guess the identity of Yang Kai, as Yang Kai’s name had already spread widely across the entire Southern Territory. Earlier, he had revealed his name in front of everyone, causing suspicion to rise in quite a few people. Coupled with his sudden use of Space Principles to escape from the bindings of the City Lord’s Formation, this old man was naturally able to confirm Yang Kai’s identity.
The old man wasn’t the only one who had guessed Yang Kai’s origins; it was just that others did not say it out loud.
On the contrary, a few cultivators who did not know about it exclaimed in astonishment upon hearing this, their eyes filling with shock and fiery greed as they looked at Yang Kai.
The Extraordinary Treasure Pill wasn’t widely known to the public; however, after news of what happened in the Four Seasons Realm started to spread, this pill’s efficacy was already known by everyone. It was a long-lost divine Spirit Pill that was able to aid people in reaching the Emperor Realm! Other than the few pills that Yang Kai had refined previously, it was utterly impossible for it to appear anywhere else.
“What? He’s the one who had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill?” Luo Jin’s face changed slightly as he gasped in astonishment.
The old man replied, “They have the same name, same cultivation, and are both proficient in the Alchemic Dao. Other than that Grandmaster, this Old Master can’t think of anyone with such capabilities.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “There’s no need to mention my trivial name!”
“You really are him!” Luo Jin’s eyes suddenly erupted with dazzling brilliance, as he suddenly started to burn with enthusiasm, as though Yang Kai had turned into a delicious piece of meat before his very eyes.
The old man added, “This Old Master is well aware of the reputation of Grandmaster Yang, and I have the utmost admiration for you. Furthermore, today is the day the City Lord is hosting his wedding ceremony, so it really is not appropriate for me to take any action. Grandmaster Yang, would you be so kind as to give this Old Master some face and leave this matter as it is?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “Give you face? Then who will give me face? If the City Lord insisted on forcefully marrying your mother-in-law, what would you do?”
The old man retracted his smile and said with a mildly angry tone, “This Old Master is already old in years, and my mother-in-law has already returned to Earth. Your tongue shouldn’t be so vicious, Little Brother.”
“Sorry!” Yang Kai gave an apologetic look, as though he acknowledged his mistake with sincerity, before continuing, “Then, what if the City Lord wanted to marry your wife?”
The tremor shook through the old man’s entire body as his aura surged, accompanied by a furious roar, “Impudence!”
Yang Kai sneered in response, “He didn’t even want to marry your wife, and yet just the talk about it has left you with such anger to the point that you look like you’re about to kill someone. With him trying to do such a despicable thing to my mother-in-law, do you think I’ll let him off leniently?”
Luo Jin interjected with an angry voice, “Sir Ke, there’s no need to listen to his nonsense! Let’s take action together to take him!”
The old man replied, “Good!”
Exchanging glances, the two men were no longer willing to listen to any of the nonsense Yang Kai was spouting. Luo Jin summoned his Jade Sceptre artifact once again, and with the flip of his wrist, the old man summoned a token-like artifact. This token was the size of his palm; however, lightning arcs were dancing across its surface, causing everyone to feel a sense of danger upon seeing it.
“Be careful, Young Master Yang. Ke Tian is the Great Elder of Sky Peak Temple! That Sky Thunder Command seals Nine Heavens Divine Thunder within it! You must not face it head-on!” Ye Jing Han shouted a word of caution from the side.
Hearing her words, Ke Tian shot a furious gaze at Ye Jing Han and shouted, “Shut your mouth little girl! If not, this Old Master will make you!”
Hearing his threat, Ye Jing Han replied in a contemptuous tone, “Bullying others using superior numbers, oppressing the weak with superior cultivation. So, Great Elder Ke is such a vile and despicable man. It’s absurd that I used to hold you with high regard. I was truly blind!”
Ke Tian’s entire being tingled with discomfort after being stung by her words, causing him to become angry out of shame, “What the hell do you know!? Scram!”
After saying those words, he proceeded to collaborate with Luo Jin. An abundance of a mysterious power surged from Luo Jin’s jade sceptre as he gave a slight wave at Yang Kai. Immediately, Yang Kai felt as though he had been smashed by a giant mountain, the ferocious power appearing to crush the void as it came pressing down on him.
Not daring to resist head-on, Yang Kai had no choice but to shift his body to evade. However, it was right at this moment when Ke Tian took action. Holding up the Sky Thunder Command, a huge bolt of lightning surged out of it. Transforming into snakes of lightning, they enveloped Yang Kai, sending crackling sounds as they did so.
“Exile!” Right at the critical moment, Yang Kai let off a powerful roar. Extending his hand forward, he grasped the Void and caused a black hole to form mid-air. Chaotic power churned from this black hole, devouring all of the lightning that surged out from the Sky Thunder Command, leaving them unable to hurt him at all.
“What!?” Ke Tian cried out in shock. Sensing the waning power of his Sky Thunder Command, he hastily retrieved it, not daring to release the lightning anymore. The lightning contained within the Sky Thunder Command had been collected by him over many years and was actually a consumable resource. If he consumed all of it, he would need to spend time replenishing it. With the large amount of lightning being devoured by the void just now, the might of his Sky Thunder Command had weakened significantly, something that naturally caused incomparable pain in his heart.
This exchange had only lasted a blink of the eye, yet it had shaken the whole inner hall, causing it to teeter on the verge of collapse.
All of the surrounding cultivators fled in shock, terror filling their hearts.
Although Ke Tian’s attack had failed, Luo Jin used his jade sceptre to tap a few times against the void.
Waves of invisible power rushed towards Yang Kai. Floating in the air, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, as a chilling feeling gushed out from his heart. With a snap of his fingers, a few Moon Blades came slicing out.
The jet-black Moon Blades brought along an invincible might, scaring Luo Jin. Nevertheless, with a few bangs, they collided against the incoming invisible attacks launched by the jade sceptre, before mutually cancelling each other out.
“Formless Thunder, Invisible Thunder!” With an explosive roar, lightning arcs surfaced and danced furiously across Ke Tian’s body. Travelling across his body, they transformed into a lasso of lightning before wrapping around Yang Kai in an attempt to bind him.
Yang Kai flickered about evasively once again; however, right at the critical moment, a sly smile surfaced on Luo Jin’s face as he tapped his jade sceptre heavily against the air.
In the next instant, Yang Kai’s body suddenly sunk down, as he felt as though a giant mountain was pressing down on him, to the point of him seemingly becoming incapable of straightening up his body.
With that split second of immobilization, the lasso of lightning wrapped around and bound Yang Kai tightly. Crackling sounds rang out, accompanied by the smell of burnt flesh.
With a hearty chuckle, Luo Jin shouted, “You youngsters don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! You all need to suffer some losses before being able to see your strength clearly.”
With a look of victory on his face, his words brimmed with incomparable haughtiness.
Ke Tian wiped away the sweat covering his forehead as he silently felt shocked by Yang Kai’s strength.
Both he and Luo Jin’s cultivation were a Minor Realm higher than Yang Kai’s, so taking a few dozen breaths to capture Yang Kai was already something inconceivable.
It should have been utterly impossible for a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Junior to last more than three moves against them.
“Grandmaster Yang, the outcome of this fight has been determined. This Old Master hopes that you will not struggle obstinately, otherwise, you will really get hurt.” Ke Tian wore a solemn face as he looked at Yang Kai.
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “What’s wrong? Are you trying to proclaim your chastity after being a whore?”
Ke Tian’s face sank, “This Old Master is just giving you a kind reminder.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Since that’s the case, I also have something for you, Sir.”
“What?” Ke Tian asked with a slight frown.
Yang Kai’s gaze turned cold as he quickly said, “If you really are tactful, you would hurry up and withdraw. If not, I’m afraid that you, Sir, might not be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour!”
Ke Tian’s heart jumped upon hearing his words, while Luo Jin felt some unease surging through his heart, before quickly turning quietly to shoot a look towards a certain location within the crowd.
In the next instant, a burst of Sword Qi erupted from within the crowd, as the Sky Illumination Palace’s Qiu Yu came lunging out, sword in his hand as he flew like a bolt towards Yang Kai. This sword seemed to shatter through space and it was clear that Qiu Yu had used his full strength to unleash it.
As everyone’s attention had been focused on the earlier fight, not a single one of them had expected Qiu Yu to take action at this very moment. By the time they had noticed the sword glow, they suddenly realised that Qiu Yu had clearly been colluding with Luo Jin from the beginning.
Although Qiu Yu’s cultivation was only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, his sneak attack was decisive and as quick as a thunderbolt, taking only a split second to appear before Yang Kai in an imposing fashion.
However, Yang Kai did not show any shock at all. On the contrary, he simply smirked, “Finally unable to resist taking action, huh?”
“What?” Qiu Yu’s expression changed drastically upon hearing those words. He raised his head to take a look, only to see Yang Kai shooting a look brimming with contempt back at him, as though he had long expected this to happen.
“Not good!” Qiu Yu’s face turned pale with fright. A tremor shook through his sword as he attempted to pull back; however, would he be able to do so in such an abrupt fashion?
Cracking sounds proceeded to ring out, as a five-coloured light suddenly blossomed from Yang Kai’s body. As this happened, his body appeared to swell, while an aura that far exceeded that of Second-Order Dao Source Realm started to radiate out.
*Kacha…*
In an instant, the lasso of lightning binding Yang Kai snapped. Ke Tian’s body shook as he looked dumbly before him, while subconsciously retreating a few steps.
“Be careful, Young Master Qiu!” Luo Jin shouted.
Qiu Yu instantly felt coldness grip his heart as he looked on helplessly as Yang Kai made a fist and sent it rumbling towards him.
Faced with such immense danger, he turned his long sword and waved it, unleashing a sword glow that shielded his body in the hopes of being able to extricate himself from the danger.
Smashing into the incoming fist, a loud bang resounded.
The surrounding space shook slightly, while the dazzling sword glow shattered apart instantly under the might of the fist, which continued to travel at its original speed towards Qiu Yu’s body.
“Outrageous!” A powerful roar rang out, as the two old Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters that were by Qiu Yu’s side took action. One of them extended his fingers and pointed towards Yang Kai, while the other lunged towards Qiu Yu in an attempt to save him.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not retreat. Disregarding the might behind the finger, his fist continued forward unimpeded.
A loud bang rang out, as chaotic energy erupted madly in all directions.
This was followed by a muffled groan and the sounds of bones snapping, as Qiu Yu was flung away like a ragdoll.
Despite being promptly saved by one of the old men following by his side, Yang Kai’s fist had still caused him serious injuries as countless jets of blood spurted out from his body as he flew through the air, the aura radiating from his body declining drastically.
In that instant, Qiu Yu could not help but think back to the words Yang Kai had said to him earlier.
“Brother Qiu, I see that the spot between your brows has turned dark, your pupils look distracted, your lip and tongue look charred, your spirit scattering, and darkness covering your face. I’m afraid that you’re about to face impending death.”
Incomparable grief and indignation filled Qiu Yu’s heart as he thought to himself that the impending death he was about to face was all due to this fellow.
Before he could think about anything else, his head tilted to the side as he fell unconscious, his life or death unknown.
“Young Master!” The expression of the old man who had caught Qiu Yu changed drastically before turning a deathly pale shade.
The other old man looked over absentmindedly, taking a very long time before he snapped back to his senses. Earlier, when Qiu Yu had taken action, they were secretly coordinating from the back; however, never in their wildest dreams did they expect Qiu Yu to get injured by Yang Kai like this. Not only was this a massive loss of face for them, they would also be incapable of explaining this matter to the Palace Master once they returned to the Sky Illumination Palace.
Before this old man could recover from his shock, Yang Kai suddenly appeared by his side. Brandishing the Myriad Sword, Sword Qi surging forth from him.
“Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf.”
*Chi chi chi chi…*
The sounds of something breaking through the air rang out incessantly.
Endless beams of Sword Qi flowed forth with maddened fury.
“Emperor Artifact!” The old man’s eyes shrank as a sliver of shock flashed across the depths of his eyes. After being exposed to the Emperor Intent gushing out freely from the Myriad Sword, his entire being started to tremble.
Under the terrifying Emperor Intent, over thirty percent of his cultivation was suppressed. Coupled with Yang Kai’s sneak attack, how could he escape?
With danger looming right before his eyes, the old man had no choice but to unleash all of the Source Qi around his body to defend himself while retreating with all his might.
*Pu pu pu…*
A bloody glow blossomed, its radiance piercing through the void, as the old man’s body appeared just like a lonely little boat in the middle of a stormy sea, teetering on the brink of collapse.
*Hong long long…*
A massive rumble erupted, as the entire inner hall crumbled apart, throwing dust and debris in all directions, curses being strewn by the various guests as they fled from within.
By the time the dust had settled, everyone could not help but draw in a mouthful of cold air as they laid their eyes on the inner hall.
Standing at his original position was Yang Kai, completely safe and sound, with the gigantic Myriad Sword held in his hand, Sword Qi swirling around it. He cut an imposing figure with his appearance, a cold and callous expression on his face.
Not far away from him was the old man from the Sky Illumination Palace, with his entire body drenched in blood as he stood there, gasping for air as he struggled to remain standing. Clearly, he had suffered substantial injuries, while an extremely ugly look hung on his face.
The other Sky Illumination Palace Master was protecting the seriously injured Qiu Yu. Although he was unharmed, he did not dare to recklessly unleash an attack against Yang Kai.
If he did take action, there would be no one left to protect Qiu Yu. With Yang Kai’s phenomenal speed, he could reap Qiu Yu’s life anytime he wished if the latter was left unprotected.
All of the guests were overwhelmed with shock, utterly incapable of believing what they were seeing as they stared at Yang Kai, who stood tall like a mountain, bearing down on them with immense pressure.
In this short conflict, Yang Kai had been attacked from all directions by as many as four Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters; however, not only was he totally unharmed, he had even managed to deal a severe blow to one of them.
How many people out there were able to achieve such a feat?
The corners of Du Xian’s mouth twitched as he whispered towards Ye Qing Han, “Young Master Yang… is he really only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm? Is he not some Emperor Realm Senior that’s disguising himself to toy with his prey?”
His words seem to represent the feelings present in everyone’s hearts, as there were no Dao Source Realm cultivators out there who could achieve such a result with their own strength. Therefore, it was unavoidable for people to question if Yang Kai was concealing his true cultivation.
With a bitter laugh, Ye Jing Han replied, “He entered the Four Seasons Realm recently. At that time, he was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm. Within such a short period of time, how could it be possible for him to reach the Emperor Realm?”
Her words made sense to Du Xian. All of the cultivators that entered the Four Seasons Realms would need to undergo the detailed inspection conducted by the Masters from the various top Sects. If Yang Kai was really concealing his cultivation, it would have been utterly impossible for him to escape the keen senses of those Masters.
Considering this, Du Xian felt even more shocked. He discovered that when he compared himself to Yang Kai, he felt like an utter joke, causing an extremely complicated feeling to fill his heart.
“Sir Yang, our Sky Illumination Palace will remember this debt, and will make sure to return it back in the future,” the old man holding Qiu Yu glared hatefully at Yang Kai as he growled out between his clenched teeth.
Looking back at him, Yang Kai sneered, “You were the ones who launched a sneak attack on me, yet now you have the nerve to try to flip our positions around? Are all of you nothing but whipped dogs?”
The old man was placed in an exceedingly uncomfortable spot from Yang Kai’s rebuttal, yet he did not dare to argue back, causing his face to flush with embarrassment and anger. Left with no choice, he could only clench his teeth and snap at the other old man, “Let’s go!”
As those words left his mouth, the two men carried the unconscious Qiu Yu and fled.
The sealing barrier that surrounded the City Lord’s Mansion was smashed apart by the earlier fight, allowing the two to effortlessly leave this place, disappearing without a trace in a blink of an eye. From the looks of it, they were in a rush to head back to Sky Illumination Palace to give Qiu Yu treatment.
Seeing them leave with such haste, Luo Jin’s expression turned ugly.
Although he had opened his mouth to invite Ke Tian to assist him, he had already secretly contacted the people from Sky Illumination Palace long before and came to an agreement with them to unleash a sneak attack. Originally, with the collaboration of four Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters, it should have been impossible for Yang Kai to flip the situation around, no matter how strong he was.
Who could have known that the unexpected circumstances that Qiu Yu had ended up in would lead to the two powerhouses from Sky Illumination Palace leaving the fight?
In an instant, the situation had reverted to him and Ke Tian against Yang Kai. Beads of cold sweat covered Luo Jin’s forehead as he felt immense pressure.
As Sky Illumination Palace’s members were leaving, Yang Kai did not take action to obstruct them, as he knew the consequences of cornering an injured opponent. At this moment, the most important thing was to let Luo Jin release Gui Zu and the others, so he did not have the heart to care for other people.
After the two Elders from Sky Illumination Palace left, Yang Kai turned his head to look at Ke Tian and said with a grin, “Old dog, are you still planning on continuing? Do you believe this Young Master won’t split you in two?”
Anger filled Ke Tian’s expression.
If anyone dared to say such words to him, he would definitely not take it lying down, and would absolutely teach that person a good lesson; however, the person who said those words was Yang Kai, which left him with no confidence to unleash his anger.
Even his Sky Thunder Command was unable to deal with Yang Kai, leaving Ke Tian with absolutely no way to triumph in battle.
As his expression fluctuated, Luo Jin hastily interjected, “Don’t listen to his threats, Sir Ke! With you and me joining hands, he will die without a doubt!”
Hearing his words, Yang Kai let out a sneer, “If that’s the case, why is this Young Master still standing here, completely unharmed? Have your eyes gone blind, City Lord Luo? You didn’t even evaluate the situation before speaking.”
Ignoring Yang Kai’s words, Luo Jin continued to persuade Ke Tian, “Sir Ke, if we’re able to kill him today, this Luo will offer five years of my Sky Crane City’s revenue to your noble Sect!”
Right now, he couldn’t care about his face at all and proceeded to strike a deal with Ke Tian before the countless guests.
Indeed Ke Tian was moved by the offer. With how Sky Crane City was flourishing, five years worth of revenue was absolutely not a small sum. However, with a cursory glance that showed Yang Kai looking at him with an ambiguous smile, drums started to beat yet again in his heart.
Seeing this, Luo Jin clenched his teeth, “Sir Ke, don’t tell me that a mere brat is causing you to be frozen in fear. If that’s the case, Sir Ke’s Martial Dao will stop here, with no hope of ever reaching a greater realm.”
Ke Tian’s expression shook as he heard those words, knowing what Luo Jin said was right. If he continued to hesitate, today’s matter would definitely become a Heart Demon for him, interfering with his cultivation, as well as removing any hope for him to break through to the Emperor Realm. If he didn’t manage this well, it might even cause a cultivation dissonance to occur whenever he thought back to this day.
Thinking to this point, Ke Tian’s expression turned resolute before growling through his clenched teeth, “Good! This Ke will risk his life to accompany you! Let’s give this youngster a proper lesson on how to show respect.”
Luo Jin grew excited upon seeing Ke Tian agreeing to his deal, “With Sir Ke’s help, this Luo can feel assured.”
Yang Kai sneered, “I really don’t know where you two are getting your confidence from. Since there was a path to Heaven but you two refused to take it and stubbornly chose to knock on the gates of Hell, this Young Master will grant you two your wishes!”
As his words rang out, Yang Kai flickered as he shot straight towards Ke Tian.
Ke Tian’s expression changed drastically. Appearing to not have considered how fast Yang Kai’s speed was, he hastily pulled back in retreat.
Showing no intention to stop him, Yang Kai proceeded to shoot him a cold glare, “Look into my eyes!”
Hearing his words, Ke Tian subconsciously looked towards Yang Kai’s eyes.
However, he quickly realized that he had fallen into Yang Kai’s trap. The instant he looked over, Yang Kai’s left eye suddenly erupted in a sparkling golden glow, and a vertical pupil brimming with awe imposing might appeared, sending chills through his entire being.
He attempted to avert the incoming gaze but found himself utterly incapable of doing so. The mysterious power erupting from that golden pupil had locked up his own gaze, leaving him no choice but to stare right into it. Not only that, he could even feel his Soul trembling, while his Knowledge Sea churned.
“Blossoming Lotus!” With a cold snort, a pure white lotus bud flashed out from within Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation.
As though he was struck by lightning, intense trembling instantly racked through Ke Tian’s body. Clutching his head while letting out miserable cries as if he was experiencing some kind of tremendous torture.
The surrounding guests turned silent in fear, the gazes they sent towards Yang Kai brimming with dread and terror.
Being utterly confused as to what had happened, the only thing they saw was Yang Kai and Ke Tian exchanging glances, before Ke Tian ended up in his current situation.
However, in that instant, Luo Jin had sensed a concealed burst of Spiritual Energy and immediately realized that Yang Kai had used some kind of Soul-type Secret Technique, he shouted out in panic, “Sir Ke, protect your mind!”
As he shouted, the jade sceptre in his hand instantly grew large, before smashing down on Yang Kai like a gigantic boulder.
Yang Kai couldn’t help sneering in response as he grabbed Ke Tian, who was still struggling in pain against the Blossom Lotus Secret Technique, and tossed him straight over.
“Ah!” Luo Jin’s expression changed drastically as he immediately proceeded to form hands seals in an attempt to pull his artifact back. Unfortunately, with him unleashing the strike at full power, how could he recall it in an instant? This left him with no choice but to watch as Ke Tian faced the full brunt of his own artifact’s attack.
*Honglong…*
As the bang rang out, Ke Tian turned into a clump of blood mist, not a single bone or piece of flesh remaining. The blood and bits of flesh shot in all directions, drenching the entire area with a crimson shade.
Luo Jin turned dumb like a wooden chicken, completely incapable of believing his own eyes.
Astonished cries rang out from the surrounding guests, as not a single one of them had expected Ke Tian, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, to die in such a clear cut manner.
Just now, he had joined hands with Luo Jin once again in preparation to strike Yang Kai. At that time, everyone still believed that Yang Kai would be hard-pressed to escape the calamity that had befallen him; however, who would have thought that Ke Tian was the first one to die, in the blink of an eye. Furthermore, he had perished to Luo Jin’s jade sceptre.
Not a single person could accept the utterly odd series of developments that had just occurred.
“Ho ho…” Yang Kai let out an eccentric laugh before looking at Luo Jin, “Sir Luo really is ruthless to not even let his own ally go. Elder Ke left this world in such misery. So this is the ‘destroy the bridge after crossing the river’ metaphor that people always use.”
He portrayed a grieving appearance, which appeared amusing yet horrifying to the spectating guests.
After all, everyone had seen that Ke Tian had died partially due to Luo Jin being unable to pull back his jade sceptre in time. However, the main reason was due to Ke Tian getting struck by an unknown Secret Technique that Yang Kai had unleashed, resulting in him being unable to evade after being thrown into the path of Luo Jin’s attack.
Therefore, the one truly responsible for Ke Tian’s death was still Yang Kai. Now though, Yang Kai was pushing all the blame onto Luo Jin, and added words that made it seem as though it did not involve him at all.
Luo Jin was dumbfounded by everything, as he had originally assumed that Yang Kai was only lucky to be able to drive off two Sky Illumination Palace Elders away because he had wounded Qiu Yu. If not for this, those two Elders would not have retreated so easily and Ke Tian would not have died like this.
However, it was only at this moment that Luo Jin realized that Yang Kai’s strength could not be comprehended through ordinary means. Being able to render Ke Tian incapable of mustering any resistance in an instant was already proof of his astonishing strength.
After hearing Yang Kai’s words, Luo Jin shouted back hastily, “Bullshit! It was clearly due to you that Sir Ke…”
Yang Kai gave a heavy snort in response, “Old Sir Ke was clearly killed by Sir Luo’s artifact. Everyone here witnessed that, and all of the guests present can testify to that, so how does it concern me? I really don’t know what hatred or resentment Sir Luo had with Sir Ke to actually be so ruthless.”
Luo Jin was angered so much by Yang Kai’s words that his Source Qi churned violently while his face turned flushed. Despite wanting to refute, he didn’t know where to start. As feelings of vexation within him reached his limit, he exploded with anger, “This King and you cannot exist under the same sky!”
As he shouted, Luo Jin spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence onto his jade sceptre. In the next instant, rays of light blossomed from the jade sceptre, accompanied by energy fluctuations that surged out in all directions, as an extremely powerful and dangerous aura started to radiate from it.
Revealing a sneer, Yang Kai shifted his body and, with a surge of Space Principles, appeared right before Luo Jin’s face. Under the latter’s dumbfounded expression, Yang Kai unleashed a stab with his sword.
With his mind shaken by Ke Tian’s death, coupled with the incriminating words from Yang Kai that made his anger blow through the roof and Source Qi churn unstably, Luo Jin was incapable of maintaining his usual state of mind.
Therefore, he was unable to react when Yang Kai’s sword stabbed towards him.
With a soft piercing sound, Luo Jin’s body turned stiff, and all of the hot blood coursing through his body turned cold as he looked blankly before him.
With a demonic smile hanging on his face, Yang Kai sneered, “It’s best for Sir Luo to not move. I’m actually quite timid, so if you make any sudden movements, my hand may shake and I might accidentally pierce through your heart. That won’t be any good for you.”
Beads of cold sweat dripped down from Luo Jin’s head as he felt the Myriads Sword had pierced through his body, stopping only a finger width from his heart. How would he dare to make any sudden movements? The only thing he could do was to continue gulping his saliva down in anxiety.
“No!” All of a sudden, Luo Bing rushed forward in a crazed fashion, standing between Yang Kai and Luo Jin, spreading her hands out to shield her father while sobbing fiercely, “Senior Brother, please don’t kill my father! Bing’er begs of you! Please don’t kill my father!”
She continued to shout while sobbing, drenching her exquisite looking face with tears.
Looking at her, Chai Hu wanted to say something, but stopped and gave a great sigh.
Solemn expressions appeared on the surrounding guests’ faces as they felt sorrow for Luo Bing.
Through the many twists and turns that have happened today, Chai Hu, who had started this whole storm, Yang Kai who had carried it to a new height, and even the seriously injured Luo Jin were not the ones who suffered the most.
Instead, it was Luo Bing!
When Chai Hu was injured, she had given her all to beg her father to let him go. Being her saviour, she did not wish for her father to hurt Chai Hu.
When Luo Jin was injured, she came before Yang Kai and begged him to let her father go. After all, ‘blood is thicker than water’, and Luo Jin’s blood flowed within her.
Just yesterday, she was the carefree and happy-go-lucky princess of Sky Crane City.
However, in a single day, she had seen so much blood, so much violence, and so many terrifying circumstances. Between familial relationships and life-saving kindness, she was at a loss about just what to do.
Her weak figure seemed to be incapable of handling such successive impacts.
Yang Kai frowned as he stared at her, a cold emotionless expression blanketing his face.
Truthfully speaking, he did not have a good first impression of Luo Bing at all, as he felt that this princess was overly spoiled and overly willful.
However, today’s matter had changed his impression of her by quite a bit.
The scene of her risking her own life to protect Chai Hu was still vivid in his mind.
Although she was ignorant of how the world worked, she at least knew the meaning of gratitude.
“Please, I beg of you! Don’t hurt my father! Let him go, and I’ll bear everything in his place!” Sobbing as she cried out, Luo Bing knelt on the ground, hugging Yang Kai’s foot like a dog, refusing to let go.
How could the guests present not be touched by her actions? All of them proceeded to shoot complicated looks at Luo Bing, as this was the first time they had seen her like this.
Unable to bear what he saw, Chai Hu’s throat shook as a hoarse voice rang out from him, “Little Brother Yang…”
“Ha…” Yang Kai gave a sigh, before speaking in an indifferent tone, “Don’t worry, your father isn’t dead yet.”
With the attitude he had shown and the various atrocities Luo Jin had committed, Yang Kai felt that it wasn’t enough to kill him once and be done with. However, Luo Bing’s pleas had touched his heart, making him somewhat unable to proceed with what he had originally planned for Luo Jin.
Dragging his injured body towards Luo Bing, Chai Hu extended his hand to help her up, “Stand up before we talk.”
Raising her head, Luo Bing revealed her tear-stricken face towards Yang Kai and cried, “Please don’t kill my father…”
Yang Kai replied, “That would depend on how he treated my friends. If I see a single hair on them harmed…”
Luo Jin hastily interjected, “I’ve only sealed their cultivation and locked them in the prison. I didn’t harm them.”
Yang Kai shot a look at him, “Then, you should know what to do.”
Luo Jin trembled upon hearing his words, before hurriedly shouting, “Escort those few Sirs out!”
With his life in the hands of another, he could no longer keep up his obstinance. All he could do now was conform to live another day.
Hearing Luo Jin’s command, how would the City Lord Mansion guards hesitate? They immediately sprang into action.
The surrounding guests looked in a certain direction in curiosity, wishing to see what kind of people Yang Kai would risk kicking up such a big fuss for.
After a short while, under the guidance of the City Lord Mansion’s cultivators, a group of three walked out.
The lead of the trio radiated an exceedingly gloomy aura, as though he had cultivated some kind of sinister art, causing discomfort for anyone who felt it. This person was not young; in fact, he had the appearance of an old man, but the wicked grin that hung at the corners of his mouth caused chills to people who saw him.
Following closely behind the evil-looking old man was another old man of similar age. However, this person stood ramrod straight, just like a sharp sword. Invisible Sword Intent lingered around his entire body. A single look was enough to tell that this person was an expert of the Sword Dao.
The last person was tall and sturdily built, with a face that was imposing and dignified. A fierce gleam was present in his eyes as he scanned his surroundings.
All of these three people were in the First-Order Dao Source Realm.
The three clearly did not know what had happened here as they scanned their surroundings in vigilance and curiosity. Their Divine Senses continued to intersect each other, a clear indication of a secret conversation that was ongoing between them.
“Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother!” After seeing the trio, Chai Hu immediately let out an emotional shout.
The trio’s eyes lit up upon looking over. Hurrying over, the evil-looking old man at the front asked, “Why are you here, Fourth Brother?”
As he posed his question, he continued to shoot a look at Chai Hu, as though wanting the latter to hurry up and flee.
With a smile, Chi Yue interjected, “Fourth Brother is here to save you.”
“Fourth Brother, you idiot!” A frown appeared on the second old man’s face as he started to berate Chai Hu.
On the contrary, the fierce-looking middle-aged male at the back of the trio gave a hearty chuckle, “Since he’s already here, let us flip the Heavens upside down!”
As he said those words, he really prepared to take action.
Seeing that they had yet to understand the situation they were currently in, a speechless look appeared on Chi Yue’s face, “Slow down. You three, take a look at who’s here.”
The trio gawked in response. Only then did they proceed to look in the direction she was pointing.
Upon looking over, shocked expressions appeared on their faces, their eyes snapped wide open, before inconceivable expressions replaced the shocked ones, as though they had just seen a ghost.
“It has been a while, Seniors!” Yang Kai grinned as he cupped his hands.
“Sect Master?” Gui Zu cried out in shock. Despite being used to unexpected and drastic changes in his life, he couldn’t help but tremble from the emotions surging through his body.
“Sect Master Yang?”
“Yang Boy?”
Gu Cang Yun and President Ai Ou both cried out in shock, both of them feeling as though they had entered some kind of dream world.
Chi Yue smiled, “It’s all due to his actions today that you three are free.”
Hearing her words, the trio’s expression turned serious as they hastily sent their Divine Sense out to check Yang Kai’s cultivation. After discovering that Yang Kai had reached the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, all of them couldn’t help but suck in a mouthful of cold air.
All of them clearly remembered that Yang Kai was just a Second-Order Origin King when they had set off from the Star Field. Never in their wildest dreams would they expect that after being separated for just two or three years, his cultivation would already surpass theirs.
Such a rate of growth would simply make others blush in shame.
Ignoring his cultivation, from what Chi Yue had said, everything that had happened today had been started and completed by Yang Kai.
A thick bloody smell hung in the air, while the word ‘Death’, written using flesh and blood, was present on the wall, a sight that would shock anyone who saw it. Furthermore, Sky Crane City’s City Lord Luo Jin had a gigantic sword embedded in his chest, which caused him to not dare to make any random movements, while the surrounding guests had eyes brimming with shock and dread.
Being veterans of the world, the trio needed only a single look to gain an almost complete understanding of what had happened earlier, which in turn caused more shock to rise in their hearts.
How did a Second-Order Dao Source Realm accomplish such a magnificent feat in someone else’s territory? Gui Zu and the other two were utterly incapable of imagining how that was even possible.
“Are you Seniors in good health?” Yang Kai asked.
Gui Zu replied, “Many thanks, for your concern, Sect Master. We’re all right.”
Yang Kai’s investigation also revealed that they were in pretty good shape. Indeed, Luo Jin did not mistreat them, other than sealing their cultivation and locking them up in his prison. After removing the seals on their bodies, they would fully recover.
After all, with all three of them only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, it was not something that Luo Jin, with the strength he controlled, the City Lord’s Mansion, would care about. So, there was no need for the latter to be overly vigilant with them.
“Let’s talk about the details later. We should leave here first,” Chi Yue interjected.
Gui Zu raised his brow before giving a sinister laugh as he looked towards Luo Jin, “This Third-Order Dao Source Realm’s Soul, this King will go ahead and take it.”
As he said those words, he summoned his Ten Thousand Soul Banner. In an instant, an evil wind started to whip up within the City Lord’s Mansion. As cries and howls rang out, slivers of a black aura visible to the naked eye started to perfuse out, transforming into blurry human figures that proceeded to move about in all directions.
The faces of the surrounding guests changed drastically as they sensed the sinister aura radiating from this artifact, which caused their hearts to sink in dread. Who knows exactly what sinister art this old fellow cultivated, for his artifact to be this malevolent.
“Don’t come over!” Although Luo Bing was so frightened that all colour had drained from her beautiful face, she still continued to stand protectively before Luo Jin while crying out loud.
Panicking from Gui Zu’s actions, Luo Jin looked towards Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang… I really did not harm them. Furthermore, I’ve already released them in accordance with your instructions. You can’t go back on your words.”
Yang Kai shot a cold glare at him, before lifting his hand to stop Gui Zu’s actions.
Although Gui Zu didn’t know what Yang Kai wanted to do, he did not continue. Instead, he started to chuckle evilly, causing spectators’ hairs to stand on their ends.
Chai Hu gulped, before speaking up, “Little Brother, Young Lady Luo has helped me quite a lot. She also helped me enter this place, so please don’t harm her.”
After hearing his words, Gui Zu and the others could not help but shoot a weird look towards Chai Hu.
Chai Hu added, “One has to make sure to distinguish gratitude and grudges, right?”
Chi Yue smiled, “What Fourth Brother said is right.”
After muttering to himself for a moment, Yang Kai pulled his hand back slightly, removing the Myriads Sword from Luo Jin, causing a burst of blood to spew out from the latter’s mouth.
Luo Jin hastily said in relief, “Many thanks, Young Master Yang!”
However, right as his words rang out, Yang Kai suddenly sent a palm rumbling towards him, which smashed right into his chest. Caught totally off guard, Luo Jin did not react at all when the massive force knocked him through the air. Another mouthful of blood mist spurted out from his lips as he tumbled before smashing back down onto the ground, his aura waning drastically.
“Father!” With a shrill shriek, Luo Bing clawed and crawled as she hurtled towards her father.
As he struggled to get up, Luo Jin shot a look of pure shock at Yang Kai.
After being struck by Yang Kai, he finally had a full understanding of how powerful the former was. The density and purity of Yang Kai’s Source Qi in that strike was at a level that he could not compete against.
[How is he just a Second-Order Dao Source Realm?]
[If he broke through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, just how powerful would he be? He might just be invincible beneath the Emperor Realm!] Such thoughts caused cold sweat to drip down Luo Jin’s back, as the terror of him offending such a monster struck his heart.
“You should rejoice you have such a good daughter!” Yang Kai snorted coldly, before shouting towards Gui Zu and the others, “Let’s go!”
As he said those words, he started to walk out. Not a single person dared to obstruct him, with everyone proceeding to give way as though they were fleeing from a devil, leaving a wide gulf between them and Yang Kai.
Gui Zu and the others followed suit behind him, with Ye Jing Han also shouting out, “We’re going as well!”
As she said that, she, Du Xian, and the others hastily followed.
Silence filled the City Lord’s Mansion and continued after Yang Kai and the others had left, as not a single person dared to open their mouths to say anything. Some people were shooting complicated looks at Luo Jin, with some taking pleasure in his misfortune. Some felt sympathy, while others frowned deeply, as though they were pondering something.
Regardless of anything else, Luo Jin’s face had taken a massive hit today. During his wedding ceremony, not only did his would-be-concubine escape, all of his scandals had been exposed to the public. Furthermore, he had been greatly injured in the process.
Who would submit to such a City Lord anymore?
Quite a few people started to feel that a great turmoil was about to take place in Sky Crane City.
Many of the cultivators present no longer had any interest in exchanging pleasantries with Luo Jin as they proceeded to leave. Such a well-planned ceremony had turned from bustling liveliness into a deserted place, leaving behind a tear-ridden Luo Bing to take care of her father.
Looking in the direction Yang Kai and the others had left, Luo Jin clenched his fists as hatred and anger filled his face, flames of fury bursting out from his eyes.
…
On a ship artifact, Du Xian arranged a room for Yang Kai and the others, letting them have a private place to chat after their reunion.
Having all come here from the Star Field, they naturally did not need to hide anything from each other.
Through their conversation, Yang Kai finally understood the various experiences his Seniors had after their separation.
According to them, when the Starlight Corridor shattered, they had been thrown out and landed in the vicinity of Sky Crane City. Although they were utterly unfamiliar with the Star Boundary, they had concealed themselves well, not letting anyone discover their identities or ignorance.
After two days of various encounters and experiences, they had managed to regroup and then began searching for Yang Kai.
However, regardless of how they searched, they were still unable to discover even any trace of Yang Kai, nor were they able to find Liu Yan or Xiao Xiao at all.
After trying for two months, they had no choice but to give up and start making plans for themselves.
The initial period of living in Sky Crane City was exceedingly difficult for them. Although they were peak-level Masters in their native Star Field, they had to start from the bottom in the Star Boundary. Their Third-Order Origin King cultivation wasn’t considered strong in Sky Crane City, and one could find any number of people stronger than them here.
They were now in a completely foreign environment without any relationships or experience, so they had to learn how to walk again just like newborn babies. Carefully concealing their identities as travellers from the Star Field, they worked hard to acquire Source Crystals to buy cultivation materials.
Fortunately, they managed to find a spot roughly ten thousand kilometres from Sky Crane City where they could hunt Monster Beasts for parts to sell.
Through steady efforts, they slowly accumulated Source Crystals, while buying cultivation materials bit by bit, not daring to waste a single bit of money.
It was at that time they bumped into Chai Hu.
Although Chai Hu was rather crude and rough, he was quite open-minded, so after cooperating a few times, they grew familiar with each other. Being a native Sky Crane City cultivator, Chai Hu’s understanding of the situation of the city was vastly superior, and with his guidance and planning, the few of them were able to obtain Source Crystals much faster than before.
After repeated life or death encounters in which they had to depend on each other to survive, they struck up a strong friendship with Chai Hu.
After a big fight, Wu Dao suddenly managed to gain a bout of enlightenment, and with that, a chance to break through.
However, none of them had imagined that Wu Dao would actually fail at the most critical moment of his breakthrough! His fall brought immense pain to the group.
This incident strengthened the already strong ties between them, however, and they decided to take the oath to become sworn siblings. After two or three years of hard work, all of them managed to break through to the First-Order Dao Source Realm.
As they were already Third-Order Origin Kings while in the Star Field, Gui Zu and the others would not have gone through so much trouble to head into the Star Boundary to seek a greater Martial Dao realm if not for the lack of World Principles in the Star Field.
Therefore, their breakthrough was more or less guaranteed, with not many twists and turns in between.
“Wait!” All of sudden, Yang Kai interjected, “What do you mean? Senior Chai is also a Dao Source Realm Master?”
After becoming sworn siblings with Gui Zu and the others, Chai Hu would be considered Yang Kai’s Elder. Therefore, he naturally had to use ‘Senior’ to address the former.
As he said those words, his Divine Sense continued to scan Chai Hu’s body, as he had clearly sensed that the latter’s cultivation was only at the Third-Order Origin King Realm. Why did this differ from what Gui Zu and the others were saying?
This was something that confused him.
However, regardless of how Yang Kai scanned with his Divine Sense, he still sensed that Chai Hu was just a Third-Order Origin King, and not a Dao Source Realm cultivator.
A glimmer of sadness flashed across Chai Hu’s face after hearing Yang Kai’s questions, while looks of guilt appeared on the faces of Gui Zu and the others.
“Eh…” All of a sudden, Yang Kai made a weird noise, as though he had discovered something. Extending his hand out to the latter, he said, “Pardon me!”
As he said that, he extended his hand towards Chai Hu’s arm, before sending Source Qi out to investigate.
After a moment, he raised his head to look towards Chai Hu, “Senior Chai’s cultivation has dropped?”
He could sense the presence of pure Source Qi within Chai Hu’s body! It was at a level that was simply impossible to occur. After all, with his Third-Order Origin King cultivation, this level of purity in Source Qi should have forced him to break through by now.
However, that was not the case. There was only one explanation for this, Chai Hu was once in the Dao Source Realm, therefore his Source Qi purity was still retained. The only mystery was the reason that resulted in his dropped cultivation realm.
Chai Hu gave a bitter laugh, “You’re right.”
Gui Zu gave a deep sigh, “Half a year ago, while we were training, we bumped into a horde of Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts. Unable to deal with them, we proceeded to flee. For the sake of buying time, Fourth Brother had stayed behind, and while that happened, suffered a serious injury to his dantian. He became like that after recuperating for a while. Fourth Brother’s eye was also lost during that fight.”
A look of self rebuke appeared on Chi Yue’s face, “If we had stayed behind, this might not have happened at all.”
Although Gu Cang Yuan and Ai Ou didn’t say anything, their faces were filled with guilt and remorse. Clearly, they were also unable to forget about this matter, as they felt that they were the ones responsible for Chai Hu’s mishap.
A drop in cultivation was not a small matter, as there was a possibility of never being able to recover one’s cultivation once that happened, halting one’s path on the Martial Dao at that point. For cultivators in pursuit of a higher realm, that was equivalent to a death sentence, and might even be worse than that.
Seeing their depressed expressions, Chai Hu prompted, “Why are you guys bringing out such expressions? It’s not like I’ve died, right? It’s just a drop in cultivation, and it’s not like I’m unable to regain my cultivation at all.”
Although he appeared open-minded and optimistic about it, how could anyone present here not know the bleak chance of ever regaining his former cultivation realm?
In an instant, the atmosphere within the room turned exceedingly stifling.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai opened his mouth, “Senior Chai, did your dantian hurt during this past half-year whenever you exerted your strength?”
Chai Hui gawked, as he did not know why Yang Kai had asked such a question. Nevertheless, he answered truthfully, “Occasionally; after all, I indeed suffered a serious injury to my dantian during that fight half a year ago, so there’s definitely some lasting effects from that.”
Yang Kai continued to ask, “When you use your strength, do you also have the feeling as though something is obstructed?”
“That’s right. There are times when my meridians will feel swollen and sore, and the circulation of my Source Qi will become sluggish,” Chai Hu replied in a respectful tone. Although Yang Kai was higher in cultivation compared to him, being able to understand his condition with just a slight investigation, showing how strong and powerful his Divine Sense was.
Chi Yue’s expression changed as she turned and set a hopeful gaze towards Yang Kai, “Did you discover something?”
Yang Kai continued to remain silent for a while, replying after pulling his hand back, “It’s possible that Senior Chai’s current situation isn’t due to an injury he sustained to his dantian.”
“Then what can it possibly be?” Chai Hu’s eyes snapped wide open, while the others sent curious looks at Yang Kai, all of them wanting to know exactly what he meant.
“Senior Chai, would you take off your shirt to let me take a look at your abdomen?” Yang Kai replied with a question.
Chai Hu nodded his head and proceeded to lift his top up. However, he quickly seemed to realise something as he raised his head to look towards Chi Yue, “Turn around, Fifth Sister.”
Chi Yue curled her lip in disdain, “What’s the matter with me seeing? Are you that embarrassed?”
Chai Hu snapped back, “Men and women that aren’t married shouldn’t show skin to one another.”
Chi Yue’s face turned blank as she snorted, “Are you going to take off or not? If you’re not going to, I’ll do it.”
“Okay okay okay! I’ll do it myself!” Chai Hu was truly afraid of her fiery temper. Knowing that she might really take action to strip him if he continued to be this indecisive, he no longer hesitated and took off his top.
After an instant, a few pairs of eyes shot towards his abdomen.
“Eh? What’s that?” Chi Yue cried out as her beautiful eyes were locked on the location of Chai Hu’s dantian.
“What?” Chai Hu gawked in response and proceeded to lower his head to take a look. In the next instant, he couldn’t refrain from snapping his eyes wide open as he gasped, “What the hell is this?”
Present on his abdomen were a few dark red intersecting strips that seemed to conceal some kind of profound mystery. These stripes were clearly formed from an unnatural source.
“You don’t know about these, Fourth Brother?” Gui Zu looked at Chai Hu in astonishment.
Chai Hu shook his head, a blank look present on his face.
Chi Yue instantly shot a disdainful look at him, “How long has it been since you’ve taken a bath? You aren’t even clear if there’s something on your body. No wonder there’s a smell coming from you.”
Chai Hu gave an embarrassed laugh, “I’ll take a bath in a bit, in a bit!”
A thoughtful look appeared on Yang Kai’s face, “Ah, so it’s like that.”
Hearing his words, Ai Ou immediately looked towards him and said in an enthusiastic tone, “Do you know something, Yang Boy? Hurry up and spit it out.”
The others also proceeded to send the same looks over towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai replied, ‘Senior Chai’s drop in cultivation is most likely not due to the injury he sustained to his dantian.”
“Then what could it be?” A few voices rang out at the same time.
“He’s been poisoned!” Yang Kai replied.
Chai Hu was stunned, before gawking out, “Poisoned? How did I get poisoned?”
A look of utter confusion appeared on his face, as he clearly did not dare to believe what Yang Kai had just said. As he thought back in detail, he also wasn’t able to identify any moment when he had come across any poisonous substance, nor did he ever feel the sensation of being poisoned.
Yang Kai replied, “Were the Monster Beasts that you all encountered previously Profound Heavenly Wolf Spiders?”
The group’s eyes snapped wide open as they exclaimed in surprise, “How did you know?”
Yang Kai looked at Chai Hu, “Senior Chai, did you drink the blood of a Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider?”
Chai Hu nodded and replied, “I bit one to death.”
Upon hearing this, the corners of everyone’s mouth twitched as they all shot an incredulous look at Chai Hu.
Chai Hu continued, “There were quite a few of those damn things. I had no choice but to bite one to death.”
“It makes sense then. The blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider is poisonous, and should not be ingested!”
A look of shock flashed across Gu Cang Yun’s face as he said, “Sect Master Yang, what you mean is that Fourth Brother’s cultivation drop is due to him drinking the blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider?”
“That’s right. The blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider has the effect of suppressing one’s cultivation. It is an ingredient for Alchemy and can be combined with certain herbs to refine the Profound Wolf Pill. A single pill is enough to completely wipe away the cultivation of a Dao Source Realm cultivator and shatter their foundation, leaving them unable to cultivate ever again.”
As those words rang out, everyone’s expression changed drastically as the colour drained from their faces.
If what Yang Kai had said was the truth, Chai Hu’s fate…
The group did not dare to continue this line of thinking. Originally, they had only assumed that he had dropped down to a Third-Order Origin King, with the possibility of him regaining his cultivation in the future; however, never in their wildest dream did they expect for this matter to be this serious. If this was really the case, it would be impossible for Chai Hu to regain his former cultivation realm. Furthermore, as time passed, his cultivation would continue to regress until he became a complete cripple.
Seeing the ugly expressions on their faces, Yang Kai spoke out with a smile, “That’s only the efficacy of the Profound Wolf Pill. The blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider doesn’t have such a formidable effect by itself.”
Ai Ou hastily interjected, “Is there a way to dispel it?”
Yang Kai turned his head and shot a look at Chi Yue.
“Why are you looking at me?” Chi Yue asked with a blank look on her face.
Yang Kai replied, “Senior Chi Yue’s blood has the ability to suppress that poison.”
“Hm?” The confused looks on the other people grew deeper, as they did not know exactly what Yang Kai was talking about.
On the contrary, Chi Yue’s eyes lit up, “I see.”
Being the Monster King of Monster Emperor Star, she was the descendant of the Ancient Divine Spirit Heavenly Moon Demon Spider. Therefore, its bloodline flowed within her body. Despite both being Monster Beasts, the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider far, far outclassed the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider in rank.
The aura of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider was sufficient to suppress the lower-ranked Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider.
As she said those words, Chi Yue did not hesitate one bit and used her finger as a knife to give a fierce slice at her own wrist. In the next instant, bright red blood flowed out from her fair wrist.
Extending her wrist to Chai Hu, she ordered, “Drink it, Fourth Brother.”
Dumbfounded by her actions, Chai Hu stared at her as his face turned flushed, “What are you doing?”
With a faint smile, Chi Yue replied, “Don’t be embarrassed and stop being troublesome! Hurry up and drink!”
As she said those words, she proceeded to shove her wrist towards Chai Hu’s mouth.
At this point, Yang Kai spoke out, “If Senior Chai wants to restore his cultivation, it’s best that you do not reject her.”
Hearing his words, a myriad of emotions flashed through Chai Hu’s face, before he clenched his teeth and started to suck her blood on his own accord.
Yang Kai said, “Although Senior Chi Yue’s blood has a slight suppressive effect, you would still need a Coagulation Pill if you want to completely remove the effects of the poison. I’ll refine the pill, but before it is finished, it would be best for Senior Chai to not exert any strength. If not, it’ll make the matter more troublesome to deal with.”
After Yang Kai had finished with his explanation, Chai Hu had already let Chi Yue’s hand go. Wiping the leftover blood from his mouth, he said, “Okay. Then I shall trouble you, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Senior and my Sect’s Elder, my father-in-law, and my mother-in-law are sworn siblings. That makes us all one family, so there’s no need for you to be this courteous.”
“Father-in-law? Mother-in-law?” A strange look appeared on Chai Hu’s face as he turned his head to Chi Yue, “Are you married, Fifth Sister?”
Chi Yue snapped back at him, “Stop your nonsense and don’t soil my good name.”
By the side, Ai Ou gave a cold snort, “I’m that brat’s father-in-law! This brat is so unscrupulous, only the Heavens know what despicable methods he used to get so many girls to fall for him! This one’s precious daughter wasn’t able to escape his treacherous hands! Ah, my heart!”
Yang Kai flung his head up and replied in a haughty manner, “It’s all because of my natural charm!”
Chi Yue gave a cold snort, “After coming to this Star Boundary, far away from any supervision, you should have plucked quite a few flowers, right? Come, tell mother-in-law how many innocent girls you’ve fooled around with over the last two years!”
An aggrieved look appeared on Yang Kai’s face, “How is that possible? After coming to the Star Boundary, I’ve always maintained my purity and chastity.”
Chi Yue shot a slanted look at him, before saying in a cold voice, “That would be best. If you let me find out you’ve been fooling around with girls here, this Queen will first chop that girl into a thousand bits, before dicing you up into meat sauce.”
Wiping the cold sweat forming on his forehead, Yang Kai said, “That absolutely won’t happen.”
He mentioned that Source Qi is only converted after the cultivator breakthrough, but we know that is not the case. So, I took the liberty to change it.
The next half-day went by with Gui Zu and the others asking Yang Kai about the matters that happened to him after entering the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai didn’t conceal much as he started narrating his experiences. After hearing his stories, Gui Zu and the others could not help but sweat, despite knowing in their shocked hearts that Yang Kai had managed to safely avert the various dangers that he had encountered.
It was only then that they discovered that Yang Kai’s experience during these past few years was much richer, and far more dangerous than what they had gone through. However, Yang Kai’s progress in his cultivation was much quicker and far-reaching than theirs. They could not help but perspire and have a youthful, heroic feeling surge within their hearts.
Another half a day passed before they dispersed and retreated to their rooms to rest and recuperate.
Yang Kai went to find Ye Jing Han for her assistance to find a few herbs.
It was not a difficult task to refine a Coagulation Pill, though Yang Kai was lacking in the necessary materials to do so. If not, he would have already taken out his furnace on the ship to refine it. The few herbs he needed weren’t too difficult to find, so Yang Kai was naturally confident to let Ye Jing Han deal with procuring them.
She naturally accepted this small matter without the slightest hesitation and proceeded to transmit a message back to her Sect.
As the ship proceeded to move along, it took them less than two days to reach Thousand Leaves Mountain Range.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai, who was seated, felt a tremor rock through the ship. In the next instant, a humming noise rang out, before the ship came to a halt.
Opening his eyes, he sensed that they should have reached their destination. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a knocking sound came from the door, before Ye Jing Han’s voice called out, “Young Master Yang, we’ve arrived.”
Standing up, Yang Kai lightly smiled at Ye Jing Han, indicating for her to lead the way.
After a short while, the two arrived on the deck. Gui Zu, the others, as well as the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were all present, with him being the last one to arrive.
Seeing him appear, Gui Zu and the others turned towards him, faint smiles present on their faces.
“Father!” With a sudden shout, Ye Jing Han leapt off the ship and lunged into the arms of an old man, hugging him tightly as she raised her head and said, “Why did you come out?”
The old man seemed to be past his prime, with a head full of white hair. Although a lively aura radiated from him, the strength of his vitality had already started to wane. In other words, his journey on the Martial Dao was already at its end. As time passed, his cultivation would only grow weaker and weaker, alongside his waning lifeforce. If he could not break through to the Emperor Realm, he would pass away within ten years.
From the looks of it, Ye Jing Han and the old man shared some facial similarities.
Yang Kai immediately realized that this old man was Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master, Ye Hen; Ye Jing Han’s father.
A faint smile on his face, Ye Hen gave Ye Jing Han a light pat on her shoulder, “With the arrival of our honoured guests, it’s natural for me to come out to welcome them. On the contrary, you’re not young anymore, yet you still fawn over your father like this. You’re making the guests laugh at you.”
Ye Jing Han wrinkled her brows, “Why say that I’m not young? I am not married yet.”
Ye Hen chuckled, “Then I’ll marry you off tomorrow.”
Ye Jing Han pouted and snapped back, “You dare!?”
As she said those words, Du Xian and the others flew down from the ship, arriving before Ye Hen before cupping their fists, “Greetings, Sect Master.”
Ye Hen nodded his head and replied, “Many thanks for your hard work.”
Du Xian replied, “You’re too courteous, Sect Master. It is our duty to accomplish tasks for the Sect, so we don’t dare to claim credit for it.”
Ye Hen nodded his head in satisfaction, before turning his head towards Yang Kai and the others. After a cursory sweep, he focused on Yang Kai, a faint smile adorning his face as he cupped his fists, “You must be Grandmaster Yang, right? You’re young indeed, a true dragon amongst men.”
Clearly, he had already received quite a few pieces of information from Ye Jing Han, and also knew why she had brought Yang Kai back to Thousand Leaves Sect. As such, he was clearly emotional when he said these words, though no one was able to notice it due to his masterful poise.
Cupping his fists, Yang Kai replied, “Junior Yang Kai greets Sect Master Ye!”
Yang Kai had always been respectful towards the elderly and those who were senior to him, and would never underestimate anyone despite his rise in his strength.
“This Ye is truly grateful to Grandmaster Yang for making the arduous journey here,” Ye Hen quickly said.
Du Xian and the others gawked upon hearing his words, as they did not know why their Sect Master was displaying such an attitude. All of them assumed that Ye Hen had uttered the wrong words in the heat of the moment, instantly causing weird looks to appear on their faces.
Ye Jing Han did not tell them the real purpose she had invited Yang Kai, so they naturally wouldn’t understand.
This wasn’t due to her not being able to trust them, but this matter concerned the future rise or fall of Thousand Leaves Sect, so it was best if fewer people knew about it.
“Many thanks, Sect Master Ye, for your kind words,” Yang Kai exchanged pleasantries before his gaze turned slightly towards the figure of another old man standing by Ye Hen’s side, asking in doubt, “This Senior is…”
This old man was dressed in a black robe, and stood by Ye Hen’s side. He did not utter a single word the whole time and his gaze was sharp, while his cultivation was also at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. From the looks of it, the Source Qi in his body was strong and pure, while his cultivation realm was not far off from Ye Hen’s. While Yang Kai was chatting with Ye Hen, this old man had been shooting a cold glare towards him while showing no intention of interrupting, nor wanting to exchange greetings with Yang Kai at all.
However, from what Yang Kai could tell, since this old man’s cultivation was at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, and stood by Ye Hen’s side, his status should not be low. Therefore, out of respect, he naturally had to ask.
A faint wrinkle appeared on Ye Hen’s forehead, though he quickly smiled and proceeded with the introductions, “This is…”
“This Old Master is Thousand Leaves Sect’s Vice Sect Master, Shi Cang Ying!” The old man immediately interrupted Ye Hen and shot a gloomy look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai frowned, as he could instinctually sense that this old man was radiating with hostility and repulsion. Therefore, he could not help himself from sizing the latter up in detail. He was very sure that he had never greeted this person before, nor did he have any dealing with him at all. Did he somehow offend this old man in some way?
Ye Hen quickly tried to mediate the situation, “Vice Sect Master Shi is a pillar of our Sect. It is due to his contribution over these years that our Thousand Leaves Sect has been able to continue surviving.”
“So, it is Vice Master Shi. This Junior has been disrespectful.” Yang Kai didn’t take much issue with the situation and replied by cupping his fists and putting on a faint smile.
Nevertheless, Shi Cang Ying did not have any intention of giving Yang Kai face and responded with a cold snort before turning towards Ye Hen, “Sect Master, this Old Master had assumed that it was the arrival of an extraordinary young genius that made you go all the way out personally. However, it doesn’t seem so from the looks of it. How is this trivial brat able to make you raise such a big fuss? You have gone senile, Sect Master.”
Not only did he treat Yang Kai as an insignificant flea, he had even cursed Ye Hen in the process.
The entire atmosphere turned suffocating as soon as his words rang out. Nevertheless, despite their faces brimming with anger, the few Thousand Leaves Sect disciples present did not dare to refute Shi Cang Ying.
A look of embarrassment covered Ye Hen’s face as he clearly did not expect Shi Cang Ying to be this tactless and say such words in front of Yang Kai, leaving no place left to manoeuvre.
Shi Cang Ying continued, “Furthermore, these few people have caused such a huge ruckus in the City Lord’s Mansion just two days ago. Not only did they offend City Lord Luo, they also offended many important guests in the process. This Old Master even heard that Sky Peak Temple’s Sir Ke was beaten to death by them! On top of that, Sky Illumination Palace’s Young Palace Master Qiu has suffered serious injuries during the scuffle! How could such walking disasters be allowed to enter our Thousand Leaves Sect?”
Ye Hen frowned and replied, “Brother Shi, the matter isn’t what you made it to be. There are some underlying circumstances…”
Shi Cang Ying abruptly interrupted, “This Old Master has a clear understanding of the whole matter, so there’s no need for Sect Master to explain it to me. What crime did City Lord Luo commit when taking in a mere concubine for him to suffer such humiliation before so many guests!? Sect Master, you will be letting wolves in the house if you let these few people into our Sect! When the time comes, Sky Crane City, Sky Peak Temple, and Sky Illumination Palace will definitely not leave the matter at that. When that happens, our Thousand Leaves Sect will be hopeless to deal with them!”
Right as those words rang out, Ye Hen’s face changed slightly, a clear indication of the extreme dread he had towards those few great forces.
By the side, Gui Zu let off a weird cackle that sounded incomparably sinister. Black Qi started to swirl around his body before a pair of pupils burning with a ghostly fire locked onto Shi Cang Ying’s body, “From this Friend’s words, we’re the ones that have done something wrong? When that Luo Jin forced my Fifth Sister to be his concubine against her will, we were supposed to cooperate obediently and not treat it as something humiliating but something honourable?”
Shi Cang Ying shot a cold look back at him, “Strength is king. Your cultivation is mediocre, so it is your good fortune to have the opportunity to seek shelter under the big tree that is the City Lord’s Mansion. However, not only did you all not appreciate it, you even managed to cause a disaster and create trouble for yourselves. What a joke.”
“Shut your trap, you old dog!” Chi Yue’s face turned red with rage as she cursed out between her clenched teeth, “Why don’t you marry your wife or daughter to that old bastard and lean on his big tree then? You dare accuse others without any self-conscience?”
Rage filled Shi Cang Yang’s face as soon as he heard her words and Source Qi started to gush out from his body. Despite being a mere First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, Chi Yue still dared to say such words to him. As such, he was naturally unable to endure it and subconsciously thought about taking action to teach her a good lesson.
However, before he could gather his strength, he suddenly felt an exceedingly contemptuous gaze bearing down on him. Under that gaze, Shi Cang Ying could not help feeling a mysterious shiver run up his spine while a feeling that he would end up in an exceedingly miserable state if he was to take action surged within his heart.
Turning his head around, he just so happened to see Yang Kai grinning while looking right at him.
This made him frown, though he did not dare to recklessly take action. With a haughty look, he said, “This Old Master is a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, so there is no need for me to move according to Luo Jin’s whims. If you all reach this realm of cultivation, you would naturally be able to do what this Old Master does.”
Speaking to this point, Yang Kai finally realized why Shi Cang Ying had shown such hostility and repulsion to them despite meeting them for the first time.
He was clearly afraid of drawing trouble to himself.
After all, Yang Kai had offended quite a few powerful influences due to the massive ruckus he had created in Sky Crane City’s City Lord Mansion two days ago, where he had killed a number of people. Among them were important members of several powerful forces that Thousand Leaves Sect needed to be wary of, especially Sky Peak Temple and Sky Illumination Palace, both of which were overseen by strong Masters.
From the attitude Shi Cang Ying had shown, Yang Kai and the others weren’t the ones he truly feared would bring disaster to his Thousand Leaves Sect. On the contrary, he was afraid of trouble falling on him due to associating with Yang Kai and his group. Therefore, he was very unwelcoming to them, wanting to use this as an attempt to chase them away and not let them have any association with Thousand Leaves Sect.
This made him treat Ye Hen with utter disregard and not show any face to Yang Kai and the others.
“What you say does make sense, old Sir!” All of a sudden, Yang Kai said this sentence with a faint smile on his face.
“Smelly brat!” Chi Yue’s face sank as she shot a wicked look at Yang Kai. Not only did Yang Kai not say anything to back her up, he had actually agreed with this horrid old fart. This was something she never expected, and was truly unable to accept.
Yang Kai winked back at her, “Strength is king, while seniority is only to be respected. Whoever has the biggest fist has the most say. Regardless of the time, this is the law that never changes. Isn’t that right?”
Shi Cang Ying sneered, “It’s rare for a young little brat like you to be able to see so clearly. Good, very good.”