As Yang Kai flew towards that island, his mind was immersed in the jade slip that Ling Yin Qin handed him, reading up on how the Spirit Purifying Array had to be arranged.
Even though he had not been exposed to Spirit Arrays, the jade slip was extremely detailed and easy to read, not to mention that it shouldn’t be hard to set up with the array flags.
Yang Kai finished his five hundred kilometre journey in a dozen breaths, and this was only because he had deliberately slowed his movements in order to study the jade slip. Otherwise, with his mastery of Space Principles, he could have arrived in just three breaths.
Looking over, there was in fact a small island worthy of its description. This barren island measured only around a thousand metres in length, and it seemed to be not much more than a big rock. The sky ahead was clear and cloudless and the sea was also peaceful.
Yang Kai quickly landed and set up the array according to the instructions in the jade slip.
After about the time it took to finish a cup of tea, he was done. A layer of light instantly surrounded the island, purifying the air there. The World Energy also weakened several degrees.
It seemed that even a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was unable to allow all the World Energy to flow through it. From this observation, it was unlikely for even a Peak-Grade Spirit Purifying Array to be that effective.
Yang Kai was pressed for time, so he just did a quick check on the Spirit Array for any problems before waving his hand to summon Zhang Ruo Xi from the Sealed World Bead.
“Sir, I’ve caused you trouble again,” It was clear from Zhang Ruo Xi’s expression that she was struggling and the Qi surrounding her was as turbulent as boiling water. She apologized to Yang Kai with a guilty look on her face as soon as she appeared.
She knew what sort of situation Yang Kai was in right now.
Yang Kai simply waved his hand though, “Don’t think about anything else, just calm your Qi and your mind. Your breakthrough is the most important thing right now. I’ll stand guard for you at the side so let go of all your distractions and focus!”
Zhang Ruo Xi gently nodded and shut her pretty eyes, forming seals with her hands as she silently began her breakthrough.
In a few moments, the aura around her body grew fiercer and fiercer, and the Saint Qi flowing inside her meridians became more and more violent.
It was as if the World Energy around her had been given life and was all rushing towards her body.
But because of the Spirit Purifying Array’s obstruction, this World Energy was clearly not enough to meet the needs of her breakthrough, which put Zhang Ruo Xi in a dilemma.
Seeing this, Yang Kai did not hesitate to bring out a bunch of Source Crystals from his Space Ring and shatter them, filling the small island with rich World Energy.
With the help of these Source Crystals, much of the difficult expression on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face was relieved.
Yang Kai took out batches of Source Crystals one after another and shattered them within a few moments, so the World Energy on the small island was so dense that it had turned into a mist form. Even if Yang Kai stood only ten metres away from Zhang Ruo Xi, he wouldn’t be able to see her body clearly anymore.
Seeing that things were alright now, Yang Kai stopped.
Since awakening her bloodline, Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to have changed into a whole new person. Her aptitude was indescribably good, and each time she cultivated, rather than slowly absorbing and refining World Energy, it was more like she was simply drinking it down. It was because of this that her cultivation was able to improve so rapidly.
The Patriarch of the Zhang Family back then, Zhang Gao Xuan, obtained a Dao Source Fruit from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda but ended up severely injured during an assassination attempt against him. Before his death, he asked Yang Kai to head over to the Zhang Family and leave a Dao Source Pill for the Zhang Family’s descendants in exchange for the Dao Source Fruit.
Yang Kai went, and at the time, Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation was only at the Saint King Realm. That was just a few years ago, but now she was already breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai still had the Dao Source Pill he prepared for Zhang Ruo Xi, but from the looks of it, she wouldn’t be needing it at all. In the past few years, this young and inexperienced little girl had grown into a tall and graceful young lady.
For a moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be filled with emotion.
A constant whirring noise could be heard, as if Zhang Ruo Xi had turned into a bottomless pit that was constantly drawing in the surrounding World Energy. Within a few moments, the dense World Energy had once again grown thin.
Yang Kai had no choice but to take out more Source Crystals and shatter them again.
After three bouts of this, Yang Kai estimated that he had consumed at least ten million Source Crystals before Zhang Ruo Xi let out a soft moan, which was followed by an indescribable ripple in her aura.
She was going to break through! Seeing this situation, Yang Kai didn’t dare to stand there and immediately moved away from the island, closely watching her from a moderate distance. This position not only ensured that he would not interfere with Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough, but it also ensured that he would be able to rescue her if any accidents were to happen.
From what could be seen here, the reason why Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough was going so smoothly was because of the ten million Source Crystals he brought out, but Yang Kai knew that the real hurdle had yet to be passed!
For Zhang Ruo Xi, the most difficult hurdle was the World Energy Baptism! The World Energy in this place was filled with endless Distortion Force, and if that entered her body, there was no telling what would happen.
But if she didn’t absorb it into her body, then she wouldn’t be able to advance. It was a dilemma.
*Hong long long…*
A rumble arose, and the sky which was originally cloudless turned dark in an instant. A massive, inky cloud formed above the island, converging into a vortex with lightning and thunder moving about inside, revealing the true might of the Heavenly Way.
Yang Kai could not help but get nervous as he looked at the sky.
At the same time, on the deck five hundred kilometres away, a group of cultivators were standing there and pointing at the island. They obviously thought that this Heavenly Manifestation was caused by Yang Kai, but they had no idea someone else was the real culprit.
Ling Yin Qin was in her room, leaning against the window and looking out. A look of amazement flashed past her eyes and she muttered to herself, “The Heavenly Manifestations appeared?”
The invocation of a Heavenly Manifestation meant that someone was going to be baptised by World Energy soon, which really meant there was a ray of hope for the success of a breakthrough.
Ling Yin Qin suddenly felt like she had underestimated Yang Kai. She previously said that Yang Kai’s chances of breaking through were very low, but after seeing such a sight, she understood why he was so confident of his success.
But there was still something that made Ling Yin Qin confused. It was the fact that the might of this Heavenly Manifestation seemed to be lacking. From this distance, she could still tell this phenomenon was quite small. Even though Ling Yin Qin had never seen a cultivator break through to the Emperor Realm before, it obviously shouldn’t be only this.
In another room, Liu Xian Yun was also looking out the window, face filled with worry and nervousness, but she did not dare to rashly go over to watch and could only put her hands together with her knees on the ground, praying devoutly for the Heavens’ blessings.
At the same time, ten thousand kilometres away, a sea ship was sailing slowly above the sea. Even though it was ten thousand kilometres away, the people on the ship still noticed the Heavenly Manifestation up in the sky.
A few moments later, the ship suddenly changed course and sailed towards the direction of that island, obviously intent on investigating the situation.
…..
Above the island, the dark clouds were as dense as mountains, and thunder was rumbling incessantly.
Suddenly, a power blasted straight towards the island from the sky. From the trajectory, it seemed to be striking towards the top of Zhang Ruo Xi’s head.
Yang Kai paled slightly, but he resisted the urge to help her.
*Hong…*
A loud noise emerged and the mighty power crashed straight into the island, disintegrating the Spirit Purifying Array that Yang Kai had set up. The array flags and base hidden around the area were damaged, and the light that enveloped the island disappeared at the same time.
The High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was destroyed just like that!
Before the world’s power fell on Zhang Ruo Xi’s head though, her tender body shook, and a huge illusory phantom emerged from behind her.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he stared straight at this phantom.
It wasn’t his first time seeing this scene. The giant phantom had appeared once when Zhang Ruo Xi broke through back in the Four Seasons Realm, but Yang Kai never found out what it was, only guessing it had something to do with Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline.
Now, looking at it again, the illusory phantom had become more solid than before, but what Yang Kai found strange was the fact that it felt a little hard for him to get a clear look at it. He only knew that this illusory phantom took the shape of a huge woman, one more than two or three hundred metres tall, which was even bigger than Xiao Xiao after his transformation. This woman held a greatsword with both hands and with her head lifted high and her feet planted firmly on the ground, she gave off an imposing visual impact.
Even though this woman was giant, she was by no means ugly. It was as if a stunning beauty had been magnified countless times. No matter which part you looked at, her body was perfect and flawless.
She was just like Zhang Ruo Xi’s guardian, suddenly appearing behind her in this heroic and mighty stance, as if even ten thousand soldiers and a thousand warhorses could not obstruct her.
When the World Energy Baptism struck her body, it was just like a stone sinking into a sea. Not even creating half a ripple.
In the next moment, the illusory phantom raised her head to look at the sky, opened her mouth, and drew in a breath.
The power gathered in the sky was sucked directly into her mouth, and in just three breaths of time, clarity was restored in the dark sky, the surface of the sea becoming calm once more.
Even though he had seen this once before, Yang Kai was still shocked at the sight and was struck speechless for a long time.
It was common knowledge that one would be baptised by World Energy when breaking through to the next Great Realm; this is something nobody could avoid. To be able to withstand it allowed one to peek into the mysteries of the next realm, but those who failed either died or ended up crippled.
That’s how it had always been for Yang Kai all these years.
But compared to Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough, Yang Kai felt as if his own breakthroughs were simply weak. The difference was so vast, one could not even place them in the same category.
While his mind was still wandering off, the gigantic illusory phantom had already flashed back into Zhang Ruo Xi’s body in an instant. Then, Dao Source Realm aura spread out from Zhang Ruo Xi’s body. Her bones creaked as the power inside her body surged fiercely.
Yang Kai felt anxious inside, having no idea if it would be a problem for the illusory phantom to act on her own initiative to swallow up the World Energy here; after all, the World Energy in this place was filled with Disruption Force. The illusory phantom must have sucked in that Disruption Force at the same time that she swallowed the World Energy.
Yang Kai paid close attention to Zhang Ruo Xi’s reactions and decided that once anything appeared awry, he would bring her into the Sealed World Bead.
But no matter how he looked at her, Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t seem to look uncomfortable at all. Instead, she had a pleasant expression on her face, seemingly feeling happy about her breakthrough. She was still sitting there with her hands in a seal, which confused Yang Kai greatly.
Five hundred kilometres away, Ling Yin Qin sighed inwardly, “As expected, he failed…”
The Heavenly Manifestation that was so powerful disappeared without a trace in just a moment; that was clearly a sign that the breakthrough had failed, so who knew if Yang Kai was alive or dead right now. Ling Yin Qin felt sorry for Yang Kai at this moment. Even though she wasn’t close to him, to see a cultivator’s journey on the Martial Dao ending here with her own eyes still made her feel a little sad, like a fox mourning the death of the hare.
Inside the room, Liu Xian Yun who was kneeling and praying devoutly on the floor also went limp, blood draining from her pretty face.
Only after a long time passed did she stand up with gritted teeth and rush outside.
Whether Yang Kai was dead or alive, she still wanted to look for him. If he was still alive, she wanted to see him in person, but if he was dead, then she wanted to see his corpse with her own eyes. If not for her, Yang Kai would never have met with such misfortune. With his aptitude, he could smile arrogantly against the entire Star Boundary and achieve a towering name in time.
Liu Xian Yun had just rushed to the deck when she suddenly saw a large sea ship moving closer. This sea ship was even bigger and more magnificent than Ling Yin Qin and her crew’s. They had to brave through the winds and the billows of the sea, yet they didn’t give off any presence at all, so nobody knew when they had approached. By the time Liu Xian Yun discovered them, the distance between the two ships was already quite short.
Liu Xian Yun looked over just in time to see the deck of the approaching ship was full of cultivators, headed by a man in purple ropes, glaring down at them without any kind intentions, like a tiger watching its prey.
Ling Yin Qin and the others all came out onto the deck after this late realization, and when they saw the banner that the opposite ship was flying, all their faces sank.
The question of whether Yang Kai was alive or dead had completely occupied Liu Xian Yun’s mind, so she didn’t have the leisure to care about this at all and was ready to fly out; however, the expression on the purple-clothed man deepened and with a wave of his hand, he sent a palm print flying over without moving himself.
…..
On the island, Yang Kai waited until Zhang Ruo Xi opened her eyes before he slowly flew over. Landing in front of Zhang Ruo Xi, he asked anxiously, “Are you feeling any discomfort?”
“Discomfort?” Zhang Ruo Xi looked confused before she shook her head, “Not at all!” Then, she beamed, saying innocently and cutely, “Sir, I’ve broken through to the Dao Source Realm!”
A few years ago, she never would have thought that she would one day be able to reach the Dao Source Realm, standing at such a great height; after all, the strongest member of the Zhang Family back then was only a Third-Order Origin King. It had been centuries since her family produced a Dao Source Realm cultivator, but her cultivation had been growing at a rapid rate since Yang Kai took her away from the Zhang Family, achieving in just a few years what generations of the Zhang Family had not been able to do.
This level of cultivation could already give her a stable foothold in Maplewood City, back then.
Zhang Ruo Xi felt extremely grateful towards Yang Kai.
She knew that if Yang Kai had not provided her with such a good and stable cultivation environment, then this feat would have been impossible for her. She also knew that if Yang Kai had not unearthed the cultivation talent inside of her, even if she cultivated for the rest of her life, she would never have been able to explore the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm.
But now, at the tender age of seventeen, she had become a Dao Source Realm Master. She had plenty of good years ahead of her, and even had the opportunity to aspire towards becoming an Emperor, possibly even taking a glimpse at the secrets of the Great Emperor Realm!
Zhang Ruo Xi’s heart pounded in excitement.
“Give me your hand!” Yang Kai came to her side. Even though he didn’t sense anything off from Zhang Ruo Xi, he still felt a little worried and wanted to give her a thorough check.
Blushing slightly, Zhang Ruo Xi stretched out her soft arm that looked as tender as a lotus root.
Yang Kai put his finger on it and pushed a thread of Source Qi into her body to check her carefully.
A short while later, Yang Kai’s body shook and he stared at Zhang Ruo Xi in surprise, “How… How can this be?”
“What’s wrong, Sir? Is there something wrong with Ruo Xi?” Zhang Ruo Xi was shocked to see the astonished expression on his face and she herself was beginning to worry.
“No, it’s nothing!” Yang Kai hurriedly shook his head, worried that he would scare her silly. But his brows were frowning more and more and his face was filled with astonishment, as if he had discovered something unbelievable.
Zhang Ruo Xi did not move, but she could feel Yang Kai’s Source Qi running around inside her body. Even though Yang Kai controlled himself and didn’t move to any private areas, the feeling still caused Zhang Ruo Xi to blush red and quickly lowered her head to her chest.
She also knew that Yang Kai was just checking the condition inside her body and did not have any bad intentions, but that did little to abate her embarrassment.
A few moments later, Yang Kai withdrew his fingers and looked at Zhang Ruo Xi with an odd expression.
“Sir… What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked meekly.
“You’re fine,” Yang Kai answered. “Incredibly fine, in fact.”
Yang Kai originally thought that Zhang Ruo Xi would be affected by the Disruption Force in this world if she broke through to Dao Source Realm here, and had already prepared to bring this little girl into the Small Sealed World to recover. However, after examining her, Yang Kai found that there was not even a single hint of the Disruption Force inside her body.
The infinite Disruption Force that filled this world seemed to have evaporated after entering her body.
That in itself was unbelievable, but it still wasn’t enough to put Yang Kai out of sorts.
More importantly, Yang Kai discovered that the power inside of Zhang Ruo Xi’s body was actually dense Source Qi, without a hint of Saint Qi!
Before a cultivator advanced to the Dao Source Realm, their power would need to be transform from Saint Qi to Source Qi. It took Yang Kai nearly a year for his Qi to transform completely, and it was also pushed forward by consuming Source Condensing Pills.
The transformation of Source Qi was an extremely long process. Any cultivator were attempting to breakthrough into the Dao Source Realm would need at least three to five years for the transformation to be complete, and this was for cultivators with good aptitudes. For those with lesser aptitudes, it could even take eight to ten years. Even more.
Only when all the Saint Qi in the body is transformed into Source Qi would a cultivator’s foundation for the Dao Source Realm be setup for a breaktrhough; only then would there be hope for them to break through to the Second Order Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai watched Zhang Ruo Xi breakthrough on this island with his own eyes, but how long had that been? Zhang Ruo Xi had actually accomplished something that would take a normal person several years to complete.
There was no trace of Saint Qi in her body at all. The power filling her body was pure and vigorous Source Qi. In other words, Zhang Ruo Xi’s Source Qi transformation was completed the moment she broke through.
Yang Kai could not figure out how such a strange thing could happen.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time something strange had happened with Zhang Ruo Xi. In the end, Yang Kai could only attribute this to her bloodline; after all, the power of Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline was truly unusual, and it seemed to be hiding a great secret.
Yang Kai did not dare to take it too lightly either though and continued to examine Zhang Ruo Xi’s body carefully. Only after confirming that there were no hidden problems in her body did he send her back into the Sealed World Bead where he instructed Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si to explain the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm to her to help her future cultivation.
The island was still the same, but the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array that had been set up on it was damaged.
Yang Kai had a bitter look on his face after he collected the array base and flags.
He still had no idea how he was going to explain this to Ling Yin Qin once he returned. This High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array seemed to be extremely precious to her, and now that it had broken in his hands, he couldn’t help wondering whether Ling Yin Qin would get angry with him.
Yang Kai examined the array base and flags and found that they were badly damaged, causing his face to grow even more bitter.
With a sigh, he put everything away before turning around to return whence he came.
A short while later, his face changed. Observing two ships stopped in the middle of the sea, Yang Kai frowned.
One of the two ships naturally belonged to Ling Yin Qin, but he had never seen the larger one before. It had obviously arrived when he took Zhang Ruo Xi to the island to break through.
The chances of two ships meeting at sea were extremely low. There may be a chance that this ship was led here because of the Heavenly Manifestation that was invoked during Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough.
Looking at the direction that the bow of the new ship was pointing at, it was clearly heading towards the island he just left.
This large ship was two or three times bigger than Ling Yin Qin’s, and when the two ships stood side by side, they looked like a grandfather and his grandson.
Yang Kai could hear a commotion from there before he even got close, causing his face to sink. Worried, he teleported and landed directly on the deck.
Looking over, he could see that Ling Yin Qin and the dozen other crew members under her lead were standing on the deck, confronting the newcomer group. Ling Yin Qin and the others looked indignant, but the other party looked relaxed and calm as if they didn’t even place Ling Yin Qin and her crew in their eyes.
Liu Xian Yun was being protected behind the crewmembers, and Yang Kai could see that there was a red handprint on Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face, as if she had been hit by someone. There was even a trace of blood still flowing from the corner of her mouth that had yet to dry.
Yang Kai’s face sank in an instant.
He had no idea what happened just now, nor did he know where the group from the other ship came from; however, Liu Xian Yun had clearly been hit by the people who had just arrived.
Yang Kai’s sudden appearance had obviously alerted the two groups that were confronting each other on the ships.
Liu Xian Yun was the first to turn around, but when she saw Yang Kai, she instantly forgot what situation she was currently in and shouted in a trembling voice, “Senior Brother…”
She looked over Yang Kai from head to toe with her beautiful eyes in fear that she may find something that would worry her, and only after she confirmed that Yang Kai was safe and sound, with no missing arms or legs, did she let out a heavy sigh of relief.
“You’re actually fine?” Ling Yin Qin was also surprised at this sight.
Yang Kai must have been the one to trigger that Heavenly Manifestation earlier. Even from five hundred kilometres away, she was able to feel it clearly; however, that sight had only lasted for five breaths before disappearing without a trace, meaning that Yang Kai’s breakthrough had failed.
A Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator failed to break through to the Emperor Realm, so how did he survive without suffering any backlash? Once one was hit by the backlash of failing the World Baptism, if they’re lucky, then their cultivation would be crippled, but if not, they would be killed directly.
But Yang Kai really did come back in one piece.
Ling Yin Qin examined Yang Kai several times before confirming that what she saw was real. Suddenly, her face changed as if she had thought of something.
This young man called Yang Kai should have cut off his cultivation at the critical moment, otherwise it was impossible for him to be safe.
To cut off one’s cultivation was to cut off their path in the Martial Dao. Considering all this, Ling Yin Qin couldn’t help but sigh a little, and, looking at his face, he seemed to have suffered a lot of injuries as well. Otherwise, why would his face look so terrible?
This person truly was unlucky, to encounter this kind of disaster after being in the Solitary Void Sealed World for only a few days. If it had happened maybe two months later, then he may have the chance to break through to the Emperor Realm back on Clear Sky Island.
“Brother Yang, did your breakthrough… fail?” Jiao Yi blabbed his big mouth and asked bluntly.
He wasn’t thinking too deeply about it. He had only asked because he saw Yang Kai return so quickly without any improvement in his cultivation.
But as soon as he said that, he received a silent kick from Ling Yin Qin. Jiao Yi immediately realized that he had been indiscreet, so he immediately shut his mouth.
There would be nothing to blame him for if he asked about Yang Kai’s situation out of concern if nobody else was around, but there were now enemies nearby, so asking this would lead others to know that Yang Kai was currently not in good shape.
“Yeah, I failed!” Yang Kai replied calmly, showing no hint of chagrin.
“A breakthrough?” When the man in purple heard this, he raised his brow as if he realized something and looked over at Yang Kai and asked, “So, that commotion over there was caused by you trying to break through?”
“Who are you?” Yang Kai glanced at him.
Ling Yin Qin quickly transmitted to him, “He is the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion, Yang Yao Shi. The Profound Cloud Pavilion holds great power in Clear Sky Island. The Pavilion Master is an Emperor Realm Master. Don’t say anything and just leave this matter to me.”
From her tone, it seemed like she had quite a lot of scruples about this Profound Cloud Pavilion.
Yang Kai talked with Jiao Yi a lot before this and got to know that there were many great forces on Clear Sky Island because, to survive in this damned place, cultivators had to group together. Naturally, as time went on, all sorts of big and small forces formed. Ling Yin Qin and her crew were considered one of them. It was just that they weren’t famous.
There were about a dozen Emperor Realm Masters on Clear Sky Island, and the subordinates of these Emperors held the most of the power, so no one dared to mess around with them. This Profound Cloud Pavilion was one such force.
Yang Kai would also never have expected to come across the Profound Cloud Pavilion’s ship in this vast ocean.
Ling Yin Qin had undoubtedly transmitted the message to Yang Kai for fear that he would provoke someone he shouldn’t as he was new here. She had good intentions.
At the same time, a man next to Yang Yao Shi suddenly leaned over to whisper something into his ear.
Yang Yao Shi’s eyes lit up instantly and a meaningful light flashed across his eyes as he gazed at Yang Kai, “Boy, are you new here like that woman? You don’t look too familiar.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Yin Qin’s heart could not help but sink. The crew manifest on her ship had not changed at all in years, and the man next to Yang Yao Shi obviously recognized them, so once he saw the two unfamiliar faces, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun, he instantly realized that these two were newcomers.
New cultivators would generally have a lot of Source Crystals on them, so for those living in the Solitary Void Sealed World, newcomers were fat sheep. Even a man like Jiao Yi used to have thoughts against them, so nothing needed to be said about these people from Profound Cloud Pavilion.
Ling Yin Qin quickly spoke up, “Brother Yang, these two are my crew members, not some newcomers. Are you perhaps mistaken?”
Yang Yao Shi’s face sank and he huffed, “Cheap slut, you think yourself worthy to call me Brother Yang?”
Even though his cultivation was also just at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, Ling Yin Qin could not contest against him. He was the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion and had an Emperor backing him, making his status simply incomparable to someone like Ling Yin Qin. When he heard Ling Yin Qin addressing him so casually, Yang Yao Shi immediately got annoyed.
Ling Yin Qin’s face turned ugly, but the situation was bigger than herself right now, so she had no choice but to lower her head, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang, this Mistress has spoken out of place. I hope Vice Pavilion Master Yang can pardon my rudeness.”
She had lived for several dozen years in this Solitary Void Sealed World and knew who she could and could not mess with. So, even though she felt indignant at the situation, she could only swallow her anger and hope for the best.
Jiao Yi and the other crew members had quietly clenched their fists and gritted their teeth as well.
“Hmph!” Yang Yao Shi glanced at Ling Yin Qin from the corner of his eye and said, “This is the last time. Next time, I won’t let you off so easily.”
“Many thanks, Vice Pavilion Master Yang,” Ling Yin Qin said through gritted teeth.
“As for these two…” Yang Yao Shi pointed his hand at Liu Xian Yun and Yang Kai, snickering, “Did you think this King would not be able to tell whether these two are new here? Anyone living long enough in this damned place will more or less be stained by the ocean air, but they are not. They obviously just arrived here not long ago. You’ve got a lot of guts to dare deceive this King, Ling Yin Qin!”
Ling Yin Qin’s pretty face changed as she knew it was impossible to deny it now. She glanced over at Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun worriedly and thought about how she could let the two escape, but she also knew there was little hope, which caused her heart to become riddled with guilt.
She had thought that Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun would both be panicked and scared that Yang Yao Shi had his eyes on them, but when she looked over, she only saw them whispering something to each other with indifferent looks on their faces. It seemed like Yang Kai was asking how the marks on Liu Xian Yun’s face came about, but Liu Xian Yun kept shaking her head and saying nothing, which put Yang Kai at a loss.
“Hand those two over and give us half of your trip’s harvest. If you do that, this King can make an exception and let you go this once!” Yang Yao Shi pointed his hand at Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun and said in a domineering manner.
“Half of our harvest?” Jiao Yi had a hot temper, so he was instantly riled up by those words and stamped his feet, “Why don’t you come and snatch it from us if you dare?”
Yang Yao Shi’s face sank as he shot Jiao Yi a glance and grunted, “Is this how you train your subordinates, Ling Yin Qin? You know what will happen if you offend this King, don’t you?”
Ling Yin Qin immediately shot a glare at Jiao Yi and snapped at him, “Don’t make things more complicated!”
Since the Big Sister had spoken, Jiao Yi didn’t dare to say anything more even though he was still discontented; however, the look on his face was extremely ugly. The anger he was suppressing could almost set him ablaze, and the others around him shared similar expressions.
They worked so hard at sea and risked their lives, spending so much effort in order to secure a full harvest, but they didn’t expect Yang Yao Shi to block them here and want to rob them of half their haul.
Half of the harvest was quite a lot. It was equivalent to one or two years of hard work that they were doing before this. Who would be willing to just hand that over?
Ling Yin Qin cupped her fists, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang, since those two are on my ship, then they are part of my crew and this Mistress is responsible for their safety. How about this, we had a pretty good harvest this trip, so we can offer it all to you, but only if you don’t find any trouble with them.”
“You’re trying to bargain with me?” Yang Yao Shi’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint shining within them. There seemed to be a cold chill emitting from his entire body.
Ling Yin Qin looked up and explained, “We harvested more than 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral and also collected the carcass of one Ice and Fire Profound Armoured Dolphin. Vice Pavilion Master Yang can consider for himself whether or not this is a good deal.”
“What?” Yang Yao Shi was stunned, “Over 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral, and the carcass of an Ice and Fire Profound Armoured Dolphin?”
Even though he was the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion, he had still never come across such a large amount of wealth in one go.
Just the 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral alone was an immense treasure, but they even had the carcass of a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast! A Twelfth-Order Monster Beast was equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master, so its Monster Core was definitely worth a lot of money.
In the Solitary Void Sealed World, many Spirit Pills were refined from the Monster Cores of Sea Beasts. The Monster Core of this Twelfth-Order Monster Beast would be good enough to refine an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill, the effects of which would be difficult to estimate for Yang Yao Shi.
He was immediately moved.
But Yang Yao Shi still snorted, “You dare try and play tricks on this King, Ling Yin Qin? An Ice and Fire Profound Armoured Dolphin is a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast. How could you possibly kill it with your strength?”
Ling Yin Qin answered, “It was already dead. The Grey Feather Coral was located in its territory. We just went there to collect it.”
Yang Yao Shi was immediately convinced, that was because cultivators would often encounter opportunities and other strange things out in this Solitary Void Sea and were able to get a lot of good things without much effort if their luck was good enough.
He laughed, “You guys are quite lucky. Not bad, not bad at all. So many good things are enough to buy their lives.”
Ling Yin Qin quickly said, “Does that mean that Vice Pavilion Master Yang agrees?”
Yang Yao Shi nodded and said, “Naturally. Why would I not agree to such a good thing? This King can leave the two of them, but in addition to the conditions you mentioned, the Space Rings of the two of them must also be handed over.”
The main reason he wanted to take Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun away was for the Source Crystals inside their Space Rings. As long as he could get their Space Rings, why would he care whether Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun were dead or alive?
Ling Yin Qin frowned, “This Mistress is unable to make this decision for them!”
As she spoke, she turned towards Yang Kai with a helpless look on her face.
This was already the best she could do. The rest would be left up to Yang Kai to see how sensible he was.
Yang Kai sneered, “Such lack of shame and respect. You can already be considered a new standard in this regard.”
While Ling Yin Qin and Yang Yao Shi were negotiating earlier, Jiao Yi and the others did not dare to interrupt even though they were all furious. Even when Ling Yin Qin said she was willing to give up their entire harvest to ensure his and Liu Xian Yun’s safety, none of the crew members retorted.
Yang Kai was now able to understand how highly this group of men regarded Ling Yin Qin. Considering he and Liu Xian Yun had nothing to do with them and only paid the fare and the room fees, without an incredible sense of honour and integrity,
who would be willing to spend so much just to protect them?
Ling Yin Qin had done this because she considered Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun part of her crew the moment she accepted them aboard, making them her responsibility.
[What an extremely principled woman!] This part of her nature also clearly convinced her subordinates that no matter what decisions she made, they would obey.
Naturally, Yang Kai could see the meaning in Ling Yin Qin’s eyes. Even though she didn’t say anything explicitly, there was no doubt she wanted to persuade him to part with his wealth in order to avoid this disaster.
Ling Yin Qin thought that he had failed his breakthrough, cut off his cultivation, and was now weakened, but she had no idea that Yang Kai didn’t place these people in his eyes at all.
So, when she heard him speak so arrogantly, Ling Yin Qin’s face changed and she quickly warned, “Yang Kai, bear with it now and you’ll find calm and peace; take a step back and you’ll find more space around you!”
Yang Kai sighed, “Big Sister Ling, a cultivator’s only path must be to forge ahead, meeting troubles head-on. It’s not a good habit to back down and give up. For people like them, if you take a step back, then they will only push you down and step on your head.”
Ling Yin Qin was instantly stunned, because a man once told her the same thing many years ago, and even after so many years passed, she still remembered the smile and demeanor of that man. At this moment, his figure and the figure of this person called Yang Kai seemed to overlap, causing her to lose herself for a moment.
“Well said, but talk is meaningless without strength,” Yang Yao Shi scoffed, “This King would like to see how you can still forge ahead in front of me and meet me head-on!”
“Were you the one who hit my Junior Sister?” Yang Kai stared coldly at him.
“That’s right,” Yang Yao Shi looked contemptuously at Yang Kai. “She dared to be presumptuous in front of this King, so one slap was already a light punishment for her. If you still…”
He was still trying to threaten them, but halfway through speaking, he suddenly lost sight of Yang Kai’s figure.
In the next moment, his eyes shrank as he saw Yang Kai appear half a metre in front of him and raise his hand, sending a slap right over.
Yang Yao Shi jolted and instinctively moved to the side to avoid the blow, but Yang Kai was faster than he could have imagined. Before he could move, the slap had already hit him square in the face.
*Pa…*
Yang Yao Shi’s entire body twirled in mid-air and he spat out a few teeth as well as a mouthful of blood before landing heavily on the ground.
Silence. The entire deck was dead silent.
Jiao Yi and the others were all staring dumbfoundedly at this unbelievable scene. Ling Yin Qin was also shocked at the sight. Even though she had not had much contact with Yang Kai, from her perception, he wasn’t a hot-tempered person. On the contrary, he was quite well-mannered, so she had never expected he would directly pick a fight with Yang Yao Shi, and even give him a big slap to the face!
[What do we do now?]
Ling Yin Qin originally hoped that they would be able to avoid this disaster, but now, it seemed that was only her wishful thinking.
[Wait… After failing his breakthrough and cutting off his cultivation, his aura should have been weak and his strength should have declined. Even if it was a sneak attack, how could a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator like Yang Yao Shi not be able to dodge that blow?]
However, after she quickly contemplated Yang Kai’s current state, she found that he didn’t show any signs of his aura being weakened or his strength declining. The Source Qi fluctuations he gave off just now were also of an intensity a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator should possess.
[What really happened to him?] Ling Yin Qin was befuddled.
Those from Profound Cloud Pavilion were also stunned. On this Solitary Void Sea, and even on Clear Sky Island, they had always been the most powerful ones, so how could they have expected that they would be slapped across the face by somebody one day? And the recipient of that slap was even their own Vice Pavilion Master! The brains of all these people were buzzing and they almost turned into fools.
“You… You actually dare to hit me?” Yang Yao Shi got up from the ground. His face had turned completely hideous and he spat out a mouthful of blood as he glared at Yang Kai, “Do you know who this King is? How dare you hit me?!”
Yang Kai snorted, “Daring to be presumptuous in front of this Young Master, a slap is already considered a light punishment for you. If you dare to run your mouth again, I’ll end your worthless life!”
Yang Yao Shi was taken aback for a moment. Following that, he laughed in anger and roared hysterically, “Kill them! I want all the men on that ship dead, and I want their women to suffer a life worse than death!”
What Yang Kai said really got to him, and he was completely set off, incomparable hatred filling his face.
Ling Yin Qin’s face changed when she heard this and she quickly shouted, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang, please show mercy!”
Her ship only had a dozen crew members, and only half of them were at the Dao Source Realm, the rest were just Origin Kings; however, there were at least thirty Dao Source Realm cultivators in Profound Cloud Pavilion’s crew. No matter how you looked at it, it was unlikely for them to win with such a huge disparity in their strength. If they really fought here, then they would definitely die pitiful deaths.
As the Big Sister, she naturally had to think for the crew’s sake.
Yang Yao Shi raised his voice, “It’s too late to say anything now! Ling Yin Qin, this King will personally take care of you himself! I’ll have you stripped and hung from the gates of Clear Sky City!”
Yang Kai’s provocation ended up causing him to direct his hatred to Ling Yin Qin as well. As a female cultivator, being stripped naked and hung from the city gates to be gawked at was definitely the greatest insult she could receive. When she heard this, Ling Yin Qin’s heart instantly sank.
*Dong dong dong…*
The many cultivators of Profound Cloud Pavilion had already flown up, each of them with hideously fierce faces. They clearly did not plan to show any mercy to Ling Yin Qin and her crew today.
Seeing this situation, Ling Yin Qin also knew that things could not be undone, so she grit her teeth and gave the order, “We fight!”
The faces of Jiao Yi and the rest turned cold and each of them pushed their Source Qi while summoning their artifacts.
Teleporting back, Yang Kai suddenly appeared back in front of Jiao Yi and the others to face the incoming storm.
“Senior Brother, be careful!” Liu Xian Yun had also summoned her artifact and yelled out to him when she saw this.
“Take care of yourself,” as Yang Kai spoke, he flicked his wrist and a broad sword appeared in his grip.
“Chop off his limbs and cripple his cultivation! I want him to know what happens when someone dares provoke this King!” Yang Yao Shi’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Yang Kai while he shouted to his men.
He was truly enraged. No one had ever dared to go against him, much less slap him across the face in front of so many people. Yang Kai was the first to do such a thing, so the hatred he felt for him was so deep that even all the water in the Solitude Void Sea would be unable to wash it away. How could he dispel the anger in his heart if he doesn’t show Yang Kai hell?
Yang Kai remained indifferent as he faced the dozen or so cultivators pouncing over like starving wolves and tigers. With just a slight twist of his sword, a halo suddenly fell and Sword Qi filled the air.
“Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf!”
A shower of Sword Waves swept out with a dazzling flash.
*Hong hong hong…*
Before the group of Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators at the front realized what was happening, they were shocked to find that their defensive artifacts and protective Source Qi had been easily destroyed, followed by pain through their bodies that robbed them of their consciousnesses.
*Hualala…*
The stench of blood filled the air as seven or eight cultivators standing at the very front collapsed like cut grass, blood and guts flowing all over the deck. The cultivators standing behind them were also badly injured and all of them fell to the ground, howling in pain.
When the other Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators saw this sudden change in the situation, they all froze in place and stared wide-eyed at Yang Kai, their eyes overflowing with fear and shock.
“Emperor Aura… Emperor Artifact?” Yang Yao Shi, who had his hand covering one cheek, was preparing to watch the good show when he suddenly shouted in disbelief, his eyes locking onto Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword like a swarm of locusts, greed flashing across their depths.
As soon as Yang Kai launched the attack, Yang Yao Shi was able to feel the artifact’s strength. This was an Emperor Artifact, a genuine Emperor Artifact! If he could get his hands on it, then he may be able to borrow the power of this Emperor Artifact to comprehend the mysteries of the Emperor Realm.
[What are this kid’s origins? How did he get his hands on an Emperor Artifact?]
Ling Yin Qin and the others were also dumbfounded.
They thought it would be hard for them to escape this calamity and were preparing for a desperate last struggle, but before the battle could even be joined, a dozen of the enemy had fallen before them.
And all of this was caused by a single strike from Yang Kai!
What was this situation?
Ling Yin Qin was confused by this and she stared at Yang Kai’s back blankly with her beautiful eyes, thinking, [Didn’t he fail his breakthrough and cut off his cultivation? How can he still exert such a powerful blow? That blow just now… could it just be the power of his Emperor Artifact?]
[That’s right, it must definitely be the power of his Emperor Artifact. Otherwise, it was simply impossible for him to achieve something of this level.] Ling Yin Qing had heard that Emperor Artifacts were all extremely powerful, and now it seemed that what she heard was true. However, from what she knew, the load of using an Emperor Artifact was also extremely high. She believed that it was very likely that Yang Kai would not be able to launch a second strike.
“What are you waiting for? He just failed his breakthrough and cannot possibly have much strength left! Just that one blow and he’s already an arrow at the end of its flight!” Yang Yao Shi was clearly thinking the same thing as Ling Yin Qin. When he saw his subordinates scared out of their wits, he quickly shouted at them with disappointed rage and urged them forward.
Only after he said this did the Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators, who were not moving forward, suddenly come back to their senses as if woken from a dream. Their previous timidity and fear were swept away and they all regained their ruthless expressions.
Yang Kai grinned fiercely and flicked both his hands, causing two huge Moon Blades to fly out and crash directly into the enemy crew.
In the next moment, screams and shrieks echoed through the air as everywhere the Moon Blades passed, all the enemy cultivators were unable to resist, the slightest touch severing them in half on the spot.
“There was a path to Heaven but you refused to take it. Instead of banging on the doors to Hell! None of you should even dream about leaving here today!” Yang Kai coldly snorted and flicked his hands again. Moon Blade after Moon Blade shot out, sending the Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators screaming for their fathers and crying for their mothers on the deck.
A group of trash with only First and Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators followed by a mob of Origin Kings was not a force Yang Kai needed to put in his eyes with his current strength and means.
In but three breaths of time, only around fifteen were left of the over thirty cultivators from Profound Cloud Pavilion, the rest were lying on the deck with no vitality at all.
“Run away!” No one knew who shouted that, but in the next moment, a light shot out to sea. This man was clearly scared witless by Yang Kai’s brutality and didn’t dare to remain.
When the others saw this, they naturally had no desire left to fight and all of them fled.
Ling Yin Qin’s face changed when she saw this and shouted, “Chase them down in groups of two, don’t let any of them escape!”
The battle happened so quickly that she hadn’t even realized what was going on before it was all over, but when she saw the remaining few fleeing, how could she just sit back and do nothing? Once they escape and word got back to Clear Sky Island, then the Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion would definitely not just let this go.
That was an Emperor Realm Master, none of them would be able to stand up to him if he decided to come for them.
After Jiao Yi and the others got the order, they naturally hurried to pursue their targets.
The sea breeze whistled across the deck, bringing with it the disgusting stench of blood and gore. The scene was shocking, as if an evil spirit had passed by here and left a wave of slaughter in its wake.
Yang Yao Shi was shaking all over, face pale as a sheet, staring terrified at Yang Kai. He couldn’t understand how a little brat could still be so strong even after failing in a breakthrough attempt. His own men that numbered more than thirty didn’t even last more than ten breaths before they were all either killed or fled in terror. In the blink of an eye, he had become the last man standing.
When he saw Yang Kai’s cold face and eyes, Yang Yao Shi’s body was covered in chills. He had the vague feeling that he seemed to have provoked someone he never should have and his heart was filled with regret.
Even if he escaped his current predicament, he would not be able to explain this huge loss to the Pavilion Master and would have to bear the Pavilion Master’s wrath.
“Tell me, should I kill you with one quick thrust, or should I slowly stab you to death?” A wicked smile bloomed on Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Yao Shi trembled all over and said in fear, “You can’t kill me… I’m the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion! I am Sir Mi… Mi Tian Xing’s subordinate! If you kill me, he will definitely not let you go!”
“Mi Tian Xing?” Yang Kai said in a cold voice, “That First-Order Emperor Realm Master sheltering you?”
“That’s right! The Pavilion Master is very fond of me!” Yang Yao Shi quickly added, thinking that Yang Kai knew of Mi Tian Xing’s reputation.
But unexpectedly, Yang Kai showed a disdainful expression and curled his lip, “What thing is a First-Order Emperor Realm Cultivator to me? This Young Master has killed more than one before!”
When he heard this, Yang Yao Shi’s first reaction was that this guy must be talking nonsense! Was it that easy to kill a First-Order Emperor Realm Master? What’s more, the one speaking was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator! It was ridiculous no matter how one thought about it.
But he didn’t dare to retort and only said, “Let me go and I can give you many benefits, but if you kill me, you’ll definitely have a hard time in Clear Sky Island!”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold, “Still daring to threaten me at death’s door?”
“I’m just speaking the truth! What’s more, it’s not easy for you to kill me with your current ability anyway. Instead of fighting a fight that will only end in both sides suffering, why don’t we sit down and discuss things properly?”
Yang Kai sneered, “A discussion would still require both sides to be on equal ground. I can take your life with a snap of my fingers. What rights do you have to bargain with me?”
“Don’t underestimate this King, even a broken ship has three kilograms of nails!”
“You think too highly of yourself,” Yang Kai scoffed and brought the Myriads Sword in his hand directly down onto Yang Yao Shi.
Yang Yao Shi paled in horror. He did not expect this young man to take action directly despite how hard he tried to persuade him. Instantly, Yang Yao Shi felt both angry and anxious. No longer hesitating, he summoned a shield artifact directly in front of him.
*Ci la…*
A crisp sound rang out as Yang Yao Shi was shocked to find that this shield artifact actually shattered without offering him any protection, shattering the moment his opponent’s sword slashed down. The Emperor Artifact’s power cut straight into his body, severing him in half.
[Is he really human?] Even in death, Yang Yao Shi could not believe that he, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, would actually be killed so casually by another in the same realm. If he had known how great the difference in their strength was, how could he possibly have remained here? He would have tried to escape, and at least there would be some hope for his survival.
The deck was soon empty, except for the corpses all over the floor. Yang Kai was the only one left standing. Even Liu Xian Yun and Jiao Yi had run off to chase their fleeing enemies.
Yang Kai raised his hand and sucked over the Space Rings of all the dead cultivators. After a quick inspection, he threw them to the ground again in disgust.
These cultivators must have been living here in the Solitary Void Sealed World for a long time. There were a bunch of random things in their rings, but none of them were really useful. With Yang Kai’s current wealth, these things simply weren’t enough to enter his eyes.
Yang Yao Shi’s shield artifact was something barely able to catch his eye, but after being split apart by the Myriads Sword, it had become worthless.
Yang Kai ignored the Space Rings of these people and instead turned his attention to the huge sea ship.
This sea ship was sailed here by Yang Yao Shi and his crew. Within the Solitary Void Sealed World, it was very common to go to sea using large artifacts like these, so Yang Kai figured he may need to head out to sea in the future and this was the perfect opportunity to acquire a means of transport. Flying to the opposite sea ship and entering the cabin, Yang Kai searched for the control center and began to refine it.
After about the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Ling Yin Qin and the others all returned from different directions. Save for a few injured members, the dozen members of the crew returned safe and sound.
Once all of them gathered and exchanged information about their situation with each other, Ling Yin Qin couldn’t help but breathe out a sigh of relief.
Not one of the Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators managed to escape, they were all hunted down and killed, so there was no need for them to worry about news of what happened here spreading back to Clear Sky Island.
Profound Cloud Pavilion would not suspect Ling Yin Qin and her crew for Yang Yao Shi and his crew’s sudden disappearance on their trip out to the Solitary Void Sea, and even if they did, they had no proof, so she didn’t need to worry about anything.
After calming herself, Ling Yin Qin suddenly remembered something and, with the same level of fear as if she had just gone to hell and back, she quickly ordered the crew to clean up the deck and push the corpses down into the sea. When she released her Divine Sense and found that Yang Kai was refining the Profound Cloud Pavilion’s ship, she didn’t bother him. Instead, she pulled Liu Xian Yun to the side and asked quietly, “What actually happened to your Senior Brother?”
If not for Yang Kai, they probably would not have encountered such a crisis. But similarly, without him here, they would definitely have had their whole harvest robbed by Yang Yao Shi and been forced to return empty-handed.
So, on balance, Ling Yin Qin still felt grateful to Yang Kai; however, she was extremely confused as to how Yang Kai was able to bring out such a terrifying level of strength, easily killing almost thirty people from Profound Cloud Pavilion by himself.
Only someone in the Emperor Realm should be able to do something like this.
If such a powerful force were to be turned against her and her ship, then who would be able to resist?
Ling Yin Qin was feeling more and more glad that she had stopped Jiao Yi and the others from acting on their greedy impulses, otherwise, she was afraid that they may not even know how they ended up dead.
Even though her question was vague, Liu Xian Yun could guess what she was trying to ask. Pondering for a moment, she explained, “Senior Brother is an extraordinary person to begin with. A few days ago, we were chased down by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master but still managed to escape thanks to Senior Brother.”
“You were chased down by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master and still managed to come out alive?” Ling Yin Qin was shocked.
She had never experienced how strong a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was, but she knew a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator couldn’t escape alive from their grasp.
But Yang Kai managed to do just this. That proved that he was no ordinary Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator.
“Senior Brother is amazing, he even managed to injure that Third-Order Emperor Realm Master,” Liu Xian Yun did not seem to think Ling Yin Qin was shocked enough so she added.
“Injured him…” Ling Yin Qin was completely dumbfounded. It felt as if her brain was freezing, unable to process everything. What she heard was completely beyond her comprehension.
“It was a sneak attack, and it seemed like that Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was injured to begin with.”
Despite Liu Xian Yun’s explanation, Ling Yin Qin’s mind was still buzzing. She couldn’t take in what she was saying at all and found herself staring at the sea ship opposite her, remaining silent for a long time.
“Big Sister, they have a lot of good things. That Yang Yao Shi actually brought more than 200,000 Source Crystals with him. We’re rich!” Jiao Yi walked over with a happy look on his face as he handed a Space Ring to Ling Yin Qin.
Only then did Ling Yin Qin return to her senses, “Divide up the stuff amongst yourselves, but throw away all the artifacts and other recognizable objects. You must not bring them back to Clear Sky Island!”
If they brought back any of the artifacts or anything that could be recognized, then it may reveal something and get the people of Profound Cloud Pavilion on their trail. Ling Yin Qin could not allow that to happen.
Even though Jiao Yi thought it was a waste, he knew that Big Sister was right. He instantly agreed and turned around, ready to set off to divide up the wealth with his brothers.
The deck was scrubbed clean, and all the corpses were dumped into the sea while all the blood was washed away.
Since Yang Kai had yet to come out, Ling Yin Qin could only wait now.
About a day later, the ship on the other side suddenly buzzed and the hull began to shake. In the next moment, there was a flash of light and the huge ship disappeared without a trace. In its place was Yang Kai who appeared in the view of the crowd.
He looked drained at the moment and his face was slightly pale, but on his palm was an exquisite sea ship that had shrunk countless times in size. It was clearly the one from Profound Cloud Pavilion.
“So quick!?” Even though Ling Yin Qin already knew about Yang Kai’s strength, she could not help but be astonished.
It took Yang Kai only one day to refine the ship’s controls. If someone else were to tell her about this, she would not have believed it, but it happened right in front of her, so she had to believe it.
[How strong is he?]
Ling Yin Qin already thought very highly of Yang Kai, but it seemed she had still underestimated him. Even if an Emperor Realm Master were here, it would still be impossible for them to refine the sea ship in just one day. Ling Yin Qin had thought she and her crew would have to wait here for a month or two for Yang Kai to finish.
While she was lost in thought, Yang Kai had already sent the ship into his Space Ring before he teleported back to the deck.
The dozen crew members looked at him with awe, while Jiao Yi opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t muster any words. With the strength Yang Kai had shown yesterday, Jiao Yi no longer had the confidence to call Yang Kai his brother.
“I apologize for the trouble I brought everyone,” Yang Kai said with some embarrassment.
He knew that the reason why the people of Profound Cloud Pavilion found Ling Yin Qin and the others here was most likely because of Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough. If not for that great disturbance, how could two sea ships meet each other so coincidentally in the middle of this vast ocean?
Therefore, the cause of the matter was still Yang Kai.
When they heard him say this, the crew members all waved their hands and shook their heads.
What a joke, the Profound Cloud Pavilion crew was slaughtered by Yang Kai in the blink of an eye, which showed how terrifying Yang Kai’s strength was. They did not dare to take his polite words seriously.
Looking at them, Yang Kai knew that these people were likely afraid of him.
“Brother Yang, we should be the ones thanking you. You saved us from a disaster,” Ling Yin Qin said.
Yang Kai had a very good impression of this woman. Previously, she offered to hand over all their gains from this trip in exchange for the safety of Liu Xian Yun and him. Yang Kai watched that scene with his own eyes. It was just a pity that Yang Yao Shi did not take the offer. He was too greedy and had to send himself up onto the platter no matter what.
“Not at all, Big Sister Ling. I was the cause of all this to begin with,” Yang Kai said awkwardly. He had no idea how he should explain to Ling Yin Qin about what happened before, and it wasn’t easy to explain either, so he could only say it in such a vague way.
“How’s your current situation?” Ling Yin Qin asked with furrowed brows. Yang Kai failed his breakthrough and cut off his cultivation, but he still got caught in a large battle, even spending so much of his energy to refine the sea ship. In her opinion, this was simply courting death, “You should take a rest.”
“I have to apologize to you, Big Sister Ling.” Yang Kai scratched his head and took out the broken High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array base and flags awkwardly, “I broke it.”
Ling Yin Qin looked at it and realized that her Spirit Purifying Array was in fact badly damaged and it couldn’t be used again. She could not help a downcast gaze from flashing past her eyes, as well as some reminiscence and pity.
“If it’s broken, then it’s broken,” Ling Yin Qin forced herself to smile, and consoled. “It’s just a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array. Don’t worry about it.”
Yang Kai said, “How many Source Crystals is this worth? I’ll repay you.”
Ling Yin Qin waved her hand, “No need. It’s a pity it wasn’t able to offer you any help.” While speaking, she took out a Wooden Token and passed it to Yang Kai.
“What’s this?” Yang Kai asked, puzzled.
“This is a Clear Sky Island Identity Token. You’ll be needing this if you want to get into Clear Sky City.”
Yang Kai reached out and accepted it, but then he came to a realization and raised his brows, “Is this from those Profound Cloud Pavilion guys? Will there be any issues if I use this to enter the city?”
“No, there won’t be. These two are only low-level Identity Tokens so no information is recorded on them. It’d be different for the high-level ones as those can’t be imitated,” Ling Yin Qin explained.
“Many thanks, in that case.” Yang Kai was overjoyed. He was still worrying over how he and Liu Xian Yun could safely get into Clear Sky Island, but he didn’t expect these people from Profound Cloud Pavilion to take the initiative to deliver these Identity Tokens to them. This was simply like delivering charcoal in a frigid winter.
“I’m a bit tired so I’ll go back and rest. Brother Yang, please make yourselves comfortable.” After that, Ling Yin Qin turned around and headed for the cabin.
Liu Xian Yun leaned over and whispered to Yang Kai, “Senior Brother, that High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array is something that Big Sister Ling’s partner left her before he passed on, it holds a lot of meaning to her.”
This was what she heard from Jiao Yi, and from the changes she saw on Ling Yin Qin’s face earlier, she knew that what Jiao Yi said was true. This High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was indeed exceptionally important to Ling Yin Qin and held her memories for that person.
Only then did Yang Kai realize how valuable the thing he damaged was and quickly shouted, “Sister Ling! I’ll definitely find someone to fix this Spirit Purifying Array for you.”
The Spirit Purifying Array was only damaged and not completely ruined. Yang Kai had originally thought of compensating Ling Yin Qin with some Source Crystals or buying her another set when they arrived at Clear Sky Island; however, knowing the sentimental significance of this Spirit Purifying Array now, compensating her or buying another set would be inappropriate. The best solution was to find someone to repair the array base and flags.
When she heard this, Ling Yin Qin’s steps wavered, but she did not turn back, only waving her hand lightly. Then, with a desolate back, she slowly walked away.
“Senior Brother Yang, do the two of you want to go back and rest as well?” Jiao Yi came over with a fawning smile on his face. His attitude was no longer casual like before and he was now acting more cautiously, “The ship will set sail soon. It’ll take less than a month for us to arrive back at Clear Sky Island. Old Jiao will call you once we’re there.”
“Alright, I’ll have to trouble you then, Brother Jiao,” Yang Kai nodded his head and went with Liu Xian Yun towards their room.
Soon after, the ship set sail again.
Inside the compartment, there were several times where Liu Xian Yun wanted to ask Yang Kai about his current situation, but she ended up swallowing her words back when they reached her lips. Yang Kai’s failure to break through to the Emperor Realm must have been a big blow to him, and if she asked, then Liu Xian Yun believed that it would definitely make him even sadder.
She also had no idea how to comfort Yang Kai, so she simply sighed in her heart and felt that Heavens was unjust to let Yang Kai perceive his opportunity for a breakthrough in this damned place.
The speed of the ship was not slow, and the cultivators on the ship were able to deal with the occasional attacks by Sea Beasts on the way. Regardless of their cultivation level, it was clear that Ling Qin Yin’s subordinates were all extremely seasoned cultivators who had a lot of experience on how to take care of these Sea Beasts.
So, they didn’t encounter any dangers on the way back.
About twenty days later, Yang Kai suddenly heard a commotion from the deck. Perking up his ears and listening in, he found out through the joyful conversations of the crew that they were nearing Clear Sky Island.
The cultivators on Clear Sky Island had to search for cultivation resources at sea, and every trip out was accompanied by great risks. Oftentimes, only half the number who departed would return.
But this time, Ling Yin Qin’s ship was different. However many went, however many returned, not a single one becoming lost at sea. Not only that, they had a great harvest, so the crew members were naturally overjoyed.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long before the speed of the ship began to slow and very soon, it came to a complete halt.
A bunch of noise suddenly came about. Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found that the ship had reached the edge of a huge island and stopped at a place similar to a pier.
Before Ling Yin Qin and the others arrived, there were already a few ships waiting to dock. From time to time, cultivators would fly out of those ships and land on the ground.
As soon as these cultivators landed, many people would gather around them as if every cultivator who returned from the sea was a sweet and ripe fruit.
Yang Kai saw a cultivator who had just returned from sea exchanging a few words with another person, then he followed that person and left quickly.
“Senior Brother Yang, we’ve arrived at Clear Sky Island.” Ling Yin Qin’s voice emerged from outside the room.
Yang Kai and Liu Yian Xun exchanged glances, then the two of them quickly stood up.
When they arrived on the deck, Jiao Yi and the others were already waiting eagerly. Once they saw Yang Kai, they all nodded at him with reverence.
“Are these people purchasing the harvest from the sea?” Yang Kai went up to Jiao Yi and asked while pointing at the bargaining cultivators down below.
Jiao Yi nodded, “That’s right, any returning ship will more or less have some kind of harvest with them, and there will be a few people waiting at the pier to try to purchase that harvest. Once they negotiate a price, they’ll make a deal, then they won’t have to waste any time looking for a buyer in the city. Many stores in the city have people waiting here, and they’ll rush over like madmen every time someone comes back. It’s a fierce fight!”
When he heard Jiao Yi’s explanation, Yang Kai knew that his guess was right. This was what he thought too when he first saw this scene.
“Let’s go,” Jiao Yi called out to everyone, and many of the crew members activated their Movement Skills and flew towards the shore. Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun also followed closely behind them, but Ling Yin Qin stayed back, forming a few hand seals as she prepared to put the ship away.
As soon as the crew came ashore, they were immediately greeted by many merchants who surrounded them and offered them prices for what they obtained during the trip.
Jiao Yi and the others were undoubtedly very familiar with this and all of them acted aloof and put on airs while they negotiated the price with the merchants. Soon after, someone offered them a good price and they went over to the side to make their trade.
Jiao Yi and the others had a really big harvest this trip. Not mentioning the more than 100,000 Grey Feather Corals and the Twelfth-Order Monster Beast’s carcass that they found, just the spoils they seized after Yang Kai killed the cultivators from Profound Cloud Pavilion alone was many times more than what they usually got.
The harvest was so big that it was impossible to sell it off all at once, so the dozen crew members prepared to split up some of the harvest amongst themselves to be traded for useful cultivation goods, such as Source Crystals, Spirit Pills, and whatnot. The rest of the harvest would be sold off next time when they had the chance. They’d definitely attract some unwanted attention if they take out so much good stuff at once.
Whether inside or outside the Solitary Void Sealed World, Source Crystals were the hard currency, while another popular item was Spirit Pills. All useful Spirit Pills could be converted into the corresponding amount of Source Crystals or used as direct currency.
While Yang Kai was browsing rare commodities, a beautiful middle-aged woman suddenly appeared in front of him. This beautiful woman was wearing a long turquoise dress and had an enchanting and plump body. She had a bulging chest that stretched her clothes out so much that they could almost rip, which was extremely eye-catching. Her cultivator wasn’t low either, being at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
But, even though she had enchanting looks, she had a very dignified bearing. It was not known whether she was too slow earlier or couldn’t be bothered about competing with the others, but she didn’t go over to greet the returning crews like the others. However, when she saw Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun standing there without being bothered by anyone, she took the initiative to go over to them, smiled, and cupped her fists, “Little Brother, greetings.”
“Do you need something, Madam?” Yang Kai swept his eyes over her.
The beautiful woman smiled, “This Mistress is Deacon Fan Xin of Ice Heart Pavilion.”
“Ice Heart Pavilion?” Yang Kai raised his brows and couldn’t help but take a look at this beautiful woman called Fan Xin.
Fan Xin asked suspiciously, “What’s wrong? Does Little Brother not know of my Ice Heart Pavilion?”
She thought this was very strange. Even though Ice Heart Pavilion only occupied a small piece of land on Clear Sky Island, they were definitely well-known. As long as someone lived on Clear Sky Island, it was impossible for them not to know about Ice Heart Pavilion, but seeing Yang Kai’s reaction just now, he seemed very surprised, as if he had never heard of Ice Heart Pavilion before.
Yang Kai said calmly, “Of course I have heard of your noble Ice Heart Pavilion before, but I never expected that Ice Heart Pavilion would also be buying things here.”
This was, of course, nonsense. It was indeed Yang Kai’s first time hearing about Ice Heart Pavilion, but he also knew that his performance earlier had aroused the beautiful woman’s suspicion, so he quickly tried to dispel her doubts through misdirection.
Sure enough, the beautiful woman smiled bitterly and replied, “Doing business is difficult, there’s competition everywhere. This Mistress also has her hands tied.” She turned the subject back on track quickly after, “I wonder if Little Brother has made any gains during this trip out to sea? If so, could you show it to me? This Mistress will definitely offer you a satisfactory price.”
“I have their share of our harvest. If you need to talk about anything, you can discuss it with me.” Ling Yin Qin came over from a short distance away to help Yang Kai with his predicament.
Of course, he wouldn’t have any goods on him. If he had known the situation would be like this at the docks, Yang Kai would have left some stuff in his Space Ring after killing that group of people from Profound Cloud Pavilion.
When she heard this, Fan Xin looked puzzlingly at Yang Kai. She had no idea why he had left his goods with Ling Yin Qin; after all, the dozen people who came down from the ship earlier all brought something with them.
Yang Kai shrugged and smiled, “I tend to get a bit carried away when I see a beautiful woman. Big Sister is worried I’ll suffer a loss, so she’s acting as my agent. Now, it seems like this was a smart move.”
Fan Xin covered her mouth and laughed, “Little Brother really is interesting.”
Fan Xin of Ice Heart Pavilion soon buddied up with Ling Yin Qin and they secretly communicated with each other through Divine Sense.
Soon after, Ling Yin Qin looked up at Yang Kai and asked, “This Junior Sister Fan has a very good offer. I’m going to sell the goods to her. What do you say?”
When she asked this, it was clear she was just making a show for Fan Xin. What’s more, her cultivation was a little higher than Fan Xin, so there was no problem with calling her Junior Sister.
Fan Xin immediately looked at Yang Kai with an expectant face. She had been here for almost half a day and didn’t manage to purchase anything. Now, she finally saw a glimmer of light. As long as Yang Kai nodded, she would be able to receive a lot of goods, so she was naturally excited.
Yang Kai smiled, “Sell it to her then.”
Fan Xin instantly beamed, “Many thanks to this Senior Sister and Little Brother. Please rest assured, we at Ice Heart Pavilion always do fair business and will offer appropriate prices.”
Ling Yin Qin lightly agreed, “I’ve long heard of Ice Heart Pavilion’s famed name, otherwise, I wouldn’t have sold everything to you so readily.”
While speaking, the two of them exchanged goods and money quickly. Yang Kai peeped over and found that in addition to Source Crystals, Fan Xin also handed some Spirit Pills to Ling Yin Qin.
After receiving the goods, Fan Xin looked extremely happy and her attitude also became more and more enthusiastic, “Little Brother, if you have anything to sell in the future, don’t forget about this Mistress. The price is negotiable.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Of course.”
“Let’s go,” Ling Yin Qin called out to them and led Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun towards the front.
After walking out from the noisy docks, the three of them stopped and waited for the others to arrive.
After about an incense stick of time, the dozen crew members all returned, each of them exuberant and joyful. Their harvest was obviously not small, and what they sold just now was only a small portion of their harvest this trip. There was still a lot that had not been taken out.
The 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral were too large an amount, so it was obviously not suitable for them to sell it at the docks. Ling Yin Qin was going to wait until they returned to Clear Sky City to process it.
The harvest from this trip alone would be enough to keep them well-fed for the next three years, and they could also move to a better place.
After a short walk, a huge city appeared in front of them. Even the gates were huge, looking like the jaws of a beast, ready to find someone to devour. Right above the gates were three characters, ‘Clear Sky City’!
There were guards stationed outside the city and whether they were going in or out, anyone passing by would have to pay a Low-Rank Source Crystal or something of corresponding value before they could pass.
When Yang Kai saw this, he frowned.
Source Crystals were very valuable in this Solitary Void Sealed World. He thought he could enter and leave as he pleased as long as he had an Identity Token, but he didn’t expect that he would still have to pay Source Crystals. One piece of Low-Rank Source Crystal was nothing for him, but for the poor cultivators who had lived here for so long, it was no doubt a great fortune.
There weren’t many people in front of the gates, only the cultivators who had returned from the docks earlier and were lining up to enter the city. From how no one was leaving the city, it was clear that the cultivators in Clear Sky City didn’t want to spend that one Source Crystal to come and go as they pleased either, only when they had to go out to sea or absolutely had to leave the city.
Ling Yin Qin’s group of a dozen easily entered the city after paying the dozen Source Crystals and verifying everyone’s Identity Tokens.
Yang Kai was a little worried that his identity as a newcomer would be exposed, but when he saw how simply everything went, he realized that he was worried for nothing.
A lively scene unfurled once they were inside the city. There were many cultivators in the city with shops lining both sides of the street and an endless stream of cultivators brushing past each other’s shoulders.
But Yang Kai soon found some parts different from normal cities. Many cultivators were sitting cross-legged on both sides of the street, gazing vacantly ahead.
There were quite a few of these cultivators, but regardless of their cultivation level, their auras were extremely weak. It seemed like all of them had not cultivated for a long time and were just sitting there, not moving.
Not only that, but there were also many people dressed like beggars on the streets, constantly begging for something, but they hardly got anything.
Yang Kai frowned. He did not expect the inside of the seemingly prosperous Clear Sky City to be so depressing.
“These are all pitiful people,” Ling Yin Qin sighed. “Without cultivation resources, their cultivation drops day after day, and they can’t even go out to sea to look for harvest anymore. So, other than begging, all they can do is wait for death.”
Hearing her say so, Yang Kai realized why the streets were like this now. Having to see this after he had only just entered the city, who knew how many people were waiting to die in the entire Clear Sky City just like this?
“Is there really no way to get out of here?” Yang Kai asked.
Ling Yin Qin shook her head, “I’ve never heard of anyone leaving here successfully.”
As the two were talking, an angry shout suddenly sounded from not far away, “You little rat, how dare you steal from me!”
The shout was accompanied by the commotion of a crowd nearby, and occasionally the sounds of fighting.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and immediately found out what was going on. It seems that a cultivator had been robbed, and the person being robbed was a First-Order Dao Source Realm, while the person robbing him was only a Second-Order Origin King. Not only was his cultivation much weaker than the other person, but his aura was so weak that he may not even be able to bring out his real strength.
This kind of death courting act would definitely never happen outside this Small Sealed World, but it seemed to be common here in Clear Sky City.
With two bangs, the robber was immediately killed and the cultivator got his Space Ring back. That First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator was about to start hurling insults when countless people with vacant expressions on their faces suddenly came over. The originally hollow eyes of these guys were currently bloodshot and all of them were eyeing the cultivator’s Space Ring. It wasn’t long before a fight broke out.
The owner of the Space Ring was a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, but two fists can’t block four strikes. Even though he managed to kill several of them in quick succession, no one was deterred and he was soon swamped by the crowd.
*Shua shua…*
While they were engaged in a heated battle, two figures suddenly descended from the sky. These two men had imposing auras and were dressed in black fitted robes. With a cold sneer on their faces, they watched the fight ahead, without any intention of stopping it.
“Those guys are from Clear Sky City’s law enforcement team,” Jiao Yi whispered to Yang Kai beside him.
“And they don’t care about this?” Yang Kai asked, surprised. Since they were from the law enforcement team, then naturally they should want to maintain the peace of the city, so why were they acting so indifferent when there was a fight happening right in front of them?
Jiao Yi sneered, “You’ll see.”
*Peng peng!*
Another two robbers were sent flying by the ring’s owner, but that man also seemed to be growing exhausted. Even though his situation was better than those who were either begging or waiting for death, his cultivation had clearly regressed a lot since arriving on this island. There was simply no way for him to display the full might of a Dao Source Realm cultivator now and was already battered, bruised, and exhausted from this brief fight.
When he looked up, he just so happened to see the two black-robed law enforcement officers and quickly shouted, “Sirs, please help me! These people are lawless and dare they rob people in broad daylight! Please sirs, deliver justice here!”
The two enforcers did not move, but instead watched on coldly.
The owner of the ring shouted again, “Sirs, please do something! This humble one is willing to pay half of what he has in his Space Ring as a reward!”
Upon hearing this, one of the enforcers sneered, “Only half?”
The owner of the ring gritted his teeth and said bitterly, “I’ll offer all of it to the two Sirs…”
He knew that if he didn’t get help now, then he may end up killed by these lawless people. Compared to his own life, what was everything else worth?
Only then did the two enforcers walk forward lazily. The person who spoke earlier grunted, “Little Brat, since you’re so sensible, we’ll give you a hand.”
After he said this, the two people moved in unison, greeting the crowd with ruthlessness. With a surge of energy, they blasted out the robbers directly, causing countless casualties and creating a strong smell of blood around them.
As soon as the two of them attacked, the cultivators around them turned silent out of fear. The robbers who were lucky to still be alive immediately scattered as they didn’t dare to remain any longer.
The only person left on the ground was the cultivator who was being robbed. He was lying there covered in blood, looking to be in a miserable state.
One of the enforcers walked over and raised his hand to suck the fallen man’s Space Ring into his palm. After searching it with his Divine Sense, he frowned and spat, “Broke bastard! Is this all you have?”
After saying that, he spat in disgust at the cultivator once more before walking off.
“This guy will also have no choice but to wait for death from now on.” Jiao Yi sighed.
The cultivator who was robbed probably didn’t have much in the first place, but now he had even lost his Space Ring, unless he could find a ship he could follow out to sea soon, he would definitely be reduced to just waiting for death here like those guys who were robbing him earlier.
“This place is such a mess.” Yang Kai’s face sank.
Ling Yin Qin said, “When one reaches the end of the road, one is capable of doing anything. Those people were forced to this point.”
Yang Kai felt silent as he knew what Ling Yin Qin said was correct.
These robbers were already waiting for death, what else could still scare them? But what Yang Kai could not believe was the fact that even the law enforcers in Clear Sky City were so dirty.
To put it nicely, what happened earlier was adding salt to a wound, in frank terms though, it was blatant robbery.
It seemed like Clear Sky City was without laws. It must have been hard for Ling Yin Qin and the others to have stayed here for so long.
“Things are a little more chaotic out here in the Outer City, but the Inner City is safer. Things like this won’t happen there,” Ling Yin Qin explained.
“Do you stay in the Outer City or Inner City?” Yang Kai asked.
Jiao Yi answered, “Outer City, but we’ll be able to move to the Inner City in just a few days.”
Their harvest was not small this time, and it was enough for them to rent a pretty good cave mansion in the Inner City. Even though life was generally more expensive in the Inner City, it was safer, so the cost was worth it.
Ling Yin Qin advised, “Senior Brother Yang, you just arrived so it’s best you rent a cave mansion to stay in. Then you can slowly get familiarized with this place.”
“That’s what I was planning to do.” Yang Kai nodded. He had no idea how long he would have to stay in Clear Sky Island, but he had to find a place to stay regardless.
“This must be where secluded homes can be rented, right?” Yang Kai asked as he stood in front of a large building at the intersection between the Outer and Inner City. After raising his head and looking around for a while, Yang Kai said goodbye to Ling Yin Qin and walked inside.
He was able to find this place quickly thanks to the guidance of Ling Yin Qin and the others. Jiao Yi had originally wanted to accompany him here, but he was politely declined by Yang Kai. As Jiao Yi and the others had just returned from sea after such a long time, they definitely had their own things to deal with. Moreover, he was just renting a secluded home and not anything too troublesome. Yang Kai believed he could handle it himself.
Before parting, Jiao Yi gave Yang Kai a Communication Bead and told him to call anytime if he needed help.
There were not many cultivators coming and going from the large hall, but they weren’t few either.
When Yang Kai arrived, there were already a few people waiting in front of him, all of whom seemed to be here to rent secluded homes. He silently watched the scene from the side and quickly learned of the renting process.
An hour later, it was Yang Kai’s turn, so he walked straight up, tossed a bag of Source Crystals onto the table, and said to the cultivator in charge, “I’d like to rent a medium-sized secluded home for one year.”
“Outer City or Inner City?” The cultivator glanced up at Yang Kai and said indifferently.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Would I give you this many Source Crystals if I was renting a home in the Outer City? Are you taking me for a fool?”
But the person in charge wasn’t bothered, he just smirked and picked up the bag of Source Crystals, weighing it in his hands before putting it away and pointing to the diorama at the side, “Pick for yourself.”
This diorama looked like a model of the entire Clear Sky City, only scaled down countless times; however, each building was crafted exquisitely. There were two major residential areas, one in the Outer City where prices were relatively low, and one in the Inner City, where the prices were higher. There were small flags erected outside most of the secluded homes, indicating that they were already rented out. Only a small number of the secluded homes were still vacant.
Yang Kai was just looking for a place to settle down and did not really care about the grade of the Spirit Purifying Array installed or the density of World Energy inside, so he just swept a gaze at the diorama and pointed to a relatively isolated home, “I’ll take this one.”
The person in charge glanced over, then with a toss, a token flew straight towards Yang Kai. Without even lifting his head, the man explained, “This is the Access Token. Keep it safe, no subletting, and no replacing the Spirit Purifying Array as you please. There will be no amnesty for those found violating the rules.”
Yang Kai caught the token and only briefly examined it before putting it away. Then, bringing Liu Xian Yun along, he left.
…..
An hour later, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun arrived in front of that secluded home. This secluded home was located in a mountain range within the island where big and small cave mansions were opened right into the mountainside. The environment here was not bad in general.
The World Energy had always been dense in the Solitary Void Sealed World, but it was all mixed with an endless stream of Disruption Force, making it so that cultivators could not absorb it at will and could only set up Spirit Purifying Arrays before they cultivated. Depending on the grade of the Spirit Purifying Array, the efficacy of a cultivator’s cultivation also varied greatly.
However, in general, cultivators could barely keep their cultivation from deteriorating while cultivating in this damned place even with a Peak-Grade Spirit Purifying Array. There was simply no way for them to increase it.
The Spirit Purifying Array setup within this medium secluded home that Yang Kai rented was naturally a Mid-Grade Spirit Purifying Array.
After entering the secluded home with Liu Xian Yun, the two of them looked around and found that the size of the secluded home was decent. There were three rooms, an Alchemy room, an Artifact Refining Room, and even a living room-like area.
Compared to the secluded home that Yang Kai rented in Maplewood City, this place was definitely much better despite the price being about the same.
Source Crystals are extremely valuable in the Solitary Void Sealed World though, so the same number represented a whole different value in this place. The Source Crystals of the same grade were naturally worth much more in the Solitary Void Sealed World.
“Go and pick out a room for yourself, Junior Sister,” Yang Kai said to Liu Xian Yun.
“What about you?” Liu Xian Yun asked.
“I’m going to familiarize myself with the environment and find an Artifact Refining Grandmaster to fix Ling Yin Qin’s Spirit Purifying Array.”
Liu Xian Yun said, “Then please be careful, Senior Brother.”
“I know. If you have nothing to do, you can fortify the seals around the secluded home. We may have to stay here for quite some time.”
“En. Come back soon,” Liu Xian Yun said meekly. After saying that, she blushed a little because she suddenly felt that she and Yang Kai were living like husband and wife and she was worrying about her husband before he left the house.
When this thought arose, it instantly caused her cheeks to burn, but when she looked up again, Yang Kai was already long gone.
Yang Kai had to take several twists and turns around Clear Sky City and ask many people for directions before he arrived at a certain alley.
He looked around with a confused expression on his face while muttering to himself, [I didn’t get lost, did I? That Artifact Refining Grandmaster lives here?]
When he separated from Jiao Yi and the others, Jiao Yi had given him a Communication Bead. Then, he had secretly sent Yang Kai a message telling him to go to Inner City to find Grandmaster Sang De if he really wanted to repair the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array for Ling Yin Qin.
Grandmaster Sang De was the best Artifact Refiner on Clear Sky Island, and it was said that he had already vaguely touched upon the realm of Emperor Artifact Refining. At least eighty percent of the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Arrays on this island were refined by him.
Since this person could refine High-Grade Spirit Purifying Arrays, then he should have no problems repairing one.
Jiao Yi also knew how much that High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array meant to Ling Yin Qin, so he secretly helped Yang Kai, hoping it could be repaired.
Yang Kai wasn’t very familiar with Clear Sky City, but Grandmaster Sang De had a resounding reputation here, so he only had to casually ask a few people on the streets before he managed to find this place.
Yang Kai just couldn’t believe that a man who was almost an Emperor Artifact Refiner would actually be living in a rough location like this though. But recalling that some Grandmasters like this tended to be eccentric and acted beyond people’s expectations, it wasn’t that surprising anymore.
He walked straight towards the end of the alley and came upon a large door that was wide open. Yang Kai looked inside and found a spacious courtyard that looked empty and spotless.
There was a boy dressed in the clothes of a servant who was currently sweeping the floor with a broom.
Yang Kai went up to him and cupped his fists, “Greetings, Little Brother.”
The boy completely ignored Yang Kai as if he were deaf and just continued sweeping the floor as if there was a magnificent beauty lying there.
Yang Kai cleared his throat and asked, “Excuse me, is this Grandmaster Sang De’s workshop?”
Only then did the boy look up and said with an impatient face, “Since you have already found your way here, why are you still asking?”
When he heard him say that, Yang Kai instantly knew he was in the right place. He quickly asked, “Is the Grandmaster available right now? There is an item that I need the Grandmaster’s help in repairing. I don’t know if…”
“Where did you come from? Don’t you know the rules?!”
“Rules? What rules?” Yang Kai looked confused.
The boy swept his eyes over Yang Kai and sneered, “You found your way here without even finding out about the rules? What an interesting person. You want to see the Grandmaster with that attitude? Maybe in your next life.”
Yang Kai humbly asked for his advice, “I hope Little Brother can give me some pointers.”
The boy looked up at the sky and stood there with his broom in his hand, twirling rapidly between his fingers.
[He wants a tip!] When he saw his attitude, Yang Kai knew that this boy wasn’t new to this. No wonder they say that standing in front of the King of Hell was easy, but dealing with his henchmen was not. This brat really was one of those henchmen.
Yang Kai held back his displeasure and took out a cloth bag from his Space Ring, handing it to him, “Now, you can talk, right?”
The boy weighed the bag in his hand and only then did he show a satisfied smile, beckoning Yang Kai over condescendingly, “Grandmaster’s time is precious, how would he have so much free time to bother himself with people like you? But the Grandmaster’s old heart is kind and he also worries over how difficult life is for people like you, so he specifically allocates some time to help refine artifacts for you lot.”
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched like mad when he heard this. This boy made it sound as if he wasn’t trapped on Clear Sky Island like them. Utterly shameless.
“Remember this,” The boy’s face turned serious and he quickly said, “Every month the Grandmaster will only open his door three times, so there will be three opportunities for him to help refine artifacts for the common man. If you want to ask the Grandmaster for help, then it’ll depend on your luck. Of course, in addition to those three times, the Grandmaster may make an exception and open his door once more if he’s in a good mood. Every time he opens his door, he will only help ten people, so if you come late, you will have to wait until next time.”
“Three chances and ten spots each time?” Yang Kai frowned, thinking that this Grandmaster Sang De was really quite arrogant, even setting up so many strange rules. But then, Yang Kai understood why there was nobody here at Grandmaster Sang De’s place. It clearly wasn’t time for him to open shop yet, or he had already missed it.
“You learn quickly! That’s exactly how it is!” The boy smiled and nodded.
“How old are you? How dare you talk to this Sir like this!” Yang Kai’s face dimmed and he sent a strike at the boy.
The boy shrunk his head, but he still failed to dodge it. His cultivation wasn’t high, only Origin Returning Realm, so how could he evade Yang Kai’s blow?
“You… You dare to hit me?” The boy took a few steps backwards and shouted with his hands covering his head, his eyes already turning red from fury.
“That was barely anything. Be careful, if you dare disrespect me again, I’ll really hit you.”
The boy seemed really frightened now. He worked for Grandmaster Sang De, so everyone who came here was always polite to him and nobody dared to offend him in the slightest. It was the first time anyone dared to teach him a lesson, so he was so shocked that he turned his head towards the courtyard, as if expecting Grandmaster Sang De to stand up for him, but there weren’t any sounds of movement coming from inside at all.
“What’re you looking at! Barely a beanstalk and you’re already acting big. What’s going to happen when you grow up? I asked you a question so answer me honestly!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
The boy did not look happy, but he didn’t say anything.
“How many times has the Grandmaster opened his door this month?” Yang Kai asked.
“Twice!” The child grumbled.
“When’s the next one?”
“That I do not know. The Grandmaster opens his door randomly. He helps people like you refine artifacts whenever he’s in a good mood, so you just have to wait!”
“If you’re thinking of getting the Grandmaster to refine an artifact for you, then there’s no chance for you today.” The boy snorted, “But you’re lucky you ran into this Young Master! If you don’t mind, you might as well take out the materials and I’ll help you refine what you need!”
“You’re also an Artifact Refiner?” Yang Kai looked at him in surprise.
The boy turned up his nose and puffed up his chest, flipping his hair back in a dashing manner and spoke with arrogance, “What’s so difficult about something as trivial as Artifact Refining? This Young Master is gifted and has been under the Grandmaster’s tutelage for so long. I can help you for sure, but the reward…”
Yang Kai spat disdainfully and left without even turning back.
The boy was only at the Origin Returning Realm, so even if he really was an Artifact Refiner, how good could he be? He was seeking out Grandmaster Sang De to repair a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array, which was even more difficult than refining one in a certain sense. Yang Kai was sure this boy didn’t have the skills to do this.
“Hey, don’t go! Are you looking down on me? Let me tell you, this Young Master is a Saint-Grade Artifact Refiner! Miss out now and you may never get another chance, so don’t regret this later!” The boy was stamping his feet, seemingly feeling deeply humiliated by Yang Kai.
…..
For several days, Yang Kai would visit Grandmaster Sang De’s place every day. According to what the boy told him, the Grandmaster had already opened shop twice this month, so there was only one more opportunity left, but he did not know the exact time so Yang Kai could only try his luck.
Unfortunately, after a few days, Yang Kai was still left with no harvest.
On the other hand, he had been walking around the streets these past few days, so Yang Kai had almost gotten a complete picture of Clear Sky City and was getting a good grasp of the local customs.
Seeing that there weren’t many days left in the month, Yang Kai was worried that he might be late and miss out on one of the Grandmaster’s opening days, or that he might not be able to squeeze into the ten spots, so he simply decided he would stop running around and went straight to the Grandmaster’s residence and began squatting there.
He thought he had gone early enough to find a good spot, but when he arrived, Yang Kai realized he was wrong.
There were already many cultivators waiting in line outside Grandmaster Sang De’s residence.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded at the sight.
But after some thought, he realized these people must be thinking the same thing as him. There wasn’t much time left in the month, but there was still one more chance for the Grandmaster to open his doors, so they came early to wait for him.
After counting them carefully, he found that there were nine people ahead of him, making him the tenth.
So, without saying anything more, Yang Kai silently stood at the end of the line.
The floor-sweeping boy seemed a little animated with the presence of this crowd. When he saw so many people come, he tried his best to market himself and boast about his skills, hoping these cultivators would give him their materials for him to refine.
But the cultivators living here were obviously aware of this boy’s skills so the crowd did not utter a single word in response to his chattering and did not pay any mind to his extravagant and colourful words either.
The boy seemed to be exasperated.
Yang Kai scoffed, “If you have the time to run your mouth dry, why don’t you just find some materials to practice on? You must have been following the Grandmaster for some time. Hasn’t the Grandmaster taught you that you have to take everything one step at a time and not be overly ambitious?”
The boy muttered, “Stop running your mouth and just stand in line properly!”
But after Yang Kai taught him a lesson, he also felt too embarrassed to latch onto those cultivators anymore. He turned around and went inside, shutting the door behind him. What the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve.
The cultivators who came here were all waiting for Grandmaster Sang De to open his doors so they could request his help in Artifact Refining. As none of them were familiar with each other, none of them participated in idle chatter. The ones who were bored from waiting all day just sat down cross-legged and began to meditate.
No one dared to be unruly in front of the Grandmaster’s door, so there was no need to fear some scoundrel without eyes stirring up trouble.
And, as time went on, more and more people came.
But when these cultivators saw ten people waiting here, most of them shook their heads in disappointment and left. They knew Grandmaster Sang De’s rules and knew that they would just be wasting their time if they stayed here. They could only wait for next time.
But some had clearly made preparations and took out Source Crystals hoping to buy a spot from the ten people in line, including Yang Kai, but few were successful. Only two spots managed to be bought.
Naturally, Yang Kai was also approached by the people who wanted to buy a spot with Source Crystals, but did he lack Source Crystals? In response, Yang Kai just shook his head.
After waiting for two days, the front door suddenly opened and the boy came out with his head held high and cleared his throat in a pretentious manner, announcing aloud, “The third Artifact Refining of the month will now begin! Please come inside with me if you are among the first ten guests in line!”
The crowd was overjoyed by his words and all stood up. After waiting for so long, the Grandmaster finally opened his doors for the third time this month. These people felt that it was worth it because Grandmaster Sang De rarely made any mistakes with his Artifact Refining. Even though the fee was slightly more expensive, he was truly skilled. Essentially, as long as they request it, the Grandmaster would be able to fulfil it.
“Hahaha! Why come early if you can come just in time!?” A loud laugh suddenly rang out, followed by a figure that shot forward from behind. Domineeringly, the man squeezed into the queue, occupying a spot, the strong wind invoked by his powerful aura causing everyone to frown in displeasure.
But after checking his cultivation, their displeasure turned into fear.
Reason being that the person who arrived was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master.
Among the ten waiting here, excluding Yang Kai, only one well-dressed woman was at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. The rest were all First or Second-Order Origin Dao Source Realm cultivators, so they naturally did not dare to offend this man.
The newcomer was dressed in purple robes that look extremely conspicuous. He was born with a dignified appearance, but there was a strong look of superiority in his eyes, as if no one in this world was worthy of his attention.
After he snatched a spot arrogantly, Yang Kai, who was originally at the end of the line, had inexplicably become the eleventh person.
Grandmaster Sang De only opened his doors to ten people at a time, so if he stood at the eleventh place, would that not mean that he would no longer have the qualifications to enter and waited all these days for nothing?
Yang Kai was instantly irked and he shouted at the boy from the shop, “Brat, are you just going to let that happen?”
“What? I didn’t see anything!” The boy tilted his head away and almost rolled his eyes back into his head.
It was quite apparent that he still held a grudge over Yang Kai beating him on the head. When he saw Yang Kai being squeezed out of the last spot, he was secretly feeling giddy, so of course he wouldn’t help Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s face turned grim, “Are you blind? Can’t you see that this person just cut in line?”
The boy fumed, “My eyes are perfectly fine! You’re the one who’s blind!”
Yang Kai sneered, “Acting so unruly in front of the Grandmaster’s door, could you be any more unreasonable?”
“Unreasonable?” The cultivator who cut in line scoffed at this, “You want to talk reason? This King is reason here. Let me reason with you then, you said that I cut in line, but are there any witnesses? Whoever saw me do such a thing can stand out and announce it loudly, and I, Yu Le Ping will immediately give up this spot!”
As he spoke, he turned his head to look around, but the remaining nine were silent, none of them spoke a word. They all seemed very afraid of this guy called Yu Le Ping.
“I saw it!” Yang Kai glared at him.
Yu Le Ping coldly snorted, “Don’t try to start trouble if you came late. If you dare slander this King like this again, dare you believe that I will gouge your eyes out?”
“You can try.” Yang Kai was so angry that he could laugh. This guy called Yu Le Ping was simply shameless. It was clearly he who came late and cut the queue, but now the thief was crying thief instead. Yang Kai had never seen such a thick-skinned person in his life.
“You’re courting death, brat!” Yu Le Ping seemed to be angered by his words. He did not in the slightest expect that Yang Kai would dare rattle against him in such a manner. Enraged, his feet moved and he had directly turned his hands into claws and slashed towards Yang Kai.
Before his attack could even arrive, an overwhelmingly strong gust of wind had already been stirred up by it.
From this scene, it seemed like he really did intend to gouge out Yang Kai’s eyes without mercy.
A few of the weaker cultivators were affected by his aura and their faces changed as they retreated backwards.
Yang Kai stood still where he was and looked coldly at the boy, “Do you also not care that someone is starting a fight outside the Grandmaster’s door?”
The boy sneered, “It’s your business, you should settle it yourself.”
“Well said!” Snorting coldly, Yang Kai turned his eyes back to Yu Le Ping.
Yu Le Ping, who was originally taking on an aggressive stance instantly had a bad premonition when he received this stare from Yang Kai, a chill running through his body. However, he was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, and other than a few powerhouses on Clear Sky Island who could strike fear into him, who else could fight him?
So, after just a short moment of hesitation, he made a ruthless move.
Yang Kai raised his head and threw a fist out, causing a surge of Source Qi that was like a violent volcano, so powerful that it shocked everyone.
*Pa…*
Yu Le Ping claw met Yang Kai’s fist as he smirked viciously. Just as Yu Le Ping was about to try and crush Yang Kai’s hand, he was shocked to find a tsunami of power gushing over him. This power was so strong that he was unable to resist it even with his Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation. The protective Source Qi around his body quickly dissolved just like a snowflake under the sun.
That gush of power travelled from the palm of his hand all the way through his arm, bursting his sleeves open. His flesh was splayed apart, tendons and bones separating.
*Hong…*
The raging Yu Le Ping flew out as if he had been hit by a huge lightning bolt, landing directly into a corner of the wall.
*Wa…*
A large spurt of blood splashed out from his mouth as Yu Le Ping’s arrogant aura withered away in an instant, face becoming ashen and bloodless.
“My arm!” In the next moment, he bellowed. Looking down, the arm he used to attack Yang Kai had been destroyed, laced with blood. White bones were poking out from the skin, it was a shocking sight.
The boy’s face was instantly frozen. The other nine in line were also horrified at the scene as each of them looked at Yang Kai with overflowing fear in their eyes.
Yang Kai looked harmless before he made any moves, and even went as far as to ask the boy for fairness, so never would they have expected him to be so vicious and ruthless. Just one punch and he was able to cripple Yu Le Ping, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, without even a change in his demeanour.
[He… He can’t be one of those Emperor Realm Masters who were secretly hiding their cultivation to play the pig to eat the tiger, right?]
This thought emerged in each one of the people present, and the shop boy even began dripping with cold sweat.
“You… You crippled my arm!” Even now, Yu Le Ping was unable to accept the reality that one of his arms had been wasted and glared hatefully at Yang Kai while he hissed at him with his all, face almost completely distorted from the pain.
“Scram!” Yang Kai bellowed.
To think a petty Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator would dare act so arrogantly in front of him, it was simply ridiculous. Yang Kai had not been in a good mood these days since he ended up on Clear Sky Island during this tragedy. Now that someone had taken the initiative to stumble right into the tip of his spear, he naturally took advantage of this situation to vent his anger.
Yu Le Ping seemed to only have realized now that Yang Kai wasn’t an easy man to pick on, so he gave him a vicious glare before scurrying away while holding his injured arm.
There was still silence in front of the Grandmaster’s door and the rest of the crowd stood there pale, chills running down their backs.
“Hasn’t the Grandmaster opened his doors? How much longer do we have to wait?” Yang Kai immediately urged the boy when he saw the latter standing there like a fool.
“Yes yes, follow me!” The boy shrunk his neck, not daring to dally any longer and hurriedly led the way.
From the hot temper and ruthlessness that Yang Kai just displayed, the boy estimated that if he was not Grandmaster Sang De’s apprentice, then this guy may even turn his fists to him.
After all, he didn’t speak out for him when Yu Le Ping stole his spot.
In just a short while, the group of ten was led by the boy into the inner hall where he pointed to a side door, “Enter one by one. The Grandmaster is right inside. You know the rules, so please.”
After that, he quickly slipped out of sight.
After he left, the first cultivator looked cautiously at Yang Kai and found that the latter had already found himself a place to sit down. Only then did this man realize that Yang Kai had no intention of stealing the first spot and couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief as he hurried inside to seek out the Grandmaster for Artifact Refining.
The other eight who came to see Grandmaster Sang De also found a place to sit down, but they were all on guard against Yang Kai, so they sat as far away from him as possible.
It made it seem like Yang Kai was hogging the place as the rest were all crowded together.
But Yang Kai was not bothered, simply shutting his eyes to rest.
“That Yu Le Ping is no ordinary man. This Senior Brother should be careful.”
A gentle voice suddenly came into Yang Kai’s ears.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and swept his gaze over, soon fixing his gaze on a beautifully dressed young woman.
Among the ten here to seek out the Grandmaster, only two were Third-Order Dao Source Realms. Other than Yang Kai, it was this young woman. The others were all in either the First or Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
Even though this young woman was dressed in simple clothes, it was still hard to cover her natural beauty. Yang Kai gave her a glance before no longer paying too much heed to her. Nonetheless, he did not expect to receive a message at all from her.
When she saw Yang Kai looking towards her, the young woman just nodded lightly before averting her gaze.
In this inner hall, Yang Kai’s and her cultivation were the highest, so were their Divine Senses; therefore, there was no need for them to worry about their conversation being discovered by others. However, as she was acting so secretively, it was clear she did not want to get herself into trouble.
“Many thanks to this Junior Sister for the warning. I will remember it,” Yang Kai responded.
Seeing that he still looked uncaring, the young woman urged once more, “This Senior Brother, you must not be careless. Yu Le Ping is someone from the City Lord’s Mansion. He acts domineeringly in Clear Sky City because he has the City Lord’s protection and never places anyone else in his eyes. You caused him such a huge loss this time so he will surely not just let it go.”
“If he wishes to court death, I do not mind fulfilling it.”
When she heard Yang Kai brushing it off so simply, the young woman instantly broke out in cold sweat, “That must not happen! If you kill him, you will no longer be able to find shelter on Clear Sky Island.”
Yang Kai smirked, “The tree wishes for silence, but the wind does not let up. What can I do?”
Listening to this, the young woman sighed. She knew that what Yang Kai said was right. Yu Le Ping was already let off easy by Yang Kai during what happened today, but with his usual character, he would not just let matters rest. When the time came, Yang Kai would either have to surrender without a fight or resist him.
He also did not look like the type of person to just swallow his anger.
“Many thanks to this Junior Sister,” Yang Kai gave her a simple thank you.
Even though this young woman did not help him in any significant way, she still warned him in secret with good intentions.
The woman no longer spoke, but her eyes were filled with sympathy when she occasionally glanced over at Yang Kai, as if she could already foretell his tragic future.
The inner hall remained silent. Nobody had any intentions of speaking with each other. Those who came here all came to seek out Grandmaster Sang De for Artifact Refining services, so how could they have the mood to chat while they waited impatiently?
About half an hour later, the first person to walk in through the side door suddenly came out. Everyone turned towards him only to see a happy look on this person’s face, as if he had encountered something good. After he came out, he left directly without a single word.
The second cultivator quickly stood up and went towards the side door.
Just like that, Yang Kai waited all the way until dusk. The nine people went up one after the other, all coming out with different looks on their faces. Some happy, some reserved, but none of them came out dejected.
When he saw this, Yang Kai knew that Grandmaster Sang De was the real deal. He was probably successful in refining the artifacts for all nine of these people without a single failure.
It seemed the rumours that Grandmaster Sang De had vaguely touched upon the mysteries of Emperor Artifact Refining were not false.
When the ninth person came out from the side door, Yang Kai stood up and walked in lightly.
Once inside, Yang Kai saw that the room was dim without any light, but there was a slither of brightness coming out from up ahead. Yang Kai followed the light and came into a burning hot room after a short while.
Looking around the secret room, Yang Kai could see the light from the flames dancing around. A huge Artifact Refining Furnace was placed right in the middle of the chamber, and next to it was a figure who was sitting down cross-legged. As the flames danced about, the vague figure also seemed to flicker in a bizarre and illusory manner.
Even though it was quite dark in here, Yang Kai could still see Grandmaster Sang De’s face at a glance.
To his surprise, this Grandmaster looked just like an ordinary old man. There was nothing distinctive about him, but Yang Kai could still vaguely sense that this old man was not to be messed with. He sat there like a silent volcano with a huge amount of energy hidden within his body.
In addition to being an excellent Artifact Refiner, this man’s strength was definitely not low either.
“Greetings, Grandmaster!” Yang Kai cupped his fists at him.
“Sit!” Sang De raised his eyes and pointed to a cushion in front of him.
Yang Kai sat down obediently.
“What do you wish to refine? Bring out the materials and name your request,” Sang De told him.
Yang Kai quickly took out the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array, handing it over to Sang De, “I would like to ask Grandmaster to please repair this set of array base and array flags.”
Sang De took it from him and examined it carefully for a while before nodding, “This set came from his Old Master’s hand, so it is not difficult to repair.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed to hear that. He had guessed before that this High-Grade Spirit Purifying was refined by Sang De himself, and now, it seems he was right.
Since he was able to refine it, then it must be no problem for him to repair it, “I have no idea what materials you need, so I did not prepare anything. If Grandmaster has any suitable materials, I will pay for them. Source Crystals are no issue.”
Sang De struck the Artifact Refining Furnace and the cover immediately flew up. Then, he threw the array base and the banners straight inside. Only then did he turn to Yang Kai and said, “Do I look like someone who is lacking in Source Crystals?”
Yang Kai did not know what he meant by this and had no idea how to answer for a while.
“I do not want Source Crystals!” Sang De continued.
“Then what does Grandmaster want?” Yang Kai’s heart clenched as he thought to himself, [you threw the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array into your Artifact Refining Furnace without even asking, and now you tell me you don’t want Source Crystals? Are you trying to raise the price right in the midst of a transaction?]
[What if I can’t afford to pay? What happens to the High-Grade Purifying Array then?]
If this Spirit Purifying Array was his own, then it wouldn’t have mattered; however, it belonged to Ling Yin Qin, and it held great significance to her. If this wasn’t the case, why would Yang Kai go through so much trouble? He could have just spent enough to purchase a new array and give it to her.
It was because this Spirit Purifying Array held Ling Yin Qin’s memories of her fallen partner that Yang Kai went through so much trouble to seek out Sang De here to have him repair it.
“That depends on what you can give me,” Sang De said indifferently.
Yang Kai could not help but feel a little annoyed. [I can’t just hand over my life if you decide to ask for it, right?] Sure enough, if the upper beam is crooked, then the lower beam would be too. That boy had an unagreeable character, and it seems Sang De was the same.
Seems like his name was not wrong. Sang de, ‘Sang De… Death to virtues’!
He suppressed the displeasure welling up inside of him and quickly said, “What does Grandmaster want? If I can provide it, I will offer it freely.”
His words implied that if it was not possible, then he would not try.
Sang De’s lips curved into a strange smile.
Just as Yang Kai had his mind focused and was ready to hear his demands, a pure surge of Spiritual Energy suddenly came from Sang De, converging into the shape of a spear and stabbing straight towards Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Even though Yang Kai was taken by surprise, his reaction was not slow, quickly pushing his own Spiritual Energy to meet this attack.
*Hong…*
The silent collision shook both Yang Kai and Sang De.
There was some surprise in Sang De’s eyes as a scary light suddenly replaced their former indifference. With eyes that looked like he wanted to devour Yang Kai, he stared at him as if he had just found a rare treasure.
Yang Kai on the other hand got up in a flash. He had been hit with a sneak attack earlier, but he did not fully release his Divine Sense. It wasn’t that he did not want to release it, but he was afraid of hurting Sang De. If his Soul were to become heavily injured here, then nobody would be able to fix the Spirit Purifying Array for him.
But Yang Kai was still enraged that Sang De would attack him without saying a word. He decided that if this old man did not give himself a satisfactory explanation, then he would point a knife to his throat and force him to repair this Spirit Purifying Array that he created so that it was as good as new.