Yang Kai answered in a deep voice, “I have seen him a few times when he was active in Maplewood City before. Last time, during the opening of your Star Soul Palace’s Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, he was peddling a so-called Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pill, a kind of ancient pill that can bring someone back to life from the brink of death! He even scammed Xiao Qi for a few Source Crystals!”
“Such a thing happened?” Everyone was shocked.
Lan Xun’s face turned ugly, “Isn’t he a swindler then?”
Lan Xun had never heard of the Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pill before, not to mention the effects of bringing someone back to life from the dead. Spirit Pills with such an effect usually would be precious treasures to everyone and would definitely be kept for themselves, who would be willing to sell them?
Initially, when the old man stood up confidently, Lan Xun thought that he might be some hidden Master, and got her hopes up a little, but after hearing from Yang Kai, her expectations rapidly sank to the bottom.
If he was the same person Yang Kai was describing, he obviously was incompetent and wagging his tongue irresponsibly. What if the situation turned worse if he got near Mo Xiao Qi?
Liang Qiu condemned, “Old thing, quickly roll away from this Young Master’s sight!”
Although it was not entirely his fault, he was still a little responsible for Mo Xiao Qi’s condition, and if something happened to her, the Martial Beast Great Emperor may not necessarily listen to his explanation, so when he saw this old swindler approaching Mo Xiao Qi, Liang Qiu hurriedly thrust his spear to force him back, lest he acted recklessly and worsen the situation.
Mo Xiao Qi was only releasing her seal now, which was not harmful to herself yet, but Liang Qiu dared not to take the risk of allowing someone to set her off and end up causing her to die.
An astonishing power exploded as the spear thrust out, as if it could penetrate the void, ignoring the barrier of space, reaching in front of the old swindler in an instant.
Although Liang Qiu’s spear attack was fierce, there was no murderous intent behind it as he only meant to force the old swindler to withdraw.
However, the old swindler actually remained calm and dauntless in the face of a strike from an Emperor Realm Master, as if he did not sense the incoming danger. Instead, his focus remained unblinkingly on Mo Xiao Qi as a bright light flashed across the depths of his eyes.
The old swindler merely swung his hand lightly when the spear was about to crash into him.
His hand moved casually with a relaxed expression, just like shooing a fly away.
But the following scene could not have been more shocking. With just a casual wave of his hand, the old swindler completely dispersed the power of Liang Qiu’s spear thrust, nullifying it without even a bit of fallout.
It seemed like Liang Qiu was not attacking an old man with only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, but a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. The gesture of the old swindler actually showed the demeanour of a senior expert, giving off an unfathomable feeling.
The sharp visual conflict flabbergasted everyone, and all gasped in shock.
Liang Qiu could not believe his eyes and after being stunned for a while had to rub them hard to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
But over there, the old man clearly stood unscathed, not even a wrinkle on his clothes.
“What the hell!?” Liang Qiu exclaimed, taking a heavy beating to his pride and feeling quite depressed.
Previously, he wanted to rely on his Emperor Realm cultivation to teach Yang Kai a lesson, but Yang Kai repelled him with his bare fists; and now, his spear attack was easily dispelled by this old man.
Liang Qiu couldn’t believe such a scene was possible if it had not happened to him directly.
Were all Dao Source Realm cultivators so powerful nowadays that they can easily counter the strikes of an Emperor Realm Master? If so, why is everyone still trying so hard to reach the Emperor Realm? Why not just stay in the Dao Source Realm forever?
Or… was it just Liang Qiu himself? Had he not truly reached the Emperor Realm and everything was all in his head?
A look of defeat crept onto his face as countless thoughts flashed across Liang Qiu’s mind, causing him to lose spirit.
Yang Kai was bewildered too.
Although he managed to resist a blow from Liang Qiu before, he still could not deny that Liang Qiu was strong. If they really fought to the death, Yang Kai would not have an easy time defeating him; after all, Liang Qiu also had an extraordinary aptitude and was the top disciple of Hundred Barbarian Mountain, a peak Sect in the Western Territory. He was a one in a million kind of genius.
Yang Kai knew exactly how powerful that spear attack was, and even though it would not be too difficult for him to resolve such a strike, he would definitely not be able to do so as calmly and easily as the old swindler.
Who was this old man? Could he be some kind of Master who hid his cultivation?
However, that seemed impossible when Yang Kai thought more about it, because during the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda of Star Soul Palace last time, only cultivators at the Origin King Realm were allowed to enter. Since the old man could enter, it meant that he was indeed an Origin King at that time.
In just a few years, breaking through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm was already an astonishing feat, so the chances of this old swindler still hiding his cultivation was basically close to zero.
It was just that… Yang Kai did not understand how he had dispelled Liang Qiu’s blow.
Not only Yang Kai, everyone present did not understand either and still could not calm themselves down from the unbelievable scene.
But after this, no one dared to look down on this old swindler anymore.
Even if he was really a swindler, given that he could resolve an Emperor Realm Master’s attack in just a wave of his hand, he was undoubtedly a powerful swindler!
“Young man, don’t be so impulsive. This Old Master is not as vigorous as young people like you and cannot stand too much reckless fighting,” the old man responded lightly after resolving Liang Qiu’s attack.
Liang Qiu was exasperated at his words, feeling like the old man was mocking him for his incompetence.
“Senior…” Lan Xun looked at the old man and questioned with a trembling voice, “Are you sure that you have a way to solve Little Sister Xiao Qi’s problem?”
After witnessing the amazing skill of the old swindler, Lan Xun regained some confidence in him. There were always some mysterious old masters in this world that liked to hide, normally appearing inconspicuous and avoiding standing out, but when they were needed in some critical moment, they would bloom with astounding brilliance.
Perhaps this old man whom Yang Kai accused of being a swindler was one such Master.
Thrilled, Lan Xun changed her way of addressing him. Although they were both Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, she still called him Senior.
Unexpectedly, the old man accepted the title comfortably and replied with a faint smile, “I can give it a try.”
Lan Xun’s beautiful eyes lit up and immediately asked, “Does Senior know about the Burning Moon Rainbow Flower Seal? I once heard from Lord Father that the technique Sir Martial Beast used to seal the Heavenly Illusion Butterfly is the Burning Moon Rainbow Flower Seal, which is extremely mysterious and dreadfully complicated. But in this world, only the Burning Moon Rainbow Flower Seal is capable of sealing a Divine Spirit’s Soul.”
The old man shook his head, “The Burning Moon Rainbow Flower Seal is one of the Martial Beast Great Emperor’s best-kept Secret Techniques. This Old Master has not had the opportunity to study it.”
Lan Xun’s face darkened, “Then what should we do?”
She initially thought that this Senior was well versed in sealing techniques, but now listening to his words, she couldn’t help feeling disappointed again.
The Bright Moon Great Emperor did tell her that the Burning Moon Rainbow Flower Seal was the only way to seal a Divine Spirit’s Soul successfully, so how could this Senior re-seal the Divine Spirit’s Soul without knowing such a profound technique?
But it was also true that the Burning Moon Rainbow Flower Seal was an original creation of the Martial Beast Great Emperor, so even when her Lord Father asked him about it, he just changed the subject and was unwilling to reveal anything to him.
‘That old bastard Martial Beast is really too stingy!’ The criticism of the Bright Moon Great Emperor flashed vividly in Lan Xun’s mind.
“That bastard Martial Beast has always been stingy with his treasures, he doesn’t even share his good wines with his friends, so how could he be willing to pass out the Burning Moon Rainbow Flower Seal?” The old swindler muttered in complaint under his breath, and even though he spoke softly, the Emperor Realm Masters nearby were still able to hear his words clearly.
All of them almost fainted listening to his complaint.
The Martial Beast Great Emperor was one of the Ten Great Emperors. His cultivation was as high as the Heavens, and his status was transcendent. To the entire Star Boundary, his existence was akin to that of a god. Whenever his name was mentioned, everyone expressed admiration and worship, as he was the symbol of the Star Boundary’s supreme strength, but when this old man spoke, that same Martial Beast Great Emperor had become a ‘bastard’.
Such disrespect to the Great Emperor!
On the other hand, Lan Xun wore a look of ponderance on her face.
Because the way this old man spoke… Was exactly like how her father had.
The old man seemed to be aware of his flagrant words and hurriedly diverted attention by changing the topic, “This Old Master is not capable of re-sealing the Divine Spirit’s Soul.”
“What?” Yang Kai’s face darkened after hearing this and he snapped, “If you are not capable of doing so, why are you acting like you have a card up your sleeve? Do you enjoy toying with this Young Master’s feelings!?”
The old man grinned, “This Old Master is not capable, but someone else here is.”
“Ah?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows, his eyes immediately swept around and finally fixed on Yao Si.
If anyone here could re-seal the Divine Spirit’s Soul, it would be a descendant of a Great Emperor who had equal status to Mo Xiao Qi; Lan Xun was definitely incapable of this, so Yao Si was the only remaining hope.
Seeing Yang Kai looking at him, Yao Si simply stated, “Saving people is not my strength. My specialty is killing people. Do you want me to try?”
Yang Kai glared at him before turning back to the old man, “Don’t be so garrulous, quickly tell us who that person who can help is.”
The old man laughed gently, “Young people are really impatient. Don’t worry, it will still take some time for this seal to be completely released; after all, this is her first time unsealing it and the Divine Spirit’s Soul would need to fuse with this little girl first before it can move about freely.”
Noticing Yang Kai’s face that had turned uglier, the old man eventually stopped blabbering and lifted his head, turning a solemn look towards a certain individual and beckoning to her, “You, little girl, come and help this Old Master.”
Following the direction he gestured, everyone turned to look and saw a pale-faced young woman standing there, her Source Qi was fluctuating unstably due to some unknown reason.
Zhang Ruo Xi!
Yang Kai looked at her in befuddlement.
He did not expect that the person who the old man mentioned was actually Zhang Ruo Xi!
Now that he was paying attention though, it seemed that ever since Mo Xiao Qi began the unsealing process, Zhang Ruo Xi’s condition had turned a bit abnormal too. However, due to the seriousness of the Divine Soul Seal, Yang Kai had not paid attention to Zhang Ruo Xi and had only secretly ordered Liu Yan to take good care of her and only inform him if something went wrong.
At this moment, the old man was clearly beckoning to Zhang Ruo Xi, requesting her to help him.
[What does this old man want to do?] Yang Kai was utterly puzzled.
Zhang Ruo Xi was stunned for a while before realizing that the old swindler was calling her. She could not help feeling a little timid in front of everyone’s eyes and her face was getting paler while the fluctuation in her aura also became more violent as time passed.
She turned to look at Yang Kai with an inquiring gaze.
Yang Kai asked in a deep voice, “Old man, are you joking with me?”
The old swindler replied solemnly, “Why would this Old Master make a joke like this?”
“Then you better explain to me clearly how Ruo Xi can help you seal the Divine Spirit’s Soul!”
It was not only Yang Kai who held doubt, everyone was the same. Zhang Ruo Xi did not seem capable with her Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation. There were so many Emperor Realm Masters present here, so why would the old swindler ask her instead of them for help?
But the old swindler shook his head and replied, “I can’t tell you. If you believe in this Old Master, allow her to come over; if not, this Old Master can no longer help.”
Yang Kai fumed, “How can I believe you if you don’t tell me!?”
The old man spread his hands, “Then we have no choice. Just wait until her seal is completely released and maybe the Divine Spirit’s Soul would go back to sleep again after turning this Shattered Star Sea into a bloodbath. Good luck, everyone.”
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly. This old man was deliberately making things look unnecessarily mysterious, but he could not do anything about it, which really annoyed him.
At this moment, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly spoke up, “Sir, I would like to give it a try. If I can, I want to help stabilize Little Sister Xiao Qi’s condition!”
“You should look at your own condition first…” Yang Kai frowned.
He did not understand what was wrong with Zhang Ruo Xi, but he felt uncomfortable with the strange aura surrounding her body. Although her condition was not as serious as Mo Xiao Qi’s, Yang Kai was still worried about her.
“I’m fine,” Zhang Ruo Xi bit her red lips, “Sir, please let me try.”
“If you hesitate any more, nothing can be done when her seal is completely released. And… I don’t mind telling you this, the conditions of these two little girls were ultimately triggered due to a chain reaction; if the seal is stopped, her problem would also be solved too.”
Yang Kai was puzzled, but he could not help believing the old swindler as he looked and spoke with such sincerity. He asked in a deep voice, “Does your plan include hurting Ruo Xi?”
“It’s not life-threatening. This Old Master just needs a drop of her Blood Essence!”
“Blood Essence…” Yang Kai looked startled, and started to believe that the old swindler was not just blabbering, because Zhang Ruo Xi had a peculiar Bloodline Power in her body that, up until now Yang Kai still had not fully understood. The old swindler obviously knew that Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline was extraordinary since he requested her Blood Essence. Therefore, he must have understood that the secret of her bloodline could assist him in sealing the Divine Spirit’s Soul.
But how did he notice?
“Good!” Yang Kai agreed and brought Zhang Ruo Xi over with him.
The two of them arrived in front of the old swindler in no time.
The old man faintly smiled at Zhang Ruo Xi and comforted her in a gentle voice, “Relax, young lady, this won’t hurt a bit.”
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded lightly, took a deep breath, and prepared herself.
Just before he started though, the old man suddenly glanced over Zhang Ruo Xi and questioned in surprise, “Your clothes… look quite good. Where did you get them from?”
Yang Kai was secretly taken aback by his question.
Because under Zhang Ruo Xi’s robes was the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe defensive Emperor Artifact!
The value of this Emperor Artifact was exceptionally high, and its defensive capability was extraordinary. Zhang Ruo Xi had been wearing it ever since she got it.
When the old man praised her clothing, he was certainly not referring to the dress she was wearing, but rather the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe hidden inside.
[What’s wrong with this old man? He could even notice this too?] Yang Kai could not help becoming alert.
On the contrary, Zhang Ruo Xi did not take precautions against the old man and answered softly, “A friend of mine gave it to me.”
“Friend… eh?” The corner of the old man’s mouth twitched before he let out a light laugh, “If you see your friend again next time, send this Old Master’s regards to him. Tell him that this Old Master misses him very much!”
Zhang Ruo Xi asked in astonishment, “Senior knows him?”
“It’s been a long time since we last met,” the old man replied kindly.
The two of them exchanged a few words peacefully, but on the other side, Yang Kai felt a storm of fright in his heart. His eyes went round, as if he was looking at a ghost in broad daylight.
He knew that this old man was definitely not the chatty type contrary to what his appearance would suggest. Rather, he was utterly mysterious and unfathomable.
Zhang Ruo Xi obtained the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe from the Four Seasons Realm, and according to her, this Emperor Artifact was given to her by an Ancient Divine Spirit, Qiong Qi!
Qiong Qi seemed to be the mount of the Flowing Time Great Emperor. After the fall of the Flowing Time Great Emperor, Qiong Qi had remained in a deep sleep inside the Four Seasons Realm, until the appearance of the Flowing Time Temple. After that, Qiong Qi left the Four Seasons Realm and went missing.
Qiong Qi was an Ominous Ancient Beast, and slaughter was a part of his nature. During the time when he came out of the Four Seasons Realm, Gao Xue Ting and the other Emperors who were guarding the exit were all taken aback. Fortunately, Qiong Qi was not set on causing trouble and was diverted away by the Bright Moon Great Emperor, otherwise Gao Xue Ting and the others would have unquestionably died.
But now, this old man was actually implying that he knew Qiong Qi.
[Who the hell is this old man!?] Yang Kai already felt that he was strange before, but now, he was even more undecipherable than mist.
[Why does such a hidden Master only have a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation?]
“Senior, how should I address you?” Zhang Ruo Xi and the old man seemed to be having a friendly chat, allowing her anxiety and tension to gradually relax.
Yang Kai hurriedly perked up his ear to listen.
The old man opened his mouth and uttered a few words.
Yang Kai looked at them with a blank face, because he could not hear what the old man said at all.
Zhang Ruo Xi dipped her head, “Junior understands. If I ever meet my friend again, I will send Senior’s regards. However, I don’t know where he is now, as he went missing after giving me this gift.”
While speaking, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly shook slightly and almost collapsed.
Luckily, Yang Kai caught her with his quick reflexes.
“Alright, the Blood Essence has been collected, you can rest for a while,” the old man smiled.
Only at that moment did Yang Kai notice that there was a drop of red blood floating above the old man’s finger. The blood was like a living being, dancing on his fingertips, appearing exceedingly unstable and releasing an indescribable aura.
Yang Kai had no idea when the old swindler had collected the Blood Essence.
The reason why Zhang Ruo Xi shook all of a sudden was certainly because a drop of her Blood Essence was extracted. However, this was not a big deal and she would recover after a good period of rest.
After obtaining the drop of Blood Essence, the expression of the old man instantly turned extremely solemn. The Source Qi inside his body fluctuated as he wrapped it around the drop of blood before using lightning-quick movements to bring his finger towards Mo Xiao Qi’s forehead.
*Chi… *
The Heavenly Illusion Butterfly’s Soul became dreadfully restless all of a sudden, as if it had met its natural enemy, constantly flapping its wings and emitting illusionary waves.
Yang Kai had suffered a huge loss before and fully acknowledged the power of this illusion technique. He was about to retreat in a hurry, when he realized that the wave of illusions was completely suppressed after encountering Zhang Ruo Xi’s Blood Essence, not even able to form a tiny ripple.
Without any obstacles, the old man tapped the Blood Essence on Mo Xiao Qi’s forehead.
The Blood Essence burst at once, forming a red mark on Mo Xiao Qi’s forehead, then seeping into her body.
As the Blood Essence disappeared, the chaotic aura coming from Mo Xiao Qi’s body rapidly stabilized and the Heavenly Illusion Butterfly was gradually sucked by an inexplicable force of attraction into her body, returning to a butterfly mark again on her cheek.
After a soft moan, Mo Xiao Qi fell down limply, her eyes closed.
Yang Kai hurriedly stretched out his other hand and held her. He looked at her and saw that she was breathing normally, probably just passed out but otherwise fine.
A Heaven-shaking crisis that came inexplicably was also solved inexplicably. Everyone was terrified by the incident for quite a while, and only when it was finally settled did many realize that their backs were drenched with cold sweat.
“Sir, I feel so sleepy!” Zhang Ruo Xi cried out, following in Mo Xiao Qi’s footsteps as she passed out.
“Not bad, little brat, holding two beauties left and right. This Old Master is jealous,” the old man teased Yang Kai with a grin.
Yang Kai was speechless and replied, “Is it really okay for an old man to not behave with some dignity?”
“This Old Master was also once young, so it’s not a big deal,” the old man winked at Yang Kai as he responded, revealing a playful look.
Yang Kai remarked, “Old man, I’m not going to lie to you. Previously, I misunderstood you and thought you were a swindler. Only now do I know that you were hiding your light under a bushel.”
“Haha!” The old man laughed, “This Old Master is just a little better at deception than others. It’s not worth mentioning.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Old man, since you knew that Ruo Xi’s Blood Essence was able to suppress the Divine Spirit’s Soul, you must have known what kind of bloodline she has. Can you tell me?”
As soon as this question was asked, the old man’s expression immediately turned serious. He paused for a moment before answering solemnly, “I can’t tell you, but you will understand when she becomes stronger in the future. However, this Old Master does have some advice for you.”
“What?”
“Lead her onto the righteous path, for if she were to fall to the wicked path, the entire Star Boundary will suffer!” The old man advised solemnly.
Yang Kai squinted his eyes, “It’s that serious?”
The old man looked at the sleeping Zhang Ruo Xi, his eyes flashing a profound light as he continued, “When she grows to her peak, the power that she will wield will be even more horrifying than Wu Kuang’s!”
“Wu Kuang? Who is Wu Kuang?” Yang Kai asked with a frown.
The old man disclosed in a deep voice word by word, “Heaven… Devouring… Great… Emperor!”
*Gudong *
Yang Kai could not help gulping in fear, but he still pressed on, “Old man, you actually know the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor’s taboo name?”
If it were not for this old man, Yang Kai would not have known the real name of the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. The two words ‘Heaven Devouring’ were just his title, not his name. Wu Meng Chuan claimed himself to be the descendant of the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, so Yang Kai could have guessed that the surname of Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was ‘Wu’.
But he did not expect that he would actually learn the real name of the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor from this old man.
How did he know?
Suffering from morbid curiosity, Yang Kai could not help asking, “Old man, who the hell are you!?”
The old man could actually see that Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power was extraordinary and her Blood Essence could be used to seal a Divine Spirit’s Soul. He also knew a powerful Monster Beast like Qiong Qi and spoke out about the true name of the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. As such, Yang Kai could not believe that he was just an ordinary Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator.
“Well, I can’t tell you that!”
Yang Kai was infuriated and grumbled, “Then, what can you tell me?”
The old man thought for a while before patting Yang Kai’s shoulder and advising earnestly, “Cultivate well and quickly promote to the Emperor Realm as soon as possible. The future of Star Boundary depends on all of you.”
“Get lost!”
The old man did not feel annoyed at all at this rebuff and just glanced at Yang Kai with a gentle smile before turning around and announcing loudly with a solemn look, “Everyone, if you can hear this Old Master, please leave this place immediately. It is very dangerous here and if you continue to remain, your lives will be in danger.”
Liang Qiu responded with a laugh, “Old man, you are really interesting. I already know that it is dangerous here. I don’t need you to remind me.”
Even though he knew this old man was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, after his spear attack was easily dispelled by him, he dared not to look down on the old man as his strength was unfathomable. If it was another Dao Source Realm cultivator who said these words, Liang Qiu would have already stabbed him with his spear.
“You seem to be very knowledgeable. Why don’t you tell us which Great Emperor left this skeleton behind?” Liang Qiu brought up the topic of the skeleton in the black hole again.
Previously, due to the release of Mo Xiao Qi’s Divine Soul Seal, everyone’s attention was drawn to it out of fear, while the Great Emperor’s skeleton and the Space Ring were temporarily forgotten.
But now that the crisis of Divine Soul Seal had been resolved, it was natural that everyone would turn their attention back to this Space Ring.
Liang Qiu’s question was undoubtedly on point, and everyone looked at the old man curiously, waiting for him to give an explanation.
The old man looked stern when he answered, “It doesn’t matter anymore which Great Emperor left this behind. The past War of Great Emperors was a disaster that shattered worlds. Besides a few useless leftovers, most of the artifacts used back then were destroyed, so it is impossible for there to be anything worthwhile left in that Space Ring. Everyone would be better off not thinking about it anymore.”
“Do you think I will believe you?” Liang Qiu snorted coldly.
“I believe!” Lan Xun abruptly stood up and declared.
Liang Qiu glanced at her, pursing his lips. Since Lan Xun, the daughter of the Bright Moon Great Emperor, also stood up for this old man, he could not go up against him anymore.
Lan Xun continued, “Senior, if it’s convenient, can you please tell us why this place is dangerous?”
The old man frowned, “Your lives are in danger. Lady Lan, please quickly take your people and leave.”
Lan Xun pondered a while after hearing him, then nodded in agreement, “Since Senior said so, then Junior will leave now. Take care, Senior.”
While speaking, she looked at Yang Kai, and seeing his indifferent face, she did not try to persuade him. Instead, she turned to the surrounding cultivators and shouted, “Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters from the Southern Territory, if you trust me, Lan Xun, please leave here now!”
After calling out, she immediately rushed away. Although Xiao Chen was a little unwilling, as a qualified worshipper, he definitely would not leave Lan Xun alone and quickly followed after her.
As soon as she left, many of the elites from the Southern Territory among the crowd summoned their artifacts and left one after another.
It could be seen that Star Soul Palace still had a huge amount of influence over the Southern Territory, as no one else could achieve such an effect.
Those thousands from the Southern Territory were reduced to a few hundred.
Xia Sheng exchanged whispers with Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao for a while, seeming to think that the old man’s warning was not a joke, and secretly sent Yang Kai a message before also turning and leaving.
If he was alone, Xia Sheng might have chosen to remain, since he was also an Emperor Realm Master; however, Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao were with him at the moment, so he had to consider their safety and dared not risk their lives.
“Yao Si, you leave too!” This old man turned to Yao Si and ordered.
Yao Si raised his brows and replied indifferently, “This Young Master loves to be wherever he wants, no one can command me!”
As the son of a Great Emperor, he was naturally extremely arrogant. Although the performance of the old man was amazing, it was still not enough for him to try to boss Yao Si around.
The old man sighed and suddenly waved his hand, sending out a stream of light towards Yao Si as fast as lightning.
Yao Si’s face changed and he hurriedly pushed his Emperor Qi while retreating rapidly at the same time, trying to dodge the blow.
But what appalled him was that the stream of light was travelling at an unreasonable speed, which was impossible for him to dodge, and even his Emperor Qi protection could not help him at all.
The stream of light directly hit him.
Yao Si could not help taking a few steps back, his face pale.
“Old man, how dare you launch a sneak attack!” Liang Qiu rebuked angrily yet also with some fear.
He was angry because this old man was shameless to attack before giving notice; but he was also frightened because Yao Si could not withstand this sneak attack as the old man’s strength was too terrifying.
The faces of Chi Gui, Wu Chang, and the rest of the Emperor Realm Masters also turned ugly.
They all broke through to the Emperor Realm in this Shattered Star Sea and thought that they could act freely in the Star Boundary from now on, but their pride had been ground down greatly by an unknown old man before they even left the Shattered Star Sea.
If this old man could launch a successful sneak attack on Yao Si so casually, wouldn’t it be even easier for him to launch a sneak attack against them?
It seemed like they could not underestimate any Dao Source Realm cultivator anymore, otherwise, they might not even know how they ended up dying.
Liang Qiu gripped his spear tightly, as if he was ready to fight all out with the old man. Previously, Liang Qiu was deeply moved when Yao Si stood up for him and addressed him as his friend, so now that Yao Si was in danger, he naturally could not just stand by and watch.
Before he could do anything though, Yao Si immediately stretched out his hand to stop him and shouted, “I’m fine, don’t be impulsive!”
Liang Qiu turned to him in astonishment.
With a solemn expression, Yao Si looked down at his palm and his body started shaking. He looked back at the old man in horror and exclaimed, “You are…”
The old man put a finger to his own lips and shushed softly.
Yao Si understood his meaning and hurriedly swallowed the words he was about to blurt out, cupping his fist formally in the next moment and bowing his head, “Yao Si did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth before and was extremely rude with his words. Please forgive this Junior, Sir!”
His words caused uproar in the crowd. Everyone could not be more shocked as they stared at Yao Si in disbelief.
Yao Si was the son of the Serene Soul Great Emperor, and with his extraordinary aptitude and cultivation, it could be said that, besides a select few who could make him submit, no one else could draw such respectful words from his mouth in the entirety of the Star Boundary, even if their strength was greater than his.
But now, facing this old man, he greeted him in a respectful tone and expression, even sounding a bit… subservient!
The son of a Great Emperor acting humble in front of a Third-Order Dao Source Realm old man and addressing himself as a Junior, just what the hell was going on?
However, everyone did understand one thing; the previous attack of the old man was not really a sneak attack, but some kind of message to Yao Si. It was through this message that Yao Si learnt of the old man’s true identity and became courteous.
The old man chuckled, “I have no choice. Young Lord Yao Si, please don’t mind the reckless action of this old man.”
Yao Si responded in a deep voice, “Of course not, Senior!”
The old man nodded, “Good, take them with you and leave now.”
Yao Si nodded, “Junior will obey Sir’s order!”
Saying so, he lifted his head and swept his eyes at his surroundings, commanding lightly, “If you don’t want to die, follow me!”
Liang Qiu whined reluctantly, “Do we really have to leave? That Space Ring… “
Before he finished his sentence, he found Yao Si staring at him emotionlessly with a pair of bone-chilling cold eyes, which made Liang Qiu’s heart involuntarily skip a beat.
Only then did he give in, the corner of his mouth twitching, “Fine fine, let’s go.”
Yao Si drew back his gaze and quickly rushed far away with a flicker.
Chi Gui and the rest had to follow even though they were still in doubt. If they continued to stay here, they would be disrespecting Yao Si. Chi Gui’s Ahan Temple was located in the Eastern Territory, so if he offended Yao Si now, he would definitely not have any good days in the future.
After a while of hustle and bustle, almost all the Emperor Realm Masters disappeared. Wu Chang pondered for quite a long time, but still decided to leave in the end.
After all, even the descendants of the two Great Emperors, Lan Xun and Yao Si, were persuaded to leave by this old man, and judging from Yao Si’s exaggerated reaction just now, it was clear that this old man was not as simple as he looked.
Someone in Yao Si’s position did not need to rely on falsehoods or deception, so staying here might really be a life-threatening option.
Not only the Emperor Realm Masters, but even a large portion of the remaining Dao Source Realm cultivations left.
In the blink of an eye, less than a thousand Dao Source Realm cultivators remained. Perhaps these Dao Source Realm cultivators did not get many benefits in the Shattered Star Sea yet, so despite the insinuation and persuasion of the old man, they did not want to leave.
They were inextricably attracted to the skeleton of the Great Emperor and the Space Ring inside the black hole.
“You won’t leave?” The old man frowned when he saw Yang Kai still standing still in his spot.
Yang Kai responded in a deep voice, “Tell me about Ruo Xi’s bloodline and I will leave immediately!”
The old man replied, “You will find out in the future.”
“I will keep following you if you don’t tell me,” Yang Kai grinned fearlessly.
The old man swept his eyes over him and snorted, “Little brat, you’re really thick-skinned. How did Wen Zi Shan accept a disciple like you?”
Yang Kai was bewildered, he asked, “How did you know that I am from Azure Sun Temple?”
He had never disclosed this information to anyone since he came here.
The old man laughed softly and pointed his finger at a certain spot of Yang Kai’s body.
Realization dawned on Yang Kai as the Azure Sun Golden Token that he kept close to him was hanging there, revealing this secret. Previously Yang Kai had taken out the Azure Sun Golden Token from his Space Ring in order to easily sense if a message came from Xiao Bai Yi, Murong Xiao Xiao, or any of the others. He did not expect this old man to be able to detect such a small thing on him though.
The old man shook his head, “A fish rots from the head down. If this Old Master ever runs into Wen Zi Shan in the future, he will definitely ask him to expel you!”
The old man boasted as if even Wen Zi Shan had to obey his orders.
Yang Kai snorted, “You speak as if you were the Bustling World Great Emperor!”
It seemed that Temple Master Wen Zi Shan was brought up by the Bustling World Great Emperor, so if anyone in this world could order him around at will, it would undoubtedly be that Great Emperor. However, the Bustling World Great Emperor was a man who was always wandering around the world, living a wilful life of leisure. He came and went without a trace, with no fixed place to stay, so no one knew where to find him, and any news regarding his whereabouts had been absent in the Star Boundary for a long time.
The old man widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Oh? How did you know?”
Yang Kai spat disdainfully, “It was sarcasm.”
Undoubtedly, the old swindler might be some hidden Master, since he knew so many secrets and so many people, even Yao Si, were respectful to him. He was by no means an ordinary person.
But Yang Kai would never believe that he was the Bustling World Great Emperor.
Because this place was the Shattered Star Sea!
The Shattered Star Sea was a place that only Dao Source Realm cultivators could enter, not Emperor Realm Masters. It was impossible for the Bustling World Great Emperor, who had a terrifying cultivation, to come here. If he forcefully broke through the world barriers to enter this place, the Shattered Star Sea would become unstable and collapse.
The old man smiled faintly, no longer paying attention to Yang Kai, instead turning to look at the remaining Dao Source Realm cultivators and sighing lightly, “Men die for wealth, birds die for food.”
The reason these cultivators had not left was obviously that they were hoping to get some benefits, especially now with the absence of strong competitors like the Emperor Realm Masters, they became more excited and eager to try.
After muttering for a while, the old man shouted loudly, “Since you all want the Space Ring so much… this Old Master will grant your wish.”
Everyone looked at him suspiciously after hearing this as they did not understand what he really meant.
Ignoring their confused looks, the old swindler strode over to the front of the black hole and formed a set of profound seals. In the next moment, his hand glowed brightly as it was about to make contact with the black hole.
“What is this old man… doing?”
“Is he planning to take out the Space Ring?”
“Is he really so strong? Sii… look! He is reaching out his hand.”
“What’s happening inside!? Ah… the light is too dazzling, I can’t see what’s happening!”
The area was buzzing with excitement as everyone’s eyes went round, staring at the old man’s actions.
Yang Kai was particularly dumbstruck.
Ever since the formation of the black hole, he had clearly felt fluctuating Space Principles from it. In other words, there was another bizarre space inside the black hole; however, this space was extremely unstable, and even someone like him, who was proficient in the Dao of Space, dared not simply break in.
Yang Kai never thought that this old man could plunge his hand into that space.
Was he proficient in the Dao of Space too? Yang Kai tried to sense what was happening, but he could not detect any kind of Space Principle fluctuations coming from the old swindler, causing his face to fill with confusion.
A while later, the old man suddenly bellowed and retracted his hand.
As the bright light dissipated, an archaic Space Ring was seen in his hand.
Everyone was in an uproar, staring at the ring with bloodshot eyes, the sounds of gulping echoing one after another.
When they looked back at the black hole, they saw nothing on the skeleton’s finger anymore.
“He really took out the ring!”
“Can this kind of thing be done?”
“It’s amazing! What’s in the ring?”
“Old man, hand over the Space Ring now and we can still spare your life!”
After the old man took out the Space Ring, the crowd boiled with excitement and everyone began to push their Source Qi while shouting, preparing to snatch the Space Ring at any time.
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, and remarked, “Old man, you have created a problem for yourself. Let’s see how you handle this situation!”
Although the old man was strong and unfathomable, Yang Kai did not believe that he was capable enough to face a thousand Dao Source Realm cultivators. If they pounced on him together, the only thing he could do was to run.
The old man responded with a light smile, “They only have their eyes on this ring. If that’s the case, I will just give it to them.”
“Give it to them?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Before he could react, the old man swung his hand and tossed the Space Ring somewhere into the void as he shouted, “If you want it, grab it yourself!”
The old man must have used some unknown technique at that instant because the Space Ring burst into light and flew far away like a bolt of lightning.
“Old man, are you courting death? How dare you throw the ring away!?”
“Just you wait! This Young Master will settle this with you later after getting that Space Ring!”
“Don’t be so long-winded, quickly chase it! You’ll cultivate for a lifetime with ease if you get that ring!”
*Shua shua shua…*
The area radiated with streams of light as all the cultivators turned to chase after the Space Ring. In the blink of an eye, the thousand cultivators were all gone.
The old man looked at their receding figures and sighed, “This Old Master should have done this earlier.”
Next, he put on an annoyed look and turned to Yang Kai to ask, “Little brat, why didn’t you chase after it too? That’s a Great Emperor’s Space Ring. Surely countless Emperor Artifacts and precious treasures were inside of it. If you can obtain it, you will be able to break through to Emperor Realm in no time.”
He tried to persuade Yang Kai with his bewitching words, obviously wanting him to leave.
Yang Kai sneered, “Old man, like you said before, most items of value were destroyed long ago and only a few were leftover from the War of Emperors, so why should I chase after a ring that has nothing good in it?” After a pause, he pressed on with a sly smile, “Furthermore, the Space Ring is still here, and the one that you tossed away is just a fake. Why would I chase after a fake?”
The old man stared at Yang Kai with his widened eyes, “Oh? How did you see through my trick? It should be impossible for you to see through this Old Master’s technique!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Old man’s skill is truly amazing, but… since you didn’t even reach your hand into that black hole, how could you possibly take out the ring? What’s more, even though the skeleton and the ring seemed to be nearby, they are actually a world away from us. How could it be possible to obtain that ring by just stretching out your hand? What seems to be in front of us is just an illusion caused by the superimposition of space.”
The old man was surprised by Yang Kai’s explanation and asked, “You have a good eye. So, are you staying here for the ring?”
Yang Kai answered, “I just want to know about Ruo Xi’s Bloodline!”
“I really can’t tell you about it. You will eventually understand in the future.”
Yang Kai had no idea why the old man would definitely avoid the topic every time he mentioned Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline.
“This Old Master has something to do now, and it is truly dangerous here so you should leave quickly. Your life doesn’t matter, but the two little girls in your arms should not be harmed!”
“Something to do? Like what?” Yang Kai looked at him quizzically.
But the old man had already rushed towards the black hole with a serious expression. Yang Kai wondered if it was an illusion, because he actually saw a trace of determination and distress in the old man’s eyes, like he was preparing for a grand mission that would require him to make a great sacrifice.
When he reached the front of the black hole, the old man performed a series of hand seals rapidly before palming towards its surface.
A ripple undulated from the black hole, as if an invisible door had been opened, and the old man flew straight through the door, entering the black hole.
The skeleton disappeared strangely together with the old man, who also vanished after the ripples faded. Yang Kai looked around, and saw only the black hole remaining in place.
A wave of different power, which was quite familiar to Yang Kai, suddenly came out from the black hole.
With a single thought, he hurriedly took out a jade slip from his Space Ring.
This was the jade slip that the Embodiment snatched from Wu Meng Chuan before he died. According to the Embodiment, Wu Meng Chuan seemingly wanted to destroy this jade slip, as if he was afraid of revealing the secrets in it.
There were many mysterious seals on this jade slip that Yang Kai tried to crack before, but to no avail.
However, at this moment, Yang Kai was astonished to find that the fluctuations coming from the black hole were exactly the same as the ones pulsing from this jade slip. It seemed like it was left behind by the same person.
A light burst from the jade slip as soon as Yang Kai took it out, and subsequently, the barriers sealing it resonated amazingly with the fluctuations coming from the black hole.
An extremely powerful suction abruptly came out from the black hole, trying to pull everything around it inside.
Yang Kai was startled and his face changed drastically as he tried to escape.
But what terrified him was that no matter how hard he tried, he could not move at all.
The black hole was like an ancient beast’s great maw, attempting to swallow him with a single bite.
After resisting for a few breaths of time, Yang Kai could not withstand it any longer. Before he was devoured, he threw Zhang Ruo Xi and Mo Xiao Qi, who were still unconscious, together with Liu Yan into the Sealed World Bead.
Just as Yang Kai finished securing their safety, his vision turned black, as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss. There was no light around him, and there was no ground under his feet.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai suddenly felt pain all over his body, and he felt like his feet were finally stepping on an object. Landing on the ground with a slam, he found himself in an inexplicable world.
In this world, there were no sun, moon, or stars, even the World Energy was exceedingly thin here. The whole world was presented in a quaint red.
Yang Kai looked around and saw bright red blood flowing across the ground under his feet. The blood was extremely fresh, exuded a pungent stench, and like ten thousand rivers flowing into the sea, was gathering slowly in a certain direction.
Countless mutilated corpses and bloody pieces of flesh could be seen all around the ground, making for a horrifying scene.
“These are…” Yang Kai observed his surroundings as he mumbled to himself with a darkened face, “The cultivators who died in the Source Sea?”
The fresh blood and mutilated corpses that he had just seen were obviously from the cultivators who had recently died outside, as the corpses were still fresh and showed no signs of decomposition.
“They have all been sucked into this place!” Yang Kai’s face turned ugly in befuddlement.
Previously in the Source Sea, countless cultivators died fighting for Source Strength and Star Sources. All of these dead cultivators fell into the Source Sea and went missing.
But in fact, they were all gathered here.
The jade slip was gone too. Before Yang Kai was swallowed, he felt the jade slip exploding in his hand, turned into some form of energy that wrapped around him, as if it was protecting him.
After he entered this place, the energy barrier disappeared.
It was as though the function of the jade slip was to provide protection for the holder to enter this place. Without the jade slip, Yang Kai would have suffered unbearable consequences while being devoured and sent here.
Before Wu Meng Chuan died, he desperately wanted to destroy the jade slip, so it was obvious that he did not wish for it to fall into the hands of others, allowing them to enter this place. But what secrets could be hidden here?
Why did the old swindler come in here too?
Yang Kai looked startled and confused as he examined the surroundings but found nothing. He could not sense the old man’s aura even with his Divine Sense.
After pondering for a moment, he turned to look at the rivers of blood on the floor and followed the flow.
No matter what this place was and what secrets were hidden here, Yang Kai believed that the destination of the confluence of the blood rivers most probably held the answers he sought.
This peculiar world seemed to be enormous. Yang Kai travelled for more than two hours, but the scenery still remained the same, bleak. If it were not for his perseverance, he would have just stopped moving forward.
Another two hours later, Yang Kai suddenly twitched his brow and looked up in a certain direction.
He heard some explosions echoing from that side, and when he looked up, he saw that the place was shining vaguely, radiating formidable waves of power.
Someone was fighting over there!
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes in surprise because he saw the old swindler entering this place alone, so if people were battling over there, he must be one of them, but the question was, who was his opponent?
Judging from the waves of power, the strength of the one fighting with the old swindler seemed to be extremely high. Although Yang Kai still did not fully understand the capabilities of the old swindler, he was sure that an ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm Master was no match for him.
So, for a person who was able to put up such an intense fight with the old man, he or she must be someone extraordinary.
Was there another hidden Master in this damned place?
The more Yang Kai thought about it, the more confused he became. Out of pure curiosity, he sped in the direction of the fight, hiding his aura with his Nihility Secret Technique.
The closer he got there, the more obvious the fallout he felt from the battle.
In the span of a stick worth of incense, Yang Kai arrived at a small hill and hid behind it. He peeked out from the small hill and his face changed dramatically at the scene before his eyes.
The old man was indeed over there. He stood in the void with his clothes flapping and his black hair blowing in the wind. He seemed to have gone through many vicissitudes from the view of his back, looking aloof and indifferent to the changing world.
Not far in front of him was the skeleton that had been seen inside the black hole before, sitting cross-legged. It was a bit different from what everyone had seen earlier though, as some flesh was actually formed on its bones. The bright scarlet flesh was constantly forming from the absorption of the blood flowing from the surroundings.
The blood of the entire world seemed to be gathering towards the skeleton.
At this moment, there was not much flesh on the skeleton as it seemed that it had only just started to form, and even the bones were not completely covered yet, but this vision of the skeleton was already horrifying enough.
The hands of the skeleton were formed into a mysterious seal and a terrifying devouring power exploded out of the white bones, swallowing the incoming rivers of blood unceasingly.
The old swindler was constantly launching exceptionally ferocious attacks to interrupt the flow of blood, stopping the skeleton from devouring it.
The formidable impact of the attacks landed on the skeleton, but it remained still.
Yang Kai did not know how long this situation had carried on, as the old man continued to strike the confluence of blood with his power again and again, causing the blood to evaporate.
However, there was too much blood in this world, and even if the old man attempted to stop its flow, there was always more that gathered from all directions, pouring into the skeleton.
Yang Kai was forcibly suppressing the fear in his heart as his face turned pale.
Because he actually sensed a presence of life in the skeleton. Although it was quite weak, just like a candle that could be blown out by the wind at any time, it was indeed there.
In other words, the skeleton was still alive!
No one knew exactly which Great Emperor left this skeleton behind, but according to the clues Yang Kai gathered, the most likely candidate was the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor.
It was rumoured that the Soul of the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was annihilated in the War of Emperors tens of thousands of years ago and he could not be more dead; however, given the situation now, it seemed that this rumour was false.
If this skeleton really belonged to the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, it could only mean that he was not dead yet and had instead fallen into a certain kind of deep sleep. The blood that gathered here could be the opportunity for him to wake up again!
Yang Kai suddenly recalled something Wu Meng Chuan said during their life or death battle that made him truly concerned.
He had said, ‘how can a person as strong as my Ancestor die so easily!’
If that was the case, Wu Meng Chuan seemed to know the inside story. After all, he was the descendant of the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, so it was reasonable for him to know that his Ancestor was still alive.
He might even know that his Ancestor was hidden here, and was ready to use the jade slip to enter this place at the right time. Unfortunately, he was killed by Yang Kai in the end and attempted to destroy the jade slip before he died…
Various thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind; he could almost confirm that this skeleton belonged to Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, and if he continued to regrow his flesh from the fresh blood here, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor might be resurrected!
Back then, four Great Emperors died here in order to kill him. If the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor were to be resurrected, the peace of the Star Boundary would be at stake.
Yang Kai broke out in a cold sweat considering all this.
Suddenly, a subtle aura rippled from up ahead. It was incredibly weak at first, but it gradually became stronger as time passed, as if a sleeping dragon was slowly rising from a deep slumber.
The old swindler, who was standing in the void, certainly noticed this aura too. With his face turned solemn as he sped up his hand movements, performing all kinds of indescribable yet powerful Secret Techniques, targeting the skeleton directly.
In a short time, the ground beneath the skeleton crumbled, and even space around it was about to collapse.
The old swindler squinted ahead, but after a long pause, he snorted coldly.
Dust flew everywhere, and an extremely thick wall of blood-red light emerged in front of the skeleton. There were cracks all over the wall, but it seemed to have successfully blocked all the attacks from the old swindler, leaving the skeleton unscathed.
A sharp gaze suddenly pierced from behind the wall of blood light, as if it travelled from ancient times, freezing the world.
“You’re awake!” The old man curled his lip unhappily.
The skeleton was staring at the old man with a pair of unformed eyes, faint ghost fires quivering in its sockets. As his upper and lower teeth collided with each other, he gave out a grating voice, “Duan Hong Chen?”
The old man burst into loud laughter and answered uninhibitedly, “That’s right, it is this Old Master. Wu Kuang, I can’t believe you still remember this Old Master after sleeping for so many years!”
The skeleton replied with a deep voice, “How could this King forget your cheeky face? How unfortunate that the first person that I see when I wake up is you!”
Duan Hong Chen smiled, “Disappointed? Then who did you want to see? Tell me, this Old Master can disguise himself as that person. As you know, the disguise skill of this Old Master is matchless in this world.”
The skeleton was indifferent. After being silent for a while, he asked, “How long did this King sleep?”
Duan Hong Chen’s face turned solemn, “This Old Master doesn’t really remember precisely how long it was, but it’s been at least a couple tens of thousands of years.”
The skeleton sighed, “It looks like it’s been a long time.”
The old man and the skeleton were chatting like old friends who had not seen each other for many years and there was no tension between them at all.
Yang Kai, who was still hiding behind the small hill far away, felt terror stabbing his heart.
Since the old man called the skeleton Wu Kuang, it confirmed that he was really the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor! The Heaven Devouring Great Emperor had not died. He just used some mystical Secret Technique to put himself to sleep inside this strange space for tens of thousands of years, waiting for this moment of resurrection.
If news of this spread, the entire Star Boundary would be in an uproar.
However, what shocked Yang Kai even more was the name of the old man.
Duan Hong Chen!
Yang Kai had never heard of this name, but he was familiar with his title.
The Bustling World Great Emperor!
Wu Kuang, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor recognized this old swindler, which meant that they were people with the same status during the same period, and only that Great Emperor would be able to carry the name ‘Duan Hong Chen’.
[Is he really the Bustling World Great Emperor?]
Yang Kai was so shocked that he could hardly breathe. When the old man declared that he would ask Temple Master Wen to expel Yang Kai if he ever saw Wen Zi Shan again, Yang Kai had just made a sarcastic remark about his identity.
He would have never thought that his sarcastic remark would turn out to be true.
It was rumoured that the Bustling World Great Emperor led an unrestrained lifestyle and was always wandering around the world for pleasure. It somehow made sense to Yang Kai that this old man was the Bustling World Great Emperor as his behaviour really matched with the rumours.
The reason Yao Si obediently listened to the old man’s order and left, even showing a lowly expression in front of him, was probably because he knew his identity.
But what happened to his cultivation?
The strength of the Bustling World Great Emperor was supposed to be as high as the sky, so how could he possibly show up here with just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation now?
Wu Kuang was just as curious as Yang Kai about this phenomenon.
“Why did your cultivation drop so much?”
“This Old Master cut his own cultivation,” Duan Hong Chen smiled faintly, completely nonchalant.
“Cut your own cultivation!?” Wu Kuang’s eyes flashed as he asked in a deep voice, “Why? What made you go so far?”
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained!”
Wu Kuang seemed to have comprehended something, he pressed on, “Did you cut your own cultivation so that you could enter this place to find me?”
Duan Hong Chen nodded, “Of course. As you are most likely aware, after your death, the world barrier surrounding this place became a little fragile, so Emperor Realm Masters could not pass through it from the outside without disrupting it. If this Old Master wanted to come here, this was the only way.”
“How noble of you!” Wu Kuang stared at Duan Hong Chen, “Impressive. Among all the Great Emperors back then, this King admired you the most. You never disappointed this King.”
Duan Hong Chen laughed heartily, “Same to you, you were also the one this Old Master admired the most.”
Wu Kuang sighed, “It must have been difficult for you to maintain a Dao Source Realm cultivation all these years!”
“You’re mistaken about that,” Duan Hong Chen shook his index finger slowly, “I didn’t stay in this cultivation realm all this time, I just kept cutting my own cultivation whenever it got too high! I’ve done it countless times at this point.”
“Countless times…” Wu Kuang exclaimed in tremendous shock, “You can actually regain your cultivation again every time? Why hasn’t your foundation been destroyed?”
“I’m just lucky,” Duan Hong Chen answered indifferently, “There were a few times things became dangerous, but I managed to pull through in the end. I remember there was one time that I lost all of my cultivation due to one wrong move and it took this Old Master two thousand years to finally regain his cultivation. It was really torturous.”
Duan Hong Chen vaguely revealed a look of fear, as if he was recalling some terrifying experience.
“Is it really… is it worth it for you to do all that?” Wu Kuang questioned emotionally.
Duan Hong Chen declared with a serious face, “Worth it! As long as this Old Master could enter the Shattered Star Sea to find you and destroy your Soul, everything is worth it!”
Wu Kuang’s eyes flickered with light as he responded with a deep voice, “It looks like you really hate this King.”
“It has nothing to do with hate anymore,” Duan Hong Chen smiled lightly. “Everyone has different ambitions, we simply can’t travel the same path because we don’t share the same ideals. However, if you don’t die, it would be too much of a shame for Cyan Lotus, Yuan Ding, Martial Flame and Azure Sea… who would have died for nothing.”
“You are seeking vengance for your old friends,” Wu Kuang nodded in acknowledgement.
Duan Hong Chen sighed lightly, “Revenge begets revenge, a never-ending cycle. This Old Master finds it incredibly troublesome. How about you just stay there quietly and let this Old Master end it by sending you to meet those old friends?”
Wu Kuang snorted coldly, “This King was almost annihilated by all of you that time. If this King didn’t play dead to escape at the critical moment, how could there be a moment of his awakening today? This King thought that everything was planned seamlessly, so how did you know that this King was still alive?”
Duan Hong Chen replied solemnly, “Your trick was indeed marvellous, and almost everyone was deceived by you at that time and believed that you were really dead. But have you forgotten that there is a person who has the ability to see through time, capable of seeing the past and foreseeing the future? He was the one who knew that you were not dead and warned this Old Master to watch out for you.”
“Heaven’s Revelations!” Wu Kuang yelled, his eyes glowing.
Duan Hong Chen nodded, “Yes, it was Heaven’s Revelations! Therefore, every time the Shattered Star Sea opened, this Old Master would come in and take a look. You had been quiet for the past few tens of thousands of years, but now, you finally couldn’t withstand the loneliness and tried to make a comeback.”
“It’s not that this King can’t stand the loneliness, but the opportunity has finally come!” Wu Kuang snorted coldly, “This King also possessed the ability to see through time, and was capable of catching glimpses of the past and foreseeing the future. What Heaven’s Revelation could see, this King can as well; what Heaven’s Revelations could not see, this King can still see. Since this King has chosen to awaken at this time, this King will naturally not repeat the same mistakes again!”
Duan Hong Chen challenged in a deep voice, “It depends on how good you are compared to the last time.”
Wu Kuang burst into laughter, “So what if I only have one percent of my strength left? Can you stop me in your current state?”
“One percent… Looks like Wu Kuang has learned to talk big after all his sleep. Given that your body has not taken shape yet, this Old Master is afraid that you can’t even unleash one percent of your strength. This Old Master doesn’t need to fight with you at all, I just need to block the blood supply and you will be prevented from coming back to life!”
“Duan Hong Chen, do you really want to make an enemy of this King!?” Wu Kuang fumed.
Duan Hong Chen remarked, “It’s you who has made an enemy of the world and its people. If you are reborn again, the Star Boundary will be thrown into chaos!”
“Since when did you start caring for the people? Just continue to have fun in your bustling world, Duan Hong Chen. If you dare to stop me, this place will be your graveyard!”
“When this Old Master decided to come in, he was prepared to never leave here!” Duan Hong Chen looked determined, suddenly performed a hand seal and shouted, “Break!”
In an instant, his aura immensely surged, and there were no signs of stopping as his energy fluctuations continued to rise higher and higher…
*Honglong… *
A layer of visible shockwaves exploded from where the Bustling World Great Emperor stood, sweeping across the surroundings. The flowing streams of blood trembled, while at the same time, the cultivation of Duan Hong Chen directly broke through from Third-Order Dao Source Realm to First-Order Emperor Realm.
The breakthrough seemed to be just as simple as piercing through a paper window and everything happened so fast that not even a World Energy Baptism was induced.
“Good! The higher your cultivation, the more useful it will be to this King after devouring you!” Seeing Duan Hong Chen’s breakthrough, Wu Kuang was excited instead of frightened. After a cry, a strange domain that could devour everything immediately permeated the air, instantly enveloping Duan Hong Chen in it.
The blood around him seemed to have received some kind of traction and gathered madly towards Wu Kuang’s skeleton.
[Heaven Devouring Domain!]
Yang Kai, who was watching from afar, recognized the Heaven Devouring Domain at a glance.
Wu Meng Chuan used the same skill during their previous battle. Everything in his Heaven Devouring Domain could be devoured, even the mysterious Principle Strength could not escape from it; however, the Heaven Devouring Domain that Wu Kuang released was different from the one that Wu Meng Chuan released, with the former dwarfing the latter by orders of magnitude, seemingly capable of devouring the entire world.
Duan Hong Chen’s aura reduced significantly after being wrapped in Wu Kuang’s Heaven Devouring Domain and his face changed drastically. He clapped his hands together and mumbled a few words, “Lofty Bustling World, Three Thousand Tribulations!”
A gigantic palm print struck down from above, and before the attack landed on the ground, the surrounding blood was turned into massive waves.
Wu Kuang narrowed his eyes and responded in a deep voice, “Not bad. It’s a bit like back then, but it’s still impossible to beat this King. Heaven Devouring Battle Law, devour it for me!”
When his words fell, his skeleton seemingly turned into a bottomless pit. On top of devouring the surrounding blood, it was also devouring Duan Hong Chen’s Secret Technique into his body.
Wu Kuang guffawed at Duan Hong Chen in disdain.
However, Duan Hong Chen’s face remained tranquil as an ancient well. He was trying his best to push his Emperor Qi to maintain his Secret Technique to counterbalance Wu Kuang’s power.
After a while, Wu Kuang’s body suddenly shook, and he stopped devouring the blood into his skeleton. Moreover, the newly grown flesh on his skeleton also fell to the ground and turned into a pool of waste. “Old thing, you cheated!” He rebuked.
Duan Hong Chen laughed loudly, “Keep on devouring, why did you stop? Didn’t you always boast that your Heaven Devouring Battle Law could devour everything in existence? Why do you stop now?”
Wu Kuang was maddened, “What kind of power is hidden in your Secret Technique that can secretly injure this King? Unforgivable!”
Duan Hong Chen snorted coldly, “Do you really think that this Old Master has been cutting his cultivation over the past tens of thousands of years just to enter the Shatter Star Sea to look for you? Since the title of this Old Master is ‘Bustling World’, it’s natural that I have gone through numerous hardships and comprehended the Dao of the Bustling World. This Old Master is no longer like last time!”
“Dao of the Bustling World… Will of the World… World Force?” A light flashed across Wu Kuang’s eyes, as if he figured something, and he barked, “So, you’ve managed to comprehend some portion of World Force! No wonder you are so confident!”
“Wu Kuang, you must die this time. Stop trying to resist!”
“Laughable! No one can kill this King in this world! This King is the Heavens! This King is the Earth! Whoever resists this King is against the will of Heavens and Earth, a mortal sin!”
Duan Hong Chen shook his head, “Wu Kuang, did you become mad from all that sleeping? All living beings are as tiny as ants before the World. The Heavenly Way will not forgive you if you dare to put yourself higher than it!”
“I am the Heaven Devourer. The Heavenly Way cannot contain me!”
Among these two Great Emperors, one had an unformed body, while the other had cut his cultivation. Although both of them were not at their peak, they did not hold back in their fight to the death in this strange world and even as they hurled insults at one another, they never stopped unleashing their earthshaking techniques.
Every word they spoke sounded ordinary, but actually contained a deep sense of truth that evoked traces of the Heavenly Way. When it reached Yang Kai’s ears, it caused his heart to beat wildly, and he felt the shackles on his body tremble.
This was the Dao!
This was the Heavenly Way that countless cultivators had been searching for throughout their lifetimes but always failed to grasp.
The two Great Emperors were fighting secretly with their respective Daos in order to suppress each other. In this kind of fight, whoever had more perseverance in seeking the Dao and deeper comprehension in Heavenly Way would undoubtedly gain the upper hand.
Yang Kai was immersed in their conversation and felt that what both of them said was enlightening, as every word they spoke was a priceless gem, and he benefited a lot by listening to all this invaluable advice.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s brow twitched as his face turned into one of stunned realization, as if he understood something critical.
And the shackles in his body were also trembling at this moment.
Yang Kai was shocked but immediately regained his consciousness from his distracted state.
“Damn!” He muttered with an ugly expression.
He did not expect that he would feel the opportunity to break through at this time.
It had been almost three years since he entered the Shattered Star Sea. Recently, he had met a lot of newly promoted Emperor Realm Masters and also battled a few of them. Although he believed that his strength was not inferior to any newly promoted Emperor, he was still a Dao Source Realm cultivator in the end.
Yang Kai had always been looking for an opportunity to break through, but unfortunately, this kind of thing could not be rushed. When the opportunity came, success would come naturally; otherwise, it was useless to demand for it.
It was just that the opportunity Yang Kai was hoping for came at this inopportune moment.
If this happened somewhere else, Yang Kai would have been ecstatic.
He had prepared himself to break through to the Emperor Realm a long time ago as there were signs of his Source Qi transforming into Emperor Qi a while ago. To him, being an Emperor was just a matter of time.
However… Two Great Emperors were having a life and death battle not far away from him at the moment, so how could he break through peacefully here? If he were affected by the fallout of their fight, the consequences would be disastrous.
He tried to suppress this urge, but he realized it was useless as the sensation of a breakthrough was building up and could not be forcibly suppressed unless he was willing to destroy his foundation and lose all of his cultivation.
Since he was at a point of no return, he decided to just go with it. Yang Kai gritted his teeth as he waved his hand and countless Source Crystals spilled out of his Space Ring, piling up around his body.
Immediately, he sat cross-legged, letting go of his body and mind, ignoring all the outside factors, and focused solely on the Heavenly Way fluctuations brought about by the dispute between the two Great Emperors.
No one had ever been promoted this way.
But Yang Kai had no choice.
However, he soon discovered that this might be an opportunity for him; every gesture, and even every line in their conversation brought out a trace of mystical power that coincided with the Heavenly Way.
He was absorbing the two Great Emperors’ insights on the Heavenly Way, using it as the cornerstone to pave his own Martial Dao.
The benefits were indescribable.
Yang Kai quickly forgot the condition of his surroundings and was completely immersed in his own enlightenment. The surrounding Source Crystals were turned into dust by a moment of violent tremor, releasing a pure and rich World Energy, slowly converging at the top of Yang Kai’s head, gradually forming a Heavenly Manifestation.
“Huh? There’s a little ant in here!”
Although the two Great Emperors were focused on their intense battle, given their cultivation level, their perceptions were extremely keen, so they sensed Yang Kai almost immediately. When Wu Kuang stole a glance at him in the midst of combat, his eyes glinted in disdain.
He really was not bothered by a trivial Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator’s presence.
Not to mention him in his peak, he could easily crush a Dao Source Realm Master like an ant even in his current state.
[How did this little brat follow this Old Master here?] Duan Hong Chen was slightly surprised.
This was the place where Wu Kuang was ‘buried’, feigning death. The entrance of the black hole was sealed by his own special restriction, and it would be impossible to even find the entrance, let alone enter this space.
Otherwise, it would not have taken so many openings of the Shattered Star Sea and tens of thousands of years for Duan Hong Chen to, only now, find this place.
He had always known that the Source Sea was where Wu Kuang was hidden, but had no clue of his specific location up until now, and he could only enter this place when the Source Sea underwent an abnormal change, forming a black hole that devoured a large amount of fallen cultivators.
It was mostly due to his understanding of Wu Kuang that he was able to break through the restriction.
An Emperor Realm Master couldn’t enter, and even a peak Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be powerless in the face of that restriction.
So, how did this little brat enter? Was it possible that the restriction at the entrance was weakened after he entered and this boy took advantage of that?
Duan Hong Chen felt a little disgruntled about this. If he had known this could happen, he would have destroyed the entrance after entering.
He did not know that Yang Kai was able to enter here thanks to the jade slip left by Wu Meng Chuan. That jade slip was a key to go through the restriction safely into the black hole.
This was what Wu Kuang left for his descendants.
Everything that had happened was simply a coincidence.
Duan Hong Chen let out a sigh of relief as he only detected Yang Kai, while Mo Xiao Qi and Zhang Ruo Xi were nowhere to be seen. It would be troublesome if those two girls were here.
“How dare you get distracted when fighting this King!? Duan Hong Chen, you deserve to die today!” Wu Kuang shouted, clapping his hands together, and slamming them forward.
*Huhuhu… *
There was a strange sound, and a violent wind suddenly swept out of his palm, billowing towards Duan Hong Chen.
This was no ordinary gust, and instead seemed to contain the aura of Elemental Source Strength. It was extremely terrifying, as the Heavens and Earth collapsed and space shattered wherever it swept.
“Primordial Astral Wind!” Duan Hong Chen’s complexion changed drastically as he blurted out in shock, “You can still use the Primordial Astral Wind after having lost your body!?”
Wu Kuang laughed contemptuously, “Primordial Astral Wind is a type of Elemental Source Strength, it’s formless and invisible, and it’s also connected with the Soul of this King. Who told you that I wouldn’t be able to use it once I lost my body? Hahaha, since you dare to look down on this King, you will have to pay the price! Even if all that’s left of this King is bare bones, you will still need to submit to me!”
Saying so, the Primordial Astral Wind blew right in front of Duan Hong Chen, preparing to engulf him.
At the moment of crisis, the panic in Duan Hong Chen’s eyes vanished and was replaced with calm as he clenched his hands together in a firm seal and lifted his chest up high to growl, “Turn the ground into a prison!”
*Hualala… *
An emerald green light burst out suddenly, enveloping Duan Hong Chen. At the same time, the phantom of a humongous tree appeared, expanding from the Earth to the Heavens.
The emerald green tree phantom was exuding Elemental Source Strength similar to the Primordial Astral Wind.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
The Primordial Astral Wind rushed straight toward the enormous green tree, and the trunk swayed violently as the leaves rustled wildly, but Duan Hong Chen remained still and unharmed; Wu Kuang’s attack was completely resisted.
“Divine Tree Bai Yi!” Wu Kuang exclaimed in astonishment at the sight of the tree phantom, somewhat unable to believe his eyes. He gritted his teeth and roared, “Duan Hong Chen, how dare you play with this King?”
He thought Duan Hong Chen would not be able to resist his Primordial Astral Wind with the look of panic etched on his face, but how could he have known that Duan Hong Chen would summon the phantom of the Divine Tree Bai Yi at the last moment to completely counter the Primordial Astral Wind.
He was obviously mocking Wu Kuang just now, committing the unforgivable sin of allowing him to experience the huge letdown from joy to disappointment.
Duan Hong Chen pushed his Emperor Qi to expand the phantom Divine Tree Bai Yi, wiping the cold sweat on his forehead as he smiled in relief, “This Old Master was almost scared to death. Fortunately, this Old Master was prepared, otherwise, this Old Master would have failed miserably with such an easy task.”
“Bastard, how dare you slander this King as an easy task!? Duan Hong Chen, don’t get too arrogant! Doesn’t this Bai Yi Source Strength belong to that bastard Iron Blood? He has always regarded it as his most precious treasure, how could it be in your hands!?” Wu Kuang roared again and again, his eyes full of unwillingness. Suddenly his expression changed, and guessed, “Could it be… Iron Blood has fallen?”
Duan Hong Chen snorted coldly, “Although this Old Master also hopes that Iron Blood will die early, it’s disappointing that not only does that bastard not have any trace of getting old, he seems to be turning younger the longer he lives. I’m so envious of him. Recently, he seems to have taken a disciple and is now putting in all his effort to train her for whatever reason. Damn it, disciples are just a plaque to Masters, they always try to cheat us! Forget it! I’m starting to get teary-eyed!”
He might have thought of Wen Zi Shan as he said this with gnashed teeth.
“Since he is still alive, how was he willing to hand over the Divine Tree’s Source to you!?” Wu Kuang barked.
Duan Hong Chen grinned cunningly, “Because this Old Master told him that if he didn’t hand over the Divine Tree’s Source, this Old Master would gather hundreds of young and fit men to seduce his treasured apprentice! How could his disciple resist the temptation? So, he gave it obediently.”
Wu Kuang was dumbfounded, “The hell?”
Duan Hong Chen curled his lips, “You have no idea how much he cares about his treasured apprentice. That little girl seems to possess a Special Constitution and is the perfect candidate to inherit his mantle. This Old Master has met that little girl once. Young people nowadays really are different, she already has the vague demeanour of Iron Blood back then, just one punch from her is enough to kill anyone in the same realm! She punched this Old Master in the face before I left Iron Blood Fort, and even my forehead cracked, splashing blood everywhere!”
Wu Kuang cackled loudly, “You deserved it, no one in this world can be more shameless than you!”
“Many thanks!” Duan Hong Chen beamed.
“So what if you have the Divine Tree Source? You are not its true owner! How can you fight this King’s Primordial Astral Wind?” Wu Kuang pointed out.
“I had to give it a try. Do you think this Old Master should just wait to die?”
The exchange between the two was temperamental, jumping from chattering like old friends for a moment to treating each other like mortal enemies the next. If there were other audiences present, they would have been extremely confused.
At the same time, the two Elemental Source Strengths were constantly colliding in madness, breaking the space and filling the sky with the power of wind and wood. A terrifying scene.
The sweeping strength of the Primordial Astral Wind was extremely powerful. If an Emperor Realm Master was sucked into it, not even their bones would remain; but the phantom of the Divine Tree Bai Yi was incomparably firm and sturdy. Regardless of how the wind billowed from southeast to northwest, and its leaves rustled madly, it remained standing, closely protecting Duan Hong Chen.
Space itself within a hundred-kilometre radius warped as all the blood on the ground evaporated.
At this stage, it was a competition of who had a better control of their respective Elemental Source Strengths, and the result would not be visible in a short time. Both Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen were irrevocably committed to this battle.
Duan Hong Chen would definitely take the opportunity for a counterattack if Wu Kuang retrieved the Primordial Astral Wind, and with his current condition, Wu Kuang would not be able to resist the attack of Divine Tree’s Source at all.
The Primordial Astral Wind and the Divine Tree Source Strength were both precious treasures comparable to the Phoenix True Fire. Not only were they extremely rare and valuable, but they were also equally formidable.
Wu Kuang, who was still in a skeleton form at the moment, was particularly vulnerable to the Divine Tree Source though, and there would not be a chance for him to regain his physique once the power of Divine Tree Source Strength invaded his form.
He was not in a position to make a single mistake.
He finally dropped his initial dismissiveness to face the battle seriously.
Duan Hong Chen had waited for tens of thousands of years to defeat him, so how could he not be prepared? Every act Duan Hong Chen had performed since the beginning was deliberately targeting him.
The battle between the two Great Emperors was intense and fierce, so even though they were aware that Yang Kai was breaking through to the Emperor Realm some distance away, they ignored him and did not bother to suppress the aftermath of their attacks.
Wu Kuang did not care about Yang Kai’s life while Duan Hong Chen had no ability to care.
He knew that Yang Kai was a disciple of Azure Sun Temple, and would try to protect Yang Kai if he could, but he could not spare any attention on anything besides his battle with the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang.
The two Great Emperors were in the heat of the battle, while Yang Kai was getting closer to a breakthrough to the side.
A trace of Emperor Intent seeped out of his body. The Emperor Intent was not obvious initially, but it became clearer and clearer as time passed.
Condensing one’s Emperor Intent was the most basic requirement to break through to the Emperor Realm. Only with one’s own Emperor Intent could one reach the threshold of the Emperor Realm and push through the door of the highest Martial Dao.
Rich and thick World Energy gathered above Yang Kai, forming an extremely terrifying Heavenly Manifestation. The dark World Energy condensed in a cluster, as if the sky was about to crack open and fall, and there were continuous lightning flashes from the clouds, creating a deafening thunder.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged, unmoving, all his life experiences rapidly flashing through his mind.
He did not ask for this. The flashbacks of memory involuntarily appeared in his mind and he had no control over it.
He started off his journey as a Trial Disciple of High Heaven Pavilion, he cultivated hard, but still could not advance. Yet he did not give up his Martial Heart even though he was bullied by his fellow brothers.
He then obtained the Wordless Black Book, peeped into the inheritance of the Great Demon God, and had soared ever since.
The memory of him going through the war in the Central Capital, travelling Tong Xuan Realm, advancing into the Starry Sky, breaking into Heng Luo Star Field, entering the Star Boundary, everything flashed before his eyes…
Then, there was the passion of Su Yan; the gentleness of Xia Ning Chang; the emotional entanglements with Shan Qing Luo; the fight with Xue Yue that brought them closer…
Followed by the tireless pursuit of the peak of the Martial Dao; the search for his own Dao. Yang Kai always had beauties as his companions throughout his journey, so although he was occasionally lonely, he was never truly alone.
Regarding his life, he had no disappointment nor complaints!
In this path, no hatred nor regrets!
Without a demon in his heart, no external force could invade!
At a certain point, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, and there was a clarity to them that shined like the stars in the night sky. With a low crack, the trembling shackles in his body were instantly loosened.
*Kacha…*
His body emitted all sorts of noises as his bones, his meridians, and his physique all shook fiercely. His meridians abruptly expanded and became tougher, while his bones and physique became harder and firmer.
His Soul also became stronger, seemingly expanding greatly.
*Hong long long… *
A lightning bolt as thick as a man’s torso struck down from the sky and landed directly on top of Yang Kai. This bolt contained the majesty of the Heavenly Way in it and had the power able to destroy all things. There was also unparalleled World Energy following along the lightning bolt, as if it was intending to drown Yang Kai in it.
*Kacha… *
As Yang Kai’s body continued to shiver uncontrollably, he could not help letting out a grunt. His clothes were torn to pieces, exposing his strong and firm physique; his skin cracked and blood seeped out.
The Heavenly Way seemed to be forbidding him from advancing to the Emperor Realm.
In order to truly break through, he had to endure the condemnation of the Heavenly Way and withstand a fierce World Energy Baptism.
Throughout the ages, countless talented cultivators and elites had failed at this juncture. This was the reason why there were countless Dao Source Realm cultivators, but so few Emperors in the Star Boundary.
Only those who had strong determination in their Martial Dao could truly reach the Emperor Realm. External forces would not stop them from going against the current, and they would never be shaken as long as they held onto this belief.
The World Energy Baptism for an Emperor was scarier than anything that Yang Kai had ever experienced.
Yang Kai was already injured by just one lightning bolt strike!
Luckily, his physique was exceptionally intrepid and his Golden Blood possessed astonishing regenerative abilities. As such, his cracked skin was able to heal rapidly.
The World Energy that was pouring into him was completely devoured all at once, causing his aura to increase instead of decrease.
The second lightning bolt descended on him before he could fully recover.
And it was even more frightening than the first. A devastating aura permeated when the second lightning bolt struck down, and Yang Kai felt the aura of death contained within it. Without hesitation, he immediately focused his mind and pushed his strength to resist the incoming strike.
*Hong long long… *
Yang Kai’s injuries worsened immediately, and he now looked extremely terrifying with his body drenched in blood. The raging World Energy invaded his body, thrashing about wildly inside his physique and meridians.
He endured the suffering with his gritted teeth and continued to absorb the rampaging World Energy into his body while comprehending the Heavenly Way. He swept away the fog that blinded his eyes and searched for his true Martial Dao.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
The third bolt cascaded down without pause.
In the distance, the two Great Emperors, who were fighting intensely against each other, could not help but be attracted by the commotion caused by Yang Kai, and the both of them turned to look simultaneously.
After a glance, Wu Kuang muttered as his eyes flashed, “That little brat… is not simple.”
He was the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, the strongest Master in the Star Boundary’s history, and although he might be surpassed one day, he was absolutely unprecedented in the present. He did not even put other Great Emperors in his eyes.
Therefore, ‘not simple’ was exceptionally high praise coming from him.
“He is indeed a bit odd!” Duan Hong Chen slightly squinted his eyes and nodded in agreement.
If Yang Kai was simple, how could he suppress Emperor Realm Masters with only a Dao Source Realm cultivation? If he was simple, how could he improve his cultivation so quickly in these short few years? Duan Hong Chen had known Yang Kai for some time now, and even though he was not close with him, he had always been a good judge of character and already predicted that Yang Kai would achieve great success in the future when they first met in Maplewood City.
Although Duan Hong Chen had a high expectation of Yang Kai’s capabilities, at this moment he realized he still underestimated this little boy.
“Duan Hong Chen, did you experience such phenomena when you were breaking through to the Emperor Realm back then?” Wu Kuang questioned in a deep voice.
Duan Hong Chen grinned, “If I had to face such a terrifying World Baptism back then, there would be no Bustling World Great Emperor today.”
Wu Kuang nodded lightly, “This little brat has the makings of a Great Emperor!”
Duan Hong Chen laughed, “I think this little brat has more than just the makings of a Great Emperor. He will surpass you sooner or later!”
“Surpass this King?” Wu Kuang sneered, “Nonsense. No one can surpass the power of this King!”
Duan Hong Chen chuckled, “Say whatever you want, you won’t have a chance to see it anyway.”
Wu Kuang put up a cold face, “Do you have so much confidence in killing this King?”
Duan Hong Chen answered solemnly, “This Old Master already said earlier that he didn’t plan to leave here alive. Today, this Old Master will kill you and settle this matter once and for all, even if I must extinguish my Soul as the price!”
“Good, since you said so, this King won’t need to be polite with you anym… huh?” While speaking, Wu Kuang’s face abruptly changed and he turned his attention back to Yang Kai.
Duan Hong Chen also seemed to have noticed something amiss and turned to look. There, the Heavenly Manifestation above Yang Kai had changed once more. The World Energy clouds that gathered on top of his head had now turned into an inverted funnel, with its top connected to the Heavens, while its bottom connected to Earth. The terrifying World Energy contained in this vortex made the expressions of the two Great Emperors turn dignified.
As soon as the funnel appeared, it crashed downwards madly and directly connected to Yang Kai’s body.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s body seemed to have become a bottomless pit, swallowing the rich and surging power as Emperor Aura radiated from his body more and more intensely.
“What…” Duan Hong Chen’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, “What is this situation? Is this little brat courting death?”
“Hahaha!” Wu Kuang laughed out loud, “He must be overconfident. To think he would try to contend with and devour the Power of Heaven and Earth. Duan Hong Chen, it looks like this little brat has no chance to surpass this King. There is no doubt that he will die today!”
Without denying his remark, Duan Hong Chen sighed, “What a waste, what a waste!”
If he witnessed this scene at a different time, perhaps he would help Yang Kai out of appreciation for his talent; however, he was in a heated battle with Wu Kuang right now and he could not spare his energy on Yang Kai.
How could Yang Kai survive under this torrent of World Energy?
The activity on Yang Kai’s side became more and more violent as the two Great Emperors spoke, and it was not long before the entire world began shaking. Bottomless ravines emerged as the ground around Yang Kai cracked in a spider-web pattern.
Suddenly, a noble roar sounded and at the same time, a golden dragon shadow emerged out of Yang Kai’s body, shaking its head and flicking its tail, rushing up towards the vortex of World Energy.
“A Golden Dragon Divine Source!” Wu Kuang exclaimed with genuine shock.
“Impossible!” Duan Hong Chen also looked like he had seen a ghost. The appearance of the Golden Dragon Phantom grabbed the two Great Emperors’ attention, and they instantly shifted their focus to Yang Kai, their expressions changing drastically.
“Who is this little brat? How did he obtain a Golden Divine Dragon Source!?” Wu Kuang yelled. For some unknown reason, he seemed quite excited.
After being stunned for quite a while, Duan Hong Chen responded, “How would this Old Master know about such a thing!? The Golden Divine Dragon is the ancestor of the Dragon Clan. It is rumoured that it is the progenitor of the entire Dragon Clan and turned countless aeons ago. How could there be a Golden Divine Dragon Source in this world!?”
“Tsk tsk…” The ghost fire was dancing rapidly in Wu Kuang’s hollow eye sockets, revealing a greedy look, “If those old dragons on Dragon Island knew about this, this King is certain they would go crazy!”
“What are you plotting?” Duan Hong Chen suddenly stared at Wu Kuang vigilantly.
Wu Kuang snorted coldly, “Even if this King has any plans, killing you is the first thing I must do!”
During their conversation, the Golden Divine Dragon turned towards the sky and roared. The dragon opened its mouth facing the terrifying World Energy funnel and sucked in a huge mouthful of that power, devouring and refining it before transferring it to Yang Kai.
In an instant, the pressure on Yang Kai was reduced significantly.
Previously, he also felt that he could not hold on any longer, so he had no choice but to release his Golden Divine Dragon Source. Fortunately, this move was effective.
The Golden Divine Dragon Source was truly magnificent, capable of contending with and swallowing this flood of World Energy.
As the dragon continued to devour, the aura in Yang Kai’s body became stronger and stronger, and his strength increased accordingly. He was completely renewed in spirit and feeling bolder by the moment.
Although he had no idea how it felt when the others were breaking through to the Emperor Realm, he believed that the Emperor Realm Masters whom he encountered before would all be dead if they experienced the same situation as he.
Maybe only he would have such a climactic scene while being promoted.
Time passed slowly as the Golden Divine Dragon continued to swallow the rushing World Energy. The power of the torrent gradually weakened as Yang Kai’s strength steadily increased.
After a stick of incense, the Heavenly Manifestation above Yang Kai’s head dissipated and his surroundings returned to its original peace.
Without the thunder and lightning, the funnel cloud and pressure that seemed to have fallen from the sky also disappeared.
All of the surrounding swirls of World Energy had vanished, completely absorbed into Yang Kai’s body. Crackling explosions emitted from within his motionless body, conveying a celebratory aura.
It seemed that he had broken through successfully.
Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen ogled at the scene with their jaws dropped, as they could not come to terms with what just happened for a long while.
Yang Kai did not feel the slightest joy, however. Not only that, his heart was hammering in his chest. This feeling of anxiety grew stronger ever since the world around him grew calm, as if something extremely terrifying was about to happen.
He clearly felt that he had not really reached the Emperor Realm, seemingly lingering right on the cusp of breaking through but unable to take the last step.
[What happened?]
The Heavenly Manifestation from his breakthrough had vanished, and he already survived the terrifying World Energy Baptism, so why hadn’t he broken through to the Emperor Realm? Yang Kai was lost in confusion and anxiety as the pounding in his chest grew ever fiercer.
Suddenly, a majestic aura emerged from the surrounding world and turned into a stream of light, plunging as fast as lightning straight towards the top of Yang Kai’s head.
Horror struck Yang Kai as a feeling of utter helplessness filled him when he sensed this majestic aura, as if he would turn into ashes without any ability to resist as the stream of light struck.
Moreover, the falling aura gave him a familiar yet foreign feeling. He vaguely remembered sensing it somewhere but could not identify it immediately.
“World Force!” Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen exclaimed in unison, staring at the direction Yang Kai was in. The two Great Emperors became extremely confused at that instant. What could Yang Kai have possibly done to inspire the World Force to appear during his breakthrough to the Emperor Realm?
World Force was a very special and mystical power, even more profound than the World Principle and Source Strength.
Every Great Emperor was proficient in various Principle Strengths and casually used their Source Strengths in battle; but none would underestimate World Force.
That was the power that belonged exclusively to the world itself.
All living beings were as tiny as ants before the world as the world controlled the destinies of every living being. Even someone like the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor could never fully control World Force. This is also the reason why Duan Hong Chen was able to secretly injure him in the previous fight.
Duan Hong Chen had cut his own cultivation multiple times over the past few tens of thousands of years, wandering along the road of the Martial Dao, fumbling about in the Bustling World. Through so many repeated journeys, he had comprehended the essence of the Bustling World. The essence of the Bustling World could also be regarded as a type of World Force, so it could cause damage to Wu Kuang.
Even so, Duan Hong Chen’s Bustling World power still could not be compared with the true World Force.
The release of World Force was equal to the Will of the World; no one could oppose it.
[He’s dead!] The two Great Emperors thought they were witnessing the birth of a genius, but right now they could not help but feel a little disappointed that the outcome was otherwise. There was no way Yang Kai could contend with a bolt of World Force.
The Golden Divine Dragon phantom roared up to the sky, rising upwards to meet the force of Heaven and Earth.
But as the stream of light descended, it pierced through the Golden Dragon phantom, which fell apart and vanished instantly, not impeding the bolt of light which drove towards the top of Yang Kai’s head unabated.
Yang Kai stared upwards, his eyes cold and indifferent.
One could only display their true mettle in a state of crisis. Yang Kai’s mind suddenly became extremely clear and his whole being relaxed in peace.
He snapped his fingers and the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew out. The quaint Mountains and Rivers Bell expanded in the air to the size of a house, the magnificent patterns and carvings on it seemingly coming alive and dancing around vividly.
An immense world-suppressing aura suddenly filled the air!
“Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Duan Hong Chen’s eyes widened, his face pale in shock as he cried out, “Mountains and Rivers Bell, it’s Yuan Ding’s Mountains and Rivers Bell!”
The ghost fires in Wu Kuang’s sockets were also dancing wildly in fear. Completely ignoring the fight with Duan Hong Chen, he stared in the direction of Yang Kai with a blazing gaze in shock.
The abilities and methods used by Yang Kai during his breakthrough to the Emperor Realm shocked the eyes and minds of the two Great Emperors. In the past, the two of them would never have dared to imagine that a person could possess so many treasures.
The Golden Divine Dragon was the ancestor of the Dragon Clan and was rumoured to have disappeared long ago; however, its Source had appeared in Yang Kai. Yuan Ding’s Mountains and Rivers Bell was an Ancient Exotic Artifact, a treasure even coveted by other Great Emperors. During the War of Great Emperors, Yuan Ding used the last bit of his strength to drive it into The Void, and it was nowhere to be found since. Yet, at this moment, it was presented with a strange brilliance in Yang Kai’s possession.
[Who is this brat? Why is he so blessed by the Heavens?]
The two Great Emperors finally understood why his breakthrough to the Emperor Realm would lead to being a target of the World Force.
He must have had unlimited opportunities and immense good fortune during his growth, but the Heavenly Way was fair and just. There must be gains and losses on the Martial Dao; the more opportunities one obtains and the more excellent a cultivator’s aptitude, the more hindrance one would encounter during breakthroughs. The two factors had a proportional relationship.
No one ever comprehended the reason for this phenomenon, but there were never any exceptions throughout the ages.
It would be outrageous for the World Force to not be attracted to the person possessing both the Golden Divine Source Strength and the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The two Great Emperors no longer felt sorry for Yang Kai, because such a catastrophe was inevitable for him. Even if it did not appear now, it would appear sooner or later. It was only a matter of time.
The World Energy Baptism earlier was just an appetizer, while this bolt of World Force was the main course.
Yang Kai would surely soar into the sky if he survived this calamity, but there was nothing to say if he did not.
“Wu Kuang, you are knowledgeable, do you think he can survive?” Duan Hong Chen gulped.
Wu Kuang was merely a skeleton now, and obviously had no saliva to swallow, but his ‘visible’ Adam’s apple was bobbing in anxiety and he replied faintly, “The Mountains and Rivers Bell’s chime is sufficient to suppress mountains and rivers, its aura sufficient to invert the universe. Among the Great Emperors back then, this Old Master admired you the most, but the one whom this Old Master feared the most was Yuan Ding! Because he had the Mountains and Rivers Bell!”
“Is this why you desperately aimed to inflict serious injuries on him first?”
Wu Kuang snorted coldly, “This King wanted to kill him, but it’s a pity that you sabotaged this King’s plan!”
“These are things from the past, let’s change the topic,” Duan Hong Chen grinned meaningfully.
“If Yuan Ding personally summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell, this World Force would naturally not be able to penetrate it. The Mountains and Rivers Bell indeed has the power to suppress the World itself, making it the nemesis of the World Force, but how much power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell can this brat exert?” Wu Kuang asked.
Duan Hong Chen questioned in a solemn voice, “So, do you think he will die?”
“It will be hard to survive!”
Duan Hong Chen rolled his eyes and suggested, “Then shall we make a bet?”
“What bet? What do we bet with?” Wu Kuang asked in a deep voice.
Duan Hong Chen pointed with his finger, “Bet on whether he lives!”
“What if he lives? What if he dies?”
“If that boy dies, this Old Master will commit suicide in front of you and destroy my own Soul. If he lives, you have to do it instead!”
Wu Kuang’s face changed drastically at his proposal and he exploded, “Duan Hong Chen, do you just want to kill this King so badly that you would not even hesitate to use your own life as a chip!?”
Duan Hong Chen answered quickly, “This Old Master told you he would drag you down to die even if his Soul would perish! I don’t care about my life anymore, so what is this Old Master afraid of?”
Wu Kuang’s eyes quivered in anger.
“Are you afraid?” Duan Hong Chen smiled contemptuously, his eyes narrowed at him.
“Don’t bother trying to provoke this King!” Wu Kuang snorted, “This King has not been afraid of anything since he was born.”
“Then do you agree?”
Wu Kuang sneered, “This King controls his own life, no one else can decide it for him!”
Duan Hong Chen snorted loudly, “Wu Kuang, Wu Kuang, I did not expect you to become so cautious. It seems that you have changed a lot after these tens of thousands of years of sleep. The old you wouldn’t have said that.”
“What would this King have said?” Wu Kuang looked at him coldly.
Duan Hong Chen answered, “The old you would definitely agree to it, and then secretly killed that boy.”
“Is this King such a despicable person in your eyes?” Wu Kuang snorted coldly.
“You should know how despicable you are. Why would you ask me?”
While the two Great Emperors were talking, the stream of the World Force was already very close to Yang Kai, but was greatly slowed down by the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell’s aura seemed to have a great effect on suppressing the World Force.
However, Yang Kai was under tremendous pressure at the moment.
The cost of using the Mountains and Rivers Bell was enormous, and although his strength at this moment was much higher than before, Yang Kai was still feeling overwhelmed. It was also extremely alarming to watch a fatal attack slowly descending upon him.
Yang Kai knew that if he could not stop this bolt of World Force, he would definitely die.
Yang Kai had never felt more tormented as the aura of death slowly engulfed him.
*Kuang! Kuang! Kuang!*
The Mountains and Rivers Bell tolled loudly, and the force of suppression became more and more aggressive, but the stream of light was still sinking downward steadily. Yang Kai was at a loss for what to do as blood was trickling down his mouth and nose miserably.
As the stream of light advanced closer and closer to him, Yang Kai’s heart sank as he felt the Mountains and Rivers Bell could no longer suppress it.
At this moment, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind, and he suddenly fathomed what this inexplicable power was.
This was World Force!
It was the Will of the World!
No wonder it was so familiar.
It was familiar to him because he had used World Force before!
After understanding this, an extremely bold idea popped into his mind.
He stretched out his hand in the next moment, and the Sealed World Bead suddenly appeared at his fingertips. Communicating with it silently, Yang Kai pulled a profound and mysterious power from the Sealed World Bead and blasted it towards the approaching World Force.
The force released from the Sealed World Bead was surprisingly similar to the World Force descending upon Yang Kai, as if both of them were of the same source.
“Another World Force?” Wu Kuang exclaimed in astonishment.
“How can he utilise World Force? Where is he producing it from?” Duan Hong Chen was surprised too.
Yang Kai was not in the Emperor Realm yet, and even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master who had cultivated for a long time would still be unable to use this kind of power. Only Great Emperors could begin to comprehend World Force, and only Great Emperors were qualified to slightly utilize it.
The primary difference between a Great Emperor and a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was their ability to comprehend World Force.
If one could comprehend World Force, he or she would be qualified to become a Great Emperor, superior to any Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
But now, unexpectedly, Yang Kai released a beam of World Force. Although its power was still inferior to genuine World Force, it was simply akin to the difference between a father and a son. It was different, but could still be considered World Force.
Both Great Emperors were deeply shocked, much more shocked than when they saw the Golden Divine Dragon Source or the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
“Is it because of that bead?”
Wu Kuang looked at the Sealed World Bead with scorching eyes and a thoughtful look on his skeletal face. If he was not afraid of the World Force, he would have already released his Divine Sense to examine the bead. Therefore, he did not know what type of artifact the Sealed World Bead was.
With Wu Kuang able to see through this mystery, Duan Hong Chen was naturally able to as well. Staring at the Sealed World Bead with his brows furrowed, Duan Hong Chen tried to match it with the renowned artifacts in his memory, but to no avail.
He seemed to have never seen this artifact before.
Duan Hong Chen was bewildered. He had lived for tens of thousands of years and he believed that it was basically impossible for him to not recognize any famous artifact from the Star Boundary.
However, this strange bead appeared in front of him and proved him wrong.
No matter what the bead really was, Yang Kai being able to use World Force must have something to do with it!
[Is it an Ancient Exotic Artifact?] A single frightening thought came up in Duan Hong Chen’s mind, but soon, he denied his speculation, because all Ancient Exotic Artifacts were easy to identify as they had an aura that was completely unique and unconcealable, just like the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The Sealed World Bead had a small world inside of it, and since it contained an independent world, it naturally possessed its own World Force too. As the owner of the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai’s mind was connected with the Sealed World Bead and he could easily extract the World Force out of it to confront the awe-inspiring catastrophe.
Nevertheless, it was just a small world inside the Sealed World Bead, impossible to compare to a real Great World.
The difference in the strength of the two World Forces could be noticed at a glance.
*Hong long long… *
The World Force of the Sealed World Bead rushed upwards and soon collided with the World Force from the real world.
Yang Kai observed nervously. If even this failed to resist the oncoming onslaught, he would only have one last card left in his sleeve, which was to release his Demon Qi seal and transform into the Ancient Great Demon to overcome this disaster.
However, Yang Kai was not sure if he could re-seal the Demon Qi again after doing so. It had been several years since the last time the seal was released, so in theory, the Firmament Tree planted in the Sealed World Bead should have accumulated sufficient sealing strength, as one year of its growth in the medicine garden was equivalent to a hundred years outside.
Would it not be possible to seal the rioting Demon Qi with a few hundred years of sealing strength?
Unfortunately, this method had a drawback. Every time the seal was released, Yang Kai would need more sealing strength to suppress the Demon Qi again, so Yang Kai would never pull out this ace unless it was a last resort.
Who knew if the sealing strength of Firmament Tree would be insufficient to seal the Ancient Demon Qi this time? If that happened, he might permanently become demonized, losing himself in madness and murderous rage. Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate the potency of the pure Demon Qi from the Ancient Great Demon.
In the next moment, the world itself shook.
The strange sealed space seemed to be breaking apart.
Wu Kuang’s and Duan Hong Chen’s faces turned pale simultaneously.
The two beams of World Force clashed together, delivering an impact beyond imagination, it was as if two worlds had crashed together, and the vicissitudes of the world were merely a moment away.
It could be seen clearly that the World Force produced by the Sealed World Bead was gradually melting away, obviously no match against the World Force from the real world.
But as it melted, Yang Kai felt that the pressure on him was greatly reduced. This discovery made Yang Kai’s face brighten up.
When the World Force of the Sealed World Bead disappeared completely, Yang Kai formed a hand seal as his face turned solemn, desperately pushing his Source Qi and fully opening his Knowledge Sea, releasing a rush of Spiritual Energy.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell shone brightly once more, and the world-suppressing aura became more and more aggressive.
The remaining World Force seemed to be struggling, but with Yang Kai’s last desperate bet, the World Force was directly suppressed by the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
*Hong…*
A loud explosion occurred as the Mountains and Rivers Bell fell a short distance in front of Yang Kai, and the light on its surface gradually dimmed, while the remaining World Force was overwhelmed and sealed beneath it.
The aftermath of the impact faded slowly, everything returned back to normal.
Yang Kai looked frail and battered, yet he was giving off a peculiar aura at the same time. With a wave of his hand, countless Source Crystals poured out, burst into dust, and turned into pure World Energy.
Yang Kai’s body turned into a bottomless pit at once and madly devoured the surrounding World Energy.
His weakened aura rose steadily, and soon reached the peak of the Dao Source Realm, but it did not stop there.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai suddenly heard a loud crack coming out of his body, and he felt lighter all of a sudden. A comforting, refreshing feeling was spreading all over his body, while, the Source Qi in his body was also experiencing a huge transformation. Even his over-consumed Knowledge Sea was filled up in an instant.
The whole world seemed to be notably different from before.
Yang Kai felt like he had been reborn, and every strand of his muscles was invigorated with power, each containing terrifying strength beyond anything he had ever experienced before.
Emperor Intent permeated the air, clear and identifiable, dense and thick.
Emperor Realm!
It had been several dozen years since he began to cultivate at the age of thirteen, and today he had finally reached the Emperor Realm. After going through numerous life and death crises, even though there was still a long way to reach the true peak, Yang Kai had finally earned the qualification to climb that mountain.
With excitement, he let out a long howl and rushed straight into the sky.
“He actually… succeeded!” Wu Kuang blurted in amazement.
“Luckily you had the foresight to not agree, otherwise you would have had to kill yourself in front of this Old Master,” Duan Hong Chen spat disdainfully, annoyed that Wu Kuang had cautiously declined his bet. Things would have been simpler if he had just accepted.
“How is it possible that he succeeded?” Wu Kuang’s face turned dreadfully ugly.
As the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor and the top Master in the Star Boundary’s history, he always believed that no one could surpass him in any aspect.
But today, someone did.
Even though it was just the scene of being promoted to the Emperor Realm.
Wu Kuang himself also had many difficulties when he was breaking through to the Emperor Realm, but it was far from the horrors that he had witnessed today.
Given the tribulations that this little brat had encountered when he was breaking through, one could imagine how bright his future would be. Previously, Duan Hong Chen remarked that Yang Kai would surpass Wu Kuang in the future, and the latter only took it as just a joke, but now, it seemed that it might really be possible.
How could a person with such outstanding strength and aptitude, in addition to possessing so many precious treasures, lack achievements in the future?
Wu Kuang could not help feeling a bit lost, a first for him in his lifetime.
Suddenly, his face changed drastically and he turned to Duan Hong Chen and fumed, “Old thing, how dare you deceive me! Curse you!”
Wu Kuang flew into a rage as Duan Hong Chen had secretly been acting against him the entire time.
Duan Hong Chen cracked up, “It seems that you really care about that little brat, you didn’t even notice the trick that this Old Master performed until now, but it’s too late.”
When speaking, Duan Hong Chen surged his Emperor Qi and the Divine Tree Bai Yi, which had been covering him, instantly became as red as blood.
The Divine Tree Bai Yi was a Wood Attribute Source, and was originally emerald green in colour; but now, it somehow turned blood red and revealed a dreadfully strange aura.
“How dare you swallow the vitality and blood that I have worked so hard to collect!” Wu Kuang barked. He then looked at Duan Hong Chen incredulously, “If you push the Divine Tree Bai Yi’s Source Strength in such an aggressive manner, you will destroy it! When that happens, how do you plan to explain to Iron Blood!?”
Duan Hong Chen replied solemnly, “Iron Blood knew that this Old Master was not planning to return, so he allowed this Old Master to handle the Divine Tree Bai Yi’s Source as he wished. I would really like to see how you can restore your body without any vital essence now! What can you do with this skeleton that has slept for tens of thousands of years? I believe the answer is… nothing!”
“Damn! All of you want this King to die, but this King is not going to grant your wish!” Wu Kuang roared hysterically.
Duan Hong Chen sneered, “You are powerless to make a comeback. Just die obediently. I’ll accompany you to hell to make sure you are not lonely!”
When the words fell, Duan Hong Chen rushed directly towards Wu Kuang with a flicker, hovering in mid-air. The Emperor Qi in his body rioted violently, sending out an extremely disturbing aura.
“Self-destruction?” Wu Kuang’s eyes quivered wildly. He had never panicked before, even during the time when he was besieged by all the other Great Emperors in the past. However, when he saw Duan Hong Chen decisively pounce on him, he could not help being frightened.
Although Duan Hong Chen was currently just a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator, he still had a Great Emperor’s background. Therefore, if he really decided to self-destruct, Wu Kuang would definitely be unable to bear the damage and would truly have to accompany him to hell.
“How dare you push this King to this extent!? Duan Hong Chen, don’t go too far!” Wu Kuang yelled and immediately performed a hand seal. The Primordial Astral Wind that was billowing between him and Duan Hong Chen suddenly grew fiercer and gave off a dreadfully dangerous aura.
Duan Hong Chen’s face darkened. He knew that he had cornered Wu Kuang and the latter was now planning to blow up the Primordial Astral Wind.
The Primordial Astral Wind was a Wind Attribute Source, and the power of its self-destruction would be unimaginably devastating.
It would be a pity if that little brat named Yang Kai died in the aftermath of their battle; however, when the arrow is on the bowstring, it must fly; Duan Hong Chen could only hope that the Heavens would keep Yang Kai out of harm’s way.