Seeing the distressed look on Yang Kai’s face, Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other before they bowed together, pleading, “Honoured Guest, we request you to help our two clans!”
Yang Kai promptly stepped back and indifferently declared, “You two… The both of you are asking for the impossible from me.”
Elder shook his head and stated, “It’s not like that. We are just following the Heavens’ will.”
“The Heaven’s will?” Yang Kai sneered, “Where did this Heavens’ will come from?”
Elder smiled as he turned sideways and said, pointing at a certain cave wall, “Honoured Guest, please look.”
Mu Na also waved her hand as a streak of radiant light suddenly flew out, brightening the imprints on the wall of the cave. The stream of light remained close to a certain part of the wall, slowly lingering around it, and as the light shone on the wall, Yang Kai suddenly discovered a set of extremely old pictures.
In the first picture, a person was sitting cross-legged with a round stone before him. His finger was stretched out and blood was dripping from his fingertip down onto the stone. Strangely, the blood dripping from this man’s fingertip wasn’t red but gold.
Yang Kai stared at it this a daze, but before he could make the heads and tails of it, his gaze involuntarily shifted to the second picture, following the movement of the streak of light.
In the second painting, the man was still sitting cross-legged, but there was a small figure near him this time. The figure was crouching on all fours, like a monkey, chasing butterflies.
The two pictures were drawn using the simplest of lines and looked extremely rough, but they vividly expressed the meaning intended.
[Isn’t this Xiao Xiao and me!?] Yang Kai was dumbfounded and couldn’t believe his eyes. The small figure was clearly Xiao Xiao, and the figure dripping the golden blood could be none other than him!
[But this… painting has already mottled with time. It’s extremely old, at least thousands of years… so how can it be of me?]
Yang Kai couldn’t help but find it extremely surreal.
He then looked at the third picture. Yang Kai couldn’t help but have his pupils shrink at what he saw, because in the third picture, it was the scene of Xiao Xiao and him fighting side by side, with Xiao Xiao holding the Heaven Shaking Pillar. The painting was drawn with forceful strokes, it was vivid and filled with majesty.
The fourth picture seemed to be inside a tunnel with points of light lingering around it. The space was shattered and Xiao Xiao was falling into blackness, leaving only his one hand remaining outside, trying to reach out to grab hold of something.
[This is the scene from the Starlight Corridor, when we entered the Star Boundary!]
In the fifth picture, there were nine more stone men like Xiao Xiao around him, recuperating in an old and dense forest. There were many smaller Wood Spirits flying around.
In the sixth picture, the man who was in the first painting seemed to have found the small figure, reuniting after a long time. They couldn’t hold their happiness and a bonfire blazed while many Stone Spirits and Wood Spirits were singing and dancing around them. It completely overlapped with what happened tonight.
In the seventh picture, there was a huge oval-shaped gate that was as red as blood. Thousands of creatures of all shapes and sizes were fighting in the vicinity of the blood-coloured gate, with many injured and dead.
In the eighth picture, the small figure flew over from the horizon and rushed straight into the blood-coloured gate with the help of the human, disappearing into it.
In the ninth picture, there was nothing but the blood-coloured door, leaving everyone in great suspense.
There were a total of nine paintings etched on the walls of this tree, and although they were a simple outline, they were quite vivid and lifelike.
After having finished observing these pictures, Yang Kai’s mood was a mess. It took him a long time to recover and lift his head, asking, “What’s the meaning of this?”
Elder explained, “The Wood Spirit Clan might not be good at fighting, but the previous Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan was proficient in divination. Before her death, she had a premonition that our two clans would be annihilated at some point in the future, so she divined a way out for us at the cost of her remaining life, and what she left was these nine paintings.”
Mu Na added with a sigh, “For over a thousand years, Elder and I have been trying to comprehend the meaning of these nine paintings, but we couldn’t until Shi Jiu came to us from the outside world. His appearance helped us validate the content of the fifth painting. We then finally knew that the hope of the two clans wasn’t in the two clans, but rather Shi Jiu and you, our Honoured Guest.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he asked, “Are you two going to risk all the lives of your clans on these nine paintings?”
Elder sternly shook his head and stated, “This is Heavens’ will, it’s a revelation, not a risk! Honoured Guest, we have truly been waiting for you for a long time!”
Yang Kai was taken aback. When he first saw Elder today, he heard the same words. At that time, he thought that it was because of Xiao Xiao, but he hadn’t expected the Elder to have other intentions.
Inside the tree cave, Elder and Mu Na stared at Yang Kai with scorching gazes.
Yang Kai spoke with a sigh, “Even if this revelation was left by the last Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan at the cost of her life, it doesn’t say that we will succeed.” Pointing at the ninth painting, he added, “There is nothing here.”
Mu Na solemnly stated, “I believe that the previous generation’s Matriarch would not fire an arrow without purpose. If it was a dead-end, she would not have left the revelation here. Since she left it, it is meant to be a guide to show us the right path.”
“Honoured Guest…” Elder exhorted again.
But before he could finish speaking, Yang Kai interrupted him, waving his hand, “This is no simple matter, I will have to consider it carefully. You don’t need to say anything more.”
After saying so, Yang Kai turned around and left the tree cave, regardless of what the other two inside wanted. The outside was still hustling and bustling with noises and the Wood Spirits and Stone Spirits were singing and laughing together. Ruo Xi had been dragged on to the stage by the Wood Spirits and was lithely and gracefully dancing, drawing applause from the Wood Spirits. Even the eyes of a few Stone Spirits brightened at the sight of this.
Xiao Xiao was also twisting and turning like crazy, but it really wasn’t that elegant.
Yang Kai didn’t bother them. His figure flickered as he returned to Xiao Xiao’s tree cave, sitting down cross-legged.
Seeing him disappear, Elder heaved a slight sigh, seemingly feeling sorry about not being able to convince Yang Kai right away.
Mu Na turned her head and stared at the nine paintings for a moment before suddenly stretching out her hand and waving. When the streak of light illuminated again, the ninth painting completely changed. The blood-coloured gate still existed, only a huge stone giant was standing outside, looking at the world with contempt, like nobody in the world could defeat him. On his shoulder was a pitch-black giant stick, signifying Xiao Xiao’s identity.
Mu Na asked, “If this was the case, would he have agreed just now?”
Elder replied, “Since it’s a divination, it should only guide the way, and not show the results. If it was the other way around, he might instead have become suspicious. He isn’t a fool. Showing the first one was the best possible choice.”
Mu Na, hearing this, nodded approvingly before she waved her hand once again, restoring the ninth painting to its original state.
Elder heavily sighed and continued, “We should not have collaborated to deceive him, but we really have nowhere else to turn. If we want to get things done, we need help. Naturally, we have to give him a chance to think about it.”
Mu Na agreed, “Elder is right.”
The two were racking their brains quite hard. How could Yang Kai have guessed that these two honourable heads of their respective clans would actually conspire to deceive him? The nine paintings on the tree wall were the handiwork of Mu Na. It wasn’t some revelation left behind by the previous generation’s Wood Spirit Clan’s Matriarch.
If Yang Kai came to know of this, he would surely beat them black and blue.
Yang Kai, sitting cross-legged inside the tree cave, was at his wit’s end. According to his assessment of the situation, his best choice would be to directly take the two clans away from this place, and if that didn’t work, he would simply take Xiao Xiao away.
But after hearing Elder talk about the difficulty of leaving their homeland, he quashed the very notion right then and there. It wasn’t impossible to take Xiao Xiao away by force, but this way, Xiao Xiao would lose the opportunity to become the Divine Spirit, Tai Yue.
On the one hand, there was a chance that Xiao Xiao would become a Divine Spirit, but on the other hand, he would be facing a huge risk. Yang Kai was in a dilemma.
It all depended on what Xiao Xiao’s wish was.
At dawn, the celebration of the two clans finally ended. The Wood Spirits then disappeared into the jungle, whereas the Stone Spirits went back to their respective tree caves.
Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao walked back together, but when they saw Yang Kai sitting cross-legged there, Ruo Xi couldn’t help but ponder. She was so engrossed in the celebratory mood last night that she had no idea when Yang Kai left.
“Xiao Xiao, come here!” Yang Kai beckoned to Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao immediately tottered to his side, curiously looking at him. He had no idea what Yang Kai wanted to do.
Yang Kai reached out and grasped Xiao Xiao’s hand before he surged his Divine Sense to communicate with him.
After a while, Yang Kai heaved a sigh, “Are you sure?”
As he had expected, Xiao Xiao truly wanted to enter the Blood Gate. Elder had already analyzed the pros and cons of it clearly with him, and he had no intention of forcing things on him.
Xiao Xiao stood up and hammered his fists on his chest, indicating that he was very strong and wasn’t afraid of anything.
Yang Kai wryly smiled, shaking his head. He pondered for a long while before finally stating, “Go tell your Elder that I agree to his request.”
Xiao Xiao was confused, obviously having no idea what Yang Kai meant. Nevertheless, he obediently ran out.
“Sir, did something happen?” Ruo Xi couldn’t help but anxiously ask, noticing the unsettled look on Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and replied, without hiding anything, “The Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit Clans want to send Xiao Xiao into the Blood Gate to inherit a Divine Spirit Source. So, I am a little worried.”
“Ah!” Ruo Xi immediately exclaimed, covering her mouth, “Enter the Blood Gate, but over there… right now…”
“Yes, it will be extremely difficult. If I don’t help them, they will not be able to break through the defences around the Blood Gate for sure, and even with my help, they might not be able to succeed.”
“Then, Sir, why did you still agree?”
Yang Kai stated, “I will try my best and leave the rest up to the Heavens to decide as I’m not sure that I can take them away from here.”
Ruo Xi’s eyes flickered before she grit her teeth and suggested, “Then, I’ll also help.”
Yang Kai glared at her and reprimanded, “No, if we really rush to the Blood Gate, things will be very dangerous. You’re not… strong enough. You have to be obedient.”
An aggrieved look appeared on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face, but she didn’t dare to violate Yang Kai’s command. All she could do was softly agree, “I know…”
Yang Kai glanced at her and gently said, “Since I brought you out from the Zhang Family, I have the responsibility to guarantee your safety. When you have advanced to the Emperor Realm, it won’t be too late to participate in such things.”
“Yes!” Ruo Xi replied, clearly frustrated.
In the Elder’s tree cave, the Stone Spirit Elder and the Wood Spirit Clan’s Matriarch were overjoyed after having been notified by Xiao Xiao. They secretly thought that they hadn’t racked their brains in vain; they had somehow managed to make Yang Kai agree to their two clans’ request.
The two even proactively came to Xiao Xiao’s tree cave together.
Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao went outside, leaving Yang Kai and two Clan Heads sitting cross-legged alone.
Elder was chuckling, obviously in a pretty good mood. Mu Na was also overjoyed and couldn’t conceal this truth.
Only Yang Kai had a dark look on his face, looking quite gloomy.
“Elder, let me say this first, I have agreed to help you, but that is all. If things take a turn for the worse, I will take Xiao Xiao away right then and there. As for the rest, you will have to depend on yourselves.”
“But of course!” Elder repeatedly nodded, stroking his stony beard, “If something really can’t be done, I won’t force it either.”
Yang Kai nodded and then asked, “Since that’s the case, I have nothing else to add. So, how are we going to proceed?”
Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other before the former replied, “We will charge straight ahead, sending Shi Jiu into the Blood Gate. That counts as a plan, doesn’t it?”
Yang Kai’s face twitched hard as he angrily scolded, “Plan!? Plan your head! The Blood Gate is now being watched by Four Divine Venerables personally! Eight Great Kings and thirty-two Monster Kings would come rushing at the first sign of trouble. How are you going to charge through?”
Elder looked a little embarrassed as he stated, “Honoured Guest, aren’t you proficient in the Dao of Space? Can’t you just take us there?”
Yang Kai’s pupil shrank and he stared dead straight at him and asked, “Xiao Xiao told you?”
He had never shown any manipulation of Space Principles in front of the Stone Spirit Clan, but since Elder knew about this, obviously he had heard it from Xiao Xiao.
Mu Na explained, “Honoured Guest, please don’t be angry. Our clans don’t have any malicious intentions towards you and we will not divulge your secret. Also, Shi Jiu didn’t disclose this, it was when Shi Jiu found us that Elder learned of it from his memories.”
Yang Kai’s voice became colder as he stated, softly sneering, “What other secrets do the two of you know?”
Elder forced a cough before replying, “We also know that the Honoured Guest has a magical storage artifact that can take us together without anyone noticing our presence.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but roll his eyes as thoughts of silencing these two suddenly flashed across his mind. He finally understood why these two clans were asking for his help. Even before that, they never inquired about his cultivation.
[I have the Sealed World Bead and I am also proficient in the Dao of Space, so I can indeed bring them to the Blood Gate without anyone noticing. That’s an advantage no one else has.]
It’s easier to ask for help from your friends and relatives than to ask a stranger.
Elder continued, “Our plan is like this, our clansmen will first hide in that Storage Artifact, then Honoured Guest will use your Space Divine Ability to lead us to the Blood Gate. After that, it’s our time to work; Honoured Guest, you don’t need to worry about what follows. As long as we can get close to the Blood Gate, we have our own way to send Shi Jiu inside.”
Yang Kai squinted his eyes and asked, “As far as I know, the Blood Gate is one of the two Restricted Areas of the Ancient Lands. Normally, no inhabitant of the Ancient Lands can even get close to it, let alone enter it. Do you have any solution for that?”
Mu Na replied with a smile, “That’s true, generally, but right now, the Blood Gate has changed. The restriction has loosened a lot, so it is not a problem to get close to it. The biggest problem is how to break through the Blood Gate’s seal.”
Elder proudly added, “We have ten Masters of immense strength. If my entire Stone Spirit Clan makes a move together, we can smash through any seal!”
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he asked, “Do you want to use brute force?”
Elder asked, raising his brows, “Is there something wrong with that?”
Yang Kai face-palmed before turning to Mu Na and asking, “Matriarch, the Stone Spirit Clan’s intelligence has always been so, so that’s fine, but why are you agreeing with this too?”
Mu Na asked, wryly smiling, “Is there a better way?”
Yang Kai was rendered speechless as he realized that the two tribes had no decent plans at all. They were simply going to use brute force to bend the situation to their will. Forced by the Four Great Divine Venerables, they had no choice but to take such a risk. If Xiao Xiao could really inherit Tai Yue’s power and become an Ancient Divine Spirit, he could naturally shelter the two clans under the noses of the Four Great Divine Venerables.
To put it bluntly, the two clans were at an impasse; it was a do or die situation for them.
After staring blankly for a while, Yang Kai stated, “Perhaps I can attempt to tear open the Blood Gate’s seal. Since the Divine Spirit Palace is sealed inside the Blood Gate, there must be a small world inside. My comprehension of Space Principles might give me the ability to tear open the boundary of that small world.”
When Elder heard this, he immediately spoke, rubbing his hands, “Honoured Guest, if you succeed, that will naturally be best, but if it doesn’t work, we will have to use brute force.”
Elder had always given Yang Kai a sense of wisdom, but now it seemed that a Stone Spirit was still a Stone Spirit. Even if they lived long enough, they would not get any wiser and would always advocate violence to solve their problems. The Wood Spirit Clan must have been having a hard time interacting with them over all the years they lived together.
“When are we leaving?” Yang Kai asked, looking at the two.
“This matter should not be delayed. We have to go sooner rather than later. This Elder is thinking of leaving tomorrow morning,” Elder solemnly said.
Mu Na lightly nodded; obviously, she agreed with this.
Yang Kai sighed helplessly and agreed, “Fine. You two should return and prepare your clansmen, we will depart… Tomorrow morning!”
Elder and Mu Na immediately left, apparently returning to inform their clansmen.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, sat cross-legged inside the tree cave. It could be said that what these two clans were planning to do was extremely risky. To be honest, Yang Kai wasn’t optimistic about their chances as failure seemed to be the far likelier outcome. What he needed to consider now was how to increase the safety margin and chances of success; after all, they were trying to make a move right under the Ancient Lands Four Great Divine Venerables’ noses. Once they alerted the four Divine Venerables, they might move to block their surroundings, and then Yang Kai might not be able to escape safely even with his Space Tearing abilities.
[Maybe… Xie Wu Wei can help.]
All night, Yang Kai was thinking hard.
At dawn, sounds of footsteps came from outside and Yang Kai opened his eyes and scanned with his Divine Sense. Immediately, he sensed that everyone in the Stone Spirit clan had been gathered. And not only the Stone Spirit Clan, but even over a hundred members of the Wood Spirit Clan were joining under Mu Na’s leadership, flying around the Stone Spirit Clan’s heads.
[Now that the arrow was already drawn, I can’t do anything but shoot it.] Yang Kai sighed before he stood up and went forward.
Seeing Yang Kai appear, the two Clan Heads’ faces turned solemn before Elder spoke, “Honoured Guest, we are ready.”
Yang Kai looked at Mu Na and asked, frowning, “Is the Wood Spirit Clan also coming?”
Yesterday, although Mu Na and Elder were discussing matters with him together, he really hadn’t expected the Wood Spirit Clan to come along with full force. This would be an extremely dangerous mission, so what could the Wood Spirit Clan do when they weren’t good at fighting? Once they were swept into the battle, any Monster King could massacre all of them.
Elder said with a smile, “The Wood Spirits coexist with my Stone Spirit Clan; although they will not directly participate in the battle, they will still be of great help. Honoured Guest, you don’t need to worry.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow but didn’t object either. Instead, he nodded and said, “Since that’s the case, I will trust your decision.”
Yang Kai looked around before doubtfully asking, “Where is Ruo Xi?”
He didn’t see Zhang Ruo Xi anywhere. He had been sitting in the tree cave all day, thinking hard, so he thought she had simply been outside, but only now did he find out that Ruo Xi was missing.
Elder and Mu Na looked at each other, the two clansmen also exchanging looks and asking one another, “Have any of you seen that little girl?”
No one answered. Not to mention the few Stone Spirits, even the hundred Wood Spirits didn’t know where Ruo Xi was.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he released his Divine Sense like a tide, sweeping the surroundings, scanning over a thousand-kilometre radius, but even then he didn’t find Ruo Xi’s aura.
This shocked and angered him. How could someone alive disappear for no reason?
“Shi Jiu, do you know something?” Elder suddenly asked in a deep voice.
Yang Kai turned his head to look, and saw Xiao Xiao standing there with an uneasy look on his face, constantly scratching his ears and cheek; his eyes erratically moving around.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he asked, looking at him, “Xiao Xiao, where did Ruo Xi go!?”
Seeing that he couldn’t hide anymore, Xiao Xiao immediately became dejected and whimpered a few times.
Yang Kai’s countenance drastically changed, raising his head and turning to gaze in the Blood Gate’s direction, grinding his teeth as he scolded, “That girl!”
Mu Na too couldn’t help but cry out in surprise, covering her mouth, “She actually set off to go to the Blood Gate first?”
Yang Kai angrily said, “She must have gone because I prevented her from participating yesterday. When I get my hands on her, I will spank her butt red!”
[This is outrageous! Ruo Xi has always been docile and obedient, so I never dreamed she would dare to sneak away without telling me. She has really gone too far this time!]
Yang Kai raised his hand again and knocked down on Xiao Xiao’s head, angrily scolding, “Since you know, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Xiao Xiao clutched his head, whimpering with an aggrieved expression on his face.
“It’s useless to argue about this now. Honoured Guest, it’s best to find her as soon as possible. The Blood Gate is surrounded by many members of the Monster Race. If she falls into their hands, things will be troublesome,” Elder persuaded.
It wasn’t like Yang Kai didn’t know this, so he quickly suppressed the anxiety in his heart and said, “Relax yourselves and don’t resist. Don’t make a fuss about what you see when you go in.”
After saying so, Yang Kai stretched his hand towards the two clans. Immediately, Space Principles surged, and the boundary of the Seal World Bead opened, allowing the two clans to enter the Small Sealed World one after another.
Embodiment, who had already been notified by Yang Kai, sat there with a smile, welcoming the arrival of the clansmen of the two clans.
Elder had said that the Stone Spirit Clan never had more than ten members; any more would die at birth.
[I wonder what expression they will have when they see him?] Yang Kai didn’t bother to pay attention to this, let alone explain to them the circumstances of his Embodiment. After he had collected the two clans into the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai immediately turned around and rapidly flew towards the Blood Gate.
Along the road, Yang Kai constantly spread his Divine Sense to search, hoping to find Zhang Ruo Xi.
But she had set off a day earlier, so even if she wasn’t moving at full speed, she might have already reached the Blood Gate. Naturally, it was impossible to find tracks on the road.
And this turned out to be the case. At this moment, Zhang Ruo Xi was already within three hundred kilometres of the Blood Gate. She had been cautious along the way, and although luck had played some part in it, she hadn’t encountered too many twists and turns.
But when she arrived here, she didn’t dare to move forward. There were too many Monster Race members in front of her, and they weren’t hiding their presence either. If she dared to move closer, she would definitely be discovered.
At this moment, Ruo Xi was hiding in the canopy of a huge tree, trying her best to conceal her aura.
She might be fairly strong now, but she didn’t want to get in trouble in this kind of place. Naturally, she was mainly hiding and waiting for Yang Kai’s arrival. [When Sir arrives and clashes against the Monster Race, I will immediately rush out to help Sir. I think Sir will not blame me at that time.]
Deep in her heart, she just wanted to help out a little, that’s all. She didn’t want to be taken into the Sealed Word Bead by Yang Kai and be forced to wait, feeling useless once again.
A team of patrolling Monster Race members passed by, but they didn’t notice Zhang Ruo Xi, boosting her confidence somewhat.
It was the first time she had done something this dangerous, so she was quite nervous. Fortunately, following Yang Kai here and there wasn’t without any merits. After having gone through storms and fire, she could reluctantly maintain her composure even if she was nervous deep inside.
Time went by little by little.
Another Monster Race patrol crossed in front of her, and this time they were incomparably vigilant and checking everything, seemingly looking for even the smallest of suspicious trails. When this patrol team passed under a certain tree, one of them suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.
“What happened?” Another Monster Race member looked at him and doubtfully asked.
The Monster Race member didn’t answer as he continued sniffing, taking some time before raising his brows and commenting, “There is the scent of a Human.”
As soon as he said this, Ruo Xi’s face drastically changed as she knew things had gone wrong. She might have revealed something, and once the Monster Race found her whereabouts, it would be difficult for her to escape even if she had wings.
All she could hope for was that this Monster Race member was just sceptical. In that case, she might still escape this calamity.
But her hope was smothered very soon. After sniffing for a while, the Monster Race member abruptly raised his head and stared at the canopy of the tree.
Although their gazes didn’t meet due to the thick foliage, Zhang Ruo Xi’s heartbeat raced and she knew that she could no longer remain hidden here.
Just when she made up her mind to escape, a dirty and dishevelled head suddenly appeared by her side, hanging upside down in front of her, grinning from ear to ear at her.
Ruo Xi was scared out of her wits and almost jumped back and shouted; however, after seeing who exactly this unkempt person was, she quickly covered her mouth, not daring to make any noises. Her bulging pretty eyes were just staring at the unkempt and dirty face.
Suddenly, a hand reached out towards Zhang Ruo Xi, grabbing her. Immediately after, the two figures flickered before disappearing from her spot.
*Shua…*
Right afterwards, a Monster Race member rushed to the canopy of the tree. He looked around for a while, but after finding nothing, scratched his head with a suspicious look on his face.
“Did you find something?” The Monster Race members waiting below asked.
“Nothing…” The searching Monster Race member replied before jumping down and continuing with an embarrassed smile, “I might have made a mistake.”
The Monster Race members of the patrol team glared at him, displeased. They blamed him for being so anxious that every bush and tree appeared as an enemy to him. Without another word, they continued on with their patrol.
Above the canopy of another towering tree, watching the Monster Race patrol team move away, Zhang Ruo Xi finally sighed in relief, her chest fiercely heaving up and down. At that moment, her heart had almost jumped out of her chest. She thought that she was going to die. Fortunately, someone had given her a hand at the critical moment.
She quickly turned her head and looked to one side.
Right next to her, Ice Heart Valley’s Third Elder was looking at her with a silly smile. On closer inspection, Ruo Xi realized that this woman was quite the beauty, it was just that she had lost her mind and was completely careless about maintaining her appearance. She had been living in the Ancient Lands all year round, which resulted in her face being completely covered in dirt and grime. Ruo Xi couldn’t help but sigh at her condition.
“What is Senior doing here?” Ruo Xi didn’t know what her name was, so she could only address her as Senior.
The Third Disciple giggled; who knows whether she understood Ruo Xi’s question or not. In any case, she didn’t look like she was going to be answering anything anytime soon. Instead, she kept sniffing like that Monster Race member, her nose almost stuck onto Ruo Xi. It appeared as if she took a particular liking to Ruo Xi’s fragrance as there was an intoxicated look on her face while she sniffed.
Ruo Xi was feeling very uncomfortable, almost like she was itchy all over. She quickly stretched her hand out before her, blocking the Third Disciple, stopping her from continuing. She then said, “Senior, please don’t cause trouble, or we will be found by the Monster Race.”
Being pushed away by her, the Third Disciples suddenly pouted, seemingly saddened.
Ruo Xi couldn’t bear the sight of her despondent look. She was a beautiful Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. If she was outside, countless men would admire and pursue her like she was an immortal fairy, but she looked nothing like a Human or ghost now. If her Master, Senior Bing Yun, came to know about this, her heart would surely break.
“Good, Senior, I have something important to do now, so please behave!” Zhang Ruo Xi reached out and grabbed the Third Disciple’s dirty paws without showing any aversion at all. She gently cupped her hands as she softly said, “I’m waiting for Sir here. Sir is the one who gave you that fruit last time. Sir has been looking everywhere for you, so don’t run around and wait for him here with me, okay?”
The Third Disciple looked at Zhang Ruo Xi for a while before suddenly nodding.
Ruo Xi asked with a smile, “Can you understand me?”
The Third Disciple hugged Ruo Xi and buried her head in Ruo Xi’s plump peaks, scrabbling her head, doing whatever she wanted…
“Senior… I can’t breathe…” Ruo Xi’s face flushed red. A strange feeling rose from her chest, which made her feel slightly tingly. That tight groping made it even harder for her to breathe. In any case, she wasn’t as strong as the Third Disciple, so even if she wanted to free herself, she was unable to no matter how much she struggled.
…..
Ten kilometres away from the Blood Gate, as Mu Na had said earlier, after the changes at the Blood Gate, its inexplicable repulsion power seemed to have disappeared. Normally, the Blood Gate couldn’t be approached at all, and even the strongest Monster Kings would be reduced to nothing but a gory puddle of flesh and blood by its mysterious power once they tried, leaving not even a corpse behind. But now, even weak Monster Race members were swarming from every direction, their eyes red as if they had lost their minds. They were making a beeline towards the Blood Gate, trying to rush inside it.
This was due to the bloodline attraction!
As Xie Wu Wei had supposed earlier, after the changes in the Blood Gate, the aura of Divine Spirit Sources inside the Divine Spirit Palace were being revealed. This aura carried a great temptation to every resident of the Ancient Lands. These weak Monster Race members would rush over, hypnotized by the alluring aura, gradually losing their minds and flying straight towards the Blood Gate, throwing all caution to the wind.
But these Monster Race members were doomed to fail to approach even ten kilometres of the Blood Gate.
Because right now, eight figures were constantly patrolling around the Blood Gate, and once they found a Monster trying to get close, they would kill without mercy.
These eight Monster Race Masters were the Great Kings of each of the Four Great Divine Venerables.
Currently, corpses were lying everywhere outside the ten-kilometre radius of the Blood Gate. There was a nauseating smell of blood in the air. In just a few days, who knew how many Ancient Lands’ creatures had died at the hands of these eight Great Kings? Nevertheless, they still couldn’t prevent the countless Monster Race members from rushing to the Blood Gate.
On a peak about fifty kilometres away, four figures filled a stone pavilion, either sitting or standing. Some of the Monster Race members were respectfully guarding this pavilion, looking at the four figures in awe from time to time.
These four figures were none other than the Four Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands.
The changes of the Blood Gate were of great importance, so the four of them had personally come to oversee and investigate the situation to prevent any mishaps.
The figure on the left side was a middle-aged man in purple brocade robes and a crown on his head. He looked no different than a normal Human, but there was an awe-inspiring aura about him. There was a lightning-like shine in his eyes, which gave anyone who met his gaze a chilling feeling. This man was the Easter Divine Venerable, Fan Wu.
The figure on the right resembled the Stone Spirits. He had a rock-like body and skin with a jagged texture. Only, he was lacking the temperateness of the Stone Spirits. His figure gave an extremely fierce feeling and, from top to bottom, he was covered in sharp barbs of stone. Even his face had a fierce and sinister look. There was an air of hostility around him and the shine in his eyes was like a mad flame, giving the impression that he was constantly looking for prey to eat.
He was the Northern Divine Venerable, Shi Huo!
In the Star Boundary, the other three domains might not have heard of Shi Huo’s name, but for Eastern Territory cultivators, Shi Hou was quite famous.
And there was a reason behind this. Roughly twenty thousand years ago, one of the top Sects of the Eastern Territory, the Black Tortoise Sect, was wiped from the face of the world by Shi Huo. Tens of thousands of its disciples had been massacred by him. The Serene Soul Great Emperor became furious when he got word of the brutal massacre and personally moved out to capture Shi Huo, but Shi Huo escaped to the Ancient Wild Lands.
Being able to escape from the pursuit of a Great Emperor was proof in itself of Shi Huo’s terrifying strength.
Maplewood City’s Qin Zhao Yang’s ancestor had once been a disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect. The Emperor Artifact, the Myriads Sword, was his ancestor’s sword. In the past, the Black-Tortoise Seven Points Formation taught by Qin Zhao Yang to Yang Kai was the closely guarded core technique of the Black Tortoise Sect, which wasn’t easily taught to ordinary disciples.
After the Black Tortoise Sect was destroyed, the Qin Family’s ancestor came to the Southern Territory and settled in Maplewood City. Not long afterwards, he succumbed to his injuries, and as the generations continued, his family declined.
At the centre of the stone pavilion was a stone table, on top of which was a pot of steaming hot fragrant tea.
A beautiful woman was sitting by the table, her skin as white as snow. She had an enchanting figure and charming eyes. Her silky hair was like a black waterfall falling behind her head, straight down to her hips. The beautiful woman stretched her soft and slender hand out and poured herself a cup of tea before calmly taking a sip of it.
She was the Southern Divine Venerable, Luan Feng!
If one didn’t know about her, they would not dare to believe that such a beautiful and charming woman was actually a Divine Spirit with an ancient inheritance. Anyone who dared to provoke her had been burned to ashes by her World Extinguishing Black Flames.
The last figure had a sinister and ruthless gaze. With one glance, it was apparent that he shouldn’t be provoked. He was sitting on the stone bench in front of Luan Feng, motionless, like he was petrified. Intentionally or unintentionally, his gaze was lingering on Luan Feng’s charming figure, but he didn’t dare to be too presumptuous. He was just sneaking a few peaks.
Luan Feng lightly took a sip of tea before her cherry red lips parted as she indifferently warned, “Cang Gou, if you stare at me again like that, this Queen will dig out your eyes!”
Hearing this, a look of fear flashed across the man called Cang Guo’s eyes, but he could only give an embarrassed smile as he asked, “Lady Feng, why are you keeping me at arm’s length? Don’t you know that this King has feelings for you?”
Luan Feng didn’t return his glance, her voice remaining indifferent as she snorted, “This Queen only knows that you are… Extremely disgusting.”
If others dared to say that Cang Guo was disgusting, he would have already rushed at the opposite party and torn him or her apart.
But the person in front of him had the right to speak this way. Without even mentioning that Cang Guo was very fond of her, he also wasn’t as strong as Luan Feng.
There were naturally differences in strength between each Divine Spirit. In ancient times, there was even a ranking for the Divine Spirits, with the Dragon and Phoenix Clans reigning atop that list. Compared to these two Divine Spirit Clans, the Divine Spirits at the bottom of the rankings weren’t even in the same class.
Luan Feng was from a branch of the Phoenix Clan, so although her strength couldn’t be compared with her ancestors’, it was still immense, especially her World Extinguishing Black Flames, which had extraordinary power.
Among the Four Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands, Luan Feng was the strongest. This was something the other Divine Venerables couldn’t deny. It was just that these four had been living in the Ancient Wild Lands for millennia now and would not fight with each other unless it was absolutely necessary. Even though Luan Feng was a bit more powerful, in a life or death battle, the other three wouldn’t be easy for her to deal with. Even if they couldn’t kill her, they would be able to severely injure her.
The four Divine Venerables barely maintained a state of mutual checks and balances in the Ancient Lands.
After being severely despised by Luan Feng, Cang Guo inevitably became angry out of shame and lashed out, “These eyes belong to this King, this King will look wherever he wants to look!”
Luan Feng’s movements abruptly stopped as she slightly raised her eyes, a cold gleam flashing across their depths as she stared at Cang Guo. Right then, she suddenly opened her mouth and lightly exhaled towards him.
A wisp of pitch-black flame shot out of her mouth, straight towards Chag Guo like a snake.
“World Extinguishing Black Flame!” Cang Guo’s expression drastically changed as he realized that his joke had gone a little too far. Luan Feng had actually attacked him, forcing him to hurriedly back away while fiercely palming forward.
This palm shattered space and reduced the entire stone pavilion to rubble.
Several figures suddenly jumped up, hovering in the air.
“What the heck are you two doing?” Fan Wu coldly glared at Cang Guo and Luan Feng, shouting at them, “Why do you do this every time you meet!?”
Luan Feng flicked her silky hair over her shoulder and indifferently replied, “He is the one that provokes this Queen every single time.”
Cang Guo immediately blew his top and angrily rebuked, “This King just took a few glances at you, that’s all. It’s not like you lost anything! But you actually tried to attack this King! Do you really think that this King is that easy to bully?”
Luan Feng coldly glared at him and snorted, “I may not have lost anything, but your gaze feels extremely disgusting. This Queen was uncomfortable, so she had to remedy the situation.”
Cang Guo lashed back, “Good, good, this King has been bearing you for not just a day or two! Since you look down on this King so much, let’s decide today who is the better!”
“Good!” Luan Feng turned around, looking like she had been waiting for this. She coldly smiled and stated, “This Queen has been wanting to kill you for not just a day or two either. Since you are asking for death, this Queen might as well fulfill your wish!”
“You two…” Fan Wu’s face turned colder and immediately shouted, grinding his teeth, “That’s enough!”
He seemed to have some prestige among the four, so when he spoke, whether it was Cang Guo or Luan Feng, they stopped in place, both of them turning their heads and coldly scoffing.
“So many problems have cropped up this time, yet instead of working together, you have started internal strife!” Fan Wu looked exasperated from their failure to meet his expectations, “Is it fun to make a joke of yourselves before your subordinates?”
Both Cang Guo and Luan Feng, who were reprimanded, looked embarrassed and pouted.
The group of Monster Race members were currently staring at the former site of the Stone Pavilion with widened eyes. It seemed as if they couldn’t fathom why the high and mighty Divine Venerables were unable to cooperate and even attacked each other.
“And you!” Fan Wu looked at Shi Huo.
“What does any of this have to do with me?” Shi Huo shook his head with an innocent look on his face.
“Every time, you are just enjoying the show! Why don’t you try to stop them?” Fan Wu rebuffed, coldly snorting.
Shi Huo muttered with an unhappy look on his face, “They are fighting while I’m watching, the two are irrelevant to each other.”
Fan Wu’s brow twitched a few times before a resigned look appeared on his face. Only after a long time did he finally calm down, “Due to the changes of the Blood Gate and the sudden propagation of bloodline attraction, the Ancient Lands creatures are all moving strangely. If the four of us weren’t personally overseeing things here, the Monster Kings under us might have already tried to enter the Blood Gate. Everyone might have already inherited their ancestors’ Source Strength and memories. You should know what secrets lie inside the Blood Gate. In the past, ‘that’ Master wielding the Heaven’s Order Sword had almost exterminated all Divine Spirits from this world. Our ancestors somehow escaped that disaster. You don’t want that person’s power to reappear and make us flee about with nowhere to hide, right?”
Hearing him talk about ‘that’ Master, the other three Divine Venerables’ expressions couldn’t help but sink.
In the Ancient Lands, even the thirty-two Monster Kings were oblivious to most of the secrets of the Blood Gate, but that wasn’t the case for these four. The four had inherited the Source Strength and bloodline memories of their ancestors, so they clearly knew about what exactly was sealed inside the Blood Gate.
There weren’t just countless Divine Spirit Sources inside, but also the Heaven’s Order Sword that could make all Divine Spirits in the world tremble in fear at the mere mention of its name!
If someone broke the Blood Gate seal and allowed that sword to reappear in this world, there would be nowhere in the Star Boundary what would be safe for them anymore, and the four of them would undoubtedly be the first to bear the brunt of this catastrophe.
The four of them had personally moved because of the seriousness of this matter. They were here to supervise and had ordered all thirty-two Monster Kings under them to guard the surrounding area to prevent anyone from approaching the Blood Gate. They wanted to prevent the breaking of Blood Gate’s seal and the reappearance of the Heaven’s Order Sword no matter what.
Seeing the three go silent, Fan Wu lightly added with a nod, “As long as the four of us remain of one heart and one mind, even the Monster Kings under us would not dare to trespass into the Blood Gate Restricted Area no matter how much they want to. We can sit back and relax after we weather through this, but if you really start fighting seriously, the Monster Kings under us will definitely take advantage of the chaos caused. Once an accident occurs at the Blood Gate, who will be able to bear the responsibility?”
His words were well justified and well-founded, so the other three Divine Venerables had to nod in agreement. Cang Guo and Luan Feng also reigned in their hostility, understanding that now wasn’t the right time for infighting.
…
Thirty kilometres outside the Blood Gate, Xie Wu Wei was overseeing his group of subordinates, blocking any Ancient Lands inhabitants who were trying to enter the Blood Gate from approaching. However, from time to time, he would look in a certain direction.
That was the place where the Divine Venerables were gathered.
He was sitting on an armchair, sneering from time to time.
The Four Divine Venerables were gathered near the Blood Gate, and he knew why. These four were obviously worried that the Monster Kings under them could not resist the temptation of the bloodline attraction.
In fact, they weren’t overreacting. If the four of them weren’t nearby, perhaps Xie Wu Wei would have already tried to break the Blood Gate seal.
He had already reached the limit of his cultivation and there was no room for growth left. This was undoubtedly painful torture for members of the Monster Race, who always yearned for strength.
The strange changes of the Blood Gate had given him hope. He could clearly perceive a mysterious and powerful force from the Blood Gate, resonating with his bloodline. It was definitely the power that could make him be reborn, stimulate his ancestral bloodline, and transform him into a Divine Spirit.
Once he got his hands on this power, he could become an existence that could stand on equal footing with the four Divine Venerables and he would no longer need to follow someone else’s orders.
Unfortunately… He didn’t have this opportunity! He couldn’t even get close to the Blood Gate. Under the surveillance of those four, he believed that he would be reduced to nothing before he could even approach.
With a heavy sigh, Xie Wu Wei slapped the armrest of the chair, shattering it into pieces. He was extremely unwilling to accept the current state of things. If he really missed such a good opportunity, it would be utterly depressing!
At that moment, he suddenly seemed to sense something and turned his head to stare in another direction, his heart clenching tightly.
He furrowed his brow for a while before slowly standing up.
The Monster Race Master called Shu Yu, who was by his side, couldn’t help but ask, seeing this, “Sir, where are you going?”
“I’m feeling bored, I’m going for a walk. You continue to monitor the things here. If anyone tries to break through, kill without mercy!” Xie Wu Wei, carrying his hands behind his back, stoically ordered.
“Yes Sir!” Shu Yu respectfully cupped his fists and responded, sending off Xie Wu Wei with his eyes.
After Xie Wu Wei’s figure left his subordinate’s sight, his figure flickered before he disappeared into the jungle.
After a moment, his figure reappeared on top of a huge tree. He looked left and right for a while with a suspicious expression on his face.
Just when he was feeling at a loss, a figure suddenly appeared beside him; seemingly out of thin air.
Xie Wu Wei was taken aback and his Monster Qi surged; he immediately wanted to attack.
“It’s me!” A familiar voice reached his ear before he could move though, forcing Xie Wu Wei to suppress his strength.
“Young Master Yang!” Xie Wu Wei looked over with surprise, “Where did you come from?”
To his great shock, he was unable to sense Yang Kai’s arrival with his peak Twelfth-Order strength. It was really incredible.
Yang Kai smiled lightly but didn’t answer his question; rather, he asked him for his help, “Monster King, can you do me a favour?”
Xie Wu Wei immediately looked at him with vigilance and anxiously asked, “What’s the matter?”
Yang Kai beckoned to him. Xie Wu Wei looked annoyed, but had no choice but to get closer.
Yang Kai whispered a few words into his ear.
Xie Wu Wei’s face immediately changed as he asked in amazement, “You are asking me to inform the Divine Venerables of this? Why not ask me to court death directly!?”
Although he was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, how could Xie Wu Wei be willing to play cat and mouse with death, so of course he was infuriated.
Yang Kai asked in surprise, “Why would you be courting your death?”
Xie Wu Wei replied with a cold snort, “They will immediately realize that it’s a lie as soon as they hear it. The Divine Venerables aren’t idiots, how will they not investigate? And once they have investigated, they won’t let this King live!”
While speaking, he kept shaking his head, “No, this King won’t go. Even if you beat me to death, I won’t go! It’s better to die at your hands than to die in the hands of four furious Divine Venerables. Just kill me right now!”
Yang Kai couldn’t stop himself from laughing before saying, “Who told you that it’s false?”
Xie Wu Wei took a sidelong glance at him before deriding, pursing his lips, “Don’t lie to this King. Every single creature of the Ancient Lands knows that the ancient bell has already been taken by a Human Master tens of thousands of years ago. How could it appear in the Ancient Lands for no reason?”
Yang Kai earnestly guaranteed, “It’s true! I’m not lying!”
Xie Wu Wei looked shocked and stated in surprise, “This King is a member of Monster Race, this King isn’t as scheming as you Humans. Don’t lie to me.”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile and ensured, patting the Monster King’s shoulder, “Why would I lie to you? I only want you to disclose this news to the Divine Venerables. I guarantee nothing will happen to you.”
“But… How is that bell back here for no reason?” Xie Wu Wei still couldn’t believe it. Suddenly, something clicked and he asked, staring at Yang Kai, “Could it be that you…”
Yang Kai nodded, smiling, “That’s right! That bell belongs to me now. I was the one who put it there.”
Xie Wu Wei suddenly gawked, his eyes filled with shock. He simply couldn’t believe his ears.
“Monster King, can you help me with this little favour?” Yang Kai’s face turned serious, “Don’t forget, your Soul Brand is still in this Young Master’s hands.”
Xie Wu Wei inquired, furrowing his brow, “What exactly are you planning by asking this King to disclose this news to the Four Divine Venerables?”
“That’s this Young Master’s business, naturally, you don’t need to ask anything about it,” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Xie Wu Wei ignored his evasion and continued, “You are trying to draw the Four Divine Venerables away… Are you planning to enter the Blood Gate? Aren’t you Human?”
The Blood Gate was a Restricted Area to the Ancient Lands’ residents. Only the Ancient Lands’ residents could feel bloodline attraction. Yang Kai was a Human, so it was strange that he had any desire to enter the Blood Gate. Xie Wu Wei couldn’t figure this out.
“What does it have to do with you?” Yang Kai impatiently pushed him, turned him around, and said, patting his back, “It’s important to quickly get it done.”
Xie Wu Wei didn’t leave but turned around and asked with shining eyes, “Young Master Yang, if you are planning to enter the Blood Gate, count me in too.”
“You also want to enter the Blood Gate?” Yang Kai glanced at him in amazement, but the next moment, he understood that Xie Wu Wei also wanted to get his hands on the power of a Divine Spirit.
Xie Wu Wei snorted and stated with disdain, “If those Four hadn’t been watching nearby, this King would have already rushed in. Why would I wait till now?”
Yang Kai chuckled and agreed, nodding, “Alright, then it will depend on whether you will have the opportunity or not.”
Xie Wu Wei immediately grew excited and his figure flickered, disappearing from Yang Kai’s sight.
..…
At the damaged stone pavilion, the Four Divine Venerables were standing shoulder to shoulder, looking in the Blood Gate’s direction with solemn eyes.
Right then, a Monster General suddenly rushed over below and said, cupping his fist before raising his head, “Greetings, Sirs and Madam!”
Fan Wu coldly asked, staring below, “What is it?”
The Monster General replied, “Reporting to Sir, Monster King Xie Wu Wei is requesting an audience.”
“Xie Wu Wei?” Fan Wu raised his brow.
Naturally, he knew that Xie Wu Wei was one of the eight Monster Kings under him, someone with both strength and intelligence. He could be regarded as one of the top Monster Kings, but what was he doing here at this time?
Fan Wu allowed the request, waving his hand, “Send him over.”
“Yes, Sir!” The Monster General replied before hastily retreating.
Not long after, Xie Wu Wei followed the previous Monster General back. Even as a Monster King, Xie Wu Wei felt a heavy pressure bearing down on him from the Four Divine Venerables, especially since he was conspiring with Yang Kai. This was no trifling matter. Once the Divine Venerable became aware of this, he would immediately die without a burial, so he couldn’t help but be a little nervous. Xie Wu Wei took a deep breath and greeted, cupping his fists, “Greetings Sirs and Madame.”
Apart from Fan Wu glancing at him, the other three remaining Divine Venerables simply ignored him; after all, Xie Wu Wei was a Monster King under Fan Wu. He had nothing to do with them.
“What is it?” Fan Wu indifferently asked.
Xie Wu Wei raised his head to meet Fan Wu’s eyes, putting on the appearance of someone who had something important to say. This look aroused the curiosity of the other three Divine Venerables and they all turned their heads to look at him, one after another.
Fan Wu urged, “If you have something to say, speak up. None of us Divine Venerables are outsiders.”
[I have been waiting for this.] Xie Wu Wei was secretly happy in his heart, but remained completely calm on the surface. He cupped his fists again and reported, “Reporting to Sir, a Monster General under me accidentally found a bell in a mountain three thousand kilometres away from here!”
“A bell? Why are you making so much fuss over a bell?” Fan Wu asked, furrowing his brow.
Xie Wu Wei replied, “According to that Monster General’s description, and coupled with your subordinate’s own speculation, the bell is likely to be the legendary… Mountains and Rivers Bell!”
“What!?” Fan Wu was greatly shocked, and the other three Divine Venerables’ eyes instantly lit up, their surprise no less than the former’s.
In an instant, Xie Wu Wei’s figure sank down to the ground as he felt mountain-like pressure descend on him; he was finding it extremely hard to even breathe.
“Are you sure that it is the Mountains and Rivers Bell?” Luan Feng couldn’t help but ask in a stern tone.
Xie Wu Wei said with difficulty, “I am eighty percent certain it is the Mountains and Rivers Bell because my subordinate said that the bell was exuding an intense Wild Force. It seemed to have an aura capable of suppressing the world. He just glanced at it from a distance before hurriedly reporting back, not daring to approach too close.”
“An aura capable of suppressing the world and intense Wild Force…” Cang Guo’s lips trembled in excitement, “It must be the Mountains and Rivers Bell! Where is it?”
Fan Wu glanced at the excitement in his eyes and indifferently stated, “This is strange, the Mountains and Rivers Bell was stolen from the Ancient Lands by Yuan Ding. We haven’t seen or heard of it for tens of thousands of years. Rumour has it that this Ancient Exotic Artifact was lost in the Shattered Star Sea when Yuan Ding died, so why would it appear in the Ancient Lands for no reason right at this moment?”
He was already getting suspicious. Even though the Mountains and Rivers Bell was of great use to him, he couldn’t help but point this out.
Hearing this, Luan Feng’s pretty eyes flashed and she lightly nodded, “It is indeed a bit strange.”
Shi Huo rolled his eyes and suddenly asked, “How many of you suspect that someone is trying to lure us away from here?”
Fan Wu coldly snorted and glared at Xie Wu Wei, “Wu Wei, this King has always treated you well. Do you know what end you will have if you try to deceive this King?”
Xie Wu Wei’s body turned stiff and he was unable to lift his head under the pressure. He could only continue in a struggling voice, “This subordinate appreciates how Sir has treated him over the years and naturally has not forgotten Sir’s many graces; this subordinate, however, has not spoken any falsehoods. This subordinate dares not hide anything. As for the bell… This subordinate heard that the Shattered Star Sea on the Human side had opened a few years ago. Perhaps someone has brought the Mountains and Rivers Bell out from the Shattered Star Sea?”
A pondering look immediately appeared on Fan Wu’s face after hearing this. Naturally, he knew about the Shattered Star Sea opening, so there was some truth to Xie Wu Wei’s words.
“Whether it’s real or not, we will know after checking it out. It’s only a few thousand kilometres away anyway!” Cang Guo looked as if he couldn’t wait any longer and urged everyone.
“Check, we can naturally go and check, but who will stay here to keep watch?” Fan Wu looked at the other Divine Venerables.
Luan Feng stated with a smile, “This Queen has never seen it. This Queen wants to broaden her vision.”
Cang Guo added with a serious face, “I also want to go and check.”
Fan Wu focused his gaze on Shi Huo, who quickly became unhappy and snapped, “What are you looking at me for? I also want to go. In any case, all of you are going, so I won’t be staying here alone.”
Fan Wu heaved a sigh. He knew that he could not count on these three. Since the Mountains and Rivers Bell had appeared suddenly, and it was just a few thousand kilometres away, he couldn’t help but suspect that someone was using it to lure the tigers out of the mountains; however, the Four Divine Venerables wanted it and were afraid that someone else would get their hands on it, so no one was willing to stay here.
Fan Wu sighed and agreed, “Alright, let’s all go and check it out. But not just anyone can collect Ancient Exotic Artifacts like the Mountains and Rivers Bell. It will depend on one’s luck.”
Even though he was suspecting that something was wrong, the temptation of the Mountains and Rivers Bell was too strong. Not to mention that thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings were overseeing things here. There should be no problem if they were only gone a short time.
Xie Wu Wei, who was all fidgety below, immediately became ecstatic, realizing that things were proceeding as they had expected. Once these four left, it would be much more convenient for Yang Kai to act. It was just that he didn’t know what was making Yang Kai confident that he could crack the Blood Gate seal right in front of so many Monster Race Masters.
There were forty peak Twelfth-Order Masters in the vicinity. If they teamed up, even a Great Emperor would be forced to retreat.
Before he could taste the fruit of his scheme though, Fan Wu suddenly beckoned him and ordered, “Wu Wei, lead the way!”
Xie Wu Wei’s heart turned bitter, but he didn’t dare to object. All he could do was obediently lead the way.
Streaks of light shot into the sky as the Four Divine Venerables disappeared from their spot, led by Xie Wu Wei.
In the distant forest, Yang Kai, who was hiding his own aura, finally heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the Divine Venerables leave. With the Four Divine Spirits overseeing things here, he really didn’t dare to make a rash move.
Fortunately, the biggest threat had now been eliminated. Even though the remaining Monster Kings and Great Kings were strong, they were not strong enough to make him give up.
After silently waiting for a while, making sure that the Four Divine Venerables had really left, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to communicate with his Embodiment.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the Embodiment, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes and informed in a deep voice, “Prepare yourselves.”
The group of Stone Spirits and Wood Spirits, who had been waiting all this while, exchanged knowing glances. Even Xiao Xiao took out the Heaven Shaking Pillar and put it on his shoulders. He was oozing a majestic and awe-inspiring aura.
Everyone knew that a life and death battle was waiting for them. It was a do or die situation!
A solemn atmosphere suddenly spread into the surroundings, making the air inside the Small Sealed World heavier.
On a towering peak was a completely barren and clear field with only an oval-shaped blood-coloured gate of light standing erect.
The Blood Gate!
One of the two Restricted Areas of the Ancient Wild Lands, and the place where residents of the Ancient Lands could be reborn.
A few figures were constantly patrolling around the Blood Gate, each one exuding a thick and strong aura, radiating potent Monster Qi, giving any onlooker an extremely uncomfortable feeling. These were the Great Kings who directly served the Four Divine Venerables, a grand total of eight.
They were the most trusted subordinates of the Four Divine Venerables, so, naturally, they were dispatched to patrol the innermost region, guarding against those Monster Kings who feigned compliance in public but defied in private.
However, the Blood Gate was also a pretty big temptation for these eight Great Kings. This was due to bloodline attraction, which couldn’t be overpowered by loyalty. These eight Great Kings were also looking towards the Blood Gate from time to time as they patrolled the Blood Gate back and forth. After a few glances, their eyes were filled with emotions.
However, with others present, keeping watch on them, they dared not rush towards the Blood Gate despite their pounding hearts.
This kind of thing was extremely painful and tormenting. It was like a delicious meal was placed before a starving man, but he could only see it and not eat it.
Fortunately, the eight Great Kings had incredible mental fortitude, so they could barely suppress their itching hearts.
“Hmm!?” Suddenly, a Great King, who was patrolling nearby, stopped and turned in the Blood Gate’s direction with a frown.
He felt some faint unusual energy fluctuations near the Blood Gate, something that had never happened before.
Before the Great King could investigate and understand what was happening, the space around the Blood Gate started distorting as a tall and stalwart figure appeared out of thin air.
The Great King was greatly taken aback. He and his seven compatriots had clearly blocked the area within ten kilometres of the Blood Gate, so not to mention a Human, not even a mosquito could enter this place without their knowledge. What’s more, the surrounding fifty-kilometre radius of the Blood Gate was being guarded by the thirty-two Monster Kings, so how did this person arrive here?
Furthermore, this aura clearly belonged to a Human!
This was outrageous!
The Great King was shocked and angry, hurriedly shouting aloud, “Bastard, how dare you trespass into the Restricted Area! Surrender your life!”
Just as he said this, Monster Qi exploded from his form and he pounced at Yang Kai, leaving a long afterimage behind him. While in the air, he palmed forward. This was the anger-fueled attack of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so its might was extraordinary.
Yang Kai, however, just stood in place, despite feeling like his bones were creaking. For the first time, he truly got to experience the terrifying power of a Master on par with a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master first-hand.
But he didn’t panic and just coldly watched as the Monster Race Master closed in, waiting until the critical moment to wave his hand before himself.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
Immediately after, the Stone Spirit Clan, led by the Elder, made an entrance like divine soldiers descending from the Heavens.
However, the Wood Spirit Clan was nowhere to be seen, confusing Yang Kai.
*Hou…*
Instantly, a furious roar resounded, shaking the Heavens and Earth. Xiao Xiao jumped out in one step as his child-like figure grew bigger with crackling sounds. All of sudden, he transformed into a dozen-metre-tall stone giant with his entire body covered in rock-solid armour that looked extremely hard and impenetrable, giving the impression that it would be able to defend against any attack.
The Heaven Shaking Pillar resting on his shoulder also became longer and thicker at the same time as it swept towards the oncoming Monster Race Great King.
Wind howled and the air crackled as the Heaven Shaking Pillar cut through the air with the momentum that shook the world around it.
The attacking Monster Race Great King was in a state of total confusion. Before, when he saw Yang Kai alone, he didn’t hesitate to attack. He wanted to kill Yang Kai to eliminate any future troubles, so how could he have known that so many stone giants would suddenly appear in the blink of an eye?
In a moment of surprise, he was completely unguarded and couldn’t react. Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao’s stick was already upon him.
The moment before the Monster Race Great King was about to get hit, he hurriedly stopped and promptly pushed his Monster Qi to form a defensive shield around his body. At the same time, he crossed his arms before his chest.
*Hong…*
As the Heaven Shaking Pillar struck him, the Monster Race Great King felt a force beyond his imagination impact him. His Monster Qi defence shattered and his arms fractured as his figure was sent flying.
He spurted a mouthful of blood as his figure flew back several thousand metres before he finally stabilized himself.
The might of Stone Spirit Clan was so terrifying and domineering that even a Monster Race Great King with the strength comparable to a peak Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was unable to take it head-on.
“Stone… Spirit!” The Monster Race Great King’s eyes instantly turned red. He might have suffered a loss, but it was only a minor injury, so it didn’t pose a major problem to his combat efficiency. On the contrary, it stimulated his murderous intent.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
One after another, figures flew over from all directions after hearing the commotion here, landing on either side of the Monster Race Great King. Including the previous Monster Race Great King, there were a total of eight figures.
They were the eight Great Kings of the four Divine Venerables.
These eight Monster Race Masters undoubtedly recognized the Stone Spirit Clan; after all, when the four Divine Venerables wanted to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan, they were the ones passing messages between them, so they had met each other more than once.
One of the Great Kings with a stocky and imposing build stared ahead as his pupils shrank, letting out a cold snort as he asked, “Elder, what’s the meaning of this?”
The Stone Spirit Clan was standing by the Blood Gate with the Elder in the lead, who pointed his cane and replied in a reverberating voice, “My clan’s future is here, and you are asking what this Elder is doing?”
The Great King’s gaze turned colder as he stated in a heavy voice, “Elder, don’t do this. You should know the consequences of angering the four Divine Venerables. The Stone Spirit Clan members are few in number. You don’t want your clan to be exterminated, do you?”
Elder chuckled and replied, stroking his stony beard, “My clansmen live thanks to the luck bestowed by the Heavens, so unless the Heavens themselves will it, others can forget about exterminating my clansmen. I’m afraid you don’t have such ability!”
Another Great King immediately rebuked, gritting his teeth, “We were ordered to guard this place and cannot permit anyone near it. Elder, are you trying to make things difficult for us?”
Elder indifferently stated, “It’s not like we can’t work things out. If you turn a blind eye to this, my Spirit Clan will definitely be grateful to you.”
“In your dreams!” The Great King who was injured first angrily yelled, “Since you have intruded upon the Blood Gate Restricted Area, today you will definitely die!”
Elder sighed before proposing, “The changes of the Blood Gate are a great opportunity for the Ancient Lands creatures to revive their ancestral glory. As long as we can break the Blood Gate seal and enter the Blood Gate, we will have the opportunity to obtain Divine Spirit Sources. Since you have been by the four Divine Venerables’ sides, you must also know about the secrets of the Blood Gate. Rather than opposing my clan, wouldn’t it be better if we teamed up and shared the Sources inside the Blood Gate? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“I really didn’t know that Elder was so good with words. Today, you have opened this King’s eyes,” the injured Great King coldly snorted, a mocking look on his face.
Elder stated, “Today, my Stone Spirit Clan will display its full strength. We are going to have our hands on the Blood Gate for sure, no matter what. Anyone who dares to hinder our path will be killed without mercy! Friend, you’d best think things through.”
Just as he said this, the expression of the eight Great Kings immediately darkened.
In the past, when they had come in contact with the Elder, they felt that this old guy was withering away and it took great effort for him to even speak. This had made them look down on him, but today, his staunch stance and the murderous intent overflowing from him had taken them by surprise.
The burly Great King sighed and stated, “If Elder insists on doing this, I’m afraid I can only offend you.”
No one dared to underestimate the Stone Spirit Clan’s strength. If they really had to fight with these stone giants, they weren’t sure of their victory.
While the talk was going on, the Great King who was hit by Xiao Xiao’s stick and had suffered some injuries, suddenly had his expression change as he fiercely shouted, “Despicable Human, what the hell are you doing!?”
Everyone was startled and turned their gazes towards the Human boy who had suddenly appeared at the very beginning. They saw his hands dancing wildly, constantly making mysterious seals. Moreover, the space around him was extremely distorted, giving the impression that it would collapse at any moment.
The eight Great Kings were extremely shocked by this sight and couldn’t fathom what mysterious ability this Human had mastered that was actually causing space to distort like this.
Yang Kai, without stopping, turned his head with a smile on his lips and stated, “I’m breaking the seal! It’s strange that Sir Great King is asking such an obvious question.”
“Outrageous!” The Great King’s face distorted in anger as he angrily shouted, “Stop right now or this King will tear you into a thousand pieces!”
Yang Kai let out a cold snort before retorting, “This Young Master’s act of breaking the seal is something beneficial for the future of the entire Ancient Lands, but instead of appreciating it, you actually want to kill me? Where is the logic in this?”
“Human, you are quite good at spurting nonsense! What gives you the right to intervene in the affairs of the Ancient Lands!?”
Elder intervened right then, “This Little Friend is the Honoured Guest of my Stone Spirit Clan. This Elder has asked him to break the seal.”
“You think a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm can crack the seal on the Blood Gate? What a joke!?”
Elder justified, “This Little Friend is proficient in the Dao of Space, while there is an independent small world beyond the Blood Gate. As long as Little Friend can tear the barrier between worlds, he can naturally open the seal.”
“The Dao of Space!?” The eight Great Kings were thoroughly shocked.
Elder continued, “Friends, there are many Divine Spirit Sources inside the Blood Gate, and all of you should be able to sense them resonating within your bloodlines. If Little Friend can really break the seal, it will be greatly beneficial for you too.”
The burly Great King stated, “It’s not like something cannot be arranged, but the Divine Venerables’ orders…”
Elder chuckled before adding, “The Divine Venerables aren’t here, are they? They are a few thousand kilometres away. They won’t notice.”
“The Divine Venerables aren’t here?!” The eight Great Kings were stunned and quickly turned their heads, looking in the direction the four Divine Venerables’ were previously located. Immediately after, they noticed that that place was completely empty.
In a flash, everyone couldn’t help but become a little eager.
No one wanted to be a subordinate forever. Although the eight Great Kings were loyal to the Divine Venerables, if they could make their own strength grow a step further, none of them would want to miss this opportunity.
[If we really allow this Human to tear the space barrier and open the Blood Gate, we might really be able to enter it and inherit the Divine Spirit Sources of our distant ancestors and attain the glorious strength they once possessed.]
[But… Who can say for certain that this Human will be capable of breaking the seal!? If he fails and the Divine Venerables learn we didn’t do everything in our power to stop him while they were away, we will certainly be blamed and punished.]
The eight Great Kings glanced at each other, seemingly able to guess each other’s thoughts.
The burly Great King stepped forward and indifferently stated, “Sorry, although Elder’s offer is tempting, the Divine Venerables’ order cannot be violated. Forgive me for offending you!”
Just as he said this, the eight Great Kings moved together, their figures flashing as they charged straight at the Stone Spirit Clan all of a sudden.
“Block them!” The Elder waved his cane and pointed forward.
Under his order, eight Stone Spirits apart from Xiao Xiao, from Shi Yi to Shi Ba (one to eight), jumped out one after another, each meeting a Great King head-on.
In an instant, Monster Qi surged in the vicinity of the Blood Gate. Bursts of Monster Qi swept outward as the Stone Spirits fought with the eight Great Kings, creating a Heaven shaking riot.
But very soon, the eight Stone Spirits fighting noticed something odd. The eight Great Kings weren’t displaying their complete strength, making it easy to block all of their attacks.
Although the Stone Spirits were lacking in intelligence, they weren’t that stupid; after all, after living so many thousands of years, how could they not know what the eight Great Kings were planning?
Everyone was secretly elated, but that did not stop their battle from causing the world to tremble. Very soon, the barren peak had rocks and dust flying everywhere, looking just like the scene of a heated battle.
Yang Kai had already guessed what was going on after seeing this and knew that the eight Great Kings had been tempted by Elder’s proposal. They were just pretending at this moment, that’s all, so that they wouldn’t be blamed by the four Divine Venerables if something went wrong.
But then again, even if they tried their best, they could do nothing to the Stone Spirit Clan.
Since the eight Great Kings were willing to play along, Yang Kai now had nothing to worry about and immediately focused on cracking the seal of the Blood Gate, weaving and manipulating the local Space Principles to the best of his ability.
At the same time, Xiao Xiao and Elder stood on guard by his side, nervously watching.
The vicinity of the Blood Gate was like a raging fire, filled with loud explosions and flashes of light. Naturally, all this commotion had drawn the attention of the Monster Kings in the outer region, and curious, all of them ran over to check the situation.
In a short while, more than a dozen Monster Kings had gathered about five kilometres away from the Blood Gate, and all of them were quite shocked after seeing the enemies of the Eight Great Kings.
“The Stone Spirit Clan? Why are they here?”
“How is that possible? We have been defending the perimeter the whole time, it’s impossible for them to appear here out of thin air!”
“Did they come from underground?”
“What do they want to do? Do they want to break into the Blood Gate!?”
…..
The Monster Kings broke into a lively discussion, but soon, their faces changed. Although they had always been thinking of breaking into the Blood Gate, they really didn’t dare to act upon this impulse, yet at this moment, seeing the Stone Spirit Clan appear out of thin air and stand against the eight Great Kings, admiration and fury rose in their hearts.
They admired their courage, their lack of fear about angering the Divine Venerables afterwards, and were angry at these guys for being so foolish. These Monster Kings would also be inevitably punished because of the Stone Clan’s actions.
At this point, many Monster Kings looked at each other, wanting to rush and help out.
The entire Ancient Lands residents recognized the fact that the Stone Spirit Clan were extremely difficult to deal with. Although the eight Great Kings were strong, they may not be able to take on the entire Stone Spirit Clan alone.
Only if they worked together could they reign in the insolent Stone Spirit Clan.
“Great Kings, we have come to aid you,” a Monster King loudly shouted as he shot straight towards the battlefield with surging Monster Qi.
The pupils of the burly Great King, who was fighting Shi Yi, immediately contracted before he refused in a heavy voice, “No!”
The rushing Monster Kings abruptly halted with a confused look on his face. In the Ancient Lands, although the thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings were almost on par with each other, when it came to status, the Great Kings were obviously higher. Being the confidants of the four Divine Venerables, following them left and right, they could be regarded as the heralds of the Divine Venerables.
Under normal circumstances, their words were equivalent to the Divine Venerables’ words.
So as soon as the burly Great King spoke, no Monster King dared to disobey his order. However, they were all filled with doubt, wondering what the Great King meant.
“Continue to guard the periphery. Prevent anyone from coming to their aid. If anyone dares to rush over, kill them without mercy!” While guarding against Shi Yi’s earth-shattering-like attack, the burly Great King shouted.
“Yes!” The Monster Kings acknowledged the order, one after another, but the expressions on their faces were extremely strange.
Under normal circumstances, everyone should work together to deal with the Stone Spirit Clan as soon as possible; after all, the Blood Gate was very important and there was no room for any negligence. But now, the Great King was asking them to continue to guard the periphery, preventing them from intervening in the fight.
The eight Great Kings certainly couldn’t handle the Stone Spirit Clan alone.
The Monster Kings glanced at each other as doubts arose in their hearts, unable to understand whether this was the Great Kings’ own intention or the Divine Venerables’ orders.
If it was the Divine Venerables’ orders, it was quite possible as well; after all, the Divine Venerables had been wanting to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan for themselves. Unfortunately, each of these Stone Spirits was as dull and inflexible as a rock. The Divine Venerables had tried many times to convince them, but to no avail. This time might be an opportunity. It was just that, no matter how much the Great Kings wanted to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan, they would never take the matter of Blood Gate lightly.
“Huh!? There is also a Human over there. What’s he doing?” Suddenly, a Monster King noticed something and stared in Yang Kai’s direction.
Hearing this, the other Monster Kings focused their gaze in that direction as well, and what they saw next caused their faces to drastically change.
“That Human is cracking the Blood Gate seal!”
“What!? That’s absurd! What are the eight Sirs thinking? Why are they calmly watching that Human break the seal? Why aren’t they stopping him? If the Divine Venerables came to know about this, it’s going to be really horrible!”
“Oh, no! While the eight Sirs are stopped by the eight Stone Spirits, that Human is really acting outrageously!”
“What should we do?”
“What are you all fretting about? Maybe…the eight Sirs are deliberately allowing it?” A seemingly shrewd Monster King’s eyes suddenly flashed with an intelligent gleam.
Another Monster King turned his head and indifferently criticized, glancing at him, “Hu Li, you can eat anything you want, but you can’t say anything you think!”
The Monster King called Hu Li chuckled and stated, “This King just made a casual remark, that’s all, you brothers are free to ignore it.”
But some words can’t be ignored after they have been heard. The burly Great King stopped them from approaching the battlefield, and even asked them to continue to guard the perimeter. This made these Monster Kings suspicious, and after listening to Hu Li, their hearts were crazily shaken; they faintly felt that this was probably the truth of the matter.
All of a sudden, everyone Monster King felt their scalp tingle as a chill ran down their spine.
[The Eight Great Kings…are they planning to go against the Divine Venerables? If that’s the case, the entire Ancient Lands will probably descend into chaos!]
Thinking so, when they looked at the fiery battle again, many Monster Kings discovered that something wasn’t right. The battle might seem fierce at first glance, with the eight Great Kings and the Stone Spirit Clansmen trying their best to tear each other into pieces, attacking without holding anything back…
But when their attacks actually landed on their targets, no one received any injuries, not even a minor one.
This situation was obviously strange.
Hu Li narrowed his eyes again and asked in surprise, gazing in a certain direction, “Where did the four Divine Venerables go? Why is there no sign of them?”
He couldn’t sense the four mighty presences where they should have been.
Immediately a Monster King added, “I heard that the four Divine Venerables had left in a hurry after receiving a certain piece of news. I don’t know where they went.”
“Received a certain piece of news?” A surprised look flashed across Hu Li’s eyes, “What piece of news is more important than the Blood Gate that the four Divine Venerables left in a hurry?”
“I’m not clear about it either,” that Monster King shook his head.
“Interesting! Lure the tiger from the mountain and enter the tiger’s den taking advantage of its absence, burning one’s boat… I never knew the Stone Spirit Clan had such intelligence!” Hu Li softly smiled.
Although his voice wasn’t loud, the other Monster Kings heard him loud and clear. At this moment, how could the Monster Kings fail to notice that something underhanded was going on around the Blood Gate?
Suddenly, everyone’s mood became complicated. They were both anxious and worried.
Anxious because the Human had been cracking the seal for a long time, but there had been no result at all; it was simply a waste.
Worried because… if the four Divine Venerables returned, the battle at the Blood Gate would immediately end. Of course, the Stone Spirit Clan was pretty strong, but before the four Divine Venerables, they still weren’t strong enough. And once the battle was over, the Blood Gate’s seal couldn’t be cracked.
“What should we do now?” The Monster King, who had spoken before, approached Hu Li and asked in a low voice.
Other Monster Kings focused their gazes on Hu Li, one after another; they seemed to be ready to follow his lead.
Why wouldn’t they? Hu Li was the one gifted with the sharpest mind among all the Monster Kings. No matter how complicated the situation was, or what convoluted conspiracy was taking place, he could easily see through it.
This was also why he could be one of the thirty-two Monster Kings despite only being a Mid-Twelfth-Order Monster Race.
In the entire Ancient Wild Lands, only Hu Li wasn’t a peak Twelfth-Order Monster Race. In a one-on-one fight, other Monster Kings would not put him in their eyes, but when it came to schemes and trickery, the other thirty-one Monster Kings were not even in the same class as him.
At this delicate moment, all the Monster Kings naturally hoped that he could come up with something.
Hu Li smiled upon hearing this before he replied in a calm and composed manner, “Everyone is asking me what we should do, but who should I ask?”
A certain Monster King let out a cold snort and rebuked, “A straightforward person does not resort to insinuations. Hu Li, we are brothers who have shared life and death in the Ancient Lands for so many years. If you have something in mind, just lay it out in the open, no need to hide it.”
“Yes, Hu Li, now is not the time to play tricks.”
The group of Monster Kings stared fixedly at him, indicating that they wouldn’t let him go until he spoke.
Hu Li spread his hands and replied with a wry smile, “You really shouldn’t be asking me about this, it’s meaningless!”
As soon as he said this, the other Monster Kings looked unhappy and secretly felt that this sly guy wasn’t playing by the rules, making them somewhat angry.
Hu Li smiled again and added, “Didn’t Sir just order us to guard the perimeter and prevent anyone from approaching? We should just follow that order!”
His words seemed to imply something as the Monster Kings’ eyes lit up after hearing this.
One of the Monster Kings clenched his fist and palmed it hard, creating a loud thump as he declared, “Indeed, we only need to do what we are ordered. If the sky falls, there will naturally be someone above to hold it.”
“Yes, yes!”
After everything was clarified, all the Monster Kings finally relaxed. They stood in their spots, watching the fierce and extraordinary battle. From time to time, they would point and comment about the fight; all while feeling completely at ease and leisurely.
As Hu Li had just said, all of them were just following orders and guarding the periphery. Even if the Divine Venerables blamed them afterwards, they had their excuses ready. Only the eight Great Kings would be punished, it had nothing to do with them.
But if the Human broke the seal before the Divine Venerables returned…
At that time, all the Monster Kings and the Great Kings would definitely rush into the Blood Gate the first chance they got. No one would care about the Divine Venerables objections.
“The Stone Spirit Clan has made such big plans, so they must be quite confident in succeeding, yes?” Hu Li, standing among the Monster Kings, furrowed his brow as he stared towards Yang Kai. As far as he knew, ever since the Blood Gate Restricted Area had appeared, no one seemed to have been able to crack it. Generally, it was impossible to even get close to it. If it weren’t for the abnormal changes in the Blood Gate this time, perhaps the area within ten kilometres of it would have been an impassable barrier.
In the dense canopy of a towering big tree some distance away, a small head poked out. It was Zhang Ruo Xi, who was hiding there.
Her eyes widened as she looked ahead, noticing the battle in the vicinity of the Blood Gate and also seeing Yang Kai who was pushing his Emperor Qi madly while constantly moving the local Space Principles.
The situation seemed very dangerous, and from time to time, a fearsome Monster Race’s Secret Technique would brush past Yang Kai.
[Sir is in trouble!]
Ruo Xi felt anxious and her tender body flickered, ready to fly out to help Yang Kai.
If it was before, she would never dare to rush over like this no matter how much she wanted to, but now it was different. She had the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal in her hands that had millions of Monster Beast Souls sealed inside, including many at the Twelfth-Order. As such, Zhang Ruo Xi believed that with the help of this artifact, she would certainly be helpful.
Even the slightest force could have some effect as long as it could appear and contribute at the right moment.
But just as her figure rose up, she felt her ankle being tightly grabbed by someone before she was pulled back down.
After falling down on the trunk again, Ruo Xi angrily shouted, “Third Senior, what are you doing?”
The one to pull her down was none other than the Ice Heart Valley Third Elder, who was still with her. Had it not been for the Third Disciple helping her out with her strength and camouflaging ability, it would have been impossible for Zhang Ruo Xi to get this close.
After all, she was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm while right now, Mid Twelfth-Order Monster Race Masters could be found everywhere. Only the Third Disciple could bring Zhang Ruo Xi here without anyone noticing them with her mystical camouflaging technique.
The Third Disciple looked terrified seeing Zhang Ruo Xi angry, but she kept waving her hands as she pointed in the direction of the battlefield before bringing it back closer to her neck and sliding across it, at the same time, she also stretched her tongue out…
Ruo Xi grimly stated, “I know that it’s dangerous over there, and my life might even be in danger…but Sir is on that side. I need to help him.”
The Third Disciple grabbed Zhang Ruo Xi’s hands and shook her head like a rattle; it didn’t look like she was going to let her go.
Ruo Xi heaved a sigh and gently added, patting the back of Third Disciple’s hand, “Sir has taught and raised me. Ruo Xi has never gotten any chance to repay him for so many years of kindness. Now, Ruo Xi finally has some power to help Sir. I can’t keep watching from here. Senior, please let me go. Even if I die, Ruo Xi will never regret it!”
Who knows whether the Third Disciple understood her or not, but regardless, she tightly held Ruo Xi’s hand and wasn’t planning on letting it go.
“Third Senior, I will hate you if you keep this up!” Ruo Xi grew anxious.
The Third Disciples pursed her lips, grinning at her. Her teeth were white as jade, forming a sharp contrast with her dirty face.
…..
At the Blood Gate, Elder was waiting with a solemn look on his face. His hand on his cane nervously clenched.
Although the eight Great Kings had decided to cooperate after his persuasion, there were still thirty-two Monster Kings apart from the eight Great Kings. The thirty-two Monster Kings weren’t much weaker than the eight Great Kings.
If the thirty-two Monster Kings also rushed over, the Stone Spirit Clan might not be able to block them with their strength alone. At that time, all the Stone Spirits could only form a circle around Yang Kai, protecting him in the middle. They would then have to try to defend him as long as possible before withdrawing once there was no more hope.
But something happened that surprised him.
The thirty-two Monster Kings, who were rushing over, all stood at a distance after being ordered by the burly Great King, seemingly planning to enjoy the show with no intention of intervening in the fight.
[I guess…the temptation of the Blood Gate is pretty big.]
Elder knew the reason why the thirty-two Monster Kings were standing by. It wasn’t because the prestige of the burly Great King was extraordinarily high, nor was it because the Stone Spirit Clan was extremely strong, rather it was because they were also interested in the Blood Gate being opened. They hoped that the Stone Spirit Clan could break the seal on the Blood Gate, allowing them to reap the reward without doing anything.
Elder suddenly felt a burden lift off his shoulder. But soon, Elder secretly began worrying again.
In this situation, if Yang Kai could tear the space barrier and crack the Blood Gate seal, it was all fine and well. At that time, all the Monster Race Masters would move together and they would all charge straight into the Blood Gate.
But if Yang Kai failed…
Not to mention the Eight Great Kings would no longer hold themselves back, even the thirty-two Monster Kings would not let the Stone Spirit Clan go after being disappointed. At that time, nearly forty peak Twelfth-Order Masters would attack them together, and the Stone Spirit Clan would have no power to fight back!
Thinking of this, Elder’s expression turned serious and even his mood grew heavier.
“Elder!”
At this moment, Yang Kai suddenly shouted.
“Yes!” Elder hurriedly responded. As he turned his head to look, he noticed that the space around the Blood Gate was distorted but there were no signs of the seal breaking.
“Are you sure the painting you showed me was really a prophecy left by the Wood Spirit’s previous Matriarch at the cost of her remaining life?” Yang Kai kept moving his hands, but his face was darker than the bottom of a pot.
“Indeed, why? What’s wrong?” Elder felt a pang of guilt. Nevertheless, he answered very confidently, as if he didn’t know the meaning of lying.
“Is this Young Master really the one in the revelation?” Yang Kai continued asking.
Elder had a faint premonition in his heart as he forced himself to answer, “It must be so!”
“Prophecy my foot!” Yang Kai angrily shouted, “This damn seal, this Young Master can’t crack it!”
“Ah? How come!?” The Elder’s heart jumped, but how could he let Yang Kai back down, immediately persuading, “The Blood Gate seal is extraordinary and not that easy to crack. Honoured Guest, why don’t you try a bit more. There is no hurry.”
“It’s not a question of time,” Yang Kai heaved a sigh before withdrawing his hands, allowing the distorted space to stabilize once again. He then turned to the Elder and stated, “Everything I’ve tried is completely ineffective, I can’t even sense the spatial barrier, so how am I supposed to crack the seal? It’s futile to continue. Elder, I think we should withdraw, taking advantage of their cooperation. If we delay any longer, the four Divine Venerables might return.”
The Elder asked in surprise, “Weren’t those four lured away by Honoured Guest’s brilliant plan?”
Yang Kai stared at him with a sidelong glance as he replied, “They aren’t fools. They will definitely notice something is amiss, and once they do, they will immediately return. Three thousand kilometres is nothing to those four, and if we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to when they return.”
Elder sunk into silence. Although he knew that Yang Kai was right, he felt that it would be a shame to give up now since things had reached this point.
His face turned serious as he requested, “Guest, please step aside, let this Elder and Shi Jiu give it a try.”
Yang Kai knew that he was unwilling to give up, but he didn’t stop him either, instead just angrily stating, “The previous Wood Spirit Clan Matriarch has landed me in big trouble.”
Had it not been for the nine ancient paintings in the tree cave, Yang Kai would have never agreed to the Stone Spirit Clan’s request this easily. Because he really believed he might be the saviour of the two clans, he came to give it a try, but from the start, he was unable to do anything.
He couldn’t figure out why the last Wood Spirit Clan Matriarch left those nine paintings before she died. [The Human in those paintings is clearly me, but why can’t I open the Blood Gate?]
While he was filled with unwillingness, the Elder and Xiao Xiao were already giving out a war cry together.
Xiao Xiao, who was originally ten metres tall, swelled again as he became a fifteen metres tall stone giant.
And the Elder, who had always given the impression of being extremely old and feeble, looked like he had suddenly been given a second life. His rickety waist became completely straight as he turned into a stone giant that was taller than Xiao Xiao with cracking sounds. Not only that, but the layer of rocks on him was like an extra layer of muscles, filled with explosive power.
They looked at each other before Xiao Xiao raised the Heaven Shaking Pillar and smashed it down hard.
*Hong…*
A deafening clap immediately followed. The strike that was strong enough to destroy Heaven and shatter the Earth actually caused the Blood Gate to flicker a little, but very soon, it regained its calm.
As Xiao Xiao withdrew his Heaven Shaking Pillar, Elder punched straight at the Blood Gate.
Struck by the giant fist, a deafening clap rang as the Blood Gate shook, but it remained as strong as a sheet of iron.
*Hong hong hong…*
A series of deafening claps rang as Xiao Xiao and the Elder kept bombarding the Blood Gate one after another. The Stone Spirit Clan’s explosive power was being completely unleashed at this moment. Even if it was a thousand-metre tall mountain, these two could flatten it with just one blow, but the Blood Gate wasn’t showing any signs of breaking.
“That Human was unable to break the seal. Do they want to break it with brute force?” Hu Li, seeing what was happening now, had naturally guessed what the Stone Spirit Clan wanted to do.
“But it seems useless!” Another Monster King stated, furrowing his brow.
“The Stone Spirit Clan’s brute strength can be considered the strongest in the world. Even the Divine Spirits fall behind in that particular aspect. If they can’t break it, then the Blood Gate…”
The mood of the group of Monster Race Masters suddenly sank to the bottom, realizing that there was little hope of breaking the seal.
Before, they were filled with anticipation, looking forward to the moment the Blood Gate seal was broken, but at this moment, this anticipation had slowly turned into a deep disappointment.
The Monster Kings were only disappointed, but the eight Great Kings were also angry.
They had been putting on a show with the Stone Spirit Clan, turning a blind eye to their actions and allowing them to do whatever they wanted at the Blood Gate.
How could they have known that the Stone Spirit Clan would be unable to do anything at all? All their anticipation had gone to waste.
If the Divine Venerables found out about this later, they would definitely not be pardoned.
Furthermore, after such a big commotion, the Divine Venerables would definitely notice something soon and come to investigate.
*Hong…*
Another deafening clap rank as the Heaven Shaking Pillar in Xiao Xiao’s hands was reduced into fragments as its pieces flew in all directions.
The Heaven Shaking Pillar was something Yang Kai had obtained when he had ventured into the Emperor Garden on Shadowed Star. It had been Xiao Xiao’s weapon since then, but it finally broke today.
Xiao Xiao was shocked by the shattering of the Heaven Shaking Pillar.
Immediately afterwards, Elder’s punch was also unsuccessful, and a sliver of despair slowly appeared in his eyes.
“Elder, it’s time to leave,” Yang Kai, observing the eight Great Kings’ expressions and bearing, noticed that they were both becoming increasingly ugly. He secretly felt that their patience was reaching the limit, so he couldn’t help but urge.
The Elder didn’t answer, and kept punching at the Blood Gate with Xiao Xiao, giving rise to deafening claps.
“Elder!” Yang Kai shouted, “Where there is life, there is hope. If we don’t leave now, the Stone Spirit Clan will surely be annihilated today!”
This sentence finally woke the Elder from his daze, and he loosened his fist with a heavy look on his face, unwillingly shouting, “Let’s go!”
“You think you can come and go as you please? How can there be such an easy thing in the world!” The burly Great King’s voice turned colder as he attacked, showing no restraint this time. Terrifying Monster Qi surged from him as he punched straight at the Stone Spirit’s chest right before him.
The Stone Spirit had failed to react in time and was knocked back several dozen metres, flipping through the air.
The muscular Great King was extremely angry too. He felt that he had been tricked, so, naturally, he didn’t want the Stone Spirit Clan to leave so easily.
The same was true for the other seven Great Kings. Realizing that there was no hope of breaking the Blood Gate seal and the Stone Spirit Clan was now planning on escaping, the Great Kings no longer held themselves back and instantly brought out their full power. The Stone Spirit Clan immediately fell into a disadvantage and suffered a huge loss, retreating again and again.
However, the Stone Spirit Clan was not only inherently powerful, but they also had extremely strong and sturdy physiques. Unless their bodies were crushed into pieces, not only would they not die, but they would not suffer any injuries either.
After the burly Monster King knocked his opponent back, he shouted, “All Monster Kings, hear my order, the Stone Spirit Clan has trespassed the Blood Gate Restricted Area with sinister intentions. Under the Divine Venerables’ authority, they must all be taken down!”
As he pointed at the Stone Spirit Clan, the thirty-one Monster Kings who were enjoying the show nearby immediately lunged over like a pack of wolves, surrounding the Stone Spirit Clan in an instant.
Yang Kai’s heart sank as he realized that they were in big trouble. Eight Great Kings and thirty-one Monster Kings, that was thirty-nine peak Twelfth-Order Masters surrounding them. Even a Great Emperor might surrender before this powerful lineup.
*Weng weng weng…*
One after another, the Monster Kings unleashed fearsome auras that made the entire world feel like it was shaking. Bits and pieces of rocks on the ground slowly floated up from the ground, as if an invisible force was lifting them up.
“Why play with fire if you don’t have any protection!” Hu Li heaved a sigh and shook his head, his gaze sweeping through the ten stone giants before finally resting on Yang Kai, “Leave the Human to this King, you deal with the others.”
He only had a Mid Twelfth-Order cultivation, so he had no confidence to face a Stone Spirit head-on. On the other hand, he felt no pressure facing a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Human.
The burly Great King obviously knew what Hu Li’s plan was and just gave Yang Kai a cold glance before warning Hu Li, “Hu Li, you have to be careful with this Human, he is proficient in the Dao of Space.”
Hu Li was surprised as he murmured, “Dao of Space? Interesting!”
That being said, he still didn’t attach any importance to Yang Kai; after all, the gap between their cultivations was pretty wide.
The burly Great King’s face turned sullen as he coldly glared at Elder and proposed, “Elder, this King isn’t shedding all pretences of cordiality because of the respect I have for your old age. As long as you are willing to surrender without a fight, the Divine Venerables might leave a way out for you when they return, but if you remain stubborn, then this King will have no choice but to offend you.”
The Elder sighed and stated, “This Elder has taken Great King’s kindness to his heart, but my Stone Spirit Clan… will surrender to no one!”
“Not even to the Divine Venerables?” The stalwart Great King’s gaze turned colder.
The Elder shook his head in refusal.
The stalwart Great King lightly nodded before indifferently adding, “Since that’s the case…” He raised his hand high and swung it down hard, shouting a single word, “Attack!”
*Shua shua shua…*
Over thirty Monster King figures flickered as they charged straight at the Stone Spirit Clan wrapped in copious Monster Qi. In an instant, with the Elder in the lead, the Stone Spirit Clan let out war cries as they swung their enormous fists wrapped in unimaginably violent energy, greeting the oncoming the Monster Kings. Their punches seemed as if they could shatter this world.
How could the Monster Kings dare to take this strike head-on? All of them promptly cast their own unique techniques one after another, their figures fluttering as they dealt with the Stone Spirits using their numbers advantage and flexible movement skills.
*Hong hong hong…*
Deafening crashes rang one after another, accompanied by dazzling flashes of colourful lights. A shocking battle kicked off in an instant.
“Take Shi Jiu away! Preserve my Stone Spirit Clan’s bloodline!” Elder suddenly shouted as he swung the cane in his hand in a circle before smacking it down hard on the oncoming Monster King. Unfortunately, his blow was swiftly avoided.
Yang Kai knew that Elder was talking to him, but at this moment, how could he have any room to leave even if that was what he most wanted to do? If he was alone, he could indeed come and go freely, but if he wanted to take Xiao Xiao away, he would first need to put him into the Sealed World Bead.
However, Xiao Xiao seemed to have become completely engrossed in the heat of battle as he fought shoulder to shoulder with the other Stone Spirits. If he didn’t cooperate, Yang Kai couldn’t force him into the Sealed World Bead.
“Human, this King will be your opponent!” Suddenly, a figure flashed before his eyes. Yang Kai found that the Monster King named Hu Li had appeared before him, lightly sending a palm at him with a smile hanging on his lips.
“Scram!” Yang Kai too raised his palm and greeted him head-on.
“You are quite courageous!” Hu Li chuckled, feeling that this Human was really interesting. Much to his surprise, the Human actually dared to meet force with force despite the gap in their cultivation. Did this human boy simply lack real combat experience?
But very soon, the smile on Hu Li’s face turned stiff, because the moment their palms came in contact, he felt that the strength of his opponent’s palm was no weaker than his own. In fact, the force he felt seemed like it could crush his strike like it was smashing rotting wood. Not only that, but there were also mysterious spatial fluctuations around Yang Kai’s attack, which appeared to be tearing apart his palm.
Hu Li was shocked and quickly pulled back his arm, looking at Yang Kai in amazement. The contempt and indifference in his eyes had disappeared right away and was replaced with an extremely solemn look.
“Solidify!” As Yang Kai shouted, causing the local Space Principles to surge. Immediately after, the space around Hu Li became thick and viscous, making Hu Li feel like he had fallen into a swamp. Not only did it become hard for him to move his body freely, even circulating his strength became difficult.
Yang Kai waved his hand in a slashing motion, sending out an enormous jet-black Moon Blade that flew straight at Hu Li.
Hu Li’s face drastically changed as beads of cold sweat could be seen emerging on his forehead. He felt his limbs go cold and numb as goosebumps appeared all over his body. He desperately urged his own energy to escape like his life depended on it, but in the end, he could not summon sufficient strength due to the odd pressure he was under. Under the invisible shackles of the local Space Principles, he couldn’t avoid this blow at all.
In a hurry and left with no choice, he opened his mouth wide and spat out a white ball about the size of a quail egg. An extremely strange fragrance was wafting from this white ball.
Monster Core!
At the critical moment of life and death, Hu Li acted in an extremely decisive manner, spitting out his Monster Core that should not be easily revealed.
Suddenly, a thick defensive shield manifested in front of the spinning Monster Core.
*Hong…*
The enormous Moon Blade struck straight on the defensive shield and slowly began cutting through it, like it was trying to slice up an extremely resilient cloth, barely fraying the outer layer of protection!
At the same time, the Space Principle shackles around Hu Li also disappeared, and without any hesitation, he quickly collected his Monster Core and withdrew several dozen metres, putting distance between them. Finally, he had a breath of respite, a look of fear still lingering on his face.
He almost parted with his life just now for underestimating this Human. Had he not promptly and decisively used his Monster Core, he might have been split in half.
[Where did this Human…come from?]
“Hmm!?” On the other side, one of the eight Great Kings, who wasn’t participating in the fight, had a look of surprise flash past his eyes upon seeing this, amazed by Yang Kai’s astonishing strength.
But he also knew that the Monster King Hu Li’s combat power wasn’t that great and he mainly relied on schemes and trickery to secure his position, so he wasn’t too surprised and simply let out a cold snort as he took a step forward.
An afterimage remained where he originally stood, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived before Yang Kai.
Condescendingly looking down at Yang Kai, the Great King grabbed towards him. By the looks of his stance, it seemed as if he was trying to catch a chicken by its neck; he had a relaxed and free look on his face, indifferently mocking, “A trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master actually dares to be so presumptuous in the Ancient Lands? It seems that your Elders never told you about the dangers of the Ancient Lands. This is not a place where you Humans can move and do as you wish.”
A solemn look appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he rapidly formed hand seals, exuding a mysterious aura into the surroundings. Immediately, time itself seemed to have stopped passing.
The Great King felt that his own thoughts had suddenly stopped and a bright light flashed before his eyes before he saw Yang Kai’s palms being pressed towards him.
“Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
A murmur rang in the Great King’s ears. To everyone else, it looked like the Great King had been struck by a petrification technique and simply allowed a strange seal to hit him without defending himself.
Only once everything was over did the Great King snap back to his senses.
In a flash, his face drastically changed as he felt a terrifying energy creeping up his arm. He roared in shock and hurriedly retreated, promptly pushing all the Monster Qi in his body towards his arm to resist this terrifying encroachment.
When he looked down at his arm, the Great King’s eyes involuntarily bulged.
It looked as if his arm had aged by thousands of years and his vitality was rapidly being eaten away. His originally robust muscles had become weak and withered while even his bones felt creaky.
“What kind of energy is this!?” The Great King was shocked and confused, hurriedly pushing his Monster Qi to try to expel the foreign energy from his body.
But how could Yang Kai give him such a chance? Now that he had already dropped all pretences of cordiality with the Ancient Lands Monster Race, Yang Kai would fight to kill. In any case, anyone Monster Race Master he took down would relieve some pressure on the Stone Spirit Clan.
Yang Kai promptly summoned the Myriads Sword and flooded it with his Emperor Qi, condensing a hundred-metre-long dazzling sword light as he swung it down on the Great King.
If this blow found its mark, the Great King would be severely injured, if not dead. At least, he would temporarily lose his combat power.
In truth, the strength of this Great King had completely surpassed Yang Kai’s expectations. The Time Flies Seal had never once failed to defeat his enemies since Yang Kai began cultivating it, but to his surprise, this Great King actually freed himself from the Dao of Time’s interference at the most critical moment, rendering the Time Flies Seal ineffective; the most it did was injure his arm.
He proved his strength as a peak Twelfth-Order Masters in name and in fact. Yang Kai even suspected that if this Great King had been on guard beforehand, the Time Flies Seal would not even have landed.
A dazzling sword aura and a powerful Sword Intent was radiating from the Myriads Sword as a thick, nearly tangible Murderous Intent was emanating from Yang Kai.
“Human, you dare!” That burly Great King shouted. Yang Kai didn’t notice when this Master moved, but he had unexpectedly appeared between Yang Kai and the Great King who was struck by the Time Flies Seal. Without dodging or avoiding the oncoming attack, the burly Great King fiercely punched towards Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword.
First, the Monster King, Hu Li, was forced to retreat by Yang Kai, and now a Great King had been injured in a single move by him. If this Great King really lost his life under Yang Kai’s sword, a human’s sword, the Ancient Lands Monster Race would lose all face.
Even if they could kill Yang Kai later, they would inevitably be punished by the Divine Venerables.
How could the burly Great King watch Yang Kai continue showing off his strength unimpeded?
Before the burly Great King’s punch, the sword aura radiating from Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword shattered into pieces. Even Yang Kai himself lost his footing and was swept up by the wind pressure generated by his punch.
“Overconfident!” The burly Great King coldly snorted, his murderous intent flaring as he punched again. This looked like a simple, straight punch, without the slightest bit of fanciness, an attack that pursued only simplicity and power.
Regarding the Stone Spirit Clan, the burly Great King still wanted to subdue them and was unwilling to fight to the death with them unless it was a last resort, but as far Yang Kai was concerned, a Human…a trivial Human was nothing. He could kill him without any scruples!
Before the punch even reached Yang Kai, he could feel a piercing sensation all over his body due to the resulting pressure.
[Can’t block it!] Yang Kai instantly judged; there was too big of a gap between their cultivations.
He had just been able to injure a Great King-level Master because he had the element of surprise on his side and because his opponent had underestimated him. Great credit also belonged to the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Time Flies Seal. However, at this moment, the punch from the burly Great King was already upon him and he didn’t have the time to form another seal.
“Come out!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted, while at the same time, hurriedly retreating.
The next moment, an enormous stone giant appeared. This stone giant bore startling resemblance with the Stone Spirit Clan, but rather than raw aggression in its eyes, there was a sliver of shrewdness instead.
The Embodiment!
As soon as he appeared, the Embodiment swung his first, punching forward.
Before the blow of the burly Great King could even land on Yang Kai, a Stone Spirit had mysteriously appeared between them, causing the former’s brow to twitch and even causing him to question if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
But when he saw the oncoming punch, he knew this was no illusion.
It was too late to withdraw, so he could only grit his teeth and meet the Embodiment’s punch with his own.
*Hong…*
A deafening explosion reverberated, and in the aftermath, the Embodiment staggered back two steps while the burly Great King let out a groan as faint sounds of bones cracking came from his wrist before he was sent flying like a rag sack.
The six other Great Kings, who were watching from afar, were also dumbfounded at the sight of this.
They stood rooted on the spot, as if petrified. Their response was a little sluggish as if they had lost their wits. They were unable to accept the reality of this situation at all.
On the surface, the Human, who seemed the weakest, actually forced a Monster King to back away, then injured two Great Kings. Although the burly Great King wasn’t personally injured by him, the result of the battle was still shocking.
What the Monster Race Masters were unable to fathom though was where this Stone Spirit came from.
[Can’t the Stone Spirit Clan have no more than ten members? Wouldn’t a Stone Spirit born after there are already ten of them die prematurely? Counting this last Stone Spirit, the Stone Spirit Clan already has eleven clansmen! This has broken the myth that no more than ten Stone Spirits may walk the world at once.]
[This is horrible! If the Stone Spirit Clan can have more than ten members, which clan will be able to fight against them? These guys are crazy about fighting and each one of them is extremely terrifying once they fully mature!]
“Go and help them!” Yang Kai flew up and landed on the Embodiment’s shoulder, saying in a low voice as he turned his head and looked in Stone Spirit Clan’s direction. At the same time, he stretched his hand in a certain direction and opened his palm, as if he was summoning something to him.
Things weren’t looking good for the Stone Spirit Clan. Even if they were naturally born fighters, even if they didn’t know the meaning of exhaustion, even if they had endless strength, even if their bodies were extremely robust and sturdy, against Monster Kings three times their numbers, they would still be stretched and hard-pressed to hold their ground.
One by one, the Stone Spirits seemed to have gone mad. They wantonly punched left and right, but they were completely powerless against the strong and vigorous Monster Kings. On the contrary, the Monster Kings spread out and attacked them from multiple directions, leaving them with no choice but to chase their opponents while defending themselves.
Basically, every Stone Spirit was fighting three Monster Kings, but these Monster Kings were extremely cunning. They had divided their tasks and were cooperating with each other. Two of them would cooperate on the ground to contain the Stone Spirit’s attacks and movements, while the last one would hover up above and look for opportunities to send out devastating attacks.
The Stone Spirits might not have to worry about their lives for the time being, but if things went on like this, it was only a matter of time before they were suppressed.
Elder was obviously aware of this and a look of determination flashed across his eyes as he shouted, “Mu Na, assist me!”
Just as he said this, colourful rays of light suddenly emerged from his back. These rays of light gathered and stretched behind him, forming a pair of radiant wings.
Yang Kai stared in a daze for a moment, finally realizing how the Wood Spirits would provide help in this situation. These radiant wings should be the auxiliary support the Wood Spirits could give to the Stone Spirit Clan.
[No wonder I didn’t see any of the Wood Spirits when I summoned the Stone Spirits. No wonder the Wood Spirits joined us before we set off. It turns out that the two clans really share a symbiotic relationship that goes beyond simply sheltering and supporting one another.]
The biggest drawback the Stone Spirit Clan faced was that they couldn’t fly; it was related to their body structure, but the Wood Spirit Clan could give the Stone Spirits this ability.
*Shua shua shua…*
A pair of radiant wings suddenly emerged behind each Stone Spirit. As those wings fluttered, the Stone Spirits’ movements became nimbler and more flexible. It seemed as if these wings were natural extensions of their bodies, without the slightest bit of discord between them.
The Monster Kings’ faces sank as they rose into the air one after another, flanking back and forth, surrounding the Stone Spirits. By the looks of their stance, it seemed that they wouldn’t let them break through their line of defence.
The Great Kings watching the battle couldn’t sit still anymore when they saw this scene, their figures also rising up to help.
For a moment, the world lost its colour while the sun and moon lost their radiance. A terrifying and dazzling battle broke out mid-air as the collisions between various Principles and raw strength seemed like it would shatter and tear this stretch of the world asunder.
“What are you going to do?” Yang Kai’s face turned black as he asked, looking at his Embodiment. The battlefield had suddenly shifted to the sky, so the Embodiment couldn’t provide any assistance at all.
The Embodiment pursed his lips and stated, “I also have the assistance of the Wood Spirits.”
*Shua Shua…*
Suddenly, rays of light emerged behind him as a pair of wings stretched from his back. After rising from the ground, he shot straight into the air.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, realizing that his Embodiment had formed an agreement with the Wood Spirit before. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as he then swung the Myriads Sword forward and sternly shouted, “Kill!”
…..
A few thousand kilometres away from the Blood Gate, four figures were rushing back towards it as swiftly as the wind. At their current pace, it would not take them long to reach the battlefield.
Each of these four figures was radiating a fearsome aura, one that seemed as vast and deep as the sea. They were none other than the four Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands.
After having received Xie Wu Wei’s report, they had gone to investigate the appearance of the Mountains and Rivers Bell. When they arrived, they indeed found the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but unfortunately, no matter what they did, they were unable to collect it, let alone bring it away with them. The bell sat in a mountain valley, completely still, and none had any idea why it appeared there seemingly out of thin air.
The four Divine Venerables dared not underestimate the bell’s power to suppress Heaven and Earth.
Just when the four Divine Venerables were feeling helpless and frustrated, they suddenly noticed abnormal movements at the Blood Gate.
The distance of three thousand kilometres was not close, but it wasn’t far either. The perception of the four Divine Venerabeles was extremely keen while the battle at the Blood Gate was extraordinarily fierce, so it couldn’t remain hidden from their senses.
In a flash, the four knew that they had been lured into a trap.
Without a moment of hesitation, they immediately hurried back to the Blood Gate; after all, the Mountains and Rivers Bell couldn’t run away from here while there was room for mistakes at the Blood Gate.
Before they could rush back to the Blood Gate though, they felt a fearsome and shocking aura emerge from behind them. This aura was spreading over and actually made them have a feeling of suppression.
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Cang Guo abruptly turned his head before his figure came to an immediate stop. As expected, he saw a streak of light rushing over, reaching them in the blink of an eye.
Luan Feng, Fan Wu, and Shi Huo all had their faces drastically change as they dared not confront it head-on and hurriedly scattered to the sides.
*Xiu…*
The Mountains and Rivers Bell directly flew between the four Divine Venerables and shot straight ahead before disappearing from their sight in the blink of an eye.
“What’s going on?” Fear could be seen lingering on Shi Huo’s face. He thought that someone was going to use the Mountains and Rivers Bell to suppress them and was so frightened he almost used his Source Strength to attack.
But the Mountains and Rivers Bell actually flew straight ahead, ignoring them entirely. It was really confusing.
The other three Divine Venerables also looked confused.
Suddenly, something seemed to have clicked for Fan Wu and his face turned ashen and cold as he grit his teeth and stated, “The Mountains and Rivers Bell actually has a Master!”
Luan Feng’s pretty eyes were also filled with shock as she confirmed again, “You mean to say… its Master just summoned it?”
Fan Wu replied with a cold snort, “What other explanation could there be?”
Cang Guo’s face turned unsightly as he looked towards the Blood Gate and bitterly said, “Whoever it is that subdued the Mountains and Rivers Bell actually used it as bait to interfere with our business!”
Fan Wu added, “No matter who it is, his goal is definitely the Blood Gate. Let’s go!”
After having finished, he hurriedly shot off.
Luan Feng, Cang Guo, and Shi Huo glanced at each other before they hurriedly followed after him.
Several dozen kilometres behind them, Xie Wu Wei had a bitter look on his face as he saw the four Divine Venerables pick up their pace. His speed wasn’t as good as theirs, so he could only chase after them while eating their dust. Just now, when the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew over, he had seen it and naturally knew this was Yang Kai’s handiwork.
Deep down in his heart, he was already raining down curses on Yang Kai, but he also had no choice but to pray for his safety.
Now, he was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, so once Yang Kai died, he would definitely die along with him.
“Little brat, you better not have an accident and leave as soon as possible. The Divine Venerables are already returning,” Xie Wu Wei muttered under his breath.
At the Blood Gate, the crowd of Monster Race Masters were locked in a heated battle, with the Stone Spirits rushing left and right in a chaotic fashion. Nonetheless, they were unable to break through the line of defence and were trapped in this place.
In the end, the difference in numbers was too great, and with all the Monster Kings not holding back, the Stone Spirits were basically unable to escape.
At this moment, a streak of light suddenly came from nearby. Judging by its direction, it came from the centre of the battlefield.
The streak of light seemed to contain a terrifying aura. Wherever it passed through, the world started shaking.
“Human, go to hell!” The burly Great King, who was injured by the Embodiment, shouted as an enormous illusory phantom of a giant tiger appeared behind him, biting down at Yang Kai the next moment.
Having suffered a huge blow at Embodiment’s hands, he didn’t dare to get close and instead focused on killing this brat first.
At this moment, the Embodiment was blocked by another Monster King and was unable to support Yang Kai at all. Seeing the illusory enormous tiger pouncing at him, glaring, roaring and baring fangs at Yang Kai, the Embodiment instantly released the Heaven Devouring Domain, violently draining his opponent Monster King’s vitality.