“Serenity City?” An Ruo Yun’s expression changed after hearing this name and asked, “What happened?”
Serenity City might be unfamiliar to others, but to An Ruo Yun, it was like a thorn in her heart. In the past, Shi Tian He didn’t hesitate to disobey her and marry a man from Serenity City.
Shi Tian He’s figure trembled after hearing her question and she timidly looked at An Ruo Yun. Noticing that An Ruo Yun wasn’t looking at her, bitterness immediately filled her heart as she knew that her Honoured Master hadn’t forgiven her; otherwise, why hadn’t she summoned Shi Tian He and questioned her since she had seen her?
Yang Kai replied, smiling, “Speaking of which, it has something to do with Junior Sister An.”
An Ruo Yun thoughtfully looked at the pale Shi Tian He after hearing this. She maintained a stoic face, making it extremely hard to tell what was going through her mind.
“How does the matter of Serenity City have anything to do with Eldest Senior Sister? Senior Brother Yang, let’s hear the details,” Zhang Sun Ying curiously asked.
Yang Kai answered, “Junior Sister Ji Yao and I were resting at night in Serenity City a few days back. When we were about to leave the city, we ran into someone in disguise who wanted to leave Serenity City as well, but was being stopped by some people…”
He told everything that had transpired at Serenity City’s gate. He kept staring at An Ruo Yun while he was speaking, as if he was talking to her alone.
When she heard that Dong Hai completely ignored the century-long love between husband and wife, not only slandering Shi Tian He for stealing the Dong Family’s treasure but also expelling her from the Dong Family in public, the armrest on An Ruo Yun’s chair was crushed to dust.
Although An Ruo Yun had expelled Shi Tian He, she had raised her after all, so how could she let some Dong Family bully her Disciple like this?
What’s more, she knew Shi Tian He the best. How could it be possible for her to commit a lowly act like theft?
“Later, Junior Sister Ji Yao and I learned that the stealing of some precious family treasure was just false pretence while the root cause was that when Tian He learned that her Master Sect was in trouble, she wanted to return to the valley to render aid. But now, the Northern Territory is in turmoil and things don’t end well for anyone who has anything to do with Ice Heart Valley. As such, the Dong Family didn’t dare to let Tian He reveal her identity and pinned this crime on her to expel her from the Dong Family, so as to separate her from them lest they become implicated.”
Yang Kai continued, “Junior Sister Ji Yao and I ran into Tian He and finally came to know about Ice Heart Valley’s situation; after which, we rushed over as quickly as we could.”
After speaking, he picked up the cup of tea beside him and slowly took a sip.
“They went too far!” An Ruo Yun couldn’t hold it in anymore and smashed the other armrest with a smack.
In the main hall, many Ice Heart Valley disciples also looked angry.
For millennia, all the men of the Northern Territory had taken immense pride in being able to marry an Ice Heart Valley disciple, but now, when the dragon was in the shallow water and the tiger had come down to the plain, a mere Serenity City Dong Family dared to bully them.
An Ice Heart Valley disciple had married into the Dong Family as their matron, but in the end, she was expelled from the family in public, and her reputation was also smeared.
Ice Heart Valley’s disciples were fuming in anger.
“Tian He, come here!” An Ruo Yun raised her eyes and finally stared at Shi Tian He by Yang Kai’s side.
Shi Tian He’s tender figure fiercely trembled after hearing this. Her steps were shaky and she was having a hard time lifting her feet. Yu Dan even had to give her a little push and an encouraging look before Shi Tian He finally walked to An Ruo Yun and knelt down.
She didn’t say a word, just kept crying.
An Ruo Yun lifted her hand up high as she stared down angrily at her former Disciple. It seemed that she wanted to unleash a slap, but after a few tries, she couldn’t do it and instead stomped her foot as she dropped her arm.
After taking a deep breath and calming herself down, An Ruo Yun, “Unfilial Disciple, have you realized your mistake!”
Shi Tian He burst into tears and admitted, nodding, “Disciple has realized her mistake!”
An Ruo Yun stated with rage, “A hundred years ago, I advised you not to marry into the Dong Family because of that coincidental life-saving grace. There were many other ways to repay such kindness. There was no need to sacrifice your happiness! You sowed your fate yourself. Why do you humiliate yourself like this!?”
Shi Tian He, with her head touching the ground, kept prostrating and crying, “I ask Honoured Master to punish this unfilial disciple!”
An Ruo Yun stated with a cold face, “Don’t call me Honoured Master. You ceased to be my disciple a hundred years ago. You and I have already severed the ties of Master and Disciple. Everything you are facing is the result of your actions that day, whether it’s sour or bitter, you have to face it yourself. It has nothing to do with me, and neither does it have anything to do with Ice Heart Valley!”
“I beg Honoured Master to punish this unfilial disciple!” Shi Tian He weepingly begged.
An Ruo Yun angrily shouted, “You still dare to call me Honoured Master!”
Zhang Sun Yin couldn’t stand it anymore, standing up to intervene, “Eldest Senior Sister, please calm your anger. Although Tian He didn’t listen to you and disobeyed you in the past, she has suffered so much now. I believe she will never make the same mistake again. What’s more… She desperately tried to return to Ice Heart Valley when she heard that the Master Sect was in a difficult position. Can’t Eldest Senior Sister forgive her out of consideration for her will and loyalty?”
The other Junior Sisters also nodded one after another as they began to persuade her.
Upon seeing this, Yu Dan hurriedly walked forward and knelt down before An Ruo Yun and pleaded, “Honoured Master, please forgive Junior Sister Tian He this time.”
Zi Yu also came to An Ruo Yun’s front and begged, kneeling down, “Honoured Master, Junior Sister Tian He has already realized her mistake, please forgive her!”
Just like Shi Tian He, both of them were direct Disciples of An Ruo Yun, so they were qualified to intercede.
“You…” An Ruo Yun immediately became angry after seeing this, pointing at Yu Dan and Zi Yu as she grit her teeth and shouted, “Good, good, it seems your wings have hardened and now you are disobeying me while still daring to call me your Honoured Master.”
Yu Dan and Zi Yu’s tender figures trembled before they spoke in unison, “Honoured Master, please don’t be angry, Disciple wouldn’t dare.”
“Since you dared not, then quickly stand up,” An Ruo Yun angrily ordered.
Yu Dan and Zi Yu glanced at each other before pleading in unison again, “Honoured Master, please forgive Junior Sister Tian He.”
“You dare bargain with me!?” An Ruo Yun was completely incensed.
“Enough!” Bing Yun suddenly intervened.
As soon as she spoke, everyone immediately fell silent.
Bing Yun looked around before finally gazing straight at the prostrating Shi Tian He, who had her head touching the ground all the while, “Your name is Shi Tian He?”
Shi Tian He hurriedly turned around and replied, suppressing her cries, “Disciple Shi Tian He, greets Ancestral Founder!”
“En!” Bing Yun lightly nodded before pondering for a while and continuing, “Since you disobeyed your Honoured Master a hundred years ago and were expelled from the Sect for this crime, logically speaking, you are no longer a part of my Ice Heart Valley. Your life and death has nothing to do with us…”
Shi Tian He’s figure trembled after hearing this, falling into despair.
Bing Yun immediately continued, however, “But since your heart was still with the Master Sect and you risked your life to come to its defence, this Queen will give you a chance!”
She Tian He hurried asked, “This disciple earnestly requests for Ancestral Founder’s instructions!”
Bing Yun smiled and explained, “This Queen will take charge of this matter and admit you back into Ice Heart Valley. But…whether you can worship back under your Honoured Master or not will depend on your future performance.”
Shi Tian He looked up, looking at Bing Yun with pleasant surprise and gratitude, but very soon, she turned her head and said in a bitter voice, nervously looking at An Ruo Yun, “Since Honoured Master disagrees, this disciple doesn’t dare to return to Ice Heart Valley.”
Bing Yun smiled and added, “Your Honoured Master is my Disciple, since this Queen has given her order, how would she dare to disagree. Ruo Yun, what do you say?”
An Ruo Yun glanced at Bing Yun before she bowed and stated, “Disciple will follow Master’s order!”
After she finished speaking, she looked back at Shi Tian He and ordered, “Why are you still on your knees? Quickly thank Ancestral Founder!”
Shi Tian He was startled but she hurriedly composed herself and kowtowed, “Many thanks for your magnanimity, Ancestral Founder.”
After thanking Bing Yun, Shi Tian He finally stood up, her face beaming with happiness, but tears still flowing out of the corners of her eyes.
An Ruo Yun angrily rebuked, “Are you still going to embarrass yourself?”
While speaking, she threw a handkerchief to Shi Tian He.
Shi Tian He caught it but didn’t use it to wipe her tears, instead just clenching it tightly and using her sleeve to dry her eyes. Zi Yu and Yu Dan stood back up as well and couldn’t help but smile as they exchanged a glance.
“From now on, you will cultivate by Zi Yu’s side. Don’t worry about the Dong Family. After we have settled things here, I will personally go and uphold justice for you!” An Ruo Yun stated in a cold voice.
As soon as she proclaimed this, Shi Tian He knew that she was still in her Honoured Master’s heart. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said anything about seeking justice for her.
She shook her head and stated, “Honoured Master, the Dong Family doesn’t exist anymore…”
“Doesn’t exist!” An Ruo Yun’s pretty eyes flickered with a cold gleam as she coldly snorted, “They were let off too easily, but if that’s the case, so be it. From now on, you will peacefully stay in the valley. If you commit another mistake in the future, you will not be forgiven!”
“Yes!” Shi Tian He respectfully replied.
“Congratulations Senior Bing Yun for reuniting with your disciple, congratulations Junior Sister An for reuniting with your disciple,” Yang Kai, who had been drinking tea all the while, seeing that things had settled down, finally smiled and congratulated, cupping his fists.
Bing Yun smiled and said, “It’s thanks to you. Speaking of which… several major events involving my Ice Heart Valley are connected with you. It seems that there is an inexplicable relationship between you and I.”
She was able to escape from the Solitary Void Sealed World and return to Ice Heart Valley mainly because of Yang Kai, and now, Ji Yao and Shi Tian He had returned thanks to him. If this wasn’t fate, then what was it?
“Just some chances and coincidences,” Yang Kai smiled. Immediately though, he turned serious and asked, “Senior, Junior Sister Ji Yao and I have just heard some rumours outside and are not that clear about Ice Heart Valley’s exact situation. Senior, could you please elaborate?”
When Yang Kai brought this up, everyone turned serious as Bing Yun asked, “What do you want to know?”
Yang Kai replied, “Seeking Passion Sect and Ice Heart Valley should be on par with each other in terms of strength, so how were they able to force Ice Heart Valley into this precarious position?”
Bing Yun replied with a sigh, “The two Sects were indeed almost on par with each other, but half a year ago, Seeking Passion Sect’s Vice Sect Master suddenly broke through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm. With Feng Xuan and him teaming up, this Queen wasn’t their match. In addition, my Ice Heart Valley has always been somewhat isolated from the world and never formed close ties with other Sects while Seeking Passion Sect has actively recruited many from their subordinates and outside forces. It has been difficult for my Ice Heart Valley to reverse such momentum, leading to us retreating to the valley to seek shelter behind our Sect Defending Array.”
“Seeking Passion Sect’s Vice Sect Master?” Yang Kai was taken aback. A figure flashed in his mind as he quickly cried out, “Yao Zhuo?”
Bing Yun confirmed, nodding, “That’s right, him!”
Ji Yao, who had been silent all the while, curiously asked, “You know Yao Zhuo?”
Yang Kai nodded, “When I came to Ice Heart Valley last, I had some interactions with him.”
Last time he came to Ice Heart Valley, he just happened to arrive for the marriage between Seeking Passion Sect and Ice Heart Valley. Seeking Passion Sect’s Young Sect Master, Feng Xi, had fallen in love with Zi Yu and tried every means to obtain her. Ice Heart Valley was forced to agree to the marriage under that pressure.
It was Yao Zhuo, who brought Feng Xi to Ice Heart Valley to greet the relatives.
At that time, Yao Zhuo was in the Second-Order Emperor Realm while Yang Kai was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. There was a huge gap in their strength.
But Yao Zhuo was still injured by the Emperor Authority Bead gifted by Bing Yun to Yang Kai.
Later, Yang Kai even snatched Yao Zhuo’s ring. In that Space Ring were the gifts prepared by Seeking Passion Sect for the wedding, allowing Yang Kai to make a fortune from it.
This happened only a few years ago, so Yang Kai remembered it very vividly. So, when Bing Yun mentioned Seeking Passion Sect’s Vice Sect Master, he of course recalled Yao Zhuo.
On another side, Zhang Sun Yin’s lips moved up and down as she informed Ji Yao about what happened a few years back via Divine Sense Message.
Ji Yao was speechless after hearing the full story and suddenly realized that Yang Kai was an out and out robber. A few years back, he had snatched the Space Ring of a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master when he was just in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, and during his time in the Ancient Wild Lands, he had extorted a lot of wealth from the three remaining Divine Venerables.
He was nothing less than a natural-born thief.
“How did Yao Zhuo suddenly advance to the Third-Order Emperor Realm?” Yang Kai slightly frowned.
Although Yao Zhuo was in the Second-Order Emperor Realm a few years back, breakthroughs, especially in the Emperor Realm, were incredibly difficult, often requiring hundreds, if not thousands of years of effort.
Yet Yao Zhuo had made such quick progress in his cultivation in such a short period of time.
Bing Yun replied, shaking her head, “I also have no idea. Perhaps he came upon some opportunity and made a sudden breakthrough.” She sighed and continued, “Originally, my Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect were indeed well-matched in strength, but since Yao Zhou’s breakthrough to the Third-Order Emperor Realm, that balance was broken. I am not a match for Feng Xuan and Yao Zhuo together, so naturally Ice Heart Valley was quickly suppressed. Coupled with those recruited by Seeking Passion Sect, Ice Heart Valley has fallen into an absolute disadvantage.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgment as he asked, “Then what is Senior planning? You couldn’t be thinking of hiding in the valley forever?”
Bing Yun denied, shaking her head, “I have no plans for the time being. I can only rely on the Sect Defending Array to guard the Sect for the time being.”
“The Sect Defending Array won’t last for much longer,” Yang Kai quickly said.
“Why do you say so?” Bing Yun was taken aback.
Yang Kai explained, “Junior Sister Yao and I ran into a patrol outside Ice Heart Valley upon our return, and according to him, Seeking Passion Sect has invited someone named Grandmaster Nanmen who happens to be proficient in cracking Spirit Arrays. Senior, have you heard of this individual?”
“Grandmaster Nanmen…” Bing Yun furrowed her brow slightly.
An Ruo Yun, on the other hand, cried out in shock, “Nanmen Da Jun!?”
Sun Yun Xiu and Zhang Sun Ying’s pretty faces also turned pale; apparently, they knew about this Grandmaster Nanmen.
Bing Yun cast a questioning gaze at An Ruo Yun, who hurriedly replied, “Honoured Master, Nanmen Da Jun is indeed an Array Master and is a famous figure in the Northern Territory. He is very accomplished in the Dao of Arrays.”
Bing Yun’s pretty face sank as she asked, “What is his background? Does he have a connection with the Seeking Passion Sect?”
She had left the Northern Territory for too long, so she had not heard of Nanmen Da Jun.
An Ruo Yun replied, “He should have nothing to do with the Seeking Passion Sect. As far as this Disciple knows, Nanmen Da Jun was just a commoner who obtained an ancient inheritance related to Spirit Arrays in the past. He is self-taught and does not belong to any Sect or Family. Apparently, because he had suffered greatly and was bullied a lot in his youth, he now only believes in money, not loyalty or people. As long as he is paid well enough, anyone can hire him.”
Sun Yun Xiu agreed, nodding, “But Nanmen Da Jun has always been a hidden dragon, only showing his tail but never his face. I never thought that Seeking Passion Sect could actually find him. They must have paid quite a hefty price.”
Bing Yun also turned serious as she asked, “Yang Kai, is this news true?”
Yang Kai replied, “I have only heard from an outside source. Whether it’s true or not, Senior should just ask herself.”
Saying so, Yang Kai kicked Fang Ming Hui, who was lying on the ground, and stated, coldly snorting, “Get up, if you keep pretending to be dead, I will really kill you!”
Fang Ming Hui, who seemed unconscious, immediately got up with a jolt. His face was pale as he cupped his fasts and greeted, “Greetings, Senior Bing Yun, greetings, beautiful Seniors, this lowly one is Fang Ming Hui, a member of Jade City’s Fang Family. I have nothing to do with Seeking Passion Sect, Seniors, please understand!”
He had woken at some point and had obviously heard most of the conversation, so he knew that the one sitting before him was Bing Yun.
“Did I ask you this? Did I ask you to say this?” Yang Kai went up and started kicking and punching him. While beating him black and blue, he stated, “If you dare to speak more nonsense, I will tear you into ten thousand pieces.”
Fang Ming Hui didn’t even try to protect himself and obediently took the beating, pleading with a crying face, “Sir, I will speak whatever you want me to speak!”
Yang Kai snorted, “Senior Bing Yun has some questions to ask you, honestly answer her; otherwise, you will regret it.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Fang Ming Hui repeatedly nodded.
Although he had known that his Fang Family’s disciples had all been killed, he couldn’t even think of taking revenge at this moment. Who asked him to be weak, who asked him to actively take part in a battle between two top Sects?
Bing Yun, looking at Fang Ming Hui, asked, “What’s this about Nanmen Da Jun?”
Fang Ming Hui replied, grimacing, “Senior, I am also not that clear about it. This lowly one had just heard a rumour from someone he knows that Sect Master Feng Xuan… I mean, that old bastard Feng Xuan invited Grandmaster Nanmen, who began researching methods to break the Sect Defending Array upon arrival. Supposedly he claimed to need half a month to a month to find an appropriate method. Once the Array was broken, at that time, the hundred thousand cultivators gathered outside will charge into Ice Heart Valley and flatten it.”
“Is that everything you know?” Bing Yun furrowed her brow.
Fang Ming Hui replied, “Senior, please understand! My Fang Family isn’t a strong force and although we have taken refuge with the Seeking Passion Sect, we were only responsible for patrolling the periphery. We really don’t know about such confidential matters, nor have we done anything despicable to Ice Heart Valley.”
Yang Kai added, “He also said that the Seeking Passion Sect had issued a Recruitment Order, promising many benefits to anyone who joined their crusade.”
“I already know about this,” Bing Yun nodded, “Otherwise how could Seeking Passion Sect alone have gathered a hundred thousand people?”
Ice Heart Valley’s disciples numbered less than ten thousand at its peak, and after fighting various big and small battles over the last few years, their numbers had dropped to just around seven thousand. Seven thousand vs a hundred thousand was a difference in numbers that could send anyone in despair, not to mention that the Seeking Passion Sect has also recruited many Masters, while also possessing two Third-Order Emperors.”
Once the Sect Defending Array was broken, Ice Heart Valley would surely fall, and at that time, perhaps only a few disciples would be able to escape with their lives.
The situation was so severe that a gloomy atmosphere filled the hall.
They thought that with the Sect Defending Array, the Seeking Passion Sect could only stare at them but not deliver a fatal blow, but now they came to realize that it was just wishful thinking on their part.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before speaking, “Ice Heart Valley is in this predicament because of me. If I were to…”
Feng Xuan didn’t hesitate to start a war between the two Sects, ignoring the general situation of the Northern Territory, because he wanted to avenge his son, Feng Xi, while it was Yang Kai who killed Feng Xi. Yang Kai felt that if he took the initiative to show his face, he should be able to lure Seeking Passion Sect away. At that time, the danger Ice Heart Valley was facing might be resolved without even needing to fight.
“Impossible!” Before he could finish his sentence though, Bing Yun refuted, shaking her head.
An Ruo Yun, Sun Yun Xiu, Zhang Sun Ying and the others also began to dissuade him.
Bing Yun continued to explain, “Although you may have been the spark that started this conflict, Feng Xuan’s Seeking Passion Sect has been eyeing my Ice Heart Valley since long ago. You also know all about Seeking Passion Sect’s Seeking Passion Supreme Art, and how many Seeking Passion Sect disciples have been cultivating it. On the other hand, my Ice Heart Valley’s disciples are all talented and beautiful, making them the best furnaces to cultivate their Secret Art. Therefore, even if you surrendered yourself to them, Seeking Passion Sect would not stop. Since the things had reached this point, they will settle for nothing less than the total destruction of Ice Heart Valley.”
What she said made sense, drawing a sigh from Yang Kai’s lips.
Bing Yun stood up at that point and said, “Although my Ice Heart Valley is now in dire straits, the Seeking Passion Sect won’t be able to destroy us so easily. Yang Kai, you need not worry about this issue. Since you are here now, stay a few days to rest. Zi Yu, take your Martial Uncle Yang to an appropriate accommodation.”
“Yes!” Zi Yu answered, turning to Yang Kai and saying, “Uncle Yang, this way please.”
Yang Kai nodded, knowing that Bing Yun and the others still had matters to discuss, and that it wouldn’t be appropriate for an outsider like him to be present, he obediently followed Zi Yu.
Leaving the main hall, the beautiful scenery in Ice Heart Valley came into view.
After walking for a while, Zi Yu suddenly pursed her lips and said with a smile, “It was Senior Brother a few years ago, but now it’s Martial Uncle.”
Yang Kai was startled, but soon laughed and said, “If Sister Zi Yu doesn’t mind, let’s speak casually to each other like before.”
When the two met a few years ago, Yang Kai referred to Zi Yu as Junior Sister, but now Bing Yun’s words had raised him a generation higher.
But this was not surprising. Yang Kai got along well with Ji Yao, as if they belonged to the same generation, so with Zi Yu being Ji Yao’s Junior, it was only appropriate that she address him as Martial Uncle now.
Zi Yu shook her head immediately and replied, “I’m afraid I cannot agree to that. If Ancestral Founder were to hear about such disrespectful behaviour, I would certainly be punished.” After a pause, she continued, “Right, I also want to thank Martial Uncle Yang for his assistance in the Shattered Star Sea. If not for Martial Uncle Yang leading those bastards away, Zi Yu is afraid that she wouldn’t have been able to break through so smoothly.”
“It was just a small matter, no need to worry about it,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
The two of them continued chatting until they arrived at a small, exquisite courtyard decorated with red plum trees and snow frost lotuses.
“Martial Uncle Yang, there is no need for you to be polite when you come to Ice Heart Valley, just call if you have any instructions,” Zi Yu showed Yang Kai into the courtyard and said.
“Good, you can return, I’ll be fine here,” Yang Kai nodded.
Zi Yu bowed politely before taking her leave.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked around the courtyard before opening the door to a certain hut, entering, and sitting down cross-legged to meditate and cultivate.
Liu Xian Yun arrived a few moments later.
She and Yang Kai arrived at the Star Boundary together. Although they were from different Star Fields, the Senior Brother and Junior Sister had supported each other in the Blue Feather Sect for a brief period of time. They also went through difficult times together in the Solitary Void Sealed World, forming a firm relationship.
After leaving the Solitary Void Sealed World, Liu Xian Yun stayed in Ice Heart Valley, which was excellent for her.
She did not come to see Yang Kai for any specific matter, it was just that she did not see him for a few years and missed him.
After a long chat, Yang Kai learned that life was great for her and that she had officially become Bing Yun’s Disciple.
She was absolutely qualified for such an honour; after all, she was like Yang Kai, a cultivator who ascended from a lower Star Field. Back then, in the Grand Desolation Star Field, her aptitude was no worse than Yin Le Sheng’s; however, due to her inferior background and heritage, she was forced into a subordinate position.
If Yin Le Sheng could join the Netherworld Sect and become a Legacy Disciple of its Sect Master, Liu Xian Yun could naturally achieve a similar height.
Over all these years, her impeded progress in cultivation was due to her tough life and insufficiency of resources.
Now that she had become a disciple of Bing Yun, with abundant cultivation resources and excellent teachers, her potential had begun to blossom. In just a few years, she had broken through to the Second-Order Dao Source Realm and was well on her way to becoming a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. Although her cultivation as a Martial Aunt was inferior to many of her Martial Nephews and Nieces, her future was bright.
She got along well with her Martial Sisters in Ice Heart Valley, and she made this place her home.
Knowing this, Yang Kai was relieved.
Later on, Liu Xian Yun asked about Yang Kai’s life over the past few years.
There was nothing much for him to say. He spent most of the past few years in the Shattered Star Sea, and after leaving it, he rushed to the Eastern Territory’s Ancient Wild Lands without stopping to find Xiao Xiao, meeting the Four Great Divine Venerables in the process.
Yang Kai picked a few of the tamer stories to tell, hiding the dangerous points, but Liu Xian Yun still listened with great enthusiasm as he described his amazing adventures. She felt that Yang Kai’s life was always so wonderful and thrilling.
“Right, Junior Sister, I have a gift for you,” Yang Kai abruptly seemed to remember something.
“What is it?” Liu Xian Yun asked curiously.
Yang Kai grinned, “Just relax and don’t resist.”
After hearing this, Liu Xian Yun gently nodded and took a deep breath, lowering her guard completely as she even closed her eyes.
She was completely defenceless against Yang Kai at this moment. In other words, if Yang Kai intended to harm her, she could be instantly killed.
If she did not have absolute trust in Yang Kai, she would not act like this.
After searching in the Small Sealed World for a while, Yang Kai flipped his hand and a cluster of dim light appeared on his palm. The light actually released a familiar Source aura with its emergence. Looking closely, the cluster of light seemed to be filled with stars in it, like a starry night shrunk down countless times.
In a moment of suspicion, Liu Xian Yun quickly opened her eyes.
She was stunned at the object on Yang Kai’s hand, and questioned curiously, “Senior Brother Yang, what is that?”
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “A Star Source!”
“Star Source?” Liu Xian Yun’s tender body trembled in astonishment.
She naturally knew what a Star Source was since she was from the Grand Desolation Star Field. A Star Source was the core, foundation, and life of a Cultivation Star. Such a vibrant Star Source could only be born by a Cultivation Star after millions of years, and without one, a Star would degrade into a Dead Star.
One could only become a Star Master by refining the Star Source of a Cultivation Star in a Star Field.
But it was not easy to become a Star Master. Even a Third-Order Origin King could not guarantee their safety when attempting the refinement process. Among the countless Star Fields, there was an enormous number of Origin Kings who had died trying to refine a Star Source.
Back then, there were only a few Star Masters in the entire Grand Desolation Star Field, with Yin Le Sheng being one of them.
Liu Xian Yun had thought of becoming a Star Master by refining the Source Strength of a Star in the Grand Desolation Star Field before, but unfortunately, the Netherworld Sect was in control of everything in the Grand Desolation Star Field, so she did not have a chance to refine one.
Only after reaching the Star Boundary did she realize how rare and important Star Sources were, and that it was almost impossible for ordinary people to catch a glimpse of one.
She thought that it would be impossible for her to come across a Star Source in her lifetime; but contrary to her expectations, there was one in front of her now.
“Is… Is this from the Shattered Star Sea?” Liu Xian Yun asked in a trembling voice.
“En!” Yang Kai nodded.
He had gained a lot of benefits from the Shattered Star Sea, including comprehending the Time Flies Seal, obtaining the Phoenix True Fire and the Mountains and Rivers Bell, and witnessing the battle between the two Great Emperors, Bustling World and Heaven Devouring… A number of Star Sources were also among his gains.
“No, no, no, this is far too precious, I cannot accept it!” Liu Xian Yun rapidly rejected with her head shaking and her hands waving.
Yang Kai beamed, “Why not? It’s just a Star Source. You and I have known each other for so many years already, and now that your Senior Brother is quite successful in cultivation, he can afford to give you some small gifts. Why reject me?”
Although her desire was piqued, Liu Xian Yun still firmly shook her head, “Senior Brother Yang, if you give me other gifts, Junior Sister wouldn’t reject you, but a Star Source… Is something I cannot accept. You should refine it yourself. Once you successfully refine it, your efficiency in cultivation would definitely increase tremendously. It’s said that those cultivators who have refined Star Sources have a great affinity with World Principles!”
“Of course I know about that, but I am already a Star Master, remember?” Yang Kai chuckled softly.
His identity as a Star Master was revealed to Liu Xian Yun during their first encounter in the Starlight Corridor. He had a complete Star Source in his body since long ago and that was one of the reasons his cultivation speed had been so fast through these years.
“I know Senior Brother has one, but you can refine a second one still. Although the effect would not be as good as the first, it would still certainly help you,” Liu Xian Yun insisted.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Since I already planned to give it to you, I won’t take it back. Moreover, I have plenty of Star Sources!”
“Plenty…” Liu Xian Yun was dumbstruck, barely believing her ears.
She knew that Yang Kai had gone to the Shattered Star Sea and had even heard Zi Yu mention that at the Source Sea in the Shattered Star Sea, many Masters obtained complete Star Sources. At most though, one could obtain three or four complete Star Sources. Therefore, she thought Yang Kai was trying to comfort her by telling her that he had plenty of Star Sources.
Little did she know that in fact, Yang Kai did not just have three to four Star Source, but as many as thirty or forty.
The other complete Star Sources were all stored in the Sealed World Bead. Yang Kai had his own plans in using these complete Star Sources, but it did not hurt him to give one to Liu Xian Yun.
“Here!” While speaking, Yang Kai directly pushed the Star Source in his hand towards Liu Xian Yun, using his Star Refining Art to begin fusing it with her before she could react.
Liu Xian Yun moaned as she felt a little uncomfortable.
It was not easy to refine a Star Source. For those cultivators who snatched the Star Sources in the Shattered Star Sea, they temporarily sealed them in their own bodies and suppressed them with their cultivation, planning to slowly refine them once they returned to their Sects. As for whether they could succeed, that was up to chance.
During the process, they might suffer backlash from the rich Source Strength, possibly resulting in their death. It was not uncommon for their bodies to explode from the immense Source Strength they were trying to refine or from the swirling World Principles it would attract.
“I’m going to teach you a Secret Technique now, so listen carefully. With the aid of this Secret Technique, you can refine this Source easily and will not experience any danger,” Yang Kai remarked seriously.
Liu Xian Yun knew that at this point, she could not reject it anymore, so she immediately sat down and listened to him intently.
Yang Kai passed the Star Refining Art to Liu Xian Yun next while also instructing her to keep its existence a secret. Naturally, Liu Xian Yun complied.
It took more than half a day for Liu Xian Yun to memorize the Star Refining Art before she got up and declared, “Senior Brother Yang, I’ll go back to refine this Star Source now. If you need anything, just ask the disciples standing by outside.”
“I know, good luck,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
After sending Liu Xian Yun off, Yang Kai went back to his room and sat down cross-legged while taking out some Source Crystals to cultivate.
On the third day, he suddenly opened his eyes and called out, “Enter.”
Soon, the sound of light footsteps was heard, and the door was pushed open. A beautiful looking female disciple greeted, “Martial Uncle Yang, what can I do for you?”
Yang Kai answered, “I want to see Senior Bing Yun.”
“Please follow me, Martial Uncle Yang.” The disciple immediately led the way.
Yang Kai was not just a guest in Ice Heart Valley, but rather their closest friend. A general order had been given that no matter what Yang Kai required, the disciples had to fulfil his needs.
He did not even need to formally request an audience in order to see Bing Yun.
Soon, under the guidance of the female disciple, Yang Kai came to the front of a grand palace.
Just as he arrived, Bing Yun’s voice echoed from the inner hall, “Is it Yang Kai? Come in.”
Obviously, she had sensed his presence.
The female disciple gestured to Yang Kai to enter. After nodding, Yang Kai stepped inside.
This palace should be the place where Bing Yun cultivated in seclusion. The decorations inside were not luxurious, but they were clean and pure.
As Yang Kai walked in, Bing Yun also entered from her inner room, followed closely by Ji Yao.
When he met eyes with Ji Yao, Yang Kai could not help feeling guilty, forcing himself to smile but only receiving an emotionless stare from her, one that hid all her thoughts and feelings.
“Greetings, Senior,” Yang Kai cupped his fist as he saluted Bing Yun.
Bing Yun smiled lightly, “Have a seat.” She then turned to Ji Yao, “Yao’er, tea.”
“Yes!” Ji Yao swiftly prepared the tea.
Yang Kai sat down with an uncomfortable expression.
He did not expect Ji Yao to be here, but on second thought, both Master and Disciple had finally reunited after not seeing each other for thousands of years, so it was natural that Ji Yao would stay close to Bing Yun and fulfil her filial duties.
With a quick effort, two steaming cups of tea were ready. Ji Yao served Bing Yun the first cup of tea, then put down another cup beside Yang Kai, “Senior Brother Yang, have some tea.”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai nodded in appreciation.
He really did not understand what was going on in Ji Yao’s mind and wondered if she would retaliate against him in the future. However, he could not sense anything from her expressionless face while her treatment towards him was akin to how one would treat a total stranger, with no enthusiasm, quite unlike in the past.
“I apologize, I have been busy with the foreign enemies lately and haven’t had time to see you. Are you accustomed to living in the valley?” Bing Yun asked.
“Yes, I am…” Yang Kai kept nodding his head, “Ice Heart Valley has great people and beautiful scenery. There is nothing uncomfortable about this place.”
“That’s good,” Bing Yun smiled lightly before suddenly declaring solemnly, “But you won’t be staying long, I will personally send you out of here in two days.”
Startled, Yang Kai asked, “Is Senior planning to face the Seeking Passion Sect in a final decisive battle?”
Bing Yun gave a nod, “They are already right at our doorstep, and we, Ice Heart Valley, have no choice but to fight.”
“Is there any chance of winning?” Yang Kai questioned in a heavy tone.
Bing Yun shook her head, “No, but it won’t be easy for them to destroy my Ice Heart Valley. Yang Kai, as we speak about this matter, I still have a favour to ask.”
Yang Kai urged her solemnly, “Senior, ask away.”
Bing Yun sighed, “I established Ice Heart Valley thousands of years ago, but now that its safety is in jeopardy, I hope to preserve its foundation somehow. When I send you away, I hope you can bring some disciples with you and away from the Northern Territory. No matter where you send them, you must tell them not to be reckless and appear before our enemies as they are bound to be defeated. They mustn’t return to the Northern Territory until they are prepared. If they wish to take revenge, they must first be strong enough. If they’re not willing to take revenge… Then, just settle for a peaceful, steady life.”
Yang Kai’s heart sank as he listened, knowing that Bing Yun was telling him her last will. It seemed that she was determined to perish together with Ice Heart Valley.
“Those disciples will be led by Zi Yu. Yang Kai, you and Zi Yu are considered acquaintances, so I will leave them in your hands,” Bing Yun looked at Yang Kai with a solemn face.
Yang Kai frowned and asked pensively, “Senior, is the situation… that severe?”
Bing Yun shook her head, “There are a hundred thousand of them against only seven thousand of us. There is no chance Ice Heart Valley will emerge victoriously.”
Ji Yao, who was standing behind Bing Yun, suddenly spoke up, “Senior Brother Yang, is it possible for you to seek help from those in the Eastern Territory? We don’t need many, just two or three… “
Yang Kai shook his head in disagreement, “Their aid will be too slow to be of any help!”
Yang Kai knew who exactly Ji Yao was referring to.
It could only be the Great Divine Venerables in the Ancient Wild Lands. There was no need for Luan Feng or the other Divine Spirits to appear personally either as a few Monster Kings would be enough to completely flip the situation, but they were too far away in the Ancient Lands of the Eastern Territory.
Ice Heart Valley would be breached long before Yang Kai could return with help from the Ancient Wild Lands.
Moreover, they belonged to the Monster Race, so their appearance might anger the Great Emperors if they intervened rashly with the matters of Human Sects. Luan Feng did not even dare make a move when she accompanied Yang Kai to the Netherworld Sect, only killing Zhou Yong after he repeatedly provoked her.
Although those existences of the Ancient Wild Lands were powerful, there were many limits to the actions they could take when they left their own territory.
Ji Yao obviously knew this too and only asked that out of desperation; but after hearing Yang Kai’s answer, she sighed helplessly.
Yang Kai pondered, “Senior, I’ve thought about this issue for the past two days and concluded that the reason why Ice Heart Valley is at stake now is simply that the enemy has an Array Grandmaster on their side.”
Bing Yun nodded in agreement, “Yes, this Nanmen Da Jun is quite capable. The Sect Defending Array of Ice Heart Valley has already begun to show signs of weakening. He may even be able to break through the Spirit Array if we gave him another ten days to a half month.”
Yang Kai grinned broadly, “What if he didn’t have ten days or half a month?”
Startled, Bing Yun probed him, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai continued, “This is what I think. Didn’t the Seeking Passion Sect issue a Recruitment Order? Perhaps I can pretend to submit to the Seeking Passion Sect and infiltrate their ranks so I can find an opportunity to eliminate Nanmen Da Jun.”
“That won’t work!” Bing Yun was shocked, “I know you are proficient in the Dao of Space, but now there are numerous powerful enemies outside Ice Heart Valley, including many Emperor Realm Masters. If anything goes wrong, I’m afraid you will have no chance to escape. And, don’t forget, those top leaders of the Seeking Passion Sect must know what you look like. No. Absolutely not. This is Ice Heart Valley’s matter, how can I possibly allow you to take such risks?”
Yang Kai chuckled slightly and assured her, “Senior, don’t worry about the issue of appearance. As long as I do not meet Feng Xuan or Yao Zhuo in person, I believe the others will fail to recognize me.”
Bing Yun frowned slightly, “Did you cultivate some kind of special Secret Technique?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No.”
Ji Yao suddenly interjected up, “Does Senior Brother mean to ask Martial Niece Tian He?”
Yang Kai looked at her with a smile, “Exactly.”
Ji Yao thought for a while before nodding, “Senior Brother’s plan might be feasible then.”
Bing Yun looked bewildered as she asked, “Tian He? That disciple who came back with you a few days ago? She is just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. What can she contribute in this situation?”
Ji Yao smiled, answering, “Honoured Master, although Martial Niece Tian He lacks in cultivation, she has a very profound skill.”
“What kind of skill?”
Ji Yao replied, “Her Disguise Technique is exceptional. Last time in Serenity City, I didn’t find any flaws even when she stood right in front of me. If Senior Brother Yang hadn’t noticed a slight flaw and warned me, I’m afraid this Disciple would have been deceived by her.”
Bing Yun was intrigued, “Does she have such ability?”
If even Ji Yao could not see through her disguise, other Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters would probably not be able to do so either. Such disguising ability was simply astonishing.
Yang Kai nodded, “With the help of Martial Niece Tian He, it will be unlikely that I will be recognized even if I walked into Seeking Passion Sect. As long as I infiltrate them and find a chance to kill or abduct Nanmen Da Jun, no one will be able to break through the valley’s defences.”
Bing Yun’s eyes lit up when she heard this, but her excitement quickly died down. Shaking her head as she smiled wryly, “It still wouldn’t work. Even if you killed Nanmen Da Jun, the outcome would be the same.”
“Why?” It was now Yang Kai’s and Ji Yao’s turn to be astonished.
Sighing, Bing Yun explained, “Although the Defending Array of Ice Heart Valley is powerful, it consumes too much when it is used at full strength. Even without Nanmen Da Jun, we won’t be able to hold on for more than two months. In two months, the array will fail regardless, so the outcome will not change.”
Yang Kai was instantly relieved, “If that’s the case, Senior doesn’t need to worry. I have some Source Crystals on me, enough to sustain Ice Heart Valley for a long time, and… two months is enough for me to make a trip back to the Eastern Territory to seek help.”
As long as he could buy some time, he could return to the Eastern Territory to bring out a few Monster Kings.
By then, whether the Seeking Passion Sect had a hundred thousand cultivators or two or three hundred thousand cultivators on their side, it would not be a problem.
“Who will you look for in the Eastern Territory?” Bing Yun asked strangely.
“Junior Sister Yao knows,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Ji Yao darted her eyes towards Bing Yun and quietly sent her a Divine Sense transmission.
Thunderstruck, she asked Yang Kai in amazement, “Yang Kai, could you really move them?”
“For a trivial matter like this, they should be willing to help,” Yang Kai smiled confidently, and before Bing Yun could object, he pressed on, “Then, this matter is settled. Let’s not delay, I will go to Martial Niece Tian He now!”
He was the one who caused this mess for Ice Heart Valley in the first place, so he could not possibly stay out of it now. He had been racking his brains for the past few days for a way to resolve this catastrophe, and now, he had come up with a solution.
“Wait, Senior Brother Yang, count me in for this matter,” Ji Yao yelled quickly.
“You?” Yang Kai turned his head in shock, and waved his hand, “No, no, I can do this alone, and it’s more troublesome with an extra person.”
Ji Yao insisted, “This is a matter regarding Ice Heart Valley, how can I let an outsider take all the risk alone? I have to go with you.”
Before Yang Kai could refuse again, she sent him a Divine Sense transmission, “Senior Brother Yang, if you dare utter another objection, I will tell the Honoured Master that you have profaned me before.”
Yang Kai’s face froze as cold sweat instantly began dripping down his back. He quickly swallowed the words he wanted to say and changed his tone entirely, “The company of Junior Sister Yao would naturally be best, aha.. haha…”
Bing Yun obviously noticed his insincerity, and wondered what Ji Yao had said to him that changed his attitude so drastically.
But at this point, she could not object either as what Yang Kai said was true, if everything went well, Ice Heart Valley could avoid the fate of being destroyed. Bing Yun had to consider the fate of the seven thousand disciples of her Sect first and foremost.
“Since you insist on this, then ask Tian He to come here, I wish to see her Disguise Technique personally before I make a final decision.”
Ji Yao nodded enthusiastically, “I will ask Eldest Senior Sister to bring her over.”
After speaking, she took out the communication artifact and poured her Divine Sense into it.
Yang Kai also returned to his chair and sat down. He did not look pleased at all, and even the sweet tea that he sipped tasted bitter. He looked at Ji Yao quietly, only to find that she was completely ignoring him, as if the words she spoke before hadn’t come from her mouth.
Within a short time, An Ruo Yun was outside the hall, requesting for a meeting, with Shi Tian He by her side, entering soon after being given permission from Bing Yun.
After the necessary greetings, An Ruo Yun asked, “Honoured Master, what can I do for you?”
Bing Yun answered, “There’s nothing you need to do, I just want Tian He to do something.”
At her words, Shi Tian He hurriedly said, “Ancestral Founder, please give your order, this Disciple will do everything in her power.”
Bing Yun smiled in response, “Don’t be nervous. It’s just that I heard that your Disguise Technique is exceptional. I want to see if it is really that amazing.”
Shi Tian He answered respectfully, “It’s just some paltry tricks, I’m afraid it’s nothing in Ancestral Founder’s eyes.”
An Ruo Yun glared at her, and reprimanded, “Since Ancestral Founder wants to see it, just show it to her.”
“Yes!” Shi Tian He answered honestly, “Then this Disciple will not hesitate to show her inadequacies.”
Yang Kai addressed her, “Tian He, disguise my appearance.”
Shi Tian He looked at Bing Yun for permission, and seeing her nod in approval, she stood in front of Yang Kai and said softly, “Pardon me, Martial Uncle Yang.”
While speaking, she stretched out her hand and took out an assortment of items before placing them on the table next to Yang Kai. Everyone fixed their eyes on the items and found that these things were similar to mud and rouge, seemingly nothing special, possessing no obvious energy fluctuations either.
Shi Tian He fixed her eyes on Yang Kai’s face carefully, her face filled with concentration, taking a moment before she took a deep breath and began moving her hands in a fluid manner, picking up one material after another to smudge and smear across Yang Kai’s face while at the same time using some kind of ingenious technique to merge them together.
Right before everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai’s appearance changed dramatically.
His original somewhat handsome face was transformed into a dull, ordinary look with Shi Tian He’s Disguise Technique, which An Ruo Yun and the others watched with wide-eyed amazement.
They would not believe that a simple Disguise Technique could change one’s appearance to such an extent if they did not witness it with their own eyes.
After about an hour of effort, Shi Tian He smeared some material on Yang Kai’s face for the last time before nodding, “It’s done.”
She took a few steps back while An Ruo Yun and Ji Yao immediately drew in to have a closer look, and they were shocked to find that there was absolutely no flaw in this disguise. It seemed as though this man in front of them was born with this plain and dull appearance.
The only thing that was unchanged was Yang Kai’s aura.
However, there were not many people who had met him in Seeking Passion Sect, except for Feng Xuan and Yao Zhuo, so as long as he did not reveal his aura in front of them, they probably would not be able to notice anything.
Bing Yun’s enchanting eyes lit up, “What a miraculous technique. Tian He, your Disguise Technique is amazing.”
It could be seen how breathtaking Shi Tian He’s technique was from Bing Yun’s appraisal.
Flabbergasted, An Ruo Yun asked, “Tian He, where did you learn this from? Does the Dong Family in Serenity City have such a technique?”
Although Shi Tian He was her disciple, she was certain she did not teach Shi Tian He this technique. Therefore, it was obvious that she learned it when she went to Serenity City, but how could a trivial small family possess such a magical technique?
Shi Tian He shook her head in denial, “This Disguise Technique was not from the Dong Family. Disciple learned it from a stranger.”
“A stranger?” An Ruo Yun was stunned.
Shi Tian He explained with a reminiscent look, “It was almost sixty years ago. There was a beggar who came to Serenity City. He was dishevelled and despised by most people. One day, he was beaten and collapsed in front of the Dong Residence. This disciple saw him when she came back from an outing and asked someone to carry him to the storage shed in the courtyard to allow him to recover. After that, before he was about to leave, he came to this disciple and passed on this Disguise Technique to her as a gift of gratitude. This disciple didn’t take it seriously at that time, but later when I tested it during my spare time, I realized that this Disguise Technique was nothing short of astonishing.”
“A beggar…” An Ruo Yun and Ji Yao looked at each other, unable to believe this story.
“That man was certainly no beggar, but rather some powerful Senior Expert.” With a flash in her beautiful eyes, Bing Yun continued, “Tian He, you obtained such an opportunity due to your kind heart. Good deeds result in good karma.”
An Ruo Yun and Ji Yao nodded one after another in agreement.
If that person was really an ordinary beggar, how could he have such a miraculous Disguise Technique? It was almost certain that ‘beggar’ was a powerful Master who had a penchant for playing pranks. Some Masters had such strange character quirks, enjoying pretending to be weak to mix with the common people instead of living a more normal life.
“It is a bit unfortunate…” Bing Yun sighed.
“How so, Honoured Master?” An Ruo Yun asked.
Bing Yun explained, “That Senior is probably, in a way, looking for a successor. Unfortunately, Tian He did not meet his requirements, so he didn’t pass down his mantle and instead just gifted her this Disguise Technique as a sign of gratitude.”
“Too bad indeed,” An Ruo Yun nodded in agreement.
If one could really obtain the inheritance of such a Master, perhaps Shi Tian He would already be an Emperor Realm Master like Zi Yu, and the Dong Family would not have been exterminated.
“Did the beggar look… ugly and cunning, with a mouthful of yellow teeth?” After listening for a while from the side, Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Startled, Shi Tian He replied, “Martial Uncle Yang knows this Senior?”
“Yeah… I most likely know him…” Yang Kai nodded his head with an exasperated expression.
A stranger who could sublimate a simple Disguise Technique to such a degree, and also happened to be an ugly and cunning beggar… Yang Kai already had an idea of his identity in his mind.
It was reasonable that this technique could carry out such a miraculous effect if ‘he’ was the source.
Seeing that Yang Kai did not intend to discuss the stranger’s identity further, Bing Yun did not press him on it, instead remarking with a nod, “This Disguise Technique is truly amazing. Even if this Queen was the one inspecting it, I would likely still be fooled.”
“Then this plan is feasible,” Yang Kai beamed.
Bing Yun was still worried, however, “The enemies outside are still quite strong though. If anything goes wrong, how will you escape? It would be better to let Tian He disguise this Queen’s appearance to carry out this plan in person.”
Yang Kai hurriedly shook his head in disagreement, “I’m afraid that is not a feasible plan. Senior, you are a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so if you were to go out and accept the Recruitment Order, Feng Xuan or Yao Zhuo would certainly be informed and come to inspect the situation. You will be exposed as soon as either of those two appear before you, but it is different for me. Junior is just a First-Order Emperor, so my cultivation will not be enough to alarm them. Once I enter their ranks, I should still be placed in an important position though, which is convenient for us to execute our plan. Say no more, Senior. This matter is settled, and you don’t have to worry about my safety. If any unfavourable situation happens, I’ll run away immediately.”
Bing Yun sighed as she knew that Yang Kai had made up his mind, “Then you must be careful.” It was fruitless to try and persuade him anymore, so she just advised him gratefully.
Yang Kai nodded, “I still need Senior’s help on one more thing!”
“Just speak your mind.”
“I need a lot of Space Spirit Crystals. It would be best if I could have some Space Spirit Jade.”
“Good,” Bing Yun nodded, “I will ask someone to check the storehouse. If there are Space Spirit Crystals and Space Spirit Jade, I’ll have them brought to you.”
Both Space Spirit Crystal and Space Spirit Jade were in great demand in the Star Boundary, because these two things were the main materials for refining Storage Artifacts, such as Space Rings and Space Bracelets.
In comparison, Space Spirit Jade was a grade higher than Space Spirit Crystal.
Although Bing Yun had no idea what Yang Kai wanted to do with these Space Spirit Crystals and Space Spirit Jades, she agreed to his request without any hesitation or questions.
“Tian He, disguise your Martial Aunt Ji Yao’s appearance too,” after instructing Shi Tian He, Yang Kai turned to Ji Yao, “Junior Sister Yao, I’ll get ready first and we’ll depart tonight.”
Ji Yao glanced at him and nodded slightly without question.
Then, Yang Kai immediately exited the hall with a flicker.
After leaving the palace, Yang Kai did not return to his courtyard, however, and instead rushed to the edge of Ice Heart Valley.
Not long after, he arrived at the place on the Sect Defending Array where he and Ji Yao had entered from a few days ago.
“Who goes there?!” Zhang Sun Ying, who was still guarding this place, instantly dashed out from her hiding place as soon as she sensed his arrival, staring at Yang Kai with a cold face, the rest of her disciples also moving to surround him.
“Junior Sister Zhang Sun!” Yang Kai grinned at Zhang Sun Ying, “It’s me, don’t be nervous.”
“Are you… Senior Brother Yang?” Zhang Sun Ying furrowed her brows slightly and asked, befuddled, “How did you become like this?”
She was indeed taken aback by the sudden appearance of a strange man. She thought that the Sect Defending Array of Ice Heart Valley had been penetrated imperceptibly, otherwise, there would not be an incident here.
But after hearing his voice, Zhang Sun Ying knew that this strange man was none other than Yang Kai, it was just that the change of his facial features was so drastic that she could not recognize him at all.
“I was ordered by Senior Bing Yun to do something outside. Please open the Spirit Array for a moment.” While speaking, Yang Kai pointed at the array.
“Good, wait a moment!” Zhang Sun Ying did not refuse his request. She did not verify this matter with Bing Yun because Bing Yun had informed them that Yang Kai was a friend to them and they should accommodate all his requests without needing to report to her.
Zhang Sun Ying took out a token and put it on her hand. After carefully observing the situation outside and confirming that there was no one nearby, she gently shook the token towards the light curtain of the array.
A mysterious light beamed, and a crack suddenly appeared on the tightly closed barrier.
Yang Kai instantly flew out of the array as he sent Zhang Sun Ying a Divine Sense transmission, “It may take as short as two to three days or as long as five to six days, but I’ll definitely return to this spot. At that time, I’ll have to trouble Junior Sister Zhang Sun to open the array for me again.”
“No problem!” Zhang Sun Yin quickly responded. After confirming Yang Kai’s departure, she sealed the Spirit Array.
“Why is Martial Uncle Yang going out now disguising himself like this?” Yu Dan approached and asked curiously.
Zhang Sun Ying shook her head, replying, “I’ll report to Honoured Master to ask.”
Previously, when Yang Kai made the request, she did not report to verify his intentions because she simply obeyed Bing Yun’s orders. Now that Yang Kai was gone though, she still needed to inform her Honoured Master about it.
She immediately took out her communication artifact and poured her Divine Sense into it.
Inside the temple, Bing Yun soon noticed it and took out her communication artifact, smiling wryly as when she saw the message inside.
Below her, Ji Yao was still sitting there being disguised by Shi Tian He, preparing for ‘tonight’ when she would depart to Ice Moon City to receive the Recruitment Order together with Yang Kai, unaware that Yang Kai had just thrown her off and left on his own.
Bing Yun did not know how to explain this to Ji Yao, but she could see that Yang Kai did this on purpose. She had no idea what happened between her Third Disciple and Yang Kai, which was causing Yang Kai to avoid Ji Yao.
…..
Ice Moon City was Ice Heart Valley’s connection to the outside world and where it gathered almost all of its supplies and information from.
But since half a year ago, not a single Ice Heart Valley disciple could be seen in Ice Moon City.
Seeking Passion Sect came to Ice Moon City and seized it with overwhelming force, turning this place into its temporary stronghold while recruiting a large number of talents who coveted Ice Heart Valley’s wealth and assets. When the time was right, the Seeking Passion Sect planned to deliver Heart Valley a fatal blow to completely destroy it.
The majority of the properties in the city which belonged to Ice Heart Valley were now in ruins, with the resources having long been looted.
At this moment, there was a giant signboard with two big words inscribed on it in front of a grand palace in the Ice Moon City.
Recruitment Hall!
This was the place where the Seeking Passion Sect recruited outside aid.
Ever since Seeking Passion Sect sent out their Recruitment Order, it had attracted many cultivators to serve it by promising them countless benefits. Otherwise, it would be impossible for even a top Sect like Seeking Passion Sect to gather a hundred thousand people under its banner.
Among these people, many of them were either cultivators who lacked cultivation resources or Emperor Realm Masters who had ulterior motives. They were moved by the benefits promised by the Seeking Passion Sect and stayed to serve.
An eager, ordinary-looking young man arrived at the front of the Recruitment Hall. Although the young man had an ordinary appearance, he was dressed in exquisite robes and despite the cold temperature of the Northern Territory, he was actually fanning himself lightly while striding towards the hall, looking extremely suave.
He seemed to have caught the attention of some cultivators on the street, all of whom shook their heads and spurned him for being shameless.
The young man was, of course, Yang Kai. He had exited Ice Heart Valley quietly without getting noticed and went straight to Ice Moon City. After inquiring about the location, he headed towards the Recruitment Hall.
The hand fan in his hand was actually a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact, something he had collected from one of his many fallen enemies and that he had finally found a use for.
Two Seeking Passion Sect disciples were guarding the entrance of the Recruitment Hall. Their strengths were mediocre, with only First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivations, but no one dared to embarrass Seeking Passion Sect, so their cultivations did not matter as they were only given the role of gatekeeping.
The two guards exchanged disdainful looks when they saw Yang Kai strut over arrogantly.
Although their cultivations weren’t high, they had the identity of being disciples from the Seeking Passion Sect. From his appearance, Yang Kai was probably a Young Master from an unknown family, dressing in pompous clothing and strolling across the street snobbishly, as if he owned the ground he walked on.
Such an appearance could be passed as acceptable if he was extremely handsome, but his exquisite robes and elegant hand fan were completely mismatched with his completely ordinary face, making for quite a distasteful scene.
“Stop, what are you doing here?” One of the guards stretched out his hand to stop Yang Kai with an extremely cold look on his face.
Yang Kai looked up at the inscribed board, folded the fan in his hand and tapped it on the palm of his other one, “This is the Recruitment Hall, right? What do you think this Young Master is here for?”
The guard frowned and questioned, “Are you here to receive the Recruitment Order?”
“Of course,” Yang Kai smiled, unfolding the fan with a swipe and waving it a few times comfortably, giving him the appearance of someone who was quite the promising young man.
Since he was here to receive the Recruitment Order to work for Seeking Passion Sect, the two guards had no reason to stop him, so the one who had previously blocked his path nodded gently, “Go straight after you enter, then turn left and look for one of the Deacons.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and strode into the hall.
Following the guard’s instructions, he went straight ahead, then turned left to enter a hall.
Unexpectedly, there were many waiting in line in this hall while behind several tables, Deacons from Seeking Passion Sect were interviewing those who had come to Seeking Passion Sect. If there was no problem with their backgrounds, these people would be registered and then issued a Recruitment Order.
With a Recruitment Order in hand, one would temporarily belong to the Seeking Passion Sect. After breaking the Sect Defending Array and destroying Ice Heart Valley, they would be rewarded.
After the cultivators who had clean backgrounds received the Recruitment Order, the disciples of the Seeking Passion Sect would direct them out and arrange tasks for them to do.
Yang Kai frowned slightly at the long lines behind the numerous tables. It did not look good for Ice Heart Valley that so many had come to receive the Recruitment Order from Seeking Passion Sect.
He stood there to observe for a while before immediately striding towards a table without hesitation when he had a clear picture of the registration process. With the fan in his hand swaying unceremoniously from side to side as he walked, Yang Kai shooed the people around him, “Move aside, move aside, don’t block this Master’s way.”
His arrogant and lawless attitude made it seem like he was some important figure from the Seeking Passion Sect.
The cultivators queuing up were sorely beaten by the hand fan, and the neat line was also quickly disrupted. Everyone glared at Yang Kai, but did not act rashly as they were not sure of his identity.
Sneering, Yang Kai completely ignored these people. They were here to join the Seeking Passion Sect, so they would be the enemies of Ice Heart Valley once the war started. As such, there was no need for Yang Kai to show any respect. The mysterious force sweeping out of the hand fan was enough for those cultivators to be feeling pain for the next ten days to half a month.
The Deacon of the Seeking Passion Sect sitting behind the table was furious at Yang Kai’s arrogant behaviour which completely disrespected the Seeking Passion Sect. He coldly snorted, “Junior, stop this racket!”
“That’s right, he’s too rude, Sir Deacon must teach him a lesson!”
“It burns! This brat is hitting others too rampantly! Sir Deacon, you must seek justice for us!”
“Don’t let him go!”
The group of beaten cultivators yelled.
“Shut up!” Yang Kai’s face turned cold as he palmed towards the complaining group. Instantly, Emperor Qi surged while Principles swirled, sending the whole hall into a buzz.
“Emperor Realm!”
“Heavens, it’s an Emperor Realm Master!”
The cultivators who had been yelling before suddenly became apprehensive, and even the expressions of the Deacons of the Seeking Passion Sect who were sitting behind the tables changed drastically. Although they were Deacons of the Seeking Passion Sect, all of them were just Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators. They had no chance of resisting in the face of an Emperor Realm Master.
*Hong…*
Several dozen people flew out after being struck by Yang Kai’s palm, all of them spitting blood in mid-air before they struck the ground miserably. However, everyone was relieved that although the power of this palm was great, none of those who were hit died, though the injuries they suffered were not something that could be restored with just half a month of cultivation.
“Speak nonsense again and I’ll take your dog lives!” Yang Kai snorted coldly, with the arrogant ‘everyone is beneath me’ demeanour.
No one dared to say a word; the hall was so silent that even a needle falling to the floor could be heard.
*Shua… *
A figure suddenly shot out from the inner hall and stood in front of the tables.
As soon as this person appeared, the few Seeking Passion Sect Deacons who did not even dare to breathe lit up and quickly cupped their fists as if they had seen their saviour, “Greetings, Elder Sun!”
“Elder Sun, it’s Elder Sun Ping!”
“It’s really Elder Sun Ping. Now, this little brat is going to be in trouble! Elder Sun Ping is a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master! That boy is definitely not his opponent.”
“How dare he act so rampantly in the territory of the Seeking Passion Sect! This brat should check his face in the mirror.”
At their words, Yang Kai turned to look at the Master who had suddenly appeared.
It was an old man with an all-white beard, his aura was like an abyss, as deep as the sea, which gave tremendous pressure to the surrounding people. His face was thin, but his eyes were as bright as the sun that could pierce through one’s mind.
“Elder Sun?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
He was not familiar with this Emperor Realm Master from Seeking Passion Sect; after all, he only knew Feng Xuan and Yao Zhuo. This was the first time Yang Kai had met Elder Sun, but seeing his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, it was obvious his status in the Seeking Passion Sect was not low.
“Young man, your temper is a bit too hot.” To everyone’s surprise, Sun Ping did not reprimand Yang Kai, but instead addressed him with a smile.
Yang Kai sneered, “They were too noisy, so this Young Master taught them a little lesson.” He lowered his voice and his attitude changed tremendously, cupping his fists as he grinned, “I didn’t mean to disturb Elder Brother Sun. It was indeed my fault.”
‘Bullying the weak, but acting humble in front of a Master’, This saying perfectly described Yang Kai’s current behaviour.
Everyone in the hall despised him, but did not dare to show anything on their faces as they still feared his Emperor Realm cultivation; it was truly frustrating.
“It’s fine!” Sun Ping smiled slightly as he asked, “Since you are here in the Recruitment Hall, I assume Little Brother has come here to receive the Recruitment Order?”
Yang Kai nodded and replied, “Naturally. I heard that the Seeking Passion Sect is looking for talents, so this Young Master came to have a look. Does Elder Sun not welcome me?”
“I wouldn’t dare!” Sun Ping stroked his beard and laughed lightly, “The Sect definitely welcomes young capable people like Your Excellency.”
“That’s good.” Yang Kai grinned.
“But…” Sun Ping turned around and narrowed his eyes, “I shall first warn you, you must possess a clean background to be able to receive the Recruitment Order. My Seeking Passion Sect will not accept those of unknown origins, especially those with cultivation like Your Excellency’s, so Your Excellency will need to answer a few questions from this Old Master.”
If his cultivation was below the Emperor Realm, it would be fine even if his background was a bit vague; but for people with Emperor Realm cultivation, one’s background must be clean and traceable, lest they turn out to be a spy or ally of Ice Heart Valley.
This was the rule.
“I understand,” Yang Kai smiled lightly, not revealing the slightest panic as he probed, “What is it that Elder Sun wants to ask?”
Sun Ping began his interview, “Where does Your Excellency come from? What is your name? Who is your Master?”
Yang Kai answered frankly, “My name is Xiao Bai Yi, and I hail from Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory. My Master is Elder Gao Xue Ting!”
As he spoke, Yang Kai silently apologized, [Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai, let me borrow your identity for a short while and please don’t come to settle accounts with me in the future.] He had already planned to use this identity since the beginning, so he was not hesitant to answer the questions now.
“Azure Sun Temple!” Sun Ping was stunned when he heard this name.
Although the Southern Territory was far away from the Northern Territory, Sun Ping still knew of Azure Sun Temple; after all, Azure Sun Temple’s status in the Southern Territory was the same as Seeking Passion Sect’s status in the Northern Territory. They were both top Sects of their respective territories.
However, it was quite incomprehensible for a disciple of Azure Sun Temple to appear in Ice Moon City of the Northern Territory.
Sun Ping frowned and probed further, “This Old Master has long heard of your noble Temple, but… why are you here?”
Yang Kai chuckled and answered, “I only recently broke through to the Emperor Realm, so my Honoured Master ordered me to roam and explore the world to temper myself. I have been travelling the Star Boundary for some time now and just happened to pass by here. I decided to come have a look after hearing what happened between your noble Sect and Ice Heart Valley.”
“I see!” Sun Ping did not suspect him.
It was normal for a young man like Yang Kai to travel the Star Boundary after a big breakthrough to broaden his horizons. Sun Ping himself had done this before, but he had never been to the Southern Territory, instead choosing to wander around the Territory and Eastern Territory. As a result, he didn’t see anything wrong with Yang Kai’s explanation.
After pondering for a while, Sun Ping looked up again and asked, “Considering Young Master Xiao’s age, you should be a core disciple even in Azure Sun Temple with a cultivation like yours. Words can’t prove anything, unfortunately, so does Young Master Xiao have anything to prove your identity?”
“Something to prove my identity with…” Yang Kai thought for a while, then suddenly reached out and turned over his hand. A token had appeared on the palm of his hand, which Yang Kai tossed over towards Sun Ping, “This should be enough to prove my identity.”
It was a shiny golden token, one that anyone could notice had extraordinary origins at a glance.
Sun Ping caught the token and rubbed it for a while, then smiled, “I heard that your noble Temple divides its disciple tokens into four grades, Iron, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Only Core Disciples would obtain a Golden Token. By the look of this, this should be the Azure Sun Golden Token.”
The quality of the token was sensational, so even Sun Ping could tell that it was authentic.
Of course, Yang Kai’s Golden Token was not a fake as it really was something given to him by Gao Xue Ting herself back then. Even though she did not forcefully demand him to join Azure Sun Temple, he was still regarded as an in-name disciple of the temple, and was given an Azure Sun Golden Token.
The Azure Sun Golden Token he possessed was the reason Yang Kai chose to impersonate Xiao Bai Yi for this trip.
“Wrong,” Yang Kai chortled, “My Temple’s tokens are divided into five grades, not four.”
“Five grades?” Sun Ping raised his eyebrows.
Yang Kai continued, “Elders hold the Jade Tokens!”
“I see,” Sun Ping nodded lightly. He did not know whether he should believe him or not; after all, he did not know much about Azure Sun Temple. However, it did not seem like Yang Kai was lying.
For a moment, he could not help hesitating.
It was a big boon for an Emperor Realm Master to join Seeking Passion Sect’s forces, as he would undoubtedly provide great assistance during the war. The only issue was, Sun Ping was still uncertain about Yang Kai’s background.
However, Sun Ping was a bit reluctant to let go of such a Master, and moreover, if he rejected Yang Kai, the world might mock the Seeking Passion Sect for being cowardly.
After a moment’s debate, Sun Ping turned to a young disciple and sent him a Divine Sense Message.
After hearing it, the young disciple stood up and cupped his fists towards Yang Kai, “Greetings from Cao Xu to Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai leered at him for a while, then paid no attention to him anymore. He had no idea what Sun Ping had ordered him to do.
Cao Xu pressed on, “A few years ago, when the Shattered Star Sea was opened, this Cao had the honour to meet a few young talents from the Southern Territory there!”
Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat as he secretly cursed.
He pretended to be Xiao Bai Yi because he thought that no one could recognize him. Furthermore, he had the Azure Sun Golden Token with him, so his plan should have been perfect as it was a mix of both truth and lie.
But now, this guy named Cao Xu just declared that he went to the Shattered Star Sea before, and what was more, he actually met some cultivators from the Southern Territory.
If he recognized Xiao Bai Yi, his lies would be exposed.
“Oh?” Despite the uneasiness in his heart, Yang Kai looked at him steadily without the slightest change of expression, “This Xiao also went to Shattered Star Sea, but I have never seen Junior Brother.”
Cao Xu smiled wryly, “This Cao’s cultivation is weak, so the places I had visited were probably not somewhere that Senior Brother Xiao would put it in his eyes. It is only natural that you have never seen me.”
[He has never seen Xiao Bai Yi before!] Yang Kai’s courage was instantly buoyed by his statement and he replied, “Is that so? Then why is Junior Brother here? Do you have any advice for me?”
Cao Xu hurriedly explained, “This Cao doesn’t dare to. Although I did not meet any friends from Azure Sun Temple, I had met a few others from the Southern Territory. The one that I had the deepest impression of was Wu Chang. Since Senior Brother Xiao came from the Southern Territory, you must have known him as well.”
“Wu Chang…” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Wu Chang of Heavenly Martial Holy Land was born with the Yin-Yang Dual Body and was quite a ferocious character, so it was natural that he had a deep impression of him.
Yang Kai ignored Cao Xu and turned to Sun Ping who was observing him, waving his hand in front of him to compose the image of a certain character on his palm.
Yang Kai carried on, “Elder Sun, your intention of allowing Cao Xu to question me is to verify my identity. Now you may ask him whether this image is Wu Chang or not.”
Sun Ping turned to Cao Xu, and Cao Xu nodded gently, indicating that there was no mistake.
Sun Ping burst into laughter, “It seems that Young Master Xiao is indeed an elite disciple of Azure Sun Temple.”
There was nothing to be doubtful given that Yang Kai could condense the image of a Southern Territory genius and also possessed a Golden Token from Azure Sun Temple.
Yang Kai beamed, “Can I stay now?”
Sun Ping retracted his smile, and remarked pensively, “One final question.”
Yang Kai immediately became incensed and snapped, “Why are you all so annoying? This Young Master came to help your Seeking Passion Sect, not to accept your interrogation. What is Elder Sun’s motive for questioning this Young Master over and over again? Although the Seeking Passion Sect is not weak, that doesn’t mean my Azure Sun Temple is afraid of you!”
He used the prestige of Azure Sun Temple to unleash his anger on them on the spot, causing the surrounding cultivators to gape at him with their jaws dropped, secretly thinking that he was not afraid even if he was far away in the territory of others because he was truly a disciple from a top Sect. If it were for them, they would not have the courage to do the same.
Sun Ping responded with a smile, “Young Master Xiao, please calm yourself. If you have anything to say, please speak properly.”
“Old man, make sure this is the final question! If you continue to annoy this Young Master after this, I will just leave.” Yang Kai gritted his teeth.
“I guarantee you this is the last one.” Sun Ping assured with a solemn look.
Yang Kai replied with an upset face, “Go ahead.”
Sun Ping proceeded, “Since Young Master Xiao came from Azure Sun Temple, you should have no shortage in cultivation materials. Then, why are you here to receive our Seeking Passion Sect Recruitment Order?”
Yang Kai gawked for a moment before he laughed proudly, waving his fan as he clarified slowly, “Of course this Young Master is not short of cultivation resources. Honestly, all the benefits that your noble Sect had promised are nothing in this Young Master’s eyes, however…” Speaking until here, Yang Kai suddenly grinned, his smile looking extremely obscene, like a fox that had stolen a chicken.
“However?” Sun Ping further asked.
Yang Kai looked around, and whispered to Sun Ping, “Elder Sun, this Young Master is very interested in the beautiful women of Ice Heart Valley. I wonder if your noble Sect could pick a few Ice Heart Valley disciples for me to bring back to be my maids after the war?”
Sun Ping smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, “So, that is the plan of Young Master Xiao.”
He was quite relieved hearing that Yang Kai’s motive was out of desire for Ice Heart Valley’s disciples; after all, it would be strange if an Emperor Realm Master came to receive a Recruitment Order without any demands.
He was now aware that this Young Master Xiao in front of him was fond of beauties.
“Everyone loves beauty.” Yang Kai chuckled.
Sun Ping touched his beard and nodded, “En, not a problem. If we break Ice Heart Valley, based on the cultivation strength of Young Master Xiao, you definitely could share some Ice Heart Valley disciples. This Old Master believes that Sir Sect Master would not refuse, so this Old Master will approve your request on behalf of him.”
“Can I have ten of them?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows.
Sun Ping could not help cackling, “Isn’t Young Master Xiao a little too greedy? There are only seven thousand disciples in Ice Heart Valley now, while our Seeking Passion Sect has a hundred thousand soldiers. Even if we distributed them only to the strongest among us, it would be impossible for Young Master Xiao to receive ten.”
“Eight then.” Yang Kai tried to bargain.
“Two, at most.” Sun Ping bluntly refused.
Yang Kai jumped, “Your Sect is too stingy.”
Sun Ping shook his head, “It’s not that our Sect is stingy, but we have too little meat for so many wolves.”
Yang Kai sighed, “Elder Sun, this Young Master will be honest with you. This Young Master is having a hard time in life. In fact, this Young Master has an arranged marriage from the Temple, but my fiancée is domineering, arrogant, and extremely ugly. That is why I fled out of the Southern Territory and came to the Northern Territory for training. It will be hard to get along with a shrewish wife at home, so I came in hopes of finding some attractive maids, okay? Elder Sun, for the sake of my pitiful life, allow me to have more please.”
Snickers resounded inside the hall as everyone was taking pleasure in Yang Kai’s misfortune, while even Sun Ping could not hold his laughter.
Nevertheless, he was not interested in Yang Kai’s troubles so he simply ignored the request, “Cao Xu, take Young Master Xiao to Elder Feng Chi, and let him assign some tasks to Young Master Xiao!” He gave an order to Cao Xue.
“Yes!” After receiving his order, Cao Xu gestured to ‘Young Master Xiao’ to leave, “This way please!”
Yang Kai stood still, whining, “Elder Sun, can we discuss this further?”
Needless to say, Sun Ping ignored him and disappeared with a flicker.
Yang Kai sighed and walked out with an unpleasant face. Wherever he went, everyone would avoid him.
After leaving the Recruitment Hall, Yang Kai still looked glum.
As such, Cao Xu just kept quiet and led the way in front of Yang Kai, trying to avoid touching a nerve. Soon, they left the city.
“Where are we going?” After a while, Yang Kai broke the silence.
Cao Xu replied, “To find Elder Feng Chi. He will assign some tasks to you.”
“Elder Feng Chi…” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “I heard that your noble Sect Master has the same surname too. Is this Elder Feng Chi… “
Cao Xu beamed, “Elder Feng Chi is the cousin of the Sect Master. Therefore, although he has only a First-Order Emperor, his status is only under the Sect Master and Vice Sect Master. He is responsible for the siege of Ice Heart Valley. At least for now.”
“I see!” Yang Kai nodded his head, “Then where are your Sect Master and Vice Sect Master? This is my first time here, perhaps it would be rude if this Young Master didn’t visit and greet them?”
A trace of disdain vaguely flashed across Cao Xu’s eyes as he thought to himself, [How could someone just meet the Sect Master and Vice Sect Master as they wish?] However, he quickly retracted his gaze and answered, “Sect Master is guarding Ice Moon City, and Vice Sect Master is accompanying him.”
“Good, next time then. There will always be a chance to meet,” Yang Kai chuckled and did not insist.
Soon, the two of them reached a mountain valley about three hundred kilometres away from Ice Heart Valley. Many cabins were built in the mountain valley with numerous cultivators zipping in and out of the houses while others soared through the sky, making the place seem quite lively.
Yang Kai swept his eyes across the place and his heart sank.
Given the number of cultivators gathered in this place, once the Sect Defending Array was breached, the seven thousand disciples of Ice Heart Valley would definitely stand no chance in resisting.
Cao Xu brought Yang Kai to a tall cabin, and informed respectfully, “Elder Feng, disciple Cao Xu asks to see you.”
“Come in!” A voice came out from the inside.
Cao Xu nodded lightly at Yang Kai, then guided him to enter the house.
Inside the house, Yang Kai saw a huge Spirit Array board lying in the centre of the room. The array board seemed to be a projection, which was glittering slightly, displaying the outline of some kind of terrain.
Yang Kai glanced at it and was soon flabbergasted as he recognized that the terrain outline was actually of Ice Heart Valley. He was surprised that this unknown array board could have such an effect.
At this moment, an elderly man was whispering to another man, who then quickly turned around and left after receiving the order. The man looked like he was in a hurry.
After the departure of the man, the elderly man looked intently at the array board and sneered.
After sneering for a while, Feng Chi looked up at Yang Kai and asked Cao Xu, “Another Emperor Realm Master?”
If it was someone who was led personally by Cao Xu, it must be an Emperor Realm Master.
“Yes!” Cao Xu answered courteously.
“Good, very good!” Feng Chi cackled, giving a light nod and cupping his fists towards Yang Kai, “Friend, may I ask for your name?”
Although he looked much older than Yang Kai, according to the laws of the Martial Dao, whoever was stronger would be senior, regardless of age. Since Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master, he had the qualification to be addressed as a peer.
“Greetings from Xiao Bai Yi to Elder Feng,” Yang Kai smiled faintly without losing his manners.
“So, it is Brother Xiao!” Feng Chi raised his brow, “May I know where Brother Xiao comes from?”
Yang Kai replied, “Southern Territory, Azure Sun Temple.”
“Southern Territory?” Feng Chi could not help frowning. There were many Emperor Realm Masters who received their Seeking Passion Sect Recruitment Order recently, but none of them were from the other territories; Yang Kai was the first.
He threw a quizzical gaze at Cao Xu, to which Cao Xu hurriedly explained, “Elder Feng may rest assured that there are no problems. Elder Sun has verified Young Master Xiao’s identity.”
Feng Chi nodded, “Elder Sun Ping is an attentive and careful person. Since he says there are no problems, then that must be the case. Brother Xiao arrived just in time, I am currently short of some people on my side right now and need to put you to work immediately.”
“Elder Feng, order as you may. Since this Xiao has already received the Recruitment Order, I’ll naturally listen to your commands,” Yang Kai responded while waving his hand fan.
“Come and have a look!” Feng Chi gestured to Yang Kai to come forward and pointed at the array board.
Yang Kai folded his fan and stuck it behind his back before taking a few casual steps forward to observe the array board intently.
The terrain of Ice Heart Valley was clearly outlined on the array board. Beyond the outline were countless glowing dots, indicating the strong and tight forces that fenced Ice Heart Valley.
Although he did not really understand the array board, Yang Kai was still aware of the critical situation of Ice Heart Valley.
“This Sky Extracting Array Board was laid by Grandmaster Nanmen in person. It’s for the convenience of this Feng to guard this place and plan strategies. It really saved me a lot of trouble.” Feng Chi’s words were full of praise for Grandmaster Nanmen.
“Grandmaster Nanmen is indeed an expert in Spirit Arrays. His craft is truly breathtaking.” Yang Kai commended him too.
Feng Chi smiled lightly, and pointed at a certain place, “Young Master Xiao, this Old Master hopes that you could guard this place and watch over the array flag set up by Grandmaster Nanmen, so as to prevent anyone in Ice Heart Valley from jumping out of the wall in desperation and causing problems.”
“No problem. Is my task only to watch over the array flag there?” Yang Kai looked up and asked.
Feng Chi remarked pensively, “This matter is very important. Once the array flag is disturbed, the layout of the array would be hindered, and it will give Ice Heart Valley breathing space. Therefore, it is necessary to have an Emperor Realm Master take charge of each flag. But in general, there should not be any problem as Ice Heart Valley has not made any moves since they were first besieged. Even so, Young Master Xiao cannot be careless.”
“Understood,” Yang Kai nodded solemnly.
Feng Chi nodded too, “Besides, this Old Master would also assign five hundred men under Young Master Xiao’s command. When Grandmaster Nanmen is ready, Young Master Xiao will be responsible for taking these five hundred men to activate the array flag and connect it with the other array flags. When that happens, we will be able to break the Sect Defending Array of Ice Heart Valley in one strike. Then, we shall dive straight to the enemy’s den and wipe out Ice Heart Valley.
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “I’ll not disappoint Elder Feng.”
“Good, good, good.” Feng Chi repeatedly nodded as he was truly satisfied with Yang Kai’s attitude, “Cao Xu, since you are familiar with the terrain nearby, you shall take Young Master Xiao over there. The five hundred men will arrive later.”
“Yes!” Cao Xu received the order and immediately led Yang Kai outside.
With them flying at full speed, they soon arrived at the location designated by Feng Chi.
Looking around, less than a hundred people were guarding the huge array flag, which was actually hidden in the Void. Yang Kai scanned the area with his Divine Sense, and could only detect an inkling of its presence.
The one hundred people below stared up at them in alarm at the arrival of Cao Xu and Yang Kai.
Cao Xu swept across the place with his eyes, bellowing, “Who is in charge here?”
A middle-aged man came out and cupped his fists, “Senior Brother Cao, it’s me!”
Cao Xu looked at him and nodded, “So, it is Junior Brother Huo Han.”
No doubt, he recognized this Seeking Passion Sect disciple.
“Senior Brother Cao, this is…” Huo Han queried as he glanced at Yang Kai curiously.
Cao Xu announced with a clear loud voice, “This is a Core Disciple of the Southern Territory’s Azure Sun Temple, Xiao Bai Yi. Young Master Xiao has received our Seeking Passion Sect Recruitment Order, and was appointed by Elder Feng to guard this place from now on. I trust everyone here will listen to his orders.”
Curiosity crept onto everyone’s faces at the news that Yang Kai was actually from the Southern Territory’s Azure Sun Temple, but no one dared to voice out any questions and just obeyed with their fists cupped.
“In addition, Elder Feng will send another four hundred people here, and they will also be under the command of Young Master Xiao. Once Ice Heart Valley has been wiped out, everyone will be rewarded according to their contributions!”
The crowd was exhilarated after hearing the word ‘reward’, except for Huo Han and the other Seeking Passion Sect Disciples. All of them looked calm because they knew that once Ice Heart Valley was captured, most of the plunders would belong to their Seeking Passion Sect, leaving only some crumbs to the outsiders.
“Young Master Xiao, I’ll go back first. This place is in your hands now.” Cao Xu cupped his fists towards Yang Kai.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded with a lukewarm attitude, showing the demeanour of an Emperor Realm Master.
Cao Xu spoke no more, turned around, and left.
After he left, only then did Yang Kai sweep his eyes across the one hundred people below, and stated coldly, “I believe that everyone knows the background of this Young Master, and I also believe that everyone heard this Young Master’s task. In the days to come, everyone please cooperate with me. No one here can bear the consequences if anything were to go wrong.”
Huo Han cupped his fists in acknowledgement, “Young Master Xiao is right. We’ll obey as long as it’s the order of Elder Feng.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Good. Now here is my command!”
When the words fell, the faces of a hundred men turned solemn.
“Go and find some wood to build a cabin here for this Young Master!” Yang Kai pointed at a piece of flat ground nearby as he ordered.
Everyone was stunned. Initially, given the solemnity of his tone, they expected Yang Kai to give out some important command, but were dumbfounded when they heard that he just wanted them to build a cabin for him, especially Huo Han and the group of Seeking Passion Sect disciples who now looked annoyed.
They were disciples of the Seeking Passion Sect! When have they ever been ordered to do such menial tasks? Furthermore, Yang Kai was just a foreign Emperor Realm Master; who was he to act so rampant?
“What’s wrong? Was this Young Master not clear enough, or are all of you deaf?” Young Kai snorted coldly and released his Emperor Pressure, causing a devastating force to press down on the hundred men below, turning their faces aghast.
“We will obey the command of Young Master Xiao!” A person instantly cupped his fists.
He rapidly ran out after speaking. The person was not a Seeking Passion Sect disciple, but just someone who served under the Recruitment Order, so he did not have the courage to challenge Yang Kai.
The majority of the people present were like this man, so soon, more than ninety people among the hundred went out, leaving only six people including Huo Han behind.
These six people were obviously Seeking Passion Sect disciples, and due to their identities, they were not willing to yield to Yang Kai’s abuse of power.
Yang Kai snorted coldly again, increasing his Emperor Qi steadily as he warned, “This Young Master will not be merciful to those who don’t listen to his command. Let’s see how long you can hold out!”
Huo Han winced in pain as his face turned red, “This is abuse of power for personal gain! I’ll report this to Elder Feng!”
“Report?” Yang Kai sneered, “Elder Feng Chi has entrusted this Young Master to guard this place, so everyone here must follow my command. This Young Master just came here and all of you dare to refuse his first order? Even if I killed all of you to serve as a warning, Elder Feng would not put the blame on me!”
“You dare?!” Huo Han was infuriated.
“Why wouldn’t I!?” With a raise of his brow, Yang Kai further increased his Emperor Pressure.
“Pu pu pu pu… *
The rest of the Seeking Passion Sect disciples spat a mouthful of blood one after another, no longer able to withstand the pressure. Creaking sounds could be heard from their bones, as if they might break at any time.
Huo Han and the others were all taken aback. They thought that Yang Kai would give them some face given they were Seeking Passion Sect disciples, but they did not expect that this guy to be so ruthless, showing his severity on the first meeting.
The Seeking Passion Sect gave great freedom to invited Emperor Realm Masters as they needed their help right now.
Therefore, Elder Feng would certainly not help Huo Han and the rest out if he learned of this; in fact, he might even punish them further to appease Yang Kai.
At most, they could only retaliate against Yang Kai after the war.
“Young Master Xiao, stop!” Huo Han’s body was shaking. He could not bear the pressure of an Emperor any longer and his body bent so low he almost kneeled down on the ground. He did not dare to hold out against Yang Kai anymore at this point as a trace of panic finally appeared on his face.
If he was really forced to kneel down, he would lose all face.
“Then, will you obey my commands now?” Yang Kai questioned in a cold voice.
“Yes, absolutely! We will listen to your commands!” Huo Han and the others answered without hesitation.
“Idiots! You guys just have to suffer in order to learn!” Yang Kai snorted coldly and retracted his Emperor Pressure.
Huo Han and the others seemed to be drained, so all of them fell on their bottoms, their clothes drenched in sweat.
“Hurry up. If I don’t see a new cabin here within two hours, all of you will die,” Yang Kai bellowed.
Huo Han and the others swiftly got up and rushed out.
The efficiency of a hundred cultivators was no joke. It took only one hour instead of two for them to build an exquisite cabin on the flat ground.
Yang Kai was truly satisfied with the result, praised the crowd, then walked inside proudly, closed the door, and began to meditate and cultivate.
However, after the incident today, most of these one hundred people did not have a good impression of Yang Kai, especially Huo Han and the others. All of them glared at the cabin in hatred, secretly plotting to ask the Sect Elders to avenge them when Yang Kai was no longer of use.
Half a day later, the other four hundred cultivators under Yang Kai’s command rushed over. They even caused the ground to rumble as they did so.
Yang Kai came out of the cabin to take a look; then, after a few words, he returned into his cabin, ignoring them.
Yang Kai could not help ruminating as he entered the cabin.
The main purpose of him infiltrating here using Xiao Bai Yi’s identity was to find Nanmen Da Jun. Once found, Yang Kai would kill him or capture him depending on the circumstances. However, he did not expect that he would be assigned a task to guard an array flag; tying him down to a single spot.
Since he was appointed to guard the array flag, he could not simply run around. Furthermore, he had no clue where Nanmen Da Jun was at the moment.
This caused Yang Kai to be anxious.
Looking at the progress of the Seeking Passion Sect, the array flags and the array bases were all but fully arranged. It would not take long for them to break the Sect Defending Array of Ice Heart Valley. If he continued to delay his mission, he was afraid that it would be too late to save Ice Heart Valley’.
Considering all this, a resolute look flashed upon Yang Kai’s face and he pushed the door open and went out again.
The five hundred cultivators scattered around the array flag, sitting cross-legged, all noticed Yang Kai appear and stood up to await his command.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai did not even look at them. Instead, he just turned around and flew off.
“Young Master Xiao…” Huo Han shouted with his fist cupped.
“What?” Yang Kai frowned, looking rather displeased.
“May I know where Young Master Xiao is going?” Huo Han queried in a deep voice.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “You don’t need to worry about where this Young Master is going.”
Huo Han’s face burned furiously. In a neither humble nor arrogant tone, he pressed on, “That’s not true, Young Master Xiao. Since Elder Feng had appointed you to guard the array flag, Young Master Xiao should obey the order and not leave without permission. I’m afraid Elder Feng would not be happy if he knew about this. If anything happens here, who will bear the consequences?”
“It’s so peaceful here. What could possibly happen?” Yang Kai stared at him coldly.
Huo Han smiled faintly, “Who knows? I’m also saying just in case… “
“I’m just going for a walk. I’ll be back soon.” Yang Kai interjected.
Huo Han warned, “Even leaving for just a moment is still considered abandoning your post. If Young Master Xiao insists on doing so, I’ll have no choice but to report this to the Elders.”
He hated Yang Kai for torturing him before, so it was natural for him to seize this opportunity to irritate him. Moreover, the job of these Seeking Passion Sect disciples stationed here was not only to assist the Emperor Realm Master who received the Recruitment Order to guard the array flag, but also to monitor them.
After all, it was hard to judge one’s heart from his or her face. No one knew whether these Emperor Realm Masters were reliable or not; only their own loyal disciples could be trusted.
Therefore, there would be some Seeking Passion Sect disciples under every foreign Emperor Realm Master. Although there were not many of them, Feng Chi needed these disciples to restrict these outsiders’ movements.
Yang Kai was exasperated looking at Huo Han’s serious yet proud face.
He knew that Huo Han was taking revenge on him, but since Huo Han had made his warning clear, Yang Kai could not act recklessly. If he really caught Feng Chi’s attention, Yang Kai was afraid that he would be monitored more closely.
“Fine, I won’t take a walk then. It’s not a big deal anyway,” Yang Kai chuckled, turned back and returned to his cabin, slamming the door behind him.
Huo Han stood still in the same spot, a happy smile on his face.
Soon, night came.
When Yang Kai was still thinking of a countermeasure, murmuring voices were heard from the outside. After listening carefully for a while, Yang Kai’s face darkened.
The topic that the five hundred cultivators outside were tattling about was not about anything else but himself.
“Have you heard that? Although our Sir Xiao has a huge background, he is a henpecked man.”
“This news is widespread. It’s also said that his fiancée is so hideous that no one could bear to look her in the eye. Furthermore, she is also a shrew of a woman. Sir Xiao could not stand being tortured by his fiancée in Azure Sun Temple and had to escape to the Northern Territory.”
“Haha, I thought he was strong, but he actually fears his woman.”
“Seriously? Such a thing even exists?”
“He said it himself in the Recruitment Hall, how can it be wrong? There were a lot of witnesses present at that time.”
“I think Sir Xiao probably hasn’t met any beautiful woman in his life yet, so he had to come here to receive the Recruitment Order, in hopes of picking up some beauties after Ice Heart Valley is destroyed.
“What’s the point of bringing them back? With a domineering wife at home, I’m afraid that he will not have the guts to go against her. At most, he will only be able to enjoy looking at them.”
“Pitiful, pitiful. He still dares to call himself an Emperor Realm Master? What a disgrace to men.”
…..
Yang Kai mumbled to himself, wondering who was the bastard that spread out these rumours, causing everyone to gossip about him. By now, his, or rather, Xiao Bai’s unsightly ‘history’ was known throughout the city.
Back then, Yang Kai just blabbered some random nonsense in the Recruitment Hall, never expecting he would be teased by everyone now because of this.
Needless to say, it must be Huo Han who spread these rumours.
Although it was just false information, Yang Kai was still annoyed by these people talking behind his back, especially since they were technically his subordinates right now. Embarrassed and filled with a full stomach of grievances, Yang Kai could not help snorting loudly.
Hearing his voice, the discussion outside abruptly ceased. Everyone exchanged glances, and could not help snickering.
“Becoming angry out of shame!” Huo Han gazed at the direction of the cabin, sneering lightly.
Yang Kay stayed in the cabin for two days, for Huo Han’s obstruction and surveillance had given him no choice but to come up with another plan.
As a Master proficient in the Dao of Space, a trivial Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator could never be able to detect it if Yang Kai truly wanted to leave, but he had to be extra careful as he was deep in enemy territory now.
On the third day, Yang Kai, who was meditating in the cabin, suddenly heard a trail of footsteps from outside, followed by a familiar voice, “Cao Xu requests to see Young Master Xiao.”
Yang Kai frowned, as he had no idea why Cao Xu came here. He did not reappear until today since he brought him here a few days ago.
Still feeling dubious about his sudden visit, Yang Kai opened the door and went out with his hand fan waving.
Before he could stand firm though, Yang Kai heard a cold, wrath-filled snort in front of him, followed by an overwhelming aura rushing towards him.
Yang Kai’s face changed abruptly as he staggered a few steps back, staring forward with wide-eyed eyes.
Standing before him was Cao Xu, who had a forced smile on his face. Beside him was a woman dressed in white from head to toe, as if she clothed herself in snow. She had a curvy and exquisite figure that men would not be able to resist fantasizing about while gazing at her.
But the look on her face was stomach-turning.
Freckles and pockmarks were unevenly distributed all over the woman’s face, monolids framing small eyes, and a flat nose accentuated her wide mouth. Although her eyes were energetic, given such ‘majestic’ light, they were also sharp as knives, making any who met them shudder.
The ugliness of this woman’s appearance was indescribable. What could this woman have done to offend the Heavens to be given such a punishment?
“Wha… wha… wha…” Yang Kai’s eyes almost popped out from their sockets as he exclaimed in shock, unable to finish his sentence.
“Hmph, I can’t believe you really came here! You made it all too easy for this Young Lady to find you!” The ugly woman gnashed her teeth and snapped at Yang Kai, as if she was about to peel his skin and tear his flesh.
Yang Kai was drenched in sweat, asking nervously as he wiped his sweat, “What… what are you doing here?”
He totally did not expect the woman in front of him would actually come here.
Despite the strange and hideous look of the woman, Yang Kai recognized her at a glance.
Ji Yao!
It was not that Yang Kai had a sharp vision, it was that Ji Yao deliberately released her own aura at the moment of meeting. Yang Kai and Ji Yao had been together for quite some time, so he was quite familiar with her.
Ji Yao’s current face was obviously a disguise made by Shi Tian He, and there was no trace of her original appearance at all.
Yang Kai had left Ice Heart Valley alone just a few days ago because he did not want to get Ji Yao involved in his plan, but he did not expect that she actually came to him on her own. Moreover, she was brought here by Cao Xu.
[What’s happening!?]
Yang Kai secretly glanced at Cao Xu in horror while the latter forced a smile, “Young Master Xiao, this… this Lady said that she was engaged to you and has come to find you, so… Young Master Xiao, hehe, please forgive me!”
Cao Xu’s voice was hoarse, filled with helplessness.
“Engaged!?” Yang Kai was exasperated.
The five hundred cultivators who meditated nearby also looked over in curiosity. When they saw Ji Yao’s current appearance, their faces changed. For those with poor mental endurance, they instantly turned around and vomited.
“Too ugly, too ugly! No wonder Sir Xiao had to escape from the Southern Region! If I had a fiancée like this, I would run too!”
“I feel sorry for Sir Xiao, too sorry for him… He is an Emperor Realm Master after all, how did he end up with such a woman?”
“A gentleman prefers death to humiliation. It’s better to die proudly than to marry a woman like this!”
The place was buzzing with discussions, as most of the cultivators started to sympathize with Yang Kai from the bottom of their hearts.
After all, he was an Emperor Realm Master, so shouldn’t it have been natural that he could have any kind of beauty he wanted? Why did he have such an ugly fiancée? It was unbearable! Any man in his position would still be traumatized for life even if he extinguished all the lights every night.
However, Huo Han and the other Seeking Passion Sect disciples could not help taking pleasure in Yang Kai’s misfortune, waiting to watch a good show with their eyes peeled.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Yao approached forward with a domineering demeanour, “Do you wish to deny our parents’ orders and the matchmaker’s words? Even though this Young Lady’s looks are a bit mundane, there are still many who want to marry me! If you dare to deny our engagement, I’ll break off your legs right this instant!”
“A bit mundane…” Cao Xu gulped. He could not believe that this lady dared to say such words. It was a complete understatement of her current appearance.
“You recognize the wrong person. I don’t know you. Leave now, leave now!” Yang Kai covered his face and did not dare to look at Ji Yao’s face. At the same time, he sent her a Divine Sense Message stealthily, “Why did you come here? This place is really dangerous, quickly go back.”
Ji Yao yelled hysterically, “Xiao Bai Yi! Don’t reject a face-saving offer! If it weren’t for the order of the Sect Master, do you think this Young Lady would be willing to be engaged to you!?”
At the same time, she sent him a Divine Sense Message back, “How dare you leave me behind! Before, in the Ancient Lands, you lied to me again and again while taking advantage of me. Do you think I have forgotten about that?”
“How do you know my name is currently Xiao Bai Yi? And regarding those matters, you also know that I was forced by the circumstances!” While communicating with her via Divine Sense, Yang Kai continued to shout out loud, “The engagement doesn’t count, doesn’t count! From now on, you and I should walk our own, separate paths and stop appearing in each other’s life!”
“Word of your ‘fierce’ fiancée has spread far and wide the past few days. Now, all of Ice Moon City knows about it, so it wasn’t hard for me to find out that you were using the fake name, Xiao Bai Yi. Don’t worry, I perfectly aligned my background to yours as well, and the Seeking Passion Sect is not suspicious in the slightest,” Ji Yao quickly replied through Divine Sense while yelling angrily out loud at the same time, “Xiao Bai Yi! Do you even have a heart!? If I hadn’t taken care of you all these years, you would have been fed to the wild animals in the wilderness! And now, you want to abandon me after taking advantage of me!?”
“Taking advantage!?” All of a sudden, the ears of the five hundred cultivators perked up in amazement.
They had no choice but to respect the courage of Yang Kai for being willing to ‘take advantage’ of such a hideous woman. None of them would dare to do so, as this ‘meal’… was too hard to be savoured.
Their quarrel did not just entertain the five hundred cultivators nearby, but also alarmed those cultivators who were guarding the other array flags in the vicinity. Soon, many had come over to watch the show.
After a little inquiry, all of them learned that Xiao Bai Yi’s wicked fiancée had come to find him.
Everyone had already heard of the news of Xiao Bai Yi’s shrewish wife the past few days, so they were enjoying the show in excitement, waiting to see how Yang Kai would handle his predicament.
“Take advantage…” Yang Kai’s cold sweat dripped even further, revealing a face full of guilt and uneasiness.
Everyone glanced at his expression, and they were even more impressed that such a thing truly happened.
“Do you think I don’t know why you came here to accept the Seeking Passion Sect’s Recruitment Order? Isn’t it all because you want to bring back some beautiful fair-skinned Ice Heart Valley disciples? I’ll tell you now, that will happen only in your dreams! If you bring one, I’ll kill one, if you bring two, I’ll kill two! Bring three, and I’ll cut off your third leg!”
The five hundred cultivators burst into laughter. Although Ji Yao’s appearance was disappointing, her words were brutal. Sure enough, she was really fearless, and no other normal woman would dare to speak like her.
Huo Han was especially happy as he doubled over in laughter at their conversation, wishing Yang Kai even more misfortunes as he did.
“Hey, you’re taking this act a bit too far…” Yang Kai hurriedly sent another Divine Sense message. He understood Ji Yao far better than anyone else present and knew that it was quite hard for a cold beauty like her to utter such words. With a sigh in his heart, he continued secretly communicating with her, “Fine. Since things have gotten to this point, cooperate with me. Find a chance to start a real fight!”
Ji Yao’s brow rose slightly as she silently replied, “Good!”
“Disgraceful!” Yang Kai cried out bitterly, pointing his finger at Ji Yao with a look of agony on his face as he declared, “I, Xiao Bai Yi, have always lived with dignity and nobility, so why do I have to fall into the hands of a disgusting woman like you!? The Heavens truly have no eyes!”
Ji Yao was infuriated, “How dare you despise this Young Lady!?”
While speaking, she rushed forward with a flicker, swinging her hands wildly as she looked like she was trying to claw out Yang Kai’s face, berating him at the same time without a break, causing everyone to stare in shock.
Yang Kai blocked left and right, but it was not enough. Soon, his clothes were torn by Ji Yao, turning him into an utterly dishevelled mess.
“Sii… This woman is also an Emperor Realm Master?”
“Senior Xiao is an Emperor Realm Master, but he is no match to her at all! It’s obvious that this woman’s cultivation is higher than Senior Xiao’s.”
“I heard that Senior Xiao is from Azure Sun Temple, a top Sect in the Southern Territory, so where did this woman come from?”
Previously, everyone was just enjoying the show and did not pay much attention to Ji Yao until she made a move. The revelation of her Emperor Realm cultivation threw everyone into a panic.
A shrewish woman was not scary, but a powerful shrewish woman was utterly horrifying.
“Enough!” Yang Kai yelled angrily, shoving Ji Yao back with a surge of his Emperor Qi before he shot a ferocious glare at her, “Keep your hands off this Young Master or don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Ji Yao was dumbstruck, seemingly not having expected Yang Kai to dare to fight back, but soon, she roared hysterically, “Xiao Bai Yi! You dare to hit me? This Young Lady will beat you to death!”
Saying so, she flipped her hand and summoned a sword before swinging it towards Yang Kai.
It was too late for Yang Kai to dodge, so the sword cut a big hole in his robes, almost opening his stomach while it did so.
“Are you courting death!?” Yang Kai exploded as he pushed his Emperor Qi and sent a gigantic palm print towards Ji Yao.
*Hong hong hong… *
The faces of the audience changed drastically at the extraordinary combat moves of the two Emperor Realm Masters. However, with a light swish of her sword, Ji Yao easily repelled Yang Kai’s move. She pointed her sword up to the sky, and many flowers made of swords wrapped around Yang Kai in an instant.
“They really started fighting… “
“This will be the battle of life and death!”
“How can two people who are engaged to each other end up like this? Senior Xiao has a bad temper, but this woman is even more unreasonable!”
Previously, these five hundred cultivators were having fun watching the show, but they began to worry when they saw Yang Kai and Ji Yao start a fight, wondering if they would be caught up in the fallout.
Nevertheless, Huo Han was enraptured by the scene, secretly cheering for Ji Yao, wishing her to stab Yang Kai to death for good.
On the other side, Cao Xu was standing still with cold sweat beaded on his forehead. After a short hesitation, he hurriedly rushed towards where Feng Chi was stationed. The battle between two Emperor Realm Masters was out of his league. He could no longer interfere and could only report this matter to Feng Chi in hopes that the latter could find a way to deal with this.
The fight between Yang Kai and Ji Yao took to the sky as both of them appeared to be unleashing all their pent up hatred, yelling and cursing at each other without stopping as they exchanged attacks.
The sky was filled with the sounds of explosions as the two flew back and forth, engaging in an all-out battle.
There were many Emperor Realm Masters watching from below, but they did not meddle as they were not related to Yang Kai or Ji Yao in any way. All of them could not help laughing after learning what was going on.
After a short time, Yang Kai and Ji Yao had moved their fight far away from where it began. Soon, a voice came from below, “Young Master Xiao, what are you two doing!?”
Yang Kai quickly stole a glance while carrying on the fight, spotting Feng Chi arriving with a furious look on his face.
Yang Kai ignored him and continued to fight with Ji Yao, quickly moving them in a certain direction.
“Is Nanmen Da Jun on that side?” Ji Yao asked while realization dawned on her, still throwing moves that seemed like they would kill Yang Kai at any moment.
“En. I’ve been sneaking out secretly these past few days, and although I did not dare to investigate thoroughly, Nanmen Da Jun is definitely on that side. But, I still don’t know his exact location, so we’ll have to search for him!”
“What does he look like?” Ji Yao queried.
“I have never seen or met him before, so I can’t tell. But, since he is an Array Master who is responsible for breaking the Sect Defending Array, there will certainly be some Masters protecting him. We just need to look for the place where there are several Emperor Realm Masters together.”
“Good!” While replying, Ji Yao released her Divine Sense to look around.
Feng Chi’s face hardened in the absence of a response from Yang Kai, as if his face was covered by frost.
“Elder Feng, that’s where Grandmaster Nanmen is! We can’t let them get any closer to that side otherwise they will interrupt the Grandmaster!” Cao Xu reminded Feng Chi as soon as he saw the direction Yang Kai and Ji Yao were headed.
“I know. But these two are so heated right now I’m afraid they won’t stop unless someone falls,” Feng Chi muttered glumly, “If I knew this would happen, this King would never have allowed you to bring that woman over here.”
Cao Xu smiled wryly, “No one could have anticipated that woman to be this unreasonable.”
“This matter cannot be delayed, we must stop them now!” After his remark, Feng Chi immediately flew towards Yang Kai and Ji Yao.
“Over there!” Yang Kai’s face suddenly changed at that moment as he shot Ji Yao a meaningful look, “There is a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and two First-Order Emperors over there. They should be the ones who are protecting Nanmen Da Jun!”
The two exchanged looks before coordinating to move closer to that side, still exchanging flashing attacks as they flew.
Not long after that, they were close to the location they had previously detected.
Yang Kai swiftly scanned the area and saw a middle-aged man with a burly figure setting up an array flag. There were three Emperor Realm Masters guarding beside him; one of them was a Second-Order, while the other two were just First-Order.
“Nanmen Da Jun!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he stared at the stocky man who was setting up the array flag.
“Who are you to be impudent here? Leave now!” Among the three Emperor Realm guards, the Second-Order Master shouted coldly as he looked up at them.
“Do it!” Yang Kai whispered to Ji Yao.
Ji Yao saw the opportunity and unreservedly performed a palm strike on Yang Kai. The power of this palm strike penetrated the clouds and wind, directly landing on Yang Kai’s chest.
With a miserable scream, Yang Kai spat a mouthful of blood and plummeted from the sky like a meteor.
Looking at the direction of his fall, he was heading directly towards the location of Nanmen Da Jun.
At the same time, Ji Yao’s eyes flashed furiously as she shouted, “Xiao Bai Yi, today is the day you die!”
While shouting, she flew downwards with a vicious look, as if she was leaving no chance for Yang Kai to live.
Ji Yao fell on the ground with Yang Kai, only a hair’s breadth distance from each other, but when they landed, they turned simultaneously and flew out together.
Ji Yao no longer restrained her strength as she swung her sword, causing the space around her to tremble.
“Second-Order Emperor Realm!” The faces of the three men who were guarding Nanmen Da Jun changed slightly. In that one shout, the Second-Order Emperor Realm Master had already made a move to intercept Ji Yao.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, went straight for Nanmen Da Jun, his eyes cold and vicious. At that moment, his vitality surged and he showed not the slightest sign of injury.
Although Nanmen Da Jun was an Array Master, his cultivation was not weak as he was also a First-Order Emperor Realm Master.
At the sight of Yang Kai’s aggressive pounce, Nanmen Da Jun was taken aback. However, he did not panic and instead took a few steps back while returning a cold gaze to Yang Kai.
“Who are you? How dare you try and harm Grandmaster Nanmen!?” One of the First-Order Emperor Realm Masters rebuked as he stood to block Yang Kai.
“Move!” Yang Kai roared and with a wave of his hand sent out a Moon Blade.
Seeing the incoming of the Moon Blade, the First-Order Emperor Realm Master snorted coldly and pushed his Emperor Qi to defend himself, but he had no clue about the lethality of Yang Kai’s Moon Blade. As his Emperor Qi touched the Moon Blade, it completely collapsed, scaring the life out of him as he hurriedly summoned his defensive artifact to protect himself.
However, he was too late, as Yang Kai had already arrived in front of him, and slammed a palm on his head.
With a thud, the First-Order Emperor Realm Master did not even have the time to react before his head was smashed and his brains splashed out.