In just a brief moment of confrontation, an Emperor Realm Elder of Seeking Passion Sect had his head smashed to pieces and died on the spot. All the nearby cultivators gasped in disbelief at the brutal scene.
That was an Emperor Realm Master, how could he be killed in just one hit? Could this Xiao Bai Yi possibly be that powerful?
Following his successful attack, Yang Kai once again released a Moon Blade towards the other First-Order Emperor Realm Master while at the same time grabbing towards Nanmen Da Jun.
“Little animal, it’s you!”
Instead of fear and panic though, the remaining First-Order Emperor’s eyes flashed brightly at the death of his companion, as if he had discovered an incredible secret. Grabbing towards Yang Kai with his hand, this Master’s cultivation suddenly soared upwards.
“A Third-Order Emperor Realm Master?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened, and immediately exclaimed when he noticed this person’s aura, “Feng Xuan! So you were hiding here!”
He had received news before that Feng Xuan was in Ice Moon City, but now, he realized that Feng Xuan was not in the rear taking command, but had actually been waiting by Nanmen Da Jun’s side while camouflaging his own appearance and hiding his cultivation, disguising as an ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Since he was the Sect Master of the Seeking Passion Sect, it wasn’t surprising he had a Secret Technique capable of at least this much.
The reason for his actions was to have safety measures against Bing Yun; however, contrary to Feng Xuan’s expectations, the one who appeared before him was actually Yang Kai.
A few years ago, Feng Xi fought against Yang Kai in the Shattered Star Sea, the battle ultimately ending with Feng Xi’s defeat and his death. At the end of that battle, Feng Xuan used a Soul Descend to possess his son’s body, but even after fighting a battle with Yang Kai, Feng Xuan failed to save his son.
When the Moon Blade appeared, Feng Xuan instantly recognized Yang Kai’s true identity.
“It’s too late to realize it now! This King already knows who you are! I didn’t expect you to fall into this trap by yourself. My target just served himself on a platter for me, I don’t even need to put in any effort to search for you. Now die!” Feng Xuan sneered as he pushed his Emperor Qi and Principle Strength madly, condensing them into a thick chain that shot towards Yang Kai in an attempt to bind him.
Yang Kai’s face changed drastically and was forced to withdraw the hand grasping towards Nanmen Da Jun in order to rapidly form a series of hand seals as he shouted, “Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
A seal shrouded Feng Xuan from above.
“Time Flies Seal!” Feng Xuan was horrified when he felt the great power contained in this Divine Ability. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like him could not help feeling frightened as an odd sensation overwhelmed him.
Time itself seemed to slow to a crawl as he watched this seal form.
“Time Principles!” Feng Xuan’s face darkened.
Yang Kai used the Time Flies Seal in the Shattered Star Sea back then as well, and it was thanks to this Divine Ability that Feng Xuan’s son had perished. Because of this, Feng Xuan had spent some time over the past few years investigating the mysteries of this Divine Ability.
And his hard work had paid off because he finally had a good understanding of this Divine Ability.
This Time Flies Seal was the unique Divine Ability of the Flowing Time Great Emperor. A single seal not only made time flow rapidly, but also involved Time Principles. It was definitely a powerful Secret Technique that all Emperor Realm Masters would be envious of.
Now, Yang Kai was using the Time Flies Seal again, which he undoubtedly had become more proficient with than a few years ago.
Feng Xuan, who was shrouded by the distorted Time Principles, became sluggish for a moment.
Right at that moment, Yang Kai flashed by him and sprang towards Nanmen Da Jun like a tiger hunting its prey.
Nanmen Da Jun retreated quickly in horror, pushing his Emperor Qi at the same time to protect himself.
But just like Yang Kai, he was only a First-Order Emperor, so how could he resist? He did not even have time to summon any Emperor Artifacts before Yang Kai grabbed his neck. In the next moment, a fierce wave of force invaded Nanmen Da Jun’s body, flooding his meridians and physique. Nanmen Da Jun suddenly gave a cough, his face white as a sheet as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Don’t force me to kill you! It’s not easy to be an accomplished Array Master, it would be a shame for you to die here!” Yang Kai declared coldly when he saw Nanmen Da Jun still trying to struggle.
Nanmen Da Jun sighed dejectedly and dispersed his Emperor Qi, allowing Yang Kai to lift him up.
At that moment, there was a soft cracking sound.
Yang Kai looked back and saw that Feng Xuan, who was under the influence of the Time Flies Seal, had broken free.
“I expected nothing less from Sect Master Feng!” Yang Kai complimented.
Although the Time Flies Seal was exceptional, Yang Kai’s cultivation was still far from Feng Xuan’s, so it was something of a fluke to even be able to trap him for a moment.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
A group of silhouettes rose into the sky from all directions, and waves of Emperor Qi surged towards this direction violently. Naturally, these auras belonged to the Emperor Realm Masters from the Seeking Passion Sect and those who had accepted the Recruitment Order. They must have sensed something wrong and rushed to help.
At a glance, there seemed to be at least thirty Emperor Realm Masters approaching, an extremely terrifying force.
Although it was not as good as the thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands, it was still dreadfully shocking that a single Sect could gather so many Emperor Realm Masters.
“Yao’er, I’ve got him, withdraw!” Yang Kai shouted sharply, calling out to Ji Yao who was fighting against the Second-Order Emperor Realm Master guard.
Yang Kai did not want to be entangled here a moment longer. Since he had already achieved his goal, which was to capture Nanmen Da Jun, the wisest course of action was to leave now.
Ji Yao nodded and used her Pear Flower Ice Snow Sword Technique. Pear blossoms bloomed and swirled around her opponent, locking him in place for a moment as she took the opportunity to escape and fly towards Yang Kai.
“Trying to escape? Since you’ve come, this King insists you stay!” Feng Xuan was boiling in anger, like an erupting volcano. Pushing his Seeking Passion Supreme Art to its limit, he released a mystical domain that covered the entire surrounding region.
In this domain, everyone’s emotions and desires seemed to be infinitely magnified, shaking their minds and making it difficult for them to control themselves.
This was the horror of the Seeking Passion Supreme Art. Once it was deployed, it could arouse the emotions and desires hidden in the heart of the enemy, playing an important role of restraint in a battle of life and death; after all, even a small mistake in such a battle could result in death.
Activating his Secret Art, Feng Xuan stretched a hand out and summoned a spear that seemed to pulse with Blood Qi. Whistling wind and booming thunder was heard as Feng Xuan poured his Emperor Qi into the spear.
“Go!” Feng Xuan growled in a low voice as he threw the spear in his hand towards Yang Kai ferociously.
*Kacha… *
The spear turned into a violet bolt of lightning, soaring like a dragon through the Heavens, radiating an astonishing destructive power.
“The inheritance of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor, Wind and Thunder Divine Spear!”
Many Emperor Realm Masters were shocked, and many knowledgeable cultivators recognized the origin of this spear.
It was known that the Seeking Passion Sect was founded by a Great Emperor, and the Seeking Passion Supreme Art was also the cultivation technique created by the same Great Emperor at the time. It was this supreme Secret Art that assisted in his rise to become a Great Emperor.
Apart from the Seeking Passion Supreme Art, the Seeking Passion Great Emperor had left many other relics to his descendants before he passed on.
The Wind and Thunder Divine Spear was the original Natal Emperor Artifact of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor when he was alive, so its power and lethality was naturally immense!
One could see Feng Xuan’s determination to kill Yang Kai when he summoned the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear to fight against him, who was merely a First-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Pressured by the approaching Wind and Thunder Divine Spear, Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn. He felt a sense of crisis that he had never felt before, as if he was about to die the next moment.
Ji Yao’s face also paled slightly.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai stretched out his hand, and a simple little bell materialised before him.
This small bell that seemed to be thoroughly worn by time was engraved with many mysterious patterns. In an instant, it expanded to the size of a house, shielding Yang Kai and Ji Yao behind it.
Mountains and Rivers Bell!
As soon as this Ancient Exotic Artifact appeared, a wave of aura that could suppress the Heavens and Earth filled the air, causing the numerous Emperor Realm Masters who were rushing over to suddenly stagnate, their chests tightening as if they were being crushed by a large mountain.
Its Desolate Aura was released instantly.
Things did not end here though as Yang Kai slammed his palm forward and patted the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
*Hong…*
The ringing of the bell shot straight into the sky and the suppressive force suddenly multiplied. At this moment, countless cultivators hovering in the air dropped like dumplings, unable to resist. Even the Emperor Realm Masters could barely resist this suppressive force.
“What the hell is that?!” Feng Xuan staggered, realising the formidability of this bell. He was shocked that even someone as powerful as him felt his aura tumbling at a mere knell of this bell.
*Hong…*
There was another loud clang in the next instant, caused by the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear striking the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The moment the two artifacts touched, the original form of the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear reappeared, its brightness dimmed somewhat as it bounced away. On the contrary, the Mountains and Rivers Bell remained exactly where it was, without even a single scratch, as sturdy as a mountain.
Yang Kai, however, spurted a mouthful of blood.
Unlike the last time when he was pretending to be injured by Ji Yao’s sword strike by biting his tongue, he was really injured this time.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell was an Ancient Exotic Artifacts and naturally not afraid of the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear, but as it was linked to Yang Kai, part of the impact of the attack was transferred to its owner still.
The power of the inheritance left by the Seeking Passion Great Emperor was truly extraordinary.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai bellowed, retrieving the Mountains and Rivers Bell and enveloping Ji Yao and Nanmen Da Jun with his Space Principles before vanishing from the spot.
Silence descended where Yang Kai had just fled.
Bewilderment etched on their faces, the Emperor Realm Masters who had originally planned to rush to the rescue stood frozen on the spot, unable to move an inch.
Although the previous battle was short, the earth-shattering fluctuations displayed the intensity of the fight. No one could have imagined that a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master could compete against a Master like Feng Xuan, and was even able to retreat successfully.
“Where did he go?”
“Where is that little brat?”
“Who was he?”
Doubts arose in the Emperor Masters’ hearts, but no one was able to answer them. Perhaps the Seeking Passion Sect knew the identity of that person, but at this time, who would dare to speak? Feng Xuan looked extremely aggrieved, as if someone had just killed his parents and stolen his wives, so no one wanted to touch his nerves…
“Space Principles! Someone actually used a Spatial Technique!” Someone suddenly bellowed. Even though the shout was not too loud, it echoed all over the wilderness clearly.
The faces of all the Emperor Realm Masters grew solemn hearing this.
The Dao of Space was an esoteric Dao that only a few could use even when considering the entire Star Boundary. It was rumoured that the man who was the most proficient in the Dao of Space was a Master from the Eastern Territory’s Spirit Beast Island.
But that man supposedly had a powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation.
Now though, a mere First-Order Emperor actually used a Spatial Technique to such a skilful degree.
“I think that bell is the Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Another person recognized the bell.
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell? The relic of the Yuan Ding Great Emperor?”
“Yes, it was indeed the Mountains and Rivers Bell! I’ve long heard from my disciples that the Mountains and Rivers Bell appeared in the Shattered Star Sea, but at some point disappeared. Now, it seems like someone has refined the Mountains and River Bell and brought it out of the Shattered Star Sea.”
“Sii… He is proficient in The Dao of Space and managed to refine the Mountains and Rivers Bell… what a great fortune he has!”
“Who was that young man!?”
While everyone was still in doubt, Feng Xuan suddenly roared to the Heavens with an outraged face, “Yang Kai! This King swears he will kill you if it is the last thing he ever does!”
“Yang Kai!”
“Wasn’t that the name of the one the Seeking Passion Sect has been looking for?”
“It is said that he has a close relationship with Ice Heart Valley, and because of that, the Seeking Passion Sect sent troops to Ice Heart Valley to force information about him out of Bing Yun.”
“So, that little brat was Yang Kai!”
……
No matter whether Yang Kai was famous or not before today, he was destined to become famous after today, for he had killed a Seeking Passion Sect Elder and captured Nanmen Da Jun right in front of the Seeking Passion Sect’s Sect Master, Feng Xuan. Furthermore, he managed to make a successful retreat. No ordinary genius could accomplish the same feats Yang Kai had.
The hot news of Yang Kai wielding Space Principles and possessing the Mountains and Rivers Bells naturally spread out rapidly.
It was just a matter of time before the name of Yang Kai would be known throughout the entire Northern Territory.
Not everyone could master the Dao of Space as it depended on one’s natural talent for this Dao, nor would it be possible to comprehend it even if Yang Kai was captured and they tortured him for information; however, the Mountains and Rivers Bell was the titular artifact of the Yuan Ding Great Emperor, and rumour had it that it was an Ancient Exotic Artifact that was brought out from the Ancient Wild Lands, a treasure that all envied.
During the War of Great Emperors, even though he had to bear serious danger, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor still chose to kill Yuan Ding first because he was afraid of the Mountains and Rivers Bell in his hands.
This was a treasure that even the strongest Master in the history of the Star Boundary feared! If one could lay their hands on it, his or her strength would soar.
Yang Kai and Ji Yao teleported back to the borders of Ice Heart Valley.
After sensing a tremendous energy fluctuation, Zhang Sun Yin immediately rushed out and looked over at the direction of Ji Yao and Yang Kai nervously, “Senior Brother Yang, you’re injured!” She exclaimed as she saw blood at the corner of his mouth.
Yang Kai waved his hand lightly, “I’m fine!”
Zhang Sun Ying continued, “You two are finally back! Honoured Master has been worried about both of you these past few days. Honoured Master would have gone out to seek you two if she was not afraid that she would alarm the enemy.”
While speaking, Zhang Sun Ying suddenly glanced at Nanmen Da Jun who was being held captive by Yang Kai, asking, “Who is he?”
Ji Yao answered, “Nanmen Da Jun!”
Flabbergasted, Zhang Sun Ying jumped on with joy, “You succeeded!?”
She had no clue about what Yang Kai was doing outside for these past few days. It was only after Ji Yao departed that she found out Yang Kai was going to deal with Nanmen Da Jun, and now that the latter had been captured, there was no doubt that they had succeeded.
Yang Kai nodded, and pushed Nanmen Da Jun forward to her, “I’ll turn him over to you, it will be up to Senior Bing Yun to decide whether he lives or dies. I need to heal myself first.”
Then, he turned to Ji Yao, “Junior Sister Yao, come and find me tomorrow. I’ll need your help.”
Ji Yao nodded without asking any questions.
After that, Yang Kai disappeared.
Although his cultivation was sealed, Nanmen Da Jun still showed the demeanour of a Grandmaster without a single trace of panic on his face. He looked around and stated calmly, “So, this is Ice Heart Valley. This King has long wanted to visit this place, but I didn’t expect to come here with the identity of a prisoner.”
Zhang Sun Ying and Ji Yao exchanged a look, the former stretching out her hand to gesture, “This way, Grandmaster Nanmen. I’ll take you to see our Honoured Master!”
Nanmen Da Jun smiled faintly, “En, lead the way!”
He looked calm and unaffected, which made many disciples of Ice Heart Valley see him in a new light. Although he was responsible for the dire situation of Ice Heart Valley, there was no real grudge between Nanmen Da Jun and Ice Heart Valley, he was simply working after receiving payment.
Since they had captured him, the crisis of Ice Heart Valley was resolved, and there was no point in harassing him.
Inside the room of the small courtyard, Yang Kai sat cross-legged and swallowed a few healing pills before quietly cultivating.
After a night of effort, Yang Kai had basically recovered and no longer showed any signs of injury.
The next morning, Yang Kai opened the door and left his room.
Ji Yao was already waiting outside.
Yang Kai requested as he glanced at her, “I want to see Senior Bing Yun.”
“Follow me!” Ji Yao answered. While leading the way, she took out her communication artifact and sent a message to Bing Yun.
Not long after, the two arrived at Bing Yun’s residence.
Needless to say, Bing Yun expressed her thanks to Yang Kai when they met. Without his help, they would never have been able to capture Nanmen Da Jun so easily.
Bing Yun’s cultivation was extraordinary, but some things just could not be achieved merely by strength.
“What are you going to do with Nanmen Da Jun?” Yang Kai asked.
Bing Yun replied, “We have made an agreement. In exchange for Ice Heart Valley guaranteeing his safety, he has agreed to never act against Ice Heart Valley again. Now, he is considered a guest, and I will send him away when the war is over.”
“Senior is kind-hearted,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
If it were him, he would certainly teach Nanmen Da Jun a painful lesson first. Even if he did not kill him, he would still torture him to relieve his anger.
Bing Yun smiled, “In the end, he is an Array Grandmaster of our era. Perhaps, Ice Heart Valley will have need of his services in the future, so it is better to build a good relationship with him. He was not targeting us intentionally in any case.”
Instead of continuing their discussion about Nanmen Da Jun, Yang Kai asked, “Has Senior prepared the things that I requested?”
After hearing this, Bing Yun tossed a Space Ring to him, “They are all inside. Check if it’s enough for you.”
Yang Kai caught it and nodded as he scanned it with his Divine Sense, “It’s enough.”
Puzzled, Bing Yun questioned, “What do you need so many Space Spirit Crystals and Space Spirit Jades for? As far as I know, these materials can only be used to refine Space Rings. Do you know Artifact Refining as well?”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “I don’t know Artifact Refining, but other than refining Space Rings, these materials have another great use.”
With a single thought, a realization dawned on Bing Yun, “Space Arrays?”
“Exactly!” Yang Kai admitted with a nod, “I want to arrange a Space Array in Ice Heart Valley. I wonder if Senior has a suitable place in mind? It’s better to be a place well guarded and hidden.”
Bing Yun was confused, “Why go through all the trouble? Our Ice Heart Valley has a Space Array here, and can travel to most of the places in the Northern Territory. Although it has been sealed recently, it can still be opened.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have to personally arrange this Space Array.”
Seeing his insistence, Bing Yun pondered for a while before she continued, “How about the Ice Lake?”
Yang Kai raised his brow, “The place where Zi Yu was imprisoned before? It’s indeed a good choice.”
Bing Yun concluded, “Then that place it is.”
“But isn’t that a Restricted Area of Ice Heart Valley?” Yang Kai frowned.
Bing Yun smiled faintly, “It was a Restricted Area before, but since you took that bead out, it’s not a Restricted Area anymore.”
Yang Kai was stunned and he chuckled in embarrassment.
When he came to Ice Heart Valley a few years ago, he took the Bead of Winter from the aforementioned Restricted Area. It was because of this opportunity that he gathered all of the Four Seasons Beads, allowing him to comprehend the Time Flies Seal Divine Ability of Flowing Time Great Emperor in the Shattered Star Sea.
In the past, Ice Heart Valley had used the Bead of Winter to create a Restricted Area which was useful for both cultivation and imprisonment, but without the bead, the Restricted Area naturally collapsed.
“It is not a simple feat to arrange a Space Array. Yang Kai, are you proficient in arrays as well?” Again, Bing Yun questioned curiously.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I only know how to arrange this one type of array, and even that was taught to me by a Senior Expert due to some opportunities in the past.”
With these words, a woman in all black emerged in Yang Kai’s mind.
[Yang Yan… ]
Yang Kai had not seen her for a long time. All these years, Yang Kai had been wandering the Star Boundary, but he never heard of a great force that had a Master called Yang Yan, and there was no news of Lin Yun’er, who Yang Yan had taken away with her.
After shaking off these distracting thoughts, Yang Kai got up and announced, “I shall go and arrange the array without delay. Junior Sister Yao, please assist me.”
Bing Yun ordered, “Yao’er, go with Yang Kai. If he has any needs, try to meet them.”
“Yes!” Ji Yao received her order.
The two immediately walked out of the palace and headed to the Ice Lake Restricted Area of Ice Heart Valley. Soon, they arrived at the place.
When Yang Kai came here last time, it was dreadfully cold due to the presence of the Bead of Winter, but now it was no different from the other places in Ice Heart Valley.
The altar in the centre of the island in the middle of the lake was still there, where the Bead of Winter was originally placed.
Yang Kai scanned the island with his Divine Sense and carefully examined the surrounding terrain, “This place is good, I shall arrange it here,” he said with satisfaction.
He stretched his hand and waved, summoning out a pile of materials along with a large amount of Space Spirit Crystals and Space Spirit Jades.
Yang Kai had arranged this kind of Space Array many times before. Previously, when he was in Heng Luo Star Field, he had arranged enough Space Arrays to connect almost every major Cultivation Star, allowing free travel between them all in an instant.
Before Yang Kai set up those Space Arrays, it would take about several months to several years for a cultivator to travel from one Cultivation Star to the next closest Cultivation Star across the vast Heng Luo Star Field.
However, with Yang Kai’s help, one could instantly reach his or her destination through the Space Array network, greatly saving time and avoiding the perils of travelling through the Starry Sky.
It could be said that Yang Kai’s contribution to Heng Luo Star Field was unprecedented, unmatched in history by any other.
It had been a long time since he last set up a Space Array, so Yang Kai could not help feeling a bit out of practice at first; however, his foundation was still there, so after a moment of preparation, he began to work.
Yang Kai was very familiar with the Space Array diagram taught to him by Yang Yan.
If it were another Array Master, even for someone like Nanmen Da Jun, they would probably need three to five months to finish arranging this diagram and would also need to go through a lot of trial and error. Because Space Arrays naturally involved the mysteries of the Dao of Space, the Array Master trying to arrange it could only begin after having a detailed understanding of what they were doing.
But for Yang Kai, it was different. He was proficient in the Dao of Space and had a strong grasp of Space Principles, so he had a unique advantage when it came to arranging Space Arrays.
With Ji Yao’s assistance, within only half a day, the basic structure of an array had been formed. Pieces of Space Spirit Crystals and Space Spirit Jades were smelted and arranged on the array by Yang Kai, completing the structure and formations in it, gradually perfecting it.
A day later, Yang Kai finally let out a gentle breath when he finished polishing the last rougher portions.
“It’s finished?” Although Ji Yao asked in a neutral tone, there was shock that could not be concealed in her beautiful eyes.
Even if one hadn’t eaten pork before, how could they not know what a pig was?
A Space Array was one of the most difficult arrays to arrange, and it was said that it required a lot of manpower, financial resources, and time to complete. Currently, only a few Grandmasters in the entire Star Boundary had the ability to arrange one from scratch.
But Yang Kai had completed a Space Array before Ji Yao’s eyes in the Ice Lake in just a day.
“It’s finished,” Yang Kai nodded in affirmation and circled around the Space Array for a while, apparently quite satisfied with his masterpiece.
Although he had not set one up for many years, it was still very easy to pick it up; some skills simply could never be forgotten.
The Space Array Yang Kai had arranged was only about four metres across and could be regarded as small to medium-sized, capable of teleporting no more than ten people at a time. The foundation of the formation was deeply buried in the ground, and countless mysterious runes were engraved on it. The base of the array was white and pristine as a jade, as if it could lead one the Heavens upon activation.
Above the base of the array were a few hundred grooves, which were used to insert Source Crystals as a power source.
“Where can it connect to?” Ji Yao asked curiously.
Yang Kai shook his head and smiled, “It doesn’t connect anywhere yet, it’s an independent Space Array.”
“Independent…” Ji Yao was stunned, “Then what use is it?”
Space Arrays had to be connected to each other to be effective. Two Space Arrays needed to exist in different locations and be connected to each other to allow cultivators to travel between them.
An independent Space Array was useless.
“It’s useless now, but it will be useful later,” Yang Kai grinned.
Ji Yao did not know what Yang Kai had up his sleeves, but it was apparent that he was not going to disclose it, so she could only hold her doubts.
“Take me to the Space Array in Ice Heart Valley then send me to the place closest to the Eastern Territory. I’ll return to the Ancient Lands from there,” Yang Kai turned his head to Ji Yao.
Ji Yao’s beautiful eyes opened wide and she gently nodded obediently, “Follow me.”
Why did Yang Kai want to go to the Ancient Lands? She knew that he was going to get help. The forces supporting the Seeking Passion Sect were both strong and numerous, with at least thirty to forty Emperor Realm Masters among the ranks, including several at the Second and Third-Order. With Ice Heart Valley’s current strength, they had no chance of victory and would surely be wiped out in a frontal conflict with the Seeking Passion Sect.
However, if Yang Kai could bring help from the Ancient Lands, the situation would be different. After all, each Monster King was as powerful as Feng Xuan.
While the two were walking, Yang Kai spoke up, “I won’t be bidding farewell to Senior Bing Yun, please inform her on my behalf. It will take at least one month to as long as two months to return, but I will definitely come back. The Sect Defending Array of Ice Heart Valley should be able to hold on until then.”
“Good,” Ji Yao nodded gently.
“And…” Yang Kai added while taking out a jade slip and sending his Divine Sense into it, engraving something onto it before he tossed it to Ji Yao, “Take this and teach it to Ice Heart Valley disciples while I’m gone.”
Ji Yao caught the jade slip and checked its content curiously, her tender body shaking slightly after a moment as she asked in shock, “What Spirit Array is this?”
Recorded in the jade slip was not a powerful Secret Technique, but a mysterious Spirit Array. Ji Yao, who was a strong Second-Order Emperor, had broad knowledge and insight so she was able to identify its profoundness at a glance.
With the help of this Spirit Array, the strength Ice Heart Valley’s disciples could display would increase immensely.
“The Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation!” Yang Kai replied, “It was the legacy inheritance of the Black Tortoise Sect from the Eastern Territory.”
It was Qin Zhao Yang from Maplewood City who taught Yang Kai this Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation. At that time, Maplewood City was besieged by Demon Qi, and with much difficulty, they managed to form the Seven Point Black Tortoise Formation with the help of seven Dao Source Realm cultivators in order to venture out and seek a solution to the crisis. Unfortunately, their efforts ended in vain.
It was not that the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation was weak though, but rather that the ones who were using it didn’t possess high enough cultivation or the necessary unity.
This Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation was a core technique of the Black Tortoise Sect from the Eastern Territory. Once seven individuals formed the formation, it could be used offensively and defensively, but it was especially strong to be used as a defence.
It was unfortunate that the Black Tortoise Sect had somehow offended the Divine Spirit, Shi Huo, resulting in it launching an assault on them. Black Tortoise Sect exhausted all its power and resources but still failed to resist in the end, ultimately being wiped out.
The ancestor of the Qin Family in Maplewood City was a refugee from the Black Tortoise Sect. After the Sect’s fall, the Master had fled to the Southern Territory and settled in Maplewood City. It was a pity that the Qin Family continued to decline in successive generations, to the point where even the appearance of Dao Source Realm cultivators was rare. It was a point of great sorrow that no one in their family was able to wield the Myriads Sword Emperor Artifact which had been passed down to them from their ancestor.
“If a full-scale battle with the Seeking Passion Sect breaks out, Ice Heart Valley can somewhat reduce casualties with this Formation,” Yang Kai sighed softly.
There were a hundred thousand on the Seeking Passion Sect’s side, and although they were from different backgrounds, and were not entirely united with the Seeking Passion Sect, such a disparity in numbers more than made up for those flaws. Ice Heart Valley’s mere seven thousand disciples trying to resist such a tide would be like trying to break a stone with an egg.
This Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation would definitely be a life-saving tool for many disciples in Ice Heart Valley.
“Ji Yao thanks Senior Brother Yang on behalf of all the Sisters in Ice Heart Valley,” Ji Yao suddenly gave her gratitude seriously.
Ji Yao had witnessed that Yang Kai had been working hard to help Ice Heart Valley all this time, and now even passed down to them this mysterious and powerful Formation. It was an immense gesture of kindness.
In this world, there were plenty of people who would curry favour when one was blessed and prosperous, but how many could offer timely assistance in a time of crisis?
Yang Kai chuckled, “I have a close connection with Senior Bing Yun, so this much is nothing. I just hope Junior Sister Yao doesn’t tease me anymore in the future.”
Ji Yao’s face turned red as she naturally knew what Yang Kai was talking about.
But she instantly felt like burying her head in the ground when she recalled the time when he saw her naked from head to toe, and the time when she massaged his shoulders while rubbing against his back.
She had no idea how she could be so muddle-headed at that time. Yang Kai was obviously a man, so how could she mistake him for her Honoured Master?
This was a stain that could never be erased in her lifetime…
They did not speak again for the rest of the journey and soon arrived in front of the Space Array of Ice Heart Valley.
This Space Array was a one-way array. In other words, one could only go out, but not come in.
The Space Arrays in most Sects were generally one-way in order to prevent enemies from directly invading through them; however, now that they were at odds with the Seeking Passion Sect and with Ice Heart Valley’s safety at stake, Bing Yun had even closed this one-way Space Array out of an abundance of caution.
With Ji Yao’s help though, opening the Space Array was not difficult.
Soon, the Space Array was reactivated, and after installing enough Source Crystals, Yang Kai stepped onto it and disappeared with a flash.
Ji Yao looked at the spot where Yang Kai disappeared silently for a while before her tender body flickered hurriedly to report to Bing Yun.
She wanted to pass the Seven Point Black Tortoise Formation to Bing Yun, who would then disseminate it to the disciples.
In a city near the border of the Northern Territory, Yang Kai appeared leisurely. He left the hall where the Space Array was located immediately and asked someone for directions. He then leapt into the air and rushed in the direction of the Eastern Territory.
Although this was the border town, it still took Yang Kai five days to completely leave the Northern Territory.
After twenty days of ceaseless travelling, Yang Kai finally arrived at the desolate city outside the Ancient Wild Lands.
He couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed at this moment. If he had given Luan Feng or any of the others a Communication Bead or Communication Artifact and was able to communicate with them now, Luan Feng could have come out and led him inside, saving him much time and trouble to enter the Ancient Lands this time.
Instead, Yang Kai flew towards a small house and, with a sweep of his Divine Sense, found a familiar aura. Yang Kai could not help feeling relieved as he had worried if the master of this place was out on business.
“Old Ban!” Yang Kai shouted from the entranceway.
Soon, Old Ban’s figure appeared in front of Yang Kai, and seeing who it was, he smiled and greeted, “So, it is Young Master Yang. Didn’t Young Master Yang leave the city already? Why have you returned?”
Yang Kai answered solemnly, “I want to go to Ancient Lands again, and I hope Old Ban can help me. This will be your reward!”
As he spoke, he flicked a Space Ring towards Old Ban.
Old Ban caught the ring, but without even looking inside, he tossed it back to Yang Kai and smiled lightly, “There’s no need for any rewards. This old man is obliged to assist Young Master Yang’s entry into the Ancient Lands.”
It was thanks to Yang Kai rescuing him from Yao Lin back then that he was still alive and well today, so Old Ban did not feel the need to charge Yang Kai his usual fee.
Yang Kai did not insist and accepted the gesture, “Many thanks, Old Ban.”
Old Ban requested, “Young Master Yang, please wait a moment, I will need to settle down Ling’er first.”
As he spoke, a little girl who was about seven to eight years old ran out of the house. It was Old Ban’s granddaughter, Xiao Ling’er. She was still sick when Yang Kai saw her the last time, but now, she seemed to be healthy and active.
“Grandpa is leaving again?” Although Xiao Ling’er was young, she was very sensible. She stared at Yang Kai with her round dark eyes, then turned to look at Old Ban and asked.
Old Ban stroked Xiao Ling’er’s head and explained, “Grandpa is going out and will be back soon. Ling’er must stay at home obediently and not run about outside.”
“Ling’er understands. Be careful along the way, grandpa!” The little girl urged him solemnly.
The worried look on Old Ban seemed to dissolve as he turned to address Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang, let’s go.”
Yang Kai did not move, however, and instead looked at Xiao Ling’er for a while before asking, “Old Ban, she’s just a little girl. Is it safe for her to be home alone?”
There were all kinds of people in this desolate city, where there was no one to keep order, and fights happened all the time. Xiao Ling’er was just a seven-year-old little girl. If she was involved in any danger, Yang Kai was worried that she would not be able to protect herself.
Before Old Ban could answer, Ling’er crisply replied, “I will not give grandpa trouble.”
Old Ban smiled, “Ling’er is very well-behaved. When I’m not around, she won’t go out.”
Yang Kai shook his head lightly as this was not a matter of her going out or not. If someone really intended to harm Xiao Ling’er, it was useless for her to hide at home. Yang Kai was actually quite surprised Xiao Ling’er had been safe all these years already.
After pondering for a while, Yang Kai asked, “Has Old Ban ever thought of sending her to a Sect to cultivate?”
Old Ban smiled wryly, “Naturally, I’ve thought about it before, but this old man doesn’t have any connections, so there is no Sect that I can send her to. I would rather teach her by myself as a small Sect won’t be able to nurture her well. As for those big Sects, it’s not easy to join them.”
“How about I recommend her to a Sect?” Yang Kai turned to him, “As your reward for leading the way?”
Old Ban was stunned, then he was overjoyed, “Young Master Yang, are you serious?”
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Why didn’t you ask me where I will send her?”
Old Ban replied, “How could that Sect be bad if Young Master Yang is the one recommending it?”
Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master, and Old Ban had witnessed his incredible strength with his own eyes. Since Yang Kai was the one making this offer, he would definitely not send Xiao Ling’er to some nameless Sect.
This was Old Ban’s greatest wish as well as a great opportunity for Xiao Ling’er.
“Ling’er, quickly thank Young Master Yang,” Old Ban ordered Xiao Ling’er, his face flushed in happiness.
Xiao Ling’er did not kneel, however, but instead stared at Yang Kai curiously with a pair of big, blinking eyes, her long eyelashes quivering as she spoke up, “Can Ling’er ask something?”
Yang Kai was amused by her reaction, as he did not expect that a little girl at her age would already be this precocious. He squatted down to a height even with hers, and nodded, “What do you want to ask?”
Xiao Ling’er tilted her head for a while, then asked, “Will I be separated from my grandpa?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, there are only women in the place where I’m going to send you. Men are not allowed to stay there.”
Xiao Ling’er quickly shook her head like a rattle drum upon hearing it, “I don’t want to go then. I must accompany grandpa.”
After hearing this, Old Ban stomped his foot anxiously, “You little girl, do you know what you are talking about? It is a great opportunity for you that Young Master Yang wants to send you to a Sect to cultivate. How can you say you don’t want to?”
“I’m not going anywhere without grandpa!” Xiao Ling’er stood her ground firmly.
Old Ban was angry and anxious, though a gush of warmth filled his heart. He glanced at Yang Kai, praying that he would not take back such a good offer because of this.
“Simple and naïve, lovely and sensible. Xiao Ling’er is a good girl.” Yang Kai smiled as he nodded before he persuaded, “Ling’er, do you remember when your grandpa was captured last time?”
When he spoke those words, Xiao Ling’er’s face changed; she obviously remembered the last incident. Panic surfaced in her big eyes as she responded, “Are you going to catch grandpa if Xiao Ling’er doesn’t agree with you? If so, Xiao Ling’er will follow you, please don’t hurt my grandpa!”
Yang Kai could not stop himself from laughing as he continued, “I will not hurt your grandpa, but since such a thing happened once, then there will always be a second time, or a third time… Do you want to protect your grandpa?”
Xiao Ling’er looked up at Old Ban and heavily bobbed her head, “I do! I want to chase away all the bad guys! I won’t allow anyone to bully grandpa!”
Yang Kai pressed on, “Very good. If you want to chase away all the bad guys though, you need to cultivate to be strong, and in order to do that, you need to join a powerful Sect. Come, follow me, I will let you gain the strength you need to protect your grandpa!”
Xiao Ling’er pursed her lips, struggling.
Yang Kai continued again, “You also won’t have to worry for your grandpa, he will go with us. Although he can’t always be with you like he used to, you can still see him any time as long as you miss him.”
“Really?” Xiao Ling’er asked, her eyes lighting up in surprise.
“Pinky promise!” Yang Kai smiled and straightened his little finger towards Xiao Ling’er.
Xiao Ling’er glanced at his move and made a crisp response, “Pinky promises are for deceiving children. I won’t make a pinky promise with you.”
Yang Kai was speechless. He could not believe that this little girl was already so worldly at her age, but perhaps this was the fate of those who grew up poor and in constant danger.
“But Ling’er believes you,” Xiao Ling’er continued.
She immediately knelt down and bowed to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and lifted her up, “You don’t need to bow to me, I am only going to recommend you to a Sect. When the Sect accepts you, it won’t be too late to bow again to your Honoured Master.”
“Good… good… Please wait, Young Master Yang,” Old Ban was delighted. Although he has been staying in this desolate city and had been making a living as a guide for over a hundred years now, if Xiao Ling’er really found a bright future, he would not choose to remain in this chaotic place.
Old Ban only had a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation and was quite advanced in age, so he could not do anything other than act as a guide to earn a few Source Crystals.
Old Ban went into the house to prepare their luggage. Xiao Ling’er looked up at Yang Kai and asked, “My grandpa calls you Young Master Yang, then can I call you Big Brother Yang?”
“Ling’er can call me whatever she wants,” Yang Kai patted her little head.
“Big Brother Yang, where are you going to send Ling’er?”
“Ice Heart Valley!” Yang Kai answered, “You can rest assured that there are many beautiful Big Sisters there who are all gentle and kind. Ling’er will be taken care of very well there.”
“Are there other children like me?”
“Probably,” Yang Kai was not sure about that, but as far as he knew, Ice Heart Valley had always adopted orphans as disciples, so there should be some young children in the valley.
Yang Kai only came up with the idea of introducing Xiao Ling’er to Ice Heart Valley a moment ago. He had already borrowed Old Ban’s expertise to enter the Ancient Lands, moreover, Old Ban did not ask for a reward this time or the previous time, so he wanted to return a favour with a favour by arranging a brighter future for Xiao Ling’er.
Not long after that, Old Ban had finished preparing their luggage and came out of the house and cupped his fists, “Young Master Yang, we are ready to go.”
“Then, let’s go.” With a wave, Yang Kai rapidly lifted Xiao Ling’er up with both hands, and sat her around his neck.
Xiao Ling’er was obviously startled and quickly hugged Yang Kai’s head with both hands, but she was still a child after all and soon started giggling as she regained her balance.
“No, no, no, how could this be appropriate?” On the other hand, Old Ban stared in fear, “Young Master Yang, I’ll take care of Ling’er. It would be impudent of her to sit on your neck.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “It’s okay. The Ancient Lands Passageway is extremely dangerous, but she will be safe with my protection.”
After hearing this, Old Ban gave up trying to persuade him because Yang Kai was telling the truth. The Ancient Lands Passageway was indeed a dangerous place, so it would be better to have an Emperor Realm Master protect Ling’er rather than trying to do it himself. Thinking so, he once again cupped his fists gratefully, “Many thanks then, Young Master Yang.”
During the journey, Yang Kai briefly introduced Ice Heart Valley to Old Ban and explained his plans for Xiao Ling’er. Old Ban listened to him without objections.
Even though he was located in the Eastern Territory, he had still heard of the great name of Ice Heart Valley as it was a top Sect in the Northern Territory. It was absolutely a blessed opportunity that Xiao Ling’er could join Ice Heart Valley.
In the past, Old Ban did not even dare to dream about such a possibility, but now this far-fetched dream had actually materialised.
He did not know the relationship between Yang Kai and Ice Heart Valley, but since the words came out of Yang Kai’s mouth, what he said should be trustworthy.
At that moment, Old Ban could not help weeping, unable to believe such great happiness could arrive so suddenly.
“Old Ban, you can try to make a living in Ice Moon City after Xiao Ling’er joins Ice Heart Valley. That way, if this little girl misses you, she can come and visit you.”
“Many thanks, Young Master Yang, many thanks indeed for going so far,” Old Ban raised his sleeve and wiped his eyes.
…..
The Ancient Lands Passageway was still shrouded in strange fog, while Yin Souls flew about, vigorous wind blew, and bolts of thunder fell.
However, Old Ban was an expert on all things here and led them on a path that avoided almost all of these dangers.
It took about ten days for the group of three to pass through the Ancient Lands Passageway and enter the Ancient Wild Lands.
Wild Force pervaded the air and seemed capable of corroding any living being composed of flesh and blood. With Xiao Ling’er in his arms, Yang Kai told Old Ban to stay close to him and then flew straight towards the depths of the Ancient Lands.
Old Ban was shaking along the way as, although he went in and out of the Ancient Lands countless times, this was the first time that he really stepped into the Ancient Wild Lands. After all, the Ancient Lands were so perilous that he would not be able to survive with his weak cultivation.
But looking at Yang Kai’s steady composure entering the Ancient Lands as if walking into his own garden, Old Ban was filled with a rush of admiration for the young man.
He had a doubt though. Yang Kai clearly said that he would introduce Xiao Ling’er to Ice Heart Valley, but Ice Heart Valley was in the Northern Territory, while Yang Kai was heading deeper into the Ancient Lands. The two places were in totally opposite directions, and he had no clue about what Yang Kai was up to.
They flew at full speed along the way. It was the first time Xiao Ling’er experienced the fun of flight, and she giggled from time to time, which flustered Old Ban to keep reminding her to not laugh so loudly for fear of attracting the Ancient Lands’ Monster Race.
But of course, just about half a day after entering the Ancient Lands, Monster Qi suddenly soared into the sky in front of the trio, followed by the appearance of a group of Monsters with vicious looks on their faces. The leader of this group even exuded an aura that was comparable to an Emperor Realm Master.
“A Monster Commander!” Old Ban’s face went pale, his clothes drenched in cold sweat.
He did not expect that the first Monster Race that they encountered in the Ancient Wild Lands would be the Monster Commander, who was also leading many Monster Soldiers and Monster Generals.
[We’re dead!]
Although Yang Kai had an Emperor Realm cultivation, their opponents were not weak, and he was afraid that if Yang Kai had to fight, the odds were most likely against him rather than in his favour.
“How dare someone from the Human Race run rampant in our Ancient Wild Lands!? Report your name quickly and perhaps this King will grant you a peaceful death!” The Monster Commander roared loudly while the Monster Soldiers and Monster Generals behind him howled restlessly. In an instant, the clamorous group of Monster Beast mounts they rode sent up a loud ruckus, producing a terrifying scene.
Old Ban was on the verge of fainting, trembling violently while Xiao Ling’er nervously grabbed Yang Kai’s hair, her face as white as a sheet of paper.
However, Yang Kai stood still on his ground, looking coldly at the Monster Commander.
Influenced by the excitement of his subordinates, the Monster Commander on the other side got excited as well and flaunted his majesty, “Puny Human, are you scared? You… huh?”
Before he had finished his words, he suddenly shuddered. The next moment, his eyes widened and he carefully looked at Yang Kai’s face. In an instant, the Monster Commander’s face changed drastically, like he had just seen a ghost, and he hurriedly shouted, “Everyone shut up! Make way, make way, quickly make way!”
The Monster Commander was extremely scared, as if he had seen something really terrifying, leaving his subordinates quite befuddled.
“I failed to see that it was Sir who arrived! Please forgive this humble one for offending Sir!” Dumbfounded, the Monster Commander trembled and his forehead dripped with sweat as he pleaded.
“You’re not so stupid after all!” Yang Kai snorted lightly, leading Old Ban and carrying Xiao Ling’er as he flew past the Monster Race group.
The Monster Commander breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Yang Kai did not try to find trouble with him.
When Yang Kai was out of their vision, one of the Monster Generals asked curiously, “Sir, who was that man? Why was Sir being so respectful to him?”
The whole group of Monsters were puzzled. The Ancient Wild Lands were a paradise for the Wild Races, and the Monster Race was the most powerful among them, so how could Sir Monster Commander be afraid of a mere Human?
The Monster Commander’s face sank, but instead of answering the question, he ordered in a deep voice, “Remember not to provoke that man. The next time you meet him, run as far as you can. If you offend him, even Sir Monster King will not be able to save you.”
“What…” The Monster Race members were all appalled, their curiosity towards Yang Kai’s identity only growing, wondering how capable this Human was that even Sir Monster King could do nothing to him.
“Enough, I need to quickly report this to Sir Monster King.” After a murmur, the Monster Commander turned into a streak of black light that rushed towards a certain direction.
The sudden appearance of Yang Kai here was definitely a huge matter to the entire Ancient Wild Lands. Since the Monster Commander had met him, he must report it, otherwise, he would be severely punished if the Monster King he served came to know about this later.
Yang Kai continued flying through the jungle.
Xiao Ling’er was still naïve, so she did not understand the previous scene; however, Old Ban now worshipped Yang Kai as though he was a Divine Messenger sent from the Heavens.
Why would a powerful Monster Commander who had so many Monster Soldiers and Monster Generals behind him be so deferential to Yang Kai? Old Ban wanted to ask about it in detail, but he felt that his relationship with Yang Kai was not close enough to get to the bottom of the matter, so he simply kept his doubts to himself.
A short time later, Yang Kai frowned and stopped flying forward to look back.
“What happened?” Old Ban questioned curiously.
“Someone strong is coming, but I don’t know who and why,” Yang Kai squinted at the rear.
“Someone strong…” Old Ban’s heart skipped a beat. Even the Monster Commander gave up picking a fight with Yang Kai, so ‘someone strong’ in Yang Kai’s opinion would be at least a Monster King, right?
Old Ban abruptly felt light-headed and was having trouble standing on his feet.
In the timespan of two sentences, a navy blue streak of light appeared from the horizon behind them and flew over, dispersing to reveal a vigorous figure.
It was a middle-aged man, dressed in blue robes with a hooked nose, eyes as sharp as a knife, and an aura as deep as a sea.
It was a Monster King!
Old Ban’s face turned pale. Although he had never seen a Monster King before, he could still recognize that the one in front of him was no doubt a Monster King of the Ancient Wild Lands.
Rumour had it that only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master could clash on par with the Monster Kings of the Ancient Lands. In other words, this middle-aged man in front of him was as powerful as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master!
This kind of existence could easily kill him and Xiao Ling’er thousands of times over in a single breath.
“It really is Young Master Yang!”
When the middle-aged man opposite them saw Yang Kai, he did not show any hostility but instead smiled happily, as if he was reuniting with an old friend. Cupping his fists, the middle-aged man greeted, “Welcome, Young Master Yang. This one is Monster King Ying Fei who serves under Sir Cang Gou!”
“So, it’s Monster King Ying Fei!” Yang Kai nodded lightly with an indifferent expression. He might have seen this Monster King in front of him near the Blood Gate last time as he looked familiar, but this was the first time Yang Kai was learning the other’s name.
“Sir Cang Gou…” Old Ban was dumbstruck with his eyes widened, as if almost petrified.
Although commoners including Old Ban did not know about the division of power in Ancient Wild Lands, he had of course heard the name Cang Gou before.
That was an Ancient Divine Spirit!
It turned out that there was a Divine Spirit in the Ancient Wild Lands, and this Monster King was the subordinate of that Divine Spirit Cang Gou.
“Just now, I heard from my subordinates that they saw Young Master Yang. This Ying Fei thought they must have seen wrongly, but it turns out Young Master Yang really has come,” Ying Fei grinned, with a look as if he knew Yang Kai very well.
Yang Kai asked, “Why did a Monster King like you chase after me all the way here? Do you want to deliver some kind of command to me?”
Ying Fei hurriedly explained, “This Ying wouldn’t dare to command Young Master Yang. I just wondered where Young Master Yang is going and whether he needs my help or not?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No need, I just wanted to find Lady Feng to discuss something with her.”
“You wish to see Lady Luan Feng!” Ying Fei beamed, “The distance from here to Lady Luan Feng’s Phoenix Nest Palace is not short. Even though most of the Monster Kings and the Monster Commanders in the Ancient Lands will recognize Young Master Yang and would not dare to offend you, there are still many who don’t know you and might cause trouble. Such a thing should not be allowed. If Young Master Yang doesn’t mind, why not allow this Ying to give you a ride? It’s not that this Ying wants to boast, but his speed is not inferior to anyone in the Ancient Lands.”
Since the last time Yang Kai caused havoc in the Ancient Wild Lands, the remaining three Divine Venerables had given instructions to all the Monster Kings and Great Kings under them to never be rude if they met Yang Kai again in the future.
Thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings participated in the battle on that day, and everyone knew the relationship between Yang Kai and that Heaven’s Order descendant. Even without the instructions of the Divine Venerables, they all knew what to do.
After returning to their respective territories, they summoned their Monster Commanders and Monster Generals to show them the image of Yang Kai, solemnly informing them to never offend him.
This was the reason why the previous Monster Commander recognized Yang Kai and flew into a panic. Although he had no clue what kind of person Yang Kai was, he knew that this Human was someone Sir Monster King would give special care to, so he did not dare to slight him.
Yang Kai took a deep look at Ying Fei, the corner of his mouth curving into a meaningful smile.
Yang Kai knew exactly what Ying Fei was up to for being so enthusiastic. After all, Yang Kai was the only one in the world who had a close relationship with Zhang Ruo Xi. As Heaven’s Order’s descendant, Zhang Ruo Xi controlled the Blood Gate Restricted Area, where countless Divine Spirit Sources were kept.
It was impossible for Ying Fei to find Zhang Ruo Xi now because she had entered the Blood Gate, but Yang Kai was right in front of him.
If he could build a good relationship with Yang Kai, it might be beneficial to him in the future. Perhaps Ying Fei would have a chance to obtain a compatible Divine Spirit Source from that Heaven’s Order descendant and evolve into a Divine Spirit by awakening his ancestral Bloodline Power.
“Very good. Then I shall trouble Monster King Ying Fei,” Yang Kai nodded.
Ying Fei was delighted, “No problem, no problem. It is this Ying’s pleasure to help Young Master Yang.”
As soon as those words fell, Ying Fei’s body flashed with blue light, and when the radiance dispersed, a proud cry resounded and a giant eagle with a wingspan of several dozen meters appeared. Even with a gentle flap of its wings, this giant eagle kicked up a raging wind.
“Big birdy, big birdy!” Xiao Ling’er who was riding on Yang Kai’s neck clapped happily when she saw Ying Fei’s true form, as if she just discovered something new and interesting.
Yang Kai chuckled, “If Xiao Ling’er wants to, we can ride on this big birdy.”
“Yes, yes!” Xiao Ling’er eyes brightened in excitement.
With a flicker, Yang Kai was already on Ying Fei’s back.
Ying Fei’s true form was gigantic, while his back was flat and spacious, allowing more than twenty to thirty people to sit comfortably. The feathers on his neck were also smooth and soft, making it feel like they were sitting on a fluffy blanket, which was extremely pleasant.
“Grandpa, come up. It’s really comfortable sitting on this big birdy, even more comfortable than our bed!” Xiao Ling’er climbed down from Yang Kai’s neck, sat on the bird’s back and beckoned Old Ban.
Cold sweat beaded on Old Ban’s forehead, he reprimanded, “Stop speaking nonsense!”
The little girl blabbered naively as she did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, but Old Ban understood the power of a Monster King. This was an existence that could extinguish one’s Soul with a single breath.
It was a rarity for him to even see a Monster King, but now he was going to sit on his back?
Old Ban panicked and hesitated, not knowing what to do and turning to Yang Kai helplessly.
Yang Kai smiled, “Monster King Ying Fei is kind. Just come up with us, Old Ban.”
“Don’t worry old man, this King will protect all of you,” The giant eagle spoke in Human language.
After hearing this, Old Ban cupped his fists nervously, “Then… please forgive the rudeness of this old man.”
As he spoke, he carefully stepped on the bird’s back, and an extremely unreal feeling grew in his heart.
He had been muddling along without any real goals for his whole life, but now he was actually lucky enough to sit on the back of a Monster King…
“Hold on tight, all of you.” Ying Fei reminded them as he flapped his wings. His gigantic body instantly turned into a beam of blue light that shot off towards the depths of the Ancient Lands at lightning speed. During the flight, Xiao Ling’er shouted in exhilaration as the surrounding scenery flashed past them speedily.
Although the speed was fast, there was a Monster Qi barrier on Ying Fei’s back serving as protection, covering them from all the headwinds and keeping Yang Kai and the others unruffled.
All of this was clearly an intentional performance. Ying Fei was not just fast but also flew very stably, not producing a single tilt or bump along the way, as if they were just standing on flat ground.
Just about an hour later, Luan Feng’s Phoenix Nest Palace appeared before their eyes.
Ying Fei brought them to the outside of the Phoenix Nest Palace and after they had disembarked from his back, he transformed back to his Human form and cupped his fists towards Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang, fortunately, I did not fail my mission. This Ying will take his leave now.”
It was not convenient for him to stay too long outside the Phoenix Nest Palace as he was under Cang Gou’s command.
Since the beginning, he did not mention anything else to Yang Kai. It seemed like the intention of this trip was merely to escort Yang Kai.
Ying Fei was smart and probably knew that Yang Kai had seen through his purpose of establishing a good connection with him, and thought that he would leave a better impression by just remaining silent instead of appearing greedy by asking for favours right away.
Moreover, he was not in a rush and knew that even winning Yang Kai’s favour was not a solution. Now that the Blood Gate had disappeared without a trace, even if Ying Fei wanted one of his ancestor’s Divine Spirit Sources, he would still need to wait for the Blood Gate to reopen again.
Yang Kai smiled faintly and cupped his fists too, “Many thanks, Monster King.”
“You are welcome, Young Master Yang!” Ying Fei returned the gesture, turned around and went back the way he came.
苍狗 – Cang Gou is basically Grey Dog… There is no such divine beast that I know of. Likewise, Vermillion Bird, for those that read the MTL, which we call Luan Fung here, is not even vermillion =.=. For god sakes.
So, most of these Divine Spirits are not even real mythical beasts.
“Young Master Yang, this place is…”
Old Ban asked carefully after Ying Fei had gone far away.
“Luan Feng’s palace, the Phoenix Nest Palace!” Yang Kai answered.
“Luan Feng…”
Old Ban’s eyes widened. He realized that what he had experienced today was more shocking than all the experiences of the rest of his life combined. It was sensational enough to sit on the back of a Monster King, but now, he was actually standing in front of the palace of a Divine Spirit.
If it were not for Yang Kai, it would be impossible for him to be here. Yang Kai could not only make a Monster King, Ying Fei, willingly serve as a mount, he could even simply walk up to a Divine Spirit’s palace.
Old Ban could not understand what identity and origin Yang Kai had that allowed him to do this.
While speaking, the palace gate suddenly opened, from which a beautiful and slim woman in an elegant dress came straight to Yang Kai and stood in front of him, saluting politely, “Greetings, Young Master Yang!”
Yang Kai smiled as he glanced at her, “Tian Long, long time no see.”
This woman was the maidservant Luan Feng arranged to serve him when he came to Phoenix Nest Palace as a guest the last time. Although Yang Kai had only met her a few times, they were still quite familiar with each other.
“It hasn’t been that long…” Tian Long looked up at him with a far-fetched smile, “Why is Young Master Yang here this time? Is there some kind of problem?”
Yang Kai replied, “I need some help from Lady Feng. May I know where she is?”
Tian Long answered, “Young Master Yang, unfortunately, you’ve come at a bad time. Mistress just happened to enter a retreat a few days ago.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai could not help giving her a meaningful look as he commented, “Lady Feng is a Divine Spirit, and she has a body that is naturally gifted in cultivation where the Heavens themselves assist in her development. Why would she even need to cultivate in retreat? Could it be… she simply doesn’t want to see me?”
Tian Long hastily explained, “There is no such thing. Mistress is really in retreat.”
Yang Kai ignored her and walked straight into the Phoenix Nest Palace.
Seeing this, Tian Long scurried after him hurriedly.
After entering the Phoenix Nest Palace, Yang Kai strode in and yelled repeatedly, “Lady Feng, Lady Feng, Yang Kai has come to see you.”
Tian Long did not know whether she should laugh or cry. She could only follow him all the way and remind him incessantly, “Young Master Yang, please don’t shout. If Mistress is disturbed, she will blame this servant.”
“Lady Feng, Lady Feng!” Yang Kai ignored her and continued his clamour.
After a long time, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai. The figure was dignified and graceful, with a deep and profound aura; who else could it be other than Luan Feng?
However, at the moment, Luan Feng looked at Yang Kai with a slightly resentful face, her eyes full of complaint and animosity, as if Yang Kai was some pest she desperately wanted to be rid of.
“Lady Feng!” Yang Kai grinned as he saw her, and went forward with his fists cupped, “Greetings Lady Feng.”
Tian Long, who followed behind Yang Kai, also came up and looked at Luan Feng helplessly, “Mistress, this maidservant…”
“You may go,” Luan Feng waved to her.
Tian Long received the order and stepped away respectfully.
Luan Feng glanced at Yang Kai wickedly before turning around and walking off.
Yang Kai followed her with a smile while Xiao Ling’er and Old Ban followed close behind.
When she got to the main hall, Luan Feng turned around and sat on her throne, showing not the slightest politeness to Yang Kai and the others as she took a cup of steaming tea and enjoyed it herself.
“Sit, sit!” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and gestured to Old Ban.
Old Ban did not dare to sit. Standing there in the hall was already a very brave thing for him to do. He hurriedly waved his hand, “This old man can just stand.”
The woman in front of him was Divine Spirit Luan Feng. Even though she did not release her monstrous aura, Old Ban still did not dare to be impudent in front of her, or even dare to make a smile, lest he make this Divine Spirit upset with his improper behaviour.
He held Xiao Ling’er tightly with his hands as well to avoid his child from being ill-mannered towards Luan Feng.
Yang Kai did not force Old Ban to sit and instead turned to Luan Feng with a smile on his face, “Lady Feng doesn’t look like she’s in a good mood.”
Luan Feng raised her eyes and shot a look at him, responding impolitely, “I was in a good mood earlier, but not anymore. Why are you here again?”
Yang Kai answered, “I haven’t seen Lady Feng for so long, so I just came to pay her a visit.”
Luan Feng nodded her head lightly, “Now that you’ve seen me, Young Master Yang can go back.”
“How would that be appropriate?” Yang Kai smiled in embarrassment, “I just arrived here and you wanted to drive me away? Is that any way to treat a guest?”
“If Young Master Yang wants to stay here for a few days, this Queen welcomes you. You may stay at the same place where you did the last time. If you need anything, you can find Tian Long.” After speaking, Luan Feng stood up and looked like she did not want to waste anymore time with Yang Kai.
“Wait, wait, wait!” Yang Kai immediately stopped her when he saw her leaving.
Luan Feng snorted, “Little brat, what’s the matter with you? Coming to find this Queen at this time? Quickly speak, this Queen is not in the mood to waste her breath with you.”
Yang Kai continued to smile dumbly, “Lady Feng really has sharp eyes. It is true that this Junior is in need of a little help from you.”
“Ha…” Luan Feng abruptly snorted sarcastically, “What in the world could make a person like Young Master Yang seek the help of this Queen? How come you weren’t this humble when you made a big stir in the Ancient Lands by showing off in front of thirty two Monster Kings and the eight Great Kings last time?”
Yang Kai felt awkward, “Times have changed. Moreover, it was a misunderstanding at that time.”
Luan Feng growled, “You call killing a Divine Spirit a misunderstanding?”
Yang Kai corrected solemnly, “I didn’t kill him, it was Ruo Xi who did. If you want to blame someone, you should blame her.”
Luan Feng frowned, “This Queen is not looking to commit suicide. Furthermore, I don’t owe you anything now, so why should I help you again and again?”
Back then, Yang Kai took her to the Netherworld Sect where she ended up killing that Sect’s Great Elder. That incident would never have happened if Yang Kai hadn’t dragged her there in the first place.
That terrible business concluded not long ago, but now Yang Kai had come looking for her again. Luan Feng had to raise her guard against him as she was worried that this little bastard might do something reckless again.
“Lady Feng, why are you being so cold? It’s just a small favour for you,” Yang Kai grinned.
Luan Feng sighed deeply, “Speak, what do you want?”
It was hard for her to reject him since Yang Kai had already come here. However, she was only doing so out of consideration for the bigger picture. Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi were close, and Luan Feng was still dreadfully afraid of Zhang Ruo Xi, the descendant of Heavens Order.
Yang Kai replied pensively, “I’d like to ask Lady Feng to deal with two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters!”
“Who are they?” Luan Feng asked with a frown.
“The Sect Master and Vice Sect Master of the Northern Territory’s Seeking Passion Sect!”
“The Seeking Passion Sect of the Northern Territory?” Luan Feng scowled, “That is a top Sect, and this Queen has no grudges against them, why do I have to deal with them?”
“I don’t care! Lady Feng must help,” Yang Kai stuck his neck out.
“You…” Luan Feng laughed in anger, “Don’t play the rascal in front of me! It’s someone else who has offended you, not this Queen.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Lady Feng, please help. It’s just two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, you can easily pinch them to death.”
Luan Feng snorted, “It’s easy for you to say. Although the Sects in the Northern Territory are not ruled over by any Great Emperors, The Wondrous Pill Great Emperor resides in the Northern Territory. If this Queen stirs up a fight in a Human Sect for no reason, how could he not move?”
Yang Kai remarked, “It’s true that the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor is in the Northern Territory, but he only pursues the Alchemic Dao and will not care about this small enmity.”
Luan Feng shook her head, “He may not care about other things, but he just might if this Queen gets involved. I can’t help you with this.”
“Since Lady Feng says so, I won’t force this issue,” Yang Kai sighed, revealing a helpless face.
Luan Feng was surprised. She looked at Yang Kai strangely, as she did not expect it to be easy to reject him. But soon, Luan Feng frowned, because she believed that Yang Kai would not give up just like this. He probably still had some wicked ideas in his sleeves.
Sure enough, after Yang Kai got up and headed towards the exit, he muttered, “There’s no need to rush now. Ruo Xi will definitely take revenge when she comes out and learns that her Sect was destroyed.”
“Wait!” Luan Feng hurriedly stopped him.
Yang Kai turned around and asked, “What else can I do for Lady Feng?”
Luan Feng gritted her teeth, “What did you say just now? Let me hear it again.”
Yang Kai sighed, “Lady Feng has heard everything, what else should I say?”
Luan Feng continued in a deep voice, “You just mentioned that her Sect will be destroyed, what do you mean?”
“What else could it mean? The Seeking Passing Sect wants to destroy Ice Heart Valley, the Sect which Ruo Xi originally hailed from. This Junior wanted to help but he cannot clap with just one hand, so he came to seek Lady Feng’s assistance. Unfortunately, it seems Lady Feng has her own concerns so this Junior will not try to impose any longer.”
“She came from Ice Heart Valley?” Luan Feng was shocked.
Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect were both top Sects, and according to Yang Kai, it seemed that the two Sects were at war, with Ice Heart Valley being in imminent peril.
“Yes, didn’t I say so before?” Yang Kai responded.
Luan Feng pressed on with a solemn look, “Did she really come from Ice Heart Valley? Are you lying to me?”
Yang Kai replied seriously, “Why could I be lying? That crazy woman from last time was Ruo Xi’s Martial Aunt, Ji Yao. Did you pay attention to her cultivation technique when she attacked? She used only orthodox Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Techniques from Ice Heart Valley.”
Luan Feng thought back carefully and realized what Yang Kai said was true. Although Ji Yao did not fight much at the time, as a Divine Spirit, Luan Feng had naturally felt the Ice Attribute Emperor Qi and Ice Principles Ji Yao had cultivated.
Nevertheless, Zhang Ruo Xi did not show any signs that she had cultivated an Ice Attribute Secret Art. It was true though that Zhang Ruo Xi and Ji Yao seemed to have a close relationship.
Right now, Luan Feng was struggling with whether to believe Yang Kai’s words or not.
While she was still pondering, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Lady Feng, I’ll leave first. When Ruo Xi comes out from the Blood Gate, please tell her that her Sect was destroyed and ask her to go back to the Northern Territory to seek revenge!”
Yang Kai’s words made Luan Feng’s breathing become faster.
If Zhang Ruo Xi was really from Ice Heart Valley, the last thing Luan Feng wanted to do was tell her such news. How could Luan Feng possibly answer if Zhang Ruo Xi asked her how her Sect was destroyed?
Could she tell Zhang Ruo Xi that she knew but stood by and did nothing?
“Stop right there!” Luan Feng hurriedly yelled at Yang Kai, who was about to leave the hall.
Yang Kai turned around again to look at Luan Feng with a grin and asked, “Lady Feng, did you have something else you wanted to say?”
Luan Feng gritted her pristine teeth hard and spat angrily, “This Queen really doesn’t know what she owed you in her past life!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Lady Feng should not say that. Helping others is the route to happiness. But does this mean Lady Feng is willing to provide her assistance?”
Since she had stopped him, she naturally would not refuse the request. After all, she was still unsure whether Zhang Ruo Xi was really from Ice Heart Valley or not, but it was better to believe it than to not. Since Yang Kai had involved Zhang Ruo Xi, Luan Feng had to help no matter what.
She was not helping Yang Kai, but the descendant of Heaven’s Order whom she was extremely frightened of.
“Just two trivial Third-Order Emperor Realms Masters are not enough for this Queen to move personally, a few Monster Kings will be more than sufficient,” Luan Feng grumbled unhappily.
Yang Kai raised his brow and stated, “Lady Feng is wise. Then please send about seven or eight Monster Kings to the Northern Territory with me to eradicate the enemy!”
He never expected Luan Feng to take part in the fight from the beginning. His initial plan was to ask Luan Feng to send a few Monster Kings to boost their forces, and now Luan Feng had offered him exactly what he wanted.
“Seven or eight…” Luan Feng rolled her eyes, “Not even in your dreams!”
She did not possess that many Monster Kings. Hearing Yang Kai request for seven or eight Monster Kings made it seem less like he wanted to help Ice Heart Valley and more like he wanted to wage war against the world.
“Four or five then…” Yang Kai grinned.
Luan Feng did not answer, instead wearing a pensive look for a moment before she spoke, “Since this matter involves ‘her’, it is also a matter for the entire Ancient Lands. This Queen can’t bear the responsibility for this alone. How about this, stay here in the Phoenix Nest Palace for a few days. This Queen will give you a satisfactory answer within three days.”
Yang Kai thought for a while after hearing this, soon realizing something and smiling as he nodded, “Many thanks, Lady Feng!”
There was a pause before Yang Kai continued, “There is one more thing I need to ask of Lady Feng!”
“What?” Luan Feng suddenly became vigilant. The more she interacted with Yang Kai, the more offput she became. Nothing good would come out of this little brat’s mouth.
Yang Kai requested, “I want to build a Space Array in Phoenix Nest Palace, may I know of a suitable location?”
“A Space Array?” Luan Feng frowned, “Do you actually know how to arrange such an array?”
“Somewhat.”
“Where would this Space Array lead to?” Luan Feng asked uneasily.
“To Ice Heart Valley,” Yang Kai replied naturally, “I spent one month to get here, so I can’t return the same way as that would take too much time. That’s why I want to arrange a Space Array here that directly connects to Ice Heart Valley.”
“A Cross-Territory Space Array!” Luan Feng could not help being shocked as she asked incredulously, “Can you really arrange such a thing?”
This was the Eastern Territory, and Ice Heart Valley was in the Northern Territory. If Yang Kai was really not speaking carelessly, he possessed the incredible ability to arrange Cross-Territory Space Arrays. The only Cross-Territory Space Arrays in the entire Star Boundary were ancient relics that had been passed down over tens of thousands of years. Currently, there was no one capable of building new ones.
“Lady Feng can just wait and see,” Yang Kai laughed lightly.
Luan Feng nodded lightly, “This Queen will allow it. Just look for Tian Long, she will arrange everything.”
“Many thanks!”
As soon as they finished their negotiations, Luan Feng summoned Tian Long again and gave her instructions to take Yang Kai to the same small building where he stayed last time.
Back in the same small courtyard, Yang Kai sent Old Ban and Xiao Ling’er to rest before reiterating his request to Tian Long. Tian Long did not object to his request when she heard that it was approved by Luan Feng and personally brought Yang Kai to a concealed and spacious place.
Yang Kai immediately began to build the Space Array in that hidden place.
In less than a day, a brand new Space Array had taken shape.
After confirming the Space Array was not faulty, Yang Kai went back to the building to rest.
Just as he left, a graceful figure suddenly appeared, gaping at the Space Array in amazement.
“Tian Long, did he really only spend a day arranging this?” Luan Feng asked preposterously.
Standing to the side, Tian Long nodded in awe, “This servant saw it with her own eyes. Although this servant stood far away when Young Master Yang was working, she observed everything carefully from beginning to end.”
“Is he really that capable?” Luan Feng asked in disbelief.
Space Arrays were not easy to arrange, not to mention Cross-Territory Space Arrays. Luan Feng originally thought that Yang Kai would need at least ten days to half a month to arrange such an array, possibly even longer, but she had never expected him to complete it in a day.
This was simply amazing.
“Ice Heart Valley…” Luan Feng muttered, “Tian Long, I’ll pay a visit to Ice Heart Valley, you stay here.”
The reason that she decided to go to Ice Heart Valley was to first test the credibility of this Space Array, and second to investigate Zhang Ruo Xi’s relation with Ice Heart Valley.
She could not shake off the feeling that Yang Kai was conning her; after all, that little brat was too untrustworthy and was always up to no good.
Tian Long was flabbergasted, “Mistress must not! It’s not a question of whether this Space Array can be used, but just in case something unexpected happens…”
It was not a joke if an accident occurred during long-distance teleportation. At worst, Luan Feng could be exiled forever to The Void without a way out. Regardless of how strong Luan Feng was, she would be bound to suffer being exiled to the endless chaos.
Luan Feng waved her hand and insisted, “This Queen has her own plans.”
With another wave of her hand, many High-Rank Source Crystals appeared and slid into the grooves of the Space Array before she stepped up onto the platform with a flash.
Tian Long waited at the side nervously.
Luan Feng was also a little nervous. After all, this was something Yang Kai built in less than a day, so it could be faulty.
Surprisingly though, after Luan Feng waited on the formation for a long time, there was still no reaction from the Space Array.
“What? So, he was just running his mouth!” Luan Feng sneered, confirming that the Space Array was completely useless. She got down from the Space Array smugly and went back to her palace in a gleeful mood.
She was now anticipating seeing Yang Kai’s expression when he realized that his precious Space Array was defective.
During the few days of their stay, Old Ban felt like he was always walking on thin ice, constantly trembling in fear.
This was the palace of a Divine Spirit. He was extremely fortunate to even stay here, thanks to the blessing of Yang Kai, so how could he dare expect anything more? On the contrary, Xiao Ling’er was ignorant due to her age and lively by nature, so it was inevitable for her to feel curious when one suddenly moved to such a luxurious place.
The spirit fruits placed on the table were almost completely eaten by her. These spirit fruits were the local harvests of the Ancient Lands, all of which were rich in World Energy and naturally rare items to the outside world. Anyone who ate them would gain great benefits to his or her cultivation.
Xiao Ling’er lived here for only three days, but had eaten several dozen of these precious spirit fruits. Her originally sallow skin and thin figure had become supple and tender while even her dull hair had turned black and shiny while an abundance of energy seemed to pulse through her body.
The morning after the third day, the screech of an eagle was heard outside the Phoenix Nest Palace. A navy blue light fell from the sky and a figure appeared outside the palace. Before he could kowtow at the palace gate, another figure flew over from a different direction, appearing near him.
The two exchanged eye contact and the former smiled slightly as he raised his brow, “Xie Wu Wei!”
The latter greeted softly, “Ying Fei?”
Ying Fei peeked at Xie Wu Wei curiously, “Why did Brother Xie come to Phoenix Nest Palace? This is not Sir Fan Wu’s territory.”
Xie Wu Wei grimaced in reply, “You are here too, and this is not Sir Cang Gou’s territory.”
After speaking, the two seemed to realize something, and they both asked in unison, “Are you here for that?”
There was no answer, but the answer was apparent.
Xie Wu Wei crooned in amazement, “You are so lucky that you were assigned this job. I’m sure the others are all quite jealous!”
Ying Fei laughed heartily, “A few days ago, Young Master Yang travelled through this King’s territory. This King escorted him along the way, so after Sir Cang Gou learned of this, he assigned this King to assist Young Master Yang. But Brother Xie, how about you? How did you land this cushy job?”
He knew that among the Monster Kings under Fan Wu, Xie Wu Wei was definitely not the strongest one, nor the one that Fan Wu valued the most, because he had a short and bad temper, and he was unlikable; it was amazing that Xie Wu Wei actually stood out and grabbed this job.
He could obtain this job without shedding any blood, mainly because of a fortunate encounter with Yang Kai a few days ago, but how did Xie Wu Wei win over this opportunity?
Xie Wu Wei replied grumpily, “None of your damn business.”
Choked by his words, Ying Fei could not help rolling his eyes.
During their conversation, thunder rolled and a lightning-like light shot over from the distance. The light rushed towards Xie Wu Wei and Ying Fei and dispersed in front of them, revealing a burly figure.
“Xi Lei!” Xie Wu Wei frowned.
Ying Fei could not help cackling, “Brother Xi Lei, what happened to you?”
The burly figure before them was Monster King Xi Lei, a Monster King subordinate of Shi Huo. However, after Shi Huo was killed, he took shelter under Luan Feng and was now regarded as one of Luan Feng’s subordinates.
Despite Xi Lei’s rowdy, barbarian appearance, his strength was ranked top three among the thirty-two Monster Kings.
But the powerful Monster King, at this moment, looked quite dishevelled. He had a bruised nose and a swollen face, seemingly having just come from an extremely ferocious battle.
The Monster Race all had strong physiques and would recover rapidly from ordinary injuries, but Xi Lei’s wounds were still shockingly obvious and he had yet to fully heal, so his original injuries were no doubt quite severe.
Xi Lei scoffed at the question, “I just had a fight with those bastards! This Old Rhino suffered, but those bastards are not much better off than me.”
Although Xi Lei’s name did not consist of the word ‘rhino’, he had the body of a rhinoceros originating from an ancient bloodline, so he had always addressed himself as Old Rhino.
Xie Wu Wei and Ying Fei exchanged looks, and could not help feeling sombre. From the looks of Xi Lei’s condition, the two of them immediately understood that if they had not been so fortunate to have some previous connections with Yang Kai, they would have had to fight it out to obtain this position.
With the strength of all the other Monster Kings, they would absolutely not be able to stand out in the end.
For a while, both Xie Wu Wei and Ying Fei could not help feeling relieved. Especially Ying Fei, he started to believe that he had made the right choice in escorting Yang Kai on his trip a few days ago.
At this moment, Xi Lei suddenly sensed the abnormality too, and gaped at Ying Fei and Xie Wu Wei, “Why aren’t you two injured?”
Ying Fei snickered, “Why should we be injured?”
Xi Lei shook his head, “Don’t tell me those guys just gave you this good job for no reason. It took a lot of effort for this Old Rhino to get this opportunity!”
Ying Fei proudly responded, “Who dares to refuse Sir Cang Gou’s order? As for Brother Xie… I have no idea.”
Xie Wu Wei snorted with an enigmatic look, not bothering to explain himself.
Xi Lei fumed, “This is not fair! Completely and utterly not fair!”
Ever since the news came out a few days ago, the thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings of the Ancient Lands were all heated up. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and there was not a single one who did not covet this job. Xi Lei put up a great fight and only won this position because of his outstanding strength in the end. However, Ying Fei had simply been assigned the position by Sir Cang Gou and did not need to go through any tribulations like he did.
It was totally reasonable for Xi Lei to feel unfair at this comparison.
But he soon calmed down as, no matter the process, he still ended up winning the prize.
While the three were talking, the palace gate opened, and a woman dressed in a long gown walked out.
The three Monster Kings cupped their fists as they saw her and greeted, “Sister Tian Long!”
Although Tian Long’s cultivation was not as good as theirs, she was Luan Feng’s confidant, so they dared not to be impolite to her, lest Tian Long complain about them to Luan Feng, which would make their lives quite difficult.
“Mistress asks you all to come inside,” Tian Long called and led the way.
The three hurriedly followed.
Inside the hall, they saw Luan Feng sitting on her throne, while Yang Kai was sitting on a seat below her with an unknown old man and a little girl standing behind him.
The three Monster Kings stared steadily forward and cupped their fists together, “Subordinate greets Lady Luan Feng!”
“En,” Luan Feng nodded gently with a dignified bearing, “This Queen believes that all of you know why you’re here. You are summoned here this time to follow Young Master Yang to the Northern Territory to resolve a crisis for Ice Heart Valley. While you are out, you will follow the orders of Young Master Yang. Whoever dares to disobey will be punished severely without any mercy.”
“Subordinate will not disappoint Lady Luan Feng!” The three replied in unison.
It was a stroke of luck for them to be able to receive this job and no one would dare to disobey Yang Kai’s order. Even if Luan Feng did not warn them, they would still put all their hearts into serving Yang Kai; after all, this was an opportunity for them to build a good relationship with him.
Luan Feng nodded in satisfaction, “Young Master Yang is not an outsider anyway. You may greet him.”
Only then did they turn to Yang Kai, and cupped their fists, “Greetings, Young Master Yang.”
Yang Kai put on a smile, as he glanced at the three Monster Kings.
Among the three Monster Kings, he only knew the background of two. Xie Wu Wei was Fan Wu’s subordinate, while Ying Fei was Cang Gou’s subordinate. As for the last one, he should be Luan Feng’s subordinate. He came here to ask Luan Feng for help, but he did not expect that Luan Feng would ask each of the other two Divine Venerables to send out a Monster King as well. Luan Feng obviously did not want to bear all the risk herself.
However, Yang Kai did not have any comments on this matter and simply said, “Three Monster Kings don’t need to be so polite. I will be relying on you three in the future.”
Yang Kai was not disappointed at having just three Monster Kings as this was within his expectations. Only a fool would dream of Luan Feng assigning seven to eight Monster Kings together with him.
Of course, Xie Wu Wei and the others dared not to be at ease and continued to act respectfully.
Yang Kai stood up, “Lady Feng, since they are all here, this Yang shall take his leave.”
Luan Feng could not wait for him to leave, so she did not have the intention to stop him, “This Queen will send you off.”
She did not really intend to send him off, but mainly wanted to witness Yang Kai making a fool out of himself.
This little brat extorted a large amount of wealth from the Ancient Lands and dragged her into a pit in the Netherworld Sect. Now, he was even thick-skinned enough to request help from her again. She could not reject him, but it was still possible to watch him make a fool out of himself to relieve her resentment.
She had tried the so-called Cross-Territory Space Array a few times now and concluded it was just a useless piece of garbage.
However, she was looking forward to what expression Yang Kai would show after discovering this.
The group went straight to the place where the Space Array was located. When they arrived, Yang Kai instructed them to stand on the array and only then did he take out a number of High-Rank Source Crystals and insert them into the array base’s grooves.
“Farewell, Lady Feng. If there is time, this Junior will visit again in the future.”
“Go, go, don’t waste your time,” Luan Feng suppressed a laugh as she waved her hand.
Yang Kai frowned slightly, feeling that Luan Feng’s expression was strange, but he did not know why. He then glanced over at Tian Long beside her, who was also trying to hold back her laughter.
[What are they thinking now?]
Yang Kai was confused, but it was inconvenient for him to ask, so he simply pushed his Space Principles as he stood on the array. A light flashed in the next moment, enveloping everyone who stood atop it.
When the light was dissipated, they were all gone.
Flabbergasted, Luan Feng stared at the empty Space Array. However, she was no fool so after recovering from her initial shock, she ground her teeth angrily, “That tricky little brat!”
The reason why she could not activate the Space Array while Yang Kai could easily operate it was clearly that he had set up some kind of restriction on it. In other words, the Space Array was completely functional, but no one could operate it other than Yang Kai.
Luan Feng ground her teeth madly as she suspected that Yang Kai had anticipated her trying to go to Ice Heart Valley to verify the information about Zhang Ruo Xi, prompting him to play this trick.
“It really works!” Tian Long was simply startled as her jaw hung loosely.
It was truly a miracle that a Space Array that was arranged in less than one day could be activated.
“So what if it works!?” Luan Feng snorted coldly, “Smash it.”
“Smash… it?” Tian Long was taken aback.
“Smash it!” Luan Feng nodded affirmatively, “With this thing here, wouldn’t it be all too convenient for that little brat to come and go as he wanted? How could this Queen allow him to behave so rampantly!”
It seemed like she had developed a phobia of Yang Kai. In order to avoid any more harassment from him in the future, it was better to smash the Space Array. Otherwise, Yang Kai might just suddenly appear here again one day.
Tian Long received the order, and no longer hesitated. She immediately waved her hand and smashed the Space Array that Yang Kai arranged to pieces.
……
Ice Heart Valley buzzed incessantly as the world seemed to shake around it from time to time. World Energy swirled chaotically, as if it was a sign of the end times.
The entire Ice Heart Valley was now in danger and all the disciples were gripped with fear. However, there was still a determined look in their eyes, one which showed their will to sacrifice themselves together with Ice Heart Valley.
The light curtain of the array that shrouded Ice Heart Valley had become very dim and was now visibly shaking. Obviously it would not last much longer.
“Quickly think! If you can’t think of a way to stabilize the array, you will die the moment it collapses!” Somewhere in Ice Heart Valley, Ji Yao pointed her sword at a man’s neck. This sharp sword had even pierced through the man’s skin, drawing a small trickle of blood.
The man was not flustered even when his life was threatened by a sword pointed at his neck though and just sighed, “With things having progressed to this stage, this King cannot help you anymore. Although this King was captured by your side, the foundation of the array-breaker was almost complete at that time. Even without this King taking charge, the Seeking Passion Sect can still utilize at least half of its power. If this King did not assist you in stabilizing the Spirit Array all this time, do you think it could have lasted until now? This King is afraid it would have broken half a month ago.”
This man was Nanmen Da Jun, who was captured by Yang Kai back then.
After being captured by Yang Kai, Bing Yun did not embarrass him, only saying she would let him go after the war.
Nanmen Da Jun was naturally quite grateful, and to repay their mercy, he had spent these days living in Ice Heart Valley stabilizing their Sect Defending Array.
What he said was the plain truth. Although he was captured by Yang Kai more than a month ago, many of the array flags he set up had already begun to resonate with one another and the foundation of the array-breaker was almost complete.
Even without him, the Seeking Passion Sect could still operate it to a certain degree.
If Nanmen Da Jun did not take the initiative to help Ice Heart Valley in stabilizing the Sect Defending Array since then, how could it have lasted to this day?
He was the one who was in charge of breaking the Sect Defending Array in the first place, but now he was also the one who was stabilizing it. It was not that he was capricious, but rather that Nanmen Da Jun had a principle of equivalent exchange. Since his life and safety were assured, he was now repaying Ice Heart Valley as compensation.
However, this was his limit. Nanmen Da Jun had deep attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, and at a glance, he could see that the Sect Defending Array of Ice Heart Valley would be broken in less than two hours.
“Enough nonsense. If you dare to say you can’t do it again, I’ll kill you now!” Ji Yao yelled angrily.
Nanmen Da Jun glanced at her emotionlessly, “If I were you, I would send my disciples away hurriedly before the array is breached, otherwise it will be too late.”
“You court death!” Ji Yao was infuriated and was about to stab him with the sword in her hand.
“Yao’er, don’t be rude!” Suddenly, Bing Yun appeared from nowhere and shouted at her.
In recent days, Bing Yun had left Ice Heart Valley repeatedly to harass the enemy. She did not expect to kill anyone, but simply wanted to cause some chaos to delay their progress in breaking the array. But unfortunately, she was met by Feng Xuan every time she went out.
There were even several times she nearly didn’t manage to retreat safely. It would be an equal match if she really fought Feng Xuan one on one, possibly even an advantage for her as she was slightly stronger than him, but Bing Yun was no match against the combined forces of the Seeking Passion Sect.
“Valley Master Bing Yun!” Nanmen Da Jun still had deep respect for Bing Yun, so seeing her arrive, he greeted her with cupped fists.
“Grandmaster Nanmen doesn’t have to be so polite.” Bing Yun said before a worried look appeared on her face and she asked, “Grandmaster, is there really no other way?”
Nanmen Da Jun shook his head, “It is now inevitable for the Spirit Array to be broken. It could take as short as one hour, or as long as two hours. Valley Master Bing Yun, you’d best make plans now.”
Bing Yun’s expression turned solemn as she knew that since Nanmen Da Jun had said so, there was no hope to defend Ice Heart Valley. Unfortunately, Yang Kai was not back yet. If he were, perhaps he could bring some hope to Ice Heart Valley.
However, it seemed like Yang Kai could not come back in time because, when he left, he stated that it would take a month or two for him to return.
“Yun’er, Xiu’er, Yao’er!” Bing Yun called out softly in a tired voice.
“Disciple is here!” An Ruo Yun, Sun Yun Xiu, and Ji Yao stepped forward together. The three of them were the Bing Yun’s earliest Disciples, and they were the only three Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters in Ice Heart Valley.
“Send the disciples away through the Space Array, I will stay here and delay the enemy for as long as possible.”
The three women exchanged difficult looks hearing this command, and in the end, An Ruo Yun replied, “Honoured Master, it’s not that we do not wish to follow your orders, but… I’m afraid none of the disciples are willing to leave.”
The remaining seven thousand disciples in Ice Heart Valley were mostly orphans who were brought back to Ice Heart Valley at a young age where they cultivated and were carefully taken care of since childhood. To them, Ice Heart Valley was the only home they had ever known, so none of them wanted to leave when their family was facing disaster.
It could be said that in the entire Northern Territory and even the entire Star Boundary, there was no Sect that could match the internal unity of Ice Heart Valley.
A few days ago, An Ruo Yun and the other Elders had made arrangements to send some disciples out of Ice Heart Valley in advance, but it turned out that none of the disciples were willing to go, and they all expressed their intention to either live or die with the Sect.
“They still have to leave even if they don’t want to, we have to save as many as we can.” Bing Yun ordered sternly, “Make arrangements now. Take your most trusted disciples away from the Northern Territory as far as possible.”
The three women did not move, all of them looking sad but also determined.
Watching from the side, Nanmen Da Jun was moved, secretly regretting his actions against this group of women for some paltry wealth. After all, he was in large part responsible for destroying their Sect’s Defending Array.
“Go now!” Bing Yun yelled at the three who remained unmoving.
The three women trembled at the sight of their angered Honoured Master.
At that moment though, a clear cracking sound echoed across the sky and the large light curtain that shrouded Ice Heart Valley suddenly shattered like broken porcelain.
The last layer of protection was finally broken through, leaving Ice Heart Valley completely exposed.
“The array is broken!” Nanmen Da Jun’s expression changed.
The faces of Bing Yun and the others also froze.
“Bing Yun, this Feng has come!” A yell sounded from outside, followed by the whistling of the winds approaching from all directions. A wave of powerful Divine Senses swept across the treasure land of Ice Heart Valley, and soon, the sound of a battle rang out.
Ice Heart Valley’s disciples had engaged the invading enemies.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
The air snapped, and in the blink of an eye, Bing Yun and the others were surrounded by more than twenty people, all of whom exuded the aura of Emperor Realm Masters.
Leading this group was Feng Xuan and Yao Zhuo, who had powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivations.
“Ice Heart Valley’s Sect Defending Array was nothing much!” Feng Xuan stood mid-air, looking down at Bing Yun and the others, a smug and disdainful smile adorning his lips.
Bing Yun’s elegant eyes swept across each of the Emperors present with a deep sunken expression. Although many looked at her calmly, a good number of them avoided her gaze with looks of shame.
Ice Heart Valley had stood in the Northern Territory for thousands of years, and had never forged any grudges or grievances with other Sects. On the contrary, many female disciples had married out of the Sect, and although Bing Yun had set the rules that any married disciple would have cut all relations with Ice Heart Valley, rules were just rules after all, it was an unchangeable fact that the relationship formed by such marriages between forces could not be divided so simply.
In other words, after so many years, Ice Heart Valley had more and less become related to all the major forces in the Northern Territory, with excellent disciples from every generation of Ice Heart Valley marrying into these Sects.
But now, the Masters of these Sects, along with Feng Xuan, had broken through the Sect Defending Array of Ice Heart Valley, entered their homeland and surrounded Bing Yun and her disciples. It was really heartbreaking.
Some of them could not help feeling guilty as they met Bing Yun’s cold eyes.
“Valley Master Chen, there are no grievances between our Ice Heart Valley and your Green Wind Valley. On the contrary, it was this Queen who helped you with the detoxification when you were poisoned a hundred years ago. Did Valley Master Chen come today to embarrass Ice Heart Valley, too?” An Ruo Yun glared at an elderly man with her beautiful eyes.
The elderly man’s face flushed and quickly looked away without saying anything.
An Ruo Yun turned to another elegantly dressed woman, “We had addressed each other as sisters in affection when Elder Yu came to Ice Heart Valley as a guest. This Queen is quite surprised at this uninvited visit.”
The woman called Elder Yu forced a smile, and explained, “Junior Sister An, don’t blame Elder Sister. Elder Sister can’t tell you why, but I am forced to do this. Besides, Sect Master Feng doesn’t intend to embarrass Ice Heart Valley. He just wants to find out the origin of a single person. All of this will be over if you just tell him what he wants to know. Junior Sister An, why don’t you tell Sect Master Feng what he wants to know now, and Elder Sister will ask Sect Master Feng to spare Ice Heart Valley further trouble.”
An Ruo Yun sneered, “This Queen understands, but must decline Elder Yu’s good intentions.”
Elder Yu frowned and fretted, “Junior Sister An, is this really necessary? You all…”
“Enough! To think I once thought of you as my sister, this Queen was truly blind to have not seen you for the ungrateful villain you are!”
Elder Yu flushed at the biting remark and shouted angrily, “You really can’t appreciate kindness! Junior Sister An, if you’re still so stubborn, your end today will not be good!”
The woman was enraged out of shame involuntarily from An Ruo Yun’s reprimands.
She bellowed in a deep voice, “Today, Sect Master Feng came with overwhelming might. It is better for Junior Sister An to be wise and submit yourself to fate!”
“Well said!” Feng Xuan laughed, crossing his arms as he stared down sneering, “Bing Yun, when you sheltered the murderer of my son, you should have thought of this outcome, but it is too late to regret, since this King is here now, your ending has been decided.”
He seemed to be extremely confident, and just taking his time to enjoy the pleasure of dominating over Bing Yun and the others.
“Sect Master Feng…” Nanmen Da Jun called out, frowning slightly as he cupped his fists. Before he could say anything though, Feng Xuan interrupted him, glanced at him lightly, and commented, “It turns out Grandmaster Nanmen is here too!”
Nanmen Da Jun mumbled sarcastically to himself, [Why are you talking nonsense? I was taken away right before your eyes that day, where else could I have been?]
Feng Xuan continued, “Grandmaster Nanmen deserves most of the credit for our success in breaking through this Array. Please stand back now, this King would hate for you to be hurt by mistake in the coming conflict. After this Sect Master destroys Ice Heart Valley, he may still need your help, Grandmaster.”
Nanmen Da Jun frowned, sighed, and stopped replying.
He knew that his words would not carry much weight anyway. Although he was an Array Master, and plenty begged him for his services, there were also plenty of them who were ungrateful and would be willing to get rid of him after he got the job done.
He did not have the power to force Feng Xuan to follow his advice.
It was simply more sensible to shut his mouth, lest he really draw trouble to himself.
“Brother Yao, join hands with this King to first get rid of Bing Yun, then we shall destroy the entire Ice Heart Valley!” Feng Xuan enjoyed the desperate faces of Ice Heart Valley’s Elders for a while, his heart bubbling with glee. Then he roared loudly, murderous intent surging.
Yao Zhuo, who had been silent at the side for a while, took a step forward at that moment and released his powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm aura.
Although his aura was not as rich and pure as the veteran Feng Xuan’s, it was indeed the aura of the Third-Order Emperor Realm. After all, it had not been long since he had broken through.
Summoning a blade into his hand, Yao Zhuo charged towards Bing Yun with a flash. At the same time, Feng Xuan summoned the relic of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor, the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear.
The sound of a brewing storm resounded from the tip of the spear, and it turned into a flash of lightning as it thrust towards Bing Yun.
With two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters joining forces against her, Bing Yun’s face turned solemn immediately.
These past few days, she had often fought with Feng Xuan and Yao Zhuo, and while she was not afraid of either of them in a one on one fight, even having confidence she could kill Yao Zhuo in a stick of incense worth of time, she was completely overpowered when facing the two of them together. With a light tap of her foot, she floated backwards and retreated.
“Formation!” An Ruo Yun shouted at that moment.
In an instant, six Emperors Realm Masters of Ice Heart Valley flew to Bing Yun’s side, spreading out in a mysterious pattern.
The seven pushed their Emperor Qi together, causing a resonation that shook the world around them, sending stone and soil flying from the ground and the sun overhead to dim. Where the seven stood, a vague behemoth seemed to materialize, raising its head as it released a guttural roar.
*Dang dang…*
The earth trembled twice as Yao Zhuo retreated a dozen steps, his eyes filled with shocking amazement when he felt the vitality in his chest tumble. Feng Xuan was also pushed back several steps, the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear that was thrust out repelled by a mysterious force.
“What’s this?”
“What happened?”
“How is Bing Yun so strong?”
The group of spectating Emperor Realm Masters were all dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes. Although no one doubted Bing Yun’s strength, it was still unbelievable to all the audience that she could single-handedly block Feng Xuan and Yao Zhuo’s combined strike and even force them back.
But they could not doubt the truth that was right in front of them.
“No! That’s not Bing Yun’s power!”
“A Formation, but what kind of Formation?”
“The silhouette of a Black Tortoise, this Formation… it’s incredible.”
The bright light dissipated, and the vision of the ground gradually became clear. Everyone finally had a clear vision of the scene, and shockingly comprehended how Bing Yun had defended against the two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters.
Because at this moment, Bing Yun and six of her Disciples had formed a mysterious Formation that connected each other’s Emperor Qi and manifested a huge phantom of a Black Tortoise.
Bing Yun stood at the head of the Black Tortoise phantom, while An Ruo Yun and Sun Yun Xiu were at its front shoulders; Ji Yao and another Emperor Realm Elder stood on its rear feet, while one Elder stood at the centre of the tortoise’s back and a last at its tail.
The Black Tortoise phantom threw a disdainful look at the crowd, displaying a demeanour that alone it could hold out against ten thousand men.
It was the Seven Point Black Tortoise Formation!
When Yang Kai left a month ago, he handed over the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation to Ji Yao. Since then, every disciple of Ice Heart Valley had been practising this Formation diligently, including Bing Yun and her Direct Disciples.
This was the core Formation of Black Tortoise Sect, a secret that was not passed on to outsiders. This Formation’s defensive ability was extremely strong. Now, with the combined force of seven Emperor Realm Masters, including a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like Bing Yun who took the central position, the Formation that they formed was nigh impregnable.
Although Bing Yun and the others had not doubted the power of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation, it was their first time using it in real combat, so they honestly did not know how powerful it would be. Seeing that they easily forced Feng Xuan and Yao Zhuo back, however, they were delighted and knew that if Yang Kai did not leave such a unique formation to them, Ice Heart Valley would be doomed today.
Even though the Sect Defending Array was breached, the seven thousand disciples could still reduce their casualties greatly with the help of this Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation, possibly even allowing some of them to escape and preserve the inheritance of their Sect.
“You bitches!” Contrary to the pleasant surprise of the Elders of Ice Heart Valley, Feng Xuan was maddened.
The Seeking Passion Sect and Ice Heart Valley were both top Sects in the Northern Territory, and they knew each other’s backgrounds extremely well. However, he had never known that Ice Heart Valley possessed such a mighty Formation Technique, nor did he have any clue where Bing Yun obtained it. His mood became dreadful as his proud attack had been turned back so casually.
“Listen to me, my Disciples! Follow me to carve a path of blood out of here!” Bing Yun shouted coldly.
“Yes!” Everyone replied in unison.
“Why are you still standing around gawking? Kill them!” Feng Xuan was enraged but did not lose his mind. Seeing that his combined force with Yao Zhuo was not enough to gain the upper hand, he could only choose to overwhelm the enemy with pure numbers.
This strange Formation was indeed profound and mysterious, but Feng Xuan noticed that Bing Yun and the others had not cultivated it for very long and were still not proficient in using it. In other words, they could not unleash the maximum potential of this Formation.
So, even if they hastily tied together this formation, there was a limit to the amplification it would provide. Feng Xuan had twenty Emperor Realm Masters on his side, so it was still possible for them to break through using brute force.
Hearing Feng Xuan’s order, the spectating Emperor Realm Masters put on solemn looks, pushing their Emperor Qi and summoning their Artifacts one after another before charging towards Bing Yun and her Disciples.
In an instant, the surrounding World Energy and Principles become disordered and space itself cracked, flipping the Heavens and Earth.
Nearly thirty Emperor Realm Masters had become locked in a life or death battle, a sight rarely seen in the Star Boundary.
Emperor Artifacts of various shapes and kinds emerged, displaying their great power, and turning into various attacks, bombarding the phantom of the Black Tortoise. However, the Black Tortoise phantom was extremely durable, remaining safe and sound despite the heavy onslaught.
Nanmen Da Jun was observing from the side with bright eyes, and after a long time, a realization dawned on him as he cried out involuntarily, “The Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation!”
As an Array Master renowned in this generation, Nanmen Da Jun had a broad knowledge base, so although it was his first time seeing this Formation, he recognized its origins quickly.
“The core inheritance of Black Tortoise Sect that was said to have been lost to history!” Nanmen Da Jun had never been so excited before.
Spirit Arrays were his specialty, and his passion for this Dao was as deep as his attainments in it. To him, rare Spirit Arrays and Formations were like great beauties. He had once risked his own life just to study an Ancient Array in a Forbidden Zone, spending a whole three years to crack it in the end, narrowly escaping death.
Nanmen Da Jun had seen the records of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation in ancient books and learned that it was once the foundation of Black Tortoise Sect from Eastern Territory. However, when the Black Tortoise Sect was wiped out, the Spirit Array was said to have been lost.
According to the ancient books, Black Tortoise Sect comprehended this Formation by observing the Divine Spirit Black Tortoise. The Divine Spirit Black Tortoise was one of the greatest Divine Spirits of all time, so how could a Formation which was comprehended by observing such a majestic beast be weak?
Seeing this Formation stimulated the desire of Nanmen Da Jun. It was an array that he had studied for a while yet was not able to obtain.
He had never expected to witness this long lost formation in Ice Heart Valley today.
“This trip has been completely worth it!” Nanmen Da Jun’s eyes lit up as he completely forgot that a desperate life and death battle was taking place. Instead, he immersed himself in studying from the side with interest, ogling this Formation as he wished he could rush forward to study it in detail.
Although he was electrified, he knew that with his cultivation, he would only bring a miserable death to himself if he rushed out now.
On the other side, Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect’s battle had reached a fever pitch.
Seeking Passion Sect had twenty Emperor Realm Masters on its side, greatly surpassing Ice Heart Valley in terms of numbers and overall strength, but they still could not break through the defence of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation.
Their attacks were all blocked by Bing Yun and the others while, on the contrary, Bing Yun and her Disciples were able to unleash powerful killing moves from time to time, terrifying everyone from the Seeking Passion Sect. All of them were drenched in cold sweat as they tried to handle this precarious situation.
Especially troubling was the cold domain and swirling Ice Principles that slowed down the circulation of Emperor Qi in their bodies.
With the passage of time, the Masters from the Seeking Passion Sect grew more and more frightened, worried they would be completely exhausted before they could break through the defences of this Formation. At that time, they would all become pigs waiting to be butchered.
After all, Bing Yun and the others were defending more than attacking, and with the assistance of this Formation, their consumption would naturally be much lower than those of the Seeking Passion Sect who were attacking.
Many of them were in a panic and their attacks became less fierce than before.
Realizing this situation, Feng Xuan suddenly exploded like a volcano as he raged, “Bing Yun, you are still putting up a stiff resistance with your back to the wall, but this King really wants to see how your seven thousand disciples in Ice Heart Valley will resist our forces! This King’s Sect has already sent another ten Emperor Realm Masters to the centre of your Ice Heart Valley! By now, your precious valley must be a river of blood!”
There were not just twenty Emperor Realm Masters on the Seeking Passion Sect’s side, but more than thirty in total. Only about one-third of this number directly belonged to the Seeking Passion Sect, while the rest were the helpers recruited from the outside.
Before coming here, ten Emperor Realm Masters were ordered to infiltrate into Ice Heart Valley to kill the disciples. With the remaining power of Ice Heart Valley, there was no way for them to resist.
Sure enough, when Feng Xuan’s words fell, the faces of the Ice Heart Valley Elders darkened.
Bing Yun bellowed as she gritted her teeth, “Follow me!”
While speaking, she led her Disciples in an attempt to break through their encirclement.
Feng Xuan put on a fierce expression as he struck out with his Wind and Thunder Divine Spear, “In your dreams! Bing Yun, just watch how this King wipes out Ice Heart Valley, and tremble in despair and regret! When those ten Emperor Realm Masters come back, you will all die!”
Yao Zhuo, who had been silent the whole time, also became bloated with confidence and sneered, “This is the consequence of opposing our Seeking Passion Sect!”
These words had a deep meaning behind them and the Emperor Realm Masters who did not belong to the Seeking Passion Sect turned silent after hearing them, secretly planning whether they should pledge their fealty to the Seeking Passion Sect after this war lest they no longer have a foothold in the Northern Territory.
“Ten Emperor Realm Masters?”
At this moment, a lazy voice sounded. When this voice reached the ears of all the Ice Heart Valley Elders, they could not help feeling delighted as they turned to look at its source.
“Senior Brother Yang!” Ji Yao was pleasantly surprised.
On the other side, Feng Xuan widened his eyes in hatred and burst out, “Little animal!”
He recognized this voice as his son’s murderer. Furthermore, he had encountered Yang Kai outside Ice Heart Valley just a month ago, so it was impossible for him to forget it.
Swiftly, Feng Xuan turned and glared at Yang Kai full of murderous intent, paying his complete attention to him as if no one else besides him mattered.
“Do you mean these ten Emperor Realm Masters? This Young Master brought them to you. It was just a slight effort, no need for any thanks.”
Yang Kai emerged slowly from the Void without the slightest fluster on his face, as if he was taking a leisurely stroll in his own back garden. When his figure was revealed, he waved his hand lightly.
*Hua la la… *
Corpses fell down from the sky one after another. It could be noticed that these corpses all belonged to important individuals as they were all dressed in fine robes. However, they were all dead, each of them having a single fatal wound on their bodies that blood still flowed out of.
“Ah, it’s Great Elder Feng Zi Ping of Green Wind Valley!”
“Liu Rui of Hundred Refining Sect!”
“Nine Star Sect’s Sect Master!”
…..
The air burst out in exclamations as the Emperor Realm Masters who were besieging Bing Yun and the others swept their eyes across the corpses, each of them calling out in fright one after another.
All of them recognized the deceased as they were quite familiar with each other. They had just separated from these people to follow Feng Xuan to tie down Bing Yun while the rest led the hundred thousand troops into Ice Heart Valley.
Nevertheless, all of these Masters had been turned into corpses.
They counted the number of corpses, and it was precisely ten.
In other words, all ten Emperor Realm Masters who separated from them were now dead.
The twenty Emperor Realm Masters gasped simultaneously, feeling a chill running from the back of their spines to the top of their heads.
Everyone stopped attacking, distracted by the ten corpses, staring in disbelief.
How could all of them die in such a short time? How could Ice Heart Valley still have such formidable power in reserve?
In contrast to the bewilderment on Seeking Passion Sect’s side, everyone from Ice Heart Valley was overjoyed.
Especially Bing Yun and Ji Yao, for both of them knew about Yang Kai’s plan. Now that they saw these ten corpses, they immediately understood that Yang Kai had brought back powerful helpers, otherwise it would be impossible to accomplish this without anybody knowing it.
“Yang Kai…” Bing Yun was lost for words as she called out warmly to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai on the other hand looked at Bing Yun and lowered his head slightly, “I’m late.”
“You aren’t. You came back just in time,” Bing Yun shook her head slowly.
She knew that Ice Heart Valley would be saved with the return of Yang Kai.
“Sect Master Feng, long time no see!” Yang Kai turned to Feng Xuan who was livid, and grinned.
“Bastard!” Feng Xuan’s teeth almost shattered from how hard he was grinding them, “How did you kill all of them on your own!?”
“Well, you see, I…” Yang Kai’s lips curved into a mocking grin, “Have no comments!”
“Little Bastard, I’ll kill you!” Yao Zhuo seethed at this moment, pushing his Emperor Qi madly as he slashed down with his sword from above, intending to cut Yang Kai in two with a single stroke.