With their Emperor Qi surging, the crowd made a move and the war was joined.
Facing the combined force of more than a dozen Emperor Realm Masters though, Yang Kai did not intend to dodge at all and laughed out loud, causing everyone to stare at him and wonder what was wrong with his head.
However, the arrow had already flown from the string, so there was no turning back even if they sensed something off. Everyone charged towards the Space Ring on Yang Kai’s hand.
In an instant, the dozen people pounced at Yang Kai, unleashing their various skills to attack him ferociously.
“Solidify!” Right after a cold snort, the Space Principles within a hundred-metre radius of Yang Kai pulsed, turning space itself extremely viscous.
The dozen people were aghast at this sudden change and soon found that their Emperor Qi could not circulate smoothly, as if they were trapped in a deep mire, creating an illusion that their movements were being restricted and the power of their attacks was greatly reduced. Even the brilliance of their summoned Emperor Artifacts dimmed.
“What!?” Everyone’s face changed drastically. They were about to retreat as soon as they noticed the oddity of the situation, but it was already too late.
Yang Kai lifted his both hands and caused the entire sky to be overcast by a shadow of two gigantic palms which swiftly blasted forward.
Following an explosion, the dozen people were thrown out, all of them spurting blood in the mid-air, their faces as pale as a sheet.
*Pa pa pa… *
The dozen Emperor Realm Masters fell on the ground like dumplings, and when they regained their composure, all of them looked ashen and horrified.
On the other side, Yang Kai seemed to also have spent tremendous energy to repel so many Emperor Realm Masters in one strike. He shuddered slightly, but he did not retreat a single step, and despite his face being a little pale at first, he quickly recovered.
Nevertheless, he still stood tall in front of the gates, like an immovable mountain, guarding this piece of treasured land.
“How is that possible?!”
“Is he really just a First-Order Emperor Realm Master?”
“How did he do that?”
…..
A dizzying sensation gushed out in the hearts of the dozen Emperor Realm Masters, as if they were caught in some kind of bad dream.
Yang Kai looked young and always gave the impression that he did not have very high cultivation. Therefore, even though they did not fully understand his capabilities at first, they did not put him in their eyes. Nevertheless, they found out about Yang Kai’s cultivation as he revealed it with his earlier move.
He was indeed a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, so logically, he should be weaker than them.
However, this First-Order Emperor Realm Master had resolved the combined force of a dozen Masters and even inflicted a certain degree of injury on them in a head-on confrontation.
No one would believe it if they did not experience it themselves. It was simply that absurd.
Especially Li Qing Yuan, who was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and had been in the Northern Territory for so many years. He had never encountered such a bizarre situation. He had faced many First-Order Emperor Realm Masters throughout his life, and would usually crush them with overwhelming power, but none of them was as fierce as the young man in front of him.
The greed in his eyes gradually converged, replaced by infinite solemnity.
It was rumoured that some geniuses in the Martial Dao could fight and even kill those with higher cultivations than themselves. Li Qing Yuan met this kind of talent before too, but those so-called geniuses, at most, could only fight evenly with him while being a single Minor Realm lower in cultivation. Compared with the young man in front of him, all those so-called talents were mediocre at best.
Not only could the young man in front of him fight against opponents above his realm, but he did not even fall into a disadvantage facing a dozen people with equal or higher cultivations than his own at once.
Li Qing Yuan even suspected that the young man had not used his full strength, and if he had, perhaps only half of them would still be alive now!
Thinking of this, cold sweat beaded on Li Qing Yuan’s forehead.
If this young man was already this powerful as a First-Order Emperor, wouldn’t he be invincible when he broke through to the Second-Order or Third-Order Emperor Realm? Perhaps at that time, only the Great Emperors would be a match for him.
“Little brat, who the hell are you!?”
Someone cried bitterly, as if they refused to believe the fact that they were repelled and demanded to know what deceitful tricks Yang Kai had used.
Everyone wanted to ask the same question too. Such a brilliant rising star couldn’t be some obscure individual. They should have at least heard of his name somewhere.
Yang Kai turned to that person, and grinned, “This Young Master is Yang Kai. I believe you’ve all heard my name before, yes?”
“Ahh… Is he THAT Yang Kai?”
“The Yang Kai who killed Feng Xi in the Shattered Star Sea and provoked Feng Xuan?”
“The war between Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect started because of him!”
“I heard that the annihilation of the entire Seeking Passion Sect was also the result of his interference! He found some kind of strong support out of nowhere and killed Feng Xuan, Yao Zhuo, and all the others in one breath!”
Thanks to Feng Xuan’s publicity campaign, Yang Kai was quite well-known in the Northern Territory; after all, a war between two top Sects was a serious matter. The Seeking Passion Sect would not send out its warriors without reason, and the reason they gave for attacking Ice Heart Valley was that Yang Kai had killed Feng Xi while Bing Yun shielded him.
Before that, the Northern Territory cultivators were incredibly curious about this young man named Yang Kai. They could not believe that he had the courage to kill Feng Xi and also thought that this guy would not have a good end as a result.
But beyond everyone’s expectations, the Seeking Passion Sect was the one to be exterminated, and now the initiator of the whole tragedy actually came to Seeking Passion Sect’s headquarters to establish his own Sect, like the magpie seizing a nest, attempting to create his so-called High Heaven Palace!
If the Seeking Passion Great Emperor learned of this, he would probably be so furious that he would jump out of his coffin.
For a moment, it was dead silent outside the Sect gates. Whether it was the dozen Emperor Realm Masters, or the thousand or so cultivators spectating, all just stared at Yang Kai in shock.
*Shua shua shua… *
Several noises broke the silence, followed by three figures suddenly appearing behind Yang Kai. As soon as these three figures emerged, they unleashed a fearsome pressure. The weight of this pressure seemed to darken the whole world and a dreadful look was etched onto everyone’s faces as they felt it difficult to even breathe. It was as if their chests were being crushed by giant mountains.
Everyone looked at the three figures intently, their eyes quivering in fear.
Although they could not see the three figures clearly, the dominant pressure was telling them that these three would only need a wave of their hands to slaughter everyone here.
A cold sensation instantly rushed from the soles of the crowd’s feet to the top of their heads. The blood drained from the faces of the thousand people as if their parents had just died. They wanted to escape immediately, but they dared not move, so they could only just stand still and endure the torment.
“Young Master Yang, what happened? It seemed like a fight just took place?” Xie Wu Wei frowned as he asked.
“Hmph, it seems like someone was being rude here.” While speaking, Ying Fei swept his falcon eyes across the dozen Emperor Realm Masters in a threatening manner.
“How daring. Who caused the trouble? Let this Old Rhino deal with him!” Xi Lei yelled, his Monster Qi pulsing, whipping up a monstrous wind, as if it could puncture a hole in the sky.
“Monster Race!” Someone sensed the Monster Qi and exclaimed.
“Monster King!” Li Qing Yuan cried out grievously, cold sweat pouring down his face like droplets of rain as he turned as pale as a sheet.
Although he was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, he instinctively felt terrified because he was powerless in front of a Monster King who was on par with a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Moreover, if he was not mistaken, the other two Masters who appeared should also be from the Monster Race, and were likely Monster Kings themselves.
[Damn it! It’s rarer to encounter a single Monster King than it is to see a Third-Order Emperor! But today, there are three Monster Kings together!] Li Qing Yuan did not know whether he was fortunate or he should be grieving, but when he thought of what happened before, he felt that it was more likely to be the latter.
The dozen Emperor Realm Masters and the thousand spectating cultivators took one step back simultaneously at Li Qing Yuan’s remark about Xi Lei, and gazed at the latter in horror. It was as if Xi Lei was the reaper of death, just waiting to harvest their lives.
“Who was being rude here just now? Show yourself to this King!” Xi Lei roared like thunder, staring at the crowd menacingly.
No one dared to answer him as they all feared being targeted by him and dying. Nervous gulps could be heard one after another as everyone’s feet felt nailed to the ground.
The Emperor Realm Masters turned their gazes at Li Qing Yuan, hoping that he could stand out and speak some words to this Monster King for them.
Li Qing Yuan secretly scolded this group of cowards in his heart, but at this point, considering the consequences of him keeping quiet might be worse, he called out, “Sir Monster King, it’s just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
“A misunderstanding?” Xi Lei looked at Li Qing Yuan sideways and snorted, “How is it a misunderstanding?”
Li Qing Yuan racked his brain to think of an explanation, quickly coming up with an excuse as he blurted out, “It’s like this, we are all Northern Territory cultivators and heard that Young Master Yang Kai established a Sect here, so we came to congratulate him, but we failed to recognize Young Master Yang with our unworthy eyes and inadvertently offended him a little. We ask for forgiveness from Young Master Yang and all the Sirs here.”
Li Qing Yuan expressed his excuses eloquently, even feeling quite proud of his quick wit.
“Established a Sect?” Xi Lei was stunned and glanced at Yang Kai with inquiry. Although he did mention this idea a few days ago, Yang Kai did not give any affirmation, so he did not understand why Li Qing Yuan suddenly could speak of this matter.
Ying Fei’s eyes were sharper though and quickly saw the Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron standing to the side and applauded, “Young Master Yang really has established a Sect here. High Heaven Palace, en, to have the ambition to reach the peak as high as the Heavens. Good!”
Xie Wu Wei laughed merrily, “Good, good. Then from now on, this Xie will stay in High Heaven Palace and hopes that Young Master Yang will reward me with the position of Protector or Deacon or anything.”
“Count this Old Rhino in!” Xi Lei retracted his vicious aura and turned a fawning smile to Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang must definitely treat us well.”
Ying Fei nodded in agreement, “This Ying thinks so too.”
The dozen Emperor Realm Masters almost fainted listening to their words, while the thousand cultivators dropped their jaws, their eyes widened in disbelief as they started to doubt their own ears.
These three were Monster Kings, Masters on par with Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters! But now that Yang Kai marked this place as his territory and engraved the signboard of his Sect, these three Masters all scrambled to join him even though he had not officially established his Sect yet.
Furthermore, they actually begged for some position like a Protector or even a Deacon…
What was wrong with this world? Throughout the Star Boundary, which Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was not an overlord? Which one of them was not a Master of generations of men? With such a strength, one could establish his or her own Sect with ease, but now, these three Monster Kings actually seemed desperate to join the not-even-officially-established High Heaven Palace?
Who the hell was this Yang Kai and how did he manage to tame these three Monster Kings?
Li Qing Yuan and the others were extremely distressed. Three Monster Kings wanted to join High Heaven Palace only for the position of Protector or Deacon. Their strength was naturally no better than these three Monster Kings, so wouldn’t they only be qualified to be ordinary disciples if they joined High Heaven Palace?
Of course, they couldn’t break away from their own Sects and join High Heaven Palace. Even now there seemed to be too many monsters, both metaphorically and literally, in this High Heaven Palace, not a place they could fit into comfortably.
With the addition of these three Monster Kings, High Heaven Palace would probably become the strongest Sect in the Northern Territory in the future, and once it developed, it would definitely surpass the glory of the Seeking Passion Sect.
Li Qing Yuan and the others seemed to vaguely see the figure of a formidable giant rising up before them, and this caused them to panic internally.
The good fortune Yang Kai experienced was driving these observers mad with envy and jealousy. With three Monster Kings here, it would be infinitely beneficial if any single one of them joined Yang Kai’s Sect.
What surprised everyone was that in the face of the three Monster Kings’ sincere requests, Yang Kai’s expression was quite uneasy as he grimaced, “We will discuss this matter at a later time!”
Li Qing Yuan and the others stared at him with their eyes widened, silently scolding Yang Kai for being unappreciative of something others could not have even if they begged for it, still wanting to discuss the matter again. Was there just something wrong with his head?
What was there to discuss? Agreeing right away was the only correct answer.
On the other hand, Xi Lei and the others looked at each other and knew what Yang Kai was worried about. Although it would be nothing for Yang Kai to ask for three Monster Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands with his connections with the three Divine Venerables, he obviously did not want to headhunt someone so rashly, especially subordinates of three Divine Spirits.
At the very least, Yang Kai had to discuss with Luan Feng and the others regarding this matter.
Understanding this, Xi Lei and the other three Monster Kings did not insist anymore.
After a moment of pondering, Xi Lei queried, “Young Master Yang, are you… going to kill these people?”
He asked casually, as if it wasn’t a thousand people before them but a thousand chickens. This caused everyone to stare at Yang Kai helplessly with pasty faces.
At this moment, they knew that the fate of their lives was in Yang Kai’s hands.
The dozen or so Emperor Realm Masters leading this group looked at Yang Kai with anxious smiles, afraid the order to kill would suddenly leak from his lips.
“Why should I do that? I have no grievances and no grudges against them.” Yang Kai waved his hand and effused with a gleeful smile, “Didn’t you hear that they said they came to congratulate this Young Master for establishing a Sect? Since they are here to offer congratulations, they are the guests of my High Heaven Palace.”
“Yes, yes, Young Master Yang is wise!” Li Qing Yuan sputtered, a look of joy for having survived a calamity filling his face.
He knew that since Yang Kai had said these words, he and the others would not need to worry about leaving here alive today, and he was grateful for his generosity.
Xi Lei nodded and apologized, “This Old Rhino was reckless.” In an instant, he changed the topic, barking at Li Qing Yuan and the others, “You bunch of trash! Since you are here to congratulate Young Master Yang, why don’t I see any gifts? Could all this talk of congratulations just be casual talk?”
Li Qing Yuan and the others were shocked by this accusation but quickly recovered, “We wouldn’t dare to. Gifts… We did bring some, we did.”
While speaking, the dozen Emperor Realms Masters quickly searched their Space Rings while resolute and hesitant looks interchanged on their faces.
In a short time, a dozen Space Rings were gathered in Li Qing Yuan’s hands. Walking over to Yang Kai with wobbly legs, Li Qing Yuan squeezed out an ugly smile, “Young Master Yang, this is just a small token to show our respect. I hope Young Master Yang will kindly accept.”
Yang Kai took these things casually without even checking the contents.
After plundering the Ancient Wild Lands and the Seeking Passion Sect’s Treasury, these dozen Space Rings were really nothing to him.
He nodded lightly, “Sect Master Li is thoughtful.”
Li Qing Yuan was unable to conceal the pain on his face. He had just offered a large part of his life’s savings for fear that Yang Kai would be dissatisfied.
It was estimated that the other Emperor Realm Masters felt the same way, otherwise, none of them would be displaying grievous expressions.
Who would have thought that Yang Kai would put away their gifts without even looking at them? If Lin Qing Yuan had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have shaved so much meat off his bones and instead just given a small gift.
“Good, good. Young Master Yang… If you have no other instructions, this Li will take his leave.” Li Qing Yuan was extremely aggrieved by the loss of his wealth and wanted to leave here as soon as possible.
“En, speaking of instructions, this Young Master does need your help with one thing,” Yang Kai began pleasantly.
“Ah…” Li Qing Yuan wiped the cold sweat on his forehead in panic, “I wonder what orders Young Master Yang has?”
Yang Kai smiled slightly and started, “Sect Master Li doesn’t need to be so nervous, I only need you to do something simple. You just need to spread the word that this Young Master has occupied this piece of land, and has established High Heaven Palace here!”
Li Qing Yuan calmed down instantly and let out a breath of relief, “So that’s the case!”
Yang Kai looked at him meaningfully, “What did Sect Master Li think it was?”
Li Qing Yuan replied rather embarrassingly, “This is nothing, just a trivial matter. Young Master Yang can count on this Li to complete this task. Although this Li is not so strong, he does have a good number of friends. This news will be spread out in the shortest possible time to avoid any harassment by uninformed rascals to your noble Palace.”
“That’s good,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded before glancing over at the other Emperor Realm Masters. “I also hope that everyone can do me this favour.”
The Emperor Realm Masters dared not to disagree, nodding their heads frantically while striking their chests in promise.
Yang Kai smiled lightly and cupped his fists, “Since you are all the heroes of Northern Territory, I will definitely invite all of you again when I officially open the gates of High Heaven Palace. I hope all of you will be in attendance to celebrate with me at that time.”
Bitterness filled everyone’s mouths at Yang Kai’s words, for they knew that when they attended this ceremony, they would need to prepare another large gift. However, with no other choice, they promised Yang Kai their attendance with forceful enthusiasm.
After a few more words, the group of outsiders escaped hurriedly.
“A bunch of trash, why did Young Master Yang bother giving them any face?” Xi Lei snorted coldly. Although he did not witness the conflict between Yang Kai and the Emperor Realm Masters, he could roughly guess what had happened. According to his own personality, he would have killed them all to baptise the foundation of High Heaven Palace.
Yang Kai chuckled and shook his head, “An extra friend means extra help. They are only interested in profit and had no grievances with me, so why should we kill ruthlessly? In the future, if High Heaven Palace is to gain a foothold in the Northern Territory, it’s not fitting to make enemies everywhere. You must know that everyone has their virtue, there might come a day that they will be of some use.”
Xi Lei flattered him immediately, “Young Master Yang is wise. This Old Rhino did not think it through.”
Yang Kai was indifferent to his flattery, simply raising his hand and beckoning, “Follow me.”
The three Monster Kings exchanged confused glances, but although they had no idea what Yang Kai was going to do, they all followed quickly.
After a short while, everyone came to Yang Kai’s newly-arranged Space Array.
Giving the three of them a glance, Yang Kai began, “Many thanks to three Monster Kings during this incident. Without you, Ice Heart Valley would not have been able to survive the siege so easily. This Young Master thanks you on behalf of Senior Bing Yun and the thousands of disciples of Ice Heart Valley.”
Xi Lei and others were shocked and replied hurriedly, “Young Master Yang is too serious, it was just a trivial matter.”
Yang Kai smiled, “It may be a trivial matter for you, but it is a life-saving grace for Ice Heart Valley. The two cannot be confused.” After a pause, Yang Kai added, “But now that the dust has settled, you three should return to the Ancient Wild Lands first.”
“Ah…” Ying Fei exclaimed disappointedly as he looked at Yang Kai hopefully, “Young Master Yang, you want us to go back now? It hasn’t even been a few days since we came out.”
“Yes, yes!” Xie Wu Wei nodded sharply and protested, “Young Master Yang, is there nothing else for us to do? Just say it, the three of us will do it without hesitation.”
Xi Lei suggested eagerly, “Young Master Yang can take us to wipe out the heads of the Northern Territory and unify it under his command!”
This proposal led Ying Fei and Xie Wu Wei to applaud loudly, the Monster Qi in their bodies surging as they really seemed eager to start a reign of terror in the Northern Territory with Yang Kai at the helm.
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “Even though you three are powerful, there are differences between Monsters and Humans. If you really made a big uproar in the Northern Territory, I am afraid it would attract a lot of trouble. I know what you are thinking, but this matter cannot be rushed. It’s unknown when that little girl will even be coming out, so just wait for news in the Ancient Lands.”
All three Monster Kings looked embarrassed when Yang Kai exposed their intentions.
After all, they had only submitted to Yang Kai because of his relationship with Zhang Ruo Xi. Without Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai could not command such respect from them.
The three also knew that Yang Kai was telling the truth. Although they insisted on following Yang Kai to be in a favourable position, the point was that the Blood Gate had been hidden since it disappeared. No one knew when Zhang Ruo Xi would return, so it was useless for them to follow Yang Kai.
But it would also be a waste to just go back like this, so they were quite unwilling to do so. No one would know when, or even if Yang Kai would think of them again.
Xie Wu Wei’s eyes lit up suddenly as he proposed, “Young Master Yang, let them go back. This Xie will follow you to protect you. The world is not benevolent, and everyone may not be the same as they appear to be. It’s important to be careful while travelling the Star Boundary.”
“Why do we have to leave and you get to stay?” Ying Fei and Xi Lei asked in unison with a look of displeasure.
[This guy wants to reap the benefits all on his own, how shameless!]
Xie Wu Wei huffed, “Why now?”
Xi Lei yelled, “Come then, let us fight for it! Whoever is the strongest gets to stay, we will prove our capabilities with action, not just words! Since it’s to protect Young Master Yang, of course the strongest should win the right!”
Among the thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings, his strength was ranked in the top three, so in a solo battle, Ying Fei and Xie Wu Wei were definitely not his opponents.
Xie Wu Wei sneered at him, “This is a waste of this King’s time.”
Ying Fei nodded, “Brother Xie, it’s wrong for you to do this. Even if we really want to leave one person to protect Young Master Yang, it’s not going to be you. In regards to strength, Xi Lei is better than you, and in regards to speed and mobility, if this King claims to be second, no one would dare claim to be first. This King would make a far better Protector.”
Xie Wu Wei’s face twitched before he snorted coldly, “How about the fact that this Xie is Young Master Yang’s Soul Slave?”
As he spoke, with a surge of Divine Sense, a faint golden light appeared from his mind. The golden light was obviously a type of Soul restriction. It was branded in Xie Wu Wei’s Knowledge Sea, and Yang Kai’s aura was radiating from it, making its origins obvious.
Ying Fei and Xi Lei’s jaws dropped, looking at Xie Wu Wei dumbfoundedly.
They knew what was going on.
Xie Wu Wei was indeed marked by a Soul Imprint, meaning he really was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave.
But… When did this happen? The three Monster Kings had been together all this time and they did not realize any unusual changes.
Xie Wu Wei retracted the golden light and smiled faintly, “This Xie had long surrendered to him since the last time Young Master Yang entered the Ancient Lands. He is in total control of this Xie’s life. If anything happened to Young Master Yang, this Xie would die as well, so this Xie’s loyalty and dedication to Young Master Yang is beyond question. How can the both of you compare with me?”
Xie Wu Wei, who was a Monster King, had actually become a Soul Slave; however, he was proud instead of ashamed of this fact! If an outsider who did not know the truth witnessed this, their eyes would definitely pop out from their sockets.
But being Yang Kai’s Soul Slave was a great deal in Ying Fei and Xi Lei’s eyes too, and they silently cursed Xie Wu Wei in their hearts.
If Xie Wu Wei had such a relationship with Yang Kai, there would be no doubt that Xie Wu Wei would be the one to stay back with Yang Kai.
For a moment, Xi Lei and Ying Fei looked at Yang Kai helplessly.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly. Back then in the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb of the Ancient Lands, he was forced to take Xie Wu Wei as his Soul Slave in order to protect himself, and Xie Wu Wei had also been very unwilling to accept such a fate at the time. After they came out of the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, Xie Wu Wei was neither friendly nor aloof with Yang Kai, for he was afraid that others would look down on him because of this unusual relationship.
Now though, he actually took the initiative to disclose such information just to gain a slight upper hand in this argument.
It was worth mentioning that the change in his attitude was quite funny. Yang Kai did not think that he was a person who was eager for quick success and instant benefits, but after all, the cultivation of these Monster Kings had reached a plateau, and their only hope to progress was to rely on the secrets of the Blood Gate.
Who would not try hard to grab the only opportunity in front of them?
Just when Xie Wu Wei was being jaunty and triumphant in front of the other two Monster Kings, Yang Kai suddenly waved his hand and a wisp of golden light flew out directly from Xie Wu Wei’s forehead and returned to Yang Kai.
Xie Wu Wei’s smug face instantly went stiff. The shackles on him were lifted, but what followed was not joy. He put on a long face and cried, “Young Master Yang, you…”
The Soul Imprint was retrieved, which meant that the connection of his Soul to Yang Kai’s was cut off, and he was no longer Yang Kai’s Soul Slave. He had recovered his freedom.
Xie Wu Wei did not expect that Yang Kai would be so decisive in doing so.
If it was anyone else, they would not simply let go of such a powerful Soul Slave. They would certainly keep him to serve themselves, but Yang Kai just disposed of him like nothing. The generosity Yang Kai displayed was out of the ordinary.
“Hahahaha!” Both Ying Fei and Xi Lei burst into laughter, their eyes lighting up when they realized what had happened as they secretly cheered, [Who asked Xie Wu Wei to boast so shamelessly? This is your karma! You deserve it!]
“Young Master Yang, you can’t do this…” Xie Wu Wei looked at Yang Kai with grief, as if Yang Kai had thoughtlessly abandoned him after using him.
Yang Kai swung his hand impatiently, “Leave, leave. All of you leave.”
“Do we really have to leave?” Xi Lei looked sad and was quite reluctant to go.
Yang Kai explained, “Don’t accuse me of driving you all away after using you; after all, you three are Monster Kings of the Ancient Lands, and your superiors are the Divine Venerables. If I retained you all without informing them, it would really be hard for me to explain it to them. In any case, it’s now convenient for me to come and go from the Ancient Lands, so if I ever have need of help in the future, I’ll look for the three of you.”
The three Monster Kings’ moods were elevated at Yang Kai’s words and they nodded one after another, “Young Master Yang must keep his word. When the time comes, don’t call others, just us.”
There were thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings in the Ancient Lands, and all of them were first-class Masters. They did not want the other Monster Kings and Great Kings to build a good relationship with Yang Kai and tried to prevent that by hoping to stay by Yang Kai’s side.
“I know!” Yang Kai promised as he continued swinging his hand like he was chasing flies away.
Only then did the three Monster Kings slowly step onto the Space Array.
Yang Kai casually inserted Source Crystals into the array and a moment later, he glanced at the three and asked, “Are you ready?”
The three Monster Kings nodded and cupped their fists, “Take care, Young Master Yang.”
Their unwillingness to leave could be heard in their voices, as if they were parting forever with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grunted in response and bellowed, “Go!”
He poured his Emperor Qi into the Space Array as he spoke.
Strangely though, nothing happened. Yang Kai and the three Monster Kings stared at each other for a long time, exchanging bewildered looks.
“Huh?” Yang Kai was stunned, scratching his head as he tried the Space Array again and again, but to no avail.
The three Monster Kings exchanged looks, getting excited again. Ying Fei beamed, “It seems even the Heavens don’t want us to leave.”
Xie Wu Wei immediately echoed, “Yes, yes, Young Master Yang, since the Heavens have such intentions, you don’t have to insist anymore!”
“What happened?” Yang Kai was puzzled, checking the Space Array thoroughly. Even though he just set this up, there should be no errors in it.
After a thorough investigation, he confirmed that the Space Array was in perfect condition.
Xi Lei questioned, “Young Master Yang, is it because this Space Array cannot connect to the Ancient Lands? We were directly teleported from Ancient Lands to Ice Heart Valley the last time.”
“Impossible!” Yang Kai shook his head. The Space Arrays that he set were all connected to each other. In other words, the array in High Heaven Palace should be connected not only to Ice Heart Valley, but also to the Ancient Wild Lands.
While Yang Kai was still flabbergasted, a light suddenly burst out on the Space Array, followed by the emergence of two figures.
Everyone took a closer look, and realized that it was Ji Yao and Nanmen Da Jun.
After the teleportation, both of them seemed to have a brief vertigo, but soon, Ji Yao regained her senses while Nanmen Da Jun took a little more time to recover, since his cultivation was weaker than hers.
“Senior Brother Yang, I’ve brought him to you,” Ji Yao glanced at Yang Kai as she spoke softly.
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement before turning to look at Nanmen Da Jun. The latter met his eyes and immediately became excited, “Grandmaster Yang, I heard that you are looking for me.”
Ever since he saw the Space Array that was arranged by Yang Kai, the latter’s position in his heart has risen to the level of a pinnacle Array Grandmaster, and Nanmen Da Jun believed that he was even more learned in this Dao than himself.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, then he questioned, “But didn’t I say that you should repair Ice Heart Valley’s Sect Defending Array first before coming here? Why did you come so soon?”
Nanmen Da Jun replied, “I’ve finished the repairs on that side. I heard that Grandmaster Yang was calling for me, so this Nanmen worked day and night to accomplish his task and then immediately rushed here right after.”
While speaking, he showed an obsequious face.
“Don’t tell me you only did a patchwork job?” Yang Kai looked at him incredulously.
Repairing Ice Heart Valley Sect Defending Array was a massive project, so how could it be done completely in just a few days?
Nanmen Da Jun explained in fear, “This Nanmen dares not! Grandmaster Yang is also proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so this Nanmen doesn’t have the guts to show off his meagre skills before an expert! The reason why it could be repaired so fast was because this Nanmen had studied Ice Heart Valley Sect Defending Array comprehensively for the past few months. Moreover, this Nanmen was also the one who suggested the array breaking method, so this Nanmen only had to reverse the damage done and was able to finish the repairs in just a short time.”
“I see,” Yang Kai did not doubt him, but replied solemnly, “I will go back to Ice Heart Valley to check later. If the Sect Defending Array’s repairs are shoddy in any way, you will have to watch out for your head!”
“Don’t worry, Grandmaster Yang,” Nanmen Da Jun assured him.
After a pause, he continued, “By the way, why did Grandmaster Yang summon this Nanmen here in such a rush? What can this Nanmen do for you?”
Yang Kai beckoned him, “Have a look at this place.”
Nanmen Da Jun turned around to have a look before he gasped softly and soared up into the air to get a clearer view. When he returned, he asked with surprise, “Isn’t this Seeking Passion Sect?”
He had been a guest of Seeking Passion Sect for some time recently, so he naturally recognized this land. However, when he was here last this place was crowded with outstanding people, but now, even though the scenery remained, the people were no longer here.
He could not help feeling sorry for the tens of thousands of years of heritage of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor that had been abandoned here.
“It used to be the Seeking Passion Sect, but now it is High Heaven Palace!” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Ji Yao’s eyes flashed at Yang Kai’s words, revealing a thoughtful look on her face as though she seemed to have guessed something.
Yang Kai pressed on, “I want you to reopen the Sect Defending Array here, then repair and improve it. Display all of your abilities here to ensure that this Sect Defending Array is second to none in the Star Boundary.”
Nanmen Da Jun was hyped up listening to it, as if he had received an awakening challenge.
Yang Kai read his face and secretly nodded, extremely satisfied with his reaction.
“Grandmaster Yang is planning to occupy this land?” Nanmen Da Jun caught up very fast and guessed the intention of Yang Kai correctly.
“Good.” Yang Kai admitted with a nod, “How long will it take to complete such a project?”
Nanmen Da Jun did not reply immediately, but pondered seriously for a moment before he answered, “The Sect Defending Array of Seeking Passion Sect was not destroyed, just deactivated. This Nanmen needs to study the array charts and composition in detail, only then can I come up with a method of improvement. It could take as little as two months, or as long as three months, but this Nanmen will definitely give Grandmaster Yang a satisfactory result.”
“Good, I’ll give you three months then,” Yang Kai agreed without hesitation.
Nanmen Da Jun continued, “But in order to set up and improve such a huge array, some materials would be needed…”
“You can make a list of any materials you require and I will provide them for you,” Yang Kai assured him.
Now that he had plundered so much wealth, and even emptied the Treasury of Seeking Passion Sect, he certainly had the materials to improve the Sect Defending Array here.
Nanmen Da Jun beamed from ear to ear, “It’s easy if I have the materials. Right, does Grandmaster Yang want to do this together with this Nanmen…”
Yang Kai interjected with a deep voice, “This Young Master is about to be very busy and cannot share the burden with you. You will have to deal with it alone. If you need any assistance…” He turned to look at Ji Yao.
Ji Yao immediately understood and answered, “Leave that to me. I’ll summon some sisters over from the Sect.”
“Then… good, I’ll have to trouble Elder Ji Yao when the time comes,” Nanmen Da Jun was rather disappointed. He wanted to take this opportunity to exchange experience with Yang Kai in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and was saddened when the latter did not give him a chance at all.
However, it was his long-cherished wish as an Array Grandmaster to rebuild and improve a Sect Defending Array for such a great force.
Soon, he got himself together, excused himself, and went to study the array charts of the original Sect Defending Array of Seeking Passion Sect.
After he left, Yang Kai looked at the Space Array at the side while rubbing his chin, “So, it’s not a problem here.”
If there was something wrong with the Space Array in front of him, it would have been impossible for Ji Yao and Nanmen Da Jun to teleport here from Ice Heart Valley.
“What problem?” Ji Yao questioned curiously.
Xi Lei immediately grinned and explained the incident that happened before to her, making no attempt to hide the joyous look on his face.
After listening to it, Ji Yao responded with a thoughtful look, “Two Space Arrays connected to each other are required to achieve a teleportation, so since there’s nothing wrong here, and there’s nothing wrong with the one in Ice Heart Valley, then the one in the Ancient Lands must be the issue.”
Like a dreamer awakened from a deep slumber, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he nodded, “That must be it.”
After that, he suddenly recalled something and gritted his teeth, “Lady Feng, Lady Feng, this removing firewood from under the pot is really too cruel.”
The Space Array in the Ancient Lands could not have been broken for no reason. The only explanation was that it was intentionally destroyed by Luan Feng after his departure.
Luan Feng probably feared that he would keep disturbing her in the future, and her worries were completely justified. Thinking of this, Yang Kai could not help grinding his teeth feeling annoyed.
Although it did not take much effort to set up a Space Array, the problem was that the Ancient Lands was so far away that it would take him a long time to travel there to arrange another. He would need to stay connected with the Ancient Lands in the future, so it would be convenient to him to keep a Space Array there, but he did not expect that Luan Feng would destroy the Space Array the moment he had left. In the end, there was nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart. Although Luan Feng appeared to be dignified and gentle, she was actually so cruel and ruthless.
By the look of this, Yang Kai would need to set up a Space Array in the territory of the Stone Spirit Clan the next time he went to the Ancient Lands, lest Luan Feng destroy it again.
After Yang Kai came to this determination, he turned to Xi Lei and the others, “It seems that you three have been abandoned by the Ancient Lands.”
Xi Lei and the others racked their brains, but still could not understand why they could not be sent away, but instead of feeling disappointed, they were actually delighted, “Good, good, Lady Luan Feng must think that Young Master Yang’s matter is very serious and wishes for us to stay and safeguard him. Please don’t reject us anymore!” They grinned excitedly.
Yang Kai replied, “How can I drive you away given a situation like this?”
He was reluctant to keep the three Monster Kings with him before, mainly because he was being careful not to seriously offend the three Divine Venerables in the Ancient Lands; after all, these three Monster Kings were subordinates of those Divine Spirits, and it would not be kind to poach them without any notice.
However, a tooth for a tooth. Since Luan Feng started this, then it was reasonable for Yang Kai to respond in kind, and the Ancient Lands could not blame him for it.
A Space Array for three Monster Kings; it was a steal. Yang Kai did not feel guilty about it either.
Xie Wu Wei could not hold down his smile as he rubbed his hands, “Young Master Yang, if that’s the case, can we join High Heaven Palace now? This Xie doesn’t ask for much, just a position as a Protector will do.”
Ying Fei and Xi Lei looked excited too.
Yang Kai beamed, “With your abilities, you three are overqualified to be mere Protectors. High Heaven Palace has barely been established now, and it will still take some time to open its gates to accept disciples, but when the day comes, you three will hold the position of High-Rank Foreign Elders.”
Xi Lei and the others exchanged looks, and could not be happier.
With Yang Kai’s words, they would be Yang Kai’s people in the future and he would naturally not forget them whenever there were benefits to be distributed.
Compared with the other Monster Kings and Great Kings in the Ancient Lands, they were already one step ahead.
Before the Sect was officially established, it already had three High-Rank Foreign Elders that were on par with Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. If the news spread out, it would definitely gain a lot of admiration, envy or even hatred.
“Congratulations to Senior Brother Yang. When High Heaven Palace is officially opened in the future, please inform my Ice Heart Valley so we may attend the party,” Ji Yao chuckled on the side.
She was truly happy for Yang Kai to settle down here and establish a Sect because Ice Heart Valley had a good relationship with him, so both Sects could look out for each other in the future. No one in the entire Northern Territory could threaten the status of these two giants once they allied.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Of course. When the time comes, I will have to trouble all the Junior Sisters from Ice Heart Valley.” After a pause, Yang Kai continued, “Right, how did Ice Heart Valley settle those tens of thousands of prisoners who surrendered?”
Ji Yao smiled wryly, “Honoured Master is still having a headache about this. Although they assisted the evildoers to harass our Ice Heart Valley, there aren’t really any deep grudges between us. If we killed them all, it would only damage Ice Heart Valley’s reputation, but if we released them, it would appear like Ice Heart Valley is good to bully.”
Yang Kai laughed, “If so, you might as well ask them to work for me as labourers. Nanmen Da Jun will certainly need some manpower to rebuild the Sect Defending Array of Seeking Passion Sect. Of course, we should not tolerate those who have killed Ice Heart Valley disciples.”
Ji Yao nodded in agreement, “Those people have already been executed, while those who are still alive are just some people who were cheering them on from the sidelines. However, Senior Brother Yang’s proposal is good. Let’s wait for Grandmaster Nanmen to come back and see how much manpower he needs.”
The discussion ended and they began to wait.
Fortunately, this place had an excellent Earth Vein and was rich in World Energy, so they could meditate and cultivate while waiting in a luxurious palace nearby.
Two days later, Nanmen Da Jun came back, travel-worn and weary. He made a long list for Yang Kai of all kinds of precious materials. After taking a look at it, Yang Kai filled up several Space Rings with the materials for him generously.
Not only that, but Ji Yao also returned to Ice Heart Valley to bring over the surrendered cultivators to assist the work of Nanmen Da Jun.
With that, High Heaven Palace sprang to life. There was a constant babble of voices and a bustling crowd coming and going.
With the passage of time, everyone came to know that a young man named Yang Kai had occupied the territory of the Seeking Passion Sect, and established a new Sect here, High Heaven Palace.
Many people from Ice Heart Valley came over to help too, including Liu Xian Yun, Zi Yu, and several others who were close with Yang Kai.
With their supervision, those tens of thousands of surrendered troops dared not play tricks; after all, Ice Heart Valley had made it clear that as long as they redeemed themselves through good service, helping High Heaven Palace to arrange a grand Spirit Array, Ice Heart Valley would consider their past offences settled and release them.
With this promise, everyone worked diligently.
Many rogue cultivators became quite interested in High Heaven Palace and made veiled inquiries to the Ice Heart Valley disciples regarding how to join this new Sect.
After all, this place was originally the headquarters of Seeking Passion Sect, so who would dare to occupy this place without a certain capability? Moreover, these rogue cultivators somehow learned that High Heaven Palace had three High-Ranking Foreign Elders who had strength on par with Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters.
High Heaven Palace would definitely have a bright future with such a foundation, and once its gates opened formally, it would immediately become one of the top Sects in the Star Boundary.
One would benefit a lot in life if he or she joined such a force early.
Unfortunately, Ice Heart Valley’s disciples did not know how to enter High Heaven Palace, so they could not give them any answers, which disappointed many.
Inside High Heaven Palace, in a palace on top of the greatest mountain peak.
This was supposed to be the cultivation place that belonged exclusively to Feng Xuan.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged, surrounded by High-Rank Source Crystals. As he circulated his Secret Art, those High-Rank Source Crystals turned into dust one by one, transforming into streams of energy that poured into his body and flowed through his limbs and bones before settling in his dantian.
Ever since the last fight with Shi Huo in the Ancient Lands, Yang Kai felt a desperate need to improve his strength.
Although he was an Emperor Realm Master, he had not yet reached the level of invincibility. Furthermore, with the improvement of his strength, the enemies he faced were also getting stronger and stronger. If he did not want to feel helpless again in the future, he would have to quickly improve his cultivation.
However, after the incident in the Ancient Lands, he was tied up with the crisis of Ice Heart Valley, so he could not spare much time to cultivate. He did have a lot of treasures to assist him, but he did not have the time to take them.
Now that he finally had free time, Yang Kai naturally entered secluded retreat.
With auxiliary Spirit Pills and piles of Source Crystals, the strength in Yang Kai’s body increased steadily.
Xi Lei and the others knew that Yang Kai was cultivating; therefore, no one dared to disturb him.
Two months later, the Sect Defending Array of High Heaven Palace was fully arranged, and all the surrendered cultivators who helped were dismissed while the Ice Heart Valley disciples also returned to the valley through the Space Array.
The vast base of High Heaven Palace became still once more.
Nanmen Da Jun came to see Yang Kai in high spirits and wanted to report the results of his hard work during this period to him, but he was stopped by Ying Fei who was guarding outside the mountain. Even after some unpleasant exchange, Nanmen Da Jun still could not persuade Ying Fei to ask Yang Kai to come out. Depressed, he could only move on to study the Cross-Territory Space Array.
During this time, Ji Yao also visited Yang Kai several times, but she did not get to see his face either.
Ever since he went into retreat, Yang Kai seemed to be cut off from the outside world. Even the three Monster Kings had no idea when he would come out.
But the three Monster Kings also knew that it was common to cultivate in retreat for years at a time once one reached the Emperor Realm. As such, they were not worried about Yang Kai.
One of them would guard outside the palace every day, while the other two would have fun travelling around.
Time passed slowly, and after a full year, the palace that had been silent this whole time suddenly released a crackling sound, like the cracking of bones.
Ying Fei, who was guarding outside today, instantly opened his eyes and looked into the palace, his sharp vision seemingly piercing the many barriers and restrictions, illuminating the internal situation clearly.
Not long after, he put on a joyful face and stood up from where he was before letting out a long cry.
After a while, two figures rapidly flew over from afar. Naturally, it was Xie Wu Wei and Xi Lei.
As the palace doors opened, Yang Kai stepped out from the inside. Xi Lei and the others’ eyes lit up, delighted, and went forward to greet him.
Seeing that he was in high spirits, Xie Wu Wei beamed, “It looks like Young Master Yang has made great progress in cultivation.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s just a little progression, but I don’t know when I can break through.”
After breaking through to the Emperor Realm, Yang Kai started to feel that his next breakthrough was not within the foreseeable future anymore. It was true that his strength had improved in this one year of retreat, but he still could not even feel the shackles of the Second-Order Emperor Realm.
Ying Fei smiled, “The path of cultivation is long and difficult. Take your time.”
Xi Lei nodded in agreement from the side, “Looking at those Emperor Realm Masters in the world, which one of them is not an old monster who cultivated for a thousand years? Given Young Master Yang has accomplished so many achievements at this young age, Young Master Yang truly possesses Heaven-defying talent, and will definitely be promoted soon.”
Yang Kai did not deny it, and also understood that he should never rush in cultivating. Therefore, he stopped discussing it further and asked, “How’s the arrangement of the Spirit Array here?”
Xi Lei hurriedly handed a plain and aged token to Yang Kai, and replied, “Nanmen Da Jun is really impressive. It only took him two months to ameliorate the Sect Defending Array. This is the Control Token for the Spirit Array.”
Yang Kai took it over and sent his Divine Sense into it to examine it. In an instant, he felt that his body was connected with some existence in this part of the world.
With a single thought, the Sect Defending Array that enveloped High Heaven Palace buzzed, and the ambient World Energy trembled.
Xi Lei continued from the side, “Nanmen Da Jun also mentioned that Young Master Yang may rest assured that this Spirit Array that he improved is much better than the Sect Defending Array of Seeking Passion Sect.”
Yang Kai nodded casually without a doubt, but then he looked out the mountain gate and asked, “Why are there so many people outside?”
When he was inspecting the Sect Defending Array just now, he found that many cultivators were squatting outside the main gates. The cultivations of these people varied greatly, but most were young people. They were either in groups of two to three, with a few staying alone, but all of them were putting on tidy and formal looks. Many people gazed intently at the three big engraved words, ‘High Heaven Palace’ on the Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron standing outside the mountain gate, seemingly entranced by them.
Ying Fei explained, “They are obviously here in hopes of entering High Heaven Palace. Young Master Yang, the great name of High Heaven Palace has now spread all across the Northern Territory, so for more than half a year, many young people have come here to see if they stand a chance of joining the Sect. But now they can’t enter as the gates have been closed, therefore, they are camping out outside. Some of them even waited for more than half a year to show their sincerity.”
“I see.” Yang Kai nodded lightly. He was not really surprised about it and did not pay much attention to it after scanning outside once with his Divine Sense.
The name of High Heaven Palace had finally spread out, and with three Monster Kings guarding the Sect, it had a strong impression on people. Normally, this would be the time for a new Sect to recruit new blood, so those rogue cultivators who had no background definitely would jump at this opportunity to enter the Sect.
For example, Liu Xian Yun was once an overlord in the Grand Desolation Star Field back then, but she could not even obtain adequate cultivation resources when she arrived in the Star Boundary. This was the downside of not having backing from a Sect. If she had not met Yang Kai again and been introduced into Ice Heart Valley, she would probably still be worrying about scraping together enough Source Crystals just to cultivate.
It was the same for Chi Yue, Gui Zu, and the others.
There were many cultivators like this in the Star Boundary. Not everyone was as lucky as Yang Kai. For these people, they did not wish to be prosperous in the future after joining High Heaven Palace, but were simply striving to obtain backing powerful enough that they could peacefully cultivate.
High Heaven Palace had already achieved a shocking result before opening its gates. The entire Northern Territory would be in an uproar when its founding was announced and cultivators flocked over like a school of silver carps moving downstream.
Xi Lei asked, “Does Young Master Yang want to open the gates and accept disciples now?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m not in a hurry.”
He occupied this place mainly to provide shelter to his friends and family who were back on Shadowed Star. He did not even know how to return to Heng Luo Star Field now though, so why would he simply open the gates and accept outsiders he didn’t know?
But since Yang Yan and the Insect Emperor could travel to Heng Luo Star Field, then he also should be able to, he just didn’t know the way to do it yet.
Perhaps, he should try to search for Yang Yan to ask her about it.
Troubled, Yang Kai turned around, “I need to take a trip to the Southern Territory. Which of you three would like to accompany me?”
“Me!” Sure enough, the three Monster Kings answered in unison before glaring fiercely at each other.
When Ying Fei regained his senses, he asked, “Young Master Yang, we can all follow you. Why do you only want to bring one?”
Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei nodded too, wondering why Yang Kai made such an arrangement.
Yang Kai explained, “You three are Monster Kings, so if all of you travel together through the Star Boundary, it will draw far too much attention and might attract some unwanted trouble. In addition, I also need someone to guard this place. Even though High Heaven Palace has a powerful Sect Defending Array and its gates have been sealed shut, who knows if there will be some fools who dare to come to make trouble? If all of us leave, this place will become unguarded. Since this Young Master has established High Heaven Palace here, he will be treating this place as his home for the foreseeable future, so you need not worry about this Young Master abandoning it. We will be spending many years together here.”
They all found Yang Kai’s explanation reasonable. They were already in the same boat with Yang Kai and were already the High Ranking Foreign Elders of High Heaven Palace, but if they gave Yang Kai too much pressure and seemed to be too eager for quick benefits, Yang Kai might be displeased with them.
After exchanging looks, Xie Wu Wei smiled faintly, “Then, Young Master Yang, please pick one of us. We will agree with whoever you pick.”
Ying Fei and Xi Lei nodded in agreement.
It would be hard for them to make a decision on their own because they couldn’t give this chance to another. Therefore, it was better to let Yang Kai decide so no one could argue about it.
Yang Kai answered as he nodded his head, “Then, Ying Fei, you are the fastest so I will be depending on you for this trip to the Southern Territory.”
After hearing this, Ying Fei could not help feeling delighted as he cupped his fists and replied, “Young Master Yang is wise.”
Dispirited, Xi Lei replied too, “Then, Brother Xie and I will watch over the Sect here.”
“Many thanks, both of you,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
After some discussion, Yang Kai, together with Ying Fei travelled to Ice Heart Valley through the Space Array to say goodbye to Bing Yun.
When they returned to Ice Heart Valley, the valley had seemingly turned over a new leaf in just a year. Moreover, after the last ordeal, the whole of Ice Heart Valley had become even more united. Most of the disciples were currently cultivating in retreat and dared not slack off.
The pair did not stay too long in Ice Heart Valley, and after half a day, Yang Kai and Ying Fei left through its Space Array.
The Southern Territory was hundreds of millions of kilometres away from the Northern Territory, and the journey there was long and difficult, full of dangerous mountains and rivers, not an easy trek even for Emperor Realm Masters. Space Arrays could only span portions of the journey, while most of the time, one would have to travel under their own power.
Above the clear sky, atop the white clouds.
A giant eagle sped along as fast as lightning, leaving only a faint afterimage wherever it went.
The giant eagle was Monster King Ying Fei’s Monster Beast form. As the overlord of the sky, speed was his forte. Throughout the whole Ancient Lands, he was universally acknowledged as the fastest among the thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings.
This was why Yang Kai had Ying Fei accompany him.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged on Ying Fei’s back, which was spacious enough to accommodate a whole house, and felt not even a slight headwind despite their astonishing speed.
There were really not many existences in the level of Monster Kings who were willing to serve as a mount in this world.
Nevertheless, Monster King Ying Fei was happy to provide his service and had no complaints at all.
Though the journey was boring, Yang Kai did not waste his time and was focused on his cultivation.
It was quite safe to fly all the way as most cultivators could not even sense a trace of Ying Fei’s existence, while those who could sense his presence would not dare to provoke Ying Fei and would have escaped as fast as they could.
Two months later, Ying Fei suddenly spoke, “Young Master Yang, we have reached the Southern Territory, where to now?”
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and stopped circulating his Secret Art. He stood up and looked around before saying, “Find a city so we can ask for directions.”
Ying Fei received his order and started to search for a city down below.
After half a day, a fairly prosperous city entered Ying Fei’s eyes and with a flap of his wings, he descended.
After a short while, he assumed his human form and retracted his Monster Qi, landing in front of the city gates together with Yang Kai.
They did not mean to enter the city, so Yang Kai casually stopped a cultivator who passed by and asked, “Excuse me, which direction is Thousand Leaves Sect?”
The main purpose of him coming to the Southern Territory this time was to go to Thousand Leaves Sect, as Chi Yue, Gui Zu, and his other Seniors were being hosted there. Since he had established High Heaven Palace, he naturally wanted to send them to the Northern Territory. In comparison to Thousand Leaves Sect, the cultivation environment of High Heaven Palace now was definitely better and safer.
It was just that the Southern Territory was vast, and Yang Kai did not know which direction the Thousand Leaves Sect was from where he stood, so he could only ask someone about it.
The cultivator was in a hurry to enter the city, and he was quite angered at being stopped so abruptly. He made a fuss as he thought that he was the superior one with his Dao Source Realm cultivation; however, as soon as he saw the shining High-Rank Source Crystal in Yang Kai’s hand, his eyes lit up and he swiftly snatched it and examined it for authenticity before he asked Yang Kai curiously, “Are you a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No, why do you ask so?”
The man checked left and right, then whispered cautiously, “Don’t ask too much if you’re not a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple. The Thousand Leaves Sect has suffered a great disaster.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai’s face changed and instinctively felt something was wrong.
The Thousand Leaves Sect was just a small Sect in the Southern Territory, not one that was extremely famous and well known, so Yang Kai had not expected to obtain any information immediately when he inquired about it here. Surprisingly though, the first person he met actually knew about Thousand Leaves Sect and even mentioned it was in some kind of trouble.
Puzzled, the man asked, “Did Friend just come out of retreat? How can you not know about this news?”
Yang Kai queried in a deep voice, “What happened?”
The man whispered, “The Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed.”
“What!?” Yang Kai was so appalled that he could not believe his ears.
The man shook his head, “Thousand Leaves Sect overestimated itself like an ant and tried to shake a mighty tree. A year ago, the Sect was destroyed and all of its disciples fled. Friend, if you have anything to do with Thousand Leaves Sect, you’d best sever those ties as soon as possible lest you draw trouble to yourself.”
This person seemed to have kindly warned Yang Kai for the sake of that High-Rank Source Crystal.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, however.
A year ago, he brought the three Monster Kings to destroy the Seeking Passion Sect, but he did not expect that Thousand Leaves Sect would also be destroyed at the same time.
He happened to encounter the long-lost Chi Yue, Gui Zu, Ai Ou, and others during that time when he was invited by Ye Jing Han, the daughter of Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master in Maplewood City to Thousand Leaves Sect to repair their hidden Space Array and restore their connection to a Small Sealed World which contained their lost inheritance.
Yang Kai was not well connected with the Thousand Leaves Sect, so they meant little to him personally, but Chi Yue and the others were in the Thousand Leaves Sect so that made all the difference.
Now that the Thousand Leaves Sect was wiped out, what happened to Chi Yue and the others?
Yang Kai had tight bonds with those who came to the Star Boundary from Heng Luo Star Field with him. Chi Yue was Shan Qing Luo’s adoptive mother, so she was considered to be his mother-in-law; Ai Ou was Xue Yue’s father, his father-in-law, Gui Zu was the Supreme Elder of his High Heaven Sect, and the two of them had been through many life-and-death experiences together. The only one he was less familiar with was Gu Cang Yun, the Union Master of Sword Union…
Yang Kai’s face was scrunched up at the sudden bad news, and terrifying murderous intent instantly diffused into the air as he stared at this unknown man, “Are you lying to me?”
The expression of the man who initially did not pay much attention to Yang Kai changed drastically when he felt Yang Kai’s aura, yelping in amazement, “Emperor Realm!”
He did not expect this young man who stopped to ask for directions was actually an Emperor Realm Master. Had he known this, he would not dare have spoken so carelessly just now.
The cold murderous intent as thick as substance lingered next to him, making him feel like he could die at any moment, so he could not help but sweat profusely and stutter, “S-S-Sir… this lowly one isn’t lying! The Thousand Leaves Sect is really gone, everyone in the Southern Territory knows this!”
“Bullshit!” Yang Kai grabbed his neck and lifted him up.
There were a million and one large and small Sects in the Star Boundary, so how could the news of the extermination of a second-class Sect like Thousand Leaves Sect, which had essentially no fame or influence, cause such commotion? Only the destruction of top Sects like the Seeking Passion Sect would turn an entire territory into an uproar.
To put it even more bluntly, the destruction of Thousand Leaves Sect would just be like a stone dropped into the vast ocean of the Southern Territory, causing some small local ripples at most that would immediately dissipate.
This was why Yang Kai instinctively felt that this man was lying.
Being grabbed by the neck, the person was struggling to breathe, but to no avail.
“Young Master Yang!” Ying Fei cautioned from the side, aware that Yang Kai’s mood was greatly affected while also realizing that this Thousand Leaves Sect should have an extremely important place in Yang Kai’s heart.
Yang Kai frowned and quickly realized he had lost control of his emotions. He loosened his grip and set the man down before quickly ordering, “Tell me everything you know. I won’t mistreat you if you are really telling the truth.”
The man choked and sputtered for a long time, tears running down his cheeks, but he did not dare to show any irritation. When he finally caught his breath after a while, “Sir, what… What do you want to know?”
The Emperor Realm Master in front of him seemed to be subject to shifting mood, so he did not dare to try to guess his thoughts and could only inquire carefully.
“Who destroyed the Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
“I heard that they angered the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect.”
“Flowing Shadow Sword Sect!” Yang Kai frowned, trying to recall where he had heard about this Sect.
After thinking carefully, he eventually remembered that it was in the Four Seasons Realm that he had encountered some disciples from the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. In Yang Kai’s impression, this Sect was not a first-class Sect with considerable strength.
“Why did the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect annihilate Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai pressed on, “What deep grievances did the two have with each other?”
The man hurriedly replied, “There was no deep hatred, but the treasures of Thousand Leaves Sect provoked jealousy!”
A thought flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as he quickly guessed, “The Heaven Grade Puppets?”
The so-called Heaven Grade Puppets were the core inheritance of Thousand Leaves Sect from thousands of years ago. Back then, while Thousand Leaves Sect’s inheritance was intact, its Ancestors had profound attainments in the Dao of Puppets and had refined a dozen or so Heaven Grade Puppets for the Sect. Every Heaven Grade Puppet was comparable to an Emperor Realm Master.
The Thousand Leaves Sect in its heyday was also a top Sect in the Southern Territory, renowned throughout the Star Boundary.
However, its descendants were too mediocre and were unable to carry forward the glory of their ancestors. Their reputation declined from generation to generation, and Thousand Leaves Sect was eventually reduced to a mere third-class Sect, with most of its knowledge of Puppet Arts being lost to history.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had repaired their hidden Space Array last time, reopening their exclusive Small Sealed World and allowing them to retrieve their long-lost Secret Techniques, enabling them to reactivate the Heaven Grade Puppets.
Liu Yan’s current body was also obtained from that Small Sealed World. If it were not for that opportunity, Liu Yan would still have no physical form of her own.
The man nodded his head earnestly at Yang Kai’s mention of the Heaven Grade Puppet, “Exactly. It turns out that Sir also knows about the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppets. In the past few years, Thousand Leaves Sect regained control of its lost inheritance for some reason, the Heaven Grade Puppets, which had been sealed for many years. The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect seemed to be quite interested in these treasures and launched a war to destroy the Thousand Leaves Sect.”
“That’s it?” Yang Kai’s face darkened and looked ugly.
The man smiled bitterly, “The world revolves around benefits and profits. It’s hard not to attract people’s attention given that the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator while he and his Sect possessed multiple Heaven Grade Puppets that were comparable to Emperor Realm Masters.”
It was true. If there was an Emperor assuming command of the Thousand Leaves Sect, it would still be acceptable for them to control Heaven Grade Puppets comparable to Emperor Realm cultivators, but the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master Ye Hen was nothing but a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so it was inevitable for others to feel he was unworthy of the Heaven Grade Puppets.
After pondering for a while though, Yang Kai interrogated coldly, “The Thousand Leaves Sect had over ten Heaven Grade Puppets, each having strength comparable to an Emperor Realm Master. How could the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect so easily destroy them?”
He knew the capabilities of those Heaven Grade Puppets because Liu Yan owned a White Tiger Heaven Grade Puppet, which could exert a combat power comparable to a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Although the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was good, it was not a top Sect of the Southern Territory, so how could it be possible for them to overwhelm such a formidable force so easily?
The man laughed wryly, “I really don’t know, everyone found this point strange as well. The Heaven Grade Puppets from the Thousand Leaves Sect were probably not as powerful as the rumours claimed them to be.”
This was also true in a sense. Although each Heaven Grade Puppet was powerful, it required a human to control it, and since there was no Emperor Realm Master in Thousand Leaves Sect, the full potential of any Heaven Grade Puppet couldn’t be displayed. However, Yang Kai had a feeling that the matter was not as simple as it seemed.
“What happened to the disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect after it was destroyed?” Yang Kai asked anxiously.
The man replied, “Some died, some escaped. I’m afraid not many survived, but I heard that some of them were captured, and among those who were captured there was actually a Star Master of a Lower Star Field!”
“Is that true?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed brightly.
The man gave a wry laugh, “I would not dare to deceive Sir. Many people in the Star Boundary originally came from Lower Star Fields, but only a small minority of them are Star Masters. It is said that to become a Star Master, one needs to refine a Star Source, but I don’t know how that guy was fortunate enough to get a complete Star Source. Although that person’s cultivation was not high, he had a bright future. This is also information that was publicized by the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. Otherwise, how would this have caused such an uproar in the Southern Territory?”
“Why are they trying to spread this news?” Yang Kai asked with a weird expression, his anxiety having calmed greatly.
The Star Master mentioned by this man was, if Yang Kai was not mistaken, Ai Ou.
Since Ai Ou was fine, Chi Yue and the others should be fine too. Of course, this was just the ideal outcome he was hoping for while it was possible that they had encountered some kind of accident.
“What else could they do? They are spreading the news to promote the auction Flowing Shadow Sword Sect is going to hold a month from now. They wanted to let it be widely known so they could sell off the Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect and that Star Master at a high price.”
“Is a Star Master something that can be auctioned off?” Yang Kai was stunned.
The man laughed wryly again, “Sir must be joking. That Star Master has a complete Star Source inside of him, so if it can be extracted and transferred to a disciple with good aptitude, that disciple will have a boundless future and admirers will rush to him like flocks.”
After hearing what he said, Yang Kai suddenly recalled the time when he encountered Yin Le Sheng in the Starlight Corridor. Back then, Yin Le Sheng seemed to be extremely interested in the Star Source in his body, and even claimed that he had a Secret Technique that could extract and transfer it to another.
Now it seemed that Yin Le Sheng was not lying.
A complete Star Source played an extremely important role in the cultivation of a cultivator. In this case, Ai Ou’s life was currently not in danger, but Yang Kai was worried about Chi Yue and the others.
“In a month, Flowing Shadow City…” Yang Kai murmured to himself, already forming plans in his mind.
Now that the Thousand Leaves Sect had been wiped out, and it had already been a year since it happened, there was no need to rush to take action no matter how anxious he was. He could only wait for an opportunity.
“One last question. Where is Thousand Leaves Sect and where is Flowing Shadow City?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice, looking at him intimidatingly.
That person dared not to disobey Yang Kai, and pointed in the two directions obediently.
He did not get a response for a long time, and turned to find that the young man had already disappeared. He felt like he had just escaped death and it was only then that he realized that his clothes were drenched in sweat, as if he was just fished out of a lake.
Up in the sky, Yang Kai and Ying Fei were speeding side by side like lightning.
Ying Fei did not dare to probe Yang Kai, who seemed to be in a bad mood, but secretly felt that someone was going to be in trouble now.
If Yang Kai dared to destroy a huge Sect like Seeking Passion Sect in the Northern Territory, this Flowing Shadow Sword Sect’s end would probably not be good.
After a long silence, Ying Fei finally commented, “Young Master Yang, I don’t know if it’s just me, but something feels off.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “I can feel it too. What are your thoughts?”
It was said that bystanders would have a clearer picture of the situation than the involved party. Yang Kai was too focused on inquiring about Thousand Leaves Sect, Chi Yue, and the others, and did not have the presence of mind to carefully consider all aspects of this situation. However, the cold wind whipping past them must have calmed him down, allowing him to notice many strange points.
Now that Ying Fei mentioned it, he immediately comprehended that he was already sceptical of the described scenario, feeling something was really off.
Ying Fei answered, “Since the Thousand Leaves Sect was wiped out a year ago, why wasn’t the auction held immediately? If hosting an auction to reap profits was the ultimate goal of all this, it should have been hosted a long time ago. Not only that, but this news seems to have been deliberately spread out as if they wanted to make sure it reaches someone, and they have been fermenting the news over the past year as if they were afraid that it would not reach their intended target.”
The last time Yang Kai came to Thousand Leaves Sect, it still had towering mountains and beautiful scenery, but all that was now replaced with depressing ruins.
The mountains and plains were filled with devastated houses, and the pavilions in the forest were basically all collapsed. Traces of war could be seen everywhere, while the blood on the ground had long dried up. Birds were still flitting across the sky, but the land was a scorched mess.
As Yang Kai flew overhead slowly, his face darkened.
He scanned the place with his Divine Sense and found no living people inside the vast Thousand Leaves Sect, only some birds and beasts living in the mountains, the air still filled with a pungent smell of decomposition.
The Thousand Leaves Sect had really been wiped out.
Although the Thousand Leaves Sect was not a big Sect, it still had over ten thousand years of history and once held a top position in the Southern Territory, with countless disciples and Masters at its command. But now, the Thousand Leaves Sect no longer existed in the world anymore.
A blaze of anger churned in Yang Kai’s chest that left him feeling dreadfully uncomfortable. Although it was just intuition, Yang Kai felt that this had something to do with him.
But no matter how much he racked his brain, he still could not figure out what kind of connection he had with the Thousand Leaf Sect that had led it to its demise.
Perhaps, he could only ask the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect to understand the reason for all this.
Abruptly, Yang Kai lifted his head and looked in the direction of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s main hall, which seemed to have a few living auras inside of it.
His eyes turned solemn as he immediately headed towards it.
After a short while, he landed in front of the main hall. There was supposed to be a statue standing in this plaza, a representation of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Ancestral Founder, a symbol of worship for all of this great man’s descendants. However, the status had collapsed long ago, seemingly having been cut down by a single slash of a sword. The cut was neat, and it must have been done by someone with outstanding strength. Yang Kai touched the cut, and he felt a remnant aura of wind still lingering about it.
Inside the main hall, a smell of cooking meat wafted out, and Yang Kai could vaguely hear the murmurs of a few people.
Yang Kai pushed the door, sending a gust of cold wind into the building.
There were a few people sitting on the ground in the main hall beside a bonfire, which was cooking up some unknown broth. Each of these people were drinking from a large bowl of wine in one hand, while gnawing on big chunks of meat they held in the other, truly enjoying themselves.
They turned around simultaneously at the sound of the doors being thrown open, and a man who was slightly older straightened up and glared at Yang Kai while shouting, “Who are you!?”
Yang Kai checked them out and found that they were not Thousand Leaves Sect disciples, so he could not help feeling a bit disappointed.
But honestly, if there were some disciples that survived the Thousand Leaves Sect’s destruction, they would probably have run away and hidden somewhere rather than openly squatting in the ruins of their Sect.
Among the people here, the strongest was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, while the rest were just Saint Kings. They seemed to be just some rogue cultivators without any big background.
Now that the Thousand Leaves Sect was exterminated, a deserted and vast mountain range like this naturally became an excellent refuge for them.
Yang Kai did not mean to waste his time on them and immediately asked, “Is there no one alive from the Thousand Leaves Sect here?”
In case they did not realize who they were dealing with, Yang Kai purposely released some of his aura while he spoke.
The few people rapidly sensed this threat, especially the man who put up a domineering demeanour before, and their faces changed instantly. The leader got up and bowed deeply as he addressed Yang Kai nervously, “I didn’t see any.”
The answer was as Yang Kai expected and he nodded in acknowledgement, sweeping his gaze left and right, not saying anything more.
Cold sweat was trickling down the lead man’s forehead like droplets of rain. He was petrified on the same spot where he stood. It took quite a long while before Yang Kai turned around and exited the hall.
Only then did the few cultivators in the main hall feel relieved, their muscles relaxing from the tension. To them, a Master like Yang Kai could easily take away their lives if he wanted, and these so-called Masters usually had wild mood swings so no one would know when they would suddenly start slaughtering.
Therefore, it was better for them to avoid these Masters while they were out in the world.
The small group who just escaped death exchanged knowing looks before they fled out of the main hall, running away as fast as they could, ignoring the almost done broth.
In a nameless mountain valley, Yang Kai looked around for a while, then stood in a certain place with his eyes brightened.
This mountain valley was familiar to Yang Kai. He had come here before when he visited Thousand Leaves Sect, because this was their Restricted Area. No one could enter this place except the Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect in previous generations.
From the outside, this place looked like a normal mountain valley, but it was actually covered by a huge Illusion Array, and a Space Array that led to the Small Sealed World owned by Thousand Leaves Sect was hidden here.
Emperor Heaven Valley!
Yang Kai finally remembered the name of the Small Sealed World. It was this Emperor Heaven Valley where Yang Kai encountered the powerful Corpse Puppet and Liu Yan obtained her Spirit Puppet body.
There should have been a war in the mountain valley that day, because there were traces of battle all around, dried blood and bones scattered about everywhere. It seemed that many had died on the day Thousand Leaves Sect was attacked.
Yang Kai carefully examined the damaged Space Array in the middle of the mountain valley for a moment before his eyes lit up.
He could see that the Space Array was destroyed by brute force, and the person who did this seemed to be in a rush, as if there was an emergency at that time.
Yang Kai could not help guessing that the person who destroyed this Space Array was the Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Hen.
It would be good news if it was him, because there was a great possibility that there were still some Thousand Leaves Sect disciples alive in Emperor Heaven Valley if that was the case.
If it was Ye Hen, knowing that his Sect could not be saved anymore, he would immediately transfer his disciples and relatives to Emperor Heaven Valley and destroy the Space Array in order to save their lives.
Emperor Heaven Valley was a Small Sealed World that, while not big, would have no trouble supporting a large number of people while keeping them safe as long as the Space Array was destroyed.
The traces of the hastily destroyed Space Array also proved this point.
With a single thought, Yang Kai stood up and commanded, “Monster King, stand guard here.”
He wanted to reopen the Space Array and have a look inside the Emperor Heaven Valley. Everything would be clear then.
Ying Fei straightened up as he nodded before disappearing in an instant, hiding in some unknown place.
With a swing of Yang Kai’s sleeve, a gust of wind blew the debris away on the damaged Space Array and he reached out his hand to touch the remaining base.
This Space Array of the Thousand Leaves Sect was repaired by Yang Kai last time, so although it was damaged again, it was not difficult for Yang Kai to repair it again with his past experience.
As Space Principles fluctuated, a hum in the air around Yang Kai began, and soon, the local space began to warp and collapse.
From the void, there seemed to be a mysterious force resonating with Yang Kai, and a connection to some other space that had been severed seemed to be repairing itself.
*Hua… *
A dark portal entrance suddenly opened, one filled with chaotic nothingness, giving out an uneasy feeling as if it could devour all things.
A Void Corridor!
Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles to maintain the stability of the Void Corridor before he stood up and shouted, “Monster King!”
Ying Fei reappeared by his side, looking at the Void Corridor in awe.
Even a man as strong as him did not underestimate this seemingly quaint existence, because once he was trapped in it, he would likely be lost in the Void Crack, never able to find his way out again.
With a big wave of his hand, Yang Kai wrapped the two of them with his Emperor Qi and rushed directly into the corridor.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished, together with the newly formed Void Corridor.
Yang Kai and Ying Fei appeared at the same time on the Space Array in Emperor Heaven Valley.
There was no one around this place. Yang Kai started to search the ground with his clear-sighted eyes, and soon, his vision lit up.
He saw some traces of blood on the ground and many distinct sets of footprints.
Ying Fei sniffed the air and informed quickly, “There are many people here.”
As a Monster King, his sense of smell was naturally remarkable.
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement before turning his sight in a certain direction, “Over there.”
He remembered there was a mountain valley and many caves on that side. It was also where he met the Corpse Puppet last time. If any Thousand Leaves Sect disciples survived and escaped here, they should have settled down in that mountain valley.
The two of them flew to the mountain valley.
Emperor Heaven Valley was not big, but its World Energy was quite rich despite it being a Small Sealed World. Therefore, it became the foundation for the establishment of the Thousand Leaves Sect in the past.
After a stick of incense, the pair reached the sky above the mountain valley. Yang Kai did not hide himself but deliberately released his aura for all to feel.
Rustles were heard from the surrounding mountain valley, followed by the flashing of shadows. Cultivators with different levels of strength came out from the forest one after another, all of them staring at Yang Kai with pale faces.
No one else had come here for more than a year since they had first gone into hiding. They thought that it was the safest place in the world as the array outside had been destroyed and no one could enter.
But today, two outsiders broke into this place.
This frightened the Thousand Leaves Sect survivors, for they had no idea what kind of fate was awaiting them. The scene of the annihilation of their Sect one year ago was still vivid in their memories, and the devastating pathos full of blood and tears was still fermenting in their hearts. Was the time for them, who had a second chance of living, coming to an end?
Two people came out of the biggest cave at that moment, one tall, the other graceful.
“Senior Sister Ye, Senior Brother Du!”
The Thousand Leaves Sect disciples saluted this pair respectfully.
When Ye Jing Han and Du Xian appeared, unlike the distressed disciples, they seemed quite overjoyed.
Because when Ye Hen sent them into Emperor Heaven Valley, he told them that if someone reopened Emperor Heaven Valley one day, it would certainly be Yang Kai!
As such, when they sensed that outsiders had entered Emperor Heaven Valley, their first thought was that Yang Kai had come.
Now that they saw it for themselves, they realized it was indeed Yang Kai! The appearance of his familiar figure was the best news they had in the past year.
“Young Master Yang…” Ye Jing Han’s tears ran down her face just when she was about to speak.
The last time she saw Yang Kai, the Thousand Leaves Sect was still in high spirits after having regained its ancestral legacy and taken back the Secret Techniques it had lost millennia ago. However, the Thousand Leaves Sect had changed a lot now, having completely lost its previous glory. Seeing Yang Kai reminded Ye Jing Han of her father, and she could not control her sorrow because she did not know whether he was still alive or dead.
“Brother Yang!” Du Xian cupped his fists excitedly, even though he was not as emotional as Ye Jing Han.
As long as Yang Kai had come, they would have an opportunity to leave here, and would not need to be trapped in Emperor Heaven Valley all their lives. Although the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed without reason and the enemy was strong, as the Eldest Senior Brother of the younger generation in the Thousand Leaves Sect, he had the responsibility and obligation to seek revenge.
To get revenge though, he first needed to improve his strength, and secondly, he needed to find a way to leave this place.
Improving his strength was something he could do on his own, but he could only rely on Yang Kai to leave here.
“Sister Ye, Brother Du…” Yang Kai nodded lightly, sighing, “My deepest condolences.”
He did not know what else to say. It was understandable for anyone who suffered the destruction of their own Sect to be emotional, so he tried to be considerate of Ye Jing Han’s distress.
The clueless Thousand Leaves Sect disciples watched the three of them exchange a few sentences, and seemed to have an inkling of his identity. Soon, the crowd below burst into discussion.
Ever since they took refuge in this place, Du Xian told them not to be discouraged and not to give up lightly, for they still had a chance to leave here and avenge their Sect, as long as a person named Yang Kai arrived.
Now that he was here, many Thousand Leaves Sect disciples rejoiced and looked at Yang Kai eagerly.
“Is everyone here?” Yang Kai glanced around, but was a little disappointed that the people he hoped to meet were nowhere to be seen.
There were not many here, at most only five hundred Thousand Leaves Sect survivors gathered in this mountain valley. The cultivations of this group were uneven, and less than ten of them were Dao Source Realm.
“Young Master Yang, let’s continue inside!” Ye Jing Han recovered a little, wiped the corners of her eyes, and gestured.
Yang Kai nodded and walked towards the cave. Ying Fei followed closely behind with his aura hidden from the others.
The cave appeared to have been inhabited for a while. Ye Jing Han, Du Xian, and the others had lived here for more than a year, working hard on cultivating with the motivation that one day they would be able to seek justice for their Sect.
There was no furniture in the cave, so the few of them sat on the floor. It seemed that Ye Jing Han and Du Xian held the highest cultivation and status among the few remaining Thousand Leaves Sect disciples.
“What happened exactly? I only heard that the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed by the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. Is that really the case?” Yang Kai asked.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian looked at each other, and the former nodded slightly while the latter answered, “Brother Yang has heard correctly. The ones who destroyed our Thousand Leaves Sect indeed came from the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect.”
“It was also rumoured that the Heaven Grade Puppets were the reason the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect attacked. Is that true?”
Du Xian raged, “The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect cultivates the Sword Dao and has always focused on swordsmanship, so they wouldn’t be tempted even if our Thousand Leaves Sect had Heaven Grade Puppets! There must be a mastermind behind this matter!”
Yang Kai raised his brow, and probed, “Why do you say this?”
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian looked at each other again, hesitant to speak.
Yang Kai persuaded them, “It’s okay. Since I am here, I naturally have to investigate this matter clearly. I have friends in the Thousand Leaves Sect too.”
Hearing this, Du Xian spoke, “Brother Yang… Do you remember Hua Qing Si?”
Yang Kai frowned, “Sister Hua?”
How could he not know Hua Qing Si? From the sound of Du Xian’s words, the destruction of the Thousand Leaves Sect seemed to have something to do with Hua Qing Si, causing his suspicions to increase. Moreover, he had not seen Hua Qing Si after their separation in the Shattered Star Sea.
Yang Kai did not know where Hua Qing Si had gone.
Sister Hua knew a lot of his secrets, especially about the Sealed World Bead, but he trusted her and had returned her freedom to her, even gifting her a lot of valuable resources such as the Extraordinary Treasure Pill.
Du Xian continued, “After the Shattered Star Sea closed, Hua Qing Si suddenly came to the Thousand Leaves Sect and said that she had an agreement with Brother Yang to wait for you here at the Thousand Leaves Sect.”
Yang Kai nodded and confirmed, “Yes. We did make such arrangements.”
When he was separated from Hua Qing Si in the Shattered Star Sea that day, Yang Kai had said that if she could not find him before it closed, she could wait for him at the Thousand Leaves Sect, because Chi Yue and the others were still in the Thousand Leaves Sect and he would return there one day.
Now, it seemed that Sister Hua had indeed kept her promise and came to the Thousand Leaves Sect after leaving the Shattered Star Sea.
Du Xian asked with a solemn expression, “Does Brother Yang know her true origins?”
Yang Kai simply replied, “She’s a Star Soul Palace disciple.”
This was not a secret as he knew it a long time ago. Hua Qing Si was ordered by her Master to go to Maplewood City to trace the death of an exiled disciple of Star Soul Palace, Han Leng. There, she encountered Yang Kai, who turned her into a Soul Slave and sent her into the Sealed World Bead after a series of twists and turns.
Du Xian was surprised, “Brother Yang actually knows?”
He thought that Yang Kai was clueless about this. He did not know that Yang Kai’s mind was clear as a bright mirror and assumed that Hua Qing Si had used Yang Kai, so he was a little bit hesitant to talk about it, but now it seemed that the situation was not what he had thought.
Now he was confused.
Yang Kai frowned, “Brother Du, you can be honest. I trust Sister Hua. The tragedy the Thousand Leaves Sect suffered should not have anything to do with her.”
If he did not trust her, it would have been impossible for Yang Kai to set her free, he would still be controlling her life through her Soul Brand.
Du Xian grunted before continuing, “Brother Yang, when the Senior Hua returned to the Thousand Leaves Sect, she was already an Emperor Realm Master, but she said that she had an appointment with you, and she would wait for you at the Thousand Leaves Sect, so Honoured Master cordially invited her to stay in the Sect. During that time, she was very close to Chi Yue and the other Honoured Guests.”
Hua Qing Si was aware of the relationship between Yang Kai and Chi Yue and the others, so there was nothing suspicious about them getting close to each other. Hua Qing Si had apparently also broken through to the Emperor Realm during her stay in the Shattered Star Sea, not putting the Extraordinary Treasure Pill that Yang Kai gave her to waste.
“It was peaceful at that time since our Thousand Leaves Sect had regained its long-lost inheritance and had an Emperor Realm Master in the Sect as a guest. Everything seemed to be going well.” Nostalgia flitted across Du Xian’s face as he reminisced the short period of his thriving Sect, “Unfortunately, those times did not last. Suddenly, one day, a very powerful Master came to the Thousand Leaves Sect to find Senior Hua. We could not see the cultivation of that person but he was obviously an Emperor as well.”
“No one knew what the person said to Senior Hua, but it was also at that time that we came to learn that Senior Hua was not just a disciple of the Star Soul Palace, but the direct Disciple of a Star Soul Palace Elder.”
“After that person left, our Sect Master went to see Senior Hua, but Senior Hua was nowhere to be seen. No one knew where she went, but since Senior Hua was from Star Soul Palace, and also an Emperor Realm Master, we believed that no one would dare to hurt her, so we did not take this matter to heart. But just one month after that incident, the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect suddenly attacked our Thousand Leaves Sect for no reason, seemingly determined to exterminate us.”
Yang Kai listened for a while, and then concluded calmly, “So, you are guessing that this matter has something to do with Sister Hua? How is it related?”
Du Xian explained, “It’s not just a guess, because when our Sect was under attack, the Master who had come for Senior Hua was there too. I witnessed that man from afar before, so although I couldn’t see his face clearly, I definitely could not mistake his figure. That person is definitely a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, that’s the only explanation for why he could suppress all of our Heaven Grade Puppets!”
Ye Jing Han nodded from the side and added, “Yes, I saw that person too. That person subdued most of our Heaven Grade Puppets personally, which was why we weren’t able to resist the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect!”
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly when he heard this and finally understood the reason why the Thousand Leaves Sect was not able to resist even with the help of their Heaven Grade Puppets. It turned out a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master had intervened in this matter, but… why?
If that Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was from Star Soul Palace, he should only have been interested in finding Hua Qing Si who was also a Star Soul Palace disciple. She did not betray her Master Sect, but instead just failed to complete the task assigned by her Honoured Master. It was unreasonable to use the hands of others to wipe out the Thousand Leaves Sect just for that.
Yang Kai could not help smelling a waft of conspiracy.
Looking up at Du Xian, Yang Kai pondered, “The mastermind mentioned by Brother Du before, is it …”
Saying so, he pointed his finger at the sky.
Du Xian smiled bitterly and shook his head, “I don’t know, but the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had no reason to attack our Thousand Leaves Sect. There had to have been someone else inciting them.”
He previously suspected Hua Qing Si and Star Soul Palace, but now when he thought about it carefully, if Star Soul Palace really wanted to deal with the Thousand Leaves Sect, why would they go through so much trouble to do so? Star Soul Palace was the overlord of the Southern Territory, a Great Emperor Sect, it could crush Thousand Leaves Sect upfront and with little to no effort if it wanted to.
For a moment, there was silence.
“Young Master Yang, since you came in from the outside, did you hear any news about my father?” Ye Jing Han looked at Yang Kai a little nervously.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I only returned to the Southern Territory a short time ago and don’t really know the whole situation. Did Sect Master Ye not perish?”
Ye Jing Han’s eyes grew wet again as she whimpered, “I don’t know. My father sent us into the Emperor Heaven Valley that day and destroyed the Space Array outside. We don’t know what happened afterwards.”
Du Xian recounted, “Honoured Master wanted to send in Chi Yue and the other Honoured Guests too, but they refused, insisting on remaining behind to help defend the Sect with other disciples. Now… it’s unknown if they’re alive or dead.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, Chi Yue and others were overlords back in Heng Luo Star Field, so although they were a little restricted after coming to the Star Boundary, they were well taken care of in the Thousand Leaves Sect, so when the latter fell into danger, with their personalities, they would not stand idly by.
“You don’t need to worry about them. Since they acted of their own accord, they are responsible for their own fate,” Yang Kai sighed loudly. It could only be confirmed now that Ai Ou was still alive, but his worry for Chi Yue, Gui Zu, and Gu Cang Yun’s lives could not help deepening.
Yang Kai next stood up and suggested, “In one month, Flowing Shadow Sword Sect will hold an auction in Flowing Shadow City. The auction items are the Heaven Grade Puppets from your Sect. Would you like to take a look?”
“What?” Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were both shocked.
Yang Kai sneered, “This auction is the key. The truth will be revealed as long as we attend.”
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were infuriated at the news that Flowing Shadow Sword Sect wanted to publicly auction the Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect. They could not complain because their Sect was destroyed due to their weak strength, but it was a disgrace that the precious treasures of their Sect would be auctioned off like common goods.
It was the same as digging up the bodies of the dead and whipping them just for the sake of embarrassing them.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian could not wait to fly to Flowing Shadow City to sabotage the auction and snatch back the Heaven Grade Puppets.
But after a moment of anger, they became dejected again. Without strength, everything was just an empty dream. Even if they could go to Flowing Shadow City, it would be like trying to beat a dog with a meat bun.
The reason they hid here was to improve their strength, until one day they become strong enough to get revenge.
Seeing their concerns, Yang Kai responded, “No matter what your decision, I’ll still be going to Flowing Shadow City.”
Du Xian was shocked, and replied anxiously, “But Brother Yang, Flowing Shadow City is the base of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. Since they dare to hold an auction, they will be fully prepared. Wouldn’t that be akin to stepping into a trap?”
Yang Kai grinned, “That depends on if their trap could hold me.”
“Brother Yang, you…” Du Xian felt deep admiration for his courage, but his eyes soon lit up as he asked, “Has Brother Yang already reached the Emperor Realm!?”
Ye Jing Han was stunned when she heard his question.
They had not been paying attention to Yang Kai’s cultivation, because when they met Yang Kai back then, his realm was similar to theirs, but now, seeing the confidence on Yang Kai’s face, they could not help releasing their Divine Sense to check.
Their Divine Senses were like stones being thrown into the sea though, unable to create any waves. All they could sense was a vague Emperor Aura lingering about Yang Kai’s figure.
He was indeed already an Emperor Realm Master.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were flabbergasted by the speed of Yang Kai’s cultivation and growth. However, when they thought about it again, they recalled that there were many talents in the world who they could not catch up to, and who could climb the ranks of the Martial Dao at superb speed.
It was precisely because of these talents that the world became so interesting.
Du Xian pressed on with a solemn face, “But Brother Yang, even if you are an Emperor Realm Master, Flowing Shadow City… is still a dangerous place; like a dragon’s nest or a tiger’s den.”
He implied that Yang Kai should not go.
Not to mention that Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had an Emperor Realm Sect Master, the man behind the extermination of Thousand Leaves Sect was already not someone that an ordinary Emperor Realm Master could easily deal with, and if this matter really involved Star Soul Palace, the Thousand Leaves Sect would be forced to choke down its grievances.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “It won’t be fun if it’s not a dragon’s nest or a tiger’s den.”
Both Ye Jing Han and Du Xian looked at Yang Kai dumbfounded, wondering how he could be so confident. However, when they recalled the destruction of their Sect and the tragic death of their numerous Junior Brothers and Sisters, it made their blood boil. Soon, they nodded solemnly, “Good, we will go too. Even if we have to fight to the death, we must get back our Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppets.”
Although they were fired up now, they both knew that it was impossible for them to achieve this with their current strength. Once their identities were exposed in Flowing Shadow City, they would be surrounded and annihilated.
Since the feud between Flowing Shadow Sword Sect and Thousand Leaves Sect had already been planted, it was natural that Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had to cut grass and pull out roots, leaving no chance for revival.
Yang Kai smiled, “That’s the spirit.”
He wanted to bring Ye Jing Han and Du Xian with him not because he was expecting any contributions from them, as they were just two Dao Source Realm cultivators and could do nothing in this kind of war, but because they were people of the Thousand Leaves Sect after all. One was the daughter of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master, while the other was the Eldest Disciple of the younger generation in the Thousand Leaves Sect. Taking them with him to Flowing Shadow City was like Yang Kai’s ticket to participate in this fight, otherwise, for an outsider like him to meddle in the affair of the Thousand Leaves Sect, to put it nicely, he would be a kind helper; but to put it unpleasantly, he was just a busybody.
He also did not want to expose his relationship with Ai Ou and the others for the time being.
Now that they had made a decision, Ye Jing Han and Du Xian no longer hesitated. They summoned some of their faithful disciples and ordered them to carry on their cultivation in Emperor Heaven Valley. If Ye Jing Han and Du Xian failed to make it back, the revival of the Thousand Leaves Sect would fall on their shoulders.
Naturally, those Thousand Leaves Sect disciples tried their best to persuade them to think twice, but since the two of them had made up their minds, they would not be convinced by a few words.
Half a day later, Yang Kai left Emperor Heaven Valley with the young couple and returned to the nameless mountain valley in Thousand Leaves Sect through the Space Array.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were both natives of the Southern Territory, so they were familiar with Flowing Shadow Sword Sect and Flowing Shadow City. They had even been to Flowing Shadow City several times in the past, so with their guidance, the group of four travelled as fast as lightning towards their destination.
In just three days, the group of four people arrived at Flowing Shadow City.
Looking from a distance, Flowing Shadow City could be considered quite vast, with magnificent and towering buildings everywhere the eye could see. The city wall was more than several tens of meters tall, and there was a huge greatsword hovering in the air above the city gate. The greatsword seemed to be made of refined metal, and it was clearly thick and solid, hanging over the city gate, seemingly ready to fall at any time and split the earth in two, but it was a common sight for those cultivators who were entering and leaving the city.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian followed behind Yang Kai with uncomfortable expressions, landing outside the city gate.
According to their plan, since they had to break into the enemy’s nest, they would have to at least disguise their appearances to avoid catching people’s attention and causing unnecessary problems, then take the opportunity to carry out their plan secretly.
However, Yang Kai did not ask them to disguise themselves, but let them show their true faces.
They were dreadfully nervous throughout the journey and were even more rigid and anxious than ever when they arrived outside Flowing Shadow City.
Although they were prepared to die, they at least needed their deaths to serve a purpose. If they died for no reason, they might as well just stay in Emperor Heaven Valley, endure the hardship of isolation, and spend the next few hundred years cultivating.
But Yang Kai seemed to have a card up his sleeve, which made it difficult for them to ask in detail.
At the city gate, many cultivators were waiting in line to enter the city, just like every other prosperous city. Flowing Shadow City was always an affluent place, moreover, with the auction fair that was about to be held, drawing many here from throughout the Southern Territory who were interested in the Heaven Grade Puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect or the Star Master with a complete Star Source.
At this moment, the streets in Flowing Shadow City were full of Dao Source Realm cultivators, and there were even a number of Emperors to be found. Masters were simply as common as clouds here.
Inside the City Lord’s Mansion, the Sect Master of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, Li Qing was taking charge.
As a First-Order Emperor who also majored in the Sword Dao, Li Qing Yun was considered a powerful Master in the Southern Territory. Given his status, he did not have to be here, but due to the upcoming auction, there were more and more Emperor Realm Masters in the Flowing Shadow City as many first-class Sects sent delegations to attend the event. No one in the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect could handle such a situation aside from the Sect Master himself.
During this period, Li Qing Yun had greeted numerous Masters from places his Flowing Shadow Sword Sect could not afford to offend, so since they visited his territory, as the owner of this place, he had to visit them to show courtesy.
The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect did not usually have this opportunity to make friends with so many Masters.
Nevertheless, Li Qing Yun was already tired of dealing with this situation as it left him no time for anything else, even cultivation. Moreover, as the day of the auction drew nearer, his nerves also grew tighter.
Although his cultivation was not very high, he was notably sensitive to crises thanks to cultivating a Dao highly related to killing.
He kept feeling that something serious was going to happen at this auction, and if he was not careful, the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect might be annihilated because of it.
However, the auction had to be held, as it was the command of that Sir; Li Qing Yun could not disobey at all.
After a long sigh, the Emperor Artifact Jade Illusion Sword lying in front of him hummed slightly, as if it sensed the fluctuation of its master’s emotions.
“Sect Master!” There was a voice outside the door.
“What is it?” Li Qing Yun opened his eyes, revealing a trace of fatigue on his face. If he had a choice, he would rather practice his swordsmanship in retreat in his Sect. Mastering the Sword Dao was a long journey, perhaps one he would not be able to complete with his ability even if he spent his entire life on it. Therefore, he did not want to waste time on complicated matters. However, in the eyes of that Sir, he and the entire Flowing Shadow Sword Sect were just pawns on the chessboard that could not act of their own will.
“There is a report from the lower disciples that two survivors of Thousand Leaves Sect have appeared,” that voice replied, “It seems to be the daughter of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master and the Head Disciple of their Sect.”
“Where?” Li Qing Yun narrowed his eyes.
“At the city gates, about to enter the city.”
Li Qing Yun squinted slightly, the unease in his heart growing stronger and stronger, as if an invisible maw was slowly closing around him. The intense alarm of a crisis froze his skin.
It had been years since he last felt this way. The Jade Illusion Sword was also trembling non-stop, only confirming that his sensation was not a false alarm.
The person outside the door waited for a long time, but there was no response from the Sect Master, so he could only continue to wait.
At the same time, the crowd in front of the city gate was alarmed and broke into chaos.
A group of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples surrounded Yang Kai and his group from both the sky and the ground while other irrelevant people retreated and watched from a distance.
The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had annihilated the Thousand Leaves Sect, so although they were surprised by the sudden appearance of these people, since there was already an irresolvable grudge between them, naturally they didn’t plan on letting any enemies escape.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian had a high status in the Thousand Leaves Sect and their portraits had been spread outside. Furthermore, Yang Kai had no intention of lining up outside the city and had led his group to barge through the gates like he owned this place, not putting anyone else present in his eyes at all.
Therefore, Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples who were guarding the city gate instantly recognized Ye Jing Han and Du Xian just as they entered the city.
How embarrassing was it that the enemy had come to openly provoke them?
Without being ordered, the several dozen Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples automatically encircled this group and glared at them with hostility.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian exchanged a wry smile after seeing this.
Not to mention that Yang Kai did not let them disguise themselves, they did not expect that Yang Kai would be so bold to take the initiative to taunt the enemy. What did Yang Kai want to do? Why was he so confident that he could come and go freely from Flowing Shadow City?
But now, there was no time to regret it. They recalled what these Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples had done to the Thousand Leaves Sect a year ago, and their eyes gradually turned red while murderous intent gradually permeated the air.
Even if they had to die, they had to pull a few of their enemies down together with them, so that they did not embarrass their identities as Thousand Leaves Sect disciples.
“How dare you two break into our Flowing Shadow City! It seems that the people of the Thousand Leaves Sect really don’t know how to write the word ‘death’.”
The leader of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples, a Dao Source Realm cultivator, yelled as he stared at Ye Jing Han and Du Xian. However, when he turned his gaze to Yang Kai and Ying Fei, he suddenly looked puzzled, wondering who these two people were and why they stood together with the people of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Although Yang Kai and Ying Fei’s presence was suspicious, the lead disciple did not pay much attention to them. The Thousand Leaves Sect was just a small Sect in the Southern Territory, inferior to their Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, so it was not important if they managed to bring along some reinforcements. This was Flowing Shadow City, and no one could be impudent in the base of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect.
After looking at Yang Kai for a moment, the lead disciple snorted coldly, “Your Excellency, who are you? If you are sensible enough, leave quickly. Don’t make a mistake by sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong!”
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to his words and instead looked at Du Xian and Ye Jing Han, “Do you want to collect some interest first?”
Yang Kai was not interested in laying his hand on this group, but it was a great opportunity for Ye Jing Han and Du Xian to vent their hatred.
Hearing this, Du Xian looked solemn and shouted, “Good, then I shall trouble Brother Yang to stand guard!”
Yang Kai nodded and stood to the side quietly.
“Impudence!” The Flowing Shadow Sect disciple was infuriated by Du Xian’s arrogance and, as he waved his hand, ordered, “Take them down!”
*Zheng zheng… *
The sound of swords being drawn rang out as sword lights glowed. A dozen Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples acted together, covering for each other while charging forward while releasing Sword Qi and Sword Intent.
“Senior Brother!” Ye Jing Han shouted. Du Xian understood the meaning of her call and immediately turned around to stand back to back with her. The two then swung their hands simultaneously, sending out a series of ball-like objects towards the enemy.
*Kacha… *
Following a burst of cracking sounds, these flying spheres magically transformed into life-like Monster Beasts in the blink of an eye.
With the fluctuation of World Energy, four beast puppets instantly emerged before everyone.
A python, a lizard, a wolf, and a bird.
Each of them was like a living creature and if not for the absence of vitality, all would assume they were real Monster Beasts.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
Back then, when he went to the Thousand Leaves Sect, many of Thousand Leaves Sect’s Secret Techniques had been lost. Thanks to his opening of Emperor Heaven Valley though, these Secret Arts and Secret Books were finally retrieved.
At that time, he did not see the true techniques of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
With the appearance of these four puppet beasts, Yang Kai realized that the Thousand Leaves Sect had developed a lot in recent years. Each of the four puppet beasts had the power comparable to a peak Dao Source Real cultivator, and given their looks, they should be the Earth Grade Puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Because of the retrieval of their lost inheritance, the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples clearly became much better at refining puppets and applying Puppet Arts than in the past.
He initially thought that Ye Jing Han and Du Xian would not be able to handle being so outnumbered, but now it seemed like he had underestimated them.
“Chi chi chi chi… *
The sword lights that slashed towards Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were sharp and swift. If they were hit, Ye Jing Han and Du Xian would not have good ends; however, they did not show any signs of condensing their Source Qi to protect themselves and instead focused on controlling the four beast puppets.
The python-like beast puppet with bright scales curled up suddenly, wrapping around Ye Jing Han and Du Xian, and blocked all the incoming Sword Qi blades with its body, resulting in a series of dazzling sparks.
*Hong long long… *
At the same time, the lizard-like beast puppet abruptly flashed and the ground around it rapidly softened. Leaping into the air, it then dove directly into the ground, disappearing from sight.
Followed by a howl, the body of the wolf puppet emitted a navy blue light as it pounced towards the two nearest Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples with its bared fangs, causing these two to be so frightened that they kept swinging their swords wildly in order to protect themselves.
But just then, the exquisite and flexible bird puppet flew in a beautiful arc, like a bolt of thunder, penetrating directly through the chest of one of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples.
The protection formed by that cultivator’s Source Qi was akin to paper before this attack.
*Pu… *
The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple spurted a mouthful of blood as he felt like his chest cavity had been emptied. As he looked down, he saw that there was a bloody hole through which he could see his organs and viscera vaguely.
Being outnumbered by more than a dozen people, one of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples had actually died first in the first clash.
The faces of the onlookers in the distance went pale as they were all appalled by the strength of these beast puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
It was obvious that the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple did not die because of some mistake he made, but because he was simply overpowered. Each of the four beast puppets was comparable to a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, while the level of strength of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples was uneven, so they couldn’t resist the beast puppets even though they had the advantage in numbers.
“Retreat!” The leader was also horrified by the situation and could not believe what just happened. The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect definitely seized a lot of treasures after destroying the Thousand Leaves Sect, and there were puppets among the gains.
Although many disciples in the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect possessed the puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect now, those puppets were incomparable to the four beast puppets in front of them.
Puppet Arts required not only the strength of a puppet itself but also the corresponding Secret Arts and Secret Techniques to drive it. In other words, the power of the same puppet in their hands would be quite different from that of in the hands of a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple.
Even though the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had obtained many puppets as war trophies and studied them for some time, they still could not fully utilize their true strength, which led them to assume that these puppets were just mediocre.
But now, they knew they were wrong.
All the disciples were already frightened at the scene, so when they received the order, they naturally performed their swordsmanship together to guard themselves as they retreated quickly.
However, at this moment, the python puppet that was protecting Ye Jing Han and Du Xian suddenly whipped its tail, resulting in a resounding massacre.
The tail was as thick as a washbasin and made of some unidentifiable material, but the power of its whip could seemingly collapse a mountain. Several Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples failed to dodge the tail whip and had their abdomens cut open. Blood and bits of organs spurted from their mouths as their vitalities were wiped out.
As for those who had narrowly escaped, they couldn’t even catch their breath before a big hole suddenly opened under their feet. The lizard puppet, which had disappeared before, broke through the ground, opened its giant mouth, and bit a Flowing Shadow Sect disciple before dragging him into the earth.
The shrill scream came from underground, which frightened everyone from the tips of their hair to the marrow of their bones.
Other disciples immediately flew into the air one after another. Who would dare to stay on the ground anymore after this lesson?
However, it was not easy for them in the air, either. The wolf puppet was running at them from one direction, while the bird puppet descended upon them like lightning, each strike from the pair resulting in a spatter of blood and someone dying.
“Sword Formation!” The lead disciple of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect roared with a pale face.
He initially thought that the trivial two Thousand Leaves Sect disciples would easily be handled by them and did not really put them into his eyes. Only after the battle began did he realize who the wolf and who the sheep really were. In just a short moment, there were already seven dead on their side, and if things continued, the rest of them would meet a similar end.
At the command, the remaining Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples rapidly came together to set up a Sword Formation to resist the terrifying beast puppets.
With the protection of the python puppet, Du Xian and Ye Jing Han were still unscathed after killing seven people. They were feeling a rush of emotions at this moment as the grievances and anger they had stomached for more than a year could finally be released. As they continued controlling their beast puppets, this sense of euphoric release only grew stronger.
Du Xian laughed out loud, “Flowing Shadow Sword Sect is nothing much!”
Although his tone was arrogant, he was not distracted and continued to control the beast puppets to fight fiercely with the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples so that they could not catch a breath.
“Those whose Sect was exterminated have no right to be impudent!” A Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple bellowed. If he still did not try to gain back some face after seven of his fellow disciples died in front of their city gate and were openly mocked by Du Xian, the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect would probably not be able to keep a foothold in the Southern Territory in the future anymore.
Despite being terrified by the initial slaughter, the remaining disciples gradually stood firm, their hearts filling with hatred as they could not wait to rip Du Xian and Ye Jing Han into ten thousand pieces to wash off this shame.
“Exterminated?” Du Xian looked fierce as he gritted his teeth, “How could your puny Flowing Shadow Sword Sect have dared to challenge our Thousand Leaves Sect if it weren’t for you receiving outside help? Today, I, Du Xian, came here to avenge our Thousand Leaves Sect disciples who died at your hands!”
“Try it if you can! Kill!”
“Kill!” All of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples shouted together and their Sword Intent surged. Using their Sword Formation, their auras blended together and a giant sword light slashed down from above, threatening to shatter space.
“Senior Brother!” Ye Jing Han’s face turned solemn as she performed a hand seal, causing the python puppet to shrink around them and wrap her and Du Xian up tightly.
The sword light slashed on the python puppet, sending sparks everywhere. The python shook, but Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were not hurt.
“If all you can do is cower behind your defences, why did you come to our Flowing Shadow City just to embarrass yourselves!?” A Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple sneered and shouted as he swung his hand, “Again!”
*Chi chi chi chi… *
Many earth-shaking sword lights continued to slash down, hitting the python puppet, immobilizing it. The sturdy puppet could not withstand such concentrated attacks and countless cracks soon emerged on its body.
The onlookers were commenting about the situation with each other. They all felt that these two youths from the Thousand Leaves Sect had overestimated themselves. Since they had successfully escaped a disaster once, why did they have to come and walk right into the trap? By the looks of it, they probably would not end well today.
If they had been smart, they should have found a place to hide and strengthen themselves first before trying to make a comeback and pay off old debts in the future.
“Hahahaha!” The lead Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple burst into laughter as soon as he saw that Ye Jing Han and Du Xian could not fight back as he taunted, “Let’s see how long you can hold on!”
*Hong… *
The earth suddenly split as the lizard puppet, which had vanished the whole time, abruptly emerged and rushed towards the Sword Formation, shaking its head and waving its tail. On the head of the lizard puppet, a man stood with his head held high. It was none other than Du Xian.
“Since when?” All the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples were shocked. Although they had no clue what Du Xian was doing by rushing at them while seemingly putting his life at risk, they knew that he was obviously up to no good. They instantly surged their powers and unleashed their attacks towards Du Xian.
Instead of dodging, however, Du Xian sneered.
“The Puppet Arts of the Thousand Leaves Sect… is really amazing!” Praise came out from the crowd, as if someone had figured out what was happening.
It was not just one person who saw through the situation. At that moment, many pairs of eyes hidden in the dark stared at Du Xian who was standing on the head of the lizard puppet with looks of disbelief on their faces.