Now that she took the initiative to admit it, Yang Kai was still shocked even though he was prepared for it…
The Dragon Clan held itself as the ruler of all living beings. Although the title seemed to be self-proclaimed, it was indeed not far from the truth.
In Ancient Times, Dragons and Phoenixes were the most powerful and respected among all the Divine Spirits! Whereas now when most of the Divine Spirits were extinct, the Dragon Clan was still living and thriving in the East Sea.
It could be said that this powerful race had witnessed the myriad ages of the world itself, experiencing the full passage of time from primordial to present. The Dragon Clan was not just a name, but also a symbol of inheritance and power!
Because Yang Kai possessed the Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body, he did not feel any intimidation or fear in the face of Zhu Qing, a living Dragon, but rather an inexplicable affection.
This affection quickly turned into greed and covetousness though as thoughts of subduing this Dragon Girl and making her his woman raced through this mind… What else could a man ask for with a life like this?
“How did you know?” Zhu Qing asked again.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, rubbing his fingers, and replied, “This Young Master is proficient in the art of divination, I could tell with a simple look…”
Zhu Qing glared at him furiously, thinking only a ghost would believe such a liar, but she did expose a lot of information when she was fighting with Yang Kai before, so it was not surprising that he had guessed her identity.
“It’s fine if you know, but I ask you to keep this information to yourself; after all, the identity of a Dragon Clan member is a bit too… shocking.” Zhu Qing looked at Yang Kai sincerely.
Although it was rumoured that Dragon Island was situated somewhere on the East Sea in the Eastern Territory, and many Dragons were living there, this was just a rumour after all and the world at large did not know anything about them. If a living Dragon Girl suddenly appeared in public, it would inevitably bring an unimaginable shock.
“No problem,” Yang Kai responded readily. “I am not someone who likes running their mouth.”
Zhu Qing expressed gratitude, thinking that this person could be a good person when conversed with properly. Perhaps she had been too biased, making him appear annoying and displeasing no matter what he did, but it was time to change her opinion of him.
“But what can you give me in return?” Yang Kai’s tone changed, and the aggressive gaze once again scanned over the sensitive parts of Zhu Qing’s body, like a dozen big hands trying to strip her naked.
Zhu Qing took a deep breath as she slowly closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly.
[I’m so naive to think that this person could be good!]
“What… do… you… want… in… return!” Zhu Qing opened her eyes, grinding her teeth as she uttered each word with fury, becoming increasingly infuriated the more she looked at his disgusting face.
“It depends on what you can give me,” Yang Kai rested his cheek on his palm, remaining calm and composed.
Yang Kai instinctually felt that there was something wrong with him today. The long-forgotten desires that he had been suppressing began boiling incessantly ever since he met Zhu Qing. Such feelings disappeared after separating from her, but they returned again now, especially when they were both alone in this room. The thrill of playing with fire was quite irresistible despite him continuously warning himself to not provoke this Dragon Girl.
Zhu Qing stared at him deeply, and it took a long time before she lightly opened her crimson lips and uttered, “… friends…”
“Huh?” Yang Kai looked at her, flabbergasted.
Zhu Qing inhaled gently, and repeated, “I said, I can be friends with you.”
Although the tone was plain, the unconcealable arrogance between her brow was saying that this matter was a Heaven-sent opportunity for him.
Yang Kai was stunned on the spot, just staring at her blankly.
Zhu Qing did not avoid his gaze, but frowned when Yang Kai did not respond after a long time, “Did you hear what I…”
“Hahahaha!” Yang Kai burst into laughter, slapping his thigh vigorously.
Zhu Qing was irritated, “What are you laughing at?”
Yang Kai stopped laughing, and looked at Zhu Qing mockingly, “The arrogance of the Dragon Clan is worthy of its reputation.”
Zhu Qing sneered slightly, “Better than the cunning Humans.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, and nodded, “En, what you said is right. Humans are indeed very cunning, and no one can deny that, but you said you want to be friends with me. Do you know… what a friend is?”
Zhu Qing replied proudly, “I don’t need to know.”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, and looked at her, guessing, “You have no friends, right?”
[What kind of friends does a Dragon need?] Zhu Qing sneered in her heart, her face showing disdain, but suddenly realized that Yang Kai’s expression had a hint of pity and sympathy, suddenly making her feel annoyed. How dare a trivial Human look at her with this expression? Her slender fingers twitched, trying hard to suppress the idea of gouging his eyeballs out.
That was because she was not his opponent, and she would just be humiliating herself if she acted rashly.
[Elder, the task you gave is really arduous. Qing’er really doesn’t know how to complete it. Is this a test from the clan for me?]
“Why do you want to be friends with me?” Yang Kai frowned as he asked.
[Of course, it’s because of the Elder’s order and the Ancestral Dragon Source.] Zhu Qing muttered in her heart, but replied out loud, “Do I need a reason?”
“Why not?” Yang Kai was astonished.
Zhu Qing looked impatient, and demanded through gritted teeth, “Just tell me if you agree.”
One’s ancestors would jump out of their graves to receive such an honour to be friends with a Dragon, so how dare this man make things difficult? He really did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.
“What if I agree? And what if I don’t?” Yang Kai looked at her with a smirk, then his expression suddenly became stern, “You can’t be friends by just saying it.”
Yang Kai wondered if Zhu Qing was just too arrogant or simply had no experience socializing with people; he had never met a person who wanted to be friends and still put on an expression that said ‘you should feel lucky that I want to be your friend’.
“What should I do then?” Zhu Qing frowned and thought for a while, unexpectedly putting on an expression of confusion and questioning.
Yang Kai glanced at her and waved his hand, quickly explaining, “As friends, you should put your life on the line for each other, share each other’s worries and problems. As friends, you should be honest with each other and take care of each other. As friends… “
“Be specific,” Zhu Qing interrupted him impatiently, “What do you want me to do before you are willing to be friends with me.”
Yang Kai looked at her with a broad smile, and patted the bed next to him, “I don’t have a bed warmer. If you can undress and accompany me for the night, I would think about it.”
“Out of the question!” Zhu Qing roared. This man was nothing but a bastard, revealing his degenerate mentality in every word he uttered! Warming a bed was not something a friend needed to do! Although Zhu Qing had no friends, how could she not understand common sense?
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, looking helpless.
Zhu Qing turned her head away, filled with reluctance, “Change it.”
“Then I won’t agree.” Yang Kai said with a wave.
“What do you want?” Zhu Qing flushed with anger and glared at him fiercely.
Yang Kai slapped the table in front of him into pieces, and exploded, “This Young Master wants to ask you instead, what do you want?”
How baffling. In Yang Kai’s entire life, he had never seen anyone like her, who had come over and demanded to be friends with him. How could friendship be a coerced transaction?
Zhu Qing pursed her red lips and stated, “I just want to be friends with you.”
Yang Kai swept over her up and down to confirm that the woman was not insane, and yelled, “Good, I heard that there’s a force known as the Sword Villa in the Western Territory. The Sword Wine brewed there is the best in the world, even Great Emperors would praise it profusely. If you can get me some…”
Zhu Qing’s eyes lit up, “You will be friends with me?”
Yang Kai rubbed his chin, “I’ll think about it.”
“You…” Zhu Qing was furious, “You’re too much!”
Yang Kai sneered, “This is who I am, get out if you can’t stand it!”
“Fine. No one has ever dared to treat me like this. You will regret it!” Zhu Qing glared at him fiercely and headed out after spitting out a ferocious threat.
Yang Kai turned around and smiled, “It’s getting late. Qing’er, don’t you want to stay the night at least?”
Zhu Qing, who was by the door and was about to push it open, threw a punch in front of her upon hearing this.
In an instant, a big hole was opened in the door, spattering splinters of wood everywhere. Zhu Qing glared back at Yang Kai, turned around, and rushed into the darkness.
Outside the door, Ying Fei was thoroughly drenched in cold sweat. After Zhu Qing was long gone, he peeped into the room and found Yang Kai safe and sound, finally letting out a breath of relief, “Young Master Yang, what happened to her?”
“Only a ghost would know.” Yang Kai chuckled happily, feeling a lot easier in his heart.
After this incident, Zhu Qing would never come to pester him again, right?
Although it was a good thing that a Dragon Girl was attracted to him and insisted on being friends, Yang Kai found himself unable to suppress his carnal desires whenever they were in close proximity.
He was afraid a day would come when he really could not hold back anymore and would force himself on her. At that point, he would have offended the entire Dragon Clan.
All in all, although this Zhu Qing did not seem malicious, her existence was too dangerous to him, in multiple ways.
Yang Kai was puzzled. Zhu Qing did not cultivate any Charm Techniques, and her beauty was not to the extent that he could not suppress himself, so why was he so unable to control himself whenever he caught a sniff of her scent?
“This, this…” An elderly man wearing a golden robe like a landlord’s suddenly rushed upstairs, exclaiming again and again after seeing Yang Kai’s broken door.
Every room here was strengthened with a Spirit Array so powerful that even a general First-Order Emperor Realm Master would not be able to destroy it. What kind of terrible monster could have punched a big hole in this door?
“Who are you?” Ying Fei glanced at him and asked.
The elderly man seemed to know the identity of Ying Fei and bowed respectfully after hearing the question, “Replying to Sir, this lowly one is the keeper of this inn. What happened to this place just now…”
“Don’t ask something you shouldn’t ask,” Ying Fei glanced at him, taking out some Source Crystals from his Space Ring before tossing it to the innkeeper and saying, “This is the compensation. Give my Young Master a new room.”
“Yes, yes!” The innkeeper nodded and quickly got up. He would have never let it slide if someone else made trouble in his inn. Although he was just an innkeeper, this inn was actually an industry of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect.
But Ying Fei was a powerful Monster King, and Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was just a fart compared to him.
Very quickly, the innkeeper arranged a new room for Yang Kai and withdrew respectfully.
The next day, Yang Kai was meditating when someone knocked on his door.
After scanning with his Divine Sense, he found that it was Ye Jing Han and Du Xian.
Yang Kai opened the door and looked at the two of them, “What is it?”
Ye Jing Han answered in a trembling voice, “Young Master Yang, Flowing Shadow Sword Sect sent my father here. He is outside the inn now.”
“Sect Master Ye?” The image of Ye Hen surfaced in Yang Kai’s mind as he nodded lightly, “Looks like Li Qing Yun knows how he should act. Since he sent him to us, just accept it.”
“Master was delivered here by Li Qing Yun himself,” Du Xian remarked embarrassingly.
Li Qing Yun was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, while Ye Jing Han and he were just Dao Source Realm cultivators; they did not have the qualification to talk face to face with him. Furthermore, they had no clue what Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was up to with this gesture, so they could only ask Yang Kai to face him for them.
After listening to the situation, Yang Kai nodded in understanding, “Then I’ll go with you.”
“Many thanks, Brother Yang!” Du Xian expressed his gratitude.
“It’s nothing,” Yang Kai smiled, but he actually sighed in his heart. If he was right, the extermination of Thousand Leaves Sect this time must have something to do to him.
The three of them strode outside, and Ying Fei also came out of nowhere, following behind Yang Kai.
When they arrived outside the inn, they saw that Li Qing Yun was indeed standing there. He was styled exactly like a swordsman, dressed in white and carrying his sword on him.
Standing in front of him was Ye Hen. Although he looked a little depressed, there was no sign of torture on him. He probably just felt deflated due to the extermination of his Sect and the death and injuries of so many of his disciples.
“Father!”
“Honoured Master!” Ye Jing Han and Du Xian shouted together and quickly glared at Li Qing Yun.
Ye Hen lifted his head and looked at them with a wry smile.
Thousand Leaves Sect had endured for over ten thousand years, but now it had been destroyed under his leadership. He felt ashamed of himself for failing the trust of his ancestors; however, seeing his daughter and his Eldest Disciple again after one year brightened his mood somewhat.
Li Qing Yun did not say anything as he lightly cupped his fists towards Yang Kai, then walked away without looking back.
It seemed that his purpose for this trip was only to send Ye Hen back.
As he said, the mastermind behind the scenes had gotten what he wanted and it did not matter to him anymore whether Ye Hen lived or died. It was also because of this that Ye Hen could keep his life after being captured by Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, otherwise he would have just been killed on the spot.
“Father!” Ye Jing Han rushed forward and carefully checked Ye Hen. After making sure his arms or legs were still intact, only then did she release a sigh of relief.
“Sect Master Ye!” Yang Kai went forward and greeted him with his fists cupped.
“Young Master Yang!” Ye Hen and Yang Kai were acquaintances, so seeing him together with his daughter and Eldest Disciple, Ye Hen’s heart filled with gratitude knowing that he could only get out of trouble this time thanks to Yang Kai’s help.
“Let’s talk inside,” Yang Kai beckoned.
Ye Hen nodded, and walked into the inn step by step with the support of Ye Jing Han and Du Xian.
After entering the room, Yang Kai asked for a meal to be prepared as the few of them sat cross-legged, drinking as they talked.
Ye Jing Han asked about Ye Hen’s recent treatment out of concern, and learnt that he was not tortured in Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, just detained. Hearing this, her hatred for the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was reduced slightly.
But after this tragedy, Ye Hen seemed to have aged a lot all of a sudden, acting like he was being weighed down by heavy burdens. He downed one cup of wine after another, looking truly dispirited.
He had remained in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm for a long time, but back then, when Yang Kai retrieved the long-lost inheritance of Thousand Leaves Sect from Emperor Heaven Valley, Ye Hen gained the confidence to break through to the Emperor Realm in his lifetime. However, before he could achieve his ambitions, his Sect was destroyed by powerful enemies.
Sure enough, the world was unpredictable.
After bearing such a heavy impact, Ye Hen was not sure if he would still stand a chance of becoming an Emperor Realm Master in his lifetime.
Yang Kai lowered his cup as he said solemnly, “Sect Master Ye, the incident of Thousand Leaves Sect this time may have something to do with me.”
Flabbergasted, Ye Hen glanced at him, thinking he had misunderstood something. After a short silence, he replied with a wry smile, “It has nothing to do with Young Master Yang. This matter is because of Senior Hua.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Sister Hua is just an added incentive. Chi Yue, Ai Ou and my other Seniors were their real targets.”
Ye Hen was surprised, “Why do you say so?”
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian also looked at Yang Kai, bewildered.
Yang Kai took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing, “I don’t have a complete explanation yet, so what I say now is just my own conclusions. I believe this is all a conspiracy aimed at me, with Thousand Leaves Sect just happening to be involved. The ultimate purpose of everything was to draw me to Flowing Shadow City.”
Ye Hen was dumbstruck. If it was like what Yang Kai said, the Thousand Leaves Sect was really unlucky.
“Forgive me!” Yang Kai looked at Ye Hen and apologized sincerely.
Ye Hen laughed wryly, “Young Master Yang, you don’t have to feel guilty. This was an inevitable disaster our Thousand Leaves Sect had to face. This Ye will never dare to forget the kindness Young Master Yang showed for our Thousand Leaves Sect. Even if Young Master Yang was involved in this incident, this Ye will not utter a single word of blame or rebuke. If anyone is to blame, it is Thousand Leaves Sect for being so weak that it could not resist when confronted with its enemies.”
Yang Kai continued, “Sect Master Ye may rest assured that no matter who is the mastermind behind all of this, I will obtain justice for your Thousand Leaves Sect.”
Ye Hen smiled lightly, “With the words of Young Master Yang, this Ye is relieved. But… the enemy is hiding in the dark, while we walk in the light. Young Master Yang, are you really that confident?”
Ye Jing Han glanced at Ying Fei, then leaned towards Ye Hen and whispered in his ear.
Ye Hen was taken aback when he heard the words she spoke and immediately turned to Ying Fei, “So, this is Sir Monster King. Please forgive this Ye for his lack of respect.”
A heavy stone was lifted from Ye Hen’s heart when he heard this. Given the great strength of Yang Kai and the additional assistance of a Monster King, there was nothing more for him to worry about.
Ying Fei waved his hand with a faint smile.
Yang Kai announced, “The auction is the time when everything will come to light. When it comes, the mastermind will surely show his fangs, and the truth behind this matter will be revealed. At that time, I will kill him.”
Ye Hen straightened up, and declared with a solemn face, “Young Master Yang, please accept my bow.”
Thousand Leaves Sect did not have the ability to avenge itself anymore. If Yang Kai could take revenge for the Thousand Leaves Sect, he would be a true patron to the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Yang Kai shook his head while lifting Ye Hen up with his hands, “Sect Master Ye, don’t be like this. At this point, I can’t stay out of this matter anymore. All that’s left now is to see who is stronger.”
Then, they continued to drink for a while before Yang Kai said goodbye and returned to his room.
Everything was peaceful for the next half a month.
As expected, Zhu Qing stopped coming to disturb him, like she had totally vanished from the world, which actually pleased Yang Kai greatly.
Although that woman was a great beauty, extremely pleasing to the eyes, and a brand new experience to ‘have fun’ with, she was still a Dragon Girl after all. Yang Kai was really unwilling to take things too far with her.
During this period, plenty of Emperor Realm Masters arrived in Flowing Shadow City for the Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect. After all, every Heaven Grade Puppet was equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master, so it would never be a bad idea to buy one and bring it back to guard one’s Sect. The Star Source in Ai Ou’s body was extremely tempting as well.
Yang Kai had investigated Flowing Shadow City numerous times, but he still could not find any trace of Chi Yue, Ai Ou or his other Seniors. He had no choice but to give up on this approach.
Nevertheless, it was obvious that the enemy was not stupid enough to give Yang Kai chances. By the looks of it, the enemy would not expose their cards before the auction started.
On this day, the Flowing Shadow City that had been quiet for so long suddenly became lively, especially at the entrance of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce, which was bustling with heavy traffic.
As one of the two top chambers of commerce in the Southern Territory, the Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce had naturally opened a branch in Flowing Shadow City, and the auction was held at this branch of the Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce.
All the Emperor Realm Masters who received invitations arrived as scheduled.
There were two rows of young girls waiting respectfully in front of the chamber of commerce, and whenever an honoured guest arrived, they would greet them with welcoming smiles before ushering them into the auction house. These girls were as beautiful as flowers and their graceful figures could be vaguely seen through their tulle dresses, attracting the eyes of the crowd.
Without a doubt, they were professionally trained, each one of them wearing a warm smile that made people feel at home while their soft voices lifted the spirits of those who heard them.
Li Qing Yun, the Sect Master of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, also stood outside the chamber of commerce. He was like a statue, his hand on the grip of the Jade Illusion Sword, his eyes closed shut. He withdrew his Sword Intent, appearing just like an ordinary commoner. However, people who knew him would know that he was not someone who they could mess with. At this moment, he was just like a sword in its sheath. Once the sword was drawn, the whole world would fill with his murderous intent.
Suddenly, Li Qing Yun opened his eyes and looked forward, a trace of fear and helplessness flashing across his sharp eyes.
In front of him, a group of five advanced in a confident manner, barging in like they owned this place. All the guests around glared at them, but once they recognized the faces of these people, they immediately retreated to one side with fearful expressions and their heads lowered, as if they were avoiding meeting eyes with these tigers.
This group of five was led by a young man. Among them was a man with a sinister face and a hooked nose, a young couple, and an elderly man.
It was Yang Kai and his group.
When they reached the front of the chamber of commerce, Yang Kai looked at Li Qing Yun with a grin, “Is Sect Master Li here to welcome the guests? What an honour!”
The expression of helplessness on Li Qing Yun’s face intensified as the corner of his mouth twitched, revealing a speechless look.
“Hahaha, this must be Young Master Yang Kai. Young Master Yang’s arrival is truly a great honour for me. Please come inside quickly!”
A hearty and enthusiastic laugh came from the side.
Yang Kai turned to the source of the voice and saw an ordinary-looking middle-aged man walking out from the side to greet him with a smile. This smiling look caught Yang Kai’s eyes and caused him to frown.
“Who are you?” Yang Kai questioned.
“It’s you!” Ye Jing Han and Du Xian gave out a low cry as they stared at the middle-aged man fearfully.
Ye Hen’s body also trembled as flames burned in his eyes.
“Do you know him?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
Ye Jing Han replied with her teeth gritted, “He was the one who suppressed our Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppets! And he was also the one who came looking for Senior Hua!”
“This one is Wu Ming!” The middle-aged man smiled lightly and continued to address Yang Kai, ignoring the three people from Thousand Leaves Sect, for these three trivial ants did not really deserve his attention.
Yang Kai’s eyes turned cold and he responded faintly, “So, is it you who is behind all these good deeds?”
Wu Ming beamed, “Young Master Yang jests. How could this one… What do you think you’re doing!?”
Before he finished, Wu Ming was taken aback because Yang Kai suddenly swung his hand to slap him. Emperor Qi surged and the surrounding World Energy shook. Although he was a Minor Realm higher in cultivation than Yang Kai, Wu Ming was shocked to find that he had no chance to avoid this blow.
He did not expect Yang Kai to be so dauntless and rush at him as soon as he appeared. He had not taken any precautions at all, and it was a bit too late when he reacted to the incoming slap.
What was even more appalling was that the Monster King who was always with Yang Kai was suddenly exerting pressure on him comparable to that of a Third-Order Emperor, making Wu Ming feel like a big mountain was crashing down on him.
Wu Ming was immobilized, his Emperor Qi unable to circulate properly.
*Pa… *
With a crisp sound, Wu Ming’s head was slapped aside. His cheek was blazing, his mouth was filled with blood, and pain shot through the entire side of his face.
The many Emperor Realm Masters who had come for the auction gawked at the scene in amazement.
Wu Ming, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was slapped in front of everyone’s eyes. How arrogant and savage was this young man named Yang Kai? Did he really think that he could be lawless with the backing of a Monster King?
“How dare you…” Wu Ming clenched his fists, gritting his teeth at Yang Kai as he roared like an enraged beast.
Before he finished speaking though, another palm quickly enlarged in front of his eyes and collided with his other cheek fiercely. Several teeth flew out, accompanied by the clear, crisp smack of the slap.
Wu Ming’s head buzzed and spun, and he was in confusion for a while. It was not merely due to being slapped, but also because he could not accept that this was happening to him. How could a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, a Deacon of Star Soul Palace who had always been a class above everyone else, think that he would be humiliated like this in this meagre Flowing Shadow City?
Triggered by the anger in his heart, he pushed his Emperor Qi madly, barely getting rid of Ying Fei’s imposing suppression before leaping back a few steps and shouting, “Enough!”
“How dare you raise your voice before me! Come here!” Yang Kai’s face was ruthless as he stretched open his hand. Space Principles fluctuated, and Wu Ming was horrified to see that he had completely lost control of his own body and involuntarily flew towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai pulled back his fist and smashed Wu Ming’s face brutally as he moved into range. Blood spurted from his face instantly, but Yang Kai was not finished yet. He leapt up high in the air, bent his elbow, and plummeted, crashing onto Wu Ming’s back fiercely.
The violent force impacted Wu Ming, causing him to spew out a mouthful of blood as he was completely beaten to the ground.
He was then greeted by a storm of punches and kicks.
The surrounding cultivators were dumbstruck as they watched the scene, stupefied.
The young man named Yang Kai was like a common street thug pressing Wu Ming on the ground, beating him to a pulp while hurling curses at him the whole time. His actions were extremely arrogant. On the other hand, Wu Ming tried to resist a few times, but he was suppressed before could gather his strength. After a few tries, he seemed to have accepted that he had become a fish on the chopping block and resolved to curl up and cover his head with his arms, allowing Yang Kai to do whatever he wanted.
No one had ever seen an Emperor Realm Master fight like this. Today was truly an eye-opener as the group of bystanders was both amazed and frightened at the same time.
Within a short time, Wu Ming was beaten black and blue with a bruised nose and swollen face. He was almost unrecognizable with all the blood he was covered in. He would have died a long time ago from Yang Kai’s assault if not for his profound cultivation.
Breathing slightly heavily, Yang Kai stomped on Wu Ming a few times before turning to Ye Hen and others and offering, “Would you like to collect some interest?”
Ye Hen smiled wryly and shook his head humbly, “I will leave it up to Young Master Yang.”
He knew that Yang Kai was helping Thousand Leaves Sect vent its anger. Now that Wu Ming was beaten to a pulp, sprawling on the ground, Ye He could indeed go up and collect some interest from him, but what was the point of doing that with the power of others?
Yang Kai nodded lightly and did not insist. He bent over slightly and lifted up Wu Ming by the hair to face him directly, their faces almost touching as he openly threatened him, “This Young Master knows that there is still someone behind you. Tell that person that if even a single hair on my friends has been harmed, I will butcher him down to his bones and eat his meat while drinking his blood.”
Wu Ming roared in laughter, his face twisted in madness as he replied, “That will depend on whether you have the ability!”
Yang Kai stared at him coldly as he snorted, “Seems you have a death wish.”
Wu Ming’s body trembled and a chill suddenly rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his arms and legs go cold. He thought that he had a bargaining chip in his hand that would make Yang Kai be cautious about his actions, but he did not think that this bastard would act so unscrupulously.
Yang Kai very much wanted to kill this Wu Ming, so even though he was doing his best to conceal his murderous intent, it still pierced Wu Ming’s heart like a sharp sword, choking him.
Wu Ming had no doubt that if he tried to anger Yang Kai again, he would cease to be in the next moment.
“I can fulfil your wish,” Yang Kai grinned. “I’ve always been a kind-hearted soul, I’ll end your life right away if you just say yes.”
Wu Ming was silent and did not dare to speak.
Yang Kai snorted coldly before chucking him aside, as if throwing away a piece of garbage.
Lying on the ground, Wu Ming watched Yang Kai leading his group into the auction venue.
[Little beast, just you wait for me! How dare you be so presumptuous to this King just because you have a Monster King protecting you. Today’s shame will be repaid a hundred, no, a thousand times over!]
Picturing Yang Kai kneeling down and begging for mercy filled Wu Ming with happiness. He cackled coldly, attracting the attention of the Emperor Realm Masters who came to participate in the auction, causing them to wonder if Wu Ming might have gone mad.
The auction venue was designed in the form of a stepped well that spiralled upwards with each level, and it was more than large enough to accommodate thousands of people at once. Looking up, the oval ceiling was inscribed with drawings of great beasts, giving the whole venue the appearance of a beast den, filled with creatures ready to swallow all of the incoming cultivators whole.
Ushered by a beautiful maidservant, Yang Kai and his party walked into a certain room. This room seemed to be at the top of the auction venue and, looking down, a clear bird’s eye view of the floors below could be seen.
The maidservant saw how strong and violent Yang Kai had been at the door before, and could not help trembling at this moment, not daring to even take a breath. After leading Yang Kai and the others into their private room, she stammered shakily with a pale face, “Please wait a moment, the auction will begin soon.”
Although she was just a maidservant, she also felt that the purpose of Yang Kai’s trip was to stir up trouble today, so after completing her duties, she promptly fled the room.
All of the Emperor Realm Masters were introduced into different private rooms by the maidservants, and the hall below was gradually filled with other people.
Although most people did not have enough financial resources to really participate, the more people who came, the better it was for the auction.
Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense swept across the auction venue dauntlessly, and the noisy hall below instantly fell silent as no one dared to make a noise when being scanned by this powerful Soul.
Ying Fei was doing the same thing.
After a while, the two took back their Divine Senses one after another.
“Young Master Yang, what have you found?” Ying Fei asked.
Yang Kai shook his head and sat on the chair and replied, “Everything has been hidden deeply, how about you?”
Ying Fei shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he had not noticed anything either, and frowned, “But since we can be sure that this is a trap, Young Master Yang should be careful. The more hidden the trap, the more dangerous it is.”
Yang Kai nodded.
Ye Jing Han was preparing tea on the side in a skilful manner, but worry filled her brow, and the same expression was apparent on Du Xian and Ye Hen’s faces.
…..
“Honoured Master, everything is prepared,” Wu Ming, who was beaten by Yang Kai to a pulp just now, somehow appeared here, standing in front of an old man, reporting respectfully.
It was unknown what kind of amazing pills he took, but his bruises and injuries had obviously recovered a lot, albeit there were still some traces left. On the other hand, internal injuries were not so easy to heal and his organs ached whenever he tried to circulate his Emperor Qi.
[That little bastard was so heavy-handed…]
The old man nodded lightly and asked, “How many Emperor Realm Masters have come?”
Wu Ming reported, “More than thirty.”
The old man was satisfied, “That’s enough.” After a pause, he signalled with a wave, “Since the guests are all here, let’s start.”
Wu Ming received the order respectfully, “Yes!”
Turning his head to the side, Wu Ming stretched out his hand and gestured, “Junior Sister, please.”
Hua Qing Si got up slowly, glanced at the old man with an unreadable gaze, then stated respectfully, “Honoured Master, Disciple will leave now.”
“Go!” The old man waved his hand in dismissal.
Hua Qing Si walked towards the door, then suddenly turned towards the old man and knelt down before him, respectfully knocking her head on the ground three times.
The old man’s eyes flickered slightly, as if he understood Hua Qing Si’s intention, but did not stop it, simply closing his eyes instead.
[It’s your own life, and this is the path you chose. There won’t be any Master-Disciple relationship now that you chose to be my enemy!]
Wu Ming stood aside and sneered softly, “Not appreciative at all!”
Hua Qing Si remained unmoved and stood up after the kowtow. She took a breath as if she had lifted a huge rock off her shoulders, feeling a lot lighter physically and mentally, and walked out the door. When she passed by Wu Ming, she stopped to warn, “Wu Ming, you messed with someone you shouldn’t mess with, you will die miserably.”
“You treacherous bitch!” Wu Ming was enraged and extended his hand, sending a big slap across Hua Qing Si’s face, leaving a red imprint on her pale skin.
Hua Qing Si brushed her cheek lightly and mocked with a smile, “What? Trying to vent your frustration on me after getting beaten by someone else? I guess you’re only capable of that much.”
This immediately set Wu Ming off as the scene of the previous humiliation he suffered at Yang Kai’s hand resurfaced vividly in his mind. His Emperor Qi surged madly as he raised his hand and swung towards Hua Qing Si’s head.
Hua Qing Si not only did not even try to dodge, instead puffing out her chest as she welcomed the attack.
“Enough!” The old man, who had been keeping his eyes closed, let out a sharp snort.
Wu Ming froze, the raised hand still hovering mid-air. He glanced Hua Qing Si up and down for a moment then grinned, “If Junior Sister wants to seek death, Senior Brother will not let it happen. You are our precious chess piece after all!”
Hua Qing Si gritted her teeth and snarled, “Despicable!”
Wu Ming smirked, “Whatever you say. Our Honoured Master has promised to give you to me as a reward after this is over, so don’t worry, Senior Brother will love you well.”
He emphasized the word “love” with a meaningful expression.
Hua Qing Si’s complexion changed abruptly as she turned to look at the old man in disbelief, only to find him completely ignoring her. Her heart ached in numbing pain, knowing that Wu Ming had not lied.
She had never thought that her Honoured Master had such a ruthless side. Perhaps before she had been too weak to come in contact with the real character of her so-called Honoured Master, but everything was slowly becoming clear to her after she broke through to the Emperor Realm
“Go. Don’t keep our guests waiting,” the old man dismissed them.
“Yes!” Wu Ming replied respectfully, glared at Hua Qing Si, then left the room with her.
After the three loud gongs, the auction officially began.
A woman in a long dress walked out slowly from the back to a round stage, her beauty unmistakably lighting up the eyes of many men as she swept her charming eyes over the crowd.
Usually, the people who presided over the auction were men, mostly the elderly, while women rarely appeared on such occasions. Nevertheless, this beautiful young woman was very eye-catching, which excited the crowd greatly.
“Sister Hua?”
In a private room on the top level, Yang Kai muttered in surprise, walking out of his room to stare at the beautiful woman with his eyes widened.
“Senior Hua…” Ye Hen and the others looked complicated.
They recognized Hua Qing Si because she had stayed with them in the Thousand Leaves Sect for a period of time, and it was after Wu Ming came to find Hua Qing Si that the Thousand Leaves Sect suffered the disaster of extermination. Before, Ye Hen and the others had speculated that their misfortune might be related to Hua Qing Si.
At this moment, they could not help having complicated thoughts seeing Hua Qing Si suddenly reappearing in their vision as the host of the auction.
With a woosh, an extra figure appeared on the auction stage, drawing everyone’s attention. Of course, it was Yang Kai.
“Sister Hua!” Yang Kai stood in front of her and greeted with a smile.
“Yang Kai…” Hua Qing Si was stunned for a moment, then her eyes overflowed with pleasant surprise. Although she learned long ago that Yang Kai was here, she could not help feeling astonished to see him appear in front of her.
“Long time no see. How are you?” Yang Kai smiled from ear to ear.
Hua Qing Si smiled wryly, then her face turned solemn, “You shouldn’t have come.”
Yang Kai replied, “If I didn’t come, how could I bring you all back?”
“But you can’t leave even if you’ve come.” Hua Qing Si stated.
“Is this really aimed at me?” Yang Kai’s face darkened.
Hua Qing Si sighed, “Do you still remember the Dragon Island Token?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow as he thought back, soon remembering, “En, of course.”
In fact, he had long forgotten about it and if it were not for Hua Qing Si’s reminder, he probably wouldn’t have even recalled that such a thing was inside his Space Ring.
Hua Qing Si smiled wryly, “Back then, when I left Star Soul Palace, I was ordered by my Honoured Master to find the whereabouts of that Dragon Island Token in Maplewood City. You know that a Dragon Island Token is a very big deal. It allows one to go to Dragon Island and make a request from the Dragon Clan.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, his distant memories gradually resurfacing.
He obtained the Dragon Island Token by finding it in the Space Ring of a guy he killed by the name of Han Leng.
Apparently, Han Leng was an exiled disciple of Star Soul Palace, and could be considered a Senior Brother to Hua Qing Si. No one knew where Han Leng stole the Dragon Island Token from or how he escaped from Star Soul Palace, but after he died at Yang Kai’s hands, the Dragon Island Token naturally fell into Yang Kai’s hands too.
Later on, Hua Qing Si tracked down the Dragon Island Token and found Yang Kai, but she was herself captured in the end.
The use of the Dragon Island Token was explained to him by Hua Qing around that time.
“That Dragon Island Token belonged to my Honoured Master. One year ago, my Senior Brother Wu Ming found me and brought me back to Star Soul Palace. Although I didn’t want to reveal anything, some kind of Secret Technique was used by my Honoured Master on me and I could not stop myself from talking. You should know what happened next. I have no idea what I disclosed to my Honoured Master at that time, but he definitely knows that the Dragon Island Token is with you now. Therefore, he attacked the Thousand Leaves Sect and captured Chi Yue and the others to force you to show yourself.”
Yang Kai frowned, “So, your Honoured Master also knows my other secrets?”
Hua Qing Si’s face turned gloomy, “I’m sorry.”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “It’s alright if you didn’t do it on purpose.”
Although he never doubted Hua Qing Si, if she really betrayed him, Yang Kai would not be able to forgive her. Therefore, he felt quite relieved after listening to her explanation at the moment.
“Are my friends safe?” Yang Kai whispered.
Hua Qing Si answered, “Honoured Master didn’t hurt them; after all, you are his only target. Before taking you down, those people are his only chess pieces.”
Saying so, Hua Qing Si couldn’t help thinking to herself, [Am I not the same? Our relationship of Master and Disciple for so many years wasn’t worth a second thought in front of absolute benefits.]
Yang Kai looked up and scanned the place where Hua Qing Si came out of before muttering “If it’s across a Space Array…”
“Don’t be impulsive. They have all been implanted with Heart-Strangling Insects. Even if you were to find them, you wouldn’t be able to save them.” Hua Qing Si shook her head slowly, “Honoured Master only needs a single thought to take their lives.”
“Heart-Strangling Insect!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. He definitely knew what the Heart-Strangling Insects were as he had seen them listed on the Exotic Insect Record. Although not as formidable as the Soul Devouring Insects, they still had their uses and were also quite deadly.
As they were talking, Hua Qing Si suddenly let out a grunt. A dreadfully pained look appeared on her face, as if something was surfacing and crawling under her skin.
“Sister Hua, you were also…” Yang Kai’s face changed slightly.
Hua Qing Si endured the pain and continued, “Leave now. Honoured Master is always extremely cautious. He wouldn’t confront you without perfect assurance.”
Yang Kai swept his cold eyes towards a certain direction and saw Wu Ming over there sneering at him while performing a hand seal.
It seemed that he triggered the Heart-Strangling Insect inside Hua Qing Si that caused her to be in pain.
“Sister Hua, I will save you.” Yang Kai promised firmly before turning to Wu Ming and drawing his finger across his own neck threateningly, then vanishing.
If he stayed any longer, he was afraid that Hua Qing Si would suffer more torture. As such, it was the best choice to retreat for now.
The close conversation between the two on the stage had been seen by many cultivators, so they were all wondering what kind of relationship Yang Kai and Hua Qing Si had.
After the departure of Yang Kai, Wu Ming stopped torturing Hua Qing Si; after all, she was still needed to preside over the auction. It would not look good if he tormented her too much.
The Heart-Strangling Insect inside Hua Qing Si gradually settled and the unbearable pain slowly reduced. However, Hua Qing Si was already drenched in cold sweat. Pulling herself together, she lifted her head and announced like nothing happened, “The auction will begin now. The first item, Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppet, Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf! The reserve price is one million High-Rank Source Crystals!”
As soon as the declaration was made, everyone went into an uproar.
Although they knew that many Heaven Grade Puppets would appear in this auction, they still could not believe that one was used as the opening item.
This was unusual as generally, the sequence of the auction items would proceed from the lowest value to the highest value treasure in order to rile up the audience’s competitive spirit, making them lose themselves in the atmosphere and unconsciously bid higher.
The Heaven Grade Puppets were worthy to be auctioned off as finale items, so it did not make sense to take one out at the very beginning.
However, when they remembered that there was more than one Heaven Grade Puppet from the Thousand Leaves Sect and this might just be an ice-breaking tactic, they started to calm down.
One million High-Rank Source Crystals was a big sum, equivalent to one hundred million Mid-Rank Source Crystals or ten billion Low-Rank Source Crystals. As such, ordinary cultivators would not have the capability to win this prize.
However, considering that a Heaven Grade Puppet was as strong as an Emperor Realm Master, one million High-Rank Source Crystals was a bargain price. Buying it was equivalent to buying an Emperor Realm Master, one that could be controlled at will.
A large number of Emperor Realm Masters attended this auction, so they naturally came well-prepared.
At this moment, when they heard the reserve price, they rapidly prepared themselves for battle.
“I want this for one million. I hope everyone will give me face!”
A loud shout came just after Hua Qing Si finished speaking.
Everyone grimaced when they heard the voice, feeling disdainful in their hearts.
[Who did this person think he was? Did he really think that he could take away a Heaven Grade Puppet at the reserve price with just a few words? If he had big face, why did we even need to have an auction here?]
When they looked towards the source of the voice, many of them had their faces changed though.
Because they found that the person who spoke was no one other than the arrogant and aggressive young man, Yang Kai.
Those who initially wanted to compete immediately swallowed back their words.
When Yang Kai first came to Flowing Shadow City, he led his group to kill many Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples; however, even until now, Li Qing Yun, the Sect Master of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect did not mean to take revenge on them, instead even taking the initiative to deliver the captured Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect back to them.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had just taught Wu Ming a lesson outside the auction house. His boldness alone was enough to terrify everyone, not to mention the fact that he was accompanied by a Monster King.
It seemed like… they really had no choice but to give him face.
The entire auction venue fell into a strange silence.
Those cultivators who knew of Yang Kai’s savageness did not dare to make enemies with him, while those who did not know Yang Kai also noticed the strangeness of the atmosphere and vaguely speculated something too. Therefore, they dared not to stand out against him.
As a result, no one offered again after Yang Kai’s shout.
Hua Qing Si looked around and declared decisively, “In that case, the first Heaven Grade Puppet will belong to the friend in Room One.”
The crowd was stunned when they heard the declaration. They thought that the auctioneer was also quite strange, for she did not act according to any kind of convention. An auctioneer’s job was to raise the price an item sold for, so they would constantly ask whether there was anyone willing to bid again. Adding some colourful and exaggerated descriptions with a tone of incitement was commonplace. Even if they did not act so, they still had to at least declare a winner after a three count, but when it came to this young woman, she did not even bother to ask anything and declared the goods sold right away.
However, when they recalled the close conversation between Yang Kai and her before, they secretly believed that she was cooperating with him behind the scenes.
[What is this?]
[Was this still an auction?]
It was not the first time for these Emperor Realm Masters to participate in an auction, but this kind of auction was definitely a first for them.
It took only five breaths of time from the moment Hua Qing Si announced the reserve price until the first item was sold. At this moment, a maidservant emerged from behind with a tray in her hand, but before she could even show the Heaven Grade Puppet to the public, it was sold.
The maidservant seemed to have been completely taken by surprise, but she still walked straight to Room One with the tray.
When she arrived in front of the room, the door opened on its own, and the maidservant stood in front of the door, stating, “Honoured Guest, this is your auction item, please provide the one million High-Rank Source Crystals.”
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to grab the tray and lifted the red cloth covering the auction item, revealing a puppet in the shape of a wolf about a hand tall sitting quietly on the tray.
“Is it real?”
Yang Kai turned to ask Ye Hen.
Ye Hen confirmed excitedly, “That really is our Thousand Leaves Sect Heaven Grade Puppet, Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf!”
Ye Hen almost burst into tears at the recovery of the treasure he lost.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and tossed the Heaven Grade Puppet to Ye Hen casually, “Keep it.”
Yang Kai was a little surprised. As far as he could remember, these Heaven Grade Puppets were as large as mountains when he saw them guarding the strategic positions inside Thousand Leaves Sect, and did not expect that they could shrink to this extent.
The Puppet Dao from Thousand Leaves Sect was really extraordinary.
Ye Hen was dumbfounded, “But Young Master Yang bought this, this Ye… does not deserve it!”
This puppet was worth a great value of one million High-Rank Source Crystals, and Ye Hen was too embarrassed to take it for free.
“This thing can only display its full potential in your hands. Take it, there may be a fierce battle later,” Yang Kai smiled.
The puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect were refined with specific Secret Techniques and were also driven by specific Secret Techniques. The two were closely connected, so even if others could utilize them, they would not be able to exert the puppet’s full power, which could only be unearthed by cultivating those corresponding arts.
A realization dawned on Ye Hen after listening to Yang Kai’s words and he stored the Heaven Grade Puppet silently.
The maidservant trembled, feeling uneasy for obvious reasons. She forced a smile out and spoke to Yang Kai, “Honoured Guest, the auction item has been delivered, please pay the Source Crystals!”
Yang Kai dismissed her offhandedly, “No hurry. I still have more to bid. I will settle my bill when the auction is over to avoid trouble.”
“Ah,” the maidservant frowned, and looked at Yang Kai pleadingly, “But… but we do not have such a custom, this servant cannot make such a decision on her own.”
Yang Kai glanced at her, “Since you don’t have the authority, go ask someone who does.”
The maidservant shivered violently when she received this glance and did not dare to talk anymore, leaving immediately to make her report.
In the meantime, another maidservant appeared on the stage up with a tray; after which Hua Qing Si announced dully, “The second auction item, a Thousand Leaves Sect Heaven Grade Puppet, the reserve price is one million High-Rank Source Crystals!”
She stood there quietly when she finished.
Yang Kai shouted immediately, “I want this for one million. I hope everyone will give me face.”
After saying this, the audience went into an uproar as the gathered Emperor Realm Masters ground their teeth with hatred.
When the first auction item, the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf, came out, Yang Kai had said the exact same thing, and those Emperor Realm Masters really did give him face. No one competed with him, but it was simply insatiable of him to do the same thing for this second auction item. He really did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.
But when they thought of Yang Kai’s ruthlessness and the Monster King behind him, most of the Emperor Realm Masters still chose to remain silent, refusing to take the lead. Some other Emperor Realm Masters who did not know Yang Kai were quietly mocking him in their private rooms, but also did not continue bidding for the item.
Although their voices were small, it was still audible to the many clear-sighted and clear-hearing Emperor Realm Masters present.
They were a little worried that Yang Kai would start violently beating people, but unexpectedly, the room where Yang Kai was located remained silent.
At this time, the maidservant who sent the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf to Yang Kai reported to Wu Ming carefully about what had happened earlier.
Wu Ming was furious as he cursed through gritted teeth, “That bastard, he’s trying to openly rob us!”
One million High-Rank Source Crystals was still a lot of wealth for him, and looking at Yang Kai’s actions, it was clear that he did not ever intend to pay and was simply brushing him off.
Wu Ming believed that even when the auction ended, Yang Kai would not pay a single Source Crystal.
Such a practice was far more than petty and shameless.
“Sir, what should we do now?” The maidservant was in a panic. She had sold something from her own auction floor for nothing, and any credibility Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce had before would be gone when the news spread out. However, she was just a simple maidservant and really had no right to make such important decisions.
Wu Ming’s eyes flickered for a while before he snorted coldly, “It’s fine, just ignore him.”
In any case, Yang Kai would die today, so no matter how many good things there were in his Space Ring, they would ultimately be theirs. [Go ahead, take these for free, we’ll see who has the last laugh when the dust settles.]
The maidservant was startled and pleaded, “But he has started bidding again. What should I do if he wins another auction?”
Wu Ming waved his hand, “Just deliver the items to him.”
“Ah!” The maidservant was appalled. She did not expect Wu Ming to give such an answer. However, before today’s auction started, the maidservants had been notified that they must follow Wu Ming’s orders, so she did not dare to refute. Still, she felt quite strange as she wondered what was going on today.
Wu Ming sneered slightly as he glanced at the private room where Yang Kai sat and thought, [You can have fun all you want now, but Honoured Master has planned for every possibility. Today you will die without a burial!]
The whole auction was not only a means to draw out Yang Kai, but also a strategy to stall for time. While the auction was being held, his Honoured Master was already secretly preparing to spring his trap. By then, no one would be able to escape from here.
As expected, no one competed in the bidding for the second auction item, and soon it was delivered to Yang Kai’s private room by a different maidservant.
As if she was under orders, the maidservant did not request Yang Kai for payment again. After delivering the item, she simply retired respectfully.
Yang Kai casually tossed it to Ye Hen again.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were secretly excited watching from the sidelines, thinking that all the Heaven Grade puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect could be recovered from the auction. If this was the case, the Thousand Leaves Sect may be able to make a comeback. Many of the Sect’s ancient books and records were brought with them into Emperor Heaven Valley, so the Sect would surely regain its glory one day if they took back these Heaven Grade puppets and recruited more disciples.
“The third auction item…” On the stage, Hua Qing Si continued to host the auction with an indifferent expression.
But before she could finish her words, Yang Kai shouted again, “I want it for one million.”
It was no doubt another Heaven Grade Puppet.
The Thousand Leaves Sect originally had ten Heaven Grade Puppets, but after Liu Yan took away a White Tiger, only nine were left. It would take some time to buy all the items one by one.
An old voice in room seven asked in a voice mixed with deep dissatisfaction and indignation, “This friend, do you want us to give you face again?”
Yang Kai grinned, “It would be great if you could.”
The old man in room seven snorted coldly, “Face must be earned, not given by others.”
“Good, everything can be done once or twice, but not thrice.” Someone immediately agreed, the voice seemingly coming from room thirteen. “This is an auction, so naturally the one who bids the most will win. What you’re doing, my friend, is just too disrespectful.”
“Boy, you already have two Heaven Grade Puppets, you should be satisfied and not participate in the following auctions.”
“Yes, that’s right! We all travelled from far and wide to come here just for these Heaven Grade Puppets. Your appetite is far too big if you want to take them all for yourself.”
As soon as someone spoke out, others would definitely follow suit. They did not know anything about Yang Kai before, so they laid low and let Yang Kai pick up two big bargains for nothing; however, while everyone was discussing him in private, they realized that this little bastard was just putting up a front and not really taking action. This greatly boosted their boldness and they began openly criticizing him.
Who did not want good things? By the looks of Yang Kai’s attitude, if the others did not speak up again, he really would sweep up everything in this auction. How could anyone tolerate such an insult? It was already a great kindness that they let him take away two Heaven Grade Puppets at the reserve price. He needed to learn to be content.
Many people secretly regretted it. If they had known that this boy was just bluffing, they would have bid against him for the first two items. Generally speaking, the prices of the first few auction items were relatively low, and the prices would slowly increase as more items were auctioned.
Only those who knew that a Monster King was accompanying Yang Kai, and saw Yang Kai beat up Wu Ming earlier, kept silent, sneering in their hearts as they thought about the terrible fate awaiting these vocal Emperors would soon face.
Yang Kai’s boldness to beat Wu Ming into a pulp in front of the entrance of the auction house proved that he was reckless and dauntless. It would be courting death to look for trouble with such a madman, because none of the Emperors present was even as strong as Wu Ming.
Since this matter would not affect them though, they decided to sit back and watch the show.
But what surprised them was that Yang Kai did not react with violence to these people, simply remaining silent before drawling, “Since you don’t want to give me a face, then go ahead and start bidding. Why run your mouths so much?”
As soon as this remark came out, many people were shocked, thinking, [What happened? Does this boy have a split personality? That’s impossible! Could it be that he felt threatened by the number of people here?]
After all, it was never a good idea to provoke public anger. It did not matter if he beat Wu Ming, if he was stubborn and continued to ask others to give him a face, he would probably offend all the Emperor Realm Masters present.
Once that happened, he would be unable to handle so many enemies at once.
Considering all this, the Emperor Realm Masters who had been silent the whole time could not help becoming eager.
Without Yang Kai acting as an impassable obstacle, they did not need to be afraid of anyone, and whoever had the stronger financial resources would obtain the Heaven Grade Puppets.
As soon as they reached this conclusion, many Emperor Realm Masters straightened their backs and rolled up their sleeves, preparing themselves for the coming competition.
The old man in room seven smiled slightly and spoke in a manner of seniority, “Child, this is the atmosphere that an auction should have. In that case, this Old Master will start spicing things up. One million and one hundred thousand!”
“One million and two hundred thousand!”
“One million and five hundred thousand!”
“Two million!”
Shouts came in from all directions one after another as the Emperor Realm Masters in the big private rooms started to take action. In less than ten breaths of time, the value of the Heaven Grade Puppets with a reserve price of one million High-Rank Source Crystals rose rapidly to three million, and the bidding was far from over.
“Ten million!” A voice sounded abruptly.
The clamorous auction house fell silent in an instant as numerous people turned to look at room one with their faces twitching.
That was because they recognized the voice that offered ten million High-Rank Source Crystals had belonged to Yang Kai. Naturally, they felt resentful.
The price was terrifyingly raised from three million to ten million, more than tripled in one go. Such a price gap shocked all the Emperor Realm Masters.
But then again, a Heaven Grade Puppet was really worth such a price. Although ten million High-Rank Source Crystals was not cheap, it was completely worth it for a Heaven Grade Puppet. It could only be said that the boy in room one was decisive enough to offer a high price straightaway to deter most of the competitors who coveted it.
Auctions were competitions of wits and guts, and if one could not afford more than the new bid, he could only give up on it.
“What the hell!” Wu Ming who hid behind the stage scolded angrily.
Although the others thought that Yang Kai was acting generously and decisively to win the Heaven Grade Puppets, he knew what Yang Kai was really up to. The bidding price was just a number to Yang Kai, because he was not planning to pay at all. Therefore, not to mention ten million, he would even dare to offer a hundred million if he needed to.
Considering all this, Wu Ming’s heart clenched as cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
[Don’t tell me this little brat… really is going to offer a hundred million later?]
“Boy, how bold you are!” The old man in room seven yelled with a slight tinge of anger. He cursed Yang Kai in his heart for not understanding decorum. No one would raise the bid to such a high price like this. If the bidders cut one another’s throats, it would only benefit the organizer. If Yang Kai did not buy the two previous Heaven Grade Puppets, he would suspect that Yang Kai was a plant from the auction house.
“Ten million High-Rank Source Crystals for a Heaven Grade Puppet. Boy, your calculations aren’t bad, but unfortunately, you’ve run into this Old Master today,” the old man from room seven sneered and offered, “Eleven million.”
The price of his bid was actually almost close to his limit, but Yang Kai’s action was so unruly that he could not bear it and secretly decided to compete with him to the end. He wanted to make him understand that old ginger was spicier than young ginger.
“One hundred million!”
Yang Kai sat on his chair, resting his cheek on his palm, holding a cup of tea and sipping gently.
*Pu… *
Ye Jing Han almost laughed out loud.
At this point, how could she not understand Yang Kai’s plan? This auction was just a joke to Yang Kai, so there was no difference between ten million, hundred million, one billion or even ten billion to him. They were just numbers that he shouted, never intending to pay up in the end.
Ye Hen and Du Xian also revealed odd expressions, secretly wiping the sweat on their foreheads.
Backstage, Wu Ming’s face turned black. As he expected, the little brat really dared to bid a hundred million.
On the contrary, gasps could be heard one after another from all the private rooms as countless eyes in the hall converged towards room one.
“Did I hear him right? One hundred million? Did he mean Low-Rank Source Crystals or High-Rank Source Crystals?”
“Dream, dream. I must be dreaming.”
“This little brat is crazy! Does he really have so many Source Crystals to spend? If he can’t finish spending them, he can just spare some for me! What a waste!”
“Young Lord, this humble one is willing to serve you. This humble one’s capital is quite impressive, big, soft and white…”
…..
The hall was buzzing excitedly. Yang Kai’s bid of one hundred million left them totally flabbergasted, just like a loud boom of thunder that shocked them to the state of dizziness and confusion.
“You, you, you…” The old man in room seven became furious after recovering from his shock and crushed the arm of his chair as he shouted, “Little brat, don’t go too far!”
Yang Kai curled his lips and glanced lightly at room seven, “As you said, this is an auction, so naturally the one with the most money gets what he wants. How is this Young Master going too far?”
“You are clearly bidding maliciously! This is ridiculous!” He doubted that Yang Kai would really be willing to spend a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystal to buy a Heaven Grade Puppet. The value of a Heaven Grade Puppet was only ten to twenty million. What was the concept of a hundred million? Even those first-class Sects may not be able to take out so many Source Crystals at once.
Yang Kai snorted, “If you can’t afford to play, don’t play. It’s better to find a place to enjoy the rest of your life when you’re old. Why come out and make a fool of yourself?”
“You are infuriating this Old Master!” The old man was fuming and turned to Hua Qing Si, “Madam, is this auction simply going to allow this man to make a mockery of the rules and bid maliciously? Is there no one here who will maintain order?”
This was the branch of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce’s regulations, which was extremely damaging to its credibility. The old man questioned her, thinking that Hua Qing Si was a member of the Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce.
Hua Qing Si glanced faintly at room seven and answered, “However much he bid is his business. I didn’t see him causing any trouble, but on the contrary, you’re the one who’s interrupting the auction.”
The old man was shocked, but then he remembered that the boy in room one seemed to be quite close with this auctioneer. They were even whispering to each other on stage just before the auction started, so it was only natural for her to help him instead of an outsider.
“Snakes and rats in the same nest, colluding with each other!” The old man flicked his sleeves, feeling extremely disappointed with Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce, mumbling out loud, “I don’t believe he can come up with a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals.”
If any random person could take out a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals, they would not be called High-Rank Source Crystals anymore. Even this old man could only gather up to twenty million High-Rank Source Crystals by almost emptying the coffers of his Sect. Given that Yang Kai looked so young, and his cultivation was only First-Order Emperor Realm, how could he have such rich financial resources?
“Old Zhou is right. This boy is definitely here to make trouble. He should be kicked out!” Someone yelled immediately. It was the Emperor Realm Master from room thirteen.
“Expel him! This kind of person should not be allowed to participate in the auction. He already picked up two bargains, what is Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce even doing?”
All of a sudden, the crowd became riotous and began demanding Yang Kai be thrown out of the auction.
The main reason was that the offer of one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals was too terrifying. This was just the third auction item, and there were more Heaven Grade Puppets to come as well as the rumoured Star Master. If Yang Kai hiked up the price indiscriminately every time, who could defeat him?
They could not let him stay any longer for the sake of their own benefits.
Twenty or thirty Emperor Realm Masters shouted together, their Emperor Intent pulsing from each private room, as if the end of days was about to descend, frightening the wits out of the cultivators in the lower hall.
Hua Qing Si also frowned on the stage. If it was just one or two people, she did not need to pay it any mind, since this auction was really just a show. However, now that there were so many Emperor Realm Masters complaining, she had no idea what to do. If she did not handle this well, it might cause Yang Kai a dreadful disaster.
Wu Ming sneered backstage, secretly feeling satisfied about the situation. He showed no intention to step out and calm the situation because he could not wait for Yang Kai to draw the hatred of everyone present, making it easier to facilitate the next part of the plan.
“Shut up!” Yang Kai bellowed from room one while picking the wax from his ear.
The noise from all directions was causing his brain to buzz.
“Little brat, how dare you shout at us!” The old man in room seven now couldn’t wait to fight it out with Yang Kai. The situation was completely in his favour and he did not put Yang Kai in his eyes anymore, snapping righteously, “If you are smart, quickly disappear from this Old Master’s sight. If you don’t, everyone here will teach you how to show proper respect!”
Just when he finished his sentence, all of a sudden, a figure bizarrely emerged in the air above the auction hall. It was Yang Kai.
“You… What are you doing!?” The old man was taken aback. Even though he was watching everything from his private room, he did not notice how Yang Kai appeared just now.
A pair of eyes now stared back though, penetrating the walls and Spirit Arrays, seemingly stabbing straight into his heart.
Yang Kai stared coldly at room seven for a moment before he swept his gaze across the hall finally declaring, “All you trash are accusing this Young Master of maliciously bidding because you don’t believe this Young Master can take out one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals. Then let this Young Master ask you, what if I can take them out?”
“Impudence!”
“Ridiculous!”
“This is so outrageous. The blasphemy!”
Although the cultivation of the Emperor Realm Masters here was not considered high, they were all still pillars of their respective Sects and forces. Each of them had exceedingly high status, so it was only natural for them to be infuriated after Yang Kai referred to them as trash.
“If you can take them out, this King will eat three kilograms of shit!”
The voice came out from nowhere and no one knew which private room it came from. Obviously it was just some random yelling and the person did not want to expose his position.
However, Yang Kai accurately locked his gaze on room thirteen and replied in amazement, “This friend has such strong taste. This Young Master admires you greatly!”
Inside room thirteen, a certain middle-aged man’s face turned pale. He did not expect that he would fail to hide his position with his Secret Technique and was instantly spotted by Yang Kai. He was now deeply regretting his choice of words. If he knew this, he would not have shouted recklessly.
It was just that Yang Kai was so unpleasant to his eyes that he instinctively wanted to annoy him.
The others also looked at room thirteen with various expressions.
“Good, since Your Excellency is so enthusiastic, this Young Master will fulfill your wish!” Yang Kai clapped his hands then turned to room seven and asked, “Old thing, how about you?”
“You?” The old man sneered disdainfully. Obviously, he did not believe that Yang Kai could come up with so many Source Crystals.
“Yes, me. Tell me what you’re willing to wager, or are you all talk?” Yang Kai snorted.
The purpose of him coming here this time, firstly was to rescue Chi Yue and his Seniors, and secondly to recover the Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect. Since there were people who dared to interrupt him, he would not show any kindness.
The old man retorted, “If you can take them out, this Old Master will take down his head and let you use it as a ball.”
To him, Yang Kai was just a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even if he really could take out one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals, he was not afraid of him either. It was not a big deal for him to fight with Yang Kai; in fact, he very much wanted to teach Yang Kai that there was always a bigger fish.
“Very good,” Yang Kai grinned, “Then, prepare your head for this Young Master.”
While speaking, he turned around and flew to the stage where Hua Qing Si was located. After landing and examining the surroundings, he announced, “Open your dog eyes and watch carefully, tell me if this Young Master is maliciously bidding or not!”
With a wave of his hand, a big hill of Source Crystals appeared on the stage. Each of the Source Crystals emitted blinding white light as they released an amazing aura. All of a sudden, the whole auction venue was completely filled with World Energy.
The cultivators in the hall instantly fell silent as they ogled at the stage with their eyes widened. Even the Emperor Realm Masters who were sitting in their private rooms could not help stretching out their necks to have a peek at the breathtaking scene before them.
“So many Source Crystals! I’ve never seen so many Source Crystals in my life!”
“They are all High-Rank Source Crystals, authentic High-Rank Source Crystals!”
“Such a big pile, there must be at least a hundred million!”
“Sir, this slave wants to have a baby with you! Please spare this slave a glance…”
All the cultivators sitting in the lower hall exploded. Their cultivations weren’t high, so the cultivation resources that they could obtain were always limited. They had never seen so many Source Crystals before, not to mention they were all High-Rank Source Crystals. Such a huge sum of wealth was enough to send them into a state of insanity.
If such a fortune fell into their hands, they would not have to worry about their cultivation for the rest of their lives. Even their future generations would not have to worry about resources for a thousand years.
*Gudong… *
The sound of gulps came from the various private rooms one after another. While floored with disbelief, these Emperors’ eyes were filled with covetousness, because it was no less eye-opening for them than it was for the cultivators in the hall to see this many Source Crystals all at once.
“He really has so many High-Rank Source Crystals…” The old man in room seven muttered in disbelief, his face twitching. Apart from feeling shocked, he also felt uneasy and frightened because he had made such an outrageous boast when he got mad earlier. For a moment, he felt a chill on his neck and subconsciously touched it.
But soon, he sneered.
[So what if this brat can take out a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals? I’m a First-Order Emperor as well and have been one for centuries. How could it be possible for me to lose to this young man? If he is smart enough, he should now try to minimize the conflict, but if he still wants to pester me endlessly, I will teach him a lesson.]
[Moreover, this little brat has long infuriated everyone and does not understand the principle of not exposing one’s wealth, going so far as to recklessly show off his treasures. If we really have to fight here, I’m certain many others won’t just stand by and watch. At least, the friend in room thirteen will certainly help.]
Considering all this, the old man was instantly relieved.
On the stage, Yang Kai casually waved his hand again, and another pile of High-Rank Source Crystals appeared at once. The amount this time was even higher than in the previous pile.
“Ssii…”
The sound of deep inhalation was heard from all around as everyone stared at the Source Crystals on the stage stupidly, as if they were all petrified. The radiance of these High-Rank Source Crystals was dazzling, making everyone restless.
It was not over yet though as this was followed by a third pile, then a fourth …
In just a moment, the whole stage was almost buried in High-Rank Source Crystals, and the permeating World Energy had all but become liquid. Every cultivator in the auction venue felt that both their minds and bodies were reborn.
“Ah, my bottleneck… My bottleneck is loosening, I’m about to break through!”
Someone shouted loudly with a face full of pleasant surprise.
Before he finished speaking, an aura suddenly burst out; someone else had made a breakthrough before him.
*Hong hong hong… *
Auras inflated rapidly one after another. There were about one hundred cultivators who broke through their shackles with the assistance of the extremely rich World Energy, reaching the next realm.
Those cultivators who did not make a breakthrough were also full of joy though as every one of them madly circulated their Secret Art to absorb the dense World Energy.
These people did not have high cultivations or good cultivation resources. The places where they chose to cultivate in retreat were not excellent places either; however, because of the hundreds of millions of High-Rank Source Crystals that Yang Kai took out, he had created a kind of cultivation paradise that was comparable to the greatest cultivation rooms of top Sects.
Given this environment, it was a matter of course that they could break through their bottlenecks.
“My hero…” Someone cried his heart out. This person had been stuck at the peak of Second-Order Saint King Realm for thirty years and had thought that he would never be able to take another step further in his life, but today he had actually met such a good opportunity.
“Young hero, please accept my bow!” Another person stood up and bowed sincerely to Yang Kai who was standing on the stage.
More and more people stood up to offer their gratitude.
Yang Kai looked at them with a smile and did not stop those people from absorbing the World Energy emitted by his Source Crystals.
He had gained an absurd amount of wealth in the Ancient Wild Lands and again when he emptied the Treasury of Seeking Passion Sect. Just in High-Rank Source Crystals, he had more than a billion on him. A small loss of World Energy meant nothing to him.
From the wealth that he had now, a small donation was enough for these cultivators to use for their entire lives.
Backstage, Wu Ming stared at the High-Rank Source Crystals with scorching eyes, gulping hard as greed filled his mind, [Mine. It’s all mine!]
He did not expect Yang Kai’s wealth to be so great. Since hundreds of millions of High-Rank Source Crystals were just something that he could take out casually, this meant there must be even greater treasures in his Space Ring. If he could take him down, wouldn’t this wealth all fall into his hands?
[No, no, it should belong to Honoured Master. But it doesn’t matter because as long as Honoured Master obtains it, I will still be able to have a share!] Considering all this, Wu Ming was exhilarated and almost laughed out loud wildly.
“You trash, have you seen clearly yet? Now tell me, is this Young Master just maliciously bidding?” Yang Kai asked with a cold tone while glaring at the crowd.
Everyone turned speechless.
Words were not proof, but with the evidence right in front of their eyes, they had no other choice but to believe. Yang Kai really managed to take out so many Source Crystals at once. He had proven himself beyond any doubt.
Saying so, Yang Kai retrieved the High-Rank Source Crystals back into his Space Ring.
The rich World Energy in the surroundings was suddenly cut off, and everyone in the hall put on a sad face. Given that these things did not belong to them and the owner was an Emperor Realm Master though, it was already a great kindness for him to even show it to them, so they could not just expect Yang Kai to keep those Source Crystals there for them to cultivate.
Many sighs could be heard for a while.
“I’m glad that you all have no comment,” Yang Kai grinned, then turned to room seven, “Old thing, it’s time to fulfil your promise.”
“What promise, I don’t understand!” The old man in room seven yelled angrily.
“How dare you not keep your word!” Yang Kai’s face turned grim, “Who was the old bastard who said that if this Young Master could take out one hundred million Source Crystal, he would take down his own head and let me kick it like a ball? How dare you deny it. Are you that thick-skinned?”
The old man snorted coldly, “Can jokes be taken seriously?”
Yang Kai retorted in a deep voice, “Old thing, you really are shameless. I’ll count to three, if you don’t take down your head, don’t blame this Young Master for doing it for you.”
“Boy, how dare you!” The old man was maddened. After all, they were both First-Order Emperor Realm Masters, so he did not expect Yang Kai to not show him the slightest respect. Although he did make such a promise out of anger, anyone would understand that he was not being serious. Why would he follow through now?
“One!” Yang Kai ignored him and started counting.
“Little brat, don’t take things too far. This Old Master is the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect. Do you want to make enemies of my Grey Sky Sect?” Seeing the determined look on Yang Kai’s face, the old man hurriedly revealed his identity in hopes of making Yang Kai back down.
“Two!” Yang Kai was unaffected as he called again coldly.
What thing was Grey Sky Sect to Yang Kai? He had even dared to annihilate the Seeking Passion Sect, so why would he fear some unknown Grey Sky Sect?
The old man was now beginning to panic. He did not expect Yang Kai to be serious. Was this little brat crazy? The two of them had equal cultivation and there was no deep hatred between them. Was it really necessary to take things to this extent?
However, he had no idea that a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm and a trivial Grey Sky Sect were nothing in Yang Kai’s eyes.
If he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, Yang Kai might still consider bargaining a bit.
The old man gritted his teeth, and tossed his gaze in the direction of room thirteen, using his Divine Sense to communicate with the Emperor Realm Master there, “Friend, this little brat is insane. How about we join hands to take him down? Otherwise, given his attitude, he will target you after he finishes dealing with this Old Master. It’s better if we strike first, then split his hundreds of millions of Source Crystals between us evenly!”
The Emperor Realm Master’s face in room thirteen darkened too, because Yang Kai was simply too overbearing. He also knew that the old man was right. Previously, he proclaimed he would eat three kilograms of shit just to annoy Yang Kai, but he did not expect Yang Kai to be able to locate him even though he had deliberately hidden his position.
While he was still worrying that Yang Kai would also want him to fulfil his promise, the old man sent a Divine Sense Message.
After being motivated by the hundreds of millions of Source Crystals, this middle-aged man nodded as he replied without a second thought, “Good!”
The old man was ecstatic, thinking to himself, [Little brat, since you court death, don’t blame this Old Master for being ruthless.]
“Three!” After Yang Kai shouted, he stared coldly at room seven and nodded, “Very good, it seems you won’t shed tears unless you see your own coffin. In that case, let this Young Master help you!”
He shot towards room seven and sent out a punch.
A loud explosion, followed by a sudden appearance of a light barrier covered room seven. The barrier successfully blocked Yang Kai’s attack as it flashed brilliantly.
The private rooms in the auction were guarded by stronger barriers meant to protect the privacy and safety of important guests. For top-notched auction houses, these barriers were generally sufficient to defend against the spying of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and even handle a few attacks from one.
Although Flowing Shadow City was not a small city, it was not a big city either; as such, the Spirit Arrays in this branch of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce were only able to defend against the attacks of ordinary First-Order and Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters.
They were essentially useless against Third-Order Emperors.
However, there were not many Masters of this level and they were even more rarely seen. Even if such a Master appeared, each of them was a noble existence who would not commit such rude actions.
“Hahaha!” The Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect in room seven burst into laughter after seeing Yang Kai suffer a setback, “Little brat, do you think you alone can cause this Old Master trouble? You should go back and cultivate for another… Ah!”
In the middle of his boasting, he suddenly screamed as if he had seen something horrifying.
Everyone looked towards the room, their eyes bulging as they found what they saw impossible to believe.
A slight crack had actually appeared on the light barrier around room seven.
*Kacha… *
Everyone was taken aback by the soft noise. The face of the old man who sat in room seven turned pale and his eyes widened as he could not believe Yang Kai was so powerful.
Yang Kai could actually cause a crack in the barrier with a single punch, so it could be imagined what would happen if he unleashed a few more punches…
[Damn Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce, what kind of defective Spirit Array is this? Useless!] The old man cursed in his heart.
While the old man was still in a state of shock, Yang Kai summoned the Myriads Sword and pushed his Emperor Qi fiercely, causing an eruption of sword light as he slashed out.
*Hong… *
The power of the sword seemed to be able to penetrate space itself and flip the Heavens and Earth. The expressions of the Emperor Realm Masters in the other private rooms turned solemn as they realized just how formidable Yang Kai was.
The light curtain barrier which already had a crack on it completely shattered under the slash of the sword, turning into fluorescent dust as it scattered and disappeared.
Room seven was immediately exposed, utterly unprotected.
Yang Kai slashed once more and broke into the room where he met an old man with a pale and frightened face staring back at him with his eyes widened.
With a flicker, Yang Kai rushed inside and rested the broad Myriads Sword on the old man’s shoulder and demanded, “Old thing, give me your head.”
*Deng deng deng deng… *
The old man stumbled back in horror and shouted with his teeth gritted, “Friend, it’s now or never!”
Having said that, he pounced at Yang Kai while pushing his Emperor Qi wildly. The old man bent his fingers into claws as an eagle phantom flashed behind him. A shadow of two gigantic claws cast over the entire sky, charging forward fiercely, as if he was about to tear apart Yang Kai’s body.
Although the old man knew that Yang Kai was not easy to be dealt with, in the end, he was also a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Furthermore, with the assistance of his ally from room thirteen, the old man was not too afraid of Yang Kai. As such, he held nothing back with his attack, obviously wanting to end things in a single stroke.
However, just when he was about to reach Yang Kai’s face, he was welcomed by a big foot covered in rich Emperor Qi, stomping on his face directly. Despite the simplicity of this move, it managed to disperse the shadow of gigantic claws from the old man.
The old man instinctively tried to evade, but to his surprise, the surrounding space seemed to solidify at that instant, making it impossible for him to move at all.
With a loud thud, the old man was thrown out and slammed directly into the wall behind him, from which he slid down slowly. Stars spun around his head, and apart from feeling dizzy, he also felt that his nose had been flattened.
When the old man opened his eyes again, he saw a broadsword pointed at his neck, the feel of it against his skin ice cold and at its opposite end stood Yang Kai with a sneer on his face.
The old man was appalled. He did not expect that even though they were both First-Order Emperors, he could not even take a single exchange of blows with Yang Kai before being beaten down.
[Is he… is this monster really a First-Order Emperor Realm Master?]
Gasps sounded one after another from the surrounding private rooms as no one could believe the scene that just took place in front of them.
All of them had been observing the battle clearly just now. First, Yang Kai broke the protective barrier around the old man’s private room with just two blows, then he exchanged moves with the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect head-on, leading to the old Sect Master to take a kick to the face before he slid to the ground, his life now no longer in his own hands.
Everything that happened was beyond belief, and if they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would not believe that such a thing could happen in this world.
The Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect was an established First-Order Emperor Realm Master, so how could he be so vulnerable in front of an opponent with the same cultivation?
“You have a helper?” Yang Kai sneered, lightly glancing over at room thirteen.
The door of room thirteen was open, and a middle-aged man stood there in a posture that made it seem like he was preparing to rush out of his room, but right now, he was frozen stiff.
In front of him was Ying Fei, who was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, watching at him with a pair of sharp eagle-like eyes and a casual smirk.
There was no hostility, no aura fluctuations, and not even any pressure coming from Ying Fei’s body, but his mere presence had caused sweat to trickle down the head of the middle-aged man, locking him in place.
Inexplicably, this man felt that the one standing in front of him had the ability to kill him with ease, so even though he wanted to assist the Sect Master from Grey Sky Sect, he could not take a step forward.
“Go back. Young Master Yang will visit you soon,” Ying Fei looked at the middle-aged man and waved his hand lightly.
The middle-aged man gulped down his saliva and gently closed the door, retreating back to his seat as he shivered from head to toe.
Inside room seven, Yang Kai grinned at the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect and teased, “It looks like you’ve been abandoned.”
Of course, Yang Kai knew what had happened to the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen. With Ying Fei guarding the door, it was difficult for that man to even leave his room, much less provide help to the old man in front of him.
But when the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect heard these words from Yang Kai, his face went ashen.
Initially, he thought he did not need to be too afraid of Yang Kai because they had the same cultivation. Moreover, with the support of room thirteen, it would be a two versus one battle so the old man didn’t put Yang Kai in his eyes at all. But as soon as they clashed, he realized how wrong he was.
This First-Order Emperor Junior was completely different from any he had encountered before.
However, what angered him more was that the person in room thirteen actually did nothing.
Feeling the cold chill of the Myriads Sword, the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect begged in a trembling voice, “Forgive me, Young Master. I’m willing to apologize and make up for the mistakes. Please spare my life.”
At the critical moment of life and death, the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect did not care about face anymore; he just wanted to live. Without life, everything else was pointless.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “One’s word is more valuable than their life!”
When the words fell, the Myriads Sword flashed across the old man’s neck.
The old man’s eyes widened as he stared in horror at Yang Kai, reaching up to touch his neck with his hand as he muttered, “You…”
Before he could finish his thought though, blood spurted out of his neck with such force that it separated his head from his body, sending his head flying into the air.
“Ah…”
Screams were heard around the room.
The Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect seemed to have brought several young disciples with him to experience the auction this time, so all of them were dumbstruck when Yang Kai broke into the room and could not help screaming in fear when their helpless Sect Master was beheaded without being able to even fight back. Among them were two beautiful female disciples who fell to the ground on their butts, their eyes completely glossing over.
Yang Kai ignored them as he casually grabbed the head of the Grey Sky Sect Sect Master by the hair and began examining it. The Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect truly lived up to his reputation as an Emperor Realm Master as he was still glaring at Yang Kai in anger even after he was beheaded, as if he could not accept such a fate, but after a while, the light in his eyes gradually faded.
Thousands of cultivators in the hall fell silent.
Previously, when Yang Kai took out hundreds of millions of High-Rank Source Crystal to create an unprecedented cultivation paradise for them, they appreciated him so much and never thought that such a good man could exist in the world. However, after watching him behead the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect just because of a few casually spoken words, they realized just how frightening Yang Kai could be.
The Emperor Realm Masters in the other private rooms also stared in shock. For those who slightly knew about the background of Yang Kai, they just shook their heads and felt pity for the old man.
This young man was the one who beat up a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master at the entrance of the auction house, so all of them were doing their best to avoid him. On the other hand, this old man dared to provoke him, so what end except death could he expect?
As for the Emperors who had no clue about Yang Kai, they could not help feeling a sense of dread. Most of them were just First-Order Emperors as well, similar to the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect. Seeing that this old man couldn’t even put up any kind of resistance before Yang Kai swiftly killed him, they could not help feeling terrified when they thought about if it was them in the old man’s position. All of them secretly decided not to provoke this devil, otherwise, they would be the next victim in line.
“Since you wanted this Young Master to kick your head, then this Young Master is forced to accept it.” After speaking, Yang Kai tossed the old man’s head up, and spun his body into a flying spin kick, sending the head of the Grey Sky Sect Sect Master in a swoosh, straight arc to the auction stage, over Hua Qing Si’s head, and finally crashing directly into the backstage, completely smashing it into a mush, like a tossed watermelon.
Backstage, Wu Ming who was watching the show did not expect Yang Kai to kick the head to his side and only managed to dodge it narrowly, but he still had blood splash all over his body. Wu Ming’s face darkened instantly as he desperately held down his anger, despite how uncomfortable it was for him.
After doing so, Yang Kai lifted up the dead body of the Grey Sky Sect Sect Master and glanced at room thirteen with a grin, “Where is my friend who said that he would eat three kilograms of shit? Be prepared, there’s a hot and fresh pile here.”
He then took the body and headed towards room thirteen as he spoke.
*Shua shua shua… *
Everyone turned to room thirteen with full of sympathy.
Even though the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect was dead, it was a quick death as Yang Kai did not torture him, but for the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen, perhaps death would be a preferable option to his coming fate.
Imagining the torture that the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen would encounter soon, many shivered uncontrollably as goosebumps appeared all over their bodies.
They did not doubt Yang Kai’s strength and determination. Previously, the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect in room seven had stated that he would let Yang Kai kick his head like a ball, and Yang Kai really did it. On the other hand, the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen had stated that he would eat three kilograms of shit, and they were afraid that… he really would have to eat it now.
None of them had ever attended an auction like this, nor had they ever seen such an unruly person before.
The whole auction house turned dead silent as Divine Senses all emerged from the private rooms one after another to monitor the situation in room thirteen. No one could suppress their curiosity. Although they knew what was going to happen, they all still felt an irresistible yet terrifying urge to watch.
*Peng… *
The door of room thirteen was kicked open, followed by the growl of the middle-aged, “What do you want to do?”
“This Young Master is here to grant your wish. You’re welcome!”
“No, no, no, I didn’t say that. It wasn’t me.”
“A real man never goes back on his word. At this point, there is nothing you can do to avoid it!”
“Young Master, please spare me from this, I was wrong! Broad-minded people will not care about the narrow-minded people, please don’t take offence!”
“No, no, no, it’s the first time this Young Master has heard such an awe-inspiring request, so he simply must grant it today! Monster King, don’t let him resist!”
“Yes!”
“You… You can kill me, but I’ll not let you humiliate me, I’ll fight you!”
“How dare you try to move without this King’s permission! Young Master Yang, three kilograms is too little! Make it thirty kilograms!”
The barrier around room thirteen was still intact, so everyone’s Divine Senses were blocked and no one could see what was going on inside. However, the dialogue inside was still crystal-clear to everyone’s ears.
They heard the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen decide to fight head-on after failing to beg for mercy. However, he seemed to have been subdued before he could even begin. Then there was a cry, followed by a few strange gulping sounds.
Although they could not see anything, everyone seemed to be able to imagine what happened to that Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen.
*Ou… *
A woman in the hall could not hold back anymore and vomited.
That sound seemed to be a fuse that set everyone else off. Those cultivators who were still struggling to hold themselves back could no longer endure it. They turned around and vomited everywhere. In an instant, the entire hall turned into a mess, while those who didn’t vomit felt more and more like it as they were surrounded by such a disgusting situation.
The Emperor Realm Masters in the other private rooms, on top of being repulsed, also felt bewildered. Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce was considered one of the two top chambers of commerce in the Southern Territory, yet no one had come out to resolve this incident. Realizing this, these Masters started to feel that this auction was not as simple as it appeared to be and that they had unwittingly become involved in a swirling quagmire.
After a long time, Yang Kai strode out of room thirteen and clapped his hands, “It’s really my first time seeing someone make such a weird request. What an eye-opener.”
Dreadful vomiting sounds could be heard from inside the room.
“Carry on!” Yang Kai looked up at Hua Qing Si who was on the stage and said.
Hua Qing Si nodded lightly. She could tell that Yang Kai felt really annoyed this time because of her Honoured Master. He was full of anger and had no place to vent, so now that the Emperor Realm Masters from rooms seven and thirteen had provoked him, how could he spare them?
Fortunately, the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen was still able to keep his life, but perhaps he would have rather died than go through that punishment.
After looking around, Hua Qing Si asked, “Room one has offered one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals. Is there anyone who wants to bid a higher price?”
No one responded, for the offer of one hundred million was already exorbitant.
Hua Qing Si nodded, “Since there is no one, the third auction item belongs to room one.”
At her gesture, the maidservant immediately walked towards room one with a tray in her hands. Her little face was pale, and her legs were trembling as if she was walking towards hell, [not room one].
Yang Kai returned to his room and claimed the third Heaven Grade Puppet.
On the stage, Hua Qing Si proceeded, “The fourth auction item, a Thousand Leaves Sect Heaven Grade Puppet… “
“One hundred million!” Yang Kai shouted.
Hua Qing Si beamed as she looked around the hall and asked, “Is there anyone interested in bidding a higher price?”
After asking, she made eye contact with the maidservant who had just come out from backstage, not even needing to give any instructions.
The rest of the auction devolved into a two-man show between Yang Kai and Hua Qing Si. Whenever an auction item was presented, Yang Kai would offer one hundred million without hesitation, and Hua Qing Si would send the maidservant to deliver the item directly to room one.
The expressions of the Emperor Realm Masters in every private room were helpless and ugly. They did not expect to come all this way only to be patronized. Not only could they not win any auction items, but they didn’t even have a chance to bid as Yang Kai would offer one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals for every item. Who could compete with him at that price? Furthermore, they were now clearly aware that Yang Kai had other intentions here. It seemed that he was here not for the auction at all but rather to cause trouble.
Not to mention that he had just killed the old man in room seven and horribly humiliated the man in room thirteen, his continuous offer of a hundred million alone was somewhat thought-provoking.
He was indeed wealthy, having hundreds of millions of High-Rank Source Crystals without any doubt, but even so, it was unreasonable for him to bid like this as those High-Rank Source Crystals must not have come to him easily. The only explanation was that Yang Kai did not intend to pay at all.
The Emperor Realm Masters here were not idiots, and after observing the situation for some time, they started to sense something. An uneasy feeling gushed out from the depths of their hearts, like invisible chains wrapping around them, making them feel incredibly uncomfortable.
But it was strange to them that the auctioneer on stage still continued to cooperate with Yang Kai.
After only a quarter of an hour, the nine Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect were auctioned off. As expected, all of them fell into Yang Kai’s hands and were then returned over to Ye Hen.
Ye Hen was so excited that he could barely contain himself. He could not believe that he could recover all the Heaven Grade Puppets so easily. He thought that he had lost the inheritance of his Sect forever together with Thousand Leave Sect itself. All this time, he had been feeling guilty towards his ancestors and was so heartbroken he could not pull himself together even after Li Qing Yun released him unscathed.
But now, with the nine Heaven Grade Puppets back in his hands, Ye Hen’s fighting spirit was rekindled.
Since the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed under his watch, it had to be rebuilt by his hands to reclaim the glory of his ancestors. The five hundred disciples he sent into Emperor Heaven Valley, together with the Sect’s Techniques and ancient books, were his biggest hope, but these nine Heaven Grade Puppets were the capital he needed.
In an instant, Ye Hen regained his spirits, as if turning over a new leaf in spring after a dark winter.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were equally exhilarated as they witnessed the retrieval of the puppets, and they felt even more grateful to Yang Kai. After all, these Heaven Grade Puppets were outstanding treasures with strength comparable to Emperor Realm Masters. If it was someone else, they would probably have kept them for themselves, but Yang Kai gave all of them to Ye Hen. There was no way for them to not feel immense gratitude towards Yang Kai’s noble act.
“Young Master Yang, they seem to be stalling for time,” Ying Fei suddenly stated.
Yang Kai nodded, “I know.”
He had presented himself in a high profile manner and snatched every auction item, but Wu Ming did not try to stop him and simply remained quiet. What else could this be but a stalling tactic?
It seemed the masterminds here would rather give up the nine Heaven Grade Puppets in order to buy more time. It could be seen that there were a lot of preparations taking place behind the scenes.
“Do you want to request Lady Hua to speed up the auction?” Ying Fei frowned.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Sister Hua is implanted with a Heart-Strangling Insect. She cannot help even if she wants to.”
“Heart-Strangling Insect!” Ying Fei’s face changed, obviously familiar with this particular Exotic Ancient Insect.
“Since we’re already here, we should sit back and see what they plan to do.” Yang Kai took a sip of tea.
On the stage, Hua Qing Si suddenly frowned and glanced backstage. After a moment of hesitation, she announced, “This is the end of the first half of the auction. Please take a moment to relax and prepare yourselves as there are even more auction items coming next. None of you will be disappointed.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai could not help narrowing his eyes.
The Emperor Realm Masters in the private rooms also curled their lips. This auction would certainly have been exciting if not for Yang Kai’s presence, but with this bastard sitting here, this auction was like a pot of delicious porridge contaminated by a piece of rat dropping.
Yang Kai was a living calamity in this auction. No one had the chance to participate because of him.
All nine of the Heaven Grade Puppets from Thousand Leaves Sect had fallen into his hands, and even if there were more and better items to be auctioned, perhaps they would not be able to obtain any of them either. Once Yang Kai opened his mouth to shout the bid, the auction item was bound to enter his pocket again.
Thinking of this, many people were discouraged, as they accepted the fact that they had no fate with the following auction items. Some even got up from their private rooms and wanted to leave the auction house.
Shortly, half of the people in the more than thirty private rooms prepared to set off, while the other half remained there just to watch the show without any expectations to get any of the following auction items.
When those who wanted to leave reached the doors of the auction house though, they found that this place had been sealed. They were hindered by what seemed to be a solid Spirit Array enveloping this branch of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce.
“What happened? Why won’t they let us go?”
“How dare Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce do this! Are they planning to capture all of us in one net?”
“I already felt something was wrong with this auction earlier, now it seems like there is indeed a conspiracy afoot.”
“Don’t panic, everyone, if we work together then this trivial Spirit Array won’t be any trouble to break.”
There were a dozen First-Order and Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters at the doors, so if they joined forces, the power they could display would be quite substantial. After a simple discussion, they started to jointly attack the Spirit Array.
After a stick worth of incense though, the dozen Emperor Realm Masters were forced to give up. All of them stared at the barrier which did not even flicker under their bombardment and their hearts sank.
No one expected the Spirit Array here to be so strong that it could resist the combined forces of a dozen Emperor Realm Masters for so long.
“Brother Gong, your Heavenly River Valley Gong Family are Grandmasters in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, yes? Do you know what this Spirit Array is?” A man suddenly turned to an elderly man who was wearing black. This elderly man looked like a commoner among the crowd, but he was actually the Patriarch of the Gong Family.
The Gong Family from Heavenly River Valley had a resounding reputation throughout the Southern Territory because the people of this family were all proficient in Spirit Arrays. The Sect Defending Arrays of many Sects were arranged by this family.
Gong Wen Shan, whom Yang Kai met in the Four Seasons Realm back then, was a member of the Gong Family. Despite Gong Wen Shan being just a Dao Source Realm cultivator, his achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays had reached an astonishing height, so nothing more needed to be said about the current Patriarch of the Gong Family.
In terms of attainments in Spirit Arrays, this Gong Family Patriarch should be on par with Nanmen Da Jun from the Northern Territory.
“What? Your Excellency is actually Patriarch Gong? Please forgive my rudeness!” Someone exclaimed and quickly saluted with his fist cupped. It was obvious that he had heard a lot about the elderly man surnamed Gong, but this was his first time meeting him.
Most of the people were like this too and immediately greeted the elderly man surnamed Gong.
Now that they recalled, when they were attacking the array together previously, Patriarch Gong did not use much of his strength. It turned out that he was not idling, but instead observing.
Patriarch Gong frowned slightly and remarked after pondering for a while, “If this Old Master is not mistaken, this is the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array.”
“What’s particular about this array?” Someone asked from the side.
Patriarch Gong answered, “The Five Elements Grand Sealing Array gathers and condenses Five Element World Energy, creating a cycle of mutual reinforcement and neutralization. It’s not something that can be broken by brute force. Once it is activated, it is even capable of isolating the space within it from the outside world.”
“Sealing space!” A cry of shock came out.
“This is an extremely profound Spirit Array,” Patriarch Gong’s face turned solemn, “And…”
“And what?”
Patriarch Gong looked around, and pointed out, “It seems that this place has something other than just a Five Elements Grand Sealing Array. There is another Spirit Array linked to it.”
“An Array within an array!” The speaker’s face darkened. Although he was not proficient in Spirit Arrays, he knew the concept of nested arrays. Such Spirit Arrays were several times more difficult to arrange than just two independent Spirit Arrays.
“Even Patriarch Gong can’t recognize it?” A middle-aged man without facial hair asked. He initially thought that it would be a simple matter to break this Spirit Array with Patriarch Gong here, but he did not expect that Patriarch Gong would be having a tough time too, which really worried everyone.
Patriarch Gong shook his head, “It’s not that I can’t recognize it, but it is hidden too deep.”
“Can Patriarch Gong crack this array?”
Patriarch Gong answered, “It’s possible, but it would be a waste of time and effort.”
With his ability, if he was given three to four days, he was confident he could crack this kind of Spirit Array, but the auction would have long ended by then and this Spirit Array would naturally be opened at that point, so there didn’t seem to be a point in him cracking it.
“Relax, everyone.”
Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind. Everyone turned around in surprise and found Wu Ming standing nearby with a grin on his face.
“What exactly is Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce up to? It’s time to give us an explanation.” The middle-aged man without facial hair jumped out and glared at Wu Ming.
He thought that Wu Ming was a manager from Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce; after all, he was the one who welcomed the guests at the door earlier.
The rest glared at Wu Ming too.
Wu Ming smiled faintly, “Each of you is a precious guest, so what can I do to you? It’s just that this one’s Honoured Master had ordered that no one can leave before the auction has ended. As such, I hope everyone can please return to their room. Once the auction is over, Honoured Master will disable the array and allow you to leave.”
“Are you trying to bully us into staying here? This King demands to come and go whenever he wants! Quickly remove this array and let us leave!”
Wu Ming looked at the speaker with a light smile. He did not respond, nor did he even move, but all of a sudden, the surrounding World Energy surged and a sharp blade of five-coloured light materialised, shooting towards the speaker like an arrow released from its bow.
Everyone was taken aback and immediately dodged.
The face of Emperor Realm Master who stepped out turned pale. He immediately pushed his Emperor Qi to resist the incoming attack; however, all his efforts were in vain against the five-coloured blade. The blade penetrated his Emperor Qi protection, then opened a big hole in his chest.
Blood splashed everywhere.
Everyone gasped.
The man did not die instantly though, having just enough time to glance down at his chest, then looked up at Wu Ming as if he could not believe it and spoke in a trembling voice, “You…”
After saying just one word, this man fell to the ground.
The dozen other Emperor Realm Masters were in a state of shock. They could not believe that Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce dared to kill someone in its own branch. No one knew what the five-coloured blade was, except for Patriarch Gong, because it was not something generated by a cultivator, but rather by a Spirit Array. The Five Elements Grand Sealing Array not only had the ability to isolate space, but it also possessed the power to kill enemies inside of it.
Wu Ming stood there smiling still, but to the onlookers, his smile was scarier than anything in the world.
Previously, Yang Kai killed the old man in room seven in the auction hall with a stomp of his foot and a slash of his sword, but Wu Ming did not even move his hand and was able to kill this man. How could that be possible?
All of a sudden, everyone recalled the ‘Honoured Master’ who Wu Ming had mentioned before.
If Wu Ming himself was already a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, wouldn’t only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master be capable of becoming his Honoured Master?
With the addition of this Spirit Array to a Second-Order Emperor Realm Disciple and a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, everyone realized that they could be wiped out easily without even being able to put up a fight. Knowing this, fear began to creep into their hearts.
“Who else wants to leave?” Wu Ming looked at the crowd with the same eerie smile.
No one answered.
Wu Ming nodded, “Then, this way please.”
He stepped back and gestured for them to return to the auction hall.
Everyone exchanged looks with each other, but they dared not to have any different opinions, for the still-warm corpse in front of them served as a warning for them to not make the same mistake. Although they all looked infuriated, they dared not to say anything and went back to their rooms one after another.
“Patriarch Gong.” Wu Ming suddenly called.
Patriarch Gong stopped and turned his head, “What can I do for Your Excellency?”
Wu Ming smiled faintly, “Patriarch Gong is too polite. I didn’t expect that a trivial auction could attract Patriarch Gong’s honoured self to attend personally. My Honoured Master was truly surprised and wished to invite Patriarch Gong to have a small discussion.”
“And your Honourable Master is…?” Patriarch Gong questioned with a frown.
Wu Ming smiled lightly, “Patriarch Gong will know when you see him.”
Patriarch Gong laughed wryly, “Does this Old Master have a choice?”
He knew that nothing good would happen if he complied and secretly regretted giving a long speech and commenting on this Spirit Array just now. Although he had no idea about the purpose of this Spirit Array, it was obvious that the person who set up this Spirit Array was concerned about him, for he was a Spirit Array Grandmaster.
Wu Ming narrowed his eyes, and replied, “Honoured Master is offering his earnest hospitality, Patriarch Gong should not reject it.”
The tone was plain, but anyone could hear the threat behind it.
Knowing the fact that an arm was no match for the thigh, Patriarch Gong sighed, “Lead the way.”
He was also curious about the mastermind who had arranged all of this and what purpose he had.
“This way please!” Wu Ming turned around, but before he could take a step, he was horror-struck by what he saw in front of him.
Just steps away, Yang Kai was smiling at him.
Wu Ming was genuinely frightened of this young man who had just beaten him at the entrance of the auction house. His Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation seemed so weak when confronting this anomaly.
The moment Wu Ming saw Yang Kai blocking his way, he instinctively jumped several tens of meters back and yelled, “Yang Kai, what do you want?”
Yang Kai glanced at him, then looked around and nodded in acknowledgement, “The Five Elements Grand Sealing Array isolates the world inside from the outside. It seems that you are well prepared to deal with this Young Master.”
Wu Ming’s face darkened when he heard this, as he realized that Yang Kai should have overheard the information Patriarch Gong disclosed just now.
It was true that his Honoured Master set up this Five Elements Grand Sealing Array to counter Yang Kai’s ability to use Space Principles. If they did not create a sealed space, Yang Kai could simply teleport away and flee anytime he wanted. Therefore, only by turning this place into a prison could they restrict his movements.
Wu Ming did not try to hide now that he was spotted by Yang Kai, and instead snorted coldly, “I warn you, you’d best cooperate, otherwise you’ll regret it.”
Yang Kai sneered, “You don’t need to care if I will regret or not, but if you dare act impudently to me again, I promise you won’t live to see another sunrise.”
Wu Ming’s face turned cold, but he really dared not act presumptuously anymore. He had witnessed Yang Kai’s strength and knew he was no match for him if they had to fight one-on-one. As such, he just stared at Yang Kai fiercely with a pair of resentful eyes.
“Patriarch Gong? I’ve long admired you,” Yang Kai cupped his fists towards the elderly man surnamed Gong.
“So you are Yang Kai?” Patriarch Gong swept his eyes over him in amazement.
Yang Kai frowned, “Has Patriarch Gong heard about me before?”
Patriarch Gong explained, “That brat Wen Shan mentioned you to me. Moreover, the news about Young Master Yang refining the Extraordinary Treasure Pill in the Four Seasons Realm caused quite an uproar in the Southern Territory.”
“Gong Wen Shan!” A vague figure flashed across Yang Kai’s mind. Although he did not really have a close relationship with Gong Wen Shan, he had at least had some dealings with him in the Four Seasons Realm.
On top of that, the reason Ye Jing Han came to Maple City to find Yang Kai to enlist his assistance in opening Emperor Heaven Valley was because Gong Wen Shan recommended him to her.
“Young Master Yang is truly a shining rising star, already reaching the Emperor Realm. Wen Shan, that boy, is still languishing in the Dao Source Realm. It seems the younger generation is destined to surpass the older,” Patriarch Gong sighed, secretly feeling that the Extraordinary Treasure Pill should have something to do with Yang Kai’s speedy breakthrough to the Emperor Realm.
Back then, Yang Kai refined a few Extraordinary Treasure Pills and bartered them away for certain treasures. Patriarch Gong had heard that Wu Chang of Heavenly Martial Holy Land and a young female Eight Paths Sect disciple had each gotten one. Wu Chang showed the powerful effect of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill when he broke through to the Emperor Realm, and although that Eight Paths Sect disciple had not broken through yet, she was now being courted by many top Sects looking to poach her. As long as she nodded and agreed, she could obtain the identity of Core Disciple in any top Sect straightaway.
All this was thanks to the Extraordinary Treasure Pills.
“Patriarch Gong flatters me, this Junior was just a bit lucky.” Yang Kai replied humbly and smiled, “This Junior would like to invite Patriarch Gong to have a chat in my room. I wonder if Patriarch Gong is interested?”
Patriarch Gong revealed a look full of gratitude because he understood that Yang Kai was resolving this awkward crisis for him, but he still hesitated as he glanced over at Wu Ming.
Yang Kai also looked over with a gloomy expression, “Patriarch Gong is going with me, do you dare to object?”
Wu Ming was maddened, but he did not dare to answer.
“It seems that you have no objections!” Yang Kai curled his lip, then gestured to Patriarch Gong, “This way please!”
Patriarch Gong looked relieved, and gestured with his arm stretched too, “After you, Young Master Yang!”
Both of them walked towards the auction hall one after another. Before leaving, Yang Kai turned to Wu Ming and mentioned, “Go back and tell your Honoured Master to wash his neck and wait for this Young Master to take his head.”
Patriarch Gong stumbled and almost fell to the ground hearing this. He thought to himself that Yang Kai was really too young and impulsive. How could a First-Order Emperor Realm Master dare to challenge a Third-Order Emperor?
Wu Ming glared at the backs of the two people with a resentful face, secretly cursing, [You can bark as much as you like now, because you will definitely kneel down and beg for mercy later.]
Yang Kai brought Patriarch Gong back to room one and introduced him to Ying Fei, Ye Hen, and the others.
Patriarch Gong also thanked Yang Kai for offering him a way out of his earlier predicament.
Yang Kai waved his hand lightly, “There’s no need to thank me, Patriarch Gong. Although I had no idea why Wu Ming invited you, I’m sure he planned to use you to cope with me. Me bringing you here is a matter of self-interest.”
Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate a Spirit Array Grandmaster. If Patriarch Gong really cooperated by controlling the Spirit Arrays surrounding this auction house, the power these arrays would display would undoubtedly increase by at least thirty percent. If this wasn’t the case, Yang Kai wouldn’t have acted so rashly as Chi Yue, Ai Ou, and the others were still being held hostage by Wu Ming. If he really crossed the bottom line of the Honoured Master behind Wu Ming, nothing good would happen.