Yang Tai was very interested in the Flowing Time Fruit, so he left Gong Yue’s side and walked next to Yang Kai, trying to figure out the identity of Yang Kai’s ‘friend’ in a roundabout way.
Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t tell him the truth, and as the topic was subtly changed, Yang Tai couldn’t appear too eager either. In the end, he could only leave the matter unresolved and walk away in disappointment.
The scene turned silent at that point as the seven sat down and rested, waiting for night to come.
An imperceptible wisp of Divine Sense suddenly stretched over towards Yang Kai, following that, Yang Kai heard a stealthy message from Hua Yu Lu, “Is there something wrong?”
Even though she was a woman, as the Palace Master of Hundred Flowers Palace, she naturally wasn’t some simple-minded little girl. She was able to catch some clues from Yang Kai’s performance earlier, and that’s why she was asking him this now.
Yang Kai responded, maintaining his composure, “Stick within ten metres of me once we enter the Ancient Cave Mansion.”
Hua Yu Lu was taken aback and asked, “So there really is a problem?”
If there was no problem, then Yang Kai wouldn’t have told her such a thing, but she couldn’t tell what was going on no matter how she tried, so she couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
Yang Kai asked, “You must have heard about the opening of the Four Seasons Realm many years ago, right?”
Hua Yu Lu replied, “Yes. I also heard that you refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill inside, Brother Yang.”
The Four Seasons Realm was no ordinary Small Sealed World, but rather a legacy left behind by the Flowing Time Great Emperor. Every time it opened, the only ones allowed inside to train were the most outstanding Dao Source Realm cultivators of the Southern Territory, who often obtained huge amounts of benefits from within.
The most recent opening of the Four Seasons Realm was a big deal, one reason being that Yang Kai was able to refine a Heaven-defying Spirit Pill, the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, inside, bringing great fame to his name. However, the second and most important reason was that an Ancient Divine Spirit emerged from the Four Seasons Realm: the Ominous Beast, Qiong Qi!
Nobody could be unconcerned about the emergence of a Divine Spirit, especially when it was an Ominous Beast that was known for its ferocity in ancient times. It was said that Qiong Qi was the mount of Flowing Time Great Emperor back then, and after the fall of the Great Emperor, Qiong Qi had been sleeping in the Flowing Time Temple the whole time and only came out from the Four Seasons Realm during its most recent opening.
In the following years, the Masters of the Southern Territory were all on edge, worried that Qiong Qi would begin a reign of chaos; however, to everyone’s surprise, Qiong Qi disappeared without a trace since the last time they heard about him, and as time passed, everyone’s concern towards Qiong Qi also gradually weakened.
Hua Yu Lu had also sought out information regarding Yang Kai because she had seen how powerful he was, and due to the fact that he was going to accompany her to explore the Ancient Cave Mansion. She also learned some information about the Four Seasons Realm during her research.
Thinking back to it, she was already an Emperor Realm Master at that time while Yang Kai had just barely entered the Dao Source Realm; however, Yang Kai now had equal cultivation to her, and she even needed to rely on him for her own safety.
Faced with such a disparity, Hua Yu Lu’s feelings grew inexplicably complicated.
“I once met one of the Gong Family’s descendants in the Four Seasons Realm, and together, we each obtained one Flowing Time Fruit inside,” Yang Kai explained.
Hua Yu Lu answered in surprise, “What good fortune.”
Yang Kai smiled, “People only know that the Flowing Time Fruit can prolong a person’s life, but they do not know that there are actually two types of Flowing Time Fruits. One of them can truly prolong a person’s life after it is consumed, but the other one is a terrible poison. If eaten by mistake, then it would make time pass by and age the consumer rapidly. The two types of Flowing Time Fruit are all but impossible to distinguish by a layperson from their appearance, but their effects are exact opposites.”
“Really?” Hua Yu Lu was quite surprised. Even though she was an Emperor as well, she was not well versed in Alchemy; however, considering that Yang Kai was able to even refine the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, then surely he must have great attainments in the Alchemic Dao, so he was no stranger to the Flowing Time Fruit.
He said that he and the Gong Family descendant obtained one Flowing Time Fruit each, and with his knowledge in spirit herbs, Yang Kai obviously chose the one that could prolong one’s life. In other words, the one that the Gong Family descendant brought back must be the poisonous one.
Perhaps someone in the Gong Family may even be suffering because of it now…
But this was highly unlikely. Even though the Gong Family may not know the details of the Flowing Time Fruit, they would definitely find someone to refine it into a pill, and an Emperor Alchemist would surely know a thing or two about the Flowing Time Fruit. If that really were the case, then the Gong Family must have obtained some information about the Flowing Time Fruit.
But based on what Gong Yue said earlier…
When she thought of this point, Hua Yu Lu was shocked and immediately understood where the problem lay.
“Of course, this is only my suspicion. This Old Patriarch Gong seems to have been in retreat recently, so there is the possibility that he did not know what was going on in his clan; however, it is always better to be careful.”
Hua Yu Lu nodded with deep understanding and stopped communicating with Yang Kai, lest the others catch onto them.
After breaking off contact with Hua Yu lu, Yang Kai swept his eyes around calmly. If his suspicions were to prove true, then there was definitely a problem with ‘Old Patriarch Gong’!
It was a moonless night, making the stars in the sky seem all the more dazzling, but such a scene could not be enjoyed in the Southern Swamp as the poison mist covered the earth, blocking out any trace of light from above.
At midnight, something seemed to catch everyone’s attention, and they all opened their eyes in unison.
*Shh…*
Yang Tai raised a finger to his mouth, signalling everyone to stay calm. Then, he retracted his aura and used a concealing technique. Without seeing him with their naked eyes, it would be possible that no one could even detect his presence.
Hua Yu Lu and Wu Kuang Yi obviously knew what was going to happen, so they too concealed themselves together with Yang Tai.
The others followed their example and retracted their auras as well.
The water of the swamp before them began to bubble, as if something was going to surface, and as everyone could tell, there was indeed a sign of life rising up from extremely deep within.
Soon after, a figure that was a few metres in length suddenly appeared before them.
The creature looked like a crocodile and also a little like a lizard. The strange-looking thing had eight claws, a long tail, and two big eyes on the top of its head, bulging just like a toad’s. As it crawled up onto land, it would flick its tongue like a venomous snake searching for prey. Not only that, but it was also exuding an unpleasant smell from its body that made one want to gag.
The creature was terribly ugly in appearance, and even though the two women present had superb cultivations, they still could not help but show their disgust. Yang Tai, on the other hand, was looking at this creature with great interest, as if it were some sort of great delicacy.
More and more monsters of the same species began crawling out from the swamp in an endless stream. At first, there were only a dozen of them, then a hundred. Very soon, they were covering the ground for as far as one could see.
None of the Emperor Realm Masters present recognized what they were. They were likely a type of Monster Beast as their bodies were giving out traces of Monster Qi, but they didn’t seem very powerful. At the very most, they would be Fifth or Sixth Order Monster Beasts, with some possibly not even having condensed their own Monster Core.
Any one of them could easily destroy a large number of this type of Monster Beast with a single palm, and none of the Emperors knew how such weak creatures were able to survive in this harsh environment. Though the group did not encounter any danger along the way, they had still perceived many ferocious beasts hidden below the swamp.
It seemed this species’ only advantage was their great numbers.
The goal of these monsters seemed to be the thick poison mist, and as soon as they surfaced, they made their way towards it. The noise they gave off as they crawled on the ground was enough to give a person goosebumps involuntarily.
Very soon, some of the monsters at the front arrived in front of the poison mist barrier, and under the close watch of Yang Kai and the others, they spat out their long tongues. Then, a shocking scene emerged. The poison mist that was able to kill even a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was actually swallowed into the bellies of these monsters, who all remained unharmed.
They were actually feeding on the poison mist, and the stronger the poison was, the more delicious it seemed to be for them.
A single monster could only devour an insignificant amount of the poison mist, which would then be quickly replenished by the fog around it.
But what if there were thousands, tens of thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of these things…
One by one, they stuck out their tongues to lick the air, and the Emperor Realm Masters present could see with their own eyes that the impenetrable poison mist barrier in front of them was becoming thinner. Even though the poison mist around the area quickly replenished what was lost, it could not keep up with the consumption rate of these monsters.
More and more monsters dove into the poison mist bank, opening up a safe path behind them wherever they passed.
For the ones who were seeing this for the first time, they all had dumbfounded looks on their faces. Only then did they understand what Yang Tai was saying during the day.
There were countless oddities in this world, and there would always be one thing that overcame another. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, then who would believe that a Fifth or Sixth-Order Monster Beast could actually devour the poison mist that even an Emperor Realm Master could not resist?
And, from what Yang Tai said earlier, it seemed these Monster Beasts do not come out every night. They seem to be active only at a specific time. Otherwise, Yang Tai wouldn’t have mentioned that they were just in time.
It was a miracle that they even discovered the Ancient Cave Mansion here as it was only exposed through a series of coincidences.
If it were not so, then the Ancient Cave Mansion would not have been left untouched until now. If it were so easily discovered, it would long have been looted by others.
Even though it was deep into the night and there was no light anymore, everyone present was a powerful Master who could see unhindered even in the dark. The poison mist that was blocking their way forward during the day gradually thinned under the assault of the dense pack of Monster Beasts, and a passage deeper inside soon began to form.
But as Yang Tai did not move, the others did not dare to move carelessly either. They were all waiting silently.
After waiting for around four hours, just as the sky was about to turn light, Yang Tai suddenly shouted, “Go!”
Gong Yue and Chen Bing Ru, who had long been prepared, shot forward immediately. Wu Kuang Yi and Fang Zhuo were in a better position, so they rushed in second, leaving only several tens of metres of distance between them and Yang Tai.
Yang Kai and Hua Yu Lu were left behind again, but with a gentle push from Yang Kai, Hua Yu Lu took the lead. This move warmed Hua Yu Lu’s heart, and her sense of security was greatly increased.
As soon as the seven people began to move, they immediately startled the Monster Beasts that were devouring the poison mist. In contrast with their previous quiet disguise, these creatures all instantly let out a shrill cry. The disturbing noise crashed into everyone’s ears like gold and iron clashing against each other.
Not only that, some of the Monster Beasts even leapt up high from the ground, pouncing towards the group with their tongues out, seemingly intent on dragging them down into the swamp.
The odd Fifth and Sixth-Order Monster Beasts were shown no regard by the Emperor Realm Masters at all who were able to clear out large swarms of them without any difficulty. The bodies of the Monster Beasts burst apart one by one, turning into pools of blood before flowing back down into the swamp. Still, this did not scare off their remaining companions. Instead, it riled them up even further as more and more Monster Beasts pounced up from the ground.
The shrill cries did not stop for even a moment and at one point, the chaotic cries suddenly unified, converging into a single shockwave made up of tens of thousands of their calls.
Yang Tai, who was leading the group, saw this and shouted, “Run, now!”
Hua Yu Lu and Wu Kuang Yi’s expressions had also become grave.
Just as the others were confused, a strange scene appeared.
After the shrill cries merged into one, the auras of the Monster Beasts that came from below the swamp actually began to merge as well. From Fifth or Sixth-Order, auras at the Eighth-Order or even higher began to appear.
Yang Kai let out a casual strike before finding some time to glance down. Immediately, he saw a scene that made him click his tongue in wonder.
He could see the Monster Beasts gradually fusing together, as if they were parts of something larger that were separated and had now found an opportunity to reassemble.
A Monster Beast that was several tens of metres long soon appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes. This Monster Beast had two horns on its head and its body was protected by an armour of scales. It also had eight claws and its appearance resembled a Flood Dragon, but also not. It was extremely strange-looking and right now, it no longer had just a Fifth or Sixth-Order cultivation, but was instead emitting the aura of a Tenth-Order Monster Beast.
Even more monsters that were bigger than this one circled around in pursuit of them.
Yang Kai could feel the aura of a number of Twelfth-Order, Eleventh-Order, and Tenth-Order Monster Beasts all around them.
The Fifth or Sixth-Order Monster Beasts that were so insignificant in the eyes of Emperor Realm Masters actually had the strange ability to fuse with each other and grow into a stronger being. And, the speed of them fusing together and transforming was simply beyond anything anyone could imagine.
Sure enough, for them to be able to survive in this kind of environment, these Monster Beasts could not be underestimated.
A rumble could be heard as these new behemoths trampled over the ground in pursuit of them, their heads raised high as they opened their mouths to bite at the people in the sky. An unpleasant smell was coming out of their humongous mouths as well, and after failing to catch their prey, they would spit multi-coloured balls of light at them.
Yang Kai could see clearly that those balls of light were the condensed poison mist that these creatures had devoured earlier. Even though Yang Kai could face off with these Twelfth-Order Monster Beasts calmly, the immense lethality of the poison mist was something he could not just ignore.
The faces of the other six Masters also changed dramatically, and all of them summoned their artifacts to protect themselves.
Unlike the others, Yang Kai had no defensive artifact that he could use, only his Great Soaring Black Dragon Armour, but even though it was an Emperor Artifact Armour, its main use was for him to cover his body during his Dragon Transformation. Yang Kai never thought about using it to defend against attacks, so he had no choice but to use his Emperor Qi to form a layer of protection around his body.
The group worked together to disperse the poison mist balls whistling over in their direction. A few of them managed to land on the various defensive artifacts, but those were easily deflected or dispersed. Still, the poison mist was toxic enough to send shivers down people’s spines.
Several Emperor Artifacts began to flicker after they resisted a strike from the poison mist balls, clearly revealing that their spirituality was damaged, and the Emperor Qi that Yang Kai was maintaining around his body had also been strongly corroded. So, he had no choice but to push out even more of his energy in order to keep up his protection, making him seem quite battered.
The group fled, not wanting to become entangled with these monsters.
A long time seemed to have passed, but it also seemed to just be a moment. When the seven managed to reach dry land again, the surrounding poison mist had disappeared and the Monster Beasts who had been chasing them suddenly stopped, as if something terrifying that they dared not face was up ahead. Instead, these beasts wandered the perimeter of the poison mist, staring at the group with their big eyes.
“It’s all good now that we’ve reached this place,” Yang Tai said with a laugh, clearly quite relieved. He pointed to the Monster Beasts and remarked, “Those things won’t chase us in here, but I don’t know why that is.”
The Monster Beasts gathered at the edge of the poison mist and watched them for just a short while before they broke apart again, turning back into the Fifth and Sixth-Order monsters that were only two metres long. Then, they wandered off from whence they came and disappeared in just the blink of an eye.
Confirming the danger had passed, everyone then began observing their surroundings.
They were on dry land, which was an unusual sight in the Southern Swamp which was filled with ponds and marshes. This piece of land was just like an island in the middle of a vast wetland.
The area of the island was not big, measuring only several dozen metres across, and it was surrounded by the same type of poison mist that even Emperor Realm Masters had to be wary of. If these Monster Beasts had not opened up a path for them, their group would have no hope of reaching this place.
With a solemn look, Yang Tai quickly said, “This is where the Ancient Cave Mansion lies.”
Even though his expression was serious, there was a hint of unconcealed enthusiasm in his eyes.
Wu Kuang Yi was also showing some excitement on his face as he commented, “Last time, Brother Yang, Palace Master Hua, and I managed to gain some good things from inside, but the Sealing Array blocked our path forward. This time, we have more people, and we also have the help of Old Patriarch Gong, so it should be no problem for us to break through it this time.”
Gong Yue smiled humbly, “This Old Master will do his best.”
“Then this Wu must thank Old Patriarch Gong in advance.” Wu Kuang Yi cupped his fists at him before saying, “I would like to remind everyone not to touch anything once we enter the Ancient Cave Mansion, and don’t run around aimlessly either. We should follow Old Patriarch Gong’s lead here. Many seals and traps still remain inside that cave mansion, and despite their age, they are still quite powerful. If anyone were to touch them by accident, then it may lead to unnecessary consequences.”
When he said these words, he glanced over at Yang Kai, whether intentionally or unintentionally, as if he was speaking especially for him.
However, Yang Kai’s aloof, almost distracted look caused Wu Kuang Yi’s expression to turn sour.
“Alright now, no one here is a child, I’m sure we all know what we have to do, so let us proceed.” Yang Tai beckoned to the crowd with a smile before leading them towards the Ancient Cave Mansion.
The order of the group remained unchanged, with Yang Kai and Hua Yu Lu bringing up the rear.
“Senior Brother Yang, if you really find any treasures, you can try to grab them if you’re able, but if not, then we shouldn’t worry about it. Just think of this as gaining some life experience,” Hua Yu Lu quietly transmitted to him.
“En,” Yang Kai responded subconsciously, still seemingly distracted even at this moment.
Hua Yu Lu could not help but be worried about this. Who knows what sort of dangers awaited him past the last barrier? If there really was any danger, then things may be disastrous for Yang Kai if he were to be in this state. She wanted to give him a warning, but she didn’t know how to go about it, so she could only make up her own mind to be careful.
Yang Kai was indeed distracted because since he set foot on this island, he had been getting a strange feeling, as if there was something trying to contact him somewhere on the island. However, when he tried to trace it, he found nothing. He couldn’t even figure out which direction this outreach was coming from.
This puzzled him greatly, and while he was trying to figure it out, Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu had tried to talk to him, which made him come off as distracted to them.
The island was not very large, so it took only a few moments for the group to arrive at a kind of stone forest where a dozen stone pillars of different heights stood. The surface of the stone pillars were mottled with traces of erosion. They seemed to be arranged haphazardly, but upon closer inspection, one could see that there was a great deal of meaning behind the arrangement.
After more careful observation, they could see that the stone pillars were even moving at a slow pace, with some moving faster than others, gradually causing a dizzying effect.
Anyone could see that there was something wrong with this stone forest.
Perhaps in Ancient Times, this used to be a well-concealed entrance, and even Masters at the Emperor Realm may not be able to discover anything if they passed through here, but the barrier was now in a state of disrepair after being worn down through the ages, so its effect was definitely going to be much weaker, causing many of its traces to be revealed.
“Follow me!” Yang Tai stood at the front and after calling out to everyone, he went straight towards the middle of the stone forest without waiting for anyone.
In front of everyone’s eyes, it seemed as if he passed right through an invisible wall and disappeared mysteriously.
“Interesting, how interesting!” Gong Yue stroked his long beard and watched the scene with interest. His eyes were flashed, as if he discovered something, but he still began walking over without explaining any details.
A moment later, Gong Yue also disappeared.
Following that was Fang Zhuo and Wu Kuang Yi.
When it was Hua Yu Lu’s turn, she turned around and called out, “Senior Brother Yang, we should follow them.”
Yang Kai smiled, “I’ll be right behind you.”
Only then did Hua Yu Lu relax somewhat and begin walking forward.
Then, when it came Yang Kai’s turn to cross the invisible boundary, he could feel very clearly as if he were stepping through space. The barrier at the centre of the stone forest seemed to have similar effects to a Space Array.
The first ones to enter were all gathered there, and they appeared to have entered a rock cave. The rock cave was only several tens of metres wide, and the air was quite dry. There was also an unpleasant smell here, but it was not unbearable.
A dim light was coming from the surrounding cave walls from some kind of stone used for lighting.
But after so many years, most of the light stones had lost their effectiveness while those that still functioned were just like candles in the wind, looking like they might go out at any moment.
There was nothing else in the rock cave. It was completely empty. It was not even clear what the use of this rock cave was so many years ago.
“This wasn’t where we were brought the last time we came here,” Yang Tai, who was standing at the lead spot, looked around them and scratched his head with an awkward expression on his face.
Both Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu nodded as well. When the three of them passed through the stone forest, it was indeed not this rock cave that they were brought into.
Gong Yue smiled, “That stone forest is a kind of array used to control the entrance to this place, and we do not have the means to operate it properly. Even though we were lucky enough to have gotten through, it will only have brought us to a random place. Since this is still part of the cave mansion though, we can just walk around and explore. I’m sure we’ll be able to find the right path eventually, and perhaps we may even find some good things you missed on your last trip here.”
Yang Tai’s eyes lit up at his words and he nodded, “Brother Gong is right. Then, let us begin!”
As he said so, he walked ahead with the others following behind him.
After walking out of the rock cave, there was a deep dark tunnel ahead of them. Just like the rock cave, there were light stones embedded across the walls for illumination and though the light was dim, it was better than nothing.
A mirror-like artifact suddenly appeared in Yang Tai’s hands, who was taking the lead. It was the size of a human face, and it was not known what purpose it served. They saw him form seals with his hands before channeling some Emperor Qi into the mirror, and in the next moment, the mirror began to glow, and a profound light shot out from within.
The light enveloped the room and everything instantly became clear. This profound light seemed to have the ability to discern between what was real and illusionary, a kind of investigative artifact.
The group of seven walked onwards and would pass by some stone rooms occasionally, but they were all empty without anything valuable or worth their attention inside. There also wasn’t much danger to be found in the interior of the Ancient Cave Mansion, so they were safe all throughout their exploration.
However, Yang Tai did not manage to find the path they crossed last time.
After an hour, Yang Tai suddenly stopped, and seeing this, the rest stopped as well.
“What happened?” Wu Kuang Yi asked.
Yang Tai answered, “There seem to be traces of a barrier here. Let me take a closer look.” Saying so, he aimed his mirror forward and a faint distortion appeared where the light passed. It was a little different from normal, but it wasn’t very clear either.
Yang Tai released more of his Emperor Qi to enhance the power of the mirror artifact, and the light became stronger in response.
Now, everyone could see things more clearly. There were traces of a barrier ahead, one that had originally been imperceptible to the naked eye but had now appeared under the envelopment of the mirror’s profound light. Everyone could see energy paths of differing strengths ahead of them twisting in accordance to some mysterious law, forming a restrictive layer.
This barrier technique was extremely complex and ancient.
Wu Kuang Yi immediately turned his head to look at Gong Yue.
Since there was an ancient barrier blocking the way, they naturally needed the assistance of the Gong Family’s former Patriarch himself to settle the matter. He was the one who had the greatest understanding of such things.
To everyone’s surprise, Gong Yue just smiled and did not express anything else, not even taking the initiative to act.
Wu Kuang Yi was just about to speak up when Yang Tai suddenly said, “This is just a small barrier. There’s no need to bother Brother Gong, we can just break it together.”
As he said so, he thrust out his palm against the barrier.
Everyone was taken by surprise and all circulated their Emperor Qi to protect themselves.
After all, none of them knew what sort of effects this barrier had, and touching it rashly could very well trigger some dangerous consequences, so Yang Tai’s move was undoubtedly risky. However, seeing that Gong Yue did not say anything to stop him, they all felt slightly relieved.
With a bang, a curtain of light emerged, followed by several huge skulls that suddenly rushed out from within. They were not the skulls of humans, but rather the skulls of strange-looking Monster Beasts, about a dozen in total. Each of these skulls seemed to belong to a different species, and no one could recognize what Monster Beasts they belonged to.
But to everyone’s great surprise, there was a fluctuation of extremely ferocious auras coming out of these skulls.
As soon as the skulls appeared, they each opened their big mouths to bite at Yang Tai aggressively, as if they were going to swallow the Heavens and devour the Earth.
Yang Tai was extremely shocked, and only now did he realize that he had underestimated the power of this ancient barrier. The Emperor Qi around his body became agitated as he suddenly let out an extremely choppy sounding incantation as he raised his hand, pointing it in front of himself.
A large golden character suddenly flew out from his fingers, one condensed from his Emperor Qi. It all happened in a flash, so quickly that none of the others were able to see clearly what character it was.
Only Yang Kai showed a shocked expression.
Even though the Divine Ability performed by Yang Tai was over in a flash, he managed to catch some of it.
That character…was clearly an ancient character he had seen in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld when his Soul was roaming about the Shaman Divine Temple.
When the ancient humans condensed their power into these characters, they were able to unleash Heaven destroying and Earth Shattering might. Naturally, these characters were even more ancient than the existence of Shamans, so the records available in the Shaman Divine Temple were by no means comprehensive.
Yang Kai suddenly remembered Hua Yu Lu mentioning that Yang Tai had learned a Secret Technique in the Ancient Cave Mansion, but she was not sure what it was, or what it did.
Now, it seemed like this may be the Secret Technique that Yang Tai learned back then.
This was indeed an extremely powerful Secret Technique. Even though Yang Tai was only a First-Order Emperor, the might of the attack that was shot out from his finger just now was on par with an ordinary Second-Order Emperor Realm’s attack. It seemed that facing a life or death crisis, Yang Tai had not been able to hold back and had gone all out.
It seemed this cave mansion was from before even the period Yang Kai experienced in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. No wonder there were Ancient Exotic Artifacts here.
At the same time, everyone else had also made their moves. In an instant, all sorts of Emperor Realm Secret Techniques and artifacts were unleashed in the narrow cave, causing the surrounding World Energy to shake.
Then, a scene appeared that amazed everyone.
The skulls that had flown out from the barrier may have appeared intimidating, but it was apparently all bark and no bite. As soon as they came into contact with Yang Tai’s Secret Technique, they all disintegrated and scattered just as soon as they burst out from the light curtain, achieving nothing at all.
There was a rumble as everyone’s attacks hit the light curtain in front of them, which only trembled for a moment before breaking apart as if it were a popped bubble.
Rough sighs filled the tunnel as the group felt as if they’d just avoided a great catastrophe.
“As expected, this barrier has really fallen into disrepair over the years.” Yang Tai was the first to speak with an embarrassed expression on his face.
Everyone saw the situation clearly just now. The barrier had deteriorated so much that it was unable to sustain itself after being activated, crumbling away by itself. Otherwise, the skulls that came out of it would have given them a lot of trouble, not to mention that the light curtain from the barrier was broken in just an instant.
“Brother Gong must have seen through it from the very beginning, right?” Yang Tai turned to Gong Yue, “If Brother Gong had warned me, then this Yang would not have embarrassed himself so.”
Even though he was complaining, it was more jest than anything else.
Gong Yue smiled and did not answer, a profound and inscrutable look on his face.
Wu Kuang Yi frowned. He was obviously annoyed at Yang Tai’s self-assertion, leaving everyone in fear for nothing; however, since it was just a false alarm, there wasn’t much he could say.
With this experience, everyone became more alert. Even though the barrier they encountered did not unleash too much power due to its deteriorated state, who could guarantee that all the barriers and arrays here were the same?
Yang Tai, who was taking the lead, did not dare to be too eager to prove himself again, and could only take things one steady step at a time.
They did encounter more barriers that they activated on their way, but as they took turns to test the barriers, they all reacted just like the first one. None of these Spirit Arrays were able to do much due to their extreme age. Most of their effects were short-lived, and some did not respond at all.
Despite that, the group was still in awe of them.
That was because these barriers gave off a very strong feeling. Nobody could imagine how strong they were when they were at their peak state, or how powerful the Grandmaster was who arranged such Spirit Arrays.
Four hours later, Yang Tai suddenly showed a look of joy as he swept his eyes around and said excitedly, “We’ve found the right path!”
Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu exchanged glances, both smiling.
They had finally found the path that they passed through last time, and as long as they followed this path, they would not encounter any more danger until they reached the Sealing Array that obstructed their way forward last time.
They were all curious to know what was hidden away behind that Spirit Array.
Even though they had found the correct path, Yang Tai still did not put down his guard, still maintaining the profound light from his mirror artifact, quietly and contentedly leading the way.
Another hour passed before the group arrived at a humongous rock cave that spanned several kilometres in space. They had gotten used to walking through narrow tunnels, so being here felt like they were blessed with the first light of dawn.
Like the one before it, this rock cave was also empty, with only sharp stone pillars scattered around the place. Some were standing, others were hanging upside down. They were erected in all sorts of strange positions.
At the end of the cave though, a large and heavy-looking door caught everyone’s attention.
The huge door was several tens of metres in size and was embedded into a part of the cave wall, the seams tightly sealed. The gazes of everyone burned hot as they looked towards the large door as if there were precious treasures hidden behind it.
Yang Kai had already seen this door before in the image that Hua Yu Lu sent to him, but seeing it as an image and in person were two different things.
When he saw it with his own eyes, Yang Kai could sense an extremely eerie aura coming off of this door, as if something bad was eager to escape and engulf them from behind the door.
The door was red in colour, as if it were dyed in blood, and even after countless aeons, it still looked as good as new.
Many complicated patterns were engraved onto the door that gave off a profound and mysterious aura. It was those patterns and images that came together to form an ancient Spirit Array, sealing the door so that no one could peek into the world inside.
The group of seven stood in front of the door, each of them with a different expression on their face.
Yang Tai’s expression was one of indescribable fervour, and for some reason, his lips were trembling with excitement. On the other hand, though Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu were also feeling excited, more of what they felt was eagerness and curiosity. They both wanted to know what sort of good things they could find hidden behind that door.
Fang Zhuo looked as indifferent as ever, while Gong Yue’s eyes narrowed, studying the door seriously.
Chen Bing Ru was the one to finally break the silence when she asked, “Can this barrier not simply be broken?”
Wu Kuang Yi shook his head, “Last time, all three of us joined forces but still couldn’t even shake it. If Lady Chen is interested, you can give it a try yourself.”
Chen Bing Ru answered lightly, “No need.”
Even though she had a Second-Order Emperor Realm level cultivation, and was slightly stronger compared to Hua Yu Lu and the others, she didn’t want to bother wasting her time if the three of them failed to do anything despite joining forces.
“Brother Gong, we’ll have to trouble you with this,” Yang Tai turned around, his expression indescribably serious, as if what he was entrusting to Gong Yue was a matter of life or death.
Gong Yue smiled, “I will do my best. You can all rest for a bit while I study this carefully.”
“Good,” Yang Tai nodded and turned around. “You should all rest as well as there may be a need for us to assist later.”
Yang Kai smiled, “With Old Patriarch Gong here, why should we make a mess of things?”
Yang Tai said, “We wouldn’t know. There may be opportunities where our power is truly needed.”
“That’s true.” Yang Kai smiled and said nothing more before shooting a glance at Hua Yu Lu, motioning for the two of them to move to the side to rest.
Inside the rock cave, Gong Yue busied himself, standing in front of the giant blood-coloured door and constantly making gestures with an occasional change in his expression.
The rest of the group was sitting down and meditating, but Yang Tai seemed a little restless. He would walk back and forth and occasionally turn to the giant blood-coloured door to take a look, but he didn’t dare to interrupt Gong Yue’s work.
Wu Kuang Yi beckoned him to sit down, but Yang Tai declined with a smile.
“Senior Brother Yang, is there anything else that seems out of place?” Hua Yu Lu quietly asked through her Divine Sense.
Yang Kai’s eyes remained closed as he responded, “Let’s wait and see.”
He did not see anything worth getting suspicious about so far, other than the previous suspicion he had about Gong Yue’s identity; however, that was just a suspicion in the end. He was not really sure, so he naturally couldn’t give Hua Yu Lu any definite answers.
Whether this suspicion would become reality or not would depend on how Gong Yue acted next.
While resting, he immersed his consciousness into the jade slip that Nanmen Da Jun gave him, once again studying its contents and memorizing some key points in his mind.
Half a day later, Gong Yue suddenly stepped back, and looking at the giant blood-coloured door, he smiled and called out to everyone, “Everyone, please come.”
When the group heard this, they all got up and headed over, especially Yang Tai. He rushed over to Gong Yue’s side eagerly and asked, “Brother Gong, were you able to figure anything out?”
Gong Yue stroked his beard with a smile, “A little.”
“Good, very good! As long as we have a direction,” Yang Tai’s face flushed with excitement.
“But if we want to break the array, it will require everyone’s help.”
When he heard this, Yang Kai’s heart could not help but thump and he narrowed his eyes, the suspicions in his heart growing stronger.
Wu Kuang Yi followed up, “May I ask what Old Patriarch Gong needs us to do? Most of us are not proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Only Brother Fang has some insight in the matter.”
Gong Yue smiled, “Proficiency in Spirit Arrays is not required, you just have to coordinate with this Old Master, and also place your trusts in this Old Master unconditionally!”
All of them looked at each other, but none of them knew what level of trust this man expected of them though, so Yang Tai said, “Since we asked for Brother Gong’s help, we will naturally trust you.”
“That’s good, then.” Gong Yue smiled, “I will teach everyone a set of techniques. Once you’re all familiarized with it, we can arrange the Spirit Array together that will be able to break this seal.”
“Then what are we waiting for? I’ll be troubling Brother Gong to teach us,” Yang Tai said eagerly.
Smiling, Gong Yue took out several blank jade slips, engraved some contents into them with his Divine Sense, then handed them out to everyone.
Yang Kai accepted his and swept his Divine Sense over it, looking through the contents thoroughly before sighing in his heart.
Even though he did not know what was branded in the jade slips of the others, it was obviously going to be different from his own. Arranging a joint array like this would involve each person having different tasks. At times like these, a centre point was required to coordinate the powers of everyone into one, and this centre point was undoubtedly going to be Gong Yue.
The centremost position controls the most delicate part of the Spirit Array, and as the core, Gong Yue would be able to control the others in the formation to a certain extent once the Spirit Array was formed. Of course, as the array had the ability to interfere directly with a person’s life, this sort of control was not easily accepted by Emperor Realm Masters.
That was why Gong Yue had said that everyone had to have unconditional trust in him.
Without trust, the joint array would not succeed.
Yang Kai did not look too closely at the jade slips’ contents, the reason being that he had already seen this before.
After all, these instructions were recorded in the jade slip given to him by Nanmen Da Jun.
That day, he asked Bian Yu Qing to bring back information about the ancient Spirit Array to High Heaven Palace and ask Nanmen Da Jun to carefully formulate a plan to crack it. And, as expected of the Emperor Array Master, Nanmen Da Jun was able to come up with three solutions in just a month’s time.
One of them was a method to break the array using another array, like what Gong Yue was trying to do now, but if they really tried to do that, then they would be falling into someone else’s trap. To completely break the ancient seal on the giant blood-coloured door this way, another factor was needed, an extremely wicked one.
Yang Kai was going to help Hua Yu Lu and the others break the Spirit Array using a different method Nanmen Da Jun came up with and then search around to see if there was anything good inside, but he didn’t expect to meet Gong Yue halfway through this plan.
With such an Array Grandmaster in the team, there was no further need for him to step up.
But Gong Yue’s actions made him suspicious. If he was only a little suspicious of Gong Yue’s identity before, then he could now conclude that there was a problem with Gong Yue. It was very likely that there was a problem with Yang Tai as well. As for the last individual, Yang Kai wasn’t sure yet.
When he raised his head to glance at Yang Tai, he saw a focused expression on his face. He seemed to be reading through the contents of the jade slip, but his Divine Sense was actually focused elsewhere, secretly communicating with someone else.
Yang Kai understood at once.
Seemingly having noticed his gaze, Gong Yue suddenly looked at him and smiled, “Little Brother Yang, do you have any questions?”
“I do!” Yang Kai declared in a particularly loud voice that echoed back and forth in the rock cave, interrupting the concentration of the others, causing Wu Kuang Yi and the others to frown with displeasure.
Gong Yue was slightly taken aback, but still asked calmly, “What does Little Brother Yang not understand? Maybe this Old Master can explain.”
“Only one thing…” Yang Kai looked at him with a piercing gaze, narrowing his eyes slowly, “Who are you?”
Gong Yue’s smile stiffened slightly, while the other Emperor Realm Masters also looked over in surprise. They had stunned expressions on their faces, and even the contents of the jade slip didn’t matter to them anymore.
After being dumbfounded for a moment, Hua Yu Lu immediately moved over to Yang Kai’s side, as if to seek a sense of security.
There was a long silence in the rock cave with only Yang Kai’s aggressive gaze that looked as if he wanted to cut open Gong Yue’s head and expose the secrets hidden within it.
“What are you trying to imply?” The first one to question him was not Gong Yue, but rather Wu Kuang Yi. He seemed to be the more straightforward type that would ask any questions he had in his heart without reservation.
“I mean exactly what I said!” Yang Kai responded bluntly.
Wu Kuang Yi frowned and was secretly annoyed with Yang Kai’s attitude, but there were no problems with Yang Kai’s answer, he was just taken by surprise.
“What grudges does little brother have against me? Or is it a grudge against my Gong Family?” Gong Yue asked, the faint smile from before returning to his face.
“I have no grudge with you or the Gong Family at all,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Gong Yue smiled, “If there is no grudge between us, then why does little brother question my identity time and time again?”
Yang Kai had already questioned him once when he arrived, but it was Fang Zhuo verifying Gong Yue’s attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays that convinced everyone of his identity as the Gong Family’s former Patriarch.
It was now the second time, and even a stoic man would have some fire in him. As the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, and a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, not being angry despite being questioned in such a way was enough to show how well he had tempered his patience. If it were someone else who had a hotter temper than his, he would probably have made a move against Yang Kai already.
“This Old Master is this Old Master, Gong Yue, former Patriarch of the Gong Family who stepped down two hundred years ago.” Gong Yue suddenly raised his voice, even straightening his back up somewhat, asserting his identity loud and clear.
“Please desist, Little Brother Yang Jiu. This Old Master guarantees with his life that there is absolutely no problem with Brother Gong’s identity.” Yang Tai stepped out to smooth out the situation, but there seemed to be a touch of worry between his brows, which was extremely obvious, as he urged, “Now is not the time to dwell on this. We should find a way to break the ancient seal first before anything else.”
“If the problem is not solved and we can’t work together, how will we break the array?” Yang Kai turned to him and asked.
“You…” A trace of anger emerged on Yang Tai’s face, clearly directed at him.
“This Brother Yang is right,” Chen Bing Ru who had been silent the whole time suddenly spoke up.
Yang Tai turned his head to look at her in surprise, “Lady Chen, even you…”
Chen Bing Ru was the helper he invited, and the two shared a close personal relationship; however, he never would have expected her to be the one to stand on Yang Kai’s side at this time, which inexplicably hurt him.
Chen Bing Ru smiled, “Quell your anger, Brother Yang. Through the bumpy journey of our cultivation up to this point, who would not be careful in the face of danger? It’s just like walking on thin ice. Without constant care and balance, I’m afraid we would all have returned to nature just like the masses of people before us. So, I would like to hear what this Little Brother Yang has to say, and what he wishes to convey.”
She turned her beautiful and elegant eyes to Yang Kai, who nodded in regard to her.
She didn’t trust Yang Kai, but since there was a problem, they naturally had to listen. It wouldn’t take up much time anyway.
Wu Kuang Yi hesitated for a long time, but he still spoke out at this moment, “What are you suspicious of? Let us hear it!”
Yang Kai said, “I’ve already said it before.”
Gong Yue sighed, “Your suspicions are baseless.”
Yang Tai turned to Hua Yu Lu, heartbroken, “Palace Master Hua, this is the helper you found? If he does not want to help, then why must he come to destroy our unity and stability? Now look, we are having internal problems before we even attempt to break this Spirit just because of one nonsensical statement.”
Hua Yu Lu blushed slightly, hesitated a moment, then declared, “I… trust Senior Brother Yang.”
Yang Tai’s face went dark as he bellowed at Yang Kai, “Little brat, if you’re unwilling to participate in cracking this array, then you can leave now. You are also an Emperor Realm Master, so you should remember the way. Just go! This Old Master won’t force you to stay!”
Yang Kai smiled, “If I go, then how will the Spirit Array be completed?”
Yang Tai grunted, “As long as Brother Gong is here, what would it matter if you were gone? Brother Gong alone could break the array!”
Yang Kai turned to look at Gong Yue, a smile covering his face, “Then you should ask the ‘Former Gong Family Patriarch’ whether five people can complete the Six Points One Centre Array!”
Gong Yue looked shocked at these words, while Fang Zhuo, who had not spoken a word this whole time looked at Yang Kai with a stunned expression on his face.
Yang Tai’s mouth was wide open as he stared dumbfoundedly at Yang Kai.
This behaviour allowed the others present to immediately understand that what Yang Kai said was not without merit.
The Spirit Array that Gong Yue was trying to arrange was precisely the Six Points One Centre Array; only, nobody knew it until Yang Kai said it. The jade slips that Gong Yue passed them only contained the method to arrange their part of the array and not much detail on what everyone else was meant to do. They only had to follow these instructions and work together with the others, making it less complicated.
Everyone believed that the jade slip that Yang Kai received should be the same as well.
Then the question arose, how did he know about the name ‘Six Points One Centre Array’? And, from his words, the Spirit Array required the assistance of a full six people in order to complete. Even one less would not work.
Everyone then turned their heads to Gong Yue, only to see him with a deep frown on his brows, as if he were extremely surprised.
“Brother Yang is also proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays?” Fang Zhuo observed Yang Kai with great interest, thinking that this guy really hid well. He himself had some knowledge in Spirit Arrays; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been invited by Wu Kuang Yi. If Gong Yue was not here, then he would’ve been the one with the most profound attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and they may have had to rely on his ability in order to crack the ancient seal.
But even he knew nothing about this so-called Six Points One Centre Array. This Spirit Array was clearly an extremely rare and profound Spirit Array, but he didn’t think that Yang Jiu would be able to see through it at a glance, which he was secretly in admiration of.
But to his surprise, Yang Kai actually shook his head, “I don’t know anything about the Dao of Spirit Arrays. I just happen to know about this Six Points One Centre Array, that’s all.”
There was only one Spirit Array that he was proficient with, and that was the Space Array! And even that was all thanks to Yang Yan’s careful teaching and his own talent in the Dao of Space. If not for these two factors, Yang Kai would really know nothing about arranging or cracking Spirit Arrays.
But Fang Zhuo did not say anything else after that, assuming that Yang Kai was just being modest. It was clearly impossible for someone like Yang Kai, who even knew about such an obscure Spirit Array, to not know anything about this Dao.
“I’m right, aren’t I, ‘Old Patriarch Gong’?” Yang Kai cocked his head to the side and stared at Gong Yue.
Gong Yue’s smile did not return, but he still nodded in acknowledgement, “That’s right. The Spirit Array that this Old Master intends to arrange is indeed the Six Points One Centre Array.”
Even though they’d guessed it from the start, everyone was still shocked when they heard Gong Yue admit it with his own mouth.
“But what does this have to do with this Old Master’s identity?” Gong Yue asked, “This Old Master is still this Old Master. Little Brother, have you made a mistake?”
Chen Bing Ru nodded, “That’s right. Little Brother Yang, what does the Six Points One Centre Array have to do with Old Patriarch Gong’s identity? Even though this Mistress does not know much about Spirit Arrays, this Six Points One Centre Array must be very profound according to what is recorded in these jade slips. Old Patriarch Gong even explained it to us simply and clearly, so that someone like this Mistress can learn it easily. This isn’t something that just anyone can achieve.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly and was silent for a moment, “Fine, let’s say that there’s nothing wrong with Old Patriarch Gong’s identity, that’s not the main problem.”
“What is, then?” Wu Kuang Yi asked. He had been getting a little impatient, but Yang Kai’s seriousness made him realize that there was more to this issue than meets the eye and he also needed answers for his own safety.
“The Six Points One Centre Array itself is the issue…” Yang Kai was speaking to the others, but his eyes remained fixed on Gong Yue the whole time, “Everyone has already seen the contents of the jade slips, so you should have some understanding of the principles and structure of this array. I must inform everyone that this Six Points One Centre Array, once arranged and activated, will allow six people to become six poles, while a seventh individual will serve as the core of the Spirit Array. As for who this core will be, obviously, Old Patriarch Gong must assume that role. However, the longer the Spirit Array is maintained, the stronger the control he will gain over us six, and once it reaches a certain limit, he will be able to freely control us, including whether we live or die. Regardless of how strong we are, we won’t be able to free ourselves from his bindings then.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of everyone changed dramatically and they all turned their eyes towards Gong Yue.
If what Yang Kai said was true, then Gong Yue’s move was indeed questionable. He would actually gain control of everyone here after the Six Points One Centre Array was arranged, which they found to be simply unacceptable.
Under everyone’s sharp gaze, Gong Yue still responded calmly, “That is why this Old Master said earlier that everyone must trust me unconditionally! Only then can we combine all our strengths and crack this Spirit Array.”
Yang Kai grunted, “It’s not the Six Points One Centre Array that’s going to break the array, but rather another method… you want us to become blood sacrifices, right?”
“Blood sacrifices?” Wu Kuang Yi jumped in surprise. Even though he was just hearing Yang Kai speak, cold sweat was already pouring down his back.
Yang Kai smirked, “Brother Wu may not know, but while cracking this seal may seem outwardly complex, there is actually a much simpler method, and that is to offer it enough fresh blood. You didn’t try this method when you came here last time, did you?”
“Offering… fresh blood?” Wu Kuang Yi’s face paled, asking in trepidation, “How much blood?”
“Who knows? Maybe it’ll be enough after he bleeds us dry,” Yang Kai shrugged as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
Making a blood sacrifice was not the only way to break the array, but it was the simplest way, and not just any cultivator’s blood would do. The stronger the cultivator, the greater the effects. The blood of several Emperor Realm Masters should barely be enough.
Wu Kuang Yi turned his head to Gong Yue and asked in disbelief, “Old Patriarch Gong, is what he says true?”
Fang Zhuo and Chen Bing Ru also turned their questioning gazes to him. As for Hua Yu Lu, she naturally stood by Yang Kai’s side and believed him without a hint of doubt. She was also the only one here who knew about Yang Kai’s real identity, and as an Elder of Azure Sun Temple, she trusted that Yang Kai wouldn’t harm her or those of the Southern Territory. This was not because she understood Yang Kai, but because he now represented Azure Sun Temple.
It was only at this point that everyone understood why Yang Kai had doubts about Gong Yue’s identity.
Because if Gong Yue was truly the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, then there was no reason for him to act in such a deceitful and cruel manner. The Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family’s golden signboard would be completely smashed if he were to do this.
They were all secretly relieved that this Yang Jiu knew so much about the Six Points One Centre Array. Otherwise, they may really have fallen into someone’s trap today, but on second thought, why did Yang Jiu know that a blood sacrifice was able to break the array? He said that he didn’t know anything about Spirit Arrays just now, but he was able to speak clearly and eloquently about this Six Points One Centre Array. His words were somewhat contradictory.
“So it turns out Little Brother Yang is a man of the same path. Forgive my disrespect.” Gong Yue smirked at Yang Kai. There was a trace of surprise in his eyes, but he was not panicked.
When Yang Kai saw that expression, he immediately had a bad feeling about it, as if he had missed something critical.
“Old Patriarch Gong… What he said… Is it all true?” Wu Kuang Yi’s eyes widened, “You really mean to use us as blood sacrifices to break the array?”
Gong Yue smiled, “Indeed, I do.”
After he said that, a noise suddenly emerged from Gong Yue’s body, as if something had been broken.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s face changed drastically as he finally realized what he had overlooked. Swiftly, he threw away the jade slip in his hands and was just about to warn the others, but he was too late.
With a crack, the jade slips in everyone’s hands burst, each of them turning into a stream of light that wrapped around each person.
Everyone in the room here was an Emperor Realm Master, so their reaction speed couldn’t be said to be slow. Each of them moved to counter the light the instant the jade slips burst, but unfortunately, Gong Yue’s actions were still faster.
He raised his hand and shot out two black lights that formed black curtains, one enveloping Wu Kuang Yi and the others, the other specifically targeting Yang Kai.
Yang Kai quickly stepped back to dodge, but found that the more he tried to retreat, the closer the black light got to him. Caught off guard, his vision went black for a moment before the scenery around him suddenly changed.
By the time he recovered, all Yang Kai could see around him was an endless ocean filled with loud crashing waves and a hot sun beaming down from above.
He had actually arrived above a vast sea, unable to distinguish left or right, north or south, up or down. All he saw was the tall sky and vast sea as he stood alone.
“Array Plate!” Yang Kai’s face suddenly turned dark.
This was an illusion, Yang Kai could be sure of that, and to be able to arrange such a large-scale illusion with such realistic effects, even Gong Yue would not be able to achieve such a thing in an instant. The only explanation was him using an Array Plate!
After an Illusion Array like this was imprinted into the Array Plate, the user needed only to summon it directly when they needed it. It was quick and convenient, with the only drawback being that it couldn’t be compared to arranging a real Illusion Array, making it far less powerful.
But the Illusion Array Plate that Gong Yue used was of a very high grade and could undoubtedly trap Yang Kai for a while, especially now that his Soul had not fully recovered, greatly reducing his strength.
But he believed that given enough time, he should be able to find this Illusion Array’s weak point.
The jade slips that had the information about the Six Points One Centre Array recorded on them were clearly Array Plates as well. Sure enough, Gong Yue was an old fox, having made preparations beforehand so that even if someone like Yang Kai uncovered his plot, he would still have the ability to subdue everyone in a flash.
Yang Kai was the only one who realized it early and threw out the jade slip, but he still could not avoid the fate of being trapped.
Now, Hua Yu Lu and the others must have fallen into Gong Yue’s Spirit Arrays, and as an Array Grandmaster and a Second-Order Emperor, Gong Yue could definitely release strength comparable to a Third-Order Emperor inside these Spirit Arrays.
In other words, even if Hua Yu Lu and the others joined forces, they may not be able to defeat him.
Yang Kai had to rush to their aid.
But obviously, he wouldn’t get that chance.
Suddenly, a figure appeared above the sea. Yang Tai appeared mysteriously and began staring down Yang Kai with a cold look on his face. His amiable image from before was nowhere to be seen as he glared at Yang Kai as if he was guilty of killing his father and stealing his wife, ruthless hatred filling his eyes.
“As I expected, you really are accomplices,” Yang Kai coldly snorted at Yang Tai when he saw him appear. At the same time, he was silently looking for a way to break out of this Illusion Array.
Yang Tai was the one who invited Gong Yue, and since Gong Yue was suspect, Yang Tai was naturally suspicious as well. When Yang Kai saw Yang Tai enter the illusion realm so simply just now, his previous doubts were immediately confirmed.
“Accomplices?” Yang Tai sneered, “Think what you want. I was most wary of Fang Zhuo at first, but I didn’t think you’d be the one to spoil everything. It seems I’ve underestimated you.”
Yang Kai’s face was extremely dark as he thought for a moment before asking, “So that Gong Yue really is the Gong Family’s former Patriarch?”
Even though he doubted Gong Yue’s identity twice, he understood that he was wrong after he was trapped in this Illusion Array. Gong Yue was most likely exactly who he said he was as only someone from the Gong Family would be able to carry around so many Array Plates with them and be able to deploy such profound Illusion Arrays in an instant.
What Yang Kai did not expect was that the Gong Family’s former Patriarch would actually be so vicious as to disregard the family’s reputation just for the sake of one Ancient Cave Mansion.
“Brother Gong is naturally the real Brother Gong. I don’t know why you’re suspecting him.” Yang Tai looked at Yang Kai with a mocking gaze, as if laughing at him for thinking himself clever.
Yang Kai sighed, “Anyway, you and Gong Yue are in the same boat. That I’m not wrong about.”
But Yang Kai made another mistake. He thought that Fang Zhuo was also one of their accomplices because Fang Zhuo had lost too quickly during his Spirit Array match with Gong Yue, which was what verified Gong Yue’s identity for everyone.
Yang Kai thought that he was just acting, so he was suspicious of Fang Zhuo as well, but now he knew that Gong Yue was the real deal, and really did have the ability to crush Fang Zhuo when it came to Spirit Arrays.
“Are you trying to find this array’s weak spot?” Yang Tai himself was a First-Order Emperor, and he also had the wisdom that came with age, so it was naturally impossible for him to not realize Yang Kai’s intentions here. However, he did not seem to show any fear, nor was he in any rush to stop Yang Kai’s movements. Instead, he showed a taunting smile, “Then you better look properly, because Brother Gong’s Spirit Arrays don’t come with many flaws.”
Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and looked straight at him and muttered, “So that’s how it is.”
Yang Tai laughed, “So you figured it out?”
Yang Kai nodded, “It’s all thanks to your words. You are the centre of this Spirit Array, its Array Core so to speak.”
Yang Tai nodded readily, “That’s right. I entered this array with control of the Array Core, so it is quite a simple task to break this array. You just have to kill me.” He smiled smugly like an old fox that had snatched a chicken, “But… Do you have that ability?”
It wasn’t that he looked down on Yang Kai. Even though the two of them were around the same realm in terms of cultivation, he had seen Yang Kai’s moves when they were cutting through the poison mist. His attacks were weak and it was hard for him to keep up, his aura was also fluctuating and unstable, proving the speculation the group had about Yang Kai being injured. What’s more, Yang Tai gained control of this Illusion Array from Gong Yue, becoming its Array Core, so he could exert strength far beyond that of just an ordinary First-Order Emperor here.
That was why he had no fear. Even if Yang Kai realized where the Array Core was, he still couldn’t break this array.
“Why?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows.
“What do you mean why?” Yang Tai wasn’t in a hurry to make a move as he had an absolute advantage at this moment and knew he could strike at any time to effortlessly take Yang Kai’s life.
“Nobody knows what’s hidden behind that giant blood-coloured door. It may be treasure, or it may be a deathtrap. Who can say anything for certain regarding things from ancient times? Why would you even go to the extent of killing others for it?”
Yang Tai laughed and shook his head, “You understand nothing, nothing at all!”
“That’s why I’m asking for clarification.”
Yang Tai frowned as he muttered, seemingly to himself, “There’s something very important in there. Very, very important. I must get my hands on it!”
Yang Kai was surprised, “You know what’s inside? How could you possibly know?”
The giant blood-coloured door had an ancient seal on it, and it was because Yang Tai, Wu Kuang Yi, and Hua Yu Lu were unable to break it that they agreed to go out and find helpers then come back to try again half a year later. Before the seal was broken, no one could possibly know what secrets were hidden inside.
Murdering four or five Emperor Realm Masters was not something someone would consider for uncertain benefits, but Yang Tai had done just that, even going so far as to invite Gong Yue to assist him.
His mutterings, however, clearly showed that he did have some knowledge about what lay beyond the giant blood-coloured door, which was the most surprising part to Yang Kai. To make things worse, Yang Tai didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind at the moment. It was as if he’d gone mad, with not even a trace of an Emperor Realm Master’s poise left in him.
Quietly, Yang Kai circulated his Spiritual Energy and a golden light flashed from his left eye. Speaking in an authoritative voice laced with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai called out, “Tell me, what’s in there?”
“Inside there? It’s…” Yang Tai began to speak, but as soon as he said a few words, his face suddenly changed.
At the same time, Yang Kai let out a stifled grunt, his face suddenly turning pale.
His Soul had been injured to begin with, and he was forcefully circulating his Spiritual Energy now. It would have been fine if Yang Tai hadn’t resisted, but this old fox reacted immediately and counterattacked, injuring Yang Kai again.
“You dare try to manipulate me?!” Yang Tai’s face twisted with fury in an instant and no longer wasted time with Yang Kai. Spreading his arms, the seawater behind him rose up into the sky, converging into a lifelike water dragon that swam through the sky and slammed towards Yang Kai.
Its dragon roar was so powerful that it shook the world, opening its giant maw as if it were going to swallow up Yang Kai.
Yang Kai could feel cold sweat dripping down his forehead. Even though he knew that this was all part of the Illusion Array, he didn’t dare to take this water dragon head-on. He wasn’t in the best condition right now, so any carelessness on his part may cause him irreparable damage.
So, in the face of such a terrifying blow, Yang Kai’s first reaction was to dodge.
His body flickered and moved several dozen metres at once, but before he could regain his footing, the seawater below him swirled up turbulently, forming a giant whirlpool out of which another water dragon surged.
Yang Tai sneered, “Little brat, you should just surrender without a fight. You are not this Old Master’s opponent!”
Even without the help of the Spirit Array, Yang Tai was confident that he could beat Yang Kai. Only, it would take a little more effort. Now that he had entered the Illusion Array as the Array Core and was able to control its power, it was even more impossible for Yang Kai to best him.
Despite controlling two water dragons at once to chase after Yang Kai, Yang Tai’s mouth did not remain idle, “Even though a blood sacrifice is needed, your lives may not have been needed. You could have just helped this Old Master open up the seal if you obediently cooperated, it’s not like this Old Master must take your life. But if this Old Master catches you now… heh heh!”
He did not say what the consequences would be, but his threat couldn’t be more obvious.
How could Yang Kai believe him though? Without a word, he dodged the two water dragons’ attacks, escaping several close calls and gradually closing in on Yang Tai.
“Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a loss!” Yang Tai tried to persuade him but received no response, spoiling his mood, so he raised his hand and another two water dragons rose from the sea to pursue Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s situation was getting worse and worse now, like a tiny wooden boat caught in the middle of an ocean storm, at risk of breaking apart at any moment. But each time he seemed to be in danger, Yang Kai was able to avoid the attacks of the water dragons at the most critical moment, which caused Yang Tai to bellow in anger, consumed by fury.
Yang Tai had completely lost the bearing of an Emperor Realm Master. Ever since he saw the giant blood-coloured door, Yang Kai noticed that something wasn’t quite right about Yang Tai. He seemed to be more hotheaded than usual and suffered from huge mood swings. It was slightly more hidden and not too obvious before, but it had become extremely conspicuous after he entered into a fight with Yang Kai in the Illusion Array.
Four water dragons became six, then eight, then ten…
When the water dragons above the sea became as many as fifteen, Yang Tai’s robes began billowing on their own with an audible flutter. The Emperor Qi pulsing from his body was constantly threshing like boiling water. His eyes were bloodshot and he was staring hard at Yang Kai as he moved back and forth. Yang Tai was now like a volcano that was about to erupt, harbouring a great deal of heated rage.
There was no way Yang Tai could not be angry at this moment though as he thought he would be able to take down Yang Kai as easily as crushing a bug with his great strength and the assistance of the Spirit Array. But reality was different, and no matter how dangerous the situation seemed to look for Yang Kai, he would always be able to turn peril into safety at the critical moment. The disparity between his expectations and reality was hard for Yang Tai to accept, and his anger continued to climb.
His anger reached its peak once he summoned fifteen water dragons.
He was focused on controlling those dragons and pursued Yang Kai for quite a while, finally trapping him somewhere in the sea with no room to escape.
As dragon roars sounded, the huge writhing water dragons rammed towards Yang Kai.
Yang Tai sneered, “Little brat, you should be glad that you still have some use. This Old Master will not kill you now, but you’ll have a taste of something even more painful than death after this!”
Yang Kai stood above the sea, watching the fifteen water dragons that were crashing down on him. As if he’d resigned to his fate, he no longer dodged like before, but there didn’t seem to be much panic on his face either.
Fierce auras were pouncing over in all directions, sending chills down Yang Kai’s body before the attacks even arrived.
But right at that moment, something happened.
As if they were having cramps, the fifteen water dragons suddenly stopped, squirmed a few times, then collapsed into giant splashes of rain that poured down from the sky.
Yang Tai was stunned and his expression twisted as he hissed, “What have you done?!”
He thought that Yang Kai secretly performed some sort of trick to break his ability to control the Spirit Array without him knowing, but he was confused to find that he was still the Array Core here, with nothing having changed.
Yang Kai grinned, “Even though I am not too proficient in Spirit Arrays, I do know one thing… And that is that sometimes one’s strength falls short, making it impossible to perform, especially for an old man like you.”
The enraged Yang Tai’s face became even more ugly at his words.
But Yang Kai’s words also made him realize that the water dragons did not break as a result of something Yang Kai did, but rather because he exceeded his own limits, causing the illusion to go out of control. He didn’t even notice such a simple thing until Yang Kai reminded him about it.
Yang Tai quickly tried to reassert control over the Illusion Array and was determined to be more careful this time. He had fought with Yang Kai for such a long time that he had more or less figured out his details. Even if this little brat was a bit faster than him, there was nothing else about him worth paying any attention to.
But Yang Kai wasn’t going to give Yang Tai any more chances.
He had been running and dodging all this while just for this chance, so how could Yang Kai not grasp this opportunity well?
He quickly formed a set of profound hand seals as a strange aura began to expand from his body. As this aura spread out, Yang Tai suddenly felt as if trying to think was an extremely difficult thing, like his mind had frozen at that moment. Everything in the world then stopped, as if time had been disturbed.
When he came to his senses, he heard Yang Kai’s murmurs in his ears.
“Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
A seal suddenly flew out towards him, and it wasn’t until it came close that Yang Tai woke up from his daze. Before this, he didn’t even feel any traces of Yang Kai’s movements, as if his memory of that moment had been erased.
As he was struck by the seal, Yang Tai was knocked down into the sea below, blood splashing out that dyed the water red.
He paid a heavy price for his carelessness and underestimating his foe.
Time Principles began to erode his old body, and the little lifespan he had left in him rapidly melted away, causing him to panic. He had no idea what to do in this situation.
Just as Yang Tai was feeling at a loss, Yang Kai caught up to him underwater. His movements were strong and nimble, even in this environment, and he was able to arrive in front of Yang Tai in just a breath. Raising his hand, Yang Kai thrust out his palm, causing the surrounding water to surge. Even though this wasn’t some kind of Secret Technique, it wasn’t a strike the current Yang Tai could handle.
Yang Tai let out a strange cry as his body was torn apart.
Yang Kai did not feel the slightest joy after his strike landed though, and instead turned his eyes to the side.
There, a gigantic catfish with thick whiskers was swimming away quickly, fleeing several kilometres in the blink of an eye.
This catfish was actually Yang Tai. At the most critical moment, he used the power of the Illusion Array to create the scene of him being killed in front of Yang Kai while disguising himself as a fish to escape.
Yang Tai himself was definitely incapable of really transforming like this, but he could do as he pleased thanks to the Illusion Array.
Ten kilometres away, the catfish leapt out of the sea and changed back to reveal the figure of an elderly man. Right now, Yang Tai was not as casual and confident as before; instead, he was in a miserable state. There were large blots of red on his chest, and as he bent over and coughed violently a few times, he appeared more like a terminally ill patient that was about to die than a powerful Emperor Realm Master.
The Time Flies Seal was still eroding every part of his body, right down to his bones, causing Yang Tai to panic. No matter how he tried to resist this strange force, he couldn’t stop its rampage, much less disperse it.
Yang Kai also leapt out of the water, and panting lightly, he looked at Yang Tai from across the sky.
He injured Yang Tai, but he wasn’t in good shape himself either. Usually, he would be able to crush someone like Yang Tai easily, but in his current state, it would require more thought on his part, especially since his opponent had both favourable conditions and an advantageous position.
“Damn it. Damn you!” Yang Tai cursed through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with hatred.
Yang Kai waved his hand and sent out several Moon Blades before chasing after them.
He wasn’t clear about the situation outside, but he knew that it could only get worse the longer he delayed things here. Xia Sheng entrusted Hua Yu Lu to him, so he had to bring her back safely.
Yang Kai could ignore the lives of the others, but he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes with Hua Yu Lu.
He had the opportunity to strike first and he didn’t want to be passively beaten anymore, so he took the initiative into his own hands.
When the Moon Blades whistled over to him, Yang Tai stopped his cursing. He could feel the terrifying force contained within the Moon Blades, causing his face to change abruptly as his body began to melt away like water.
The Moon Blades cut through his body, but they weren’t able to harm him much.
Yang Tai had clearly begun exercising the Spirit Array’s might as well. The sea began to rage, and a thousand-metre-high wave rose up, transforming into a water giant that vaguely shared Yang Tai’s features.
The water giant walked on the waves, each and every step rolling up the tide of the sea into a terrifying attack.
Compared to Yang Kai, who continued his charge, it was simply like the difference between an ant and an elephant.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived before the water giant, summoned his Myriads Sword, and sent out a series of sword lights that sliced huge gashes into his opponent. But no matter how Yang Kai attacked, the gashes would just restore themselves in short order.
The water giant that Yang Tai transformed into howled above the sea. Inside the Illusion Array, he was able to perform the Water Attribute attacks of the highest grade, pushing Yang Kai to the edge immediately.
Yang Kai thought about using his Dragon Transformation or even summoning the Mountains and Rivers Bell to end this once and for all, but his injuries would not allow him to do so. Right now, he could not even release half of his full strength.
Yang Tai gradually took the advantage, and steadily suppressed Yang Kai to the point where the latter couldn’t fight back.
The water giant howled, “I’ll rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces!”
He seemed to have forgotten about his original intention of taking Yang Kai’s blood to perform the blood sacrifice. Right now, all Yang Tai wanted was to end Yang Kai’s life right here.
Wisps of black Qi began seeping out from the body of the transparent water giant at that moment.
Sensing this black Qi, Yang Kai’s body shook as he shouted, “Demon Qi!”
His jaw instantly dropped.
He actually saw Demon Qi coming out of Yang Tai’s body. Even though it was neither pure nor dense, it was undoubtedly Demon Qi. Yang Kai couldn’t recognize it wrongly as he had just left the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld where he had fought for years with the Ancient Demons. His memory of their Qi was still fresh.
[How could Demon Qi come out from Yang Tai’s body?] Yang Kai couldn’t figure it out.
In ancient times, the Demon Race invaded the land several times, but they were always beaten back. The Two Worlds Passage should also have been sealed, so normal people couldn’t come into contact with Demon Qi.
But thinking about it again, Yang Kai had encountered Demon Qi several times before. Only, it was far purer than the Demon Qi Yang Tai was radiating.
Yang Tai must have obtained something as well that allowed him to develop Demon Qi.
All sorts of thoughts passed through his mind in a flash before it all suddenly clicked in Yang Kai’s mind, [Was it that Secret Technique?]
Hua Yu Lu told him that her trio had all gained something when they explored the Ancient Cave Mansion six months ago. She obtained the Little Flower Drum, Wu Kuang Yi made great advancements in his cultivation, and Yang Tai acquired a Secret Technique.
When they were on their way here, Yang Kai was lucky enough to see Yang Tai use that Secret Technique. It was power condensed into an ancient character. Even if he stayed in an ancient world for two years though, he still had no idea about the mysteries behind that character. He had only seen it once in the Shaman Divine Temple, and even the records inside were not clear.
But now, it appeared that the ancient character was not from this land, but was instead a Demon Race character.
The reason that records of it were available in the Shaman Divine Temple was to warn their descendants of the existence of these types of characters.
Yang Tai had unknowingly learned the true meaning of that character, and a trace of Demon Essence was thus formed in his body. As this Demon Essence awakened during this life or death battle with Yang Kai, it began releasing Demon Qi.
All of this was just his speculation, but Yang Kai couldn’t find a better explanation for the current situation. If what he thought was truly the case though, then all of Yang Tai’s strange behaviours would make sense. He was an Emperor Realm Master after all, and should have a corresponding level of intelligence and mental fortitude. Large emotional fluctuations and frenzied reactions towards certain things were definitely not something normal, but if he was being affected by Demon Qi hiding inside his body, then it would be perfectly reasonable to act in this manner.
Thinking about it this way, Yang Kai was shocked again. He speculated that perhaps it was a Demon Spirit that was born from the Demon Race character that gave Yang Tai insight into the secrets behind the giant blood-coloured door.
If that was true, then whatever was hidden behind that giant blood-coloured door was definitely related to the Demon Race.
“Yang Tai, you’ve become demonised and aren’t thinking straight!” Yang Kai bellowed.
Yang Tai ignored him, however, as the water giant he transformed into slammed its palm down, raising a huge wave that seemed like it wanted to shatter the entire world.
“Tell me, is there a Demon sealed behind that door?!” Yang Kai continued to shout, but this time he infused his Spiritual Energy into his voice and sent it directly into Yang Tai’s Soul, making it impossible for him to ignore.
Some Ancient Demons were very difficult to kill, just like the Giant One-Eyed Demon that Yang Kai encountered, which was sealed outside of Maplewood City. If what was sealed behind that giant blood-coloured door also happened to be such a Demon, or a part of such a Demon, then it definitely wouldn’t be a good thing to set it free.
Last time, Yang Kai just happened to seal an Ancient Demon’s Qi into his dantian, but such a miracle may not happen again this time.
This time, Yang Tai heard Yang Kai’s shout and the water giant’s movements stalled for a moment before turning furious, “How did you know that? How could you possibly know that!”
As if some unspeakable secret had been revealed, Yang Tai had become infuriated.
Yang Kai’s heart sank sharply hearing these words.
The water giant raised its palm again, slamming it down towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stood his ground this time though, not trying to evade. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, but by the time they opened again, the aura surrounding his body had abruptly changed, taking on an ancient air.
He was now channeling his Shaman Strength.
After leaving the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, Yang Kai had always wanted to try and see if he could still use his Shaman Strength; after all, he had cultivated this power for more than two years there, so he couldn’t just let it go to waste.
So, he attempted it several times on the way here.
The results pleasantly surprised him. He could freely switch between Emperor Qi and Shaman Strength now, with the two powers not conflicting with each other. Only, the Shaman Strength was a little weaker than his Emperor Qi, and the Shamanic Spells were a little strenuous to perform. It wasn’t as easy as the Secret Techniques of the modern day.
Another thing Yang Kai noticed was that though he could perform the Shamanic Spells, they weren’t as strong as they were inside the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. It could only be used at eighty percent of its power.
Yang Kai felt that this must be due to the effects of the different World Principles.
The Ancient Barbarian Race could only cultivate Shamanic Spells because the World Principles of that era aligned with these techniques. Over time, slight changes also began to appear in the World Principles. The living beings of each era had their own specialties.
Yang Kai was forcefully using Shamanic Spells of the ancient times in this era, so it was only natural they wouldn’t be as effective.
This was just how it was, and nobody could change it.
While muttering an archaic incantation, Yang Kai quickly formed seals with his hands and a glowing light burst forth from his hands, spreading out in all directions with a loud bang.
“Demon Suppression!”
The light swept over towards the water giant’s body as Yang Kai’s voice sounded.
It didn’t cause any apparent damage, but the water giant seemed to take a hard hit, its actions halting as it lost all its momentum. At the same time, a grating cry sounded from the mouth of the water giant, naturally, it was Yang Tai.
The black Qi floating on the surface of the water giant’s body melted away like snowflakes under the sun after the light swept across it.
During the war inside the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld that lasted more than two years, the Barbarian Race also developed a number of Shamanic Spells to use against the Demon Race. The Demon Suppression Spell was born at that time. It did little in terms of lethality, but it could disrupt and suppress the power of a Demon.
Yang Kai had several dozen such Shamanic Spells in his possession, all of which were similar to each other.
After using Demon Suppression, Yang Kai began chanting again, quickly engulfing the water giant in front of him with another blinding light and drawing even more miserable screams from Yang Tai.
When Yang Kai cast the seventh Shamanic Spell, the huge water giant burst apart. Yang Tai’s screams also came to a screeching halt and the turbulent sea regained its calm.
Yang Kai’s expression looked solemn as he released his Divine Sense and searched for Yang Tai.
But he found nothing. Yang Tai’s aura had disappeared without a trace in this Illusion Array and a short moment later, Yang Kai was surprised to find the Illusion Array’s Core. Yang Tai had escaped and was no longer here.
The truth was just as Yang Kai observed. At this moment, from a cloud of blue smoke, a figure suddenly appeared inside the rock cave. Yang Tai had emerged in a miserable state, doubled over and coughing violently, blood dripping from numerous wounds all over his body.
“Brother Yang, you… How…” Not far away, Gong Yue who was presiding over the Six Points One Centre Array was shocked to see Yang Tai’s condition, almost causing a fault to appear in the Spirit Array. Currently the Six Points One Centre Array had already been arranged, with Hua Yu Lu, Fang Zhuo, Wu Kuang Yi, and Chen Bing Ru all suspended mid-air with pale faces, set in special positions according to the array’s principles, seemingly having lost the power to resist. There was a small cut on each of their bodies as well that red blood was trickling out of, and under Gong Yue’s manipulations, this blood was all gathering towards the giant blood-coloured door.
The giant blood-colour door also seemed to have transformed into a bottomless pit. No matter how much blood was brought to it, it would devour all of it without leaving a single drop. Following the inflow of blood, the giant blood-coloured door began emitting a strange glow.
Gong Yue was a Second-Order Emperor, and his strength was not bad to begin with, so having caught his opponents off guard and with the help of numerous Array Plates, Hua Yu Lu and the others weren’t his opponents at all. In the time that Yang Kai and Yang Tai were locked in battle, all the others had been restrained and no longer had the power to fight back.
Gong Yue thought that Yang Tai wouldn’t need to use much effort to take down Yang Jiu, but when Yang Tai showed up in such a terrible state, he realized he was wrong.
[That Yang Jiu actually defeated Yang Tai inside the Illusion Array. He had such capability?]
“How is the progress?” Yang Tai ignored Gong Yue’s surprise and was also no longer as friendly as before. There was a look of impatience on his brows and at the moment, he acted just like a king standing high above others, questioning his subordinates.
Gong Yue frowned, “My side is fine, but with two fewer people, the speed of cracking the array is going to be very slow. I still need about an hour.”
When the trapped Hua Yu Lu and the others heard these words, their faces turned ashen.
Breaking the array with a blood sacrifice was not as simple as it seemed. Every time their blood was drawn away, they could feel excruciating pain as if their insides were being torn apart. The only reason they weren’t screaming was because they were under the restraint of this Spirit Array.
Hearing that this was going to last another hour, the four people were all feeling terrified and uneasy. If that were truly the case, then they may as well commit suicide so they wouldn’t have to suffer this way.
“An hour is too long!” Yang Tai shouted, turning back towards a cloud of blue smoke. Yang Jiu was trapped inside this fog bank, but he no longer dared to go in and fight him.
Honestly, Yang Jiu’s performance surprised Yang Tai, but he wasn’t too worried about him at first. Only after he began using those strange Secret Techniques did Yang Tai become terrified. It was as if he’d met his natural enemy, an existence he had even lost the courage to face.
“Use my blood!” Yang Tai took the initiative to step towards Hua Yu Lu and the others, occupying another position in the array in a flash. Then, with his finger as a knife, he cut a wound on his own wrist and blood immediately gushed out in a torrent.
“Brother Yang, you…” Gong Yue looked at Yang Tai in surprise. He had the instinctive idea that this man was not in the right state of mind at this moment.
This wasn’t anything like what they planned. Even though Yang Tai was supposed to be part of the Six Points One Centre Array, the most important sources for the blood sacrifice were supposed to be the other five. As long as they drained those five dry, it should be enough to break the array.
But things didn’t happen quite as they expected. Firstly, Yang Jiu was able to see through part of their scheme, resulting in some accidents. Now, they couldn’t even gather everyone to complete the array with, but Yang Tai actually decided not to be stingy with his own blood and asked to participate as well, as if vowing to break open the Spirit Array even if it cost him his life.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up!” When he saw Gong Yue’s hesitation, Yang Tai couldn’t help but urge him on, his tone even seeming hostile.
Gong Yue frowned, “Brother Yang, what you said is truly behind this door, right?”
At this point, Gong Yue was even thinking of withdrawing, mainly because of how worrying Yang Tai’s performance was. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was all worth doing in the first place.
Yang Tai coldly snorted, “You also know how deep and profound that character is, so you must know its might. There are more characters like that behind that door. The greatest secrets of the Martial Dao are hidden there, and as long as the seal is broken, you can easily break through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm. When that time comes, who will dare to underestimate your Heavenly River Valley Gong Family? As for your Gong Family’s reputation, who will know what happened here if they’re all dead? This Old Master is on your side, so I will naturally not reveal what happened today.”
Gong Yue’s expression fluctuated several times before he finally made up his mind, “Good!”
The main reason he agreed to work with Yang Tai to deceive the others here was because of the power he had seen behind that ancient character. At his First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, Yang Tai was able to exert the strength of a Second-Order Emperor, proving how astonishing the origins of that character were.
Even though the Gong Family was not a small force, they didn’t have a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s protection, so their status in the Southern Territory was a little awkward. Whenever the Gong Family was mentioned, anyone would think about Spirit Arrays, but nobody had any idea how much the Gong Family coveted great power, especially Gong Yue. He made the revitalization of the Gong Family his lifelong goal, but his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation was neither here nor there in terms of the hierarchy, so it was difficult for him to become the great trailblazer for his family.
Yang Tai assured him that he would be able to gain the secrets to advance into the Third-Order Emperor Realm after the Spirit Array was broken.
Interest aroused, Gong Yue joined hands with him.
Just as Yang Tai said, everyone here was going to die after the blood sacrifice, so who was going to know that the Gong Family’s former patriarch did something so despicable? So, the Gong Family’s reputation wouldn’t be affected.
At Yang Tai’s urging, the seals on Gong Yue’s hand changed. Yang Tai immediately let out a grunt as large amounts of blood began pouring out of the wound on his wrist like a fountain.
In order to ensure the Spirit Array could be broken faster, Gong Yue also increased the extraction of blood from the other four. All of a sudden, Hua Yu Lu and the others were all showing unbearable expressions of pain.
As blood flowed into it, the glow of the giant blood-coloured door became brighter and brighter.
Yang Tai lost a lot of blood, but he didn’t feel uncomfortable. Instead, he was exhilarated as he stared at the giant blood-coloured door without even moving his gaze for a moment.
It was at that instant that a noise suddenly sounded from the pale blue smoke, and Yang Kai’s figure appeared out of thin air.
Without Yang Tai hosting the array and with Gong Yue distracted with other matters, the Illusion Array created by the Array Plate was unable to withstand Yang Kai’s attacks. In just that short amount of time after Yang Tai escaped, Yang Kai was able to break free.
With a sweep of his Divine Sense, Yang Kai immediately understood the current situation.
Under Yang Tai’s panicked and fearful gaze, he waved the Myriads Sword in his hand, slashing down a shocking sword light that was aimed right at Gong Yue.
Gong Yue was the master of the Six Points One Centre Array, so the only way to stop it was to attack him.
Gong Yue was not surprised at all by this. Or rather, he had anticipated this situation ever since Yang Tai escaped from the Illusion Array. So, with a flick of his finger, another Array Plate was sent flying at Yang Kai.
As the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, and a Sect Master of a Spirit Array Sect, Gong Yue did not carry much on his body, but he did have quite a number of Array Plates at his disposal. Among these plates were Killing Arrays, Illusion Arrays, Trapping Arrays, etc.
The space was too narrow for Yang Kai to be able to dodge though, so despite having just escaped from one Spirit Array, he was quickly dragged into another.
When he saw this, Yang Tai cheered and laughed while the faces of Hua Yu Lu and the others paled even further.
They had no other hope now. Being restrained by the Six Points One Centre Array, they were unable to use their strength at all and even their freedom was under Gong Yue’s control. There was no way for them to break free with their own ability.
They could only put all their hopes on Yang Kai, but just as he showed them a glimmer of hope, they were let down again. Some expectation had just emerged, and it had all shattered immediately. They were done for now, they all thought.
“How long can you keep him trapped?” Yang Tai asked Gong Yue.
Gong Yue frowned, “Thirty breaths…”
Yang Tai seemed to be dissatisfied with this, but he knew too that there was no way around it. If Gong Yue were to host these Array Plates personally, then he should be able to trap Yang Jiu for a longer amount of time, but right now, Gong Yue didn’t have the spare hands to do so. Being able to trap Yang Jiu for thirty breaths of time with a masterless Spirit Array was already the limit.
Ten breaths later though, the Spirit Array suddenly shattered, and Yang Kai’s figure reappeared.
“What?” Gong Yue was shocked.
He had just announced that the Spirit Array could trap Yang Kai for thirty breaths of time, which was already an overestimation of the opponent’s strength, but it turned out that after just ten breaths of time, the array was broken. Just how powerful was this Yang Jiu?
“He’s back!” Yang Tai called out to remind Gong Yue to toss out another Array Plate.
After eating such a loss, Yang Kai was much more careful now. In a flash, he put some distance between Gong Yue and himself, shouting, “Old Patriarch Gong, regardless of whether or not you’re doing this willingly or were deceived, you must know one thing! Yang Tai has been corrupted by Demon Qi and underwent demonification! Your acts now are akin to assisting a tyrant to oppress the innocent. This will not bring any kind of glory to your Gong Family. It’s not too late for you to stop now!”
“You smelly brat, what sort of nonsense are you spouting? When did this Old Master become demonified?” Yang Tai retorted, and as he was worrying that Gong Yue would be affected by these slanderous lies, he also quickly urged, “Brother Gong, don’t listen to him! The most important thing is to take him down as soon as possible!”
Yang Kai’s body suddenly disappeared in a flash before his voice began sounding from all directions, “Ancient Demons are sealed behind that giant blood-coloured door. Yang Tai intends to let them out. You may not know how terrifying the Demon Race is, but you definitely won’t want to know. Gong Yue, are you sure you want to be this sinner’s accomplice?”
“This Ancient Cave Mansion has been around for at least tens of thousands of years, if not hundreds of thousands. How could any Demon be sealed inside? This brat is lying! Not to mention that even if Demons were sealed here, they would have died long ago! Brother Gong, the ultimate secret of the Martial Dao lies behind that door. Don’t believe that little brat. Open the door, then you and I can share in the benefits!”
Yang Kai and Yang Tai’s arguing sounded like two flies constantly buzzing in his ears, annoying Gong Yue to no end.
Raising his hand, he summoned several more Array Plates, laying down several layers of Spirit Arrays to protect himself so no matter where Yang Kai was attacking from, he was bound to get caught by one of them.
“Very good!” Yang Tai laughed, shouting tauntingly into the void, “This Old Master acknowledges that you have some skill, but that’s all! If you want to live, then it’s not too late for you to escape now. Otherwise, I’m afraid it’ll be too late.”
He was really afraid of all the strange Secret Techniques Yang Kai had as they felt as if they were created solely to restrain him. So, he could want nothing more than for Yang Kai to leave here as soon as possible. As for whether Yang Kai would expose the secret of this place or not after escaping, that wasn’t something he had to consider.
He just needed to get this door open.
There were five people left in here, including him, which was enough for the blood sacrifice. It just needed a little longer to break the array.
But Gong Yue’s face sank when he heard this. Even though he and Yang Tai worked together to set this trap, he had done it for the sake of the Gong Family. There was no intention for any survivors to be left. Yang Tai was also one of the targets he intended to kill, so how could he allow Yang Kai to escape alone?
As his thoughts turned, he asked, “Little brother, you say there are Demons sealed behind that door, but what proof do you have? Yang Tai told me that the ultimate secrets of the Martial Dao were inside there.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted as he spoke, “Do you really believe that? If you do, then you’re a fool.”
Gong Yue raised his voice, “I have peered into the mysteries of that word, and it tells me that Yang Tai isn’t lying!”
“What you saw was an Ancient Demon Race character! You’ve been deceived!”
“What?” Gong Yue’s face changed, “A Demon Race character?”
Under shock, a crack began to appear in his layers of Spirit Arrays.
It was at that moment that Yang Kai suddenly appeared. Nobody could see clearly how he re-emerged, but by the time they saw him, he was already standing a metre in front of Gong Yue.
The look of panic on Gong Yue’s face disappeared in an instant, and there was a shrewd glow in his eyes. Everything he said just now was obviously just an act to lure Yang Kai out.
And Yang Kai really showed up. Gong Yue smiled coldly as he instantly prepared to activate all the Array Plates by his side to their maximum to drag Yang Kai into one of them. He wouldn’t take it lightly again this time, and decided that even if he had to split his attention, he would actively deal with Yang Kai before handling other matters.
At that moment, a small, ancient-looking bell appeared in Yang Kai’s hand that began to spin and swell up into a massive object.
An ancient and desolate aura filled the air while Yang Kai shivered, seemingly on the verge of collapse; however, the hand that was holding onto the small bell was steady as a rock.
*Guang dang…*
When the bell tolled, everyone felt their eardrums shaking, dizzying them for a moment. The layers of Spirit Arrays that Gong Yue arranged around himself were all shattered by the ring of this bell before they could activate, collapsing all at once.
Not only that, but being struck by such a close impact from the Mountains and Rivers Bell, it was as if Gong Yue had been struck by lightning, his mind going blank for a moment before his chest caved in and a large bulge formed on his back. In the next instant, he flew out like a rag sack and smashed into a nearby wall before sliding down miserably.
He had a Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, so it was reasonable to say that he shouldn’t have suffered so badly from this strike, but thinking he had already won, Gong Yue had left himself completely defenceless, allowing this fierce blow from the Mountains and Rivers bell to hurt him severely.
The toll of the bell raged through Gong Yue’s body and his meridians, making it so he couldn’t even breathe.
The Six Points One Centre Array, having lost its host, collapsed, causing Hua Yu Lu and the others who were suspended mid-air to fall down like dumplings, all of them letting out cries of surprise.
They were all Emperor Realm Masters, but they were completely disoriented on the ground now, just like babies who had not yet learned to walk, they couldn’t get back up after falling down, and they all looked miserable.
Most of the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell’s attack was borne by Gong Yue, but it still affected them a little. Plus, they were under Gong Yue’s control this whole time and lost too much blood, so they were extremely weak to begin with.
Right now, they probably wouldn’t be able to exert a tenth of their full strength.
The only one among them in a better state was Yang Tai. He entered the array later, and even though he lost a lot of blood, he was still far better off than the rest. He only staggered for a moment after landing on the ground before steadying himself.
But the sudden blow still made his mind buzz. Everything had been going well, so he didn’t expect the situation to take such a sharp turn in the blink of an eye. He was standing in place, stunned for a while, before he finally came back to his senses. Eyes filled with incomparable hatred, he turned towards Yang Kai, ground his teeth, and began incoherently muttering, “Why, why, why…”
Murderous thoughts towards Yang Kai filled his entire being before spilling over and enveloping their target.
Yang Kai also staggered. He used up all of his strength in that attack with the Mountains and Rivers Bell and was now just like a lamp running out of oil, even the Emperor Qi in his body was having difficulty circulating. When he saw Yang Tai’s Divine Sense locking onto him though, seemingly as if he was going to immediately lash out, Yang Kai quickly took a deep breath and squeezed out what little remaining power there was in his dantian and began to chant.
Yang Tai was startled and felt as if a bucket of cold water had doused all the anger in him, he even began to cower before Yang Kai, seemingly utterly terrified.
He had already eaten a loss from Yang Kai previously in the Illusion Array and knew the might of these strange Secret Techniques. They were just like his natural enemy, so he became instinctively afraid as soon as he heard the strange incantations again.
Only after falling back a few steps was Yang Tai able to find a sense of security.
Yang Kai also found the right moment to stop chanting. He was currently an arrow at the end of its flight and could no longer exert his power at will. If Yang Tai wasn’t going to move, then he couldn’t be bothered to strike first.
The current situation gave him a headache. There were seven Emperor Realm Masters here, and each one was weaker than the next. Yang Tai was currently in the best condition, so if he really steeled himself to kill, the only thing Yang Kai could do would be to hide in the Sealed World Bead with Hua Yu Lu. As for the others, whether they lived or died was no longer his business.
But Yang Tai was indeed extremely fearful of Yang Kai, and did not dare try anything with him again.
Suddenly, the crimson glow that once filled the cave began fading, catching Yang Tai’s attention. He turned towards the giant blood-coloured door and wailed, “No, this can’t be!”
Before, under the blood sacrifice that Gong Yue presided over, the glow surrounding the giant blood-coloured door was growing brighter and brighter. The ancient seal was even showing signs of opening; however, after the array was broken by Yang Kai, cutting off the blood sacrifice, the glow gradually turned dim, and the ancient barrier stabilized once more.
Yang Tai began to roar, and nobody knew what he thought of, but he suddenly turned around to glare viciously at one of the people in the room. Then, reaching out, he grabbed at him.
“Yang Tai, you dare?!” Wu Kuang Yi shouted angrily at him, but where would he still have the strength to resist? He was lifted up by Yang Tai as easily as lifting up a chicken.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Tai struck Wu Kuang Yi’s body several times before throwing him towards the giant blood-coloured door.
Wu Kuang YI let out a pained scream, but that too came to a sudden halt.
When he hit the giant blood-coloured door, maybe due to the force of the impact, or maybe it was from the strikes Yang Tai delivered to his body, but Wu Kuang Yi suddenly burst into a mist of blood, leaving no bones behind, splashing a crimson mass onto the giant blood-coloured door.
Gradually, the dimming door regained a trace of light.
When they saw this, everyone was aghast. Wu Kuang Yi’s death caused their lips to go numb, and their teeth to go cold. None of them knew who Yang Tai was going to attack next.
“Not enough, not enough! This is far from enough!” But it was as if Yang Tai had gone insane. After killing Wu Kuang Yi with his own hands, there was only a vexed look on his face. He was constantly muttering under his breath as his eyes swept over the remaining people.
At the same time, a faint black Qi began appearing from his body. Naturally, it was the Demon Qi that Yang Kai was familiar with.
As the others instinctually averted their gazes at this sight, fearing that they would draw unwanted attention to themselves, Yang Kai stared at Yang Tai with cold eyes, sneering, “Give it up, Yang Tai. Your plan won’t work anymore. There’s no way you can break this seal now. You’re already completely transforming into a Demon, and your death isn’t even worth pitying!”
On the other side, Gong Yue, who had been wounded by Yang Kai, finally managed to gather himself and was staring dumbfounded at the Demon Qi surrounding Yang Tai. Lifting his finger, he pointed forward and haltingly stuttered with a trembling voice, “You, you…”
He finally saw the truth. With the trace of Demon Qi on Yang Tai’s body being so obvious, how could Gong Yue not understand now?
It was only at this point that he believed what Yang Kai said earlier.
Yang Tai had really been demonised, and if that was the case, then Yang Tai’s promise wasn’t worth a wooden coin anymore…
At that thought, Gong Yue’s heart felt ashen. He had risked everything in order to join Yang Tai in this villainous plot, but he never expected it to be a scam right from the beginning. He had no idea what Yang Tai’s aims were here, but he knew there were definitely no secrets to the Martial Dao that he was promised behind that door.
“Give up?” Yang Tai did not notice Gong Yue at all as he yelled hysterically, “My mission isn’t even complete yet, how could I possibly give up!?”
Yang Kai keenly grasped a clue and frowned, “Mission? Your mission is to break that seal? Is whatever behind that door giving you orders? Did it communicate with you?”
Yang Tai hurriedly shut his mouth, seemingly realizing that he had said too much. Sweeping his eyes across everyone present, he then sneered, “Wastes, nothing but wastes! Even if all your blood is sacrificed, it will still be far from enough!”
Truthfully, it would have been enough if Yang Kai had not interrupted the blood sacrifice; however, after it was interrupted, all progress was lost.
Yang Tai had gone completely crazy and he quickly spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the whole world, and for the first time, the Demon Qi around his body grew dense, dark, and turbulent. Just the sight alone was enough to send one trembling in fear. “Open your dog eyes wide and take a good look! The new era is coming! You are all ants before the coming tide!”
He shouted nonsensically before letting out a maniacal laugh and turning towards the giant blood-coloured door, running towards it.
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as everyone else who was watching was dumbfounded by this scene. Nobody would have expected such a dramatic turn of events.
It seemed as if Yang Tai wanted to use his own body as a blood sacrifice to break the ancient seal.
Nobody tried to stop him. For one, it was Yang Tai’s malicious intentions that dragged everyone into this mess to begin with, so his death was indeed not worth pitying. Secondly, Wu Kuang Yi was just killed by Yang Tai and used as a blood sacrifice, however that wound up being mostly ineffective. Even if Yang Tai sacrificed himself now, it was likely no miracles would happen.
So, everyone just stood by and watched coldly.
As everyone watched on, Yang Tai smashed into the giant blood-coloured door.
He used all his strength to crash into the door and did not protect himself in the slightest, so it wasn’t hard to predict what would happen.
They heard a bang, and just like Wu Kuang Yi before him, Yang Tai exploded into a mist of blood.
But his blood and flesh didn’t splatter over the door like a messy paste; instead, it seemed to have its own life, slowly wriggling in mid-air and gradually coming back together.
Everyone who had just begun to feel relieved was instantly set on edge again. They had no idea what this situation entailed, but everyone’s hearts filled with a very bad feeling. Yang Kai’s perception was better than the others and he was able to feel wisps of Demon Essence coming from the mist of blood that Yang Tai had burst into. Naturally, it was a type of aura that made him very uncomfortable, as if he had returned to that ancient world and was facing the Masters of the Demon Realm once more.
In the blink of an eye, the cloud of blood gathered into a shape.
“This…” Gong Yue’s eyes widened.
“Demon Character!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and shouted, his heart swelling with anxiety.
The shape that the bloody mist gathered into was none other than the Demon Character that Yang Tai revealed when he performed his Secret Technique earlier. Under a mysterious force, the bloody Demon Character was propelled forward and smashed against the door.
No one knew what kind of effect the Demon Character formed of Yang Tai’s physical essence through the blood sacrifice would have on the door, but since Yang Tai had done this, he must have been certain about its efficacy.
A light burst from the door that was so bright that they could hardly open their eyes, and just as everyone was blinded for a moment, they could hear a sudden creak.
Everyone jumped in fright, and by the time they realized what sound it was, all their faces were pale.
The giant blood-coloured door was opened!
Even though the blood sacrifice that had gone on for so long was interrupted by Yang Kai halfway through, Yang Tai’s final desperate struggle became the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
Whatever was hidden behind the door was going to be revealed at this moment.
Yang Kai focused his eyesight to its maximum and finally saw something. The giant blood-coloured door had indeed been opened, but only by a small crack. Many of the sealing patterns on the door still seemed to be effective, creating a force that was opposite from the Demon Character, preventing the door from opening.
At that moment, Yang Kai vaguely saw something fly out from the gap.
When the light dissipated and the door was shut once more, everything felt like it had just been an illusion after the dust settled.
Everyone was in shock and were all looking at each other.
But very quickly, someone noticed something was wrong.
“What… What is that?” Chen Bing Ru’s voice was trembling as she pointed at the object floating in front of the door.
The group turned to the direction she was pointing at, and they all looked shocked.
At some unknown time, a black light the size of a green bean had begun floating in front of the door. It was simply too small and wasn’t emitting any special aura, so nobody noticed it at first. Not to mention that the lighting here wasn’t very good, so Chen Bing Ru had also only noticed it by chance.
The black light didn’t seem to be a living thing at all and just floated there quietly without any strange behaviour.
But when Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense over it, his face changed and he shouted, “It’s a Demon Spirit! Everyone, guard your minds, don’t let it invade your Knowledge Sea or you’ll definitely be demonised!”
When they heard that, the faces of the group changed, but Yang Kai had just saved them from death’s door, so even though they didn’t understand everything, they still moved out of instinct. All of them closed off their Knowledge Seas and guarded their minds vigilantly.
“Brother Yang, this Demon Spirit… Is it the type of Demon Spirit that we’re familiar with?” Fang Zhuo asked.
The Demon Spirit that he mentioned was the mass of distracting thoughts that would appear in a cultivator’s mind on their path of cultivation. These were the thoughts that could affect their cultivation, such as greed, vanity, jealousy, hatred… All of these were Demon Spirits, and at times, they were able to cause dissonance in one’s cultivation.
Yang Kai shook his head and turned back to that small mass of black light. He couldn’t help but recall his experiences in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, “There is another Great World out there called the Demon Realm, and the beings that live there are called the Demon Race. Several times, they’ve tried to invade the Star Boundary, but they were forced to withdraw by the ancient warriors who killed off many of the Demon Race’s Masters. But the Demon Race had a very strange and special characteristic, their incredibly tenacious vitality. They were extremely difficult to kill, and even those ancient warriors were unable to destroy all of them completely. For that reason, they could only seal them. I have no idea what is sealed behind that giant blood-coloured door, but this Demon Spirit definitely escaped from behind it. In short, the Demon Spirits I speak of are Remnant Souls of Demon Race Masters.”
The thing they saw speeding out from behind the door was this black light.
When they heard this, everyone was stunned. It was the first time they’d heard about the Demon Realm. They were, at the very least, Emperor Realm Masters with exceptional skill in cultivation and vast amounts of experience, so while they wouldn’t dare say that they knew all the secrets of the world, at the very least, it was very rare for them to have not even heard of something.
But it was the first time they’d heard the words ‘Demon Realm’. They knew about the Demon Race of course, as there were some vague references in ancient books they’d seen, but those weren’t very detailed.
“Brother Yang means to say that there are Demons sealed behind this door?” Fang Zhuo asked with a frown.
“From how it seems, I’m afraid it is so.”
Chen Bing Ru asked, “This Ancient Cave Mansion has existed for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years. Even if a Demon Race Master was truly sealed behind that door, there’s no way they would still be alive now, is there?”
Yang Kai answered, “That is why only a Demon Spirit appeared. The Demons sealed inside may be dead, but their Remnant Souls still exist.”
“It’s just a Remnant Soul… There’s no need to be so…” Chen Bing Ru squeezed out a smile, vaguely feeling that Yang Kai was making a big problem out of nothing. Regardless of whether a Demon was sealed behind that door or not, so much time had passed that a Remnant Soul likely wouldn’t be able to achieve much even if it showed up.
“What do you know?” Yang Kai shouted in anger at her.
Chen Bing Ru shut her mouth in embarrassment. Her cultivation was higher than Yang Kai’s, so if not for the fact that Yang Kai had just saved her life, she would probably be snapping back at him right now. Even so, she still didn’t take too kindly to being shouted down at by Yang Kai like this.
Yang Kai took a breath to moderate his mood and tone before continuing, “As long as the Demon Spirit is still around, we can not put down our guards, otherwise… Hm?”
As he was speaking, the black light which had not been moving this whole time suddenly flew up and rushed straight at him. It was not known whether it was intentional or by coincidence.
An extremely unsettling aura pulsed from within that small Demon Spirit, and as if flew towards Yang Kai, he could feel a burning sensation come from his right eye.
He immediately understood that it was not a coincidence that the Demon Spirit chose him; rather, its actions were driven by instinct.
His right eye was fused with the Ancient Demon’s Black Eye, which had the aura of an Ancient Demon. Since the Demon Spirit was the Remnant Soul of a Demon Race Master, it was only natural that it would be attracted to it.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and began chanting a Shamanic Spell, raising his hand and pointing it forward.
A burst of light shot out and swept across the black ball that was flying over to him. In an instant, the black light which was the size of a bean was thrown back like a falling leaf in a storm, seemingly being hit hard.
Yang Kai’s current state was like an arrow at the end of its flight, so the power he could exert at this moment was not great by any means; however, this Demon Spirit had been sealed for so long that as a Remnant Soul, it wasn’t very powerful. It immediately shrank in size the moment the Shamanic Spell hit it.
Seemingly sensing that Yang Kai was not easy prey, the black light shot off in another direction.
Its target was now Gong Yue.
Gong Yue was currently somewhat dazed. He had been deceived by Yang Tai and joined hands with him to try and kill several Emperor Realm Masters from the Southern Territory, but now, after Yang Tai used himself as a blood sacrifice, a Demon Spirit had come out from behind the door, proving that Yang Kai’s words were true.
The so-called ultimate secrets of the Martial Dao were not in there at all. Those lies were merely part of Yang Tai’s scheme.
Yang Tai wanted to release all the Demon Spirits sealed behind that door, and that was why he came to Gong Yue, to take advantage of his skills in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
He was the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, and everything he did was going to reflect back on the Gong Family. After today, the Gong Family’s reputation would have been completely destroyed, putting it in a difficult situation.
When he realized this, Gong Yue’s heart turned to ashes and even after hearing the conversation Yang Kai and the others had about the Demon Spirit, he didn’t react too much to it.
It wasn’t until the Demon Spirit began flying over to him that Gong Yue finally moved. He raised his hand slightly, sending a solid palm print flying towards the approaching Demon Spirit.
Even though he was an Array Grandmaster, he still had Second-Order Emperor, so while his palm strike wasn’t enough to cause both Heaven and Earth to flip, it was still very strong. At the very least, it was several times stronger than the Shamanic Spell that Yang Kai cast earlier.
He thought this would be enough to sweep away the Demon Spirit, and even kill it.
But something unexpected happened.
The palm print passed right through the Demon Spirit, having no effect on it in the slightest.
“Watch out!” Yang Kai shouted. Even though Gong Yue was partly responsible for the current situation, he didn’t want Gong Yue’s mind to be corrupted after what he encountered in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. That was why Yang Kai tried to warn him.
Gong Yue also focused himself quickly and brought out everything he had. He had been hurt by the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but under desperate conditions, he still exerted extraordinary strength, placing several layers of solid protection in front of him.
But the black light passed through his layers of protection as if they weren’t even there, piercing straight into his mind.
Everyone was stunned.
Gong Yue’s eyes also widened for a moment before he let out a shout, as if he was suffering great torment.
Yang Kai was a little dumbfounded. He couldn’t understand why such a thing happened no matter how he thought about it. He saw Gong Yue’s protection, and it was reasonable to say that it was sufficient to withstand the Demon Spirit’s erosion.
But in fact, it didn’t even seem half as useful as it should be.
[This doesn’t seem right…]
Just as Yang Kai was feeling puzzled, Gong Yue suddenly let out a roar and a raging aura escaped from the pores of his body. Both his hair and his beard danced wildly while his voice shook the cave and rustled the rocks.
The faces of everyone changed as they all watched Gong Yue nervously.
At this moment, nobody had much power left to resist, so if Gong Yue went berserk, then everyone would be in trouble.
Chen Bing Ru said in a trembling voice, “Brother Yang, he… Did he…”
“His mind is being invaded by the Demon Spirit. He’s going through demonification!” Yang Kai shouted through gritted teeth.