*Gu dong…*
The sounds of many Emperor Realm Masters gulping could be heard as each one of them took up a defensive stance. Sorrow suddenly welled up in their hearts, but they simply did not know what else to do.
Gong Yue had just broken the seal containing the Demons Spirits hidden below Spirit Sword Peak, releasing them into the world, and now a man came out and proclaimed himself the feared Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. On this one day, more happened in the Azure Sun Temple than in the past eight hundred years combined.
“Where’s Wen Zi Shan? What have you done with him?” Gao Xue Ting asked in a trembling voice.
Wen Zi Shan should have been helping the Bustling World Great Emperor separate their Souls, but Wu Kuang had come out possessing Duan Hong Chen’s body. Since there was no news about Wen Zi Shan at all, Gao Xue Ting couldn’t help but worry.
“Hmph, who is this Wen Zi Shan you speak of? This King crushed a lot of bugs to death earlier. Who knows if he was one of them.”
Gao Xue Ting’s pretty face paled, and she almost fell limp on the ground.
Wu Kuang scanned the Emperor Realm Masters present with a burning gaze, fingers lifting up while he counted, “One, two, three…”
Yang Kai’s face was cold, “Wu Kuang, what are you doing?”
Wu Kuang laughed, “Not bad! There are nine Emperor Realm insects in total! This King is still weak after just reviving, so you’re just the nutrition I need. Even though none of you are very strong, you’re plump enough.”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone’s face changed dramatically.
All of them had heard of the infamous Heaven Devouring Battle Law and knew what this evil Secret Art was all about. It was a Secret Art that could devour anything, and legends told that the number of Star Fields destroyed by this Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was countless. Back then, all the Cultivation Stars in the lower plane’s Star Boundary that he had visited became desolate Dead Stars, drained of all of their vitality and all life being scoured from their surface.
So, when they heard Wu Kuang say this, they all knew what he intended to do.
They could no longer worry about the escaping Demon Spirits. Each one of the Emperor Realm Masters began circulating their Emperor Qi in preparation to face off against this terrifying foe.
Wu Kuang frowned at that moment, but then suddenly grinned again, “Hahaha, why so nervous? It was just a little joke! This King has just been freed so he is in a good mood, a killing spree would spoil this joyous occasion, so I’ll let you all off this time.”
No one responded. None of them knew what this madman really meant, but they did not dare to speak easily for fear of angering him.
Wu Kuang snickered, seemingly finding no meaning in continuing this conversation either. He then turned his head towards a certain direction and grasped towards the void. His movements were calm and relaxed, but when he opened his palm again a black light was in his grip.
No one knew where he caught this black light from.
“What an interesting little thing.” A Demon Spirit that the Emperor Realm Masters couldn’t even hide in time from was now held in Wu Kuang’s hand as he studied it with interest. The black light actually stayed obediently in place without any intention of corrupting him, just as if it were a dead object, “It’s all thanks to your help that this King was set free. En, so I’ll lend you a hand.”
As soon as he said that, he raised his hand towards a point.
The air trembled as if something had been broken.
Naturally, it was the sound of the Sect Defending Array being shattered. Qiu Ran had just quietly ordered the activation of the Sect Defending Array, and it was actually broken open just like that.
The entire Azure Sun Temple was just like a balloon with a hole in it. All the Demon Spirits trapped inside were able to find an escape route and swiftly fled through it, disappearing from sight.
Yang Kai and the rest could only watch helplessly.
Wu Kuang swept his eyes over them again, smiling, “See you next time. This King will not show mercy again, so be careful. The outside world is very dangerous!”
Cackling, his body transformed into a stream of light before rushing out of the gap in the array.
It wasn’t until he disappeared from everyone’s view that the Emperor Realm Masters could finally breathe. Just for a moment, they were clearly able to perceive Wu Kuang’s murderous intent. Even though they had no idea why Wu Kuang changed his mind at the last moment, they still felt extremely lucky to have retained their lives.
“Quick, to the Restricted Area!” Gao Xue Ting shouted, forcefully composing herself as she flew in that direction.
Qiu Ran and the others were also concerned about Wen Zi Shan’s safety, so they quickly followed her as well.
Yang Kai turned to Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming, “There’s a demon sealing ground below Spirit Sword Peak. I must trouble the two of you to investigate the area carefully.”
Chen Wen Hao nodded, “Just leave this to Brother Feng and I. You… should also be careful on your side.”
Yang Kai nodded before he quickly followed after Gao Xue Ting and the rest.
There were several Restricted Areas in Azure Sun Temple, but the most important one was the belly of the mountain where the Divine Ascension Mirror sat. The Divine Ascension Mirror was Azure Sun Temple’s greatest secret and even ordinary disciples have no idea it existed.
The last time Yang Kai was able to enter it for training was as a reward from Wen Zi Shan for the Star Seals he brought back from the Four Seasons Realm, so he remembered the location of that place very well.
Chasing the other Elders over, Yang Kai caught up with them in front of the mountain wall.
Gao Xue Ting opened the barrier here and rushed inside.
The group followed the tunnel down from the side of the mountain and quickly arrived at its base.
When they saw the scene there, their hearts all sank. The scene that met their eyes was that of a middle-aged woman leaning against the cave wall, mouth dripping with blood and her face as pale as a sheet of paper. Clearly, she had been badly injured.
The Divine Ascension Mirror was placed on a stone platform a short distance away, but it was a little different from when Yang Kai first saw it. It was not as smooth as before, and there was even a trace of black Qi lingering above its surface.
“Grandma…” Gao Xue Ting rushed forward and crouched down next to the middle-aged woman, asking nervously, “Are you alright?”
The middle-aged woman tried to smile, but the smile on her face looked even worse than if she was crying, “I’m not dead yet. Quickly, go and see how the Temple Master… Cough cough…”
Her wounds were apparently even worse than they appeared and were clearly inflicted by someone extremely powerful. She spat out a mouthful of blood after only saying a few words to Gao Xue Ting and her aura became extremely feeble.
But Gao Xue Ting had even more important things to worry about at the moment. She was concerned about Wen Zi Shan’s safety. As soon as she heard the middle-aged woman’s words, she immediately began searching for Wen Zi Shan’s body.
Qiu Ran went forward and took out a few Spirit Pills for the middle-aged woman to take.
Looking at the middle-aged woman’s face, she felt vaguely familiar to Yang Kai and he asked hesitantly, “Grandma You?”
The woman raised her eyes to look at him, “Oh, that little brat from back then has now become an Elder! You lot really grow up fast.”
“You really are Grandma You.” Yang Kai was shocked, “Grandma has also changed a lot.”
He had no idea what Grandma You’s real name was, only that she watched over the Divine Ascension Mirror. He remembered the last time he came here with Xia Sheng, Grandma You had the appearance of a mad old granny with a hoarse and unpleasant voice. When he was training in the Divine Ascension Mirror, she had even sent people to hunt him down.
Grandma You was the master of a great force called the Divine Ascension Country inside the Divine Ascension Mirror World where her subordinates were as plentiful as the clouds. During that time, Yang Kai narrowly escaped death several times.
After exiting the Divine Ascension World, he heard that Grandma You was imprisoned by Wen Zi Shan, after which he did not hear any news about her at all. Now, it seems that Wen Zi Shan had completely turned her to his side and left the important task of guarding the Divine Ascension Mirror in her hands.
This time, Grandma You was clearly injured by Wu Kuang during his escape.
Suddenly, they heard Gao Xue Ting’s call in the distance.
They were all surprised and quickly headed that way, only to see Wen Zi Shan’s body completely intact inside the isolated stone room, but he was sweating a puddle for some reason, as if he had been attacked.
“Grandma, the Temple Master is alive, but he seems to be trapped in the Divine Ascension Mirror. Is there anything you can do?”
Yang Kai helped Grandma You over. One of them was injured and the other’s strength was greatly depleted, so both their complexions were terrible.
Grandma You took a look at Wen Zi Shan’s condition before looking at the changed Divine Ascension Mirror, sighing, “He’s not trapped, he’s just not coming out. I’m afraid some kind of accident must have happened inside the Divine Ascension World. What happened out there?”
There was no time to explain everything, so Yang Kai simply used his Divine Sense to transmit everything he knew into Grandma You’s mind directly.
She was silent for a moment, reviewing the information in this Divine Sense package, but soon a look of astonishment filled her face, “Sealed Demons? Demon Spirits escaping? Seems like that thing that rushed into the Divine Ascension Mirror before was a Demon Spirit…”
Gao Xue Ting was shocked, “A Demon Spirit came in here?”
Grandma You nodded, “Yes. It rushed into the Divine Ascension Mirror. Then, that Sir… He suddenly woke up, injured me, and left this place.”
Yang Kai quickly said, “That man was not Senior Hong Chen, he was the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor!”
Grandma You’s eyes narrowed at his words, “So that’s how it is. I was just thinking that that Senior wouldn’t have struck me for no reason.”
“Demon Spirits can actually invade the Divine Ascension Mirror?” Qiu Ran’s face was extremely grim as he stared fixedly at the Divine Ascension Mirror. In that short moment, the black light on the mirror grew denser, and the darkness was clearly emitting the aura of a Demon Spirit.
Yang Kai said, “The world inside the Divine Ascension Mirror is a world of Souls, and the aim for the Demon Spirit’s corruption is precisely the Soul. The Divine Ascension Mirror World is becoming nourishment for its growth.”
“En, what you say is reasonable. We must find a way to stop it. We don’t even know how Temple Master is doing inside.”
“I’ll go in and take a look,” Yang Kai volunteered.
“I’ll go with you!” Gao Xue Ting quickly declared. Even though Wen Zi Shan’s physical body was unharmed, Gao Xue Ting couldn’t rest easy until she saw his Soul.
Yang Kai nodded and said to the others, “I will have to trouble Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters to stand guard here!”
Chen Qian replied, “Junior Brother Yang, your complexion looks terrible. Why don’t I go with Senior Sister Gao instead?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I can withstand the corruption of the Demon Spirit. I’ll be fine.”
Since he insisted, Chen Qian couldn’t say anything else but urge him to be careful.
Time was tight, so Yang Kai and Gao Xue Ting each found a stone room and went inside, sitting down cross-legged. Once the stone rooms were closed, Grandma You pushed herself to open the channel to the Divine Ascension Mirror World.
Two streams of profound light then came out of the Divine Ascension Mirror, pouring into the sealed stone rooms. Yang Kai and Gao Xue Ting’s bodies shook at the same time, and the strange feeling of their Souls separating from their bodies washed over them.
It was not the first time they had entered the Divine Ascension Mirror World, so they did not resist and allowed the force to pull their Souls away.
Yang Kai seemed to have traveled through an endless tunnel of time and space, and by the time he recovered, he was in a whole other world.
Right in front of him, an elderly man was smiling at him, and there was also a man beside him who was sitting cross-legged. The man had a dignified appearance with a stately demeanour, dressed in purple robes. Who else could it be but Wen Zi Shan?
“Senior Tian Yan!” Yang Kai quickly bowed his head to the old man. After not seeing him for so many years, Tian Yan still looked the same as usual without any changes.
Speaking of which, Tian Yan was a Great Emperor level Master and did not have a physical body. He was only living in the Divine Ascension World in the form of a Soul, so it was naturally impossible for him to change too much.
“You’re here,” Tian Yan stroked his beard, seemingly having anticipated Yang Kai’s arrival.
Yang Kai asked, “How did I emerge here so coincidentally? Was it due to Senior’s help?”
They were currently at a mountain peak that towered high into the clouds, and he had no idea where in the Divine Ascension Mirror World this was. It was clearly no coincidence that he emerged here, so someone must have intervened to make this happen.
Tian Yan shook his head, “Not me. It was he who brought you here.” While speaking, Tian Yan motioned to the side.
Only when he looked over did Yang Kai discover a young boy not far away. That boy was chubby and cute and appeared to be around seven or eight years old. He was currently chasing after a fluttering butterfly, playing happily.
“He is…” Yang Kai was stunned as he had no idea what the origins of this boy were to have such amazing ability.
Gao Xue Ting also appeared here, but her attention was completely on Wen Zi Shan. After carefully checking and confirming that Wen Zi Shan was in no danger, only having suffered a small injury, she finally set her mind at ease. She then turned to Tian Yan and bowed politely, “Senior.”
Tian Yan smiled, “I remember you, little girl. You were only sixteen the first time you came in, right?”
Gao Xue Ting blushed and answered in a quiet voice, “Senior has a good memory.”
It was so long ago that even she herself didn’t remember that occasion clearly, so she didn’t expect Tian Yan to recall it so easily.
“Senior, what happened here?” Gao Xue Ting wasn’t in the mood to waste too much time on idle chatter though. She just wanted to figure out what happened as soon as possible, and why Wu Kuang would make off with the Bustling World Great Emperor’s body.
Tian Yan explained, “Old Friend Hong Chen encountered some trouble, so he came to this Old Master for help. This Old Master had been studying with him for many days and we were barely able to find a way to separate their two Souls. If we had succeeded, then we would’ve been able to imprison Brother Wu’s soul here in the Divine Ascension World, and old friend Hong Chen would have regained his freedom. Even though things did not go so well at first, we were still making progress; however, something suddenly rushed into the Divine Ascension World and affected its stability. Brother Wu took advantage of that moment to attack and injure both Old Friend Hong Chen and Little Friend Wen here before escaping.”
Yang Kai was stunned at his words, “Does that mean that Senior Hong Chen is alive?”
Tian Yan smiled at him and replied, “Even though Brother Wu’s technique is incredibly powerful, it’s not that easy to kill Old Friend Hong Chen. Did he tell you that Old Friend Hong Chen was already dead?”
Yang Kai answered, “That is what he said, but… no wonder he was willing to let us go despite how strong his murderous intent was. Turns out it was not out of goodwill, but rather Senior Hong Chen’s interference.” It was only then that Yang Kai realized why Wu Kuang did not kill them earlier.
Tian Yan said, “If he escaped, then he escaped. With Old Friend Hong Chen holding him back, it will be impossible for Brother Wu to act as he pleases. I’m afraid this will not be a very pleasant situation for Old Friend Hong Chen though, having his body occupied and his own Soul suppressed… Forget it, let’s not talk about things we cannot control anymore. Our goal now should first be to solve the Divine Ascension World’s crisis.”
Yang Kai’s expression turned serious as he looked up and saw that the sky looked dark and heavy, as if a great storm was brewing. Even sparks of thunder could be seen inside the dark clouds. It was a frightening sight, to say the least.
Only, he had no idea why, but even though the clouds were constantly moving, they never moved past a certain range, as if some powerful seal was binding them there.
The dark clouds were filled with dense Demon Essence, so it was clearly the work of the Demon Spirit.
Tian Yan explained, “That thing that rushed in from the outside world has a very strong corrupting power. The beings of the Divine Ascension World are unable to withstand it at all. You’ve seen it yourself, such a large area has already been affected, and if more time passes, I’m afraid this entire world will eventually be consumed.”
Yang Kai nodded with a grim expression. Even if Tian Yan did not tell him that, he would’ve been able to feel it himself, so he asked, “What should we do? Does Senior have any ideas?”
“I do have an idea, but I’ll need to borrow your power!” Tian Yan turned to look at him.
“Me?” Yang Kai was surprised. He never would have thought that the important task of saving this world would fall on his head.
Tian Yan smiled, “I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find you for some time, but I didn’t expect you to come here by yourself so quickly. Truthfully, it’s difficult to deal with that thing, but for you, it should be a simple matter, after all, you just have to use your Soul Devouring Insects.”
Yang Kai’s expression lifted, “So that’s how it is.”
The Heaven Devouring Battle Law devoured everything, and the Soul Devouring Insects were similar. As the Divine Ascension World was being corrupted by a Demon Spirit, a large amount of Demon Essence and Demon Qi was being created. It was a great disaster for the inhabitants of the Divine Ascension World, but for the Soul Devouring Insects, that Demon Essence formed from the Spiritual Energy of this world was nothing more than a delicious snack.
Tian Yan knew that Yang Kai kept Soul Devouring Insects with him as Yang Kai had previously taken away a group of them with him the last time he came into this world. Tian Yan had guarded those Soul Devouring Insects for countless years before handing them to Yang Kai and allowing him to take them away, freeing the Divine Ascension World from its greatest scourge.
“The Soul Devouring Insects are not with me at the moment, I must go out and bring them in,” Yang Kai told him.
Tian Yan nodded, “Go and return quickly. Little Friend Wen and this little girl should also go with you. As for the rest, your assistance will not be necessary.”
Gao Xue Ting gently nodded. Her goal of coming here was to confirm Wen Zi Shan’s condition, so now that she knew he was fine, there was naturally no reason for her to remain.
Tian Yan gently waved his hand and a gentle power enveloped the three of them. The next moment, their vision changed and Yang Kai found himself back in his physical body.
He quickly summoned his Insect Enslavement Bracelet, communicated with it using his mind and pulled out the Soul Devouring Insects from it into his Knowledge Sea, settling them on the seven coloured treasure island. Only Souls could enter the Divine Ascension World, so though the Insect Enslavement Bracelet was an Emperor Artifact, it wasn’t a Soul Type Artifact, so it couldn’t be brought inside. As such, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to release the Soul Devouring Insects inside. However, things were different if he placed these Exotic Ancient Insects on the seven coloured treasure island inside his Knowledge Sea.
After rearing them for such a long time, the Soul Devouring Insects had become extremely fierce, especially after going through all the battles in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. During the later stages, the Soul Devouring Insects made many achievements. To them, they were no strangers to devouring Demon Essence and Demon Qi, so the crisis in the Divine Ascension World shouldn’t be hard for them to resolve.
After calling out to Grandma You and asking her to send his Soul into the Divine Ascension World again, Yang Kai soon reappeared on that mountain peak.
Seeing him enter, Tian Yan nodded lightly and turned his head to the boy who was chasing butterflies at the side, “Boy, stop playing and give him a hand, quickly.”
Yang Kai had been curious about the boy since before and had no idea who he was. Now, he was even more surprised when he heard Tian Yan actually ask this boy for help.
“Senior, he is…”
Tian Yan smiled, “He is the Mirror Soul of the Divine Ascension Mirror. The reason that thing is confined to a certain range and is unable to expand is due to his ability.”
“Mirror Soul!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he heard that, and he looked at the boy with eyes wide in surprise.
The boy was clearly a little uncomfortable with his gaze and walked over nervously while trying to put on a fierce act, “I’m warning you, don’t have any funny ideas about me, because I won’t establish any connection with the likes of you!”
Yang Kai laughed, “I’m not trying to establish any connections with you either, so don’t worry.”
“Who… Who’s worrying?” The boy was clearly very wary of Yang Kai. Dawdling over to his side, he looked up and asked, “Where are they then?”
“What?” Yang Kai was confused.
“The Soul Devouring Insects!” The boy sighed, “How can you still be so stupid when you’re so old already?”
“Oh, right!” Yang Kai quickly opened his Knowledge Sea and released all the Soul Devouring Insects from the seven coloured treasure island. All of a sudden, a buzzing sound rang out as a large cloud of insects converged in front of him.
The boy shivered and waved his hand in disgust.
The cloud of insects suddenly disappeared, but Yang Kai could keenly feel that they had been transported several thousand kilometres away, into where the demonic cloud was gathering.
After carefully sensing the situation, Yang Kai very quickly sensed that the Soul Devouring Insects were now devouring the demonic clouds covering the sky. And, since the demonic cloud was being restricted by the Mirror Soul, confined to a certain range and unable to expand, it would eventually be devoured clean by the Soul Devouring Insects. Then, the Divine Ascension World’s peace would be restored.
Turning his eyes around, Yang Kai looked at the boy and asked, “What should I call Little Brother?”
The boy rolled his eyes, “Zhang San Li Si Wang Er Ma, whatever you want.”
Yang Kai cleared his throat, “Do you want to go out from here and take a look around?”
Tian Yan suddenly laughed, “Little Friend Yang, no need to waste your energy. He is unable to leave this place.” He clearly understood what Yang Kai was planning to do.
Having his thoughts seen through, Yang Kai blushed a little, but he turned serious again, “By the way, Senior. I have news about the Flesh Incarnation Pill.”
Tian Yan raised his brow, “Oh?”
“It is almost finished refining, so if Senior is willing, your body can be created at any time.”
Tian Yan said, “Little Friend Yang is truly a man of integrity. This Old Master offers his sincere thanks.”
Yang Kai laughed, “No need to be polite, Senior. It was also by chance that I encountered the Flesh Incarnation Fruit. I wasn’t searching for it specifically.”
The boy frowned and interjected, “You’re leaving?”
He looked up at Tian Yan, seeming a little annoyed.
Tian Yan was silent for a moment, “I still wish to go out and have a look.”
The boy scoffed, “Go, then. Go! Better if you died out there.” While speaking, he glared hatefully at Yang Kai with a face full of anger.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he instantly understood that he probably wouldn’t ever have a chance to take this Mirror Soul for himself now.
Even though the Soul Devouring Insects weren’t slow when it came to devouring the demonic clouds, they still wouldn’t be able to finish the job so quickly. Yang Kai and Tian Yan thus chatted for a while before he sat down cross-legged to recover his energy.
Even though Yang Kai was not injured during today’s battle, the amount drained from him when he instantaneously moved so many Emperor Realm Masters at the critical moment was quite a lot, especially from his Soul.
There was no better place to restore Spiritual Energy than the Divine Ascension Mirror World.
While he was meditating, Yang Kai could clearly feel the energy of the world being attracted to him, pouring into his Soul and making up for the deficit. In just a short amount of time, his condition was greatly improved.
The Mirror Soul seemed to be a little sullen after finding out that Tian Yan would be leaving and didn’t even feel like chasing butterflies anymore. Now, he just stood to the side, bored, kicking stones. At that time, Tian Yan was focused on watching the developments of the demonic cloud’s side, so for a time, the three of them stayed in silent harmony.
It was three days later when Yang Kai opened his eyes again. He was no longer sluggish like before, and both his eyes were bright.
After looking up into the distance and sensing the state of the Soul Devouring Insects, Yang Kai knew that it would take at least half a day more for the crisis in the Divine Ascension World to be solved. Turning his eyes back around, he turned his attention to the Mirror Soul, approaching him and trying to find things to talk about.
But the Mirror Soul acted as if he didn’t hear him. No matter what Yang Kai said, he would just be ignored, leaving Yang Kai’s nose in the dirt.
Helpless, he had no choice but to give up and come to Tian Yan’s side again to ask for his advice on cultivation.
Tian Yan may not have a physical body and only cultivated his Soul, but mastery in one Dao opens up mastery to all others. Not to mention, the way Tian Yan viewed each problem from his height was different from other Masters. For many questions that stumped Yang Kai and that he could not make sense of, Tian Yan could easily give him fresh ideas with just a few words.
Yang Kai was able to gain a lot in a short time.
After half a day passed, Yang Kai looked up into the distance as if he’d been woken by something. Summoning his Soul Devouring Insects back, he said, “Senior, I must go first. The temple was suddenly affected by great changes so there should still be matters to take care of outside. I will come back again in a few days to talk to you about other matters.”
“En, there’s no hurry.” Tian Yan nodded lightly.
Yang Kai glanced at the Mirror Soul next to him. Just by the Mirror Soul raising its hand, Yang Kai could suddenly feel a gigantic repulsion force squeezing against him, and before he could prepare himself, he had been ejected from the world.
When his view changed, Yang Kai was back in the Restricted Area.
When he opened his eyes and opened the door of the stone room, Chen Qian who was outside rushed over.
“Junior Brother Yang, you’re awake. How is the situation inside?” Chen Qian asked worriedly.
Yang Kai told her, “Everything’s been taken care of. How about outside?”
Chen Qian said, “Let’s talk while we walk.”
Naturally, Yang Kai had no objection, and the two of them conversed as they moved outside.
Three days ago, Azure Sun Temple’s Elders came to the Restricted Area where the Divine Ascension Mirror was kept while Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming stayed on Spirit Sword Peak in order to investigate the situation. After their search, they were able to find the demon sealing grounds as expected a thousand metres below Spirit Sword Peak. Clear traces of Demon Spirit aura still remained there.
If Gong Yue did not cause trouble this time, then it was likely nobody would have even thought that such a place existed in the Azure Sun Temple. Back then, when Wen Zi Shan founded the Sect here, he had also carefully investigated the area within a ten thousand kilometre radius, but he still had no knowledge whatsoever about the existence of this place.
Now, the seals of the demon sealing grounds were all broken, which was obviously Gong Yue’s doing. Otherwise, there was no way the Demon Spirits would have escaped.
All of the temple’s Elders were on Spirit Sword Peak, firstly to check if they had missed anything of importance, and secondly to seal off this place completely. After all, this was a place where Demons were sealed. Even if there were no more Demon Spirits around, being cautious was necessary.
Besides that, news of the Demon Spirits recovering and escaping from Azure Sun Temple had also spread. Countless Masters from the many Sects in the Southern Territory were all urgently tracking down the whereabouts of the escaped Demon Spirits so that they could eliminate them before any more harm was done.
But everyone knew how difficult this task was going to be.
Demon Spirits were formless and were merely a special collection of energy. They may not even have their own thoughts and only be able to attach themselves to the bodies of living beings, corrupting their thoughts and forcing them through demonification.
So, this sort of tracking was extremely difficult to do. Regardless, the matter could not be left unattended. During Yang Kai’s absence for the past three days, many messages had been passed back and forth between the great forces of the Southern Territory. The resurgence of the Demon Spirits had now become widespread knowledge among the public.
Not long after, the two of them arrived at Spirit Sword Peak.
There was a wide-open stone cave that was too dark to see the bottom off here now, and a grim and eerie aura was wafting from it, as if it was the entrance to the underworld.
The faces of each one of the Emperor Realm Masters standing outside the cave were serious as they observed, Wen Zi Shan’s particularly so.
Hundreds to a thousand Demon Spirits escaped here under Azure Sun Temple’s watch, so as the Temple Master, Wen Zi Shan naturally could not escape blame, especially now that the Bustling World Great Emperor was also in such a bad situation. The carefree smile that used to always cover his face was no longer there.
Gao Xue Ting and the others were standing beside him while Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming had not left either. They needed to know the exact situation about the demon sealing grounds below so that they could send word back to their Sects.
When they saw Yang Kai arrive, they all silently saluted each other.
“What’s the situation?” Yang Kai stood by You Kun’s side and asked quietly.
You Kun shook his head, “The Demon Spirits must all have escaped. Right now, we’re trying to find ways to break the remaining seals so that we can see the demon sealing grounds in full. Maybe we’ll be able to find some clues from that. Only…”
“Only what?”
You Kun laughed dryly, “The Array Masters in the temple will need some time.”
Yang Kai understood what You Kun meant. Even though the Spirit Arrays sealing the demon sealing grounds were from ancient times, and even though Gong Yue had already broken some of them, there were bound to still be many remaining. On the other hand, the skills of the Array Masters in the temple weren’t quite up to the task, so their progress of breaking the seals was a little slow. If this were any usual time, it wouldn’t have mattered, but time was now of the essence. The longer they delayed, the more difficult it would be to track down those Demon Spirits.
At that thought, Yang Kai turned to Wen Zi Shan, “Temple Master, I know an Emperor Array Master. Do you need me to invite him over to help?”
Wen Zi Shan’s eyes lit up at that, “Is he reliable?”
“He’s from my High Heaven Palace.”
“Then invite him quickly!” Wen Zi Shan said in a hurry, but quickly revealed a bitter smile, “But your High Heaven Palace is far away in the Northern Territory…”
Yang Kai smiled, “I’ll bring him right over.”
Yang Kai then disappeared in a flash as soon as he finished speaking. None of the others knew what he was going to do. Even though it was surprising for them to hear that he actually had an Emperor Array Master in High Heaven Palace, distant water could not quench the present thirst. By the time Yang Kai could bring him over from the Northern Territory, it would be too late.
Yang Kai was extremely glad that he had arranged a Cross-Territory Space Array behind Spirit Sword Peak back then.
The main reason he set up this array was in order to connect High Heaven Palace with the Azure Sun Temple so that he could easily come and go. This was also not the only such array he had arranged. For certain reasons, however, he did not reveal this fact to anyone and used the power of the Spirit Arrays of Spirit Sword Peak to conceal it, so Wen Zi Shan and the others were completely oblivious.
Yang Kai went straight towards the back of the mountain in order to head back to High Heaven Palace so he could bring Nanmen Da Jun over.
The Spirit Arrays that still remained in the demon sealing grounds were all ancient seals, and since Nanmen Da Jun had always been fond of studying such things, he likely wouldn’t refuse.
Just as Yang Kai was about to reach the place where the Space Array was located, his feet suddenly paused and he looked to the side with a frown.
He could sense a very weak but familiar aura nearby.
When he saw it, Yang Kai’s face changed, and he began circulating his Emperor Qi, as if he were getting ready to face off against a terrible enemy.
There, in the middle of the trees, lay a small beast covered in blood and injuries. From the colour of the fur still remaining on its body, it should have been black. It was about a third of a metre in length and its aura was slightly weak. Its stomach also swelled up a lot at that moment, and only went back to normal after a while.
The Abyssal Returner!
It was still alive and had actually managed to return back to the mountain.
Yang Kai had been staying in the Divine Ascension World these past few days, so he had no idea what happened to the Abyssal Returner. He only knew that Feng Ming had kicked it away during the fight, and then it disappeared.
Yang Kai thought it was dead the whole time.
Based on what Gong Yue said, a trace of the Abyssal Returner’s bloodline existed in the body of this black puppy, and he had used an unknown Secret Technique to draw out that bloodline power, using it to fight with numerous Emperor Realm Masters alone with the might of its Innate Divine Ability.
Yang Kai guessed that if its bloodline was pure enough, or even just a bit stronger than it was currently, everyone present would have suffered during that fight.
A Divine Ability that could devour everything and rebound it was simply unheard of.
The Abyssal Returner apparently did not die, but they heard nothing of it after it was freed from Gong Yue’s control. Chen Wen Hao and the others were also busy investigating the demon sealing grounds and did not pay attention to where it landed. So, during this time, it seemed to drag itself back here, barely managing to maintain its feeble existence.
But it should not be far from death.
Yang Kai only had the opportunity to meet this black puppy twice, so he didn’t have any strong feelings towards it either way. Only, he was a little interested in its strange Innate Divine Ability.
After making sure that it was really an arrow at the end of its flight and of no threat to him, Yang Kai slowly approached it.
The Abyssal Returner seemed to have sensed something and opened its eyes by a slit to see the figure standing in front of it. It issued two whimpers, appearing extremely weak.
Yang Kai raised his palm, and Emperor Qi began to surge on its surface.
The Abyssal Returner slowly closed its eyes, seemingly resigning itself to its fate as hot air blew out from its nostrils.
Yang Kai thrust his palm down, but stopped just a hand’s length above it before grabbing it instead and picking it up and sighing, “Whether you live or die is all up to your own luck now.”
Saying that, he tossed the Abyssal Returner into his Sealed World Bead.
Regardless of how strong the Innate Divine Ability of this Demon Realm exotic beast was, it would be kept in check by Yang Kai as long as it was inside the Sealed World Bead, so he wasn’t worried about it going berserk and causing trouble for him after it recovered.
Whether it survived or not was a separate matter.
What’s more, Yang Kai constantly had the feeling that its true nature wasn’t like what they’d seen. During the two times he’d seen the Abyssal Returner previously, it did not show any malice towards him. Rather, it seemed to have some affection for him, especially during the second time, as the Abyssal Returner had clearly come to see him.
It can even be said that the reason why the Abyssal Returner hid behind the mountain after it was injured was so it could wait for his arrival.
The reason why the Abyssal Returner became so vicious before was because of the Secret Technique that Gong Yue performed. Yang Kai remembered that the Abyssal Returner even tried to bite Gong Yue when he was tracking him through the half of the Demon Spirit to Spirit Sword Peak.
The secret demon sealing grounds under Spirit Sword Peak and the bloodline of the Abyssal Returner should be related.
Yang Kai carried the Ancient Demon Black Eye, and he had the aura of an Ancient Demon sealed in his body. The Abyssal Returner might have been able to sense it, and that was why it wanted to try and approach him.
All kinds of thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, and soon he arrived in front of the Space Array. Space Principles surged and Yang Kai was back in the Northern Territory’s High Heaven Palace.
A few moments later, there was a flash of light above the array, and two figures were revealed.
“So this is the Azure Sun Temple, Palace Master?” Nanmen Da Jun observed his surroundings curiously before clicking his tongue, “It’s nothing special. Not as grand as our High Heaven Palace. En, even the World Energy seems to be inferior.”
“Focus more on the working and less on the talking. Haven’t you heard about this principle?” Yang Kai took the lead and flew ahead.
Nanmen Da Jun laughed, “Yes, yes, yes. By the way, Xiao Hou asked me to ask you how the flight type artifact is doing, and whether or not any places need to be adjusted.”
“No need, it’s working fine.”
“Also, Palace Master. That girl, something Yao from Ice Heart Valley, she came a few times but she always left when she saw that you weren’t in. Is she our Palace Master’s wife?”
“Do you like having a tongue?”
“Fine fine fine, I won’t ask.” Nanmen Da Jun covered his mouth, but after holding it in for only a moment, he started up again, “That girl’s not bad…”
“We’ve arrived!” Yang Kai flew down as he said that.
The group of people on the ground had obviously noticed him as well, and when they looked over, they were all curious as to why Yang Kai had brought a stranger over.
Nanmen Da Jun, however, was like a cat that had caught the smell of fish. He looked towards the entrance of the demon sealing grounds with an inspired look on his face, eyes glowing as he paced back and forth at the entrance, looking more and more excited.
After a while, he turned around and said, “Palace Master, I will head down now. Just wait for my good news.”
Ignoring everyone, he jumped straight down and soon disappeared.
The group of people looked curiously at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai said, “This man is the Northern Territory’s Emperor Array Master, Nanmen Da Jun. He happened to be nearby, so I invited him to come and help us.”
Wen Zi Shan looked at him with a grin, seemingly having noticed something, but he did not expose him.
As time passed, they constantly received new messages from below. As expected of an Emperor Array Master, Nanmen Da Jun was able to crack apart many of the Spirit Arrays remaining in the demon sealing grounds. He used his own abilities to gain dominance, garnering the respect of the temple’s Array Masters.
Breaking the seals took a whole two days, and during that period, representatives of the big Sects in the Southern Territory were constantly arriving at Azure Sun Temple to ask for information. The temple allowed these people to pass, and several Elders took turns receiving them, informing them about the demon sealing grounds, as well as the Demon Spirits escaping.
Many paled in worry as they listened.
Now that the Demon Spirits were out and about, tracking them was going to be a big problem. It was the first time since ancient times that the Southern Territory was encountering such a crisis, so they were completely inexperienced. They could only count on whatever clues may be left inside the demon sealing cave. Otherwise, it would be like searching for a needle in a city worth of haystacks.
But there were no clues to be found in the cave.
Nanmen Da Jun and the temple’s Array Masters cracked all the seals inside the cave, but they couldn’t find any information about the Demon Spirits. On the other hand, they did get some useful information from the Spirit Arrays.
If a time came when they needed to seal the Demon Spirits again, that information may become of use to them.
Everyone was filled with worry for a while.
Soon, envoys from Star Soul Palace arrived. Great Elder Lei Hong led the group personally, bringing with him a decree from the Great Emperor, ordering all the Sects, families, and great forces of the Southern Territory to check their disciples in case any of them have been corrupted by the Demon Spirits.
It was at Spirit Sword Peak that Lei Hong declared the Great Emperor’s order, to which everyone agreed, naturally.
It must be said that the Great Emperor’s Demon Banishment Order had given the whole Southern Territory courage. Many Masters were not as nervous as before; after all, no matter what happened, the Southern Territory still had Star Soul Palace and the Bright Moon Great Emperor behind it. No matter how mysterious or vicious the Demon Spirits could be, they wouldn’t be able to make any waves with the Great Emperor keeping watch.
After the Demon Banishment Order was issued, many Emperor Realm Masters were ready to leave the Azure Sun Temple in order to return to their own Sects to begin work on this matter.
But right at that moment, a red light suddenly sped in from the outside. It gave off an aggressive aura, as if it placed no one else around it in its eyes, and crossed hundreds of kilometres in the blink of an eye, rushing full speed towards Spirit Sword Peak.
After just learning of the escaped Demon Spirits, the emotions of many Masters were still sensitive, so faced with such a brazen visitor who came crashing right into Azure Sun Temple without notice, many thought the worst.
Alarmed, many people instinctively launched attacks to intercept this invader.
A few days ago, the scene of many Elders joining hands with Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming in the fight against Gong Yue had been explosive enough, but compared to this scene now, it simply paled in comparison.
There were over a hundred Emperor Realm Masters gathered here, so even if only a third of them acted, the scene was still going to be spectacular.
What’s more, the ones acting now were far more than just a third.
Emperor Pressure spread out, and the lights of Secret Technique after Secret Technique bloomed, whilst the power of Emperor Artifacts began to surge before they all gathered towards the red light.
The red light rushing over was clearly a little confused by all this, never having expected to encounter such a situation. It paused in mid-air, but the space it was in was already enveloped in an endless number of attacks.
A dragon roar suddenly rang out through the air, the high-pitched noise shaking everyone’s eardrums. The faces of everyone changed dramatically because this was the call of an extremely pure-blooded Dragon, and not the calls of those flood dragon-like Monster Beasts.
The moment the dragon roar sounded, Yang Kai’s bloodline was suddenly stirred. Seemingly instinctually sensing something, he had not joined those who attacked earlier. Instead, he looked over wide-eyed at this moment.
The red light dispersed, and a huge creature was suddenly revealed in the air. Its more than two-hundred-metre-long body was as lofty as a mountain and it had a pair of Dragon Horns on its head along with four claws extending from its belly. It was covered in red Dragon Scales that were just like burning flames, and with every movement of its Dragon Tail, the wind and clouds would change with it.
“Ssii…”
Everyone drew a sharp breath of cold air, staring dumbfounded at the huge creature in the sky as if they were being looked down upon by a supreme being. In an instant, many people felt their limbs grow weak.
Dragon Clan! The visitor actually turned out to be a Pureblood Dragon! This was something that not everyone expected.
Dragon Pressure spread forth like a tangible wall, striking upon the Emperor Pressure condensed by the hundred Emperor Realm Masters below, actually shattering it to pieces.
With a crackle, the joint attack of dozens of Emperor Realm Masters landed on the Dragon’s body, causing it to throw back its head and roar as sparks splashed from its armour of scales. The Dragon’s body was incredibly sturdy, but even though all these attacks could not endanger the Dragon’s life, it was enough to cause it much pain and anger.
The Dragon raised its head high and spat out a mouthful of Dragon Breath.
As if a volcano had erupted, searing flames spat directly from the Dragon’s mouth towards Spirit Sword Peak. Before the attack had even arrived, everyone could feel their skin searing painfully. The Dragon’s flames seemed to be able to burn anything under the sky, and even the Emperor Realm Masters could feel the deadly threat from it.
“Not good!” At the same time as when Yang Kai’s face changed, he stepped out and summoned his Jade Elder Token into his hand, rapidly injecting his Emperor Qi.
Spirit Sword Peak’s Spirit Arrays suddenly activated, creating a visible layer of protection between them.
This was the defence he set up by mobilizing all the power available to Spirit Sword Peak from its Earth Vein. But this had been done in a rush, its full power could not be released.
As soon as the dragon flame hit the barrier, the scorching heat immediately deformed it. The sound of quenching flames was incessant as ripples began to form on the transparent shield, like it was melting away.
Everyone was shocked and wanted to scatter away as none of them had the confidence to face the terrifying power of this dragon flame.
Lei Hong stepped forward at this time and threw out his fist.
The barrier suddenly cracked, and a bolt of lightning the width of a water bucket crashed into the flames, crashing left and right in the flames and reducing some of the pressure on Yang Kai. This blow was the essence of Lei Hong’s cultivation, clearly showing the might of a veteran Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
The Big Dragon twisted its head and the flames grew even more intense, seemingly strong enough to melt the lightning.
“Enough!” Wen Zi Shan suddenly shouted, and with one hand behind his back gripping a jade disc, he waved his other hand gently and shot out a beam of light, directly cutting off the dragon flames.
The Big Dragon raised its head and hovered high in the air, looking condescendingly down at the crowd. Its huge dragon eyes were covered in the flames of hatred while its mouth was opening and closing as if it would spit out another mouthful of its Dragon Breath at any moment.
Yang Kai withdrew Spirit Sword Peak’s protection and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
“State your identity and your intention for coming here, Dragon!” Wen Zi Shan’s face became serious as he looked at the Red Dragon in the sky, thinking to himself that Azure Sun Temple really was eventful as of late. The Demon Spirits escaped, the Bustling World became trapped, Heaven Devourer escaped, and now a Dragon came to visit. He had no idea how this year could be so unlucky as to invite one wave of misfortune after another, but he was getting too tired to deal with this.
But even Wen Zi Shan did not dare to be careless when facing a Pureblood Dragon, because there was only one place in the world where the Dragon Clan could be found. Behind this Red Dragon in front of him was a force that even Great Emperors could not ignore.
“Who hit me? Who hit me just now!?” The Red Dragon did not answer Wen Zi Shan’s question and instead began to roar as if it was greatly humiliated. It could not be any angrier, and the deafening roar was enough to shake the entire Azure Sun Temple.
The Emperor Realm Masters who accidentally attacked the Red Dragon earlier were all pale-faced at this moment. All of them shrank back into the crowd, lest they be recognized by the Red Dragon.
“You, you, and you!” The Red Dragon looked around, eyes stopping on a few Emperor Realm Masters, “As well as you! Stop hiding, I saw you just now! All of you attacked me earlier!”
“I… I didn’t. This Sir, you must have seen wrongly…” The person who spoke shrank even more, cold sweat covering his body.
Offending the Dragon Clan was no joke. The Dragon Clan was proud and always proclaimed themselves the leaders of the myriad spirits. If they had known that the visitor was a Dragon Clan member, none of the Emperors present would have rushed in like that. But this Red Dragon charged over at such a sensitive time without so much as an introduction, so who would be able to curb their instinct to react?
Attacking a member of the Dragon Clan was equivalent to humiliating them, which was definitely a big problem. Fortunately, whether the visitor was friend or foe was unknown to them earlier, so they held back a little when they attacked and did not go all out. Otherwise, if they wounded this Dragon Clan member, then everyone present would have to suffer.
“You have the guts to act but not the guts to admit it?” The Red Dragon roared, “You lowly ants. All of you will die!”
At these words, the faces of many Emperor Realm Masters changed dramatically. A Dragon wasn’t easy to deal with, and an enraged Dragon was even harder to reason with. It was true that over a hundred Emperor Realm Masters did not need to fear a single Dragon if they joined hands, but so what if they beat him? He had Dragon Island behind him. If Dragon Island really was provoked, then the entire Star Boundary would be thrown into chaos, the result of which would be hundreds to thousands of times more serious than the resurrection of the Demon Spirits.
The Red Dragon was obviously truly incensed. As soon as he was done shouting, he was just about to strike. Wen Zi Shan’s expression turned solemn, and he decided that even if he had to offend Dragon Island, he could not allow so many Emperor Realm Masters to die here in Azure Sun Temple. He secretly connected with the temple’s Sect Defending Array, ready to make a move at the slightest danger.
“Wait!” Lei Hong shouted and stood out.
“Old thing, you also attacked me earlier!” The Red Dragon hovered in the sky, its huge body providing a strong visual impact and mental pressure on everyone. Now, it suddenly bent its body down, and its dragon head was less than ten metres away from Lei Hong, its dragon eyes even bigger than small huts staring at him with hostility.
Everyone was sweating for Lei Hong.
Lei Hong, however, just cupped his fists and spoke, “May I ask if this venerable one is from… the legendary Dragon Island from the Eastern Sea?”
“So what if I am?” The Red Dragon puffed out hot air from its nostrils. Lei Hong’s body was glowing, and his hair was a little burnt from the scorching earlier.
“So it’s true…” Lei Hong suddenly had a look of realization and smiled, “There are rumours that Dragon Island is located somewhere on the Eastern Sea, and that Great Dragons could be found on the island. None have ever seen them, but even so, the fame of Dragon Island was still as great as that of the Great Emperors’ Sects. It is truly fortunate that this one had the opportunity to witness this today.”
It was rare to see the Great Elder of Star Soul Palace shower flattery on another so openly. All the Emperor Realm Masters were dumbfounded when they heard this.
But these words had a miraculous effect.
Everyone could clearly feel that the Red Dragon’s anger subsided a lot, and his huge dragon head moved away from Lei Hong slightly. Nodding aloofly, he said in a powerful voice, “Heh, seems like you still have some knowledge, Old Thing, to know the prestige of our Dragon Island. But of course, who in this world knows not of my Dragon Island’s name? How can a trivial Great Emperor Sect compare?”
Lei Hong laughed dryly. Even though he didn’t feel too pleased about this Dragon’s words, he couldn’t show it on his face.
After all, he was the Great Elder of a Great Emperor’s Sect, so the word ‘trivial’ uttered by the Red Dragon naturally caused him discomfort. However, he knew deeply the nature of the Dragon Clan, so he did not dwell on the matter lest he add fuel to the fire.
On the other hand, it was as if the Red Dragon had his itch scratched and he began boasting about himself, “My Dragon Clan is just not willing to compete with you lowly ants for fame and fortune. Otherwise, if my Dragon Island’s elites step out, then it doesn’t matter what Great Emperor this or Great Emperor that, all of them have to step aside! Do you believe that I can drown you all with a mouthful of spittle?”
The more he spoke, the more outrageous his words became, drawing frowns from all the Emperor Realm Masters. Lei Hong saw this and quickly interrupted him, “The Dragon Clan has not shown itself for so long, so it is the first time we have set our eyes upon its members. That is why we were unable to recognize this venerable one during his approach. We thought that an enemy had come, and that was why we acted hastily. Everything was just a misunderstanding.”
“Yes, yes! We were all too impulsive just now. Please do not mind it, Sir!”
“If Sir had shown Sir’s true form earlier, then we would not have attacked you.”
“It is truly a blessing to be able to see the true form of a Great Dragon today.”
“…”
The group of people clamoured on. Everyone could see that though the Red Dragon was grumpy and hard to get along with, it seemed to have soft ears and his anger could easily be quenched just by a few good words. This was also a common problem of those that were overly proud. Since they were so proud, they naturally did not wish to bother too much with people who are overly humble.
For a while, the crowd was not stingy with singing their praises.
Listening to them eased the mind and body of the Great Dragon. His anger which was just like a volcano that was about to erupt earlier had now dissipated, and he let out a soft grunt, “Forget it. I can’t be bothered to deal with you lot either. We can just forget about what happened just now. But next time, you better open your eyes and take a good look before you act.”
All of them breathed out sighs of relief while Wen Zi Shan also dispersed the energy he gathered and shot Lei Hong a grateful look.
Many things happened at the temple and he himself had been injured in the Divine Ascension Mirror World. His mind was occupied with all sorts of troubles now, so if Lei Hong had not dealt with the situation in a timely and proper manner, Wen Zhi Shan would probably be embroiled in even more problems now. If the Emperor Realm Masters were to get into a conflict with the Red Dragon, then it didn’t matter who won or lost in the end as Azure Sun Temple was bound to suffer.
Lei Hong smiled in response, indicating that he didn’t have to worry about it.
Wen Zi Shan cupped his fists to the sky next, “Since Venerable One is from Dragon Island, may I ask which Sir of Dragon Island this venerable one is?”
“This Dragon is Zhu Lie!” The Red Dragon shook his head and flicked his tail proudly, voice travelling a hundred kilometres.
“So it is Sir Zhu Lie. En, this Wen wonders what Sir is doing here at my Azure Sun Temple?”
“I’m looking for someone!” Zhu Lie’s body writhed and he moved his dragon head over the crowd, scanning the group with his dragon eyes, “Who here is Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai was still watching a good show when he suddenly heard the guy called Zhu lie call out his name, so he couldn’t help but be stunned.
Over a hundred pairs of eyes turned to him in unison, with all the Emperor Realm Masters standing nearby Yang Kai quickly backing away, as if standing near him would give them bad luck.
Wen Zi Shan was also stunned.
For a Great Dragon to come out here to Azure Sun Temple, he thought it was the resurgence of the Demon Spirits that attracted him. Even though the Dragon Clan boasted about being the leader of the myriad spirits and thought too highly of themselves, they were indeed a powerful race with countless millennia of inheritance. If anyone in this world were to know best about the Demon Race and the Demon Spirits, then it had to be the Dragon Clan.
But who knew that this guy was actually here for Yang Kai and not the Demon Spirits.
He looked at Yang Kai curiously and discovered that Yang Kai also had a bewildered expression on his face.
“You’re Yang Kai?” Without needing anyone to identify him, just the gaze and attitude of the Emperor Realm Masters around him was enough for Zhu Lie to recognize the target of his trip. He then ordered without room for negotiation, “Come with me.”
“Where to?” Yang Kai frowned.
“To Dragon Island!” Zhu Lie answered impatiently.
Everyone sucked in a breath. Even if they were all Emperors, they still couldn’t remain calm when they heard this sentence. It was definitely an honour for one to be able to step foot on Dragon Island in one’s lifetime. But looking at Zhu Lie’s attitude, they were all worried that it could only be disastrous if Yang Kai really went.
None of them knew how Yang Kai had offended Dragon Island and the Dragon Clan.
But Yang Kai seemed to have understood something, frowning as he asked, “Did Zhu Qing ask you to come?”
“She is not qualified to give me orders!” Zhu Lie coldly snorted, a flash of disdain emerging in his eyes.
“Then who was it that gave you the order?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Lie snapped his tail impatiently, shaking the clouds within a hundred kilometres as he gave a booming response, “You do not need to know that. You just have to follow me back to Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “I do wish to visit Dragon Island, but not right now. There are still some things I must deal with here. So, this Brother Zhu Lie, may I please trouble you to go back and tell the one above you that I will pay them a visit when I’m free? No need to send anyone out to invite me.”
Yang Kai had suddenly become wary about Dragon Island and the Dragon Clan.
Previously, Zhu Qing had also invited him to Dragon Island many times. In the beginning, Yang Kai thought it was just because of the Dragon Island Token he possessed, as well as the few dragon artifacts that he refined, but now, it seems like things weren’t that simple.
Zhu Qing had not returned since leaving for the Northern Territory’s Frozen Earth, and he heard no news of her either. Then, Dragon Island’s side even sent out another Dragon Clan member to take him to Dragon Island.
Yang Kai figured that it might have something to do with the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source he carried. It seemed he had underestimated its attraction to the Dragon Clan. So, before he was able to figure things out, there was no way he was going to step foot on Dragon Island. Otherwise, he may not even know what he would be facing. What’s more, the Demon Spirits had only just escaped from their seal, and as a participant in this matter, he could not leave here.
Zhu Lie’s dragon eyes rounded and he looked at Yang Kai in astonishment for a while before quickly asking, “Human, did you just reject me?”
His anger that had subsided showed signs of surging up again, and both Lei Hong and Wen Zi Shan’s faces changed slightly.
Before Yang Kai could answer, Zhu Lie had already flown into a rage, “How dare you! This Dragon came here personally and you dare refuse me? You court death!”
He tumbled in mid-air, and an indescribably killing intent suddenly filled a hundred-kilometre radius.
Yang Kai’s face turned serious as he responded, “I believe I made myself very clear. You can either return to Dragon Island and convey my words, or I will beat you back there.”
When the many Emperor Realm Masters heard this, they all turned pale in shock as they stared at Yang Kai. They felt that the audacity of this guy was simply ridiculous. To think a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator would dare speak to a Dragon in such a way.
Wen Zi Shan, Gao Xue Ting, and the others also reacted as if they were meeting Yang Kai for the first time, all of them dumbfounded.
No one had ever dared to talk to a Dragon like that as anyone who did was dead by now.
Lei Hong was also constantly trying to signal to Yang Kai with his eyes, telling him to ease up a little; after all, it wasn’t easy for him to calm Zhu Lie’s anger earlier. Yang Kai’s words were definitely going to stir him up again.
Even he, as the Great Elder of Star Soul Palace, was able to make allowances here. Yang Kai was merely a High-Rank Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple, so whether it be cultivation or position, he was far inferior to him, so what would it matter if he softened his words a little?
But it was already too late.
Zhu Lie’s anger was rekindled and became several times more vigorous than before. A Heaven-shattering laugh broke out from his mouth as he shouted, “Puny ant, how dare you provoke a member of the Dragon Clan! You really do not know the immensity of Heaven and…”
But he did not finish his sentence because Yang Kai’s figure had already teleported in front of him.
His tiny figure looked insignificant compared to the Dragon’s two hundred-metre-long body.
A loud dragon roar sounded, and as a golden light erupted, a huge dragon head appeared behind Yang Kai in a flash before it disappeared into his body.
Yang Kai threw out a fist and smashed it down hard towards the Great Dragon’s nose.
There was a bang, and Zhu Lie’s head shook. The violent force of his punch made him dizzy, and he felt as if his nose had been broken.
“Hm?” Yang Kai was a little stunned because this blow did not have the effect that he expected.
After interacting with Zhu Qing for a period of time, he learned that the power of bloodline suppression was immensely strong for the Dragon Clan. The side with the stronger bloodline had an absolute ability to suppress the one with the weaker bloodline, and this had nothing to do with personal strength.
The Dragon Clan’s bloodline had clear divisions, and it was said that the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder Zhu Yan was a Tenth-Order Azure Dragon. No matter how strong a Dragon Clan member was, it would be impossible for them to match him if their bloodline was below Tenth-Order
And, take Zhu Qing for example. Her own strength was comparable or even greater to that of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. If Yang Kai really fought her one on one, then even with everything he had, he may not be able to guarantee a victory. However, if he used his bloodline power to suppress her, Zhu Qing wouldn’t be his opponent at all. It would simply be impossible for her to properly unleash her strength when facing him.
From what Yang Kai could see, this Zhu Lie’s strength was not bad, but there was no way his bloodline purity would be higher than Zhu Qing’s.
He was able to suppress Zhu Qing with the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source, so he should naturally have no problems dealing with Zhu Lie.
But Yang Kai realized with this punch that he was wrong. The expected bloodline suppression did not appear. Instead, the impact of his fists on the solid Dragon Scales turned his hand into a bloody mess.
Zhu Lie was completely enraged by his punch and roared, “Since this Dragon dared to seek you out, obviously this Dragon has a way to constrain you! You think you can suppress me!?”
When he opened his mouth to roar, he spat out a jet of flames, instantly setting Yang Kai alight, seemingly melting him down in an instant.
The crowd down below was shocked.
Zhu Lie was also taken aback by the sight and was dumbfounded.
He was ordered to bring Yang Kai back to Dragon Island, but he never thought of killing him. Faced with Yang Kai’s resistance and provocation, he was unable to hold back his anger and wanted to teach him a lesson to make him behave, but who knew that he would end up burning him to death with a mouthful of Dragon Breath?
So what should be done now?
If the Great Elder were to learn about this, then he would certainly be punished.
While Zhu Lie was still caught in his bewilderment, he suddenly felt as if a large mountain had suddenly crashed down on his head, smashing it painfully. He couldn’t help but let out a wild roar, and the burning figure in front of him also finally cleared up at this moment.
It was only an afterimage, one left behind from moving at immense speed.
Zhu Lie was both happy and angry. Happy that he did not accidentally kill his target, and angry that this puny insect dared to trick him. He was completely enraged, and as his body swayed in the air, he avoided the attack from above and faced Yang Kai, grabbing at him with his claws.
His huge dragon claws seemed able to compress space itself, and the power of his Dragon Qi which gathered was astonishing. After compressing his power to the limit, Zhu Li suddenly released it all in a violent blast.
That fierce power from this blast rose up and shot out towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai waved his arm in a large arc, forming a huge Moon Blade, slicing through the space to meet this blast head-on.
The two attacks collided with a loud bang, and an overwhelming wind storm swept out, cutting countless gashes into the surrounding space.
Zhu Lie’s huge body did not move, but Yang Kai was only able to stabilize himself after being pushed back more than a thousand metres.
Yang Kai had fallen into a complete disadvantage in their exchange of blows, and he didn’t seem to be a match for Zhu Lie at all.
“What kind of rare treasure did you bring?” Yang Kai scanned Zhu Lie’s body. He clearly caught a shimmer of light when he struck his body earlier, and it was that shimmer of light that was able to offset the bloodline suppression of his Golden Divine Dragon Source, allowing Zhu Lie to unleash his full strength.
Zhu Lie coldly snorted, “Just be obedient and surrender without a fight. Nothing will happen to you if you just follow me back to Dragon Island; however, if you still dare to resist, then you will be solely responsible for the consequences.”
“Will you forcefully press down a bull’s head even if it refuses to drink?” Yang Kai laughed, but that laugh suddenly turned cold, “I’d like to see how far this treasure can protect you!”
At the end of his sentence, he gritted his teeth and let out a roar. A brave and heroic aura began to swell his body all of a sudden, and traces of a Pureblood Dragon Aura began to fill the air along with a radiant golden light that overflowed from the pores of his body. Both Yang Kai’s hands transformed into the shape of dragon claws while two strange bulges protruded from his head. The exposed parts of his skin were also covered in Dragon Scales.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had transformed into a monster that stood about twenty metres tall with clear traces of the Dragon Clan in his appearance. However, it was completely shoddy, like a drawing of a tiger that ended up like more of a dog.
“This is…” Lei Hong’s eyes widened abruptly at the sky, shocked at what he saw.
Wen Zi Shan and the others were also tongue-tied at the sight while Gao Xue Ting’s beautiful eyes were covered in mixed emotions. Over a hundred Emperor Realm Masters stood silent, each one of them shocked beyond words.
No one had ever seen a Secret Technique that could produce such great changes in a person before.
But Zhu Lie reacted just like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, gritting his teeth as he hissed, “Dragon Transformation Secret Art! That girl actually taught you the Dragon Transformation Secret Art! Unforgivable, this is simply unforgivable!”
As if Yang Kai had violated some great taboo, Zhu Lie’s voice became extremely angry.
“Now there’s no way you can avoid going to Dragon Island even if you want to refuse. The Dragon Transformation Secret Art is not to be passed on to anyone! From now on, prepare to stay in Dragon Island for the rest of your life!” As Zhu Lie bellowed at him, he had already flicked his tail and pounced over at him, his two-hundred-metre-long body reaching the sky in a flash before pouncing right in front of Yang Kai, opening his mouth to spew out his Dragon Breath.
With a frown, Yang Kai countered with a move of his own, resisting Zhu Lie’s onslaught.
He did not expect Zhu Lie to react so violently to his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. From what he said, this Dragon Transformation Secret Art seemed to be some kind of core secret of Dragon Island.
But Zhu Qing didn’t mention this at all when she passed it to him.
During that time, Zhu Qing was in a hurry to go to the Frozen Earth in order to find the remains of one of her fallen clansmen. Before leaving, she passed this Pureblood Dragon Transformation Secret Technique to Yang Kai as if it was just on a whim.
It was only now that Yang Kai realized how much of a risk Zhu Qing had taken in doing so. If the secret to cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art were to be exposed, then Dragon Island would never let this matter go. Yang Kai would not have an easy life, and neither would Zhu Qing.
It didn’t matter which great force it was, their core inheritance was never easily passed on, much less a Secret Technique of Dragon Island.
Yang Kai couldn’t understand why Zhu Qing would do such a thing, but he couldn’t fret over that right now. Even though it was hard for Zhu Lie to move around in his two hundred metre dragon form, each one of his attacks was so powerful that Yang Kai had no choice but to deal with him carefully.
Fortunately, Yang Kai could feel that he was able to suppress Zhu Lie’s Dragon Clan bloodline somewhat after using the Dragon Transformation Secret Art. So, even though it was still quite strenuous, Yang Kai could still just about fight on equal footing with Zhu Lie.
The Golden Divine Dragon’s Source was a great treasure for Yang Kai, but even after such a long time, he still could not figure out how he was going to turn this treasure into his own power.
The Dragon Transformation Secret Art could solve that problem. The more he cultivated this Secret Art, the more he could bring out the strength of the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source. Once he cultivated it to the grand accomplishment stage, he might even be able to transform into a True Great Dragon and travel the world proudly.
Unfortunately, the time Yang Kai spent cultivating was still short, so he could only transform into a twenty-metre-tall Half-Dragon Form. Even so, he could still suppress Zhu Lie who was carrying the rare treasure on him a little.
Two figures clashed mid-air, each releasing their profound moves and fighting incessantly for a time.
A mouthful of Dragon Breath spewed down from above occasionally, forcing Wen Zi Shan to open the Sect Defending Array to block the fallout. Otherwise, the entire Azure Sun Temple was sure to suffer.
Gradually, the battlefield shifted. Yang Kai and Zhu Lie brought their battle higher and higher, and they had already flown into the layer of clouds in the sky. Even the Emperor Realm Masters below could hardly see their movements now. Only the occasional dragon roar from within the clouds told them how intense their battle was.
Everyone was sweating. None of them had any idea how this matter was going to end.
Facing off against a Dragon Clan Member, Yang Kai would not be able to get any benefits whether he won or lost this fight. And, Azure Sun Temple was probably going to follow along with his bad luck as well.
When they thought of this point, many of the Emperor Realm Masters didn’t even dare to stay for the show anymore. All of them quickly found excuses to say goodbye to Wen Zi Shan lest they involve themselves in the crossfire. Naturally, Wen Zi Shan wasn’t in the mood to keep them here, so after a few casual pleasantries, he saw them off.
Hundreds of people soon left, leaving only Lei Hong and his entourage from Star Soul behind.
“Brother Xiao said this boy is a constant source of trouble. I didn’t believe him at first, but now…” Lei Hong shook his head and smiled bitterly. Focusing his eyesight as much as possible into the sky, he still could only catch vague traces of the battle happening up above.
Wen Zi Shan’s face was also grim, “Yang Kai is not at fault for what happened today. It is the Dragon Clan that is too arrogant. If it were me, then I would not have gone with him either.”
Lei Hong said, “But now, the question is how we’re going to end this incident.”
Wen Zi Shan replied, “The temple has suffered through many changes recently, and I am powerless to handle it all. I’m afraid I will have to trouble the Great Emperor to put in a word for me about today’s incident.”
Lei Hong pondered for a moment before nodding, “I will report this to the Great Emperor. Even though the Dragon Clan is not to be trifled with, the Southern Territory won’t just accept wanton bullying either.”
“Many thanks, Brother Lei!”
Lei Hong waved his hand, “Temple Master Wen is too courteous. I think it’s better if you and I join hands to… hm?”
Before he could finish speaking, Lei Hong seemed to have discovered a new change and looked up with wide eyes.
Wen Zi Shan had obviously noticed this too and a stunned expression filled his face.
Above the clouds, it was as if Yang Kai had received the Heavens’ blessings, allowing his originally twenty-metre-tall body to suddenly grow to forty metres. This was a massive size compared to a normal human, but compared to the Great Dragon, it was still a little lacking.
As the size of his body expanded, the two protrusions on his forehead also grew a little bigger and an indescribable aura instantly spread out from his body.
“You…” Zhu Lie who was locked in a struggle with Yang Kai was also shocked. If he was in his human form, then his face would probably be filled with fear at this moment. While speaking, he quickly backed away, as if he had seen something terrifying.
Yang Kai also froze for a moment. He had been hell-bent on suppressing his opponent’s Dragon Clan bloodline during the fight just now, and somehow, he ended up breaking through the shackles of his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, allowing it to go a step further and unleash more of the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source Strength in his body, causing this sudden and massive change.
By the time he recovered, Zhu Lie had already backed thousands of metres away while Yang Kai laughed maniacally, “Where do you think you’re going!”
Space Principles fluctuated around him and he caught up with Zhu Lie in an instant, grabbing his Dragon Tail with both claws and yanking it hard.
Zhu Lie, who was heading straight for the sky, was held back by that force, and his huge Dragon Body plunged downward involuntarily as a deafening roar came from his mouth. He suddenly turned his head around and opened his mouth wide, biting towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai sneered. Body weaving back and forth, not only did he avoid Zhu Lie’s attack, he even tied his tail into a bow knot.
Having made a breakthrough in his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source was stimulated to a far greater extent. Yang Kai suddenly felt as if this Zhu Lie was completely not his opponent at all, and he was convinced that this feeling was correct.
It’s not that he had become stronger, but rather that the bloodline of the Half-Dragon Form he transformed into had become purer. It was enough to allow him to suppress Zhu Lie’s bloodline.
“Hou!” Zhu Lie roared furiously, voice filled with grief and anger as if he had been greatly humiliated. A member of the Dragon Clan, ruler of the myriad spirits, actually had his tail tied into a bow. It was simply intolerable. He shook his tail in an attempt to shake off Yang Kai’s hold, but under the bloodline suppression, he was able to use at most seventy percent of his strength, so how could he succeed?
Yang Kai was grabbing onto Zhu Lie’s Dragon Tail and refused to let go. With a shout, the muscles on his arms swelled, and he spun him hard.
*Huchi…*
*Huchi…*
The two-hundred-metre-long Great Dragon was like a toy in Yang Kai’s hands, being spun around and around just like a windmill.
The eyes of the group of Emperor Realm Masters from Star Soul Palace and Azure Sun Temple widened at this sight. Even the soles of their feet were feeling a little cramped from this display.
In the beginning, the speed of the rotation was not too fast; however, the speed gradually became more and more violent. Zhu Lie’s two hundred-metre-tall body now looked like a blurry flat disk, like he was able to form countless clones of himself. With Yang Kai as the centre, Zhu Lie’s figure seemed to be re-created over a dozen times.
But that wasn’t even close, merely a series of after-images left behind by the speed of rotation.
Zhu Lie was dizzy from all the spinning and was unable to gather any of the Dragon Essence from his body. Feeling the stares of the group of ants below, he would rather pass out immediately than suffer this indescribable shame.
With a *xiu* sound, Yang Kai let go and Zhu Lie slammed into the ground just like a meteor.
The earth shook and dust rose up as a huge crater appeared, the two hundred-metre-long dragon shook its head in the crater, trying to get up but was stumbling around like a drunk.
Yang Kai came down from the sky and rode atop Zhu Lie’s head, grabbing one of his Dragon Horns with one hand while clenching his fist and slamming it with the other.
*Hong hong hong…*
Just like a large hammer crashing down on their hearts, each one of Yang Kai’s blows caused the hearts of Wen Zi Shan and the others to clench.
Zhu Lie tried to fight back, but under the double pressure of the bloodline suppression and his dizziness, his resistance seemed extremely childish and ridiculous.
“Come, come, come, tell me now what the immensity of Heaven and Earth is!” Yang Kai said while punching him.
But Zhu Lie wasn’t in the mood for jokes anymore. He could do nothing but hiss and growl. Hearing Yang Kai’s ridicule and sarcasm filled him with even more grief. He almost spat out the blood that was rolling around inside his chest.
After raining down hundreds of punches one after another, Zhu Lie’s head was smashed open. A few pieces of his Dragon Scales almost cracked, and he seemed to be exhausted. Crawling on the ground, Zhu Lie was panting heavily with his big tongue hanging out to the side, but his giant Dragon Eyes were still filled with flames of fury.
If there was no bloodline suppression, then he would definitely jump up and swallow Yang Kai into his belly right now.
“So, do you still want me to go to Dragon Island?” Yang Kai was still riding on his head, tossing a slap across his face while speaking. Even his own hand was in pain from all the blows.
“Whether you’re willing or not, you have to go. The Dragon Clan won’t…”
Before he could finish, Yang Kai had already gotten up and stomped on his head with tremendous force. Zhu Lie’s Dragon Head hit the ground with a bang and he almost bit his tongue. He quickly shut his mouth after that.
“I’ll ask you one more time. Do you still want me to go to Dragon Island?” Yang Kai looked at him from above.
After having suffered an initial loss, how would Zhu Lie dare to answer him?
“You think I can’t handle you?” Yang Kai sneered and began scanning his body. He noticed something during their battle before, he wasn’t too sure what it was he saw. Now was the best time for him to take a look.
In just a few moments, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, a burning gaze stopping upon a Dragon Scale around Zhu Lie’s neck.
At first glance, that Dragon Scale didn’t seem much different from the rest. However, if one looked closely, then differences of this Dragon Scale could be felt. Its colour seemed to be darker, and its aura was also a little different.
Using his Dragon Claws, Yang Kai grabbed the washbasin-sized Dragon Scale directly.
“What are you doing?” Zhu Lie turned his head over and roared in shock, but when he saw what Yang Kai was up to, he began to struggle even harder. It was not known where this strength came from, but he even tried to fly up to the sky.
Yang Kai ignored him and just grabbed hold of the Dragon Scale with both hands. With a shout, he drew all the strength in his body to rip it violently from Zhu Lie’s body.
With a *chi la*, Dragon Blood splashed everywhere and Zhu Lie’s pained cry filled the sky.
His Great Dragon Body also shrunk in an instant, turning into a red-haired young man in the blink of an eye. In human form, Zhu Lie appeared to be in his early twenties. With sharp brows and bright eyes, he was exquisite in both demeanour and appearance, with healthy jade white skin. With an appearance like his, he was bound to attract the attention of countless women no matter where he went.
However, after taking a beating from Yang Kai, Zhu Lie looked more miserable at this moment. His red hair was messy as if it had not been groomed for more than a decade, his body was covered in bruises and his clothes were messy. There was even a small wound gushing with fresh blood on his neck.
After losing that Dragon Scale, Zhu Lie no longer had the strength to resist the Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength in Yang Kai’s body, to the point where he could not even maintain his dragon form.
He leapt out from the ground and pounced like a madman at the scale in Yang Kai’s hand, shouting, “Give it back! That’s mine!”
But right now, in front of Yang Kai’s forty-metre Half-Dragon Form, Zhu Lie was as laughable as a child.
Yang Kai slapped him down like a mosquito, hitting Zhu Lie directly into the ground. Then, Yang Kai stepped on his head with one foot so that he could not move before observing the Dragon Scale in his hand, asking, “So this is what you were relying on to face me?”
Zhu Lie gritted his teeth and refused to answer.
“Without this, how are you going to be bringing me back to Dragon Island?” Yang Kai grinned viciously and looked down at Zhu Lie, coldly snorting, “Seems like that girl Zhu Qing revealed a lot about me.”
Yang Kai was truly annoyed. Zhu Lie was clearly not unprepared during this visit. If he had not been able to make a breakthrough in this Dragon Transformation Secret Art at the crucial moment, then there was no saying who would have won or lost that battle just now.
Information about him must have been revealed by that damned girl, Zhu Qing, which made Yang Kai feel a little uncomfortable.
But on further thought, Zhu Qing was a member of the Dragon Clan. He rejected her request to travel to Dragon Island several times, so it was only natural that she would reveal some of his information.
“Tell me, how does this offset the bloodline suppression?” Yang Kai asked in a solemn voice.
Before this, he thought that the Dragon Scale didn’t belong to Zhu Lie, and that it was the Dragon Scale of a higher-ranking Great Dragon from Dragon Island. However, upon closer inspection, he realized he was wrong. This was indeed Zhu Lie’s Dragon Scale, but as for why the colour was deeper and the aura different, it likely had to do with the enhancement of some Secret Technique.
Yang Kai was a little wary about such a Secret Technique.
Two Dragon Clan members approached him one after another, so there was no saying he might not have to deal with even more of them in the future. He couldn’t rely on making a breakthrough with his Dragon Transformation Secret Art and Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength each time. So, if he could figure out what Secret Technique this was, then he could also make preparations beforehand.
“Just kill me!” Zhu Lie stiffened his neck, seemingly ready to face death unflinchingly as he sneered, “Do you have the guts to slay a member of the Dragon Clan?”
Yang Kai’s expression turned cold, “I can’t stand people provoking me. Once people provoke me, I tend to get impulsive, and there’s no saying what I’m capable of doing when I’m impulsive. So, young man, don’t try and act smart. Whether you live or die is up to my whims right now.”
Zhu Lie gritted his teeth and said nothing more.
Suddenly, Yang Kai crouched down and took a closer look at Zhu Lie’s profile, frowning, “What’s your relationship with Zhu Qing?”
“I have nothing to say about it!” Zhu Lie coldly snorted.
“So be it, then!” Yang Kai spat disdainfully. He just felt that this guy and Zhu Qing shared some similarities in their appearance, and they were both Red Dragons, so they should be related in some way. That was why Yang Kai had asked; however, since the other party didn’t want to answer, he also couldn’t be bothered to get to the bottom of it.
Wen Zi Shan and Lei Hong flew over side by side and stopped ten metres away from Yang Kai, their expression appearing complicated.
Nobody thought that things would escalate to this extent.
At the very beginning, when both Yang Kai and Zhu Lie were engaged in a heated battle, they thought that Yang Kai would be the one to lose. They thought they would wait for the Dragon to vent his anger before coming out to deal with the aftermath, but who knew that Yang Kai would be so fierce as to be able to beat a Dragon into the ground, and even trample him underfoot?
This made things difficult!
“Great Elder Lei, you came just in time!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as if he had found his saviour when he saw Lei Hong.
Lei Hong’s body suddenly froze, and a bad feeling came over him in an instant. He suddenly regretted not having left earlier and actually foolishly followed Wen Zi Shan over. Wasn’t he just finding trouble for himself?
Yang Kai paid Great Elder Lei’s obvious apprehension no mind and carried on, “I caught a Dragon, but this guy is being too arrogant and domineering, so I think it best I hand him to you to bring him back to Star Soul Palace for the Great Emperor to deal with. Whether he kills him or skins him, it’s all up to the Great Emperor. I have no objections either way!”
The corner of Lei Hong’s mouth twitched and he was unwilling to move any closer. Acting as if he did not hear what Yang Kai said, he turned to Wen Zi Shan and cupped his fists, “Temple Master Wen, since the matter has come to an end, this Lei will say his farewells here. We still have to trouble Temple Master Wen on the matter of the Demon Banishment Order. My Star Soul Palace will also do its best to aid in this hunt. If there is any news, please inform me as soon as possible.”
Wen Zi Shan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Lei Hong’s body had already flashed away with a crackle. Enveloping the other Star Soul Palace members, he transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the distance.
“The one surnamed Lei, you come back!” Zhu Lie suddenly shouted, voice spreading far and wide, “My Dragon Island will never forgive you Southern Territory cultivators for treating a member of the Dragon Clan this way!”
Lei Hong of course did not stop but instead fled even faster, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
He originally wanted to ask Yang Kai about the situation of his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, but how could he still be in the mood to do so? He just wanted to get as far away from here as possible.
Staring in the direction that Lei Hong ran off in, Yang Kai laughed. But suddenly, he stopped and turned around to see Gao Xue Ting, Wen Zi Shan, and the others looking speechlessly at him.
“What should we do now?” Gao Xue Ting asked.
“I don’t know!” Yang Kai had an innocent expression on his face. Only, paired with his Half-Dragon Form appearance at this moment, it looked particularly ferocious.
“Why not just let him go?” Chen Qian suggested in a quiet voice. She was very afraid of the Dragon Island’s might and also couldn’t bear seeing Zhu Lie being beaten up so miserably.
Zhu Lie gritted his teeth “That’s right. If you’re smart, then you should let me go right now, or this definitely won’t end well for you!”
Yang Kai stomped his foot down again and snorted, “Know your place before you speak, little brat!”
“I’m a member of the Dragon Clan, how dare you treat me like this!” Zhu Lie looked humiliated.
“So what if you’re from the Dragon Clan? Aren’t you still crawling under my feet?”
Zhu Lie flushed crimson as he buried his face into the ground as if he couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into and no longer show his face to the world.
“Can’t let him go, can’t kill him either…” Wen Zi Shan laughed bitterly, “You little brat, you really brought me a big problem here.”
The Dragon Clan’s pride was legendary, so if he were really released after being humiliated this way by Yang Kai, then how could Zhu Lie be willing to let the matter rest? He would probably send word to Dragon Island immediately, then a large number of Great Dragons would come in a few days in pursuit of him. And of course, killing him was also impossible. If Zhu Lie was really killed, then they would really start a feud with Dragon Island. Not even a Great Emperor Sect could withstand the wrath of Dragon Island, let alone Azure Sun Temple.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Forget it. You don’t have to worry about this anymore. I will take responsibility for my own actions.”
Gao Xue Ting asked, “What are you planning to do?”
Yang Kai shrugged, “I can’t kill him or let him go, so I can only imprison him. What else can I do?”
Zhu Lie was shocked at his words. He looked up at him and bellowed, “You dare?!”
Yang Kai sneered, “Open your dog eyes wide and see for yourself whether I dare or not.”
As he spoke, he tossed out his hand, and an antique-looking bell appeared in front of him. As it spun in the sky, the bell grew rapidly in size.
Zhu Lie had obviously perceived the danger of this bell. It might look inconspicuous and simple, but it gave him a strong feeling of suppression. If he were really trapped by this thing, then there would be no way for him to escape.
He tried to struggle, but was met with another round of beating from Yang Kai, one that left him grimacing in pain.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell descended, trapping Zhu Lie inside it. Yang Kai jumped out in a flash and the sound of Zhu Lie cursing and his storm of attacks could immediately be heard from within the bell. With just one hand seal from Yang Kai though, the noise died down.
After all, the Mountains and Rivers Bell was an Exotic Ancient Artifact that could suppress all creation. Even the Phoenix True Fire was suppressed beneath it for several tens of thousands of years and could not break free. Even though Zhu Lie was a Dragon, there was nothing he could do if he was really trapped by the bell.
“This isn’t a long-term solution!” Wen Zi Shan sighed.
Yang Kai said, “Temple Master, you should focus on the Demon Spirits and the Great Emperor’s order instead. Just leave him to me. I assure you he’ll become obedient within a month.”
“It’s best if you have the confidence, but everything must be done in moderation.” After saying that, Wen Zi Shan led the others away.
If not for all sorts of ripples that emerged before, then he would definitely find a way to deal with Zhu Lie first, but right now, for the temple, and the Southern Territory as a whole, the most important thing they had to do was track down those Demon Spirits and the Bustling World Great Emperor. Wu Kuang had now taken over Duan Hong Chen’s body, and nobody knew what he was going to do with it.
Tens of thousands of years ago, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor plagued the world and caused the deaths of countless lives. Compared to him, the anger of Dragon Island was secondary.
In just a few days, the entire Southern Territory began to move. Billions of cultivators in the Southern Territory were mobilized under the Great Emperor’s Demon Banishment Order.
Yang Kai did not participate in this campaign, however, and had been resting on Spirit Sword Peak during the past few days.
Even though a demon sealing ground had appeared below Spirit Sword Peak, the Demon Spirits sealed inside had all fled, and the ruins left behind were neither dangerous nor special. So, Spirit Sword Peak remained Yang Kai’s personal spirit peak. The Mountains and Rivers Bell had already been moved to Spirit Sword Peak by Yang Kai, but Zhu Lie’s cursing never stopped for a moment, disturbing his peace.
Every day, Yang Kai would go over and teach him a lesson.
After losing his special Dragon Scale, Zhu Lie was no longer a match for Yang Kai. In front of Yang Kai who had unleashed his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Zhu Lie couldn’t even assume his Dragon form.
Dragons were incredibly resilient, though, so no matter how badly Yang Kai beat him, Zhu Lie would become as good as new the next day.
Zhu Lie was also hard-headed. He probably knew that there was no way Yang Kai would really kill him, so no matter how miserably he was beaten, his tongue never went soft for an instant. More often than not, he would just glare at Yang Kai with an unyielding look in his eyes as if he were saying, ‘what are you going to do about me?’
After half a month like this, good news finally came.
Many of the Demon Spirits that had escaped from Spirit Sword Peak’s demon sealing ground had been found. In the cleanup operation, most of the Demon Spirits were exterminated, but the Southern Territory also incurred great losses. However, as people learned more about the Demon Spirits, they also found many ways to restrain them, making it far less likely they would be easily corrupted anymore.
But whether it be Yang Kai, Wen Zi Shan, or the other Emperor Realm Masters of the Southern Territory, they knew that the Demon Spirits that were exterminated were not all of them. The troublesome ones were those that remained in hiding.
No one knew whose body those Demon Spirits were hiding in, and no one knew when they would reveal themselves again.
Throughout this whole ordeal, they heard no news from the Bustling World Great Emperor or Wu Kuang.
Since the day Wu Kuang took over Duan Hong Chen’s body and left Azure Sun Temple, it was as if he had evaporated from the world. No one saw him again.
Just like the Demon Spirits in hiding, he had become a thorn in the side of the Southern Territory, and there was a constant risk of that wound festering.
From what Gao Xue Ting told Yang Kai, despite the Bright Moon Great Emperor taking action personally, they still failed to find any useful clues about Wu Kuang’s whereabouts. As such, he had left Star Soul Palace in order to handle this situation and went to look for the Heavens Revelations Great Emperor, hoping to seek help from him.
Yang Kai went into the Divine Ascension Mirror again and spent 3,000 Elder Contribution Points to bring out Tian Yan’s Soul from inside.
It was time for him to fulfil his agreement with Tian Yan.
The Flesh Incarnation Pill had been refined a long time ago, so when Yang Kai sent Nanmen Da Jun back to High Heaven Place, he also took a moment to visit Ji Ying and brought back all the Emperor Pills he had refined to Azure Sun Temple. It was with these Emperor Pills that Yang Kai was able to accumulate Elder Contribution Points so quickly to use the Divine Ascension Mirror. Otherwise, he would not have been able to enter the Divine Ascension World again.
It was nighttime. The moon hung bright in the sky alongside a few stars.
Above Spirit Sword Peak, a strong barrier Spirit Array was arranged, and Yang Kai even turned on the Protection Array to prevent any mishaps.
Tonight was the night when Tian Yan was going to mould his flesh body.
Wen Zi Shan, who had received the news, also came over to stand guard personally. He occupied an Array Node of the array set up by Nanmen Da Jun, which had the ability to stabilize Souls, with a solemn expression. Tian Yan was a Soul with no physical body after all. It was his first time leaving the Divine Ascension World and being brought to the Star Boundary by Yang Kai. If there was nothing to anchor his Soul in place, then it could be extinguished very quickly.
The World Principles of the Divine Ascension World and the World Principles of the Star Boundary were very different after all.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai calmed his mind and concentrated, only opening his eyes after a long time, “Senior. The time has come.”
It was three-quarters past midnight, the time of day where Yin Qi was the densest.
As he spoke, he extended his hand and pointed in front of him.
A small light bloomed before spreading out, forming Tian Yan’s shape.
It was with the help of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus that Yang Kai was able to bring Tian Yan’s Soul out of the Divine Ascension World. If not for the existence of a Supreme Treasure like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, then Tian Yan wouldn’t even be able to leave that mirror world.
His body looked illusory and translucent, just like a ghost that could scatter in the wind, a mere Soul Avatar.
As soon as he appeared, Tian Yan frowned. Something seemed to be making him uncomfortable as there was a vague look of pain on his face.
There was a rumble in the sky at that moment, then a bang as an extremely strong will and force flooded in from all directions, ignoring the power of the many Spirit Arrays and Spirit Sword Peak’s Protection Array to press down on Tian Yan.
A being with strength comparable to that of a Great Emperor inexplicably appearing in the world was not something tolerated by the Heavenly Way, so it was no surprise it tried to reject him.
Tian Yan clearly expected this though and forming seals with his hands, a profound power spread out, forming a layer of protection around his body that was visible to the naked eye, resisting the rejection force of the World.
Thunder suddenly boomed atop Spirit Sword Peak and lightning danced wildly in the sky, a scene similar to impending doom.
But the disturbance did not last long. It was not known what amazing means Tian Yan used, but the thunder gradually faded away, and the lightning also disappeared quickly. The omnipresent repulsion force also dissipated.
“There’s not much time. It’s not easy to fool the Heavenly Way.” Tian Yan suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Yang Kai, “Give me the Spirit Pill and stand guard for me.”
Yang Kai had been waiting for this, so with a flick of his wrist, a milky white Spirit Pill flew straight towards Tian Yan.
Even though Tian Yan did not open his mouth, the pill still entered his body.
The milky white glow that spread out was not obvious at first, but as time passed, it became more and more dazzling. Soon, all of Spirit Sword Peak was enveloped by the glow.
Yang Kai opened his eyes wide and pushed his eyesight to the max to observe this scene carefully.
He saw the Flesh Incarnation Pill melting away inside of Tian Yan’s body, turning into countless tiny white lights that were moving towards each part of his Soul Avatar.
A faint vitality suddenly emerged. Just like a candle flame in the middle of a storm, on the edge of being blown out.
Tian Yan then sat down crossed-legged and shut his eyes, becoming perfectly still.
The milky white lights continued roaming around inside his Soul Avatar, numerous like the stars in the sky, and every few moments, his body would solidify a little, and the aura of vitality coming from it gradually became stronger.
At a certain moment, Tian Yan’s gradually solidifying body suddenly emitted a strong attractive force that shook the World Energy around Spirit Sword Peak, causing it to surge towards him, and was swallowed up in the blink of an eye.
An even stronger attractive force emerged soon after, causing the wind and clouds above Spirit Sword Peak to howl as the Word Energy from afar rapidly rushed in to fill the area; however, this was still not enough to satisfy Tian Yan’s needs.
His body that was formed by the Spirit Pill was just like a bottomless spit, and no matter how much World Energy came, he would devour all of it.
Discovering this, Wen Zi Shan immediately made a move. He used his mind to communicate with Azure Sun Temple’s Sect Defending Array and had it gather World Energy from around Azure Sun Temple towards Spirit Sword Peak. Yang Kai also summoned his own Jade Elder Token to control the World Energy coming into Spirit Sword peak, pouring it into Tian Yan’s body.
The two of them worked closely in tandem.
Following the influx of World Energy, the vitality in Tian Yan’s body grew stronger and stronger.
If there was any hint of instability in his vitality earlier, then it was now slowly being removed, and Tian Yan’s body was transforming into a real flesh body.
The omnipresent Heavenly Way seemed to have discovered something at this moment and a Heavenly Manifestation suddenly gathered above Spirit Sword Peak. Even though it was faint and hadn’t taken shape yet, Yang Kai and Wen Zi Shan were still startled.
World Force! Yang Kai could clearly sense a faint shred of World Force manifesting.
The World Principles of each world were different, and the only thing they had in common was World Force. In simple terms, this was the power of the World itself made manifest. Emperor Realm Masters comprehended World Principles to manifest their own Principle Strength while Great Emperors gained insight into World Force. This was the fundamental difference between the two of them.
Tian Yan’s existence was not allowed by the Star Boundary. The Divine Ability he used earlier was able to conceal him and help him avoid the Heavenly Way’s judgement initially, but as time passed, his deceptive methods gradually fell short, allowing the Heavenly Way to sense his existence.
Indeed, not much time was left. If Tian Yan could not mold his body before the might of the Heavenly Way revealed itself, then he would definitely be rejected from this world and be exiled to oblivion. When that time came, Yang Kai may not be able to save him even with the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus.
Yang Kai and Wen Zi Shan both looked grim. More and more quickly they pumped the World Energy around Azure Sun Temple into Tian Yan’s body. This was all they could do, the rest was up to Tian Yan’s own efforts.
Time gradually passed and the flow of World Energy in Azure Sun Temple did not pause for even a breath. The sound of wind and thunder constantly echoed above Spirit Sword Peak as Tian Yan’s body became more and more solid, and his vitality stronger and stronger.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Way’s might that was gathering atop Spirit Sword Peak also grew stronger, just like a sharp blade hanging above everyone’s heads, ready to cut them down at any moment, putting everyone present on edge.
At one moment, Tian Yan suddenly opened his eyes and he formed several profound hand seals that seemed neither fast nor slow. The body which he had just shaped was like a vast ocean fed by a hundred rivers. It swallowed up the World Energy within several dozen kilometres in one gulp, and the milky white lights swimming around his body suddenly disappeared.
The sky was still moonlit, and it was not known when Spirit Sword Peak restored its peace, with the Heavenly Way’s judgement which had been gathering the whole time somehow disappearing without a trace.
Yang Kai’s eyes darted around, looking at Tian Yan at one moment, then at Wen Zi Shan the next before looking up at the sky, confused.
“Congratulations, Senior!” Wen Zi Shan suddenly spoke, smiling as he cupped his fists in Tian Yan’s direction.
Tian Yan also smiled, “This would not be possible without the assistance of two friends. This Old Master gives his sincerest thanks.”
Wen Zi Shan was cheerful, “This Wen only provided some small aid. It was thanks to Yang Kai’s Flesh Incarnation Pill that Senior was able to mould a flesh body.”
Yang Kai asked, “Does this mean Senior succeeded?”
He was able to hear a thing or two from their conversation. If it had not succeeded, then Tian Yan wouldn’t be so relaxed.
Tian Yan smiled, “It’s a success.”
“That’s wonderful!” Yang Kai was delighted. Only then did he release his Divine Sense to scan Tian Yan’s body, but when he did, he was dumbfounded.
Because at this moment, Tian Yan actually gave off an extreme feeling of weakness. Not the type of weakness like a lamp running out of oil, but rather a very natural type of weakness. Or rather, it should be described as… infantile.
Yang Kai did not feel any fluctuation of power from his body, like Tian Yan was just an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before.
“Senior, you…” Yang Kai looked at him in astonishment.
Tian Yan smiled, “The Heavenly Way is not easy to deceive. Even if I can conceal it for a moment, there’s no way to conceal it for a lifetime. I can only comply with the Heavenly Way’s Will. At this moment, this Old Master should be equivalent to a newborn baby.”
Yang Kai’s jaw dropped. This situation seemed to be different from what he expected…
He originally thought that Tian Yan would still be a Great Emperor level Master after moulding his body, but who could have anticipated that the final result would be like this? However, upon thinking about it, it did make sense. How could such a good thing be realistic? Tian Yan was indeed a Great Emperor in the Divine Ascension World, but that was only with regards to his Soul. Since his body was moulded by the Flesh Incarnation Pill, it would be impossible for him to reach the level of Great Emperor no matter how much World Energy he devoured.
Considering all this, Yang Kai relaxed as he realized his thinking was too naive.
Wen Zi Shan commented from the side, “With Senior’s foundation, even if he has to cultivate from the very beginning, it probably will not take much time for him to return to his peak.”
“I hope so.” Tian Yan smiled, “But before that, this Old Master will need to spend some time in the temple.”
Wen Zi Shan laughed, “This Wen only hopes Senior does not mind the simplicity of his temple. Please, stay as long as you wish. Does Senior need me to arrange for another spiritual peak?”
“No need. Here is fine. Yang Boy does not seem like one to settle in one place, and this peak is clean and remote. It is a suitable place for me to rest and recuperate. Moreover… This is the place where this Old Master was conceived after all. Cultivating here will be just like a baby in a mother’s womb. It may require some adapting if I were to move to some other place now.”
“In that case, I will follow Senior’s wishes. I will send some disciples to bring over some cultivation supplies tomorrow. If there is anything else Senior needs, please let me know.”
“Then, please send some ancient books over. Any type is fine, the more the better.”
“Very well. This Wen will excuse himself for now.” Wen Zi Shan cupped his fists and looked at Yang Kai for a moment before leaving.
Tian Yan turned his head to look at Yang Kai and smiled, “You seem a little disappointed.”
Yang Kai laughed embarrassed, “I’m not really disappointed, it’s just a little different from my expectations. Ah, you should walk a little slower. Let me help you.” As he spoke, he moved over to help Tian Yan who was about to stand up.
Tian Yan was clearly not used to his flesh body and he stumbled as soon as he stood up. Fortunately, Yang Kai was just in range to help or he would have fallen.
Just as he said, he was like a newborn baby at this moment. He had to learn everything from scratch.
There was a palace on Spirit Sword Peak, and though it wasn’t very big, it was more than enough to house two people.
While chatting, Yang Kai and Tian Yan made their way towards the palace.
After just a few steps, Tian Yan suddenly paused. Yang Kai had no idea what he was doing, but when he looked over, Tian Yan looked blank and dull-eyed as if he had lost consciousness.
Yang Kai was shocked and was worried that something had happened and was about to investigate when Tian Yan’s eyes moved again, his consciousness returning to his body in a flash.
“The fusion of body and soul is not quite stable. My Soul left my body just now,” Tian Yan explained, shaking his head in frustration while walking more and more cautiously.
“It won’t stay this way, will it?” Yang Kai asked worriedly.
“Naturally not. It will be fine in a few days, but I’m afraid it will be difficult during this period.”
They paused three times along their way, and each time it was because Tian Yan’s Soul would accidentally disconnect with his body. Yang Kai had a hard time settling Tian Yan down into his room, and more and more he could feel that Tian Yan’s words were right.
[He really is just like a newborn baby!]
The next day, Wen Zi Shan sent someone to deliver a large number of jade slips that contained a variety of contents to Tian Yan’s room. Meanwhile, Tian Yan had not left since retreating into the room yesterday. Yang Kai did not disturb him either and just flew to the platform at the top of Spirit Sword Peak.
Forming seals with one hand, the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew up.
A dragon roar came out, and at the same time, Zhu Lie, who was trapped inside transformed into a two hundred-metre-long Great Dragon, opening his big red mouth and snapping towards Yang Kai.
“Dragon Transformation!” Yang Kai looked at him in contempt and used his Golden Divine Dragon Source to execute the Dragon Transformation Secret Art.
His body suddenly rose up, and a crackling sound came from all his bones. Short horns grew out from his forehead, and his skin was covered in armoured scales.
The Great Dragon who had just pounced in front of him let out an involuntary grunt, and his two hundred-metre-long body crumbled like a burst bubble. Pitifully, Zhu Lie transformed back into his human form and just happened to have flown right in front of Yang Kai where he was met with an iron fist, almost making it look as if he had taken the initiative to receive this punch.
Zhu Lie was knocked away with a loud bang and he crashed into the side of a mountain not far away, plunging several tens of metres into it.
He was dizzy for a while, but when his vision cleared up, Yang Kai was already standing in front of him. There was a strong suppressive force coming out from his forty-metre tall Half-Dragon Form that made him feel uncomfortable.
“Seems like your memory still hasn’t improved.” Yang Kai sneered and extended a dragon claw, picking Zhu Lie out of the rubble as if he were grabbing a baby chicken. Zhu Lie struggled with all his might, but to no avail.
This scene happened countless times in the past month or so. Each time that Yang Kai lifted the Mountains and Rivers Bell, Zhu Lie would try to sneak in a fierce attack, but without that special Dragon Scale, he simply could not resist Yang Kai after he used his Dragon Transformation Secret Art. Even though his real strength was a few levels higher than Yang Kai, he was still defeated without any ability to resist.
Practically every time, Zhu Lie would end up getting beaten soundly.
There was an incessant sound of banging as Zhu Lie was punched around like a sack by Yang Kai. Dragon Blood splattered everywhere, and he was in a terrible state.
But no matter how hard he was beaten, Zhu Lie never thought of backing down or begging for mercy. Instead, the harder Yang Kai beat him, the colder his eyes would become, as if he was vowing to pay him back for the pain a hundred times over if Yang Kai didn’t beat him to death here.
The Dragon Clan’s arrogance was evident. Even if Yang Kai had already transformed into his forty-metre-tall Half-Dragon Form, he was still no different from an ant in Zhu Lie’s eyes.
There was another loud bang and Zhu Lie was beaten down from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground. Before he could get up, Yang Kai had already stomped on his face.
“Do you submit?” Yang Kai looked down at him, “If you tell me you submit, then I’ll let you go right now!”
“Never!” Zhu Lie ground his teeth, “You think yourself skilled when you have to rely on bloodline suppression? If you have the guts, then fight me in human form!”
Yang Kai laughed, “What sort of dog fart reasoning is that? Don’t you Dragons always judge each other with your bloodlines?”
“You’re no member of the Dragon Clan!” Zhu Lie scoffed.
“That’s not true either. In human form, you’re as strong as a Third-Order Emperor, whereas I’m only a First-Order Emperor. If we fight in human form, then wouldn’t I be suffering a big loss?” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Faced with trash like you, would a Third-Order Emperor cultivation even be needed? This Dragon can suppress his cultivation to the First-Order to fight you!” Zhu Lie shot him a disdainful expression.
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “Seems like you’re quite confident. You say that now, but what happens if you can’t beat me?”
“Can’t beat you? Impossible!” Zhu Lie tried to shake his head, but he was firmly suppressed by Yang Kai’s large foot. He couldn’t even do something as simple as shaking his head and could only sneer contemptuously, “Under the premise that both parties are at the same level, no one can be a match for a member of a Dragon Clan.”
“You’ll never know.” Yang Kai sneered, “What about this? We can fight in human form, just like you say. There will be no bloodline suppression. However, you must suppress your cultivation to the First-Order. If you lose, then we will write off everything that happened previously.”
“And if you lose?”
“You can do with me whatever you wish.”
“Truly?” Zhu Lie’s eyes brightened.
“Truly!”
“Good. If you lose, then you have to come back to Dragon Island with me. And, I want you to kowtow to me three times, loudly. This is considered a great humiliation to you humans, isn’t it?”
Yang Kai laughed loudly, “Don’t even mention three, you can even order me to do thirty or three hundred if it so pleases you.” While speaking, Yang Kai took a few steps back and freed Zhu Lie.
Zhu Lie jumped up, face filled with anger, as if he could pounce over and exact his revenge at any moment, but he held back his impulse desperately and said with a cold expression, “If you’re a man, then don’t let others despise you. I hope you’ll keep your word.”
Yang Kai hummed a soft response, “That will have to wait until you beat me.”
At the end of his sentence, he took the initiative to release his Dragon Transformation Secret Art. His forty-metre-tall body quickly shrank in size, returning to its original state.
At that instant, Zhu Lie rushed over, starting with a breath of dragon flames. Even though he was not in his Great Dragon form and was unable to use most of the Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques, there would be no problem for him to spit out a few mouthfuls of dragon flames.
He also kept the promise he made with Yang Kai and suppressed his cultivation to the First-Order Emperor Realm, so the power of his dragon flame was much lower compared to when he was in his true form.
Even so, this dragon flame wasn’t something that just anyone could resist as it still contained a very strong burning power.
After the dragon flame, he threw a fist towards Yang Kai with an exhilarated look on his face, as if he could already see himself trampling over the latter’s battered body. He had no regard for a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm human. The reason why he was trampled by Yang Kai until every part of his skin was brutalized was because of the bloodline suppression.
Once Yang Kai used his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Zhu Lie wouldn’t be able to bring out even a tenth of his power, so how could he be his opponent?
But now, the situation was different. Both of them were in human form, so there was no bloodline suppression. He decided to beat Yang Kai up first to vent his anger before dragging him back to Dragon Island and handing him to the Great Elder.
The fist that followed punched through the dragon flames, producing some amazing and unexpected changes.
Zhu Lie’s fist seemed to be burning, but it didn’t detract the power of the dragon flames in the slightest. Instead, the two complimented each other, increasing the might of the attack dramatically.
*Ci la…*
A sword light flashed over, and a broadsword cut right down onto Zhu Lie’s fist, emitting an ear-piercing noise like the sound of clashing metal. The dragon flame that was wrapped around his fist was actually cut apart and became so weak that it seemed like it might go out at any moment.
“What?” Zhu Lie was shocked, and his face changed slightly.
He had been suffering the ravages of Yang Kai these past few days, so he had some understanding of this Human’s strength and knew that he was much stronger than the average First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator.
Zhu Lie did not expect to be able to do much to his opponent with this opening blow and was just trying to test his depths. However, he didn’t expect his opponent to be able to counter him so easily.
When he looked up, Zhu Lie’s face changed again.
That was because he discovered that Yang Kai didn’t show the slightest hint of strain at all. On the other hand, there was a faint smile at his lips, as if he were mocking him.
Zhu Lie was furious and shouted, “Putting on airs, are you?!”
Another fist blasted forward like lightning. From the momentum, it seemed like it was going to smash Yang Kai’s face to pieces.
Yang Kai turned his Myriads Sword lightly, slamming it forward, striking Zhu Lie’s second punch accurately.
Zhu Lie actually felt pain as the powerful force suddenly hit him, and this sudden change was actually a little hard for him to believe.
He was a member of the Dragon Clan and his body was incredibly sturdy. Every single part of his body was comparable to an Emperor Artifact, and yet the blow casually thrown out by this Human actually hurt him. How strong did he need to be in order to achieve that?
Was he the Dragon here or not?
In that moment of hesitation, Yang Kai had already slashed his Myriads Sword down with a cold expression.
A cold aura emerged atop his head, causing Zhu Li’s face to change drastically as he hurriedly retreated.
With a large crackle, the Myriads Sword sliced down on Zhu Lie’s body with sparks flying everywhere. By the time Zhu Lie moved a thousand metres back and looked down, he discovered that there was a long, eye-catching white mark from his belly down between his legs.
“You should be glad that you’re a Dragon, otherwise you’d have been dead already!” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly appeared in front of him like a phantom. Zhu Lie looked up only to see that his enemy had appeared just fifty metres away from him at some point, the broadsword gone from his hand, a dark, ten-metre-long attack in the shape of a crescent shooting out towards him.
Zhu Lie wanted to move, but he discovered that the space around him had suddenly become viscous. It actually gave him the illusion that he had fallen into a mire, and no matter how he tried, he was unable to dodge.
Letting out a roar, his aura soared and Dragon Scales appeared on his skin. He was going to take the blow directly with his body.
The pitch-black Moon Blade soared across the sky, causing Zhu Lie’s heart to palpitate.
He had no idea whether he could resist such an attack with just his physical body. That attack contained clear fluctuations of Space Principles, which were completely condensed from the Void. Anywhere it passed, even space itself was devoured.
If an attack like that were to cut through his body, then it may even be able to devour a part of him. For the first time in his life, Zhu Lie felt overwhelmed. He did not feel this way even when he was suppressed by Yang Kai’s Dragon Transformation Secret Art.
Just as Zhu Lie’s eyes were about to bulge from fear, the Moon Blade suddenly shattered a few centimetres from him.
His heart was palpitating as if he had just escaped from death and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. Zhu Lie raised his head to look at Yang Kai with a ghastly complexion, only to see that annoying man smiling at him and snickering, “You lost!”
Zhu Lie’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but he did not say a word.
Indeed, he lost, and not from that Moon Blade-like attack, but at his own hands.
During the critical moment, he raised his strength to the Third-Order Emperor Realm and even unleashed some of his Dragon Clan characteristics, which went against the previous agreement he had with Yang Kai.
Without even coming close to figuring out the true extent of Yang Kai’s power, without the latter unleashing his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, he ended up losing in such a muddled manner.
An unspeakable feeling of shame and frustration overcame Zhu Lie, causing his entire person to look incomparably down. His lips opened a few times, but he couldn’t make a single sound.
It had always been the Dragon Clan who looked down on others, but it was at this moment that Zhu Lie realized that other figures had already appeared above the Dragon Clan while they weren’t noticing.
“You’re not going to go back on your word, are you?” Yang Kai peered at Zhu Lie, “We agreed before this that our grudge will be settled if you lost. Unless the Dragon Clan can’t afford to lose?”
These words stimulated Zhu Lie greatly, and his arrogance forced him to snap back, “Who can’t afford to lose! If I lose, then I lose! Just as you said, our grudges are now settled!”
Yang Kai beamed, “Very good, very good! En, in that case, you can go back where you came from. By the way, please pass Dragon Island a message from me. Tell them I’ll visit them when I have the time, so no need to send someone over to me every now and again.”
Zhu Lie said with a grim expression, “I’ll pass on your word to Dragon Island, but I don’t know what decision they will make.”
Yang Kai nodded, “No matter. You should tell Zhu Qing too. You should be able to contact each other, right? Tell her not to look for me again. It’s… dangerous.”
Every time he was around Zhu Qing, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to control the stirring in his bloodline. The impulses hiding deep inside his heart felt like they could burst out at any moment, which gave him a bad and dangerous feeling. Yang Kai knew that this was draconic nature, and the deeper he cultivated his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, the stronger his draconic nature would become. One day, he would not be able to suppress those impulses.
So, it would be better for Zhu Qing to stay as far away from him as possible, if possible for the rest of their lives.
“Zhu Qing is probably already dead, so I won’t be able to convey your words.” Zhu Lie shook his head slowly.
The smile on Yang Kai’s face slowly disappeared, “What do you mean by probably dead?”