Having a bad premonition, Zhu Qing quickly changed the subject, “So where is he now?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know. We were all caught by the Frozen Tide when it came and brought us into a Sealed World. I also got separated from him then, but he should not be in any danger, so no need to worry about him.”
“A Sealed World!” Zhu Qing was shocked. She recalled the hazy feeling she had before and realized now that the feeling of being caught up in an overpowering crisis was her being sucked into a Sealed World. Looking around, she asked, “Is this the Sealed World? It actually looks quite pleasant.”
The Sealed World Bead was beautiful and refreshing like a spring day with abundant World Energy, so it was a nice place, especially after Yang Kai’s trip to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda which fundamentally changed this Sealed World. This was a completely Self-Contained World, one with a perfect set of World Principles, a true paradise.
“Haha.”
Yang Kai shook his head while chuckling, “This isn’t that Sealed World, this is a different one. One that belongs to me… Hm?”
Suddenly, he turned his head towards a certain direction as if he’d discovered something unusual.
Zhu Qing asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before saying, “I have something interesting to show you.”
He suddenly grabbed towards a direction. Zhu Qing was watching wide-eyed in curiosity when a pitch-black object that resembled a puppy suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.
When the little puppy appeared, it barked a few times, seemingly out of fright, but its tail was wagging and filled with energy. Its weak appearance from before had completely disappeared.
“Where’d this little demon come from? It’s so ugly.” Zhu Qing gazed at the black puppy, then she glanced at Yang Kai, teasing, “Just like you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s no ordinary little demon.”
“What’s so special about it?” Zhu Qing frowned.
“You’re a member of the Dragon Clan, so if you examine it carefully…” Yang Kai said while lifting up the black puppy to his face.
After hearing Yang Kai’s voice, the black puppy seemed to have settled down. It stared at him with its black eyes, panting with a fawning expression, its saliva flowing down its big tongue, looking incredibly mangy.
Zhu Qing finally noticed something unusual and said hesitantly, “It seems to have some sort of powerful bloodline. It’s just not very pure though.”
The Dragon Clan’s core was its bloodline, so their knowledge on the subject was naturally quite profound. After having its Abyssal Returner bloodline awoken by Gong Yue’s Secret Technique, some traces were left behind in the black puppy, which was what Zhu Qing discovered its bloodline from.
“It’s a descendant of a Demon Beast, the Abyssal Returner. Heard of it?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Qing shook her head, confused.
“It was my first time hearing about it too, but I’ve seen how powerful it is first hand,” while speaking, Yang Kai shook the black puppy, “Little brat, show us your skills.”
“Wang wang!”
“Don’t play dumb. Do that same move you did before. The one where your mouth opens up all of a sudden. If you dare refuse, I’ll cook you into a stew and eat you!”
“Wang wang!”
Zhu Qing palmed her forehead, “Its sentience hasn’t opened yet. With such low sentience, it wouldn’t understand if you talk to it that way.”
Yang Kai smiled deviously, “Whether it understands or not, it knows in its heart, but… Forget it, if you don’t get it, then you don’t get it. You’re quite the lucky one aren’t you, you actually survived.”
Saying so, Yang Kai let go. At once, the black puppy fell to the ground. Turning its head to look at Yang Kai, then at Zhu Qing, it plodded to Yang Kai’s feet and laid down.
Zhu Qing covered her mouth and laughed, “It seems to like you.”
“It’s just acting cute!” Yang Kai kicked the little puppy, but it remained unmoved.
Yang Kai ignored it and looked up at Zhu Qing, “Let’s get out of here first. We have to find out what this place is. Who knows whether we’ll be able to return to the Star Boundary or not.”
“It’s not that serious, right? Aren’t you proficient in the Dao of Space?” Zhu Qing felt that Yang Kai was exaggerating the situation, but she didn’t feel any sense of crisis at all. She felt that as long as she was with this man, she would be fine regardless of where she was.
Yang Kai grinned and with a thought, he brought Zhu Qing out of the Small Sealed World with him.
When they returned back to the cave, Yang Kai looked at Zhu Qing with amusement, “Want me to carry you on my back? Who knows what sort of place this is? We have to find out whether there are people here or not and try to get some information.”
Zhu Qing blushed, “I’m not that weak.”
As she spoke, she took the lead and walked out of the cave. Even though she walked at a light pace, she seemed to be frowning after each step.
Yang Kai grinned mischievously before suddenly frowning and muttering “You’re so annoying.”
Zhu Qing’s tender body quivered as her beautiful face lost colour, “You’re finding me annoying so soon?”
Yang Kai quickly explained, “No no, I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about this guy.”
At the end of his sentence, a bark emerged. The black puppy had been thrown out of the Sealed World Bead and began barking angrily at Yang Kai as soon as it reached the ground, seemingly asking why Yang Kai didn’t take it with him.
“Alright, alright, stop barking. If you keep barking, I’m tossing you back inside!” Yang Kai threatened it with an impatient expression.
The black puppy’s barking stopped abruptly and then it ran out in a flash, passing Zhu Qing, being the first to rush out of the cave. From then on, as high as the skies were tall and as far as the seas were wide, the puppy was free to roam around.
Zhu Qing couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Yang Kai came over and embraced her, drawing a slight struggle that did not persist long.
As soon as they came out of the cave, they were greeted with a world covered in white. At first glance, it didn’t look much different from the Frozen Earth, but both Yang Kai and Zhu Qing knew it was not.
That was because the cold that even the two of them could not resist did not exist here.
“Wang wang!” The black puppy’s barking suddenly rang out, seemingly in a panic as if something terrible had happened.
Yang Kai scanned the area with his Divine Sense, and he soon showed a look of pleasant surprise. No doubt Zhu Qing sensed it too, and since she wasn’t used to being so intimate with Yang Kai in front of people, she quietly put some distance between them.
A black shadow flashed by as the black puppy returned.
Two figures followed behind it, one man and one woman, both emitting strong auras from their bodies.
When they saw Yang Kai and Zhu Qing, the man and woman were clearly shocked. That was because they clearly did not detect the aura of any living people despite carefully checking this area before. They had no idea when these two people had appeared.
If they were enemies… Both of them let out a cold sweat inwardly.
The black puppy swiftly hid behind Yang Kai.
Yang Kai went up to them and cupped his fists, “Greetings, two friends.”
The cultivations of the man and woman weren’t bad, but they were only Dao Source Realm, so Yang Kai did not pay them too much mind. Only, since it was a rare encounter with living people in this area, he naturally wanted to quickly get some information from them.
The man and woman looked at each other before the man cupped his fists in return, frowning, “Is this little beast owned by the two of you?”
As a Dao Source Realm cultivator, his face did not change despite facing an Emperor Realm Master like Yang Kai. Instead, there was a questioning look on his face which made Yang Kai raise his brow in surprise. Such a thing was not common in the Star Boundary unless the other person had some strong background. From the way these two were dressed, they didn’t seem like the important type. They just looked like ordinary cultivators.
As a newcomer though, Yang Kai decided to do as the locals did and smiled and nodded, “That’s right. Ah Wang’s sentience hasn’t opened yet so he’s a bit naughty. If he offended you, then I must beg for your pardon.”
The man shook his head before he swept his Divine Sense past Yang Kai to examine the black puppy for a while before saying, “I must have seen wrong. It did not offend me or my wife. It was just a misunderstanding. May I ask who you are?”
“Yang Kai!” In this foreign land, there was no need for him to hide his name.
Right at that moment, the woman who had been standing beside the man quietly sent him a Divine Sense message. The man looked stunned for a moment before looking at Yang Kai in amazement, “Are the two of you from outside?”
If not for his wife, then he would likely have missed this point. That was because the two people in front of him were dressed slightly differently from themselves.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “Indeed, we are from the outside.”
The man nodded, “It has been a long time since someone new has come in. It seems like your luck is not so good.”
“I was just about to ask. What exactly is this place?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
The man explained, “This place is called Revolving World.”
“Revolving World?” Yang Kai frowned, but just as he was about to ask more questions, the man hurriedly said, “If you want to live, then come with me. There’s not much time left.”
“Not much time?” Yang Kai was stunned.
The man did not have any intention to explain though and after his statement, he turned around and flew off in another direction. His expression looked quite anxious.
It was the first time Yang Kai had met a Dao Source Realm cultivator with such a curt temper. Not only was he able to speak so confidently in front of an Emperor Realm Master, he even kept an aloof attitude with him, but at the very least, he was a clue, so Yang Kai couldn’t just break off with him. After exchanging glances with Zhu Qing, the pair immediately followed.
Since both of them were strong, they naturally weren’t afraid of meagre Dao Source Realm cultivators plotting against them.
In a flash, they began following the couple while the black puppy nimbly bit onto Yang Kai’s clothes and followed him around without letting go, trying its best not to be thrown off. Despite the strong winds, it still didn’t loosen its jaw.
Seeing how pitiful it looked, Zhu Qing fished it over.
Quick as lightning, the group of four soon came to a certain mountain. At first glance, it didn’t seem like much, but upon closer inspection, there were traces of some Secret Technique left on the wall in front of them.
The man in the lead took out a mirror and shot out a profound light onto the wall.
At once, a cave large enough for two people to pass through appeared.
Only after the group of four entered the cave passage did the man and woman exhale gently, seemingly relieved.
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Why are we in such a hurry?”
The man led the way while explaining, “Because soon, the World Principles will change. That is when the Demons will come out and it becomes very dangerous outside. No one will be able to survive in that environment.”
“The World Principles will change?” Yang Kai was shocked, wondering if he had misheard him.
World Principles were what made a world a world, the fundamental laws and building blocks of everything that existed, it was simply impossible for them to ‘change’ in such a short amount of time, unless the end of the world was coming. And yet, the way this man spoke sounded absolutely certain, very much unlike a lie. Nevertheless, it was simply too hard to believe.
“Hurry up, what are you still dawdling over there for?”
A shout suddenly came from the depths of the cave. Yang Kai raised his brow as he didn’t think there would actually be people inside this cave.
After hearing the man’s urging, the couple hurriedly went deeper into the cave. Shooting a glance at Zhu Qing, Yang Kai quickly followed them.
A small light was lit, and within a not so spacious stone room, a middle-aged man stood with a gloomy look on his face, seemingly waiting for something.
“Liao Guan Shi.” The man who led Yang Kai here went up to him and cupped his fists to salute the man in a respectful manner.
Meanwhile, that Liao Guan Shi didn’t even look at him and was just staring curiously at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing who had followed the couple in before asking in surprise, “Why are there two extra people? Where did they come from? They don’t look very familiar.”
The man responded, “They seem to have strayed in from the outside world and happened to run into us, so we brought them here as well.”
“From the outside?” Liao Guan Shi clicked his tongue in awe. He continued observing the two unfamiliar faces. When he looked at Yang Kai, he showed no special reaction, but when his eyes steered to Zhu Qing, they couldn’t help but light up, revealing a look of interest.
Zhu Qing was a natural beauty, and after receiving the nourishment of the dew during the past few days, she was currently at her most tender and beautiful state, so she appeared especially charming.
Zhu Qing wore her usual cold expression on her face, but even though she did not like being stared at in such a way, she did not get angry. Yang Kai’s body moved in front of her at that moment, blocking the man’s view.
Liao Guan Shi coldly snorted, looking unhappy, “These outsiders not knowing the rules is acceptable.” He raised his head to the man, “But it can’t be that the two of you don’t either, can it?”
The man quickly answered, “I will be troubling Liao Guan Shi.”
Only then did Liao Guan Shi’s face clear up a little before beckoning the couple over.
After both of them stepped forward, Liao Guan Shi suddenly began chanting under his breath and circulating the energy in his body. Then, fingers erected like a sword, he tapped several points on the man’s body in mid-air.
Yang Kai was stunned at this, because he actually saw some traces of a Shamanic Spell in this Liao Guan Shi’s techniques. Curiosity piqued, he couldn’t help but observe carefully.
In just a short while, a complicated seal suddenly appeared in the air. Liao Guan Shi struck his palm out, and the seal was thrust into the man’s body. The seal seemed to have other purposes and was not an attack. After his figure swayed slightly, the man was fine.
When it was the woman’s turn, there was a rare smile on Liao Guan Shi’s cold face. Instead, it was the woman who had a nervous look on her face. She glanced at her husband, as if pleading for help.
The man slowly shook his head and lowered his gaze.
Liao Guan Shi did the same thing to her, but this time, his hands were a little less well-mannered. When he was pointing out the spots with his fingers, he would touch the woman’s body from time to time, and when his fingers brushed past the woman’s full peaks, it caused her tender body to shudder.
The man ignored all this and stood to the side, watching them without turning his gaze away.
Liao Guan Shi was now in a joyful mood and the movements of his hand grew more and more unruly, causing the woman’s face to look more and more terrible, yet she had no choice but to endure it.
In just a short while, another seal was drawn and Liao Guan Shi thrust it into the woman’s body a little reluctantly before leisurely withdrawing his hand. Only then did the woman’s stiff body relax and she glanced at her husband with a look of chagrin.
Turning his head to Yang Kai, Liao Guan Shi’s face immediately cooled down, “Since you come from the outside, let me tell you about the rules here.”
Yang Kai looked at him with a smile, “Please enlighten me.”
Liao Guan Shi explained, “In a moment, the World Principles will change. Other than the Human Imperial City, there will be no safe place in the entire Revolving World. So, if you want to live, then you have to go to Human Imperial City. Got that?”
“Understood. We must head to Human Imperial City!” Yang Kai looked enlightened.
Liao Guan Shi continued, “And, if you wish to enter Human Imperial City, then you must receive the Human Sovereign Seal from this Guan Shi. Only those with the Human Sovereign Seal can be transported to Human Imperial City through the array. So, there is only one rule in this place… The Heavens and the Earth are great, but this Guan Shi is the greatest!”
Liao Guan Shi swung his sleeves and stood with his hands crossed behind his back, shouting, “This Guan Shi asks you, do you want to live or die?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Naturally, if I can live then I want to live.”
Liao Guan Shi nodded, “Seems you’re a student who can be taught. Come, let me apply the Human Sovereign Seal to you.”
Yang Kai stepped forward, but Liao Guan Shi waved him away with a repugnant look, “Women first. You stand aside.”
Yang Kai frowned and did not insist. As he stood aside, he said, “I must ask Liao Guan Shi to please be careful. My wife’s temper is not very good.”
Liao Guan Shi coldly snorted, “She better be smart if she wants to live!”
After saying that, he began chanting another spell. Fingers forming a blade, he tapped several points in front of Zhu Qing’s body, seemingly drawing something in mid-air. At first, his hands were still behaving, but in just a moment, the movements of his hand grew wider, and when he swung his fingers next, they brushed right over Zhu Qing’s chest, and his expression that instant also swelled with excitement. He was clearly anticipating something.
Zhu Qing suddenly looked up and glared coldly at him.
Liao Guan Shi was taken aback, but the movements of his fingers did not stop. It seemed he fully intended to take advantage of this situation.
“Wang!”
“Ah!”
A bark and a man’s scream broke out at the same time. The black puppy that had been in Zhu Qing’s arms the whole time suddenly opened its mouth and bit Liao Guan Shi’s hand. Even though its mouth was clearly not very big, it was able to swallow Liao Guan Shi’s entire hand, its sharp teeth sinking deep into his wrist, drawing a spray of fresh blood.
Liao Guan Shi howled in pain, but the black puppy refused to let go. It shook its head left and right, seemingly trying to bite the man’s hand off while a threatening growl was emitted from its mouth.
“Let go! Let go of me! This little beast is courting death!!” Liao Guan Shi cursed angrily, but he could not break free. Out of desperation, he slapped a palm fiercely towards the black puppy, and as energy fluctuated, rumbling thunder and flashing lightning emerged in the cave.
Flicking his wrist gently, Yang Kai released a burst of Emperor Qi.
Liao Guan Shi let out another miserable howl and his extended arm dropped limply.
“You… How dare you attack me!” Liao Guan Shi turned his head to glare in hatred at Yang Kai, grinding his teeth and hissing. It had been a long time since he encountered such a thing. He had always been the one to order people around and act as he pleased. He never expected to actually kick an iron plate this time.
This all happened in the blink of an eye. The couple who brought Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were also shocked. When he saw Liao Guan Shi eating a loss, the man quickly said, “Stop! Do not hurt him!”
The woman finally spoke up as well, “Don’t fight with him. You’ll only regret it.” This was the first time she spoke, her voice panicked beyond expression.
Liao Guan Shi quickly said to them, “Hurry up and kill those two! Otherwise, this Guan Shi will condemn both of you!”
The couple was both dumbfounded when they heard that, and their faces paled as if a great disaster had befallen them. For a moment, they were at a loss of what to do.
“You sure are arrogant!” Yang Kai went up to Liao Guan Shi and stared at him curiously, “Tell me, what gives you the right to act so haughty? As a trivial First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator actually dares act unruly in front of this Young Master?”
Liao Guan Shi’s forehead was covered in a cold sweat as he tried to struggle several times, but was still unable to break free from the black puppy’s restraint. Seeing how he was really stuck, he instead sneered and scoffed, “What right? By the right of me being a Steward, by the right of controlling the Human Sovereign Seal!”
Yang Kai turned his head over to the couple, “Just because of that Human Sovereign Seal? That’s why you choke down your voices even when you’re being bullied? This guy probably isn’t even as strong as you two, right?”
The man lowered his head, “Without the Human Sovereign Seal, we won’t be able to enter Human Imperial City. If we can’t enter Human Imperial City, we’ll only die!”
Yang Kai scoffed, “What joy is there in life, and what is there worth fearing in death? You’re a man, aren’t you? If you won’t resist even when your wife is being molested in front of you, then you’re better off just dying.” He turned to Zhu Qing and winked at her, “Qing’er, rest assured. I, your husband, will not let you lose a hair even if I die.”
Zhu Qing scowled, “Don’t try to be slick with me. I didn’t even see you make a move just now.”
Yang Kai was amused, “He’s nothing but trash. You could take care of him with just a breath. You didn’t need my help at all.”
Zhu Qing grunted but didn’t say anything more.
The man was extremely humiliated by Yang Kai’s words, but the woman went over to him and tugged on his hand before turning to Yang Kai, “You’re new here so don’t talk nonsense when you don’t know what you’re talking about. You better let go of Liao Guan Shi as soon as possible, otherwise, you’ll never be able to establish any foothold in Human Imperial City.”
Liao Guan Shi became energized and shouted, “Newcomers always have to suffer some losses to learn the rules! Release me now, otherwise, this Guan Shi will give you a death without burial!”
Yang Kai laughed, “And you’re going to make concessions if we let you go?”
Liu Guan Shi said, “Don’t even think about it. This Guan Shi is the Human Sovereign’s subordinate. If you dare to hurt this Guan Shi, then Human Imperial City won’t accept you! Your woman, on the other hand… If you surrender her to this Guan Shi, then perhaps we can work out a way for you to survive.”
“You seem… a bit messed up in the head.” Yang Kai looked at him with a speechless face. Even at death’s door, he was still trying to threaten him. He really had no idea what this guy was thinking inside.
Zhu Qing called out, “Ah Wang, bite him!”
The black puppy heeded her order and suddenly split its mouth into a giant maw, swallowing Liao Guan Shi into his stomach with one gulp before sticking its big tongue out to lick its lips, as if it still hadn’t had enough.
As this was her first time seeing the black puppy’s Divine Ability, Zhu Qing was stunned. She had only wanted the black puppy to bite the man harder, but she never thought he would swallow him directly instead.
What kind of Divine Ability was this?
When the couple saw this, their faces changed and they said in horror as they shouted, “Demon Beast! It’s really a Demon Beast!”
The reason why they chased after the black puppy previously was that they had detected some Demon Beast aura from it, but after a quick inspection, they confirmed that it was just their imagination. But now, it seemed like they weren’t mistaken. The black puppy’s Demon Qi had merely been hidden too deeply and only when it suddenly struck out using its strange innate ability was there a clear surge of Demon Qi, which they recognized at once.
Yang Kai gave them a curious glance, “You know about Demon Beasts?”
The man immediately shielded his wife behind him and looked warily at Yang Kai, “Are you a member of the Demon Race?”
“Hm?” Now Yang Kai was truly surprised this time. This man was able to say the words ‘Demon Beast’ and they actually knew about the Demon Race as well, which seemed very unusual.
The man became even warier of him and gritted his teeth, “Did you come from Demon Fury City?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no idea what this Demon Fury City is, nor am I a member of any Demon Race. This is most likely a misunderstanding…”
But he suddenly frowned as he spoke, and the reason for that was because he suddenly felt the world shake. The Word Principles filling their surroundings seemed to have begun distorting and changing. He looked over to Zhu Qing, who also showed a look of astonishment.
The World Principles had really begun to change, and it had to be a big change for such obvious signs to appear.
“Kill us.” The man’s face went ashen. He no longer had any hope to live. Liao Guan Shi was devoured by a Demon Beast, and two powerful Demon Race-like Masters suddenly appeared in front of them. They had no way out of this and he could only hold onto his wife tight with the hope that he could enjoy a moment of warmth before death’s approach.
“It’s easy to die if that’s what you want. There’s no need for me to do anything.” Yang Kai walked up to the front of an array. The only thing inside of this cave was this array that was erected here, so it was particularly conspicuous. Pointing to it, he asked, “Can we teleport to Human Imperial City with this?”
The man looked over with a bleak gaze, nodding, “Yes.”
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and investigated it briefly before mumbling, “It’s a Space Array, but something about it seems different.”
The man said, “It’s no use. If you want to activate the array, you have to have the Human Sovereign Seal.”
“Don’t you have the Human Sovereign Seal? Why don’t you go?” Yang Kai turned to look at them.
The man explained, “It has to be the Human Sovereign Seal that Liao Guan Shi has, which is naturally a primary seal. Only the primary seal can activate the array for teleportation. What we have is only a secondary seal, there’s no way it can activate the array.”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded to express his understanding.
Having seen no action from Yang Kai, and instead finding him studying the array seriously instead, the man asked hesitantly, “Are you really not from the Demon Race?”
Yang Kai asked him while studying the array, “There are Demons in this world?”
The man spoke, “Yes. Our Human Race and the Demon Race are on opposing sides, but we have coexisted in this world for countless years. It’s true you don’t look like a Demon, but why do you have a… Demon Beast?”
Yang Kai did not answer his question. The origins of the black puppy were a little strange, and also a little troublesome to explain, so he changed the subject, “Despite coexisting with Demons, it’s amazing you’re still alive.”
The man explained, “Human Imperial City shelters us. Without Human Imperial City, there’s no way we would still be alive.”
Yang Kai said thoughtfully, “Is it related to the transformation of the World Principles?”
“That’s right. In a short while, the World Principles will change, and when that time comes, our Human Race won’t be able to walk outside safely while the Demon Race can traverse it freely like fish in water. During these times, not a single person dares to leave Human Imperial City, otherwise, if ten were to go, only one would make it back alive.”
“Then, previously, the World Principles were suitable for the survival of the Human Race, forcing the Demon Race onto the defensive?”
“That’s how it is.”
“What a mysterious world.” Yang Kai had an astonished expression on his face.
The man smiled bitterly, “We have been here since birth. No one knows why this world is like this. Perhaps, only Lord Human Sovereign has some insight into the matter.”
“Lord Human Sovereign huh…” Yang Kai heard the man mention this title several times and he couldn’t help but pry, “Is he the ruler of Human Imperial City?”
The man answered solemnly, “Naturally, he’s the leader of the Human Race! He watches over Human Imperial City and protects all Humans!” His words were filled with respect, seemingly holding this Human Sovereign in high esteem.
Yang Kai smiled and continued studying the Spirit Array.
Signs of the World Principles’ transformation were becoming clearer and clearer and a large amount of Demon Qi had begun manifesting in the surrounding air, as well as other strange phenomena. The couple had already circulated their energy to form a protective layer around themselves, but it looked like they wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. Once the protection was broken, they would immediately be corrupted by the Demon Qi and undergo demonification.
Zhu Qing was a member of the Dragon Clan, so she didn’t feel much of a threat even in this environment; however, she still circulated her Dragon Qi lightly in order to dissolve the corruption of the encroaching Demon Qi.
The black puppy was the only one whose eyes lit up at these changes and was now constantly sniffing around, appearing quite excited.
It had the bloodline of the Abyssal Returner, which meant it was a descendant of an Ancient Demon Beast to begin with, so it was naturally joyful at the surge of Demon Qi.
“Alright, all of you come over.” Yang Kai called them over.
Zhu Qing, carrying the black puppy, walked over and stood beside him.
The couple were hesitant as the man asked, “What are you trying to do?”
“Teleport to Human Imperial City.”
The man was shocked, “You don’t even have the Human Sovereign Seal, how do you plan to enter Human Imperial City?”
Yang Kai snickered, “Who told you that you can’t go to Human Imperial City without that Human Sovereign Seal thing? If you keep hesitating, it’ll be too late. Do you want to live or die?”
The man was still hesitant, but the woman gave him a tug.
Finally, they made up their minds and nodded, “Alright. I’ll trust you this once.”
Yang Kai grinned, “I hope you can keep Liao Guan Shi’s matter a secret.”
The man smiled bitterly, “We gain no benefit from exposing you, only harm. Besides… Human Imperial City has its own way to figure out the truth. In fact, I think it’s better if you don’t go to Human Imperial City. If you really do enter, even if you’re strong, it’ll still be useless.”
“We can’t say that for sure!” As he said that, Yang Kai’s face turned solemn, and his Space Principles began to ripple out.
The four of them were standing on top of a Space Array that was connected to Human Imperial City, and under normal circumstances, they had to receive the Human Sovereign Seal from a Steward like Liao Guan Shi, then have him activate the Space Array to teleport them.
But these tedious steps were merely a disguise. It was just a means for Human Imperial City to control the Human Race, and such trickery was easily dismantled in front of Yang Kai, who was well versed in the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai used his Space Principles to connect to the other side of the Space Array directly, eliminating the need for the Human Sovereign Seal altogether.
As a light flashed, the couple were both wide-eyed. They could hardly believe that the Space Array was really working, and for a moment, they were both overjoyed. It felt as if they had been pulled back from death’s door.
Due to extreme changes of the World Principles around them, the World Energy had become flooded with Demon Qi, which was hardly suitable for a Human to survive under. Even if they were strong enough to temporarily resist the encroaching Demon Qi, they would eventually run out of strength if they remained under such circumstances for too long. When that happened, they would be completely corrupted by the Demon Qi, lose their sanity, and turn into Demons.
A moment later, the light inside the cave vanished and the four people on the Spirit Array disappeared.
…..
Noise suddenly poured in from all directions, which made them feel a little uncomfortable.
Yang Kai looked around and discovered that the four of them had arrived in a prosperous city with a giant Space Array beneath their feet. There was a constant stream of new figures appearing on top of the Spirit Array of varying levels of cultivation, each with different expressions on their faces. Some overlooked the world with joy while others had gloomy expressions, still others were badly injured and hissing in pain.
Quite evidently, these people were just like Yang Kai and his group. They had just returned from the outside to escape from the changes in the World Principles.
Yang Kai even saw the presence of many Emperor Realm Masters around them.
So, the four of them were not too conspicuous as they stood on top of this huge array.
The entire city seemed particularly prosperous with crowds of people brushing past each other in an endless stream. There were stores set up everywhere, selling all kinds of the world’s specialties, the calls of vendors reaching the ears of those passing by. It was almost like being thrown into a marketplace of the mortal world.
It was a first for Zhu Qing to arrive at such a lively place, so she couldn’t help but look around with a bit of surprise.
Well-dressed guards were walking through the streets, marching neatly in their uniforms. One could tell at a glance that these were the protectors of order in Human Imperial City.
But the cultivation of these guards wasn’t very high. The one leading the team was a First-Order Emperor while the rest were all Dao Source Realm cultivators. However, no matter how strong the cultivators on the streets were, they all avoided them as if they were snakes and scorpions, seemingly quite afraid of them.
Yang Kai even clearly saw a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master move out of their way.
Seniority in this world seemed to not be distinguished by cultivation realm. The couple they met before were clearly weaker than them in terms of cultivation, yet they did not have the respect a weaker cultivator would generally hold for a Master. This was even more obvious with that Liao Guan Shi. His cultivation could hardly match any of theirs, yet he was still able to boss the couple around while they were powerless to fight back.
There were people flying in the sky, but not many, and their cultivation levels were also diverse.
“This is goodbye. Take care, you two.” The man seemed to be in a hurry to separate from Yang Kai and Zhu Qing so as not to be dragged into their troubles, and that was why he immediately bid farewell after composing himself.
Sensing his thoughts, Yang Kai gave him a casual response.
The woman suddenly said, “A piece of advice for the two of you. Those with the leaf emblem embroidered on their chests are not to be offended. The more leaves there are, the nobler their identity. This is not your original world and we do not follow the law of the jungle here. In addition, Liao Guan Shi’s death likely cannot be concealed for long. It’s best if you two leave Human Imperial City once the World Principles change again.”
“Many thanks.” Yang Kai smiled.
When the woman was just about to say something else, the man had already dragged her into the crowd, and they soon disappeared.
“What an interesting world.” Yang Kai looked around with great curiosity.
The entire Human Imperial City seemed to be enveloped by a giant, magnificent barrier. This was even more obvious as the changes in the World Principles in the outside world could not be felt inside of Human Imperial City in the slightest. The Principles here seemed much closer to those of the Star Boundary. Looking up, the sky seemed to be in chaos, with countless vortices that could swallow one’s sight covering the sky. After staring for a while, it actually made one dizzy.
“Is Zhu Lie here?” Yang Kai turned to Zhu Qing and asked.
Zhu Qing answered, “I need to find a place to perform the Secret Technique to be sure, but I hope he is.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t worry. He’s pretty strong, so even if he’s out there, he won’t be in any trouble so soon.”
“En.” Zhu Qing gently nodded, subconsciously stroking the black puppy in her arms. Ah Wang felt so comforted that he narrowed his eyes happily. It was not even known whether Liao Guan Shi, who had been swallowed into its stomach, was still alive or not.
“Make way, make way!”
Just as Yang Kai was silently observing his surroundings, an extremely rude shout came from behind him. Turning around to look, he suddenly saw a large number of people emerging from the gigantic Space Array. There were a dozen of them, and each of them had extraordinary levels of cultivation.
The most conspicuous man among the group looked to be in his early twenties. He was handsome and had an arrogant attitude, his sharp eyes containing a sense of majesty that matched well with his extravagant jade-white robes.
The rest of the group scattered around and surrounded him like stars around the moon.
As soon as the group appeared, they immediately began heading in one direction while one cultivator in front led the way, rudely shoving those in his path.
Those that were pushed dared not resist in the slightest, and instead ran aside while shivering in fear.
“It’s His Highness, the Third Imperial Prince, the Third Imperial Prince has returned!”
“Hurry up, kneel down and don’t say anything. Don’t look at him either, it will be over if he sets his eyes on you.”
…..
*Hua la la…*
The crowd fell to their knees in unison. Regardless of gender, age, or strength, with the Space Array as the centre, all cultivators in a thousand-meter radius, no matter what they were doing, all prostrated on the ground to show respect.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
He was curiously observing this so-called Third Imperial Prince when he heard whispers secretly discussing him, wondering to himself what these Imperial Princes were. That was because such titles were only heard of in mortal kingdoms.
Everyone around them was now kneeling though, leaving just Yang Kai and Zhu Qing standing in place. Zhu Qing was even holding a black puppy in her arms, which made her look particularly out of place.
Yang Kai sighed as he knew that things were about to get complicated. He didn’t really want to get into any trouble before he could get a thorough understanding of the situation in this Revolving World and Human Imperial City, but life doesn’t always go as planned. Even without provoking any trouble, trouble would still come to him by itself.
He glanced helplessly at Zhu Qing, who kept a smile at the corner of her eyes.
“Hm?”
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing’s unusual behaviour instantly caught the attention of the Third Prince’s group. The cultivator leading the way swiftly arrived before Yang Kai. This man was tall like an iron pagoda and gave off an oppressive aura as he looked down on Yang Kai from above, shouting, “Boy, why didn’t you kneel down in front of His Highness the Third Imperial Prince?”
As the man spoke, an extremely strong pressure pervaded from his body and crashed down on Yang Kai.
He was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, and seemed to be no stranger to battles as the Emperor Pressure which pulsed from his body had an extremely strong, bloody aura. Ordinary people would surely be frightened upon contact with it, eliminating most thoughts of resistance.
But Yang Kai was unmoved. He still stood in place as if it was merely a light breeze that caused his hair to flutter. He then gazed up at the burly man, “This countryside yokel has never seen the world before and knows little about etiquette, so he hopes this Sir does not blame us. We will leave at once.” As he said that, he was just about to leave with Zhu Qing.
Whether it be the Third Imperial Prince or the other Imperial Princes, it was naturally impossible for them to make him kneel. As for Zhu Qing, that was even more impossible. She was a member of the mighty Dragon Clan, so even in death, it would be impossible to make her kneel. So, it was better for them to leave now lest they cause any more trouble.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he’d hoped. When the burly man saw Yang Kai leaving, he glared at him and shouted “Impudence!”
Like a frenzied bull, the man slammed down his large fan-like palm at Yang Kai, hitting him directly on the shoulder.
There was a loud bang, but Yang Kai’s body remained as stable as a mountain, the violent power travelling through his body and down to his feet, causing the stone slabs on the ground to split into pieces.
Yang Kai rolled his eyes over to glance at the burly man before answering lazily, “What is the meaning of this, Sir?”
The burly man revealed a look of surprise and sneered, “No wonder you’re so arrogant, it seems you have some skill, but it’s a pity that you met me!” As he spoke, the force in his hand became even more violent as the veins on his thick neck bulged. It seemed as if he was trying to use all the strength in his body to crush Yang Kai to the ground.
Yang Kai looked at the rest of the guards only to see them eyeing him with cold faces. It was as if he had broken some taboo and had to be punished for it.
The Third Imperial Prince, on the other hand, had an indifferent look on his face, not showing him much regard. Only when his eyes moved to Zhu Qing was there a flash of amazement in them, but that was all and he didn’t pay her any more attention after that.
Instead, the Third Imperial Prince’s gaze went past the crowd and half of Human Imperial City to stare at a certain point with a fiery look shining in his eyes.
The prince stood there, most likely waiting for his subordinates to teach Yang Kai a lesson to show the inhabitants of Human Imperial City what the price of offending him would be, and to learn to respect him.
The burly man was still putting pressure on Yang Kai. At first, he had a look on his face as if victory was already in his grasp because he could sense that Yang Kai was only a First-Order Emperor as well. Under the circumstance that his opponent shared the same cultivation as him, he wasn’t afraid of any opponent, let alone this little brat in front of him.
But as time went on and his Emperor Qi surged more and more, his face gradually became ugly. That was because no matter how he exerted his strength, he still could not shake the little brat in front of him in the slightest. This boy seemed completely rooted to the ground and didn’t even show any signs of swaying.
A few moments later, the burly man was already red-faced and his neck was bulging. His iron pagoda-like body actually began to shake, clearly running out of energy, but it was as if he were riding a tiger and had no choice but to stand strong.
Unfortunately, he had greatly underestimated his opponent.
Yang Kai’s face grew slightly dark as his gaze crossed over the burly man to look at the Third Imperial Prince, saying, “It’s a virtue to know when to stop.”
The Third Imperial Prince ignored him, eyes still gazing at a certain place in Human Imperial City. It seemed as if his entire mind was immersed into it and could no longer feel anything else.
Yang Kai let out a soft grunt and raised his palm, thrusting it against the burly man.
He had already given the Third Imperial Prince a warning, but since the other man wouldn’t take it seriously, he didn’t need to care about his face. As for what consequences would be incurred if he were to give him a face-slapping here, Yang Kai intended to act first and deal with whatever came later.
Everything happened suddenly, and the burly man clearly did not expect Yang Kai to fight back, so by the time that palm reached him, it was too late to defend. Not to mention that he was fully concentrated on how he was going to suppress Yang Kai, so how could he still gather any strength to defend himself?
Yang Kai’s light palm did not seem threatening, but it caused the burly man’s face to change dramatically when it struck. Just like a paper kite, he was sent flying high into the sky before landing heavily on the ground.
The crowd was shocked, and those kneeling who had peeked up to look at the situation immediately let out a cry of surprise when they saw this scene. Quite apparently, they did not expect to see anything like this either.
To think someone would actually dare to clash with the Third Imperial Prince’s guards in Human Imperial City, and to have done it in front of His Highness. This man was probably out of his mind to do such a foolish thing and the pitiful beauty next to him was going to suffer for this, too. There was no telling what kind of horrible fate awaited her.
Even though the guards of the Third Imperial Prince were shocked by Yang Kai’s counterattack, they reacted quickly. Without a single word, they jumped over, instantly surrounding Yang Kai and Zhu Qing without leaving any gaps.
These guards included a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and two First-Order Emperors. The rest were all in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, and all of them seemed to possess strong foundations, making it seem as if they were on the verge of a breakthrough.
Even though Yang Kai had not been here for long, the number and quality of the Emperor Realm Masters in Human Imperial City still amazed him. He had no idea how the cultivators here cultivated, but Emperors actually seemed to be a very common sight here.
This was a luxurious lineup for a group of guards, especially when the Third Imperial Prince himself was also a First-Order Emperor.
The many Masters surrounded him but did not attack, merely waiting for the Third Imperial Prince’s order. As long as the Third Imperial Prince gave the order, they would immediately pounce onto Yang Kai and Zhu Qing, ripping their corpses into ten thousand pieces. Regardless of how strong they were, no one would have a good end if they dared provoke any of Human Imperial City’s Imperial Princes.
Yang Kai remained calm despite being surrounded by these guards though. There was even a cold smile on his lips while Zhu Qing had already leaned over to put the black puppy down, standing quietly beside Yang Kai.
“Did you just arrive from the outside?” The Third Imperial Prince suddenly withdrew his gaze and turned to Yang Kai, asking.
“Is it that obvious?” Yang Kai frowned. He was surprised that this man would ask him this question.
The Third Imperial Prince said indifferently, “If you had spent any amount of time here, you would understand that it is not wise to clash with the Imperial Princes in Human Imperial City.”
Yang Kai grinned, “So that’s how it is. Third Imperial Prince really has good eyes. Indeed, my wife and I have in fact just come from the outside.”
The Third Imperial Prince gently nodded, “Outside has outside rules, but we have our own rules here. I’ll let this matter go this time out of consideration for your ignorance. Hopefully, you’ll be able to follow the customs next time.” After saying that, he gave Yang Kai a deep look before walking straight past him.
When the guards gathered around Yang Kai and Zhu Qing heard their leader speak, they withdrew their intention to continue making things difficult for them and immediately turned around to follow. Even the burly man who had been sent flying by Yang Kai before didn’t look at them as he passed by, just as if he never fought with Yang Kai to begin with.
“That’s right…” The Third Imperial Prince who had already walked a dozen paces away suddenly stopped and said without turning back, “I think you should know that I’m not sparing you just because you have shown enough strength, but because you are a first-time offender. I’m just giving you a chance to reform.”
Yang Kai frowned and squirmed his lips at Zhu Qing.
Even though he didn’t say anything or transmit his voice to her, Zhu Qing still understood what Yang Kai was trying to express, this boy was too full of himself.
Zhu Qing covered her mouth and smiled.
Then, with a *pa…* the Third Imperial Prince snapped his fingers in a seemingly casual manner.
That caused Yang Kai’s face to change abruptly, and he suddenly let out a stifled grunt.
Zhu Qing’s beautiful face lost its colour and she stared nervously at Yang Kai, “You’re bleeding!”
While saying that, she quickly took a silk handkerchief from her Space Ring and placed it under Yang Kai’s nostrils.
Yang Kai accepted the silk handkerchief and held it over his nose, looking at the Third Imperial Prince who was walking away with an incredulous look on his face.
“Why are you bleeding?” Zhu Qing’s eyes were furrowed. She couldn’t figure out what had happened since she had been watching that conflict from beginning to end, but she didn’t find any signs of injury on Yang Kai’s body, yet here he was, bleeding, which was clearly not normal.
“Let’s find a less public place to talk.” Yang Kai had a grave look on his face as he dragged Zhu Qing away.
The inhabitants all throughout Human Imperial City slowly got up and avoided the two of them like they were snakes or scorpions.
Inside a teahouse, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing sat opposite each other with good-quality fragrant tea steeping on the table. The black puppy was lying on a corner of the tea table, sleeping.
“What happened just now?” Zhu Qing asked in a quiet voice. She still had no understanding of how Yang Kai had come to be injured. Even though it wasn’t a serious injury, it still drew blood. To say it was the Third Imperial Prince who made a move didn’t seem too likely either. She couldn’t be any clearer as to how strong Yang Kai was, so how could a trivial First-Order Emperor injure him? And with just a snap of his fingers at that.
If the Third Imperial Prince really had that ability, then he may not be far off from becoming a Great Emperor.
“There’s something strange about this Human Imperial City.” Yang Kai moved the silk handkerchief from his nose. The bleeding had stopped, but the silk handkerchief had been turned into a mess, so he casually put it away.
Zhu Qing was amazed, “It really was the Third Imperial Prince who injured you?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded.
“How could that be?” Zhu Qing’s expression changed slightly, “He couldn’t be hiding his power, could he?” She was shaken inside. What sort of Master could hide their strength so well that even she could not see through it? If there really was such a person, then would that power not be too terrifying?
“No, no, no.” Yang Kai shook his head, “That guy wasn’t hiding his strength. He really is in the First-Order Emperor Realm.”
“Then how…” Zhu Qing’s lips parted slightly.
“How should I say this…” Yang Kai frowned and recalled what he experienced earlier and only after a long pause did he continue, “There’s a powerful force that pervades Human Imperial City, and that Third Imperial Prince seems to be able to control that force at will. The one who hurt me was not the Third Imperial Prince per say, but rather that omnipresent power.”
It was hard to describe, but its meaning was very simple. Naturally, Zhu Qing wouldn’t understand, so she asked in a daze, “So what sort of power is it?”
“I can’t say for sure.” Yang Kai shook his head, “Remember when that woman told us not to mess with those people with leaf emblems on their chests?”
Zhu Qing tapped the table lightly in realization, “There seemed to be a leaf emblem on the Third Imperial Prince’s clothes.”
Yang Kai grinned, “And it was a nine-leaf emblem!” Then, he pointed to the sky, “You may not have noticed, but the guys flying in the sky all had leaf emblems on their chests, just not with the same number.”
Hearing him say so, Zhu Qing quickly released her Divine Sense to check and discovered that it seemed to be true. Regardless of strength, none of those people flying in the sky were ordinary people. All of them had the leaf emblem embroidered in front of their chests.
“These people probably hold a special status in Human Imperial City.” Yang Kai rapped his fingers on the table, “There’s the Human Sovereign and the Imperial Princes here, so I’m guessing… Those guys with the leaf emblems on their chests must be related to this Imperial Family, which gives them some privileges.”
Zhu Qing frowned, “What kind of Imperial Family is this? Aren’t there too many relatives?”
Yang Kai laughed, “That’s why most of those guys only have one or two leaves on their emblem. It’s rare to see a number above five. Take the Third Imperial Prince for example. With nine whole leaves, he seems to be a real powerful figure.”
Zhu Qing said, “I remember now. That Liao Guan Shi from the cave earlier seemed to have an emblem like that too.”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai nodded, “That’s why he could control the Space Array over there, and why he had the Primary Human Sovereign Seal. That couple before had to swallow his insults despite both of them being stronger than him. Tsk… Privilege is a good thing to have, huh?”
“What are you thinking about?” Zhu Qing looked coldly at him.
Yang Kai spoke with a serious face, “What I mean is that only the Imperial Family can mobilize that mysterious power within the city, allowing them to easily defeat stronger opponents. Of course, not everyone who serves the Imperial Family should have that ability, I’m guessing. There may be some restrictions, for example, only those with five leaves and above would have that sort of qualification. The more leaves, the stronger the power that can be mobilized.”
“En. What you say seems to make sense.” Zhu Qing did not think deeply about it. She just thought that there were no problems with what Yang Kai said.
Yang Kai scoffed, “In the end, it’s still the law of the jungle here. Only, some of the people can draw on a special type of power for help, and that power seems to pervade every part of Human Imperial City.”
“Will we be able to resist it?” Zhu Qing asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m not sure. Just now, the Third Imperial Prince didn’t use its full power, and I didn’t try to defend either. If we really confront each other, I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to resist it. Right now, the most important thing is to figure out what sort of power it is. Only then will we be able to prescribe the right medicine.”
“So, should we ask around about it?” Zhu Qing suggested.
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “No need.”
“Why?”
“Because… Someone has sent themselves to our door, silly.” Yang Kai smiled at her.
Zhu Qing snapped at him, “You’re the silly one!” But Yang Kai’s words reminded her that her intelligence seemed to have been lacking since coming into Human Imperial City. If she thought carefully about things, it seemed to be because a sense of reliance had emerged in her heart. So, both her judgement and observation ability had plummeted, which gave her a bad feeling, and yet, she wasn’t repulsed by that feeling.
“This Sir, since you’re here, then come and sit with us. There’s no need to sit there alone with no one to talk to, right?” Yang Kai suddenly turned his head to look at a table not far away from them.
Only one guest was sitting at that table, and he looked to be in his fifties. He sported a goatee and had a well-mannered appearance. At first glance, he looked like a scholar of some kind, and with his cultivation withdrawn and his aura concealed, it was difficult to judge how strong he was.
And this guy had entered the teahouse right after Yang Kai.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s words, the goateed man simply stood up and walked over, looking at neither Yang Kai nor Zhu Qing, instead finding some interest in the black puppy which was napping on top of the table.
Tea fragrance overflowing, Yang Kai picked up the teapot and filled a cup for the man, “What is this Sir’s name?”
The goateed man sat and picked up the cup of tea, gulping it down without fear of the heat, “What a fine dog.”
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s just a mutt, what’s fine about it? Sir is over-complimenting it.”
The black puppy did not have any particularly conspicuous features, and under the premise that it did not reveal its Abyssal Returner bloodline, outsiders simply would not be able to catch anything strange about it.
The goateed man shook his head, “I’m not talking about it.”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “If not it, then you’re talking about me?”
The goateed man stroked his beard, “Seems the child can be taught.”
Zhu Qing’s face turned sour and she immediately felt the need to teach this old thing a lesson. This oblivious old bastard actually insulted her man right in front of her, so how could Zhu Qing tolerate that?
Yang Kai just shot a glance at her though, telling her to calm down before chuckling at the man, “Sir is funny. I’m a man, how can I be compared to a dog?”
The goateed man said “Sometimes, a man can be worse than a dog when they’re unwilling to show proper respect. A dog, on the other hand, can have its own benefits.”
Yang Kai sneered, “Then may I ask whose dog this Sir is? The Third Imperial Prince’s?”
The goateed man’s face was slightly cold, but he did not get angry and nodded, “There is nothing wrong with you calling me so.”
Yang Kai said, “I often hear people say that a dog that bites doesn’t bark, but a dog that barks redundantly is a waste. It seems to me that this Sir is also a fine dog.”
Zhu Qing scoffed, “Don’t compare him to Ah Wang. Ah Wang is much better than him.”
She seized every opportunity to vent her anger and quickly reached out to pick up the black puppy, gently brushing its fur with her hand.
The goateed man responded, “It’s not up to me to decide whether a dog is good or not. That’s up to His Highness the Third Imperial Prince. If he thinks you are, then you are, but if he doesn’t, then you’re still a dead dog no matter how strong you are.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “So, is this Sir’s intention here to beat the dog for his meat, or is this Sir here for something else?”
The goateed man pushed his teacup in front of Yang Kai, indicating for him to fill it up, “Dog meat does not taste good, and the Third Imperial Prince does not have that interest either.”
Yang Kai answered, “Oh, that means you’re here to catch a hunting dog, then?”
“Whether it’s a hunting dog or a pet, that all depends on your performance.”
The goateed man picked up his teacup once more and placed it by his lips for a sip, “A Master from the outside is rare, and Third Imperial Prince thinks you’re not bad, so he’s willing to give you this opportunity. Whether you can seize the opportunity or not depends on your own performance.”
Yang Kai laughed and shook his head, “I really have to apologize, but Sir’s ambitions are too high. It’s Sir’s freedom to become a man’s pet dog, but I have different thoughts. There’s no need for me or my wife to put on a performance. For us… raising a dog is enough, we have no interest in being one ourselves.”
The goateed man put his cup down, his expression unchanged, seemingly expecting this response, and nodded, “I have heard about some matters from the outside, and also know the situation there. You may have been a powerful man who could command wind and rain in the outside world, but this is Human Imperial City, so it follows Human Imperial City’s rules. Outsiders like you have to eat a loss before you can understand the law.”
After he was done speaking, he stood up and casually tossed over a wooden token, “This is the Third Imperial Prince’s token. If you can escape this, then find yourself qualified to be the Third Imperial Prince’s hunting dog. Otherwise, that just proves that’s as far as your abilities go.”
After saying that, the man walked away.
At the same time, the sound of clothes fluttering emerged from all sides as a dozen figures rushed in from all directions. At once, the teahouse had become tightly packed with people, and the guests in the teahouse were also greatly alarmed at the sight, hurriedly fleeing away. When the owner of the teahouse saw this sudden situation, he had a face that seemed desperate to cry but was unable to shed any tears, yet he didn’t dare to have an outburst.
That was because he recognized the identity of the people who just appeared.
Yang Kai massaged his aching head, “Giving us a honey date before sending us a wooden club? What’s the meaning of this?”
Zhu Qing observed the people around her coldly, “They don’t seem to be from the same side.”
Yang Kai understood, “If there’s a Third Imperial Prince, then there has to be a First and Second Imperial Prince, no? I don’t know which group they’re from, but whatever the case, they don’t seem to be a monolithic entity.”
They did not try to hide their conversation in the slightest, so the cultivators gathered around the teahouse all heard it clearly, but they were all indifferent. No one came forward to explain the situation to Yang Kai; instead, they seemed to be waiting for something or someone.
And they were indeed waiting for someone as the sound of something breaking through the air could be heard in just a moment, followed by the appearance of a huge palanquin from one end of the street. The people carrying the palanquin were all Dao Source Realm cultivators. With wind blowing under their feet, they did not need to move their bodies and the palanquin would speed along steadily.
The palanquin was extremely luxurious, and its translucent pink curtains gave off a hazy sense of extravagance.
There was a man and two women reclining on the palanquin with wine and fresh fruit placed on the divan. The man held a woman in each arm while sipping on wine and eating a spirit fruit with a look of comfort on his face. The two women were wearing very little, so much of their snow-white skin was exposed. They were squirming around in his arms, the sound of their coquettish flirtations incessantly leaking out as they waged a veiled contention for his affection.
As if no one else were around him, the man fondled the tender bodies of the two women wantonly with his large hands, drawing a charming gasp from time to time.
All the people along the way knelt down before him, not daring to look up, much less to discover the infinite beauty of spring happening inside the palanquin. Only the sweet and charming voices of the women remained to be heard, fanning the flames of desire in the men in the crowd.
In the blink of an eye, the palanquin arrived in front of the teahouse. Before the palanquin was even lowered, the Dao Source Realm palanquin bearers straightened their bodies and stood in place.
It was silent all around. Only the decadent sounds within the curtains grew more and more obvious.
Yang Kai stared with great interest.
Blushing slightly, Zhu Qing snorted, and when she saw the lustful expression on Yang Kai’s face, she couldn’t help but kick him under the table and glare at him, “What are you looking at? If you keep looking, your eyes are going to fall out.”
Yang Kai grimaced in pain as he grinned, “Qing’er, you look so adorable when you’re jealous.”
“Nonsense,” Zhu Qing blushed even redder, “W-W-Who’s jealous?”
The two were flirting without any regard for anyone else, drawing cold looks from the cultivators around them. A burly bald headed man walked into the teahouse next, seemingly a lackey, but he had an impressive Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, with a full and robust aura.
He glared coldly at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing before bellowing, “The First Imperial Prince has come, are you still not going to kneel?”
“So it really is an Imperial Prince.” Yang Kai exchanged glances with Zhu Qing. It was just a casual guess he made earlier, but he didn’t expect it to actually be an Imperial Prince who arrived.
He and Zhu Qing had only been in Human Imperial City for a short time but had already had a small conflict with the Third Imperial Prince’s subordinates, so Yang Kai didn’t expect this First Imperial Prince to show up just a while later.
The Third Imperial Prince gave him a warning, then sent someone to him immediately after, undoubtedly in hopes to take him in as his subordinate.
But Yang Kai had no idea what this First Imperial Prince was planning to do by coming here; however, from how the First Imperial Prince embraced a woman in each arm, he had a vague guess, which instantly made him feel displeased. Even his tone became unkind as he snorted, “I apologize, but this Young Master does not have the habit of kneeling to others. If you have something to say, then say it. Otherwise, get lost.”
The burly bald headed man was infuriated by his answer and roared, “Impudence!”
After saying that, he raised his hand and was just about to make a move when a soft voice came from the palanquin, “Stop right now. Using violence over such a small matter… What are you going to do if you hurt this beauty?”
Upon hearing that, the burly bald-headed man withdrew his hand immediately, but he still shot a mean glare at Yang Kai.
The voice from the palanquin continued, “Beauty, let’s get to know each other. I am Human Imperial City’s First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu. Are you interested in following this Prince out to have some fun?”
Before Zhu Qing could even answer, the two women in Fu Shu’s arms became dissatisfied and one of them climbed on top of Fu Shu, feeding him a mouthful of wine from her mouth before coyly whispering, “First Imperial Prince is so bad, you’re actually still looking for others despite having us sisters to serve you.”
The other woman also chimed in, “That’s right, First Imperial Prince. What’s so good about that cold-faced woman? How could she be as understanding and attentive as us sisters? Don’t bother with her, First Imperial Prince. Who knows where this village girl came from, let’s go back to the imperial palace. Elder Sister and I recently came up with a good idea that will surely satisfy you.”
The First Imperial Prince swallowed the fine wine into his belly, which made his body feel light and airy, before squeezing the soft and tender bodies of the two women by his side with his big hands, drawing sweet moans from them as he laughed, “You two are good, but she’s not so bad either. This Prince can just take her in to become your sister.”
“No! We already have enough sisters. First Imperial Prince, don’t take in any more!”
“That’s right! We can’t even count all those sisters we have, and First Imperial Prince, you promised this humble servant a few days ago that you wouldn’t play around again. Why are you going back on your promise after just a few days? I won’t forgive that!”
The First Imperial Prince laughed dryly, “Yes, yes, yes, this Prince did say that before, but this beauty wasn’t around then. I’ll take in one more, one last one. I absolutely won’t take in any more in the future.”
“First Imperial Prince is lying, I don’t believe you!”
“No, First Imperial Prince! There’s nothing special about this woman. Oh… She has red hair. If First Imperial Prince likes it, we sisters can also dye our hair red and show it to you every day until you have your fill.”
“How could that be the same?” Fu Shu shook his head incessantly, “You may not know this, but even though that beauty doesn’t look like anything special, I heard she’s from the outside world. This Prince has seen countless women, but it’s the first time this Prince has encountered one from the outside world, so I naturally can’t let her go so easily.”
“She’s from the outside?”
“What’s so unusual about that? Women are all the same. First Imperial Prince…”
“Enough. Both of you shut up.” Fu Shu’s tone suddenly cooled, instantly silencing the two women who were trying to act coy. They understood their own status and their position in the First Imperial Prince’s eyes. They were mere playthings, so it was fine for them to whine a little in order to receive more pampering, but if they insisted on stopping the First Imperial Prince from having his fun, then they would surely lose all favour with him.
The First Imperial Prince had numerous beautiful women in his residence, so it was by no means necessary for him to keep the two of them to serve him.
So, as soon as they noticed the difference in the First Imperial Prince’s tone, the two women did not dare to disobey, with one of them immediately changing her tune, “Since First Imperial Prince likes her so much, then just take her in. It’ll just be one more sister for us. Anything is fine as long as First Imperial Prince is happy.”
“Elder Sister is right. This woman’s looks don’t seem bad. She can barely be qualified to serve First Imperial Prince.”
A smile instantly spread across Fu Shu’s face and he kissed the cheeks of the women on his left and right before laughing happily, “You two are the most reasonable of my women, en this Prince did not favour you for nothing.”
Two tender bodies squirmed around in the First Imperial Prince’s arms with the older woman speaking up, “But this beauty’s heart seems to belong to someone else. What is First Imperial Prince going to do?”
Fu Shu smiled, “Naturally it’s because she doesn’t know this Prince’s might. Once she’s had a taste of this Prince’s skills, how will she be able to think about another man? Just wait and see, this Prince is going to make her bend!” While saying that, he broke away from the two tender bodies and straightened his loose clothes before standing up in the palanquin. Lifting the curtain, he stepped down and raised his eyes to look at Zhu Qing once he entered the teahouse.
As soon as he did, his heart was brimming with delight.
He was not able to see too clearly behind the curtain just earlier, so it was only now that he could see that this red-haired woman was simply beautiful beyond words. Even though her face looked a little icy, it only provoked a man’s desire to conquer her further.
As he said, he had never had a taste of a beauty from the outside world before, not because he was lacking in power, but because it has been many years since outsiders last came into Human Imperial City.
He was the First Imperial Prince and in Human Imperial City, he stood below only one man, while above countless others. Any beauty he wanted, he only needed to give the order and someone would immediately arrange it for him. Not a single one of those women dared to resist. On the contrary, they all tried their best to please him.
Having grown so used to fine delicacies, a change of taste every once in a while was also a blessing.
So, the colder Zhu Qing’s expression was, the more it pleased him. Deep inside, he was eager to take this red-haired beauty back to the imperial palace immediately and love her tenderly.
His hot, unrestrained gaze was like a leech biting down on Zhu Qing’s face, examining her from top to bottom.
Yang Kai moved and stood in front of Zhu Qing.
The First Imperial Prince’s face changed at once. As if he’d stepped on a pile of smelly shit, he said with a look of disgust, “What is your name?”
Before Yang Kai could answer, Fu Shu waved his hand, “Never mind, no matter what your name is, step aside if you want to live. For your merit of offering up this beauty, this Prince can bestow you one leaf.”
At these words, the gazes of the cultivators all around turned hot.
The status of one leaf may be the lowest level of a noble, but it was still a noble status that could enjoy privileges in Human Imperial City that ordinary people can only dream of. This would instantly set him apart from the ordinary citizens of the city. Of the servants nearby, many had followed the First Imperial Prince for numerous years, but none of them had ever received similar rewards. They did not expect this outsider to gain such privileges just because he had a beauty with him, which made many of the First Imperial Prince’s subordinates feel red-eyed with envy, lamenting at the little brat’s good fortune.
The burly bald-headed man stepped forward and yelled furiously at Yang Kai, “Little brat, still not giving thanks and standing back? Do you want to die?”
Yang Kai sighed and gazed seriously at the First Imperial Prince, “This… First Imperial Prince, this one also has deep feelings for his wife and is unwilling to separate. I have no desire to offer up a beauty. First Imperial Prince has Heaven shrouding power and countless beauties by his side. This one can see that the two in the palanquin are already very good, so why set your gaze on a married woman? If word gets out, then this would be detrimental to His Highness’s reputation. Why don’t we just say our goodbyes here, and to meet again if fate plans it?”
Fu Shu’s face turned cold, “Are you insulting my intelligence or your own?”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he also found his proposal overly naive.
Fu Shu followed up, “This Prince does not want to take advantage of his position to bully people either. What about this? If you think those two in the palanquin are good, then this Prince will give them to you. I want the one standing behind you.”
When they heard those words, the faces of the two women in the palanquin became extremely stiff, as if they had been struck by lightning, but they didn’t dare to say anything. For a while, they had miserable looks on their faces, weeping in the shadows.
Yang Kai said in amazement, “This… Wouldn’t this be a loss for First Imperial Prince?”
Fu Shu snorted, “This Prince is generous, what harm is there to let you take this bit of an advantage?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “But I’m not interested in taking advantage of others. Staying with my wife is enough for me.”
Fu Shu waved his hand and said impatiently, “Then consider it a reward, no need to thank me!”
Yang Kai opened his mouth, but he had no idea what to say.
Zhu Qing said from behind him, “Seems like they won’t let me go. What are you going to do?”
Yang Kai grinned, revealing a bright smile, “What else can I do? Since they’ve come, I’ll just fight them!”
“A Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator dares to show off in front of this Young Master?” Yang Kai sneered as he raised his hand, palming towards Fu Shu without mercy.
He could see that this Human Imperial City was without a doubt safe and undisturbed by the changes in the World Principles outside, but inside it was filled with muddy waters. If he and Zhu Qing wanted to gain a foothold in this place as outsiders, then they needed to show overwhelming power to let others know that they were not to be bullied.
The law of the jungle was the undeniable reality no matter where they were. If it were any different, it only proved that they were not strong enough.
Fu Shu’s strength was not high, only Third-Order Dao Source Realm; however, Yang Kai had sharp eyes and could easily tell that his pompous prince must have achieved his strength through taking numerous elixirs and precious treasures. It was simply impossible for him to display the proper strength of his level, not to mention the fact that this First Imperial Prince seemed to have fallen into an addiction of wine and lust. His body may have long been emptied out by his habits.
Yang Kai could easily destroy several dozen or even hundreds of wastes like him.
Fu Shu did not have the slightest self-awareness and just stood ten meters away from Yang Kai, so how could he have the time to react to this attack?
Emperor Qi surged and World Energy stirred as a palm print visible to the naked eye slapped down towards Fu Shu.
The burly bald-headed man’s face changed dramatically as he shouted, “Stop!”
“Stop your mother!” Yang Kai cursed and did not stop, instead becoming even more violent.
As expected, Fu Shu could not react in time. All this time, he was looking around curiously, hoping to take a look at the body of the beauty behind Yang Kai, so it wasn’t until the palm print approached him that he shrieked and began to shiver, completely at a loss as to what to do.
When the palm print was about to turn Fu Shu into dust, a green glow suddenly emerged from his body, forming a layer of protection around him.
*Hong…*
As the protection shook, Fu Shu’s hair became dishevelled and his clothes were whipped into a mess, but he was unharmed.
“What the hell is that!” Yang Kai’s jaw dropped. He didn’t see any traces of Fu Shu using a skill or technique at that moment, and yet that strange barrier appeared all of a sudden.
Looking him up and down, Fu Shu didn’t seem to be wearing any artifacts either. Rather, he was covered in a lot of useless accessories that were only there for decoration.
After Yang Kai’s unsuccessful opening move, the burly bald-headed man had already rushed over from the side and a flash of light appeared in his hand as a large hammer suddenly appeared. The hammer was half the size of a tea table, and the dazzling light it gave off gave one a grievous sense of danger.
The burly bald-headed man roared, “How dare you disrespect the First Imperial Prince. Suffer death, little brat!”
All the muscles in his body were tensed as he raised the hammer with all his strength, smashing it down on Yang Kai. A thunderous noise filled everyone’s ears in an instant, filling them with awe.
“Help, help!” Yang Kai shouted.
Zhu Qing glared at him before her red hair flashed and her petite body arrived next to Yang Kai. Then, she raised her small, fair, and tender fist to meet the large hammer.
The burly bald-headed man’s face changed and he shouted, “Move!”
He had no idea why this red-haired woman would seek death herself, but he knew that though she seemed to have a decent cultivation, she was, after all, a weak and frail woman. If his attack really connected with her, then she would at least be severely injured, if not dead.
This was a woman that the First Imperial Prince had his eyes on, so how could he dare to harm her?
And he just had to put his all into this attack. Now, even if he wanted to withdraw his move, it was too late. Seeing Zhu Qing block in front of him, the man had no choice but to force his body to twist slightly to the side, shifting the hammer a little in hopes that the woman could escape demise.
Zhu Qing’s fist collided with the huge hammer. The tender fist and the huge hammer formed a very strong visual impact, with no one doubting that Zhu Qing’s end would be miserable beyond comparison.
However, the results of this clash left everyone astonished.
A loud bang rang out. A strong gust of wind tousled Zhu Qing’s red hair slightly as she held her ground while the burly bald-headed man who was holding the large hammer went wide-eyed, as if struck by lightning. After a moment’s pause, he was sent hurtling backwards as if he were struck by lightning.
*Hong long long…*
A row of holes crashed open through the walls of the teahouse and the buildings behind it. At the end of the newly created tunnel, in a cloud of dust, the burly bald-headed man could be seen lying in a pile of rubble, not moving.
The eyes of the crowd almost popped out at this sight, especially the guards who came together with the First Imperial Prince. All of them stared dumbfounded at Zhu Qing. They never would have thought that this delicate little body could release such Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering power.
This was even more unbelievable to them than seeing a Demon waltzing into Human Imperial City for some casual shopping would have been.
Zhu Qing waved her hand off with a look of disdain.
Outside the teahouse, the two coquettish women inside the palanquin let out screams of terror.
How many years had Human Imperial City maintained its peace? No one ever dared to cause trouble in the city, let alone clash with the Imperial Princes. Suddenly coming across such a scene scared the two women almost to death and their faces went pale as their tender bodies shivered.
Their screams woke up the disoriented Fu Shu.
He was stunned for a while before coming back to his senses. Gritting his teeth, he shouted at Yang Kai, “You hit me?” His tone became harsher and he began to sound hysterical, “You actually dare to hit me? This Prince…”
“Enough nonsense! That’s right, I hit you!” Yang Kai reached for the void, grabbing his Myriads Sword and slashing it straight down at Fu Shu. The sword light was bitterly cold, and the Sword Intent was awe-inspiring.
Fu Shu was so scared that he screamed and tried to run away.
But the Myriads Sword chased after him without giving him even half a chance to escape. One after another, sword lights slashed down on Fu Shu’s body, but none of them did any harm as each time a slash was about to connect, a green glow would emerge from the surface of Fu Shu’s body to block the attacks.
This glow grew stronger or weaker according to the force Yang Kai used, as if it had its own intelligence. It was intent on protecting the First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu, no matter what, and even someone as strong as Yang Kai could not break through the protection of that green light.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue curiously. Sure enough, there were no ends to the world’s mysteries. If he had not chanced upon this Revolving World and entered Human Imperial City, he would never have known that such a strange thing existed in the world.
“Help, help!” The First Imperial Prince shouted as he ran, not at all maintaining even a shred of his majesty as an Imperial Prince. At this moment, he was nothing more than a dog trying to run for his life, even forgetting that he had cultivated before.
His guards finally reacted and rushed towards Yang Kai to protect their master.
Even though the cultivation of these guards was not low, how could they be Yang Kai’s opponents? One by one, the Myriads Sword picked them off and cut them down, chopping all of them up like vegetables. Yang Kai did not kill them, however, and even though the smell of blood permeated throughout the teahouse with wails breaking out everywhere, there were no deaths so far.
But Yang Kai’s savagery scared the First Imperial Prince out of his wits. He didn’t even have the strength to run away anymore and retreated into a corner, his path blocked off. He watched in horror as Yang Kai took step after step towards him. Body shaking, he screamed, “Don’t come over here, don’t come over here! I’m the First Imperial Prince, I order you to stop!”
Yang Kai grinned viciously, and with the fresh blood dripping from his Myriads Sword, he appeared like a devil that had walked straight out of hell.
The First Imperial Prince could wish for nothing more than to faint right there and have death end all his troubles, but the fear festering in his heart just had to keep him far more alert and conscious than usual.
In just a few steps, Yang Kai was standing right in front of the First Imperial Prince. Tilting his head and glancing at him, he slowly stabbed over with his Myriads Sword.
The First Imperial Prince sucked in a deep breath and held it, staring at the tip of the Myriads Sword, terrified beyond words.
When the Myriads Sword was just a finger’s width away from Fu Shu, the green glow reappeared, blocking the Myriads Sword with great tenacity, halting its advancement, meeting strength with strength.
“What is this?” Yang Kai nudged the green layer of protection with the Myriads Sword while looking down at Fu Shu from above.
Fu Shu’s teeth were chattering and he clearly could no longer answer Yang Kai’s questions.
At that moment, someone at the side spoke, “As long as the Sacred Tree’s blessings remain, the Imperial Family will never suffer harm.”
Yang Kai turned his head to look, only to see that the goateed man who had left earlier had reappeared in the teahouse at some unknown time, sitting in the same spot as if he had never moved, looking indifferently at him.
Yang Kai raised a brow, “The Sacred Tree’s blessings? What Sacred Tree?”
The goateed man answered, “It has nothing to do with you, nor I.”
“So you’re not going to tell me? I hate people like you the most. What do you want?” Yang Kai looked impatiently at him.
The goateed man shrugged, “You have offended the First Imperial Prince and injured so many of his guards. There is no place for you in Human Imperial City now.”
“I’m so scared!” Yang Kai scoffed, “Next, are you going to tell me that if I want to live, I should hurry up and kneel to the Third Imperial Prince and lick his boot? That only he can guarantee my safety?”
The goateed man smiled, “A smart man needs only a small reminder.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Seems like everything that happened here was within your expectations. You were also the one who asked the First Imperial Prince to come, aren’t you?”
The goateed man shook his head, “Do not slander me. Everyone knows the First Imperial Prince’s fondness for seeking beauties. Someone had already gone to inform him as soon as you and this young miss appeared in Human Imperial City. This Old Master merely anticipated the scene and came to watch a good show.” After a pause, he looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Well? Do you still refuse?”
Yang Kai still did not reply, but Fu Shu who was cowering in the corner seemed to look with a burning gaze at the goateed man as if he had met his saviour and shouted, “I remember now, you’re the one by Third Brother’s side. That… That guy! That’s right, that guy! Quickly kill this impudent man for me! This Prince will reward you handsomely!”
The goateed man looked disdainfully at the First Imperial Prince, “This Old Master is the Third Imperial Prince’s subordinate, how could this Old Master help you? First Imperial Prince must be confused.”
Fu Shu’s face paled, “Then what do you want before you’ll act?! How about I give you the two women outside?”
The goateed man looked between his legs and sighed, “This Old Master is getting on in age. It’s not easy keeping one’s Yang Essence potent after so many years. En, this Old Master is thankful for First Imperial Prince’s kindness, but unfortunately, this Old Master is powerless to enjoy it.”
“You… How could you do this!” Fu Shu was disappointed.
The goateed man turned back to Yang Kai, “So, your answer remains the same?”
Yang Kai rested the broad Myriads Sword on his shoulder, scoffing.
The goateed man understood and turned back to Fu Shu, “Though this Old Master will not act, this Old Master can offer First Imperial Prince some advice on how to handle this situation.”
“Tell me, tell me!” Fu Shu said anxiously.
There weren’t any Masters left among his subordinates, or any subordinates at all for that matter as they were all sprawled down on the ground, so Fu Shu could only pin his hopes on the goateed man.
The goateed man continued, “With the blessings of the Sacred Tree, First Imperial Prince will definitely not be injured, so since you won’t get injured, why fear him? You are an Imperial Prince, after all. You can command the power of the Sacred Tree, so even if you can’t beat him, couldn’t you have just grabbed her and ran? As long as you return to the imperial palace, what can he do to you?”
Fu Shu’s eyes lit up when he heard this and inwardly cursed himself for losing his mind from fear. Just as the old goateed man said, he had the protection of the Sacred Tree, so normal people couldn’t hurt him. Since he couldn’t be hurt, what was there for him to be afraid of?
He could only be bitter at himself for being so scared that he did not think about such a thing, and bitter at Yang Kai even more for humiliating him. Eyes turning to Zhu Qing, who was standing at the side, his courage was reinvigorated and he slowly stood up from the corner.
Even though his body was shaking a little, it was much better than how he was begging for mercy and trying to flee just now.
Their conflict earlier also attracted many of Human Imperial City’s residents to watch, so the teahouse was now surrounded by onlookers in all directions. When several groups of patrolling guards around the area broke through the crowd after hearing news about the situation and seeing the mess here, they were astonished.
Once they saw Fu Shu, they all saluted and asked about the situation.
“You came just in time!” The presence of the Imperial Guard gave Fu Shu even more confidence. He pointed at Yang Kai and declared, “This vicious man hurt my guards and humiliated this Prince! Quickly subdue that man for this Prince!”
When the guards heard this, they all answered his command.
A cold smile appeared on Fu Shu’s face and an incantation suddenly spilled from his lips, which sounded obscure and difficult to understand. The onlookers were confused, but Yang Kai was the most shocked of them all.
He was much too familiar with this incantation. When the words sounded, his mind involuntarily recalled a magnificent scene of war. During that time, with tens of thousands of warriors under his command, he had launched a long and bloody campaign against the Demon Race, and each time battle was joined, Shamans would chant such spells.
The chanting of the spell made one’s blood boil and filled one’s chest with killing intent, making it so that they would want for nothing more than to destroy everything before their eyes.
Fu Shu’s incantation was very short and seemed to vary a little from the one Yang Kai knew, but it was essentially the same.
A light suddenly bloomed and enveloped the guards.
In the next instant, the vitality of the guards all surged and their bodies bulged violently, as if they were inflated with hot air. Their exposed skin began to glow red, and even their eyes had turned crimson.
Cowardice and fear disappeared from their bodies, replaced by ferocity and killing intent.
“Bloodlust Spell!” Yang Kai’s eyes almost popped out of his head. He never expected to see someone else perform the Bloodlust Spell today after a lapse of more than ten thousand years.
Despite the fact that this Bloodlust Spell was slightly different from the one he knew, Yang Kai definitely wouldn’t mistake it for something else.
There were some traces of Shamanic Spells when Liao Guan Shi performed his technique back in the cave, but it wasn’t too obvious, so Yang Kai didn’t pay it too much attention. But now, it seemed that Shamanic Spells still existed in this Revolving World. Yang Kai had no idea how they managed to pass it down for so long.
Zhu Qing clearly did not expect to see this either and she looked curiously at the cultivators who suddenly changed, feeling puzzled.
When Fu Shu’s chanting began again, Yang Kai immediately figured out what sort of Shamanic Spell it was. This Shamanic Spell was the biggest headache for the Demon Race back in ancient times, and it was also a Shamanic Spell that could not be broken easily.
It was only with the protection of this Shamanic Spell that the Ancient Barbarian Race was able to compete with the Demon Race.
Yang Kai knew deeply how terrifying this Shamanic Spell was, so how could he let Fu Shu cast it?
Taking a step forward, the Myriads Sword disappeared in the blink of an eye, and with a wide sweep of his arm, Yang Kai sent a huge Moon Blade flying towards Fu Shu.
This attack was so sudden and unpredictable that it shocked the goateed man. Naturally, it scared Fu Shu as well; however, the ignorant were fearless, and remembering what the goateed man told him just now, Fu Shu showed no intention to dodge or resist despite his fear, continuing his chanting, becoming louder and louder.
The enormous Moon Blade struck Fu Shu’s body as expected, but it was blocked by the green light that appeared on the surface of his body just as before. Only this time, the green light was particularly dense, so bright that it was almost solid. This green light was a protective barrier, and always responded proportionally to the threat it was facing, which in a sense highlighted just how deadly Yang Kai’s Moon Blade was.
This Divine Ability that could sever space itself was unable to do anything to Fu Shu. The green light was actually able to block the Moon Blade’s attack once more, but a small crack appeared where it met with the black blade, one so small it was almost imperceptible.
Seeing this, Yang Kai suddenly realized that this protection was neither invincible nor unbreakable. The reason why his previous attacks were ineffective was simply that they were not strong enough.
With that momentary delay, Fu Shu had already completed his Shamanic Spell.
Another light burst out, enveloping the guards.
Suddenly, there seemed to be something linking these people together, making them share life and death. All their vitalities came together in one place and rose to the sky.
Zhu Qing frowned slightly.
“Life Chains!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth. He never imagined that he would one day face off against the two Shamanic Spells of the Two Race Great War, Bloodlust Spell and Life Chains. The great Shamans of the Ancient Barbarian Race that Yang Kai fought alongside in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld relied on the help of these two Shamanic Spells to become invincible, and it was because of that reason that Yang Kai knew the power of these spells better than anyone else alive today.
The goateed man looked surprised, “You actually know about the Sacred Techniques?”
“What Sacred Technique?” Yang Kai took a few steps back to stand next to Zhu Qing, staring coldly ahead.
The group of guards who were blessed with the Bloodlust Spell and Life Chains numbered about thirty people, all of whom had cultivations just under the Emperor Realm. The strongest was a Third-Order Dao Source cultivator, while the weakest was merely a Second-Order Origin King. If this group of people fought against Yang Kai alone, or even just as an ordinary group, Yang Kai could have easily exterminated them with a wave of his hand.
But right now, this group had the ability to fight against an Emperor in a life or death battle.
The fame of Shamanic Spells in the war did not come from nowhere.
The goateed man continued, “They are Secret Techniques that only the Imperial Family with more than six leaves are able to perform. If you don’t know about the Sacred Techniques, then how do you know the names of these skills?”
Yang Kai did not answer him and instead whispered to Zhu Qing, “We’re in a bit of trouble now.”
Zhu Qing commented, “I’ll deal with these people. I’ll leave that Imperial Prince to you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “They’re not pushovers. Let me deal with them instead.”
Zhu Qing remained unperturbed, “Don’t underestimate me, will you? Besides, I don’t want to even get close to that nasty guy.”
“Since you’ve already said so, I don’t have much of a choice.” Yang Kai shrugged.
Zhu Qing snorted, “If you can’t handle him, then don’t even think about touching me again in the future.”
As soon as she said that, her body lunged forward in a flash.
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, “Does she have to be so ruthless all the time?”
The goateed man poured cold water over him at the side, “It’s useless. Since the Sacred Techniques have already been cast, you have no chance to win. That is unless you can break the Sacred Techniques, but you would have to obtain the Sacred Tree’s blessing to do that.”
Fu Shu fumed, “Whose side are you on, old man?”
The goateed man said indifferently, “This Old Master is just here to watch a good show, he stands on neither side. First Imperial Prince should focus on his enemy. Be careful not to throw the face of the imperial family.”
Fu Shu was stirred up by his words, “Then open your dog eyes wide and watch!”
While they were talking, Zhu Qing had already engaged the thirty or so guards in battle. As the violent energy overflowed, the small teahouse collapsed at once, causing the teahouse’s owner to run out to the streets, crying and cursing incessantly.
Very soon, Zhu Qing discovered the difficulty in dealing with this group of people. Their actions couldn’t be called swift, nor were they very well coordinated. They didn’t have polished formations to take advantage of and would often interfere with one another, appearing quite clumsy.
But still, each one of these thirty or so people was actually able to withstand her attacks.
Each of the blows from Zhu Qing’s fists was actually caught by these stray cats and dogs, which was simply unbelievable. She was a member of the Dragon Clan and had ferocious power. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would not dare to say that they could withstand a hit from her unharmed, and yet these fodder were able to do just that.
After a few strikes though, Zhu Qing quickly discovered the secret behind how they were able to withstand her attacks.
She had no idea what happened with these people, but regardless of who came up to stop her, the damage from her attack would actually split up between their whole group, allowing the thirty or so to bear the effects together.
A single chopstick could easily be broken, but the resistance more than doubled when two chopsticks were used. Not to mention the fact that some other Sacred Technique or whatever was cast on more than thirty people, causing their vitality to surge, turning them fearless against pain or danger. All of them were red-eyed, and their ability to withstand punishment was multiplied.
Zhu Qing’s face turned cold and her attacks became fiercer and fiercer. Just now, she had been holding back quite a bit to test the waters.
As their fight rumbled on, the battlefield was constantly shifting and soon, half the street was affected.
Over where the teahouse used to stand, Yang Kai gazed at Fu Shu and commented, “You heard what the madam said. For the sake of this Young Master’s future happiness, I must ask First Imperial Prince to please… fall!”
As soon as he said that, he appeared before Fu Shu, so close that they were almost stuck together.
The goateed man’s eyes shrunk as his pupils became as small as a pinhole.
He did not see clearly what happened in that instant.
Fu Shu let out a yelp and almost fell backwards, but he was very quickly able to calm his heart and gritted his teeth while shouting, “You think this Prince is afraid of you!?”
Yang Kai raised a hand and threw a fierce punch at his face.
Fu Shu did not react to it at all, however, and the fist smashed in front of him, but fortunately, the green light appeared to block the blow and did not allow any harm to come to him. Otherwise, he would have died on the spot.
His face paled, but he grit his teeth and began chanting.
He wanted to apply a Bloodlust Spell to himself too, that way, he would no longer have any fear.
Yang Kai suddenly gazed at his chest, “First imperial Prince has eight leaves, huh? Tsk tsk, even the Third Imperial Prince has nine leaves, so why do you, as the Elder Brother, have one less than him? Is the Human Sovereign favouring him, or are you just unlovable?”
Fu Shu’s chanting came to an abrupt end as he shouted angrily, “Don’t talk nonsense! How could Imperial Father be partial towards Third Brother? I’m the First imperial Prince!”
“Oh really? However, the Third Imperial Prince does indeed have one more leaf than you. If my assumptions are correct, the greater the number of leaves you possess, the greater the respect you will obtain. From the looks of it, you really are inferior to the Third Imperial Prince.”
“It’s… it’s all due to the inferior cultivation of this Prince. That’s right, that is the only reason! This Prince was slightly negligent with his cultivation, therefore he only has eight leaves. If someday this Prince has the same cultivation as Third Brother, even obtaining nine leaves would be a trivial matter.”
“Tsk tsk tsk…” A look of contempt covered Yang Kai’s face, “I don’t think that is possible; tiny clues can reveal the general trend of things. If I were the Human Sovereign, I also wouldn’t appreciate your behaviour and character, First Imperial Prince. If the matter of succession were to be on my mind in the future, I would definitely consider the Third Imperial Prince. The Third Imperial Prince is a dragon amongst men, possesses outstanding cultivation, and treats people with respect and dignity, how could you ever match up to him?”
“You… you shut your mouth!” Fu Shu’s anger was fully stoked by Yang Kai’s words and he lunged over in fury, relying entirely on the protection of the Sacred Tree to maintain his fearless image.
As Yang Kai was speaking though, his hands never stopped, continually releasing fierce attacks towards various parts of Fu Shu’s body. Nevertheless, he was ultimately unable to break through the protective green light. On the other hand, the attacks the First imperial Prince was launching at him amounted to no more than tickles that he could completely disregard.
For a moment, the two of them brawled like rogues on the street, though neither side was able to gain the upper hand, with all of their attacks amounting to nothing.
The goateed man let off a sigh. Simply unable to continue watching on, he opened his mouth and shouted, “First Imperial Prince, there’s no need to worry about his rubbish comments. Your Highness should focus entirely on displaying your Sacred Techniques. Since your cultivation cannot match up to his, only the Sacred Techniques can wipe your humiliation away.”
Yang Kai turned his head around and snorted coldly, “If you continue yapping, old thing, I’ll smash your teeth out first!”
The goateed man said in a heartfelt manner, “Youngsters should learn how to respect their elders.”
“That will depend on the person. Those who like to act pretentiously like you, I will beat up several dozen every day!”
As Yang Kai shouted, Fu Shu continued to curse. Nevertheless, having received the goateed man’s reminder, he did not continue tussling with Yang Kai and immediately cast the Bloodlust Spell on himself. The fear and timidness in his eyes quickly disappeared, immediately being replaced by a look filled with fury and excitement. Letting off a loud, derisive chuckle, he spoke with a fierce tone, “Boy, for daring to offend this Prince, you must die! After that, I will properly enjoy that beautiful lady.”
The Bloodlust Spell affected the rationality of the target, lowering their inhibitions while enhancing their ferocity. Nevertheless, it was still able to provide many benefits in some special circumstances.
Fu Shu’s fear and timidness had been suppressed by the Bloodlust Spell. Focusing his scarlet red eyes firmly on Yang Kai, he appeared to have become an entirely different person as he let out a loud roar, “Bind!”
An invisible strength suddenly came gushing out from the void, binding Yang Kai’s raised fist like a thousand tightly wrapped threads.
Yang Kai was suddenly unable to move his fist regardless of how he tried.
He felt as though his fist was being tied down by an invisible power. The more he tried to attack, the greater the restraining force he felt. Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn. Despite his Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, the First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu, was actually able to rely on his so-called Sacred Techniques to even restrain his movements. This made Yang Kai increasingly vigilant against the Shamanic Spells that were the root cause of this situation.
Ordinary Shamanic Spells could not possibly have such an effect. Yang Kai had always been the one fighting across realms. This was the first time he had been placed in such a disadvantage by a person with a lower cultivation realm than him.
Floating backwards in retreat, Yang Kai was no longer being restrained as he easily increased the distance between him and Fu Shu.
With the success he obtained, Fu Shu’s confidence was greatly increased, leading to him laugh crazily, “You’re running? Let me see where you run to! Come, sword!”
Extending his hand, a burst of jade green light erupted forth from the void. The fluorescent light appeared to be identical to the energy that was protecting Fu Shu. Rapidly converging together in the air, it transformed into an astonishing longsword.
With a pointing motion, Fu Shu aimed at the long sword and sent it chopping down towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he felt the power behind the incoming attack. Unleashing his Space Principles, he greeted the incoming attack with a number of Moon Blades.
After a series of explosions, the jade-green long sword smashed through everything as though they were rotten wood, completely destroying all the incoming Moon Blades; however, after breaking through the last Moon Blade, it suddenly collapsed and dissipated.
A shiver shook through Fu Shu’s body before two streams of blood flowed out from his nostrils. Nevertheless, appearing to have not felt anything, he raised his hands up and roared loudly, “Again!”
Light condensed once again, before converging to form a gigantic jade green long sword.
Yang Kai shot a pensive look towards a certain location at that moment.
After experiencing it a few times, he had finally managed to catch onto some faint traces. Every time Fu Shu displayed his Sacred Techniques, they seemed to produce some kind of resonance from that direction. This resonance was very weak, so weak that Yang Kai would not have sensed it if not for his powerful Divine Sense.
It was impossible for someone at Fu Shu’s realm to compete against him in a head-on confrontation; therefore, there was only one reason that this could be happening, and that was the fact that something was lending him the power to do so.
He was borrowing the power of the so-called Sacred Tree!
And the direction from which the resonance was occurring should be where the Sacred Tree was located.
Yang Kai really wanted to see exactly what the hell this Sacred Tree was, to actually be able to display such power to let trash like Fu Shu display some ability.
A torrent of Divine Sense expanded out, causing waves of humming sounds to ring in the sky, leading the goateed man’s expression to change once again.
After an instant, everything within Human Imperial City appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes, just like the most outstanding artist painting picture after picture in his mind with exquisite detail. As his Divine Sense continued to expand outwards, his field of view continued to increase.
All of a sudden, a barrier blocked his Divine Sense from expanding. Caught off guard, Yang Kai was dazed for a moment when his Divine Sense smashed right into the barrier.
Coincidentally, right at the same exact moment, the jade-green longsword had already chopped down, cleaving down on Yang Kai’s shoulder, drawing blood as a result.
Fu Shu laughed madly, “This is what you get for challenging this Prince!”
Forming a seal with his hands, he controlled the jade-green longsword to press downwards, seemingly wanting to chop Yang Kai in half.
Yang Kai responded with a cold snort. Summoning the Myriads Sword into his hand once more, he proceeded to swing it up, causing a chilling cold Sword Qi to burst forth and break the jade-green longsword apart.
Fu Shu was stunned for an instant, surprised at the outcome.
Yang Kai said, “Is that all of you’ve got, First Imperial Prince? Ridiculous! Do you not have any other moves? Let me see exactly what you’re capable of!”
Fu Shu roared back in fury, “Don’t get cocky, you little brat!”
All of a sudden Fu Shu started to chant; however, this time around, Yang Kai did not recognize the words, nor could he associate them with any Shamanic Spell he knew. While he chanted, Fu Shu proceeded to take a stance akin to what one would take when notching an arrow on a bow.
A jade-green arrow mysteriously appeared before him, which he held lightly as he drew it on an invisible bow.
“Chasing Star Pursuing Moon! Die!”
Following Fu Shu’s furious roar, the jade-green arrow disappeared as it spun through the air, smashing through space, leaving a gash across the sky that was visible to the naked eye before appearing right before Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai tilted his head to the side, as the arrow slid past his temples, slicing off a few strands of black hair that drifted away with the wind.
“You dare dodge!” Fu Shu erupted like a volcano as he continued to pull back on his invisible bow, repeatedly launching arrow after arrow at Yang Kai. Blood continued to flow out from his nostrils like water bursting out from a dam, dripping down and staining his robes and the ground below. Nevertheless, Fu Shu did not seem to notice this at all, as if he had entered into a frenzied state.
However, after firing off five arrows in a row, blood was now dripping from all of his seven orifices.
It seemed that unleashing the Sacred Techniques had put an extremely large burden on his body.
No power in this world could be obtained without a corresponding price. Without a doubt, this also applied to Fu Shu. Being the First Imperial Prince, he had obtained the protection of the Sacred Tree at birth, granting him the capability to unleash this powerful Sacred Techniques. Nevertheless, with his Third-Order Dao Source cultivation, he would still have to pay a steep price to unleash enough power that could contend with Yang Kai.
His unrestrained attacks allowed Yang Kai to observe the flow of power for the Sacred Technique’s origin with greater detail and accuracy.
All of a sudden, a frown appeared abruptly on Yang Kai’s face, as though he had thought of something. Taking a deep breath, he proceeded to close his eyes.
Fu Shu was immediately overjoyed when he saw this and proceeded to shout naively, “So you now know the might of this Prince? It’s too late for you to kneel and beg for your life! This Prince has decided that you will experience the worst torture in this realm!”
As he said those words, he raised his hands yet again, sending a green arrow shooting off into the sky.
Right at this instant, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly snapped open and raised his hand lightly to grab at the jade green arrow. In the next instant, the powerful arrow was locked into place before him, unable to move even an inch forward.
“How is that possible?”
Yang Kai and Fu Shu both uttered the same question, though the former had a blank look on his face, while the latter had one filled with shock.
“Your aura…” The goateed man’s eyes suddenly turned as round as saucers as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai, as though he was looking at something he had never seen before that left him full of confusion.
Right at the instant, Yang Kai closed his eyes, his aura suddenly experienced a drastic change.
It did not become any stronger; however, his aura now made people feel as though it came from ancient antiquity, like he had stepped through time into this moment, his entire body radiating a desolateness that could not be identified nor described.
The jade arrow dissipated within Yang Kai’s hand as an ancient chant began to stream from his lips.
At this instant, he was not an Emperor Realm Master, but a Shaman King, an Ancient Shaman King that hailed from the South Barbarian Clan of the ancient world!
His words sounded more cryptic and indecipherable than the First Imperial Prince’s, and despite not ringing out loudly, they seemed exceedingly hard to pronounce.
The goateed man’s entire body shook violently as his entire being turned as stiff as a dumb chicken.
A tiny flame snake suddenly appeared right before Yang Kai, slithering about as if it was a living creature, before he quickly made his judgement.
This was not a Sacred Technique, as there was no jade-green glow present on the flame snake that was unique to the Sacred Techniques, though the process of its construction seemed to be exactly the same as the Sacred Techniques.
“So that’s what your so-called Sacred Techniques are, huh…” The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth curled up, as he was mysteriously able to sense a connection with something that was present within Human Imperial City. This connection was precisely something that he had established after transforming into a Shaman King, and after casting the Shamanic Spell, this connection had instantly become much stronger.
The tiny flame snake twisted around deftly in a lifelike manner, bringing unimaginable shock to everyone present.
Fu Shu was already stupefied as he stared blankly at the flame snake, utterly forgetting that he was still in the middle of a fight.
The goateed man roared, “First Imperial Prince, that isn’t a Sacred Technique! Don’t be deceived by his methods!”
“That really isn’t a Sacred Technique?” Fu Shu turned around to ask.
The goateed man was so furious that his beard was trembling as he repeated with strong reaffirmation, “This Old Master is willing to stake his life that it absolutely isn’t a Sacred Technique! It’s just… somewhat similar to the Sacred Techniques, that’s all! There’s no need to fear it!”
Fu Shu’s mind shook upon hearing those words, leading him to roar out furiously, “Just as I expected! As if an inferior being like you could unleash the Sacred Techniques! It turns out that you are just trying to scam me! Despicable bastard, you must die!”
Fu Shu attempted to notch his invisible bow to fire off another arrow; however, with a flick of his finger, the flame snake Yang Kai had conjured straightened up, before shooting over towards Fu Shu like a bolt of lightning.
Fu Shu pretended not to hear anything as he completely ignored the incoming flame snake attack, as he knew that the Sacred Tree would provide impenetrable protection. Any attack from Yang Kai would be utterly ineffective, just like what happened earlier.
The flame snake didn’t seem to possess much power behind it, appearing just like an extremely common Flame Snake Spell. In ancient antiquity, even a Shaman Warrior would be able to execute a Shamanic Spell of this level.
With a bang, the flame snake smashed into Fu Shu’s body, but an unexpected outcome occurred then. The protective green light had once again blossomed around Fu Shu’s body, but after the impact from the flame snake, despite the latter instantly disappearing without a sound, flames covered Fu Shu’s entire body, burning him until he was crying out in pain.
The goateed man’s eyes contracted, as he could faintly sense that something wasn’t quite right about this.
According to reason, being the First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu was granted the protection of the Sacred Tree within Human Imperial City. Therefore, only existences with eight leaves or more would have the capability of harming him. However, this mysterious foreigner had actually managed to accomplish such a feat! This was utterly out of his capability to comprehend, and he simply couldn’t understand how this could even happen.
Furthermore, why did that Secret Technique appear no different from the Sacred Tree’s Sacred Techniques? Other than the absence of the Sacred Tree’s signature fluctuations, it simply appeared identical to the Sacred Techniques.
“Seems I’ve also obtained the protection of the Sacred Tree.” Yang Kai grinned as he looked at the First Imperial Prince.
“Nonsense!” Extinguishing the flames on his body, Fu Shu cursed out madly, “You? Impossible!”
“Take a close look, First Imperial Prince, and see if I’m talking nonsense or not.” As he sneered, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hand, before a flame snake appeared before him once again. This was followed up by another one, a third, then a fourth …
“You, you, you…” Fu Shu was getting shock after shock, “Why don’t you need to chant an incantation!”
“Why would I need to chant?” Yang Kai continued to execute Shamanic Spells; but they were all the simple Flame Snake Spell.
“Singing incantations is necessary to unleash any Scared Technique!” Fu Shu felt his common sense being shattered apart, something he found hard to accept.
Yang Kai chuckled, “How can trash like you compare with this Young Master? This Young Master can conjure Sacred Techniques with a snap of his fingers.”
As he was talking, a dense array of flame snakes had already appeared before him, as though they had just been forced out from their holes. As time continued to pass, the newly formed flame snakes started to transform.
Slivers of green glow started to surface on their fiery red bodies, and although this was not very conspicuous, the green glow was undoubtedly present. The green glow grew increasingly intense, and before the final few flame snakes materialized, they were completely covered with a jade-green glow.
Yang Kai finally pulled his hands back, grinning as he looked at Fu Shu, “Take a look. Didn’t I say that I’ve also obtained the Sacred Tree’s protection?”
“Ssii…” The goateed man sucked in a mouthful of cold air, while beads of cold sweat dripped down from his forehead. The way this matter developed exceeded all of his expectations! A foreigner was actually able to obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection, and execute Sacred Techniques boosted with the Sacred Tree’s power. Now, it was utterly impossible to rely on the Third Imperial Prince to deal with him. In fact, the appearance of this man would be sufficient to cause a giant storm that Human Imperial City had not experienced in over ten thousand years. If this young man wasn’t dealt with appropriately, he could change the entire situation of Human Imperial City.
At this moment, the goateed man no longer had any thoughts of dragging Yang Kai down, only wanting to find an opportune moment to flee.
On the other hand, Fu Shu was also in such shock that he had turned speechless. The massive turmoil of emotions he was experiencing caused a series of events to occur within him, with the first being the dispelling of the Bloodlust Spell, before being closely followed by the backlash of his continuous usage of Sacred Techniques. The latter left Fu Shu crying out as he collapsed onto the ground, his hand covering his nose, though he was unable to stem the flow of blood. In an instant, his vitality plummeted, to the point where he was only a step away from death. Crying out in misery, he sought help from his surroundings. Yet, who could step forward to save him at such a moment?
Seeing his enemy, who was fighting on equal footing against him just a moment ago, had actually collapsed onto the ground, Yang Kai’s face twitched fiercely. Nevertheless, he felt too lazy to add insult to injury. In the first place, he wasn’t all that concerned about Fu Shu, as the latter was only able to contend with him by temporarily relying on the strength of the Sacred Tree. Currently, with Yang Kai having access to the same power, there was already nothing to fear from Fu Shu.
Turning around, Yang Kai grinned as he looked towards the goateed man.
With beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead, the goateed man spoke out in a sour tone, “Could it be… that you’re actually royalty that has been lost in the past?”
Yang Kai replied with an indifferent expression, “You have quite the imagination.”
“Then why are you able… to summon the power of the Sacred Tree?” The goateed man was unable to wrap his head around it.
“Who told you that only the Imperial Family is able to gain the Sacred Tree’s protection?” Yang Kai sneered.
The goateed man gawked in sudden realisation. That deeply entrenched thought was completely due to the environment and knowledge he had been exposed to since his youth. It really seemed that no one had considered why only the Imperial Family was able to obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection, and thereby gain access to its strength.
All of a sudden, the goateed man’s mouth turned parched, as he felt as though an enormous secret had just been exposed before him.
He proceeded to ask in a quivering voice, “What kind of people can obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection?”
Yang Kai replied coldly, “Getting rebellious, old dog? Why are you asking about this? Do you really have such thoughts?”
The goateed man burst into anger, “Stop spewing nonsense!” As he replied, he glanced at his surroundings, appearing afraid that his question had been overheard by other people.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “Scram off and tell your master to not bother me in the future. This Young Master has no intention of purposefully offending anyone, and more so becoming enemies with anyone. It’s just that my wife and I accidentally strayed into this place, so we will leave when we find the exit. If anyone dares to find trouble with us… heh heh.”
Coming to a clear realization, the goateed man nodded his head and replied, “This Old Master will definitely convey Your Excellency’s message. As for what the Third Imperial Prince decides to do, that isn’t up for this Old Master to decide.”
“I also know that you don’t have the qualifications to make a decision, now scram.” Yang Kai waved his hand as though he was shooing away a fly.
The goateed man immediately left. How could he dare to remain here?
At this point in time, Fu Shu was still shrieking in pain, his voice filled with incomparable misery. Not far away in the air, Zhu Qing was currently engaged in an intense fight against over thirty cultivators. Despite being blessed by Fu Shu’s Bloodlust Spell and Life Chains, having their strength boosted and their vitalities tied together, how could these rabble match up with a member of the Dragon Clan?
The Bloodlust Spell could only stimulate the power of one’s Blood Qi to strengthen their physical bodies and raise their bravery and ferocity. This would result in an increase in pure strength, though it would not raise it by much. As for the Life Chains, it merely linked their lives together, increasing their ability to absorb damage and injuries.
Their offensive capabilities still remained within the upper bounds of their cultivation realms.
As such, it wasn’t difficult for Zhu Qing to deal with them, with the odds still being overwhelmingly stacked in her favour. Nevertheless, due to the effect of Life Chains, it still took her quite some effort to deal with them.
Yang Kai raised his hand at that moment and sent the flame snakes floating before him over, taking only an instant to smash into the crowd of people.
Immediately, the Life Chains which tied their life force together, burst apart like a pin-pricked balloon as countless flame snakes drilled their way through their protections.
The Life Chain Spell was dispelled before shattering apart. In the next instant, the group of thirty were swept away by Zhu Qing’s violent aura, resulting in them suffering serious injuries, all of them spewing blood as they fell out of the sky like dumplings.
Under normal conditions, Life Chains couldn’t be dispelled with such ease; however, Fu Shu was using the power from the Sacred Tree when he had cast that spell, and with Yang Kai’s interference, it had resulted in the Life Chains breaking from within.
With her opponents suddenly collapsing in a single move, Zhu Qing was also too lazy to clean them up. Bullying the weak was considered an embarrassment for the Dragon Clan. With a flicker, she arrived by Yang Kai’s side. Shooting a look at Fu Shu, who was now squirming in a pool of his own blood, she asked in an irked tone, “Why is he still alive?”
Yang Kai replied in shock, “You still want to kill ruthlessly? Indeed, there’s nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart.”
Zhu Qing snorted coldly in response, “Why are you letting trash like him live?”
“You have a point.” Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and looked towards a certain location within the crowd of people, “Having witnessed such a good show for so long, shouldn’t you come out already, Sir? You should have heard it. If you aren’t going to come out, my wife will execute this First Imperial Prince. When that happens, don’t come crying over spilt milk!”
Right after Yang Kai’s words rang out, a figure suddenly dashed forward, appearing right before the First Imperial Prince. This person was rather tall and had a lanky build, as though he was malnourished. Standing there, he appeared akin to a bamboo pole, creating an exceedingly conspicuous sight.
Upon seeing this man, shock flashed across the face of Fu Shu, who was drowning in pain, before pointing at him, “You, you, you… you are…”
The tall man did not give a reply. Instead, he bent down and shoved a Spirit Pill into Fu Shu’s mouth, before knocking him unconscious with a slap. Extending his hand, he lifted Fu Shu up, before turning around to stare coldly at Yang Kai.
“Oh? A Third-Order Emperor!” Yang Kai’s brow immediately rose.
Despite knowing the outstanding heritage of this Human Imperial City, bumping into a Third-Order Emperor so quickly still brought some shock to Yang Kai. This tall man’s aura was exceedingly profound, and wasn’t inferior even when compared to Azure Sun Temple’s Temple Master Wen Zi Shan, or the Star Soul Palace’s Xiao Yu Yang.
In other words, he was a Master on the same level as Temple Master Wen and Elder Xiao, and not just some embroidered pillow. If he were to take action here, Yang Kai might not be able to deal with him.
Of course, within Human Imperial City, it shouldn’t be a problem for Yang Kai to suppress him with the aid of the Sacred Tree’s protection. At this moment, he had the Sacred Tree’s blessing. The reason he had unleashed so many Flame Snakes earlier was for the sake of establishing a connection with the Sacred Tree.
The Sacred Tree didn’t only protect and bless the Imperial Family, but rather it protected and blessed all Shamans. This was the deduction Yang Kai had made after observing the First Imperial Prince display Shamanic Spells. Therefore, he had used his Shamanic Strength for the sake of proving his theory.