This proved that his guess was right. When he had unleashed the first Flame Snake Spell, there was indeed a sliver of resonance with the Sacred Tree, resulting in a faint connection being formed. After successively casting the Spell, this connection grew substantially stronger.
This resulted in Yang Kai gaining the blessings of the Sacred Tree, allowing him to display what the goateed man recognized as Sacred Techniques.
The so-called Sacred Techniques were just Shamanic Spells that had received a blessing of power.
The citizens of Human Imperial City had assumed that the Sacred Tree was protecting the Imperial Family, resulting in the Imperial Family becoming existences that could not be provoked or disrespected, while granting them many different privileges that no one could go against. However, the truth was simply that the only Shamans in Human Imperial City were from the Imperial Family, a status which allowed them to form a resonance and connection with the Sacred Tree to enable them to tap into the strength of the Sacred Tree.
Other than the Imperial Family, there was basically no one else that could cultivate Shamanic Strength. In other words, they were obstructed from cultivating Shamanic Spells.
This should be the method used to control Human Imperial City.
There was only one thing that Yang Kai could not understand. Exactly what was the Sacred Tree? Why did it protect Shamans, and offer them its strength?
Various thoughts swam through his mind, though Yang Kai could not find the answer for the time being, as the only way he could do so was to personally take a look at the Sacred Tree. However, how would that be an easy task to accomplish? Since the Sacred Tree’s importance was tantamount in this place, it would definitely be well guarded by Human Imperial City. Therefore, it would be more difficult than ascending to the Heavens for Yang Kai, an outsider, to be able to see the Sacred Tree in person.
Focusing his attention towards the tall and skinny man, Yang Kai smiled faintly and said, “Let me guess, since the First and Third Imperial Princes have appeared, could your excellency be a person of the Second Imperial Prince? No, that doesn’t seem right; although I also do not know if there is any Second Imperial Prince at all.”
The tall and skinny man’s expression remained emotionless as he replied in an indifferent tone, “How can you be so sure?”
His voice sounded like what a person with a skinny build would sound like, while his tone seemed to be exceedingly raspy, as though he had not drunk any water for several dozen years.
Yang Kai snorted in reply, “Since ancient times, Imperial Families have not cared about family relationships, and it is inevitable for intense struggles and underhand schemes to occur between princes. If you really were a person of the Second Prince, you would be ecstatic for the First Imperial Prince to kick the bucket as soon as possible, so why would you bother to save him? The Spirit Pill you just fed to him was quite expensive after all.”
“So that’s how it is. Looks like you have quite a sharp mind.” The tall and skinny man nodded lightly, “You’re right, I’m not a person of the Second Imperial Prince.”
“Then whose person are you?” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he asked.
The tall and skinny man replied, “I’m here on orders from the Human Sovereign to invite you two to the palace!”
“Human Sovereign!” Yang Kai raised his brow, before turning his head towards Zhu Qing, “Madame, should we go or not?”
Zhu Qing replied, “I’ll let you decide.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, before flashing a faint smile, “Let me ask a question first. Having beaten the First Imperial Prince up, would the Human Sovereign punish me?”
The tall and skinny man replied, “This lowly one isn’t fit to judge the intentions of the Human Sovereign. I’m just acting on orders! Please cooperate!”
After saying those words, he turned his body sideways in an inviting stance.
Yang Kai said to Zhu Qing, “Looks like we have to take a trip there. I just so happen to have some questions to ask him as well.”
“Let’s go then.” Zhu Qing nodded her head.
“Lead the way!” Yang Kai indicated to the tall and skinny man with his chin.
Without saying a word back, the tall and skinny man’s body flickered before he flew off in a certain direction, with Yang Kai following in suit.
The little black puppy ran out from an unknown location at that point, and with a few barks, rushed into Zhu Qing’s bosom.
During the earlier fight, this fellow had fled without a trace, but with the fight over now, he had immediately shown himself.
Within this exceedingly large Human Imperial City, this tall and skinny man clearly possessed a high status, as Yang Kai had caught notice of the five-leaf insignia embroidered on his clothes.
Although a five-leaf insignia was relatively low in terms of status compared to the First and Third Imperial Princes, it was still a symbol of nobility. In accordance with the words of the goateed man, only people with six leaves have the qualifications to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree, and unleash the Sacred Techniques that could suppress all in its path.
There was only a single leaf difference between five and six, but it was a great chasm in terms of status.
Yang Kai estimated that anyone within this Human Imperial City that was part of the Imperial Family’s direct bloodline should have six leaves at the very least. For people like this tall and skinny man, who possessed powerful cultivation yet was not part of the Imperial Family’s bloodline, five leaves would be the very peak, with it being impossible for them to rise any higher.
This man was a Third-Order Emperor, and would be an overlord or a Sect Master of a top Sect if he was in the outside world. However, within this Human Imperial City, he was a subordinate that served someone else.
Within Human Imperial City, one’s status depended on one’s presence or absence of leaves, while the number determined how esteemed one was, or whether one would be the master or subordinate. This was a method of control which Yang Kai would not agree to blindly, nor did he wish to make any judgement about it.
Yang Kai figured the Human Sovereign was a man who appointed people through favouritism, and someone that was very narrow-minded, which caused his initial impression of the latter to be rather poor.
The reason the Human Sovereign had summoned him was most probably due to him being able to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree. His appearance and his actions had shaken the very core of control the Human Sovereign had in his reign.
Yang Kai’s appearance was just like a rock that had been thrown into a tranquil lake, causing ripples to spread out, and thereby attracting the attention of the overlord of the depths.
Yang Kai believed that if he were to reject the Human Sovereign’s summons, a kill or capture order for him would immediately be spread across the entire Human Imperial City. Therefore, he could not reject this summon at all, and since that was the case, Yang Kai had no other choice but to go with the flow.
However, this would definitely not be a peaceful trip, so he needed to be extra vigilant.
Only nobility were allowed to fly within Human Imperial City. Regardless of how powerful one’s cultivation was, one would need to obediently walk on the ground if one did not possess any leaves.
The tall and skinny man possessed five leaves. Furthermore, he seemed to be a Master that directly served the Human Sovereign, naturally giving him the qualifications to fly. As he did so, the people that were in his path all retreated to give way to him.
The status of the nobles were inferior to that of the tall and skinny man.
Yang Kai quickly noticed that it was hard to bump into anyone with six leaves. At the very least, he did not bump into a single one on this flight. The majority of the nobles he had bumped into possessed three leaves or less, with only a small handful possessing more than three leaves.
With such a pool, the tall and skinny man with his five leaves appeared to tower over the rest. The only difference between him and the First and Third Imperial Princes was his inability to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree.
That was because he was not born into the Imperial Family, leaving him unable to cultivate Shamanic Strength, resulting in him not receiving the blessing of the Sacred Tree.
The Imperial Palace was situated in the centre most region of Human Imperial City. The palace consisted of numerous buildings and spanned over an exceedingly vast area of space. It was also precisely the direction that Yang Kai had sensed the resonance coming from, where the power provided to him by the Sacred Tree came from.
Yang Kai squinted his eyes towards the direction he estimated the Sacred Tree was located, only to see a stretch of haze hanging over there, as though something was being encompassed by a powerful Spirit Array, leaving him unable to survey the situation within. The Spirit Arrays were most likely the ones that were obstructing his Divine Sense before as well.
Not long after, the tall and skinny man descended from the air, before landing in front of a palace. This palace was exceedingly opulent and furthermore, it seemed to have been built a long time ago. Standing outside of the palace, an ancient and desolate aura came surging out to greet them, as though it was telling them the ebb and flow of time.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn.
The tall and skinny man passed the First Imperial Prince, whom he had been carrying over his shoulder like a sack the whole time, to the guards standing outside of the palace, before turning around, “Please enter. The Human Sovereign is waiting inside.”
Yang Kai smiled, “This isn’t a trap, is it? There aren’t a few hundred blades and axes waiting to cleave us apart when we enter, right?”
The tall and skinny man replied in an emotionless tone, “Is this a joke from the outside world? It is not funny at all.”
Yang Kai shrugged, “You obviously do not have any sense of humour.”
The tall and skinny man replied, “The Human Sovereign is the most supreme existence in this world, and does not need any traps if his esteemed self wanted to deal with you.”
“We’re all Emperors here, so what’s the use of posturing?” Yang Kai spat in disdain, before striding towards the palace.
The tall and skinny man pointed towards the little black dog in Zhu Qing’s bosom, “Leave the bastard behind.”
Zhu Qing shook her head and replied, “Ah Wang will not be left behind.”
“The Human Imperial Palace is not a palace where one can just enter like that, much less a mutt. Please do not add more difficulty to my job.” The tall and skinny man obstructed their paths.
Yang Kai replied with a sneer, “You are the one that said the Human Sovereign had summoned me and my wife, and yet now, you are obstructing us. Can’t you make up your mind?”
The tall and skinny man opened his mouth, appearing to be in the process of giving a reply, before his ears suddenly perked up. Clearly, someone was transmitting a message to him.
After an instant, with a shift of his body, he moved to give way to Yang Kai and Zhu Qing.
“This is the proper attitude to treat guests with,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, before walking forwards with Zhu Qing by his side.
From the outside, the interior of the Human Imperial Palace appeared to be filled with a dusky haze, making it seemingly impossible to make out anything within. However, upon entering, one would immediately notice how bright it was in here, with a dozen gigantic pillars erected in all directions, appearing as though they connected the Earth to the Heavens. Rays of light radiated out from the luminous pearl decorations that dotted the halls, encompassing the entire palace with a warm glow.
Pairs of eyes immediately swept over from all directions.
Yang Kai raised his brow in response, as he did not expect there to be so many people present within this Human Imperial Palace. Sweeping his gaze around, he quickly spotted a familiar figure among the crowd, and with a faint smile, he sent his greetings, “How are you, Third Imperial Prince? We meet again so soon! I have to thank you for your care earlier.”
The Third Imperial Prince snorted coldly in response, his eyes brimming with disdain.
All of the people present within this palace possessed six leaves and above. In other words, all of them were blood-related to the Imperial Family, and Shamans of outstanding power. There was a great range in their ages though, with both males and females present.
There were not many nine leaves present, with only two people having them. Other than the Third Imperial Prince, there was a beautiful woman who appeared to be around thirty years of age. The two of them stood right at the highest place within the palace, right next to the throne, with the others standing in rows by their sides.
What piqued Yang Kai’s curiosity was that the beautiful woman was actually a Second-Order Emperor.
Of the twenty or so Shamans present, there was a great range in their cultivation, but not a single Third-Order Emperor.
Right at the head of the room was a gigantic imperial throne, one that was wide enough to allow a person to lie in comfortably without feeling cramped. Seated on the imperial throne was a somewhat obese elderly man. He did not seem to be tall or muscular, instead appearing somewhat tubby when seated on the imperial throne, making for somewhat of a funny sight.
However, the aura that radiated from him gave Yang Kai a shock.
Before coming over here, he was secretly guessing the cultivation of the Human Sovereign.
The unique situation within this city had led him to the realisation that the greatest source of power was the ability to connect with the Sacred Tree and borrow its strength, with one’s cultivation coming second to this.
Therefore, he had faintly concluded that the Human Sovereign’s cultivation should not be too high, and thus would obviously not be at the Great Emperor Realm.
It was precisely because of this that Yang Kai had come here so confidently to meet this Human Sovereign.
If the latter really was a Great Emperor, he would not even have the chance to retaliate.
However, upon seeing the Human Sovereign, Yang Kai realized that he had been too naive. This Human Sovereign wasn’t a Great Emperor at all. In fact, he wasn’t even a Third-Order Emperor.
The aura that he radiated was just of a Second-Order Emperor! What’s more, it was an exceedingly feeble aura at that!
The leader of Human Imperial City, the person above all others, was only a Second-Order Emperor!
No one would believe such a thing if they weren’t here to personally witness it. Zhu Qing had obviously not expected this either, falling into a daze. Being an existence on par or even stronger than a Third-Order Emperor, she was able to gauge the Human Sovereign’s cultivation realm with a single glance, his Second-Order Emperor Realm strength appearing somewhat of a joke in her eyes. Furthermore, the Human Sovereign was already old, and although his age was unknown, his vitality was already starting to decline. In other words, his Second-Order Emperor cultivation realm was his peak, and there was no room left for improvement. Furthermore, his cultivation realm would gradually decline as time continued to pass.
The weakness of his aura was the greatest evidence!
“Outrageous! Why are you not kneeling down in the presence of the Human Sovereign!”
A high-pitched shout rang out, as the beautiful woman standing at the topmost right-hand side of the hall unexpectedly took the lead and started causing difficulty for Yang Kai. Within the entire palace, she was the only person besides the Third Imperial Prince to possess nine leaves. However, her cultivation realm was higher than the Third Imperial Prince’s by a Minor Realm, reaching the Second-Order Emperor Realm.
It could be said that she was the strongest person within the entire Imperial Family. Although the Human Sovereign possessed the same cultivation as her, his strength was already starting to decline. Unlike him, she was at the peak of her life, with a very large window for improvement. With the right opportunities, she could reach the Third-Order.
Raising his eyes to look over, Yang Kai snorted coldly in response, “Requiring one to kneel whenever we see someone. Your Human Imperial City’s rules are really weird. Why don’t I see you kneeling down before me?”
The beautiful woman took a step forward, her face turning icy cold as she unleashed a powerful aura to press down on Yang Kai, “This Queen is the Second Princess of Human Imperial City. Are you even able to accept my kneeling?”
Undeterred at all, Yang Kai did not move as he replied haughtily, “Bullshit, someone like you, Imperial Princess, is nothing to me. In my eyes, only those with the strongest fists have the right to stand forward and talk. Your First Imperial Prince was beaten to a pulp by me, so there’s nothing to say about some Second Princess.”
The Second Princess’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly as a dangerous glint flashed within, “Are you saying that you feel that your fists are very strong?”
Yang Kai proceeded to size her up earnestly, before sneering, “At least they’re bigger than your chest.”
The group of Imperial Princes and Princesses could not help but let out a laugh, feeling that this outsider’s mouth really was poisonous. With her high self-esteem and cultivation realm, the Second Princess generally wouldn’t show respect to any other member of the royalty. In fact, she didn’t even treat the Imperial Princes that stood near the top with any regard. It was a pity that she was born a woman, which put her at a disadvantage in a fight for succession. If she was born a male, she would have been designated the successor to the Human Sovereign a long time ago.
However, apart from being a woman, she didn’t possess any physical traits to be proud of. Her curves were essentially non-existent, both on top and on the bottom, and while her egg-shaped face was somewhat pretty, there really was nothing outstanding about her appearance.
Yang Kai’s reply instantly struck the Second Princess’s sore spot, causing her face to turn ashen as she growled, “Kneel down for me!”
As those words rang out, she raised her hand fiercely, sending a jade green beam of light shooting towards Yang Kai like an arrow. Upon reaching the air above him, a palm-like shape appeared from it as it pressed down fiercely, appearing as though it wanted to force Yang Kai down into a kneel.
“It’s you who is going to kneel,” Yang Kai snorted coldly while extending his hand to pull Zhu Qing towards him. He then formed a seal with his other hand, causing a similar jade-green glow to blossom. This beam of light wasn’t as big as the Second Princess’, but it was undoubtedly brighter and more tangible looking.
The faces of the Imperial Family in the palace immediately turned pale.
As the beam of light flew up, it actually fused with the jade green palm, and in front of everyone’s eyes, the palm unexpectedly proceeded to turn and head in another direction. In the blink of an eye, it pressed down onto the Second Princess, appearing as though the Sacred Technique she had unleashed had backfired and was now acting against her.
The Third Imperial Prince’s eyes narrowed, while a sense of danger he had never felt before started to wrap around his heart. He secretly sized up the situation, only to see that the Human Sovereign’s face had remained utterly expressionless. The Human Sovereign was still half-squinting as he sat there, appearing as though he was asleep.
As the mountain-like pressure descended from the sky, the Second Princess’ expression instantly turned incomparably ugly. Waves of cracking sounds began to ring out from her body before she slowly began to hunch down.
She went all out to resist, continuously channelling her strength, trying to inspire a stronger resonance with the Sacred Tree; however, there seemed to be an invisible power that was interfering with her, causing her to be unable to maintain a connection, leaving her with only her own strength to deal with the powerful downward pressure.
Finally, she felt the pressure of being pressed down by the Sacred Technique. This man’s cultivation was obviously inferior to hers, but he was relying on the Sacred Technique to toy with her in the palm of his hands. As feelings of embarrassment she had never experienced before flooded her mind and heart, her face turned flushed. Nevertheless, she had no other option but to growl, “What are you all gawking at? Why aren’t you all helping!”
Only after her words rang out did the shocked Imperial Family members snap back to their senses. Right as they were about to take action, Zhu Qing suddenly spoke out in an emotionless tone, “I’d like to see who dares to move.”
As her words rang out, a gigantic Red Dragon phantom suddenly surged out from her body. This Red Dragon was over 300 meters long, it’s massive form seemingly occupying half of the entire throne room. An immensely dense Dragon Pressure burst out towards all directions at that moment, causing everyone to start to feel suffocating chills. The two massive dragon eyes present on the head of the dragon seemed capable of seeing through all creation and radiated with an awe-inspiring might that could not be disregarded.
Everyone was stunned and froze in place, staring dumbly at the gigantic draconic figure, before sounds of loud gulping could be heard.
The Red Dragon raised its head and unleashed an ear-splitting roar that whipped up fierce winds, sending several of the relatively weaker Imperial Family members flying.
Unleashing the full might of her Dragon Source allowed Zhu Qing’s strength to surpass that of an ordinary Third-Order Emperor, and despite the protection of the Sacred Tree, these Imperial Family members did not end up unscathed from it.
The Second Princess, who was holding on bitterly, ended up in an even more miserable state than before. With Yang Kai breaking her connection with the Sacred Tree, the impact from the Dragon Pressure caused her body to slump down even more, to the point of her knee touching the ground.
Her face instantly turned incomparably pale, while overwhelming feelings of embarrassment and humiliation filled her heart, letting her experience a feeling that was worse than death.
The Human Imperial City had stood for tens of thousands of years, ruled solely by the Imperial Family, which had resulted in the royalty developing arrogant and aloof characters since youth. It had always been the commoners kneeling down before them, so this was the first time in history that an Imperial Family member had even knelt down before a normal person.
Yang Kai did not continue to increase the pressure though and instead turned his head towards the Human Sovereign and spoke, “Sir, what are you going to do about this? If you continue watching on, your daughter might really kneel down before me. Although I can accept her kneeling, bullying women isn’t something to be proud of. There’s a saying that goes, a good man doesn’t fight with women.”
The Human Sovereign slowly stood up, before a voice that didn’t seem too loud rang out within the Human Imperial Palace, “This Sovereign has been lacking in his teaching towards his daughter. Please restrain yourself, my guest.”
The faces of the Imperial Princes and Princesses changed slightly upon hearing those words.
Never had they ever heard the Human Sovereign speak to someone with such courtesy. He would even be exceedingly strict when talking to them in normal circumstances, when had he ever used such a gentle tone? A sliver of a peculiar glint flashed across the eyes of the Third Imperial Prince, as he seemed to have caught onto something. When he looked back at Yang Kai, the gaze he was holding was already completely different from the gaze he had sent out earlier.
Yang Kai grinned at the Human Sovereign, though he did not pull back, nor did he give a reply, leaving the situation hanging like that.
The gigantic Red Dragon that filled half of the palace hall raised its head slightly, causing the intensity of the Dragon Pressure to rise.
A sliver of frustration flashed across the eyes of the Human Sovereign, though he did not follow up with any action. Instead, he turned his head towards the Second Princess, “Fu Yu, you were insolent with your words, and caused a conflict with this Sovereign’s guests. Hurry up and apologize.”
“Imperial Father!” The Second Princess, with the name of Fu Yu, gasped in shock after hearing his words, an incredulous look appearing on her face as she looked at the Human Sovereign. Only after locking gazes with the Human Sovereign and noticing the fury contained within his imposing gaze did her eyes tremble as she hastily lowered her head, and spoke out between her clenched teeth, “Fu Yu had eyes but failed to see and caused a conflict… Sir, please do not take offence!”
Her words sounded exceedingly stiff, especially the word ‘Sir’, which she spoke extremely quietly and awkwardly. Clearly, this had never happened before, much less addressing someone with this term.
Yang Kai chuckled loudly, “Since the Human Sovereign has spoken, I naturally have to give face to him. Qing’er, relax.”
As his voice rang out, he took the lead and dispelled his Shamanic Spell, causing the jade-green palm that was pressing down on Fu Yu to dissipate away and vanish in the blink of an eye. This was followed by the Red Dragon phantom flickering and disappearing in a shower of light. As the Dragon Pressure dissipated, the various Imperial Family members took a slight breath of relief.
Fu Yu slowly stood up, her head still lowered, with no one being able to see her face and eyes. Nevertheless, her continuously shivering body revealed the extreme turmoil present in her heart.
“Bring in the chairs!” The Human Sovereign raised his hand.
Two exceedingly luxurious chairs were immediately carried into the hall, before they were placed not far away from the imperial throne.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “There’s no need to sit. I think that the Human Sovereign should have many things to ask me, and I just so happen to also have some things to ask you, Sir.”
The Human Sovereign did not insist further, and raised his head, “That’s right. I indeed have some matters to ask you about.”
Yang Kai adopted the stance of a listener.
The Human Sovereign asked, “Where are you two from?”
“The Star Boundary. I don’t know if you have heard about it, Sir.”
The Human Sovereign nodded his head, “I’ve naturally heard about it. The Human Imperial City has existed for tens of thousands of years, and there is a continuous influx of outsiders. This Sovereign does not know when this started to happen, but all of them would claim they came from the Star Boundary. Furthermore, from the looks of it, you two seem to have also come from there.”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “The Revolving World that you all have named this place, is connected to the Star Boundary via a Void Channel. Therefore, those who were able to enter are naturally from the Star Boundary.”
The Human Sovereign followed up with another question, “Then how did you two enter Human Imperial City? According to what this Sovereign knows, there should’ve been no one that could’ve opened the Space Array for you two, as that person had already been killed.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and replied, “Your ability to gather information is quite impressive. It hasn’t even been half a day since then, right?”
“One of this Sovereign’s subordinates died, so there naturally has to be a detailed investigation.”
Yang Kai suddenly shook his head and said, “I feel that this is very unfair for me, as it has only been Sir asking the questions, and me answering. This isn’t a good deal for me. How about we take turns to ask questions, with one person asking, and the other one answering before exchanging roles. It can’t be just one side asking and one side answering, right?”
The various Imperial Family members were stunned, as this was the first time they had ever seen someone bartering with the Human Sovereign. Furthermore, Yang Kai had replied in a righteous and almost offensive manner, yet there was unexpectedly no trace of anger coming from the Human Sovereign, with the latter only remaining silent for an instant before nodding and replying, “Let’s do as you proposed.”
The strange glint in the Third Imperial Prince’s eyes grew more intense hearing this.
“Then, it is now my turn, right?” As Yang Kai said that, his expression suddenly sank, “Where is the couple that arrived with us in Human Imperial City? Are they alive or dead?”
The Human Sovereign laughed, “You’re asking two questions.”
Yang Kai shrugged, “The earlier one doesn’t count.”
“They’re still alive. How did you manage to enter Human Imperial City through the Space Array without possessing the Human Sovereign Seal?”
Raising his hand, Yang Kai gave the space before him a pat, causing it to cave in and collapse, as though a piece from a complete puzzle had been shifted out of place. Although it quickly returned back to normal, this could be classified as a shockingly brilliant move.
A look of understanding appeared on the Human Sovereign’s face, “So that’s how it is!”
Yang Kai continued, “May I know how Human Sovereign will deal with that couple?”
“Death!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned blank, “How is that reasonable? Liao Guan Shi was killed by me, and that couple had just happened to be in the same place; neither did they take any action to help me, so why kill them? Aren’t you having too much disregard for people’s lives, Sir?”
The Human Sovereign grinned at him.
Yang Kai coughed lightly, “Your turn to ask.”
The Human Sovereign suddenly turned his gaze towards the little black dog in Zhu Qing’s bosom and asked, “Is that beast a Demon Beast?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded his head in agreement, “Although its bloodline isn’t pure, it is indeed a Demon Beast!”
The faces of the Imperial Family members changed drastically upon hearing his words as they looked with incomparable shock at the little dog, before turning back to look at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing with extreme vigilance.
Yang Kai asked, “So can you answer my earlier question now?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Not reporting the matter is the reason for them to be killed.”
Yang Kai sneered coldly, “How imposing of you, Sir.”
“Looks like you care a lot about those two. In accordance with what I know, you don’t even know their names, right? You don’t have any relationship with them either.”
“I don’t know what their names are; however, I did not kill them, yet they will die for me, how can a person feel at ease about such a thing?”
“You’re unexpectedly kind-hearted.” The Human Sovereign nodded slightly, before his gaze flicked like a bolt of lighting towards Yang Kai, “Are you of the Demon Race?”
Yang Kai sneered coldly in response, “If I was a Demon, I would have already obliterated your Human Imperial Palace rather than sit here and chatting with you.”
“This Sovereign also feels the same. Nevertheless, a confirmation is required to be on the safe side.”
“You may rest assured that we husband and wife ended up in this place by accident, and have no interest in your Human Imperial City whatsoever.” Yang Kai sneered, “What needs to be done for you to let those two people go?”
The Human Sovereign replied in an indifferent tone, “If you two leave Human Imperial City and never set foot here again, this Sovereign will release them.”
Yang Kai frowned, “As long as I can find the way home, this Young Master will immediately leave, why would I want to stay in your Human Imperial City? If you want us to leave, we will have to ask Sir to guide the way.”
The Human Sovereign shook his head, “The Revolving World is easy to enter, but hard to leave. This world has existed for tens of thousands of years, yet no one has ever left.”
“Being able to enter naturally means that one can also leave, we just have to find a suitable method to do so. If Sir really wants us to leave as soon as possible, it would be best for you to not conceal anything.”
The Human Sovereign shook his head, “I really do not know.”
Yang Kai’s forehead wrinkled up, as he felt that this Human Sovereign didn’t seem to be lying, so there was basically no point in continuing to pursue this line of questioning. As such, he could only let out a depressed sigh, “Sir, I can understand why you wish for us to leave; however, if there’s no way out of here, what should we do?”
“Although the Revolving World isn’t large, it also isn’t small. With your strength, you two should have the ability to contend against the Demon Race should you encounter them. Other than Human Imperial City, you two can head to the other cities.”
Yang Kia pursed his lips, “Aren’t you being too irresponsible, Sir? If that’s the case, we’ll stay put in Human Imperial City for a period of time.”
The Human Sovereign narrowed his eyes, “If that is the case, this Sovereign has no other choice but to try his best to fight you. I hope you two also have the mental preparation to enter the Yellow Springs together.”
As he said those words, an exceedingly dazzling jade-green glow suddenly erupted from his body. His entire person seemed to have turned younger by a few hundred years, while an overbearing pressure surged out from him.
A frown appeared on Yang Kai’s face in response, as he could instinctually sense that this old fellow wasn’t someone that was easy to deal with. At that instant, the former seemed to have established an unbreakable connection with the Sacred Tree, granting him access to unlimited power which caused him to give off a feeling of invincibility.
Not only that, but this phenomenon also happened to the surrounding Imperial Princes and Princesses, as all of them stared covetously at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing.
Provoked by their surging auras, the Dragon Essence within Zhu Qing’s body started to churn as her face turned chilly.
Patting her shoulder, Yang Kai signalled for her to calm down, before speaking out with a faint smile, “There’s no need to be that nervous, Sir. Truthfully speaking, we can leave Human Imperial City. You just need to accept two of my requests and we will depart.”
The Human Sovereign nodded, “Speak.”
Yang Kai raised a finger, “Release those two unrelated people. They did not go against your will.”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Their lives are not of importance compared to your decision.”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “I’ll take that as a yes. My second condition is… I want to see the Sacred Tree!”
“Impudence!” The Third Imperial Prince and Second Princess growled in unison, as though they had been humiliated by Yang Kai’s words.
Yang Kai glared coldly at them, “Is this a hard request to fulfil? How impudent is it?”
The Second Imperial Princess replied, “The Sacred Tree is the foundation of our Human Imperial City! Since the beginning, only members of the Imperial Family have been allowed to approach it! Who are you to make such an outrageous request!” She turned towards the Human Sovereign, “Imperial Father, your daughter beseeches you to grant me the authority to kill these people who are clearly harbouring ulterior motives!”
Having just suffered a big loss at Yang Kai’s hands and losing all face, the Second Princess had been trying to find any means possible to retaliate. At this moment, with the opportunity presenting itself, she naturally didn’t hold back in engaging in a confrontation against Yang Kai. Although this couple seemed to be extremely strong, the Imperial Family was the strongest within Human Imperial City. As long as the Human Sovereign took action, this couple would not be able to cause any mayhem, no matter how strong they were.
As if he hadn’t heard anything Fu Yu had said, the Human Sovereign looked deeply at Yang Kai, “What is your reason for this request?”
Yang Kai shrugged, “It’s purely out of curiosity. I just want to know exactly what the Sacred Tree is and why it is able to provide such incredible blessings.”
The Human Sovereign replied, “What if this Sovereign doesn’t agree?”
Yang Kai chuckled lightly, before his laugh halted as he replied in a chilling voice, “Then we’ll have to see if your Imperial Family or we husband and wife are more formidable! In any case, I will get to see the Sacred Tree.”
“Shameless boasting!” Fu Yu erupted with fury, “Imperial Father, your daughter is willing to take the lead and make sure this little brat knows the might of our Imperial Family!”
Yang Kai shot a sidelong gaze at her, “Disgraceful. How about this Young Master teaches you another lesson on how to show proper respect?”
Fu Yu was seething with anger, and was barely able to hold herself back from attacking Yang Kai to reclaim her dignity. Even though she wasn’t a match for him, it was still better than letting him speak so impudently. Nevertheless, without an order from the Human Sovereign, she didn’t dare to recklessly take action.
“Are you adamant on seeing it?” The Human Sovereign suddenly opened his mouth and looked solemnly at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “I hope Sir can fulfil this little wish of mine.”
The Human Sovereign closed his eyes and seemed to enter deep thought, appearing to struggle in making a decision. After a long while, his eyes suddenly snapped open and he spoke, “Answer one more of this Sovereign’s questions.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Go ahead!”
The Human Sovereign’s eyes narrowed slightly, “How are you able to use the Sacred Techniques and borrow the strength of the Sacred Tree?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Sir should have already guessed it, so why the need for this question?”
“Although I already have my suspicions, I still do not dare to believe them. In accordance with what I understand, the Ancient Shamanic Spells have long disappeared from Star Boundary, so how are you able to display them?”
“I managed to learn one or two moves by chance, and was just showing my meagre skills before an expert like you, Sir.”
The Human Sovereign shook his head slowly, clearly not satisfied with Yang Kai’s reply to his question. Other than this explanation though, he was unable to come up with a better answer to this question of his.
Just as Yang Kai had guessed earlier, the Sacred Tree did not solely protect the Imperial Family, but all Shamans. Within Human Imperial City, only the Imperial Family members were allowed to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree to cultivate Shamanic Strength and become Shamans. This had allowed the Imperial Family members to appear special within Human Imperial City.
Over the past tens of thousands of years here, there were cases of people from the Star Boundary entering Human Imperial City, and Human Imperial City had very detailed records of these outsiders. When consolidated, these records from those outsiders’ world could basically explain the developmental history of the Star Boundary.
The changes in the World Principles had caused Shaman Strength to gradually be replaced by Yuan Qi. Indeed, the Ancient Shamanic Spells had long gone extinct. Yet, there was a living example in the form of Yang Kai present right before him, leaving the Human Sovereign no choice but to treat the latter with importance.
“This Sovereign can agree with your request, but I hope that you too can keep to your promise,” The Human Sovereign finally relented.
He wasn’t willing to start a fight with Yang Kai, who could similarly display Sacred Techniques, and borrow the strength of the Sacred Tree. If they really were to fight, it would absolutely end up in a situation of mutual destruction. Furthermore, the woman by Yang Kai’s side wasn’t an ordinary character either, she seemed to hail from the legendary Divine Spirit Dragon Clan!
Although the Sacred Techniques could suppress ordinary Third-Order Emperors, they were still lacking in power when compared to a true member of the Dragon Clan.
The Second Princess seemed to wish to say something, but her words caught in her throat before she could voice them.
She knew the Human Sovereign had already made his decision, so anything she said now would be futile.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Please rest assured, Sir, I’m a man of my word. Naturally, I hope that Sir will not trouble that couple anymore and let them go as soon as possible.”
The Human Sovereign nodded lightly, “Follow me.”
As he replied, he had already flown towards the outside.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing followed suit behind him, with the other Imperial Princes and Princesses in hot pursuit. The Second Princess glared at Yang Kai’s back, her eyes brimming with incomparable hatred, as though she could not wait to rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces, yet was unable to proceed as she wished.
The Third Imperial Prince moved to her side and whispered, “Imperial Father knows what he is doing, so why the hurry?”
Fu Yu was shocked by his words, causing her to look back at him with a peculiar gaze, “Third Brother, are you saying…”
The Third Imperial Price moved past her before transmitting back, “I didn’t say anything.”
An extraordinary splendour flashed across the Second Princess’s eyes while excitement surged in her heart as she started to fill up with anticipation.
The Sacred Tree was located in the deepest part of the Imperial Palace, with Masters standing guard in all directions. There were clearly a few dozen people specially protecting this place, all of whom were Emperor Realm Masters, and there were also some powerful auras that were concealed in the darkness.
The Human Sovereign took the lead, causing those guards to move forward to greet him, but upon seeing Yang Kai and Zhu Qing, confused looks appeared on their faces, as they did not recognise these two people.
These guards were stationed here all year round, and also weren’t allowed to go within a thousand metres of the Sacred Tree. Therefore, other than members of the Imperial Family, they had never seen anyone else come here at all.
However, there were two other people today. Furthermore, they were brought here personally by the Human Sovereign. This shocking oddity obviously caught everyone’s attention.
The dense fog ahead of them seemed able to obstruct any surveillance from Divine Sense, and also limited vision, leaving one unclear of the situation within.
The Human Sovereign came to a halt and pointed in front of him, “The Sacred Tree lies ahead. If you want to see it, you have to enter there, guest.”
Looking at the swirling haze, Yang Kai smiled faintly, before turning his head towards Zhu Qing, “Wait for me a while. I’ll be right back.”
“Be careful!” Zhu Qing shouted back in a serious tone; after all, this was someone else’s territory. Although Yang Kai was no slouch, compared to a head-on fight, it was harder to defend against an ambush. Therefore, there wasn’t any harm to be more careful and vigilant.
“I will!” Yang Kai smiled faintly and strode in. Right after taking two steps forward, his figure suddenly disappeared within the fog, leaving no trace of him visible anymore.
A slight frown appeared on Zhu Qing’s face, and despite knowing that this was the effect of the Spirit Array, she could not help but to feel a sliver of anxiety.
“Are you, esteemed one, from the Divine Spirit Dragon Clan?” The Human Sovereign suddenly asked.
Zhu Qing’s beautiful eyes remained locked in the haze in front of her, appearing as though she hadn’t heard him speak at all.
Not minding her reaction, the Human Sovereign continued to smile faintly, “There aren’t any Divine Spirits present in this Revolving World; however, there are many records of them in the ancient books. It is rumoured that the Dragon Clan are the leaders of the myriad spirits, and are exceedingly aloof and arrogant. Why would you, esteemed one, mix with an ordinary person and throw your Dragon Clan’s face away for no reason? Furthermore, this Sovereign can tell that your relationship with that man… seems to be somewhat different from normal.”
“If this was the outside world, a person like you wouldn’t even have the qualifications to speak to me,” Zhu Qing turned her head abruptly around and looked right at the Human Sovereign.
A gloomy glint flashed across the Human Sovereign’s eyes, while looks of fury appeared on the faces of the Imperial Princes and Princesses. There had never been anyone who dared to speak like that to the Human Sovereign! She had basically treated him with no regard at all!
“Therefore, you better be careful with the words you use. Since you know I’m from the Dragon Clan, then you should be aware of the Dragon Clan’s temper.” After saying those words, Zhu Qing turned back and stared into the depths of the fog.
The Human Sovereign remained silent for a good while, before chuckling, “The arrogance of the Dragon Clan truly lives up to its name.”
All of a sudden, he waved his hands lightly, and a ray of dark-green light shot out from the fog in front of them, transforming into ropes that immediately bound Zhu Qing up.
“Although the Dragon Clan are strong, they are still somewhat lacking in this Sovereign’s eyes.”
Zhu Qing’s expression turned exceedingly cold. Lowering her head to look at the restraints that were binding her, she looked up and replied, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
The Human Sovereign sneered in response, “This Sovereign obviously knows what he is doing. Human Imperial City has stood for tens of thousands of years, and our Imperial Family has been protecting the Human Race’s way of life all this time, allowing the Human Race to have a foothold in this world. This Sovereign will not allow any accidents to happen. That friend of yours… is the greatest accident possible. Since he is an accident, he must be eliminated.”
“Therefore you had lured us here to give yourself an advantage before taking action?”
The Human Sovereign sighed, “This method is indeed somewhat despicable. However, this Sovereign has no choice but to do so for the sake of the Human Race. I hope that you, esteemed one, can understand. Our Imperial Family can only unleash our full strength here; however, there’s no need for you to worry. You will have that person to accompany you on the road to the Yellow Springs, so you won’t be too lonely.”
Zhu Qing did not give any reply. Instead, with a shocking dragon roar, her body twisted about, before suddenly transforming into a three-hundred-metre-long Red Dragon, with Dragon Pressure surging out from her, shaking her surroundings.
Apparently, the jade green restraints that bound her were exceedingly flexible though and could change in length at will, so they did not break apart. Despite assuming her true form, Zhu Qing still found herself restrained, the jade green glow from the bindings appearing exceedingly conspicuous against her bright red body.
The faces of the Imperial Princes and Princesses turned pale as they proceeded to send their Sacred Techniques towards the Great Dragon, causing sparks to fly out as they smashed into her hard scales.
Both sets of guards, those in the light and those hiding in the dark, also proceeded to take action. A total of sixteen Emperor Realm Masters, with the lead two being Third-Order, unleashed their overwhelming might as soon as they took action.
With so many against her, despite Zhu Qing’s incredible strength, she was instantly swamped by attacks, causing her to let off an earth-shattering roar.
Of the Imperial Princes and Princesses present here, the Second Princess’ actions were especially ruthless, as she appeared to be trying to pay back the humiliation she had suffered at the hands of Yang Kai earlier.
Giving no regard to its life, the little black dog rushed forwards, taking the opportunity when Fu Yu wasn’t prepared to bite down on her leg. Ignoring the pain, it shook its head in an attempt to tear a chunk of her leg.
“Get off!” Brimming with anger, Fu Yu sent out a vicious palm strike, her powerful Second-Order Emperor cultivation coupled with the blessing of the Sacred Tree culminating into an exceedingly terrifying attack.
Nevertheless, with exceeding deftness, the little black dog actually managed to shift its body to evade the incoming attack, before biting down on Fu Yu’s skirt, revealing a large patch of snow-white skin.
Now, with her nose crooked with anger, Fu Yu could not be bothered to care about Zhu Qing, with her entire mind focussing on killing the little black dog.
The Human Sovereign continued standing there with a cold expression on his face, having not taken any action after his first move. From what he could see, although this Dragon was powerful, with the combined strength of all of the Imperial Family members and guards present, it was more than sufficient to kill her.
Now, what he needed to do was to deal with the fellow that was able to unleash the Sacred Techniques. Turning his head around, the gaze of the Human Sovereign turned bone-chillingly cold.
He had never once considered to actually allow Yang Kai to observe the Sacred Tree. He had lured the latter here just for the sake of dealing with him with greater ease, as the nearer he was to the Sacred Tree, the greater the strength he could borrow from it.
Within the haze, Yang Kai was not able to get his bearings.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was able to follow along the faint sensation he was getting within here.
He could feel where the Sacred Tree was located, and this feeling was intimate and not one bit foreign to him, as though he had experienced it before.
The closer he got, the more obvious this feeling became.
Finally, after stepping across layer after layer of restrictions, Yang Kai arrived before a large tree that towered the Heavens. At this place, the dense fog had abruptly dissipated away, revealing everything before him.
This was an exceedingly large ancient tree. Raising his head to look at it, Yang Kai noticed that its branches extended across the entire sky, its gigantic crown appearing just like an incomparably wide shield that was able to provide powerful protection, as well as a shelter against any wind or storm.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly narrowed violently as he gawked at the towering ancient tree. Thoughts began to fly in his head, while the sounds of combat rang in his ears as he appeared in what seemed like an out of body experience.
Pursing his lips gently, he extended his hand and made contact with the body of the tree.
Yang Kai could not stifle his laughter, “How can it be you? Senior Qing…”
A flash of realization made him feel as though he had returned to that ancient world, back to the scenery of green he had seen upon arriving at Frost and Snow City for the very first time. The shock surging through his heart was the same as what he had felt then, so vividly present in his mind.
In that world, Frost and Snow City was the capital of the Frost and Snow Clan, while the Evergreen Divine Tree stood tall within it, protecting the entire city for all calamities and disasters.
In the final battle between the Ancient Barbarian and Demon Races, Senior Qing had even supported the last hope of mankind with his life.
This familiar aura, as well as the innumerable tree caves present on its trunk and branches, were exactly the same as the Evergreen Divine Tree of that ancient world, with not a thing out of place.
This was definitely the Evergreen Divine Tree! Yang Kai believed that he would not mistake it for something else.
There might be other trees in this world that could grow to such vastness and gargantuan size; however, this familiar aura could not be fake, as after all, he had stayed in one of its tree caves for a very long period of time.
Yang Kai had never expected that the so-called Sacred Tree of this Human Imperial City would actually be Senior Qing!
Shouldn’t Senior Qing have already died though? For the sake of sealing the Two Worlds Passage, Senior Qing had sacrificed his life, consuming all his vitality to achieve this final victory. Senior Qing’s sacrifice had ended the Demon Race’s invasion of the Star Boundary, thus saving this world.
During that battle, millions of warriors engaged in a life or death showdown, giving themselves up for the survival of their race. Countless Masters fell, leaving behind mountains of corpses. That battle was sufficient to enter the history books and leave its mark for eternity.
As Tiea had said, everything that happened within the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, while illusionary, was grounded in reality.
Therefore, the two years Yang Kai had spent within the Thousand Illusions Dream World was based entirely on real historical events from ancient antiquity. In other words, such an earth-shattering battle had indeed taken place. It was just that no Yang Kai had actually been present for it. Yet, there were countless warriors similar to Yang Kai that finally allowed the Barbarian Race to ultimately triumph.
Without a doubt, Senior Qing had existed, and was the greatest contributor behind the Barbarian Race’s victory, the shield and sword which shifted the winds of the battle. This was a fact that could not be changed.
The history from hundreds of thousands of years ago had intersected with the present in such a shocking place, which left Yang Kai dumbstruck.
Nevertheless, he quickly discovered that something wasn’t quite right, as there was only a somewhat disordered Will present within this Sacred Tree. It appeared as though it was just a newborn baby, incapable of independent thought.
When he had made contact with the Sacred Tree, this Will had clearly sensed Yang Kai’s existence and proceeded to admit him without any reservations at all.
Instantly, Yang Kai developed an indescribable resonance with the Sacred Tree, making him feel as though he was connected with it.
An expression of slight shock appeared on Yang Kai’s face, as he was able to sense the enormous energy, which was as boundless as an ocean, within the Sacred Tree. The gargantuan amount of energy was sufficient to rival any Great Emperor, and might even exceed that of one.
It was precisely through the usage of this power that the Imperial Family of Human Imperial City was able to display their Sacred Techniques and unleash moves far surpassing their cultivation realms.
At this moment, if Yang Kai wanted, he would be able to pull all of this gargantuan power out, with the Sacred Tree not putting up any resistance at all. On the contrary, it had become intimately connected with Yang Kai’s existence.
“Hm?” A frown suddenly appeared on Yang Kai’s face, as he had unexpectedly sensed another element that seemed aloof, or even hostile towards him within the body of the Sacred Tree. This element gave him the feeling akin to a pustule on one’s skin, making people feel exceedingly uncomfortable.
“Get out!” With a loud shout, Yang Kai extended his hand into the Sacred Tree and made a fierce pull.
With another exertion of force, a human figure was forcefully pulled out from within the Sacred Tree.
Unexpectedly, this person was the Human Sovereign, whom he had just separated from not long ago. Utter shock had covered this old man’s face, as he could not imagine that he would end up in such a state, leaving him dumbstruck. Only after seeing Yang Kai’s chilling gaze did he snap back to his senses. Raising his hands to form a seal, an incantation rang out from his mouth before he pointed towards Yang Kai.
A piercing green glow transformed into a spear-like construct and rumbled right towards Yang Kai’s chest.
Standing in his original location, Yang Kai stared coldly at the Human Sovereign as a jade green glow abruptly surfaced on the outside of his body, transforming into a powerful barrier.
As the green spear smashed against the barrier, both of them dissipated away.
“How’s that possible!?” The Human Sovereign gasped in shock. He naturally knew that Yang Kai could display the Sacred Techniques and borrow the strength of the Sacred Tree; after all, the latter was also a Shaman, and being a Shaman, was naturally able to commune with the Sacred Tree.
However, without even a baptism, why would the Sacred Tree automatically protect him? The reason why the Imperial Princes and Princesses could obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection and remain safe even in times of danger was due to them undergoing an exceedingly complicated baptism ritual.
At this instant, the feeling the Sacred Tree gave off was exceedingly strange. On one hand, it did not reject the commands from the Human Sovereign, while on the other it was obstructing his killing move, appearing just like a naughty child that was following its whims, doing whatever it wished.
“It seems you want to kill me,” Yang Kai sneered, obviously having expected this to happen.
The Human Sovereign did not reply, though his expression grew a few shades more solemn. Chanting an incantation, the Human Sovereign raised his hand and sent a bolt of lightning at Yang Kai. This bolt of lightning was filled with astonishing might, moving about like an angry flood dragon as it appeared right before Yang Kai in the blink of an eye. Blossoming with dazzling brilliance, it completely engulfed Yang Kai.
The Human Sovereign’s face changed once again.
As the light dimmed down, he saw Yang Kai standing right where he originally was without the slightest injury. In fact, there wasn’t even any trace of damage to his clothing.
“Why!?” The Human Sovereign roared out in anger, but rather than Yang Kai, he had turned to face the Sacred Tree, appearing just like a stern father scolding a naughty child and letting his anger blow his head off.
Twice! The Sacred Tree had spoiled his plans twice, something that was hard for him to endure.
Yang Kai spoke out with a cold and indifferent voice, “Do you want to know why?”
The Human Sovereign growled back, “What the hell did you do!”
Yang Kai snorted, “Aren’t you clear whether I’ve done anything or not? There’s no need to deceive yourself!”
The Human Sovereign roared in reply, “I am the Human Sovereign! How dare you go against me!” No one knew whether he was talking to Yang Kai or the Sacred Tree.
After that loud roar, he proceeded to chant an incantation again.
As he was doing so, the Sacred Tree suddenly shook, before undergoing what seemed like a strange transformation. In the next instant, massive amounts of green energy started to gush out from within the Sacred Tree, flowing right into the body of the Human Sovereign. This caused his aura to surge in power, while his average stature suddenly turned imposing.
“Killing the chicken to get to the eggs! Your impudence is beyond forgiveness!” Yang Kai’s anger exploded before he similarly proceeded to chant an incantation. However, compared to the Human Sovereign, his incantation sounded more ancient and profound, containing a mystery that was nigh impossible to understand.
Although he did not know what Shamanic Spell the Human Sovereign was trying to unleash, he was able to sense from the Sacred Tree some things that could not be seen through the naked eye. At this moment, the Human Sovereign was damaging the core of the Sacred Tree, which was tantamount to draining its life force.
From the looks of it, he was willing to make whatever sacrifice was necessary just for the sake of dealing with Yang Kai.
If the foundation of the Sacred Tree was damaged, Human Imperial City might collapse as a result.
The green energy flowing towards the Human Sovereign appeared to meet some kind of obstruction at that moment and its rate of flow began to slow.
The anger the Human Sovereign felt soared to the Heavens upon seeing this, causing him to voice his incantation out more loudly in an attempt to contend with Yang Kai for the Sacred Tree’s power.
Yang Kai glared coldly at him, but the tone of his voice remained staunch and steady.
Just like that, the two stood face to face, with neither blade nor sword silhouettes, no scenes of carnage. Instead, they were fighting a battle using an exceedingly special method of combat, with the winner taking everything, and the loser being trampled underfoot.
The critical point that everything was hinged on was their resonance with the Sacred Tree. The deeper the resonance, the greater the strength they could draw from it.
Both Yang Kai and the Human Sovereign understood this point; therefore, they did not take any physical action and focused wholeheartedly on communicating with the Sacred Tree. The Sacred Tree didn’t have a clear, independent consciousness, existing only as a remnant clump of Will that strictly adhered to the protection of Shamans. Regardless of who the Shaman was, it would provide its power to whoever requested its strength.
The green glow radiating from the Human Sovereign flickered between bright and weak, with him obtaining an advantage when it was bright, and losing out when it was weak.
All of a sudden, he felt that Yang Kai was an extremely difficult opponent to deal with, one that far surpassed his earlier estimations.
This outsider’s resonance with the Sacred Tree was unexpectedly not one bit weaker than his own, despite him having spent thousands of years by the Sacred Tree’s side. If not for this fact, he would have finished dealing with Yang Kai a long time ago, and not been drawn into this tug of war.
The Sacred Tree seemed to have an exceedingly intimate connection with this outsider, shunning the Human Sovereign in every way in favour of him, allowing this competition to drag on.
The Human Sovereign suddenly realized that he had made a mistake by allowing Yang Kai to come here and be in such close proximity to the Sacred Tree. If he had just made a move to end things back in the Human Imperial Palace, he might not have had to deal with this much trouble.
[I am the Human Sovereign, ruler of the Human Race!] The Human Sovereign roared angrily in his heart, hoping that his will would be transmitted to the Sacred Tree, yet he did not know that it would have the opposite result to what he had hoped for, as he could clearly sense that the Sacred Tree was actually rejecting him, appearing just like a rebellious child after it was scolded by its father.
This caused his expression to contort.
Although Yang Kai was hard to deal with, the Human Sovereign still had his methods to deal with him; however, if he were to lose the support of the Sacred Tree, he would become just an old, dying Second-Order Emperor, with many others in Human Imperial City far stronger than him.
Not daring to dwell in those messy thoughts, the Human Sovereign knew that he had no choice but to deal with Yang Kai here and now.
While chanting more and more fiercely, he suddenly communicated using his Divine Sense, “Rather than fighting with this Sovereign here, shouldn’t you be more worried about your woman? If this Sovereign is not mistaken, she should be on the brink of death now!”
So what if she was from the Dragon Clan? So what if she stood at the apex of all living beings? There was no shortage of Masters in Human Imperial City, so even a Dragon would not be able to gain any advantage here.
Remaining unmoved, Yang Kai replied strongly, “My woman doesn’t need my concern. You, on the other hand, should take a look at yourself! Tsk tsk. You, Sir, aren’t young anymore. From the looks of it, you won’t live much longer no matter what you do, so why not step down now? From what I can see, several of the Imperial Princes are quite good, especially that Third Imperial Prince. His cultivation is outstanding, and he has a firm and resolute mentality, a suitable successor as the next Human Sovereign. The only negative is that he’s a bit sinister, though no one’s perfect. The Second Princess is also not a bad choice. I don’t know if there’s any case of an Empress ruling Human Imperial City in the past, but if there is a precedent, you can pass your crown on to the Second Princess. I can see that Princess has big ambitions…”
“Shut up!” The Human Sovereign roared in anger.
Yang Kai chuckled lightly, “So those two don’t meet your standards? Looks like you are intending to pass it on to the First Imperial Prince? The First Imperial Prince is addicted to wine and women, and truthfully isn’t a good choice for a successor. Human Imperial City won’t have a good end if he’s in charge. When that happens, brothers will quarrel and internal strife will run rampant, to the point that you will not be able to rest even in your grave. No, no, the First Imperial Prince clearly is a piece of trash that cannot be propped up at all, yet he just happens to have a high eight leaf status. From the looks of it, you are really biased towards the First Imperial Prince. Could it be that the First Imperial Prince’s mother is the one you love the most, causing you to love anything that is connected to her?”
The Human Sovereign’s expression flinched, and despite it being minute, how could it be hidden from Yang Kai’s eyes?
Yang Kai continued to fan the flames, “Looks like I’ve struck a nerve. Furthermore, from the looks of it, that one true love of yours has already passed away, right? I couldn’t tell from our first meeting, but it seems you’re a man of great sentimentality. I guess that when you were young, you had spent the prime of your life with that beauty, though the dead cannot be brought back to life, so please restrain your grief, Sir. Memories are also a kind of beauty. Reminiscing of the past from time to time and crying your heart out is also quite a good experience to have.”
The Human Sovereign’s face twitched violently, as though he had been prodded in a sore spot. Unable to control himself anymore, he started to madly draw upon the power of the Sacred Tree.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “You lose!”
As his words rang out, the Human Sovereign let out a muffled grunt and retreated a few steps while the faint green glow surrounding his body suddenly dissipated into nothingness.
His resonance with the Sacred Tree had actually been severed, just like that! Even though he wanted to reconnect with the Sacred Tree, there was utterly no response from it! The Sacred Tree was actually not responding to him anymore! He knew that the tumultuous emotions present in his heart were too overwhelming, causing him to react impatiently, which led him to lose everything in this one on one struggle.
“So what if I don’t have the protection from the Sacred Tree!? This Sovereign’s cultivation is still higher than yours!” Not willing to accept his defeat, the Human Sovereign’s aged body abruptly straightened up, while his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation erupted in full force. Raising his hand, he palmed towards Yang Kai, creating frenzied winds as the print smashed down with incomparable might.
With a sneer, Yang Kai sent out a single fist covered in Emperor Qi, unleashing a torrent of explosive power.
As the fist and palm collided, the Human Sovereign spurted blood from his mouth as he suffered a severe blow and was thrown back like a kite with torn strings before landing heavily on the ground, not moving even after a long while.
The sound of footsteps sounded lightly as Yang Kai slowly walked over before lowering his head to look down at him.
The Human Sovereign coughed up the blood pooling in his throat and staggered to stand up, growling manically, “I am the Human Sovereign, the king of the Human Race! How can you treat me like this?”
“Do you know why you lost?” Yang Kai replied in an emotionless tone.
The Human Sovereign was stunned by the former’s words. He really wanted to know the answer, but his self-esteem prevented him from doing so. Only after a long struggle did he reply stiffly, “Why?”
“Those who follow the Dao help others, those who lose their way help none! You all treat the Sacred Tree as an energy source that can be accessed and used as you pleased, a tool to lord over the masses with, that is your greatest folly.”
The Human Sovereign shouted, “The Sacred Tree is exactly that kind of existence!”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “How stubborn! It’s pardonable if you committed a wrongdoing when you knew nothing; however, your death isn’t worth pitying after you commit a wrong you know is one. The blessing of the Sacred Tree isn’t just for your Imperial Family, and isn’t just for Shamans, but for the entire Human Race, yet you all treat it as your personal property! What utter foolishness!”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Nonsense!”
Yang Kai sneered coldly, “I’m talking nonsense? The Spirit Array barrier surrounding the entire Human Imperial City draws its power from the Sacred Tree. It shelters all of Human Imperial City from any outside danger, so how am I talking nonsense? I see that you’ve become blind from old age.”
After resonating with the Sacred Tree, Yang Kai could clearly feel its energy covering the entirety of Human Imperial City. It was precisely due to it that Human Imperial City was able to stand within this Revolving World, unchanged throughout eternity.
The Human Sovereign turned depressed, “What’s the point of saying all of this? This Sovereign has already lost. Kill or extort me as you please.”
Yang Kai cast a sidelong gaze at him, “When did I say I wanted to kill or exhort you?”
The Human Sovereign gawked in surprise, “Are you willing to let me go?”
“That will depend on your performance.”
The Human Sovereign hesitated for a moment, before replying, “I don’t know… what orders you have, Esteemed One?”
In this situation, the Human Sovereign was powerless to resist if this man before him wanted to steal his throne away. Ever since the beginning, Human Imperial City had been ruled like that. The one who controlled the Sacred Tree would become the Human Sovereign, and at this moment, the one who controlled it was this outsider.
Many different thoughts flashed through the Human Sovereign’s mind as he made the mental preparations to haggle with Yang Kai. At the same time, he was also secretly planning to surrender if the latter made any outrageous requests. So long as Yang Kai didn’t request for his throne, everything else was negotiable. And as long as he could keep Yang Kai controlled, he could slowly think of ways to deal with Yang Kai.
“Tell me about the history of this Human Imperial City and the Revolving World.”
“Huh? What?” The Human Sovereign gawked, wondering if he just misheard the question.
At this moment, the Human Sovereign was basically fish on the chopping block, and this outsider was holding the chef’s knife. Yet, the Human Sovereign absolutely didn’t expect Yang Kai to make such a request. The Human Sovereign was mentally prepared to pay a pound of flesh, yet Yang Kai only wanted to pluck one strand of hair from him… no, this couldn’t even count as a strand of hair.
“You really are old. Have you gone blind and deaf?” Yang Kai stared coldly at him, somewhat dissatisfied with the Human Sovereign’s response.
Only then did the Human Sovereign realise that Yang Kai really was making such a simple request. As he secretly attempted to guess the reason behind Yang Kai’s question, he simultaneously rearranged his thought processes and replied, “Since you, Esteemed One, wish to know, then this Sovereign…”
“Hm?”
“Then this Old Master will briefly summarize,” a somewhat awkward look appeared on the Human Sovereign’s face. It had always been other people watching his expressions to handle matters. Never had he expected a day to come where he would have to handle matters in accordance with someone else’s expression.
“This Old Master’s knowledge is also limited, so if there are areas that aren’t too detailed, please do not be offended, Esteemed One.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Just get on with it.”
The Human Sovereign let off a dry cough before continuing, “In reality, this Revolving World can be considered a part of the Star Boundary. Naturally, back when the two places were still connected, the Star Boundary wasn’t yet known as the Star Boundary. I’m also not too sure what that ancient people called it, but it seems our ancestors called themselves the Barbarian Race, while their Masters cultivated Shamanic Strength. Clansmen gathered together into tribes to form the structure of society. Although there were internal conflicts, the human race flourished.”
As he continued to speak, he quietly observed the expression on Yang Kai’s face, noticing that the latter’s expression had grown somewhat strange, as though he was reminiscing about something. Not knowing which part of his explanation had caused Yang Kai’s expression to change so, he did not dare to stop, “All of a sudden, the Heavens fell and the Earth was rent, before a gigantic hole appeared in the sky. Powerful Masters proceeded to stream out of the hole and attacked the Barbarian Race. These Masters that came from an unknown place called themselves the Demon Race. They had many powerful Masters, with murder and carnage being the defining traits of their characters. Many tribes suffered immense numbers of injuries and deaths. Faced with such a strange and dangerous foe, our ancestors were naturally unwilling to wait helplessly for death, and therefore mustered the strength of the entire Barbarian Race to resist.”
“The war between the races was incomparably intense, seemingly lasting for many decades. Both races, be it the Barbarian or the Demon Race suffered massive casualties, and the battlefield where the final act of the war happened has become what is now known as the Revolving World.”
Yang Kai asked in surprise, “The Revolving World was a battlefield of the past? Then, in accordance with what you’ve said, why did the Revolving World separate from the Star Boundary?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Esteemed one, you don’t know, but the reason why our ancestors were able to win that war seems to be related to the Sacred Tree. From the records written down in ancient books, the Sacred Tree had given up its life and sealed the passageway the Demon Race was using to invade our world. However, it was a pity, as in the end, for some unknown reason, a conflict arose between the World Principles of the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm, causing the entire battlefield to be exiled into the Void. This led to the birth of the Revolving World. The few survivors from the Barbarian and Demon Race who were on that battlefield at the time managed to survive and proceeded to settle in this place. In the beginning, there were mutually destructive fights erupting constantly; however, the World Principles here had become exceedingly warped, causing our Human Race to suffer quite a bit. Furthermore, the Revolving World’s World Principles were not constant. For some time, it was quite similar to that of the Star Boundary, allowing our Human Race to move about freely without suffering any negative consequences. However, at other times, the World Principles seemed to match with the Demon Realm, causing the World Energy to become infused with Demon Qi. This caused our Human Race to have difficulties moving about. In the end, we had to rely on the Sacred Tree and gradually proceeded to erect Human Imperial City. This gave the Human Race a place to establish themselves and so it has continued on for tens of thousands of years.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly as he sent a complicated gaze towards the towering ancient tree.
Senior Qing was still alive. Although he was no longer the intelligent old tree from ancient times, there was still a sliver of Will remaining. Nevertheless, Senior Qing was to this day using his body and strength to protect the surviving Humans. If not for Senior Qing, there would have been no more Humans present in the Revolving World.
That was because the World Principles here were more suited for the survival of the Demon Race, allowing Demon Qi to propagate, leaving humans utterly incapable of surviving on their own.
When this was flipped, it did not restrict the Demon Race much. Having lived in much worse conditions than this, the Demons were naturally not affected by this relatively good environment by their standards.
The information provided by the Human Sovereign was in line with Yang Kai’s experience in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, proving that the latter was not lying and that Tiea was also not lying. It was just that there were some differences between the real and illusionary world. At the very least, Yang Kai did not experience the birth of the Revolving World in the illusionary realm he had experienced, and Senior Qing had completely perished in that fight.
He did not know whether it was due to an error in Tiea’s records or something else.
“In other words, this Revolving World is in fact located in the Void?” Yang Kai asked with a frown.
The Human Sovereign nodded, “That’s right. Our ancestors had made many guesses to the actual position of the Revolving World; however, it has been basically recognized that this world is located within a fissure. This Void Crack is positioned in between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm, which is why the World Principles of this world flip back and forth, being dominated by the Star Boundary at times, and then the Demon Realm at other times.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, with many of his suspicions answered.
Earlier, when he was devoured by the Frozen Tide in the Frozen Earth, Yang Kai sensed the strong Space Principle fluctuations. Obviously, that Frozen Tide was in fact a kind of Void Tear that one would be able to enter the Revolving World from.
However, unlike teleportations via Space Arrays, this was Cross-World transmission.
“Has no one ever tried to leave the Revolving World and return to the Star Boundary?” Asked Yang Kai.
The Human Sovereign gave an embarrassed laugh, “Our ancestors had thought of that; however, who would have known that the World Barriers would be so firm? Before talking about finding a way back, one would first need to find a way to break through this barrier.” Right after saying those words, the face of the Human Sovereign suddenly changed as he looked suspiciously at Yang Kai and asked, “Esteemed One, you seemed to be proficient in the Dao of Space, right?”
Earlier, he had asked Yang Kai how he was able to enter Human Imperial City without the Human Sovereign Seal.
At that time, Yang Kai had displayed his Space Principles, and despite his age, the Human Sovereign’s vision was quite sharp, so he was able to instantly understand the underlying source of this strength. If it was this person… he might very well be able to break through the World Barriers.
Considering all of this, the emotions present in the Human Sovereign’s heart suddenly started to turn jittery.
Yang Kai shot a thoughtful look at him, “It seems like you’re not looking to leave this place.”
A sliver of embarrassment appeared on the face of the Human Sovereign as he quickly replied, “Leaving this world and returning to our ancestral home is the final wish of our ancestors. This Old Master naturally wishes to leave this place.”
Yang Kai sneered in response, “What nonsense are you talking about? In Human Imperial City, the Human Sovereign stands above all, with his every word being law. No one, regardless of how strong or weak, dares to go against him. If I were you, I also wouldn’t wish to leave this place. Who would leave such a carefree and happy life?”
The Human Sovereign gave a couple of dry coughs as Yang Kai had obviously hit upon the truth. Although he wasn’t too strong, he understood the situation he was in. If he were to really leave the Revolving World and return to the Star Boundary, he would be knocked off his throne right back down to the masses.
Yang Kai changed the subject and asked, “Is there really no way to leave this world?” Before waiting for the Human Sovereign to reply, Yang Kai continued, “You better speak the truth. Although I’m not too willing to kill an old man, I will not hesitate to do so if I’m forced to.”
The face of the Human Sovereign changed slightly as he replied hastily, “Yin Wind Mountain!”
“Where is this Yin Wind Mountain? Can I leave this Revolving World from that Yin Wind Mountain?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “There’s a very small possibility of that being true, and I don’t dare to guarantee its existence. Naturally, this is only for a Master like you, as it is a Forbidden Zone for anyone that doesn’t cultivate the Dao of Space. During these years, many of our ancestors gave their all to leave this place, trying many different methods, but all ending in futility. In the end, they finally managed to confirm that there was a passageway they could leave from that was located at the peak of Yin Wind Mountain. Naturally, that was only a possibility, as that place was exceedingly dangerous. The frigid winds which blow there are filled with a combination of Cold and Demon Qi. Even a Third-Order Emperor cannot penetrate too deeply into it.”
“Cold Qi?” Yang Kai’s eyebrows rose up, catching the critical words, “What kind of Cold Qi?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Cold Qi that will sap every single bit of vitality.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. Wasn’t that just like the Cold Qi present within the Frozen Earth? It looked like this fellow wasn’t lying, and that meant that it might really be possible to leave this Revolving World from this Yin Wind Mountain.
The Cold Qi from the Frozen Earth couldn’t appear in this Revolving World without a reason; after all, they were in two separate worlds. However, in actual fact, there was Cold Qi present at the top of Yin Wind Mountain. That meant that the Cold Qi from the Frozen Earth was entering the Revolving World from some passageway. If Yang Kai was able to reverse the direction of that passageway, he would definitely be able to open the way back to the Star Boundary.
However, there was still Demon Qi present within the Yin Winds. That meant that the passageway was not only connected to the Star Boundary, but also the Demon Realm, which naturally allowed the Demon Qi from there to flow into here.
Therefore, the location above Yin Wind Mountain should be the spatial nexus between the Revolving World, Star Boundary and the Demon Realm.
Just the Cold Qi was already exceedingly terrifying to deal with. Coupled with Demon Qi, it was indeed capable of stopping a Third-Order Emperor in their tracks.
That’s why there was no one from the Human Race in here that was capable of leaving the Revolving World.
Observing Yang Kai’s expressions and noticing the drastic changes that were occurring, how could the Human Sovereign not know what the former had guessed? Despite feeling ecstatic, there was not a single change to the Human Sovereign’s expression as he proceeded to speak in an earnest manner, “Are you going to take the risk, Esteemed One? Forgive me for saying this, but Yin Wind Mountain isn’t a good place. Even if you managed to find the exit, you might not be able to return to the Star Boundary and instead accidentally enter the Demon Realm! That would really be a certain way to die.”
Yang Kai patted the latter’s shoulders, to the point where the Human Sovereign started to get squashed down, before grinning, “Aren’t you eager for me to die as soon as possible? Just say what’s on your mind out loud, it’s disgusting to watch you cover up your real thoughts while giving ironic replies.”
An embarrassed look appeared on the Human Sovereign’s face. Nevertheless, despite cursing out within his heart, he wasn’t that thick-skinned to reply to Yang Kai’s words.
Contrary to him, Yang Kai had already made up his mind. Rubbing his hand, he said, “Let’s go to Yin Wind Mountain!”
The Human Sovereign was instantly petrified, “I… I’m also going?”
“You wish to go there?” Yang Kai cast a sidelong gaze at him.
The Human Sovereign shook his head vehemently.
“If you don’t wish to go, why ask?” Yang Kai sneered, before changing the topic, “Do you know why I’m not killing you?”
The Human Sovereign wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied in a shivering voice, “Please tell me.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Senior Qing and replied, “I’m letting you keep your life, so you better take good care of Human Imperial City, and not lose the face of your ancestors. These people managed to keep their lives all due to Senior Qing’s blessings.”
“Yes,” The Human Sovereign had become a yes-man, completely unlike his earlier aloof and haughty attitude. With the support of the Sacred Tree being stripped away from him, and his personal strength being of no use, he had no other choice but to wag his tail and act obediently.
Nevertheless, feelings of doubt were present in his heart. Who was Senior Qing? Could Yang Kai be referring to the Sacred Tree? Why did he not know anything about this?
“Let’s go,” His interest waning, Yang Kai called out to the Human Sovereign. Extending his hand to touch Senior Qing’s large and tall trunk one last time, Yang Kai then proceeded to turn around and head out.
The Human Sovereign followed closely behind.
Walking out of the fog and back into the Imperial Palace, sounds of intense fighting immediately rang out in their ears, with miserable shrieks and angry roars punctuating it from time to time.
“Quite an intense fight,” Yang Kai swept his gaze out, spotting people strewn disorderly across the ground. Ninety percent of the over twenty Imperial Princes and Princesses were lying on the ground, with basically all of them having broken arms and legs. A few of them appeared to have suffered serious injuries, with large pools of blood surrounding them, their lives teetering on the brink of death.
As for the guards who protected the Sacred Tree, half of them had basically been beaten into the ground while at this moment, a three-hundred-meter-long Red Dragon lorded over the sky, searing hot Dragon Breath spewing out from its mouth as it unleashed one devastating Dragon Clan Secret Technique after another, causing the humans on the ground to cover their heads and scuttle about like ants.
The Human Sovereign was utterly shocked by what he was seeing, as unconcealable terror surfaced within his eyes.
Although he knew that it was not easy to deal with the Dragon Clan, he didn’t expect this young woman to be this terrifying.
He had basically gathered all of the Masters at his disposal here, yet they were still unable to take down a single Dragon. Instead, his people suffered serious injuries and were almost all completely incapacitated. Despite its gigantic body making for a very clear target, every single attack coming from the Red Dragon was exceedingly powerful and terrifying, which left those Masters that were still able to move teetering between life and death.
In the blink of an eye, two more Emperor Realm guards were engulfed in the Dragon Breath attack, their entire bodies covered in flames as they fell from the sky, crying out miserably.
“Stop, everyone stop!” The Human Sovereign hastily shouted out.
The Imperial Princes and Princesses, as well as the guards that were still able to move, proceeded to retreat, increasing the distance between them and Zhu Qing. Looking up, all of them gawked in shock upon seeing Yang Kai and the Human Sovereign.
That was because Yang Kai was actually standing in front of the Human Sovereign. The almighty and aloof Human Sovereign unexpectedly stood three steps behind, as though he was a subordinate, with an unprecedented look of urgency present on his face.
“Imperial Father!” The Second Princess shouted. With her Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, she was the strongest among the Imperial Family. Furthermore, she had been tangled up in a fight against the little black dog and did not take direct action against Zhu Qing. This resulted in her not suffering any serious injuries, only looking miserable with her clothes tattered, revealing her skin to the world. She looked in shock at the Human Sovereign, wanting to ask the latter exactly what was going on. Yet, no matter what, she was unable to speak those words out.
“Shameful!” The Human Sovereign roared in fury without any warning at all, instantly stunning everyone, “These two are this Sovereign’s esteemed guests, yet you all treated them so improperly, even going so far as to clash against them! Such impudence! All of you are totally disregarding this Sovereign!”
The entire place turned silent, while the Second Princess felt dizzy as a result.
Did… did they mishear? The orders from the Human Sovereign were the sole reason why they had all taken action; to use our combined might to take down this Dragon Clan member. However, in the blink of an eye, their Imperial Father had actually spun an entirely different narrative.
Was this the Human Sovereign that they knew?
Contrary to the others, the Third Imperial Prince reacted quickly as he hastily knelt down, “Please calm yourself, Imperial Father! We were all just excited to have an opportunity to exchange some pointers with our guest and did not have any intentions to be negligent.”
“Exchange pointers?” The Human Sovereign reacted gloomily to his response, before sneakily sizing up Yang Kai. After discovering an emotionless expression on Yang Kai’s face, he raised his hand and smashed it down on the Third Imperial Prince.
The heavy palm smashed into the Third Imperial Prince, sending him flying and spurting out blood in the air.
The Human Sovereign roared angrily, “Is this the way you all exchange pointers? All of you actually exchanged pointers at once, having an absolute advantage in numbers! All of you have really caused our Imperial Family to lose face!”
Ignoring the serious injuries he had suffered, the Third Imperial Prince knelt down and spoke once again, trembling in fear as he did so, “Please quell your anger, Imperial Father! We see the error in our ways.”
“We see the error in our ways!”
The Imperial Princes, Princesses, and guards hastily knelt down, even the two Third Order Emperors weren’t exceptions. Such a scene couldn’t occur in the outside world. All Third-Order Emperors in the Star Boundary stood high above others, and which one of them was not an overlord that could flip mountains and boil seas? Why would they ever kneel before a person that had weaker cultivation than them?
Yet, this was a common occurrence in Human Imperial City.
“Does a single ‘we see the error in our ways’ excuse you all for neglecting our guests and starting a fight with them? Don’t be so naïve!” The Human Sovereign’s expression turned cold, before taking up what seemed like a strict and impartial attitude, “Looks like all of you have been living in peace for too long, leaving you all not knowing that there are Heavens beyond Heavens, and people beyond people.”
The Second Princess opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but she was stopped by the Human Sovereign with a single glare. One could guess how many grievances she was feeling right now in her heart.
Within Human Imperial City, the Imperial Family was the Heavens, so where were there any Heavens beyond the Heavens? People beyond people?
“These unfilial things have eyes but failed to see, and actually dared to take action towards the wife of this esteemed one. May I know what the esteemed one feels about this? This Old Master will definitely abide by whatever esteemed one decides.” The Human Sovereign turned his head around and looked earnestly towards Yang Kai.
Everyone turned as dumb as a wooden chicken upon hearing his words, even the Third Imperial Prince, who had some guesses towards the current situation. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect the Human Sovereign to treat the outsider with such courtesy, to the point where it seemed like an act of servitude.
Exactly what had happened inside the fog barrier? Why did the Human Sovereign’s attitude change so drastically? He had even addressed himself as ‘Old Master’…
Despite not having guessed what had happened within, the Third Imperial Prince could faintly make out that something astonishing had definitely occurred. If not, it would be impossible for the Human Sovereign to bend over and curry favour like this.
Yang Kai grinned in response, before raising his head to look towards the exquisite figure in the air and speaking in a raised voice, “Are you injured, Qing’er?”
Returning to her human form, Zhu Qing shook her head slowly after hearing his words.
If not for her being a member of the Dragon Clan, it would have been impossible for anyone to escape successfully in the face of so many powerful opponents. However, after assuming her dragon form, her bodily defences reached astonishing levels, resulting in her not being at much of a disadvantage despite being utterly outnumbered. Although she had suffered quite a few attacks, she did not seem to be injured.
Smiling, Yang Kai turned and looked at the Human Sovereign and replied, “There’s no problem then. Let’s just treat this as an exchange of pointers and end things here.”
The Human Sovereign was overwhelmed with emotions and bowed, “This Old Master is very grateful for your esteemed one’s righteousness.”
He was truly afraid that Yang Kai would not let this matter go, and secretly felt lucky that this Dragon was immensely powerful. If not, this matter would not end as peacefully as it did.
“Why aren’t you all scramming out of here? You bunch of shameful things!” The Human Sovereign turned his head towards the others in the hall and roared in anger.
Snapping back to their senses as though they had just come out of a dream, the Imperial Princes, Princesses, and guards proceeded to retreat, though not forgetting to pick up their injured companions on the way out.
The little black dog appeared out of nowhere, just like a spectre, and while the Second Princess was still confused over the whole matter, clamped down on her dress.
Gasping in shock, the Second Princess raised her hand to smack it away.
“Huh?” The Human Sovereign snorted coldly.
The Second Princess’s moving hand was instantly halted in mid air. Becoming increasingly bold, the little black dog proceeded to rip out a large piece of her blouse, revealing the pink underwear within. Having done so, it ran towards a side in excitement, its tail raised high, appearing exceedingly satisfied, as though it had managed to exact some kind of deep revenge it had borne.
The Second Princess’s face turned pale as she frantically tried to cover her barely bulging bosom. Her face proceeded to turn red as she stamped her feet in hatred before she left in a flash.
“I apologize to you for this poor joke, esteemed one.” The Human Sovereign felt incomparably embarrassed. In the past, he felt that his Imperial Princes and Princesses were still reliable; however, all of them had revealed their pathetic characters today.
Yang Kai replied indifferently, “My wife and I will be staying in the Imperial Palace temporarily.”
Not willing for it to happen yet unable to stop it, the Human Sovereign had no other choice but to reply, “You can stay as long as you want, esteemed one.”
“Rest assured. I will not be staying here for long. After making our preparations, we will set out.”
The Human Sovereign did not dare to continue speaking, as one would be bound to slip up if they spoke too much in a short period of time.
“Additionally, I need all of the information you have about this Revolving World and Yin Wind Mountain. Send over everything as soon as possible.”
“Yes!”
“Furthermore, I have something that requires your assistance. There is another Dragon Clan member and human that had accompanied my wife and me into the Revolving World. I hope that Human Sovereign can help take note of this, and inform me as soon as there is news about this matter.”
“Rest assured, esteemed one. When the World Principles shift, this Old Master will immediately send people to search for them.”
“Good.”
…..
An hour later, within an exceedingly luxurious palace, Yang Kai was gently embracing Zhu Qing while seated on a spacious sofa. Zhu Qing was seated on his leg, with the little black dog dozing off by their side.
“From what you’re saying, this Revolving World really is unique, and if we want to leave, we have to pass through Yin Wind Mountain?” Asked Zhu Qing in a soft voice.
Yang Kai held her hands and started to play around gently with her fingers. Zhu Qing’s hands were extremely beautiful, something that he did not pay attention to in the past. Only after becoming intimate with her did he realize that her hands were snow white and completely unblemished, soft and supple, with her fingers long and slender.
It was hard to imagine that such tiny hands were capable of unleashing such terrifying might.
Zhu Qing was completely unnerved by being played around by him, resulting in her wanting to pull her hands back. Nevertheless, she was unable to muster any strength, leaving her with no other option but to glare at him, causing a slightly menacing air to appear.
Pretending to not notice her reaction, Yang Kai continued to play with her hands and replied in a leisurely manner, “From the information we have in hand, Yin Wind Mountain is the only way out of this place, so we have no other choice but to head there.”
Zhu Qing said worriedly, “But the Yin Winds are not easy to fend off. Earlier, we did not travel too far into the Frozen Earth, so we don’t know what the Yin Winds in the depths of the Frozen Earth are like. If the Yin Winds come from the deepest parts of the Frozen Earth…”
In the best-case scenario, it would be hard for a Third-Order Emperor to move about, with them frozen into ice cubes on mere contact being the worst case.
“Regardless of that, we have to take a look. However, we have to find Zhu Lie first.”
“Truthfully speaking… this is quite a good place. With the protection of that so-called Sacred Tree, there’s no need to be worried at all when in Human Imperial City. There’s no need to worry about any harassment. If we could stay here…”
“You wish to stay here?” Yang Kai gawked in slight surprise.
Right as Zhu Qing was about to reply, she seemed to suddenly notice something, her face turning red as she hastily stood up from Yang Kai’s lap.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai pulled her back down.
“Someone’s coming,” Zhu Qing felt somewhat anxious, as she was still very easily embarrassed due to her being a beginner towards such intimacy.
Seeing her insistence, Yang Kai did not force her anymore and allowed her to stand up.
After an instant, a cold and indifferent voice rang out from outside the palace, “Are you two esteemed ones there? Fu Yu has come to seek an audience.”
The little black dog, who was lying on the ground, lifted its head up fiercely and bared its fangs in anger. During the earlier fight, it had come to see Fu Yu as its nemesis, resulting in it being hostile towards this woman’s voice.
“Come in.”
The palace doors were pushed open and a few women and girls walked in in single file. All of them possessed outstanding appearances, with Fu Yu in their lead.
Each of them carried a huge pile of what seemed like ancient books in their hands.
“Sir, the things you have requested are all here,” Fu Yu said with her head lowered. It seemed that she had a look of unwillingness present on her face, as though she was very reluctant to carry out these menial tasks.
Truthfully speaking, how would she be here if not for the Human Sovereign’s orders? Why would she do something a servant would normally do? She did not know what the Human Sovereign was thinking or why he would curry favour with this outsider to such a degree.
The displeasure in her heart was projected right on her face.
“Put them down over there,” sweeping his gaze across the group of people, Yang Kai discovered that the majority of these girls were familiar to his eyes, meaning that all of them were actually princesses. From the looks of it, Fu Yu was the oldest, with the youngest looking no more than fourteen or fifteen years of age. He did not see this little girl earlier in the palace, though her having six leaves was something that could not be faked. The youngest princess was obviously very curious; despite standing at the rear of the group, she continued to focus her big eyes on Yang Kai.
Being influenced by Fu Yu, her first impression of Yang Kai was that he was an exceedingly wicked and evil person; however, that didn’t seem to be the case from her initial impression of him. He possessed neither three heads nor six arms, leaving her wondering why her Eldest Sister held such hatred against him.
Yang Kai swept his gaze over and winked.
This scared the little princess, who hastily lowered her head and dropped the items in her hands.
“Do you have any other requests? If not, we will take our leave.” Fu Yu glared coldly at Yang Kai, her voice sounding hard and emotionless, a look of unwillingness still present on her face.
Yang Kai cast a sidelong glance at her, seemingly deliberating trying to cause difficulties for her as he waved his hand and replied, “Wait outside then. I’ll call you if I need anything, and don’t disturb us if there isn’t anything.”
“Wait… wait outside?” Fu Yu’s eyes snapped wide open as though she had misheard.
She was the Second Princess of the Human Imperial City, with only one person above her, while everyone else stood below! Sending the ancient books to him was already a form of humiliation for her, yet he actually dared to ask her to wait outside at his beck and call? Did he really think that she was a servant that he could order around? She was utterly incapable of enduring it.
Anger started to appear on her face. However, right at the last moment, she remembered the Human Sovereign’s earlier instructions and it was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her, causing her overflowing anger to evaporate in a flash, leaving her no choice but to reply through clenched teeth, “Yes!”
Regardless of anything, she did not dare to go against the Human Sovereign’s orders.
The few other princesses slowly backed out of the palace, their hearts filled with various kinds of thoughts as they stood guard outside of the door. Other than the little princess, the rest had expressions of hatred on their faces, as they felt that they should not be taking care of such matters.
Within the palace, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing stared at the pile of ancient books on the table, before picking up a book each to start reading.
These ancient books basically recorded the history of the Revolving World. Half of them recorded historical events, while the other half recorded points of geography. The Human Race had lived here for tens of thousands of years and had a fair understanding of this place. This world wasn’t very large, so other than the ten thousand kilometres of restricted area where Demon Fury City stood, the Human Race had already surveyed every single piece of land.
These books were all the private collection of the Imperial Family, so it was basically impossible for any random person to have read them.
For the next few days, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing locked themselves within the palace, reading through those ancient books in detail as they gathered various kinds of information about this world.
At the end of these few days, Yang Kai rubbed his temples, placing the last of the ancient books down as his brow twitched unconsciously, seemingly deep in thought.
By his side, Zhu Qing had similarly completed her reading. Looking up in thought, she mused, “So it turns out that this world is really located in the Void Crack between the two Great Worlds.”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “If that wasn’t the case, there wouldn’t be the phenomenon of the changing World Principles.”
“It really must have been difficult for them to live and establish lives in such a place. The Sacred Tree is truly a blessing to them.”
“Sacred Tree…” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “It has indeed aided them greatly. Not only did it shelter the entire Human Imperial City, but it also left behind the inheritance of Shamanic Spells.”
Yang Kai originally assumed that it was the old ancestors of the Imperial Family that had passed down the Shamanic Spells to them, allowing the flame of Shamanic Spells to not be extinguished. However, from the looks of it, that was not entirely the case.
After tens of thousands of years, with the constant change of World Principles, that Shaman Strength that once filled the Star Boundary had gradually been replaced by the modern Martial Dao. The occasional contacts with the World Principles of the Star Boundary meant that the Revolving World naturally wasn’t suitable for the cultivation of Shamanic Spells.
However, the existence of Senior Qing allowed for the continued inheritance of Shamanic Spells here.
Those Imperial Family members had no other choice but to cultivate in the vicinity of Senior Qing, comprehending the latter’s strength. Only by forming a resonance with Senior Qing would they truly be able to cultivate Shaman Strength. Even if they had the cultivation methods, the World Principles of the Revolving World wouldn’t allow them to cultivate their Shamanic Strength if not for the aid Senior Qing provided.
Senior Qing was the hero of an entire era, the torchbearer for the power of the entire ancient world. Without him, Shamans would have long gone extinct in this Revolving World.
It was a pity that his consciousness had disappeared during the final battle between Humans and Demons, leaving only a faint remnant Will behind. This remnant Will continued to uphold the wishes he had while he was still living, to protect the Human Race and pass down the Shamanic Ways.
No one knew whether there was any hope for Senior Qing to regain full consciousness. Nevertheless, Yang Kai knew that the possibility of that happening was exceedingly bleak. That was because, after tens of thousands of years, Senior Qing would have already awakened if it were actually possible, and not wait all that while to do so.
Furthermore, Yang Kai guessed that Senior Qing would not be able to remember his past experiences even if he could truly awaken, and would instead be reborn with a clean slate.
He should be granted a new life.
There were records of Yin Wind Mountain within the ancient books as well, though they were rather sparse. Most of the records were of its approximate location, without any information about the situation present on it. That was because not a single human had ever stepped foot onto it for the past few tens of thousands of years.
On the contrary, members of the Demon Race would frequently visit it, relying on the pure Demon Qi gushing out from Yin Wind Mountain to cultivate.
Therefore, if they really wanted to go to Yin Wind Mountain, they would definitely end up in a conflict against the Demon Race.
Yang Kai did not mind this though as he had managed to subdue a dozen Demon Kings within the illusionary realm that would heed his every order. He had the knowledge of the various unique traits of the Demon Race at his fingertips, so they would be the ones in trouble if they were to run into him.
Other than that, there was still no news about Zhu Lie from the Human Sovereign.
The World Principles of the Revolving World had already changed, allowing all of Human Imperial City’s Masters to be mobilized, searching in all directions for news pertaining to Zhu Lie. Nevertheless, there was no new discovery yet.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were not too worried about Zhu Lie, as he was also an Eighth-Order Red Dragon after all. He wouldn’t be a Dragon Clan member if he could be easily dealt with.
Therefore, the two of them continued to stay leisurely within the Imperial Palace.
Today, Yang Kai suddenly woke up from his seated rest, his eyes glowing faintly as he seemed to be in an excited but also somewhat confused mood.
“What happened?” Not needing to cultivate in a traditional fashion, Zhu Qing was currently flipping through a book, but sensing Yang Kai’s movements, she raised her head to ask him.
“I think I’ve become stronger, Qing’er,” Yang Kai replied with elation.
“It’s a good thing to become strong, so what’s with that look?”
“That’s because I don’t know why I became stronger.”
“Which aspect of yours became stronger?”
“My bloodline!” Yang Kai looked at Zhu Qing in curiosity, “I didn’t seem to do anything during this period of time, so why do I feel that my bloodline has become quite a bit stronger?”
The increase in the strength of his bloodline was apparent as Yang Kai was able to sense the Golden Divine Dragon Source’s strength fusing with him on an even deeper level than before. During this period of time, he did not cultivate the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, nor did he engage in any life or death battles to stimulate his potential, so there was no plausible reason for him to become stronger at all.
The increase of one’s strength would also require one’s efforts for it to happen.
“Let me test it!” For the sake of removing any feelings of misconception, Yang Kai proceeded to roar as he displayed the Dragon Transformation Secret Art.
After a high pitched dragon roar, a large Golden Dragon phantom appeared in a flash.
Creaking sounds rang out as loud cracks rang out from Yang Kai’s body as he proceeded to grow in size. His combed hair scattered apart, and at the instant when Dragon Pressure erupted from within him, Yang Kai felt his head turn itchy, as though something was wanting to break through his scalp.
His arms grew longer, his hands transformed into claws, his clothing was ripped apart, revealing tough and resilient Dragon Scales that covered the entirety of his figure.
He was somewhat used to these transformations, and also knew the changes that were happening to him, so he continued to focus on experiencing the entire transformation process.
By the time the transformation had stopped, Yang Kai had already become a gigantic creature. With a gentle breath, two white jets of smoke instantly spewed out from his nostrils.
Seated on the chair, Zhu Qing closed her book, raised her head, and looked towards him.
Taking big strides, Yang Kai made a round within the hall, before exclaiming in surprise, “Oh, I seem to have grown a bit larger.”
Earlier, the fight against Zhu Lie in Azure Sun Temple had allowed Yang Kai to achieve a breakthrough in his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, going from twenty metres in length to forty metres.
However, his current body had actually increased in size again, and from the looks of it, it had already reached around forty-five metres. This increase was definitely not a misconception, but something that had really happened.
Ever since he had started to cultivate the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Yang Kai had been able to faintly grasp onto some critical points that allowed him to deepen his mastery, resulting in a stronger fusion with the Golden Divine Dragon Source within him. This had increased the purity of his Dragon Bloodline, which corresponded to the growth in his size. The stronger and deeper his cultivation, the taller and bigger his half-dragon form would be.
Yang Kai suspected that when he finally fully refined the Golden Divine Dragon Source, he would be able to transform into a True Golden Dragon and traverse the myriad worlds.
“How tall were you in the past?” Asked Zhu Qing.
“Around here,” Yang Kai extended his hand to indicate his previous height. Fortunately, the construction of this palace was extremely extravagant, or he really wouldn’t be able to stand up straight.
“That means that you’ve really become stronger,” Zhu Qing smiled.
“But how is that possible?” Yang Kai scratched his head, which ended up in him using his dragon claws to scratch at the scales on his face, creating a string of sparks that shot everywhere.
It was a good thing to become stronger, but it wasn’t good if he didn’t know where the strength originated from. He needed to find the reason so that he could put effort in that direction in the future.
He started to reflect on the matters that had happened during this period of time, only to discover that there was really nothing noteworthy. Furthermore, it had been less than two months since his earlier breakthrough in the Dragon Transformation Secret Art. Yang Kai was able to remember every single thing that had happened since then, but was unable to recall anything special that had taken place.
Zhu Qing lowered her head as a reddish blush flashed across her face. She continued to read her book, though her heart wasn’t focused on its contents anymore.
“Do you know something?” Yang Kai turned his head to look over after discovering her strange actions.
Zhu Qing shook her head like a rattle drum as her face turned even redder.
“Hurry up and say it,” Yang Kai walked towards her and knelt down. Despite that, he was still a few times taller than Zhu Qing. Lowering his head to look at her small figure made him feel exceedingly weird.
This might be a similar view that Zhu Qing would have if she transformed into her Great Dragon form.
“I really don’t know…” Zhu Qing whispered back in reply.
“Does this concern the secrets of the Dragon Clan?”
Zhu Qing shook her head.
“Then say it.” Extending his hand, Yang Kai carefully coaxed Zhu Qing into his palm, as though he was lifting the most exquisite porcelain, before saying in a threatening tone, “If you know the reason but do not report it, be careful about being disciplined by our Family Law.”
“What Family Law…” Zhu Qing’s eyes snapped wide open as a black look appeared on her face. Nevertheless, she quickly caught on to what Yang Kai meant, causing her entire body to turn flushed. Raising her head, she glared at him, only to discover that his eyes were wide open, while his breathing had turned rough. Sighing in her heart, she knew that this was a blessing and not a curse, though it couldn’t be avoided if it was a curse.
Using the book to cover her face, she whispered back, “The myriad of living creatures reject the Yin and embrace the Yang, when Yin and Yang merge, the Source will flow together, filling… one with energy.”
Yang Kai gawked before a strange look appeared on his face as he said in an ambiguous tone, “Are you saying…”
Zhu Qing’s face was now covered entirely by the book, leaving him unable to see the expression on her face. Nevertheless, he knew that her pretty face was definitely burning up at this very moment as she hastily replied, “I’m just casually speaking. Don’t treat it as a fact.”
“The Dragon Clan has also paid attention to dual cultivation?” Yang Kai’s smile grew wider, which appeared exceedingly malevolent in his dragon form, as though he could devour Zhu Qing in a single mouthful.
If this was really the case, the future days would really be too blissful.
“How is that possible, but…”
“But what?” Yang Kai extended a claw out and gently pushed Zhu Qing’s book down, while extending his head forwards, taking what seemed like a menacing stance.
With nowhere to hide, Zhu Qing finally replied in embarrassment, “But even for human women, their… virgin Yin Qi is extremely beneficial towards the cultivation of men, with the effect being increasingly obvious at higher realms of cultivation, much more that of a Dragon.”
Yang Kai replied, “Are you saying that I’ve grown stronger because… that was your first time?”
Zhu Qing nodded gently. She was feeling utterly embarrassed being forced by Yang Kai to say such words out loud, and could not help herself from wanting to dig a hole to hide in.
“So there will be no effect in the future?”
“No,” Zhu Qing shook her head decisively.
“I don’t believe it!” As he said that, Yang Kai grabbed Zhu Qing and scuttled in a direction. As he took big strides forwards, he dispelled the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, causing his gigantic body to rapidly shrink in size.
“What are you doing?” Zhu Qing exclaimed in shock.
“A test is needed to know if it works or not,” having returned to his original appearance, Yang Kai proceeded to lift Zhu Qing by her waist.
Pressed against his chest and feeling the fiery temperature of his body, Zhu Qing was instantly flustered as she hastily replied, “There really are no further results. I’m not lying to you!”
Yang Kai replied with a wide grin, “I already said to give it a try, so don’t struggle and resist, alright? It’s useless.”
As he said those words, he tossed Zhu Qing heavily onto the bed. She shrieked in response, while Yang Kai had already launched himself at her like a ravenous dog. Although she had experienced this before, Zhu Qing hadn’t adapted to it fully, resulting in the intense thumping of her chest as her heart appeared to be wanting to jump out at any given moment.
The male on top of her was extremely invasive, lunging right at her with reckless abandon, causing her weak defences to crumble and shatter apart with a bang.
As her clothes started to unravel, Zhu Qing tilted her head and closed her eyes tightly. Her hands gripped the sheets of the bed, as though she was about to enter the execution grounds, her entire being brimming with nervousness.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai seemed to have realized something as he turned his head to the side and pointed, before speaking a single word at a time, “Get… Out!”
The black puppy had been roused from its sleep, resulting in it quietly trying to doze off during these last few moments. It did not bark nor cause any trouble, and was extremely clever and obedient; however, right at this moment, it had raised its head and opened its eyes wide to stare towards the direction of the large bed. It did not move an inch, with its breathing sounds coming to a halt as it earnestly took in everything in sight.
The dog’s eyes gleamed with curiosity and a vacant look.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s words, it whined as it stood up in reluctance, its tail hanging between its legs as it slowly walked towards the door.
Reaching the door, it still shot a longing glance back, its eyes filled with entreaty, as though it was begging Yang Kai to allow it to stay here.
Instead, Yang Kai replied with a snort, leaving it no choice but to push open the door dejectedly with its head. Slinking away through the crack between the doors, it still knew to close the doors properly after leaving.
At this moment, there were a few women of varying ages that stood outside of the palace, and every one of them appeared to have a layer of frost covering their faces.
These few princesses had basically had enough of this. A few days ago, Yang Kai had asked them to wait outside of the palace, leaving them no choice but to obey.
Never did they expect this to drag on for days, with not a single order coming their way this whole time. Yang Kai had also not dismissed them, leaving them no choice but to wait here like wooden poles anchored to the ground.
When did they, who were pampered throughout their entire lives, ever experience such humiliation? All of them were unleashing torrents of curses towards Yang Kai in their hearts, praying that he would die miserably and as soon as possible.
The only exception was the innocent and pure little princess, who did not have a single inkling about the entire matter that had happened. She only knew that her Imperial Father had ordered them to come over, listen to the orders from the man inside, and make sure to fulfil his every demand.
Being young and innocent, she had yet to be corrupted by the complicated issues present within the Imperial Family. Therefore, she was the only one that did not feel any grievances towards Yang Kai, with only feelings of boredom and tiredness surfacing within her after standing for the past few days. At this moment, she was dozing off while resting her head on one of her Elder Sister’s shoulders, her head rocking slightly, coming close to falling down onto the ground on a few occasions.
When the black puppy walked out, it was noticed by all of the princesses, instantly drawing their attention to look over towards it.
A look of hatred immediately appeared on the face of the Second Princess, Fu Yu, as she still vividly remembered the matter of this little bastard causing her to lose all face through a wardrobe malfunction a few days ago. Therefore, she was naturally incomparably hellbent on getting revenge, with her heart being filled with thoughts on how she would exact vengeance, like whether she should take the chance to capture this little bastard, chop him into little bits, and make a hotpot of him.
Seemingly sensing something, the black puppy turned its head towards Fu Yu, bared its fangs and let off a threatening growl at her, all while moving into a pouncing stance.
[Little bastard, if you dare act rampantly, I’ll make sure to kill you and eat your meat!] Fu Yu cursed out in her heart, while an ambiguous feeling of happiness surged through her entire body as images of her accomplishing that feat played through her mind.
Right at this moment, a cry of surprise suddenly rang out from within the palace.
The shout shocked all of the princesses, with all of them exchanging blank looks with each other, not knowing exactly what had happened within the palace.
The drowsy little princess was also shocked awake. Opening her eyes wide, she snapped to her senses faster than anyone else and asked in a fluster, “What happened?”
Nonetheless, no one bothered about her as the other princesses had perked their ears to listen for any follow-up sounds.
Yet another shout rang out, but this time, the group of ladies heard it clearly. However, this shout… seemed a little strange, as it did not sound like what one would let off when met with an incident. Instead, it sounded suppressed, somewhat raw, and almost like…
The faces of the few princesses turned red. Having clearly realized what this cry represented, how would they have the heart left to continue eavesdropping? On the contrary, they wished they could block their hearing out to prevent that sound from fouling their ears.
The stifled sounds grew increasingly clearer as they continued on, increasing and softening in varying intervals, sounding as though someone was dying.
Jumping in fright, the little princess’s face turned pale, “What’s happening? The voice sounds strange. Is someone in trouble? Should we go inside to take a look?”
Her questions left her Elder Sisters hanging between laughter and tears.
The Sixth Princess, who was standing by the little princess’s side, hastily replied, “You better not go in.”
“Why? Why can’t we go in?” The little princess wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery.
The Sixth Princess stamped her feet, “Little kids shouldn’t ask so much.”
“Ah… en,” the little princess nodded her head obediently. Although she could not wrap her head around the current situation, since her Sixth Sister had told her so, she definitely had her reasons to oppose. All of a sudden, she looked curiously at her other sisters and asked in a worried tone, “Second, Sixth, and Eleventh Sister, why are your faces so red? Are you all sick?”
The Eleventh Princess glared back at her and replied with an irritated tone, “What sick? When did we get sick?”
“But…” The little princess extended her little hand out and touched the Sixth Princess’ face, which resulted in her pulling her hand back in fright, “Your face is really hot, Sixth Sister! This is bad! Let’s go to Imperial Father to have him take a look.”
The Eleventh Princess shot a glare at the Sixth Princess, before covering her mouth to hide her grin, “There’s nothing Imperial Father can do for what your Sixth Sister is going through right now.”
“Then who should we see?”
The Eleventh Princess pouted, “She’ll be alright if you call the man inside to take a look at her.”
After finishing her words, she could not contain herself, letting a laugh slip out from her mouth, one so strong that it caused her waist to buckle as she shook like a willow in a gust.
“Then I’ll go call him over.” Believing everything she was told, the little princess strode forwards in an attempt to rush into the palace. However, after taking two steps forward, she hastily retreated, before speaking out in fear, “It sounds like he’s killing someone, right… I don’t dare to go in.”
The smile on the Eleventh Princess’ face grew even wider as a light flashed across her peach blossom-like eyes as she indicated towards the palace, “Of course he’s killing someone, but not just killing… he’s… eating someone.”
“E-E-Eating someone!” The little princess’s face drained of so much colour it turned into a shade that rivalled that of snow.
The Eleventh Princess continued on, “The man inside is an incorrigible tyrant, and he loves to eat tender little girls like you. If you get captured by him, he will first devour your fingers, then your nose, then your ears…”
As she spoke, she made a gnawing action, as though she was really chewing something, before wrapping it up with a look of satisfaction.
“Yee!” Terrified, the little princess immediately drilled herself into the bosom of the Sixth Princess, shivering as she replied in a trembling voice, “Sixth Sister, save me! I don’t want to get eaten! I don’t want to get eaten by him!”
“What are you scaring her for!” The Sixth Princess glared angrily at the Eleventh Princess, “Little sister is pure and naive, and believes anything people say, so what’s the point of telling her such a frightening tale.”
The Eleventh Princess shrugged her shoulders, “Since we’re all bored, I’m just trying to have a little fun. Haa… it’s really not fun to only hear but not participate in this colour-filled spring scenery.”
Fu Yu replied in a cold tone, “You can go in if you wish to participate, though I don’t know if they’ll welcome you or kill you.”
The Eleventh Princess said, “Forget it. It’s not good to provoke that fellow. As for me, I’m afraid even my bones won’t be left after he’s done eating me.”
Hearing those words, the little princess became increasingly frightened, causing her to hug the Sixth Princess tightly and cry, “Bring me away, Sixth Sister! I don’t want to be here! Save me, Imperial Father! Save me, Imperial Father! Wu wu wu!”
Fu Yu glared at her and growled, “Cover her ears.”
The Sixth Princess hastily extended her hands and covered the Little Princess’ ears tightly.
Sounds continued to ring out from the palace. In the beginning, it was somewhat subdued before becoming utterly unrestrained, causing the few princesses to feel exceedingly awkward. Fortunately, the Little Princess returned to snoozing within the Sixth Princess’s embrace, seemingly tired from the huge cry after being frightened. The tear stains which now marred her little sister’s face caused the Sixth Princess to feel sorry and angry for her, as well as forming an even worse impression of the man who was at fault for all this misery.
“It’s really no use.” Yang Kai felt somewhat speechless as he looked at Zhu Qing lying on the bed.
He displayed the Dragon Transformation Secret Art once again. This time, however, there wasn’t any significant change, as his height still remained at 45 meters, with completely no increase at all.
Raising her snow white body, which was covered by the bedsheet, Zhu Qing frowned slightly as she replied: “I’ve already told you, so why don’t you believe me?”
Thinking about it now, it wasn’t a question of whether he believed her or not, but a result of the rise of his lecherous side that he wanted to go all the way with.
Dispelling the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Yang Kai chuckled: “We only tried a few times. If we do it a few more times, it might work…”
Right as he finished his sentence, he leapt back onto the bed.
“Stop messing around,” Zhu Qing reached out and pushed him away, shooting him a glare. “Dragons are lascivious by nature, the stronger your Source the more you would need to restrain yourself.”
During these few days of their intimate relations, Zhu Qing had always behaved submissively. However, now, she suddenly expressed her views solemnly, with a look of authority. Yang Kai could not help but look at her in bewilderment. It was as though she was a completely different person.
He could only bob his head and agree. “Alright, alright. I’ll control myself. Just that… If all those in the Dragon Clan are like this, how exactly do you live with it?”
Zhu Qing said, “Only the males of the Clan are like this. They also won’t act so presumptuously in front of the other Dragon Clan Members on Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai’s eyes widened. “Then what if they… need it?”
Zhu Qing had no desire to answer his question but knew that he could continue to pester her about it, so she could only frown and state. “They have their own ways.”
This statement inevitably made Yang Kai’s imagination run wild. Some funny scenes came to mind, and he could not help but chuckle. He was ready to meet Zhu Lie again and make fun of him.
Zhu Qing stared at him and reprimanded. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch me without my consent?”
Yang Kai made an innocent expression and asked. “But didn’t you give me your consent? I swore you did.”
“Just don’t do that next time!” Zhu Qing pinched Yang Kai’s arm to vent her frustration and then started to get dressed.
Yang Kai propped his head up on one hand and enjoyed looking at her, giggling.
“What are you staring at me for?” Zhu Qing became flushed.
“You are just too beautiful.” Sweet words started to spew from his mouth. “I can just stare at you for the rest of my life.”
“I wonder how many women you’ve said this to before?” Zhu Qing’s question carried a strong tinge of jealousy, she quickly organized her dress and blankly looked around before asking. “Where’s Ah Wang?”
“Guarding the door.” Yang Kai pointed at the door.
Zhu Qing just recalled that the black puppy had seemed to have been driven out by Yang Kai. She then recalled that several princesses were standing outside the door. Soon, her beautiful face lost all colour. It was clear that what they did was heard.
She did not know how she could possibly see people now…
She was so ashamed and annoyed that she reached out and grabbed Yang Kai’s ear. “Why are you not getting up yet!?”
Abiding her order, Yang Kai got up. He was completely naked. Although not stout, his body was quite well proportioned. He exuded an aura of masculinity. Facing the embarrassed Zhu Qing, he simply laughed and played dumb.
Zhu Qing gave him an angry look. Her eyes were wandering here and there. She was trying to look away from where she shouldn’t be looking. She picked up his clothes from the bed and started carefully dressing him.
It was the first time the dragon girl was doing this, so she was a little unfamiliar. Men’s clothes had always been a little different from women’s, and having never had the experience of serving others, and the fact that Yang Kai was standing right opposite to her, her hands and feet were tied.
After gasping through for a good while, she slowly got better and gradually dressed Yang Kai neatly.
She then grabbed Yang Kai’s hand again, leading him to the vanity mirror beside her and pushed Yang Kai down on the chair, sitting him down and cautiously grooming his hair.
Yang Kai was staring at the figure in the mirror with a smile hanging on his face. And seeing her serious and focused look, his pride skyrocketed.
…
Half a day later, the Human Sovereign came in a hurry. And when he arrived at the gate of the palace, he looked at his daughters standing outside in surprise, “Why are you standing outside?”
Fu Yu replied, pursing her lips, “He made us stay here.”
The Human Sovereign furrowed his brow. “Has it been like this these days?”
Fu Yu gently nodded.
The Human Sovereign heaved a sigh as a look of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but nothing else. He just reported aloud, “Sir, there has been some progress about the news you have been looking for.”
The door of the hall was pushed open as Yang Kai and Zhu Qing walked out in succession.
The princesses had varying expressions on their faces. Second Princess Fu Yu couldn’t hide the look of contempt in her eyes, especially when she looked at Zhu Qing. The Sixth Princess lowered her head; it was hard to see the expression on her face. The Eleventh Princess, on the other hand, was making seductive gestures, looking at Yang Kai with great interest, as if she was secretly expecting something. But the next moment, the princess turned pale and quietly slipped behind the Sixth Sister, shuddering.
Their reaction didn’t remain hidden from Yang Kai. He coldly snorted in his heart, noticing it. But he didn’t have time to care about that. He focused his gaze on the Human Sovereign and asked, “Tell me about it.”
The Human Sovereign replied, “About thirty minutes ago, there were signs of someone fighting at Eagle Beak Cliff. This Old Master immediately sent someone to investigate, but by the time he reached there, the battle was already over. He found a dozen or so dead Demon Race members, all of whose cultivation was quite extraordinary.”
“Did you find who did it?”
The Human Sovereign shook his head. “No, it’s just that all the Humans in the Revolving World live in Human Sovereign City. I’m afraid that no one apart from the two of you could remain outside. And more importantly, they don’t have the strength to kill a dozen or so Demon Race members. So, this Old Master thinks that the person you are looking for is probably near Eagle Beak Cliff.”
Yang Kai, after nodding and pondering for a moment, suggested, “If that’s the case, then let’s go and have a look.”
The Human Sovereign agreed, “The Old Master will immediately arrange someone to lead the way.”
“No need, I know the place. My wife and I will go and check it out on our own.” These past few days, Yang Kai had clearly memorized the layout of the Revolving World. So, he knew where Eagle Beak Cliff was when the Human Sovereign mentioned it.
“Sir and Madam, please be careful.”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile. “If everything goes well, we may directly leave this world. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Hearing this, the Human Sovereign happily smiled. He wished that Yang Kai would go away as soon as possible, lest his rule was shaken. Naturally, he was overjoyed after hearing this. He quickly suppressed his excitement and calmly stated, “Sir and Madam, please forgive this Old Master if this Old Master has not looked after you well.”
His face didn’t match his words. And Yang Kai was also too lazy to haggle with him. Just as he was about to call Zhu Qing to leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Fu Yu still staring at Zhu Qing with a look of contempt. Her face was filled with disdain. This immediately annoyed him a little.
Suddenly, an idea clicked Yang Kai as he stretched his hand out to Ah Wang and ordered, “Ah Wang, let’s go!”
“Woof!” The black puppy stood up and threateningly barked at Fu Yu before slowly making its way to Yang Kai.
“What!? What did you say?” Yang Kai stared at the black puppy with widened eyes.
“Woof!” The black puppy titled his head, wondering what the hell Yang Kai was up to.
“What!? That’s impossible. You bastard, how can you even think like that? That’s simply outrageous.”
The black puppy was completely dumbstruck. It stupidly stood in his spot, completely confused.
Yang Kai continued, ignoring it, “One should have a sense of propriety. As a dog, you should know your limit. You shouldn’t think about what you shouldn’t, you just shouldn’t, understand!? Thankfully this Young Master is here, otherwise, you would have been beaten and eaten by him.” While he was speaking, he leisurely glanced at the Human Sovereign.
Everyone was left confused and disoriented by him. The princesses were even more confused. Fu Yu slightly frowned. Instinctively, she felt something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t think what was wrong?
But the Human Sovereign was smart and shrewd. He immediately snickered and asked, “Sir, I wonder what your pet wants to do? If you don’t mind, can you tell this Old Master. If this Old Master can satisfy it, this Old Master will definitely fulfill it.”
Yang Kai replied with a chuckle, “It’s nothing. It just made an interesting request. You don’t need to care about it.”
The Human Sovereign criticized in his heart but still asked, “If it’s interesting, why not tell us? There is no harm telling us.”
Yang Kai pointed at Fu Yu. “This Bastard has actually come to take a liking to the Second Princess. It has hit it off with the Second Princess and actually wants to take her with it. Don’t you find it funny?”
The smile on the Human Sovereign’s face immediately froze. He really didn’t know how he should answer as a drop of cold sweat trickled down the corner of his forehead.
Blood immediately drained from Fu Yu’s pretty face as she cried in horror, “Impossible!”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold as he asked, “Why is it impossible?”
Fu Yu replied, panicked, “How…how can it like me? You are clearly talking through your hat.”
Yang Kai added with a snort, “When it’s impossible for me to like you, but you have still taken a liking to me. I can’t do anything, can I? Probably, after having been looking at you for a long while, it has been attracted to you. If you don’t believe me, you can ask yourself.”
“How…how can I ask?” Fu Yu was completely dumbfounded. She really couldn’t ask the black puppy this question. Although she was sure that Yang Kai was taking revenge on her, the current situation was more complex than she realized. She might really be carried off and be reduced into a beast’s plaything.
She would rather die than be subjected to this. How could she even agree to it?
“Imperial Father!” She hurriedly looked at the Human Sovereign, trying to ask for his help. But what entered her eyes next caused her words to be stuck in her throat. Because she noticed a tight frown on her Imperial Father’s face. He appeared to be in deep thought as if he was considering whether to agree to this or not.
In an instant, all her hopes shattered to pieces. She lost all her strength.
[Imperial Father is really considering giving me to that beast!]
[That’s right, the Imperial Father is very afraid of these debauchers. If he can send them away without any accident, not to mention one daughter, he will gift all his daughters without even a frown.]
[Since ancient times, the Imperial Family has been devoid of any familial love. Who knows what I was expecting?]
The Human Sovereign’s lips parted. But before he could speak anything, Yang Kai chuckled. “Second Princess, don’t worry. Even though Ah Wang likes you, I can’t take you with us. Second Princess will be staying in Human Sovereign City, being a good princess.”
Fu Yu didn’t utter a word. She just glared at him with extreme hatred. It looked like she could not wait to eat his flesh and drink his blood.
“By the looks of it, it seems the Second Princess would like to come with me! If that’s the case, you can tell me. It’s not like this Young Master can’t consider it.” Yang Kai raised the corner of his lips.
Fu Yu hurriedly lowered her head. She didn’t dare to take another look at him, lest he started making things difficult for her again.
“Hmph!” The Human Sovereign coldly snorted. At this moment, how could he not realize that Yang Kai was deliberately making things difficult for her? [Presumably, Fu Yu had looked at the dragon girl with a wrongful gaze.] He looked at Fu Yu and ordered, “Why are you still not thanking Sir!?”
How could Fu Yu dare to disobey him? Left with no choice, she stepped forward and elegantly bowed, thanking Yang Kai in a low voice. “Thank you, Sir!”
Her arrogance had been completely worn out.