Sweeping their Divine Sense across their surroundings and finding no hidden traps, Spirit Arrays, or Masters waiting to ambush them, the Emperors finally felt a sense of relief wash over them. However, the way the girl stood with her back to them annoyed them greatly. They felt as if they were being looked down upon and the thought left them feeling very uneasy.
A red-faced old man sighed, “Little girl, why did you go and provoke Wind and Cloud Pavilion? You brought this upon yourself. Although I don’t condone bullying the weak, the reward is too generous to pass up. It is impossible not to be swayed by such benefits. Heed my advice, you should surrender without a fight; otherwise, you might get hurt if a fight breaks out. That won’t be good for you.”
His tone was as earnest as could be; however, his eyes were shifting about suspiciously as he spoke. He was clearly up to no good. The rest of the group were silent, but even so, each of them was secretly circulating their Emperor Qi, preparing for a fight at a moment’s notice.
The old man continued, “Little girl, you don’t have a chance of winning. As you know, resistance will only cause you more harm than good. It’s not easy for somebody as young as you to reach this realm! Unfortunately, you don’t know how to hide your claws! I’m willing to be a peacemaker and accompany you to Wind and Cloud Pavilion to apologize and resolve this grievance. What do you think?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the girl chuckled, “If you weren’t trying to covertly use a Secret Technique on me, I might have actually believed you’re not a bad man. It’s a pity that your methods are too crude. What my Master said was right; the people outside are cunning and dishonest. It really is hateful.”
After saying that, she suddenly lifted a finger into the air and swiped horizontally. Her actions were accompanied by a soft tearing sound as if something was being cut open. A cloud of brilliance burst out in the air and in response, that red-faced old man shuddered. His complexion paled greatly, obviously suffering from the backlash of his Secret Technique being forcefully broken.
Therefore, he was both shocked and horrified. He did not expect a petite little girl to be able to break his Secret Technique with such ease. Gaining a deeper understanding of her strength, he instantly became fearful of her.
At the same time, a figure appeared without any warning about ten metres away from the girl. That person had secretly hidden next to the girl at some point in time. Before this moment, not a single trace of their presence had been revealed and they took advantage of the moment she broke the Secret Technique to attack. It was the moment when her guard was at its lowest and his timing could not be more perfect. Enveloped in powerful Emperor Qi, this man raised his hand and threw a large net-like artifact over her. The large net sparkled in a brilliant multi-coloured glow and one could tell that it was a high-grade Emperor Rank Artifact at a glance, one specifically meant for capturing people.
The large net opened so widely that it seemed as though it could encase the entire world in it, enclosing the space around the girl firmly and securely. Then, the person who launched the surprise attack laughed heartily, “Hahahaha! Let’s see where you can escape now!”
The girl’s strength was exceptional, but she obviously had little combat experience. When this change occurred, she frowned and tried to retreat. Unexpectedly, the large net followed her closely like maggots on rotting bones and she couldn’t get away from it no matter what she did. Furthermore, the large net was shrinking rapidly to capture her within it.
She would not be able to escape if she were to be caught by this Emperor Artifact, regardless of how powerful she was. After all, there were many Emperor Realm Masters gathered here and if they all attacked at once, she would surely be overwhelmed by their numbers.
The moment she turned around though, Yang Kai stared at her in a daze. He stared blankly at the somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar face but could not associate her with the person he knew in any way.
[Is this her? Or, not?] He wasn’t certain anymore.
At that moment, the Emperor Realm Master that threw the net formed a series of hand seals and shouted, “Seal!”
In response, the large net shrank abruptly and completely encased the girl inside it. A panicked expression surfaced on her face, and although she wanted to escape, the space surrounding her had been sealed inside the net. Then, a trace of determination flashed through her beautiful eyes.
At that moment, a strange force suddenly enveloped her, and by the time the large net fully closed around her, they discovered that she had escaped through some unfathomable means. The owner of the large net was astonished and looked bewildered and incapable of comprehending what had just happened.
“Master said that if a person hits me once, I should hit them back twice. If you can take two hits from me and survive, I will let you go.” The girl seemed a little angry after being ambushed just now and her beautiful face furrowed in rage. Still, a beauty would always be a beauty and even her angry face was gorgeous.
As she spoke, her tender body shifted slightly and she lunged towards that person with a pair of small fists that were glowing with a bright light. Then, she threw a punch at him from more than ten metres away.
That person was still wondering why his Emperor Artifact had failed to capture the girl; however, he immediately became furious when he heard what she said, “Those are some cocky words, little girl! You’re far too arrogant! I don’t know who your Master is, but he must not be that great of a person to raise a disciple like you. Two hits? Even if it’s a hundred…”
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that something was wrong. When the girl threw her punch, the entire world seemed to freeze in that moment. He himself had the illusion that a vast mountain was pressing down on him and he physically felt a huge weight on his chest, making it hard to even breathe. Moreover, all the blood in his body felt like it had frozen in his veins.
*Hong…*
A loud sound rang out, followed by the sound of bones breaking as that Emperor Realm Master flew backwards and smashed into the ground like a meteor. He even coughed up blood mid-air as his complexion became bloodless in an instant.
*Pa…*
He crashed into the ground, creating a huge crater, and at the same time, cracks spread out in all directions like the world itself was breaking apart.
The sound of many shocked gasps could be heard; everyone widened their eyes in surprise as they stared at the delicate and weak-looking girl in a daze. None of them had expected such an ordinary-looking punch to carry such power. The visual impact gave them an incredibly unreal feeling, so much so that they couldn’t help wondering if they were dreaming.
Even Yang Kai was dumbfounded. He was fairly certain at this point that this girl was not the person he knew as, although she was a First-Order Emperor, the strength she unleashed was horrifying. Contrarily, the person he knew would not be able to achieve this level of strength.
“Take my second fist!” The girl flew up above the crater and threw another punch downward as she shouted.
This time around, everybody was mentally prepared and stared fixedly at this attack, all of them becoming aware that this was no simple punch. There were no traces of any kind of Secret Technique being used, but even so, this small fist caused the crater to expand by more than ten times. The Earth trembled from the force of her blow while the First-Order Emperor Realm Master that had crashed into the pit uttered a muffled groan before he stopped moving.
Many Divine Senses swept over and following that, their expressions were filled with shock. That man was dead! He actually died! He was killed in two punches by a delicate-looking little girl!
Inside the crater, that man had died a terrible death, to the point where his remains barely even looked human anymore.
“W-W-Who is your Master?!” The red-faced old man asked in surprise. Even an idiot could tell that something was amiss by now. The girl’s strength was too shocking, not something an ordinary person could achieve. The Disciple was already so strong, so surely the Master would be even more powerful than her. It was very likely that she had some kind of supreme existence backing her.
After thinking about it from this perspective, everybody looked at the girl again and seemed to see a giant illusory shadow standing behind her.
At that moment, all of them felt rather distressed. They were afraid that they might have provoked an existence that they should not have and that there was a reason why she dared to kill the Young Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Although Wind and Cloud Pavilion was fairly influential, several great forces in the Western Territory could rival it in strength. Not to mention there was still the elusive Shadow Killer Palace standing above them all.
“Why do you care about who my Master is? You secretly tried to trick me just now! I’m going to hit you twice too!” After getting rid of her first opponent, the little girl fixed her gaze on the red-faced old man and raised her small fists.
The old man was extremely shocked in response. He might have been strong, but he wouldn’t dare to claim he was stronger than the man just now. If that man failed to receive two blows from this girl, then he wouldn’t be able to survive them either.
From an uninvolved party’s perspective, the girl’s slightly reddened fists looked quite attractive; however, in the old man’s eyes, they looked like deadly weapons that were about to slaughter him. Panicking, he shouted, “This girl is strong! We need to attack her together!”
“Little girl, you are beautiful indeed! Let me give you some love!” A furious roar rang out as a burly figure lunged towards the girl.
Everybody else felt astonished in response to that burly figure’s actions and thought to themselves. [Great! People who are not afraid of death really exist!]
They had learned their lesson after the spectacle from before and were planning to withdraw. Source Crystals were attractive, but one needed their life to be able to enjoy them. Even though the possibility of winning against the little girl was very high if all of them worked together to bring her down, they knew that everyone had their own reservations. Hence, it would only give the girl an opportunity to break through their ranks if they really attacked with such a fragile alliance. That would only result in more injuries and casualties on their side.
For somebody to rush forward at this time would undoubtedly cause some changes to the situation though. Therefore, everybody turned to watch how things would unfold. Upon seeing the person’s appearance and cultivation, however, many were shocked.
“Xiong Kai Shan!”
“It’s him!”
“This is great! With him taking the lead, we might have a chance of winning!”
One by one, the Emperor Realm Masters that were about to retreat stood their ground to watch the situation unfold.
On the other side, Xiong Kai Shan appeared in front of the girl, his Emperor Qi surging greatly as his fists that were as large as plates flew out. Every punch he threw could crush mountains and split seas. The air filled with afterimages of his punches at that moment, and thanks to his brawny figure, his attacks covered a wide range, making him look extremely fierce.
In the face of this violent storm of fists, the girl pursed her red lips and retaliated blow for blow without saying a word. Following several loud booming sounds, the pair exchanged hundreds of blows in a matter of breaths.
All of a sudden, Xiong Kai Shan pulled back from the fight, his expression filled with shock as both his arms trembled uncontrollably.
Everybody was dumbstruck by the sight. Xiong Kai Shan’s fists were covered in blood while on the contrary, the girl was safe and sound. Even though her enemy had retreated, she did not take advantage of the situation to pursue him further and just glared at the other party angrily.
“How is she this strong?!” Xiong Kai Shan lowered his head to look at his fists in disbelief; however, the reality was laid out before his eyes and did not allow any room for doubt. As a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, he actually lost to a little girl in a direct exchange of fists! That fact made him feel extremely humiliated and he roared to activate his Secret Technique. At that moment, the necklace of skulls hanging around his neck snapped and flew out. Those white skulls danced about in the air and transformed into gigantic skulls with gloomy ghost fires burning in their eye sockets as they slammed towards the girl.
The gigantic skulls danced through the air, shooting out a series of freezing cold Yin Qi blasts from their mouths. The Yin Qi seemed like it could freeze Emperor Qi and clearly presented a huge threat.
In the blink of an eye, the girl was surrounded so tightly that not even a fly could escape, and her figure disappeared behind the wall of skulls.
Xiong Kai Shan coldly snorted, “There are always youngsters that don’t know their own limits. Today, I will teach you what it means when they say there is always Heavens beyond Heavens, people beyond people!”
He continued to control his Secret Technique, amplifying the power of the flying skulls.
All of a sudden, an explosive sound rang out and Xiong Kai Shan’s expression changed drastically, displaying unprecedented shock. Lifting his head to look in the direction of the sound, he saw his skulls flying in all directions after being blown away by some huge force.
The girl’s figure was revealed again, standing there motionless like a God of War.
“Damn slut! How dare you destroy my Emperor Artifact?!” His eyes turned scarlet with rage. Those skulls were his biggest trump card, but at this moment, the light in one of the skulls’ sockets had completely dimmed. It was a little out of control and floated about unsteadily, clearly having lost most of its spirituality.
He had not expected that an Emperor Artifact he summoned would be blown away by a young girl’s physical strength alone.
Meanwhile, a pair of gloves had appeared on the girl’s fists. They were completely pitch-black and gave off an extremely ominous aura. Judging by the fluctuations emanating from her fists, this pair of gloves was also an extraordinarily powerful Emperor Artifact. It was by relying on the power of these gloves that she managed to blast away the skulls surrounding her.
Roaring intensely, Xiong Kai Shan once again controlled his skulls to slam into the girl while at the same time, he burst out, “Are the rest of you only here to watch the show?!”
After exchanging blows with this girl, he was no longer confident that he could win against her on his own; thus, he could only pin his hopes on the others. As long as everyone worked together, this girl would surely be overwhelmed by their numbers no matter how strong she was.
The red-faced old man immediately echoed those words, “What are you all waiting for?! If you don’t act now, when will you?!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he made his move, summoning an Emperor Artifact that looked like a wine gourd with a flip of his wrist. The wine gourd expanded rapidly as the old man aimed its opening in the direction of the girl. The next moment, a violent flame burst from.
The moment he made his move, the rest of the Emperor Realm Masters that had been spectating finally couldn’t hold themselves back anymore. They hurriedly summoned their respective Emperor Artifacts and attacked the girl. Subsequently, various Emperor Artifacts and Secret Techniques flew through the air, making for a chaotic and lively display.
The girl was truly quite strong; however, she could barely keep up with the endless stream of attacks from so many Emperors all at once. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do as she constantly avoided the attacks coming her way. Although she wanted to break through this encirclement, she kept missing her chances and in the end, she remained trapped in place.
It could be seen from this situation that her combat experience was severely lacking. Believing that she was strong enough to face all her pursuers, she had led them to this place, but how could she have known she would cause her own movements to be restrained instead? Even so, she was by no means weak and each time her fists were thrown out, an explosive force on par with any Emperor Artifact attack or Secret Technique was unleashed.
At this point, that pair of tender fists was practically an existence comparable to that of an Emperor Artifact. Besides, she remained standing even when facing more than ten Emperor Realm Masters and their Artifacts. That in itself was enough to demonstrate the depths of her strength. Up until today, the only ones that Yang Kai knew of who could achieve this level of physical strength was the Dragon Clan.
“Hey, Friend, why aren’t you attacking?” All of a sudden, somebody turned to look at Yang Kai curiously.
All the other Emperor Realm Masters present had already taken action, either by rushing forward to attack or using their Artifacts and Secret Techniques. Yang Kai was the only one who stayed still, making him stand out from the crowd.
Yang Kai lightly waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry. I’m about to take action.”
Saying so, he lifted his hand and palmed towards that man.
“You…” That person was shocked as he never expected Yang Kai to attack him without any warning. He had never offended this young man or even met him before today, so what reason did he have for targeting him?
Suppressing his suspicions and shock, the man hurriedly circulated his Emperor Qi to protect himself. At the same time, he retreated quickly to create some distance between him and Yang Kai. Unfortunately, that was a pointless effort as he could not get away from the power coming from Yang Kai’s palm no matter how far he retreated.
The Emperor Qi that man used to protect himself was shattered in an instant, causing him to spurt a mouthful of blood while his aura weakened considerably.
Yang Kai did not relent and pushed his palm down, knocking this man out on the spot.
The sudden turn of events took everyone by surprise, but the red-faced old man quickly shouted, “This guy is with that bitch!”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “Think whatever you want.”
The reason why he followed along was just to see if that girl was somebody he knew. He was pretty certain by now that he had gotten the wrong person, but even so, he did not wish to stand by and do nothing in this matter. These people were obviously nothing good and needed to be taught a lesson.
While shouting, the red-faced old man waved his hand and the huge wine gourd immediately flew back to him. He then aimed the wine gourd at Yang Kai and the surrounding World Energy instantly became disordered. Just as the wine gourd was about to spew out flames, the red-faced old man’s vision blurred for a moment and a person suddenly appeared less than a hand’s length away from his face.
“Ah…” The old man exclaimed in shock as his eyes focused and he realized that the young man he had been targeting was now standing in front of him somehow. [What kind of Divine Ability is that?! I didn’t even see him move!]
Looking flustered, the red-faced old man bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a kind of blood arrow. Simultaneously, a cold smile appeared on his face.
He had complete confidence in his attack, but to his shock, the blood arrow missed, as if it was being guided by an invisible force to slip past the side of the young man’s face.
“How?!” The old man exclaimed. With just a hand’s length between them, even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would have been hit by his sneak attack, so how did he miss?
“Old man, you’re quite the crafty one!” Yang Kai nodded in approval before he lifted his hand and casually patted his opponent’s chest.
The old man was so scared that his Soul nearly left his body in fright; however, he quickly discovered that he was perfectly fine. Just as he was secretly rejoicing over that fact, a powerful force burst out from his chest and his entire body flew out as if he had been struck by lightning. Nobody could tell if he had survived the attack. Meanwhile, his Emperor Artifact, the wine gourd, shrank back into its original size with nobody controlling it and fell to the ground.
Yang Kai easily dispatched two Emperor Realm Masters in less than three breaths.
His horrifying combat ability terrified the others present. They initially thought that the little girl was enough of a monster, but they did not expect another more terrifying individual to pop up out of nowhere.
How could anyone still have the confidence to fight after this? Their expressions changed considerably before they scattered in all directions, trying to escape from this place. Only Xiong Kai Shan was left fighting that girl. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to escape either, but rather that he couldn’t as no one would cooperate with him to create an opening he could use to escape.
“It’s so rare for me to play the hero. What would become of my reputation if I let you all escape?” Yang Kai shook his head slightly as he stood in place; however, Space Principles flared from his body as he spoke, turning a thousand-metre radius around himself into a sealed space.
All the Emperor Realm Masters that had rushed to the edge of this cage were blocked by an invisible barrier, all of them falling into confusion as they did.
“Hm?” An exclamation of surprise rang out as the little girl, who had been suppressing Xiong Kai Shan’s continuous and fierce attacks, raised her head suddenly and glanced over at Yang Kai. She tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression, seemingly feeling like this person’s voice sounded quite familiar. Furthermore, that figure also looked very familiar from behind. Then, a person sprang to mind and she opened her mouth to call out suspiciously, “Uncle Yang?”
Yang Kai was shocked to hear the way she addressed him, but that thought he had given up upon was suddenly rekindled with hope again. Turning to look at the girl, who was looking at him in surprise, he uttered in equal astonishment, “Yun’er?”
“It’s me! Uncle Yang! It’s Yun’er!” Lin Yun’er shouted excitedly. The excitement that overflowed from her was beyond words. It might be because she was meeting an old acquaintance again in a faraway land, but she was so excited that her eyes misted over with emotion.
“It really is you!” Yang Kai wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead as he swept his gaze over her, “I almost couldn’t recognize you.”
Although he had confirmation now, Yang Kai still couldn’t believe that this girl was really Lin Yun’er. Many years had passed after all and back when he had accepted her into High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star, she had only been a child of around five or six years. Lin Yun’er had left Heng Luo Star Field for the Star Boundary together with Yang Yan even before Yang Kai, and many years had passed since then with him never hearing any news about her at all.
In a blink of an eye, the little girl from back then had grown into a fine young woman. If that was all, Yang Kai would not have had so much trouble recognizing her. Even though they say a girl experiences eighteen different changes as she becomes a woman, there were still some traces of the past in her face. In fact, there were many similarities between the current Lin Yun’er and the little girl from back then.
What made Yang Kai doubt himself was her current cultivation. She was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master! That wasn’t all, she could also fight above her realm with ease. Therefore, cultivators in the same realm as her were nothing to her. If not for that, he would not have had any trouble recognizing her.
When Yang Yan took her away with her back then, Lin Yun’er had been very young and her cultivation had been very weak. Even if she was brought to the Star Boundary where she would have plenty of opportunities to grow, it shouldn’t have been to such an exaggerated extent, right? After all, Yang Kai himself was only a First-Order Emperor Realm Master at the moment.
[Her strength is almost equal to mine! What is going on?] Still, no matter how shocked Yang Kai was, the fact that this girl was Lin Yun’er was indisputable. The best proof was the way she addressed him as ‘Uncle Yang’. That was how the little girl had always called him in High Heaven Sect back on Shadowed Star.
During their conversation, Yang Kai unconsciously stopped using his Space Principles to isolate this space, allowing the Emperor Realm Masters that had been trapped by him to regain their freedom. Hence, they quickly used their Movement Skills to escape and ran away into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Turning to glance in their direction, Yang Kai frowned slightly and raised his hand to send out a dozen Moon Blades. Several shrill screams rang out in the distance as Space was torn apart. Some had been hit by those attacks, but more than half of them managed to escape.
Meanwhile, Xiong Kai Shan wanted nothing more than to escape right now. Fighting with Lin Yun’er had given him a sense of imminent death as he realized how terrifying the little girl was. Taking advantage of her distraction, he hurriedly recalled his skulls and his figure flickered for a moment as he hid in one of them to escape.
At that moment, Lin Yun’er snapped back to her senses and after wiping the corners of her eyes quickly, she shouted, “Uncle Yang, I’ll be back to talk to you again once I finish dealing with this guy.”
“Do you need any help?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
“Nope!” The girl politely refused with a confident expression. As soon as the words rolled off her tongue, she punched at the floating skull Xiong Kai Shan was hiding in, sending out a raging force that caused the surrounding space to be compressed into a layer of irregular fluctuations. Its power was absolutely terrifying.
Although Xiong Kai Shan was fast, he was not as fast as her punch, and with a loud explosive sound, the skull took the blow and nearly fell from the sky. A crack appeared in the bone as a muffled groan came from the inside.
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened with interest and he secretly thought to himself, [She must have received many opportunities since coming to Star Boundary for her to unleash such power even though she is only a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. I wonder how Yang Yan dug out her potential to such an extent.]
Thinking about Yang Yan, Yang Kai’s heart swayed again. He had been looking for her whereabouts for several years now, but he had not gotten any leads. He only had a vague guess that she was involved with some great force known as the Star Court. Since he had coincidentally run into Lin Yun’er here, he might be able to get some clues about Yang Yan’s whereabouts from her.
As long as he could locate Yang Yan, he would be able to find a way to return to Heng Luo Star Field and bring his relatives and friends here. The time he had spent in the Star Boundary was not short, and during that time he had built a foundation here for himself. The expansive High Heaven Palace was enough for those on Shadowed Star to obtain a better environment and resources for cultivation.
“Little girl, you should show some restraint! We might run into each other again in the future, so it’s best if you do not forge unresolvable enmities. Why do you have to be so aggressive?!” Xiong Kai Shan’s flustered voice called out. During that brief period where Yang Kai’s thoughts had wandered all over the place, Xiong Kai Shan had been badly beaten up by Lin Yun’er.
The gigantic skull he was hiding in had countless cracks in it; moreover, the ghost fire in its eye sockets had gone dim, looking like it was on the brink of being extinguished. Understanding his enemy’s strength, he knew that he was no match for her and thus wanted to bury the hatchet and make amends.
It was a pity that Lin Yun’er did not act as he hoped. It was a mystery where she had cultivated all these years, and her mentality remained relatively simple and naïve, but she had a stubbornness in her that was not to be underestimated. She completely turned a deaf ear to whatever Xiong Kai Shan said and continued to punch the skull continuously.
After dozens of punches, the skull exploded into dust with a loud bang, forcing Xiong Kai Shan out in a pathetic state, blood trickling out from a corner of his mouth. It was apparent that he had suffered serious injuries.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai felt cold sweat pouring profusely down his face as he watched the entire scene. Lin Yun’er had destroyed an Emperor Artifact with brute strength alone, an extraordinary feat. Right now, this monstrous young woman was completely different from the little girl in his memories that never grew up.
Now that the skull had been destroyed, Xiong Kai Shan’s shame turned into rage, which fed his courage as he gritted his teeth and snarled, “If you won’t let me off, then you won’t get off easy either!”
Gesturing with both hands, the remaining intact skulls suddenly began to dance in the air. Then, they burst into flame all at once and exuded a freezing aura that shot towards Lin Yun’er in unison.
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he could vaguely sense that these flames were difficult to deal with. The consequences would be terrible if one were to touch such flames carelessly.
Just as he was about to call out a warning to Lin Yun’er, he saw that she was neither surprised nor afraid as she charged forward without avoiding the flames. Subsequently, her body was enveloped in the gloomy flames and she disappeared.
“Hahahahaha!” Xiong Kai Shan laughed loudly, “What a foolish girl! Did you think my Dark Ghost Fire could be dealt with so easily?! Let’s see how you di… gah!” His laughter ended abruptly as he widened his eyes in shock, looking as if an invisible hand was strangling him. His eyes were filled with both amazement and terror.
A graceful figure confidently walked out of the so-called Dark Ghost Fire, the cold flames coiling around her body rapidly, but unable to harm her at all.
At this moment, her entire body was exuding a dazzling light. That light seemed to have a strange power that was preventing the Dark Ghost Fire from harming her, allowing her to remain safe.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes in astonishment as he could tell that the light was not the effect of a defensive Emperor Artifact. Rather, it came from some unknown Secret Technique that she was using, but what kind of Secret Technique had such powerful defensive abilities?
“Master said that I must kill anyone that tries to kill me!” She said lightly with a serious expression. It was as if the words of her Master were the only truth she had to follow. After making this declaration, she shot forward towards Xiong Kai Shan.
In response, Xiong Kai Shan gasped. His strongest Divine Ability had been defeated so easily, so how could he still have the confidence to fight? Seeing the girl rushing toward him so fiercely, he bit the tip of his tongue, burned his Blood Essence, and turned tail to flee.
He only managed to take several steps before he suddenly noticed that the space around him had become extremely viscous, however, making it difficult for him to even lift his foot off the ground.
“You…” He turned to look at Yang Kai with an expression of grief and rage, glaring at him as he shed tears of blood. He was certain that Yang Kai had done something to cut off his only hope of escape.
“Have a safe journey!” Yang Kai smiled and waved at Xiong Kai Shan like an old friend saying goodbye.
All Xiong Kai Shan could feel was the vitality in his chest lurching uncomfortably before he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
In the next moment, Lin Yun’er slammed into his back and delivered two blows with her fist. Blood spread across the sky like a rose in full bloom while flesh and blood rained down on the ground. However, the girl remained clean and unsullied like a white lotus growing out of the mud.
Immediately afterwards, she withdrew her aura while the gloves on her hand simultaneously vanished without a trace. Then, she threw herself into Yang Kai’s arms at lightning speed and sweetly called out, “Uncle Yang!”
The change was too sudden, catching Yang Kai off guard. Thus, he staggered backward slightly before he could stabilize himself.
The scent of a young woman’s body lingered in his nose as her hair exuded an intoxicating fragrance. Moreover, the fullness and amazing elasticity of her chest which pressed against his instantly made him feel embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er buried her head in his chest and took several deep sniffs before lifting her head, an intoxicated expression on her face as she squinted and murmured to herself, “This is the familiar scent that I even smelt in my dreams.”
Looking at the girl’s sincere expression and listening to her heartfelt voice, Yang Kai felt a warmth spreading in his heart as he lifted his hand and patted her head with a smile, “Yun’er has grown up.”
She laughed softly, revealing a set of pure white teeth. Subsequently, she pulled away from him slightly, looked him up and down, and nodded repeatedly, “Uncle Yang, you haven’t changed much. I hope everyone else hasn’t changed like you, or else I might not be able to recognize them anymore.” After saying that, she hugged him again as if she never wanted to let him go again.
“This isn’t the place to talk. We can chat while we walk,” he suggested.
“Just a little longer,” she remained motionless, acting as if she was trying to burn this familiar scent and touch deep into her memory.
She didn’t want to move, and he didn’t want to force her. Thus, Yang Kai could only stand there motionlessly. A moment later though, he frowned as he could feel a wet and warm sensation around his chest. Looking down, he saw the girl’s eyelashes trembling slightly, and the corners of her eyes were wet.
“What is there to cry about?” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter.
“I missed you!” Lin Yun’er’s voice was full of grievances, “I miss Aunt Yang Yan, Aunt Huang, Aunt Ye, and you! I miss all of you! But, I couldn’t meet you all, I didn’t even know where you all were, and I couldn’t find any of you.”
Yang Kai felt a bit emotional when he heard the grief in her voice. Although Lin Yun’er now wielded astonishing power, she was still very young so it was normal for her to be sentimental and emotional. Besides, she had been taken away when she was even younger, so now that she finally met somebody from her homeland, all the repressed emotions in her heart immediately poured out without stopping.
Yang Kai lifted his hand to pat her back, enjoying this rare moment of warmth with her.
*Gululu…*
A strange noise broke through the silence, and Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he realized what that sound was and he laughed out loud.
On the other hand, Lin Yun’er lowered her head, blushing from her neck all the way up to her cheeks and ears.
“Hungry?” Yang Kai asked, lowering his head to look at her.
She nodded almost imperceptibly. Logically speaking, it shouldn’t matter even if she did not eat for years since she was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Once one reached such a cultivation, they neither needed to eat nor drink as absorbing World Energy would be enough to sustain their body. How could Lin Yun’er possibly be hungry then? When an Emperor Realm Master ate, it was more about satisfying cravings rather than for cultivation purposes. Therefore, it had been a long time since Yang Kai experienced what it felt like to be hungry.
Without asking too much, he sent his Divine Sense into the Sealed World Bead and searched. Although he had no delicious food on hand, he had many other things like spirit fruits. There were all sorts of strange and exotic plants in his medicine garden, so finding some fruits was a simple matter. Furthermore, these fruits were not ordinary spirit fruits; they were all extremely high-grade items.
With a flip of his hand, three red fruits about the size of a baby’s fist appeared in his hand, “Do you want this?”
“You’re the best, Uncle Yang!” The girl’s spirits lifted and she instantly forgot about her shame. She quickly took the fruits from him and bit into them, narrowing her eyes in satisfaction.
She seemed to eat slowly; however, she was done almost immediately. It just seemed slower because she did not lose her elegance. She still had tears in the corners of her eyes but she also had a smile on her face, the combination making her look rather heartless.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai proposed.
“Wait a moment,” after saying that, Lin Yun’er flickered and disappeared not too far away.
A heavily injured Emperor Realm Master was lying on the ground over there, one of the people that had been injured by Yang Kai’s attack early.
Yang Kai was curious as to what this little girl wanted to do, but a moment later, he saw her eating the spirit fruit while throwing a punch at that person. That punch of hers blasted that half-dead person until not even his bones were left, causing Yang Kai’s brow to twitch slightly.
Afterwards, Lin Yun’er turned around, went up to another disabled Emperor Realm Master, and repeated the same process, showing no hesitation nor doubt during the entire process. It was as if she was not killing two Emperor Realm Masters but two insignificant insects.
[On one hand, she is innocent and naïve, on the other, she kills without batting an eye.] The more Yang Kai saw, the more he realized that he no longer understood this little girl.
“Master said that when it comes to problems, one must cut weeds and pull out roots or else they will return again one day,” Lin Yun’er explained.
Yang Kai felt cold sweat dripping down his back in response. [I wonder who this Master of hers is, I can’t believe they are so cold and cruel! Just who did Yang Yan entrust Lin Yun’er to when she first brought her to the Star Boundary?]
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er took the initiative to hold Yang Kai’s hand and flew off in a certain direction, chattering away happily the entire time. Along their journey, he mostly listened to what she said. He wanted to ask about her situation over the years but couldn’t bring himself to interrupt her cheerfulness.
Soon, he noticed something strange. She was a glutton! The three spirit fruits he gave her were Emperor Grade, and even if an Emperor Realm Master ate them, it would take them some time to finish digesting the energy completely. However, those three fruits were no different from a mere snack to this girl.
After eating the spirit fruits, she proceeded to take out big pieces of dried meat from her Space Ring. These pieces of meat looked like they were cooked from High-Order Monster Beast meat and contained explosive power in them.
“Is it okay for you to eat that much?” Yang Kai couldn’t help asking.
To which Lin Yun’er answered matter-of-factly, “Master said that one can only cultivate or fight when their stomach is full.”
[What kind of logic is that?] Yang Kai was becoming more and more curious as to who her Master was.
One day later, the two of them arrived in another city. This city was no worse than Star Point City with lots of people jostling against each other like a school of fish.
In view of Lin Yun’er’s behaviour along the way, Yang Kai brought her to one of the largest restaurants, arranged for a private room, called the shop-hand over, and ordered a table full of sumptuous dishes.
These delicacies were not ordinary food, each one cooked with spirit herbs and Monster Beast meat. Even if a Master ate this food, it would be of great benefit to their cultivation.
Lin Yun’er’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the food and she wolfed down everything in a flash, making short work of the dishes like a gust of wind. The eyes of the shop-hand serving the dishes nearly popped out in surprise at the sight as it was hard to imagine that such a stunning beauty could actually eat so much.
When she finally had her fill, Yang Kai asked, “Yun’er, where is your Aunt Yang Yan?”
Lin Yun’er leaned back against the chair, rubbing her belly with one hand. After eating so much food though, her stomach remained flat as usual, with no signs of bloating whatsoever. At first, her expression was comfortable and contented; however, she pouted upon hearing his question and answered aggrievedly, “I don’t know…”
“You don’t know?” Yang Kai was surprised, “Didn’t she take you away with her back then?”
Nodding, Lin Yun’er continued, “En, she brought me here and entrusted me to Master. After that, I never saw her again, and she never came to see me either.” The little girl looked like she was about to cry. Her deep-seated sorrow was very apparent. While speaking, she grabbed a drumstick from the table and gnawed on it as if to turn her grief and anger into appetite…
Yang Kai wiped at the cold sweat on his forehead and continued to ask, “What about your Master? Who is your Master?”
Without even lifting her head, she answered, “Master is Master.”
He said, “He must have a name, right?”
Lin Yun’er tilted her head and stared at him blankly, but after a while, she gave a silly chuckle and said, “I don’t know… I have always called Master, ‘Master’.”
[It’s over. This little girl isn’t just naïve, she is also an air-head.] Yang Kai couldn’t help worrying about her future. How could she hold her own in Star Boundary with this kind of personality? No wonder she provoked that Wind and Cloud Pavilion and was chased by them all over. It was a wonder how she managed to grow up safely over all these years.
But then again, since Yang Yan entrusted Lin Yun’er to whoever her Master was, that person must be extremely reliable. Besides, it could be seen from Lin Yun’er’s current growth that her Master was an extremely powerful cultivator who could shake the world by stomping his foot. It was a pity that she knew nothing about her Master’s identity, making it impossible for Yang Kai to obtain any clues from her even if he wanted to inquire about it.
He recalled that Lin Yun’er’s physique was rather special. Back then, Yang Yan mentioned that Lin Yun’er had a Special Constitution called the Tyrant Strength Body. The reason she had taken Lin Yun’er away was that she supposedly had a friend whose Secret Art and techniques were extremely suitable for Lin Yun’er to learn.
Now, it seemed that Yang Yan’s decision was right. Although the little girl had been separated from her relatives for many years, the growth she experienced was considerable indeed. If she had stayed on Shadowed Star back then, she would never have the achievements she had at this moment.
“Can you bring me to your Master?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
“Why do you want to look for Master?” Lin Yun’er asked curiously, not even pausing her hands as he continued to eat, staring at him with widened eyes.
“I want to ask your Master about your Aunt Yang Yan’s whereabouts.”
“Oh,” She nodded lightly and continued, “If that’s the case, there’s no need to do so.”
“Why?” He asked frowningly.
“Because Master won’t tell me anything. I’ve asked him countless times over the years, but he always refused to answer.”
Yang Kai replied smiling, “He might have his reasons for not telling you; however, it might be different if I ask him myself. That’s why, I hope you can bring me to meet your Master.”
Lin Yun’er’s expression suddenly became a little unnatural as she laughed dryly and her eyes shifted about. She even seemed a little absent-minded while eating.
Hence, Yang Kai asked curiously, “Is it inconvenient for you?”
She hurriedly waved her hands dismissively, “No, no, no… It’s not inconvenient…” All of a sudden, she looked downcast and answered seriously, “Uncle Yang, I actually ran away…”
Yang Kai was shocked and asked, “Why did you run away? Where did you run away from? Did somebody restrict your freedom?”
She lowered her head, “Nobody is restricting my freedom. The one I escaped from was Master.”
Yang Kai was astonished beyond words, “Are you sure your Master is treating you well? Why did he restrict your freedom?”
“That’s not it,” she hurriedly denied, “Master treats me very well. He said that I am his successor, so he gives me the best of everything. He also gives me delicious food every day.”
Yang Kai was now genuinely confused, “If he treats you so well, why did you run away?”
She squirmed, “I just wanted to come outside to have a look. I’ve always stayed in one place, and have never gone out. Also, I… I miss Aunt Yang Yan, I wanted to come out and look for her.”
After listening to her explanation, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter. At the same time, he felt relieved. He had no idea who her Master was, but going by what she said, it seemed that that person truly treated her well.
Lin Yun’er laughed softly and continued, “It’s lucky I ran out though, otherwise I wouldn’t have met you, Uncle Yang!”
“En, good! But first, let’s discuss something.”
“En?”
“As you can see, I’m not that old, so stop calling me ‘Uncle’.”
Tilting her head to the side, she considered it before smiling heartlessly, “But, you are Yun’er’s Uncle Yang!”
“… Ha… fine.” Yang Kai shook his head helplessly. Then, he frowned abruptly and became pensive, “Your Master must be very powerful, right?”
To which Lin Yun’er excitedly replied, “Of course! Master is the strongest! There is nothing he cannot do in this world!”
Yang Kai then asked, “If he is so powerful, how did you escape from him?”
“I ran away while he wasn’t paying attention! What’s so difficult about that?”
The confidence in her reply rendered Yang Kai speechless, but just as he was about to ask something else, his expression changed drastically and he shouted, “Yun’er, stop eating that! It’s poisoned!”
He suddenly noticed that she had an unusual colour to her complexion, which was a tell-tale sign of poisoning.
[A poison that can even affect a First-Order Emperor Realm Master! It must be extremely potent!] Yang Kai blamed himself greatly for making this kind of mistake. Although he had casually checked the food when it was brought in, he did not notice anything abnormal about it. He did not expect the poison to be so well-concealed that it completely deceived his perception.
“Oh! It’s poisoned? No wonder it tasted funny.” Saying so, Lin Yun’er belched and then stared at the food in her hand… before she continued biting into it!
“You…” Yang Kai was utterly dumbfounded. She had been poisoned; moreover, she knew it! So why wasn’t she taking this seriously? Was there really something wrong with her head?
Just as Yang Kai was about to snatch away the food in Lin Yun’er’s hands, he noticed a strange phenomenon. The surface of her body had started to emit a viridian mist, and that mist contained a very powerful toxic substance.
[She can even do that?] Yang Kai nearly bit his own tongue in surprise. Lin Yun’er was clearly forcing out the toxic mist herself. In other words, the poison in the food had no effect on her. She obviously knew that too, which was why she recklessly continued to eat.
[Is the Tyrant Strength Body that strong? Or, is it the inheritance she received from her Master that is so amazing?] Yang Kai couldn’t figure out anything about this situation. Even so, he felt relieved and said, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, his figure flickered and disappeared. The next moment, he arrived at a place similar to a kitchen. It was very hot and there were many people dressed as cooks, preparing various dishes in this place.
Looking around, Yang Kai’s gaze immediately landed on a certain person. That person’s cultivation was not low, a First-Order Emperor Realm Master like Yang Kai. Moreover, he was fully wrapped in a black robe that concealed his face and he exuded an extremely dangerous aura.
“You…” That person was surprised to see Yang Kai appearing all of a sudden. Lifting his hand, a multi-coloured venomous snake struck out at Yang Kai without warning. The snake was fierce, opening its mouth wide to reveal fangs that glimmered with a strange light as it lunged.
“You court death!” Yang Kai swung his hand to release a Moon Blade which cut the body of the venomous snake in half. The snake dropped to the ground as a result.
Nevertheless, the black-robed person wasn’t flustered. Forming a set of hand seals, the two halves of the snake’s body suddenly exploded and transformed into a cloud of blood-red poisonous mist filling the surrounding areas.
Taking this opportunity, he retreated backwards and smashed through the wall to escape. A loud explosion sounded, and the kitchen wall collapsed. By the time the dust settled, the man was already several thousands of metres away.
“Did you think you had escaped?” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly sounded.
The black-robed man was shocked to hear this voice and upon looking up, he discovered that Yang Kai had appeared in his path and blocked his way without him noticing. In response, his black robe fluttered and poisonous animals of every kind subsequently rushed forward to attack, including snakes, frogs, and spiders among them. Each and every one of them was brightly coloured and it only took one glance to tell that they were all highly venomous. Furthermore, there were many of them; several hundred, which instantly attacked Yang Kai all at once.
“Exile!” Yang Kai shouted as he stretched out his hand in front of himself, causing space to warp and tear apart. Subsequently, all the poisonous animals were sucked into the collapsed space and exiled into the endless Void, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
“A Space Technique!” The black-robed man exclaimed. At first, he wanted to exchange a few blows with Yang Kai; however, he immediately dispelled his original idea upon seeing the power of Yang Kai’s Divine Ability. Pushing his Emperor Qi, with a flick of his robe, the man’s entire body suddenly became indiscernible, as if he had melted into the surrounding air around him.
It was obviously a profound escape method. When used, it made it hard for others to grasp his movements and the slightest bit of carelessness from them would allow him to escape without a trace.
“Why run? You should stay!” Yang Kai coldly snorted as Space Principles surged, enveloping the surrounding space. The man’s faded figure appeared again as a squeezing force from the surrounding space broke his Secret Technique in an instant and forced him to reveal himself.
At that moment, the black-robed man panicked. He had long heard that Masters proficient in the Dao of Space were not to be trifled with; however, he had not expected his opponent to be so strong. Although both their cultivations were in the First-Order Emperor Realm, Yang Kai seemed so much stronger that it was difficult to believe their realms were the same. Thus, the black-robed man no longer had the confidence to fight against Yang Kai.
Forcibly pushing his own power, he tried to escape the constraints of the Space Principles, but before he had a chance to succeed, a large hand reached out from the front and grabbed him by the neck. Then, a surge of power flooded into his meridians, scattering his strength. The black-robed man immediately lost all strength to resist and as a result was lifted up like a helpless chicken, unable to move a single muscle.
Yang Kai snorted and a burst of energy tore apart the headpiece covering the black-robed man’s head. Consequently, a scarred and pitted face that looked like it had been burned by boiling water was revealed. It was a horrifying and sickening appearance that made one shudder at the sight.
The struggle between the two might have been short, but it still created a commotion, attracting the attention of many local residents the moment their powers clashed. As soon as the black-robed man’s true appearance was revealed, bursts of exclamations rang out from the crowd.
“Poison Lord Bu Hong!”
“Why is he here?!”
“Damn! How could Wind and Cloud Pavilion let that monster out?!”
“Hurry up and run! This place is dangerous! We can’t stay here! Death and destruction always follow the Poison Lord’s appearance!”
“Why are you running? Don’t you see that Bu Hong has been restrained? Tsk. Tsk. Just who is that young man, I can’t believe how amazing he is!”
“Are you blind? How could the Poison Lord be captured so easily? That little brat is done for. No, no way. I have to leave quickly. If I don’t leave now, I might never get the chance to leave this place again!”
The crowd became quite noisy and many people rushed out of the city desperately, as if that black-robed man was a scourge and they would lose their lives if they fled even a little slower.
“It looks like you’re pretty famous,” Yang Kai pointed out, looking ahead coldly.
Bu Hong smiled deviously, “Little brat, you’re dead! My body is full of poisons. If you had not approached me, I might not have been a match for you, but you just had to recklessly try and capture me without fear of death!”
While Bu Hong was talking, a viridian aura flowed into Yang Kai’s hand and spread along his arm like a green snake climbing upward. It moved very swiftly and disappeared into the sleeves of his clothes in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai looked down and absent-mindedly said, “With this rubbish of a poison of yours?”
Bu Hong was clearly affronted, but just as he was about to retort with vicious words, he widened his eyes in astonishment as he stared at Yang Kai’s arm incredulously. Then, Yang Kai pulled up his sleeves as the green aura became stuck at his elbow, unable to advance any further.
A drop of cold sweat dripped from Bu Hong’s forehead as he uttered in shock, “How is that possible?! How did you resist my poison?!”
Yang Kai replied indifferently, “As long as one’s body is strong enough, it can protect itself against any kind of poison!”
“Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible!” Bu Hong’s eyes trembled violently, as if he had received a terrible shock. Even a Third-Order Emperor should be unable to resist his poisons! How could a mere First-Order Emperor Realm brat remain safe in front of him?
Even though Yang Kai had been poisoned, the poison was being blocked below his elbow. It couldn’t spread to the rest of his body. Therefore, Bu Hong simply couldn’t accept it. Just how strong does one’s body have to be to resist his poison?
Now that his biggest trump card had failed to produce results, he finally panicked for real. He could feel Yang Kai’s murderous intent and the increasing strength gripping around his neck and hurriedly said, “You might have a way to detoxify my poison, but what about the little girl? If you want her to live, you have to obediently release me! Perhaps, she might still have a chance of survival then.”
Yang Kai snorted in response, “You don’t need to worry about her! Have a safe journey to the afterlife!” As soon as the words left his mouth, he pushed Emperor Qi into his hand.
With a soft snap, Bu Hong’s neck was squeezed so hard that it exploded and his head flew up into the air. Bu Hong’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he retained a shocked expression on his face, as if he had yet to realize what was going on. Up until the moment of his death, he still could not understand why this young man was so unconcerned about the life and death of that little girl.
As the mutilated body fell from the air, Yang Kai reached out his hand and took Bu Hong’s Space Ring.
When the crowd of onlookers saw what happened and were so shocked by the situation that they were rendered completely speechless. Poison Lord Bu Hong was dead! Poison Lord Bu Hong, who caused disasters in the Western Territory for centuries and had left more than a dozen cities in ruins in his wake, had been killed so effortlessly! Moreover, he had died so miserably, crushed to death by a young man with one hand.
After a long period of silence, cheers suddenly rang out from the crowd below. Eyes filled with admiration and gratitude looked up at Yang Kai as if he had done something to be applauded.
It certainly was a good thing though. Poison Lord Bu Hong had used many cultivators in the Western Territory as his experimental subjects when concocting his poisons. On many occasions, he poisoned entire cities just to test out the effects of his new poison and concealed himself in the city to observe the results. Numerous cities had been wiped out by him and countless people had lost their lives. As such, the people in the Western Territory hated the very mention of the Poison Lord.
Although Bu Hong’s cultivation wasn’t high, the poisons he cultivated were unpredictable and difficult to deal with. Many Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters had died at his hands. Later, Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters had tried to hunt him down, but unfortunately, Bu Hong had taken shelter inside Wind and Cloud Pavilion. It had been a long time since he last showed up in public and he certainly never expected to meet his death just like that.
Ignoring the cheers coming from below, Yang Kai silently circulated his Secret Art to force out the poison in his arm. Bu Hong’s poison really was quite amazing and if it were Yang Kai from a few years ago, he probably would have succumbed to it as well.
However, ever since he started cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, drawing out the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source Strength, a trace of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline had been added to his physique, dramatically increasing his body’s resistance to poison.
The true members of the Dragon Clan had an incredible resistance towards all forms of negative conditions. A Master of the Dragon Clan was even more invincible and impervious to all sorts of poisons.
Although Yang Kai could not compare to the true members of the Dragon Clan, it was sufficient to resist Bu Hong’s poison.
A short while later, a drop of viridian poison was forced out of Yang Kai’s fingertip. The poison might be small in amount but it contained enough power to destroy an entire city. Pushing his Space Principles, Yang Kai exiled the poison to the Void.
Shifting his body slightly, he returned to the private room and saw a mess on the table. All the food had been polished off cleanly. Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er spread her palms open and was carefully licking her fingers clean, one by one.
Yang Kai sweated profusely. It must not have been easy to be this girl’s Master. Just how much would it cost to keep this bottomless glutton fed?
“Are you back, Uncle Yang?” She looked up at him and smiled so widely that her eyes squinted.
“Ah… en,” he nodded. Then, he pensively asked, “Were you planning to head towards Wind and Cloud Pavilion?”
“That’s right,” upon hearing his question, her pretty face sank and her expression turned frosty, “The people of Wind and Cloud Pavilion are too much! From what I heard from their Young Pavilion Master, it seems that he has imprisoned many innocent women and girls in his home. I want to rescue them.” After saying that, her expression changed drastically and she slammed her palms down on the table and stood up.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai asked in astonishment.
“I don’t know where the Wind and Cloud Pavilion is!” She looked at him with an aggrieved yet innocent expression.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched in response, “Then, how did you find your way before?”
She laughed in embarrassment, “I was just moving about randomly.”
Yang Kai suddenly felt a headache coming on but somehow pushed it aside and muttered, “Forget it. I’ll go with you.”
There was nothing urgent that Yang Kai needed to do at the moment. He originally wanted to search for Zu Qing and her brother, but it seemed as though the two of them had left this place a long time ago, so it was meaningless to continue chasing after them. Besides, he could meet them again when he returned to the Northern Territory; on the other hand, it was not easy for him to meet Lin Yun’er, so she naturally became the priority.
The little girl might be powerful, but there would always be people in this world that she could not afford to provoke. With her innocent and naïve personality, he did not know what trouble she might get herself into; therefore, it was better for him to just go along with her.
When Lin Yun’er heard those words, her eyes lit up, “Uncle Yang, you’re the best!” She rushed over and hugged his arm, squeezing herself up against him.
Feeling an amazing softness pressing against his arm, Yang Kai earnestly said, “Yun’er, you’re all grown up. You are a big girl now.”
She nodded repeatedly, “En, en.”
He continued, “Since you are a big girl now, there are some things that you can’t continue doing like before.”
“En, en!”
He opened his mouth again but swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue before sighing to himself. This little girl had been sheltered too much, never having been outside in all these years, so she had no clue about the differences between men and women nor how to act appropriately… She was too pure, so why should he be the one who leaves a black mark on her with worldly ideas?
Giving up on educating her, Yang Kai was about to say something else when he frowned slightly and scanned his surroundings warily, releasing his Divine Sense out like a rushing tide.
“What happened?” Lin Yun’er asked anxiously, noting his strange behaviour.
“Did you just feel something?” Yang Kai quickly asked.
“I did,” She nodded immediately.
“You felt it too?” He was looking around, straining his sense to the maximum. For some reason, he had felt a sudden trace of hostility directed at him for a moment; however, there was no trace of it now, so it made him wonder whether it had simply been an illusion.
“En, I feel very comfortable!”
Yang Kai was speechless while Lin Yun’er giggled in response, hugging his arm even tighter without any care.
Afterwards, the two of them left the restaurant and asked around for directions to Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Then, Yang Kai immediately summoned his Flowing Clouds Shuttle and led Lin Yun’er aboard before it took off like a stream of light into the distance.
The two of them had just left the restaurant when a strange figure appeared at the entrance of the restaurant. He appeared out of thin air, as if he had been standing there all this while. It was strange, but the people passing by seemed to be completely unaware of his presence.
That person was brawny with a dignified air about him. He was wearing a soap-coloured robe and had a thick stubble on his chin. All in all, it gave him a bold and unconstrained look. He was staring in the direction in which the Flowing Clouds Shuttle was leaving with a distressed expression. The bulging veins on his forehead twitched wildly, causing his entire facial expression to look fierce and hideous.
A long while later, he flinched slightly, placed one hand over his chest, and sighed heavily. After that sigh, he suddenly disappeared again. That movement startled the people nearby as they rubbed at their eyes and wondered if they had seen it wrongly.
……
Wind and Cloud Pavilion was considered one of the top Sects in the Western Territory, its status was equivalent to that of Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory. Moreover, the Old Pavilion Master Hua Xing was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. He was the anchor of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, as well as an influential figure across the entire Western Territory.
It was a large and prosperous Sect with an inheritance passed down for more than ten thousand years. No matter where its disciples went in the Western Territory, everyone had to show them some level of respect. Therefore, the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion were all quite proud of their background.
Even so, someone actually dared to humiliate such a powerful Sect.
One month ago, the Young Pavilion Master was killed in a city 300,000 kilometres away from Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s headquarters when he went out to play. As soon as news of his death came back, the entire Wind and Cloud Pavilion was shocked to its core, with the Old Pavilion Master even coughing up blood on the spot and fainting from rage.
It wasn’t that the Old Pavilion Master’s mental cultivation was weak; he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master after all. He had seen many great storms and survived them all. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even frown if the sky came crashing down, unfortunately, this was not something he could bear.
Old Pavilion Master Hua Xing had focused on cultivating the Martial Dao when he was younger, putting all his efforts into strengthening himself as he travelled across the entire Star Boundary. During that period, he experienced many difficulties and challenges, survived countless life-and-death situations, and spent two thousand years to finally become a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. One day though, he realized that his cultivation had reached a plateau he could no longer rise above. Thus, he returned to the Western Territory and inherited the position of Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Since his own Martial Dao journey had come to an end, he stopped thinking about it and began to pin his hopes on the next generation, hoping that he could produce a child that had greater aptitude than himself; a child that could aspire to become an existence akin to a Great Emperor one day.
He knew better than anyone else that although a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master seemed to be a ruler amongst men, it was no different from an ant in front of a Great Emperor. If any Great Emperors wanted to, they could destroy the long-standing legacy of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion with ease.
After returning to Wind and Cloud Pavilion, Hua Xing had developed the Sect while taking in many wives and concubines. In the short span of ten years, he had a thousand great beauties in his harem.
As if the Heavens were mocking him though, Hua Xing was struck with a terrible shortcoming. The higher one’s cultivation was, the lower the probability of siring a child, and Hua Xing had practised abstinence and stayed away from women for all his life, thinking them a distraction from his journey on the Martial Dao. It wasn’t until he became a Third-Order Emperor that he started to sow his seeds in an effort to sire a child. Unfortunately, none of the seeds he sowed showed any signs of germinating.
It wasn’t until thirty years later that a concubine gave birth to a baby boy. It was as if Hua Xing had received the most precious treasure, and therefore, he painstakingly began to nurture his son’s cultivation.
In the beginning, he had hoped that his son could grow up to become his hope; however, he soon discovered that his son’s aptitude was far worse than his own. Despite being backed by the entire Wind and Cloud Pavilion and personally taught by Hua Xing, the child’s journey in cultivation was full of challenges. With such poor aptitude, it would be a miracle for his child to even reach the Emperor Realm, much less aspire to become a Great Emperor.
Upon realizing this, Hua Xing immediately changed his plans. He decided not to place his hope on that child and instead focus on the following generation. He waited until his son came of age, then he immediately brought in many beautiful wives and concubines for him while also greatly encouraging him to fool around outside.
The Young Pavilion Master was not suitable for cultivation in the first place. Moreover, the heavy pressure the Old Pavilion Master had placed on him as a child made him instinctively reject cultivation. Combining that with his lack of aptitude, his cultivation was entirely built on a shaky foundation of treasures and external aids. On top of that, he no longer feared anything after receiving the Old Pavilion Master’s permission and even encouragement to do as he pleased.
The Young Pavilion Master generally spent most of his time fooling around with women, but as he gradually grew sick and tired of his wives and concubines, he decided to go out and have fun with those who weren’t so submissive to him.
The Old Pavilion Master did not object to this at all, even sending a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master along as a bodyguard for his son.
Unexpectedly, the Young Pavilion Master had gotten into trouble the very first time he went outside. If trouble was all that it amounted to, it wouldn’t have mattered. In any case, the Old Pavilion Master didn’t love his son at all, so as long as his son had left behind an heir, it wouldn’t even have mattered if his son had died. However, the key point was that his son had not left a single descendent behind! That was tantamount to ending the entire lineage of the Hua Family!
That was something Hua Xing could never accept. On the one hand, he scolded his unfilial son for being blind despite having eyes and offending somebody who should never have been provoked. On the other hand, he deeply resented the person who killed the Young Pavilion Master and swore to rip their corpse into ten thousand pieces to vent the hatred in his heart!
Hence, Hua Xing immediately issued a bounty of 20 million Source Crystals for the culprit’s head, an amount tempting enough for many Masters to join in the hunt. Unfortunately, the news that came from the outside frightened Hua Xing greatly. The young woman that had killed his son turned out to be ridiculously powerful. Recently, many Masters eyeing the reward had died at her hands. Moreover, judging by the direction the news came from, it seemed that the woman was actually heading towards Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Hua Xing was furious! If that woman really killed her way to Wind and Cloud Pavilion, his Sect would lose all face. For that reason, he raised the reward to attract more helping hands while dispatching all the Masters of the Sect out to kill her. Nevertheless, the results so far had not been satisfactory. Not only were the Masters attracted by the reward unsuccessful, even Wind and Cloud Pavilion lost several Emperor Realm Masters in quick succession.
Moreover, the latest news reported that the woman had picked up a companion from somewhere and the two of them were travelling together, leaving a path of destruction in their wake, seemingly completely unstoppable.
Inside the Rear Palace of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, a pink aura seeped across a large hall. Numerous beautiful and captivating bodies were spread across the palace, their gazes dazed as they panted breathlessly. The soft moans that rang out constantly made anyone listening blush furiously and cause their throats to go dry.
The Old Pavilion Master was not young, but he was still going strong. At this moment, he was sweating profusely as he sowed his seed in one of his concubines. Every time he thrust forward, he made the woman pressed under him scream. However, it was not clear whether those screams were of pleasure or pain.
Several other naked beauties were tangled like snakes next to him, leaking soft moans from their lips as they constantly begged for more. The entire Rear Palace drowned in passion was a complete mess, the air thick with the scent of lovemaking.
Only the Heavens knew how much time went by before all the women were lying on the ground and gasping feebly while Hua Xing let out a deep roar and released his seed.
*Dong Dong Dong…*
All of a sudden, a knock sounded from the outside and Hua Xing swept his gaze over his surroundings without the slightest pity in his expression before letting out a soft snort. Then, he headed towards the outside just like that.
Upon opening the door, he was greeted by a beautiful woman standing outside the door. She had her eyes lowered obediently, but her expression looked a little flustered.
“What is it?” He glanced at her coldly as he had an ominous premonition.
The beautiful woman tremblingly replied, “Pavilion Master, that unscrupulous pair have made their way to Great Cloud City.”
Hua Xing’s eyes flashed sharply when he heard those words. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, “As I expected, they are heading this way. They are looking down on me too much. These youngsters are simply going too far!”
The imposing aura of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master surged from him. In response, the beautiful woman suddenly felt strength leaving her body and she fell to her knees.
Glancing at her, Hua Xing reached out his hand and held her head.
She immediately paled and spoke in a trembling voice, “Pavilion Master…”
Hua Xing coldly replied, “What are you afraid of? I’m not going to kill you.” After saying that, he exerted some strength in his hand and guided her towards his lower body.
She felt relieved knowing that her life was not in danger and hurriedly opened her small mouth to clean up the mess before her. From her posture and proficiency, it could be seen that it was not the first time she was doing this.
Hua Xing narrowed his eyes slightly as the cold expression on his face grew even colder. Although he did not know where this man and woman came from, they seemed to be quite extraordinary judging by the information he received recently. These two First-Order Emperors had killed many Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters along their way here. That was not something ordinary people could do.
Wind and Cloud Pavilion lost many men in its efforts to kill them a few days ago. Just those in the Emperor Realm alone that died in their hands were numerous, striking fear into the entire Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Even Hua Xing felt apprehensive. The more he learned about them, the more he felt that they came from extraordinary backgrounds. Even if he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, there were still many people in this world that he could not afford to provoke. Forget about the Great Emperors that never revealed their presence, there were other existences out there that were stronger than him even among those in the Third-Order Emperor Realm. If he really offended one of those existences, then Wind and Cloud Pavilion would have a rough time surviving in the future.
[But, how can I not avenge the death of my son? Maybe… I should let that person test out the waters first.] It would be great if he could figure out the origins of those two. In any case, that person should be enough to capture them, even if the attempt to learn more about them failed. More importantly, if that person took action, the one to offend the other party would not be him. Not to mention, that person was also much stronger than he was.
Coincidentally, that person visited Wind and Cloud Pavilion recently and was staying here as a guest. [It’s as if he is a helper sent by the Heavens. I’d be stupid not to use him!]
[I am an Emperor Realm Master and a Palace Master. I should be living a life like this instead of living a precarious life wagging my tail like a dog at others.] Li Jiao secretly vowed in his heart, [Even if somebody presses a knife to my throat, I will never do such thankless things again.]
The two beauties in his arms were delicate and tender. Moreover, their exposed skin glowed like the most exquisite porcelain. He stroked and played with them, satisfying some of his primal desires. He stroked them so much that they were panting breathlessly and protesting coquettishly. Even so, their reaction only made him laugh loudly in delight.
Thinking back to the miserable situation he had been in previously and comparing it with the comfort he had now, Li Jiao became slightly melancholic for an instant, secretly feeling sorry for himself.
All of a sudden, he lifted his head and looked out. A smile appeared on his face as he stood up and smilingly said, “You came, Brother Hua. Please forgive me for not coming to greet you.”
A well-dressed Hua Xing strode inside. When the young girls, who were singing and dancing gracefully in the main hall, saw him, they hurriedly bowed their heads in greeting and called out to him, “Pavilion Master.”
Hua Xing acknowledged their greeting and indicated for them to be at ease. Only then did they dare to continue performing. Perhaps it was due to the Pavilion Master’s presence, but these girls seemed to put in more effort and became more enchanting when they performed. The looks in their eyes revealed that they were clearly expecting something.
“Brother Li, I’m sorry for bothering you!” He cupped his fists and smiled.
When Li Jiao heard those words, he laughed in response, “What are you saying, Brother Hua? I should be the one saying that! This is Wind and Cloud Pavilion after all. You are the Master here! Come, come! Have a seat!”
While speaking, he invited Hua Xing to sit in the higher position.
The time Li Jiao and Hua Xing had known each other was not just a year or two; it had been hundreds of years by now. Back when Hua Xing had been wholeheartedly pursuing the Martial Dao, he had travelled to all four Territories in the Star Boundary. When he arrived in the Northern Territory, there had been some friction between him and Li Jiao. Despite exchanging blows, it did not create enmity between them though, and instead, a kind of respect was fostered, eventually becoming a friendship.
Later, they even explored a Sealed World together. Thus, they had a pretty close relationship between them. It was just that since Hua Xing returned to the Western Territory and assumed command of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the two of them had not kept in contact.
After escaping from the Revolving World, Li Jiao arrived in the Western Territory; however, the place he landed was a little different from where Yang Kai, Zhu Qing, and Zhu Lie had landed. It was a little closer to Wind and Cloud Pavilion; therefore, he decided to come visit his old friend.
Even though they had not met for hundreds of years, Hua Xing had not forgotten about Li Jiao and welcomed him warmly, allowing Li Jiao to live on one of the mountain peaks while sending some beauties over to serve him. Thus, Li Jiao fooled around all day, indulging in his vices and living carefreely.
In any case, Li Jiao had been frustrated for long enough. Life had not been easy for him ever since he lost his bet against Yang Kai at High Heaven Palace.
First, his Sect had encountered a financial crisis, which caused many Elders within Fire Dragon Palace to become resentful. However, they did not dare to say a word against him. Then, before he could resolve that issue, Yang Kai had dragged him to the Frozen Earth. What happened later was so unbearable that just thinking about it filled Li Jiao with the urge to cry.
[I am the Palace Master of Fire Dragon Palace! I am a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! I can be considered a Master among Masters throughout Star Boundary! As long as a Great Emperor does not come forward, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master can be said to be the strongest! Who would dare to act disrespectfully and discourteously towards a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master? But, after staying with monsters like Yang Kai and his companions, I can no longer feel the slightest sense of superiority.]
Two Pureblood members of the Dragon Race had been Li Jiao’s most recent travel companions. Any Great Dragon above the Eighth-Order only needed to slightly release their Dragon Pressure to force him to bow in fear, hence he had no choice but to serve them cautiously. Even Yang Kai had the blood of a Dragon in him. Li Jiao was not fooled by the fact that he was only a First-Order Emperor and knew that if it came down to a fight, he was certain he wouldn’t be able to take more than three blows from Yang Kai.
Those three… Were like Great Seniors of the Sect, while he was just a lowly disciple. Any one of them could order him around and he couldn’t even utter a single complaint or muster any kind of resistance. The aura and confidence he had as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was all but washed away being in their presence. It is too humiliating! Just thinking about it threatened to bring tears to his eyes!
For that reason, Li Jiao had no intention of looking for Yang Kai and the others the moment he got away from them. He relished the freedom he suddenly obtained, and if possible, he never wanted to meet them ever again.
After coming to Wind and Cloud Pavilion as a guest, Hua Xing had been so welcoming that Li Jiao finally regained some of his confidence. [I am a Dragonborn. I am a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. I am a Master!]
These days, Li Jiao lived a life of indulgence and the resentment accumulated in his heart gradually dissipated as a result. It felt as if living in Wind and Cloud Pavilion was more comfortable than living in his own home, Fire Dragon Palace. Although Fire Dragon Palace belonged to him, he had to deal with a massive debt that would saddle him for decades once he returned. It felt like knives were slowly shaving off pieces of his heart at the thought of those Elders that loved passing the blame around.
[How can Fire Dragon Palace compare to Wind and Cloud Pavilion in terms of freedom and leisure? If possible, I’d stay here for several dozen years before going back. I’m sure Hua Xing wouldn’t mind. It would be as if Wind and Cloud Pavilion had gained another Master among their ranks. Hua Xing would probably like that very much.]
Therefore, Li Jiao had been overjoyed at the sight of Hua Xing’s arrival and was wondering about how he was going to let Hua Xing know that he wanted to stay here for a while.
“Are you comfortable living here, Brother Li?” Hua Xing asked with a look of concern.
Li Jiao laughed and pointed to the graceful young ladies around him, “How can I not be comfortable with such hospitality from Brother Hua? Wind and Cloud Pavilion is a beautiful place indeed, much better than Fire Dragon Palace.”
Hua Xing hurriedly waved his hands dismissively, “Brother Li, you are being absurd. I believe the Western Territory is the most barren and desolate land in Star Boundary. No matter how great Wind and Cloud Pavilion is, how can it compare to Fire Dragon Palace? Brother Li, don’t forget, I’ve been to your Fire Dragon Palace before. I know what it’s like there.”
Those words were so pleasant on the ears; they even contained a trace of flattery in them. It had been a while since Li Jiao heard these kinds of words. Thus, those words immediately brought a smile to his face and a sense of relief to him. [This world is filled with ordinary people. Existences like those three monsters are a rarity.]
“Brother Hua, you don’t need to put yourself down. It’s precisely because Wind and Cloud Pavilion is located in the Western Territory that it is very impressive for it to achieve such a size and scale. It shows how great you are at managing the Sect, Brother Hua. On this point, I should be asking for advice instead.”
“You praise me too much; I don’t dare to accept such high acclaim. Besides, I’ve lost interest in overseeing Wind and Cloud Pavilion. If I ever go to the Northern Territory one day, I hope you can welcome me too, Brother Li. I will be eternally grateful.” Hua Xing looked sorrowful and disappointed.
Li Jiao was surprised, “Welcoming you is not a problem. You and I have been friends for hundreds of years, so it’s only natural that I welcome you with open arms if you ever come to the Northern Territory. It’s just that… What do you mean by that, Brother Hua? In my opinion, Wind and Cloud Pavilion is at the height of its prosperity. If you manage the Sect for another three to five hundred years, I’m sure it will become one of the strongest in the Star Boundary, so why are you sighing so heavily, Brother Hua? Could it be that you encountered some kind of problem?”
Upon hearing that, Hua Xing smiled bitterly as he picked up his wine glass with a depressed look and finished its contents in a single gulp before saying, dispirited, “I shouldn’t air my dirty laundry in public. It’s fine; don’t mention it.”
Li Jiao’s expression darkened as he angrily said, “You shouldn’t say that, Brother Hua. We have been friends for hundreds of years, so what do you mean by airing dirty laundry in public? If you’ve really run into some kind of trouble… Why don’t you talk to me about it? If I can help, I won’t just stand by idly.”
A light flashed in Hua Xing’s eyes, but it was well hidden, while on his face he smiled bitterly and said, “I appreciate your kind offer, Brother Li. It’s just that… This is the Sect’s affairs after all…”
Li Jiao stood up with a sullen expression, “In other words, you are treating me like an outsider! Fine! Since you don’t consider me a friend, I won’t disturb you anymore. Until next time; goodbye, Brother Hua!”
After saying that, he strode outside with large strides as if he was truly about to leave.
In response, Hua Xing quickly stood up and grabbed Li Jiao’s sleeve, “Calm down, Brother Li; calm down. I was wrong, alright?”
Li Jiao looked back at Hua Xing. He was only acting like he was leaving, so he naturally went with the flow and remained, earnestly saying, “Brother Hua, we faced life and death together back then. We might not have seen each other for a hundred years, but our friendship has not diminished in any way. If you are in trouble, I’m willing to lend a hand.”
Hua Xing looked touched and gratefully replied, “You are righteous indeed, Brother Li! I was being too petty!” After ‘struggling’ for a moment, Hua Xing resolutely said, “Good, it’s not like you’re an outsider, Brother Li. It’s not shameful to tell you this. Let’s sit down and talk.”
Li Jiao returned to his seat and personally poured a glass of wine for Hua Xing before he waited quietly.
Hua Xing opened his mouth and sighed again, downing the contents of his glass before saying sadly, “Brother Li, I’ll be honest with you. Wind and Cloud Pavilion… Was kicked in the face recently. Our reputation has taken a huge blow because of that.”
“What happened?” Li Jiao frowned. Although he had been acting as a guest here recently, he had done nothing more than spend time drinking and having fun. He had not been paying attention to anything outside, and the girls serving him would never speak about this to him either. Thus, he had been somewhat isolated from news of the outside world.
“Who is it that dares to be so reckless?!” He shouted, slamming his fist down on the table in a rage while he muttered to himself in his heart, [Hua Xing’s cultivation is comparable to mine. I might be stronger than most Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters because of the Dragon blood in me, but the difference is negligible even if I am slightly stronger than Hua Xing. Hua Xing looks like he has encountered a strong enemy. I wonder just who Wind and Cloud Pavilion offended to make him look so helpless.]
Li Jiao secretly regretted his bold words just now and felt he really should have taken the opportunity to leave. [That’s just great. I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of this easily now.]
While Li Jiao was now on edge, he heard Hua Xing saying, “It’s a little girl who doesn’t know her limits! She even killed my son!”
As Hua Xing spoke, the corners of his eyes became wet at a timely moment. He grabbed the wine bottle on the table directly and took a large swig as if trying to drown his sorrows away.
“A little girl…” Li Jiao felt cold sweat forming on his forehead as a face that absolutely terrified him involuntarily appeared in his mind. Hesitantly, he asked, “What does the little girl look like? Does she have… Red hair?”
He was extremely frightened. If the person who killed the Young Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion turned out to be Zhu Qing, then Li Jiao had to leave immediately even if he had to cut all ties with Hua Xing. Even if he was friends with Hua Xing, the depths of that friendship were something they both understood very well. Offending a member of the Dragon Clan for the sake of some casual friendship? And, a Ninth-Order Dragon at that?! Li Jiao wasn’t insane!
“Red hair?” Hua Xing was a little puzzled by what Li Jiao said and he looked at Li Jiao questioningly as he shook his head, “She doesn’t have red hair. That little girl has black hair.”
Although he did not know why Li Jiao asked that question, he vaguely sensed that Li Jiao was scared of something.
[He has somebody he fears?] Hua Xing couldn’t help finding the very notion strange.
“Black hair…” Li Jiao breathed out a sigh of relief, [If the girl has black hair, then it’s definitely not Zhu Qing.]
Just in case, he carefully asked for more clarification, “What cultivation does that girl have?”
“First-Order Emperor Realm!”
He was startled by those words, “A mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master?”
[That’s definitely not Zhu Qing!] He was completely at ease now.
“That’s right. That’s why I feel so humiliated!” Hua Xing picked up another bottle of wine and gulped it down. Wiping at his mouth as he complained, “Brother Li, you know about my situation. Despite all the efforts I put in, I only have one son. I was expecting him to inherit my position in the future. W-Who would have thought…” At this point, he sounded choked up.
Li Jiao comforted, “To see one’s child die before oneself… It must be difficult for you, Brother Hua. You have my condolences.”
Hua Xing slammed his hands on the table and murderously vowed, “I have to avenge my son, 0therwise, I can’t call myself a man anymore!”
“This is a deep-seated hatred. It is only natural to take revenge,” Li Jiao hesitated for a moment before asking, “It’s just that I don’t quite understand… Wind and Cloud Pavilion is a top Sect in the Western Territory. Moreover, you are a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, Brother Hua, how can you be helpless against a little girl?”
Hua Xing shook his head and smiled bitterly, “You might not be aware, but that little girl’s strength is extremely unusual despite her seemingly low cultivation. Unfortunately, I underestimated her previously when I sent some of the Masters within the Sect to capture her; as a result, all of them died at her hands, even though some were Second-Order Emperors!”
“Oh? To think a little girl could fight so many Masters above her own realm!” Li Jiao raised his brow at those words, “It looks like this little girl is quite difficult to deal with.”
He suddenly thought of Yang Kai and solemnly said, “Not many people can fight against those in a higher realm by themselves, but as long as they don’t die early, they will surely become powerful in the future.”
Hua Xing said, “Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s face has taken a huge hit recently. Please help me, Brother Li!”
Li Jiao replied, “You are exaggerating, Brother Hua. That little girl might be strong enough to kill a Second-Order Emperor, but surely she can’t triumph against you if you take action personally. I know the extent of your strength very well and even though I want to help, taking revenge for your son should be done with your own hands… Only by doing so will you truly be able to soothe your anger.”
Upon hearing those words, Hua Xing smiled bitterly, “How can I not know that? Ever since my son was killed, I’ve been unable to rest at all. I can’t wait to rip that cheap slut apart and skin her alive! If I could take revenge with my own hands, I would track that bitch down this instant… it’s just…”
“What is it?” Li Jiao looked at Hua Xing curiously. He couldn’t figure out why Hua Xing would make this request of him.
“Haa… perhaps this will make you understand, Brother Li,” Hua Xing stretched out his hand as he spoke.
Li Jiao stuck out two fingers suspiciously and pressed them against Hua Xing’s wrist. A moment later his expression changed and he uttered in surprise, “You’re injured, Brother Hua? Who could have done this to you?”
Hua Xing replied dejectedly, “When news of my son’s death arrived, I was cultivating in retreat. The shock I received at the time nearly caused a dissonance in my cultivation. Although I managed to stabilize myself, I still suffered a serious backlash. If not for this injury, I would have personally taken action a long time ago. How could I possibly leave that whore alive and free knowing what she did?!”
“So that’s how it is!” Li Jiao nodded lightly, a touch of sympathy appearing on his face. [It’s not easy for Hua Xing either. He only has one son after all. It certainly is difficult to accept that his son was killed so suddenly.]
“That cheap slut is capable of killing a Second-Order Emperor; hence, her strength is certainly not low. I am not in my best condition at the moment, and if I act rashly… It’s fine if I succeed, but it will be a disaster if I were to fail.”
“You are right, Brother Hua,” Li Jiao pondered for a moment, “I understand what you are trying to say, Brother Hua. Rest assured, you can leave this to me. I will let that little girl know the consequences of her actions!”
The moment Hua Xing heard those words, he was overjoyed and stood up before bowing deeply, “Many thanks, Brother Li! With you personally taking action, that cheap slut won’t stand a chance no matter how talented she is!”
Li Jiao helped Hua Xing up with a smile, “I’ve been repeating this again and again, Brother Hua, I won’t stand idly by if you are in trouble. But… I don’t know that little girl’s current whereabouts.”
Hua Xing solemnly said, “I’ll be truthful with you, Brother Li. That slut is currently in Great Cloud City, just thirty kilometres away from Wind and Cloud Pavilion.”
“She dares to make her way here?” Li Jiao’s expression soured as he snorted, “Her courage isn’t small.”
Hua Xing said through gritted teeth, “That’s certainly the case. Her strength has gone to her head and she must believe she can look down on my Wind and Cloud Pavilion as a result! I’ll have to trouble you for this, Brother Li.”
Li Jiao said, “Since she is not that far away, why don’t we let her break into Wind and Cloud Pavilion before I make my move? I won’t let her escape.”
Hua Xing smiled bitterly, “If she succeeded in attacking Wind and Cloud Pavilion and breaking the Sect Defending Array, then…”
Li Jiao thought about it and immediately understood Hua Xing’s worries. Thus, he nodded and said, “That certainly wouldn’t look good. I was too careless in my thoughts. Good, I’ll head to Great Cloud City and capture her.”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for. Many thanks, Brother Li.”
“This shouldn’t be delayed any longer; I’ll go now.” While speaking, Li Jiao stood up and walked outside.
“I’ll be waiting for good news from you, Brother Li!” Hua Xing saw Li Jiao off.
From the top of the mountain peak, Li Jiao soared into the air and flew off into the distance. When his figure disappeared from sight, the smile on Hua Xing’s face gradually vanished as he stood there frowning while deep in thought for a while. Afterwards, he coldly snorted and strode away.
In his opinion, making Li Jiao take action was enough to make this trip worthwhile. He couldn’t obtain any background information on that man and woman; however, judging from the way they dared to attack Wind and Cloud Pavilion so blatantly, it was clear that they had some sort of profound backing. If they really turned out to have strong backgrounds, then the blame for upsetting them will fall on Li Jiao. It will have nothing to do with Wind and Cloud Pavilion, so Hua Xing only needed to wait quietly for the news.
In Great Cloud City, the air was filled with the smell of blood. Ruins were scattered everywhere while the ground was covered in fresh bloodstains and torn limbs.
Great Cloud City was only thirty kilometres away from Wind and Cloud Pavilion and could be considered an important industry for the Sect as well as a hub of communication with the outside world. In other words, this city was the commercial heart of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er were travelling with a clear goal in mind. It was obvious that they planned to go straight to Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Therefore, it was only natural for Great Cloud City under Wind and Cloud Pavilion to take precautions against them.
Inside a certain palace, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master led a team consisting of several hundred disciples. In addition, many other Emperor Realm Masters attracted by the reward were gathered as well. They had long since set up an impressive array and were waiting for their targets to walk right into their trap.
For that reason, Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er were noticed the moment they stepped into Great Cloud City, and a huge battle instantly broke out.
In just an hour, Great Cloud City was practically in ruins. Hundreds of disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion suffered heavy casualties, and even the Second-Order Emperor Realm Master leading the team had been blown away by a punch from Lin Yun’er.
With the Spirit Array broken, the rest scattered. The disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion that survived the battle hurriedly fled back to their headquarters while the Emperor Realm Masters, attracted by the bounty, were either dead or making a run for it. The entire Great Cloud City was a chaotic mess as everybody was thrown into panic.
On the way to the city, Li Jiao landed in front of a group of blood-stained Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples that were currently fleeing.
“What happened here?” Li Jiao released his Emperor Pressure, suppressing the group of disciples so that they did not dare to take any rash actions.
“You are… Senior Li?” A First-Order Emperor Realm Master leading the group recognized Li Jiao and called out with joy.
“Who are you?” Li Jiao squinted at the man.
That First-Order Emperor Realm Master hurriedly cupped his fists and said, “Greetings Senior Li, I am Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s Ninth Elder, Cai Shi.”
“You know me?”
Cai Shi quickly replied, “I saw you once from afar when you came to the Sect a few days ago.”
“Oh. So, that was you.” Li Jiao had a vague impression of this man. He seemed to recall greeting this person back when he first arrived at Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Frowning, he asked, “Why are you in such terrible condition?”
Cai Shi blushed and said in embarrassment, “I am ashamed to say that the invaders were too powerful and I was not their opponent. The Sect’s Masters were all either killed or suffered heavy injuries.”
“That little girl is that strong?” Li Jiao raised his eyebrows.
Cai Shi replied, “The Second Elder died tragically at her hands. Moreover, the Nine Serenity Chain Spirit Array we arranged as a trap was destroyed in less than an hour.”
Li Jiao narrowed his eyes as he commented, “It looks like Wind and Cloud Pavilion has offended an incredibly powerful enemy this time.”
Cai Shi said, “I can only ask the Pavilion Master to take action now. I’m afraid he is the only one that can suppress her.”
Li Jiao raised his hand and said, “There’s no need to bother the Pavilion Master to take action. He has entrusted this matter to me. I will take care of that little girl.”
Cai Shi’s eyes lit up upon hearing this and couldn’t help asking, “Senior Li will be stepping in?”
“Why else would I come here?” Li Jiao replied proudly.
“Good good! With Senior Li here, that cheap slut will certainly be defeated!”
Li Jiao impatiently said, “Come with me. The faster we resolve this issue, the faster we can return.”
“Yes, of course! Please come this way, Senior Li!” Cai Shi excitedly replied, the terror on his face vanishing into thin air. He had heard from Hua Xing before that Li Jiao had a trace of the Dragon’s bloodline in him. Therefore, Hua Xing was no match for Li Jiao even though they were both Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters.
[With such a powerful Master taking action, things will become much easier!] Wind and Cloud Pavilion had suffered heavy losses, with even the Second Elder being killed; therefore, Cai Shi was worrying about how he was going to report the outcome of the battle upon his return. At that moment, Li Jiao had appeared like a hero to save them, so how could he not be overjoyed?
In his opinion, regardless of how strong the young man and woman in Great Cloud City were, they couldn’t win against Li Jiao. As long as they could capture and bring those two back, it should be enough to redeem themselves and salvage some of Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s face. Hence, he was extremely diligent and even took the initiative to lead the way.
It didn’t take long before the small group arrived at Great Cloud City again.
Li Jiao swept his Divine Sense over the city and upon seeing the destruction that had been wrought, he frowned involuntarily as he thought to himself, [These people from Wind and Cloud Pavilion are so useless. How could they be so helpless against one little girl? I wonder how Hua Xing taught his disciples… If this matter were to occur at Fire Dragon Palace, that little girl would have died several times over by now.]
“Where are they?” Li Jiao asked with a scowl as he could not sense the enemy’s aura.
Cai Shi replied, “They should be in the City Lord’s Mansion. They killed many people from the Sect previously before breaking into the City Lord’s Mansion. They are clearly looking to obtain some riches.”
“Let’s go to the City Lord’s Mansion then!” Li Jiao gestured with a wave of his sleeve.
Thus, Cai Shi quickly led the way.
A few moments later, they arrived in front of the City Lord’s Mansion, the scene of a bloodbath. Many cultivators dressed as Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples had died here and even the gates of the City Lord’s Mansion had collapsed.
Cai Shi pointed somewhere and said, “They are right there, Sir.”
Li Jiao swept his Divine Sense over the place and sure enough, he found the aura of Emperor Realm Masters inside. However, it was somewhat different from the information he had received. There were two people inside, not one like he had initially thought. Even so, the auras weren’t that strong, both First-Order Emperor Realm.
“You all wait outside. I’ll be right back!” Li Jiao snorted. He was not worried about the change in numbers and rushed into the City Lord’s Mansion with a slight shift of his body.
Immediately afterwards, Cai Shi heard Li Jiao shouting loudly, “Fearless youngsters, how dare you insult Wind and Cloud Pavilion?! This Li is here to dispense justice! If you surrender without a fight, you may yet live!”
As soon as the words rang out, an extremely dense Emperor Pressure seeped into the air. With the City Lord’s Mansion as the centre, the air spanning a radius of a thousand meters began to thrum.
Cai Shi’s expression changed slightly as he revealed a look of admiration. A Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was indeed different. The power they wield is on a completely different level, incomparable to that of a First or Second-Order Emperor.
Now that he felt it for himself, Cai Shi realized that the Pavilion Master was not being modest when he said that this person was stronger than him. Li Jiao’s aura was indeed noticeably denser than the Pavilion Master’s.
[This is great. Nothing unexpected should occur with Senior Li around. It’s just a pity that the Second Elder and many other disciples had died a tragic death at the hands of that unscrupulous young man and woman. If only Senior Li had arrived just a little earlier, things might have turned out differently.]
Cai Shi sighed as those thoughts crossed his mind. This was fate. His cultivation was not as high as the Second Elders’, but he had survived in the end. It was simply a matter of luck.
Cultivation was a process meant to defy the Heavens; therefore, luck was also a form of opportunity and strength. Escaping from the clutches of death had given Cai Shi a faint trace of enlightenment, and the bottleneck he had been stuck at for many years now showed signs of loosening.
Upon realizing this, he was overjoyed. He was currently a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, so if he could break through, he would become a Second-Order Emperor. Such strength was enough for him to rank among the top three Wind and Cloud Pavilion Elders. Thus, he secretly made up his mind that once this matter was resolved, he would immediately enter secluded retreat and not come out until he ascended to the next realm!
*Hong hong hong…*
Just as Cai Shi was deep in thought, several thunderous explosions rang out from the City Lord’s Mansion, clearly the sound of Emperor Realm Masters exchanging blows. The overflowing power seemed to invert the Heavens and Earth, causing great damage and destruction with large parts of the building collapsing as a result.
Cai Shi stared in that direction intently, his heart pounding wildly as his admiration for Li Jiao grew.
All of a sudden, the fighting stopped abruptly and the noise subsided.
[Is it over?] Shock washed over Cai Shi again. Wasn’t that a little too fast? He had fought that young man and woman before, so he was well aware of how strong they were; he simply couldn’t believe that Senior Li dealt with them so easily.
A figure flew out from the ruins of the collapsed City Lord’s Mansion and headed in his direction in the next instant.
Cai Shi looked in that direction and wondered, [Isn’t that Senior Li?]
Cai Shi stepped forward with a surprised look and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Senior Li! Congratulations on your victorious return!”
Contrary to the smiling expression Cai Shi expected, Li Jiao was frowning deeply, as if he had encountered some huge difficulty. What surprised Cai Shi even more was the bruise mark around one of Li Jiao’s eyes. It was obviously caused by a fist. Moreover, that punch was extremely heavy, so heavy that the corner of Li Jiao’s eye was cut and the area around it was badly swollen. Heaven knows how long it would take to heal.
“Senior Li…” Cai Shi was a little confused and did not know what was wrong with Li Jiao.
“Haa…” Li Jiao sighed heavily, turning his head to look up at the sky, feeling choked with speechless tears. After a long time, he looked back down at Cai Shi and muttered, “Just who did I provoke in order to deserve this?”
“What?” Cai Shi looked at Li Jiao, confused, unable to comprehend what was going on.
“Did you say your name was Cai Shi?” Li Jiao asked.
“Yes!” Cai Shi nodded, the feeling that Li Jiao was acting strangely growing ever stronger. The arrogant attitude from before was gone; furthermore, Li Jiao even seemed depressed and despondent now, but what exactly could make a Third-Order Emperor reveal such an expression?
“I want something from you,” Li Jiao looked at Cai Shi expressionlessly.
Cai Shi felt his heart jump and he instinctively felt uneasy, subconsciously taking a few steps back as he haltingly asked, “What is it that you want, Senior Li?”
“I want your life!” As Li Jiao spoke, he suddenly reached out his hand to grab Cai Shi.
Although they were both Emperor Realm Masters, there was a difference of two Minor Realms between them, and the gap between each of those Minor Realms was enormous. How could Cai Shi resist this surprise attack? He swayed slightly and felt something tighten around his neck before suddenly finding himself caught by Li Jiao’s hand.
A stream of power that absolutely terrified him poured out from that large hand, indiscriminately flooding into his body and his meridians. It made his entire body convulse uncontrollably and left him in a disoriented state. He couldn’t even summon the strength to resist.
“S-S-Senior Li, w-w-why are y-you doing t-this?!” Cai Shi struggled desperately, staring at Li Jiao in disbelief. Wasn’t Li Jiao asked by the Pavilion Master to help them? He said as much himself, even saying to leave that little girl to him. Why did he change his mind in the blink of an eye and turn against them instead?
Cai Shi couldn’t help feeling that everything was changing too abruptly.
“You can only blame your Wind and Cloud Pavilion for provoking someone they should never have provoked. That man inside… Even I cannot afford to offend him. Haa… Forget it, you have so many companions with you on your journey to the afterlife. I’m sure you won’t feel lonely.”
[Huh? What? The man inside is somebody even Senior Li can’t afford to offend?!] Cai Shi wondered whether he had heard wrongly, but just as he was about to say something, a violent force pressed down on him from all directions.
With a loud boom, his entire body turned into a bloody mist, not even leaving behind any bones.
“Ah!” The rest of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples were dumbfounded. They never expected something like this to happen. Their hope and saviour suddenly became their executioner instead. Even the Ninth Elder was crushed to death!
Not stopping to try to figure out what was happening, the survivors went all out to flee.
Before they could get far though, the wind raged around them and a gigantic green palm suddenly descended from the sky, covering a wide area and slamming into the ground fiercely. Several blood-curdling screams rang out, and those Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples were all wiped out. Their cultivations could not be considered powerful, so they had no way of defending themselves against Li Jiao’s attack.
*Wang wang!*
The sound of a dog barking came from behind and the indifference on Li Jiao’s face disappeared immediately. It was instantly replaced by endless flattery as he turned around and bowed deeply, “Heh heh… Palace Master Yang, I have killed them all. You see…”
Where did all the prestige of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master go? At this moment, the great Palace Master of the Northern Territory’s Fire Dragon Palace looked no different from a dog wagging its tail.
“At least you know what’s good for you!” Yang Kai scoffed.
Li Jiao sweated profusely as he knew that Yang Kai was still angry; thus, he hurriedly explained, “Palace Master Yang, I was deceived! I knew nothing about this matter. Had I known it was you, I would never have come here.”
As Li Jiao tried to explain himself, he cursed Hua Xing in his heart over and over again. He had finally escaped from Yang Kai, Zhu Qing, and Zhu Lie, but he only managed to enjoy his leisurely life for a few days before he went and got himself caught again! There was nothing sadder in this world than this!
Yang Kai glanced sideways at him and said, “It almost sounds as if you wanted to avoid this Palace Master.”
Li Jiao began sweating profusely at those words and anxiously declared, “No, no, no! What I meant is that, had I had known that Palace Master Yang was here, I would have come to welcome you! How could I dare to be your enemy? This is all just a misunderstanding. Yes, a misunderstanding.”
“Enough,” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “I know very well what you think of me in your heart. Tell me, what is the connection between you and Wind and Cloud Pavilion? Why are you helping them?”
Li Jiao was extremely embarrassed and quickly explained. Meanwhile, Yang Kai looked over at Lin Yun’er while listening to the explanation.
The little girl was hugging the black puppy and playing with it. She opened her small mouth and playfully pretended to bite it. She even made soft baby growling noises from the mouth. The black puppy seemed to enjoy this childish game and played happily with her, shaking its tail and barking vigorously.
It was quite strange in fact. When Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er reunited a few days ago, she had not cared much for the black puppy; however, she couldn’t bear to be separated from it anymore after spending some time together. Lin Yun’er would spend most of her time playing with Ah Wang now, but this was not surprising as the little beast was adorable and had always been well-received by women.
When Li Jiao finished explaining, Yang Kai summarized, “In other words, you are on good terms with the Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.”
Li Jiao hurriedly explained, “No no no, we only met by chance and are passing acquaintances. Besides, we have not contacted each other for over a hundred years so even if we had any friendship between us, it has more or less faded with time. Aha.. ha ha…”
Putting aside the fact that the friendship between him and Hua Xing was not that deep, even if they were sworn brothers Li Jiao would not dare to say otherwise at this moment; after all, he really could not afford to offend Yang Kai. Both of them lived in the Northern Territory as leaders of great forces, but if he really upset Yang Kai, Fire Dragon Palace would not survive. Besides, Yang Kai had an incredibly close relationship with the Dragon Clan, so what was his friendship with Hua Xing in comparison? If it wasn’t for Hua Xing, he wouldn’t have run straight into this trap and gotten caught by Yang Kai!
Thinking about this, Li Jiao now felt a bit resentful towards Hua Xing. [That guy is so dishonest, giving me so much false information. It’s all his fault that I am now stuck under Yang Kai’s despotic command again.]
“Palace Master Yang, this young lady is…” Seeing that Yang Kai was not saying anything, Li Jiao quickly found something to fill the silence and asked about Lin Yun’er.
This little girl was extraordinary! When she punched his eye just now, Li Jiao felt as if his head was about to explode. Fortunately, he had a trace of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline within him, otherwise, this would not have ended with just a small injury. That punch had been enough to daze him momentarily, and in a life-or-death battle, a moment of disorientation was enough to make one lose their lives.
[This little girl is so powerful. Could she be another member of the Dragon Clan?] Li Jiao jumped in fright. At the same time, his admiration toward Yang Kai grew stronger. [He only just obtained a Ninth Order Red Dragon a short while ago. Did he get another one in just a few days?]
Malicious speculations sprung up in his mind at the thought. [If Zhu Qing and this girl meet each other, will they turn the world upside down? Who is stronger? Who is weaker? Yang Kai, Yang Kai… I’d like to see what becomes of you then!]
The images that accompanied such thoughts suddenly put Li Jiao in a better mood.
“Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t ask!” Yang Kai glanced at Li Jiao coldly.
Li Jiao immediately fell silent at those words.
“I need a favour from you!”
Li Jiao quickly replied, “What are you saying, Palace Master Yang? I owe my life to you. Please let me know if you have any instructions for me, I will not shirk away from it.”
Despite his bold and unrestrained manner, Li Jiao secretly felt bitter inside. He could already guess what Yang Kai wanted his help with. It was undoubtedly related to Yang Kai’s grievances with Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Now that Yang Kai had arrived in Great Cloud City, it was obvious that he wanted to infiltrate the headquarters of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Li Jiao thought to himself, [Hua Xing, oh, Hua Xing… It’s not that I don’t bear any friendship with you. It’s just that I have no other choice.]
“Take us into Wind and Cloud Pavilion.”
Li Jiao puffed out his chest, “No problem. Leave it to me!”
A quarter of an hour later, the group of three flew over and stood just outside Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Circulating his Emperor Qi, Li Jiao enveloped both Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er. Even the black puppy was not spared. After that, Yang Kai, Lin Yun’er, and the black puppy obediently followed behind him as though they had been placed under some sort of restriction.
“Are you Senior Li?” An Elder of Wind and Cloud Pavilion was standing behind the Sect Defending Array and cupped his fist to greet Li Jiao. It was obvious that he had heard from Hua Xing and specifically came here to await Li Jiao’s return. The Sect Defending Array was fully activated at the moment. Clearly, Hua Xing had not placed all his hopes on Li Jiao either and made preparations just in case.
“It is this Li!” Li Jiao replied in a deep voice.
“Then, these two…” the Elder asked suspiciously.
“Open your eyes wide and have a good look. Is this girl the one behind the murder of the Young Pavilion Master? I have captured her and brought her back.”
The Elder fixed his gaze on Lin Yun’er and was soon overjoyed, nodding, “That’s her! It’s that cheap slut! Senior Li, you are truly amazing to be able to capture her! The Pavilion Master will be ecstatic to know about this!”
“Then why are you still wasting time on nonsense? Hurry up and open the array. I want to hand these two over to the Pavilion Master and finish this sorry business!”
“Of course, of course,” the Elder nodded repeatedly and took out a token he then poured his Emperor Qi into. A stream of light immediately shot out from the token and landed on the Sect Defending Array which subsequently opened a crack and allowed Li Jiao to enter.
“Brother Li, you returned victoriously! I apologize for not coming to greet you sooner, please forgive me for my discourtesy,” Hua Xing suddenly appeared out of nowhere, flying over from not too far away. It was uncertain if he had been hiding nearby, waiting for Li Jiao to return or had really just arrived.
“It’s nothing worth mentioning!” Li Jiao waved his hand lightly.
“Are you the Father of that nasty guy?” All of a sudden, Lin Yun’er frowned at Hua Xing and asked, but before Hua Xing could answer, she continued, “I’m sure it’s you. You both look very similar.”
“You cheap slut!” Hua Xing turned to look at her, flames of rage burning in his chest as his murderous intent surged up like a wave. He roared furiously, “How dare you kill my son?! Today, I… Huh?”
While he was speaking, he suddenly noticed that something was wrong. This girl’s aura was vigorous and her Emperor Qi was clearly flowing freely, she hadn’t been imprisoned at all!
Just as those doubts grew in Hua Xing, Lin Yun’er rushed forward as swiftly as lightning. At the same time, a pair of pitch-black gloves appeared on her tender fists which she clenched tightly and threw out with all her might.
*Ssii…*
Hua Xing was startled, but although things had happened so abruptly, it wasn’t enough to panic him. What shocked him was the explosive force the girl exerted in that instant. Those small fists of hers contained enough strength to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth. It would hurt greatly if he were struck by that fist, even if he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
“You court death!” Hua Xing immediately countered in a furious rage. He initially wanted to torture this girl by subjecting her to all sorts of torment before brutally killing her; however, the battle had been joined and he had no choice but to respond in kind. He circulated his Emperor Qi and struck out at her with his palm.
Following that, a gigantic palm formed from pure, condensed Emperor Qi instantly appeared in mid-air. That palm hanging in mid-air triggered a Secret Technique, stretching out its finger and pointing it at her, causing the surrounding World Energy to become turbulent while Principles surged up.
That was definitely a powerful Secret Technique and all of Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples shuddered under its might. At the same time, an impulsive urge to bow down and worship that power bloomed in them. Even the Sect Defending Array nearby rippled as if it was about to break. This was the power of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s attack at full strength; it was phenomenal indeed.
Undeterred, Lin Yun’er smashed her fist against the palm before she grunted in pain. Her entire being was slapped by a vigorous force, and she was sent flying like a kite with a broken string before being pressed into the ground.
Even if she was strong, her cultivation was still two Minor Realms lower than her opponent’s; therefore, her strength was inadequate in a fight against a veteran like Hua Xing and her disadvantage was clear after just one exchange of blows.
*Pa…*
A soft sound rang out as Yang Kai slapped his hands together before drawing a large arc in the air, Space Principles surging as a gigantic Moon Blade was slashed out.
The Moon Blade soared forth, collapsing space around it as it flew. As a result, a deep gash was cut into the palm Secret Technique, causing its power to reduce drastically.
Consequently, the pressure pressing down on Lin Yun’er disappeared suddenly. Her feet kicked against the ground, and she slipped through the gaps like a flash of lightning before appearing Hua Xing, her fists striking out repeatedly.
Hua Xing’s expression changed as he opened his mouth, he spat out a tiny cyan sword. The sword spun leisurely in the air before instantly expanding until its shadow covered the entire sky, forming a defensive barrier in front of him.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Lin Yun’er’s fists continuously smashed into the barrier formed by the giant sword, each punch containing the sum of her complete strength behind it, and the sounds of explosions that rang out from each blow was deafening. Her raw destructive power made everybody’s expression change; however, the sword remained unyielding and stood before Hua Xing steadily, rendering all her attacks futile.
“Cut!” Yang Kai flexed his fingers. Following that, Moon Blades flew towards Hua Xing one after another.
Hua Xing furrowed his brow slightly as he waved his hand to send out another Secret Technique. Then, the sword barrier in front of him suddenly shot out phantom blades that struck and deflected the Moon Blades accurately. Not only that, but a giant sword also descended from the sky at the same time and slammed down towards Yang Kai ferociously.
“Hmph!” Li Jiao snorted coldly, lifting his hand as a phantom Flood Dragon flew out, slammed into that gigantic sword and caused it to shatter to pieces.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er fluttered backwards and retreated, returning to Yang Kai and Li Jiao’s side while panting lightly. She had used up a lot of energy to launch the previous round of attacks. Even so, it had not affected Hua Xing in any way, which showed how impressive the Emperor Artifact Sword was.
During that exchange of blows, sparks flew and mayhem ensued. Everything happened so quickly that the onlookers could not keep up with the battle. Before the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion in the surrounding area could grasp what was happening, both sides had retreated from the clash.
Hua Xing’s eyes flashed sharply. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “Li Jiao! I treated you with such courtesy during your stay here, how could you collude with outsiders to deceive me?!”
That young man and woman had looked like they were being restrained by Li Jiao, but in truth, they were not imprisoned at all. Otherwise, they couldn’t have fought with Hua Xing. In addition, Li Jiao had stepped up to help them just now. Hua Xing would be an idiot if he still failed to notice the problem.
However, he simply couldn’t figure out something. [Li Jiao only left for a short while, so why did he suddenly turn from an ally to an enemy? This young man and woman shouldn’t have that much power to make him switch sides, right? What is going on?!]
Even though Hua Xing couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation, he already held a grudge against Li Jiao now. If not for his trust in him, he would never have allowed an enemy to slip through the Sect Defending Array.
This was a matter of pride. It didn’t matter if they had massacred their way to Great Cloud City, but the fact that they managed to kill their way into Wind and Cloud Pavilion headquarters and get past the Sect Defending Array was a naked insult to the Sect. Even though Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s reputation had taken a huge blow recently, the Sect Defending Array was the last layer of defence they had left to cover up this embarrassing incident.
[This is just great. Even our last layer of defence was rendered useless. Wind and Cloud Pavilion will have no face to speak of from now on.]
Hua Xing originally hated Lin Yun’er because his son had died in her hands, but the betrayal of Li Jiao angered him even more.
Faced with Hua Xing’s questioning, Li Jiao’s expression remained unchanged as he simply snorted, “Brother Hua, your aura sure is vigorous. It seems like you’re recovering quite well. That’s so amazing. Only a short while has passed, but you recovered from your internal injuries so quickly. I am extremely impressed. What kind of rare and precious treasures did you take to heal yourself so quickly? I can’t believe how miraculous the effects are. Do you think you can spare me a few?”
He avoided the most important topics and instead changed the subject to one more favourable to him. Li Jiao was undoubtedly embarrassed to speak of his own affairs; thus, he pointed out the fact that Hua Xing had deceived him by faking an injury and forcing his hand.
He could see it now. This old fox Hua Xing had pushed him to take action, obviously without good intentions. Thinking about it this way, Li Jiao suddenly felt the guilt in his heart lessen.
Hua Xing turned to look at Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er before turning to look at Li Jiao, “Brother Li, was my hospitality lacking during your stay in Wind and Cloud Pavilion?”
“Nothing of the sort. Brother Hua, you made me feel extremely welcome,” Li Jiao replied lightly.
Then, Hua Xing asked bitterly, “In that case, why did you betray me? W-Why did you join hands with them?!”
Li Jiao responded, “I had to!”
Hua Xing stared at Li Jiao incredulously, “You had to?”
This was what puzzled him the most. Why would Li Jiao rather join hands with this unknown young man and woman? Why would he rather become his enemy?
Gritting his teeth, Hua Xing asked, “You and I have been friends for hundreds of years, but that’s all it takes for you to make me your enemy? Because you ‘had’ to?!”
Li Jiao scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly, “Friendship isn’t as important as life, right?”
Hua Xing couldn’t help losing his composure, “Just who are these people?!”
Hua Xing knew very well just what kind of person Li Jiao was. He was a descendant of the Dragon Clan, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, as well as the Palace Master of one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory. Hua Xing couldn’t believe Li Jiao was acting so weakly now. It looked like his guess was right. This young man and woman must come from influential backgrounds, ones powerful enough that they can even threaten Li Jiao’s life! If not, Li Jiao would never say such embarrassing things.
Hua Xing’s expression suddenly became gloomy and uncertain. Li Jiao’s betrayal had upset him greatly, but although Wind and Cloud Pavilion was pretty impressive, that was only a relative comparison. If this man and woman, plus Li Jiao were to really kick up a fuss here, more than half of Wind and Cloud Pavilion would be destroyed. Even if the Sect ultimately survived, it would undoubtedly be a pyrrhic victory.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Hua Xing began considering backing down. Thus, he secretly sent a Divine Sense transmission to Li Jiao, “Brother Li, tell me the truth. Are these two… related to one of the Great Emperors?”
If that was the case, then even if his pride was damaged, this conflict could not be aggravated any further. Wind and Cloud Pavilion could not afford to provoke anybody related to the Great Emperors.
Li Jiao glanced at him before glancing at Yang Kai. Seeing that Yang Kai had no intention to stop him from speaking, he casually replied, “No.”
“No?” Hua Xing was taken aback by the reply.