[They dare act so arrogant and domineering when they have nothing to do with any of the Great Emperors?!] Hua Xing’s expression turned cold instantly.
While those two were talking to each other, Yang Kai was admonishing Lin Yun’er, “Didn’t we agree to launch a sneak attack together? Why did you attack the instant we got inside?”
Lin Yun’er scratched her head before spitting out her tongue, “I forgot.”
Yang Kai sighed, “This is just great. Now that you have acted rashly and alerted the enemy to our plans, it won’t be easy for us to take him down anymore.”
“Then, what should we do now?” She looked at him with a rather innocent expression. She, too, realized that Hua Xing was a tough opponent when she fought him just now. Ever since she came to Star Boundary, she had been cultivating in retreat with her Master, and all her battles so far were one-sided tramplings. It could be said that this was her first true battle in many years.
It wasn’t until she ran away from home recently that she discovered that most people in the outside world weren’t very strong. They couldn’t take her attacks and often died in just one or two punches. Hence, she had assumed that everybody in the world was like that; however, Hua Xing’s performance had broadened her horizons and made her aware that there were still other powerful people in this world.
“What else can we do? We’ll just have to push through by force,” Yang Kai shrugged.
Understanding the meaning behind his words, she nodded in agreement, “I see. Then, let’s kill him together.”
She spoke matter-of-factly as if victory was certain, so when Hua Xing heard those words, he was absolutely livid, “Impudence! I wasn’t going to stoop down to your level, but you just had to walk right into the fire yourselves! Good! Good! Good! Today, this place will be your grave!”
Since these two had nothing to do with the Great Emperors, Hua Xing became bold and felt that he had been overly cautious before. Youngsters were always hot-blooded. Wasn’t he the same when he was younger? It’s always the newborn calves that are not afraid of tigers. They would forge ahead thinking that they are indomitable, even if the road before them is covered in thorns. It’s only when they grew older that they became overly suspicious. Not every youngster comes from a powerful background.
Hua Xing secretly vowed fiercely in his heart, [Today, I’m going to show them their place!]
Gritting his teeth, he looked at Li Jiao and warned, “Brother Li, we can still be friends if you leave right now.”
He was not worried about the two young ones, but he was worried about Li Jiao; after all, the latter was a Dragonborn and stronger than himself.
“I don’t have a friend as deceitful as you!” Li Jiao retorted unceremoniously, filled with resentment.
Hua Xing sighed in response, “If that’s the case, I have nothing else to say.”
Lifting a hand into the air, Hua Xing shouted, “Kill!”
As soon as the word left his mouth, he took the lead to attack. The cyan sword once again transformed into a phantom form that covered the entire sky. At the same time, the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples nearby also attacked in unison. Various artifacts flew out and Secret Techniques flashed brilliantly, enveloping the trio in an instant.
“Palace Master Yang, I will keep that old dog busy, please lend me a hand once you’re done dealing with the other rabble!” Li Jiao shouted.
Reaching one hand into the void, an ancient scroll immediately appeared in his hand. The scroll unfurled quickly, emitting blasts of dazzling light from within as it guarded against the attacks from their surroundings. It was an impenetrable defence.
With a loud rumble, Li Jiao completely blocked all the attacks aimed at them before he flickered and lunged towards Hua Xing.
Hua Xing shouted angrily, “You! Shameless!”
His rage was driving him crazy. He had been very hospitable to Li Jiao when he arrived at Wind and Cloud Pavilion, not only providing him with good food and wine, but also with many beauties for a pleasurable indulgence! He couldn’t believe Li Jiao would so easily and completely betray him at this moment.
Hua Xing held a deep grudge in his heart and immediately engaged Li Jiao in battle. As the two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters put their lives on the line, their fight turned into a grand-scale battle that began cracking space around them while throwing the surrounding World Energy into chaos.
While those two were fighting each other, the rest of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’ disciples did not remain idle. They relied on their overwhelming numbers to launch devastating waves of attacks at Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er. Unfortunately, the effects of their assault were minimal. Most of these cultivators were only in the Dao Source Realm, and they were no match for those two.
When the attacks rained down on Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er, they each moved in opposite directions and vanished from where they stood. None of the attacks landed on their targets as a result.
Immediately after that, bone-chilling screams rang out as one after another Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples exploded into a fine blood mist. More than forty people died tragically on the spot in just ten breaths. Consequently, the rest of the disciples turned pale with shock and their eyes were filled with absolute horror and terror.
They initially thought that Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er would not be overwhelmingly strong even though both of them were in the Emperor Realm. Their First-Order auras were on full display for all to see, but after actually clashing with those two, those disciples realized how mistaken they were. These two were slaughterers! Nobody could stand against them, and Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples dropped like flies wherever those two went.
[How do we fight these monsters?!] The surviving disciples no longer had the courage to resist and wanted nothing more than to run as far as possible. At that moment, several whooshing sounds came from afar.
The Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples were overjoyed at the sight, “The Great Elder is here!”
“The other Elders are here too!”
“There are also some Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters!”
“Please save us, Elders!”
The surviving disciples started shouting all at once, watching the Great Elder of Wind and Cloud Pavilion flying in this direction as if their saviour had come to rescue them.
Wind and Cloud Pavilion was one of the top Sects in the Western Territory, and aside from Hua Xing, who was a Third-Order Emperor, there were two other Second-Order Emperors and almost a dozen First-Order Emperors in the Sect. Such a heritage was unbelievably powerful.
The two Second-Order Emperors were seated as the Great Elder and the Second Elder respectively. Unfortunately, the Second Elder was killed in Great Cloud City previously, causing Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s overall strength to drop noticeably.
Having received a message from Hua Xing, the Great Elder brought all the forces he could muster here with him. Hundreds followed behind him, with even the weakest among them being a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. They were clearly the complete elites of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
It had been a long time since Wind and Cloud Pavilion brought out its full power to deal with an enemy; however, the situation was too dangerous at the moment. They would not have any chance of winning this battle if they did not go all out.
The Great Elder flew over with his sleeves fluttering in the wind. He had witnessed the Sect’s disciples being slaughtered from a distance and was instantly enraged as he roared, “Stop this instant!”
While speaking, a simple but ancient-looking sword appeared in his hand. His Emperor Qi surged as he slashed at Yang Kai. That attack was shockingly powerful and Sword Intent covered the sky, causing one’s skin to crawl.
The sword light slashed through Yang Kai’s body with unparalleled precision and cut him into two. Many of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples immediately cheered at the sight.
“Great Elder is mighty!”
“Great Elder is too amazing!”
“How could that trivial brat survive the might of Great Elder’s sword?! In terms of the Sword Dao, Great Elder might rank in the top ten in the entire Western Territory!”
“Hahaha! That’s what you get for being so arrogant and wild! Now you finally know your place!”
…..
Many of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples who had fled in terror after being beaten up just now felt their morale lifting and their hearts were filled with joy.
On the other hand, Lin Yun’er’s pretty face paled instantly as she yelled, “Uncle Yang!”
“Huh?” However, the Great Elder did not look the slightest bit joyful at his accomplishment. He knew his own swordsmanship best and had not felt as if he had cut through anything solid. When he looked again, he felt a chill running down his back as what he saw made the blood in his veins run cold.
The figure that he had cut apart was not a real person and not even a single drop of blood flowed out from it. It was clearly just an afterimage. Even so, the afterimage was so realistic that it managed to deceive so many eyes.
[Where is he? Since it is just an afterimage, that little brat must be unscathed. Where did he go? I didn’t even notice any movement!] The thought had just crossed his mind when a strange figure suddenly appeared before him.
*Ssii…*
The Great Elder gasped in surprise and stabbed out with the sword instinctually.
That sword was undoubtedly an Emperor Artifact as it was exuding waves of Emperor Pressure. Moreover, the Great Elder had wielded this sword for many centuries, so he had long ago reached the point where it was like an extension of his body. The thrust of his sword was immaculate, without any kind of flaw be it the angle or the timing. Sword Intent was dense and focused while the Sword Aura was stable and silent.
“Hm?” Yang Kai was rather surprised. He had met many Second-Order Emperors before and even killed some of them; however, those people were significantly weaker than the Great Elder of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
The attack might have looked simple, but it was made exquisitely and would land no matter how he tried to dodge or escape, thus he found himself unable to avoid the blow. But if he couldn’t avoid it, he simply had to face it head-on.
Summoning the Myriads Sword into his hands, Yang Kai swung at the approaching sword and a series of metal clashing sounds rang out as they exchanged countless blows in the blink of an eye.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai retreated and looked at the Great Elder in astonishment,
Not far away, the Great Elder’s complexion was pale, his hand holding his sword trembling uncontrollably as he gritted his teeth and shouted, “What is this?!”
In terms of swordsmanship, the young man facing him was not even worthy of carrying his shoes; however, that same young man had blocked his series of attacks despite only being a First-Order Emperor. What the young man relied on wasn’t his mastery of the sword but rather his phenomenal reaction speed and terrifying strength. In particular, the brute force this young man wielded astonished the Great Elder. The power that surged through the opponent’s sword made his blood churn and if not for his own great strength, he probably would have lost the ability to even hold his sword up.
“One man can defeat an army with brute force alone if his strength is great enough!” Yang Kai raised his face and smiled in approval, “Great Elder, your swordsmanship is amazing!”
When those words left his mouth, countless blood arrows suddenly shot from his arms and legs. Even the clothes he was wearing were torn to pieces. During this exchange, Yang Kai had suffered a loss. Although the Great Elder’s vitality had been disturbed from the fallout of their clash, it was Yang Kai who suffered more injuries in the clash. If he had not been wearing the Great Soaring Black Dragon Armour, his injuries would have been far worse.
“Uncle Yang, are you okay?” Lin Yun’er’s voice came from the side. Every time she swung her fists, Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples died or were critically wounded. When she saw Yang Kai being cut in half just now, she thought he had died and it saddened her so much that she nearly cried. Fortunately, he immediately reappeared and she understood she had seen wrongly and finally felt relieved.
“I’m fine. Yun’er, you should be more careful,” he urged.
“Good.” She nodded repeatedly before declaring, “They can’t beat me.”
Her nonchalant attitude made the Great Elder and many other Elders furious. They could tell that Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er were extraordinarily powerful though, and if they moved carelessly, they might end up failing miserably instead.
The Great Elder glanced at the battle taking place up above, where Li Jiao and Hua Xing fought on par with each other. It would be a long time before they could decide on a winner; thus, he could not place his hopes on the Pavilion Master to come and aid him. Understanding this, a savage look flashed across his eyes as if he made his decision about something as he shouted, “Formation!”
The use of Spirit Arrays went back a long way and often brought about miraculous effects. All large Sects in this world had their own unique Spirit Arrays. Putting aside large-scale arrays like the Sect Defending Array and Mountain Defending Array, there were many Spirit Arrays that linked people together as well, known as Formations. As disciples under the same Sect, they generally had many opportunities to practice working together and using special Formations often produced incredible results when dealing with strong enemies.
It was only natural for Wind and Cloud Pavilion to have its own Formations too. Moreover, it wasn’t just any Formation, but a Sword Formation of incredible power, which was mainly used for killing.
This Sword Formation was known as the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation. It was an inheritance that had been passed down by the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s ancestors for thousands of years. This Sword Formation had been used numerous times throughout the history of the Sect to turn things around during critical moments and allow the Sect to continue on until this day.
The Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation needed at least five people to form; however, there was no upper limit to the number of people that could be linked by it. The more people linked by the Formation, the greater the power.
Oftentimes, as long as ten disciples in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm assumed this Formation, they could hold out against an average First-Order Emperor. If there were twenty disciples linked to the Formation, then it was enough to kill a First-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Every Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciple had to cultivate this Formation once they reached the Dao Source Realm. Furthermore, there were large-scale joint exercises held every month to practice this Formation. Therefore, all disciples in the Dao Source Realm and above were extremely familiar with this Formation. It was all done as defensive preparations just in case Wind and Cloud Pavilion provoked a powerful opponent one day.
The last time Wind and Cloud Pavilion used the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was hundreds of years ago. At that time, Hua Xing had yet to return from his travels outside. The previous Pavilion Master was getting on in years, and the Sect showed signs of decline, as a result, several great forces in the Western Territory that coveted the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s resources and position joined forces to attack it.
At the time, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master had broken through the Sect Defending Array. It was then that the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion relied on this Formation to repel their enemy. The reputation of Wind and Cloud Pavilion soared after that battle and the situation finally stabilized after Hua Xing returned to assume command of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Hundreds of years later, the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation appeared once more; however, their opponents this time were merely two First-Order Emperors.
It wasn’t that the Great Elder was being overly cautious, it was just that he knew how terrifying these two youths were. During this period, Wind and Cloud Pavilion had sent out many Masters to kill these two. In addition, many Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters had been attracted by the reward of 20 million High-Rank Source Crystals for the heads of these two, but in the end, those two youngsters were still alive and kicking. They even killed their way into Wind and Cloud Pavilion while those so-called Masters dropped like flies in their wake.
The Great Elder himself was just a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. He learned from past mistakes and did not hesitate to pull out the Sect’s trump card after getting a feel of Yang Kai’s power during their exchange.
Numerous Wind and Cloud Pavilion Elders and disciples looked solemn when they heard his command.
“Link!” The Great Elder shouted again. He lifted the sword in his hand and pointed it to the sky, releasing a burst of Sword Intent.
Six Elders in the First-Order Emperor Realm and hundreds of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm also summoned their own sword artifacts in unison, each activating a different Secret Technique. Their longswords vibrated with dazzling Sword Aura as they shouted, “Link!”
The voices of a hundred people intertwined and even their auras seemed to be connected by a mysterious force. The world buzzed and the void shuddered.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. Although he did not know what was happening, he instinctively sensed that something was wrong. Turning his gaze to the place where most of the enemies were gathered together, he shouted, “Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf!”
He swung the Myriads Sword down as thousands of sword lights covered the entire sky and rushed towards those cultivators in the Dao Source Realm like a locust plague.
Under normal circumstances, even a First-Order Emperor Realm Master would have a hard time taking his attack head-on. On the other hand, a Dao Source Realm Master would definitely lose their life. However, those cultivators in the Dao Source Realm were not at all flustered as the sword lights headed in their direction. They simply watched indifferently while maintaining their Sword Aura and pushing their Sword Intent.
“Come!” The Great Elder flicked his longsword and released a sword flourish towards the sky with a roar.
A strange Formation appeared in mid-air, one that rotated slowly and turned into a barrier visible to the naked eye, which blocked in front of those cultivators in the Dao Source Realm.
*Hong hong hong…*
All the sword lights landed on the barrier but did not have any effect. Instead, they were all absorbed by the Formation.
Yang Kai frowned. [This is going to be a little tricky. This Formation is quite profound.]
Before he could finish his thoughts though, the Great Elder shouted again, “Go!”
The Formation suddenly began spinning in the opposite direction. Following that, sword lights shot out from within the array and appeared in front of Yang Kai in the blink of an eye.
“Uncle Yang, watch out!” Lin Yun’er called out.
Yang Kai wasn’t caught off guard though and with a swing of his Myriads Sword, he blocked those sword lights while raising his brow, “Reflection?”
He noticed that those sword lights that came flying at him were the ones he created just now. Thinking about the mysterious effects of the array, Yang Kai immediately understood how it worked. This Formation that appeared out of thin air didn’t just absorb attacks; it also had the ability to reflect those attacks back.
“Transform!” The Great Elder released his Sword Aura again while shouting.
The world changed in the next moment. All of a sudden, everyone disappeared and the entire world seemed different. Yang Kai looked around and saw countless longswords with dense auras forming the sky. The longswords felt real yet unreal at the same time; moreover, there were as many swords as there were stars in the sky, so many that one couldn’t see the end at a single glance. It was practically a world of swords.
An impressive Sword Intent pressed down from all sides. Simultaneously, waves and waves of invisible Sword Qi cut through everything in the world. It made the skin all over Yang Kai’s body sting with pain.
A drop of sweat slid down from his forehead. He could tell that the situation was not looking too good. Although he had yet to experience the true extent of the Formation’s power, his vision was still quite sharp. It was impossible for him not to notice the strangeness of this Formation.
“Entering the Sword Formation is a one-way road to death! Die!” The Great Elder’s voice came from void. It was vague and hard to track, making it impossible to grasp his position.
“Entering the Sword Formation is a one-way road to death!” Hundreds of people shouted together. Their words seemed to contain a shocking Sword Intent in them, which turned into invisible swords that attacked the minds of Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er.
That was clearly a kind of Soul attack. Moreover, it was a Soul attack with Sword Intent imbued into it, strengthening its piercing power greatly.
Yang Kai felt pain in his mind as his Knowledge Sea became turbulent. The defences of his Knowledge Sea were torn apart without warning and a huge sword wave slashed towards his Soul. Shocked, he quickly pushed the power of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus and transformed it into a shield to defend against the attack. The shield fended off the attack from the sword wave with a loud explosive sound as seven-coloured light flared brightly.
Following that, both sides were stuck in a stalemate for a long time before the sword waves suddenly dissipated.
Feeling horrified, he turned to look at Lin Yun’er, only to see that the little girl was staring around with her eyes wide open and her fists clenched tightly. She was looking around for traces of people and didn’t seem to be affected by their situation.
[This little girl is truly amazing!] That Soul attack just now could not have been aimed at him alone. She must have been included in the attack too. Even so, she wasn’t just completely unscathed; she didn’t even show any reaction at all, which was a little strange.
Although her cultivation was in the same realm as his, Yang Kai believed she could not be stronger than him in terms of Spiritual Energy; his Soul had been nurtured and nourished by the Soul Warming Lotus for so many years after all. His Spiritual Energy was on par with an ordinary Third-Order Emperor’s; thus, it would be rather outrageous if Lin Yun’er was stronger than him in this aspect.
Most likely, the reason she was safe and sound was either a result of her Special Constitution or a powerful artifact she carried on her. He leaned towards the latter reason. The special traits of the Tyrant Strength Body were mainly reflected in the body, not the Soul.
Yang Kai did not have the time to mull over this though. Shifting his body slightly, he arrived next to her and reached out to grab her while pushing his Space Principles. Following that, they vanished instantly.
This Formation was strange and unpredictable, so they would suffer a miserable defeat if they continued to remain in this place. Thus, the best thing to do right now was to escape.
“Trying to flee?” The Great Elder snorted coldly. A longsword suspended in the sky suddenly trembled slightly before disappearing as swiftly as lightning and plunging directly towards the void where they once stood.
In the next moment, the figures of Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er falteringly reappeared not far away. Lin Yun’er was holding a longsword in one hand with a furious expression on her face.
“This is not good.” Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly. His Space Divine Ability was rarely ineffective; however, in such a situation, it meant that the enemy’s strength was way beyond his expectations
“Space Principles?” The Great Elder was surprised too. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to defeat Yang Kai, a Master on the Dao of Space, with his cultivation. It was just that he could control everything within the Sword Formation since he was the Formation Core. That was how he managed to grasp Yang Kai’s movements and presence. It was precisely because of this that he managed to force Yang Kai out of the Void and obstruct his escape.
“Are you scared, Yun’er?” Yang Kai swept a cold glance around his surroundings and asked. Even with his Divine Sense stretched to its limits, he could not locate where the people of Wind and Cloud Pavilion were hiding. The only thing in this place were swords, Sword Intent, and Sword Aura. There was nothing else besides those.
“I’m not scared!” Lin Yun’er replied. Exerting some force into her small hand, the longsword she caught shattered and disappeared in a flurry of light particles. Even though that was just an illusory sword, it felt real inside this Sword Formation.
“Good.” Yang Kai laughed, “Then, let’s break through this trash Sword Formation together!”
“Shameless boasting!” The Great Elder roared, “Even if you struggle endlessly, you will never escape from this Formation!”
As soon as his voice rang out, countless longswords around them began to vibrate and turn towards one direction. The sword tips were pointing directly at where Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er stood.
Yang Kai’s expression sank. He was enveloped by dense Sword Intent, causing the Emperor Qi inside his body to stagnate.
“Die!” Following that shout of anger, countless swishing sounds whistled through the air. It was deafening as countless longswords attacked Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er from all directions. Moreover, each sword exuded a shockingly powerful Sword Intent that seemed capable of cutting through everything in front of it. The entire world within the Sword Formation was filled with such attacks; there was nowhere for the two of them to dodge.
“Yun’er, get down!” Yang Kai shouted.
Without even thinking about it, Lin Yun’er crouched and hugged her head with her hands.
“Dragon Transformation!” Yang Kai let out another roar. When the high-pitched Dragon roar rang out, the Sword Formation shuddered slightly as if shocked by something. Then, a series of snapping sounds rang out as Yang Kai’s body expanded all of a sudden and turned into a forty-five meter tall behemoth. He had stubby Dragon Horns on his head; his hands became Dragon Claws; and his body was covered in Dragon Scale Armour. It was a powerful and majestic appearance.
Crouching down, Yang Kai curled up his huge body and protected Lin Yun’er.
*Hong hong hong…*
The swords rained down and exploded against Yang Kai’s body, causing sparks to fly in all directions. The forty-five-metre tall behemoth swayed as it was struck by the forces that came from all directions, looking as if it might collapse at any time.
*Chi chi chi…*
He grimaced in pain when the attacks began to draw blood. It made his monstrous face look quite hideous and terrifying. Even so, Yang Kai remained in place without moving. Curling up into a ball, he exposed his back and protected Lin Yun’er from even the slightest harm.
“Uncle Yang!” Lin Yun’er lifted her head, shock and surprise flashing in her eyes. She had not expected him to change so drastically in the blink of an eye; however, her eyes immediately reddened when she realized that he was enduring those attacks.
He grinned, “Let’s get through this for now and deal with them later.”
She nodded in response, a ruthless expression flitting across her face.
The endless sword rain lasted for a long time before it gradually subsided.
“What!?” The Great Elder’s voice rang out. He was astonished beyond words, having never imagined that Yang Kai could survive the Sword Formation’s assault. Not only was that a Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation formed by hundreds of people, but he, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, was also acting as the Formation Core! In addition, he had the support of six other First-Order Emperor Realm Masters, while the rest were Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters! Even if a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was subjected to that attack, they would die without a corpse!
[How did he survive?! Furthermore, his appearance has changed too greatly! There are two bulging protrusions on his head; his hands have turned into sharp claws, and his exposed skin is covered in scales. What kind of monster is he?!] He was so shocked that he couldn’t speak, his thoughts turning rapidly as he activated the power of Sword Formation again.
After that previous rain of swords, not many longswords were left inside the Sword Formation; however, swords of different shapes and auras were slowly condensing again at this moment as though the supply of swords was infinite. Although it wasn’t certain whether those sharp swords were real or not, every one of them was emitting powerful Sword Qi regardless of how real they were.
In response, Yang Kai’s expression turned grim. He anxiously swept his Divine Sense out in all directions.
[Trapped inside this Sword Formation, Yun’er and I will eventually tire ourselves out if we can’t find a way to destroy it or escape.] It was only to be expected; they were fighting against so many enemies after all. Moreover, their enemies were relying on the power of the Formation to maximize their strength. In contrast, the two of them were greatly outnumbered. Even if they could hold out for a while, they could not keep it up forever.
It was a pity that his Divine Sense could not find any loopholes in this place. Besides, he did not have much knowledge in Spirit Arrays. [If only Nanmen Da Jun was here, he might be able to give me some advice.]
While he was frowning deeply, Lin Yun’er angrily said, “Uncle Yang, please buy me some time.”
Although she had killed a lot before, she had always remained perfectly calm. Rather, it felt as though she was simply kicking aside a small stone by the side of the road. She didn’t even get mad when she was constantly being attacked or ambushed previously, but this time, she was angry for real. It couldn’t be helped though as her Uncle Yang had suffered a serious injury in order to protect her.
He was stunned when he heard those words, “Can you destroy this Formation?”
She replied, “I have a trump card. It should be able to destroy it!”
“Good.” Yang Kai was elated, “Go ahead and cast your Secret Technique. I will not let them interfere with you.”
“En!” She sat down cross-legged as soon as he finished speaking. Closing her beautiful eyes, she placed one hand flat against her lower abdomen and made a weird seal with the other hand. The aura around her floated about erratically.
Yang Kai did not know what she was going to do; however, she had already said so much, so he could only give her his greatest trust in return. Besides, he currently did not have any means to destroy this Formation. Thus, it was only natural to let her try if she had a way. If it failed, he would think about it then.
“You brats think you can destroy our Formation?! Such shameless boasting!” The Great Elder’s voice rang out again. He had heard the conversation between the two, and his voice practically dripped with scorn.
[If the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was that easy to break, it could not have rescued Wind and Cloud Pavilion from danger on so many occasions. Even if these two have some knowledge in Spirit Arrays, it won’t be enough for them to discover the weak points of this Formation.] While thinking so, he shouted again, “Slash!”
Without warning, a huge sword wave sliced down with Lin Yun’er as its target. The sword wave was several tens of metres long and looked like one of the towering pillars supporting the Heavens. Even cracks appeared in space as it slashed down from the sky. This attack was comparable to the full strength of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Yang Kai roared in defiance as he used his large body to stand between Lin Yun’er and the sword wave. His window-sized fists simultaneously lashed out, striking the approaching attack.
The sword wave dissipated with a loud bang. Meanwhile, Yang Kai staggered backwards slightly, a bloody wound appearing on his clenched fist.
“What amazing might!” The Great Elder was astonished. He did not know what kind of Secret Technique Yang Kai had used to make his body become so large, but even so, it was impressive of Yang Kai to take on the Everchanging Profound Sword Formation with his body alone. Still, he coldly snorted, “Let’s see how long you can last!”
“Slash!”
“Slash!”
“Slash!”
One after another, huge sword waves attacked again and again. The aura behind those attacks threatened to kill Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er ruthlessly. It was completely different from the endless sword rain just now. Each sword wave was infinitely more powerful. Hence the power was increased by a thousand times even though the number was much smaller.
Yang Kai strode forward to meet these attacks. His huge body was indescribably flexible and nimble, swinging out with his fists as he took on one sword after another. Every time he dealt with one sword, he staggered backwards slightly and an extra gash appeared on his fist. Meanwhile, fresh blood dripped on the ground with soft pattering sounds.
By the time the last sword wave came towards him, Yang Kai’s fists were a bloody mess and the Dragon Scales covering them were completely cracked. Gritting his teeth in determination, he used his head to block the attack.
An explosive sound rang out as that sword wave slashed down and embedded itself more than a hand length into his head. His entire body seemed to become shorter after taking that attack, and fresh blood slid down his cheeks.
“Ah…” The Great Elder gasped, feeling shocked. [How is he still alive?! What is with this boy?! How can his body’s defence be this strong?! How is he still standing even after taking on so many of our attacks?! Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master wouldn’t be able to remain standing after that, right?! This is impossible!]
A sharp look flashed through his eyes as he sent a giant sword wave at Yang Kai while simultaneously sending a much stealthier sword wave towards Lin Yun’er. Even if he couldn’t kill this boy, he could at least kill that girl, right?
As soon as the sword waves were released, the Great Elder suddenly felt a chill running down his back. The feeling that he was being targeted by a mighty presence blossomed in him for some reason. This terrifying sensation gave him the feeling that he could die at any moment if the other party so wished.
“Who’s there?!” He exclaimed in shock, but received no reply, and strangely enough, the feeling he got just now also vanished without any explanation, as if it had been nothing more than an illusion.
The Great Elder frowned in response, not knowing what was going on and secretly wondering if he had sensed wrongly.
He was currently acting as the Formation Core of the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation; moreover, he had combined with hundreds of disciples to assemble the Sword Formation. If anybody wanted to harm him, they had to destroy the Sword Formation before they could locate his true body. [That inexplicable murderous intent that targeted me directly just now must have been nothing more than a figment of my imagination.]
In the meantime, while the sword wave rushed toward Lin Yun’er, she remained motionless, as if she could not sense the imminent danger approaching. She simply continued to cast her Secret Technique quietly and prepared to unleash her trump card.
[I wonder what trump card she has that requires such a long preparation time.] It made Yang Kai secretly judge her Master for being rather unreliable. [Who cares how powerful the trump card is if it takes so long to prepare?! In a real life-or-death situation, who is going to give you the time to make such preparations?!]
Although he was dealing with the Great Elder, he remained vigilant and paid close attention to Lin Yun’er’s situation; therefore, he immediately noticed the sword wave as soon as it appeared. With no other choice, he summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The tiny Mountains and Rivers Bell looked like a child’s toy in his large hands, but as it spun about in the air for a moment, it rapidly enlarged before covering Lin Yun’er. For that reason, the sword wave that arrived as expected struck the bell instead.
“That is…” The Great Elder was shocked again, his gaze locking onto the Mountains and Rivers Bell like a leech, a strange light shining in his eyes. How could he fail to detect the profoundness of this artifact? The aura that seeped out of this bell was ancient and desolate, as well as incredibly powerful.
“An Ancient Exotic Artifact!” He exclaimed, his gaze immediately filling with greed. He could barely hold in his urge to laugh as he couldn’t believe that this boy had such a precious treasure in his possession!
Even though he was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master with his own Emperor Rank Artifact, an Emperor Rank Artifact and an Ancient Exotic Artifact were two completely different things. The latter was extremely rare but unbelievably powerful and would be incredibly beneficial in improving his strength if he could obtain one.
Looking at the bell again, he realized how extraordinary it was. Even among all the Ancient Exotic Artifacts, it was certainly a superior existence.
A greedy notion immediately budded in his heart as he secretly vowed to himself that he would seize that Ancient Exotic Artifact! How could a mere First-Order Emperor deserve such a treasure? Leaving that in his possession would be such a waste!
If he could get hold of that Ancient Exotic Artifact, he was confident that he could even fight against a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. The appeal was too great.
While the Great Elder was being distracted by his greedy thoughts, Yang Kai reached out a hand to wipe at the blood on his face. He breathed in gently, a harsh and cold light flashing in his eyes.
He would not have used the Mountains and Rivers Bell if it had not been necessary. That was because the suppression effect of the Ancient Exotic Artifact was too strong. Even though it could provide Lin Yun’er with great protection, the suppression effect it exuded would surely interfere with her somewhat, especially since she was currently casting her Secret Technique.
Unfortunately, there was nothing much he could do about it at this point. He could only hope that it did not affect her too much. For that reason, he had also weakened the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell as much as possible.
“Now I can finally go all out now! Old dog, you had better hide as best as you can. Don’t let me catch you, otherwise, I’m going to skin you alive!” Yang Kai looked around with cold eyes, sneering icily.
“How dare you be so cocky, you brat!” The Great Elder yelled in great frustration. His pride was hanging on the line. He was leading a Sword Formation composed of hundreds of people, so logically speaking, he should have been able to eliminate Yang Kai with ease, but contrary to his expectations, Yang Kai wasn’t just alive and kicking, he even dared to throw out threats too!
It was simply intolerable!
Inside Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the whole world was shaking while the surrounding World Energy rumbled.
While the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was in operation, all the World Energy in Wind and Cloud Pavilion seemed to be sucked over to sustain it. The Sword Intent in the Sword Formation churned, making it so hazy that it was difficult to see what was going on inside.
Many of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples drew sharp breaths when they heard the ruckus. What kind of powerful enemy had invaded the Sect for the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation to be activated?
Despite their willingness to help, the Formation had already been activated, so even if they were the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples, they couldn’t break into it. Forcefully entering the Formation would only cause them to be turned into dust by the limitless Sword Intent.
Since they couldn’t see the situation inside the Sword Formation, they could only turn their eyes to the other battlefield. Needless to say, it was the battle between two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. Every attack they unleashed had the power to split mountains, causing the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples watching the battle to be dazzled and shocked by what they saw.
“Li Jiao, those two Juniors have entered the Sword Formation; they will definitely die a miserable death, so why are you still fighting for their sake?” Hua Xing asked while dealing with Li Jiao.
Hua Xing’s cultivation might be comparable to that of Li Jiao’s, but Li Jiao was not a pure human. Li Jiao was a descendant of the Dragon Clan, so if it really came down to it, Hua Xing was not his match.
Being able to keep up with Li Jiao for so long was thanks to his favourable conditions and an advantageous position. He was the Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, after all, so blessed by the fortune of the land, Hua Xing was slightly stronger than normal when fighting within Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Even so, he was only barely managing to keep up with Li Jiao on equal grounds.
[A Dragonborn really does deserve the title ‘Dragonborn’. Despite only inheriting a thin portion of the Dragon bloodline, Li Jiao can exert such great strength. If I had fought him outside of the Sect, I would have lost the battle a long time ago.]
He abhorred Li Jiao’s backstabbing attitude; however, he also knew that continuing with the battle was of no benefit to himself or Wind and Cloud Pavilion. The destruction brought about by two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters clashing would destroy the foundation of Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Therefore, he wanted to make peace with Li Jiao.
[There are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal benefits. Besides, those two Juniors are bound to die so it’s meaningless to continue fighting Li Jiao. It’s not like we gain anything from determining the winner between us anyway.]
Li Jiao frowned when he heard those words. He did not say anything in response, but Hua Xing clearly felt his strength reducing considerably.
Hua Xing was overjoyed. [I knew Li Jiao isn’t as aggressive and determined as he acts on the surface. Perhaps, he was forced to become enemies with me.]
Hua Xing decided to strike while the iron was hot and added, “Brother Li, you and I have been friends for hundreds of years. People from all over the world would ridicule us if they knew we made such a fuss over two measly Juniors. Why don’t we stop here for now and decide on what to do after seeing the results of the fight over there? What do you say?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Li Jiao’s power reduced even more. Thus, he knew that he had guessed correctly. Casually exchanging blows with Li Jiao, he asked, “Brother Li, oh, Brother Li… Why are you doing this?”
Although Li Jiao said nothing to that, he was not as aggressive as before either.
Hua Xing understood that Li Jiao’s pride had taken a blow; after all, Li Jiao’s actions might seem rather capricious if he kept changing his mind left and right. The reason he continued fighting was that he still had some misgivings in his heart. He was afraid that the two Juniors might come out from the Sword Formation and see him loafing around instead of taking things seriously.
Hua Xing secretly sneered at that thought but did not try to persuade Li Jiao any further. As long as they were no longer destroying the foundation of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, he could play along with this farce. Once those two Juniors died and the Great Elder provided their corpses as proof, he would let Li Jiao know the consequences of offending Wind and Cloud Pavilion!
On this side, the battle was like a show of sorts. Both parties were not giving their full strength. Even so, the battle seemed fierce on the surface. Thus, the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples that had gathered around watched the battle with great interest.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was not having such an easy time inside the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation. It was a Sword Formation deployed using the power of hundreds of people after all. Even though he had used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, he still couldn’t break out and could only remain passive, defending against the countless sword waves that attacked him.
Meanwhile, the Great Elder was becoming more and more frightened the longer the battle went on. [I’ve used the power of the Spirit Array to launch consecutive attacks, yet it isn’t making any difference! Is this boy really even human?!]
The behemoth that the young man had transformed into was a mess, covered in blood and wounds, but the monstrous ferocity it radiated did not diminish. On the contrary, it was only growing stronger. Oftentimes, the immense power that burst out randomly was capable of shaking the entire Sword Formation.
Although there was no need to worry about him destroying the formation, the Great Elder and the others had to expend their strength to defuse his attacks.
[If things continue like this, he might actually turn the situation around on us.] A sharp look flashed through the Great Elder’s eyes as soon as that thought crossed his mind and he swiftly began giving orders.
Soon, a figure appeared in front of him. It was the Third-Elder of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the one who had set up the formation with him.
“Take over!” The Great Elder instructed.
The Third Elder was shocked by those words and exclaimed in astonishment, “Are you going to use ‘that’, Great Elder?”
The Great Elder replied solemnly, “There’s no other way aside from that.”
The Third Elder pondered in silence for a moment before nodding, “Be careful, Great Elder. That little brat is rather unusual.”
“Of course!” The Great Elder responded and handed the Array Core over to the Third Elder. Afterwards, he stepped into the void, reached out his hand, and beckoned with his hand. A light immediately flew over from not far away, and he caught it in his hands. It was none other than his Emperor Artifact, a longsword.
The Sword Formation not only required people but also their swords as its base. Therefore, the cultivators that set up this formation were cultivators of the Sword Dao. The Emperor Artifact of the Great Elder had been integrated with the formation previously. For him to recall his sword from the formation was a clear indication that he was about to execute a powerful and mighty Secret Technique.
With the long sword erected in front of him, he formed a series of hand seals before sliding his finger along the blade. Fresh blood flowed out from the wound but did not drip anywhere. Instead, it was cleanly absorbed by the longsword, which instantly turned the colour of blood. Immediately after that, the World Energy in the surrounding area reacted like a cat catching a whiff of fish, swarming over and pouring into the sword.
At the same time, the Great Elder’s aura climbed steadily. The clothes on his body flapped madly as all of a sudden, his aura erupted with the strength of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even so, there was no sign of it stopping. It wasn’t until his entire complexion turned beet red, like he might explode at any time, that the rising momentum finally ebbed.
At this moment, the Great Elder’s power was absolutely terrifying. Even Hua Xing and Li Jiao were incomparable. It wasn’t his heritage of course, but rather the Great Elder taking advantage of the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation to empower himself.
His scarlet eyes locked onto Yang Kai, and taking a deep breath, he suddenly roared, “Die!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, together with his sword, he transformed into a beam of light that shot towards Yang Kai.
Inside the Sword Formation, Yang Kai felt his skin tightening as he felt the aura of death descend around him, causing the Emperor Qi in his body to churn uneasily. Throwing his Divine Sense into the surroundings, Yang Kai immediately discovered the source of the danger.
A dazzling light was rushing towards him at the speed of lightning inside. That sword wave was extremely bright, and the Sword Intent was so condensed that it seemed solid. It felt like it could break through all the barriers in the world and cut through the universe.
The pupils of Yang Kai’s eyes contracted. Although that terrifying blow was not comparable to that of Great Demon God’s cross-world attack, it was not something that could be unleashed by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Despite turning into a half-dragon, Yang Kai had a feeling that he couldn’t endure that blow. He felt as if his body was being torn apart by the sword wave even before it arrived.
Using his giant claws, Yang Kai rapidly formed a set of seals before pushing his palms out and shouting in a low voice, “Time Flies!”
Just as the sword wave split the air and flew at him, the Time Flies Seal shot out to meet it, exploding on contact. However, the sword wave continued to advance; its power had not been reduced whatsoever.
Yang Kai was startled. It was his first time meeting somebody who could break the Time Flies Seal in a direct confrontation. Even if he had not mastered the Time Flies Seal, it was still a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability! How could it be broken so easily!
Just as he was considering the idea of hiding inside the Sealed World Bead for a short while to escape the imminent danger, he heard a soft voice ringing out in his ears, “Uncle Yang!”
Lin Yun’er’s preparations were finally completed, and her voice was brimming with confidence.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as the Mountains and Rivers Bell that had been guarding Lin Yun’er all this time immediately turned into a stream of light which then encapsulated him.
“Damn it!” Even though the Great Elder’s mental fortitude was impeccable, he couldn’t help cursing out loud at this moment. He had learned just how strong that Ancient Exotic Artifact’s defensive abilities were from previous experience.
He might be able to use the power of the entire array to perform an attack far beyond his own cultivation, but he did not have the confidence to break through the defence of this Ancient Exotic Artifact. In other words, he had used this trump card in vain. Encountering an opponent like this was the biggest misfortune of his life!
If he had been using his own swordsmanship to attack, he could have changed targets and taken the opportunity to kill Lin Yun’er. Unfortunately, this power was far beyond his ability to wield freely. He could only unleash it but not retract it; hence, he could only stare blankly at the Mountains and Rivers Bell in front of him and slam straight into it anyway.
*Hong…*
A loud explosion rang out, followed by a huge blast of light. The Mountains and Rivers Bell trembled while the Great Elder’s figure was revealed. At this moment, he had lost his previously proud demeanour. Although the force of the collision had not killed him, it had caused him to bleed from his seven orifices. He was extremely dizzy, and all the strength in his body disappeared. He couldn’t bring out the slightest bit of Emperor Qi in him.
“Seize!” Lin Yun’er did not take this opportunity to kill the Great Elder and shouted out instead.
In the next moment, the dizzy Great Elder’s expression changed drastically because he suddenly felt a huge force pulling against the Emperor Artifact longsword in his hands. The longsword involuntarily flew out of his hands as a result.
Shocked, he hurriedly tried to activate his Divine Sense to recall his Emperor Artifact. For people cultivating the Sword Dao, the sword in their hands was equivalent to their lives. What’s more; this was the Emperor Artifact that he had used his own life force to cultivate. If this sword fell into somebody else’s hands, it would be equivalent to having half his life in their hands.
However, what horrified him even more was that, regardless of how much he pushed his Secret Technique, the Emperor Artifact that had followed him for thousands of years did not respond at all. It was as if the ties formed during the past thousand years had been cut off by an inexplicable force.
The Great Elder widened his eyes and stared at Lin Yun’er dumbfounded. The sight that greeted him instantly rendered him speechless. Unfortunately, Yang Kai’s huge body suddenly appeared in front of him before he could react. Yang Kai’s huge body was like a small mountain that blocked out all the light in front of him.
[This is bad!] The Great Elder felt his entire body going cold. He shifted his body as if to conceal himself inside the Sword Formation; however, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and captured the Great Elder in his hand. Grinning, he asked, “You want to leave after finally showing yourself?”
Upon hearing those words, the Great Elder was so scared that it felt as if his Soul was being extinguished. Then, bursts of shocked exclamations rang out from the surroundings. Those shouts came from the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples who had set up the Formation.
“You!”
“How dare you, you brat!”
“Hurry up and release the Great Elder! Otherwise, you will die a miserable death!”
…
Shouts rang out from all around. Meanwhile, Yang Kai held the Great Elder in one hand and swept a sharp gaze across the sky as he sneered softly.
He had been one-sidedly beaten up ever since this Formation was set up. He couldn’t even find the enemy’s shadow. Thus, the rage he had been holding back was still simmering inside him with no place to go. He finally caught hold of one of their weaknesses and captured one of the enemy’s leaders, so how could he give him up so easily?
Over a hundred people had worked together to attack Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er, quite a few of them Emperor Realm Masters. There was even a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master among those numbers. During this period, they vigorously pressured them, fiercely attacked, and ruthlessly tried to kill them, yet now that Yang Kai had seized an opportunity to turn things around, they became furious and started issuing threats.
Yang Kai chuckled softly. Shifting his gaze, he stared at the Great Elder and coldly spat out a single word, “Die!”
“No!” The Great Elder’s expression changed drastically while wailing loudly. Unfortunately, he couldn’t break free from the restraints of that large hand regardless of how hard he struggled.
A violent force squeezed him from all directions and the sounds of bones breaking rang out. At the same time, blood flowed from all seven of his orifices. The Great Elder could distinctly feel his bones snapping and his internal organs being squeezed so hard that they exploded.
*Pa!*
Fresh blood splattered all over the place as the Great Elder’s flesh scattered in all directions.
“Ah!”
“The Great Elder is dead!”
The disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion exclaimed in horror. They could not accept what they just saw. The Great Elder was not just anybody. In the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, he was the second most powerful person aside from the Pavilion Master, Hua Xing! However, such a great existence had been single-handedly crushed by that monster!
“How impudent!”
“Avenge the Great Elder!”
They were shocked into silence for a moment before they began to clamour even louder than before.
The Sword Formation was activated once again and sharp swords appeared in every direction again, murderous intent increasing rapidly.
The Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was constructed with swords as its base and cultivators proficient in the Sword Dao as its roots. It was basically a killing array. The Great Elder’s death made their murderous intent swell and significantly enhanced the power of the Formation.
It was a pity that the overall strength of the Formation still decreased despite their rage. It couldn’t be helped though as the Great Elder, who was acting as the Formation Core, had died. Meanwhile, the Third Elder, who took over his role, was only a First-Order Emperor. Hence, the power of the Formation Core had been reduced by a whole Minor Realm. It caused the entire Sword Formation to weaken as a result. Even the increase in intensity could not make up for the difference in power caused by the Great Elder’s death.
Yang Kai laughed wildly, “If I can kill one of you, I can kill all of you! Wash your necks and wait for me; I’ll find all of you, one by one then kill each and every one of you!”
“How dare you boast so shamelessly?!” The Third Elder, who linked the Formation, roared and no longer hesitated. As soon as the thought flashed across his mind, an overwhelming sword wave rushed toward Yang Kai again.
Before Yang Kai could react though, Lin Yun’er shouted again, “Seize!”
The moment the words left her mouth, the countless sword waves seemed to receive some sort of command from somebody else. They uniformly changed directions, flew in a certain direction, entered a certain spot, and vanished instantly.
Turning his head to look at her, Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and revealed a look of surprise, “Huh?”
At this moment, Lin Yun’er had her hands held up high and was holding a washbasin-sized item over her head. That item was entirely ink-black and looked extremely plain. It looked like nothing more than the usual iron wok that people used to cook with.
Contrary to appearances though, the plain-looking iron wok was the one to release such an incredible and unimaginable devouring power. All the Sword Qi brought out by the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation disappeared after being sucked into it. Like a bottomless pit, that iron wok absorbed all the sword waves that came its way regardless of the number. Moreover, there was no sign of saturation at all.
Even so, what surprised Yang Kai wasn’t the power it displayed but the aura it emitted. It was a very pure and ancient aura, just like the Mountains and Rivers Bell he owned. It felt as though the aura had come from prehistoric times.
“An Ancient Exotic Artifact!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he was shocked to see that Lin Yun’er had an Ancient Exotic Artifact in her possession.
After all, Ancient Exotic Artifacts were items that had been passed down since ancient times and were extraordinarily rare. The only Ancient Exotic Artifact Yang Kai knew about, aside from his Mountains and Rivers Bell, was Hua Yu Lu’s small flower drum; however, he did not know the extent of Hua Yu Lu’s artifact’s power.
This iron wok was amazing, on the other hand. Just judging by the devouring ability, it was incomparable to ordinary treasures. It was just that it looked… Rather unsightly. At first glance, Yang Kai really thought it was an ordinary wok used for cooking.
“Is that your trump card?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Lin Yun’er balanced the iron wok on her head and rushed over to him with a smile. She lightly kicked with her feet and stood on his shoulders as she replied without answering his question, “Uncle Yang, you’re so handsome.”
He laughed heartily, “I think so too. You sure have a good eye, Yun’er.”
When the Third Elder heard those words, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. This was a life or death battle with the future of a great Sect at stake, so why was the enemy having such a casual conversation?! They were clearly looking down on them!
The Third Elder did know where that iron wok came from, all he knew was that it could bring about a miraculous effect. Even so, he had been angered by Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er’s nonchalance. Just as he was about to activate the power of the Formation again though, he heard exclamations of shock ringing out from all directions.
“Ah!”
“What’s going on?!”
“My sword!”
“Senior Brother, help! My sword is being sucked away!”
“Help you? Damn it… My sword is being sucked away too! I can’t even protect myself right now!”
When those voices rang out, the Third Elder’s expression changed drastically. He recalled the strange occurrence that the Great Elder had experienced before his death and seemed to understand something all of a sudden. Consequently, his expression became horrified.
At that moment, he suddenly felt the longsword in his hands being pulled by a powerful force. It was being drawn towards a certain direction uncontrollably as if to escape his grip. That direction happened to be the location of the little girl holding the iron wok.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Streams of light cut through the air, but this time around, it was no longer those non-existing sword waves but actual, genuine Artifacts.
The cultivators forming the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation were either in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm or higher; therefore, the artifacts that they owned were naturally of rather high quality. Those Artifacts were Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank at the very least, but many were actually Emperor Artifacts.
Unfortunately, those swords were now flying toward Lin Yun’er and disappearing into the iron wok regardless of whether they were Dao Source Grade or Emperor Grade. In the blink of an eye, the iron wok had collected several dozen longswords. Moreover, more were still to come.
“What in the world is that?!” The Third Elder was horrified as he couldn’t believe that the iron wok would actually be able to snatch away other people’s artifacts! How were they supposed to fight against such an unfair power? He had never even heard of such a strange artifact before!
The power that was trying to devour the sword in his hands was becoming stronger and stronger, and even he had a hard time resisting it. He did not dare to relax his guard and hurriedly focused his attention on controlling his Emperor Artifact.
“Shua shua shua…*
In less than ten breaths, more than ninety swords had been sucked away by the iron wok. A short while later, even the Third Elder could not hold onto his artifact anymore. The sword slipped out of his control with a whoosh and flew away.
“Ah!” The Third Elder screamed as he madly pushed his Secret Art to recall his Emperor Artifact. But, what use would that do? Even the Great Elder had failed, so it was only natural that he couldn’t do any better.
When the last sword disappeared into the iron wok, a crashing sound rang out. Figure after figure began to appear, surrounding Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er in all directions, the expressions on their faces filled with terror.
These people were none other than the disciples and Elders that had participated in the Sword Formation. The Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was constructed with their swords as its base and them as its roots. Now that all the swords had been taken away, the Formation naturally broke apart even though the cultivators making up its roots were still around. Therefore, it could no longer conceal their presence.
“H-H-How is that possible?!” On the other side, Hua Xing drew a sharp breath of cold air into his lungs as he stared in that direction in disbelief. The Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was destroyed! The indestructible Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation that saved Wind and Cloud Pavilion from danger on multiple occasions had actually been broken!
Hua Xing felt he was having a nightmare, [This is impossible! That formation was passed down for thousands of years! It only needs five people to deploy; moreover, it gets stronger the more people are linked to it!]
More than a hundred people were linked to the formation this time, an extremely large-scale event. Furthermore, the person leading the Formation was the Great Elder, a man whose cultivation reached the Second-Order Emperor Realm! With such a lineup, even Hua Xing would have died several times over if he were caught inside. How could it be destroyed by two unknown Juniors?! Also, what happened to the Great Elder? Where was he?
Hua Xing swept his gaze around but did not see the Great Elder anywhere among those people and his heart pounded wildly, knowing that something had gone wrong. The Great Elder had been acting as the Formation Core, but he was currently nowhere to be seen. That could only mean one thing, the Great Elder was dead!
[How did he die? Who killed him?] Hua Xing did not understand anything and was clueless about the happenings within the Sword Formation, so it was only natural that he was completely bewildered.
At that moment, he felt his heart clenching all of a sudden as he instinctively sensed that danger was heading his way.
[This is bad!] Only then did he remember that he was in the middle of a battle with someone else. Moreover, the opponent was stronger than him. He would never have made such a foolish mistake under normal circumstances, but what he just witnessed had shocked him to the core, so it was inevitable that he would become slightly distracted as a result.
Unfortunately, that moment of distraction gave Li Jiao an opportunity to attack. A ferocious burst of Emperor Qi pressed down on Hua Xing and exploded on his chest, sending him flying as he coughed out a mouthful of blood.
“Old Dog Hua, how dare you make Palace Master Yang your enemy?! Today, this Li will definitely kill you!”
Upon hearing those words, Hua Xing spat out another mouthful of blood as he roared furiously, “Damn you, Li Jiao!”
The exchange of blows between them just now had been little more than a farce, a show they were putting on for the masses. Although it seemed like a lively battle, they had not been using even ten percent of their true strength. Thus, the full-powered attack had caught Hua Xing completely off guard.
Hua Xing also knew why Li Jiao was acting in this manner. It was clear that Li Jiao was reacting to the situation at hand and choosing the most advantageous action for himself. Even so, Hua Xing couldn’t help the rage that erupted in his heart. How could a hundred years of friendship be overturned just like that?!
Gritting his teeth, Hua Xing roared, “Are you certain you’ll win?! Just wait and see! Nobody will leave this place alive today!” Pausing for a moment, seemingly steeling himself, Hua Xing then shouted to the sky, “Come out, Divine Beast!”
Inside the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation had been destroyed. Thus, hundreds of the cultivators that had formed the Sword Formation were revealed. It made the disciples who were watching from the sides cry out with shock. In particular, Yang Kai’s hideous appearance and huge body terrified them greatly.
[What kind of monster is that?!]
“You take the left; I’ll take the right!” Yang Kai swept a cold glance over his surroundings and yelled out instructions to Lin Yun’er.
Lin Yun’er said nothing and simply rushed forward with the iron wok floating above her head. Three Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples gathered in one place didn’t even have the time to react before they exploded to bits from her punch.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai started moving too. Reaching out into the air, he somehow managed to grab the Third Elder in his hands even though the Third Elder was more than thirty metres away. Nobody knew how he managed to do that.
The Third Elder didn’t even have the time to say anything as a chill ran down from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Then, he was squeezed by a great force until he exploded and followed in the footsteps of the Great Elder.
Afterwards, Yang Kai waved his hand again. This time, another Elder standing close to the Third Elder was sent flying, spitting blood in mid-air and dying before he even reached the ground.
Under the Dragon Transformation, the power hidden in Yang Kai’s Dragon Source was stimulated, allowing him to utilize immense strength, so how could mere First-Order Emperors be his opponents?
Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er mowed through the crowd, leaving a disaster in their wake. Both the disciples and the Elders of Wind and Cloud Pavilion suffered heavy casualties with nobody able to stand up against those two at all.
In just three breaths, more than half of the over hundred people were dead while the rest finally started fleeing in a panic as if they had just awoken from a dream.
In the face of these two monstrous opponents, they could not even muster up the slightest bit of courage to fight back, especially since their artifacts had been taken from them. It was more important to flee for their lives.
*Chi chi chi…*
One after another, Moon Blades flew out in all directions. None of the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion who had contributed to the Sword Formation were spared. They screamed as they fell to the ground. Wherever the Moon Blades struck, a bloodbath ensued.
Lin Yun’er spun around in a circle. She had only killed a few dozen people, but looking around now, there was no corpse left. Only blood rained down from the sky.
The disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion watching from afar fell silent like crickets in the winter. Their complexions were ashen. [Just what kind of enemy did the Sect provoke? The entire elite force of the Sect, from the Great Elder all the way down to the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm are being wiped out! All of them are dying!]
Hua Xing was the only person left in the Sect that was an Emperor Realm Master. Throughout the entire history of the Sect, it had never suffered such severe damage as it had today. After this battle today, Wind and Cloud Pavilion would have difficulty restoring itself even if they managed to repel the enemy. Besides, could these two Monsters even be forced out of the Sect? Clearly the Sect was heading towards complete annihilation.
At that moment, Hua Xing roared in grief and rage, his anguished voice echoing across the sky, “Come out, Divine Beast!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the expressions of many Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples changed drastically as they looked even more terrified than when they watched Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er slaughtering their brethren.
“What did the Pavilion Master say?!”
“He wants to release the Divine Beast?!”
“Run! Why are you still standing there stupidly!?”
“If you don’t run now, it will be too late!”
The Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples who had been watching from afar reacted as if a great enemy was about to appear and began fleeing helter-skelter, acting as though the Divine Beast was some sort of plague.
Some of the disciples that had just joined the Sect looked confused. Although they knew about the Divine Beast guarding the Sect, none of them had seen it before. They didn’t even know what that Divine Beast was. All they knew was that the Divine Beast was incredibly powerful; in no way inferior in strength compared to the Pavilion Master, Hua Xing.
When they saw their Seniors from the Sect fleeing for their lives though, they began to panic too. It didn’t matter what kind of being the Divine Beast was; it was by no means anything good.
Just after Hua Xing’s roar rang out, an imposing hostility suddenly appeared from somewhere deep within Wind and Cloud Pavilion. It felt as if a sleeping dragon had awoken, and the entire world shuddered in response.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai turned his head to look in the direction of the aura’s source. There was a faint scorching sensation burning throughout the blood in his body, as if some sort of force was pulling against him and made him eager to fight.
Lin Yun’er flew over to him, the shabby iron wok still floating above her head, her beautiful eyes glancing in that direction as she sniffed lightly, her beautiful eyes suddenly brightening.
*Huo…*
Another roar rang out again, and a huge figure flew out from that direction. It looked like some sort of beast that was covered in flames and struck a majestic image.
[Is that the Guardian Divine Beast of Wind and Cloud Pavilion?] Yang Kai raised an eyebrow as his fighting spirit grew even stronger. It couldn’t be helped; it was because he could feel a trace of a Divine Spirit’s aura from this Divine Beast. [I can’t believe that the Guardian Divine Beast of Wind and Cloud Pavilion is a Divine Spirit! Inconceivable!]
Soon, something else happened that shocked him even more. That Divine Beast did not fly straight at them and instead headed towards some of the fleeing Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples. It was as swift as lightning as it rushed into the crowd and in the next moment, blood-curdling screams ringing out. They had obviously been bitten to death by the Divine Beast.
Hua Xing was utterly heartbroken. The Wind and Cloud Pavilion had kept a Guardian Divine Beast for thousands of years. Unfortunately, that Divine Beast was nothing more than an Ominous Beast, which was brought back by the tenth generation Sect Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion. When the tenth Ancestor was still alive, that Divine Beast was relatively obedient; however, once he passed away, the ferocious nature of this Divine Beast was revealed.
Although it did not leave the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, it was not under anybody’s control either. Only the Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion of each generation could communicate with it a little.
Moreover, there would be a heavy price to pay every time it was brought out of the mountains. If they had time to prepare, they could have enough sacrifices on hand in advance to sate its appetite. Only then could they manage to ask it to repel the powerful enemies of the Sect. Having said that, they were completely unprepared this time around, and for that reason, the price they had to pay were the tragic deaths of their disciples.
Even when Wind and Cloud Pavilion was facing a huge crisis a few hundred years ago, the previous Pavilion Master had not brought the Divine Beast out of the mountains for this exact reason. Nonetheless, Hua Xing no longer had the leisure to care so much anymore with such a huge crisis before them.
The blood-curdling screams continued without stopping as Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples were thrown to the ground and devoured by the Divine Beast, one after another.
“What the hell is that?” Yang Kai squinted as he looked over. It was too bad that the distance was too great so he couldn’t see clearly. All he knew was that the Divine Beast had yet to do anything to them and instead had taken down many of their enemies for them.
“It sure looks delicious!” Lin Yun’er sniffed even harder.
Yang Kai was rendered speechless by her words. [Why does this little girl only think about food?]
A quarter of an hour later, the Divine Beast seemed to have eaten its fill and finally ran through the air, rushing towards them, its hooves were covered in flames and its beastly eyes were burning with fire.
As it approached, Yang Kai finally had a clear glimpse of what the Divine Beast looked like. It had a Dragon Head, Deer Horns, Lion’s Eyes, a Tiger’s Back, a Bear’s Waist, Snake Scales, Horse Hooves, and a Cow’s Tail. It was extremely menacing and looked down on everyone present with clear disdain in its eyes.
“A Fire Qilin?” Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly. No wonder it had the aura of a Divine Spirit, it actually turned out to be a Fire Qilin! There were many types of Qilins, but all Qilins were Ancient Divine Spirits regardless of what species they were. The Dragon Clan blood flowing in Yang Kai’s veins also belonged to a Divine Spirit, and as both the Qilin and the Dragon Clan were considered superior beings among the Divine Spirits, their auras would naturally be attracted to each other.
“It only resembles a Fire Qilin,” Lin Yun’er seemed to have some knowledge on Divine Spirits though and her eyes were gleaming as she said, “It has a Qilin bloodline, but it’s not a pureblood.”
Yang Kai turned to glance at her with a speechless expression. “Yun’er… You’re drooling…”
She lifted a hand, wiped at the corner of her mouth, and excitedly proclaimed, “Leave this to me!” After saying that, she rushed forward.
“Be careful!” Yang Kai yelled after her. Although her strength was impressive, encountering an Ominous Beast with the blood of a Divine Spirit was still rather worrisome and he was certain she was not its opponent. Even so, she acted so confidently that Yang Kai couldn’t bear to discourage her; thus, he decided to be ready to react at a moment’s notice.
Both the human and the beast approached each other swiftly. The Fire Qilin descendent was clearly sentient, and when it saw Lin Yun’er rushing towards it, it roared furiously while at the same time, the flames on its body burned even more fiercely.
Lin Yun’er was unfazed by its reaction and continued to rush forward.
Opening its mouth, it shot out a large fireball that gave off an extremely terrifying heat; however, Lin Yun’er didn’t even flinch and instead used the iron wok to take on the attack.
The iron wok wasn’t that large, only about the size of a washbasin. Moreover, it was several times smaller than the fireball, but contrary to expectations, the fireball disappeared cleanly when it came into contact with the iron wok.
Yang Kai, who had been on the verge of moving, stopped in his tracks. His scorching gaze glanced at that black and shabby iron wok with a question in his heart: Just what was this thing!?
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er had arrived right in front of the Qilin descendant. She kicked out with her feet, immediately jumped up, and swung the iron wok at its head.
In response, the Qilin descendant lifted its claws and swiped at the iron wok. The air surrounding the passage of its claws became distorted, forming irregular claw marks in the sky.
Forcibly twisted her body in mid-air, Lin Yun’er barely avoided the attack. Even so, she was slashed around her abdomen area. Blood gushed out immediately but she ignored it and slammed the iron wok down on the enemy’s head.
In the next moment, a miraculous scene occurred. The Ominous Beast, which could rival a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in strength, and was also a Qilin descendant blessed by the Divine Spirit’s bloodlines suddenly yelped and swayed unsteadily. The iron wok now looked like it had become part of its head; furthermore, it released a terrifying suction force.
The humongous body of the Ominous Beast was drawn in by the inexplicable force, twisted, and distorted, then was soon sucked into the iron wok like a stream of water and vanished without a trace.
Yang Kai was stunned; Li Jiao was stunned; Hua Xing was stunned too! Even Lin Yun’er seemed slightly stunned as well, scratching her head as she wore a confused expression.
Despite being aware of the power of her treasure and having the confidence that it could deal with that Ominous Beast, she had not expected it to be so easy. She had been prepared to fight a tough battle against it and never imagined that it would actually end in one move.
She was a simple-minded person though, and excitedly taking back the iron wok without thinking too much about it, she brought out a lid from who knows where and placed it onto the iron wok with a resounding snap. Then, she glanced about with a huge smile, her expression becoming more and more delighted.
On the other hand, Li Jiao’s expression changed drastically. Even though he experienced all sorts of dangerous situations before, he couldn’t help shuddering at this moment. When Hua Xing called upon the Divine Beast of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, Li Jiao had taken the time to check out the Divine Beast’s strength. Even if he had fought it with all his strength, he was not confident he could win against it; however, such a terrifying existence had been defeated by a mere iron wok, in one move no less.
It was something he found simply incomprehensible.
[Wait… An iron wok?] Li Jiao’s eyes narrowed as he suddenly recalled a dusty memory in a corner of his mind and brought it to the surface again, and the next thought that popped into his mind terrified him out of his wits.
“That treasure…” Hua Xing clearly recognized the origin of that iron wok too and a horrified expression flashed across his face, “Don’t tell me it’s…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp pain shooting up his arm. Li Jiao had taken the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on him while he was distracted, and one of his arms exploded into dust as a result.
“Old Dog Li, how dare you deceive me!?” He roared in grief and rage. He hastily retreated and put some distance between him and Li Jiao as blood gushed out from the wound like a fountain.
Li Jiao followed close behind, completely unrelenting in his attacks as he shouted, “One may eat as much rice as they like, but they cannot spit out words carelessly! When have I ever deceived you?!”
“Who was the one to tell me that these two have nothing to do with any of the Great Emperors?!” Hua Xing’s expression was so distorted that it was hideous to see. He was both furious and extremely anxious. [If I had known that the little girl is related to a Great Emperor, I wouldn’t have dared to make her my enemy!]
Li Jiao sweated as he mumbled, “If I said I didn’t know either, would you believe me?”
That was the honest truth as he knew about Yang Kai’s situation, which had nothing to do with the Great Emperors. Therefore, he assumed that the little girl did not come from any special background either; however, he realized his mistake upon seeing that mysterious iron wok that could even absorb a descendent of the Divine Spirit in an instant.
That little girl wasn’t just related to a Great Emperor, she was clearly very closely related to them! Moreover, that Great Emperor in particular was the most battle-crazy and brutal among the Ten Great Emperors. Even the other Great Emperors could not afford to provoke that person easily.
Hua Xing thought to himself. [That little girl is definitely related to him! We should have never provoked her!]
“As if I’ll believe you!” Hua Xing roared furiously. His entire being was akin to a volcano that was about to erupt. His vitality attacked his heart, and his defence was full of holes. He was beaten up by Li Jiao so badly that he could not fight back.
Originally, he could have dealt with Li Jiao to a certain extent; however, he had long lost his composure after everything that happened. Combined with the loss of his arm, the gap between them immediately became apparent.
He received another blow and flew backwards from the force, bleeding non-stop. Before he could stabilize his body though, a monstrous figure suddenly descended from the sky, its humongous shadow looming over him.
Shocked, Hua Xing raised his head to look and saw Yang Kai slamming a fist down at him with a ferocious expression. He did not dare to let his guard down and hastily defended against the attack. Nevertheless, all defences were like paper in front of that punch.
The violent force smashed him down into the ground. He fell against the ground so hard that it created a deep hole in the ground. Meanwhile, Yang Kai landed next to him in pursuit and stepped on him, causing him to be unable to move. Hua Xing’s eyes were filled with fear and panic as he shouted, “Please spare me!”
Yang Kai glanced down at him from above and said lightly, “Your life is not in my hands.” He lifted his head to look at Lin Yun’er and asked, “How should I deal with this person?”
Lin Yun’er replied, “Master says that trouble needs to be removed from the roots up…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the strength within Yang Kai’s legs surged and he stomped down.
Hua Xing died!
On the other hand, Li Jiao broke out in cold sweat. [Hua Xing was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! Moreover, he was the leader of a top Sect! I can’t believe Palace Master Yang killed him just like that! There was no room for negotiations whatsoever! Isn’t Palace Master Yang a little too crazy?! No; thinking about it, it’s not the first time he did this either. He annihilated the entire Seeking Passion Sect back in the Northern Territory too. What was Hua Xing in comparison?]
Turning his head, he glanced at Wind and Cloud Pavilion, which was currently in chaos and sighed, knowing that this great Sect was completely done for. The inheritance of such a large Sect that had lasted for over ten thousand years ended in a single day. From the Pavilion Master at the top down to the elites of the Sect beneath him… Not a single one of them was spared; all of them died.
[What a headache…] Back in the Northern Territory, Yang Kai had turned the entire place upside down. Li Jiao couldn’t believe that Yang Kai didn’t even bother holding back at all even after coming to the Western Territory.
Even so, Li Jiao looked at the girl standing next to Yang Kai and knew that nothing would happen to Yang Kai regardless of what crazy things he did. However, that girl was different. That girl though… wasn’t someone simple either…
After a series of cracklings, Yang Kai returned to his original form. Fortunately, the Great Soaring Black Dragon Armor was very flexible or he would have been naked again.
“Wang wang wang!”
The black puppy ran over leisurely. It had gone into hiding during that earth-shaking battle just now and disappeared off somewhere, but now that the dust had settled, it immediately reappeared again. Its innate ability to seek fortune and avoid disaster was first-class.
Yang Kai glanced at it sullenly and decidedly ignored it. He was covered in numerous wounds inflicted by the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation just now, some so deep that even his bones were visible. Even so, he ignored his wounds, took out a new set of clothes, and put them on. Glancing sideways at Li Jiao, he said, “Please take care of that little girl and clean up the rest of the battlefield while you’re at it. I’ll be right back.”
Li Jiao hurriedly replied, “Palace Master Yang, please rest assured. I will fight to the death to protect that girl’s safety.”
Yang Kai nodded and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Wind and Cloud Pavilion was a chaotic mess. Countless disciples were trying to escape. The Pavilion Master had died! The Great Elder was dead! All the Elders in the Sect died! Even the elites in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm were dead!
Wind and Cloud Pavilion was doomed to perish. None of them were fools. Several plague-like disasters had attacked the Sect, and if they did not escape now, they would be killed as well!
Despite being a large Sect with thousands of disciples within it, it took less than a quarter of an hour for all the surviving members to flee, every one of them flying off into the sky without looking back at all.
Yang Kai searched for some time before he managed to locate the Treasury of Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Such a large Sect would surely have had some valuable treasures in its stores; therefore, he could not miss out on it. Even though he was extremely wealthy now, it was not enough to finance the expenditures of an entire Sect eternally so he wanted to obtain more cultivation resources so that he could splurge on his family and friends when they arrived from Shadowed Star. After all, they were not few in numbers.
After busying himself for half a day, Yang Kai returned with a good haul. The valuables stored within the storehouse of a top Sect such as Wind and Cloud Pavilion was extremely impressive, no less than what Seeking Passion Sect had once held. Just the High-Rank Source Crystals alone numbered close to a billion, not to mention the countless cultivation resources.
[These treasures will be indispensable to High Heaven Palace.] Yang Kai wandered around Wind and Cloud Pavilion again and collected everything that was of value. It wasn’t until evening rolled around that he returned.
Lin Yun’er and Li Jiao had moved to a nearby mountain peak and when Yang Kai came over, he was immediately greeted by a tantalizing scent. It seemed to be the smell of meat, moreover, meat packed full of energy. The smell entered his nose and greatly stimulated his appetite, even managing to make him feel genuine hunger. Could it be that Lin Yun’er, that little glutton, was cooking something?
“What are you doing?” Yang Kai asked curiously as he walked over, but after a glance, he was dumbfounded.
Lin Yun’er had built a fire on the top of this mountain peak and was using that shabby iron wok to cook over the heat. A gurgling sound was coming from the iron wok as if something was being boiled in it and sure enough; that tantalizing smell came from that iron wok.
Yang Kai felt cold sweat beading on his forehead. Was she really cooking? Moreover, with that iron wok? But inside that was…
Yang Ka couldn’t help feeling a little dizzy at the thought.
“Palace Master Yang, you’re back!” Li Jiao greeted him eagerly as he handed the Space Ring in his hand over, “These are the spoils I gathered from the battlefield earlier. Please check through them, Palace Master Yang.”
Be it Hua Xing or the Elders of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, their Space Rings would surely contain a plethora of valuable treasures. Hua Xing, in particular, as the Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion would have many good things in his Space Ring. Not to mention, there were hundreds of elites in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. It was a tremendous harvest.
Li Jiao had collected all of them but did not dare to keep them for himself; quickly handing all of them over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai accepted the Space Ring casually and didn’t even bother to check the inventory nor look inside the ring. He simply stared at Lin Yun’er, who was crouching in front of the iron wok, the corners of his mouth twitching as he asked, “What’s going on?”
At the moment, Lin Yun’er was staring at the iron wok with gleaming eyes and the corners of her mouth were moist; she was clearly on the verge of drooling. When she noticed that Yang Kai had returned, she greeted him absent-mindedly before gulping her saliva and focusing all her energy back on the iron wok in front of her.
“This… young lady is cooking something to eat,” Li Jiao coughed awkwardly and replied.
“Cooking something to eat… With what?” Yang Kai asked casually. However, his expression quickly darkened as he looked over at Li Jiao and asked, “It can’t be…”
Li Jiao nodded grimly.
Yang Kai was shocked, “Is even that okay?!”
Li Jiao hesitated, “Palace Master Yang, could it be that you don’t know the origin of this strange treasure?”
“Do you?”
He replied, “I’ve heard of it. If I’m not mistaken, this wok is known as Unlimited Return.”
“Unlimited Return…” Yang Kai frowned. It was a name he had never heard of before. Still, there was only one thing he was concerned about right now. He walked over and softly called out, “Yun’er.”
Lin Yun’er responded without even raising her head, “It’s almost done, Uncle Yang. Just wait a little longer.”
Wiping at the cold sweat on his forehead, he asked, “Did you really cook that Qilin descendant?”
“En! That’s a descendent of a Divine Spirit. I’ve never eaten one before. I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”
Li Jiao shivered after hearing those words. He was also a descendant of a Divine Spirit and a Dragonborn. [I hope I don’t end up getting boiled in a pot by this girl one day…]
For an instant, he looked at her with shock and awe as if he was looking at his natural-born enemy.
[As expected, I won’t be able to have a good life with Palace Master Yang around. Forget about the Dragon Clan; the worst that could happen is my power being suppressed, but this little girl is even more terrifying! I can’t believe she used the iron wok, Unlimited Return, to capture a descendent of a Divine Spirit and immediately cooked it up…]
Li Jiao felt as if his heart was at its limits. [If I stay around Yang Kai for any longer, I will die of fright, sooner or later. If I value my life, I should stay away from him…]
Yang Kai’s expression turned green, “Yun’er, you have to think this through properly. You can’t just eat things randomly. This guy devoured many Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples earlier.” At this point, his complexion paled slightly.
If it was just a descendent of a Divine Spirit, it wouldn’t have mattered if it was cooked up as food. Besides, it smelled so delicious so its taste was surely even better. The point was that he had personally witnessed it eating many of Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples just now.
[At this moment, all those people are inside this pot too.] When he thought of that, he no longer had any interest in eating. In fact, it would be a miracle not to throw it all up.
Lin Yun’er smiled, however, and waved her hand dismissively, “Don’t worry, Uncle Yang. I cleaned and prepared everything properly first.”
Yang Kai was surprised. He turned to look at Li Jiao.
In response, Li Jiao nodded, “She has indeed cleaned it. I’ve also stored all the sword artifacts that she absorbed previously in one of the Space Rings.”
[It looks like Lin Yun’er really did process it to be eaten while I was gone.]
Upon learning that, the conflicting emotions in Yang Kai’s heart weren’t as great as before anymore. He mulled over it for a bit before sitting down next to Lin Yun’er. Then, he listened to the bubbling sounds coming from the iron wok and appreciated the aroma in the air. He was waiting to eat!
After a while…
“It’s delicious! It’s so delicious!” Lin Yun’er was holding a large bone in her hands, exclaiming in delight as she chewed on its meat.
“Eat slowly!” Yang Kai reached up to wipe the grease from his face, “Nobody will snatch your food from you!”
Having said that, his speed wasn’t slow either. He had a small pile of bones next to him, but far less than Lin Yun’er’s as her bones were practically piled as high as a small mountain.
Truly worthy of being the descendent of a Divine Spirit, the Fire Qilin variant’s flesh contained first-rate essence. The moment Yang Kai bit into the meat, the juices flowed out and warmed his stomach.
Although there were no added seasonings, it was definitely the most delicious and scrumptious food Yang Kai had ever eaten. That iron wok seemed to have a way of making miracles happen. Despite cooking it so simply, the food turned out so delicious that one could get addicted to it.
After eating several bites of the meat, Yang Kai scooped a big bowl and took a sip of the soup. Then, he glanced at Li Jiao, who was standing by the side, “Brother Li, do you want to have a taste?”
“N-No, it’s alright…” Li Jiao replied politely.
“Then why are you drooling? Stop speaking nonsense.”
Li Jiao laughed, “Then, I won’t hold back anymore.”
The idea was rather repulsive to him at first; after all, he, himself, was a descendent of a Divine Spirit. Suddenly cooking a descendent of a Divine Spirit in a pot might have smelt tantalizing, but it would probably spark some conflicting feelings in him. Still, he wasn’t in a position to turn down Yang Kai’s invitation. Besides, he was truly curious to have a bite; he wanted to know what it tasted like.
Walking over to the pot, Li Jiao reached out with his hand and fished out a rib. Asking for forgiveness in his heart, he took a small nibble. Then, his eyes widened in response. His speed increased significantly to the point where he was eating with the speed of a whirlwind.
“It’s delicious, right?” Yang Kai smilingly looked at Li Jiao.
Li Jiao nodded vigorously, “It’s good. It’s very good. I’m blessed with such good food when I’m with you, Palace Master Yang.”
Lin Yun’er only made a muffled sound. Taking advantage of the time Yang Kai and Li Jiao spent talking, she had already wolfed down even more of the meat and a few more bones had been added to the pile next to her.
Not to be outdone, the black puppy lay down next to the pot, grabbed a large piece of meat, and ate it with great relish.
An hour later, Lin Yun’er lay on the ground and patted her stomach with her hand. That huge Divine Spirit descendant had been cleanly devoured by the three of them. Not even a mouthful of soup was left over from their meal.
Lin Yun’er had a contented expression on her face, having finally eaten her fill. She had not eaten until she was satiated ever since she snuck out. When she was with her Master, she had never had to worry about her meals as he would take care of everything for her. She finally learned that life was not easy after leaving her Master’s side. Even eating a full meal was such a difficult task. All of a sudden, she began to miss her Master.
“Yun’er, why didn’t you use your trump card earlier?” Yang Kai had gotten a blade of grass from somewhere and was using it to pick his teeth. [I wonder what’s the story behind this iron wok, Unlimited Return. If Yun’er had summoned it from the beginning, that Sword Formation would have been taken care of easily.]
She squinted his eyes and said, “Master said the trump card can only be used if it is my last resort.”
[Her Master again… This little girl really seems to take her Master’s words as law.]
“I’ll bring you out to eat something better next time,” Yang Kai casually offered.
She was surprised, “Really?”
“En. The Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory is sure to have a lot of delicious food.”
[He even plans to target the Ancient Wild Lands!?] Li Jiao felt cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. [I heard a Divine Spirit guards that place… Palace Master Yang is too bold!]
“Thank you, Uncle Yang!” Lin Yun’er was overjoyed.
After lying down for a while, Yang Kai asked, “Where do you plan to go after this?”
Wind and Cloud Pavilion had been annihilated, so the little girl had achieved her goal. She had managed to let out the rage that had built up in her.
“I don’t know,” she shook her head. She had been bored and ran away from home without any real plans or objectives. Meeting with Yang Kai had been pure coincidence.
“Is that so…” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before saying, “Why don’t you come with me to the Northern Territory? I established High Heaven Palace there.”
“High Heaven Palace?” She immediately became interested when she heard those words. Lin Yun’er had been part of Shadowed Star’s High Heaven Sect for a while; thus, she felt a sense of familiarity when she heard the name and quickly nodded, “En.”
“Good. Then, let’s return tomorrow.” Yang Kai immediately made his decision. The matter related to Wind and Cloud Pavilion had become a rather huge deal as a top Sect had been annihilated just like that. If the two of them had been cultivators of the Western Territory, it might not have been as bad, but the key point was that none of them belonged to the Western Territory. If they remained in this place, they might attract the attention of the Sect run by the Great Emperor here. Night Shadow Great Emperor and Shadow Killer Palace were not parties that they could afford to offend so easily.
When Li Jiao heard those words, his spirits lifted. [Finally! I finally have the hope of going home after travelling with Yang Kai for such a long time!]
The night passed quietly and the next morning, Yang Kai began arranging a Space Array.
He originally wanted to find a hidden location in the Western Territory to place this Space Array, that way it would be more convenient for him to come and go in the future as he could directly access this territory. Unfortunately, he was not familiar with the Western Territory so finding such a place was not that easy. It might take up to a month or more; therefore, Yang Kai gave up on his original plans after careful consideration.
[Let’s go back first. If I need to come to the Western Territory again one day, I’ll just make some effort to come through here again.] Hence, he set about arranging the Space Array on one of the peaks of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Li Jiao was meditating by the side but he was also secretly paying attention to Yang Kai’s movements. As a Palace Master himself, he had sharp eyesight. Therefore, he noticed the extraordinary features of this Cross-Territory Space Array right away.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er had nothing to do so she played with the black puppy.
Half a day later, the Space Array was perfectly arranged; then, Yang Kai called them over. Lin Yun’er immediately ran up with the black puppy in her arms while Li Jiao also walked onto the Space Array.
Space Principles surged and enveloped the trio. Yang Kai’s expression became solemn as he circulated his Emperor Qi to power the array.
With a dazzling light, a feeling of weightlessness washed over the trio and they disappeared instantly. At that moment though, Yang Kai felt a strange power striking him. It was not strong, but incredibly masterful, actually managing to interfere with the teleportation.
Yang Kai was shocked, but before he could figure out what was wrong, a voice sounded in his Knowledge Sea, “Little brat, you’ve got some courage! How dare you try to abduct my beloved disciple? I will forgive you this once since it was not done out of malice, but the next time this happens, I’ll kill you!”
The voice sounded directly in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, making it clear his defences were completely penetrated, but what shocked Yang Kai even more was that he failed to notice the slightest signs of intrusion.
[How is this possible!? My Divine Sense is extremely powerful, comparable to that of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s. What kind of person could seamlessly break through the defences of my Knowledge Sea and even send a message directly to my head without me noticing?]
Before Yang Kai could finish processing this thought, his vision blurred and by the time he regained his sight, he had already arrived at High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory. He turned to the side and saw Li Jiao standing next to him, his brow deeply furrowed. It was clear that he had yet to recover from the side-effects of teleporting across domains. On the other hand, the black puppy stood by his feet with a blank expression. Only Lin Yun’er was missing!
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he hurriedly tried to teleport himself back to check on the situation; however, when he poured his Divine Sense into the Space Array under his feet, he discovered that the connection with the Space Array in the Western Territory had been severed. [That’s impossible! Li Jiao and I have just teleported over! How could the connection be cut off so abruptly?!]
The Space Arrays Yang Kai arranged were all linked together, allowing teleportation between any of them freely. After teleporting about so many times, Yang Kai was certain that nothing was wrong with the array he had arranged, and it was not the kind of thing that would fail so easily. Then, he suddenly recalled the words that had sounded in his head just now and his expression changed again.
[Yun’er must have been picked up by her Master. Does that mean her Master had been following her around all this time? If that wasn’t the case, her Master couldn’t have taken her back in such a timely manner.] In other words, the reason why the connection to the array was cut off was that somebody had destroyed it on purpose. Needless to say, the person who did that was none other than Lin Yun’er’s Master.
Yang Kai cursed in his heart as this was the second time he encountered something like this. The last time it had happened in the Ancient Wild Lands. The array he left in the Ancient Wild Lands had been destroyed by Luan Feng, [I can’t believe this happened to me again!]
[Just who on Earth is Yun’er’s Master?! I can’t believe I didn’t even notice anything even though her Master had been following us for so many days.] Considering all this, Yang Kai couldn’t help leaking cold sweat.
[No! No! That’s not right!] He suddenly remembered that inexplicable sense of hostility he had felt when he was in one of the cities previously. That sense of hostility came and went quickly. At the time, he had dismissed it as part of his imagination. Now, it seemed as though it had not been an illusion but rather hostility from Yun’er’s Master!
[Why was he being hostile towards me?!] The words that had sounded in his head just now were also dyed with some prejudice. It left him feeling puzzled. [I don’t think I did anything to Yun’er that warrants such hostility…]
Upon figuring things out, Yang Kai felt relieved. As long as it wasn’t an issue with the transportation which caused Yun’er to be left behind, then it was fine. [Her Master must be one of the top existences in this world and have his own reasons for taking her back. Besides, I can tell that he cares very much about her from those words just now.]
…..
Lin Yun’er stood alone on the Space Array on the mountain peak in Wind and Cloud Pavilion, a puzzled expression on her face as she looked around. Unable to find anybody, she immediately became anxious and called out, “Uncle Yang! Uncle Yang!”
Nobody answered her so she called a few more times, but the surrounding area remained silent.
“Stop shouting,” a person’s voice suddenly rang out. As soon as the words sounded, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared on the mountain peak.
Lin Yun’er glanced in the direction of the sound and became surprised, “Master? What are you doing here?”
She ran over quickly and looked at the middle-aged man with a smile.
The middle-aged man sighed, “You would have been kidnapped if I hadn’t come. How could I not come?”
He had not planned to show up so soon. He had finally gotten himself a Legacy Disciple; moreover, one he cared about deeply. She had never disappointed him before in all the years that they had spent together and her cultivation had progressed extraordinarily quickly. Therefore, he doted on this little girl very much. All that talk about secretly running away from home was just her wishful thinking. How could she possibly escape from under his nose if he didn’t indulge in her whims?
Lin Yun’er stuck her tongue out. She did not feel any remorse from being caught after running away from home and instead pouted, “Master, you’ve been following me all along.”
That person replied, “The world is a sinister place, but you are such a naïve child. It’s only natural for me to watch over and protect you.”
She snorted angrily, “No wonder. So, the reason why I took that big guy down so easily yesterday is because you helped me from the shadows.”
Lin Yun’er might be simple-minded and naïve, but she was no fool. She had been surprised at how much her ability had suddenly grown yesterday, but at this moment, she quickly understood the reason behind that change. It wasn’t that she had gotten stronger, but rather that her Master had secretly helped her. Otherwise, she could not have absorbed that Divine Spirit descendant in a single move.
When she pointed it out, that person simply smiled and did not deny her words.
“Where did Uncle Yang go?” She then asked.
He replied, “He is billions of thousands of kilometres away by now.” While speaking, he glanced at the Cross-Territory Space Array and secretly felt astonished. In his opinion, Yang Kai’s cultivation of the Dao of Space was already extremely impressive, especially since he could arrange an Array like this. No matter how fastidious he was, he could tell that that brat had a lot of promise. [He will accomplish many things in the future, but so what? How dare he actually try to abduct my Disciple?! I was being generous for Lin Yun’er’s sake by not breaking both his legs!]
“Ah! I need to go find Uncle Yang then!” She became anxious.
“Nonsense!” That person’s expression darkened, “You’ve spent quite a long time outside so it’s time for you to return with me. Don’t neglect your cultivation!”
“I don’t want to! I want to go and find Uncle Yang!” After saying that, she walked onto the Space Array on her own and tried to pour her Emperor Qi into it; however, the Array showed no signs of reacting even though she was trying so hard to activate it that her face was flushed from the effort.
When that person saw her actions, he felt as if a knife was twisting in his heart. [I struggled so hard to raise you and teach you for so many years. I even guided you to become an Emperor Realm Master. I can’t believe I lost to this Uncle Yang that popped out of nowhere! They say that girls are more outgoing, but isn’t this a little too much?!]
He did not have a good impression of Yang Kai in the first place, but now, his impression of Yang Kai became far worse. He was tempted to capture that boy from the other side of the Space Array and torture him to vent his anger.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the sorrow in his heart and smiled, “Disciple, let’s discuss something.”
“What?!” She glared at him furiously.
“Do you like that little brat with the surname ‘Yang’?”
“Uncle Yang is someone precious to me.”
“Do you want to find him?”
“Of course! Master, hurry up and come help me with this. I don’t know why this thing isn’t working.”
[Of course, it isn’t working. I secretly cut off the connection. It’d be weirder if it worked!] Naturally, those words could never be said out loud. If she ever heard those words, they would never have a future together anymore.
“I heard what that Uncle Yang of yours said just now. He has a Sect by the name of High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory, right?” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Let’s do this. Disciple, when you become a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, I’ll bring you to that High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory to look for your Uncle Yang. At that time, you can stay there for however long you want to.”
As soon as she heard those words, her beautiful eyes lit up, “Really?!”
[My heart hurts even more now!] That person forced a smile and nodded gently, “When have I ever lied to you before?”
Lin Yun’er didn’t even bother to think about it and immediately jumped off the Space Array, grabbed her Master’s arm, and started flying forward.
“What are you doing?” He was surprised.
“I’m going back; what else? I have to hurry up and cultivate. Don’t worry, Master, I will surely reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm very soon.”
“En, it’s rare for you to be so motivated. Your Master is very happy. You really are my treasured disciple,” that person replied with a smile; however, the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. [Damn it! Why does it feel like I’ve lost instead?! It’s him! Hmm… That brat was called ‘Yang Kai’, right?! Just you wait!]
…..
“Greetings, Palace Master!”
“Palace Master has returned!
“Quick! Quickly go and inform the Head Manager!”
Several disciples standing guard beside the Space Array in High Heaven Palace were elated to see Yang Kai and clamoured with joy.
They had originally been disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect, but Yang Kai had later taken them into High Heaven Palace after the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed. Although they still wore the Thousand Leaves Sect’s emblem, their sense of belonging and identity to High Heaven Palace was growing stronger and stronger as time passed.
Today, all the disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect felt as if they were a part of High Heaven Palace. It was just too comfortable to cultivate here. Not only was the World Energy many times denser here than back at the Thousand Leaves Sect, but there was also no need to worry about cultivation resources. Moreover, the Head Manager did not treat them differently just because they were Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples.
Only a short period had passed, but the cultivation of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples had increased rapidly. Even the previous Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Hen, had entered retreat to break through to the Emperor Realm. That was something they could never have imagined before this; however, everything had changed ever since they came to High Heaven Palace. Nowadays, if anybody were to claim that they were not High Heaven Palace’s disciples, they would surely fight those people to death.
Yang Kai wasn’t just the benefactor of Thousand Leaves Sect, he was also the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace. Even so, he rarely showed himself and hardly ever remained in High Heaven Palace for long. He spent most of the time travelling around outside the Sect. Even on the occasional trip home, he would usually leave again soon after staying for only a short while; therefore, Head Manager Hua Qing Si had issued an order a long time ago that she had to be notified as soon as possible whenever Yang Kai returned. That was also why these disciples guarding the array were so excited.
“Hm?” Li Jiao finally recovered from the side-effects of the cross-territory teleportation and looked around in surprise, “Where’s that little girl?”
She was standing next to him just now, so how did she vanish without a trace in the blink of an eye?
Yang Kai replied, “Her Master took her back, so she couldn’t follow us here.”
“Her Master?!” La Jiao’s expression changed considerably as he asked in a terrified voice, “Did that Senior… appear?”
Yang Kai glanced at Li Jiao and curiously asked, “Why do your words sound like you know who Yun’er’s Master is?”
Li Jiao’s expression cramped as he answered honestly, “I have a good guess.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai suddenly became interested, “Who is that person? Let’s hear it.”
He could guess that Lin Yun’er’s Master was by no means an ordinary person and most likely a Great Emperor; however, Yang Kai still did not know who he was. The Great Emperors he came into contact with were few and far between, but it was unlikely for them to have anything to do with her. Still, the fact that Li Jiao had an inkling of who it was surprised him.
Li Jiao pondered in silence for a while before saying, “How much do you know about that girl’s iron wok, Palace Master Yang?”
“It’s my first time seeing it, and I’ve never heard of it before.”
“I see.” Li Jiao nodded, “If you don’t know about that iron wok, then it’s understandable that you couldn’t figure it out, Palace Master Yang.”
“What kind of reputation does that iron wok have?”
Li Jiao solemnly continued, “I’m sure you felt it too, Palace Master Yang, that iron wok, Unlimited Return, is an Ancient Exotic Artifact. Moreover, it can absorb all the treasures in the world when used.”
Yang Kai gently nodded. He had seen the power of Unlimited Return. Lin Yun’er had relied on that strange power to collect hundreds of Artifacts from other people inside the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation. It could even be said that the absorption of Divine Spirit’s descendent was not due to her ability but rather due to the Ancient Exotic Artifact’s power.
“As far as I know, that iron wok’s previous owner was the famous… Iron Blood Great Emperor!”
“Iron Blood Great Emperor?!” Yang Kai was shocked.
“That’s right. It is none other than Senior Iron Blood. No one knows how he obtained that Ancient Exotic Artifact, but everyone knows that it is in his possession; however, that story is something from several thousands of years ago. Still, who doesn’t know of Senior Iron Blood’s strength? He is an existence that ranks at the top among all the other Great Emperors. There is almost no one in this world who is his opponent, so he doesn’t have any need to use such treasures. Therefore, Unlimited Return has not surfaced for the past few millennia. Even so, those of the older generation in the Emperor Realm are no strangers to that Ancient Exotic Artifact. I am fairly certain that the iron wok in that girl’s possession is Unlimited Return!”
A strange look flashed in Yang Kai’s eyes, “In other words, Senior Iron Blood is Yun’er’s Master?”
“Yes, the possibility is very high!” Li Jiao nodded affirmatively, “Senior Iron Blood rarely shows himself, so very few people know him. Nevertheless, his cultivation route is very similar to that girl’s, primarily focused on physical techniques and body tempering.”
“En,” Yang Kai thought about it for a while before he continued, “What you say makes sense.”
[Yun’er’s Master is Iron Blood Great Emperor…] That was completely unexpected. It would seem that Yang Yan had taken Yun’er away with her back then so that she could entrust the little girl to Iron Blood Great Emperor. It also made sense for Yun’er’s cultivation to increase so quickly if she was taught by a Great Emperor directly. Rather, it would be much weirder if her cultivation failed to progress quickly under Iron Blood Great Emperor’s guidance considering her own inherent ability and her Tyrant Strength Body.
Yang Kai suddenly thought of something else. Prior to the battle between Heaven Devourer and Bustling World Great Emperor back in the Shattered Star Sea, Duan Hong Chen once casually mentioned that Iron Blood had taken in a good Disciple. Thinking back on it now, it seemed that the good Disciple mentioned back then was referring to Lin Yun’er.
Yang Kai felt happy for the little girl. She had found herself a good Master. With a Great Emperor backing her, who would dare to provoke her? Besides, judging from the words transmitted by Iron Blood Great Emperor just now, it would seem that she was also very important to her Master. It could even be said that he doted on and spoiled her, so much so that it led to some prejudice against Yang Kai.
At that thought, Yang Kai rubbed his nose and couldn’t help feeling rather wronged.
Meanwhile, Li Jiao was sweating profusely by the side. He swallowed nervously and asked fearfully, “Was Senior Iron Blood… following us?”
“Probably,” Yang Kai replied casually.
Li Jiao sweated even more profusely, feeling extremely anxious and guilty. Back when Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er had been trapped within the Formation at Wind and Cloud Pavilion, he had slacked in his battle with Hua Xing until the two of them broke out of the Formation. Only then did he go all out. Even if his act could fool the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, it certainly could not fool a Great Emperor.
Luckily, the Great Emperor seemed to disdain acting against him for such a petty display; otherwise, he would not have returned alive. The horror of narrowly avoiding the gates of Hell left Li Jiao feeling extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden and he declared, “Palace Master Yang, I should be going now since this matter has been settled. This trip has taken quite a long while and I’m worried about how my Sect is doing, so I would like to go back quickly. May…”
“Go ahead,” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively.
“Then, I will take my leave!” Li Jiao reacted as if his dreams had come true and he hurriedly fled outside while secretly making a vow in his heart, [I have to watch out for fire, thieves, and Yang Kai! Regardless of the circumstances, I will never go on another trip with Palace Master Yang again! It’s too frightening!]
[Iron Blood Great Emperor! I can’t believe that Yun’er’s Master turned out to be Iron Blood Great Emperor!] Yang Kai stood in place, lost in his thoughts for a long time. Then, he suddenly smiled. Despite feeling slightly regretful over failing to bring Lin Yun’er back, there would always be another chance for them to meet in the future. Now that she had a good Master taking care of her, her path towards the future would never be as thorny and difficult as his.
At that time, Hua Qing Si flew over and smiled at him as she called out from a distance, “Palace Master, you’re back!”
She had rushed over immediately as soon as she received the news while Bian Yu Qing had tagged along too.
Upon landing close by, Bian Yu Qing became rather cautious and cupped her fists respectfully, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
If not for Yang Kai’s help back at Spirit Lake Palace, she might not have had the chance to reach the Emperor Realm. Many things had changed with time. The little brat from back then was now her Palace Master. Moreover, he had provided her with shelter and a paradise to cultivate in. Thus, she couldn’t help feeling slightly embarrassed. Still, she had adapted to her new circumstances very well and was extremely grateful. She had assimilated quite well into High Heaven Palace and gotten very close with Hua Qing Si recently. They were practically like sisters now.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and looking at Hua Qing Si, he said, “Long time no see, Sister Hua. You’ve gotten more beautiful again.”
Hua Qing Si glared at him, but the joy sparkling in her eyes could not be concealed, “You are a Palace Master now so you should speak with some propriety. What would somebody who doesn’t know the full story think if they heard you?”
“I was only speaking the truth,” turning to look at Bian Yu Qing, Yang Kai asked, “How do you like living here so far?”
Bian Yu Qing hurriedly replied, “Thank you for your concern, Palace Master. I am very grateful to you for giving me a place to settle down.”
He gestured dismissively, “You became part of High Heaven Palace the moment you entered High Heaven Palace. You don’t need to be so stiff. This place will be your home from now on.”
Bian Yu Qing fell silent for a moment and smiled.
Then, Hua Qing Si added, “Palace Master, Junior Sister Qing helped out with many things within the palace while you were gone. In fact, regarding the management of a Sect, she is more experienced than I am; therefore, I was thinking of making her the Vice-Manager of High Heaven Palace. It’s just that I have not had the chance to inform you about it.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded, “Then, Protector Bian will be the Vice-Manager from now on.”
He instantly made the decision and with that, Bian Yu Qing’s position as Vice-Manager was confirmed.
Although Bian Yu Qing came from a small Sect and her foundation wasn’t as strong as Hua Qing Si’s, she was still a Protector of her previous force. When the Sect Master of Blue Feather Sect, Wu Meng Chuan, had been imprisoned, she and three other Protectors had stepped forward and managed the Sect. Naturally, they accumulated a lot of experience from that incident.
Hua Qing Si honestly learned a lot during the time she had spent with Bian Yu Qing. High Heaven Palace did not have many members at the moment since most of them were actually disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect, but even so, its background was deep and profound, so it was only a matter of time before it became one of the top Sects in the Star Boundary. When that happened, the disciples of the Sect might number tens of thousands. It would definitely require somebody to manage them, and although Hua Qing Si was doing well enough right now, things would only become increasingly difficult in the future.
Bian Yu Qing uttered with trepidation, “Palace Master, I didn’t help out that much! Entering High Heaven Palace has been the greatest stroke of fortune of my life. I will live as a member of High Heaven Palace and die as a member of High Heaven Palace and do everything in my ability to help should the Sect ever require it, but I am not worthy to accept the position of Vice-Manager!”
This wasn’t false humility on Bian Yu Qing’s behalf, it was simply the truth. When she first came to High Heaven Palace, she had not thought too deeply about it and simply felt that it would be a good place to live. Putting aside the fact that she owed Yang Kai a huge favour, the conditions of this land were incomparably better than those of Blue Feather Sect, so cultivating in this place was something any cultivator would yearn for.
As time passed though, Bian Yu Qing gradually learned more about High Heaven Palace’s depths and it was then that she realized she had completely underestimated this small Sect.
Three Monster Kings were guarding this place and each of them could rival a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in strength. Meanwhile, the Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor served as Chief Alchemist of High Heaven Palace. Additionally, the Sect had an Emperor Rank Array Master, an Emperor Rank Artifact Refiner, as well as the Heavenly Tone Palace and the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld…
That wasn’t all. Yang Kai had a close relationship with Ice Heart Valley, a top Sect in the Northern Territory, one that was akin to the bonds of family. Likewise, the other two top Sects, Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect, owed a huge debt to High Heaven Palace.
On top of that, the Sect had a Cross-Territory Space Array linked directly to the Southern Territory, where it had a close partnership with the Violet Source Chamber of Commerce. Moreover, the annual income of the Sect was several times that of other top Sects.
Rumours even had it that Yang Kai had an ambiguous relationship with a member of the Dragon Clan…
It was hard to imagine that such an impressive heritage belonged to a Sect that had only been established recently. Furthermore, Yang Kai was the one to lay down such a foundation himself.
The more she learned about the Sect, the more frightened she became, so how could she take on the role of Vice-Manager? Not to mention she had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be qualified to take on such a role.
Hence, the moment she heard that Yang Kai wanted her to take on the position of Vice-Manager, she quickly refused. She simply lacked the confidence to fulfil this role.
Hua Qing Si knew what Bian Yu Qing was worrying about though and simply smiled, “We don’t base our positions in the Sect on our cultivation. We only look at who is most competent. Besides, the Palace Master himself is just an arm-flinging shopkeeper. I know how skilful you are, so you can’t turn down the position as Vice-Manager.”
Bian Yu Qing was about to speak again when Yang Kai waved her off, “This matter is settled.”
Then, he turned to look at Hua Qing Si, “Is Zhu Qing back?”
Hua Qing Si shook her head, “No. Didn’t she go to the Frozen Earth?”
Although Yang Kai had returned for a short time the other day, he had left again in a hurry; therefore, Hua Qing Si was completely unaware that he had also gone to the Frozen Earth and experienced so many things there as a result.
Yang Kai frowned upon hearing her reply. He had spent a lot of time in the Western Territory; making his way to Wind and Cloud Pavilion with Lin Yun’er had taken some time after all. Based on his calculations, Zhu Qing should have returned by now, and yet, Hua Qing Si had not seen her around… [Could it be that she was delayed en route?]
That possibility seemed likely after considering it. Hence, he did not inquire further into the matter. In his opinion, Zhu Qing would definitely return to High Heaven Palace once she left the Western Territory. She would, at the very least, come back to check on his situation since they now shared an intimate relationship with each other.
Yang Kai decided to wait for her. Who knows? She might turn up within the next few days.
“Palace Master, did something happen?” Hua Qing Si keenly noticed the strange expression on his face.
“It’s nothing.” He shook his head.
“How long will you be staying here this time, Palace Master?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Would you like to call everyone over to hold a meeting?”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded. He also felt that he was being too much of an absentee landlord and since it was a rare occasion for him to be back, he ought to bond with everybody else too.
A short while later, a number of figures appeared in the Main Conference Hall of High Heaven Palace, one after another.
Yang Kai sat at the head of the hall. To the left of him was Ji Ying, an Emperor Alchemist. His strength wasn’t the highest here, but his status was special. He was the Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, which made his position far higher than others. Naturally, there were no objections to him sitting in that position.
On Yang Kai’s right sat Xi Lei, a Monster King. The three Monster King’s cultivations were almost on par, but his true strength was greater than the other two. He was ranked very high among the Thirty-Two Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands.
Further down were Ying Fei, Xie Wu Wei, Emperor Array Master Nanmen Da Jun, and Emperor Artifact Refiner Hou Yu. Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing, the Head Manager and Vice-Manager respectively, sat opposite Yang Kai.
A total of nine Emperor Realm Masters were gathered inside the main hall, among which three were Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. Such a lineup was simply luxurious. The number of Emperor Realm Masters might lose to other top Sects, but no top Sect could compare in terms of quality.
Chi Yue and others were not present. According to Hua Qing Si, they had been training within the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld recently. The distortion of time and space within the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was special and something irreplaceable for rapid growth.
Everyone knew of the power of the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld and recognized it as a key component of the foundation for the future of High Heaven Palace.
Gathering everybody here wasn’t to discuss anything important. Although High Heaven Palace occupied a massive piece of land, it currently had few members so it was only natural that there were few issues too. Thus, there was no need for Yang Kai to ask about anything in particular.
Ji Ying had been immersed in Alchemy during this period. Yang Kai had given him countless Spirit Herbs, most of which came from the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory. Many of the spirit medicines among them were things that Ji Ying had only heard about but had never seen before. Consequently, many Emperor Grade Spirit Pills had been accumulated in recent days, enough to splurge for a while.
On the other hand, Nanmen Da Jun had just finished arranging a new set of Spirit Arrays across the entire High Heaven Palace. He also finished refining the Mountains and Rivers Projection of High Heaven Palace. As soon as the Mountains and Rivers Projection was activated, the entire situation within High Heaven Palace could be seen at a glance. Hence, he had nothing much to do recently.
Only Hou Yu was busy all day long. Since she was a rebellious spirit, she constantly tried to escape every few days. It was a pity that the three Monster Kings took turns to watch over her; thus, she had no hope of fleeing at all. It caused the resentment she held towards the Monster Kings to deepen.
They chatted for a bit before everybody dispersed a short while later.
Yang Kai returned to High Heaven Peak and emptied out his mind for some time. Then, he waved his hand and countless High-Rank Source Crystals filled the room. In the first place, High Heaven Peak was the best Spirit Peak in High Heaven Palace with the densest World Energy. With so many High-Rank Source Crystals in the room, the density of the World Energy was elevated to a whole other level. The World Energy in the room practically began to form mists and was about to condense into a solid substance.
Yang Kai felt incredibly comfortable being enveloped in such dense World Energy. It felt as if his very pores were expanding.
He prepared to cultivate seriously. Ever since he broke through to the Emperor Realm in Shattered Star Sea, his cultivation had been steadily increasing; however, there were no signs of the next breakthrough even though a long time had passed since then.
He always felt as though his next breakthrough was imminent. Unfortunately, there was always something missing at the critical moment that he simply couldn’t identify.
With all of the recent outings he had been on, Yang Kai had not had the time to cultivate in retreat for any appreciable amount of time. For that reason, he wanted to quickly break through to the next realm now that he finally received a rare period of calm.
At present, he was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master and if he used everything at his disposal, he could stand against a Third-Order Emperor. If he was lucky, he might even be able to kill such an opponent. Even so, that was not enough. The higher his cultivation became, the higher the cultivation of enemies he faced rose. It made Yang Kai more aware of his shortcomings.
The Emperor Realm was not the pinnacle of cultivation. There still existed the Great Emperor Realm above the Emperor Realm! And, Yang Kai’s goal was to become a Great Emperor!
Ever since his trip to the Shattered Star Sea, his various experiences had been considerably rich and colourful, especially the years he spent inside the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. It was simply an opportunity that not just anybody could encounter. It stood to reason that that experience itself should have been enough for him to break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm, but for some reason, he just couldn’t overcome that last barrier. Therefore, he felt that he needed to work harder so that he could climb to even higher heights in one go.