Abandoned Lair was one of the two most notorious and savage forces in Heng Luo Star Field. It was a dangerous organization filled with wicked evildoers. The only other place as infamous as this was Galaxy Ridge. Almost 90% of the Star Pirates and exiled cultivators in the entire Star Field belonged to these two forces. For that reason, everyone who lived in their headquarters was a criminal with an evil, malicious, brutal, and violent temperament.
The three great forces of the Star Field had been in constant friction with these two forces for thousands of years and had even once joined forces to destroy them outright. However, both Abandoned Lair and Galaxy Ridge had their headquarters located in regions of the Star Field that were easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, they were protected by powerful Natural Spirit Arrays so it was no simple task to eradicate them. The three great forces of the Star Field had suffered enormous losses as a result. Thus, the matter had been left unsettled until now.
Abandoned Lair was not really a lair. Rather, it was an extremely chaotic region of the Star Field surrounded by raging Starry Sky Storms and turbulent Asteroid Seas. If one was not familiar with the method of entry and exit, even a Third-Order Origin King would be at mortal risk if they lost their way in these lands.
In the centre of this chaotic region were many huge asteroids. Each of these asteroids was so large that their sizes were difficult to estimate. Originally, some Star Pirates had settled in this region of the Starry Sky, building their homes on these asteroids. As the generations passed, more and more Star Pirates settled here, eventually leading to the foundation of Abandoned Lair.
Abandoned Lair was not a single unified force but rather a gathering of many different factions of Star Pirates. Among these factions, the Blood Star Pirates were considered the strongest because their Boss, Jiang Xue Song, was a Third-Order Origin King. With his strength, he was considered to be one of the strongest Masters in the Star Field and there were few that could oppose him.
Jiang Xue Song had been cultivating for 1,500 years now and it was rumoured that his origins could be traced back to Sword Union, one of the three great forces in the Star Field. Jiang Xue Song had been a talented genius in Sword Union when he was younger, and Sword Union’s higher-ups supposedly had great expectations of him at the time, so he was carefully nurtured. However, something happened for some reason, and in the end, he murdered his Master, massacred his fellow cultivators, turned traitor against the Sword Union, and escaped to Abandoned Lair. Several hundred years later, the Blood Star Pirates grew to fame.
Jiang Xue Song’s hair was greying, and he looked like he was in his twilight years. His appearance was very unusual for a Third-Order Origin King. Despite his age though, his back remained as straight as a sword. It seemed as though his time in Sword Union when he was younger still influenced his demeanour to a certain extent. As he sat there, his entire being was akin to a sword concealed within its sheath. He was a blade that was as sharp as could be.
On the opposite side of the table Jiang Xue Song sat at was an elderly man sipping on his tea. This old man’s body exuded an extremely uncomfortable Blood Qi. Although these two were similar in age, a closer look would reveal that this old man’s body was surging with a bloody aura and his vitality was far stronger than an ordinary young man’s would be. Moreover, the Blood Qi pulsing from this old man was extremely sinister and strange.
“So, did you manage to learn anything?” The old man put his teacup down and asked softly.
Jiang Xue Song was the Master of Abandoned Lair, so nobody had ever spoken to him on equal terms before, let alone question him in this manner. Although the old man had phrased his words as a question, his tone was that of a superior speaking to his subordinate.
The old man was also a Third-Order Origin King though, so his cultivation was no weaker than Jiang Xue Song’s. Furthermore, the clothes he was wearing indicated his origins. He was from the Netherworld Sect of the Grand Desolation Star Field! This old man was one of the Vice Sect Masters of the Netherworld Sect. Jiang Xue Song was unaware of the old man’s true name and only knew that he called himself ‘Old Hawk’.
The way of a Sword Master requires one to have a resolute Sword Heart. They would rather break than bend, especially when it came to a peerless swordsman like Jiang Xue Song. If anybody else dared to show him such disrespect, he would have slashed out with his sword to let the other party know the cost of offending him. Unfortunately, Jiang Xue Song was not confident he could defeat Old Hawk. Besides, even if he was upset over Old Hawk’s condescending attitude, he did not want to make an enemy out of the Netherworld Sect. Over the past ten years, Jiang Xue Song had witnessed the strength of the Netherworld Sect and if it really came down to a fight, Abandoned Lair would not be able to survive.
Upon hearing the question, Jiang Xue Song quickly replied, “I have not heard anything useful. The people of your Star Field perished so quickly that nothing useful could be gathered at all.”
Old Hawk said, “There must be some sort of clue. It’s practically impossible for there to be no leads whatsoever, right?”
In recent months, those from Grand Desolation Star Field had suffered heavy casualties. More than half of their conquest from their invasion over the past decade or so had been lost. One after another, they had lost contact with the Stars they had sent forces to occupy, including Monster Emperor Star, Shadowed Star, Water Moon Star, Green Mountains Star…
Old Hawk didn’t care about the deaths of cultivators belonging to other great forces from Grand Desolation Star Field, but he had no choice but to care about those from the Netherworld Sect.
What frightened Old Hawk the most though was that he had also lost contact with Tong Xuan Realm. That was where one of his fellow Vice Sect Masters was stationed. That person’s cultivation was comparable to his own and he had been leading four other Third-Order Origin Kings. With such a lineup, who in the Heng Luo Star Field could have fought back against them, much less exterminate them?
[Maybe some sort of accident occurred on their side and caused communications to be cut off.]
Even Old Hawk himself could not convince his brain to believe in this conjecture as he instinctively felt that something was wrong but couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Therefore, he asked Jiang Xue Song to send someone out to inquire about the situation. In the end though, this was the only answer he received. It was extremely displeasing.
“There really are no leads whatsoever. If you don’t believe me, you can send your own men out to investigate, Old Hawk,” Jiang Xue Song replied in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant.
Unlike Galaxy Ridge, which had chosen to surrender to Grand Desolation Star Field entirely, the path Jiang Xue Song chose was cooperation! He formed an alliance with Grand Desolation Star Field to destroy Sword Union and avenge the deep grudge he held towards them from back then. Simply judging from the results, the cooperation was going pretty well.
Sword Union had been annihilated and some of the Cultivation Stars under its control had fallen into the hands of the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field. As a result, Sword Union had collapsed. Of its leaders, only Sword Union’s Young Union Master had managed to escape and seek refuge on Tong Xuan Realm. Even so, Tong Xuan Realm was similarly caught in a precarious situation at the moment. Sword Union’s Young Union Master would have nowhere else to hide once Netherworld Sect’s plans succeeded. At that time, he would surely be killed.
Unfortunately, Jiang Xue Song was not happy despite completing the revenge he had been seeking for hundreds of years. He had mistakenly underestimated the strength of the Netherworld Sect, and although he was the biggest Boss in Abandoned Lair, Abandoned Lair had practically fallen into Netherworld Sect’s control. Jiang Xue Song had long become a Boss in name only.
[If Netherworld Sect really wanted to get rid of me, I wouldn’t be able to escape from their clutches either. That’s what I get for trying to do something impossible.]
It was just that there was no benefit to dealing with a Sword Master that would rather break than bend; therefore, the Netherworld Sect had been tolerant towards him for so long because removing him would have led to internal friction within Abandoned Lair’s ranks. Nevertheless, cooperation was no longer on the table. Jiang Xue Song had long served his purpose and it was time to cast him away. He would never be a follower; hence, he was obviously the first thing Netherworld Sect had to deal with after the complete fall of Heng Luo Star Field.
Old Hawk smiled lightly, but coupled with the gloomy aura around him, that smile gave off a chilling feeling, “I believe you, Boss Jiang, but the events over the past few months have been too ridiculous. You are a native, so you should know if there is anybody with the means to do something so extraordinary.”
Jiang Xue Song raised his sharp eyebrows and said in surprise, “Old Hawk, are you saying that all those who lost contact with you were struck by a disaster?”
Old Hawk sighed, “I don’t want to think so, but I don’t think I am wrong.”
It would have been different if they only lost contact with one or two places. That could have been explained away as an accident or mishap; however, they had lost contact with too many places recently that something more had to be happening.
Even if Old Hawk did not want to admit it, he was certain that some reclusive Master from Heng Luo Star Field must have come out of seclusion. Moreover, that person was hunting down the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field and Netherworld Sect.
Jiang Xue Song was slightly taken aback by those words. [If even Old Hawk has said so, then it must be true.]
He pondered for a moment before saying, “Back then, there was an old fart in the Star Field who was universally recognized as the strongest, and his strength truly was unfathomable.”
“Who?”
“Wu Dao!”
Who in Heng Luo Star Field did not know of the name ‘Wu Dao’? Wu Dao had already reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm before Jiang Xue Song was born, and his cultivation had only grown stronger over the years. It would make sense if he was the one behind the attacks.
“But, it can’t be him.” Jiang Xue Song slowly shook his head.
“Why do you say that?” Old Hawk asked.
“Because he left this Star Field several dozen years ago to go to some more mysterious world.”
“The Star Boundary!” Old Hawk’s eyes flashed, revealing a look of yearning that was soon extinguished.
“Star Boundary?” Jiang Xue Song Stared at Old Hawk in amazement. It was the first time he had heard this name and it naturally piqued his curiosity.
“Go on,” Unfortunately, Old Hawk couldn’t be bothered to explain anything to him. Heng Luo Star Field was clueless about the existence of the Star Boundary, but those from Grand Desolation Star Field were not. That was because the Ancestral Founders of Netherworld Sect had travelled to the Star Boundary thousands of years ago and founded a Sect there. Those ancestors had in turn once used a great Divine Ability to send some knowledge and treasures back to the Netherworld Sect.
As a Vice Sect Master of Netherworld Sect, Old Hawk was no stranger to the Star Boundary; after all, the previous Sect Master, Yin Le Sheng, had also gone to the Star Boundary.
The Star Boundary was the world all cultivators yearned for. It was a place with greater World Principles and a higher Martial Dao. If not for the fact that he was getting on in years, Old Hawk would have loved to travel to the Star Boundary as well.
Jiang Xue Song knit his brow and continued, “Since it’s impossible for it to be Wu Dao, then I can’t think of anybody else.” While speaking, he frowned and hesitated for a moment, “It’s impossible that it’s him too.”
“Who?”
“A Junior named Yang Kai.”
“Why did you mention him if he is a Junior?” Old Hawk was irritated.
Jiang Xue Song replied, “I’ve never met Yang Kai personally; however, he is no ordinary Junior. The reason Wu Dao was able to travel to your so-called Star Boundary was all thanks to him. Back then, it was Yang Kai who brought Wu Dao and a few other Masters with him when he left the Star Field. There was a rumour going around the Star Field at the time claiming that he could become the strongest person in the Star Field and replace Wu Dao from the top position in less than a hundred years.”
Jiang Xue Song sighed, “I regret not getting a chance to fight against him.”
“If that’s your wish, I can satisfy it,” a person’s voice suddenly called out from afar. When they heard the first word this voice spoke, it seemed to be several dozen kilometres away, but by the time the sentence was finished, a brave and heroic figure had already appeared in front of them inside the hall they were sitting in.
The dim light in Abandoned Lair shone against his back, creating a long shadow as if to cover the entire hall in his shadow. His face was obscured by the lighting, making it impossible to see clearly. Only a pair of eyes stood out, shining brightly in the dim darkness.
Both Jiang Xue Song and Old Hawk felt their hearts clench in their chests. The person who had come did not release any aura, but he made all the hairs on their body stand on end. His mere presence was that terrifying.
“Who!?” Jiang Xue Song shouted as he jumped to his feet.
The figure strode into the great hall and stood in front of him in just two or three steps, and all of a sudden, Jiang Xue Song felt as though a huge Dragon was bearing down on him. He involuntarily took several steps back and fell back into his chair. At the same time, he heard a cracking sound coming from the Sword Heart he had been cultivating for 1,500 years as a fracture appeared.
[I’m feeling fear?] It wasn’t until this moment that he came back to his senses and realized what had happened to him just moments ago, shocking him greatly.
Having lived a perilous life, Jiang Xue Song had encountered countless powerful enemies before, but even so, he had never retreated in fear before, regardless of who his enemy was. No matter how famous his opponent was, or how powerful their cultivation might be, Jiang Xue Song would still pierce through them with his sword. It would be worth it even if his body was broken to pieces. It was such a determination that had allowed him to hone his flawless Sword Heart; however, just now, he felt paralyzing fear for the first time in his life, and that caused a chip to appear in his Sword Heart.
Yang Kai looked down and practically shoved his face in Jiang Xue Song’s face while grinning widely, “Boss Jiang, how can you be so forgetful? You even mentioned my name just now! Could it be that you forgot about me in just the blink of an eye?”
“You are…” Jiang Xue Song’s eyes bulged in their sockets as an extremely absurd idea came to mind, drawing a determined cry from his lips, “That’s impossible!”
“Anything is possible!” Yang Kai turned around and sat at the table. Then, he turned to look at Old Hawk and asked, “Are you from the Netherworld Sect?”
That casual posture of his did not look like he had just barged into an extremely dangerous place. Rather, Yang Kai made it seem as though he was visiting his neighbour’s house. Even Old Hawk, who had experienced many great storms before, couldn’t help feeling that it was absolutely absurd.
“Let me ask you something!” Yang Kai stared at Old Hawk, “Are you the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect?”
“No!” Old Hawk shook his head.
Yang Kai rubbed his chin and said regretfully, “I guess I came to the wrong place again.”
A Sword Intent surged without warning just then and a dazzling sword wave flashed out simultaneously, illuminating the entire great hall. At that moment, everything in the world seemed to have lost its brilliance and only the shining sword light remained.
Jiang Xue Song had made a bold move without any warning!
As a swordsman, he should never launch a sneak attack on another, and indeed he had never done so against any foe he had fought before in the past. He had always defeated his enemies in head-on clashes; however, Yang Kai’s pressure had made a sliver of fear sprout in his heart and corrupted his Sword Heart. As a result, the anger born from shame had made him disregard everything else other than the impulse to kill.
Before the Sword Qi struck its target though, Old Hawk raised his hand and a blood-coloured banner appeared in his palm. It was one of the two most common artifacts of the Netherworld Sect, the Blood Sea Banner. The Blood Sea Banner in Old Hawk’s hand was clearly better than all the Blood Sea Banners Yang Kai had encountered so far, its aura distinguishing it as a peak Origin King Grade Artifact. If it wasn’t for the fact that the Star Field’s World Principles did not allow for it, this artifact would have become a Dao Source Grade Artifact with just a few more sacrifices and refining.
Old Hawk waved the Blood Sea Banner and subsequently, a turbulent gush of Blood Qi blasted out, transforming into a Blood Sea that engulfed Yang Kai like a tidal wave.
At the same time, an unmatched sword wave slashed at Yang Kai.
Jiang Xue Song couldn’t help feeling disappointed and frustrated at that moment. He did not know how high this young man’s cultivation was, but there was no way that he could survive after taking on a Sword Technique initiated by a Swords Master like himself with only a distance of a single step between them. Not to mention Old Hawk had coordinated with his attack just now.
Although the two of them had been at odds with each other all this while, they worked together for a common cause at this moment, and their coordination was near perfect.
After the sword wave slashed downward, Jiang Xue Song’s expression changed drastically while Old Hawk could feel that something was wrong too. A shiver ran up their spines as they exchanged a glance, clearly seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. After that, they turned into two streams of light and rushed out of the hall without any hesitation, vanishing out of sight in a blink of an eye.
In the midst of the turbulent Blood Sea, a fist blasted out suddenly. The Blood Sea shattered into pieces and the residual sword light dispersed. Then, Yang Kai took a step forward and appeared outside the hall. He did not chase after those two, however, and instead just leaned against one of the pillars of the great hall and coldly watched the situation with mild interest.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xue Song and Old Hawk looked around and froze in place after rushing out of the main hall. Abandoned Lair, which they had regarded as secure and impenetrable, was now surrounded by more than a dozen black Starships. A huge fleet was besieging the entire Abandoned Lair and groups of people were constantly pouring out of these Starships, rushing into the asteroids of all shapes and sizes to hunt down all the wicked cultivators who lived here.
[Since when!?]
Abandoned Lair was extremely easy to defend while incredibly difficult to attack; additionally, it was guarded by Natural Spirit Arrays and terrifying Starry Sky Storms. Only those who were familiar with the patterns of this place could navigate a safe path of entry and exit. Despite how strong the Netherworld Sect was, even Old Hawk would have to pay a high price if he brought his men here to storm Abandoned Lair. The only reason he could enter this place safely was that Jiang Xue Song had taken the initiative to contact him more than 10 years ago; however, this seemingly safe place had been now breached without anybody knowing it. It was a nightmare, to say the least.
The powerful auras that washed over them from all directions clearly told Old Hawk and Jiang Xue Song a cruel fact, today was going to be a disastrous day.
A small figure flew towards them suddenly.
Jiang Xue Song focused on the figure and saw that it was a seven- or eight-year-old girl. Old Hawk seemed to have realized it too and his expression turned cold. Twisting the Blood Sea Banner in his hand, he swiftly rolled up that little girl into it.
In the next moment, Jiang Xue Song’s figure suddenly retreated explosively, quickly distancing himself from Old Hawk.
“What are you doing!?” Old Hawk glared at Jiang Xue Song furiously, “We must work together to get out of here quickly!”
[This guy must be insane. Why is he moving away from me at this point!? Don’t tell me he thinks he can break through this siege with that stupid sword of his!?]
Jiang Xue Song looked at Old Hawk earnestly and shook his head, “We each have our own destinies!”
Although Jiang Xue Song had not noticed anything peculiar about the little girl, the Sword Heart inside his body had sent out strong warning signals when she appeared, as if a voice in his heart was screaming. ‘Get away! Get away! Get as far away as possible!’
“Have you gone mad!?” Old Hawk raged, “In the current situation, we need to join forc… hm?” Halfway through, he suddenly lowered his head and looked at his Blood Sea Banner. A bright red flame had appeared at some point on it and was now swiftly spreading out in all directions, burning madly. The scorching aura made Old Hawk’s blood run cold as he desperately poured his Saint Qi into the banner, trying to extinguish the flame. Unfortunately, the fire remained unaffected regardless of what he did. In fact, his Saint Qi only seemed to make it burn faster.
“Pu…”
Old Hawk spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. His artifact had been damaged, and he suffered from the backlash. Then, a small figure stepped out of the Blood Sea Banner. The little girl used her fair finger to lightly poke his head and he immediately collapsed to the ground limply like a balloon that had lost all its air.
Liu Yan picked the old man up with one hand and looked up only to see Jiang Xue Song had already merged with his sword light and turned into a streak that was soaring away with all haste.
[What the Hell!? What the Hell is that little girl!? Not only was she unscathed after being stuffed into the Blood Sea Banner, but she was even capable of escaping! She destroyed the Blood Sea Banner without any effort at all! She heavily injured Old Hawk with a single finger! That strength is beyond anything that I can imagine! I need to run! I need to run as far as possible!]
“Don’t run,” A voice that was as sweet and pure as a silver bell suddenly rang in his ears.
Turning his head to look, Jiang Xue Song saw that the little girl was now keeping pace with him. She looked like she was walking leisurely as she carried Old Hawk, who was half-dead, in one hand.
The corners of Jiang Xue Song’s eyes twitched fiercely as he almost had the urge to burst out cursing. Biting his tongue, he spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence which greatly enhanced the sword light around his body, increasing his speed dramatically.
Seemingly not even flustered by this increase in speed, Liu Yan simply tapped her delicate feet harder, stretched out her little hand, and grabbed Jiang Xue Song’s sword, causing the sword light coming from it to change from a brilliant glow to a dim hue as she snapped in annoyance, “I said… don’t run!”
The sharp and unmatched Origin King Grade Artifact longsword that could split mountains failed to inflict any damage on her whatsoever even though she held it in such a way.
“Wa…”
Jiang Xue Song spewed out a mouthful of blood again, but this time around, it was caused by the shock from his sudden change in momentum.
Turning to stare at the little girl, he almost wondered if he was dreaming.
A moment later, Liu Yan, holding Old Hawk in one hand and Jiang Xue Song in the other, strolled back a short distance, and threw them to the ground outside the great hall. Old Hawk’s aura was practically non-existent while his injuries were anything but light. Although Jiang Xue Song was in better condition, he no longer had any fighting spirit left, his eyes completely dull.
Yang Kai, still leaning against the pillar of the great hall with his arms folded across his chest, smiled slightly at this sight and called out, “Thanks!”
Liu Yan pouted, as if blaming him for making her do something so bothersome, and vented her frustrations by kicking Jiang Xue Song. Meanwhile, Jiang Xue Song did not dare to make a single sound nor speak a single word of protest.
Crouching down a bit, Yang Kai stared at Old Hawk and asked, “Where is the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect now?”
Old Hawk looked up at Yang Kai and answered in a trembling voice, “I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?” Yang Kai frowned in response as he suddenly raged, “Old dog, you better not lie to me! Your cultivation is pretty high so you must be an Elder at the very least. How can you not know where your Sect Master is?”
Old Hawk tearfully replied, “I really don’t know, he might be at Galaxy Ridge!”
“Might?” Yang Kai scowled, his expression turning savage, “Is he there, or is he not?”
Old Hawk trembled, “I… cannot be sure …”
“Useless!” Yang Kai cursed. Grabbing Old Hawk by the clothes, he threw him off into the distance. Old Hawk screamed as he flew out a thousand metres before suddenly exploding into a blood mist.
Grand Desolation Star Field had invaded Heng Luo Star Field, and the main culprit behind this invasion was Netherworld Sect; therefore, the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect was the one who all blame had to be laid upon. It was only natural for Yang Kai to seek out the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect to make that person pay. It was a pity that that person was nowhere to be seen.
It didn’t matter though as this battle was only Heng Luo Star Field’s first counterattack. The Sect Master of Netherworld Sect would appear, sooner or later, as long as he was still within Heng Luo Star Field.
Besides, the attack against Galaxy Ridge should have started by now, with Su Yan leading the battle. Galaxy Ridge wouldn’t be able to make any waves either with her assuming command.
At the same time, the passage between the two Star Fields was being guarded by Li Jiao. Li Jiao and his entire family had been sent by Yang Kai to guard this passage. Those from Grand Desolation Star Field would not be able to receive any reinforcements, much less think of escaping from Heng Luo Star Field.
The reason why Yang Kai had waited ten days to gather allies was that he wanted to wipe out Abandoned Lair in one fell swoop. He did not want to let a single enemy escape from his grasp. Although he and Liu Yan could run rampant in this place, Abandoned Lair was huge and a few rats would surely slip through their fingers without a corresponding force assisting him.
It was different now though. One of the two most powerful people in Abandoned Lair had died while the other was gravely injured. The entire Abandoned Lair was surrounded by Heng Luo Star Field’s forces, so it was simply a pipe dream for those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field and these Star Pirates to even think of escaping from this place.
The sounds of massacre continued endlessly as Yang Kai lowered his head and glanced at Jiang Xue Song, a trace of disgust flashing across his eyes as he declared, “Let’s hear it if you have any useful information for me. If you can satisfy me, I will give you a swift death.”
Half a day later, the commotion gradually subsided. Abandoned Lair was in ruins, and the corpses were piled up like mountains. This sin-filled location, which had existed for thousands of years, was finally swept clean today. Heaven-shaking cheers resounded through the sky as everybody let out the joy within their hearts.
Ever since the invasion of Grand Desolation Star Field, it was the first time in more than 10 years that they achieved such a large-scale victory. Moreover, it was such a one-sided and crushing battle. They only destroyed Abandoned Lair so far, which was still very far from their objective of ruthlessly killing all the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field; however, today’s battle was like a little spark, illuminating the entire Star Field. It was the single spark that could start a great fire.
“I’ll leave the rest to you.” Yang Kai smiled at everyone around him and leisurely flew off. This time around, he didn’t even bring Liu Yan with him.
The Embodiment, Liu Yan, Ruan Bi Ting, and Su Yan were all existences that surpassed the limits of a Star Field, so combined with the many Masters on their side within this Star Field, their lineup was enough to solve all the problems they might face. All they needed was some time.
Hence, there was no need for Yang Kai to hang around. Besides, he had something more important to do.
“Where is he going?” Ruan Bi Ting asked Liu Yan, who looked upset.
“He went to refine the Star Field.”
Everybody was shocked by those words. [The Star Field can be refined?!] They had only heard of people refining a Star Source to become a Star Master. They were unaware that even the Star Field could be refined. What an amazing thing it would be if the refinement process was successful. Would that make him the Master of the entire Star Field?
Nobody dared to imagine what changes Yang Kai would bring to the Star Field. They did not dare to imagine how strong Yang Kai would be at that point either.
…
Yang Kai drifted aimlessly across the vast Starry Sky, going with the flow without any direction in mind. He flew off quickly after leaving Abandoned Lair, releasing a constant stream of his Qi as he travelled and leaving a path of aura behind him.
The previous experiment had proven that the idea in his head was feasible. In that case, he might as well go all out in doing it. It might be a little troublesome and time-consuming, but it still showed results. Who knows? He might even be able to figure out a better solution during the refinement process.
Ten days later, he successfully refined a large piece of Starry Sky around Abandoned Lair. Concurrently, the colour of the position corresponding to this piece of Starry Sky on the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea changed a little. It also seemed to be brighter. This lighter area might not even make up a fraction of the Star Chart as a whole, but it was still a good Start.
Yang Kai immediately aimed for the next piece of Starry Sky after successfully refining this piece of Starry Sky. Day after day, the same process repeated over and over again; however, he was not bored by the monotony of it. Instead, he immersed himself in it. As piece after piece of the Star Field was refined and spot by spot on the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea lit up, Yang Kai began to develop a weak connection with the entire Star Field while he had full control over all the places that he had successfully refined with just a mere thought.
If this connection had existed when he was in the Ancestral Domain before, he was certain he could accurately locate Heng Luo Star Field without referring to the Star Chart.
The Star Field was vast and untouched. It gave birth to untold millions of creatures every day. There were places filled with death and dangers, as well as places filled with life and opportunity. During the refinement process, Yang Kai could sense and experience all of these things and as a result, they brought out a host of different feelings in him.
One month… Two months… Six months… One year… Two years… Yang Kai was like a leaf, drifting about the Star Field. As he refined more and more of the Starry Sky, the illuminated areas in the Star Chart became larger and larger. His refining speed increased too. That wasn’t all; he also figured out a method of refining that was faster than before. Navigating his way around an endless Asteroid Sea, jumping from one asteroid to the next, Yang Kai left his aura on each of them.
He brushed past the Asteroid Sea half a day later and looking behind him, he saw what looked like a large Dragon that wandered around aimlessly in the Star Field. His aura was now deeply ingrained in this Asteroid Sea, so wherever it passed, his aura would be deposited, helping to greatly reduce the time he had to spend covering different regions with his aura.
This was one of the methods Yang Kai had discovered over the course of the past few years. He borrowed the power of the Asteroid Sea to refine the Starry Sky along the path of its travel. It turned out to be pretty effective. Aside from that, he found another method as well, one that was a little more overbearing and straightforward.
Yellow sand swept across the skies of one particular Star. The clouds reflected this yellow light, obscuring the view of the Sun and Moon. The environment on this Star was extremely harsh, and large storms occasionally brewed in this land.
Yang Kai descended from the sky and looked around. He discovered that this Star was not a Dead Star in the true sense. Although the surface of the Star was mostly sand, there were occasional spots of greenery scattered around. Strange birds and beasts lived on this Star but they quickly fled in all directions when they noticed him coming.
This was not a Dead Star as Dead Stars did not contain any vitality whatsoever. It was not an ageing Star either. On the contrary, it was a Star that was growing vigorously and slowly radiating vitality. Although nothing could be seen for the time being, this Star would surely be brimming with life if one were to return tens of thousands of years in the future. Even if it could not compare with Shadowed Star at that time, it wouldn’t be inferior to the current Tong Xuan Realm.
Naturally, Yang Kai had no plans to wait for tens of thousands of years. He immediately leapt into the air before plunging headfirst into the ground, spinning like a top. The ground rumbled in response, and a path leading underground immediately opened up.
A short time later, Yang Kai appeared in a certain place deep underground.
A ball of grey-white energy floated in front of him, pulsing unsteadily. It looked like a candle flower at first glance. It was dim and unclear, but teeming with obscure World Principles. This was the Star Source of this Star. It was not as good as the Star Source of Yang Kai’s Shadowed Star or Xia Ning Chang’s Tong Xuan Realm of course, more like a fetus of Source Strength still in the process of gestation.
The Star Field was so large that it was hard to imagine just how vast it was; therefore, it was not strange to see some of the recovering or growing Stars producing a Source like this. Even so, most cultivators would not choose to refine something like this because it was not beneficial. It might even bring harm to the cultivator if they tried; after all, who knew whether such a Star could truly grow and develop? What if the situation changed one day, causing the Star to weaken and the Source to die? The cultivator who refined this Source would be affected too if that were to happen.
However, Yang Kai was not afraid at all. It could also be said that he dived so deep underground just to obtain this ball of growing Source Strength. If his plan succeeded, there was no possibility of suffering a backlash. If he failed… Well, he wasn’t afraid of a little backlash at his current cultivation realm.
Reaching out, he touched the ball of Source Strength. The Star Source seemed to have a trace of its own consciousness already, so it tried to float away and avoid him, but in the end, it wasn’t a sentient creature so this little bit of reaction was all it could muster up.
Yang Kai smiled and tried to coax it, “Come with me. There will be endless benefits for you!”
Regardless of whether the Star Source could understand the meaning behind his words, Yang Kai grabbed at it and activated the Star Refining Art, only taking a short while to refine it.
Inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, the spot of light on the Star Chart representing this Cultivation Star flickered suddenly and became extremely bright. The effect only lasted for a moment before it returned to normal. Comparatively, it was only a little brighter than before.
Yang Kai then studied the Star Chart and determined where his next goal was before his figure soared upward.
….
Yang Kai stood in the skies above Fire Cloud Star, looking down on its bright lights. The major cities were peaceful, and the people lived in contentment as cultivators came and went freely.
The invasion of Grand Desolation Star Field did not seem to have any particular impact on Fire Cloud Star. It remained unchanged from before, bustling with life everywhere. It wasn’t that the cultivators of Fire Cloud Star were extremely powerful, their overall strength only slightly above average for the Star Field while still a far cry compared to the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Home Star. There was only one reason for it to remain untouched; this Star had a Star Master guarding it!
Although Xia Ning Chang was overseeing it as its Star Master, Tong Xuan Realm was fundamentally weak and could not withstand great disturbances. Even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice, which was why Netherworld Sect could barge right in and set up the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array to putrefy the land.
In comparison, Fire Cloud Star was more than just a little bit stronger than Tong Xuan Realm. Thanks to the Star Master here, Netherworld Sect would have to pay a certain price to invade this Star, which was why Fire Cloud Star was spared from the wars that ravaged the Star Field for more than ten years.
Existences like Fire Cloud Star were not that special across the Star Field. There were as many as six other places with similar circumstances. Netherworld Sect and those from Grand Desolation Star Field originally planned to fortify their defences and cut off supplies to the enemy by laying waste to the other Cultivation Stars that were easier to deal with before gathering their strength to deal with the Cultivation Stars that had Star Masters overseeing them.
It was a pity that their plans were thwarted by the Heavens. Yang Kai’s return had eventually led to their downfall.
“May I know who has honoured us with their presence? I, Chi Huo, apologize for not greeting you immediately. Honoured Guest, please come this way.” A majestic voice rang out from the world. In the midst of that grand display, the entire Fire Cloud Star seemed to fall silent as all people looked up. Even more of them fell on their knees in reverent worship and chanted, “Long live Sir Chi Huo!”
The voice thundered in Yang Kai’s ears deafeningly. It was as if the lightning had struck right beside him while a faint trace of rejection also emerged in the World Principles around him. Any ordinary Third-Order Origin King would have suffered some internal injury upon encountering such a situation; however, Yang Kai simply used his little finger to dig at his ear while grinning, glancing in a certain direction with a flashing gaze.
[Is this a show of intimidation?] Smiling, Yang Kai replied casually, “Good.”
His figure transformed into a stream of light and flew in that direction.
Three thousand kilometres away, lava flowed around Blazing Mountain. Craters of various shapes and sizes in the volcano sprayed black smoke into the air like a huge Dragon flying through the skies. The air was scorching to the point where it was nearly unbearable. Anybody with lower cultivation would not be able to come close to this place at all.
Chi Huo’s Blazing Palace was built on one of the largest craters here. The palace was majestic, grand, and as scarlet as flames. At first glance, it looked like the entire palace was made of lava and it was easy to tell that the owner’s personality was equally explosive.
A moment ago, the rustling sounds of silk and bamboo rang out amidst singing and dancing inside Blazing Palace. The Star Master of Fire Cloud Star, Chi Huo, was entertaining many of the Star’s local Masters. Today was the day he took in a new concubine, his wedding day. It was only natural for the people living on Fire Cloud Star to visit and congratulate him. There was nothing more important than the Star Master on Fire Cloud Star after all. Therefore, everyone of even some importance rushed to Blazing Mountain, whether or not they wanted to or could afford to.
As the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star, Chi Huo was naturally a Third-Order Origin King. It could almost be said that he stood at the peak of the Star Field, so it didn’t make much sense to cultivate further. For that reason, he had been indulging in various vices, including wine and beautiful women, for the past 500 years, living a thoroughly enjoyable life.
Although the concubine he was marrying today was only a First-Order Origin Returning Realm, she was an absolute beauty, so despite most cultivators not being big on formalities, Chi Huo had arranged an extravagant event to celebrate the occasion.
Inside the palace, Chi Huo and the bride were both dressed in fiery red as they sat side by side. Guests from all walks of life were celebrating their union. When the guests came forward to offer a toast, they also presented generous gifts to Chi Huo. There was also a lot of flattery going around, which made Chi Huo roar with laughter, his voice echoing thunderously.
Meanwhile, the bride sat motionlessly with a faint smile on her face. She looked dignified and generous. Many women were secretly pointing at her and talking about her. Their words were full of envy and jealousy, claiming that she was marrying above her station and enjoying the benefits that came with a huge promotion in status.
When it was the turn for a Second-Order Origin King Master to come up and offer a toast, Chi Huo lifted his glass before turning his head abruptly to look into the distance. His gaze seemed to pierce through the void, and he revealed a solemn expression.
The palace immediately quietened down as everybody’s gaze was fixed on Chi Huo.
Putting down his glass, he shouted, “May I know who is honouring us with their presence? I, Chi Huo, apologize for not greeting you immediately. Honoured Guest, please come this way.”
Everybody was shocked by his words for they had never seen Chi Huo acting so courteously before. His cultivation had reached the peak of the Star Field’s limits, and he was also the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he held the lives of several billions of cultivators living on this star in his hand. Even another Third-Order Origin King, who would technically be his equal, had to bow before him in this place.
[Who is it that can receive such courteous treatment from Sir Chi Huo? Just what kind of person can have such rights?] In their confusion, the crowd heard an unfamiliar voice sounding in their ears who simply replied, “Good.”
The guests couldn’t help finding it weird. Even though they had yet to meet the speaker, that response was far too presumptuous. [That person doesn’t know his place! He doesn’t even show basic respect in front of the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star!] The lively atmosphere in the palace cooled down all of a sudden, and everybody wore a strange look on their faces.
Yang Kai moved as swiftly as lightning, traversing the three thousand kilometres distance to arrive at Blazing Mountain in an instant, his goal the majestic Blazing Palace.
To Yang Kai’s surprise though, a shout suddenly came from below, “Senior! Please take me along with you!”
Lowering his head to have a look, Yang Kai saw a person standing on a black stone below. There was boiling lava flowing on all sides and it was so hot that it was scalding, a harsh and dangerous environment to be in.
That person was only in the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator and was clearly quite young, looking around 27 or 28 years old. He was square-faced and dressed in ragged clothes. It would seem that he had experienced a lot of hardships along his journey. His exposed skin revealed many scald marks caused by the lava, and the Saint Qi he was using to protect the surface of his body was dim and bleak, looking like it might disappear at any moment.
The Blazing Mountains, which stretched out for thousands of kilometres in all directions, was the place where Chi Huo lived. It was not a place that could be traversed by ordinary people. Without support and guidance, a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm Master would surely die in these lands. Even so, this young man had not retreated. Despite being in a dishevelled state, those eyes of his were very determined and it seemed as though he would continue his journey towards Blazing Palace even if Yang Kai refused to help him. He wouldn’t complain even if he died here.
“Were you talking to me?” Yang Kai stopped and looked at that young man.
“Senior, please bring me along with you! I, Cui Meng Yuan, will forever be grateful!” The young man gave a deep bow. His appearance was a mess, but it was hard to find fault with his etiquette. He seemed to have been at least educated well.
“Why should I bring you along?” Yang Kai grinned, “What benefit might it bring me?”
Cui Meng Yuan shook his head, “I don’t have anything except this life of mine to offer you.”
Yang Kai curled his lips in response, “Your life is worthless to me.”
Cui Meng Yuan’s eyes darkened at those words. Then, he sighed and did not force the matter. Straightening his back, he prepared to fly away; however, the lava around him turned into something akin to a living monster at that moment and condensed to form fire pythons that lunged at him.
Cui Meng Yuan’s heart sank, knowing that he was destined to die here today; hence, he didn’t even bother to resist and simply took a long, yearning look at Blazing Palace. Contrary to his expectations though, the scorching temperature suddenly disappeared and the pain he imagined did not come. Stunned, he discovered that he had been rescued. The fire python that had been striking at him had turned back into lava and flowed away.
When he lifted his head to look at Yang Kai, he gratefully spoke, “Many thanks, Senior.”
“Forget it. It is fate that you and I met today, so I’ll bring you along at a loss!” Yang Kai grinned and grabbed Cui Meng Yuan by the collar. He then carried the young man in his hand like a chicken. The scenery around them receded in a flash and they arrived at Blazing Mountain in the blink of an eye.
After being tossed to the ground by Yang Kai, it took a while for Cui Meng Yuan to recover from his shock. He was just about to thank Yang Kai again when he saw him striding towards Blazing Palace. Thus, he gritted his teeth and followed closely behind.
The gates of the palace were wide open, displaying the magnificent interior that gave off an extremely luxurious aura. The moment Yang Kai walked into the palace, he felt many pairs of eyes staring fixedly at him. Those gazes were scrutinizing and contained a touch of hostility.
A stocky man with red hair and a beard sat on an elevated platform like an iron tower. He was dressed in red robes and looked like a bundle of flames that could turn the entire world into a sea of fire. He also had a pair of red eyes that shone as brightly as two suns and flickered with an imposing light.
Cui Meng Yuan stepped out from behind Yang Kai and stared towards the bride beside Chi Huo with a complex expression. His lips moved and he whispered something. Although his voice was very soft, it couldn’t escape Yang Kai’s ears. Similarly, the bride’s tender body stiffened in response; however, she quickly lowered her eyes and her expression returned to normal.
Chi Huo and Yang Kai looked at each other. One was aggressive and imposing, while the other was deep and quiet. There seemed to be invisible forces clashing and colliding in the palace, making the atmosphere as tense as could be.
All of a sudden, Chi Huo laughed and stretched out his hand to hold the jade white hand of the bride next to him, “Today is my wedding day. I can’t believe I have such an Honoured Guest gracing my palace. What a happy occasion! Dare I ask for your name, Honoured Guest?”
Although it was a question, he remained sitting above all others in a condescending manner. As for Cui Meng Yuan, Chi Huo didn’t even bother to glance at him, as if the latter was air.
Yang Kai smiled, “Names are nothing more than labels others use to distinguish one from another, not worth mentioning here. I invited myself in because I have a favour to ask of you, Brother Chi.”
Chi Huo lowered his eyes and replied faintly, “We can talk about that another day. Today is my wedding day. Little Brother, if you don’t mind, you should stay and join us for a few drinks.”
Despite directing a question at the young man, he did not receive a corresponding answer; thus, Chi Huo was a little displeased. Feeling that this young man was a little too arrogant, he lost interest in speaking with him further. [How dare he call me ‘Brother Chi’? What arrogance! Does he really think he can speak to me as equals just because I’m being a little generous?]
The only reason he did not kick Yang Kai out was because he could vaguely sense Yang Kai’s strength was astonishing. Besides, today was his wedding and he did not wish to create trouble on such an auspicious day. Otherwise, he would never have held his temper in. Even so, the way he addressed Yang Kai became ‘Little Brother’ at some point, which carried a sense of superiority over Yang Kai.
Chi Huo initially thought that Yang Kai would take his advice, but to his surprise, Yang Kai shook his head, “This matter is of great importance. Although I am not in a hurry, it’s better if I settle this matter as soon as possible. Please forgive me, Brother Chi.”
Chi Huo’s expression immediately darkened at those words. He was not acquainted with Yang Kai, so there were no grievances between them to speak of; however, he was getting irritated with Yang Kai’s arrogant attitude during the brief conversation they had with each other. [I don’t really want to make a move, but if this boy doesn’t know when to call it quits, I don’t mind adding another bloodstain to Blazing Palace.]
Hence, he quickly said, “Is that so? Well then, let’s hear it. We’ll see just how important it is.”
Yang Kai solemnly replied, “It’s related to the peace in the Star Field.”
Chi Huo was startled for a moment, then he roared with laughter. Similarly, the other guest began laughing too, their voices filled with mockery. There was no way they could hold in their laughter if a random cultivator suddenly popped out and claimed that his circumstances were related to the peace of the entire Star Field. To them, it was as though a frog had popped up to tell them that the sky was falling.
The guests today consisted mostly of the older generation and they had long noticed the change in Chi Huo’s attitude. Seeing how Yang Kai was behaving, how could they tolerate his lack of propriety? Hence, an old man with a goatee immediately shook his head and mocked, “Brat, this is Blazing Palace. It’s not a place for you to spew utter nonsense. Go back to wherever you came from. Sir Chi Huo is in a good mood today, so he won’t mind a tasteless joke or two.”
“That’s right. Hurry up and scram from here. Stop delaying my time; it’s my turn to offer a toast.”
“To think Sir Chi Huo was being so polite to him. I can’t believe he is so crazy. How ridiculous.”
“The Star Field has been at peace for such a long time. How dare he try to deceive us!?”
…
Yang Kai was unmoved by the insults and mockery that blew past his ears like a breeze. He simply frowned and looked at Chi Huo, “Brother Chi, did you block all news from the outside? Why?”
These guests didn’t seem to know about what had happened in the Star Field over the past decade. [I can’t believe they said something like ‘The Star Field has been at peace for such a long time.’ Don’t they have any form of communication with the outside world?]
Then, he remembered the barriers he encountered when he first arrived at Fire Cloud Star just now and immediately understood the situation. It wasn’t that they did not communicate with the outside world, it was that the Star Master had blocked all communications. They had no way of getting any news from the outside world at all.
Yang Kai turned to look at the old man with a goatee then and asked, “Old man, do you know of the Grand Desolation Star Field? Or Netherworld Sect?”
The old man with a goatee frowned and asked, “What nonsense are you spewing now?”
“Where did this crazy brat come from? His insane talk is so displeasing! Sir Chi Huo, please allow me to throw him out!” Somebody yelled with righteous indignation. The joyous wedding feast had been ruined by this young man’s arrival and many were naturally unhappy at losing the chance to ingratiate themselves with the Star Master.
“Why did you do that, Brother Chi?” Yang Kai looked at Chi Huo in a puzzled manner. Was he trying to isolate them from the dangers outside? If that’s the case, then these actions were a little too ridiculous. How could Fire Cloud Star survive if Heng Luo Star Field fell?
Chi Huo replied indifferently, “It has nothing to do with you.”
Yang Kai thought for a moment and nodded, “You’re right.”
[It’s not my problem. There’s no reason for me to care.]
Even so, Yang Kai kindly gave some advice, “Brother Chi, there’s no need to do this anymore. For the past two years, Grand Desolation Star Field and Netherworld Sect have been on the decline. My fellow Star Field cultivators have paved a path towards victory and killed countless enemies; however, the war is not over yet. You can lend them a helping hand if you wish, Brother Chi. I believe the war will end faster with Fire Cloud Star’s help.”
Chi Huo grinned, “So, why aren’t you helping them?”
Yang Kai said, “I have more important things to do, which is also the reason I am here today.”
“I’m curious as to just what this ‘important thing’ of yours is.”
Yang Kai solemnly answered, “Brother Chi, I’m here to borrow something!”
“What do you want to borrow?” Chi Huo asked in a low voice while thinking, [This is ridiculous. All the other guests came with gifts, but as if it wasn’t bad enough that he came here empty-handed, he wants to borrow something on top of that!?]
Chi Huo was filled with murderous intent and if Yang Kai dared to say something displeasing, he would surely unleash his wrath on him.
“I want to borrow this Star’s Source!” Yang Kai pointed to the ground under his feet.
The whole palace fell silent, and the scorching air was filled with murderous intent. Many guests looked at each other, wondering if there was something wrong with their ears. Why else would they hear such nonsensical words?
“What did you say?” Chi Huo’s expression turned grim. [What a presumptuous little brat! How dare you want to borrow Fire Cloud Star’s Star Source!? Are Star Sources something that can be lent to others!? When it comes down to it, the reason why I stand above others and why even Third-Order Origin Kings have to bow down before me is because I am a Star Master! What leverage would I have if I lent my Star Source to somebody else!? Besides, I’ve never even heard of a Star Source being lent out before!]
Murderous intent spread out like a tide. If Yang Kai’s attitude earlier had displeased him, then this one sentence had truly triggered his murderous intent. The topic of the Star Source itself could be considered taboo so Chi Huo immediately concluded that this young man was here to intentionally cause trouble on his wedding day. Thus, he decided that Yang Kai would not leave this place alive.
“Brother Chi, please calm yourself.” Yang Kai lifted his hand placatingly, “I came here with sincere intentions so please hear me out until the end.”
Chi Huo was so furious that he laughed instead, “Fine. Go on.” [I want to see how smooth-spoken and eloquent your tongue can be.]
“If you can lend me your Star Source, Brother Chi, you can ensure the peace of this Star Field. It can be considered a heroic act of sorts. Of course, I know that the Star Source is very important to you so I won’t let you do this for nothing. I will definitely provide you with equivalent compensation.”
Chi Hup was taken aback for a moment before he roared with laughter, “Compensation!?”
[I already stand at the peak of the Star Field. What else is there in this world that can impress me? This little brat is bluffing so shamelessly that it’s infuriating. Could it be that my enemies sent him here to entertain me?]
“En, compensation!” Yang Kai repeated solemnly, flipping his palms over and summoning a cloud of radiant and colourful energy into it.
“That’s…” Chi Hup suddenly became interested. He stood up from his chair abruptly and stared at the light incredulously. The rest of the guests also lost themselves for a moment, showing extremely shocked and greedy expressions.
“This is also a Star Source, but it has no corresponding Cultivation Star,” Yang Kai explained, “However, if I use this as compensation, I believe it will not have much impact on your cultivation, Brother Chi. En, once the affairs related to the Star Field are settled, I will also return Fire Cloud Star’s Source to you. In this way, you will have earned another Star Source without even lifting a finger, Brother Chi.”
“Which Star does this Source belong to?” Chi Huo muttered under his breath.
Yang Kai spread his hands wide and shrugged, “As I said, this Source has no corresponding Cultivation Star.”
Yang Kai had many other Sources just like this one. It was something he picked up in the Shattered Star Sea back then. Although he had given some away, he still had many left in his possession.
Chi Huo’s expression fluctuated, not because of Yang Kai’s proposal though. Even if Yang Kai compensated him with a new Source, he would be a Star Master in name only without the corresponding Cultivation Star. How could that compare to the benefits of being the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star?
It was simply the idea of killing and looting Yang Kai that came to Chi Huo’s mind; however, a strong sense of crisis rang out in his heart the moment that thought appeared in his head. It seemed to be warning him that he would face a tragic ending if he so much as lifted a finger against the young man in front of him. That feeling caused the blood surging all over his body to cool down instantly, and his mind cleared.
Returning to his seat, Chi Huo shook his head, “I won’t lend you Fire Cloud Star’s Source. Please leave.”
At the same time, he sneered in his heart. [This little brat doesn’t seem to understand the concept of hiding one’s wealth from others. Even if I suppress my greed and do nothing to him, he will surely be ambushed the moment he leaves Blazing Palace. When that time comes, I will be able to gauge his strength. It won’t be too late to decide to attack him then.]
The light disappeared as Yang Kai put away the Source. Rubbing his forehead, he seemed a little troubled, “Haa… As expected, trying to be reasonable doesn’t work after all.”
He had tried to be gentlemanly and settle things peacefully without resorting to forceful means, but in the end, it still came down to a fight. Turning around, he grabbed Cui Meng Yuan by the collar and shouted, “Boy, what grievances do you have? Spit them all out, I’ll stand up for you today!”
“Huh?” Cui Meng Yuan was taken aback. His eyes had never left the bride from the moment he followed Yang Kai into Blazing Palace. The only time he had looked away for a moment was when Yang Kai took out the Star Source. Nevertheless, his attention was quickly drawn back to the bride again; hence, being questioned by Yang Kai without any warning or context like this left him feeling rather confused.
“What do you mean by ‘Huh?’ I heard what you said earlier. Are you acquainted with the bride?”
Yang Kai was practically spitting in his face, but even so, Cui Meng Yuan nodded stupidly in response to the question. That was the reason why he had charged into Blazing Mountain without fear of death today.
“Were you and the bride deeply in love with one another? Did you promise your lives to each other?”
Cui Meng Yuan nodded again, his eyes filled with humiliation and reluctance.
“Did this old fart bully the weak and abuse his authority? Did he snatch your woman from you regardless of your feelings?”
“Yes!” Cui Meng Yuan shouted, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth so hard that his gums were bleeding.
“Good!” Yang Kai shouted. Tossing Cui Meng Yuan to the side, he turned to look at Chi Huo and leisurely said, “I’ve felt your determination. Today, I will help you get your bride back!”
Cui Meng Yuan was both shocked and delighted. He never imagined that something so dramatic would occur. He had barged into Blazing Palace alone today with the resolution to die for the sake of his revenge. He had not expected somebody to stand up for him.
However, he soon seemed to realize something and spoke up sadly, “Senior, many thanks for your kindness, but…”
“Shut up!”
He immediately closed his mouth and did not dare to say another word.
Meanwhile, Chi Huo stood on the elevated platform and lowered his eyes. His expression was gloomy as he indifferently said, “All disputes begin due to the wrong words being said and the eagerness to show off. Junior, don’t think too highly of yourself just because I was being generous with you.”
[This bastard is simply looking for trouble. It really is as the saying goes, ‘He who comes is surely ill-intentioned’.]
Yang Kai laughed before pointing at Chi Huo and shouting, “Old dog, the Star Field is at war! Foreign enemies are invading us! It’s bad enough that you aren’t helping, but you also sealed Fire Cloud Star from the outside world to keep all others here ignorant as well! How dare you! I came here for the common people and would have turned a blind eye to the matter if you had cooperated with me, but since you refused to cooperate, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
Yang Kai acted as though he was standing on a moral high ground, preparing to take down a villain who killed and looted the innocent, eliciting a round of cursing from the guests.
In contrast, Chi Huo stood with his red hair flying in the wind and his robes flapped around him, “How outrageous!”
Yang Kai declared, “You have no choice but to lend me your Star Source, even if you don’t want to!” While speaking, he lunged towards Chi Huo.
“Impudence!” Chi Huo was furious and with a single thought, his power surged as an invisible force descended from the sky. Everybody had trouble breathing as a result as they felt as though a mountain was pressing down on their chests.
Yang Kai, who was the target of this oppression bore the brunt of this pressure and paused for a moment before he abruptly doubled over slightly, looking like he would be forced to the ground at any moment.
This was the power of a Star Master. Chi Huo could dominate everything on this Star and could kill his enemies soundlessly with a single thought.
Many guests applauded and cheered at the sight.
However, Chi Huo’s expression was extremely solemn. Rather than being displeased, he was thoroughly shocked. Yang Kai’s performance was beyond his expectations. [How is this brat not forced to the ground by the pressure!? He truly isn’t anything ordinary.]
Chi Huo focused and increased the pressure exerted on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grunted slightly, and the ground beneath his feet cracked. Even so, he smiled coldly, “So what if you have Star Strength? Do you think I don’t?”
A Star flickered in the distant Starry Sky at that moment and emitted a beam of light. That light leapt across billions of kilometres in the blink of an eye and shone down on Yang Kai. It made the area around his body glow and shine so brightly that people couldn’t keep their eyes open anymore.
This place was not Shadowed Star, but although Yang Kai was not in his domain, he was still in the same Star Field. It was only natural that he could guide the power of Shadowed Star to him and use it to resist the World Principles of Fire Cloud Star.
The pressure Yang Kai felt instantaneously lightened; however, the show wasn’t over yet. A portion of the Starry Sky began to light up and gather great power, strangely resonating with Yang Kai, becoming a source of strength.
That stretch of the Starry Sky was the result of what Yang Kai had spent the last two years refining. The power gathered by the vast Starry Sky was not as pure as the Star Strength of Shadowed Star, but it was vastly superior in terms of quantity, enough to cause unimaginable changes.
“Break!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted.
*Kacha…*
As if something had cracked apart, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly stood up tall and straight again.
A look of disbelief flashed across Chi Huo’s eyes as he stood up from his chair. Before he could do anything though, a figure flashed in front of him and a large iron-shackle-like hand grabbed him by the neck. The force coming from that arm was so powerful that he couldn’t muster up the strength to resist.
A layer of invisible force wrapped around Chi Huo’s entire body instantly, and the connection between him and Fire Cloud Star was severed without warning. That wasn’t all; even the Star Source he had refined in his body was suppressed too.
His eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, Chi Huo wondered in terror, [What is this horrifying strength!? Just who is this person!?]
*Ding ding dang dang…*
The sound of wine glasses falling to the ground rang out from the surroundings as all the guests stared at this scene stupidly with their mouths agape in shock, feeling as though they were dreaming. Their eyes were filled with pure astonishment as Star Master Chi Huo was being single-handedly lifted into the air by a boy! Moreover, it looked like Chi Huo didn’t even have time to react or the strength to resist!
The confrontation between those two had lasted for less than a moment. It was so fast that everybody was left reeling and many were still clueless as to what was going on. Nevertheless, the victor had already been decided.
There could only be one explanation for this situation: the strength of one party far surpassed the strength of the other. That was the only way for an instant defeat to occur.
But… Chi Huo was a Star Master and a Third-Order Origin King! What kind of person could surpass him in strength by such a large margin? None of them could wrap their heads around the idea as it was too much to take in at this moment. Regardless, this scene would forever be the most shocking moment in their entire lives.
“Huh!?” Cui Meng Yuan yelled with a dazed look. Things had ended so quickly that he didn’t even have the time to prepare himself.
Similarly, the bride was covering her red lips with her small hands. Her eyes were filled with shock and horror as she looked up at Yang Kai. The figure in front of her seemed as large as a mountain and she couldn’t see his face clearly despite their close proximity. Instead, it felt like he was standing beyond Heavens themselves.
Yang Kai turned his head and grinned at her, “Hurry up and fly away with that boy.”
He waved his hand while he was talking, tossing both her and Cui Meng Yuan thousands of kilometres away from Blazing Mountain, regardless of whether she wanted it or not.
[Oh, well. I’m sure she is willing; after all, she looked worried when that Cui Meng Yuan first appeared here.]
“W-Who… Are you!?” Chi Huo squeezed out those words from between his teeth.
He was a burly man who was one head taller than Yang Kai, but he was currently being held like a helpless little baby chicken by the latter. Anybody who saw this sight would feel a strong sense of visual conflict.
“Will my name have any meaning to you?” Yang Kai sneered, ignoring Chi Huo while silently circulating the Star Refining Art.
Chi Huo had a sudden realization. He had asked this young man for his name before but did not receive an answer. He thought this boy was cocky and reckless, but now it seems that he just couldn’t be bothered to answer.
An unbearable pain suddenly spread throughout Chi Huo’s body. It hurt so much that he shuddered violently; then, his eyes widened as he clearly felt something and screamed in horror, “No!”
“Come!” Yang Kai abruptly raised his hand and pressed against Chi Huo’s dantian. His fingers turned into claws as he grabbed at something without warning and dragged it out. A ball of crimson light was plucked out in an instant.
Tossing Chi Huo aside, Yang Kai lowered his head to study the ball of crimson light in his hand before nodding in satisfaction.
On the other side, Chi Huo got up shakily. He was in bad shape, and his face was ashen. Yang Kai had severely damaged his foundation, and while that damage was not permanent, his Star Source had been forcefully taken away. How could Chi Huo not be affected by that? Lifting his head, he looked in that direction with a sorrowful gaze.
[How was my Star Source taken away from me so easily? That was the Source I risked my life to obtain and spent many years of blood, sweat, and tears to refine. It is by relying on it that I became a Star Master and succeeded in unifying the entire Fire Cloud Star. Without that Source, I am nothing more than an ordinary Third-Order Origin King. No, I might be even worse than that… I’ve suffered internal injuries when my connection to the Source was severed.]
Many of the guests couldn’t help feeling sympathy for Chi Huo when they saw what happened while a horrifying chill wrapped around their bodies. They froze in place, not daring to make any reckless moves.
Somebody as powerful as the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star couldn’t even lift a finger against this young man. Not only was he defeated in an instant, but his Star Source had also been forcibly taken away. How could they dare to make an enemy of Yang Kai after witnessing this? Their gazes were filled with both awe and horror.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai opened his mouth, stuffed the ball of crimson light into his mouth, and swallowed it. His skin immediately turned blood-red as if he was being burned by flames. Groaning, he felt a heavy pressure on his dantian and quickly activated the Star Refining Art to suppress and refine the Star Source.
Unfortunately, he soon discovered that things were not looking too optimistic. Shadowed Star’s Source Strength that was inside his body turned out to be incompatible with Fire Cloud Star’s Source. The two seemed to be innately hostile toward each other, and the former formed an unimaginably strong resistance against the latter as a consequence.
This situation was a little surprising as Yang Kai had refined the Sources of several other Stars before coming here. It was just that the Sources of those Stars were very weak, so he had not felt any kind of conflict. It wasn’t until this instance that he experienced a reaction.
The World Principles of each Cultivation Star were distinct. They had their respective differences and could not coexist. Yang Kai quickly figured this out; but even so, he did not panic and continued to circulate the Star Refining Art. For the next part of his plan, he would need to refine more than just a single Star Source. He was going to refine all the Star Sources in the entire Star Field. How was he going to carry out his plan if he couldn’t even get past the minor challenges that he was currently facing?
Dividing his attention in two, Yang Kai comforted the Source Strength of Shadowed Star with one hand while doing the same for Fire Cloud Star’s Source with the other. This led to the surface of his body, his left side and right side, both emitting different rays of light that seemed like they were attacking each other.
The power of the two Stars lashed out arbitrarily, causing Blazing Palace to collapse in an instant. The towering palace was turned into ruins and many of the guests fled in all directions. The guests that came to offer their congratulations to Chi Huo were all powerful people, so they would not die because of a minor accident like this, but that did not diminish their shock when witnessing Yang Kai’s power and methods.
The aftermath of the conflict between the two Star Sources made them uncomfortable even from a distance, so it wasn’t difficult for them to imagine how Yang Kai, who stood at the centre of the conflict, was feeling.
As expected, Yang Kai was not unscathed. He felt as though two children were pummeling each other inside of him, vying for the ownership of his body. Trying to calm and mediate between the two was not very effective. On the contrary, it made his vitality become unstable and his face flushed red as a result. There was no describing how unbearable it was. Aside from those two unruly children, there were a few wailing babies in the background too. Those babies were undoubtedly those Star Sources that he had refined recently. Compared to the Source Strengths of Shadowed Star and Fire Cloud Star, these Star Sources were neither as complete nor as strong. They had been behaving themselves until Fire Cloud Star’s Source agitated them and made them restless too.
[Calm down… calm… down… caalll… Agh! Screw it!]
“Behave yourselves!” Yang Kai roared furiously, emphasizing each syllable strongly as he abruptly pushed the Star Refining Art hard to suppress these Star Sources.
The whole world fell silent all at once. At the same time, his aura gradually stabilized and the conflict between the Source Strengths inside his body subsided.
[These rascals were simply asking to be disciplined!] Even so, he knew that this was just a stopgap measure. They might not pose a problem for the time being, but those conflicts would only get worse and worse as he refined more and more Star Sources in the future. If he could not find a proper solution to the problem, it would eventually turn into a bigger issue down the road. [Haa… I’ll think about it when it happens…]
In the Star Chart inside his Knowledge Sea, the light that symbolized Fire Cloud Star flickered. At the same time, he formed an unbreakable connection with the entire Fire Cloud Star. With a single thought, the entire Fire Cloud Star came under his control. The skies rumbled and the earth trembled. All these phenomena seemed to be informing the world that the Star Master had changed.
The guests that came to attend Chi Huo’s wedding hurried forward at this moment and bowed respectfully, “Greetings, Sir!”
Leaving aside the overwhelming strength that Yang Kai had displayed, just the fact that he was the current Star Master of Fire Cloud Star was enough to make them swallow their pride and lower their heads. In the future, they would have to live under his rule, so how could they dare to conduct themselves carelessly?
“Greetings… Sir!” Chi Huo lowered his head too, looking like he had aged several hundred years in an instant, an extremely depressed look on his face.
Unexpectedly, he was good at judging the situation and reading the room. He had previously dared to challenge Yang Kai because he had the confidence of winning. Reality had proven that that was nothing more than an illusion though and now that he was in an inferior position, he had no choice but to lower his head. He didn’t even dare to think about exacting revenge despite the hatred burning in his heart. He was no match for Yang Kai even at his peak, so nothing needed to be said about now when he was severely weakened.
Yang Kai glanced at Chi Huo meaningfully, which made Chi Huo tremble out of fear, afraid that Yang Kai was going to kill him. Fortunately, Yang Kai never had the intention to do that. Sweeping his gaze across the room, he said, “There’s something I need your help with.”
The old man with the goatee that had mocked Yang Kai previously hurriedly said, “Sir, grant us your instructions. This Old Master will do his best to complete them for you.”
“Yes, please tell us, Sir.”
Yang Kai said, “Chi Huo sealed this Star previously, so you don’t know about the recent situation in the Star Field, right?”
The old man with the goatee hesitated, “I’m not sure what you are referring to…”
“More than 10 years ago, enemies from Grand Desolation Star Field invaded our Star Field, seized many of our Cultivation Stars, and killed billions of our fellow cultivators. They are greedy, cruel, and ruthless! Their sins are unforgivable!”
“What?” Everybody was shocked. Although they had heard Yang Kai mentioning this matter previously, nobody had taken it seriously. Hearing it again now though, they had no choice but to take it seriously.
[To think that there is another Star Field out there! Moreover, they invaded us!? Something like that is simply unthinkable!]
“However, the situation isn’t so dire anymore. Our fellow cultivators are fighting back. I want you to go and support them. Wipe out those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field!”
The old man with the goatee asked, “Where… Should we go to support our fellow brothers and sisters?” They had never even heard of Grand Desolation Star Field before, so it was only natural that they didn’t know where to go.
“Figure it out yourselves!” Yang Kai had been operating alone for the past two years so he did not know where the battle was currently taking place either. However, it wouldn’t be hard for them to find out about the war as long as they had the heart to do so. Fire Cloud Star might have been sealed off by Chi Huo, but that was also the reason that these people’s strength had been preserved more or less perfectly. If they joined the front, they would surely be of great help.
“Of course. Of course.” The old man with the goatee nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that this young man was subject to shifting moods.
“Stop wasting time. Set off immediately.” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively and called up a strong burst of wind like he was chasing flies away. Immediately every Origin King present lost their footing and was blown away by the wind.
A moment later, Yang Kai was the only one left in the ruins of Blazing Palace. Then, he found a spot and sat down cross-legged, plunging his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea to study the Star Chart.
A few lights in a certain location flickered. Those were the lights that corresponded to the Cultivation Stars he refined recently, and the brightest one among them was Fire Cloud Star. More importantly, these lights were not chosen at random. If a line was drawn to connect them to each other, the outline of an irregular polygon would appear in the massive Star Chart.
Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar moved slightly. Separated by several thousands of kilometres, he activated the Source Strengths of these Stars and all of a sudden, lights lit up along the edges of the invisible irregular polygon and began to spread outwards. Wherever the light passed in the Starry Sky, those areas were branded by Yang Kai’s aura and gradually refined by him. He could tell that those areas within the Starry Sky were now under his influence and was overjoyed to know that his previous conjecture was not wrong.
Confirming his theory, Yang Kai immediately continued with his efforts.
The entire process only took three days for him to complete the entire refining process, and when he checked the Star Chart again, the irregular polygon formed by the light points on the Star Chart were already in harmony with him. That irregular polygon might not be much in the scale of the entire Star Chart, but the corresponding region of the Starry Sky was still extremely vast. If Yang Kai had used his previous refining methods, it would have taken him at least half a year to accomplish this. Using this method, it only took him a month to complete the refinement process.
He only needed to refine a few Star Sources, then use those Cultivation Stars as his foundation to increase the area under his influence. With that, he could achieve twice the results with only half the effort. It saved him a lot of time and energy.
The Star Field was truly too vast. He had spent two years only to refine an area that did not even make up 1/20th of the entire Star Field. In other words, it would take him at least 40 to 50 years to completely refine the entire Star Field at the previous speed.
[Do you know how long 40 to 50 years is!? How can I spend so much time in this Star Field!?] The efficiency was increased by a lot with his current method. Combined with the many auras that he had left behind in various Asteroid Seas, it would speed up even more.
[10 years. Within 10 years, I will finish refining the entire Star Field and become its Master!]
A pitch-black Starship sailed slowly and silently across the empty Star Field like a huge ghost. A skull logo on the Starship revealed its origins. It was a Starship that belonged to the Netherworld Sect of Grand Desolation Star Field.
The huge Starship wandered the Starry Sky like a homeless child, exuding an extremely depressed aura although it was a non-living thing. It seemed to depict an extremely tragic end in life.
It was currently sailing towards Broken Void Corridor, which only appeared in the last two years. Broken Void Corridor was connected to Grand Desolation Star Field, so if they could reach the Broken Void Corridor, they might get the chance to return to Grand Desolation Star Field.
The lives of Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators had become extremely difficult ever since the day Heng Luo Star Field’s counterattack began five years ago. All of their invading armies had been obliterated, one by one. Consequently, panic spread throughout the hearts of Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators. They didn’t even want to know why Heng Luo Star Field, which should not have had the strength to fight back, could rise up again all of a sudden.
All the powerful Sects that had invaded this Star Field had paid a heavy price as a consequence. Myriad Beast Mountain, Heavenly Sword Sect, and Wild Thunder Divine Sect had been annihilated… Which one among these powerful Sects was not a top existence in Grand Desolation Star Field? And yet, none of them could even lift a finger against Heng Luo Star Field.
Heng Luo Star Field was now a ruthless wild beast that devoured its prey whole.
Some of the surviving members among Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators even suspected that this was a conspiracy set up by Heng Luo Star Field, that they had been feigning weakness for the past 10 years so that they could lure their enemies in completely; that way, they could attract even more cultivators here to kill.
Although the Netherworld Sect had yet to be completely annihilated, it was very close to dying out. This was the only Starship left from Netherworld Sect’s invasion force; moreover, this Starship had suffered greatly from various attacks. The surface was full of dents and bloodstains, with every part of it covered in the scars left behind by the war.
It was hard, but it managed to escape the latest siege and wandered across the Star Field for a very long time before it finally lost its pursuers.
[Home! We have to go home! This Starfield is a place we should never have carelessly invaded!]
Broken Void Corridor was just a few thousand kilometres ahead, so the surviving cultivators of Netherworld Sect inside the Starship could see it with their own eyes through the polished crystal windows. The scent of home seemed to linger in their noses, as if their relatives were beckoning to them after such a long separation. As such, everybody was overjoyed; they were extremely excited at the thought of returning home.
All of a sudden, a white shadow appeared in front of them and blocked the Starship’s path.
The cultivators inside the Starship soon discovered the presence of this white figure. Controlling the Spirit Arrays within the Starship, they enlarged and projected the image of the white figure and the image of a stunning woman with long, smooth-flowing hair dressed in snow-white clothes instantly entered their vision. Her expression was indifferent, but she had a noble and divine poise. Looking at her made one feel inferior and ashamed of their unseemliness for some reason.
A gasp rang out throughout the entire Starship, followed by a heavy silence as everyone held their breaths.
[It’s her!]
Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators did not know her name; however, she was their greatest nightmare. Cultivators in the Third-Order Origin King Realm were as weak as babies in front of her. No one was a match for her the moment that longsword of hers began to dance.
A cold air spread out inside the Starship as everyone felt their limbs stiffen and their bodies shiver. The huge Starship was a sharp contrast to this tiny figure; but even so, the entire Starship seemed to make various creaking sounds, as if whimpering in fear in front of this woman.
“You! Are you really so intent on killing to the last?!” An aged voice rang out furiously from within the Starship.
Su Yan stood inside the void, her beautiful eyes like a pool of water in autumn, staring at the oncoming Starship without any intention of responding to the question.
“Move aside, or this place will become your burial ground!” The aged voice threatened harshly; however, it was clear that this person was simply trying to act strong. Besides, it was impossible for her to move aside. Raising her bare hand, she placed it against the hilt of her sword.
“Since you court death, we’ll grant your wish! Run her over!” That aged voice was undoubtedly irritated. This woman had displayed cultivation and strength vastly surpassing ordinary Masters in recent years. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter how strong an individual was; how could one person possibly compete against a Starship?
The cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field were eager to escape back to their homes and they were reluctant to go through another bout of fighting here. That was why they were threatening her instead. If she refused to appreciate their kindness, then she should just die.
With a loud hum, the Starship sped up abruptly and charged directly towards Su Yan!
As the distance between the two parties quickly shortened, Su Yan continued to stand there quietly without dodging or drawing her sword. She didn’t even show any changes in her expression whatsoever. It was almost as if what was charging straight at her wasn’t a monstrous Starship but a light breeze blowing across her face.
When they were separated by a mere 100 kilometres, a sword light suddenly flashed out and struck the huge Starship. 100 kilometres of space was torn asunder as a result. At the same time, the Starship slammed into the spot where she had been standing previously and left as swiftly as lightning.
“Hahahaha! That’s what you get for being overconfident!” That aged voice laughed wildly and continuously before it stopped abruptly when he discovered that Su Yan, who should have been smashed to pieces, was standing behind the Starship in perfect condition. Her sword had been unsheathed at some point. At this moment, her back was facing the ship as she sheathed her sword, turned into a stream of light, and flew off. Not even once did she glance back at the Starship throughout the entire process.
“Wha…” The owner of the aged voice was confused; however, he soon realized that something was wrong. The speed of the Starship was becoming slower and slower, as if an invisible force was binding it in place. At the same time, an astonishing chill filled the entire Starship from the inside and a strange crackling sound came from all directions.
Turning around, the sight that greeted this old man shocked him. Snowflakes had appeared inside the Starship at some point of time, blooming and spreading to every corner of the hull. One by one, the Spirit Arrays that were in operation iced over. Similarly, the cultivators that had been caught off guard were frozen on the spot as the snowflakes covered their entire bodies.
The old man suddenly felt a coolness spreading across his hands.
Looking down, his pupils contracted as he saw snow flowers had appeared on the back of his hand, and he lost feeling in the parts of his body that were covered by these white snowflakes. One snowflake… Two snowflakes… Three snowflakes…
While that was occurring inside the Starship, the same was happening on the outside too. Dense snowflakes wrapped the Starship in thick layers, like a naughty child had wrapped the Starship in a coat sewn out of snowflakes until it became a white and flawless bundle.
*Kacha…*
The sound of something shattering rang out as the huge Starship shattered into pieces mid-motion and broke into multiple blocks of ice. The cultivators inside the Starship were not spared either, joining these blocks of ice that continued to sail forward into the endless void for all eternity.
…..
Several lights passed by as swiftly as lightning, chasing after each other in the Star Field. The three leading this group had powerful auras with the weakest among them being a First-Order Origin King while the one leading the group was a Third-Order Master. Meanwhile, the aura of the light following behind them was quite subdued. The figure was that of a little girl around seven or eight years old. Moreover, she did not give off any aura at all, as if she had never cultivated before.
Even so, the trio flying in the lead did not even dare to turn back to look at her, seemingly terrified of what they might see. They simply fled for their lives, desperately.
One day… Two days… Three days… The three fleeing Origin Kings were exhausted as, although their cultivations were fairly high, escaping at full speed for such a long time was extremely tiring. If they had not been constantly taking Spirit Pills to supplement their energy consumption, they would have died of exhaustion a long time ago.
[We must have gotten away by now, right?] The three of them thought in unison; thus, they turned back to take a look and immediately felt as though their souls had left their bodies.
That small figure was following not far behind them, her delicate and tender face completely expressionless. Her black eyes were clear and deep, so clear that their fearful expressions were reflected in them. What made them despair even more was that she didn’t seem the least bit out of breath, even after chasing them for such a long time. Her face was not flushed, and her breathing was steady. The indifferent expression on her face had not changed in the slightest since the beginning.
[Monster! That little girl is a monster!]
“Let’s fight!” The person in the lead made a resolute decision, turned around, and struck out at Liu Yan. The remaining two knew that running was useless too; hence, they immediately cooperated and launched an attack. A powerful wave of strength instantaneously swept towards the tiny figure like a torrent.
[Did we get her?] Those three were hopeful; however, their joy immediately turned into deep despair when the situation became clearer.
“How boring…” A childish voice sounded as Liu Yan raised her hand, seemingly tired of this little game she had been playing.
A great sense of crisis enveloped the trio of Origin Kings, turning them stiff and unable to move. Following that, flames ignited around them and the last thing they saw while alive was a flash of red.
…..
Li Jiao and his family were enjoying themselves in the Starry Sky. Although they had been assigned an extremely dull task for the past seven or eight years, neither Li Jiao nor Lu San Niang was bored.
Li Jiao had got a huge asteroid from somewhere and placed it in the Starry Sky, turning it into a simple house where the family of three now lived.
A thousand kilometres behind the asteroid was a deep and chaotic Void Corridor. This was the passage through which Grand Desolation Star Field had first invaded Heng Luo Star Field.
Li Jiao had been stationed here roughly eight years now and he had long since lost count of how many cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field he had killed during that time. They probably heard that the cultivators of Heng Luo Star Field were easy targets and hurriedly travelled here from their Star Field. Unfortunately, they had been massacred by Li Jiao before they even got to reap any benefits.
Li Jiao didn’t just kill the cultivators arriving from Grand Desolation Star Field though, he also killed those who were trying to escape back to Grand Desolation Star Field.
In recent years, Heng Luo Star Field had fought back against their invaders. They were united in their cause and worked seamlessly together. Furthermore, they had a number of extraordinarily powerful Masters helping them. Therefore, Grand Desolation Star Field’s forces were no match for this counterattack at all. All the Cultivation Stars that had been captured in the past were recovered, one by one. As a result, every one of Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators was running away like dogs with their tails between their legs.
Many of them wanted to escape back to their homeland, but Li Jiao was guarding this place, so who could get past him? He killed every single person who came, like a meat grinder that had been placed in front of the Void Corridor. Regardless of whether the person was trying to enter or exit the Void Corridor, he would turn them into paste without any exceptions.
Since Yang Kai’s return, the turbulent situation in the Star Field had stabilized while the invading enemy had been crushed without mercy. Even if there were an occasional rat that slipped through this purge, they would never be able to cause trouble again.
On this day, Li Jiao had just finished getting rid of a group of cultivators that had arrived and was trying to flee back to Grand Desolation Star Field. He then returned to the asteroid in a dashing manner. Lu San Niang greeted him with a smile.
After living together for so many years, they no longer had any estrangement between them. Li Jiao even regarded Lu Yu Qin as his own daughter, which moved Lu San Niang so much that the thought of staying together with him in this place for the rest of her life bloomed in her. However, she knew that that was an extravagant hope. Li Jiao and Yang Kai had to return to the Star Boundary, and at that time, she would bring her daughter with her as she followed Li Jiao back to Fire Dragon Palace. For that reason, she believed that she had to cherish the good times they had now even more than ever.
“You must be tired.” Lu San Niang spoke gently.
Li Jiao proudly replied, “It was just a group of pitiful weaklings.” Despite having sealed his cultivation, he still had the foundation of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so killing a bunch of ants below the Origin King Realm was simply overkill. He had the feeling that Yang Kai had assigned him to guard this place mainly so that he could have some time and opportunities to get along with Lu San Niang. Reaching out to embrace her soft waist, he gently planted a kiss on her forehead.
Feeling shy, she half-angrily warned, “Yu Qin is here too.”
Before Lu San Niang could finish her sentence, Lu Yu Qin ran out of the stone house with her hands over her eyes. She turned into a stream of light and flew away. Then, her voice floated over to them, “I’m going out for a walk. Staying here is too boring!”
“This little girl!” How could Lu San Niang not understand the hidden meaning behind her daughter’s words?
Li Jiao grinned and whispered, “She’s not here anymore.”
While speaking, he bent down and picked her up in a princess carry and strode into the stone house. Lu San Niang’s heart pounded in excitement, and she nestled against that wide chest, her entire body becoming soft and relaxed.
Li Jiao suddenly paused mid-stride though, and the smile on his face froze. He abruptly lifted his head and glanced in the direction of the Void Corridor located a thousand kilometres away. For a moment just now, a sense of crisis had come over him but he instinctively found this rather hard to believe. With his cultivation, what could give him a sense of danger in this Lower Star Field? To put it bluntly, there was nobody in this Star Field that could be his opponent, except for Yang Kai.
[Uh… Liu Yan should be taken out of the equation too.]
It didn’t look like there were any changes to the Void Corridor, but at the same time, it seemed to have become deeper. All of a sudden, the darkness expanded in Li Jiao’s field of vision and spread to the surroundings at a terrifying speed. Large pieces of the Starry Sky were swallowed by the darkness and vanished without a trace.
The Void Corridor was expanding!
“This is bad!” Li Jiao paled in shock and turned to look in the direction Lu Yu Qin had left. Not far away, the little girl was so frightened that she had frozen in place, staring blankly at the darkness that was expanding towards her.
Li Jiao didn’t have time to consider anything else. Grabbing Lu San Niang in one hand, he hurriedly rushed towards Lu Yu Qin, arriving in front of her in the blink of an eye and grabbing her hand as he shouted, “Run!”
His figure flashed like lightning as he fled this place at full speed. He did not know what had happened here, but this was no longer something he could handle.
He had to inform Yang Kai about this as soon as possible.
All of a sudden, he felt all the hair on his back standing on end as he vaguely felt as though somebody was spying on him. There was a pair of invisible eyes watching his every move and a soft exclamation of surprise rang out in his ears. It was barely audible, almost like a hallucination; however, Li Jiao immediately felt a strong restraining force wrapping around him in the next moment, forcing him to come to a sudden stop.
“Don’t leave my side!” Their lives were on the line, so Li Jiao shouted at Lu San Niang and her daughter while pushing his Emperor Qi to envelop both of them just as the darkness swallowed them up and they vanished entirely!
…..
Day after day passed by, followed by year after year… Yang Kai had navigated his way through the Star Field, forgetting about the passage of time. His mind entirely immersed in the refining process.
The Star Chart inside his Knowledge Sea had been 90% illuminated by now, and there was only a little bit left. Over the years, he had more or less traversed the entire Star Field. Even the most remote and distant places had not been overlooked.
With the Star Chart as a guiding reference, he could not get lost and could also tell where he had been before and where he had not been yet. Everything was laid out in an orderly manner.
Collecting thousands of Star Sources and spreading his aura throughout the entire Star Field was an extremely large-scale project. Even so, he did not find it boring. As he continued to refine, he gradually gained a stronger understanding in his heart.
After everything he experienced since coming back to this Star Field, Yang Kai had been increasingly confident that he could break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm. But now, he was pretty much certain that he would break through the moment he returned to the Star Boundary.
[It’s not enough! There’s still a little more to go!] The truth was that he was more curious about how Wu Kuang had refined Star Field Sources in the past.
[I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t use such a painstaking method. He might have a method to achieve the same results in a shorter time. Still, he had lived for so long so it’s only normal for him to have many amazing Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques in his arsenal.]
Time continued to pass, so much so that Yang Kai had lost track of how long he had been at it. When the last spot on the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea finally lit up, he heard a loud booming sound resounding in his ears, like an explosion had gone off in his head. This explosion was so loud that he became dizzy and stars swam in front of his eyes. After recovering though, he was filled with joy.
[I did it! How long did it take? 8 years? 9 years? Or, has it been 10 years? I can’t even remember anymore…]
However, things hadn’t ended yet. All he had done over so many years was to divide the entire Star Field into puzzle pieces of different shapes and sizes. Although he had refined these pieces to some extent, it was still a mish-mash of individual parts. He could form a whole picture when he put them all together, but there were still many flaws and gaps in between the pieces. He would never become the Star Field Master as long as these flaws were not removed completely. He was only one last step away from completion. Unfortunately, it was also the most difficult step.
Just by using his thoughts, Yang Kai’s figure flickered through the various pieces of the Star Field and it didn’t take long for him to reach the centre of the entire Star Field. Taking a deep breath, he slowly adjusted his mental state. After some time, he abruptly opened his eyes and spread his arms wide as though he was trying to embrace the Star Field.
His Space Divine Ability and Divine Sense were activated both at once. His Divine Sense navigated through the Void, leaping forward, radiating throughout the entire Star Field.
For an instant, he felt as though his entire being had vanished; it felt as though he had turned into nothing; it felt as though he was spread throughout the entire Star Field. His Spiritual Energy flowed out rapidly like the floodwaters in a river after a torrential rain.
The Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus seemed to notice the change and immediately shone with a seven-coloured light, swiftly making up for the Spiritual Energy that was consumed.
Countless Stars flickered above Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, as if all of them were flashing. It made the brightness within his Knowledge Sea fluctuate unsteadily.
The magnificent Star Field had undergone a wondrous change at this moment and all living creatures, regardless of where they were located or how high their cultivation was, could feel a mighty will descending on them from the sky. This Will was greater than the will of a Star Master. It was the Will of the World. It was the Will of the Star Field.
When Yang Kai had divided the Star Field into countless puzzle pieces to refine, he had not felt any obstacles; however, when he tried refining and merging the entire Star Field together into one picture, the world began rejecting him. Even the Star Chart that had always remained in his Knowledge Sea without any problems was showing signs of leaving his Knowledge Sea and abandoning him.
He was startled to notice these signs. The first thing in the course of refining the Star Field was to obtain the Star Field Source, so what was he supposed to refine if he let the Star Chart escape?
The lights were flashing wildly in the Star Chart, transforming into a surging mighty force. That force was turning his entire Knowledge Sea upside down, seemingly trying to intimidate him into retreating in the face of danger and force him to release it on his own.
A piercing pain spread out through Yang Kai’s head, but he gritted his teeth and refused to make a single sound. Simultaneously, he sealed off his entire Knowledge Sea.
[No matter what, I will never let you leave!]
His Soul was taking damage and his vision dimmed as if he was about to faint. Fortunately, the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus had been continuously pouring pure power into him to nourish his Soul, making up for the damage and bringing the situation in his Knowledge Sea to a stalemate. However, this also meant that he could not do anything else.
A sharp look flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes at that moment as he sent his Soul Avatar into his Knowledge Sea, stretched out his hand, and summoned something. A large blade appeared in his hands and pointing that blade at the Star Chart in the sky, he shouted, “If you dare to cause trouble again, believe me when I say I will cut you down!”
That blade was the Soul Splitting Sabre. Moreover, it had been nourished for many years, so if he truly slashed at the Star Chart with this blade, using his Heaven Severing Slash, even the Star Field Source would suffer severe consequences.
Murderous intent spilled from Yang Kai’s figure as he was not joking around; even so, the Star Chart was unmoved by his threats. Its lights continued to flicker, and each time they did it produced an invisible force that interfered with his Knowledge Sea.
It seemed to have spirituality so it could tell that he was bluffing by trying to act strong.
“Since you refuse to do this the easy way, we’ll do it the hard way!” Yang Kai was livid.
[I can even cut down a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! How dare a mere Star Chart act so presumptuously!?]
However, he truly did not dare to do anything to the Star Chart. How was he going to refine the Star Field without this Star Chart?
Tossing aside the Soul Splitting Sabre, he formed a set of seals with both hands. The Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus inside his Knowledge Sea transformed into a Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain that charged upward without any warning as he shouted, “Settled down!”
The Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain flew high into the sky, higher than the Star Chart. Then, a suppressive force spread out and slowly pressured the Star Chart. In response, the Star Chart’s lights flickered even more vigorously. Nevertheless, it was being suppressed little by little as the Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain descended.
Yang Kai was overjoyed when he saw what he was doing was working. The Star Chart was a Star Field Source, and although it was precious, it was not the only one in the world. Every Star Field would have its own Star Field Source. On the other hand, the Soul Warming Lotus was similar to the Immortal Tree. There was only one, and there could never be another one. Just from this point, both the Soul Warming Lotus and the Immortal Tree were more precious and of a higher order than a Star Field Source.
Reality had proven that the Soul Warming Lotus truly did have the ability to suppress the Star Chart. Under the effects of this suppression, the Star Chart was gradually subdued. The frequency of the flickering lights lessened considerably, and the interference became less frequent.
Yang Kai could finally breathe out a sigh of relief. Following that, he concentrated on controlling the Soul Warming Lotus to utilize its unbelievable powers.
*Honglong…*
The Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain descended and the entire Star Chart was suppressed under it, sinking into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. The waters in his Knowledge Sea were his Spiritual Energy; thus, the Star Chart stabilized significantly when it was surrounded by these waters. At the same time, Yang Kai could feel that the connection between him and the Star Chart had grown much stronger than before.
Before Yang Kai had time to rejoice, something happened again. The thousands of Star Sources that were gathered inside his body suddenly rose in revolt. Wave after wave of enormous energy rushed through his body arbitrarily.
Back when he was refining Fire Cloud Star’s Star Source, he learned that having too many Star Sources in his body would cause irreconcilable contradictions. At the time, he had used his powerful cultivation to suppress the Sources by force.
After all these years of wandering and refining, he no longer only had one or two Sources in his body like back then though, now, he had thousands of them!
In the blink of an eye, his body became a battlefield where thousands of children wailed and threw tantrums constantly. If it had been any other ordinary cultivator, they would soon suffer a mental collapse and damage to their physical bodies, even if they were in the Emperor Realm.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s physical body was very tough. In all the years he spent cultivating, he had always paid attention to Body Tempering; therefore, the toughness of his body was incomparable to average cultivators. On top of that, he was also a Half-Dragon. This commotion was nothing to him. It was just that he could feel wave after wave of stabbing pains coming from his body. He immediately discovered the anomaly on his body the moment his Soul Avatar left his Knowledge Sea.
“Attacking my physical body after my Knowledge Sea? As expected, refining a Star Field Source is not easy!” He had already expected this, so he wasn’t surprised nor panicked. Instead, he was burning with a fighting spirit that made him eager to succeed.
Colourful rays of light burst out from the pores of his body and for an instant, he was bathed in a bright and colourful glow. Moreover, it was more fantastic compared to ordinary glowing lights. The Star Sources were fundamentally different from each other, so their respective colours were different too. That was why this phenomenon was occurring in his body right now. If anyone were to see the condition he was in, they would definitely worry about whether he was going to explode and die immediately.
Various Principle Strengths, which were generally the same but with some subtle variations among them, clashed violently inside Yang Kai’s body. These Principles came from the Star Sources themselves. The quantitative changes quickly turned into qualitative changes, causing him to suffer great pain. It felt as though his body could collapse at any time. Only then did he realize that he had underestimated the power of these naughty children. Not daring to underestimate them any longer, the words burst out of his mouth, “Dragon Transformation!”
A lofty Dragon’s Roar rang out and a phantom Golden Dragon flashed behind him before plunging into his body.
The sounds of bones cracking rang out, so many that they compounded together into an endless loop.
Yang Kai’s brave and heroic figure quickly swelled like a balloon that was being pumped full of air. His hair flew in all directions as two lumps appeared on his forehead before short Dragon Horns pushed out from those lumps. His exposed skin was covered in strong Dragon Scales and his hands turned into sharp Dragon Claws while a sturdy Dragon Tail abruptly appeared behind him.
30 metres… 50 metres… 100 metres… 150 metres… 180 metres… 200 metres!
Yang Kai quickly transformed into a giant half-Dragon half-Human Monster that towered alone above the Starry Sky.
[I can’t believe I turned into a 200 metre long Dragon. What a pleasant surprise!] He recalled that he had only been 180 metres long when he last used the Dragon Transformation Secret Art on Dragon Island.
[I can’t believe I grew another 20 metres over the years.]
Although 20 metres was not a lot, it was the pure embodiment of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline. He had consumed so many Dragon Blood Flowers and Dragon Blood Pills back then that he had failed to absorb all the medicinal efficacies at the time. Hence, most of the medicinal efficacies had been stored in his body. This increase of 20 metres was undoubtedly the imperceptible influence of those stored medicinal efficacies in his body over the years.
Snorting lightly, two plumes of white smoke came out from his nostrils and his cultivation had more or less burst out of him. There was no holding back anymore.
In response, the space around him trembled and collapsed. Such power had already exceeded the limit that this world could withstand, and even without doing anything, Yang Kai had made the world uneasy just by standing there. The space surrounding him was like a lake that was no longer calm. Waves of ripples spread out as they constantly hovered along the fine lines between destruction and restoration. Following that, a great hostility enveloped him. That was none other than the World’s Will.
Flashes of thunder raced across the empty Starry Sky without rhyme or reason. In an instant, an area of a thousand kilometres around Yang Kai turned into a thunderstorm. Thunder rang out and converged together until it became a continuous roar, soon turning into a dense rain of lightning bolts that bombarded him from all directions.
Yang Kai laughed loudly at that moment, as though he had gone absolutely insane. He didn’t even bother to defend against these attacks, allowing the lightning to strike his body as he focused all his attention on suppressing the rioting Star Sources in his body.
*Hong long long…*
The lights in the Starry Sky flickered and blinked as the waves of lightning and thunder that rained down on Yang Kai soon caused his Dragon Scales to crack and his flesh to singe.
The World’s rejection was unbearable, and even if Yang Kai had great power, he still couldn’t turn a blind eye to it; however, he possessed extremely powerful restorative powers and, combined with his Half-Dragon Form, he would heal quickly even if he took some damage.
Thunder and lightning continued to rain down on him for an hour while his body stood taller and straighter as time passed. The thousands of Star Sources above his 200-metre-long Half-Dragon Form were still in constant conflict, causing light to shine out of his pores as the different Principle Strengths entangled and clashed with each other.
All of a sudden, the force behind the thunder and lightning reduced considerably. The thunder arcs flashing around him lessened too.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed with light, and he snorted coldly. If he had not had the Star Field Source in his possession nor the results of all his hard work over the past 10 years, he would never have dared to release all his strength in this manner. Doing so would only result in him being rejected or eliminated by the world. On the contrary, it was because he had the Star Field Source suppressed under his control and the 10 years of hard work under his belt that his aura had already influenced the entire Star Field. Even if the World’s Will had noticed his actions and began to reject him, he had the strength to resist it.
All the World could do was make him suffer so much that he retreated on his own. Even so, Yang Kai would never retreat. He had worked hard for so many years just to refine the Star Field and now that the goal was right at his fingertips, how could he be willing to let go?
When two parties clashed, one side would surely lose. Yang Kai believed that he would not be the losing party, and the weakening of the thunder and lightning was undoubtedly the best sign. It even made him feel a little dissatisfied because he did not expect it to reveal its weakness so quickly.
“Hm?” Yang Kai suddenly raised his head abruptly and glanced in a certain direction. He could vaguely sense something approaching him, but he found nothing there even after careful inspection. However, trying to pacify the thousands of Sources inside his body, he kept a close watch on his surroundings.
As he suspected, something was approaching him. Moreover, it was travelling at a great speed. It was hurtling through the Void so quickly that it was visible to the naked eye.
All of a sudden, a huge black hole appeared, approximately a thousand kilometres away. It looked like a piece of the Starry Sky had been melted away by something before a gigantic Monster leapt out.
When that gigantic Monster appeared, a strange voice sounded at the same time. It was neither sharp nor majestic. Rather, it was dreamy and sounded like a sorrowful cry, overflowing with despair and nostalgia for life. However, it was definitely not a sound that an animal could make. The appearance of the gigantic Monster was similar to that of a dolphin, one that was several hundred times the size of an ordinary dolphin! The Starry Sky was the ocean it swam in, and the Void was its home!
“A Shocking Void Beast!” Yang Kai’s eyes widened when he recognized what this gigantic Monster was.
[It’s a Shocking Void Beast! This is a rare event!]
He once met a Shocking Void Beast in his early years and had also killed it and obtained its Monster Core. A Shocking Void Beast could be considered a type of ancient Monster Beast. They were naturally proficient in the Dao of Space. Moreover, their proficiency was something innate, carved deep into their bones. Additionally, they were rumoured to be able to navigate freely between various planes without being hindered in any way.
The power of the Void was something people got anxious about just by mentioning it; however, this power was nothing more than nutrition to a Shocking Void Beast. Their favourite place to hide was inside the Void Cracks where they could devour the void turbulence as food for their growth. For that reason, it was rare for them to appear since they spent most of their time swimming through the Void. It was generally difficult to see them in the material world.
“I never expected to meet a Shocking Void Beast at a time like this. No, that’s not right! It’s a Shocking Void Beast King!” Yang Kai compared this Monster Beast to the ones in his memories and quickly discovered that this was not an ordinary Shocking Void Beast. It was a Shocking Void Beast King! That monstrous body was not something an ordinary Shocking Void Beast could have.
The dreamy voice sounded once again, and regardless of whether Yang Kai wanted it or not, it filled his ears and made him dizzy.
Meanwhile, the Shocking Void Beast King flicked its tail lightly, causing space to ripple as it skipped past the thousand kilometres between them to arrive in front of Yang Kai in a flash. It was so fast that he didn’t even have the time to react.
His 200-metre-long Half-Dragon Form looked like an infant next to the gigantic Shocking Void Beast King’s mountainous figure and Yang Kai felt as though a mountain was crushing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
On the contrary, the Shocking Void Beast King seemed not to have noticed him at all. Opening its gaping maw, that huge mouth looked like a Void Corridor that connected to a space of chaos and nothingness.
It was going to swallow him up in the next moment.
A Shocking Void Beast King couldn’t appear in this place without a reason. More than that, it was impossible for a Shocking Void Beast King to fail to notice Yang Kai’s presence. Although it was strong, it was not invincible, and the aura Yang Kai was emitting at the moment was not weak. As long as this Monster had some sense in its head, it would not charge in so recklessly and open its mouth to swallow him up, of all things.
At that moment, Yang Kai felt the intense malice from the world around him. The reason the Shocking Void Beast King appeared in this place and seemed to be targeting him was definitely the doing of the World. The weakening of the thunder and lightning was simply in preparation for a more powerful attack. As the saying went, ‘Nature was unkind; everything was but a pawn in its eyes’. It really was vicious indeed.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai wouldn’t have minded having a battle with a Shocking Void Beast King. He might even be able to kill it and obtain its Monster Core, something that would surely be beneficial for cultivating the Dao of Space. It was just that he had more important things to do today, so he had no choice but to let it go for the time being.
Swinging his hand, a large Moon Blade formed out of nowhere, and with his current 200 metres long body, how could the Moon Blade he condensed be small? If it were to slash out, even the Shocking Void Beast King in front of him could not ignore it.
Yang Kai remained motionless despite wielding the Moon Blade in his hand. In the meantime, the Shocking Void Beast King continued to rush forward.
All of a sudden, it came to a stop as though it had sensed something. It was hard to imagine how it managed to control such a humongous body with such finesse, but it went from charging forward to a complete stop in an instant. Then, the two eyes on the top of its head slanted downward and fixed their gaze on where he was standing.
“Hmph!” Yang Kai snorted and the aura of the Moon Blade in his hands became more and more dangerous by the moment.
In response, the Shocking Void Beast King closed its gaping mouth with a snap. It seemed like it had only just noticed his presence, and its eyes gleamed with sentience.
Yang Kai lifted his chin at it, making a gesture that seemed to say, ‘fight if you dare.’ His fighting spirit burned so hot that it almost condensed into something tangible.
Two figures, one large and one small, confronted each other strangely for several moments before the Shocking Void Beast King suddenly leapt and vaulted over his head. The huge body seemed to plunge into an invisible lake and melted into the Void before vanishing out of sight, leaving behind only a large Void Corridor that slowly closed behind it.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief and let his Space Technique disperse into nothingness. Just as the Shocking Void Beast King had found him to be a difficult opponent, he could tell that it was no pushover either.
He was at the critical juncture of refining the Star Field, so why would he deliberately complicate the issue? The retreat of the Shocking Void Beast King was the best result he could hope for. If he truly fought with it, it wasn’t a matter of whether or not he could kill it but that the refining of the Star Field would probably end in a disaster.
“What other moves do you have? Why don’t you throw them all at me!?” Yang Kai laughed maniacally, standing with one hand on his waist and the other hand pointing towards the sky.
The hostility that had shrouded him all this time slowly faded away. Simultaneously, the conflict between the thousands of Star Sources in his body eased up too. He couldn’t help feeling happy over this discovery as it seemed like… After everything just now, the World Will had compromised and approved of his presence.
Things could not have turned out better. As somebody good at reading the situation, Yang Kai no longer did anything that would agitate the World’s Will. He also stopped hesitating and immediately closed his eyes to begin refining the Star Field Source.
Time slowly passed, and his body gradually shrank in size. The light pouring out of his skin was lessening too, a clear sign that he was making good progress on the refining. It wasn’t until the moment when the last ray of light disappeared that Yang Kai finally returned to his original appearance.
Opening his eyes abruptly, despite the trace of fatigue that showed in his expression, Yang Kai was extremely spirited. Besides, the refining process wasn’t completed yet; there was one last step to go.
Spreading his arms wide, he shouted, “It’s time to go home! Go on; go home!”
Thousands of lights suddenly poured out from all parts of his body and turned into balls of Source Strength. They lingered around him, circling a few times before disappearing in a flash.
Yang Kai had been going around the Star Field to refine Star Sources and turn the entire Star Field, dividing it into over a thousand separate pieces to make the refining process a little easier. Asking the Star Sources to leave now was also in preparation for the last step.
Suppression by force was not enough to succeed. Only with genuine recognition from both parties could they truly connect with each other. The thousands of Star Sources scattered in all directions and disappeared in the blink of an eye. With Yang Kai standing in the middle, it looked as though a meteor shower had rained down on the entire Star Field.
Only one Star Source remained behind, constantly dancing around him, giving off a sense of nostalgia and dependence. It was the Star Source of Shadowed Star! It did not leave immediately like the other Sources. Instead, it stayed behind as though it had its own thoughts and ideas.
Smiling, Yang Kai reached out his hand and held it up in his palms. The Star Source squirmed around slightly, constantly moving and shape-shifting.
“Go on!” He gently said.
Only then did Shadowed Star’s Source transform into a beam of light that headed in the direction where Shadowed Star was located.
[Come!] Yang Kai shouted in his heart.
Closing his eyes, he sent his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea. The Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain transformed back into the Soul Warming Lotus and released the suppressive force it had been using to restrain the Star Chart. Then, the Star Chart slowly rose from the depths of the ocean and intertwined with his Soul until they could no longer be separated.
*Hong…*
A loud sound rang out and Yang Kai felt his entire body shaking from the impact. It felt as though something had exploded inside him. Looking around, he saw that the Star Chart was once again hanging in the sky above his Knowledge Sea. He lifted his head to look and saw the sky twinkling with Stars; however, there was a huge difference between how it was now and how it was in the past.
Although the Star Chart had settled down in his Knowledge Sea and was useful to him back then, it had never truly belonged to him. But now, the Star Chart was completely his. Every last part of it, down to the smallest speck of dust, contained his aura.
“So that’s how it is!” The moment Yang Kai completely refined the Star Chart, he immediately understood something. It wasn’t until this moment that he understood why Grand Desolation Star Field managed to invade Heng Luo Star Field. It turned out that the reason was related to him!
When Yang Kai left for the Star Boundary back then, he had taken the Star Chart away with him. In other words, he took away the Source Strength of the Star Field. Without its Source, the Star Field’s World Barrier, which should have been impenetrable, grew weaker as a result. That almost imperceptible flaw was what formed the channel connecting Grand Desolation Star Field and Heng Luo Star Field together and allowed the cultivators from the former to invade.
Yang Kai scratched his head, feeling somewhat guilty. The invasion of Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators had caused the deaths of many and brought disasters down on numerous Cultivation Stars. He could never have imagined that he would be the reason for such a catastrophe. In any case, all he could do at this point was apologize.
Focusing his thoughts, Yang Kai’s excitement soon surged. Upon becoming a Star Field Master, he realized it felt somewhat similar to the feeling when he became a Star Master. Everything was in the palm of his hands with just a single thought. It was just that the range had been expanded by several thousand times.
As his mind continued to reach out into the surroundings, Yang Kai could perceive anything and everything at his target location.
He soon came across Tong Xuan Realm.
Over the past few years, Tong Xuan Realm had recovered considerably with the traces of Grand Desolation Star Field’s corruption having long since vanished completely. With the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array and Xia Ning Chang protecting this place, 10 years was enough time for Tong Xuan Realm to recover its World Energy to its original state. However, that was still not enough.
In the first place, Tong Xuan Realm’s foundation was inherently weaker than other Cultivation Stars and could not produce any strong cultivators. There were two reasons why Yang Kai had been so desperate to become the Star Field Master. Firstly, it was for his own needs. Secondly, it was for Xia Ning Chang and Tong Xuan Realm.
Only by becoming the Star Field Master could Yang Kai use the power of the Star Field to bring benefits to Tong Xuan Realm and make Xia Ning Chang rise in power.
[It’s time to experiment and see if it works.] He stood in place without moving and simply gestured with his hands.
…..
Xia Ning Chang was talking to Xue Yue in Nine Heavens Holy Land on Tong Xuan Realm at this time. Ever since the war ended three years ago, the entire Star Field had returned to normal. There was no longer any need to be worried about being invaded by powerful enemies again. Both the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and Sword Union were in the process of rebuilding. As for Purple Star… it no longer existed. Moreover, Purple Star’s place in the three great forces had been assumed by High Heaven Sect, which was also the strongest force in the entire Star Field now!
Xia Ning Chang’s aura had recovered and she was no longer as weak as she had been back then. Her skin was fair and healthy; her aura was stable, and she had reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin King Realm.
Similarly, Xue Yue was doing well also. Although she was not a Star Master, she had a Special Constitution and an unlimited supply of resources, so her cultivation progress had never been less than the others.
All of a sudden, Xia Ning Chang lifted her head and looked outside, seeming to sense something.
“What’s wrong?” Xue Yue asked suspiciously.
“It’s…” Xia Ning Chang got up and walked out of the palace in a single step. Then, Xue Yue came to stand next to her as two pairs of eyes stared into the sky before they immediately froze.
Under the blazing sun in the blue sky, they saw streams of lights flashing across the Heavens. Each stream of light contained an unimaginable amount of pure energy and all of them came crashing towards the surface like a meteor shower.
Xue Yue’s face paled. Even though there was a large distance between them and the incoming meteor-like things, she could sense how much damage they could do if they were to land. If even only one of them fell on Tong Xuan Realm, the entire Star would be hit hard. What’s more, there were far more than one that they could see. The sky was densely packed with these lights, simply too many to count.
Xia Ning Chang and Xue Yue were not the only ones to witness it. All the living creatures in Tong Xuan Realm were shocked by what they were seeing at this moment.
Xia Ning Chang’s expression turned solemn and she was just about to summon the Star Source’s Strength to stop some of these incoming meteors when she suddenly noticed one of the large clouds in the sky distort and transform into a distinct human face.
“Ah!” She screamed.
“Husband!” Xue Yue was dumbfounded too.
The face formed by those clouds undoubtedly belonged to Yang Kai. They did not know how far away he was from the two of them, but it seemed as though he could see them and was smiling at them, even winking cheekily.
That moment of hesitation caused Xia Ning Chang to lose the opportunity to intercept those meteors. However, she knew that all of this was his doing the moment she saw his face and lost all intention of intercepting them as a result. She was simply curious as to what he was planning to do as the world-shattering power looming over them was nothing to joke about after all.
When the meteors crashed to the ground, the impact and destruction they imagined did not come. On the contrary, those meteors silently vanished without a single trace and once the light dissipated, the World Energy in the Nine Heavens Holy Land clearly became denser. Additionally… Several other things were quietly changing too.
Xia Ning Chang was the most conscious of these changes.
As the Star Master, she could sense that the World Principles in Tong Xuan Realm were gradually becoming stronger and more perfect. More complete Principles would mean that stronger cultivators could be born here. The whole Star conveyed a pleasant aura, which gave her a sense of joy too.
“Ning Chang, this is…” Xue Yue couldn’t help asking when she saw Xia Ning Chang smiling.
“He succeeded!” Xia Ning Chang replied.
Xue Yue understood immediately, and her beautiful eyes shone with a strange light, “Did he finally succeed?”
Ten years had passed without any news from Yang Kai. They would occasionally hear that somebody had seen him in the Star Field, but they would only catch a glimpse. Nobody went looking for him since they all knew what he was busy with. It was surprising that he managed to succeed in just 10 years though.
The abnormality occurring in Tong Xuan Realm at the moment was the best example of his success though. Only by successfully refining the Star Field and becoming a Star Field Master could Yang Kai have the power to guide such enormous amounts of power to Tong Xuan Realm and carry out such a huge transformation.
It could be said that a transformation like this was not without cost. The improvement of Tong Xuan Realm was done by extracting power from other places. Nevertheless, it was a matter related to Xia Ning Chang, so Yang Kai was not going to be stingy about his methods.