Inside the Sealed World Bead, large chunks of land appeared out of thin air. Meanwhile, the invisible Principles and the World Energy that had been devoured flooded in and melded into the Principles and the World Energy belonging to the Small Sealed World, strengthening and perfecting them slowly.
With the emergence of these new lands, various living creatures, most of whom were Humans with some Monsters that had been swallowed by the black ball suddenly appeared, all of them looking shocked and confused.
All these living creatures had failed to avoid the black ball and were swallowed up as a result. They originally thought that they were doomed, only to find that they were safe and sound when they came back to their senses. They couldn’t help finding the entire incident extremely inconceivable. Thus, they tried to leave this place to investigate the mysteries of this new world and figure out their current situation. However, they discovered that they were imprisoned here by an invisible force, with no way for them to leave.
On the other hand, the entire Netherworld Star was in a complete mess. As more time passed, everyone learned of the devilish existence that controlled an enormous black ball that could devour everything in its path. That person was wreaking havoc all over Netherworld Star and none could defy him. Even the famous Netherworld Sect had been obliterated cleanly.
For that reason, all the cultivators with the ability to escape from the Netherworld Star had quickly set off, one after another. They did not dare to remain on the Star for another moment more. Those that could not escape could only pray to the Heavens for mercy. Unfortunately, what was waiting for them was the frightening devourer.
Two months later, the entire Netherworld Star’s appearance had changed completely. Looking down from the Starry Sky, the Star that had once been regarded as the Home Star of Netherworld Sect, a Star that was once rich in World Energy and beautiful scenery, a Star that had once given birth to countless living creatures, had turned into a dead and silent piece of land. The cities, both large and small, had vanished, while the Sects and Clans had all disappeared; even the many Spirit Mountains were gone… At this moment, the entire Netherworld Star looked like a gigantic asteroid. Moreover, this asteroid was covered in endless stretches of deep ravines. Even the volume of the Star had shrunk considerably compared to before.
If cultivators from the other Cultivation Stars in Grand Desolation Star Field came to check on the situation here, they would not be able to recognize that this was Netherworld Star at all and would definitely think that it was a silent Dead Star instead.
“How troublesome!” Yang Kai hovered over Netherworld Star, scanning the Sealed World Bead with his Divine Sense while muttering to himself.
[I can’t believe how many residents have appeared inside the Sealed World Bead all of a sudden.] It was something he had not anticipated, but it was something that could not be helped either; after all, Netherworld Star was not a Dead Star, it was an extremely attractive and populous Cultivation Star. When he used the Sealed World Bead to devour the Star, the cultivators in the Saint King Realm and above had quickly fled at the first sign that the situation was dangerous. Unfortunately, the cultivators below the Saint King Realm had no way of escaping. Similarly, there were many ordinary mortals living here too. Yang Kai couldn’t expect them all to leave the Netherworld Star and escape into the Star Field. That would be nothing more than courting death.
Therefore, Yang Kai decided to finish what he started and swallowed all these living creatures along with the lands into the Sealed World Bead, but now he was having trouble figuring out how he was going to deal with them.
[Do I bring them to another Cultivation Star and release them there? But, they number in the billions. I devoured more than 80% of the living creatures on Netherworld Star after all. Even if I wanted to release them somewhere, I don’t have the time for that. Besides, what Cultivation Star can take in so many people all at once!?]
After considering it carefully, Yang Kai thought to himself, [Hmm… why should I release them in the first place? I have no intention of killing them so I might as well just let them live inside the Sealed World Bead and fend for themselves.]
In a complete world, a steady stream of vitality could only be produced when all the living things in it competed with each other. Perhaps these living creatures could bring unexpected changes to the Sealed World Bead in the future and make the World Principles of the Small Sealed World more perfect. Yang Kai could clearly sense that the Sealed World Bead did not reject the arrival of these living creatures. Rather, it seemed to be accepting them happily.
Another consideration was that he had founded High Heaven Palace in the Star Boundary. Such a large Sect needed to be injected with a steady stream of fresh blood, and the fresh blood in question was none other than recruiting new disciples. The only question was where could he recruit new disciples from? The Northern Territory might be full of talented people, but who could know the backgrounds of every new recruit?
It was different when it came to the beings in the Sealed World Bead. As the Master of the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai could control their lives and read their histories with just a thought. He could choose some disciples with good temperaments and excellent aptitudes from everyone in the Sealed World Bead and cultivate them from young. That way, he did not have to worry about the disciples’ loyalty to High Heaven Palace.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was an excellent idea. It felt like he had accidentally stumbled upon a great fortune. When something troublesome turned into a good thing, it was only natural that his mood brightened up in response.
Upon a closer look at the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai discovered that it had indeed changed a lot. The entire outer layer of Netherworld Star that was devoured had been used to supplement the Sealed World Bead and the damaged areas had been almost completely repaired. Furthermore, the size of the Sealed World Bead had been expanded several times over.
Although the original size of the Sealed World Bead was not small, how could it be compared to Netherworld Star? They might both be independent Small Worlds, but the gap between them was still quite vast. If Netherworld Star was a Small World in the strictest sense, then the world within the Sealed World Bead could only be regarded as a Micro World. But now, the Sealed World Bead had grown tremendously after greedily devouring everything it was fed.
All of a sudden, an idea struck Yang Kai as he had vaguely realized something. The Sealed World Bead was something that had been artificially refined. If others could refine an independent Small Sealed World, what was to say he couldn’t upgrade and modify it?
The gains and perceptions of upgrading, modifying, and constructing a complete world was not something that could be obtained through cultivation in retreat. This would be very beneficial in helping Yang Kai understand World Force; after all, comprehending World Force was the key to becoming a Great Emperor!
At this point, he couldn’t help scratching his head in excitement as he became more and more certain about the ideas in his heart.
After devouring the surface of Netherworld Star, the Devouring Domain of the Sealed World Bead had also expanded by many times. The black ball that had only been approximately one kilometre in diameter originally was now around 10 kilometres in diameter! The expansion of the Devouring Domain meant that the efficiency of engulfment had also increased. It also meant that the speed of Yang Kai’s modification of the Sealed World Bead would become faster too.
The Netherworld Star was completely done for, but just as Yang Kai was preparing to set off to a nearby Star, he suddenly sensed something in his heart and looked back at the huge black ball with a strange expression.
[I can’t believe I am actually feeling a sense of desire coming from it…] His brow twitched and he murmured incredulously, “No way…”
Yang Kai had acquired the Sealed World Bead many years ago, but it had always been just another artifact. Even though the inside was said to be a Sealed World, it was still an inanimate object. However, Yang Kai could clearly perceive something different about it at this moment. Thinking back on the happiness of the Sealed World Bead upon receiving those living creatures, he suddenly realized that he had received an even greater stroke of fortune.
“As you wish!” Yang Kai laughed loudly while directing the enormous black ball towards the remaining half of the Netherworld Star.
[If the Sealed World Bead isn’t disgusted by this bald asteroid-like Star, then what right do I have to dislike it? In any case, it will only take some more time.]
The giant asteroid became a large asteroid soon after, and then a medium asteroid, then a small asteroid…
Yang Kai repeatedly flew round and round the Netherworld Star with the black ball. Every time they finished one circle around the Star, the Netherworld Star would shrink considerably. The entire situation seemed quite strange from the outside. It was as though a giant Divine being was treating Netherworld Star like food and taking bites out of it.
In the end, the entire Netherworld Star disappeared.
When the entire Netherworld Star was gone, the changes that occurred within the Sealed World Bead caught Yang Kai by surprise.
…
At the same time, the expression of Wu Heng, who was still at the edge of Grand Desolation Star Field, battling against the boundless darkness, changed abruptly. He quickly separated a part of his consciousness and immersed his Soul Avatar into his Knowledge Sea to observe the Star Chart.
Just now, he felt as though something had gone missing; however, he couldn’t detect any changes even upon a closer inspection. Just as he was about to withdraw his Soul Avatar from his Knowledge Sea though, his eyes widened in shock as he stared at a certain spot on the Star Chart in disbelief and exclaimed. “That’s impossible!”
He had been the Star Field Master of Grand Desolation Star Field for many years, so he knew the Star Field like the back of his hand. He knew exactly where each Star was located, but at this moment, he was certain that a Star had disappeared from his Star Chart. The name of that Star was none other than Netherworld Star!
Three months ago, he sent Yang Kai to Netherworld Star, originally planning to use this opportunity to kill Yang Kai but was caught in an unexpected dilemma instead. Not only did he fail to kill Yang Kai, but he was also being held up here by Yang Kai’s strange methods. It left him stuck with no time for anything else.
For the past three months, Wu Heng had been fighting against the darkness that was trying to devour his Star Field, so he could not spare a single thought to investigate Yang Kai’s movements.
Besides, it had been obvious that Yang Kai was going to Netherworld Star for no other reason than to vent his rage and massacre the people of Netherworld Sect. What else could he do aside from that?
For Wu Heng, those actions would not have harmed him much. It wasn’t worth being upset over. Netherworld Sect was already in its twilight years anyway. Even if Yang Kai did nothing, it would not be able to survive for much longer. In any case, the exchange of power and the cycle of life and death were the very foundation of all life. Wu Heng’s priority at the moment was to prevent the opposing Star Field from devouring his own Star Field.
Wu Heng could never have imagined that Yang Kai would give him such a huge shock in just three months! He did not know what methods Yang Kai had used to make the entire Netherworld Star disappear; nevertheless, it was gone. The entire Star had vanished without a trace!
[How in the world did he do that!? How is that possible!? How can he steal a Cultivation Star just like that!?] Wu Heng wouldn’t have believed it himself if he had said it out loud. This was not something that could be casually placed inside a Space Ring! That was an actual Star! And if Yang Kai didn’t steal it, then where did the Netherworld Star go?
Wu Heng was the Star Field Master; he controlled the Star Field Source, so as long as he wanted to, he could take notice of anything that was happening in any corner of Grand Desolation Star Field. The disappearance of the Netherworld Star was by no means an illusion.
Wu Heng’s mood could not get any worse. When he diverted his attention away just now, the power he used to resist the darkness was inevitably reduced by quite a bit. It made the opposing Star Field’s speed of engulfment speed up again. Panicking, Wu Heng quickly put aside any distracting thoughts and did not dare to lose focus again. Even so, the uneasy feeling in his heart was growing stronger. It was practically turning into a tangible substance that filled his core. He knew that he was in deep trouble. Moreover, he was suffering massive losses constantly. [I could have never imagined that I would cause my own downfall over a mere Lower Star Field!]
“What in the world is this!?” Yang Kai floated in the Starry Sky, rubbing his chin as he studied the sight in front of him in astonishment. The huge black ball transformed from the Sealed World Bead was floating in front of him, but the surface of the black ball had split to form a mouth! It was an extremely large mouth, and an extremely terrifying one at that.
The mouth split open, stretching out 100 kilometres. It was like an enormous Void Crack, but that wasn’t all; its mouth was filled with sharp fangs. Whenever its mouth opened and closed, there was a crunching sound as though it was chewing on everything that existed in this world. Even Yang Kai found it rather creepy to look at.
When the Sealed World Bead finished swallowing up the entire Netherworld Star, the black ball had undergone a violent squirming transformation and changed into this form.
Yang Kai nearly found the change unacceptable. Why did his Sealed World Bead become like this? No, strictly speaking, the Sealed World Bead hadn’t changed much. It was still just a longan-sized bead. What changed was the Devouring Domain of the Sealed World Bead. What kind of monster had he created by allowing it to use the entire Netherworld Star as nourishment?
As Yang Kai had surmised, the current Devouring Domain of the Sealed World Bead looked just like a monster at first glance. It was round and bouncy; it had an enormous jet-black body with no facial features; it only had a large mouth filled with dense fangs. It was extremely odd and ferocious.
“The World’s Will?” Yang Kai frowned while muttering to himself. The message coming from the Sealed World Bead was becoming clearer and clearer. He could feel a sense of desire and hunger coming from it. [Could this be the Small Sealed World’s Will? Or, should I say that it’s now an Artifact Spirit?]
The Sealed World Bead was nothing but an Emperor Artifact. It was an Emperor Artifact without consciousness, yet at this very moment, it looked as if it was alive.
This Black Ball Monster, which was so large that even Yang Kai would feel insignificant after using his Dragon Transformation, was probably the Artifact Spirit of the Sealed World Bead. Its consciousness was not very obvious yet since it was only in its budding state. It simply instinctively wanted to devour more. Hence, that large mouth and fangs were the manifestation of the Artifact Spirit’s instinct.
“Hah!” Yang Kai laughed, suddenly recalling the black puppy with the Abyssal Returner bloodline that he had left behind in High Heaven Palace. [Why does everything related to me seem to have the ability to devour? First, the black puppy. Then, the Sealed World Bead. Let’s not forget my Embodiment too. I wonder if it’s due to providence or fate.]
Nevertheless, the Embodiment and the Sealed World Bead’s devouring was a little different from the black puppy’s devouring. The former two relied on the Heaven Devouring Battle Law while the black puppy relied on its Innate Divine Ability. In the end, it was all for the sake of strengthening themselves.
A sudden thought flashed through Yang Kai’s head. [Did Wu Kuang meet an Abyssal Returner back then? Is that why he created the Heaven Devouring Battle Law based on the characteristics of an Abyssal Returner? If that’s the case, their similarity to each other makes sense.]
*Kacha ca…* The sound of teeth clattering against each other rang out continuously as if urging Yang Kai to hurry up.
“Alright! Alright! I’ll bring you to the next place!” Yang Kai started to look around for his next target. It was not a bad thing for the Sealed World Bead to grow its own Will, even if it was vague. Any complete world would have a Will of its own. Such a World Will was invisible and intangible, but it affected all the lives that lived on it. If the Small Sealed World could obtain such an opportunity, then it would be extremely beneficial for its future growth.
[It’s just… Where should we go? The Star Field is so vast and if we don’t get the direction right, we might end up wasting a lot of time travelling. Ah! I got it!] Yang Kai lifted his head and looked in a certain direction. Shifting his body slightly, he stood on top of the black ball and sat down cross-legged. Waving his large hand, he ordered, “Let’s go!”
The black ball seemed to understand his command and there was no need for him to actively control it; it moved in that direction on its own. Moreover, it moved rather quickly, its teeth crunching against each other while flying, making a disturbing sound the entire journey.
Choosing this direction was not without reason. It was simply the direction in which many of Netherworld Star’s cultivators had fled when they were escaping. Yang Kai might not know the distribution of the Cultivation Stars in Grand Desolation Star Field, but there was no way these natives did not know. If they had been heading in this direction, then it could only mean that there were other Cultivation Stars this way too.
One man and one black ball floated through the Starry Sky, heading towards an unknown destination. This scene was indescribably strange. The black ball that could engulf a Star did not seem to have any effect on Yang Kai. Rather, it even transformed into a carrier of sorts that he could ride freely.
Reaching out under him, Yang Kai patted his new ‘mount’ he had newly obtained. It was very soft to the touch, almost like touching a cloud, a sensation that did not match its hideous appearance at all. If it stopped clattering its teeth all the time and kept its mouth shut, it might look rather adorable. It was just that it was just born and its instinct to devour was causing it to constantly make biting movements; therefore, he couldn’t be bothered to stop it either.
“I should think of a name for you. I can’t just keep calling you ‘black ball’.” Yang Kai rubbed his chin and murmured under his breath. The black ball was similar to the original Liu Yan, a mere manifestation of her Artifact Refining Furnace until he gave her a name.
“I know!” His eyes brightened and he snapped his fingers in delight, “I’ll call you Gun-Gun from now on!”
It had rolled across the entire Netherworld Star and swallowed it in the process. The name ‘Gun-Gun’ just seemed fitting.
*Kacha ca…* The teeth clattered against each other, making a crisp clickety-clack sound.
“You think it’s a good name too, don’t you? Let’s go with that then.” Yang Kai smiled, feeling like he was a genius at giving names. Then, he clapped his hands together and looked slightly distressed, “I can’t favour one over the other. Let’s name the Abyssal Returner ‘Xiao Hei’.”
As soon as he decided, he labelled the savage Abyssal Returner which terrorized the Demon Realm, nearly bringing it to destruction, with an inescapable new name. Who knows what the Demon Kings and the Demon Saints would feel when they learned about this?
“Go forth, Gun-Gun!” Yang Kai pointed forward, his heart dancing with joy like a child who had gotten a new toy.
*Kachaca!*
“Devour, Gun-Gun!”
*Kachaca!*
Along the way, they ran into several enormous asteroids. Gun-Gun rolled past them and opened its mouth, swallowing those asteroids into its belly and storing them in the Small Sealed World.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai could clearly sense that Gun-Gun was not very fond of the taste of those asteroids. If Netherworld Star from before was a delicious dish, then these asteroids would be similar to stale bread, extremely hard to swallow and lacking all flavour.
They encountered more asteroids on several other occasions while wandering the Starry Sky; however, Gun-Gun was no longer interested in eating them. Even Dead Stars could hardly arouse its interest. On the other hand, it would change directions once in a while without seeking guidance from Yang Kai. It was as though it had a keen sense of smell and could detect the direction these delicious aromas were coming from.
Yang Kai did not stop it, and one month later, he confirmed his conjecture. A Star that was not much smaller than the Netherworld Star appeared in the distance. Even without landing on it, he could tell that it was an extraordinary Cultivation Star.
[Gun-Gun really does know where Cultivation Stars are located!]
…..
On High Seas Star, all living creatures lifted their heads to stare up into the sky, reacting as though they were facing a terrible enemy.
A few days ago, a small black spot appeared in the sky. It was located between High Seas Star and the Sun Star. In the beginning, not many people cared about it; however, the black spot grew bigger and bigger as the days passed, and now, it blocked out the sun entirely, plunging High Seas Star into utter darkness as if an eclipse was occurring. All living creatures present were feeling uneasy as an inexplicable sense of crisis bloomed in their hearts.
Even the seas were violent and choppy with stormy waves breaking across the surface. More than 80% of High Seas Star was covered in water. Various islands of all shapes and sizes were scattered across the surface like chess pieces on a board, creating a space where the living creatures of High Seas Star could settle. This was a world dominated by the Sea Clan. Humans and other Monster Beasts had very little space to live on this Star.
Looking up at the darkness blocking the Sun, many of the Sea Clan couldn’t help but think of the rumours circulating in the past month regarding the black ball. It was said that everywhere the black ball passed, everything would be devoured and all living creatures would cease to exist!
The origin of this rumour was from some Humans who had fled here. According to these people, they had come from the Netherworld Star where a terrifying devil had arrived and used a giant black ball to devour both the Heavens and Earth, literally swallowing up the entire Netherworld Star.
The Sea Clan had always proclaimed themselves as nobler than other races and they despised those of the Human Race and the Monster Race. Moreover, they felt that those who were born on land were extremely dirty and despicable, especially the refugees who had fled to this Star.
None of the Sea Clan had taken those rumours seriously, but the rumours still spread very quickly. In less than one month, most of the Sea Clan of High Seas Star had at least heard about this wild story. It wasn’t until this moment when they looked up at the black ball that the recent rumours couldn’t help coming to the forefront of their minds. They couldn’t help feeling uneasy as a result.
[Is there really darkness in this world that can devour both the Heavens and Earth?]
The world rumbled and a figure flew out from a large island and headed towards the darkness. When the members of the Sea Clan saw this person, their uneasy moods suddenly stabilized.
“It’s Senior Ao Wei!”
“That’s right! We have Senior Ao Wei! Why should we be afraid of that black ball?”
“If it dares to come here, Senior Ao Wei will surely show it who’s boss!”
“They are walking right to their deaths. Do they think High Seas Star is on the same level as the Netherworld Star!?”
The members of the Sea Clan shouted in excitement. The chants of the name ‘Ao Wei’ turned into a wave, creating an aura that almost overshadowed the world.
Ao Wei was the strongest Master on High Seas Star. He was regarded by all of the Sea Clan as its greatest hero, one who protected this world. It seemed as though he only needed to make a move and the black ball heading towards High Seas Star would be wiped out immediately. The belief of hundreds of millions of living creatures seemed to transform into a tangible substance, blessing Ao Wei and allowing him to adhere to the World’s Will. At this moment, he could be said to be an invincible existence.
It was a pity that no one noticed that Ao Wei’s expression was extremely solemn. Even if the fortune of the Heavens and Earth, as well as the collective will of hundreds of millions of living creatures, converged on him, he still couldn’t help shivering. The thought of turning around and running away was surging in him; however, he was the Star Master of this Star. Even if everybody else could escape, where could he run?
He lifted his head and stared up at the black ball with feelings of despair and fear. These emotions did not originate from him, they came straight from the Will of High Seas Star. It was an emotion that the Star Source was sending him and that made him extremely uneasy. It felt as though a mouse had met a cat or a rabbit had encountered a falcon. The Star had met its natural enemy.
Ao Wei stood in place and could barely muster up the courage to fly upward. He could only wait for the black ball to arrive as he racked his brains to figure out how to resolve the crisis before him.
“What in the world is that!?”
When the darkness descended from the sky, Ao Wei’s expression changed drastically. The enormous black ball had a diameter stretching out for a hundred kilometres at least. It also had a gaping mouth filled with sharp fangs that split right across the middle of its face. The click-clacking noise coming from its mouth gave him goosebumps and chills when it entered his ears.
Even as a Star Master, Ao Wei did not have the courage to face such a monster directly. Moreover, the overwhelming pressure coming from the sky made his chest feel tight and caused him to have trouble breathing.
“Who dares block my path!? Do you court death!?” A voice rang out suddenly, startling Ao Wei. Only then did he notice that a person was standing on top of the black ball. That person seemed to be a rather young man who was currently quietly standing atop the Black Ball Monstrosity and looking down on him from above, like he was looking at an ant.
Gulping lightly, Ao Wei cupped his fists and shouted, “Ao Wei, Star Master of High Seas Star, greets Senior.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brow slightly, “You are the Star Master of this Star?”
“Yes!”
“Very good. I am going to devour High Seas Star. Please cooperate with me. I will provide you with great benefits after I’m done!” If the Star Master could cooperate with him, the devouring would surely be much easier.
Ao Wei’s face twitched as he nearly suspected whether he had heard wrongly. This person came here with ill intentions and declared that he was going to devour High Seas Star the moment he opened his mouth. What’s more, he wanted Ao Wei to cooperate with him!
Ao Wei suddenly felt a little angry; however, he did not dare to lose his temper. He suppressed his rage and asked, “What has High Seas Star done to offend Senior?”
Yang Kai replied impatiently, “It’s not about whether you’ve offended me or not. I simply happened to come across this Star.”
[Simply came across…] Ao Wei never expected that the reason for this terrible catastrophe would turn out to be nothing more than the result of a coincidence. A shudder ran down his spine as he spoke loudly, “The Heavens cherish all life. High Seas Star hosts trillions of lives. What will happen to those who live here if you devour this Star? People of our generation are competitive and we constantly strive to reach the peak of the Martial Dao. Our lives are constantly at stake, but what does that have to do with the innocents? You will surely be punished by karma if you destroy High Seas Star. That will be highly disadvantageous to your future endeavours. Please reconsider!” He sincerely tried to dissuade Yang Kai.
Yang Kai put one hand on his thigh, leaned forward, and grinned, “What do you want to say?”
There wasn’t even the slightest fluctuation of aura from this young man when he spoke, but even so, Ao Wei’s expression couldn’t help changing slightly. It felt as though a great ancient beast was baring its fangs at him, preparing to swallow him whole. Fortunately, he was the Star Master of High Seas Star and received blessings from it. Otherwise, he would have turned tail and ran away already.
Cupping his fist again, Ao Wei shouted once more, “Please reconsider!”
Yang Kai touched his chin, thought about it seriously, and nodded, “I’ve given it some thought.”
“Does that mean you…” Ao Wei looked at Yang Kai earnestly.
“My will is resolute. Now, hurry up and move aside!” Yang Kai really could not have gone through with it if billions of sentient lives would be lost because he devoured a Cultivation Star; after all, the Heavens truly were fair in all matters. Even if his cultivation was extraordinary, he could not regard the weak as ants to be slaughtered at will.
The devouring process of the Sealed World Bead would certainly destroy the Star, but it would not harm any of the living creatures here. It simply allowed them to live in another place. Moreover, Yang Kai had the confidence that he could make the Small Sealed World better than any Cultivation Star in time. In other words, his current approach was not only harmless to the living creatures here, but would also bring about infinite benefits to them in the long-term. Hence, he felt no burden at all.
In response, Ao Wei’s expression darkened slightly. Even so, he refused to give in. As a Star Master, he had no room to retreat. Bracing himself, he began releasing the aura of a peak Origin King Realm Master. Scales appeared on his face simultaneously as the characteristics of a Monster Beast appeared on him. From the looks of things, he was not part of the Human Race. Even though he knew that he was no match for Yang Kai and that things would end tragically the moment he acted, he continued to obstruct this wicked destroyer’s path.
Gathering his courage, Ao Wei shouted firmly, “Senior, if you insist on doing this, then you must kill me first!”
His voice was not loud, but it spread throughout the Cultivation Star under the influence of its Will. All the living creatures on High Seas Star suddenly felt touched. They felt extremely lucky to have such a responsible Star Master. It was invisible to the eye, but his aura increased again. That single sentence had given him a huge boost in power, but it still didn’t give him the slightest sense of security.
“Oh? A Flood Dragon descendant?” Yang Kai asked as he looked at the scales on Ao Wei’s face and the traces of monsterfication on Ao Wei’s body, sensing a familiar aura from him.
“Indeed!” Ao Wei nodded. There was no need to conceal anything, it wasn’t a secret after all.
Yang Kai nodded and said, “I know of other Flood Dragons, and they’re indeed not bad, but… You are too weak.”
Even though Ao Wei had always presented himself in a courteous and humble manner while lowering his posture as much as possible, he couldn’t help feeling unconvinced when he heard those words. He stood at the peak of the Origin King Realm and was the Star Master of High Seas Star. There were only a few people in the entire Grand Desolation Star Field who could challenge him! How could his cultivation still be considered ‘too weak’?
Rage burst forth in Ao Wei’s heart, dampening his fear as he gritted his teeth and declared, “Is that so? Then, I will have to see how powerful Senior is!”
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “You might not believe me, but that guy can probably take a few of my attacks. You, on the other hand…”
Ao Wei roared furiously, “Let’s see how many attacks it takes you to defeat me!” While speaking, he lunged toward Yang Kai. Although there was a slight hint of a Dragon Roar in his voice, it was not very pure. Flood Dragons inherited the Dragon Clan’s blood, but the difference in purity varied greatly. How could they be compared to True Dragons? Even so, Ao Wei was relatively powerful after receiving a boost from High Seas Star.
In that instant, the world paled and storms surged. The full-powered attack of a Star Master was truly extraordinary.
On the contrary, Yang Kai didn’t seem inclined to defend against the attack nor did he look like he was going to attack. He simply watched expressionlessly as Ao Wei lunged at him.
[He is just too arrogant! He completely looks down on me! I need to teach him a lesson!]
Yang Kai’s attitude had utterly enraged Ao Wei and he no longer held anything back, channelling even greater strength than he had ever before in his life.
An invisible force suddenly swept out from Yang Kai at that moment and it made Ao Wei abruptly stiffen, his eyes widening to the size of saucers in the next instant. He looked extremely shocked, and for a moment, he thought he saw an enormous Dragon hovering around Yang Kai’s body, its massive head staring down at him. Instantly, his Saint Qi stopped circulating and he was unable to summon the slightest strength.
Following that, the Dragon Head pounced at him. Opening its mouth wide, it swallowed him whole. Ao Wei screamed as his robes became soaked in cold sweat. At his cultivation, he was rarely frightened by anything. Even when Yang Kai arrived with Gun-Gun, he was still capable of confronting them directly, even mustering the will to fight back. However, he didn’t even dare to stare back when facing this giant Dragon. This was the effect of bloodline suppression!
By the time Ao Wei came back to his senses, the giant Dragon that was in front of him had vanished. There was only a hateful young man smiling at him, making him wonder if it was all just an illusion; however, it was all too realistic to simply be his imagination.
Before Ao Wei could understand what had happened though, Yang Kai raised his hand and ordered, “Send him in.”
In response, Gun-Gun opened its mouth wide and swallowed Ao Wei in one bite.
[My destined end has come!] That thought flashed across Ao Wei’s mind. Closing his eyes, he stuck out his neck and prepared for death, but to his surprise, there was no pain despite waiting for some time, and when he opened his eyes, an astonishing sight appeared before him.
He had appeared in a different world. This world looked rather messy, like millions of tonnes of soil and stones piled up haphazardly all over the place, and looking around, this scene stretched out as far as his eyes could see.
Ao Wei quickly used his Divine Sense to scan his surroundings and was surprised all over again. The World Energy in this place was extremely dense, several grades better than High Seas Star, but the World Principles seemed to be a little broken, which made the power in his body a little sluggish.
[What in the world is this damned place!? Wasn’t I swallowed up by that jet-black giant beast? How did I appear here!?] A shining object nearby attracted Ao Wei’s attention, one stuck under a boulder. Walking over, Ao Wei lifted the rock up and a plaque entered his vision.
“Netherworld Sect!” His eyes narrowed and he could hardly believe his eyes. [Isn’t this… Isn’t this Netherworld Sect’s signboard!?] Although he was the Star Master of High Seas Star, he had been to Netherworld Star in his early years and even entered the Netherworld Sect once. This signboard was the one erected above Netherworld Sect’s Main Gate. He was certain that he had not mistaken it for something else. Besides, the sense of vicissitude around this plaque was not fake. [This is definitely the signboard belonging to Netherworld Sect’s Main Gate, but… what is it doing here?]
Recalling the rumours circulating around on High Seas Star recently, a very bold conjecture emerged in Ao Wei’s heart.
All of a sudden, he heard some sounds. Flying up, he looked into the distance and saw a group of people heading his way. Thus, he immediately flew to them and exchanged some words with them. After that, he looked even more shocked than before. [These people… They are the residents of Netherworld Star!]
…
“Senior Ao Wei… Was defeated!”
“Senior Ao Wei was swallowed in one bite!”
“The end is coming! The end is here!”
On High Seas Star, countless eyes watched as Ao Wei was swallowed by the giant black beast, unable to resist in the slightest. The visual impact left everyone cold with fear, feeling as though they were standing in the middle of a blizzard. They had never imagined that a Star Master like Senior Ao Wei could be killed so easily. They had been hoping that Ao Wei could save them from the calamity before them. Unfortunately, that hope now transformed into a deep despair.
When Yang Kai led Gun-Gun on towards High Seas Star again, no one dared to stop him. Gun-Gun opened its mouth wide and devoured island after island. Even the boundaryless seawater was swallowed into its belly.
The sounds of weeping and cursing rang out as everybody desperately attempted to escape.
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to those cries, though, as he sat cross-legged on Gun-Gun’s back as it chewed its way through the entire High Seas Star.
[This bunch of ignorant people. You don’t even appreciate the fact that I am bringing you into a paradise. I guess the ones who escaped are simply unlucky!]
A sudden thought crossed Yang Kai’s heart at that moment. [What is the difference between my current actions and the actions of the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang?]
Wu Kuang had wreaked havoc across many Star Fields and destroyed countless Cultivation Stars. In the end, the anger and resentment against him built up among the people, and the other Great Emperors were forced to band together to kill him.
[No. Wu Kuang is Wu Kuang, and I am me. What we are doing is very different! All the living creatures on the Stars Wu Kuang destroyed died during the process. But, I am sending them to another world, a better world, it’s not like I’m doing any real harm to them! Rather, they will probably thank me for my actions in the future; after all, order is established from chaos, and only through destruction can the world be reborn.]
At the border of Grand Desolation Star Field, Wu Heng looked livid. He had been confronting this devouring darkness for half a year now, and despite giving it his all, he could only slow the speed of the encroachment. He could not stop it from spreading at all. Over the past six months, he had lost more than a few tens of millions of kilometres of his Star Field! Such a large piece of territory was already larger than what he had engulfed in Heng Luo Star Field in the previous three years!
[Just who is the person on the other side!? How are they doing it!?]
Wu Heng had once driven Grand Desolation Star Field to devour Heng Luo Star Field, so he knew just how difficult this was. It was patient and precise work that required much time and effort. It definitely wasn’t something that could be accomplished overnight. Additionally, Heng Luo Star Field did not have a Star Field Master back then, so his engulfment of that Star Field could be said to be practically unimpeded.
[How is the opposing party’s devouring speed still so fast when I am actively trying to resist? How is this even possible?]
If that were the only issue, Wu Heng might not have been this anxious. Unfortunately, something else was also worrying him. Over the past six months, he had consecutively lost three Cultivation Stars from Grand Desolation Star Field. It began with Netherworld Star, followed by High Seas Star, then Flying Crab Star. One after another, they had disappeared from the Star Chart as though they never existed before!
[Those are three Cultivation Stars, not three cabbages! Just what method did that bastard Yang Kai use to steal them!?] There were quite a few Cultivation Stars in Grand Desolation Star Field, so it did not hurt Wu Heng’s foundation to lose three of them. The key point was that this was just the beginning. He had lost three Cultivation Stars in just half a year… How many more would he lose in a year? Or, 10 years? Or, 100 years? If there were no more Cultivation Stars left in the entire Star Field, then what was the point of this Star Field’s existence? When that time came, he would be a Star Field Master in name only.
What made Wu Heng feel slightly relieved was that Yang Kai didn’t seem to be making any movements since stealing Flying Crab Star.
[I wonder what he is doing?] As a Star Field Master, it was a simple matter for Wu Heng to spy on Yang Kai inside his own territory. Unfortunately, he did not dare to do so. The moment he became distracted, even if only a little bit, the speed of the opposing Star Field’s devouring would sharply increase.
[I can’t keep going on like this. I won’t have a good ending if this goes on any longer. Do I really have to resort to that?] Wu Heng’s expression changed constantly. Anger, shame, reluctance… All sorts of emotions showed on his face as he never imagined that he would be backed into a corner to such a degree in this Lower Star Field. Moreover, within his own territory!
…
Gun-Gun was suspended in mid-air above a Dead Star. Its enormous jet-black body was constantly shrinking and expanding in a cycle, over and over again. Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood to the side and watched it closely. He did not know what had happened to lead to this situation, he only had the vague sense that… It was satiated!
Throughout their journey, Gun-Gun had devoured a total of three Cultivation Stars. After completely engulfing Flying Crab Star, it finally closed its mouth and stopped making those click-clacking noises. It also stopped moving at the exact spot where Flying Crab Star used to be and the changes occurred.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai tried to communicate with the Small Sealed World only to discover that his Soul Avatar could not enter it. Thus, there was nothing he could do but wait and see how things played out. If his guess was correct, then Gun-Gun was simply in a state of digestion.
Those were three Cultivation Stars after all, not something so easy to devour. Having been engulfed into the Small Sealed World, they needed to be further digested, or else those slightly different World Principles would be enough to cause the space within the Sealed World Bead to collapse. If that happened, all living creatures absorbed from the three Cultivation Stars would perish too.
After this digestion finished though, the entire Small Sealed World would probably take on a completely new look; therefore, Yang Kai simply waited quietly and expectantly.
He wanted to check on his Embodiment’s situation, but they were too far apart now. Yang Kai was too deep inside Grand Desolation Star Field and couldn’t establish a connection with it. However, Wu Heng was probably having a hard time, otherwise, everything he had done recently would not have gone so smoothly. If Wu Heng could spare even a little time to deal with him, he would surely have made life far more difficult for Yang Kai.
Thinking so, Yang Kai chuckled. [People who provoke me have always had bad ends. Even Wu Kuang suffered a loss at my hands; much less a mere ‘Wu Heng’.]
The days passed by, little by little. There was no cycle of day and night in the Starry Sky, so Yang Kai wasn’t sure just how long had passed. However, every wriggle Gun-Gun made seemed to cause something in it to change.
Yang Kai could clearly sense that Gun-Gun’s Will was becoming much clearer. There could only be one explanation for that, the digestion process was going smoothly. It had managed to assimilate the World Principles of the three Cultivation Stars it devoured and merged them together until they were no longer distinguishable from one another.
After more time had passed, its Will became clearer yet again. Although it was not to the extent where it could communicate with Yang Kai clearly, it was capable of at least instinctual communication. The most obvious change, however, was in its appearance. Gun-Gun was originally an enormous black ball that later grew a large mouth after devouring Netherworld Star. Now though, it had a tail growing on the opposite side of its mouth. The tail slowly grew longer and longer. At first glance, it now looked like a giant tadpole, quite a comical sight.
Finally, Gun-Gun ended its transformation after an intense wriggling session one day. Its mouth opened once again, making crunching sounds with its teeth as it conveyed the urgency of its hunger. Upon digesting the three Cultivation Stars, it was ready to begin devouring again. Additionally, its body had become much larger than before. It had a diameter of 100 kilometres when it first descended on High Seas Star, but now it was nearly 200 kilometres in diameter!
Yang Kai had no intention of stopping it and simply allowed it to act as it pleased. Hence, Gun-Gun immediately turned and headed in a certain direction. Even though Yang Kai saw nothing but pitch-black darkness in that direction, he was certain a Cultivation Star was located up ahead. It seemed Gun-Gun had a keen sense for locating Cultivation Stars and could smell the deliciousness of them from very far away.
In the meantime, Yang Kai stepped into the Sealed World Bead. It was his first time entering the Small Sealed World since its transformation, and he was completely stupefied the moment he arrived. It was no longer the Small Sealed World that he was familiar with. The size of the entire world had increased by several times over. It actually took some time for his Divine Sense to reach the boundary of the world when he extended it outward.
The original Small Sealed World could only be regarded as a Micro World if a Cultivation Star like Netherworld Star was considered a Small World. Even the World Principles were something that had been patched together by Yang Kai from various sources. If he compared the Small Sealed World to a piece of clothing, then the original Small Sealed World had been covered in patches. The World Principles might have been complete, but they were not smoothly joined together. In contrast, the current world was in complete harmony. There was no dissonance whatsoever, and the World Principles were in perfect condition. It was much better than how the original World Principles had been.
At this point, it could be regarded as a real Small World. A world like this was already higher grade than the average Cultivation Star. The land in the world had changed a lot. Be it jungles, wastelands, seas, deserts, or valleys… It had everything. These places were suitable for all sorts of beings and races to live happily and peacefully.
The countless auras of living creatures were spread all across the world, and buildings of various styles rose from the ground. All the sentient and wild beings of the three Cultivation Stars had been absorbed into this place, and the first thing they did after realizing that there was no immediate danger to their lives was to rebuild their Sects and homes. Not knowing where they were nor whether danger was looming over them contributed to the lack of conflict at the moment. They restrained themselves and did their best not to get into fights with the others despite running into those of different races occasionally.
Yang Kai carefully observed this world for a while before he found the original Small Sealed World’s land. The original space was located in the most central position of this new world. Furthermore, there was an invisible barrier isolating it from the new land, which prevented anybody from trespassing into this space.
Yang Kai couldn’t help breathing out a sigh of relief when he saw this barrier as he had been very worried that somebody might break into the medicine garden and destroy his Spirit Herbs. The current situation was for the best, and it was clearly thanks to Gun-Gun.
[Since I’m already here, I might as well say hello. I should, at the very least, let the people of this new world know who the Master of this place is!]
With a flash of his thoughts, a giant figure suddenly appeared in the sky. All the living creatures in the world only needed to look up to see this phantom giant. His majestic gaze that stared into the void felt as though he was looking at every single one of them. Hence, all were shocked upon seeing that gigantic figure in the sky. They could not help being filled with a sense of worship when they looked up at that figure, while many even fell to their knees and shivered in fear.
“It’s him!” Ao Wei stood on a newly-formed island and looked at the face in the sky, his expression changing greatly. The memory of being defeated in a single move by this young man was still fresh in his mind. How could he not know that that person was many times stronger than him? It was ridiculous how he had tried to fight against that person just because he had been a Star Master before.
Many people recognized Yang Kai; after all, they had seen him from a distance when he was riding on Gun-Gun while devouring their Stars, so seeing him again at this moment, their feelings of awe deepened even more.
“I am the Master of this world, but you need not worry, I hold no malice towards you. I only wish that you live your lives peacefully in this place and lead a good life. If there are talented cultivators, I may even guide you to a higher world and allow you to experience a grander Martial Dao.” Yang Kai pointed at his eyes and grinned, “I will be watching you, so do your best. Whether you become a Dragon and roam the vast oceans, or remain a carp and stagnate in this little pond, will all be determined by your hard work.”
The entire world was completely silent as everybody was so shocked that they couldn’t utter a single word. A long while later, they finally noticed that the giant figure in the sky had vanished without a trace. Nevertheless, those simple words had set off turbulent waves in everyone’s mind, especially those in the Origin King Realm.
[A higher world!? A grander Martial Dao!?] It was like hanging a carrot in front of a donkey; it made them covet and desire that opportunity. Most cultivators in Grand Desolation Star Field that were in the Origin King Realm knew about the existence of the Star Boundary; after all, there was a pathway between Grand Desolation Star Field and the Star Boundary. It was public knowledge that the previous Sect Master of Netherworld Sect, Yin Le Sheng, had journeyed to the Star Boundary together with a few other Masters from their Star Field several dozen years ago. It was just that nobody knew what had become of them after that.
It was undeniable that entering the Star Boundary using the same method they did was dangerous and the slightest carelessness could cost them their lives. For that reason, the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field did not dare to use the same route unless they had great confidence in their strength, even though the path had always existed. But now, there was another opportunity before them. It seemed that the Master of this world could guide them to the Star Boundary as long as they could obtain his approval!
These dazzling Stars seem to have always existed, but they collapsed and vanished from existence, one after another. It was as though an invisible hand had erased them from the vast Starry Sky.
Wu Heng couldn’t stand it anymore, gritting his teeth, he roared, “Yang Kai!”
He had completely fallen into a disadvantage in his fight against Yang Kai. Not only had he lost a large part of his Star Field, but he also lost as many as five Cultivation Stars from Grand Desolation Star Field.
[I will lose everything if this silent battle continues in this manner.] A deep hatred and regret overflowed from his heart. [If I had washed my hands clean of Heng Luo Star Field the moment I sensed that it had gained a Star Master, I might not have brought such troublesome matters down upon myself.]
Back then, he wanted to take advantage of Yang Kai, who had just become a Star Field Master. He had completely looked down on Yang Kai and even went so far as to demand he hand Heng Luo Star Field to him. At that moment, their enmity was set in stone.
[There is no point in regretting the past now. In any case, my first priority is to get rid of Yang Kai as soon as possible. Even if I lose a large part of my territory by focusing on him, I cannot allow him to do whatever he wants in my territory anymore!] The moment that thought appeared in Wu Heng’s head, he no longer hesitated and immediately directed some of his attention to investigate Yang Kai’s situation.
In the extremely distant Starry Sky, he soon found a trace of Yang Kai’s whereabouts, and after getting a clear view of the situation there, Wu Heng couldn’t help being dumbstruck and out of sorts, “What is that!?”
Most of the sixth Cultivation Star had disappeared, and there was a gigantic black tadpole-like Monster going back and forth on this broken Cultivation Star, taking bite after bite out of it as if it were eating a delicious cake. The Cultivation Star was missing another huge chunk in the blink of an eye.
Even Wu Heng, who was very knowledgeable and experienced, could not tell what that black monster was; however, he instinctively felt apprehensive when he looked at it.
Yang Kai, who was sitting cross-legged on the back of Gun-Gun, seemed to sense something and looked up at the Starry Sky with a grin.
In the next moment, Wu Heng appeared in front of Yang Kai. As the Star Field’s Master, crossing a distance of hundreds of millions of kilometres in an instant was nothing to him. Lifting his large hand, he clenched his hand and roared, “Die!”
The power of the Star Field was activated instantaneously, turning into invisible shackles that tightened around Gun-Gun’s huge body without warning. As a result, its huge body shrunk continuously. The changes were so obvious that they were visible to the naked eye. In response, Gun-Gun opened its mouth wide and clacked its teeth together loudly, as if it were struggling against something.
Similarly, Yang Kai felt pressure bearing down on him like a mountain. His entire body was stiff and unable to move, as if Wu Heng was crushing all his bones.
[Running wild in another person’s territory really isn’t a good idea, but… I’m afraid it’s too late for Wu Heng to make a move now. If he had decisively taken action at the very beginning when Gun-Gun was still weak, he might have had a chance. But now… Does he seriously think I’m such a pushover?] The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth lifted into a wicked grin.
On the other hand, Wu Heng’s expression changed abruptly as he could feel the shackles he had placed on his enemy being broken, little by little, as the black monster chewed on them, its large mouth opening and closing in the process. No; they weren’t being broken, they were disappearing, just like the Cultivation Star that was being devoured in front of him, the power of the Star Field he had mobilized was being devoured too.
With a clatter, a great storm was set off in Wu Heng’s heart, and in the next moment, Gun-Gun’s body that had been compressed returned to normal all of a sudden, and its movements became free again.
“How is that possible?” Wu Heng looked lost for a moment. He had steeled himself to deal with Yang Kai with the determination of making a great sacrifice in order to succeed. That was because every moment he wasted here meant that Heng Luo Star Field’s devouring went unchecked. The loss he suffered from that terrifying devouring speed was simply something he could not afford.
Hence, he originally made up his mind to kill Yang Kai without any delays before going back to continue his confrontation with Heng Luo Star Field. Who would have thought that his plan could not be realized? The black monster was far more difficult to deal with than Wu Heng imagined, even capable of devouring the power of the Star Field!
During those few moments when Wu Heng was being absent-minded, Gun-Gun had rushed straight up at him. That seemingly fat and bloated body was unimaginable agility at this moment, and by the time Wu Heng came to his senses, a large mouth filled with sharp fangs was already right in front of him.
*Ka…*
The large mouth closed, and a large chunk of the Star Field disappeared. Wu Heng appeared in another location in a cold sweat a moment later. If he had not been the Star Field Master, who could freely shuttle this space, he would not have survived that situation.
Yang Kai stood on top of Gun-Gun’s back with one hand on his waist, doubling over with laughter, “This is your domain isn’t it? Why are you running? Weren’t you itching for a fight!? Get on with the killing! Come, you bastard!”
“Shut up, you damn brat!” Wu Heng’s heart was filled with rage. Despite feeling as if he was a volcano that was about to erupt at any moment, he forced himself to calm down and not pay attention to Yang Kai’s taunts. Still, what Yang Kai said wasn’t wrong, this was his territory, his home. Yang Kai was the thief who snuck in to rob him, but when Wu Heng showed up to deal with him, not only did Yang Kai show not the slightest remorse, he put on an aggressive and provocative stance. Nobody could tolerate such rampant behaviour.
Having gotten his thoughts under control, Wu Heng stretched out his hand and clenched his fist. Thousands of streams of light gathered and condensed into a spear in his hand. That was not an Emperor Artifact, but a condensation of the power of the Stars in this Star Field. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was the power of the world, World Force, contained in this spear.
Of course, this was not the full power of the entire Grand Desolation Star Field as, although Wu Heng was the Star Field Master here, mobilizing the power of the entire Star Field was no easy feat. It would be no easier for Yang Kai to do so.
Be that as it may, the power contained in this spear was nothing to sneeze at. At the very least, the power from the surrounding ten million kilometres of the Star Field had been gathered to form this spear, a feat only a Star Field Master could achieve with ease.
When the spear was formed, lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The spear transformed into a venomous snake that leapt out ferociously and without warning. The Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power was condensed into an attack that struck at Gun-Gun in an instant.
Yang Kai’s figure stiffened all of a sudden, and all the hairs on his body stood up. If this incredibly powerful attack was a venomous snake, then he was a frog that came face to face with his natural enemy. Even though he had mentally prepared himself for something like this, it was still tricky to overcome it on the spot.
“Gun-Gun!” Raising his foot, Yang Kai stomped Gun-Gun’s back, and in response, Gun-Gun opened its large mouth and bit towards that terrifying blow.
Wu Heng had been sneering as he quietly watched that black monster’s actions; however, that smirk on his face soon vanished. The scene where his enemy was killed did not appear, and instead, he watched as the black monster rolled around and squirmed violently for a time, a large crack appearing on its back, but then, nothing else happened. Moreover, the crack was healing at an extremely fast speed.
Wu Heng’s eyes widened as large as saucers, and he almost doubted what he just witnessed. He had condensed the power from the surrounding ten million kilometres of the Star Field into that one attack! How was it defused so easily!? What the Hell was this black monster!? How could it have such power!?
Unbeknownst to him, when Gun-Gun swallowed that incredibly powerful attack, a stream of light swept across the sky of the Small Sealed World and nearly penetrated it. The Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering aura contained in that light made all the living creatures in the Small Sealed World look up into the sky and released a terrifying aura that compelled them to kneel down and worship that power appearing before them.
As the light flashed by, it left a deep scar in the sky of the Small Sealed World, like the Heavens themselves had been slashed open, and that scar remained for quite a time.
The power of one world could only be countered by the power of another world. Wu Heng had condensed the power of more than ten million kilometres of the Starry Sky in that one attack, which was incredibly terrifying, but the Small Sealed World was now a complete world of its own. The World Principles and the World Energy within the Small Sealed World were no worse than those of the Star Field’s, possibly even higher in terms of quality. The only difference was that the Small Sealed World was much smaller than the Star Field.
Naturally, Wu Heng couldn’t use that attack to destroy the Small Sealed World. The power of the Small Sealed World was enough for it to swallow and digest his attacks. Judging by the results of his attack, the attack not only failed to cause any damage but also seemed to have a nourishing effect instead.
Yang Kai used his little finger to dig at his ears as he mocked loudly, “So weak. Were you trying to tickle me?”
“Shut up!” Wu Heng immediately became angry out of shame.
How could Yang Kai possibly act as Wu Heng wished? Rather, his mockery and yelling became even more venomous, “We are both Star Field Masters, so I feel deeply ashamed just looking at you! If anybody dared to act so presumptuously in my house, I would have beaten them black and blue until even their mother couldn’t recognise them!”
“Impudence!”
Yang Kai just sneered, “I am impudent! Go on and hit me… If you can!”
Despite knowing that Yang Kai was deliberately being provocative, Wu Heng couldn’t help himself. His emotions sharply fluctuated and his eyes turned scarlet with rage. Yang Kai’s words might have been insolent, but there was one thing Yang Kai had gotten right. It was truly extremely humiliating that he could not even get rid of a single thief that had snuck into his home.
Hence, Wu Heng said nothing more. Spreading his hands wide, lights began to appear above both palms. He gathered the power of the Stars, transformed it into a lightning attack, and blasted it at Gun-Gun. He might not know what that pitch-black giant beast was, but he instinctively felt that it was not as powerful as it seemed on the surface. Even if it was capable of swallowing his attacks, there should be a limit. The healing wound on its back is the best proof. It wasn’t that he couldn’t harm it, it was just that the damage wasn’t great enough! If his initial attack wasn’t enough to kill it, Wu Heng just needed to launch a stronger attack. As long as he persisted, he would eventually decimate it completely!
Once again, Gun-Gun swallowed the power of the Stars that came at it. Two wounds subsequently opened up on its back. Unexpectedly though, Gun-Gun became extremely excited all of a sudden and even took the initiative to lunge at Wu Heng without any directions from Yang Kai, as if it wanted to swallow Wu Heng up too.
There was no way Wu Heng would just freeze in place like a sitting duck. Relying on the convenient abilities of a Star Field Master, his figure flickered around as he avoided Gun-Gun’s attacks. At the same time, he continuously gathered the power of the Stars in his hands, transformed it into attacks, and blasted them at Gun-Gun.
In an instant, the situation within the Small Sealed World changed drastically. Streams of light flashed across the sky like a meteor shower. Concurrently, lightning flashed and thunder boomed inside the Small Sealed World. It was as though the apocalypse was coming and the world was about to collapse.
No matter how high or low their cultivation, all living creatures shivered and fell to their knees while begging for mercy from the Heavens. They did not know what they had done to offend the Master of this world; however, they believed that the Master must have become enraged for such changes to have occurred.
The waves above the sea were choppy; the land in the wastelands split open; countless newly built buildings collapsed. It only took an instant for the peaceful world to be filled with anxiety and the fear of death. The longer the phenomenon occurred, the more they understood the meaning behind the words ‘Heaven’s grace was as vast as the sea, but Heaven’s fury was like Hell itself’.
Yang Kai could not perceive any of this at the moment, and even if he could, there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening. Wu Heng was a Star Field Master and could exert the World Force of Grand Desolation Star Field when in it. Yang Kai had no chance of winning if he fought Wu Heng here. The only one who could put up a fight against Wu Heng was but Gun-Gun. Fortunately, Gun-Gun was living up to his expectations. No matter how much power Wu Heng gathered from the Star Field, it devoured them all.
Two figures, one big and one small, chased after each other across the Star Field, making for an extremely lively scene.
[No! Things can’t go on like this!] Wu Heng was very anxious. For every moment he was being held up here, a large portion of Grand Desolation Star Field was being devoured. The shrinkage of the Star Field would directly affect the amount of power he could mobilize. [I will be defeated if things go on like this. How can I lose!?] Just the sliver of possibility that he might lose left him feeling incredulous. He had never even imagined that such an outcome was possible before he came to find Yang Kai; however, he was currently riding a tiger.
Similarly, Yang Kai was feeling that something was wrong. He took the time to investigate Gun-Gun’s situation and finally discovered the changes in the Small Sealed World.
Just like how Gun-Gun needed time to rest and digest after swallowing three Cultivation Stars before, Wu Heng’s attacks that were formed from the condensation of the power of the Stars were not that easy to devour. Those attacks placed more pressure on Gun-Gun than swallowing those Cultivation Stars had. The Small Sealed World would be unable to bear the pressure if things were to continue for much longer, and once that happened, the situation would become dangerous. Gun-Gun needed to rest for a while to digest the power of the Stars that it had devoured.
Both parties were hostile towards each other, but despite each having their own concerns, they both made the same choice to head towards the edge of the Grand Desolation Star Field at this moment. Wu Heng was rushing back to curb Heng Luo Star Field’s expansion while also trying to drive Yang Kai away. On the other hand, Yang Kai was rushing to take Gun-Gun to a safe place to recuperate.
The speed of both parties was extremely fast. Needless to say, as the Star Field’s Master, Wu Heng could cross a distance of hundreds of millions of kilometres in a single blink. Conversely, Gun-Gun crossed an extremely terrifying distance with every move it made despite its bloated and fat body. When coupled with Wu Heng’s intentional or unintentional assistance, it had the effect of instantaneous movement.
In less than an hour, the endless darkness came into sight. Both parties soon arrived at the place where the two Star Fields were connected. Yang Kai reached out with his mind and immediately created a connection with his Embodiment. More importantly, he felt the power of Heng Luo Star Field filling him. Although he was still in the Grand Desolation Star Field, this place was where the two Star Fields intersected, so it was obvious that he was no longer as suppressed by Wu Heng’s power as before.
Feeling all this, Yang Kai couldn’t help bursting into laughter, “There was a path to the Heavens, but you insisted on barging into Hell! Wu Heng, I really have to thank you!” When the words left his mouth, he rode Gun-Gun and brushed past Wu Heng to rush back to Heng Luo Star Field.
Despite finally sending this powerful enemy away, Wu Heng was not the slightest bit happy. On the contrary, his heart sank. He couldn’t help feeling as though he had made a grave mistake for some reason.
In the next moment, a terrifying force pushing against Wu Heng suddenly came from the boundless darkness. It gave him the feeling that he would have a hard time warding it off. However, Yang Kai’s smiling face appeared in the darkness next, imprinting itself clearly in Wu Heng’s eyes.
“You really are the Star Field’s Master!” Wu Heng exclaimed in shock. A deep wave of regret washed over him. [If I had known, I would never have sent him back!]
He thought Yang Kai wasn’t Heng Luo Star Field’s Master; therefore, he decided to kick him out of the Star Field since he couldn’t possibly just leave him alone, allowing him to mess around in his Star Field behind his back. That way, he could purely concentrate on dealing with the pressure from Heng Luo Star Field without any worries. But now, it looked like he made a huge mistake!
Nevertheless, there was something he couldn’t understand no matter how much he racked his brains over it. If Yang Kai was the Star Field Master, then who was controlling the devouring of Grand Desolation Star Field when Yang Kai had barged in and rampaged about? Could it be that Heng Luo Star Field had two Masters? But, that was impossible! There was only one Star Field Source, so how could it be refined by two different people?
An extremely bold conjecture suddenly came to mind as Wu Heng’s expression became furious.
Gritting his teeth, he growled, “A Soul Clone!”
That was the only explanation for all of his doubts. Yang Kai must have a Soul Clone that he had perfect command over. That was how he managed to infiltrate Grand Desolation Star Field while maintaining the devouring of the Star Field!
Techniques to create Soul Clones were not a secret nor difficult to cultivate. Many Masters had cultivated such Secret Techniques, but normal Soul Clones could not do much. They could, at the most, be used to spy on dangerous situations in place of the original. Hence, it was regarded as a rather useless Secret Technique. Furthermore, cultivating this Secret Technique was very time-consuming and also required a lot of precious resources.
Under normal circumstances, not many would put a lot of effort into cultivating a Secret Technique to create a Soul Clone; after all, this Secret Technique could not be used in a fight where lives were at stake. However, it would seem as though Yang Kai’s Soul Clone was ridiculously powerful. Otherwise, it would not have been able to control the power of the entire Heng Luo Star Field.
The darkness was like a tide that flowed outward in waves, engulfing large portions of the Starry Sky each time. Meanwhile, Wu Heng retreated continuously in complete and utter defeat!
He had found it difficult to hold off the darkness when the Embodiment was controlling the Star Field’s devouring and could only do his best to restrain its onslaught. Now that Yang Kai had returned to the Star Field though, it was only natural that the devouring force was boosted. Coupled with the fact that Grand Desolation Star Field had lost a large part of its Starry Sky recently while Heng Luo Star Field’s territory had expanded as a result, Wu Heng was even less of an opponent for Yang Kai.
[I can’t stop it! I definitely can’t stop it!] Wu Heng’s face was ashen. He had never imagined that temporarily devouring a small piece of a Star Field without a Master would cause such a catastrophe! Yang Kai had just become a Star Field Master recently, so how was he capable of exerting such a powerful force!? Both of them were Star Field Masters so technically, the more experienced Wu Heng should have the upper hand in this battle; unfortunately, reality turned out to be the complete opposite.
With a shift of his body, Wu Heng retreated by another million kilometres.
In the darkness, Yang Kai watched him quietly and mocked, “You want to run? Let’s see where you can escape once I finish devouring all of Grand Desolation Star Field!”
Yang Kai was feeling exhilarated. It was no wonder Wu Heng had the idea of devouring Heng Luo Star Field to become its master. Devouring other Star Fields turned out to be such a pleasurable experience. Moreover, Yang Kai could sense the changes in Heng Luo Star Field as he devoured Grand Desolation Star Field. He made up his mind to devour the entire Grand Desolation Star Field and combine the two Star Fields into one.
[I will soon become the Star Field Master of two Star Fields!]
On the other hand, Wu Heng was strangely calm in the face of Yang Kai’s taunting. He looked like he was resigned to his fate, but his eyes still shone with a glimmer of determination in them.
All of a sudden, Wu Heng took out a jade tablet from his Space Ring. The jade tablet was covered in twinkling lights, as if countless Stars were imprinted inside it. Furthermore, it was giving off a profound and mysterious aura.
Yang Kai could not help frowning when he saw this. They might have been very far apart, but even he could tell that the jade tablet was not an artifact.
[Why is he taking that out at this point in time? I wonder what that jade tablet is? It doesn’t look like an ordinary item.]
Meanwhile, Wu Heng’s expression turned solemn as he formed a set of hand seals and then pointed at the jade tablet in his hand. Then, he lifted it above his head and shouted, “I request the Star Envoy to descend!”
Bits of fluorescent light emerged from the jade tablet without warning. It looked like millions of fireflies were flying out of the jade tablet. These bits of light converged into a dazzling beam that shot straight into the sky. When that beam of light reached the far ends of the sky above his head, a bright white light spread out and converged into a circle spanning several kilometres. That circle was filled with complicated patterns that rotated irregularly, making one dizzy looking at it.
Yang Kai was stunned as those patterns seemed familiar for some reason. Upon taking a closer look, he became dumbfounded. [Isn’t that the Spirit Array pattern I use whenever I arrange a Cross-Territory Space Array? Just what is that jade tablet? How can it construct such a complicated array in an instant!?]
The power of space fluctuated wildly, and a sudden trace of anxiety surged in Yang Kai’s heart. Combining what Wu Heng shouted just now and what he was seeing in front of him, Yang Kai could keenly sense that someone would soon emerge from this array. Sure enough; in the dazzling light, a foot suddenly stepped out of the large circular array. It was as though a banished immortal was falling from the sky as the figure slowly revealed itself.
Yang Kai stared wide-eyed and watched the scene unfolding before him.
To his surprise, the figure turned out to be a handsome man with a feather crest and a feather fan. This man was so handsome that it made Yang Kai feel sick. Moreover, he had a distinctive sword hanging from his waist. It gave him the air of a chivalrous swordmaster. His eyes were closed as he stepped out of the large circular array.
Wu Heng stood there with a solemn expression, looking up at the figure.
Suddenly, the figure opened his eyes. It felt as though his gaze was piercing enough to see through everything in this world.
Wu Heng lowered his head hurriedly as though looking at that person would be deemed disrespectful.
Conversely, Yang Kai felt as though all the hair on his body was standing on end. A strange and inexplicable pressure began weighing on his heart. He wasn’t too sure how powerful Wu Heng was, but Yang Kai figured he was a Third-Order Emperor.
Although Yang Kai had met many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters before, they never gave him much trouble.
However, this feather-crowned man that fell from the sky made Yang Kai feel some difficulty breathing, and that was when the other party wasn’t even targeting him purposefully.
[There’s only one kind of person that can give me this feeling! This person is not in the Emperor Realm! This person must be a Great Emperor! Which Great Emperor is he!?] All the names and faces of the Great Emperors flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, but none of them matched this person. What he found even stranger was that Wu Heng could summon this person.
What was that farce about requesting a Star Envoy to descend? The title of ‘Star Envoy’ existed in Star Soul Palace too, and Xiao Yu Yang happened to be a ‘Golden Star Envoy’ of Star Soul Palace. However, that was not a position in Star Soul Palace; after all, Xiao Yu Yang’s position in Star Soul Palace was as an Elder.
The so-called ‘Star Envoy’ was a title based on the Southern Territory. Star Envoys of Star Soul Palace was mainly responsible for the communication and reconciliation of the conflicts between the major Sects in the Southern Territory. Additionally, Star Envoys held other positions in Star Soul Palace. The two were independent and did not conflict with each other.
This Star Envoy clearly did not belong to Star Soul Palace.
[The feather-crowned man seems to be in the same realm as the Bright Moon Great Emperor. No, he is still weaker than the Bright Moon Great Emperor.] Unfortunately, Yang Kai had limited experience and could not tell how much weaker this person was compared to the Bright Moon Great Emperor.
“Sir!” Wu Heng cupped his fists in greeting.
The feather-crowned man looked down at Wu Heng and asked lightly, “Wu Heng?”
“It is this Wu.”
“How dare you!” The feather-crowned man shouted, his voice striking Wu Heng like a bolt of lightning, causing him to shake from the impact and turn somewhat pale.
“Sir, please forgive me!” Wu Heng lowered his head even more, “I am facing a great emergency and had no choice but to summon you here.”
The feather-crowned man mocked, “You are the Master of this Star Field! What is there that you cannot handle!?”
Wu Heng raised his hand, “Sir, please look over there.”
The feather-crowned man looked in the direction Wu Heng was pointing and saw a limitless darkness stretching out for millions of kilometres, as well as the image of Yang Kai’s appearance in the darkness.
Narrowing his eyes, the feather-crowned man immediately understood the truth of the matter.
When their gazes met, Yang Kai felt his heart clench and he nearly failed to maintain his projection, secretly feeling shocked. This person was definitely a Great Emperor, otherwise, he wouldn’t have felt so much pressure just from a single glance. Even the advancement of the devouring had been somewhat stalled and the speed had slowed down considerably.
Wu Heng sorrowfully explained, “Sir, this person has some grievances with me and is deluded enough that he wants to devour the entire Grand Desolation Star Field without regard for the lives of all the living creatures in this plane! I am no match for him, so I had to seek assistance from Sir!”
The feather-crowned man did not respond, but his gaze on Yang Kai became sharper. It felt as though his eyes could penetrate the barrier between the two Star Fields and look into Yang Kai’s heart. That look suddenly gave Yang Kai an uneasy and uncomfortable feeling so he subconsciously urged the power of the Star Field to push the devouring darkness forward and block him from those prying eyes.
“Impudence!” The feather-crowned man gave a soft shout when he saw this. He seemed to be blaming Yang Kai for not knowing the immensity of Heaven and Earth and for trying to conceal secrets from him. While speaking, he drew the longsword at his waist and lightly slashed in front of himself. It was a silent and extremely plain sword strike, but it rolled up the power of the entire Grand Desolation Star Field to erect an invisible barrier in front of the boundless darkness.
Yang Kai felt as though he had hit his head against a thick wall, which immediately caused a wave of dizziness to wash over him. No matter what else he did, he could not make the darkness advance at all anymore, causing him to feel incredibly shocked.
[Who is this person!? How is he able to do something like that so easily?]
Yang Kai instinctively felt that this power did not belong to the feather-crowned man. If this person was a Great Emperor, he would have been rejected by the Heavenly Way here, let alone be allowed to so arrogantly utilize the power of Grand Desolation Star Field.
The Master of Grand Desolation Star Field was Wu Heng, but this person could easily achieve what Wu Heng couldn’t. Judging by the situation, not only was he not rejected by the Heavenly Way of this Lower Star Field, he was also more skilled at mobilizing the power of the Star Field. In fact, he was more like the Star Field’s Master than Wu Heng was.
[This is bad! Where did this person pop out from!? He seems to have a terrible impression of me and is being hostile towards me. How can I resolve this issue peacefully?] Yang Kai did not know the relationship between this man and Wu Heng; however, the fact that Wu Heng could summon him so easily indicated that there was some kind of connection between them.
When the feather-crowned man stopped Heng Luo Star Field from devouring Grand Desolation Star Field further, an imperceptible expression of joy appeared on Wu Heng’s face. [It was the right decision to call him here after all, even at the risk of being criticized. Only he can prevent my Star Field from being devoured. But, it’s not enough…]
Choosing his words carefully, Wu Heng cautiously continued, “Sir, this Little Brat is wild, ignorant, rebellious, and uncouth. He not only devoured a vast amount of Starry Sky, but also destroyed many Cultivation Stars in the Grand Desolation Star Field. He caused many living creatures to lose their lives. Please punish him severely, Sir…”
The feather-crowned man glanced at Wu Heng coldly with an emotionless gaze, and Wu Heng’s expression stiffened abruptly in response. Despite preparing many more things to say in advance, Wu Heng could not speak another word after receiving that look. He had wanted to borrow the feather-crowned man’s authority to force Yang Kai to return the Starry Sky that had been devoured, only to understand at this very moment that borrowing a tiger’s strength was not that easy. Since Wu Heng had summoned this man here, the latter would stop Yang Kai from devouring any more of the Grand Desolation Star Field out of obligation; however, he would not stand up for Wu Heng for no reason.
If Wu Heng continued speaking any further, he might be punished as well; after all, he had failed to defend his territory as the Star Field Master of Grand Desolation Star Field. Furthermore, his fight with Yang Kai had resulted in the loss of a large area of his territory, something like that could only be blamed on his incompetence.
“Withdraw!” The feather-crowned man shouted softly, looking at the darkness in the distance. Although his tone was flat, his words were absolute.
Yang Kai’s mind went blank for a moment as though he had been affected by something. The urge to turn around and flee budded in him, while at the same time, the darkness that could not advance became turbulent due to the instability of his emotions.
At that moment, a coolness spread out in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea and shocked him back to his senses. The turbulent darkness also stabilized again. Naturally, this was the work of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus that took effect at the critical moment.
Yang Kai even suddenly felt that this person was stronger than all the Great Emperors he had met before.
[A Master like that shouldn’t be some obscure figure, so why doesn’t he match with any of the Great Emperors I know of?] All of a sudden, Yang Kai remembered something he had heard once, ‘There were more than 10 Great Emperors in the world!’
Suddenly understanding, Yang Kai calmed himself and shouted loudly, “May I ask for this Sir’s honoured name?”
No matter who this person was, he was not somebody Yang Kai could contend with right now, not even with the power of Heng Luo Star Field. It might be the best outcome for him if this incident was settled here. In any case, he had already devoured quite a large portion of Grand Desolation Star Field. Although he couldn’t engulf the entire Grand Desolation Star Field, the anger in his heart had long been soothed.
Therefore, Yang Kai was mentally prepared to quit while he was ahead. He only asked out of curiosity as he wanted to know the name of such a Master. After all, there might be a chance for them to meet again in the future and it was not a bad idea to form a good relationship now.
“Are you asking me?” The feather-crowned man stared at Yang Kai coldly with a gaze that was completely devoid of anything, as if nothing in this world could enter his eyes.
“That’s right.” Yang Kai frowned, “Please enlighten me, Sir.”
“You are unworthy,” the feather-crowned man responded indifferently. There was no trace of politeness as he raised his hand and snapped, “Scram now! I will not forgive you if you dare to act like this again!”
An amazing power suddenly swept towards Yang Kai from the front. The power was obviously invisible to the naked eye, but it was as if a giant wave rushed toward him at that moment. He would be crushed to death by those waves if he did not retreat immediately.
If Wu Heng had such power, Yang Kai would have lost in the battle a long time ago. There was no way Yang Kai would have been able to do as he pleased in Grand Desolation Star Field for so long.
Needless to say, the wisest course of action at this time was to retreat while he had the opportunity. That power might be ferocious, but it would not harm him as long as he retreated into Heng Luo Star Field. Unfortunately, the feather-crowned man’s arrogant attitude and scornful tone of voice had angered Yang Kai greatly.
Upon examining his conduct, Yang Kai felt that his tone had been fairly respectful and his attitude had been decent enough. He had already made the decision to end things peacefully, but how could he have known that the humility he showed would make the other party become so scornful and arrogant!
A wave of pride and stubbornness burst forth in Yang Kai’s heart, and communicating with Heng Luo Star Field through his mind, he mobilized the power of the Star Field and the boundless darkness condensed into a solid layer of defence.
*Hong…*
A loud explosion rang out as ripples appeared across the layer of darkness and swiftly spread out to the surroundings.
“Hm?” The feather-crowned man raised his brow, revealing an astonished expression. Although he had only waved his hand casually, his strength and status were so much higher than Yang Kai’s that this scene should have been impossible. That wave of power had contained the condensed power of the entire Grand Desolation Star Field, so he thought that it would be enough to repel Yang Kai. Who could have known that it would arouse Yang Kai’s courage to resist instead?
Wu Heng was surprised at first, but his surprise soon turned to glee. He was shocked to see that Yang Kai had the courage to challenge this person.
[Could it be that he really has no idea who this person is? He will surely learn a painful lesson now!]
In the meantime, the darkness vibrated and churned. The huge projection that Yang Kai was maintaining flickered unsteadily, as if it might fall apart at any moment, but eventually it stabilized.
With a grim and imposing tone, Yang Kai coldly asked, “How am I unworthy?”
Upon hearing those words, Wu Heng nearly laughed out loud.
[He truly is a little brat that doesn’t know his place! I can’t believe he actually dared to challenge him! If I had known this would have happened earlier, I wouldn’t have tried to fan the flames just now. All I needed to do was wait quietly for the situation to develop on its own, and that person would get rid of this pest for me!]
Wu Heng could already imagine himself governing two Star Fields and basking in the glory of being the Masters of two Star Fields.
“This aura…” The feather-crowned man frowned suddenly, his gaze searching the boundless darkness as he asked, “What Secret Art are you cultivating?”
Yang Kai felt his heart skipping a beat, [Not good!]
Although he was using the entire Star Field to activate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law without cultivating it himself, this was the Secret Art created by Wu Kuang after all. It was still known as the most powerful and evil Secret Art ever to be created. Nothing good would come of it if this Secret Art were to fall into the wrong hands. Regardless of whether Yang Kai had used this Secret Art to do evil, just possessing the Heaven Devouring Battle Law could be considered a great sin.
[I can’t believe that this feather-crowned man managed to perceive a trace of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law just from examining the darkness. He truly does have sharp eyes!]
Even so, Yang Kai did not respond to the question and changed the topic instead, demanding in a forceful tone, “How am I unworthy?”
The darkness seemed to become more and more violent and unrestrained in response to the ups and downs of Yang Kai’s mood, like it was trying to break through its shackles and continue to devour Grand Desolation Star Field.
“Interesting,” the feather-crowned man nodded lightly before he flicked his longsword without warning and thrust it straight out. At the same time, his entire being transformed into a stream of light as both sword and man merged into one. Crossing a distance of millions of kilometres in a flash, his sword thrust seemed to leap across space to pierce the darkness.
Yang Kai’s image swayed. Unable to maintain the giant projection any longer, it suddenly collapsed. He had been communicating with Heng Luo Star Field with his mind, essentially merging with the boundless darkness that devoured the Starry Sky; therefore, when the feather-crowned man’s sword pierced the darkness, it was equivalent to piercing him in the flesh.
As a result, his Soul Avatar flickered and his consciousness returned to his body. All he could feel was a splitting headache that threatened to make his head explode. Additionally, golden stars were swimming in front of his eyes as his vision blurred.
The Sword Qi slashed through his Knowledge Sea’s defences and rampaged wildly, causing the waves of flames inside chaotically. Swiftly though, the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus began to rotate and a seven-coloured light covered Yang Kai’s entire Knowledge Sea, repairing his damaged Soul.
Yang Kai felt much better after that sense of coolness washed over him. Lifting his gaze to look, a chill ran down the back of his neck. At some point in time, the feather-crowned man had approached until he stood not far away from Yang Kai. However, he didn’t even spare a single glance at Yang Kai as his burning gaze was fixed on Gun-Gun, who was right next to Yang Kai.
The feather-crowned man had been incredibly cold and emotionless ever since he appeared. Similarly, his eyes were empty and indifferent. It was as though he looked down on everybody and everything. It wasn’t until this moment when Gun-Gun appeared that he looked interested in something.
Yang Kai could clearly discern a possessive desire in those eyes.
Gun-Gun was the manifestation of the Will of the Small Sealed World. It could also be regarded as the Artifact Spirit of the Sealed World Bead. After devouring five or six Cultivation Stars, its body had grown to a truly massive size. It also grew a mouthful of fangs and a long tail. It had the appearance of a fat tadpole.
Its birth had been a lucky coincidence. It was something Yang Kai had never anticipated. While he was spending his day swimming through Grand Desolation Star Field like a fish in water, he had considered the question of whether Gun-Gun’s existence or the change in the Small Sealed World would be incompatible with the existence of Heng Luo Star Field for him.
He was the Star Field Master of Heng Luo Star Field, as well as the Master of the Small Sealed World. All things considered; he was the Master of two worlds. Unfortunately, one could end up too greedy and bite off more than one could chew. This was especially true for cultivators. Having more worlds might not necessarily be a good thing. If Yang Kai wanted to gain insight into World Force, his best bet would be to do so with the assistance of Heng Luo Star Field; after all, the Small Sealed World could not compare to a whole Star Field in certain aspects.
Yang Kai originally thought that the ownership of the two worlds would be redundant to him and that sooner or later, one of them would become useless to him; however, looking at the feather-crowned man’s gaze at this moment, he immediately understood that he was wrong. Heng Luo Star Field was not incompatible with the Small Sealed World. In the same vein, the Small Sealed World was not inferior to a complete Star Field either. It could even be said that the value of the Small Sealed World was far greater than a Star Field in some aspects that he was unaware about. Otherwise, why would this feather-crowned man show such a look?
Yang Kai moved to stand in front of the feather-crowned man and forced the man to look at him. The feather-crowned man seemed slightly annoyed, but the annoyance in his eyes disappeared quickly and he asked, “Is this Small World yours?”
Yang Kai knew that he was not asking about Heng Luo Star Field, but the Small Sealed World. It was not strange for somebody with such sharp eyes to see through Gun-Gun’s essence. It would have been stranger if he had failed to do so.
“What difference does it make to you whether it belongs to me or not?”
“If it doesn’t belong to you, I will be taking it away with me. Even if it does belong to you, I will still be taking it away with me.”
“Then, why did you even bother asking?” Yang Kai lowered his eyebrows.
The feather-crowned man shook his head, “It’s only right for me to ask. Although I am stronger than you, I don’t seize things by force!”
“What’s this? Are you going to propose an exchange?”
“That’s right.” He nodded, “This Small World will be very useful to me. Name your price, I will pay whatever you desire.”
Yang Kai shook his head in response, “I apologize, but it is also very useful to me.”
He might not understand why the other party was so enthusiastic about Gun-Gun for the time being, but there was no way he could exchange it for some paltry benefits. It might play a huge role in his future, but even if it turns out to be useless, Yang Kai still refused to exchange it for anything else with this man.
“Leaving it in your hands is a waste.”
“How is it a waste?” Yang Kai’s expression darkened. There should be a limit to how much one can look down on another. He didn’t deny that this man’s strength was superb, far stronger than his own, but there was also an enormous gap in the number of years they had spent cultivating.
Yang Kai still had some qualms about stirring up trouble though, otherwise, he would have retorted with the words ‘Don’t bully the young for being poor’ as a way to snub the feather-crowned man. Nevertheless, he realized that he wasn’t that young anymore either, having long outgrown his juvenile years, so he decided against speaking up.
“Boy, you should be a little more self-aware,” the feather-crowned man scolded impatiently. His expression seemed to say ‘You should feel honoured that I am interested in something of yours.’
“You will not suffer any losses in making an exchange with me. I can even arrange for you to obtain the neighbouring Star Field. You can devour and refine it as much as you want. I can even give you its Star Field Source.”
With a few simple words, he determined the fate of Grand Desolation Star Field, making Yang Kai wonder how Wu Heng would have reacted if he heard those words?
Yang Kai shook his head again, “I refuse!”
The feather-crowned man said, “I promise to help you break through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm within 10 years.”
Yang Kai glared at the feather-crowned man, “What’s this? Are you trying to bribe and extort me since you can’t seize it by force?”
Even if this person turned out to be a Great Emperor, it wasn’t as if Yang Kai had never met a Grand Emperor before. He even fought side-by-side with one of the Great Emperors, so how could he be intimidated by this person’s aura?
[Provoke me, and I’ll show you my 200-metre Half-Dragon Form! You’ll learn what a sea of Dragon Pressure feels like!]
“Boy, if you refuse to take the easy way out, then I’ll have you take the hard way!” The feather-crowned man’s expression sank. It was clear that he was utterly furious. He felt that he had been extremely sincere. Even for him, giving away a Star Field on top of a promise to break through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm within 10 years would require him to pay a huge price. He was only asking for a Small World in exchange, but to his surprise, the other party refused to agree to the conditions.
Yang Kai grinned, “I refuse both the easy way out and the hard way out.” While he was speaking, the power of the vast Starry Sky pressed down and covered the feather-crowned man like a hood.
[I need to strike first!] Although Yang Kai had not known this feather-crowned man for long, he could tell that this person was not a patient man, and since he was determined not to exchange the Small Sealed World with him, a confrontation was inevitable. Compared to passively being beaten up, Yang Kai figured taking the initiative to make a pre-emptive strike was the better option. Who knows, he might actually stand a chance if he acted decisively enough.
In an instant, the space where the feather-crowned man stood turned into a solid cage. Space Principles fluctuated violently, and countless Void Cracks appeared around him like fish swimming around in his surroundings.
Yang Kai might only be a First-Order Emperor, but he was also the Master of Heng Luo Star Field. Even if the opponent was a Great Emperor, it would not be easy for him to take on the power of an entire Star Field.
Looking up though, Yang Kai felt his heart sink. He was dumbfounded by the sight and nearly doubted his eyes. Although the feather-crowned man’s defence seemed to be full of flaws, his surroundings remained untouched and the power of the Star Field Yang Kai had mobilized against him could not touch him at all, only hover around him.
The feather-crowned man was wearing a treasured garment that was glowing with starlight, which blocked out all of Yang Kai’s powers and at this moment seemed slightly surprised. He had clearly not expected Yang Kai to be so reckless as to attack him; hence, he was so furious that he laughed instead while shouting, “You court death!”
If Yang Kai had not made a move, he would only have snatched the Small Sealed World by force. A Star Field Master was not somebody that could be killed on a whim, and his duty did not allow him to do so. Besides, it would be troublesome if his enemies used this incident against him in the future; however, since Yang Kai was the one who took the initiative to provoke him, it wouldn’t matter if he killed Yang Kai off just like that. Nobody could criticize him for it either.
Then, the feather-crowned man pulled out the sword at his waist and slashed forward with it while shouting, “Sever!”
An intangible but extremely mysterious power burst forth that did not cause any harm to Yang Kai, but still made his entire body shudder.
A moment later, Yang Kai exclaimed in shock, “How is this possible!?”
Those words had always been used by his enemies and it wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai understood the feelings of the many opponents he had faced when they spoke those words. It was unbelievable, beyond imagination, and completely incomprehensible! When the sword of the feather-crowned man fell, it had cut off the connection between him and Heng Luo Star Field!
Yang Kai had spent a lot of time and energy refining the Star Chart, which was the Source of Heng Luo Star Field, to become the Master of this Star Field. The connection formed by this refining process went deep into his Soul and should be impossible to sever unless somebody managed to kill him. Yet, the feather-crowned man made the impossible into the possible with only a light wave of his sword.
The surging power of the Star Field was no longer being driven, and it spread out all at once. Yang Kai tried his best to communicate with the Star Chart, but he couldn’t make it react at all. It felt as though there was a shackle locking up the entire Star Field Source, making his advantage as a Star Field Master disappear.
“How dare you attack me!?” The feather-crowned man lashed out with his sword. He did not take the opportunity to kill Yang Kai though and instead looked down at him disdainfully and declared, “I am the Star Envoy of the Star Court in charge of countless Star Fields. How dare you attack me!?”
“The Star Court!?” Yang Kai’s expression changed. [That really is a mysterious and long-lost name.]
He knew about the existence of the Star Court. It was said that the surviving Great Emperors created it after the Great Emperor War. It was made to prevent someone like Wu Kuang from reappearing again. Its purpose was to seal and suppress the passage to the Lower Star Fields, and protect and monitor the inhabitants of those Star Fields. It would not take the initiative to intervene in the affairs of the Star Field, leaving them to their own devices and allowing them to fend for themselves. If another Wu Kuang appeared though, the Star Court would definitely take action.
The Star Court was so mysterious that not many people in the entire Star Boundary knew about its existence. When Yang Kai was trying to return to Heng Luo Star Field back then, he went around collecting a lot of information. At the time, somebody had told him that he could go to any Star Field he wanted through the Star Court. Unfortunately, that person did not tell him where to find the Star Court.
The only reason he was able to return to Heng Luo Star Field was thanks to Wu Kuang. Had Wu Kuang not used the power of the Dragon Palace to forcefully break through the World Barriers and form a Cross-World Void Corridor, Yang Kai would have needed to go to the Star Court to find a way to return.
The Masters of the Star Court were as numerous as clouds; moreover, it was overseen by a Great Emperor at all times. Rumour had it that the Iron Blood Great Emperor was currently in charge of the Star Court.
[No wonder… No wonder this feather-crowned man managed to cut my connection with Heng Luo Star Field and render my greatest strength useless with a single swing of his sword.] It was only natural for the other party to have this ability since he was a Star Envoy from the Star Court, an organization that supervised thousands of Star Fields.
The treasure garments the feather-crowned man was wearing and the sword at his waist were probably refined specially with Lower Star Fields in mind, to protect him from or reduce the rejection of World Principles when he visited these Star Fields.
Yang Kai had the vague feeling now that this person was not comparable to the Ten Great Emperors but rather that it was a combination of circumstances created by the environment they were in combined with the feather-crowned man’s status.
“Oh? You don’t know about the existence of the Star Court?” The feather-crowned man looked at Yang Kai carefully and nodded, “So that’s how it is. It hasn’t been long since you became a Star Field Master. No wonder you are so reckless.”
Generally speaking, anybody who became a Star Field Master of any Star Field was required to register with the Star Court. That was the case for Wu Heng, and the same held true for the other Star Field Masters.
Every Star Field Master was a Master from the Star Boundary. They couldn’t become a Star Field Master without reaching the Third-Order Emperor Realm. All of them had to go through the Star Court to obtain the qualification to refine a Star Field. Once the refinement process was successful, they had to report to the Star Court as soon as possible to register their name with the Star Court. This registry was both a constraint and a responsibility.
In other words, a Star Field Master was subjected to the administration and constraints set by the Star Court. They couldn’t do whatever they wanted in their Star Fields. Otherwise, a Star Field Master would be fully capable of destroying the entire Star Field if they wanted to.
In a way, the feather-crowned man could be regarded as the immediate superior of Star Field Masters like Yang Kai. If this were not the case, Wu Heng, who was a Third-Order Emperor, would never be so humble and eager to curry favour with this person.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai was completely clueless about this. He had jumped right into this without knowing anything and bypassed the Star Court to refine Heng Luo Star Field on his own. It was only to be expected that he was not in awe when he heard that someone was a Stay Envoy from the Star Court.
The feather-crowned man raised his sword above his head. His figure was as majestic as a mountain at this moment. It wasn’t that he had grown bigger; it was simply that his aura had increased sharply, shooting up to the Heavens as he shouted, “Boy, on account that cultivating must not have been easy for you, I will spare your life if you offer up that Small World to me.”
Yang Kai shouted resolutely, “In your dreams!”
“You court death!” A cold light flashed across the feather-crowned man’s eyes. His longsword slashed downward, the sword light flaring brightly. The power was unimaginable, and for a moment, only the noble bearing of this sword existed in this world.
It wasn’t a profound sword technique, just a simple slash, nevertheless, it seemed to block off all of Yang Kai’s paths of retreat and created the sense that there was no way to avoid it.
*Shua…*
Light flashed by as the longsword stopped in mid-motion. Yang Kai had raised his arms and caught the blade of the sword between his palms just above his head, sending several strands of hair flying and turning into dust from the residual Sword Qi.
“Hm?” The feather-crowned man was slightly surprised. There was no way he could have predicted that Yang Kai would be able to stop his sword like this; after all, that attack was something even Wu Heng could do nothing against. This boy’s aura doesn’t even compare to Wu Heng’s though, so how was it possible for him to be completely unscathed?
Even if he thought like that, the feather-crowned man didn’t seem bothered by this unexpected surprise. He simply put more strength into his attack and pressed the longsword down even harder.
Yang Kai instantly felt as though a large mountain was pressing down on his head; moreover, the weight continued to increase without stopping. It gave off the impression that it wouldn’t be satisfied until he was crushed flat.
Lifting his gaze, Yang Kai saw that the feather-crowned man was looking at him mockingly, as if admiring the struggles of an ant.
Rage flared up in Yang Kai’s heart, fuelling his impulse to defy the feather-crowned man. At that moment, his left eye turned into a majestic golden vertical slit. Furthermore, a sabre burst out from that eye and pierced through the air, stabbing toward the feather-crowned man.
“A Soul-type Emperor Artifact!?” The feather-crowned man’s eyes lit up at the sight. He was not affected by the Demon Eye of Annihilation and instantly figured out the essence of the Soul Splitting Saber.
Emperor Artifacts were nothing special to him, but Soul-type Emperor Artifacts were incredibly rare. Although the Soul Splitting Saber was extraordinary, it wasn’t enough to make him greedy for it though. What he really wanted was the Small Sealed World. That was the item that would greatly benefit his cultivation. Even so, he was curious as to why such a young man would possess something so impressive. An ordinary Emperor Realm Master would never have such a heritage.
Releasing his Divine Sense, the feather-crowned man silently deployed a layer of defence around his Knowledge Sea.
*Hong…*
The next instant, a tremor rang out from the depths of his Soul. The defences he had hurriedly laid out had failed to make any difference and a pure blast of Spiritual Energy from the sabre carved out a long ravine into his Knowledge Sea, as if trying to split his Soul in half, sending the waves crashing and churning violently.
The feather-crowned man groaned as a stabbing pain radiated from his head. Just the Soul Splitting Saber alone would most likely not have been able to cause any harm to him; after all, it was difficult for him to be injured given the difference in his cultivation and Yang Kai’s. However, Yang Kai had used his Heaven Severing Slash in conjunction with his Soul Splitting Saber, so the power behind that attack was not as simple as two different attacks stacking on top of each other.
It had been many years since the last time Yang Kai used the Soul Splitting Saber, and over those years, he had constantly been nourishing the Soul Splitting Saber with his Spiritual Energy. As a result, it had accumulated an extremely terrifying amount of power. Combined with the Secret Technique taught to him by Tian Yan, his attack had been successful.
“Boy…” The feather-crowned man’s face instantly became ugly, his shame transforming into rage. He had never expected to suffer damage from Yang Kai. It was as though he had carelessly been bitten by an ant that he could have squashed with a finger.
*Hong…* A huge fist suddenly filled the feather-crowned man’s vision though and an overwhelming force smashed into him head-on, blowing him away like a meteor, causing him to disappear in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai straightened up from the punch he threw. At some point, his body had turned into a 200-metre long Half-Dragon Form. He had Dragon Horns on his head and a Dragon Tail at his back while his exposed skin was also covered in Dragon Scales. It was an imposing and majestic sight to behold as he shouted, “Old dog! Are you done calling me a ‘boy’ yet!?”
Before Yang Kai finished his sentence though, a cold light flashed as the feather-crowned man and his sword came flying at him from a few tens of thousands of kilometres away. He appeared in front of Yang Kai in a flash, and his sword stabbed at Yang Kai’s head.
In response, Yang Kai reached out with his Dragon Claw and grabbed at the longsword.
A loud clanging sound of metal against metal rang out, sparks flew, and Dragon Scales cracked. Gripping the long sword tightly, Yang Kai seemed unconcerned with the damage the sharp edge of the blade was causing him, even allowing the unparalleled Sword Qi to rush into his body and go on a rampage, destroying his body. All the while, Yang Kai single-handedly prepared a Secret Technique with his other Dragon Claw as a strange Principle Strength began surging around his figure.
“This is…” The feather-crowned man lowered his gaze as he felt time stopping for a moment before flowing again, causing his five senses to experience a sense of vertigo, “Time Principles!”
“Time Flows on Infinitely!” Yang Kai struck at the feather-crowned man with his palm, his expression completely solemn.
“Time Flies Seal!” The feather-crowned man’s complexion changed slightly for the first time as he even blurted out the name of this Divine Ability. It was obvious that he recognized this move as the signature Divine Ability of the Flowing Time Great Emperor! A trace of hesitation flitted across his eyes, but quickly turned into a look of determination as he swiftly pulled back and put some distance between them.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Yang Kai’s palm smashed out and the feather-crowned man was enveloped in the power of the Time Flies Seal.
Conversely, Yang Kai frowned. Lifting his gaze, he saw the feather-crowned man’s body flickering several dozen metres away, appearing to resist the corrosion of the Time Principles and a moment later, completely dispel his Divine Ability.
A few dozen metres away, the feather-crowned man took a serious look at Yang Kai for the first time. [A Half-Dragon Form… Plus, he has also cultivated the Time Flies Seal… Just where did this boy come from?]
Although the power of the Time Flies Seal that Yang Kai had exhibited was much weaker than that of the Flowing Time Great Emperor, it still involved the extremely mysterious Time Principles and the feather-crowned man knew he would have gotten injured if he had not pulled back at that moment. It wasn’t that he couldn’t withstand such a minor injury, but it would have taken a lot of effort to free himself from the erosion of the Time Principles once affected by them. There was no reason to expose himself to danger on purpose, so he stepped back instead of engaging in a frontal confrontation.
“Boy, what is your name?” The feather-crowned man stared at Yang Kai with a cautious look.
The Time Flies Seal by itself was nothing noteworthy; after all, the Flowing Time Great Emperor had fallen long ago. Even if Yang Kai had inherited the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability by chance, it only meant that he had incredible luck so there was nothing to be wary about or jealous of.
However, the 200-metre long Half-Dragon Form Yang Kai had assumed gave the feather-crowned man an unsettling feeling that he could not overlook. It was only a Half-Dragon Form, but it felt as if he was facing a True Dragon! He had never heard of anyone who managed to cultivate their Half-Dragon Form to such an extent.
“Are you asking for my name?” Yang Kai grinned at the feather-crowned man, his left hand still gripping the other party’s longsword firmly, fresh blood dripping down his arm. When the feather-crowned man backed away just now, he had wanted to bring the longsword away with him. Nevertheless, how could he succeed against Yang Kai’s brute force? He had no choice but to leave his sword behind.
The moment the feather-crowned man heard those words, a bad feeling rose up in him as he hurriedly said, “It’s fine, I don’t want to…”
“You’re not worthy!” Yang Kai laughed loudly with the arrogant appearance of finally achieving his revenge.
The feather-crowned man’s expression darkened. How could he not know that Yang Kai had repeated the words he originally said back to him?
His face turning grim, he formed a seal and shouted, “Come! My sword!”
Although his longsword was in Yang Kai’s hands, it was still his Artifact, and was connected to his Soul. Yang Kai could not actually take it away from him and it would only take a single thought for him to retrieve it. That was why he had backed away without any hesitation just now.
Following that command, the longsword in Yang Kai’s grasp began to pulse and vibrate. It was clearly trying to break free of his control.
Sword Qi flashed wildly, rushing into Yang Kai’s arms, trying to destroy his flesh and meridians.
*Peng peng peng…*
One bloody hole after another exploded along Yang Kai’s arm as Sword Qi rampaged out along with his blood. Gritting his teeth, however, Yang Kai tightened his grip and refused to let go, his face twisting in pain, making him look particularly menacing.
The feather-crowned man watched this scene and sneered, “You are but an ant trying to shake a tree. Don’t overestimate yourself, boy.”
“Cows are flying in the sky!” Yang Kai raised his head to look at the feather-crowned man, his eyes flashing.
The feather-crowned man was startled and thought that Yang Kai had used some strange trick again, quickly raising his head and glancing up. However, there was nothing there.
Yang Kai smiled seeing this and mocked, “They were killed by your stink!”
The feather-crowned man froze for a moment hearing this outrageous line, but when he came back to his senses, his face twitched visibly and he formed a new seal with his hands and shouted louder, “Come!”
In that instant, the Sword Qi between Yang Kai’s fingers went wild and released a huge amount of light. It felt as though what he held wasn’t a sword but a Star that was about to explode. Even his Dragon Transformation could not withstand those sharp bursts of Sword Qi and pieces of his flesh were sliced off, revealing the bone underneath.
“I’ll never give it back to you!” Yang Kai shouted madly.
Glancing around him, his eyes lit up all of a sudden. Shifting slightly, he appeared in front of Gun-Gun in a flash then he heaved with all his might and threw the longsword directly into Gun-Gun’s mouth.
Gun-Gun swallowed it with a gulp and after that, it closed its mouth as its huge body suddenly began to expand and contract violently.
“You…” The feather-crowned man was both shocked and furious. He did not expect to be robbed of his Artifact in a battle like this. A deep wave of shame washed over him and he couldn’t wait to crush Yang Kai into dust immediately to vent the hatred in his heart.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai cackled before glancing down at his left hand. His arm was a bloody mess, and he didn’t even have the strength to lift it up anymore. As for his palm, it was now just bone. Even so, there was not a trace of pain on his face, only a kind of joyful madness.
Losing an arm in exchange for his opponent’s sword was not a loss!
“You! Court! Death!” The feather-crowned man enunciated each word clearly. He stopped paying attention to his long sword as after being swallowed by Gun-Gun, there was no way to get it back immediately no matter how powerful he was. It was as if his sword had been exiled to another world; thus, the connection between him and it became extremely weak.
Be that as it may be, the feather-crowned man’s strength did not come from his sword. Even if his Artifact was taken away, he still had a hundred ways to kill the young man in front of him.
Yang Kai stretched out his little finger, dug at his ears, and casually said, “I’ve heard those words so many times that my ears are about to fall off. Go ahead and kill me if you can!”
“As you wish!” The feather-crowned man’s furious expression abruptly became calm again. He took several strides forward and appeared in front of Yang Kai as silently as a ghost where he clenched his fist with his thumb pointing forward and imprinted his thumbprint against Yang Kai’s Dragon Head.
The speed of his attack was not fast. On the contrary, it was extremely slow. It was so slow that it could almost be described as the speed of a tortoise crawling. In a fight between Masters, victory or defeat could be decided in the blink of an eye; however, he seemed to be doing the exact opposite. His attitude was so nonchalant that it was as if he was about to crush a bug.
Yang Kai reacted solemnly though as he watched the other party shove his thumb against his forehead, the illusion of being crushed growing within him. His entire body stiffened, and he couldn’t move a single muscle. Moreover, he could see space collapsing as that fist gradually approached him.
[If that attack lands on my head, it will definitely explode!]
Opening his mouth abruptly, Yang Kai let loose a Dragon Roar that could shake the Stars. A violent force erupted from his mouth, making the feather-crowned man’s clothes and hair whip about wildly. It seemed as though a large Dragon was flying through the feather-crowned man’s Knowledge Sea, causing it to roil and daze him.
“Dragon Breath!” The feather-crowned man’s brow twitched as the situation was becoming more and more unbelievable.
Although the Dragon Clan were few in numbers and rarely appeared in public, he had fought with a member of the Dragon Clan several years back; therefore, he knew a little bit about how Dragons fought, and one of the most characteristic attacks was their Dragon Breath. This was not a Secret Technique but rather an Innate Divine Ability. Dragon Breath had extraordinary power and was in no way inferior to the most powerful Secret Techniques. Moreover, it was extremely convenient and easy to use since it was an innate ability. This was the advantage of being born as a Divine Spirit, something other beings simply could never match up to.
The moment Yang Kai opened his mouth, the feather-crowned man immediately felt the power of a Dragon Breath forming. Moreover, this Dragon Breath was extremely pure, almost as if it were the Dragon Breath of an actual Dragon Clan member. The Dragon he had fought a long time ago had just reached a mature state and had an Eighth-Order Dragon Vein, but the Dragon Breath he shot seemed to be weaker than that of the young man standing in front of him right now.
[What is going on!? Even if this boy cultivated some sort of Secret Technique that allowed him to transform into a Half-Dragon, he shouldn’t be able to shoot out such a pure Dragon Breath!] There were all sorts of Secret Techniques related to the Dragon Clan in the Star Boundary, but there were no Secret Techniques that could achieve this.
The raised thumb stopped an arm’s length in front of Yang Kai’s forehead and couldn’t press forward anymore.
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened seeing this and grinned, “I see. It’s not like you aren’t affected by the suppression at all!”
He finally understood something. This man might be a Star Envoy or something from the Star Court and might be in charge of hundreds of Star Fields, but he was still unable to act as he pleased after descending to a Lower Star Field. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he had lost his sword, but regardless of the reason, it was obvious that this feather-crowned man was unable to exert his full strength at the moment!
Yang Kai’s confidence increased greatly knowing this. The connection between him and Heng Luo Star Field might have been severed and he could not utilise the various perks of being a Star Field Master, but even so, he had one major advantage over his opponents in this Star Field and that was he was not under any form of suppression! The Star Field’s World Principles no longer rejected his existence; therefore, he could wield all his strength freely provided he did not care about causing damage to the Star Field.
[I’ll be fighting a suppressed enemy at my strongest! There’s nothing to be afraid of even if this old dog is a Great Emperor.]
“Let’s see you act all arrogant in front of me now!” Saying so, something appeared in Yang Kai’s right hand. It was a small bell that rapidly began to spin and enlarge. Soon, it was several tens of metres tall.
Grabbing the bell as if holding a brick in his hand, Yang Kai pounded it towards the feather-crowned man’s head.
The feather-crowned man looked stunned as he could feel an indescribable force of suppression enveloping him, giving him the impression that escaping was impossible.
At this point, it was already too late to back off. Just as Yang Kai had hypothesized, the restraints and constraints binding him had increased after losing his sword so he was unable to unleash his full strength in this Star Field. Otherwise, he would not have performed so poorly.
Steeling himself, the feather-crowned man gathered all of his strength and forced his thumb to press down towards Yang Kai’s forehead again.
Initially, he had hoped that Yang Kai would back down in the face of danger; that way, they could avoid the ending where both sides perished together, but contrary to his expectations, Yang Kai showed no intention of stopping whatsoever. The large bell slammed into his head with a loud clanging sound that reverberated in his ears, causing a wave of dizziness to wash over him, sending him flying once more. The Artifact Armour he was wearing flashed wildly, and if not for its protection, the consequences of this attack would have been dire.
Similarly, Yang Kai’s Dragon Head was also knocked backwards so hard that he nearly broke his neck. Folded at an odd angle, Yang Kai’s towering body was thrown out and froze up in an awkward position.
*Shua…*
The feather-crowned man returned after getting blown away, his expression filled with a lingering sense of dread as his complexion had gone pale. Although the Artifact Armour he was wearing had helped to offset most of the damage, that pure brute strength was not something that could be defended against. Most of his internal organs were still churning from that blow, and he could taste blood in the back of his throat. Glancing at the 200-metre long Half-Dragon body, his expression was extremely complicated.
If anybody had told him that there was someone who could injure him in a Lower Star Field, he would have never believed them no matter what. However, somebody had truly managed to do just that.
His gaze went to the large bell Yang Kai was holding in his hand still. There were plants, birds, fish, beasts, mountains, and rivers depicted on the bell in extremely lifelike carvings. Moreover, it was exuding an extremely ancient and desolate aura as if it had travelled through time and space from the primordial era.
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!” He narrowed his eyes at the sight before a look of ecstasy flashed across his face.
This was an extremely famous Ancient Exotic Artifact, one that allowed Yuan Ding to rise to the position of Great Emperor. As such, it was understandably of immense value. Unfortunately, the Mountains and Rivers Bell disappeared with the death of the Yuan Ding Great Emperor after the end of the Great Emperor War.
The feather-crowned man had heard that somebody had obtained the Mountains and Rivers Bell in the Shattered Star Sea a few years ago, but he did not know the specific details. It wasn’t until he witnessed it with his own eyes that he realized that this young man was the lucky person who obtained the Mountains and Rivers Bell back then.
[No wonder the force of that blow was so powerful that even I couldn’t defend against it. After all, it was delivered with the Mountains and Rivers Bell!]
The Mountains and Rivers Bell was no ordinary Emperor Rank Artifact as even a Great Emperor would benefit greatly from obtaining it. In other words, what harmed him wasn’t Yang Kai, but the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
When the bell tolled, it subdued mountains and rivers alike. All Emperor Aura would stagnate before it.
[I made the right decision to come here! Not only can I obtain a Small World, but the Mountains and Rivers Bell will also fall into my hands! With these, I will surely join the ranks of the ten Great Emperors in the future!]
If the Small Sealed World was something he coveted, then the Mountains and Rivers Bell was something that he was determined to obtain no matter what. This Ancient Exotic Artifact was much more valuable than this Small World, even though the Small World was no inferior item either.
With those thoughts in mind, his lips became a little dry. Reaching out, he grabbed at the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
A strange feeling flooded his body the moment he came into contact with the bell. It gave him a sense of elevation and made him even more aware of how extraordinary the Mountains and Rivers Bell was. Consequently, he became even more determined to possess it.
For some reason though, the Mountains and Rivers Bell did not move when he pulled at it.
*Kachaca…*
The sound of bones being dislocated rang out at that moment, startling the feather-crowned man, and when he looked up, he saw that Yang Kai’s head, which should have been snapped off his neck, getting back into position again. There was a bloody hole on Yang Kai’s forehead that was trickling with Golden Blood, staining his cheeks.
“You…” The feather-crowned man was astonished. [He took my Divine Ability head-on! How is he unharmed!?]
“Old dog, I’m not dead yet!” Yang Kai put some strength into his arm all of a sudden and snatched the Mountains and Rivers Bell back before the feather-crowned man could notice.
Then, the feather-crowned man watched as Yang Kai turned the bell around and brought it down on his head while shouting, “Suppression!”
Immediately following that, the plants, birds, fish, beasts, mountains, and rivers depicted on the bell looked like they had come alive and a force that was far more terrifying than before came crashing down on him.
The feather-crowned man looked like he didn’t have enough time to react and was covered by the Mountains and Rivers Bell; however, Yang Kai did not rejoice. On the contrary, he turned a slightly surprised look over at the feather-crowned man, who had appeared a few hundred metres away at some point in time and was currently staring at him with a frown.
[Was it an afterimage?]
“Suppression!” Tossing the Mountains and Rivers Bell into the air, Yang Kai cast a Secret Technique with one hand to control it. The mouth of the bell was like the gaping maw of a wild beast as it tried to swallow the feather-crowned man whole.
The feather-crowned man moved about erratically, advancing at times and retreating at others. He moved back and forth without any fixed pattern, but even so, he continuously managed to avoid being suppressed by the Mountains and Rivers Bell at the last moment.
He no longer had the careless and contemptuous expression on his face from before as it seemed as though he had re-evaluated Yang Kai’s strength. After suffering at the hands of this boy on multiple occasions, he had to admit that this boy had the strength to make him fight seriously.
A voice incessantly floated into Yang Kai’s ears, “Treasures make an innocent man guilty. Boy, you should understand this principle too. Putting aside the Small World in your possession, just by holding onto the Mountains and Rivers Bell is enough to attract all sorts of people and trouble to you. Why don’t you obediently hand it over to me instead? Do so and I promise you will never want for anything again in the future.”
“Fuck you!” Yang Kai responded happily.
The feather-crowned man continued, “It seems you choose death.”
Yang Kai laughed riotously, “Although you have nothing worthy of my attention, that life of yours looks pretty good. Why don’t you obediently hand it over to me instead? I promise to give you a quick death!”
“A sharp tongue and foolish bravado,” The feather-crowned man slowly shook his head as if feeling regret that Yang Kai was not living up to his expectations. His entire body paused for a moment then as he stared at Yang Kai coldly.
Feeling his entire body going cold all of a sudden, Yang Kai quickly pushed the Mountains and Rivers Bell without any hesitation. The Mountains and Rivers Bell shone with waves of light, sealing off the space in their surroundings and suppressing everything within. Following that, his vision blurred for a moment and he lost sight of the feather-crowned man.
Meanwhile, a green and opaque giant palm came crashing down. It was accompanied by a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering force that rushed at him. Even a Star would be crushed to pieces by that palm strike, much less his 200-metre-long Half-Dragon Body.
[Is this his full strength!?] Yang Kai was shocked as he realized that even suppressed, a Great Emperor was still a Great Emperor! This man’s cultivation was probably not inferior to any of the Great Emperors he had met before. The carelessness from before was just that he had not gotten serious yet.
[Can I defend against such an attack!?] This question appeared in Yang Kai’s heart for a moment before it melted away like snow under the sun and was replaced by determination.
[I must defend against it! I will die if I don’t!]
A resounding Dragon Roar came from Yang Kai’s mouth, one that was mixed with a mysterious and obscure language that sounded like a chant from ancient times, agitating all the Stars in the Starry Sky.