This was a peculiar race that had almost gone extinct. Their clansmen were inherently weak and did not have much fighting ability, but they had a unique talent for cultivating plants.
It was rumoured that in ancient times, powerful cultivators liked to subdue one or two Wood Spirits to help take care of their medicine gardens. The quantity and quality of the harvested herbs in a medicine garden of 100,000 acres would increase by 30% as long as there was a Wood Spirit living in it. They were the darlings of nature and extremely rare existences.
As the years went by, the world continuously experienced changes. The topography of Stars in the Star Fields as well as the Star Boundary itself continued to evolve and develop. Similarly, changes among the species were common occurrences. Conversely, the Ancient Wild Lands had not changed since ancient times. That was why there were many rare creatures in this place that could not be found in the outside world.
The Wood Spirits were one such example, as were the Stone Spirits. These two races supported and depended on each other, forming a kind of symbiotic relationship. The Stone Spirit Clan provided the Wood Spirits with powerful protection while on the other hand, the Wood Spirit Clan granted the Stone Spirit Clan the ability to fly in battle. Without the help of the Wood Spirit Clan, the Stone Spirits could only fight on the ground, often resulting in them suffering heavy losses.
More than ten exquisite Wood Spirits flew towards Yang Kai and gathered around him like a bunch of curious butterflies.
“Hello,” Yang Kai smiled.
Both the Wood Spirits and Stone Spirits were very cloistered races. Under normal circumstances, they refused to interact with the outside world. Many of the Monster Race living in the Ancient Wild Lands had never even seen them before, only hearing stories of their existence.
However, Yang Kai was different. He had been to the territory of the Stone Spirit Clan more than 10 years ago and was received as an Honoured Guest by both them and the Wood Spirits. With how much they interacted, they no longer found him unfamiliar upon meeting again.
A female Wood Spirit landed on Yang Kai’s shoulders, leaned in close to his ears and said, “The Elders and our clansmen are waiting for you, please come this way.”
Her voice was very soft, and her cheeks seemed faintly flushed. Wood Spirits became shy easily.
Yang Kai vaguely felt that this particular Wood Spirit looked familiar and soon recalled that she was probably the one who poured wine for him back then, but he couldn’t be sure, so he simply smiled in response and nodded, “Good.”
The Wood Spirits had an Innate Divine Ability that allowed them to make all the plants surrounding them for thousands of kilometres into their eyes and ears. Therefore, they immediately noticed his presence the moment he arrived. These Wood Spirits came here to meet him as a result.
The Wood Spirits led the way forward, and after walking for some time, Yang Kai arrived at the place where the Stone Spirits lived. The ancient trees in this area were far larger and taller than all the other trees anywhere else. Moreover, each and every tree had a natural Tree Cave that could be used as a house.
Nine huge Stone Spirits were standing in a line when Yang Kai arrived, with the one in the middle seemingly quite elderly. This figure was stooped and had a beard that looked like upside-down stone pillars hanging down to his chest; he had an appearance that was full of the vicissitudes of life. At this moment, he was looking in this direction with a smile.
Yang Kai walked over to it, cupped his fists, and bowed, “Elder!”
Then, he glanced at the palm-sized female Wood Spirit with a flower crown that was sitting on the Elder’s shoulders, “Matriarch!”
“Honoured Guest, we meet again.” The Stone Spirit Elder chuckled, his dull voice making the ground rumble slightly.
“Lower your voice.” The Wood Spirit Matriarch, Mu Na, reached up to cover her ears.
“I am not worthy of the title ‘Honoured Guest’. Elder, please call me by my name,” Yang Kai said with a humble expression. A wise Elder deserved to receive the respect his age warranted. Besides, Yang Kai had a deep relationship with the Stone Spirit Clan. Be it Xiao Xiao or his Embodiment, both of them originated as Stone Spirits, “I came uninvited because I have something to ask of you, Elder.”
The Stone Spirit Elder laughed, but his laughter was much more constrained now, seemingly afraid that Mu Na might complain again, “We can talk after we fill our bellies. The last time you came here was more than 10 years ago. It’s rare for us to have any excitement here, so we cannot miss this opportunity to have some fun.”
“Uh… Then let’s do as you say, Elder.”
Following that order, a banquet was held. Everyone sat down on the ground around a huge tree root just like before and used it as a table. With the Wood Spirits bustling back and forth, the table was soon filled with all sorts of fruit and wine.
As night fell, moonlight shone through the leaves. Strange fruits hung from the tree trunks all around them, glowing with colourful lights that illuminated the clearing.
The Stone Spirits were generally stiff and unresponsive, but some of them were going wild at this moment. They were shouting boisterously while holding wooden cups that were taller than a person. They drank heartily and enjoyed the fruits cultivated by the Wood Spirits. Meanwhile, the Wood Spirits danced by their sides.
A bright moon hung in the sky and the feast and wine made one reluctant to worry about other things.
The names of the Stone Spirits were very simple, ranging from Shi Yi to Shi Ba. Unfortunately, Yang Kai couldn’t tell them apart because they all looked the same. Originally, there was another one by the name ‘Shi Jiu’, which was Xiao Xiao; however, there had been no news about him ever since he entered the Blood Gate with Zhang Ruo Xi.
The Stone Spirit Clan had great innate strength and there were few Humans or Monsters that could be their opponents, but the Heavens were fair in all things so there could not be more than ten among the Stone Spirit Clan at a time. If there were more than ten of them, they would surely die. In other words, the number of members in the Stone Spirit Clan would never exceed ten across the entire world.
There were nine of them before Yang Kai right now, and if Xiao Xiao was included, there were exactly ten of them. Although his Embodiment had the body of a Stone Spirit, it could no longer be regarded as a Stone Spirit as it had no sentience, so it wasn’t included among them.
Eight of the Stone Spirits took turns to offer Yang Kai a toast. The wine glasses they used were twice as big as ordinary wine barrels and they seemed like they would not be satisfied unless they drank until he fell. Unable to refuse, Yang Kai could only do his best to match their drinking pace.
The spirit wine brewed by the Wood Spirit Clan was full of energy and medicinal efficacy, so even the Stone Spirits could not drink too much of it. How could he, even with his Half-Dragon Form, win in a consecutive battle against these silly Stone Spirits?
Thus, Yang Kai collapsed without warning in the middle of the night amidst the triumphant cheers of the Stone Spirits. Following that, a dozen or so Wood Spirits flew over, helped him up, and took him into a Tree Cave to rest.
By the time he woke up again, it was morning.
Yang Kai felt incredibly hungover and only felt slightly better after meditating and circulating his Emperor Qi for a while. He secretly made up his mind to never get into a drinking contest here again.
The female Wood Spirit who came to greet him yesterday was looking inside curiously from outside the door.
When she saw that he was awake, she timidly spoke up, “Honoured Guest, you’re awake. The Elder and the Matriarch are waiting for you.”
“En, thanks, I’ll be right there.” He smiled at her lightly, causing her to blush again.
[What a peculiar species…]
The Wood Spirit Clan not only had a unique talent in cultivating spirit flowers and exotic plants, but they themselves were also very valuable. It was said that the bodies of the Wood Spirits contained the mystery of immortality and indestructibility. If somebody was severely injured and on the verge of death, they could be brought back to life immediately and their injuries would heal completely as long as they consumed a Wood Spirit alive.
It was fortunate that they lived in the Ancient Wild Lands and had the protection of the Stone Spirit Clan; otherwise, they would have already gone extinct in the outside world. The greed of Humans knew no limits, and if any of these walking miracle cures was targeted by ill-intentioned people, they would never be able to escape from their evil clutches.
Yang Kai walked out of his Tree Cave and soon saw the Elder in another. Bowing, he took a seat and asked, “Is there still no news of Xiao Xiao?”
The Elder shook his head, “There has been no movement since the Blood Gate concealed itself. I don’t know how Shi Jiu is doing right now.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Ruo Xi is watching over him, so there’s no need to worry too much, Elder.”
There was a grand palace inside the Blood Gate where countless Divine Spirit Sources were sealed. They were obtained from the hunting of Divine Spirits by Heavens Order in the past. Xiao Xiao had followed Ruo Xi into the Blood Gate to inherit the Tai Yue Source.
Xiao Xiao would be fine with Ruo Xi watching out for him, and his future would be bright after he incarnated as the Divine Spirit Tai Yue.
There were countless Divine Spirits during the ancient times, but differences in strength also existed between them. If the Dragons and the Phoenixes were the apexes among the Divine Spirits, then familiar names such as the Black Tortoise, White Tiger, Qilin, and Qiong Qi were second only to those top existences. Similarly, Tai Yue also ranked fairly high among the Divine Spirits. It was no less than a Qilin or a Qiong Qi. For that reason, Yang Kai was looking forward to what Xiao Xiao would become after emerging from the Blood Gate.
Upon hearing those words, the Elder looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he changed the subject, “You mentioned you needed a favour from us yesterday. What is it about?”
“It’s like this. I plan to set up a Cross-Territory Space Array here which will connect directly to High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory.”
“Connect to the Northern Territory!?” The Elder was startled by his words.
“Boy, that cannot be allowed.” Mu Na flew in from somewhere and landed on the Elder’s shoulder. She looked at Yang Kai and shook her head, “This place is a pure land for the Wood Spirit Clan and Stone Spirit Clan. No Human, aside from you, has ever set foot here. If you set up a Cross-Territory Space Array here, our lives will definitely be affected by it. I cannot agree to your request.”
Both the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirits were extremely vulnerable to becoming a coveted possession; hence, their existence itself was a secret. If this secret were to spread, it would surely bring a lot of trouble to them.
Yang Kai solemnly explained, “Matriarch, please rest assured, I promise that I will be the only one using the Space Array. Nobody else can come here through it.”
His main reason for making this request was because the Space Array he arranged in Luan Feng’s palace had been destroyed. This was the only feasible option if he wanted to connect the Northern Territory and the Eastern Territory. On a side note, the ‘debt’ he wanted to collect from Luan Feng was his revenge over the destruction of the Space Array.
“How can you guarantee this?” Mu Na clearly still disapproved of this matter.
Comforting her, Yang Kai replied, “Since I am the one arranging the Space Array, I can guarantee this. Additionally, if anybody else aside from me were to enter this place one day, you are free to eliminate them without holding back.”
Mu Na looked like she was about to say something else, but the Elder ended the conversation by saying, “If you can guarantee that, then it’s not a problem.”
“Many thanks, Elder!”
Naturally, Mu Na couldn’t say anything else since the Elder had agreed to the request.
“Where do you plan to set up the Array?”
“In Xiao Xiao’s Tree Cave.” Yang Kai had chosen the location in advance. The place he rested in before was none other than the Tree Cave Xiao Xiao had lived in back then. The Tree Cave was large enough and besides, it was located in the place where the Stone Spirit Clan lived, so it would receive their protection too.
“Good. Let us know if you need any help.”
“En, then I’ll get to work immediately.” Yang Kai stood up and excused himself.
“Come and visit me once you’re done with your work. I have something to discuss with you,” Mu Na spoke up suddenly.
Glancing at her strangely, Yang Kai nodded in response.
Inside her palace, Luan Feng sat at the forefront, dressed in luxurious robes with a phoenix coronet on her head. She was sitting motionlessly as somebody paced about in front of her with an anxious expression. Moreover, that person kept glancing out the window from time to time, as if waiting for something.
That person appeared to be a man of superb stature. He was wearing a beige-coloured robe and his hair was carelessly pulled into a bun behind his head with a jade hairpin. He was none other than one of the Three Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands, the West Divine Venerable Cang Gou. At this moment, the West Divine Venerable, who had always been unflappable in the face of great crisis, seemed to be deeply distressed for some reason and had a conflicted expression on his face.
After watching him pace about like a headless fly for some time, Luan Feng finally couldn’t stand it anymore, rubbed her forehead, and spoke up, “Sit down. You are making me dizzy.”
Cang Gou stopped and looked at her with a mixture of sorrow and fury, “Why is he here again!? Tell me! Why!? Why!?”
She weakly replied, “How should I know?”
“Didn’t the rumours say that he went to the Northern Territory and created a Sect there? What was its name…”
“High Heaven Palace!”
“Right! High Heaven Palace!” Cang Gou palmed his fist lightly, “I heard he is doing pretty well in the Northern Territory, so why is he not enjoying lording over that place and is instead here in the Eastern Territory again!?” [I’ve never met anybody like him. He crosses domains at his leisure like it’s nothing. He even regards the Ancient Wild Lands, which is famous for its brutality, as a place that he can enter and exit at will!]
Luan Feng said lightly, “He said he came here to collect a debt from me.”
“Debt? What debt!?” He widened his eyes and stared at her.
She lowered her gaze, “Who knows? Maybe he is just talking nonsense.”
He looked at her suspiciously, “Are you hiding something from us?”
She snapped, “What could I possibly hide from you!? Anyway, you didn’t leak this information out, right?”
Cang Gou scornfully replied, “I’m not a fool. Why would I leak something like this?”
“That would be for the best. If the Monster Kings learn that he is here…” Her words trailed off halfway. She couldn’t finish her sentence as just thinking about the scenario was enough to make her headache worse.
It was clear that Cang Gou was aware of what she was referring to as he had a look of grief and rage on his face. [I can’t believe that we, the dignified Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands, have to guard against a mere Human in the First-Order Emperor Realm like some unstoppable thief! Nobody will believe us if we say that he worries and frightens us. Since when have the Ancient Wild Lands become a place where a Human can act so presumptuously!?]
Unfortunately, that was the reality of their situation. When that person came to the Ancient Wild Lands more than ten years ago, he had stirred the place up so much that his name had spread far and wide. If not for the Three Great Divine Venerables joining forces to suppress them, the Monster Kings under their command for so many years would have left to look for him a long time ago.
It went without saying that they were not looking for him for revenge. It was just that ‘that person’ was the only one who could communicate with the descendent of Heavens Order, so all the Monster Kings wanted to serve him. The reason being that if they could obtain the favour of Heavens Order’s descendent when the Blood Gate opens again one day, they would have a chance to recreate the glory of their ancestors and become Divine Spirits.
For the past few years, the remaining 29 Monster Kings had been clamouring that they wanted to replace Ying Fei, Xi Lei, and Xie Wu Wei to serve under Yang Kai despite the suppression of the Three Great Divine Venerables. Some even put forward the absurd proposal of a shift system.
It was extremely unsightly to see how the Monster Kings, who stood above others, would go to such great lengths to ingratiate themselves to a Human for an opportunity that was nearly impossible to come true. They were so desperate that they even abandoned their pride and honour as Monster Kings. Even the Three Great Divine Venerables felt embarrassed watching them.
Even so, it was only natural if one stopped to think about it. The Monster Kings’ cultivation had reached its limits. If they wanted to go any further, they could only look to the bloodline of their ancestors. Most of the Monster Race in the Ancient Wild Lands carried at least faint bloodlines of Ancient Divine Spirits, so the chance of becoming a Divine Spirit was high if they could receive the help from the descendant of Heavens Order.
For that reason, the Three Great Divine Venerables could not punish the Monster Kings even if they felt extremely exasperated and disappointed in them. Fortunately, the Monster Kings had gradually calmed down over the past 10 years or so and finally stopped causing such a fuss.
Luan Feng was very thankful for her decision to destroy the Cross-Territory Space Array back then. It had been a move of great foresight. Otherwise, the Three Great Divine Venerables would quickly become the Three Solitary Divine Venerables if Yang Kai were to come and go freely in the Ancient Wild Lands every few days. It would truly be shameful if all the Monster Kings defected to High Heaven Palace, leaving for the Northern Territory, with the Divine Venerables not having a single subordinate under them.
“What about that Monster Commander who reported this to us?” Cang Gou suddenly seemed to think about something and felt concerned for a moment. The news of Yang Kai’s reappearance in the Ancient Wild Lands could not be leaked, or else the just settled Ancient Wild Lands would boil over again.
“I locked him up.” Luan Feng replied.
How could she not anticipate something that Cang Gou could? She had placed the Monster Commander under house arrest the moment he finished reporting to her because she was scared that the news might leak out.
“Good.” Cang Gou breathed a sigh of relief.
“Have you prepared what I asked you to prepare?” Luan Feng lifted her gaze to look at him.
He flipped his palm upward and three Space Rings appeared in his hand immediately, “It’s right here. Are we really going to be able to solve this disaster with money?”
“Then, what else do you think we should do?” Luan Feng was certain about one thing, she had destroyed the Space Array that Yang Kai worked so hard to arrange; therefore, things would definitely turn disastrous if she did not give him an explanation or compensation for her actions back then. The easiest and most effective way to do that was to use money to buy peace. Unfortunately, this sum could not be provided by one person alone. It was a matter related to the entire Ancient Wild Lands after all, so there was no way the other two Divine Venerable could escape scot-free either.
He said a little painfully, “The Ancient Wild Lands might be rich, but it can’t withstand his plundering. He took a lot of things away with him last time too…”
“It’s just some rocks and plants, nothing useful to our Monster Race in the Ancient Wild Lands anyway. Just give them to him. Or…” Her beautiful eyes flashed with a frosty light, “We could find a chance to get rid of him!”
He jumped in fright, “Absolutely not!”
[What a crazy idea! If we really killed him, ‘she’ would definitely never forgive us!] Shi Huo’s death back then was still extremely vivid in Cang Gou memories, as though it was only yesterday. That Heavens Order descendant had taken away Shi Huo’s Source like she was plucking a flower from the roadside. Who would dare to provoke her when killing a Divine Spirit was as simple as chopping up vegetables for her!? She was the natural enemy of all Divine Spirits. The relationship between them was akin to a cat and a mouse.
Cang Gou had never considered the question of whether he could kill Yang Kai or not. How could the Three Great Divine Venerables working together fail to kill a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master if they really had the mind to do it? It only came down to the fact that… he did not dare to kill Yang Kai.
“Fan Wu is here.” Luan Feng suddenly raised her head and looked outside.
A tall and slender figure came from the outside and landed in front of them. That person was wearing a crown of feathers and a decent blue robe; however, their expression was incredibly grim…
Looking at Cang Gou before glancing toward Luan Feng, he asked, “Is he here again?”
Luan Feng nodded lightly.
Fan Wu let out a long sigh, “What a disaster!”
Fan Wu never imagined that a trivial Human could shake up the Ancient Wild Lands so badly. It would have been different if that person was strong to the point they couldn’t stand up to him. Divine Spirits might be powerful, but they were not unparalleled in strength; however, it just so happened that Yang Kai wasn’t particularly strong nor hostile towards the Ancient Wild Lands. It was just his existence in itself was enough to endanger their peace.
For that reason, the Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands had never been so vexed before in their lives. They could neither attack nor kill that boy, making them realize what the saying ‘Decent people had short lives but evildoers lived for a thousand years’ meant. Naturally, this saying was referring to people like Yang Kai.
“Where is he right now?”
Luan Feng shook her head, “I don’t know. All I know is that he suddenly appeared in the Ancient Wild Lands yesterday and ran into a Monster Commander. He ordered the Monster Commander to come and send me a message, saying that he would come looking for me.”
“Did any other members of the Monster Races see him?” Fan Wu felt as though his heart was in his throat.
“Probably not.” She frowned, “Otherwise, the Monster Kings under us would not be so quiet. You know as well as I do that that guy is proficient in the Dao of Space, making him extremely elusive. If he wanted to conceal his whereabouts, the Monster Kings would not be able to notice him either.”
All those eager Monster Kings, who were itching to make a move, would have come out in full force the moment news about this matter spread around.
“That’s good. That’s good.” Fan Wu finally felt relieved.
“What do we do now? Do we just wait for him to come here?” Cang Gou glanced at Luan Feng before turning to look at Fan Wu.
“The most important thing right now is to figure out where he is at the moment. It’s best if we go to him before he comes to us. We shouldn’t let him run about freely in the Ancient Wild Lands.”
Luan Feng nodded, “That makes sense.”
Angered by Yang Kai, she had failed to realize this point until now, but soon, her eyes flashed and she spoke, “I might know where he is right now.”
Looking up, she and Fan Wu blurted out in unison, “The Stone Spirits!”
It was not hard to guess Yang Kai’s whereabouts; after all, the Stone Spirit Clan were the only ones with a good relationship with him in the Ancient Wild Lands. Since he had not come looking for any of the Three Great Divine Venerables after appearing here, then there was only one other place that he could go! They might not be able to confirm their conjecture, but the possibility was very high.
Having reached a decision, the Three Great Divine Venerables stopped hesitating and immediately set off together towards the territory of the Stone Spirit Clan. If they could not afford to wait for him to come to them, then they could only go to him themselves.
The Stone Spirits were a very special group within the Ancient Wild Lands, because they were not under the jurisdiction of the Divine Venerables and could be considered an independent clan.
It wasn’t that Luan Feng and the others had not thought of subduing the Stone Spirit Clan before, it was just that these giants were not only very strong, but they were also very stubborn in nature. Even though the Divine Venerables gained the upper hand in their fights against the Stone Spirit Clan over the years, they could not do anything for the Stone Spirits to submit.
At some point though, it was discovered that the Stone Spirit Clan was only active within a couple tens of thousands of kilometre radius. Moreover, they did not harm the interests of the Divine Venerables, so the Divine Venerables left them alone after that, though there was still some friction between the two parties. If not for Yang Kai, they would never enter the Stone Spirit Clan’s territory so recklessly.
Inside the Tree Cave, Yang Kai looked at the Space Array in front of him with satisfaction. Arranging the Space Array this time around was much easier than all his previous attempts. The most obvious change was that the time he had taken to complete it had been halved. It wasn’t because he had gotten stronger. The main reason was the fact that his attainments in the Dao of Space had greatly improved.
Becoming a Star Field Master, using the entire Star Field as a medium to activate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, devouring part of the Grand Desolation Star Field… The benefits Yang Kai gained from all these activities didn’t stop at just a stretch of Starry Sky spanning millions of kilometres. He also gained a deeper understanding of the Dao of Space.
Similarly, the changes in the Sealed World Bead and the expansion of the Small Sealed World had involved the mysteries of Space. He might not have deliberately cultivated, but he still gained a lot of intangible benefits without noticing. His insight into the Dao of Space had improved significantly and he could instinctively tell that he had touched upon some kind of profound mystery, resulting in him seeing things a little differently now.
Despite being surrounded by the Void, he saw some semblance of structure and there were traces he could follow. Standing there, Yang Kai’s mind was immersed in the very mysterious perception, and he was unable to extricate himself for a long time.
Yang Kai seemed to enter a peculiar trance-like state. Lifting his hand slightly, he lightly pushed it out. It was a subconscious movement. Moreover, nothing happened despite his palm strike. Even so, he continued striking out in front of himself. Sometimes, it was a closed fist. Sometimes, it was an open palm. His movements seemed random and without any method to speak of, yet there was a strange charm to them.
A few hundred kilometres away, the Three Great Divine Venerables flew over and suddenly stopped above a canopy of trees.
Luan Feng frowned and said, “The Stone Spirit Clan’s territory is right ahead. We don’t even know whether that boy is there.”
“Let’s hope he is,” Fan Wu looked tired. [The Three Great Divine Venerables rushed out just to give a Little Brat something in hopes of sending him away as soon as possible. If word of this gets out, we will be a laughingstock for years to come.]
All of a sudden, Cang Gou sniffed the air around him with a strange expression, “Do you feel anything?”
“What is it?” Luan Feng turned to look at Cang Gou.
He replied with a frown, “I’m not sure. It’s just… Watch out!” His expression changed abruptly, pointing at something behind her and shouting.
She felt it too. A sense of danger rushed at her from behind. It was accompanied by a powerful suction force that threatened to swallow her into some unknown place. Panicking, she hurriedly spread open a pair of beautiful wings and rushed up into the sky.
She looked back and saw that a large black hole had appeared out of nowhere, right at the spot where she was standing just now. The black hole was a swirling chaotic nothingness that dissolved and shattered everything surrounding it. It was also transmitting an extremely strange vibration. More importantly, she could sense a life-threatening aura coming from that black hole. She would have suffered a tragic end if she had been swallowed up by it just now.
“Space Principles!” Fan Wu’s expression turned grim. Before he could finish his sentence, space in front of him rippled as well as that strange vibration force struck out again, using the Void as a medium to slam into him from the front.
His expression changed drastically. Bending backwards, he lay flat as he watched a layer of ripples visible to the naked eye sweep across the empty space above him. It cut off a strand of his hair and stretched out for hundreds of metres, smashing the gigantic canopy of trees along its path into dust.
More black holes emerged one after another, as the strange destructive fluctuations came at them from all directions, transforming a large space into an absolute killing zone with the Three Great Divine Venerables caught in the middle.
All three of them were shocked and hurriedly pushed their strength to twist and turn to avoid those invisible killing moves.
Fortunately, these three were no ordinary people. They were extremely powerful beings. Otherwise, the first wave of attacks alone would have instantly killed them.
If one were to look down from the sky, they would see that the space spanning several hundred kilometres had turned into a broken mess, and the Three Great Divine Venerables were trapped inside. They could not distinguish between north, south, east and west; furthermore, they would run into each other for some inexplicable reason despite running in opposite directions.
The whole world seemed to have turned into a cage, trapping the three of them inside, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t break free from that invisible barrier. Hence, their expressions were a mixture of horror and shock.
It wasn’t as if there was nobody stronger than them in this world, but they were Divine Spirits so it was hard to imagine that somebody could toy with all three of them without even revealing his face.
“Is this his doing!?” Cang Gou asked with a glare as he dodged the invisible yet lethal attacks that kept coming.
The Dao of Space could not be mastered by just anybody, and Yang Kai appeared in the Ancient Wild Lands yesterday, while today they were being attacked by some strange Space Divine Ability. It was difficult to imagine it was not his doing.
All of a sudden, Cang Gou realized that Yang Kai was much stronger compared to how he was just ten years ago.
[If he had this much power ten years ago, he would not have been beaten so badly by Shi Huo.]
“Where is he!?” Luan Feng was now feeling quite annoyed. Two feathers had fallen off the wings on her back because she couldn’t fully evade all these Space Principle attacks.
The situation in front of them might seem a little dangerous, but it wasn’t to the extent that their lives were at stake now that they were on guard. It was just that she couldn’t understand why Yang Kai had attacked them without any warning or reason. [Has that boy gone insane!? Even if he has gotten stronger over years, it’s not to the point where he can make the Three Great Divine Venerables his enemy! Besides, we didn’t do anything to provoke him this time. Isn’t he being too petty if he is doing this over a mere Space Array!?]
Meanwhile, Fan Wu didn’t say anything as his expression turned solemn before he suddenly stretched out two fingers to cover his eyes and shouted, “Open!”
Glancing around, he studied their surroundings from a completely different perspective, his expression changing greatly in the next moment, “This is bad! This place is about to collapse!”
He had the Heavenly Eye Divine Ability, so he could see the essence of things that other people couldn’t. Under the observation of his Heavenly Eye, he saw the space around them seemed to be trembling uncontrollably. While their surroundings might look intact at the moment, it was actually filled with innumerable tiny Void Cracks that could not be detected by their Divine Senses. If this space were a cookie, then that cookie was about to crumble and turn into countless tiny crumbs. It was just that it couldn’t be seen on the surface.
Cang Gou and Luan Feng paled when they heard those words and understood how serious of a problem it was. Hence, they no longer hesitated and immediately revealed their true forms.
With a bang, an enormous Phoenix-like bird soared in the sky, breathing out black flames to open a path. It struggled to break free of the constraints of this place and rushed out. Similarly, Cang Gou had transformed into a monster several tens of metres tall and followed closely behind Luan Feng. On the other hand, Fan Wu relied on his Heavenly Eye Divine Ability to navigate through the numerous Void Cracks.
A short while later, they finally escaped from that dangerous area and Luan Feng and Cang Gou transformed back into their Human forms again. They glanced behind them with solemn expressions; their hearts filled with lingering fear. They had to admit that power like that was enough to endanger them. If that really was Yang Kai’s doing, then they had to re-examine their relationship with him.
The turbulent space suddenly calmed down; the pitch-black black holes slowly shrunk and disappeared without a trace; the violent forces of vibration became peaceful again; and the space that was about to shatter became safe once more.
“What the Hell!?” Cang Gou frowned, looking unhappy, “Was he just showing off his strength!?”
Although he was fearful of the Heavens Order’s descendent behind Yang Kai, that was all it was. In his opinion, Yang Kai was just a boy who relied on the protection of a woman.
[What can a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master do without the support of that Heavens Order descendent?]
Cang Gou was already pretty upset in the first place when he followed Luan Feng and Fan Wu to this place, so it was only natural that he was in a worse mood after encountering an incident like that before he even met Yang Kai.
Luan Feng looked gloomy too, [That boy is too much! No matter how you put it, the three of us are Divine Spirits! He shouldn’t be this rude even if I destroyed his Space Array back then!]
Fan Wu shook his head slightly, “It doesn’t seem to be intentional.”
He had a good look at the situation just now, and he could tell that all those attacks had not been targeting anybody. If Yang Kai was truly trying to scare them, then his attacks wouldn’t be so messy.
“How can that be unintentional!?” Cang Gou asked furiously.
“Maybe he is cultivating some sort of Divine Ability?” Fan Wu guessed faintly; however, he was shocked as soon as the words left his mouth. [At a glance, this Divine Ability seems incomplete. In other words, it has not been perfected yet. If an incomplete Divine Ability is this strong, then how strong will it be once he successfully cultivates it!?]
He didn’t quite dare to continue thinking in that direction. [No wonder that descendant of Heavens Order treats him so differently. From the looks of it, he is not somebody to be trifled with even without her support.]
A Human’s lifespan and starting point was not as long nor as great as a Divine Spirit’s. In fact, they could not even compare to the Monster Race; however, a Human’s rate of growth could be quite horrifying.
At that moment, a person’s voice sounded in their ears, “I apologize for not greeting the three of you. Please forgive me for my rudeness.”
The expressions of the Three Great Divine Venerables changed as they could tell that the voice belonged to Yang Kai. Glancing at each other, Fan Wu greeted back, “Brother Yang, you are too polite. We are also at fault for coming uninvited.”
A hint of surprise flashed across both Cang Gou and Luan Feng’s eyes. The way Fan Wu addressed Yang Kai was very… intriguing. Divine Spirits had their pride as Divine Spirits, and a mere Emperor Realm Master was not qualified to be addressed on equal terms such as ‘Brother’.
“Since you are here, why don’t you come in and talk?”
Fan Wu smiled, “Please excuse our intrusion!”
He shot a look at Luan Feng and Cang Gou before striding forward.
Under his influence, Cang Gou and Luan Feng pushed down their anger. Among the Three Great Divine Venerables, Luan Feng might be the strongest, but Fan Wu was known as the wisest; hence, they basically relied on him whenever they gathered.
A short while later, the Three Great Divine Venerables arrived at the residence of the Stone Spirit Clan. Yang Kai stood in the vast and empty space that was surrounded by countless thick trees, smiling as he watched those three descending from the sky.
Eight Stone Spirits were scattered around, glaring at those three with an unkind look in their eyes. The Stone Spirit Clan and the Three Great Divine Venerables were not on good terms with each other.
Meanwhile, the Elder stood beside Yang Kai while the Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan sat on his shoulder. Meanwhile, many Wood Spirits watched curiously from among the treetops, but none of them dared to show themselves.
Fan Wu stepped forward and greeted the Stone Spirit Elder, “It has been years since we last met, Elder. Your bearing is as noble as ever.”
Elder seemed taken aback by those words, but despite his astonishment, he quickly replied in kind, “You are too polite, Sir Divine Venerable.”
There was no reason for Elder to kick up a fuss when the other party was acting courteously. Besides, he was not fond of fighting at his advanced age.
“We came here uninvited because we heard that Brother Yang appeared in the Ancient Wild Lands. Thinking he might be here, we decided to visit. It would seem that our guess was correct.”
Yang Kai smiled in response, but was feeling a little puzzled inside. Wasn’t Fan Wu being a little overly friendly? Besides, didn’t he only instruct that two-horned Monster Commander to tell Luan Feng that he would go and find her to settle their debt? Why did they come looking for him instead?
Yang Kai was unaware of his current influence within the Ancient Wild Lands, but how could the Three Great Divine Venerables allow him to walk around freely? If not for that, they would not be so courteous towards him.
Not wanting to beat around the bush with them, Yang Kai bluntly asked, “May I know the purpose of your visit?”
“We don’t really have a reason. We only came to visit,” Fan Wu responded with a smile.
[Am I supposed to believe you?] Yang Kai was unconvinced and secretly became vigilant.
Still, he welcomed them, “In that case, why don’t you have a seat?”
Afterwards, he sat down at the wooden table where the banquet last night had taken place and was joined by Fan Wu and the others. Mu Na clapped her hands lightly, and the Wood Spirits flew out from the treetops with fruits and wine.
Fan Wu smiled, “I have long heard that the Wood Spirit Clan is good at cultivating spirit fruits. I’ve never had the chance to witness it myself before. It looks like I will be enjoying a great feast today. Allow me to take this opportunity to offer a toast to you, Brother Yang.”
Fan Wu had humbled himself with the intention of making friends, so Yang Kai showed him due respect in return. During the banquet, they laughed and smiled. Both the host and the guests seemed to be having a good time. After a few rounds of drinks, Fan Wu intentionally or unintentionally asked, “Why did you come to the Ancient Wild Lands this time around, Brother Yang?”
“I was just passing by,” Yang Kai replied casually.
“Passing by? Haha…” Fan Wu chuckled. Needless to say, he did not believe this nonsensical excuse. According to the information he received, Yang Kai had established High Heaven Sect in the Northern Territory. Not only was this place in the Eastern Territory, but it also happened to be the remote and treacherous Ancient Wild Lands, so nobody could be ‘just passing by’ this place!
Unbeknownst to him, Yang Kai was speaking the truth. It really was a coincidence for Yang Kai to end up in this place after leaving Heng Luo Star Field. Along the way, he decided he might as well set up another Space Array in the Ancient Wild Lands since he was already here. It truly was something he merely did in passing.
Unfortunately, those words sounded like a lie to Fan Wu, so it only resulted in making his belief that Yang Kai was hiding ulterior motives grow stronger. Thinking that Yang Kai was here to target their Monster Kings, Fan Wu became even warier of Yang Kai. If he were to wander around the Ancient Wild Lands, he would only need to raise his arm and all 29 Monster Kings would unquestioningly follow him. How could the Divine Venerables allow something like that to happen right under their noses?
“Brother Fan, is there something you wish to say?” Yang Kai glanced sideways at Fan Wu. He couldn’t help thinking that whatever was happening today was rather suspicious and thus spoke with a frown, “If you have something to say, please be frank about it. It makes no sense to keep beating around the bush.”
[The one that makes no sense is you!] The Three Great Divine Venerables retorted in their heart and Luan Feng couldn’t help but roll her eyes at those words. If anybody else were to speak such words to them, they would have taken offence a long time ago regardless of whether that person did indeed have such a mindset. They would not have allowed anything the least bit suspicious to slide by them. That person would be killed on the spot to protect their dignity and interests.
However, Fan Wu believed that Yang Kai had a promising future and was someone who would stand on equal footing with them, sooner or later. Moreover, he had the descendent of Heavens Order behind him, so how could they afford to provoke him?
Thus, Fan Wu simply chuckled at those words and replied, “I heard that you established a Sect in the Northern Territory, Brother Yang. The three of us have been living in the Ancient Wild Lands for a long time without stepping foot outside. I apologise for not coming to congratulate you earlier.”
Yang Kai waved his hand casually, “You are being too serious, Brother Fan. I’m not that impressive. How can I compare to the three of you who live in such comfort with so many outstanding people under you?”
Those words were the truth. Although the Ancient Wild Lands were dangerous and filled with Wild Force, something ordinary people would not be able to withstand, they were also an enormous natural treasure trove. There were all sorts of spirit flowers and exotic plants here that could not be found anywhere else, as well as numerous Earth Veins and mineral lodes. The Three Great Divine Venerables could be said to occupy an excellent Heavenly Paradise. Moreover, they had several dozen Monster Kings under their command. It really made Yang Kai envy them.
High Heaven Sect would surely become one of the top Sects in the entire Star Boundary within a hundred years if it was established in this place.
Nevertheless, those words sounded unnatural and awkward to the three Divine Spirits and they couldn’t help thinking that there were other meanings concealed behind them. [What does he mean? Is he not only eyeing the Monster Kings under our command but our territory as well? Is he saying he wants to snatch our lands from us? That’s just too much!]
The Three Great Divine Venerables with preconceived notions of their own had ugly expressions on their faces. They couldn’t care less about beating around the bush with Yang Kai anymore, so Fan Wu reached out and placed several Space Rings on the wooden table and pushed them in front of Yang Kai with an undiminished smile on his face.
Yang Kai glanced at the Space Rings, then looked at the Three Great Divine Venerables and blinked and asked, “What is this about?”
Fan Wu smiled slightly, “Brother Yang, High Heaven Palace was established not long ago, so I’m sure this is a time when financial resources are much needed. The three of us might not be able to contribute much, but please take these commodities from the Ancient Wild Lands as our congratulatory gift. It is just a little token to show our respect to you, so please don’t turn it down. Consider it as a little bit of support towards your noble Sect’s future from the three of us.”
[No, seriously, what is this about?] Yang Kai was truly confused now. It was undeniable that he had planned to make Luan Feng pay him a substantial amount as compensation when he asked that two-horned Monster Commander to send a message to her yesterday, and he had even prepared the speech he was going to give her. He was going to claim that the Cross-Territory Space Array had cost him a lot in terms of financial resources and effort, and since Luan Feng had destroyed it, it was only natural that she should offer a little compensation in return. He would refuse to leave if she refused to offer a fair price, and he was determined to receive some big benefits.
Of the Space Arrays he had arranged in the Star Boundary, two had been destroyed. One was destroyed by Luan Feng, and the other was probably destroyed by the Iron Blood Great Emperor. He didn’t dare to find fault with the Iron Blood Great Emperor, so Luan Feng was the unlucky one who had to take the brunt instead.
However, this matter only involved Luan Feng and had nothing to do with Fan Wu and Cang Gou. Besides, he and Luan Feng were not enemies. He also borrowed her help once in the past, so he wouldn’t go too far either. As long as she took out some compensation, the matter would have been resolved just like that; after all, he wasn’t such an unreasonable person.
Yang Kai never imagined that Luan Feng would actually send gifts to his door before he could even begin trying to rip her off. Moreover, it wasn’t just one, but three of them.
[This is just strange… I can’t believe there are people in this world who take the initiative to offer up gifts for no reason at all.]
He was certain that the nine Space Rings in front of him were the collective possessions of the three of them, with each of them contributing three.
[Is this a trap?] Yang Kai couldn’t dismiss the feeling that today’s events felt extremely strange. Fan Wu and the others were being too friendly. In fact, they are so enthusiastic that it was almost unbearable.
Even with the possibility of it being a trap, Yang Kai was not such a coward that he didn’t dare to check out the contents of the Space Rings though. Reaching out, he picked up a Space Ring, and swept its content with his Divine Sense. Then, he raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes slightly. [Amazing! So many Source Crystals!]
There was no way to calculate how many there were exactly, but the Space Ring was filled with Source Crystals that were Mid-Rank or above! There were numerous High-Rank Source Crystals too. A rough estimate placed the value of these Source Crystals at no less than 100 million High-Rank Source Crystals! 100 million High-Rank Source Crystals might not sound like much, but it was equivalent to 10 billion Mid-Rank Source Crystals or 1 trillion Low-Rank Source Crystals!
Coughing lightly, he calmly picked up another Space Ring and checked the contents. Countless spirit flowers and exotic herbs entered his vision. Furthermore, the medicinal age of each one was quite high. As for the third Space Ring, it was filled with rare ores.
Source Crystals, herbs, ores, as well as Monster Cores of Monster Beasts… These were undoubtedly the resources produced in the Ancient Wild Lands. Unfortunately, the first three commodities were basically useless to the Monster Race. Source Crystals and ores were of no value since the Monster Race’s cultivation was not dependent on Source Crystals. Instead, they absorbed the essence of their environment, relying on the accumulation of this energy over many years to strengthen themselves.
Although the herbs were somewhat useful, nobody in the Ancient Wild Lands knew Alchemy. The Monster Race could only consume them raw, so they could not bring out the full effects of their medicinal efficacies. On the contrary, the Monster Cores of Monster Beasts had a huge effect on them. Consuming the Monster Cores of other Monster Beasts made their might rapidly increase.
However, when Yang Kai last came to the Ancient Wild Lands, he had robbed them of quite a lot of Monster Beast Cores. Consequently, the Three Great Divine Venerables were unable to gather up many this time around and replaced them with rare ores instead.
The items were divided into three different categories and each category was placed into one of the three Space Rings. That held true for all nine Space Rings from the three of them.
The wealth Yang Kai took from the Ancient Wild Lands during his last visit was several times what was contained within these nine Space Rings; nevertheless, this time was different from last time. Back then, both parties had confronted each other in a huge battle which later woke the bloodline of Heavens Order’s descendant. Following that, the Three Great Divine Venerables became anxious and reluctantly handed over a large amount of compensation to calm Yang Kai’s anger.
Today, however, they simply wanted to send him away as soon as possible. These items could be considered fairly valuable for that purpose.
[How timely! I really needed these now!] There were over a hundred thousand people in the Small Sealed World that were just waiting to be accommodated. Once settled into High Heaven Palace, a huge demand for resources would occur, especially with regards to Source Crystals, and pills.
Which cultivator would not need these when they cultivated?
Yang Kai had used up all of the Source Crystals in his Space Ring for Xia Ning Chang’s sake in Tong Xuan Realm when he and Li Jiao arranged the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array, so he was in urgent need of Source Crystals right now.
Needless to say, there were still Source Crystals with Hua Qing Si; moreover, the commercial channel between High Heaven Palace and the Southern Territory should have been established by now. Even so, in the long run, who would turn their nose up at more Source Crystals? Besides, with all this wealth, he wouldn’t need to worry about the cultivation of High Heaven Palace’s disciples for a while.
“Are these for me?” Yang Kai quietly gulped. It wasn’t that he had not seen much of the world, but the Three Great Divine Venerables’ timely assistance left him feeling very confused.
Fan Wu laughed, “I’ve already delivered them to you. Brother Yang, you can’t mean to have us take them back, right? That would be highly improper.”
“That’s right, B-Bro… Brother Yang. You won’t embarrass us, right?” Cang Gou played along. [Ugh. Calling him ‘Brother Yang’ sounds so awkward. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.]
“Little Brother Yang, please don’t refuse.” Luan Feng pursed her lips and smiled.
“In that case…” Yang Kai smiled brightly but pretended to be calm and unaffected while he quickly put away the nine Space Rings and laughed, “Then, this Junior will not refuse anymore. Hahahaha!”
[Who cares what they are planning? Let’s just take this first and worry about it later, it’s much more than what I expected to get anyways. The Ancient Wild Lands is so rich in resources. Isn’t it time to put them to good use? If I can turn the Ancient Wild Lands into High Heaven Palace’s source of supplies, then the disciples will never have to worry about their cultivation resources again. If we run short of Source Crystals then we can just come and mine some directly; if we run out of pills, then we can look for the herbs to refine them. It will be completely self-sufficient. It won’t be difficult for High Heaven Palace to rise to the top under these circumstances.]
Grinning widely, Yang Kai blurted out, “I am thankful for your favourable opinions of me. I am willing for the three of us to become sworn Brothers and Sister. I don’t ask for us to be born in the same year, same month, or same day, but I hope to share our troubles and blessings together. What about the three of you?”
[The part about sharing their blessings held true, but they can forget about sharing troubles. If there is something that even the Three Great Divine Venerables can’t handle, then I probably won’t be of much help in that regard either.]
“Huh?” The topic had switched too quickly, and the subject had strayed so far that Luan Feng couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise. Her small hands covered her red lips. Similarly, Fan Wu and Cang Gou frowned.
*Pfft…* Mu Na, who had been sitting on the Elder’s shoulders, couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Yang Kai with interest.
[Is he seriously saying that? Is he pretending to be stupid or does he really not understand? How can he actually speak such words?]
“Uh…” Despite Fan Wu’s sharp mind, he was at a loss for what to say. A sense of powerlessness washed over him at this moment. [Isn’t this little brat far too shameless!? How dare he utter such nonsense!? Becoming sworn Brothers and Sister with three Divine Spirits!? I don’t deny the fact that he has great potential and might even be stronger than me in the future, but that is far off in the future. Who knows if he can even survive that long!? There’s no value in befriending a dead genius!]
If the Three Great Divine Venerables were to readily agree to that request, they would be the only ones losing out in the deal. As sworn siblings, they had no choice but to help out with High Heaven Palace’s issues. They would surely be forced to send a dozen or so Monster Kings to support this ‘Fourth Brother’ of theirs. That was what they were most worried about. Even if they could not avoid it, how could they voluntarily throw themselves at it?
The fairly harmonious atmosphere suddenly froze.
Yang Kai had been observing their reactions, so how could he not understand what they were thinking about? He coldly snorted to himself in his heart. [In the end, I still need to rely on my strength to do the speaking for me. These three are still looking down on me; otherwise, why would they show such troubled expressions?]
He had simply uttered those words for the sake of it. He had not truly meant them. The only reason he did it was due to the abundant resources in the Ancient Wild Lands. How could he force the issue if the other party was unwilling? Things like these could not be forced. Besides, he did not believe that he was in any way inferior to these three. How could a person like him, who forced his way in and out of Dragon Island, be impressed by these three Divine Spirits, who were incomparable to the Dragon Clan?
Laughing heartily, Yang Kai declared, “It was just a small joke. Don’t mind it too much.”
Fan Wu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and squeezed out a smile, “You truly are a humorous person, Brother Yang. Come, come; let me drink this toast to you again.” While speaking, he shot a look at Luan Feng and Cang Gou to signal them.
After a few more rounds of drinks, the awkward atmosphere eased considerably. It wasn’t until evening rolled around and sunset coloured the skies that Fan Wu and the others took their leave.
Yang Kai warmly offered, “I’ll see you off.”
“No need for that,” Fan Wu hurriedly said, “We can see ourselves out. Please get some rest, Brother Yang.” [We don’t want him moving around the Ancient Wild Lands in the first place. How can we let him see us off?]
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded and cupped his fists, “Please excuse me, then.”
“En, please take care, Brother Yang!” Fan Wu smiled reservedly. After bidding farewell to the Elder and Mu Na, he departed into the skies with Luan Feng and Cang Gou.
Yang Kai waved his hands enthusiastically and shouted, “I will remember the kindness you’ve shown me today and will visit you another day as a sign of my gratitude. Please have a safe journey!”
Fan Wu and the others, who were turning around and preparing to leave, staggered and almost fell from the sky at those words. It was visible to the naked eye as Fan Wu took several deep breaths while Luan Feng turned and glared at Yang Kai.
Afterward, the three figures turned into streams of light and disappeared. Yang Kai stood in place, frowning deeply in puzzlement, scratching his head and questioning, “How strange. They are acting quite weird today!”
“Pfft!” Mu Na snickered again. Similarly, the Elder was smiling from ear to ear and couldn’t help but laugh at those words.
Yang Kai turned to look at them and asked, “Elder, Matriarch, what do you think is up with those three? Why did they come all this way just to present me with gifts? It’s not like we have that great of a relationship between us!”
[The only one I’m familiar with is Luan Feng; moreover, I’ve only met Cang Gou and Fan Wu once. There’s no reason for them to behave in this manner even if I have Zhang Ruo Xi behind me.]
“Are you really clueless? Or, are you just pretending to be clueless?” Mu Na was beginning to feel speechless. The thoughts and practices of the Three Great Divine Venerables were extremely obvious to her, but Yang Kai just seemed so confused for some reason. He even mentioned something about becoming sworn siblings. Wasn’t he trying to drive them into a corner?
Yang Kai cupped his fists with a serious expression, “Matriarch, please enlighten me.”
“How did you manage to survive until today?” She looked at him in surprise.
The Elder chuckled, “You can’t blame him for being clueless about this matter, I’m afraid he simply isn’t aware of the inside story.”
Mu Na considered those words for a moment and agreed, “That’s true. Good, boy, I’ll tell you why they are behaving like this…”
After listening to Mu Na’s explanation, Yang Kai finally understood the situation. He pointed to himself and stared wide-eyed, “They are afraid that I will take away all the Monster Kings!?”
Mu Na replied, “Most Monster Kings’ cultivation has reached its upper limits. If they want to improve any further, then they can only aim for the Blood Gate. And, you are the only one who can communicate with that descendant of Heaven’s Order. The only reason Shi Jiu was able to enter the Blood Gate was thanks to you. With that precedent, can you understand what kind of position you hold in the hearts of those Monster Kings?”
Yang Kai was still stunned by the revelation and muttered, “I knew something about this, but I didn’t think it would have such a huge impact.”
Ying Fei, Xi Lei, and Xie Wu Wei were all Monster Kings working under him. He had only been taking advantage of the situation when he took them away from the Ancient Wild Lands with him back then, and when he finished what he had to do, he had asked the three Monster Kings to return, but they refused. Moreover, they had been overjoyed to learn that the Space Array had been destroyed and they could continue staying at High Heaven Palace. It wasn’t that they had forgotten their roots, but just as water flowed downwards, people aimed for higher places, it was a matter of course for Monster Kings to continue to strive and better themselves.
Yang Kai thoughtfully said, “According to what you said, won’t I be able to bring all the Monster Kings away with me if I simply call for them?”
“Probably…”
He continued, “If I ask them to join me in eliminating Fan Wu and the others…”
“In your dreams!” Mu Na glared at him unkindly, “The Three Great Divine Venerables have ruled the Ancient Wild Lands for tens of thousands of years. Under their rule, which Monster King would have the courage to go up against them? They might be willing to follow you and listen to your orders for the sake of entering the Blood Gate, but, I don’t think things will go your way if you dare to ask them to go against Fan Wu and Luan Feng.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I was just wondering.”
Soon, his expression turned serious, “From the looks of it, I should visit the Ancient Wild Lands more often in the future.”
[I don’t even need to do anything, all I need to do is come here and make some noise for Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Gou to come and give me some benefits just to chase me away. Of course, this can only be done once or twice; after all, Divine Spirits are not to be trifled with. It would be bad if I angered them too much and caused our friendly relations to fall apart.]
In any case, Yang Kai was in a great mood after getting a good grasp of the situation. Although he could not regard the entire Ancient Wild Lands as High Heaven Sect’s playground, he might be able to reach a cooperative relationship with the Three Great Divine Venerables eventually. The only way to make their relationship stable and long-lasting was if it benefited both parties.
The Ancient Wild Lands produced a lot of materials, while High Heaven Palace was fully capable of exchanging pills for those materials. Just because none of the Monster Race was capable of Alchemy, did not mean that they could not consume Spirit Pills.
Pills refined by Humans were very scarce among the Monster Race, so even if they were sold to them for ten or twenty times their actual value, the demand would still be greater than the supply.
In due course, High Heaven Palace would be cooperating with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce in the Southern Territory and the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory. By buying and selling commodities that were rare in one territory and abundant in another, one only needed to earn a certain degree in the price difference to profit. With that, High Heaven Palace would never need to worry about its disciples’ cultivation resources again. Furthermore, this was a unique business. Even if other people were jealous of High Heaven Palace and tried to emulate it, they would not be able to pull it off because they lacked the Cross-Territory Space Arrays.
With that vague idea in mind, Yang Kai decided to ask Hua Qing Si to come up with a detailed and feasible plan once he returned to High Heaven Palace.
“By the way, Matriarch, you mentioned something about wanting to talk to me before. What was it about?” He suddenly remembered something and casually raised a question.
“Come with me.” Mu Na became solemn and turned around to fly towards a Tree Cave.
Not knowing what she wanted, Yang Kai could only follow after her.
Inside the Tree Cave, she turned to face him and waited until he walked in before raising her hand. The Tree Cave suddenly closed behind him, isolating them from the outside.
[What does she have to say that she needs to be so secretive?] He wondered in his heart. Nevertheless, he knew that she would never harm him. It was a publicly known fact that the Wood Spirits detested fighting.
Just as he was about to speak, she abruptly flew towards him and stopped in front of him, “Close your eyes.”
Yang Kai obediently did as she instructed. Then, he felt a very natural, fragrant scent lingering on the tip of his nose. It made him subconsciously take a few more breaths.
Mu Na was an absolute beauty, it was just that the limitations of a Wood Spirit only allowed her to grow to the size of a palm. If she were as large as a normal Human, she would be an existence that could turn the world upside down.
The scent on her body was so relaxing though that Yang Kai’s emotions became calm and unflappable. It was as though he had entered an ethereal state.
A short while later, he heard a strange noise. A strange expression appeared on his face. It was because he could feel that Mu Na seemed to be circling around him while sniffing something continuously.
“Matriarch, what is going on?” He asked, secretly opening his eyes slightly. If it had been an ordinary woman doing this, he would have thought that the woman was trying to seduce him; however, Mu Na clearly wasn’t. [Do I have some strange odour on my body? Otherwise, why would she be sniffing me?”]
Mu Na did not reply to his question, she simply continued downward and abruptly stopped at his dantian. After a few more sniffs, she looked shocked and reached out to cover her mouth with her hands.
The Tree Cave fell silent, and Yang Kai waited for a while before asking, “Can I open my eyes now?”
“En.”
Opening his eyes, he saw Mu Na frowning deeply with a troubled expression on her face.
[Today has been filled with strange events. First, it was the Three Great Divine Venerables coming to give me presents of their own volition, and now, the Wood Spirit Matriarch dragged me into a Tree Cave and sniffed me all over…]
“Do you know what the Wood Spirit Clan is best at?” She asked without prior warning.
“Cultivating all sorts of spirit fruits and brewing fine wine! Oh, you are pretty good at singing and dancing too.” Yang Kai replied without even thinking about it.
She pressed her palm against her forehead tiredly and muttered, “Is that your impression of the Wood Spirit Clan?”
Yang Kai was surprised by her words and asked, “Isn’t that the truth?”
To which Mu Na smiled bitterly, “Of course not. We are good at cultivating all sorts of spirit fruits and exotic plants because we are inherently capable of communicating with them. I’m sure you’ve heard of the rumours that say that, in ancient times, the Wood Spirits helped powerful Masters tend their medicine gardens.”
Yang Kai nodded at her words.
“That is the Innate Divine Ability of my Wood Spirit Clan. Any plant in this world can bloom and flourish to its best in our hands because we are familiar with how the plants behave and what their needs are. No other clan can equal our skill in this regard.”
Yang Kai made an expression as though he was enlightened by her words; however, he had no clue what she was trying to express.
“It is precisely because of this Innate Divine Ability that we of the Wood Spirit Clan can sense the existence of some very strange plants.” Her scorching gaze burned into him, “Do you have a special kind of plant in your possession? Like a flower? A herb? Or perhaps… a tree!?”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched at her words as his tone of voice turned serious, “Why would you ask such a thing?”
He truly had some extremely precious plants in his possession.
[Does she know something?]
Mu Na advised, “Don’t get so nervous. I only found out because I smelled something on you.”
She paused for a moment before continuing, “I actually noticed it the first time you came here, but I wasn’t sure back then.”
“And, are you sure now?”
“Yes.” She nodded, “Can you tell me what it is?”
“Matriarch, can you not tell by the smell?” Yang Kai asked without answering her question.
Mu Na glanced at him helplessly. Knowing that he was hesitant to answer, she answered, “It is rumoured that during ancient times, there was a strange tree known as the Firmament Tree, which was a mixture of gold and silver intersecting with each other that was capable of sealing all things in existence. Am I right?”
His eyes widened, and he nearly gave her a thumbs-up sign. [How is she able to tell just from the smell? That’s amazing. The Wood Spirit Clan indeed is a clan born with the ability to communicate with plants.]
The Ancient Demon Qi of the Ancient Demon was sealed in his dantian with the gold and silver power of the Firmament Tree. It was only natural that some clues existed. Nobody else had the talent of the Wood Spirit Clan, so it had gone unnoticed until now.
Unfortunately, that faint clue was as bright and dazzling as a lamp in the dark to the Wood Spirit Clan, especially for the Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan. Observing Yang Kai’s reaction, how could she not know that she had guessed correctly? She exclaimed in surprise, “You actually have the Firmament Tree!?”
He grinned meaningfully, “I obtained it by accident. It was pure luck.”
She enviously murmured, “You sure are lucky.” Then, she furrowed her eyebrows., “But, there seems to be another aura on your body. That aura…”
This time Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat. The fact that she knew about the Firmament Tree was nothing as, while it was a legendary tree, it only had the power to seal. Yang Kai was only using it to seal the Ancient Demon Qi in his dantian, so it wasn’t a big deal even if news about the Firmament Tree got out. There were many other ways to seal something after all. Besides, he was no longer that weak. He was not afraid of the foolish people who would come causing trouble for him over the Firmament Tree.
However, the other tree was different. If news of its existence were to spread, it would turn the entire Star Boundary upside down in an instant. That tree represented the very mystery of immortality and indestructibility! Those attributes were extremely attractive to others! Even the Great Emperors could not claim that they were immortal and indestructible. Even they possess lifespan and had a predestined time of death. The rumours claimed that if one could refine it, then they could obtain the secret of everlasting life. They would have the same lifespan as the Heavens, living in harmony with the universe itself.
Yang Kai felt his heart getting stuck in his throat.
Mu Na was unbelievably amazing and he was terrified that she might utter the words ‘Immortal Tree’. He did not know how to deal with the situation if she really did mention its name. If it were anybody else, he would have killed them on the spot to maintain secrecy; unfortunately, he had no grudge or grievance with her. Moreover, the Wood Spirit Clan detested fighting, so how could he be so cruel to such an existence? Besides, he wouldn’t just be offending the Wood Spirit Clan if he did something like that, even the Stone Spirit Clan would become hostile to him.
Fortunately, Mu Na hesitated for a long time before shaking her head, “I’m not certain what that one is.”
He breathed a sigh of relief.
She exclaimed, “I can’t believe that there are plants that the Wood Spirit Clan doesn’t know about! There sure are all sorts of mysteries in the world!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Maybe you smelled wrong, Matriarch.”
“Impossible!” She shook her head resolutely. She was completely oblivious to how nervous he was. She looked up and spiritedly said, “Hand it to me!”
A pair of beautiful eyes shone brightly, revealing her excitement.
“What?” He was taken aback.
She repeated, “I said, hand over the Firmament Tree and that other thing to me.”
“Is this a joke!?” He became livid at her words. He originally had a favourable impression of her, but hearing those words of hers immediately infuriated him. [The Firmament Tree is not something I can just give away! I’m still relying on its power to seal the Ancient Demon Qi. Otherwise, once the seal on my dantian falls apart, without the Firmament Tree, I will immediately fall prey to the demonification and lose myself entirely! As for the Immortal Tree… That’s even more impossible! It is the world’s most precious treasure! It can revive the dead and heal all wounds, it’s an essential cure-all! How can I possibly give it away!?]
Mu Na urgently added, “I can trade with you for it. As you know, the Wood Spirit Clan cultivates…”
Lifting his hand, he resolutely said, “There is no need for further discussion, Matriarch. I will take my leave if there’s nothing else.”
Mu Na finally came back to her senses when she noticed his frosty attitude. [I seem to have angered him. From his reaction, it would seem that the thing I can’t identify is more precious than I imagined, but what in the world is it? Something so precious and rare that even I can’t identify it by its smell…]
One after another, names that only existed in legends flashed through her mind. Unfortunately, she could not place a name to that peculiar smell.
Yang Kai had already walked to the entrance of the Tree Cave when he turned back to glance at Mu Na.
Mu Na was about to continue trying to persuade him; however, she couldn’t help but sigh the moment she met his eyes. Lifting her hand, the closed Tree Cave reopened and he immediately rushed out. It didn’t matter whether she opened it or not. If she refused to open the Tree Cave, he could have just smashed it down with his fist.
Hovering in mid-air, she pondered for a long time until she finally flickered and flew out.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai returned to Xiao Xiao’s Tree Cave. Upon checking and confirming that the Space Array was properly arranged, he finally headed towards the Elder’s Tree Cave. He entered the house and said, “Elder, I am done with my tasks here, so it is time for me to depart. Please take care of the matters regarding Xiao Xiao and the Blood Gate. Do be careful if anything does come up.”
Elder nodded, “Don’t worry. Shi Jiu is one of us. We won’t be negligent in this matter.”
“Goodbye then.” Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned to leave without looking at Mu Na, who was sitting on Elder’s shoulders.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Mu Na suddenly stretched out her hand and pulled on Elder’s ear. Elder grinned and raised his hand to stop Yang Kai, “Wait a moment!”
Yang Kai turned back and asked, “Is there something else you need, Elder?”
The Elder replied somewhat apologetically, “I’m sorry, it’s not me who has something to say to you. It’s Mu Na…”
Yang Kai directly interrupted Elder’s words, “I have made myself clear to Matriarch. There will be no further discussion on that matter.”
Mu Na was furious, “Little brat, do you think I will take advantage of you!?”
He frowned in response, “That is not what I meant. It’s just that I will never hand over these two items. They are of great use to me!”
“If it was something useless, I wouldn’t even have brought it up with you,” she snorted, annoyed beyond words.
He could tell that his reaction had been a little too harsh when he saw her expression; thus, he cupped his fists, “I’m sorry, Matriarch. In any case, I cannot hand those two items to you.”
Gritting her teeth, she glared at him angrily, “Can you even take care of them!?”
He shrugged at those words, “They are not dead, are they?”
She was extremely furious and turned her head away, looking as though she refused to talk to him anymore.
The Elder spoke up at that moment, “Calm down, both of you. Calm down. Take a few deep breaths and settle down.”
Yang Kai retorted, “I’m very calm, she is the one that refuses to leave this matter alone. Elder, you should talk some sense into her.”
The Elder chuckled, “Do you know why moths are drawn to fire?”
“Because they are stupid?” Yang Kai replied smoothly.
The corner of the Elder’s face twitched at those words, “It’s because it is in their nature. One’s inherent nature is a very mysterious thing. Take the Stone Spirit Clan for example, we won’t be able to stop ourselves from devouring a rare ore that we come across. As for Humans… men can’t help themselves from stealing a few more glances at a beautiful woman. Similarly, a moth cannot stop itself from being attracted to fire. It is all part of their nature.”
“The leopard can’t change its spots!”
Elder’s face twitched even more violently, “Yes, that’s the concept. For the Wood Spirit Clan, the rarer the plant, the more it inspires their desire to care for it.”
After circling around the bush for so long, it came back to the starting point again.
Yang Kai was just about to say something when Elder interrupted, “I might not know what Matriarch wants from you, but it’s obviously something that is very precious. It seems that it is something very difficult to give up. Moreover, it seems to be something that cannot be made public.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, so please forgive me.”
The Elder smiled, “In that case, you don’t need to hand it over. Instead, the Matriarch has a suggestion. Why don’t you listen to it patiently?”
“What suggestion?” Yang Kai looked at Mu Na curiously. As long as they did not bring up the same request from before, he did not mind listening; after all, the inherent ability of the Wood Spirit Clan allowed them to communicate with all plants, so he might even get some tips from them on how to better take care of the Firmament Tree so that its sealing abilities would be recovered faster.
Mu Na turned her head away as if she was reluctant to look at him. Even so, she muttered, “I will assign two of my clansmen to you to help you take care of these two items.”
Yang Kai widened his eyes at her, “Assign two of your clansmen to me?”
He quickly did some calculations in his heart. He had a medicine garden in his Small Sealed World, which contained all sorts of rare plants and herbs, including the Firmament Tree and the Immortal Tree. He had simply planted them at will and had never bothered to tend to the garden before. Fortunately, the medicine garden contained a large amount of Heavy Earth and a number of Earth Vein Crystals. Otherwise, most of the plants would have withered by now.
If he had two Wood Spirit Clan members sent by the Matriarch to take care of his medicine garden for him, not only would he not have to worry about his collection dying anymore, but the herbs in the medicine garden would also be very well raised and tended to. There was nobody else in the world who was more suited to this task than the Wood Spirits after all. They were practically born to take care of plants since ancient times. If a person could obtain a Wood Spirit, they wouldn’t need to worry about the affairs of their medicine garden anymore. More importantly, their harvest would also increase by at least thirty percent.
Therefore, he looked very shocked, “Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I am joking?” Mu Na retorted angrily.
Yang Kai rubbed his hands together and broke out into a huge grin, “How could I possibly accept something like that? This is really… Oh, my…”
He was slightly incoherent at this point.
He had thought of abducting a Wood Spirit before leaving once, as it would be such a waste not to let such a rare species put their talents to full use in his medicine garden. Furthermore, High Heaven Palace would definitely have its own medicine garden in the future, and judging by the current scale of High Heaven Palace, the medicine garden would surely be huge. Nothing could beat having a Wood Spirit taking care of it.
Mu Na turned to look at him in contempt. [This brat was so rude to me just now but changed his tune so quickly. How hateful and disgusting! Why have I never noticed this before?]
Yang Kai made a fist, placed it next to his mouth, coughing lightly before trying to act seriously and asking, “Are there any conditions attached to this offer, Matriarch? Let me say this first; don’t even think about touching those two things.”
“What conditions!? What conditions can I put forth!?” She snapped angrily.
Yang Kai was astonished, “You can’t be offering this for nothing, can you?”
Elder chuckled, “Didn’t she mention the conditions just now? Let her two clansmen take care of those two items.”
“That… Does that even count as a condition?” Yang Kai was so shocked that his eyes were practically falling out of their sockets.
[That’s clearly beneficial to me, so how is that a condition?]
The Elder replied in a serious manner, “That is the nature of the Wood Spirit Clan. Seeing how much she values those two items, letting them take care of it is the best reward they could possibly receive.”
Not only were there no conditions attached, but Mu Na was also going to assign two clansmen to help him take care of his medicine garden. Yang Kai couldn’t believe something this incredible could be true…
Yang Kai finally understood the depth of the Wood Spirit Clan’s desire and pursuit of rare plants. It was just like what the Elder mentioned, this was part of their inherent nature. Allowing them to take care of the plants was the greatest sign of gratitude that he could give them. Besides, it was an excellent deal for him. It cost him nothing, and he even managed to hire two caretakers for his medicine garden for free. How could anything be better than that?
The sudden unexpected stroke of good fortune left him feeling rather dizzy so he began pacing about the Tree Cave, feeling extremely excited.
Meanwhile, Mu Na, who was watching him, frowningly and enigmatically said, “If you can’t even agree to this, then I have nothing else to say. In the future, please don’t come here anymore. The Wood Spirit Clan does not welcome you! The Stone Spirit Clan too!”
“I agree! Of course I agree to it!” Yang Kai stopped pacing and turned to her with a huge smile, “I’d be foolish to refuse such kindness from you, Matriarch.”
Mu Na snorted and cast a look at him that seemed to say, ‘At least you have some tact.’
His expression became solemn again, “But, there’s something I need to let you know, Matriarch.”
“What is it?”
“I’m afraid it won’t be easy for your two clansmen to see freedom again once they are in my hands.” If he really got his hands on two Wood Spirits, he would surely place them in the medicine garden inside the Small Sealed World. As long as he did not have the power to maintain the Immortal Tree on his own, he would not allow them to leave easily.
Mu Na frowned at those words, “Why? Are you going to restrict their freedom?”
“I have no choice. Please forgive me, Matriarch.”
She thoughtfully said, “It looks like that item is very special.”
Yang Kai replied with a serious expression, “Matriarch, if you don’t mind, then I will be very happy to accept. Of course, I will not treat them badly, so please don’t worry about that.”
“I’m not worried about that.” For the Wood Spirits, being able to spend time with precious plants was the greatest joy in life for them. Not only did Yang Kai have the Firmament Tree in his possession, but he also had something even more precious. Any Wood Spirit would be willing to stay by his side and work for him. Besides, she had already anticipated something like this when she came up with this suggestion, so she nodded in response, “No problem.”
He grinned, “Many thanks, Matriarch!”
The irritation he held towards her had vanished without a trace and he suddenly shyly said, “Matriarch, don’t you think two clansmen might be too few? If possible, won’t you assign at least seven or eight of them to me?”
The Elder’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at those words while, on the other hand, Mu Na yelled, “Get out!”
“I was just saying! Just forget it if you don’t agree. Why did you have to yell at me?” Yang Kai lowered his head and muttered under his breath.
“Stop acting like you’re pitiful when you received the most out of us all!” Mu Na snapped furiously.
He lifted his head at those words, looking as if nothing had happened and declared, “Matriarch, please summon your two clansmen here quickly. I still have other matters to deal with, so I can’t remain here for long.”
Needless to say, he had no time to delay for fear that she would regret her decision. He had to abduct two of the Wood Spirits and take them away with him immediately.
Even though Mu Na was annoyed at him, she still raised her hands and clapped twice. Soon after, two Wood Spirits flew in from outside the house. They bowed to her and then turned to study Yang Kai. It was clear that they had been prepared in advance.
Yang Kai looked at them and immediately felt elated. One of the Wood Spirits was somebody he was familiar with. It was the Wood Spirit who came to greet him yesterday. She seemed to be very shy, blushing deeply and looking around awkwardly when their gazes met.
The other one was also a female Wood Spirit, but she was clearly more outgoing. She smiled when she saw Yang Kai looking her way, instantly brightening the world around her.
“Mu Zhu, Mu Lu, you will follow this boy from now on. Take good care of his… things,” Mu Na instructed.
Mu Zhu and Mu Lu answered in unison, “Yes!”
Then, Mu Na turned to Yang Kai again, “I’m leaving my people in your hands. If you dare to wrong them or hurt them in any way, I will hold you accountable!”
“Rest assured, Matriarch, I won’t let anything harm a single hair on their heads!” Yang Kai patted his chest and promised, his eyes gleaming when he glanced at Mu Zhu and Mu Lu.
[Tsk, tsk. These two Wood Spirits will belong to me from now on. It’s so amazing.]
“Which one of you is Mu Zhu? And, which one is Mu Lu?” He asked as harmlessly as possible with a smile on his face.
The outgoing Wood Spirit bowed elegantly and introduced herself, “I am Mu Zhu.” Pointing at her blushing companion, she added, “She is Mu Lu.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly and continued in a warm voice, “I’ll be sending you somewhere in a bit, please don’t be scared.”
Having said so, he reached out and held them gently, after which the two Wood Spirits disappeared immediately.
Mu Na was enraged when she saw this and swiftly raised both hands, summoning many vines as thick as a grown man’s arm into the Tree Cave. These vines shot out like arrows and wrapped around Yang Kai until he looked like a dumpling.
The Wood Spirit Clan detested conflict, but that did not mean they were incapable of fighting. The power contained within those small and exquisite bodies was no inferior to any other race. Moreover, Mu Na was stronger than the average Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so while she might not be as strong as a Divine Spirit, she was in no way weak.
“What did you do to them!? Spit them out, right this instant!”
“Calm down! Calm down!” Yang Kai felt cold sweat oozing from his head. Her words made it sound as though he was a wild and savage beast that devoured its prey whole.
“Where are they!?” How could she remain calm after witnessing her two clansmen disappearing right in front of her eyes? Their aura had vanished completely too. [I don’t even know if they are dead or alive right after handing them over to him!]
“They are in a safe place!” As he spoke, his entire body flickered and with a pulse of Space Principles, the vines trapping him in place fell apart like they were cut by thousands of knives, disintegrating into powder and floating to the ground.
Mu Na’s pupils contracted at this sight.
Similarly, the Elder was looking at Yang Kai in shock. He had known Mu Na for thousands of years, so he knew best just how strong the binding force of those vines were. The Elder might have been able to break free of the vines with brute force, but not as easily as Yang Kai had.
Before the arrival of Fan Wu and the others, Yang Kai had been immersed in his newfound perception of Space Principles. He could vaguely comprehend something, but it was not yet a complete understanding. After trying it out, he realized that his attainments in the Dao of Space had improved greatly and was confident he would be able to create a new Divine Ability if he had more time to work on it. Unfortunately, now was not the time to consider such matters. Mu Na would never let him go unless he cleared up the issue regarding Mu Zhu and Mu Lu.
“Matriarch, as you know, I am proficient in the Dao of Space. That’s why it’s not strange for me to have a special kind of storage artifact.” While speaking, he took out the Sealed World Bead.
In the early years, he had concealed the Sealed World Bead very carefully because he did not have enough strength to protect it or himself. There were times when he needed to borrow the strength of the Sealed World Bead as well; however, Yang Kai now had the strength to refine a new Sealed World, so there was no need to place so much importance on the Sealed World Bead anymore.
A light flashed across the Sealed World Bead and a confused Mu Zhu and Mu Lu reappeared with bewildered expressions.
“That world! I see.” Elder exclaimed.
A strange light shone in Mu Na’s eyes as she seemed to realize something and exclaimed, “Are the Firmament Tree and that thing in there?”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai broke out into a grin, “Matriarch, do you want to go inside and have a look?”
She immediately looked wary, “I won’t be able to leave once I enter, right?”
“Of course, you can.” Yang Kai laughed heartily while, honestly, he had such intentions. As the Matriarch, Mu Na was the best among all the Wood Spirits in terms of cultivating spirit flowers and exotic plants. If he could trick her into the Small Sealed World… However, he knew that that was impossible. The Stone Spirit Clan and the Wood Spirits depended on each other and often relied on each other’s strength. If he kidnapped Mu Na, the Stone Spirit’s Clan Elder would be the first to become hostile to him.
But in this way, Mu Na finally understood what he meant when he said ‘they would not see freedom again in the short term.’ This storage artifact was a world of its own, so upon entering it, they needed to get his consent to exit again.
Meanwhile, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu were still confused. They suddenly felt the world spinning around them just now. Then, they found themselves in another world. Before they could take a closer look at the environment inside that world though, they suddenly reappeared in the Tree Cave again.
“Boy, you sure have a lot of good things in your possession.” Mu Na sighed in amazement. A storage artifact that could form a complete world on its own was very rare. Moreover, something like that was most effective in the hands of somebody who was proficient in the Dao of Space. It was the envy of others.
“Matriarch, do you have any other questions?”
“No. Please take good care of them.”
“Don’t worry, I will never let them feel wronged,” Yang Kai replied. Following that, he placed Mu Zhu and Mu Lu back into the Small Sealed World. He cupped his fists and said, “I am grateful for your kindness, Matriarch. I won’t forget the graciousness you showed me today even if I climb to the top in the future. It’s getting late, please excuse me now. I hope we meet again.”
Elder said, “Be careful. If you ever need the help of the Stone Spirit Clan in the future, just come over and say hello.”
Yang Kai nodded and strode out of the Tree Cave to return to where the Space Array was located. The Space Array surged, light flashed, and his figure disappeared.
A palace had been built around the Space Array at High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory. The Space Array was located right in the centre of the palace, so several disciples were on guard duty, sitting cross-legged while meditating by the side.
This place was the passage connecting High Heaven Palace to the broader world; therefore, it was an extremely important existence. An Emperor Realm Master was assigned to guard this place all year round. Moreover, the palace was protected by the layers of Arrays that Nanmen Da Jun had arranged. If anybody dared to invade this place, the entire palace could be turned into a death zone with the slightest activation of the Array Jade. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would not be able to escape alive.
The Emperor Realm Master on duty today was none other than Bian Yu Qing. She had joined High Heaven Palace after receiving Yang Kai’s help at Spirit Lake Palace where she broke through to the Emperor Realm. Due to her experience in managing Blue Feather Sect previously, she had been assisting Head Manager Hua Qing Si since she joined. She could be considered the Second Manager of High Heaven Palace.
Speaking of High Heaven Palace, it now had many Emperor Realm Masters among its ranks. The greatest among them were the Three Monster Kings, the Emperor Alchemist, Ji Ying, the Emperor Array Master, Nanmen Da Jun, and the Emperor Artifact Refiner, Hou Yu. They were followed by Hua Qing Si, Bian Yu Qing, and the former Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Hen, who came out of retreat three years ago after breaking through into the Emperor Realm. It could be said that although High Heaven Palace did not have many members in total, the ratio of Emperor Realm Masters among their ranks was terrifying. There was no other Sect in the Star Boundary that could achieve such a ratio.
With such a line-up, High Heaven Palace had a richer heritage than most of the top Sects in the Star Boundary. Even Sects like Fire Dragon Palace, Ice Heart Valley, and Azure Sun Temple only had one Third-Order Emperor Realm Master each.
The Space Array shone brightly, which startled Bian Yu Qing who was meditating, causing her to lift her eyes and glance in that direction. Thinking that it was Hua Qing Si returning from the Southern Territory, she hurriedly got up to greet the person who arrived.
Yang Kai’s figure was revealed before she could get closer though, and surprised, she hurriedly cupped her fists, “Palace Master, you’re back.”
Several disciples guarding by the side also rushed to greet Yang Kai with respectful expressions. Incidentally, it had been more than ten years since Yang Kai left the Northern Territory to go to Dragon Island. There had been no news from him throughout all this time, and if Zhu Qing had not come here to inform everybody of the truth, they would have assumed that something had happened to him. However, she had not mentioned that he was going to a Lower Star Field and simply said that he was cultivating in retreat and might take months or years to exit.
Now that Bian Yu Qing could feel the fluctuations coming from Yang Kai’s body, she was shocked to the core to discover that he was now a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. [I can’t believe he broke through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm in a little more than ten years! What incredible cultivation speed!]
When she first met him, he had only been a Second-Order Origin King. She inadvertently felt a sense of shame for her lack of achievement when she compared herself to him.
“Manager Bian.” Yang Kai grinned, feeling extremely cordial to be reunited with an old friend. Although Heng Luo Star Field was where he was originally from, High Heaven Palace was the foundation of where he currently stood. He finally returned after ten years outside, so he was in a good mood, “Are you on duty today?”
“Yes!” She replied honestly.
“En, did anything happen in the past few years?”
“Everything has been peaceful. Please rest assured, Palace Master.”
The heritage of High Heaven Palace was clear as day and it was no secret that three Monster Kings were guarding this place, so who in the entire Northern Territory, aside from Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s Medicine Pill Valley, could even compare to it? It was only natural that nobody dared to cause trouble for High Heaven Palace, so the past ten years had gone by without incident.
“Rather, people from Fire Dragon Palace came here many times to ask about the whereabouts of Li Jiao.”
“Oh, just ignore them.” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “Ask Sister Hua to come and meet me.”
She responded, “Manager Hua is currently not in the palace.”
“Where did Sister Hua go?” Yang Kai was startled to hear the news.
“Manager Hua is currently settling some accounts for the end of the year. She went to the Southern Territory half a month ago to settle some material transactions with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, and based on her schedule, she should be returning in about two days.”
A few years back, Yang Kai had reached an agreement with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce. Since the two Territories were located very far apart and the resources they produced were very different, they were fully capable of making up for what each other lacked. Hua Qing Si had maintained the trade relationship between them for all these years, bringing in a lot of income for High Heaven Palace as a result.
“Is that so? Then, ask Nanmen Da Jun and Chi Yue to come and meet me instead.”
“Yes.”
Afterwards, Yang Kai strode forward and merged into the Void. By the time he reappeared again, he was standing in the sky and looking down at High Heaven Palace. The mountains below him rose up in the distance, the vegetation was lush, the scenery was beautiful, and the weather was calm. There were many mountain peaks scattered around and numerous buildings were located in the valleys between them; however, most of these places were empty. These buildings were originally the properties left over from Seeking Passion Sect, but because High Heaven Palace had always been sparsely populated, nobody lived there and those buildings were left empty.
Yang Kai flew around the entire High Heaven Palace for a while, observing the landscape quietly as he formed a plan in his heart. Since he was back, the first thing he needed to do was to release the people within the Small Sealed World. The only way they could adapt to the World Principles in the Star Boundary was to integrate them into this world as soon as possible.
After today, the population of High Heaven Palace would probably exceed a hundred thousand people.
An eagle’s cry sounded and a figure dashed over to Yang Kai at that moment. When that figure got closer, it turned into a well-dressed man with a hooked nose who cupped his fists and greeted, “Young Master Yang.”
“Ying Fei, it has been years since we last met. I trust you’ve been well?” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Ying Fei replied, “Many thanks for your concern, Young Master Yang. I have been well.”
While they were speaking, Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei rushed over too. The three of them had noticed Yang Kai’s aura at the same time, it was just that Ying Fei’s speed was faster, so he arrived first.
After exchanging greetings, Xi Lei asked curiously, “Young Master Yang, what are you looking at?”
“I was trying to assess how many people High Heaven Palace can accommodate.”
Xi Lei chuckled at those words, “We have vast lands and a small population, with hundreds of spirit peaks empty. Accommodating one or two hundred thousand shouldn’t be a big deal. Why? Are you planning to open the gates and recruit disciples, Young Master Yang?”
“That’s not necessary.” Yang Kai shook his head. Then, he casually added, “By the way, I just came back from the Ancient Wild Lands.”
All three Monster Kings turned pale at those words. Glancing at each other, Ying Fei cautiously asked, “Did the Divine Venerables… say anything?”
“We met briefly before they drove me out. It seems that they don’t welcome me very much.” Yang Kai grinned, recalling the behaviour of the Three Great Divine Venerables back then still amused him greatly.
“Is that so…” Ying Fei was speechless. Although he could guess why the Three Great Divine Venerables were not welcoming toward Yang Kai, it was not easy for him to explain the situation at this time.
Xi Lei hesitated for a moment, “Did the Divine Venerables mention us?”
As soon as those words sounded out, both Ying Fei and Xie Wu Wei looked at Yang Kai nervously. When it came down to it, they were still Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands. They were subject to the commands of the Three Great Divine Venerables, and if they were ordered to return, they would have no way to refuse. Otherwise, it would be considered a betrayal. However, they would surely be frustrated and unable to accept the situation if they returned just like that. Despite staying by Yang Kai’s side for so many years, they had yet to obtain the opportunity they were hoping for. It would be such a waste to leave right now.
“Not at all.” Yang Kai shook his head, “It looks like you’ll be my people officially from now on.”
The three looked at each other before cupping their fists in unison, “We wish to serve under you!”
Their eyes were full of excitement. It was best if the Divine Venerables did not order them to return. They were willing to continue staying by Yang Kai’s side and offer their services to him. Although living in High Heaven Palace was peaceful to a fault and there was nothing much for them to do, it was still the best way for them to make a connection with that descendent of Heavens Order.
“Work hard. In the future, I will make it worth your time.” Yang Kai nonchalantly said. It was a casual remark, but it sounded much more significant to the listeners. Thus, the three Monster Kings became even more excited.
“En, come with me.” Yang Kai ordered before he turned around, flew downwards, and landed in front of a huge square where Nanmen Da Jun and Bian Yu Qing were waiting for him.
Upon noticing his arrival, Nanmen Da Jun hurriedly came forward, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
“Little brat, you’re finally back!” Chi Yue, Gui Zu, Gu Cang Yun, and Ai Ou also greeted him.
Yang Kai cupped his fists respectfully. These few would always be regarded as his Seniors no matter how high his cultivation, especially Chi Yue and Ai Ou. One was his Mother-In-Law and the other was his Father-In-Law, so how could he not be respectful towards them?
“Boy, where have you been gallivanting off to recently? I heard you even subdued a Dragon Girl!” Ai Ou looked at Yang Kai with an unhappy expression. Moreover, his tone was rather difficult to interpret.
[This smelly brat is too improper! He already has four wives in the Star Field yet he dares to continue to fool around after coming to the Star Boundary!? He even dared to seduce a member of the Dragon Clan and become intimate with her!] It was only natural that Ai Ou had some thoughts of his own regarding Yang Kai’s actions. He might not dare to act presumptuously in front of the Dragon Clan, but it was different when it came to Yang Kai. [Who cares how high your cultivation is!? I will never forgive you if you treat my daughter badly!]
Moreover, that Dragon Girl wasn’t the only one. Ai Ou had also heard about a woman in Ice Heart Valley who seemed to have some sort of ambiguous relationship with Yang Kai as well. It was simply intolerable. If not for his lack of strength, he would have taught Yang Kai a harsh lesson by now.
“It was an accident. It was only an accident!” Yang Kai sweated profusely. He only mentioned Zhu Qing to Su Yan alone and did not know if Su Yan had told Luo’er and Xue Yue about this, but he had never heard them asking him about it before.
“An accident!?” Ai Ou snapped angrily, “How can you do that to those girls!? You don’t even know how they are doing back in the Star Field right now. Smelly brat, if you have the time to go around seducing women, then you should use that time to figure out a way to go back and bring them here! You should be able to do it with your current ability!”
“I was just about to discuss this matter with you.” Yang Kai took the opportunity to change the flow of the conversation.
“About what?” Chi Yue looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.
“Look who’s here!” Yang Kai smiled and waved his hand out in front of him. Communicating with the Sealed World Bead, several figures appeared, one after another, with that flick of his wrist.
Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, and Xue Yue all appeared together. It was clear that they had been summoned without warning as they were confused and did not know what was going on; however, just standing side by side highlighted how beautiful yet distinct they were. Although their looks varied greatly, every one of them was an outstanding beauty.
Nanmen Da Jun and Bian Yu Qing were amazed by what they saw, their eyes gleaming brightly as they swept their gazes over these four women. The cultivation of Su Yan and the others might be nothing special in their eyes, but each one among these four women was incredibly gorgeous. It was a blessing of several lifetimes for an ordinary man to obtain any one of them. Nevertheless, Yang Kai managed to grab hold of all four of them at once! It seemed their Palace Master was quite lucky in love!
[It’s Yang Kai after all.]
Meanwhile, the focus of the three Monster Kings was not on the external appearances of Su Yan and the others. It was undeniable that these four women were beautiful even in the eyes of the Monster Race, but they could sense a different sort of aura coming from two of these women that grabbed hold of their attention.
In particular, the aura from the woman with the cold expression gave birth to a sense of worship in them. Her aura was similar to that of Luan Feng’s, but it was even nobler and more powerful. Despite just standing there, she felt as though she was towering above the clouds and looking down on the world from the Heavens. Conversely, the other enchanting woman did not have as imposing a presence, but even so, her aura was not something ordinary people could possess.
[Divine Spirits!] The three Monster Kings glanced at each other and their eyes were filled with shock. As part of the Monster Race, they were very sensitive to the auras of Divine Spirits so they could easily tell that both Su Yan and Shan Qing Luo were carrying Divine Spirit Sources with a single glance. Even if the two women were weak right now, these three were certain that these two women would surpass them in strength if given the opportunity to grow.
“Luo’er?” Chi Yue was stunned and stared at Shan Qing Luo in a daze. She was barely able to believe her eyes.
Ai Ou was just asking Yang Kai to figure out a way to go back to the Star Field to bring Shan Qing Luo and the others here, but then Shan Qing Luo suddenly appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye.
Shan Qing Luo was taken aback upon hearing her name being called out. Their gazes met when she turned her head to look and she excitedly called out, “Mother!”
Back when she and Bi Luo left the Great Han Dynasty, they were transported directly to Monster Emperor Star after passing through an extremely strange altar. If not for Chi Yue finding and watching over them, taking her in as her Adopted Daughter, they would have met a disastrous end with their strength alone.
Therefore, Chi Yue wasn’t just her saviour but also her Adoptive Mother. Shan Qing Luo had known before coming here that she would be able to meet with Chi Yue again, so she had been looking forward to it.
On the other hand, Ai Ou was similarly staring at Xue Yue in a daze. The latter felt her eyes reddening as she called out softly, “Father!”
He resisted the turmoil of emotions in him and nodded, “Good, good, good. It’s good that you are safe.” Turning his head, he glanced at Yang Kai and felt all the dissatisfaction from before dissipating. Yang Kai had returned to the Star Field and brought his daughter here, so what more did he have to say?
Although Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang did not have any family to reunite with here, they had not seen Gui Zu for many years, so they stepped forward to greet him. Meanwhile, Gu Cang Yun stared blankly and stammered, “Palace Master, did you return to the Star Field?”
Chi Yue and Ai Ou could address Yang Kai directly by his name or even call him ‘Boy’ or ‘Little Brat’, even ‘Smelly Brat’ was fine, but Gu Cang Yun did not have the courage to do so. Hence, he conscientiously addressed Yang Kai as ‘Palace Master’.
“En. I just got back from there.” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“T-Then, is Sword Union…” Gu Cang Yun looked at Yang Kai with a look of expectation.
“Don’t worry, Senior Gu. I also brought Brother Gu here on this trip and many others from Sword Union too.”
“Where are they?” Gu Cang Yun’s eyes brightened.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be able to meet them soon.” More than a hundred thousand people were crowded in a certain area of the Small Sealed World, so Yang Kai could not find Gu Jian Xin nor the people of Sword Union at a moment’s notice. The reason he could summon Su Yan and the others so easily was that they were not staying in the same place as the others.
“Da Jun, bring me the Mountains and Rivers Projection,” he said while lifting his hand.
Nanmen Da Jun did not know what Yang Kai wanted to do, but he did not doubt the latter. He hurriedly took out the Mountains and Rivers Projection controller and opened it. A picture instantly lit up and an image of a miniature High Heaven Palace appeared before them. From the mountains and the plains down to the smallest stream and hill, everything was clearly shown in the image. This was something Nanmen Da Jun and Hou Yu had joined hands to refine so it was only natural that it was an amazing work.
Yang Kai pointed at several of the peaks and asked, “There are people living here, right?”
Bian Yu Qing glanced at the spots Yang Kai was pointing at and answered, “That’s right. That’s Thousand Leaves Peak where Old Man Ye Hen and the people of Thousand Leaves Sect are staying. Five Saints Peak is where Chi Yue lives…” She had been living in High Heaven Palace for more than ten years now, so it was only natural that she was familiar with where everyone lived.
Yang Kai nodded at her words, “There will be a lot of people coming out soon. I need you to help settle them in.”
“How many?” She asked.
“More than a hundred of thousand!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, everybody gasped in response. High Heaven Palace had always been small in number; moreover, Yang Kai had never shown any intention to recruit disciples. The gates to High Heaven Palace had never been opened since its establishment, so they did not know what he was planning. It wasn’t until today that they understood he was simply making preparations all this time.
“With so many people, I will need some helping hands,” Bian Yu Qing said.
“Good. You can also ask the people from Thousand Leaves Sect to come.” Yang Kai nodded, “I’m going to bring these people out first.”
Bian Yu Qing immediately took out her communication artifact and poured her Divine Sense into it. It was obvious that she was calling for people to come over and help.
On the other hand, Yang Kai summoned the Sealed World Bead, and in a swirl of darkness, a huge tadpole-like figure appeared. It was Gun-Gun who proceeded to open his dark and wide mouth as though it spanned across the entire world.
The terrifying aura emanating from Gun-Gun made the three Monster Kings pale. They couldn’t even tell what this thing was. It wasn’t due to the large body size either, but rather that it gave off an extremely dangerous feeling.
A figure soon rushed out of that big mouth and looked around with a shocked expression. The figure that was frozen in place was none other than Meng Wu Ya. The rich World Energy all around made him think that he was in a dream. The World Energy in the place where High Heaven Sect was located on Shadowed Star had been second to none in the entire Star Field; however, comparing that place to this place was like comparing the ground to the vast Heavens. One didn’t even need to circulate a Secret Art to feel the World Energy pouring into their body here, an extremely comfortable sensation.
Then, another figure came out of Gun-Gun’s mouth. Followed by the third, and then a fourth… Everybody reacted in the same way.
Yang Kai called out loudly seeing this, “Everyone, please don’t stop here. Please continue moving forward as there are still others coming out behind you.”
His reminder finally woke these people from their daze and glancing at each other, they saw the shock and excitement in each other’s eyes. They had long been informed that they were going to follow Yang Kai back to a higher world known as the Star Boundary, and from the looks of it, they had arrived safely. It was just that they never imagined that the Star Boundary they heard about would have such an excellent cultivation environment.
Naturally, most places in the Star Boundary were unlike High Heaven Palace. Even if it was better than the Star Field, it would not have given them the sense of disparity between day and night; however, this was High Heaven Palace. It was where the Seeking Passion Sect once stood. In the first place, it was one of the best Cultivation Paradises in the Northern Territory, so how could the Word Energy not be abundant?
In the meantime, a steady stream of people emerged from Gun-Gun’s mouth and the square was soon filled with people.
At this time, the people of Thousand Leaves Sect also rushed over under Ye Hen’s lead. There were not many of them, only a few hundred at best, and needless to say, they were extremely shocked to be greeted by this scene. After asking around for a bit, they finally learned that these people came from a Lower Star Field and were astounded by Yang Kai’s methods.
In the eyes of a cultivator born and raised in the Star Boundary, those that arrived from a Lower Star Field were the elites among the elites. As long as they did not die partway through their journey, the chances of them advancing to the Emperor Realm was extremely high. It was only because the cultivation environment of a Lower Star Field was vastly inferior to the Star Boundary that their potential for growth had been limited.
It wasn’t as if there were no cultivators from a Lower Star Field in Star Boundary, it was just that they were scattered all over the place so it was difficult to see so many of them all at once.
Thousands of cultivators appeared in the square, and there were still more people coming out. These people might not be powerful at the moment, but with enough time, they would surely become the foundation of High Heaven Palace.
Yang Kai had no time to chat with anybody as he stood in a corner with Bian Yu Qing, pointing at various spots at High Heaven Palace shown on the Mountains and Rivers Projection. They were constantly discussing how to divide the land and living quarters for these people.
One by one, the disciples of the Thousand Leaves Sect were given instructions, each of them leading approximately 1,000 or 2,000 people as they headed for a mountain somewhere.
This busy work spanned several days, during which, Hua Qing Si returned from the Southern Territory. With her help, things went more smoothly than before while her expression was both blissful and distressed. She would glance at Yang Kai from time to time with a resentful look.
Although she was personally named by Yang Kai as the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, she had nothing much to deal with since its establishment. There weren’t that many people in High Heaven Palace in the first place. Besides, most of them were disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect, and since Ye Hen was also based on Thousand Leaves Peak, self-governance had not been a problem.
Over the years, Hua Qing Si had mostly busied herself looking for ways to obtain cultivation resources for High Heaven Palace. Cooperating with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce in the Southern Territory had earned her a lot of fortune, but what was the point of earning so much? There were no disciples using these resources so these materials ended up as a bunch of numbers of paper. Hence, it could be said that she was Head Manager in name only.
However, it was different now. More than a hundred thousand disciples had entered High Heaven Palace all of a sudden; in other words, she had to coordinate, determine their cultivation techniques, and prepare the resources needed for all of these disciples. She could almost see a future where she would not get a moment’s rest for at least half a year…
Her workload would finally be worthy of her title as ‘Head Manager’, but… wasn’t this going to be too exhausting?
Fortunately, she had Bian Yu Qing sharing her worries and helping her in solving problems; otherwise, she would have to bear this burden all alone. Nevertheless, it was still too much for her and Bian Yu Qing alone to handle the daily needs of more than a hundred thousand people, so they needed to come up with a better plan.
The last group that came out of the Small Sealed World was a group of Monster Race cultivators. They were the elites of Monster Emperor Star, and numbered around three thousand in total with Yu Xiong as their leader. Furthermore, each one of them gave off a tremendous Monster Qi.
Yang Kai beckoned at the three Monster Kings, “I will hand them over to you three to take care of.”
The cultivation of the Monster Race was different from that of Humans; therefore, it would be for the best for them if they were personally taught by the three Monster Kings. In response, Ying Fei, Xi Lei, and Xie Wu Wei smiled widely. Their gazes swept over the three thousand or so new members of the Monster Race with a calculating look, causing a chill to shoot up the spines of these three thousand.
These new members of the Monster Race could be considered the elites of Monster Emperor Star, the outstanding talents who survived the war against Limitless Beast Mountain. Even so, they felt like babies when faced with the aura coming from the three Monster Kings. None of them could tell how powerful the Monster Kings were specifically, but there was no doubt that any one of these three could snuff them out with a snort.
“Finally, we have something to do!” Xi Lei laughed loudly.
Like Hua Qing Si, the three of them had been idling since they came to High Heaven Palace. Their greatest joy had been playing hide-and-seek with Hou Yu. Unfortunately, she lost the heart to escape after being captured by them countless times and instead dedicated herself to refining artifacts for High Heaven Palace nowadays.
In her words, she was going to squander all the resources in High Heaven Palace to make Yang Kai feel distressed and finally release her. Nevertheless, she could not bring herself to disgrace her reputation as an Emperor Artifact Refiner, and as a result, all the Artifacts she refined were of top quality. At the moment, countless artifacts of various grades were piled up in High Heaven Palace’s treasury. If she had known beforehand that Yang Kai would bring more than a hundred thousand disciples into the Sect and effectively put those artifacts to good use, she would not have the motivation to continue ‘wasting’ resources.
Without Hou Yu to chase around, the three Monster Kings had felt increasingly bored; therefore, handing them three thousand or so disciples was just what they wanted. At the very least, they could do something for Yang Kai, which was better than staying here doing nothing all day long.
“Little ones, come with me.” Xi Lei waved his hand and took the lead to fly to a large mountain deep inside High Heaven Palace.
The three thousand or so newcomers looked at each other, feeling confused until Chi Yue shouted, “What are you waiting for!? Get moving!”
Only then did many of them notice Chi Yue’s presence and they were both surprised and delighted to see her. When she left the Star Field, Chi Yue had been the one and only Monster Queen on Monster Emperor Star, and while her strength was simply incomparable to that of Xi Lei and the other Monster Kings, her orders carried far more weight, so the three thousand or so Monsters follow after Xi Lei obediently.
It was a mighty and spectacular procession.
It took Yang Kai half a month to completely arrange accommodation for this mass of people. During this period, he was so busy that he was practically running around all the time. Fortunately, he had Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing helping him; otherwise, he would have died from overwork.
The hundreds of Spirit Peaks of various shapes and sizes in High Heaven Palace were originally empty; however, they were now filled to the brim with people. The smaller Spirit Peaks housed up to several hundred while the largest Main Peaks could house up to three thousand people. With more than a hundred thousand people distributed among the hundreds of Spirit Peaks, High Heaven Palace instantly transformed into an extremely lively place.
Managing so many people was a huge challenge, be that as it may, Hua Qing Si made a suggestion that they select a Peak Master for and from each peak. These hundreds of Peak Masters would fall under her direct responsibility while the Peak Masters would be responsible for the newly welcomed disciples living in their respective Spirit Peaks. That way, it would save everybody a lot of trouble.
Naturally, Chi Yue, Ai Ou, Gu Cang Yun, and Gui Zu were each capable of overseeing a Spirit Peak; moreover, the Spirit Peaks they oversaw were the Main Peaks. Although their cultivation had yet to enter the Emperor Realm, they now all stood at the peak of the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. They were much more powerful than the cultivators from the Star Field. For that reason, the four of them gave up the Five Saints Peak that they had been living on for a long time and relocated to other Spirit Peaks.
Gu Cang Yun was the former Union Master of the Sword Union, and Yang Kai brought most of the elites in Sword Union here with him; thus, all the disciples from Sword Union were pushed onto Gu Cang Yun to manage. Yang Kai was fairly certain that those disciples would not mind either. If their numbers were insufficient, he could transfer people in from other places to fill the empty spots.
Meanwhile, Ai Ou was placed in charge of the cultivators from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce; Gui Zu and Chi Yue each oversaw a portion of those who were originally in High Heaven Sect. It was because the three thousand members of the Monster Race had been assigned to the three Monster Kings, so she had nobody available under her.
The others such as Ye Xi Yun, several Elders of the original Star Emperor Sect, Qiu Yi Meng, and Old Demon, who were in the Origin King Realm, were all promoted to become Peak Masters of their respective Spirit Peaks too. With this system in place, the entire structure within High Heaven Palace immediately became clear and far more convenient to manage.
Yang Kai patrolled and monitored the conditions of the various Spirit Peaks along with the two Head Managers, Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing. After confirming that everything was in order, he finally had some time to rest for a few days. Even so, he did not spend the so-called ‘rest days’ doing nothing. It was just that he wasn’t as busy as he had been at the beginning.
With so many people moving in, a large number of cultivation resources and Secret Arts and Techniques would definitely be needed for cultivation.
Now that everyone was in the Star Boundary, the Secret Arts they cultivated in the Star Field would not be able to keep up with their progress. It was only natural to replace those Secret Arts with better ones.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had killed countless people ever since he entered the Star Boundary, and even a top Sect like Seeking Passion Sect had been destroyed at his hands; therefore, he had gathered quite a collection of Secret Arts. There were many different varieties of Secret Arts suitable for all kinds of cultivators to choose from.
Furthermore, Hua Qing Si had long been prepared for this potential future and had built a library on one of the Main Peaks that contained countless Secret Arts and Secret Techniques. The library was now open for the numerous Peak Masters to freely browse. The matter regarding the Secret Arts was temporarily solved, only the matter regarding cultivation resources remained.
Cultivators in the Star Field mostly cultivated using Saint Crystals while those in the Star Boundary mostly cultivated with Source Crystals. The two were completely different in terms of quality. Luckily, High Heaven Palace accumulated a lot of wealth over the years. Source Crystals were piled up like mountains in the storehouses and Yang Kai had just received a fortune from the Three Great Divine Venerables recently. Combined with the earnings from the trade between Hua Qing Si and Violet Source Chamber of Commerce in the Southern Territory over the years, a rough estimation indicated that High Heaven Palace had no need to worry about Source Crystals for the next fifty years, at the very least.
Moreover, transactions with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce took place every year, and the trade of materials was on a very large scale, so there would definitely be a surplus of Source Crystals even after fifty years. Hence, the matter regarding Source Crystals could be put aside. The only problem left to consider was the supply of pills.
Yang Kai brought along many cultivators from the Star Field who were in the Origin Returning Realm. Additionally, the number of people breaking through to the Origin King Realm would increase gradually with time. This wasn’t of particular concern as Origin Kings weren’t anything special in the Star Boundary. On the other hand, it was the process of advancing into the Dao Source Realm from the Origin King Realm that was extremely pill-consuming. That was because every cultivator required Source Condensing Pills during this period to aid in the transformation of their Saint Qi to Source Qi.
Yang Kai had also experienced this process back then. The same went for Chi Yue, Gui Zu, and the others. Without the assistance of the Source Condensing Pill, it would take an Origin King at least ten or twenty years to completely transform their Saint Qi into Source Qi, and that was considered fast. Those that were slower might take hundreds of years to complete the process.
Consequently, High Heaven Palace would require an enormous amount of Source Condensing Pills over the next hundred or even thousand years. They would not be able to meet this demand just by relying on the Sect’s own production alone. It would be far from enough, even with High Heaven Palace’s very own Spirit Pill Peak. Thus, there was a need to buy such pills in bulk while training their own Alchemists.
For that reason, Yang Kai had asked Hua Qing Si, who had just returned, to visit the Southern Territory again. She took a large number of Monster Beast Cores with her and was prepared to use these to exchange for a batch of Source Condensing Pills from Violet Source Chamber of Commerce to tide over this emergency period for now.
Yang Kai had a few million Monster Beast Cores in his possession, the vast majority of which he obtained when he entered the Ancient Wild Lands in the past. Those Monster Beast Cores were the results formed from the accumulation of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years in the Ancient Wild Lands’ Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb and he had stolen them all in one fell swoop. Among them, there was no lack of Twelfth-Order Monster Beast Cores. Violet Source Chamber of Commerce would certainly be more than happy to go through with such a transaction.
Yang Kai had taken out more than ten thousand Monster Cores of all kinds just to obtain an urgent supply of Source Condensing Pills. It was an incredibly high expenditure for High Heaven Palace.
After working for one month straight, Yang Kai finally let out a breath of relief. On this day, he led Xia Ning Chang to the top of one of the Spirit Peaks. This peak was one of the Main Peaks in High Heaven Palace. The scenery here was far more beautiful than all the other Spirit Peaks. Not only was it abundant in World Energy, but it was also surrounded by flowers and birds.
Compared to the other lively Spirit Peaks, this one was quite different. Although the Peak was extremely tall and large, it was quiet and peaceful. That was because he did not allow any other cultivator from the Star Field to disturb this Spirit Peak. This was Spirit Pill Peak of High Heaven Palace!
There were two similar Spirit Peaks, Spirit Array Peak and Spirit Instrument Peak. The respective Peak Masters were Nanmen Da Jun and Hou Yu. Needless to say, these two Peak Masters were forcibly appointed by Yang Kai. Regardless of their consent, the two of them were to be the respective Peak Masters of Spirit Array Peak and Spirit Instrument Peak from now on.
On the other hand, Spirit Pill Peak did not have a Peak Master even though it was the place where Ji Ying, an Emperor Alchemist, was located. Strictly speaking, Ji Ying was not part of High Heaven Palace. He was the Fifth Disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor after all. It was only because he lost to Yang Kai in an Alchemy competition back then that he stayed in High Heaven Palace to help with Alchemy. He could be considered an Honoured Guest of High Heaven Palace.
Nonetheless, Ji Ying was not a pedantic person. Not only was he in the Emperor Realm, but he was also an Emperor Alchemist. Moreover, he was a Legacy Disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. All three of these statuses would attract a lot of attention no matter who held them, but it was all the more terrifying when all three of them were held by the same person.
Yang Kai would not have been able to do anything to Ji Ying if he had refused to admit his loss back then; furthermore, he could not be killed since that would surely offend Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. The wrath of a Great Emperor was not to be taken lightly; however, Ji Ying actually stayed to fulfil his bet with Yang Kai and refined a large number of Spirit Pills for High Heaven Palace over the years. The Spirit Pills he personally refined were not only of high grade, but the quality was also guaranteed too.
Ji Ying had several disciples under him, who he brought along with him to Spirit Pill Peak to help out. Thus, only Ji Ying and his disciples lived on Spirit Pill Peak, along with several others who were in charge of miscellaneous work.
Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang slowly wandered up the peak and soon arrived at the summit. A man who appeared to be in his twenties was waiting in front of the great hall and when he saw Yang Kai, he bowed, “Palace Master Yang, Honoured Master has been waiting for your arrival. Please come with me.”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded. He knew that Ji Ying had noticed his presence the moment he arrived.
After following the disciple into the great hall, Ji Ying quickly appeared to greet Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, it has been a long time since we last met.”
The two had not seen each other for more than ten years, which certainly was quite a long period. Besides, Ji Ying was so friendly not only because he lost to Yang Kai in the Alchemy competition, but also because of Gong Sun Mu. It was only thanks to Yang Kai that the Third Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, Gong Sun Mu, was able to return to Medicine Pill Valley after his death.
Ji Ying was grateful to Yang Kai for that reason.
“Brother Ji!” Yang Kai responded with a smile.
Ji Ying grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and exclaimed, “Brother Yang, you came at just the right time! I’ve been experimenting with a new Alchemy Technique recently. I’ve had some gains with it, but I would like to ask you for some advice.”
Ji Ying was an Emperor Alchemist, so there were very few people in the world who could discuss Alchemy with him. Although he had several Senior Brothers and a Senior Sister, they were all taught by the same Master, so there was a limit to what he could gain from discussing Alchemy with them.
Whereas, Yang Kai was different. Ji Ying might not know who taught Yang Kai Alchemy, but he knew that Yang Kai’s skills in Alchemy were not inferior to his own. Furthermore, Yang Kai was unique in the sense that he had his own style and methods. One would surely gain something from communicating with him.
“Uh…” Yang Kai looked speechless. [Alchemists truly are single-minded. I came here today for a purpose, but he’s already dragging me off somewhere the moment we meet…]
Thinking that he had things to request during their meeting this time around, Yang Kai decided that it would be best if he could earn some favours to make the discussion go a little bit smoother later. Hence, he had no choice but to humbly state, “I don’t dare to give advice, but I don’t mind discussing the matter with you, Brother Ji.”
It had been pure luck for him to defeat Ji Ying the last time they competed in Alchemy. Yang Kai did not think that he was better than Ji Ying in any way; after all, he still felt that Ji Ying was better than him when it came down to Alchemy skills.
Ji Ying laughed heartily, “Brother Yang is too humble. Even Honoured Master is full of praise for your Alchemy skills. It’s a pity…”
“What’s a pity?” Yang Kai was stunned. [Could it be that the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor has some sort of negative opinion of me?]
“It’s a pity that you can’t focus solely on the Alchemic Dao.”
[Oh! So, that’s why they feel that it is such a waste…] Yang Kai grinned, “There are three thousand Daos, and I simply choose one of them. It’s enough for me to pursue that path to the peak.”
Ji Ying was taken aback for a moment before he nodded, “Fair enough.”
Afterwards, he no longer wasted any time, dragged Yang Kai into his Pill Refining Room, took out some precious herbs, and began refining. Needless to say, Xia Ning Chang followed them inside.
Ji Ying did not know who this young woman was; however, he did not stop her from entering upon seeing that her relationship with Yang Kai seemed a bit unusual. Besides, his new Alchemy Technique wasn’t something that could be learnt by just anybody watching it.