However, there were not many disciples from Ice Heart Valley, and the battlefields in the Star Boundary were pretty scattered. Hence, the Sand Demon had never met anyone from Ice Heart Valley since then.
Therefore, he was surprised to come across them this time, and there were more than ten of them! He could clearly see that there were a dozen or so others around the beautiful woman he had his eyes on who were clad in the same robes and used the same Secret Techniques.
Although Ji Yao was not among them, he figured he could capture some of the disciples from her Sect first to collect a little interest. At the thought of this, he put on a gleeful smile.
Just then, a whoosh was abruptly heard, which was followed by a descent of bitingly cold aura. Engulfed in murderous intent, the Sand Demon had goosebumps all over his body as he subconsciously shot downward in an attempt to dive into the ground.
Even though he wasn’t certain what had happened, he knew that they had been ambushed. While he was diving, he turned his head to look at the source of the sound to see what was going on, and his expression was transformed by shock.
His colleague, who had been standing beside him and having a chat just now, had been cut into two halves. He still appeared puzzled, as though he hadn’t realised what had happened.
At that instant, the Sand Demon thought that he was lucky to have reacted quickly; otherwise, he would have lost his life as well. However, while he was still immersed in celebration, his pupils contracted. That was because he could feel a pain coming from his chest, and he could not circulate his Demon Qi.
Upon falling to the ground, he didn’t manage to sink into it like he had planned. Looking down, he saw that blood was oozing out of his chest, and following that, his wounds burst and he felt himself flying through the air.
[Was I also injured?] While his upper body was lifted, his lower body was still firmly on the ground. As he felt his vision turning upside down, he saw a figure charging towards the battlefield.
[A High-Rank Demon King?]
The person who had just joined the battle seemed to be a High-Rank Demon King. His Demon Qi was extremely pure, and he appeared to be quite young. His brows were as straight as swords, and his eyes shone like stars. He was holding a sword that seemed to be overly long for his frame as he circled the perimeter of the battlefield.
Wherever he passed, all the Demons would fall to the ground. Surprisingly, the hundreds of Demons appeared to be as frail as paper. Wherever his sword slashed out, Demons would burst into blood mist, leaving not even a single bone behind. The constant popping sounds were similar to that of beans being stir-fried.
With such powerful support, the Human cultivators were pleasantly surprised and roared with renewed enthusiasm as they continued killing their enemies. Their artifacts and Secret Techniques shone brighter because of that.
The Demons were unable to counterattack! In just ten breaths’ time, all the Demons in the outer circle lost their lives.
It wasn’t until this moment that the figure, who was as swift as lightning, stopped in his tracks as he stood in front of the Sand Demon. With the Myriads Sword on his shoulder, he looked down at him.
The Sand Demon wasn’t dead yet. It wasn’t a joke that as long as the Demon Heart remained, a Demon would never die. As a Demon King, the Sand Demon must have cultivated more than one Demon Heart, so even if he was cut into two pieces, he would still be able to survive. Given enough time, he would even be able to restore himself.
Besides him, the Demon King earlier also wasn’t dead. It was just that their foundations had been severely damaged. As their eyes met, the Sand Demon asked in puzzlement, “Why?”
He didn’t understand why this High-Rank Demon King killed his own people without uttering a word. Throughout history, traitors would only emerge from the Humans’ side, never from the Demon’s. What was more inconceivable was that the traitor was a High-Rank Demon King.
Yang Kai grinned at him and slashed his Myriads Sword at him until the latter’s corpse vanished. Following that, he moved on to the other Demon King, who was already on his last breath. The Demon King soon followed his colleague to the Yellow Springs.
After Yang Kai was done with them, he turned around and flashed a smile at the hundreds of Humans, “Are you alright?”
Surprisingly, they didn’t cheer for him or even thank him. Instead, the hundreds of people were looking at him in puzzlement. The Emperor Realm Master leading them appeared vigilant as he silently circulated his Emperor Qi. Sword Intent could be seen undulating around his sword and it seemed that he was preparing for a desperate fight.
Seeing as Yang Kai turned around, the Emperor Realm Master nervously gulped and then muttered, “Demon Heavenly Dao?”
Yang Kai arched his brow and looked past him before staring at the beautiful woman beside him and asking, “Fan Xin?”
They hadn’t met for years, but he could still easily recognize her as she hadn’t changed much.
In the past, Bing Yun had been trapped in the Solitary Void Sealed World for three thousand years. During that period of time, she founded Ice Heart Pavilion. Fan Xin was taken in as the Deacon by Bing Yun at the time, and after escaping from that place, Bing Yun invited Fan Xin and Liu Xian Yun to join Ice Heart Valley.
At that time, Fan Xin was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, and even now her cultivation remained the same. Although she hadn’t achieved a breakthrough though, her Source Qi was considerably denser than it was in the past. Yang Kai’s vision was acute, so he could see that she was just one step away from the Emperor Realm. However, she would have to cultivate in seclusion for a time to ascend to the Emperor Realm. Now that the two Great Worlds were at war, she didn’t have the luxury to cultivate in seclusion.
In fact, if Yang Kai hadn’t swooped down like a divine weapon falling from the Heavens to rescue them on this day, she would have lost her life here.
Upon hearing the strange figure call out to her, Fan Xin was startled for a moment. Since he could recognise her, it meant that they should be familiar with one another. Moreover, she found the outline of his figure and voice to be familiar. At that instant, a name sprang into her mind, but she was still somewhat doubtful. In a tentative manner, she said, “You are…”
It was then that Yang Kai recalled that he was currently engulfed in a cloud of Demon Qi, so his form appeared blurred to others. People with weak cultivation were unable to see his true appearance; hence, he immediately dispersed the Demon Qi and revealed his face. With a smile, he said, “It’s me.”
“Senior Brother Yang!” Fan Xin exclaimed as her gaze brightened. Some of the cultivators from Ice Heart Valley also called out in surprise. Apparently, they too recognised Yang Kai.
There was no way they couldn’t recognise him because when he was based in the Northern Territory in the past and would visit Ice Heart Valley from time to time, which was why many of them had seen him before. They also knew that he was married to Su Yan, who was the closed-door disciple of the Ancestral Founder.
Just when the pleasantly surprised Fan Xin wanted to step forward to speak to him, the Emperor Realm Master suddenly lifted his sword to block her way as he bellowed, “Wait!”
Yang Kai took a look at the Emperor Realm Master, but he wasn’t angry with him. Yang Kai understood why the other party was wary of him. Just now, he was surrounded by very ferocious Demon Qi, so he looked just like any other Demon.
It was expected that the other party would put his guard up. If Yang Kai were him, he would have done the same. As their eyes met, Yang Kai flashed a harmless smile at him.
Although the person was only a First-Order Emperor, they could be considered allies since they had fought against the Demons just now. Also, this man didn’t beg for the enemies’ mercy and put his all into protecting his companions. Hence, it was apparent that he was an unyielding man who deserved respect.
“Who is he? Right Defender Fan, do you recognise him?” The Emperor Realm Master stared at Yang Kai while speaking to Fan Xin via Divine Sense.
Just when Fan Xin wanted to tell him the truth, she suddenly recalled that Yang Kai’s identity was somewhat sensitive in the Star Boundary now, so she was lost for words. After all, Yang Kai was hunted down by Iron Blood Great Emperor and Li Wu Yi a few years ago after he betrayed the Star Boundary. It was sensational news at that time, so basically everyone in the Star Boundary was aware of it.
It was because of this, High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory had sealed its gates and did not send any disciples to join the Two Worlds’ Great War.
While she was lost in a dilemma, she suddenly heard Yang Kai speaking to her, “It’s fine. Just tell him what he wants to know. I’ll be going to meet the Great Emperors soon.”
It was only then that Fan Xin heaved a sigh of relief. Since Yang Kai had the courage to meet the Great Emperors, there must be more to his story than the public knew. When word got out that Yang Kai had betrayed the Star Boundary, whatever the opinions of other Sects, all of the disciples from Ice Heart Valley believed that there must be a reason for his actions, and it seemed that was indeed the case; otherwise, he wouldn’t have the gall to come back and meet with the Great Emperors.
Upon getting Yang Kai’s permission, Fan Xin went on to reveal his identity.
The Emperor Realm Master gasped as he stared at Yang Kai with widened eyes. Recalling the power Yang Kai had showcased just now, he thought that the rumours surrounding this man weren’t unfounded. A few years ago, he had heard that this famous Palace Master of High Heaven Palace had gone through demonification, and it seemed to be true. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been engulfed in Demon Qi.
Hence, it was difficult to deal with this issue now. The Emperor Realm Master couldn’t deny that Yang Kai had saved them, but the latter was also a Demon. So, he wasn’t even sure how he should treat him. Nevertheless, he soon reached a conclusion.
Since Yang Kai was able to kill those Demons with ease, if he wanted to harm them, there was no way they could resist, so it was pointless to be wary of him. Since he only killed the Demons without harming the Humans, it went to show that he still had the Star Boundary in his heart.
Understanding this, the Emperor Realm Master cupped his fists and said, “Greetings, Palace Master Yang. This one is Mountain Lord of Hundred Lotus Mountain, Han Zheng Qing. I offer thanks for saving us on all of our behalf.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “A minor matter, there is no need to thank me.”
Han Zheng Qing nodded slightly, “We still have duties to perform, so we cannot stay here any longer. Farewell.”
Upon finishing what he had to say, he wanted to bring the remaining Humans to leave this place. It was an irrefutable fact that Yang Kai had betrayed the Star Boundary and High Heaven Palace had sealed off its entrance because of this. Even though Yang Kai had saved them today, Han Zheng Qing still didn’t want to have anything to do with him, he simply made plans to repay this favour when they came across each other on the battlefield in the future.
Seeing what was happening, Fan Xin parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but Han Zheng Qing immediately shot her a glare. Left with no other choice, she could only keep her mouth shut and look apologetically at Yang Kai. In normal times, she could still stand up for Yang Kai, but they were now on the battlefield, and she had to obey her commander’s order. Han Zheng Qing was the leader of their unit, so no one could disobey him or they would be punished according to military law.
Yang Kai put on a smile and said, “Mountain Lord Han, I’m afraid you can’t leave.”
Han Zheng Qing stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at him, “What’s wrong, Palace Master Yang? Do you have something you need from us? Please don’t beat around the bush. This Han will do whatever he can to assist you as long as it does not harm the Star Boundary’s interests or our fellow cultivators.”
Although Yang Kai had saved them, Han Zheng Qing was determined to uphold the integrity of the Star Boundary. Despite the fact that he was only a First-Order Emperor, he knew what he should and shouldn’t do.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Mountain Lord Han, you’ve misunderstood me. I don’t mean to ask you to do anything for me. It’s just that two thousand kilometres in that direction, there are about ten thousand Demons lying in wait. If you go over that way now, it’s akin to walking right into the trap.”
“Two thousand kilometres from here?” Upon hearing that, Han Zheng Qing put on an awkward expression as he put his guard up again as he stared at Yang Kai.
He wasn’t sure how powerful Yang Kai truly was, but he had heard that when this Palace Master of High Heaven Palace betrayed the Star Boundary, he was already a Second-Order Emperor. A few years had passed, so he had possibly broken through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm.
No matter how powerful a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was though, there was no way his Divine Sense was strong enough to detect what was going on in a place that was two thousand kilometres away. Even if he was able to do so, how did he even know that there were ten thousand Demons? How powerful must his Divine Sense be to achieve that? Perhaps only Pseudo-Great Emperors were able to achieve such a feat.
Hence, when Yang Kai told him that there were ten thousand Demons in a place that was two thousand kilometres away, Han Zheng Qing subconsciously thought that this Palace Master was just trying to scare them. In normal times, he would have mocked him; however, they had just been saved by Yang Kai, so despite the fact that he didn’t believe him, he was still unwilling to deride him.
After cupping his fists, he uttered impassively, “Many thanks for your warning, Palace Master Yang. Farewell!”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and left with the hundreds of people.
Whether Yang Kai was trying to frighten them or there really were ten thousand Demons over there, Han Zheng Qing had to move in that direction because their destination was over there.
While he was leaving, he used his Divine Sense to disseminate orders. Hundreds of cultivators soon formed up into an arrangement that allowed them to mutually cover for one another. Even if they came across any enemies now, they would be able to quickly get into formation and fend them off.
However, after marching forward for a while, Han Zheng Qing frowned and turned around. That was because a thousand metres behind their army, Yang Kai was following them leisurely with his hands folded behind his back. Seeing him turn to look, Yang Kai even flashed a smile at him and nodded slightly. His message was clear. They could walk forward together without disturbing each other.
Han Zheng Qing appeared displeased as he thought he had made his stance clear, but he hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would not act with the dignity of a Palace Master and instead tail them like some kind of leech.
Hence, he ordered the others to hasten their pace. Annoyingly, whether they quickened or slowed down their pace, Yang Kai would still follow them from exactly a thousand metres behind.
Since they were unable to get rid of him, they had no other choice but to let him be. The power Yang Kai had showcased was terrifying, so even if there were several hundred of them, they were certainly no match for him. If they went over to question his motives and infuriated him, they would be the ones to suffer.
However, Han Zheng Qing wasn’t aware that Yang Kai also felt helpless as he followed them.
Since he had come across these Human cultivators on his way home, he couldn’t just ignore them. Even if they were all strangers, he would still make sure that they were safe, not to mention that Fan Xin and several other Ice Heart Valley disciples were part of this unit.
Both parties were heading south anyway. These people were apparently heading back to some Human army rallying point. Yang Kai would still reach his destination in the end if he followed them, it would just waste a bit of his time.
Although they couldn’t detect it, Yang Kai was able to sense that these Human soldiers were not the only people within a ten thousand kilometres radius. There were still many Demon troops around. A weak team like the one under Han Zheng Qing would end up in a miserable state should they come across any of these Demons.
After walking for a hundred kilometres, Han Zheng Qing suddenly frowned and turned his head as his gaze appeared solemn. That was because he could feel that Yang Kai had activated his Divine Sense in an attempt to do something. The fluctuation of the Divine Sense was neither conspicuous nor hidden, which was perceptible to him.
Seeing the awkward expression of her commander, Fan Xin, who was just beside him, asked, “Senior Han, what happened?”
Without explaining it to her, Han Zheng Qing shook his head slowly and said in a serious voice, “Have everyone raise their guards.”
He wasn’t sure whether Yang Kai had sent a message to anyone using his Divine Sense just now, so he could only stay vigilant.
Fan Xin nodded and gave the necessary orders.
After travelling for thirty kilometres, Han Zheng Qing abruptly stopped in his tracks and lifted his hand, after which the hundreds of people behind him also stopped moving.
“Prepare for battle!” Han Zheng Qing shouted, causing everyone’s expression to turn solemn as they started summoning their artifacts. The small team began operating in an orderly manner, and soon, a formation was arranged where the auras of all of them were connected. Han Zheng Qing was standing as the Formation Core. Furthermore, this was a living Formation rather than a dead one, which meant that it was flexible and could adapt at any time. With the help of the Formation, Han Zheng Qing no longer appeared frail as he became high-spirited.
A thousand metres away from them, Yang Kai remained on the same spot and stroked his chin as his interest was piqued.
He had been away from the Star Boundary for a few years, and he had only heard about the Two Worlds’ Great War from rumours and hearsay, which was why he wasn’t familiar with the state of affairs in his homeland. Seeing this Formation, he realised that after so many years, the cultivators of the Star Boundary had adapted to the ways of war. Judging from the fact that a team of a few hundred people were able to assume a Formation so quickly, they must be very familiar with it. The same tactic must have been practised countless times, which was why they were so adept at it.
As a breeze whisked across them, murderous intent could be felt filling the atmosphere. The hundreds of people, whose auras had been connected, waited for their enemies to show up before dealing a fatal blow to them.
All of a sudden, Han Zheng Qing murmured in surprise as he yelled in a particular direction, “This is Han Zheng Qing, Third Left Defender of the Thirty-Fifth Army, Ninth Division. Identify yourself!”
After he finished speaking, a figure, who had hidden himself using a Secret Technique in a place ten kilometres away, slowly appeared as an excited voice could be heard saying, “Left Defender Han?”
Apparently, the person knew Han Zheng Qing.
Upon hearing that voice, Han Zheng Qing immediately realised who that person was and called out, “Right Defender Liu?”
“It is this Liu!” A guffaw that was tinged with joy could be heard. Then, that person strode towards Han Zheng Qing, and soon, a burly man came into everyone’s sight. The man was drenched in blood, which belonged to himself as well as his enemies. There were deep cuts on his body where bones could even be seen, but he still appeared calm and collected, giving him an intrepid air.
Since the man was a friend, Han Zheng Qing waved his hand to tell the others to be at ease, but he remained cautious. After extending his hand, he said, “Right Defender Liu, please don’t take offence. We have to follow the rules on the battlefield.”
“Understood.” Right Defender Liu knew what the rules were, so he also reached out and gripped Han Zheng Qing’s hand. The next moment, they circulated their Qi at the same time to examine one another’s bodies.
The examination only lasted for a moment, and upon making sure that there was no Demon Qi in the other party’s body, Han Zheng Qing was finally able to heave a sigh of relief. Withdrawing his hand, he asked, “Where are your men?”
Right Defender Liu stuck out his thumb and pointed behind him, “They’re standing by a hundred kilometres in that direction. I came here to have a look first. I’ll tell them to come over now.”
Upon finishing his words, he fished out a communication artifact and activated his Divine Sense to infuse a message into it.
An elated Han Zheng Qing asked, “How many people are left on your side?”
Upon hearing that, Right Defender Liu became dejected. After looking at the people behind Han Zheng Qing, he replied, “About the same as your team. How many people did you originally have?”
Han Zheng Qing turned his head to take a look and forced a smile, “There were more than five hundred of us when we tried to break the siege. Only these people are left now.”
Admiration was written all over Right Defender Liu’s face when he heard that, “It’s really incredible that you were able to save half of five hundred people. We were not able to achieve that on our side. More than a thousand of us… Haa, let’s not talk about it.”
Han Zheng Qing put on a bitter smile. When they were besieged by the Demons, if Yang Kai hadn’t come to their rescue, all of them would have lost their lives. Despite knowing that the achievement had nothing to do with him, it wasn’t appropriate for him to explain anything at this point.
However, if they were able to converge with the people from Right Defender Liu’s side, they would have more power to defend themselves; after all, they were still a few thousand kilometres away from their destination. The road ahead was paved with thorns, and no one could tell how many of them could stay safe.
Right Defender Liu’s men were still a hundred kilometres away, so it would take them some time to arrive. After a discussion, Han Zheng Qing and Right Defender Liu decided to move to a place where they could easily defend themselves while it was difficult for their enemies to attack them. While they were waiting for their fellow soldiers to come over, they could also restore their strength somewhat.
While they were resting, Right Defender Liu suddenly approached Han Zheng Qing and curiously pointed in a particular direction, “Senior Han, who is that?”
On their way to this place, Right Defender Liu had noticed that a thousand metres behind them there was a person who had been following them. He appeared to be handsome and upright, and despite looking quite young, he gave off an inscrutable feeling.
If he was a friend, why was he keeping a distance from them while tailing them? Nevertheless, he didn’t show any sign of hostility either, so he couldn’t be considered an enemy.
When Right Defender Liu pointed at him, the young man flashed a smile at him in response.
Han Zheng Qing shook his head as it was apparent that he wasn’t willing to talk about that man. Right Defender Liu shrugged and stopped pursuing the matter. He wasn’t as powerful as Han Zheng Qing. Before the war, he had to salute him whenever he met him, and he also wasn’t a match for Han Zheng Qing when it came to their positions within the military. Since Han Zheng Qing wasn’t willing to talk about it, he couldn’t possibly keep asking.
However, the young man appeared to be a friend. When he turned around, he saw Right Defender Fan walking up to the young man and passing him some water. Then, she flashed an apologetic smile at him and said something. On the other hand, the young man just waved his hand.
Upon seeing that, Han Zheng Qing frowned but didn’t say anything.
Just then, he arched his brow and muttered, “A group is approaching.”
Right Defender Liu was startled for a moment and said, “They shouldn’t have arrived so soon. I was told that it would take them one hour to reach here.”
“They’re not your men!” Han Zheng Qing got to his feet and whistled.
The hundreds of people, who were adjusting their breathing on the ground, immediately stood up and formed rank behind Han Zheng Qing. In just twenty breaths’ time, the previous Formation reappeared as murderous intent rose.
Half an hour later, several dozen severely injured people appeared.
They were Humans instead of Demons. Just like the people from Han Zheng Qing and Right Defender Liu’s sides, they were the Human soldiers that had been separated from the main force earlier.
Since they were allies, the issue could be settled easily. These several dozen people, who were the only ones left of their unit, were basically battered, so Han Zheng Qing directly took them into his Third Brigade. While the injured healed their wounds, the exhausted ones adjusted their breathing.
While they were waiting, another group came over. They were the Human soldiers that had been separated during a battle against the Demons. After they too joined the team, including the several dozen people earlier, two hundred to three hundred people had now joined the team in total. Even though there wasn’t a single Emperor Realm Master among them, they would still be able to help fend off more enemies now.
At this moment, Han Zheng Qing finally realised that something was off. It was odd that his team was like the beacon in the dark, attracting the scattered Humans around the area to come over. Furthermore, all of them could accurately locate his team.
There must be a reason behind it. Then, he went over to look for Right Defender Liu, who had sat down with his legs crossed to recuperate, and he asked, “How did you find us?”
Right Defender Liu looked doubtfully at him, “Senior Han, didn’t you send a message to us to tell us your location?”
Han Zheng Qing shook his head.
Right Defender Liu scratched his head, “That’s strange. We were hidden in a mountain valley when our commander received a message which informed him that you were nearby and informed us to rendezvous with you. Our commander wasn’t certain about the authenticity of the message, so he ordered this Liu to scout the situation.”
He paused for a moment, “Was it really not Senior Han who sent us that message?”
Han Zheng Qing fell into his thoughts for a moment before he nodded, “I think I know what happened. Focus on recuperating.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and went over to the two teams that had just joined them. Just like Right Defender Liu’s statement, the two teams shared a similar experience. They were escaping from the Demons’ pursuit when they received a message which informed them about Han Zheng Qing’s location, after which they quickly came over to join his team.
When they were on the way here, the one who sent them the initial message had even given them some directions, which while making them take a more indirect route, allowed them to evade the Demon patrols scattered around.
A moment later, Han Zheng Qing shuffled towards Yang Kai and cupped his fists, “Palace Master Yang!”
Seated with his legs crossed, Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked smilingly at him, “Mountain Lord Han, what seems to be the matter?”
“Nothing is wrong. I just want to express my gratitude,” After that, Han Zheng Qing bowed deeply.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “It is simply what I should do. There’s no need for thanks.”
Han Zheng Qing didn’t specify what he thanked him for, and Yang Kai didn’t deny anything. That was because they knew that the reason Right Defender Liu and the two broken teams were able to find Han Zheng Qing was that Yang Kai had secretly guided them over. If not, it would have been all but impossible for such heavily injured people to regroup with friendly forces on this expansive battlefield that stretched thousands of kilometres. If they just blindly searched around, they would be killed by their enemies before finding their friends.
“Palace Master Yang, are more teams coming?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Apart from Right Defender Liu’s team, there’s no more for now. They’ll arrive in half an hour.”
Han Zheng Qing nodded and cupped his fists again, “Many thanks, Palace Master Yang. If you detect more…”
Knowing what he wanted to say, Yang Kai interrupted him by saying with a smile, “Rest assured, I’ll tell them to meet up with you.”
Han Zheng Qing examined him for a while before he bowed and said sincerely, “En, many thanks!”
When he returned to the team, he found Fan Xin and said something to her in a low voice, after which she nodded with a smile.
A moment later, Fan Xin elegantly walked over and put on a faint smile, “Senior Brother Yang.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai gazed at her.
Fan Xin shook her head, “Nothing. Senior Han wants me to stay with you.”
Yang Kai smiled and dipped his head, “En.”
He was still regarded as a traitor who had gone through demonification, so Han Zheng Qing thought that it was inappropriate to invite him to join the main team; however, Han Zheng Qing was grateful for what Yang Kai had done for them, so he told Fan Xin to accompany him since she was his friend. It was apparent that even though he was a little old-fashioned, Han Zheng Qing wasn’t pedantic. He could even be said to be pretty flexible.
Yang Kai happened to have many questions to ask Fan Xin, so he made her have a seat and started the inquiry.
He quickly learned that in the past few years, many people had lost their lives on the Star Boundary’s side in the Two Worlds’ Great War and that after he left in the past, High Heaven Palace immediately sealed its gates, so none of its members had joined the war.
Those who didn’t know the truth would think that the people from the Star Boundary became wary of High Heaven Palace because Yang Kai had gone through demonification and betrayed them. Nevertheless, Yang Kai knew that this was the Great Emperors’ way of protecting his Sect, which was agreed upon in the past.
After all, as a Palace Master, he had gone through demonification and become a traitor. If the disciples of High Heaven Palace walked around the Star Boundary, they would certainly be harassed and condemned, and it might cause some unnecessary conflicts.
In that case, the disciples from High Heaven Palace were actually protected using the excuse of closing the Sect.
Everyone thought that since High Heaven Palace didn’t join the Two Worlds’ Great World, they must be living a happy life in seclusion. However, only a small number of people knew that wasn’t the case. Although the disciples of High Heaven Palace were not seen on the battlefield, they had contributed significantly to the logistics of the war effort.
Over the past few years, with the help of the Great Emperors, countless Alchemists and Artifact Refiners from all around the Star Boundary were secretly sent to High Heaven Palace. Inside the expansive Sect, Pill and Artifact Rooms were basically running twenty-four hours a day, producing vital war materials to be sent to the frontline.
High Heaven Palace was now basically responsible for half of all Spirit Pills and artifacts sent to the battlefield.
It could be said that High Heaven Palace was the biggest logistics centre in the Star Boundary; however, only a few hundred people were aware of this fact. Even Fan Xin didn’t know about it. Only two people from Ice Heart Valley were aware of this truth, Bing Yun and Su Yan.
Apart from that, High Heaven Palace was also a base for nurturing Shamans. In the past few years, new candidates would be sent into High Heaven Palace at a constant rate. Then, they would enter the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld to receive training. There were a considerable number of Ancient Shamans that were born and then sent to the frontline. Several epochs had passed, but the light of the Shamanic Spells had once again shone in this world.
In fact, the programme had been in operation before Yang Kai left, and it could independently run now. Presently, there was one Shaman for every hundred Human soldiers in the Star Boundary’s armies. Although ninety percent of them were just Shaman Apprentices, and there were only a small number of Shaman Masters, it was better than nothing.
With the help of the ancient Shamanic Spells like Life Chains and Bloodlust, those from the Star Boundary were able to counter the Demons even though they had fewer people on their side.
Upon learning all this information, Yang Kai felt gratified. He had seen how vast the Demon Realm was and how many Demons there were, so he understood that this war would be filled with bloodshed, which was why he was glad to find out that the Star Boundary was able to resist.
While they were still having a chat, Right Defender Liu’s team finally arrived. Just like what Right Defender Liu had said, there were fewer than three hundred people left in his team, with just one Emperor Realm Master among them.
Now, there were about a thousand people in total gathered here, which significantly increased their overall power. What made Han Zheng Qing feel pleasantly surprised was that there was a Shaman Master and a few Shaman Warriors were present in the latest team. Including the Shamans that were already in his team, they could use Life Chains to cover their entire force at the most critical moment.
Since they had all gathered up, it was time for them to leave quickly to decrease the chance of coming across any enemies. Being swift and decisive was crucial in any army. After preparing, the thousand-man team set off.
Yang Kai remained a thousand metres behind them. Walking alongside him, Fan Xin appeared to be very conspicuous. The newcomers had noticed this already, and upon learning the reason behind it from Han Zheng Qing, they gasped. No one could have expected that the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, who had gone through demonification and sided with the Demon Realm, would come back one day. Furthermore, he had saved Han Zheng Qing and his subordinates from the Demons’ siege and even rallied together the scattered Human forces in the area.
In normal times, they would have walked up to Yang Kai and thanked him; however, now, it wasn’t certain whether he was a friend or a foe, so they wouldn’t dare to approach him and just nodded at him from afar as an acknowledgement.
“By the way, where are you all going? Why were you all scattered around?” Yang Kai asked as he kept walking.
Fan Xin replied with a helpless smile, “We were forced to scatter. One month ago, the Thirty-Fifth Army and a force from the Demon Race fought for more than ten days. At that time, we were accidentally separated from the main unit and then forced to wander around to avoid being wiped out. I guess it was the same case for the others.”
“The Thirty-Fifth Army?” Yang Kai arched his brow. When he heard Han Zheng Qing announcing which army he belonged to to Right Defender Liu, his interest was already piqued. Hence, he had to ask Fan Xin about it now, “Has a rigid military structure been organized in the Star Boundary?”
“Yes, it was four years ago. The Demon armies are meticulously and strictly organized, and they’re adept at the art of war, so we cannot be lacking in our own organisation. Four years ago, the Great Emperors imitated the Demon Race to build armies based around the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch philosophy. Slowly, things expanded and now we have fifty-four armies in total.”
It was then that Yang Kai understood what had happened. He had borrowed five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards from Bei Li Mo before and spent roughly a year together, so he understood their structure very well.
“Who is qualified to be an Army Commander?”
Fan Xin replied, “A Pseudo-Great Emperor or a Sect Master from a top Sect.”
“Who is the Army Commander of the Thirty-Fifth Army? Do I know them?”
Fan Xin replied with a smile, “It’s Honoured Master.”
Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise as he hadn’t expected the Army Commander of the Thirty-Fifth Army to be Bing Yun. However, as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, she was somewhat not qualified to be an Army Commander. It wasn’t that she wasn’t powerful enough, but Yang Kai knew that on the Demons’ side, only a Half-Saint could be an Army Commander.
“By the way, Honoured Master was involved in an intense battle three years ago, and after a desperate struggle, she managed to break through and ascended to a new realm.” Fan Xin beamed with pride.
As long as their Ancestral Founder was formidable, the Sect and its disciples would become powerful as well. Since she had joined Ice Heart Valley, her fate had been intertwined with the Sect.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became elated, “I’ll have to congratulate Senior Bing Yun when I see her then.”
Since she had ascended to a new realm, it meant that her power was now that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor, equivalent to that of a Half-Saint.
Just like him, Bing Yun was from Heng Luo Star Field, which was why they had been on friendly terms. Moreover, Su Yan was her Disciple, so the fact that Bing Yun had become a Pseudo-Great Emperor made him feel proud as well.
In fact, Bing Yun had been stuck in the Third-Order Emperor Realm for far too long. She was already a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master before she was trapped in the Solitary Void Sealed World. She was then imprisoned in that world for three thousand years, during which her cultivation hadn’t improved one bit. It was only natural that overcoming such a trial, and having consolidated her strength for so long, she would break through given the right opportunity.
“Are all of Ice Heart Valley’s disciples assigned to the Thirty-Fifth Army?” Yang Kai asked.
“That’s right,” Fan Xin said gently and nodded, then she put on a smile, “Senior Sister Ji Yao is now the Division Chief of the Third Division.”
Yang Kai smiled in embarrassment, “En, very good.”
Fan Xin went on to say, “She’s a Third-Order Emperor now as well.”
Ji Yao’s situation was similar to that of Bing Yun. In the past, after Bing Yun inexplicably went missing, Ji Yao went out to look for her and accidentally intruded into the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory. There, she absorbed too much Wild Force and became delirious. She went on to stay in the Ancient Wild Lands for a long time. If it weren’t because Yang Kai chanced upon her and brought her out of that place, she would still have been stuck in a mentally confused state.
She had lost her mind in the Ancient Wild Lands, which also meant she stopped cultivating consciously, causing her realm to stagnate. However, the ancient aura there had continuously tempered her foundation, so after she left the Ancient Lands and regained clarity of mind, she had basically achieved a type of re-birth in both body and Soul, which was why she was able to achieve a breakthrough after some intense battles.
Bing Yun and Ji Yao were not the only people whose cultivation had improved significantly.
Battle was the fastest and most direct method of stimulating one’s potential. Countless people had broken through their bottlenecks and ascended to new realms during life-or-death moments. The war between the two worlds had caused an innumerable number of cultivators in the Star Boundary to be injured and lose their lives. Nevertheless, the war stimulated the long-dormant sense of crisis in many, and in a world where the reality of survival of the fittest had become far more apparent, those with incredible aptitude and fortune had all gained greatly. In fact, the Martial Dao of the Star Boundary had not regressed as a result of the war, and instead had actually prospered.
Yang Kai was a prime example as he did not achieve much of his cultivation through quiet meditation. Since he began his journey on the Martial Dao, he had fallen into countless perilous situations and was forced to overcome them one by one. Every time he struggled on the edge of life or death, it was akin to being baptised by fire and reborn. Had he simply cultivated in peace and seclusion, he wouldn’t even have reached the Emperor Realm by now.
“How were the armies in the Star Boundary organized? Tell me about it.” Since they had nothing else to do while heading for their destination, Yang Kai thought that he should find out more about what had been going on in the Star Boundary.
Certainly, Fan Xin wouldn’t hide anything from him and began explaining everything she knew. The others were wary of Yang Kai because he had gone through demonification and betrayed the Star Boundary before; however, no disciple from Ice Heart Valley would be distrustful of him.
In the past, the Seeking Passion Sect from the Northern Territory had tried to destroy Ice Heart Valley, and if not for Yang Kai arriving at the critical moment and saving them, their home would have been devastated and they themselves would have suffered death, or fates worse than it.
The formation of the armies in the Star Boundary was basically copied from the Demon Realm, so the structure was roughly the same. There were fifty-four armies in total, and each one was made up of a million or more cultivators. The largest army even had five million cultivators.
Each army had an Army Commander who commanded several Divisions, with every Division having a hundred thousand people. Each Division had a Division Chief, who was usually a Third-Order or Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. Under Divisions were Brigades, which comprised ten thousand people. After a Brigade, it was a Battalion.
Almost all command positions at the Brigade level were Emperors.
That was the case for Han Zheng Qing. The team led by him belonged to the Thirty-Fifth Army’s Ninth Division, Third Brigade. Han Zheng Qing was the Left Defender of the Third Brigade. Since he was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, he was qualified to be one.
On the other hand, Fan Xin was only in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so could at most qualify as the Right Defender, which was equivalent to Han Zheng Qing’s assistant. Her position in the Thirty-Fifth Army was equivalent to that of Right Defender Liu’s.
As for the leaders of the Battalions, they were mostly Dao Source Realm Masters.
“What about Senior Li Wu Yi?” Yang Kai suddenly thought of a familiar figure. He recalled that when he left the Star Boundary in the past, Li Wu Yi had been in charge of the war against the Demons. As the acknowledged strongest Master beneath the Great Emperors and a famous figure from Spirit Beast Island, Li Wu Yi had the strength and prestige to command others.
Fan Xin replied with a smile, “Senior Li is the Army Commander of the First Army, but he also serves as Supreme Commander.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement as Li Wu Yi’s position essentially remained the same. He was still in charge of the war affairs in the Star Boundary.
Just then, Yang Kai arched his brow and reached out to grab something. When he spread his palm, there was already a jade slip on it. After he sent his Divine Sense into the item to investigate it, he grinned at Fan Xin and muttered, “Speaking of the devil.”
A jade slip wouldn’t appear in front of him out of thin air. In fact, before it appeared, the Space Beacon, which was on Yang Kai’s wrist, had already shown a reaction. It was Li Wu Yi who passed the jade slip to him through the void.
There was only one sentence in the jade slip, ‘Come see me’.
Li Wu Yi didn’t specify where they should meet up because it was unnecessary. Both of them had exchanged Space Beacons, so as long as both of them were in the Star Boundary, they could reach each other’s sides with just a thought.
However, Li Wu Yi was swamped with work, so he couldn’t leave his post, which was why he told Yang Kai to go see him.
It had only been a short time since Yang Kai returned to the Star Boundary, but Li Wu Yi had already found out about it. Yang Kai gazed at Han Zheng Qing at the front and made some conjectures.
Fan Xin seemed able to read his mind, so she explained, “Every Left Defender has a Space Beacon given to them by Senior Li that can be used to contact Seven Mists Sea. En, Seven Mists Sea is a special place that is the headquarters for the Star Boundary’s armies.”
Yang Kai nodded to show that he understood.
Since Han Zheng Qing had a Space Beacon, he must have contacted Li Wu Yi and told him about Yang Kai. Otherwise, Li Wu Yi wouldn’t have sent a jade slip over with such timing.
“What did Senior Li say?” Fan Xin asked apprehensively. Although all the disciples from Ice Heart Valley believed that Yang Kai was a righteous person, the incident in the past was too sensational. Judging from the way Han Zheng Qing and the others treated Yang Kai, they were apparently still wary of him even though he had saved them. Even Han Zheng Qing wouldn’t put his guard down when facing Yang Kai, let alone other people.
Furthermore, Li Wu Yi had hunted Yang Kai down at that time, which was why Fan Xin was worried that Li Wu Yi intended to capture him even now. However, she wasn’t aware that the incident in the past was all such a show in which Yang Kai willingly destroyed his own reputation to deceive Yu Ru Meng and the other Demons.
“Senior Li told me to meet him in Seven Mists Sea,” Yang Kai replied with a smile, appearing completely relaxed.
Seeing his attitude, Fan Xin was able to set her mind at ease. After giving it a thought, she realised that if Li Wu Yi really wanted to capture Yang Kai, he could have arrived at this place in an instant. Since the advent of Space Beacons, people realized just how easily it was to move across vast distances with their assistance.
Since Li Wu Yi had only sent a jade slip over without coming here in person, he had made his stance clear.
As Yang Kai spoke to Fan Xin, he fished out an empty jade slip and pushed his Divine Sense to infuse a message into it. After that, he flicked it into the Void.
Meanwhile, in a hall that was several million kilometres away, a few hundred men and women, whose cultivation was at best average, were seated on the ground. Before each of these people was a hundred or so Space Beacons. From time to time, weak space fluctuations could be felt, and following that, jade slips would pass through the Void and arrive at this place.
Then, these men and women would catch the jade slips, after which some people would come over with jade plates in their hands and take the jade slips. Following that, they would head to a secret room at the other end of the hall. Some people were already waiting in the secret room. After taking the jade slips, they would decode whatever was recorded inside and transcribe it onto a new jade slip. Subsequently, messages or orders would be sent off.
Just like this, the information that came from all directions would flow to Li Wu Yi’s side.
This hall was basically the command centre for the Star Boundary’s armies, as well as the place where all its intelligence was gathered and analysed from the battlefield. By just staying here, Li Wu Yi was able to find out what was going on in the battlefield between the two Great Worlds and make arrangements so that they could more easily deal with the Demon armies essentially in real-time.
There was a huge Mountains and Rivers Projection in the room that displayed the terrain on the battlefield, which included mountains, rivers, creeks, paths and so on and so forth. All of them had corresponding symbols on the projection.
In front of the projection stood a handsome man and an alluring woman. They were Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng, who were both waiting silently.
As a weak space fluctuation was felt and suddenly a jade slip appeared out of thin air. Before Li Wu Yi even managed to catch it, Jiu Feng already extended her hand and snatched the jade slip.
Li Wu Yi looked helplessly at her. A moment later, Jiu Feng said with a smile, “That brat…”
“What did he say?” Li Wu Yi asked.
“He’s with those from the Thirty-Fifth Army’s Ninth Division, and he’s escorting them back to the base.”
“Ninth Division…” Li Wu Yi gave it a thought and recalled who was responsible for the Ninth Division before he burst into laughter, “What a coincidence. He came across Bing Yun’s people right after he returned.”
Jiu Feng reached out to point at the sand table-like projection and said, “They’re supposed to be here by now.”
Li Wu Yi took a look at the projection and pointed at another spot, “A thousand kilometres in front of them is a force of ten thousand Demons lying in ambush.”
“I can go over to help him.” Jiu Feng offered excitedly.
“Not a chance!” Li Wu Yi snorted, “Just stay right where you are. You’re not allowed to go anywhere unless ordered.”
Jiu Feng asked curiously, “Aren’t you worried that he’ll fall into danger? If anything happens to him, how are you going to explain yourself to Little Princess? Or… do you want to utilize the Martial Beast Guards?”
Li Wu Yi pursed his lips and replied, “What do you think will happen to him? It’s extremely difficult to kill him. As for Martial Beast Guards… All those available have been deployed. In the previous battle, those from Thirty-Fifth Army were scattered quite widely and many required rescue. So, we don’t have anyone left now. Don’t worry. It’s just ten thousand Demons.”
Certainly, Jiu Feng knew that ten thousand Demons wouldn’t pose a threat to Yang Kai. She just felt extremely bored, which was why she wanted to have a walk outside. However, Li Wu Yi didn’t give her that chance.
After all, he had to go out to attend to some emergencies from time to time, so when he wasn’t around, someone had to keep watch on this place. This was the command centre of the Star Boundary. If this place was invaded and damaged, the entire chain of command would be thrown into chaos.
..…
“Martial Beast Guards?” Yang Kai arched his brow. He had just heard from Fan Xin about the various Army Commanders. Besides the three Divine Venerables from the Ancient Wild Lands, Wen Zi Shan, Ma Qing, and Li Jiao had all become Army Commanders as well, but when he heard her mention the Martial Beast Guards, he became curious.
“They’re from Spirit Beast Island, and each one is at least a Second-Order Emperor. There are about thirty of them, and they’re responsible for rescue missions. For example, we’re in need of rescue now, so Senior Li would normally send a Martial Beast Guard to meet us, then he’ll help us fend off the enemy while returning to base.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai gently nodded.
With Space Beacons, the so-called Martial Beast Guards could easily arrive anywhere on the battlefield. A Second or Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be of great help to a team like this. With such a top Master leading the way, the chances of them getting back to base would increase significantly.
It wasn’t difficult to craft a Space Beacon as long as there were enough high-quality pieces of Space Spirit Jades. Both Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi were able to mass-produce them. Previously, Yang Kai had refined many Space Beacons in the Demon Realm and scattered them around the different continents, which was how he was able to save time when he fled from the Demon Realm and returned to the Star Boundary.
Even though it was convenient to use Space Beacons, there were some inevitable downsides. One of them was that Space Beacons were one-to-one, so a single Space Beacon was useless as it had to be connected to a corresponding one. Hence, there were several hundred people in the headquarters in Seven Mists Sea to collect information from all around the Star Boundary. Many Space Beacons were placed in front of every one of them.
Han Zheng Qing had two Space Beacons with him. One of them was to contact Seven Mists Sea, and the other was connected to the Martial Beast Guards.
The second downside was even more conspicuous, anyone could use them. The user didn’t have to be an expert in the Dao of Space. In fact, he didn’t even have to cultivate Space Principles at all as the beacon could be activated by infusing one’s Qi into it.
Hence, more problems arose. If the Demons happened to obtain these Space Beacons, they were able to use them to transcend the barriers of space and arrive at the headquarters in Seven Mists Sea in an instant. Even if they didn’t do that, they could make use of the beacons to transfer some false information to divert the forces in the Star Boundary. They could also reach any Martial Beast Guard and ambush him instantly.
Over the past few years, quite a number of Space Beacons had been lost. Initially, the Demons had indeed made use of the beacons for sabotage and ambushes and caused the Star Boundary to suffer losses.
However, Li Wu Yi was a Master of the Dao of Space after all. As soon as he realised the downside, he quickly made some changes to the Space Beacons. All the Space Beacons that had been distributed since then were specially made. For example, Han Zheng Qing currently had two Space Beacons with him. The one that was connected to Seven Mists Sea could only be used to transfer jade slips, not Humans. On the other hand, the one that was connected to the Martial Beast Guards couldn’t be used to transfer anything from his side. It was basically a moving beacon for Martial Beast Guards to locate Han Zheng Qing and unilaterally send something over.
Furthermore, with the spread of new encryption and decoding methods, the upheavals that were caused by the Space Beacons slowly subsided.
In recent years, the existence of Space Beacons had become one of the Star Boundary’s sharpest weapons against the Demons as all the information could be transmitted back to Seven Mists Sea in real-time. Martial Beast Guards could also make a move at any moment by going out to rescue stranded or surrounded soldiers, which significantly reduced the losses they would suffer.
Ordinarily, Han Zheng Qing’s team would require a Martial Beast Guard to save them; however, since Yang Kai was around, and Li Wu Yi was unable to send anyone over, the matter was left to Yang Kai to deal with.
Just like what Li Wu Yi had said, ten thousand Demons would not pose a challenge to Yang Kai.
As they headed south and talked to each other, Yang Kai finally gained some understanding of the current affairs in the Star Boundary. He felt somewhat dejected at the number of losses suffered, but at the same time, the war had caused everyone in this Great World to grow.
There were fifty-four armies in total, and each army had a million people at the very least. Every army was led by a Pseudo-Great Emperor or powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and dozens of Emperor Realm Masters worked under the Army Commander. Yang Kai had never expected that the Star Boundary could have such power.
He had been in the Star Boundary for a long time, and he had been to every part of this world and encountered many forces and people. However, at this moment, he came to the realization that the Star Boundary he knew was just the tip of the iceberg. This kind of heritage was what a Great World like the Star Boundary should have.
It wasn’t difficult to figure out that many of those Emperor Realm Masters must be reclusive cultivators who were less well-known. The tides of war had swept over the entire Star Boundary, so these reclusive cultivators had no choice but to join the Human armies. As more people gathered together, a great force was thus formed.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled something and asked, “What’s the Demon Heavenly Dao?”
Fan Xin’s face fell when she heard that, then she put on a disdainful expression, “A group of trash and traitors!”
When Yang Kai appeared before them earlier, Han Zheng Qing stared at him and yelled ‘Demon Heavenly Dao’. At that time, Yang Kai didn’t manage to inquire about it as his identity was somewhat sensitive, so it was pointless for him to ask anything. Now that he recalled it, he had to find out what it was.
Although he had no idea what this Demon Heavenly Dao was, he could guess that it had something to do with the Demons. Judging from Fan Xin’s reaction, he knew that his speculation was right. Fan Xin was a kind-hearted woman, but when he mentioned Demon Heavenly Dao, she immediately called them ‘a group of trash and traitors’ without even thinking, which went to show that the Demon Heavenly Dao must be something despicable.
In fact, the Demon Heavenly Dao was a group of people that had emerged in the Star Boundary in recent years. They were a force that was based around Shadow Killer Palace in the Western Territory.
Before the Two Worlds’ Great War erupted, Shadow Killer Palace had long been preparing to assist the Demons to invade the Star Boundary. They had recruited many people who had hidden in different parts of the Star Boundary. Some of them were even Pseudo-Great Emperors.
In the past, Yao Lin and Li Shi Qing were captured by Masters from the group now called the Demon Heavenly Dao.
After the war erupted, the Demons invaded the Star Boundary, and in just three years, the entire Western Territory had fallen. The Star Boundary had lost a large area of territory, and many people had lost their lives. The Western Territory had practically become the Demons’ paradise.
At that time, the armies of the Star Boundary were still being organized, and the use of Space Beacons was not widespread. With the Great Emperors refraining from making a move, the Demon armies were essentially unstoppable.
However, while external enemies were troubling, traitors from within were even more worrying. The Demon Heavenly Dao rose with the times and snowballed into a great force.
Not everyone was determined to sacrifice themselves for the Star Boundary. During peaceful times, Shadow Killer Palace was already able to recruit many to their side, and as the Demons occupied more and more places, those who were afraid of death quickly sided with the Demon Heavenly Dao and became lackeys for the Demons.
The leader of the Demon Heavenly Dao was none other than the Palace Master of Shadow Killer Palace, Night Shadow Great Emperor!
He had countless top cultivators that worked under him, and there were four Pseudo-Great Emperors who were under his wings. They were collectively called the Four Great Emperor’s Emissaries, whose names were Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain. All of them had incredible cultivation.
“Those from Demon Heavenly Dao have been empowered by Demon Qi. While their temperament has changed, their power has also increased. What’s despicable about them is that they usually remain hidden, and they look just like any ordinary person. They also won’t expose themselves during battle. Unless we infuse our Qi into their bodies to investigate, or they proactively expose their Demon Qi, it’s difficult to tell whether they’re from the Demon Heavenly Dao or not.” Fan Xin heaved a sigh, “The war has been ongoing for five years. The people from the Star Boundary have grown in power, but the same is true of the Demons. We’ve suffered immense losses because of the Demon Heavenly Dao.”
It was because of the existence of the Demon Heavenly Dao that Han Zheng Qing and Right Defender Liu shook hands to probe each other when they met up. They had to make sure that neither of them had gone through demonification.
Compared to the Demon invaders, the people from the Star Boundary were actually more resentful of those from the Demon Heavenly Dao. That was because they were well hidden, so they were able to gather information and do things that the Demons were not able to achieve.
Fan Xin couldn’t understand why such people existed in this world, as though they were more than happy to see the world descending into chaos. The situation in the Star Boundary was already terrible; however, instead of defending their own world, these people had sided with the Demons.
It was also because of the Demon Heavenly Dao that Han Zheng Qing became vigilant when Yang Kai showed up with Demon Qi swirling around his body. To him, those from the Demon Heavenly Dao were deplorable, and a traitor couldn’t clear his name by just killing some Demons.
While they were having a chat, Yang Kai lifted his head and took a look in a particular direction before he put on a faint smile. His move wasn’t conspicuous, which was why Fan Xin, who was telling him about the current affairs in the Star Boundary, didn’t notice it.
However, a moment later, she also lifted her head and gazed at the front because Han Zheng Qing suddenly left his team and flew over. When he arrived, he landed on the ground and looked solemnly at Yang Kai.
With a clear gaze, Yang Kai stared frankly at him and put on a faint smile.
Feeling that the atmosphere was awkward, Fan Xin parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but she was stopped by Han Zheng Qing.
“Palace Master Yang, I only have one question for you,” Han Zheng Qing said in a hoarse voice, “Are you friend or foe?”
He had informed the headquarters in Seven Mists Sea that he had come across the traitor Yang Kai. He also reported to them what had happened earlier. However, even after such a long time, he still didn’t get any reply from Seven Mists Sea. Unable to wait any longer, he decided to confront Yang Kai.
Without answering his question, Yang Kai fished out a Space Beacon and said, “This is connected to the one held by Senior Li Wu Yi.”
Yang Kai then took out another one, “This one can contact Army Commander, Yang Yan.”
Through his conversation with Fan Xin, he had learned that Yang Yan was now Army Commander of the Thirteenth Army, making her a famous figure in the Star Boundary. Supposedly, Han Zheng Qing would be familiar with her.
A glint flashed across Han Zheng Qing’s eyes when he heard this; then he extended his hand, “May I have a look?”
Yang Kai tossed the two Space Beacons at him. After taking them, Han Zheng Qing activated both his Divine Sense and Emperor Qi to probe them. Supposedly, given his cultivation, he was unable to find out anything; however, he already had two Space Beacons with him, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with them, and he believed he could discern a thing or two.
Indeed, the Space Beacon that was connected to Li Wu Yi had some aura fluctuations left behind by him. This kind of fluctuation was similar to that of the two Space Beacons Han Zheng Qing had, so he would never be mistaken.
A moment later, he passed the two Space Beacons back to Yang Kai and put on a milder expression. Then, he cupped his fists and said, “This Han has detected some Demon scouts who tried to spy on us just now, so I’m afraid that our whereabouts have been exposed. Soon, Demon armies will come over and besiege us. I hope Palace Master Yang can assist us when the time comes.”
Since Yang Kai had a Space Beacon that was connected to Li Wu Yi, it was clear that there was nothing wrong with his identity. Otherwise, Li Wu Yi would have come over and captured him.
There was no doubt that Li Wu Yi was swamped with work, but he wouldn’t be complacent when the matter had something to do with Yang Kai. Since he had not appeared in this place, it proved that Yang Kai was credible.
Seeing as Li Wu Yi also believed Yang Kai, there was nothing else that Han Zheng Qing could say.
The base was still a few thousand kilometres away from them. Since the Demon scouts had shown up, it meant that they were probably going to face a battle soon. Now, there were only two heavily injured First-Order Emperor Realm Masters in their unit, so how would they defend themselves?
If they wanted to survive, they had to seek help from Yang Kai.
“Left Defender Han, you may proceed forward without fear. I will lend you a hand when I’m required to do so,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
Han Zheng Qing cupped his fists again, “Many thanks, Palace Master Yang.”
At that instant, he was finally able to be at ease. He had witnessed the power Yang Kai had showcased as the latter was able to kill the previous group of Demons as if they were ants. Even Demon Kings were easily dispatched by him. With such strength, he was probably just as powerful as the strongest Martial Beast Guard. With Yang Kai around, the chances of them returning to base would increase significantly.
After thanking him, Han Zheng Qing turned around and returned to his unit. However, just a moment later, he flew back and cupped his fists, “Palace Master Yang, please join us.”
Yang Kai and Fan Xin had been staying a thousand metres behind the team, so they were very conspicuous. Since the Demon scouts had shown up, a battle between the opposing armies was imminent. Yang Kai was the most powerful ally they had, so his existence shouldn’t be exposed so soon.
Earlier, he didn’t invite Yang Kai to join the team because he wasn’t certain whether the latter was a friend or foe. However, since there was no reaction from Seven Mists Sea, it went to show that Yang Kai was credible. Furthermore, given the power Yang Kai had showcased, if he wanted to harm them, there was no way they could resist.
In that case, Han Zheng Qing thought that he should just let Yang Kai join them.
Since Han Zheng Qing had returned to invite him, Yang Kai decided not to reject. After a nod, he followed Han Zheng Qing back to the team.
Fan Xin was pleased with this arrangement. The other disciples from Ice Heart Valley were also joyful as they came over to greet Yang Kai, who was their Martial Uncle. Compared to other Sects, Ice Heart Valley had very close ties with High Heaven Palace, which was why their disciples were friendly to Yang Kai.
The other people in the team secretly sized Yang Kai up; however, due to the circumstances, they didn’t come over to talk to him.
Only an Emperor Realm Master from Right Defender Liu’s Brigade walked up to Yang Kai, and his only intention was to salute him.
Two thousand injured soldiers were treading across the desert and heading back to their base. No one said anything as they were all apprehensive about the imminent battle.
When night descended upon them, they found a place and took a rest. In normal times, powerful cultivators didn’t need to rest at night as they could continue walking even in the dark. However, the Thirty-Fifth Army’s Ninth Brigade had just gone through a difficult battle, and most of their two thousand surviving members had suffered injuries. Hence, they had to save some energy to face the impending battle.
Although they were a team that had just been formed, they were still highly disciplined. Under Han Zheng Qing’s management, three groups of people took turns to keep watch around the area to prevent the Demons from launching a sneak attack on them in the middle of the night.
Everyone was worried they would have to fight their enemy in short order, but it turned out to be a peaceful night. At the break of dawn, they continued moving forward.
The two Emperor Realm Masters walked up to Yang Kai, after which Han Zheng Qing asked, “Palace Master Yang, have you detected the Demons’ whereabouts?”
The enemies didn’t arrive as they had expected last night, but instead of feeling elated, Han Zheng Qing was extremely worried. Since the enemies didn’t launch an attack at night, it meant that they were getting prepared to make a big move out in the open. Hence, the Human soldiers had to put their guards up even higher.
Without beating around the bush, Yang Kai replied, “They’re five hundred kilometres in front of us.”
Han Zheng Qing traded glances with the other Emperor Realm Master, then he fished out a jade slip and examined the situation. A moment later, his expression changed as he said, “Those damn Demons are really greedy!”
He lifted his head to look at Yang Kai, “There’s a narrow mountain pass five hundred kilometres to the front of us that looks like a bottle gourd. We have to pass through it if we want to return to our lines. I guess they want to ambush and swallow all of us up there.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’m afraid their teeth are going to break when they try.”
With a solemn expression, Han Zheng Qing said, “Palace Master Yang, are you confident of defeating them? If not, we can make a detour. We’ll just be held back for a few days.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “There’s no need for that. Even if we make a detour, we can’t escape from the Demons. There are Demon armies stationed on all alternative paths.”
Han Zheng Qing’s expression changed when he heard this, but after a moment of silence, he nodded and said, “Good. We will proceed forward.”
After he gave the order, the atmosphere around the team changed as they all tensed up. A tinge of murderous intent could be felt in the air.
Five hundred kilometres wasn’t that long of a distance, but it took these injured soldiers half a day to reach their destination. On the way there, Demon scouts would show up in the distance from time to time, which added pressure to their shoulders.
There was a vast valley behind the mountain pass with extremely high cliffs. As they went further, the valley became narrower. Although the Demons were nowhere to be seen, everyone could feel that their enemies were just lurking in the dark.
Han Zheng Qing turned his head to look at Yang Kai in an attempt to ask something, but Yang Kai directly shuffled forward and walked to the front of the team. With a smile on his face, his pace remained even as he appeared calm and collected.
After a moment of hesitation, Han Zheng Qing ordered, “Maintain tight formation! Pay attention to the flanks!”
The team of two thousand people immediately broke down into ten smaller units and opened up some distance from one another before they followed closely behind Yang Kai.
After they moved past the mountain pass and entered the valley, Demon Qi suddenly undulated in a radius of ten kilometres around them. The ground beneath their feet seemed to have come to life as it squirmed. In an instant, the solid ground turned into quicksand as all of them started sinking.
Han Zheng Qing’s expression changed as he ordered, “Sand Demon! Fly!”
The one who was able to cause the ground to go through such a sudden change must be Sand Demon. Moreover, they must be a Demon King; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to affect such a wide area with a single Divine Ability.
After years of war, those from the Star Boundary were already familiar with the tactics used by the Demons and had developed tactics to deal with them accordingly.
Right then, Yang Kai suddenly stretched out his hand and summoned the Myriads Sword into his grip. As he strode forward, he jabbed the sword into the ground.
In an instant, the huge sword disappeared, and following that, a muffled groan could be heard coming from below ground. At the same time, the quicksand instantly became solid again.
Just then, a loud boom could be heard from a spot that was roughly a hundred metres in front of them as the Myriads Sword shot out from the ground. The enormous blade had penetrated a Demon’s body and stuck out from his back. Even though the Demon had been severely injured, he hadn’t lost his life yet. Blood was streaming out of his mouth as he appeared to be in pain. Grabbing the blade with both hands, he was trying to pull the sword out of his body.
He was indeed a Sand Demon as well as a Demon King. Although he was just a Low-Rank Demon King, his cultivation was still considered to be powerful.
Right after he shot out of the ground, he stared resentfully at Yang Kai. Although he was underground, he knew who had made a move against him; however, he didn’t understand how Yang Kai managed to locate and injure him so swiftly.
He didn’t have any time to give it a second thought though as Yang Kai grinned at him, revealing a row of gleaming teeth as he clenched his fist and said, “Boom!”
At that instant, the Myriads Sword started to shine with radiant sword light, sending out a storm of sword waves from the Sand Demon’s body. Looking from afar, he seemed to have turned into a hedgehog with gleaming swords all over his body. As the Sand Demon shrieked, he exploded with a deafening boom.
In less than five breaths, a Demon King Sand Demon had been pulverized into blood mist, while at the same time, two thousand Humans had ascended into the sky.
Han Zheng Qing’s intention was to get everyone to escape from the Sand Demon’s Divine Ability, but unexpectedly, the Sand Demon lost his life barely after they had left the ground.
However, before they came to their senses, countless arrows were seen breaking through the air toward them.
While those from the Star Boundary had come up with ways to deal with the Demons, their enemies had also developed their own tactics to fight back. The Sand Demon’s sneak attack was just the beginning, as his intention was to force the Humans into the sky.
While they were mid-air, the innumerable arrows, which looked like locusts, were loosed upon them. The cliffs on both sides of the valley were extremely steep, so there was no way they could effectively evade the arrow barrage.
Everyone’s expression could be seen changing as they felt their entire bodies turning cold. At the same time, their chests tightened as they thought that they were doomed. Some of them swiftly flew downwards while the sluggish ones still remained on the spot. In an instant, the originally neat formation turned chaotic.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai’s Demon Qi surged. As the wind howled, the black Demon Qi solidified and became an impenetrable barrier. As it expanded, it turned into a shield that could ward off the arrows.
All the arrows were blocked by the Demon Qi and then disappeared.
Right then, the Demon Qi shield shot forward and crashed into the sky. Like a mirror that was broken apart, cracks started appearing. As a ripple spread around, countless Demons appeared out of thin air.
The Humans were now standing on the ground with steep cliffs on both their left and right. Just now, the Demons were hiding to attack them while they passed by. It wasn’t certain what technique they had used, but all of them had managed to conceal themselves, and Han Zheng Qing and the others were not even aware of it.
The expressions of the Humans changed again when they saw what was going on. There were definitely at least ten thousand Demons present.
Furthermore, there were a few Demon Kings around, all riding Demon Beasts of varying sizes with ferocious auras.
After their Concealment Technique was dispelled by Yang Kai, all the Demons were surprised. The Demon Kings, who were at the front, stared at Yang Kai in disbelief as they had no idea what was going on.
To them, since Yang Kai was using Demon Qi, he was obviously a member of the Demon Heavenly Dao. In that case, he was supposed to be their lackey, so why was he going against them now?
[What is going on?]
However, the next moment, the Demon Kings set aside their doubts as they had no regard for the Demon Heavenly Dao to begin with. Anyone who dared to go against the Demons must die.
Since they were enemies who had crossed each other on this narrow path, only the strongest would survive.
The Demon King at the front grinned at Yang Kai and lifted his muscular arm before forcefully lowering it. After he gave the order to attack, ten thousand Demons immediately charged forward. The entire valley seemed to be shaking as the rocks came falling down.
Han Zheng Qing and the others tensed up as they quickly returned to their respective formations. At the same time, the Shamans were heard chanting their spells.
Despite the thundering noises, Yang Kai’s voice was still clearly heard as he pointed at the front and said, “Compress!”
Right after he gave the order, the valley seemed to have come to life. The ground started writhing and rolling up like a rug as it soon engulfed the Demon soldiers. The cliffs on both sides started closing up like two gigantic palms that were clapping at the mosquitoes, but the insects this time were the ten thousand Demons!
Under the shocked gazes of Han Zheng Qing and the other Humans, the entire mountain valley seemed to transform into a separate, sealed region, with all the Demons trapped inside it.
Space then quickly compressed as horrifying shrieks were continuously heard from inside. Fan Xin had goosebumps all over her body while the female disciples of Ice Heart Valley had turned pale at the sight.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten thousand Demons disappeared. The cliffs had closed up and the ground that had rolled up formed a sealed space, trapping all the Demons inside it.
By just listening to the sounds that came from that sealed space, the Humans could imagine what the Demons were going through. Perhaps they had been pressed into mashed meat.
It was indeed a violent yet awe-inspiring method!
The Demons must have given it serious consideration before choosing this place to ambush the Humans. After passing the mountain pass, there was only one path ahead. If they appeared out of thin air, they would be able to catch the Humans off guard. With ten thousand Demons facing two thousand Humans, and with an advantageous position in this valley, the Demons thought that they could easily kill all these Humans.
However, they had never expected that this place would turn out to be their grave. They were indeed in a relatively advantageous position, but when the other party was so powerful that they could only look up to him, the advantage turned into disadvantage.
With a loud bang, a bloodied figure broke through the barriers and shot out of the sealed space. In an instant, he turned into a black light and decidedly fled into the distance.
“A High-Rank Demon King!” Han Zheng Qing exclaimed as his pupils contracted as he remained rooted to the spot. He had never expected that there would be a High-Rank Demon King leading the ten thousand Demon army stationed here. That Demon alone was too powerful for them to deal with. It could be expected that if not for Yang Kai, all two thousand of them would have lost their lives today.
It was already extremely difficult to kill the average Demon, not to mention a High-Rank Demon King. After he was compressed by the cliffs and the ground, this Demon King was severely injured, but he still managed to survive somehow. Then, he immediately escaped from the trap with some difficulty.
He must also be aware that, given the power Yang Kai had displayed, he would still die if he hadn’t fled in time. Certainly, his judgement was right, but there was no way he could flee.
Yang Kai extended his hand towards the Demon King and grabbed at the air. When he retracted his hand, he managed to pull out a figure that was covered in Black Qi. As the Demon King’s neck was being clenched, he was unable to struggle out of Yang Kai’s iron grip and a choking sound was heard coming from his throat.
Han Zheng Qing didn’t see how Yang Kai captured the Demon King; from his perspective, Yang Kai simply reached out his hand, his arm seemed to blur, and then the Demon King, who had been a kilometre or so away, appeared in his grip.
[Space Divine Ability! It must be a Space Divine Ability!] Though Han Zheng Qing understood what had happened, he couldn’t comprehend how it did.
It wasn’t until the Demon King was caught that Han Zheng Qing came to the realisation that the other party was a Shadow Demon. It was no wonder that he wasn’t aware of this Master’s existence. Shadow Demons were experts of assassination, so they were also good at concealing their auras.
Yang Kai clenched the Demon’s neck and lifted him off his feet. The Shadow Demon tried his hardest to struggle out of Yang Kai’s grip, but his attempts proved futile.
As Demon Qi undulated, the Shadow Demon’s figure started expanding. In the blink of an eye, he had become as round as a balloon.
With a loud pop, he directly exploded as his flesh splattered around the place. The unsuspecting Han Zheng Qing and the others had the blood splashed at them. On the other hand, Yang Kai had expected this to happen and protected himself with Demon Qi, so he remained spotless.
Just then, a cracking sound was heard as the compressed cliffs began separating and the ground receded.
Following that, the Humans immediately caught a whiff of a repulsive metallic tang, and then a sight that resembled that of Hell itself came into view.
No Demons could be seen in front of them. Besides the Shadow Demon that had fled from the sealed space and then been captured and killed by Yang Kai, all ten thousand or so Demons had been pressed into piles of mashed meat. Most of them already didn’t look like their original figures as all their flesh had been mangled together. The ground was practically dyed red as the disfigured Demons lay on it.
Some weak moaning was still heard as some of the Demon Kings were not dead yet.
All two thousand Humans looked dazedly at the front as they fell silent. Some of them had opened their mouths so wide that eggs would fit inside. As they darted their eyes between Yang Kai and the horrible sight, they still found it to be unbelievable.
Han Zheng Qing appeared embarrassed because all of them had basically done nothing to contribute to the deaths of all ten thousand Demons. From start to finish, Yang Kai was the only one who made any move.
After wiping the blood off his face, Han Zheng Qing walked over and wielded his sword to put a still-breathing Demon out of his misery.
His move prompted the others to come to their senses as they quickly marched forward to purge any Demons feigning death. At the same time, they also started looting stuff from the Demons.
In just an incense stick’s worth of time, the battlefield had been cleaned, after which they continued with their journey.
The valley was about three hundred kilometres long. It was already nighttime when they left the valley. When they finally saw the view outside, they were clearly energised. That was because the base of the Thirty-Fifth Army was just three thousand kilometres in front of them.
This distance of three thousand kilometres was relatively safe because rarely would any Demons wander around this region, unless they were unlucky enough to come across Demon Kings that were able to conceal themselves.
Stopping in his tracks, Yang Kai stared at Han Zheng Qing and said, “This is where we part ways. There are no more Demons in front of you, so you should be able to reach your destination safely.”
Han Zheng Qing bowed and replied, “Many thanks, Palace Master Yang.”
After waving his hand, Yang Kai turned to look at Fan Xin and the others, “Be careful and protect yourselves.”
On the battlefield, life or death could be determined in the blink of an eye. There were precedents of Pseudo-Great Emperor and Half-Saints being killed, to say nothing of the fact that Fan Xin and her Sister were just ordinary cultivators. The Two Worlds’ Great War had devastated countless lies and forced many families to be separated. Only by taking good care of themselves could they stand a chance of surviving.
Fan Xin and the other female disciples from Ice Heart Valley nodded repeatedly to his words.
Yang Kai turned around and took a step forward. All of a sudden, his figure turned blurred and then disappeared.
After he was gone, Han Zheng Qing gave the order for all two thousand of them to head towards the base. Since Yang Kai had said that there were no more Demons in front of them, the journey ahead must be safe. In that case, they shouldn’t waste any time taking a rest and should instead immediately return.
…..
Yang Kai communicated with the Space Beacon held by Li Wu Yi, after which he appeared by the latter’s side.
As his figure abruptly appeared inside a spacious hall, he saw Li Wu Yi, who was just beside him. Just when he smiled and wanted to greet him, he suddenly felt something as he lifted his head with a solemn expression.
Four people, one woman and three men, were seated on both sides. Their auras were all profound and powerful. Just like four mountains, their horrifying auras pressed against Yang Kai, causing him to have difficulty in breathing. Besides the discomfort in his chest, he could also feel his bones cracking.
Apart from that, he also felt that the aura in his body was somewhat resonating with those of the four people, which made him realise that they were truly powerful and that he was no match for them.
Not daring to appear disrespectful, Yang Kai immediately bowed and cupped his fists, “Junior Yang Kai greets the Great Emperors.”
On his left, there was the burly Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen, and the elusive Flower Shadow Great Emperor, Hua Ling Long. On his right, there was the inscrutable Serene Soul Great Emperor, Yao Jun, and the bold Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Huang.
Besides the missing Bustling World Great Emperor, the deceased Bright Moon Great Emperor, and the traitor Night Shadow Great Emperor, four of the seven Great Emperors in the Star Boundary had gathered together here.
Judging from their expressions, they seemed to be waiting for Yang Kai. At that instant, Yang Kai felt his blood boiling not because of the pressure, but because he finally felt at home after years of staying in a foreign land. He was so agitated that even his voice trembled slightly.
In the past, he didn’t have any special feelings when meeting these Great Emperors; however, upon reunion, he found them to be extremely amiable, as though they were his family members.
Then, recalling that his own aura resonated with those of the other Great Emperors, he immediately knew that it was because of the Great Emperor’s Opportunity. In order to become a Great Emperor, one had to obtain acknowledgement from the Star Boundary. Bright Moon’s acknowledgement had been transferred to Yang Kai, which was why he found the other Great Emperors to be affable.
He thought that the other Great Emperors would feel the same way too, but he hadn’t expected that after he finished speaking, he didn’t get any reply from them. A long time later, Yang Kai began to feel somewhat doubtful. He wanted to have a look at them, but he knew that it would be inappropriate to do so. Nevertheless, he could clearly feel that the Great Emperors’ gazes appeared sharp when they were staring at him.
Then, he stole a glance at Li Wu Yi, only to see that the latter had folded his arms lightly and remained on the same spot with a calm expression. With his eyes half-closed, he seemed to be in need of some sleep.
[What’s going on?] Yang Kai was puzzled.
Right then, someone was heard yelling, “Yang Kai, do you know what crime you’ve committed?”
It was Iron Blood Great Emperor who yelled at him, which caused him to feel dizzy and his ears to start buzzing, almost dropping him to the ground. He was able to kill Demon Kings like they were ants, and he had the power to fight with Half-Saints; however, when he was confronted by a Great Emperor, he was as frail as a child.
Fortunately, his cultivation was good enough to allow him to support his own weight. Just when he stared at Iron Blood and wanted to refute him, he gulped down what he was about to say and hung his head low, “I do.”
Hua Ling Long batted her eyes while Yao Jun grinned in silence. On the other hand, Mo Huang rolled his eyes and scratched his face.
Zhan Wu Hen was startled as well because he didn’t expect that Yang Kai would react in this way. He thought that Yang Kai would try to refute him, so it hadn’t crossed his mind that the young man would admit his guilt straight away. Hence, he was unable to go on with the speech he had prepared.
After a moment of silence, Iron Blood said, “What is your crime?”
Yang Kai replied in a hushed voice, “Senior Bright Moon died by my hand.”
Despite his small voice, everyone could hear that he was utterly sorrowful when he spoke and could see his balled-up fists turning pale from the strain.
“It seems you are not unaware.” Zhan Wu Hen snorted and then shouted again, “Bright Moon was one of the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. In the past, in order to save many of us here, he remained behind in the Demon Realm and was captured. Do you remember why we sent you to infiltrate the Demon Realm?”
“To save Senior Bright Moon!”
“What did you promise us?”
“That I would definitely bring Senior Bright Moon back to the Star Boundary!”
“What happened, then?”
Yang Kai was lost for words. His mission was to rescue Bright Moon; however, instead of saving him, he had actually killed him. Even though it wasn’t his intention to do so, after such a long time, he still felt extremely heartbroken whenever he thought about that scene in the past.
“Since you know what crime you’ve committed, how did you still have the nerve to return to the Star Boundary?” Zhan Wu Hen appeared overbearing, and he had no qualms about embarrassing the young man.
Yang Kai hung his head low and replied, “This Junior obtained the Great Emperor’s Opportunity, and had to return in order to fulfil the last will of Senior Bright Moon.”
“You had to return?” Zhan Wu Hen snorted, “Do you think we won’t punish you?”
Yang Kai replied respectfully, “Junior is willingly to accept any punishment.”
“What if we demand your life as punishment?” Zhan Wu Hen’s gaze was as sharp as a blade, and he was engulfed in murderous intent.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai looked him into Iron Blood’s eyes and said firmly, “Whatever the circumstances, it is an irrefutable fact that I killed Senior Bright Moon. That sin will never disappear. If Senior wishes to take back the Great Emperor’s Opportunity, I am willing to return it; however, if you demand my life, I will resist despite the fact that I am no match for you!”
To the side, Li Wu Yi turned to look at Yang Kai in astonishment. He thought that if he were Yang Kai, he wouldn’t have the guts to speak like him in this kind of situation.
Zhan Wu Hen scoffed, “You will resist? Do you think you’ll be able to do that?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I will try my best. I’m not willing to simply offer up my life. I cannot die.”
Many of his friends and family were waiting for him in High Heaven Palace, so he was determined to stay alive.
Just when Zhan Wu Hen wanted to say something, he was cut off by Hua Ling Long. Flower Shadow Great Emperor had a pleasant voice, and spoke in a very different tone than the ferocious Zhan Wu Hen, “Tell us about your experiences in the Demon Realm, especially what happened to Bright Moon.”
Yang Kai composed himself and replied, “At the time when Yu Ru Meng and I were being hunted down by Senior Li, we agreed to flee to the Demon Realm and safely reached it soon after…”
It had only been a few years since he ventured into the Demon Realm, so it wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai to recall his experiences.
The Great Emperors were aware that there were many continents and Territory Gates in the Demon Realm; after all, some of the Great Emperors had ventured into the Demon Realm before. Even though they didn’t know the full extent of the situation, they knew a thing or two. As for other things about the Demon Realm, they were essentially clueless.
What Yang Kai knew was exactly the information they needed.
When the four Great Emperors heard that there were a few hundred continents and twelve Demon Saints, their expressions turned solemn. Even if they ignored the fact that there were probably an innumerable number of people living on those continents, twelve Demon Saints alone was indeed an unbelievable number.
There were only ten Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. Excluding the missing Bustling World Great Emperor, the deceased Bright Moon Great Emperor, and the traitor Night Shadow Great Emperor, there were currently only seven of them left.
When it came to the most powerful Masters in both Great Worlds, there were far fewer on the Star Boundary’s side, almost half. If the Great Emperors fought an all-out war with the Demon Saints, they were bound to suffer a loss.
Then, when they were told that Yu Ru Meng was one of the twelve Demon Saints, they were shocked.
In the past, Yu Ru Meng had always followed Yang Kai around. When she appeared in front of the Great Emperors, she had even pretended to be Li Shi Qing and spoke with Flower Shadow Great Emperor. However, whether it was Zhan Wu Hen or Hua Ling Long, neither realized she was a Demon, nor could they detect any Demon Qi from her.
Looking back, they found it to be inconceivable. However, upon learning that Yu Ru Meng was a Charm Demon, they finally realised the reason behind it.
Charm Demons had exceptionally strong Souls, and they were adept at enchanting people and illusions, so it was no wonder that Yu Ru Meng was able to deceive them. When it came to Soul cultivation, even Serene Soul Great Emperor was no match for her.
Upon learning about the existence of Myriad Demon Caves and Myriad Demon Pills, the Great Emperors scowled. The war had been ongoing for several years, and they had realised that there were far more Demon Kings than should be possible. In the past, they didn’t understand the reason behind it, but now they got the answer.
There were many Demon Kings because there was a large number of Demons in the first place. With a few hundred continents, they were naturally able to produce at least a hundred thousand Demon Kings, which was a horrifying number.
Secondly, it must have something to do with the Myriad Demon Pills, which were unique to the Demon Realm. Although Myriad Demon Caves were formed by absorbing the life force of all Demons living on a continent, the benefits far outweighed the costs.
When the Great Emperors also learned that Yang Kai had swallowed up many continents in the Demon Realm, they were dumbstruck. They were able to shatter continents, but they could never devour them. Yang Kai’s strength was much weaker compared to a Great Emperor’s, but his abilities and methods were enough to shock even them.
Then, Yang Kai narrated the story of the battle on Eternal Sky Continent. He spoke about the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array and about how at the time, Bright Moon was unable to escape from the enemy siege. Left with no other choice, Bright Moon used a powerful Illusion Technique on Yang Kai and fooled the latter into killing him.
At that instant, everyone in the hall fell silent as the atmosphere became solemn.
The Great Emperors had been friends for tens of thousand years, so they were more than just used to each other’s company, yet all of a sudden, one of them had perished. Even though the Great Emperors were always calm and collected, they still felt dejected at this moment. Through Yang Kai’s vivid narration, they seemed able to experience how Bright Moon valiantly fought against the Twelve Demon Saints. It was as though they were able to personally see how intense the battle was and how Bright Moon fought against so many powerful enemies despite grievous injuries.
They were all inspired, and they hated the fact that they hadn’t had a chance to fight alongside him.
Eventually, Yang Kai took a deep breath and said, “That is what happened.”
Hua Ling Long nodded, “You’ve endured much hardship.”
During the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, there were not only twelve Demon Saints, but also more than a hundred Half-Saints. Surrounded by so many top Masters, Yang Kai was still able to obtain the Great Emperor’s Opportunity from Bright Moon, a miraculous feat to pull off.
“What happened next?” Mo Huang questioned, “How did you escape from the Demons after you obtained Bright Moon’s Opportunity?”
Although Yang Kai hadn’t told them what had happened to him in the aftermath of Bright Moon’s death, anyone could imagine that he must be in a desperate state at that time. In fact, obtaining the Great Emperor’s Opportunity was just the beginning of a calamity for Yang Kai as there was no way the Demons would let him bring it away.
“It was thanks to Yu Ru Meng!” Yang Kai replied seriously, “She helped me hold up some of the Demon Saints, and with my proficiency in the Dao of Space, I somehow managed to escape.”
He didn’t elaborate on this issue because, compared to Bright Moon’s selfless sacrifice, him fleeing wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Yao Jun said, “If that’s the case, there’s no way the Demons would have simply let you off. How did you manage to return to the Star Boundary? Has something else happened?”
“Indeed.” Yang Kai nodded, “Junior was severely injured after escaping from Eternal Sky Continent; however, due to the Great Emperor’s Opportunity, my aura became unstable and was suddenly forced to undergo a breakthrough. I had intended to directly return to the Star Boundary, but Can Ye had returned to guard the Two Worlds’ Passage before I could arrive. If I had gone there, it would have been akin to stepping into the enemy’s trap. Considering the fact that I was about to achieve a breakthrough, I decided to take the risk and headed to Cloud Shadow Continent.”
With the help of the Embodiment, they were able to burrow deep underground and conceal his presence. It was during his breakthrough though that a strange phenomenon happened, which attracted Bei Li Mo over. He had intended to make use of Xuan Bing’s Profound Darkness Needle to stall Bei Li Mo so that he could flee once more, but he was taken advantage of by Xuan Bing instead, which then caused something unexpected to happen.
“Wait a moment!” When Mo Huang heard this, he looked at Yang Kai with an awkward expression, “You mean you’ve planted a Soul Imprint inside a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea?”
Besides him, the other Great Emperors had also widened their eyes and were staring at the young man before them in disbelief. They were well aware of what would happen after a Soul Imprint was planted, which was why they were thoroughly stunned.
Li Wu Yi was dumbfounded too as he made some comparisons in his mind. A Demon Saint was equivalent to a Great Emperor. Since Yang Kai had managed to plant a Soul Imprint in a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea, it was akin to doing the same thing to a Great Emperor. In other words, Yang Kai had full control over the Demon Saint’s life or death. He had basically taken a Demon Saint as his subordinate.
The young man here was only a Third-Order Emperor, not even a Pseudo-Great Emperor!
Even though Li Wu Yi was normally unphased by the world around him, at this moment, he had the urge to curse.
“En,” Yang Kai bowed his head. “In truth, this Junior wasn’t capable of such a feat. It was only thanks to the wicked plan Xuan Bing came up with that harmed both her enemy and herself that made such a thing possible. I simply played along with it and achieved such a result in the end.”
The four Great Emperors traded glances as they activated their Divine Sense. Apparently, they were having a discussion.
A moment later, Hua Ling Long said with a frown, “Although you’re fairly strong now, you’re still just a Third-Order Emperor. Even though you’ve planted a Soul Imprint inside a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea, you should still not be able to determine her life or death.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Senior Flower Shadow’s words make sense. I am still significantly less powerful than Bei Li Mo, so I’m unable to determine her life or death. It can be said that if she focuses on breaking the seal, Bei Li Mo can eventually purge the Soul Imprint’s chains and regain her freedom.”
He paused for a moment, “However, she won’t have that chance now.”
“What do you mean?” Zhan Wu Hen arched his brow.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “Please forgive my disrespect.”
Saying so, Yang Kai released his Spiritual Energy without limit for a moment before quickly retracting it.
Nevertheless, the short moment was enough to cause the Great Emperors’ gazes to brighten. On the side, Li Wu Yi was rooted to the spot.
Excluding Yang Kai, there were four Great Emperors and one Pseudo-Great Emperor at the scene, so they all had incredible perceptions. Even though Yang Kai had only released his Spiritual Energy for a short moment, the others were still able to feel how powerful it was.
The power of Yang Kai’s Soul was second only to that of the Great Emperors, and he was more powerful than any Pseudo-Great Emperor in this regard.
Normally, only a top Pseudo-Great Emperor would possess this kind of Divine Sense, and he would also have to be an expert in Soul cultivation. However, at this moment, the person who was able to use such powerful Divine Sense was just a Third-Order Emperor who had recently reached his current realm.
Li Wu Yi was shaken to the core. Compared to the fact that Yang Kai had planted a Soul Imprint in a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea, he was more astounded by the Divine Sense the young man had just showcased.
Even though Yang Kai had taken in a Demon Saint as his subordinate, that was still dependent on the Demon Saint being willing to submit to him. After all, while a powerful external helper, Bei Li Mo could change her heart at any moment, and given a chance, she might kill Yang Kai one day. However, Soul cultivation was a part of Yang Kai’s own strength, a power that he could make use of. If Li Wu Yi were given a choice, he would rather choose the latter.
All the Great Emperors understood what Yang Kai meant now. The strength of the Soul Imprint was correlated to the user’s Soul cultivation. The more powerful his Soul cultivation was, the more solidified the Soul Imprint became.
Although Yang Kai’s Soul cultivation was astounding, he was still no match for the Demon Saints and the Great Emperors. Nevertheless, it was good enough to control Bei Li Mo. Given enough time, perhaps she would still be able to break free from the Soul Imprint; however, Yang Kai wasn’t dead, so why would he give her the chance to do so?
That was the reason he said Bei Li Mo didn’t have a chance.
A puzzled Hua Ling Long asked, “Why do you have such a powerful Soul?”
In fact, it wasn’t difficult to find people whose Soul was stronger than their peers in their own realm in the Star Boundary. The most typical example was those from Azure Sun Temple. Thanks to the Divine Ascension Mirror, the top cultivators from the temple normally had stronger Soul cultivation than average; however, there was still a limit to it, and no one could be like Yang Kai, whose Soul cultivation was horrendously more powerful than his realm would suggest.
It was just beyond anyone’s imagination. Unless he had come across any opportunity to increase the power of his Soul, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve such a thing.
Hua Ling Long wasn’t supposed to ask this question. Whatever opportunity Yang Kai had obtained, it had nothing to do with her; however, she was curious about the reason behind it, and she wanted to find out whether it had something to do with the deceased Bright Moon.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai appeared embarrassed upon hearing that question.
The considerate Flower Shadow Great Emperor put on a smile, “You don’t have to answer if it’s not convenient for you.”
“There’s nothing inconvenient…” Yang Kai scratched his nose, “Yu Ru Meng and I… have become true partners, so I obtained her several ten thousand years’ worth of Primordial Yin. She’s a Charm Demon, so she’s a Master in Soul cultivation. That’s how my Soul cultivation surged.”
“What!?” A shocked Hua Ling Long looked dazedly at Yang Kai, “Yu Ru Meng… She…”
She wanted to ask why Yu Ru Meng, as one of the twelve Demon Saints, was willing to lose her innocence to Yang Kai. Besides the stark differences between their powers, they were from different Races as one of them was a Human while the other was a Demon. Moreover, the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm were currently at war.
However, she was too embarrassed to ask this question, and her face was now blushing bright red.
While Hua Ling Long was too bashful to ask, Yao Jun wasn’t so reserved. All of them had lived for countless years, so he didn’t find it embarrassing to talk about the basic biological directives of Human nature. Therefore, he directly asked, “Is it because of the Heart Seal Secret Technique?”
Previously, Yang Kai had told them that Yu Ru Meng had used a Heart Seal Secret Technique on him, which was why Yao Jun had this speculation.
“That’s part of the reason,” Yang Kai nodded, “However, when I told her to unseal the Secret Technique, she chose not to.”
Upon hearing that, Yao Jun gave a nod. Since Yu Ru Meng chose not to do so, it proved that her feelings for Yang Kai were genuine. Otherwise, a Demon Saint wouldn’t have acted in such a way.
On the side, Li Wu Yi was no longer able to keep a calm expression on his face. As he turned his head to stare at Yang Kai, his eyes almost popped out.
Not only had Yang Kai planted a Soul Imprint in a Demon Saint’s Knowledge Sea, but he had also bedded another Demon Saint! As a result, his Soul cultivation increased significantly.
Over the years, Li Wu Yi had always worried that Yang Kai might come across danger in the Demon Realm. Now, it seemed that there was no doubt he had fallen into perilous situations before, but he had also enjoyed a very exciting life in the process.
Yang Kai had basically achieved many miracles. Anyone would be considered extremely lucky if they could pull off any of those feats.
“So, that means you have two Demon Saints on your side now?” Mo Huang gazed at Yang Kai with an excited expression.
Just now, they were still worried about the fact that there were twelve Demon Saints, which were a lot more than the number of Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. However, he hadn’t expected that they would see a silver lining so soon. One of the Demon Saints had been planted with a Soul Imprint, while the other was now Yang Kai’s woman. So, the two Demon Saints were on the same boat with Yang Kai, which essentially meant that they had weakened the power in the Demon Realm.
“Not two, but three!” Yang Kai looked seriously at him.
Zhan Wu Hen arched his brow, “Besides Bei Li Mo and Yu Ru Meng, who is the other Demon Saint?”
With an awkward expression, Mo Huang asked, “Is it that Feather Demon Fu Yu?”
Based on what he had heard from Yang Kai, he knew that of the twelve Demon Saints, only three of them were female. Bei Li Mo had been controlled while Yu Ru Meng had fallen in love with Yang Kai, so it wouldn’t be surprising even if Fu Yu had also sided with him. Yang Kai seemed to have a way with women. Recalling that his own precious daughter was also fond of Yang Kai, Mo Huang immediately had a headache.
Previously, although Yang Kai had many women, most of them didn’t have a prestigious background. Only Zhu Qing from the Dragon Race could be considered of significant status. She was a Ninth-Order Dragon, so she was at least on par with a Great Emperor’s Daughter. With Mo Huang behind his daughter, he wasn’t worried that she would be put at a disadvantage even if things developed in the direction he most wanted them not to. Now that Yang Kai had even got together with a Demon Saint though, who was equivalent to a Great Emperor, Mo Huang was unable to guarantee his daughter’s position anymore.
If he knew this would be the outcome, he wouldn’t have allowed Yang Kai to go to the Demon Realm.
“It’s not Fu Yu.” Yang Kai shook his head, “He isn’t even one of the twelve Demon Saints, but he’s as powerful as any of them.”
A perplexed Hua Ling Long asked, “Who?”
“His name is Chang Tian. He’s a member of the Dragon Clan of the Demon Realm!” Yang Kai explained, “To put things into perspective, his status in the Demon Realm is like that of the Great Elder and Second Elder of Dragon Island.”
Upon hearing that, the Great Emperors finally understood what he meant. Although Great Elder Zhu Yan and Second Elder Fu Zhun from Dragon Island were not Great Emperors, they were Tenth-Order Dragons, heads of the Divine Spirits. Their bloodlines were extremely pure, and they were just as powerful as the Great Emperors.
Since there were Divine Spirits in the Star Boundary, it only made sense there were some in the Demon Realm as well. There were Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun in the Star Boundary, while there was Chang Tian in the Demon Realm.
“How is Chang Tian related to you? Why would he side with you?” Zhan Wu Hen asked solemnly.
“Chang Tian is a Demon Dragon in the Demon Realm, but he has always been at odds with the Demon Saints. It’s said that he spent much of his life contending and fighting with the Demon Saints. He eventually secured Hundred Spirits Continent for himself and his followers and has been staying there ever since. However, his life essence is running out, so he’s worried that after he passes away, those on his continent will be enslaved by the Demon Saints. I happen to possess a Dragon bloodline, which is why he became fond of me at first glance. He put great trust in me and even wanted me to become his adopted son. That’s how our relationship formed.” Yang Kai paused for a moment, “I’ve used my Sealed World Bead to devour Hundred Spirits Continent, so there’s no turning back for him. Apart from that, I’ve also devoured all the territories under Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo. Before I came back, I also sealed off the thirteen Territory Gates that connected the continent where the Two Worlds’ Passage is located to the rest of the Demon Realm, so the connection between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm has been temporarily cut off.”
“You’ve cut off the connection between the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary?” Hua Ling Long widened her eyes.
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Wonderful!” Mo Huang shouted with an excited expression.
On the other hand, a glint flashed across the gazes of Yao Jun and Zhan Wu Hen.
Recalling several recent reports he had received, Li Wu Yi nodded and added, “It’s no wonder that the Demon armies have been pulling back recently.” He had always been in the headquarters of Seven Mists Sea to manage the overall situation of the battlefield, so he was the most familiar individual when it came to the enemy’s movements.
He had noticed this strange trend a few days ago. The Demons were always aggressive and ferocious, but they suddenly started withdrawing. Initially, he didn’t understand what the Demons were up to, so he sent some people to gather some information to find out whether the Demons were preparing some kind of plot, but upon hearing what Yang Kai had said, he finally understood.
The war between the two Great Worlds had been ongoing for a few years, and both sides had suffered losses. Although there were more Demons that had lost their lives, the Humans were the ones at a disadvantage. The reason behind it was that the Demons seemed able to infinitely replenish their soldiers, as though there was no way to kill them all.
Now that the connection between the two Great Worlds had been cut off though, it meant that the Demon Realm couldn’t bring in reinforcements to replace the soldiers that had been killed. Given enough time, Li Wu Yi was confident of killing all the remaining Demons in the Star Boundary.
He had even started considering a grand mobilization of the Star Boundary’s armies to annihilate the Demons as this was the perfect chance for them to launch a decisive attack. If the Demons managed to re-group and put up proper defences, it would only mean more casualties on the Star Boundary’s side.
Zhan Wu Hen tapped the table and said calmly, “You’ve swallowed up the territories of the three Demon Saints and cut off the connection between the two Great Worlds, which essentially means that there’s no turning back for them. Does it mean that, whether or not they’re willing to do so, they’ll be loyal to you till the end?”
“I believe so.” Yang Kai nodded his head, “By the way, all three of them have arrived at the Star Boundary. If Seniors are fine with it, I’ll bring them to meet you.”
Upon hearing that, Mo Huang chuckled while Hua Ling Long picked up a cup of flower tea and took a sip, her eyes appearing to be smiling.
A doubtful Yang Kai thought that the Great Emperors reacted quite strangely to this news, but he suddenly had a thought and asked, “Have Seniors already met them?”
Zhan Wu Hen snorted, “Three Demon Saints suddenly arrived in the Star Boundary. If we weren’t able to sense that, we should probably quit being Great Emperors!”
When Yang Kai brought Yu Ru Meng and the others to the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors had already noticed it. Iron Blood Great Emperor, Serene Soul Great Emperor, and Martial Beast Great Emperor immediately went over to have a look.
At that time, Yang Kai was still recuperating in the Small Sealed World.
However, since Chang Tian and the others didn’t seem to be up to anything in particular, the Great Emperors decided not to show up as they observed them from afar.
The Great Emperors and the Demon Saints were equal when it came to their strength; however, in the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors, who had obtained the acknowledgement from it, had a more advantageous position. With assistance from the world itself, they were able to conceal their auras. Even the Master of the Soul, Yu Ru Meng, didn’t notice them.
Before they could understand what the Demon Saints were up to, Yang Kai suddenly appeared from Small Sealed World, which shocked the Great Emperors. After that, Yang Kai left behind a lot of strong Demon cultivators and bade the Demon Saints farewell. Once he was far enough away, the Great Emperors went over to confront the Demon Saints.
The atmosphere wasn’t intense per se, but it wasn’t peaceful either. At that time, only Yu Ru Meng spoke to them, so the Great Emperors were not aware that Chang Tian wasn’t one of the twelve Demon Saints.
Yu Ru Meng then told the Great Emperors why they had followed Yang Kai to the Star Boundary and also stated what their conditions for cooperation were. However, the Great Emperors didn’t readily believe her one-sided story.
That was why the Great Emperors decided to interrogate Yang Kai first.
The Great Emperors didn’t tell Yang Kai about it in advance because they wanted to find out whether he would tell the truth; after all, he had stayed in the Demon Realm for a few years, so anything could happen. If he was brainwashed by the Demons and came back to harm the Star Boundary, it would be a pain for the Great Emperors. Now that there were no discrepancies between the statements of Yang Kai and Yu Ru Meng, the Great Emperors were finally at ease.
However, when they met up with the Demon Saints some time ago, they didn’t know that the Two Worlds’ Passage had been cut off. Yu Ru Meng wasn’t a fool. The Great Emperors hadn’t made their stance clear, so there was no way she would tell them such vital information. They had just learned about this incident from Yang Kai a moment ago.
“Yu Ru Meng has said that they would take control of the Demons in the Star Boundary, and they’ve promised that they will not act against us. What do you think?” Zhan Wu Hen took a seat and asked.
Yang Kai replied, “Just as this Junior has said, the three of them have followed me to the Star Boundary, and whether or not they’re doing this out of their own willingness, they have to listen to my commands. So, I think you can believe them.”
Zhan Wu Hen said, “The Two Worlds’ Great War has been ongoing for a few years, and the Demons have killed countless of our people. It’s the best chance to destroy all of them, but are you telling me that you want to save them?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “We can only save the Humans by making peace with the Demons. Although the Two Worlds’ Passage has been cut off, there are still many Demons in the Star Boundary. Despite the fact that we have a chance to annihilate all of them, we’ll have to pay a hefty price to do so; therefore, I think that it’ll be the best outcome if we take a step back at this point.”
Zhan Wu Hen lowered his gaze and fell silent while the other Great Emperors didn’t voice their opinions.
Yang Kai went on to speak, “There are two reasons behind the Demons’ invasion of the Star Boundary. First, they’re indeed an innately warlike Race, but secondly, they’re left with no other choice. The future for the Demon Realm is bleak. Over thousands of years, more and more territories and continents have been falling apart and disappearing, which is why they’ve targeted the neighbouring Star Boundary. This war occurred because they want to occupy the Star Boundary, but the clash of both worlds will only result in one of two outcomes. Either one side perishes, or both sides are devastated. Whatever the outcome, it’ll still be disastrous for the Star Boundary.”
Mo Huang said grimly, “In that case, we shouldn’t let off those Demons who still remain in the Star Boundary. Although you’ve sealed off the connection between the worlds, you can’t guarantee that it’ll last forever. Once the seal is broken one day, the Demon armies will strike again. Who can guarantee that the Demons you’ve let off today will not go against us tomorrow?”
“I’m not certain how powerful the Demon Saints are. Maybe it’ll take them months or even years to break through the seal,” Yang Kai explained, “However, since we’ve figured out the reasons behind their invasion, we’ll be able to come up with a solution.”
“What do you mean by that?” Hua Ling Long asked.
The discussion was heading in the direction Yang Kai had wanted. It was then he revealed his intention, “Since the Demons invaded the Star Boundary for their own survival, this Junior can simply give them a new place to live. It’s thanks to this reason that I’ve managed to persuade Chang Tian to side with me.”
“Do you mean your Sealed World Bead?” Hua Ling Long arched her delicate brow.
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “The Sealed World Bead has devoured more than a hundred complete continents, which have been integrated seamlessly. If we can let the Sealed World Bead devour the entire Demon Realm, it will be able to produce a new one. By then, the Demons will have a new place to live, and they’ll stop thinking about battling against us.”
“Is your Sealed World Bead really so amazing?” Mo Huang was shocked.
Yang Kai grinned, “If Senior wants, you can have a look inside.”
After giving it a thought, Mo Huang nodded his head, “Alright.”
As he spoke, he rose from the chair. He was still in his seat when he moved, but when he stood up completely, he was already standing in front of Yang Kai.
Besides him, Zhan Wu Hen, Yao Jun, and Hua Ling Long also suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai.
As Great Emperors, they had seen countless rare treasures, so other than a few legendary ones, hardly any artifact or item in the world could catch their attention. Nevertheless, they were very interested in the Sealed World Bead, which could devour and integrate worlds.
Before learning about it from Yang Kai, they had never expected that such an amazing item existed.
“Please do not resist,” Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai activated his Demon Qi and engulfed all four of them in it. As a thought flashed across his mind, he sent them inside the Small Sealed World.
Just when he was about to enter it as well, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Li Wu Yi said with a grin, “Don’t ignore me. I’m still around! I want to have a look as well.”
“Sorry, sorry!” Yang Kai smirked and sent him inside the Small Sealed World as well.
When Yang Kai appeared, Mo Huang and the others looked amazed as they scanned their surroundings. With a frown, Zhan Wu Hen asked, “Where’s Flower Shadow?”
He didn’t understand why Hua Ling Long wasn’t around, and he wondered what Yang Kai was up to.
“I’ve sent Senior Hua to another place.” Yang Kai waved his hand. As a ripple spread around, space seemed to have turned into a mirror as it showed the image of a far-off place. In that image, the alluring Hua Ling Long was seen standing outside a small cabin. There was a young woman who had knelt in front of Hua Ling Long with her head pressed against the ground. When she lifted her head, her eyes were seen to be drenched in tears.
The Great Emperors immediately recognised that the young woman was Hua Ling Long’s Legacy Disciple, Li Shi Qing.
“Shi Qing is here?” Mo Huang arched his brow.
Yang Kai nodded, “I found her not long after I arrived in the Demon Realm. In the past, Yu Ru Meng sent Li Shi Qing to her own territory and then pretended to be her to approach me.”
Mo Huang gave a nod, “I’m glad that she’s safe!”
Li Shi Qing had been missing for many years. Although Hua Ling Long was a Great Emperor, she had only taken in a single Disciple, Li Shi Qing; hence, she treated the latter like her own daughter. Since her Disciple had gone missing, she was definitely worried; however, as a Great Emperor, Hua Ling Long had to remain calm and collected, which was why others couldn’t tell how anxious she was.
Nonetheless, Mo Huang and the others knew that she was worried. Now that Yang Kai had finally brought Li Shi Qing back, Hua Ling Long could set her mind at ease.
Yang Kai waved his hand as the projection faded away. Now that there were no more doubts, he knew that they should give the ladies some privacy.
Just then, whooshing sounds were heard as Zhan Wu Hen thumped his fists against the air. With a frown, he said with displeasure, “Trash!”
He directly gave a rude remark. Then, he placed his hands behind his back and looked around, clearly disdainful of this place.
He was not referring to anyone when he said ‘trash’, he was talking about the world they were in. Right after the Great Emperors arrived, they realised that the World Principles in this world were weak. In fact, it was much weaker than that of the Star Boundary, which made them feel that they had been restricted by invisible chains. This kind of restriction made them feel uncomfortable.
The restriction in this world made sure that the Demon Kings couldn’t fully use their cultivation; however, it couldn’t really restrict the Great Emperors. If Zhan Wu Hen and the others decided to go all out, the shackles here would fall apart, and the entire Small Sealed World would break apart.
“Indeed, but it was far worse in the past.” Instead of getting annoyed, Yang Kai even agreed with Zhan Wu Hen’s remark.
Zhan Wu Hen turned to look at him, “You mean the World Principles here can be perfected?
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “If not for that being the case, this Junior wouldn’t have the guts to promise the Demons to give them a second Demon Realm. Both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm are fairly similar. At the very least, the World Principles in both Great Worlds are about on par, which is why there are Great Emperors in the Star Boundary and Demon Saints in the Demon Realm. If I want the Demons to migrate to this place, I have to give them a proper Demon Realm.”
“How can this place be improved?” Zhan Wu Hen’s interest was piqued. In his eyes, the world in front of him was garbage; however, if it could grow enough, its future would be bright.
“It can be upgraded by devouring and integrating more continents,” Yang Kai explained briefly, “I’ve said that if I can swallow up the entire Demon Realm and integrate the Principles on all those continents, I will be able to make a second Demon Realm. Unfortunately, the Demon Saints rule over their own territories. If we don’t deal with the Demon Saints first, I’ll be unable to devour their territories.”
Zhan Wu Hen scoffed, “So we still have to fight with them at the end of the day.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “We do not need to fight with them necessarily, we just need to strike a deal with their leaders.”
Zhan Wu Hen fell silent as he knew that what Yang Kai had said was true. If there were no unexpected events, both sides would surely suffer greatly or even perish in this Great War. Whoever turned out to be the winner, they would have to pay a hefty price. If Yang Kai’s idea was feasible, both Humans and Demons could have an opportunity to survive.
Just like what Yang Kai had said, by letting the Demons off, they were also saving the Humans!
“What do you think?” Mo Huang turned to look at Li Wu Yi.
Here, besides Yang Kai, only Li Wu Yi was proficient in the Dao of Space, so it was apt to ask him about it.
“Unbelievable!” Appearing to be amazed, Li Wu Yi fished out something and held it in his palm.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Kai realised that it was a petite mountain that was just the size of a palm. It was shaped like a Dragon with a wavy outline. It was lush and verdant on the mountain as he caught a whiff of the aroma of flowers. He could even hear the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects.
Yang Kai straightened his face and looked carefully, after which his gaze brightened with a gleam.
It wasn’t a toy mountain that Li Wu Yi was holding, it was a real mountain! The trees and flowers had been significantly shrunk. Some beasts and birds were seen wandering around the forests. They all looked as small as dust. If Yang Kai hadn’t looked intently, he wouldn’t have been able to see it clearly.
“Senior, what is this?” Yang Kai licked his lips as he was excited to see this wonderful treasure.
Li Wu Yi replied with a smile, “Floating Mountain! It was originally situated in the northern part of the Eastern Territory. It’s about two kilometres high and three thousand kilometres long, with about three hundred peaks of different sizes. After ascending to be a Pseudo-Great Emperor, I then spent twenty years refining it until it became like this.” Then, he lifted his head to look at Yang Kai, “Do you want to go in to have a look?”
“Of course!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. Certainly, he had to explore this wonderful treasure.