In an instant, the hall was engulfed in flames and there was basically no corner that wasn’t ablaze.
Nevertheless, a breeze was swirling around Wind Lord as there was no sign of fire in a radius of ten metres around him. He looked like an unmoving rock amidst the violent storms and waves as he snorted, “It seems that you won’t regret until you see your coffin!”
After he declared so, he shot towards Yang Kai. The flames separated and revealed a path that he could pass through. It seemed that wherever he went, the flames around the area would be extinguished.
In just a moment, he reached a spot that was ten metres away from Yang Kai. Presently, his figure was smaller than that of Yang Kai by several hundred times, but he appeared to be more imposing than the other party as though he was the taller one. Then, he lifted his right hand and balled up his fist, after which a fan appeared in his grip. The fan was only half an arm’s length in size, but a shocking light could be seen emitting from it. Raising the fan, he gently waved it at Yang Kai.
A gale swept across the hall as a razor-sharp wind blade shot out of the fan and expanded to several tens of metres before slashing at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai wanted to dodge, but his perception of time had been warped, so he was unable to move as he pleased. When he came to his senses, the wind blade was already right in front of him, so he hurriedly crossed his arms to protect his face.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai shuddered as his mountain-like figure slid backwards. Huge wounds appeared on his arms, which were now drenched in blood.
Making use of that force, Yang Kai turned around and swept his tail at Wind Lord. His Dragon Tail, which was covered in Dragon Scales, looked like a long whip which seemed able to make space shake and shatter where it passed.
Wind Lord scoffed and lifted his leg. In just a few steps, he was able to dodge the tail with ease.
Following a failed strike, Yang Kai charged forward and chanted in the Dragon language again. Wind Lord raised his fan and waved it at Yang Kai again. This time, it wasn’t just one but over ten wind blades that came at Yang Kai from all directions, which made sure there was no way he could dodge or defend.
With no other way to ward off or avoid the wind blades, Yang Kai decided to dash forward with a grin. He seemed resolute and ready to lose his life.
“Don’t get presumptuous!” Wind Lord sneered, grasping the hourglass in his left hand in an attempt to use the same trick again. He wanted to influence Yang Kai’s perception by using the power of the Flowing Time Divine Sand.
Right then, a clang was heard, and light expanded. Following that, Yang Kai vanished into thin air.
Wind Lord’s pupils contracted, and the next moment, he realised that the light in front of him had been blocked by a gigantic figure. Looking up, he saw that Yang Kai was gazing down at him like he was an ant. After Yang Kai inhaled deeply, he opened his mouth and spat out a Dragon Breath.
The Dragon Breath seemed extremely sharp, as it could cut through space as it slashed at Wind Lord’s head.
Wind Lord grunted in surprise and took a step sidewards to dodge the attack, but he felt a force coming at him from the side as though it had been waiting for him.
Turning around, he realised that Yang Kai was sweeping his right fist at him. The horrifying force caused his eyelids to twitch. Although he was more powerful than Yang Kai, he knew that he would end up in a terrible state if he was hit by this fist.
So, he immediately turned into a breeze and disappeared. Yang Kai was frustrated that he hit air again.
In one corner of the hall, Wind Lord reappeared and stared at the bell in Yang Kai’s hand before he snorted, “Mountains and Rivers Bell!”
At this moment, not only was Yang Kai holding the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but he was also flicking it around, which caused the ringing of the bell to reverberate around the hall. With the bell as the centre, glowing waves could be seen spreading across the hall, seemingly cleansing Yang Kai’s body.
Wind Lord had stayed in this place for a hundred years and obtained Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, the Infinite Hourglass. With that hourglass, he was able to drain Yang Kai’s life away and affect his perception of time.
However, he wasn’t the only one who possessed a Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact. Yang Kai also had a Legacy Artifact, which was the Mountains and Rivers Bell. That was the reason he wasn’t afraid of Wind Lord. Only a Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact could be used against another Legacy Artifact.
Therefore, after Yang Kai summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell and made it ring out, he was able to restore his own perception of time. However, he still hadn’t managed to cut off his connection with the Infinite Hourglass. As the Flowing Time Divine Sand continued trickling down, his remaining years of life would still rapidly leave him.
Yang Kai was unable to fully utilise the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but it was the same case for Wind Lord and the Infinite Hourglass. In this regard, both of them were even.
The bell continued ringing out as the invisible pressure permeated the hall, causing Wind Lord to feel extremely heavy, as though a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders.
The ringing of the bell was able to suppress the world itself, such a statement best described the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
After activating the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, Yang Kai managed to break free from the Infinite Hourglass’s disturbance and restored his perception of time.
Noticing this, Wind Lord stared at the bell for a moment before he sighed and said, “Grudges should be resolved rather than formed. You’ve killed many of the people from Demon Heavenly Dao, and I’ve made you suffer a setback. Why don’t we forget about what has happened today? We can part ways and never see one another again. What do you think?”
With the hourglass rendered ineffective, he wasn’t confident in dealing with an expert in the Dao of Space, unless Yang Kai insisted on battling against him until either party was killed instead of fleeing. If Yang Kai wanted to flee, he wouldn’t have any way to stop him.
He didn’t want to fight with Yang Kai. He was already satisfied that he had obtained the Infinite Hourglass from the Flowing Time Temple. As for those people from Demon Heavenly Dao who were killed, there had never been a lack of people who were killed in this world. They should feel honoured that they were able to sacrifice their lives for his Master’s goal.
“Sure,” Yang Kai replied in a hushed voice and put on a grin, “Put the hourglass down and cripple your cultivation. After that, I’ll let you go.”
Wind Lord narrowed his eyes and grinned wickedly, “Boy, this King is sincerely trying to make peace with you, but it doesn’t mean that I’m afraid of you. If you remain obstinate, this King will have no choice but to kill you.”
“Do it if you can,” Yang Kai lifted his hand and crooked his finger.
“Is there really no room for discussion?” Wind Lord stared grimly at him.
Yang Kai guffawed, “I’ve told you that we’re not even from the same side. Cut the nonsense, will you?”
Wind Lord took a deep breath and put on a helpless expression, “Since you insist on forcing me, you must pay the price.”
After he finished speaking, he raised the hourglass and pushed his Emperor Qi wildly, infusing as much power into it as possible.
Initially, the speed at which the Flowing Time Divine Sand trickled down inside the hourglass was neither fast nor slow. After a long battle, only half of the Divine Sand had reached the bottom of the hourglass. In other words, only four hundred years of Yang Kai’s life had been sucked away from him.
However, what Wind Lord had done was to accelerate the speed at which the sand fell. The other half of the sand reached the bottom in just a short moment.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but grunt as his blood gushed towards his throat and almost spurted out. Although he wasn’t hit by any external force, he had suffered a serious injury by losing four hundred years of his life in just a moment. He could also feel his vitality plummeting.
Wind Lord wasn’t done yet though. When the sand in the hourglass completely reached the bottom half, he flipped it upside down again before infusing more Emperor Qi into it. Grinning wickedly, he said, “How are you going to fight with me when I have this hourglass? This King was magnanimous enough to let you off, but do you seriously think this King has no way to deal with you?”
Having his life drained away from him was a terrible feeling. Furthermore, not only was this loss of life visible to the naked eye, but it could also be physically felt. Of course, Yang Kai wouldn’t stay idle and wait for death. As the Mountains and Rivers Bell continued ringing, he disappeared from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already behind Wind Lord as he extended his free Dragon Claw towards him.
However, as though there were eyes behind Wind Lord’s head, he gently flapped the fan in his right hand, after which giant wind blades accurately slashed at Yang Kai.
Whizzing sounds were heard but Yang Kai didn’t dodge the attack. As a consequence, new wounds appeared on his huge claw, which was now covered in blood. In a resolute manner, he continued pushing forward. Wind Lord gritted his teeth as he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be so determined.
He was frustrated at the fact that Yang Kai’s body was so sturdy. His wind blades were extremely sharp and they were able to slash the average Emperor Realm Master to pieces; however, Yang Kai’s Half-Dragon form was extremely tough, so while his wind blades could cut his body, the wounds weren’t even bone deep.
At the critical moment, Wind Lord transformed into a breeze again and shot up into the sky. To his surprise though, he found the Mountains and Rivers Bell was falling down on him.
Yang Kai had been controlling the bell for some time now, so certainly he would do everything he could to stop Wind Lord from fleeing by turning into wind as he had done so before. As long as he could trap Wind Lord inside the bell, he had a hundred ways to torture him to death.
Naturally, Wind Lord wouldn’t get trapped easily, so he quickly changed direction and escaped from the bell’s suppression before reappearing on the other side of the hall.
The sand in the hourglass had completely reached the bottom half again. Unable to take it anymore, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood as his three-hundred-metre figure shrank by thirty metres. His life was sucked out of him and his vitality had declined, which was why he was unable to fully maintain his Half-Dragon form anymore.
Nonetheless, he didn’t stop attacking as he seemed determined to bite off a piece of his opponent’s flesh even if he died in the process. Charging forward, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles and launched a series of Moon Blades at his enemy.
Wind Lord infused more Qi into the hourglass, after which the Moon Blades abruptly stopped in front of him. Then, he nonchalantly walked away and stared at Yang Kai like the latter was a madman, “Are you really so eager to die?”
Yang Kai put on a hideous grin, “Suck all the life out of me if you can!”
Wind Lord’s brow twitched as he turned the hourglass over again. This time, the sand didn’t trickle down quickly as the speed became normal again.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to accelerate the sand, but rather that he couldn’t anymore. It had only been a hundred years since he obtained the hourglass, and although he had partially refined it, he was unable to fully utilise the treasure’s power. He had reached his limit by activating it twice, and he had paid a hefty price to do so.
Yang Kai had figured this out, which was why he appeared so fearless. He was a Third-Order Emperor, so he still had a few thousand years left to live. After the sand in the hourglass fully reached the other end, it meant that over eight hundred years of Yang Kai’s life had left him. Since the hourglass had been used twice, it meant losing some one thousand six hundred years in total. Taking the time that was stolen from him when he was flying across the Two Seasons Mountain Range into consideration as well, Yang Kai figured he still had many years left to live. It was unwise to battle against his opponent when his own life was draining away from him, but he had no other choice; otherwise, he wouldn’t have done it.
Seeing as Wind Lord had no other tricks, Yang Kai cackled, “You’re dead now!”
After Yang Kai finished speaking, his right eye suddenly turned black. It was the purest black as though his eye was able to devour everything in this world. The Demon Qi around him surged towards the sky as his aura no longer appeared weak.
Yang Kai’s loud but solemn voice reverberated around the hall, “Black Eye Purgatory, Infinite Darkness!”
This was one of Yang Kai’s trump cards, which was even more powerful than his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. In the past, he had gone through demonification when he was still in the Dao Source Realm and managed to escape unscathed after a battle with three Emperor Realm Masters using this technique, which went to show how powerful it was.
Despite that, there was a hefty price to pay. Every time Yang Kai used it, he would be at risk of becoming fully demonified.
When he used the Secret Technique in the past, he had to undo the seal on his dantian and release the Ancient Demon Qi from it; however, since Yang Kai reached the Third-Order Emperor Realm in the Demon Realm, he had become a true Demon and all his Emperor Qi had been transformed into Demon Qi. So, he didn’t have to unseal anything or worry about losing his mind anymore, so could use Infinite Darkness whenever he wanted.
Faced with a Pseudo-Great Emperor, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to lower his guard, which was why he directly used the Command Token at the beginning of the fight in an attempt to win the battle in one shot, but the outcome turned out to be different from what he had expected. The Great Emperor’s Divine Ability was offset by the Infinite Hourglass, rendering it ineffective. Next, Yang Kai used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique and summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but he still couldn’t defeat his enemy. Now, he was only left with Infinite Darkness, which was his last trump card.
Despite using his most powerful trump card, Yang Kai still wasn’t confident of defeating Wind Lord. Previously, he had killed a Half-Saint on his own in the Demon Realm, but that was because Yin Si’s injuries from the war on the Eternal Sky Continent still hadn’t healed, which gave him a chance to take advantage. Moreover, Yin Si was most proficient with Soul and Charm Techniques, which were all useless against Yang Kai. That was the real reason she was killed in the end.
However, it was a different case for Wind Lord as his injuries had completely healed since he had recuperated in this place for a hundred years prior. Although he had become fatigued from the battle, he was still in a much better state than Yin Si at the time.
Once Infinite Darkness was cast, the hall immediately fell into a pitch-black abyss. Not only was Wind Lord unable to see anything, but even his other senses had been sealed.
Wind Lord had never expected that Yang Kai was still able to use such a powerful technique at this point. Although he was slightly shocked, he remained unfazed as he quickly cast a technique to protect himself. With the hourglass in his left hand and his fan artifact in his right, he only needed to stay vigilant.
Just then, he suddenly sensed something and looked up. Although he couldn’t see anything, he could clearly feel that there was a huge black eye above him that was looking down at him in the darkness. This kind of invisible pressure made him feel anxious.
For some reason, he suddenly became alarmed and without thinking, he wielded the fan in his right hand and roared, after which a tornado shot out and turned into a huge and hideous Wind Dragon.
Yang Kai was charging forward when he saw the Wind Dragon approach, causing his brow to twitch as he thought to himself that it was truly difficult to deal with a Pseudo-Great Emperor. Supposedly, Wind Lord shouldn’t be able to see or perceive anything inside Infinite Darkness, but he could still accurately locate Yang Kai and know what the latter was doing, which went to show how extraordinary he was.
Such a person had fallen into Demon Heavenly Dao and become the Demons’ lackey, which was a shame.
Faced with the Wind Dragon, Yang Kai lifted his right hand and smashed the Mountains and Rivers Bell down at it. In silence, the Dragon’s head was blasted apart while its body turned into countless wind blades and shot out in all directions.
At that instant, sparks could be seen flaring on Yang Kai’s figure as the wind blades slashed at his Dragon Scales. Although the impact didn’t produce any sound, they were still incredibly powerful. Despite the fact that Yang Kai was in an advantageous position, he still suffered a setback. Many new cuts had been formed on his body, but he had also managed to reach a spot that was just ten metres above Wind Lord.
Given their close proximity, Yang Kai decided to raise his gigantic hand, which was right above Wind Lord’s head, and brought it down.
Wind Lord suddenly raised his head as though he was able to see the approaching palm. As he roared, he extended his hand to parry the attack. A gale gathered in the centre of his palm and turned into a humongous wind palm.
It was once again a silent clash. When their palms came into contact, Yang Kai’s figure arched backwards as though he was about to tumble away, but upon impact, Wind Lord also had no choice but to lower his body. It was a draw!
While Yang Kai clenched his teeth, Wind Lord was astounded.
Unlike how they kept dodging attacks earlier, this was a clash of pure power this time. Wind Lord could no longer remain nonchalant upon realising that a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master had just as much strength as he had.
Without stopping, he stabilised himself and charged towards the direction he just parried the attack, deciding to seize the initiative.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t back down. He widened his stance to stand firmly on the ground and pushed out a fist.
After this clash, both parties were sent flying back. In that instant, a Pseudo-Great Emperor and a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master launched into a brutal melee inside the pitch-black hall.
Yang Kai wanted this kind of direct clash because Wind Lord was more powerful than he was and the latter had cultivated for a longer time. Moreover, Wind Lord had the Infinite Hourglass with him. If the battle dragged on, there was no hope for Yang Kai to win, so he welcomed what Wind Lord had done.
However, to Wind Lord, he had no other choice. Although the Infinite Hourglass was powerful, it was useless against Space Secret Techniques. His vision had been shaded and he could barely perceive anything, so it was difficult for him to locate Yang Kai. Presently, he was basically blind and deaf. He could only rely on the moments when he traded blows with Yang Kai to detect his faint aura. Without those moments, he would never be able to locate Yang Kai.
Therefore, he wouldn’t dare to back down and instead clashed head-on with Yang Kai in the hope that he could defeat his opponent in close quarters. At this moment, Demon Qi was swirling violently around their bodies, so it was apparent that they had fully unleashed their strength and were no longer holding anything back. Things had come to a point where one of them had to lose his life before the fight would end.
During the battle, Yang Kai kept using Dragon Clan Secret Techniques while Wind Lord rapidly sent out razor-sharp wind blades using his fan, which caused Yang Kai to go through excruciating pain.
Their intense battle caused the hall to turn into a mess. Fortunately, this was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s palace, the Flowing Time Temple. If it were just any other palace, the entire building would’ve collapsed already.
The battle raged on, but as time passed, both Yang Kai and Wind Lord’s attacks became weaker because this life-or-death fight had exhausted both of them.
A long time later, the darkness that had engulfed the hall faded and Wind Lord was able to see again. Turning around, he arched his brow and guffawed. Then, he pointed at Yang Kai and said lethargically, “Why persist?”
A hundred metres away, Yang Kai didn’t even seem able to support his own weight as he stood unsteadily. His entire body was drenched in blood and he looked completely battered. His Half-Dragon form had disappeared and his black hair had turned grey while his skin appeared dry. He didn’t look anything like a man in his twenties anymore. Presently, he looked like a tired old man in his late fifties.
During the battle, Yang Kai’s life kept draining away. Previously, he had lost two thousand years of his life, and coupled with the life he had lost in this battle, he felt as though he was reaching his predestined end. He knew that it wasn’t an illusion but a reality.
Perhaps he still had several dozen years left to live, but he was certain that it was fewer than a hundred years. This kind of damage was even more severe than the injuries on his body. Even if his Soul was wounded, it could still be healed; however, what Yang Kai was experiencing now was a fundamental loss of vitality and lifespan. Besides some rare treasures that could increase his lifespan, nothing in this world could cure him.
At this moment, Yang Kai could be said to be in a miserable state.
While Yang Kai was in misery, Wind Lord wasn’t much better off. His chest had caved in and his right arm had gone completely limp. The fan in his hand had gone missing and all his clothes were drenched in blood, which dripped onto the ground and formed a puddle even now.
Yang Kai was the only Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in this world who could severely injure a Pseudo-Great Emperor in single combat, so this was enough to be proud of himself.
Wind Lord shook his head repeatedly, “Is it worth it?”
Panting heavily, Yang Kai replied in a hoarse voice, “Of course!”
The Infinite Hourglass had significantly increased Wind Lord’s power, and if it fell into the hands of Can Ye, the consequences would be dreadful. Therefore, whatever cost Yang Kai had to pay, he had to kill Wind Lord and keep the hourglass in this palace.
After he finished speaking, Yang Kai lifted his hand and pushed out his fist. The speed at which he extended his fist was equivalent to that of a snail, and even a three-year-old child could dodge it with ease.
Wind Lord’s face twitched, “You’re insane!”
He also pushed out his fist. They had traded countless moves in the darkness earlier, so they were familiar with one another’s tactics by now.
Ten breaths later, their fists finally came into contact. With a loud boom, Wind Lord and Yang Kai spat blood at the same time, and following that, they were sent flying backwards until they crashed into the walls on opposite sides of the hall and slid down.
Wind Lord sat up with difficulty and pressed his back against the wall. After wiping the blood off his mouth, he stared at Yang Kai and grinned, “This King has won in the end. After you die, no one will ever find you here. You will have to travel to the Yellow Springs alone and forgotten.”
Both of them were practically on their last breaths, but Yang Kai’s life was still linked to the Infinite Hourglass. The sand in the hourglass was still trickling down, so Wind Lord only had to wait patiently until Yang Kai died of old age.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was in a state where he could do nothing but wait for death. That was why Wind Lord claimed that he had won. Although it was embarrassing that he had been beaten to within an inch of death by a Third-Order Emperor, the outcome was acceptable.
After Yang Kai passed away, he just had to continue recuperating and refining the Infinite Hourglass. When he managed to obtain the entire Flowing Time Temple and leave one day, he would be able to make a greater name for himself.
At this moment, Yang Kai had also pressed his back against the wall as he hung his head low. His hair had covered his eyes and he said in a low voice, “You’ve won? I don’t think so.”
Wind Lord scoffed, “Do you still have other tricks? Why don’t you show me? This King has no more power to resist. Just come over to give me a punch and this King will lose his life.”
Lifting his head, Yang Kai gazed at him through the hair on his forehead and grinned, “I don’t have any energy left to punch you, but you also can’t win this battle.”
Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai lifted his hand and pointed at Wind Lord.
After a loud neigh was heard, a sturdy beast with flaming hooves and a single horn on its head appeared. The beast looked like a horse, but it was much burlier than your average horse. Demon Qi could be seen swirling around its figure, and it appeared quite ferocious. Apparently, its power was equivalent to that of a Half-Saint.
Yang Kai didn’t only have three Half-Saints from the Demon Race with him, he also had Zhui Feng in the Small Sealed World. The reason he didn’t summon him earlier was that in Infinite Darkness, everyone else besides him would be affected by the technique. So, even if he summoned Zhui Feng, the beast would’ve become blind and deaf just like Wind Lord and the situation might’ve become worse.
However, it was different now. Just like Yang Kai, Wind Lord had used up all his energy, so now was the best time to release Zhui Feng to give his opponent a fatal blow.
Although Zhui Feng was a beast from the Demon Realm with low sentience, he was able to distinguish friends from foes. After taking a look at Yang Kai, he batted his eyes and turned to look at Wind Lord. In an instant, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his entire figure went ablaze. After a neigh, he hung his head low and charged towards Wind Lord.
At that instant, Wind Lord widened his eyes in disbelief.
He genuinely thought that the dust had settled and that he could definitely defeat Yang Kai by waiting for the latter to pass away; however, he hadn’t expected that Yang Kai was still able to summon such a beast! Although he couldn’t recognise Zhui Feng, he could detect a Half-Saint’s aura from it. Even if he came across such a beast when he was at his peak, it would still cause him a headache, to say nothing of the fact that he was barely able to lift his one good arm right now.
Seeing that Zhui Feng was about to ram into him as a glint flashed across the beast’s horn, Wind Lord knew that he would lose his life if he was struck. At this life-or-death moment, he bit his tongue and sprayed out a mouthful of Blood Essence at the Infinite Hourglass.
The simple-looking hourglass suddenly shone brightly as the entire Flowing Time Temple started shaking and buzzing. The next moment, a light screen appeared out of thin air and surrounded Wind Lord.
With a loud boom, Zhui Feng crashed into the light screen and was sent flying back upon impact. At the same time, the palace shook more violently. It seemed that Zhui Feng had crashed into the Flowing Time Temple instead of a light curtain!
While Zhui Feng was still in mid-air, Wind Lord and Yang Kai stared at each other and bellowed, ““You sly/shameless bastard!””
Following that, they pressed their hands against their own chests and coughed violently as blood spewed out of their mouths.
After such a long time of battle, it had come to a point where both of them probably had to go accompany the other to the Yellow Springs. In the end, both still had a final trick up their sleeves. While Yang Kai thought that Wind Lord was shameless, Wind Lord thought that Yang Kai was sly.
However, they stopped after cursing at each other instantly because they had no more energy left. Be it Wind Lord or Yang Kai, it was the first time in their lives that they ended up in such a terrible state.
On the other side, Zhui Feng fell to the ground with a loud thud. After getting to his feet, he shook his head for a bit before he identified Wind Lord’s location and charged forward again.
A moment later, just like what had happened earlier, a loud boom was heard and Zhui Feng was sent flying back.
Yang Kai’s face twitched as he realised that he was in deep trouble. He had held back his urge to release Zhui Feng previously because he wanted to use him to launch a surprise attack on Wind Lord at the most critical moment. He thought that he could definitely be victorious, but he hadn’t expected that Wind Lord also had one more trick up his sleeve.
The light screen activated from the Infinite Hourglass after Wind Lord spat his Blood Essence onto it, and was apparently impenetrable. Zhui Feng couldn’t even cause the slightest damage to it after ramming into it twice. It seemed that Zhui Feng was unable to break it. If the light screen couldn’t be broken, Wind Lord would survive, and that would mean the end for Yang Kai.
His life was still leaving him as the sand continued trickling down inside the hourglass, so he would be dead soon if this dragged on. Fleeing into the Small Sealed World was probably his last resort. The Small Sealed World was a world on its own. If Yang Kai entered it, he could probably cut off the connection with the hourglass; however, that remained only a possibility as he couldn’t be certain about something he had never tried before. Nevertheless, that was indeed his last resort.
Seated across from Yang Kai, Wind Lord burst into a fit of laughter.
A displeased Yang Kai gave him a cold look and said lethargically, “I’ll knock out all your teeth if you keep laughing.”
Wind Lord shook his head and replied in an equally weakened voice, “You’ll never be able to do that. The Infinite Hourglass isn’t just Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, it is also the control key for the entire Flowing Time Temple. This King has activated the power of the palace through the hourglass to protect me. Unless this beast can destroy the entire palace, no one will be able to harm me. Not even a Great Emperor!”
“Say that again if a Great Emperor really arrives at this place…” Yang Kai sneered.
Despite his mockery, he knew that Wind Lord was stating the truth. Lies were unnecessary at this point; moreover, Zhui Feng had rammed into the light screen twice earlier. Each time he did it, the entire palace would shake, which went to show that the light screen was indeed closely connected to the palace itself. Unless they could destroy the palace as a whole, they would never be able to harm Wind Lord. But how was Zhui Feng supposed to shatter the Flowing Time Temple? They were basically stuck in a deadlock.
As they spoke, Zhui Feng dashed forward for the third time.
Wind Lord gave the beast a dismissive look, “This beast is indeed extraordinary. Unfortunately, it has sided with the wrong person. Boy, don’t you worry, after you pass away, this King will have plenty of time to tame it.”
Wind Lord thought that Zhui Feng was just a mount Yang Kai had tamed. If he knew that Zhui Feng was Chang Tian’s former mount, he wouldn’t have dared to say such a thing. Although Chang Tian wasn’t technically a Demon Saint, he undoubtedly possessed the power of a Demon Saint.
How was Wind Lord supposed to tame a Demon Saint’s mount? Zhui Feng was friendly with Yang Kai because the latter had a Dragon Clan bloodline, but they were not Master and servant.
Right then, Zhui Feng reached Wind Lord. He had learned his lesson, so he didn’t ram into the light screen this time; instead, he raised his front hooves and forcefully stomped onto it. Given the power of his stomp, the light screen should have shattered even if it was as strong as a mountain. However, the light screen only dented slightly before it was restored to its original state.
By acting this way, Zhui Feng was spared from the fate of flying backwards again, only arching his back a little before stabilising himself and stomping forward again.
Every time his hooves came into contact with the light screen, the palace would rumble and a deafening thud would reverberate around the spacious hall.
Despite his best efforts, the light screen remained intact, completely incensing Zhui Feng. As he kept neighing, he repeatedly turned to look at Yang Kai as though he was asking for a solution from him.
Yang Kai had nothing to suggest unfortunately as his only hope was that Zhui Feng could break the light screen on his own.
After Zhui Feng stomped his hooves on the screen and caused the palace to shake one more time, an angry voice suddenly echoed around the palace, “It’s so noisy! Who dares… Ouch! Why did you hit me?”
“Open your eyes and look clearly!” Another person was heard speaking.
The first person was clearly a man, while the second voice belonged to a woman. Although she had only said a single sentence, her voice sounded melodious and rhythmic, as though she was humming a song.
Besides those in the hall, there were actually two more people in the palace!
Wind Lord widened his eyes in disbelief and bellowed, “Who goes there!?”
He vigilantly looked around and spread his Divine Sense to trace the voices, but he failed in his attempt to do so. Besides himself, he could only sense Yang Kai and the strange beast inside the hall.
Yang Kai also frowned even though he was aware that there were other people inside the palace. In fact, including Qiong Qi and Liu Yan, there should be four in total.
However, the voices of the man and the woman just now were different from any of the four people he knew. The voices didn’t belong to Liu Yan or Qiong Qi, and they certainly weren’t the voices of Yang Xiao and Yang Xue either.
Yang Kai couldn’t believe that there were even more people in the palace! Who were they? His heart sank as he felt that this issue had become thorny. If those two people had always been inside the palace, where were Yang Xiao and Yang Xue? Had Qiong Qi and Liu Yan fallen into deep sleep because of this unknown pair?
Although Zhui Feng’s sentience was low, his instincts were quite sharp, so when he heard the unfamiliar voices, he swiftly retreated and stood in front of Yang Kai. He swung his tail repeatedly and darted his gaze around as he perked up his ears, as though he had put his guard up high to protect Yang Kai.
After Wind Lord bellowed, he didn’t get any reply, which caused him to sport a solemn expression. After some deliberation, he asked, “Who are you? Why don’t you show yourselves?”
Although he was in a terrible state, he still remained aloof and arrogant because he had the confidence to act so. He had activated the power of the Flowing Time Temple through the hourglass, so he was protected. Unless someone could destroy the palace, no one would be able to harm him. Even though the unknown man and woman, who hadn’t shown up, seemed to be fairly strong, Wind Lord wasn’t a pushover. That was why he wasn’t afraid of them.
However, given the situation he was in, he would rather not make more enemies, so he decided to find out who these two were by forcing them to show themselves first before coming up with any plan.
After he asked these questions though, Wind Lord still didn’t get any reply, as though what he had just heard was an auditory hallucination, which caused him to knit his brow deeply. He turned to look at Yang Kai and Zhui Feng, but upon seeing their reactions, he knew he wasn’t hearing things. Yang Kai must have heard the voices as well; otherwise, he wouldn’t be showing such an expression.
Wind Lord frowned and said grimly, “Show yourselves!”
Inside a hall in the deepest part of the palace, there was a mirror that was as large as a tub. The mirror wasn’t something physical though and seemed to have been created by some Secret Technique. In the mirror was reflected the image of Yang Kai, Wind Lord, and Zhui Feng. At this moment, the unknown man and the woman were looking down at what was happening in the other hall.
These two looked quite young, with the man appearing about sixteen or seventeen years old while the woman appeared no older than twenty. The man was tall and handsome, his long hair the purest of white, tied up in a neat ponytail. His demeanour was elegant and he gave off an amiable feeling.
On the other hand, the woman was clad in a long yellow dress. She was slim and attractive with red lips and a delicate nose. Her skin was as white as snow, and her jet black hair hung loosely over her shoulders.
By just standing there, they were quite a sight to behold.
At this moment, the young woman was staring fixedly at the person in the mirror. Seeing Yang Kai’s face that had aged so much, along with his hair that had turned completely grey, she felt her eyes turning bloodshot as tears streamed down her face.
The young man beside her had white hair as well, but unlike Yang Kai, he was born with such a hair colour. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s grey hair was a sign that most of his vitality had left him, and he was rapidly approaching his predestined time of death. Although the young woman hadn’t really ventured into the martial world, she had a fairly powerful cultivation, which was why she understood just what she was seeing.
Her eyes had reddened and she was tearing up because she felt sorry for Yang Kai. In the next moment though, she became furious and shifted her attention to Wind Lord, who was leaning against the wall, her alluring eyes filling with murderous intent.
The young man beside her was staring at the mirror as well, but his forehead was drenched in cold sweat as though he had just come across a ghost. At the same time, he kept muttering, “I’m dead… I’m so dead…” Then, he started pacing around as if it was the end of the world for him. All of a sudden, his gaze brightened as he turned to look at the young woman, “Ahem… you can handle everything here… I’ll take my leave!”
After he finished speaking, he moved and broke through space into the Void in an attempt to flee.
The young woman lifted her slender hand in a practised manner, however, and accurately pinched the young man’s ear before yanking him back.
The young man crouched down in pain and said aggrievedly, “Stop, stop! Can’t we talk about this? If you need anything, just tell me about it and I’ll do it for you without even batting an eye! Please have mercy and stop pinching my ear! I’m a member of the Dragon Clan! If word gets out, it will bring great shame to me and the Dragon Clan as well!”
Both of them appeared to be of a similar age, but the young man behaved like he was a Junior to the young woman, who didn’t find it awkward at all as though this was how it was supposed to be. After hearing what he had said, she gave him a look and pointed at Wind Lord in the mirror, “I want him to beg for death!”
The young man batted his eyes, “That’s it?”
“Can you do it or not?” The young woman demanded.
The young man patted his chest confidently and declared, “Leave it to me!”
After that, he flashed a fawning smile at the young woman, who stared at him for a moment before releasing his ear.
After regaining his freedom, the young man rubbed his ear and cursed at Wind Lord, who was inside the mirror. He was clenching his teeth as if he had shifted all the blame to Wind Lord for the pain he had suffered.
A moment later, he put on a smile and let out a breath before saying, “It’s said that Dao changes everything, be it for better or for worse. Everything in this world is inconstant, including Humans.”
After he finished speaking, he took a step forward and directly entered the mirror. As a ripple spread across its surface, the young man disappeared from the room. The next moment, he appeared in the hall and stood in front of Wind Lord.
The young man was handsome and his smile appeared harmless. Wind Lord was flabbergasted because from his perspective, the young man appeared too abruptly, as though he just walked out of the Void with no signs prior to that.
Wind Lord narrowed his eyes and stared at the young man warily, given that even with his cultivation, he still wasn’t able to gauge how powerful this young man was. Other than the fact that he himself was in a terrible state currently, it also went to show that the young man before him was truly extraordinary.
The young man’s voice was identical to the one that had reverberated around the hall earlier, so Wind Lord could confirm that this young man was the one who spoke earlier. With a solemn expression, he intended to inquire about his identity, but the young man didn’t give him a chance. Keeping a faint smile on his face, the young man extended his hand and said lightly, “Don’t you feel ashamed for stealing someone else’s stuff? It’s time you returned what doesn’t belong to you to its rightful owner!”
His expression was nonchalant, as though he was facing a powerless scholar instead of a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and his movement appeared so effortless it was as if he was just bending over to pick a flower.
The young man’s fair hand easily penetrated the light screen, which Zhui Feng was unable to damage one bit no matter how hard he tried and snatched the Infinite Hourglass from Wind Lord’s palm.
Wind Lord was astonished because the hourglass was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, which was what he heavily relied on in this place. It was also an item that could be used to control the entire Flowing Time Temple. He had used his Blood Essence to activate the power of the palace to protect himself earlier, so even if a Great Emperor appeared, he shouldn’t have been able to harm him unless he could destroy the palace as a whole.
Wind Lord had told Yang Kai as such before, and it was the truth; however, he hadn’t expected that a young man would appear out of thin air, taunt him lightly, then ignore the protective light screen and snatch the Infinite Hourglass right out of his hand.
What just happened was more terrifying for Wind Lord than if a Great Emperor had actually arrived. Even though a Great Emperor was immensely powerful, it was still possible to make sense of their methods; however, the young man didn’t exude any aura when he extended his hand just now, which was why Wind Lord was lost as to how the young man had achieved what he had.
While he was in a dazed state, he realised that the weight on his left palm was gone as the hourglass had disappeared. Looking up, he saw that the young man had straightened up and the hourglass was now in his hand. Presently, the young man was curiously studying the hourglass.
At that instant, Wind Lord felt a chill running down his spine and he was drenched in cold sweat, like his blood had all frozen solid.
“So, this is the Infinite Hourglass…” The young man fiddled with it for a moment and pursed his lips. Then, he nonchalantly chucked the hourglass over his shoulder as though he was throwing away a piece of trash.
Following that, the young man’s expression changed as he turned from gentle into ferocious. Stomping his foot on Wind Lord’s chest, he bellowed, “So, you’re the one who disturbed this Young Master’s peace. Don’t you know this place already has an owner? Did you even get this Young Master’s permission before entering? How dare you come here without my permission? You bastard! I’ll stomp you to death!”
As the young man cursed, he kept mercilessly trampling on Wind Lord.
Wind Lord was dumbfounded. He had already exhausted himself when he activated the power of the palace earlier, but the young man easily passed through the light barrier and was now stomping on him like a hoodlum while he became paralysed on the ground.
He was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, but at this moment, he was like a thug on the streets who had just lost a brawl. Wind Lord had curled up on the ground to protect his vital organs as he could not stop the young man from kicking him. A moment later, he spat a mouthful of blood as he was covered in shoe prints. It was an understatement to say that he was in a sorry state. Presently, he felt both confusion and shame as he couldn’t help but wonder who the young man was.
He had stayed in this place for nearly a hundred years to recuperate and refine the Infinite Hourglass, but he had never realised that there were other people inside this palace. Moreover, the young man had declared that he was taking back what rightfully belonged to him, as though the hourglass belonged to him. However, the hourglass was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, so how was it possible that this young man was its owner?
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as well. The young man appeared abruptly and took the hourglass effortlessly before violently kicking Wind Lord. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, but before he understood what was going on, he saw a young woman appear in front of him.
The young woman nonchalantly caught the hourglass, which was thrown away by the young man earlier. It seemed that the young man knew she was around, which was why he chucked it in that direction. Although they didn’t talk to each other, this incident showed how well they knew one another.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state. The young woman’s eyes were drenched in tears and she was staring at him with her lips pressed together tightly, as though she was trying to suppress her sorrow. What made Yang Kai fall into a dazed state wasn’t her expression, however, but rather her face.
He found the young girl familiar, as if he had met her before, but he couldn’t recall where. However, he was certain that the young woman wasn’t hostile to him; instead, she gave off an incredibly warm feeling, as though she was a family member instead of a stranger.
Zhui Feng neighed and charged forward as he had no idea what was going on. Seeing that the young woman had appeared out of nowhere, he thought that she was going to harm Yang Kai, which was why he had to protect him.
“Stop!” Yang Kai pressed his hand against his chest and shouted.
Zhui Feng understood Human language, so he immediately stopped in his tracks as he darted his gaze between the young woman and Yang Kai. Then, he obediently stood beside Yang Kai, but he remained vigilant to prevent any unwanted outcome.
“You are…” Yang Kai examined the young woman and increasingly believed that he had met her somewhere before, but he just couldn’t recall where. Nevertheless, he just had to ask her to find out.
The young woman parted her lips, but before she could speak, she started tearing up. Just like pearls that had slid off the string, her tears dropped onto the ground as her shoulders trembled. She also covered her mouth in an attempt to prevent herself from sobbing out loud.
However, she failed in her attempt to do so and she started wailing, her tears streaming down her face and falling onto the ground.
Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter as he said, “Just let it all out…”
Upon hearing this, the young woman stopped suppressing her sorrow and bawled loudly, calling out through her tears, “Big Brother…”
Yang Kai batted his eyes and thought that he had heard it wrong, or that the young woman had mistaken him for someone else. There was indeed someone in this world who called him ‘Big Brother’, and she was supposed to be in the Flowing Time Temple as well; however, that person was just a little girl when she came to this place. It had indeed been a few years since then, but it was impossible that she had grown to be such an attractive young woman.
When that idea flashed across his mind, Yang Kai suddenly thought of something and examined her again. For some reason, he felt that this young woman took after his parents. Her petite nose was identical to that of his Father, while her delicate brow was strikingly similar to those of his Mother. It could even be said that her face resembled that of Yang Kai’s.
Yang Kai’s pupils contracted as he gulped and said in disbelief, “Xue’er?”
The young woman nodded repeatedly, which caused her tears to sprinkle even more, and she replied in a shaking voice, “En, I’m Xue’er! I’m Xue’er! Big Brother…”
She became agitated and sobbed uncontrollably after Yang Kai recognised her. Then, she fell to one knee in an attempt to hug Yang Kai, but seeing that he was in an awful state, she held back her urge. Instead, she cupped his face and muttered, “Big Brother, I missed you… and Father… and Mother…”
Feeling the warmth of her hands, Yang Kai became astounded as though he was in a dream.
Yang Xue was nothing more than a little girl when she entered the Four Seasons Realm a few years ago. Supposedly, she should be ten years old now, which would still make her a child.
Nevertheless, the young woman in front of Yang Kai didn’t look anything like a ten years girl.
The question was, how was this possible?
The way the young woman called Yang Kai ‘Big Brother’ tugged at his heartstrings. Every time he returned to his home, a little girl would call him that in the same clear voice, which could easily make him feel joyful.
Yang Kai trusted his own feelings. The young woman before his eyes shared the same bloodline as him, and this kind of familial bond couldn’t be faked by anyone.
Therefore, he was absolutely certain that the woman before his eyes was the one that would always ask him to play with her whenever he came home, and would always see him off with tears and stare at him longingly whenever he had to leave. She was his one and only Sister, Yang Xue!
Yang Kai put on a smile, which affected his wounds, so his smile looked uglier than if he was crying before he asked in shock, “Why have you…”
He wanted to ask her why she had grown up all of a sudden, but he soon recalled what had happened to Wind Lord. He had practically stepped into the Flowing Time Temple right after Wind Lord, but when he arrived at this place, Wind Lord had already stayed here for a hundred years. During this period of time, Wind Lord had fully recovered and partially refined the Infinite Hourglass.
Judging from Wind Lord’s case, it seemed that Time Principles affected the flow of time itself in the palace, making them different from those in the outside world. Perhaps it was due to the palace’s own power, or a mysterious Secret Technique was involved.
Since it had happened to Wind Lord, how long had Yang Xiao and Yang Xue stayed here? They had only entered this place a few years ago from the perspective of the outside world, but in here?
Yang Kai decided to ask in a different way, “How old are you now?”
Yang Xue continued sobbing as she replied, “I don’t know, but we’ve been cultivating here for five hundred years…”
[Five hundred years…] Yang Kai felt speechless when he heard this. It was no wonder that the little girl had turned into a woman all of a sudden and she immediately teared up upon seeing him.
Five hundred years were long enough for her to grow up. She had left home as a child and cultivated in isolation for five hundred years, which was why she couldn’t stop her tears from sliding down her face when she saw her dearest family member. Although Yang Kai frequently left home, and sometimes he’d be held up in the outside world for a long time, the longest he had ever been away for had not exceeded fifty years; hence, the idea that Yang Xue had stayed here for five hundred years was inconceivable. In fact, it had only been over a hundred years since Yang Kai started cultivating.
“Stop crying,” Yang Kai lifted his hand to wipe the tears off her face, but his attempt was futile as her tears just wouldn’t stop streaming down her face, “You’re already five hundred years old, why do you still behave like a child?”
He suddenly pulled a funny face for her.
This was what he always did for the little girl back then and it always brought a smile to her face.
As expected, Yang Xue burst into laughter while her eyes were still drenched in tears. Those were tears of joy. Torn between laughter and tears, she said, “I’m no longer a child. I’m even older than you…”
Staring at Yang Kai’s aged face and grey hair, she realised that he was probably several thousand years old now, so she was still younger than her Big Brother. As a result, she started bawling again.
Yang Kai stroked her head and shifted her attention by saying, “Since you’ve already grown up, is that Xiao’er over there?”
After that, he turned his head and pointed in that direction.
Certainly, he had seen the young man appear just now, but he didn’t have any special feelings at that time. He was just shocked that there were other people in this palace; however, Yang Kai was in an awful state, so he didn’t have the heart to care about such things at the moment. He was simply elated to see that the young man had gone over to deal with Wind Lord.
Now that Yang Xue’s identity had been confirmed, it was apparent who the young man was. Yang Xiao was a White Dragon and he was born with a head of white hair. This feature would never change, so this young man must indeed be the boy Yang Kai knew.
Without turning her head, Yang Xue stared at her Big Brother and replied in a choking voice, “En en, he’s Xiao’er.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Both of you have grown up.”
Suddenly recalling something, he snorted as his face twitched.
Across from them, Yang Xiao kept kicking Wind Lord until the latter spat blood and became limp on the ground. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, Wind Lord had never been humiliated in such a way before. He wanted to resist, but he was powerless to do so. He had used up all his energy in his battle against Yang Kai and the hourglass had been taken away from him. Even a Dao Source Realm Master would be capable of defeating him with ease now, not to mention that the one beating him was Yang Xiao.
Although Yang Xiao acted ferociously, he made sure not to kill Wind Lord directly, which was why the latter wasn’t at risk of losing his life despite the fact that he was completely battered.
After Yang Xiao finished beating Wind Lord up like a thug, he turned around and sported a solemn expression before cupping his fists at Yang Kai, “Greetings, Adoptive Father. Xiao’er cannot express his joy at seeing you again in this palace.”
A gratified Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “En, good son. Come over and let me have a proper look at you.”
Yang Xiao batted his eyes and replied hesitantly, “Yes…”
He then slowly shuffled towards Yang Kai.
Following that, he bowed and said, “Adoptive Father, just tell me what you want me to do. Xiao’er is a man now so he will do his utmost to be of assistance.”
Yang Kai examined him and nodded his head repeatedly with a gratified expression, “Good, good. Both of you have grown up splendidly. I am glad you are both well.”
Although he was certain that it was a great opportunity for these two children to have entered the Flowing Time Temple, Yang Kai was still worried because Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance was involved. Seeing that they had grown up to be fine young adults, he could finally put down his worries.
Yang Kai could also cast away the worries of the two Elders from the Dragon Clan and his own parents.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s caring words, Yang Xiao felt his eyes reddening as he was moved. In a loving voice, he called out, “Father…”
Although he was a member of the Dragon Clan, he was actually hatched by Yang Kai. After that, he also left Dragon Island with him. Compared to his own parents, he found himself closer to Yang Kai.
Leaning against the wall, Yang Kai beckoned to him and said in a weakened voice, “Come closer.”
Yang Xiao took a few steps forward and leaned closer to Yang Kai. While he was unsuspecting, Yang Kai directly landed a fist on his head, which prompted him to cover his head and stagger backward. With an aggrieved expression, he asked, “Adoptive Father, why did you hit me?”
Yang Kai snorted, “Why do you think?”
Yang Xiao darted his gaze around and grinned, “En, Adoptive Father must be thinking that my cultivation is not good enough, so you decided to encourage me to work harder! Don’t worry, Xiao’er will remember Adoptive Father’s teachings and will strive to not disappoint you!”
Certainly, Yang Xiao knew why Yang Kai had hit him. Before he showed up, he had cursed at the people in the hall, so even though he didn’t mean to, he had also cursed Yang Kai. It was unforgivable for a son to curse his father. That was why right after he showed up, he went over to deal with Wind Lord and why he was hesitant when Yang Kai told him to come over. It was also the reason Yang Kai had hit him.
Given the state Yang Kai was in, there should have been no way he could hit Yang Xiao. It was just that Yang Xiao didn’t dodge it. The punch basically served as a lesson for Yang Xiao and the matter was thus over. Certainly, he understood that.
After taking the punch, Yang Xiao put on a smirk as he had set his mind at ease. Then, he asked, “Adoptive Father, how did you come in? Old Qiong said that no one else could come in besides him. He’s so unreliable! By the way, who is that guy over there? He seems powerful but he had only spat some blood after he was beaten up. His cultivation and figure…”
“Shut up!” Yang Xue shot him a glare.
Yang Xiao immediately shut his mouth and did a zipping gesture as though he had stitched up his mouth using an invisible force.
“Big Brother, I’ll heal you now.” Yang Xue supported his weight and made him sit up before brushing away the tears on her face. After she was interrupted by Yang Xiao, she stopped crying, but her eyes had still become swollen.
Yang Kai waved his hand with a smile, “I’m fine. You don’t have to help me.”
The damage he had suffered was no ordinary injury. His life had been drained away, so ordinary methods would be of no use to him. If he wanted to live longer, he had to save himself by achieving a breakthrough in his cultivation. Only by doing so could he hope to lengthen his life.
He could also look for some treasures that could extend his life. Given High Heaven Palace’s power, it wouldn’t be so difficult to collect such items, but there was a limit as to how many years could be added to his life using those treasures. Now, all Yang Kai could hope for was to try to break through to the Pseudo-Great Emperor Realm during his limited lifetime.
Yang Xue, however, shook her head and declared, “Big Brother, don’t worry. I can heal you.”
Yang Kai was stunned, but seeing the look of confidence on her face, he didn’t have the heart to turn her down. So, he simply nodded, “Good. Show Big Brother what you’ve cultivated in the past five hundred years.”
Yang Xue flashed a smile at him and declared, “I won’t disappoint you.”
After she finished speaking, she sat down with her legs crossed in front of Yang Kai and held the hourglass in her left palm. Then, she performed different hand seals with her right hand as her Emperor Qi surged.
Yang Kai arched his brow, “You’re already a First-Order Emperor!?”
It took Yang Xue five hundred years to reach the First-Order Emperor Realm, which while it couldn’t be considered the fastest as Yang Kai had reached the same realm much quicker, it was already much better compared to most Emperor Realm Masters.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s expression was transformed by shock as Yang Xue exuded a very familiar Principle Strength. Under the influence of this Principle Strength, his perception became blurred again.
“Time Principles?” Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief.
He wouldn’t have been so surprised if it was Yang Xiao who exuded this Principle Strength as in the past, Yang Xiao had showcased an innate talent for Time Principles, which was why Qiong Qi took the initiative to bring him to enter the Four Seasons Realm so that Yang Xiao could receive Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance.
However, Yang Kai was shocked that Yang Xue had also cultivated Time Principles. Moreover, it appeared that her mastery of Time Principles was outstanding!
Not just anyone could cultivate Time Principles as it was even more esoteric than Space Principles. In a sense, it was actually more difficult to cultivate Time Principles than Space Principles. Yang Xiao had some kind of bloodline talent for Time Principles, but why was Yang Xue also able to cultivate them as well? Whatever the reason, both of them had taken advantage of their own opportunities in this palace over the past five hundred years. This was something others couldn’t even ask for or be envious of.
Yang Kai felt a little lost in his heart, not because the little girl had turned into a woman and her cultivation had become powerful, but because he realised that he really hadn’t taken care of his Little Sister and protected her as a Big Brother should. When Yang Xue was still a child, he hadn’t even spent a lot of time by her side.
In the blink of an eye, not only had she grown up to be a mature young lady, but she was also able to heal him and support him now.
When Yang Xiao appeared and took the Infinite Hourglass away from Wind Lord, the connection between Yang Kai and the Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact had been cut off; however, when Yang Xue performed her set of hand seals, he was reconnected to the hourglass.
The connection couldn’t be seen or touched, but it could be clearly felt. It was as though his life now was tied to the hourglass.
Yang Xue didn’t turn the hourglass upside down like how Wind Lord did though; instead, she only pointed two fingers at the item. In an instant, the ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand inside the hourglass trembled before breaking through the container’s barrier and changing into a stream that swirled above Yang Kai’s head.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was dumbfounded. What was happening suggested that Yang Xue was able to activate the power of this Great Emperor Legacy Artifact, but he couldn’t detect any traces that she had refined this hourglass before. How had she managed to achieve this?
Moreover, the hourglass had been in Wind Lord’s hands and he had to spend a hundred years refining it before he could even partially activate it. On the other hand, it seemed that Yang Xue had a significant advantage over Wind Lord in this regard.
After swirling around three times, the sand streamed into Yang Kai’s body through his head, as though it was intangible.
Yang Kai shuddered, and following that, he was over the Moon because when the ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand rushed into his head, he could feel that his lost lifespan was returning to him in a rapid manner.
Lifting his hand, he saw that firmness had been restored to his skin and his physique began filling out as well, and this was just the transformation he could see with his bare eyes. Within his body, he realised that he had regained his strength and all his organs became vibrant again.
At that instant, he couldn’t help but start laughing heartily. He had used up all his energy and almost set off on the road to the Yellow Springs together with Wind Lord. At that time, he didn’t worry too much as he just thought that he mustn’t let Wind Lord bring the hourglass out of the palace. He wouldn’t mind it even if he had to lose his life to achieve this goal.
However, after the dust settled, Yang Kai naturally started feeling terrified. It wasn’t that he was afraid of death per se, but if he passed away, what would happen to the Sealed World Bead? How would they continue devouring the Demon Realm? What about the trillions of lives in the Star Boundary? He was also worried about his friends and family.
That was the reason he was terrified. Now that he was able to get back his life through the Flowing Time Divine Sand, he didn’t have to worry that his time was up in this world anymore.
With the return of his lifespan, Yang Kai’s injuries seemed to heal as well and soon he ceased looking like he was about to die. On the contrary, he appeared quite energetic.
Yang Xue appeared diligent as a layer of sweat had formed on her brow. It was apparent that using this technique cost her quite some energy. One hour later, her figure started trembling slightly and her face had turned pale. Following that, she used a different set of hand seals and at that instant, Yang Kai felt extremely itchy, as very fine particles began streaming out of his body. Upon closer inspection, he realised that it was the Flowing Time Divine Sand.
Following Yang Xue’s guidance, all ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand returned to the hourglass. She let out a breath and waved her hand, after which a mirror appeared in front of Yang Kai and reflected his current appearance. As she giggled, she asked, “Big Brother, are you happy with how you look now?”
Yang Kai stared at the mirror and examined himself carefully. There were some changes to his face, but they were negligible, as if he was just five or six years older than before. Nevertheless, his hair was slightly grey, which made him look more mature than he was.
Yang Xue said after a sigh, “This is the best I can do for now. After Xiao’er and I fully refine the hourglass, we’ll help you recover all your lost life.”
“This is good enough,” Yang Kai said, satisfied with the result. He was about to die of old age just now, but his vitality had been almost fully restored, so he was more than happy. At the same time, he was shocked by Yang Xue’s capabilities. Nevertheless, he knew that it must be the power of the hourglass rather than her own capabilities. The power of the Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact was indeed inscrutable. Wind Lord had probably only activated a tiny fraction of its true power.
Then, he asked, “How many years of my life are still missing?”
Yang Xue’s eyes turned moist again when she heard that, and then she replied gently, “A few hundred years.”
She appeared to be deep in self-blame. If she worked harder in the past, she could have gotten back all of her Big Brother’s stolen life just now. Unfortunately, she still wasn’t strong enough and hadn’t fully refined the hourglass yet.
Yang Kai, however, guffawed and patted her head, “Just leave it. I’m glad that I’m now older than you by a few hundred years. No Big Brother in this world is younger than his own Younger Sister,” After he finished speaking, he attempted to get to his feet.
“Big Brother, don’t move yet. Let me examine you to see whether you’ve suffered from any hidden injuries.” Yang Xue pressed him down and turned to look at Wind Lord, who was still curled up on the ground. As she narrowed her alluring eyes, a murderous intent flashed across her gaze, “Leave him to Xiao’er and me.”
It was the first time Yang Kai saw his Little Sister becoming so fierce. When she was still a child, even if she was annoyed, she would only pout to pretend that she was angry, which made her look adorable. Now that she had grown up and revealed real murderous intent, it was difficult for Yang Kai to get used to it.
After all, she was his Little Sister, so he still adored her very much. Upon hearing her words though, he replied with a smile, “En. But don’t kill him. I still need him alive.”
Yang Xue turned around and flashed a smile at him, “Don’t worry. As long as I want him to live, he won’t die even if he wants to.”
She then looked up at Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao said with a grin, “Little Aunt, say no more.”
He balled up his fists and cracked his knuckles before shuffling towards Wind Lord.
Wind Lord felt cold all over his body and his legs had turned to jelly. Although he was in a terrible state already, he was still able to hear. After listening to the conversation between the three people inside the hall, he knew that the young man and young woman were Yang Kai’s allies.
His situation was best described as when it rained, it poured. He had used up all his energy and the Infinite Hourglass had been taken away from him, which stripped him of the palace’s protection. Now that there were two more powerful enemies, there was no way he was able to win.
He was still traumatised from the beating just now, so when he saw Yang Xiao walking over with a wicked smile, he quickly shouted, “You can kill me but not humiliate me! Kill this King so he may advance ahead of you to the Yellow Springs!”
Yang Xiao grinned wickedly and taunted, “Hey, waste, didn’t you hear what Little Aunt just said? If she wants you to live, you won’t be able to die even if you want to.”
Then, he bent over and extended his hand before lifting Wind Lord with ease. On the other hand, Yang Xue didn’t even turn her head as she extended a finger, after which a beam of light shot out of it and hit Wind Lord.
Wind Lord’s expression instinctively changed as he thought that she wanted to kill him, but he soon set his mind at ease. Now that he had fallen into their hands, he would rather die than be shamed.
However, when the beam of light shot into his body, he was shocked. That was because the profound power within the light didn’t harm him; instead, it was actually beneficial to him as he could clearly feel his wounds healing rapidly. The injuries caused by Yang Xiao had been cured and he had regained some energy.
Nevertheless, after several attempts, he still wasn’t able to struggle out of Yang Xiao’s grip. Yang Xiao flashed a smile at him and said, “The good show is about to begin. Enjoy yourself.” After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and hurled Wind Lord to the ground.
As a member of the Dragon Clan, Yang Xiao was born with immense physical strength, and after cultivating in the Flowing Time Temple for five hundred years, he had obtained Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance, so he could already be considered one of the top cultivators in this world. Following his move, a loud thud was heard as Wind Lord’s back came into contact with the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood as his back literally cracked.
Yang Xiao inched forward as his fists turned into illusory phantoms before he began raining down punches on Wind Lord.
He didn’t expend a lot of power, as he only used a bit of his brute force, but that was still able to inflict excruciating pain upon Wind Lord with every blow while not dealing enough damage to kill him outright. Soon, Wind Lord became half-dead and could hardly even breathe.
Fortunately, as a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he was pretty sturdy; otherwise, he would’ve been beaten to death already.
On the other hand, Yang Xiao made sure that Wind Lord remained on the edge of losing his life. If he really killed him, he wouldn’t be able to help his Adoptive Father and Little Aunt vent their anger.
After Yang Xiao stopped, Yang Xue shot out a light from her finger again and infused it into Wind Lord’s body. Just like what had happened earlier, the wounds on Wind Lord’s body healed and he regained some strength again, but rather than feeling happy, he only felt terror.
“Come on!” Yang Xiao bellowed and pounced on him before beating him up again.
Yang Kai was shocked as well. Yang Xue had shot out a light twice and caused such a significant transformation to Wind Lord. Despite his acute vision, he still wasn’t able to see through the secrets behind it. With a frown, he asked, “Is that a Healing Technique?”
Yang Xue kept staring at her Big Brother without blinking her eyes as though she could never watch him enough. Upon hearing his question though, she replied with a smile, “It’s not a Healing Technique, but it has the same effect.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s Time Reversal.” Seeing that Yang Kai was interested to find out more, Yang Xue explained it to him with joy, “In the past, Uncle Qiong Qi wanted to bring Xiao’er to enter the Four Seasons Realm. He said that Xiao’er was gifted and born suited to cultivate the Dao of Time, so he wanted Xiao’er to receive the Great Emperor’s inheritance. At that time, I was still a mischievous child, so I insisted on coming with Xiao’er. Uncle Qiong Qi couldn’t dissuade me, so he finally agreed to it. Big Sister Liu Yan decided to tag along to protect us, which was why she also came to this place.”
After explaining why they were all here, she went on to narrate, “Xiao’er is indeed gifted and the best person to receive the Great Emperor’s inheritance, but he was naughty and impatient. Fortunately, I was around, so I would always play with him. A long time later, I missed our parents and you, so I wanted to go out; however, it was easy to get into the Four Seasons Realm but difficult to leave, so I was trapped here. At that point, Big Sister Liu Yan decided to teach me how to cultivate, so I focused on it and my cultivation gradually improved. One day, Xiao’er and I were talking about our own progress in cultivation, and I realised that what he had cultivated was somehow easy for me to understand. After finding out about it, Uncle Qiong Qi was greatly surprised. After some tests, he realised that I could also cultivate the Great Emperor’s inheritance. Since then, I had started cultivating the Dao of Time with Xiao’er until now; however, the aspects we study are different. Xiao’er focuses on the future while I’m better at controlling the past.”
As she spoke, she lifted a finger and shot a light at Wind Lord, who had just been tortured to the brink of death by Yang Xiao. Upon receiving the light, his injuries had been healed again. With a grin, Yang Xue said, “Just like that. In a way, I can turn back the hands of time. His current condition is just like after he finished battling against Big Brother earlier.”
The studies of the past and the future were also the studies of the Dao of Time. Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance had apparently been divided into two parts. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had comprehended each of the two parts and they had excelled in their respective fields, so they could be considered Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Inheritance Disciples.
It was because Yang Xue had cultivated the power of the past that she was able to reverse time to a certain extent, just like what she had done to both Wind Lord and Yang Kai.
Making use of the Infinite Hourglass’s power, she was able to help Yang Kai get back the life he had lost, which was a kind of time reversal as well.
It was also thanks to the hourglass that she was able to restore Wind Lord’s condition to a certain point in the past.
Seeing that Yang Kai was stunned, Yang Xue burst into laughter and said, “Although it’s a powerful technique, there are many limitations. Given my strength, I’m still not able to bring the dead back to life. I also can’t heal wounds that are too severe.”
She seemed to have seen through Yang Kai’s thoughts, which was why she explained it to him.
It was then Yang Kai who nodded his head. When he heard that she was able to reverse time, the first idea that sprang into his mind was resurrection. If Time Principles were so powerful, she would be able to use Time Reversal and resurrect anyone who happened to lose their life in front of her. In that case, this kind of power would be invaluable.
However, after hearing Yang Xue’s explanation, Yang Kai realised that it was nothing more than a pipe dream. If Time Principles were so Heaven-defying, Flowing Time Great Emperor wouldn’t have passed away. As someone who had mastered Time Principles, he should have been able to live as long as the Heavens.
Although cultivation was Heaven-defying in and of itself, cultivators still had to live within the will of the Heavens. It was beyond a cultivator’s capabilities to interfere in matters regarding life and death.
Yang Xue went on to explain, “It’s because Xiao’er and I have cultivated the Great Emperor’s inheritance that we’re able to control this thing.” She pointed at the hourglass in her hand.
When Yang Xiao appeared just now, he was able to take the hourglass away from Wind Lord with ease. On the other hand, there were no signs that Yang Xue had refined the hourglass, but she was able to activate the power within it. Everything had to do with the fact that they had cultivated in this place for a few hundred years.
They had cultivated Flowing Time Great Emperor’s orthodoxical inheritance, and the Infinite Hourglass was the Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, which was left here for his inheritors. That was the reason they were able to use it with ease. Wind Lord was completely no match for them in this regard despite the fact that he had refined the hourglass here for a hundred years.
Speaking of the hourglass, Yang Xue appeared quite guilty, “Xiao’er and I have always known that this thing was in the palace; however, in the past, Uncle Qiong Qi told us that we should only take the treasure after we achieved some success in our cultivation. I never expected that it would make Big Brother suffer one day.”
“This isn’t your fault. It was just my fate,” Yang Kai waved his hand. Earlier, he still blamed Qiong Qi for leaving the Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact there, which allowed someone else to snatch it. He had also suffered a setback because of this artifact, but looking back, he realised that Qiong Qi’s actions were proper. The Infinite Hourglass was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact, and although it was meant for his inheritors, it would be terrible for the cultivation process of Yang Xiao and Yang Xue if they had obtained it too soon. Only by solidifying their foundations could they obtain the treasure and use it with ease. If they got this hallowed treasure when their cultivation was still weak, they could lose themselves to the treasure’s power or become over-reliant on it, which would negatively affect their growth.
With a frown, Yang Xue turned to look at Wind Lord, who was being beaten up by Yang Xiao yet again, and she asked in puzzlement, “Big Brother, do you know how that person got into the palace and refined this hourglass?”
Supposedly, the Flowing Time Temple had been sealed off. Unless they opened the door from inside, no one should be able to enter this place. However, not only had someone barged into the palace, but he had also taken the Infinite Hourglass away and refined it, which greatly confounded Yang Xue.
The situation wouldn’t have become so complicated if Wind Lord had only used the hourglass on its own, but in the last moments of Wind Lord’s battle against Yang Kai, he had also used the hourglass to activate the power of the palace to protect himself. After Zhui Feng rammed into the light screen, the entire palace was affected, which shocked Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who were cultivating at that time; otherwise, they wouldn’t have found out that so much had been going on in the palace.
It was also thanks to what Wind Lord had done that caused the turn of events. Otherwise, Yang Kai could only hide inside the Small Sealed World and struggle on while at death’s door.
After a sigh, Yang Kai briefly told her about how he came across Wind Lord and Demon Heavenly Dao. He also emphasised the existence of Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone.
Hearing this story, Yang Xue knitted her brows and raised her hand before she grabbed something from the Void.
Following that, a gigantic figure appeared before them. It was a hideous giant beast with a horrifying aura. He was none other than Qiong Qi! However, just like when Yang Kai saw him earlier, he was still in a deep slumber as his loud snoring seemed able to shake the world.
Yang Xue explained, “When Xiao’er and I cultivate the Dao of Time, the palace becomes affected. Sometimes, space and time become a mess. That’s why Uncle Qiong Qi told us to use a seal on both Big Sister Liu Yan and himself so that they would stop perceiving the passing of time.”
The two young kids had cultivated in this place for a few hundred years, so Qiong Qi and Liu Yan naturally became bored as they had nothing to do. The seal would make them fall asleep for up to a thousand years, which was better than just waiting around. That was the reason Yang Kai wasn’t able to wake up Liu Yan and Qiong Qi earlier.
Yang Xue extended her delicate finger and pointed at Qiong Qi’s head before yelling, “Release!”
Following that, she exerted more force with her finger and a snapping sound was heard. She retracted her hand and waited. A few breaths later, Qiong Qi stopped snoring as his eyelids twitched. A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes.
In an instant, his ferocious aura swept across the hall.
Having just awakened from several hundred years of sleep, he was still in a groggy state, but after his vision focused, he saw Yang Xue and Yang Kai, then was startled for a moment. At that instant, his gigantic figure contorted and turned into a savage old man with a wrinkly face.
Anyone who didn’t know him would think that he must be a horrendous criminal. They would also not be wrong since Qiong Qi wasn’t a kind-hearted individual in the first place. He was an ancient ominous beast, and his foul temper and violent tendencies were not mere rumours.
“Greetings, Young Master. Why are you here?” Despite his ferocious face, he spoke quite politely.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You can stop calling me Young Master…”
When Qiong Qi was hunted down by Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng from Spirit Beast Island, he happened to come across Yang Kai just outside Heavenly Wolf Valley in the Eastern Territory. He wanted to make use of Yang Kai to get himself out of trouble, so he persuaded Yang Kai to be his Young Master. One of the reasons was that he wanted to seek his protection, but it was also because Yang Kai had cultivated Time Flies Seal.
However, now it seemed that Qiong Qi should stop addressing Yang Kai in such a manner; after all, it was Yang Xiao and Yang Xue who had received Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance, not him.
Qiong Qi understood that as well, so he fell silent for a moment before asking again, “Master, why are you here?”
Upon hearing that Qiong Qi had called him ‘Master’ instead, Yang Kai was rendered speechless. After some deliberation though, he realised that Qiong Qi wasn’t wrong. Flowing Time Great Emperor was Qiong Qi’s Old Master, and now that Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had become the Great Emperor’s disciples, they were Qiong Qi’s Young Master and Young Lady. Since Yang Kai was Yang Xiao’s Adoptive Father as well as Yang Xue’s Big Brother, it was perfectly reasonable for Qiong Qi to call Yang Kai ‘Master’.
Not wanting to dwell on this issue, Yang Kai said, “Xue’er will tell you all about it.”
Although most of his lifespan had returned to him, Yang Kai was still lethargic after fighting such an intense battle. It would take him ten days to half a month before he would recover completely.
Understanding her Big Brother’s condition, Yang Xue decided to narrate what had happened to Qiong Qi.
Basically, a person called Wind Lord possessed Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone and arranged an array before he made use of that rib bone’s power to summon forth the Flowing Time Temple. After his array was destroyed by Yang Kai, he sacrificed part of the rib bone to break through the World Barrier and sneak into the palace. Upon arrival here, Wind Lord managed to obtain the Infinite Hourglass. After listening to this story, Qiong Qi furrowed his brow.
The incident wasn’t complicated, so Yang Xue was able to explain it in just a short moment. Yang Kai would fill in the details if there was anything unclear.
After that, Yang Xue asked, “Uncle Qiong Qi, I would like to know why some of our Honoured Master’s remains are still in the outside world. Where is his tomb?”
Everyone knew that Flowing Time Great Emperor had passed away a long time ago and they thought that the Flowing Time Temple was his final resting place; however, only Qiong Qi, Yang Xiao, and Yang Xue knew that his tomb wasn’t in the palace. There was only the Great Emperor’s inheritance here.
As one of the Great Emperor’s Inheritance Disciples, Yang Xue had the responsibility to investigate such issues. At the very least, she and Yang Xiao had to pay homage to the Great Emperor.
Hearing her question, Qiong Qi paused for a moment before slowly shaking his head, “Old Master has no tomb.”
Yang Kai frowned, “What do you mean?”
Yang Xue also looked inquisitively at him. If there was no tomb, how did Wind Lord manage to obtain the Great Emperor’s rib bone? It wasn’t like he could just pick it up randomly.
Qiong Qi explained solemnly, “This old man shouldn’t be telling you all this so soon, but things have reached a stage where it’s pointless to hide it from you anymore.”
He paused for a moment, “In the past, Old Master was a genius who managed to master the Dao of Time. It only took a thousand years to comprehend the Grand Dao, which allowed him to obtain approval of the World’s Will and become a Great Emperor. When he was alive, he was famous and practically peerless, which was why he was also lonely. He had focused his entire life on cultivation, so he didn’t marry or beget a child. For the following several thousand years, he secluded himself in the Flowing Time Temple until one day, he suddenly came out of his cultivation room and told me that he touched upon some mysterious Principles from the Outer Universe. So, he decided to explore the outside world and told me to watch over the palace until he returned. Certainly, I would obey his order, so I stayed in the palace for the following years.”
At this point, Qiong Qi furrowed his brow and there was a sense of fear behind his fierce-looking gaze, which caused Yang Xue and Yang Kai to be astounded.
Qiong Qi was an ancient ominous beast who had accompanied Flowing Time Great Emperor for countless years, so there shouldn’t be anything in this world that could scare him. Even if he was faced with another Great Emperor, he wouldn’t have sported this kind of expression.
However, the truth was that there was indeed a tinge of horror behind his gaze and his voice was slightly shaking as he continued, “Several hundred years later, the Infinite Hourglass broke through the Void and returned to the palace. A tiny piece of Old Master’s Divine Sense was left in the hourglass, which was very vague, but the message within it was clear. It was dangerous in the Outer Universe and the Great Emperor had lost his life!”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai felt his entire body freeze all over and he had goosebumps on every part of his skin.
Throughout history, there were not many Great Emperors in total. Due to the limited capacity of this world, there would never be more than ten Great Emperors at any one time.
Despite that, the number of Great Emperors that had ever existed couldn’t be considered small; after all, the Star Boundary had been in existence for countless years. As one era fell, another would rise. There would always be new Great Emperors replacing the old ones.
Although there had been many generations of Great Emperors, there were two who stood out amongst them all as their powers far exceeded all others. One of them was Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang, who had single-handedly killed four other Great Emperors in the Great Emperors War in the Shattered Star Sea. The other one was Flowing Time Great Emperor, who had mastered the Dao of Time.
Wu Kuang was still alive as his Soul had occupied half of Duan Hong Chen’s body, with both Souls currently inhabiting the same body. Presently, nobody knew where Wu Kuang was. On the other hand, Flowing Time Great Emperor had passed away a long time ago.
In fact, Flowing Time Great Emperor had comprehended the Grand Dao far before Wu Kuang ever did. There had been speculation among the people in the Star Boundary that if Flowing Time Great Emperor and Heaven Devouring Great Emperor lived in the same era, a great struggle would have broken out between the two to see who would emerge supreme.
However, it now seemed like Flowing Time Great Emperor comprehended some kind of mystery of the Outer Universe when he was cultivating in seclusion, so he decided to set off to explore the universe on his own. Unfortunately, a few hundred years later, he passed away and only his Legacy Artifact, the Infinite Hourglass, returned to the Flowing Time Temple.
How dangerous must the Outer Universe be that even Flowing Time Great Emperor was unable to traverse it safely?
There were countless worlds in this vast universe. Both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm were independent worlds, but where did Flowing Time Great Emperor go while he explored the universe? What happened to him? No one knew anything about it, not even Qiong Qi.
After the hourglass returned, Qiong Qi was extremely mournful. He wanted to seek revenge for the Great Emperor, but he didn’t even know who or where the enemies were, so how could he do that? Left with no choice, he could only stay in the Flowing Time Temple and wait for the right person to receive the Great Emperor’s inheritance so that he could fulfil what he had promised the Great Emperor before the latter embarked on his journey.
At this point, Qiong Qi appeared quite guilt-ridden.
Yang Kai stared at him with narrowed eyes, “Old Qiong, that wasn’t very honourable of you!”
Yang Xue was intelligent, so she knew why Qiong Qi felt guilty and understood the meaning behind Yang Kai’s words. Since they had received Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance and became his Inheritance Disciples, they were now duty bound to seek revenge for their Honoured Master. That was the reason Yang Kai was displeased with Qiong Qi.
With a smile, however, Yang Xue commented, “This is still an opportunity for Xiao’er and me. We were fortunate enough to have received our Honoured Master’s inheritance, so this is the least we should do for him. Big Brother, please don’t blame Old Qiong.”
Yang Kai frowned, but he soon realised something. Flowing Time Great Emperor had lost his life in the Outer Universe, and although Yang Xue and Yang Xiao had obtained the Great Emperor’s inheritance, it would take them many years to reach a level of cultivation that would allow them to even think of seeking revenge for the Great Emperor. At the very least, they had to be powerful enough to leave the Star Boundary like Flowing Time Great Emperor first.
No one knew when that would happen, so it was pointless to harp on this issue now.
“What happened next?” Yang Xue turned to Qiong Qi.
Qiong Qi shook his head, “There’s no next. I thought that Old Master had passed away in the Outer Universe. After the hourglass returned, I left the temple to gather some information, but to no avail. Now, it seems that Old Master’s remains had also returned to the Star Boundary at that time, but I hadn’t managed to find out about it.”
If that wasn’t the case, how could Wind Lord have obtained a bone from Flowing Time Great Emperor’s body?
Then, Qiong Qi turned to look at Wind Lord. Yang Xue looked in the same direction and realised that they had to pry the information about the Great Emperor’s remains out of this man.
Even while they were having a chat just now, Yang Xue did not forget to reverse time for Wind Lord from time to time to ensure that he wouldn’t die of his injuries.
It was torture truly worse than death for Wind Lord. Although Yang Xiao hadn’t used all his strength, he made sure that he would beat Wind Lord until his life had all but left him. Only at the precipice of death would the young woman shoot out a beam of light from her finger and use that invisible force to drag him back from death’s embrace, and then he would be assaulted by Yang Xiao again.
It had been a long time since Wind Lord started cultivating, but he had never even imagined such a cruel method of torturing someone. He was literally being forced to wander back and forth across the gates of death. The kind of terror this imprinted in his soul soon consumed his mind, as he was denied the right to beg for life or death. Although he was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he was unable to hold his ground any longer. At this moment, he was trembling violently like a quail in the winter, his gaze filled with terror as he looked at Yang Xiao.
Certainly, Yang Xiao heard what the others had talked about, so he grabbed Wind Lord’s collar and pulled him towards himself before glaring at him, “You will answer all of this Young Master’s questions. If you dare to lie, I will cut open your chest, pull out your organs and soak them in acid until they melt before feeding them to you one by one. You’ve seen what my Little Aunt is capable of doing. Trust me. Even if we dig out your five viscera and six organs, only to make you choke them down again, she can ensure you relive the experience every day for the next ten thousand years.”
Wind Lord’s face was all swollen and his entire body was covered in shoe prints, but when Yang Xiao spoke, he couldn’t help but imagine himself being force-fed his own innards over and over again for all eternity. After a shudder, he quickly nodded his head in a weak manner.
So what if he was a Pseudo-Great Emperor? In the face of such an unbearable torment, he was no different from an ordinary mortal as his psychological defences had crumbled.
“Where did you get that rib bone?” Yang Xiao got straight to the point.
Wind Lord parted his lips and said the answer, and despite his hoarse voice, everyone in the hall was able to hear it clearly.
East Sea!
The East Sea was vast and there were many normal and spirit islands dotted around. The most famous ones were certainly Dragon Island and Spirit Beast Island, but that didn’t mean there were no other spirit islands and Sects on the East Sea. On the contrary, a great many Sects existed on the ocean.
Three hundred thousand kilometres away from Spirit Beast Island sat Free Spirit Island, on which Free Spirit Sect was located. It was a small Sect with only two hundred to three hundred people in total.
There were innumerable Sects of such a scale on the East Sea. It hadn’t been a long time since Free Spirit Sect had been founded, only about a thousand years; however, since it was located in the open sea, there were a lot of natural resources around which allowed it to thrive.
But one day they had fallen into a crisis, and the Sect was destroyed.
Wind Lord was a disciple from Free Spirit Sect. He was born on the open sea, and a Free Spirit Island Elder took a liking to him and accepted him as a disciple. However, Wind Lord’s aptitude was considered average at best, so there were plenty of Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters who joined the Sect later than he did and quickly surpassed him in terms of cultivation. The other Elders didn’t have high hopes for him, so they just let him do as he pleased.
He led a carefree life, and besides doing some occasional missions for the Sect, he spent most of his youth playing. He was a fan of diving, and he was pretty good at swimming. Before he started cultivating, he was able to stay in the water for an hour and reach thirty metres below the surface, so after he started cultivating, he was able to reach a thousand metres below the surface.
When he was diving one day, he found Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone at the bottom of the sea. At that time, he didn’t think it was something important, but he soon realised it was no ordinary bone.
He decided to keep the bone, not telling the others in the Sect about it. When he was free, he would fiddle with the bone. For some reason, since he obtained the bone, his cultivation had started improving rapidly and he was able to reach higher realms quickly.
However, no one found out about it as he hid well. Even the Elder who took him in to be a disciple wasn’t aware of this change. Although Wind Lord didn’t understand the reason, he knew that the transformation he had gone through must have something to do with the bone, which was why he increasingly treasured it.
Soon, his cultivation surpassed all others in the Sect. It wouldn’t have mattered if that was all that had happened, but at some point, something happened that drove him mad. Consumed by some kind of Heart Demon, Wind Lord became fully demonified and killed everyone in his Sect. After coming to his senses sometime later and realizing what kind of crime he had committed, he didn’t dare to remain. Thus, he fled the East Sea and went into hiding.
That was when he met Night Shadow Great Emperor. That man allowed him to enter his Sect. With the Great Emperor’s rib bone, his cultivation increased further till he reached his current level.
After that, the Demons invaded the Star Boundary and Demon Heavenly Dao rose to prominence. Naturally, Wind Lord sided with them and even became one of its Four Great Lords, after which, he became a famous figure in the Star Boundary.
Over the years, he had been fiddling with the Great Emperor’s rib bone. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he certainly understood that the bone was extraordinary, and as he felt a sense of gratitude towards his Master, he decided to present the bone to Night Shadow Great Emperor, Can Ye.
As an experienced person, Can Ye was able to figure out the bone’s background at first glance. He knew that he was no match for Flowing Time Great Emperor when it came to fame and power, so he was naturally interested in the latter’s legacy.
Previously, Can Ye had to keep watch on the Two Worlds’ Passage, so he couldn’t go off on his own. After Yang Kai returned to the Star Boundary and sealed the passage, the Demons fell into deep trouble, and Can Ye was even more unable to leave; thus, he tasked Wind Lord to go to the Flowing Time Temple.
Wind Lord had been carrying out his plan in secret, but Yang Kai happened to come across this incident and destroy the Spirit Array he was using, after which the palace disappeared into the Four Seasons Realm. Left with no other choice, Wind Lord decided to dive into the palace and refine the Infinite Hourglass so that he could make use of it to control the temple.
After that, he fell into an intense battle with Yang Kai. Up until this point, he still couldn’t figure out how a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was able to go against him, which led both of them to be severely injured. In the end, two freaks like Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, as well as Qiong Qi had come to Yang Kai’s rescue.
Wind Lord felt that he was probably the unluckiest person in the world. He would die with untold grievances if he were to lose his life now.
After hearing the story behind it, Qiong Qi asked with a frown, “There was only a single rib bone?”
Wind Lord replied lethargically, “That’s right.”
At this point, Wind Lord probably wouldn’t lie to them. Since he said that there was only one, it must be the truth.
“Have you revisited the place over the years?”
“I have.” Wind Lord spoke between coughing up blood, as though he was about to lose his life at any moment, “Since I found the Great Emperor’s rib bone there, I would definitely revisit the place to conduct a proper search. But I never discovered anything else.”
“Do you remember where the place is?” Yang Xue asked.
Wind Lord nodded gently.
“Lead the way for us.” Yang Xue stared at him. This was an important issue, so she and Yang Xiao had to personally go over to have a look. Wind Lord was unable to find other remains, but that didn’t mean that she and Yang Xiao couldn’t; after all, they had received the Great Emperor’s inheritance, so they had a connection with their Honoured Master now. If there were other remains at the bottom of the sea, they would certainly detect them as long as they were within a certain range.
With his life or death hinging upon their whims, Wind Lord had no choice but to agree.
Yang Xue turned to look at Yang Kai and said with a smile, “Big Brother, please wait for me here for ten years. We’ll leave this place together after that.”
Yang Kai lifted his hand and stroked her head, “En, I’ll wait for you all.”
Ten years would be a long time in the outside world to wait, but they were now in the Flowing Time Temple where Time Principles fluctuated wildly, so ten years in this place were probably just a short moment in the outside world.
Yang Kai could take advantage of this opportunity to study a Secret Technique.
While Wind Lord was gasping for breath, Yang Kai put him inside the Small Sealed World. Although Wind Lord was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he had to be submissive when inside the Small Sealed World. Moreover, he was still severely injured, so he couldn’t stir up any trouble even if he wanted to.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue returned to their own place to cultivate. She wanted Yang Kai to wait for her for ten years, but she didn’t specify what she was going to do as she attempted to remain mysterious. Apparently, something good would soon happen.
Before she left, she woke Liu Yan up. Yang Kai and Liu Yan were technically Master and Servant, so they were overjoyed after they were reunited.
Inside the hall, Yang Kai told Liu Yan and Qiong Qi about what had happened to the Star Boundary in recent years. When all four of them entered the Four Seasons Realm in the past, the Demons still hadn’t invaded the Star Boundary, so they had no idea what had been going on in the outside world. Upon learning the current situation in the Star Boundary, Liu Yan and Qiong Qi were astonished.
This came as a surprise to them as they thought that they had just had a good sleep in the Flowing Time Temple, but they had never expected that the entire Star Boundary had descended into chaos.
Certainly, Qiong Qi would have to assist Yang Xiao and Yang Xue in the future, so he had to understand the current affairs in the Star Boundary so that they wouldn’t be befuddled when they eventually left this place.
The chat only lasted for a while.
A few days later, Yang Kai found a cultivation room and entered a retreat.
When he was in the Demon Realm in the past, he made use of the Sealed World Bead to devour the separate continents; however, as he gobbled up more continents, problems also came knocking on the door. The World Principles in the third region of the Sealed World Bead slowly grew stronger and were now showing signs of assimilating the second region. The fundamental reason was that the World Principles in the second region were weaker, so it was unable to resist the third region’s invasion.
Just like how water would always flow to a lower position, the more abundant World Principles in the third region started streaming towards the second region.
The second region was made up of the Cultivation Stars that Yang Kai had devoured in a Lower Star Field. Presently, countless people from those Cultivation Stars were living together in the second region. If Yang Kai allowed the third region to assimilate the second, the people living there would swiftly become demonified. This would not be like that of the people from Demon Heavenly Dao as these people were much weaker. Once they were invaded by Demon Qi, they would become living dead with no consciousness.
With the number of Cultivation Stars Gun-Gun took in, billions upon billions of innocent people would be affected.
Yang Kai had to swallow the rest of the Demon Realm if he wanted to end the war, but he also couldn’t turn a blind eye to the plight of those people from the Cultivation Stars he devoured. Otherwise, he would be no different from a mass murderer. If that really happened, he would never be at ease for the rest of his life.
Since he was unable to go on swallowing up the Demon Realm, he returned to the Star Boundary with Yu Ru Meng and the others. If the issue wasn’t settled, his plan of devouring the rest of the Demon Realm couldn’t be continued.
In fact, it wasn’t so difficult to solve the problem. Since the problem lay with those people, he just had to move them out of the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai was the Star Field Master of Heng Luo Star Field, and there were many Cultivation Stars in the Star Field that were suitable for living and cultivating. He just had to bring those people back to Heng Luo Star Field and help them settle down on those Cultivation Stars.
This was the simplest solution, but it was also the hardest to carry out. There were indeed many Cultivation Stars in the Lower Star Field, but every Cultivation Star had its own established system already. If a massive number of foreigners suddenly arrived in one place, it would undoubtedly cause upheaval. Take a city with a hundred thousand residents as an example. Although there would surely be some conflicts from time to time, the people were still able to live and work together in relative harmony. However, if twenty thousand outsiders joined the city all of a sudden, everything would descend into chaos.
It would be best if he could find an uninhabited Cultivation Star, but that was practically impossible because all the Cultivation Stars in the Star Field had been discovered and occupied.
Therefore, Yang Kai decided to do it in another way. He wanted to separate the second region from the Small Sealed World and make it a world on its own. By doing so, he could prevent it from being consumed by the third region.
Since the second region was formed after the Sealed World Bead ate several Cultivation Stars, logically it could also be separated. However, it was difficult for Yang Kai to achieve this. Separating an independent world from the bead was akin to creating a new world.
This was even harder to achieve than creating another Floating Mountain like how Li Wu Yi had done. However, if Yang Kai succeeded, it would be beneficial for his cultivation in the Dao of Space, possibly even allowing him to achieve a transformational breakthrough in it.
Despite the difficulty, there were great benefits to be reaped, which was why Yang Kai was in favour of this option. Furthermore, even if he failed, he could still transfer those people to different Cultivation Stars. He would just have to visit more Cultivation Stars and place fewer people in each of them.
Li Wu Yi had refined a new world before. The Floating Mountain was his work. In a way, what Yang Kai wanted to do was the same as forging a new Floating Mountain.
Floating Mountain was originally part of the Star Boundary; Li Wu Yi had then separated it from the Star Boundary and made it a world of its own. The second region was from the Small Sealed World, so it stood to reason that Yang Kai could also pull it out and make it independent.
He could learn from Li Wu Yi’s experience; however, the Floating Mountain was no longer with him because he had given it to Star Soul Palace to make the World Pagoda complete again. Fortunately, besides the mountain itself, Li Wu Yi had also given Yang Kai a jade slip.
The jade slip contained Li Wu Yi’s insights on creating a new world. It could be said to be the essence of his understanding of the Dao of Space. The tiny jade slip was akin to the most valuable treasure in this world for the current Yang Kai. Previously, he didn’t have the time to study it and had planned to do so after he returned to the Lower Star Field. Now that he had ten years to spare though, he definitely couldn’t waste the chance; therefore, he decided to study it in seclusion.
The jade slip contained all of Li Wu Yi’s insights into the Dao of Space, so Yang Kai was soon immersed in it and swiftly lost track of the time.
Time Principles permeated the Flowing Time Temple, which was a blessing left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor. Although it wasn’t the credit of Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, they still had something to do with it.
Since they had received the Great Emperor’s inheritance and cultivated the Great Emperor’s Secret Art, they had also activated an array inside the palace, which caused the Time Principles in this place to fluctuate, creating the differential with the outside world.
This kind of blessing wasn’t inexhaustible of course. Once the Time Principle Strength was exhausted, the wondrous effects in the palace would cease as well. To Yang Kai, he had practically gotten ten years for free.
For the next ten years, he basically had nothing else to do. Qiong Qi and Liu Yan wouldn’t bother him while Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were working hard on their own; therefore, he could totally immerse himself in studying the jade slip.
Only Zhui Feng wasn’t able to stay idle. After Yang Kai released him from the Small Sealed World, he wasn’t willing to go back again because no one could play with him inside the Small Sealed World.
During these ten years, he followed Qiong Qi and Liu Yan around. All three of them were Divine Spirits, and although their Sources were wildly different, they managed to get along well as time passed. They learned from Yang Kai that Zhui Feng was a beast from the Demon Realm, and despite his low sentience, he was fairly powerful. In these ten years, they frequently took part in friendly battles, so they knew one another’s skills quite well.
However, such a powerful beast was just a mount to a man on par with the Demon Saints in the Demon Realm, so Qiong Qi and Liu Yan wondered how formidable the Demon Saints must be.
Ten years had passed with the snap of the fingers. One day, a buzzing sound was suddenly heard in the usually serene Flowing Time Temple. It seemed that the muffled sound was coming from the deepest part of the temple.
Yang Kai, who was meditating, was shaken awake. When he came to his senses, he released his Divine Sense to figure out what was happening, but before getting to the bottom of the situation, Yang Xue’s clear voice was heard speaking into his ear, “Big Brother, please give us a moment. Xiao’er and I will be ready soon.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai knew that the unusual sound was caused by Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, so he set his mind at ease and continued studying the jade slip.
Despite what Yang Xue had said, the disturbance in the palace lasted for a month. Every breath of every single day, a rumbling sound was continuously heard throughout the halls. Sometimes, lights would flow through the palace, flickering in different patterns.
After a long roar was heard one month later, the palace finally fell silent again. All of a sudden, Yang Xiao appeared outside Yang Kai’s cultivation room. He was clad in spotless white clothes, and his long white hair was tied into a ponytail. He was tall and energetic with a delicate face; after all, he was a Dragon who was born to be outstanding. His face and demeanour would certainly attract countless girls in the future.
The elegant young man bowed and cupped his fists before saying in a clear voice, “Adoptive Father, please come out.”
By the time he finished speaking, Yang Kai had already appeared in front of him.
Yang Xiao’s gaze brightened as he said loudly, “Congratulations, Adoptive Father.”
A smiling Yang Kai asked, “Why are you congratulating me?”
Yang Xiao replied, “There’s a sharp glint behind your gaze and you appear energetic, so it’s apparent that Adoptive Father must have gained something during your secluded cultivation. As your Adoptive Son, I must congratulate you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I was just learning from someone else’s experience.”
He had spent the last ten years comprehending Li Wu Yi’s insights, so he really was just learning from the latter.
Yang Xiao also shook his head, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re just learning from someone else now. I’m sure Adoptive Father will master the secrets of the Grand Dao one day.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai couldn’t help but size him up and scoffed, “How have you become such a smooth talker? Those from the Dragon Clan would never flatter others. If your parents saw you behaving in such a way, they’d definitely tidy you up.”
A solemn Yang Xiao replied, “It’s thanks to Adoptive Father that I have become who I am today, so I wouldn’t dare to accept your compliment.”
“You cheeky brat.” Yang Kai scolded him with a smile, “Are you trying to say that if the main support is crooked, the floors will be too?”
“I wouldn’t dare to…” Yang Xiao put on a fawning smile and bowed again before offering his hand, playing the part of a filial son serving his old father, “Let’s go now, Adoptive Father. Little Aunt has gotten everything ready. We can leave this place now.”
“Enough already. I’m still young, I don’t need you to help me walk,” Yang Kai slapped his hands away and shuffled out of the place with him.
Presently, the Flowing Time Temple’s doors were wide open. Yang Xue, Qiong Qi, Zhui Feng, and Liu Yan were already waiting outside the palace.
Hearing the noise from behind, Yang Xue turned around and took a brief look at Yang Kai’s grey hair. A sense of melancholy flashed across her eyes, but she soon said with a smile, “Big Brother, thanks for waiting for so long.”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “I happened to need some time to study a little something, so I should be thanking you instead.”
He then looked around, “If you’re all ready, let’s get going.”
Yang Xue nodded and took a look at Yang Xiao, who smiled and shuffled forward to stand beside her. The next moment, both of them started forming different hand seals.
Despite their different hand seals, the Time Principles exuded from them were the same.
A moment later, Yang Xiao sported a solemn expression and stomped his foot on the ground. The palace before them started buzzing as a rumbling sound as loud as thunder was heard coming from all around.
Yang Xue lifted her slender hand and shouted, “Rise!”
*Hong Long Long…*
The Flowing Time Temple was uprooted like a tree as it rose from the ground.
The Flowing Time Temple wasn’t just a palace, but it was also Flowing Time Great Emperor’s mobile residence. It meant that it could be carried with him wherever he went just like a sedan chair or a carriage. The idea might be inconceivable for the average person, but it was something common for the Great Emperors.
The object that was used to control the palace was the Infinite Hourglass. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had basically spent the last ten years refining the hourglass. Since they had received the Great Emperor’s inheritance, they were able to activate some of the hourglass’s power right after they obtained it; however, if they wanted to fully control the palace, they had to properly refine the Legacy Artifact.
Their ten years of hard work finally bore fruit today. Now, the Great Emperor’s palace had become their personal flight artifact.
The palace then broke through space and shot out of the Four Seasons Realm.
In a nameless mountain valley, the Embodiment was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. Nearby, what appeared to be two sculptures but were actually two Half-Saints from the Demon Race stood like statues, sealed in place by a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability.
During the intense battle, Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo had only managed to show up for a moment before they were locked in place. They hadn’t even showcased their true powers. One of them appeared ferocious while the other’s posture was that of a lion pouncing on a rabbit. Just like sculptures, however, they were completely unmoving.
The Embodiment was slightly frustrated. Although he could confirm that the two Half-Saints were not at risk of losing their lives, he couldn’t break the seal and set them free no matter what he tried.
Although the Embodiment’s cultivation path was different from that of Yang Kai’s, they had spent many years experiencing life-or-death moments together; therefore, it could be said that he was an experienced person now, and he possessed the power of a Half-Saint. However, he was powerless to help Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo, which was why he felt dejected.
Furthermore, one month had passed and there was still no news from Yang Kai, making the Embodiment wonder what Yang Kai had come across in the Four Seasons Realm.
One month ago, he suddenly had a feeling that he was about to pass away. He was in essence still Yang Kai’s Soul Clone infused into an empty Stone Spirit’s body. He was a Half-Saint now, but even if he became a Demon Saint one day, this fact would never change. He was born because of Yang Kai, and he would also perish because of the latter.
In other words, if Yang Kai was killed, he would also die. On the other hand, if anything happened to him, Yang Kai wouldn’t be affected.
At that time, the Embodiment was cleaning up the mess on the battlefield with Zhou Quan and had just moved Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo to somewhere else when he had a feeling that death was upon him. At that instant, he knew that Yang Kai must have fallen into grave danger.
He couldn’t understand the reason behind this. Yang Kai was in peak condition when he raced after the severely injured Wind Lord, and was also accompanied by the ferocious Zhui Feng, so how could he have wound up on the brink of death? Although the Embodiment couldn’t figure it out, he knew that something unexpected must have happened in the Four Seasons Realm.
He wasn’t able to help Yang Kai though, so he immediately called out to Zhou Quan and told him what to do once he passed on. He wanted Zhou Quan to bring Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo to Seven Mists Sea and hand them over to Li Wu Yi. He also wanted him to head over to High Heaven Palace to give the people there a detailed explanation of the situation.
After he was done making arrangements, the Embodiment closed his eyes and waited for death. In the end, however, he survived for some unknown reason and thus continued to wait until now.
Presently, Zhou Quan was meditating nearby while recuperating as he was still slightly injured from the previous battle. After a month, his injuries were mostly healed while the expansive valley was completely silent.
Just then, the Embodiment lifted his head and his stony face appeared solemn. He stared at a particular spot in the sky with his flaming eyes before a moment later, he suddenly bellowed, “Not good!”
Right after he finished speaking, he wrapped his Demon Qi around Bai Ya, Bai Zhuo, Zhou Quan, and six or seven other captives before hurriedly retreating more than thirty kilometres.
Following his move, a ripple suddenly spread across the sky above the nameless valley, as though someone had hurled a stone into a usually serene lake.
Zhou Quan opened his eyes in shock and looked up as he exclaimed. That was because after the ripples diminished, a gigantic, blurry image came into sight. This sight was familiar to him. The same thing had happened one month ago when Wind Lord activated the array using the bone in his hand, which was why he knew that it was the Flowing Time Temple’s contour.
At that time, Wind Lord’s effort all went to waste because of Yang Kai as the palace soon retreated into the Four Seasons Realm.
[Did Wind Lord manage to stage a comeback? Is he not dead yet?] Zhou Quan immediately circulated his Emperor Qi to prepare himself for a battle.
On the other hand, the Embodiment grunted in surprise and clapped the other person’s shoulder before he said with a smile, “No need to panic. Everything will be fine.”
He had detected Yang Kai’s aura after the World Barrier began to open.
Since Yang Kai was still around, he must be the one who had made the palace appear again, not Wind Lord.
Right then, a cracking sound was heard as the space tore open. The gigantic palace appeared from the Void and shaded the sunlight from everyone’s sight. A few figures were standing at the entrance of the palace. One of them was none other than Yang Kai.
At that instant, the Embodiment put on a bright smile.
In just a short moment, the Flowing Time Temple completely left the Four Seasons Realm. After countless years, Flowing Time Great Emperor’s palace finally reappeared in this world.
Qiong Qi felt somewhat sorrowful. In the past, wherever the palace appeared in the Star Boundary, the people there would kneel down to welcome its arrival. Even the other Great Emperors would come over to greet them.
However, after Flowing Time Great Emperor passed away, the palace could only gather dust inside the Four Seasons Realm. It wasn’t until now that it reappeared under the sun.
Finally, the Great Emperor had two successors. While the others were not paying attention to Qiong Qi, he secretly rubbed the corners of his eyes.
The palace was big enough to shade the entire valley, the shadow it cast on the ground looking like a crouching ancient beast. A shocked Zhou Quan fell on his backside while the other detained Emperor Realm Masters from Demon Heavenly Dao were shaken to the core.
Although they had been demonified, they were still clear-headed, which was why they knew what this palace was. Seeing that Wind Lord wasn’t around, they knew that from that day onwards, only three out of the Four Great Lords under their Master would remain.
After leaping off the palace entryway, Yang Xue waved her hands and stopped using her hand seals. In just a few breaths of time, the palace shrunk until it became a palm-sized item that was then stored inside her sleeve.
Zhui Feng kept neighing and widened his eyes in disbelief. He stared fixedly at Yang Xue’s sleeve as though he had just seen a ghost. He was probably wondering just how enormous her sleeve must be to be able to keep a gigantic palace inside of it.
Yang Kai walked up to the Embodiment and took a look at Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo before asking, “How are they?”
Previously, he didn’t have the time to check on the two Half-Saints as he had to race after Wind Lord. It wasn’t until now that he had the time to ask about them.
“They’re not dead,” the Embodiment replied.
Yang Kai was relieved that they were still alive as he was worried that something serious had happened to them. If they were dead, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself to Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo.
“Why has your hair turned grey?” The Embodiment stared at Yang Kai’s hair with a frown.
When Yang Kai entered the Four Seasons Realm, his hair was still as black as night, but his hair had turned slightly grey after he walked out of the palace. The Embodiment had no idea what had happened, but upon recalling the palpitation he felt some time ago, he figured that Yang Kai must have fallen into a fierce battle.
“I’ve aged by a few hundred years,” Yang Kai put on a smile as if it didn’t really matter. He was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so he still had a long time to live. His current age was actually still considered young for his current realm.
“Who are they?” The Embodiment turned to look at Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. Just like Yang Kai, he found them to be familiar at first glance, as though he had met them before, but he couldn’t recall where.
Even if he could recognise them, he wouldn’t dare to acknowledge it. It was an inconceivable idea that two little kids had grown into young adults in just a few years.
It was troublesome to explain everything to him, so Yang Kai decided to simply share his Soul. The Embodiment examined this flood of memories swiftly before he widened his eyes and muttered, “They’re Xiao’er and Xue’er?”
Yang Xiao obediently walked over and cupped his fists, “Xiao’er greets, Second Uncle.”
The Embodiment was Yang Kai’s Soul Clone, so it could even be said that he was Yang Kai’s biological brother. Yang Xiao was right to call him ‘Second Uncle’ and his smooth talk successfully cracked the Embodiment up. The Embodiment kept praising him and said that the latter was a promising young man.
Yang Xue wasn’t aware of the Embodiment’s existence; after all, she was still far too young when she left High Heaven Palace, so she had never met the Embodiment before. After hearing what Yang Xiao had called him though, she also figured out how she should address him.
After hearing himself addressed as ‘Second Brother’, the Embodiment grinned from ear to ear. After a good laugh, he said, “All of you have come out at the right time. I need your help.”
Following that, he brought Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo over and showed them to Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
The two Half-Saints were petrified after they were struck with a Divine Ability contained within Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone. Thus, even the Embodiment, a Half-Saint was unable to save them. Upon learning that the two young people were the Great Emperor’s Inheritance Disciples, the Embodiment knew that they could help.
Since they were all one family, they certainly had to lend a hand. Both of them respectively extended their fingers and pointed at the foreheads of Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo. The next moment, Time Principles undulated and engulfed the Half-Saints.
Half an hour later, light returned to the Half-Saints’ eyes, and following that, their Demon Qi surged as Bai Ya bellowed, “Go to Hell!”
Bai Zhuo also yelled, “Die!”
They made a move at the same time.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were well prepared, so they immediately hid behind Yang Kai.
When the two Half-Saints arrived in front of Yang Kai with their Divine Abilities flaring, their expressions changed all of a sudden. Then, they forcefully retracted their power and retreated before they grunted in mid-air. They had suffered from some backlash after withdrawing their power at the last moment, but that wasn’t enough to hurt them. As Half-Saints, they had full control over their power.
A moment later, Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya stared over with confused expressions. They took a look at the unfamiliar figures, especially Qiong Qi and Liu Yan, before turning inquisitive gazes to Yang Kai.
Bai Zhuo asked, “What happened? Where’s Wind Lord?”
The last thing he recalled was striking out at Wind Lord, but the next moment, Yang Kai suddenly appeared in front of him while Wind Lord was nowhere to be seen.
Moreover, in the blink of an eye, Yang Kai seemed to have aged by a few years as there was now a tinge of grey in his hair.
Yang Kai turned to look at Yang Xiao and Yang Xue before asking, “Are they not aware of what happened?”
Yang Xue replied with a smile, “They were petrified by Time Principles, so they were unable to sense anything during the period they were frozen.”
Yang Kai nodded and finally understood the reason behind the Half-Saints’ reaction. While they were petrified, they basically couldn’t perceive anything as their ‘time’ had essentially stopped. It would’ve been strange if they knew what had happened.