“It seems you’re hurt,” Yang Kai said.
The woman bellowed, “You don’t say! Do I need you to tell me that I’m hurt!?”
They were basically talking past one another, so Yang Kai smiled helplessly and decided not to harp on this issue. However, he still warned her of possible danger by saying, “You’d better leave now. I can see some Starships approaching. I guess they’re coming for you.”
The woman’s expression changed when she heard that, then she turned to look in the direction Yang Kai pointed and saw some gigantic Starships rapidly approaching them. Apparently, they had found out her whereabouts. Then, she said through clenched teeth, “What a bunch of relentless thugs!”
After she finished speaking, she turned around and fled in a different direction.
However, just a moment later, she returned and grabbed the collar of a shocked Yang Kai before lugging him away. As they were fleeing together, she yelled, “Are you out of your mind!? Were you just going to wait for death by staying there!?”
Hearing this, Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he realised that there were indeed some grudges between this woman and those people from the Starships. She must have been hiding on the Dead Star to evade them. Unexpectedly, Yang Kai refined the Dead Star, which practically stripped her of her hiding place and exposed her.
Nevertheless, she still decided to return and bring Yang Kai with her, which suggested that even though she was foul-tempered, she was fundamentally a good-hearted person. Anyone else would’ve run for their life instead of trying to save a stranger.
Yang Kai was neither loathful nor fond of the woman at first, but her actions had made him take a liking to her; thus, he said, “They have no grudges against me, so I guess they won’t harm me.”
The woman shot him a look and sneered, “What Cultivation Star are you from? How have you managed to live to this day when you’re so naive? Haven’t you heard of the saying that wherever the Sand Scorpions go, not even a strand of grass will survive?”
“Sand Scorpions?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
The woman yelled, “Why do you keep spouting nonsense!? Shut up now if you want to live; otherwise, I’ll throw you away!”
Yang Kai was a High-Rank Demon King as well as the Guardian of Heng Luo Star Field, but he was unable to refute the woman when he was scolded, which made him feel speechless. Despite not knowing who these Sand Scorpions were, he reckoned that the Starships behind them were controlled by Star Pirates.
Star Pirates existed in every Star Field, and they varied in terms of numbers and power. Basically, they were bandits who robbed people. They roamed around the Starry Sky as they oppressed the weak and snatched their things. When merchants came across them in the Starry Sky, they either had to give up some items or battle against them.
In the past, Galaxy Ridge and Abandoned Lair were the largest groups of Star Pirates in Heng Luo Star Field; however, after Yang Kai became the Star Field Guardian, he had destroyed both groups. Nevertheless, Star Pirates were like spring bamboo shoots after rain as new ones would always emerge.
When the woman appeared just now, the Starships immediately noticed her and started racing after her. Even though the woman was fairly powerful, she was injured, and presently, she was dragging Yang Kai along with her. Her speed had reduced significantly, which was why she was unable to get rid of the Starships. Soon, the gap between them shortened.
After getting scolded, Yang Kai fell silent for a moment; however, upon seeing that she was unable to get rid of her enemies, and that she was about to be cornered, he couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you have a Star Shuttle?”
With a cold expression, the woman stared fixedly ahead, “It’s broken.”
Yang Kai replied, “Oh… Things are looking bad. They’ll reach you soon.”
“Can you just shut up?” The woman turned her head and shot him a glare. She thought that this man was very annoying. While she was trying her best to escape and save them from their enemies, he just wouldn’t stop yapping.
In response, Yang Kai flashed a smirk at her and kept his mouth shut.
A moment later, the woman heaved a sigh, “I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess. I’m afraid we won’t be able to escape. I’ll create a chance for you to flee later. Just run for your life on your own. If you survive, you must go to Boundless Sect on Blue Clouds Star and tell them to immediately move to a new place; otherwise, when the Sand Scorpions retaliate, they’ll be destroyed.”
A shocked Yang Kai said, “You want me to flee while you fight against them?” That was incredibly noble of her, which caused Yang Kai to be moved. In comparison, he appeared a little despicable by hiding his true power and watching the show from the side.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t really his intention as all this just happened by chance.
The woman said through gritted teeth, “Do you think this is the arrangement I want as well? Since we’re left with no other choice, we must give it a shot. Why don’t you try to battle against them while I run away? Given your cultivation, you’ll be killed as soon as you appear in front of them.” Then, she put on a milder expression, “Moreover, I don’t really think you can escape, there’s just a slim chance… Anyway, I’m sorry for getting you involved in this. If we die here, on the road to the Yellow Springs together, you mustn’t blame me.”
Yang Kai scratched his nose and asked, “What have you done that makes them chase after you so relentlessly?”
The woman sneered, “Sand Scorpions are all savages. Everyone has the right to kill them. I just happened to kill their Third Manager.”
Just then, an old voice was heard coming from a Starship behind them. The voice was so ear-piercing that it was as though two pieces of metal were scraping against one another while a cat clawed at the heart of the person who happened to be listening, which was very agonising, “Mei Jiu’er, you’ve killed my Third Brother. We, the Sand Scorpions, will never let you off! Rest assured, after this Old Master captures you, he will make sure you suffer excruciating pain. You won’t be able to end your life even if you want to before I’m done with you! Your Boundless Sect will be destroyed, and Blue Clouds Star will become lifeless. All of you must go to Hell to accompany my Third Brother!”
“They sure sound ferocious,” Yang Kai commented lightly.
The woman called Mei Jiu’er scoffed, “That’s typical of them. They’ll destroy anyone who dares to offend them. Besides that, the person’s Sect and Cultivation Star will also be devastated.” Then, she turned to look at Yang Kai and sneered, “Are you afraid now?”
Yang Kai simply declared, “The Heavenly Way will never let these cruel people off!”
Mei Jiu’er guffawed, “Heavenly Way? If that thing actually exists, what’s the point of us cultivating?” Despite her slender figure, she was laughing in an arrogant and heroic manner, assuming an awe-inspiring air.
After that, she let out a sigh, “I hate myself for my weak cultivation. If I was powerful enough, I would destroy trash like them and make the Star Field a better place!”
Yang Kai stared at her in awe and said, “You’re quite the ambitious woman!”
Mei Jiu’er snorted, “Since the Star Field Master basically does nothing, we have to rely on ourselves.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai brushed away the cold sweat on his forehead, “Star Field Master… What do you mean?”
Mei Jiu’er gazed at him with a frown, “What rock have you been living under? Don’t you know that this Star Field has a Master?”
Yang Kai shook his head repeatedly.
Mei Jiu’er explained, “You’re such an ignorant brat. Initially, this Star Field didn’t have a Master. Once upon a time, there was only the Starry Sky Great Emperor. Then… Forget it. Let’s not talk about that annoying guy. We should save some energy to flee.”
A guilty Yang Kai asked, “You know that guy?”
“Of course I don’t,” Mei Jiu’er said through clenched teeth, “If I knew him, I’d have asked him whether he still wants to manage this Star Field or not. If he doesn’t, I’ll take it over from him! The Star Field was devastated by a war some years ago, but now that we’re finally recovering, these trash have appeared out of nowhere. However, he doesn’t even care about it. Does he even have the right to remain as the Star Field Master?”
Yang Kai hung his head low. Every word Mei Jiu’er said seemed to have transformed into a huge hammer that landed on his head, which caused him to be completely embarrassed.
The Star Field was indeed troubled by a war in the past. Many years ago, those from Grand Desolation Star Field invaded their Star Field and destroyed countless lives. Even though they were chased away in the end, those from Heng Luo Star Field had suffered considerable losses.
Mei Jiu’er seemed resentful of the Star Field Master. Perhaps it was because she knew that she was unable to get rid of her enemies, so she started relentlessly scolding the Star Field Master. She didn’t use any foul language, but she appeared to be frustrated by the Star Field Master’s inaction.
While she was cursing, she suddenly felt a grip on her hand, which caused her expression to change. As a cold light flashed, a blade appeared right beside Yang Kai’s neck. Her pale face reddened slightly as she questioned, “Why did you grab my hand?”
Yang Kai quickly explained, “Calm down. I just want to give you something.”
Before Mei Jiu’er could ask, she realised that there was something in her hand. Looking down, she saw that the man had stuffed a rock into her hand. It was an irregularly shaped stone the size of a baby’s palm, and seeing it, she knitted her brow to ask, “What is this?”
After scanning it with her Divine Sense, she really couldn’t see anything special about the stone as it didn’t exude any aura at all. It seemed like a common rock one would pick up from the roadside. She didn’t understand why Yang Kai gave her such a thing at this point.
Yang Kai coughed into his fist and explained, “This is a divine item which contains endless profundity. With the help of this item, we might be able… Hey! Why are you throwing it away when I haven’t explained yet?”
“Are you nuts?” Mei Jiu’er shot him a glare. They were at a life-or-death moment, but he was still in the mood to pull her leg. What did he mean that it was a divine item that contained endless profundity? Even she, an Origin King, was unable to find anything special about the rock. She didn’t move her sword away from Yang Kai’s neck as she couldn’t believe that she had decided to bring this man with her. With a cold expression, she questioned, “Were you trying to take advantage of me?”
Yang Kai felt incredibly helpless, so he ignored her and turned his head to look at his back.
Perhaps Mei Jiu’er had acted out of instinct, but even though she had randomly thrown the stone away, she still hurled it at their enemies. Presently, the stone was gliding towards the Starships.
Seeing Yang Kai turn away from her, Mei Jiu’er went on to question, “Do you think I won’t do anything to you just because we’re about to be killed? I’m warning you, even though we’re going to die, I’ll push you away and let them torture you first. I’ll make sure that you’ll die a horrible death!”
As she was speaking though, Yang Kai suddenly became elated as he exclaimed, “Nailed it!”
A bright light suddenly expanded and dazzled Mei Jiu’er, which caused her to narrow her eyes. Then, she turned to look at the source of the light. The next moment, she widened her eyes in disbelief as though she had just come across a ghost, and her jaw almost dropped. At the same time, she stopped moving and fell into a dazed state as she gazed at the sight behind her.
A few thousand kilometres behind them, all the Sand Scorpions’ Starships had exploded. The dazzling light earlier was the result of the Starships’ destruction.
For some reason, the Starships had detonated. Despite the fact that they were a few thousand kilometres apart, Mei Jiu’er was still able to see it clearly. None of those Sand Scorpions managed to escape as they plunged into obliteration with their Starships.
After the Sand Scorpions’ Starships exploded, all the Star Pirates inside them lost their lives. A myriad of expressions came over Mei Jiu’er as she was puzzled, excited, pleasantly surprised, and terrified all at once.
She had just escaped a crisis as her enemies were destroyed, which was why she was pleasantly surprised; however, the Starships wouldn’t have exploded for no reason. It could even be said that no power in this Star Field was able to achieve what just happened in the blink of an eye. The existence of such an incredible power was beyond her ability to comprehend.
As an intelligent woman, she immediately realised the crux of the matter. Then, she exclaimed and dumped Yang Kai before flying in the direction she had thrown the stone earlier.
An incense stick later, she returned with the stone firmly held in her hand, and her expression appeared conflicted.
Stopping in front of Yang Kai, she sized him up with a doubt behind her gaze, then she asked solemnly, “Who are you? What is this thing?”
She had just randomly thrown the stone away, but it was able to cause the Starships to explode and all the Sand Scorpions to die. She didn’t exert much force when she threw the stone either. In other words, such an outcome was all thanks to the stone’s power. What was strange was that she couldn’t detect any energy fluctuation from the stone at all even now.
Such an item could even be called a Divine Stone. The person who could produce such a stone was definitely no ordinary man. She even suspected that Yang Kai might be an old hermit who had hidden his true power to mess with her.
Yang Kai shook his head without replying to her. If she hadn’t literally cursed his existence earlier, he might consider revealing his identity; however, she had just gone on a long rant about how disappointed and angered she was with the ‘Star Field Guardian’, so he would be out of his mind if he told her that the person she had scolded was him.
With a faint smile, Yang Kai just pretended to be mysterious by saying, “It’s thanks to fate that we’ve come across one another, so I’ll give the stone to you. I hope that you’ll remain ambitious and never forget your initial goal.”
After he finished speaking, he moved as his figure rapidly faded.
Mei Jiu’er raised her hand, “Wait!”
However, looking around, she realised that Yang Kai was nowhere to be found. At that instant, she felt frustrated as she knew that she had come across a top Master. Not willing to give up, she went on to look for Yang Kai in the nearby area for one month before she finally stopped. Then, she found a secluded place and recuperated. After she fully recovered, she headed straight to the headquarters of the Sand Scorpions.
Before that, she found a Dead Star to test the Divine Stone’s power on, and she realised that she really didn’t need to expend any force to use it. She just had to toss it in the right direction to cause immense damage. Upon that revelation, she was amazed, and she felt overjoyed to have obtained such a treasure.
Half a year later, word spread that the Sand Scorpions, who were like a tumour in the Star Field, were wiped out. Their headquarters were demolished and all the Sand Scorpions were killed. They were all devastated by some top cultivator in one just battle.
…..
While Mei Jiu’er was exterminating the Sand Scorpions, Yang Kai was hiding nearby. If he wanted to hide his whereabouts, Mei Jiu’er wouldn’t be able to discover him even if they were standing next to each other.
As Space Principles undulated, Yang Kai fully focused on the Sealed World Bead.
After years of studying and cultivating, it was finally the moment of truth, which was why he wouldn’t dare to be careless. Because of that, he had also summoned the Embodiment to protect him.
If the crisis facing the second region wasn’t solved, the Sealed World Bead wouldn’t be able to go on devouring more continents in the Demon Realm; therefore, he had to pull the second region out of the Small Sealed World.
When he created the second region using the Sealed World Bead in the past, Yang Kai hadn’t expected that he would have to draw it out one day. Now, it seemed that he shouldn’t have swallowed the second region in the first place, but without this incident, he wouldn’t have made up his mind to focus on this strange new technique and his comprehension of the Dao of Space wouldn’t have soared so quickly in such little time.
In this world, one thing led to another in unexpected ways.
With his mind fully focused, he expanded his Divine Sense and engulfed the entire second region, then he slowly separated it from the Small Sealed World, which caused the region to shake and rumble incessantly. With a strange phenomenon happening all around them, it seemed as though it was the end of the world, so the trillions of lives living in the second region were horrified.
Just then, Yang Kai’s figure appeared in the sky like an overlord descending upon the second region, and declared with a smile, “Do not panic. There is nothing to be afraid of.” His voice transmitted throughout the entire second region, and everyone seemed to have been soothed because of that.
Following the movements of Space Principles, the Sealed World Bead itself seemed to be going through some changes as well.
A blotch suddenly protruded from the Sealed World Bead, which was firmly held in Yang Kai’s hand, as though it had developed a tumour.
As time passed, the tumour grew larger until it became one-tenth the size of the Sealed World Bead. Presently, the Sealed World Bead looked like a bottle gourd as one larger bead was connected to a smaller bead, which made it look odd.
The Space Principles around Yang Kai became turbulent as well. The area around him seemed to have turned into a black hole that could devour everything in this world.
One year, two years, five years… Yang Kai remained seated on the same spot as the tumour had now grown to be half the size of the Sealed World Bead, which made it look identical to a bottle gourd now.
Five years later, Yang Kai opened his eyes one day as the turbulent Space Principles died down in an instant. With the bottle gourd-shaped Sealed World Bead in one hand, he straightened his free palm and slashed at the bead.
However, the speed at which he moved was extremely slow. His movement was almost imperceptible if one wasn’t looking closely. Just to complete this motion took him three years.
In the past three years, he had only managed to reach half of the distance between the bead and where he originally started. Nevertheless, right after three years, he suddenly cut through the air and slashed at the ‘bead’. At that instant, he widened his eyes, which had turned bloodshot. All his Demon Qi gushed out of his body like a flood, and even all his Soul seemed to be pulled out of his Knowledge Sea.
Just then, a snapping sound could faintly be heard as the bottle-gourd-shaped Sealed World Bead was divided into two. The larger bead was fine while the smaller bead was violently turning around on his palm, and a horrifying aura began exuding from it.
Yang Kai’s expression changed when he saw this. Ignoring his own frail condition, he bit his tongue and sprayed out a mouthful of Blood Essence onto the smaller bead. Even though he was exhausted, he still squeezed out more energy from his body to engulf the smaller bead with Space Principles in an attempt to suppress and stabilize it.
The speed at which the bead spun slowed down and the horrifying aura slowly diminished; however, instead of setting himself at ease, Yang Kai only became more anxious. It was the moment of truth for his eight years of hard work. Despite his calm temperament, he still couldn’t help feeling worried.
After the bead completely stabilised a moment later, Yang Kai grabbed it in his hand, then he flicked his finger and shot the bead into the Starry Sky.
When he made the move, the bead was only as large as a soybean, but the next moment, it expanded rapidly into a thousand metres wide ball, and as it flew forward, it continuously inflated.
Several dozen breaths later, the bead had transformed into a huge Star in the Starry Sky. Despite the fact that they were now tens of millions of kilometres apart, Yang Kai could still see a giant Star before him.
However, it couldn’t expand anymore as it had reached its limits. The land area of the second region was fixed, so it still couldn’t break that limit after it was pulled out by Yang Kai.
Next, Yang Kai extended his hand and made a grasping gesture, after which the Star stopped flying and settled in place. Following that, he scanned the Star with his Divine Sense and realised that everything was fine. Even though some damage had been caused, no one was injured or killed. Relieved, he fell on his backside and started panting.
Then, he turned to look at the Small Sealed World and realised that there wasn’t any anomaly with it either. Even though the second region had been drawn out, the other areas were not affected.
It was only then he was able to set his mind at ease.
Finally, he managed to achieve his goal. After more than ten years since he returned to the Star Field, he resolved the crisis facing the Small Sealed World, which was why he was over the moon. Despite the fact that he was exhausted, he still couldn’t help laughing heartily. He was elated not only because of what had happened to the Small Sealed World, but also because of what he had gained. He had spent the past over ten years cultivating and refining a new Star, and as a result, his cultivation had improved significantly. Although he hadn’t made much progress in his realm, his mastery of Space Principles was much greater than it was a dozen or so years ago when he first arrived.
While he was relishing his achievements, the Embodiment, on the side, suddenly said, “That woman has been looking for you for a few months.”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before asking, “Who are you talking about?”
Before the Embodiment could reply, he already saw what he meant. Previously, the Embodiment had been standing guard around Yang Kai, and he had concealed both of their figures. Now that the Star was successfully refined though, he couldn’t possibly cover up such a magnificent scene. The woman, who had been searching in the same area, saw it and immediately flew over.
Yang Kai burst into laughter and stuffed some pills into his mouth to restore his energy. While he was looking at the woman who was coming over. The Embodiment, on the other hand, directly retired to the Small Sealed World.
Just one hour later, an alluring woman landed in front of Yang Kai. After taking a look at him with a conflicted gaze, she cupped her fists and bowed, “Mei Jiu’er of Blue Clouds Star’s Boundless Sect, greets Sir.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her. Despite his pale face, he still appeared energetic. That was because he was happy that he had solved a thorny issue.
“Is Sir the Star Field Master?” Mei Jiu’er asked respectfully. In fact, she already had the answer in her heart, but she needed Yang Kai to confirm it; after all, the stone Yang Kai had given to her was just too peculiar. In terms of cultivation, she wasn’t the strongest in the Star Field; however, over the past few years, with the stone in her possession, she was able to punish all those who bullied the weak. Virtually no one was a match for her. Even though some of her enemies were also Origin Kings, she was still able to kill them by hurling the stone at them. Most Star Pirates in the Star Field had been destroyed by her by this point.
Basically, she just had to find out the headquarters of those Star Pirates and toss the stone at them, then everything would be settled.
Eventually, she recalled seeing a humongous figure when she was on a certain Dead Star. After the Dead Star disappeared, a stranger appeared before her eyes.
Over the years, she increasingly believed that Yang Kai was the Star Field Master, but if it was just speculation in the past, she could confirm it now after seeing the birth of a new Star in the Starry Sky.
No one was able to do such an inconceivable thing except for the Star Field Master.
Seeing his identity was exposed, Yang Kai didn’t deny it as he replied with a smile, “Yes, I’m that rather… irresponsible Star Field Master.”
An embarrassed Mei Jiu’er hung her head low and said, “Junior Mei Jiu’er apologizes for her ignorance and disrespect.”
Yang Kai shook his head and said with a smile, “I don’t blame you because you didn’t know. Moreover, what you said was true.”
After he became the Star Field Master, he headed straight to the Star Boundary, so he didn’t have the time to manage this Star Field. Seeing that Mei Jiu’er was about to speak further, he waved his hand and said, “I’ve just done something big, so I’m a little weak now. If there’s anything important, just speak bluntly. If not, please stand guard for me because I need to adjust my breathing for a while.”
Mei Jiu’er’s gaze brightened when she heard this as her face radiated a glow, “It is Junior’s honour to stand guard for Senior!” She knew that given Yang Kai’s strength, he didn’t really need her protection. As the Star Field Master, he was even able to create new Stars out of thin air, so there was obviously nothing in this Star Field that could harm him. The reason he had even said as much was to make sure that she wouldn’t feel embarrassed. At that instant, she could confirm that he really didn’t mind the incident some time ago.
Before realising who Yang Kai was, Mei Jiu’er was resentful of the Star Field Master and thought that despite his title, he didn’t really care about the Star Field. Basically, he had occupied the position without doing anything. Looking back now though, she realised how small-minded she was being. Given the Star Field Master’s immense power, he surely had much more important matters to deal with, like creating new Stars, which was why he didn’t have the time to take care of the more minor issues.
As a person with great authority, he should naturally be busy dealing with the more important things.
While Yang Kai was seated with his legs crossed to adjust his breathing, Mei Jiu’er stole a few glances at him and thought that he was pretty handsome. Some grey hair had grown on Yang Kai’s head recently, which gave him a look of maturity. Recalling the time when she grabbed his collar and fled from their enemies, she couldn’t help but put on a smile.
She was probably the only person in the entire Star Field who had experienced such a funny matter.
Yang Kai spent the next ten days recuperating before he opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
Seeing this, Mei Jiu’er quickly walked over. Unlike how fierce she was previously, she was now very respectful and her gaze seemed to have been filled with admiration as she called out, “Senior.”
“En, many thanks.” Yang Kai wanted to stretch his back, but upon seeing her admiring glance, he didn’t have the heart to disappoint her. Hence, he acted like how a top Master was expected to behave and nodded at her.
Completely in awe, Mei Jiu’er beamed at him and said, “Senior, you don’t have to thank me. It is my honour to do this for you.”
She was an Origin King after all, so it wouldn’t be an issue for her even if she had to stand guard for over ten years, to say nothing of the fact that it was just ten days or so.
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “I’ve settled my matters, so I should get going.”
Upon hearing that, Mei Jiu’er was startled as her gaze dimmed, “Senior, are you leaving now?”
Yang Kai stared at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Mei Jiu’er batted her eyes as her long eyelashes fluttered, then she hurriedly said, “Senior, if you’re not in a rush, I’d like to invite you to have a look at a particular place. Something about it is… strange.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai arched his brow, “What do you mean ‘something is strange?”
Mei Jiu’er shook her head, “I can’t really tell. When I passed by that place a few months ago, I could detect an aura that didn’t seem to… belong? At that time though, I was looking for you, so I didn’t dare to get closer to investigate carefully. Now, it’s obvious to me that something is off about that place.”
Seeing that Yang Kai was smiling faintly at her, she became flustered, and there was a tinge of grievance in her voice, “What I’ve said is true. Please trust me.”
Yang Kai nodded and replied, “Okay, I’ll have a look.”
After he finished speaking, he sent his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea to examine the Star Chart there. He had the Star Field’s Source, which could reflect everything that was going on in the Star Field in real-time. If anything had happened, he just had to communicate with the Source to find out, so it wasn’t necessary for him to go over.
The next moment, his expression changed dramatically as he said through clenched teeth, “Damn!” Upon looking into the matter, he realised that something serious had actually happened.
He appeared incredibly imposing when he was furious, so thinking that he was referring to her, Mei Jiu’er turned pale as her eyes became bloodshot.
Seeing that, Yang Kai quickly said, “I wasn’t scolding you.” Then, he took a look at the other end of the Starry Sky with his deep gaze, which seemed able to see billions of kilometres away. With a frown, he asked, “When did you pass by that place?”
Mei Jiu’er pulled herself together and replied gently, “About seven months ago…”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded, “It’s not too late then.” Following that, he waved his hand to engulf her in his Demon Qi and took a step forward.
Despite the fact that Mei Jiu’er was protected by Yang Kai, she still felt the world around her spinning. When she came to her senses, she realised that she was already in a different part of the Starry Sky, which seemed very far from her original spot. Looking around, she could see that the view around her had changed completely and she could immediately confirm that this was the place she had passed by seven months ago.
At that instant, she was dumbstruck. She had spent several months going from this place to the location where she found Yang Kai; however, the Star Field Master was able to bring her back to this place in just one step, which went to show just how powerful he was.
However, at this moment, this part of the Starry Sky seemed different from the one she had come across in the past. At that time, she just felt an ominous aura wafting about this place, one that gave her a sense of danger and dread, so she didn’t dare to investigate. However, looking at it now, she realised that a large area of azure blue colour was swirling before them, and wherever the azure blue aura went, the Star Field itself seemed to be contaminated.
An astounded Mei Jiu’er said, “What is this…”
Yang Kai sneered, “Someone is trying to snatch my territory, thinking I wasn’t around.”
This had happened to Heng Luo Star Field before. At that time, the entire Star Field was affected and countless Cultivation Stars were devastated.
Upon hearing that, Mei Jiu’er immediately realised what was going on and asked, “Have those from Grand Desolation Star Field returned for revenge?”
Previously, it was the Star Field Master of Grand Desolation Star Field, Wu Heng, who had invaded their territory; however, instead of gaining anything, he had failed to steal a chicken and even lost his rice in the process. Instead of occupying Heng Luo Star Field, he had actually lost a large part of his own Starry Sky.
In fact, a large part of Heng Luo Star Field had already been devoured. However, the area that had been taken away originally belonged to Grand Desolation Star Field, which Yang Kai had snatched from them in the past, which was why he hadn’t managed to notice it initially. It wasn’t until Mei Jiu’er told him about it that he realised this.
While this intrusion was indeed coming from Grand Desolation Star Field though, it couldn’t possibly be Wu Heng’s doing this time, as he was already dead.
To the side, Mei Jiu’er said coldly, “It seems that they’ve forgotten their lesson. Senior, please give the order now and I will gather up all the great forces in the Star Field. We must make sure these thieves can never return again this time.”
Without replying to her, Yang Kai stared fixedly at the azure blue colour that was slowly advancing towards them with a frown. Upon closer inspection, he realised that the situation was different from the previous incident, but he couldn’t really explain the difference in words.
While he was lost in his doubts though, the Embodiment, who was inside the Small Sealed World, suddenly spoke to him in his mind. Upon hearing what the Embodiment said, Yang Kai felt his face twitching, and he appeared to be suffering from a headache.
Soon, he made up his mind and said to Mei Jiu’er, “Retreat for now. I’ll go over to have a look.”
Upon finishing his words, he shot forward into the azure blue region.
Just then though, he caught a whiff of a fragrant scent. Instead of obeying his order, Mei Jiu’er had actually raced after him as she shouted, “I am willing to provide whatever assistance I can to Senior.”
Yang Kai felt speechless, but he didn’t have the heart to turn her down since she was so eager to help, so he simply wrapped her in his Demon Qi and continued forward.
The next instant, the pair plunged into the azure blue region. Abruptly, both of them felt as though they had sunk into an ocean. Looking around, they realised that they were indeed underwater, but with the protection of Yang Kai’s Demon Qi, they wouldn’t get wet.
Mei Jiu’er was astounded as she couldn’t understand how they ended up submerging in water when they were in the Starry Sky earlier. Furthermore, the water was different from the water she usually saw. Yang Kai frowned as though he was faced with a formidable enemy, then he turned around with her and shot up.
With a loud splash, they leapt out of the water.
As an experienced warrior, Mei Jiu’er immediately pushed her Saint Qi and scanned for any possible danger. At the same time, she gripped the stone in her hand, preparing to throw it at their enemy.
However, when she saw the sight around her, she was dumbfounded.
Instead of Grand Desolation Star Field, they were in a garden which couldn’t be considered vast as they could see the other end with one glance. Nevertheless, the sight was pretty lovely as there was a rockery and a bridge over a small river. There was also a gazebo in the garden and a pond in one corner. Yang Kai and Mei Jiu’er just leapt out of that pond. The azure blue colour of the pond was the same as the one they saw in the Star Field.
Mei Jiu’er was stunned. The pond in front of her was only about ten metres wide, but when she was inside it earlier, she felt as though she was swimming in a vast ocean.
Soon, she became even more astonished as the World Energy in this garden was unimaginably dense. Her aptitude was extraordinary, which was why she was able to reach the Origin King Realm at such a young age; however, if she had the chance to cultivate in such a place, she could have reached her current realm tens of times faster.
She couldn’t have imagined that such a cultivation paradise existed. Besides the abundant World Energy, there seemed to be something else in the atmosphere; however, her cultivation was too low to comprehend what this extra something was.
While she was in a dazed state, Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “Wu Kuang, it really was your doing!”
Upon hearing that, Mei Jiu’er followed his gaze and became horrified, as there was a person sitting in the gazebo. He was an energetic old man whose hair and beard were grey. His amiable appearance made him look like one of those legendary immortals.
However, what shocked her wasn’t the old man’s appearance, but the fact that she didn’t notice him at all even as she was actively scanning the surroundings. It wasn’t until Yang Kai pointed him out that she became aware of his existence.
Presently, there was a board with a number of black and white stones on it in front of the old man called Wu Kuang. The strange aura wafting from the board was so intense that anyone who happened to see it would be shaken to the core.
After taking just one look at the board, Mei Jiu’er turned ashen and she thought that this old man must be too bored, which was why he decided to play the board game on his own. Moreover, it had even somehow turned into such an intense competition that the board itself was giving off an overwhelming aura.
The old man in the gazebo lifted his head to look at Yang Kai, then he burst into a fit of laughter as he called out, “Little brat, what are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here!?” An enraged Yang Kai stepped into the gazebo and looked down at the old man with a hostile gaze, “Wu Kuang, I should be the one asking! What are you trying to do?”
When the Embodiment told him that he detected the Heaven Devouring Battle Law’s aura, Yang Kai immediately realised that something serious was going on. After he came to this place and saw that it was truly Wu Kuang’s doing, he became infuriated. The last time they met, they were still in the Ancestral Domain; however, he hadn’t expected that Wu Kuang would come over and devour his Star Field one day. If it weren’t because Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang shared the same body, Yang Kai would’ve beaten him up instead of talking so much to him. Although Wu Kuang was a Great Emperor, he hadn’t managed to restore all his power so fighting was still an option.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was already much stronger than when he was still on Dragon Island in the past. Furthermore, he had four Half-Saints to assist him now. That was the reason he wasn’t afraid of Wu Kuang even if they got into a scuffle.
Mei Jiu’er followed Yang Kai into the gazebo and stood behind him. She remained vigilant and gripped the stone in her hand harder. It was apparent that Yang Kai and this old man knew each other, but they were on bad terms. Since Yang Kai was resentful of the old man, she had to put on a grim expression as well.
Wu Kuang batted his eyes and smiled, “That’s your Star Field?” He was an intelligent person as well. Even though he was shocked upon seeing Yang Kai, he quickly realised the reason behind it.
“What do you think?” Yang Kai bent over and landed a slap on the board, which caused the black and white stones to be messed up.
Wu Kuang gazed at the board with a frown and sighed, “I was about to win. Why couldn’t you just talk it out with me instead of messing up my stones?” He sighed.
Before he could speak further, Yang Kai directly turned the board over. At that instant, all the stones were hoisted into the air upon impact.
Wu Kuang said with a smile, “Did you know how many people you’re about to kill by doing that?”
In fact, Yang Kai didn’t need him to say something so obvious as he immediately realised that something was off after he flipped the board over. With his expression changed drastically, he pushed his Demon Qi hard and extended both hands, after which an innumerable number of phantom hands appeared in the gazebo. After all the phantom hands returned to Yang Kai, he could be seen carrying a large number of stones in his arms, and it appeared that he was still reeling from the shock.
Wu Kuang narrowed his eyes and stared at Yang Kai, “Demon Qi? You’ve gone through demonification?” He didn’t notice it before Yang Kai made a move. When Yang Kai’s Demon Qi undulated, he appeared truly imposing though, so anyone who wasn’t blind would be able to tell that his aura was a little different from before.
Presently, Yang Kai’s face was as pale as a white sheet. As he looked down at the stones in his hands, his eyelids kept twitching, “What in the world are you doing?”
Instead of answering his question, Wu Kuang said, “It’s interesting that you’ve gone through demonification. Why haven’t you lost your mind? If it’s alright with you, can you let this Old Master inspect you?”
Yang Kai replied coldly, “Sure, but there’s a price to pay.”
Wu Kuang smiled and nodded, “Just ask me any questions you want.”
It was then Yang Kai snorted and took a seat across from Wu Kuang before he carefully put the stones back on the board. He didn’t intend to put them back in their original spots. Thus, he just arranged them properly.
Then, he checked on those stones, and upon making sure that they were fine, he let out a long sigh.
Mei Jiu’er didn’t understand why Yang Kai cared so much about these stones, so out of curiosity, she sent her Divine Sense towards the board and instantly fell into a dazed state as she was rooted to the spot. It was as though her Soul had been sucked out of her, and she had become a living corpse.
All of a sudden, a gentle force engulfed her, which caused her to come to her senses. Her pretty face had turned pale as she said in shock, “Senior, the board and the stones…”
“I know,” Yang Kai nodded.
Mei Jiu’er’s face turned a shade paler when she heard this. She still doubted that she might have seen it wrong; however, upon hearing Yang Kai’s confirmation, she knew that what she had seen was real.
Rather than a board, what was before her was an entire Star Field, and the stones were also not what they seemed to be as they were clearly whole Stars.
This amiable-looking old man with the demeanour of an immortal was battling against himself using the Star Field as a board and the Stars as pieces. Given the fact that Mei Jiu’er was just an Origin King, it was no wonder that her Soul was overwhelmed as soon as she took a look at the board. If Yang Kai hadn’t saved her in time, she really would have died.
It was then she understood what the old man actually meant. All the stones were real Stars, and trillions of people lived on these Stars. By flipping the board over, Yang Kai had practically turned this Star Field upside down. If the stones really fell to the ground, countless lives would have been lost.
Fortunately, Yang Kai reacted quickly and caught all the stones; otherwise, he would’ve become an unforgivable murderer.
Mei Jiu’er was stunned as she wasn’t sure if it was reality or an illusion. If it was an illusion, it was too lifelike, but if it was real, could anyone really do such a thing?
While her emotions were fluctuating wildly, Yang Kai extended one hand. Without being overly polite, Wu Kuang placed two fingers on Yang Kai’s wrist and infused a piece of Divine Sense into his body. At the same time, he asked with a smile, “Aren’t you worried that I’ll kill you?”
Yang Kai snorted, “Senior Hong Chen is around. If you’re able to kill me, go right ahead!”
Mei Jiu’er thought that Wu Kuang was playing the board game on his own, but Yang Kai knew that he was actually having a competition with Duan Hong Chen. Since Bustling World Great Emperor was able to battle against Wu Kuang, he definitely could stop him from making a move, which was why Yang Kai wasn’t worried that Wu Kuang would harm him.
Wu Kuang put on a smile and scoffed, “I’ve already refined that old fart. Duan Hong Chen no longer exists in this world!”
Then, he suddenly said, “He’s just talking nonsense. I’m still alive and kicking.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Greetings, Senior. Junior is glad to know that you’re still healthy.”
‘Wu Kuang’ nodded and took a look at the woman behind Yang Kai, “She’s quite pretty. Is she your new woman?”
An embarrassed Yang Kai replied, “She’s just someone from my Star Field. I happened to come across her, which was why I brought her with me as well.”
Wu Kuang’s gaze brightened when he heard that, then he said to Mei Jiu’er, “Little girl, since you’re here, why don’t you stay here to serve me? I can teach you about the supreme Grand Dao.”
Bustling World Great Emperor was a carefree man who enjoyed life to the fullest. Since the incident in the Shattered Star Sea, he had been intertwined with Wu Kuang; hence, he was unable to drink wine and feast, nor was he able to surround himself with beautiful ladies anymore. That was why he was extremely bored. Since someone had finally come to this place, he naturally wanted to make her stay. It wasn’t that he wanted to do anything to her, but it was better to face a beautiful woman than be alone Wu Kuang all year round.
A rare and precious opportunity was right before Mei Jiu’er’s eyes, but her face had turned pale and she shook her head repeatedly. She didn’t know what was going on as she just thought that the old man didn’t look like a good person, and that he seemed a little crazy, which was why she wouldn’t dare to remain. As for the supreme Grand Dao, she wouldn’t know if he was telling the truth, so she decided that she didn’t want it.
Seeing that, ‘Wu Kuang’ didn’t want to force her as he heaved a sigh, “That’s such a shame.” Then, he nodded at Yang Kai, “You can talk with him.”
Yang Kai bowed his head and pointed at the board, “What is this?”
Wu Kuang looked away as he was meticulously probing Yang Kai’s body. Without even thinking, he replied, “Blood Sun Star Field.”
Even though Yang Kai already had a speculation, he still gasped when Wu Kuang admitted it, “You’ve refined a Star Field into such a thing?”
He didn’t know where Blood Sun Star Field was, nor had he heard of it before, but apparently, just like Heng Luo Star Field, it was also a Lower Star Field; however, it had become a board game that was right in front of him now.
Wu Kuang replied with a grin, “What’s so strange about it? There are many more in the sky.”
Yang Kai looked up as his pupils contracted because nebulas of different sizes were hovering in the sky above him. Some of them were as small as a dustpan while the bigger ones were the size of a basin. There was some distance between them as they were not compatible. If Wu Kuang hadn’t pointed it out, Yang Kai would’ve just thought that these nebulas looked a little odd even if he happened to see them. Upon closer look now though, he realised that every nebula was a separate Star Field.
Staring fixedly at them, Yang Kai could see that the Cultivation Stars were as small as dust, on which billions of people lived.
However, just like the stones on the board, these people were not aware of the situation they were in as they went about their daily lives.
“Your condition is odd. It’s apparent that your body is full of Demon Essence, but you don’t seem affected at all. How do you keep yourself clear-headed?” Wu Kuang asked.
“You know about Demon Qi?” Yang Kai questioned.
Wu Kuang put on an inscrutable smile, “I know a lot more about it than you do.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the Ancestral Domain? Why are you here? Where’s this place?” Yang Kai wasn’t willing to dwell on the topic of Demon Qi, he just wanted to find out what Wu Kuang was doing.
“We are in the Ancestral Domain,” Wu Kuang replied.
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai rebuked. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been to the Ancestral Domain, so he knew what the place looked like; however, after giving it a thought, he realised that, since this old fart was able to refine Star Fields into boards and nebulas, it wasn’t so unthinkable that he could turn the Ancestral Domain into a garden.
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai asked with a frown, “Is this a Sealed World?”
Wu Kuang shook his head with a smile, “It’s a Great World.”
In an instant, Yang Kai turned pale and stared at him in shock, but he knew that Wu Kuang wasn’t lying. Mei Jiu’er just thought that the World Energy in this place was ample, but she hadn’t realised that the World Principles in this place were also incredibly strong.
Just like the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm, it was also a Great World. Even though this place was no match for the former, it wasn’t too far off.
Wu Kuang didn’t seem to have noticed Yang Kai’s expression as he went on to explain, “There must be something in your Knowledge Sea that can keep you clear-headed. I want to see it. Open up your Knowledge Sea for me.”
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai directly rejected him. Then, he furrowed his brow and looked around, “Did you sneak into the Ancestral Domain from the Dragon Temple in the past just to refine this place?”
“That’s right. The Ancestral Domain is the origin of all Lower Star Fields. By refining the Ancestral Domain, it significantly reduced the effort this King needed to exert in order to achieve my goal.”
“Just what in the world are you trying to do?” Yang Kai looked puzzledly at him.
Wu Kuang shook his head with a smile, “I can’t tell you.”
He paused for a moment, “Since you’re here, I need you to help me out with something.”
“Do you think I’ll help you?” Yang Kai sneered.
Ignoring him, Wu Kuang went on to say, “I want your Star Field. I didn’t know you were the Master of that Star Field I happened to be devouring; however, it doesn’t matter. Whether the Star Field has a Master or who the Master is, this King will still devour it. Apart from your Star Field, I also want all the Lower Star Fields.”
Yang Kai said impassively, “If you’re so eager to die, I can grant your wish.”
Wu Kuang burst into laughter, “We haven’t met for years, but you’ve become more arrogant and confident. It seems that you’ve grown stronger.”
Yang Kai straightened up and refuted, “I’ve always been confident.”
Presently, Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, who was touted to be the evilest person in history, appeared to be a mild-tempered old man. Even though he was repeatedly offended by Yang Kai, he didn’t seem to have the intention of flaring up. With a faint smile, he simply said, “Why don’t we just talk it out? The discussion will lead to nowhere if you’re so aggressively defensive. Don’t you agree?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai decided to suppress his anger. Even though he still appeared furious, he managed to calm down internally as he said impassively, “What are you trying to achieve?”
Wu Kuang waved his hand across the table, after which the board and stones turned into points of light and contorted into a nebula before it shot up into the sky and became fixed on one spot. Then, a tea set appeared on the table as he looked smilingly at Mei Jiu’er, who was behind Yang Kai, and asked, “Little girl, do you know how to prepare a pot of tea?”
Mei Jiu’er wasn’t sure if she should reply to him as she took a look at Yang Kai. Seeing that Yang Kai didn’t object to it, she nodded, “Yes, Junior knows a little about it.”
Even though she knew that the old man before her eyes was a terrible person, she was equally aware that he was a top Master. Regardless of his temperament, she had to show appropriate respect.
“Please,” Wu Kuang extended his hand to motion for her to help with preparing the tea.
Mei Jiu’er took one more look at Yang Kai, and upon seeing that he nodded, she walked up to the table and respectfully fell on her knees before she meticulously made the tea.
Wu Kuang observed her for a bit and concluded that she indeed knew how to prepare tea. Instead of knowing just a little, she seemed to be an expert in this field; thus, he smiled and nodded.
Following that, he turned to Yang Kai and said, “This King is indeed up to something, and my plan has something to do with the happiness of the people and the life or death of the Star Boundary… Look, this King is telling you about his plan, but you don’t seem to believe me at all. What should I do?”
“Go on!” Yang Kai pointed his chin at him.
“Good, I’ve finished speaking.” Wu Kuang grinned, “That’s it.”
“Do you think I’ll believe you?” Yang Kai shot him a look.
Wu Kuang shook his head and said, “Of course, you won’t.” He paused for a moment, “However, even if you don’t believe me, you should trust old Duan. After the war in the Shattered Star Sea, Duan Hong Chen and my Soul intertwined with one another in the same body. It isn’t as simple as you think to have two Souls in the same body. It can be said that, if we’re willing to do it, we can open up our minds and share each other’s secrets. I can’t tell you what I’m trying to do in detail. Your cultivation is still too low, so it’ll only do more harm than good to you. Nevertheless, Duan Hong Chen is aware of it, and he’s agreed to it.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brows. Just like what Wu Kuang had said, he didn’t believe an old thief like him; however, if Duan Hong Chen was also supportive of this idea, he had to give it due consideration.
In the past, in order to kill a dangerous person like Wu Kuang, Bustling World Great Emperor had crippled his own cultivation over and over again just so he could return to the Dao Source Realm. Then, he repeatedly snuck into the Shattered Star Sea to look for Wu Kuang. Duan Hong Chen was titled as the Bustling World Great Emperor. He travelled around this bustling world and he loved it from the bottom of his heart, which was why he was willing to protect this world that he dearly treasured.
If what Wu Kuang was doing was harmful to the Star Boundary, there was no way Duan Hong Chen would have agreed to cooperate.
Then, Yang Kai looked into Wu Kuang’s eyes as though he was trying to see through his mind and get to the deepest part of his soul. After that, he grimly said, “Senior, is that true?”
Naturally, he was talking to Duan Hong Chen instead of Wu Kuang.
This time, instead of replying to Yang Kai through the body he was in, Duan Hong Chen directly spoke to him via Divine Sense, a tinge of helplessness in his voice, “Even though I’m not willing to admit it, what this old ghost has said is true; otherwise, I wouldn’t have allowed him to make such a fuss. This old fart was more powerful than all of us in the past, so he knows things that we don’t. As for the war in the Shattered Star Sea, let’s just say that our perspectives differed too greatly to come to an agreement.” He sighed.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was shocked not because Duan Hong Chen had confirmed Wu Kuang’s statement, but because Bustling World Great Emperor sounded heartbroken by the outcome of the war in the Shattered Star Sea.
The war in the Shattered Star Sea was an epic battle waged by the Great Emperors to destroy a malevolent evil like Wu Kuang. During the battle, four Great Emperors fell, and Wu Kuang’s body was broken, forcing him to fake his own death to escape.
Supposedly, there wasn’t any problem with the war. Even though four Great Emperors had lost their lives, which was an immense loss for the Star Boundary at the time, they managed to remove a tumour like Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. The Great Emperors had lost their lives for a grand cause, so they should be able to rest in peace.
However, judging from what Duan Hong Chen had said, it seemed to Yang Kai as if the former was saying that the war in the Shattered Star Sea was a mistake. In that case, the fallen Great Emperors were killed for no reason at all.
Duan Hong Chen went on to say, “You don’t have to worry. I’ll monitor him and make sure that he doesn’t cross the line. Even though he has refined these Star Fields, he hasn’t harmed any of their lives or destroyed any Stars. He has just made use of the Ancestral Domain as the origin and made the other Star Fields merge with it.”
Yang Kai took a deep breath to suppress his undulating feelings, then he asked with a scowl, “What is it that will harm the Star Boundary’s safety?”
Duan Hong Chen replied, “This is indeed a thorny issue. It’s pointless to tell you anything now, so you should stop asking. It’ll indeed do more harm than good to you. When the time comes, you’ll naturally find out about it.”
If Wu Kuang had said it to him, Yang Kai would’ve snorted and argued back; however, since it was Duan Hong Chen who had said so, he reckoned that he should stop asking despite the fact that he was eager to find out more.
Following that, he nodded gently and asked, “Does he have to devour every single Lower Star Field and integrate them with the Ancestral Domain?”
Duan Hong Chen replied, “You’re fairly strong now, so I’m sure you can see that the Ancestral Domain has gone through some changes. The old fart isn’t wrong to say that it is a Great World. According to our estimation, if we manage to integrate all the Lower Star Fields, the Ancestral Domain will indeed become a Great World. By then, the Ancestral Domain will become a Plane that is an equal match for the Star Boundary. You have to understand that every single Lower Star Field was separated from the Ancestral Domain in the past. What we’re doing is just amalgamating them, returning them to their original state. It would be best if we could integrate all the Star Fields as no one can tell what the outcome will be if one or two are missing.”
After pondering on it for a while, Yang Kai asked, “What will the consequences be if my Star Field is integrated?”
“The most immediate result is that you’ll no longer be the Star Field Master, but other aspects will not be affected. After the integration, all the living creatures will go about their daily lives as usual, and they won’t be affected one bit. It can even be said that they’ll benefit from it. If the Ancestral Domain becomes a Great World, all the Star Fields that have been integrated will reap the rewards as well.”
Yang Kai said with a frown, “Before coming back, someone told me that the Star Boundary and the Lower Star Fields are like a tree. The Star Boundary is like the tree crown while the Lower Star Fields are like the roots. If Wu Kuang removes all the roots, won’t it affect the tree crown, the Star Boundary?”
“Tree crown and roots?” Duan Hong Chen sounded surprised, “This analogy is pretty interesting. It’s not wrong per se, but it’s not completely right either. The relationship between the Star Boundary and the Lower Star Fields are indeed like that of a tree crown and roots, so after all the Star Fields are integrated, it’ll slightly affect the Star Boundary. The biggest change we’ll see is that, after the cultivators in the Star Fields reach a certain realm and free themselves of the World Principles’ chains, they’ll head to the Ancestral Domain instead of the Star Boundary. As for the Star Boundary, it has become mature, and all the lives are living and reproducing on their own. Even without the roots, it will never die.”
Yang Kai knitted his brows, “Senior, it seems that you’ve sided with Wu Kuang now.”
In the past, in order to destroy Wu Kuang’s Soul in the Shattered Star Sea, Duan Hong Chen was even willing to perish together with him. In his eyes, Wu Kuang was no different from a ferocious beast. Even though he was saved by Yang Kai in the end, Duan Hong Chen still tried his best to solve his own problems. However, Yang Kai had never expected that when they met again, Duan Hong Chen would side with Wu Kuang and even speak up for him.
This prompted Yang Kai to wonder whether it was Duan Hong Chen’s true intention or he had been tricked by Wu Kuang. Perhaps Wu Kuang had even done something to him.
“I’m not deaf yet, and I’m much older than you are, so will you please show some respect and stop calling me by name? It’s unpleasant to the ears,” Wu Kuang stared at Yang Kai and said.
Yang Kai rolled his eyes, “What do you think I should call you, then? Senior?”
Wu Kuang replied with a smile, “This King knows you have some biases against me. In fact, anyone who happens to know my name in this world has the same kind of bias. When this King became famous, all of your forefathers hadn’t even been born yet! Tell me, what has this King done that has actually harmed your interests? All of you are terrified simply because of some ancient rumours about me. How many of you in the Star Boundary actually understand who this King really is?”
Yang Kai snorted, “Are you saying that you had some good reasons for what you had done in the past?”
Wu Kuang chuckled, “Naturally not! This King killed those people and destroyed those Star Fields, which is why they were so they’re resentful of me! However… everything happens for a reason, and life is not as simple as you believe it to be. So far, only Duan Hong Chen understands the secrets behind this King’s actions. Even other Great Emperors are not aware of this.” He paused for a moment, “Forget it. Let’s drink some tea first.”
Presently, Mei Jiu’er was finished preparing the tea and poured two cups for Wu Kuang and Yang Kai, then she obediently knelt on the side.
Yang Kai took a look at her and pushed his own cup towards her.
A shocked Mei Jiu’er quickly waved her hands, “Many thanks for your consideration, Senior. Junior really appreciates it, but…” The Star Field Master and a top Master even the Star Field Master had to call ‘Senior’ were right in front of her, so she didn’t dare to drink tea before them. She was already honoured to be able to serve them, and she knew that there were lines she shouldn’t cross.
“Just drink it! It’s good for you!” Yang Kai directly stuffed the cup into her hands. Even though he hadn’t tasted it, by just taking a whiff of the aroma he could tell that it was no ordinary tea. He was already a High-Rank Demon King though, so this tea probably wasn’t useful to him at all; however, Mei Jiu’er was only a First-Order Origin King, so it was definitely an opportunity for her, one she shouldn’t miss.
Upon hearing that, Mei Jiu’er stopped turning Yang Kai down as she also realised that this was no ordinary tea. Since Yang Kai had said so, she had no choice but to obey his order as she lifted the teacup and took a sip. At that instant, she shuddered and widened her eyes. She became rooted to the spot, as though someone had used a Binding Technique on her.
Just a moment later, she came to her senses as her eyes radiated a glow. Then, she finished the tea in just a few gulps.
Yang Kai picked up the teapot and poured one more cup of tea for her. At that instant, Mei Jiu’er was pleasantly surprised by what Yang Kai had done for her.
Right then, Duan Hong Chen’s voice reverberated in Yang Kai’s mind again, “If what he’s doing is harmful to this bustling world, I’ll do my best to stop him. Conversely, I’ll support him.”
He was replying to Yang Kai’s previous question. Even though he didn’t give a direct answer, it suggested that he believed what Wu Kuang had been doing wasn’t harmful to the Star Boundary and instead, it was beneficial.
Yang Kai gently nodded and took a sip as he relished the aroma of the tea. After giving it a thought, he asked, “Both of you know who Flowing Time Great Emperor was, right?”
Wu Kuang replied with a smile, “How I wish I could have met him when he was still alive!”
Throughout history, numerous Great Emperors had been born in the Star Boundary. When the old ones passed away, new ones would replace them. However, only two Great Emperors had fame that never faded. They were Heaven Devouring Great Emperor and Flowing Time Great Emperor. Everyone wondered that if these two Great Emperors lived in the same era, who would turn out to be stronger.
In fact, Wu Kuang shared the same thought as well. He was able to battle against so many Great Emperors on his own, and even though his body was destroyed in the end, he managed to kill four of his opponents, which went to show how powerful he was. However, Flowing Time Great Emperor lived in an era prior to that of Wu Kuang. By the time Wu Kuang became famous, Flowing Time Great Emperor had already passed away. Wu Kuang regretted the fact that he wasn’t able to live in the same era as Flowing Time Great Emperor; otherwise, he would definitely compete against him.
“Senior Flowing Time was killed,” Yang Kai looked straight into his eyes.
The smile on Wu Kuang’s face froze while Duan Hong Chen exclaimed in his Knowledge Sea.
A moment later, Wu Kuang asked with a solemn expression, “How did you find out about it?”
“Aren’t you surprised?” Yang Kai stared at him in shock.
Wu Kuang snorted, “This King was killed before as well, so what’s so surprising about it? As long as the opponents are strong enough, no one in this world is invincible. Let’s talk about Flowing Time. How much do you know?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Not much. I only found out about it recently. Senior Flowing Time left behind the Flowing Time Temple in the Four Seasons Realm. Over ten years ago, a guy called Feng Zai Xiao took a bone to the Four Seasons Realm and set up an array. Then, he activated the bone’s power and almost summoned the Flowing Time Temple out of the Four Seasons Realm. The bone contained Time Principles.”
Wu Kuang frowned, “What does that mean? Was the bone Flowing Time’s remains?”
Yang Kai nodded, “En! If it wasn’t Senior Flowing Time’s bone, how could it be connected to the Flowing Time Temple and used to summon the palace? In fact, it was just one of his rib bones. There are more of his remains in the East Sea. Some Old Ancestors of the Monster Race had accidentally obtained them in the sea, but that was countless years ago.”
Upon hearing that, Wu Kuang turned solemn. Yang Kai’s statement suggested that Flowing Time Great Emperor’s corpse had been dismembered and scattered in the ocean. The reason Wu Kuang was killed was that he had offended countless people. He was confronted by the Great Emperors and he lost the battle in the end; however, during the era Flowing Time existed, he was practically the Star Boundary’s supreme leader. He also didn’t commit any crimes they knew of, so why would he be killed? Who had the power to kill him?
Yang Kai went on to say, “Senior Flowing Time had tamed an ancient beast called Qiong Qi to be his mount. Even though he had fallen, Qiong Qi survived and went on to keep watch on the Flowing Time Temple. Coincidentally, Qiong Qi and I became good friends. According to him, when Senior Flowing Time was cultivating in his palace one day, he suddenly comprehended something about the Outer Universe, which was why he left his secret room and set off on his journey to explore the universe. However, several dozen years later, his natal artifact broke through the void and returned to the palace while there was no further news about him. Seeing as his remains have been scattered everywhere, it isn’t hard to deduce what he came across in the past. He must have fallen into danger in the Outer Universe and was killed.”
Wu Kuang nodded his head. Judging from what Yang Kai had said, there was nothing wrong with his conclusion.
Yang Kai took a sip of the tea and continued saying, “The fact that Senior Flowing Time fell suggests that even a top cultivator like him wasn’t able to deal with the dangers of the Outer Universe. You’ve said that what you’re doing has something to do with the safety of the people and the Star Boundary. Wu Kuang, have you also explored the universe like Senior Flowing Time did? If so, what did you see? What is the Outer Universe like?”
No one knew whether Wu Kuang or Flowing Time Great Emperor was stronger; however, they were both more powerful than average Great Emperors. Since Flowing Time was able to explore the Outer Universe, Wu Kuang might be able to do the same.
Yang Kai stared attentively and fixedly at Wu Kuang’s face to take in every change in his expression. Unfortunately, Wu Kuang’s radiant face remained as serene as an ancient well. After a moment of silence, Wu Kuang said, “This King knows nothing about Flowing Time’s fate, and has no idea what he came across out there or whether it has something to do with what this King is trying to achieve. However, this King can tell you that it’s indeed very dangerous in the Outer Universe.”
Yang Kai turned serious, “You’ve really been to the Outer Universe!”
Wu Kuang shook his head, “No. It’s just that this King gained some faint insight which allows me to see beyond our World’s boundaries. It’s because of that insight that I don’t dare to go out and explore.”
[He ‘doesn’t dare’ to go?] It wouldn’t have sounded awkward if someone else had said it; however, it was truly horrifying that Wu Kuang had said so.
Then, Wu Kuang lifted his hand in an attempt to pour himself a cup of tea. Seeing that, Yang Kai quickly picked up the teapot and stuffed it into Mei Jiu’er’s arms, “Take it back and drink it slowly. Don’t drink too much in one go. One to two cups should suffice.”
Mei Jiu’er was dumbfounded as she darted her gaze between Yang Kai and Wu Kuang. She wanted to put down the teapot, but she was reluctant to do so; however, she would appear greedy if she just held it in her arms.
She had just drunk two cups of the tea, which was why she was aware that the tea was very beneficial to a cultivator like her. After she went home and cultivated with the tea’s effects, her strength would increase significantly. Now that Yang Kai had given the remaining tea to her, she was both shocked and grateful.
Wu Kuang burst into laughter and put down his cup before waving his hand, “Forget it. It’s not every day that we come across guests. Little girl, just keep it.”
Mei Jiu’er saluted him and replied in a shaking voice, “Many thanks, Senior.”
She held the teapot in her arms like it was the most precious treasure in the world and wouldn’t let it go again.
Wu Kuang put his hands in his sleeves and took one look at Yang Kai, “Don’t read too much into it. I’m not even sure what kind of danger lies in the Outer Universe. This King is just trying to get prepared to face any possible danger. Even though you’re quite powerful now, you’re still too weak in this King’s eyes, so it’s pointless for you to overthink. As for this Lower Star Field… I’ll not integrate yours for now. There are still quite some Lower Star Fields out there. I’ll integrate all of them and then have a discussion with you, alright?”
If Wu Kuang was doing this for his personal gain, Yang Kai would never agree to it and he would’ve fought with him on the spot. Nevertheless, he had already learned some inside news, and coupled with what Duan Hong Chen had said, he would appear too selfish if he insisted on keeping his status as the Star Field Master. Thus, he nodded and said, “Good. However, I’ll make it clear to you first. It’s alright for you to integrate it, but if you dare to harm anything in the Star Field, I’ll never let you off.”
Wu Kuang cackled, “Old Duan is watching over me. I’ll never have the chance to do that even if I want to. En, Old Duan has some questions to ask you. I’ll let him speak to you now.”
Yang Kai straightened his expression and asked, “Senior, what do you want to know?”
The face of the old man in front of him contorted and transformed into Duan Hong Chen’s appearance. It was apparent that Wu Kuang’s Soul had taken a back seat and Duan Hong Chen had taken control of the body for now. After doing some stretching, Duan Hong Chen asked with a frown, “Has anything major happened in the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai said probingly, “Senior, you mean…”
Duan Hong Chen replied, “Fifteen years ago, my heart suddenly clenched tight one day. Looking back, I felt like something must have happened in the Star Boundary at that time, and it had something to do with one of the Great Emperors. Yang Kai, have you heard of anything?”
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared sorrowful, Duan Hong Chen became slightly nervous as he asked again, “Has something really happened?”
He and Wu Kuang had been staying in the Ancestral Domain and had never returned to the Star Boundary, which was why he wasn’t aware of what was going on; however, all Great Emperors had obtained recognition from the World’s Will. If something happened to one of them, a Heavenly Phenomenon would take place in the sky, and everyone would sense it. Nevertheless, Duan Hong Chen wasn’t in the Star Boundary, so he had only faintly sensed something. Naturally, fifteen years ago was when the war on Eternal Sky Continent happened.
With a grim voice, Yang Kai replied, “Senior Bright Moon has passed away.”
Duan Hong Chen was startled for a moment before asking, “Bright Moon is dead? How did he pass away?” He had figured that something major must have happened to one of the Great Emperors, but he had never expected that a Great Emperor had actually fallen.
It had been several tens of thousands of years since the Great Emperors’ War in the Shattered Star Sea. Since then, no Great Emperor had lost their life. It wasn’t to say that the Great Emperors were immortal and indestructible; however, the incident had happened too abruptly. It hadn’t been a long time since he and Wu Kuang arrived in the Ancestral Domain, so why had Bright Moon lost his life all of a sudden?”
“Senior Bright Moon died by my hand,” Yang Kai replied.
Upon hearing that, Duan Hong Chen was startled for a moment, but he soon understood what had happened. On the other hand, Mei Jiu’er was looking at Yang Kai in shock. She had no idea what Great Emperors were or who Bright Moon was; however, judging from their conversation, she reckoned that Bright Moon was a top Master as well as a righteous man. However, such a good-natured top cultivator was killed by Yang Kai.
At that instant, she couldn’t wrap her head around the idea, and her mind had become a mess.
“No wonder! No wonder!” Duan Hong Chen nodded gently, “It’s no wonder I can detect the auras of Bright Moon and the Star Boundary from you. So that’s how it is.”
Yang Kai was astounded, “Senior, aren’t you angry with me?” He thought that after the confession, Duan Hong Chen would question why he had killed Bright Moon. However, he had never expected that kind of reaction from him.
Duan Hong Chen shook his head, “Bright Moon only became a Great Emperor after the Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea. However, since he was a Great Emperor, he was still one of the strongest cultivators in the Star Boundary. If it wasn’t for his own willingness, you’d never have been able to kill him. I guess he asked for death, right?”
He paused for a moment, “Was he in a situation where he could no longer survive, so he asked you to end his life? No, no, no… Given your temperament, even if Bright Moon really made such a request, you wouldn’t have the heart to make a move against him. In that case, he must have made you kill him when you were unsuspecting. You obtained his World’s Will because he was killed by you. That’s why you exude the auras of the Star Boundary and Bright Moon, right?”
As their eyes met, Yang Kai was lost for words and smiled helplessly.
It had been many years since Duan Hong Chen was lugged to the Ancestral Domain by Wu Kuang, so he hadn’t heard any news from the Star Boundary for a long time. However, simply by learning the outcome, he was able to deduce the truth of the matter, which went to show that his insight and intelligence was superb.
“But, something isn’t right…” Duan Hong Chen suddenly scowled, “Even though Bright Moon was killed by you, how did you obtain his piece of the World’s Will? When a Great Emperor passes away, his World’s Will will dissipate into the world and await the birth of the next Great Emperor. Then, the new Great Emperor will be blessed with it. Could it be that… when Bright Moon passed away, his World’s Will wasn’t able to re-integrate into the world, which was why it had to remain in your body? In that case, was Bright Moon killed outside of the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and replied, “Senior Bright Moon indeed died outside the Star Boundary.”
Upon learning the reason behind it, Duan Hong Chen nodded and said, “Tell me what has happened over the years.”
“The Star Boundary is troubled by Demons now,” Yang Kai replied.
Duan Hong Chen turned solemn, “Demons?”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai bowed his head, “Senior, do you know of the incident where Demon Spirits from the Southern Swamp Demon Cave revived?”
At that time, the eldest disciple from Azure Sun Temple, Xia Sheng, told Yang Kai to accompany his friend named Hua Yu Lu to explore an Ancient Cave Mansion in the Southern Swamp. Yang Kai thought that he could get some benefits from it, but he hadn’t expected that he would accidentally unseal a Demon Cave and release numerous Demon Spirits, which then caused a commotion in the Southern Territory.
They were also accompanied by the former Patriarch of the Gong Family from Heavenly River Valley, Gong Yue, whose body was possessed by a Demon Spirit. Yang Kai and the others chased him down to Azure Sun Temple and realised that there was also a sealed Demon Cave in the Temple. The possessed Gong Yue went on to create chaos in the Temple.
During that period of time, Duan Hong Chen happened to be inside the Divine Ascension Mirror in Azure Sun Temple in an attempt to solve the issue of Wu Kuang’s possession of his body; therefore, he should be aware of that incident.
Upon hearing what Yang Kai had said, Duan Hong Chen nodded, “I remember.”
Yang Kai put on a helpless smile, “That was the beginning of it. After the Demon Caves were unsealed, Demon Spirits were revived and went on to possess more people. It took us more than ten years to solve the commotion in the Southern Territory. We all thought that we had gotten rid of the danger, but it turned out there was a bigger plot behind it. I’ve heard that among the ten Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, the most mysterious one is Night Shadow Great Emperor from Shadow Killer Palace in the Western Territory. Even the other Great Emperors were not sure whether he is male or female. Now, it seems that it isn’t that he likes to be mysterious, but rather that he deliberately conceals himself. Night Shadow Great Emperor Can Ye possesses a Shadow Demon bloodline, he is a traitor the Demons have planted in the Star Boundary!”
Even though Duan Hong Chen was a calm person, he still widened his eyes in disbelief upon hearing this.
Regardless of how well or not well the ten Great Emperors knew one another, they naturally had some contact over the years. When Duan Hong Chen was travelling around the world, he happened to visit Shadow Killer Palace and came into close contact with Can Ye once; however, he didn’t detect any unusual aura from Can Ye.
It had never crossed his mind that one of the ten Great Emperors possessed a Demon Race bloodline.
In ancient times, Demons had invaded the Star Boundary. Even Yang Kai had heard of the incident, so there was no way Duan Hong Chen wasn’t aware of it. It was possible that some of the Demons had managed to remain hidden in the Star Boundary, or that some of the women from the Star Boundary were violated by the Demons and then gave birth to children of mixed race.
The Demon bloodline that Can Ye possessed had to be traced back to the last war between the Great Worlds.
There was an awkward smile on Yang Kai’s face which seemed to be a mixture of mockery and sorrow, “A Great Emperor was actually a traitor, and the Demons had been planning for this for a long time. When the right time came, they were able to break the barrier and open up a passageway between the two Great Worlds. Unfortunately, we had no idea what was happening until it was too late. Upon learning the news, the Great Emperors entered the passageway to investigate the matter, but they were unexpectedly ambushed by the Demon Saints. In order to allow the others to escape, Senior Bright Moon remained behind in the Demon Realm. Later, I accepted Senior Heaven’s Revelations’ request and put on a show to infiltrate the Demon Realm. On the surface, I pretended that I had suffered from cultivation dissonance and become demonified, which essentially made me a traitor to the Star Boundary. The truth was that I was heading to the Demon Realm to find out about Senior Bright Moon’s whereabouts and look for a chance to bring him back.”
He paused for a moment, “It seems I have to thank Wu Kuang for that. If it weren’t for his Heaven Devouring Battle Law being unacceptable in the world, I wouldn’t have found an excuse to put on that show. After entering the Demon Realm, everything went well for me at first. I found Senior Bright Moon in a place called Eternal Sky Continent. At that time, he was severely injured, and the Demon Saints had arranged a Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array to suppress him. Besides that, a Demon Saint Blood Demon, Xue Li, had set up the boundless Blood Sea to trap Senior Bright Moon. Faced with the Blood Sea and the Array, Senior Bright Moon was struggling just to survive,” Yang Kai’s voice sounded mournful as he recalled the scene when he saw Bright Moon on Eternal Sky Continent.
Duan Hong Chen chimed in, “I know that the Demon Realm is also a Great World, and the Demon Saints you’ve just mentioned are supposed to be as powerful as Great Emperors, right? How many of them are there?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Senior is correct. In the Demon Realm, the status and powers of the Demon Saints are equivalent to those of the Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. There are twelve of them in total.”
Upon hearing that, Duan Hong Chen gasped and appeared to be suffering from a headache. It was a simple comparison. Initially, there were ten Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. He was held up by Wu Kuang in the Ancestral Domain, Bright Moon had been trapped in the Demon Realm, and Can Ye had betrayed them. It meant that only seven Great Emperors were left to take charge of the Star Boundary. Nevertheless, there were twelve Demon Saints in the Demon Realm in total. Including the traitor Can Ye, it was seven versus thirteen. The odds were almost two to one in favour of the Demon Realm.
With such a stark contrast between the number of top cultivators on both sides, it wasn’t hard to conclude that the Star Boundary was at a severe disadvantage in the Two Worlds’ Great War.
With a frown, Duan Hong Chen said doubtfully, “You said that Bright Moon was trapped in the Demon Realm and he was severely injured, which was a good chance for the Demon Saints to kill him. Why did they only trap him?”
Yang Kai explained with a bitter smile, “Junior had the same doubt at first. After Senior Bright Moon explained it to me, I realised that it wasn’t that the Demon Saints didn’t want to kill him, but that they had bigger plans for him. They wanted to expand the capacity of their World’s Bottle!”
Upon hearing that, Duan Hong Chen gave it a thought and understood what had happened, “I see.”
Without the need for Yang Kai to explain anything, he already realised what the Demons were up to at that time. In that situation, the Demon Saints were capable of killing Bright Moon, but that would lead to nowhere. They would only make those from the Star Boundary lose a top cultivator. If there was no suitable carrier after Bright Moon passed away, his World’s Will would simply dissipate and return to the Star Boundary.
However, if they could trap him and refine him to allow the Demon Realm to devour his World’s Will, they could expand the capacity of the Demon Realm’s World’s Bottle.
It had to be said that the Demons indeed had a thorough plot. Given Duan Hong Chen’s intelligence, he didn’t need Yang Kai to tell him what happened after that.
Certainly, war had erupted and, in the end, Bright Moon was killed in battle. Bright Moon must have made Yang Kai end his life because he knew that there was no way he could survive. Yang Kai was from the Star Boundary, which was why the World’s Will had transferred to him as there was no other choice.
“You’ve done well.” Duan Hong Chen didn’t ask any further questions or make Yang Kai keep explaining. Then, he lifted his hand and clapped the young man’s shoulder, “In that situation, any Great Emperor would have made the same choice. You’re the one who was dragged into matters beyond your means. Fortunately, I can see that you’re still alive and kicking. Even though you were in a perilous situation, you were still able to survive in the end.”
After the World’s Will of Bright Moon was transferred to Yang Kai, Duan Hong Chen could imagine that the eyes of those Demons must have turned bloodshot as they hunted him down.
Regardless of what happened though, Yang Kai was still alive at the very least.
“All of us in the Star Boundary, including the Great Emperors, have to thank you,” If the World’s Will was snatched by the Demons, the Star Boundary would no longer be complete. No one could tell what the consequences would have been if that happened.
A shocked Yang Kai said, “I don’t deserve any thanks. I just didn’t want to disappoint Senior Bright Moon.”
Duan Hong Chen heaved a sigh and fished out a bottle of wine and two cups. Then, he filled the cups with wine for Yang Kai and himself before he faced the sky and lifted his cup to pay homage to his friend. Following that, he drained his glass in one gulp.
Yang Kai similarly finished his wine.
Duan Hong Chen’s emotions seemed to be unsettled after he learned that his old friend had passed away. After drinking his wine, he fell silent for a long time. He remained unmoving and didn’t seem to have the intention to say anything as his aura dimmed.
One hour later, he took a deep breath, and when he lifted his head, his expression became as calm as usual. No one could live forever. The Great Emperors had gone through the vicissitudes of life, so they were already used to it.
“How’s the situation in the Star Boundary? Since you still have the time to come to the Lower Star Field, I guess the situation isn’t so serious yet,” Duan Hong Chen asked. He and Wu Kuang had other matters to attend to, so it would be best if the situation in the Star Boundary was stable; however, if the Star Boundary was in immediate danger, he had to consider returning to support the other Great Emperors.”
“The first few years were the hardest; after all, the Demons were well prepared while we were unsuspecting. However, the situation has stabilised now. Before I returned from the Demon Realm, I sealed off the Two Worlds’ Passage, which cut off the support from the Demon Realm to their armies. The Demon soldiers that are left in the Star Boundary are not capable of making any fuss now.”
Yang Kai put on a smile and went on to say, “Previously, Junior received news that the Demon soldiers left in the Star Boundary were mostly destroyed. Those who are not dead have been accepted into our own armies. Presently, all fifty four armies have gathered in front of the Two Worlds’ Passage in the Western Territory. They’re resting and recuperating right now. When the time is right, we will launch an attack on the Demon Realm.”
“Good,” Duan Hong Chen became energised and elated. After hearing about the crisis facing the Star Boundary from Yang Kai for such a long time, there was finally some good news; however, his expression soon dimmed, “The continued war will destroy lives and devastate families. The people in the Star Boundary must be suffering now.”
Yang Kai replied after a sigh, “The war between the Races devastated both Great Worlds. No one can stay clear of the calamity.”
After a nod, Duan Hong Chen said, “I’ll tell Wu Kuang to leave a secret door in your Star Field later. If the crisis worsens in the Star Boundary, you must come over and inform this Old Master about it. I won’t want to miss the chance to join the war.”
“Good. If we require Senior’s help, Junior will definitely come here to inform you.”
Duan Hong Chen nodded, “I’ll keep watch on your Star Field and we won’t touch it if possible. If… I mean if… we really need it in the end, I want you to cooperate with us. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that old ghost won’t kill as he pleases again.”
“Of course, I believe in Senior.” Yang Kai nodded and fell silent for a moment, “Senior, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Good. I hope that you’ll bring with you some good news when we meet again.”
Yang Kai rose from the chair and saluted him. Seeing that, Mei Jiu’er quickly stood up and bid the old man farewell as well, still holding the teapot firmly in her arms.
Duan Hong Chen waved his hand and engulfed them in a gentle force. As the world around them spun, they soon realised that they had returned to the Starry Sky.
Lifting their heads, they saw that the azure blue aura, which had covered a large part of the Starry Sky, was retreating rapidly. At the same time, a black passageway, which led to an unknown place, abruptly appeared in front of them.
Yang Kai knew that the Void Corridor must be the secret door Duan Hong Chen had left behind. Through the secret door, he could reach the Ancestral Domain and meet with him.
The passageway soon disappeared from their sight; however, Yang Kai could feel that it was still there, just that it had become invisible. It wouldn’t matter even if anyone happened to be in this place and passed through the door. Only by targeting the other end of the passageway with one’s aura could he pass through the Void and arrive at the right destination.
Turning around, Yang Kai flashed a smile at Mei Jiu’er and said, “I should get going. We’ll meet again if there’s a chance.”
Mei Jiu’er was startled for a moment before she realised what he meant, “Senior, are you going back?”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s right. Do you have any plans?”
Mei Jiu’er looked down at the teapot in her arms and gently bit her lip, “I’ll look for a secluded place to cultivate so that I may one day be able to assist you.”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “Then I shall thank you in advance. You’re from Blue Clouds Star, right? I’ll send you there.” They were now on the border of the Star Field, which was quite remote and desolate. Given her cultivation now, it would take Mei Jiu’er a few years to fly across the Starry Sky and reach home.
Upon finishing his words, he lifted his hand and pointed one finger at her forehead. As a thought flashed across his mind, Mei Jiu’er abruptly disappeared from his sight. Before she disappeared, she hurriedly said, “Senior, take care!”
After she was gone, he took a deep breath and stepped forward. There seemed to be an invisible flight of stairs beneath his feet as he kept moving up. After five to six steps, he suddenly disappeared into the Void.
…..
Three days later, Yang Kai, who was clad in a silk robe and a crown with a belt wrapped around his waist, was seated in the head seat in the main hall of High Heaven Palace. His demeanour was that of an expert cultivator.
On his left, Yao Si announced loudly, “Sir, when you were not around in the over ten years that passed, we managed to build up the Sixty-First Army. Now, there are 378,462 members in total. 289 of them are Emperor Realm Masters. Just like the other armies, I’ve divided ours into ten Divisions. Of these Divisions, the first in the Colour Guard with twenty thousand troops. There are two Division Commanders. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.”
At this point, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who were on the other side of the hall, stepped forward and cupped their fists, “Sir!”
While Yang Xue appeared solemn, Yang Xiao still sported a playful and mischievous expression.
Yang Kai nodded and swung his hand, after which a Command Token shot forward. Then, he said, “Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, with the Command Token of the Colour Guard in possession, you shall follow me to the battlefield to fight against our enemies.”
After taking the token, Yang Xiao became more serious as he replied solemnly, “Yes.”
The corner of Yao Si’s mouth twitched, then he cupped his fists and said to Yang Kai, “Sir, the Colour Guard is responsible for staying by your side and protecting you. There are others who will go to the battlefield and fight against our enemies.”
“Really?” Yang Kai coughed into his fists and amended what he had just said, “Then, both of you shall stay by my side and be ready for my orders.”
Yang Xue and Yang Xiao grunted solemnly and returned to their original spots.
Yang Si went on to say, “Besides the Colour Guard, the remaining nine Divisions are named Flying Hawk, Poison Scorpion, Flaming Ox, Raging Flood Dragon, Heavenly Fox, Falling Flower, Spirit Snake, Heavenly Phoenix, and Heavenly Dragon. There are thirty thousand in the Heavenly Phoenix Division which is responsible for military enforcement. The Division Commander is Liu Yan and the Vice Division Commander is Su Yan.”
Two figures immediately stepped forward. The adult woman was elegant and well-mannered while the young girl had a petite frame and a pair of bright eyes. They cupped their fists at the same time and called out, “Sir.”
Yang Kai nodded and tossed another token at them before saying, “Since both of you are responsible for military enforcement, you must be impartial in your judgement, not favouring anyone. On the battlefield, kill those who create chaos, disobey orders, weaken our morale, flee from the battlefield, or snatch credit from others, regardless of who they are.”
After Liu Yan took the token, she and Su Yan said at the same time, “Yes.”
Then, they returned to their original spots, after which Yao Si introduced the other eight Division Commanders and explained their duties to Yang Kai. As the Army Commander, Yang Kai had to understand everything so that he could calmly give appropriate orders on the battlefield in the future.
The Flying Hawk Division had the smallest number of people as there were only a few thousand in total; however, their collective power was not to be underestimated. The Division Commander was one of the thirty-two Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands, Ying Fei. Those from Flying Hawk Division were scouts who were responsible for finding out about the enemies’ secrets. In any ordinary army, those who could be the scouts must all be elites. Only the best talents could accurately seek out enemies and bring back intelligence from the front smoothly. It was no exception for the armies in the Star Boundary.
On the other hand, the Heavenly Dragon Division could be said to be the strongest Division in the Sixty-First Army. This couldn’t be helped as the Division Commander was Zhu Qing while the Vice Division Commander was Zhu Lie. Most of the powerful cultivations in the Division came from Dragon Island. They had about several dozen Emperor Realm Masters, which was one fifth of the Emperor Realm Masters in the entire Sixty-First Army.
Following Yao Si’s announcements, Yang Kai had a better understanding of the Sixty-First Army’s structure. There were more than three hundred thousand soldiers in total, which were divided into ten Divisions.
The Colour Guard was responsible for protecting Yang Kai, with its two Division Commanders being Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, with no Vice Division Commander.
The Heavenly Phoenix Division, which was responsible for military enforcement, was led by Liu Yan and Su Yan. The Flying Hawk Division, which was responsible for scouting and transmitting orders was led by Ying Fei.
Following that, the Poison Scorpion Division was led by Xie Wu Wei, the Flaming Ox Division was led by Xi Lei, the Raging Flood Dragon Division was led by Li Jiao, the Heavenly Fox Division was led by Hu Fei, the Falling Flower Division was led by Du Mi’er, the Spirit Snake Division was led by Chi Lian, and finally, the Heavenly Dragon Division was led by Zhu Qing.
All of these faces were familiar to Yang Kai. They were his friends and family members who had gone through life-or-death moments with him. Among all the Division Commanders, only Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were slightly weaker, while the rest were either Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters or High-Rank Monster Kings.
It could be said that none of the fifty-four armies was as strong as the Sixty-First Army. If the Division Commanders of the other armies were considered powerful, the ones in Yang Kai’s army could be said to be superb.
Apart from the network of friends Yang Kai had built up over the years, the support from Seven Mists Sea was also crucial in achieving this result. More importantly, Yao Si had been working hard over the past dozen years or so.
Even though Yang Kai had been staying in the Star Field for the past decade, he wasn’t oblivious to what was going on in the Star Boundary as he was able to contact the people from High Heaven Palace.
Through Hua Qing Si’s reports, he learned that Yao Si had travelled extensively over the past years to build up the Sixty-First Army.
Although the Monster Kings Xie Wu Wei, Xi Lei, Ying Fei, Hu Fei, Du Mi’er, and Chi Lian originally worked for High Heaven Palace, they had left the Palace and returned to their own Divine Venerables since the Two Worlds’ Great War erupted.
Without Yao Si’s relentless persuasion, Luan Feng and the others wouldn’t have let go of these six Monster Kings. It would’ve been better for them if these Monster Kings could remain in their armies.
It wasn’t hard to get Li Jiao to come to their side. He was originally from the Thirty-Fifth Army, which was led by Bing Yun. Over ten years ago, when she heard that Yang Kai had become the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, she immediately released Li Jiao to lend Yang Kai a hand.
The powerful cultivators from Dragon Island needed no persuasion. Certainly, they would assist Yang Kai in building up the Sixty-First Army, and no Army Commanders could stop them, not even those from Seven Mists Sea.
Those were the Division Commanders.
Under Division Commanders, there were Brigade Commanders and Battalion Commanders. Battalions could be led by Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters; however, Brigades had to be led by Emperor Realm Masters so that they could convince their subordinates to obey their orders.
All of the Emperor Realm Masters were won over by Yao Si.
In the past years, Yao Si had visited all fifty-four armies, and he had managed to poach some people from every single army. It wasn’t that those Army Commanders were easy to deal with, it was just that Yao Si was willing to act shamelessly. Making use of his identity as the Great Emperor’s Son, he brazenly snatched the top talents from other armies, and no one could stop him.
Many Army Commanders had made complaints to Seven Mists Sea, so Li Wu Yi had repeatedly summoned Yao Si and told him to stop doing that. Yao Si would pretend to agree to it, but after leaving Seven Mists Sea, he would fearlessly continue his efforts.
In the past over ten years, he had practically offended all of the Army Commanders. Now, none of the Army Commanders welcomed him at all, and they would avoid him like he was a tiger or a scorpion. Whenever Yao Si visited an army, the Army Commander would quickly run away regardless of how powerful they were; otherwise, Yao Si would immediately ask for some people from them.
TL note: In previous chapters, it was said that the armies were composed of 1 to 5 million soldiers, obviously the author changed his mind at some point and now it 100,000 to 500,000… Just go with it
After more than ten years of hard work and persistence, Yao Si managed to build up a strong foundation for the Sixty-First Army. His hard work earned him the highest respect from everyone, and no one would object to the fact that he was the Army Commander’s Adjutant. They also admired Yang Kai for his shrewdness as he managed to make Yao Si side with them; otherwise, their army wouldn’t have become what it was now.
Presently, all the top talents, Emperor Realm Masters, and Monster Kings, had gathered together in the hall of High Heaven Palace, for which Yao Si deserved the biggest credit.
Yao Si went on to say, “An army cannot be established without a Standard. The army’s morale lies with the Standard. Wherever the Standard leads, the army will charge forward. Sir, please choose a Standard.”
All fifty-four armies in the Star Boundary had their own Standards. Wherever the Army Commander was, their Standard would be too. A Standard was the spiritual support for the army. The Sixty-First Army had just been established, so naturally, they needed one as well; however, Yang Kai had left the Star Boundary more than ten years ago, which was why this matter had been held up until now. Since he had returned now, it was the best time to choose a Standard.
Yao Si had already made some preparations. After he finished speaking, ten disciples from High Heaven Palace stepped into the hall with different flags in their hands. Then, they separated into two rows and took a seat in the middle of the hall before they raised their hands and expanded the flags.
After that, Yao Si said, “These are the final ten flags that the Division Commanders and I have selected. Sir, please choose the flag you prefer to be the Standard.”
Yang Kai nodded his head and rose from the chair. With his hands behind his back, he walked up to the flags and examined them.
It had to be said that Yao Si and the Division Commanders had put in a lot of effort in selecting these flags; after all, the Standard would become the symbol of the Sixty-First Army in the future, so it couldn’t be too gaudy. At the same time, it had to appear authoritative and carry a meaning with it so that others could recognise that it was the Sixty-First Army’s Standard at first glance. It was indeed a difficult task.
All the flags came in different patterns. As Yang Kai went through them, Yao Si, on the side, explained to him what every pattern symbolised.
Yang Kai nodded from time to time as he listened to him; however, after going through all the flags, he fell silent and furrowed his brow.
Seeing that, Yao Si said, “Sir, if you’re not happy with these flags, I’ll tell the vexillographers to make some changes until you’re satisfied with them.”
Yang Kai replied, “There’s nothing I’m not satisfied with.” Frankly speaking, all the flags were excellent, and every one of them was good enough to be shown in public; however, he just felt that something was lacking.
“Sir, which one do you prefer, then?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Our army is a little different from all the others. Even though we were the last to be established, we have the strongest collective power. So, we’re bound to be the main force on the battlefield in the future, and the responsibility on our shoulders is especially heavy; therefore, our Standard has to be more outstanding than those of other armies.” After he finished speaking, his gaze brightened all of a sudden as he extended his hand, “Bring me a sheet of paper and a brush.”
Yao Si quickly gave a hint to the people outside the hall with his eyes, after which the disciples left to prepare the items. All ten disciples, who were holding the flags, left the hall and in just a moment, a few disciples rushed into the hall. Two of them separated and held both sides of a piece of white paper that was as large as a flag. On the other hand, the other disciples had a writing brush and an inkstone with them as they stood beside Yang Kai.
Yang Kai rolled up his sleeves and stood in front of the paper, but instead of drawing on it immediately, he stared solemnly at the paper.
Xie Wu Wei was just seated beside Hua Qing Si, so he leaned close to her and asked in a small voice, “Does Sir know how to draw?”
Hua Qing Si shook her head and spoke to him via Divine Sense, “I’m not sure whether he can draw.” There was a tinge of worry on her alluring face as she prayed that Yang Kai wouldn’t embarrass himself.
The Standard would be the Sixty-First Army’s symbol. If Yang Kai’s art skills turned out to be terrible, the Sixty-First Army would be embarrassed when others saw the flag. She knew that Yang Kai could be a little willful at times, but they had to be more serious when it came to choosing the right Standard.
While she was anxious, she suddenly felt that the temperature in the hall had plummeted as a chill ran down her spine. Instinctively, she circulated her Emperor Qi and lifted her head, only to see that Yang Kai was extremely focused. His murderous intent almost materialised as it swept across the hall, causing everyone inside to feel as though countless needles were pricking their skin.
Yang Kai lifted his hand and picked up the inked writing brush at that moment, and as soon as the tip of the brush came into contact with the paper, it began to flow smoothly. In just two breaths, he was finished.
Then, he passed the writing brush to a disciple and lightly took a few steps backwards. Looking at his work from afar, he grinned and said, “Good. This will be our Standard.”
All of them were on tenterhooks as they wondered what Yang Kai had drawn on the paper, and seeing how satisfied he was, they craned their heads in an attempt to make out what was drawn.
Yao Si was beside Yang Kai, so he could see the paper clearly. His brow twitched as he wanted to say something, but soon, his face relaxed and he waved his hand at the disciples, who were holding the paper.
Both of them turned around and raised the paper to show it to everyone. It was then that all the top cultivators in the hall saw what Yang Kai had drawn on the paper.
There was only one thing on the flag, a large character, ‘Kill’. The character wasn’t beautifully written, but it was imposing. At a glance, every stroke of the word seemed to have turned into a blade and slashed at the beholder, which caused all of them to be astonished.
Yao Qi aptly said, “Sir, we are all willing to follow you into battle against our enemies to protect our homeland.”
Everyone hurriedly rose from the chairs and cupped their fists, “Sir, all of us are willing to follow you into battle against our enemies to protect our homeland.”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Good! Since no one objects, it is decided. There is only one meaning for our Standard, ‘Kill’. Our job is to kill all the Demons who dare to invade the Star Boundary! We will let them know that the Star Boundary isn’t a place they can come as they please!”
“Yes Sir!”
After he finished speaking, a curvy figure jumped out from the crowd and clasped her fists, “Sir, this subordinate is willing to become the Standard-Bearer. I shall tether my life to our Standard. Only if I perish will our Standard fall.”
Yang Kai lifted his head and realised that it was Fu Ling who had just jumped out. She was a Seventh-Order Purple Dragon who came from Dragon Island, so naturally, she was placed in the Heavenly Dragon Division. Supposedly, the Standard-Bearer should be someone from the Colour Guard, so it had nothing to do with her. She must have an ulterior motive for coming forward at this point.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai scoffed, but just when he was about to tell her to step back, Yao Si said, “Sir, it isn’t a bad idea. With a Dragon becoming the Standard-Bearer, it will make our army look even more formidable.”
Yang Kai shot him a look and pondered on it. Upon realising that Yao Si was right, he nodded, “En, since you have the heart to bear this service for us, this King shall appoint you to be the Standard-Bearer for the Sixty-First Army. You must protect the Standard at all costs, only if the army falls will our Standard fall!”
“Sir may rest assured, I shall protect the Standard with my life.” An elated Fu Ling took the paper from the two disciples and joyfully dashed out of the hall.
Yang Kai had only made a draft of the flag while the true Standard had to be created by someone else, so Fu Ling left to look for Hou Yu.
Since the Divisions, duties, and Standard had all been decided and settled, there was nothing else to do. Yang Kai swept a glance over them and said loudly, “All the Demons in the Star Boundary have either been destroyed or accepted into our own armies. Presently, all fifty-four armies are assembling in the Western Territory, so we mustn’t be absent. All Division Commanders, after you return, you must begin preparations. At the break of dawn three days hence, we shall head to the Western Territory and storm into the Demon Realm to kill the Demons!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!” All of them in the hall started chanting. The Monster Kings were especially enthusiastic as their voices seemed to shake the mountain.
…..
With three days to rest, Yang Kai kept his wives and parents company as they enjoyed some quality time together.
Of all his wives, only Xia Ning Chang had an auxiliary profession, Alchemist, so she wouldn’t follow them to the Western Territory. The other four had to go to the battlefield. Su Yan was in the Heavenly Phoenix Division while Xue Yue was in the Colour Guard. On the other hand, the enchantress Shan Qing Luo worked under Chi Lian in the Spirit Snake Division while Zhu Qing led the Heavenly Dragon Division.
It had to be said that after more than ten years of separation, all of Yang Kai’s wives had significantly grown stronger in terms of their cultivation. Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, and Xia Ning Chang had all reached the Emperor Realm, and while Su Yan still remained in the same realm, her power had increased tremendously. Besides the fact that the World Energy in the Star Boundary was denser, this was also because they had extraordinary aptitudes to begin with. When they were still in the Lower Star Field, they were already top talents, so their aptitudes were naturally much greater than that of the average person.
Yang Kai’s parents’ cultivation had increased as well, but he didn’t have the heart to let them join the war. Every breath, people lost their lives on the battlefield. It didn’t matter if they were Third-Order Emperors, Pseudo-Great Emperors, or Half-Saints, as no one could guarantee that they wouldn’t lose their life the next moment. Given such a hostile environment, Yang Kai wouldn’t want them to take part in the fighting. If they really went to the battlefield, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to focus on leading the army as he would want to protect them at all times.
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu knew that after their departure this time, they would only meet again after the Two Worlds’ Great War ended, but even though they were worried and reluctant to part with them, they didn’t show their emotions on their faces. Instead, they forced themselves to smile as they enjoyed this moment of tranquillity.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and at the break of dawn, snowflakes could be seen swirling around with the cold wind on an ice sheet that was several dozen kilometres away from High Heaven Palace. More than three hundred thousand people had gathered on the ice sheet, but despite the numbers present, the place was completely silent.
They had already decided on the place to assemble early on; after all, High Heaven Palace couldn’t accommodate so many people in its main square, so they decided to gather outside instead.
More than three hundred thousand people had been divided into ten formations. The number of people in each formation varied. There were only a few thousand people in the smallest formation while the largest one had more than thirty thousand people. Presently, all of them were staring in the direction where High Heaven Palace was located.
A moment later, a beam of light flew forward from that direction. When they saw the light, it was still several dozen kilometres away, but the next moment, it was already right before their eyes. Its speed was so quick that it had left behind a trail of light in the sky.
When the light diminished, Yang Kai’s figure was revealed.
“Welcome, Sir Army Commander!” All of them called out to Yang Kai in unison. Their voices were so deafening that the world seemed to be shaking and the falling snowflakes stopped in mid-air.
With a rustling sound, the image of a kilometre-long blood-red flag expanded in the sky as it swayed with the howling wind. As the flag flapped, it was as though blood was flowing on it under the morning Sun. At first glance, it was as if the sky was bleeding.
On the flag, a giant ‘Kill’ character could be seen, and nothing else; however, the character seemed to have come alive as its raging murderous intent made even the sun seem to dim.
The flag was eventually hung behind Yang Kai, and it seemed to have covered the entire sky. Despite the fact that Yang Kai appeared as small as an ant compared to the flag, he was extremely imposing.
As the flag swayed with the wind, all three hundred thousand pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the gigantic ‘Kill’, which seemed able to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth!
All of them felt their blood boiling. Despite the fact that the weather was frigid, the gigantic Standard made everyone from the Sixty-First Army become fervent.
Seeing that, Yao Si put on a smile. When he saw Yang Kai writing the gaudy ‘Kill’ character on the paper in the hall a few days ago, he wanted to dissuade him from choosing it as their flag; however, after giving it a thought, he realised that he shouldn’t refute Yang Kai since it was the first decision the Army Commander Kai had made after coming back to the Palace.
Now, he felt fortunate that he didn’t stop him. The Standard was clean and minimalistic. As the flag swayed with the wind, the ‘Kill’ character was able to ignite the soldiers’ enthusiasm.
Then, he balled up his fist and raised it above his head before yelling, “Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
…
The world seemed to be trembling. The collective chanting of three hundred thousand people filled the world with murderous intent. Even the disciples who had stayed back in High Heaven Palace, which was several dozen kilometres away, were able to hear them. Looking from afar, they knew that the soldiers were embarking on a journey to destroy the enemy.
When the dust settled, no one could tell how many of those three hundred thousand people could come back alive. Many of them would probably lose their lives on the battlefield.
At the thought of this, all the disciples in the Palace saluted them from afar.
On Medicine Pill Peak, just like the other disciples who had stayed back, Xia Ning Chang stared at the army in the distance, her gaze filled with worry.
On the side, Ji Ying heaved a sigh, “You know how strong he is. He’s also a Master of the Dao of Space who can flee from danger with ease, so you don’t have to worry about him.”
“I want to go with him,” Xia Ning Chang bit her lip.
Ji Ying said, “We’ve discussed this before, and he has also talked to you about it. You’re an Emperor Rank Alchemist, so it’s better for you to refine more pills here than follow him to the battlefield. For every pill you refine, you might be able to save one more life on the battlefield.”
“I know.” Xia Ning Chang lowered her head, “But I want to be with him.”
Just when Ji Ying wanted to keep dissuading her, Xia Ning Chang didn’t give him the chance to do so. As the wind howled, she spoke in a gentle voice, “Senior Brother, did you know? Since we left Tong Xuan Realm, we have always spent more time separated than together with him. It’s a good thing that he’s ambitious, and we’re happy that he always shields us from the troubles of the outside world; however, we still want to be with him. Even if we fall into danger, we want to face it together with him. Whenever he leaves, all of us cultivate diligently because we want to one day have enough strength to stand by his side and share his burden. Now, the chance has come. Big Sister Su, Luo’er, Xue Yue, and Big Sister Qing are leaving with him, but I have to stay here to refine pills because that is what I am best at, and my pills are of excellent quality. There are also other responsibilities on my shoulders.”
She turned around and stared at Ji Ying as she seemed to be pleading with him, “But Senior Brother, I really want to follow him to the battlefield and fight alongside him. I might not be able to fend off all the troubles for him, but I just hope that I can kill some enemies for him to ease his burden.”
Ji Ying parted his lips, but they soon curved into a smile, “Go then. It’s not too late yet. He hasn’t left.”
“Senior Brother…” Xia Ning Chang gazed at him in shock.
Ji Ying said with a smile, “Whether you’re going to the battlefield or staying here to make pills, you will be helping the Star Boundary, and there’s no difference between the two. Don’t worry, Senior Brother will just work hard to refine your share of pills as well. Moreover, we all only live once, so we can allow ourselves to be willful once in a while. Rather than forcing yourself to stay here, why don’t you follow your heart?”
An elated Xia Ning Chang replied, “Many thanks, Senior Brother! I’ll be going then.” Upon getting a nod from Ji Ying, she bowed to him in an elegant manner before turning to look at the huge flag that was several dozen kilometres away. With her eyes filled with joy, she flew towards that place.
“You must come back safely!” Ji Ying shouted from behind.
“I will. Senior Brother, take care!” Xia Ning Chang’s joyful voice faded into the distance.
Several dozen kilometres away from the Palace, the soldiers were still chanting as Yang Kai stared solemnly at them. All of a sudden, he arched his brow and looked in the direction where High Heaven Palace was located.
All of them stopped chanting and fell silent abruptly as they turned their heads to look in the same direction, only to see a beam of light charging toward them at full speed.
After the light landed, Xia Ning Chang’s figure was revealed. Instead of looking at Yang Kai, she walked up to Yang Xiao and Yang Xue before cupping her fists, “High Heaven Palace’s Xia Ning Chang, reporting for duty.”
A shocked Yang Xiao quickly stepped aside. Yang Kai was his Adoptive Father, and Xia Ning Chang was the youngest among his wives, which also meant that she was his youngest Adoptive Mother, so how could he receive her salute?
On the other hand, Yang Xue put on a smile before she darted her gaze between Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang, then she nodded gently, “Assume your position.”
“Yes!” Xia Ning Chang cheerfully joined the team. Despite the fact that her face was veiled, her excited expression could barely be concealed.
The soldiers were about to head to the battlefield, but a person abruptly appeared and requested to join the Colour Guard. Furthermore, Yang Kai, the Army Commander, hadn’t even agreed to it, which essentially violated the rules.
After Xia Ning Chang joined the army formation though, Su Yan, from the Heavenly Phoenix Division, stared at Yang Kai with her chin lifted, as though she was daring him to reject Xia Ning Chang.
Pretending that he hadn’t seen her threat, Yang Kai remained floating in the void with his hands behind his back, then he coughed and said, “Since everyone is here, we should depart.”
After he finished speaking, he swung his hand, upon which the Sealed World Bead shot out and turned into Gun-Gun in mid-air. Its humongous figure covered the entire sky as it opened its hideous mouth and took a bite.
In an instant, all three hundred thousand soldiers disappeared as they were devoured into the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai raised his hand and retrieved the bead. Turning around, he realised that Fu Ling, who was holding the flag, was looking fixedly at him.
She was the Standard-Bearer of the Sixty-First Army. When Yang Kai arrived at this place just now, she quickly stood behind him and held the flag, which was why she was spared the fate of getting devoured by Gun-Gun.
As their eyes met, Fu Ling flashed a charming smile at him, “Brother-in-law, there are only the two of us now.” She winked at him as though she was trying to hit on him.
“Store the flag!” Yang Kai took a look at the kilometre-long blood-coloured flag.
“Yes!” Fu Ling nodded and pushed her Dragon Source, upon which the flag trembled and became palm-sized in a short moment.
After storing it, she stared at Yang Kai and said, “Brother-in-law, we should get going now. Our destination is far away, so you have to take care of me.”
“Get in.” Ignoring her attempts at seduction, Yang Kai shoved her into the Small Sealed World and immediately felt that the place had become peaceful.
The next instant, he manipulated the surrounding Space Principles and disappeared from the spot.
Inside the hall of Seven Mists Sea, there was a huge sand table in the centre of a grand hall. The view on the sand table was obviously the terrain around the Two Worlds’ Passage that had been significantly shrunk.
Presently, more than twenty people had gathered around the sand table, all of them either Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters or Pseudo-Great Emperors. They were Army Commanders of the Star Boundary.
Li Wu Yi pointed at one spot on the sand table and said, “The Forty-Second Army will be in charge of this node, and you’ll be assisted by the Thirty-Eighth Army. Make sure that the array functions smoothly. There mustn’t be any mistakes.”
After he finished speaking, an elderly man cupped his fists and said, “Yes, Sir.”
Just then, a middle-aged man shot him a look and questioned, “Old man, are you capable of doing that? You’re getting on in years now, so you shouldn’t force yourself to do something you can’t. Just let the Thirty-Eighth Army take charge of the node and the Forty-Second Army can assist from behind.”
The elderly man grinned, “Do you seriously think you’re able to take charge of the node while I can’t? The Supreme Commander is intelligent, so he knows that experience is more important. Stop making a fuss and assist me in killing the enemy. I’ll give you ten to twenty percent of the credit after the war.”
Hearing that, the middle-aged man was infuriated, but just when he wanted to say something, Li Wu Yi said dispassionately, “Stop. The arrangement of the array is a result of the Great Emperors’ discussion. This King is only here to announce their decision. If you have any objections, you can bring them to the Great Emperors. If they agree to let you swap, this King won’t stop you.”
Upon learning that it was the Great Emperors’ decision, the two Army Commanders stopped arguing. However, the middle-aged man still seemed incensed as he shot a glare at the elderly man. He thought that his army was stronger than the elderly man’s, so he was supposed to be in charge.
Li Wu Yi pointed at another spot, “This node will…”
Before he finished speaking, he realised something and took a few steps backwards. The next moment, as Space Principles undulated, a figure abruptly appeared beside him. Seeing that, he put on a smile, “You’re finally here.”
Right after Yang Kai appeared, he realised that many people were staring at him. Even though these people didn’t release any kind of aura, he still felt his chest tightening as he knew that each one was a powerful figure.
Upon closer inspection, he narrowed his eyes in surprise. Given his acute vision, he immediately became aware that these figures were all either Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters or Pseudo-Great Emperors.
Furthermore, it seemed that they were in the middle of an important meeting.
Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists, “Greetings, Sir. Greetings, Seniors.”
Li Wu Yi clapped the young man’s shoulder, “It’s good that you’re here. En, let me introduce you to all of them.” He then turned around and stared at the others in the hall with a smile on his face, “He is the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory as well as the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, Yang Kai. Some of you are already familiar with him while some of you have just met him for the first time. In any case, all of you will be comrades on the battlefield, so you have to cooperate with one another.”
Certainly, Yang Kai knew some of them. Besides Li Wu Yi, Yang Yan, Wen Zi Shan, Ma Qing, Bing Yun, the Three Great Divine Venerables from the Ancient Wild Lands, and several highly ranked Monster Kings were all around. Apart from them, he wasn’t so familiar with the others as it was the first time they had met.
Even though Yang Kai was aware that many top Masters led a reclusive life in the Star Boundary, he was still shocked when he saw that so many Pseudo-Great Emperors had gathered in this place.
Nevertheless, he soon came to the realisation that there were Four Great Lords in Demon Heavenly Dao, who were all Pseudo-Great Emperors, so it shouldn’t be surprising that there were also quite a few Pseudo-Great Emperors elsewhere in the Star Boundary.
Among these people, there was one person whose gaze was extremely cold. Yang Kai turned his head and realised that the source of this cold gaze was Cang Mo, which prompted him to bare his fangs.
He and Cang Mo were on very bad terms.