Yang Kai’s Divine Sense fluctuated and moved about, and he soon noticed something that could not be seen by the naked eye.
The 10 Primary Demon Strongholds were connected to each other with the Demon Towers serving as the foundation. This allowed the Demon Race army to travel back and forth rapidly. Moreover, the 10 Demon Towers seemed to be closely related to each other. To destroy one Demon Tower, one had to destroy all 10 Demon Towers at the same time for any chance of success. The Demon Towers might be tall, but they were constructed in a mysterious way that made them extremely strong. It was no wonder even the two Dragon Clan Elders were helpless against them.
Now that the strength of the two Dragon Clan Elders had grown significantly, they might be able to destroy the Demon Towers if they were allowed to attack with all their strength. Unfortunately, the three Demon Saints were not dead, so they were bound to rush over to stop them the moment Zhu Yan and Fu Zhu tried.
Upon further investigation, Yang Kai realized that what connected the 10 Primary Demon Strongholds were not just the 10 Demon Towers but also a dense network of nodes. After counting them, there turned out to be 108 in total.
The realisation struck him and the 108 Demon Strongholds in the Star Boundary immediately came to mind. 108 Demon Strongholds had appeared in the Star Boundary in the past. Be that as it may, apart from the 10 Primary Demon Strongholds, the Demon Race armies at the remaining 98 Demon Strongholds were either wiped out by the Star Boundary armies or abandoned. Even so, those Demon Strongholds and the Demon Lands that had been devoured remained until now. It was something even the World Principles of the Star Boundary could not repair.
This number had long made many Masters in the Star Boundary secretly wary. The number ‘108’ just happened to coincide with the number in the Heavenly Orbit after all; thus, they couldn’t help wondering if the Demon Race had some sort of secret conspiracy going on. Now it would seem that it was indeed part of a greater plot after all.
Furthermore, the Demon Race had used some sort of unknown method to make these 108 Demon Strongholds into the base of an enormous Spirit Array. They had secretly arranged this inexplicable Heaven Shaking Grand Array, and once it was activated, it rapidly eroded the Star Boundary.
This move was something the Demon Race had planned for from the moment the second Two Worlds Great War broke out, but it wasn’t until today that those plans were put into action. It could be said that they had been plotting far ahead from the beginning.
Under Yang Kai’s investigation, the 108 Demon Strongholds were now rapidly expanding at an astonishing rate. At every moment, there was a large piece of the Star Boundary being transformed into a Demon Land and the Auspicious Spirit Essence was lost as a result.
There was only one thing he could not understand. The foundation for this Grand Array had been arranged several years ago, so why did the Demon Race wait until today to activate it? What was the Grand Array lacking that made the Demon Race hold back for so long?
Yang Kai extended his Divine Sense to probe even deeper, reaching out into the distance when all of a sudden, a shocking image flashed through his mind for a moment before quickly disappearing.
He abruptly jerked his eyes open in shock and cursed, “Damn it!”
Then, he reached out to grab the Azure Dragon Spear and flew up into the sky without warning. Holding the spear straight, he condensed every last bit of strength he could muster as he charged straight at the Demon Tower.
The Demon Race Half-Saints in the surrounding area jumped in surprise. They never imagined that Yang Kai would suddenly turn violent, and by the time they came back to their senses, all of them turned pale together. The Bone Demon Half-Saint from before was the first to shout, “Stop him!”
As soon as those words rang out, the Half-Saints attacked in unison. Various Demon Artifacts and Secret Techniques blasted in Yang Kai’s direction.
Although Yang Kai’s body was as big as a small mountain now, he was strangely agile and nimble. He flickered about erratically, avoided several terrifying attacks one after another and arrived in front of the Demon Tower in the blink of an eye.
Under the horrified gazes of those Half-Saints, Yang Kai gathered everything he could into his spear and thrust forward viciously. A huge black ball with a radius of several tens of metres appeared at the tip of the spear, Space Principles rampaging from it. It was filled with chaos and nothingness, similar to the aura of a Void Crack.
*Hong…*
A wave of vibrations spread out from the Demon Tower as the black ball shrank abruptly. At the same time, both the Heavens and Earth collapsed violently in the direction of the black ball.
*Kacha…* A series of crackling sounds that set one’s teeth on edge rang out from the Demon Tower.
Just then, a ferocious attack landed on Yang Kai’s shoulder. A powerful force erupted and sent his enormous body flying. Despite being thrown into the air, he continued to glare fiercely at the movements of the Demon Tower.
The huge black ball violently shrank into a small black spot and vanished with a flash. At the same time, a large circular hole appeared where the Demon Tower had been struck. The hole was so large that it practically cut the Demon Tower in half. On the other hand, the Demon Tower became extremely unstable after being subjected to this heavy blow. It swayed slightly several times before falling to the ground with a loud creaking sound.
The Half-Saints were so horrified that both their bodies and souls trembled. They never imagined that Yang Kai’s attack would be so powerful that he could cause such damage to the Demon Tower with just a single blow. More importantly, the Demon Tower currently played a key role in the Demon Race’s plans. The Demon Saints would never spare their lives if the Demon Tower was destroyed.
Yang Kai frowned, watching the Demon Tower falling to the ground and did not feel the slightest bit of joy in his heart. Rather, a sense of unease bloomed in him. His current strength might be strong, but it should only be comparable to a Half-Saint. It was also true that he had exerted all of his strength when he wielded his spear to attack just now; otherwise, he would not have been unable to dodge the enemy attack.
But… could an attack like that really destroy the Demon Tower? As far as he knew, it wasn’t as if the two Dragon Clan Elders had not tried to attack the Demon Towers in the past. They actually carried out several attempts, but even they were unable to cause any damage to the Demon Tower in a short time despite using their Unified Secret Techniques.
Yang Kai knew his own power best and was well aware he was no match for either Zhu Yan or Fu Zhun, so how could he possibly do something that they together couldn’t? Even so, there was no denying that the Demon Tower was about to collapse at any moment because of his attack. The slanted Demon Tower only lasted for less than 10 breaths before it collapsed under his gaze. The earth trembled and a haze of dust rose from the impact.
Those Half-Saints felt their limbs going cold and their complexions turned as pale as sheets. Meanwhile, Yang Kai closed his eyes and spread his Divine Sense out again to check the situation in his surroundings, a short while later grinding his teeth in frustration.
The Demon Stronghold’s expansion did not stop just because one Demon Tower had been destroyed. The 108 Demon Strongholds remained closely linked. Not a single thing had changed. It would seem that once the inexplicable Grand Array that was arranged by the Demon Race was activated, the existence of the Demon Towers became irrelevant.
It was no wonder he could knock down the Demon Tower in a single blow. It wasn’t because he was stronger than the two Dragon Clan Elders, it was simply because the Demon Towers had become an existence that was no longer necessary.
All the pieces that the Demon Race required were already in place, so they only needed to wait for the Demon Land to expand until it completely devoured the Star Boundary. At that time, the Star Boundary would become a paradise for the Demon Race. It would become the second Demon Realm!
On the other hand, the Star Boundary would follow in the footsteps of the Peerless World.
Yang Kai coughed lightly as the sweet taste of blood rose in his throat before he turned his head to the side and spat. Even with his more than 1,000-metre-long Half-Dragon Body, taking a blow from a Half-Saint wasn’t something he could just shrug off.
At this moment, the ashen-faced Half-Saints seemed to notice something. Their Divine Senses fluctuated as they communicated between themselves for a moment before their pale faces gradually returned to normal. The expressions on their faces as they looked at Yang Kai also became mocking.
He stared at them coldly, gripped the Azure Dragon Spear tightly, and turned to leave. Having achieved his purpose in coming here, there was no need to stay any longer. He might not be afraid of any Half-Saint in a one-on-one battle, but his strength was lacking if he had to face many of them at once.
Swiftly, he returned to High Heaven Palace. He didn’t even take the time to treat his wounds and teleported directly to the Main Conference Hall.
A familiar figure was waiting for him at the entrance.
Stepping forward, Yang Kai cupped his fists in greeting, “Supreme Commander Li!”
“I heard you went to investigate the situation at the Demon Stronghold. Did you learn anything?” Li Wu Yi asked anxiously. He had rushed over after receiving a report from Hua Qing Si. If there was anybody in the Star Boundary who could get accurate information regarding the Demon Race, it would be Yang Kai; thus, he had come anxiously. Unable to bear waiting for a reply, he decided to come out and ask in person instead.
“A little bit. Let’s go in and talk,” Yang Kai responded and entered the hall together with Li Wu Yi.
Inside the hall, Hua Qing Si had summoned all the top leaders of the various armies to this place and served them tea while waiting for Yang Kai to return. Be that as it may, who would be in the mood to sip tea when the Star Boundary’s survival was on the line? All of them were glancing outside anxiously, and when they saw Yang Kai appear, they quickly stood up.
“Palace Master, are you hurt?” Hua Qing Si noticed the smear of blood at the corner of Yang Kai’s mouth and his slightly pale complexion.
“It’s nothing,” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively. After asking everybody to return to their seats, he shared all the information he obtained during his investigation.
Everybody inside the hall had ugly expressions on their faces after listening to the information Yang Kai brought back.
The Fifty-Third Army’s Army Commander, Fu Ren Jie, spoke through gritted teeth, “I knew there was something strange about those 108 Demon Strongholds, but I never expected this. The Demon Race really played us for fools.”
“Devouring the Star Boundary… Their appetite is certainly big.” Somebody coldly snorted.
“I just wonder if they can actually succeed!” The Twenty-Seventh Army’s Army Commander, Shen Tu Xing, smiled deviously, “Do they really take the Star Boundary’s army for decorations!?”
The Nineteenth Army’s Army Commander, Pan Geng Nian, frowned at those words, “Now that the Demon Lands are expanding, the Star Boundary will really fall if we don’t contain the expansion soon. It wouldn’t matter how large or how strong our armies are, once that happens, everything would be useless.”
Shen Tu Xing turned to look at Pan Geng Nian, “Brother Pan, why do you have to boost the enemy’s prestige and lower our morale?”
Pan Geng Nian shook his head and simply said lightly, “It’s the truth.”
Shen Tu Xing was about to retort when Yang Kai interrupted the conversation, “Although you might be reluctant to admit it, the Demon Race is truly capable of devouring the Star Boundary whole.”
Everybody turned to look at him. Standing up, he swept his gaze over the crowd and spoke in a ringing voice, “Have any of you ever heard of the Great Demon God?”
“Great Demon God?”
“What is that?”
“A Master from the Demon Race? Which Demon is so bold as to use such a title?”
The group of Pseudo-Great Emperor Army Commanders muttered in astonishment. It was obvious that they had never heard of this ‘Great Demon God’. Even Li Wu Yi looked at Yang Kai in surprise, making it apparent that he too was unaware.
It could not be said that the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary were ignorant and uninformed. If Yang Kai had not entered the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld by chance and returned to the time when the ancient war between Humans and Demons took place, he would not have known about the Great Demon God either. Not to mention, this existence was a taboo in the Demon Realm. He had tried to learn more about the Great Demon God from Yu Ru Meng when he first entered the Demon Realm, but she had immediately stopped him and avoided the topic as though it was cursed.
It would seem that Yu Ru Meng probably had some knowledge about the Great Demon God. She was a Demon Saint after all. When her strength reached a certain level, she gained access to certain secrets that other Demons did not know about. Be that as it may, she did not seem to know much either; otherwise, she would not have withheld the information from Yang Kai.
They were supposed to be discussing the crisis that the Star Boundary was currently facing, but Yang Kai had brought up this ‘Great Demon God’ out of nowhere. Everybody was confused, but they were in no hurry to question him. Since he mentioned the Great Demon God at a time like this, then he must be related to the situation at hand.
Everybody was waiting for Yang Kai to explain about who or what the Great Demon God was, but to their surprise, he changed the topic and brought up another conversation, “The Demon Realm was not always called the Demon Realm in the past. It was previously known as the Peerless World. In addition, the people living there were not part of the Demon Race. The Peerless World was no different from the Star Boundary. It was a place where the Human Race dominated the world.”
“The Peerless World was vast and beautiful, in no way inferior to the Star Boundary. Rather, it might even have been better in some aspects. Unfortunately, an uninvited guest came to the Peerless World one day. This person was named Mo Sheng! Mo Sheng had been seriously injured in a fight against his enemy, so he hid in the Peerless World to treat his wounds by devouring the Peerless World’s Auspicious Spirit Essence.”
“As countless years passed, the Peerless World lost its Auspicious Spirit Essence and the entire world was contaminated by Demon Essence and turned into a Demon Land as a result. It was eventually reduced to become a Demon Realm. Meanwhile, the living creatures in the Peerless World were gradually transformed into the Demon Race, which continues to this day.”
“And, Mo Sheng is none other than that Great Demon God!”
“However, another Master entered the Demon Realm at a critical juncture of Mo Sheng’s healing process. The two of them fought a grand battle that caused the Demon Realm to collapse and break apart into countless continents. Mo Sheng’s physical body was destroyed during that battle, while the other Master died from his wounds shortly after.”
“The Demon Race is currently eroding the Star Boundary in order to devour the Star Boundary’s Auspicious Spirit Essence and give Mo Sheng a chance to revive once more. If the Demon Race succeeds in their endeavour, then the Star Boundary will eventually become the second Peerless World. It will be identical to the Demon Realm.”
Yang Kai’s ringing voice echoed throughout the hall, and the Masters there were stunned by what they just heard. They had never heard of anything like this before. Besides, how did Yang Kai learn about the Great Demon God and the Peerless World?
Seeming to sense their doubts, he solemnly continued, “I spent the past three years in the Demon Realm, devouring its continents. Inside one of the continents was a piece of an ancient battlefield. That ancient battlefield was where Mo Sheng’s physical body had been destroyed. I saw images of Mo Sheng fighting another Master in that ancient battlefield. In addition… one of Mo Sheng’s Soul Clones came to find me and told me all these things himself.”
“Mo Sheng’s Soul Clone?”
“That Great Demon God’s?”
Another round of exclamations rang out.
Li Wu Yi frowned, “Didn’t you say that Mo Sheng’s physical body was destroyed?”
Yang Kai looked at Li Wu Yi and said, “His physical body was indeed destroyed, but his Soul remained. As long as the conditions are met, he will be able to make a comeback again, and the Star Boundary’s Auspicious Spirit Essence is exactly what he needs.” Yang Kai paused for a moment before he continued, “It’s obvious now that Mo Sheng is behind the Demon Race’s invasion this time. You might not know this, but there was not a single living creature left in the Demon Realm when I travelled there previously. All the living creatures on all the continents were dead, slaughtered by the Demon Race in order to release the Demon Essence in their bodies.”
“I’m sure you’ve not forgotten the time when the Demon Race army went insane and started killing each other three years ago. I didn’t know the reason behind this phenomenon at the time. It wasn’t until after I questioned some Demon Kings that I learned about the voice that had sounded in their minds at the time. Driven by that voice, they gradually lost their sanity and thought only about killing. That voice was not something any Demon Race member below a Half-Saint could resist.
“The Demon Saints were fighting the Great Emperors at the time, so it wasn’t the doing of the Demon Saints. Thinking about it now, even the Demon Saints might not have the ability to do something like that. I’m afraid only that guy by the name of Mo Sheng has the ability to influence the minds of so many Demons at once. The entire Demon Realm was created because of him and the Demon Race was born from his essence. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to have the means to influence the minds of the entire Demon Race.”
“Tens of millions of the Demon Race army died for this reason. Their deaths were for the same reason as those of Demons who were killed in the Demon Realm. It was to release all their Demon Essence to act as a catalyst to establish the Demon Lands in the Star Boundary. That’s why even the World Principles of the Star Boundary are unable to fix the places where the Demon Strongholds are located after so many years. It wasn’t until today when the Demon Race finally finished their secret preparations and attacked the Star Boundary in earnest.”
Inside the hall, everybody felt cold sweat oozing out of them after listening to Yang Kai’s explanation. They exchanged glances with each other, and although they didn’t want to believe Yang Kai’s rhetoric, they could not find any flaw in his words after carefully comparing the cause and effect.
Shen Tu Xing said bitterly, “Brother Yang, if it is as you say, then the Great Demon God… Mo Sheng’s true strength…”
“En, above a Demon Saint’s!”
The sound of various people gasping in shock rang out. Even though they had guessed as much after hearing what Yang Kai said, it was still difficult for them to accept the truth when Yang Kai confirmed the fact.
The Demon Saints were already an existence that they had to look up to, and yet, the Demon Race still had another Master whose strength was above that of a Demon Saint’s! Even if Mo Sheng’s body had been destroyed, his Soul remained. That meant that he had a chance of being resurrected. If such an existence were to return to life, who in the Star Boundary could stand in his way? At this rate, the Star Boundary would be following in the footsteps of the Peerless World to become the next Demon Realm.
A trace of worry flashed across Li Wu Yi’s eyes.
The changes in the Demon Strongholds and their consequent rapid expansion had left the Star Boundary panicking, and now Yang Kai had thrown out such shocking information at a time like this and without any warning whatsoever; all this was very likely to dramatically affect morale.
On second thought, however, the situation had already reached this point, so even if Yang Kai had kept quiet about this, morale would not be any better. At the very least, choosing to tell them meant that they would know who their enemy was. Perhaps, it was out of this consideration that Yang Kai decided to reveal and divulge these secrets now.
“Everyone, you don’t need to worry too much. The Great Demon God might be far stronger than a Demon Saint, but his body has been destroyed. Even if his Soul Clones are causing trouble out in the world, they won’t even have 1% of his original’s strength at his peak; otherwise, they would have shown themselves a long time ago. Why would they need to hide so furtively that nobody knows about their existence?”
If Mo Sheng’s Soul Clone inside the Small Sealed World had not been overconfident about being able to take over Yang Kai’s Small Sealed World, he would not have shown himself either. Then, Yang Kai would not have been able to obtain this information.
Pan Geng Nian said, “Brother Yang, just who in the world was the one who destroyed Mo Sheng’s physical body back then?”
The Great Demon God was powerful, but there was a precedent of him being defeated; hence, they were very curious about the Master who managed to kill him.
Yang Kai glanced at Pan Geng Nian and replied in a pensive voice, “This person’s title is one that you are familiar with. Back then, the one who fought Mo Sheng and destroyed his physical body was Flowing Time Great Emperor!”
The Masters raised their brows and immediately showed a proud look at those words. Mo Sheng’s true strength was above that of a Demon Saint’s, but Flowing Time Great Emperor had successfully destroyed his physical body. Wouldn’t that mean that Flowing Time Great Emperor’s cultivation had reached the same Realm?
Somebody frowningly said, “Brother Yang, you mentioned just now that Mo Sheng’s body was destroyed after that battle while his opponent perished from his wounds. Could it be that…”
Yang Kia nodded affirmatively, “Yes. Flowing Time Great Emperor died at Mo Sheng’s hands.”
There was another round of gasps. Flowing Time Great Emperor was practically a legend in the long history of the Star Boundary. There had been many Great Emperors in the Star Boundary throughout the ages, but not many remained famous to this day. Wu Kuang could be considered one of them, and Flowing Time Great Emperor was definitely another.
Even though everybody knew that the Flowing Time Great Emperor was no longer alive, how he died had remained a mystery. They all thought that he had died in the Flowing Time Temple of old age. It wasn’t until now that they learned that the Flowing Time Great Emperor had actually died in battle.
Li Wu Yi said thoughtfully, “It would seem that the disappearance of the Great Emperors is also related to Mo Sheng.”
At first, he had doubts about how and why the Great Emperors had gone missing without reason. Although the same number of Demon Saints had gone missing, such a large-scale effort could not have been easy to pull off. However, it would not be strange if Mo Sheng was involved in this matter.
Yang Kai nodded, “I was just about to speak about this. I saw the Great Emperors when I went to investigate the nearby Demon Stronghold.”
There was a brief commotion and many people jumped up in shock, some even knocking over their teacups in surprise.
Yang Kai swiftly raised his hand to quiet them before continuing, “It’s not what you think. The Great Emperors are neither in the Star Boundary nor the Demon Realm. Their location is very vague and I only saw a very brief glimpse of them, so I can’t determine their exact location.”
When Yang Kai immersed his Divine Sense into the Demon Stronghold previously, a blurred image had flashed through his mind all of a sudden. He did not know whether it was by chance or intentional; however, that image contained the many figures of the Great Emperors.
“How are the Great Emperors currently?” Li Wu Yi asked. Now that the Star Boundary was in this situation, the only hope for them was if the Great Emperors could return. Simply relying on the strength of the two Dragon Clan Elders left them too vulnerable as they were outnumbered and overwhelmed even though their strength had grown considerably.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “Not good. The changes in the Star Boundary are apparently related to them. The Demon Saints seem to be holding them in a strange isolated space which has various Grand Arrays set up all around them. The Demon Saints appear to be refining the Great Emperors’ World’s Will.”
The Demon Race had tried something similar more than 20 years ago. The target of their attempt was none other than the late Bright Moon Great Emperor. Bright Moon Great Emperor had been trapped on Eternal Sky Continent. During that time, the Demon Saints had blood sacrificed all the living creatures on Eternal Sky Continent and even set up the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array in order to refine Bright Moon. It was all so that the Demon Realm could devour the part of the World’s Will in his body.
If the Demon Saints had succeeded in their attempt back then, then the Star Boundary’s Will would forever lose a piece of itself. The impact that would cause was difficult to imagine. It might cause the Star Boundary’s Heavenly Way to become incomplete, or the World Principles to shatter, or the capacity of the World’s Bottle to shrink. In contrast, there was a chance for a new Demon Saint to be added to the Demon Realm!
It was just that the Demon Race’s attempt at the time ended in failure. In the end, Bright Moon managed to hand over the World’s Will to Yang Kai before he died.
Many years had passed since then and a similar incident was taking place again; moreover, it was on a much larger scale this time. The seven Great Emperors were trapped in that inexplicable space surrounded by Spirit Arrays as though they were being held inside a Refining Furnace and the World’s Will in their bodies were being slowly corrupted at all times.
The Demon Race had secretly put their plans into place several years ago. The only reason they had waited until now to take action was in preparation for the refining process.
The World’s Wills that the Great Emperors had were equivalent to the Star Boundary’s self-protection mechanism. The Demon Land would be unable to expand rapidly without refining those World’s Wills; therefore, the current rate of the Demon Lands’ expansion was practically equivalent to how far the refining of the Great Emperors’ World’s Wills had progressed. Once they were completely refined, then the entire Star Boundary would be at stake.
It was precisely because of this plan that the Demon Saints immediately dragged the Great Emperors into that strange place as soon as the battle between the two Great Worlds broke out a few years ago. The first reason was to prevent the Great Emperors from interfering in the subsequent battles and limit the strength of the Star Boundary. The second reason was to refine the World’s Wills in their bodies and break through the Star Boundary’s defences.
Now that everything was in place, the Star Boundary would be powerless to resist once the Demon Race made their move. Large pieces of land would be devoured and turned into Demon Land.
A solemn atmosphere enveloped the hall. What Yang Kai had said today was a great shock to their minds. Even they had trouble digesting this piece of information.
“How do we stop it?” Someone finally asked.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly in response. Even though the Demon Race’s plans had been revealed, the Star Boundary was still completely powerless to resist. Unless the Great Emperors had a way to escape or stop the refining process, the Star Boundary would fall sooner or later.
“Heaven’s Revelations, Profound Heavens Manifestation…” A soft voice came from a corner of the hall.
Yang Kai lifted his head abruptly and looked in that direction, a strange look in his eyes. The person who spoke turned out to be Gao Zhan, so Yang Kai hurriedly asked, “Brother Gao, where did you hear this from?”
Gao Zhen was somebody Yang Kai did not have much contact with. They only spent a short time together in a Sealed World between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm more than 20 years ago. He was the Legacy Disciple of Heavens Revelations Great Emperor. Although Gao Zhen’s ability to see the secrets of the Heavens, gaze into the future, and look back into the past was not as great as the Great Emperor, he had received the true inheritance of the Great Emperor.
Back in that Sealed World, Gao Zhen had warned Yang Kai to be careful. Those words were later proven to be not without reason. Yu Ru Meng had pretended to be Li Shi Qing to plant a Soul Secret Technique in Yang Kai. It was only after that that the various entanglements between him and Yu Ru Meng occurred.
Gao Zhan had been staying in High Heaven Palace for the past few years, but he was not recruited into any of the armies because he was the Disciple of Heavens Revelations Great Emperor. Thus, he was a free man. Despite participating in this meeting, he had remained silent all this while; therefore, it was unexpected to hear him speaking those words at this time.
It would have been different if he had said anything else. The key point was that Yang Kai had heard those words recently. Moreover, those words had come from his very own mouth.
He had previously lost consciousness for a moment in the Ancient Wild Lands. According to Su Yan and Luan Feng, he had said those words before fainting, although he himself had no recollection of doing so.
It would now seem that it was some kind of warning from the Star Boundary. This beautiful world that was the Star Boundary had sensed the impending crisis when the Demon Race made their move, and as he received Bright Moon Great Emperor’s legacy and part of the World’s Will, it was only natural that Yang Kai could somewhat observe the movements of the Heavens.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, Gao Zhan solemnly cupped his fists, “Sir, these were the words Honoured Master left with me before his departure. He predicted this revelation several years ago and figured out that the Star Boundary was going to fall into danger. Thus, he told me that I should tell you these words when the time came.”
“Tell me?” Yang Kai frowned deeply. He added in astonishment, “Did the Great Emperor say anything else?”
Gao Zhan shook his head slowly.
Yang Kai’s scowl deepened even more. He had observed a trace of the Heavens’ Revelations while unconscious and subconsciously spoken those ambiguous words out loud. Now, to his surprise, Heaven’s Revelations Great Emperor had already left a message regarding this several years ago.
[Just what is the profound meaning behind these words?]
It was easy to understand what it meant by ‘Heavens’ Revelations’. Now that the Demon Race had all their pieces in place, the Demon Land was expanding rapidly while devouring the Auspicious Spirit Essence of the Star Boundary. With the Star Boundary facing great danger, the situation was changing and the course of the future became unpredictable.
Even so, what did ‘Profound Heavens Manifestation’ mean? From the literal meaning of the words, it sounded like something was going to appear. Unfortunately, the Profound Heavens’ words were too vague for Yang Kai to make sense of even after racking his brains.
Inside the hall, everybody discussed the matter noisily for a bit, but there was nothing they could do in the current situation.
Some suggested launching an all-out attack immediately, dispatching all fifty-five armies to ruthlessly kill the Demon Race in cooperation with the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan. Others suggested that they do nothing at all. They wanted to study the mysteries of the expanding Demon Land in hopes that the Great Emperors might have a way to stop this from happening.
For a time, the hall was filled with noise. Li Wu Yi finally managed to calm everybody down, and then issued a command for all the armies to monitor the situation of the Demon Strongholds closely and prepare for battle at any time.
An hour later, the crowd dispersed; however, Li Wu Yi did not leave.
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Sir, do you need anything else?”
Li Wu Yi studied Yang Kai deeply, a complicated emotion behind his gaze, which made the latter very confused.
Yang Kai had known Li Wu Yi for a long time now, but he had never seen the latter showing such emotions before. It seemed like there was a trace of regret and envy in that gaze…
“Senior?” He frowned slightly.
Li Wu Yi sighed softly and murmured under his breath, “Heaven’s Revelations, Profound Heavens Manifestation… Who knows if it will be a blessing or a disaster for the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “Sir, do you know something?”
Li Wu Yi did not answer and simply smiled slightly in response, “Come take a walk with me.”
While speaking, Li Wu Yi headed out of the hall with a flash of his figure. Yang Kai pondered for a moment before hurrying to catch up.
They were both proficient in the Dao of Space, so with every flicker of their figures, vast stretches of land flashed beneath their feet and the scenery around them changed constantly.
They flew for an hour without stopping before they arrived somewhere in the wilderness. This place was desolate and uninhabited. Most of the places in the Northern Territory were cold and frozen, and this place was no exception. It was covered in a blanket of snow, and their breaths misted visibly in front of them.
Li Wu Yi stood mid-air with his hands behind his back as he looked up at the sky. Similarly, Yang Kai lifted his head to look. However, all he saw was a blur of white in the sky as goose feather-like snow fell around them.
He did not know why Li Wu Yi had brought him to this place all of a sudden, but the latter obviously had something to tell him. Besides, what Li Wu Yi said just now bothered him greatly. The other party seemed to understand the meaning hidden behind those cryptic words.
“Sir…” Yang Kai called out, intending to get a clearer understanding of the situation.
However, Li Wu Yi suddenly turned around with a chilling expression on his face. The murderous intent radiating from his body was practically palpable. Raising a hand, he struck at Yang Kai without warning.
Yang Kai was caught off-guard by this action. He never imagined that Li Wu Yi would attack him. In all the time that he had known Li Wu Yi, the latter had always been gentle and cordial. Li Wu Yi had never shown him any contempt even when he was still very weak and powerless.
Li Wu Yi was the kind of person that would give anybody the impression of a gentle spring breeze when interacting with him. He was not arrogant despite being recognised as the strongest Master below the Great Emperors. Rather, he had always treated others warmly and amicably.
Moreover, the Star Boundary army had won numerous battles against the Demon Race army under his command over the years. It could even be said that he held most of the credit as to why the Star Boundary managed to persevere until today. There was no telling what kind of situation the Star Boundary would be in right now if not for him.
From Yang Kai’s standpoint, Li Wu Yi was a noble Senior who was willing to teach and guide his Juniors without reserve. He learned a lot from Li Wu Yi through various discussions and exchanges regarding their thoughts and experiences on the Dao of Space. Therefore, a person like Li Wu Yi was both a teacher and a friend to him. Yang Kai held great respect for Li Wu Yi, so he never imagined that Li Wu Yi would try to kill him one day!
The attack that came rushing down at him was extremely terrifying. Space Principles fluctuated violently and it was clear it was no ordinary attack. It was an attack that truly meant to take his life.
Although this attack came without warning, Yang Kai’s reaction was not slow either. He hurriedly raised his palm to counter.
When their palms came into contact, Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically. He could feel the Principles surging at him in an unpredictable manner. Although he was familiar with Space Principles, this attack still gave him an overwhelming feeling.
Li Wu Yi had been immersed in the study of the Dao of Space for a long, long time, so it was not surprising that his control over the Space Principles was superb.
Yang Kai pushed his Demon Qi madly, causing the Space Principles to warp even more madly, literally shaking the world around them. The Heavens and Earth between the pair began to crumble and shatter, piece after piece. Afterwards, there was a loud explosion and Yang Kai was sent flying. His body trembled uncontrollably before he managed to purge the Principle Strength that had invaded his body.
On the other hand, Li Wu Yi only staggered backward by three steps before stabilising his figure once more. This clash of strength clearly indicated who was stronger between them!
“Sir, what is the meaning of this!?” Yang Kai shouted. He did not wish to fight Li Wu Yi, especially in such an unreasonable battle.
“Enough nonsense! Today, either you die or I perish!” Li Wu Yi’s expression was cold, and while speaking, he lunged forward and punched at Yang Kai. A figure in his image was still standing in place, but it was only an afterimage.
Yang Kai brought both hands up in front of him and blocked this attack. His body was blasted over a thousand kilometres backwards and his complexion paled slightly as a result. He shouted through gritted teeth, “Sir, have you been affected by demonification!?”
Li Wu Yi’s sudden change in temperament made him wonder if the other party had accidentally been infected by Demon Essence at some point in time. While speaking, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged and wrapped around Li Wu Yi as though to check the latter’s condition.
Li Wu Yi replied solemnly, “Do I look like I’ve undergone demonification?”
The Space Principles around his body fluctuated and cut off Yang Kai’s probing Divine Sense.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai felt a slight pain in his head. The Soul Warming Lotus fortunately came into play to repair his damaged Divine Sense.
On the opposite side, Li Wu Yi raised his hand and pointed a finger at Yang Kai. Intangible Principle Strength transformed into an attack that was visible to the naked eye and shot straight towards Yang Kai’s forehead. If this attack landed, Yang Kai’s head was bound to explode on the spot.
Yang Kai had always known that Li Wu Yi was the strongest beneath the Great Emperors, as well as a pinnacle existence among the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints. Even so, he had never really exchanged blows with the latter before. Therefore, he did not have a clear understanding of what being the strongest meant. It wasn’t until this moment that he properly understood what it was to be second only to the Great Emperors!
This person in front of him was clearly different from all the other Half-Saints and Pseudo-Great Emperors that he fought in the past. The fierce offensive coming at him barely gave him any time to catch his breath. He only managed to barely lift his hand and send out a Moon Blade when the arrow of Principle Strength was almost upon him.
The collision was silent, then the two bursts of Space Principles vanished. He spoke with a serious expression, “Sir, please stop!”
He really did not wish to fight Li Wu Yi at a time when the Star Boundary’s survival was at stake. No matter who won in the end, it would be a loss for the Star Boundary. Besides, he was not confident he could win against Li Wu Yi even if he brought out everything he had. At most, he would only just barely escape alive.
“Bring out everything you have! Otherwise, you will die here today!” Li Wu Yi shouted while clapping both hands together in front of him at the same time. Following that action, Yang Kai immediately felt space tightening around him, as though he was being held in place by an invisible force.
The space surrounding Yang Kai became compressed. Every part of his body was placed under great pressure and creaking sounds rang out from his bones. All this while, he had always used Space Principles to restrain his enemies’ movements. Now that he was facing Li Wu Yi, he finally got a taste of what it was like for those people he had restrained in the past.
The Space Principles that pressed down from all directions were not something he could resist with his physical body alone. If he continued to endure by willpower, he would eventually be squashed into paste.
Giving a furious roar, Space Principles fluctuated above his hands as he slowly pushed them out to the sides, as though he was pushing open a set of invisible doors. Following his movements, a ripple that was visible to the naked eye spread out into the surroundings. The Space Principles pressing down on him immediately eased up considerably.
A trace of appreciation flashed across Li Wu Yi’s eyes before he suddenly flattened his palms that were pressed together and swiped out horizontally at Yang Kai.
In the next moment, Yang Kai saw a Void Crack forming out of nowhere at the spot between his waist and abdomen. It was as though that Void Crack had always existed in that spot and was only just rearing its ugly head at this moment. His expression twitched involuntarily.
[I see. So Space Principles can also be used in this way.]
Before he could fully appreciate Li Wu Yi’s ingenuity, that several-metre-long Void Crack sliced through his skin like an indestructible blade. A stabbing pain came out as even the physique he was so proud of could not withstand an attack like that.
The pressure surrounding him was still in place, causing him to struggle to move. It was too late for him to retreat at this point. Even though his life was at stake, his mind was strangely calm and he was not the slightest bit panicked. Reaching out his hand, he grabbed at the Void Crack.
His large hand transformed into a Dragon Claw when his fist closed in a grip. He was grasping the Void Crack in his hand, causing it to struggle as if it had a life of its own. Exerting more force, Yang Kai’s claw closed tightly and the Void Crack shattered.
He was the only one who could do something like this because he was also proficient in the Dao of Space. How could just anyone grab a Void Crack with their bare hands? It would surely end in tragedy the moment they came into contact with it.
On the other side, the admiring light in Li Wu Yi’s eyes grew stronger when he saw Yang Kai easily dealing with his sure-kill attack. It was just that he concealed his emotions very well, so the depths of his eyes remained as cold as ever. He looked like he would not stop until he killed Yang Kai on the spot. His palms that were placed flat against each other suddenly pulled apart. He slowly moved his palms in a spinning motion, rotating his hands against each other…
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically. He felt as though the space he was standing in had undergone Earth-shaking changes. The space around his upper body turned in a clockwise direction while the space around his lower body turned in an anti-clockwise direction. The spinning motion was slow but firm and unyielding. As a result, the space he was standing in became disjointed.
His body was twisted into a very strange posture in an instant. Both his upper body and his lower body were twisted in opposing directions and a painful creaking sound rang out from all his bones.
Feeling greatly horrified, he pushed his Space Principles madly once more to restore the chaos to order. Creaking sounds rang out incessantly. Concurrently, the Void within a radius of a thousand metres centred around Yang Kai became frayed as countless tiny cracks flashed and disappeared erratically.
Li Wu Yi’s expression became solemn. His slowly spinning palms seemed to face some kind of resistance and their speed of rotation became slower and slower until it finally came to a stop.
When a furious howl sounded, space shattered and Yang Kai’s body, which was twisted strangely, returned to normal. At the same time, Li Wu Yi clapped his palms together again.
“Sir, take this!” After receiving multiple fierce attacks from Li Wu Yi, Yang Kai no longer held back. He had lost his temper. It didn’t matter why Li Wu Yi was doing this; he could not stand to allow himself to passively receive these attacks forever.
The best way to deal with the strongest Master beneath the Great Emperors who, like himself, was also proficient in the Dao of Space was to go on the offence, not passively try to escape. There was no point in trying to escape from Li Wu Yi and simply defending would only hasten his death and defeat. Only by attacking could he stand a chance of victory!
Flicking his ten fingers one after the other, pitch-black Moon Blades flew out towards Li Wu Yi with the last one being much larger and containing an extremely horrifying power.
Despite facing the overwhelming attack, Li Wu Yi’s expression remained calm. He simply raised his hand and gave a light wave in front of him. His actions were elegant, almost as if he was sweeping dust away, but the power of the Space Principles was instantly flattened. The Moon Blades didn’t even manage to approach Li Wu Yi before dissipating into nothing. Only the last and largest Moon Blade carried on; however, even that was deflected to the side, brushed past his body, and flew away.
“Your Moon Blades are useless against me!” Li Wu Yi glanced at Yang Kai and spoke in a calm tone. He had discussed the Dao of Space on numerous occasions with Yang Kai; hence, he was familiar with the latter’s Moon Blades. What’s more, it was not his first time seeing Yang Kai using this move.
Unaffected by those words, Yang Kai threw a punch, “If the Moon Blades won’t work, then what about this!?”
While Yang Kai was speaking, a black ball suddenly appeared in front of Li Wu Yi. The aura of chaos and nothingness fluctuated within the black ball, similar to the aura of a Void Crack.
Li Wu Yi raised his brow at the sight. He could clearly sense that this attack was much stronger than the previous Moon Blades; thus, his desire to learn the secret behind it was stimulated. To his surprise, the Divine Sense he released to examine it was devoured by the black ball.
In the next moment, the black ball shrank abruptly and turned into a small black point. The surrounding space collapsed inwards at that moment and Li Wu Yi was hit by the brunt of the attack. He had a hard time fending off the collapsing force and his entire body consequently twisted and rushed towards the rapidly shrinking black spot.
There was a loud whooshing sound as the black spot vanished with a flash. The collapsing world disappeared too. When everything calmed down, there was a large circular crater on the previously flat ground that was the size of several thousand metres wide.
Meanwhile, Li Wu Yi remained standing in his original position, the Space Principles around his body pulsing strongly. He had managed to defend against that horrifying power at the last moment and his distorted figure returned to normal when the black spot vanished.
He finally let out a sliver of a smile and commented, “Although it’s not bad, it’s not enough!”
By the time the last word left his mouth, he had already arrived in front of Yang Kai and thrust out with his palm.
Yang Kai’s figure abruptly retreated and flashed straight into the Void, leaving an afterimage in place.
As Yang Kai’s afterimage scattered into nothing, Li Wu Yi stepped forward and chased after him.
Two figures appeared one after the other above that vast, empty plain, mysteriously appearing and disappearing again without any discernible pattern. If anybody else were to witness this sight, they would think that there was something wrong with their eyes. The erratically flickering figures were extremely elusive. They might be here one moment only to appear a thousand kilometres away the next.
During their clash, their positions kept interchanging with each other. It was no longer possible to determine just who was chasing and who was being chased. What bystanders could not see were the countless manoeuvres and numerous confrontations that happened inside the Void…
At a certain moment, there were two whooshing sounds accompanied by the shift of both Li Wu Yi and Yang Kai’s figures, turning from illusory images to solid matter. They appeared together, standing in their original starting position with the original distance between them. It was almost as if they had not moved at all.
Looking at each other, Yang Kai furrowed his brow tightly. On the other hand, Li Wu Yi smiled with a hint of relief in his eyes, the previous coldness and murderous intent from before nowhere to be seen.
Yang Kai licked his somewhat dry lips and asked, “Sir, what is the meaning of this?”
At the very beginning, Li Wu Yi had truly released a terrifying murderous intent as though he wanted to kill Yang Kai on the spot; however, after fighting the other party, Yang Kai soon realised that the battle had many elements to it that were much closer to a test than a fight. The intense murderous intent was only to force him to go all out.
Moreover, Li Wu Yi only used Space Principles from start to finish. As strong as he was, how could he not have any powerful Secret Techniques or artifacts on hand? If he really wanted to kill Yang Kai, he would surely use everything at his disposal.
There was only one thing Yang Kai could not understand. [Why is he testing me at this time? If there’s something going on, why can’t he just tell me about it properly?]
Li Wu Yi smilingly said, “Heaven’s Revelations, Profound Heavens Manifestation! The battle of the Grand Dao is upon us!”
Yang Kai blinked, then his expression froze slightly before he exclaimed, “Sir, do you mean…”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “It’s exactly what you are thinking.”
Seeing Li Wu Yi’s affirmation made all the blood in Yang Kai’s body boil. He couldn’t stop his mouth from going dry. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he asked, “Is the Grand Dao battle related to those words?”
Li Wu Yi chuckled, “The place where the battle for the Grand Dao will take place is precisely the Profound Heavens Temple.”
“Profound Heavens Temple?” Yang Kai glanced at Li Wu Yi in surprise, “Where is that?”
“I have no idea. I’ve only heard of it myself.” Li Wu Yi frowned.
It seemed like there was no way to ascertain just what the Profound Heavens Temple was. Still, since it was called the Profound Heavens Temple, it had to be some sort of mysterious place.
When Yang Kai had been trying to guess what those words meant before, the words ‘Profound Heavens’ had completely baffled him. It wasn’t until Li Wu Yi explained it to him that he finally understood what it meant. [‘Profound Heavens’ was probably referring to the Profound Heavens Temple.]
Seeing as both he and Heavens Revelations Great Emperor had received insight into the movements of the Heavens and spoke these words as a result, it had to be an indicator that the Profound Heavens Temple was about to appear.
Li Wu Yi stood with his hands behind his back and leisurely explained, “The Profound Heavens Temple opened up a hundred years after the Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea. All those qualified in the Star Boundary had entered the Profound Heavens Temple to seek their own opportunities and compete for the Grand Dao. The opening of the Profound Heavens Temple at that time saw the rise of Senior Martial Beast, Senior Bright Moon, Senior Ice Feather, Senior Flower Shadow, and Can Ye. They all broke through the final barrier to become Great Emperors.” He paused for a moment and smiled, “Do you know why there are five of them?”
Yang Kai pensively replied, “Because five Great Emperors died in the Great Emperor War?”
The Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea was the battle where all the Great Emperors in the Star Boundary had besieged Wu Kuang. In that battle, Wu Kuang had fought against nine other Great Emperors who were working together with his strength alone. Although he was ultimately defeated, Wu Kuang managed to kill Cyan Lotus Great Emperor, Yuan Ding Great Emperor, Martial Flame Great Emperor, and Azure Sea Great Emperor before his death by relying on the Heaven-defying might of his Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
That unprecedented battle had shaken the Heavens and the Earth. There had never been a more intense battle in the long history of the Star Boundary.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell that was currently in Yang Kai’s possession used to be the natal artifact of Yuan Ding Great Emperor. Meanwhile, the Phoenix True Fire that Liu Yan obtained was the legacy of Martial Flame Great Emperor.
During the Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea, Wu Kuang had killed four Great Emperors while he himself was torn to pieces in the battle. Although his Soul had escaped to hide deep within the Shattered Star Sea, as far as the Star Boundary was concerned, half of the ten Great Emperors had lost their lives in that battle, leaving exactly five behind.
The capacity of the World’s Bottle was limited. The Demon Realm’s limit was twelve while the Star Boundary’s limit was ten. For that reason, only five would have a chance to rise even though there were many competitors who were qualified to become Great Emperors when the Profound Heavens Temple opened at the time.
Li Wu Yi smiled and nodded, “That’s right. Five Great Emperors died in the Shattered Star Sea, so it was reasonable that another five were born in the Profound Heavens Temple at that time. And now, the Profound Heavens Temple is going to open again soon. Unfortunately, the situation this time will be unlike last time. There won’t be as many Great Emperors being born again. I’m afraid… only one will be born.”
Yang Kai understood immediately. Among the ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, Bustling World Great Emperor was missing while Night Shadow Great Emperor had defected to the Demon Realm. Nevertheless, they were still alive. Only Bright Moon Great Emperor had lost his life, so only one space had been freed up in the World’s Bottle. Even if the Profound Heavens Temple opened and the day of the Grand Dao battle grew closer, only one person would succeed in becoming a Great Emperor in the end. So, the competition was going to be extremely fierce!
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai understood what Li Wu Yi meant previously. The Star Boundary was at a critical juncture where its survival was at stake. If the Profound Heavens Temple were to open, there was no saying whether it would be a blessing or a curse for the Star Boundary.
If somebody could finally obtain the only opportunity and fill in the missing spot among the Star Boundary’s Ten Great Emperors, it would be very beneficial for the overall situation in the Star Boundary. At present, the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan were already capable of fending off the three Demon Saints if they joined forces. If another Great Emperor was added to the mix, then that person would be equivalent to an unrivalled existence. Unfortunately, there would be a bloody and cruel war before anybody could become a Great Emperor.
There weren’t many Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, but their numbers were not that few either. Who would not strive to reach the peak of the Martial Dao? Who would not be tempted by such a great opportunity in front of them? If everybody was tempted by the opportunity and joined the Grand Dao battle at the Profound Heavens Temple, then what would happen to the fifty-five armies of the Star Boundary? Without these Pseudo-Great Emperors, the Demon Race army would obliterate the Star Boundary army in an instant.
Participating in the Grand Dao battle at the Profound Heavens Temple would surely lead to internal conflict. That was something the Star Boundary could not afford at present. For the sake of the Star Boundary’s survival, the Army Commanders and the Pseudo-Great Emperors had been willing to obey Li Wu Yi’s commands, lead the armies into battle, and kill their enemies. But, how effective would Li Wu Yi’s commands be when it came to their own opportunities and lifelong cultivation goals?
Besides, Li Wu Yi would never order the Pseudo-Great Emperors to not participate in the Grand Dao battle. He could not bring himself to hinder a person’s Martial Dao journey.
Thinking about it further, Yang Kai quickly understood the reason for Li Wu Yi’s gloomy mood. The timing of the Profound Heavens Temple’s opening was more than a little awkward, leaving them in an extremely passive situation.
The enthusiasm and excitement from before cooled as though he had been doused in cold water, and after a short period of silence, Yang Kai asked, “Sir, can we be sure that the Profound Heavens Temple will be opening?”
If all of this turned out to be a misunderstanding, then their current concerns were completely meaningless.
Li Wu Yi sighed softly, “From what I know, there has never been a precedent where Senior Heavens Revelations had made a mistake in his predictions. Since he left that message so many years ago, that must mean the Profound Heavens Temple will definitely reappear in this world.”
He paused before continuing, “Leaving aside Senior Heavens Revelations’ observances, it is only natural that the Profound Heavens Temple will open soon given the Star Boundary’s current situation. Since you carry the World’s Will in you, you can obviously sense it more acutely than others. The Star Boundary might be a world, but it is not dead.”
Yang Kai nodded solemnly. It wasn’t to say that the Star Boundary was a sentient, living creature, but rather that it was alive.
“Even ordinary birds and beasts have a self-defence mechanism to protect themselves when their lives are threatened, so what more need be said about an entire world? Now that the Star Boundary’s survival is at stake, it is defending itself by urgently creating another Great Emperor to fight the invading enemies.”
Yang Kai nodded again, “I understand what you mean, Sir.”
“So, the Profound Heavens Temple is bound to open. Moreover, it will happen soon. The only thing is that nobody can be certain when it will start showing signs.” Li Wu Yi sighed again. In all the years that they had known each other, Yang Kai had practically never heard him sighing. However, it seemed to be happening rather frequently today, “Although very few know about the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple, it is not a secret either. Many Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary are aware of this.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “If that’s the case, why did everybody react that way back in the…” At this point, he suddenly understood and smiled wryly, “So that’s how it is.”
After Gao Zhan spoke those words back in the hall just now, the Pseudo-Great Emperors present had not shown any particular reaction; therefore, Yang Kai had assumed that they were unaware of the meaning behind those words. Now, however, it would seem that while a large number of people had not known what those words represented, there were definitely some who did. Keeping silent despite understanding the meaning behind those words could only mean that they had their own plans.
The Profound Heavens Temple had yet to reveal any signs of itself; even so, just one sentence from Heavens Revelations Great Emperor was enough to make the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, who had been through thick and thin together all this while, begin to have different agendas. It was easy to imagine how great an impact this news would be on the current situation once word got out completely.
As the Supreme Commander of the fifty-five Star Boundary armies, Li Wu Yi had to be under unimaginable pressure right now. Figuring out how to mitigate the impact of the Profound Heavens Temple’s opening would most likely be his biggest headache in the coming days.
Yang Kai exhaled softly, “Sir, if it can help to lessen your worries, I am willing to help share your burdens by commanding the Star Boundary’s armies in your stead!”
“You?” Li Wu Yi turned to look at Yang Kai and chuckled, “You are already a well-known arm-flinging shopkeeper with the Sixty-First Army, pushing all your management responsibilities onto Yao Si. If you were put in command of all fifty-five armies, it won’t take longer than three months before the Demon Race wipes us out.”
Yang Kai was naturally unconvinced, “Sir, don’t you think you’re looking down on me a little too much? How do you know I’m incompetent without even giving me a chance? There’s probably still some time until the Profound Heavens Temple opens. Why don’t you let me try? We can think of a different solution if it really doesn’t work out.”
Li Wu Yi said, “Let you try doing what? What am I supposed to do in the meantime if I give you a chance to try?”
Yang Kai was confused by this response and asked the obvious question, “Sir, do you not plan to compete for the Grand Dao?”
It was precisely for this reason that Yang Kai proposed this idea. It was not as if he had nothing better to do than to seize power from Li Wu Yi and take over command of the fifty-five armies. Just as Li Wu Yi had said, he was an arm-flinging shopkeeper with the Sixty-First Army. In fact, the whole reason he even made Yao Si his Adjutant was because he was afraid of being tied down by troublesome matters.
If the Profound Heavens Temple opened, it was certain that Li Wu Yi would enter, given his level of strength. Moreover, he was the strongest Master beneath the Great Emperors and was definitely the best candidate to compete for the one and only empty spot. The situation in the Star Boundary might change for the better if he became a Great Emperor.
Contrary to Yang Kai’s expectations, however, Li Wu Yi slowly shook his head and declared, “I won’t go. I can’t go.”
Yang Kai looked shocked, but before he could say anything, Li Wu Yi raised a hand to interrupt him and solemnly added, “The army will panic if I leave. It will be over for the Star Boundary if that happens, so… Regardless of whether everybody else goes, I absolutely cannot.”
Yang Kai wanted to persuade him otherwise, but upon seeing the solemn expression on Li Wu Yi’s face, he knew that it was useless to say anything.
Just as Li Wu Yi himself had said, he was the Supreme Commander of the Star Boundary’s armies. If he left, the army would literally be without a leader. All the armies that had finally united would collapse again. Who could soothe the hearts of the people when that happened? More importantly, if Li Wu Yi set such a precedent, then the other Pseudo-Great Emperors with some scruples would also head towards the Profound Heavens Temple without reserve.
Thus, Yang Kai sighed bitterly, “Sir is indeed righteous. I hope everyone will one day understand how great your sacrifice today is.”
He deeply understood what kind of resolution Li Wu Yi needed to come to this decision.
Li Wu Yi had spent a lifetime cultivating just for this day, but now that the opportunity was in front of him, he had to harden his heart and abandon it without even trying. That was equivalent to giving up on the possibility of further progress in his cultivation. It was probably more painful for him than dying.
The Profound Heavens Temple was not an ordinary place. Its opening was entirely dependent on whether a Great Emperor fell. The last time the Profound Heavens Temple had opened was more than twenty thousand years ago. If Li Wu Yi missed this opportunity, he might have to wait tens of thousands more years, or even longer for the next one.
There was no saying whether he could even live that long. Even if he could, there was a high probability that he would no longer have the same vigour and vitality to engage in such an intense competition. Therefore, giving up on this opportunity was equivalent to giving up on the goal that he had been chasing all his life and the possibility of improving himself in the Martial Dao. How large a sacrifice was that? How noble was that? And, what had prompted him to make this decision was the current turbulent world and the hundreds of millions of living creatures struggling to survive within that world?
Yang Kai was in awe of that resolve.
Li Wu Yi chuckled lightly, “It doesn’t matter whether the others understand. It’s enough if you understand.”
Yang Kai clenched his fists tightly and quickly said, “This Junior understands…”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “It’s good if you understand. You better prepare yourself well during this period. Don’t do anything else; just wait for the Profound Heavens Temple to open!”
Yang Kai looked up with a puzzled expression and saw Li Wu Yi smiling at him, “You need to go to the Profound Heavens Temple and seize that one and only opportunity!”
“Me?” Yang Kai pointed to himself. If he had to be honest, it wasn’t as if he had not thought about it when Li Wu Yi first mentioned the Profound Heavens Temple and the Grand Dao battle. It was just that he was only a High-Rank Demon King, equivalent to a Third-Order Emperor. He had yet to even reach the Pseudo-Great Emperor Realm, so how could he have the qualifications to enter? Hence, he quickly rejected the thought after it came up.
Who could have known that Li Wu Yi would suggest it instead?
“Don’t look down on yourself. You carry Senior Bright Moon’s legacy with you. Anybody else with your level of strength would not have the qualifications to enter the Profound Heavens Temple; however, you have the World’s Will in your body, so the Profound Heavens Temple will not reject you. It can even be said that the World’s Will in your body will be your greatest advantage when competing for this opportunity. Your cultivation might be lacking, but your chance of success is higher than anybody else.”
He paused, then looked at Yang Kai with a smile, “Besides, are you willing to watch as this opportunity passes you by? Or, are you hoping to wait until the next time the Profound Heavens Temple opens?”
Yang Kai blurted out, “Of course not.”
Li Wu Yi said in satisfaction, “Since that is not the case, then go ahead and do it without inhibitions. The ultimate power lies in the Dao. At first, I was quite worried about you. No matter how excellent you are, your low cultivation is your greatest shortcoming. But, after testing you just now, I discovered that your achievements in the Dao of Space are no less than mine. With this ability, it’s enough for you to join the competition.”
The reason he suddenly brought Yang Kai over for a test was to see how deep Yang Kai’s achievements were in the Dao of Space. Otherwise, he would not have used only Space Principles in that battle just now. He would have used everything in his arsenal instead.
The results of the test left him feeling both relieved and astonished. Putting aside the fact that Yang Kai’s strength had grown to become comparable with that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor or a Half-Saint, just Yang Kai’s achievements in the Dao of Space alone did not lose to him in any way. That was also the biggest reason why he gave up on entering the Profound Heavens Temple. Since Yang Kai had the ability, then letting Yang Kai enter the Profound Heavens Temple would not result in a performance that was any worse than if he went himself.
“There is one thing you need to pay attention to!” Li Wu Yi’s expression turned stern, “After you enter the Profound Heavens Temple, you will most likely become the enemy of most people!”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Because of the World’s Will?”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “That’s right. The World’s Will you inherited from Senior Bright Moon will certainly give you a lot of advantages in the upcoming Grand Dao battle, but it will also put you in all sorts of dangerous situations. There will definitely be people who will try to harm you. Moreover, these people won’t just include the Demon Race Half-Saints but also the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary!”
Yang Kai’s expression froze, “The Half-Saints can also enter the Profound Heavens Temple?”
Li Wu Yi burst out laughing, “Who said they can’t? Can Ye is the best example. If he can become a Great Emperor, then so can the Demon Race Half-Saints. This world might have a self-defence mechanism that opens up the Profound Heavens Temple at a time of crisis, but anybody can snatch that opportunity. It doesn’t care. The Heavenly Way is merciful in that it gives us a chance to turn the situation around, but at the same time, the Heavenly Way is cruel in that it gives the invading Demon Race the same opportunity. It’s all up to us whether we can take hold of the opportunity given to us.”
Yang Kai exhaled gently and smiled bitterly, “I get it now. In other words, if I enter the Profound Heavens Temple and participate in the Grand Dao battle, it will be like throwing a piece of meat to a pack of hungry wolves.”
Li Wu Yi smiled, “Although not quite accurate, that’s the general gist of it.”
“That’s really quite… exciting.” Yang Kai grinned. Although he was smiling, the scorching gaze in his eyes looked like blazing flames.
There had never been such a precedent before. It had always been the Pseudo-Great Emperors who participated in the Grand Dao battle and won their own opportunities that would receive the World’s Recognition, obtain the World’s Will, and become the World’s Representative!
In contrast, Yang Kai’s current situation was unique throughout the ages. There was nothing that could be done about this though. Bright Moon Great Emperor had died at his hands on Eternal Sky Continent. The World’s Will in the Great Emperor’s body had no other choice and was automatically transferred to him as a result. That was why he received the World’s Recognition before he even became a Great Emperor. This was the advantage he obtained in the Grand Dao battle, but while it might allow him to observe the Heaven’s Revelation more clearly and effectively bring him closer to his end goal, it also brought various disasters his way.
In the past, there might have been some who were envious of the Great Emperor’s legacy in Yang Kai’s possession; even so, they stopped at merely feeling envious. Unfortunately, it was possible that their envy would evolve into action the moment he entered the Profound Heavens Temple. Furthermore, if somebody wanted to snatch the World’s Will, they would have to kill Yang Kai with their own hands.
Li Wu Yi slapped Yang Kai on the shoulder, “Rest assured. You won’t be fighting alone. I will arrange for someone to assist you when the time comes.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Sir.”
“You shouldn’t go around as you please for the time being, lest you give somebody the chance to harm you. Return to High Heaven Palace and enter retreat. I will let you know when the Profound Heavens Temple opens.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Sir, why ask me to hide if you want me to participate in the Grand Dao battle? I can hide before the Profound Heavens Temple, but what about after it opens?”
Li Wu Yi was taken aback for a moment, then he burst out laughing, “You’re right. I was overthinking things. Good, do whatever you want, just be careful of all the people who approach you in the near future.”
“I understand.” Yang Kai grinned, “If somebody with malicious intentions approaches me, I will not hold back.” After pondering for a moment, he added, “But, Sir, what do I need to do once I enter the Profound Heavens Temple? What am I supposed to snatch?”
Li Wu Yi shook his head slowly, “I don’t know. All I know is that the key to becoming a Great Emperor is hidden within the Profound Heavens Temple. As for what is inside the Profound Heavens Temple… I’m afraid there is nobody in the Star Boundary at the moment who knows.” He frowned, “Maybe, you can try asking the two Dragon Clan Elders. They have lived longer than any of us, so they should have some knowledge about the situation.”
“I will ask them if I get the chance.” Yang Kai nodded. Then, he seemed to recall something and asked, “By the way, Sir, there’s something I need to ask of you.”
“Speak.” Li Wu Yi nodded.
“I don’t know how long I will spend inside the Profound Heavens Temple once it opens; however, there have been some unusual movements at the Blood Gate in the Eastern Territory’s Ancient Wild Lands. I suspect that the Heaven’s Order Palace will open soon…”
“The Heaven’s Order Palace?” Li Wu Yi raised his brow at the news.
“Sir, please keep an eye on the situation there. If the Heaven’s Order Palace opens, please ask the young woman who comes out not to worry. I will visit her the moment I get back.”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “En.”
Half a day had passed by the time Yang Kai returned to High Heaven Palace again. He did not know whether it was because he was aware of certain things now, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a gaze lingering upon him when he returned. It made him sneer in his heart. [It looks like Li Wu Yi’s worries are not without reason. Something unusual is already happening just half a day after those words were revealed. The situation will surely become even more serious if the news spreads widely.]
Giving a small sigh, Yang Kai mused, [I’m afraid the Star Boundary is going to face a great turmoil in the near future. This is undoubtedly an unbearable disaster for an already turbulent world.]
It was eerie how the war between the two Great Worlds eased up during this period.
For the Star Boundary, it might be because news about the imminent opening of the Profound Heavens Temple had secretly been leaked. It might also be that Li Wu Yi was observing the situation, so all the armies were not taking aggressive action. On the other hand, the Demon Race was more than happy to delay. The 108 Demon Strongholds were rapidly expanding outward at all times, eroding away at the Star Boundary. All they needed to do was wait. Once the Star Boundary was completely transformed into Demon Land, it would be simple for them to take over.
Therefore, there were no conflicts between the two Races recently. According to the information from various sources, the erosion of the Demon Strongholds everywhere had even accelerated. Combined with Yang Kai’s explanation previously, everybody could tell that the state of the Great Emperors who were trapped in that mysterious space was only getting worse. Once the World’s Will in their bodies were completely corrupted, the entire Star Boundary would be powerless to resist.
Approximately 10 days later, Yang Kai received a secret letter. The letter was delivered through one of High Heaven Palace’s disciples. There was no name and not even the slightest trace of aura on the letter. There was no way to determine the sender either. Moreover, not much was written in the letter, only the name of a specific place. That place was located within the Northern Territory and was not far from High Heaven Palace, only about five thousand kilometres away.
Holding the letter, Yang Kai sneered lightly. [Are they finally running out of patience? Are they planning to attack me before the Profound Heavens Temple even shows signs of opening? I’m curious to see just who is so eager!]
He tightened his fist and the secret letter turned to dust.
……
The moon was high in the sky when Yang Kai climbed out of bed without a sound. There were several tender bodies lying across the bed, their curves fully on display as their snow-white skin was exposed to the gentle moonlight. Furthermore, the room was filled with an amorous scent.
Yang Kai could not be certain that he would return alive since he was going to participate in the Grand Dao battle and compete against numerous Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saint for the Great Emperor opportunity. This time around, his only choice was to succeed. He could not afford to lose, so there was no room for him to shrink back in fear. In the past, he had the option of escaping if he ever encountered an enemy beyond his ability to deal with. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to forge forward bravely this time around.
However, he did not inform Su Yan and the others about this matter. Telling them about this would only cause them to worry. All he could do was give them the most precious memories during this period before his departure.
A small hand gently grabbed his finger at that moment. He turned to look in that direction and saw Xia Ning Chang holding him lightly with a blush on her face.
Yang Kai smiled, leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead, “Rest.”
She responded obediently and closed her eyes.
Afterwards, he pushed the door open and left.
Following the soft sound of the door closing, Shan Qing Luo sat up abruptly. Her long hair draped down her front and covered her ample peaks as she snarled through gritted teeth, “Sneaking out in the middle of the night, he must be having a secret rendezvous with some bitch!”
She kicked Xue Yue, who was lying next to her, “Stop pretending to sleep! Our husband is about to be stolen away!”
Xue Yue buried her head under the pillow and her muffled voice came out, “Why don’t you follow him then, Luo’er? You can tell us who he is meeting when you return, and we sisters can join forces to expel her.”
Shan Qing Luo pouted, “I refuse! If anything, Elder Sister and Big Sister Zhu Qing should go!”
While speaking, she turned her gaze towards Su Yan and Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing lowered her head, fumbling around the bed. She soon found her undergarments and got dressed, blushing furiously without making a single sound…
Su Yan simply pursed her lips and smiled, however, reaching out a hand as she pulled Shan Qing Luo to lie down in her embrace, “Don’t be so nosy. Husband knows his boundaries. Have a good rest. Aren’t you tired?”
Shan Qing Luo widened her eyes, her lashes fluttering slightly, “Elder Sister, I noticed that you’re too lenient with him…”
Seeming to discover something amazing, she reached out, grabbed Su Yan’s twins and exclaimed, “Elder Sister, have you gotten bigger?”
*Pa…* Su Yan slapped Shan Qing Luo’s naughty claws away and chided, “Stop it.”
“En,” Shan Qing Luo responded obediently, found a comfortable spot in Su Yan’s arms, and closed her beautiful eyes. She didn’t sleep quietly for long, however, as her small hand began secretly climbing the nearby mountains. Seeing that Su Yan did not stop her, she let out a small, happy smile.
Strong Wind City was a small city in the Northern Territory. It was comparable in size to Maplewood City before the latter’s great expansion. If Yang Kai had not run around the entire Northern Territory some years ago, he would not have even known where Strong Wind City was located.
With his current speed, it took him less than a quarter-hour to travel 5,000 kilometres and arrive at his destination even at a leisurely pace. He looked around and let out a soft sigh. There were many places like Strong Wind City in the Star Boundary nowadays. The small city was dilapidated. Everywhere he looked was a mess. Although the Demon Race army had not reached this place, the residents of the city had long since escaped; thus, the city that could not be called prosperous fell into greater derelict.
This was just a single example representing countless places across the Star Boundary. The flames of war between the two worlds had spread far and wide. Once this war was over, who knew how long it would take for the world to recover even if the Star Boundary was victorious? It might take several thousand years, several tens of thousands of years, or even longer… But, as long as the possibility of recovery existed, it was enough to make all the people in the Star Boundary give their lives to prevent the Demon Race’s victory.
Above the city wall, Yang Kai stood with his hands behind his back and raised his head to look at the sky. The moonlight could not shine through the dense layer of dark clouds that covered the sky and grinned. [It’s a dark and windy night; the perfect time for murder.]
Rustling sounds came from behind him at that moment, so he turned around to look with an expression of surprise. He could not believe that the person who invited him here was revealing themselves so openly. That person did not seem to have any intention of concealing their presence.
[Could it be that I was mistaken?] He frowned slightly after getting a clear glimpse of that person’s face.
“I was afraid you might not come, but it seems I underestimated your courage. Why are you recklessly running around outside at a time like this? What would you have done if I had invited three or four powerful helpers here and set up a trap in this place?” A melodious voice rang out, one that was clear and pleasant. Not far away, a beautiful figure appeared, landing about 15 metres in front of him, a smile on her face. A faint fragrance in the wind blew towards him, mesmerising him.
This distance was definitely an extremely dangerous distance for the person who just arrived. Proficient as he was in the Space Principles, Yang Kai could land a fatal blow in the blink of an eye and she would not be able to avoid no matter how strong she was.
“Senior Sheng!” Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise, “That secret letter… Was it from you?”
Standing in front of him was Sheng Yu Zhu of Luo Sha Sect! She was the person he rescued from the Void Crack, a Pseudo-Great Emperor who lived for several tens of thousands of years and once experienced the Grand Dao battle in the past!
Strictly speaking, the Grand Dao battle she experienced was the one before the last Grand Dao battle. She was somebody from the same era as Wu Kuang after all. When he first rescued her from the Void Crack, he had wanted to verify her identity; however, she had casually brought up the names of Wu Kuang, Yao Jun, Chu Tian Ji, Duan Hong Chen, and Zhan Wu Hen…
Before that incident, he would not have dared to believe that a person could survive in a Void Crack for so long; furthermore, she claimed that she fell into the Void Crack because she had been set up by Wu Kuang.
Back then, her true strength had been on par with Wu Kuang and they both had the potential to become a Great Emperor. In order to reduce the competition by one, Wu Kuang had tricked her into the Void Crack before the arrival of that Grand Dao battle. She had been stuck there until Yang Kai found her; therefore, she had failed to participate in the Grand Dao battle even though she experienced it once before. It could be said that she had perfectly missed everything.
Many years ago, Yang Kai had rescued her from the Void Crack in the Luo Sha Sect, but they had rarely been in contact with each other after that.
When the Two Worlds Great War broke out later, he had thought about her and tried to inquire about information on Luo Sha Sect since he still held the title of Luo Sha Sect’s High-Rank Guest Elder. After asking around, however, he learned that Luo Sha Sect had vanished without a trace more than 20 years ago. A swift calculation indicated that the timing was a few years after he rescued her from her predicament. The entire Luo Sha Sect, along with Sheng Yu Zhu, had been missing ever since then. It wasn’t until today that they finally met again.
Upon learning that it was Sheng Yu Zhu who was looking for him, Yang Kai immediately realised that he had over-thought things. She clearly had no malicious intentions towards him since she had revealed herself so openly and even spoke about such things to him. Besides, it wasn’t as if he had not asked around about her after he rescued her.
There was once when Yang Kai mentioned her name to Zhan Wu Hen, and the latter had been quite astonished when he learned that she was still alive. Tens of thousands of years had passed, so not many of his old acquaintances from back then still remained in this world. Only a few old friends were still alive. Therefore, he smiled after learning that she was alive even though they were not very well-acquainted. He only had one thing to say about her, “She is a good person!”
Since Zhan Wu Hen had said as much, then that was enough proof about what kind of person Sheng Yu Zhu was.
“If not me, who did you think sent that letter?” Sheng Yu Zhu tilted her head and looked at Yang Kai with a bright smile. If he did not consider the fact that she had lived for more than tens of thousands of years, he would have thought that she was no more than 28 years old just by looking at her appearance and mannerisms.
[Old Monster!] He slandered in his heart. On the surface, however, he smiled and said, “It’s precisely because I didn’t know who sent the letter that I came to have a look.” He paused and continued, “It seems that you know something, Senior. Am I right?”
If not, she would not have mentioned his boldness.
She glanced at him in astonishment, “If you can ask me that question, then it means that you also know something! Good! That saves me the effort of explaining.”
“How did you know, Senior?” He was puzzled. The news shouldn’t have spread so quickly.
She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and pursed her lips into a smile, “Did you forget what I told you before? I experienced something similar before, so I’m very sensitive to the changes in the World Energy. I can sense that that thing is going to appear soon.”
“Do you mean the Profound Heavens Temple?” His expression stiffened. First, he experienced an insight into the Heavens’ Revelations. Then, the message from Heavens Revelations Great Emperor, and now, what Shen Yu Zhu just mentioned. It would seem that there was no doubt the Profound Heavens Temple was going to open soon.
“Indeed!” She nodded. She didn’t seem surprised by the fact that he knew about the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple. It might be a secret, but it was not as if nobody knew about it. The Pseudo-Great Emperors who stayed by the Great Emperors’ sides all this time would surely have heard about this matter from them. That was also how Li Wu Yi learned about the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple.
She stared at him steadily, “Seeing as you know so much, does that mean that you are planning to enter?”
He gave a nod.
“As expected…” She showed an expression of understanding, “I knew you would enter.”
Although she had led Luo Sha Sect into seclusion for all these years, it wasn’t as if she was completely unaware of the matters in the outside world. In particular, she had put effort into inquiring about information on Yang Kai.
He smiled, “How can I miss out on such an auspicious matter? But, Senior, do you know when the Profound Heavens Temple will open?”
If she knew the approximate time, then it would give him an even greater advantage.
“Within the month,” she replied, “The last time the world experienced such changes, the Profound Heavens Temple appeared within the month. It’s a pity that I was tricked by Wu Kuang before that happened.”
It was a grudge from tens of thousands of years ago, so her tone was indifferent when she spoke about it now. Compared to the other Pseudo-Great Emperors from the same era who had already fallen into the long river of history, she had at least lived until today. She managed to wait until the Profound Heavens Temple opened once more and gained another chance to participate in the Grand Dao battle.
“Then, did you come looking for me to join forces with me?” He asked.
She slowly shook her head, “I will have to apologise to you in advance regarding this matter. Back when you rescued me, I certainly did mention that we could join forces if the conditions were suitable. Unfortunately, cooperation will be impossible under the current circumstances. For one, the Profound Heavens Temple appeared too quickly this time. It’s probably related to the invasion of the Demon Realm, which gave the world a sense of crisis. In the end, only one person can become a Great Emperor. If I join forces with you, we will still need to confront each other at the end. If that’s the case, we might as well not join forces from the beginning, lest we end up with bad blood between us. For another, I don’t dare to join forces with you in your current situation. I’m sure you know the reason why.”
Yang Kai was practically a tempting piece of meat to the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints. Sheng Yu Zhu would need to be kicked in the head by a donkey for her to join forces with him and invite trouble upon herself.
While speaking, she looked slightly apologetic as it was as if she was going back on her word.
Yang Kai, however, just nodded, “I understand.”
He wasn’t too bothered; rather, he felt that it was already quite righteous of her to be so frank with him, “So, the reason you called me out here…”
“This jade slip contains information about the Profound Heavens Temple. Read through it carefully when you get back,” While speaking, she tossed a jade slip over.
He reached out to catch it with a joyful expression, “Senior, do you know about the inside of the Profound Heavens Temple?”
She shook her head, “Not really. I’ve never been inside after all. It’s just something I heard from others back then, so I myself can’t distinguish between how much of the information is real and how much is fake. You will have to judge at your own discretion.”
Despite what she said, Yang Kai was still overjoyed and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Senior.”
She waved her hand dismissively, “I owe you a life debt. It’s not something that can be repaid easily. If it wasn’t for you, I would still be stuck in the Void Crack, slowly waiting for death.”
He grinned, “Although you say you owe me a life debt, I only saved you in passing.” He raised the jade slip in his hand, “Now, this is what I currently need most. Let’s consider it even with this.”
Sheng Yu Zhu sighed softly as she muttered to herself, “How can one’s life debt be repaid so easily?”
After a moment of silence, she continued, “If we meet in the Profound Heavens Temple by chance, just speak up if you need any help. I will not refuse to provide help before the start of the final battle, as long as it is within my abilities.”
“At the time, I might need to trouble you a little more.” He grinned.
“Also, there’s something else I need to ask of you,” She said.
He immediately showed an expression of attentiveness, “Please speak, Senior.”
“Although it was not my intention to pass down my teachings to the Luo Sha Sect, their roots can be traced back to me. Throughout the years I spent recuperating, they did their best to honour me as an Ancestor. I don’t know if I can return to them after this trip. Besides, the situation in the Star Boundary is ever-changing. If these little girls are left outside without anybody to protect them, they will eventually die a tragic death. I ask that you bring them back to High Heaven Palace. It doesn’t matter whether you recruit them into the army or leave them to fend for themselves; it’s up to you.”
“That’s a simple task.” Yang Kai smiled, “I tried to inquire about Luo Sha Sect in the past, but there was nothing to be found. Seeing as it is a request from Senior, they can follow me back to High Heaven Palace. Please rest assured, Senior. As long as High Heaven Palace remains safe and sound, they will be safe too.”
“Many thanks.” Sheng Yu Zhu revealed a grateful expression. Although she knew that he would not reject a request from her, she was still surprised to see him agree so readily. [I didn’t misjudge him after all.]
“You should have a good rest during this period. Once the Profound Heavens Temple opens, the situation is bound to change again. At that time, the enemies you will face won’t just be from the Demon Race,” she said sternly. Then, her figure gradually faded away as though she had entered a layer of thin mist, her melodious voice drifting to and fro, “Take care!”
He cupped his fists, “Take care, Senior.”
A short while later, Sheng Yu Zhu’s aura vanished completely. The dark clouds in the sky scattered and the moonlight shone down, dyeing the land in silver.
Yang Kai let out a gentle sigh, “I only came out for a bit, why did you all follow me? Also, Old Qiong, your hostility is too strong. I could smell you from a thousand kilometres away.”
As Yang Kai said so, a ripple spread out not far away from him and three figures were gradually revealed.
“Smelly brat, I’m surprised you noticed us.” Jiu Feng was dressed in a fiery red dress, studying Yang Kai in astonishment, “Do you really have the abilities of a Pseudo-Great Emperor?”
Qiong Qi frowned, “Is this Old Man’s hostility so strong?”
Yang Yan pursed her lips into a small smile, “It’s not that your hostility is strong, it’s that his perception is sharp. I’m afraid his Soul Cultivation is beyond that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor. Tsk, tsk…”
“Did Supreme Commander Li send you?” Yang Kai looked at them, rubbing his head with a slight headache.
He had noticed three people tailing him the moment he left High Heaven Palace, and although they were very well-concealed, how could they escape Yang Kai’s careful probing? Just in terms of Soul Cultivation alone, he was far beyond them; hence, some traces would remain no matter how well they hid.
It was precisely because Yang Kai realised that it was the three of them that he did not expose them. He knew that it was most likely Li Wu Yi’s directive. Even so, sending out a veteran Pseudo-Great Emperor and two powerful Divine Spirits to ensure his safety was a little too much for him to accept despite how grateful he was.
“Right now, you are the key to the Star Boundary’s survival. It’s good to be on the cautious side,” Jiu Feng said.
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Who was that just now? Why does it feel like we heard something unbelievable?” Yang Yan stared in the direction Sheng Yu Zhu had gone, narrowing her eyes slightly.
That Pseudo-Great Emperor was completely unknown to her, which was incredible in and of itself. It had to be said that, at this point, the flames of war between the two worlds had spread across the entire Star Boundary and there was no pure land left in the world. All the Masters of any measure of strength were no longer concealing themselves as a result. Even so, it wasn’t until today that Yang Yan discovered this Pseudo-Great Emperor.
Moreover, the conversation between that woman and Yang Kai just now was very concerning. It even involved the Profound Heavens Temple. What’s more, that woman seemed to have a relatively greater understanding of the Profound Heavens Temple than they did. That was enough to make anybody wary. Although the woman’s attitude indicated that she did not hold any malicious intentions towards Yang Kai, those who knew so many unknown secrets would definitely be a strong opponent in the coming Grand Dao battle.
Therefore, Yang Yan was already considering if she should act ruthlessly and eliminate that person first.
Yang Kai seemed to realise what Yang Yan was thinking and explained, “Senior Sheng is somebody from Senior Iron Blood’s era.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to gawk at him.
“You must be joking!” Yang Yan exclaimed.
Yang Kai shrugged in response, “I’ve brought her up with Senior Iron Blood before and he confirmed her story.”
“Sii…” The sound of cold air being inhaled rang out. If even Zhan Wu Hen had confirmed it, then it could only be the truth. It was just… How could a Pseudo-Great Emperor from that era survive until now? That was the era of two Grand Dao battles ago! Up until today, at least 20,000 years had passed! How did she survive until now!?
Yang Kai briefly recounted Sheng Yu Zhu’s origins, then he talked about how he accidentally discovered her whereabouts and rescued her from the Void Crack.
Yang Yan, Jiu Feng, and the others listened with expressions of amazement.
“That’s the reason why Senior Sheng invited me out for a secret meeting and gave me this.” He lightly tossed the jade slip in his hands.
“Inspect it carefully. Who knows if she did something to the contents inside.” Jiu Feng said sternly.
Yang Kai nodded, “You don’t need to worry about that. I inspected it just now and the only thing recorded inside is some information.”
He had not had the time to study the specifics of the content and was planning on waiting until he returned to High Heaven Palace first to do so.
“That would be for the best. In any case, it’s not too much no matter how careful you are under the current circumstances.”
Yang Kai then asked, “Are you planning to follow me into the Profound Heavens Temple?”
Yang Yan smiled, “I am, but they can’t enter.”
She pointed at Jiu Feng and Qiong Qi.
“Why?” Yang Kai did not understand, “Why can’t they go in?”
Once again, Yang Yan answered, “I don’t know the exact reason. It’s just that there have been no Divine Spirits in any of the previous Grand Dao battles. It might be that the Divine Spirits have their own Source Inheritance and as long as they continuously develop their bloodlines, there will come a day when they reach the peak of the Grand Dao. Hence, the Profound Heavens Temple does not allow them entry.”
“So, no Divine Spirits will be able to enter?”
She nodded, “That’s right.”
Yang Kai rubbed his chin after hearing those words. [If that’s the case, then Zhui Feng definitely won’t be able to enter. He might be a Demon Beast from the Demon Realm, but he is still a Divine Spirit. What about the Embodiment? He has the body of a Stone Spirit, and Stone Spirits are descendants of a Divine Spirit. He also has Shi Huo’s Source in his body… If I think about it this way, then I don’t think the Embodiment can enter. And, neither can Liu Yan… Tsk… If that’s the case, then I will need to change my plans.]
Yang Kai originally wanted to bring all the powerful helpers around him into the Profound Heavens Temple. He himself was not weak, and combined with Zhui Feng, the Embodiment, Liu Yan, and Qiong Qi, they would be a force that would certainly give the Demon Race a huge headache. Unfortunately, all his helpers would be stuck outside the door if Divine Spirits were unable to enter the Profound Heavens Temple, leaving him on his own once inside.
After pondering in silence for a moment, Yang Kai abruptly lifted his head to look at the three people in front of him and grinned, “Since you’re already here, would you like to get some light exercise?”
Yang Yan frowned, “What are you planning now?”
“Tag along and you’ll find out,” Yang Kai did not explain himself, turning to head in a certain direction instead.
Yang Yan and the others looked exasperated as they hurriedly caught up to him.
An hour later, a shocking battle broke out in the Demon Stronghold located at Blue Wave City. Yang Kai charged into the Demon Stronghold together with Yang Yan, Jiu Feng, and Qiong Qi. They ran rampant, slaughtering countless Demons and enraging many Demon Race Half-Saints. However, they quickly retreated after a brief scuffle, leaving a mess in their wake before the Half-Saints could complete their encirclement. It caused the Half-Saints guarding the Demon Stronghold to grind their teeth and curse furiously.
The huge commotion might have killed a lot of Demons, but it did nothing for the general situation. Not a single Demon Race Half-Saint had been injured in the process; therefore, Yang Yan and the others had no idea what Yang Kai was planning. They simply assumed that he was facing too much stress and went to vent out some of his pent-up frustrations.
Upon returning to High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai immediately entered a cultivation room to study the contents of the jade slip that Sheng Yu Zhu had given to him.
Although Sheng Yu Zhu had experienced the Grand Dao battle once before, she had not participated directly in it, she simply had more knowledge about the Profound Heavens Temple compared to others. Even so, the information she had was limited.
In this world, the only ones who knew anything about the Profound Heavens Temple were the Great Emperors; however, most of the Great Emperors were currently trapped in that inexplicable space, so who could contact them?
On the other hand, the Demon Race had the traitor, Can Ye, on their side. The Half-Saints might receive more comprehensive information, which was definitely not something the Pseudo-Great Emperors could compete against.
Can Ye had gone into hiding after he was injured and nobody knew where he was secluded to treat his injuries. Be that as it may, there was no way he did not notice that the Profound Heavens Temple was going to open when even Sheng Yu Zhu could sense it. Hence, the Demon Race were certainly already making preparations for the Grand Dao battle.
The information contained inside the jade slip was not much as Sheng Yu Zhu knew nothing about the internal situation of the Profound Heavens Temple. All she knew was that many people would die every time a Grand Dao battle took place. Only Pseudo-Great Emperors could enter, but no more than one-third of them would return alive. Moreover, how many among that one-third could aspire to reach the Grand Dao and become a Great Emperor would depend on the capacity of the World’s Bottle.
It could even be said that many of the Masters who participated during the Grand Dao battle were simply foils. The main protagonists only consisted of a select few who were favoured by the world.
According to the jade slip from Sheng Yu Zhu, the Profound Heavens Temple was a Sealed World self-generated by the Star Boundary itself. This Sealed World existed from the moment the world was born and would die when the world perished. There was no set time for it to be opened and it would only become accessible when the world felt that it was necessary.
In addition, there was an Illusionary Heavenly Furnace located in the depths of the Profound Heavens Temple. The Illusionary Heavenly Furnace was extremely mysterious. Only by locating the Illusionary Heavenly Furnace could one have hope of becoming a Great Emperor.
“The Illusionary Heavenly Furnace in the Profound Heavens Temple…” Yang Kai rubbed his temples and frowned deeply, “What am I supposed to do after locating it?”
Unfortunately, even Sheng Yu Zhu did not know what to do after locating the Illusionary Heavenly Furnace. Perhaps, it was a Supreme Treasure of some kind and everything would be over once somebody managed to refine it. Then again, the Illusionary Heavenly Furnace might be a kind of sentient treasure which was meant to carry out the Will of the World…
Although the information within the jade slip was not much, it had at least served to point Yang Kai in the right direction; otherwise, he would have been completely lost when he entered the Profound Heavens Temple.
Just from this aspect alone, Sheng Yu Zhu had helped him a lot. What’s more, she also mentioned in the jade slip that the key to becoming a Great Emperor, the Illusionary Heavenly Furnace, was not the only thing that could be found inside the Profound Heavens Temple. There were also all kinds of other opportunities. It was a place which was linked to the birth and death of the world after all. There were countless good things inside that place. Since ancient times, the Pseudo-Great Emperors who failed to become Great Emperors yet survived the Grand Dao battle would generally experience a great increase in strength after they returned.
After a series of inspections, Yang Kai decided on a plan of action for this trip. He was going to kill as many Demon Race Half-Saints as possible while doing his best to compete for the Grand Dao! The latter was the main objective of course. Even if he was unlucky enough to let the one and only opportunity slip through his fingers though, he could not let it fall into the hands of the Demons; otherwise, the Star Boundary would become powerless to resist.
Once he decided on his goal, his mind became clear. He put away the jade slip and adjusted his condition. This was going to be a difficult mission where his life and death were uncertain. It was only natural that he welcomed the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple in his best condition.
The night Sheng Yu Zhu secretly invited Yang Kai out, she had told him that the Profound Heavens Temple would open within the month. In reality, the Profound Heavens Temple started showing signs just three days later.
Somewhere in the sky, a trace of a mysterious aura surged out of nowhere. The aura resonated with the Grand Dao of the world. People with lower cultivation might not notice anything, but those in the Emperor Realm and above could clearly perceive this aura. Furthermore, their understanding of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way seemed to become much more thorough under the influence of this aura. That was followed by an explosive increase in strength.
Under the influence of that mysterious aura, many Emperor Realm Masters and Demon Kings from the Demon Realm whose cultivation had been stagnant suddenly broke through the shackles that had troubled them for so many years in an extremely short time. They broke through their bottlenecks and advanced to a higher Realm.
The numbers were low at the beginning; however, the aura that leaked out of the void became more and more intense with the passing of time. This resulted in more and more Masters achieving a breakthrough. Every day, a rising storm would surge through the places where the Star Boundary armies were stationed and the Ten Primary Demon Strongholds occupied by the Demon Race. World Energy Baptisms boomed endlessly.
Even some of those in the peak of the Third-Order Emperor Realm seemed to receive enlightenment over the past few days and hurriedly entered retreat. If they successfully comprehended these new insights, then they would surely break through to become Pseudo-Great Emperors.
An omen of great prosperity had appeared when the world was in great chaos. Like a dying old man, the hidden potential of the Star Boundary burst out at a critical life-or-death moment. It thus blanketed the world without discriminating between Humans and Demons.
The Profound Heavens Temple had yet to open, but be that as it may, the effects of its impending advent were already miraculous. What kind of situation would arise if the Profound Heavens Temple were to open or if they went inside?
This abnormal phenomenon left many people bewildered. Meanwhile, those Pseudo-Great Emperors with a slight understanding of the situation became more and more confident in their conjectures; thus, they quietly made intensive preparations for the future.
Five days later, the illusory phantom of a large palace suddenly appeared in the sky. The palace appeared out of thin air without any warning beforehand, looking like a projection with no real substance. The appearance of the palace was simple, but it gave off a desolate aura, as though it passed through the river of time from an extremely ancient era. It appeared just like that in front of everybody’s eyes.
Both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm sent people to investigate the situation; however, nobody could get close to that ethereal palace, regardless of who went or what methods they used. It wasn’t as though the palace had a barrier around it that made it impossible to approach. It clearly looked like it was not far away, almost as though they would arrive if they flew for a little while longer. Even so, the distance remained the same an hour later. Yet another hour later, the distance still remained the same. Helpless, both sides gave up on investigating the phenomenon. Besides, the higher-ups on both sides knew that nobody would be able to obtain any useful information before the Profound Heavens Temple opened completely.
When the illusory phantom of Profound Heavens Temple appeared, the World Energy of the entire Star Boundary began gathering in its direction. It happened so fast that there was a frenzy of energy in every corner of the Star Boundary.
As the days passed, the palace became clearer and clearer. It also became more and more tangible. In comparison, the World Energy in the Star Boundary had reduced considerably. It would seem that the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple was not without a price. It needed the World Energy of the entire world as its foundation to reveal its true appearance.
At this point, the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple could no longer be hidden. It was not as if it was a top-secret matter. It was just that only a small number of Pseudo-Great Emperors knew about it. Most people were completely unaware since information regarding this matter had been contained among a handful of people in order to prevent a huge ruckus. But now, the matter regarding the Profound Heavens Temple was exposed. Anybody could see it as long as they were not blind. It was just that nobody knew when it would open.
At the place where the Star Boundary armies were stationed, the matter regarding the Grand Dao battle was gradually revealed with the appearance of the Profound Heavens Temple, more so when they connected the words ‘Heavens’ Revelations, Profound Heavens Manifestation’ to this phenomenon. The hearts of the people surged. Some with more straightforward personalities went directly to Li Wu Yi to ask if it was the truth while others secretly planned to watch how the situation would unfold.
The matter relating to the Profound Heavens Temple could not be covered up any longer; thus, Li Wu Yi decided to gather all the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary in one place to disclose the matters regarding it and the Grand Dao battle. Everybody was in an uproar and the hall instantly became chaotic.
Li Wu Yi smiled bitterly. What he worried about the most had happened in the end. Now that the matter regarding the Profound Heavens Temple was known to all, the problem the Star Boundary faced was who would go and who would stay.
If everybody decided to enter the Profound Heavens Temple, then the Star Boundary armies would immediately collapse. The Demon Race’s Grand Array had been activated and the Demon Strongholds were continuously devouring the Star Boundary’s territory. Without Pseudo-Great Emperors leading the armies, who could block the charge of the Demon Race army? Even the few territories left would be lost.
Even so, which Pseudo-Great Emperor would be willing to back down when the greatest opportunity and event in their lives appeared right in front of them? It wasn’t that they were selfish, it was just that they had worked hard to cultivate until today. How many times had they wandered between life and death during this process? Was it not for this very moment? Even with the pressure of total annihilation bearing down on them, it could not stop their determination and desire to reach even greater heights in the Martial Dao.
Nobody could deprive them of this right. Not even the Great Emperors would have had the qualification to do so if they were still here. For that reason, it would surely cause the people’s hearts to chill if this matter was not handled carefully. The Star Boundary could not withstand any more unrest at this point. Unfortunately, Li Wu Yi, who could calmly deal with matters in the face of the pressure from the Demon Race army, had no idea how to begin persuading the Pseudo-Great Emperors within the hall.
The commotion continued with everyone expressing their respective opinions, but their discussions led nowhere even after five days.
It was unrealistic for nobody to go in. The Profound Heavens Temple was right before them and judging by the speed it was solidifying, it wouldn’t take long before it formed completely. The doors of the palace would open when that happened. Even if the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary did not enter, the Demon Race Half-Saints would not hold back. What else would remain for the Star Boundary if the Half-Saints got their hands on the World’s Recognition? Similarly, it was unrealistic for everybody to go in together.
Fortunately, the Demon Race was most likely facing the same problem. It was just that their situation was slightly better in comparison as they did not have as many worries as the Star Boundary.
At this critical moment, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun appeared together. When their Dragon Pressure spread out, the entire hall fell silent and stopped bickering. In the end, it was decided that fate would decide.
They would draw lots.
Some had to enter the Profound Heavens Temple while others had to stay behind and guard the Star Boundary. They could only rely on their respective luck since nobody was willing to miss this opportunity.
According to the two Dragon Clan Elders, this method might be a little foolish, but it was still a matter of destiny. If a person could not even draw a winning lot, then that could only mean that fate was not on their side and things would probably end badly for them even if they entered the Profound Heavens Temple.
There was no logic behind these words, but the strength of the two Dragon Clan Elders was a powerful deterrent. Who would dare to object to their suggestion when they had already made it?
After some preparations, the final results came out. A total of 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors received the honour of entering the Profound Heavens Temple when the doors opened. Thus, they were both elated and worried at the prospect.
They had heard from Li Wu Yi that countless Pseudo-Great Emperors had fallen during every Grand Dao battle up until today. In the end, only about one-third would safely return from the Profound Heavens Temple. The rest would be buried there. In other words, only 10 out of these 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors with the qualifications to enter were expected to survive to the end. Looking around at each other, they wondered to themselves. [Who will be among those that will survive? Will it be you? Or me?]
With that, this matter was settled. The 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors immediately returned to their respective residences to undergo intensive cultivation in retreat while waiting for the day to arrive. Although the remaining Pseudo-Great Emperors were unhappy, they could only resign themselves to their fate. Under the watch of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun’s Dragon Eyes, anybody who showed the slightest hint of disobedience would immediately be killed on the spot. At such a critical juncture, the two Dragon Clan Elders would not be the least bit merciful.
The Demon Strongholds expanded outward rapidly every single day, eroding large swaths of the Star Boundary’s territory. Similarly, the Profound Heavens Temple devoured the World Energy from the world at a terrifying speed, solidifying its existence.
Day after day, the World Energy in the Star Boundary weakened. This weakening was not permanent of course and only needed time to recover; however, the time required would not be just three or five years but rather several dozen years or even several hundred years!
Half a month after Yang Kai’s meeting with Sheng Yu Zhu, a humming sound rang out in the world. Yang Kai, who was in retreat, abruptly opened his eyes as though he could sense something and appeared outside with a slight flicker of his body. Lifting his head to look, he saw the huge palace shining with millions of points of light in the sky. It illuminated the entire world and even the most intense of darkness could not resist. The humming sound was naturally coming from the palace.
All the blood in his body began boiling uncontrollably and he could sense something calling out to him from the shadows to enter the palace. Yang Kai lightly pressed his hand against his chest, knowing that the World’s Will in him was surging, surprising himself slightly. [I can’t believe the Profound Heavens Temple opened at this time!]
Sheng Yu Zhu had said that the Profound Heavens Temple would open within the month, but even so, he had not expected it to happen so soon.
Yang Kai next frowned slightly as he could clearly sense that the World Energy in the surroundings had grown weaker by a considerable amount. Although he had been in retreat during this period, he had remained aware of what was going on outside. He also knew about the dispute over the qualifications to enter between the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary.
After sensing his surroundings at this moment, he immediately understood that the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple had, at the very least, consumed a hundred years’ worth of World Energy from the Star Boundary.
In other words, it would take at least a hundred years for the World Energy in the Star Boundary to recover completely.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling amazed. [It is indeed a Small Sealed World. The cost of its opening is so great.]
At the same time, numerous powerful auras came out of retreat in all the places where the Star Boundary armies were stationed. These figures looked up into the sky with an excited look in their eyes.
When the thousands of lights vanished, a corporeal palace appeared in front of everybody’s view. It was no different from the illusory phantom that they saw previously, but now it gave off a great sense of oppression after having solidified completely. It was almost as if what was in front of them was not a palace but an entire world.
*Kacha…*
Following that sound, a heavy set of doors at the front of the palace slowly swung open. The inside of the doors was dark and deep, leading to a completely unknown world. The opened door was like the eyes of the World, looking down on everything. All the living creatures were as insignificant as ants before it.
A high-pitched Dragon Roar rang out as two figures, one blue and one white, rose to the sky. The two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan moved out at once, transforming into two more than 1,000-metre-long Dragons and flew towards the Profound Heavens Temple.
At the same time, the three Demon Saints with Xue Li in the lead rushed out of Star Soul Palace in the Southern Territory and headed towards the Profound Heavens Temple.
There had been no prior indications of the Profound Heavens Temple’s opening, so even Zhu Yan, Xue Li, and the other peak Masters had been caught off guard. Having sensed it at this moment, nobody was willing to be left behind. They were not going to enter the Profound Heavens Temple and had no need to enter in the first place, but many Masters from both the Human and Demon Races would gather this time around. Therefore, they had to provide protection to their respective camps.
The Profound Heavens Temple clearly looked very far away, but to everyone’s surprise, they found that they only took about half a cup of tea’s time to reach its entrance. Landing in front of the Profound Heavens Temple that was located several thousand metres up in the sky, the two Dragon Clan Elders and the three Demon Saints glared at each other coldly. It felt as though sparks were flying in the air between them.
Following a humming sound, a jade slip appeared out of thin air in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai reached out a hand to grab the jade slip. Scanning it with his Divine Sense, he found that it was a message from Li Wu Yi. Then, he lifted his head to look at the sky. It was time. Although the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple came much earlier than he expected, everything he needed to prepare had been prepared in advance; hence, there was no need to delay anything. He took a step forward, climbing upward as though there was a flight of invisible stairs beneath his feet, his figure flickering slightly with every step he took.
Seeming to sense something, he lowered his head to look and saw countless soldiers from High Heaven Palace and the Star Boundary armies watching him from the hundred Spirit Peaks at High Heaven Palace. In particular, his parents, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, Zhu Qing, and his other close friends and family were staring at him intently. Their gazes that were filled with worry and reluctance never shifted away from him even once. Dong Su Zhu was sobbing softly, her shoulders shaking slightly while being held in Yang Ying Feng’s embrace.
All of a sudden, the voices of more than a hundred thousand disciples of High Heaven Palace shook the Heavens, “We wish Palace Master swift success!”
“We wish Palace Master a prosperous journey to become a Great Emperor!”
Shan Qing Luo even lifted her hands to form a circle around her mouth, activated her Emperor Qi, and shouted, “Come back quickly! We will wait for you!”
Yang Kai smiled and waved at them. Then, he took another step and his figure vanished from sight.
On this trip, he was shouldering the heavy responsibility of the Star Boundary’s survival. He was going to do everything in his means to kill his enemies. It was all or nothing! He would either return as a corpse or return to dominate the world!
When Yang Kai made his move, several jade slips appeared out of thin air all over the Star Boundary where armies were stationed. Following that, those Pseudo-Great Emperors that had managed to obtain the qualifications to enter the Profound Heavens Temple and participate in the Grand Dao battle rushed into the air.
Numerous figures and rays of light gathered in this place from all directions. No matter where they came from or how far they were from the Profound Heavens Temple, they only needed a cup of tea’s time to arrive at this place. The Profound Heavens Temple looked extremely far, but it also felt as though it was right in front of them. Just this mysterious phenomenon alone was enough to confuse and awe people.
Yang Kai was the first to arrive where Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun nodded at him lightly. With all eyes in the world on them, they could not behave overly humble, not even if they had already recognised Yang Kai as the Dragon Clan’s Dragon God.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
More and more figures appeared, and it didn’t take long before 30 of the Star Boundary’s Pseudo-Great Emperors gathered in this place. When they arrived, they bowed respectfully to the two Dragon Clan Elders, then gazed at Yang Kai in astonishment. Just as Yang Kai himself had no intention of joining the Grand Dao battle in the beginning, many Pseudo-Great Emperors never expected to see him appearing in this place. He was only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master after all. Still, it was not surprising when they recalled that he once obtained the legacy of Bright Moon Great Emperor and had the recognition of the World’s Will in his body.
Excluding the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan, there were 31 people from the Star Boundary, including Yang Kai.
“Elders, I don’t understand,” Somebody suddenly stepped forward from among the crowd.
Yang Kai glanced in the direction of the voice and discovered that the person who spoke was no stranger to him. It was somebody who once had a disagreement with him. It could even be said that this person held a grudge against him. Cang Mo!
Seeing as Cang Mo was standing here, that would mean that he had obtained the qualifications to participate in the Grand Dao battle. His luck was rather good. It was just that he kept glancing at Yang Kai while speaking.
Yang Kai immediately understood. This person was about to cause trouble for him. He sighed. The bad blood between them occurred many years ago when he condoned Wu Heng invading and devour Heng Luo Star Field.
Later, Cang Mo coveted Yang Kai’s Sealed World Bead and was badly beaten up by Qiong Qi outside Heavenly Wolf Valley in the Eastern Territory as a result. However, he then took up the position as the Eighteenth Army’s Army Commander when the Two Worlds Great War broke out since his cultivation was quite high. During that time, Cang Mo slaughtered many of the Demons and made a lot of contributions.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai would not have been willing to take matters with Cang Mo lying down. Although he rarely came into contact with Cang Mo, their grudge could not be wiped away. Unfortunately, this was a time of war and Yang Kai was not willing to allow his personal feelings to disrupt the peace of the Star Boundary. For that reason, nothing had happened between them over the years even though neither could stand the other. They had each led their respective army into battle against the Demon Race and barely interacted with each other. It was a pity that even if Yang Kai was unwilling to start trouble, the other party didn’t seem to think the same way.
“What is it?” Zhu Yan turned to look at Cang Mo.
“Sir, my companions and I were selected to enter the Profound Heavens Temple by drawing lots. As far as I know, the Sixty-First Army’s Army Commander, Sir Yang, did not participate at that time. So, why is he here?”
Yang Kai grinned at Cang Mo, “I’m here for the same reason as you.”
“Based on what qualifications?” Cang Mo’s expression was chilly, “Sir Yang, you are only a High-Rank Demon King, right? I’m afraid you will need to go back and undergo intensive cultivation for several hundred more years to participate in the Grand Dao battle.”
“It’s not your place to say whether or not I have the qualifications.” Yang Kai gave a small laugh and pointed at the Heavens, “You’d have to ask Them to know.”
Cang Mo ignored Yang Kai, only looking at Zhu Yan as he quickly said, “Sir, this solution was carried out under your fair judgement and we have no complaints about that. However, the people who stand here are blessed by the Heavens. How can Sir Yang enter with us when he did not participate in drawing lots? If you really allow him to enter, then it will cause the hearts of my companions watching below to grow cold. Sir, please order him to leave, lest he causes more trouble.”
As soon as those words rang out, many people looked pensive and troubled. Although nobody wished to create trouble at a time like this, Cang Mo’s speech was not without reason. If Yang Kai really were to enter the Profound Heavens Temple, then what would those Pseudo-Great Emperors, who failed to obtain the qualification and willingly stayed behind to protect the Star Boundary, think? Leaving aside whether or not a High-Rank Demon King like Yang Kai could enter the Profound Heavens Temple, even if he could enter, he had not received the qualifications to do so.
“Yang Kai’s qualification comes from me. I am not going to enter the Profound Heavens Temple.” Li Wu Yi spoke up suddenly.
Everybody was shocked by those words and they all turned to look at him. Somebody even called out in alarm, “What do you mean, Supreme Commander!?”
Li Wu Yi smiled slightly, “It’s exactly as you heard. The qualification to enter the Profound Heavens Temple that belongs to me will be transferred to Yang Kai. In that way, he will have the qualifications to enter.”
Although it was based on drawing lots, it was very easy for the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan to manipulate the results. Those who were required to enter the Profound Heavens Temple would naturally receive the qualification. And, Li Wu Yi was naturally one of them. The rest was really up to luck.
“Sir, you can’t!”
“Supreme Commander, please rethink your decision!”
“T-T-This…”
Many among the crowd exclaimed and tried to persuade Li Wu Yi otherwise. It was not that they had anything against Yang Kai and refused to allow him entry into the Profound Heavens Temple, it was just that Li Wu Yi was the strongest beneath the Great Emperors. The Star Boundary would have a greater chance of success if he entered the Profound Heavens Temple. When it came down to it, Yang Kai was only a rising star and would not be as helpful as Li Wu Yi if he took up one of the spots. It was based on this consideration that they tried to persuade Li Wu Yi otherwise. If not, how could they be so uncaring towards Yang Kai’s situation?
“There is no need to say anything more. This is the result of my discussion with the two Elders,” Li Wu Yi waved his hand dismissively, ending the discussion with a single sentence.
They immediately understood that persuasion was useless upon learning that it was also the intention of the two Dragon Clan Elders. Nevertheless, this result also left some of them feeling rather relieved.
After all, Li Wu Yi’s reputation was too great and his strength was too overwhelming. If he entered the Profound Heavens Temple, the rest would not have much of a chance to reach the Grand Dao. Now that he voluntarily gave up on this opportunity and was replaced by Yang Kai, would that not mean that their greatest opponent was gone? Although this would cause the Star Boundary to lack some power, it would also give everybody else a greater chance of success. It was both advantageous and disadvantageous to all of the Pseudo-Great Emperors.
At that moment, an elderly man stepped forward and cupped his fists, “Elders, Supreme Commander, this old man has something that I am not sure if I should say.”
Li Wu Yi smiled, “Please speak freely, Sir Lin.”
Similarly, Yang Kai turned to look in that direction. He recognised the old man as the Forty-Ninth Army’s Army Commander, Lin Ru Song. The old man became a Pseudo-Great Emperor 3,000 years ago and had a warm temperament. He had been living in seclusion deep within the mountains for all these years and only due to the outbreak of the war between the Two Worlds had he come out to serve as an Army Commander.
It could be said that he was the friendliest Army Commander in the entire Star Boundary. Every time he fought against the Demon Race, he would lead the way and rush to the forefront of the battle. Therefore, all the soldiers under him greatly respected him. Among the entire army of several hundreds of thousands of people, there was not a single person who did not respect him. He was famous for being good-natured and had never got into a dispute with anyone. More importantly, he was on good terms with every other Army Commander.