After the Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire was won by Yang Kai for the price of 3 million Open Heaven Pills, the next two Fifth-Order materials also fell into his hands, which surprised no one.
The auction, which had attracted many people to attend, ended in an awkward atmosphere. Be it the individual bidders in the hall or the shopkeepers in the private rooms, they had their horizons broadened on this day.
They had never attended such an auction before. Other than the first few things, the rest of the items were purchased by only one person. More surprisingly, he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, yet he had spent over 10 million pills in total.
All of them wondered which great force Yang Kai was from and why he possessed so many Open Heaven Pills? Those shopkeepers at the scene could only control a few million pills, and they didn’t have the right to use any amount that was over 10 million freely.
Only a small number of them could recognise Yang Kai; after all, he had been demanding repayments from 19 shops recently, and he had met several shopkeepers in the process. Some of those shopkeepers had attended the auction on this day.
In a room that was reserved for important guests in Wind and Cloud Auction House, Yang Kai and Bai Qi were seated across from one another as they tasted the aromatic tea they were served. Many things had already been placed in front of them. Despite that, maidservants continued streaming into the room and putting down more items.
These were the items they had bid for during the auction. The rule in the auction house was that they would only collect the Open Heaven Pills after the event. Since the auction was over, it was time for the successful bidders to pay the bill.
The auctioneer with a curvy figure was standing in front of them. Every time an item was sent into the room, she would smilingly introduce it to Yang Kai and inform him of the price he had offered.
To the side, there was a man who looked like an accountant who continuously made calculations with his abacus as he added all the prices up.
As the maidservants entered and left the room, more and more items were placed in front of them. Although Bai Qi was drinking tea, he kept stealing glances at Yang Kai as he felt guilty.
That was because he had never done such a thing before, to say nothing of the fact that they were in an auction house. He couldn’t even imagine how they would end up once this was all over.
A moment later, the accountant was finally done with the calculations and reported them. The auctioneer then looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “Sir, the total price for the things you’ve bid for is 11,360,000.”
Then, she turned to look at Bai Qi, “Sir, the total price of the things you’ve bid for is 930,000.”
Compared to Yang Kai, Bai Qi had bid for far fewer things, which were mostly some cheaper items. That was because Yang Kai was swift every time he made an offer, so Bai Qi didn’t have a chance to make a bid.
“Pack them all up together,” Yang Kai didn’t even bat an eye.
Hearing that, the auctioneer took a look at someone beside her, whereupon a shop hand put all the things into a Space Ring. The auctioneer held the ring with both hands and presented it to Yang Kai.
After taking it, Yang Kai didn’t even bother to take a glance at it. As he rubbed his fingers together, a tinge of Space Principles undulated, upon which the ring disappeared.
Following that, he rose from the chair and spoke to Bai Qi, “Let’s go.”
The smile on the auctioneer’s face froze as she stood in his way and said politely, “Sir, have you forgotten something?”
Yang Kai looked around and stared at her, “I don’t think so.”
The auctioneer forced a smile and said in a soft voice, “You’ve forgotten to pay the bill.” There was an aggrieved look on her face.
“I have no Open Heaven Pills,” Yang Kai stared frankly at her while Bai Qi, who was standing behind him, had the corner of his brow twitch.
After batting her eyes, the auctioneer suddenly covered her mouth and giggled, “Sir, you’re too funny.” Old Yu had inspected Yang Kai and confirmed that he had enough Open Heaven Pills to bid for the items; otherwise, he would’ve been kicked out of the auction house. No one would believe him if he said he had no Open Heaven Pills at this point.
“I’m not joking.” Yang Kai looked dispassionately at her, “Your auction house owes us 10 million Open Heaven Pills, so I’ll just regard these items as collateral. I’ll only return them to you when you pay me the 10 million you owe.”
The auctioneer became rooted to the spot as she gaped at Yang Kai and asked hesitantly, “Sir, what do you mean by that?”
She was just an auctioneer, so she had no idea what had happened behind the scenes. That was the reason she was puzzled now. She didn’t even know that the auction house owed someone 10 million.
“Your shopkeeper understands what I’m talking about. Right, Manager Yun?” Yang Kai shouted the last sentence at the door.
Although he couldn’t detect Yun Zhen Hua’s aura, he reckoned that the shopkeeper must be just outside the room; after all, not long after he and Bai Qi were kicked out of the auction house, they managed to sneak back in. Furthermore, they had swept most of the items into their pockets with exorbitant prices during the auction. As the shopkeeper of this auction house, there was no way Yun Zhen Hua wasn’t aware of such an incident.
In that case, there was no doubt he was waiting outside the room at the moment.
With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside; however, the person who entered the room wasn’t Yun Zhen Hua. Instead, it was Old Yu, who had inspected Yang Kai earlier.
Presently, there was a grim expression on Old Yu’s face. He placed one hand behind his back and his other hand on his belly as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai, “Little friend, I suggest that you don’t risk ruining your future.”
He only found out about who Yang Kai and Bai Qi were after the inspection he performed; after all, it was inconceivable that a mere Emperor Realm cultivator would be carrying 200 million Open Heaven Pills on him, so he secretly informed Yun Zhen Hua about it. Yun Zhen Hua furtively came over to have a look and realised that the bidders causing trouble were the two shop hands from First Inn.
Furthermore, they had demanded repayment from him right before the auction.
After that, Old Yu immediately knew that these two guys were ill-intentioned; however, it was already during the latter half of the auction, and Yang Kai indeed had enough Open Heaven Pills to bid for the items, so it was inappropriate for him to do anything. He decided to see how things went after the auction. Now, seeing as these two brats had no intention to pay up, Old Yu became incensed.
“We have the right to demand repayment from you because you owe us Open Heaven Pills. Since you’re not willing to pay up, we have no choice but to extract compensation from you through other means,” Yang Kai looked smilingly at him.
Old Yu said coldly, “No one has dared to make a scene in our auction house before. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“There’s someone now,” Yang Kai showed no fear. Although the auction house was backed by a powerful great force, he also had the support of First Inn; therefore, he was confident that the inn could compete against the auction house. Furthermore, those from the auction house were in the wrong, so he wasn’t afraid when facing Old Yu.
“Bold!” Old Yu snorted, “But courage is far from enough. Do you think you can get away with this outrage?”
Yang Kai shot him a glance, “What do you want to do, then? Detain us?”
Old Yu scoffed and waved his hand, “Search them.” He secretly mocked these two brats for thinking that they could do whatever they wanted just because they were backed by First Inn. He would retrieve the items first before settling the score with them.
Upon receiving the order, the shop hands beside him marched forward.
Hurriedly, Bai Qi got into a defensive pose, “Don’t come near me. I’ll fight!”
Yang Kai lifted his hand and pressed it against Bai Qi’s shoulder, “Let them.”
In puzzlement, Bai Qi turned a strange look at him. They had spent the past month collecting Open Heaven Pills from many places. Besides Yang Kai, he also had over 100 million with him as they hadn’t handed the Open Heaven Pills to the Proprietress yet.
Yang Kai kept them with him because he was struck by the Proprietress with a feather duster when he returned to the inn to tell her the good news some time ago, which irked him. On the other hand, Bai Qi hadn’t handed it over to her because he had never seen so many pills before, so he wanted to keep it for a longer time.
However, before coming to this place, Yang Kai had told Bai Qi to pass everything to him, so Bai Qi didn’t even have a single Open Heaven Pill with him. There was practically nothing in his pockets right now.
That was why he wasn’t worried about the inspection, but it was a different story for Yang Kai. However, since Yang Kai had said so, Bai Qi lowered his guard despite his puzzlement. More importantly, they couldn’t defeat the people around here as it was enemy territory. Apart from the shop hands around them, Old Yu was able to defeat them with a wave of his hand, so any resistance was futile.
In total, four shop hands walked up to them. Two of them searched Bai Qi, while the other two inspected Yang Kai.
A moment later, they couldn’t find anything, so they turned to look at Old Yu and reported, “There’s nothing with them.”
“Impossible!” Old Yu’s expression changed. He didn’t seem to have made a move, but he directly appeared in front of Yang Kai as he grabbed his shoulder with one hand and searched his body with the other hand.
How was it possible that there was nothing on Yang Kai? Besides the ring that contained almost 200 million Open Heaven Pills, the items that he had bid for were taken away by him not long ago.
How could the items have disappeared for no reason?
After the inspection, there was indeed nothing with Yang Kai. Following that, Old Yu released his Divine Sense and carefully examined every part of Yang Kai’s body. There wasn’t even a single pill with him, let alone any Space Rings. Those items from the auction had disappeared into thin air as well.
Then, he pondered on it for a moment and recalled sensing a faint Space Principle fluctuation when he was outside the room earlier. It felt similar to the fluctuation when the Universe Transference Law was used.
His chest tightened as he exerted more force with his hand and questioned through clenched teeth, “Where have you put the items?”
Old Yu was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he was especially forceful when he was fuming. Yang Kai could hear a cracking sound coming from his shoulder, as though some of his bones had broken.
His expression changed as he held in the urge to groan in pain; then, he stared coldly at Old Yu and said, “I’ve said that the reason we’ve done such a thing is that you refuse to pay what you owe us. As long as you give us the Open Heaven Pills we demanded, I’ll return the items to you.”
“Little bastard!” Old Yu roared. Although the items in the auction were generally expensive, it was a failed event for the auction house. This couldn’t be helped, as most of the things were purchased by only one person, which would affect the auction house’s reputation negatively. When others talked about it in the future, they would say that there were problems with the organisational skills of those from the auction house. Otherwise, such a laughable incident wouldn’t have happened.
It had been many years since Wind and Cloud Auction House was established, so they could still bear the slight damage to their reputation; however, if word got out that they had even lost the items from the auction without receiving any payment, they would become a laughing stock.
An enraged Old Yu released his Fourth-Order Open Heaven pressure and forced Yang Kai to lower his figure. At that instant, Yang Kai felt as though an entire world had been pressed against his shoulder. This couldn’t be helped, as there was a huge gap between their powers. Now that he was captured, he was completely powerless to resist. If it weren’t because he was resolute enough, he would’ve fallen on his knees instantly.
“You dare make a move against him!” Bai Qi bellowed. Seeing as Yang Kai almost couldn’t breathe, he surged the Five Elements in his body and pushed out a palm at Old Yu.
As soon as he extended his hand, he realised that he was no match for the old man. He became infuriated because he saw Yang Kai being oppressed, and by the time he came to his senses, it was already too late for him to retract his hand.
“Get lost!” Without even looking, Old Yu landed a palm on Bai Qi’s chest. Following a loud crack, Bai Qi grunted and was sent flying backwards. After he crashed into the wall, the entire room seemed to shake.
Yang Kai turned his head, only to see that Bai Qi had turned pale. Blood was streaming down from his mouth, and there was an indent in his chest. With his head slumped to the side, he remained unmoving. An enraged Yang Kai roared, “Old dog, you must be sick of living!”
He activated all the power in his body and straightened up against the pressure. Following that, he quickly performed a hand seal with both hands before pushing out a palm at the older man.
“What?” There was a tinge of surprise on Old Yu’s face. It wasn’t that Yang Kai’s strike was powerful, but when he was faced with the attack, he realised that his mind had turned blank for a moment as though time had stopped temporarily.
[Has this brat comprehended the Dao of Time?]
Despite this astonishing feat, Yang Kai was still at a great disadvantage because he was much weaker than his opponent, so after a snort, Old Yu raised his hand and pushed out his palm again.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai was sent flying backwards as well. Time Principles swirled around Old Yu’s hand, which caused it to contort and wither; however, just a short moment later, his hand was restored to its original state. There was a huge gap between their powers, so he was able to dispel the Time Principles with ease. Otherwise, he would’ve suffered severe damage.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai hit the wall that he grunted and suppressed the roiling blood in his body. Looking down, he realised that his hand, which was used to trade moves with Old Yu, was trembling violently as the bones in his wrist had broken.
Old Yu shot him a glare, “No one has dared to steal from our auction house before. Those who have the guts to try must die.”
“I dare you to try killing us then!” Despite the fact that Yang Kai was at a disadvantage, he still lifted his chin and appeared haughty.
A murderous intent flashed across Old Yu’s eyes, but after shooting him a glare, he turned around and flicked his sleeve, “Keep watch over them. Don’t let them flee.” Then, he shuffled out of the room.
The auctioneer gave Yang Kai a dismissive look and left the room as well. Before leaving, the shop hands closed the door. It was apparent that they intended to place Yang Kai and Bai Qi under house arrest.
Outside the door, Yun Zhen Hua ran through his beard with his fingers and scowled. Seeing Old Yu, he slightly nodded at him and ambled towards a secret room with him.
After they entered the secret room a moment later, Yun Zhen Hua frowned, “Since they’re injured now, things have become complicated.”
Those two brats were from First Inn. They were rude, and it wasn’t wrong for Old Yu to teach them a lesson, but that didn’t change the truth that he had injured them. Recalling a certain crazy woman who knew no restraint, Yun Zhen Hua felt a headache coming on.
Still infuriated, Old Yu barked, “They’re clearly in the wrong as they stole from our auction house. So what if I beat them up?”
Knowing that Old Yu was an arrogant and hot-tempered man, Yun Zhen Hua shot him a glance before falling silent. Although Old Yu was just a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was extremely ambitious. He couldn’t be blamed for having grandiose aims, but puny abilities as there was a possibility that he could’ve reached the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the past. However, when he was ascending to the Open Heaven Realm, he was deceived by a scoundrel, which was why he ended up in the Fourth Order. It was the biggest regret of his life.
Moreover, it hadn’t been a long time since he became an Open Heaven Realm Master, so Old Yu hadn’t heard of how infamous that woman was. That was the reason he was unafraid of her.
Nevertheless, it shouldn’t matter as these two guys were just shop hands. That woman probably wouldn’t make a fuss for two mere shop hands. In any case, it seemed they had to repay 10 million Open Heaven Pills; otherwise, it would give her a reason to flare up.
At the thought of this, Yun Zhen Hua fished out a communications bead and told his subordinate to prepare 10 million pills. He also told someone else to invite Madam Lan to come over to settle the issue.
Certainly, he was ready to repay the money, but the two shop hands had created trouble by bidding maliciously and sweeping up most of the items during the auction, so he had to deal with Madam Lan now.
While Bai Qi had passed out and Yang Kai bled, a young woman dashed into First Inn. Seeing that, a shop hand of the inn approached her and asked with a smile, “Welcome to First Inn. Are you here to rent a room or have a meal?”
The woman replied anxiously, “I’m looking for your Proprietress, Madam Lan.”
The shop hand sized her up and said smilingly, “I’m sorry, honoured guest. Our Proprietress isn’t meeting guests right now. If there’s anything you need, you can tell me about it, and I’ll pass on your words to her.”
“Sir Yang asked me to come over and said I must directly speak to your Proprietress!” The woman replied.
“Sir Yang? Who are you talking about?” The shop hand appeared puzzled. There were countless people in Star City with the surname Yang.
“Sir Yang Kai!”
The woman who had just sprinted into the inn was none other than Luo Hai Yi. When the auction was over, she immediately left the auction house because Yang Kai had secretly made a request of her, which was why she rushed over to First Inn.
“Yang Kai told you to come over?” The accountant, who had been doing some calculations behind the counter, lifted his head and stared at her.
Luo Hai Yi nodded repeatedly, “Yes!”
“What’s the matter? Where is he?” The accountant asked.
Luo Hai Yi shook her head and pressed her lips together.
Seeing that, the accountant broke into laughter. The woman was weak as she hadn’t even condensed her Dao Seal, but she was rather innocent and adorable. She only wanted to look for the Proprietress because Yang Kai had told her to do so, and she wouldn’t answer anyone else’s questions before she accomplished her objective.
Since Yang Kai had told her to come over, there must be something urgent, so the accountant said, “Bring her to meet Proprietress.”
The shop hand nodded, “Yes. Miss, please come with me.”
Then, he led the way for her towards the rear court.
A moment later, upon reaching the Proprietress’ room, the shop hand slightly bent his back and called out, “Proprietress, this young lady is looking for you. She said that Yang Kai told her to come see you.”
“Show her in,” the Proprietress was heard saying.
“Please,” The shop hand extended his hand.
After taking a deep breath, Luo Hai Yi thanked him and pushed the door open, whereupon a delicately decorated woman’s room came into her sight. A pleasant scent permeated the air, and turning her head, Luo Hai Yi saw a curvy woman who was seated by a dressing table. Her jet-black hair hung loose on her shoulders, and the mirror reflected her breathtakingly alluring face.
As their eyes met, the Proprietress asked, “Where’s that brat?”
[That brat…] Luo Hai Yi slightly stuck out her tongue as she knew that the Proprietress was talking about Yang Kai, then she said, “When we parted ways, he was still in Wind and Cloud Auction House.”
With a frown, the Proprietress combed her hair and asked, “Why was he there?” Then, she recalled that the auction house also owed them money, so he must have gone over to demand repayment.
Then, she remembered that not long after they arrived in the Star City, Yang Kai didn’t return to the inn for the entire night. When she questioned him about it later, he said that he had stayed over at a woman’s house.
The Proprietress sized Luo Hai Yi up more carefully and furrowed her brow. Although this woman could be considered pretty, she was obviously weak and destitute. Moreover, she appeared timid and inexperienced. Did that brat really stay over at her house that night?
“Why did he tell you to look for me?” The Proprietress asked.
Hurriedly, Luo Hai Yi stepped forward and revealed the things she had firmly held in her hands, “He told me to pass these things to you.”
The Proprietress turned her head and saw three Space Rings. One of them exuded Yang Kai’s aura, and the other had Bai Qi’s aura on it. These were apparently their rings. The last one seemed to have no owner.
After taking the rings, the Proprietress activated her Divine Sense and inspected Yang Kai’s ring first. Then, she arched her brow and said, “Hmph!”
There were countless Open Heaven Pills in the ring. These were obviously the money he had collected recently. Instead of handing the money to her right away though, that brat had told an outsider to pass the ring to her.
Then, she scanned Bai Qi’s ring and realised that there were just as many pills inside it.
[Those little bastards! I’ll teach them a lesson when they come back!] The Proprietress secretly cursed at them, then she took a glance at Luo Hai Yi, “Do you know what’s inside these rings?”
These two rings contained nearly 400 million Open Heaven Pills, so how could Yang Kai trust a mere Emperor Realm cultivator, one who hadn’t even condensed her Dao Seal, to send them to the inn? Wasn’t he worried that something would happen? Although no one dared to steal in this Star City, Accidents still occur.
Luo Hai Yi shook her head, “I never looked inside of them.”
It was then the Proprietress’ gaze softened. Regardless of whether Luo Hai Yi had looked into the rings, the fact that she had delivered them to the inn suggested that she was a trustworthy person.
The Proprietress didn’t explain anything to her as there was a huge gap between their powers and statuses, so it was pointless to do so. Then, she took a look at the third ring, which contained all sorts of random items. There were many precious things inside, but that only puzzled the Proprietress as she passed the ring to Luo Hai Yi and asked, “Where did he get all these things?”
After taking the ring, Luo Hai Yi scanned it and pressed her lips together, “These are the things he bid for during the auction.”
Luo Hai Yi had no idea why these things were inside this ring. Upon receiving Yang Kai’s order, she left the auction house and waited in a quiet, secluded place nearby. Before leaving, Yang Kai passed her a bead and told her that some items would be sent to her shortly, and that after she received them, she had to pass them to the Proprietress of First Inn as quickly as possible.
And so, not long ago, with a glow from the bead, three Space Rings appeared out of thin air before her.
“He took part in the auction?” The Proprietress was startled.
After a nod, Luo Hai Yi replied, “Sir Yang basically purchased all the items.”
“That little bas…” The Proprietress stood up straight. Just when she wanted to call him a wastrel, she suddenly realised something.
As a myriad of expressions came over her before she exclaimed, “Damn it!”
After taking back the ring from Luo Hai Yi, she dashed out of the room. She didn’t even have the time to tidy up her hair first.
Luo Hai Yi became rooted to the spot, but she soon raced after her; however, the Proprietress was already nowhere to be seen. An amazed accountant stuck out his head from the counter and asked a shop hand, “Proprietress seemed to be in a rush. Where is she going?”
The shop hand shook his head to indicate that he had no idea.
Seeing Luo Hai Yi, the accountant hurriedly called out to her and asked some questions. As his expression changed repeatedly, he had a feeling that a thorny issue had come up.
Inside a room in Wind and Cloud Auction House, the brothers in suffering grimaced in pain. They were in a miserable state because they were injured.
In comparison, Bai Qi’s injuries were more serious. His chest was caved in, and his five viscera and six organs were damaged. A trace of blood was also seen at the corner of his mouth. On the other hand, Yang Kai only suffered a fracture in his wrist. With that said, these were not fatal injuries for either of them. They just needed some time to recuperate.
Bai Qi sat down with his legs crossed, and just when he was about to meditate to heal his wounds, Yang Kai suddenly grabbed his clothes and hoisted him, “Don’t.”
“What are you doing?” Bai Qi’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He didn’t understand why Yang Kai stopped him at this point.
Yang Kai showed him his fractured wrist, “What do you think those from Wind and Cloud Auction House are doing now?”
“How should I know?” Bai Qi barked. He wasn’t in the mood to venture a guess when he was barred from treating his own wounds. It was the first time he was placed under house arrest, which was the biggest humiliation in his life. That was the reason he was fuming.
“Did you leave your brain behind when you left the inn this morning?” Yang Kai pointed at his own head, “You can easily figure it out by giving it a thought.”
Bai Qi couldn’t help glaring at him, but after pondering on it for a moment, he soon realised something and exclaimed, “Oh, no! They’re going to inform the Proprietress about this!” They were shop hands from First Inn, after all. Although those from the auction house had a valid reason for harming them, they would certainly look for the Proprietress to settle the issue.
At that instant, Bai Qi appeared frustrated and sighed, “I shouldn’t have done this.” He wouldn’t want the Proprietress to find out about it; after all, demanding repayment was just a trivial matter. Failure to do so just meant that he wasn’t strong or influential enough; however, if the Proprietress had to step in to handle the matter, it would make him look useless, which was embarrassing.
Upon lifting his head, he saw that there was a faint smile on Yang Kai’s face though, so with a frown, he asked, “Did you do it on purpose?” Finally, he realised Yang Kai’s intentions. They engaged in malicious bidding during the auction and purchased most of the items. When the event was over, they intended to leave without paying. How was it possible that they would be allowed to leave? The current outcome was bound to happen and those from the auction house would certainly inform the Proprietress about it. He thought that Yang Kai had an excellent idea to get away with this act, but he hadn’t expected this to happen.
Yang Kai grinned at him, “Have you only realised it now?”
Bai Qi was perplexed, “Didn’t you say that you didn’t want the Proprietress to know?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “This time is different. Previously, it might not be useful even if the Proprietress was asked to come over. If those from the auction house were determined to renege on their debt, it wasn’t like the Proprietress could rob that amount from them. She said that it would be good if these shops were willing to pay up, but if they refused, she didn’t mind going to their headquarters to reason with them. I have no idea where Wind and Cloud Paradise is, but it’s definitely not nearby. Why would we want the Proprietress to embark on such a long journey?”
“But now…” Bai Qi’s gaze brightened as he had a clearer idea about Yang Kai’s plan.
Yang Kai grinned in a wicked manner, “Now that we are severely injured and close to dying, the Proprietress has a reason to flare up. In order to appease her, they will have to give her the 10 million pills.”
“Severely injured and close to dying?” The corner of Bai Qi’s mouth twitched. He looked at the cunning man before his eyes as though he had just discovered his true colours.
“It’ll be worth it if we can get the 10 million after all the pain we’ve gone through. By then, we might even be able to demand some compensation from them.”
[Not only is he cunning, but he’s also black-hearted!] Despite his thoughts, Bai Qi said, “You should’ve told me in advance. I thought you were going to flee after snatching the items.”
A speechless Yang Kai gazed at him, “Two Fourth-Order cultivators are overseeing this place, how were we supposed to run away?” In fact, it wasn’t that they didn’t stand a chance. Since he was able to send three rings to Luo Hai Yi, he could also flee with Bai Qi in an instant; however, those from the auction house knew that they were from First Inn, so if they really ran away, all their efforts would go to waste.
“If I’m not mistaken, Yun Zhen Hua should’ve sent someone to invite…”
Before Yang Kai could finish his words, he heard a familiar voice bellowing from outside the room, “Yun Zhen Hua, roll out here now!”
The brothers in suffering widened their eyes and traded glances. They could see the shock behind one another’s gazes.
“Proprietress arrived so soon…”
At the same time, they collapsed to the ground. Bai Qi stuck out his tongue like he was a dying dog as his aura weakened. On the other hand, Yang Kai landed a few palms on himself and coughed up some blood to make himself look pitiful.
In another room, Yun Zhen Hua and Old Yu, who were seated across from each other, were astounded as well. Supposedly, Madam Lan shouldn’t have come so soon; after all, it hadn’t been long since they sent a shop hand out to First Inn.
Whatever the case, since she had arrived, they had to reason with her and tell her to discipline her subordinates.
Upon trading glances, they rose from the chairs at the same time and walked towards the door. Regardless of their feelings on the matter, they were facing a Sixth-Order Master, so they didn’t dare to offend her.
However, not long after they started moving forward, they felt an immense pressure descending from the sky. A murderous intent seemed to have materialised and caused the entire auction house to tremble.
Yun Zhen Hua felt horrified as there was a crawling sensation on his scalp. With a solemn expression, Old Yu resisted the pressure with all his might, but his bones still started cracking upon impact.
They had no idea why Madam Lan’s anger had erupted all of a sudden. Although she had spoken to them in a rude manner just now, it was understandable as she was a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master. Nevertheless, how could she directly pressure them? Did she seriously think they were afraid of her?
Both Yun Zhen Hua and Old Yu were enraged. [Our auction house is not where you can make a scene as you please!]
Just then, some shrieks were heard coming from the backyard, and following that, some cracking sounds were heard as though a door had broken apart.
Yun Zhen Hua took a glance at Old Yu and yelled, “Let’s go!”
They dashed out of the room and reached the place where the incident happened. It was the room where Yang Kai and Bai Qi were detained. Presently, many people were lying on the ground in the backyard. They were the shop hands from the auction house who were ordered to stand guard in front of the room.
At the moment, they were groaning in pain after getting beaten. Apparently, it was Madam Lan who made a move on them. Faced with a Sixth-Order Master, these weaklings were completely powerless to resist.
Yun Zhen Hua and Old Yu widened their eyes in fury. Whatever the case, they were now in Wind and Cloud Auction House. Even though Madam Lan was a Sixth-Order Master, she shouldn’t have injured so many of their people, and judging from their injuries, it would take these shop-hands at least six months to a year to recuperate.
The two old men sprinted towards the room where the door was broken and saw a curvy figure that was facing away from them. Presently, she was squatting and checking on the two little brats.
“Proprietress…” Old Bai muttered under his breath and spat blood, “I… I’m worried that I don’t have much time left… M-Many thanks for taking care of me over the years. This Old Bai will always remember it and repay you in my next life.”
The Proprietress was squatting in front of them with her hair covering her eyes. Although Yang Kai and Bai Qi were unable to see her expression, they could hear her grinding her teeth.
“Shut up!” The Proprietress lifted her hand and clenched Bai Qi’s chin. While he stared at her in disbelief, she directly knocked him out.
Then, she slowly shifted her attention to Yang Kai as her lips curved into an inscrutable smile, “Both of you are really something else.”
Yang Kai let out a hollow laugh as he had no idea how to reply to her.
The Proprietress was truly incensed. After Luo Hai Yi sent her the rings in a hurry, she immediately realised what had happened and rushed over to the auction house. Initially, she intended to have a proper discussion with Yun Zhen Hua to settle the issue, but as soon as she arrived at this place, she detected that Yang Kai and Bai Qi had been confined, and that their auras were unstable.
Upon this realization, she became enraged and stormed into the place; however, after she checked them more carefully, she realized it was all a sham. These two brats were indeed weak and wounded, but their injuries were nowhere near as serious as she had imagined. They just needed a little time to recuperate.
At the same time, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief because they only suffered from minor injuries. After she finished speaking, she slowly got to her feet and hung her head low. A cold aura swirled around her, which caused the temperature in the place to drop significantly. Even Yang Kai couldn’t help but shudder.
“Who injured them?” As she asked the question, she slowly turned around and swept a cold glance over Yun Zhen Hua and Old Yu.
Faced with her stare, they felt as though a blade had been pressed against their necks and they had a premonition that something terrible was about to happen.
Yun Zhen Hua suppressed the anxiety in his heart and asked with a frown, “Are you Madam Lan? We can discuss this…” He had only heard about how crazy this woman was in the past, but he had never seen her before. The alluring woman in front of him seemed to be different from the rumours about her.
“Who injured them?” The Proprietress ignored him and repeated her question, her gaze even colder than before.
Hearing that, Yun Zhen Hua became incensed. He was a Head Shopkeeper from Wind and Cloud Paradise who had been stationed in this auction house. Although Madam Lan had a powerful background, she shouldn’t be so arrogant.
To the side, Old Yu snorted, “These two reckless brats didn’t understand the immensity of Heaven and Earth and dared make a scene in our auction house. It was already magnanimous of this Old Master to have spared their… Ah!”
Before he could finish his speech, Old Yu condensed all his strength and pushed out his palm. This couldn’t be helped, as he could see the woman in white pushing out a palm against him. She was engulfed in a malevolent aura as though she was some kind of ferocious beast.
[How dare she make a move on me!?] Old Yu was both shocked and incensed. Earlier, he had harmed Yang Kai and Bai Qi, and now, Madam Lan had injured many shop hands from their auction house. It didn’t really matter as they were all insignificant people; however, it would be a different story if two Open Heaven Realm Masters traded moves in the Star City. There was no way those from Great Battle Heaven would ignore it.
[Is this woman out of her mind?] That was the idea that had flashed across Old Yu’s mind.
While Old Yu was still consumed with his thoughts, Madam Lan from First Inn had dispelled his Divine Ability as her slender hand was about to reach his chest. His expression changed drastically as he was aware that he was no match for her; after all, she was a Sixth-Order Master while he was only a Fourth-Order cultivator. At that instant, he flew backwards as the illusory phantom of a Small Universe appeared behind him.
World Force erupted as the illusory phantom lasted for a short moment before disappearing. Simultaneously, the Proprietress chased after him with a cold gaze.
Old Yu felt his neck tightening and realised that all his energy had stagnated. When he came to his senses, he was hoisted into the air as a whip had been wrapped around his neck. Madam Lan was just one step away from him, and she was grabbing the handle of the whip. A glacial aura was seen swirling around her.
[How is that possible!?] Old Yu widened his eyes and felt deeply horrified. He knew that he was no match for Madam Lan as she was two Orders above him, but he hadn’t expected her to be this overwhelming.
He thought that even though he couldn’t defeat her, he could trade a few moves with her. By then, Yun Zhen Hua would also lend him a hand. As long as the fallout of the battle spread, those from Great Battle Heaven would show up.
When that happened, the battle would be stopped immediately, upon which they could have a proper discussion.
However, faced with an absolute gap in power, Old Yu realised that all his thoughts were just wishful thinking.
[Is she really just a Sixth-Order? It’s almost like she’s as powerful as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master!] Although Old Yu was only in the Fourth Order, he had seen some High-Rank Masters taking action before. From that experience, he had a feeling that Madam Lan possessed a power that surpassed that of an average Sixth-Order Master.
On the other hand, Yun Zhen Hua’s expression changed drastically as he shouted, “Madam Lan, please don’t harm him!”
It wasn’t that he reacted too slowly, but rather that Madam Lan was too swift. She managed to capture Old Yu in less than a breath of time, so he was unable to lend him a hand. Seeing Old Yu lifted off the ground with a whip wrapped around his neck, Yun Zhen Hua was both shocked and incensed.
In the corner, Yang Kai, who was holding his fractured wrist with his other hand, was dumbfounded as well. While his blood was boiling, he was also shocked by the Proprietress’ audacity. [Bold! How does she have the guts to make a move inside the Star City? She’s practically slapping the face of the auction house. What if those from Great Battle Heaven show up? After all, this city is their territory…]
It had to be said that the sight before Yang Kai’s eyes helped him vent out his anger. Unfortunately, Bai Qi had passed out; otherwise, he would’ve been able to watch the show together with him.
“How many of your ribs are broken?” The Proprietress suddenly asked.
Everyone was startled as they had no idea what she was talking about.
“I asked how many of your ribs are broken?” The Proprietress turned her head and stared at Yang Kai.
It was then Yang Kai realised that she was talking to him, so he hurriedly replied, “Three!”
The Proprietress nodded and suddenly pressed her palm against Old Yu’s chest, whereupon he shrieked and sprayed out a mouth of blood before flying backwards, a cracking sound coming from his chest.
Yun Zhen Hua’s pupils contracted as he charged forward and supported Old Yu’s weight. They were standing alongside one another as they glared at her.
The Proprietress swung her sleeve, whereupon her whip shrunk like a snake and disappeared. With a dispassionate expression, she said, “You’ve broken three ribs of my subordinate, and I’ve done the same for yours.”
While Old Yu gritted his teeth, Yun Zhen Hua glared at her, both of their gazes filled with fire.
Standing behind her, Yang Kai couldn’t help shrinking up slightly. In truth, he was the one who had broken his own ribs. Old Yu had only fractured his wrist. [Things are getting out of hand…]
“Now, we can talk,” The Proprietress lifted her blemish-free chin as she stood in front of Yang Kai, as majestic and imposing as a mountain. It was as though she was able to fend off all storms for him.
Undoubtedly, she was replying to Yun Zhen Hua’s original request. When she was checking on Yang Kai and Bai Qi earlier, Yun Zhen Hua had said that they could talk it out.
Unfortunately, she ignored him and directly attacked Old Yu, breaking three of his ribs. It wasn’t until now that she gave them a chance to discuss the situation.
A talk wasn’t necessary anymore though. Old Yu had never been humiliated in such a way before, so at this moment, the fury in his heart was weltering like a volcano that was about to erupt. If it weren’t because he was no match for her, he would’ve pounced on her to get his revenge. He didn’t care about the fact that blood was still streaming down from his mouth as he stared fixedly at the woman in white with a gaze filled with hatred.
Yun Zhen Hua fell silent as well. He had never expected that Madam Lan would be even more unreasonable than what he had heard about her, showing them not the slightest respect even in their own home. Presently, he felt extremely bitter in his heart.
He had sent a message to the headquarters to inquire about First Inn’s destruction and confirmed that a Senior from their force was involved. They indeed had something to do with destroying the inn.
However, he was on bad terms with the person who had made that move. Although both of them were from Wind and Cloud Paradise, they hated each other deeply. He didn’t want to make compensation for someone else’s mistake; moreover, he was the shopkeeper of the auction house in this city, and the profit he made would affect his chances of getting promoted. 10 million Open Heaven Pills was a big amount. If he had to fork out such a fortune, it would mean that his efforts in the past year would be wasted.
Therefore, he directly rejected Yang Kai and Bai Qi as he didn’t have the intention to make up for someone else’s mistake. He had even decided that if Madam Lan came over, he would still ignore her. In any case, he wasn’t the one who had made a move in First Inn, so there was no way she could force him to pay up. She would have to head over to their headquarters to look for that person who had caused trouble to demand compensation.
Nevertheless, it had never crossed Yun Zhen Hua’s mind that doing so would invite such big trouble to himself.
Old Yu was an arrogant man and had not hesitated to injure First Inn’s shop hands. Therefore, Yun Zhen Hua had told someone to get 10 million Open Heaven Pills ready to settle the issue, but he had still underestimated Madam Lan’s insanity.
“It’s fine even if you don’t want to talk. Yang Kai, explain what happened,” Madam Lan said in a dispassionate voice without turning her head.
With his hand pressed against his chest, Yang Kai gathered his thoughts before beginning. He explained how he came across Bai Qi on the street, and upon learning about his frustration, they came to meet Yun Zhen Hua together. He also recounted Yun Zhen Hua’s response at that time.
Hearing that, the Proprietress snorted, “Manager Yun, integrity is of utmost importance to a business person. Why did you renege on your debt?”
Yun Zhen Hua clenched his teeth and fell silent. He wanted to refute that he wasn’t the one who owed her, but it was probably pointless to say that in front of this crazy woman, and doing so would just give her another reason to lash out.
“Continue!” The Proprietress commanded, “Since they’re not willing to pay up, why did you still take part in the auction and bid for so many items?”
A meek Yang Kai replied, “Proprietress, I was just thinking that since they were not willing to repay their debt, we wouldn’t be able to complete our task. We were not powerful enough to go against them, so I thought that if we could get some of their items that were up for auction we could use it as leverage, that is how…”
He felt apprehensive about having caused such huge trouble because of his rash decision. His intention was to create a reason for the Proprietress to demand repayment from them, but he hadn’t expected that she would react so intensely as soon as she arrived at this place. Things had come to a point where the issue wouldn’t be solved easily.
He wondered whether the Proprietress would blame it all on him at a later time.
“Very good. You came up with an excellent way to settle this matter.” The Proprietress turned her head to flash a smile at him, “If I were you, I would’ve done the same.”
At that instant, Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
Unable to take it anymore, Yun Zhen Hua rebuked, “Madam Lan, how can you condone what your subordinates have done?”
“What do you mean by that?” The Proprietress shot him a cold glance, “They have every right to demand repayment from you. Why should I not condone their actions? Moreover, do you think any stray cat or dog can harm this Queen’s subordinates?”
[Did she just call them stray cats and dogs!?] Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief as he had the urge to cover her mouth. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised what a sharp-tongued person Madam Lan was. What she had just said had naked humiliation.
As expected, as soon as she finished her words, the expressions of Old Yu and Yun Zhen Hua sank. They were Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and although they were not the top cultivators in the Outer Universe, they still belonged to Wind and Cloud Paradise. No one had ever dared to call them stray cats and dogs before.
Having just been humiliated, Yun Zhen Hua was still able to suppress his fury somehow, but Old Yu was trembling violently. His eyes had turned bloodshot, as though he was ready to risk his life to battle against the Proprietress.
“You want to fight? This Queen will gladly oblige. Or are you only brave when you are oppressing two little brats? Why don’t we head to the Asura Arena and wager our lives? This Queen wants to see if you have the guts to do so,” the Proprietress rebuked.
As soon as she finished speaking, Old Yu sprayed out a mouthful of blood as his aura weakened. Apparently, he was so enraged that his blood flowed in reverse.
Yun Zhen Hua said through clenched teeth, “Enough, Madam Lan. We admit that the punishment is deserved. You can leave with them.” If he allowed this woman to keep making a scene here, he was worried that Old Yu would agree to her challenge. By then, Old Yu would lose his life in vain. No one could get revenge for a person who was killed in the Asura Arena, as that would be equivalent to insulting the dignity and honour of Asura Cave Heaven.
“This Queen will certainly bring them away, but what about the Open Heaven Pills you owe my First Inn?” The Proprietress glared at him.
After gnashing his teeth, Yun Zhen Hua tossed a Space Ring to her. He had already figured that there was no way he could keep these 10 million pills, so he had told someone to gather them up, which proved to be useful at this point.
The Proprietress took it and directly stored it in her sleeve. She believed that Yun Zhen Hua wouldn’t dare to pull any tricks on her.
Seeing as she had taken the Open Heaven Pills, Yun Zhen Hua said, “Since you’ve accepted it and harmed our people, you should return our property to us.”
“You mean these?” The Proprietress fished out a different ring and shook it, whereupon a few dozen items dropped onto the ground. These were the items that were sold in the auction.
[Why are these things in her hands?] Yun Zhen Hua was confused. He thought that Yang Kai had just hidden them somewhere.
“Yang Kai, they’ve injured you two. Although this Queen has extracted some interest, this matter is not settled yet. Pick some things from here and regard it as Manager Yun’s compensation for you and Bai Qi.” Although she was speaking to Yang Kai, she was staring fixedly at Yun Zhen Hua, whose face twitched when he heard that, but he wouldn’t dare to say anything. Just like what he had heard about her from the rumours, Yun Zhen Hua realized that she was a crazy woman who was completely unreasonable.
At that instant, he was remorseful of his decision. If he knew this would be the outcome, he would’ve coughed up the 10 million pills from the start and avoided all this trouble.
[She’s even demanding compensation from them…] It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised how difficult it was to deal with the Proprietress, leaving him speechless. However, he couldn’t weaken her authority at this point, so he stepped forward and rummaged through the items before picking up ten bottles.
He had only taken the ten bottles of Grand Dao Pills. His rationale was that since Luo Hai Yi had helped him out, and she needed these pills to condense her Dao Seal, he could give them to her.
Just when he was ready to get up, the Proprietress declared impassively, “As a member of First Inn, you need to be more ambitious.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he understood the hidden message behind her words. She was basically saying that he was a good-for-nothing for only taking worthless items. Gritting his teeth, he picked up the Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire.
Seeing that, Yun Zhen Hua felt extremely heartbroken. This was one of the finale’s items that was up for auction and was worth nearly 2 million Open Heaven Pills. [This crazy woman has gone too far!]
Nevertheless, he was no match for her, and he had witnessed how insane she could be, so he remained silent despite his fury.
Since the Proprietress hadn’t spoken, Yang Kai couldn’t stop what he was doing. After picking up the Sun’s True Fire, he went on to take the other two finale items.
“Just take what we deserve, don’t cross the line,” The Proprietress finally spoke.
Yang Kai secretly heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly stood beside her. Across from them, Yun Zhen Hua almost spat blood.
[Hasn’t she crossed the line by taking the three most valuable items from this time’s auction!? Although there are only three such items, their combined value is half of all the items that were up for auction. Why doesn’t she just take everything away with her?]
“Manager Yun, you seem unresigned,” The Proprietress shot him a dispassionate glance.
Yun Zhen Hua said through clenched teeth, “We’ll definitely meet again, Madam Lan. This Yun will remember what you’ve done to Wind and Cloud Paradise. When we next meet, I hope you’ll still be so aloof!”
“Hmph!” The Proprietress snorted, “You have no right to represent Wind and Cloud Paradise.”
Then, she swung her sleeve and yelled, “We’re leaving!”
Hurriedly, Yang Kai went over and hoisted the unconscious Bai Qi over his shoulder. Upon straightening up, he followed the Proprietress and strode out of the room. Two pairs of fiery eyes were staring at him from behind like leeches biting on him.
Only after the Proprietress was long gone did Old Yu spray out another mouthful of blood.
“Brother Yu!” Yun Zhen Hua’s expression changed as he quickly made him sit, “How are you?”
Old Yu waved his hand with a crestfallen expression, as though he had aged by several hundred years. Sitting there, he chuckled and said in a grim voice, “She’s really something.”
Then, his expression suddenly turned hideous as he yelled, “This matter is not over yet!”
Yun Zhen Hua nodded his head, “Of course, it’s not over yet. We’ll have to make that woman pay! I’ll inform the headquarters about this incident in detail. By then, they’ll send someone to deal with her.”
After a nod, Old Yu asked with a frown, “Brother Yun, why is that woman so strong? I’ve seen High-Rank cultivators make a move before, and while not on that level, she’s definitely stronger than a Sixth-Order Master should be.”
Following a sigh, Yun Zhen Hua replied, “Brother Yu has only advanced recently so you’re not aware of her story yet. In the past, she had actually had a chance to ascend directly to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, but because of a certain incident, she ended up having to settle for the Sixth Order. Although the Sixth-Order is still within the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm, her foundation was still there; therefore, no one below the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm is a match for her.”
“What was it that made her give up the chance to become a High-Rank Master?” Old Yun was stunned. Although a Sixth-Order cultivator was just one step away from the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, the gap was akin to the distance between the Heavens and Earth. If one wasn’t left with no other choice, they wouldn’t have given up such a bright future. That woman still had a chance to ascend directly to the High-Rank, yet something made her abandon that ambition. Achieving the High-Rank all at once wasn’t just about having greater immediate strength, but also about having greater room for improvement.
Yun Zhen Hua shook his head, “I’m not sure about it, but I’ve heard that it was because of a man.”
“Hmph!” Hearing that, Old Yu snorted, “Love can cause a person to turn blind and make irrational decisions.” As though he had recalled something in the next moment though, his expression turned dejected.
Seeing that, Yun Zhen Hua realised that Old Yu must have recalled a sorrowful memory. It was such a coincidence. In the past, Old Yu had a chance to ascend to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but because of a certain woman, he ended up becoming a Fourth-Order cultivator instead. In a certain sense, his experience was similar to that of Madam Lan’s.
…..
With Bai Qi on his back, Yang Kai followed the Proprietress in silence, the people on the street staring at them as they passed.
Since she remained silent, he didn’t have the nerve to say anything as he felt guilty. It was the first time he had witnessed how overbearing the Proprietress was; however, he hadn’t expected that things would become so serious, so he felt guilty and wondered whether he had invited any trouble to her.
Just then, a figure approached them. It was none other than Luo Hai Yi. Seeing as Yang Kai appeared battered, and Bai Qi had become unconscious, she exclaimed with her mouth covered, “Sir Yang, are you alright?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m fine. Many thanks for your help today.” If Luo Hai Yi hadn’t gone so quickly to First Inn, the Proprietress wouldn’t have arrived at the auction house so promptly.
Luo Hai Yi replied, “You don’t have to thank me. It was the least I could do.”
As they spoke, the Proprietress had gone further away. Seeing as she didn’t have the intention of stopping, Yang Kai hurriedly said, “Take these. I’ll look for you at a later time.”
Then, he stuffed three bottles in Luo Hai Yi’s hands and dashed towards the Proprietress.
After he was gone, Luo Hai Yi took a look at the jade bottles and opened their caps, whereupon she exclaimed. That was because these bottles contained the Grand Dao Pills she had always craved. There were two pills in a bottle, so there were six pills in total. These were the things that were put up for auction earlier.
With a grateful look, she gazed in the direction Yang Kai had left and cupped her fist. She swore that she would always remember his favour, and would surely repay him in the future.
When they arrived at First Inn, the accountant and the chef came over to check on them. Upon seeing that Yang Kai and Bai Qi appeared beaten and bruised, they became infuriated and said that they would help them retaliate against those from the auction house.
Yang Kai was worried that they would really do that, so he hurriedly waved them off. The Proprietress had just made a fuss in the auction house, and not only did they get the 10 million debt they were owed, but they had also taken some stuff as interest. In fact, it was those from the auction house who had suffered losses today, so Yang Kai didn’t dare to let these two aggravate the situation.
“Are you two blind? Take Old Bai to rest, now!” The Proprietress glared at the accountant and the chef.
The accountant shuddered and hurriedly took the unconscious Bai Qi over from Yang Kai.
Then, the Proprietress turned her head and said to Yang Kai, “Take a rest to recuperate. Your health is the most important.”
It was the first time she spoke to him in such an amicable manner, so Yang Kai wasn’t used to it. Despite that, he still hurriedly promised her that he would quickly treat his wounds.
“I’m tired,” The Proprietress yawned and shuffled towards the rear court while swaying her hips gently, mesmerising the customers in the hall with her charm.
It was then that Yang Kai realised that she hadn’t even tied up her hair as it hung loosely over her shoulders. After she was gone, the silence in the lobby was replaced by much hustle and bustle.
Yang Kai grimaced in pain and said, “I’ll take a rest now.”
After this farce, he was exhausted as well.
For the following days, Yang Kai finally had a taste of what it felt like to be treated well in the Outer Universe. Every day, the chef would personally send him some dishes that could replenish his vitality; moreover, the chef was excellent at his craft, so Yang Kai would always gobble everything up.
According to the chef, it was as though the dishes had been devoured by a starving dog.
After a few days of eating these nourishing dishes, Yang Kai felt his blood boiling slightly, so he didn’t eat anymore. However, the chef rejected his request and told him that it was the Proprietress’ order, so he had to watch him finish everything. It was the same case for Bai Qi as well.
Left with no other choice, Yang Kai finished all the food he was served. With these nourishing dishes and his own restorative abilities, it took him only a few days to recover to his peak. Although Bai Qi’s condition was worse, he would also get well in no time.
Since they were injured, they didn’t have to serve the customers in the lobby. They practically had nothing to do every day. After going through an ordeal together, they had become closer to each other, so when they were free, they would come together and chat.
However, Bai Qi was apprehensive because, over the years, he had never seen the Proprietress treat any shop hand so well. He kept suspecting that the Proprietress might have given them carrots first before revealing her stick, which was why he had been on pins and needles over the past few days. Even the food sent to him by the chef tasted bland to him.
Initially, Yang Kai was completely at ease, but after hearing what Bai Qi had said, he became worried as well.
They had collected all the debts from the lists of shops, and although the incident in Wind and Cloud Auction House was kept a secret, word still got out in the end. No one knew how the news was leaked, but most of the shopkeepers in the Star City had found out that the Proprietress from First Inn had gone over to Wind and Cloud Auction House to demand repayment. While there, not only had she injured the Shopkeeper Yun, but she had also taken many things from them as additional compensation.
All of them became anxious in an instant. The shopkeepers of the remaining shops that still owed First Inn money hurriedly came to the inn and presented 10 million pills to her. They were worried that the Proprietress would visit their shops when she was in a bad mood on any given day.
Including the shops Yang Kai and Bai Qi had demanded repayments from, the great forces that were involved in First Inn’s destruction had respectively repaid 10 million Open Heaven Pills.
Therefore, Yang Kai had been relieved of 10 million of his debt, leaving just 6.2 million.
One day, when Yang Kai was going through the Universe Chart in his room, he suddenly heard the Proprietress calling out to him. Gritting his teeth, he got off the bed and left the room.
Upon knocking on the door of the Proprietress’ room, he heard a languid voice coming from inside, “Come in.”
Yang Kai pushed the door open, whereupon his face twitched. Presently, the Proprietress was lying on her side on her bed. With her head resting on her palm, she appeared languid. It wasn’t certain what kind of incense it was, but the scent was able to soothe one’s mind.
“Proprietress,” Yang Kai walked up to her and hung his head low.
Without looking at him, the Proprietress tossed something at him.
After taking it, Yang Kai became elated because it was his Shadowless Veil. Not long after he joined the inn, the veil was taken away by her. One month later, he finally got it back.
When the Proprietress took it away from him in the past, she only said that she would keep it for some time. Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t dare to reject her.
The Proprietress had kept the Shadowless Veil for a month. With the veil in his hand, Yang Kai arched his brow and said, “Proprietress, this…”
He had a feeling that the veil had become different, but he was unable to figure out how.
The Proprietress replied in a laid-back manner, “I found someone to refine and upgrade it for you; however, this artifact is quite well made, so there was little room for improvement.”
“You found someone to upgrade it?” Yang Kai was surprised. He had experienced the abstrusity of the Shadowless Veil before, and it was truly an amazing artifact. The person who further refined it must have been a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner. Although the Proprietress had a powerful background, she must have paid a hefty price for this.
[Why does this woman treat me so well?] Yang Kai was puzzled. She stood up for Bai Qi and him a few days ago because she had to protect the inn’s reputation; however, he couldn’t explain why she would help him upgrade this veil.
With the veil in his hand, Yang Kai carefully asked, “How much is it?”
She had demanded 5 million from him by just lending him Seven Faces, while it must have cost a fortune to refine the Shadowless Veil. Would she make him pay for it? In that case, he wasn’t even certain how long it would take him to repay all his debts.
Upon hearing that, the Proprietress slightly opened her eyes to stare at him for a moment before she closed her eyes again.
[What does that mean?] Yang Kai was perplexed. Since she didn’t say how much it cost, he would just refrain from asking about it again and regard it as he didn’t have to pay for it. With an elated expression, he asked, “Can it avoid the inspection of Mid-Rank cultivators now?”
“In your dreams!” The Proprietress scoffed.
“Could it even be considered an upgrade, then?” Yang Kai was startled. In the past, the Shadowless Veil was unable to conceal him from the sense of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators who were actively searching for him, but it could keep him hidden if they weren’t careful enough in their probing. That was what had happened in the Golden Crow Divine Palace. Yuan Xiao Man and the other Fourth-Order Masters were focused on exploring the palace, so they didn’t realise that he was hiding nearby.
The Proprietress replied impassively, “I told you that there was little room for improvement. Given the same conditions, if there was a 70% chance that a Mid-Rank cultivator could see through the veil in the past, it’s now just 30 or 40%.”
Yang Kai grunted and put on a smile. It was indeed an upgrade to have the chance of seeing through the veil lowered. At the most critical moment, it might save his life.
“Many thanks, Proprietress!” Yang Kai thanked her from the bottom of his heart, “Is there anything you need me to do?”
The Proprietress lay on her stomach and rested her chin on her hands, highlighting her long legs and rather plump bottom. There was also an amazing arch on her waist. In an indolent manner, she said, “My shoulders feel sore.”
[Is she trying to make me give her a massage?] Yang Kai batted his eyes.
After taking a glance, he realised that the sight before him was quite seductive. He felt his throat turning dry as he scratched his face, “I don’t think it’s appropriate…”
It was already awkward enough that a man and a woman were in a room alone. Others might misunderstand them if they saw him giving her a massage.
While the Proprietress remained silent, Yang Kai stayed in the same spot and hesitated for a moment; then, he directly walked over and took a seat on the bed before grabbing her shoulders.
Why should he care if she clearly didn’t? He would just regard it as a gesture of gratitude.
With this thought in mind, Yang Kai became at ease and stopped restraining himself as he gently massaged her shoulders. With a layer of clothes on her skin, he couldn’t feel anything anyways. Presently, her eyes were closed, but judging from her expression, he reckoned that she was completely relaxed.
Time slowly went by in silence.
“I want to eat some Heavenly Snow Fruits…” The Proprietress suddenly muttered.
“What?” Yang Kai was in a dazed state when she said that, but when he came to his senses, his expression changed drastically, “Heavenly Snow Fruits?”
He still remembered vividly what had happened in the past. After he brought back the Heavenly Snow Fruits from the Nine Nether Continent for her, he was forced to drink ridiculously potent wine with her in her room. In the end, both of them became inebriated and after he awakened, he was lectured by Bai Qi and the others. The chef had even almost cut him into quarters using his kitchen knife.
The images of the incident flashed across his mind as though it had just happened, which was why he instinctively felt repulsed by the mention of Heavenly Snow Fruits.
According to Bai Qi and the others, every time the Proprietress ate Heavenly Snow Fruits, she would become crestfallen for a long time and drink heavily. Yang Kai had no idea why she wanted to eat those sour fruits at this point.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he forced a smile, “What are you talking about? We don’t have Heavenly Snow Fruits here.”
“I want to eat them…” The Proprietress turned her head and stared fixedly at him.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Well, we don’t have the fruits here. It’s a local product of Nine Nether Continent, so it’s not sold anywhere else.”
Without saying a word, she continued staring at him with her alluring eyes.
Ignoring her, Yang Kai continued with the massage, then he suddenly frowned, “Are you… asking me to go to Nine Nether Continent?” That Universe World was located in the Great Territory where the original First Inn was, so it was very far away from this place. Previously, it took them half a year to travel all the way here to this Star City. Although Yang Kai could use the Universe Transference Law now to shorten the trip, it would still take him at least two months to make a round trip.
The Proprietress batted her eyes to mean yes.
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai bellowed. Just because she suddenly had the urge to eat some fruits, she wanted him to go to such a faraway place to pick them for her, which was outrageous.
“Are you going or not?” The Proprietress glared at him.
“No!” Yang Kai replied resolutely.
“Are you really not going?” She propped up her head with one hand and straightened up a little.
“You’ll have to beat me to death first!” He scoffed.
As soon as he finished his words, he felt an immense force on his waist, whereupon he was kicked to the ground.
“Lan You Ruo!” Yang Kai got to his feet and glowered at her, “Don’t go too far!” Besides making him give her a massage, she also wanted him to head all the way to Nine Nether Continent. Did she really want to boss him around like he was just another shop hand?
The Proprietress batted her eyes, “How do you know my name?” She had never revealed her true name to him, and Bai Qi and the others were not loose-tongued. Soon though, she came to the realization that one of the shopkeepers in the Star City must have told him about it.
“What’s wrong? Can’t I know your name?” Yang Kai patted his backside and grinned, “I’ll take my leave now. If you want to eat those fruits, go to Nine Nether Continent yourself!”
Following that, he shuffled out of the room and slammed the door shut.
As the night breeze whisked across Yang Kai as he slowly calmed down and realised that he had reacted too fiercely earlier. Then, he recalled that when he and Bai Qi were confined in Wind and Cloud Auction House, it was the Proprietress who came to rescue them in an imposing manner. Her peerless pressure caused the two Fourth-Order cultivators to suffocate and concede defeat in the end. Although he had no idea what price she had to pay, he knew that her actions were not without consequences.
Looking up at the stars, Yang Kai cursed before flying off.
Inside the room, the Proprietress said through clenched teeth, “What an ungrateful brat!”
One hour later, Yang Kai appeared outside the Spirit Province of the Star City.
There was no one else in the expansive void around him as he kept using different hand seals to activate the Universe Transference Seal. Soon, he could feel a faint connection being established. That was his connection with the Universe Temple in this Great Territory.
Just then, a Spirit Array appeared beneath his feet and swirled around. Space Principles could be felt expanding from the array.
Following Yang Kai’s move, the speed at which the array whirled around increasingly quickened. Over ten breaths later, a buzzing sound was heard, and a light engulfed him.
After the light faded, Yang Kai had also disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already in a hall that was unfamiliar to him. There were about twenty Arrays in the hall, and they looked identical to one another. The Arrays looked similar to the Spirit Array that appeared beneath his feet earlier and presently, he was standing in the centre of one of them.
A glow would radiate from another array from time to time, and every time that happened, a person would appear.
Universe Temple!
It was the first time Yang Kai used the Universe Transference Law, so he found it quite novel. He had always wanted to experience the abstrusity of this technique, but he hadn’t had a chance in the past.
Now, it seemed that although the Universe Transference Law was wondrous, it also had a huge downside. Given his current strength, it took him over ten breaths to get transported to this place. In a life-or-death battle, ten breaths was long enough for his opponent to cut him down over a thousand times.
Furthermore, Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, so other cultivators in the same realm who couldn’t use Space Principles would undoubtedly require even longer to execute this technique and would likely suffer other serious drawbacks.
Presently, Yang Kai felt slightly dizzy; after all, the distance he had to pass through was too great, so it was difficult for him to bear.
The other cultivators who emerged from the Arrays were in a worse state. They were standing there with their eyes firmly closed, their faces pale and their foreheads drenched in sweat. It was especially serious for the weaker cultivators.
Although there was a downside, the Universe Transference Law had other hugely beneficial points, such as its universality. As long as one had cultivated the Secret Technique, he or she could leave a mark in any of the Universe Temples in the 3,000 Worlds and shuttle back and forth between them to save time when travelling great distances.
Yang Kai decided to take a quick rest to adjust his state, and when the time was right, he left the array.
Without staying in the Universe Temple, he fished out his Universe Chart to identify his location and route before leaving.
Half a day after he left the Universe Temple, he arrived at a Territory Gate that led to a different Great Territory.
Staring at the gigantic Territory Gate in the void, he fell into a dilemma.
One had to endure immense pressure to pass through a Territory Gate. If he wasn’t powerful enough, he would be torn apart by the force of the Void. Bai Qi had said that Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators could rely on their own strength to pass through these gates without having to worry about any injuries, but those below the Mid-Rank had to purchase a flight-type artifact to resist the tearing force.
Just now, Yang Kai had forgotten about this particular problem and left the inn on a whim. It wasn’t until he reached this place that he remembered it.
[What should I do? Go back? Or should I wait here and see if anyone with the same destination could give me a lift?]
It wouldn’t matter if he went back to the inn now as the Proprietress wasn’t aware that he had left, so it wouldn’t be embarrassing. On the other hand, if he waited here, he might not even come across anyone with the same destination.
However, since Yang Kai had arrived at this place, he wasn’t willing to go back without achieving anything first.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t passed through a Territory Gate without any protection before. After he left Seven Wonders Land with Dié You and the others, they had passed through several Territory Gates, and at the last moment when Ah Sun’s jade white fox had run out of energy, he had endured the pressure with his own strength.
Recalling the feeling during the incident, Yang Kai felt that he could move through a Territory Gate without any protection; after all, he was an expert in the Dao of Space, and his figure was much sturdier than that of the average cultivator.
At the thought of this, he stopped hesitating and took a deep breath before flying towards the gigantic Territory Gate.
A powerful pull was felt coming from the gate, and before he even went near it, he realised that he already couldn’t stop in his tracks. The harder he tried to resist, the more he felt that his attempts were futile. With his brows furrowed, Yang Kai decided to stop resisting and went with the flow, allowing it to pull him into the gate.
The world seemed to be spinning around him as he was sucked into the gate and a terrifying shearing force was felt coming from all directions. He also felt extremely dizzy and was unable to identify his direction. All his bones were cracking under pressure.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to be careless as he hurriedly pushed his Space Principles to resonate with the Principles that were fluctuating in the Territory Gate. In an instant, he felt that the pressure had been significantly reduced. Upon feeling this, he became ecstatic as his speculation proved correct. His mastery over Space Principles could help him mitigate the pressure inside the Territory Gate. In that case, he had more confidence in moving through them.
Focusing his mind, Yang Kai allowed his body to flow along with the current as he protected himself with his Space Principles.
Some time later, the tearing force around him diminished, and his body felt significantly lighter. He was able to control his body again, and looking around, he put on a wide grin.
Supposedly, he was in a different Great Territory now. In other words, he had successfully passed through the Territory Gate; however, as soon as he moved his body, he realised that his entire figure ached. Looking down, he was shocked to see that his body was full of small cuts, and his figure was drenched in golden blood. His clothes had also become tattered.
At that moment, he was reeling from shock as he realized that Bai Qi was right to say that only Mid-Rank Open Heaven cultivators could forcefully transit through a Territory Gate. Anyone below the Mid-Rank wouldn’t be able to do so without external aids.
Yang Kai couldn’t have achieved this if it weren’t because his body was sturdy and he was a Master of the Dao of Space.
These flesh wounds didn’t really bother Yang Kai though as they would heal on their own after a short time, so after changing into new clothes, he fished out the Universe Chart to identify his location and began moving in a particular direction. From time to time, he would also drop a Space Beacon in his wake.
Since arriving in the Outer Universe, he had always wanted to test the maximum distance two Space Beacons could be separated by and still function.
Space Beacons were wonderful as they worked in the same way as the Universe Transference Law, but the range within which they could work was far more limited. Yang Kai was aware of this fact, but he hadn’t tested where the limit was.
He hadn’t had the chance in the past, so this was the perfect opportunity for him to do some experiments.
A few days later, Yang Kai clenched the Space Beacon in his hand and fell into his thoughts.
During this period of time, he had dropped several Space Beacons, and after a number of tests, he realised that the maximum workable distance between two Space Beacons was about the same distance he could cross in two days of continuous flight.
Should the distance be any further, he wouldn’t be able to detect his Space Beacon anymore, which meant that he could not transfer himself between them.
The distance between two spots that would take him two days of flight to cross could be considered pretty far apart; however, in terms of the distance of transportation, Space Beacons were no match for the Universe Transference Law. At the very least, as long as a person was within the same Great Territory, the Secret Technique would always work.
It wasn’t surprising as the foundation of the Universe Transference Law was the various Universe Temples. There was a Universe Transference Seal that was supported by many Grand Arrays inside those temples, which explained why the workable distance was greater than that of his independent Space Beacons.
Many days later, Yang Kai arrived at a place that he was familiar with. It was Nine Nether Continent.
Just like the previous time, after he broke through the World Barrier and entered the Universe World, he could feel the Divine Senses of the local Great Emperors scanning him.
Following that, an elderly man abruptly appeared in front of him. Upon lifting his head, he appeared surprised as he asked, “Envoy Yang?”
The person was none other than the Sect Master of Heavenly Mountain Sect, Bao Ze Tong. He was the one who had greeted Yang Kai previously.
“Sect Master Bao,” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
A curious Bao Ze Tong asked, “Envoy Yang, why are you here? Has Madam Lan given any orders?”
After a sigh, Yang Kai explained, “There aren’t any orders. It’s just that she’s craving Heavenly Snow Fruits again, so she’s told me to come here to get some.”
Upon hearing that, Bao Ze Tong was shocked, “Madam wants to eat the fruits again?”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai gazed at him in puzzlement.
Bao Ze Tong hurriedly waved his hands, “There’s nothing wrong. Please come with me.”
Bao Ze Tong wondered why Madam Lan wanted to eat Heavenly Snow Fruits again so soon. In the past, she wouldn’t want the fruits regardless of whether ten or twenty years had passed. She would only get someone to come over to pick the fruits whenever she passed by this world; however, it had only been half a year since Yang Kai last came to this place. Despite his doubts, Bao Ze Tong wasn’t in any place to question further. After apologising to Yang Kai, he grabbed his arm and arrived on Heavenly Mountain in an instant.
Then, he called out to a woman and told her to get some Heavenly Snow Fruits prepared. Just when he was about to invite Yang Kai to enter the hall, the latter said, “Let’s go together.”
Hearing that, Bao Ze Tong nodded his head, “Good.”
It was then the three of them flew towards a particular spot on Heavenly Mountain. A moment later, they reached a mountain valley that was slightly narrow. Yang Kai could feel that a powerful cultivator was keeping guard in this place. Although it wasn’t a Great Emperor, this individual had reached the limit of his realm. Moreover, multiple Spirit Arrays had been arranged around the valley, which went to show that they highly valued this place.
Inside the valley that was about several thousand square metres, fifty or sixty trees about twice as tall as an average man had been planted. Yang Kai had never seen such trees before, but he was familiar with the fruits hanging on them. The baby fist-sized fruits were of a colour that was a mixture between red and black. These were none other than the Heavenly Snow Fruits.
Yang Kai had tasted these fruits before and realised that they were both bitter and sour, which was an unpleasant flavour. Although it was a spirit fruit, he reckoned that they were not valuable at all. These fruits were only useful for cultivators below the Saint King Realm; in other words, the grade these fruits were in was pretty low.
Certainly, Yang Kai didn’t have to personally pick the fruits as the woman from Heavenly Mountain would choose ripe fruits that were of appropriate size. In the meantime, Bao Ze Tong accompanied Yang Kai as they walked around the fruit garden.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai stopped in front of a certain fruit tree and asked, “Sect Master Bao, there’s something I don’t understand. Will you please enlighten me?”
Bao Ze Tong replied, “Please ask, Envoy Yang.”
“Do these Heavenly Snow Fruits…” Yang Kai pointed at the fruit tree, “Have any special meaning to Proprietress?”
He could already feel it the last time he was here, but he wasn’t in any place to ask about it at that time.
Bao Ze Tong looked around as he seemed to be reminiscing about the past before he began explaining, “To be honest with you, these fruit trees were planted by Madam.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “She planted them personally?” He suddenly realised something, “Is she from Nine Nether Continent?” Otherwise, why would she have planted the trees here?
“En.” Bao Ze Tong nodded gently and appeared proud, “She was the 43rd Sect Master of Heavenly Mountain.”
Finally, Yang Kai realised why the Proprietress favoured these Heavenly Snow Fruits; she basically missed her hometown. However, after giving it a thought, he felt that something was off. If she missed her hometown, she should have come back to have a look. Nevertheless, when the ship was anchored in the void at that time, she didn’t seem to have the intention of stepping into her hometown. She only told him to get her some fruits.
“Sect Master Bao, did something happen in the past involving these fruits and Proprietress?” Yang Kai asked.
However, Bao Ze Tong didn’t answer his question as he shook his head, “I have no right to tell you about Madam’s matters. If you want to find out, it would be best for you to ask her yourself.” Then he paused for a moment and said, “Envoy Yang, this Old Master has a request that he isn’t certain he should mention.”
“Please tell me.”
Bao Ze Tong went on to say, “This Bao hopes Envoy Yang will take good care of Madam.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai broke into laughter, “Proprietress is a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, while I’m just an Emperor Realm cultivator, so how am I supposed to take care of her? With that said, she does take good care of us.”
Bao Ze Tong smiled and fell silent.
After walking for a bit, Yang Kai said, “Can I bring a fruit tree with me? Is there any problem with it?”
Upon pondering on it for a moment, Bao Ze Tong replied, “En. There are several dozen fruit trees here, so I’m sure Madam won’t blame us for giving one of them to you.”
Yang Kai thanked him before he began digging up the tree. This wasn’t a difficult task and he soon completed it.
This time, the Proprietress became crazy and told him to head to Nine Nether Continent to pick Heavenly Snow Fruits. If she went mad again in the future, he would have to come back again; therefore, Yang Kai decided to transfer the fruit tree into his medicine garden. It shouldn’t be hard to nurture this plant. He’d just tell the two little Wood Spirits to handle it. Given their capabilities, they would be able to grow several dozen to over a hundred such fruit trees in a year or two. By then, he wouldn’t have to come here again.
After he was done with this, the Heavenly Snow Fruits were ready as well. The woman approached him and passed him the basket of fruits.
Upon rejecting Bao Ze Tong’s request to stay for a time, Yang Kai immediately embarked on the journey back to the inn.
It took him over twenty days to reach this place, and it took him about the same time to go back. In total, he had left the inn for a month and a half.
When Yang Kai walked into First Inn, he was stopped by Bai Qi who said in a hushed, anxious voice, “You dare come back? Where have you been lately?”
“Proprietress told me to go out to do something for her,” Yang Kai replied.
“Nonsense.” Bai Qi shot him a glare, “She blew her top because she couldn’t find you.” If he’d gone out to carry out a task for the Proprietress, why wasn’t she aware of it?
“Leave now and don’t ever come back again, if she finds out you’re here…” As Bai Qi spoke, he pushed Yang Kai towards the door, but he soon froze on the spot and grit his teeth, “It’s too late!”
He could hear the Proprietress’ voice in his mind. Apparently, she had detected Yang Kai’s aura.
Yang Kai had no time for Bai Qi’s nonsense, so he directly shuffled further into the inn, “I’ll go see her.”
Unable to stop him, Bai Qi traded glances with the accountant. Recalling how terrifying the Proprietress had been recently, they couldn’t help shuddering.
Reaching the Proprietress’ room, Yang Kai knocked on the door, whereupon a dispassionate voice was heard coming from inside, “Come in!”
Yang Kai shrank his neck, knowing that Bai Qi didn’t lie to him. The Proprietress seemed to be in a terrible mood. Just her voice was enough to send a chill down his spine.
However, he was given the order to go out to do something for her, so he wasn’t afraid. At the thought of this, he pushed the door open and said, “Proprietress, I’m back.”
Inside the room, the Proprietress was seen seated on a chair. With a cold expression on her face, she shot him a glance and scoffed, “How dare you still come back? How do you have the gall to come back!?”
She landed a palm on the table and bellowed, “Why didn’t you get killed outside?”
[You’re the one who told me to get you some Heavenly Snow Fruits! Why are you reprimanding me now!?] Yang Kai was infuriated as he clenched his fists. Just when he was ready to refute her, he suddenly recalled the fact that she had rushed over to Wind and Cloud Auction House to save Bai Qi and him previously. Suppressing his anger, he stepped forward and said, “Proprietress, I’ve brought back what you wanted.”
“What I wanted? What do you mean?” The Proprietress questioned through gritted teeth. Her expression suggested that she had the urge to bite a piece of flesh off this shameless man. Right after she finished speaking though, she widened her mouth and stared dazedly at the bamboo basket on the table.
The basket was filled with reddish black fruits the size of a baby fist, and they exuded a pleasant scent. They also looked fresh, which suggested it hadn’t been a long time since they were picked.
“Heavenly Snow Fruits?” A shocked Proprietress’s anger was replaced with confusion as she fell into a dazed state and asked, “Where did you get them?”
Yang Kai scoffed, “Where else could it be?”
A flabbergasted Proprietress stood up straight, “You went to Nine Nether Continent.”
An exasperated Yang Kai replied, “You don’t say. These fruits are exclusive to Nine Nether Continent. Where else could I get them from?”
“You went missing for over a month because you went to Nine Nether Continent?” The Proprietress widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Where did you think I went?” Yang Kai gave her a dismissive look, but he was stunned to see a tinge of guilt and fear behind her gaze. He wondered what she was guilty and fearful of.
“How did you get there?” She asked.
“How else? I…” He paused as he suddenly realised that he was unable to explain himself. He didn’t have a flight-type artifact that could resist the tearing force of the Territory Gates, so how could he have gone to Nine Nether Continent? If he told her that he traversed the Territory Gates with just his body, she probably wouldn’t believe him; therefore, he decided to not give any explanation as he waved his hand, “Just eat them now. They won’t stay fresh if you just leave them out for too long. I’ll take a rest now.”
After cupping his fists, he turned around to leave.
As soon as he lifted his foot though, Yang Kai felt his collar getting grabbed from behind. Turning his head, he realised that the Proprietress was already standing behind him with her hand clutching his clothes.
“What… Hey! Why are you taking off my clothes?” Yang Kai became flustered. This couldn’t be helped, as the Proprietress directly threw him onto the bed, held him down with one hand, and used her other to take his clothes off.
[What has gotten into this woman now?] He wanted to resist, but faced with a Sixth-Order Master, he couldn’t even circulate his power, let alone block her. In just a moment, he was stripped down to his underwear.
“Are you out of your mind?” Yang Kai bellowed as his eyes seemed able to spit fire. It was the first time a woman had pinned him down on the bed and forcefully unclothed him.
He shot her a glare, only to see that she had fallen into a dazed state as she stared fixedly at his bare chest and abdomen. Then, she extended her hand and touched his skin.
Her hand was warm and ticklish, which caused him to grunt uncontrollably. At that instant, he quit being resolute to resist her. Suddenly, he gasped as she irritated his wounds.
Although his body was robust, and he had made use of Space Principles to mitigate the risk when passing through the Territory Gates, he was still injured in the process. With that said, these were not serious injuries as he only looked battered. It would only take him a few days to recuperate fully.
He had returned to First Inn in a hurry and directly met the Proprietress, so he didn’t have the time to heal his wounds.
“Did you forcefully pass through the Territory Gates?” The Proprietress gaped at him in disbelief.
Yang Kai pushed her away and got off the bed. Then, he put on his clothes and snorted, “What else could I do?”
“Are you insane!?” She exclaimed, “Do you know that your action was dangerous? What if… What if…”
“You told me to go,” Yang Kai adjusted his clothes with his head still hanging low.
“I…” The Proprietress was lost for words. She had indeed told him to head to Nine Nether Continent to get some Heavenly Snow Fruits for her, but she never intended for him to forcefully pass through the Territory Gates. If he had agreed to it, she would’ve prepared a flight-type artifact for him; however, he had rejected her at that time, so she hadn’t expected that he would head to the continent on his own. She thought that he had just left the inn without her permission, so she had been blowing her top recently.
“Is there anything else you need me to do? If not, I’ll take a rest now. I’m exhausted from all the travelling,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and asked. Seeing as she was rooted to the spot, he ignored her and nodded his head before leaving the room.
Upon opening the door, he paused for a moment as he saw the accountant fiddling with his golden abacus in the backyard. Bai Qi and the chef gathered together and muttered among themselves with serious expressions. The chef would bow his head from time to time.
[Don’t they have anything better to do?] Yang Kai scoffed and closed the door before leaving.
While he was shuffling towards his room, Bai Qi approached him and directly warned him, “Don’t bother the Proprietress for the next three days. Otherwise, you’ll suffer terribly.”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai nodded his head. He still vividly remembered the previous incident, so he wouldn’t make the same mistake. Secretly, he decided that he wouldn’t see the Proprietress even if she summoned him.
After returning to his room, he started meditating to recuperate. Over one month of travelling was indeed exhausting. Presently, Yang Kai wanted to do nothing else apart from having a good night’s rest.
It was a quiet night.
The next morning, Yang Kai stepped out of his room and started working with Bai Qi and the others. Business had been good as the inn would always be crammed with people in the afternoon. In fact, First Inn’s information business was incredibly profitable, so they didn’t have to rely on selling food and beverages to earn an income. The reason they had set up an inn was to find out all sorts of secret information; after all, people from all walks of life would gather in an inn, which was how information was traded, the food and wine were just to make things livelier.
Half a day later, Yang Kai finally had some time to take a rest, so he stayed behind the counter and had a chat with the accountant.
It had only been a short time since those from First Inn arrived in this Star City, but their ability to gather information was truly unrivalled. He found it interesting as he listened to the accountant’s narration of the stories about those big shots in the city.
He was most concerned about what happened to Wind and Cloud Auction House, so he asked the accountant about it. Upon learning that they didn’t seem to have taken any action, Yang Kai reckoned that they had truly conceded defeat.
As the accountant sorted out the finances, he asked, “I heard that you went to Nine Nether Continent some time ago?”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Proprietress said that she wanted to eat Heavenly Snow Fruits, which was why I left the inn.”
The accountant stared at him, “Proprietress didn’t even know where you were headed. She thought that you had run away or something had happened to you, so she visited every corner of the Star City to search for your whereabouts, but she didn’t get any leads.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Was she really so concerned about me?”
The accountant shook his head in a solemn manner, “I’m not sure about others, but she’s definitely concerned about you.”
“What do you mean?”
The accountant shook his head again, and then he said, “Our Proprietress is a sharp-tongued but kind-hearted person. In fact, she suffered a lot in the past, so while she might appear imposing to others, that isn’t what she’s really like. She has always treated all of us from the inn extremely well. It’s just that she can be hot-tempered at times…” All of a sudden, he stopped speaking and looked behind Yang Kai with his mouth widened.
With a clang, a plate fell to the ground and broke into pieces. Yang Kai turned to his left, only to see that Bai Qi was rooted to the spot with his hand frozen in the air. Besides the broken plate pieces around his feet, the dish also scattered everywhere.
The other shop hands in the inn were also frozen as though someone had used a Binding Technique on them. All of them, including the customers in the lobby, were staring in a particular direction.
A horrified Yang Kai felt a chill running from his feet to his head, and after a gulp, he turned around creakily, whereupon his pupils contracted.
Presently, the Proprietress was standing in a nearby spot. Her hair had been tied into a bun, which was decorated with some fine jewellery. In particular, there was a Gilded Phoenix Hairpin that was stuck into her bun. As she stepped forward, the Gilded Phoenix flapped its wings gently as though it was about to take off. Her well-fitting clothes made her look elegant and demure. One would especially take note of her radiantly pinkish face. It was as though it had been greatly nourished.
At this moment, the Proprietress was ambling forward with a faint smile on her face. All the men in the lobby couldn’t move their eyes away from this alluring lady.
She visited every table and greeted all the customers. From time to time, she would laugh in a sweet, silver-bell-like voice. She had even filled the cups for the customers at a particular table. The men at the table were clearly mesmerised by her charm. If it weren’t because they were wary of her astonishing strength and status, they would’ve made her stay to have a drink with them.
Soon, she walked up to the front counter and knocked on the table, “Stop spacing out and get back to work!”
The accountant grunted and remained unmoving. It was apparent that he still hadn’t come to his senses.
The Proprietress took a glance at Yang Kai and flashed a smile at him, “Come see me at a later time. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Yang Kai also grunted and became alarmed. [Why is this crazy woman smiling at me?]
“Clean the mess and mop the floor. Why were you so careless?” The Proprietress said to Bai Qi.
Bai Qi kept nodding like a chicken pecking at rice.
Following that, she turned around and touched her hair before asking Yang Kai and the accountant in a small voice, “Do you think I’m too old to wear this hairpin?”
“No, not at all!” The accountant hurriedly replied, “This hairpin perfectly matches your age!”
Then, he landed a thump on Yang Kai’s arm, which prompted him to come to his senses and shout hastily, “Yes, yes, it suits you perfectly!”
“That’s very sweet of you. I’m flattered,” With a delightful smile, the Proprietress shuffled towards the inner court. After she was gone, the atmosphere in the lobby became lively again.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai stared at the accountant, who appeared clueless as well. It was said that every time the Proprietress ate Heavenly Snow Fruits, she would become crestfallen for at least three days. Why was it so different this time?
“Did you see that? The Proprietress was wearing ‘that’ hairpin,” Bai Qi couldn’t bother to clean the floor as he approached them and spoke in a hushed voice. His expression had been transformed by terror as though he had recalled some horrible memories.
How could they not have seen it? The Proprietress had intentionally touched her Gilded Phoenix Hairpin and asked Yang Kai and the accountant what they thought of it.
“What’s wrong with that hairpin?” It had only been a short time since Yang Kai joined the inn, so he didn’t understand them.
“That hairpin…” The accountant frowned, “Was given to her by a very important person. She hasn’t worn it for a long time.”
“Moreover, there’s something off about her attitude as well,” Bai Qi looked in the direction of the rear court.
“Something fishy must be going on.” The accountant conjectured.
“So, should I go over?” Yang Kai asked. Earlier, the Proprietress told him to look for her later as there was something she needed to tell him. Initially, he had decided that he wouldn’t meet her for the next 3 days, but now, he had fallen into a dilemma.
“Of course, you have to go.” Bai Qi grabbed his arm and lugged him towards the rear court, “Can you even refuse?”
“Will anything happen?” Yang Kai was worried that the Proprietress would get him drunk again. He wouldn’t want that embarrassing incident to happen again.
“Cut the crap and go now!” Bai Qi yelled impatiently.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai shuffled towards the rear court.
After he was gone, Bai Qi returned to the counter and stared in the direction Yang Kai had left. Following a sigh, he said, “So many years have passed. It’s time she left the past behind.”
The accountant lowered his gaze, “It’s a blood feud for her, so it’s not easy for her to leave the past behind; however, it’d be good if there’s someone who can cheer her up. By the way, have you carefully checked Yang Kai’s background? There’d better not be any problem in the end.”
Bai Qi replied, “I’ve personally investigated his background, so there won’t be any problem. It has only been a short time since he arrived in the 3,000 Worlds, so there’s nothing much to find out. Moreover, I really appreciate his temperament. He doesn’t look like he’s from that place.”
“That’s good, then.” The accountant let out a breath, “If that incident were to be repeated, she wouldn’t be able to get back up again.”
They traded glances and sighed.
Inside her room, the Proprietress was seen seated on a chair. Upon entering, Yang Kai felt as though he was on pins and needles. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any wine bottles or fruit pits on the ground. It appeared that she didn’t drink the previous night.
“I’ll give it to you. Be sure to diligently refine it.” Without engaging in any small talk, the Proprietress directly gave him a shuttle-shaped object.
After taking it, Yang Kai arched his brow and asked, “Is this a Territory Shuttle?”
He had seen similar artifacts before. When he visited the shops in the Star City to demand repayments, he had seen many things that were on sale. Territory Shuttles were among those items.
Just like what its name suggested, this thing was an artifact that was used specifically for passing through Territory Gates. Yang Kai saw such items in Hundred Refining’s Hall before. Like most artifacts, they came in different qualities and ranks.
The lowest rank and quality one sold for 100,000 Open Heaven Pills, while the higher rank ones could cost from several hundred thousand up to a few million. The better the quality, the more expensive it was, and the more durable.
The lowest rank Territory Shuttles could only bear three to five transits through the Territory Gates. When its limit was reached, the artifact wouldn’t be able to bear the pressure when going through the Territory Gates again, and it would be crushed if it was forcefully used.
The highest rank Territory Shuttle could be used infinitely without suffering any damage. Naturally, the price for such a shuttle was exorbitant.
Yang Kai had no idea what rank this shuttle was, but he believed that the Proprietress wouldn’t give him a cheap one.
“It’s good that you can recognise it.” The Proprietress smiled, “In fact, previously… Forget it. Don’t forcefully cross a Territory Gate again. You’re not an Open Heaven Realm Master yet, so it’s dangerous for you to do so. Refine this thing and use it when you have to pass across Territory Gates in the future.”
That was indeed something Yang Kai needed, so he didn’t turn her down as he nodded, “Many thanks, Proprietress.”
The Proprietress laughed, “You don’t have to thank me. You’re a shop hand from my inn, so I have to ensure your safety. Good, you can get back to work now.”
Then, she waved her hand.
Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned around. After only taking a few steps forward, he suddenly recalled something and whirled around, “Proprietress, do we still need more employees for the inn?”
The Proprietress gave him a look and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“If we still need another employee, I’d like to recommend someone. She’s helped me a lot; however, she has been struggling in the city because she’s weak and lacks a strong background.”
After giving it a thought, the Proprietress asked, “You mean the one who came to the inn to pass me the rings previously?”
“En, her.” Yang Kai nodded his head, “Her name is Luo Hai Yi, and she was born in this city. She has never joined any great force before. If you’re still worried, you can investigate her background first.”
“No need. Just tell her that if she wants, she can come work for me. I don’t mind having one more person to help out around here.”
Yang Kai hadn’t expected that she would agree to it straight away, so he thanked her and walked off.
After he returned to the lobby, Bai Qi approached him and looked worriedly at him, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Anyway, I have to go out now,” He stuffed a white towel, which was on his shoulder earlier, into Bai Qi’s hands and strode out of the inn.
He had stayed over at Luo Hai Yi’s house before, so he still remembered where it was. Upon reaching the outskirts of the Star City, Yang Kai took some time to find her home that was hidden among the disarrayed buildings; however, Luo Hai Yi wasn’t home at the moment.
Fortunately, he still had a means of communicating with her, so he fished out a communication artifact and sent her a message.
A moment later, Luo Hai Yi replied and told him to wait for a bit as she would be back soon.
After an hour or so, Luo Hai Yi returned to her home in a hurry. Seeing Yang Kai, she appeared amazed, “Sir Yang, why are you here?”
Since the incident at Wind and Cloud Auction House, she hadn’t seen Yang Kai again, nor did he contact her. She thought that he had forgotten about her, so it had never crossed her mind that he would look for her one month later.
With a smile, Yang Kai asked, “What’s wrong? Can’t I come see you?”
Luo Hai Yi quickly waved her hands, “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that when I looked for you some time ago, those from First Inn said that you were missing.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai broke into laughter, “It’s just a misunderstanding…” Then, his expression turned solemn as he asked with some surprise, “You’ve condensed your Dao Seal?”
Just like the last time they met, she was still an Emperor Realm cultivator, but there was now a different kind of aura about her body, which suggested that she had successfully condensed her Dao Seal. She could now hope to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
Luo Hai Yi replied, “It’s all thanks to the Grand Dao Pills Sir Yang gave me; otherwise, I wouldn’t know how much longer it would have taken me to condense my Dao Seal.” Some time ago, she visited First Inn to look for Yang Kai in order to thank him; however, she was told that Yang Kai had gone missing, and because of that, the Proprietress had become infuriated, which was why she hurriedly left the place. Recently, she had been trying to find out Yang Kai’s whereabouts as well, but she hadn’t gotten any leads.
“It was the least I could do.” Yang Kai waved his hand. He had taken the pills from the auction house as personal compensation, and they were useless to him, so he had intended to give them to her anyway, “Also, stop calling me Sir Yang. If you see me as a friend, just call me Big Brother Yang.”
Since they were going to work together, it would be better for her to change the way she addressed him; otherwise, it’d be very awkward.
“No, no…” Luo Hai Yi waved her hands.
Just when Yang Kai was ready to say something more, he heard an eccentric voice coming from a nearby spot, “I was wondering why a cheap slut like you dumped this Young Master all of a sudden. So, you’ve come here to meet your little lover! It seems you have no regard for this Young Master at all!”
When Luo Hai Yi heard those words, her expression changed.
Yang Kai frowned and looked at the source of the voice, only to see three people approaching them from a nearby spot. The person walking in front was a young man clad in expensive robes. His demeanour suggested that he was from a wealthy family. He was followed by a middle-aged man and an elderly man, who seemed to be his bodyguards.
In fact, Yang Kai had detected them when they first appeared, but he hadn’t expected that they were looking for Luo Hai Yi.
After examining them, Yang Kai was slightly surprised as the young man at the front was only a Dao Source Realm cultivator. It was inconceivable that this young man wasn’t even an Emperor. How weak must his aptitude be to have only ascended to the Dao Source Realm in the Outer Universe?
However, the auras of the middle-aged and elderly man behind him were profound. They were apparently Open Heaven Realm Masters. Judging from their auras, Yang Kai could tell that they were just as powerful as Wei Que from Great Moon Province.
In other words, they were Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
[What is this guy’s background?] As a Dao Source Realm Junior, he actually had two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as bodyguards. Moreover, he seemed to know Luo Hai Yi, which puzzled Yang Kai.
“Cheap slut, this Young Master paid you to serve him, not to let you have fun with your lover. How do you want to settle accounts now?”
Although the young man appeared elegant and good-looking, all he said were malicious words. Without even sparing Yang Kai a glance, he stared fixedly at Luo Hai Yi and berated her.
Luo Hai Yi shuddered and hurriedly explained, “Young Master Hai, you’ve misunderstood me. Sir Yang and I are old acquaintances. He’s here to look for me, and I didn’t mean to leave you behind. I’ll apologise to you now. Please forgive me.”
The person called Young Master Hai shot a look at Yang Kai and snorted, “Sir Yang? How dare a piece of trash like him call himself Sir in front of this Young Master? Ridiculous!”
A displeased Yang Kai thought that he hadn’t offended anyone, and it was the first time he had met this Young Master Hai, but the latter directly called him a piece of trash. His face fell as he retorted, “Little friend, can you behave yourself? If you can’t, I don’t mind disciplining you on your parents’ behalf.”
Yong Master Hai scoffed, “Friend? I’m not your friend. How dare a piece of trash like you act impudent in front of this Young Master?” The Third-Order cultivators behind him stared coldly at Yang Kai as well. Following that, they released their pressure to threaten him.
“Who is this person that’s barking here?” Yang Kai turned to look at Luo Hai Yi.
Luo Hai Yi secretly spoke to him via Divine Sense, “I don’t know where this Young Master Hai is from, but it seems that his background is powerful. It’s the first time he’s visited the Star City, so he hired me as a local guide.”
Yang Kai grunted in acknowledgement. He thought that this Young Master Hai was close to Luo Hai Yi, but it turned out that he was just her client. It was just like what he had done previously. He wasn’t familiar with the city, so he looked for a local guide to take him around.
It was no wonder Young Master Hai claimed that Luo Hai Yi had dumped him. It seemed that it was Yang Kai who should be blamed instead. He sent her a message to say that he had something to tell her, so she must have decided to return home in a hurry. That was why the displeased Young Master Hai raced after her to find out what was going on.
Certainly, Yang Kai could see that this Young Master Hai came from a wealthy family. That was why he had two Third-Order cultivators as his bodyguards.
Not in the mood to argue, Yang Kai said, “Young Master Hai, right? She has something else to do now, so she can’t continue to be your local guide. Please look for someone else.”
Hearing that, Young Master Hai sneered, “Do you think you can turn down this job for her as you please? Have you even asked for my permission?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “What do you want, then?”
In a grim voice, Young Master Hai said, “She has taken this Young Master’s money, so how can she run away without satisfying me first? There’s no free lunch in this world.”
“How much money has he given you?” Yang Kai turned to look at her.
Luo Hai Yi hung her head low and replied, “Three pills.”
After a nod, Yang Kai tossed three pills at them, “Young Master Hai, here are three Open Heaven Pills. She has returned your money, so she has nothing to do with you anymore.”
Be it Young Master Hai or the two Third-Order Masters, they didn’t take the pills, nor did they bother to shoot them a glance as they let the pills drop on the ground.
Young Master Hai grinned, “Open Heaven Pills? This Young Master can have as many of them as he wants. Even my dog eats more than three pills a day. Do you think I even care about that?”
With a frown, Yang Kai said, “There are countless guides in this city, and you can easily look for them. Why are you forcing her to serve you?”
“So what if I want to force her?” Young Master Hai looked arrogantly at him, “Fuck off if you want to live. It has nothing to do with you. If you want to die, this Young Master doesn’t mind sending you to Hell.”
“What can we do so that you can let her off?” Yang Kai was displeased with this arrogant Young Master’s haughty behaviour, but with two Third-Order bodyguards, Young Master Hai indeed had the capital to be arrogant.
“She only needs to spend the night with me, and I’ll forget what has happened today; otherwise, you’ll bear the consequences.” Young Master Hai pointed at her.
Hearing that, Luo Hai Yi shuddered as his intention was very obvious now. At that instant, her face turned ashen.
The reason she hurriedly went home upon receiving Yang Kai’s message was that when she was introducing the city to Young Master Hai, he kept giving her implicit hints with his words, which was why she didn’t feel secure.
Therefore, right after she saw Yang Kai’s message, she apologised to Young Master Hai and returned his pills before heading back to her home. However, she hadn’t expected that this bastard would relentlessly stalk her.
Yang Kai’s expression turned cold as well.
Young Master Hai was pleased to see the expression on his face. [How dare two pieces of trash go against me? I’ll show them the consequences of offending this Young Master!]
Apparently, Luo Hai Yi was someone who came from the bottom of the social hierarchy. She didn’t have anyone’s support, nor was she personally very strong. No one would stand up for her even if she was killed. The young man beside her didn’t look like he was from a powerful background either. Judging from his clothes, it was obvious that he was just a shop boy at an inn or a restaurant.
Although Young Master Hai was interested in Luo Hai Yi, he didn’t necessarily have to get her. He was from a wealthy family, so if he wanted, even Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm women would be willing to climb into his bed and take off their clothes to get some benefits from him, not to mention that Luo Hai Yi was just an Emperor Realm cultivator who had only recently condensed her Dao Seal.
Therefore, even though he was just a Dao Source Realm cultivator, he had bedded more than ten women in the Open Heaven Realm.
He was used to everyone bowing to his demands and catering to his whims. Now that some people had disobeyed him, he was naturally furious.
Seeing as Yang Kai had hung his head low with a dark expression, he mistakenly thought that Yang Kai was afraid of him, so he snorted, “Brat, scram if you don’t want to die. This Young Master can’t be bothered to talk to a piece of trash like you.”
Following that, he pointed at Luo Hai Yi, “Capture this cheap slut now!”
Right after he finished speaking, the middle-aged man from his left stepped forward, which caused Luo Hai Yi to shudder and turn pale. Just when she was hesitating between fleeing and begging for mercy, a figure flashed across her eyes and stood in front of her.
Yang Kai lifted his head and yelled, “Who dares make a move on her?”
“Capture her!” Young Master Hai bellowed.
Ignoring Yang Kai, the middle-aged man extended his hand towards Luo Hai Yi. Although Yang Kai was standing in front of her, she still felt her vision turning dark as though all the light had been shaded from her.
“We work for Madam Lan of First Inn. I dare you to try making a move against us!” Yang Kai shouted.
The middle-aged man froze as his impassive expression changed abruptly. With a horrified look on his face, he asked, “First Inn? Madam Lan?”
Before he could speak any further, Yang Kai suddenly grabbed Luo Hai Yi’s wrist, after which they disappeared in an instant.
“What a cunning brat!” The middle-aged man snarled, knowing that he had been tricked. The reason Yang Kai said such things was just to distract him so that they could flee.
“Come out!” Right then, the elderly man, who was standing beside Young Master Hai, pushed out his fist towards the Void with a ferocious force.
Up in the air, two figures abruptly appeared. They were none other than Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi, who had just disappeared. Upon being struck, they sprayed out a mouthful of blood each and fell to the ground.
A horrified Yang Kai couldn’t believe that this old man dared make a move inside the Star City. The city was governed by Great Battle Heaven, and fighting was strictly prohibited. Bai Qi had told him about it when they arrived at the city.
The reason those from Great Battle Heaven were not aware of the fact that the Proprietress had made a move in Wind and Cloud Auction House was that there was a barrier around the building, and the battle lasted for only a breath, so the fallout didn’t spread far away. Furthermore, those from the auction house felt humiliated by the incident, so they wouldn’t spread word of it.
However, there were no barriers in this place. If those from Great Battle Heaven came over, all of them would suffer.
It wasn’t until this moment that Young Master Hai came to his senses. He stomped his foot on the ground and barked, “How dare you try to flee from this Young Master!? Break his legs for me now!”
The middle-aged man appeared gloomy as he was infuriated by the fact that he had been tricked by Yang Kai; therefore, he directly stepped forward and attempted to land a kick on his thigh, not holding back his strength at all. Given his power as a Third-Order Master, Yang Kai would have his leg crippled even though he had a Half-Dragon Body.
Just when Yang Kai was hesitating whether he should use the last Mie Meng golden tail feather to kill these three, a voice was suddenly heard shouting from the distance, “Who dares cause trouble here!”
As the sounds of something breaking through the air were heard, 8 figures whooshed towards this place. In the blink of an eye, they had surrounded Yang Kai and the others.
Seeing these people, Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief. Each of these men were clad in armour, so it was apparent they were from Great Battle Heaven. In the light of that, he didn’t have to use the golden tail feather anymore. This thing could even be used to fend off the Proprietress, so it would be wasteful if he used it on this trash.
The person leading the new group of soldiers was clad in silver armour, and although he didn’t seem to be more powerful than the Third-Order Masters beside Young Master Hai, he was obviously more ruthless. Moreover, his aura seemed to be tinged with blood, making it apparent he had gone through countless life-or-death battles.
Yang Kai gave it a thought and recalled that when they were passing through the dock in front of the city, Bai Qi told him some of the things about Great Battle Heaven.
Just like an army, there were strict rules in their great force. They were divided into different military ranks as well. The one guarding the dock was a High General.
A General was actually a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master in Great Battle Heaven. A Fourth-Order cultivator was a General, and a Fifth-Order cultivator was a High General. As for a Sixth-Order cultivator, he was a Great General. There were Marshals and Grand Marshals above them, and below them were soldiers in silver armour.
The lead soldier in silver armour was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master while the people who came with him were all Open Heaven Realm cultivators as well, but they were apparently weaker than he was. However, Yang Kai could feel that all of their auras were connected, which suggested that they were using some kind of Formation.
A group like them would even be able to counter a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
While Yang Kai was shocked by Great Battle Heaven’s heritage, he also admired their swiftness. Not long after the fluctuation of the battle was spread, this soldier in silver armour rushed over with a group of people. They were truly efficient.
Finally, he was able to set his mind at ease as he looked at Young Master Hai and his bodyguards with glee. Since those from Great Battle Heaven had arrived, these three would undoubtedly suffer.
With his hands behind his back, the soldier in silver armour swept a formidable glance over the people at the scene and eventually stared fixedly at Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi. Then, he snorted, “Who did this?” Apparently, he was asking who hurt them.
The middle-aged man and the elderly man fell silent as there was no way they would admit it at this point.
On the other hand, Young Master Hai said arrogantly, “They accidentally fell to the ground.”
Hearing that, the soldier in silver armour shot him a glance.
Young Master Hai went on to say, “You can ask them about it.”
In response, the soldier in silver armour directly landed a loud slap on his face. Upon impact, Young Master Hai flew backwards, tumbling through the air several times before smashing into the ground.
“Young Master!” The middle-aged man and the elderly man were shocked upon seeing that. Just when they were preparing to rush over to help, they felt many ferocious auras locking them down. If they dared to move a muscle, they would be faced with a storm of attacks, so they remained on the spot with dark expressions.