Although the soldier in silver armour had sent Young Master Hai flying away with a slap, he still acted as if nothing had happened. In an impassive manner, he said, “Do I look like a fool to you?”
The soldier in silver armour didn’t exert much force with his hand, but Young Master Hai was only in the Dao Source Realm, so he was unable to bear such an attack, which had broken half of his teeth and caused his face to swell.
After getting to his feet with difficulty, he covered his face with his hand and stared at the soldier in silver armour in disbelief. In an unclear voice, he stuttered, “Y-You dare hit me?”
Since he was a child, no one had ever reprimanded him before, let alone laid a hand on him; however, on this day, half of his teeth had been knocked from his mouth, which greatly humiliated him. At that instant, he was trembling in fury as he stomped his foot on the ground and bellowed, “Why are you standing there like two fools? Kill them now!”
After he finished speaking, the expressions of the two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters changed drastically as they motioned for him to calm down with their gazes. Both of them might not even be a match for these people, and even if they could defeat them, they wouldn’t dare to make a move here. The Star City was governed directly by Great Battle Heaven, and these soldiers were disciples from that great force. If they were killed here, the great force behind them wouldn’t let the murderers off. Even though Young Master Hai had a powerful backer, they couldn’t afford to bear the consequences of such actions.
However, Young Master Hai was oblivious to their hints as he kept throwing a tantrum.
The soldier in silver armour eventually shot him a cold glance, “If you dare to say another word, it won’t be just another slap you get.” A faint murderous intent exuded from his gaze.
Young Master Hai couldn’t help but shudder. As though he had finally realised that he was in a perilous situation, he didn’t dare to open his mouth again.
Seeing that, Yang Kai was extremely gleeful. It was the first time he saw those from Great Battle Heaven at work. He couldn’t help but admire them as these soldiers were indeed steadfast and ruthless.
Knowing that he was safe, he stepped forward and cupped his fists, “Sir, many thanks for coming to our rescue; otherwise, my companion and I would’ve suffered terribly. These guys drooled over my companion’s beauty and threatened her in broad daylight. She wasn’t willing to accept their demands, so they tried to force us. Please punish them accordingly.”
The soldier in silver armour shot him a dispassionate glance and snorted. Without responding to him, he waved his hand and ordered, “Take all of them away.”
“Sir?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded. What was going on? It was understandable that the soldier in silver armour wanted to take Young Master Hai and his subordinates away, but why did he attempt to capture Luo Hai Yi and him as well?
While Yang Kai was still confused, those from Great Battle Heaven made a move by tossing artifacts that looked like ropes at them. Just like very agile snakes, the ropes soon firmly tied all of them up.
A flustered Yang Kai exclaimed, “Sir, we’re the victims!”
“We’ll find out the truth ourselves, your testimony is irrelevant.” The soldier in silver armour didn’t even turn his head.
“Sir, we’re from First Inn,” Yang Kai hurriedly said. He was trying to threaten them by mentioning the Proprietress.
The soldier in silver armour stopped in his tracks and turned his head, “You’re from First Inn?”
Hurriedly, Yang Kai nodded his head, but before he could say anything, the soldier in silver armour directly landed a fist on his belly. In an instant, his five viscera and six organs shifted as he curled up in pain.
“If Madam Lan were here, I might have given her some face, but you’re just a shop hand, so how dare you threaten me here?”
As Yang Kai listened to the cold voice of the soldier in silver armour, he clenched his teeth, knowing that he had to admit defeat as it wasn’t useful at all to mention First Inn. Those from Great Battle Heaven were more stalwart than he had imagined.
“Take them away!” The soldier in silver armour demanded again and led the way. Behind him, the other soldiers escorted Yang Kai, Luo Hai Yi, Young Master Hai, and his subordinates.
“Big Brother Yang, are you alright?” Luo Hai Yi was on the brink of tearing up as she blamed herself for dragging Yang Kai into this mess, which caused him to be injured. She hadn’t expected that Young Master Hai was such an oppressive person. In fact, she had returned his money to him, but he still chased after her and even attracted the attention of those from Great Battle Heaven, which caused all of them to be captured.
If she knew this would be the outcome, she wouldn’t have returned home in a hurry. When she received Yang Kai’s message, she thought that he had an urgent matter, and as she was disgusted by Young Master Hai’s conduct, she left in a rush.
“I’m fine,” Yang Kai shook his head. The soldier in silver armour didn’t exert much force with his fist, so he wasn’t injured; he had only endured a short moment of pain.
“It’s all because of me…” Luo Hai Yi’s eyes turned bloodshot.
Yang Kai replied, “Don’t say that. Blame it on those pieces of trash.”
Turning his head, he saw Young Master Hai and his subordinates shooting him hostile glares. They came from a powerful great force, so despite the fact that they were captured by those from Great Battle Heaven, they were not worried. They just needed to pay some fines before they would be released. However, it was a different cause for Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi. They didn’t seem to have any Open Heaven Pills, so they would certainly get punished.
Yang Master Hai secretly swore that he would retaliate against Yang Kai and let the latter know the consequences of offending him.
Luo Hai Yi lived on the outskirts of Star City. It was a dirty area with lots of disarrayed buildings, and only the people at the bottom of the social hierarchy lived there; therefore, there were not many people on the streets as they moved forward. However, as they got closer to the downtown, countless people on the streets stopped in their tracks and pointed fingers at them. They wondered what these guys had done that prompted those from Great Battle Heaven to detain them.
They had no idea about the rules in other Star Cities, but in this Star City, Great Battle Heaven ruled over everything. Anyone who dared to make a fuss here, regardless of how powerful they were, would end up miserable. Once, there was a Fourth-Order cultivator who got into a scuffle in this city, only to be quickly besieged and killed by those from Great Battle Heaven. The Fourth-Order cultivator was an Elder from a Second Class great force, but not a word was said from that great force after the incident.
Since then, no one had the guts to make a scene in the city anymore. If there were any blood feuds, they could sign a contract and hack each other to death in the Asura Arena, but they absolutely couldn’t get into a fight in the city proper.
Young Master Hai and his subordinates were humiliated as it felt terrible to be paraded through the streets in front of so many people. They wished they could get a piece of cloth to cover their faces. On the other hand, Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi felt embarrassed as well. Yang Kai was in a better mental state as they were not in the wrong. It was the arrogant Young Master Hai who caused all this trouble; however, Luo Hai Yi was a woman after all. Faced with the stares and the gossip about her that was mingled with much foul language and disdain, she couldn’t help but hang her head low.
Nevertheless, those from Great Battle Heaven seemed determined to establish their authority as they led the captives through the most populated streets. Moreover, they walked in a slow and calm manner. Soon, they almost roamed around half of the city.
When the soldier in silver armour lectured Young Master Hai earlier, Yang Kai secretly cheered for him and started admiring Great Battle Heaven; however, now, all he felt was nothing but hatred towards these guys.
About an hour later, they finally reached a gigantic building that looked like a palace. It was the Governor’s Mansion that was located in the centre of the city.
It had been quite some time since Yang Kai arrived in this city, so he knew a thing or two about the Governor’s Mansion. This place was established by those from Great Battle Heaven to oversee this city. An extremely powerful Governor was in charge of this place. Normally, no one would visit this mansion as only the disciples from Great Battle Heaven would move in and out.
Following that, the soldier in silver armour led them into the building. After going through a checkpoint, they kept walking downwards until they reached a prison.
The place was dim and damp. What was worse was that a rancid smell permeated the place.
“One cell for each of them. Throw them in!” The soldier in silver armour waved his hand, whereupon the captives were separated and respectively pushed into their cells.
Luo Hai Yi had never experienced such a thing before, so the colour immediately drained from her face. Although Yang Kai kept consoling her, she was still emotionally unstable.
After the door was shut with a loud clang, Yang Kai stood in his cell with an awkward expression.
They had really put him behind bars! It wasn’t the first time he had been imprisoned, and fortunately, his cultivation wasn’t sealed, so upon scanning the surroundings with his Divine Sense, he realised that the jail wasn’t even very sturdy. One could easily break free from it. Nevertheless, it was futile to do so as he wouldn’t be able to flee, and it would only make things worse.
Now, he could only hope that those from Great Battle Heaven would really be impartial and quickly release Luo Hai Yi and him.
Across from them, Young Master Hai and the two Third-Order cultivators shot them cold glances. Young Master Hai kept cursing at Yang Kai and threatened that he would make him pay for this. Yang Kai just ignored him.
Soon enough, someone from Great Battle Heaven came over and landed a whip on Young Master Hai through the gap of the bars, which caused him to cry in pain and stop making a fuss.
After putting the whip away, that person glared at Young Master Hai and snorted. Then, he looked around before striding towards Yang Kai. After opening the door, he demanded, “Get out! The Chief Disciplinary Officer will question you now.”
Yang Kai took a look at him and calmly walked out of his cell.
“Big Brother Yang…” Luo Hai Yi looked worriedly at him through the gaps of the door.
Shaking his head, Yang Kai motioned for her to calm down.
After leaving the prison with the disciple from Great Battle Heaven, Yang Kai reached a hall and saw the so-called Chief Disciplinary Officer. He was an elderly man with a grim expression. Presently, he was seated behind a table with his hands kept inside his sleeves.
Yang Kai cupped his fists and started answering his questions. The questions were nothing special as the elderly man just wanted to find out the cause of the conflict and what had happened. Yang Kai honestly told him the details, neither exaggerating nor embellishing the truth.
After the session was over, the elderly man told someone to take Yang Kai away and bring Luo Hai Yi to see him. She didn’t know what awaited her, so she looked inquisitively at Yang Kai, who in return just told her to speak the truth.
Hearing that, Luo Hai Yi gave a nod.
Meanwhile, someone was knocking on the door of a room in the rear court of First Inn in an anxious manner. After the door was opened, the Proprietress stared at Bai Qi and the chef with a frown, “Why do you look so flustered?”
With a solemn expression, Bai Qi explained, “Yang Kai was captured by one of Great Battle Heaven’s patrol teams.”
The Proprietress’ expression changed, “When did that happen?”
“Just now! Chef saw it when he left the inn.”
To the side, the chef nodded repeatedly, “I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Did you see it clearly?” The Proprietress asked.
The chef replied, “Besides him, the woman who came to the inn to pass on his words some time ago was also captured. There were also three more guys that I didn’t know. I have no idea what happened.”
Bai Qi said, “Proprietress, what should we do? Those Great Battle Heaven people are all crazy. There’s no way Yang Kai will be treated well in their captivity.”
The Proprietress replied, “I’ll go have a look.” Then, she dashed out of the room and disappeared.
After trading glances, Bai Qi and the chef sighed. It hadn’t been a long time since Yang Kai came to the Outer Universe, so he wasn’t familiar with Great Battle Heaven; however, the two of them knew how ruthless this great force was, so they knew that even though the Proprietress went over to negotiate with them, Yang Kai would still have to suffer. It wasn’t certain whether he would be able to bear the punishment.
A moment later, in a hall of the Governor’s Mansion, a middle-aged man was seen going through some documents on his desk. He was seated there with a posture that was as straight as a spear, and he appeared majestic despite his calm expression. There was a golden crown on his hair, and his eyes looked as bright as stars. Although he was just sitting there, a ferocious aura seemed to be swirling around him. It was as though he had just emerged from a sea of corpses.
He was none other than the Governor from Great Battle Heaven who ruled over this Star City, Ye Tian Xiong.
Just then, a soldier in silver armour dashed into the hall and bent his back, “Governor, Madam Lan from First Inn requests to meet you.”
The Governor raised his head, whereupon a flash of light seemed to have crossed his eyes. His hand, which was holding a pen, froze in the air as he narrowed his eyes, “Madam Lan? What does she want?”
The soldier in silver armour replied, “I believe it’s because of what happened to a shop hand from her First Inn.” Then, he briefly reported to the Governor about the fact that they had captured some people making trouble earlier. It had been a long time since they last captured anyone as no one had the guts to make a scene in the city; therefore, the incident earlier was soon spread among everyone in the Governor’s Mansion.
Hearing that, Ye Tian Xiong put down his pen, “Tell her to come in.”
“Yes,” the soldier in silver armour replied and turned around to leave.
Just a while later, a white shadow dashed into the room. The Proprietress brought with her the cold wind from outside as she approached the Governor and landed a palm on the table. Then, she bellowed through clenched teeth, “Ye Tian Xiong, release my shop hand!”
Upon impact, countless cracks appeared on this solid table, and the documents all flew into the air.
Following that, armours were heard clanging as a group of disciples from Great Battle Heaven streamed into the hall. They surged their auras and summoned their artifacts as they stared fiercely at the curvy figure in front of the table.
At that instant, the atmosphere became intense as the hall was filled with murderous intent.
Despite that, the Proprietress was oblivious to them as she stared fixedly at Ye Tian Xiong, who only slightly moved his body, whereupon the documents fell back on the table and landed on the exact same spots. Then, he waved his hand at his subordinates.
The disciples, who had rushed into the hall after seeing this, left the place in an instant. They were truly swift and disciplined.
It was then that Ye Tian Xiong slowly lifted his head and took a glance at the Proprietress, “Madam Lan, we haven’t met for 300 years, but you’re still as charming as ever. I’ve heard that you’ve opened a shop in this Star City. Initially, I thought that it was just a rumour, but now, it seems to be true.”
The Proprietress ignored his small talk and demanded, “I’m not here to reminisce about the past with you. Release my subordinate now!”
Ye Tian Xiong asked, “Who are you talking about?”
“Don’t give me that!” The Proprietress landed another palm on the table, “My subordinate was captured by your people. Don’t tell me you’re not aware of it.”
“I haven’t heard of it,” Ye Tian Xiong replied dispassionately, then he pointed out something, “However, my subordinates will never capture innocent people. If your subordinate didn’t commit any crime, he wouldn’t have been detained.”
The Proprietress refuted, “I don’t care whether he has committed any crime. He’s in your captivity now, and I want you to release him.”
Ye Tian Xiong narrowed his eyes, “Madam, where do you think this place is? Do you think he can leave this place as he pleases?”
“Are you going to release him or not?” The Proprietress looked straight into his eyes and questioned.
With his lips curving into a smile, Ye Tian Xiong lowered his head and continued going through his documents.
Turning around, the Proprietress said, “Good, then I’ll tell the public what happened in the bamboo forest of Purple Jade Cave Heaven 800 years ago.” As soon as she finished speaking, a figure abruptly appeared in front of her. It was Ye Tian Xiong who had blocked her way.
As their eyes met, the Proprietress raised her chin with a smug smile on her face. On the other hand, Ye Tian Xiong’s face twitched slightly.
A long time later, he said, “You’re still as shameless as before. I’ve never seen a woman as peculiar as you.”
There was a faint smile on the Proprietress’ face, “If you don’t want others to find out what happened, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place. What do you say now?”
Ye Tian Xiong replied, “Before we find out the truth, no one can break the rules of this city. Otherwise, our authority will be damaged.”
“So, you’re not going to release him?” The Proprietress slowly narrowed her eyes.
To which Ye Tian Xiong said, “If this incident really has nothing to do with your subordinate, I’ll handle it in an impartial manner.”
After giving it a thought, the Proprietress nodded her head, “Good, I’ll wait here and see how you’re going to handle it impartially.” Then, she took a seat on a chair beside her and directly landed a palm on the table, “Why has no one served me tea yet? Is this how the people from Great Battle Heaven treat your guests?”
A tinge of helplessness flashed across Ye Tian Xiong’s eyes. After he clapped his hands, someone sprinted into the hall and cupped his fists, “Yes, Governor?”
Ye Tian Xiong pointed at the Proprietress, “Get her some tea.”
That person turned to look at Madam Lan in disbelief, but he still replied, “Yes.” Following that, he turned around and left.
After that, Ye Tian Xiong released his Divine Sense and talked to someone else.
Just a moment later, an elderly man stepped into the hall and saluted the Governor. He was the Chief Disciplinary Officer who had questioned Yang Kai and the others earlier.
Ye Tian Xiong asked, “Have you interrogated the ones we recently detained?”
The disciplinary officer cupped his fists, “I have.”
“What exactly happened?”
Although the disciplinary officer wondered why the Governor would even care about such a trivial matter, he wouldn’t dare to ignore his question, so he narrated the incident to him. He had questioned each of those involved, so he had figured out what had happened.
While Ye Tian Xiong remained unfazed, the Proprietress started blowing her top, “Did you hear that!? It was those three who ignored the rules of Great Battle Heaven and created trouble in the city. My shop hand just decided to lend the victim a hand, so how could you capture him without a valid reason? I won’t let you off if you can’t give me an explanation.”
The disciplinary officer couldn’t help but take a glance at the Proprietress as he was shocked to see that someone had the guts to be so brazen in front of the Governor. What was stranger was that the Governor didn’t seem to be mad at her.
Ye Tian Xiong gently tapped on the table and waited for her to finish speaking before saying impassively, “In this world, there is never just one party involved in trouble.”
Hearing that, the Proprietress coldly asked, “What do you mean by that?”
He replied, “Whatever the reason, your shop hand has caused some trouble in my territory, and he shouldn’t dream about getting off without paying a price.”
She sneered, “Ye Tian Xiong, do you insist on doing this?”
He said, “Don’t worry. It’s just a small punishment.”
“Nonsense!” The Proprietress rejected him resolutely. She knew how horrible the punishments from Great Battle Heaven were. Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Junior. Whatever the punishment, he would end up in a terrible state.
“No one can tell me what to do in my territory!” Ye Tian Xiong snorted as he was running out of patience. Then, he shifted his attention to the disciplinary officer, “The man and the woman will each receive a strike from the Dragon Fang Whip.”
“You dare?!” The Proprietress said through clenched teeth.
Ye Tian Xiong shot her a glare, “Lan You Ruo, do you think I’m not aware of what happened in the Wind and Cloud Auction House? I only chose to ignore it to avoid causing a scene with you!”
Although there was a barrier around the auction house, the fact that the Proprietress had made a move there couldn’t be hidden from powerful cultivators like Ye Tian Xiong.
At that instant, the Proprietress was lost for words. After glaring at him for a long time, she stomped her foot on the ground, “I’ll remember what you’ve done here today!”
…..
After Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi were interrogated, they were sent back to their cells again. Just a while later, someone came over and took them away.
A puzzled Yang Kai asked the disciple from Great Battle Heaven what was going on, but that person directly ignored him.
As they moved forward, they eventually left the Governor’s Mansion.
An elated Yang Kai thought that the matter was finally over; after all, he and Luo Hai Yi were the victims, and they didn’t have the intention to cause trouble in the city. It was Young Master Hai and his subordinates who had made a move on them.
Just when he was ready to thank the disciple, he saw a familiar figure and became pleasantly surprised, “Proprietress, what are you doing here?”
With a conflicted gaze, the Proprietress sighed, “Just try to endure it, and this matter will be over.”
“What do you mean by that?” A perplexed Yang Kai asked, but before he could figure out what was going on, two disciples came over and grabbed his arms before stringing him up to a cross-bar.
A shocked Yang Kai instinctively tried to resist, but the Proprietress dissuaded him from doing so; therefore, he gave up and let the disciples do whatever they wanted. A moment later, he was firmly shackled.
Presently, countless people had surrounded the entrance of the Governor’s Mansion. Some people had even flown into the air to get a clearer look.
At the same time, discussions about him were heard coming from the crowd.
“What has this guy done? It seems that they’re going to punish him.”
“My goodness. No one has had the guts to create trouble in the city for years. He is truly brazen.”
“The Dragon Fang Whip from the Governor’s Mansion can even kill! Thirteen years ago, a Second-Order cultivator was tied here and died on the spot after just ten whips. I wonder how many whips this brat will have to endure today.”
“Judging from his aura, he’s only an Emperor Realm Junior. He can take three whips at most. Any more than that will cause him to lose his life.”
…..
As Yang Kai listened to their discussions, he couldn’t help but turn ashen as he finally realised why he was tied here. Turning his head, he saw the disciplinary officer he had met earlier coming over slowly with a whip in his hand. There were barbs around the whip, and its tip looks like two Dragon teeth.
A horrified Yang Kai thought that if he was struck by such a whip, he would end up in a miserable state.
Then, he looked to the side and saw Luo Hai Yi tied to another cross-bar. She must have heard the discussions around her as well, so the colour already drained from her face.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but plead with the Proprietress with his gaze, only to see her shaking her head slowly. Realising that even the Proprietress was unable to help him, he became incensed.
He and Luo Hai Yi were the victims. If it weren’t because of Young Master Hai and his subordinates who threatened them, they wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess; however, they were now the ones who had to be tied here and were being punished in public. Were those from Great Battle Heaven idiots?
Soon, the space in front of the Governor’s Mansion was crammed with people and countless stares focused on Yang Kai and Luo Hai Yi.
The disciplinary officer stepped forward with the Dragon Fang Whip in his hand. After looking around, he yelled, “These two people have caused trouble in the Star City and broken our rules. The Governor has given the order that they will each receive one whip to serve as a warning to others.”
Just when Yang Kai was about to refute him, he heard a whoosh coming at him. Following that, he felt an excruciating pain in his back that almost prompted him to scream.
The pain was indescribable as he felt his very Soul trembling. The words he was about to say were replaced by a howl. He could clearly feel that as the whip struck him, the clothes on his back tore apart. His flesh must have been torn as well as he felt blood flowing out of his body.
The Dragon Fang Whip must have been made using a special technique, which could make the person getting struck feel ten times more pain. If it weren’t because Yang Kai had strong willpower, he would’ve passed out.
Since he started cultivating, he had gone through countless life-or-death battles and suffered numerous serious injuries, but he had never felt as much pain as he did this time.
He widened his eyes as his eyeballs seemed to be trembling in his eye sockets. While his vision had turned blurry, he heard the Proprietress speaking in an anxious voice, “It’s done. Release him quickly!”
“W-Wait!” Yang Kai clenched his teeth and yelled.
A worried Proprietress asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’ll take the whip for her,” Yang Kai turned to look at the disciplinary officer.
Hearing that, the Chief Disciplinary Officer sported an awkward expression, “Are you sure?”
No one had ever dared to take another strike after having a taste of the Dragon Fang Whip. Yang Kai’s willpower was truly admirable.
The Proprietress couldn’t believe what she had heard, “Are you insane!?”
Yang Kai forced an ugly smile, “Proprietress, Sister Luo is a woman after all. How is she going to lift her head again if she’s whipped in public?”
After getting struck, his clothes became tattered and his back was bloodied. If Luo Hai Yi was whipped, regardless of whether she could take it, her body would be exposed to the public. Any woman would feel greatly humiliated if such a thing happened to her.
The Proprietress was torn between laughter and exasperation, “I can’t believe you’re still concerned about someone else at this point.”
Yang Kai grimaced in pain, “All this happened because of me.” If he hadn’t messaged Luo Hai Yi in a rush, all this wouldn’t have happened.
Then, he turned to look at the disciplinary officer, “Do it now.”
Without saying a word, the disciplinary officer shot him an impassive glance and lashed his whip at him with a whoosh.
Following a loud crack, Yang Kai straightened up as the Soul-wrenching pain came over him again. The flesh on his back seemed to have been peeled off. After holding it in for a long time, he eventually let out a howl.
The Proprietress slashed at the ropes with her fingers and untied Yang Kai. Without the restriction, he couldn’t even support his own weight as he collapsed into the Proprietress’ embrace.
“Sir Yang…” Luo Hai Yi turned to look at him as tears streamed down from her bloodshot eyes. Unfortunately, she was unable to move as she was still tied there.
“I-I’m fine!” Yang Kai gasped in pain but still gritted his teeth to endure it.
“Shut up!” The Proprietress shot him a glare and picked him up before sprinting towards First Inn.
Her speed was incredible as she managed to return to the inn in just a few breaths’ time. Bai Qi and the others, who were standing in front of the entrance, couldn’t even see it clearly when the Proprietress dashed into the building.
All of them traded glances as their chests tightened; then, they hurriedly entered the inn.
Inside the room, the Proprietress put him down on the bed and told him to lie on his stomach. Then, she tore his clothes apart and clenched his chin before throwing a pill into his mouth, “Swallow it.”
Yang Kai gasped and gulped down the pill as he was told.
The next instant, he felt a hand on his back. He wondered what she was applying on his skin, but the cooling sensation soon alleviated his pain.
As he caught a whiff of a pleasant scent, he realised that this was the Proprietress’ room. Feeling bashful, he said, “Proprietress, I’m sorry for troubling you.”
Without saying a word, she focused on applying ointment to his back.
Hearing some footsteps, he turned his head, only to see Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant streaming into the room and watching him.
A worried Bai Qi asked, “Are you alright?”
Yang Kai forced a smile, “I’m fine.”
The chef tutted, “He took two whips… Those people are so ruthless.”
After a sigh, the accountant asked, “Why did you get into a conflict with someone else in this city? There are strict rules in this Star City that is ruled by Great Battle Heaven. No one has the guts to make a scene in their territory.”
The Proprietress snorted, “He was fighting with someone else for a woman. Men… Hmph! All of you are the same!”
“A woman?” Bai Qi was shocked.
A wronged Yang Kai hurriedly said, “Don’t listen to her. That wasn’t what happened. It was just some guys who made a scene and oppressed the weak.”
“Did I say anything wrong?” The Proprietress sneered, “You even took a strike from the Dragon Fang Whip for her, how dare you still say you were not fighting with another man for her? I think even your Soul has been taken away by that enchantress!” After finishing her words, she landed a palm on his back.
In an instant, Yang Kai turned ashen as his Soul almost left his body. Seeing that, Bai Qi and the others gulped.
At that moment, it was completely silent in the room. A long time later, the Proprietress stood up and said, “Just stay here to recuperate and don’t go anywhere. These are just flesh wounds, so you’ll be healthy again in a few days.”
“Thanks, Proprietress.” Yang Kai thanked her and hesitated for a moment, “But, this is your room. If I recuperate here, where will you stay?”
“Cut the crap and heal your wounds.”
While Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to say one more word, Bai Qi and the others were chased out of the room by the Proprietress.
“Stay right here. I’ll be right back,” she said and turned around to leave.
After a while, the door was pushed open from the outside, and rapid footsteps were heard. It didn’t sound like the Proprietress’ footsteps, so he turned his head. Seeing that person, he was surprised, “Sister Luo?”
The person was none other than Luo Hai Yi. After giving it a thought, he realised that the Proprietress must have brought her to this place. Otherwise, she couldn’t have entered the inner court of First Inn.
Presently, Luo Hai Yi’s eyes were all red. The traces of tears on her face suggested that he had cried. Approaching the man, she asked in a shaking voice, “Senior Yang, are you alright?”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “Don’t worry. These are just flesh wounds. The Proprietress has applied some ointment on me, so I’ll be healthy again in a few days.”
Her eyes were drenched in tears as she said, “If it weren’t because of me, you wouldn’t have had to endure the punishment. You even took the whip in my stead. I don’t know how I can repay your favour.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “That was the least I could do. There was no way I’d let you get whipped in public. Anyway, both of us are not in the wrong. It was Young Master Hai who had crossed the line, and those from Great Battle Heaven couldn’t tell right from wrong. We’ll remember what they’ve done to us and get even with them one day.”
Seeing as she still appeared to be blaming herself, he changed the topic by saying, “By the way, how did you come here? Did the Proprietress tell you to come over?”
Luo Hai Yi nodded her head, “Madam Lan said that you took a whip in my stead, so I have to take care of you.” She paused for a moment, “By the way, she has also agreed to let me join First Inn. From now on, I’m also a part of the inn.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I’ll have to congratulate you, then. You don’t have to go around the city looking for jobs anymore.” He thought that the Proprietress was indeed a sharp-tongued but kind-hearted person. She just called Luo Hai Yi an enchantress, but the next moment, she let her join the inn.
Luo Hai Yi went on to say, “She also told me that the reason you looked for me was to invite me to join the inn. You have saved my life and done so much for me. If there’s anything you want me to do in the future, I’ll never turn you down regardless of the tasks.”
“It’s not so serious.” Yang Kai broke into laughter, “You’ve helped me a lot as well. We’re even now.”
She slowly shook her head, “That’s different.”
It was indeed different. Previously, she led the way for Yang Kai because he had hired her to be his local guide. She passed on his message to the Proprietress after leaving Wind and Cloud Auction House as that was the least she could do. However, Yang Kai had given her Grand Dao Pills, which allowed her to condense her own Dao Seal. On this day, he had taken a whip in her stead and recommended she join First Inn so that she wouldn’t have to worry about putting food on the table again. All these were huge favours. For someone at the bottom of the social hierarchy like her, what Yang Kai had done had practically given her a new life.
While they were chatting, the Proprietress was seated on a chair in the lobby of First Inn with a dispassionate expression. The inn wasn’t open for business on this day, so there was no one else in the lobby. Presently, only the accountant and the chef were standing by her side.
A moment later, Bai Qi sprinted into the inn.
The Proprietress lifted her head and asked emotionlessly, “Have you found out everything?”
Bai Qi replied, “I have. He’s the Son of an Elder from Clear Mind Heaven.” He frowned, “Proprietress, the issue is pretty thorny. They’re from a powerful background.”
Hearing that, the Proprietress snorted, “I don’t care what background they have. Anyone who dares to harm my people will have to pay the price.”
Then, she slowly rose from the chair and said impassively, “Perhaps I’ve stayed quiet for far too long. All of them think that I wouldn’t dare to kill again.”
Bai Qi and the others traded glances. As though they had recalled a horrible memory, they couldn’t help shuddering.
“Keep an eye on them. If they ever leave Star City, inform me immediately.”
Bai Qi parted his lips in an attempt to dissuade her from doing that, but he gave up in the end. After cupping his fists, he said, “Yes.” He knew that those guys would definitely end up in a terrible state. The Proprietress hadn’t been so incensed for ages. It seemed that this matter couldn’t be resolved easily.
For the next few days, Yang Kai stayed in the room to recuperate. The Proprietress would show up sometimes and chide Luo Hai Yi. It seemed that she had a bad impression of her.
Luo Hai Yi was a timid woman, so she wouldn’t dare to say anything whenever she was reprimanded. She just kept apologising, which made it impossible for the Proprietress to vent her anger.
Seeing that, Yang Kai was terrified as he wondered what had gotten into that woman again. Recently, she had been finding fault with Luo Hai Yi.
After a few days, most of his wounds had healed. Feeling bored of being in bed, he decided to help them out in the lobby.
After Yang Kai worked for half a day, he realised that both the Proprietress and Bai Qi were nowhere in sight. Curious about where they were, he went to the counter and asked the accountant about it, “Where are Proprietress and Old Bai?”
The accountant took a glance at him and quickly looked away, “There’s something they have to do.”
Yang Kai knit his brow before nodding and going back to work.
Meanwhile, across from a particular inn in the Star City, Bai Qi was seated by the window on the second floor of a teahouse. There was a pot of tea and plates of fruits on the table. As he drank tea and ate fruits, he stared fixedly at the inn that was across the street.
In fact, he had been keeping watch here for a few days now. This was a task assigned to him by the Proprietress, so he wouldn’t dare to slack off.
Right then, three people stepped out of the inn. They were a young man, a middle-aged man, and an elderly man. Presently, the elderly man was leading the way for them while the middle-aged man was supporting the young man’s weight. The young man’s pale face suggested that he had been severely injured, and there was a trace of blood on his back. Besides him, the middle-aged man and the elderly man seemed to be injured as well.
After looking around, they shot into the air and headed to the Star City’s dock.
Bai Qi stared in the direction they left with a conflicted gaze and only a long time later did he let out a long sigh and fished out a Communication Artifact. Upon pushing his Divine Sense, he sent out a message.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the void outside the Spirit Province where the Star City was located, an alluring woman abruptly opened her eyes. Her gaze appeared so cold that it was as though it could even freeze space itself.
This woman was none other than the First Inn Proprietress.
Time seemed to tick by slowly, but just a moment later, a ship artifact flew over and came into her sight. The ship was moving in the direction she was standing.
Seeing that, the Proprietress clenched her fists as her knuckles cracked.
When the ship was close enough, she suddenly pushed out a fist, whereupon a dazzling light expanded and made the world turn pale.
Following her attack, the ship, which was still several dozen kilometres away from her, cracked and exploded.
Three battered figures emerged from the broken ship and an old voice was heard bellowing, “Who dares!”
When the middle-aged and elderly man made out who had destroyed their ship, their pupils contracted. On the other hand, the young man had no idea what was going on, so he started throwing a tantrum again, “It hurts! What’s wrong with you two? Wastes! How can you let this Young Master suffer such injustice!”
Yang Kai had received two whips from the Dragon Fang Whip in front of the Governor’s Mansion for simply being a victim, so as the ones who had stirred up trouble, the punishment for these three was much more severe. Each of them had to get five lashes. Young Master Hai was weak, so he only received one whip while the remaining four he was due were evenly shared by his bodyguards. Despite that, just one stroke had caused him to be seriously injured.
For the past few days, he had been hiding in an inn to recuperate. After consuming many elixirs, he finally managed to escape from death’s door. Not daring to keep staying in the Star City, he was eager to leave; however, as soon as he left the port, his flight-type artifact was attacked and blown apart. The impact irritated his wounds and caused him to feel excruciating pain.
After he was done with the cursing though, he realised that there was a horrified look on the faces of his subordinates as they stared fixedly at the front. He followed their gaze, whereupon his eyes brightened and he shouted, “Where is this woman from? She’s so beautiful!”
When the middle-aged and elderly man heard that, their expressions changed drastically as they secretly cursed at this fool for landing them in trouble. Although they had no idea who this charming woman was, her aura was so deep that they couldn’t even understand its true depth. In short, they were absolutely no match for her.
She was undoubtedly a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, or possibly even stronger. How could their foolish Young Master not understand something so simple and dare to profane a top cultivator like her in such a way?
Nevertheless, Young Master Hai wasn’t aware that he was in a perilous situation, and as he grew fonder of her, he ignored the pain on his back and put on a grin, “Quick! Capture her for this Young Master. Tonight, I shall have her serve me in bed!”
With a dark expression, the middle-aged man bellowed, “Young Master, hold your tongue!”
The elderly man then hurriedly stood in front of the young man and cupped his fists at the alluring woman, “Greetings, Madam. May this old man know why your honourable self has blocked our way and destroyed our ship?”
There was a faint smile on the Proprietress’ face as she retorted, “When you were oppressing this Queen’s shop hand, did you not find out who his backer was?”
“Your shop hand?” The elderly man furrowed his brows, but as he recalled something, his expression was filled with terror as he stuttered, “F-First Inn’s… Madam Lan?”
The Proprietress snorted, “Old thing, at least you’re not senile yet.”
The elderly man couldn’t help but gulp as there was a bitter taste in his mouth. After looking around, he realised that this place was already quite far into the void, so it wouldn’t be easy for them to flee. Being blocked in this place, their fate would probably be terrible. With his forehead drenched in sweat, he cupped his fists and bowed deeply, “Madam Lan, forgive this old man for failing to recognise your esteemed self!” He paused for a moment before hesitantly continuing, “We are from Clear Mind Heaven, and our Young Master is the Grandson of Elder Hai.”
The Proprietress replied impassively, “I know.”
“You know?” The elderly man appeared even more horrified now. Since she was aware of their identity, how dare she still block their way and even destroy their ship? Was she insane?
“This Queen has been waiting for you here for some time now,” The Proprietress snorted and raised her slender hand. It was blemish-free, as if carved from the finest piece of white jade, but when she lifted it, the elderly man felt a sense of crisis descend upon him, as though the entire world was being turned upside down around him.
“Take Young Master back to the Star City!” He roared.
Hearing that, the middle-aged man immediately sprayed out a mouthful of Blood Essence and grabbed Young Master Hai before retreating with all haste.
“You think you can flee?” The Proprietress scoffed, “Only this Queen may lay a hand on the shop hands of First Inn. Anyone else who dares must die!”
After finishing her words, she pushed out her palm. In an instant, space really did flip and collapse.
When she retracted her hand, the void became serene again, while Young Master Hai, the elderly man, and the middle-aged man were nowhere to be seen.
She had killed three people from Clear Mind Heaven, but acted as if nothing had happened. Flicking her sleeve, she looked towards a particular spot in the void and asked coldly, “Was the show interesting?”
Just then, a ripple spread across the void, whereupon a Golden Armour General appeared. He was clad in a helmet and had a long sword strapped to his waist.
If Yang Kai were here, he would’ve recognised that this Golden Armour General was the one who had been guarding the Star City’s dock. He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, just one Order below the Governor of the Star City, Ye Tian Xiong.
The Golden Armour General frowned, “Why did you do this? You could’ve just taught them a lesson. Killing them won’t bring you any benefits.”
The Proprietress shot him a glance, “So what if this Queen kills them? Not just them, this Queen will also settle the score with that bastard Ye Tian Xiong in time.”
At that, the Golden Armour General was rendered speechless, “For a mere shop hand…” Although he had been guarding the dock all this time, it didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of what had been going on in the Star City. Two days ago, the Proprietress left the dock with a gaze filled with murderous intent. He just had to ask around to find out what had happened.
“Not just a shop hand, a shop hand from my First Inn!” The Proprietress snorted.
The Golden Armour General nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes. He’s a shop hand from First Inn, and he’s more precious than the other shop hands in the city.” He sighed, “But, they’re from Clear Mind Heaven…”
His words suggested that she should have only lectured them instead of killing them.
“Why don’t you tell Hai Ping Le about it now and see whether he dares to retaliate against me?”
The Golden Armour General stared fixedly at her and let out a sigh, “You’ve been living in seclusion for nearly 1,200 years now. Are you going to make a fuss again? You won’t always be so fortunate.”
After glowering at him for a moment, the Proprietress swung her sleeve widely, “If others don’t provoke me, I won’t provoke them!”
Upon finishing her words, she shot towards the dock. The Golden Armour General gazed at her figure and shook his head. A woman like her was more hard-edged than most men, but it wasn’t certain whether she could avoid ending up in a miserable state.
…..
The Proprietress’ return didn’t cause a commotion. Yang Kai didn’t even know when she had come back. He just saw her appearing in the lobby one day and hospitably greeting the customers in the inn.
As time passed, all of them lived a peaceful life. Besides helping out in the inn, Yang Kai spent most of his time refining his new Territory Shuttle.
From time to time, he would also try to find out any information regarding the World Tree and Earth Element materials, but there hadn’t been any gains so far.
He had also visited Wind and Cloud Auction House several times. The Proprietress had made a fuss in the auction house to save Bai Qi and him, but he had Seven Faces, which was how he could enter the building without anyone recognizing him.
No one in the auction house seemed to have any idea about the World Tree, unfortunately. There were some Earth Element materials, but they were all below the Fifth Order, which were useless to him.
The Wood Element he had condensed from the Immortal Tree and the Fire Element he had condensed from the Golden Crow’s True Fire were all High-Rank materials. Yang Kai couldn’t stand the thought of squandering an impeccable foundation, so he was extremely picky when looking for an Earth Element material. At the very least, it had to be Seventh-Order; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to achieve greater heights in his power.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t easy to look for a High-Rank Earth Element material. It was just a coincidence that he had acquired the Golden Crow’s True Fire, so it was unrealistic to think that such an opportunity would simply fall into his lap again.
That was the reason Yang Kai had been a bit anxious of late.
If he couldn’t ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, he would remain weak in the Outer Universe. Even the two Third-Order Masters, who worked for Young Master Hai, were enough to oppress him to death.
However, Yang Kai was too embarrassed to ask the Proprietress about it. Moreover, if he really did that, he would expose his secret. Although the Proprietress had been treating him well, they were not close enough to share such secrets; therefore, he had been suffering from a headache recently.
One day, Yang Kai was busy serving customers when the Proprietress called out to him via Divine Sense. After telling Luo Hai Yi to be more attentive to the customers, he shuffled towards the rear court.
After knocking on the door and opening it, he was surprised to see Bai Qi inside the room as well.
Presently, Bai Qi appeared excited as a glow radiated from his eyes. He had also clenched his fists tightly.
Yang Kai cupped his fists to the Proprietress before turning his head, “You look radiant and thrilled. Is there any good news?”
Bai Qi grinned meaningfully at him, “That’s right. There’s some good news.”
A puzzled Yang Kai batted his eyes, “What is it?”
There was a proud smile on Bai Qi’s face as he declared, “I’m going to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.”
A surprised Yang Kai asked, “Really?” This was indeed some extremely good news for a cultivator who spent his entire life pursuing the Martial Dao. In the Outer Universe, the Open Heaven Realm was like a dividing point. Those who were Open Heaven Realm Masters and those who were not could be considered entirely different beings.
A cultivator, who relentlessly pursued the Martial Dao, would transform into an entirely new person after reaching the Open Heaven Realm!
Then, Yang Kai recalled that when Bai Qi made a move in Wind and Cloud Auction House some time ago, he had seen traces of the Five Elements swirling around him. Apparently, he was already a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master. Now, it seemed that he was just a short distance away from the Open Heaven Realm. He must have condensed six Elements, and just needed the last one to achieve his goal.
“Congratulations!” Yang Kai cupped his fists at Bai Qi as he was truly happy for him. At the same time, he was envious that Bai Qi was going to make a name for himself soon. On the other hand, he wasn’t even sure when he would be able to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
A high-spirited Bai Qi guffawed and landed a gentle pat on Yang Kai’s shoulder, “When we go out together in the future, people like Yun Zhen Hua will never dare to find fault with us again.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai arched his brow, “What Order are you going to promote to?”
Bai Qi’s words suggested that he wouldn’t have to be afraid of Yun Zhen Hua anymore. Yun Zhen Hua was a Fourth-Order cultivator, so since Bai Qi was confident of defeating him, he must be going to achieve an Order that was above the Fourth Order.
With a grin, Bai Qi raised his hand and showed his palm.
“Fifth-Order!” Yang Kai said.
To the side, the Proprietress snorted, “You’re not even close to achieving the Open Heaven Realm. If you keep bragging now, aren’t you worried that you’ll fail?”
Bai Qi pulled a long face and said, “Proprietress, please don’t give me such a curse. I’ve been cultivating diligently for the past thousand years, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”
A solemn Proprietress replied, “On the Martial Dao, the slightest negligence can result in all your previous efforts going to waste. If you’re going to deal with the ascension with this kind of attitude, you’d better wait another 100 years first.”
Upon hearing that, Bai Qi sported a serious expression and bent his back, “Many thanks for your guidance, I will sincerely remember it. When the time comes, I shall put forth my best, and the Heavens will decide whether I succeed.”
The Proprietress stared fixedly at him and spoke in a softer tone, “I’ve personally trained you, and you’ve built a solid foundation. Just remain calm and focused, and I’m sure there will be no problem with your breakthrough.”
“Yes,” Bai Qi replied respectfully.
“Get ready now. We’ll leave in three days.” The Proprietress waved her hand.
After a nod, Bai Qi bowed and left the room.
There was an envious look on Yang Kai’s face as he watched Bai Qi leave when all of a sudden, the Proprietress said, “You get ready as well. We’ll leave together in three days.”
“Me?” Yang Kai was stunned, but he soon realised her intention. It was rare for a cultivator to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, and most people wouldn’t be able to witness such a magnificent scene. She intended to bring him with her to observe the process. With such an experience, the process would be much smoother for him if he ever had the chance to attain the Open Heaven Realm in the future.
An elated Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “Many thanks, Proprietress. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me, and will definitely repay your favour one day!”
“All you know is how to flatter me. Get out now.” The Proprietress snorted and swept him out of the room with her sleeve.
Three days had passed in the blink of an eye.
In the morning, the Proprietress was standing outside First Inn as she told the accountant and chef to take care of the inn. Then, she led Bai Qi and Yang Kai to shoot into the sky. After they passed the dock, she summoned her ship and sailed it towards the void.
Unlike how excited he was three days ago, Bai Qi had calmed down considerably. In fact, he had never been calmer before in his life.
The Proprietress was standing on the dock as she rested her hands on the gunwale and watched the splendid view. Yang Kai and Bai Qi stood just behind her as the ship moved forward.
Half a day later, the Proprietress didn’t seem to have the intention of stopping the ship, so a curious Yang Kai asked, “Proprietress, where are we going?”
Presently, the Proprietress’ hair flapped in the wind, and without turning her head, she replied, “We’re looking for the last Open Heaven material.”
A stunned Yang Kai said, “Old Bai hasn’t obtained the last material?”
When he saw Bai Qi appearing so excited a few days ago, he thought that the latter had collected all the necessary materials, so he couldn’t believe that they were only looking for the last one now.
Bai Qi explained, “Fifth-Order Yang Sprites are very rare. Once they appear, countless people will come to snatch them up. We have informants everywhere in the Outer Universe, and one of them has found out that Fifth-Order Yang Sprites have appeared in Golden Rainbow Territory. That’s why we’ve embarked on such a long journey.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai finally realised what was going on. He thought that they were going somewhere quiet so that Bai Qi could achieve his breakthrough without worrying about being disturbed, but it turned out that they were instead going to acquire the last material he needed. Furthermore, judging from what Bai Qi had said, he lacked a Yang Element material.
With a frown, Yang Kai asked, “In that case, won’t we have to compete against others for the treasure?”
Bai Qi grinned, “We’re heading to a very hidden place, one most people don’t know about and fewer can find. So, I’m sure there won’t be any competition. I’ll just have to go there and absorb it.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded.
All of a sudden, the Proprietress asked, “What Order do you want to achieve?”
Yang Kai replied, “The higher, the better.”
To which she replied, “We all want to achieve a higher Order, but you need to have a clear assessment of your capabilities. Everyone’s limit is different. Just because a person has absorbed high-quality materials doesn’t necessarily mean they can achieve a higher Order. You have to work within your ability.”
“I’ll remember.”
Bai Qi took a glance at him and asked, “By the way, what are the Orders of the materials you’ve absorbed so far? How many Elements have you condensed?”
At that, Yang Kai was lost for words. If he was asked this question a few months ago, he would have lied without batting an eye; however, now, he wasn’t willing to deceive these people, but he also didn’t want to reveal his secrets just yet. Besides, if he told them that he had absorbed materials from the Eighth Order and even the Ninth Order, they wouldn’t believe him.
Seeing as he remained silent, the Proprietress suddenly turned to look at him and smiled, “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to. All of us have secrets anyway.”
“Many thanks for your understanding, Proprietress.”
With an awkward expression, Bai Qi examined Yang Kai and said in a hushed voice, “If possible, I suggest that you tell the Proprietress about it. With her help, it won’t be difficult for you to achieve the Fifth Order. Besides me, the chef and the accountant are also going to ascend to the Fifth Order in the future. Only by attaining the Fifth Order would we stand a chance to reach the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm in the future. In the Outer Universe, we’ll always be inferior if we can’t ascend to the High Rank.”
The cultivation of a cultivator wasn’t fixed after their initial breakthrough into the Open Heaven Realm. By consuming Open Heaven Pills, they would still be able to improve their Order by up to two Orders. That was the reason Bai Qi had said so.
“I know,” Yang Kai flashed a smile at him.
Seeing as he wasn’t willing to reveal anything, Bai Qi stopped forcing him. After apologising to the Proprietress, Bai Qi returned to the cabin to have a rest.
As they moved forward at full speed, they would leave the ship from time to time to utilize the Universe Transference Law to shuttle between Universe Temples.
Ten days later, the trio arrived at Golden Rainbow Territory.
The Second Class great force Golden Rainbow Province ruled over this territory, hence its name.
Upon reaching their destination, the Proprietress fished out something that looked like a compass as she scanned the surroundings before adjusting their heading. Obviously, the compass could lead them to where the Yang Sprites were located.
Three days later, a cloud of white mist suddenly appeared in the void. The mist looked elusive and translucent. One would have neglected it if they didn’t search for it carefully.
Seeing the mist, the Proprietress straightened her face and said, “We’ve arrived at our destination.”
Hurriedly, Bai Qi lifted his head and looked in that direction. Although he had suppressed his emotions, he could still barely contain his excitement. This couldn’t be helped, as he had been waiting for this moment for a hundred years now. Compared to the Five Elements, it was much harder to find Yin and Yang Element materials. As such, within the same Order, Yin Yang materials were always more expensive than Five Elements materials. Moreover, at higher Orders, they couldn’t even be purchased for Open Heaven Pills.
First Inn could be considered a powerful great force, but over the years, they hadn’t managed to help Bai Qi find a suitable Yang Element, which went to show how scarce such materials were. If it weren’t because of this special opportunity, Bai Qi would have had to wait for even longer.
In the blink of an eye, the ship reached the white mist.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Kai realised that it wasn’t a mist at all, but he couldn’t make out what it was either. It looked like a pile of cotton, but a clear aura of spatial fluctuations could be felt coming from it.
It was then he came to the realisation that this thing that looked like a mist or a pile of cotton was actually the entrance to a Sealed World, and the Yang Sprites must exist inside.
It was no wonder that Bai Qi said rarely anyone could find this place. Yang Kai was thinking that if Fifth-Order Yang Sprites had appeared, there was no way no one else could detect them; after all, many people would hack each other to death to get their hands on such treasures.
Now, it seemed that he was mistaken.
Standing in front of the mist, the Proprietress examined it for a brief moment before forming a hand seal. Following that, she stuck out a finger. As though the mist had received her order, it separated to the sides and revealed a passageway.
“Let’s go,” she ordered as she engulfed the others in her World Force and dashed towards the passageway. After they entered, the mist closed again.
At that instant, space seemed to be spinning around Yang Kai, and when he came to his senses, he realised that he had reached a different world. Before he could even scan the surroundings, he could clearly feel that this place was filled with very potent Yang Element Power.
“It’s a Sealing Yang Domain.” The Proprietress arched her brow as she was evidently surprised, “It’s no wonder Fifth-Order Yang Sprites could be born here. This place is incredible.”
A puzzled Yang Kai asked, “Proprietress, what’s a Sealing Yang Domain?”
To which she explained patiently, “A Sealing Yang Domain is a very special type of Sealed World where Yang Qi gathers and does not leak out, growing richer and denser over time, which gives rise to Yang Sprites. As time passes, the Order of the Yang Sprites will become greater as well. Even if you take all of them away at once, new Yang Sprites will be born again after eight hundred to a thousand years. It could be said that the Yang Sprites here were inexhaustible. There were other Sealing Yang Domains in the 3,000 Worlds, but all the known ones were controlled by powerful great forces. The Yang Sprites were either used by their own disciples or traded for other resources with other great forces.”
An agitated Bai Qi said, “Proprietress, we’re rich! If we can control this place, we don’t have to worry about finding Fifth-Order Yang Element materials again!”
In response, the Proprietress nodded her head, “I’ll look around after we’re done. If this place is truly valuable, I’ll come up with a way to control it.”
This Sealing Yang Domain wasn’t expansive as it was only the size of two Star Cities. Tracing the source of the Yang Qi, they soon reached a lake that was shimmering. Despite the fact that the lake was clear, it was filled with Yang Qi. Apparently, it was where Yang Sprites gathered together.
The Proprietress released her Divine Sense to scan the place for a moment before nodding gently, “These are indeed Fifth-Order Yang Sprites.”
Hearing that, Bai Qi became energised and cupped his fists, “Proprietress, I’m going now.”
“Be careful,” she urged.
Yang Kai also cupped his fists, “Old Bai, I wish you success.”
Bai Qi flashed a smile at him, “I’ll definitely bring back some good news.” Then, he plunged into the lake, but there wasn’t even a ripple that could be seen on the surface. Yang Kai and the Proprietress watched as Bai Qi swam to the deepest part of the lake where a very pure power from the Yang Sprites had gathered together. Bai Qi shot into it and sat down with his legs crossed. Following that, he activated his power with a never-before-seen solemn expression.
He had been cultivating a thousand years for this moment, so there was no holding back for him.
Soon, he was seen attentively absorbing a Yang Sprite to condense the last Yang Element Power. The Proprietress and Yang Kai walked around the lake as she performed a hand seal and shot a flag into the void.
Although this place was hidden, they had to be extra careful. The fact that Bai Qi was breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm was immensely important, and there mustn’t be any accidents. Despite the fact that the Proprietress was personally standing guard for him, she still had to set up an array here to prevent anyone from disturbing him.
After an hour, she had planted sixteen flags around the lake. When she was done with the last one, she spread her slender hands and yelled, “Rise!”
In complete silence, a mist expanded and engulfed the entire lake. Nothing else could be seen again.
Yang Kai had been following her and watching what she was doing. Although he had no idea what kind of attacks this Spirit Array could fend off, there was no way the Proprietress’ work was second-rate. Moreover, she was a Sixth-Order Master who was famous throughout the 3,000 Worlds. With her standing guard here and the help of this Spirit Array, even if someone accidentally barged into this place, that person wouldn’t dare to disturb Bai Qi.
After the Proprietress was done with all this, she took a look at Bai Qi’s location and said in a small voice, “He’ll have to rely on himself now.”
In order to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, one first needed to condense the power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements into their Dao Seal. A cultivator would then split Heaven and Earth apart inside their own body. Once they succeeded, a Small Universe would be formed inside of them. At that point, they would be infused with World Strength and become capable of wielding World Force. That was the most distinct characteristic of an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Great Emperors had to rely on a particular Universe World to use World Force. However, Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t have such restrictions as they had a World within themselves. Also, different from Great Emperors, the power an Open Heaven Realm Master was able to use could grow. Their power was directly correlated to the strength of his or her own Small Universe.
No one else could help Bai Qi at this point. The reason the Proprietress had come to this place was to protect him so that no one would disturb him.
Upon reaching the top of a mound that was three kilometres away, the Proprietress fished out a table and two chairs. There were some tools for making tea as well.
Without the need for her to say anything, Yang Kai started making tea for her. In the past, he would never be willing to do such a thing; however, after getting her help several times, he realised that his impression of this woman had changed. He no longer felt hostile towards her.
Nevertheless, the change also brought with it some doubts that got stuck in his heart.
Soon, the tea was ready. While the Proprietress elegantly sipped the tea, she had a small talk with Yang Kai and chuckled from time to time. On the other hand, Yang Kai learned the stories of many famous people in the Outer Universe from her.
Time passed by very quickly.
Three days later, the lake inside the array still remained serene. Yang Kai knew that this process couldn’t be rushed. Bai Qi had to condense his own Yang Element first before attempting to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, a feat that couldn’t be achieved in just a few days.
After five more days, there came a moment when the Proprietress, who was having a chat with Yang Kai, straightened her face and shifted her attention to the array. Her gemstone-like eyes seemed able to see through the void and look deep into the array; then, she exclaimed, “It’s starting!”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became solemn and turned his head to look in that direction. Unfortunately, his vision wasn’t as sharp as that of the Proprietress. Besides the weltering mist around the array, he could see nothing else.
With that said, he could feel that something was a little different on this day. Previously, the array around the lake was mostly still; however, today, the mist was roiling about. Apparently, Bai Qi had started.
A worried Yang Kai asked, “Proprietress, what are Old Bai’s chances of success?”
The Proprietress slowly shook her head, “No one can say for certain. Even a gifted person may fail. It really depends on his fate.”
She had only said the obvious, but that was the truth for any cultivator pursuing the greater Dao.
While Yang Kai was anxiously watching the lake, the Proprietress suddenly frowned and grunted before looking in a different direction; specifically, the entrance of the Sealing Yang Domain.
Soon enough, Yang Kai realised that something was off because clear Space Principles fluctuations could be felt coming from over there.
[Someone is entering this place!] A shocked Yang Kai hurriedly shifted his attention, only to see a crack hanging in the void. As Space Principles undulated, a figure emerged from the crack.
Despite the fact that there was a distance of several dozen kilometres between them, Yang Kai could still recognise this person at first glance, and with a frown, he said, “Him?”
He didn’t know many people in the Outer Universe, so he hadn’t expected the person who had arrived at this place to be someone he knew. Furthermore, there were some grudges between them.
The person who had broken through the void and come to this place was none other than Old Yu from Wind and Cloud Auction House. Previously, Yang Kai and Bai Qi were injured by this guy. Upon learning that they had been captured, the Proprietress stormed into the auction house and fought a quick battle with Old Yu, breaking a few of the latter’s bones and causing him to cough up blood.
After just a few months though, Old Yu’s wounds had healed. Upon entering this place, he looked around and soon targeted the Proprietress, a coldness flooding his turbid eyes which were filled with hatred.
Following that, more figures broke through the Void and arrived.
In the blink of an eye, four people had streamed into this small Sealing Yang Domain. This group consisted of men and women as well as young and old people. Old Yu had the weakest aura among them as he was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The other three people were much stronger than he was. Yang Kai could even detect an aura that was as powerful as that of the Proprietress from one of them.
[This guy is a Sixth-Order Master! What is going on?] Yang Kai’s brow twitched as so many top cultivators had gathered together in this Sealing Yang Domain all of a sudden. Furthermore, all of them were Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
What made Yang Kai feel uneasy was that these people were staring fixedly at the Proprietress presently. Some of them appeared solemn, and some of them were seen with their eyes filled with resentment. There was also someone who revealed a murderous intent.
Although Yang Kai had no idea what was going on, he realised that they were in a perilous situation.
“I see.” The Proprietress nodded slightly and swept a glance over them, “So, this was all a trap.”
“That’s right. This is a trap that has been specifically set up for you. Lan You Ruo, when you made a scene in my auction house a few months ago, did the idea of ending up in this miserable state ever cross your mind?” Old Yu snorted with a gleeful smile in his wrinkled face.
“A trap?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted as all his bodily hair was standing on end. After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t difficult to set up this trap. The only requirement was this Sealing Yang Domain.
Bai Qi was a shop hand in First Inn, so it wasn’t hard for people to dig up his information. As long as the news of Fifth-Order Yang Sprites appearing was spread, the Proprietress would certainly bring Bai Qi over to have a look, thus falling into this trap.
Things were looking terrible. The Proprietress was a Sixth-Order cultivator, but apart from Old Yu, who was relatively weaker, the others were all-powerful. There were two Fifth-Order cultivators and one Sixth-Order Master. Furthermore, they were stuck inside this Sealing Yang Domain, and it wasn’t possible for the Proprietress to simply defeat them.
It could basically be considered a death trap.
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai secretly spoke to her in her mind, “Proprietress, look for a chance and flee from this place. Just leave Old Bai and me here. As long as you’re alive, we’ll be safe.” After all, Bai Qi and he were just shop hands of First Inn. As long as the Proprietress could leave this place, these people might not harm them as they would have to remain wary of the Proprietress. Nevertheless, if the Proprietress was killed, there was no hope for Bai Qi and him to survive.
The Proprietress shook her head and replied, “Since they’ve set up this trap for me, they won’t let me flee so easily. I guess they’ve already sealed off the space around here. Unless we can kill all of them, we will never be able to leave.”
Yang Kai’s heart sank when he heard that as he knew that she was right; however, he was just an Emperor Realm cultivator who had only condensed his Wood and Fire Element, so he wasn’t useful in a battle between Open Heaven Realm Masters. A sense of helplessness came over him as he balled up his fists.
“Old fart, you’re pretty popular if you’re able to gather so many people to help you,” The Proprietress stared at Old Yu and sneered.
Old Yu scoffed, “It isn’t that this Old Master is popular; it’s just that you’ve offended too many people! In the past, you stirred up trouble everywhere in the 3,000 Worlds just because you had a backer. Do you even remember all the people you have offended?”
After he finished speaking, a majestic-looking man beside him placed his hands behind his back and said, “Madam Lan, we haven’t met for ages. Do you remember me?”
“Golden Rainbow Province’s Province Master, Qin Ji.” The Proprietress put on a faint smile, “What’s wrong? This Queen spared your life in the past, yet you are courting death now? Just tell me if you’re sick of living. I don’t mind sending you to Hell.”
A tinge of ferocity flashed across Qin Ji’s eyes when he heard that and he snapped, “Madam Lan, you’re as arrogant as ever.”
“No, you’re just weak,” the Proprietress scoffed, then she stared at him and pondered on it for a moment, “So, this Sealing Yang Domain is not without an owner. Does it belong to Golden Rainbow Province?” After all, they were in Golden Rainbow Territory, which was why she had this speculation.
Qin Ji said, “We discovered this place 3,000 years ago. Normally, it’s hidden with a Spirit Array. If it weren’t because we wanted to lure you into this trap, we wouldn’t have exposed it.”
“I was just wondering why Fifth-Order Yang Sprites had appeared all of a sudden. So, that’s the reason behind it.” The Proprietress nodded slightly, “A Sealing Yang Domain is immensely valuable to any great force. Aren’t you worried that a battle will destroy this domain?”
Qin Ji’s gaze appeared serious, “If I can get rid of you for good, I won’t mind losing a mere Sealing Yang Domain.” Despite what he had said, there was a look of distress on his face; after all, if a battle took place here, he wouldn’t be able to save this Sealing Yang Domain, which would be a great loss for Golden Rainbow Province.
“It seems that all of you are determined to kill me here.”
Right then, an elderly man, who was standing on the left of Qin Ji, bellowed, “If a crazy woman like you doesn’t die, all of us won’t be able to live a peaceful life!” Although his hair and beard had turned grey, his face remained ruddy. His ferocious aura seemed to suggest that he had killed countless people in the past.
Then, he snorted, “You’re only a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master, but you’re already able to kill innumerable people and dye the 3,000 Worlds with blood. If you ever ascend to the Seventh Order, there’s no way we can survive.”
The Proprietress stared at the elderly man and said lightly, “Ling Chun Qiu, if you can’t kill me today, I’ll definitely storm your Boundless Altar and slaughter your people to the last.”
The elderly man called Ling Chun Qiu had his expression changed and took a step backward as he was intimidated by the imposing Proprietress. Nevertheless, he soon said through clenched teeth, “Since we’re all here now, we won’t let you leave this place alive.”
Unwilling to speak to him any further, the Proprietress swung her sleeve and stared coldly at the last person. She was an alluring woman that looked like she was in her thirties. She had an hourglass figure, and her peach-like eyes seemed able to suck the beholder’s Soul into them.
“Are you going to oppose this Queen too?” The Proprietress asked dispassionately.
The alluring woman didn’t even dare to look her in the eyes as she took a step forward and saluted in an elegant manner, “Greetings, Big Sister Lan.”
The Proprietress said, “Oh, you still remember that I am your Elder Sister? I thought you’d forgotten about it.”
The woman said, “Yue He is eternally grateful to Elder Sister for nurturing me in the past. I would never dare to forget.”
“How could you have the courage to come here if you wouldn’t dare to forget what I’ve done for you?” The Proprietress said through gritted teeth, “I’ll forgive you if you leave now. If you’re obstinate, don’t blame this Queen for severing our ties with you.”
The woman called Yue He slowly shook her head, “Big Sister Lan, I’m eternally grateful for the care you’ve shown me in the past, but if it weren’t because you were so stubborn, he… wouldn’t have passed away. I did not mean to come here today, but I want to put an end to the incident in the past. Please forgive me.”
The Proprietress stared fixedly at her for a long time before bowing her head, “Good, since those are your intentions, I shall grant your wish. From today forth, we owe each other nothing; however, remember that injuries and deaths are inevitable in any battle. If you’re accidentally killed by me, don’t ever blame me on the road to the Yellow Springs.”
“Yue He wouldn’t dare.” The woman bent her back.
“Enough nonsense, kill her!” A malevolent aura could be seen weltering around Ling Chun Qiu as his gaze was filled with murderous intent. It seemed that he was eager to hack the Proprietress into pieces; however, he was only a Fifth-Order cultivator, so he was still afraid of a powerful Master like the Proprietress, who was infamous for her ferocity. Therefore, he had to wait for the leader of Golden Rainbow Province, Qin Ji, to make a move first. Since Qin Ji hadn’t begun, he wouldn’t dare to take the lead.
With his hands behind his back, Qin Ji bellowed, “Madam Lan, regardless of whether you were in the wrong for what had happened in the past, you have indeed killed countless of our disciples from Golden Rainbow Province. As the Province Master, this Qin will help those fallen souls obtain justice today! If you’re smart, surrender immediately. If you dare to resist, don’t blame us for oppressing you with numbers on our side.”
“You want me to surrender without a fight? In your dreams!” The Proprietress retorted.
“In that case…” Qin Ji took a deep breath, “Prepare yourself!” He barked.
After he finished speaking, the illusory phantom of a Small Universe World flashed behind his back. He pushed out a fist, and as the aura of World Force permeated the place, a gigantic fist shadow shot at the Proprietress.
The moment he made a move, Ling Chun Qiu and Yue He, who were well prepared, summoned their artifacts and attacked the Proprietress.
At that instant, the space around the Proprietress became as it began to tremble and warp.
Seeing that, Yang Kai tensed up. In fact, when the Proprietress was speaking to these people earlier, he was already trying to find a way to escape; however, in the face of absolute power, all tricks were futile. At that moment, he was completely clueless about what to do.
As three Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters made a move at the same time, Yang Kai felt his skin tightening as a sense of danger engulfed him. Although the attacks were not aimed at him, the mere fallout from this exchange was enough to crack the world around them and kill him on the spot.
At the most critical moment, a gentle force wrapped around him and pushed him away. Certainly, he knew that it was the Proprietress who had protected him in this perilous situation. The view around him seemed to be moving backwards rapidly, and when he was finally able to stabilize himself, he was already several dozen kilometres away from the battlefield.
After a glance, he widened his eyes in fury as the Proprietress was engulfed in a gigantic flash of light. A violent force raged, and the Proprietress’ figure could hardly be seen.
She was already at a disadvantage as she had to deal with several enemies on her own, yet at the most critical moment, she still spent some energy to send him away. How was she supposed to counter the horrifying attacks while distracted?
The flash of light soon dissipated as a white shadow stood hovering in the void. Yang Kai could clearly see a trace of blood dripping down from the Proprietress’ mouth. The blood hurt his eyes as though a blade had been stabbed into his heart, which caused him to ball up his fists and tremble.
If it weren’t because she had to protect him, she wouldn’t have gotten injured. Although their attacks were horrifying, she could have dodged them with ease had she not been burdened with him.
“Brat, you’re still in the mood to be concerned about someone else?” An old voice was heard coming from the side. Yang Kai turned his head, only to see that Old Yu from Wind and Cloud Auction House was standing in a nearby spot and looking resentfully at him, “When you were making a scene in my auction house, did you ever think that you’d fall into my trap one day?”
Although Old Yu was also a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, he was only in the Fourth Order; therefore, he wasn’t qualified to fight against the Proprietress. That was the reason he had come over to find trouble with Yang Kai instead of joining the battle.
The fact that he was humiliated previously was all because of Yang Kai, so although Old Yu was resentful of the Proprietress for having no regard for him and even hurting him, he also couldn’t forgive Yang Kai. Now that the chance was right before his eyes, he certainly wouldn’t let this boy off.
“Old fart, you should have thanked the Heavens that the Proprietress didn’t decide to kill you back then. How dare you be so insidious and set her up today? Once she overcomes this trouble, you will certainly die!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and glared at him.
Old Yu sneered, “I don’t know whether she’ll be able to escape today or not, but you definitely won’t be around to find out because… I’m going to kill you now!”
After he finished speaking, he extended his hand towards Yang Kai and clenched it.
Following his movement, Yang Kai could clearly feel that the space around him was compressing, as though it was going to crush him into paste. Flustered, he hurriedly manipulated his Space Principles to flee.
Apparently, Old Yu hadn’t expected this to happen and was stunned to see Yang Kai actually escape his grasp. Then, he became furious out of shame, “This Old Master wanted to kill you quickly, but since you’re just so ungrateful, I will take my time and slowly enjoy your suffering!”
Turning his head, Old Yu saw a figure shooting into the sky. That person was none other than Yang Kai, who had just dodged his attack.
With a frown, he decided not to chase after him though; after all, Yang Kai was actually headed towards where Qin Ji and the others were battling against Madam Lan, a melee he wasn’t willing to be dragged into. Nevertheless, he was amused by Yang Kai’s action. [An Emperor Realm brat like him wants to interfere in that battle. Is he sick of leaving?]
On the other hand, an anxious Yang Kai shot towards the battlefield after escaping from Old Yu.
He wasn’t sure how powerful the Proprietress truly was, nor was he aware of what she had done in the past that had caused so many people to be resentful of her; however, she shouldn’t be a match for these three as she was on her own. With that said, if he could help her eliminate a Fifth-Order cultivator, he could significantly ease her burden. It might even allow her to flip the situation around.
Given his strength, Yang Kai wasn’t useful in this battle at all; instead, he might even become a burden for the Proprietress. However, he still had a trump card with him, which was the last Mie Meng golden tail feather!
At that time, Mie Meng had given him three golden tail feathers. The first one was used in the Golden Crow Divine Palace to kill the Golden Crow who had feigned death. The second one was used on the Proprietress to force her to back off. Yang Kai now had just one left.
The golden tail feather could hurt the Proprietress, so if it was used on a Fifth-Order cultivator, it could severely injure that person, and if he was lucky enough, he could even kill that person. By then, the situation would be turned around.
At the thought of this, he escaped from Old Yu with all his might and headed towards the battlefield.
Nevertheless, he soon realised that he was too naive. Presently, figures could be seen flying around the battlefield as the powers of their Secret Techniques and artifacts exploded. The powerful fluctuations of their attacks spread out wildly so he couldn’t even approach within ten kilometres around them, let alone launch a sneak attack on one of the Fifth-Order Masters using the golden tail feather.
Instead, he was swept away by the shockwaves several times. After a glance, he realised that the Proprietress had been distracted because of his presence and was put in an even more dangerous situation when she was already at a disadvantage.
Yang Kai was flustered, and at the same time, he realised that the Proprietress wouldn’t leave the lake where the Yang Sprites existed. Apparently, she was trying to protect Bai Qi, who was attempting to achieve a breakthrough.
The Proprietress had arranged an array around the lake that could fend off some energy fluctuations; however, this was a fierce battle, and the array wasn’t able to fully ward off its impact.
That was the reason the Proprietress was restricted as she wouldn’t dare to fully use her power. On the other hand, Qin Ji and the others were not holding back at all.
[Old Bai!] Yang Kai’s gaze brightened. If Bai Qi could successfully break through at this point, he would be able to help the Proprietress as he was going to be a Fifth-Order cultivator. Although his realm wouldn’t be stabilized, he could at least hold up an enemy and help share the Proprietress’ burden.
However, the process of ascending to the Open Heaven Realm was extremely dangerous. Could Bai Qi, who was currently being disturbed, succeed?
Then, Yang Kai realised that an aura had locked on him from behind. Without the need to turn his head, he knew that Old Yu must be flying towards him.
“I’ve always heard that Madam Lan takes good care of her subordinates, and that seems to be the case. The shop hands from First Inn are extremely lucky to have a shopkeeper like her,” Old Yu said as he walked over.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai had a bad premonition.
As Old Yu spoke, he reached a spot that was only three kilometres away from the lake. With a dispassionate gaze, he took a look at the mist around the lake and said, “If I’m not mistaken, the person inside the lake is Bai Qi, right?”
His voice wasn’t loud, but the Proprietress, who was locked in an intense battle, could still clearly hear him. Since they were able to find out that Bai Qi needed to absorb a Yang Element to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, it wasn’t so difficult for him to realise who the person inside the array was.
“This Old Master will kill Bai Qi now. Lan You Ruo, let’s see what decision you’ll make!” Old Yu bellowed.
“Shameless!” Yang Kai cursed through clenched teeth, his eyes turning bloodshot.
Apparently, Old Yu could see that the Proprietress was restrained as she wouldn’t want to escalate the battle lest Bai Qi be disturbed, but he still said such a thing to incite her. Certainly, the Proprietress would be agitated upon hearing that; moreover, if Old Yu really made a move, no one else could protect Bai Qi except for the Proprietress. Once she lost focus, she would fall into a worse situation than it already was.
“The winner takes all in any life-and-death battle. Shamelessness is irrelevant.” Old Yu shot Yang Kai a cold glance as he used a hand seal to gather his World Force.
He seemed set to destroy the Spirit Array around the lake.
Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t allow him to do that as Bai Qi was the key to winning this battle. If Bai Qi could successfully break through, the Proprietress would be able to break free from the restraints on her and use her full strength to battle against these people. By then, Bai Qi could also join the battle. Even if he couldn’t defeat them, he could protect himself at the very least; therefore, Yang Kai couldn’t allow Old Yu to harm Bai Qi.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai charged towards Old Yu like he was a wild beast.
On the other hand, Old Yu remained in the same spot with a calm expression. There was a tinge of mockery behind his gaze as he watched Yang Kai pouncing on him, “You court death by coming to me.”
After he finished speaking, he pushed out a palm. The speed at which he extended his palm was extremely slow, but following his movement, it seemed like two worlds had smashed together. As his hand extended further, the space in front of him shredded.
Yang Kai, who was charging forward at full speed, seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall as he became unmoving. After a loud boom was heard, his five viscera and six organs shifted greatly in his body, and he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.
However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of retreating as he extended his hand into the void and grabbed the Azure Dragon Spear. Upon surging all his strength, he forcefully pushed his spear forward.
An abstruse Martial Truth seemed to be whirling around the tip of the spear as a fist-sized black hole manifested at the point of his weapon.
“Hm?” Old Yu arched his brow in surprise. He thought that given Yang Kai’s cultivation, the latter would’ve turned into dust upon impact; however, Yang Kai had only suffered some minor injuries. Moreover, the force that had been released through his spear wasn’t something a mere Emperor Realm Junior should possess.
Given Old Yu’s acute vision, he immediately realised that the spear in Yang Kai’s hands was an extremely rare treasure, causing his gaze to become fiery.
The Azure Dragon Spear was given to Yang Kai by the Giant Spirit God, Ah Da. He had no idea who made the spear, but through his Dragon Vein, Yang Kai could clearly feel that this spear was refined from the spine of an adult Dragon.
As Yang Kai pushed the spear forward, an Azure Dragon manifested and its roar shook the entire world.
Such a spear could be considered one of the best artifacts in the entire Outer Universe; however, Yang Kai was clearly too weak to fully draw out its power.
As Dragon Pressure permeated the air, the Azure Dragon swam through the sky. A stunned Old Yu widened his eyes and said in a shaking voice, “A Dragon artifact?”
He wasn’t astounded by Yang Kai’s attack, but rather by how this brat possessed such a Heaven-defying weapon. If those from the Dragon Clan found out about it though, they would never let him off.
At that instant, the greed in his heart vanished. Even if the spear was given to him for free, he wouldn’t dare to take it. Unless he never let its existence become public knowledge, the Dragon Clan would certainly come looking for him one day. When that happened, even Wind and Cloud Paradise wouldn’t be able to protect him.
“Those who are ignorant are truly fearless!” Old Yu tutted. Any experienced person in the 3,000 Worlds would never choose to use such an artifact, but an Emperor Realm Junior like Yang Kai had the guts to openly display it; the only explanation was that he was completely ignorant.
As Old Yu was shocked, the power of his palm also diminished a little.
Yang Kai directly charged forward for more than a thousand metres and reached a spot that was just several dozen metres away from Old Yu.
However, that was as far as he could go. Old Yu used a different hand seal again, which forced him to stop in his tracks as he was bound in place by an immense force. Regardless of how hard he tried, Yang Kai was unable to move forward at all.
“Since you court death, this Old Master will grant it to you!” Old Yu snorted. With a gaze filled with mockery, he stared at Yang Kai and raised his hand in an attempt to land a palm on his head. Following his movement, a green hand that was made from World Force appeared above Yang Kai’s head.
At this life-or-death moment, Yang Kai flashed a grin all of a sudden.
Seeing that, Old Yu suddenly had a bad premonition. Although he had no idea where this feeling was coming from, he was extremely alarmed as though something terrible was about to happen.
Right then, Yang Kai pushed out a beam of golden light. There seemed to be a large feather hidden in the golden light as a ferocious aura burst forth.
Old Yu widened his eyes as all his bodily hair was standing on end. There was a chill that shot up from the soles of his feet to the tip of his head and without hesitating, he surged his power to form a protective barrier around himself. Simultaneously, he dashed back to widen his gap with Yang Kai.
As the golden light expanded, a gigantic golden rooster abruptly appeared. It was so enormous that it was as though it could prop up the Heavens themselves. Upon its appearance, the entire Sealed World shook violently, as though it was unable to bear the rooster’s might.
Old Yu’s eyeballs seemed to be shaking as he stared fixedly at the golden rooster. Right then, a name that could stir up a primordial sense of fear flashed across his mind as he exclaimed, “Mie Meng!”
Even Qin Ji and the others, who were battling against the Proprietress, were stunned. The elderly man, Ling Chun Qiu even had the urge to turn around and flee.
Mie Meng was an infamous and horrifying beast in the 3,000 Worlds. An adult Mie Meng was as powerful as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. Although it was ranked lower than Dragons or Phoenixes, Mid-Rank cultivators like them were completely powerless before a Mie Meng. If the beast became enraged, it could easily kill them all with its pressure alone.
None of them understood why a Mie Meng would appear in this place all of a sudden; however, they soon saw through the beast and realised that it wasn’t a real Mie Meng. It was just Mie Meng’s Divine Ability! Upon that realization, Qin Ji and the others heaved a sigh of relief.
However, Old Yu’s Soul almost left his body. He was just a Fourth-Order cultivator, so how was he able to go against this Mie Meng’s Divine Ability? Although he had escaped as soon as he detected danger, he still didn’t feel safe.
Mie Meng’s gaze appeared dispassionate, as though it had seen through all the mysteries of the world. After shooting a cold glance at Old Yu, it extended its neck and landed a peck on him like a chicken trying to pick up a worm. The beast was completely at ease.
Old Yu, who was running away at full speed, was really nothing more than a worm to Mie Meng.
Faced with imminent death, Old Yu exclaimed in horror, “Save me!”
No one could save him though as they hadn’t expected that even though Old Yu was just going to deal with Bai Qi and Yang Kai, he would still fall into danger. Moreover, all of their attention was focused on the Proprietress, so no one could lend him a hand. More importantly, it was too late to do anything.
Following Mie Meng’s peck, Old Yu suddenly froze on the spot and hung his head low. Like a rubber ball that was punctured and deflated, his Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm aura was rapidly leaving his body.
Right then, a huge hole appeared in his chest, one that went clean from front to back, exposing what was left of his organs inside.
It could be said that he had suffered a fatal injury. Nevertheless, a Mid-Rank cultivator had incredibly high vitality. Given the right conditions, he could still stand a chance to heal his wound.
Nevertheless, even though his physical body still remained, there wasn’t a Soul left in his battered figure. Right then, a shriek was heard coming from the other side. It was Old Yu’s voice.
Yang Kai lifted his head, whereupon his pupils contracted. At the moment, Mie Meng was widening its mouth in an attempt to gobble up a vague figure.
He could clearly see that the vague figure was actually Old Yu’s Soul. The sight horrified Yang Kai, but at the same time, he was gleeful.
Following the beast’s peck, not only had it destroyed Old Yu’s body, but it had also pulled out his Soul, which would go into the beast’s stomach soon.
Ignoring Old Yu’s plea, Mie Meng directly gulped down his Soul and then looked down at Yang Kai. The next instant, its gigantic figure fell apart and turned into wisps of golden light before leaving with the wind.
Yang Kai grit his teeth as he was reluctant to part with his last golden tail feather. He had intended to use it to deal with Ling Chun Qiu or Yue He to ease the Proprietress’ burden, but in the end, he had wasted it on Old Yu instead.
In fact, it couldn’t be said that the golden tail feather had been wasted. If he hadn’t used it on Old Yu, Bai Qi would’ve fallen into danger. Now, he had nothing else that could be used to help the Proprietress, so he could only hope that Bai Qi could break through as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, he realised that he had underestimated the Proprietress’ strength. A Fourth-Order cultivator wasn’t even able to endure a Mie Meng’s strike, so could a Fifth-Order cultivator survive? That person would probably end up in the same state.
The Proprietress, who had only suffered a minor injury after getting struck by Mie Meng’s Divine Ability in the past, surely possessed an above-average power for her Order.
Turning his head, Yang Kai realised that the Proprietress had actually turned the situation around as neither party had gotten the upper hand. Moreover, while these people were fighting against the Proprietress, they now had to pay some attention to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he knew that they must have been horrified by Mie Meng’s fatal attack earlier, which was why they now had to branch out some attention to him. Nevertheless, they were not aware that it was the last golden tail feather he had.
His gaze darted around as his lips curved into a wicked smile, whereupon he shuffled towards the battlefield. As expected, when he got closer to them, Ling Chun Qiu and Yue He trembled. Only Qin Ji was able to remain unfazed.
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Qin Ji yelled at the most critical moment, “This brat is weak. So what if he’s still able to summon Mie Meng? As long as he can’t come close to the battlefield, he will never be a threat to us!”
Qin Ji had hit the nail on the head, which allowed Ling Chun Qiu and Yue He to heave a sigh of relief. Both of them thought that he was right. Even if Yang Kai was still able to activate Mie Meng’s Divine Ability, he wouldn’t pose a threat to them as long as he couldn’t go near the battlefield.
It was then they realised why Yang Kai, who was much weaker, repeatedly attempted to charge towards the battlefield. It was because he was trying to launch a sneak attack on them. At that instant, they were reeling from shock. If he managed to come close enough to them, one of them would’ve been killed instead of Old Yu.
They were not confident about parrying Mie Meng’s strike.
At the thought of this, they stopped holding back as their violent forces swept out again. In mid-air, the Proprietress wielded a whip as her weapon, stirring up gales and bringing down beams of lightning. The innumerable whip shadows not only protected her but also Bai Qi in the lake.
Nevertheless, even though she was powerful, she still couldn’t fully use her power given the worries she had; therefore, not long after she flipped the situation around thanks to Yang Kai, she fell into a disadvantage again.
Qin Ji and the others widened their eyes as their gazes were filled with anxiety and disbelief, however. They had done their best to overestimate the Proprietress’ strength, but after they traded moves with her, they realised that they had still underestimated her.
Presently, a Sixth-Order cultivator and two Fifth-Order cultivators had joined forces to battle against the Proprietress, who could only use seventy percent of her strength, but they still found it difficult to deal with her. If she was able to fully use her power, all three of them wouldn’t be a match for her.
There was a dark expression on Qin Ji’s face as he bellowed, “It seems that this bitch is close to ascending to the Seventh Order! If we don’t kill her today, we’ll all die in the future!”
After he finished speaking, the pupils of Ling Chun Qiu and Yue He contracted. A thousand years ago, this woman was already a Sixth-Order cultivator. Because of a person’s death, she had slaughtered countless people in the 3,000 Worlds. One thousand years had passed, so there was no way she hadn’t improved at all. It was apparent that she was close to ascending to the Seventh Order.
A thousand years ago, she was already able to turn the 3,000 Worlds upside down, so if she successfully reached the Seventh Order, none of them would be safe from her revenge.
Therefore, after Qin Ji finished speaking, all three of them didn’t dare to hold back again as they brought out their trump cards to deal with the Proprietress.
Just then, the lake, which was protected by the Proprietress’ Spirit Array, exuded a series of abstruse fluctuations. The fluctuations were so profound that it was as though a whole new world was about to be born.
“Damn it!” Qin Ji’s expression changed as he stared solemnly at the lake, “Bai Qi is about to break through!”
All of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters, so they were familiar with these fluctuations. Apparently, it was the sign of a cultivator ascending to the Open Heaven Realm as Heaven and Earth split apart in their body.
At this moment, the lake was still protected by the Spirit Array, but the fluctuations were still felt coming from it, which went to show that his ascension wouldn’t be a quiet one.
If his ascension was this vigorous, it meant that the Order he was going to achieve wouldn’t be low. It was just like what they had found out. They knew that Bai Qi was going to attain the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was why they made use of Fifth-Order Yang Sprites to attract the Proprietress to come over.
If Bai Qi successfully broke through at this point, all of them would be doomed.
At that instant, Qin Ji yelled, “Lady Yue He!”
Hearing that, the alluring woman got his hint and made a feint to leave the battlefield as she charged towards the lake. The pressure on Qin Ji and Ling Cun Qiu intensified as they were left to deal with the Proprietress.
Soon, Yue He was about to reach the lake. Seeing that, a flustered Yang Kai directly held his spear and came her way. With his spear pointing at the front, he suppressed his power and yelled, “I’ll kill you if you dare come any closer!”
It was laughable for an Emperor Realm cultivator to threaten a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in such a way; however, after he used a Mie Meng’s Divine Ability to kill a Fourth-Order cultivator earlier, Yue He had to be wary of him. Thus, she decided to push out a palm at Yang Kai from a distance.
She was just trying to probe Yang Kai’s abilities, so she hadn’t used her full strength. That was because she was worried that he would summon Mie Meng again.
However, Yang Kai didn’t have any golden tail feathers left. His warning was only a threat without any substance. Faced with her palm, he wasn’t even sure if he should flee or parry. At that moment, he felt an extremely bitter taste in his mouth, but behind him was Bai Qi who was about to break through, so he still gritted his teeth and extended his spear.
Following a loud boom, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backwards. While he was in mid-air, all his bones started cracking.
Although it was just a probing move from a Fifth-Order cultivator, Yang Kai was completely powerless to resist it and became severely injured after just one strike.
Seeing that, Yue He appeared elated as she knew that Yang Kai had no more trump cards left. He wouldn’t have become so battered if he could still summon Mie Meng. Without hesitation, she dashed towards the lake and raised her delicate hands before making her palms face the lake. It was apparent that she was about to launch an attack.
“You dare!” Yang Kai bellowed and, ignoring his own injuries, returned to the lake. There was a fist-sized black energy ball in front of the spear that contained a power that could shred worlds. With his hair hung loose on his shoulders, he shot towards the woman.
After shooting him a cold glare, Yue He performed a hand seal with one hand as an abstruse force whirled around her finger.
However, before she could stick out her finger, she fell into a dazed state as she stared at the young man in front of her. The blood-soaked Yang Kai, whose hair was a mess, looked just like a man she knew from a thousand years ago.
“Ting Yu?” She muttered in a shaking voice. Earlier, she hadn’t paid any attention to Yang Kai as he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, so she didn’t have any regard for him at all. The reason she was here was to get even with the Proprietress. When she injured this man just now, she didn’t even bother to spare him a glance.
Nevertheless, at this moment, she was shocked to realise that this Emperor Realm Junior was the spitting image of a person she once knew, especially his demeanour when he was charging forward despite the fact that his clothes were drenched in blood and his hair was unkempt.
In the past, that person looked just like him! Painful memories from a time long gone by came over her and caused her to freeze unnaturally.
“Lady Yue He, watch out!” Suddenly, she heard Qin Ji anxiously calling out to her, which brought her back to reality. She became alarmed as she felt a ferocious aura coming at her from behind.
It was the Proprietress who shot towards her. Seeing as she intended to disturb Bai Qi, the Proprietress decided to forcefully break off her battle with Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu to launch an attack on Yue He instead.
“Courting death!” Ling Chun Qiu was both infuriated and elated. He was infuriated because the Proprietress decided to save her subordinate at this critical moment, thus exposing her back to them. Did she have no regard for Qin Ji and him at all? On the other hand, he was elated because he and Qin Ji could make a move on her without worries. In that case, the Proprietress would be seriously injured or even killed.
Upon trading glances, they saw the murderous intent behind each other’s gazes. Holding back no more, they pushed out their Divine Abilities at her.
Loud booms were heard as the entire world shook. Following that, a grunt and a shriek were respectively heard.
The entire universe seemed to have fallen silent as Yang Kai’s heavy breathing reverberated. All of them stared fixedly at the small lake, which became the centre of attention at this point.
Yue He was sent flying forward as her back had been wounded. It wasn’t so easy to bear the Proprietress’ whip, which was surrounded by gales and lightning. Her Soul almost left her body upon impact. In comparison, Yang Kai didn’t manage to even touch her with his Azure Dragon Spear.
Fortunately for Yue He, the Proprietress had to divert some energy to parry the attacks from Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu, so she hadn’t managed to fully exert her force with the whip; otherwise, this woman would’ve lost her life by now.
With that said, Yue He’s face had turned ashen, and her aura had become unstable. She was still reeling from the impact.
On the other hand, Yang Kai wasn’t any better off. After Yue He was struck, he was also attacked by her as he was sent flying backwards several dozen kilometres before he managed to stabilise himself. His five viscera and six organs churned in his body as he panted heavily.
Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu didn’t even spare Yue He a glance, nor were they concerned about Yang Kai’s life or death. They were just staring fixedly at the Proprietress.
At this moment, some diamond-shaped transparent shields were whirling around the Proprietress. The shields were full of cracks, and when the battle seemed to have stopped, all the shields broke apart. The Proprietress spat a mouthful of blood as she was clearly injured. Ignoring her wounds though, she stared attentively at the lake.
*Ka…*
A crisp crack was heard as everything in the world seemed to have come back to life.
Both Yang Kai and the Proprietress turned ashen, while Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu heaved a sigh of relief. On the other hand, Yue He was gaping at Yang Kai as she had fallen into a dazed state.
*Kacha…*
More cracking sounds were heard, and just three breaths of time later, gaps started appearing on the array that was arranged by the Proprietress.
After all, no one could protect the array at that time, which was why it wasn’t able to fend off Yue He’s strike.
Following a crash, the array broke apart, and all the mist evaporated in an instant, revealing a figure who was seated at the bottom of the lake.
Bai Qi was seen seated with his legs crossed. The Yang Element at the bottom of the lake was gone as it had been absorbed by him; however, at this moment, the power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements around him were a mess. The illusory phantom of the Small Universe World kept flickering as though it was going to fall apart at any moment.
Bai Qi looked up at the Proprietress. There was a bitter and unwilling smile on his face. He parted his lips in an attempt to say something, but he kept silent eventually.
He had been cultivating for a thousand years for this moment, but in the end, all his efforts had gone to waste. During the most important moment of his breakthrough, he was interrupted by a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; therefore, despite the fact that he had done his best, he was unable to complete his ascension.
It was just a matter of time before the embryonic Small Universe World in his body disintegrated. Once that happened, the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements would explode and he would die without a complete corpse.
The Proprietress looked down at Bai Qi, who was inside the lake. The clear lake water wasn’t able to shut out her apologetic gaze. The light went out in her usually bright eyes, which could easily arouse anyone’s pity.
She slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, a violent aura radiated from her as her hair flapped in the air. Glaring at Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu, she grit her teeth and said words that could freeze anyone’s Soul, “If this Queen doesn’t trample flat all of your forces, she shall never ascend to the Seventh Order!”
Following that, the expressions of Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu changed drastically. Since she had taken such an oath, it suggested that she was determined to fight them to the death.
At this moment, Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu couldn’t help wondering whether they had done the right thing by ruining Bai Qi’s breakthrough. If they had just allowed him to ascend, they could have made use of him to restrict the Proprietress and ensure that she couldn’t fully use her power.
However, now, Bai Qi had lost hope of ascension, and he was bound to perish. Presently, the Proprietress was infuriated, and there was nothing left to restrain her.
Then, she wielded her whip, which was surrounded by lightning and wind, at Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu. Although she was injured, she had become even more imposing than earlier. The whip brought with it a horrifying force, which caused the brows of Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu to twitch.
Faced with such a violent strike, neither of them had the guts to directly take it; therefore, they hurriedly dodged to the side.
With a loud boom, the whip landed on the ground, which caused it to collapse. It was as though two worlds had collided with one another. A hideous burn mark appeared in the void that seemed impossible to be repaired.
Nonetheless, before Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu could take a breather, the whip that was engulfed in lightning and strong wind broke though the void and came at them again.
Qin Ji felt his heart clench. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised the Proprietress possessed such a terrifying power. He was also a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he thought that even though the Proprietress was stronger than he was, there wasn’t a huge gap between them; however, from the two strikes she had just launched, he came to the realisation that she was significantly stronger than he was.
The soft whip danced in the air and brought with it lightning and wind. Even though Qin Ji and Ling Chun Qiu had joined forces, they could only resist her attack but not counterattack. Presently, they looked completely battered. Cracks had been formed on the ground upon impact as both the Sealed World and the void were trembling violently.
With no one else to hold her back, the Proprietress didn’t have to worry about anything again. The Sealed World was unable to contain her world-destroying fury, so it was just a matter of time before it collapsed.
“Quickly help us!” Qin Ji bellowed.
Upon hearing that, Yue He finally came to her senses and took a longing glance at Yang Kai before striding towards the battlefield.
The next instant, rumbling sounds were continuously heard as fallout swept across the entire world. As World Force undulated, four figures engaged in a life-and-death melee.
In the end, a Sealing Yang Domain was just a type of Sealed World, so it was unable to withstand the impact of the battle between four Mid-Rank cultivators. Furthermore, the Proprietress was determined to kill all of them, so she no longer held back any of her power. In just a short moment, the Sealing Yang Domain started showing signs of collapse as chaotic Space Principles began flooding the world.
Yang Kai was unable to interfere in such a battle. Although he was worried about the Proprietress, there was nothing much he could do at the moment. After stuffing some pills into his mouth, he rushed towards Bai Qi and stared at him. He parted his lips for a moment, but he wasn’t sure what to say.
It had only been a short time since they got to know each other, but they got along well, so Bai Qi could be considered his first proper friend since he arrived in the Outer Universe.
Yang Kai thought that Bai Qi would achieve a massive breakthrough today and make a name for himself in the Outer Universe, but the latter was pushed into an abyss at the most critical moment.
“Everyone’s fate is different, so I guess it’s the end for me now,” Bai Qi put on a sorrowful smile. Although he was still trying his best to maintain the balance of power in his body, it wasn’t easy to bring order to the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements that had fallen into chaos. Presently, they were rampaging around in his body and clashing with one another. Blood was streaming out from his pores, which made him look quite pitiful.
Yang Kai licked his dry lips and asked, “What’s going to happen to you?”
“If I’m lucky, my Martial Dao will be destroyed. However, if I’m unlucky, my Soul will perish.” Bai Qi forced a smile, “Whatever the outcome, I’ll never be able to serve the Proprietress again.”
“Don’t overthink it…”
In a bitter voice, Bai Qi replied, “I’m fully aware of the situation I’m in…”
While they were speaking, rumbling sounds were heard as the entire ground shook. Finally, the Sealed World was unable to bear the fallout from the battle between these four Mid-Rank cultivators anymore and began to break apart.
When the Seal World disintegrated, the disarrayed Space Principles came at them from all directions. The average Emperor Realm Master could do nothing but be swept away by this flow and be dragged into the Void Crack.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, so he hurriedly manipulated Space Principles to protect Bai Qi and himself before fleeing the chaotic Void.
Raising his head, he realised that the Proprietress and her opponents had also left the Sealed World. The Proprietress looked worriedly in their direction, but upon seeing that Yang Kai and Bai Qi were safe, she became at ease.
On the other hand, Qin Ji sported a dark expression as he was heartbroken.
This Sealing Yang Domain was a secret place that belonged to Golden Rainbow Province. In this place, the Power of Yang was basically inexhaustible. With this Domain in possession, Golden Rainbow Province might be able to become one of the top great forces in the future. Now that it was destroyed in this battle, he was expected to be mournful.
However, it wasn’t the time to cry over what had already come to pass. Dealing with Lan You Ruo’s limitless fury was his most pressing issue. Fortunately, they weren’t the only people who had come here to get their revenge; otherwise, things would’ve gotten out of hand. After letting out a breath, Qin Ji bellowed, “Elder Hai, what are you waiting for? Make your move now!”
After he finished speaking, a sword light shot towards them from a distance. The sword light appeared so sharp that it was as though it could cut apart the stars themselves.
No one could have expected that Qin Ji and the others still had another helper. Moreover, judging from the person’s strike, he must be stronger than Qin Ji.
The unsuspecting Proprietress hadn’t expected this as well, so it was already too late when she came to her senses. Although she had wielded her whip to parry the blow, the sword light still pierced through the whip shadows and slashed at her tender figure.
Blood spurted out of the Proprietress’ wounds as she was sent flying backwards for three kilometres before she was able to stabilise herself. Looking up, she saw a person striding forward through the void, an azure blue sword in his hand as Sword Intent surged around him.
“Hai Ping Le!” The Proprietress narrowed her eyes and stared fixedly at that person.
On the other hand, Bai Qi’s expression changed drastically, “Damn it! He’s also here!”
Yang Kai had no idea who Hai Ping Le was, but he was aware that the latter was a Sixth-Order Master. At that instant, he was shocked as he wondered what the Proprietress had done in the past that so many people wanted to retaliate against her.
Bai Qi forced a smile, “The Young Master Hai you came across some time ago was Hai Ping Le’s Grandson.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai was stunned as he hadn’t expected that this had something to do with that wastrel Young Master Hai. It was also only now that Yang Kai understood why Young Master Hai was so arrogant and aloof. That was because the latter had a powerful backer. However, even though they had gotten into a conflict in the Star City some time ago, there were no real grudges between them. After Young Master Hai was punished by those from Great Battle Heaven, they should be considered even. So, why was Hai Ping Le adding insult to injury at this point?
Bai Qi seemed to have seen through Yang Kai’s doubts, so he said grimly, “The Proprietress killed that Young Master Hai.”
“What?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted.
Bai Qi went on to say, “Proprietress is extremely protective of her subordinates. That guy oppressed you and made you suffer two whips; hence, there was no way Proprietress would let him off. She killed him outside of the Star City.”
Upon that realisation, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state. He indeed hated Young Master Hai, who made him suffer two strokes from the Dragon Fang Whip. He still felt his back aching by just recalling that incident; however, that was just a trivial conflict between them, not a blood feud. It had been quite some time since the incident happened, and Yang Kai had almost forgotten about it. Nevertheless, it never crossed his mind that the Proprietress had actually killed the other party.
With a grin, Bai Qi said, “If any one of us in First Inn came across such an incident, the Proprietress might not have made such a big fuss; however, you’re different.”
“Me? How am I different?”
Bai Qi stared fixedly at him for a long time before letting out a long breath, “Anyway, you just have to remember that the Proprietress treasures you. You’re important to her.”
A puzzled Yang Kai gazed at him.
Lowering his head, Bai Qi put on a helpless smile. He couldn’t really explain it to Yang Kai as the incident happened ages ago.
While they were having a chat, the war in the void reignited. Hai Ping Le stormed into the battlefield as sword lights flashed from his weapon. The Proprietress was already injured earlier. She could still manage to deal with Qin Ji and the others, but upon Hai Ping Le’s arrival, things were becoming more difficult for her.
With that said, given her strength, even though she was facing so many opponents on her own, she wouldn’t fall into fatal danger anytime soon.
At this moment, Yang Kai wasn’t in the mood to keep chatting with Bai Qi. With a worried expression, he stared attentively at the battlefield. In such a situation, he wondered if the Proprietress could still turn things around.
While the Proprietress was locked in an intense battle, she turned to look in their direction. As their eyes met, Yang Kai could clearly see that her gaze appeared apologetic and longing. Then, she whirled around and wielded her whip. As she was battling, she pushed her opponents further away from this place.
Apparently, she didn’t want the fallout of the battle to affect Yang Kai and Bai Qi; however, by forcefully drawing her opponents away to a different place, it would exacerbate the perilous situation she was already in.
Like a group of sharks that had tasted blood, Qin Ji and the others would never let the Proprietress off while they directly ignored Yang Kai and Bai Qi.
After all, to them, Bai Qi had failed in his attempt to break through, so he would either perish or become a cripple soon; therefore, they didn’t have to pay any attention to him. As for Yang Kai, he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, so it was unlikely that he could raise a fuss. As long as they could kill the Proprietress, they’d be the winners.
In just over ten breaths’ time, the battle had moved far enough away to no longer be visible.
Bai Qi sprayed out a mouthful of blood and grabbed Yang Kai’s arms, “Leave! Go back to First Inn in the Star City and tell the chef to inform the Owner about this. Otherwise, the Proprietress will end up in a terrible state.”
In fact, Yang Kai had met the Owner of First Inn before. He was a High-Rank Master. At that time, the Golden Crow corpse had fallen into his hands in the end. If he could stand up for the Proprietress, things would become easier.
Balling up his fists, Yang Kai said, “What about you?”
If he escaped now, Bai Qi would be left alone here to perish. Nevertheless, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to touch Bai Qi at this moment. Moreover, this place was extremely far away from First Inn. By the time he managed to return to the inn, it would be too late as the outcome would have become irreversible by then.
“Forget about me! Just go!” Bai Qi forcefully pushed him away, which irritated his aura and caused him to spray out a mouthful of blood again.
An astounded Yang Kai rushed over and clumsily fished out some pills from his Space Ring before stuffing them into Bai Qi’s mouth.
“It’s useless…” Bai Qi put on a bitter smile, “No pills will be useful if they can’t bring order to the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements in my body.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai became stunned and widened his eyes as though he had discovered something amazing. Seeing that, Bai Qi bellowed, “Do you understand that Proprietress is in mortal danger or not!? Stop dilly-dallying and get back to First Inn now!”
If it weren’t because he was weak, he would’ve kicked Yang Kai away.
However, Yang Kai stared at him with a pair of bright eyes and declared, “Old Bai, perhaps you can still be saved!”
“Nonsense!” Bai Qi yelled. Given his condition, even a High-Rank Master would be unable to save him, let alone a mere Emperor Realm cultivator like Yang Kai.