“Junior Sister Chen is a good girl, and quite talented as well,” Meng Hong stated, looking at the departing Chen Yue. He seemed to be talking more to himself than Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled, “Brother Meng, if you are interested in her, you might as well boldly pursue her.”
Meng Hong shook his head with a wry smile, “I’m interested in her, but I’m afraid she is not interested in me.”
Yang Kai added with a stern look on his face, “Absolute sincerity can move even the hardest of hearts. As long as Brother Meng shows his sincerity, how can Sister Chen not feel it?”
Meng Hong, lowering his head, pondered for a while before he nodded, “Brother Yang is right. I was wrong.” He then switched the topic, “Brother Yang, you are not seriously injured, are you?”
Yang Kai had brought them out of the Beast Tide and then fought with Old Kang; naturally, he wouldn’t have come out unscathed.
“I’m fine, it’s just some minor injuries.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Meng Hong was filled with great admiration, “Today, I have learned how great Brother Yang is. You even killed a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a Roaring Thunder Beast. This Meng was really a frog in the well, thinking that the sky was just this big.”
He was truly shocked this time. He too was an Emperor Realm cultivator, but he had never thought that a cultivator of his realm could display such fearsome combat power. Every sweep of Yang Kai’s spear blew away the Ancient Exotic Beasts into a bloody mist, even a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could only retreat in defeat before dying. Meng Hong couldn’t help but yearn for such power.
“It was just a fluke,” Yang Kai modestly stated, “By the way, how are Old Fang and the others doing in Great Moon Province?”
Meng Hong replied with a smile, “Junior Brother Fang and Junior Sister Dié You are doing well. Ah Sun’s cultivation is back on track too. I too have been receiving personal training from Martial Aunt Tao. They all miss Brother Yang though. I don’t know how they are doing right now, but before I left, all of them asked me to inquire about you while I was out. Unfortunately, before I could carefully check up on Brother Yang, we came here. Fortunately, we encountered the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog; otherwise, I would have never met Brother Yang so quickly.”
Hearing that Old Fang and the others were doing fine, Yang Kai’s heart was put at ease; after all, Old Fang and Dié You were the first friends he had made after arriving in the Outer Universe. They had also taken good care of him in Seven Wonders Land. When he escaped from Seven Wonders Land, they followed him, blazing their way through all obstacles together, sharing life and death.
The world was so vast though, so who knows when he would meet them again? Thinking of this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be struck with a little melancholy.
[But as long as we are living, we will have a chance to meet sooner or later!]
“What does Brother Yang plan to do next?” Meng Hong solemnly asked.
In their group, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and Yang Kai had shown overwhelming combat prowess, the remaining few people were fellow brothers and sisters of Great Moon Province, and Chen Yue, so their group wasn’t that big, seven in total. They couldn’t really do much in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary on their own.
“What does Brother Meng think we should do?” If Meng Hong hadn’t asked, Yang Kai himself would have asked the very same question.
Meng Hong pondered for a moment before replying, “Self-preservation! We should seek self-preservation first before thinking about doing anything else!”
He eloquently continued, “The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary this time is completely different from the past. Even if the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened in the past, not many people would be swept into it. But this time, an entire Star City has been swallowed up, dragging in a couple hundred thousand cultivators. Anyone with a little brains could tell that we should stick together. Even that Ding Yi did the same. He raised his own banner and gathered together a group of followers. Although Brother Yang has strength and courage that not even ten thousand men can match, you are just one person in the end. Whatever conflict arises, if you remain alone, you will be the one to suffer, always.”
“Furthermore, the Beast Tide attacked the ruins of the Star City the moment we arrived, so who knows what other crises are lurking inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Many Masters have lost their lives in this place over the millennia. If we aren’t careful, I’m afraid we will be following their footsteps.”
Yang Kai lightly nodded. Although Meng Hong’s idea was a little conservative, it was also in line with his thoughts.
What Yang Kai saw and heard today gave him much to think about, and he needed some time to digest all of it, especially about the Power within his Dao Seal. He had experienced too few real battles after entering the Outer Universe and had yet to discover the effectiveness of his Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. No one had even told him about this until today.
But since he had come to know about it today, Yang Kai naturally wanted to carefully study it.
“Haa…” Meng Hong heaved a sigh, “Speaking of which, we are the ones causing trouble for Brother Yang. If Brother Yang was on his own, he would be able to accomplish great deeds in the Grand Ancient Ruins.”
Yang Kai couldn’t stop himself from laughing, “Brother Meng, you are taking this all too seriously. Just as you said, the Grand Ancient Ruins is fraught with unknown crises. I am just an Emperor Realm cultivator, so what can I even accomplish on my own?”
While the two were talking, Yang Kai suddenly raised his head, looking in a certain direction and slightly frowned.
Very soon, Meng Hong also sensed something. He looked in the same direction, frowning and beckoning his nearby Junior Brothers at the same time.
Chen Yue came closer at that time and asked, “Senior Brothers, what’s the matter?” Although she was an Emperor Realm cultivator as well, it was evident that her Divine Sense wasn’t as powerful as Meng Hong’s, otherwise, how could she have failed to notice the disturbance?
The nearby Yue He softly sneered, “A large number of people are approaching. If I’m right, they are those who have made their way out of the Star City.”
Chen Yue’s face slightly changed after hearing this; after all, the Star City wasn’t that far away from here, just a thousand kilometres at most. It was natural for some to flee in their direction.
As expected, a bunch of blazing auras appeared in their sight shortly after. Slowly, they could make out human figures amongst those auras, heading straight towards this mountain valley.
The aura of the figure leading the group was like a shooting star, and was drenched in blood. Surprisingly, it was none other than Ding Yi.
There were over a thousand cultivators behind him at this moment.
Soon, the streaks of light fell down on the valley one by one. Ding Yi glanced at Yang Kai from a distance as a smile appeared on his lips, “We meet again. It seems we share some destiny.”
Although he was smiling, there was no warmth behind it. Yang Kai, on the other hand, ignored him altogether.
Yang Kai’s attitude made Ding Yi coldly snort. He then looked around before his gaze landed on Yue He, wandering over her lithe figure. He smacked his lips and proposed, “Madame, what this Ding said before is still valid. Why don’t you give it another thought?”
In the Star City, Ding Yi had once offered to accept Yue He as his woman. Naturally, it was impossible for Yue He to agree. She was alone at that time and not wanting to have any conflict with Ding Yi and the others, she immediately fled. But unfortunately, she was forced to return by the Beast Tide.
With disaster knocking at the door, Ding Yi couldn’t have cared less about Yue He, he just wanted to survive. But now that he had made it out of the siege, and gathered a large number of people under him, his self-confidence was bolstered. His dark thoughts couldn’t help but rear their heads again.
After all, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Ding Yi himself had no idea when or even if he could reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and he would not find such a great opportunity once he left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. If he could taste a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman here, then this trip to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary would not be in vain.
Just as Ding Yi proposed this, his minions immediately started clamouring.
“Oye, you there, you are lucky, my Emperor Heaven’s Commander has taken a liking to you. You should obediently become his wife!”
“If you obey our Commander, he will keep you safe; otherwise, it will be difficult for you to take even a single step in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!”
“That chick isn’t bad either. Why don’t I take her with the Commander?”
“Hahaha! Since the Commander is eating the meat, naturally we will have to drink the soup. Why would the Commander be interested in that little girl when he has such a feast already?”
…..
One by one, the men behind Ding Yi started shouting. Ding Yi, on the other hand, stood carrying his hands behind his back. His face was ruddy and filled with pride. Today, Emperor Heaven had killed their way out of the Beast Tide under his lead. Everyone admired him and it was his charisma that brought this ragtag bunch together, leading them by example and raising everyone’s morale.
Ding Yi believed that as long as he was given some time, he could surely make Emperor Heaven rise to prominence in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary! And at that time, he would be the true ruler of this place. Everyone’s life and death would be in his hands. He was drunk on this sense of superiority, which he could never have in the 3,000 Worlds.
The unique environment of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary gave all Emperor Realm cultivators a chance to be the masters of their own destiny. Ding Yi believed that this was a Heaven-sent chance, an opportunity bestowed on him by the Heavens themselves.
Chen Yue’s face turned pale after hearing their calls. She had never thought that she would suffer such an unexpected crisis and couldn’t help but lean towards Yang Kai and Meng Hong, as if she wanted to seek a sense of security.
On the other hand, Yue He smiled and her pretty and captivating eyes flickered with a bright and intelligent gleam, “Then you will have to ask my Young Master. If Young Master agrees, this maid will not complain, no matter who she is sent to do. But if Young Master refuses, then this maid must remain with her Young Master…”
Saying so, she shamelessly grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and held it between her twin peaks.
Yang Kai calmly glanced over at her as Yue He’s fragrant breath blew on his face, “Young Master, I will obey you.” Her submissive attitude and charming temperament caused many men’s breathing to turn ragged. They were secretly jealous of Yang Kai’s luck. [What great force does this bastard belong to that he actually has a maid like this serving him?]
A wry smile appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he muttered, “You’re really making me the public’s enemy!” While speaking, he reached out and pinched Yue He’s tender cheek, to the point where red marks appeared on her fair face.
Yue He’s brow twitched slightly. Who knew what was going on in her mind, but she didn’t avoid Yang Kai’s touch.
Meng Hong blushed at the sight of this while Chen Yue’s mouth fell agape. As for the disciples of Great Moon Province, they all quickly averted their gazes.
The two kept flirting in the open, causing Ding Yu to turn livid. Having come over with the might of the thousand men of Emperor Heaven behind him, he believed that Yue He would not be able to resist him. He would definitely take her to his bed tonight and make her his. But after watching this display, he immediately felt insulted.
He thus shouted in an ice-cold voice, “Brat, you court death!”
“Commander, let me kill him!” A burly bald man behind Ding Yi stepped forward. His aura was thick and head, and he was wielding a menacing broadsword. The blood on the blade was still not dry, so obviously, he had killed a lot of exotic beasts in the battle just now.
Ding Yi solemnly nodded, “Since this Little Brat has shamelessly rejected a face-shaving offer, go and teach him to show proper respect!”
The burly man rubbed his bald head, snickering, “Don’t worry Commander, I will let him know the might of our Emperor Heaven.”
He then pointed his broadsword at Yang Kai and grimly stated, “Boy, come accept your death!”
Yang Kai raised his hand, “Wait a moment.”
The burly bald man sneered, “If you have any last words, speak up, or forever hold your tongue.”
Yang Kai chuckled and then stated, ignoring him and staring only at Ding Yi, “If you want, I can give this cheap slut to you, I don’t really want her anyway.”
Saying so, he pushed Yue He away, causing the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master to stagger.
Ding Yi was startled and immediately nodded with satisfaction, “Seems like even a brat like you can be tactful!”
Yue He was even more stunned. She glared at Yang Kai, her pretty eyes burning with fury as her body shook in anger.
Infuriated, Yue He turned around and started kicking and punching Yang Kai, though she wasn’t using any real power; so, it looked like a lovers’ spat to others.
Ding Yi’s face turned ashen, “You dare to lie to me?”
He waved his hand, roaring, “Kill the man, capture the woman!”
Just as the order was issued, the burly bald man slashed his broadsword down. The broadsword was surrounded by a faint golden glow, giving everyone the feeling that it was extremely sharp and could cut through any obstacle like a hot knife through butter.
Yang Kai hadn’t paid attention to it before, but at this moment, when he took a closer look, he knew that the burly bald man was using the Metal Element Power in his Dao Seal.
Yang Kai promptly pulled Yue He behind him before raising his hand and pressing it forward. His hand was radiating a scorching heat as he drew on his Fire Element Power.
Yang Kai also wanted to give this combat style a try.
Yang Kai’s palm passed by the sharp broadsword, pressing straight towards the burly bald man’s chest. The burly man was also ruthless and vicious so he didn’t try to dodge or block the oncoming palm; rather, the golden glow around the broadsword grew brighter. Surprisingly, he wanted to trade injury with injury as his lips rose into a hideous smile.
With a clang, Yang Kai’s figure staggered backwards a little as the broadsword slashed at his chest. In an instant, his clothes were slashed through while the burly man was sent flying by the palm.
No one seemed to seize the advantage in this exchange.
Yue He was greatly taken aback and quickly rushed over and checked Yang Kai’s chest, “Are… are you alright?”
When she lifted up his damaged clothes, she just saw a white scratch on Yang Kai’s skin. The broadsword had only managed to scratch him a little, not even drawing a drop of blood.
Yue He was dumbfounded.
The burly bald man might not have used his entire strength just now, but that still wasn’t something an Emperor Realm cultivator would be able to block with just his body alone. However, Yang Kai was completely alright even after taking that blow.
[Is this boy even Human?]
Yang Kai sneered as flicked his chest, “A waste like you wants to injure this King? In your dreams! Go back and cultivate for a few more centuries.”
Yue He stared at him in a daze, her pretty eyes flashing fiercely. The nearby Chen Yue, on the other hand, stared at Yang Kai with a look of admiration on her face. She too was an Emperor Realm cultivator, but she didn’t dare to take such an attack head-on.
“Interesting!” The burly bald man, after regaining his footing, pointed his broadsword at Yang Kai, smiling wickedly, “Brat, I hope you can remain so bull-headed until the end, don’t…”
Mid-sentence, the burly bald man’s face suddenly turned red, and before he could finish his words, he spurted a mouthful of blood. The blood he spurted seemed to be boiling as it was radiating scorching heat.
Ding Yi exclaimed, “What’s wrong?”
The burly bald man didn’t even have the time to answer his question as his entire body quickly turned red as boiling blood bubbled out of his mouth.
In just ten breaths, the burly bald man let out a miserable scream before he collapsed to the ground and stopped breathing.
Much to everyone’s surprise, he died just like that.
The entire field sunk into pin-drop silence!
The surrounding cultivators looked aghast at Yang Kai, as if they were looking at a ghost; after all, Yang Kai had only swung his palm once, but that was enough to take the life of the burly bald man. Everyone present knew they weren’t any stronger than the burly bald man, which meant that if they were in his situation, they too would not have survived.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, looked at the burly bald man as if it had nothing to do with him, a thoughtful expression on his face.
The way this man died reminded him of what happened back on the Sun Star. Back then, when a number of Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters were burned by the Golden Crow’s True Fire, they died similar deaths.
The Golden Crow’s True Fire was extremely fearsome. When even those Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t hold on for too long after having been burned by the True Fire, what could an insignificant Emperor Realm Master do? The bald man had no way to deal with the Golden Crow’s True Fire invading his body, dooming him from the start.
[Fortunately, I refined my Wood Element from the Immortal Tree’s essence; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to suppress the Golden Crow’s True Fire in my Dao Seal.]
[So this is the might of the Seventh-Order Fire Element!] Yue He’s pretty eyes looked at Yang Kai as a complicated look appeared on her face. With this Seventh-Order Fire Power, how could anyone in the Emperor Realm be his opponent if it was a one-on-one match?
“You court death!” The tragic death of his subordinate made Ding Yi blow his top; thus, he waved his hand and shouted, “Kill him!”
The moment he issued the order, everyone charged at Yang Kai all at once. Even though everyone was afraid of Yang Kai’s methods, they had an overwhelming advantage in numbers. When even their Commander, Ding Yi, was attacking, how could they fall behind?
In the blink of an eye, the brilliance of Secret Techniques and artifacts dazzled everyone as they launched their attacks at Yang Kai.
“Take care of them!” Yang Kai sent Yue He a Divine Sense transmission before throwing himself straight into the approaching crowd.
His intrepid physique was more than enough to negate a large part of the damage from these attacks. Furthermore, using Space Principles, Yang Kai came and went like a ghost. Yang Kai didn’t resort to any other methods and instead kept attacking with the same flaming palm.
Many people were struck by his palm without even catching sight of Yang Kai’s figure. Immediately, scorching hot energy started to rampage in their bodies, burning them from the inside out. They couldn’t get rid of that scorching energy no matter how hard they tried.
Cultivators fell to the ground one by one, coughing up scorching hot blood.
Every time Yang Kai swung his palm, an Emperor Heaven member would inexplicably lose his life, striking panic into the hearts of the others.
Ding Yi’s eyes cracked wide open as his heart bled. Emperor Heaven had recruited over a thousand men, so the death of a few of them would be a drop in the bucket, but Yang Kai’s actions were extremely detrimental to their morale. If he couldn’t bring down Yang Kai today, how would he convince the public in the future?
Gritting his teeth, Ding Yi turned his head toward Yue He and the others before raising his arm and ordering, “Follow me!”
Hundreds of people immediately gathered around him before charging towards Yue He and the others. Unable to take down Yang Kai, Ding Yi focused his attention on the others. As long as he could capture them, Yang Kai couldn’t do anything.
Meng Hong’s face turned pale as he clenched the artifact in his hand tighter. Chen Yue was also shivering in fright.
In the blink of an eye, when he and his men were just within three hundred metres of Meng Hong and the others, Ding Yi raised his arm and ordered, “Capture them alive!”
Yue He remained cool-headed and just sneered at Ding Yi and the others before summoning a small flower umbrella-like artifact. The umbrella opened up and slowly started rotating; immediately afterwards, transparent filaments drooped down from the umbrella one after another.
Surprisingly, it was a defensive artifact. It might look small but it was enough to cover everyone in it.
As Yue He was unable to display her full strength in this place, the might of the artifact was naturally much lower than normal. Under the attack of over a hundred Emperor Realm cultivators, it might not last long and its defence would be broken.
At that time, apart from Yue He, who could defend herself a little, the life and death of Great Moon Province’s people would be left to the Heavens.
Yang Kai seized a moment to take a look at Yue He and the others. After checking their situation, he forced everyone around him back with a few palm attacks before teleporting to the front of Yue He and grinning at Ding Yi. Immediately after, he smacked a palm at him.
Ding Yi quivered visibly!
Having witnessed the tragic deaths of so many of his subordinates, he was well aware of the terror of Yang Kai’s palm. As such, he immediately halted his charge and promptly kicked the ground, taking flight.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, remained like maggots on rotting bones.
Ding Yi’s mouth was filled with bitterness. His intestines had turned green in regret. He finally made it out of the Beast Tide and was able to gather a large group of followers in the process. This was a big victory for him, leaving him in high spirits. But he had never expected to run into a freak like Yang Kai the very next moment.
He secretly decided that if he could escape from this crisis, he would run in the opposite direction at the mere sight of Yang Kai in the future.
As Yang Kai’s palm came closer, Ding Yi could feel the scorching heat radiating from it and he exclaimed in his heart, [My destined end has come!]
At that moment, the ground started quaking and cracked apart, causing everyone to stagger.
The next moment, an enormous figure suddenly rushed out from the crack. The figure was several tens of metres wide and tall, and jet-black in colour. It seemed to have no eyes, ears, or nose. The only thing at its frontmost end was an enormous mouth that was constantly squirming like a rotating millstone, creating a terrifying suction.
The few Emperor Heaven cultivators who were caught off guard were directly swallowed by that mouth and disappeared!
“Earth Dragon?” Yang Kai raised his brow, looking at the exotic beast that had suddenly risen out of the ground. Surprise was clearly written on his face.
Yang Kai had carefully checked this valley when they arrived here, but he hadn’t discovered anything unusual. Who knew where this Earth Dragon had been hiding that Yang Kai had failed to discover it. Perhaps it had been disturbed by the battle; otherwise, it would not have rushed out at this moment.
Furthermore, judging by the aura of the Earth Dragon, it was in no way inferior to the Roaring Thunder Beast in terms of strength.
Amid the deafening rumbles, the Earth Dragon’s entire body was displayed before everyone. Impressively, it was 300 metres long and every time it snapped its jaw, it would swallow a few cultivators.
On the other hand, the attacks of the cultivators couldn’t even scratch the creature’s skin. Yang Kai personally witnessed several cultivators attacking it with their respective artifacts, only for them to simply slide off the Earth Dragon’s body.
Emperor Heaven had suffered a complete defeat at the hands of Yang Kai, and now, a strange exotic beast had suddenly appeared. How could they still have the will to remain? Everyone fled. Witnessing this, Ding Yi could only clench his teeth and glare at Yang Kai in rage before pulling back from the valley.
It had only been thirty breaths since the Earth Dragon had made an appearance, but in this short period, all of the surviving Emperor Heaven Masters had fled from the valley. If they were given ample time, they might be able to kill the Earth Dragon, but Yang Kai was still lurking about. He would not give them any opportunity to cooperate and hunt down the Earth Dragon.
The Earth Dragon leapt out and chomped down yet again, devouring a few cultivators who were slightly slower in escaping.
Once the Emperor Heaven Masters had escaped, the Earth Dragon turned around and charged straight at Yang Kai. As it was approaching, its enormous mouth began to squirm, making Chen Yue feel nauseated and almost causing her to empty her stomach.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, remained where he was, calm and composed, not showing any intention of dodging.
Seeing the Earth Dragon getting closer and closer, Meng Hong and the others’ hearts jumped to their throats and even Yue He furiously shouted, “Do you want to die? Why are you still not running away!?”
Just as she shouted, the Earth Dragon was already upon Yang Kai, its enormous mouth open right above him.
Yue He clutched her flower umbrella and prepared to defend.
“Hmph!” Yang Kai let out a cold snort.
The next thing that happened blew Yue He and the others’ minds away. The moment Yang Kai snorted, the Earth Dragon froze on the spot. Its squirming mouth was just a metre away from Yang Kai and it could swallow him up if it just pushed forward slightly. Slowly, drops of its saliva dripped from its mouth, creating enormous potholes in the ground the next moment. Obviously, its saliva was highly corrosive. But in the end, the Earth Dragon didn’t move.
Just a single snort made the Earth Dragon terrified!
It was an amazing feat, but how did he do it? Meng Hong and the others’ eyes couldn’t help but widen as a look of incredulity blanketed their faces.
Even Yue He couldn’t figure out what was going on. If Yang Kai had repelled or killed it in a straight-up battle, Yue He and the others would not have found it too hard to accept, but what they saw confused them greatly.
[What is this Earth Dragon afraid of exactly? Or is there something on Yang Kai that is making the Earth Dragon afraid?]
In front of everyone’s eyes, the Earth Dragon remained frozen in its place for a while before it slowly prostrated before Yang Kai’s feet. Even its squirming mouth was tightly shut.
It might not have said anything, but everyone understood.
Much to their surprise, the Earth Dragon was surrendering to Yang Kai!
Everyone was shocked!
Yang Kai raised his foot and stepped on the Earth Dragon’s enormous snout, laughing, “Seems you’re a tactful fellow!”
If it was any other exotic beast, Yang Kai would have no choice but to fight it out, but this Earth Dragon possessed a weak Dragon Clan bloodline. It might be very impure and in trace amounts, but as long as one possessed the Dragon Clan’s bloodline, they would be subjected to bloodline suppression.
Others couldn’t feel the Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength in Yang Kai’s body, but how could the Earth Dragon fail to notice it? How could the Earth Dragon presumptuously act before such a mighty bloodline?
“Considering it wasn’t easy for you to cultivate your current realm, I won’t kill you today. You can go!” Yang Kai shouted.
The Earth Dragon seemed to have understood, or perhaps it could feel the meaning behind Yang Kai’s words, so it slowly stood up before turning around and slowly ambling off in a different direction, leaving large patches of mucus wherever it passed by. It looked extremely disgusting.
However, after moving off a short distance, it suddenly turned around and returned to Yang Kai, sending some vague Divine Sense fluctuations to him.
Yue He curiously asked, “What does it want?”
Yang Kai listened for a long time, frowning, before a weird expression came over his face, “I think it wants to take me somewhere.”
Just as he said this, the Earth Dragon arched its head down and carried Yang Kai up. Afterwards, it ignored everything else and turned around, slithering toward another direction. Its 300 metres long body slid along the ground, making deafening rumbles.
“Where is it taking you?” Yue He flashed over, standing beside Yang Kai.
Yang Kai shook his head in response, “No idea.”
Although the Earth Dragon had some sentience, it was still quite vague and chaotic, so it couldn’t express itself clearly. Its Divine Sense transmissions were also obscure and confusing, leaving Yang Kai baffled. All he knew was that the place it was taking him to was very important.
*Shua shua shua…”
Those from Great Moon Province also flew over and landed on the Earth Dragon’s back. Its back wasn’t too wide but it was very long, so it wasn’t a problem for a few people to stand on it. The only negative for the women was the strange smell coming from the Earth Dragon’s body. Furthermore, almost its entire body was covered in mucus. If they weren’t careful, they might get it smeared on their clothes or bodies, which was something they couldn’t possibly bear.
“Since we have nothing to do, we might as well check it out. Maybe we will find some kind of treasure,” suggested Yang Kai.
Meng Hong agreed with a nod, “We will obey Brother Yang’s decision.”
Since Yang Kai somehow subdued an exotic beast, it would give anyone an extra sense of security. It was natural for them to follow anywhere Yang Kai went.
Yue He lightly poked Yang Kai in the waist as she curiously asked, “What exactly did you do? Why is this big guy so obedient to you? It’s even taking you to some amazing location?”
Yang Kai calmly replied, “Maybe I subdued it with my awesome charisma.”
Yue He pouted her lips, “Shameless!”
Along the way, they caught up with the scattered troops of Emperor Heaven. Under Ding Yi’s astonished and horrified gaze, Yang Kai and his group slithered towards the distance right before their eyes.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai and his team had disappeared from his sight that Ding Yi finally ordered his men with a solemn look on his face, “Pass on my order, if you ever meet that guy in the future, stay clear from him. Never have any conflict with him.”
The previous battle had really scared him. Several dozen people had died at Yang Kai’s hands while they couldn’t even touch the corner of Yang Kai’s shirt. And now, when they saw him having subdued such a powerful exotic beast, how could they still muster the courage to fight him?
The dead were dead, nothing could be done for them, and numbers could always be filled. But if morale was destroyed, it would undermine Ding Yi’s leadership.
The Earth Dragon wasn’t slow, and Yang Kai and his team ran into some cultivators along the way every now and then. But after sensing the Earth Dragon’s fearsome aura, everyone distanced themselves right away.
After travelling for three days and three nights, Yang Kai’s closed eyes finally opened as he declared, “We are here.”
Yue He looked at him, “How do you know?”
Yang Kai tapped his foot, “He told me.”
Judging by the Divine Sense transmitted by the Earth Dragon, it was obvious that it had become excited and eager. Obviously, it was approaching a special place. Yang Kai couldn’t help but be a little curious as he wondered what could make this big guy so enthusiastic.
After travelling another few hundred kilometres, Yang Kai suddenly raised his brow as he stared straight ahead. He faintly felt an unusual aura radiating from that direction.
[Dragon Aura!]
Although it was very weak and almost imperceptible, the Dragon Aura was extremely pure. This kind of aura was imperceptible to outsiders. Only those with a Dragon Source could sense it a little.
Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat. [There is actually a member of the Dragon Clan in this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary? Did the Earth Dragon bring me here to look for this Dragon? Just why did it come to find this Dragon?]
After another hundred kilometres, the Dragon Aura became more and more obvious.
The next moment, a majestic mountain range entered Yang Kai’s eyes. It was continuous and undulating, looking like a Great Dragon crawling on the ground; its head and tail quite vivid and distinct.
Yang Kai slightly furrowed his brow at the sight of this mountain range.
Suddenly, a streak of light shot into the air ahead as a man hovered in the mid-air, blocking the road ahead. When everyone arrived, he raised his hand and shouted, “Little Brother, please wait a moment!”
The Earth Dragon immediately came to a halt as Yang Kai ordered it via Divine Sense. Upon looking closer, Yang Kai found that the person blocking the way ahead appeared to be a young man. He was wearing a golden blue robe and carried himself with grace. On top of it all, he was extremely handsome as well. Yang Kai couldn’t get a clear picture of his cultivation for the time being, but he could tell this man should be an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Meng Hong’s face slightly changed as he stepped forward and whispered in Yang Kai’s ears, “He is Thunder Light’s Bie Jian.”
“Who?” Yang Kai glanced at him.
Meng Hong explained, “Even though the Star City was under no one’s jurisdiction, there were three great forces who lorded over it. Thunder Light is one of them. Bie Jian is a Manager of Thunder Light and rumour has it that he is a Fourth-Order Master.”
Meng Hong had been residing in the Star City for some time, so he knew a fair bit more about it than Yang Kai. As such, he immediately recognized the young man blocking the road at a glance.
Yang Kai turned and glanced at Yue He, who gently nodded. This gave him the confirmation that Meng Hong’s information was accurate.
Apart from Bie Jian, who was blocking the road, there were over a hundred Masters nearby who were staring in their direction with all kinds of looks on their faces. When their gazes fell on the Earth Dragon, many people looked quite curious.
Obviously, all these people were from Thunder Light.
However, who knew what they had encountered as quite a few of them were injured. They seemed to have just fought a hard battle.
“What is it?” Yang Kai gently nodded.
The young man cordially smiled, “This King is Bie Jian of Thunder Light. I wonder how I should address Little Brother?”
Yang Kai remained silent for a moment before introducing himself.
Bie Jian continued, smiling, “So it is Little Brother Yang… Little Brother Yang, are you going to enter Crouching Dragon Mountains?” He was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so had it not been for the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary strange suppression, he would never have even spared Yang Kai a glance. Now, he was addressing him as Little Brother Yang to be cordial with him though.
“Crouching Dragon Mountains?” Yang Kai glanced at the distant mountains.
Bie Jian explained, “Since these mountains look like a Great Dragon crawling on the ground, we called it the Crouching Dragon Mountains.”
“En, I’m planning to enter this place.” Yang Kai nodded, “What can I do for Your Excellency?”
Bie Jian replied, “I won’t hide it from Little Brother Yang. We just returned from Crouching Dragon Mountains.” While speaking, he sighed and looked deeply ashamed.
Yang Kai curiously asked, “Oh? How dangerous is it?”
“There is a Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon on the verge of becoming an actual Dragon inside. It’s extremely ferocious!”
Bie Jian’s face turned solemn as he pointed to his side and added, “Although we had over a hundred men, our formation was destroyed by that Scarlet Flood Dragon and we suffered serious casualties. So, we had to make a temporary retreat.”
“A Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon?” Yang Kai raised his brow before looking in the Crouching Dragon Mountains’ direction. [The Dragon Aura I sensed before couldn’t possibly be this Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s, could it?]
[That’s not possible. The Dragon Aura I’m sensing is very pure. A Flood Dragon can’t project such an aura. But if there really is a member of the Dragon Clan there, how could it allow a Scarlet Flood Dragon to settle in its domain?]
[That’s not right. It doesn’t make any sense!]
While he was contemplating, Bie Jian continued, “Little Brother Yang, I can see that the Earth Dragon below you is quite extraordinary. If we team up, we might be able to defeat that Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon. As for the loot we will get, we can negotiate on its distribution.”
“How are we going to divide it?”
“How about based on the number of people?” Bie Jian suggested with a smile.
Yang Kai was amused after hearing this, “You want to divide the loot according to the number of people?”
Bie Jian earnestly added, “Little Brother Yang, there is not just the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon in the Crouching Dragon Mountains. There are many other precious treasures. As long as we can take down the Scarlet Flood Dragon, the entire Crouching Dragon Mountain Range will be ours for the taking. Why bother about petty profits?”
Yang Kai denied, shaking his head, “No need, I’m not interested in your proposal. Goodbye!”
Bie Jian’s face turned slightly cold.
An elderly man flew over from the crowd and coldly shouted, “The Crouching Dragon Mountains belong to our Thunder Light. Any who dare to trespass it without our Thunder Light’s permission will be considered our enemy and killed without mercy!”
“Are you sure?” Yang Kai turned his gaze at the elderly man as his narrowed eyes flickered with a cold gleam.
A disciple of Great Moon Province also shouted, “Why? Everything in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary belongs to no one. Why do you say we can’t enter without your permission?”
Just as the elderly man was about to speak, Bie Jian stopped him with a raise of his hand and stated with a smile, “You can go, nobody is going to stop you. The Crouching Dragon Mountains indeed belong to no one. And naturally, you can enter if you want. Our Thunder Light will not stop you.”
Yang Kai meaningfully glanced at him before chuckling and tapping his foot. The next moment, the Earth Dragon stretched its body before slithering towards the Crouching Dragons Mountains.
Bie Jian kept an eye on their disappearing backs. The moment he confirmed that Yang Kai and the others had entered the Crouching Dragon Mountains, he raised his hand and issued an order, “Follow them!”
The surroundings zoomed past everyone as Yang Kai and his team, atop the Earth Dragon, advanced into the Crouching Dragon Mountains.
Yue He glanced back before elbowing Yang Kai, “Those guys are following us.”
Yang Kai let out a snort but there was no change in his expression. He just stared deep into the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountain. After having arrived here, he became certain that the Dragon Aura didn’t belong to a mere Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon. The aura was too pure to be coming from a Flood Dragon-type exotic beast. And this Dragon Aura was distributed over a wide range, even extending beyond the entire Crouching Dragon Mountain Range. More importantly, it was hidden very deeply, so apart from other Dragonkin, no one could detect it.
The Earth Dragon became even more excited as it moved forward. Impressively, its emotions gave the impression of a wanderer returning home.
As the Earth Dragon got closer, a sinister and fearsome aura surged from the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountain. Somehow, it felt as if a pair of invisible eyes filled with malice and rejection were staring in this direction.
It was none other than the Scarlet Flood Dragon residing deep in the Crouching Dragon Mountains.
The Earth Dragon wasn’t afraid though and its 300 metres long body twisted as its speed became faster. Its mouth began to squirm, spewing puddles of corrosive mucus, leaving huge potholes in its wake.
The next moment, a roar that resembled a Dragon’s roar yet wasn’t one echoed from up ahead. It was filled with warning and even the air became scorching hot.
The Earth Dragon momentarily paused as if it was afraid, but under Yang Kai’s prodding, it soon continued forward.
This move completely angered the Scarlet Flood Dragon and the next moment, a cloud of fire emerged from the Crouching Dragon Mountains together with deafening rumbles as a colossal figure approached.
From the distance, the exact appearance of the Scarlet Flood Dragon couldn’t be seen, but its fearsome aura could be felt. The Great Moon Province disciples turned pale in fright, stricken with panic. Even Yue He got a little nervous.
She couldn’t display her full strength in this place. If she encountered any danger, she could only protect herself and couldn’t spare any energy to take care of others.
She turned to look at Yang Kai, but seeing him so calm and even a bit distracted, thinking about something else, she couldn’t help but get angry.
“Hmm?” Suddenly, Yang Kai looked in a certain direction as if he noticed something. The next moment, his expression changed as he cried out in surprise, “Dragon Blood Flowers?”
While speaking, his figure flickered. After just a moment, his figure reappeared again, but there was a red flower in his hand.
The red flower was big, delicate, and fragrant. It gave the impression that it was watered with blood. Although it was just a flower, it gave everyone a sacrosanct feeling.
“Peak-Rank!” Yang Kai was greatly surprised.
“A Dragon Blood Flower?” Yue He also came over and muttered in surprise, “There are actually Dragon Blood Flowers here?” As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she naturally recognized the Dragon Blood Flower. Her cultivation might be higher than Yang Kai’s, but when it came to knowledge of Dragon Blood Flowers, it naturally wasn’t as thorough as Yang Kai’s.
Yang Kai remained silent. He had once pillaged all the Dragon Blood Flowers on Dragon Island in the Star Boundary, but most of the Dragon Blood Flowers he had obtained back then were either Mid-Rank or Low-Rank. Even High-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers weren’t numerous. As for Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers, there were only two, that’s all. But in this Crouching Dragon Mountain Range, the very first Dragon Blood Flower he came across happened to be Peak-Rank…
“Brother Yang, there’s more over there!” Meng Hong suddenly pointed in a certain direction.
As Yang Kai gazed along his finger, his pupils couldn’t help but shrink.
There was indeed a Dragon Blood Flower blooming on the slope in that direction, but that Dragon Blood Flower was even more delicate and beautiful than the one in his hand. Furthermore, there was a three-coloured halo over it.
[What’s the grade of this Dragon Blood Flower?] Yang Kai was confused.
He had never seen such a Dragon Blood Flower on Dragon Island.
“Wow, so many Dragon Blood Flowers!” Chen Yue screamed in surprise. At this moment, they were already deep within the Crouching Dragon Mountains, so wherever they looked, they found Dragon Blood Flowers growing.
As the Earth Dragon moved forward, it opened its mouth and swallowed Dragon Blood Flowers into its belly, one by one. After a while when it had eaten three or four flowers, it shook its head and waved its tail as if it was very satisfied.
Right then, a scorching heat wave blew in everyone’s faces as an enormous figure rushed out of the forest. The figure had two horns, was covered in red scales, and radiated a fearsome aura. It was none other than the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon that sent over a hundred members of Thunder Light packing.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon was furious. It opened its mouth and breathed a jet of scorching hot flames straight at the Earth Dragon.
Chen Yue screamed in horror, feeling the terrifying aura.
Yue He glanced at Yang Kai, who wrapped everyone in his energy, and flew off the Earth Dragon, hovering in the air.
When everyone looked below, the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon were already locked in a battle. These two colossal exotic beasts were rampaging through the forest with amazing momentum. Scorching flames and highly corrosive acid were continuously breathed and spewed. From time to time, they would bite a chunk of each other’s flesh. It was an earth-shattering battle.
In terms of size and momentum, these two exotic beasts were on par with each other, but judging through Yue He’s eyes, the Earth Dragon should not be the Scarlet Flood Dragon’s opponent. If things went on like this, the Earth Dragon would definitely lose.
In the air, Yang Kai gazed around with a profound look on his face.
When he picked the first Dragon Blood Flower, he had a bad premonition, and now, his premonition had come true.
There were who knows how many Dragon Blood Flowers growing in the Crouching Dragon Mountains. Furthermore, there weren’t any Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, or even High-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers at all. Most were Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flower while the grade of the remaining ones Yang Kai couldn’t make out at all.
Apart from the Dragon Blood Flowers, there were Dragon Ambergris Grasses, Dragon Blood Trees…
The entire Crouching Dragon Mountain was an enormous treasure trove, but the treasures here were all related to the Dragon Clan, which was extremely rare.
The Dragon Blood Flowers needed to be nurtured with the Dragon Blood for them to be able to grow. The same was true for the Dragon Blood Trees.
In other words, a member of the Dragon Clan might have fallen in this Crouching Dragon Mountain, spilling its blood over it; otherwise, so many Dragon Blood Flowers shouldn’t have grown here.
Whether it was the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon or the Earth Dragon, both of them possessed a faint Dragon Clan bloodline. Naturally, they were zealous about this place. Obviously, the Earth Dragon should have benefited from this place before and had never forgotten about it, but the Scarlet Flood Dragon was guarding this place, so it led Yang Kai here. Although its sentience was low, the Earth Dragon had made an instinctive choice.
“So many spirit flowers and grasses!” Suddenly, a pleasantly surprised cry rang as the Thunder Light members rushed over. Their Manager, Bie Jian’s eyes couldn’t help but beam with joy at the bountiful sight within the Crouching Dragon Mountains.
The Thunder Light group also looked excited. Many of them even shot a sarcastic look at Yang Kai.
Just now, Bie Jian had invited Yang Kai to team up with him to hunt the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, but he was rejected. Now, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon was preoccupied with the Earth Dragon, so they didn’t have to worry about anything at all.
“Spread out. Don’t miss a single thing. Pick them all!” Bie Jian waved his hand as the hundred or so Thunder Light members scattered.
Looking at Yang Kai with a smile, Bie Jian stated, “Many thanks, Little Brother. If you didn’t bring this exotic beast here, things would have been really difficult for us.”
Arrogance and ridicule were perfectly visible in his smile.
Yang Kai glanced at him as he put away the Dragon Blood Flower in his hand into his Sealed World Bead. Next, he flicked his sleeve and indifferently stated, “It’s a little early to thank me.”
Bie Jian furrowed his brow. Although he could make out some hidden meaning in Yang Kai’s words, he didn’t care about it; after all, there were over a hundred Thunder Light members with him. Why would he be afraid of Yang Kai and his small group?
The Great Moon Province disciples were a little vexed; after all, it was really frustrating to have been taken advantage of by others in such a blatant manner. They wanted to pick some Dragon Blood Flowers, but seeing Yang Kai and Yue He not making any moves, they didn’t dare to take action.
The Earth Dragon and Scarlet Flood Dragon were still locked in a heated battle. These two should have fought with each other before as they were quite familiar with each other’s fighting style. This battle was simply phenomenal. Every time they attacked each other, it created an earth-shaking momentum.
Yang Kai didn’t intervene. So, Yue He and the others could only watch the battle from the sideline. Even Bie Jian was watching with great interest. At the same time, he was a little curious about how Yang Kai subdued the Earth Dragon.
In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, subduing such an exotic beast would be quite advantageous. Although its appearance was ugly, it could at least guarantee some extra safety.
Time ticked by, and after an hour, the members of Thunder Light returned one after another. They were all beaming with joy. Obviously, their harvest was excellent. Bie Jian, after chatting with the elderly man from before, even started laughing very happily.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, everyone had returned.
Bie Jian glanced at the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon who were still fighting, then bid goodbye to Yang Kai with a smile, “Little Brother, this King will be taking his leave. Until next time!”
This time, they had hit it big thanks to Yang Kai, so in his opinion, Yang Kai was not only stupid but his lucky charm as well.
“What’s the hurry!” Yang Kai finally turned to look at him.
Bie Jian asked with a smile, “Little Brother, do you need anything?”
“You can go, but leave the treasures behind!” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Just as he said this, Bie Jian’s expression became extremely strange. Even Yue He speechlessly looked at Yang Kai, wondering what he was doing.
The Thunder Light cultivators all looked at him like he was a lunatic.
Bie Jian held his smile back and pretended to ask, “Little Brother, what did you just say? This King didn’t hear it clearly!”
Yang Kai repeated, “I said you guys can go, but you must leave everything you collected behind. Everything on these mountains belongs to me!”
After a long silence, an eruption of laughter echoed across the mountains.
Many of the Thunder Light cultivators broke into laughter, holding their stomachs, like they had heard the world’s funniest joke.
Bie Jian had the biggest smile on his face as he quipped, “Little Brother, you really know how to joke.”
“You think I’m joking with you?” Yang Kai indifferently looked at him.
Bie Jian’s face slowly turned colder, “I don’t care if you are joking or not, but some things are better not said or they might bring trouble to you.” After a pause, he sarcastically smiled, “Besides, why would my Thunder Light members leave their things behind? Just because you said so?”
“Of course not…” Yang Kai raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The next moment, the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, who had been locked in a fierce battle, suddenly separated as if they had received an absolute command. Then, they rushed straight towards the Thunder Light group and sandwiched them.
The enormous mouth of the Earth Dragon was squirming continuously, dripping corrosive acid. Its head was hung below as if it was picking whom to devour. As for the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, it stood arrogantly, breathing scorching flames through its snout.
Instantly, everyone fell silent.
“Because of these two.” Yang Kai’s voice echoed, “Are they enough?”
The Thunder Light members broke out into cold sweats. They took a defensive stance as if they were facing their nemesis. Bie Jian turned livid as disbelief filled his being and his face madly twitched.
Even Yue He could not help but cover her luscious red lips. Meng Hong was mouth agape as well, staring blankly at the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon that was several hundred metres long.
Although he had witnessed the Earth Dragon surrendering to Yang Kai with his own eyes, how could he have ever expected the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon to be obedient as well? Just a moment ago, it was fighting a life-and-death battle with the Earth Dragon, but the next moment, it was doing Yang Kai’s bidding.
Not to mention, Yang Kai hadn’t done anything since he arrived here. [Could it be that this Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon is a prior acquaintance of Yang Kai’s? But this is the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, that makes no sense.]
Meng Hong was confused and unable to find any explanation.
Bie Jian looked at Earth Dragon and then looked at the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, grinding his teeth hard. Previously, just the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon had utterly routed their hundred-member team, and now, with the Earth Dragon, which was no less inferior to the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, joining the mix, they would be lucky if half of their Thunder Light group could escape alive.
[How did it turn out like this? How can this brat make two exotic beasts obey him?]
Although things had taken a turn for the worse, he was still a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Master and had his own sense of dignity. It was impossible for him to bow just like that, so he instead praised with a sullen face, “Little Brother, your Beast Taming methods are superb. It’s truly admirable!”
He thought that Yang Kai was proficient in some kind of beast-taming technique; otherwise, he was unable to explain the situation before him. Bie Jian couldn’t help but grow jealous and envious. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was full of Ancient Exotic Beasts, and since Yang Kai could ride the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, controlling other exotic beasts should be a snap for him. With such unique skills, this boy wouldn’t have to fear anyone in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary at all. All he needed to do was call forth an army of exotic beasts and command them to trample his enemies while he sat back and reaped the rewards.
“This time, I admit it is my Thunder Light’s loss.” Bie Jian cupped his fists, “Little Brother, how about we leave half?”
Yang Kai loudly shouted, “Enough with the nonsense. Everything on this mountain is mine. Don’t even think about taking even a blade of grass from here!”
Yang Kai might have compromised had it been other types of precious treasures, but everything on this mountain was related to the Dragon Clan, so how could he let it go? Especially these Dragon Blood Flowers which were very useful to him.
Bie Jian’s face sank, “Little Brother, if you show proper respect, it will be helpful for you in the future. Why do something like this?”
Yang Kai gazed at him from the corner of his eyes, “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll keep your Space Rings too.”
The Thunder Light members were immediately incensed and many people’s faces turned dark. Bie Jian was also fuming with anger and could not wait to rush out and fight Yang Kai to death to maintain his face. But as soon as his gaze fell upon the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, forming an impenetrable wall around them, all he could do was choke down his anger.
Clashing under these conditions would be disadvantageous for Thunder Light.
As their gazes met, Bie Jian found impatience filling Yang Kai’s eyes, so after a brief hesitation, Bie Jian finally heaved a sigh, “Leave everything. Let’s go!”
Yang Kai warned in a calm and composed manner, “Don’t think about hiding anything. When you were collecting things, I made note of every item that you gathered. The consequences of concealing things from me are not something you can withstand.”
Bie Jian was so incensed he broke out into laughter, “Little Brother, the rivers of the mountain eventually meet! We will see each other again!”
Thunder Light was a great force in the Star City and they had far more than the hundred members who were currently here. So, although they had suffered a loss this time, as long as he could gather the full strength of Thunder Light, they wouldn’t need to fear Yang Kai.
Yang Kai kept nodding, “I too hope that we can meet again.”
A shadow of a smile appeared on Bie Jian’s face, “We will. Definitely.”
After deeply staring at Yang Kai, he turned and left. The Thunder Light members put down the precious treasures they had collected in the Crouching Dragon Mountain Range as well and hurriedly followed.
In just a few dozen breaths, the hundred Thunder Light cultivators had completely departed.
Yang Kai finally stepped forward and put the Dragon Blood Flowers and other precious treasures away. During the entire process, the Earth Dragon’s wriggling mouth was constantly dripping as if it was greedy for them. Chen Yue and Yue He’s skin crawled at the sight of this; they were afraid that this brainless beast couldn’t take it and would devour Yang Kai.
On the other hand, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s eyes flickered with almost human-like distress.
Judging by this, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s sentience was far more developed than the Earth Dragon’s.
“Don’t feel bad, I’ll give you something better later,” Yang Kai raised his hand and patted the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s head. Whereupon, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon’s head slumped in dejection.
“What just happened?” Yue He stepped forward and asked, frowning.
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai didn’t even look up.
“Don’t play dumb.” Yue He glared at him, “What’s going on with the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon?”
Yang Kai gave an arbitrary reply, “I must have conquered it with my awesome charisma again.”
Yue He ground her teeth in anger, “Do you know that sometimes I just want to punch your face?”
Yang Kai ignored her and exhorted, “I will be venturing deep into the mountains. You all stay here. Don’t run around. I might be gone for a few days, so while I’m not here, Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei will protect you.”
“Xiao Hong? Xiao Hei?” Yue He was stunned for a moment before she understood. Yang Kai was referring to the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Dragon, which left her speechless.
Much to her surprise, these two majestic exotic beasts had been given such simple and childish names…
Yang Kai was decisive, however, and started rushing towards the depths of the mountains immediately, disappearing in the blink of an eye while leaving Yue He glaring in his direction.
Chen Yue straightened her clothes and approached, “Big Sister Yue He… with Senior Brother Yang gone, they wouldn’t become aggressive and eat us, would they?” While speaking, she glanced at the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon in worry.
Yue He rebuked angrily, “You are so soft and tender, so if they are going to eat us, you will definitely be first!”
Chen Yue’s face turned pale.
In the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountains, Yang Kai had a serious look on his face. When the Earth Dragon and Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon were fighting, he was communicating with the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon via Divine Sense. The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon was highly sentient, a step or two above the Earth Dragon. It might not have reached the point of having normal conversation, but it could communicate little details like a young child.
And through these little conversations and slight release of his Dragon Pressure, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon recognized its situation and surrendered just like the Earth Dragon.
According to the information from the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, the Crouching Dragon Mountains was originally Xiao Hei’s home. It had arrived afterwards, but as it was stronger than Xiao Hei, it snatched this treasure land.
That was the reason Xiao Hei was obsessed with the Crouching Dragon Mountains. It was to the point that Xiao Hei immediately brought Yang Kai here after sensing the pure Dragon Aura inside him, expecting Yang Kai to stand up against the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon for it.
The Dragon Blood Flowers grown in the Crouching Dragon Mountain Range were beneficial for both of these beasts’ growth.
In addition, Yang Kai had also inquired about other things from the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon.
On the Crouching Dragon Mountains, the Dragon Aura was stronger the deeper one went. Whether it was the Earth Dragon or the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon, neither of them had ventured more than a few hundred kilometres deep as they couldn’t bear the Pureblood Dragon Aura after that. The overwhelming Dragon Pressure would immobilize them once they passed a certain region.
This information caught Yang Kai’s attention.
Various signs indicated a high possibility of a True Dragon’s remains lying deep inside the Crouching Dragon Mountains.
Furthermore, these remains didn’t belong to any ordinary Dragon, otherwise, it would be impossible for the mountain to be full of Dragon Blood Flowers and Trees, and for the Dragon Blood Flowers to reach at least the Peak Rank.
Although Yang Kai was Human, he possessed the Golden Divine Dragon Source since he was but a novice in cultivation. Over the years, he kept on cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art and now Dragon Blood flowed through his veins, making him essentially a Dragonkin. In truth, Yang Kai saw himself as part of the Dragon Clan.
It would have been fine if he wasn’t aware of it before, but now that he knew about this priceless treasure, he couldn’t let these True Dragon’s remains keep lying here unprotected. He had to collect them on behalf of the Dragon Clan.
Otherwise, if other people got their hands on these Dragon remains, it might cause trouble.
Yang Kai kept venturing deeper into the mountain range, carefully sensing the intensity of the Dragon Aura.
At some point, Yang Kai abruptly came to a halt and stared at his feet.
He could feel that the Dragon Aura was the strongest here, so it was likely the True Dragon’s remains were right below him.
Yang Kai heaved a deep breath before squatting down and then jumping into the air. The next moment, he flipped and fell straight towards the ground with his head down and feet up.
Mid-air, he reached out and clasped, summoning the Azure Dragon Spear into his hand. Immediately afterwards, his figure started rotating like a top.
Without any noise or commotion, a hole appeared on the ground out of nowhere while Yang Kai was found nowhere to be seen. He was now drilling several dozen metres each breath.
The further he drilled, the stronger the Dragon Aura grew.
After three hundred metres or so the Dragon Aura’s intensity rose to another level. The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon would really not be able to bear this kind of bloodline suppression with their current bloodline purity.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had drilled another thousand metres, whereupon the Dragon Aura jumped to another level.
The Azure Dragon Spear became excited as a faint Dragon Aura resounded from it.
The Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon up above shivered as they slumped on the ground the next moment.
Yang Kai kept drilling into the ground without joy or sadness.
After some time, he couldn’t feel any resistance from his spear and suddenly felt that he had fallen into an empty space.
He immediately put away his spear and flipped right-side-up. It was pitch-black all around him, so he couldn’t see anything, but he did scan the area with his Divine Sense, and the next moment, a look of surprise filled his face.
Yang Kai discovered that he was actually inside an enormous body, but one that lacked all vitality. Furthermore, there was a huge tear from the direction he came from. Apparently, before this Dragon’s death, this enormous figure had fought against a very powerful enemy.
[It really is the remains of a True Dragon!]
Yang Kai’s face turned solemn as he slowly closed his eyes and released his Divine Sense to check the condition of the Dragon’s remains.
This investigation gave him quite a bit of shock. Only after an incense stick worth of time did he finally open his eyes, astonishment filling his face.
This True Dragon was over 10,000 metres long, essentially spanning the entire length of the Crouching Dragon Mountains’ core region. It could even be said that the Crouching Dragon Mountain’s geography was the result of this corpse.
A 10,000-metre-long Great Dragon!
Yang Kai was dumbfounded. When he took his own Half-Dragon form, he stood some 2,000 metres tall or so, which could already be considered quite impressive, but compared to this Great Dragon, it was like the difference between a grandfather and his grandkid. It was ten times bigger than him.
Who knew how long ago this Great Dragon had died? Who knows what kind of fierce battle it fought before its death? From what Yang Kai could tell, its entire body was covered in wounds, many of which were extremely terrifying and pierced straight through it. If not for this fact, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been able to enter its belly with such ease.
Xiao Hong – Little Red
Xiao Hei – Little Black
A 10,000 metres long Great Dragon was buried under the Crouching Dragon Mountains, and over the years, its blood had completely drained.
However, even after so many years, the Great Dragon’s corpse showed no signs of decay. It was quite evident that its physique was extremely resilient. It only looked dry and desiccated because of a lack of blood. Furthermore, Yang Kai also found that the Great Dragon was missing many of its organs.
From the horrifying wounds all over its body, it wasn’t difficult to imagine what a terrifying battle it must have fought before its death.
The carcass of such a Great Dragon was full of treasure even after countless years. The Dragon Scales, Dragon Bones, and Dragon Tendons could all be used for Artifact Refining, making its value immeasurable.
What Yang Kai couldn’t figure out was who or what had killed this Great Dragon. Judging by its size, it must have been tremendously powerful, yet it still perished in battle. What’s more, from the shape of its wounds, its opponent should not have been small either.
The Dragon Clan was the Head of Myriad Spirits, so who could threaten it? Even someone as strong as Mie Meng was imprisoned by the Dragon Clan.
Suddenly, Yang Kai thought of an entity, one that was called the nemesis of the Dragon Clan, treating Dragons as prey!
It was absolutely impossible for a member of the Dragon Clan as strong as this to be a native of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. It was very likely that it was sucked into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, just as he was, and after arriving here, it succumbed to its injuries.
Yang Kai was just making speculations though and had no way to find out the truth.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s attention was drawn to something.
He noticed unusual energy fluctuations coming from somewhere inside the Dragon’s body, so he started moving along it in the direction of the energy fluctuations.
After an incense stick of time, Yang Kai finally reached the location of the source, a sphere the size of a basin. The sphere was perfectly round and gave off a light brown glow.
The Dragon Blood in Yang Kai’s body boiled as he stood before the ball in a daze for a while before his eyes lit up, “A Dragon Bead!”
Every True Dragon had a Dragon Bead, an essential part of their foundation. Just like a Monster Beasts’ Monster Core, the Dragon Bead was where Dragons stored their Spiritual Essence.
The Dragon carcass was buried here for countless years, and although Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong could tell that there was something strange below ground, they couldn’t reach it because of the bloodline suppression, so the Dragon Bead had remained untouched to this day.
What surprised Yang Kai was that this Dragon Bead was actually an Earth Attribute treasure!
And what he desperately needed now was an Earth Attribute material!
Of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, Yang Kai had already condensed his Wood and Fire Elements. Wood stoked Fire, and Fire gave birth to Earth. So, the next Element he had to condense was Earth. Previously, Yang Kai had been thinking about where he could find a suitable Earth Element. He had inquired about it many times, but unfortunately, he had been unable to find anything. He had never expected his quest to end here.
But whether this Dragon Bead met his requirements or not was yet to be tested.
[It should be okay.] Yang Kai thought in his heart; after all, this Great Dragon was 10,000 metres long before its death, so the quality of its Dragon Bead couldn’t be poor.
Yang Kai reached out towards the Dragon Bead.
The moment he came in contact with it, a fearsome Dragon Pressure radiated from it. The next moment, a vivid illusion of a fierce-looking Great Dragon charging straight at him like it was going to swallow him in one bite appeared.
Yang Kai shivered and promptly stimulated his Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength. With a great dragon roar, the illusion collapsed.
Immediately after, a gentle and heavy Power of Earth came from the Dragon Bead. Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile, feeling the purity and richness of this Earth Element.
Yang Kai’s guess was right. The Power of Earth in the Dragon Bead indeed met his criteria. Although he didn’t know how to determine its Order, he could tell that it wasn’t any inferior to the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
[This is really wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet!] Yang Kai had the urge to throw back his head and laugh towards the Heavens.
This discovery alone made his trip to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary worthwhile!
Rubbing his hands, Yang Kai respectfully bowed to the huge Dragon Bead as he spoke, “Senior, you have been dead for many years, so it would be a waste for your Dragon Bead to remain here. Today, this Junior will take the liberty to borrow Senior’s Dragon Bead. If my cultivation someday succeeds, I will not bring disgrace to the Senior’s prestige!”
After saying so, Yang Kai rubbed his hands and circled around the Dragon Bead a few times. After he found a more comfortable position, he sat down cross-legged and placed his hands on the Dragon Bead. He closed his eyes and prompted his Dao Seal to absorb the Power of Earth in the Dragon Bead.
In an instant, the Dragon Bead started glowing brighter as the rich Power of Earth that had been collecting dust for many millennia flowed along Yang Kai’s palms and madly poured into him like he was a whale swallowing water.
There were only two colours, black and green, in Yang Kai’s Dao Seal, but as he absorbed the Power of Earth, a khaki-coloured wisp was gradually being added to it, giving onlookers a thick and robust feeling.
The Earth Element’s speciality was defence. Not to mention that it was the Dragon Bead energy of a 10,000-metre-long Great Dragon.
Slowly, Yang Kai forgot himself and the outside world, completely devoting himself to refining this Earth Element.
Days passed by one by one. Outside, Yue He and the others found a spot and set up camp. As they were guarded by Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong, no one dared to trouble them. Occasionally, some cultivators would pass by, but seeing the two vicious exotic beasts, they would immediately keep their distance.
But Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong were like natural enemies. They were very unreasonable. They often got entangled with each other for some inexplicable reason and started fighting. Fortunately, they had a sense of propriety and never fought to the death. But these kinds of battles would inevitably result in injuries.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by. Everyone had passed this time at ease and leisure, but the fact that Yang Kai wasn’t back yet made Yue He a little worried.
Before Yang Kai had left, he too had said that he would return in three to five days, but now, half a month had passed and he was nowhere to be found. Yue He was becoming worried and restless.
Just as she was about to venture deeper to investigate, she suddenly felt the World Energy flow change.
Upon silently sensing it, the source was the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountains, which was the direction Yang Kai left in. It made Yue He slightly frown, wondering, [What is he doing there? What is taking him so long? Now, he has even caused the flow of World Energy to change.]
But because of this, she could say for sure that Yang Kai was safe and sound.
Over the next few days, the change in World Energy became more and more obvious. It had turned into a World Energy tide as if there was a behemoth breathing in the aura of the entire Crouching Dragon Mountain Range. And every time it breathed, it also caused a World Energy turbulence within a thousand kilometres.
Suddenly, Yue He looked shocked!
Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong also stopped fighting as they looked towards the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountain. Obviously, they too had sensed something.
Suddenly, a Dragon Roar reverberated through the world, reaching the highest Heavens.
Yue He and others turned their heads and looked in that direction in unison while Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong’s reaction was even more exaggerated as they directly prostrated on the ground, trembling.
Chen Yue leaned over and nervously asked, “Senior, what was that?”
Yue He solemnly replied, “A Dragon Roar!”
Meng Hong asked in shock, “There’s a True Dragon there?”
Yue He furrowed his brow before her figure moved, “You guys stay here, I’ll go take a look.”
Saying so, her figure disappeared into thin air.
In the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountains, Yang Kai was still sitting with his legs crossed, maintaining his previous posture, but at this moment, his clothes were dancing in the air even when there was no wind blowing here. Even his black hair was dancing.
His body was surrounded by a tri-coloured glow. The essence of the vibrant Immortal Tree, the unstoppable Golden Crow’s True Fire, and the thick and heavy energy of the Dragon Bead, the three energies were circling around Yang Kai like three rings of light, rotating endlessly.
The huge Dragon Bead in front of him was now dull and bleak. The Power of Earth that had been stored in it for countless years had been absorbed down to the last strand by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai finally opened his eyes, which were full of brilliance at the moment.
With a cracking sound, the huge Dragon Bead shattered into dust and dissipated.
Yang Kai slowly stood up and gently clenched his fists. He could clearly feel that his body was filled with explosive power. He scanned his body and found the Power of Wood, Fire, and Earth in his Dao Seal were coexisting perfectly, mutually promoting and restraining each other.
His body shook as the three coloured rings around his body dissipated as everything returned to normal.
Yang Kai slightly furrowed his brow.
The process of gathering the Power of Earth this time could be said to be extremely smooth. It was much easier than when he was condensing the Golden Crow’s True Fire. It might be because he was familiar with the process now, or it may be related to the Dragon Bead itself.
Yang Kai could be considered as a member of the Dragon Clan, so he had a unique advantage in gathering the energy of the Dragon Bead.
Furthermore, Yang Kai vaguely felt that not only had he successfully absorbed the Power of Earth in the Dragon Bead, but he also seemed to have gained something else.
Yang Kai stretched his hand out and pointed towards the front. The next moment, a prismatic yellowish-brown shield appeared out of thin air. Even though it looked as thin as a cicada’s wing, Yang Kai could feel that it was extremely strong and robust.
This was the Innate Dragon Technique found in the Dragon Bead!
Yang Kai raised his brow at this sight. Although he had entered the Dragon Palace on Dragon Island of the Star Boundary, and practised many Secret Techniques of the Dragon Clan with the help of his Golden Divine Dragon Source, at the end of the day, what he was doing was just imitation and it took him a lot of time and effort to use these techniques.
But now, he could cast this Dragon Technique at will, just like it was his own Innate Divine Ability. Not only was it fast, but its consumption was almost negligible.
Yang Kai sunk into his thoughts. [I guess this Innate Dragon Technique was mastered by this 10,000-metres-long Great Dragon, and now I have inherited it. What’s more, it should not be just this one technique. There should be some more, but I have just gathered this Earth Element, so I can only slowly comprehend these techniques.]
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think, [I now possess the Innate Dragon Techniques of a 10,000-metre Great Dragon after absorbing its Dragon Bead. So what about the Golden Crow’s True Fire? Are there any Secret Techniques in the Golden Crow’s True Fire? And then there is also the Immortal Tree’s essence, I might learn something from it too, right?]
[I will need time to test these theories. I shouldn’t hurry.]
After settling his mood, Yang Kai looked around.
After having gathered the Earth Element, the next thing to do was to collect this Great Dragon’s carcass.
The Dragon’s corpse was 10,000 metres long and buried deep under the Crouching Dragon Mountain. For ordinary people, just coming here would have been extremely difficult while no Space Ring was big enough to fit it unless the dragon carcass was dismembered and taken into separate rings.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had the Sealed World Bead!
Suddenly, deafening rumbles started coming from deep below the Crouching Dragon Mountains before they began collapsing. It looked as if the world was coming to an end. The disciples of Great Moon Province promptly flew into the air, watching in amazement.
Right before their eyes, the ground below them sank as the entire mountain range collapsed. They had no idea what just happened.
The dust took a long while to settle, but before it could, a figure flew out from the underground. The figure’s face was pale and was panting for breath. It was none other than Yang Kai who had disappeared twenty days ago.
Yue He, who had been searching for Yang Kai, rushed over immediately and supported him as she asked, “Are you alright?”
Yang Kai glanced at her before shaking his head, “I’m fine!”
Taking a 10,000-metre-long Dragon carcass into the Sealed World Bead was very exhausting for him. Fortunately, the Great Dragon had been dead for many years and had lost much of its natural energies; otherwise, his consumption would have been even greater. He was already on his last leg now, feeling as if his entire strength had been drained.
“Where did you go and for what? Why hasn’t anyone seen you these days?” Yue He asked angrily, carrying him back.
Yang Kai just grinned and didn’t answer, causing Yue He to snort in anger.
Even though she had no idea what Yang Kai had been doing these days, the moment she glanced at him, she had a vague feeling that he was a lot stronger than before.
[He shouldn’t have been sitting idle these days. He should have run into some kind of opportunity.]
Having returned to the camp, Yang Kai stuffed some pills into his mouth and slowly recovered.
When he opened his eyes again, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon were prostrating on the ground, eagerly looking at him.
Yue He was rendered speechless at this sight, “Are these two staring at you for Dragon Blood Flowers?”
Yang Kai stated in an annoyed voice, “You two gluttons. Just wait a moment!”
Saying so, he immediately took out an Alchemy Furnace.
The Dragon Blood Flower must be refined into Dragon Blood Pills in order to maximize its medical efficacy. It would be a waste to just swallow the flowers raw, especially when the Dragon Blood Flowers harvested this time were so extraordinary. Most of them had reached Peak-Rank, with quite a number of them even having surpassed that grade. How could Yang Kai see them simply wasted?
Each Dragon Blood Flower was extremely rare and precious. Who knows when he would find another one?
“You also know Alchemy?” Yue He sceptically looked at him.
Yang Kai replied without even lifting his head, “This King can do many things.”
Yue He couldn’t help but scoff and ignored him.
While speaking, Yang Kai had already taken out a bunch of herbs, all of which were the auxiliary ingredients for the Dragon Blood Pill he had picked from the medicine garden.
When he checked what he had obtained from the Thunder Light, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel elated.
Previously, he was anxious to explore the depths of the Crouching Dragon Mountains, so he didn’t check his gains carefully. But after inspecting them now, Yang Kai found that he had gained hundreds of Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers while those that had surpassed Peak-Rank were even more numerous. Each of these flowers either had a three, five, or seven-coloured halo. Yang Kai had no idea how to differentiate their grades, but there were at least a thousand of them.
Just from this, he could imagine how strong the Great Dragon that died beneath the Crouching Dragon Mountains was. Only the blood of a Great Dragon could cultivate Dragon Blood Flowers of this level.
Yang Kai took out two Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers and two Dragon Blood Flowers surrounded by three coloured lights.
To maximize the efficacy, he put the herbs into the pill furnace and refined them one by one.
When he was on Dragon Island, Yang Kai refined many Dragon Blood Pills. Although he hadn’t refined them for many years, he had not forgotten the process.
His every action and every movement was smooth and practised. Yue He was amazed. She found out that Yang Kai really knew Alchemy; furthermore, he was quite proficient in it.
Gradually, a tempting fragrance spread from the furnace.
Xiao He and Xiao Hong started to become more and more eager. Especially Xiao Hei, whose sticky saliva was dripping from its mouth like a river. For exotic beasts like them who carried Dragon Clan bloodlines, the Dragon Blood Pill’s fragrance could make them go crazy. They might have rushed over and snatched it right away had Yang Kai not been sitting there.
After half a day, the first batch of the Dragon Blood Pills was refined. When the pills were condensed, a faint Dragon Roar resounded from the Alchemy Furnace, surprising Yue He.
The first batch resulted in a total of nine pills. Yang Kai casually threw one into his mouth to check its efficacy and found it to be satisfactory. Although he hadn’t performed any Alchemy in many years, his skills had not degraded. The medicinal efficacy of the Dragon Blood Flower and many auxiliary ingredients had been completely concentrated.
Right then, two obscure Divine Senses reached him, expressing desire. The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon were growing impatient and were restlessly fidgeting.
Yang Kai chuckled before throwing a pill at each of them, which immediately made the two exotic beasts calm down.
For the next ten days, Yang Kai focused on refining Dragon Blood Pills. He had obtained far too many Dragon Blood Flowers though, so by his estimate, he believed that even if he continued performing Alchemy for an entire year non-stop, he still wouldn’t be able to refine all of them.
While performing Alchemy, Yang Kai was constantly taking the Dragon Blood Pills to purify his Dragon Clan bloodline. Yang Kai could clearly feel his bloodline improving, but as he hadn’t utilized the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, he couldn’t tell the difference for the time being.
At the same time, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon became more and more submissive. Taking the Dragon Blood Pills was more efficient than directly eating the Dragon Blood Flowers raw, and these two exotic beasts were especially keen about this.
Even Yue He and Great Moon Province disciples had gotten a few Dragon Blood Pills, though they didn’t dare to swallow them directly. Rather under Yang Kai’s advice, they dissolved them in water and consumed one pill over several days.
Dragon Blood Pills could be used to purify a Dragon Clan bloodline, but they could also strengthen a normal person’s physique. However, the Dragon Blood Pill’s efficacy was too overbearing, so ordinary people couldn’t stand it. So, they could only use it in a diluted form.
Yang Kai finally stopped after about ten days.
It wasn’t that he was tired from refining, but rather that he had run out of auxiliary ingredients.
Even though there were many herbs in his medicine garden, made nearly inexhaustible thanks to the two Wood Spirits managing the garden, the growth of herbs still required time.
After more than ten days of continuous refining, all the mature auxiliary ingredients needed for the Dragon Blood Pill had been picked clean. So naturally, Yang Kai couldn’t continue.
Regarding his stay in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai had been planning to just go with the flow, not desiring anything in particular.
But now, not only he had found a lot of Dragon Blood Flowers whose grade had surpassed Peak-Rank, and even obtained a precious Earth Element, he realized that this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was a huge treasure trove.
If he could find a suitable Earth Element here, he might also find suitable Metal, Water, and even Yin and Yang materials here!
If he could gather all the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, he could break through to the Open Heaven Realm Master after leaving this place! At that time, he might be able to stand tall in the Outer Universe and have the strength to protect himself.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be filled with anticipation for what the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary held for him.
But no matter what, the opportunities would not come to him if he remained here. Not to mention, he also needed to search for the auxiliary ingredients for refining Dragon Blood Pills. He had been staying here in this Crouching Dragon Mountain for over a month, so without any hesitation, he called everyone over and set out right away.
When he arrived here, Yang Kai had used the Earth Dragon as a mount, but now, it had been replaced by the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon.
Compared to the Earth Dragon, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon was undoubtedly more imposing and far more suitable for riding. At least it wasn’t covered in sticky mucus or smelled bad.
Xiao Hei was obviously a little disappointed…
The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was indeed filled with resources. Yang Kai had gathered many precious treasures along the way, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to Yang Kai’s needs.
Today, Yang Kai and his group were crossing a foggy forest, searching for various herbs. It had been seven or eight days since everyone had entered the forest, but because they had no destination, they weren’t in a hurry to leave.
Suddenly, Yue He came over and asked, “Did you notice that we have been running into more and more people these days?”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “En.”
When they had first entered the forest, they hadn’t run into anyone, but over the last two days, they had frequently encountered small groups of cultivators.
Some people were startled by the appearance of the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon and immediately attacked them. Fortunately, Yang Kai stopped them in time and avoided some unnecessary troubles.
“What do you want to say?” Yang Kai looked at Yue He.
Yue He’s pretty eyes gleamed as she replied, “It means that either these people were drawn here by some treasure, or there are a lot of people gathered nearby.”
“So, which one is the most likely possibility?” Yang Kai asked.
“What do you think?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before answering, “The latter. The people we met didn’t show any signs of being in a hurry; on the contrary, they were moving in an orderly manner, like they just came out from somewhere, which indicates that somewhere in this forest, there should be a gathering place for cultivators.”
Yue He agreed with a nod, “I think so too.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Then let’s go and take a look.”
Compared to searching for the herbs required for the Dragon Blood Pill themselves, it was easier and faster to trade for them with others. If cultivators were indeed camped somewhere in this forest, it was also a piece of good news for Yang Kai.
After searching in the direction where the cultivators were coming from, they came across a settlement.
Somewhere in the forest, there was a large open space. The travel-worn Yang Kai’s team were slightly lost when they caught sight of buildings before them.
Yang Kai failed to hold his laughter as he asked, “This is a part of Star City, right?”
The Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog had swallowed the entire Star City, but the Star City where Yang Kai and the others had landed first was just a small ruin. There were only 10,000 or so cultivators there at the time, which meant that when the Star City was sucked into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, it was broken apart under some mysterious force and scattered about.
Immediately after, a Beast Tide appeared where Yang Kai and the others landed, forcing everyone to flee for their lives and naturally, lose their shelter.
From one glance, it was clear that this part of the Star City was well preserved. What’s more, the cultivators living here had built many new buildings with the original Star City buildings as the core, occupying a large swath of land and forming a small city in this foggy forest. They had even built city walls around it.
There was a city gate from the direction the cultivators were coming from, one that was guarded and through which many people were entering and exiting.
After scanning with his Divine Sense, the life auras Yang Kai sensed in the city were as many as stars in the sky. There were at least 20,000 people residing here.
After suddenly finding a city filled with cultivators in this chaotic Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, everyone beamed with joy, no matter whether it was Yang Kai or the Great Moon Province disciples.
It was a bit troublesome to enter the city. Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong were too big and fierce-looking, so naturally, they couldn’t be brought inside.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to take them into the Sealed World Bead either. He had tried something similar before and knew that the Small Sealed World could only accommodate entities below the Open Heaven Realm. If he forcefully tried to accommodate anyone with the strength of the Open Heaven Realm, the Small Sealed World would risk collapsing.
And according to Yang Kai’s insight, whether it was Xiao Hei or Xiao Hong, they probably had strength comparable to Open Heaven Realm Masters. But because of the unique environment of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they could not display their full strength.
Fortunately, he also had the Six Fated Paths Bag. It might be a little small for them, but he had no choice but to squeeze them in.
He squeezed the two into the Six Fated Paths Bag whether they liked it or not, amazing Yue He; after all, even in the Outer Universe, not many artifacts could accommodate living creatures and each one was extremely rare and precious. She couldn’t even begin to guess where Yang Kai got this artifact.
After having done this, Yang Kai’s team of six finally made their way towards the city gate.
Unsurprisingly, they stopped at the entrance and needed to pay a hundred Open Heaven Pills to enter.
A hundred Open Heaven Pills was a large amount of wealth for any Emperor Realm cultivator, so Meng Hong’s heart ached. If it was before, Yang Kai wouldn’t have so many Open Heaven Pills either, but fortunately, he killed Old Xu of the Wind and Cloud Auction House, who was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and took his Space Ring. Old Xu was a powerful figure from a prosperous auction house, so his net worth was quite high.
The entrance fee of six hundred Open Heaven Pills wouldn’t put a dent in Yang Kai’s wallet, so he readily paid and entered the city.
Everyone couldn’t help but be dumbfounded after entering the city. When they first walked inside, they were surprised to find that it still retained the appearance of the former Star City; streets crowded with people, all kinds of shops everywhere, and stalls lining the streets selling all kinds of items.
If what they had faced over the past few days wasn’t still fresh in their minds, everyone would have thought that they had entered a typical Star City in the Outer Universe, rather than someplace in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Along the way, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense remained active, and whenever he found the herbs he required, he would buy them right away.
It was a rare opportunity to find such a settlement of cultivators, so Yang Kai splurged and shopped a lot. All the Dragon Blood Flowers had been picked, so he needed to refine them into Dragon Blood Pills as soon as possible in order to ensure that they didn’t lose their medicinal efficacy. Yang Kai believed that he would need to stay in this city and refine pills for a long time.
After sweeping several streets of herbs, he had gained a huge number of necessary ingredients.
Everyone else had kept their ears open all along the way, learning that a great force called Scarlet Star was in control of this small city. Scarlet Star was just like Thunder Light, one of the former three great forces that controlled the previous Star City. Scarlet Star’s luck was relatively good as well as they didn’t encounter any kind of attack after their section of the Star City was swallowed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog. Only a few exotic beasts came to attack them sporadically, which were easily defeated. As a result, they gained a lot of fame and thereby, took over this place, becoming the ruler of the surrounding region.
Today, the one who maintained order in this Star City, the one who made rules here, and the one who was charging exorbitant fees at the city gate was Scarlet Star. By occupying such a large piece of land in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Scarlet Star could reap benefits just by sitting back and waiting.
In this city, Scarlet Star members were like local tyrants. No one dared to provoke them.
After roaming around the city for a long while and buying many herbs, Yang Kai finally led everyone to an inn to rest.
At first, they wanted to take six rooms, but unfortunately, the rooms available were quite few, so in the end, they could only get three.
Yang Kai took a room to himself; after all, he would be refining pills for a long time and couldn’t be disturbed. Yue He and Chen Yue took another room, and the remaining room was taken by Meng Hong and Great Moon Province disciples.
After everything was decided, everyone went to their rooms and closed their doors. Yang Kai handed over all his Open Heaven Pills to Meng Hong beforehand and told him to visit the Star City if he had the time and buy the required herbs when he found them. As long as the price wasn’t too expensive, he had complete discretion.
Naturally, Meng Hong readily agreed; after all, this wasn’t a difficult task. As for the herbs Yang Kai required, he had been Yang Kai all this time and remembered them well.
The days from then on were uneventful.
Yang Kai remained in his room, opening all the barriers so he could focus on Alchemy. Day after day, batches of Dragon Blood Pills were refined.
Yang Kai didn’t remain idle while he was practising Alchemy though and would take Dragon Blood Pills from time to time to purify his bloodline. Even Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong, who were kept inside the Fated Paths Bag, got to eat a lot.
Every seven or eight days, Meng Hong would come over and deliver the purchased herbs to Yang Kai’s room.
It was only at this moment that Yang Kai would temporarily take a rest and chat with Meng Hong to understand the situation outside.
From Meng Hong, Yang Kai learned that this Star City was managed quite well by Scarlet Star. After many people came to know that there was such a place in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, where cultivators were gathered and safety was provided, people flocked to join.
The most obvious indication of this rise in population was through the rising price of the inn. The price had already risen thrice in less than a month and now a room was more than double the cost of when they first arrived. Still, the inn was completely full every day.
Scarlet Star was also growing bigger and bigger as many people wanted to join but couldn’t!
Because the Star City was located in the foggy forest, it was surrounded by abundant natural resources, so no matter which direction one searched, they would find something if they were lucky.
Rumour had it that someone had obtained Fifth-Order and even Sixth-Order Open Heaven materials! As for Fourth-Order, they were nearly endless. This was a huge temptation for any Emperor Realm cultivator. Compared to the other harvests such as precious herbs and treasures, Open Heaven materials of these Orders were far more valuable.
What the Emperor Realm cultivators needed most now were these Open Heaven materials. It was true that they couldn’t break through to the Open Heaven Realm in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but as long as one could accumulate enough here, they could reach the Open Heaven Realm the moment they left the Grand Ancient Ruins.
Therefore, countless cultivators formed teams and went out to obtain the cultivation resources they needed.
Many people had their wishes fulfilled, but some people encountered a crisis and never returned!
The Martial Dao had always been like this though. Only after endless struggles and overcoming various obstacles, what one finally sees might not necessarily be the fruits of their labour, but death.
Today, Meng Hong delivered Yang Kai many herbs.
Yang Kai thanked him and stated, “You don’t need to bring any more.”
After non-stop Alchemy for three months, Yang Kai had finally consumed almost all of the Dragon Blood Flowers. He had refined thousands of Dragon Blood Pills, using a small portion of them before storing the rest in his Space Ring. Presumably, it would take him years to finish refining all these pills.
Meng Hong casually nodded.
Yang Kai added, “Have the Open Heaven Pills I gave you run out?”
Although he got a windfall after plundering Old Xu’s Space Ring, the cost of buying so many herbs for such a long time would definitely not be small. At first, Yang Kai was a little worried that his Open Heaven Pills would be insufficient, but when Meng Hong kept delivering the herbs, he didn’t ask much.
Meng Hong replied, “The Open Heaven Pills you gave me had long been used up. Now, Lady Yue He is paying for these herbs.”
Yang Kai was stunned when he heard this as he hadn’t expected it to be like this.
Meng Hong continued, “Lady Yue He has very deep feelings for Brother Yang. You are very lucky.” Meng Hong sighed with a look of envy on his face.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he had no idea what to say. But after giving it a thought, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master so she was definitely rich. Spending this much shouldn’t be a big deal to her. [In any case, I will remember this and will pay her back when I find an opportunity in the future. I will not take advantage of her.]
“Brother Meng, is something wrong?” Yang Kai asked, seeing a rather mournful look on the other’s face.
“Nothing’s wrong!” Meng Hong forced a smile before bidding goodbye, “Brother Yang, you carry on with your things. I will stop bothering you.”
Saying so, he retreated out of the room.
Yang Kai, staring in the direction of the door and pondered for a while before burying himself in Alchemy.
After half a month, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged before the Alchemy Furnace, quickly forming hand seals. The room was filled with pill fragrance and the furnace was rattling.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai slapped the pill furnace as its lid flew up and several red pills with a bloody aura flew out.
Yang Kai took out a jade bottle he had prepared beforehand and took these pills into the bottle.
Looking at the pills in the bottle, Yang Kai started grinning.
After four months, he was finally finished. All the Dragon Blood Flowers had been consumed while he was completely exhausted. He hadn’t refined pills with so much dedication in many years. Sitting in the room all day was also a very big test of his will and temperament.
[It’s finally over.] Yang Kai was in a good mood.
After deactivating the many barriers around the room, Yang Kai walked out and felt as if he had been reborn.
Yang Kai was in high spirits and wanted to look for Meng Hong and the others to have a drink, but he couldn’t find anyone in their rooms. Yue He was nowhere to be found either.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be stunned.
He had been holed up in his room doing Alchemy for four months and only learned about the outside situation from Meng Hong. He had no idea about anything else or what Yue He and the others were doing.
After taking out a communication artifact and sending some messages, Yang Kai finally learned that they were all in the lobby.
When Yang Kai came down, he found four people from his group sitting around a table full of empty wine bottles.
Yue He called Yang Kai over and offered, patting the seat next to her, “Come here.”
Yang Kai wasn’t polite and sat down straight away. Yue He smiled, resting her cheek on her palms, “You are finally out. If you hadn’t come out, I would have almost forgotten you.”
Her breath reeked of alcohol.
Yang Kai glanced at her and then at the others before asking with a frown, “Why are you drinking so much during the daytime? What is making you so happy?”
Yue He looked away with a pout, muttering, “We are drowning sorrows with drinks!”
Yang Kai looked again and noticed that Meng Hong was sitting with his head hung low. He looked dejected. It wasn’t clear what he had experienced, but he seemed to have lost his soul over it.
“What’s the matter? Yang Kai asked in a low voice.
Yue He replied, “Lovesick!”
Yang Kai finally seemed to understand. He looked around but was unable to find Chen Yue! Meng Hong was interested in Chen Yue, an obvious fact, and now, when Yue He told him that Meng Hong was lovesick, he immediately understood that Meng Hong must be acting like this because of Chen Yue.
Yang Kai may not have been with Meng Hong for a long time, but he could tell that Meng Hong was a bright and generous guy, but he was a little conservative when it came to matters of men and women. As for Chen Yue… Yang Kai couldn’t find anything worth noting about her, all he felt was that she was a little eager. Her character wasn’t that bad, but he hadn’t had in-depth contact with her so he didn’t dare to jump to an early conclusion about what kind of person she was.
After all, it was impossible to judge a person’s heart from their face. More often than not, the people who seem the most trustworthy turn out to be devious.
Knowing that it was because of Chen Yue, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, “Brother Meng, since you are interested in her, just pursue her frankly and openly. Why are you condemning yourself?”
“He can’t.” Yue He looked as if she wanted to stir up trouble. She clucked her tongue and continued, “She has been taken away by someone.”
As soon as Yue He said so, Meng Hong, who was sitting in a daze, had his expression twist in pain as he grabbed the nearest bottle of wine and started guzzling it down.
“Senior Brother, stop drinking.” A Great Moon Province disciple couldn’t take it any longer and reached out to snatch the bottle as he angrily rebuked, “Since that woman is so fickle, she is not worthy of Senior Brother’s time! There are so many better girls out there, Senior Brother, you shouldn’t be like this.”
The Great Moon Province disciple wasn’t as strong as Meng Hong; thus, even after trying a few times, he failed to snatch the bottle, allowing Meng Hong to drain it as his eyes turned red.
“What happened, exactly?” Yang Kai was confused. Yue He was saying Chen Yue was taken away by someone, and this disciple was saying she was a fickle woman. It seemed something had happened while he was refining pills for a few months in seclusion.
Yue He lightly sighed and explained, “While you were in seclusion, they met someone, who seemed to have some influence in Scarlet Star. He helped them a lot and they slowly grew closer. They originally thought that he was someone righteous and warm-hearted but never expected him to have ulterior motives. From the start, he was interested in that girl. And that girl… hehe, she had aspirations. If one could find a backer in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, one wouldn’t have to worry about anything in the future.”
Although she had only said a little, Yang Kai got the gist of it. Furthermore, she judged everything in a very objective manner.
If Yue He was right, then Chen Yue was just holding this newcomer’s thigh.
It was human nature. As Yue He said, if one could find a backer in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they would have it easy and could also have an extra sense of security.
Scarlet Star was a powerful great force that had occupied this Star City and was using it as a base to take in more disciples. Even if it was still just a small gathering, many people still lined up to flatter them.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think back on how Chen Yue had once expressed her interest towards him…
No one could intervene in matters between a man and a woman. Although Yang Kai sympathized with Meng Hong a little, he couldn’t say much. All he could do was persuade, “Brother Meng, if you can’t let her go, it’s not too late to rise up and pursue her, but if you can let it go, don’t think too much. Go back and take a good rest. We will leave this place tomorrow.”
Meng Hong’s knuckles, grabbing the bottle, turned white as his lips moved, but he didn’t speak a word in the end.
Yang Kai could see that he really loved Chen Yue. He may be reluctant to leave just like that, but if Meng Hon remained here, it would only add to his troubles.
Yang Kai gave the two Great Moon Province disciples a wink, signalling them to take Meng Hong back to rest.
But before they could act, Meng Hong suddenly lifted his head, looking towards the door with excitement.
Yang Kai turned his head and found Chen Yue standing at the door, looking at Meng Hong with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. She couldn’t look straight into his eyes.
Meng Hong excitedly got up, his lips parted, but before he could shout ‘Junior Sister Chen’, another person entered through the door.
He was handsome and wearing a blue robe. He was fair and had a bright smile on his lips. After entering the store, he put his arm around Chen Yue’s slender waist without any hesitation and asked, looking at her, “Go on in, why are you standing here?”
Chen Yue became a little more embarrassed and started fidgeting.
The young man seemed to have noticed something and looked up to see Meng Hong’s red eyes, immediately causing him to smile. His arm around Chen Yue’s waist tightened as he brought her over, whether Chen Yue liked it or not.
Yue He elbowed Yang Kai a little as she explained via transmission, “That’s him. His name is Zhao Xing Chen and I’ve talked to him before. He is very impudent and far from being anything good!”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement with a slight frown.
When he heard that Meng Hong’s crush had been taken by someone, he didn’t care that much about it. It was a matter of love, so although he was a little biased toward Meng Hong, since Chen Yue wasn’t interested, Yang Kai couldn’t do anything about it.
To win the heart of a woman like Chen Yue, who lacked a sense of security, only strength mattered.
But by the looks of it, no matter what Chen Yue was like, Zhao Xing Chen left a very bad impression on Yang Kai. Since he had won her heart, he should just be concerned with love and romance. He didn’t need to come over and rub salt into Meng Hong’s wounded heart. He deliberately assumed this behaviour to set up his prestige.
It could be seen that Zhao Xing Chen had some status in this Star City as, when he entered the store, many cultivators got up and cupped their fists, “Commander Zhao!”
Everyone started greeting him one after another. Zhao Xing Chen’s lips rose as a restrained smile appeared on his lips, but his eyes were filled with pride. He ignored others and went straight to Yang Kai’s table. He looked at Meng Hong with a smile and continued, “Brother Meng, you are all here.”
Meng Hong clenched his fist, staring straight at Chen Yue. The latter didn’t dare to look him in the eye and just kept her head lowered.
“Brother Meng?” Zhao Xing Chen called out again, his voice slightly colder.
Only then did Meng Hong return to his senses. He turned his gaze and squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying as he weakly replied, “Brother Zhao, what are you doing here?”
Zhao Xing Chen continued, “I brought Yue’er here to thank Brother Meng for taking care of her until now. Yue’er said that if it wasn’t for Brother Meng, she might have already lost her life when she entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. If that’s the case, then this Zhao would never have met Yue’er.”
He kept shouting Yue’er and Yue’er with extreme affection, but that only caused Meng Hong’s face to grow uglier and uglier.
Zhao Xing Chen seemed to have failed to notice it and gently nudged Chen Yue, “Yue’er, didn’t you say that you wanted to thank Brother Meng? Brother Meng is here.”
Being pushed forward, Chen Yue silently lowered her head.
Meng Hong kept staring at her. His mouth opened and closed several times but he couldn’t speak a word. The nearby Great Moon Province disciples glared at Chen Yue in anger. It looked like they couldn’t wait to cut Chen Yue into a thousand pieces.
Zhao Xing Chen’s eyes brightly gleamed as he smilingly kept watching like an outsider.
“Senior Brother Meng…” After a long time, Chen Yue softly muttered.
Meng Hong hurriedly greeted, “Junior Sister Chen.”
Chen Yue finally looked up at him, “Many thanks, Senior Brother, for taking care of me all the while. Yue’er will keep it in my heart forever. I am forever grateful to you!”
Meng Hong replied, “It was my pleasure. You and I have known each other for so many years, I couldn’t do anything for you, just these small things. But I’m afraid… I won’t be able to take care of you in the future. Junior Sister, you have to take care of yourself.” Meng Hong was slightly trembling when he spoke.
Chen Yue lightly nodded. She looked rather obedient.
Zhao Xing Chen added with a smile, “Brother Meng, don’t you worry. This Zhao will never let Yue’er feel wronged. En, I have found a place for her in the city where she will not be in any danger.”
Meng Hong forced a smile, “Then I will be able to rest assured.”
Zhao Xing Chen added, “Brother Meng, why don’t you come and work under me? Scarlet Star is currently expanding and is short on manpower. If Brother Meng can join us, I can’t guarantee other things but within three years, you will definitely become a Team Leader.”
As soon as he offered this, many cultivators in the lobby looked over with envy.
Scarlet Star was very popular right now and many people wanted to join it but not everyone could find the opportunity to. Now, Zhao Xing Chen guaranteed that he could make Meng Hong a Team Leader within three years, exciting the crowd. They secretly envied Meng Hong for receiving Commander Zhao’s favour.
“We don’t want your help, you hypocrite!” A Great Moon Province disciple couldn’t stand it any longer and angrily shouted.
Meng Hong was their Senior Brother. Seeing the woman their Senior Brother liked get snatched by an unscrupulous man who then deliberately came over with that fickle woman to show off was bad enough. Now, he actually wanted Meng Hong to work under him? Clearly, this Zhao Xing Chen was trying to humiliate Meng Hong. How could they take it anymore?
As soon as he said this, Zhao Xing Chen’s smile instantly became cold as he looked at the person who had just spoken, “What did you say?”
The Great Moon Province disciple couldn’t help but turn pale. He lost his mind in anger just now, but when he met this reaction, he was naturally a little scared. No matter how evil Zhao Xing Chen was, no matter how much they hated Chen Yue for harming Meng Hong, Zhao Xing Chen was a member of Scarlet Star. Furthermore, he was a Commander-level character. How could they offend him?
Being questioned by Zhao Xing Chen, the disciple didn’t dare say anything.
Meng Hong was also taken aback. Zhao Xing Chen may be addressing him as ‘Brother’, but they weren’t that close. Now that his Junior Brother couldn’t say anything, he had no choice but to apologize, “Brother Zhao, please calm yourself. This bastard is just drunk. Don’t take his ramblings to heart.”
Zhao Xing Chen sneered, “Brother Meng, rice may be eaten at will, but words may not be spoken indiscriminately. Speaking thoughtlessly may sometimes lead to death.”
Seeing him still pressing the issue, Meng Hong cupped his fists and added, “Brother Zhao, please don’t be angry. This Meng has failed to discipline him but will give him a good lesson later so that he will learn what to say and what not to.”
Zhao Xing Chen kept glaring at the Great Moon Province disciple, whose scalp began to tingle. After a while, Zhao Xing Chen coldly snorted, “Since Brother Meng says so, then this Zhao will give Brother Meng face and forget this matter. But there will be no next time.”
Meng Hong couldn’t help but heave a sigh before continuing with an apologetic smile, “Many thanks, Brother Zhao, for showing mercy.”
Zhao Xing Chen declined to comment. He then turned his attention to Chen Yue and stated, “It is fate that we meet today. Since you’re all here, why don’t you give a toast to them, Yue’er?”
“En.” Chen Yue obeyed Zhao Xing Chen before stepping forward and picking a glass of wine.
Meng Hong’s face grimaced in pain more and more, seeing her like this. He secretly hated that he wasn’t strong enough to provide Chen Yue a safe shelter. All he could do was helplessly watch his beloved jump into another’s arms. He was heartbroken.
Chen Yue raised her glass as she toasted, staring at Meng Hong, “Senior Brother, please accept my toast. If you need help in the future, feel free to ask me. Junior Sister will not refuse to do what she can.”
Zhao Xing Chen also nodded and added, “Good. I, Zhao Xing Chen, hold some sway here. If you encounter anything, you can come to me.”
The Great Moon Province disciples helplessly raised their glasses before downing them in one go.
Zhao Xing Chen, on the other hand, stared at Yang Kai and asked without any fear, “Friend, are you not going to give me face?” After entering the restaurant, he hadn’t paid any attention to Yang Kai, but when Chen Yue gave a toast on his order, only Yang Kai remained still, suddenly becoming conspicuous. He naturally became interested.
As for Yue He, who also hadn’t raised a glass, he didn’t dare to provoke her; after all, she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Scarlet Star had always been trying to invite Yue He to join them, even offering her the position of Great Commander without hesitation. Unfortunately, Yue He hadn’t given a clear answer.
“Do I know you?” Yang Kai looked at him and indifferently asked, “How much is your face worth?”
He had been sitting here and disinterestedly watching from the sidelines. He didn’t want to provoke Zhao Xing Chen, so he didn’t bother to intervene, but who could have expected Zhao Xing Chen to actually provoke him instead? Naturally, Yang Kai wasn’t polite to him.
Although they were meeting for the first time and he had no idea about Zhao Xing Chen, his first impression was terrible. Yang Kai was too lazy to speak politely with him.
As soon as Yang Kai said so, Zhao Xing Chen’s face suddenly sank, “Friend, you are really crazy. What’s your name? You look unfamiliar.”
Meng Hong also didn’t expect Yang Kai to say something like this, so he hurriedly intervened, “Brother Zhao, this is Brother Yang, Yang Kai!”
“So you are Yang Kai?” Zhao Xing Chen’s eyes lit up when he heard this. He could help but size up Yang Kai.
Yang Kai looked at him indifferently, “Do you know me?”
Zhao Xing Chen pursed his lips into a smile before cupping his fists and replying, “So it is Brother Yang! Forgive this Zhao for being disrespectful just now. Yue’er has told me much about you. Actually, this Zhao came here today specifically to see you. I didn’t expect to meet here. It seems we share some fate.”
He was acting all close and enthusiastic, even pulling up a chair and sitting down.
Meng Hong and the others looked at Chen Yue suspiciously. They had no idea what Chen Yue had told Zhao Xing Chen for him to be so enthusiastic towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai also glanced thoughtfully at Chen Yue, who couldn’t help but blush and avoid his gaze.
After sitting down, Zhao Xing Chen placed a barrier around the table, isolating them from the surroundings. Judging by the energy fluctuations leaking from his hand, he was quite strong, a little stronger than Meng Hong and the others.
Only then did he lean closer and continue with a bright smile, “Brother Yang, Yue’er said that you are adept at beast taming and now control a Scarlet Flood Dragon and an Earth Dragon. I wonder if this is true or false?”
Meng Hong’s face sank when he heard this and looked at Chen Yue with reproachful eyes.
Chen Yue had climbed onto a higher branch, throwing herself into Zhao Xing Chen’s arms, for which Meng Hong hated himself from preventing. Nonetheless, she shouldn’t have revealed information about Yang Kai. Many times, information could make the difference between life and death. What’s more, Chen Yue had also received Yang Kai’s life-saving grace as he had brought her all the way here, yet instead of repaying this favour, she even revealed sensitive information to an outsider. It was tantamount to repaying kindness by stabbing Yang Kai in the back.
Chen Yue only came to know Yang Kai through him, so Meng Hong was feeling extremely embarrassed.
“So what if it’s true? So what if it’s false?” Yang Kai flashed Chen Yue a meaningful smile, immediately causing her to lower her head with an embarrassed look on her face.
Obviously, she also knew that what she had done was shameless and immoral.
Zhao Xing Chen chuckled, “Since Yue’er said so, it should be true. Brother Yang, you are really something. Beast taming is a superb ability. This Zhao is in admiration. I’ll toast to you.”
While speaking, he raised his glass.
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear and didn’t even glance at him.
Zhao Xing Chen’s facial muscles twitched slightly, but the next moment, he laughed it off as if he didn’t care about it. He put down the glass and continued, “Brother Yang, it’s like this, this Zhao has an Elder Sister who heard about this. She is very interested in one of your exotic beasts. She would love to keep one. I wonder if Brother Yang is willing to give it up. Whatever may be the price, I will definitely not disappoint you.”
“Your Elder Sister wants one?” Yang Kai strangely looked at him, “Which one does she want?”
“My Elder Sister is more interested in Scarlet Flood Dragon. Forget the Earth Dragon. Brother Yang, you should know, the Earth Dragon is a little ugly and dirty. Haha.”
Yang Kai agreed with a nod, “True.”
Zhao Xing Chen continued, “Brother Yang, please name your price, this Zhao will pay it. In difficult times, everyone should be friends. If Brother Yang needs any help in the future, this Zhao will not refuse.”
Yang Kai refused, shaking his head, “I apologize, neither the Scarlet Flood Dragon nor the Earth Dragon are for sale.”
Zhao Xing Chen became anxious after hearing this and raised his hand and offered, “Brother Yang, don’t be in a hurry to refuse. How about listening to this Zhao’s offer before making a decision?”
Yang Kai still shook his head, “I’m not selling, not for any price!”
“Are you really not going to sell?” Zhao Xing Chen slightly narrowed his eyes.
Yang Kai stared at him, “I don’t want to repeat the same thing thrice!”
As their gazes met, Zhao Xing Chen’s eyes turned slightly cold. Yang Kai, on the other hand, remained indifferent. Meng Hong and the others were growing nervous and restless. Only Yue He was smilingly sitting next to Yang Kai, resting her cheek on her palms, looking at him with a sidelong glance. She didn’t bat an eye, as if she could never get enough of staring at him.
After a while, Zhao Xing Chen laughed, “Good, since Brother Yang has said so, then this Zhao will have to drop the idea.” He then switched the conversation, “Let’s stop talking about the two exotic beasts. Let’s talk about the Dragon Blood Pills.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “You seem to know many things about me.”
Needless to say, Chen Yue must have also revealed the existence of the Dragon Blood Pills. Previously, Yang Kai had refined many such pills and apart from taking them himself and giving them to Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong, Meng Hong and the others also enjoyed a few. Taking it in a diluted form would strengthen a cultivator’s physique, so it was of great use to anyone.
Since Zhao Xing Chen knew about the Dragon Blood Pills, how would he not care about them?
Ignoring Yang Kai’s teasing words, Zhao Xing Chen continued with a solemn face, “Scarlet Star wants to buy some Dragon Blood Pills. Price is not a problem. We are willing to buy as many as you have.”
This time, he presented himself as Scarlet Star’s representative. In other words, he was acting on Scarlet Star’s behalf to discuss this transaction with Yang Kai, trying to pressure him.
“Scarlet Star wants to buy my Dragon Blood Pills?” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter.
Zhao Xing Chen nodded, “Indeed!”
“I’m not selling!” Yang Kai decisively refused. He finally came across Dragon Blood Flowers that surpassed Peak-Rank after so many years, and spent four months refining them all into Dragon Blood Pills, all to improve his bloodline. Why would he take them out and sell them now?
They were already insufficient for his own use.
Zhao Xing Chen seemed to have expected this answer. Hearing this, he indifferently smiled and calmly took a sip of wine and continued in a calm and composed manner, “Brother Yang, I heard that you have been in retreat. So you might not be aware of the situation outside. Now, this entire Star City is my Scarlet Star’s territory. Once you enter this Star City, you are under my Scarlet Star’s jurisdiction. People who don’t obey will not be able to live here for long.”
Yang Kai looked at him with a smile and calmly asked, “Are you threatening me?”
“I am just presenting the situation to Brother Yang.” Zhao Xing Chen put down his glass, “Right now, my Scarlet Star has seven Managers. All of them are above the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm. We also have 3,000 people under our command. To put it bluntly, only a few people can offend our Scarlet Star in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary! Brother Yang, it must have been very hard for you to reach your current cultivation. You must understand how to correctly appraise your circumstances! Scarlet Star just wants to buy some Dragon Blood Pills from Brother Yang, that’s all. Why would Brother Yang remain unreasonable and keep us at arm’s length?”
Having said this, a smile appeared on his face as he continued, “Furthermore, as Brother Yang is able to refine Dragon Blood Pills, you must be very proficient in the Alchemic Dao. My Scarlet Star lacks geniuses like Brother Yang. This Zhao is willing to recommend you. As long as Brother Yang is willing to become my Scarlet Star’s Honoured Guest Alchemist, everyone will be one family in the future.”
“Brother Yang, what do you think?”
After finishing his offer, Zhao Xing Chen stared at him with burning eyes.
Yang Kai straight out refused, “I said I’m not selling, so I’m not selling. Anything you say is useless.”
Zhao Xing Chen’s face turned cold, “Brother Yang, are you not going to take your time to consider it? I’m afraid Brother Yang will regret it!”
Yang Kai coldly looked at him, “If you dare to speak nonsense again, I will make you regret sitting down!”
Zhao Xing Chen’s face turned black. He stood up, glaring at Yang Kai with murderous intent. After a while, he looked at Yue He and suggested, “Lady Yue He, why don’t you persuade him?”
Yue He faintly replied with a love-struck look on her face, “Whatever Young Master says is right. I will obey Young Master.”
“Good!” Zhao Xing Chen laughed in anger, “Very good!”
He then clapped and shouted, “Guards!”
A dozen or so people suddenly rushed in and immediately stood behind Zhao Xing Chen. Each and every one of them had a magnificent aura.
Zhao Xing Chen pointed at Yang Kai and his team, “This Commander suspects that these people are spies planted by other great forces. Apprehend them immediately!”