“Rest assured, I will take good care of these subordinates of yours. Don’t get distracted in the Primordial Land and serve this Queen well,” Zhu Jiu Yin urged him.
Yang Kai responded with affirmation, but his face was grim.
Since those in the Open Heaven Realm could not set foot in the Primordial Land, that meant Yue He, Lu Xue, and Guo Zi Yan had to stay outside, which greatly reduced his battle power. But this was not the most important point. The most important point was the fact that the three of them were now in Zhu Jiu Yin’s hands, so even if Yang Kai had the thought to rebel, he still did not dare to do so.
Guo Zi Yan looked at the cultivators who had followed him to join Yang Kai early on and shouted, “You must follow Sir and protect him to the death, understood?”
The men shouted in unison, “Understood!”
Yang Kai looked at him, shook his head, and smiled bitterly. Even though they had cultivated hard over the years and greatly improved their strength, if they really did encounter any danger that even Yang Kai himself could not resolve, then they would not be able to provide much help.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai called out to them and several dozen people followed behind him and stepped into the portal.
In just a short few moments, tens of thousands of people had already entered the Primordial Land. By the time Yang Kai led his group into the seven-coloured passage, only a little over half of the 200,000 remained.
The seven-coloured passage was just like the mouth of an invisible beast, constantly swallowing cultivators.
The passage was crowded and bustling, but the group guarded Yang Kai at the centre as they flew onwards, side-by-side.
It was not long before they heard an angry shout from the ground, “You impudent bastards, you dare to provoke the majesty of our Emperor Heaven? Brothers, cut them down!”
In the next moment, violent energy fluctuations burst out ahead of the passage. Countless people broke out into a large fight. Secret Techniques and artifact attacks emerged, turning the passage ahead into a brawl.
Screams broke out and bodies fell while rivers of blood formed.
Yang Kai looked toward the disturbance with a puzzled expression, and then he saw a familiar figure.
The voice earlier was familiar; it was none other than Emperor Heaven’s leader, Ding Yi. Yang Kai had not seen this fellow ever since they parted ways on the Yuan Magnetic Mountain; however, he did occasionally hear news about Emperor Heaven in recent years. He learned that this guy was making waves in this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, even gaining a lot of benefits.
At this moment, in the sky ahead, Ding Yi was holding a demon-headed sabre. He was clad in a scarlet cloak as if he were a divine warrior who descended upon the world and gave off an aura of awe-inspiring might. It was not known what sort of grudge he had against these people, but he started a big fight in the seven-coloured passage.
The battle was a large and chaotic melee, with both sides unable to break away or withdraw as thousands of other cultivators were swarming around them, but Ding Yi simply laughed out loud, seemingly delighted at the situation. Slashing his sabre down, a sword light came shooting down with imposing momentum.
Suddenly, Ding Yi stopped and raised his eyes in Yang Kai’s direction. When he had a clear look at Yang Kai’s face, he greeted him with delight, “So it is Brother Yang! How have you been in recent years?”
Yang Kai laughed, “I’m doing well. Brother Ding also seems to be doing well.”
Ding Yi scratched his head and said cheerfully, “So-so.”
Yang Kai asked, “Brother Ding, I wish to go forward. May I ask Brother Ding to make way?”
“No problem!” Ding Yi waved his hand boldly and ordered his men, “Brothers, make way for Brother Yang to pass!”
With his order, the men from Emperor Heaven opened up a path for them. Yang Kai nodded in thanks at Ding Yi before bringing Meng Hong and his several dozen subordinates through the battlefield.
The sound of shouting and killing could still be heard behind them, so it was likely the turmoil was not going to stop for a while.
Among Yang Kai’s team, the shaved-headed man said with a look of admiration, “Our Sir’s face is truly big! This subordinate has heard that man called Ding Yi is reckless and untamed, giving face to nobody. More than ten Open Heaven Realm Masters have already died by the hands of Emperor Heaven’s subordinates, but he actually acts so politely with Sir!”
Lang Qing Shan replied indifferently, “Sir’s strength is unparalleled, How could Ding Yi dare to stop him?”
The shaved-headed man was surprised, “Even a block of wood like you knows how to flatter people?”
Lang Qing Shan blushed and snapped at him, “I am merely telling the truth, how could this be flattery?”
The two of them argued ceaselessly, which made the road ahead feel less boring.
With Emperor Heaven blocking the road under Ding Yi’s command, the passage ahead became much emptier. The seven-coloured passage was also incredibly long, so much so that Yang Kai could not find an end in sight.
The group sped forward, when suddenly a large net covered the front. At the same time, wicked laughter broke out, “I made this path and planted this tree. If you seek passage, then leave your riches and life behind!”
The big net enveloped the entire passage and was Heaven Sealing and Earth Locking, so much so that it deterred one from even thinking of avoiding it.
All their faces changed.
Lang Qing Shan shouted, “Watch out, Sir!”
He stepped out from the group and thrust his fist out. A ball of light burst out on his fist like a blazing sun, bearing unbridled burning power.
Lang Qing Shan was one of the cultivators with the greatest aptitude among the group who joined Yang Kai. When Yang Kai was distributing rewards, Lan Qing Shan asked for a Fifth-Order material, and he had also refined several other Fifth-Order Elements after all these years, so his strength could hardly be compared to the past.
When he swung his fist out, it was branded by the power of the Sun’s True Fire. As though carrying the Sun, he slammed his fist down with great momentum.
But in the next moment, he was actually caught in the net. It was not known what sort of material the net was made of, but it was incredibly tough, not even allowing water or fire to seep past. Even a Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire was unable to burn it.
In the blink of an eye, Lang Qing Shan was caught in the net, but the net kept going and wrapped everyone up tightly.
A small, thin figure emerged from the void with an ape-like chin, the head of a buck, and the eyes of a rat. Stroking the goatee on his chin, he grinned meaningfully, “The third batch! A group of fools who only know how to seek treasures in the Primordial Land. In this Old Master’s eyes, you are the treasures!”
The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had been open for more than ten years, so the cultivators that were still alive were more or less able to gain a harvest from their time here. The skinny old man stood there, waiting for gains without pain, robbing the cultivators who came by. It was a good plan.
With a few hand seals, the net shrunk abruptly, tightening around everyone. The faces of Meng Hong and the others changed dramatically. They were shocked to find that they could not circulate the strength inside their bodies well, as if it were completely suppressed.
Only then did they realize that this was no ordinary net. It was no wonder why the skinny old man dared to act in such a way despite being alone.
“Let this Old Master see what you have!” The skinny old man stepped forward with a wretched grin on his face, but then, he suddenly stepped back in fear when he saw a certain person in the net. Gulping hard, he stuttered, “S-S-Senior Yang?”
“You know me?” Yang Kai looked calmly at the skinny old man through the net.
The old man’s eyes darted around for a moment before he squeezed out an ugly smile, “Senior Yang’s mighty name has been spread far and wide, having destroyed Thunder Light and Sword Pavilion. You are known to be taking care of Scarlet Star. This Old Master has long admired… Ah! Ahem! So even you will fall for something like this, huh, you brat? Since you’ve fallen into my Profound Dragon Binding Net, then don’t even think about getting out! Even a Dragon will be trapped inside my net. I heard that you razed Sword Pavilion’s Star City and killed tens of thousands, walking away with all of their riches, isn’t that right, boy? Now that I’ve caught you, I’m rich, rich I say! After this batch, this Old Master will never have to worry about cultivation resources in the future!”
Looking at Yang Kai with a wicked look, the old man grinned, “Brat, hurry up and throw out your Space Ring or this Old Master will strangle you to death right this instant!”
The skinny old man grinned meaningfully, “Senior Yang is very powerful, who knows if you have any other tricks up your sleeve? This Old Master should take precautions. If you throw out your ring now, then this Old Master can spare your life!”
Lang Qing Shan fumed, “Shameless old dog, what kind of skill is sneaking up on others? Release me if you have the ability. This Lang will fight you!”
The skinny old man looked at Lang Qing Shan with contempt, “You must have something wrong with your head, you bastard. You are now a fish on a chopping block. Your life and death can be decided with one thought from this Old Master, so why should this Old Master release you?”
“It’s too early to see who is the fish here. If you don’t come over here, then this King will go to you!” While saying that, Yang Kai suddenly stood up. Holding the net, he went forward step by step.
The old man’s face changed as he gritted his teeth, “Senior Yang is indeed amazing, having the strength to walk even under my Profound Dragon Binding Net. It seems like this Old Master has underestimated you, but this is not the full might of the net. Bind! Bind! Bind! Bind! Bind! Bind!”
He shouted six times while going through many seals on his hands. The profound Dragon Binding Net’s silk threads tightened abruptly. Lang Qing Shan and the others suddenly grunted as even the air inside of the net felt abnormal, as if it had become solid and stagnant.
Yang Kai’s pace also gradually became slower before he was frozen in place.
The old man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with his heart still beating fast, “The ship almost capsized on calm seas. Luckily, this Old Master’s treasure is not bad!”
“Your treasure is indeed good, but you aren’t much!” Yang Kai grinned. Then, his frozen steps continued.
The old man jumped in fright, leaping back almost a thousand meters, “How did you…”
Yang Kai strode forward as swiftly as the wind towards the old man’s direction, speaking in a grim voice, “Indeed, your net is extraordinary. Anyone caught in the net will find it hard to circulate their strength; however, there is one flaw, and that is that it does not limit one’s physical might! Using this net against me means you are seeking death!”
The skinny old man shrieked. Not caring about his precious net any longer, he turned around and ran into the distance. But before he could escape, he felt his neck tighten. A large hand was now wrapped around it, lifting and choking him like a chicken.
The old man stiffened at once and slowly turned his head around.
“Any last words?” Yang Kai asked.
“This is all a misunderstanding…” The old man smiled flatteringly at him.
With a snap, Yang Kai snapped his neck, breaking it completely. His headless body twitched as the head rolled down. Fresh blood spurt out of the wound like a fountain.
The moment the old man died, the Profound Dragon Binding Net came loose. Yang Kai pulled away the net, instantly freeing the group. The ability to circulate their Qi was also restored. The group were staring stunned at him.
Only then did they recall how terrifying this young man in front of them was. They were simply unable to even lift a finger in the net, but Yang Kai could completely ignore the net’s power and slaughter its owner.
Yang Kai casually tossed the Profound Dragon Binding Net to Lang Qing Shan, and the latter was stunned for a moment after catching it. Then, he was overjoyed, “Many thanks for the reward, Sir!”
The others looked enviously at him. They were also bound by the net earlier, so they naturally knew how powerful this artifact was. They did not dare to say that it could deal with Masters in the Open Heaven Realm, but at the very least, those under the Open Heaven Realm were powerless to resist it.
With this net in hand, one could become invincible when facing those under the Open Heaven Realm.
But even though they were envious, they did not have any stray thoughts. Previously, Lang Qing Shan was the first to rush out in the face of danger, so it was only natural that he would receive a reward from Yang Kai after showing his loyalty.
“Refine it carefully. This net… Huh? Watch out!”
Yang Kai suddenly shouted. When he turned his head around, a large awl was spinning through the air in front of them in the seven-coloured passage, swiftly approaching them.
This attack came without warning, and it happened when their guards were down after beheading the old man, so it was clearly planned beforehand.
The large awl spun extremely quickly and reached them in the blink of an eye. The several dozen subordinates behind Yang Kai all showed great changes in their expressions.
But Yang Kai took the initiative to move three steps forward and extended a large hand, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Water Element Power spreading out as he grabbed at the large awl.
But he failed to grab anything. The large awl completely ignored his attack and easily passed through it, reaching his body in an instant.
“This…” Yang Kai’s face changed. He did not have any time to react before the large awl attacked his body. His entire body shook violently and blood spilled from his mouth. His face paled.
Behind him, the several dozen people all grunted, and their auras grew thin.
“A Divine Ability!” It finally dawned on Yang Kai what was going on. When he saw the large awl’s shocking aura, he thought it was some sort of artifact; however, only now did he realize that this was no artifact, it was a Divine Ability, and an extremely insidious one.
This Divine Ability specifically targeted a cultivator’s Dao Seal!”
As soon as the large awl hit his body, Yang Kai felt like his Dao Seal was being shaken. His Wood, Fire, Earth, and Water Element Powers were thrown into disarray inside of his Dao Seal, but fortunately, a part of his mind was always occupied in circulating the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture; otherwise, this alone would have been enough to destroy his foundation.
It was thanks to the fact that he refined a lot of Divine Dao Water before that his Dao Seal was much more robust now; otherwise, the consequences of this attack would have been unimaginable.
Yang Kai’s face sank. Body swaying, he disappeared in place. By the time he reappeared, he was already many thousands of metres away. He smashed his fist at a certain point in space, using Rupture, but nobody was there.
“He sure escapes quickly!” Yang Kai had a troubled look on his face. He immediately tried to seek out its trail after being attacked by the large awl, but he could not find the one responsible for it, which showed that the attacker was also very afraid of him. The attacker must know how strong he was, so after this attempt, regardless of whether it was a success or a failure, they immediately escaped.
Yang Kai was annoyed that he did not even get to learn who it was who attacked them!
Was this person here to rob others like the skinny old man, or was he being targeted specifically?
Thoughts churned in Yang Kai’s head and he soon determined the latter possibility was very high! If this were just a robbery, then there was no way that person would leave immediately after attacking them, but that was exactly what they did, so it was obvious that he was being targeted; however, it may not be just him specifically, but rather all Bearers chosen by the Divine Spirits!
[That guy must also be a Bearer!] Yang Kai saw through the plot. The enemy had set up an ambush here so that he could eliminate some of his opponents in advance.
“Sir!” Lang Qing Shan and the others quickly came to his side with regretful looks on their faces.
It had only been a half cup of tea’s time since they followed Yang Kai into the seven-coloured passage, and yet they had already been attacked twice. They had also been completely unable to help during the second attack. Yang Kai had been the one to save them from the first attack by killing the skinny old man, and during the second, Yang Kai had taken the brunt of the attack for them.
As his subordinates, Lang Qing Shan and the others all felt ashamed and uneasy.
The large awl was a Divine Ability that targeted one’s Dao Seal, but Yang Kai bore about half of the attack’s power while the rest was distributed to Lang Qing Shan and the others. Even though their Dao Seals were shaken, none of them lost their lives.
Yang Kai glanced at them and immediately understood that they were no longer in any shape to fight, so he quickly said, “Relax your minds, I will send you to a good place!”
Saying so, he grabbed them with his hand.
Lang Qing Shan and the others did not understand what he meant by this, but they quickly relaxed themselves.
Once they were grabbed by Yang Kai’s hand, their vision was turned upside down, and when they came back to their senses, they discovered themselves in a place with picturesque mountains and clear water.
They all looked at each other in shock. Just as they were wondering where they were, they heard Yang Kai’s voice say, “Focus on recuperating. Don’t worry about anything else.”
The voice rang in their ears, but they saw no trace of Yang Kai.
Lang Qing Shan and the others answered him respectfully before quickly sitting cross-legged, cultivating in silence.
In the middle of the passage, Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood. Wiping his mouth, he stepped forward.
The passage was long, but there were corpses littered along its entire length. Clearly, the cultivators who came here before him had been fighting. Yang Kai went by some of the bodies that had fallen to the ground and took a closer look at them.
The bodies showed no wounds and their wealth had also not been taken away. The bodies still retained their Space Rings and the bodies were still warm, so it was obvious they had just died.
Sweeping over the corpses with his Divine Sense, he discovered that their Dao seals had been shattered.
[It’s that guy with the awl!]
Yang Kai looked up towards the front of the passage and manipulated Space Principles. His body fluttered forward, chasing after the person. The master of the large awl was definitely a Bearer. Perhaps they were proficient in this tactic themselves, or they were taught these strange methods by some Divine Spirit, but this kind of tactic was really impossible to prevent. Even Yang Kai was almost caught by it, much less anyone else. Any cultivator whose foundations were not deep would see their Dao Seals crumbling away when hit by such an attack and dying.
He was curious to know which bastard it was who dared to use this trick against him!
While chasing after them, Yang Kai went past batch after batch of cultivators. All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he came to the woman’s side in a few steps.
Before he could greet her, the woman suddenly flung her hair, and the red ribbon binding it turned into countless silk threads that launched in Yang Kai’s direction.
“Mercy, Senior Sister!” Yang Kai shouted as Earth Element Power enveloped his body, turning into several Dragon Shields. Each Dragon Shield was formed out of a Great Dragon biting its tail, and the Dragon Scales on their Dragon Form were exquisitely detailed.
The red silk threads launching at Yang Kai were all blocked by the Dragon Shield.
When the girl turned around, her eyes lit up, “Junior Brother Yang?”
“Senior Sister Qu!” Yang Kai smiled.
This woman was Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Qu Hua Shang. She had entered the seven-coloured passage before Yang Kai, but she did not advance too quickly, so Yang Kai was able to catch up.
“It seems we are tied closely by fate.” Qu Hua Shang smiled as delicately as a flower. The red silk threads retracted and turned back into a ribbon which tied up her long hair. She looked Yang Kai up and down, beautiful eyes glowing bewitchingly.
Yang Kai laughed, “We were bound to meet since we are all headed for the Primordial Land. Is Senior Sister Qu alone?”
“Who else would I be with?” Qu Hua Shang looked at him cheerfully, “Does Junior Brother Yang want to join me? We can join hands. If we happen to meet Lin Feng and the others, we can beat them up together.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Of course, I would not say no, but once we are to find the Innate Fruit Tree…”
Qu Hua Shang mumbled, “Junior Brother Yang is a big man, can’t you give way to a soft and weak little woman like me? That Fei Yi is ugly, but he’s not weak. I made an agreement with him, and if I can get him out of the Grand Ancient Ruins, then he will become my Protector for 400 years. I would like that Innate Spirit Fruit very much.”
Yang Kai laughed, “But Senior Sister Qu is no soft or weak little woman…”
“I’m really soft, you know!” Qu Hua Shang pouted and came closer to Yang Kai, “If Junior Brother Yang does not believe me, then give it a pinch and you will know.”
Yang Kai’s eyes involuntarily moved towards the towering mountains that lay below. Clenching his fists, he coughed, “Senior Sister Qu, we have yet to find the Innate Spirit Fruit, so please withdraw your Charm Technique!”
Qu Hua Shang giggled at once, “You really are interesting.”
She no longer asked him to join her as both of them knew that even if they did accompany each other, they would still turn into enemies in the end. They may not take each other’s lives, but in order to fight for the Innate Spirit Fruit, they would still give their all.
This was not merely concerning the benefits of gaining a Divine Spirit as their Protector for hundreds of years, but also their standing thereafter in their respective Sects.
Imagine, if they could really bring a Divine Spirit out from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, then their status would surely rise in their respective forces, and those Cave-Heavens and Paradises would definitely cultivate them even more diligently.
It was because of this that the Divine Spirits would agree to become their Protectors.
If you want a horse to run, you must feed it first. This was a condition that no Bearer could refuse.
Yang Kai did not manage to get the time to discuss with Zhu Jiu Yin about this, and now Yue He and the others had also fallen into her hands. No matter what, Yang Kai had to get an Innate Spirit Fruit; otherwise, knowing Zhu Jiu Yin’s temper, Yue He and the others were sure to die!
“Senior Sister, have you noticed anyone passing you by?” Yang Kai asked.
Qu Hua Shang responded, “Yes, many people. They all ran even faster than rabbits. Who knows what they were all in such a hurry for.”
Yang Kai was speechless. This way, he would not be able to trace the whereabouts of the large awl’s master.
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai said, “Senior Sister Qu must be very careful. I encountered some guy earlier that wields a Divine Ability that targets one’s Dao Seal!”
He then went on to explain what he knew about the large awl.
Qu Hua Shang’s face turned grave, “Isn’t this Purple Jade Cave Heaven’s Shattering Dao Seal Technique?”
Yang Kai wondered, “Senior Sister recognizes this Divine Ability?”
Qu Hua Shang nodded, “What you describe sounds a lot like Purple Jade Cave Heaven’s Shattering Dao Seal Technique. This Divine Ability was created specifically to target a cultivator’s Dao Seal, but I have never seen it before, so I am unable to verify it.” She was doubtful, “Could someone from Purple Jade Cave Heaven be here? But I have not heard about that!”
Yang Kai guessed, “Perhaps someone from Purple Jade Cave Heaven did come, or one of their disciples was a Bearer in the past. Later, the Divine Spirit could have learned the Divine Ability and passed it down to their current Bearer.”
Qu Hua Shang nodded, “That is a possibility.”
“No matter what, Senior Sister should be careful.”
Qu Hua Shang covered her mouth and giggled, “Many thanks for Junior Brother’s concern, but rest assured, this Divine Ability can work on an ordinary cultivator. It is a little lacking against this Senior Sister.”
Qu Hua Shang refined Sixth-Order Elements and aspired to achieve the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm with her initial breakthrough, so she naturally had this confidence.
Yang Kai warned, “Senior Sister should not lower her guard. This Shattering Dao Seal Technique is truly powerful.” He had refined more than a dozen drops of Divine Dao Water, so his Dao Seal was incredibly firm, but the Element Powers inside of him were still shaken into disarray, much less anyone else’s. Even though Qu Hua Shang’s heritage was not bad, if she was caught off guard by a sneak attack, then she would surely suffer a great loss.
Qu Hua Shang nodded incessantly, “En, en, I will remember.”
Seeing how careless she looked, Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but on second thought, he had only eaten a loss because he had let his guard down earlier. Qu Hua Shang and the others came from Cave-Heavens and Paradises; thus, they were very knowledgeable and would surely recognize the Shattering Dao Seal Technique if they saw it, allowing them to take appropriate measures.
“We’ve finally reached the end. The road here was really too long.” Qu Hua Shang’s eyes brightened.
Yang Kai looked up, and sure enough, there was a ray of light coming from the front. It was obvious that they had reached the end of the passage. While talking, the two of them did not stop advancing forward. After calculating the distance, it seemed this seven-coloured passage ran for hundreds of kilometres.
Yang Kai was secretly speechless.
“Be careful, Junior Brother. There just might be an ambush at the exit!” Qu Hua Shang reminded him.
Yang Kai chuckled, “I will scout the way for Senior Sister!”
As he said that, his body teleported out of the entrance. Sure enough, as soon as he emerged, countless attacks came at him from all directions.
The number of cultivators gathered at the exit was quite large, and they most likely came from the same great force. There were over a thousand of them, and as soon as they saw someone coming out, they attacked without asking any questions, releasing their Secret Techniques and artifacts towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and used Nihility to immediately merge with the Void.
Even though there were many attacks, all of them landed on nothing.
The cultivators gathered at the exit were stunned, thinking that they had pulverized Yang Kai to dust, but in the next moment, Yang Kai’s body re-emerged where he originally stood. Fire was released around his body as the Golden Crow’s True Fire formed into numerous tiny Golden Crows before scattering in all directions.
Miserable cries rang out one after another as the cultivators were burned by the Golden Crow’s True Fire, turning to ash at a rate visible to the naked eye.
“It’s Scarlet Star’s Killing Star!” One person who recognized Yang Kai screamed in horror.
“Fall back!” Someone else shouted.
The cultivators who were still alive dared not stay and all scattered, leaving behind more than two hundred corpses that were burned to ashes by the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
Yang Kai did not intend to pursue them. With a flick of his sleeve, the Golden Crow’s True Fire which had flown out returned and disappeared into his body.
Qu Hua Shang leapt out of the exit and looked around before spitting out her tongue, “How unlucky for them. They could’ve messed with anyone, but they just had to run into Junior Brother.”
Yang Kai said indifferently, “They are just asking for death by waiting here.” Even without him, these people would suffer a great loss sooner or later.
Since ancient times men have died for wealth just as birds died for food.
“Will Junior Brother really not accompany me?” Qu Hua Shang looked at Yang Kai with a look of anticipation.
Yang Kai turned around and waved, “We shall part here. I wish Senior Sister Qu good luck!”
“Smelly man!” Qu Hua Shang pouted and her breasts heaved, but soon, she smiled again, “Junior Brother must leave the Grand Ancient Ruins alive. This Senior Sister must still try out many Yin-Yang Union techniques with you once we have the time!”
Yang Kai stumbled and almost fell to the ground when he heard Qu Hua Shang’s bell-like laughter from behind him.
The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was, just as it was named, an ancient place, but the Primordial Land was even more so.
The entire Primordial Land was filled with a vicissitudinous aura. This peculiar place seems to have been preserved from a very long time ago. Its World Principles also had some subtle differences from the Grand Ancient Ruins and showed traces of ancient times.
The World Energy was so dense that Yang Kai could feel it penetrating through his pores even as he breathed, sending a comforting feeling through his body. Cultivating in such a place would definitely provide twice the result with half the effort. Even recovering from his injuries would be faster than usual in this place.
More than 200,000 had flocked to this Primordial Land, and even though there were many losses along the way, more than 100,000 cultivators still remained. If there was truly anything good to be found in the Primordial Land, then it would surely not be missed by these cultivators.
After coming out of the exit, Yang Kai took a random direction and sped off.
On his way, he saw cultivators fighting, either for Spirit Herbs or precious treasures. The inseparable fights went on until lives were extinguished from this world, dyeing the ground with blood.
Yang Kai received massive gains in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so his standards were naturally quite high. It was difficult to move him with ordinary treasures. His most important target in this trip was the Innate Spirit Fruit. Naturally, it would be great if he could gain other harvests, too.
As he journeyed along, Yang Kai would also occasionally collect a few Spirit Medicines and toss them into his medicine garden so that the two Wood Spirits, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu, could take care of them. He also found several Elemental materials, but their quality was not too high.
Three days later, Yang Kai was speeding along when his expression changed. He stopped and his nose sniffed the air before his eyes lit up
A peculiar fragrance entered his nose, which cleared his thoughts and eliminated the distractions in his mind. There was also a strange resonance coming from his Dao Seal, speeding up the flow of the Elements within.
Then, he had a realization. This must be the aroma coming from a very precious Spirit Medicine. He had no idea what it was, but its effects must be extraordinary.
Shaken, Yang Kai followed the trail of the aroma and soon entered a mountain valley. The mountain valley was beautiful and refreshing like a spring day with pleasant scenery all around; however, there were three parties in conflict at this moment, which consisted of a great number of people. Each party numbered in the hundreds, and they were all gathered at the center of this mountain valley, throwing threats and sizing each other up.
These three parties had obviously followed the smell of the Spirit Medicine here, just like Yang Kai, but rather than battle, they were all at a standstill.
When they saw Yang Kai, the faces of the three leaders sank. The longer they dragged on, the more people would arrive. If someone came, someone they cannot afford to provoke, then they would definitely miss out on this Spirit Medicine.
A burly man, leader of the group on the left, coldly snorted, “Another has come to court death?”
The woman leader on the right said, “We can’t delay this any longer. Hurry up and lay out your rules. If we keep delaying this any longer, more are going to come.”
The leader of the last party of cultivators was an elderly man, who stroked his beard, “This Old Master has more people with me, so I want half. You can divide up the rest.”
Both the burly man and the woman sneered, “In your dreams!”
Licking her lips, the woman turned to the burly man, “Why don’t you and I join forces to kill off this old thing, then we can split it half and half between us. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Upon hearing this, the burly man seemed moved and nodded, “Good idea!”
The old man’s face went cold, “If you want to kill this Old Man, then it will depend on whether you have that ability or not!”
Raising his arm, he roared, “Boys, follow me. We must snatch the medicine!”
After saying that, he took the lead and rushed towards the Spirit Medicine.
Seeing this, the burly man and the beautiful woman did not care anymore and called on their subordinates to move out. They were previously at a standstill, all of them wary of each other, but now that one of them had taken action, the other two could no longer sit still. They had to fight.
Yang Kai looked up, only to see vine-like things at the centre of the mountain valley, bearing grape-like berries. The bunches of grapes were green and purple, and were emitting an attractive aroma.
Yang Kai had a curious expression on his face. [Just what Spirit Medicine is this?] He did not know much about the treasures in the Outer Universe, so he really could not tell what it was.
But this was no time for him to be thinking about that. Since the three parties clashed together, they might accidentally destroy the Spirit Medicine. Just as Yang Kai was about to head over to snatch it, puffs suddenly fluttered out around the vines, dancing with the wind.
The Spirit Medicine was surrounded by a dandelion-like plant that produced many flower balls, and when the hundreds of people fought, the flower balls were agitated, rising to the sky.
Then, the balls separated into individual seeds that landed on each cultivator’s body.
No one paid them any attention at first; however, a shocking sight appeared next.
Where those seeds fell on their bodies, it was as if they had suddenly taken on a life of their own, digging madly into their bodies.
Following their screams, one by one the cultivators fell to the ground. The seeds grew quickly like monsters, sucking up the essence from the cultivator’s bodies.
In less than ten breaths of time, the lives of the cultivators were extinguished, and they turned into withered corpses that fell to the ground with grim faces.
The three leaders were strong enough to perceive when things looked bad and circulated their might to resist; however, the woman and the elderly man lasted for only a few moments before falling like their subordinates. The burly man was decisive enough to cut off his own arm, so as fresh blood spurted from the wound, he retreated in fear.
Looking over, he could see his arm withering quickly as the essence was sucked dry by the seeds that landed on it.
The fluffy seeds filled the air, and as if they had a life of its own, were all floating towards the burly man now.
The burly man’s face sank. How could he still dare to stay here any longer? With a scream, he ran off.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded!
He didn’t think much of the dandelions before, and he didn’t even notice them to begin with. All his thoughts were sucked in by the Spirit Medicine, but who knew that its surroundings could be so dangerous?
The scene was so frightening that hundreds died in just ten breaths worth of time.
As if the seeds could sense vitality, they continued flying towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stood in place and waited for the seeds to approach before lifting a finger. A small Golden Crow flew out from the tip of his finger, meeting the seeds mid-air.
*Hu…*
The sky was set ablaze, and the seeds were all burned in a short amount of time, clearing the scene.
Yang Kai had no idea what strange existence these seeds were, but they were clearly very dangerous. Once one touched a cultivator, it would dig into their body and suck up all of their essence in a short amount of time, turning them into withered bones.
But the Golden Crow’s True Fire was so domineering that the seeds simply could not resist.
Those who died of the three parties died, and those who fled, fled. Soon enough, Yang Kai was the only one left in the mountain valley.
Stepping forward towards the dandelions, the flower puffs broke apart, and seeds danced in the air once more.
Yang Kai’s body was surrounded by raging flames though, allowing him to burn his way through and soon arrive in front of the Spirit Medicine. Leaning over to smell it, the fragrance was very pleasant, lifting his spirits.
“Good stuff!” Yang Kai sighed in admiration. Even though he had no idea what uses this Spirit Medicine had, it was undeniably a Grand Spirit Medicine that was incredibly rare and precious.
He grabbed the grape-like berries with his hand to snap them off the vine.
It was at this moment that something strange occurred. Following a rumble from the ground, a root suddenly emerged from the ground, twining around Yang Kai at a great speed before pulling him down violently.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai’s entire body disappeared as he was pulled directly into the depths of the earth.
Three breaths later, Yang Kai broke out of the ground, furious!
While he was not paying attention, he had been caught in the Grand Spirit Medicine’s trap. The roots twining around him earlier were clearly the work of the vines. Even though the root was strong, it could not suppress Yang Kai’s outburst, allowing him to escape quickly.
He sneered through gritted teeth and shouted, “You thought you could kill me? Unfortunately, your bullying ends here!”
He then grabbed at the vine.
He originally intended to take the grape-like berries from the vine first, since the essence of the Grand Spirit Medicine was in those berries; however, after eating a loss from it, Yang Kai immediately changed his mind to take the entire vine with him.
But before he could even grab the vine, it suddenly shook, and one by one, its roots emerged from the ground. Several branches also sprouted on the vine. As if it had grown limbs all of a sudden, it sprinted off into the distance.
Yang Kai was stunned.
He looked listlessly at the Grand Spirit Medicine in the distance, lost in thought.
This Grand Spirit Medicine… has gained sentience!
Yang Kai was both shocked and amazed. When he was trapped by this vine, he already felt that this Grand Spirit Medicine was something extraordinary, but now, it seemed even more shocking than he imagined. This Spirit Medicine he could not identify, had obviously been living for an extremely long time in the Primordial Land, gathered enough of the world’s essence, and gained sentience. It instinctively knew how to avoid danger, and would even take the initiative to run off if it sensed that it was facing a crisis.
The medical efficacies of such a Grand Spirit Medicine were sure to be extraordinary, something rare even taking the entire 3,000 Worlds into consideration.
Overjoyed, Yang Kai teleported right in front of the vine and smiled, “Where will you run to in front of this King? You better surrender obediently without a fight!”
Reaching out his hand, the surrounding space became viscous.
The vine sliced through space with its branches and twined around Yang Kai’s limbs. Then, a fist appeared out of its arm-like branch that blasted at Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai was taken by surprise again. He was shockingly punched in the nose by the vine and was immediately seeing stars.
Taking advantage of this, the vine broke out from Yang Kai’s grasp once more and continued running.
Yang Kai covered his nose and tears fell down his face. Becoming angry out of shame, he summoned his Azure Dragon Spear and thrust it fiercely towards the front. The spear broke through the air like a Great Dragon dancing in the sky. The Azure Dragon Spear stabbed accurately in front of the vine as Dragon Pressure filled the air, shaking the surrounding world.
The vine stopped in place and trembled.
Yang Kai’s breathing was ragged as he approached from the back, rubbing his nose as he walked.
*Pu…*
The vine fell to its knees, transforming into a small little man that was only 15 centimetres tall. He had hands and legs and a face with seven orifices, as well as a bunch of grape-like berries on his head.
When he saw Yang Kai approaching, he lifted his hand and plucked a purple grape that was almost glowing red from his head and held it out with both hands, speaking in human words, “Please spare my life, Sir! This one offers Sir a grape and begs for mercy!
Yang Kai also did not care to rub his nose anymore as he narrowed his eyes at this little fellow and muttered, “You… You can assume human form?”
Sure enough, the Grand Spirit Medicine has turned into a spirit and could even assume human form. It had the appearance of a small old man, but Yang Kai had no idea how long it had actually been alive for.
There were spirits in everything, and with the right opportunity, they could gain sentience. It was not only flesh and blood beings that could achieve this in this world. There were jade essences among stones and spirit seeds in medicines. Only, as they lacked bodies, such existences would find it extremely difficult to cultivate, and would often need to gather energy from the world around them for eons before managing to further evolve. The Grand Spirit Medicine before Yang Kai had gained sentience and could assume human form, even speaking in the Human language, a feat that likely took tens of thousands of years of cultivating to achieve.
This Grand Spirit Medicine was already at a level where it can be described as a Divine Medicine!
The small old man looked up and smiled flatteringly when suddenly, it stretched out a foot and swept it at Yang Kai’s bottom, knocking him to the ground. Then, he ran off while wildly laughing, “Even if you think you’re slick, you still have to drink Uncle Pu’s footwash!”
Yang Kai jumped up and grabbed his Azure Dragon Spear. Then, he muttered with his face as black as the bottom of a pot, “I’ll kill you, I’ll definitely kill you and eat you up!”
A few moments later, the small old man fell to his knees again, scrunching his face and presenting the grape he plucked from his head, saying pitifully, “Please show mercy, Sir. This one does not dare to do it again!”
Yang Kai sneered and grabbed him before pressing his fist to his head, digging it in as he ground his teeth, “Now tell me how you want to die!”
The little old man’s face distorted in pain from Yang Kai’s fist and pleaded, “Please stop, Sir! My head is going to split… Oh, it actually feels quite nice.” Scratching his face with two roots, his face relaxed comfortably.
Pissed, Yang Kai summoned a ball of Golden Crow’s True Fire, slowly bringing it closer.
The little old man’s face twisted again and he struggled to get out of Yang Kai’s hands. He shook his head, “No, please! I’ll be burned to death!”
“Death ends all troubles. This is a good opportunity to cook you into a pot of medicinal soup! Drinking it will definitely prolong my life and increase my strength!” Yang Kai had a ferocious look on his face.
“I’m poisonous, I’m inedible! You’ll die if you eat me!” The old man screamed in horror. Seeing that Yang Kai was unmoved, he quickly tossed out his master card, “Don’t kill me, I’ll bring you to other medicines! They’re more delicious than I am!”
Yang Kai’s hand finally paused, “Other medicines? Ones like you?”
The old man shook his head, “There are few like me, but some little brats have not fully grown yet. However, they are still useful to eat.”
The brats that he was talking about must be those that have yet to assume human form, despite that, they must have been growing for many years. If they were found by the cultivators who entered this place, then those cultivators would surely scramble for them.
“Do you know of a fruit tree that bears a special kind of spirit fruit? Only one of them can be picked before it disappears!” Yang Kai asked. He was worrying about where he was going to find the Innate Fruit Tree, but he did not expect to come across such a strange Divine Medicine. It was a good chance for him to ask for information.
“You mean that fruit tree?” The old man thought about it for a moment, “I know! That old thing is even older than me. It’s pretty tough.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “Bring me to it and I’ll let you live!”
The little old man was also beaming as his eyes glowed, “Truly?” Suddenly, it looked suspiciously at Yang Kai, “Swear on it!”
Yang Kai instead punched him on the head, “Your life or death is already in my hands and you want me to swear?”
The old man held the bump on his head with an aggrieved look.
“That fruit just now…” Yang Kai looked at the top of his head.
The old man reluctantly offered it to him with two hands, “It’s here.”
Yang Kai took it and observed it carefully, discovering that this was not much different from an ordinary grape. Only, the spiritual energy contained inside of it was shocking. If such a grape was consumed, it would likely rapidly heal any injuries one had.
Yang Kai opened his mouth and stuffed the grape inside. As soon as he bit through the peel, he felt an incomparably pure World Energy exploding into his mouth like a small universe.
Yang Kai hastily closed his mouth and nose, but there was still an unstoppable stream of World Energy flowing out from his seven orifices into a dense radius of a thousand metres.
The old man watched him with a grimace. A sad cloud hung over his head as he sighed, “From this day on, I, Pu Bai Xiong, will change my name to Pu Ninety-Nine Xiong!”
The string of berries on his head numbered exactly 100, so he called himself Pu Bai Xiong. Now that Yang Kai ate one of them, only 99 remained.
After a long time, Yang Kai breathed out lightly, feeling inexhaustible strength coursing through his body as even his blood was flowing more smoothly. He could even hear it crashing down like a strong river stream.
The medicinal efficacy of Pu Bai Xiong’s one grape was truly extraordinary. Even though it could not revive the dead, as long as they had one breath left, it could restore them to their peak in short order.
When he turned back to Pu Bai Xiong, the spirit was much easier on Yang Kai’s eyes.
“Don’t get any funny ideas. If you dare to run again, then I will eat you up once I catch you,” Yang Kai threatened viciously.
Pu Bai Xiong nodded repeatedly, “I won’t run, I won’t run! I can’t escape anyway.”
“Bring me to the fruit tree!” Yang Kai commanded.
Pu Bai Xiong leapt up and sat on Yang Kai’s shoulder, giving him directions.
Pu Bai Xiong was a local tyrant in the Primordial Land. He had lived here for a long time, so he knew a lot about this place. What was more, he had assumed human form long ago and had also travelled all around the Primordial Land over the years, so he had seen a lot. Yang Kai was able to save a lot of trouble by having him lead the way.
He avoided many dangers along the way, and under Pu Bai Xiong’s lead, Yang Kai also harvested many precious treasures; however, he did not meet other Divine Medicines like Pu Bai Xiong. Based on what the spirit said, there were less than ten Divine Medicines like him that could assume human form here in the entire Primordial Land, and they were all tricky fellows that were hard to catch. The reason why his ship would have capsized on calm seas was that he never expected that Yang Kai could possibly ignore the threat of the dandelions, making it too late for him when he tried to run.
A few days later, Yang Kai arrived at a swamp.
Pu Bai Xiong looked grave as he spoke, “Sir, this place is very dangerous, so you must be careful not to fall in. If you fall in, then both of us will die!”
“Where’s the danger?” Yang Kai swept over his surroundings with his Divine Sense but found nothing out of the ordinary, which made him feel a little suspicious.
Pu Bai Xiong told him earnestly, “The water here is toxic, and there is also something hiding inside.”
“Toxic?” Yang Kai was astonished. Before coming in, Zhu Jiu Yin had told him that the Primordial Land was filled with opportunities, but also many dangers, and also told him to be careful.
Yang Kai was her chosen Bearer, so she naturally wanted him to succeed.
The swamp seemed completely inconspicuous, but it was also full of dangers. Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh.
At that moment, a few kilometres away, a group of people looked in this direction with surprised looks on their faces. One young man asked, “What is that on that person’s shoulder?”
It was not known which great force these people came from, but all of them were surprised when they arrived and saw Pu Bai Xiong.
An elderly man pushed his eyesight to take a better look and said with joy, “It’s a Divine Medicine that has assumed human form!”
Once these words came out, everyone in the group felt their breaths hitch. Even though they did have some gains since entering this Primordial Land, what they found was simply nothing when compared to a Divine Medicine that had assumed human form.
The head of the Divine Medicine was covered in green and purple grapes, but it had a face with seven orifices, as well as hands and legs. It must have existed for a very long time. Such a treasure was hard to find in the outer world.
Now that they caught sight of one, everyone had greedy thoughts about the Divine Medicine.
After exchanging glances, they rose to the air in unison and began rushing in Yang Kai’s direction.
Tendrils swinging up, Pu Bai Xiong scratched his cheeks and said in disdain, “Courting death!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, loud screams could be heard. The cultivators suddenly fell down from the sky one by one.
Many cultivators fell into the puddles around the swamp, and before they could get up, they suddenly screamed in misery.
Their bodies broke apart, and in the blink of an eye, the puddles had corroded the cultivators’ flesh and turned them into white skeletons that slowly disappeared under the water, never to be seen again.
The remaining cultivators were lucky that they did not fall directly into the swamp; however, they were still standing amongst the puddles of murky water. Each one of them had their hair raised on end, none of them daring to move.
“So this water truly is corrosive!” Yang Kai was astonished. These cultivators had already been in the Grand Ancient Ruins for more than a decade, and they had all grown considerably. Even though they had not achieved the Open Heaven Realm, they had all at least gathered several Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. In the Emperor Realm, these people could be considered the best of the best; however, cultivators of this calibre had all failed to put up a resistance as soon as they fell into the water and withered away into dry bones. The immense toxicity of this swamp could be seen from that alone.
If that was all, then so be it, but there was some kind of natural Array over the swamp which made it impossible to fly.
“Don’t move. None of you move! Be careful of the puddles, don’t fall in!” The elderly man shouted.
As soon as he said that, a black tentacle suddenly poked out from the puddle next to his feet, curled around him, and dragged him down into it.
A gurgle of bubbles appeared, and the old man disappeared without a trace.
“What was that?” Yang Kai felt his scalp go numb. He had only had a glimpse of what had happened, so he had no idea what it was that suddenly dragged the elderly man into the puddle. He could only vaguely see that it was a shapeless mass similar to a tentacle.
Pu Bai Xiong whispered, “I’m not too sure either, but if you don’t make a sound, then whatever it is down there won’t sense you.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The death of the elderly man stunned the remaining cultivators. Many of them screamed and quickly tried to escape from the swamp. They were fine when they stayed still, but as soon as they moved black tentacles suddenly erupted from the puddles again, grabbing them at the waist and pulling them into the water.
One by one, the cultivators disappeared quickly. One after another, huge bubbles emerged from the puddles.
Secret Techniques emerged as these cultivators attempted to resist, cutting off the black tentacles. However, there were so many tentacles that they could not get rid of all of them no matter how they tried.
In just a dozen breaths of time, only a dozen were left of the group that originally numbered over a hundred. These people were now left trembling in the swamp, at a loss of what to do.
They were the lucky ones since they did not move rashly, nor did they make any noise. Otherwise, they would not have survived.
Seeing their companions fall to miserable ends one by one, none of them dared to move.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue and asked, “Can we go around it?”
This swamp seemed so strange that even he was slightly afraid of it.
Pu Bai Xiong said to him, “Going around will take a really long time. Rest assured, with my guidance, we’ll be able to walk safely through.”
Yang Kai was sceptical, but he still grit his teeth and followed his lead.
Pu Bai Xiong whispered in his ear, “Don’t make any noise or things will be troublesome. Don’t touch the water either, or you’ll be in even greater trouble.”
“You’re so naggy!” Yang Kai grumbled.
“I nag you for your own good! I don’t want to die here together with you,” Pu Bai Xiong was grumpy.
However, this time, he spoke a little too loud, and almost in an instant, another tentacle appeared from a nearby puddle.
Pu Bai Xiong shut his mouth at once, and Yang Kai also held still. The tentacle stopped just an arm’s length from Yang Kai’s face, swayed for a bit, and then retreated into the puddle.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief and continued onward.
The dozen or so cultivators who survived looked on for a while and began following his lead, cautiously walking through the swamp.
After walking for a short time though, Pu Bai Xiong suddenly made an exclamation of surprise and whispered, “Why is there an eye in the water?”
Surprised, Yang Kai looked down and sure enough, he saw an eye in the puddle next to him. Rather than call it an eye though, it was as if the puddle had turned into a giant eye that moved along with his pace, watching him silently.
Yang Kai shuddered at the strange sight and stopped in place to ask, “Did you not know that there were eyes in the water prior to this?”
Pu Bai Xiong gulped, “I’ve never encountered them before.”
“What kind of damned place is this? Not only are the Divine Medicines assuming human form, why does even this swamp seem to be manifesting a spirit?” Yang Kai’s forehead was covered in a cold sweat.
“Don’t scare yourself.” Pu Bai Xiong forced a laugh, “It must be our imagination. If you close your eyes and open them again, I’m sure it will be gone…”
Saying so, he shut his eyes hard and slowly opened them again a while after, but the sight horrified him, “Oi! Why are there even more eyes now!?”
The moment he closed his eyes, all of the puddles in the swamp turned into giant eyes, blinking and watching Yang Kai and the dozen other cultivators.
The dozen cultivators had obviously discovered this scene as well, and they were immediately frightened out of their wits. Some of the timid ones had even tried to flee.
However, as soon as they moved, the entire swamp shook. Countless tentacles extended from the giant eyes, winding in all directions and blocking the path.
“Run!” Yang Kai shouted. Body moving instantly, he fled rapidly outward.
Countless tentacles were trying to catch them. Pu Bai Xiong grabbed onto Yang Kai’s ears and shouted in terror, “We’re done for, we’re both going to die!”
Seeing that the tentacles were about to wrap around his body, a layer of flames erupted around Yang Kai’s figure, burning the tentacles that tried to approach into ashes.
Pu Bai Xiong was burnt from the inside out and his head was set on fire, causing him to cry out pitifully, “What are you burning me for?! I’m going to turn into charcoal!”
“Shut up!” Yang Kai snapped at him.
He had already tried his best to shelter Pu Bai Xiong; otherwise, how could this Divine Medicine still stay alive under the ravages of the Golden Crow’s True Fire?
The tentacles crackled at contact with the flames. The Golden Crow’s True Fire was so powerful that the flames had even travelled down the tentacles and burst open each of the giant eyes they originated from.
A shocking roar came from the depths of the earth, followed by the ground shaking. An incomparably huge giant was slowly rising from below.
The giant creature was almost 1,000 metres tall and had eyes all over its body. There was a layer of withered bones hanging around its body. It was not known how many souls it had reaped, but there were both big and small eyes that looked just like the ones in the puddles. From those eyes, black tentacles extended up and tried to grab Yang Kai.
There was not just one, but hundreds of such giants, and they had all been alerted.
Looking back, Yang Kai was stunned. It was only now that he finally realized that the entire swamp was made up of these giants, and those puddles were just their eyes.
[What in the world are these things!?]
Yang Kai had travelled extensively over the years, but he had never seen such creatures before. Only a place like the Primordial Land could give birth to such bizarre existences.
“Fire Dragon’s Flaming Breath!” Sucking in a big breath of air, Yang Kai’s entire body seemed to swell before he spat out a blazing flame.
The Golden Crow’s True Fire burned the sky red, incinerating all the tentacles crawling his way; however, with hundreds of these tentacles coming from all directions, there was no end to them no matter how many were burned to ashes.
Even after Yang Kai had finished spitting out flames, the situation did not change too much. One by one, the giant things travelled through the earth, chasing after him and refusing to give up.
Pu Bai Xiong shouted, “Run, Sir! If you run far enough, they will probably stop chasing us!”
Yang Kai ran over a thousand kilometres but still failed to get rid of them, so he shouted angrily, “Didn’t you say they’ll stop chasing us if I ran far? Why are they still following me?!”
Pu Bai Xiong had an awkward look on his face, “I also didn’t know they would be so difficult. I’ve never seen them before.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Dragon Transformation!”
With a loud Dragon Roar, Yang Kai’s body expanded. With a crackling sound, his skin was covered in Dragon Scales. Natural patterns decorated the Dragon Scales. They were heavy and solid, and resistant to the encroachment of both fire and water. Two horns grew on his head and his hands turned into Dragon Claws. A Dragon Tail sprouted behind him, and a floaty Dragon Beard grew under his chin.
Dragon Pressure exploded outwards!
Pu Bai Xiong was frozen on the spot!
Yang Kai was also stunned. He had not performed his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique for a long time, but he had been taking Dragon Blood Pills to refine his bloodline constantly during the past ten or so years. Even though he knew that he would grow somewhat, he never expected to experience such an immense increase in size.
Currently, his body has grown to more than 2,500 metres in length. Not only that, but his Dragon Clan features had also become far more obvious. If his previous Dragon Transformation only barely had any Dragon Clan characteristics, then he was now showing 30% to 40% of their features!
The giants with eyes all over their bodies were huge, but Yang Kai was even taller than them.
Dragon Breath emerged from his nostrils, scorching even space itself. Yang Kai watched the giants as they approached rapidly, feeling an endless surge of power inside him.
The roar that came from his mouth was a pure Dragon Roar that shook the nine Heavens.
Raising his hand, the Azure Dragon Spear was summoned into his grasp.
As a spear refined from the body of a Great Dragon, only those with the Dragon Clan’s bloodline, or those with a Dragon Source could truly activate its power. Otherwise, the Giant Spirit God, Ah Da, would not have given this Azure Dragon Spear to Yang Kai.
With his spear in hand, the blood in Yang Kai’s blood flowed even more fiercely. A strange feeling rose from his heart as if the object in his hand wasn’t a divine spear, but rather a companion. It was like a partner that could share his pain and suffering, one that would walk together with him in life and death.
*Weng…*
The Azure Dragon Spear shook, and a huge illusory phantom of an Azure Dragon suddenly emerged, its body emitting majestic Dragon Pressure. Looking at Yang Kai with its dragon eyes, there were three points of gratification, three points of relief, and three points of recognition.
Then, the illusory phantom sank into the spear and disappeared without a trace.
One of the giant creatures had already arrived a thousand metres before Yang Kai.
With a shake of his spear, Yang Kai thrust its tip straight ahead at the approaching giant creature.
The Supreme Limitless Spear that Yang Kai had spent so much time cultivating finally had its time to shine. Before fighting with the mantis head, Yang Kai had been using the Azure Dragon Spear purely based on instinct; however, it was different now. The spear in his hand moved as naturally as if it were his own limb. One by one, spear flowers bloomed, and spear shadows pervaded.
Unrestrained in either conduct or bearing, his spear was free, his heart unbound!
When Yang Kai passed by the first giant creature, it suddenly turned stiff. In an instant, its body was hit by dozens of spears, and in the next moment, it burst apart.
Followed by a second, then a third…
A reign of terror emerged wherever Yang Kai passed. Not one of the giant creatures, their bodies covered in eyeballs, could resist the assault of his spear, and the sound of their bodies bursting apart was endless.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai’s Dragon Claw latched onto the last giant creature’s head and pinned it to the ground, creating a deep and huge crater beneath it.
Dragon Claw clenching, the giant creature’s head burst.
Over a hundred giants were wiped out by Yang Kai without even requiring a half cup of tea’s time. Yang Kai slowly straightened his body and stabbed his spear into the ground, silently feeling the power coursing through his body at this moment.
A beautiful feeling was flowing through every part of his body, and the surge of power was almost intoxicating to him.
Pu Bai Xiong’s trembling voice suddenly emerged, “Sir! They’re not dead yet!”
“En?” Yang Kai suddenly turned around, and what he saw caused his Dragon Eyes to widen.
On the battlefield that stretched behind him for dozens of kilometres, the giant creatures that had burst apart wriggled and writhed before sticking back to each other and fusing. The very first one he killed had already fused more than half of its body, and it seemed like it was going to revive at any moment.
Yang Kai was staring so hard that his eyes almost fell out of his sockets. [How can these things be so hard to kill that even the Azure Dragon Spear can’t handle them? If I’m going to get rid of them completely, then I’m afraid I’ll have to burn them to ashes with my Golden Crow’s True Fire.]
However, trying to burn so many of these giant creatures with the Golden Crow’s True Fire would drain an immense amount of energy from him.
Yang Kai had a toothache just from the thought. After dispelling his Dragon Transformation and restoring his body to its usual form, he grabbed Pu Bai Xiong and tossed him straight into the Small Sealed World. Body shifting, he instantly disappeared from where he stood.
Inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai had not dared to use his Instantaneous Movement at will; after all, there were many strange principles and natural Arrays. If he tried to perform Instantaneous Movement, he might just land himself in some unknown danger.
If it was just a normal risky situation, then he could still handle that; however, if he were to fall into a powerful natural Array, then he might get trapped in this place for eternity.
Because of this, Yang Kai did not use Instantaneous Movement to escape the pursuit of those giant creatures just now.
But now, he had no other choice. The giant creatures were so resilient that if he waited for them to recover, it would lead to an unending chase.
After Yang Kai left, it did not take more than a few moments before the giant creatures fused back together without the least bit of an injury left on their bodies. Without a target to chase after though, they just stood in place and roared. After a while, they finally withdrew into the ground, turning themselves back into a swamp full of puddles.
After a long time, another group of cultivators flew over the swamp and could not help themselves from falling down into the puddles, turning into withered bones.
At the same time, Yang Kai stood inside a fog, feeling livid as he stayed on alert with his Divine Sense probing his surroundings.
He cursed in his heart as he knew that using Instantaneous Movement in this damned place was sure to come to no good results. As expected, his worries came true.
The fog flowed around his body like water, and it enveloped him in a strange feeling. No matter how he pushed his vision, Yang Kai could not see far away.
Not only that, but his Divine Sense was also suppressed to a range of just ten metres around himself.
Yang Kai could not help but shiver at this realization. His Divine Sense was so powerful that it was no worse than an ordinary cultivator in the First or Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, so it was clear that something strange was going on in this place if it could be suppressed to such a degree.
It was not a good idea to stay in such a place for long, but just as he was about to leave this place using Instantaneous Movement again, Yang Kai suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching in his direction.
Yang Kai looked over and shouted, “Who’s there?”
The footsteps stopped, followed by a meek voice, “Senior Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai was stunned to hear this voice before he came to his senses and called out, “Junior Sister Gu?”
It was the voice of Gu Pan from Lang Ya Paradise. Happy to find her presence here, Yang Kai went towards the source of the voice and sure enough, he did not have to walk far before he saw a beautiful figure standing before him.
Both of them looked at each other and were clearly happy to have met.
“Junior Sister Gu! Why are you here?” Yang Kai asked.
“I came here to look for you!” Gu Pan looked at him.
Yang Kai did not understand, “To look for me? How did you know I was here?” A thread of suspicion emerged in his head. He was here because he used Instantaneous Movement while trying to escape from those eye monsters, so how could Gu Pan come all the way here to look for him?
Gu Pan smiled but did not answer.
Yang Kai frowned. He had the vague feeling that something was not right, but he could not tell what, “How long has Junior Sister been here? Do you know how to get out of here?”
Gu Pan said, “I just came in, too, so I’m not sure.”
Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, let’s walk together. Don’t stray too far from me, Junior Sister.”
“En,” Gu Pan nodded obediently.
Side by side, the two walked through the fog in search of a way out.
After walking some distance, Yang Kai couldn’t help but ask, “Junior Sister, is there a girl called Zhang Ruo Xi in your Lang Ya Paradise? She would have only joined in recent years.”
Gu Pan shook her head, “I haven’t heard of her.”
Yang Kai’s face turned gloomy. Zhang Ruo Xi definitely went to Lang Ya Paradise; after all, that was where her ancestor came from, so one could say that she was returning to her roots by going there. Only, he had no idea whether she had yet to make it, or if Gu Pan simply hadn’t heard of her.
There was another rustling sound around him as Gu Pan seemed to be busy with something again.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Is Junior Sister eating dried fish again?”
When he turned his head to look though, the smile on Yang Kai’s face froze, “Who are you?!”
The head of Gu Pan, who was standing next to him, had turned into a fish. Even though it retained a human’s body, it looked extremely bizarre.
The fish head turned to look at him, “Sir, it’s me, Ruo Xi!”
While speaking, the fish head really did change into Zhang Ruo Xi’s face. She stared at him without looking away, her face filled with endless joy.
“Ruo Xi?” Yang Kai was dazed. Was it not Gu Pan standing next to him? So how did it become Zhang Ruo Xi all of a sudden?
“Husband, are you picking flowers outside again?” Zhang Ruo Xi opened her mouth to speak, but her voice seemed to overlap with someone else’s as if there was more than one person speaking. Her face was also constantly changing, turning into Shan Qing Luo one moment, Xia Ning Chang the next, then Su Yan, Xue Yue, Yu Ru Meng, and more…
Yang Kai was infuriated, “An illusion?”
Wiping his finger across his left eye, he shouted, “Demon Eye of Annihilation!”
Immediately, his left eye turned into a golden slit with a divine light glowing from its depths.
The person in front of him disappeared immediately, replaced by a broken branch. What frightened Yang Kai even more was the fact that he was somehow holding the branch without realizing it.
In other words, he had been talking to a branch this whole time, and he seemed to have enjoyed himself a great deal doing so!
[What a powerful illusion!] Even he was unknowingly caught by its trickery.
Divine Sense sweeping around him, he perceived that the branch in his hand was just an ordinary piece of wood. Coldly snorting, he discarded it before turning his head to look at his surroundings.
He had no idea whether it was a Human that cast the illusion on him, or if it was a natural occurrence. If it were the former, then there must be a Great Expert here. If it were the latter, then Yang Kai guessed that he must have fallen into a naturally-formed Illusion Array, which would make things slightly troublesome for him. His Instantaneous Movement might not work inside of this Illusion Array.
Thoughts flashing, he immediately manipulated Space Principles and disappeared from sight.
Once he re-emerged, Yang Kai’s face turned dark.
He was still standing inside the fog. In other words, there was a high possibility that he had fallen into a naturally-formed Illusion Array, and unless he broke the array, then there was no getting out of here.
He silently observed his surroundings, but he could find no clues. Even the Demon Eye of Annihilation, which was said to be able to break through all illusions, was powerless against this.
Divine Sense moving, he pulled Pu Bai Xiong out of the Small Sealed World and asked, “Hey, do you recognize this place?”
Pu Bai Xiong was surprised. Being thrown into the Small Sealed World by Yang Kai and released again, the scenery was changing so quickly that it confused him; however, once he looked around him, he laughed, “Sir, you’re lost!”
Yang Kai’s face was dark, “This fog has an illusory effect, and it’s very strong. I was accidentally caught up in it earlier.”
Pu Bai Xiong stood on Yang Kai’s shoulder and said proudly, “Sir must not know that this is no ordinary fog. This is something created by that mushroom. Unless they are born of the same roots as a Divine Medicine, then ordinary people really won’t be able to resist its effects.”
“Mushroom?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
“En. This is Little Mushroom’s territory.”
Yang Kai’s heart stirred, “Is the Little Mushroom that you speak of also a Divine Medicine?”
Pu Bai Xiong answered, “Exactly!”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “Can you tell where it is?”
He had heard from Pu Bai Xiong that there were several other Divine Medicines that had assumed human form just like him in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and Yang Kai was very interested in them. He never thought that he would suddenly enter the territory of another Divine Medicine, and from what Pu Bai Xiong said, this fog was actually a technique of that Divine Medicine!
This was a strange and unpredictable technique, and Yang Kai had no idea what that Little Mushroom that Pu Bai Xiong was talking about was to have such potent abilities.
“Nothing hard about that.” Pu Bai Xiong shook his head, “I visit her place often. Follow me, I’ll take you to see her.”
With a leap, he jumped to the ground and dashed forward. In a few steps, he had already rushed into the mist and disappeared from sight.
Looking back, he laughed, “Smelly brat, if you hadn’t ended up in here, then Uncle Pu would not have known how to deal with you! You just had to end up here obliviously, and now you’ll suffer for it!”
As a Divine Medicine that had assumed human form, it took a lot of effort for him to finally gain a sentience, so how could he be willing to be captured by Yang Kai? The way he cooperated with Yang Kai earlier was all just a ruse; he was waiting for the opportunity to free himself, which had finally come.
“I’ll go and look for Little Mushroom, then I’ll have her trap you here for the rest of your life!” Pu Bai Xiong was feeling proud of himself, “Trying to match wits with Uncle Pu? You’re too naive!”
His legs, which were formed from two roots, ran quickly, and he slipped deep into the mist in just a flash.
It did not take long before he entered a cave where Pu Bai Xiong shouted, “Little Mushroom, are you home?”
His voice echoed in the cave, but he received no answer.
Pu Bai Xiong muttered, “Has that foolish little girl fallen asleep again? Yes, she must be asleep.”
Walking inside, he soon reached the depths of the cave, and at the deepest part, he found a fifteen-centimetre-tall mushroom rooted on spirit soil. The umbrella mushroom undulated faintly, as if it were breathing slowly. Following its motions, endless spores that could not be seen by the naked eye were floating out of its top, filling the air. It was these spores that formed that psychedelic fog earlier that caught Yang Kai in an illusion when he stepped into this place. All kinds of illusions flooded his vision, stopping him from finding his way out.
There was a brilliant light above the umbrella mushroom, flowing beautifully.
Pu Bai Xiong went up to the umbrella mushroom and lifted his hand, formed out of roots, and tapped it, “Little Mushroom, wake up! There’s trouble!”
“Em?” A lazy voice sounded, followed by the opening of a pair of big eyes atop the umbrella mushroom. She seemed to be drowsy and had yet to fully wake up. Glancing at Pu Bai Xiong, she shut her eyes lazily, “Why is it you? Come to disturb my dreams again? Go away, I’m going back to sleep.”
The voice was crisp and tender, like the voice of a young girl.
Pu Bai Xiong whacked her on the head this time, which made her eyes spin, “Before you sleep, do me a favour!”
The big eyes on top of the umbrella mushroom suddenly opened again. Then, they fixed onto a place behind Pu Bai Xiong with panic as She exclaimed, “Pu Bai Xiong, why did you bring someone in here!?”
Pu Bai Xiong jumped in fright and quickly turned around to look, yet he saw nobody behind him, “Little Girl, what are you talking about? There’s nobody behind me!”
“There’s clearly someone there!” The umbrella mushroom screamed. The appearance of the fifteen-centimetre-tall mushroom distorted, and she transformed into a young girl with an umbrella mushroom hat growing atop her head. Her butt fell to the ground and she wailed, “I’m finished, this is the end for me! I’m going to be eaten!”
As she cried, the near-invisible spores gushed into the air madly. Pu Bai Xiong panicked at the sight and shouted, “Don’t cry! If you keep crying, then Uncle Pu won’t be able to stand it! Ekk!? There are so many stars!”
“You can actually see me? En, of course, since this fog is part of your ability, it’s only natural that you can perceive me inside of it.”
A voice suddenly emerged behind Pu Bai Xiong like a ghost. Pu Bai Xiong, whose eyes were filled with illusions, was stunned back into his senses. When he turned around, he saw a ripple behind him where Yang Kai’s figure was revealed.
Yang Kai removed the Shadowless Veil and stowed it away.
The moment Pu Bai Xiong was released from the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai had been on high alert. Sure enough, Pu Bai Xiong did prove himself to be untrustworthy. If Yang Kai had not been following this guy closely, then he might really have let him escape.
“Why are you here?” Pu Bai Xiong was so shocked that his face paled instantly. Then, he laughed to himself, “No, it’s not you, definitely not you! This is an illusion! Wake up, wake up, me!”
The mushroom on the other hand continued to cry, “It’s not an illusion, he’s really here!” Her tears flowed down her cheeks, forming into a dense mist before it could touch the ground.
Pu Bai Xiong turned stiffly to look at the mushroom, “It’s… not an illusion?”
Yang Kai chuckled.
*Pu tong*
Pu Bai Xiong’s roots went soft and he fell to his knees. He looked at Yang Kai with an ingratiating smile while pointing at the mushroom, “Sir, I found you a Divine Medicine! This little girl should be very tasty. You can stew soup out of her!”
“Wah!?!?” The mushroom cried even louder. While crying, she cursed, “Stinky grape! Dead grape! You actually brought someone to harm me! I should have known that you were no good! I’ll fight you!”
Saying so, she pounced on Pu Bai Xiong and threw a barrage of kicks and punches at him.
Pu Bai Xiong naturally resisted. The two Divine Medicine that had assumed human form fought irreconcilably in front of Yang Kai, and soon, they had beaten each other black and blue. Somehow, the two Divine Medicines were moving sneakily towards the entrance as they fought and were just about to pass Yang Kai.
Leaning down, Yang Kai grabbed them with one hand each.
Pu Bai Xiong sniffled and turned his head to the side, pretending that nothing had happened.
The mushroom, however, was frowning as she looked at Yang Kai with a resigned sob.
“It looks just like the real thing,” Yang Kai commented as he looked at the two Divine Medicines in his hands, clicking his tongue in amazement before suddenly shouting, “Break!”
A glow erupted from the Demon Eye of Annihilation, and his vision distorted before the two Divine Medicines in his hands suddenly transformed into two cold, hard stones.
Everything he just saw was just another illusion!
At the same time, he saw Pu Bai Xiong and the mushroom creeping outside like little thieves. At this moment, they had turned around in fear, only to see Yang Kai looking at them with a wide grin.
The mushroom cried out and fell limp on the ground.
Pu Bai Xiong, on the other hand, shouted, “Split up!”
With that, his roots turned speedily as he fled towards the outside.
“Solidify!” Yang Kai instantly froze the surrounding space, locking Pu Bai Xiong in place, unable to move. Only his eyes were still turning around.
“Astonishing!” Yang Kai walked step by step over to the two Divine Medicines with his hands folded behind his back. When he entered the fog, he had no idea what he was getting into and had unknowingly fallen for someone’s trick. Later, he found out that the fog had hallucinogenic effects, so he acted more carefully. He kept on relying on the abilities of his Soul-Warming Lotus to clear his mind. If not for that, he would not have been able to follow Pu Bai Xiong all the way here, much less break the mushroom’s illusion.
Such methods were likely difficult for one to defend against, even for the average Open Heaven Realm Master. As expected of a Divine Medicine born in the Primordial Land that had assumed human form. They were indeed extraordinary.
“Don’t commit the same mistake a third time. You’re courting death, you damn grape.” Yang Kai sneered.
He reached out and grabbed Pu Bai Xiong. Staring at the grapes on his head, Yang Kai’s eyes flickered.
Pu Bai Xiong’s face paled, “Sir, I won’t do it again!”
“I’ve heard those words before!”
Pu Bai Xiong put up his fingers and swore to the Heavens, “It’s true this time! This lowly one swears to be honest. This one swears to follow and render his service to Sir!”
“If something like this happens again…”
“You can stew me!” Pu Bai Xiong looked earnest.
Yang Kai nodded and placed him on his shoulder. Then, he turned to look at the mushroom with a pleasant face, “If you wish to turn into a pot of mushroom soup…”
The mushroom quickly said, “This one will follow and render her services to Sir!”
Yang Kai said approvingly, “A promising young woman!”
The mushroom smiled a truly ugly smile through her tears.
After a few simple questions, Yang Kai learned that the mushroom before him was a Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom that had assumed human form. The Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom had only one ability, the creation of illusions, but in this field it was unmatched. If one were to accidentally eat a piece, then one may very well fall into an illusion forever, unable to extricate themselves ever again. After assuming human form, the Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom’s ability to create illusions expanded enormously. During her drowsy moments, she released a large range of spores into the surrounding area simply by instinct.
Yang Kai leaned down to grab the mushroom, placing her on his other shoulder before walking out.
This mist was created by the spores of Little Mushroom, and it was capable of entrapping most living beings in an illusion; however, the illusions did not affect other Divine Medicines such as Pu Bai Xiong. That was how this grape was able to find the sleeping place of the mushroom so accurately. Since she was leaving this place, she naturally retracted the fog covering this area.
As they moved forward, the mist around them became thinner and thinner before turning into countless spores that poured back into the mushroom’s body.
By the time Yang Kai took the two Divine Medicines out of the area, the mist was no longer there.
Where the mist used to exist, there were actually thousands of cultivators lying asleep on the ground. It was apparent that they had accidentally entered this area and were caught in her illusion.
Now that the mist was lifted, it would not take long for them to wake up again. In a sense, it was Yang Kai who saved their lives; otherwise, they would have died in their sleep here.
With Pu Bai Xiong pointing the way, Yang Kai sped up, in search of the Innate Fruit Tree.
The Primordial Land had been open for several days, and more than 200,000 people had gathered. Despite the great opportunities to be found here, this place also came with many dangers. Just the seven-coloured tunnel alone had taken the lives of tens of thousands, most of whom were killed in sneak attacks.
The dandelions that Yang Kai encountered protecting the grape earlier, the strange swamp, and even the Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom’s mist were all deadly existences.
Everything in the world was the same. Great opportunities were always accompanied by great risks. There was no cultivator who did not have to walk through a road of thorns as they ascended the Grand Dao.
Countless had died because of the littlest distraction, and only those with Heavenly luck could make their way to the peak.
A few days later, the grape suddenly spoke once they reached a place, “Sir, not far from here is another Divine Medicine similar to Little Mushroom and I. Does Sir want to procure it?”
After being captured by Yang Kai, he had tried several times to escape, but still failed to do so. Now, Pu Bai Xiong had given up, but this guy was still bad-natured and could not stand to see others living good lives while he had to suffer such a misfortune. Naturally, he wanted Yang Kai to take away the rest of the Divine Medicines to share in his misery.
Little Mushroom’s neck shrank back as she muttered, “That guy is tricky to deal with. I think you should just forget it.”
Grape glared at her, “Our Master is so powerful that even you couldn’t catch him in your illusions. Even though that bamboo is a tricky one, how could he defeat our Sir?”
“Bamboo?” Yang Kai raised a brow, “What kind of Divine Medicine is this bamboo?”
Grape explained, “Sir has no idea, that guy is no ordinary bamboo. He has a very fragrant taste. If you stew him into soup, it will surely help Sir become stronger!”
Yang Kai was noncommittal in his response, “Since it’s nearby, let’s go take a look.”
“This way, Sir! Let me show you the way!” Pu Bai Xiong was very attentive. He had probably suffered a big loss from that bamboo before this and hoped to take revenge through Yang Kai’s hand.
Though he knew this, Yang Kai did not point it out. Whether or not that bamboo was a Divine Medicine, since it could assume human form, then it must be an extraordinary thing, so there should be no fault in him taking it away.
Half a day later, a purple bamboo grove appeared before them.
Pu Bai Xiong climbed onto Yang Kai’s shoulder and shrank his head wretchedly as he stared warily at the bamboo grove, whispering, “Sir, this is that guy’s lair. Sir has to be careful since these bamboo are all that guy’s disciples. They’re not easy to mess with.”
Yang Kai nodded in response and stepped forward. Soon, they were in the bamboo grove.
All around them, the purple bamboo moved by themselves despite there being no wind. Suddenly, one of the poles of bamboo attacked him with thunderous momentum.
Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise and raised his hand to block it, only to feel the force of ten thousand kilograms on his arm, which caught him by surprise.
*Chi chi chi…*
One by one, the purple bamboo danced, as if they were alive, raining down on Yang Kai like a torrent.
Yang Kai let out a soft grunt and the Golden Crow’s True Fire blasted out. At once, the purple bamboo fled as if the flames were poisonous snakes or scorpions, not daring to come any closer.
“I’m going to be roasted!” Little Mushroom wailed and teared up on Yang Kai’s other shoulder.
Pu Bai Xiong shouted, “Sir will protect you and me, what are you worried about!?”
Little Mushroom reached out to touch her body and noticed that she was fine. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The flames rolled out, leaving no more obstacles blocking their way. Very soon, Yang Kai arrived at the centre of the bamboo forest, but he did not see the bamboo that Pu Bai Xiong mentioned; instead, there were traces of a battle that seemed to have taken place here.
From the traces that were left, the fight happened suddenly, but ended just as quickly. One party must have been easily subdued.
“Someone took that bamboo away from here before me,” Yang Kai pondered for a moment. Even though the bamboo had assumed human form, it must not have much combat power, just like Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom. It was only natural for it to be subdued by another cultivator.
Pu Bai Xiong felt that it was a pity, “If I had known this would happen, we should have rushed here early on.”
Even though Yang Kai also thought the loss was a pity, he did not mind too much. He had already obtained two Divine Medicines, so his trip to the Primordial Land had been worthwhile. Of course, without the Innate Spirit Fruit, which was his most important goal here, it was unlikely for him to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary safely.
Yue He and the others were still in Zhu Jiu Yin’s hands, so he had to get the Innate Spirit Fruit to exchange for their safety.
After leaving the purple bamboo grove, they did not have to walk for long before they suddenly encountered a group of cultivators. The group of cultivators looked dirty. Some were even injured, and their clothes were covered in mottled blood stains.
They were surprised to see Yang Kai, but after realizing who it was, the cultivator at the lead exclaimed in pleasant surprise, “Foreign Elder Yang?”
Yang Kai did not pay them much attention in the beginning, but when he heard his name and title being called, he looked over and scanned the group, “You’re from Scarlet Star?”
Only Scarlet Star’s disciples would refer to him in such a way; after all, he was technically Scarlet Star’s Foreign Elder, and it was through that very title that he managed to rake in a great mass of wealth from Scarlet Star.
“Scarlet Star’s Deng Qi greets Foreign Elder Yang!” The cultivator standing at the head of the group hurriedly came forward to salute Yang Kai. The rest of his group also saluted Yang Kai in a hurry before looking at him with fear and awe.
Then, they were surprised to find Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom sitting on Yang Kai’s shoulders.
Yang Kai nodded in response to their greetings, “What happened to you?”
Deng Qi answered embarrassedly, “We brothers were ordered by the Managers to come into this place to look for treasures. We found something over there, but unfortunately, we were driven away before we could explore deeper…”
Yang Kai frowned, “Do you know who they are?”
Sweat rolled down Deng Qi’s face, “We do not know. We’ve never seen them before.”
“Were they a large group?”
Deng Qi looked even more ashamed as he responded, “It was just one person.”
Yang Kai raised his brow. To be able to drive Deng Qi’s group out alone must mean that this person was quite strong. It had to be known that Deng Qi’s group consisted of more than a hundred people, and Deng Qi himself was a Junior Commander in Scarlet Star.
[Could it be Lin Feng or Xu Zhen? These Cave-Heaven and Paradise elite disciples should be able to achieve that.]
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Since you were lucky enough to survive, then you should cherish the opportunity. This Primordial Land is full of dangers, so be careful.”
Seeing that Yang Kai had no intention of standing up for them, Deng Qi could not help but feel a little disappointed; however, as a Great Commander of Scarlet Star, he also knew of the goodwill and enmity between Yang Kai and Scarlet Star, so he did not dare to harbour any resentment towards him.
Seeing that Yang Kai was about to leave, Deng Qi stopped him, “Foreign Elder Yang, please wait!”
Yang Kai stopped and looked at him, “What is it?”
Deng Qi cupped his fists, “This one wishes to let Sir know that the place my brothers and I found earlier seems to have Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water.”
“Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “Are you sure?”
Deng Qi explained, “It was too far away so I wasn’t able to see it clearly, but there’s a high possibility that it is Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water.”
Yang Kai hastily asked for directions, and naturally, Deng Qi held nothing back. He pointed the way to him, and Yang Kai sped off.
If it was just a common treasure, then Yang Kai may not put it in his eyes. He had amassed a great fortune over the years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so his vision was extraordinarily high. He had also harvested two Divine Medicines since coming into the Primordial Land, so why should he care about common treasures?
However, Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was different. This was a very rare and precious thing.
Meng Hong was able to rebuild his foundation by relying on this Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water to wash away the Yin, Yang and Five Elements Powers from his Dao Seal. It could be said that the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was the capital for a cultivator to start this process all over from the beginning.
If any cultivator like Meng Hong wished to re-establish their foundation, then the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was required.
Meng Hong’s opportunity also came as a coincidence. The value of one portion of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was no less than a piece of Sixth-Order material.
Even though such things were useless to Yang Kai, he may have friends that would need such a thing in the future. Even if it was not needed, he could keep it to trade with other cultivators. Since he was lucky enough to encounter it, why let the opportunity go?
As quick as lightning, Yang Kai arrived at the place Deng Qi had pointed out.
Looking around, Yang Kai was slightly stunned. Many people had gathered around the scene, and there was a fight going on. It was a chaotic mess.
It had been less than an hour since he bumped into Deng Qi, and based on what Deng Qi said, he had been chased away by a single person.
In other words, these people also arrived here within the past hour, probably attracted by the energy fluctuations from the previous battle.
However, even though their numbers were high, Yang Kai was not too bothered about it.
Everyone’s attention was being drawn to a white jade trough in which clear water was flowing quietly. Yang Kai’s spirits were lifted as he confirmed it really was the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water.
He had seen it in Meng Hong’s hand before, so he would not be mistaken when he saw it again.
The value of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was immense, so it was no wonder so many people had been attracted to fight for it here. It was hard to see how many groups were in battle in this chaos and from time to time, Yang Kai even saw cultivators being killed and falling to the ground.
There were also many spectators standing on the sidelines. Though they tried to remain calm, they could not hide the greed in their eyes.
Yang Kai’s arrival did not attract much attention, but the two Divine Medicines resting on his shoulders attracted some covetous glances.
Little Mushroom trembled in fear and shrank under her umbrella top, not daring to face anyone. On the other hand, Pu Bai Xiong suddenly came close to Yang Kai’s ear and said, “Sir, it’s that bamboo!”
Surprised, Yang Kai looked over and sure enough, a cultivator that was holding a purple bamboo was looking in his direction. That purple bamboo was about one meter long and its body was a bright and elegant purple. This was obviously an extraordinary treasure.
[Is this the bamboo that Pu Bai Xiong mentioned?] Pu Bai Xiong had brought him to the purple bamboo grove in order to harvest another Divine Medicine, but Yang Kai never expected that someone would have taken it before him. So, he did not expect to bump into it here.
The one in possession of the purple bamboo was a black-robed youth who did not look very old and he had a cold demeanour.
He was currently looking in Yang Kai’s direction, and he eyed both Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom for a while before nodding at Yang Kai.
With a thought coming to mind, Yang Kai leaned towards the black-robed youth’s direction. The black-robed youth frowned and clearly seemed afraid of him, but he stood firm in place and did not move.
A few moments later, Yang Kai stood still. Before he could speak, he saw Pu Bai Xiong jump down and stand akimbo, shouting, “Stinky Bamboo, so you also have this luck? You’ve been plucked, huh? Hahahaha!”
Eyes grew out of the purple bamboo in the youth’s hands that looked down at Pu Bai Xiong and sneered, “I was wondering who it was. So it’s you, you dead grape. Are you looking for a fight?”
Pu Bai Xiong fumed, “Little brat, you don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! Grandpa Pu was always going easy on you in the past, and now you really think I’m afraid of you?!”
The purple bamboo shook violently and broke free from the youth’s hands. As it landed on the ground, it turned into a bamboo monster with a long and slender body, two feet and two hands, and two bamboo branches growing on either side of its head that even had a few leaves sprouting out of it. Plucking a bamboo branch, it whipped it towards Pu Bai Xiong, “You dare take advantage of me? I’m going to smash your grapes today!”
Unwilling to show weakness, Pu Bai Xiong’s roots moved like long whips, fighting up a storm with that bamboo.
Suddenly, there was a yelp, and a large bulge formed on Pu Bai Xiong’s head. Being whipped hard by the bamboo, he was in so much pain that tears ran straight down his face; however, the purple bamboo did not stop there. Pulling off another branch from the side of its head, he brandished the two branches like two swords, forcing Pu Bai Xiong back. He lost so miserably that even a few of his roots were chopped off.
After eating a loss from the purple bamboo, the grape wailed. Seeing this, Little Mushroom tried to intervene, but was also smacked by the bamboo and rolled back many times from the impact, causing her invisible spores to fly out. The cultivators around the area all fell into a daze as an illusion formed before their eyes.
Little Mushroom pouted, “Smelly bamboo, how dare you hit me! I’ll fight you!”
Lowering her head, she charged at him, but was beaten back by her opponent and landed on her butt. Tears flowing, she wailed miserably.
The grape was furious, “You dare bully Little Mushroom? I’ll fight you too!”
Root tendrils danced and flew as if he had grown countless arms, wrestling with the bamboo as if he really meant to fight him to the death.
The black-robed youth’s figure swayed and his eyes seemed slightly confused before he shook his head and muttered, “An illusion?”
Reaching out, he brought the bamboo back into his hands. An elegant purple light dispersed from the purple bamboo that enveloped the youth, forming a shapeless barrier that allowed the black-robed youth to regain his senses.
Looking over, all of the cultivators around them had become confused. It was clear that they had no idea they had fallen into an illusion. Some cultivators were laughing, while some were flying around. Seeing this gave him goosebumps.
The bamboo spoke up, “Don’t be afraid, boy. With this Lord Bamboo here, Little Mushroom’s illusions can’t do anything to you!”
The black-robed youth nodded.
Yang Kai had also caught Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom again, placing them back onto his left and right shoulders. Looking at the youth with interest, he asked, “How should I address you?”
The youth was taken aback for a moment before cupping his fists, “Xiang Ying greets Senior Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “You know me?”
Xiang Ying answered, “Senior Brother Yang’s name is famous, resounding like thunder in one’s ears.”
“Infamous, you mean?” Yang Kai smirked.
Xiang Ying frowned. He did not understand what Yang Kai was trying to get at. Indeed, it was true that he had heard about Yang Kai’s vicious reputation, wiping out thousands in the fight with Thunder Light and Sword Pavilion, tens of thousands even at Sword Pavilion’s Star City. He was nicknamed the Killing Star that had descended upon this world, but now that Xiang Ying had seen him in person, he realized that there was some difference between the real him and the rumours.
However, he was not familiar with Yang Kai and did not dare to jump to conclusions, so he still put up his guard in front of Yang Kai.
“I am hoping to get the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water. What do you say about that, Brother Xiang?” Yang Kai cocked his head to the side as he looked at him.
Even though there were many people here already, they were all caught in an illusion and stuck in a confused state, so they were nothing to be worried about. The only ones with a clear head now were Yang Kai and Xiang Ying.
Xiang Ying said indifferently, “Each according to his own means!”
Obviously, he was unwilling to back down as the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was also a very attractive treasure in his eyes.
Yang Kai nodded. Staring at the purple bamboo in his hands, he changed the subject, “Brother Xiang’s bamboo is extraordinary. Would you be willing to part with it?”
Before Xiang Ying could even answer, the bamboo burst out in fury, “Don’t try and have any funny thoughts with this Lord Bamboo! Birds of a feather flock together. If you’re with that dead grape, then you must be a no-do-gooder as well!”
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment before laughing, “I guess we don’t share any fate then.”
He was just asking a casual question, and since the bamboo was unwilling, Yang Kai did not want to force him either. If he really wanted to snatch him away, then this Xiang Ying was most likely not his opponent.
Tossing the matter to the back of his mind, Yang Kai walked forward.
The grape said nervously, “Be careful, Sir! There are strange things about this place…”
Yang Kai smiled, “It is naturally impossible to move without caution in a place where such a treasure has formed. Even if the path is laced with all kinds of dangers though, I just have to break through them!”
At the end of the sentence, both he and Xiang Ying leapt forward.
The moment their bodies moved, both parties thrust their palms out at each other, resulting in a loud boom. Yang Kai’s body shook and he made a surprised hum. Though Xiang Ying was forced back three steps, he was not sent flying.
“Impressive!” Yang Kai praised.
Even though their contact was brief, Yang Kai could still see that this Xiang Ying was quite extraordinary. The Element Powers lingering around his palm during their exchange were all Sixth-Order.
In other words, what Xiang Ying refined were all Sixth-Order Open Heaven materials!
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to take a palm from him!
Yang Kai raised a brow, “Is Brother Xiang a senior disciple of a Cave-Heaven or Paradise?” As far as he knew, only those guys from the Cave-Heavens or Paradises had the ability to refine materials of the Sixth Order.
Xiang Ying stabilized himself and suppressed the tumbling vitality in his heart, praising in admiration, “Truly, seeing something once is better than hearing of them a hundred times. Senior Brother Yang is as amazing as they say. Junior Brother comes from a humble background. Not from any Cave-Heaven nor Paradise!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “I see!”
This Xiang Ying was clearly also a Bearer. Only by the might of a Divine Spirit could such an outstanding Bearer be nurtured. Only, Yang Kai had no idea which Divine Spirit Xiang Ying was the Bearer of.
He had heard Zhu Jiu Yin say that many Divine Spirits had been raising their own Bearers in secret, making them cultivate hard over the years to enhance their strength just so they could fight for the opportunity for their sakes in the Primordial Land. So far, Yang Kai knew only of Xu Zhen and his group. He never expected to bump into another one here.
It was no wonder he was able to collect that purple bamboo. Since Xiang Ying was the Bearer of a Divine Spirit, he naturally had that ability.
While talking, Yang Kai kept his pace and was soon approaching the white jade trough.
Xiang Ying’s face changed slightly when he saw this. Suddenly, a layer of blood mist erupted around his body. It was apparent that he had performed some sort of Secret Technique. His speed increased greatly, and he also lunged for the white jade trough.
They were the only two fighting for the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water now. Whoever reached the trough first would get the first chance at it, so he naturally did not want to fall behind.
But soon, Xiang Ying revealed a stunned expression. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get even a little closer to the white jade trough after approaching a certain distance.
Looking next to him, Yang Kai was also showing a stunned expression.
The white jade trough was not that far from their location, only three hundred metres or so. With their abilities, this distance was almost non-existent. They could easily reach it in just one step.
But strangely enough, they could not advance a single hair closer to the white jade trough no matter how they ran. The stone trough remained at the same distance all this while.
Xiang Ying’s face had turned grave, and a layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead. This was a strange situation that he had never encountered before.
Again, he tried dashing forward when all of a sudden, more people appeared around him inexplicably. These people were nowhere to be seen before, but they had appeared just like ghosts. Each one of them were desperately rushing towards the white jade trough, but unfortunately, they were all powerless to do so.
Yang Kai and Xiang Ying were both shocked. What was going on with these people and where did they come from? These people were definitely not the ones who were caught in the illusion earlier, because those people were still in a confused state of mind behind them.
“And here we have two more!” An old man guffawed.
“We’re finished! We’re not getting out of here today! I was wondering how there could possibly be no danger around such a precious treasure, but it turns out the danger was hidden under our noses this whole time, impossible to discover without landing oneself into it.” Another middle-aged man stuck in the same place shook his head and sighed with a defeated look on his face.
“What kind of damned place is this? I want to get out of here!” There were even people running in the opposite direction, but they were unable to escape. There seemed to be an invisible cage surrounding the white jade trough, trapping everyone in it in a thousand-metre radius, keeping them from moving even a step no matter which direction they ran.
Yang Kai stopped and looked around for a while before asking, “Little Mushroom, is this an illusion?”
Little Mushroom’s head shook like a rattle drum, “I don’t feel anything.”
The Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom itself had unparalleled illusory abilities, so if she said so, then it must be true that this was no illusion. What was more, Yang Kai himself did not detect any traces of an illusion. If it were an illusion, then his Soul Warming Lotus would at least warn him of its presence.
“Not an illusion… then…” Yang Kai frowned. Turning to a person a short distance away from him, he asked, “Old Sir, how long have you been here?”
This was the same old man that first spoke. He smiled and sighed, “Haiz… I’ve been stuck here for three days. This Old Master was the first to come in, and these guys fell into the same trap one after another during the past couple days.”
Yang Kai was speechless. There were at least a hundred cultivators stuck in this place. In other words, these hundreds of people had discovered the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water during the past three days and were eager to bring it into their possession. As a result, they fell into such a trap, unable to extricate themselves. He and Xiang Ying were the latest ones to enter, and the reason they did not notice these people before was most likely that they had not entered the invisible trap completely.
Only once they stepped into this place would they see the others here.
“Old Sir, have you been able to find any clues as to what is happening?” Yang Kai asked again.
The old man sighed, “If this Old Master did find anything, then how could he still be trapped here?” He shouted towards the sky, “None of you are getting out of here, none of you! This Old Master has been running at full speed here for three days and hasn’t been able to move a single step! How much longer will you run?”
Upon hearing this, everyone gradually stopped.
Someone spoke up, “What is going on with this place? It feels like we’re moving forward, but why are we still stuck where we are?”
Nobody could understand it, which was why this situation felt so strange.
“There might be a Natural Spirit Array here, an Illusion Array, or even a Bewildering Array. Without breaking the Array, we will be trapped here forever!”
“How are we supposed to break it? Is there anyone proficient in Spirit Arrays among you?”
“This Little Brother knows a thing or two. Only, I can’t make heads or tails of this array. Maybe I’m not proficient enough yet.”
“Then what should we do? We’re not just going to wait and die here, are we?”
The group of people exchanged opinions noisily, discussing with great liveliness.
The old man tried his best to calm everyone down, and it was only with great difficulty that he managed to silence everyone again. He then said aloud, “Since there is no one here that can crack this Array, then this Old Master thinks that we should break it with force. If we act together and unleash our full strengths, then this Old Master does not believe that this damn Array will be able to hold on!”
“Old Sir has a point!” Someone agreed, “With so many of us working together, we will surely be able to break the Array if there truly is one.”
“Once the array is broken, then everyone will get a share of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water. Let’s share it equally!” Someone shouted.
However, no one paid him any attention, leaving him to make a fool of himself.
Since the old man was the one to propose the joint effort to break the array by force, he was naturally the one who managed the operation. Everyone was stuck running in the same place and were unable to get closer to each other, much less move forward or backwards. Even though there were many people here, they had no way of setting up a Formation to combine their strength. So, they had no choice but to attack separately.
After the discussion was over, the old man was just about to give the order when he saw Yang Kai’s expression change, “Friend, have you made any discoveries?”
With gleaming eyes, Yang Kai nodded, “I see something, but I don’t quite understand what it is yet. I’ll need more time.”
The old man’s eyes lit up, “Since you have found something, why don’t you tell everyone and we can discuss it together?”
“That’s right! Two are stronger than one. If this friend can tell us what you’ve discovered, then we can work out this discovery together,” some echoed in agreement.
Yang Kai sneered, “If this King made a discovery, then it’s this King’s ability. Why should I tell you?”
The man’s expression sank as he rebuked, “This Junior is so rude.”
The old man beside him also shook his head, “Friend’s words are improper. We are trapped in this place, and we must work together to get out of this trap, so you should not hide any information from us at such a time.”
Yang Kai answered indifferently, “It’s not that this King is unwilling to speak, but rather that you would not understand it even if this King were to tell you.”
The old man shook his head and sighed, “Valuing one’s own old broomstick will only end up harming oneself and everyone around them.”
“What fart is this brat talking about? Once we get out of here, you better not run! I want to have a good talk with you!”
Yang Kai ignored these people and shut his eyes. Releasing his Divine Sense, he silently sensed the trace he found.
Seeing him like this, the old man no longer forced him to speak. Coordinating with the crowd, the Secret Techniques and Artifacts burst out at once when the word came down which caused the energy around the area to fluctuate violently, forming ripple after ripple that expanded outward.
Everyone watched with bated breath until their Divine Abilities dissipated, but they did not see any change in their surroundings.
The old man’s face sank as he bellowed, “Again!”
Another round of Divine Abilities were released.
The rumbling sounds were incessant, and the scene of hundreds of cultivators releasing their Divine Abilities at once was spectacular. In order to get out of the trap, no one held back. Each strike could be said to have been dealt at full strength.
The space shook and the world felt like it was being turned upside down. The aftershocks of their attacks spread out as round after round of light erupted endlessly.
An hour, two hours, six…
The hundreds of cultivators were so tired that they were almost spitting blood by now. Each one of them was pale-faced and their auras had become unsteady. They were all in the Emperor Realm, and though they gained many opportunities here in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and gathered numerous Element Powers, it was still difficult for them to keep attacking at full power for such an extended amount of time.
Despite how long they kept up their barrage, their hard work resulted in absolutely no changes at all, which left many of the cultivators discouraged.
The old man was constantly trying to boost morale, but there was nothing he could do. He had no choice but to let them rest for now in order to restore their strength.
Turning his head around, he saw that only Yang Kai remained standing in place, not moving, and he could not help but feel a little annoyed. They were all working hard and joining forces so that they could break out of this trap and get away from here, but this young man was just standing there, aloof. He was seemingly trying to work out some profound mystery, but who knows whether he was just trying to save his energy and waiting for the right moment to jump out and pick the peach.
Hundreds suddenly poured in at once during this moment and landed in the invisible cage. It was those cultivators who were caught by the illusion earlier and had finally recovered. They were all trying to get the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water, but ended up meeting with their predecessors along the way.
These newcomers rushed forward desperately just like the cultivators before them, but they could only run in place and were unable to get any closer to the white jade trough.
The cultivators all looked at these latecomers with pity, as if they had long known about this tragedy.
“Now that more friends have landed in this place, our strength has increased greatly. This time, we’ll definitely be able to break out!” The old man’s spirit was reinvigorated, “Everyone hurry up and adjust your breathing! We will strike together in an hour!”
All the cultivators roared in approval.
After an hour, the nearly one thousand people executed their Divine Ability and Secret Techniques under the old man’s order, and their force was indeed more than twice as strong as before.
After a few more hours though, nearly a thousand people stood pale, panting, and defeated.
Despite so many of them working together, they still could not shake the invisible cage in the slightest. Everyone’s hearts sank to the abyss. They had no idea what else to do in this situation.
“There is no unbreakable array in this world. This Old Master does not believe it! Everyone, rest and we will try again later!” Even though the old man’s strength was greatly depleted, he was still full of vigour.
It was a pity that the morale that was aroused by the first roll of the drums, was depleted by the second and exhausted by the third. Many people were now pessimistic and no longer as enthusiastic as before.
By the time they made their third attempt, many were barely even trying. Even though the old man was annoyed, there was nothing he could do about this.
Suddenly, Yang Kai, who had been trying to work out the mystery around him, suddenly laughed. Opening his glowing eyes, he stared at the Void ahead of him and exclaimed, “Wonderful! So that is how it is!”
Saying so, he suddenly took a step forward.
As soon as he took a step out, everyone widened their eyes and looked at him in shock.
That was because he really did manage to take a step forward. Before this, all of the cultivators who were stuck here seemed to just be running in place no matter how or where they tried to run.
“Friend… Friend?” The old man looked nervously at Yang Kai, “How did you do it?”
Even though Yang Kai had a smile on his face, his eyes looked serious, “Folding space, expanding space. Everyone looks just a thousand metres away, but no matter how one tries to advance, the space under one’s feet expands infinitely to compensate, giving one the illusion of stepping in place. So the Grand Dao of Space can be used in such a way… Such profundity!”
As he spoke, Yang Kai took another step forward. At the same time, the Dao Seal inside his body suddenly hardened.
His Dao Seal was formed around the Grand Dao of Space. Now that he had fallen into this predicament, Yang Kai had gained some enlightenment after a long time, which helped his Dao Seal become even stronger.
It had to be known that his Dao Seal had already been hardened by the Divine Dao Water, so refining it further was going to be a very difficult task. It could be seen how great his harvest this time was.
“Folding space, expanding space?” The old man and the other cultivators listened in confusion; however, Xiang Ying also frowned thoughtfully.
“You won’t understand even if I tell you, so just stand here and wait. Once this King retrieves the Divine Water, you will be freed!” Yang Kai did not bother to explain further. This was something concerning Space Principles and the Grand Dao of Space, so no matter how much he tried to talk to someone who did not cultivate it, they would not understand.
Step by step, Yang Kai slowly walked forward, but he was still moving closer to the white jade trough.
After Yang Kai took ten steps, Xiang Ying suddenly waved his purple bamboo in the direction that Yang Kai had stepped out in, and a purple glow emerged from it. Even though Xiang Ying was not moving, strangely enough, his body had moved a metre forward.
Yang Kai noticed his movements and turned around just in time to see it happen. Stunned, he wondered whether Xiang Yin had also cultivated the Dao of Space.
Xiang Ying looked up at him and gently nodded, “Many thanks to Senior Brother Yang for the explanation!”
The purple bamboo in his hands moved forward again and a purple light rippled out, causing his body to move forward once more.
Xiang Ying did not cultivate the Dao of Space, and Yang Kai knew it because he did not feel any fluctuation of Space Principles coming from the former’s body. So, he was doing this solely relying on the power of the purple bamboo!
The purple bamboo felt like it had the ability to nullify all things. Strictly speaking, the strangeness of this place could also be called a type of Divine Ability, but it was a natural phenomenon. Under the effects of the purple bamboo, it would naturally not affect Xiang Ying.
[So this purple bamboo is actually that strong?] Yang Kai looked over his shoulders at the grape and Little Mushroom, instantly getting the feeling that these two guys were extremely weak.
In front of the eyes of almost a thousand people, Yang Kai went forward step by step as Xiang Ying drifted forward like a ghost. Neither was faster or slower than the other, and they were constantly approaching the white jade trough.
Even though Yang Kai was a few steps ahead, Xiang Ying soon caught up with him.
In less than half a cup of tea’s time, the two were only several tens of metres away from the white jade trough.
Xiang Ying suddenly raised his hand and tapped Yang Kai with the purple bamboo, “Please excuse me, Senior Brother Yang!”
After being tapped by the purple bamboo, Yang Kai tried to take another step, but he was unable to move. He was stuck in place.
In that instant, Xiang Ying had pounced onto the white jade trough and summoned a jade bottle, snatching up the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water from within it.
Yang Kai laughed, “If you had not made a move on me, then I would still remain hesitant. Since you are unkind, then do not blame me for being unrighteous.”
Space Principles erupting, he shouted, “Return!”
Xiang Ying was about to bottle up the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water in the stone trough when a light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he bottled up nothing. By the time he came back to his senses, he found that he had been sent back to the original spot, which was a whole thousand metres away from the stone trough!
Xiang Ying’s face instantly became as black as the bottom of a pot.
Even though the purple bamboo in his hands had the ability to nullify this Divine Ability, allowing him to approach the stone trough little by little, how could it compare to Yang Kai’s understanding the essence of this Divine Ability and borrowing its power for his own use?
One broke, while the other comprehended, the difference was obvious!
Yang Kai stood alone by the white jade trough, looking down at the Divine Water within, grinning.
Without needing any container, his Divine Sense moved, opening up the Small Sealed World, where he sent the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water in the white jade trough into, storing it carefully.
There was quite a lot of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water in the trough, at least a hundred portions.
In just a few moments, Yang Kai had collected all of the Divine Water.
The surrounding group was envious and annoyed at Yang Kai’s actions. He did not even leave them with a single sip.
The moment Yang Kai collected all of the Tai Yi soul Cleansing Water, the white jade trough in front of him suddenly distorted and gradually grew transparent. Soon, it disappeared.
The Tai Yi soul Cleansing Water was a treasure which seemed to appear only at certain times. This white jade stone trough seemed solid, but it was in fact just the manifestation of the world’s Grand Dao. As soon as the Divine Water was gone, its vessel also disappeared with it.
At the same time, the invisible force which had been binding the cultivators all this while disappeared completely.
The moment they were freed, dozens of people rose into the air and lunged straight towards Yang Kai, roaring, “Junior, leave the Divine Water behind!”