Yue He activated the jade’s power and sent a ray of light forward. The thin layer of fog faltered and separated to the sides, revealing a passageway that led to the inside.
Yang Kai and Yue He traded glances and dashed into it in succession without hesitation. After they were gone, the fog closed and appeared normal again.
A moment later, they snuck into Seven Wonders Land. The process was surprisingly easy. Not daring to make any rash moves, they hurriedly concealed their figures and auras, then remained in place for some time.
An incense stick later, seeing as there was no movement in Seven Wonders Land, Yang Kai could finally confirm that they hadn’t alerted anyone.
After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. Over ten years ago, Xu Huang had made a scene and caused many weaknesses to appear in the Grand Array. On the other hand, Yue He had refined 10% of the jade’s power, so they were able to get in without alerting anyone.
If Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch remained vigilant at all times, he could’ve discovered them; however, Yang Kai reckoned that he was still recuperating.
In the past, Xu Huang told him that Qi Qiao was severely injured and it would take him years to recuperate.
Looking around, Yang Kai realised that the superficial traces of the great battle had been cleaned up already. Seven Wonders Land was expansive, with seven Spirit Provinces. It was because of these seven Spirit Provinces that this place was called Seven Wonders Land. All seven Spirit Provinces were special as each one of them was rich in a different Element. Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were found in the same place, and fruit trees of each Element were grown in Seven Wonders Land. These spirit fruits were the main ingredients for refining Open Heaven Pills. Relying on this source of income, Seven Wonders Land were able to gain a footing in the 3,000 Worlds.
At this moment, many cultivators were flying through the air as they were heading to a place that was hovering in the sky above Seven Wonders Land.
That was the shopping district for the Workers.
“Is this the time when the shopping district opens every month?” After a moment of observation, Yang Kai fell into his thoughts.
The shopping district was built on a small Spirit Province fragment that Qi Qiao had supposedly moved here long ago. Every month, this shopping district would be open for three days, and the Workers from Seven Wonders Land would use this opportunity to communicate and trade with each other as well as the disciples of the Sect.
Back then, Yang Kai bought a Third-Order Metal Element material, the Stainless Golden Dew, in this place and gave it to Dié You.
When he arrived in the 3,000 Worlds for the first time, it was extremely difficult for him to earn Open Heaven Pills. Now, he had over a billion pills in his possession. He couldn’t help thinking that many things had changed drastically in the past ten years.
Yang Kai was quite familiar with this shopping district; after all, he had been to this place many times, and his destination this time was actually the Universe Fragment where this shopping district was located.
Besides Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch, there were also several Venerable Protectors in Seven Wonders Land, so it wasn’t safe for Yue He and him to hide in this place. However, the shopping district was different. Most of the people gathering in this place were Workers, and the real disciples of Seven Wonders Land would rarely come here; therefore, they didn’t have to worry that their whereabouts would be exposed in this place.
As such, Yang Kai secretly spoke to Yue He before following the others. Soon, they landed on the Universe Fragment.
This Universe Fragment wasn’t big, but it couldn’t be considered small either. The shopping district was just a small part of this place while everywhere else was just barren and undeveloped.
Yang Kai and Yue He found a quiet place and dug a cave for themselves before hiding inside it.
It was then Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief as they could finally stop fleeing. Now, they just had to stay here and wait for those from Scarlet Star to give up before looking for a chance to leave.
Just then, a sense of fatigue came over Yang Kai. This couldn’t be helped. Since the closure of the Primordial Land, he had been on the run. First, he was hunted down by the Divine Spirits as his life was hanging by a thread. Now, he was pursued by those from Scarlet Star, which caused him to be battered.
He secretly swore that when he became an Open Heaven Realm Master in the future, he would raze Scarlet Star to the ground and let Zhao Bai Chuan know the consequences of offending him.
Then, he sent his Divine Sense into the special space on the back of his hand. He wanted to ask Zhu Jiu Yin how she was doing, but he was surprised to see that she had fallen into a deep sleep.
He knew that she was in urgent need of recuperation as her Source had been damaged; otherwise, she wouldn’t have fallen into such a state. To any Divine Spirit, their Source was their foundation, just like how a Dao Seal was to a cultivator. As her Source was damaged, it was difficult for her to restore it and she would need to spend a long time healing.
Then, he turned to look at Yue He and became somewhat puzzled, “Why are you still refining this jade?”
Presently, Yue He was seated crossed-legged with the jade firmly held in her hand as she was focused on refining it. Some time ago, he passed this jade to Yue He because her cultivation was much greater than his, so it would be quicker for her to refine it than him. This proved to be the correct decision. If Yang Kai had been the one to refine it over the past few days, he wouldn’t have been able to break through the Grand Array and sneak into this place. Now that they were inside though, there wasn’t a need to keep refining the jade.
Yue He opened her eyes and asked, “Young Master, don’t you want this Seven Wonders Land?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became startled for a moment before realising what she meant.
Bursting into laughter, he shook his head, “Even if you fully refine this jade and take control of the Grand Array, it won’t be easy to snatch Seven Wonders Land.”
In the past, Xu Huang was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, equal in strength to Yue He. What’s more, he was the original owner of Seven Wonders Land, so he knew this place better than anyone. By making use of the jade, he took control of the Grand Array but still fell into a life-and-death battle with Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch and the Venerable Protectors. In the end, he lost his life instead of achieving his goal.
Therefore, even if Yue He fully refined this jade, she wouldn’t stand a chance to snatch this place from Qi Qiao.
Then, he nodded and spoke in a different tone, “You can do whatever you want. Anyway, it’s better to refine it as much as possible.”
Presently, it was safe for them to hide in this place, but they couldn’t guarantee that no one would discover them. If that happened, they could gain an advantage if Yue He had further refined the jade.
Yue He nodded her head and focused on refining it again. Without speaking further, Yang Kai closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing to restore his strength.
.….
Time slowly went by. In the void, standing on the Hundred Refinements Peak, Zhao Bai Chuan sported an extremely dark expression. According to the information gathered by his subordinates, there were no leads that could help them find Yang Kai, which infuriated him.
All of them had spent the past ten-plus years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but the biggest winner was undoubtedly Yang Kai. On the other hand, the Scarlet Star was second.
Although Yang Kai had unashamedly taken 70% of Scarlet Star’s income and stuffed it into his own pocket, they had also made use of Yang Kai’s fame and power to develop in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and amass immense wealth and subordinates.
There were three great forces in the former Star City, which were Sword Pavilion, Thunder Light, and Scarlet Star. Initially, Scarlet Star was ranked at the bottom, but because they managed to get Yang Kai to side with them, they were spared from annihilation and instead rose rapidly in the face of adversity. On the contrary, Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light were gone for good.
However, it was one thing when they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and it was another thing after they left.
In the Boundary, Zhao Bai Chuan was willing to work under Yang Kai because the latter had the support of Zhu Jiu Yan, and Yang Kai had overwhelming power in that place; however, in the outside world, there was no suppression from the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, so he no longer had any regard for Yang Kai.
Recalling the fact that Yang Kai had snatched 70% of their income, Zhao Bai Chuan could simply not tolerate it. 30% of the income was already a tremendous amount of wealth, not to mention 70%. If he could kill Yang Kai and get that wealth back, the future for Scarlet Star would be bright, and he had the confidence to reach the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm within ten years.
Unfortunately, that brat had fled. Even though he had deployed dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters and used the Hundred Refinements Peak, they were still unable to capture him.
The Territory Gates had been sealed off, so he was certain that Yang Kai was still in this Great Territory; however, he had no idea where he was.
Over the next few days, the smaller great forces in Seven Wonder Territory suffered miserably.
In this Great Territory, Seven Wonder Territory wasn’t the only great force. There were other, weaker forces as well as many Universe Worlds.
In order to capture Yang Kai, those from Scarlet Star acted recklessly. There were a lot of Open Heaven Realm Masters on their side, and a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Zhao Bai Chuan was assuming command; therefore, even though those from the smaller great forces were incensed, they wouldn’t dare to criticize those from Scarlet Star. They had no choice but to let them search around their Headquarters freely.
Since the arrival of those from Scarlet Star, Seven Wonder Territory had fallen into a horrible state.
Zhao Bai Chuan turned to Chen Tian Fei and asked in a grim voice, “Haven’t you found him yet?”
Sensing the former’s suppressed fury, Chen Tian Fei brushed away the cold sweat on his forehead and replied, “Not yet, but don’t worry, Head Manager. That brat will never be able to escape.”
The Territory Gates were still blockaded, so Yang Kai would have to confront them in order to leave this Great Territory.
“Hmph!” Zhao Bai Chuan snorted, “This King knows that he can’t flee, but what if he keeps hiding? How are we supposed to find him?”
With a bitter expression, Chen Tian Fei said, “Head Manager, it isn’t that we haven’t done our best, but we’re currently lacking manpower.”
In order to capture Yang Kai, they had passed through several Great Territories. Zhao Bai Chuan had only brought several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters with him, while most people from Scarlet Star were still heading to this place. It would take them a month or two to arrive at this Great Territory at best.
With only several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters, it was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack if they wanted to find Yang Kai.
Upon that realization, Zhao Bai Chuan furrowed his brow. After observing his expression for a bit, Chen Tian Fei said, “Head Manager, the only solution for us now is to borrow some people.”
“Borrow some people? What do you mean?” Zhao Bai Chuan looked over at him.
Chen Tian Fei chuckled, “To be honest with you, there’s a great force called Seven Wonders Land in this Great Territory, led by Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch. I’m on fairly good terms with him, so if you don’t mind, we can head to Seven Wonders Land first. I’ll try to borrow some people from him. If he’s willing to help, things will become much easier.”
“Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch?” Zhao Bai Chuan seemed to have recalled something, “Is he the one who came to our Star City to negotiate some business deals with us a few years ago?”
He was aware of Qi Qiao’s existence, but in the past, he had been focused on breaking through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so he had never met him. While he was cultivating in seclusion, all the matters in Scarlet Star were handled by Chen Tian Fei. It was during this period of time that Chen Tian Fei came into contact with Qi Qiao, and he subsequently informed Zhao Bai Chuan about it. That was how Zhao Bai Chuan heard about Qi Qiao.
“En, him.” Chen Tian Fei nodded, “Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch is fairly powerful as he’s a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.”
Zhao Bai Chuan nodded. He was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and as the Master of a great force, Qi Qiao must be a respectable figure. Thus, he asked, “Are you confident that he’ll lend us some people?”
Chen Tian Fei chuckled, “I’m fairly confident, but I’m sure there will be a price to pay. Moreover, Head Manager, you’ll have to personally meet him.”
“I don’t mind paying a small price.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded. Since they wanted to borrow people, they naturally had to offer compensation. As long as they could find Yang Kai, the price would be worth it, “Let’s head to Seven Wonders Land now.”
It was then that Chen Tian Fei pointed out the direction for him, whereupon the Hundred Refinements Peak shot towards Seven Wonders Land.
Just one day later, Chen Tian Fei pointed at the fog in front of them and said, “Head Manager, we’ve arrived at our destination.”
Zhao Bai Chuan took a glance and saw that the fog was weltering, but he was unable to see through it. He couldn’t help but nod and say, “This is indeed an extraordinarily great force.”
Chen Tian Fei chuckled, “It’s my first time coming to this place as well. Head Manager, please wait a moment. I’ll send a message to Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch and tell him to open the portal.”
Zhao Bai Chuan simply nodded.
It was then that Chen Tian Fei fished out a Faith Token and infused his Divine Sense into it.
In the past, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch had repeatedly visited the Star City and did some business deals with those from Scarlet Star, which was why they had traded means to contact each other. However, it was always Qi Qiao who looked for him. Chen Tian Fei had never expected that he’d need to seek his help one day.
Right after he sent a message, he saw the fog rolling violently. The next instant, a rumbling sound was heard as an extremely thick bolt of lightning shot out from the fog and reached them in the blink of an eye.
Chen Tian Fei was stunned as he narrowed his eyes at the dazzling light.
With a grim expression, Zhao Bai Chuan yelled, “Open!”
Instantly, the Hundred Refinements Peak trembled violently as a rich Earth Element Power gushed out of it and formed a layer of airtight protection around the artifact.
A deafening sound was heard as the lightning bolt struck the Hundred Refinements Peak and caused it to tremble.
“Such a powerful attack!” Zhao Bai Chuan turned solemn. Even the Hundred Refinements Peak couldn’t withstand such an attack if it was repeatedly struck. As soon as he finished speaking, a few rays of lightning shot out from the fog.
At the same time, someone from Seven Wonders Land bellowed, “Yu Xiu Shan, do you think this King is really afraid of you!? Do you seriously think you’re powerful enough to gobble up my Seven Wonders Land!?”
Chen Tian Fei was dumbfounded. They were immediately attacked after they arrived at this place, so they had no idea what was going on, and who was Yu Xiu Shan?
Rumbling sounds were continuously heard. Wherever the beams of lightning went, the void broke apart.
The Hundred Refinements Peak could attack as well as defend. Zhao Bai Chuan had spent a lot of time and resources to have it refined, so it was a pretty extraordinary artifact. As the beams of lightning were about to strike, the Hundred Refinements Peak hurriedly shrunk and moved around to dodge the barrage.
Even so, it was still struck by another bolt and the entire mountain shook as one of the peaks collapsed.
“Chen Tian Fei!” Zhao Bai Chuan yelled and glared at him. He was heartbroken at the fact that the Hundred Refinements Peak had been damaged. Although this artifact was superb, it couldn’t possibly withstand the power of the Grand Array for long.
Chen Tian Fei’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat and hurriedly exclaimed, “Heavenly Monarch, please stop! It is Chen Tian Fei from Scarlet Star, not Yu Xiu Shan. Are you mistaken?”
If he hadn’t heard it wrong, the person shouting from Seven Wonders Land just now was Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch himself.
After he finished speaking, the lightning behind the fog seemed to have gotten stuck as a person said in surprise, “Chen Tian Fei? Fatty Chen Tian from Scarlet Star?”
Torn between tears and laughter, Chen Tian Fei quickly leaped away from the Hundred Refinements Peak and revealed his chubby figure, “Who else can I be? Heavenly Monarch, please take a proper look.”
A moment later, a surprised voice was heard coming from behind the fog, “So it is really Brother Chen!”
It was hard not to recognise Chen Tian Fei. There were trillions of Humans in the 3,000 Worlds, but it was rare to find someone as robust as Chen Tian Fei.
However, the Heavenly Monarch soon snorted, “Brother Chen, why are you here? Who is on that mountain?”
Hurriedly, Chen Tian Fei replied, “Heavenly Monarch, please hear me out. The reason this Chen has come all the way here is that he needs to request your assistance with a small matter. This mountain is the Hundred Refinements Peak, which belongs to my Scarlet Star. The person on the mountain is the Head Manager of Scarlet Star.”
Then, he turned his head and nodded at Zhao Bai Chuan.
With a gloomy expression, Zhao Bai Chuan kept the Hundred Refinements Peaks and revealed his figure. Besides him, there were also more than ten Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
“Head Manager of Scarlet Star?” Qi Qiao was evidently shocked, “I’ve heard so much about you!”
He had been to the Star City on Scarlet Star several times, but he had never met Zhao Bai Chuan in person before. Knowing that the Head Manager had been cultivating in seclusion to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he didn’t mind this.
Since Zhao Bai Chuan had stopped cultivating in seclusion, did it mean that he had ascended to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm? With this thought in mind, Qi Qiao’s tone became more polite.
Zhao Bai Chuan sported a cold expression. He was in a terrible mood because he was attacked for no reason; moreover, he had been fuming with rage after what Yang Kai had done. Therefore, he only nodded and said impassively, “Heavenly Monarch, I’ve heard much about you too.”
Qi Qiao said, “Brother Chen, why are all of you here today?”
Chen Tian Fei replied, “We really need your help. Can we come in to talk with you?”
Behind the fog, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch fell silent for a moment before saying, “Please.”
Following that, the fog rolled to the sides and revealed a passageway. Chen Tian Fei breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look inquisitively at Zhao Bai Chuan.
Upon getting his approval, Chen Tian Fei put on a smile and cupped his fists, “Pardon our disturbance.”
Then, he led the way while Zhao Bai Chuan shuffled forward with the other Open Heaven Realm Masters following him.
Soon, they entered Seven Wonders Land and saw a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters. The person at the front appeared to be a man in his forties who looked handsome and elegant.
With a friendly smile, Chen Tian Fei cupped his fists at this middle-aged man, “Greetings, Heavenly Monarch.”
This person was none other than the owner of Seven Wonders Land, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch.
Following a laugh, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch walked over and grabbed Chen Tian Fei’s shoulders, “We haven’t met for years, but you’re still so healthy and energetic. It pleases me greatly.”
There was a bitter smile on Chen Tian Fei’s face, “Many thanks for your compliment, Heavenly Monarch. For the past few years… Hai… It’s a long story. Please allow me to introduce you to Head Manager Zhao from Scarlet Star. Head Manager, this is Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch.”
Qi Qiao cupped his fists, “Head Manager Zhao.”
Zhao Bai Chuan saluted him in return, “Greetings.”
Seeing as Zhao Bai Chuan appeared displeased, Qi Qiao knew that the other party was still upset over what just happened, so he quickly explained, “Head Manager Zhao, please pardon my earlier offence. I didn’t intend to attack you just now. One of our enemies has been harassing us recently, so when a disciple told me that a strong cultivator had come to this place, I thought that the thug had returned. It’s just a misunderstanding. Please forgive me.”
Upon hearing that, Zhao Bai Chuan was stunned, “Your enemies have been harassing you?”
It was then he realised why Qi Qiao attacked him as soon as he arrived. That was because he was mistaken as an enemy. After learning the reason behind it, his displeasure decreased noticeably.
A shocked Chen Tian Fei said, “Who would have the guts to make a fuss here?”
“Hai… It’s a long story!” Qi Qiao sighed. His expression and tone were similar to those of Chen Tian Fei earlier.
Zhao Bai Chuan arched his brow, “Heavenly Monarch, it seems that you’re injured.”
Even though Qi Qiao was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, his aura was a little unstable. It was the same for the three Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters behind him.
A furious Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch said, “I was injured a few years ago, but I haven’t managed to fully recover yet. Even the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land has been damaged. That is the reason Yu Xiu Shan had the guts to come harass us.”
He had cursed at Yu Xiu Shan earlier, and now he mentioned this name again. Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei immediately understood that this guy was the one who coveted Seven Wonders Land.
“Let’s not talk about this kind of problem. I’m really pleased that both of you have arrived at Seven Wonders Land. Come, come, prepare a banquet! This Qi must have a few drinks with Brother Chen and Head Manager Zhao!”
As soon as he gave the order, some people immediately left to prepare for a feast. Since Qi Qiao was acting so hospitable, Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei naturally wouldn’t turn him down as they got ready to attend the banquet.
Inside their cave in the shopping district, Yang Kai and Yue He traded glances and felt speechless.
“They came here of all places? Did they discover something?” Yue He was worried.
The disturbance earlier was pretty loud, so they were able to hear it even though they were hiding in the shopping district. However, they couldn’t hear the conversation between Qi Qiao and those from Scarlet Star, so they wondered what they were talking about.
“That’s not likely, but we should still be careful,” Yang Kai appeared solemn. He reckoned that he hadn’t left any traces behind, so those from Scarlet Star shouldn’t have discovered anything. Moreover, if they had found out their whereabouts, they would’ve made a move instead of letting them stay here peacefully.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai thought that he still had to act carefully. It was impossible to leave this place now as he might alert their enemies. Moreover, not everyone from Scarlet Star had arrived at this place yet, so it was apparent that some of them were still looking for him in other locations. Now, they could only wait patiently.
While they were worried, the people at the banquet were drinking and having a lively chat. Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch intended to befriend Zhao Bai Chuan, so he had been quite hospitable.
However, he soon discovered that Zhao Bai Chuan was still a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It seemed that the other party hadn’t managed to break through yet. While he was slightly disappointed, Qi Qiao also secretly breathed a sigh of relief; after all, he was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and he was injured. He would feel pressured if he were to face a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The atmosphere was harmonious as they only talked about worldly affairs and nothing else. Chen Tian Fei intended to bring up the topic of borrowing some people from Qi Qiao, but he was secretly stopped by Zhao Bai Chuan.
Despite not understanding his intentions, Chen Tian Fei still obeyed his order.
When the banquet was over, Zhao Bai Chuan made a request to have a look around Seven Wonders Land. Certainly, Qi Qiao wouldn’t reject him, thus he told the Venerable of Earth Spirit Land to lead the way for them and show them the seven Spirit Provinces of Seven Wonders Land.
Just like Duan Hai, the Earth Spirit Land Venerable Protector was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the same realm as Chen Tian Fei. Upon getting the Monarch’s order, he wholeheartedly acted as a guide, furthering the pleasant exchange between the two parties.
In the evening, those from Scarlet Star were given fitting accommodations to rest in. Inside one of the palaces, Zhao Bai Chuan was looking out the window. Without saying a word, Chen Tian Fei was standing behind him.
A long time later, Zhao Bai Chuan sighed, “This is such a beautiful view. Old Chen, how do you find Seven Wonders Land?”
Chen Tian Fei wasn’t sure what the Head Manager meant by that, so after giving it a thought, he replied, “The seven Spirit Provinces can nurture Yin, Yang and the Five Elements, so it’s indeed a precious piece of land. Moreover, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch has been developing this place for years. Although Seven Wonders Land is not as powerful as the Cave-Heavens or Paradises, it’s pretty extraordinary among the Second Class great forces.”
Zhao Bai Chuan nodded his head, “I’ve been to the Headquarters of some Second Class forces before, and I can tell you that the heritage of Seven Wonders Land can be considered upper-middle rank amongst them.”
There was a bitter smile on Chen Tian Fei’s face, “In the past, if we could’ve resisted the pressure from the other forces and carefully managed Scarlet Star, we would’ve become as great as Seven Wonders Land. Unfortunately, Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light came along, and we had no choice but to share territory with them.”
Strictly speaking, Scarlet Star was also a Second Class great force, and it was the same case for Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light. All three of them had Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in command as well as numerous Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. At that time, the Star City could have been considered a single Spirit Province. However, since three great forces were crammed together, there were bound to be conflicts, and it was difficult for any one of them to develop rapidly.
This was the reason Scarlet Star was inferior to Seven Wonders Land.
Zhao Bai Chuan put on a faint smile, “Fortunately, both Sword Pavilion and Thunder Light are gone for good, while Scarlet Star has survived.”
“But our Star City was also destroyed,” Chen Tian Fei appeared dejected. He felt his heart aching every time he thought about it. The Star City was engulfed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog and broken into countless pieces. It had completely disappeared. Now, they were not even certain where they could settle down. It wasn’t like they could bring so many people to wander around the 3,000 Worlds forever.
“As long as we’re still around, we can always rise again,” Zhao Bai Chuan appeared confident.
“Head Manager is right,” Chen Tian Fei said respectfully, “But, since we’re here to borrow people, why did you stop me from bringing up this issue to Qi Qiao? Yang Kai is a cunning brat. If this matter drags on, he’ll find a chance and flee.”
“Don’t mention borrowing people again.” Zhao Bai Chuan waved his hand, “Judging from the current situation, it is Qi Qiao who will want to borrow people from us, not the other way round.”
Chen Tian Fei wasn’t a fool, so his expression changed when he heard that and began to ask, “Head Manager, you mean…”
Zhao Bai Chuan grinned, “At the banquet before, after giving it a thought, this King recalled that Yu Xiu Shan is the Temple Master of Flying Smoke Temple. He is also a Fifth-Order Master while Flying Smoke Temple is situated in the adjacent Great Territory, so they and Seven Wonders Land are neighbours.”
Hearing that, Chen Tian Fei nodded, “There are bound to be conflicts between neighbours. Qi Qiao said that he was injured a few years ago, and even the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land had been damaged. Yu Xiu Shan must have smelled blood and decided to make a move to annex Seven Wonders Land in order to strengthen his own force.”
Zhao Bai Chuan said, “That’s what this King thinks as well. Moreover, you might not be aware of it, but of the seven Venerable Protectors of Seven Wonders Land, only four of them are in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The remaining three are only Third-Order Open Heaven Realms.”
After giving it a thought, Chen Tian Fei realised that Zhao Bai Chuan was right. The three Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were the Venerable Protectors of Fire Spirit Land, Water Spirit Land, and Metal Spirit Land. It didn’t catch his attention at that time, but now he found it strange. Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were Low-Rank, so how could they become Venerable Protectors?
Zhao Bai Chuan smiled, “If I’m not mistaken, the misfortune that befell Seven Wonders Land in the past was tremendous. The previous Venerable Protectors must be dead, so three Third-Orders were promoted by Qi Qiao as there were no other suitable candidates.”
Upon hearing his reasoning, Chen Tian Fei did not miss a chance to flatter, “Head Manager is indeed intelligent. Just like what you’ve said, Qi Qiao might want to borrow some people from us.” Then, he observed his expression for a bit, “Do you intend to interfere in this matter? But, how will this benefit us in any way? These are their grudges. Even if we help Qi Qiao fend off the attacks from Flying Smoke Temple, he will only thank us. On the other hand, Yang Kai has so many treasures with him that can help us rise up again.”
Zhao Bai Chuan snorted, “Certainly, Qi Qiao’s gratitude doesn’t matter to this King.” Then, with a smug expression, he pointed forward and asked, “Old Chen, how do you find this place? Wouldn’t it be better if its name was changed to Scarlet Star?”
Chen Tian Fei felt his chest tightening as his usually narrowed eyes widened.
Since Zhao Bai Chuan had said so, it was apparent to Chen Tian Fei that the Head Manager intended to snatch Seven Wonders Land. At that instant, he felt apprehensive as Seven Wonders Land wasn’t so weak that they could oppress as they pleased. There was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as well as a number of Fourth-Order Masters assuming command. Moreover, they were in the other party’s headquarters. If they wanted to make a fuss here, they might fall into trouble should they act recklessly.
However, after pondering on it for a moment, Chen Tian Fei realised that it was actually feasible. Presently, Flying Smoke Temple had their eyes on Seven Wonders Land, so if they waited until the two parties became mutually wounded before making a move, they might stand a chance to seize this treasured land.
It was no wonder that the Head Manager requested to have a look around Seven Wonders Land. He wanted to survey his new domain.
Chen Tian Fei felt his heart pounding against his chest as his lips went dry. He was both anxious and excited. Secretly, he admired the Head Manager for his boldness. If they could snatch this treasured land, the value would be as great as capturing Yang Kai. Moreover, while Yang Kai was nowhere to be found, Seven Wonders Land was right in front of them.
With a solemn expression, he took a step back and cupped his fists, “Head Manager, please give the order. This Chen will do whatever it takes to repay your favour for nurturing me.”
Zhao Bai Chuan chuckled and patted his shoulder, “There’s no rush. We have to come up with a detailed plan first.”
Then, he turned around and looked down before saying quietly, “We do need a place where we can settle down.”
Meanwhile, in another Grand Hall, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch was quietly listening to the report from the Venerable of Earth Spirit Land. Previously, he told this man to lead those from Scarlet Star to have a stroll around Seven Wonders Land because he was a scrupulous person who could observe things that others couldn’t.
After the report, Qi Qiao asked, “Did you find anything that was amiss?”
Hearing that, the Earth Spirit Land Venerable shook his head, “No. Those from Scarlet Star were acting normally. I couldn’t find anything wrong with them.”
The Venerable Protector of Yin Spirit Land, a middle-aged woman, heard this and frowned, “Heavenly Monarch, why have those from Scarlet Star come to Seven Wonders Land at such a critical moment? Could there be a plot afoot?”
Qi Qiao stared at her and said, “I know what you’re worried about, but Scarlet Star is quite far away from this place. Moreover, as far as I know, they’ve never come into contact with the Flying Smoke Temple, so it’s unlikely that they have joined forces to harm us. Certainly, we can’t rule out this possibility, so we have to investigate further.”
“I’m relieved that you’ve taken that into consideration.” The woman bowed her head.
The Venerable Protector of Yang Spirit Land landed a fist on the table and bellowed, “Damn it! If it weren’t because Xu Huang made a fuss in the past, we wouldn’t have fallen into such a state. If the Grand Array were still intact, Yu Xiu Shan wouldn’t have the guts to create trouble.”
In order to break through a Grand Array that protected a Spirit Province, one had to pay a hefty price. It wasn’t certain how Yu Xiu Shan found out that the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land had been damaged, but like a cat catching a whiff of a fishy smell, Yu Xiu Shan hurriedly came over. In the past few years, there had been more than 20 fights, and there had been losses on both sides. Although those from Flying Smoke Temple hadn’t gained the upper hand, the weaknesses of the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land had worsened. The Grand Array was at risk of falling apart.
Qi Qiao’s expression turned gloomy when he heard the name ‘Xu Huang’. In the past, Xu Huang had raised Hell in this place. Qi Qiao and other Venerable Protectors joined forces and severely injured him, so it was most likely that he was dead; however, during the battle, three Venerable Protectors lost their lives, while Qi Qiao was severely injured. Many of their disciples were killed, and a large number of Workers had escaped. It could be said that they had suffered immense losses.
However, the bigger problem was that Xu Huang had secretly altered the controlling rights of the Grand Array, which made it impossible for Qi Qiao to fully control it now. Therefore, he could only make use of 60% of the Grand Array’s power.
He was injured, but at the same time, he had to refine the Grand Array again. It could be said that he was exhausted both physically and mentally.
What made him feel even more apprehensive was that Xu Huang had brought the Array Jade with him when he ran away. He had a Grand Array Control Token as well, but it was only a copy of the original one. The real jade was in Xu Huang’s possession. That jade was superior to the one Qi Qiao had when it came to manipulating the Grand Array.
If he could obtain the jade, he could solve the crisis they were facing by regaining control over the Grand Array; however, he wasn’t sure if Xu Huang was dead or alive, and the jade was nowhere to be found.
It could be said that the situation wasn’t in his favour. After a sigh, Qi Qiao looked at the Venerable Protector of Earth Spirit Land, “Wei Hua, I’ll let you deal with those from Scarlet Star. Find out their intentions as soon as possible.”
Scarlet Star and Seven Wonders Land were separated by many Great Territories, so he didn’t believe that they would come all the way here for no reason. However, he was a reserved individual, so he didn’t inquire about it at the banquet.
Following a grunt, the Venerable Protector of Earth Spirit Land rose from his chair and cupped his fists, “Yes.”
“All of you may leave now,” Qi Qiao waved his hand, whereupon all of them streamed out of the hall.
After receiving Qi Qiao’s order, Venerable Protector Wei Hua went on to hospitably treat those from Scarlet Star over the next few days. He would hold a banquet every evening and share with them the local products of Seven Wonders Land and this Great Territory, slowly building up a rapport.
Nevertheless, Wei Hua felt speechless at the fact that these people from Scarlet Star never revealed their intentions for coming to this place, as though they had really come all the way here just to have a stroll. They would attend the banquet every day and drink the wine presented to them. They would also gladly accept the female disciples sent to serve them in bed.
Wei Hua had no idea what they were up to.
One day, during another banquet, Wei Hua was tipsy and unable to take it anymore, he asked directly, “Brother Chen, why have all of you come all the way to Seven Wonders Land? Just tell me if there’s anything you need. Our Heavenly Monarch is a generous person, so he won’t disappoint you.”
Chen Tian Fei’s face was red as he appeared intoxicated as well, but in fact, he was totally sober. Hearing this, he thought to himself that those from Seven Wonders Land couldn’t hold back their curiosity and anxiety anymore.
“The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened?”
Inside the Grand Hall, Qi Qiao was dumbfounded upon hearing the Earth Spirit Land Venerable’s report, while the other Open Heaven Realm Masters were equally stunned.
The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was a wondrous place. Even though many people had heard about its existence, it took a great opportunity for anyone to be able to enter. Moreover, even if one managed to enter, it wasn’t certain if they could come out alive. It was an opportunity as well as a risk.
Wei Hua nodded, “That was what Chen Tian Fei told me.”
The female Venerable of Yin Spirit Land asked, “Senior Brother Wei, do you think he was telling the truth?”
Wei Hua shook his head, “I’ll need to investigate further before I can verify his claim. However, based on my observation, Chen Tian Fei didn’t seem to be lying. Moreover, this matter has far-reaching implications, and the news will be spread quickly. I don’t think they would do something so foolish as to tell such an easily exposed lie.”
Qi Qiao nodded, “That’s right. The opening of Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary is a major event, and no one can hide it.”
Wei Hua said, “Apparently, their Star City was swallowed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so they’re homeless now. When they were finally able to leave, they happened to be around this place. Heavenly Monarch, Chen Tian Fei remembered you, which was why he decided to come to Seven Wonders Land to have a short stay.”
“I see,” Qi Qiao muttered.
Previously, he wondered why those from Scarlet Star would come all the way here to his territory. He came to find now that it was because of the opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, which was a valid reason.
The eyes of Yang Spirit Land Venerable brightened as he said, “Heavenly Monarch, in that case, we can consider taking in those people from Scarlet Star. Now that they’re homeless, we can make them stay in Seven Wonders Land to strengthen our power. By then, we won’t have to be afraid of Yu Xiu Shan anymore.”
Wood Spirit Land Venerable snorted, “Are you out of your mind? Chen Tian Fei doesn’t matter as he’s just a Fourth-Order, but Zhao Bai Chuan is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who is in the same realm as Heavenly Monarch. Regardless of whether we can take them in or not, I’m worried that they will not be loyal to us.”
Yang Spirit Land Venerable found this to be sensible. Zhao Bai Chuan was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so if he was allowed to stay in Seven Wonders Land, it was difficult to subdue him as he might not be willing to work under the Heavenly Monarch. Moreover, those from Scarlet Star had lost their Star City, so they needed a new place to call home; therefore, they might covet Seven Wonders Land. It was akin to welcoming wolves into one’s home if they were allowed to stay.
After giving it a thought, Yang Spirit Land Venerable said, “We don’t have to take them in, but we can employ them.”
Qi Qiao gazed at him, “You mean…”
There was a smile on Yang Spirit Land Venerable’s face, “They don’t have a place to call home anyway, and Chen Tian Fei is an old acquaintance of yours. If we can offer a good price, they might be willing to lend us a hand. One of them is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and the other is a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If we put them in the right places, they can help us destroy Flying Smoke Temple.”
The Wood Spirit Land Venerable scoffed, “You’re oversimplifying things.”
There seemed to be some grudges between the two Venerables. Seeing as the other party refuted him again, Yang Spirit Land Venerable sported a dark expression and glared at him, “What opinion do you have, then?”
Wood Spirit Land Venerable said, “They have just left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Even though we’ve never been to that place, we’ve heard about it. There’s great danger as well as opportunities inside. As long as one is able to leave that place alive, they will undoubtedly bring with them immense rewards. Now, they’re alive and kicking. Although I have no idea what they’ve obtained, they’re definitely not poor. What can we offer that will make them willing to lend us a hand? They will brush us off if the benefits are not good enough, and we’ll suffer a loss if the benefits are too tremendous.”
Yang Spirit Land Venerable tried to argue, “But, Chen Tian Fei is an old friend of Heavenly Monarch. If Heavenly Monarch personally…”
“Have you cultivated too long and lost your mind?” Wood Spirit Land Venerable gave him a disdainful look, “Regardless of whether Chen Tian Fei will value this friendship and decide to lend us a hand, he’s not the Head Manager of Scarlet Star. The Head Manager is Zhao Bai Chuan! If Heavenly Monarch is turned down, our force will be thoroughly embarrassed!”
Yang Spirit Land Venerable was fuming with rage, but he had to admit that the other Venerable was right; therefore, he was lost for words at the moment.
Qi Qiao was seated at the head of the hall as he stared coldly at his subordinates, who were bickering with each other, only interjecting after some time to ask, “Miao Yue, since you keep refuting him, you must have a plan in mind. Why don’t you tell us about it?”
Miao Yue was the name of the Wood Spirit Land Venerable.
Hearing that, Yang Spirit Land Venerable became elated as he took pleasure in Miao Yue’s misfortune, waiting for the latter to embarrass himself in front of the Heavenly Monarch.
Nevertheless, with a confident look on his face, Miao Yue explained, “Yes, Heavenly Monarch. I do have an idea. If this plan works, not only can we pay nothing to get the help of those from Scarlet Star, but we can also have a chance to get rid of Yu Xiu Shan forever. However, you have to personally act to express our sincerity.”
Yang Spirit Land Venerable glowered at him, “Nonsense!”
However, Qi Qiao’s interest had been piqued, “Tell me about it.”
As Miao Yue explained his idea, the eyes of the people in the Grand Hall brightened as they appeared excited. Even though Yang Spirit Land Venerable was displeased, he had to admit that the other Venerable was a clever person. He hated himself for not being able to come up with such a simple solution, which allowed his rival to gain all the credit.
Upon hearing the full plan, Qi Qiao guffawed, “Miao Yue, your idea will help us chase the wolves away while getting all the benefits, and with an overt plot at that. Even if those from Scarlet Star see through it, they will still be tempted. Wonderful. If this plan works, you will be rewarded greatly.”
There was a polite smile on Miao Yue’s face, “Heavenly Monarch, it is my duty to help you share your burden, so I wouldn’t dare to take any credit for it.” Then, with a smug expression, he shot a glance at Yang Spirit Land Venerable, which infuriated the latter.
After rising from his chair, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch declared, “We should get it done quickly as Yu Xiu Shan might strike again at any moment. This King will look for Zhao Bai Chuan and discuss this matter with him now.”
Miao Yue then said, “Heavenly Monarch, regarding the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary…”
Qi Qiao stopped in his tracks and fell silent for a moment, “Get some people to look into this matter. If the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary really opened, news would have spread quickly and caused a great commotion. Just ask around in the Universe Temple and we will soon know the truth.”
“Yes,” Miao Yue replied respectfully.
Half a day later, in the palace where those from Scarlet Star lived, Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei hospitably saw Qi Qiao off. It wasn’t certain what the discussion was about, but all of them sported bright smiles on their faces. Apparently, they were happy with the outcome.
“It’s decided, then. I will be counting on your assistance then, Brother Zhao,” Qi Qiao cupped his fists. His face had been pale due to his injury, but at this moment, it seemed to be glowing.
Zhao Bai Chuan cupped his fists back and said, “Many thanks, Heavenly Monarch. This Zhao and all of us from Scarlet Star are grateful that you’ve found such a great opportunity for us. If everything works out, we will certainly prepare a great gift for you.”
“You’re too polite,” Qi Qiao chuckled and bid them farewell before leaving.
In his heart, he was extremely pleased. Initially, if they wanted to seek the help of those from Scarlet Star, they would have had to pay a hefty price; however, by using Miao Yue’s plan, not only could they pay nothing, they also stood to gain a reward from Scarlet Star after the incident. This was indeed a perfect plan with all the benefits going to them.
After Qi Qiao was gone, Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei returned to their hall and opened a barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on them.
With an awkward expression, Chen Tian Fei stroked his chin, “Head Manager, just like what you had expected, Qi Qiao came to borrow some people from us, but his idea is… interesting.”
Zhao Bai Chuan chuckled, “This open conspiracy is indeed ingenious.”
Chen Tian Fei nodded his head, “They know that we’re homeless, so we need a place to settle down. As long as we can help them get rid of Yu Xiu Shan, we can take over Flying Smoke Temple. Tsk… It’s such a perfect plan. Head Manager, what do you think?”
He knew that Zhao Bai Chuan intended to snatch Seven Wonders Land, but Qi Qiao had presented Flying Smoke Temple to them as bait, so he wasn’t sure if they should accept it.
Strictly speaking, Qi Qiao’s suggestion would most likely work; after all, if they joined forces, there was no way those from Flying Smoke Temple could defeat them. If they could come up with a proper plan, they certainly could snatch the Temple. On the other hand, they were not confident that they could take control of Seven Wonders Land.
Zhao Bai Chuan just wanted a place to settle down, and Seven Wonders Land and Flying Smoke Temple were both Second Class forces, so either of them would be fine. There was no reason for them to insist on choosing Seven Wonders Land; therefore, the Head Manager would have to make a decision.
Zhao Bai Chuan, however, just sneered and replied, “This King knows nothing about Flying Smoke Temple, but I’ve taken a liking to Seven Wonders Land.”
Hearing that, Chen Tian Fei knew that the Head Manager was determined to obtain Seven Wonders Land. After pondering on it for a moment, he said, “Should we pretend to play along and act according to the circumstances, then?”
Zhao Bai Chuan said, “Don’t worry. I’ve already made some arrangements. Now, we’ll have to see if we can pull in one more pawn. If we can do that, we’ll definitely achieve our goal.”
Right then, Zhao Bai Chuan’s expression changed as he waved his hand to undo the barrier.
The next moment, a Third-Order Master stepped into the hall with an unconscious woman in his hand. Then, he cupped his fists and said, “Manager Zhao, Manager Chen.”
This Third-Order Master was one of the Great Commanders of Scarlet Star, and his position was only below the Managers. Previously, he had followed Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei to enter Seven Wonders Land. There were more than ten Low-Rank cultivators just like him, but their powers varied.
“How was it?” Zhao Bai Chuan asked.
The man replied excitedly, “Just as Head Manager expected, some of the disciples from Seven Wonders Land have left in succession.”
Zhao Bai Chuan scoffed, “The news of the opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary has been spread, so they’d definitely send some people to gather information; after all, they don’t fully trust us.”
The person said, “I was waiting for a long time before I found a chance to capture one of them. Soon, the other one will come into contact with the other Managers.”
Initially, Chen Tian Fei had no idea what this person was saying, but after listening for a while, he became excited and immediately realised the Head Manager’s plan. Secretly, he admired the Head Manager’s cunning. Previously, while the Head Manager told Chen Tian Fei to unobtrusively reveal the news regarding the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he also secretly set up a plot. Chen Tian Fei felt that he was no match for the Head Manager when it came to intelligence, so he became even more respectful of the latter.
There was no way those from Scarlet Star could hide the news regarding the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, nor did they intend to do so. However, Chen Tian Fei had never expected that the Head Manager could make use of this news.
By revealing the news regarding the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they could assure those from Seven Wonders Land that they didn’t come all the way here for no reason. They were homeless because their Star City was destroyed, and they happened to be sent to this place.
Secondly, upon learning about this news, those from Seven Wonders Land would send some people to verify this claim, which gave the people from Scarlet Star an opportunity.
It had to be noted that Zhao Bai Chuan had several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters working under him, but presently, he only had more than ten of them with him. People like Lady Qin, the Ou Yang Brothers, and Bei Yu Shan were currently elsewhere.
In order to snatch Seven Wonders Land, they had to contact those people. Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei alone were not able to achieve this goal.
However, there was a Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land, so even though it was currently damaged, Zhao Bai Chuan still couldn’t contact Bei Yu Shan and the others freely. If they made any rash move, they would arouse the suspicion of those from Seven Wonders Land.
The people of Seven Wonders Land had fallen into Zhao Bai Chuan’s trap by sending disciples to gather some information.
He had gotten some people to wait in the dark and make a move at the right time, and as expected, it was a success.
A Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master couldn’t be considered powerful in the 3,000 Worlds, but he wasn’t weak either. It was easy for him to subdue a Seven Wonders Land’s disciple and plant a seal on his body to force him to send a message for them, unless the disciple valued his Sect over his own life.
Nevertheless, how many people in this world were not afraid of death?
“Who is this woman?” Chen Tian Fei looked puzzledly at the unconscious woman.
The man replied with a smile, “The disciple I sent out was a man, and I suppose this woman is his partner. With this woman in our hands, I believe he won’t betray us.”
A shocked Chen Tian Fei said, “You took her in just like this? Did anyone see you?”
The person shook his head, “Manager Chen, don’t worry. I’m sure no one saw me.”
“Good.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded, “You’ve done well. You can leave now. This woman will stay here.”
“Yes.” The man put down the woman and respectfully left.
Just then, the woman slowly opened her eyes as her long eyelashes fluttered. As soon as she saw Zhao Bai Chuan, she was astounded. Before she could figure out what was going on though, she saw Zhao Bai Chian lifting his hand. The next instant, her vision darkened, and she could no longer feel anything.
A moment later, only a pile of ash was left on the ground. The female disciple was killed.
Seeing that, Chen Tian Fei knew that the male disciple who was forced to send a message was doomed as well. As soon as he came into contact with Bei Yu Shan and the others, he would be killed. Regardless, it was better to have fewer people who were aware of this incident. To Seven Wonders Land, it didn’t matter to lose two disciples; after all, presently, the people from Flying Smoke Temple had their eyes on Seven Wonders Land.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have separately sent their disciples away to gather information. That was because they were worried that those disciples would be killed all at once.
Since the plot had been fully set up, all they could do now was wait. Zhao Bai Chuan never left Seven Wonders Land, but he was able to mobilise his subordinates and make appropriate arrangements. His calm demeanour showed that he was a natural leader.
Time went by slowly. Three days later, the shopping district became desolate. The shopping district was only open for three days every month, being empty most of the time.
Now, it was easier for Yang Kai and Yue He to conceal themselves. Presently, Yue He was still tirelessly refining the Array Jade. It seemed that she was interested in Seven Wonders Land; after all, it was the Headquarters of a Second Class great force.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was silently recuperating. He was seriously wounded in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and subsequently, he was hunted down by those from Scarlet Star, which aggravated his injuries. Now that he finally had a moment of peace, he had to seize the chance to heal himself.
As he was doing so, he was also going through the harvest he had obtained from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Although he had been trapped inside that place for more than ten years, the resources he had accumulated were immense.
The trip to the Yuan Magnetic Mountain alone had made him become filthy rich overnight. The Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones in the Fourth, Fifth and even Sixth-Order were all worth immense amounts of money in the 3,000 Worlds. Xu Zhen had also helped him refine the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, which contained the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light in it. As soon as these artifacts were put up for sale, no Low-Rank Master could resist the temptation.
In addition, he had hundreds of millions of Open Heaven Pills. In the past, after he arrived at the Sword Pavilion’s Star City, he found everyone slaughtered and managed to pick up several tens of thousands of Space Rings. All the things in the rings were valuable, not to mention that he pocketed 70% of Scarlet Star’s income over the years.
Under his protection, Scarlet Star grew rapidly and became extremely profitable. In return, 70% of their income fell into Yang Kai’s hands.
It could be said that in the past over ten years, Yang Kai had accumulated a heritage that would take any ordinary Second Class force a hundred or even several hundred years to match. The resources he had were simply innumerable.
It was so much, Yang Kai had no idea how much wealth he really had. Yue He might be aware of it because it was she who had been dealing with the people from Scarlet Star over the years.
Besides that, the rewards from the Primordial Land were substantial as well.
Three Divine Medicines, Sixteen World Fruits, a large quantity of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water, and the World Tree’s root, not to mention that Zhu Jiu Yin had promised to be his Protector for 1,000 years.
She had sworn upon her Source, so she had to protect Yang Kai at all costs for the next 1,000 years. Unfortunately, her Source had been damaged while they were fleeing, so she had fallen into a deep sleep; otherwise, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been hunted down by Scarlet Scar.
Additionally, he also had the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon.
These two were able to face Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary without any trouble, so although Yang Kai had no idea how powerful they were in the outside world, there was no way they were weak.
Besides these tangible benefits, his own strength had also increased significantly.
In Crouching Dragon Mountain, he obtained the remains of a Great Dragon and refined its Dragon Bead to condense his Earth Element Power. Then, he picked countless Dragon Blood Flowers and refined them into Dragon Blood Pills to purify his Dragon Vein. After that, he obtained the Moon Essence and refined his Water Element before comprehending Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation. With this Divine Manifestation alone, he would be able to deal with Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters.
There was also a Space Secret Technique he had comprehended when receiving the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water in the Primordial Land.
Near Horizon!
Previously, he wasn’t sure how to name it, but now he had finally found a suitable name.
Rather than a Divine Ability or Secret Technique, it was actually just a flexible use of Space Principles.
Once used, Yang Kai could stretch space around himself infinitely. The two parties might appear to be near each other, but the user was actually as distant as the horizon. There was no way the other party could approach once caught in this phenomenon.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had spent the past two years comprehending over a thousand spear techniques, eliminating the bad while retaining the good to create his own original spear technique.
It could be said that in the past over ten years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai had grown tremendously. Now, he was no longer the same man who had just broken free from his Universe World’s restraints and arrived in the 3,000 Worlds. He wasn’t the bumpkin who found everything new and interesting anymore. When it came to wealth, even the Sect Masters of Second Class great forces were no match for him, and he might even be wealthier than some High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
No one would have believed such a fantastical tale even if he told his story personally.
As he went through his harvest, Yang Kai kept smiling foolishly, making Yue He somewhat speechless.
One month later, he had fully recovered and returned to his peak.
Seizing the chance, Yang Kai snuck out of the cave and scanned the surroundings, whereupon he realised that the people from Scarlet Star were still in Seven Wonders Land.
This realization puzzled him as he wondered what benefits there were in Seven Wonders Land that could make the people from Scarlet Star stay. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t dare to make a rash move. It was easy to leave Seven Wonders Land now, as over the past month, Yue He had been refining the Array Jade, and she had now achieved over 40% control. However, things were getting harder as she progressed further. In order to fully refine the jade and take control of the Grand Array, it would take her at least six months to a year.
After all, Yue He wasn’t Xu Huang, who knew Seven Wonders Land inside and out and it still took him a long time to alter the controlling rights of the Grand Array. In the end, his plan was ruined when Yang Kai was exposed. Although Yue He was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was time-consuming for her to refine something that didn’t belong to her.
“Young Master, I can’t keep refining it,” On this day, Yue He suddenly furrowed her brow.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at her.
Yue He replied, “I have a feeling that if I keep refining it, the owner of Seven Wonders Land will notice it.”
“What percentage of it have you refined?”
“About 50%.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “Stop refining it then if you can’t progress any further. You can always do it after leaving this place. There’s no rush.”
In the past, before Xu Huang’s death, he told Yang Kai to help him retrieve Seven Wonders Land and get revenge on his behalf; however, it was just the last words of a dying man, an enemy no less. It wasn’t Yang Kai’s intention at all.
The reason Yue He had been refining the jade was that she had nothing else to do. Since there was now a risk of being discovered though, she naturally couldn’t keep going lest their whereabouts be exposed.
What made Yang Kai feel speechless was that two months had passed, but Zhao Bai Chuan and Chen Tian Fei didn’t seem to have the intention of leaving, which made him feel doubtful. Could it be that the people from Scarlet Star intended to join Seven Wonders Land?
He couldn’t rule out the possibility. Since their Star City was gone, they needed a place to stay, and Seven Wonders Land was the perfect place for that.
Nevertheless, was Zhao Bai Chuan really willing to work under Qi Qiao? Did Qi Qiao have the guts to accept him?
While Yang Kai was lost in his thoughts, he felt the world shake suddenly, and rumbling sounds were continuously heard. Flabbergasted, he immediately realised what was going on and muttered, “Seven Wonders Land is under attack!”
“Could it be Yu Xiu Shan?” Yue He asked.
“I think so,” Yang Kai didn’t know who Yu Xiu Shan was, but when the people from Scarlet Star arrived at this place, the Heavenly Monarch mentioned this name, which made Yang Kai realise that there were some grudges between the two parties. Moreover, Yu Xiu Shan must have launched some attacks on Seven Wonders Land before.
At this moment, no one but Yu Xiu Shan could be the mastermind behind the attack on Seven Wonders Land.
As expected, Qi Qiao soon bellowed, “Old dog Yu Xiu Shan, how dare you come here again!”
A raucous laugh was heard coming from the distance in response, “Qi Qiao, this Old Master is here to end your life. If you’re clever, you’d better open the Grand Array and allow me to kill you quickly so as to spare the lives of the others from Seven Wonders Land. Otherwise… Haha… Don’t blame this Old Master for slaughtering all of you.”
Hearing that, many disciples from Seven Wonders Land felt apprehensive.
Qi Qiao snapped back, “Old fart, all of you from Flying Smoke Temple will never be able to swallow up Seven Wonders Land! Leave now and this King will spare your life. Refuse, and you’ll only embarrass yourself!”
The way Qi Qiao spoke was diffident, which elicited a laugh from Yu Xiu Shan.
As they sparred verbally with each other, they seemed closer and closer to an all-out fight.
Seven Wonders Land was protected by its Grand Array, so if the people from Flying Smoke Temple wanted to invade this place, they had to destroy the defensive barrier first. In the past, they were not capable of doing that; after all, both parties were equally matched. However, after the chaos Xu Huang had raised, many weaknesses appeared in the Grand Array. On the other hand, Qi Qiao still hadn’t recovered up until this point, so he was unable to fully activate the Grand Array’s power.
It was for this reason that the people from Flying Smoke Temple repeatedly attacked Seven Wonders Land in order to annex this place.
Previously, they had gotten into over twenty skirmishes. Although the people from Flying Smoke Temple were defeated each time, they didn’t go home empty-handed. At the very least, they had figured out the current status of the Grand Array.
Therefore, as soon as the battle began, the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Flying Smoke Temple received a directive from Yu Xiu Shan and began targeting a particular spot.
That spot was where Yang Kai and Yue He passed through previously. It was also the weakest spot in the Grand Array.
Qi Qiao was so enraged he began cursing out loud, but there was nothing he could do. He could only join forces with the other Open Heaven Realm Masters to reinforce the Grand Array’s power to parry the enemy attack. At that moment, they fell into an intense battle as booming sounds were continuously heard.
In Seven Wonders Land, all seven Spirit Provinces shook violently, with mountains crumbling one after another. In the shopping district, Yang Kai and Yue He sported solemn expressions.
They were in trouble as they were caught between two Second Class great forces that were clashing with each other. It would be great if the people from Seven Wonders Land could defend this place, which would allow Yang Kai and Yue He to continue hiding here. If they couldn’t, the people from Flying Smoke Temple would occupy Seven Wonders Land and launch a thorough search. By then, their whereabouts might be exposed.
“Young Master, should we look for a chance to escape?” Yue He asked in a hushed voice, “In my opinion, the Grand Array can only last for a while longer.”
She had refined 50% of the Array Jade, and although she wouldn’t dare to activate the Grand Array so as not to attract Qi Qiao’s attention, she could feel the Grand Array’s condition through it.
“How much longer can it last?” Yang Kai asked.
Yue He replied, “Based on the intensity of the attacks, the Grand Array can only last for half a month. Moreover, I believe the other party hasn’t gone all out yet. If they do, the time before the Grand Array collapses will be shortened.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded. Since Yue He said so, there wouldn’t be any mistake. It seemed that the Grand Array couldn’t stop the people of Flying Smoke Temple from storming into Seven Wonders Land. Once the Grand Array broke, Seven Wonders Land would fall into a horrible state, and they would also be implicated.
Now, they really had to ponder over a way out of this situation.
However, there was one thing he didn’t understand. Would the people from Scarlet Star make a move in this battle? Why hadn’t they left yet? Had they come to any agreement with the Heavenly Monarch?
With the help of Scarlet Star, Seven Wonders Land might be able to fend off Flying Smoke Temple; after all, Zhao Bai Chuan was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and he had many Open Heaven Realm subordinates under him.
Two days later, the battle was still ongoing; however, with the Grand Array in place, the two sides hadn’t really directly come into contact with each other.
Suddenly, Yue He frowned and appeared puzzled, “Why has the Grand Array’s power dropped so quickly?”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai gazed at her.
Yue He explained, “This Grand Array is fairly powerful, so supposedly, it shouldn’t have been worn down so quickly. Initially, I thought that it could last for ten days to half a month, but now, it seems that it will break in just five days.”
“That quick!?” A glint flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes when he heard this, then he fell into his thoughts, “Maybe you’re not mistaken.”
Yue He gazed at him, “What do you mean?”
“What if Qi Qiao is intentionally weakening the Grand Array to feign defeat to their opponents?”
Yue He wasn’t a fool as she had managed to reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her gaze brightened when she heard that, “Young Master, you mean…”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Flying Smoke Temple is in trouble now.”
The people from Scarlet Star must have come to an agreement with Qi Qiao. They were hiding in the dark and waiting for a chance to make a move. Once the Heavenly Monarch let those from Flying Smoke Temple in, Zhao Bai Chuan would act.
When that happened, with the two great forces teaming up, there was no way Flying Smoke Temple would be able to match them. However, they couldn’t act conspicuously, which was why the Heavenly Monarch had been slowly weakening the Grand Array and pretending that they were powerless to resist. They were trying to lure Yu Xiu Shan in and trap him.
Upon this realization, Yang Kai couldn’t help but admire Qi Qiao’s audacity to let his enemies into his home, an act that required a lot of nerve. If any unexpected event took place, Seven Wonders Land would suffer huge losses.
Was there anything Yang Kai could do in such a battle? Could he interfere in this matter and get some benefits for himself? If he found a chance and killed Qi Qiao, it would help Yue He seize full control of the Grand Array.
However, just controlling the Grand Array was useless. Zhao Bai Chuan and Yu Xiu Shan were both Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so if they were not killed as well, Seven Wonders Land would fall into the hands of one of them.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai decided to give up on the idea. It was best for him to just sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight for now.
Just like what Yang Kai had expected, the Grand Array around Seven Wonders Land had been unobtrusively weakened by Qi Qiao, and in just five days, a huge gap appeared in the barrier.
Following that, Qi Qiao’s furious but helpless roar reverberated across all seven Spirit Provinces.
With Temple Master Yu Xiu Shan leading the way, the top cultivators from Flying Smoke Temple passed through the opening and entered Seven Wonders Land. As soon as both parties came into contact, they fell into a life-and-death battle.
Both parties were Second Class great forces, and they possessed foundations accumulated over countless years. Supposedly, they were equally matched. Nevertheless, over ten years ago, Xu Huang went on a rampage in Seven Wonders Land, and besides injuring Qi Qiao, he also killed three Venerable Protectors.
In that battle, Seven Wonders Land lost three Fourth-Order and many more Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. It could be said that they had suffered immense losses. On the other hand, the imposing cultivators from Flying Smoke Temple were at the peak of their power, so how were the people from Seven Wonders Land supposed to resist?
Yu Xiu Shan directly charged towards Qi Qiao and launched into a fierce battle with him. The Mid-Rank cultivators under him went on to deal with Earth Spirit Land Venerable and the others.
At that instant, the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Seven Wonders Land fell into danger as they were all at a disadvantage.
The Heavenly Monarch was still injured, and even though he was in a one-on-one fight with Yu Xiu Shan, he wasn’t a match for the latter. After just an incense stick worth of time, he was hurt by Yu Xiu Shan as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood and stepped backwards.
A relentless Yu Xiu Shan raised the war hammer in his hand as a flash of light swirled around his weapon. Upon surging his World Force, he attempted to land his weapon on the Heavenly Monarch as he grinned, “Qi Qiao, after you’re killed, this Old Master will take good care of your wife and concubines. Hahahaha!”
The Heavenly Monarch’s face was pale, and his eyes were fuming with rage; however, at this critical moment, he actually sneered, “Yu Xiu Shan, do you think you’ve already won? Actually, you’ve lost!”
“Hm?” Yu Xiu Shan’s expression changed slightly.
Qi Qiao clenched his teeth and performed a hand seal. The illusory phantom of a Small Universe flashed behind him as the World Force exploded and he shouted, “Soul Suppression!”
The next instant, an invisible power radiated from his body. Before Yu Xiu Shan could react, he was struck by the attack and instantly became rooted to the spot, unable to move a muscle.
Besides him, Qi Qiao was also unable to move.
The Soul Suppression Secret Technique could suppress and seal an opponent’s movements, but the user would also be greatly affected. This could be said to be a double-edged sword. If it was used properly, it could help the user turn the tide of battle, but it could also plunge them into a critical situation.
“You court death!” Yu Xiu Shan bellowed as he continuously surged his power to break free from the Soul Suppression Technique. The aura of his World Force kept undulating.
Qi Qiao sneered as he shouted, “You will be the one that will go to Hell today. Head Manager Zhao, please make a move now!”
The next moment, a figure as swift as wind shot towards them, along with more than ten Open Heaven Realm Masters. Yu Xiu Shan’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed, “Who are you!?”
The Heavenly Monarch guffawed, “Yu Xiu Shan, you never expected that I still had a trump card, right? I don’t mind telling you about them. He’s the Head Manager of Scarlet Star. His Star City has been destroyed, so it just so happens that he is in need of your Flying Smoke Temple’s Spirit Province.”
As Qi Qiao spoke, Zhao Bai Chuan shot past him and raised his hand. World Force surged from his palm as he lightly pushed it out towards Yu Xiu Shan.
Seeing that, Qi Qiao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was fortunate that the people from Scarlet Star had come to visit all of a sudden; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stood a chance to get rid of Yu Xiu Shan.
Just as this thought flashed through his mind though, he saw Yu Xiu Shan sporting an eerie smile, “Qi Qiao, you think I’ll go to Hell? But, as I see it, you’re the one who is bound to die!”
Qi Qiao felt his chest tightening as he instinctively had a bad premonition. Before he could react, he saw Zhao Bai Chuan turning around and landing a palm on him. His eyes widened in disbelief as a sense of shock and fury behind his gaze emerged.
Following Zhao Bai Chuan’s attack, a loud boom was heard, and the Heavenly Monarch’s head was pushed into his chest. At the same time, the lower part of his body turned into dust.
Zhao Bai Chuan retracted his hand and straightened up. There wasn’t a hint of emotion on his face.
Strictly speaking, both of them were Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Even though Qi Qiao was injured, he shouldn’t have died so easily; however, he had been feigning weakness and even allowed Yu Xiu Shan to hurt him to fool the latter. That was because he placed all his hope on Zhao Bai Chuan.
However, it never crossed his mind that Zhao Bai Chuan had already contacted Yu Xiu Shan and joined forces with him. That was the reason he lost his life for nothing.
Qi Qiao was a powerful Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but he had sustained fatal damage now and was unable to sustain the Soul Suppression. After Yu Xiu Shan broke free from the restriction, he traded glances with Zhao Bai Chuan and smiled, “Brother Zhao, many thanks for your assistance.”
“You’re welcome, Brother Yu.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded.
“W-Why…” Presently, only half of the Heavenly Monarch’s body was left, while half of his head had been compressed into his chest, so he was truly on his last breath.
He could not understand why Zhao Bai Chuan betrayed him all of a sudden. Since the people from Scarlet Star wanted a new territory, they could help him get rid of Yu Xiu Shan and then easily take over Flying Smoke Temple. Why did Zhao Bai Chuan make a move on him instead?
Zhao Bai Chuan looked down at him and replied impassively, “Seven Wonders Land is a good place, and this King has taken a liking to it.”
Zhao Bai Chuan knew little about Flying Smoke Temple, but he had carefully surveyed Seven Wonders Land and concluded that it was a terrific place. The seven Spirit Provinces were attuned to each of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. The seven kinds of spirit fruits grown in each respective Spirit Province could be used to make Open Heaven Pills, which was a stable source of income.
If the people of Scarlet Star could settle down in this place, they would have the capital to rise again.
Moreover, compared to Yu Xiu Shan, it was easier to kill Qi Qiao; after all, Qi Qiao had been seriously wounded, so Zhao Bai Chuan wouldn’t have to worry that he would put up a desperate last struggle and drag him down with him. On the other hand, Yu Xiu Shan was completely healthy. If he had a Secret Technique that could overdraft his strength and greatly boost his power before his death, Zhao Bai Chuan would have to suffer.
After going through all the pros and cons, he decided to snatch Seven Wonders Land.
The light in Qi Qiao’s eyes went out. Before his death, he still couldn’t believe that while he was plotting against others, he was also walking into someone else’s plot.
“Zhao Bai Chuan… you’ll die a horrible death!” He cursed before passing away.
There was no emotion on Zhao Bai Chuan’s face, “That’s none of your concern.”
Right after Qi Qiao lost his life, Chen Tian Fei turned into a gigantic meatball and rolled into the battlefield. In an imposing manner, he charged towards Earth Spirit Land Venerable Wei Hua.
Wei Hua was already in a perilous situation as he was besieged by two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Flying Smoke Temple. Now that Chen Tian Fei also came at him, how was he supposed to fend him off?
While horrified, he still tried his best to ward off the attacks from his current enemies, but after ten breaths of time, he was struck by the gigantic meatball. In an instant, his chest became indented, and he sprayed out a mouthful of blood that was mixed with the pieces of his organs.
The two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters charged forward, and as a glint flashed across their blades, Wei Hua’s head flew into the air and blood started spurting out of his neck.
First, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch was betrayed and killed, then the Earth Spirit Land Venerable was murdered. All this happened in just ten breaths of time. The turn of events terrified the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Seven Wonders Land.
“Retreat!” Seeing as the situation wasn’t in their favour, Wood Spirit Land Venerable Miao Yue yelled and shot into the sky. He wouldn’t dare to keep battling against their enemies.
Behind him, the Open Heaven Realm Masters from Seven Wonders Land ditched their opponents and ran for their lives.
“Hahaha! Where do you think you’re going?” A burly figure suddenly emerged from the gap in the Grand Array, blocking the only exit. He was none other than Bei Yu Shan from Scarlet Star. Besides him, Lady Qin, the Ou Yang Brothers, and other Open Heaven Realm Masters had also come.
Seeing this, Miao Yue and the others felt their hearts sinking.
Bei Yu Shan and the others were all Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no way they could defeat the four of them and flee.
Instantaneously, Bei Yu Shan and the Ou Yang Brothers led the Scarlet Star Open Heaven Realm Masters and dashed towards Miao Yue and his group. Soon, they fell into another melee.
Lady Qin stood guard before the gap on her own. After she sat down with her legs crossed, she placed a zither in front of her and plucked its strings, whereupon melodious music permeated the air.
Shrieks were continuously heard as the Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed. Those from Seven Wonders Land were easily defeated as they were powerless to resist; after all, they had already lost all morale, and they indeed were less powerful than Bei Yu Shan and the others.
Just one hour later, more than ten people had been killed. Even the Yang Spirit Land Venerable’s corpse had been ground into dust. Miao Yue’s hair was dishevelled, and he was soaked in blood as he exclaimed, “Don’t kill me! I’m willing to surrender!”
Ignoring his plea, Bei Yu Shan continued hunting him down.
On the other hand, Yu Xiu Shan’s expression changed as he said, “Head Manager Zhao, will you please tell your subordinate to spare Miao Yue’s life?”
Zhao Bai Chuan asked, “Brother Yu, do you intend to recruit a talented person like him or something?”
Yu Xiu Shan chuckled, “How can he be considered a talented person when he’s afraid of death? However, he’s a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he might be useful to us in the future if we keep him alive.”
Since he had made such a request, Zhao Bai Chuan wouldn’t reject him. In any case, Zhao Bai Chuan had already achieved his goal, so he secretly spoke to Bei Yu Shan and told him to stop.
Soon, the battle ended. Seven Wonders Land had suffered immense losses. Only two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Miao Yue and the Yin Spirit Land Venerable, were left. The Yang Spirit Land Venerable and Earth Spirit Land Venerable Wei Hua were killed in battle while many Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters also lost their lives. As for the lower disciples, more than 40% had died.
Although many were still alive, the people from Seven Wonders Land all appeared apprehensive as they had no idea what kind of fate awaited them.
Yu Xiu Shan leapt into the air and persuaded them to surrender. Seeing as there was a chance to live, the people from Seven Wonders Land fell on their knees and kowtowed. With a satisfied look, Yu Xiu Shan nodded in approval.
Then, he landed on the ground and cupped his fists at Zhao Bai Chuan, “Brother Zhao, it’s been wonderful working with you. Seven Wonders Land has been occupied, and it’s time you fulfilled your promise.”
Although Flying Smoke Temple had won the battle, they had also suffered some losses. Many of their disciples lost their lives, along with ten Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Nevertheless, the purpose of a battle was not the battle itself but the benefits.
After the battle, the people from Scarlet Star could take control of Seven Wonders Land, so certainly, those from Flying Smoke Temple wouldn’t want to make a loss.
Yu Xiu Shan and Zhao Bai Chuan had secretly come to an agreement. After they occupied Seven Wonders Land, those from Scarlet Star would settle down in this place, while the treasures accumulated over the years in Seven Wonders Land would all go to Flying Smoke Temple.
This was a win-win deal as both parties could get what they wanted most. On the surface, it appeared that Scarlet Star had suffered a loss; after all, all the benefits would be taken by Flying Smoke Temple. However, they had just left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so the treasures in Seven Wonders Land didn’t really matter to them.
“I won’t go back on my word. Brother Yu, please help yourself.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded.
After thanking him, Yu Xiu Shan told his subordinates to follow Miao Yue to the storehouse and take everything. The people from Flying Smoke Temple would handle the corpses on the battlefield, while those from Scarlet Star wouldn’t take part in it; after all, corpses had many treasures on them, so it wasn’t appropriate for Scarlet Star to join.
Even before blood flowed across the battlefield, both parties had agreed on the distribution of benefits.
A moment later, a subordinate came over with Qi Qiao’s Space Ring. Yu Xiu Shan took it and wiped away the imprint left on it. After scanning it with his Divine Sense, he fished out something and gave it to Zhao Bai Chuan, “Brother Zhao, if I’m not mistaken, this should be the Array Jade of Seven Wonders Land.”
Zhao Bai Chuan took it and replied with a smile, “Many thanks, Brother Yu.”
This was also a part of the deal. With this jade in his possession, Zhao Bai Chuan would officially become the owner of Seven Wonders Land.
Yu Xiu Shan guffawed, “It belongs to you anyway. From now on, we’ll be neighbours, so we should help each other out.”
Zhao Bai Chuan nodded in agreement.
Two days later, everything was settled and Zhao Bai Chuan said, “We’ve just come to this place, so we have many things to do. Brother Yu, I’ll not make you stay. After this Zhao handles all the necessary affairs, I will pay you a visit.”
Knowing that he was not welcome any longer, Yu Xiu Shan simply decided to leave. He laughed and replied, “I’ll be waiting, then. Farewell.”
“Farewell.” Zhao Bai Chuan nodded lightly.
With Yu Xiu Shan leading the way, the people from Flying Smoke Temple escorted the captives from Seven Wonders Land and shot into the sky. Soon, they were gone.
Following that, Chen Tian Fei appeared distressed as he said, “Those captives would have been useful. Yu Xiu Shan is so greedy, bringing all of them away. He’s such a despicable person.”
With a smile, Zhao Bai Chuan replied, “Let him be. Those captives don’t really matter. Now that we’ve taken control of Seven Wonders Land, we don’t have to worry about recruiting people or making money.”
Chen Tian Fei said after a laugh, “Head Manager is right. In any case, isn’t life full of surprises? Initially, we were here to borrow some people from Qi Qiao to look for Yang Kai. Who could have expected that things would turn out this way?”
Yang Kai possessed unimaginable wealth, so if they could capture him and snatch everything he had, Scarlet Star’s wealth would increase significantly. However, it was hard to tell whether securing a new territory or capturing Yang Kai was more important.
With a solemn expression, Chen Tian Fei said, “We’re not afraid of that brat surnamed Yang, but he said that he’s from First Inn, and he has the support of Madam Lan. We don’t know if it’s true or not. If what he is saying is true though, things will become thorny.”
After all, Madam Lan from First Inn was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, while their Head Manager was only in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. If Madam Lan stormed into their new place, they wouldn’t be able to fend her off.
Zhao Bai Chuan snorted, “Why would we be afraid of that woman? This King will also ascend to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm sooner or later. If she has the guts to come here, this King will teach her a lesson.”
Chen Tian Fei became excited and cupped his fists, “Congratulations, Head Manager.”
The Ou Yang Brothers, Lady Qin, and the others also said in unison, “Congratulations, Head Manager.”
Over the years, Zhao Bai Chuan had been trying to achieve a breakthrough to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but he hadn’t managed to do so. Now, it seemed that he had reached a point where he could achieve his goal.
With the jade in his hand, Zhao Bai Chuan said, “Moreover, as long as I can refine this jade, I will be able to control the Grand Array.”
With the help of the Grand Array, he would be able to use a power that was far greater than his own even if he just broke through to the Sixth Order. Moreover, the news that they had occupied Seven Wonders Land hadn’t spread around, so it would be at least eight to ten years later before Madam Lan could find them.
Upon that realization, Chen Tian Fei cast away his worries.
“This King has to enter seclusion, so you will handle everything,” Zhao Bai Chuan said. After delegating power to Chen Tian Fei, he left. Over the years, Scarlet Star had been managed by Chen Tian Fei, so there was nothing to worry about.
Chen Tian Fei and the others bowed their heads and saw him off. Then, they set about cleaning up the battlefield, burying the corpses, and repairing the Spirit Arrays. All of them were swamped with work.
Initially, Scarlet Star had some pretty decent development in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and they had more than ten thousand disciples. However, many of them had lost their lives in the Primordial Land, and there were now only about three or four thousand left. Previously, these people were not swift enough to follow Zhao Bai Chuan and the others as they passed through several Great Territories.
Two months had passed since that initial chase though, so naturally, these disciples had reunited with Bei Yu Shan and the others.
Seven Wonders Land, which consisted of seven Spirit Provinces, was vast, able to accommodate over a million people with ease; therefore, these three or four thousand people were like a basin of water being poured into the ocean. They were nowhere in sight just a moment later.
Rebuilding this place was a difficult task as it would take him several dozen to a hundred years to finish; after all, they had too few people on their side. However, since there was hope, they were all energetic and tireless.
Chen Tian Fei personally surveyed the entire land. Although he had followed Wei Hua to walk around some of the places in Seven Wonders Land, he was a guest at that time. Now, from the perspective of an owner, he needed to more thoroughly understand Seven Wonders Land.
Inside the cave in the shopping district, a myriad of expressions came over Yang Kai as he fell into his thoughts.
The battle two days ago shocked him. Initially, he thought that those from Seven Wonders Land and Scarlet Star had come to an agreement, and the people from Flying Smoke Temple would definitely suffer a grave defeat, but in the end, Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch was plotted against by Zhao Bai Chuan and Yu Xiu Shan. In just two days, Seven Wonders Land had changed owners.
He could not figure out how Zhao Bai Chuan and Yu Xiu Shan came into contact with each other.
Nevertheless, he could understand why Zhao Bai Chuan coveted Seven Wonders Land; after all, their Star City had been destroyed, so they indeed needed a place to settle down.
It was because of this temptation that the two parties came to an agreement. The turn of events in Seven Wonders Land was actually a great opportunity for Yang Kai.
Initially, Qi Qiao was the owner of this place, and he possessed the Array Jade, so Yang Kai hadn’t thought about taking any action; however, it was a different case when Zhao Bai Chuan was in charge.
In order to control the Grand Array, Zhao Bai Chuan had to first refine the Array Jade. In other words, Seven Wonders Land was basically defenceless at the moment.
Given Yue He’s capabilities, she could easily take control of the Grand Array.
Licking his dry lips, Yang Kai decided that since those from Scarlet Star had been relentlessly trying to kill him as they had hunted him down through several Great Territories, he had to take this perfect opportunity to retaliate against them.
Upon that realization, Yue He looked at him with a gaze filled with anticipation. Yang Kai traded glances with her and gently nodded.
At that instant, she was excited as she said, “Young Master, what should we do? I will follow your orders.”
Yang Kai asked, “Do you have the confidence to defeat Zhao Bai Chuan?”
Yue He smiled, “Both of us are Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Under normal circumstances, we should be equally matched with neither side able to easily defeat the other. However, I have the help of the Grand Array now. If it is a one-on-one fight, I’m confident that I’ll defeat him within one hour.”
She was confident of achieving this goal because she had refined 50% of the Grand Array Control Token over the past two months, so she was able to use its power to a great extent. On the other hand, Zhao Bai Chuan wasn’t able to do so.
That was the reason Xu Huang, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, could raise such a huge fuss in Seven Wonders Land, severely injuring Qi Qiao and killing three Venerable Protectors in the past. He had made use of the Grand Array’s power to do so. Unfortunately, he lost the battle in the end and journeyed to the Yellow Springs.
Zhao Bai Chuan was the strongest cultivator in Scarlet Star, and Yue He could handle him. The rest of them were the other Managers. Chen Tian Fei, the Ou Yang Brothers, Bei Yu Shan, and Lady Qin were all powerful Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as well. Presently, Yang Kai could only make use of Lu Xue. Even if she made a move, she could only hold down a single Fourth-Order cultivator, leaving her unable to deal with the remaining four.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon might be able to contribute. Guo Zi Yan wasn’t taken into consideration as a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him would likely end up in a horrible state in such a battle.
The lack of manpower gave Yang Kai a headache. Unfortunately, Zhu Jiu Yin was in a state of deep sleep. If she could make a move, everything would be simple.
Since he didn’t have enough people, he could only deal with his opponents one by one. As long as he could take out Zhao Bai Chuan’s subordinates, it would be easier to deal with him when the time came.
“Can you locate Chen Tian Fei, Bei Yu Shan, and the other Fourth Orders?” Yang Kai asked in a grim voice.
Yue He replied, “I’ll give it a try.”
Then, she closed her eyes and grasped the Array Jade before trying to locate their opponents.
With the help of the Grand Array, she could faintly sense what was going on in Seven Wonders Land, but due to the fact that she hadn’t fully refined it yet, she was unable to sense everything.
A moment later, she opened her eyes and said, “There’s one in Water Spirit Land, two people in Fire Spirit Land, and also people in Earth Spirit Land. I’m not sure who the people are in Water Spirit Land and Fire Spirit Land, but the auras of the two people in Earth Spirit Land are very similar, and there isn’t much difference about the fluctuations of their Souls, so I believe they’re the Ou Yang Brothers.”
A glint flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes when he heard that, “Then we’ll deal with them first.”
Ou Yang Bing and Ou Yang Lei were twin brothers who were experts in Combined Attack Techniques. Any one of them was no match for the other Managers in Scarlet Star, but after they joined forces, it was extremely difficult to deal with them. In the past, Yang Kai had traded moves with the people from Scarlet Star in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so he was fully aware of that.
If he could kill the Ou Yang Brothers, the collective power of Scarlet Star would be reduced significantly.
Thinking so, he fished out a mask as thin as a cicada’s wings and placed it on his face. As a thought flashed through his mind, Yang Kai transformed into a clean-looking man.
“Seven Faces…” Yue He stared at him and muttered under her breath. Her eyes appeared conflicted as though she was walking down memory lane.
“You recognise this?” Yang Kai was surprised, but he soon figured that she might have seen this mask before.
Seven Faces was given to him by the Proprietress, and Yue He had a complicated relationship with her, so it wasn’t surprising that she had seen Seven Faces before.
Seven Faces was an amazing Camouflage Artifact that could allow the user to assume seven different faces. The best part was that not only could this thing change a person’s face, but it could also alter his aura.
However, the Proprietress had said that Seven Faces shared the same disadvantage as the Shadowless Veil. While Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could never see through it, there was a risk of exposure in the eyes of those in the Mid-Rank. The more powerful the opponent was, the easier it would be to see through this disguise. As for dealing with High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, trying to use Seven Faces or the Shadowless Veil would only lead to embarrassing oneself.
After Yang Kai altered his face and aura, even the people closest to him wouldn’t recognise him.
Seeing as he fished out the Six Fated Paths Bag, Yue He got his hint and relaxed her guard.
Before putting her inside it, Yang Kai said, “If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll bring you to see the Proprietress. Just apologise to her. I’m sure she will be forgiving.”
Yue He forced a smile, “The mistake has been made, and Big Sister Lan will never forgive me for it. Regardless, I don’t mind being beaten to death by her.”
A speechless Yang Kai didn’t speak further as he activated the Six Fated Paths Bag and put her inside it. Then, he swung the Shadowless Veil to conceal his aura and figure before leaving his hiding place.
It had to be said that Seven Faces and the Shadowless Veil worked perfectly together. One could hide the user’s aura and figure while the other could alter the user’s face. They were best used to do things that must not be exposed.
Yang Kai was familiar with Seven Wonders Land; after all, he had lived here for a while in the past. Nevertheless, he was only familiar with the shopping district and Fire Spirit Land, as he had never visited the other six Spirit Provinces.
After identifying the right direction, he headed straight to Earth Spirit Land.
Presently, the Ou Yang Brothers were leading their subordinates to patrol around Earth Spirit Land. There were seven Spirit Provinces in Seven Wonders Land. Besides the Head Manager, there were five Managers left. According to Chen Tian Fei’s arrangements, he wanted everyone to respectively take control of one Spirit Province and handle all the matters related to it. However, it was a special case for the Ou Yang Brothers. They had never been separated since birth, so they insisted on occupying the same Spirit Province.
From now on, Earth Spirit Land was their territory, and both of them were thrilled. It had been a long time since they started cultivating, but they had never been in charge of such a vast territory before. As they patrolled around, they talked about the future they were going to build.
As they spoke, they turned their heads to look in a particular direction. There was a ray of light rapidly coming to them. When it landed on the ground, it faded to reveal a clean-looking young man.
The Ou Yang Brothers were startled as they didn’t think they had met this man before; however, before they could ponder over it, the young man cupped his fists and said, “Sirs, Manager Chen has a message for you.”
Upon saying that, he held out a jade slip with both hands.
Ou Yang Lei frowned and said with displeasure, “What’s wrong with Chen Tian Fei now?” Then, he reached out for the jade slip.
Ou Yang Bing furrowed his brow as he felt that something was off about this whole situation, but he couldn’t really tell what it was. While he was hesitating, Ou Yang Lei took the jade slip and infused his Divine Sense into it.
Right then, a horrifying aura permeated the air. The aura was so terrifying that even Fourth-Order cultivators like the Ou Yang Brothers felt cold all over their bodies, and the expressions of the other disciples changed drastically.
“Divine Spirit!” Ou Yang Bing exclaimed.
It was evidently a Divine Spirit’s aura; more specifically, it was Zhu Jiu Yin’s aura.
[It’s a trap!] All of Ou Yang Bing’s hair was standing on end as he finally realised what was off. However, before he could come to his senses, two figures, both women, abruptly appeared. One of them raised her hand and gently landed a palm on Ou Yang Lei’s chest. The other person wielded her cold water longsword as innumerable sword lights engulfed Ou Yang Bing.
At the same time, two gigantic figures manifested all of a sudden. One of them blew out a mouthful of flames to burn the disciples from Scarlet Star while the other one widened its mouth as its sticky saliva spread around and corroded space itself.
World Force undulated and following a loud crack, Ou Yang Lei’s eyes protruded as his chest caved in.
He was caught completely off guard, so Yue He’s attack almost instantly claimed his life; after all, there was already a gap of a single Order between their powers, so he wasn’t a match for her to begin with. Furthermore, he was stunned by the Divine Spirit’s aura and then struck by a sneak attack.
Nevertheless, after being struck by her attack, Ou Yang Lei still hadn’t lost his life. A Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had extremely strong vitality, so it wasn’t easy to simply kill him.
Just then, a deafening Dragon Roar was heard. A long spear abruptly appeared from behind Yue He. Earlier, it was concealed by her figure, but at this moment, the spear shot past her shoulder and stabbed into Ou Yang Lei’s forehead.
Following a loud boom, his head exploded, and blood started spurting out of his neck.
“Big Brother!” Ou Yang Bing howled as his eyes reddened. The twin brothers had always been together since birth, and they had never been separated. Now that his Big Brother was killed right in front of him, Ou Yang Bing nearly went mad with rage.
While he was both shocked and furious though, Lu Xue wielded her sword and landed attacks on all his vital parts. At that instant, blood started gushing out of his wounds as he had been slashed countless times in his moment of distraction.
Lu Xue was a powerful cultivator; after all, she was one of the Leaders of Sword Pavilion in the past, and she was a Master of the Sword Dao which was especially adept at killing. When they were still in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary previously, the Scarlet Flood Dragon was almost killed by her Third Eye Sword, which went to show that she had exceptional battle prowess.
On the other hand, Ou Yang Bing was just average among Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and he had to join forces with his brother to use their Combined Attack Techniques. Now that Ou Yang Lei was dead, sending him into a fluster, there was no way he was a match for Lu Xue, not to mention that Yue He was also coming at him at this moment.
Initially, he could barely parry Lu Xue’s attacks but not fight back, and presently, he was in an even more perilous situation. At that instant, he seemed to have lost all hope.
In the other battle, the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon were able to easily defeat their opponents with ease. Initially, Yang Kai was worried that these two exotic beasts might not be useful in the Outer Universe, but now, it seemed that they were able to gain the upper hand against the Low-Rank Masters. As the Scarlet Flood Dragon let out a flame, the disciples of Scarlet Star struck by it would turn into fireballs and wail. On the other hand, as the Earth Dragon widened his mouth, he could easily swallow several disciples at once. The expressions of those disciples changed drastically as they wouldn’t dare to go near the Earth Dragon.
Yang Kai wasn’t standing idly by either. After destroying Ou Yang Lei’s head with his spear, he summoned the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and opened its lid, whereupon a multi-coloured light burst forth and swept across the land.
He was just an Emperor Realm cultivator who had condensed four Elements into his Dao Seal. Without using external forces and his Divine Manifestation, he was not a match for any Open Heaven Realm Master.
However, things became different when he used Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. This thing was of a Sixth-Order Metal Element Power, so the average cultivator couldn’t resist it.
As the Divine Light swept out, the Scarlet Star’s disciples who were not Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed on the spot as holes were formed in their figures.
The small number of Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators widened their eyes and surged the power of their Small Universes to counter this light.
Strictly speaking, the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light could only be neutralised by another Sixth-Order Element Power, but that was only in a confrontation between two powers. An Open Heaven Realm Master had condensed the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, which mutually reinforced one another in an endless cycle, allowing one to split Heaven and Earth apart within their bodies to form a Small Universe, granting access to World Force. Therefore, even though they were just Low-Rank cultivators, they were able to resist the power of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.
Nevertheless, they couldn’t possibly fend it off forever. A Sixth-Order Element Power was still too menacing for Low-Rank Masters.
Before long, a shriek was heard as Ou Yang Bing’s vitality was rapidly leaving him. He died shortly after.
He was not a match for either Yue He or Lu Xue to begin with, to say nothing of the fact that they had joined forces. After just a dozen breaths of time, he was killed by Lu Xue’s sword. Even after his death, his eyes were still wide open in disbelief.
Perhaps he could not understand why he had come across Yue He and Lu Xue in Seven Wonders Land.
After two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed, the rest of the disciples were powerless to resist. Yue He and Lu Xue charged towards the battlefield and sent all the disciples on the road to the Yellow Springs in just a moment.
The battle ended just as quickly as it began. The entire process took only several dozen breaths of time.
Several dozen Scarlet Star’s disciples and two Managers all lost their lives. It could be said that Yang Kai achieved an overwhelming victory in this sneak attack.
Next, he threw all the corpses into the Small Sealed World and cleaned up the battlefield so that no one would find out what had happened. Following that, he put Yue He, Lu Xue, the Scarlet Flood Dragon, and the Earth Dragon inside the Six Fated Paths Bag before heading to Water Spirit Land.
Based on the information Yue He had gathered, the Ou Yang Brothers were in Earth Spirit Land, and there was a Manager in Water Spirit Land whose identity was unknown. Additionally, there were two people in Fire Spirit Land. Naturally, Yang Kai would deal with the weaker party first.
One hour later, after another great battle ended. Yang Kai let out a breath and collected the corpses.
The person in Water Spirit Land was none other than Lady Qin. She had several Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as well as more than a hundred disciples with her at the time. Yang Kai used the same trick and approached her with a changed face. Then, he released Yue He and the others to catch her completely off guard.
Just like the Ou Yang Brothers, after obtaining a territory, Lady Qin was excitedly leading her subordinates to survey the land and thinking about the bright future ahead of her. It never crossed her mind that danger was looming.
An unsuspecting Lady Qin was badly injured by Yue He’s initial strike, and there was no suspense about what happened next.
In just two hours, three Managers and over ten Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of Scarlet Star lost their lives. It could be said that the great force had suffered immense losses.
The reasons for this outcome were that, first of all, those from Scarlet Star didn’t have the slightest vigilance, and secondly, the moves Yang Kai used were completely surprising. He had the Six Fated Paths Bag to hide Yue He and the others inside and Seven Faces to alter his appearance and aura. Since he was well prepared while his opponents were caught off guard, the outcome wasn’t so surprising.
However, they were still far from achieving their goal. Zhao Bai Chuan, Chen Tian Fei, and Bei Yu Shan were still alive. Seven Wonders Land would only belong to Yang Kai after they were all dead.
Although the two battles were not dangerous as they were at an advantage, they were still tired. After taking a rest, Yang Kai headed straight to Fire Spirit Land.
There was no doubt that Chen Tian Fei and Bei Yu Shan were in Fire Spirit Land. Although Bei Yu Shan was powerful, he wasn’t the sharpest of individuals. Therefore, he could be fooled easily. On the other hand, Chen Tian Fei was a scheming person, so it wasn’t easy to deal with him. Yang Kai had no idea whether Chen Tian Fei would see through his disguise when he approached him.
In the orchard of Fire Spirit Land, Chen Tian Fei and Bei Yu Shan were examining the fruits with numerous other disciples. Red fruits were hanging on the fruit trees, and seeing them all made Chen Tian Fei and the others elated.
There were seven Spirit Provinces in Seven Wonders Land, and every Spirit Province had special fruit trees, which corresponded to Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. The spirit fruits could be used to make Open Heaven Pills, which was the biggest source of income for Seven Wonders Land. From now on, this became Scarlet Star’s business.
While they were examining the fruits, they saw a ray of light rapidly approaching from a distance before it reached them and revealed a figure.
Chen Tian Fei raised his head and saw the person cupping his fists, “Manager Chen, both Managers Ou Yang have a message for you.” Upon finishing his words, he held out a jade slip with both hands.
The person was none other than Yang Kai, who had said something similar to the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin some time ago.
Bei Yu Shan muttered, “What do those Brothers want?”
Then, he reached for the jade slip. However, Chen Tian Fei stopped him and looked dispassionately at Yang Kai, “What’s your name? Why have I never met you before?”
Yang Kai hung his head low, “This one is just a lowly disciple, so Manager Chen probably doesn’t remember me.” He felt annoyed at the fact that it was indeed difficult to deal with this fatty. Previously, when he used the same trick on the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin, they had never asked a question, but when he did the same to this damn meatball, the latter immediately appeared doubtful.
Chen Tian Fei chuckled, “This King has the trust of the Head Manager, and has been managing Scarlet Star for many years. Presently, we have 3,351 members in total, and I remember all of their names and faces, but I have never seen you before. Where did you come from?”
At that, Yang Kai felt speechless. Was this fatty serious when he said that he could remember the names and faces of all 3,351 people in Scarlet Star?
Before Yang Kai could figure it out, he heard Chen Tian Fei letting out a sigh as he asked, “The Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin are dead, right?”
Bei Yu Shan widened his eyes and gazed at Chen Tian Fei in disbelief.
Yang Kai forced a smile, “Manager Chen, you must be joking. Both Managers Ou Yang are patrolling in Earth Spirit Land at the moment.”
Chen Tian Fei shook his head, “If that’s true, why didn’t they reply to me when I sent a message to them just now? Besides them, it was the same case for Lady Qin.” Then, he narrowed his eyes as a cold glint flashed across his gaze, “Just who are you?”
“It seems that I can’t hide it anymore.” Yang Kai sighed and stared at Chen Tian Fei, “Manager Chen is indeed intelligent to be able to see through everything at a glance. You have this Young Master’s respect.”
He spoke in his original voice.
Chen Tian Fei widened his eyes, “Yang Kai?”
Since Seven Faces could alter a person’s appearance and aura, it could naturally also change his voice. Now that Yang Kai had revealed his original voice though, Chen Tian Fei immediately recognised it.
He was stunned as he had no idea why Yang Kai was here. After the people from Flying Smoke Temple left, he sent some disciples to keep guard at the gaps of the Grand Array, so there was no way someone could sneak into this place. Was he already here prior to their arrival? But if so, how did he get in?
Despite not knowing the reason, Chen Tian Fei was still ecstatic, “Brat, we’ve been looking for you for a long time now! You had a chance to flee, but you decided to reveal yourself instead. Let’s see how I’m going to kill you.”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Since I have the guts to reveal myself, I’m naturally not afraid of you. The ones who are going to die today are all of you!”
Then, he raised his hand and swung the Six Fated Paths Bag, whereupon Yue He and the others appeared.
At the same time, Chen Tian Fei waved his hand and shouted, “Activate the array!”
He already had many disciples around him and these disciples appeared to be scattered everywhere casually, but there was a great purpose behind their positioning as they were well prepared. Chen Tian Fei was a prudent man, so after failing in his attempt to contact the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin, he immediately realised that something had happened to them.
In that case, it was expected that he would make some preparations. The reason he was staying in this place was that he was waiting for the opponents to walk right into his trap. Yang Kai just barged into this place without knowing anything.
Following his order, the Scarlet Star’s disciples hurriedly activated an array. Besides that, Chen Tian Fei raised his chubby hand and tried to land it on Yang Kai’s head.
Yue He moved to parry him with her palm, which frightened Chen Tian Fei greatly. Naturally, he wouldn’t dare to meet this attack; after all, he was an Order below Yue He. If they were to fight head-on, he would be the one suffering a setback. Thus, he exclaimed, “Head Manager!”
“Hm?” Yue He was stunned as she turned to look in a particular direction, only to see a ripple spreading out in mid-air. Like a ghost, Head Manager Zhao Bai Chuan abruptly appeared and flicked his sleeve, upon which an immense force swept over Yue He.
Hurriedly, Yue He used a different move and blocked his attack. Both of them shook and stepped backwards. The outcome suggested that they were equally matched.
“Lady Yue He, you’re indeed powerful,” Zhao Bai Chuan gazed impassively at her and praised her.
Yue He smiled, “Head Manager isn’t bad either.”
Yue He and Zhao Bai Chuan were both Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they had never traded moves before; after all, there was no reason for them to fight when they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. At that time, Zhao Bai Chuan had to show deference to Yang Kai.
Upon Zhao Bai Chuan’s appearance, Chen Tian Fei managed to shake off Yue He’s pursuit and hurriedly stood beside the Head Manager along with Bei Yu Shan. The Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had arranged themselves into a Formation which linked their auras closely together. After sealing off the surrounding space, they drifted back and forth while concealing themselves. It wasn’t certain what else this Formation was for.
Sword Pavilion had their Sword Formation, and Scarlet Star had their own heritage as well. Although Yang Kai was also a part of Scarlet Star for a time as the Sixth Manager, he had no access to its secrets.
“The Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin…” Zhao Bai Chuan frowned and stared at Yue He, “Are they dead or alive?”
Earlier, he was getting ready to refine the Array Jade of Seven Wonders Land in seclusion, but before he even started, he received an urgent message from Chen Tian Fei which said that the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin couldn’t be contacted, so something must have happened to them.
Initially, he didn’t believe it; after all, they had just joined forces with Flying Smoke Temple and snatched Seven Wonders Land, and before Zhao Bai Chuan left, the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin were still alive and well. What could’ve happened to them in such a short time? Now, they were the only people in Seven Wonders Land, so who could’ve harmed them?
Then, he tried to contact them and realised that just like what Chen Tian Fei had said, they were unreachable. It was then he became aware that something was off. Following that, he halted his plan to refine the Array Jade and stayed hidden to observe what was going on.
Yang Kai was a mere Emperor Realm Junior who was much weaker than Zhao Bai Chuan, so it wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t sense his presence.
Seeing Yue He and the others now, Zhao Bai Chuan immediately knew that three of his best subordinates had been killed.
Yue He giggled, “Well… Of course, they’re dead.”
Zhao Bai Chuan’s face fell, “Lady Yue He, I commend you for your bravery, but your move is unwise. Do you think we have no one to deal with you all?”
Although Yue He had Lu Xue and Yang Kai as well as the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon, Zhao Bai Chuan had no regard for everyone else other than Yue He, a Fifth-Order Master. As long as he could kill her, he could do whatever he pleased with the others.
With a smile, Yue He replied, “Head Manager, what’s the point of saying that? Since this Mistress has the guts to appear, naturally I’m not afraid of you.”
In a grim voice, Zhao Bai Chuan said, “Are you really confident that you can defeat this King?” Besides the fact that he was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he also had two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as well as several dozen Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters and hundreds of disciples who had joined together in a Formation. On the opposing side, there was one Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, one Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, an Emperor Realm Junior, and two exotic beasts. The numbers and powers of the two sides were in stark contrast, so there wasn’t any hope for Yue He to win the battle.
“We’ll have to fight before we can find out who will win,” Yue He said calmly.
With a straight face, Zhao Bai Chuan said, “Perhaps we can discuss this. It’s not necessary for us to battle against one another.”
Chen Tian Fei was stunned as the Head Manager seemed to have the intention of making peace with them. Were they not going to avenge the deaths of the three Managers?
A startled Yue He asked with a smile, “Head Manager, how do you propose we discuss this matter?”
Zhao Bai Chuan explained, “We’ve just obtained Seven Wonders Land, so we do need more people to help us build up this place. You’ve killed three of our Managers, and this feud should be unresolvable; however, if you can swear upon your Dao Heart that you will never betray us after joining Scarlet Star, we will be one family. In that case, it isn’t necessary for us to destroy one another.”
Chen Tian Fei’s eyes brightened when he heard that as he admired the Head Manager’s farsightedness.
He was set on killing the people in front of him to avenge the deaths of the Ou Yang Brothers and the others to recover the face Scarlet Star had lost. Furthermore, they could snatch Yang Kai’s wealth and use it to build a bright future for Scarlet Star.
However, if Head Manager’s suggestion worked, it would be more helpful to Scarlet Star than outright killing them.
After all, Yue He was a powerful Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. With her help, their force would reach greater heights. If she was willing to surrender, Yang Kai could no longer make a fuss, and his wealth would naturally belong to them.
Certainly, it was a clever way to solve this problem without having to resort to battle, but would these people agree to it?
As expected, Yue He’s laughter rang out like a silver bell as she turned to look at Yang Kai, “Young Master, Head Manager wants us to surrender to him.”
With a long face, Yang Kai said dispassionately, “In his dreams!”
Yue He gazed at Zhao Bai Chuan, “Head Manager, you’ve heard my Young Master.”
Zhao Bai Chuan shot him a cold glance, “Brat, you only have one life, and there’s only one chance. Don’t throw it away pointlessly.” He didn’t understand why Yue He, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, would listen to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai said arrogantly in reply, “If you fall on your knees now and swear upon your Dao Heart that you will only obey this Young Master’s orders from now on, I can consider sparing your life; otherwise, you shall meet the Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin in Hell!”
Zhao Bai Chuan bellowed, “Boy, how dare you speak like that to this King!”
Seeing that, Chen Tian Fei knew that there was no room for discussion, so he immediately yelled, “Go!”
Upon hearing the command, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters around Yang Kai all formed a set of hand seals as they pushed their might through their Formation in an attempt to wipe out Yang Kai and his group all at once.
Earlier, they had simply linked their auras through their Formation but had yet to act. As soon as they made a move, space collapsed, which went to show how powerful this Formation was. More importantly, the Formation had the effect of sealing off the local space, making it impossible for Yang Kai and the others to flee.
However, Yang Kai remained calm and collected. There wasn’t a tinge of fluster behind his gaze.
Yue He raised her hand and smiled, “You have the help of a Formation, but it just so happens I have the help of a Grand Array.”
Upon finishing her words, she waved her hand gently. Following a rumble, a bolt of lightning appeared in the sky and struck one of the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The man targeted had his expression change drastically when he sensed the looming danger, but before he could react, he was hit.
In silence, he turned into a pile of dust that scattered with the wind. Only a trace of the attack was left on the ground.
The expressions of those from Scarlet Star changed drastically as Zhao Bai Chuan became horrified as though he had just run into a ghost, “How are you able to control the Grand Array of this place!?”
The lightning obviously came from the Grand Array of Seven Wonders Land, not from Yue He’s own power. Previously, when Qi Qiao was still in charge of the Grand Array, he had used this lightning to fend off the people from Flying Smoke Temple; therefore, Zhao Bai Chuan could immediately recognise it.
This was the Grand Array of a Second Class great force. Even though Yue He had only refined 50% of it, she could utilize a significant portion of its power.
The dead Open Heaven Realm Master was only in the Second Order, so he was totally powerless to resist the Grand Array’s strike. As soon as he was hit, he lost his life.
Yue He giggled, “There are many things that you don’t know.”
Following more rumbling sounds, a thunderstorm formed overhead and attacked Scarlet Star from all directions.
Zhao Bai Chuan and the others turned pale and cried out as they surged their strength to protect themselves.
The Managers were strong, so they were able to fend off the lightning bolts to a certain extent, but the Low-Rank Masters were not so lucky. As the rays of lightning continuously struck them, they were completely unable to counter them.
Shrieks were continuously heard as half of the couple dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives in an instant, which shattered the Formation they had arranged. With the burden lifted off, Yang Kai hurriedly opened the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, after which the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light swept across his opponents alongside the thunderstorm.
Lu Xue wielded her cold water longsword as icy sword lights filled the air and slaughtered her opponents.
The gigantic Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon also charged into the crowd. Horrifying all who were still standing.
“Cheap slut, stop this instant!” Zhao Bai Chuan widened his eyes and bellowed. As the aura of his World Force undulated, he charged at Yue He.
Yue He sneered, and as a thought flashed through her mind, the Grand Array changed again. A thick fog suddenly appeared and engulfed a large region. Yue He, Zhao Bai Chuan, Chen Tian Fei, and Bei Yu Shan were all covered in it.
The fog roiled as the sound of battle was heard coming from it. The three Managers of Scarlet Star were heard shouting and yelling, but their figures couldn’t be seen.
This was the convenience of being able to control the Grand Array. Yue He was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her strength was only on par with that of Zhao Bai Chuan; however, with the help of the powerful Grand Array, she could deal with three people on her own, which allowed Lu Xue to kill the other opponents with ease.
Initially, there were several dozen Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Nevertheless, over ten of them lost their lives following Yang Kai’s sneak attack, and half of them were killed by the lightning that was controlled by Yue He. Now, the remaining ones were all injured. As the aura of Lu Xue’s Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm might permeated the air, they did not dare to confront her.
Furthermore, the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light controlled by Yang Kai spread throughout the sky, damaging all who were caught in it. In addition, the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon were ferociously attacking their enemies.
The Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives as their corpses fell from the sky, and in just several dozen breaths of time, most of them were dead. Only three to five people managed to survive and flee.
Lu Xue wanted to kill to the last, but Yang Kai stopped her, “There’s no need to chase after them!”
He turned to look at the fog. The Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who had fled, didn’t matter. Now, they had to focus on dealing with the remaining three Managers of Scarlet Star.
Yue He was relying on the Grand Array to contend with the three of them at once, but she hadn’t fully refined the Array Jade yet, so the power she could wield was limited. Presently, she was battling against three people on her own, so it wasn’t certain how long she could trap them.
All of a sudden, a burly figure shot out of the fog. It was none other than Bei Yu Shan. This guy’s eyes were bloodshot, and he was shrouded in murderous intent. After he left the fog, he appeared startled.
When he was inside the fog earlier, he was unable to fully display his power, and he wasn’t even sure where Yue He was, which enraged him. As he charged around violently, he unexpectedly got out of the fog.
When he raised his head and saw Yang Kai and Lu Xue, he directly yelled, “I’ll kill you two!”
Cracks started appearing on the ground beneath his feet, and like a beast that had broken free of its cage, Bei Yu Shan pounced on Yang Kai and Lu Xue.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon dashed forward, but they were sent flying away by his fists, their huge figures falling to the ground and damaging a large part of the orchard.