As they stared into each other’s eyes, the Proprietress’ heart finally softened and she sighed, “What’s the point of doing this?”
Yue He bit her lip as even more tears stained her face.
The Proprietress reached out and stroked the other woman’s head, “All those years ago, I brought you back and raised you. Your life belongs to me. Without my permission, no one can kill you, including yourself!”
With her head hanging low, Yue He said in a trembling voice, “Yes.”
The Proprietress slightly surged her World Force, whereupon Yue He groaned and collapsed to the ground. She had passed out while Yang Kai widened his eyes as he was still reeling from the shock.
If the Proprietress hadn’t made a move just now, Yue He would have lost her life right in front of him. He had been in contact with her for more than ten years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and while he used to be annoyed with her and wanted nothing more than to get rid of her, eventually, they grew to support each other as they went through countless difficulties. However, even after more than ten years of contact with her, Yang Kai had never realised how determined and resolute Yue He was.
Although the Proprietress had calmed her down by knocking her out, there was still a troublesome issue, which was her heart demon oath.
As long as Yue He and her Small Orchid Palace existed, there was no way the heart demon oath could be resolved, and the Proprietress would never have the chance to ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. It wasn’t certain whether Yue He would attempt to end her own life again after she awakened.
Following a sigh, the Proprietress carried Yue He up and stepped into a room in the hall before placing her on a bed. Yang Kai and Bai Qi followed her without saying a word.
As the Proprietress gazed at the woman on the bed, her expression gradually softened. She even started humming a lullaby as though she was trying to lull a baby to sleep. She placed one hand on Yue He and gently tapped her following the rhythm.
Yang Kai and Bai Qi traded glances as they felt speechless at that. A moment later, the Proprietress waved her hand at them. Getting the hint, they left together.
After leaving the inner hall, Bai Qi immediately wrapped his arm around Yang Kai’s shoulder and winked at him, “Let’s grab a drink.”
Yang Kai guffawed and replied in agreement, “Good.”
Bai Qi could be considered the first true friend he made after arriving in the 3,000 Worlds. Old Fang wasn’t the first because when they got to know each other in Seven Wonders Land in the past, they had their own ulterior motives, so their intentions were not pure.
When they were still in First Inn in the Star City, Yang Kai and Bai Qi would frequently drink until late at night, so they were already familiar with it.
After walking for a bit, they stopped in the Grand Hall and took a seat on the ground. While Yang Kai didn’t have any good wine with him, Bai Qi seemed to possess many wine bottles of extremely high quality.
Yang Kai fished out a lot of spirit fruits from his Space Ring, many of which were local products from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that amazed Bai Qi.
They went on to drink excessively and it wasn’t long before they became completely smashed.
It was two days later when the Proprietress and Yue He left the inner hall. Looking around, they realised that the Grand Hall was a mess as the ground was covered in wine bottles and fruit pits while a pungent smell of alcohol permeated the air.
Yang Kai and Bai Qi were lying on the ground with their limbs spread wide. Their snoring was deafening.
A furious Proprietress glared at them and said through clenched teeth, “Wake them up!”
Yue He hurriedly stepped forward and performed a hand seal. After activating her power, she let out a breath at them. Following that, a breeze whisked through the men on the ground, which caused them to shudder and slowly open their eyes.
Feeling an excruciating pain in his head, Yang Kai slowly sat up and rubbed his forehead. He sported a helpless smile and thought that he had overindulged this time. Since the closure of the Primordial Land, he had always been tense. The Proprietress’ arrival gave him a great sense of security, which was why he could finally unwind.
After circulating his strength to sober himself up, he raised his head and saw Yue He looking worriedly at him.
An elated Yang Kai got up and said, “Yue He, you’re awake.”
Imperceptibly, Yue He nodded and pointed at the Proprietress in front of her.
Yang Kai turned his head, only to see that the Proprietress was glaring at him with a cold expression, which caused his neck to shrink instinctively before he stood beside Bai Qi. Both of them sported fawning smiles.
“When will you two ever grow up?” The Proprietress appeared completely disappointed.
They hurriedly said in unison, “We’re sorry. We won’t do it again.”
The Proprietress batted her eyes as she felt like she had just landed a punch on a pile of cotton. Then, she said through gritted teeth, “If this happens again, I’ll drown you two in a pool of wine!”
Both of them nodded repeatedly. Standing behind the Proprietress, Yue He covered her mouth and giggled.
Yang Kai took a glance at her, and upon seeing that life had returned to her face, he let out a sigh of relief. When he was drinking with Bai Qi earlier, he asked him about Yue He’s past. Not daring to reveal too much information, Bai Qi only told him that Yue He was an orphan brought home and raised by the Proprietress, who also taught her cultivation. It could be said that the Proprietress was just like her Mother and Elder Sister.
Besides Yue He, Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant were also close to the Proprietress. Nevertheless, Yue He had stayed with the Proprietress for a longer time than any of them.
As for why they had fallen out, Bai Qi wouldn’t reveal it even though he was drunk. He wasn’t in any position to speak about this, so he told Yang Kai to personally ask the Proprietress about it.
Certainly, Yang Kai didn’t have the guts to do that. If he really asked such a question, he’d be beaten.
“Grandmaster Wu Liang already has some ideas on how to repair the Grand Array, but he needs you to consult with him first. Come with me,” the Proprietress said and led the way.
Hurriedly, Yang Kai followed her.
Soon, the four of them saw Grandmaster Wu Liang again together with Lu Xue. Over the past two days, Lu Xue had followed him to tour Void Land and seen the skills of this Spirit Array Grandmaster, which were truly admirable. The person invited by the Proprietress was indeed skilful.
After they met, the Proprietress greeted Grandmaster Wu Liang, who stroked his beard and said in a proud manner, “Madam Lan, I’ve examined the Grand Array around this place and have three proposals for you to choose from.”
There was a faint smile on the Proprietress’ face, “Grandmaster, this place doesn’t belong to me or Fist Inn. The owner is my shop hand, so he’ll be the one choosing from the options.”
Yang Kai stepped forward and said politely, “Grandmaster, please tell me more about your proposals.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang gave him a look and announced, “The first proposal will require the shortest time and least materials and involves repairing the Grand Array.”
Yang Kai raised his brow; after all, they had practically invited the old man to do just that. Suppressing his doubts, he asked, “What are the other two proposals?”
Grandmaster Wu Liang went on to say, “The second proposal is that this Old Master upgrades the Grand Array. I have the confidence to improve its power by 20%; however, compared to the first proposal, this one will require more time and carry a greater cost. I estimate that the cost will be double that of the first proposal.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened when he heard that.
The Grand Array around Void Land was the same one as when this place was called Seven Wonders Land. Yang Kai had witnessed the power of the Grand Array. In the past, Xu Huang made use of the Grand Array to wage war against several Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in Seven Wonders Land on his own, managing to severely injure Qi Qiao and kill three Venerable Protectors. His success was thanks to the Grand Array.
Now, Grandmaster Wu Liang said that he could increase the power of the Grand Array by 20%. How skilled must this old man be in the Dao of Spirit Arrays to be able to achieve that? Was he just boasting? After all, it wasn’t easy to upgrade such a large Spirit Array.
Then, Yang Kai turned to look at the Proprietress, who imperceptibly nodded. It was apparent that she had faith in Grandmaster Wu Liang’s capabilities.
It was then Yang Kai set his mind at ease and asked, “What about the third proposal?”
After giving it a thought, Grandmaster Wu Liang replied, “The third proposal is that, while using the foundation of this Grand Array, this Old Master will completely rearrange it. This will take the longest time, and the cost will be five times more than the first proposal at least. Doing this will allow the Grand Array’s power to be increased by 50%.”
The cost of the second proposal was double that of the first one, and the power could be increased by 20%. On the other hand, the third proposal was five times more expensive than the first one, but the power could only be increased by 50%.
There was no doubt that the second proposal was a much better deal than the third one; however, the Grand Array was the first and greatest layer of protection for this place, so direct cost wasn’t the only consideration. Moreover, it was only natural for a more powerful Grand Array to be more expensive.
Yang Kai intended to bring all his friends and family from the Star Boundary to this place, so he had to build a safe environment for them. By the time he brought them here, he certainly wouldn’t have the means to protect them all himself, but by improving the Grand Array, in a time of crisis, they would have the means to protect themselves.
Therefore, Yang Kai made a decision without hesitation, “I’ll choose the third proposal. Grandmaster, please start working on it now.”
A shocked Grandmaster Wu Liang sized the young man up and asked just to confirm, “Brat, do you understand how expensive it is to repair this Grand Array alone?”
In his eyes, Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm boy who took control of this place by chance, so there was no way he was that wealthy. To just repair a Grand Array of this scale was beyond the ability of most Third Class great forces to afford, not to mention a mere Emperor Realm Junior.
With a faint smile, the Proprietress said, “Grandmaster, rest assured. My shop hand made a great fortune some time ago, so he should be able to afford it. Just go with the third proposal.”
She had learned from Lu Xue about what Yang Kai had gone through in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so she was fully aware that he was filthy rich now; after all, the wealth those from Scarlet Star had amassed in the Boundary was all taken away by him.
The cost of repairing the Grand Array was probably just some small change to the current Yang Kai, so five times of that was nothing to him.
Grandmaster Wu Liang took a glance at the Proprietress and then Yang Kai, thinking that this boy had the full support of Madam Lan. Even if he didn’t have enough money, Madam Lan would lend him a hand. As such, Grandmaster Wu Liang nodded, “In that case, we’ll go with the third proposal. But, before that, this Old Master must talk about remuneration.”
“Please go ahead, Grandmaster,” Yang Kai said politely.
A moment later, they came to an agreement. It had to be said that it cost a lot of money to invite such a Grandmaster to work on the Grand Array. His remuneration wasn’t fixed and instead would be based on the cost of upgrading the Grand Array.
Grandmaster Wu Liang would take 20% of the total repair and upgrade cost. In other words, regardless of the cost to upgrade the Grand Array, he would want twenty percent of that.
Apparently, the Proprietress was aware of this kind of practice, so she didn’t say anything.
The fact that Yang Kai had chosen the third proposal was beneficial to Grandmaster Wu Liang as well. That was because the higher the cost to upgrade the Grand Array, the more benefits he would get; therefore, he was more than happy that Yang Kai had chosen the third option.
The price was rather outrageous, but if Grandmaster Wu Liang could really achieve what he claimed, Yang Kai didn’t mind paying the price.
“I have a list here. Get the materials on this list ready as soon as possible.” Grandmaster Wu Liang fished out an empty jade slip and wrote down the list before passing it to Yang Kai.
After taking a glance, Yang Kai was stunned.
There were probably over 10,000 different types of materials on the list, most of which he had never even heard of before; after all, it had only been a short time since he arrived in the Outer Universe, so his knowledge wasn’t that broad.
Nevertheless, there were some materials that he already possessed. Be it the wealth those from Scarlet Star had amassed in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary or the secret storehouse in Seven Wonders Land, there were many materials in Yang Kai’s possession that could be put to use.
The next moment, Yang Kai passed the list to Yue He and let her deal with it.
Then, he decided to hold a banquet for the Proprietress and Grandmaster Wu Liang. The people from the Third Class great forces, who had come to help, became busy and got the banquet ready in a short while.
After they were all seated, they started drinking and chatting. The atmosphere was pleasant.
A few days later, Lu Xue and Bai Qi shot into the sky and passed through the gap in the Grand Array before disappearing.
They were going to the local Star Cities to buy the materials for upgrading the Grand Array. Although Yang Kai had many usable resources on hand, he didn’t have everything necessary; therefore, they had to purchase some materials from the Star Cities.
There was a Star City in Seven Wonder Territory that was neither big nor small, aptly classified as a medium-sized Star City. After all, Seven Wonders Land was just a Second Class great force.
As long as a Great Territory wasn’t in a remote location, it normally had a Star City which was correlated to the strongest great force.
For example, the Star Cities in the Great Territories of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises were expansive while the Star City in the same Great Territory as Great Moon Province was a small one.
Lu Xue and Bai Qi parted ways. She went to the Star City in this Great Territory while he was heading to a large-scale Star City. The Star Cities were far away, so it would probably take them a couple of months before they could return to Void Land.
On the other hand, Grandmaster Wu Liang wasn’t doing nothing. He made use of the materials at hand and started working on the Grand Array.
The disciples from Golden Light Dock were assigned to assist him. Although there were already many people, they were still not enough. A few days later, the Great Emperors from the more than ten Universe Worlds controlled by Void Land arrived and brought more than several hundred people with them, which solved the most pressing labour issue.
The entire Void Land was bustling now.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai gave out the resources in his possession to be used on the Grand Array.
Half a month later, Chen Tian Fei returned to Void Land. Previously, he had received Yang Kai’s order and escorted Meng Hong and the others back to Great Moon Province. It wasn’t until they all entered their Headquarters that he came back.
Seeing the Proprietress, the fatty respectfully saluted her. It was then he realised that Yang Kai wasn’t bluffing when the latter said that he was from First Inn.
Chen Tian Fei had heard a lot about this legendary woman, and upon seeing her, he realised that she indeed lived up to her name.
He also brought back some news regarding Old Fang and the others. After they joined Great Moon Province, they started cultivating diligently, and their lives were all good now. The atmosphere in Great Moon Province was pleasant and although they joined at a later time, they were not oppressed in any way. When Chen Tian Fei escorted Meng Hong and the others back to the Province, he was hospitably greeted by Great Moon True Monarch.
It couldn’t be helped, as Great Moon True Monarch was only a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Faced with Chen Tian Fei, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he felt pressured.
Then, Yang Kai let him take a rest for a day before he was assigned to assist Grandmaster Wu Liang.
As time passed, the Grand Array gradually began to take shape. Two months later, Lu Xue and Bai Qi respectively returned and brought back the resources needed to reform the Grand Array, which allowed Grandmaster Wu Liang to work even faster.
One day, Yang Kai clenched a jade slip and infused his Divine Sense into it. After going through it for a long time, he retracted his Divine Sense and said joyfully, “Proprietress, the Grandmaster you’ve found is indeed incredible.”
There was a smile on the Proprietress’ face, “Although Grandmaster Wu Liang is just a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, fewer than a thousand people in the 3,000 Worlds can surpass him when it comes to the Dao of Arrays.”
If she wasn’t certain about his capabilities, she wouldn’t have invited him to help with repairing the Grand Array.
The 3,000 Worlds was vast, so there were many people who were skilled in the Dao of Arrays, but while 1,000 people might sound like a large figure, considering the countless people who cultivated the Dao of Arrays, it was actually quite amazing to be ranked amongst the top thousand.
After taking the jade slip from Yang Kai, the Proprietress took a glance and arched her brow, “Nine Heavenly Layers?”
Grandmaster Wu Liang had told someone to send the jade slip to them. It contained information regarding his proposed plan for the Grand Array. He named this Grand Array around Void Land the Nine Heavenly Layers.
This kind of Grand Array was simply inconceivable to Yang Kai as he had never seen or heard about anything like it before. If it could be successfully arranged, Void Land would be so secure that even a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would fail if he attempted to invade.
The Proprietress pursed her lips and looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “He must have realised that you’re incredibly wealthy, so he’s made some modifications to the Grand Array. If it’s successfully constructed, the power will increase by far more than fifty percent.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. Recently, Grandmaster Wu Liang had become more amiable to him, unlike how aloof he was when they first met.
That was because Yang Kai had given him absolute freedom to do whatever he wanted.
To a Spirit Array Grandmaster, there was nothing more exciting in the world than materialising the Grand Array he had envisioned for a long time. It had been over 1,000 years since he first conceived of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, but unfortunately, no great force could let him realise his dream.
Over the years, many great forces had invited him to their Headquarters, but they just needed him to repair the Grand Arrays they already had. That was because too many resources were required to build the Nine Heavenly Layers.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai could help him realise his dream.
Over the past two months, he found out that whatever materials he needed, Yang Kai could always produce, and there were no restrictions imposed at all. Regarding the Grand Array, he could do as he pleased.
Hence, there was nothing worth hesitating about. The Nine Heavenly Layers was the best Grand Array he had ever come up with, and he was glad that he could arrange it right here in Void Land.
Therefore, recently, he became extremely fervent when it came to arranging the Grand Array as he worked around the clock. The thousands of people who had come to Void Land to help were constantly being ordered around by the Grandmaster, to the point they didn’t have any time to rest.
However, in order to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers, he needed Yang Kai’s support; after all, too many resources were required, and the cost would be much higher than the third proposal he had come up with some time ago.
In order to persuade Yang Kai into agreeing to it, Grandmaster Wu Liang not only explained to the former the benefits and strengths of Nine Heavenly Layers, but also lowered his remuneration. He said that if this Grand Array was successfully built, he would only take 10% of the cost as his pay, a special favour to entice Yang Kai to agree.
It had to be noted that it had been years since he set his price at 20%. He had arranged Grand Arrays for more than one Second Class great force and had even worked for some Paradises and Cave-Heavens in the past, but he had never offered a single discount before.
However, on this day, he made such a concession to Yang Kai, a mere Emperor Realm Junior, which went to show how determined and eager he was to construct the Nine Heavenly Layers.
“What do you think?” The Proprietress gazed at him.
Yang Kai asked, “Well, what do you think?”
The Proprietress smiled faintly, “It’s your place, so why are you asking me? I don’t have any opinion.”
After a nod, Yang Kai went through the information in the jade slip again and replied to Grandmaster Wu Liang, “I accept.”
Yang Kai wanted the best possible Grand Array for Void Land. While Grandmaster Wu Liang was eager to set up the Nine Heavenly Layers, Yang Kai was also moved by the proposed Grand Array’s power.
In Yin Spirit Land, Grandmaster Wu Liang suddenly looked up at the sky and let out a hearty laugh. Chen Tian Fei was shocked upon seeing that, wondering what had gotten into this old man.
In the Grand Hall of Earth Spirit Land, Yue He took a look at the jade slip and became stunned, “Young Master, in order to build the Nine Heavenly Layers, you not only need a lot of resources but also many, many artifacts!”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “That’s right, but I already have many artifacts that can be used to increase the Grand Array’s power. The issue is finding a few particularly powerful artifacts to serve as the Array Nodes.”
He had many artifacts of various kinds; after all, he had picked up several tens of thousands of Space Rings in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and every ring contained artifacts; however, the quality of the artifacts varied. They could be used to increase the Grand Array’s power, but not as Array Nodes.
Just like its name suggested, the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, once arranged, would have nine layers. It combined defence, concealment, and attack in the same Grand Array. Every layer was connected with each other and mutually supportive. If a person wanted to enter Void Land, they would have to break through all nine layers of this Grand Array first.
This kind of Grand Array, even if it wasn’t as good as those of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, wasn’t far off from them. In the 3,000 Worlds, no Second Class great force had a Grand Array that was comparable to this.
The first three layers were all Auxiliary Arrays which could help the Grand Array continuously absorb the Power of the Stars to reduce its consumption of energy. This was very useful; after all, once the Nine Heavenly Layers began operating, it would naturally consume lots of power. Although Yang Kai was extremely wealthy, he couldn’t support such consumption in the long term. With the first three layers, they could help the Grand Array collect and store energy and release it when it was needed to reduce consumption.
It also came with some self-repairing capabilities. As long as the Grand Array wasn’t severely damaged, it didn’t have to be patched. The Grand Array would heal on its own.
The three middle layers were all Defensive Arrays. The first was for concealment and once it started running, it could make Void Land disappear from sight. Unless a person had powerful means to look for it, no one could find its whereabouts. The second layer was a powerful Illusion and Bewilderment Array. Once a cultivator entered the array, he would start hallucinating. Yang Kai already had some ideas on what to use as Array Nodes for both concealment and hallucinatory purposes, so he didn’t have to think about them for now. There was also a layer that was purely for protection. For this layer, he needed to look for a powerful defensive artifact to be used as the Array Node.
The last three layers were the Killing Arrays, each of which was extremely powerful. They needed mighty killing artifacts to be used as the Array Nodes. Yang Kai already had two such artifacts, but he needed one more.
Every layer of the Nine Heavenly Layers was useful on its own, and when they were all interconnected, they became even more powerful. Grandmaster Wu Liang, who had invented the Nine Heavenly Layers, was truly talented and awe-inspiring.
Yang Kai was looking forward to the day when the Nine Heavenly Layers were completed; however, now, he had to look for some powerful artifacts first. Otherwise, even if the Grand Array was completed, it wouldn’t be fully functional.
After some calculations, he realised that he needed at least one defensive artifact and one killing artifact. Those were the minimum requirements. The more artifacts he could get, the more powerful the Grand Array would be.
[It’ll cost me an arm and a leg!] Yang Kai thought.
A few days later, three people shot out of Void Land through the gap in the Grand Array. They were none other than Yang Kai, the Proprietress, and Yue He.
On the ground, Chen Tian Fei, Lu Xue, Guo Zi Yan, and the others respectfully saw them off.
Yang Kai needed to look for the artifacts that could be used as Array Nodes for the Grand Array, and he could only seek the Proprietress’ help and asked her to introduce some Grandmaster Artifact Refiners to him.
He was basically a newcomer to the 3,000 Worlds, so he had no idea where he could find such people. Certainly, the Cave-Heavens and Paradises had such Grandmasters, but Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with them, and they might not even welcome him to begin with.
Initially, he only intended to set off on the journey with the Proprietress, but she insisted on bringing Yue He with her.
Yang Kai didn’t understand her decision. He wanted to make Yue He stay in Void Land, but since the Proprietress insisted, he just let her be. Fortunately, even though the defence of Void Land was weak, Zhu Jiu Yin was around.
He told her to take good care of Void Land and trusted that she would do her best. She hadn’t returned to the peak of her power yet, and it would take her a long time to adapt to the World Principles in the outside world; however, if she got into a fight, most Mid-Rank cultivators would be no match for her.
Anyway, no sensible people would make a fuss in Void Land at this point.
Firstly, the trio went to the Universe Temple in Void Territory so that Yang Kai could leave his Soul Imprint there. In the future, he could save some time when travelling around by using the Universe Transference Law.
After leaving the Universe Temple, the Proprietress summoned her ship, whereupon they boarded and shot forward at full speed.
They went on to pass through several Great Territories until one day, the Proprietress stored the ship after they arrived at a certain place.
“Have we arrived at our destination?” Yang Kai asked.
Without replying to him, the Proprietress looked smilingly at Yue He.
Presently, Yue He’s face was a little pale as she looked bashfully at her, “Big Sister… I was the one who made the mistake. Please punish only me and do not drag others into this. Big Sister, please have mercy on them.”
Upon finishing her words, she was ready to kneel.
The Proprietress, however, held her up and said with a faint smile, “What are you doing? What do you think I’m going to do by bringing you to this place?”
Gazing at her, Yue He said, “Big Sister, aren’t you here to… fulfil the heart demon oath?”
“Heart demon oath?” Yang Kai was shocked upon hearing that. Why was the heart demon oath mentioned all of a sudden? Previously in Void Land, because of the heart demon oath, Yue He almost killed herself. Fortunately, the Proprietress stopped her in time.
Recently, the women had been getting along well, and there didn’t seem to be any grudges between them anymore, so Yang Kai thought that this matter was settled, but at the mention of the heart demon oath now, he had a bad premonition.
After a nod, the Proprietress replied, “A heart demon oath is unresolvable, so it must be fulfilled. But… there are ways to work around it. Come with me.”
Then, she led the way for them. After trading glances, Yang Kai and Yue He hurriedly followed her.
On the way to their destination, Yang Kai fished out a Universe Chart and realised that, just like what he had speculated, they were now in Small Orchid Territory. In this Great Territory, there was a Second Class great force that couldn’t really be considered Second Class, which was Yue He’s Small Orchid Palace.
There was only one Open Heaven Realm Master in this great force, who was none other than Yue He. The rest were all below the Open Heaven Realm.
Therefore, Small Orchid Palace was regarded as a Second Class great force because Yue He was its Leader, but at the same time, it lacked the heritage of a true Second Class great force.
With that said, Small Orchid Territory was indeed named after Small Orchid Palace.
[What is Proprietress planning to do?] Yang Kai was slightly worried, but at the same time, he had a feeling that she wouldn’t do anything terrible.
A moment later, they arrived at Small Orchid Palace. It was a Spirit Province where the land mass was small and the foundations were weak. Yue He had managed this place for a thousand years, but she had done so all on her own and hadn’t put in a lot of effort into building it up.
The three of them stopped in the periphery of Small Orchid Palace and the Proprietress said, “Tell all of your people to come out.”
With her lips pressed together, Yue He nodded and flew down before disappearing.
Yang Kai turned to look at the Proprietress. He wanted to know what she was going to do, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask such a question, so he could only wait patiently.
Soon, figures were seen flying out of the Palace. With Yue He leading the way, about two or three thousand came over and hovered in the void. This kind of figure was pretty embarrassing for a Second Class great force. Nevertheless, Yue He didn’t found Small Orchid Palace to develop it into a mighty power. She just wanted a place to stay and these people were simply brought back to the Palace by her over the years as a kind of charity work, so they were not really her subordinates.
The cultivation of these people varied, and there was only a small number in the Emperor Realm. Yue He had to use her own power to protect them so that they could survive in the void.
“Big Sister, everyone is present,” Yue He said in a hushed voice and lowered her head. She seemed ready to receive her punishment.
The Proprietress nodded gently and raised her hand. As the aura of World Force undulated, she parted her lips and said, “In the past, outside of the Sealing Yang Domain, this Queen made a heart demon oath. As long as this oath isn’t resolved, I will never be able to ascend to the Seventh Order. Xiao He’er, today, this Queen will settle the grudge with you!”
Then, she pushed out her slender hand. Following her move, the Grand Array around Small Orchid Palace started cracking, as though it would collapse at any moment.
“What are you doing?!”
“Stop!”
“This woman is trying to destroy our home! We must fight!”
The disciples of Small Orchid Palace behind Yue He widened their eyes and howled. Despite the fact that the Proprietress appeared imposing, and it was apparent that she was extremely powerful, these people didn’t seem to be afraid of her. Their eyes had reddened, and they were ready to risk their lives to fight it out with her.
Fortunately, Yue He did her best to stop them from making a fuss.
“All of you shut up!” Yue He bellowed. These people wouldn’t dare to disobey her order, so upon hearing that, all of them fell silent despite the fact that they were still furious. They glared at the Proprietress, as though they were eager to skin her alive.
The might of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm burst out and shattered the Grand Array around Small Orchid Palace.
Although the Grand Array was pretty powerful, Yue He didn’t really put much effort into reinforcing it; after all, the heritage of Small Orchid Palace was too weak. Otherwise, the Grand Array of a Second Class great force wouldn’t have been destroyed so easily.
After the Grand Array collapsed, Small Orchid Palace was completely exposed.
Following a boom, the Spirit Province where Small Orchid Palace was located shook and the Proprietress retracted her hand and straightened up.
“Small Orchid Palace has been destroyed. Xiao He’er, bring all of them to settle down in Void Land. Yang Kai’s place is vast enough to accommodate them,” The Proprietress turned around and looked smilingly at Yue He.
Behind her, the Spirit Province shattered as its fragments scattered in all directions. In the blink of an eye, the entire Small Orchid Palace was gone.
“Many thanks for showing mercy, Big Sister!” Yue He’s eyes were slightly reddened. It wasn’t because her Palace was destroyed, but because the knot in her heart was finally untied.
“Let’s go,” The Proprietress swung her sleeve and wrapped her power around Yang Kai before shooting into the distance.
Yang Kai turned his head and waved his hand at Yue He.
Since the cultivation of her people varied so widely, it would be extremely difficult for them to travel across the void of the Outer Universe. With that said, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she wouldn’t have trouble sheltering them.
It was then that Yang Kai understood why the Proprietress insisted on bringing Yue He with them. This was what she had intended to do all along.
She once swore that if she couldn’t trample flat the Headquarters of the people who had ambushed her, she would never ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm in her lifetime.
The stern voice of the Proprietress on that day still seemed to be reverberating in Yang Kai’s ears, but at that instant, he couldn’t help but smile helplessly. He always thought that the oath was made in rage and was deathly serious, but now, it seemed that when she made the oath on that day, the Proprietress had already ensured there was a way out of it.
When she said that she would destroy the Headquarters of those people, she didn’t mean she would exterminate their great force. Yang Kai always thought that Yue He would have to lose her life before the oath could be resolved, so he had been worried for quite some time; but now, it seemed that even in that kind of situation, the Proprietress still never had the intention of killing Yue He. The loophole in the oath was prepared for this day.
After Small Orchid Palace was destroyed, the oath had nothing to do with Yue He anymore. Furthermore, without the Palace, Yue He would have nowhere to go, so she was bound to head to Void Land.
Yang Kai was happy with the outcome. Even without the incident on this day, he would still have done everything he could to persuade Yue He to move everyone from her Small Orchid Palace to Void Land, and he believed that she wouldn’t reject him.
The Proprietress just happened to seize the chance and resolved her heart demon oath, which helped achieve the outcome he desired.
“What’s so amusing,” The Proprietress suddenly shot him a glance.
With a straight face, Yang Kai said, “You’re such a kind-hearted person.”
“Stop trying to flatter me, it’s disgusting!” The Proprietress directly landed a fist on his forehead.
Yang Kai quickly covered his head and yelled, “Why did you hit me? A man’s head is just like a woman’s backside; it can’t be touched lightly!”
The Proprietress snorted, “I haven’t settled accounts with you yet. So what if I hit you a bit?”
Upon finishing her words, she raised her leg.
The unsuspecting Yang Kai was sent flying away as he bellowed, “You… How can you lay a hand on me whenever you’re unhappy? You crazy woman!”
Suddenly, a cold glint flashed through the Proprietress’ eyes as she gnashed her teeth.
Yang Kai felt cold all of a sudden as he shrank his neck and darted his gaze around. Just when he was ready to manipulate Space Principles to flee, he realised that the space around him had already been sealed off.
There was a faint smile on the Proprietress’ face as she lightly stepped towards him, “Do you think I’ll give you a chance to flee?”
Yang Kai hurriedly stepped backwards and said in a grim voice, “Let’s just talk it out and not resort to such barbaric methods. How old do you think you are? Not again!” As he spoke, he quickly reached out to grasp her foot that was about to reach him. Her ankle felt soft and smooth, but before he could properly enjoy the sensation, the Proprietress flipped around and landed a kick on his chin with her other leg.
As her dress whisked across his face, he started seeing stars, and he was sent flying away again.
A furious Yang Kai thought that it had just been a short time since they reunited, but the Proprietress had already beaten him up twice. He secretly swore that when he ascended to the Open Heaven Realm one day, he would make this woman pay, with interest!
“Are you angry?” The Proprietress and Yang Kai were moving forward in the void as she stroked his head.
A battered and bruised Yang Kai lowered his head and sighed, “I wouldn’t dare to.” If getting mad was useful at all, there would be no point in cultivating.
In response, the Proprietress giggled.
With a bitter expression, Yang Kai said, “Proprietress, if there’s any issue in the future, can you just talk it out with me instead of resorting to fists?” Then, he pulled her hand away from his head.
Suppressing her laughter, the Proprietress replied, “Good. Now, there’s something I need to ask you about, and you’d better answer me honestly.”
“Go ahead.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Suddenly, the Proprietress turned solemn and asked in a grim voice, “What is the Order of your Fire Element Power?”
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai replied, “It should be at or above Seventh Order.”
He couldn’t hide it any longer as the moment he used his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation in Scarlet Star’s Star City, this was no longer a secret. That was because there were harsh conditions to be met in order to use a Divine Manifestation. It required a Seventh-Order Element Power at the very least or for a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters to master one of their Elements. In other words, Divine Manifestations were exclusive to High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, that didn’t mean all High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could definitely comprehend a Divine Manifestation. Some would never understand the abstrusity of a Manifestation in their lifetime.
Since time immemorial, no Emperor Realm cultivator had ever comprehended a Divine Manifestation.
Zhao Bai Chuan was amazed when he saw ‘Golden Crow Casts the Sun’, and he claimed that with this Divine Manifestation, despite the fact that Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Junior, he would be capable of battling Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The gap between the Emperor Realm and the Open Heaven Realm was no different from the gap between the Heavens and Earth. An Open Heaven Realm Master, even if he was just the lowest First-Order, had formed a Small Universe in their body and was capable of using World Force. Killing an Emperor Realm cultivator for such a Master was as easy as going for a stroll in their backyard.
Below the Emperor Realm, Yang Kai could always fight against opponents in higher realms, but even at the peak of the Emperor Realm, he could not even fight with Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, with his Divine Manifestation, it was now possible.
Many people had seen him use the Divine Manifestation on that day, and after the closure of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, this news would definitely be spread. It wouldn’t have mattered if the Proprietress didn’t ask about it, but now that she wanted to know, Yang Kai wouldn’t hide it from her.
“Golden Crow Casts the Sun!” The Proprietress grinned meaningfully, “I heard that your Fire Element Power is the Golden Crow’s True Fire?”
“Uh… en. It’s exactly the Golden Crow’s True Fire.” A guilty Yang Kai kept scratching his cheek.
“I’m curious. As an Emperor Realm Junior, how were you able to obtain the Golden Crow’s True Fire?” The Proprietress stared fixedly at him and ground her teeth, “If I’m not mistaken, it hasn’t been a long time since you arrived in the 3,000 Worlds, and your only encounter with the Golden Crow’s True Fire was in First Inn. Do you mean to tell me that you absorbed the power of the Golden Crow carcass during that time?”
Yang Kai turned his head and forced a smile at her.
In an instant, the Proprietress’ expression turned livid as she roared, “How dare you!”
His silence meant that he admitted it.
“Do you enjoy courting death!?” The Proprietress was both angry and shocked. At that time, there were several High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters as well as several dozen Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters vying for that prize. How did Yang Kai have the guts to absorb the Golden Crow’s True Fire when they were literally watching him? More importantly, he actually succeeded!
With a serious expression, she said, “The Golden Crow’s True Fire is immensely powerful, and it can only be constrained by an equally powerful Wood Element Power. Since you were able to absorb the Golden Crow’s True Fire, does that mean that you have already condensed a High-Rank Wood Element Power?”
“Proprietress is indeed beautiful and intelligent!” Yang Kai gave her a thumbs-up.
The brow of the Proprietress twitched as she muttered, “High-Rank Wood and Fire Elements… What else? Have you gotten any rewards in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary? Have you condensed any other Powers? Earth? Metal?”
“En, both the Earth and Water Elements,” Yang Kai replied honestly.
“Earth and… Water?” The Proprietress appeared doubtful, “How were you able to condense your Water Element Power when you don’t have a Metal Element Power?”
“It’s a long story, but suffice it to say, I used a Secret Technique to skip the Metal Element Power and directly condense my Water Element Power.”
The Proprietress was both shocked and doubtful, “Show me your Earth and Water Elements.”
Unable to reject her, Yang Kai subsequently activated his Earth and Water Element Powers in his Dao Seal. Firstly, he was surrounded by Dragon Shields, and after they were dispelled, he surged his Water Element Power, whereupon the atmosphere literally froze.
Upon sensing the immense might of these two Element Powers, the Proprietress gasped as her chest heaved and she exclaimed, “Both of them are High-Rank Powers!”
In disbelief, she stared at Yang Kai. It had only been a bit more than ten years since this brat arrived in the 3,000 Worlds, but he had already condensed four High-Rank Elements. It was indeed thanks to the countless opportunities in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that he was able to condense his Earth Element and Water Element, but even taking that into consideration, his achievements still far surpassed those of most elite cultivators.
No cultivator could ever condense a High-Rank Open Heaven Element in such a short period of time. Normally, it required a long time of accumulation. Furthermore, it was extremely time-consuming to collect such materials.
Normally, for an Emperor Realm Junior, if it only took them a hundred years to go from condensing their Dao Seal to ascending to the Open Heaven Realm, it could be considered rapid. Normally, people needed several hundred years to a thousand years to make this happen.
People who could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm in several dozen years were considered rare geniuses, yet it only took Yang Kai a little more than ten years to condense four Element Powers, all of which were High-Rank. Hardly anyone would believe this story.
“Do you intend to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?” The Proprietress gaped at him.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai replied, “Yes.”
At the mention of this, he suddenly thought of something, “Proprietress, is there any problem with directly breaking through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?”
In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yue He had repeatedly dissuaded him from doing so, even going so far as to cooperate with Zhu Jiu Yin to make him forcefully condense a Sixth-Order Metal Element Power to set his foundation. It was only because Yang Kai threatened to kill himself that Zhu Jiu Yin gave up on that idea.
Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order were separated by only one Order, but it was akin to the difference between the Heavens and Earth. Besides the fact that one was Mid-Rank and the other was High-Rank, the greatest achievement a person could attain would be different too. Since it had something to do with his future on the Martial Dao, Yang Kai was expected to resist fiercely; otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the courage to offend someone like Zhu Jiu Yin in the Boundary.
What Yue He had done made him feel that something was off though, but when he asked her about it, she only told him to ask the Proprietress about it if there was a chance.
Now that the Proprietress was right in front of him, Yang Kai wanted to find out the answer.
However, the Proprietress fell silent.
A while later, she let out a long sigh, “I never expected that you were such an ambitious person. Directly ascending to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm is risky. The strength of our Dao Seal is the foundation on which we are able to bear the Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers. The higher the Order those Element Powers are, the stronger our Dao Seal is required to be. If the powers exceed our own limits, when we ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, there’s a risk of our Dao Sealing exploding, costing us our lives. I’m sure you’re aware of that already.”
Yang Kai nodded in response. Certainly, he was aware of this reality; however, that didn’t really bother him as his Dao Seal was extremely firm. Besides that, he had consumed over ten drops of Divine Dao Water in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, which further strengthened his Dao Seal. Hence, there was no problem for him to bear Seventh-Order Elements.
“The risk that comes with the Dao Seal is just a natural disaster, however. In order to directly ascend to the High Rank, the biggest threat you’ll face is a man-made disaster.”
“What do you mean by that?” A puzzled Yang Kai frowned.
The Proprietress went on to say, “Even after cultivators like us ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, we don’t become stuck in that same Order forever. By consuming Open Heaven Pills or using other means, we can strengthen our own World Force and improve the Small Universe in our bodies, which allows us to ascend to higher Orders. However, since the foundation has been built, the ability to build around it is limited. Normally, after a person ascends to the Open Heaven Realm, he or she can make use of external help to achieve an ascension by two Orders, with no hope of achieving more than that.”
After a pause, she continued, “For example, I’m now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so I’ll have a chance to become an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the future, and that’s my limit. On the other hand, Old Bai is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now, so his limit is the Seventh-Order. Of course, if you can find the Universe Furnace, that’s a different story. The Universe Furnace is an innate artifact and the Open Heaven Pills it nurtures have far greater efficacy than the pills refined made by Alchemists. With these Innate Open Heaven Pills, one can break through their limits. However, you shouldn’t even think about it. According to the ancient books, it was very rare for the Universe Furnace to appear, and every appearance led to a reign of blood and terror.”
Then, she added, “The Second-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm are the dividing points. For those who break through directly to the Second Order, the limit is the Fourth Order, and for the Fifth Order, the limit is the Seventh Order. In other words, there’s a possibility for a Low-Rank cultivator to ascend to the Mid-Rank and for a Mid-Rank cultivator to ascend to the High-Rank; therefore, normally, if a person is capable enough, they will either choose to ascend to the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm in the Low-Rank or the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the Mid-Rank. That’s to give themselves greater hope for the future.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “It’s no wonder both Old Bai and Yue He ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
The Proprietress nodded, “That’s one of the reasons. Another reason is that it’s where their limit is. Furthermore, it’s difficult to look for Sixth-Order materials.”
Every Sixth-Order material was incredibly precious. Yang Kai had indeed obtained a lot of rewards in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but there was only a small number of Sixth-Order resources in comparison. He had about a hundred such resources at most, and that was after he became the most powerful person in the Boundary and had Scarlet Star collect all these for him.
All of a sudden, the Proprietress shot him a glance, “If you want to directly ascend to the Seventh Order, what will your limit be?”
“Ninth-Order!” Yang Kai’s expression was calm but serious.
“Yes, Ninth-Order.” The Proprietress sported a smile, “Is there anyone in the world who can go against such a figure? Even the Cave-Heavens and Paradises won’t sit back and watch you grow, for once that happens, you will shake the foundation on which they rule over the 3,000 Worlds.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “So, this is what you mean by a man-made disaster?”
The Proprietress nodded gently, “All Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises will not sit back and do nothing.”
Yang Kai paled, “Are those top great forces really that unreasonable and overbearing?”
Things had become a little thorny now. In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had made friends with Xu Zhen and the others, and they were the disciples from Cave-Heavens and Paradises. After they returned to their Sects, they would definitely make full reports to their Masters. When the people from those top great forces became aware that Yang Kai had condensed several High-Rank Element Powers and even comprehended a Divine Manifestation, he would fall into a perilous situation.
The Proprietress seemed to be walking down memory lane as she said slowly, “About 1,000 years ago, there was a man who was just as gifted as you. He attempted to directly ascend to the High-Rank and in fact, he had encountered countless opportunities and was extremely lucky, so he managed to condense six Element Powers, leaving him just one step away from achieving his goal.”
“What happened then?” Yang Kai turned to look at her.
“Then…” The Proprietress let out a breath, “For some reasons that were beyond his control, he could only become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.”
Yang Kai frowned, “You mean, the last resource that he absorbed was in the Fifth Order?”
In response, the Proprietress gently nodded.
In order to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, a cultivator had to condense Yin, Yang, and Five Elements into their Dao Seal; however, as for how far one could go, it depended on the lowest Order Element they absorbed. Just like filling a barrel with water, it all depended on the shortest plank to determine how much water could be held. It didn’t matter if the planks were taller as that did not change the maximum capacity of the barrel.
Yang Kai didn’t understand why that man gave up on such a bright future. He was bound to be a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but he ended up becoming a Fifth-Order one. Perhaps there were reasons that he had no control over; otherwise, no one would be willing to make such a decision.
“Where is that man now?” Yang Kai asked.
The Proprietress slowly shook her head.
Seeing that, Yang Kai realised that this man must be dead.
She went on to say, “So, if you want to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, your biggest obstacle isn’t how difficult it is to look for High-Rank resources, but the Cave-Heavens and Paradises!”
Yang Kai felt his heart sinking. If it was just as the Proprietress had said, things would become tricky. It had been a long time since these Cave-Heavens and Paradises established themselves in the 3,000 Worlds, so their heritage was shocking. Anyone that had been targeted by them would never live a peaceful life again. There was no doubt that they would relentlessly suppress such a person.
“What if I can join one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises?” The idea suddenly sprang into Yang Kai’s mind. Perhaps he could make use of a top great force’s power to resist such pressure.
The Proprietress chuckled, “There are Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises. Which one do you want to join? If you manage to join one, the other hundred and seven top forces will never agree to it. Which great force would be willing to resist such pressure for you?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, “Is there anyone in this world who can directly break through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?”
“Yes.” The Proprietress nodded, “The disciples nurtured by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises from birth have such a chance, but you aren’t one of them. Besides the fact that it is extremely hard to look for Seventh-Order resources, rarely anyone in this world has a good enough aptitude to directly ascend to the High-Rank.”
A furious Yang Kai bellowed, “It’s not fair that they have a chance to ascend to the High-Rank while others can’t!”
“So, if you want to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, the road ahead for you will be paved with obstacles and danger. You might even have to go against the entire world.”
Yang Kai asked, “Are you trying to tell me to lower my expectations?”
The Proprietress slowly shook her head, “You will have to choose your own path. Regardless of what decision you make, I will not interfere in it. I’m just telling you the threats you’ll face.”
1,000 years ago, she had done everything she could to persuade that person to curb his ambitions, but the result was a complete tragedy. Now, 1,000 years later, history seemed to be repeating itself, and this time, she would not make the same mistake.
Yang Kai lowered his head.
For the remaining journey, the Proprietress seemed to have lost interest in talking and appeared to be engulfed in an atmosphere of sorrow. As such, the trip became a silent one.
One day, after passing through several Great Territories, the pair suddenly stopped at a certain point in the void.
The Proprietress fished out a Universe Chart and took a glance at it before looking around and muttering, “It should be around here.”
Following that, she took out a jade and infused her energy into it. After that, she hurled the jade away, whereupon it turned into a ray of light and shot forward. As though the ray of light had crashed into something, it shattered. As they were engulfed in the dazzling light, a portal came into Yang Kai’s sight.
He arched his brow, knowing that there was a hidden space over there and the jade was the key to open it.
This kind of concealment technique was extraordinary. Even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like the Proprietress couldn’t see through it as she had to rely on this special jade.
It reminded Yang Kai of the Nine Heavenly Layers. If the Grand Array was completed, Void Land could also completely disappear.
At that instant, he secretly felt fortunate that he had made such a decision. What the Proprietress had told him made him realise that he would be faced with endless trouble in the future, and he might drag Void Land into it as well. With the Nine Heavenly Layers, it could at least protect Void Land.
“Hm, who is it that has come to visit? So troublesome!” An aged voice was suddenly heard coming from beyond the portal. It was apparent that he was an elderly man, and his voice could arouse a sense of dreariness.
Yang Kai was stunned as he found the owner of this place interesting. He didn’t even pretend to be amiable. Feeling troubled, he would directly say it out loud. It seemed that he wasn’t afraid of offending anyone.
However, it seemed that the Proprietress was already used to this as she said with a smile, “Grandmaster Ma Fan, it’s me. Please open the door.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, thinking that the owner of this place had such a weird name.
Recognising her voice, Grandmaster Ma Fan sighed, “It’s you, little girl. Haaa… So troublesome. Come in.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the portal opened up and revealed a dark passageway.
After hinting at Yang Kai to follow her, the Proprietress stepped into the passageway first. Not daring to be negligent, Yang Kai hurriedly followed her.
Right after they entered the portal, they were greeted by a dazzling light. Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, and when he made out what was in front of him a moment later, he was astounded.
He thought that the world behind the portal would look just like Void Land, but after entering this place, he realised that it was vastly different from what he had imagined.
The space seemed boundless and it was apparent that he and the Proprietress were still standing in the void. In this space, there were several dozen Stars, and every Star was surrounded by clouds. Every Star looked different, and there was a gigantic Sun Star that was emitting light and heat at their centre.
The Sun’s True Fire could be seen pulsating on the surface of the Sun Star, and the entire void was illuminated by its light. This place was just like a miniature Great Territory.
Yang Kai was so flabbergasted that he couldn’t say a word.
On the other hand, the Proprietress was already used to it as she said, “The scenery in those Cave-Heavens and Paradises are countless times more splendid than this. Moreover, this place is the ruins of a Paradise, and Grandmaster Ma Fan is the only surviving descendent of that Paradise.”
“The ruins of a Paradise?” Yang Kai was shocked.
The Proprietress explained, “Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises do not remain the same forever. The 3,000 Worlds aren’t as simple as you think.”
Yang Kai was astonished. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises were the strongest great forces in the world, so what could possibly make one disappear? Was it because of natural or man-made disasters?
Moreover, the ruins of a Paradise were already so magnificent, so what about the real Paradises? What about the Cave Heavens?
The emotions in Yang Kai’s heart undulated. Affected by the Sun Star in this place, he felt that the Golden Crow’s True Fire in his body was tempted to resonate with it.
“Let’s go,” The Proprietress took his arm and led him to a Star before landing on the ground.
Soon, Yang Kai saw the Grandmaster Ma Fan whom the Proprietress had mentioned.
He was indeed an elderly man, but his bitter expression seemed to suggest that he had lost interest in life. It was as though he was eager to kill himself to end all the trouble.
What surprised Yang Kai was that even though this elderly man looked ordinary, he was actually a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
That revelation stunned Yang Kai and he couldn’t help but admire the Proprietress for having a lot of connections as she managed to become friends with such a person.
“Junior greets Grandmaster!” The Proprietress obediently saluted. Besides the fact that she was weaker than he was, she was also much younger.
Naturally, Yang Kai also paid his respects.
Grandmaster Ma Fan lifted his eyes to take a glance at the Proprietress and quickly lowered them again, as though he felt that raising his eyes was also troublesome. In a languid manner, he said, “Little girl, when was the last time we met?”
With a smile, the Proprietress replied, “About 300 years ago.”
“Three hundred years…” Grandmaster Ma Fan appeared sullen as he muttered, “In other words, I’ve been sitting here for 300 years.”
At that revelation, Yang Kai felt speechless. How lazy must this elderly man be that he could sit there and do nothing for 300 years?
“Ting Yu, you’re also here,” Grandmaster Ma Fan said.
With her lips curving into a smile, the Proprietress refuted, “Old man, what’s wrong with your eyes? Take a closer look. He isn’t Ting Yu.”
“Hmm?” Grandmaster Ma Fan lifted his eyes to take a glance at Yang Kai, then he became shocked, “He really isn’t Ting Yu, but they look similar. Oh, I remember it now. Ting Yu is already gone. I guess I’m really going senile now.”
Yang Kai was startled as it wasn’t the first time he heard the name ‘Ting Yu’. When they were in the Sealing Yang Domain in the past, Yue He also called out this name.
Taking past incidents into consideration, Yang Kai had a feeling that he looked similar to this guy called Ting Yu, and to the Proprietress and Yue He, Ting Yu was someone very important.
Perhaps this person was the reason the Proprietress and Yue He had fallen out. Certainly, he couldn’t ask about it right in front of the Proprietress, so he suppressed the doubts in his heart.
“What’s the purpose of your visit this time?” Grandmaster Ma Fan asked.
The Proprietress replied, “I’ve come all the way here because I want you to refine some artifacts for me.”
“I knew it. This will be so troublesome,” Grandmaster Ma Fan didn’t conceal his displeasure.
A nonchalant Proprietress continued with a smile, “That’s because you’re one of the best Artifact Grandmasters in this world. In the entire 3,000 Worlds, fewer than 3 people are comparable to you in this field.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan snorted, “Stop your flattery, it means nothing to me.” Despite what he had said, his slightly curved lips suggested that he was pleased to hear such pleasantries.
Then, he got up as cracking sounds were heard coming from his slim figure. After a sigh, he said, “Forget it. I’ve remained seated for a long time, and it’s time to get up and do something else. Lan girl, what artifacts do you want to refine?”
Hurriedly, the Proprietress replied, “Old man, the things I want you to make are Array Artifacts, not ordinary artifacts.”
There were many kinds of artifacts in the world, and Array Artifacts were one of them. As its name suggested, these artifacts were made for the various Grand Arrays.
Normally, any artifact could be used as an Array Artifact. As long as a Grand Array was correctly arranged and allowed the artifact to merge with it, its power could be magnified.
However, Array Artifacts had to be activated with the help of a Grand Array. That was because every Array Artifact was extremely energy-consuming when activated, and it was unbearable for any cultivator, so it required the help of a Grand Array.
In return, the power that could be derived from an Array Artifact was much greater than that of ordinary artifacts. Correspondingly, it also required more resources to forge an Array Artifact.
All of a sudden, Grandmaster Ma Fan shot a glance at the Proprietress, “You want to make Array Artifacts?”
She nodded.
“There’s no problem. As long as you can collect all the materials, I don’t mind making them for you; however, you helped me with three things in the past, and I promised to make three artifacts for you. You’ve already used two chances, leaving you with just one. Tell me what kind of artifact you want to make.”
With a smile, the Proprietress replied, “Old man, I want you to make a killing artifact and a defensive artifact.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan slowly shook his head, “Little girl, you know my rules. Don’t be too greedy.”
The Proprietress said, “Of course I know your rules, and every chance could only be traded for one artifact, but…” She suddenly fell silent and parted her lips to secretly speak to the elderly man.
Initially, Grandmaster Ma Fan’s expression was dispassionate, but he soon appeared shocked. Then, he swept a glance over Yang Kai with a hesitant expression.
A moment later, he nodded gently, “Alright. I’ll agree to it; however, boy, you have to remember that you owe this old man a favour now, and when I want you to do something for me in the future, you must not turn me down.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai knew that the Proprietress must have come to an agreement with the elderly man, and this agreement had something to do with him. Trusting the Proprietress though, he cupped his fists and replied, “Rest assured, Grandmaster, this Junior will remember and will not turn you down.”
“Heh heh.” Grandmaster Ma Fan chuckled, “I hope you won’t go back on your word then.”
Then, they moved forward and reached the Grand Hall in a short moment. A gigantic Refining Furnace that was 300 metres tall had been erected in the Grand Hall, and around it were various tools for refining artifacts. The variety of tools dazzled Yang Kai.
Standing at the bottom of the Refining Furnace, they looked just like three ants. A lot of abstruse patterns had been engraved on the surface of the Refining Furnace, seemingly resonating with the Grand Dao.
The Proprietress looked up and was amazed, “It’s not the first time I see it, but I still think that this Universe Furnace is extremely abstruse.”
“Universe Furnace?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted, “Is this the Universe Furnace?”
Smilingly, the Proprietress replied, “Of course, this is not the real Universe Furnace. Strictly speaking, this is a replica Universe Furnace. The Universe Furnace is an Innate creation, a Supreme Treasure which can nurture everything in this world. The ancestors of Grandmaster Ma Fan had a chance to see the real Universe Furnace, and using it as inspiration, they spent countless years and effort to build this replica Universe Furnace. Despite that, this replica Universe Furnace is far less profound and powerful than the real one.”
“It has about 1% of the capabilities as the true Universe Furnace.” Grandmaster Ma Fan snorted, “If it weren’t because the ancestors were putting all their time and energy into making this replica Universe Furnace, our enemy wouldn’t have had the chance to take advantage of us.”
He seemed to suggest that his Paradise had fallen because his ancestors were too focused on making this replica Universe Furnace, but that must have happened a long, long time ago.
“However, it was thanks to this replica Universe Furnace that they managed to save our foundation. This replica Universe Furnace has made but also broken our great force!”
Following that, Grandmaster Ma Fan tossed a jade slip at Yang Kai and said smugly, “We have 1,035 Array Artifacts in our great force. Let’s see which ones you’d like to obtain.”
After taking the jade slip, Yang Kai infused his Divine Sense into it and became amazed.
There were many kinds of Array Artifacts that were recorded in the jade slip, which dazzled him. The names, types, and uses of the Array Artifacts were all listed in detail.
This was indeed an abundant heritage. The information recorded in this jade slip alone was worth an unimaginable amount of wealth.
Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling Divine Cauldron Heaven. Of the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises, Divine Cauldron Heaven was the most famous for refining artifacts. The Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd in Yang Kai’s possession was made by the little fatty, Xu Zhen. He wondered whether the heritage of Divine Cauldron Heaven or this Paradise was greater.
It was extremely difficult to choose a killing artifact and a defensive artifact from over 1,000 Array Artifacts.
Yang Kai went over them and thought that many of them were terrific. At that instant, he was caught in a dilemma.
Without urging him, Grandmaster Ma Fan just waited patiently to the side. In the end, it was the Proprietress who couldn’t take it anymore as she snatched the jade slip and took a glance, whereupon she made a decision, “Let’s choose the Heavenly Net Umbrella and the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword.”
Yang Kai nodded, “We’ll choose these two, then.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan grinned meaningfully, “In order to make these two items, a lot of resources are required.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Grandmaster, please give me a list of all the resources needed.”
After a grunt, Grandmaster Ma Fan fished out another jade slip and infused his Divine Sense into it. A moment later, he tossed it at Yang Kai.
Upon examining it, Yang Kai furrowed his brows. It wasn’t that too many resources were needed, but that he couldn’t recognise most of them. In fact, he wasn’t familiar with most of the items that he had amassed in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
This was embarrassing. In other words, even if he had some of the necessary resources, he wasn’t aware of it.
Helpless, he could only seek the Proprietress’ help, and following her guidance, he slowly fished out the required materials from his Small Sealed World.
In the beginning, Grandmaster Ma Fan remained nonchalant, but as Yang Kai took out more items, he gradually became stunned.
“You also have a lump of Radiant Black Platinum? It’s as big as a washbasin!”
“Tsk. Sealing Demon Iron is almost unobtainable anymore. I was unable to find it regardless of how hard I tried. Where did you get it?”
“Sovereign Grade Fantasy Dust! This is extremely rare. This one here must have been formed over the course of 10,000 years.”
Every time Yang Kai fished out an ore, Grandmaster Ma Fan could easily recognise what it was, which went to show that he was truly an erudite person. On the other hand, he was amazed by Yang Kai’s wealth. It never crossed his mind that an Emperor Realm Junior could possess so many precious items.
[Where is this brat from? Could he have inherited the wealth of a Divine Monarch?]
Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could only call themselves True Monarchs, and Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could use the title of Heavenly Monarch. On the other hand, Divine Monarch was a title exclusive to High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Gazing at the young man before him, Grandmaster Ma Fan was both shocked and doubtful.
Certainly, the Proprietress wouldn’t explain anything to him as she remained on the side with a faint smile.
An hour later, a lot of materials had piled up in front of Yang Kai. Gazing at these things, Yang Kai scratched his head, “We still lack some things.”
He had gathered about 80% of the materials on the list, but there were 20% of them that he couldn’t find. Although he had obtained a lot of rewards in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, there were still things that he didn’t have, which made him feel helpless.
The Proprietress asked, “Old man, do you have these things?”
With a vigilant expression, Grandmaster Ma Fan narrowed his eyes, “What’s wrong? Do you want to get them from me?”
Sporting a smile, the Proprietress replied, “We won’t take them from you for free. As you can see, Yang Kai has many rare items that can be traded for your things. He doesn’t mind taking a small loss.”
As his gaze darted around, Grandmaster Ma Fan nodded his head, “Good.”
Then, they went on to exchange the items they had. The Proprietress assisted Yang Kai, bargaining back and forth with the elderly man. A few hours later, they managed to gather all the materials. All in all, Yang Kai had suffered a small loss, but that should be alright.
A furious Grandmaster Ma Fan said, “Little girl, how can you help him instead of this old man? Don’t even think about getting me to make any artifacts for you again!”
With her lips curving into a smile, the Proprietress replied, “Old man, don’t forget your age. Stop getting angry easily, or your life will be shortened.”
Upon hearing that, Grandmaster Ma Fan was infuriated.
On the side, Yang Kai was extremely nervous as he was worried that the elderly man would decide not to make the artifacts for him. Fortunately, even though he seemed furious, he didn’t go back on his word. After gathering all the materials, he started working on the artifacts.
As a jade rose in the air, the immense aura of a peak Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master spread out and Grandmaster Ma Fan bellowed, “Stand back!”
Without hesitation, the Proprietress wrapped her power around Yang Kai and retreated 1,000 kilometres.
Following a loud boom, the ground shook as the entire Star seemed to be trembling. Then, Yang Kai was shocked by what he saw. The ring around the Star started spinning around as though it had been propelled by a mysterious force.
Next, the same thing happened to the rings around the other Stars in the void.
Initially, the speed at which the rings rotated was slow, but as time passed, their speed increased. Awe-inspiring auras started pulsing from those Stars.
Looking up, Yang Kai realised that these Stars had formed into an array, and the middle of the array was the scorching Sun Star.
“Universe Tempering Art!” The Proprietress muttered, “This is a long-lost Secret Art. In this world, only this old man has grasped it. After he passes away, this Secret Art will be gone for good.”
“Universe Tempering Art?” Yang Kai was astonished.
Right then, a dazzling light shot out of the Sun Star and illuminated the World.
Drawn by the array, a ray of light beamed from the Sun Star and struck the Star where Yang Kai and the others were located.
Yang Kai was horrified. Even though he was 1,000 kilometres away, he could still feel how terrifying this force was. If the Star was struck by this ray of light, it would immediately explode.
Following a boom, the Star shook violently upon being struck, but unlike what Yang Kai had imagined, it didn’t break apart. That was because the ray of light had directly hurtled into the replica Universe Furnace.
At that instant, the runic patterns on the replica Universe Furnace lit up, and a raging flame was seen coming from the furnace.
A dumbfounded Yang Kai finally understood why Grandmaster Ma Fan’s Secret Art was called the Universe Tempering Art. The foundation on which he forged artifacts was that he had to draw the Sun’s fire which was stimulated by the power of the Universe itself. This kind of grand Secret Art was simply inconceivable to Yang Kai.
Looking from afar, Yang Kai could see that the costly materials were thrown into the replica Universe Furnace by Grandmaster Ma Fan, and the old man himself kept using different hand seals. The array at the bottom of the furnace could be seen flickering, which dazzled the eyes of the beholder.
Making artifacts was both energy and time-consuming, and it couldn’t be completed in a short period of time. Any slight negligence would lead to failure.
Although Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with forging artifacts, he was an expert in the Alchemic Dao. These were two different fields, but there were many similarities.
Grandmaster Ma Fan’s Universe Tempering Art was abstruse and unique, which made Yang Kai unable to move his eyes away.
As more materials were added, what looked like a piece of hot iron started taking shape in the replica Universe Furnace. The impurities from the materials were then removed by Grandmaster Ma Fan using a special technique.
There came a moment when the array at the bottom of the furnace changed again. Grandmaster Ma Fan let out a shout as the aura of his World Force spread around.
Following some popping sounds, his slim figure started expanding. In the blink of an eye, he turned from a listless old man into a giant who was 1,000 metres tall.
The giant’s hair was seen flapping in the wind, and his face was painted red by the fire. All his muscles were bulging, which made him look like a vigorous young man. Then, he extended his hand into the furnace and grabbed the block of red hot iron before placing it on a huge anvil. The giant then picked up an enormous hammer and struck the hot iron.
*Guang… Guang… Guang…*
Every time he struck the hot iron, the entire Star would tremble, and the deafening noise permeated the Universe World. The sparks coming from the metalworking process seemed able to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth. However, the giant was oblivious to all this as he let the sparks splash onto his skin.
After striking the iron for nine days straight, the giant suddenly threw the semi-finished work back into the furnace, which attracted the raging Sun’s fire to burn it. Then, he put more materials into the furnace.
Nine days later, he fished out the semi-finished work and continued striking it.
With nine days as a cycle, the same thing happened again and again. The semi-finished work was repeatedly moved between the furnace and the anvil.
Gradually, a gigantic longsword took shape. Even though it was just a semi-finished product, Yang Kai could still feel a horrifying aura coming from the sword, which shocked him. When the sword was completed, it would certainly be immensely powerful.
After doing the same thing for 81 days, Grandmaster Ma Fan suddenly bellowed, “Boy, come here!”
Apparently, the Proprietress had been waiting for this moment, so upon hearing this call, she immediately wrapped her World Force around Yang Kai and shot towards Grandmaster Ma Fan. Standing at the feet of the giant, they looked like two ants.
Grandmaster Ma Fan swung the sword and held it out in front of Yang Kai before yelling, “Blood!”
Looking at the huge sword that was several dozen metres long, Yang Kai felt speechless; however, he knew that it must be in the final stage of forging. The reason Grandmaster Ma Fan wanted his blood was that he wanted to leave his Imprint inside the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword. From then on, only Yang Kai, and those he granted permission to, would be able to activate the sword’s power, making it useless for other people to snatch it.
Not daring to be negligent, Yang Kai hurriedly cut his palm as his blood started streaming out of the wound. He balled up his fist and held it out above the blade.
Sizzling sounds were immediately heard, but instead of merging into the sword, the blood turned into petite Blood Dragons and began swimming across it.
“Hm?” Grandmaster Ma Fan exclaimed and looked at Yang Kai in shock, “Dragon Blood! You’re a member of the Dragon Clan?”
Hearing that, a stunned Proprietress turned to look at Yang Kai as well.
She wasn’t aware that Yang Kai had a Dragon Clan bloodline. That was because he once brought the Ruler of the Dawn Great General to look for his mother. After Mie Meng was saved, she told Yang Kai not to reveal the fact that he had a Dragon Clan bloodline easily. Her reason was that even though the Dragon Clan was extremely powerful, they had many enemies in the 3,000 Worlds. If others found out about this secret, he might invite trouble to himself.
She also told him that if he really came across any danger that couldn’t be resolved, he could reveal that he was a member of the Dragon Clan to frighten off his opponents.
All in all, in the 3,000 World, having a bloodline related to the Dragon Clan was a double-edged sword. It might invite trouble to Yang Kai, but it might also save him from fatal danger.
Therefore, he had been consciously keeping this secret.
In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique several times, but the people who had seen this Secret Technique were either his own people or already dead.
“Hahaha! Turns out you’re a member of the Dragon Clan. Good good!” Grandmaster Ma Fan’s laugh was deafening, “Don’t stop! Give me more Dragon Blood!”
It seemed that Dragon Blood was immensely beneficial to the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword.
Hearing that, Yang Kai could only let more of his blood drip onto the blade. His restorative abilities were incredible and his Dragon Vein and the Wood Element Power from Immortal Tree allowed him to heal small cuts almost immediately. In order to squeeze out more Dragon Blood, he could only keep opening his wound so that it wouldn’t heal.
As time passed, the entire blade became covered in his golden Dragon Blood.
“That’s enough!” Grandmaster Ma Fan shouted and threw the sword into the replica Universe Furnace again.
The Proprietress turned to look at Yang Kai and sized him up, as though it was the first time she met him.
“Brat, I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this secret from me,” She snorted.
She believed that Yang Kai was just a newcomer to the 3,000 Worlds; however, it wasn’t until he left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that she became aware that he had secretly condensed four High-Rank Elements, and it wasn’t until this moment that she found out he had a Dragon Clan bloodline.
“This is not something that’s worth bragging about,” Yang Kai smiled helplessly.
“I’ll settle this account with you later!”
Yang Kai immediately felt bitter in his heart.
In a nearby place, Grandmaster Ma Fan had already returned to his original form, and his aura even appeared weaker than before. He must have expended a lot of energy to refine this artifact; however, at this point, he didn’t need to put more effort into it as the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was basically finished. All they had to do was wait.
More than ten days later, Grandmaster Ma Fan suddenly got to his feet and stared fervently at the replica Universe Furnace. At this moment, the furnace was trembling, as though a ferocious beast was about to rush out of it. Following the vibration, rays of Sword Qi shot out of the furnace; however, the furnace was extremely abstruse and the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was unable to break free from it.
There came a moment when all the noises died down.
“Hahaha. It’s done.” Grandmaster Ma Fan guffawed and turned to look at Yang Kai, “It’s ready. This artifact is made with your blood, so only you can take it. Don’t let it run away.”
After a serious nod, Yang Kai circulated his strength and got ready.
The next instant, Grandmaster Ma Fan used a different hand seal, whereupon a golden light burst out of the furnace.
A swift Yang Kai extended his hand and grabbed the golden light.
A buzzing sound was heard as the void seemed to be trembling. A golden sword was shaking violently in Yang Kai’s hand, but before he could feel the sword’s power, his expression changed as he was dragged away by the weapon. Regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to stop the sword.
From afar, he yelled, “Proprietress, save me!”
Naturally, she remained on the spot with her arms crossed and sneered.
In the blink of an eye, the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword brought Yang Kai out of the Star and shot into the void. He surged his power to stop the weapon, but it was all in vain.
He could clearly feel that this sword was closely connected to him; however, the artifact had just been forged, and no one was able to resist its vigour. Despite the fact that there was a connection between them, Yang Kai was unable to control the weapon.
Fortunately, they were in the ruins of a Paradise, which was cut off from the outside world, so he wasn’t worried that the sword would run away.
A few days later, the remaining energy in the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was finally exhausted. With his forehead already drenched in sweat, Yang Kai stood hovering in the void, staring at the sword in his hand. It wasn’t until this moment that he made out what the sword looked like.
When the sword was being forged, it was several tens of metres long, but after it was completed, it looked just like an ordinary sword, which seemed to suggest that this weapon could freely change its size.
The golden sword was one solid metal piece, and it looked extremely expensive.
With the sword in his hand, Yang Kai wielded it and gently ran it across his arm, which immediately left a white mark on his skin, amazing him at how sharp the weapon was. It had to be noted that, as a Half Dragon, Yang Kai’s physique was incredibly sturdy. Even though he didn’t exert much force though, the sword could easily leave a mark on his skin. If he used even slightly more force, the weapon could’ve injured him.
Then, he attempted to try out the sword’s power, but he couldn’t activate it.
It was then he realised that the sword was indeed an Array Artifact, so it required immense power to activate. Presently, he was just an Emperor Realm cultivator, so how was he supposed to bring it to life?
He reckoned that he could only witness the sword’s power with the help of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array.
At that moment, Yang Kai was already looking forward to it.
It could be said that the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was forged in a short period of time as it only took 3 months. It had to be noted that to create a powerful artifact from scratch, it would take most Artifact Refining Grandmasters a few years or even longer.
However, Grandmaster Ma Fan only needed 3 months to achieve this. It seemed that it was thanks to his Universe Tempering Art.
In this world, artifacts were also categorised into different ranks, just like how it ranged from the First Order to the Ninth Order in the Open Heaven Realm. These artifacts could only be used by Open Heaven Realm Masters because it required the World Force to activate their powers.
Therefore, even if an Emperor Realm cultivator obtained one, it was no different from scrap metal in their hands.
Every Star or Spirit Province could be considered a Small Universe, which could naturally nurture World Force. By arranging the Nine Heavenly Layers around Void Land, Yang Kai could make use of the Grand Array to manipulate Void Land’s World Force. After the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was blessed by World Force, its full power could be displayed.
In fact, Yang Kai had a way to forcefully stimulate the sword’s power, which was to mobilise the World Force of the Small Sealed World. However, by doing so, the heritage of the Small Sealed World would shrink, which would be detrimental to it.
Even though the Small Sealed World was no longer as useful in the 3,000 Worlds, Yang Kai had a tentative idea in his mind for it. When the time came, he would need the Small Sealed World, and if this idea could be realized, his power would increase tremendously.
When the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was forged, it had cost Yang Kai countless rare materials, which included some Sixth-Order ones. Therefore, this sword was expected to be in the Fifth-Order at the very least, and it was likely to be in the Sixth-Order.
Certainly, Yang Kai was satisfied with the outcome. Although it had cost him an arm and a leg, the reward was immense.
After storing the sword, he returned to the Star and realised that Grandmaster Ma Fan had already started working on the Heavenly Net Umbrella.
The Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was a killing artifact while the Heavenly Net Umbrella was a defensive artifact. Both of them would work perfectly together in the Nine Heavenly Layers. With these two artifacts, it could be said that the Grand Array around Void Land would be infused with a Soul.
The minimum requirements had been met. Initially, Yang Kai intended to ask Grandmaster Ma Fan to refine his Shadowless Veil, but he believed that he’d better not bring it up. It had cost the Proprietress’ last chance and a promise from Yang Kai for Grandmaster Ma Fan to forge the sword and umbrella, if he still asked the old man to refine his Shadowless Veil as well, he’d be crossing the line. Certainly, he wouldn’t want to ruin the relationship with this Artifact Refining Grandmaster.
The process of making the Heavenly Net Umbrella wasn’t much different, but it took a longer time than forging the sword. It took the old man half a year. Since time immemorial, defensive artifacts had always been more valuable than killing artifacts. The reason was that the cost and difficulty of making a defensive artifact were greater.
Despite the fact that the old man had inherited his Paradise’s heritage, it still took him half a year before he could fully refine the umbrella.
During the final stage, Yang Kai once again shed a lot of his blood.
Just like the sword, the Heavenly Net Umbrella was in the Sixth Order, and its defence capabilities were astonishing.
After the two artifacts were completed, Grandmaster Ma Fan immediately chased them away. He didn’t seem to have the intention of making them stay. It was a burden to him to make two Sixth-Order artifacts consecutively. To someone like him, who was averse to trouble, this was no different from torture; therefore, he wanted to take a rest as soon as possible.
The Proprietress and Yang Kai bade him farewell and left.
It took them a long time to reach this place, but it was much easier when they returned. After passing through several Universe Temples, they arrived at Void Land in just a month.
It had been a year since Yang Kai and the Proprietress left, but during this period of time, there didn’t seem to be any changes to Void Land. After all, it was extremely difficult to build the Nine Heavenly Layers. Now, they hadn’t even completed 50% of the Grand Array.
When they met Grandmaster Wu Liang again, they realised that he seemed to be malnourished and sickly, but his eyes were unusually bright, and he appeared to be enthusiastic. Upon learning that Yang Kai had obtained two Sixth-Order Array Artifacts, he guffawed and flew away as he said, “True Monarch, don’t worry. Even if it costs my life, this Old Master will definitely build the Nine Heavenly Layers for you!”
Yang Kai was worried that this old man would overwork himself and pass away halfway through. If that happened, their efforts so far would be wasted. After all, the Nine Heavenly Layers was conceived by Grandmaster Wu Liang. Even if they hired another Spirit Array Grandmaster, he might not be able to comprehend the abstrusity of it.
There were more people in Void Land now. These several thousand people were brought to this place by Yue He from Small Orchid Palace. Most of them were weak, below the Emperor Realm. Nevertheless, they could still assist the others to arrange the Grand Array.
Void Land was still bustling.
In the Grand Hall of Earth Spirit Land, Yue He was reporting to Yang Kai on their progress so far. With a worried expression though, she said, “Young Master, the cost to arrange this Grand Array is too great. Should we talk to Grandmaster Wu Liang to modify it?”
She was in charge of Void Land’s finances, and it made her heart bleed to see such a large number of materials being consumed every single day. Although Yang Kai had amassed immense wealth in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and obtained the secret storehouse left behind by Xu Huang, even he couldn’t bear this kind of consumption.
Now, the Nine Heavenly Layers was only half-completed, but the wealth he had obtained from the Boundary had shrunk by 30%. If they really fully built the Grand Array, she was worried that a large part of Yang Kai’s wealth would be gone.
Besides that, he had also expended a lot of resources to make the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword and the Heavenly Net Umbrella. These two Array Artifacts were to be used on the Grand Array as well.
The Grand Array alone almost made him use up all of his wealth.
“There’s no need.” Yang Kai shook his head, “Just do it according to the original plan.”
Before agreeing to Grandmaster Wu Liang’s proposal, Yang Kai was already psychologically prepared, so he wasn’t surprised at the large consumption of materials. The more he contributed, the greater the reward would be. Void Land was the foundation on which he would gain a footing in the 3,000 Worlds, so he wouldn’t hold back anything when it came to arranging the Grand Array.
After the materials were consumed, he would still have a chance to earn them back in the future; however, if powerful enemies came to invade them one day, and Void Land was unable to defend itself, it would be a loss he could not recover from.
Moreover, after what he had heard from the Proprietress, Yang Kai was even more determined to complete the Nine Heavenly Layers.
If he wanted to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, the road ahead would be paved with obstacles, and the people from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises might come to suppress him directly. By then, Void Land would be his capital to deal with them.
“Just give Grandmaster Wu Liang whatever he needs. If there are resources that we lack, tell some people to purchase them as soon as possible. We still have 3 billion Open Heaven Pills, right?”
3 billion Open Heaven Pills was a horrifying figure. Half of that number was obtained by Yang Kai from the Space Ring of the Pavilion Master of Sword Pavilion. That man had been lording over others for centuries, but in the end, all his wealth fell into Yang Kai’s hands. Furthermore, the several tens of thousands of Space Rings from the people of Sword Pavilion’s Star City also contained a lot of Open Heaven Pills.
On the other hand, Scarlet Star had been the most powerful great force in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for years.With every breath, there were a lot of transactions going on in their Star City, and Scarlet Star would get a small bite of each transaction as tax. As time passed, they grew to be filthy rich. Even though 70% of the income had been given to Yang Kai, the remaining 30% was still immense.
That was how Yang Kai managed to amass 3 billion Open Heaven Pills.
Yue He spoke up, “1 billion have been used so far. There were many resources that we lacked, so we had to buy them from various Star Cities.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Good. Don’t worry about the money.”
Then, he looked out the door, only to see the Proprietress and Bai Qi coming into the hall.
Hurriedly, Yang Kai went over and asked, “What’s wrong?”
With a smile, the Proprietress replied, “I’m leaving, so I’m here to bid you farewell.”
“You’re leaving?” Yang Kai’s expression changed, “Where are you going?”
Smilingly, the Proprietress replied, “Where else can I go other than First Inn? I’m the Proprietress of First Inn, but I’ve been absent for nearly a year. If I don’t go back, my superiors will reprimand me.”
Yang Kai pressed his lips together, “It’s not worth staying in First Inn. Why don’t you resign and join Void Land? You can do whatever you want here.”
He genuinely didn’t want the Proprietress to go. Besides the fact that she had been treating him well and was protective of him, Void Land was in the midst of a re-birth, and they needed a lot of people. While she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Bai Qi was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If they could stay, the collective power of Void Land would increase significantly.
The Proprietress raised her hand and poked his forehead, “Do you think First Inn is a place where we can come and go as we please?”
Yang Kai stepped backward upon impact, then he realised a problem as he frowned, “In fact, I’m also from First Inn…”
The Proprietress scoffed, “You’re not really from First Inn. You worked for me for a short period of time because you owed us money. Now that you’ve repaid your debt, First Inn will have nothing to do with you. Wherever you go, don’t tell people that you’re from First Inn.”
The reason Yang Kai joined First Inn was that when the top cultivators were trying to snatch the Golden Crow carcass, they got into a fight and destroyed the inn.
Then, the Proprietress threatened Yang Kai to repay 10 million Open Heaven Pills for the chaos he caused. At that time, he was flat broke, and 10 million was an astronomical figure to him.
After they arrived at the Star City, she told him to collect debts from various shops. The progress was good as he managed to repay some debt through this work; however, he was certain that the debt hadn’t been repaid in full.
The reason the Proprietress said this was that she wanted to separate Yang Kai from First Inn so that he wouldn’t be held down; after all, if he kept the title of First Inn’s shop-hand and founded Void Land, people would wonder if this place belonged to him or First Inn.
Fully aware of her intentions, Yang Kai felt warm in his heart.
However, the reason he could be easily separated from First Inn was that he didn’t have much to do with the inn to begin with. However, that wasn’t the case for the Proprietress. She was the famous Madam Lan from First Inn, known throughout the 3,000 Worlds.
Knowing that he couldn’t make her stay, Yang Kai sighed and fished out a Space Ring, “These are the gifts I’ve prepared for chef and accountant. Please bring it to them for me.”
After taking the ring, the Proprietress scanned it and realised that it contained some Fifth-Order resources, which the chef and accountant needed.
She didn’t have many subordinates, but there was no doubt that Bai Qi, the accountant, and the chef were her trusted aides as they had worked for her for a long time. Without any exception, all three of them had condensed Fifth-Order Elements. Bai Qi’s progress was swift as he was the first one to reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but while the chef and accountant were slightly slower, they only lacked one to two Element Powers now.
Yang Kai was already aware of that in the past, so it wasn’t difficult for him to prepare these materials. He still had an abundance of Fifth-Order materials in possession, so he didn’t mind giving out some.
“Since you’re rich now, I’ll not turn you down. After they ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, I’ll tell them to come over and thank you.” As the Proprietress spoke, she put away the Space Ring.
The Proprietress was a decisive woman, so left right after she announced she would. Yang Kai and Yue He saw them off. It wasn’t until they saw them leaving Void Land and using the Universe Transference Law that they turned around and returned.
After trading glances, they felt somewhat hollow within themselves.
Void Land remained bustling. Every day, countless resources were being thrown into the construction of the Grand Array. Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue didn’t have much time to rest because they needed to go out and purchase many of the necessary materials. Usually, a few days after they returned to Void Land, they would have to leave again.
Presently, there were not many powerful cultivators in Void Land. The strongest ones were Yue He, Lu Xue, and Chen Tian Fei. They couldn’t depend on Zhu Jiu Yin because she was still healing her Source.
Due to the fact that Yue He was in charge of the Array Jade and finances, she had to stay in Void Land. Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue were powerful cultivators as they were in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but now they had no choice but to run errands.
Everything seemed on track, and all Yang Kai had to do was wait, so he thought that it was time to return to the Star Boundary.
As long as the problem the Star Boundary was facing wasn’t solved, he could never set his mind at ease. After some calculations, Yang Kai realised that it had been 15 years since he left the Star Boundary. Before he departed, the Star Boundary was already in an unstable state as its World Principles had been severely damaged. He and the other Great Emperors had come up with some ways to slow down the disintegration of the Star Boundary, but they couldn’t fundamentally solve the problem. There would come a time when these methods lost their effectiveness.
A long time had passed, so Yang Kai wondered whether the Star Boundary was still alright.
In any case, it made no difference whether he was here during the reconstruction of Void Land. Yue He just needed to stay here and work with Grandmaster Wu Liang. Yang Kai estimated that when he returned from the Star Boundary, the Nine Heavenly Layers would have been completed. With this in mind, he summoned Yue He and told her about it.
Without trying to stop him, Yue He said, “Young Master, you can leave, but please take Chen Tian Fei or Lu Xue with you. Without one of them by your side, I will not be able to rest at ease.”
After all, Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Junior. If he travelled across the 3,000 Worlds on his own, he would face a lot of danger. If he had a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master by his side, it would save him a lot of trouble.
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “There’s no need. We need more people in Void Land now, and Fatty Chen Tian and Lu Xue are important people. With them around, the progress of the construction will be faster. I’m just going back to attend to some personal matters, so I don’t need anyone to come with me.”
Certainly, Yue He wouldn’t agree to it. Then, she suggested that even if he didn’t want Chen Tian Fei or Lu Xue to go with him, he had to bring her along.
That was practically impossible as she had to stay in this place to coordinate with Grandmaster Wu Liang. Anyone could leave but her.
After a long argument, Yue He refused to back down one bit and wouldn’t allow Yang Kai to leave Void Land on his own. Left with no choice, he agreed to her suggestion.
It was then Yue He decided that Lu Xue would follow him; after all, she was a woman who was more meticulous, so she should be able to take better care of Yang Kai.
“Tell Guo Zi Yan to go with you as well,” Yue He said.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “He’s just in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm. What’s the point of him following me?”
Lu Xue was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she would be useful if they came across any danger; however, as a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Guo Zi Yan was too weak.
Yue He snorted, “I don’t care. If you take Lu Xue with you, Guo Zi Yan will also have to follow you!”
After gazing at her for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly realised what was on her mind, then he nodded in agreement, “Good. I’ll take the two of them with me.”
Then, he secretly sighed and thought that Void Land was in the midst of rebuilding, so it was inappropriate for him to take two of their very few Open Heaven Realm Masters away at this point. However, he was unable to persuade Yue He, so he could only agree to it.
Before he set off on his journey, he fished out a glowing fruit and passed it to her.
Yue He took it and frowned, “This is…” Upon sensing it, she felt a rich World Force coming from it.
“It’s a World Fruit.”
With her eyes widening, Yue He exclaimed, “A World Fruit?”
She was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she had heard of World Fruits before; however, those amazing treasures were supposed to exist only in legends. It never crossed her mind that she would see it with her eyes one day, not to mention that she was holding it in her hands.
“This is a Mid-Rank World Fruit. After I’m gone, refine it when you’re free. It will be beneficial to you,” Yang Kai said casually.
He had 16 World Fruits, but only 3 of them were Mid-Rank ones. Mid-Rank World Fruits were best consumed by Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. After taking it and refining its medicinal efficacies, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could directly ascend to the Sixth-Order. Certainly, Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could consume one as well, but the benefits would not be as great. As for Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, it was useless for them to take it.
“Did you get it from the Primordial Land?” Yue He asked in shock.
She was fully aware of the rewards he had obtained in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but she had never heard that he had gotten a World Fruit. The only possibility was that he had acquired it in the Primordial Land.
In response, Yang Kai nodded his head.
“Young Master, this is too precious. I can’t accept it!” Then, Yue He hurriedly pushed the World Fruit back to him.
Yang Kai said, “Just use it. I have many of them.”
“You’re lying!” Yue He pursed her lips, “Although I’ve never seen World Fruits before, I know that everyone only has one chance to obtain a fruit from the World Tree in their lifeti… Why do you have so many?”
As she spoke, she gazed at Yang Kai’s palms in shock, for there were more World Fruits on them.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “Do you believe me now? By improving your cultivation, it will be beneficial to Void Land. Unfortunately, most of the World Fruits I have are just Low-Rank ones, which are not that valuable. If all of them were Mid-Rank, I could produce a group of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.”
A stunned Yue He asked, “Why do you say Low-Rank World Fruits are not valuable?”
Yang Kai explained, “A Low-Rank World Fruit can only help a cultivator ascend to the Third Order, which is why it’s not worth a lot of money.”
Yue He stared blankly for a moment before she burst into a fit of giggles, “Young Master, you’re mistaken. It’s true that a Low-Rank World Fruit can only help a cultivator ascend to the Third-Order, but it will also extend their limit for growth. This kind of benefit is simply invaluable.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
Yue He lifted the Mid-Rank World Fruit in her hand, “Take me as an example. I’m now in the Fifth-Order, and my limit is the Seventh-Order. That’s because if I consume too many Open Heaven Pills, they will stop having any benefits for me. However, if I consume this World Fruit, I’ll ascend to the Sixth Order directly, and the limit to which Open Heaven Pills can take me will also ascend to the Eighth Order.”
“Does it work that way?” Yang Kai was astounded.
“A Low-Rank World Fruit can help a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master to directly ascend to the next Order, so that benefit alone isn’t valuable. Nevertheless, many people would pay anything to extend their upper limit.”
“I see,” Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai realised that he had severely underestimated the value of these Low-Rank World Fruits. He used to believe that these ten or so fruits were useless.
Now, it seemed that they were also treasures, which made him feel ecstatic as though he had received a windfall.
Clenching the World Fruit in her hand, Yue He pressed her lips together and said, “I’ll keep this World Fruit, then. Many thanks, Young Master.”
Earlier, she had no idea that Yang Kai possessed so many World Fruits, so she didn’t have the heart to consume such a precious treasure. Now that she became aware of the real situation, she decided not to turn him down. Just like what he had said, if she ascended to the Sixth Order, it would be beneficial to Void Land. It had been several hundred years since she made her initial breakthrough to the Fifth Order, and once she ascended to the Sixth Order with this World Fruit, her accumulation so far would also be brought forward as well, so by then, she would only be one step away from the Seventh-Order, which was already the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
After everything was settled, Yang Kai summoned Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan, then they shot into the sky.
Upon leaving Void Land, Lu Xue summoned an artifact that looked like a windmill. After they entered it, the windmill turned into a ray of light as Lu Xue drove it across the void.
The 3,000 Worlds were expansive, and each Great Territory was connected with at least one other.
In fact, Yang Kai wasn’t certain about the location of the Star Boundary. He had bought a Universe Chart from a big Star City, and since then, he had been trying to figure out the exact location of the Star Boundary. Even though he still wasn’t sure about it, he had found three likely locations.
Left with no choice, they could only search these places one by one. Yang Kai secretly prayed that one of these locations would turn out to be correct. If all of them were wrong, he wouldn’t know what to do.
Judging from the distance, the Star Boundary was supposed to not be far away from Void Land. That was because not long after he and Zhang Ruo Xi left the Star Boundary, they came across a Myriad Facets Insect. They were separated after they were swallowed by the giant insect. Yang Kai fell into a Great Territory where he was tricked by the Venerable of Fire Spirit Land, Duan Hai, and brought to Seven Wonders Land.
Inside the windmill, Yang Kai pointed out the direction for Lu Xue so that she could chart a course forward.
They went on to pass through several Great Territories. On their way, they came across some danger as well as some Space Beasts. They would avoid them as best as they could and if there was no other choice, they would fight.
Two or three months later, they arrived in a particular Great Territory.
Lu Xue was heard saying, “Sir, we’ve arrived.”
This Great Territory was Yang Kai’s first destination. Upon hearing that, he stepped out of the windmill and looked around with a hopeful gaze.
However, he discovered nothing. With that said, he wasn’t disappointed. After all, a Great Territory was vast, so the Star Boundary might be hidden in a particular corner of this place. It was expected that he couldn’t see it right away.
Moreover, he was a native of the Star Boundary, and titled as Void Great Emperor having obtained part of the World’s Will. If the Star Boundary was really in this Great Territory, as long as they were not too far apart, Yang Kai would be able to sense a connection to it.
As such, he told Lu Xue to keep looking around in this Great Territory as he scanned the surroundings.
One month later, Yang Kai sighed and conceded, “Let’s go to the next location.”
The Star Boundary wasn’t in this Great Territory. Over the past month, he had searched around the entire Great Territory, but still discovered nothing.
After a nod, Lu Xue followed the direction Yang Kai pointed and headed to the next destination.
More than ten days later, in a particular place in the void, an epic battle came to an end. Lu Xue was panting as her chest heaved and there was a huge cut on Guo Zi Yan’s waist as he was almost split in two.
Although Yang Kai appeared to be unharmed, his face was pale. After he coughed a little, blood started streaming out of his mouth.
While travelling across the void, they would come across danger from time to time, and this time, they were truly unlucky as they had bumped into a pack of more than 10 Star Flame Colts. These Space Beasts seemed to have gone mad as they relentlessly chased after the 3 of them. Left with no choice, they could only stand and fight.
After the Beasts were killed, all three of them were injured. Even Lu Xue’s windmill had been damaged.
Yang Kai hated the fact that they suffered such a setback even before they found the Star Boundary.
Lu Xue cleaned the blood from her cold water longsword and said, “Sir, we have to go to a Universe Temple to recuperate.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Let’s go.”
Given the condition they were in, it was not appropriate for them to keep going. If they came across any danger again, they wouldn’t be able to ward it off. Fortunately, there was a Universe Temple in this Great Territory, so they could take a rest there.
Of course, their main purpose was to repair Lu Xue’s artifact. Without this flight-type artifact, they would need to expend a lot more energy to navigate through the void.
Yang Kai had never been to the Universe Temple in this Great Territory, but it was a different case for Lu Xue.
According to her, before joining Scarlet Star, she had once wandered around the 3,000 Worlds on her own with only her sword for over 100 years. During this period of time, she had visited many Great Territories and left her Imprint at their Universe Temples.
This made things simpler. After Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan entered the Six Fated Paths Bag, Lu Xue stored the bag and activated the Universe Transference Law. A few breaths later, they arrived at the local Universe Temple.
Universe Temples and Star Cities were different. A Star City was a place where cultivators could trade and communicate with one another. On the other hand, a Universe Temple was strategically valuable. That was the reason Universe Temples were firmly controlled by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises.
Nevertheless, a Universe Temple also had some functionalities of a Star City. Cultivators could take a rest here and buy some goods; however, the prices were usually higher, and the selection of goods were not as wide, so it wasn’t comparable to a Star City in this regard.
Upon entering the Universe Temple, Lu Xue released Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan. The three of them then found an inn and settled down. They intended to rest for a few days before continuing their journey.
Meanwhile, in one of the shops in the Universe Temple, a stern-looking yet thin middle-aged man was bargaining with the shopkeeper. Both of them seemed to be familiar with one another, and they probably had had some business deals in the past, which was why neither of them was over-passionate when bargaining. Instead, they were bartering back and forth in a calm manner.
The shopkeeper knew that the middle-aged man needed the goods in his shop, so he wasn’t worried about the latter lowering the price and dealt with him dispassionately.
All of a sudden, the middle-aged man sensed something as he grunted and turned to look in a particular direction.
The shopkeeper shot him a glance and smiled, “Hei He, it’s not that I want to make a huge profit. As you can see, the cost of this thing is really high. If I agree to your price, I’ll suffer a loss. It’s been 100 years since we got to know each other. When have I ever ripped you off? I only make a small profit every time I make a deal with you.”
A glint of surprise flashed through the eyes of the man called Hei He, then he turned his head back and nodded, “I’ll agree to the price you’ve come up with.”
The shopkeeper was stunned as he had never expected that Hei He would agree to it so easily; after all, the item was pretty expensive, and there was still room to bargain. He was ready to haggle with Hei He, but it never crossed his mind that the latter would simply agree to the price before he even made a counteroffer.
However, that was the outcome he wanted to see, so with a bright smile, he replied, “Brother He, you’re indeed a straightforward person. Wait a moment. I’ll get your items right now.”
Then, he rose from the chair and entered the storehouse. A moment later, he returned with a Space Ring. Both of them examined the ring, and upon making sure that nothing was wrong, the ring was sold to Hei He. Without intending to stay in the shop any longer, he left and took some twists and turns in the Universe Temple. Soon, he arrived at an inn, and after looking up for a moment, he nonchalantly stepped inside.
Inside the inn, Yang Kai and the others checked into a room. Before they settled down, Lu Xue hurriedly left to look for someone to repair her windmill artifact; after all, they had to rely on this artifact to move across the Great Territories. It would be exhausting for them if they didn’t have this artifact.
On the other hand, Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan remained in the room and adjusted their breathing.
A few days later, their injuries were mostly healed, while Lu Xue’s artifact was being repaired, but they would have to wait for half a month before the repairs were complete.
Although Yang Kai was eager to return to the Star Boundary, there was nothing he could do in this situation; therefore, he decided to wait patiently. Since he had arrived at this Universe Temple, he certainly had to leave his Imprint here.
Then, he left the inn with Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue as they headed to the Grand Array in the centre of the Universe Temple.
If a cultivator wanted to leave their Imprint at a Universe Temple, they would need to cough up 100,000 Open Heaven Pills. The price was the same throughout the 3,000 Worlds, no more, and certainly no less.
100,000 Open Heaven Pills was a lot of money, but a Universe Temple could save a person’s life at a critical moment; therefore, any wealthy cultivator wouldn’t be stingy when it came to leaving their Imprint in a Universe Temple.
However, there was no way a cultivator would leave an Imprint in only one Universe Temple, so paying 100,000 pills each time eventually led to a staggering expenditure.
So far, Yang Kai had spent more than 1 million pills on Universe Temples. In other words, he had left a Brand in more than 10 different Universe Temples at the very least.
In fact, Yang Kai was very interested in how Universe Temples worked; after all, it had something to do with the Dao of Space as one could instantly move to a Universe Temple from a faraway place. Even though he could use Instantaneous Movement as well, the distance he could travel was vastly inferior to that of the Universe Transference Law.
In any Great Territory, as long as a Universe Temple existed, the Universe Transference Law could resonate with it regardless of the distance. Yang Kai’s Instantaneous Movement was no match for it in this regard, and even his Space Beacons were inferior to it.
The distance where he could move from one Space Beacon to another was limited.
Yang Kai had a feeling that if he could unravel the mysteries of the Universe Temples, his mastery of the Dao of Space would be greatly improved.
However, there were some downsides as well. Although the Universe Transference Law was profound and abstruse, and everyone could freely learn it, it took a few breaths of time to activate it.
Yang Kai had seen a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master using the Universe Transference Law. He was the owner of First Inn, yet even someone as powerful as that needed a few breaths of time to activate the Secret Technique.
In a life-or-death battle, one’s opponents would never give them so much time to flee.
The time needed was one drawback, while the pressure was another. The further the Universe Temple was, the more pressure a cultivator would feel when using the Universe Transference Law. If that pressure exceeded their limits, even if they successfully activated it, they might be torn apart during the transfer process.
That wasn’t unprecedented. Many cultivators were left with no choice but to use the Universe Transference Law at critical moments. Although they had gotten rid of their opponents, what arrived at the Universe Temple were battered corpses.
Despite the downsides, the Universe Transference Law was still widely adopted throughout the 3,000 Worlds. It was a Secret Technique most cultivators used to move to Universe Temples to save travel time or flee from their enemies.
After spending 200,000 Open Heaven Pills, Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan respectively left their Imprints in this Universe Temple.
After leaving the place, they were not in a rush to return to the inn. Since they had nothing to do, they decided to roam around.
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai visited a Universe Temple, but he had never been to this one before. Unlike a Star City, the shops around here were limited, as was the goods selection. Moreover, the prices were generally higher than average.
When they passed by an accessories store, Yang Kai thought of something and entered it.
He believed that he couldn’t return to the Star Boundary empty-handed. Other people didn’t matter, but he had to bring some gifts to his wives, father, and mother.
Then, he started counting, [Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, Xue Yue, Yu Ru Meng, Father, Mother, Little Sister Yang Xue… There are indeed many people. By the way, there’s also Ji Yao… Besides them, there are also Mo Xiao Qi, Lin Yun’er, and the others…]
Naturally, the things that were sold in the shop were not ordinary accessories. Each one of them was an artifact. There were many kinds of accessories with different uses, and although the prices were expensive, Yang Kai didn’t mind it as he wasn’t short of Open Heaven Pills.
He was willing to pay a hefty price to build the Nine Heavenly Layers, so these artifacts in this shop were nothing.
Then, a young woman that looked like a maidservant came over. With a sweet smile, she elegantly welcomed them to the shop. Her voice was clear, and there was a pleasant scent wafting from her body, which easily made people take a liking to her.
The young woman was weak as she was just an Emperor Realm cultivator; nevertheless, she had been working in this shop for a long time, so she immediately realised that Yang Kai was no ordinary man, which was why she was very hospitable to him.
Yang Kai looked around the shelves as the young woman introduced each item to him in detail in her pleasant voice.
Soon, Yang Kai was attracted to a Phoenix-shaped hairpin, and he couldn’t help thinking about Su Yan. This hairpin appeared elegant, which should match her temperament; moreover, it happened to be a defensive artifact.
Su Yan and the others were still weak, so they couldn’t draw out the power of killing artifacts; however, these defensive artifacts could save their lives in a perilous situation.
Yang Kai decided to buy each of them a defensive artifact.
Just as he was extending his hand towards the hairpin though, a big hand suddenly whizzed past him and took the hairpin first.
Yang Kai turned his head, only to see a scrawny yet stern-looking man staring at him. As their eyes met, the man flashed a smile at Yang Kai and nodded, “Little Brother, are you interested in this?”
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “Yes.”
The middle-aged man said, “What a coincidence. This King had his eyes on this item as well. Can you give it to me?”
“The item is in your hand now. You’ve taken it first, so it’s yours. It’s not like you need to ask me to give it to you,” Yang Kai replied nonchalantly.
“Many thanks, then.” The middle-aged man guffawed, “Little Brother, you’re a generous man. What’s your name?”
“We don’t really know each other, so there’s no point asking.” Yang Kai shook his head, then hinted at the maidservant to keep going.
The maidservant seemed to be annoyed at the fact that a business deal had been ruined by the middle-aged man, who disturbed Yang Kai halfway through; therefore, she became more attentive when serving Yang Kai.
Soon, Yang Kai bought a lot of accessories as the smile on the maidservant’s face became brighter.
After the bill was paid, Yang Kai stored all the items inside his Space Ring, then left the shop with Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan. Following that, he saw a person looking smilingly at him outside the shop.
He was none other than the man who snatched the Phoenix-shaped hairpin.
A shocked Yang Kai gazed at him and asked, “Sir, are you waiting for me?”
The middle-aged man replied, “Yes.”
“What for?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
That person said, “This King felt sorry that he snatched your accessory just now, so I’d like to treat you to a meal. Will you come with me?”
Yang Kai laughed and shook his head, “Sir, it is no serious matter. You took the hairpin first, so it belongs to you. It’s not like you snatched it from me. As for the meal… There’s no need for that. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll part with you here.”
Upon finishing his words, he cupped his fist and left the place with Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan.
Seeing as Yang Kai turned him down, the middle-aged man didn’t mind it as he smilingly watched Yang Kai leave.
A moment later, they returned to the inn and entered the room, then Lu Xue said, “Sir, I’m worried that he has some ill intentions.”
Guo Zi Yan nodded in agreement, “I have the same feeling as well. That guy looks wicked. It’s said that a person’s appearance is indicative of his temperament. I’m worried that he’s a thug.”
Yang Kai asked, “Do either of you know that guy?”
Both of them shook their heads to mean that they had never seen that person before.