The 3,000 Worlds was boundless, and there were countless cultivators living in it. Although Lu Xue had wandered for over 100 years, and she could be considered an experienced person, she couldn’t possibly recognise a person that had nothing to do with her.
As for Guo Zi Yan, he was just a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and his experience and knowledge were rather limited.
“Sir, I reckon that man is in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm,” Lu Xue said in a grim voice.
Although the middle-aged man never released any aura, which made it impossible for anyone to tell his exact cultivation, Lu Xue still felt pressured in his presence. She was in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, thus any person who could make her feel pressured must be at least in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Solemnly, Yang Kai nodded his head. Facing a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan would be powerless. If that person really had some ill intentions, things would be troublesome.
However, that was just their most conservative estimate. If that man was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, things would become even more thorny.
“I don’t think he’ll harm us, but we can’t lower our guard.” After giving it a thought, Yang Kai secretly spoke to Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan. Then, they nodded and left the place.
Half a month later, Lu Xue retrieved her windmill artifact, but they were not in a rush to continue their journey. Only two months later did they leave the inn and set off.
A few days later, a gigantic Territory Gate came into their sight. The windmill shot into it and disappeared.
An incense stick after Yang Kai and the others passed through the Territory Gate, a ray of light suddenly shot forward from afar and landed in front of the swirling portal before a figure revealed himself.
He was none other than the stern-looking middle-aged man Yang Kai had come across in the Universe Temple. Staring at the Territory Gate, he muttered, “Have they entered it? Hmph! They’ll not shake me off so easily.”
Upon finishing his words, he plunged into the Territory Gate as his World Force turned into a layer of defence, which helped him resist the pressure coming from the Void.
There was a risk associated with passing through a Territory Gate. Normally, only cultivators in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm could move through one without needing any external protection. For people below the Mid-Rank, if they didn’t have some kind of special artifact or Secret Technique to assist them, they would be crushed inside by the horrible pressure.
Despite the fact that the man was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he still felt his Soul shaking and was a little dizzy when moving through the Territory Gate.
Nevertheless, he had experienced this countless times, so he wasn’t flustered. In order not to alert anyone, he didn’t use an artifact as that would be far more conspicuous. Soon, as the world around him spun around, he found that he had arrived at a different Great Territory.
Before he even stabilised himself though, he felt a piercing sword light coming at him from the side.
Horrified, the middle-aged man immediately realised that he had been ambushed, and the person making a move was just as powerful as he was, but just who would ambush him in such a place?
There was no time for him to further ponder on it as he hurriedly flew backwards; however, the sword light relentlessly pursued him.
Usually, given his heritage, he could easily ward off such an attack; after all, he was fairly strong. Nevertheless, he had just passed through a Territory Gate, which shook his Soul and Small Universe slightly, temporarily reducing his strength by about 30%.
Then, the sword light directly broke through his layer of protection and slashed across his body.
His clothes fell apart and his blood spurted out of his wound. There was a forearm-length cut on his chest now that was bone deep.
At that moment, he was reeling from the shock. If he hadn’t flown backwards and stalled for time to use a defensive Secret Technique, the sword light would have critically injured him.
With that said, he was still feeling awful at this moment. He could feel Sword Intent penetrating his wound so he had to divert some of his energy and focus to suppress it to prevent his wound from worsening.
Right then, another figure came at him from the side. With a shield engraved with a Dragon pattern, he crashed into the unsuspecting middle-aged man, who lost his balance and was swept away by the immense force. At the same time, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.
Just then, he saw a sword light flashing through his eyes as countless sword shadows engulfed him. Every one of them seemed intent on killing him on the spot.
It was at this moment that the middle-aged man finally collected himself. With a great roar, he raised his hand and summoned an artifact that looked like a shovel. Upon surging his World Force, he wielded the shovel and shattered the sword lights.
In the end, he was still a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who had remained in this realm for quite some time. He was slightly injured due to the ambush, but after pulling himself together, he was able to display his powerful heritage.
The attacker with the Dragon-patterned shield dashed towards him as he raised the shield and brought it down.
The middle-aged man bellowed, “How dare a Third-Order insect dare act so impudent in front of this King!”
Although he couldn’t make out the people ambushing him, as his Divine Sense permeated the surroundings, he could sense that the people fighting against him were respectively in the Fifth-Order and the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Naturally, he was wary of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as he was in the same Realm, but he couldn’t believe that a mere Third-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator had the guts to fight him, which infuriated him.
Then, he extended his hand into the void and grabbed an artifact that looked like a whip. The sound of a weltering river was heard coming from the whip as pure Water Element Power erupted. This artifact seemed to have been refined from a real river.
Hei He wielded the whip and lashed the huge shield. The loud clanging sound suggested that the shield was unable to withstand the attack and cracks started appearing on its face. On the other hand, the shield’s owner was sent flying away like a sack. His figure kept spinning around in the void as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.
It was extremely difficult for a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to withstand the blow of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and if it weren’t because the shield was an excellent defensive artifact, he would have been killed after that one strike.
Although he wasn’t at risk of losing his life at the moment, his Small Universe was trembling violently from the impact, making it impossible for him to keep fighting.
Nevertheless, his sacrifice wasn’t in vain. It had allowed the shattered sword lights to condense again and slash across the middle-aged man countless times.
As blood spurted out of his wounds, Hei He was horrified.
A single mistake at the outset of the battle had forced him into an almost impossible position. The ambush outside the Territory Gate made him lose the initiative, and put him at a complete disadvantage.
[Who are these people ambushing me?] Blood slid down his forehead and blurred his vision as he looked around and soon saw a person gazing at him in silence from a nearby place.
His pupils contracted as he exclaimed, “It’s you!”
That person was none other than Yang Kai.
Presently, Yang Kai was standing there with a dispassionate expression, his lips curled up as he sneered, “Hei He, this King has been waiting for you.”
Seeing as the other person directly called out his name, the middle-aged man was furious and roared, “How did you find out this King’s background?”
Yang Kai scoffed, “It’s not like no one in the Universe Temple knows who you are. I just had to ask around to find out your identity.”
After they returned from the accessories shop on that day, he told Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan to ask around. Both of them were seasoned people, so it wasn’t difficult for them to secretly gather some information.
Upon learning the truth, Yang Kai was astounded, for the person who wanted to treat him to a meal was Hei He Heavenly Monarch!
He had never met or heard of Hei He Heavenly Monarch before, but the name ‘Hei He’ made him put his guard up.
If Yang Kai wasn’t mistaken, he might have some grudges with Hei He and the origin of this dispute was Fang Tai, who was taken to Fire Spirit Land with Yang Kai in Seven Wonders Land in the past.
Fang Tai was a Worker in Fire Spirit Land, and just like Yang Kai, was coerced into joining Seven Wonders Land by Duan Hai. He claimed that he was from Black River World, and he possessed a Faith Token left behind by his ancestors.
(TL note: Hei He = Black River)
After leaping out of his Universe World, Fang Tai arrived in the 3,000 Worlds. Naturally, he wanted to use his Faith Token to look for his Seniors and seek their protection; unfortunately, he was brought to Seven Wonders Land and became little more than a slave.
Apparently, Duan Hai was also aware of Hei Hei Heavenly Monarch’s existence and knew if word got out that he had made his Junior a slave, Hei He would not let him off. To save himself from any potential trouble, Duan Hai set up Fang Tai by letting him flee from Seven Wonders Land, then branding him a traitor and having Yang Kai hunt him down.
Yang Kai still remembered that he was accompanied by two Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters at that time. They found Fang Tai and Yang Kai fought him one-on-one, eventually killing him with his spear.
It was also during that time when Yang Kai came across Xu Huang, which led to the turmoil in Seven Wonders Land.
Xu Huang was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and when Yang Kai was killing Fang Tai, he was observing the battle in the dark and realised that something was off. At that time, he told Yang Kai that there was a restriction in Fang Tai’s body that would mark whoever killed him with a Brand. Unless Yang Kai could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, he would never be able to get rid of this Brand.
The biggest use of the Brand was to point out the murderer, and if Yang Kai bumped into the Brand’s owner, the latter would immediately notice it.
For the longest time, Yang Kai had never cared about this; after all, the Outer Universe was vast, so it was unlikely that he would chance upon the Brand’s owner.
However, it just so happened that he came into contact with that person. Upon hearing the title ‘Hei He Heavenly Monarch’, Yang Kai immediately realised what was going on.
Fang Tai was from Black River World, and this Hei He was probably the one who had left a Brand in Fang Tai’s body.
In that case, the fact that Yang Kai had killed Fang Tai must have been exposed. Hei He made it look like he happened to have his eyes on the same accessory as Yang Kai, but in fact, he deliberately approached the latter to find out the extent of his strength.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai became vigilant.
Initially, he intended to leave the Universe Temple after half a month and continued his journey, but in the end, he stayed there for an additional two months because he had to make preparations.
His preparation yielded excellent results as the ambush resulted in Hei He being seriously injured.
Unlike how calm and collected Yang Kai was, presently, Hei He was both furious and shocked. He was furious because he regarded himself as an intelligent person, so he had never expected that he would be set up by this brat. On the other hand, he was shocked because the auras of the two Open Heaven Realm Masters with this boy were vastly different from what he had sensed previously.
When he met this trio earlier, he secretly inspected the cultivation of the two Open Heaven Realm Masters. The woman was in the Fourth Order while the man was in the Second Order at that time. As for Yang Kai, he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, so Hei He paid him no regard at all.
However, after trading moves with these people, he realised that he was very wrong. The man was in the Third-Order instead of Second-Order, but that didn’t really matter. The crux of the problem was that the sword-wielding woman was in the Fifth Order!
Hei He Heavenly Monarch was only a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and the woman was just as powerful as he was, so he instantly found himself at a disadvantage after being successfully ambushed.
He now knew that Yang Kai was a wicked and cunning man who told his subordinates to conceal their auras to deceive him. That realisation made him so furious that he was about to spit blood.
He thought that Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan had used some Secret Technique to restrict their auras, but reality was far different from what he had imagined. Two months ago, Lu Xue was really in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, while Guo Zi Yan was just in the Second-Order.
The reason they could go through such a transformation in such a short period of time was that they had consumed World Fruits.
The information regarding Hei He gathered by Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan made Yang Kai have a headache. Fifth Order and Fourth Order were just one Order apart, but the gap in power was akin to the difference between the Heavens and Earth. There was no way Lu Xue was able to defeat Hei He as she was.
It wasn’t like Yang Kai could hide inside the Universe Temple forever. In order to solve this problem, he had to let Lu Xue ascend to the next Order.
However, it was extremely difficult for an Open Heaven Realm Master to achieve a breakthrough. It would normally take centuries of accumulation and cultivation to ascend even one Order. Yang Kai couldn’t possibly wait for such a long time. Fortunately, he had some World Fruits in his possession.
He possessed three Mid-Rank World Fruits. Before leaving Void Land, he had given one of them to Yue He, so he was left with two. Now, his life was hanging by a thread, so he had no choice but to let Lu Xue consume one.
Guo Zi Yan was given a Low-Rank World Fruit.
They were held up in the Universe Temple for two more months because Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan had to refine the World Fruits.
The World Fruits indeed lived up to their reputation. With the help of these amazing fruits, both of them managed to ascend to the next Order, which allowed them to gain the upper hand in this battle.
However, even though Lu Xue had ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, she still might not be a match for Hei He in a one-on-one fight; after all, she had only just broken through, so her foundation wasn’t stable. She needed a long time of accumulation before she could properly use her strength. On the other hand, Hei He was a veteran Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Be it the heritage of his Small Universe or his control of his World Force, Lu Xue wasn’t comparable to him.
Even though they were in the same Order, there was a conspicuous gap between their powers.
With that said, Lu Xue had the capital to fight against him, so following the ambush, she managed to take a decisive advantage.
The battle went on in the void. Lu Xue wielded her weapon as sword light engulfed her opponent. She was doing her best to maintain the advantage she had gained with difficulty, and she wouldn’t dare to be complacent. On the other hand, Guo Zi Yan immediately returned to the battlefield after he was sent flying away. In a battle between two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, he, a newly promoted Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would not be of much use. Even so, he would still be able to distract Hei He’s attention, though the price he had to pay was that he would be struck with a heavy blow every time.
After all, Hei He had a deeper heritage. As the battle went on, he slowly composed himself and soon found a glimmer of hope. During his fight with Lu Xue, he realised that she wasn’t as powerful as she appeared to be. This woman, who was also in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, was clearly weaker than he was. If he went all out, he would be able to defeat her.
However, he feigned ignorance of this reality as he growled and continued retreating, as though he was really no match for her.
On the other hand, Lu Xue was relentless. The power of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm mesmerised her as one of her long-held dreams had finally come true, which strengthened her belief that she was right to have chosen to stay in Void Land. If she had left on her own, she would’ve had to cultivate for several hundred more years before she could ascend to the Fifth Order.
Now, she had been granted a precious World Fruit that allowed her to raise her Order directly and increased her growth limit.
In the past, her limit would have been the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was still within the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm, but now, her limit was the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!
It never crossed her mind that she would one day have a chance to experience the wonders of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. This made her feel eternally grateful, which was why she was doing her best to ensure Yang Kai’s safety.
As her World Force undulated and streamed into the cold water longsword in her hand, the sword light expanded, and rays of Sword Qi criss-crossed one another, making it extremely difficult for Hei He to parry her attacks.
In the midst of the intense battle, Lu Xue found an opening in Hei He’s defence and thrust her sword forward decisively.
Sword light could be seen glistening as Lu Xue had gone all out in this attack. If Hei He, who was also in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, got struck by it, he would be severely wounded.
Just as the sword was about to stab into him though, Hei He suddenly grinned and wielded his whip as his aura abruptly surged.
In an instant, Lu Xue felt a horrifying force coming at her. Pressured by the World Force, she felt as if she was unable to resist it.
[He was concealing his true power!] Lu Xue was horrified. Instantly, her sword light shattered as Hei He’s whip struck her, drawing a grunt from her lips as her entire figure was shaken. The Small Universe in her body was trembling violently, and her World Force became disordered.
Looking up, she realised that Hei He had thrown her off and was now headed straight towards Yang Kai.
[I was tricked!] Lu Xue clenched her teeth, knowing that she had been fooled. Apparently, Hei He had the power to turn things around all along, but he had been concealing it just to make a move at the most critical moment. His target had always been Yang Kai.
It was apparent that Yang Kai was the leader of this group, and while it wasn’t easy for Hei He to deal with Lu Xue, as long as he could capture Yang Kai, the outcome of the battle would be decided. With Yang Kai in his grasp, he could go or stay as he pleased.
It had to be said that his plan was well thought out. Lu Xue was distracted by her newly obtained Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm power, so she failed to notice this subtle deception, and it was already too late by the time she understood what was happening.
While she was sent flying, Lu Xue grit her teeth as a crack appeared on her glabella. It was as if a third eye had opened on her forehead.
Third Eye Sword!
This was Lu Xue’s trump card. She wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary because it consumed a tremendous amount of her energy. Now that Yang Kai was facing a life-or-death crisis though, a guilt-ridden Lu Xue had no other choice.
A faint sword light shot out from her glabella. It wasn’t dazzling or imposing, but despite the fact that it flew forward silently, it was filled with murderous intent. The sword light directly shot towards Hei He’s back.
At the same time, Yang Kai wore a terrified expression as he widened his eyes and staggered backwards while shouting, “Don’t come near me! Otherwise, I won’t go easy on you!”
Seeing as Yang Kai still dared to threaten him, Hei He guffawed, “Brat, since you had the guts to kill my descendant, I’ll make life a living Hell for you today!”
As he extended his hand, he sealed off the space around them, and even the Void seemed to have been suppressed. This was the manifestation of the power of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Certainly, Hei He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that the Third Eye Sword was coming at him from behind, but he had the confidence to capture Yang Kai first before dodging the terrifying attack.
Time seemed to have frozen. Lu Xue, who had unleashed her Third Eye Sword, turned pale and shot forward. She appeared to be on pins and needles. Guo Zi Yan ignored his own safety and roared before rushing forward with his shield.
Although they were eager to save Yang Kai, they couldn’t possibly be swifter than Hei He, who had managed to throw both of them off with his little trick.
Seeing as his opponent’s hand was about to reach him, Yang Kai suddenly flashed a cunning smile at Hei He and raised his hand to summon the gourd vine.
Then, he wielded the vine and in an instant, Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers blended together, mutually strengthening one another and the aura of World Force spread around.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai lashed Hei He with the vine.
“Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm!?” The grin on Hei He’s face froze, and his expression was transformed by shock, for he could feel a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura coming from the vine. He couldn’t help having a doubt in his mind.
[Has this Brat been pretending to be weak this whole time? He looks like an Emperor Realm brat, but he might actually be in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm!!]
The moment of shock and hesitation made him lose his only chance. The gourd vine shattered Hei He’s palm print and struck right at his head. A horrified Hei He hurriedly withdrew his whip to parry the blow.
As the vine and the whip clashed, an intense force spread around.
On the gourd vine, the seven small bottle gourds rolled away and fell into a deep sleep. On the other hand, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying away.
Although he could activate the gourd vine’s power, this thing could only shock the opponent but couldn’t be used to fight against him; after all, the other party was a real Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
After trading moves, Yang Kai immediately suffered serious injuries. He felt all his five viscera and six organs weltering in his body, and many of his bones had cracked.
Nevertheless, it was enough. Although Yang Kai could only make one strike with the gourd vine, he had managed to ward off Hei He and send him flying back.
*Chi…*
Hei He’s expression instantly turned hideous as he sprayed out a blood mist.
This couldn’t be helped. Lu Xue’s Third Eye Sword struck right at his back and formed a cut that stretched from his shoulder to his waist, exposing his battered organs and drawing a copious amount of blood.
If Yang Kai hadn’t made such a surprising move, Hei He could’ve captured him and dodged the Third Eye Sword; however, a moment of hesitation made him lose his chance, and he was subsequently struck by Lu Xue’s attack without being able to defend himself.
Third Eye Sword was Lu Xue’s trump card, so it was expected to be horrendously powerful. Upon impact, Hei He’s aura deflated significantly.
“Cunning brat! This King swears to torture you to death one day!” Hei He bellowed before turning around and fleeing swiftly.
He was severely injured, so he didn’t dare to remain. The most important thing for him now was to look for a place to recuperate. Although he acted threateningly, he was determined to flee. That was because he knew that given the condition he was in, there was no way he could capture Yang Kai. Rather than wasting time here, he reckoned that he should escape now and make a comeback in the future.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t let him go. Seeing as Hei He had turned into a ray of light, he immediately called out to Lu Xue, “Quickly! Pursue him!”
Lu Xue obediently fished out her windmill artifact, whereupon the three of them dashed inside and chased after Hei He.
Inside the windmill, Lu Xue was still reeling from the shock. Earlier, Yang Kai almost fell into mortal danger because of her negligence. If it weren’t because Yang Kai still had a trump card up his sleeve to save himself at the most critical moment, he would’ve been captured.
Her guilt soon turned into fury as she ignored her injuries and spared no effort to hunt down their opponent. Moreover, Hei He was heavily wounded, so the gap between the two parties was rapidly shortening.
“Take it slow. There’s no rush.” Yang Kai suddenly comforted her as he knew what was on Lu Xue’s mind. Then, he and Guo Zi Yan sat down with their legs crossed and began swallowing pills to heal themselves.
Although the three of them were injured during the battle, Hei He was worse off. That was the result after Lu Xue ascended to the next Order. In the past, if they faced a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Hei He, they would’ve been totally powerless to resist.
Now, the situation was in Yang Kai’s favour. Hei He was on his own, so while he had to flee, he also had to heal his wounds. As long as Yang Kai could keep chasing after him, he would exhaust Hei He and ensure that he couldn’t recover from his injuries. Eventually, Hei He would be forced into a corner.
Apparently, Hei He realised that as well, so he had been trying to shake them off. Nevertheless, he was severely injured, so how was he supposed to achieve that?
The two parties went on to move across half of the Great Territory. While hunting him down, Lu Xue kept sending out horrifying sword waves at him. Due to the distance, she couldn’t really harm him, but Hei He also had to remain focused on dodging and defending himself, so he had no time to recuperate.
“Don’t you cross the line! Do you think this King is unable to fight back? This King will perish together with you all at worst!” Hei He yelled at them in fury.
Standing inside the windmill, Yang Kai scoffed and remained unfazed. Hei He’s behaviour suggested that he indeed didn’t have a way out; otherwise, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have made such empty threats.
A few days later, after the windmill arrived at a Universe World, they realised that Hei He was nowhere to be found.
The three of them looked down at the Universe World. This place was similar to the Star Boundary. There were countless such Universe Worlds in the 3,000 Worlds and the reason Hei He had disappeared must be that he had snuck into this world.
It had to be said that it was a wise choice. After he entered this Universe World and concealed his aura, it would be like a water drop falling into the ocean. If they didn’t have any special tracking technique, they could never locate him.
Yang Kai and the others didn’t have such a technique. Frowning, Yang Kai gave it a thought for a moment and made a decision, “Go down.”
If he couldn’t kill Hei He this time, there was bound to be more trouble in the future. If Hei He tailed him secretly and found the Star Boundary, things would become thorny.
Upon receiving his order, Lu Xue drove the windmill towards the Universe World.
Every Universe World had an invisible World Barrier. This barrier not only protected the cultivators in this world but also restricted them. Only when their strength reached a certain point could they break free of these restrictions and head to the Outer Universe. Conversely, if an outsider wanted to get in, they had to break through this World Barrier.
Of course, this kind of barrier was nothing to Lu Xue as she could easily break through it. After the windmill was put away, the three of them looked around and realised that Hei He was nowhere to be found. He must have found a place and hid himself.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai had already expected this. If he was Hei He, he would’ve done the same, so after a snort, he shouted to the skies, “Where are the Great Emperors of this world? Present yourselves to me now!”
This world was similar to the Star Boundary, and its World Principles were on the same level, so there must be Great Emperors here. As for the number of Great Emperors, it depended on the capacity of the World’s Bottle.
While Yang Kai was entering this Universe World earlier, he could clearly feel some Divine Senses inspecting him. Obviously, these Divine Senses belonged to the Great Emperors of this world.
The Great Emperors in any Universe World had obtained the World’s Will, which allowed them to borrow its World Force.
It could be said that the Great Emperors were still just Emperor Realm cultivators, and their personal power stayed within that realm, but in their own Universe World, they were able to display the power of the Open Heaven Realm.
After all, the fundamental difference between the Emperor Realm and Open Heaven Realm was the ability to use World Force.
In the past, Great Demon God raised chaos in the Star Boundary. He was able to use the power of the Open Heaven Realm; however, in the Star Boundary, Yang Kai and the other Great Emperors were still able to borrow World Force and kill him.
Usually, when the Great Emperors were in their own Universe Worlds, their strength would be equivalent to the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm if they went all out; therefore, some Great Emperors were not willing to leave their Universe Worlds, for once they did that, they would lose the ability to utilize World Force.
However, there were some benefits to be gained if they chose to leave, which was a chance to comprehend the secrets of a higher Martial Dao. It was entirely up to them to make that decision.
If Yang Kai wanted to look for Hei He, the best way to do so was to seek help from the Great Emperors in this world as they must be aware of Hei He’s whereabouts.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai felt speechless at the fact that after he called out to them, no one replied. The Great Emperors in this world pretended that they hadn’t heard him. Apparently, they wanted to stay out of this mess.
Firstly, Hei He barged into this world, then Yang Kai and the others raced after him and arrived at this place. Anyone who wasn’t blind could see that this was a fight between Open Heaven Realm Masters, so it was understandable that the Great Emperors of this world were not willing to interfere.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t give up, so after looking down for a moment, he nodded his head, “This is such a peaceful place. The city here has many residents, and all of them are able to live and work harmoniously together. There are no conflicts at all. The Great Emperors of this world have managed it well.”
Following his gaze, Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue looked down and saw a city; however, they didn’t understand why he commented on it.
“Destroy this city for me. Make sure no one is left alive!” Yang Kai suddenly pointed at the city with a hideous expression.
Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue turned to look at him, hardly able to conceal the shock behind their gazes.
It had been quite some time since they started following Yang Kai, and they knew that he wasn’t someone who was blood-thirsty or who killed the innocent for no reason. It could be said that he was a reasonable man, so why was he giving an order like he was a Devil Lord now?
There were more than 1 million people in the city below them. These were over 1 million Humans, not blades of grass.
While Lu Xue was hesitant, Guo Zi Yan cupped his fists and replied solemnly, “Yes.”
Then, he hovered above the city and, ignoring his own injuries, surged his World Force before raising his hand. At that instant, the sky turned dark as a gigantic palm took shape above the city. Following Guo Zi Yan’s movement, the huge palm slowly forced its way down.
While Lu Xue’s heart leapt to her throat, Yang Kai crossed his arms and sneered.
In the city, countless people looked up at the sky in horror. The gigantic palm had shaded all light from them and as it descended, the aura of death filled the air.
The city fell into chaos as people were heard screaming and crying. Although Guo Zi Yan was only in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was nothing in the 3,000 Worlds, he could easily destroy such a city.
Just as the palm was about to hit the city, someone was suddenly heard yelling, “Stop!”
At the same time, World Force was mobilised as it turned into a dense light and shot towards the enormous palm. Upon impact, the palm became damaged. Consequently, Guo Zi Yan grunted and staggered backwards.
The residents in the city had just escaped from death’s door as they started shouting, “It’s Senior Qi Hai!”
“Senior Qi Hai has come to rescue us!”
“Senior Qi Hai, you have to stand up for us!”
“Senior Qi Hai…”
All of them were cheering for the person called Qi Hai.
Yang Kai snorted and turned to look in a particular direction, only to see an elderly man rapidly approaching him. As he was flying, he wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead.
This elderly man was apparently the ‘Senior Qi Hai’ that these residents had called out.
If possible, he wasn’t willing to meddle in a fight between Open Heaven Realm Masters; however, Yang Kai had threatened to kill the million residents of this city. Therefore, he had to appear even though he wasn’t willing to; after all, he was a Great Emperor who had obtained the World’s Will. If he just let these people perish, he would suffer a backlash from this World.
Yang Kai was also a Great Emperor, so he was fully aware of this. Sometimes, a threat was more effective than persuasion. He didn’t really intend to kill a million people, so even if Qi Hai didn’t make a move in the end, Yang Kai would still tell Guo Zi Yan to stop.
After all, he wasn’t really a Devil Lord. Although the way he did it was extreme, it had to be said that it yielded an excellent result.
“Thousand Inspirations World’s Qi Hai greets Sirs and Madame.” The elderly man flew towards Yang Kai and cupped his fist.
An arrogant Yang Kai was seen with Evil Qi surrounding his face, and his Demon Essence was so ample that it was as though he was really a wicked Devil Lord. Upon shooting him a glance, he sneered, “Why don’t you keep hiding? This King thought you’d never show up.”
Qi Hai brushed away the cold sweat on his forehead and said apologetically, “This Old Master was cultivating in seclusion, so he wasn’t aware of your arrival. Please forgive me for the mistake I’ve made.”
“Since you know you’ve made a mistake, how do you want to die?” Yang Kai’s murderous intent surged.
“What?” Qi Hai was stunned. He didn’t mean what he said, but Yang Kai had taken it seriously, which went to show that the latter was indeed a Devil Lord. Apprehensive, he pleaded, “Sir, please punish me.”
He was a Great Emperor, but he knew that even though they were in Thousand Inspirations World, and he had the blessing of the World Force, he was unable to go against these people.
In a grim voice, Yang Kai continued, “This King should skin you alive, pull out all your tendons, and suck out your Soul to serve as a warning! However, this King has more important matters to attend to, so as long as you are useful to me, I’ll spare your pathetic life for now.”
Qi Hai felt bitter as he had realised Yang Kai’s intention and spoke respectfully, “Sir, please state your orders.”
Yang Kai replied, “This King has been pursuing a great Devil, but he has disappeared all of a sudden. He must have hidden himself here. As a Great Emperor of this world, you must be aware of anyone barging into this world. Point out his location for this King immediately. After dealing with this heinous man, you shall be rewarded.”
[Great Devil? Are you talking about yourself?] Qi Hai mocked Yang Kai in his heart, but he wouldn’t dare to say so out loud. Subserviently, he said, “Sir’s trust in this Old Master’s ability is flattering, but this old man is getting on in years and can’t see clearly…”
Before he could finish his words, Yang Kai bellowed, “Guo Zi Yan, destroy the city for me! No one is to be left alive!”
“Yes, Sir!” Guo Zi Yan grimly said.
“Wait a moment!” Qi Hai exclaimed.
Yang Kai scoffed, “What else do you want to say?”
Certainly, there was nothing else Qi Hai could say. He truly didn’t want to meddle in this fight. Be it Yang Kai or Hei He, he and everyone else in this world couldn’t afford to offend them. Nevertheless, Yang Kai was behaving like a true Devil Lord, so he had no other choice.
He secretly stole a glance at Yang Kai’s grim expression attempting to speak calmly, “Sir, you should know that Thousand Inspirations World is owned by Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land. Everything in this world belongs to them.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed when he heard that, “Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land?”
He immediately recalled the face of a certain petite woman.
Thousand Inspirations World was directly under Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land. In other words, the great force was in this Great Territory, and it wasn’t far away from this place. It was just like Three Brilliances World and Golden Sun Continent, which were directly under Void Land.
Presently, Void Land controlled over ten Universe Worlds, with Three Brilliances World and Golden Sun Continent being just two of them. The products and human resources from these Universe Worlds belonged to Void Land. With these Universe Worlds as their foundation, there would never be a lack of talented people to recruit from, and many of these Universe Worlds might even nurture some rare treasures.
Certainly, Yang Kai was aware of Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land. In the past, when he was trying to snatch the Golden Crow carcass on the Sun Star, he came across a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from that great force.
After giving it a thought, he shot a glance at Qi Hai, “Do you know Yuan Xiao Man?”
Hearing that, Qi Hai became elated, “Sir knows Senior Xiao Man?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Of course I know her; however, even if Yuan Xiao Man was here, she wouldn’t dare to disobey this King’s order! Who do you think you are to go against me? Guo Zi Yan, destroy the city, now!”
“Yes!”
“Stop! Stop!” Qi Hai was utterly flustered. The reason he mentioned Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land was to make Yang Kai become wary of the great force behind him; however, it never crossed his mind that Yang Kai had no regard for the great force at all. Despite knowing that this world was directly under Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land, he was still unafraid.
[What have we from Thousand Inspirations World done to deserve this calamity?] Qi Hai was incensed. He and everyone else in this world couldn’t afford to offend such a big shot.
“I’ll lead the way for you! I’ll lead the way for you! Sir, please let us off!” Qi Hai was dejected as he secretly resigned himself. He didn’t know the background of the Open Heaven Realm Master who had snuck into this place earlier, but if he couldn’t appease the Devil Lord before his eyes, the million people in the city below would die.
After weighing the pros and cons, Qi Hai had no choice but to make this decision. He secretly decided that when this incident was over, he would head to Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land and inform his superiors about it.
“You should’ve agreed from the beginning.” Yang Kai snorted, “Lead the way!”
Qi Hai sighed and moved in a particular direction.
Yang Kai summoned Guo Zi Yan, whereupon the three of them followed the elderly man. Soon, they reached an ocean and were hovering above it. Looking down, they saw an island in front of them. Qi Hai stopped moving forward and gave Yang Kai a hint with his eyes.
Upon getting his hint, Yang Kai sneered, “Is this the place? Good, the environment is quite picturesque.”
Then, he released his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t detect Hei He’s aura. This couldn’t be helped as Hei He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and there was a huge gap between their cultivations. Presently, Hei He was hiding on this island, so without the Great Emperor of this world leading the way, they would never have been able to locate him.
“Scram if you don’t want to die.” Yang Kai waved his hand at Qi Hai, who appeared horrified and ran for his life. Soon, he disappeared into the distance.
To him, leading the way for Yang Kai to locate Hei He was already the best he could do. There was no way he’d meddle in the fight between Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Looking down, Yang Kai asked, “Do you see anything?”
Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue shook their heads, meaning that they discovered nothing.
Yang Kai knew that there was no way Qi Hai had lied to him. Since he had led them to this place, there shouldn’t have been any mistake, unless Hei He was able to deceive the old man as well.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t likely to happen. As a Great Emperor, Qi Hai had obtained part of the World’s Will, so he could detect any movement happening in this world.
The island was small, and it was basically deserted, so Yang Kai directly waved his hand and ordered, “Flush him out.”
Guo Zi Yan and Lu Xue immediately charged forward as they bombarded the island with their Secret Techniques.
Soon, the island shattered and a faint aura suddenly appeared as a glint flashed across Lu Xue’s eyes, “Found him!”
Her sword slashed across the air, whereupon a radius of ten thousand kilometres of the ocean was immediately frozen.
Following a loud boom, a figure broke through the ice and flew up into the sky. The person appeared battered, and his aura was unsteady. He was none other than Hei He. Previously, he was injured by Lu Xue’s Third Eye Sword, and while he was fleeing, he was repeatedly attacked by her. Even though he was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was unable to continue like this; otherwise, he wouldn’t have snuck into this world to recuperate.
However, not long after that, his whereabouts were exposed. Both shocked and infuriated, he snarled, “Brat, don’t do too far! We might meet again in the future and there is no blood feud between us, so why are you so determined to ruthlessly kill me?”
Yang Kai snickered, “You are the one who found fault with me first, but now you’re saying such nonsense? Aren’t you ashamed at all?”
Certainly, Hei He wasn’t ashamed. If he had known that Yang Kai had a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master by his side, he wouldn’t have acted recklessly. He was certain that Yang Kai had killed his Junior, but the dead couldn’t be resurrected, and it was unwise to challenge a fellow Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master for a dead Junior.
Since he was able to ascend to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there was no way Hei He was an impetuous person; instead, he was adept at examining the situation he was in and making logical decisions. If Lu Xue had revealed her Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura earlier, he would’ve pretended that he hadn’t seen Yang Kai. Nevertheless, it was too late to regret it now.
After Hei He was forced to appear, Lu Xue and Guo Zi Yan pounced on him as they joined forces and relentlessly attacked. Guo Zi Yan was just a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was difficult for him to deal with a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; nonetheless, Hei He was in a terrible state, so Gui Zi Yan just had to distract him from the side. Most of the pressure was borne by Lu Xue, so he wasn’t in danger.
Things were going south for Hei He. He appeared dejected, and he had a feeling that he might lose his life here on this day. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to flee, but he was unable to do so. At that moment, he was both resentful and regretful as he bellowed, “What do you want? Tell me and I’ll do it for you!”
Yang Kai sneered without saying a word, seemingly determined to end his life.
Hei He felt his heart sinking. Due to Yang Kai’s behaviour, he made up his mind to perish together with them. Despite the fact that he might exhaust himself, he still expended a lot of energy to activate his Secret Techniques to fight back.
Guo Zi Yan was quickly defeated as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. Earlier, Hei He was holding back his power as he believed he had a chance to survive, so Guo Zi Yan was still able to meddle in the battle. Now that Hei He no longer cared about his own life and was acting recklessly, Guo Zi Yan could not join the battlefield again. Left with no choice, he wandered around the perimeter and sent out some weak Secret Techniques at his opponent.
Following a loud boom, a depression with a diameter of several hundred kilometres appeared on the ocean. The water that had been there evaporated in an instant and a buzzing sound reverberated around the world. Countless Void Cracks appeared and flitted about like a big school of fish.
With two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters fighting against one another, this world was unable to withstand the impact. Fortunately, the Great Emperors had been secretly observing this battle and continuously mobilised the World Force to dampen the fallout of the battle. Otherwise, all the lives in the ocean would’ve been destroyed by now.
In fact, Hei He had yielded some results by going all out.
It had only been a short time since Lu Xue ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so she didn’t have enough time to consolidate and solidify her foundation. Previously, the reason she could injure Hei He with her Third Eye Sword was that Yang Kai had caught him off guard by using the gourd vine. Furthermore, it was extremely energy-consuming to use the Third Eye Sword, so she was unable to use it again after such a short period of time.
Soon, she fell into a disadvantage in this fight as her tender body was sent flying away like a sack. While in mid-air, she sprayed out a mouthful of blood, and her aura withered.
[An opening!] Seeing that, Hei He turned around and shot into the sky without hesitation.
Guo Zi Yan wanted to stop him, but he was sent flying away by his whip. Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles and appeared in front of Lu Xue before supporting her weight.
Lu Xue coughed out some blood and said through clenched teeth, “Sir, I can still fight!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and comforted, “Don’t worry. He can’t escape us.”
Then, he extended his hand into the void and pulled out a bunch of grapes.
As soon as the bunch of grapes appeared, it grew hands and stood akimbo as he guffawing, “Uncle Pu has come!” Soon, he realised that something was off though and glared at Yang Kai, “Brat, what are you trying to do? I’ll fight you!”
He attempted to scratch Yang Kai with his short hands as though he was determined to kill him; however, Yang Kai had already picked a grape from his head and stuffed him back inside the Small Sealed World.
Then, he directly stuffed the grape into Lu Xue’s mouth, “Eat it!”
Without hesitation, Lu Xue gulped it down, and the next instant, her originally listless gaze radiated a powerful glow.
In the Primordial Land, Yang Kai had obtained three Divine Medicines, and they respectively had amazing uses. First, the Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom was able to make people hallucinate, so it was truly extraordinary. He also had the gourd vine. The seven small bottle gourds could nurture Fifth-Order Yin, Yang, and Five Elements Powers. With the help of the gourd vine, he could also make a strike that was equivalent to the might of a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Last but not least, even though Pu Bai Xiong wasn’t able to fight, he was a Divine Medicine with grapes that had astonishing healing properties. Yang Kai had consumed two of his grapes before, so he was aware of their potency.
The medicinal efficacies exploded in Lu Xue’s stomach as her physique and meridians were filled with the surging vitality. In an instant, half of Lu Xue’s injuries were healed, and she no longer appeared as listless as before.
“Many thanks, Sir!” Lu Xue said gratefully.
“Pursue him, but don’t kill him,” Yang Kai ordered.
After a nod, she turned into a ray of sword light and disappeared into the sky.
Then, Yang Kai approached Guo Zi Yan and checked on him. Fortunately, he was fine as he had only exhausted himself. Even though he had some injuries, they were not severe. A moment later, both of them also dashed into the sky.
After the three of them were gone, figures started appearing above the ocean, which was still in chaos. With Qi Hai as the leader, there were 9 people in total. They were the Great Emperors of this world.
Gazing at the chaotic battlefield as well as the weltering ocean and broken World Principles, these Great Emperors sported solemn expressions as they were still reeling from the shock. They had done nothing wrong, but calamity still befell them; however, since it was a battle between Open Heaven Realm Masters, there was nothing they could do. Fortunately, the battle only lasted for a short time, so their World hadn’t been severely damaged.
“There’s something here.” One of the Great Emperors discovered something a moment later and extended his hand to grab a Space Ring. After scanning it with his Divine Sense, he became rooted to the spot.
Seeing that, the other Great Emperors quickly asked him what it was, and upon learning the truth, all of them became ecstatic.
This couldn’t be helped, as the Space Ring contained some 50,000 Open Heaven Pills. This was a massive amount of wealth for any Emperor Realm cultivator.
It was impossible for such a ring to appear here for no reason. Someone must have left it on purpose.
After pondering on it for a moment, Qi Hai suddenly burst into laughter, “That boy wasn’t a Devil Lord. He was bluffing the whole time!”
Apparently, the ring was left behind by Yang Kai as a form of compensation for this world. If he were really a wicked Devil Lord, he would’ve just left and ignored the people in this world cursing his name.
As a Great Emperor of this world, Qi Hai wasn’t a fool, so he immediately figured out what was going on after giving it a thought.
However, this was still a serious matter that had to be reported to the great force behind them; therefore, the nine Great Emperors shared the Open Heaven Pills first before holding a discussion. Then, Qi Hai and another female Great Emperor headed to Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land to report what had happened in Thousand Inspirations World.
While Qi Hai and the female Great Emperor were setting off, somewhere in the void, Hei He Heavenly Monarch, appeared dejected as his aura had withered. His body was covered with wounds, and his clothes were soaked in blood. His brow twitched as he was rooted to the spot.
In a nearby place across from him, Lu Xue was staring fixedly at him, but didn’t seize the chance to kill him.
Hei He was fully aware that given the condition he was in, he was no better than a dry oil lamp. If the woman in front of him wanted to end his life, he would be powerless to resist.
However, even though his opponent wasn’t making a move, her aura had already locked onto him. He believed that once he made any move, he would be attacked. When that happened, he wouldn’t be able to hold her off, so he didn’t dare to move a muscle.
[What’s going on?] He could not understand.
Previously, in Thousand Inspirations World, he had gone all out and severely injured this woman, so supposedly, she shouldn’t have much energy left, but the truth was far from it.
The woman wasn’t in as terrible a state as he had imagined; rather, she was even now recovering rapidly. He wasn’t sure what precious pill she had consumed or what Forbidden Technique she had used, he only knew that despite the fact that he had gone all out in this battle, he had still lost in the end.
While they were locked in a confrontation, Yang Kai and Guo Zi Yan finally reached them.
Seeing the situation before him, Yang Kai wasn’t surprised one bit.
Hei He was already on his last legs while Lu Xue had consumed a Divine Medicine’s grape and then raced after him. There was no way he could fend her off. If it weren’t because Yang Kai had told Lu Xue not to kill him, Hei He would’ve become a corpse by now.
Seeing Yang Kai, Hei He sported a conflicted expression. Since he detected the aura of the restriction he had planted back at the Universe Temple, he had been plotting to avenge his Junior’s death. It wasn’t that he treasured the Junior as he just planted the restriction on a whim in the past. Nevertheless, his Junior had been killed, so he would lose face if he couldn’t retaliate against the murderer.
He also didn’t have any regard for Yang Kai and his companions, believing that he could kill the three of them easily. It never crossed his mind that this mistake would cost him his life.
Forcing a smile, he said to Yang Kai, “Little Brother, grudges should be resolved, not formed. I’m willing to pay a price to make peace with you and will swear an oath to not find fault with you again.”
He had no choice but to admit defeat. He wasn’t willing to be so obsequious, but his life was at risk, so he preferred a temporary embarrassment to a permanent death.
Seeing his behaviour, Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction. If Hei He were unyielding, things would’ve been troublesome. He had suffered a big loss this time, so Yang Kai was determined to gain something back.
“What price can you pay?” Yang Kai looked nonchalantly at him.
Hearing that, Hei He relaxed slightly. He was worried that Yang Kai would directly order Lu Xue to end his life. In that case, he could never survive. As long as Yang Kai was willing to discuss terms, it was to his favour.
Although he was heartbroken, he still hurriedly fished out something from his Space Ring and held it in his palm, “Little Brother, what do you think about this?”
The item glistened with a golden glow and radiated a Fifth-Order Metal Element Power.
Yang Kai took one glance at it and lost interest as he scoffed, “Trash!”
“T-Trash?” Hei He choked. This was a Fifth-Order material which was worth 1.5 million Open Heaven Pills! He had obtained it with great difficulty a long time ago, so how could it possibly be trash?
[Is he trying to raise the price?] Hei He secretly clenched his teeth and fished out more resources, almost emptying out his entire fortune.
Nevertheless, in Yang Kai’s eyes, these things were nothing more than rubbish.
Hei He’s face twitched as he had fished out all his most precious items, but Yang Kai wasn’t moved one bit, wondering, [Is he really going to ruthlessly kill me?]
Suppressing his anger, Hei He asked, “Little Brother, what do you want? Please name your price.”
With his lips curving into a smile, Yang Kai sized Hei He up and said, “I only have one request. If you agree to it, I’ll let you off. If you dare to say no, you’ll die today.”
Hei He turned pale and cupped his fists, “Please speak plainly. As long as this Hei is able to, he won’t turn you down.”
At that instant, Yang Kai became enthusiastic as he summoned an ancient-looking book that was made from animal skin. Upon opening it, he said, “It’s simple. Just leave your name and aura here.”
“This is…” Upon seeing the words on the cover, Hei He exclaimed, “Loyalty List? You have the Loyalty List?!”
It was a well-known fact that this book belonged to Loyalty Demon in the past, but why was it in this brat’s hands now? It was said that the Loyalty List had been destroyed along with Loyalty Demon! What was the relationship between this boy and Loyalty Demon!?
“Oh?” Yang Kai looked smilingly at him, “You know the Loyalty List? Things will be much simpler then.”
“You want to enslave this Hei?” Hei He was infuriated. In order to survive, he was willing to pay a steep price, but that didn’t mean that he was willing to surrender his freedom. As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could never tolerate being bossed around by a mere Emperor Realm Junior.
Yang Kai’s face sank as his murderous intent surged, “What’s wrong? Are you not willing to? In that case, you can die.”
Lu Xue lifted her sword as her weapon howled.
A horrified Hei He hurriedly raised his hand as his forehead was drenched in cold sweat, “Wait a moment…”
“I have no time to waste on you. You have ten breaths to think about it. Live or die, it’s your choice!” Yang Kai snorted and hinted at Lu Xue.
As her World Force undulated, Lu Xue stepped forward and pointed her sword at Hei He.
Internally struggling, Hei He felt cold sweat drip down his face. As a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had always been aloof, so he wasn’t willing to be enslaved; however, as his life was at risk now, he didn’t have the right to say no.
Sensing Lu Xue’s murderous intent, he knew that Yang Kai wasn’t pulling his leg. If he refused, his life would end. Should he agree to it just like that? It was simply too embarrassing!
Ten breaths later, Yang Kai sported a cold expression, “What an obstinate man. Kill him!”
Just as Lu Xue was about to make a move, Hei He hung his head low and shouted through gritted teeth, “I’ll do it! Little Brother, please let me off.”
He wasn’t an unyielding person; otherwise, he wouldn’t have backed down so quickly just now. In order to survive, he didn’t mind leaving his name and aura on the Loyalty List. In any case, he could try to get rid of that restriction in the future as long as he survived.
Yang Kai grinned, “You’ve definitely made a wise choice.”
Then, he had Hei He leave his name and aura on the Loyalty List. During the process, Lu Xue remained vigilant as she stared fixedly at him. As long as he dared to make any rash movement, she would immediately end his life.
Soon, Hei He’s name appeared on the second page of the Loyalty List and Yang Kai could clearly feel that a connection had been established between Hei He and the book.
The Loyalty List was an amazing artifact which could be used without the need to refine it. The book was made from Xie Zhi’s flesh and essence. Xie Zhi was one of the Divine Spirits, and was born able to judge right from wrong, malicious from benign. The book made from his physique had this effect as well.
The book had many benefits, but there was also a downside.
Since Yang Kai was unable to refine it, it meant that he could never fully control the book. In other words, if someone snatched the Loyalty List, they could determine the life or death of the people whose names were recorded in it.
Initially, there was only one name on the Loyalty List, which was Chen Tian Fei. Now, Hei He’s name filled the second page. The entire book consisted of only nine pages; in other words, the owner of the book could only enslave nine people.
Yang Kai had practically traded a page for a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to be his subordinate. This deal was worth it.
However, it had also cost Yang Kai two extraordinarily precious World Fruits. In order to allow Lu Xue to have the power to fight against Hei He, he had let her consume a Mid-Rank World Fruit while he had also given Guo Zi Yan a Low-Rank World Fruit which allowed him to ascend to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai only had three Mid-Rank World Fruits in total and previously, he had given one to Yue He. Now he had let Lu Xue consume another one, so he only had one left.
Hei He was fully aware of the situation he was in. Since he had left his name on the Loyalty List, he was powerless to resist; therefore, he changed his attitude and took the initiative to give Yang Kai the items he had fished out earlier as a form of apology.
Instead of rejecting him, Yang Kai accepted the things with a smile. These items weren’t worth anything in his eyes now, but he needed a lot of resources to build the Nine Heavenly Layers in Void Land, so he would never refuse free resources.
Then, Lu Xue summoned her windmill, whereupon the four of them boarded and flew off while recuperating.
Hei He was severely injured and it would take him at least a year to fully recover. That was because when Lu Xue was battling against him, she was unable to hold back at all and her Third Eye Sword almost ended his life on the spot.
Even though she could help him scatter the residual Sword Intent, it was hard for him to heal his wounds.
As such, Yang Kai directly pulled Pu Bai Xiong out of the Small Sealed World, but instead of picking one of the grapes on his head, Yang Kai simply let him stay by Hei He’s side to help treat his wounds.
Pu Bai Xiong was a Divine Medicine whose primary purpose was healing with the grapes on his head being supreme tonics for treating wounds. However, even without using one of the grapes, Pu Bai Xiong could still transfer a significant amount of vitality and medicinal essence which was useful for healing wounds.
Seeing this Human Form Divine Healing Medicine, Hei He was absolutely astonished. It was then he understood that Yang Kai had the right to say that his treasures were trash. Compared to this Divine Medicine, even his entire life’s fortune really wasn’t worthy of mention.
Four months later, the windmill stopped in front of a huge Territory Gate, which was seen with dark lights swirling around it even from a long distance.
Inside the windmill, Yang Kai was gazing at the Territory Gate. Despite his calm expression, he was nervous deep inside.
He wasn’t sure about the exact location of the Star Boundary. Since he bought the Universe Chart, he had been trying to look for it and had identified three possible locations.
Before coming across Hei He, he had searched around a Great Territory, but he discovered nothing. Two months after he made Hei He his subordinate, they entered the second possible Great Territory; unfortunately, they still couldn’t find the Star Boundary.
The Great Territory behind this Territory Gate would be the last one. If they still couldn’t find the Star Boundary in this Great Territory, Yang Kai wouldn’t know where to go next.
The three possible locations were not narrowed down by Yang Kai using his gut feelings, there was some rationale behind it.
Over the years, other than Great Demon God Mo Sheng and Heavens Order, no Open Heaven Realm Masters had visited the Star Boundary; in other words, the Star Boundary was located in an extremely remote place, and the resources in that Great Territory must be poor, which was why it couldn’t attract the attention of Open Heaven Realm Masters. If not, just like Golden Sun Continent and Thousand Inspirations World, the Star Boundary would’ve been ruled over by some great force.
In fact, if it weren’t because Great Demon God invaded the Star Boundary and Zhang Ruo Xi inherited her ancestor’s will, Yang Kai would never have found out about the Open Heaven Realm.
With this judgement in mind, he could narrow down the possibilities. The three possible locations he had found didn’t have any great forces in them. There were only some Universe Worlds with somewhat weak vitality as well as a lack of resources.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the Star Boundary in the previous two Great Territories, and he wondered if he could achieve his goal after passing through the Territory Gate in front of him.
If he still couldn’t find the Star Boundary, he would have no choice but to look for Zhang Ruo Xi. She had inherited Heavens Order’s will and memories. Although it wasn’t complete, she might be aware of the Star Boundary’s location.
After pulling himself together, Yang Kai spoke up, “Let’s go.”
Upon receiving the order, Lu Xue drove the windmill into the Territory Gate. Despite the fact that they had the protection of this flight-type artifact, they still felt dizzy inside the windmill. Nevertheless, they were fine and a moment later, the windmill passed through the Territory Gate and entered a different Great Territory.
Yang Kai immediately released his Divine Sense, but soon, his heart sank. That was because he didn’t sense anything. He was the Void Great Emperor who had obtained part of the Star Boundary’s Will. As long as the Star Boundary wasn’t too far away, he should be able to detect it.
Now, the Star Boundary was either not in this Great Territory or was too far away from him. Yang Kai secretly prayed that it was the latter as he told Lu Xue to continue forward to search around this Great Territory.
A few days later, Yang Kai suddenly detected something and turned to look in a particular direction. Grinning from ear to ear, he ordered, “Over there! That way!”
Lu Xue immediately turned the artifact around and moved in the direction he pointed.
Hei He chuckled on the side, “Congratulations, Sir. Your dream has finally come true. Your effort has been worth it.”
After four months of recuperation, he had fully recovered. It wasn’t supposed to be so swift, but with the help of Pu Bai Xiong, it took him a much shorter time to heal his wounds.
Although he wasn’t sure what Yang Kai had been looking for, he had a feeling that the latter was trying to get to someplace. Seeing as Yang Kai appeared elated, it was apparent that he had found it.
After such a long time, Hei He had gradually gotten used to his place and stopped complaining. Having come into contact with Yang Kai for quite some time, he realised that he was never oppressed or abused, so he decided to put down his pride as a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and accept his fate.
“Hahahaha!” Yang Kai was over the moon as he couldn’t stop laughing. Then, he patted the other man’s shoulder, “Congratulations to you too!”
Hei He rubbed his nose and felt speechless, thinking that there was nothing worth celebrating about this situation for him.
Lu Xue drove the windmill forward at a greater speed and one day later, a Universe World in the distance that looked like a half-moon came into their sight.
Yang Kai looked at it and let out a long breath. Just like any traveller returning to his homeland, he felt both anxious and hopeful. The Universe World that looked like a half-moon was none other than the Star Boundary!
From another direction, Yang Kai could feel a faint connection with another place. That was the new Demon Realm that his Embodiment was in charge of.
In the past, Yang Kai’s Sealed World Bead had gained a second form he had named Gun-Gun and swallowed all the continents in the original Demon Realm. After those continents merged within the Sealed World Bead, the third region was formed.
After the war between the two Universe Worlds, the Star Boundary had suffered an immense loss, while the Demon Realm was almost wiped out. Nevertheless, there were still many Demons in the third region.
Yang Kai extracted the core of the Small Sealed World out of Gun-Gun and turned it back into the Sealed World Bead. The remaining area became the new Demon Realm, and for reasons that were beyond their control, the Embodiment had to stay in the new Demon Realm. The two top Masters, Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian, were also living there.
However, it wasn’t the time to go over as Yang Kai had to return to the Star Boundary first. As the gap shortened, the outline of the Star Boundary became clearer.
There came a moment when Lu Xue became horrified as she said, “Sir, there’s something over there. A gigantic thing seems to be in the periphery of the Universe World.”
Hei He discovered that as well, so he directed some power to his eyes to enhance his vision and soon exclaimed, “That’s… a Giant Spirit God!?” Upon finishing his words, he gasped.
The gigantic mountain was actually a Giant Spirit God!
Hei He was an experienced Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but it was the first time he had ever seen a Giant Spirit God with his own eyes. In the past, he had only heard about them.
That was a Giant Spirit God, one of the most powerful entities in the entire 3,000 Worlds. He had heard that the Giant Spirit God Clan members were all innocent and benevolent and as long as they were not provoked, they wouldn’t harm anyone; however, he was still terrified to have come across one in such a place.
Feeling a crawling sensation on her scalp, Lu Xue turned to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai said, “Don’t worry. He’s an old acquaintance of mine.”
Guo Zi Yan widened his eyes in disbelief. On the other hand, Hei He was staring fixedly at Yang Kai as though he was trying to find out if the latter was trying to make a cheap joke at their expense.
There was a solemn expression on Yang Kai’s face, however, as the fact that Ah Da was still around suggested that the Star Boundary was in a perilous situation.
It had to be noted that Giant Spirit God Clan members had a special talent. Although they were amiable, they fed on dead Universe Worlds. In this expansive Outer Universe, as long as a Universe World was in its final moments, they would detect its special aura and hurry over. Then, they would patiently wait for the Universe World to perish before swallowing it.
If the situation in the Star Boundary had improved, Ah Da would’ve left; however, presently, he still remained in this place.
While the rest of them were horrified, the windmill still rapidly approached the Giant Spirit God.
Soon, someone was heard yelling, “Who goes there? This is the Star Boundary, stop now otherwise I will be forced to take action!”
Hearing the voice, Yang Kai chuckled before lowering his tone and saying, “You’re quite arrogant, little girl! What will you do if I don’t stop?”
Feeling speechless, the other Open Heaven Realm Masters in the windmill gazed at Yang Kai suspiciously.
The other party fell silent for a moment before she said through clenched teeth, “Little bastard, you’re finally back!”
Apparently, she recognized Yang Kai’s voice.
Yang Kai laughed and dashed out of the windmill. Looking up, he saw a slender figure with a charming face standing in the void in front of him. Her beautiful eyes were just like a divine river that radiated an alluring glow. Presently, her eyes had reddened a little as she stared at Yang Kai with clenched teeth.
Yang Kai spread his arms and shouted, “I’m back!”
In an instant, she became ecstatic and crashed into his embrace.
The woman in her arms felt incredibly soft and Yang Kai couldn’t help taking in a deep breath to get a whiff of her familiar bodily fragrance. Then, he lowered his head and kissed her hair, “I’m back, Ru Meng. It’s been too long.”
She was none other than Demon Saint Yu Ru Meng.
Yu Ru Meng looked up with her elegant eyes, which appeared slightly moist. Although it had only been about 15 years since Yang Kai left the Star Boundary, she felt as if ten millennia had passed for her.
Missing him was just one of the reasons though. After Yang Kai left, the other Great Emperors had to enter retreat to heal their injuries. In the whole of the Star Boundary, the only top Master on par with a Great Emperor left was her, so it could be said that the life or death of the entire Universe World hinged on her alone. It was an immense pressure to withstand.
Furthermore, as time passed, things only became worse in the Star Boundary. Yu Ru Meng was extremely worried that she might disappoint Yang Kai and couldn’t bear to see the Star Boundary falling apart right in front of her eyes, helpless to do anything about it.
Fortunately, she could set her mind at ease now. With the burden lifted off her shoulders, she had the urge to cry.
Yang Kai held her tighter and looked at the Star Boundary with a solemn expression.
Presently, the entire Star Boundary was filled with Death Qi. Although he hadn’t entered it yet, he could clearly feel that the World Principles were still broken. It never crossed his mind that the problem facing the Star Boundary was so severe.
Even though he had brought a World Tree’s root with him, he wasn’t certain whether it could save the Star Boundary. In the worst-case scenario, if the World Tree’s root wasn’t effective, he would take all the living creatures in the Star Boundary away with him.
However, there was a problem if he were to do that. Void Land couldn’t possibly accommodate so many people, and most cultivators in the Star Boundary were weak, so it was pointless to bring them to Void Land. Only by staying in the Star Boundary could they flourish and grow.
While the pair embraced one another, Lu Xue and the others flew over.
From close up, they finally understood why this Giant Spirit God was around. That was because he was attracted by a dying Universe World, which proved that the legends about Giant Spirit Gods were true.
They traded glances and shook their heads. To them, there was no way this world could be saved. It was just a matter of time before it perished.
Realising that some people were approaching them, Yu Ru Meng hurriedly struggled out of Yang Kai’s embrace and asked curiously, “They are…”
“They’re my subordinates,” Yang Kai explained.
Lu Xue and the others hurriedly cupped their fists, “Greetings, Madame!”
Yu Ru Meng was stunned. Despite the fact that she was a Demon Saint, she was unable to sense the true power of these three. All of them gave off a feeling that they were not inferior to Great Demon God in the past though. In fact, their strength even seemed to surpass his.
At that time, Great Demon God nearly destroyed the Star Boundary on his own, and it took all the Great Emperors working together, risking their lives to finally stop him.
However, powerful people like these three of them were actually Yang Kai’s subordinates!
[What has my man gone through in the outside world over the years?] She had many questions in her mind.
Although Yu Ru Meng was doubtful, she hadn’t forgotten her manners as she smiled and nodded at the three of them, “Many thanks for escorting this Mistress’ Husband all this time.”
Lu Xue and the others wouldn’t dare to accept her gesture of gratitude, and at the same time, they secretly felt amazed. Although Yu Ru Meng’s cultivation was nothing in their eyes, it was truly difficult to find a woman as alluring as she was. They thought that Yang Kai was extremely lucky to have gotten together with her.
After some small talk with Yu Ru Meng, Yang Kai found out the reason she was here. She was going to feed Ah Da with some ‘food’.
The Great Emperors of the Star Boundary were still recuperating, so she was the only one who was powerful enough to protect the Universe World. On the other hand, Ah Da had been lingering in the periphery of the Star Boundary. Before Yang Kai left, he had come to an agreement with him, but Ah Da wasn’t the brightest of fellows, so he might forget about the agreement and gobble up the Star Boundary at a moment’s notice.
In order to placate him, Yu Ru Meng would send some food to him from time to time. His food was made by Bustling World Great Emperors using Dead Stars from the Lower Star Fields. They were similar World Beads.
After a nod, Yang Kai took Yu Ru Meng’s hand and dashed towards Ah Da.
Compared to this humongous being, Yang Kai was like an ant standing in front of an elephant. In the past, even after he used his Dragon Transformation, he could slip into Ah Da’s nostril and grab his nasal hairs, which went to show how colossal the Giant Spirit God was.
“Ah Da! Ah Da!” Yang Kai passionately waved his hands and shouted. From a distance, Lu Xue and the others were apprehensive as they were worried that a puff of breath from the Giant Spirit God’s nostrils could kill Yang Kai.
Presently, Ah Da was chewing on his food as crunching sounds were coming from his mouth. Hearing Yang Kai’s voice, he extended his neck and took a proper look before grinning, “Little ant, it’s you! Ah Da remembers you!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “It seems that you’re not too silly.”
“Ah Da remembers you. Ah Da is hungry. Ah Da must eat!” The Giant Spirit God leaned forward, which caused Yang Kai to be drenched in cold sweat in an instant as though he had been pressured by the entire universe.
He had experienced the wonders of the Outer Universe and even met some High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters; however, when compared to this Giant Spirit God, even those High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters seemed insignificant.
The Giant Spirit Gods indeed lived up to their name as the strongest species in the entire universe. Fortunately, there were not many of their clansmen, and they were all somewhat half-witted; otherwise, there wouldn’t be any room for other species to survive.
They were the testament of the saying that the Heavens were fair in all things.
While Ah Da was speaking, a deafening growl was heard coming from his stomach, causing Lu Xue and the others to turn pale in fright.
Yang Kai hurriedly poked Yu Ru Meng, who was beside him. Upon getting his hint, she tossed some chess pieces to him.
“Nom, nom, nom…” Ah Da was pleased with his food.
Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to remain lest Ah Da demanded food from him again. Thus, he said to Lu Xue and the others, “All of you, stay here!”
The World Principles of the Star Boundary were broken, so the Universe World couldn’t bear such immense powers. Lu Xue and the others were all Open Heaven Realm Masters, and if they rashly entered the Star Boundary, it might have some negative impact on the Universe World. In order to be safe, Yang Kai decided to let them stay outside.
Upon receiving the order, Lu Xue and the others nodded and watched as Yang Kai and Yu Ru Meng rushed into the Star Boundary.
After the pair left, the trio traded glances and secretly retreated until they were very far from their original spots. This couldn’t be helped, as the Giant Spirit God gave off immense pressure. No one dared to remain near him.
The Star Boundary was in a horrible state, and the World Principles were a mess. Void Cracks appeared randomly and traces of the war that took place several dozen years ago still remained. The Star Boundary was slowly dying, and the Great Emperors were unable to reverse it.
Due to the fact that the Principles were a mess, the living conditions in the Star Boundary had also become terrible. Natural disasters happened frequently, which caused unimaginable losses to everyone in the Star Boundary. It was akin to a death by a thousand cuts.
In the Eastern Territory, a ship was moving forward at full speed on the ocean. Behind the ship, waves were seen surging as high as several thousand metres, darkening the entire sky. Although the cultivators on the ship were trying their best to resist, they were unable to compete with the forces of nature.
People were heard screaming and wailing as hundreds of people on the ship were despondent.
In the Southern Territory, mountains shook as great chasms appeared in the earth. Scorching magma spurted out of the chasms and destroyed towns and villages. Countless people lost their homes.
With Azure Sun Temple as their leader, the great forces joined together to mitigate these disasters, but there was only so much they could do. The best they could do was to prevent more people from dying.
In the Western Territory, a great sandstorm swept across the desert and engulfed everything in its path. On the edge of the desert, the new Liu Family Patriarch looked at the sandstorm in horror and muttered with a forlorn voice, “It’s over! Everything is over!”
During the war between the two Universe Worlds, the Western Territory suffered the worst losses. That was because the traitor, Night Shadow Great Emperor, was from the Western Territory, and the Two Worlds’ Passage was originally established in this Territory.
It had been almost 70 years since the war ended, and the Liu Family had made a name for itself as a rising star. The Patriarch was a capable person and over the years, he had led his family to thrive; however, faced with the horrifying sandstorm, any move appeared useless. They could only watch as the sandstorm struck and prayed that their Grand Array could resist the impact.
However, the Liu Family Patriarch was fully aware that his family was unable to ward off the natural disaster. He wasn’t even sure how many of them could survive after the sandstorm passed.
In the Northern Territory, blizzards raged as the weather turned extremely chilly. On the once pristine lakes, ice sheets over a metre thick had formed and all the vitality froze over.
However, compared to the other Territories, the Northern Territory was still in a better state. That was because High Heaven Palace was located in this Territory. Any disciple from High Heaven Palace who had some strength would naturally go out for life experience, and resisting natural disasters was the best training for them.
In front of a certain city, a palace was hovering in mid-air. There were some glowing characters written above the doors of the palace, which read ‘Flowing Time Temple’.
At the main entrance to this floating temple stood two figures, a man and a woman. The man’s snow-white hair swayed with the wind while the similarly coloured cloak he was clad in flapped in the wind, giving him a brave and heroic look. On the other hand, the alluring woman had a slim figure. By just standing there, she looked like a hibiscus that was blooming.
The two of them gazed at the approaching Frozen Tide with solemn expressions.
Although they were fairly powerful now, and they had the help of the Flowing Time Temple, they wouldn’t dare to be careless when facing this immense force. That was because millions of people had pinned their hopes on them.
“It’s here!” Yang Xue yelled.
After a nod, Yang Xiao took a deep breath and in the next instant, the two of them raised their hands and began forming a set of complex hand seals. Then, they pushed out their palms as a howl reverberated around the world.
Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!
The horrifying Frozen Tide seemed to have gotten stuck in an eerie manner, as if time had stopped running around it.
Seeing that, the people in the city started cheering.
“Twin Masters, you’re so powerful!”
“Twin Masters, you’ve too wonderful!”
“Twin Masters, many thanks for saving us. If not for you, it would’ve been the end of the world!”
…..
Over the years, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had repeatedly taken action to ward off the natural disasters plaguing the Northern Territory and saved countless lives in the process. While the disasters had helped strengthen their powers, they had also earned the title the ‘Twins of Time’.
However, the overwhelming praises didn’t make them smile; instead, the pair sported grim expressions.
Yang Xiao said through clenched teeth, “Little Aunt, the Frozen Tide this time seems to be more ferocious than the previous one.”
Yang Xue nodded, “Can you withstand it?”
“Are you kidding me? Can I withstand it?” Yang Xiao replied arrogantly, “Little Aunt, if you can’t take it anymore, just tell me right away; after all, you’re a woman. As a man, I… Oh, no!”
Yang Xue’s expression changed slightly and without hesitation, she summoned the Infinite Hourglass. The two of them joined forces and activated it, whereupon ten-thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand left the hourglass and shot into the Frozen Tide.
In an instant, the power of the Frozen Tide visibly weakened. After the Flowing Time Divine Sand slowed the speed at which the time flowed, the Frozen Tide rapidly stalled out. Nevertheless, the Frozen Tide could not be stopped entirely.
The pair gritted their teeth and surged their Emperor Qi to push back against the Frozen Tide.
Just then, a voice was suddenly heard speaking in their minds, “Both of you have done a great job!”
They were stunned for a moment, and the next instant, they saw an illusory hand appearing in the Frozen Tide all of a sudden. The hand gently brushed across the Frozen Tide, which they were unable to stop regardless of how hard they tried, and immediately made it subside.
The turn of events was so abrupt that Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were rooted to the spot. Just a moment ago, the land before them was being devastated by the Frozen Tide, but now, it was calm and peaceful. That big hand was able to easily subside the Frozen Tide as though it was just trying to smoothen a crease on a shirt.
After they traded glances, Yang Xue asked hesitantly, “Xiao’er, did you hear anything?”
Yang Xiao remained startled for a long time before he jumped up and yelled, “Adoptive Father is back!”
Without waiting for Yang Xue to react, he hurriedly drove the Flowing Time Temple towards High Heaven Palace, leaving behind millions of people who cheered gratefully to them.
At the same time, the waves on the ocean in the Eastern Territory were suppressed, leaving the people on the ship reeling from shock.
The earthquake that had been ongoing for a few months in the Southern Territory had finally stopped, and magma retreated into the depths of the earth. Wen Zi Shan and Gao Xue Ting traded glances as they were both puzzled, but the next instant, they detected something and became elated, “Senior Void is back!”
In the Western Territory, the appalling sandstorm suddenly dissipated right before it struck the Headquarters of the Liu Family. Upon escaping from death’s door, the Liu Family Patriarch fell on his bottom, all his clothes were soaked in sweat.
Billions of lives in all four Territories learned a piece of shocking news at the same time. Void Great Emperor had returned!
After a short moment of silence, cheers erupted around the entire Star Boundary.
Decades ago, during the Two Worlds Great War, Great Demon God raised chaos in the Star Boundary and almost managed to swallow it whole. It was Void Great Emperor’s Sect that remained the last pure land in the Star Boundary and had given everyone their last bit of hope. Void Great Emperor managed to turn the tide by ‘killing’ Great Demon God with his spear, which saved the Star Boundary from destruction.
After the epic war, the Great Emperors had to heal their wounds in seclusion while Void Great Emperor took the risk to leave the Star Boundary to look for a way to save it.
Now, he was back!
Upon learning that Void Great Emperor had returned, cheers went up around all four Territories.
Living in this dying Universe World, trillions were struggling to survive, so the return of Void Great Emperor had undoubtedly brought some new hope to them.
In the deepest part of High Heaven Palace, Dragon Clan Great Elder Zhu Yan and Second Elder Fu Zhun slowly opened their eyes. They were a married couple, and in the past, they were severely wounded during the fight against Great Demon God. Many years had passed, but they were still unable to recover despite the fact that they were Dragon Clan members. Over the years, they had been in seclusion trying to heal their wounds.
Upon trading glances, they saw the joy behind each other’s gazes.
On Spirit Beast Island in the Eastern Territory, Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Huang, sported a gentle smile as he muttered, “He’s finally back.”
Upon finishing his words, he rose from where he was sitting and waved his hand, whereupon the door, which had remained closed for decades, creaked open. Mo Xiao Qi was standing outside as she gazed at him with a look of pleasant surprise and called out, “Father, is Big Brother Yang back? I think I heard his voice.”
Mo Huang’s face instantly fell as he bitterly replied, “Your Father has been recuperating in seclusion for almost 70 years, but you don’t even bother to ask how he is and instead all you care about is your Big Brother Yang?”
Mo Xiao Qi’s face reddened as she asked in embarrassment, “Father, how have you been?”
Mo Huang sighed, “I won’t die yet.”
Hearing this, Mo Xiao Qi rushed over, wrapped her arm around his, and pleaded, “Then, bring me to High Heaven Palace now…”
Mo Huang grunted. His injuries, which had finally stabilised, seemed to have been irritated again. He felt a burning sensation in his chest as he was completely incensed, “Surnamed Yang! This King cannot exist under the same sky as you!”
Upon realising that her Father was infuriated, Mo Xiao Qi hurriedly placated, “Father, please don’t get me wrong. Perhaps Big Brother Yang has some wonderful pills that can treat your wounds. I’m just worried about you…”
Torn between tears and laughter, Mo Huang sighed, “Alright. Stop explaining. I have to go over and ask him what happened anyway.”
At that instant, Mo Xiao Qi became jubilant.
Meanwhile, Serene Soul Great Emperor walked out of Serene Soul Palace. Outside the palace, Yao Si and the other top Elders were already waiting for him. Seeing the Great Emperor, all of them saluted him respectfully, “Palace Master!”
Yao Jun nodded and patted Yao Si’s shoulder, “You’ve done well these past years.” Although he had been cultivating in seclusion all this time, it didn’t mean he was oblivious to what was happening outside.
A calm and collected Yao Si replied, “It is my duty.”
He was the Great Emperor’s Son, and had been pretty arrogant in the past; however, during the Two Worlds Great War, he was forced to become Yang Kai’s Adjutant and in the latter’s stead basically organized and commanded the Sixty-First Army. Leading such an army and fighting a dying war against the Demon Race helped him mature significantly as a person. Over the years, Yao Jun had been cultivating in seclusion, so Yao Si had been left in charge of Serene Soul Palace, and he had managed it well. Fewer losses had been incurred in the Eastern Territory thanks to Serene Soul Palace’s, and by extension Yao Si’s efforts.
“Void Great Emperor has returned. Come with me. We’ll see him now,” Yao Jun said.
Yao Si nodded and followed closely behind his Father.
Inside Heavens Spying Valley, Heavens Revelations Great Emperor gazed at the three ancient-looking turtle shells in front of him and guffawed, “Great blessings have come! The Star Boundary will be revitalised! Such wonderful news!”
Gao Zhan was just standing behind him as he appeared pleasantly surprised, “Honoured Master, you mean, Senior Void’s return this time can solve the problems facing the Star Boundary?” He was born blind, but he was the best candidate to inherit the mantle of Heavens Revelations Great Emperor; therefore, the Great Emperor took him on as a disciple when the latter was a young child and taught him divination.
“It is all but certain.” Chu Tian Ji chuckled and rose from the seat, “Let us head to High Heaven Palace now.”
Wondrous Pill Great Emperor left Medicine Pill Valley with some of his disciples while Iron Blood Great Emperor left Iron Blood Fort with Lin Yun’er.
There was also Bustling World Great Emperor, who had been staying in Azure Sun Temple as well as Flower Shadow Great Emperor from Thousand Flowers Valley and Ice Feather Great Emperor from Heavens’ Borderline.
Almost simultaneously, the Great Emperors, who had been cultivating in seclusion for decades, left their residences and headed to High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory.
Besides them, Luan Feng, Fan Wu, and Cang Gou from the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory, Valley Master Bing Yun of Ice Heart Valley in the Northern Territory, Sheng Yu Zhu of Luo Sha Sect, and other top Masters who were Yang Kai’s acquaintances all began rushing over to High Heaven Palace.
All the top cultivators from the four Territories were headed to the same destination.
“Welcome back, Palace Master!”
In High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory, tens of thousands of disciples, led by Head Manager Hua Qing Si and Second Manager Bian Yu Qing, cupped their fists and greeted Yang Kai. They fervently stared at the figure that was descending from the sky with gazes filled with admiration and respect.
After sweeping a glance over them, Yang Kai saw Grand Master Ling Tai Xu, Ancestral Founder Chu Ling Xiao, as well as all his other old acquaintances that came to this place with him from the Great Han Dynasty, Tong Xuan Realm, and Shadowed Star. He also saw his parents, Meng Wu Ya, and Xia Ning Chang.
Little Senior Sister still had her face covered with a thin veil, but her tender body was trembling involuntarily, and her eyes that looked like Stars were wet with tears. If it weren’t because there were many people around, she would’ve pounced on Yang Kai right then and there.
Xue Yue was standing beside her and had her lips pressed firmly together, her eyes seemingly suggesting she felt a mixture of joy and anxiety.
After nodding gently at the two of them, Yang Kai turned to look at the others and said with a smile, “How are you? It must have been difficult these past years.” Yang Kai had examined the entire Star Boundary, so he knew that life had been difficult for all of them. Nevertheless, he was still gratified to see so many familiar faces at this moment.
Hua Qing Si replied, “We’re fine, Palace Master. Many thanks for your concern.”
Yang Kai nodded his head and shuffled towards his parents. Apologetically, he spoke, “Father, Mother, your son has not been filial and has constantly made you worry.”
Dong Shu Zhu sniffled and tried to prevent her tears from sliding down her cheeks. With her lips pressed into a line, she spoke, “You’re a man, so you’re supposed to venture into the outside world and achieve great things in life. You don’t need to worry about us.”
Yang Ying Feng nodded lightly, “If you can solve the crisis facing the Star Boundary, that will be the best you can do to repay us.”
Solemnly, Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”
Then, he turned around and took the hands of Little Senior Sister and Xue Yue before lovingly saying, “It must have been tough for you two.”
The two of them traded glances and shook their heads, “We’re fine.” However, their tears started streaming down their faces. Despite knowing that it was inappropriate for them to cry in this situation, they could hardly control their tears.
Seeing that, Yu Ru Meng walked over and comforted them. Then, Yang Kai saluted the two Elders from the Dragon Clan and Tian Yan.
Tian Yan was a Great Emperor from the Divine Ascension Mirror. During the Two Worlds War, he had made a significant contribution. In the past, he concealed his identity and infiltrated the core of the Demon Race before causing them immense losses at the most critical moment. After the war, he stayed in High Heaven Palace; however, due to the fact that the Principles in the Star Boundary were broken, he was unable to become a Great Emperor again despite having the heritage of one.
A moment later, the Space Array lit up and revealed three figures.
Yang Kai turned around, only to see Bing Yun, Su Yan, and Ji Yao stepping into the Grand Hall.
While Yang Kai was still greeting the three women, the Space Array flickered again, whereupon a loud voice was heard yelling, “Is Adoptive Father back?”
The next instant, Yang Xiao dashed out and looked around. Upon seeing Yang Kai, he cheered and bolted towards him. Then, he circled around him like a noisy monkey.
“Smelly brat, stop being disrespectful!” Unable to take it anymore, Zhu Yan pinched Yang Xiao’s ear and yanked him away.
Yang Xiao groaned and begged for mercy.
On the other hand, Yang Xue stood in front of Yang Kai and called out in a clear voice, “Big Brother!”
Yang Kai guffawed and patted her head, “We haven’t met for a few years, but you’ve become even more beautiful.” He doted on his little sister, but at the same time, he felt some guilt towards her.
Over the years, he had been swamped with his duties both in the Star Boundary and beyond it, so he was unable to repay his parents’ favour for raising him, nor could he take care of his Sister. Fortunately, Yang Xue was around to keep their parents company, which allowed Yang Kai to achieve great things without having to worry about his home.
Hearing his words, Yang Xue sniffled and replied, “Big Brother, you’re such a sweet talker. No wonder you were able to trick so many pretty sisters into being your wives.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter.
The Space Array glowed again as Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Xiao Qi, and Fu Xuan arrived. The next instant, Bustling World Great Emperor, Wen Zi Shan, and Gao Xue Ting appeared together. A moment later, Yao Jun and Yao Si came.
Since the great war, there had never been a day when the Space Array in High Heaven Palace had been activated so frequently. It was also the first time so many top Masters had gathered together in this place.
Wondrous Pill Great Emperor and his Disciples were here; Flower Shadow Great Emperor and Li Shi Qing were here; Heavens Revelations Great Emperor and Gao Zhan were here; Ice Feather Great Emperor came; Iron Blood Great Emperor and Lin Yun’er appeared; the three Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands, Qiong Qi, Liu Yan, and Shan Qing Luo showed themselves.
Everyone was here!
In the past, before Yang Kai departed, he had left countless Space Arrays in the Star Boundary, which connected all four Territories. Anyone could go wherever they wanted in the Star Boundary without restrictions now. The reason he had done so was in order to allow the great forces to support each other more easily.
What he had done had benefited everyone up until now. It didn’t take these top cultivators much time to arrive at High Heaven Palace; otherwise, it would’ve been time-wasting for them to travel all the way here from the different Territories.
Yang Kai saluted the Great Emperors one by one. Despite his calm appearance, he was shocked inside. That was because he realised that the auras of the Great Emperors were even more unsteady than before. It was apparent that their injuries hadn’t healed.
It had been 70 years since the great war, and after the war, Yang Kai had cultivated in seclusion for 50 years to properly stabilize his Dao Seal and condense his Wood Element Power before leaving the Star Boundary.
Initially, he thought that after such a long time, even if the Great Emperors hadn’t fully recovered, their wounds should’ve stabilized at least. Nevertheless, upon seeing them, he realised that he was wrong. Instead of getting better, their injuries seemed to have worsened.
Yang Kai was puzzled by this, but he soon realised why the Great Emperors never made a move despite the fact that the Star Boundary was in a perilous situation. They were unable to do that as they were still injured.
A small Xiao Xiao squeezed through the crowd and approached Yang Kai. Upon reaching Yang Kai’s feet, he climbed up and sat on his shoulders before smirking in a silly manner.
High Heaven Palace was bustling with noise as many top cultivators had gathered together. The Head Manager and Second Manager were swamped with work all of a sudden as they had to hold a grand banquet to welcome these guests.
Soon, well over 100 people gathered together in the venue where the banquet was held. Ordinary people didn’t have the right to attend as all of these hundred-plus people were the top Masters from the four Territories.
Yang Kai took a seat at the head of the hall as he was the star for today.
The people seated below, including the Great Emperors, all listened to his interesting narration of the Outer Universe, provoking awe and desire in all of them.
It wasn’t until this moment that these top cultivators found out the wonders of this boundless Outer Universe, and that Great Emperors were just a special title, not a true realm of the Martial Dao. Above the Great Emperors, there were the Open Heaven Realm Masters who split Heaven and Earth apart in their own bodies to form a Small Universe within themselves.
There were countless Universe Worlds like the Star Boundary, and there were more than 1,000 Great Territories. There were many great forces in those Great Territories. The Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises were undoubtedly the most powerful among the great forces, and below them, there were innumerable Second Class and Third Class great forces.
In this boundless universe, the Star Boundary was as insignificant as dust.
It had been more than 10 years since Yang Kai left, and he had grown tremendously; however, his road towards the Open Heaven Realm was paved with difficulties. There was still a long way to go before he could achieve the ascension.
The banquet lasted for the entire night, and Yang Kai went on to talk for just as long. The top Masters were flabbergasted and unable to calm themselves down for a long time. All of them appeared to be in a dazed state when they left.
On the other hand, the Great Emperors stayed in High Heaven Palace.
Inside a secret room, all the Great Emperors gathered together. Sheng Yu Zhu, Tian Yan, and the two Elders from the Dragon Clan also attended. Although the latter four were not Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, they had the heritage of Great Emperors, so they had the right to attend such a meeting.
Hua Qing Si led the maidservants to serve them tea before leaving respectfully.
After some small talk, Yang Kai cut to the chase and asked solemnly, “Why are all of you in a worse state instead of getting better?”
That was the biggest doubt in his mind. All the Great Emperors were powerful, and they had been recuperating in seclusion, so supposedly, their wounds should have healed at least somewhat. Even if one to two of them were unable to stop their wounds from worsening, it wasn’t likely that the same thing happened to all the Great Emperors.
All of them traded glances, and then Duan Hong Chen replied with a bitter smile, “It hasn’t been a long time since you became a Great Emperor, and you left the Star Boundary not long after you obtained the World’s Will, so you might not be aware of it.”
Yang Kai turned to look at him.
After a sigh, Duan Hong Chen went on to say, “We’ve obtained the World’s Will and become Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. Although we’re able to use a power that far exceeds the Emperor Realm, our fates have also been tied to this Universe World. After the great war, we were all injured, and the World Principles were broken. The Star Boundary is in a horrible state and at risk of disintegration at any moment.”
Mo Huang continued, “If the World was on the mend, we would be able to make use of the World Force to heal ourselves; however, the World Force is almost exhausted, so none of us dare to use it. Although we’ve been recuperating in seclusion, all we can do is prevent our wounds from getting worse.”
Zhan Wu Hen spoke up, “The average person could make use of pills to heal themselves, but we can’t do that. As long as this world doesn’t improve, there won’t be any hope for us to recover, unless we break free from the world’s restrictions and head to the Outer Universe, like what you’ve done.”
It was then that Yang Kai understood what had happened.
Just like what Duan Hong Chen had said, after the Great Emperors obtained the World’s Will, their fates were tied to this Universe World. Since the Star Boundary was deteriorating, there was no way they could recover.
Yang Kai already had incredible restorative powers to begin with, and he had a Wood Element Power condensed from the Immortal Tree, so he didn’t have such concerns, but it was a different case for the others.
“Regardless, we have to solve the problem facing the Star Boundary.” Chu Tian Ji stared at Yang Kai, “Void, since you’ve returned, does it mean that you’ve found a solution?”
All of them looked fervently at him with gazes filled with hope.
Yang Kai nodded his head, “En, I’ve found a way, but I can’t guarantee that it will work.”
He had to plant the World Tree’s root first to find out whether it was effective at all. If that didn’t work, he would have no choice but to take everyone away.
“No matter what, it’s best to try first.”
It was then Yang Kai rose from his chair, “I’ll start right now, then. Hopefully, I’ll bring back some good news.”
Hearing that, all of them were energised.
Yang Kai closed his eyes and scanned the surroundings, then he disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already atop a mountain.
It wasn’t certain how far away this mountain was from High Heaven Palace, but it was where the four Territories intersected. This nameless mountain was extremely high and completely barren. All Yang Kai could see was gravel and shale.
Then, sending his consciousness into the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai carefully uprooted a certain sapling.
The Small Sealed World shook a little.
In the past, as soon as Yang Kai obtained the World Tree’s root, he directly threw it into the Small Sealed World. Later on, he took a look and realised that the root had become rooted in the ground and turned into a sapling as it madly absorbed the World Energy in the Small Sealed World. Following its rapid growth, the Principles in the Small Sealed World became more stable and complete.
If Yang Kai hadn’t discovered this, he wouldn’t have associated the root with what Ah Da had mentioned in the past. That was how he thought about using it in the Star Boundary.
Since he had decided to use it to restore the Star Boundary, Yang Kai wouldn’t let it grow in the Small Sealed World; therefore, he immediately sealed off the World Energy, lest it be absorbed by the sapling. Therefore, it was still a sapling when he pulled it out.
Yang Kai carefully dug a hole and planted this sapling before covering the hole with soil. After giving it a thought, he waved his hand, whereupon a bit of clean water was summoned from a faraway place and splashed on the sapling.
Feeling nervous, he stared at the sapling and waited patiently. The survival of the Star Boundary depended on this little sapling. Although he appeared calm, he was anxious deep inside.
To his dismay, the sapling remained unchanged. The green leaves swayed with the wind, but the sapling didn’t grow rapidly like what he had imagined.
Both shocked and doubtful, Yang Kai wondered what had gone wrong. In the past, after he threw the root into the Small Sealed World and did nothing else, it took root all on its own, transforming into this sapling. Now that he had nurtured it carefully though, there were no changes at all.
While he was pondering on it, Yang Kai suddenly heard a faint rustling sound. Before he could figure out what was going on, it turned into a rumbling as the entire mountain shook. At the same time, a horrifying suction was felt coming from the sapling as it madly absorbed the World Energy around it.
An elated Yang Kai hurriedly checked on it and realised that the roots of the sapling had penetrated deep into the ground and were madly expanding. In several breaths’ time, they had expanded by more than ten kilometres, and they were still rapidly developing.
The entire barren mountain kept shaking as the roots became exposed to the air. At the same time, the gravel cracked and fell apart. On the other hand, the sapling was now rapidly growing, which forced Yang Kai to keep moving backwards.
An incense stick later, the sapling, which was only as tall as a Human some time ago, had turned into a 300-metre-tall tree. Like a great umbrella, the tree crown seemed to have covered the entire mountain peak.
Nevertheless, it still hadn’t stopped growing. The roots of the World Tree were still continuously expanding, and the tree was still unstoppably growing taller.
As the World Tree developed and influenced its surroundings, Yang Kai could see that a Void Crack that was several hundred kilometres away from this barren mountain slowly began to seal.
Wherever the roots covered, the broken World Principles solidified. It hadn’t only become complete, but it had also improved significantly.
[Success!] Back when Yang Kai obtained the World Tree’s root, he speculated that this thing would be useful to the Star Boundary. It wasn’t until this moment that he could prove it though. With this World Tree around, the problem facing the Star Boundary would be solved.
Certainly, it wasn’t the real World Tree. Strictly speaking, it was just the World Tree’s Clone as the real 3,000 Worlds Tree was still in the Primordial Land.
Yang Kai wondered if this Clone would develop 3,000 World Fruits in the future. The thought of this made him feel excited. It would be incredible if his imagination was materialised.
When the World Tree had grown by another 100 metres, its growth visibly slowed down. Yang Kai checked on it and realised that it hadn’t reached its limit, it was just that there wasn’t enough supply of energy.
It required a lot of World Energy for it to grow, but all the World Energy in a radius of several thousand kilometres had been sucked dry, and it would take some time before the World Energy from further away would flow over and replenish it.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai immediately fished out lots of Source Crystals from his Space Ring and hurled them away. Before the Source Crystals came into contact with the ground, they exploded and turned into pure World Energy.
It was then the World Tree started growing rapidly again.
Now, Source Crystals were no longer useful to Yang Kai’s cultivation, and he still had a lot of them, which could be used in this place.
In order to help the tree grow even faster, Yang Kai activated his Divine Sense and sent the same message to many people.
Just a moment later, Yang Kai pointed at the front and caused a swirl in the Void, whereupon Mo Huang stepped out of it. When he raised his head and saw a gigantic tree nearly 500 metres tall in front of him, he was stunned, “Is this the World Tree?”
When Yang Kai sent a message to everyone, he also informed them of the problem he was facing and what the World Tree needed, so Mo Huang was already aware of it.
“Strictly speaking, it’s something like the World Tree’s Soul Clone,” Yang Kai replied as he continuously scattered the Source Crystals around.
Mo Huang became jubilant, “This thing is indeed useful. The Principles in this place are different from the other areas in the Star Boundary. They’re more solid.”
Then, he also fished out a tremendous amount of Source Crystals from his Space Ring.
The next moment, Chu Tian Ji stepped out of the swirl, and without saying a word, he spread his Source Crystals around. He was followed by Zhan Wu Hen, Hua Ling Long, Yao Jun, and so on.
The Great Emperors had countless Source Crystals, and they didn’t really need them for cultivation, so now they could put them to good use.
With so many Great Emperors making a move together, the sight was magnificent. Innumerable Source Crystals turned into pure World Energy, which was then absorbed by the World Tree Clone. Like a bottomless pit, it sucked in as much World Energy as it was provided.
Following that, Hua Qing Si also brought with her the reserve from High Heaven Palace, and upon receiving the order, Wen Zhi Shan and the leaders of the other great forces from all four Territories stepped forward and respectively made contributions.
The usually deserted mountain was now bustling with noise.
Meanwhile, the World Tree was still growing. The roots expanded in all directions in the ground and seemed like they would eventually cover the entire Star Boundary. Wherever the roots spread, the World Principles would be repaired. The Death Qi, which had engulfed the Star Boundary for a long time, finally began to dissipate.
A few days later, following a rumbling sound, Zhan Wu Hen flew over from a distance and held something that looked like a Great Dragon in his hands. The thing’s aura was intimidating and was actually an entire Earth Vein.
It wasn’t certain where Zhan Wu Hen had extracted it from, but upon reaching the World Tree, he directly hurled it forward.
Instantly, the Earth Vein shattered apart and turned into surging World Energy. Like a storm, it swept across the place and shook the ground.
The storm lasted for only ten breaths of time before it dissipated as the energy was completely absorbed by the World Tree’s Soul Clone. With the help of the Earth Vein, the tree had grown another few hundred metres taller.
Meanwhile, Ice Feather Great Emperor flew over with another Earth Vein, and Martial Beast Great Emperor was doing the same thing. With many Earth Veins being used, the tree was growing rapidly again.
Initially, Yang Kai watched the tree grow with a grin, but he soon realised that something was off. That was because the World Tree’s growth was simply unstoppable.
Chu Tian Ji was extremely worried as well as he asked, “Void, is this World Tree going to suck the entire Star Boundary dry?”
Although the World Tree’s growth had solidified the Star Boundary as the broken Principles had been visibly repaired, its consumption of World Energy was horrifying. If this went on, all the World Energy in the Star Boundary would be completely gone in a few years. By then, it would be pointless even if the World Principles were stable. Without World Energy, cultivators would be unable to cultivate.
“I don’t think so.” Yang Kai was uncertain. If that was the case, he would have practically picked up a rock only to drop it on his own foot. The reason he planted the World Tree’s Soul Clone was to save the Star Boundary. If the Universe World became barren because of that, it would be a huge loss for everyone.
Presently, the tree was already 3,000 kilometres and the originally barren mountain present in this place was gone as it had been shattered by the roots. Anyone would be able to see the outline of such a gigantic tree from a long distance. On the other hand, the roots had already expanded by a radius of a million kilometres underground.
The region covered by the roots was different from the other parts in the Star Boundary as it was being transformed by a mysterious power. The broken Principles were also being repaired and improved.
Time went by quickly. One month later, the tree was already 10,000 kilometres in height.
The humongous tree crown had covered an area of several thousand kilometres. Like a great guardian, the colossal tree sheltered this area of the world. It wasn’t certain how far the roots had expanded, but they had probably covered ten percent of the entire Star Boundary’s land mass by now.
After reaching this point, the growth of the World Tree suddenly slowed down.
Yang Kai checked on it and realised that it wasn’t that the World Tree had stopped growing. It was just that they couldn’t see it anymore. The tree was no longer growing taller or bigger, but the roots underground were still obstinately expanding towards other areas of the Star Boundary.
At the same time, a mysterious power from the universe was drawn by the World Tree and then absorbed by it. Through the leaves on the crown, it turned into very pure World Energy. As a result, the World Energy of the Star Boundary was being replenished.
“The power of the Stars!” Zhan Wu Hen arched his brow.
The Great Emperors had sensitive perception, so they were able to detect all the changes that occurred in the Star Boundary. The mysterious power was obviously the power of the Stars that came from the Outer Universe.
Seeing this, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
From the looks of it, the Star Boundary was finally in a stable state, and he didn’t have to worry that the World Tree would suck the World Energy in the Star Boundary dry. The tree would absorb the power of the Stars to sustain its own growth now. When its roots were able to cover the entire Star Boundary one day, the World Principles would be completely repaired, and there might be some unforeseeable benefits.
The World Energy that had been consumed by it would be replenished after it absorbed enough power of the Stars. One day, the tree would be able to give back ten times or even a hundred times more World Energy. By then, what kind of transformation would the Star Boundary go through?
There was no doubt that the World Tree was abstruse.
An amazed Yang Kai turned around and saw that the facial complexion of the Great Emperors had become better while their breathing had also stabilised.
Since the Star Boundary had benefited greatly from the World Tree, the Great Emperors, whose fates were closely tied to the Universe World, would recover and possibly even strengthen further as well.
Standing at the bottom of the World Tree, more than ten figures were silently observing it.
Suddenly, Yang Kai detected something and fished out the artifact he used to contact Lu Xue. Upon reading the message he received and became shocked for a moment before he understood what was going on. Then, he said to the other Great Emperors, “I’ll be right back.”
The next instant, he disappeared from the spot. A moment later, he appeared in the periphery of the Star Boundary. Looking up, he saw a gigantic creature that was facing away from him and shuffling forward.
The gigantic creature was none other than Giant Spirit God Ah Da.
His movement wasn’t swift and could even be said that he was extremely slow, but every step he took could stride across a vast distance. After just two to three steps, the huge figure became as small as a black dot in the distance.
Lu Xue flew over and reported, “Sir, just now, the Giant Spirit God suddenly got up and left without saying anything.”
“Understood.” Yang Kai nodded. Ah Da was attracted to the Star Boundary due to its death aura, and he had stayed in the periphery for several dozen years, awaiting the Universe World’s death. However, the World Tree’s Soul Clone that Yang Kai had brought back had pulled the Star Boundary back from death’s door. Ah Da must have detected something, which was why he decided to leave.
Ah Da’s departure suggested that the Star Boundary’s future had been secured. If the Universe World was still on the brink of death, he wouldn’t have left. This was good news for them.
Then, Yang Kai charged forward and reached Ah Da in a moment. Hovering in front of him, he called out, “Ah Da!”
Ah Da looked down, and upon seeing that it was Yang Kai, he reached out to let him stand on his palm without stopping in his tracks. With a grin, he said, “Ah Da is leaving.”
“Where will you go?” Yang Kai asked.
Ah Da became startled for a moment before patting his belly, “Ah Da is hungry. Ah Da must look for food.”
“Stay here. I’ll give you food.” After finishing his words, Yang Kai tossed a World Bead at him.
As the Giant Spirit God munched on it, he shook his head, “It’s not enough. Ah Da needs more food!”
At that, Yang Kai was speechless. Initially, he wanted to make Ah Da stay. After all, with such a huge creature staying in the periphery, no one would dare to invade the Star Boundary. Ah Da had stayed in this place for several years, and even though he had consumed lots of World Beads, they were nothing more than snacks to him. The food he wanted was a real Universe World; however, Yang Kai was unable to give him that.
“Will we meet again?” Yang Kai shouted.
Ah Da just smiled like a fool.
After a sigh, Yang Kai yelled, “Open your mouth!”
“Ah…” Ah Da’s mouth was wide open, as though he was able to swallow an entire Star.
Several dozen World Beads were tossed into his mouth and disappeared.
“Nom, nom, nom…” Ah Da appeared pleased.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already leapt away from his palm. Hovering in the void, he watched him leave, and soon, Ah Da disappeared from his sight. He wasn’t certain whether they would ever meet again. Those from the Giant Spirit God Clan were benevolent, but they wouldn’t stay in the same place forever. For all their lives, they were continuously pursuing dying Universe Worlds. Their special talent allowed them to detect the aura of a dying world, and years before that happened, they would go over and wait patiently.
The Outer Universe was boundless, so after they parted ways, it was practically impossible for them to meet again.
When Yang Kai returned to the base of the World Tree, the Great Emperors were still standing there.
Mo Huang took a glance at him and asked, “What are your future plans?”
Now that the crisis facing the Star Boundary had been resolved, the burden that had bogged down everyone for decades had also been lifted. Since they no longer had to worry about the Star Boundary’s survival, it was time they thought about the future.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “I was about to talk about it with all of you. I’ve snatched a Spirit Province in the Outer Universe and re-named it Void Land. It’s in the midst of being revitalized, so I need a lot of people to help me. So, I want all of you to come with me to help build Void Land together. Besides that, I want all the cultivators in the Star Boundary who have reached the Third-Order Emperor Realm and above to come with me, as long as they’re willing to follow me.”
Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters already had the right to head to the Outer Universe; however, they were unable to cross the void easily if they were on their own.
For those who were below the Third-Order Emperor Realm, Yang Kai wouldn’t mind bringing them with him as long as they wanted to come. He needed a lot of people to help him build Void Land, and even though many outsiders had come over to help, they were not as reliable as his own people.
Furthermore, if Void Land wanted to grow stronger, it needed fresh blood.
Hearing that, Mo Huang said, “We had no idea that there was still something bigger ahead of us. Now that we’ve found out about it, we naturally want to experience it. But… if all of us are gone, who will protect the Star Boundary? What happens if some powerful enemies come to invade this place?”
“I’ll stay,” Zhan Wu Hen grimly declared.
Duan Hong Chen grinned, “I’ll also stay.”
Seeing as the other Great Emperors were about to say something, Yang Kai hurriedly raised his hand to stop them, “Please don’t worry. I already have a plan for the Star Boundary. To be honest with you, I didn’t come back alone. I’ve brought 3 subordinates who are all Open Heaven Realm Masters, so I’ll just ask one of them to stay here and protect the Star Boundary. Moreover, the Great Territory that the Star Boundary is in is pretty barren and remote, with only a few Universe Worlds around, so usually, no one will come here.”
He had spent quite some effort before he could find the Star Boundary. No Open Heaven Realm Masters would come all the way here to make a fuss as this place didn’t have anything attractive to them. That was the reason there had never been any records regarding the Open Heaven Realm in the Star Boundary.
The Great Emperors traded glances and nodded. Since Yang Kai already had a plan in mind, they no longer had to worry about anything.
Soon, a piece of news was spread across the entire world. Void Great Emperor intended to bring all the Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters to the Outer Universe. Those who were willing to go should gather together in High Heaven Palace. Others were also welcome, but for those who were below the Third-Order Emperor Realm, they had to go to High Heaven Palace to register first before a selection process would occur.
Initially, there were many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters in the Star Boundary, but many of them had lost their lives during the Two Worlds Great War. Now, there were only a few dozen people in that realm in total. There was no room for growth in the Star Boundary for these people, so they had to be brought to Void Land.
However, there were countless people below the Third-Order Emperor Realm, and it was impossible to bring all of them to Void Land, so a screening had to be done.