Under the leadership of the Proprietress, everybody hurried to the Void Dock. Yang Kai summoned the Falling Lotus when they arrived, which transformed into a gigantic lotus. Several dozen people entered the ship before it rotated slightly and sped off into the distance.
They were not the only ones leaving from this Void Dock; there were many others besides them. There was an endless stream of flight-type artifacts in all shapes, sizes, and colours setting off at the same time. They departed one after another in a magnificent procession.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded by the sight, “Are all these people heading to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?”
Bai Qi stood next to Yang Kai with a smile, “Of course. What else do you think they were doing? Every time the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opens, it becomes a grand event that involves the entire 3,000 Worlds. Who would not wish to claim a share of the pie? That is the Small Universe left behind by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all. If they could inherit Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s inheritance… Tsk. Tsk. They would gain glory overnight.”
Yang Kai looked around in a daze. There were nearly a hundred flight-type artifacts just from what he could see, and there were many others that he did not see. There were nearly a thousand people just from the Star City in Thousand Birds Territory alone heading out, so what about Thousand Birds Territory as a whole? What about the rest of the 3,000 Worlds? If so many people flooded the place all at once, would he be able to find anything good? What if the place was filled to the brim when he entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?
Old Bai patted Yang Kai on the shoulder with a laugh, “Don’t worry. Don’t be fooled by the number of people here. Not many people will actually be able to enter. At most only ten thousand will succeed.”
“Why is that?” Yang Kai glanced at Old Bai puzzledly, “Could it be that there are other requirements to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?”
“There aren’t any requirements in particular. How do I put it… Let Proprietress explain.”
At this moment, the Proprietress waved her hand and flung out a dozen or so streams of light that shot towards everybody. They immediately reached out and caught the light, which turned out to be a jade slip.
She then spoke, “The jade slip contains information on the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Read it carefully. The map I acquired from Red Clouds Auction House has also been recorded into the jade slip. Although the map is incomplete, it should prove to be useful still. Who knows? It might save your life at a critical moment.”
After listening to her explanation, everyone quickly immersed their minds into the jade slip to investigate its contents.
Likewise, Yang Kai began reading.
This jade slip was probably something the Proprietress prepared specially for them. She knew that they were utterly clueless about the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If they entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in their current state, it would be no different from going in blind. But, that would change completely now that they had this information.
The Blood Monster Cave Heaven would open every 200 years and several thousand people would enter every time it did. Although many people would die inside, there were also many who survived and came out wealthier than before. It was not surprising for them to bring back some information regarding the situation inside.
Something like that was not a secret. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises would generally retain the information. It was just that the information was not publicised anywhere. Fortunately, First Inn specialised in collecting information, so gathering this intel was child’s play for them.
According to the information inside the jade slip, Blood Monster Divine Monarch was proficient in the Dao of Blood and the Dao of Beast Taming when he was still alive; therefore, there were many Blood Beasts inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. These Blood Beasts were nurtured by Blood Monster Divine Monarch during his long life. For that reason, they were generally no different from ordinary Monster Beasts except for a few key points. In general, these Blood Beasts had strange abilities and ferocious strength, and over the years, most of the cultivators who entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would lose their lives to their claws.
The strongest Blood Beasts could compare to Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in terms of strength. They were existences to be avoided at all costs; after all, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was limited by a restriction that only allowed cultivators below the Open Heaven Realm to enter. A Blood Beast with the strength of a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was basically an invincible existence inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
The Blood Beasts were vicious, but there were great benefits to killing them. That was because these Blood Beasts were nurtured by Blood Monster Divine Monarch personally and were a little different from ordinary Monster Beasts in the sense that their Monster Cores’ attributes were often extremely singular and pure. They were known as Blood Beast Cores and could be used as cultivation resources. According to the classification of Order, there were Blood Beasts ranging from the First-Order to Seventh-Order, and killing Blood Beasts of different Orders would result in obtaining Open Heaven materials of matching Orders.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at those words! [If I can find and slay a Seventh-Order Monster Beast in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, won’t I have the chance to obtain Metal and Yin Element treasures? No wonder Proprietress said that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would be an opportunity for me!]
The only problem was that the strength of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast would be extraordinary, no matter how singular the Attributes of its Monster Core. It was still in the Seventh Order after all.
Just like the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd in his possession, the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light might have a singular attribute, but it was perfectly capable of dealing with Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. If that was the case for a Sixth-Order Power, then what more need be said about a Seventh-Order Power? A Seventh-Order Blood Beast was definitely an existence on par with or stronger than a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
[I wonder if there are any Eighth-Order Blood Beasts inside? Blood Monster Divine Monarch was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all, so it would not be strange if he managed to nurture some Eighth-Order Blood Beasts. Besides, Blood Monster Divine Monarch has been dead for so many years now. The surviving Blood Beasts might have grown stronger since his passing. Regardless of the circumstances, it will be best to proceed carefully inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.]
In addition to the threat of Blood Beasts, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was also filled with ancient traps and restrictions. Some of them had lost their powers over the years due to lack of maintenance, but some of them were still lethal. If these restrictions were activated, one would be heavily injured even if they were lucky enough to survive. Aside from the Blood Beasts, the restrictions inside were the second largest cause of death among cultivators!
Be that as it may, it didn’t matter how powerful the Blood Beasts were or how amazing the restrictions inside were, Yang Kai knew that what he had to guard against the most were the other cultivators who entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. As long as there were people, there would be conflict. Compared to the restrictions and Blood Beasts with low to no sentience, scheming and treacherous people would always be more dangerous.
The Blood Monster Cave Heaven might be extremely dangerous, but there were also many benefits to be gained. Leaving aside the fact that one could obtain cultivation resources of various Orders by killing those Blood Beasts, the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven itself was filled with numerous Cultivation Paradises.
The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was the Small Universe of Blood Monster Divine Monarch, so it stood to reason that Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Small Universe was extremely stable when he was still alive. Unfortunately, it had been many years since his death. Despite the measures he took when he was still alive to preserve his Small Universe, the effects of time and nature had taken its toll over the years. The Small Universe was showing signs of instability. The Yin, Yang, and Five Elements had begun to split apart and accumulate in certain regions inside the Universe Cave Heaven. That was why it was very likely to come across an area where a certain Element was extremely dense inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Cultivating in these areas was not inferior to refining resources of various Orders in terms of efficiency.
In Seven Wonders Land, now known as Void Land, the seven Orchards were located at the places where the seven Powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements accumulated. It was perfectly suitable for cultivators to cultivate in those areas and condense the powers into their Dao Seals. It was just that the power in the Orchards was of very low Order. Cultivating there would only allow one to condense a First-Order Power. If they did that, in the future, that person could only advance into the First-Order Open Heaven Realm. That was why it was rare for anybody to cultivate in the Orchards, even among the Workers and disciples of Seven Wonders Land.
On the other hand, the Cultivation Paradises in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were incomparable to the Orchards of Void Land. These Cultivation Paradises could be regarded as the improved and upgraded version of the Orchards. Needless to say, what Order Cultivation Paradise one could find was completely based on one’s own luck.
Yang Kai secretly prayed that even if he couldn’t kill a Seventh-Order Blood Beast, he could find a place where Seventh-Order Metal Element Power and Yin Element Power converged. That way, he could cultivate in those places for a while and condense the powers that he needed.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he continued reading. A short while later, Yang Kai suddenly looked at the Proprietress with a peculiar expression, “There are people living in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?”
The information recorded in the jade slip indicated that there were people living inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. He couldn’t help being surprised by the discovery.
The Proprietress said, “The Small Universe of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master is essentially no different from a real Universe World. If Monster Beasts can live inside, then why can’t people?”
“Then, these people are…”
“They are the people whom Blood Monster Divine Monarch kidnapped when he was still alive. The prosperity of a Universe World depends on the vitality of the creatures that are living in that particular Universe World. The more living creatures there are, the more prosperous a Universe World becomes. The same principle holds true for Small Universes. Compared to Monster Beasts, Humans have much stronger spirituality. If they settle down and continuously multiply across the generations, it will deepen the heritage of a Small Universe. In that way, the strength that a cultivator can exert will also be stronger. It isn’t just Blood Monster Divine Monarch. As far as I know, most High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, if given a chance, will try to raise some Humans in their respective Small Universes.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking of the Star Boundary. After the battle between the Great Emperors and Great Demon God, the Star Boundary had been on the verge of collapse. It had lost most of its Auspicious Spirit Essence. At the time, it was only through the continuous reproduction and development of the remaining survivors that the decline of the Star Boundary was delayed. It would now seem that the existence of living creatures was extremely important to any Universe World.
Yang Kai soon thought of another possibility and hesitantly asked, “Are there any Open Heaven Realm Masters among the people living in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.” Proprietress laughed, “Blood Monster Divine Monarch placed a restriction on his Small Universe to prevent any Open Heaven Realm Master from entering. In that case, it stood to reason that he would not allow the people living inside to advance into the Open Heaven Realm either. They are only in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm at best. It is impossible for them to advance into the Open Heaven Realm.”
He nodded lightly.
“But, try not to provoke these people if you can. They are very xenophobic. They call cultivators like you who enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven aliens. It will be troublesome if you are discovered by them.”
“I got it.” Yang Kai responded before he continued to read the contents of the jade slip.
There was a lot of information recorded and he couldn’t help feeling thankful that the Proprietress had gathered all of it for him. Otherwise, he would have suffered badly if he had plunged into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven without knowing anything.
The jade slip also indicated that the deeper one ventured into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, the more dangerous it became. It was rumoured that there was a Blood Monster Divine Palace in the deepest part of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. That was where Blood Monster Divine Monarch left his inheritance. If he could find that place, he would be able to obtain the entire legacy of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. The Blood Monster Divine Palace not only contained Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s inheritance but also the entire fortune that he amassed throughout his lifetime.
How amazing would the inheritance of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master be? That was the reason why countless cultivators flocked to this place. Not to mention the unimaginable wealth. If nothing else, just finding some Seventh-Order materials was enough to make a person rich overnight.
It was just that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven only opened once every 200 years. Nobody had ever managed to enter the deepest part of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven throughout all these years, so nobody had ever found the Blood Monster Divine Palace either. It could even be said that nobody was certain whether the Blood Monster Divine Palace actually existed!
Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling the jade that he acquired for 10 million Open Heaven Pills. That jade was one-half of a two-piece jade apparently. It could be a key or it could be used to control a particular Grand Array. It could even turn out to be useless.
[If the Blood Monster Divine Palace really does exist, then will the jade be of any use?] He couldn’t help but daydream about all sorts of fanciful ideas.
An hour later, he finally finished reading and understanding everything that was recorded inside the jade slip. Carefully putting the jade slip away, he asked a question that had been puzzling him, “Proprietress, there are so many people heading towards the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. So, why are only several thousand people allowed to enter in the end?”
He had not found the answer to his question inside the jade slip.
The Proprietress glanced out at the starry void with a melancholic expression on her face, as though she had recalled something from the past. She answered the question softly, “It’s hard to explain right now. You’ll understand once we arrive.” Then, she ran her hand through her hair and languidly called out, “I’m tired. Old Bai, lead the way. Wake me up when we arrive.”
After saying that, she slipped into one of the rooms and vanished out of sight.
Yang Kai looked at her back thoughtfully. Just now, she seemed to have recalled something from her memories; moreover, it was probably something sad. Otherwise, her mood would not have turned gloomy so quickly.
“The Proprietress…” He glanced at Old Bai with a questioning look.
Old Bai sighed, “She probably recalled something unpleasant. The Proprietress has also been to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in the past.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was taken aback.
Old Bai laughed, “The Blood Monster Cave Heaven opens once every 200 years. It’s not strange for the Proprietress to have entered that place before, right? I heard that she gained a lot from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. That’s how she managed to advance directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
Yang Kai immediately turned to look at Yue He. Yue He had known the Proprietress for a long time. To his knowledge, the relationship between those two went way back; therefore, she would know the Proprietress’ circumstances the best.
Yue He gently nodded and looked nostalgic, “It’s true that Big Sister and I entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven before; otherwise, we would never have come this far with our humble backgrounds.”
The realization struck Yang Kai suddenly. The Proprietress came from Nine Nether Continent. He himself had been there before and although it was not a bad Universe World, it was also nothing special either. It was also not a Subordinate World under the control of a powerful great force.
Both the Proprietress and Yue He had come from a place like that. Without a chance encounter or a special opportunity, it was impossible for them to advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm or the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Looking at the situation, it was highly likely that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was where they turned their lives around!
Following the flow of his thoughts, Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking about Lan Ting Yu. Lan Ting Yu was the Proprietress’ Younger Brother. His knowledge of this person was very limited. All he knew was that his appearance was very similar to this person. Furthermore, Lan Ting Yu had also tried to advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. It was likely that something awful happened to him later. He ultimately failed in his attempt and lost his life for some reason.
Yang Kai once wondered where Lan Ting Yu managed to secure so many High-Rank materials. It would now seem that he had obtained many things from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Unfortunately, his actions went against the interests of many people. That was why he failed miserably in the end.
Lan Ting Yu was an example to learn from. It was also what Yang Kai needed to guard against the most. If there came a day when he had to experience what Lan Ting Yu once faced in the past, what should he do?
“The Blood Monster Cave Heaven might be extremely dangerous, but it should not pose a problem with your strength, Young Master. You just need to be careful. There’s another thing you need to be wary about. That is… the elite disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. Their individual strength might not compare to yours, but every one of them holds a hidden trump card,” Yue He warned.
Yang Kai nodded, “I’m well aware of that.”
It was not as if he had never interacted with the elite disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises before. He had met some of them back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so he knew that each of them had their own Identity Tokens. These Identity Tokens contained a Divine Ability that their Masters or Elders had sealed inside for them so that they could use them as life-saving trump cards!
The lotus flew quickly, passing through many Territory Gates and travelling across many Great Territories. None of them talked again for the rest of their journey. They were all conserving their strength.
Yang Kai was meditating one day when the Proprietress sent a transmission to him. He immediately got to his feet and headed towards the room she was in. Pushing the door open, he was just about to greet her when he saw that her complexion was extremely pale; moreover, she was drenched in sweat as though she had suffered a serious injury.
Shocked, he hurriedly stepped forward and asked worriedly, “What happened?”
The Proprietress slowly shook her head, “It’s nothing.” Then, she handed a round bead to him, “Take this.”
“This is…” He lowered his head to look at the bead. Although he did not know what it was, he could keenly sense that this bead contained an extremely terrifying power in it.
“I sealed one of my Divine Abilities inside this bead. You can summon it when you are in danger. It might be able to save your life.”
Yang Kai stared at the round bead in his hand quietly for a moment before glancing back up at her. The realization struck him immediately, “Did you push yourself into such a state in order to create this bead?”
Sealing her own Divine Ability into this bead was no easy feat. Even the materials required to produce this bead were not something that could be found anywhere. Otherwise, the disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises would not be limited to only one Identity Token as their trump card. Just by looking at the Proprietress’ current condition, Yang Kai could tell that sealing her Divine Ability into this bead had consumed a lot of her energy.
“You fool!” He glared at her, “I might only be in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm right now, but it’s not as if you don’t know about my strength. More than one Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master has died at my hands. No matter how dangerous the Blood Monster Cave Heaven is, who can do anything to me?”
“Don’t be careless! The Blood Monster Cave Heaven is not as simple as you imagine. There is no saying whether you might run into some sort of trouble. It’ll be safer with one of my Divine Abilities protecting you. Although the power that can be summoned through this method is only half of my full strength, it should be more than enough to deal with the power of an Open Heaven Master below the Fifth Order.”
Yang Kai did not know what to say to her.
A moment later, she handed another item to him and said tiredly, “Take this with you too.”
“What is this?” He reached out a hand and took the item from her. He discovered that it was an extremely peculiar Wooden Token around the size of a palm. It looked rather old; furthermore, there were strange patterns carved into it like a totem.
“A favour!” She murmured softly.
“A favour? A favour from whom?” He was bewildered.
However, the Proprietress did not say anything else. She simply said, “In any case, just take it with you. Maybe it’ll come in handy, maybe not. It’s just in case.” After saying that, she did not give him a chance to speak again and waved him off instead, “Go out. I need to rest.”
A wave of gentle force wrapped around him and pushed him out of the door. Afterwards, the door of the room closed behind him with a bang. The Wooden Token and the round bead in his hands felt extremely heavy.
Half a month after leaving the Star City in Thousand Birds Territory, the Falling Lotus finally came to a gradual stop. Old Bai, who was in charge of navigating, let out a long breath, “We’ve finally arrived.”
“We’ve arrived?” Yang Kai raised his brow and hurriedly took out his Universe Chart to check their location.
A short while later, he was surprised. That was because this Great Territory was known as Blood Monster Territory. Unlike most other Great Territories, there were no other great forces in this Blood Monster Territory. There wasn’t even a single Universe World with any living creatures in it. It could be said that the entire Blood Monster Territory was completely devoid of life!
Yang Kai was extremely shocked.
It had to be said that it didn’t matter which Great Territory it was, as long as a Great Territory was labelled on the Universe Chart, then there was bound to be many great forces and Universe Worlds in it. All the known great forces and Universe Worlds were recorded in the Universe Chart. Even a Great Territory as isolated as the one where the Star Boundary was located was no exception. However, there was nothing recorded in the Blood Monster Territory. How could such a peculiar Great Territory exist in the world?
Seeming to notice Yang Kai’s confusion, Old Bai explained with a smile, “The Blood Monster Territory used to be no different from other Great Territories. It also used to have some great forces. Moreover, the number was not small.”
Yang Kai asked, “Then, why did it become like this?”
Old Bai replied, “Of course, it’s because of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Take a look outside.”
Yang Kai turned to look outside and quickly discovered a strange scene. There were countless flight-type artifacts weaving through the void as far as the eye could see. There were also some that were motionless in the void like the Falling Lotus. These flight-type artifacts clearly belonged to the great forces that had rushed to the Blood Monster Territory not too long ago. Aside from these artifacts, there were also many cultivators flying about. They were constantly looking around as though searching for something.
“What are they looking for?” Yang Kai frowned.
Yue He walked over and explained gently, “They are looking for the entrance to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
Guo Miao looked curious, “Isn’t the entrance to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven fixed in a certain spot? Why do they need to search everywhere for the entrance?”
This was the same question that was puzzling Yang Kai.
Yue He chuckled softly, “It’s true that the entrance of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven used to be located at a fixed spot in the beginning. But, that was a very long time ago. Everybody would only need to gather in front of the entrance and wait for it to open in order to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It’s just that some changes gradually took place over time.”
“What changes?”
Old Bai answered from the side, “The entrance became two, then three, then four… Every time it opened, the number of entrances would increase. At this point, entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven can appear anywhere in the Blood Monster Territory.”
Guo Miao covered her red lips, “Why does that happen?”
Old Bai sighed, “It is said that there are signs of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven becoming more and more unstable; after all, so many years have passed since the death of Blood Monster Divine Monarch. It’s amazing how his Small Universe managed to endure for so long without a Master. Even so, it is impossible for it to last forever. The Small Universe is merging with the Void of the Blood Monster Territory. An entrance will appear at the place where the two overlap with each other.”
Yang Kai revealed a look of realization, “So, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven will completely merge with the Blood Monster Territory one day?”
“That’s what they say. Who knows how much longer that will take though?” Old Bai shrugged, “But, these changes have made it easier for more people to enter and explore the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If not for that, did you think the Cave-Heavens and Paradises would allow anybody else to meddle with such a wonderful place? At the beginning, the right to explore the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was exclusive only to the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. The other great forces were not allowed to participate at all.”
What Old Bai mentioned immediately resolved all the questions that had been puzzling Yang Kai.
He had felt that something was a little strange when he first heard about the Sealed World known as the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was a Small Universe left behind after the death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and contained the inheritance and wealth of that Master. How could anybody ignore such shocking benefits? Even the Cave-Heavens and Paradises would covet such riches.
If they coveted these riches, then why didn’t the Cave-Heavens and Paradises keep firm control over the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? Why did they allow other cultivators to enter? Why did they allow this to become a grand event that involved the entire 3,000 Worlds?
He had been unable to figure out the answer to these questions, so he eventually stopped wondering about it. It was not until this moment that he learned the truth. It was not that the Cave-Heavens and Paradises did not want to, but rather that they could not.
In the beginning, the entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were few and far between; thus, a few powerful forces could control the entrances and prevent the others from entering. Only disciples from their respective great forces would be selected to enter and explore the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. On the contrary, how could the Cave-Heavens and Paradises guard the entrances when one could appear anywhere in the Blood Monster Territory?
It was precisely because of this reason that the Second Class great forces, the Third Class great forces, the lesser-known organizations, and even the rogue cultivators acting alone had the opportunity to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven to take a share of the benefits.
Old Bai continued, “The entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven are also becoming increasingly unstable. Sometimes, it is nothing more than a flash of light even when it appears in front of your eyes. It might vanish into thin air before you even get the chance to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Even if it did not vanish, each entrance can only allow one person to enter before it would collapse completely.”
“Each entrance can only allow one person to enter?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Old Bai gently nodded, “That’s right. You should now understand why I previously mentioned that although many cultivators flock to the Blood Monster Territory, not many can actually enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in the end.”
Yang Kai was enlightened.
According to Old Bai, one had to fight to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. An entrance might appear in front of several cultivators, but that entrance could only support one person passing through before it vanished. The rest could only watch helplessly. In this way, only a few people could seize the opportunity to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
Old Bai snorted softly, “Every time the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opens, more than a million cultivators gather in the Blood Monster Territory. No, there might even be tens of millions of them. It’s just that most of them come here for nothing.”
Yang Kai agreed with those words. They, too, had arrived at the Blood Monster Territory; however, flight-type artifacts and cultivators were weaving about in the void everywhere as far as the eye could see. The numbers were indeed nothing to scoff at. Not to mention, these were only the ones that he could see. There were more out there that he could not see. After all, this situation was prevalent across the entire Blood Monster Territory at the moment.
After pondering in silence for a moment, he turned to look at Lang Qing Shan and the others, “When it’s almost time, you should enter the Small Sealed World.”
Many people had come with him on this trip. Leaving aside the fact that there were more than 30 people in the group who followed him from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he also had Guo Miao, as well as the chef and the accountant from First Inn, coming on this trip with him.
If so many people were to fight for an entrance each, not all of them would be successful. It was a different matter altogether if Yang Kai took them into the Small Sealed World and brought them into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven with him. At that time, he only needed to secure one entrance for everybody to be happy. Afterwards, he just needed to let everybody out of the Small Sealed World once he arrived.
With his attainments in the Dao of Space, it would not be difficult for Yang Kai to secure an entrance somewhere in this vast Blood Monster Territory. In particular, since there were several tens of thousands of entrances scattered around.
That was his original plan, but to his surprise, Lang Qing Shan and the others looked at each other for a while when they heard those words and did not answer immediately. As such, he asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Do you have something to say?”
The shaved-headed man laughed awkwardly and rubbed his hands together, “Sir, we would like to attempt this on our own. The last time we followed you into the Primordial Land, you protected us the entire time. In the end, we could only wait in the Small Sealed World without being able to help Sir in any way. Since we decided to follow you, we should also do our part. We cannot stay protected under your wings all the time.”
Lang Qing Shan cupped his fist, “Sir, this subordinate understood something during the days he spent in the Asura Arena. One can only grow rapidly by experiencing various hardships. A sheltered flower in the greenhouse will not live long when faced with a true storm. In the future, we would like to continue serving under you through all the ups and downs, Sir. We refuse to remain helpless and incompetent. Please allow us to act independently in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Sir.”
Yang Kai looked at Lang Qing Shan calmly before turning to look at the others, “Are you all of the same opinion?”
They cupped their fists and responded in unison, “Please allow it, Sir.”
He stroked his chin thoughtfully and nodded, “I’m very pleased with your ambitious spirit to keep improving yourselves. It’s a simple matter if you want to train yourself. Once we enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, you can act independently. But, before that, I think it’s better if I bring you in with me.”
More than 30 people would also mean having to search for more than 30 entrances. It was impossible for all of them to succeed. If they were to fight for the entrances on their own, some of them would surely fail. Moreover, it was likely that quite many of them would fail. It was such a rare opportunity; it would be a waste if they missed it before it even began.
The others had no objections to this suggestion; thus, they quickly agreed.
When their discussion was settled, the Proprietress said, “Let’s go. We need to secure a spot.”
“Secure a spot?” Yang Kai was taken aback by those words
Old Bai explained, “There are a few more days until the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opens. Since we arrived early, it stands to reason that we should occupy a favourable spot for ourselves. Take a look outside. Those with some measure of strength have claimed a large patch of the void and are preventing others from approaching them. That area is the territory that they have secured for themselves. If an entrance appears within their territory, they would have the advantage of being slightly closer to the target.”
Yang Kai immediately understood.
The Falling Lotus moved forward once more to head towards the depths of the void to find a suitable area to occupy. The people from First Inn could not be considered late, but even more people had arrived before them. They searched for a long time but could not find a suitable position. Everywhere they went, numerous great forces had already occupied territories of various shapes and sizes. In addition, Open Heaven Realm Masters constantly patrolled the edges of the territory to chase away other cultivators who accidentally stumbled too close.
Yang Kai even saw a gigantic and domineering palace towering in the void from a distance. A radius of ten thousand kilometres around that palace was completely empty. The artifacts and cultivators that came and went in a steady stream had to fly around the gigantic palace that was in the middle of their path. Needless to say, that gigantic palace belonged to either a Cave-Heaven or a Paradise. Only a First-Class great force could afford to create an artifact like that. That was a symbol of their identity and status. By placing this impressive and majestic artifact in the void, everybody had no choice but to show respect to them.
There was more than one palace similar to this gigantic palace scattered around. There were Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises in the 3,000 Worlds, which came to a total of 108 First-Class great forces. Each of these great forces would send representatives forward whenever the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened. Furthermore, each of these great forces would dispatch many of their disciples and bring out their large-scale flight-type artifacts.
The Falling Lotus was quite extraordinary in and of itself, but it was nothing compared to those artifacts belonging to the First-Class great forces.
There were many artifacts and cultivators coming and going. Like First Inn, all of them were searching for a strategic but unclaimed position. Under most circumstances, everybody was rather restrained. There was an unspoken rule of ‘first come, first served’. If a certain spot was taken by somebody, then the others would bypass that area. Unfortunately, there were always people who liked to break the rules. They generally also believed that they were extremely powerful; therefore, fights constantly broke out all over the Blood Monster Territory. It was truly chaotic.
As the Falling Lotus travelled along, Yang Kai saw many battles occurring. Some were small quarrels with several disciples in the Emperor Realm attacking each other. There were also some battles that were fought with their respective lives on the line. Even the Open Heaven Realm Masters leading the groups were caught up in such fights. Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques bloomed everywhere. At the same time, blood and severed limbs flew in all directions.
Yang Kai also saw the broken remains of many artifacts that appeared to have been of no worse quality than the Falling Lotus. That just went to show the intensity of these battles. The fights were already so intense before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven even opened, so what kind of situation would occur when entrances began to appear? Just thinking about it caused him to shiver.
First Inn could be considered famous and influential. On this trip alone, they had the Proprietress and Yue He, two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters; Old Bai, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; and Guo Zi Yan, a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. There were a total of four Open Heaven Realm Masters with them. Even so, their line-up was still greatly inferior to the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. Hence, they gave the palace artifacts belonging to the First Class forces a wide berth.
Despite searching for half a day, they had yet to find a suitable spot. Just as Yang Kai was secretly beginning to worry that they might not find a suitable spot, the Proprietress suddenly stretched out a hand and pointed to the side, “Head there.”
Yang Kai glanced in that direction and saw a large-scale multi-storey ship floating in the void. Many people were standing on the deck of the ship. They were too far apart for him to see who those people were; however, judging from the size of the ship and the manpower that was dispatched, it probably belonged to a Second-Class great force.
The Proprietress was planning to snatch somebody else’s spot…
The Falling Lotus turned around and charged in that direction.
The cultivators on the ship seemed to have noticed this too. A commotion broke out among the people standing on the deck. Then, quite a few people leaped into the air. The illusory phantoms of their respective Small Universes flashed and disappeared behind their backs, indicating their powerful heritage. Their actions carried a hint of warning in them, as though trying to make the Falling Lotus back down in the face of difficulties.
The Proprietress naturally ignored those warnings.
“It’s that old bastard!” Old Bai suddenly cursed with a furious glare, seeming to recognise the identity of the people on the ship.
Simultaneously, an elderly man on the ship took the lead and displayed his full strength as he shouted loudly, “Who goes there? Ling Chun Qiu of Boundless Altar is here. Please leave and head elsewhere. This Old Master will be very grateful!”
“Grateful, your ass!” Old Bai roared furiously. Then, he turned to Lang Qing Shan and the others who were steering the Falling Lotus, “Ram them! Crush that old dog to death!”
Lang Qing Shan turned to look at Yang Kai with a questioning expression.
Yang Kai gently nodded in response. He had been wondering about the situation just now. The Proprietress was not somebody who used her strength to bully the weak. So, why did she suddenly decide to snatch somebody else’s territory? Now, it turned out that she had encountered an enemy.
The Proprietress and Boundless Altar had always held a grudge against each other. During Old Bai’s advancement into the Open Heaven Realm, Ling Chun Qiu of Boundless Altar had worked with Qin Ji and the others to interfere with the process. It had nearly cost Old Bai his life.
Now that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was about to open, a Second Class great force like Boundless Altar would definitely participate for a share of the pie. They probably never imagined that their presence would be detected by the Proprietress.
If Ling Chun Qiu had remained hidden in the Headquarters of Boundless Altar, the Proprietress might have been helpless to lift a finger against him; however, they encountered each other in the Blood Monster Territory, so it stood to reason that she wanted to exact her revenge. At the same time, they would also be able to snatch Boundless Altar’s spot for themselves.
“Halt, or we will show you no mercy!” The Falling Lotus was giving off an aggressive air and it was obvious to Ling Chun Qiu that these visitors did not hold good intentions; thus, he immediately shouted a warning.
Who would heed his words though? The speed of the Falling Lotus did not decrease in the slightest. On the contrary, it accelerated even more after approaching a certain distance. The group of disciples standing on the deck of Boundless Altar’s ship suddenly turned pale with fright and quickly retreated. Some even went so far as to hide in the cabins.
Ling Chun Qiu was so livid that his expression turned blue then red with anger. He exchanged a glance with the other two Open Heaven Realm Masters beside him; then, they swiftly formed a set of hand seals. Several cannons suddenly protruded from the sides of the ship, brewing with a terrifying energy that caused the surrounding space to shudder. Dazzling rays of light shone out, aiming in the direction of the Falling Lotus.
“This is your final warning! If you stubbornly refuse to listen to reason, then don’t blame this Old Master for being ruthless!” Seeing that the Falling Lotus showed no signs of slowing down, he gritted his teeth and shouted, “You’ve gone too far!”
The entire ship shook with a loud boom and a blinding light burst forth brilliantly. At the same time, a mysterious beam that was as thick as a man’s torso shot out from the ship and quickly approached the Falling Lotus. The power of the beam was extremely terrifying. It seemed as though even the void could not withstand the force as pitch-black scorch marks were seared everywhere it passed.
Boundless Altar was a Second-Class great force. Needless to say, this ship artifact was also very expensive. It was originally produced as a weapon for besieging and taking down enemy fortifications, so the power of each cannon was comparable to a full-powered attack from a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Everybody inside the Falling Lotus felt their vision going white, filled with the glare of the light beam. Just as it was about to strike the Falling Lotus though, a pale-yellow light barrier suddenly appeared. The beam slammed into the light barrier a moment later.
The light barrier dented inward so severely that the distortion was visible to the naked eye. The huge impact also forced the Falling Lotus’ speed to drop sharply. At the same time, the figures of Yang Kai and the others inside the Falling Lotus were thrown forward violently.
However, this only lasted for a moment. Everything returned to normal again in the next instant. The power cannon beam might be horrifying, but the Falling Lotus was also an extraordinary artifact. This artifact was something Flying Flower Boat had spent countless resources to create after all. Even Flying Flower Boat only had one such artifact.
The enormous lotus spun as it forcefully pushed forward against the weight of the cannon beam.
On the ship, Ling Chun Qiu and the others swiftly turned pale at the sight. They were clueless about the identities of the people aboard the lotus who were behaving in such a ferocious manner. It almost seemed as though the other party had a huge undying grudge against Boundless Altar.
Ling Chun Qiu gritted his teeth and formed a new set of hand seals, resulting in several more shots being fired from the ship’s cannons aimed straight at the Falling Lotus.
A blinding light completely drowned the lotus as its flower petals flew apart and seemingly disintegrated.
Many of Boundless Altar’s disciples stood on the deck of the ship, frozen in shock for a moment. After that, they began cheering excitedly while secretly thinking to themselves. [The fools in that lotus are absolutely reckless! Why didn’t they dodge in the face of such a powerful attack? Are they brain dead!?]
Similarly, Ling Chun Qiu secretly let out a breath of relief, but a moment later, one of the Open Heaven Realm Masters’ expressions changed as he roared, “Raise the shields! Hurry up and activate the Defensive Grand Array!”
Ling Chun Qiu looked up and saw that the lotus that should have been broken to pieces was still charging straight at them. The flying flower petals were spinning like indestructible blades and slicing through the void.
The cheers coming from the ship stopped abruptly and Ling Chun Qiu’s expression also changed drastically at that moment. Without hesitation, he desperately channelled his strength to activate the ship’s Defensive Grand Array. A light barrier had only just materialised when the flower petals arrived. Sparks flew in all directions and the light of the Defensive Grand Array quickly dimmed under the fierce barrage.
Due to a hasty response, the Defensive Grand Array shattered before it could reach the peak of its defensive abilities. The flower petals quickly closed in from all directions, turning the entire space within into a boundless killing Domain that covered the entire ship.
*Kacha…*
The deck of the ship was broken in half as huge gaps appeared all over the sides of the ship, sliced open by the flower petals. Shrill screams rang out incessantly as many Boundless Altar’s disciples were killed in an instant. They died with their bodies cut to pieces.
The three Open Heaven Realm Masters of Boundless Altar felt their hearts bleeding at the sight.
Which great force had not dispatched the elites among their disciples for the sake of entering the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? It could be said that all the cultivators who came to the Blood Monster Territory had been chosen through countless layers of rigorous selection. Having prevailed against all their peers, these disciples had obtained the qualifications to participate in this expedition. They represented the future hope of the entire Sect. Given enough time to grow and develop, they would have become part of the pillars supporting the great forces in the future.
However, Boundless Altar had suffered heavy casualties before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven even opened. Not only had their ship been broken to pieces, but many of their elite disciples that came along on this trip had also been killed or severely injured.
It was no wonder Ling Chun Qiu and the others were heartbroken! What depressed Ling Chun Qiu the most was that he still had no idea who was attacking them, but it didn’t take long before he discovered the identities of the perpetrators.
Three figures flashed out of the lotus. Two of them were women and the remaining one was a man. Moreover, each one of them was enveloped in an imposing aura. They consisted of two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and one Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
The rage of Boundless Altar’s three Open Heaven Realm Masters turned into ice-cold fear in an instant as a chill ran through their entire bodies. They also had three Open Heaven Realm Masters on their side, so both sides had the same numbers; however, their Orders could not compare with the enemy at all. Aside from Ling Chun Qiu, who was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, the other two were only in the Fourth-Order.
What frightened Ling Chun Qiu even more was that he knew all the people who had just shown up.
“Lan You Ruo!” His voice was dry and his gaze was terrified.
The person next to him exclaimed, “What!? The one from First Inn!?”
He shouted, “Run!”
While speaking, he quickly steered the damaged ship around and fled. On the other hand, the Proprietress and the others chased after him without the slightest hesitation.
Old Bai roared furiously, “Old dog! I’ll hunt you down and rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces even if you flee to the ends of the universe!”
The feud formed from the time Ling Chun Qiu tried to end his Grand Dao could be said to be absolutely irreconcilable. How could he spare Ling Chun Qiu’s life so easily now that he encountered the latter here?
Three streams of light chased after the ship into the distance. During the pursuit, the Proprietress and the others attacked viciously. Their attacks were so fierce that the lights of Boundless Altar’s ship flickered incessantly. Everywhere they went, the passers-by around them hurriedly moved to the side to avoid them.
Inside the Falling Lotus, Yang Kai and the others looked at each other and sighed. They were of no help whatsoever in a battle of such magnitude. Even if they caught up to the Proprietress and the others, they would only get in the way. Thus, they simply stayed where they were. It so happened that the people from Boundless Altar had run away, so this huge empty spot had become a no man’s land. Judging from the current situation, this place would soon be occupied by other people if they chased after the Proprietress and the others. There would be no place for them to go again by the time they returned.
An hour later, three streams of light came from afar and landed on the lotus. It was the Proprietress and the others. Yang Kai went out to take a look at the situation. The three of them showed no signs of injury, which was not surprising considering how strong they were. No matter how hard Ling Chun Qiu and the others resisted, there was nothing they could do against the Proprietress and the others.
Contrary to expectations though, Old Bai was gnashing his teeth and looking depressed.
“What happened? Did you fail to catch up to them?” Yang Kai walked over and asked in a low voice. [That can’t be. Boundless Altar’s ship had nearly been torn to pieces. With the strength of the Proprietress and the others, how could they possibly fail to catch up to the enemy?]
“We had no problems catching up to them, but we couldn’t kill that old dog.” Old Bai clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles cracked loudly.
“Why?” Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows.
Old Bai snarled through gritted teeth, “Somebody protected them.”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed. Boundless Altar was a Second-Class great force. The only ones who could protect them were the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. If the Cave-Heavens and Paradises decided to intervene in this matter, then it was no wonder that the Proprietress and the others had no choice but to retreat.
“Brat, if you meet any of Boundless Altar’s disciples when you enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, help me kill them.” Old Bai turned to look at Yang Kai with a fierce look on his face.
Yang Kai patted Old Bai on the shoulder, “Rest assured. It’s one thing if I don’t meet any of them, but if I run into any of them, I will definitely help you vent some of your anger.”
Only then did Old Bai’s expression lighten slightly.
The enormous lotus stood quietly in the void. The Proprietress and the others stood on top of the flower petals, silently showing off their strength.
Two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and one Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be considered an extremely luxurious line-up. Nobody even dared to approach and stroke the tiger’s whiskers without the backing of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. For that reason, even cultivators of the other great forces would leave after glancing over from a distance when passing by.
For a time, all was at peace.
The entrance to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had yet to appear so far. Fortunately, the Proprietress had a wide range of connections, so after asking around, they determined that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would open within three days. At that time, the entire Blood Monster Territory could turn into a battlefield where a fierce struggle between two evenly-matched opponents would take place.
Yang Kai had nothing to do; hence, he closed his eyes and preserved his strength. He strove to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in his best condition.
Another day passed by and there was still no sign of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opening, so the entire Blood Monster Territory continued to remain calm.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai was meditating when he suddenly heard Old Bai muttering softly, “What are they planning? Why are they coming towards us?”
He opened his eyes upon hearing those words and turned to look in the direction of Old Bai’s gaze. What he saw made him frown involuntarily. That was because a huge palace was rushing through the void in this direction. Moreover, it was showing no sign of detouring or slowing down.
“Are they here to snatch our territory?” He quickly came to understand the situation. Their current location was obtained by snatching the territory from Boundless Altar. Who could have known that karma would hit them so quickly? Only one day had passed and somebody else was already eyeing this spot.
Not to mention, the attack was coming from a First-Class great force! Such a humongous palace was not something a Second-Class great force could refine. Only the Cave-Heavens and Paradises had enough capital to produce an artifact of such scale.
Old Bai nodded solemnly, “That’s probably it.”
Yang Kai frowned deeper, “Which great force is that? Why are they targeting us?”
It did not make any sense. The Blood Monster Territory was so big, so even if there were people everywhere, each party had drawn clear boundaries around their territories. In addition, it was very easy for a First-Class great force to occupy a territory with their strength. However, the route of the palace seemed to indicate that it was coming straight in this direction. In other words, it was coming because it could recognise First Inn.
Atop the lotus flower petals, the Proprietress got up and said slowly, “It’s the Five Elements Palace of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven!”
It was obvious that she had recognised the origins of that palace.
Yang Kai turned to look in that direction, feeling extremely surprised, “It belongs to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven?”
The owner behind First Inn was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. In this way, it could also be said that the great force behind First Inn was Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. Since First Inn belonged to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, then they could be considered members of the same family. Why were they coming here?
While Yang Kai was floundering in his confusion, the Proprietress took out a communication bead and poured her Divine Sense into it as though she was contacting somebody.
Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking about Senior Brother Guo. Senior Brother Guo was somebody Yang Kai once met in Thousand Birds Territory’s Star City. Based on the flow of logic, it made sense that he would also appear in the Blood Monster Territory seeing as he had appeared in the Star City back then. The Proprietress was probably trying to contact him.
A short while later, the Proprietress’ expression darkened. It was obvious that her attempt at communication had not gone smoothly.
At this moment, the enormous palace arrived in front of them and came to a steady halt.
Yang Kai looked up, feeling shocked. Just by looking from a distance, he could tell that the palace was huge. Even so, it wasn’t until it was right in front of him that he realised it truly was a giant existence.
The Falling Lotus was certainly not small and could accommodate several dozen to several hundred people without feeling the slightest bit crowded. Nevertheless, the Falling Lotus looked like a small blade of grass standing beside a huge tree when compared to the palace artifact of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
The palace was at least ten times the size of the Falling Lotus. Its huge shadow loomed over the Falling Lotus, producing a kind of gloomy air. A plaque on the front of the main gate of the palace was emblazoned with the words ‘Five Elements Palace’. The characters shone brilliantly in radiant golden light. Three people stood side by side on the front steps of the Five Elements Palace. They consisted of two men and one woman. Moreover, one of them was Senior Brother Guo whom Yang Kai once met at the auction house.
At this moment, Senior Brother Guo squeezed out an embarrassed smile at the Proprietress. His smile was mixed with a slight sense of helplessness.
In addition to Senior Brother Guo, there was a dry elderly old man. He could only be described as thin and withered-looking, almost like a bamboo stick. His robes were flapping around him noisily. His expression was not angry, but he had an imposing temperament. On the other hand, the woman was extremely glamorous. She was petite and had exquisite features. She also had a pair of peach blossom eyes that overflowed with seductive charm.
Yang Kai could not determine the cultivation of these three people at all. He only knew that Senior Brother Guo was on par with the Proprietress in terms of strength. In other words, Senior Brother Guo was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Even so, it did not seem as though he was in charge of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s current contingent. That was because both he and the glamorous woman were standing half a step behind the elderly man. With such obvious positioning, it could be seen that this elderly man’s status in Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven was higher than that of Senior Brother Guo and the glamorous woman.
Yang Kai was startled. [Senior Brother Guo is already in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Could it be that the elderly man is in the Seventh Order!?]
However, that didn’t make sense. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was indeed of great importance and a grand event that involved the entire 3,000 Worlds. Almost all the great forces would participate in this event. Even the Cave-Heavens and Paradises were no exception. Even so, the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters held such noble statuses, so how could they possibly bother themselves over something like this? It had to be said that the incident involving the Golden Crow Divine Palace had only brought out several High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters because an Eight-Order material was involved.
Just as Yang Kai was feeling suspicious, the Proprietress bowed, “First Inn’s Lan You Ruo greets Elder Chu.” Then, she nodded to the glamorous woman lightly, “Junior Sister Han.”
As for Senior Brother Guo, she outright ignored him.
Junior Sister Han returned the greeting with a soft voice, “Senior Sister Lan!”
She then eyed Old Bai and Yue He with interest. In particular, she took a closer look at Yue He.
The Proprietress nodded and glanced at Elder Chu, “The Blood Monster Cave Heaven is about to open. Why did you come here, Elder Chu?”
Elder Chu had a dried-out appearance, and his voice was just as dry as his appearance. It was almost as if he had never drunk a drop of water in his life, “Are you sure you don’t know why this Old Master is here? Why ask when you already have the answer?”
She faintly said, “Please enlighten me, Elder.”
Senior Brother Guo lightly coughed into his fist and said, “It’s like this, Junior Sister Lan. I’m sure you know how far the Main Sect is from here. Although Elder Chu and the others had calculated the time of departure and should have arrived at the Blood Monster Territory half a month ago, there was some trouble on the road. Because of that, they only arrived today, which is… a bit late.”
“So?” She cast a glance at him.
He scratched his head, “We arrived too late, so we couldn’t find a suitable location anymore. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven has attracted too many people. At present, the entire Blood Monster Territory is crowded with people.”
She flicked her sleeve and snorted, “And? What has that got to do with me?”
Senior Brother Guo chuckled in embarrassment. Just as Senior Brother Guo was about to say something, Elder Chu suddenly raised his hand from where he stood to stop him from speaking. He looked at the Proprietress as he spoke, “This Old Master will not waste time with you. Let us have a frank discussion. The Main Sect is unable to find a suitable location, so this Old Master wishes for you to hand this spot over to become the Main Sect’s base.”
Yang Kai immediately lost his temper when he heard those words, “Why!?”
Although this territory was something the Proprietress and the others had stolen as well, there had been a valid reason for their actions. Be it the Proprietress or Old Bai, both of them held deep grudges against Boundless Altar, the previous owners of this spot. If not for that, the Proprietress and the others would not have abused their strength to rob the other party of their territory. They passed through many places that they could have snatched along the way, but the Proprietress and the others had not arbitrarily attacked anyone up until that point.
Be that as it may, this elderly man with the surname Chu was asking First Inn to give up its place so lightly. Was that not a clear sign that his intention was to harass them? What’s more, the elderly man with the surname Chu had maintained an arrogant attitude and an unquestionable tone throughout the conversation. It was almost as if the others owed him a million Open Heaven Pills. It was extremely annoying.
Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling what Senior Brother Guo mentioned at the exchange meeting. There also existed people who were unfavourable towards the Proprietress in Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. It would seem that Elder Chu was one of these people.
Old Bai’s expression also fell upon hearing those words.
Meanwhile, Elder Chu glanced at Yang Kai calmly but did not bother to respond to him. In his opinion, he probably felt that there was no need for him to explain anything to a mere Emperor Realm Junior with his status. He simply glanced at the Proprietress and exerted an invisible pressure on her.
The Proprietress was obviously a little annoyed, but she managed to suppress her anger, “Although there are many people in the Blood Monster Territory at the moment, it should not be a problem for you to obtain a territory with your strength and prestige. Isn’t that right, Elder Chu? Why do you specifically target me?”
Elder Chu replied indifferently, “That’s true. It is very easy for this Old Master to occupy a territory if he wanted to. I believe no one would dare not give the Main Sect face; however, won’t the Main Sect be slandered as an entity that abuses its strength to bully the weak if this Old Master were to do that? That would definitely result in damage to the Main Sect’s reputation. That is not desirable! Not desirable at all!”
Yang Kai was furious, “Snatching somebody else’s territory is an abuse of your strength and bullying the weak, so you targeted one of your own instead!? For the sake of something like reputation, you can damage the interests of one of your own!? What kind of logic is that!?”
Both Elder Chu and Senior Brother Guo frowned and gave Yang Kai a displeased look. On the other hand, a young man who had been standing behind Elder Chu immediately leapt forward and scolded Yang Kai without a trace of politeness, “The Elders are speaking! How dare a mere Emperor Realm Junior interrupt them with your nonsense!?”
This young man had been standing behind Elder Chu without saying a word this entire time, but he had an extraordinary bearing. It was easy to tell that he was probably one of the elite disciples of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. Yang Kai had interrupted twice. Due to Elder Chu’s status, it was inconvenient for him to say anything. In comparison, this young man was not bound by such scruples.
Yang Kai glanced sideways at the young man and curled his lips, “With such bold talk, I was wondering which High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master it was. It turns out to be nothing more than an Emperor Realm Junior.”
The young man coldly snorted with a look of disdain, “There are vast differences between Emperor Realm cultivators. Although both you and I are Emperor Realm Masters at the moment, I am destined to stand above the clouds in the future while you are destined to wallow in the mud. I will be looking down on you from above. Let’s see if you still dare to speak to me in that manner then!”
Yang Kai sneered, “Then, you better start praying so that you never meet me in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven; otherwise, I will beat you so badly that you’ll resemble a pig’s head!”
The young man burst into laughter, “This is the first time I’ve ever met such a crazed Junior before! Let’s see whether you can even enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in the first place. Who knows? You might not even get the chance!”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “Don’t worry. Even if you can’t enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, I can.”
The two Emperor Realm cultivators were arguing in front of a group of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Furthermore, neither of them was willing to back down. It was quite a strange sight.
Senior Brother Guo couldn’t bear to listen any longer so he looked at the Proprietress with a grimace, “Junior Sister, please reprimand your people.”
The Proprietress replied calmly, “Senior Brother, why don’t you reprimand your people first?”
Elder Chu spoke up, “Why are you all making so much noise? Cease this nonsense!” His expression that had always remained as tranquil as an ancient well was tainted with a hint of rage. He glared at the Proprietress, “First Inn doesn’t have that many people in the first place. Why do you need to occupy such a large territory? Many people from the Main Sect came on this trip. Unfortunately, we arrived slightly later than expected. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven may open at any time, so there is no time to find another place. If you are still grateful for the kindness that the Main Sect has shown you, then you should be willing to sacrifice for the Main Sect.”
The Proprietress’ voice was cold as she retorted, “It was the old man who was kind to me. What does that have to do with Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven?”
Elder Chu snapped irritably, “The old man you are referring to is one of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s Elders! Whether you admit it or not, you have received the kindness of the Main Sect!”
“That’s just your wishful thinking.” She sneered, “Besides, who said that First Inn doesn’t have many people? We naturally have our own reasons for occupying such a large territory. What will happen to the people under me if I hand this territory over to you? I suggest you should hurry and find another place while you still have time. Who knows? You might be able to find an unclaimed area. But, it will really be too late if you wait around any longer.”
His expression was as ugly as could be, “Do you insist on doing this?”
Senior Brother Guo stepped forward, “Please stop arguing. Look; I have a suggestion. First Inn won’t need to give up this territory either. Why don’t we both share this spot? This territory is quite large so when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opens, many entrances will probably appear here. At that time, we can let the little ones compete for the entrances with their own strength. That way, they won’t have any complaints even if they failed to seize the opportunity.”
“Impossible!” The Proprietress refused flatly. This was the territory that First Inn had acquired. Yang Kai had mentioned earlier that he could bring everybody into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven with him by using the Sealed World Bead, so they only needed to fight for a single entrance. Nevertheless, she could not swallow this indignity. Why should she share with Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven? She would have nothing to say if the old man himself came forward; however, Elder Chu had always looked down on her. She had no reason to make things easy for this old man.
“Fine!” Contrary to expectations, Yang Kai nodded in agreement at the same moment that she refused.
She turned to look in that direction only to see Yang Kai winking at her furtively.
Senior Brother Guo hesitated, “Junior Sister, do the words of this boy… count? Do you need to discuss this first?”
Her expression was cold as she pondered in silence for a moment. Then, she nodded, “Since he has agreed to it… I’ll let him make the decision. But, we will agree on this in advance. If anybody dares to intervene when they are competing for the entrances, then don’t blame this Great Aunt for hitting back!”
Senior Brother Guo laughed, “Affairs between the children should be left to them. As Seniors, it’s enough if we just watch over them. What do you think, Senior Brother Chu?”
Elder Chu coldly snorted, but his expression did not change in the slightest. Although he did not agree with this method, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven could open at any time now. If he rejected this suggestion at this time, he might really fail to find even the last spot available. Thus, he immediately replied unhappily, “If you go back on your word, this Old Master will definitely report this matter to Elder Si Tu. I’ll see how you still dare to hold your head high to face him then!”
The Proprietress didn’t even bother to look at him, treating him as though he were a fart in the wind.
Hence, a strange sight appeared in the void. The gigantic Five Elements Palace and the much smaller Falling Lotus coexisted peacefully in that piece of territory that could not be considered large.
It had to be said that countless great forces from all over the 3,000 Worlds were gathered in the Blood Monster Territory at the moment. Both large and small great forces would occupy a territory that belonged solely to them. In that way, they would have the advantage of being closer if the entrance to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were to appear in front of them.
There were no other great forces in the Blood Monster Territory in the same situation as First Inn and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
“Smelly brat, what crazy idea are you cooking up now?” The Proprietress couldn’t help asking when she saw Yang Kai sneakily studying his surroundings. The one who agreed to Senior Brother Guo’s suggestion earlier had also been him. Although she could guess that he was up to no good, she had no idea what he planned to do.
Yang Kai did not answer; instead, he asked a completely different question, “Proprietress, is First Inn directly under Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven?”
She replied, “Nonsense! The old man is the Owner of First Inn. Even though the old man is one of the Elders of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, First Inn is considered the old man’s private asset.”
“Private asset!?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded. He might not know how much income First Inn brought in, but he was certain that they were raking in profit every single day. Not to mention that there were so many branches across numerous Great Territories. [I can’t believe such a great force is nothing more than the private assets of that old man surnamed Si Tu. I have to say; the heritage of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master is just so different from our own.]
“Then… Will it trouble First Inn if I were to make the people from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven suffer a little?”
She sneered, “In that case, I’ll be looking forward to it. What do you plan to do?”
“You just need to watch the good show later.”
While speaking, Yang Kai’s gaze shifted towards the Five Elements Palace. He just so happened to meet the gaze of the young man who had been quarrelling with him before. Four eyes suddenly met but the young man’s expression was filled with contempt. He reached up and slowly slid his hand across his neck like a blade… The threat behind his actions were obvious.
Yang Kai sneered in his heart and directed a question at the Proprietress, “Who is that guy? He looks like a complete wastrel.”
She raised her head and glanced in that direction, “I forgot his name, but he is probably that old dog’s Legacy Disciple.”
“Is that so…” Yang Kai grinned, “I got it.”
Staring at the young man deeply, Yang Kai suddenly announced, “It’s still early. I’m going to take a walk.”
After saying that, he slipped out with his hands behind his back. He looked absolutely carefree, almost as if he was going sightseeing.
The Proprietress failed to stop him in time, so she could only remind him, “Don’t go off for too long and come back soon! The entrance to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven may appear at any time!”
“I know!” He didn’t even bother to turn back as he waved his hand at her dismissively.
…
Inside the Five Elements Palace, the young man watched Yang Kai and did not take his eyes off the latter at all. Yang Kai was acting like he was patrolling his own territory, looking around left and right in the vast void. There was no saying what he was doing. Hence, the young man couldn’t help snorting coldly, “Pitiful weakling!”
Senior Brother Guo was standing right next to the young man. Upon hearing those words, he laughed, “Nephew, don’t judge a person by their appearance.”
Jumping in surprise, the young man hurriedly turned around and bowed, “Martial Uncle Guo!” He frowned, “Martial Uncle, what do you mean? Is there anything worthy of respect in that brat?”
Senior Brother Guo said, “Do you know the name ‘Yu Luo Sha’?”
The young man did not understand why Senior Brother Guo suddenly brought up an irrelevant person; even so, he nodded seriously, “Of course. I went to Thousand Birds Territory’s Star City two years ago and participated in the Asura Arena on a whim. I fought Yu Luo Sha once!”
“Oh?” Senior Brother Guo raised an eyebrow at those words, “What was the result of your fight?”
“It was a draw. I fought her for six hours until I was completely exhausted in the end. But, don’t worry, Martial Uncle. This disciple has been working hard over the past two years. My strength has improved greatly compared to back then. If my estimation is correct, Yu Luo Sha will definitely enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. This disciple will not embarrass the Main Sect if I encounter her inside.”
Senior Brother Guo nodded, “I’m not worried about you meeting Yu Luo Sha. If you fought her on equal terms two years ago, then I’m sure you won’t be weaker than her two years later. Rather, I’m worried about you meeting that boy inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
The young man was astonished for a moment, then he immediately became annoyed, “Martial Uncle, why do you speak so highly of him and belittle me? Although my aptitude is poor, I have never failed the teachings of Honoured Master in all these years!”
Senior Brother Guo sighed, “I’m not trying to belittle you, but you wouldn’t be so carefree if you saw how the fight went between that boy and Yu Luo Sha went.”
The young man was dumbfounded, “He fought Yu Luo Sha before? What was the result of his fight?”
“One move!” Senior Brother Guo turned to look at the young man sternly, “Yu Luo Sha was completely defeated in a single move!”
“Impossible!” The young man reacted as if he was struck by lightning. His entire body stiffened in shock and his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
“There’s nothing impossible about it. I witnessed it personally.” Senior Brother Guo reached out a finger and pointed at the tall girl standing beside him all this while, “If you don’t believe me, you can ask Junior Sister Zhu yourself.”
The young man turned to look at the tall girl and she gently nodded in affirmation.
“One move…” The colour drained out of his face. He was as pale as a dead man, “How can Yu Luo Sha be defeated in a single move? Like me, she condensed Sixth-Order Elements. We are only one step away from advancing into the Open Heaven Realm. How can anybody below the Open Heaven Realm overwhelm her so completely?”
“It’s simple.” Senior Brother Guo glanced at Yang Kai’s back in the distance, “What you are condensing is the Sixth-Order Elements, but… that boy is condensing Seventh-Order Elements!”
“Seventh-Order Elements!?” The young man’s eyes narrowed as though he had received a great shock, “He…”
Senior Brother Guo said, “This Martial Uncle will give you a piece of advice. If you encounter him in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, run as far as you can. I’m certain that brat is not a soft-hearted and forgiving young man. You were having a dispute with him just now, so be careful, just in case he does something to you inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
“He dares!?” The young man was livid.
Senior Brother Guo patted the young man on the shoulder, “It’s better to endure for a moment and keep the peace. He has condensed Seventh-Order Elements, so while his future might seem bright and promising, it is actually filled with misfortune and danger. The higher one stands, the harder one falls after all.”
After listening to what Senior Brother Guo said, the young man seemed to recall something. His complexion slowly returned to normal and he nodded, “This Disciple will remember your advice, Martial Uncle.”
Gazing in the direction that Yang Kai had left, the young man gripped his fists lightly and sneered in his heart. [Condensing Seventh-Order Elements… He doesn’t know his place!]
…..
Exactly half a day later, Yang Kai finally returned to the Falling Lotus. He looked up and saw that the Five Elements Palace was crowded with people. Many cultivators were standing on the deck and listening to Elder Chu’s teachings. He was amazed by the sight, “Just how many people did they bring?”
The Proprietress replied, “The Blood Monster Cave Heaven only opens once every 200 years. They might not have another chance in the future. It’s only natural for them to want a share of the pie while they still have the chance. The numbers from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven are considered on the low side even. They only have 200 or so. Some great forces might even dispatch 4 or 5 hundred people.”
Old Bai chimed in, “It’s just that the entrances are limited. There’s no point even if many of them come. They have to successfully secure an entrance if they want to enter.” He turned to look at Yang Kai, “You should act now. It’ll be too late if you wait any longer.”
Yang Kai nodded and slipped into the Falling Lotus. He placed Lang Qing Shan and the others in the Small Sealed World, then he put the Falling Lotus away. By the time he finished doing everything, the 200 disciples from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven had moved out and spread out into the surroundings. They were evenly distributed across the rather spacious void that was their territory. In this way, the person closest to the entrance would have the greatest advantage if an entrance appeared near them.
Glancing around carefully, Yang Kai discovered that the two hundred disciples had practically occupied the entire area within the Void. The distance between each person was rather evenly spaced. It was clear that they had no intention of leaving any space for First Inn at all. If there were more than thirty people from First Inn who were trying to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, this would have turned into an awkward situation. Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven had the advantage in numbers after all. If it came down to a fight, First Inn had no advantages to speak of. It was truly fortunate that he had the Sealed World Bead.
“Proprietress, I’m going.” Yang Kai had his sights set on a certain location, so after a cursory goodbye, he immediately headed towards that spot.
“Young Master, please be careful!” Yue He called out from behind.
Guo Zi Yan cupped his fists and quickly said, “This subordinate wishes you all the best! May you return with success!”
Yang Kai waved goodbye.
A short while later, he came to a spot near one of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s disciples and came to a halt. Although it was said to be near, he was still a few hundred metres away from the other party. It was just that the others had a distance of several kilometres between them, so this distance was relatively close.
The Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciple shouted at Yang Kai furiously when he noticed him, “Brat! Are you looking for trouble!?”
Not only had Yang Kai come alone, but out of all the places he could stop, he also just had to stop so close to this man. Therefore, it upset him greatly.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai turned to look at the disciple and grinned. He pointed in another direction and asked, “Junior Brother, can I ask you a question? What is that guy’s name?”
The Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciple glanced in the direction that Yang Kai was pointing and blurted out, “That’s Yin Xin Zhao. Senior Brother Yin is Elder Chu’s Legacy Disciple. He is expected to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future… Hey, what the Hell do you count for!? How dare you so shamelessly address me as ‘Junior Brother’!?”
“So his name is Yin Xin Zhao!” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Even though there were several kilometres between them, that smile gave Yin Xin Zhao an inexplicable sense of horror. He had looked down on Yang Kai before learning what the latter was capable of. However, he knew that he was not Yang Kai’s opponent once he learned that even Yu Luo Sha had been defeated by Yang Kai in one move. It was only natural for him to feel uncomfortable when he was being watched by Yang Kai so wolfishly. [This guy can’t be trying to compete against me for an entrance, right? There is a distance of several kilometres between us after all. If the entrance appears near me, I’m bound to have the advantage. How can he win?]
“Junior Brother!” Yang Kai turned to smile at the disciple nearby, “Seeing as you answered my questions, I’ll give you a piece of advice!”
That person roared furiously, “Speak if you have something to say!”
“You should keep a distance from me; otherwise… You won’t be able to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven!”
That person was taken aback by those words for a moment. Then, he lost his temper completely, “Brat, don’t you dare snatch my entrance from me! I will cut off your head and use it as a urinal!”
“I’m just giving you a friendly warning!” After saying that, Yang Kai closed his eyes and spread his Divine Sense out to cover the surroundings.
That person glared at Yang Kai furiously, intending to spit out some insults; however, he saw that Yang Kai was no longer paying any attention to him. Although he was burning with rage, he simply opened his eyes wide and kept a close watch on his surroundings, lest an entrance to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven appeared all of a sudden.
Time passed slowly and a feeling of anxiety gradually filled the quiet void. Even cultivators from the same great force would feel tension when their gazes occasionally met. All of them had gone through rigorous selection of their respective Sects in order to obtain the qualifications to come here. Be that as it may, there was no guarantee that they could enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. This issue involved a matter of fighting over the entrances. Only those who could secure an entrance could enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. That was why everybody else was a rival in their eyes. How could they not be wary of the others?
Yang Kai kept his eyes tightly closed. He was completely motionless, almost as if he had fallen asleep.
In contrast, Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciple standing a few hundred metres away from Yang Kai was feeling incredibly anxious. Even though he kept his eyes wide open and vigorously searched his surroundings for so long, there were no signs of an entrance appearing nearby. His eyes were already starting to feel tired. Turning to glance at Yang Kai, he coldly snorted, “Hmph! Playing cheap tricks!”
He reached up to rub his tired eyes. Not a moment later, he suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his vision. He turned to look in that direction and saw a glimmer of red light appearing at a certain spot in the void. The light was not very conspicuous when it first appeared, but it quickly spread like a drop of ink in clear water.
It took only three breaths for that glimmer of light to transform into a swirling blood-red portal. The portal was not large, only able to accommodate a single person passing through it while the aura of a Universe World leaked out from beyond it.
The entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven… had finally begun to appear! At that moment, all the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven and First Inn turned to look at the blood portal at the same time.
How could that person continue to rub his eyes? He couldn’t help bursting into laughter as he cheered, “The Heavens are on my side!”
With a slight shift of his body, he immediately rushed in the direction of the blood portal. He never imagined that the first entrance would appear near him. It was a huge stroke of fortune. He had been extremely nervous while waiting earlier, afraid that no entrances would appear within his couple-kilometre range. If that was the case, then he would not be able to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven no matter how capable he was.
Who could have known that he would be so lucky? All his worries from before dissipated into nothing, causing him to throw his head back and laugh heartily.
[I’m going to be the first person to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven!] Although the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was filled with all sorts of dangers, he was already here, so who was not mentally prepared for all the possibilities? Just as there were dangers lurking everywhere inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, there was also an abundance of opportunities to be had. He might be able to achieve success overnight if he could obtain some benefit inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It would be even more wonderful if he could advance into the Open Heaven Realm once it was all over.
He was feeling extremely excited and his expression reflected his emotional state. He hurriedly rushed towards the entrance as though he could see a bright future beckoning to him from within the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
In the next moment, his smile froze on his face. Widening his eyes, he stared in the direction of the blood portal and exclaimed in disbelief, “How is that possible!?”
That was because a person had appeared right in front of the blood portal during that brief flight of fantasy he had! Moreover, it was a person who should have been several hundred metres behind him!
Thinking that he had seen wrong, he even turned back to look behind him. There was no sign of a person’s figure at the spot where Yang Kai had been standing earlier. Somehow, the hateful young man had vanished at some point in time and bypassed him directly to arrive in front of the blood portal.
…..
Inside the Five Elements Palace, the three Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven all had different expressions on their faces.
Senior Brother Guo was absolutely dumbfounded, “This…”
Elder Chu shouted through gritted teeth, “Space Secret Technique!”
The glamorous woman revealed a look of realisation and murmured to herself, “So that’s how it is!”
She had been puzzled when Yang Kai agreed so readily to Senior Brother Guo’s suggestion earlier; after all, the situation was very disadvantageous to First Inn. Judging by the current situation, this Junior by the name of Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space and could perform Instantaneous Movement. He could shuttle back and forth across the Void in an instant without regard for the barriers of space. With such a Divine Ability, why would he worry about failing to secure an entrance?
She laughed and shook her head. [Taking petty revenge just because he suffered a bit of loss… That’s so childish. It’s just a single entrance. So what if that Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciple fails to secure it? We don’t expect all of them to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It’s a good result even if only 50 out of these 200 disciples managed to go in. Losing one entrance won’t cause a problem for the overall situation. It doesn’t matter how amazing this boy’s Space Secret Techniques are. In the end, he’s just one pers…]
As soon as that thought came to mind, everybody saw Yang Kai abruptly reaching his hand into the Void. Immediately after that, he fished a chubby fatty out of nowhere…
Senior Brother Guo was shocked, as were Elder Chu and the glamorous woman… Then, all three of them suddenly had a bad feeling.
…..
“The entrance to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven!” The chef immediately yelled in excitement when he appeared.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Hurry up and get inside!” Yang Kai kicked the chef in his butt and sent the chef falling into the blood portal. The swirling portal immediately collapsed upon itself and swiftly turned into a small red dot that vanished into thin air.
Just as the Proprietress and the others had mentioned before, the entrance to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was extremely unstable. Each entrance could only accommodate a single person passing through before it collapsed, so after Yang Kai released the chef from the Sealed World Bead and tossed him straight into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, the entrance immediately disappeared.
It wasn’t until this moment that the previous Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciple arrived, but he was too late. Staring blankly at the spot where the entrance used to be, he was completely dumbfounded at first. Then, his blank stare was followed by a furious roar, “You bastard!”
Yang Kai brushed past that disciple and patted him on the shoulder, “Good luck, Junior Brother. I hope another entrance will appear nearby!”
Manipulating Space Principles, his figure vanished out of sight again.
Only that disciple was left behind in the same spot, fuming with rage that had nowhere to go.
By the time Yang Kai appeared again, he was already several kilometres away. There was a small glimmer of red light in front of him, expanding quickly to become an entrance.
300 metres away, another Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciple had just spotted the entrance, but before that disciple could make a move, Yang Kai grabbed the accountant out of the Small Sealed World and tossed him into the entrance.
The accountant’s figure flashed and vanished. He probably did not even realise what was happening before everything was over.
Following that, Yang Kai’s figure flickered again. This time around, he appeared two kilometres away. It was almost like he had predicted the future as a small red dot was just appearing when his figure reappeared from the Void. Three breaths later, the entrance took form. Yang Kai grabbed another person from the Small Sealed World and tossed them into the portal.
In just a matter of several dozen breaths, Yang Kai had consecutively stolen three entrances. This large void was like his backyard where he could come and go as he pleased. Nobody could compete with him at all. It could even be said that Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples who were checking their surroundings had failed to even discover the appearance of those entrances before Yang Kai acted.
…..
Inside the Five Elements Palace, Elder Chu’s expression was so ugly that one would cry at the sight of him. His gaze was fixed gloomily upon Yang Kai, who was several kilometres away. It was almost as though he wanted to rip Yang Kai into ten thousand pieces!
Three entrances represented three chances that should have belonged to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. Now that they were stolen away, the Main Sect had suffered a huge loss.
“This is difficult. The Brat is very proficient in the Dao of Space.” Senior Brother Guo fiercely scowled, “An entrance into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven appears when the Cave-Heaven and the Blood Monster Territory merge together for a moment, so there are bound to be subtle spatial fluctuations right before it becomes visible. The others might not notice anything, but these spatial fluctuations are as obvious as beacons in a sea of darkness to him. He can accurately locate each entrance before they even appear.”
The glamorous woman continued, “Furthermore, based on that boy’s actions, he probably has an artifact that can hold the living creatures; otherwise, how could he have conjured three people out of thin air?”
“An artifact that can hold living beings is extremely rare. Where did he obtain something like that?” He was puzzled.
She glanced at the Proprietress, “I’m afraid she must have given it to him.”
Elder Chu was furious, “That Junior thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he is proficient in the Dao of Space!? He is not respecting the Main Sect in the slightest! That bastard!”
“Elder, please calm down!” The glamorous woman quickly tried to comfort him, “The Dao of Space might be amazing, but there is still just one of him. He can’t create clones out of himself. It is only just the beginning. I’m sure many entrances will appear in this large void. It’s impossible for him to steal all of them. Besides… He is only in the Emperor Realm. Even if he is proficient in the Dao of Space, there must be limits to the distance he can teleport. As long as an entrance appears outside of his range, he will not be able to do anything either.”
As though to verify her words, five red points of light flickered throughout the void following the consecutive appearances of the three entrances earlier. The five red dots swiftly enlarged and turned into entrances.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered rapidly. Even so, he only managed to steal three entrances; the other two were taken by Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples.
Elder Chu’s expression finally eased slightly at the sight. The Main Sect only managed to obtain two entrances, so only two disciples could enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Nevertheless, it could be considered a good start.
More than a dozen kilometres away from the Five Elements Palace, the Proprietress shook her head slowly, “Smelly brat, you are the embodiment of the saying ‘revenge is a dish best served warm’.”
It was not until this moment that she understood the reason for the question he asked previously. It would seem that he had already planned to make things difficult for Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven beforehand. It was just that he was worried about causing trouble for First Inn. That was why he asked if First Inn would be placed in a difficult position if Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven was humiliated slightly.
At this rate, Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven would not just suffer a small loss, they would suffer a terrible one! Be that as it may, it was Elder Chu who came looking for trouble first. If he had chosen to station himself elsewhere, this would not have happened. Unfortunately, they assumed that First Inn was easily bullied and forced their way into this area.
With Yang Kai’s temperament, how could he let others be happy when he was unhappy? This was a typical act of hindering the success of others even though these actions served no benefit to him.
Entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven appeared one after another throughout the endless void of the Blood Monster Territory, allowing the cultivators waiting nearby to succeed in entering. There were people everywhere in the Blood Monster Territory; as such, less than ten breaths would pass from the time an entrance appeared to the time somebody entered. Some entrances were taken not even a breath after they appeared.
Each entrance represented an opportunity. Whether a person could successfully seize that opportunity or not depended on one’s abilities and one’s luck. For the sake of securing an entrance for themselves, many fellow cultivators from the same great forces would even attack each other. This was also allowed. As long as one was careful when attacking and the attack was not lethal, the Elders leading the team would turn a blind eye to those actions.
The cultivators who managed to secure an entrance would vanish out of sight. On the other hand, those who failed would be extremely annoyed. They had no choice but to search for another entrance.
Inside the territory where First Inn and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven were located, Yang Kai’s figure was flickering about without pause, pushing his Space Principles to their limits. As Senior Brother Guo had mentioned before, the entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were formed when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven merged with the Blood Monster Territory; hence, there was a subtle fluctuation right before an entrance formed. Other people might not be able to perceive anything, but the space fluctuations were extremely conspicuous to Yang Kai, who was proficient in the Dao of Space
For that reason, he was perfectly capable of taking the lead in seizing the opportunities. Even if he was all alone, he was practically unstoppable. Most of the time, the entrances had only just appeared and he was already standing in front of them. He would casually grab somebody from the Small Sealed World and throw them into the entrance, then turn around to leave. As a result, he left many Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s elite disciples stunned and annoyed in his wake.
However, the entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven appeared at irregular intervals. Sometimes, it would take a long time before one appeared. Sometimes, several entrances would appear at the same time, so no matter how capable Yang Kai was, it was impossible for him to dominate all the entrances.
Be that as it may, he had stolen almost 70% of the entrances that had appeared so far. Although Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven had the advantage in numbers, they were only able to secure 30% of those entrances in this territory. Inside the Five Elements Palace, Elder Chu’s eyes were practically spitting fire at the sight. His murderous intent was also extremely dense and he was tempted to smack Yang Kai to death in a single move.
If not for Yang Kai’s constant interference, Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven could have secured nearly 20 of the entrances. On the contrary, only 6 disciples had entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven so far. Every entrance represented an opportunity; therefore, this heavy loss left him feeling heartbroken.
Suppressing his rage, he shifted his gaze to look in another direction instead. His Legacy Disciple, Yin Xin Zhao, was standing in the void and looking around his surroundings with an anxious expression.
He was not very lucky. Almost an incense stick had passed by since the entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven started appearing, but there were no signs of one appearing around him whatsoever. This had resulted in him being unable to obtain a chance to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven even though his strength was extraordinary.
Seeming to notice Elder Chu’s gaze, Yin Xin Zhao turned to look at his Honoured Master. Then, he took a deep breath and suppressed the anxiety in his heart to wait patiently.
And his patience paid off. Less than a cup of tea later, a small red dot suddenly appeared approximately 400 hundred metres away from him. He immediately noticed the changes and swiftly moved in that direction with an expression of excitement. As somebody standing at the peak of the Emperor Realm, a distance of 400 metres was nothing to him. He could cover it in the blink of an eye.
Inside the Five Elements Palace, Elder Chu let out a breath of relief at the sight. It didn’t matter if the other disciples failed to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, but it would be an extremely devastating loss if his Legacy Disciple failed to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. After all, he had very high expectations for this boy.
At that moment, Yang Kai suddenly came to mind. Elder Chu glanced vigilantly at a certain spot in the distance and discovered that Yang Kai was a few thousand kilometres away due to the constant struggle just now; thus, he immediately felt relieved.
With such a huge distance between them, it was impossible for Yang Kai to return in an instant. It was not possible even if he was a Master of the Dao of Space.
As soon as that thought crossed Elder Chu’s mind though, his face twitched. That was because Yang Kai, who was several thousand kilometres away, had abruptly vanished from his field of vision. Immediately following that, Yang Kai appeared not far from Yin Xin Zhao.
Elder Chu was absolutely startled and could barely believe his eyes. [How can this be!? He is only in the Emperor Realm! Even if he is proficient in the Dao of Space, how can he cover a distance of several thousand kilometres in an instant!?
What enraged Elder Chu even more was the fact that another entrance had appeared near the place where Yang Kai was originally located; however, the brat had ignored that entrance and chose to appear in the vicinity of Yin Xin Zhao instead. His actions clearly indicated that he was deliberately aiming at Yin Xin Zhao. Elder Chu couldn’t help feeling anxious; thus, he paid close attention to the situation at hand without looking away in the slightest.
On the other side, the Proprietress and the others had been keeping a close watch on Yang Kai; therefore, they immediately noticed his strange actions. Old Bai let out a frivolous whistle and snickered, his expression seemed to say that he was ready to watch a good show.
Meanwhile, the Proprietress looked pensive. Like Elder Chu, she was puzzled, “How did he achieve Instantaneous Movement over such a large distance? It should have exceeded his limits.”
She had once chased Yang Kai through the void, so she had an idea where his limits were.
Yue He replied gently, “It’s thanks to the Space Beacons, a special artifact that the Young Master refined himself. One is used for positioning while the other is carried around on hand. As long as the distance between these two Space Beacons is not too outrageous, they can be used as anchor points to connect two places across the Void.”
The Proprietress was enlightened, “So, you’re saying that brat left a Space Beacon in the vicinity beforehand?”
Then, she suddenly recalled how Yang Kai had wandered aimlessly throughout the territory with his hands behind his back before the entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven began opening. Judging by the current situation, he was actually making preparations in advance even though he looked like he had only been taking a leisurely stroll. Furthermore, he must have scattered more than one Space Beacon.
“Crafty little bastard,” She spat softly. It would seem that he had already been conspiring to do this when he agreed to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s unreasonable request back then.
Yin Xin Zhao was Elder Chu’s Legacy Disciple. Moreover, he quarrelled with Yang Kai earlier. It would have been strange if Yang Kai did not harass him.
Predictably, Yang Kai had immediately rushed back as soon as he detected an entrance appearing in this area. He even went so far as to ignore other entrances that appeared closer to him.
At this moment, Yin Xin Zhao looked like he had seen a ghost. He turned his head to the side to look at Yang Kai, who was racing forward side by side with him, with a horrified expression on his face.
On the other hand, Yang Kai winked at Yin Xin Zhao; then, his figure flashed and he vanished out of sight.
Yin Xin Zhao raised his head to look forward.
Sure enough, Yang Kai’s figure reappeared in front of the nearby entrance. However, he did not send anybody through the entrance immediately. He simply stood there with a teasing expression and gazed at Yin Xin Zhao. The blood portal swirled endlessly a dozen metres behind him, connecting to the Universe World like a huge mouth that was gaping open in silent mockery.
Yin Xin Zhao was furious. His Emperor Qi surged and he bellowed, “Scram!”
His speed abruptly increased, almost as if he intended to rush into the entrance while Yang Kai was unprepared.
Yang Kai did not bother to dodge aside. He simply stretched out his arm in front of him in slow motion. Space Principles surged and with a strike of his palm, he shouted, “Near… Distant Horizon!”
This palm strike held no destructive force. Yin Xin Zhao was initially on guard against the attack, but contrary to his expectations, no attack came. He was feeling bewildered when he suddenly discovered that he could not approach Yang Kai at all no matter how fast he flew forward. That hateful face continued to smile at him from a few hundred metres away. Meanwhile, the void beneath his feet seemed to extend infinitely despite his constant forward movement! It filled him with an inexplicable sense of terror!
Although he had heard from Senior Brother Guo about how Yu Luo Sha had been defeated by this man in a single move, he had subconsciously refused to believe it; after all, he was familiar with Yu Luo Sha’s abilities. More importantly, he had his pride as an elite disciple of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven and the Legacy Disciple of Elder Chu. He did not consider himself inferior to anybody. He even had the impulsive thought of fighting Yang Kai in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven to determine who was better between them.
Unfortunately, it would now seem that this person’s methods were both profound and mysterious. It was certainly extremely unusual! Just the Divine Ability ‘Near Distant Horizon’ alone was something he had never heard of before.
Be that as it may, he was still a Core Disciple of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven with amazing talent and disposition. As soon as he noticed that something was wrong, he immediately reacted with a loud roar. A violent force erupted from his body and his fists transformed into a rain of shadows that struck out in all directions.
Yang Kai simply watched him quietly, showing no intention of stopping him whatsoever.
Three breaths later, cracks began to appear around him, as if space itself was collapsing. Overjoyed, Yin Xin Zhao increased the intensity of his attacks!
*Kacha…*
The sounds of something shattering rang out and Yin Xin Zhao could clearly feel as though he had escaped from an invisible cage. His entire body felt lighter all of a sudden. The other party’s Divine Ability had been broken!
The moment the understanding struck him, Yin Xin Zhao moved to rush forward without hesitation; however, what entered his field of vision nearly made his eyes pop out of their sockets from rage. He watched as Yang Kai leisurely summoned a person out of thin air before pushing them into the entrance! The blood portal immediately shrank and turned into a red dot that dissipated into nothing.
His complexion was ashen due to his rage and the veins in his temples were throbbing madly. Glaring furiously at Yang Kai, he shouted through gritted teeth, “You bastard! How dare you humiliate me!?”
Yang Kai had come running here from several thousand kilometres away. It was bad enough that he was deliberately targeting him to steal this entrance, but he even went so far as to taunt and trap him until Yin Xin Zhao had broken free of the shackles to use the entrance. It was obviously a deliberate act to humiliate Yin Xin Zhao.
…..
Inside the Five Elements Palace, Elder Chu was so angry that he almost spat blood. His clothes flapped around him wildly as he roared solemnly, “This Junior does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! What impudence!”
Following that, he took a step forward and an endless wave of pressure came crashing down in that direction.
A figure flashed at that moment and the Proprietress stepped in between Yang Kai and him. With a flick of her hand, she lightly stopped the pressure that Elder Chu was exerting and raised her head to look at him, questioning in a cold voice, “What is the meaning of this, Elder Chu? You are a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and the Elder of a famous Sect. Are you planning to attack a child? Who was it who said that adults should only watch over the affairs between children?”
When she spoke the last sentence, she glared at Senior Brother Guo with a vicious look.
Senior Brother Guo was a little embarrassed. Those were certainly his words; nevertheless, he never imagined that Yang Kai would behave so excessively immediately after. Yang Kai had continuously stolen entrances from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, practically pushing them to the verge of despair.
The rage brewing in Elder Chu’s chest was about to erupt like a volcano. His World Force fluctuated erratically, seemingly as though he might attack at any time.
Both Senior Brother Guo and Junior Sister Han were taken aback, with the latter hurriedly speaking, “Elder Chu, please calm down. Senior Sister Lan is a subordinate under Elder Si Tu. She is also considered part of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. We will only make a laughing stock of ourselves if a fight breaks out between us.”
There was something else that Junior Sister Han did not dare to say. The three Open Heaven Realm Master of First Inn were no inferior to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven in terms of both cultivation and Order. If it really came down to a fight, nobody would hold an advantage over the other. It would only result in a situation where both parties suffered losses.
It was obvious that Elder Chu also knew this. Suppressing the rage in his heart, he shouted through gritted teeth, “Lan You Ruo, you better watch over your people carefully! If he dares to do something like that again, don’t blame this Old Master for being merciless!”
The Proprietress did not show any weaknesses though, “Go ahead and try. You’ll see whether or not this Queen breaks those old bones of yours. Old people should find a place to live out their old age. Why did you come running here?”
Elder Chu nearly exploded with rage. Stretching out a hand to point at her, he spoke in a voice trembling with anger, “This Old Master will definitely report this matter to the Sect. Just you wait! You’ll be punished for this!”
She snorted and threw Elder Chu to the back of her mind. When she saw that Yang Kai and Yin Xin Zhao were still glaring at each other in a stalemate, she couldn’t help sending a transmission, “It’s almost time. You should also head inside. All the entrances have almost finished opening. Unexpected changes might occur if you wait any longer.”
“Got it.” Yang Kai replied. Then, he smiled at Yin Xin Zhao and cupped his fist, “Good luck, Brother Yin!”
After saying that, he left with a flash.
[Fuck your good luck!] Yin Xin Zhao was about to explode with anger. He had waited for so long just for this wonderful opportunity. In the beginning, he believed that entering the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was a certainty. Who could have known that Yang Kai would interfere in his affairs so rudely!?
After such a long time, Yin Xin Zhao had discovered a pattern. The entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven might appear without a fixed frequency, but they typically did not appear in the same location twice. In other words, there was not much hope for another entrance to appear in this location that he guarded so zealously. He had to search in another location. However, there were Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples everywhere around him. Where could he go? For a time, his expression was extremely ugly.
On the other side, Yang Kai arrived at another newly-appeared entrance and slipped inside. After stepping into the entrance, he felt a blood light wrapping around him. Then, he was pulled, pushed, and squashed by an invisible force that pressed down on him. The scenery in front of him turned bizarre. A faint sense of dizziness came from the depths of his mind and golden stars filled his vision.
These were typical symptoms of teleportation, so he was all too familiar with this feeling. Moreover, he could tell from the severity of these symptoms that he was not being teleported too far. That was rather understandable. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was hidden within Blood Monster Territory, not to mention that the entrances were formed when both sides merged together. Sooner or later, there would even come a day when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and the Blood Monster Territory would completely merge together. That was why the distance between them was not that large.
It only took several breaths before the bizarre scenery suddenly disappeared. Yang Kai’s vision blurred for a moment and he discovered that he was in another world. He was in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven!
Before he could take a closer look at the surrounding scenery of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven though, he suddenly felt his body sinking downward. It felt like there was a huge mountain pressing down on his shoulders, causing his body to fall into a sharp descent. Only then did he realise that he was standing in mid-air. He hastily tried to correct his posture to stabilize his body, but to his horror and surprise, he found that there was an invisible restriction of some sort in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, preventing him from flying!
This was the Small Universe left behind by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all. The restrictions placed within the world were not something an Emperor Realm cultivator like him could ignore. This place had gone through the baptism of endless years and many of the restrictions had fallen into disrepair. Even so, restraining the abilities of Emperor Realm cultivators was not an issue.
Yang Kai was flustered for a short moment. Lowering his head, he saw that he was no more than a few dozen kilometres above ground. It was just that he was falling out of the sky at a high speed. Be that as it may, he did not panic. He had a Half-Dragon Body, so although it might hurt to fall from such a height, it would not endanger his life.
The key point was that he had not appeared at a very favourable location. There was a group of hyena-like Monster Beasts in the plain directly below him. These Monster Beasts numbered over a hundred and they had a ferocious aura about them. Seeming to detect the scent of a Human, one of the hyenas looked up and let out several short but fierce yelps. Consequently, more than a hundred hyenas soon raised their heads and swarmed around the area where Yang Kai was going to land. They bared their fangs and howled endlessly, seeming extremely hostile.
It was Yang Kai’s first time in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, so he was clueless about the strength of these Monster Beasts. The idea of using them to practice his skills immediately popped into his head.
His figure fell rapidly, like a meteorite falling out of the sky. When he was about three kilometres away from the ground, he stretched out a finger and flicked repeatedly. Pitch-black Moon Blades slashed out, tearing space apart.
Slashing sounds echoed, accompanied by blood splattering everywhere. The bodies of the Monster Beasts that were gathered around in one spot were torn apart by the Moon Blades. They collapsed in a pool of blood. With one attack, more than half out of the hundred or so hyena-like Monster Beasts were either killed or severely injured.
Yang Kai crashed down a moment later, blasting a crater in the ground with a loud boom. The ground cracked and split apart around him. In addition, dust flew up in a cloud in all directions! The short but fierce barks of those hyenas sounded mournfully all around him. By the time he stood up and cast a Secret Technique to get rid of all the smoke and dust, there was only a pile of Monster Beast carcasses left lying on the ground. The rest of the Monster Beasts had turned tail and fled!
“Trash!” Yang Kai spat disdainfully. He had thought that these Monster Beasts were powerful when he saw how fierce and hostile they were. Who could have known that they would be so weak? Even an ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator could have dealt with them easily.
He casually gave a wave of his hand to retrieve one of the hyena’s carcasses and took out its Monster Core. A brief investigation revealed that this Monster Core was equivalent to a First-Order material. In other words, this was nothing more than a First-Order Monster Core!
Yang Kai checked a few more carcasses, but none of them was an exception. It would seem that these hyenas were the weakest First-Order Monster Beasts in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. There was no value in hunting them.
Nonetheless, the situation here was consistent with the information from the Proprietress. The Monster Beasts in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were cultivated and modified by Blood Monster Divine Monarch when he was still alive. The Attributes of every single Monster Core were singular and very pure. This was a very rare phenomenon.
The Monster Core of a Monster Beast was similar to a cultivator’s Dao Seal. It was a collection of a Monster Beast’s Spiritual Essence, so the energy within was generally more convoluted. Although there were Monster Cores with only a single, pure Element in the outside world as well, they were extremely rare.
Not only was that the case for Monster Beasts, but the same also held true for Divine Spirits. It was just that more Divine Spirits had Sources with a singular Attribute compared to these Monster Beasts. For example, Jin Wu’s Source was of the Metal Element. Yang Kai used to covet it greatly. Other examples included Bi Fang who had a Source of the Fire Element and Kun Sha who had a Source of the Water Element! There were all sorts of varieties out there.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had just randomly killed a bunch of Monster Beasts in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Even so, the Element of each Monster Core he obtained was singular and extremely pure. Although the Monster Cores in his hand were only in the First Order and were very low in value, they included the Metal, Water, Earth, and Fire Elements. There were more that he did not gather, but he should be able to obtain all seven types of the Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements from them.
Blood Monster Divine Monarch was definitely an expert in the Dao of cultivating and modifying Monster Beasts! Thus, Yang Kai could not help wondering what he had been aiming for. Cultivating such Monster Beasts would have required an enormous amount of effort and cost and incredible fortune. There must have been a reason for his actions.
A sudden idea occurred to Yang Kai and he couldn’t help thinking of a possibility.
Blood Monster Divine Monarch was in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The next step would be to advance into the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm! If he wanted to advance further, resources like the Open Heaven Pills might not be useful to him. In that case, he would need to refine all sorts of cultivation resources. It was just that his Order was so high that refining ordinary resources was just a waste of time. The only method that could work was if he refined Eighth-Order materials.
However, Seventh-Order materials were already extremely scarce. Eighth-Order materials, which were one Order higher, were probably even harder to find. Even if he himself was in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Blood Monster Divine Monarch would not be able to find such treasures just anywhere.
Since he could not find them, then he had no choice but to think of a way to create them himself! If he could produce an Eighth-Order Monster Beast, he could then slay that Monster Beast for its Monster Core! In that way, it might be possible to further improve his cultivation.
The jade slip from the Proprietress had recorded the existence of Seventh-Order Monster Beasts in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was not a mere rumour but rather that cultivators had actually encountered Seventh-Order Monster Beasts in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven over the years.
Be that as it may, the jade slip did not contain any information on Eighth-Order Monster Beasts. Judging from the situation, it was either that Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s breeding efforts had failed and no Eighth-Order Monster Beast had ever been born, or all the Eighth-Order Monster Beasts had already been slaughtered by Blood Monster Divine Monarch!
Yang Kai shook his head. He did not know if his guesses were correct. It was just an idea that came to mind all of a sudden. Unfortunately, only Blood Monster Divine Monarch himself would know the actual reason why he began to cultivate and modify these Monster Beasts. This Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had passed away so many millennia ago that the truth of ancient times had long been buried, becoming an unsolvable mystery.
In any case, countless cultivators had benefited from Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s legacy. As long as one was strong enough, one could easily obtain suitable cultivation resources in this place. Leaving aside the Monster Cores of different Orders and varying Elements hidden within the bodies of the Monster Beasts, just the Cultivation Paradises scattered all over the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was enough to make people go crazy.
Every 200 years, countless cultivators would flock here just to obtain the cultivation resources that they wanted in order to receive the qualifications to advance into the Open Heaven Realm. Naturally, great benefits would also come with great dangers. Only the elite disciples of each Sect would be able to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Nevertheless, how many of them actually left this place alive? Just as how great waves washed away the sand, only the best among the best would survive such trials.
Yang Kai casually put away the First-Order Monster Cores in his hand and ignored the rest. First-Order materials were only worth some 150 Open Heaven Pills. With his wealth, he had no interest in such baubles. He then waved his hand and eight figures came out of the Small Sealed World to appear in front of him.
With Lang Qing Shan in the lead, these people cupped their fists in greeting, “Sir!”
Yang Kai nodded gently, his gaze sweeping over each one of them. More than 30 people had been hidden in the Small Sealed World earlier; however, he had thrown most of those people into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven when he was stealing entrances from the Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples. He did not know where they had been scattered at this point.
Since they had the resolution to train by themselves though, then their survival was up to their own respective fates. There was no point worrying about them. It was just as Lang Qing Shan and the others had mentioned previously, they could not keep relying on him and hiding under the shelter of his wings. When walking the path of a cultivator, one would only grow and become stronger by experiencing real hardships.
“This is the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.” Yang Kai got straight to the point, “Are you coming with me or going your own way?”
Lang Qing Shan and the others exchanged glances with each other before they responded in unison, “We would like to try exploring this Sealed World on our own. Please forgive our selfishness, Sir.”
This was the same resolve they had expressed previously. Otherwise, Yang Kai would not have thrown them, one after another, into the entrances of Blood Monster Cave Heaven earlier. Since they had made up their minds, then they would not change them easily.
He nodded, “In that case, please be careful.”
Everybody responded enthusiastically and rolled up their sleeves as though planning to demonstrate their skills in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
After that, he turned to look at Guo Miao, “What about you?”
Guo Miao glanced at Lang Qing Shan and quietly blushed before she said softly, “This Disciple would like to follow Big Brother Qing Shan.”
Yang Kai was taken aback by her words. He looked at Guo Miao, then looked at Lang Qing Shan. Quickly grasping the situation, he nodded, “Qing Shan.”
“Sir!” Lang Qing Shan stepped forward.
Yang Kai looked at Lang Qing Shan with a smile, “Guo Miao wishes to join you. What do you think?”
Lang Qing Shan was embarrassed. Sneaking a glance at Guo Miao, he cupped his fist and quickly said, “This subordinate will definitely keep Junior Sister Guo safe. Please rest assured, Sir.”
Yang Kai patted Lang Qing Shan on the shoulder, “I’m not worried, but you better not let anything happen to her; otherwise, you will have a hard time providing Commander Guo with an explanation when you exit the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
Lang Qing Shan nodded solemnly.
Yang Kai looked around again before saying loudly, “You are all ambitious men. This King is very pleased, so I will not stop you. This King wishes you all the best. I hope that any misfortune you encounter will turn into opportunity and good luck!”
Afterwards, he took out the jade slip that the Proprietress handed to him previously. Using his Divine Sense to make copies of this jade slip, he handed each person one. Only then did he wave his hands to tell them to leave.
A short while later, Yang Kai was the only person remaining in this place. He was holding the jade slip in his hand and trying to compare his location with the incomplete map recorded inside to determine his position. Unfortunately, he had only just entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. The information that he received was too little, so he could not determine where he was even after checking the map for some time.
With no other choice, he could only put the jade slip away and prepare to explore a little more. He could make a decision again once he had more information to compare.
Randomly choosing a direction, Yang Kai travelled onward. Along the way, he did some experiments and discovered that he could only float at a height of several dozen metres in this damned place. If he tried to go any higher, he would lose his ability to fly. There was probably a Flight Inhibiting Array covering the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. His discovery was in line with the feeling he got when he first arrived in this place.
The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was certainly worthy of being the Small Universe left behind after the death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It was truly not much different from a real Universe World. In this place, the World Principles were essentially perfect, the World Force was lively and vigorous, and World Energy was abundant everywhere. It was a huge Cultivation Paradise.
According to Old Bai, at least some tens of thousands of people could enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven every time it opened. This was not a small number. During his travels, he would occasionally encounter some people, most of them alone, like him. Thus, they tended to be wary of their surroundings and chose to give a wide berth to strangers whenever they sensed an unfamiliar aura so that they could avoid conflict.
The entrances of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were widely scattered all over the Blood Monster Territory. As a result, the people who entered this place were not gathered in any one place either. Rather, they were scattered across every corner of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
It had to be said that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was a paradise for Monster Beasts. There were countless Monster Beasts of various shapes and sizes roaming this place.
Yang Kai travelled forward for half a day but did not encounter many cultivators; he did, however, run into many Monster Beasts. Along the way, he came across many traces of fighting, as well as the corpses of various Monster Beasts. All their Monster Cores had been retrieved; there were no exceptions. Although he did not see any corpses belonging to cultivators, that was not to say that no cultivators had died. On the contrary, even if any cultivators were killed in battle, their corpses would have been devoured by the Monster Beasts.
Yang Kai’s true strength had already surpassed the limits of an Emperor Realm cultivator; after all, he had even killed several Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in the past. Most ordinary Monster Beasts were not his opponents at all and he could instantly kill any Monster Beasts in the Fourth Order and below. He had yet to meet any Fifth-Order Monster Beasts, so he did not know the strength of one yet.
Aside from that, this place was also abundant with various Spirit Flowers and exotic plants. There was no saying whether they formed in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven by natural means or whether they were cultivated by the late Blood Monster Divine Monarch. Be that as it may, Yang Kai only selectively harvested some and did not waste his time with those of little value and rarity.
After surveying his surroundings for half a day, Yang Kai had gotten some understanding of his current location. Comparing his location with the map recorded inside the jade slip, he adjusted his direction slightly and headed towards the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If he was heading in the right direction, then there should be a swamp up ahead.
An hour later, a huge swamp appeared in front of him. There was no end in sight to the swamp, which only made him more confident that he was heading in the right direction.
Floating ten metres above the ground, Yang Kai’s figure flew across the swamp. All of a sudden, he halted in mid-air and looked forward with a frown. There was an unusual fluctuation in the Void coming from a spot less than three metres from where he stood. He would not have noticed anything if he were not proficient in the Dao of Space.
[A Void Crack!] His brow rose, surprised to find a Void Crack in this swamp. Under careful probing, he discovered that the Void Crack was quite long, at least several dozen metres in length, stretching out invisibly and horizontally.
Void Cracks were extremely dangerous, to the point that even though he was proficient in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai was reluctant to touch something like that. Once touched, he would either be slashed in half by this invisible Void Crack, or dragged into the Void Crack with no means of determining his direction.
He was secretly shocked. This Void Crack was so well hidden that he had nearly run straight into it without realising it. It would seem that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was indeed becoming rather unstable; otherwise, it was impossible for something like a Void Crack to appear in the middle of nowhere. The appearance of the Void Crack undoubtedly meant that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would not last for much longer.
After perceiving his surroundings, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling speechless. There was more than one Void Crack above the swamp. In fact, there were numerous Void Cracks messily scattered across the sky.
This place was highly dangerous. If somebody were to accidentally pass through this place, they would lose their lives nine times out of ten. Yang Kai’s gaze suddenly landed on a certain spot in the swamp. That spot had faint traces of bloodstains and he couldn’t help sighing. It looked like somebody had already met their demise here.
Not everybody was able to sense the dangers lurking in this place after all. The only reason Yang Kai managed to detect these dangers was by relying on his mastery of Space Principles.
Just as he was preparing to bypass this area, Yang Kai abruptly turned his head to the right and shouted, “Who is it sneaking around over there!? Show yourself!”
While speaking, he reached out a hand towards the depths of the swamp to grab at something.
At the same time that he made his move, a beam of light shot out from under the water. That beam of light was aimed directly at his face and was extremely hostile.
Yang Kai leaned to the side and dodged the attack, but immediately following that beam of light, a figure charged out of the swamp. Water splashed and rippled everywhere. A sword stabbed forward, shooting out thousands of sword waves that swarmed over him.
“Despicable!” Yang Kai roared furiously. His figure dropped sharply, instantly figuring out the intentions of the sneak attacker.
The other party was probably aware of the existence of the Void Cracks; therefore, they laid an ambush in this place to see if they could gain riches from the dead. After all, the wonderful chance to pick up the assets left behind by the dead without lifting a finger was not something one could easily encounter. It just so happened that the invisible and intangible Void Cracks that practically covered the entire sky above the swamp had created a chance like that for this person.
Who could have predicted that Yang Kai would be so alert though? He not only discovered the existence of the Void Cracks in advance but also noticed that person’s ambush. Thus, that person had no choice but to strike out openly.
While falling downward, Yang Kai flicked his fingers repeatedly. Numerous Moon Blades slashed towards the sneak attacker.
That person reacted quickly. Sensing that the Moon Blades were shockingly destructive, he hastily released numerous sword waves. The Moon Blades and the sword waves collided with each other and vanished without a trace in mid-air. The attacker frowned at the sight; then, he turned his body and fluttered to the ground several tens of metres away. Tilting his head to look at Yang Kai, he grinned, “Wait, Senior Brother! Don’t attack! This is a misunderstanding!”
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai finally caught a clear glimpse of the sneak attacker’s appearance.
The young man appeared to be in his early twenties and looked quite capable. Although there was a smile on his face, his eyes were filled with deep wariness. He probably never expected Yang Kai to be such a difficult opponent. Besides, he was not weak in his own right. He also had the advantage of launching a sneak attack. His attempt would have succeeded if Yang Kai’s cultivation had been slightly weaker. If his attempt had succeeded, it would not have been a ‘misunderstanding’ anymore. It was precisely because he noticed Yang Kai’s strength that he said those words.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Seeing as it’s a misunderstanding, why don’t you invite your companion out to join us?”
While saying so, he suddenly punched at something behind him. That punch ignored the very barriers of space. When the force of the punch burst forth, a muffled grunt rang out.
Another figure appeared out of nowhere, no more than several tens of metres behind Yang Kai. At this moment, that person was pale-faced and retreating backwards. Blood was trickling out of his mouth and he was horrified to see that he had coughed up blood after just one of Yang Kai’s punches.
Startled, the young man smiled bitterly, “I admit defeat! You are amazing indeed, Senior Brother. My Brother and I have made a mistake. Please forgive us, Senior Brother.”
He immediately backed down upon realising Yang Kai’s strength. It could be said that he was rather flexible and adaptable.
Yang Kai looked at the young man calmly, “What is there to hide at this point? Ask your third companion to come out.”
The young man frowned, “There’s only my Brother and me here. We just wanted to take advantage of the situation to get some free benefits. What do you mean by a third person?”
All of a sudden, a stream of bubbles emerged behind the young man. Immediately after that, a whip-like object shot out from the swamp. Before the young man could react, it pierced right through his body.
He stiffened as if struck by lightning, his eyes widened in shock. Only now did he understand what Yang Kai meant by ‘a third person’. He and his Fellow Brother had been lying in ambush in this place, but something had been watching them all this while as well. The absurd part was that both of them had been completely unaware of this fact. If Yang Kai had not pointed out the truth, they would have remained in the dark even now. Unfortunately, it was too late by the time he realized…
The length of the whip was astonishing. Moreover, it did not lose its momentum even after piercing through the young man’s body and came straight at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai slammed his palm out and caught the end of the whip. However, what he caught in his hand was so slippery that he could not get a good grip on it. The whip rolled up and wrapped around his body several times. Then, a powerful pulling force was transmitted through the whip. Yang Kai abruptly lost his balance and as a result, the owner of the whip dragged him into the swamp, along with the young man who was pierced through the chest. Both of them instantly vanished from sight.