The endless hissing of the blood snakes entered Yang Kai’s ears. Their bodies wriggled forward, gradually approaching the place where he was standing.
[I’m going to be found!] He closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing to suppress both his heartbeat and his aura to make himself seem as still as a rock, becoming completely motionless.
Now that things had come to this, he could only take a gamble. Although he could use Space Principles to escape, the old dog was as persistent as maggots on rotting bones. He could not escape, which was extremely troublesome.
The overwhelming number of blood snakes were creeping closer and closer. 30 metres… 15 metres… 10 metres…
Yang Kai abruptly opened his eyes and raised his hand to grab at something. The Azure Dragon Spear immediately appeared in his grip. Following that, his Dao Seal shone brightly as he poured the power of the Golden Crow’s True Fire into the spear. Lifting his spear, he stepped forward and pointed the spear to the front. Space Principles fluctuated as he thrust forward and roared, “Eat this, old dog!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch noticed the movement as soon as Yang Kai took action; thus, the face in the middle of the blood cloud immediately turned to look in his direction. The countless blood snakes in the surroundings leaped forward with their mouths opened wide towards Yang Kai from all directions.
The blood snakes attacked in a frenzy and Yang Kai’s figure was torn to shreds. However, it was only his afterimage. His actual body had already arrived in front of the blood cloud, his spear stabbing forward like a Dragon!
*Hong…*
The large face was pierced right through by the spear. A huge hole appeared, causing the face to become so distorted that it was practically incapable of taking shape once more. The pitch-black Golden Crow’s True Fire spread out in all directions, wantonly burning.
*Cilala…*
The blood cloud evaporated in large patches. Even so, Black Crow Divine Monarch was calm and unaffected as his voice rang out faintly, “Junior, your courage is admirable. It’s a pity that your actions are foolhardy!”
He quickly sliced away the parts of the blood cloud that was being burned by the Golden Crow’s True Fire; then, the endless blood cloud rolled and wrapped around Yang Kai.
“Let’s see where you can run now!” He let out a wicked laugh. What troubled him the most was not Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear or the Golden Crow’s True Fire. Rather, it was his Space Principles.
If Yang Kai was determined to escape, he would not be able to catch up to him. Even if he could use his Secret Technique to determine Yang Kai’s general location, the Yang Kai’s Instantaneous Movement was too difficult to counter. Who could have expected that Yang Kai would stop running and throw himself into the trap instead? That was just what Black Crow Divine Monarch wanted.
Yang Kai was enveloped by the blood cloud which had Heaven Sealing, Earth Locking properties. Even if he was proficient in the Dao of Space, he could not perform Instantaneous Movement again. The winner of this battle would be determined once he was trapped to death inside the blood cloud.
The Blood Qi inside the blood cloud contained an extremely strong corrosive property that eroded away at Yang Kai’s body. It instantly damaged him so badly that he was covered in blood. Despite looking miserable, the look in Yang Kai’s eyes was as aggressive as ever as he coldly snarled, “Who said I was going to run!?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch was slightly confused, but before he could react, he heard Yang Kai shout something, “On this day, the Golden Crow casts the sun, below the Heavens, above the Earth, only I am supreme!”
A Great Sun suddenly leaped out from within the blood cloud, as though it was a newly-born star. Inside the sun, a Three-Legged Golden Crow danced playfully and joyously. A faint crowing could be heard coming from within the brilliant light. The majestic radiance caused the world to collapse and the surroundings to tremble. The aura in Yang Kai’s body soared to incredible heights in an instant.
Black Crow Divine Monarch exclaimed in utter disbelief, “A Divine Manifestation!”
He was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the past, so it stood to reason that he was very knowledgeable. He could tell at a glance that the Golden Crow Casts the Sun was not just an ordinary Divine Ability. On the contrary, Yang Kai had already condensed his very own Divine Manifestation.
There were two methods by which one could comprehend a Divine Manifestation. The first was to condense High-Rank Open Heaven Element Powers. The second condition was to reach the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm and comprehend one’s own Element Powers to the extreme. These were, supposedly, the only methods to comprehend a Divine Manifestation.
Nevertheless, those were only the most basic requirements. As far as Black Crow Divine Monarch knew, throughout all of recorded history, all those who had Divine Manifestations were in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. He had never heard of anybody in the Mid or Low-Rank having comprehended one, much less a mere Emperor Realm Junior. In fact, even many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters did not possess a Divine Manifestation. Even he had only managed to barely comprehend a Divine Manifestation when he was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the past.
[This boy is only in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. That’s still within the range of the Emperor Realm! How does he have his own Divine Manifestation!?] Black Crow Divine Monarch could not believe his eyes. Be that as it may, his senses told him that this attack was indeed a Divine Manifestation.
[I was tricked again!] His heart jumped in fright. [This brat might look like he is attacking me out of desperation, but he was waiting for this very moment to strike a decisive blow! Damn it! This boy is too deceptive, hiding his cards like this!]
Everybody had fought desperately inside the place in the middle of the blood lake and revealed all their best methods in the process; however, Yang Kai had kept this biggest card hidden all this while. As a result, Black Crow Divine Monarch had mistakenly assumed that Yang Kai’s strength was still limited to common sense. Who could have known that he would receive such an unpleasant surprise here?
The Great Sun hung in the sky, almost as though it was an actual sun. It was just a sun that was countless times smaller than normal. The blood cloud that surrounded the great sun was completely powerless to resist and swiftly began evaporating. It didn’t take long before a large clean space in the sky was cleared out.
Black Crow Divine Monarch let out a strange cry and the blood cloud abruptly shrunk and swirled about before it transformed into Zhou Yi’s appearance. Before he could even stabilise his figure though, a bright light filled his vision from the front. He looked up and saw Yang Kai’s spear piercing straight towards him, the great sun manifesting at its tip.
[I will die if I fail to block this attack!] Panic filled his heart for a moment. Black Crow Divine Monarch had always held the upper hand in the fight earlier, no matter how hard Yang Kai, Pei Wen Xuan, and Qu Hua Shang fought back. Hence, he had not even panicked. Besides, he had Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Blood Dao inheritance and cultivated the Blood Light Scripture. As long as his injuries were not too severe, he would be able to quickly recover. However, this attack was different. Black Crow Divine Monarch was certain that not even his ashes would remain if this attack struck him head on. He would be completely vaporized, to the point where nothing of him would remain.
With death looming right before his eyes, Black Crow Divine Monarch immediately became eerily calm. Two flashes of blood light rushed out from his body and entered his hands, transforming into his twin butterfly daggers. A raging fighting spirit erupted out of his body as he crossed his twin daggers above his head and shouted furiously, “I never imagined that there would come a day when this Monarch would be forced to go all out against a mere boy tens of thousands of years in the future! Brat, you have nobody but yourself to blame if you die at this Monarch’s hands!”
Yang Kai shouted a response upon hearing those words, “Divine Monarch, I will not mourn your death either if you die!”
“Hahaha!” Black Crow Divine Monarch burst into laughter, “Good good, very good!”
As they spoke, the distance between them shortened quickly. Yang Kai urged the strength in his body to the limits and even the Dao Seal in his body began trembling slightly. Likewise, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s vitality surged madly.
*Hong…*
An explosion rang out. At the same time, a huge and bright ball of light exploded.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s twin daggers blocked the Great Sun. In that moment, he attacked countless times. The knife shadows covered the entire sky, slashing down with incredible power in each stroke.
At the same time, Yang Kai wielded his spear techniques to the extreme. They transformed into boundless spear shadows and the Dragon Roars shook the sky continuously. The spear in his hand practically turned into a True Dragon that devoured Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Their figures passed by each other and the light gradually faded.
Black Crow Divine Monarch coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and staggered unsteadily. Using his two daggers to steady himself against the ground, he barely managed to stop himself from falling.
At this moment, the left side of his body was gone and the wriggling internal organs in his abdomen could clearly be seen. It was just that these injuries were nothing under the profound effects of the Blood Light Scripture. He had come back to life even after being sliced in half by the Divine Ability sealed within Pei Wen Xuan’s Identity Token, so what were injuries like these in comparison? His flesh squirmed and blood gathered in that spot. The half of his body that he lost was soon regrew in the blink of an eye.
On the other hand, Yang Kai stood motionless with the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand. It was just that the Great Sun attached to the tip of the spear had vanished. The vicious attack just now had practically drained all the strength out of his body.
It was not until this moment that countless blood arrows finally shot out from all over his body. Before his blood could land on the ground though, the golden blood arrows floated towards Black Crow Divine Monarch as though guided by an invisible force and were absorbed by him. That was not all. Yang Kai could clearly feel the fresh blood in his wounds being pulled towards Black Crow Divine Monarch.
[The Blood Light Scripture is a wicked art indeed!] Yang Kai did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly used his strength to seal his wounds. Turning around slowly, he saw Black Crow Divine Monarch watching him quietly with an expression of approval from several thousand metres away, “You are the first Emperor Realm Junior that has ever survived this long after meeting me!”
Yang Kai replied lightly, “Among the ‘Emperor Realm cultivators’, you are also the first person ever to block my Golden Crow Casts the Sun!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch slowly shook his head, “It’s not the same!”
He was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who possessed somebody else and came back to life; thus, he had thousands, if not tens of thousands of years more knowledge, experience, and heritage compared to Yang Kai. The reason his strength was only that of an Emperor Realm cultivator at the moment was that he had possessed somebody else’s body. If he really were an Emperor Realm cultivator, he would not have been able to block the attack just now.
“What this Monarch said earlier still stands. Surrender, and I will spare your life. You will be a pretty decent subordinate!” His expression seemed sincere and trusting.
“Die!” Yang Kai shouted. Suppressing all sorts of discomfort, he lifted his spear and thrust out.
Although the Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation was powerful, the consumption was also unimaginably huge. With his current strength, Yang Kai could only activate it once in a short period of time. It was hard to say whether he could successfully activate it a second time by force. Even if he did, it might shatter his Dao Seal even if he succeeded.
“What a pity! Talented people sure have such short lifespans!” Black Crow Divine Monarch shook his head and lifted his blades. The twin daggers turned into Blood lights that came slashing down on Yang Kai from both sides.
Yang Kai swung his spear to deflect the blood lights and send them flying away; afterward, he stabbed at Black Crow Divine Monarch’s heart.
Meanwhile, Black Crow Divine Monarch did not budge whatsoever. He allowed the spear to pierce his heart and the Golden Crow’s True Fire to burn him. All the while, he simply stared at Yang Kai with a cold smile.
*Chi chi…*
The two blood lights that Yang Kai sent flying earlier came hurtling through the air once more. They slashed two large wounds down the length of his body. Despite using his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique at the critical moment, his Dragon Scales were sliced through by the blood lights.
“Your strength isn’t bad, but your recovery rate is inferior to mine. How will you fight against me now?” Black Crow Divine Monarch sneered. He previously devoured the blood water in the blood lake cleanly, so his vitality was extremely abundant at the moment. Unless his vitality was completely exhausted, he was an existence that could not die. That was why he had nothing to fear!
On the contrary, although Yang Kai’s recovery abilities were indeed countless times stronger than the average cultivator, they paled in comparison to the extraordinary recovery abilities of Black Crow Divine Monarch.
The spear shadows danced and fresh blood splattered everywhere. Every attack Yang Kai unleashed struck Black Crow Divine Monarch’s vital points without fail. If it were anybody else, they would have been killed countless times by now. However, Black Crow Divine Monarch remained very much alive. He even kept up a steady stream of vicious mockery despite everything.
In contrast, Yang Kai’s injuries were becoming more and more severe. He had lost too much blood and was feeling dizzy as a result.
Aside from those Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters and High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters whose strength were on a completely different scale altogether, Black Crow Divine Monarch, who possessed somebody else and came back to life, was definitely the strongest and toughest enemy Yang Kai had ever encountered.
Even Great Demon God who he fought back then could not compare. That was because Black Crow Divine Monarch was practically undying and immortal! When Yang Kai fought Great Demon God, the entire Star Boundary had risen up to fight back together. He had countless companions by his side, supporting each other in adversity. However, he was currently fighting alone.
Moreover, Yang Kai was not confident that he could kill Black Crow Divine Monarch; after all, his most powerful attack, Golden Crow Casts the Sun, had been rendered useless by his opponent. It could even be said that he no longer had any cards left to play aside from the Divine Ability Bead given to him by the Proprietress!
It was a precarious situation! Yang Kai stabbed forward with his spear again and again as Space Principles fluctuated wildly. At the same time, his figure leapt about and flickered erratically. Each attack inflicted massive damage to Black Crow Divine Monarch, but the latter simply healed from even the most lethal and deadliest injuries in short order.
While Black Crow Divine Monarch continuously received heavy injuries, Yang Kai’s injuries were also becoming more and more severe. It had always been Yang Kai who relied on his powerful restorative abilities to put up a desperate fight against the others. Thus, he never imagined that there would come a day where somebody else would use the same method against him. It truly was a case of what went around came around. Fate was truly unpredictable!
Yang Kai’s vision flickered and went dark from time to time as he desperately drew out his potential to exceed his limits. Even if he failed to kill the old dog today, he had to let the other party know that he was not to be trifled with; otherwise, it would only be a matter of time before he became a lamp running out of oil if Black Crow Divine Monarch continued to hunt him down like this.
When the blood light struck towards him, Yang Kai lifted his spear to block the attack and deflected Black Crow Divine Monarch’s twin butterfly daggers to the side with soft clanging sounds. However, one of the blood knives suddenly turned into a cloud of blood and vanished. Simultaneously, a wave of murderous intent came from behind, locked onto him.
Yang Kai was shocked. How could he not realise that he had fallen into a trap? Hurriedly moving his body to dodge, he suddenly felt a slight pain around his waist and abdomen. He looked down only to see a blood light pouring into his back and coming out around his waist. The blood light had opened a gaping hole in his body that his blood was gushing out of!
The blood light flew back to Black Crow Divine Monarch’s hand, where he raised it in front of him in its dagger form, licked the blade lightly, and nodded in approval, “The blood of a Divine Spirit is delicious indeed!”
Yang Kai staggered backward by a few steps. Reaching out his hand to clutch at his waist, he circulated his strength to seal the wound as his figure swayed unsteadily.
[I’m at my limit!] Despite giving it his all, Yang Kai had reached the limits that his body could withstand. He might end up dying in this place if he continued fighting, causing him to sigh. Now that things had come to this point, he could only choose to escape and find a place to recuperate from his injuries. Unfortunately, it would not be easy to get rid of Black Crow Divine Monarch’s pursuit in his current condition.
“Junior, if you have any last words, speak them now!” Black Crow Divine Monarch held a dagger in each hand. After saying that, his figure shifted slightly and he rushed forward to come directly in front of Yang Kai. The twin daggers came slashing down from both sides as overwhelming murderous intent surged from him!
Yang Kai raised his spear to parry and in the next instant there was a loud explosion. He could sense an overwhelmingly powerful force coming from above him and even with his Half-Dragon Body, he could not withstand the impact. His entire figure was pressed down by the force, so much so that he was almost kneeling on the ground.
His vision went black again, and by the time it recovered, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s face was practically right in front of him, grinning as he sneered, “Die!”
Yang Kai grit his teeth and let out a roar. His Spiritual Energy erupted violently from within his Knowledge Sea, turning into a haphazard attack that blasted towards Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s savage grin instantly stiffened in response and even his eyes seemed to bulge as though he received a huge shock.
The terrifying pressure suddenly relaxed. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yang Kai quickly steadied himself and swung his spear at Black Crow Divine Monarch. His attack sent the latter flying, and before Black Crow Divine Monarch could get further away from him, the Azure Dragon Spear had already thrust out hundreds of times in a row. Every single attack blasted out with Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power.
Black Crow Divine Monarch was utterly powerless in the face of those attacks and his body was smashed to pieces as a result.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment as he had not expected such a change in the battle. It was out of desperation that he unleashed a Soul Attack just now. He simply wanted to relieve some of the pressure bearing down on him, but who could have known that he would strike Black Crow Divine Monarch’s weakness with that attack? It caused the latter’s strength to drop sharply and even froze him on the spot for a moment.
After pondering for a while, realisation suddenly struck Yang Kai.
Black Crow Divine Monarch was just a Remnant Soul in the first place; moreover, he was severely injured inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. Not to mention, he had been forced to separate a thread of his consciousness to create a diversion in order to escape. Afterward, he went on to possess Zhou Yi’s body. Although he was successful in his attempt, it was not as simple as it seemed from the surface.
Regardless of the circumstances, Zhou Yi was still an elite disciple of Great Thousand Blood Land, so his aptitude was not bad. Therefore, Black Crow Divine Monarch would definitely need to pay a price in order to possess his body. How strong could Black Crow Divine Monarch’s Soul be after overcoming all these obstacles?
In other words, his Spiritual Energy was nothing compared to the mighty power he displayed earlier and it was no wonder a single Soul Attack from Yang Kai was capable of causing such heavy damage to him. He didn’t even have the strength to fight back, and this was the reason.
Upon understanding this point, Yang Kai felt extremely annoyed. He had been fooled by the overwhelming momentum displayed by the other party and forgot about this crucial point. If he had realised it sooner, then this fight would not have been nearly as difficult. Using one’s strength to target the opponent’s weakness. How could he not understand such a simple truth? Nevertheless, it was not too late for him to realise this now!
Black Crow Divine Monarch was blasted to pieces by that attack just now, but he did not die. The pieces of hashed meat swiftly melted into blood that quickly converged together. The blood flowed and vaguely took on a humanoid figure.
How could Yang Kai simply stand back and watch? He sent out another blast of Spiritual Energy, causing the blood gathering together to immediately show signs of falling apart again. Swinging his spear, Yang Kai scattered the blood into the surroundings once more.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s mournful screams rang out. The blood squirmed and flowed, transforming into a blood cloud that quickly fled into the distance.
“Where are you trying to run!?” Yang Kai roared. Lifting his spear, he hurriedly gave chase; however, he had only taken a few steps when his strength left his body and he slumped to the ground. It was fortunate that he had the Azure Dragon Spear to support himself; otherwise, he would have collapsed on his face then and there.
“Junior, I’ll spare your life this time! I will definitely take your head the next time we meet!” From far away, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s voice sounded from the blood cloud.
“Don’t run! If you’re not a coward, come and fight me!” Yang Kai roared furiously. He wanted to pursue Black Crow Divine Monarch but did not have the strength to do so; hence, he could only watch helplessly as his enemy fled further and further away until he vanished out of sight.
Yang Kai smashed his fist heavily onto the ground, his expression full of annoyance. Having missed the perfect opportunity to kill Black Crow Divine Monarch this time, he was not sure if another chance would appear again in the future. An Old Monster that had been sealed for countless years like Black Crow Divine Monarch was not a common occurrence in the first place.
After catching his breath for a while, Yang Kai turned and studied his surroundings. He did not know if Black Crow Divine Monarch had really retreated or if he was only feigning retreat. In any case, he was currently in terrible condition and could not help feeling slightly uneasy as a result. He did not dare to remain in place for long, lest he suffer if the old dog decided to turn around and attack him.
Putting the Azure Dragon Spear away, Yang Kai stuffed a handful of restorative Spirit Pills into his mouth before fleeing in a certain direction. He had not gone further than a few hundred kilometres though when he suddenly collapsed on the ground, lacking the strength to move a single finger. The fight with Black Crow Divine Monarch had exhausted him completely and it was a miracle he could escape even this far.
Yang Kai was feeling extremely dizzy and his vision turned dark from time to time as he felt as though he could faint at any moment. Nevertheless, he forced himself to stay awake as he did not dare to lose consciousness. That was because there was no saying what would happen to him if he passed out under these circumstances. After all, there were countless Monster Beast and cultivators in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven at the moment.
He barely managed to activate his Divine Sense and opened the boundaries of the Small Sealed World to release Qu Hua Shang from within. Before he could even say anything to her, his head tilted to the side and he fell unconscious.
Qu Hua Shang had been in the middle of treating her injuries when she was brought out of the Small Sealed World by Yang Kai. She initially felt confused about the situation, but then she turned around to see Yang Kai lying on the ground and covered in blood. His clothes were in tatters and numerous bone-deep wounds dotted his body. In addition, there was a gaping hole that penetrated his body from front to back at his waist. Thus, she couldn’t help being shocked by the sight and called out in alarm, “Junior Brother Yang! Junior Brother Yang!”
Rushing over, she knelt beside him, her complexion pale. She had no idea what he went through while she was recuperating from her injuries; however, judging from the extent of his injuries, it was definitely an extremely dangerous battle. She tremblingly placed a hand under his nose and discovered that he was still breathing, albeit faintly. Letting out a deep breath of relief, she slumped to the ground weakly. [I thought he was dead! I’m so glad he’s still alive! But, with injuries this severe…]
She reached out a hand and lightly brushed against those vicious-looking wounds, her body shivering lightly. Leaving aside how long it would take for him to heal from these injuries, there was no saying what kind of consequences he might suffer even after fully recovering. She more or less had a grasp of Yang Kai’s true abilities and knew that not many people or Monster Beasts in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven could possibly force him to this extent. [Could it be that Black Crow Divine Monarch was pursuing us?]
The moment that thought crossed her mind, she suddenly became agitated and anxious. She did not dare to remain in this place; therefore, she hurriedly took out some topical healing medicine, tore open his clothes, and applied some of the medicinal liquid to his body. Afterward, she took out a robe from her own Space Ring and wrapped him in it. Lifting him onto her back, she then quickly ran off.
Yang Kai vaguely felt his body moving up and down in his unconscious state. A fragrant scent entered his nose, enticing him sweetly. Furthermore, there was a soft and plump sensation pressing against his body. Something tickled his cheeks, almost as though a strand of hair was gently stroking his heartstrings. It was the very picture of a so-called tender love nest.
For a time, he could not figure what kind of situation he was in, but just as he was about to get a clear look of his surroundings, a burst of pain erupted throughout his entire body, causing him to hiss in pain.
“Junior Brother Yang, are you awake?” Qu Hua Shang’s voice entered his ears. She was out of breath and her voice sounded weak.
“En.” He responded and opened his eyes to look. Only then did he realise that he was being carried on her back. Her hands were supporting his thighs and she was leaning forward slightly while running quickly. In addition, his head was resting crookedly on her shoulder. Due to a matter of angle, his mouth would occasionally come into contact with her delicate cheeks and fair neck.
[This…] He never imagined that he would be greeted by this kind of situation as soon as he opened his eyes; thus, he was stunned for a moment.
Yang Kai had barely managed to keep himself awake long enough to release Qu Hua Shang from the Small Sealed World at the time. The reason for his actions was so that she could watch over him in case he was attacked by either a cultivator or a Monster Beast when he was unconscious. It should have been safer for him that way; however, he had no idea why this woman was running desperately whilst carrying him on her back!
When his body rose and fell with her movements, all the wounds on his body screamed in pain, causing him to grunt in agony. Patting her on the shoulder, he weakly said, “Senior Sister, please put me down.”
“I can’t, Junior Brother.” She shook her head, her hair brushing against his cheek.
Just as he was about to ask why, he suddenly detected a violent attack coming from behind. The attack sliced through the air with a loud rumbling noise, forcing her to dodge to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Yang Kai was shocked and groaned, “Is that old dog still chasing me!?”
He could not tell how long he had been unconscious for; however, judging from the recovery of his injuries, it must have been two or three days by now. If they were ordinary wounds, he would already have recovered completely, but the situation this time was different from the usual. It was very difficult for the wounds that he received from his fight with Black Crow Divine Monarch to heal; therefore, he was still extremely weak and his strength had not recovered by much. There was a strange and troublesome force festering in his wounds that constantly ate away at them and prevented them from healing.
[So much time has passed. Don’t tell me Black Crow Divine Monarch is still chasing me!?] Yang Kai could not imagine how Qu Hua Shang had persevered for so long.
“It’s not Black Crow Divine Monarch.” She shook her head again. While speaking, she stumbled and nearly lost her balance. She herself had yet to recover from her injuries, so she was in dire need of recuperation. Unfortunately, she was currently being chased. Although she was not yet a lamp running out of oil, she wasn’t in good condition either.
“Then, who is it?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
At this moment, a person’s voice came from a distance behind them, “Junior Sister Qu, this Senior Brother has no intention to harm you. Put Yang Kai down and you are free to leave on your own. Why do you have to struggle so hard to escape?”
The voice sounded rather familiar and Yang Kai vaguely felt like he had heard it somewhere before. After thinking about it, he abruptly became furious. [Doesn’t this voice belong to that little bastard Yin Xin Zhao from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven!?]
Before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened, Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven had come to seize their spot. In return, Yang Kai used his mastery of the Dao of Space to steal many of their entrances. He had targeted Yin Xin Zhao in particular and stolen the entrance that was nearest to him; hence, Yang Kai wrongly assumed that Yin Xin Zhao would not have the chance to step into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Who could have known that they would encounter each other here? Moreover, the other party was relentlessly hunting him down.
[This guy has pretty good luck. How did he enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven under those circumstances?] Turning back to look, Yang Kai saw Yin Xin Zhao doggedly chasing Qu Hua Shang, and he was not alone either. There were two helpers beside him, probably disciples of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
In terms of strength, Qu Hua Shang was probably not inferior to Yin Xin Zhao and neither of them would lose to each other in a one-on-one fight. It was just that she was still injured and the other side had two helpers with him. How could she be their opponent? It was not hard to understand why she was fleeing while being chased.
“How did you encounter this guy?” Yang Kai was livid. If he met Yin Xin Zhao under normal circumstances, he would not be afraid of him; however, he had yet to recover his strength after his battle against Black Crow Divine Monarch recently.
“Bad luck.” Qu Hua Shang gave a bitter laugh and briefly explained what happened.
After being released from the Small Sealed World by Yang Kai, she immediately took him away from the battlefield. She originally wanted to find a quiet and remote place to recuperate, but how could she have anticipated running into Yin Xin Zhao and his group, who came to investigate the situation, before she could find a place to hide?
The battle between Yang Kai and Black Crow Divine Monarch had created a huge commotion. Yin Xin Zhao and his two fellow brothers had been in the vicinity, so it was only natural that they noticed the commotion.
Upon seeing that it was Yang Kai, Yin Xin Zhao was overjoyed and immediately wanted Qu Hua Shang to hand him over to them. How could Qu Hua Shang agree to his demands though? As such, she fled while coyly refusing his request. It had been two days since then.
Fortunately, Yin Xin Zhao still had to give face to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven so he did not dare to kill her. Otherwise, it was hard to say whether she could protect Yang Kai. It was just that his patience gradually ran out as time passed, so his attacks were becoming more and more lethal. He was acting as though he was going to kill Yang Kai recklessly.
“That bastard!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and patted Qu Hua Shang on the shoulder, “Senior Sister Qu, please put me down.”
Although the feeling of lying on her back was very comfortable, how could he allow a woman to struggle desperately for his sake at a time like this? He couldn’t help cursing in his heart. [The Blood Monster Cave Heaven really isn’t a place for people to be in! I just got rid of Black Crow Divine Monarch and now I’m being targeted by Yin Xin Zhao. Does that mean I will constantly be hunted in this place!?]
“It’s fine. Junior Brother, you should continue resting. Let’s talk again once you’ve regained some of your strength.” Qu Hua Shang could sense that he was in very poor condition, so how could she agree to his request so easily?
“Junior Sister Qu, since you are so stubborn, then don’t blame this Senior Brother for attacking without mercy!” Yin Xin Zhao’s furious roar came from behind. Following his words, a whip-like sword light came slashing in this direction and arrived not far behind them in the blink of an eye. The power of this golden light was extreme and it could be seen that he had truly lost his temper. His scruples towards Yin-Yang Cave Heaven could not stop his resolution to kill Yang Kai.
By the time Qu Hua Shang noticed and wanted to avoid the attack, it was already too late. As a last resort, she could only turn sideways and throw out a palm in the direction of the attack together with Yang Kai.
*Hong…*
A violent force spread out, and although the two of them had managed to block Yin Xin Zhao’s attack together, they were also sent flying by the force of impact.
*Pu…* Qu Hua Shang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and her complexion turned as pale as a sheet.
Similarly, Yang Kai was in no better condition. He felt an even more intense pain coming from all the wounds on his body. A sweetness filled his throat and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Fortunately, he managed to force the feeling down in time.
Even in this situation, Qu Hua Shang continued to carry him on her back and did not throw him off. It made him feel extremely grateful towards her. He had no idea why she was struggling so desperately for his sake.
Seeing that Yin Xin Zhao and the others were approaching, Qu Hua Shang struggled to get back on her feet, but failed. On the other hand, Yang Kai had already recovered some strength from his rest earlier. Upon seeing this situation, he pulled her into his arms and took a deep breath. Space Principles wrapped around them and they vanished from the spot.
By the time they reappeared again, they were already several dozen kilometres away. It was just that this forceful method of exerting his strength left Yang Kai feeling extremely uncomfortable. He had only just stabilised his injuries when all the strength left his body and he collapsed to the ground again. Qu Hua Shang let out a scream of surprise as she tumbled to the ground.
Yang Kai coughed lightly but incessantly. Scrambling and crawling on the ground, he hurriedly came to her side and anxiously said, “Senior Sister, are you alright?”
She looked at him with tears in her eyes, “My butt is bruised from the fall! If you don’t believe me, you can touch and see for yourself!”
Yang Kai nearly spat blood at those words for an entirely different reason than before. [What kind of situation are we in right now!? How can you still be so flirtatious!? There’s no helping this woman anymore!]
Reaching out to grab her arm, Yang Kai carried her on his back and quickly sped off. Although he had used Instantaneous Movement to put some distance between them and their pursuers, they had yet to escape completely from Yin Xin Zhao’s range of perception. The three people from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven were still chasing them relentlessly, and although Yang Kai wanted to use Instantaneous Movement again, he no longer had the strength to do so.
It was Qu Hua Shang who was carrying Yang Kai earlier as they fled, but the situation was reversed now. She happily climbed on his back, wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist like an octopus.
It was not until this moment that Yang Kai noticed something strange, “Why am I wearing a dress!?”
Qu Hua Shang exhaled an orchid scent in his ear as she explained, “Your clothes were in tatters, so I tossed them. I couldn’t just leave you naked, right?”
He had no answer to that. It might be embarrassing to have a dress wrapped around him, but it was still within an acceptable range. It would have been far worse to be carried naked by a woman. His priority at the moment was to escape, so he had no time to complain about the way he was dressed.
He secretly regretted his decision. [If I had known that this would happen, I would have brought Pu Bai Xing with me.]
The grapes on Pu Bai Xing’s head were incredibly restorative Divine Medicines after all. It would only take a single grape for him to recover completely in a short time. Forget a single Yin Xin Zhao, he would even be able to kill ten Yin Xin Zhaos if he was at his peak.
It was just that he had left Little Mushroom in the Illusion Array to act as its Array Core after the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was fully set up. The Gourd Vine had also been left under the care of others in Void Land because of its special role. Out of the three Divine Medicines that Yang Kai brought out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, two had to stay in Void Land, so naturally, Pu Bai Xiong was not willing to leave either. He was adamant about staying behind in Void Land to accompany Little Mushroom and the Bottle Gourd Brothers. Therefore, Yang Kai had allowed him to do as he pleased.
Who could have known that a Divine Monarch would possess somebody and come back to life inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? Who could have expected the situation would become so dangerous? Yang Kai had assumed that his strength was enough that he could run wild in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. At the very least, he would not be in any danger.
[I was too careless! No matter what, I have to bring a few grapes along with me next time for emergencies.]
“Junior Brother, can we consider ourselves lovers after sharing life and death together?” Qu Hua Shang suddenly asked.
“Lovers my foot!” Yang Kai was rendered speechless by her. He had initially felt nervous being pursued by enemies, but the tense atmosphere vanished after listening to what Qu Hua Shang said.
She pouted in an aggrieved tone, “I’ve never struggled so desperately for a man in my life.”
To which Yang Kai nodded, “This Junior Brother will keep in mind the life-saving grace you have shown me today, Senior Sister. I will never forget it.”
Qu Hua Shang giggled and replied lightly, “Junior Brother also saved me back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Besides, I would have lost my life if you had not stopped Black Crow Divine Monarch earlier. Taking all these into account, you helped me more.”
“Things like favors and life-saving graces can never be settled with numbers.”
“That’s true.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and nodded lightly. A short moment of silence later, she said, “Junior Brother, put me down. You should escape on your own.”
Yang Kai was taken aback by her words, “What about you!?”
Her voice had weakened considerably as she muttered, “I’m afraid I can’t go on any longer. I’m too tired. I think I’ll take a little nap.”
His expression changed drastically, “Hold on, Senior Sister! You can’t fall asleep!”
It was not until this moment that he noticed his palms were sticky. He lifted his right hand and saw that they were covered in bright red blood. His blood was golden, so this red blood undoubtedly belonged to her. Although they joined forces and managed to block Yin Xin Zhao’s attack earlier, it was obvious that she had been injured at the time. Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense over her and discovered that she had a vicious wound on her waist. Moreover, her blood stained the ground in their wake.
“Hold on, Senior Sister Qu,” Yang Kai shouted, “You’ll be alright!”
“If something happens to me, will you be sad?” Qu Hua Shang asked softly.
“Of course! So, you can’t let anything happen to you!” Yang Kai nodded with certainty. As a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciple, Yin Xin Zhao would not have dared to lay a finger on her if she had abandoned him to his own devices. However, Qu Hua Shang had chosen to flee while carrying him and was currently on the verge of death as a result. If anything happened to her, he would definitely feel guilty for the rest of his life.
“In that case, I’m relieved.” She chuckled softly, “But, it’s a little regretful.”
“Senior Sister, what do you find regretful? Let’s hear it,” he quickly asked. She was currently in poor condition, so a conversation was just the thing to keep her focused.
“I’ve never tasted a man before. If I die just like this, then wouldn’t I have lived my life in vain?” Her tone was humorous.
Yang Kai had nothing to say in response. [As expected of a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciple, she really dares to say just about anything]
However, it was not that strange either after he thought about it. This woman was somebody who could clearly and eloquently discuss the Grand Dao of Yin-Yang Union Cultivation with him after all.
“Junior Brother, can you promise me one thing if I survive this time?”
“Don’t hold back, Senior Sister. Forget one thing; I don’t mind doing ten or hundred things for you!”
“Dual Cultivate with me!” Her words were incredibly shocking. It was almost as though she would not be happy unless she frightened him to death.
Yang Kai stumbled and nearly tumbled headfirst to the ground. His voice sounded rather uncertain, “Senior Sister, what did you say just now? I believe I misheard you.”
She chuckled softly, “You didn’t mishear me, Junior Brother.”
“Why are you still joking around at a time like this!?” He angrily snapped.
Nevertheless, she replied in all seriousness, “I am not joking around. I want to cultivate together with you. I want to do what men and women do when they are together.”
He shook his head, “Senior Sister, your injuries are too severe. You seem a little delirious. Why don’t you take a rest?”
After saying that, he poured his strength Qi into her body slightly, causing her to stiffen then faint on his back.
Behind them, Yin Xin Zhao and his two fellow disciples were getting closer and closer. Although Yang Kai had used Instantaneous Movement to put some distance between them earlier, he could not escape their pursuit in his current state. During their conversation just now, Yin Xin Zhao and the two others had already arrived within five kilometres. Such a distance was nothing to a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master.
The lights of various Secret Techniques and artifacts blasted out as Yin Xin Zhao’s group attacked from the rear.
Yang Kai shifted Qu Hua Shang, carrying her in his arms to prevent her from being hit by the attacks. At the same time, he activated the Dragon Transformation Secret Art to cover his back with Dragon Scales. He planned to avoid as many attacks as possible, but for those he couldn’t, he had to take them with his body. After several rounds, blood flowed endlessly and his condition worsened even further.
“Yang Kai, weren’t you acting so high and mighty back in the Blood Monster Territory!? Why don’t you stop and fight me now if you have the guts!? Let’s see if this Yin can’t take your life!” Yin Xin Zhao shouted whilst in pursuit.
Yang Kai roared furiously, “Yin Xin Zhao, I will definitely kill you one day if I survive this!”
Yin Xin Zhao roared with laughter, “Looks like you will never get the chance! Because you will definitely die here today!”
Yang Kai coldly snorted. He couldn’t be bothered to argue with Yin Xin Zhao. While he had the Divine Ability Bead given to him by the Proprietress, Yin Xin Zhao also had his Identity Token. It was just that one required active stimulation while the other was for passive protection. Be that as it may, Yang Kai had to admit that it was impossible for him to harm Yin Xin Zhao even if he used the Divine Ability Bead. He had witnessed the situation himself when Pei Wen Xuan’s Identity Token was activated earlier.
This was the first time he had such a hard time escaping ever since he began cultivating the Dao of Space. What vexed Yang Kai even more was that his pursuers’ strength was inferior to his own. It truly was a case where a Dragon could be toyed with by a shrimp in shallow waters while a tiger could be bullied by a dog if it left the mountains.
[I have to find a way out of this crisis; otherwise, things will end tragically for me.] Just as Yang Kai was studying his surroundings, he suddenly heard a loud noise coming from a certain direction. It was accompanied by extremely violent energy fluctuations. There were Masters fighting nearby!
Yang Kai turned to look in that direction and it didn’t take long before he heard another deafening bout of noise. The sound of explosions was mixed with the howls of a beast. Realisation struck Yang Kai immediately. One of the parties involved in the fight was unquestionably a Monster Beast. Moreover, it could be inferred from the energy fluctuations that the level of this fight had exceeded that of the Emperor Realm. There was no World Force, but the energy fluctuations indicated strength that was definitely on par with Open Heaven Realm Masters. The fight in the distance felt like two Black Crow Divine Monarchs fighting each other.
The strongest Monster Beast Yang Kai encountered ever since entering the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was only in the Fifth-Order. Based on his estimation, a Fifth-Order Monster Beast was the equivalent to an ordinary Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master. In a desperate battle, a Fifth-Order Monster Beast might be slightly weaker than the Core Disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises; however, the difference would only be a small margin. If Qu Hua Shang were to battle a Fifth-Order Monster Beast alone, she would have to pay a price even if she managed to slay the Monster Beast in the end.
On the contrary, the turmoil of the battle had already exceeded the limits of a Fifth-Order Monster Beast. It was a Sixth-Order Monster Beast! Furthermore, it was most likely a fight between two Sixth-Order Monster Beasts!
Sixth-Order Monster Beasts were not something the cultivators who entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven could fight alone; after all, they were capable of exerting strength on par with that of a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master! As for the Seventh-Order Monster Beasts… Yang Kai could not make an inference.
Looking in the direction of the commotion, Yang Kai grit his teeth and rushed towards it with Qu Hua Shang in his arms. The current situation could not get any worse. The only way he could survive was to seek life by crossing the gates of death.
Yin Xin Zhao clearly realised what Yang Kai was planning and the look in his eyes turned cold and he shouted, “Stop him!”
The other two Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples accompanying him were speechless when they heard those words. [You can’t even stop him yourself. How are we supposed to stop him?]
Even so, they chased after Yang Kai with all their might.
On the other hand, Yang Kai forced himself to take a deep breath and used Instantaneous Movement once more. He opened up the distance between him and his pursuers while steadily approaching the place of the battle.
After running for a few hundred kilometres, a bright golden light suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s field of vision. He looked up and inhaled a sharp breath of cold air. Now that he was here, he could finally see what kind of Monster Beasts were fighting each other.
One of them seemed to be a gorilla while the other was a wolf. Be that as it may, both the gorilla and the wolf had bodies that were several tens of metres tall, making them incredibly huge. Furthermore, both of them were gleaming with a dazzling golden light and every movement they made revealed great power. These were clearly two Sixth-Order Metal Element Monster Beasts!
The Metal Element Power was incomparably sharp and radiated in all directions during their battle, riddling the mountain peaks nearby with countless gaping holes. Many of the shorter peaks were even razed to the ground.
The two Sixth-Order Metal Element Monster Beasts looked evenly matched. Despite struggling hard against each other, it was impossible to tell who was holding the upper hand in the battle. That was not all. Both the Monster Beasts were also wounded and drenched in blood. Not to mention, their bodies were covered in countless wounds that had long since healed.
This fight seemed to have taken place many times before in the past. It would seem that these two Monster Beasts were incompatible enemies; thus, they had been continuously fighting each other in this Blood Monster Cave Heaven for countless years. Their fight would not stop until one party was dead.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling shocked when he felt the energy fluctuations from the fight between these two. [These two Monster Beasts are not ordinary Sixth-Order Monster Beasts. They are probably at the peak of the Sixth-Order; otherwise, it is impossible for them to cause such wide-spread damage.]
Despite the dangerous situation, Yang Kai carried Qu Hua Shang on his back and charged straight into the middle of the battle between these two huge Monster Beasts. He watched as the wolf came lunging straight at the gorilla’s neck while the gorilla lifted one arm to block the wolf’s gigantic maw. Meanwhile, the gorilla lifted its other arm, wrapped in dense Metal Element Power, and sliced towards the wolf’s abdomen.
Fresh blood splattered everywhere. Be it the gorilla or the wolf, both parties howled in agony. The wolf backed away, chewing on a piece of the gorilla’s flesh in its mouth. Similarly, the sharp Metal Element Power had sliced a bloody gash across its abdomen.
The two Monster Beasts stood thousands of metres apart and glared at each other across the distance. All of a sudden, they turned around in unison and looked in Yang Kai’s direction with vigilant expressions. It was obvious that they noticed his presence.
Yang Kai did not dare to be careless and hurriedly drew upon the power of his Dragon Source to reveal his Dragon Clan aura.
Although these two Monster Beasts looked like they were unrelated to the Dragon Clan, they were still Monster Beasts. As the head of the Divine Spirits, the Dragon Clan’s aura could act as a deterrent for almost all Monster Beasts.
The gorilla immediately let out a roar; likewise, the wolf bared its fangs at Yang Kai. The two enormous Monster Beasts were unhappy that Yang Kai’s arrival had interrupted their life-and-death struggle.
Even so, Yang Kai showed no fear and rushed straight at them. He held Qu Hua Shang up with one hand and took out the Proprietress’ Divine Ability Bead with his other, holding it up high above his head.
Both the gazes of the gorilla and the wolf were immediately drawn towards the Divine Ability Bead. The two enormous Monster Beasts could instinctively sense that the tiny bead contained terrifying power; thus, they both took a few steps back while looking extremely grim.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. He was afraid that the two Monster Beasts would attack him out of rage. If that was the case, then he had no choice but to activate the Divine Ability Bead. That would mean that he was forced to use his final trump card in this place. It was a huge loss that was not worth the benefits.
Fortunately, the sentience of the two Monster Beasts was not that low. They could tell that Yang Kai was a tough opponent, so they only watched him warily and did not do anything else.
Atop the mountains, a majestic Monster Qi permeated the air. The two enormous Monster Beasts were facing each other as Yang Kai slipped between them to stand right in the middle of their stand-off and breathed out heavily. He was in no hurry to leave. Since these two Monster Beasts were mortal enemies, they would not recklessly attack him as that would only give their opponent an advantage that could be exploited.
At this moment, Yang Kai was standing right on the balance point between them. It might look dangerous, but it was actually fairly safe. It was like standing in the eye of the storm. Yang Kai then turned around, his gaze becoming incredibly chilly.
*Shua shua shua…* Three bursts of noise, like something cutting through the air, rang out before the figures of Yin Xin Zhao and the others appeared and stopped nearby.
Yin Xin Zhao furrowed his brow deeply, glancing at the gorilla and the wolf. The depths of his gaze were overflowing with fear. Yang Kai had the courage to stand between these two Monster Beasts, but he did not. He did not dare to rashly attack Yang Kai either. He was as good as dead if the two Monster Beasts misunderstood his intentions.
“Yin Xin Zhao!” Yang Kai calmly stared forward, “This Yang will not forget what you did today! I will definitely pay you back a hundred times over for this!”
Yin Xin Zhao was silent. Besides, there was no point in saying anything in this situation. He could only hate the fact that he failed to catch Yang Kai in time; otherwise, how could he tolerate such impertinence?
After Yang Kai finished speaking, he carried Qu Hua Shang on his back once more and took several steps forward without even bothering to turn around, “Excuse me. Please continue your fight.”
*Hong hong hong…*
Earth-shaking noises rang out once more from behind him. It was the gorilla and the wolf continuing their vicious battle. Yin Xin Zhao nearly coughed up blood at the sight because while these two beasts were fighting between themselves, their battlefield was gradually moving towards him.
“Run!” He shouted and hurriedly escaped with his two Junior Brothers in tow. They quickly travelled across hundreds of kilometres before searching for a way around to continue their pursuit. Nevertheless, he knew that it would be difficult for him to trace Yang Kai’s whereabouts again after this delay.
At this moment, Yang Kai was desperately running with Qu Hua Shang on his back. Although he had borrowed the two powerful Sixth-Order Monster Beasts to temporarily get away from Yin Xin Zhao and the others, he was certain the other party would not give up so easily, so he had to continue fleeing for his life.
As he ran, he suddenly had the feeling that the terrain in this place was somewhat familiar. It vaguely felt like he had seen it before. After pondering deeply for a bit, the realisation struck him all of a sudden. He quickly stopped in his tracks and took out an animal skin map from his Space Ring. Studying the map carefully and comparing the places he passed by with the places marked on the map, he couldn’t help feeling surprised. [Isn’t this the route marked on the map?]
This animal skin map was something he obtained from the first cultivator he encountered in this place. The cultivator had tried to ambush him in the swamp when he first entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, only to be ambushed himself by a toad Monster Beast. At the time, Yang Kai had studied the map and discovered that it was probably part of a route in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was just that he had no idea what was waiting for him at the final destination.
Yang Kai originally planned to check out this place as the map looked ancient and might just lead to some hidden treasure. It was just that he met Bu Lian Zhong and the others along the way. Afterward, he encountered Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance and was delayed as a result. Who could have known that he would arrive at the route marked on the map by accident whilst fleeing for his life?
Taking a good look around, he found that the final destination marked on the map was located not far away from here. It would take him another four hours at most to arrive, so his eyes flashed in anticipation. Putting the map away, he headed in the indicated direction.
He was not going there in search of treasure though; rather, both he and Qu Hua Shang were currently in a condition where they were in dire need of a safe place to recuperate from their wounds. Regardless of whether the final destination turned out to be a hidden treasury or something else, it would surely be well-hidden!
Four hours later, Yang Kai arrived in front of an enormous lake. He took out the map, checked his location, and confirmed that this was indeed the final destination, but he just stared at the lake with a speechless expression. [What am I supposed to do if this is the final destination!?]
The reason he strove so hard to come here was to find a place to hide and recuperate from his injuries; however, the terrain around the lake was completely unobstructed. Forget being chased by Yin Xin Zhao and the others, even encountering a Monster Beast here would be troublesome.
Yang Kai angrily put the map away. At this moment, he could only conceal himself within the Sealed World Bead and hide the Sealed World Bead in a secluded place. It was not as if he had not considered hiding inside the Sealed World Bead earlier, it was just that every corner of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was fraught with danger. It would be perilous if the Sealed World Bead was discovered by a cultivator or a Monster Beast.
This lake turned out to be a pretty good spot though. He could sink the Sealed World Bead into the lake, assuming that there were no ferocious Monster Beasts swimming inside of it.
Upon considering all this, Yang Kai felt slightly better. His efforts to travel here were not completely in vain. He walked over to the edge of the lake and swept his Divine Sense out to investigate the situation.
The next moment though, his expression changed drastically! There was something strange about this lake! If he looked with his eyes, the lake was incredibly realistic. Light shimmered on its surface in a perfectly natural manner; however, he noticed something strange about it when using his Divine Sense to probe it.
[There’s a Spirit Array here! The lake is actually an extremely brilliant and sophisticated Illusion Array! The lake does not exist at all!] Yang Kai had only just figured this out when a black shadow suddenly came leaping at him from the surface of the lake. The shadow blocked out the sky and loomed over him.
He was startled. Just as he was about to flutter backward, a chill ran down his back at that very moment. Caught unguarded, he hurriedly turned around with a roar and viciously smashed his palm forward.
There was a loud explosion and his palm seemed to strike a person, drawing a grunt of pain from their lips. Then, a ghostly figure appeared in his field of vision. What he sent flying turned out to be a man with short stature.
The man looked like he had seen a ghost. It seemed that he had not expected Yang Kai to be so strong; after all, Yang Kai looked to be severely injured. Who could have expected that he would not be Yang Kai’s opponent even when the latter was in such a state? Nevertheless, this short man had achieved his goal.
Yang Kai was pushed back by the force of the impact and involuntarily staggered, only to fall headfirst into the black shadow coming from the lake. Immediately after that, he felt a mighty restraining force wrapping around him from all directions, trapping both him and Qu Hua Shang who was lying in his arms, together.
What came leaping out at him from the surface of the lake turned out to be a large net. At this moment, he and Qu Hua Shang had clearly fallen into an artifact trap. The large net tightened rapidly, causing him to feel extremely uncomfortable.
“That brat is tough. Quick! Use the Firm Yuan Nail!” The short man who was sent flying by Yang Kai earlier shouted.
*Chi chi chi…* Several cold lights came flying over and Yang Kai felt a slight pain in his body when they stabbed into his body. Following that, he stopped struggling against the net with a look of surprise.
The so-called Firm Yuan Nail turned out to be a strange artifact that could restrain the Qi in a cultivator’s body. From what Yang Kai could tell, there was a cold force seeping into his body that sealed his meridians and caused his strength to become obstructed!
Yang Kai hurriedly surged the Power in his Dao Seal to let the Golden Crow’s True Fire course through his veins and the Firm Yuan Nails were immediately burned to ashes, allowing his Qi to flow smoothly again.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
More than ten figures landed from all directions, surrounding him in the middle, but Yang Kai remained calm. Carrying Qu Hua Shang in his arms, he glared at his surroundings coldly. [If these people believe that my strength has been sealed by the Firm Yuan Nail, then they are in for a rude surprise.]
Nevertheless, what piqued his curiosity was that these people seemed to have no intention of killing him. Be it the restraining net or the Firm Yuan Nails, they were both only meant to subdue their enemies. Even the short man who attacked him from behind was only attempting to force him into the large net. These people had not displayed any murderous intent from the start.
[Who are these people?] Yang Kai initially assumed that they were the disciples of some random Sect; however, it did not seem likely now that he had taken a good look at them. That was because they were dressed strangely. Slightly differently from everything he had seen before.
The young man in the lead was charismatic and handsome with a jade-like face. As he turned to glance at the short man, he asked, “Are you okay?”
The short man shook his head, “His paltry strength is not enough to harm me.”
The young man coldly snorted, “That guy is severely injured. Did you think you’d be safe otherwise?”
The short man looked unconvinced, “I didn’t use my full strength either.”
The young man ignored the short man and swept his gaze over Yang Kai, “An Outer World visitor?”
“Huh?” Yang Kai frowned, not quite understanding the question.
The young man pointed at the sky, “Are you from the outside world?”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Aren’t you?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly recalled something. The Proprietress once mentioned that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven not only contained Monster Beasts but also some natives!
Blood Monster Divine Monarch had placed these people into his Small Universe so that they could thrive and reproduce in order to strengthen the vitality of his Small Universe.
The Small Universe of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would transform from ethereal to corporeal and become essentially no different from a genuine Universe World, so it was capable of sustaining living creatures. For that reason, the Small Universes of many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would contain living creatures in them. It was just that these living creatures were bound by certain restraints and could never advance into the Open Heaven Realm, not unless they could somehow escape the Small Universe they lived in.
[Could it be that these people in front of me are the natives of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? That must be it! No wonder they are dressed differently from those of us from the outside!] Upon realising this, Yang Kai immediately nodded in response, “That’s right. My companion and I both came from the outside world.”
The other party did not seem to be malicious, so he had no reason to make things difficult for himself. Besides, he had only just escaped from the clutches of two different enemies, so he truly could not afford to fight another battle at the moment. What he needed was a good rest to heal from his injuries.
“Has it been 200 years already…” The young man muttered under his breath and looked up at Yang Kai, “Don’t be scared. We won’t kill you, but you will need to come with us.”
Yang Kai retorted in his heart. [I’m not scared!]
In any case, the other party did not seem to be malicious so it wouldn’t hurt to follow them. He could also take the chance to go to where these people were located to have a good rest. It was not difficult for him to recover, but the main issue was Qu Hua Shang. Her injuries this time were rather severe.
While the young man was speaking, he raised his hand and retrieved the large net. However, he said nothing about the Firm Yuan Nails inside Yang Kai’s body. In his opinion, Yang Kai couldn’t even think about escaping as long as the Firm Yuan Nails were there.
The group of ten or so people immediately escorted Yang Kai towards the lake. The young man waved the token in his hand and a burst of light flashed across the surface of the lake. Following that, ripples spread across the space in front of them and a city came into view.
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback by the sight. Although he had discerned that the lake was an Illusion Array, he never imagined that an entire city was hidden behind it. [I brought Qu Hua Shang right to the gates of their city. No wonder they discovered my presence.]
At this point, he finally understood something. The place marked on the animal skin map that he obtained from somebody else’s Space Ring was this city! It was not some sort of hidden treasure trove. The person in question probably obtained the map from somewhere else and had no idea about the mysteries behind this place. If that person had found his way here, he would definitely be facing the same situation as what Yang Kai was experiencing right now.
Upon walking into the city, Yang Kai discovered that it was not very large, probably capable of accommodating a few thousand people at most. Great walls surrounded the entire city, all of them equipped with various large-scale ballista-like artifacts. There were also a few artifacts somewhat similar to the cannons of a Starship. Furthermore, the sturdy city walls were covered in bloodstains that had turned black with time. Parts of the city walls had collapsed and people were working on repairing them.
This place was clearly not some sort of paradise as there were various signs that it was constantly under attack. It was no wonder that they placed an Illusion Array on the outside to confuse one’s sight.
When they walked through the city gates, one of the cultivators on guard noticed the young man and hurriedly cupped his fists in greeting, “Big Brother Wu Xin.”
One of the younger cultivators laughed, “Big Brother Wu Xin, you truly are amazing. You captured them so easily. Are these two people from Emerald Thunder City?”
The young man shook his head, “No. They are Outer World visitors.”
“Outer World visitors!?” Everybody looked stunned to hear those words and curiously studied Yang Kai with a measuring gaze.
Although they lived in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, they had all heard their Elders talking about the Outer World visitors. It was said that every few hundred years, a group of people would enter this world from the outside before disappearing after some time. Nevertheless, it was not until today that many of them saw what an Outer World visitor looked like for the first time.
They discovered that the Outer World visitors were not much different from themselves. Moreover, this man was covered in wounds, so it was obvious that he had fought recently. On the other hand, the woman was unconscious. Her complexion was pale and her aura was weak.
“That’s enough. Guard this place carefully.” The young man waved his hands to dismiss the others before leading the group into the city.
The streets in the city were very spacious with row upon row of houses located in the surroundings. Yang Kai looked around while walking but did not notice anything special about this place. It looked no different from the cities that could be found everywhere in the outside world.
Under the guidance of the young man, they headed straight towards the building in the middle of the city. This place was most likely the City Lord’s Mansion. The young man contacted somebody once they arrived and gave a brief report about the situation before requesting that this matter be reported to the City Lord so that they could decide on how to deal with Yang Kai.
That person immediately entered the City Lord’s Mansion; however, he soon came back out with a frown on his face, “Senior Brother Fan, the City Lord is currently in retreat. She previously ordered that she was not to be disturbed unless it was for an important matter. What would you…”
Similarly, Fan Wu Xin frowned upon hearing those words and only spoke up after pondering in silence for a bit, “In that case, please place these two in custody for now. We can discuss this matter again once the City Lord comes out of retreat.”
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Fan.” That person cupped his fists.
It didn’t take long for Fan Wu Xin to bring Yang Kai to an underground prison where he gestured with his head, “Get in.”
Yang Kai glanced at Fan Wu Xin and said nothing. Carrying Qu Hua Shang in his arms, he squeezed into the prison. He had no intention of arguing with the other party as he was currently a prisoner. Besides, the prison might be on the smaller side, but there were no strange odours. It was also very clean and even had a small bed inside.
Fan Wu Xin stood at the door of the prison cell and said, “Please make do with this place for a few days. The City Lord will meet you after she comes out of retreat.”
Yang Kai did not respond. His most pressing concern was treating his wounds. Once he had recovered, nobody in this small city would be able to lift a finger against him; therefore, there was nothing to be worried about. More importantly, the other party believed that he was helpless after being restrained by the Firm Yuan Nail, not realizing that he was not affected in the slightest.
Fan Wu Xin was about to turn and leave when the look in his eyes suddenly changed. He lowered his head and glanced in the direction of Yang Kai’s waist. Then, he reached out his hand and grabbed the wooden token hanging there. After taking a closer look at the token, he asked curiously, “Where did you get this?”
This token was something the Proprietress had given to Yang Kai. Back at the palace in the middle of the lake, Yang Kai had made a bluff and hung this token on his waist to frighten Black Crow Divine Monarch. He had been fleeing for his life with Qu Hua Shang since then, so he had not had the time to store it away.
Judging by the way Fan Wu Xin spoke, it would seem that he recognised the token.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed for a moment, but without answering the question, he countered with one of his own, “What is this token?”
Fan Wu Xin glanced at Yang Kai deeply. Frowning, he did not say anything more. He closed the door and turned to leave without returning the token to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not ask for the token back. That was something the Proprietress had given him, so he could not lose the token so easily. He would just have to retrieve it once he recovered from his injuries.
Putting Qu Hua Shang on the small bed, Yang Kai finally let out a shallow breath of relief.
This trip to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had completely exhausted him. Aside from the first few days where things were relatively peaceful, he was first hunted by Black Crow Divine Monarch and subsequently chased by Yin Xin Zhao. And now, he was being imprisoned in this place. It could be said that his entire journey had been full of ups and downs.
Fortunately, he would finally have some peace for the next few days. With his regenerative abilities, he should be able to recover most of his strength in short order.
He placed his hand on Qu Hua Shang’s wrist to check the condition of her injuries, but the results made him frown. Her injuries were quite severe and her strength was almost completely exhausted. It was obvious that she had struggled desperately to escape from Yin Xin Zhao during the two days that he was unconscious.
Taking out some Spirit Pills, he ate some himself before stuffing the rest into her mouth.
The bed was too small and could only accommodate one person; therefore, Yang Kai flipped himself onto the bed and sat cross-legged at its head. He then placed Qu Hua Shang’s head on his lap and held her wrist with one hand. Activating the Wood Element Power in his Dao Seal, he poured the pure energy into her body while simultaneously treating his own injuries.
The Wood Element Power condensed from the essence of the Immortal Tree contained astonishing healing effects, and in less than an hour, Qu Hua Shang groaned softly and her lashes trembled slightly.
“Senior Sister Qu,” Yang Kai called out softly.
Qu Hua Shang’s long lashes fluttered harder and after a long while, she slowly opened her eyes and immediately looked up to see Yang Kai looking down at her. Blinking, she asked, “Junior Brother, are we dead?”
“No. We’re alive and well.” He smiled.
“No wonder it hurts so much.” She forced a smile, but her complexion was still as pale as a sheet of paper.
Yang Kai shook his head and chided lightly, “Since you’re awake, Senior Sister, then don’t get distracted. Your top priority should be to treat your injuries.”
Nodding weakly, she closed her eyes and began circulating some kind of Secret Art. She could clearly sense a powerful and energetic force flowing into her body through Yang Kai’s palm. Wherever that energy flowed, her injuries healed at an unimaginable speed. She initially thought that it would take her one or two months just to recover; however, judging by the current situation, it would not take longer than a few days at most. Hence, she was secretly amazed at how high the Order of the Wood Element Power Yang Kai must have condensed was.
She might not have condensed a Seventh-Order Element herself, but she was certain that what she was experiencing was not something a Seventh-Order Power could accomplish. A Seventh-Order Wood Element would simply not have such astonishing regenerative properties. [Is it an Eighth-Order? Or even… a Ninth-Order? Just what did Junior Brother condense for him to obtain such a horrifyingly powerful Wood Element Power!?]
Another half a day passed and her cheeks were now much rosier than before while her aura had stabilised somewhat. It was not until this moment that she realised she had been sleeping on Yang Kai’s lap all this while. Moreover, they were even sharing a small bed inside a tiny stone room.
“Junior Brother, what is this place?” She asked curiously.
He answered, “Inside a city.”
“A city?”
“En.” He nodded, “There are many natives inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, and this place is one of the cities where a group of natives reside. We were captured and brought back here.”
“Then, aren’t we prisoners?” She exclaimed in surprise. [Just what happened after I fell unconscious? How did we get captured by the natives?]
“I guess.” Yang Kai chuckled.
“What do we do now?” Her expression changed. [Who knows whether these natives have any malicious intentions towards us?]
“Since we’re already here, then we might as well see how things play out. Let’s just focus on recovering for now. What can they do to us once we are fully healed?”
She frowned and anxiously said, “I’m worried that they might do something to us before we recover completely. No, we can’t just do nothing and wait for death. Junior Brother, please cultivate with me.”
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he stared at her, feeling speechless, “Senior Sister, you’re becoming delirious again.”
She immediately retorted, “Don’t you dare knock me out again!”
The last time she had mentioned something similar, Yang Kai had knocked her unconscious without any hesitation; therefore, she immediately became vigilant upon hearing those words.
Yang Kai was truly exasperated as he grumbled, “What does our current situation have to do with cultivating together?”
“As a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciple, I have been cultivating a Yin-Yang Secret Technique since I was young. If we engage in Yin-Yang Union Cultivation, then we can recover even faster.”
“Even without doing that, our recovery is not slow.” Yang Kai chuckled.
“But, time is of the essence right now, Junior Brother.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before he sternly replied, “Senior Sister, Yin-Yang Union Cultivation should only be done between people who are deeply in love with one another. This is a major life event; you should think this over carefully.”
“Of course, I know that! Junior Brother, you are a great candidate!” She stared at him with clear eyes. It was just that her charming beauty in addition to her weakened state made her even more alluring than ever.
He was stared at so intently that he couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. Thus, he shifted his gaze away and muttered, “Including meeting here in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, you and I have only met each other twice, Senior Sister. You don’t know what kind of man I am. On the same note, I’m not sure what kind of character Senior Sister has. With such a loveless foundation, how will we blend with each other seamlessly and perform something like Yin-Yang Union Cultivation?”
“Feelings can slowly be nurtured in the future,” she said confidently, “I’m certain that you will surely fall for me once we’ve performed Yin-Yang Union Cultivation!”
Yang Kai scowled and spoke sternly, “Senior Sister, I am not talking about performing Yin-Yang Union Cultivation. I am talking about your lifelong happiness. You are so beautiful and intelligent, Senior Sister Qu. You should find somebody who is worthy of entrusting the rest of your life to.”
She replied, “But, I’ve already found one.”
Yang Kai was on the verge of a mental breakdown, feeling as though he could not communicate with her at all. What he could be certain of was that she had some feelings of admiration for him, just as he did for her. But, there was absolutely no love between them. How could she speak about dual cultivating together so easily?
“Junior Brother, do you think this Senior Sister is a woman without morals?” She suddenly asked.
“Why would I?” He shook his head. Over the past few days of interaction, he had more or less grasped her personality. She was not a loose woman. Otherwise, she would not mention that she had never tasted a man before. With her looks, who could resist her temptation and seduction if she really put her mind to it?
She broke into a wide smile, “In that case, why do you refuse to cultivate with me, Junior Brother?”
The conversation went full circle and came back to this topic again, so Yang Kai countered her question with one of his own, “Senior Sister, why are you so insistent on cultivating with me?”
Qu Hua Shang paused for a moment before explaining, “I’ll have to find somebody sooner or later. Junior Brother Yang is an outstanding man. I’ll never find somebody like you again if I let you slip away. You don’t understand. What I cultivate is the Heartless Dao.”
“The Heartless Dao?”
She nodded, “As a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciple, I must first cultivate the heart in order to advance into the Open Heaven Realm. We can either cultivate the Heartfelt Dao or the Heartless Dao. And, I am cultivating the latter.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly. Although he did not know anything about the Heartless Dao, the name itself made one uncomfortable.
Qu Hua Shang explained, “Those who cultivate the Heartfelt Dao have to fall in love to enter the Dao while those who cultivate the Heartless Dao have to cut off their affections to enter the Dao. But, both the Heartfelt Dao and the Heartless Dao will eventually end up at the same destination. In the end, we will achieve the Grand Dao and receive recognition as an Open Heaven Realm Master!”
“I still don’t understand how that is related to why you want to cultivate together with me, Senior Sister.”
“Stupid!” She rolled her eyes at him, “I have to cut off my affections in order to create my own Dao. But, I currently have no love to speak of. How am I supposed to cut off my affections and advance into the Open Heaven Realm?”
He understood, “So, you want to fall in love with me and then cut off your affections for me.”
“That’s right!” She readily admitted and looked at him with a pitiful gaze, “Junior Brother, just think of it as doing me a favour!”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. [How can there be such strange things in the world? Such a mesmerising woman wants to cultivate together with me, but it turns out that I’m just doing her a favour?]
Be that as it may, it was exactly as she said before. Regardless of which Dao Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples cultivated, they first had to fall in love with someone. Those who cultivated the Heartfelt Dao did not need to go through the trouble of cutting off their affections. On the other hand, the Heartless Dao could only be cultivated by those with great perseverance; otherwise, they would experience dissonance in their cultivation if they failed to cut off their emotions. The consequences would be unimaginable.
“Senior Sister, do you love me?” Yang Kai asked.
She considered the question seriously before making a pinching gesture with her fingers, “A little bit? But, it’s not enough. It doesn’t matter. I’m certain that I will fall in love with you once I cultivate together with you, Junior Brother.”
Yang Kai burst out laughing, “Love between a man and woman is not quite as simple as how you put it, Senior Sister.”
She blinked, “Junior Brother, you seem very experienced in this field.”
His face flushed bright red and he quickly changed the topic, “Please don’t mention cultivating together again. I’m sure you will eventually find the right person for you, Senior Sister. It’s just… that person is not me.”
“Fine!” Seeing his firm attitude, she immediately stopped talking about this matter. There were times when it was enough that she had expressed her intentions. It would have the opposite effect if she pressed too hard.
“Junior Brother, are you willing to join Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?” She abruptly changed the topic, “I’ll be honest with you. I actually came to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven with another task from the Master Sect.”
“What task?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Find you and ask you to join Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.” She explained, “I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what kind of situation you’re in right now, Junior Brother. Although you intend to advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm directly, you’ve stepped on too many toes in the process. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises only have two attitudes towards an existence like yours. They either want to take the cautious approach and kill you in advance or they want to win you over into their camp. Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is part of the latter.”
Yang Kai understood that she must have contributed a lot for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to willingly try to win him over to their side. All of a sudden, what Pei Wen Xuan mentioned in the past echoed in his ears once more.
Pei Wen Xuan had claimed that he was not the only person in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven who wanted Yang Kai dead. It would now seem that many of the Cave-Heaven and Paradise disciples in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were tracking Yang Kai’s whereabouts in order to kill him.
“Although I believed that you would enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, I never imagined that I would encounter you so quickly. It looks like you and I are destined for each other, Junior Brother.” Qu Hua Shang laughed lightly.
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Senior Sister, you mentioned that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wished for me to join them. If I join Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, will they guarantee that I can advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?”
If he remembered correctly, the Proprietress had clearly mentioned that the Cave-Heavens and Paradises would not be able to accept somebody like him with peace of mind. That was because they had no way to guarantee his loyalty. Only those cultivators who were nurtured from birth could safely advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm directly. It was just that cultivators like these were incredibly rare throughout the ages; hence, the appearance of anyone who could directly break through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm was bound to create a huge uproar in the 3,000 Worlds.
It was not just because the High-Rank materials were difficult to find and refine, it was also because forcefully cultivating them when one’s Dao Seal was not firm enough would only result in death. Even if somebody were to condense High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Powers, they would face great danger when trying to split Heaven and Earth apart inside their body to create a Small Universe.
Many talented cultivators who condensed High-Rank Elements would fail at the last moment and extinguish their souls as a result.
“No.” She shook her head, “If you join Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, you will have to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!”
Yang Kai was stunned. He thought that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would be able to guarantee that he broke through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Who could have known that their offer came with such a condition? It was just a casual remark in the first place, but what he learned immediately made him lose all interest in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. The Sixth and Seventh-Order might only be one Order apart, but they were fundamentally different.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai finally understood why Qu Hua Shang was acting so forward and kept making those kinds of requests when he met her again this time. If he cultivated together with her, then he would undoubtedly carry Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s mark. Not only would she be able to complete the task given to her by the Master Sect, but she would also find a partner to fall in love with. It was killing two birds with one stone.
“Many thanks, Senior Sister, for being so frank with me.”
No matter what her original intentions towards him were, the fact that she could tell him everything without hiding anything indicated that she did not wish to harm him.
“Junior Brother, are you unwilling?” She asked.
His answer was resolute, “I will go forward bravely on the road beneath my feet. I have already seen the path to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Even if it is narrow, muddy, and full of thorns, I will not retreat. My Dao Heart will become clouded if I choose the easier road instead!”
Qu Hua Shang sighed softly, “Junior Brother, you are still a long way from advancing into the Open Heaven Realm. Many people might have taken notice of you, but they have no intention of making a move against you yet. That is because they are people who must consider their own status. They cannot abuse their strength to crush you; otherwise, it will harm their reputation if word gets out. At the moment, they are only using their Juniors to cause trouble for and suppress you. But, if they perceive you as a threat one day, they will neither hold back nor be merciful.”
“Senior Sister, can you tell me why the Cave-Heavens and Paradises are so sensitive to advancing directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?” Yang Kai asked. He could not understand this point no matter how hard he thought about it. He was simply cultivating his own Dao. It was not as if he was harming other people, so why did he end up in this situation for no apparent reason?
Qu Hua Shang explained, “I don’t know if this is true as it is something I only heard about in rumours. A certain Paradise once recruited a talented and promising disciple like you, Junior Brother. That disciple certainly lived up to expectations and advanced directly into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and was granted an important position as a result. Subsequently, the Cave-Heaven exhausted all its resources and spent thousands of years helping him advance into the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. In the Open Heaven Realm, the First-Order is the weakest while the Ninth-Order is the strongest. Once he reached the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there was practically nobody in the 3,000 Worlds who was his equal. Afterward, nobody knew the reason why he suddenly had a drastic change of heart, but he went on to slaughter the entire Paradise in a single day. Not only did everybody from that Paradise lose their lives, but the Paradise itself was destroyed.”
She paused for a moment and highlighted, “Following those events, the Masters of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises who were allies of the previous Paradise joined together to hunt him down. Unfortunately, the force sent to subdue him was also wiped out. Moreover, it would seem that this incident caused that person to greatly despise the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises. He deliberately went on to wreak havoc for the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. For a time, the entire 3,000 Worlds was plunged into a reign of terror. All 36 Cave-Heavens and 72 Paradises were swept up in this incident. This matter lasted for several hundreds of years. Only then was that person besieged to death. Unfortunately, all the Cave-Heavens and Paradises took severe damage as a result. Having learned from the lessons of the past, the current Cave-Heavens and Paradises tend to pay great attention to those who advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, lest the tragedy repeat itself.”
She carried on, “At present, there exists a Desolate Territory where the space is shattered and the vitality is gone. That is where the final battle took place in the past. It is said that several hundred High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters alone died in that battle! It is impossible to calculate how many Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters and Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters died as well. Even though so many years have passed, that Great Territory is still fraught with dangers. The power of all sorts of Divine Abilities remains. No matter how powerful you are, nobody who enters that place has returned alive.”
“The Desolate Territory was a battlefield in the past?” Yang Kai was astonished.
In order to locate the Star Boundary, he once scoured the entire Universe Chart. Needless to say, he had noticed the existence of the ‘Desolate Territory’. He had not given much thought to this matter at the time and only felt curious as to why there was nothing marked within that Desolate Territory. Only now did he learn that the Desolate Territory had such history behind it.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t help looking down on the Cave-Heavens and Paradises that were so sensitive and stressed about something that occurred in the distant past. [Instead of guarding against others, why don’t they strengthen themselves instead?]
“Junior Brother, won’t you reconsider?” Qu Hua Shang glanced at him pitifully, but her expression was filled with anticipation.
He reached out and flicked her on the forehead, “Focus on healing. Stop talking so much.”
She clutched at her forehead and rolled her eyes in frustration.
As time passed, their injuries gradually healed and they were no longer as weak as before.
…
Inside the City Lord’s Mansion, Fan Wu Xin took out the Wooden Token that he obtained from Yang Kai and played with it. He was extremely curious as the pattern on the Wooden Token was very familiar to him. It was none other than the insignia of Abundance City. [But, why does a Wooden Token brought in by an Outer World visitor have Abundance City’s insignia on it? Not to mention, the appearance of this Wooden Token indicates that it is from hundreds or even thousands of years ago.]
Unable to solve this puzzling question, Fan Wu Xin asked several others about this Wooden Token. Unfortunately, nobody knew anything either. [Perhaps, I will only learn the truth once the City Lord comes out of retreat.]
Just as he was about to put the Wooden Token away, he suddenly felt a gust of wind brushing against him. Immediately after that, a beardless middle-aged man with a fair face appeared in front of him.
Fan Wu Xin hurriedly straightened up and cupped his fist, “Elder Tan!”
The person who just arrived was none other than Tan Luo Xing, one of the five Great Elders of the Abundance City. He was very powerful and held great authority.
Like Tan Luo Xing, Fan Wu Xin had also condensed the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Elements; however, the other party was older than him by several thousands of years. If it really came down to a fight, Fan Wu Xin was certain that Tan Luo Xing could take his life within a hundred moves.
“Deacon Fan!” Tan Luo Xing nodded in acknowledgement, “I heard you were asking about the origins of a Wooden Token.”
“Indeed!” Fan Wu Xin nodded.
“Is that it? Can I have a look?” Tan Luo Xing cast his gaze in the direction of Fan Wu Xin’s hands.
“Please have a look, Elder Tan.” Fan Wu Xin immediately handed the Wooden Token over. While Tan Luo Xing was investigating the Wooden Token, Fan Wu Xin briefly recounted the story about how he had captured Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang.
Tan Luo Xing’s eyes flashed and he narrowed his eyes slightly, “Are they really Outer World visitors?”
“Yes, they are Outer World visitors.” Fan Wu Xin nodded in confirmation, “Elder Tan, do you recognise this Wooden Token? Do you know what it is? Why does it have Abundance City’s insignia?”
“I know a little bit, but I will only know whether or not it’s as I believe once I meet the person in question.” Tan Luo Xing clenched the Wooden Token in his hand and looked up, “Where are those two right now?”
Fan Wu Xin said, “The woman is unconscious due to severe injuries while the man is sealed by the Firm Yuan Nails. They are currently being imprisoned in the dungeon.”
“I’ll go and take a look.” After saying that, Tan Luo Xing turned around and left.
[In the end, he didn’t say anything about the Wooden Token….] Although Fan Wu Xin was annoyed, he could not inquire further into the matter. After ruminating over something for a bit, he got up and followed Tan Luo Xing.
…
Inside the dungeon, Yang Kai was adjusting his breathing when he abruptly opened his eyes and sent a transmission to Qu Hua Shang, “Be careful, Senior Sister. Someone is coming.”
Qu Hua Shang hurriedly sat up at those words, her bright eyes watching the door of the prison vigilantly. All of a sudden, she felt Yang Kai’s aura weaken considerably. She immediately understood his intentions and restrained her own energy, pretending that she was still seriously injured and on the verge of death, her complexion as pale as could be.
The two of them had only just finished preparing their ruse when a voice rang out from outside the door, “Greetings, Elder Tan!”
Another person grunted faintly in response, “Are the two people that Deacon Fan captured inside?”
“Yes.”
“Open the door. I’m going in to take a look.”
“Yes!”
Soon, the door of the prison cell opened and a beardless middle-aged man with a fair face walked in. His expression was gloomy and slightly anxious. When he looked up and saw Yang Kai, he immediately paused at the door of the cell and a hint of astonishment flashed across his eyes before he blurted out, “It’s you!?”
“Huh?” Yang Kai stared at the man suspiciously. [What is he talking about? Do we know each other?]
“So many years have passed. What did you come back here for!?” The middle-aged man shouted again.
Yang Kai was utterly confused; he had no idea what the middle-aged man was talking about.
Just as Yang Kai was about to inquire about the situation, the middle-aged man’s expression suddenly turned savage and he gave a low laugh, “It doesn’t matter. Since you came back, die!”
Whilst saying so, he raised a hand and pushed his palm towards Yang Kai as the Power of the Five Elements swirled around him.
From the strength of his attack, he had obviously condensed Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Elements. Moreover, he must have been immersed in this Realm for many years because his control over his Five Element Powers was incredibly refined and potent. Among all the other Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Masters that Yang Kai had met so far, none of them could surpass this man in this regard.
Moreover, this attack was very aggressive and overflowing with murderous intent. It was obvious that the middle-aged man intended to take Yang Kai’s life.
Yang Kai immediately lost his temper. He had never met this man before, so why was he trying to kill him at their first meeting!?
If he had not neutralized the Firm Yuan Nails that were placed on him earlier, Yang Kai would have been helpless in the face of this attack. Fortunately, he was no longer bound by such restraints.
Lifting his hand, Yang Kai threw his own palm forward while drawing the powers of his Dao Seal. His clothes flapped about wildly, making rustling noises even though there was no wind.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai’s figure swayed slightly and the small bed under him immediately shattered into dust.
On the other hand, the middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically as he was sent flying backward, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood in mid-air.
The violent force from their exchange swirled and swept out in all directions. The dungeon was unable to withstand the impact and came crashing down with a loud rumble.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai grabbed Qu Hua Shang’s waist with one hand and shot upward.
At this moment, Fan Wu Xin was hurrying towards the dungeon, but before he could even reach the entrance, he suddenly heard a violent explosion coming from below. It was followed by the distinctive sounds of battle. He was startled, not knowing what was going on. Before he could understand the situation, the ground collapsed without warning and two figures flashed out from the opening to land not far away from him.
Turning around to look in that direction, Fan Wu Xin was shocked by the sight that greeted him. [Isn’t that man and woman the two Outer World visitors whom I captured and brought back recently!?]
When he captured them, the woman had been seriously injured and unconscious as a result. Furthermore, he had planted the Firm Yuan Nails in that man himself. Logically speaking, it was impossible for the other party to exert any strength at this moment, but looking at Yang Kai’s abundant vitality and violent Qi… There were no traces of weakness at all.
*Hong hong hong…* More figures emerged from below, all of them covered in dust. One of them was pale-faced and had blood trickling out of the corners of his mouth.
Fan Wu Xin cried out in shock, “Elder Tan!”
The person who seemed to be injured was none other than Tan Luo Xing, who had parted ways with him earlier. Judging by Tan Luo Xing’s appearance, Fan Wu Xin could tell that the former had been injured by the Outer World visitor. Thus, he couldn’t help feeling horrified by the discovery.
He had a clear understanding of just how strong Tan Luo Xing was. The number of people in Abundance City who could win against Tan Luo Xing could be counted on one hand. Besides, it had not been long since they separated. [How did Tan Luo Xing get wounded so quickly? How strong is this Outer World visitor for him to do something like this in such a short period of time!?]
“Cough… Cough, cough!” Tan Luo Xing coughed lightly and spat out the blood in his mouth. Staring at Yang Kai with a mixture of shock and horror, he shouted furiously, “This person is not an Outer World visitor! He is a spy from Emerald Thunder City! Don’t let him escape!”
When that order rang out, a group of people immediately gathered around from all directions.
Fan Wu Xin was stunned. [How did these two get tangled up with Emerald Thunder City? Could it be that I was mistaken previously? Are they not Outer World visitors but actual spies? Elder Tan must have his own reasons for saying this but…]
He had no time to think. Hurriedly summoning his longsword, he joined the encirclement.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was holding Qu Hua Shang by the waist with one hand, his expression gloomy. He had willingly let himself be captured in this place because he had urgently needed to find a quiet spot to recuperate from his injuries. Who could have known that he would be accused of being a spy and attacked before he had the chance to recover completely? It was only natural that he was in a foul mood.
Although he had yet to recover fully at the moment, he was no longer as weak as he was before. It was true that he could not exert his complete strength, but it was not a problem for him to fight at 80% of his maximum. For that reason, he was not scared in the slightest even though a lot of people were gathering around. It was just that this place was the enemies’ territory, so it would be rather troublesome if it came down to a fight.
Therefore, he turned to look at the middle-aged man coldly and asked, “You, are you misunderstanding something?”
“Misunderstanding?” Tan Luo Xing snarled, “Even if you turned into ashes, I would still be able to recognise you! What do you mean by misunderstanding!? What are you all doing!? Kill him!”
Following his command, more than ten figures lunged at Yang Kai from all directions. Every one of them used killing moves as their energy swirled wildly around them.
Seeing that, Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate them. He lifted his hand and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear into his grip. A bright light flashed, seemingly shocking the entire world as spear shadows flew in all directions.
Numerous cries of agony rang out as the people who threw themselves at Yang Kai were all thrown backwards. Each one of them collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.
The others in the surroundings were shocked by the sight. [Just who the Hell is this guy!? How is he so fierce!? Is he really a spy from Emerald Thunder City!?]
It was only a short moment of hesitation, but Yang Kai had already broken out of the encirclement during that time. Everywhere he passed, a reign of terror was left in his wake.
Fan Wu Xin was completely dumbfounded as a chill ran down from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. He had not realised just how powerful this man was when he first led his men to capture these two people. If this man had revealed such ability at that time, he and his men would not have been able to return alive. It was obvious that the other party had been terribly injured earlier but had recovered somewhat now.
“Watch out, Deacon Fan!” A shout broke Fan Wu Xin out of his daze. He looked up and felt fear flooding his heart. The Outer World visitor was charging straight in his direction, sending numerous figures flying along the way. Fresh blood splattered across the skies and screams reverberated through the air.
Fan Wu Xin quickly focused himself. With death looming right before his eyes, he slashed his sword wildly, sending out a torrent of sword waves towards the enemy.
There seemed to be no end to the sounds of the sword waves slicing through the air, completely obscuring the figure of the Outer World visitor.
[Did I get him?] Fan Wu Xin frowned, still feeling extremely uneasy.
*Hong…*
It was as if a giant ominous beast had rushed out from ancient-history. When the sword waves shattered, Fan Wu Xin saw a spear rapidly enlarging in front of his eyes!
[Oh, no!] He wanted to avoid the attack, but that spear seemed to block out all the light in front of him. There was no way for him to dodge.
[I’m going to die!] The moment that thought appeared, Fan Wu Xin felt an intense pain coming from somewhere in his body and immediately collapsed to the ground. A short while later though, he was stunned to discover that he was still breathing. Looking down, he saw that he was covered in blood and there was a wound at his waist area that had penetrated right through his body! Nevertheless, considering his Half-Step Open Heaven Realm cultivation, such an injury could be considered neither light nor serious because his vitals had not been destroyed.
[I can’t believe I’m not dead! Did he miss?]
All of a sudden, a series of groaning sounds entered Fan Wu Xin’s ears. Looking up, he was stunned by the sight before him. All the people who were defeated by the Outer World visitor earlier were injured and bleeding, but not one of them had died!
After witnessing this scene, how could Fan Wu Xin not understand? The other party had not missed; rather, he had held back! He had no intention of killing anybody and was simply fighting back and defending himself.
Fan Wu Xin looked around once more and saw countless cultivators of Abundance City continuing to besiege the Outer World visitor; however, none of them could even slow him down. Yang Kai left a path of destruction everywhere he went, mowing down his opponents as easily as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood. On the other hand, the cultivators of Abundance City were cut down like wheat in a storm, collapsing to the ground one after another.
[Is he really Human!?] Fan Wu Xin looked dumbstruck.
“Kill him!” Tan Luo Xing roared furiously with a savage expression as he, too, charged in the direction where Yang Kai was located.
Fan Wu Xin hurriedly followed suit after circulating his strength to staunch his bleeding. There was no other choice. He was the one who captured these people in the first place, so he could not just leave them be. Although the other party was still showing mercy, Fan Wu Xin could not just sit around and watch as he caused such a huge commotion in Abundance City.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai charged forward with his spear in hand, fighting his way through the city. He was extremely annoyed by now. It was not a pleasant experience to be besieged for no reason. Although he believed that there was a misunderstanding, he had no idea who to approach to resolve the situation. Thus, he could only fight while running. He initially wanted to find a way to leave the city, but he couldn’t find the exit at all. This city was guarded by a powerful Spirit Array and there seemed to be no way out unless it was deactivated or opened.
He had not killed any of the native cultivators here so as not to create an irresolvable grudge between the two sides. There was still room for resolving this misunderstanding as long as he did not kill anybody. On the contrary, he would have no choice but to fight to the end if he launched a slaughter.
Fortunately, all the cultivators in this city were now aware of Yang Kai’s strength after his astonishing display just now. Nobody dared to approach him carelessly, but there was still a large group of people surrounding him from afar no matter where he went. Even though they had him surrounded though, they were the ones gulping nervously as terror and panic filled their faces.
Yang Kai held his spear in hand while Qu Hua Shang followed behind him at a leisurely pace. The more she watched this Junior Brother of hers, the deeper her impression of how extraordinary he was grew. When she thought back to the hardships and dangers that they experienced together, an indescribable and unfamiliar emotion began to blossom in her heart.
Abundance City was a complete mess. Countless cultivators were gathered around in all directions with Yang Kai at their centre. Most of these cultivators looked terrified and were nervously gulping. They moved quickly with Yang Kai’s every movement, maintaining a distance of several dozen metres from him at all times.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai scurried around the city with Qu Hua Shang in tow. He had failed to locate the exit of this city’s Grand Array despite searching for over an incense stick worth of time; thus, his patience was wearing thin. He reached out a hand and Space Principles fluctuated before a young man appeared in his grasp.
That young man had originally been standing fifty metres away from Yang Kai, but before he could realise what was going on, he felt something tightening around his neck. He looked up and saw Yang Kai staring at him with a dark expression. Screaming in fear, he instinctively tried to fight back; however, a mighty force filled the other party’s palm and flooded his body, making him unable to exert any strength at all.
“Where’s the exit!?” Yang Kai asked sullenly.
Pale with fright, the young man swallowed nervously. A look of hesitation and struggle flashed across his face, but he soon closed his eyes and grit his teeth with a look that indicated he was resigned to his fate.
“How brave!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. Increasing the strength in his hand slightly, he threatened the young man, “I’ll ask you one last time. Where is the exit!? I’ll kill you if you don’t talk!”
The young man gritted his teeth tightly together. Even though he looked extremely frightened, he refused to say a single word.
Yang Kai turned to look at his surroundings. Countless pairs of eyes stared back at him, flickering with fright and anger as though he was some kind of wicked villain. He was so furious that he wanted to laugh. Lifting the young man in his hand high into the air, he snarled savagely, “Release the city’s Grand Array and let me out! Otherwise, I will raze this entire city to the ground and leave no man alive!”
Nobody responded, but his words made everybody’s expression change drastically. Nobody answered his demand either. It could be seen that although this city and population was not very large, they were incredibly united. Thinking about it, it was not that strange. Every corner of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was filled with danger, so if natives were not unified, it would be difficult for them to survive in this harsh environment.
“Junior Brother, are we really going to kill them?” Qu Hua Shang asked in a whisper.
“Senior Sister, please don’t be impatient. Just follow me closely.”
“En!” She nodded and snuggled tightly against him.
Afterward, Yang Kai turned his head to look at the middle-aged man who attacked him earlier. [The people here called him ‘Elder Tan’. He probably holds some sway in this city. I might be able to discover the location of the Grand Array’s portal from this man.]
When Tan Luo Xing noticed Yang Kai looking in his direction, his expression changed considerably and he subconsciously took several steps back. He had exchanged blows with Yang Kai back at the prison, which nearly resulted in his death; therefore, he had a deep understanding of the latter’s strength. This man was not somebody he could defeat. In fact, they could not stop him even after all the forces within Abundance City were mobilised. At this point, he seriously doubted that anybody in Abundance City could prevent Yang Kai from wiping out this city if so chose to.
At this moment, a shadow rushed over and landed not far away from Yang Kai. It transformed into a girl that looked quite young. She was dressed like a maidservant and in addition, she had a playful and pure appearance.
Upon seeing the situation within the city, the young girl revealed an expression of astonishment. Then, her beautiful eyes landed on Yang Kai. She swept a measuring gaze over his body as though trying to assess him.
“Be careful, Lady Jing! This person…” Fan Wu Xin shouted. After mulling for a long while, he finally added, “He is unfathomable!”
Lady Jing nodded lightly. Giving Yang Kai an elegant bow, she gently said, “This maid greets you, Sir!”
“What do you want?” Yang Kai glanced sideways at her.
She said, “I wouldn’t dare. The City Lord wishes to speak with you!”
“The City Lord?” Yang Kai squinted at the location in the middle of the city. Fan Wu Xin had brought him there once, but the City Lord had been in retreat at the time. That was why he and Qu Hua Shang were eventually thrown into the dungeon.
[It seems that all the commotion I caused here has roused the City Lord from her retreat. Nevertheless, this City Lord is certainly quite an interesting woman.] Even though he had made such a huge fuss in Abundance City, this person was still inviting him over for a chat. It went to show that the other party was either very generous, or was as timid as a mouse. Judging by the maid servant’s attitude, the former was more probable.
Just as Yang Kai was about to nod in agreement, Tan Luo Xing suddenly shouted, “You can’t! This person is a spy sent by Emerald Thunder City! Furthermore, he is very strong! If we recklessly allow him to approach the City Lord, the consequences will be dire! Everybody, please work with me to kill this man to prevent any further troubles!”
Yang Kai was furious. [Just what is wrong with this Tan Luo Xing!? Why does he keep accusing me of being a spy from Emerald Thunder City!?]
Listening to those accusations caused his murderous intent to rise, tempting him to kill this person on the spot with his spear!
Lady Jing, however, smiled and refuted, “Elder Tan, please watch what you say. The City Lord has made her decision. What’s more, if this man is as strong as you say, were he a spy sent by Emerald Thunder City, the city would be flowing with rivers of blood by this point. Nobody in Abundance City can stop him after all. However, that is not the case. While it is true that many of our people have been injured, not a single of them lost their life. It can be seen that this man has held back. I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding somewhere!”
[At least the City Lord is sensible.] Yang Kai nodded to himself, the rage in his heart subsiding slightly.
“Sir, Madame, please come this way!” After saying that, she turned sideways and gestured with her hand to show them the way.
Qu Hua Shang blushed, “I’m not a Madame.”
It was her first time being addressed in that manner, so it felt strange to her ears.
“Lead the way.” Yang Kai put away the Azure Dragon Spear, released the young man in his grasp, and nodded in acknowledgement.
Lady Jing looked to the side, “Deacon Fan, please come with us. I heard that you are the one who brought this Sir and Lady back.”
“Yes!” Fan Wu Xin responded as he clutched at his waist with one hand, his complexion pale. That spot was where Yang Kai had stabbed him with his spear earlier. Even now, the bleeding has not stopped completely.
“Everyone, please disperse. Those who are injured should receive proper treatment for your wounds!” Lady Jing waved her hands to dismiss the others before stepping forward to lead the way.
On the other hand, Tan Luo Xing could only watch helplessly as Yang Kai and the others departed. He was anxious and furious, but unfortunately, it was impossible to stop them with his current strength alone. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth, knowing that he was finished the moment that person entered the City Lord’s Mansion. He would no longer have a place in Abundance City. Staring in the direction of the City Lord’s Mansion that held so many of his memories, he immediately flew towards his residence.
…..
The City Lord’s Mansion was probably the largest building in Abundance City. Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang had been here before, but they had not been able to enter at the time. Now though, they had a smooth journey under Lady Jing’s guidance and soon arrived at the Main Hall. Lady Jing stopped outside the doors and announced, “City Lord, I’ve brought them here.”
“Since you’re here, then please come in.” A gentle voice came from within.
“Sir, please come this way!” Lady Jing gestured forward.
Yang Kai nodded and strode inside with Qu Hua Shang. Upon entering the Main Hall, he immediately felt a dozen or so Divine Senses shrouding him. He looked up and saw four people sitting at the head of the hall. There were two on each side, including both men and women. The others were hidden in the shadows, remaining alert and vigilant against him.
He was not bothered by their attitudes; after all, he had caused a huge commotion in the city earlier. Even if they invited him here, it was only natural that they took some precautions.
Meanwhile, the four people sitting in the Main Hall were on par with Elder Tan in terms of strength. They were probably the highest-level Elders in Abundance City. Besides them, a woman dressed in imperial dress sat demurely on the head seat located at the central platform.
When their gazes met, Yang Kai discovered that this woman looked to be in her thirties. Time had not left any traces on her face and her appearance was dignified, looking like a true Young Lady of the house.
What surprised him even more was that the City Lord abruptly stood up from her chair the moment their gazes met. She was not the only one to do so as the other people sitting around them had the same reaction. All of them stood up abruptly and stared at him in shock. In addition, the City Lord’s eyes reddened, her breathing quickened, and her body trembled lightly. She covered her red lips with one hand.
“It’s you!?” An elderly man on the left shouted.
Yang Kai turned to look in that direction and studied the man, having no clue who he was.
He had heard these words twice now. The first time was when Elder Tan met him, and the second was in this place. That was not all. The people here had reacted strangely when they saw him, so much so that the City Lord even lost all her composure for some reason.
Yang Kai frowned as various thoughts ran through his head, “Have you mistaken me for somebody else?”
If they did not mistake him for somebody else, then how could they have these kinds of reactions?
As soon as those words left his mouth, everybody stiffened in surprise; then, they all turned to look at the City Lord in unison.
The City Lord’s eyes were red as she called out, “Ting Yu… is that you?”
Her voice trembled slightly, sounding weak and desolate. Like a woman calling out to her lover after waiting for many years. Her voice was filled with longing but also mixed with a trace of resentment.
Upon hearing the name ‘Ting Yu’, Yang Kai immediately understood what was going on. The people here had indeed mistaken him for somebody else.
“Madame, are you referring to Lan Ting Yu?” Yang Kai asked.
Everybody was stunned once more. The City Lord’s tender body trembled at those words. Her figure fluttered lightly as she came to stand in front of Yang Kai. She studied him carefully while weeping softly; however, her expression became disappointed after taking a closer look at him, “You’re not him!”
She slowly shook her head repeatedly. Turning around, she slowly walked back to her seat and sat down as though all the strength in her body was gone. Even her complexion looked lifeless.
The elderly man who spoke up earlier took a good look at Yang Kai and asked suspiciously, “Are you not Lan Ting Yu?”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Yang Kai greets fellow cultivators!”
Everybody exchanged glances with each other when they heard his greeting while one of the women couldn’t stop herself from muttering, “How can they look so alike?”
Another middle-aged man said, “It’s probably not Brother Lan. It has been nearly a thousand years since we last saw Brother Lan, but this man still looks so young.”
“Yes. What Elder Pang says makes sense.”
“Could he be a descendant of Brother Lan’s? Otherwise, how can they be so alike?” The last person who abruptly voiced out a whimsical thought was a fatty. The words had just left his mouth when the woman next to him viciously stomped on his foot. The pain was so intense that he grimaced and he called out, “Why did you step on my foot!?”
That woman glared at the fatty fiercely and gestured upwards with her mouth.
The fatty immediately fell silent and sneakily stole a glance in that direction. The City Lord was staring at Yang Kai blankly, her eyes seemingly flashing with memories of the distant past.
“I am not acquainted with Lan Ting Yu nor have any relationship with him,” Yang Kai slowly explained. He had only heard about ‘Lan Ting Yu’ from Yue He and the Proprietress. Back when Yue He first saw him, she had also shouted out the name ‘Ting Yu’.
“But, you look so alike.” Some people remained consumed by a sense of disbelief.
Yang Kai did not say anything else; after all, he had already expressed his point to them clearly. Judging by the current situation, it would seem that Lan Ting Yu had not only visited this place in the past but was also acquainted with the people here. Why else would they have mistaken him for Lan Ting Yu when they first saw him?
[And, that City Lord…] Yang Kai observed the City Lord’s expression, secretly thinking to himself that she must have held deep feelings for Lan Ting Yu. If not, she would not have been this agitated. [Lan Ting Yu sure was popular. First, there was Yue He, and now, there’s this City Lord. Not to mention, the City Lord lives in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Tsk! Tsk!]
All of a sudden, he was reminded of the Wooden Token that the Proprietress had given to him. At the time, she mentioned that it was a favour. It would now seem that the Wooden Token was most likely connected to the people here.
She had also hesitated to say anything and looked a little helpless when she handed the Wooden Token to him. Her reaction seemed to be related to the current situation. She probably expected the situation to turn out this way if he came to this place. It was just that this place was so well hidden. If Yang Kai had not been chased or coincidentally obtained the map, he would not have stumbled upon this place. Various coincidences had come together to allow him to come here and meet the people in front of him.
“This Queen has embarrassed herself in front of you, Honoured Guest. Please forgive me.” The City Lord was naturally not an ordinary woman though. Although she had been emotionally shaken upon meeting him, she quickly recovered her composure after confirming that he was not Lan Ting Yu. It could be seen just how firm and steady her will was. For a woman to have such strong mental cultivation, it was no wonder that she could sit on the throne of the City Lord
“You’re too polite, City Lord.” Yang Kai nodded lightly and asked, “May I know your names?”
“This Queen’s name is Mo Mei. I am the City Lord of Abundance City!” The lady answered. Following that, she introduced the other four people to him. These people were the Elders of Abundance City. The female Elder was called Mu Qian Xuan, the middle-aged man was Pang Duo, the old man was Gong Yang Xi, and the slightly chubby man was called Jin Yuan Lang, “There are five Elders in Abundance City. The last being Tan Luo Xing. I believe you’ve met Elder Tan already.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help coldly snorting. It was that very Elder Tan who had repeatedly slandered and accused him of being Emerald Thunder City’s spy. That was what caused the huge commotion in the first place.
“Where is Elder Tan?” Mo Mei suddenly asked.
Lady Jing replied, “I noticed that Elder Tan seemed to be injured earlier. He is probably treating his wounds right now.”
While speaking, she snuck a glance at Yang Kai. If she had to be honest, she had been extremely shocked to see the scene of wounded lying all over the ground when she arrived on the scene just now.
City Lord Mo Mei nodded lightly at those words.
Pang Duo then asked, “Little Brother Yang, how do you know about Lan Ting Yu if you are not acquainted with Brother Lan?”
Yang Kai answered, “Lan You Ruo, Yue He, and I are close acquaintances. It is through them that I learned about Lan Ting Yu’s existence.”
“So that’s how it is!” Pang Duo immediately understood the situation.
Jin Yuan Lang asked, ““How is Brother Lan doing now?”
Yang Kai turned to look at Jin Yuan Lang with a slight frown. Based on what he heard from these people and what he understood from their actions, it was likely that Lan Ting Yu, the Proprietress, and Yue He had come to Abundance City together and obtained that Wooden Token. Furthermore, City Lord Mo Mei seemed to have fallen deeply in love with Lan Ting Yu here.
Unfortunately, this was the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Outsiders would be forced to leave once the time limit was up, so there was no way for them to send word of what happened later to Abundance City. In other words, these people had no idea that Lan Ting Yu had died a long time ago.
Worried about how City Lord Mo Mei would react, Yang Kai was not sure whether he should tell them the truth. He pondered in silence for a time before deciding that honesty would be best here and explained, “You might not be aware, but… Lan Ting Yu died a long time ago.”
As soon as the statement came out, Mo Mei’s body shook violently. Her emotions that had just stabilised became disordered again. Pang Duo and the others glanced at her worriedly while Mu Qian Xuan quickly said, “Our condolences, City Lord. Please restrain your grief!”
Mo Mei lowered her head so that her hair obscured her eyes and cast a dense shadow over her face. They could not read her expression. Nevertheless, she slowly raised her hand and said, “It’s fine. I had a feeling that was the case. Why else would he fail to return after so long, unless something had happened to him? He promised to bring us out of this place back then after all.”
Seeing how she forced herself to remain strong and endured the pain even though it felt like thousands of blades were slicing her heart, the Elders felt sad too; however, they did not know how to comfort her. It was not just Mo Mei of course, the rest of them had also speculated that something had happened to Lan Ting Yu. It was just that they never received any news from the outside world, so they continued to hold on to that glimmer of hope. Now that they knew the truth, even that glimmer no longer existed.
“Were you all very close to Lan Ting Yu?” Yang Kai asked after observing them.
Pang Duo replied, “To tell you the truth, Little Brother, Abundance City was founded with the help of Brother Lan. If not for Brother Lan, we all would have perished long ago under the claws of the Monster Beasts. It can be said that Brother Lan is our saviour.”
“Is that how it is?” Yang Kai was astonished. [No wonder the Proprietress claimed that the Wooden Token was a favour. It turned out to be a favour indeed. Abundance City was only established with Lan Ting Yu’s help. That’s one heck of a favour!]
Yang Kai secretly guessed that Lan Ting Yu and the Proprietress encountered these people from Abundance City when they entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven back then and forged bonds of affection and friendship with each other. They later helped the people here to establish Abundance City and promised to find an opportunity to bring them out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was just that fate had other plans. After Lan Ting Yu left the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, the Heaven-defying opportunities he obtained made him the target of various Cave-Heavens and Paradises. These opportunities eventually cost him his life. Needless to say, he never returned to this place again.
Over a thousand years had passed since then. That was why these people had mistaken Yang Kai for Lan Ting Yu when he first came here. It was also why Tan Luo Xing was so shocked and blurted out, “Why did you come back here after so many years!?”
Upon considering all this, Yang Kai suddenly felt as though things were not adding up so he hurriedly asked, “Has Elder Tan Luo Xing ever met Lan Ting Yu in the past?”
Jin Yuan Lang nodded, “Of course. Elder Tan and the rest of us here can be considered the earliest residents of Abundance City. When we first arrived at this place, there were only a few dozen of us. It was only after so many years of progress that we reached our current scale.”
Yang Kai wrinkled his brow, “That’s strange. If Elder Tan is acquainted with Lan Ting Yu and mistook me for him, why did he insist on slandering and accusing me of being a spy from Emerald Thunder City? He tried to kill me as soon as he saw me. If not for the fact that I have some skill, I would be nothing more than a corpse by now.”
[I don’t even know where Emerald Thunder City is located.]
“Something like that happened!?” Pang Duo was surprised.
Mu Qian Xuan pondered in silence, but a moment later, she glanced in Mo Mei’s direction and heaved a heavy sigh without saying anything. Similarly, the others seemed to understand something and their expressions became ugly.
Qu Hua Shang suddenly whispered from behind Yang Kai, “Junior Brother, it seems that Elder Tan regarded you as a love rival.”
Realisation dawned on Yang Kai after listening to her words. Everything made sense if that was truly the case. Tan Luo Xing was in love with City Lord Mo Mei, but Mo Mei only had eyes for Lan Ting Yu. It was just that Lan Ting Yu failed to appear after so many years, leading Tan Luo Xing to believe that he still had a chance with her.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai happened to arrive at this place at this time and had his Wooden Token taken away by Fan Wu Xin. Only one such Wooden Token had been issued by Abundance City throughout history. It was something that Lan Ting Yu took with him when he left. Only a dozen or so people knew about the existence of this Wooden Token, and out of all the people who knew about the situation, many had died over the years. Mo Mei and the five Elders were the only ones left who knew about the origins of this Wooden Token.
When Tan Luo Xing saw the Wooden Token, he naturally sought to investigate the situation thoroughly. In the end, he saw Yang Kai and mistakenly assumed that Lan Ting Yu had returned, sparking a murderous impulse in his heart. He immediately tried to kill Yang Kai while the latter was bound by the restraints of the Firm Yuan Nail. Who would have learned the truth if he destroyed the corpse and removed all evidence?
It was Tan Luo Xing’s bad luck that Yang Kai was not bound by the restraints of the Firm Yuan Nail at all. Yang Kai wounded him with a single palm strike. Afterward, things spiraled out of control until there was no turning back.
“Jing’er, summon Elder Tan here at once. I have something to ask him.” Mo Mei’s expression was filled with rage.
Jing’er bowed, “Yes!”
Immediately afterward, she flew out of the City Lord’s Mansion to search for Tan Luo Xing.
Pang Duo glanced at Fan Wu Xin, who had followed along, “Deacon Fan, I heard that you were the one to bring Brother Yang, and his companion back.”
Fan Wu Xin quickly replied, “That’s right. A few days ago, my men and I were guarding the Grand Array portal when we suddenly noticed a figure approaching, as though searching for something. Worried that it might be a spy sent by Emerald Thunder City to collect intelligence, I led my men to attack and capture this Senior Brother and Senior Sister. I can now see that it was all just a misunderstanding!”
While speaking, he cupped his fist at Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang to express his apology, secretly afraid. It was fortunate that Yang Kai had been injured at the time and lost most of his combat capabilities. Fan Wu Xin could not have brought his men back safe and sound otherwise.
“What happened afterward?” Pang Duo asked again.
Fan Wu Xin immediately recounted what happened in detail. When he saw the pattern on the Wooden Token, he felt that it was very similar to the symbol of Abundance City; thus, he took possession of it and went around asking about it. To his surprise, nobody knew about the Wooden Token. Tan Luo Xing came looking for him after hearing the news and later took the Wooden Token and headed straight for the dungeon.
What followed was a huge commotion. Tan Luo Xing had issued an order for all the cultivators in Abundance City to besiege Yang Kai, in the name of killing a spy. Consequently, many people were wounded by Yang Kai.
Upon hearing that Tan Luo Xing had repeatedly accused Yang Kai of being Emerald Thunder City’s spy, the expressions of the Elders became rather ugly. Even if they ignored the fact that the City Lord and Lan Ting Yu were deeply in love with one another, Abundance City was first established with the help of Lan Ting Yu and the others.
Therefore, everyone in Abundance City essentially owed their lives to Lan Ting Yu. Tan Luo Xing had been blinded by jealousy and acted foolishly. As one of the five Great Elders of Abundance City, his actions undoubtedly repaid kindness with enmity and brought shame to them all!
“Where is the Wooden Token now?” Mu Qian Xuan asked.
Fan Wu Xin replied, “With Elder Tan.”
Mo Mei interjected, “The Wooden Token is not important. We only gave Ting Yu a Faith Token back then because he and the others helped to establish Abundance City at the beginning. Abundance City owes the bearer of the Wooden Token a great favour. Yang Kai, you are the one who brought the Wooden Token here. If there is anything you need, please speak freely. Abundance City will not refuse as long as it can satisfy your demands.”