Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at those words and he quickly asked, “Does Abundance City have any Seventh-Order Yin or Metal Element Monster Cores?”
Pang Duo laughed bitterly at those words, “Little Brother Yang, do you think we have the strength to kill a Seventh-Order Monster Beast? If a Seventh-Order Monster Beast were to appear here, Abundance City would have been razed to the ground a long time ago. We don’t have any Sixth-Order Monster Cores in stock in Abundance City either. If you need any Fifth-Order Monster Cores, then we might be able to share some with you.”
[What use are Fifth-Order Monster Cores to me?] Abundance City had existed for thousands of years, so Yang Kai originally thought that it would have accumulated some Monster Cores over the years. There was a possibility that they had what he needed. Only now did he learn that Abundance City was not as wealthy as he imagined.
It made sense when he thought about it though. He estimated that a Seventh-Order Monster Beast could exert strength equivalent to a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. How could they win against a Seventh-Order Monster Beast with their strength?
Since there were no Seventh-Order Monster Cores available, then he had nothing else to ask for. In any case, he only came here to treat his wounds. Now that he was almost fully recovered, it was time for him to leave.
A blanket of silence fell over the scene.
“Wu Xin, why don’t you take your leave? You should get your wounds treated properly!” A short while later, Pang Duo dismissed Fan Wu Xin with a wave of his hand.
Fan Wu Xin left immediately.
At this moment, Jing’er returned. It was just that she was alone. Moreover, she had a strange expression on her face.
The generally taciturn Gong Yang Xi was puzzled and asked, “Where is Elder Tan?”
She replied, “I couldn’t find Elder Tan. His residence is empty.”
“How can that be?” Pang Duo was astonished, “Have you searched the city? Is Elder Tan treating his wounds somewhere else?”
Before she could respond, they heard a rush of footsteps coming from outside. Immediately after that, a person urgently shouted, “Reporting! Golden Gorilla King is here!”
“What!?” Jin Yuan Lang shouted. He was so shocked that he jumped up from his chair, “Why is he here again!? Didn’t he come here just a few days ago!?”
Likewise, the others also looked solemn. It was as though something major was about to happen.
Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang exchanged glances with each other. They did not know who this Golden Gorilla King was that he could make the people of Abundance City react like they were about to engage a formidable enemy.
“Reporting!” Another shout entered their ears. That shout was followed by a figure landing in the City Lord’s Main Hall.
“Speak!” Mo Mei shouted with great majesty.
That person cupped his fists, “City Lord, Elder Tan forcibly opened the Grand Array barrier and fled on his own just now. At this moment, the Grand Array is not functioning and the entrance to the city is wide open!”
“Bastard!” Mo Mei leapt to her feet with a furious roar while the expression of the others also changed greatly.
This truly was a case where ‘when it rained, it poured’. Golden Gorilla King’s sudden arrival was bad enough, but they could have dealt with the situation no matter how dangerous and critical it was so long as the Grand Array remained intact. However, Tan Luo Xing had forced open the Grand Array barrier and caused problems with its operation. It was like throwing Abundance City into the fire and roasting them on a stake. If they failed to handle this matter properly, there was a high chance that Abundance City would be reduced to ashes today.
Pang Duo was stunned, “Why did Elder Tan forcibly open the Grand Array? Why did he leave?”
Qu Hua Shang said, “Are you stupid? It’s obvious that bastard surnamed Tan ran away!”
“Ran away?” He sounded like he couldn’t believe it. He was just about to ask why Tan Luo Xing would flee when he suddenly realised something.
Tan Luo Xing clearly knew that he had been exposed for slandering Yang Kai. He was afraid of being punished by the City Lord and felt too humiliated to remain in Abundance City. That was why he hurriedly fled; after all, the commotion earlier was quite large. Although nobody died, it was only because Yang Kai had held back. Nevertheless, countless people were injured as a result.
If it wasn’t for Tan Luo Xing’s slanderous words, those incidents would not have occurred. As an Elder of Abundance City, he allowed jealousy to blind him, not only causing him to repay kindness with enmity and bring shame to Abundance City, but also resulting in great losses to Abundance City. Therefore, he simply had no face to stay.
“Leave aside the matters involving Elder Tan for now. Our priority at the moment is dealing with Golden Gorilla King!” Mo Mei walked down from the City Lord’s throne. Her voice was steady and her appearance was imposing as she began issuing orders, “Since he came here, he must want a tribute. He will leave as long as we can fulfil his requirements. Elder Mu, how many offerings does Abundance City have left?”
Mu Qian Xuan replied, “There’s not much left; only four or five Monster Cores at most. Golden Gorilla King usually only comes once or twice a year, so we have enough time to hunt Monster Beasts and gather the necessary tribute. It has only been a month since he last came here though. We emptied out our inventory at the time; moreover, the team we sent out to hunt Monster Beasts has yet to return. What tributes could we possibly have?”
Despite knowing that this was a possible outcome, Mo Mei still felt her heart sinking in despair after listening to Mu Qian Xuan’s report. Without enough tribute, they could not send Golden Gorilla King away peacefully. That could mean Annihilation for Abundance City.
“City Lord, Elders, Golden Gorilla King seems to be heavily injured,” the cultivator who reported this news earlier added.
“Golden Gorilla King is injured?” A light flashed in Gong Yang Xi’s eyes and he nodded, “That explains why he came back so soon. It’s obvious he wants the tributes to treat his wounds.”
Jin Yuan Lang smiled bitterly, “But, we don’t have any offerings for him. I wonder if he will become enraged.”
Mo Mei sighed, “Regardless of the circumstances, we should go out and meet him. Let’s hope it’s a blessing, not a curse. Even if it is a curse though, it can’t be avoided. It’s best if he can retreat peacefully. Otherwise… we can only draw upon the strength of the entire city to fight him.” After saying that, she turned to look at Yang Kai and added, “Sir Yang, Abundance City has wronged you regarding the matter with Elder Tan. Once this Queen finishes dealing with Golden Gorilla King, I will discuss the finer details with you.”
Yang Kai nonchalantly replied, “Please don’t worry about that, City Lord. As you’ve said, all this was caused by Elder Tan. What happened previously was just a big misunderstanding. On the other hand, I injured many of your people and should be asking for your forgiveness, City Lord Mo. As for this Golden Gorilla King, please allow us to come along if you don’t mind.”
Mo Mei glanced at him and gently nodded with a grateful expression on her face, “Many thanks, Sir Yang.”
Yang Kai had the strength to throw Abundance City into chaos, which clearly showed that he was very powerful. He could provide extra protection if he came along. Nevertheless, Mo Mei couldn’t help feeling ashamed. Abundance City was supposed to return Yang Kai a favour but instead a huge misunderstanding had caused him to suffer. Now, even after all that, he was voluntarily offering them his assistance.
[Sir Yang not only looks very similar to Ting Yu, but he also has the same old-fashioned compassion. If Lan Ting Yu had not rescued us back then, we would not have survived this long. We would have long been eaten by Monster Beasts.]
From Yang Kai’s point of view, Abundance City was jointly established with the help of the Proprietress and Yue He, so now that it was in trouble, he could not just sit back and ignore them. Although his injuries had yet to recover fully and he could not exert his complete strength, it would not be a problem for him to bring out 80% of his maximum.
While speeding forward, Yang Kai was just about to ask about Golden Gorilla King when he suddenly heard an Earth-shaking roar coming from not far away. This sound was a beast’s howl which clearly came from a Monster Beast Moreover… it also sounded very familiar, like he had heard this roar somewhere before.
When he followed Mo Mei and the others to the Grand Array portal, Yang Kai looked out and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. [What a coincidence!]
At this moment, the barrier of Abundance City’s Grand Array had been damaged after being forcibly opened by Tan Luo Xing during his escape and could not close properly as a result. A gorilla glowing with golden light was standing in front of the wide-open portal with his hands on the ground and his head held high. He was several tens of metres tall. Not to mention, he was looking down on the crowd with a contemptuous gaze as though he was looking at a group of ants. Moreover, his expression seemed impatient.
A while ago, Yang Kai had witnessed this gorilla fighting a life-or-death battle with a wolf. Their fight had shaken the very world itself. Yang Kai previously used the gorilla and the wolf as a deterrent to escape Yin Xin Zhao and his lackeys before he later arrived at Abundance City.
When Mo Mei and the others mentioned a Golden Gorilla King, Yang Kai mistakenly assumed that they were referring to some powerful cultivator. Only now did he realise that the other party was actually a Sixth-Order Monster Beast!
Yang Kai did not know what the outcome of the fight between the gorilla and the wolf was; however, he had the feeling that the gorilla did not win. That was because Golden Gorilla King was covered in wounds and dripping with blood. It was obvious that the wolf had bitten him and torn large chunks of flesh from his body. Even the golden light covering him seemed a little dim and his aura was rather weak.
Mo Mei and the others came to a stop several hundred metres away from Golden Gorilla King, each of them wearing a solemn expression. They bowed to him before Mo Mei spoke, “Golden Gorilla King, why have you returned to Abundance City so quickly?”
Golden Gorilla King lowered his head and growled something. The meaning was unclear, but the way he behaved indicated that he understood what they were saying. It could be seen that his sentience was quite high.
Mo Mei shook her head, “We’ve handed all the tributes we gathered to you earlier. Abundance City does not have any offerings left. We are powerless to help you even if you come here!”
*Hou!*
Golden Gorilla King flew into a rage. He lowered his head and let out a fierce howl, baring his fangs at them. A violent wind blew in their direction, causing Mo Mei’s hair to fly out in the wind. Even so, she remained motionless. Her expression did not change even when she stood in front of a furious Sixth-Order Monster Beast, showing her strong spiritual cultivation.
Mo Mei continued once the noise faded, “Abundance City will support you if you wish to treat your wounds. It’s just that we don’t have what you need. Nothing will change even if you lose your temper.”
*Hou!*
Golden Gorilla King let out another furious roar. Not only did he roar louder than before, but he also ran around and smashed several houses with his fists. Afterward, he waved his enormous fist at Mo Mei and the others as though saying, ‘Are you scared?’
Many of the cultivators who had gathered around couldn’t help taking several steps back. On the other hand, Mo Mei did not move. She simply called out calmly, “You are injured right now. It’s best not to get angry so easily; otherwise, it will be harder for you to recover.”
Golden Gorilla King ignored her completely, like a child throwing a temper tantrum. He was enraged because he could not get what he wanted. Clenching his fists tightly, he punched the ground repeatedly. Violent Monster Qi spread out in all directions, causing many to look terrified.
Yang Kai quietly asked Jin Yuan Lang, who was standing next to him, “What does Golden Gorilla King want?”
Jin Yuan Lang answered with a bitter smile, “Metal Element Monster Beast Cores.”
“A Metal Element Monster Beast Core?” Yang Kai could not hide his astonishment, “Why does it have to be of the Metal Element?”
“Little Brother Yang, you might be unaware of this fact.” Pang Duo leaned over, stroking his beard absent-mindedly while watching the raging Golden Gorilla King warily. He explained, “I don’t know about the Monster Beasts in the outside world; however, I’ve heard that there are some differences with the Monster Beasts here. The Monster Beasts here can strengthen themselves and recover from their injuries by consuming the Monster Cores of Monster Beasts of the same Element as them, thereby becoming more and more powerful.”
“The Monster Beasts here grow stronger through such a method?” Yang Kai was surprised at first, but he soon understood.
It wasn’t just the Monster Beasts in this place. There were many examples of Monster Beasts fighting for Monster Cores in the outside world too. Monster Beasts cultivated very differently from Humans. Humans had Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, but Monster Beasts did not. They relied completely on their instincts. If they felt that the Monster Core of another Monster Beast would be highly beneficial to them, they would not hold back if they could obtain it.
It was just that the Monster Beast Cores in the outside world usually contained a mixture of Attributes. It was not nearly as pure and singular compared to the Monster Beast Cores in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
“That’s right. The first time Golden Gorilla King appeared outside Abundance City, it had only just advanced to become a Sixth-Order Monster Beast. After so many years of receiving tribute from us, I’m afraid it’s not far from becoming a Seventh-Order Monster Beast.” Pang Duo’s eyes looked fearful.
They were no match for an ordinary Sixth-Order Monster Beast, so what more need be said about a Sixth-Order Monster Beast at its peak like Golden Gorilla King? One should not be fooled by its seriously wounded condition. If it really came down to a fight, the few thousands of people in Abundance City would not be enough to repel him.
Yang Kai asked curiously, “How did you manage to make an agreement with Golden Gorilla King to provide him with tributes?”
Jin Yuan Lang replied with a wry smile, “It’s not something that can be helped. Abundance City would have ceased to exist a long time ago if we refused to offer tribute. However, over the years, there have been several crises that Golden Gorilla King helped defend us against. He knows that we have value, so he allows us to exist in this place. If he decides that we no longer have any value though…”
A Monster Beast’s thoughts could not be inferred from Human common sense. If they failed to bring out a satisfactory tribute this time, there was no saying what kind of consequences they might face.
Abundance City and Golden Gorilla King seemed to be dependent on each other for survival. Although Abundance City was the weaker between the two, they could provide Golden Gorilla King with a steady supply of Metal Element Monster Beast Cores. It was for that reason that Golden Gorilla King would occasionally protect Abundance City from danger.
During their brief conversation, Golden Gorilla King was becoming more and more furious by the moment. He roared continuously, blowing a foul stench in their faces.
Mo Mei shouted, “Golden Gorilla King, I’m saying this for the last time! Abundance City does not have any tributes to offer at the moment, it’s useless no matter how angry you get! Why don’t you calm your anger and focus on healing yourself instead of wasting your energy in vain?”
Golden Gorilla King turned to glare at her, his crimson eyes filled with a cruel and ferocious light. All of a sudden, he raised his palm and slammed it down fiercely.
Mo Mei shouted, “Everybody, watch out!”
While shouting, she immediately moved to block the attack. Many of Abundance City’s cultivators trembled as they quickly used their respective Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques.
The moment they attacked in unison, the World Energy churned wildly. All sorts of Divine Abilities of various attributes transformed into a frenzy of attacks that shot towards Golden Gorilla King in different forms.
Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other’s eyes.
Strictly speaking, the people in Abundance City could not be considered powerful. They were suppressed by the Principles in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and could not advance into the Open Heaven Realm. It didn’t matter whether it was Mo Mei, the Elders, or the other cultivators; the strongest among them was only Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. In essence, their strength was still within the range of the Emperor Realm.
However, these Emperor Realm Masters seemed to be different from the Emperor Realm Masters in the outside world. That was especially true for Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the other Elders. All of them had an overwhelmingly powerful and extremely pure Emperor Qi while the Divine Abilities that they could unleash were also incredibly powerful.
When Yang Kai fought Tan Luo Xing back then, he had noticed this distinction. Among those in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Yang Kai knew, even Qu Hua Shang might not be Tan Luo Xing’s opponent. It had to be said that Qu Hua Shang had condensed the Sixth-Order Element Powers while Tan Luo Xing had only condensed Fifth-Order Powers. It would now seem that Tan Luo Xing was not a unique existence. It was the same case for Mo Mei and the other Elders.
After pondering over this matter for a while, Yang Kai understood the reason for this disparity.
In the outside world, people like Mo Mei and Pang Duo would have tried to advance into the Open Heaven Realm a long time ago. If they succeeded, they would experience a massive surge in strength. Of course, if they failed to break through, they would be reduced to ashes. There was no third possibility.
Unfortunately, the people in Abundance City were suppressed by the Principles in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and could not advance any further. They had been stuck in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm for thousands of years. For that reason, they could only find other ways to increase their strength. It was only natural that their use of their Open Heaven Elements became stronger and more refined after a long period of accumulation and precipitation. Similarly, the Divine Abilities that they could unleash were also more powerful.
Yang Kai was secretly surprised. It would not be difficult for Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the others to advance into the Open Heaven Realm if they could find a suitable opportunity; after all, they had much lower chances of failure with such solid foundations.
While he was immersed in his thoughts, numerous Divine Abilities had already collided with the giant palm of Golden Gorilla King. A golden light shone brightly as sharp Metal Element Power shot out in all directions like countless sword lights.
A buzzing sound rang out endlessly and in an instant, many Abundance City cultivators collapsed to the ground with their fresh blood staining their surroundings red.
Mo Mei and the others might have stopped that giant palm for a moment with their Divine Abilities, but their efforts could not be sustained for much longer. Just as the palm was about to slam down, Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the others did not hesitate to rush forward. They frantically drew upon their power and blocked the palm from below.
*Hong…*
A golden force ran rampant and sliced through the sky. Countless small wounds appeared on everybody. Meanwhile, the figures of Mo Mei and the others staggered slightly. They were nearly pounded into the ground by Golden Gorilla King.
No matter how powerful they were, they could not exceed the limits of the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. Even if Golden Gorilla King was injured, a peak Sixth-Order Monster Beast could exert the strength on par with a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master at will. Abundance City had no way to fight back at all.
*Crack!* The sound of something breaking rang out. Jin Yuan Lang’s legs had been twisted and broken. Despite being in intense pain though, he grit his teeth and persevered without letting out a single sound.
When Yang Kai saw that, he knew he could not stand by any longer. If he continued to just watch without doing anything, there was no telling how many people would die in this place today. He rushed forward and raised his hand, summoning the Azure Dragon Spear. In the next moment, the spear stabbed towards Golden Gorilla King like a Dragon going out to sea.
Golden Gorilla King turned to look in this direction and while baring his fangs, he raised his other hand that was covered in dense Metal Element Power and grabbed at Yang Kai.
“Sir Yang, be careful!” Mo Mei shouted. The words had only just left her mouth when she saw him vanishing out of sight after he was caught squarely in the middle of the Golden Gorilla King’s palm.
[This…] Pang Duo and the others looked speechless. They originally thought that Yang Kai had extraordinary strength since he could cause such a huge commotion in Abundance City. Who could have known that he would be so vulnerable?
That thought had only just come to mind when they heard the Golden Gorilla King crying out in surprise. Immediately following that, fresh blood spurted out like a hurricane from his tightly clenched hand. A figure holding a spear shot out from within, spinning like a top that directly drilled a hole through the giant palm. The spear kept going, heading towards the Golden Gorilla King’s head.
Yang Kai’s hair was dishevelled. Covered in Golden Gorilla King’s fresh blood, he shouted solemnly, “It’s best you don’t get too brazen!”
Golden Gorilla King roared furiously and drew back both hands. Completely ignoring the wound on his palm, he clasped his fists together and savagely brought them down on Yang Kai.
*Hong…* A shockwave spread out as Yang Kai’s figure was slammed into the ground like a meteor. Likewise, Golden Gorilla King’s figure was sent flying into the distance. An extra ferocious-looking wound was added to his body that was originally already covered in wounds.
With Yang Kai’s support, the pressure on Mo Mei and the others reduced significantly. They hurriedly ran over in concern and stood beside the pit when they saw Yang Kai being smashed into the ground with Pang Duo shouting out, “Little Brother Yang!”
*Shua…*
Yang Kai jumped out of the pit as his hair blew in the wind, shaking his head for a bit before stating, “I’m fine!”
Although his injuries had yet to heal, Golden Gorilla King was also severely injured. Both sides were on even ground and nobody held the advantage, a fact made obvious by the exchange of blows just now.
[He’s fine even after taking that!?] Pang Duo and the others were completely stunned. They couldn’t believe that anybody could survive after being smashed into the ground by Golden Gorilla King. They all thought that Yang Kai would definitely die from that attack.
“Pu!” Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood and stabbed the Azure Dragon Spear into the ground. He glared fiercely at Golden Gorilla King, who was also getting back up, and grinned savagely, “Do you think you can do whatever you please just because you’re bigger? Today, I’ll show you just what it means to be big!”
With a guttural roar, Yang Kai shouted, “Dragon Transformation!”
A high-pitched Dragon Roar exploded from his mouth, echoing across the sky. An enormous Golden Dragon appeared behind Yang Kai’s back, looking extremely life-like. The Dragon Eyes were filled with a majesty that stood above all other living beings.
The Golden Dragon phantom plunged into his body and vanished out of sight in the next instant before a crackling sound rang out. Under everybody’s stunned gazes, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly swelled and transformed into a 500 metre tall Half-Dragon in the blink of an eye.
With the continued development of his Golden Divine Dragon’s Source and the purification of his Dragon Vein, Yang Kai was starting to gain better control over his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. His current 500 metre form should be enough to crush Golden Gorilla King, who was only several dozen metres tall, and if that wasn’t enough, he could always transform into a behemoth more than 3,000 metres tall!
Yang Kai’s entire body was covered with Dragon Scales; his hands transformed into Dragon Claws; Dragon Horns grew out of his head; a Dragon Tail swished about behind his back; and a Dragon Beard flew about wildly below his jaw. He was the very picture of majesty and invincibility!
Qu Hua Shang lifted a hand to cover her red lips, staring up at him with shock in her beautiful eyes! It was her first time witnessing his transformation. She initially thought that she understood him to an extent after the life-or-death experiences they went through together. It was not until this moment that she realised something, what she saw was only the tip of the iceberg!
Inside Abundance City, thousands of people raised their heads and stared up at Yang Kai. All of them felt as insignificant as ants in front of this enormous figure. It was one thing if it was just their height, but the majesty Yang Kai radiated was what truly made them shudder. They instinctively felt the urge to bow down and worship him.
The cultivators of Abundance City were not the only ones frozen in shock. Golden Gorilla King was also stunned for a moment.
As a Monster Beast, he could sense the Dragon Pressure that Yang Kai was releasing much more acutely than Humans ever could, so his eyes narrowed slightly and he instinctively took a few steps back. However, he soon directed a furious roar at Yang Kai. It was almost as though he felt ashamed for backing away just now, so he could only strengthen his momentum through this roar.
Similarly, Yang Kai roared back at Golden Gorilla King. The Dragon Roar resounded throughout the skies, making the wind and clouds pale in comparison. Then, he took a step forward and charged at Golden Gorilla King.
Golden Gorilla King did not shrink back in fear either, rushing forward instead. The two enormous figures quickly collided with each other with a deafening explosion that shook the entire world.
*Hong hong hong…*
A series of violent explosions rang out as the two enormous figures were tangled together, fighting each other with reckless abandon. Abundance City was a mess. The city was not that large in the first place, so how could it withstand the damage caused by the battle between Yang Kai in his Half-Dragon Form and Golden Gorilla King? It didn’t take very long for half of the city to be destroyed. Countless buildings collapsed and turned into ruins.
Yang Kai could not afford to care about that at the moment though. Golden Gorilla King might be severely injured, but every attack unleashed by a peak Sixth-Order Monster Beast contained great destructive power. In his current state, Yang Kai could not defend against those attacks unless he went all out; therefore, he had no time to be distracted or worry about anything else.
Although he had an absolute advantage when it came to size, there were times when having a larger body did not necessarily guarantee a win. Golden Gorilla King’s movements were swift and agile. He would climb onto Yang Kai’s body from time to time, biting and scratching his scales and flesh with his fangs and sharp claws. As a result, Yang Kai’s back was drenched in blood and his Dragon Scales flew in all directions.
On the other hand, Yang Kai countered by grabbing Golden Gorilla King by one arm. He tightened his grip and swung his foe left to right as though he was smashing something with a large hammer.
*Hong hong hong…*
The ground shook and the mountains shuddered. Golden Gorilla King roared furiously as his body shone brightly with golden light. Yang Kai suddenly felt pain coming from his palm, as though the sharp Metal Element Power was piercing his Dragon Claws, so he couldn’t help throwing Golden Gorilla King to the side.
As soon as Golden Gorilla King landed, he raised both arms and hammered his fists against his chest with loud thuds. He was completely enraged. Reaching out his hand, he picked up a rock beside him. He leaped up high and brought the rock smashing down on Yang Kai’s head. Like a meteor falling from the skies, his power was simply astonishing.
Everybody felt nervous at the sight. The scene in front of them was practically a battle between monsters. Nobody dared to approach within a kilometre radius.
Yang Kai clenched his Dragon Claw and threw a punch, smashing the huge boulder to pieces. At the same time, he took a deep breath and his belly swelled up rapidly. A majestic Dragon Roar sounded as he opened his mouth to spew out pitch-black flames.
Fire Dragon’s Flaming Breath!
Even before he refined the Golden Crow’s True Fire, Yang Kai had been capable of using this particular Dragon Clan Secret Technique. After he refined the Golden Crow’s True Fire, this Secret Technique became considerably more powerful with the blessing of the pitch-black flames. Scarlet Star’s Poison Lady had died tragically because of this attack back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Yang Kai had burnt her alive until she became nothing more than a charred corpse
The flames raged wildly, even causing the surrounding space to warp and tear.
Golden Gorilla King could sense the power and danger of these black flames and did not dare to underestimate this attack. The golden light around his body shone brilliantly and formed a defensive shell.
When the black flames and the golden light collided, the golden light was suppressed in an instant.
While Golden Gorilla King could exert the strength of a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, and his Metal Element Power was comparable to the Sixth-Order, Yang Kai’s Golden Crow’s True Fire was a High-Rank Open Heaven Power. One was clearly superior to the other. Besides, even among the Five Elements, fire suppressed metal.
Hence, the Sixth-Order Monster Beast could only forcefully endure the burning of the Golden Crow’s True Fire and rushed out of the jet of flames. He clenched both hands together and viciously slammed them down on Yang Kai’s head.
Yang Kai staggered under that attack and stumbled backward unsteadily.
Golden Gorilla King showed no mercy. He used both hands and feet to punch and kick at Yang Kai at a high speed. The golden light around his body gathered in front of him, transforming into the shape of a spear. Following that, the golden light shot, tearing the air apart.
A huge sense of crisis filled Yang Kai’s heart, so he hurriedly activated his Dragon Shield Secret Technique to protect himself from this piercing attack.
*Kacha…*
The golden spear slammed into the Dragon Shield and immediately shattered it to pieces. However, the golden spear did not seem to lose any momentum whatsoever and continued to enlarge rapidly in Yang Kai’s field of vision. A cold sense of fear swept over him as he quickly retreated.
Yang Kai realised that he had underestimated Golden Gorilla King. A peak Sixth-Order Monster Beast was extremely powerful indeed, remaining so ferocious despite his severe injuries. What would he be like if he were fully healed? Of course, Yang Kai was also badly injured and had not fully recovered, so he was unable to exert his full strength either.
Yang Kai reached out his hand and summoned something. The Azure Dragon Spear sliced through the air and flew towards him. The moment his claws closed around the spear, it suddenly swelled and turned into a world-shattering 500 metre long weapon.
The spear stabbed forward and smashed the approaching golden spear to pieces. Still, Yang Kai felt his arms going numb as the Azure Dragon Spear nearly flew out of his grip. Fortunately, he quickly clenched his fists and drew the spear back slightly before thrusting out once more.
Golden Gorilla King appeared from behind the golden spear light, charging forward aggressively. He bared his fangs fiercely, making him seem absolutely terrifying.
*Chi…*
Blood splattered in all directions as a low roar rang out. The Azure Dragon Spear had pierced right through Golden Gorilla King’s chest and come out his back. Yang Kai pulled out the spear, causing warm blood to gush out onto the ground. Even so, Golden Gorilla King advanced forward instead of retreating. Taking advantage of the momentary opening Yang Kai showed after unleashing his attack, he threw a punch that landed squarely on Yang Kai’s chest.
Yang Kai’s giant Half-Dragon Body was sent flying backwards, landing on the ground heavily and sliding for several thousand metres before coming to a stop. Everywhere he passed, buildings collapsed into rubble.
By the time Yang Kai got back up and prepared to continue his fight with Golden Gorilla King, he was astonished to discover that his foe was nowhere to be found so he called out hastily, “Where did he go?”
Qu Hua Shang stretched out a finger and pointed in a certain direction. Yang Kai looked over and saw a golden dot fleeing desperately into the distance. Golden Gorilla King was already more than a dozen kilometres away by now. He clearly understood that nothing good would come out of the battle even if he fought on; therefore, he decided to retreat. It was a wise decision.
It was just that Yang Kai was not prepared to let Golden Gorilla King flee. He raised his spear and laughed, “Want to run now? Do you think you can!?”
Before he could take more than two steps though, Mo Mei shouted at the top of her voice, “Sir Yang, please show mercy!”
Yang Kai stopped and lowered his head to look in her direction.
Seeing that she had his attention, Mo Mei spoke in a rather sad tone, “Sir, please don’t give chase. Please spare his life.”
“Why?” Yang Kai questioned.
To which Mo Mei replied, “Golden Gorilla King might have benefited greatly from Abundance City, but it is also true that he has helped us to survive through numerous crises over the years. It can be said that he is our benefactor. This time… it might be that he is in urgent need to recuperate, which was why he acted so rashly.”
Upon hearing those words, Yang Kai couldn’t help giving a word of advice, “Save a thief from the gallows and he will help hang you in the future. City Lord Mo, please think this through.”
But Mo Mei insisted, “Sir, please spare his life.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before he released his Dragon Transformation Secret Art and he returned to his Human form. Since Mo Mei had already said so much, he couldn’t be bothered to chase after Golden Gorilla King anymore. Not to mention, Golden Gorilla King was not an opponent to be trifled with. Although Yang Kai was confident he could hunt down and kill Golden Gorilla King with his current strength, there was no denying that he would have to pay a certain price to do so.
Mo Mei thanked him while the other Elders were staring at him in shock and awe. It was the first time they had ever seen anyone fighting Golden Gorilla King on equal terms. [This guy seems to be even stronger and more aggressive than Lan Ting Yu!]
Many things had happened in Abundance City today. First, Yang Kai had caused a huge commotion, then one of the five Great Elders, Tan Luo Xing, forced open the Grand Array and escaped the city. Before the dust had settled on these shocking events, Golden Gorilla King appeared. Yang Kai and Golden Gorilla King then fought a fierce battle, which practically leveled half of Abundance City.
Looking around at the ruined buildings and wailing residents, Mo Mei couldn’t help furrowing her brow deeply.
All the Elders were injured. In particular, Jin Yuan Lang’s legs had been broken. Many others in the city had been injured as well. It could be said that Abundance City had suffered severe damage to its very foundation.
Soon, those who were not injured began to rescue those who were under Mo Mei’s command. Another group of people was sent to do emergency repairs on the Defensive Grand Array. Thus, the entire Abundance City was swept up in a flurry of activity.
Yang Kai found a quiet place and rested for a bit. After that, he came out again to check on the situation in Abundance City. He said to Mo Mei, who stood next to him, “City Lord Mo, I’m afraid you can’t stay here for much longer. You spared Golden Gorilla King’s life today, but the thoughts of Monster Beasts are very difficult to predict. It is hard to say whether he will or will not come to take revenge on the city after he recovers from his injuries. How will Abundance City protect itself at the time?”
Mo Mei sighed, “I’m aware of that. It’s just… how could it be so easy to migrate to a different place?”
Back then, they only managed to build and establish the city thanks to the help of Lan Ting Yu, the Proprietress, and a few others. They finally reached their current scale following the gradual development of the city over thousands of years. Even if they wanted to migrate elsewhere, they needed to have a safe place to act as their stronghold at the very least.
It was just that there were no such safe places in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. What’s more, Abundance City had their own enemies, such as Emerald Thunder City, which had been mentioned several times before. If Emerald Thunder City learned about what happened to Abundance City, they would not hold back. They would definitely gather an army to swallow up Abundance City, bones and all.
“Have you never considered leaving the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
Mo Mei laughed bitterly, “Why would we stay here if we could leave this place? Sir Yang, you may not be aware of this, but my ancestors were kidnapped by Blood Monster Divine Monarch and forced to live here. Blood Monster Divine Monarch was proficient in the Dao of Blood, so he placed a Blood Principles Restriction on them. This restriction is passed down from generation to generation. If the Blood Principles Restriction does not constantly receive the aura of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, we will immediately suffer a backlash and die on the spot. That is why we must first remove the restriction before we can leave this place; otherwise, we will only be walking to our deaths.”
“Blood Principles Restriction?” Yang Kai raised his brow at those words, “City Lord Mo, may I have a look?”
She looked at him in surprise, “Sir Yang, do you understand the Dao of Blood?”
Yang Kai calmly remarked, “I didn’t at first, but now I know a little bit.”
He had never touched upon the Dao of Blood in the past, but he had now comprehended several chapters of the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture that were inscribed on steles at the blood lake in order to enter its central palace. Although the final inscriptions had been fudged by Black Crow Divine Monarch, what Yang Kai learned previously was undoubtedly part of the true Blood Light Scripture.
In other words, most of the cultivators present at the time had received some exposure to the Dao of Blood and Blood Principles. It was just that everybody was the same. They only understood some of the Blood Light Scripture’s Secret Techniques, but not the actual Secret Arts.
“Please go ahead, Sir Yang!” Mo Mei did not have the attitude of a shy young maiden and instead generously stretched out her hand towards him. Yang Kai apologised for his discourtesy and placed two fingers on her wrist.
His Divine Sense surged, probing into her bloodline where he soon discovered a mysterious restriction. It was closely connected to her bloodline and could not be separated by force. Not to mention, this restriction could be passed on continuously through reproduction.
[No wonder she mentioned that Lan Ting Yu wanted to find a way to bring them out of here. It now seems that they cannot leave the Blood Monster Cave Heaven at will. Under the effects of this restriction, they have no choice but to live in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.] A short while later, Yang Kai withdrew his Qi and slowly shook his head.
She asked, “How is it?”
Yang Kai sighed, “I can sense the restriction… But, I don’t have the ability to remove it.”
Mo Mei felt slightly hopeful when she heard his first sentence, only to quickly become disappointed with his next. In the end, she laughed bitterly, “You are being too humble, Sir Yang.”
After all, he was able to force Golden Gorilla King back. That was by no means a small feat.
Yang Kai felt a slight sense of pity. He had been planning to use the Sealed World Bead to bring Mo Mei and the others out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven if they were willing. They were old acquaintances with the Proprietress. It was nothing for him to help them out while he was at it.
More importantly, he believed that the people in Abundance City were extremely rare talents! Judging from their battle with the Golden Gorilla King earlier, these Emperor Realm cultivators had a much stronger foundation than average Emperors in the outside world. That was especially true for Mo Mei and the Great Elders. They were no different from Core Disciples of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises like Qu Hua Shang and Pei Wen Xuan. Mo Mei had condensed Sixth-Order Element Powers while the rest of the Elders had condensed the Fifth-Order Elements.
Thanks to their precipitation over the years, they would surely have a greater chance of breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm compared to others if they could obtain the opportunity. If that happened, they would form a whole batch of Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
What did Void Land lack the most right now? Wasn’t there a shortage of Open Heaven Realm Masters?
Yang Kai believed that it would not be a problem for him to invite them into Void Land if he could bring them out; after all, they had lived their entire lives in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven so they had no place to go in the outside world. Void Land was just right for them.
Unfortunately, the Blood Principles Restriction that Blood Monster Divine Monarch placed upon their ancestors had crushed all his hopes. If he placed them into the Small Sealed World, they would immediately die without the nourishment from the aura of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven!
Mo Mei sighed, “This place has become more and more unstable recently. I’m afraid our fate is to live and die together with this World. Many thanks for your kindness though, Sir Yang.”
The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was showing signs of collapse. That was something Yang Kai also knew. The most obvious manifestation of this phenomenon was the continuous increase in the number of entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven whenever the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened. That was a sign that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was merging with the Blood Monster Territory. If these signs were appearing in the outside world, then there was bound to be more obvious signs inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It would be particularly obvious to Mo Mei and the others who lived here.
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment, “City Lord Mo, you don’t need to abandon all hope just yet. I know somebody who can lift the Blood Principles Restriction in your bodies.”
“Who?” Mo Mei asked in pleasant surprise.
He grimaced, “A guy named Black Crow Divine Monarch.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch had stolen the Dao of Blood inheritance left behind by Blood Monster Divine Monarch and cultivated the complete version of the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture. It would be a simple matter if he were willing to lend a hand to help remove the Blood Principles Restriction. The main issue was that Black Crow Divine Monarch was wicked by nature. Moreover, he had a deep grudge against Yang Kai. It could be considered a miracle if they neither fought nor tried to kill each other when they encountered each other next, so how could Yang Kai convince him to help?
“Black Crow Divine Monarch?” Mo Mei looked astonished. Although she lived her entire life in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, even she knew what the title ‘Divine Monarch’ signified. Only a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was worthy of taking such a title. Why would a person standing so far above them be willing to help them remove the Blood Principles Restriction for no reason?
“Black Crow Divine Monarch is currently inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If I encounter him by chance, I will ask him to help. It’s just that there are some… misunderstandings between us, so I cannot guarantee whether he will agree. I can only say that I will do my best.”
Mo Mei bowed and exclaimed gratefully, “Many thanks, Sir Yang.”
Yang Kai raised a hand to stop her, “It’s not a big deal. Abundance City has deep ties with Madam Lan. Since that’s the case, it also relates to me. I can’t just sit back and watch now that I’ve met you. City Lord Mo, you should arrange for your subordinates to patch up the Grand Array. I cannot stay in this place for long, so I’ll be leaving soon.”
Mo Mei nodded and hurriedly relayed the order to her people.
It took three days and three nights for the repairs to Abundance City’s Grand Array to be completed. Nevertheless, the ruined buildings in the city caused by the battle between Yang Kai and Golden Gorilla King also needed to be repaired. In addition, the countless wounded needed time to recuperate from their injuries. The events over the past few days had severely damaged Abundance City’s foundation so it would take a long time to recover completely.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang took a good rest for a few days.
Three days later, the two of them took their leave. Mo Mei and the others did not stop them from departing as they knew that Outer World visitors like Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang had entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven to search for their own respective opportunities. It was impossible for these two to remain in Abundance City as once the time limit was up, they would be forced to leave even if they didn’t want to.
The Grand Array was reactivated, and with Mo Mei in the lead, many of the Elders and Deacons of Abundance City saw Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang off from afar. Thus, Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang exited the Grand Array. When they looked back, all they saw was a sparkling lake behind them. Who could have known that a city was hidden behind such a calm scenery?
“Let’s go.” Yang Kai called out.
Qu Hua Shang asked, “Junior Brother, where are we heading?”
“The depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.” He took out a jade slip and checked the contents briefly. Blood Monster Divine Monarch had left behind two main inheritances. Even though the Dao of Blood inheritance had been stolen by Black Crow Divine Monarch, there was still the Beast Taming inheritance. Yang Kai did not know where it was concealed, but the rumours claimed that the Blood Monster Divine Palace was located in the deepest depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. The reason Yang Kai even entered this place was to search for High-Rank Metal and Yin Element materials. Who could say? The Blood Monster Divine Palace might contain exactly what he needed.
Yang Kai was secretly looking forward to it. It would also be very interesting if he encountered Yin Xin Zhao again. The last time they met, Yang Kai had been forced to flee desperately, which was a huge humiliation. Now that he had recovered his strength, he would surely teach Yin Xin Zhao a lesson on showing proper respect.
The pair travelled forward for several consecutive days but did not come across anybody at all. They barely even encountered any Monster Beasts, much less any Spirit Flowers or Exotic Herbs.
Yang Kai knew that the series of encounters he experienced previously and the delay in Abundance City had caused him to be much slower than the others, so all the good stuff along the road ahead would surely have been taken.
Be that as it may, this did not bother Yang Kai. There were a lot of good things in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, but not many interested him; after all, it was practically impossible for anybody else in the Emperor Realm to be wealthier than him.
They continued onward for another half a day when all of a sudden, they halted in their tracks and stood atop a small hill to study the battlefield in front of them.
A huge battle had probably taken place here and there were still strong energy fluctuations lingering everywhere. The ground was also littered with damaged artifacts. A dozen or so corpses lay haphazardly on the ground, each one shrivelled up terribly, as though something had drained all the essence out of their bodies. Moreover, these corpses retained expressions of horror on their faces from just before they died.
Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang exchanged a glance with each other and blurted out in unison, “Black Crow Divine Monarch!”
These people had clearly died from having their vitality drained by the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture. Such obvious signs clearly indicated that Black Crow Divine Monarch had attacked this place.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s strength could be said to be invincible in this place. Even if Yang Kai went all out, he would not be a match for Black Crow Divine Monarch. This old dog had the heritage of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master after all. Now that he had possessed a body and revived himself, Emperor Realm Juniors were as insignificant as ants in front of him.
Fortunately, Yang Kai knew the old fart’s weakness. Black Crow Divine Monarch’s damaged Soul was a critical flaw. Yang Kai had nothing to fear even if he met Black Crow Divine Monarch again. It was just that he did not know how to ask Black Crow Divine Monarch to help remove the Blood Principles Restriction from the bodies of the people in Abundance City. It was extremely troubling.
Based on the appearance of these corpses, they had been dead for a few days. All of their Space Rings were nowhere to be seen, but Yang Kai could not tell whether Black Crow Divine Monarch had taken them or the people who passed by later had looted them.
If he had not come across Abundance City, Yang Kai would have taken a detour lest he run into Black Crow Divine Monarch again. However, he had promised Mo Mei that he would do his best to ask Black Crow Divine Monarch to help remove the Blood Principles Restriction in their bodies. As such, he could not avoid Black Crow Divine Monarch.
The pair continued to track Black Crow Divine Monarch’s progress. Along the way, they would occasionally come across some shrivelled corpses. It was not just the corpses of cultivators but also the corpses of Monster Beasts. All of them had died from having their vitality drained by the Blood Light Scripture.
Judging by Black Crow Divine Monarch’s path, he seemed to be heading into the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
This discovery shocked Yang Kai. It was rumoured that the Blood Monster Divine Palace was hidden at the core of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven where nobody had ever been before. All Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s inheritances were preserved inside, waiting for the lucky person to discover them. It was just that the rumours had remained as nothing more than rumours after so many years. Nobody had ever confirmed the rumours because nobody had ever arrived at the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven or found the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
Even so, the current situation seemed to indicate that there was a high possibility the Blood Monster Divine Palace truly existed!
If one were to say who had the greatest understanding of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, it would not be Yang Kai or the Proprietress. Rather, it would be Black Crow Divine Monarch! Although he had been sealed away by Blood Monster Divine Monarch for countless years, he had obtained Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance. How could he not have some understanding of the secrets in this place?
If he was heading in this direction, then it could only mean that there was something in this direction that was attracting him! The only thing that could move a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master could only be the inheritance of another High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
After figuring out this point, Yang Kai increased his speed and pursued Black Crow Divine Monarch. They continued forward for a while before he suddenly halted. Qu Hua Shang followed suit and stopped to look at him, “What’s wrong, Junior Brother?”
Yang Kai turned to look in a certain direction, “There are sounds of battle…” He paused for a moment and added, “It’s heading our way.”
When he spread out his Divine Sense, he could detect the sounds of battle coming from a certain direction. The other party probably detected him through their perception as a result and immediately rushed towards him. He did not know whether the other party intended to seek help or foist the enemy off on them instead!
He initially planned to ignore the other party, but before he could leave, he noticed something and exclaimed in surprise. Following that, he pushed his Divine Sense strongly and probed the situation in that direction. A short while later, he became overjoyed and called out, “Senior Sister, follow me!”
While saying so, he immediately rushed to meet the other party. Qu Hua Shang did not know why he was so elated, but she did not question him.
It didn’t take long before two figures that were fleeing desperately appeared in their field of vision. It was a man and a woman; moreover, this man and woman were being pursued closely by six others. They unleashed a continuous barrage of Secret Techniques and the power of artifacts, blasting those two fleeing figures until they became increasingly desperate.
A dazzlingly bright light burst out. It was a killing move summoned by one of the pursuers that shot straight at the backs of the fleeing duo. The woman seemed to perceive that danger and hurriedly turned around to mount a defence. On the other hand, the man focused on escaping and ignored what was happening behind him.
The longsword in the woman’s hand slashed downward and a sword light flashed out, colliding with the attack coming from behind. Following the commotion, the woman’s body flew into the air like a paper kite. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood in mid-air and her complexion turned as pale as a sheet.
The woman seemed to have suffered heavy injuries previously; therefore, this attack only made her condition worsen. The other man looked back in horror and a trace of struggle and hesitation flashed through his eyes before he fled without pause.
“Shameless!” Qu Hua Shang cursed upon witnessing this scene. The person she cursed was not the group of people attacking, but the man running at the forefront.
This fleeing pair were clearly companions. They were either lovers or Senior Brother and Junior Sister. Now that they were in danger, only the woman had turned around to defend against the attacks and was injured as a result. On the contrary, the man not only did not turn around to help but ran even faster instead. It was the height of despicableness.
His actions even made him seem like he wanted the woman to buy more time for him to escape. In their current state, he might not be able to escape his pursuers even if he turned around to help his companion. There was a chance that she might survive if he had done that; however, there was no doubt that she would die now that he had abandoned her.
Qu Hua Shang was also a woman. It could have been her in that situation. How tragic would that have been? Then, she thought back to what Yang Kai had done so far. No matter what kind of situation they were in, or how badly they were injured, he had never abandoned her. Be that as it may, they could not be said to have a close relationship with each other. They had only met once or twice before after all.
Comparing these two men, their characters were as different as night and day. She had not thought much about this before, but now that she made a comparison, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of warmth and sweetness in her heart.
Likewise, Yang Kai was also enraged. The pursuers were about to attack once more, but the woman was powerless to defend herself. Seeing that, he rushed forward and appeared in front of her while throwing out a punch at the same time. Space Principles flared and the Void shattered!
The expressions of the pursuers changed greatly. They hurriedly took action to defend themselves as one of them shouted, “Who!?”
There was a series of rumblings and when the dust settled, the pursuers were dishevelled and their complexions had gone pale. All of them looked in Yang Kai’s direction with fear in their eyes.
Yang Kai stared back at them coldly as he asked, “Ruo Xi, are you alright?”
The woman originally thought that she could not escape death today, but who could have known that a reliable figure would appear in front of her and block the barrage of attacks for her at a critical moment? She looked up, thinking that the back looked strangely familiar. When she heard his voice, her beautiful eyes widened in surprise as she asked in a trembling voice, “Sir?”
She nearly thought that she was dreaming! Ever since departing from the Star Boundary and heading out into the Outer Universe together, they had not heard anything from each other after they were devoured by a Myriad Facets Insect. She had tried to search for him, but the 3,000 Worlds were simply too vast. There were as many Great Territories as hairs on an ox. Moreover, each Great Territory was large and boundless. Trying to find a person in the 3,000 Worlds was harder than trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Throughout her journey, she continued her search and experienced all sorts of hardships. She finally arrived at Lang Ya Paradise. Following the legacy of her ancestor, she joined Lang Ya Paradise and became one of its disciples.
When she heard that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was about to open, she struggled desperately to obtain a place among the participants. With Yang Kai’s abilities and heritage, she believed that he would definitely enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. In that case, she only needed to search for him inside. It would be much easier than her search in the past.
Unfortunately, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was filled with dangers at every corner. She coincidentally met up with a Senior Brother, so they decided to travel together. Who could have known that they would encounter trouble and be hunted down by others? Just as she was about to die, Yang Kai miraculously appeared in front of her.
She had the sudden impulse to burst into tears. She had been able to endure all the hardships and tribulations on her own before she saw him. Her expression never changed even with a blade held to her neck; however, she reacted like a child who finally found support after suffering grievances outside the moment she saw him.
Yang Kai never expected to encounter Zhang Ruo Xi here either, much less that their reunion after so many years would be under such circumstances.
Back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had tried to ask Gu Pan from Lang Ya Paradise about her. It was a pity that Gu Pan claimed that she had never heard the name ‘Zhang Ruo Xi’ before. Yang Kai figured that there were two possibilities. One was that Zhang Ruo Xi had not gone to Lang Ya Paradise. The other was that Gu Pan had not met her. There were at least hundreds of thousands of people in Lang Ya Paradise’s Main Sect, so it was impossible for Gu Pan to know all of its disciples.
During their conversation, Qu Hua Shang landed next to Yang Kai and crouched beside Zhang Ruo Xi. She stretched out her hand to support her and asked in concern, “Junior Sister, are you alright?”
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head slowly and whispered, “I’m fine.”
Then, she abruptly opened her mouth and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Qu Hua Shang’s expression changed slightly. How could she not know that this woman’s injuries were very severe? She quickly took out some healing pills and fed them to Zhang Ruo Xi.
“Senior Sister Qu, please take care of my friend,” Yang Kai’s voice was low and grim. It was a tone she had never heard from him before. Although he sounded calm, she could sense the hidden rage rampaging beneath that tranquillity.
“Rest assured,” Qu Hua Shang carried Zhang Ruo Xi and moved to a spot in the distance.
The pursuers frowned deeply at the sight and the young man in the lead spoke with a dark expression, “Who are you? Please don’t interfere in the matters of Heavenly Sword Union.”
“Am I supposed to just stand back and watch as you try to kill my friend?” Yang Kai glanced at the young man coldly.
The young man frowned slightly. After briefly considering the situation, he cupped his fist, “In that case, I will take my leave now.”
After saying that, he turned to leave. He seemed to have realised that Yang Kai was strong after the exchange of blows just now, so he did not wish to start a fight so easily.
Yang Kai shouted, “Did you think you could just leave after hurting others? Do you think something so simple exists?”
Who could have known that the young man was actually only pretending to leave? His real purpose was to distract Yang Kai. The words had only left Yang Kai’s mouth when he suddenly shouted, “Die!”
*Xiu…*
The ground beneath Yang Kai shuddered and a green vine shot out without any prior warning. The vine was like a snake that wrapped around Yang Kai so tightly that he resembled a dumpling. That was not all. The vine was covered in incredibly sharp thorns that stabbed into his skin and released a powerful poison.
He never intended to retreat in the first place. The fact that he had tried to kill Zhang Ruo Xi and the other man could not be leaked out to the world; otherwise, he would be in huge trouble even if he managed to walk out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven alive. Heavenly Sword Union could be considered among the top Second-Class great forces with a number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters assuming command. Nevertheless, it was vastly inferior compared to Lang Ya Paradise. That was because Lang Ya Paradise had High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Blinded by wealth just now, he had planned to kill and rob Zhang Ruo Xi and the other Lang Ya Paradise disciple when he saw that they were not very powerful. Who could have known that they would encounter Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang here?
When he saw Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang, he immediately decided to silence all witnesses to his crimes. If word about this incident were to spread, forget about Lang Ya Paradise’s reaction, Heavenly Sword Union would be the first to capture him and offer his head up as an apology.
The only way to ensure his safety was to kill them all!
At the same time the green vine shot out of the ground, he charged towards Yang Kai. His sword flashed briefly and slashed towards Yang Kai’s neck. The others also quickly unleashed their killing moves. Every one of those attacks was extraordinarily powerful and they seemed intent on killing Yang Kai on the spot.
“How dare dead men like you come out to cause trouble!?” Yang Kai roared. With a whooshing sound, Golden Crow’s True Fire covered his entire body and began burning down everything around him. The vine curled around his body was an extraordinary treasure; nevertheless, it was powerless before the raging Golden Crow’s True Fire. Twitching like a living thing, it hurriedly shrank back and tried to plunge into the ground again.
Yang Kai grinned madly, reached out a hand, and caught the vine, all the while ignoring the thorns that dug into his flesh and secreted poison which was making him slightly dizzy.
With his Dragon Clan heritage, Yang Kai had incredibly strong resistance to poison. Most poisons were completely ineffective against him, but this vine managed to affect him slightly. It could be seen how powerful the poison was. Even if ordinary cultivators did not die from the effects of this poison, they would lose most of their combat power once afflicted with it. The realization struck Yang Kai suddenly. [No wonder the auras of Zhang Ruo Xi and that fleeing man seem so weak. It looks like they have been poisoned by the vine.]
Yang Kai held the vine in his grip, and under the heat of the Golden Crow’s True Fire, it kept twisting and struggling about. He then flicked the vine as though he was wielding a whip and sent it lashing towards the attackers.
Their expressions changed drastically. They never imagined that this man could break free so quickly; after all, they had used this very trick to kill many people before. Many of those victims had even been stronger than them.
Before they could understand what was going on, the vine sent them flying backwards. Every one of them coughed up blood in mid-air. They looked terrified when they hit the ground.
If Yang Kai had unleashed World Force, they would have understood why they were defeated in one move; however, the aura radiating from him was still within the bounds of the Emperor Realm…
[How can an Emperor Realm cultivator be this powerful!? We are not his opponents at all!]
“Retreat!” The young man in the lead shouted as they desperately performed their Secret Techniques to escape from this place. At this point, they did not care whether or not they would be exposed for trying to kill Lang Ya Paradise disciples. Survival was their top priority.
“Solidify!” Yang Kai shouted as he pushed his Space Principles and the surrounding space instantly transformed into a cage. Those people felt the space around them becoming viscous, like they had fallen into a quagmire and could not move.
They turned around and looked at Yang Kai in horror only to see him walking towards them with a wooden expression. He arrived at the closest person, glanced down at them, and casually threw a punch. That person’s head exploded open like a smashed watermelon, with brain matter and blood splattering everywhere.
Then, he walked over to the next person, glanced down at them, and threw another punch. Next came the third, followed by the fourth…
In the blink of an eye, only the young man leading the pursuers remained alive, trembling from head to toe. Although he was desperately trying to summon his strength, he discovered that his Emperor Qi was not flowing smoothly. Forget fighting back, even moving a finger was an extremely difficult task.
He watched helplessly as Yang Kai walked over to him. The fear in his heart overflowed from his eyes. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown as he screamed, “Don’t kill me!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you,” Yang Kai looked at the young man calmly.
The young man could barely believe his ears, “Really?”
On the other hand, Yang Kai said nothing. With a flick of the vine, he wrapped the young man up in it.
The young man, who was now wrapped up like a dumpling, asked in a horrified voice, “What are you doing?”
Yang Kai slowly crouched beside the young man and lowered his head to look at him. Then, he picked up the young man’s right arm and gave a powerful squeeze.
*Kacha…* The sound of bones breaking rang out. The young man screamed in agony, but before his scream ended, the sound of bones breaking rang out again, raising his screams by a whole octave.
*Kacha cha…*
Yang Kai slowly and methodically made his way up. In the blink of an eye, he broke the young man’s right arm into seven or eight sections. It would have been one thing if only the bones had been broken, but the key point was that the meridians along the young man’s arm had been destroyed completely as well.
It started with one of the young man’s arms being crushed. Then, it was his second arm, followed by both his legs…
The continuous sound of bones breaking was extremely disturbing.
The fear and despair in his eyes grew stronger and stronger, but his screams slowly grew weaker and weaker. He became breathless instead. The entire process took no more than a half cup of tea’s time. In that time, all the bones in his body had been crushed to pieces and all the meridians in his body were destroyed.
This kind of pain was not something ordinary people could withstand. The most important point was that he could clearly feel the traces and movements of each bone when they were broken. What horrified him even more was Yang Kai’s expression, which remained completely calm and indifferent, almost cold and meticulous, making him look like he was handling something very serious.
“Please kill me…” The young man murmured with lifeless eyes, “Kill me!”
It didn’t matter if all his bones were broken. With his cultivation, he only needed to recuperate for three to five years and consume some Spirit Pills to recover from even such major injuries. However, there was no way to recover once his meridians had been destroyed. Even if he could heal all the broken bones in his body, he would only be a cripple in the future. He could never cultivate again. For a cultivator, it was a fate worse than death. There was no crueler fate than that.
“Won’t killing you be going too easy on you?” Yang Kai stood up and looked down on this person contemptuously, his expression still as calm as ever, “I’m a man who means what he says. I said I won’t kill you, so I won’t kill you!”
After that, he took off the young man’s Space Ring and retrieved the Space Rings from the others. Turning around, he walked back to Qu Hua Shang.
Qu Hua Shang was in shock. It was her first time seeing Yang Kai acting so cruel. He had always given her the impression of a mild-tempered man. At the very least, he was warm and gentle with her. Be that as it may, his current actions could only be described as cruel and ruthless. It was true that he had not killed the young man from Heavenly Sword Union, but this fate was more despairing than death.
[Just who is this woman?] She lowered her head to look at Zhang Ruo Xi, who she was carrying in her arms. [I can’t believe seeing her hurt made Yang Kai so furious.]
Although she did not know the answer to her question, Qu Hua Shang could be certain that he had a close relationship with this young woman.
“How is Ruo Xi?” Yang Kai came to Qu Hua Shang and placed two fingers on the young woman’s wrist to probe her condition while asking. After a while, he breathed a sigh of relief. She was heavily injured, but her injuries had not damaged her foundation; hence, she would recover fully after recuperating for some time.
“Many thanks for your life-saving grace, Senior Brother!” A voice came from the side suddenly. It was the man who had been fleeing alongside Zhang Ruo Xi earlier. Seeing that his pursuers were gone, he returned and thanked Yang Kai.
Yang Kai turned to look in that direction and his originally gentle gaze instantly turned frosty. What happened earlier had not escaped his notice.
Both this person and Zhang Ruo Xi were being pursued just now. It was bad enough that he had not protected her. When an attack came from behind, it was only she who turned around to defend. On the other hand, he had taken the opportunity to flee even faster. He didn’t even bother to look back to see what had happened to her. It was one thing if they did not know each other; however, they had been escaping together, so how could they be unrelated to one another?
How could Yang Kai have any good impression towards a person like that? Even Qu Hua Shang looked at this man with an expression of disgust.
“Sir, this is my Senior Brother, Du Xu.” Zhang Ruo Xi introduced weakly.
Why would Yang Kai care to know that person’s name? He simply shouted, “Scram!”
Du Xu originally had a smile on his face, but when he heard Yang Kai telling him to get lost, his expression suddenly became incredibly awkward. He said falteringly, “Senior Brother, why must you be so hurtful with your words? Although you rescued my Junior Sister and I, we are still from Lang Ya Paradise.”
“It’s a disgrace to Lang Ya Paradise for having a disciple like you! Get lost!”
Du Xu’s face flushed red in embarrassment and then he became angry out of shame. It looked like he wanted to say something back, but he did not dare to speak the words that were on the tip of his tongue when he recalled the strength and brutality Yang Kai displayed earlier. In the end, he could only glance at Zhang Ruo Xi angrily before he turned to leave.
Qu Hua Shang watched that person’s back and frowned, “Is that person really from Lang Ya Paradise? He is a disciple of one of the 72 Paradises. How could he act like that?”
Lowering her head, she asked Zhang Ruo Xi, “Are you also from Lang Ya Paradise?”
Zhang Ruo Xi replied, “Yes. Senior Brother Du and I might belong to Lang Ya Paradise, but we are just Inner Disciples.”
Qu Hua Shang understood. Most Sects divided their disciples into three grades. The first were the Outer Disciples. They had the lowest status and worst potential. Next came the Inner Disciples. They had much better aptitudes and potential. The strongest among the disciples were the Core Disciples or Legacy Disciples. These talents were the future hope and pillars of the major Sects.
Both Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan were Core Disciples while Zhang Ruo Xi and that man called Du Xu were Inner Disciples.
Legacy Disciples and Core Disciples were the smallest in number. Generally, only the cultivators who could condense Sixth-Order Elements were qualified to be chosen. Even among the major Cave-Heavens and Paradises, each Sect did not have more than a dozen Legacy or Core Disciples. Nevertheless, it was hard to say how many out of this dozen or so people would succeed and advance into the Open Heaven Realm and how many would fall.
Upon knowing that they were from Lang Ya Paradise, Qu Hua Shang became even more curious, “Heavenly Sword Union might be relatively powerful, but they wouldn’t dare to provoke Lang Ya Paradise. Why did those people pursue you so doggedly just now?”
Zhang Ruo Xi said, “We accidentally discovered a medicine garden earlier. It seemed to be one created by Blood Monster Divine Monarch. We found many valuable herbs, so those people were blinded by their greed.”
Yang Kai immediately snorted coldly, “Men die for wealth.”
As long as the people from Heavenly Sword Union could kill Zhang Ruo Xi and Du Xu, who would know that they had attacked people from Lang Ya Paradise? This matter would not be exposed.
If Zhang Ruo Xi and Du Xu had not met Yang Kai here, they would certainly be facing a bleak future. What Zhang Ruo Xi never expected was that Du Xu would be so unreliable. He had been very eager to flirt with her and constantly displayed his affection when they were at Lang Ya Paradise. His usual demeanour was also rather upright. Although she had explicitly rejected him on numerous occasions, he had continued to persevere.
Afterwards, they happened to encounter each other in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Considering the dangers of this place, she decided to travel together with him. It had made him very happy, so he had been extremely diligent in every way.
Even so, he turned out to be as timid as a mouse when faced with a crisis. With their strength, they would not have been able to kill those people from Heavenly Sword Union even if they fought back with everything they had, but their enemies would also have suffered greatly as a result. The best chance at surviving would have been if they could scare their opponents off. However, Du Xu chose to escape without even trying to fight, leaving Zhang Ruo Xi no choice but to escape with him. In the end, it turned into the situation Yang Kai had witnessed earlier.
“Ruo Xi, the top priority is treating your wounds. We can talk about the rest later,” Yang Kai said.
Zhang Ruo Xi gave a non-committal grunt in response.
He took her from Qu Hua Shang’s arms and placed her into the Small Sealed World without another word. Then, he called out to Qu Hua Shang, “Let’s go, Senior Sister.”
The two of them continued on their journey while the cries of the young man from Heavenly Sword Union came from behind them as he begged in despair, “Please kill me!”
There were no traces of other cultivators along their journey and they did not see many traces of Monster Beast activity either. Many of the cultivators were in possession of a map sold by Red Clouds Auction House. Naturally, they moved forward by relying on the directions of the map. It was not surprising that their journey was calm since they were travelling the path that others had travelled earlier.
This only happened because Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang had encountered too many hardships along their way, which delayed their travels; otherwise, they would not have fallen behind the others.
After travelling for two days, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed and he immersed his mind into the Small Sealed World. He might have been travelling all this while, but he had always kept an eye on Zhang Ruo Xi’s condition inside the Small Sealed World. Just now, she had called for him.
Sending his Soul Avatar inside, Yang Kai stood in front of Zhang Ruo Xi. She smiled slightly and said delightedly, “I knew you would come to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Sir.”
Yang Kai was surprised and asked, “Did you come here just to look for me?”
“En.” Blinking, she continued, “Hasn’t Sir been looking for me all this while as well? Senior Sister Gu told me everything. She said that you once sought her out in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to ask about me.”
“Gu Pan came to look for you?”
Upon further consideration, Yang Kai understood the situation. He had asked Gu Pan for information on Zhang Ruo Xi back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. At the time, she said she had never heard of the name ‘Zhang Ruo Xi’ before. It was not until she returned to Lang Ya Paradise that she deliberately went around inquiring for information. That was how she found Zhang Ruo Xi.
“Senior Sister Gu has taken great care of me. I would not have been able to become an Inner Disciple if not for her.”
“Then, I’ll have to thank her properly next time.” Yang Kai nodded lightly. The image of a petite young girl with a paintbrush in hand, eating dried fish with her head lowered slightly involuntarily flashed through his mind.
Sitting crossed-legged opposite Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai looked at her and grinned, “I’m glad. Although it has been years since we’ve last met, you’ve not gotten thinner. Good, very good.”
She blushed beet red, “Sir, are you calling me fat?”
“Of course not. You’re perfect the way you are right now. You’re neither fat nor thin.” Yang Kai chuckled, “By the way, did you go straight to Lang Ya Paradise after we parted ways back then?”
She nodded, “That’s right. I couldn’t find Sir; however, I knew you knew that my ancestor came from Lang Ya Paradise. I believed that you would surely look for me there, so I went there.”
Zhang Ruo Xi had not been very strong at the time. Moreover, she had to wander the 3,000 Worlds alone. How difficult had it been for her to go to Lang Ya Paradise? It was fortunate that she had some of her ancestor’s memories and knew quite a lot about the Outer Universe; otherwise, a lone girl like her would have been devoured cleanly by others.
Even so, the journey had taken her more than 10 years. It was not until several years ago that she finally arrived at Lang Ya Paradise. Joining Lang Ya Paradise was not difficult. Her ancestor had been a Lang Ya Paradise disciple after all, so she received some preferential treatment. Besides, her own aptitude was not poor. Lang Ya Paradise was also happy to accept a disciple like her.
It was just that it had not been easy to survive in Lang Ya Paradise. That place was one of the 72 Paradises, so although it had a grand reputation, it was still a large Sect. It was not easy to stand out among the countless disciples. Zhang Ruo Xi had crawled her way through the lower levels and finally borrowed Gu Pan’s help before she successfully became an Inner Disciple.
Be that as it may, she did not tell Yang Kai about these matters. The hardships she went through in the past were not worth mentioning. Meeting her Sir once more in this vast universe was the greatest gift from the Heavens she could ask for.
Yang Kai nodded, “I guessed as much. I wanted to head to Lang Ya Paradise, but I was held up by some other things.”
After he came out from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had wanted to go to Lang Ya Paradise to look for Zhang Ruo Xi. It was just that he later obtained Void Land and the root from the World Tree, so he had to hurriedly return to the Star Boundary instead.
After Zhang Ruo Xi finished her story, she asked Yang Kai about what he had encountered over the years.
Yang Kai did not conceal anything from her. He told her that he had been lured to a place called Seven Wonders Land where he served as a Worker for some time following their separation. Later, he took the opportunity to escape when an incident arose and inadvertently joined First Inn. Afterwards, he wandered into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary…
Zhang Ruo Xi’s eyes filled with pleasant surprise upon learning that he had gone back to the Star Boundary and repaired the shattered World Principles. She was different from him in the sense that she was truly born and raised in the Star Boundary; therefore, she held a special affection for that world. When the World Principles shattered and the Star Boundary was on the brink of collapse, she too had hoped to find a method to restore the world one day. Nevertheless, she knew that it was bound to be an extremely long and difficult process.
Contrary to her expectations, Yang Kai had succeeded in such a short time. [Sir is really amazing. He is capable of performing feats that ordinary people can never hope to achieve. If I think back to everything he has done in the past, which of those feats were something an ordinary cultivator could have done?]
When she learned that he had acquired a Spirit Province in the 3,000 Worlds, established Void Land, and brought several hundred thousand people from the Star Boundary there, her admiration for him grew stronger and stronger.
Over the past few years, she had cultivated extremely hard just to become one of Lang Ya Paradise’s Inner Disciples. On the other hand, Yang Kai had founded a Sect in the Outer Universe. The gap between them was apparent at a glance.
She had condensed the Fifth-Order Elements. Since entering the Outer Universe, she had spent most of her time journeying to Lang Ya Paradise. She did not have any means to earn resources either; therefore, it could be said that she achieved nothing for the past decade. Her strength had not grown by much either. It wasn’t until she entered Lang Ya Paradise that her circumstances changed for the better.
Disciples from any Sect had to obtain their own cultivation resources through hard work, meaning it was impossible for them to receive anything without effort. For that reason, Zhang Ruo Xi had no resources available for use even after she joined Lang Ya Paradise; after all, she was only an insignificant Outer Disciple at the beginning.
That might be the reason why many disciples of various Sects had such slow progress in their cultivation. They often had to perform various tasks for years, decades, or even longer just to build up enough merits to exchange for necessary cultivation resources. When they finished consuming these resources, they would have to continue completing tasks until they could gather all of the required Open Heaven Element Powers. If they had a sufficient supply of resources, then their speed of cultivation would surely increase significantly.
After Gu Pan returned from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, she sought out Zhang Ruo Xi, checked her aptitude, and gave her some Fifth-Order materials. It was only then that Zhang Ruo Xi finally began cultivating for real.
Gu Pan was one of Lang Ya Paradise’s Core Disciples. Although she had condensed Sixth-Order Elements, even she could not obtain Sixth-Order materials at will; after all, each Sixth-Order material was worth ten or twenty million Open Heaven Pills. These resources were treated as strategic reserves in any Sect, so it was impossible to obtain them casually. It was the limit just for her to acquire Fifth-Order materials.
“Senior Sister Gu has been very good to me. She told me that you helped her greatly in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Moreover, she said she would not have come out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary alive without Sir’s help.”
Yang Kai smiled, “She is a virtuous and upright woman.”
Pondering quietly for a moment, he continued, “Do you want to start over again? I have some Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water in my possession. It can wash away the Powers in your Dao Seal and allow you to condense new ones. There’s no need to worry about the resources. I have quite a lot of them.”
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head at those words, “No need, Sir. I know my own limits. Even though I am capable of forcefully condensing Sixth-Order Elements, I’m afraid I won’t be able to survive the breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm.”
The consequence of failure was the destruction of her body! That was one of the problems that plagued countless cultivators. In order to advance into the Open Heaven Realm, one of the problems the cultivators faced was obtaining resources. The higher the Order of the material, the more expensive and difficult to obtain such resources became. The other problem was the carrying capacity of a cultivator’s Dao Seal. That was why cultivators would only choose resources within the range of their financial abilities and carrying capacities, regardless of who they were.
While Zhang Ruo Xi’s aptitude was certainly not bad, it was not as good as Qu Hua Shang or Gu Pan’s. It was undeniable that condensing Sixth-Order Elements would be dangerous for her.
However, Yang Kai had the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills in his possession. The Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was refined with World Source Liquid as its main ingredient and could significantly increase a cultivator’s chances of entering the Open Heaven Realm successfully. Therefore, Yang Kai believed that her risks of failure when advancing into the Open Heaven Realm was not high even if she condensed Sixth-Order Powers.
But upon further consideration, Yang Kai realised that Fifth-Order Elements were enough. Zhang Ruo Xi could slowly cultivate until she reached the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm one day. There was a risk even if she used the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water, so he decided to leave the decision to her.
After telling her to get a good rest, Yang Kai withdrew his mind from the Small Sealed World.
A few more days passed. Zhang Ruo Xi was almost fully recovered at this point, so Yang Kai released her and properly introduced her to Qu Hua Shang. Only then did Zhang Ruo Xi learn that the other party was a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Her expression became a little weird when she looked at him. Needless to say, she had heard of the name ‘Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’.
Qu Hua Shang and Yang Kai had been travelling together all by themselves. Not to mention that the way Qu Hua Shang looked at him and spoke to him were clearly suggestive. It was inevitable that Zhang Ruo Xi would misunderstand.
As they gradually moved forward, they began to come across traces of other cultivators. They also encountered the occasional fleeing Monster Beasts and even found several battlefields.
Yang Kai knew that they had finally caught up to the others after rushing to get here. Be that as it may, the gains he received inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were practically negligible. It was extremely depressing. Qu Hua Shang had obtained a Seventh-Order Monster Beast Core at the blood lake, while he only obtained a Fifth-Order Monster Beast Core.
By contrast, he had acquired so many treasures back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that he nearly couldn’t carry them! Just as Yang Kai was wondering whether he had used up all his luck back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he suddenly noticed a large group of people gathering at a spot not too far ahead; thus, he couldn’t help feeling surprised.
It had to be said that this place was located quite deep in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It had far exceeded the range of the areas marked on the map. Throughout history, nobody had ever gotten this far since the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was first opened.
It was rumoured that the deeper one ventured into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, the greater the dangers became; however, their journey here had been completely unimpeded, without the slightest hint of danger. It was not just Yang Kai’s group who managed to get this far; there were also many others who had gotten there before them. Hence, it was strange why these people were gathering in that direction.
Curious, Yang Kai led Qu Hua Shang and Zhang Ruo Xi over. It didn’t take long before they arrived atop a crowded mountain. Yang Kai swept his gaze around and saw several acquaintances whom he once met in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. These people were Bearers chosen by the Divine Spirits. In the end, it was only thanks to his help that they could leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary safely.
When they parted ways, these people had left their respective Faith Tokens with Yang Kai so that he could visit them at their Sect when he had the time. They promised to provide him with the best hospitality they could offer. For that reason, many eyes immediately lit up upon seeing Yang Kai again. They quickly came forward and cupped their fists at him in greeting.
Yang Kai returned the greeting, but before they could exchange pleasantries, he heard a furious roar, “Yang Kai, I can’t believe you actually have the guts to come here!”
For some reason, listening to this voice enraged Yang Kai greatly. He looked in the direction of the voice only to see a group of people flying over from another mountain with great fanfare. It was clear that this group of people had been resting over there but came over after spotting him.
The person in the lead was none other than Yin Xin Zhao of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. Yin Xin Zhao and Yang Kai had a feud between them. Before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened, Yang Kai had stolen his entrance and almost caused him to lose out on this opportunity. Yin Xin Zhao later led a pair of his Junior Brothers to hunt Yang Kai down. There was no saying what would have happened if Yang Kai had not borrowed the strength of Golden Gorilla King and a Monster Beast wolf to escape their pursuit.
It was only natural for these two sworn enemies to blaze with hatred now that they came face to face with each other.
Yin Xin Zhao was surrounded by many people; however, what surprised Yang Kai slightly was that Pei Wen Xuan of Myriad Demons Heaven was among them.
[This guy didn’t die?] Yang Kai glanced at Pei Wen Xuan in astonishment. He recalled Black Crow Divine Monarch shooting a blood arrow at him and Pei Wen Xuan no longer had an Identity Token to protect him. How did he survive? As expected of a disciple from a major Sect, his heritage was indeed extraordinary.
The sight of these two together caused Yang Kai’s teeth to grind slightly.
“Is he Yang Kai?” A handsome young man swept his eyes over him and asked.
Yin Xin Zhao said, “That’s right! He is Yang Kai!”
The young man arrogantly said, “I heard you defeated my Junior Sister Yu Luo Sha in one move in the Asura Arena.”
Yang Kai raised a brow at those words, “Yu Luo Sha is your Junior Sister? Who are you?” [If Yu Luo Sha is his Junior Sister, then he must also be from Asura Heaven.]
The young man replied, “My name is Ba Liang. Remember it well, for I will be the one to kill you.”
While saying so, he grinned at Yang Kai, revealing a set of white teeth.
Another young man stepped forward, “Brother Ba, where does your confidence come from? Yang Kai’s head is mine.”
“And you are?” Yang Kai was so furious that he laughed. He had heard from Qu Hua Shang that many people wanted to kill him. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises had taken notice of him already, but it was inconvenient for the renowned Open Heaven Realm Masters to take direct action against him because they had their reputation and their Sects’ reputations to maintain. For that reason, they left this matter to their Juniors. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was undoubtedly the best place to resolve this issue. Nobody would say anything if Yang Kai was killed in this place.
Nevertheless, rumours were simply rumours. He never imagined that so many people would actually want to kill him as soon as he arrived at this place.
It was one thing if Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao wanted him dead. They had personal grudges against him after all. It was also reasonable for Ba Liang of Asura Heaven to come looking for trouble. Ba Liang had a justifiable reason to avenge his Junior Sister and recover Asura Heaven’s face. On the other hand, the last person who popped up out of nowhere was completely unfamiliar to Yang Kai.
“Clear Mind Heaven, Qiu Kang Xian!”
[Clear Mind Heaven?] Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking that the name sounded familiar. After thinking carefully about it, he suddenly recalled where he heard the name before. He had met a Clear Mind Heaven disciple with the name ‘Young Master Hai’ during his first time in Thousand Birds Star City. That person had been harassing Luo Hai Yi, so Yang Kai taught him a little lesson. As a result, he was captured and punished by the law enforcement team of Thousand Birds Star City.
The incident had enraged the Proprietress so badly that she silently pursued and killed Young Master Hai in the void outside the Star City. Due to this incident, Hai Ping Le of Clear Mind Heaven joined forces with Qin Ji and the others to besiege the Proprietress during Old Bai’s breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm.
Another person stepped forward and politely cupped his fist at Yang Kai, “Azure Nether Paradise, Ye Cheng, here for your head, Brother Yang!”
Four Cave-Heavens and one Paradise. All of them wanted Yang Kai to die! These were only those who openly announced their intentions. There were even more who kept silent but watched Yang Kai with great interest. Many gazes were fixed on his neck and heart, as though wondering which location was better to target should they make their move.
A rough estimate indicated that there were as many as a dozen Cave-Heavens and Paradises, with approximately twenty to thirty other cultivators together with Pei Wen Xuan and Yin Xin Zhao in the lead. These people were the elite Core Disciples of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises and had condensed Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Elements at the very least. Even so, many amongst them had condensed Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Powers!
It could be said that the most excellent and talented cultivators in the younger generation of the 3,000 Worlds were gathered here! One day, the cultivators in this place who managed to advance into the Open Heaven Realm would surely become powerful Great Experts who ruled over the world.
The audience was horrified as many people looked over from the mountains in the vicinity. They did not know who Yang Kai was or how he managed to provoke so many Cave-Heavens and Paradises that so many people hated him and wanted to take his life.
On the mountain where Yang Kai was standing, the expressions of the cultivators who came over and greeted him earlier became very solemn. They only came to greet him because they received his help back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Who could have known that they would be mixed up in this mess as a result?
They were not ungrateful people who did not know how to repay their debts, and a life-saving debt was heavier than a mountain. It was only natural that they paid him back in full. It was just that each of them was a representative of their respective Sect. If they got caught up in Yang Kai’s mess, there was a high chance that their actions would also affect the force behind them. Thus, they hesitated to take action.
Ye Cheng of Azure Nether Paradise gave a small smile and looked at Yang Kai with a warm expression, “I’ve long heard of you, Brother Yang. After meeting you today, I can see that you are worthy of your reputation. It’s a pity that I can’t chat with you, Brother Yang. It truly makes me sigh with regret.”
Yin Xin Zhao coldly snorted, “Why are you spewing so much nonsense? Let’s attack him altogether! His head will belong to whomever manages to kill him!”
Pei Wen Xuan smiled deviously, “In that case, all of you should stand aside. I’ll be the one to kill him.”
If not for the fact that he had some means to protect himself, he would have died a long time ago due to Yang Kai’s schemes; therefore, he was holding a rather heavy grudge.
“Outsiders, step back! Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy!” Another person shouted. It was unknown which Cave-Heaven or Paradise he came from, but the aura around him was impressive.
Yang Kai had arrived here late, so many people had gathered around on the mountains. Some had quietly escaped after seeing that a conflict was about to break out, and at this moment, even more people retreated after hearing this person’s warning. These cultivators quickly scattered into the distance in an instant, like swallows leaving their nests.
On the other hand, the cultivators who came over to greet Yang Kai earlier were looking very troubled. A long while passed before one of them cupped his fist and said, “I’m sorry, Brother Yang.”
With a heavy sigh, he turned and left. It was true that he received a huge favour from Yang Kai in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary; nevertheless, he had no intention of making enemies with so many Cave-Heavens and Paradises. There was a high possibility that not only would he die in this place, but he would also bring trouble to his Sect. If he were killed by these people, his Sect would not dare to seek revenge either. His death would be in vain. With such a bright and promising future ahead of him, why would he willingly choose to die in this place?
With the retreat of one person, the others also quickly followed suit, each of them apologizing in shame as they did.
“Qu Hua Shang, why aren’t you leaving?” Ba Liang of Asura Heaven looked at Qu Hua Shang and questioned.
“Why would I leave? The world is so vast, so I can go anywhere I want. Can you stop me?” Qu Hua Shang snorted.
Ba Liang snorted, “It looks like Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is standing on the side of this bastard.”
She replied, “All of you should stop speaking in the name of your Sects. You can only represent yourselves.”
Ba Liang gently nodded, “There’s nothing I can say to refute your words, Junior Sister Qu. I just hope you won’t blame me for being ruthless when the fight begins later.”
To which she chuckled softly, “You can try.”
“Junior Sister Zhang, why are you still standing there!? Hurry up and come here!” Somebody shouted through gritted teeth from among the crowd.
Zhang Ruo Xi looked up and saw that it was the man who had previously been her travel companion, Du Xu. He had arrived at some point and was looking at her sternly from amongst the crowd at this moment.
She glanced at him and slowly shook her head, “I’m not going.”
Du Xu’s expression changed slightly as he snarled, “Junior Sister, do you know what you are doing!? Do you know who he is!?”
Du Xu and Zhang Ruo Xi were both Inner Disciples of Lang Ya Paradise. They had yet to reach the level of Core Disciples or Legacy Disciples, so they had not heard about Yang Kai before. Nevertheless, that did not stop Du Xu from assessing the current situation. With so many elite disciples of various Cave-Heavens and Paradises seeking Yang Kai’s life, it was only natural that he did not wish to bring trouble upon himself. When he saw Zhang Ruo Xi standing beside Yang Kai, he immediately tried to call her over so as not to implicate him.
“Of course, I know who he is! He is my life’s saviour and benefactor! If anybody wishes to kill him, they will have to go through me first!” Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand and summoned the Heavens Order Sword, displaying a heroic demeanour.
Yin Xin Zhao turned to look at Du Xu, “Junior Brother Du, is that your Junior Sister? Then, you better persuade her well. Weapons have no eyes; it will be bad if she were injured once the battle begins.”
Du Xu cupped his fist in horror, “Please forgive me, Senior Brother Yin. Junior Sister Zhang might be part of Lang Ya Paradise, but she only joined the Sect a few years ago and is not very sensible. However, her attitude does not represent Lang Ya Paradise. Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, please do what you need to. If she were injured in the fight, then I’m afraid that is her fate.”
“Not bad, Brat.” Pei Wen Xuan glanced at Du Xu approvingly, but the depths of his eyes were overflowing with deep disdain and contempt.
“She cannot represent Lang Ya Paradise, but I can. Isn’t that right?” A clear voice rang out and a petite figure landed nearby.
Zhang Ruo Xi looked in that direction with an expression of pleasant surprise, “Senior Sister Gu?”
Du Xu looked embarrassed and awkwardly cupped his fist, “Du Xu greets Senior Sister Gu!”
The person who came was none other than Gu Pan. As a Lang Ya Paradise Core Disciple, there was no denying that she could represent Lang Ya Paradise’s stance in this matter.
Everybody was stunned. They did not think that another person, apart from Qu Hua Shang, would dare to support Yang Kai at this time.
One was from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and the other was from Lang Ya Paradise. A mere two Sects might not seem like much, but the momentum was not heading in a good direction.
It was said that the major Cave-Heavens and Paradises had two opposing attitudes towards Yang Kai. One side wanted to kill him as early as possible while the other side wanted to win him over to their side. It would now seem that was indeed the case. The attitudes of those Cave-Heavens and Paradises were clearly reflected here.
“Dao is nature and nature is the heart. Ning Dao Ran greets daoist brothers!” An elegant voice sounded. At the same time, another figure landed beside Yang Kai and bowed slightly with one hand on his chest.
“How lively! Hahaha! Why is everybody gathered over here?” A loud hearty laughter rang out, followed by a burly figure landing nearby. He had a huge sword strapped to his back and his aura was sharp and fierce. This man immediately drew everybody’s attention to him. He was very tall and burly, almost one head taller than the average cultivator. The huge sword on his back was even larger, seeming to pierce the sky even while being carried. It was easy to imagine that this sword would have the power to split mountains with a single swing.
“This Senior Brother is?” Yang Kai glanced over suspiciously. He was certain he had never met this person before. When Gu Pan and Ning Dao Ran appeared to support him, he was pleasantly surprised; however, their reasoning was understandable. They had interacted with each other in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so it could be said that they had some friendship between them. It was just that the current situation was so tense that he could not greet them properly. He could only nod his head at them in response.
[But, who is this tall and muscular guy? Why is he standing on my side?]
Ning Dao Ran smiled slightly, “This is Wei Bu Que of Divine Cauldron Heaven. I don’t think you’ve met Brother Wei yet, Brother Yang.”
“Divine Cauldron Heaven?” Yang Kai immediately understood, “Where is Senior Brother Xu?”
The image of a little fatty popped into his mind. The Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd in his possession was something the little fatty had refined for him.
Wei Bu Que said, “Junior Brother Xu is busy and could not participate in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Nevertheless, before I left, he told me to thank you on his behalf should I meet you in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Little Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai replied, “Senior Brother Xu is too kind.”
Yin Xin Zhao’s expression turned dark, “Wei Bu Que, why is Divine Cauldron Heaven meddling in this matter and not focusing on Artifact Refining?” [It’s bad enough that Divine Cauldron Heaven is meddling in this matter. I can’t believe they are opposing us! This is outrageous!]
Wei Bu Que tilted his head to the side and picked his nose with a finger. Flicking a booger in Yin Xin Zhao’s direction, he said, “Is Divine Cauldron Heaven only capable of Artifact Refining? So what if I want to meddle in this matter? Not only is Divine Cauldron Heaven choosing to meddle, but people from True Martial Cave Heaven are choosing to meddle too.”
He then turned to the side and shouted impatiently, “Lin Feng, you’re already here. Why are you hesitating like a little girl? Hurry up and get out here!”
A handsome man with a face like a jade crown coldly snorted from among the crowd in the distance and walked in this direction, snarling while walking, “Wei Bu Que, if you dare to utter just a single rude word again, I will knock out all your teeth!”
Wei Bu Que laughed heartily, “You’ll get the chance. We should find a time to spar together next time. We’ll see who knocks out whose teeth!”
Lin Feng coldly snorted and came to stand beside Yang Kai in a few steps.
Yang Kai’s heart warmed slightly and cupped his fist, “Yang Kai greets Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters! Many thanks for your help!”
Various Cave-Heavens and Paradises had joined hands to work against him; therefore, he couldn’t help feeling extremely grateful that there were people willing to stand up for him at this moment. Their willingness to side with him undoubtedly sent out a glaring signal that their respective Sects wanted to win him over to their side! Be that as it may, the reason their Sects made this decision was definitely related to their persuasion and efforts.
Lin Feng glanced at Yang Kai and spat in disdain, “Even women are capable of protecting you. It makes no sense for men to do any less than them.”
“What do you mean by ‘women’?” Qu Hua Shang immediately became unhappy, “Lin Feng, you better watch your words.”
Lin Feng turned his head to the side and feigned ignorance.
On the opposite side, the expressions of Yin Xin Zhao and the others turned ugly. At first, there were only Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan, but now there was also Ning Dao Ran, Wei Bu Que, and Lin Feng. Although there was a huge contrast in numbers still, it would be troublesome to actually attack them. Aside from Zhang Ruo Xi, who they considered insignificant, the others would be very difficult to deal with.
After pondering for some time, Yin Xin Zhao finally spoke up, “Senior Brothers, the 36 Cave-Heavens and 72 Paradises have always been intricately linked and connected since ancient times. Why damage our relations for this? I ask that you retreat as a favour to this Yin.”
Wei Bu Que smiled, “What if I refuse to retreat?”
Yin Xin Zhao replied grimly, “Although you are talented people, Senior Brothers, you are few in numbers. If it really came down to a fight, are you sure you can protect that bastard surnamed Yang?”
Wei Bu Que frowned slightly. As one of Divine Cauldron Heaven’s Core Disciples, he did not fear these people, but if it really came down to a fight, the opposing side only needed to send somebody to keep him busy. The same held true for the others. It could be said that the opposing party would only need to send out a small group of people to distract them while the others continue to besiege Yang Kai.
[Even if Yang Kai is extremely powerful, it will be hard for him to survive this calamity. The best outcome at the moment is if he escapes immediately. But…] He turned to look at Yang Kai and saw that the latter was perfectly calm. Despite being watched by so many great talents of the same generation, Yang Kai showed not the slightest hint of fear. [He has no intention of escaping. Truly admirable.]
Wei Bu Que had heard about Yang Kai from Xu Zhen, so he knew that he was very strong. It was just that he had never seen Yang Kai in action before. He did not believe that Yang Kai could turn the current situation around all on his own. [If it comes down to a fight, I’m afraid things will end badly for Yang Kai.]
“You want to compete with numbers?” A furious roar rang out, “Do you think nobody from First Inn is here?”
Following the appearance of that voice, a chubby fatty ran over from a great distance. He had a kitchen knife in his hand and an apron tied around his waist. The apron was covered in grease stains and the word ‘Butcher’ was written in large characters across it. He looked like a chef who just came right out of a kitchen, and it really was none other than the chef!
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. [I can’t believe Chef is here too!]
Chef rushed over aggressively, the fats on his face jiggling with every movement as he called out, “Don’t worry, Brat. Just see what I can do.”
Then, he raised his hand and shot out an arrow into the sky. A sharp piercing sound entered their ears. He shouted vigorously, “One cloud-piercing arrow, calling upon a thousand-man army!”
He did not summon thousands of troops of course. Be that as it may, the accountant, Lang Qing Shan, and the others quickly appeared right behind him.
When the entrances to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven first appeared, Yang Kai had stolen many of Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s entrances and sent his subordinates into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven instead. After Yang Kai entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, he parted ways with the rest of them. The people gathered in this place were not many. There were only ten or so of them. Another ten or so were nowhere to be seen. They were probably not in the vicinity. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven covered a vast area after all. Not everybody would travel in this direction.
The accountant glanced sideways at Yang Kai through his triangular eyes and muttered under his breath, “Brat, why do you have to cause trouble wherever you go?”
Yang Kai said, “It’s not that I like to cause trouble. On the contrary, trouble likes to come knocking on my door. What can I do?”
The accountant gave those words some serious thought and nodded, “I can’t blame you for that.”
“Brother Yang, is that you? What a coincidence!” A pleasantly surprised voice rang out. Immediately after that, a person emerged from the crowd. He was followed by a large group that numbered around forty or fifty people.
“Brother Ding!” Yang Kai exclaimed in astonishment. The person who popped up out of nowhere turned out to be Ding Yi!
Yang Kai had a deep impression of this person. Back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Ding Yi had established an organisation known as Emperor Heaven and took in a large batch of subordinates. He travelled extensively across the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and made a name for himself. When the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary closed, most of Emperor Heaven dispersed and scattered around. Only a small number of people remained united around Ding Yi.
It was not surprising to meet Qu Hua Shang, Gu Pan, and the others here; the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was an important event after all. It was a given that the Cave-Heavens and Paradises would let their disciples enter as well. That being said, it was rather shocking for Ding Yi to enter this place. [He is only in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. How did he manage to snatch an entrance? Not to mention, there are so many people following behind him!]
“It’s been many years since we last met, Brother Yang. Have you been well?” Ding Yi roared with laughter. His posture was arrogant, almost as if he was not bothered by all the disciples from the major Sects on the opposite side.
Yang Kai smiled, “Brother Ding, your bearing is as imposing as usual!”
Yin Xin Zhao was furious as he roared, “Where did these wastes come from? How dare they jump out and embarrass themselves!? Get lost!”
He had been incredibly upset by the sudden appearance of Gu Pan, Ning Dao Ran, Wei Bu Que, and the others in support of Yang Kai. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do as their strengths and statuses were all similar. On the other hand, he could tell at a glance that Ding Yi did not have much of a background. [How dare he meddle in this affair? He does not know his place.]
While snapping, Yin Xin Zhao raised a hand and shot a stream of light in Ding Yi’s direction. Although it was a casual blow, his strength was extraordinary. The power behind this stream of light was absolutely shocking and all the people gathered around the mountain peaks in the vicinity were horrified by the sight, secretly thinking to themselves, [As expected of a Core Disciple from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.]
They would find it difficult to defend themselves even though it was just a casual blow. Out of all the cultivators present, 90% would be killed within ten moves if they fought Yin Xin Zhao one-on-one.
His attack was also intended as a warning to the others, lest more and more people popped up again, creating an unending cycle.
Ding Yi, however, burst out laughing. Raising his hand into the air, he summoned a blade, “I was just wondering about the abilities of a Cave-Heaven disciple.”
His blade came slashing down. The flames wrapped around the blade swept upward and transformed into a stream of light that easily cut down Yin Xin Zhao’s attack.
The disciples of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises were shocked by the sight. They initially assumed that Yin Xin Zhao’s attack would cause Ding Yi to panic, even if it could not kill the latter. Who could have known that the other party was so powerful? Ding Yi easily stopped Yin Xin Zhao’s attack, but that was not all. After destroying that stream of light, Ding Yi’s flame blade did not stop swinging and he shouted loudly, “Receiving without returning is impolite. Hey, you! Take this!”
A blade light mixed with flames came slashing down towards Yin Xin Zhao.
Yin Xin Zhao coldly snorted. Summoning a longsword, he flicked out countless sword shadows to meet the attack. The flames flashed though and the sword shadows were annihilated.
Yin Xin Zhao abruptly turned pale as he shouted out, “Seventh-Order Fire Element Power!?”
Just from this exchange of blows, he immediately noticed that something was wrong. [This guy can unleash a Seventh-Order Fire Element Power!? No wonder he was able to block my attack!]
In desperation, Yin Xin Zhao immediately drew on the Powers in his Dao Seal. A dense wave of water vapour spread out and enveloped his entire body. He had not condensed a Seventh-Order Element, so all he could do at the moment was use Water to suppress Fire.
*Hong…*
The moment Water and Fire collided, Yin Xin Zhao groaned and a cloud of steam exploded in all directions. By the time the mist dispersed, everybody gasped in surprise. Although Yin Xin Zhao was perfectly fine and unhurt, his appearance was dishevelled and messy.
Everybody stared at Ding Yi in shock, wondering where this freak came from. They couldn’t believe he bested Yin Xin Zhao!
Only Yang Kai was aware that Ding Yi could unleash the Seventh-Order Fire Element Power because he was chosen by Bi Fang to become a Bearer in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Bi Fang had forced him to condense Seventh-Order Fire Element Power in order to increase his strength. This approach had heavily impacted Ding Yi’s future as he would be forced to withstand the Seventh-Order Fire Element Power when he advanced into the Open Heaven Realm in the future. If he could not survive the impact, then his future would be bleak.
Even now, Ding Yi’s face was flushed red after using Bi Fang’s Fire and his entire body was steaming with heat. Nevertheless, he feigned calmness, resting his blade on his shoulder as he loudly proclaimed, “Cave-Heaven disciples are nothing special after all!”
Yin Xin Zhao was rendered speechless. If it really came down to a fight, Ding Yi would not be his opponent. Ding Yi could clearly not use Bi Fang’s Fire many times, so he only needed to block the Seventh-Order Fire Element Power once or twice to stand in an invincible position. It would be an easy victory once Ding Yi could not use that power.
It was just that he did not know anything about Ding Yi. [Is he the disciple of some unknown Old Monster? Otherwise, how could he be capable of unleashing a Seventh-Order Fire Element Power?]
He asked through gritted teeth, “What is your name, Your Excellency?”
Ding Yi burst out laughing, “Do you take me for a fool? You are a Cave-Heaven disciple. If I tell you my name, won’t you remember my name and come after me for revenge in the future? I’m not telling you. I won’t tell you even if you beat me to death!”
What he didn’t seem to realise was that Yin Xin Zhao would remember his appearance even if he did not know his name.
Ding Yi had brought his men as reinforcements, and counting Lang Qing Shan and the others, the numbers on Yang Kai’s side were almost equal to the opposing side now. However, only their numbers were equal. There was a huge disparity in terms of quality. Core Disciples and Legacy Disciples of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises were abundant among the opposing side, and even the weakest among them were Inner Disciples who had condensed Fifth-Order Elements.
On the contrary, aside from Gu Pan, Ning Dao Ran, Wei Bu Que, Lin Feng, Qu Hua Shang, Ding Yi, Chef, and Accountant, there were not many who had condensed Fifth-Order or higher Elements on Yang Kai’s side. The people from Emperor Heaven were even more of a mixed bunch.
Yang Kai was not afraid of anyone in a one-on-one fight, but there was a problem now. As long as Yin Xin Zhao and the others had their Identity Tokens on them, he could not kill them unless he was willing to die with them. At present, he could only injure them at most. But, what was the point of doing that? That was why it was hard to tell who would win and who would lose if it actually came down to a fight.
The scene was tense. Ding Yi’s attack had greatly frightened Yin Xin Zhao and the others. If they did not attack, then Yang Kai and the others naturally would not attack either; thus, the situation fell into a stalemate.
“Are you done making a fuss? If you’re done, then shut up. Everyone keeps shouting at each other. It’s so noisy,” All of a sudden, somebody leisurely walked over from the foot of the hill with his hands behind his back.
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically. Reacting as though he was facing a great nemesis, he prepared all the strength in his body to attack at any time and directed all his focus at this newcomer solemnly. There was only one person in the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven whom he considered a formidable enemy, Black Crow Divine Monarch, who had returned to life through possession! Yang Kai had never thought much of anybody else, no matter which Cave-Heaven or Paradise they belonged to.
Similarly, Qu Hua Shang’s expression became grave.
On the opposite side, Pei Wen Xuan narrowed his eyes and inconspicuously took a few steps back. He had suffered badly at the hands of Black Crow Divine Monarch previously. In addition, his Identity Token had been destroyed. If Black Crow Divine Monarch attacked him once more, he would be powerless to resist, so upon hearing Black Crow Divine Monarch’s voice, he immediately began to consider whether he should flee.
“Now who the Hell are you!? How dare you speak so arrogantly!?” Yin Xin Zhao had nowhere to vent the rage in his heart. Just as he was about to deal with Yang Kai, various people had popped up one after another to get in his way. Ding Yi’s sudden appearance had also caused him to fall into such a dishevelled state, losing a great deal of face. And now, another unknown nobody had emerged. This series of happenings made him incredibly angry. It felt as though the entire world was looking down on him.
Yin Xin Zhao had never been to the blood lake, so he did not know about Black Crow Divine Monarch or the latter’s strength. Although Pei Wen Xuan was aware, he did not think to warn Yin Xin Zhao for some reason. Most likely, he was racking his brains and single-mindedly thinking of ways to protect himself.
A cultivator approached Yin Xin Zhao and whispered something in his ear, causing the murderous intent in Yin Xin Zhao’s eyes to flare brightly, “A Great Thousand Blood Land disciple? How dare a disciple of a trivial Second-Class great force utter such arrogant words in this place!? Scram!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch had possessed the body of Zhou Yi from Great Thousand Blood Land. It was obvious that the person who whispered in Yin Xin Zhao’s ear earlier had recognised the former’s appearance.
Black Crow Divine Monarch turned to look in that direction and grinned meaningfully, “What did you say, boy? I dare you to repeat those words again.”
Yin Xin Zhao was further enraged and snapped, “If you dare act disrespectful again, I’ll take your dog life!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch nodded repeatedly, “It has been many years since this Monarch appeared in the world. I was not aware that young people were so bold nowadays.”
While chuckling to himself, he raised a hand and pointed in Yin Xin Zhao’s direction.
Yin Xin Zhao originally did not think much of Black Crow Divine Monarch as, in his eyes, the other party was just a disciple from a Second-Class great force. There was no need for him to take notice of the other party. Even if he killed the other party here for irritating him, Great Thousand Blood Land would not dare to make a single complaint. However, Yin Xin Zhao suddenly felt that something was wrong when Black Crow Divine Monarch pointed at him and a suffocating aura of death suddenly enveloped him.
A small crimson point of light appeared in Yin Xin Zhao’s vision and rapidly magnified in front of him. It obscured his vision and flooded his other senses. Before he could realise what was happening, he suddenly heard the sound of something shattering coming from his waist. The Identity Token hanging on his belt suddenly crumbled to dust. Amidst the cloud of dust, a stream of light burst out and slashed towards the crimson light. The crimson light broke apart, but the stream of light did not lose its momentum and crashed towards Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Black Crow Divine Monarch had suffered badly due to a similar incident before. Back at the palace in the middle of the lake, he had been sliced in two by Pei Wen Xuan’s Identity Token, so how could he be unprepared now? After unleashing his attack, Black Crow Divine Monarch kicked off slightly and floated backwards. At the same time, he left a blood shadow that looked exactly like him in the place where he was standing before. The blood shadow was almost like a Soul Clone, its aura was no different from his.
That stream of light slashed down upon the blood shadow and it collapsed with a loud splash, transforming into a crimson pool. The stench of blood permeated the air. After slashing down this blood shadow, the stream of light dissipated.
The entire place went dead silent. Only Yang Kai, Pei Wen Xuan, and Qu Hua Shang were mentally prepared for this situation. All the remaining people stared at Black Crow Divine Monarch in shock, regardless of which Sect they came from. Their eyes were filled with horror.
Yin Xin Zhao was also as pale as a piece of paper! Even now, he was completely clueless about the situation. All he knew was that the Identity Token his Master had painstakingly created for him had been activated and his protective charm had been up. The Identity Token he carried would only activate automatically at times where his life was in danger. In other words, he would be a corpse by now if not for the protection of that stream of light.
[What just happened!?] His thoughts were all over the place.
“Are all the Cave-Heaven and Paradise disciples so shameless nowadays? How boring,” Black Crow Divine Monarch shook his head. He had tried to kill Pei Wen Xuan before but failed, and now, he once again failed to kill Yin Xin Zhao. It was all because his attacks were blocked by the Divine Ability released by their Identity Tokens. He turned to look at Yang Kai with a smile, “These kids are so much weaker than you.”
There were so many talented young people present, but the only person that interested him was Yang Kai. Only Yang Kai was capable of actually fighting him and surviving despite being pursued over ten thousand kilometres.
Yang Kai coldly snorted in response.
“Who are you?” Yin Xin Zhao no longer dared to underestimate Black Crow Divine Monarch. Somebody who could nearly kill him in a single move could not have been nurtured by Great Thousand Blood Land. Although Ding Yi’s display had surprised him, it was nowhere near as terrifying and shocking as what he experienced just moments ago.
He originally thought that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would be where he could display his talents and rise to fame. Who could have known that each person he met in this place would be stronger than the last?
Black Crow Divine Monarch turned to look at Pei Wen Xuan and grinned, “Who is this Monarch? Why don’t you ask your companion?”
If it was someone else speaking such words, they wouldn’t hold much weight, but after his little display, Black Crow Divine Monarch certainly had such capital.
Everyone save for a few glanced towards Pei Wen Xuan.
Pei Wen Xuan was standing very far away by now, with all the energy in his body prepared to attack at any time. He had the posture of escaping at the first sign of something going wrong. When Black Crow Divine Monarch looked in his direction, his heart tightened in fear and he nearly fled.
To his surprise, Black Crow Divine Monarch smilingly assured him, “Don’t worry. I won’t attack you since you’re capable of reaching this place.”
Pei Wen Xuan did not know whether to believe those words or not; however, he realised that he would not be able to escape if Black Crow Divine Monarch had appeared here with the intention of actually killing him. Upon arriving at this conclusion, he relaxed considerably and quickly said, “This is Black Crow Divine Monarch.”
“Divine Monarch?” Everybody was so astonished that they could barely believe their ears. Since ancient times, the only ones with the qualifications to call themselves ‘Divine Monarch’ were High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, so how could there be a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master in this place? Besides, they had never heard of the name ‘Black Crow Divine Monarch’ before.
Pei Wen Xuan explained, “The Divine Monarch was trapped in this place by Blood Monster Divine Monarch, but his Soul did not perish. He recently possessed Zhou Yi of Great Thousand Blood Land and came back to life.”
Everybody felt their scalps going numb with fear as Ba Liang exclaimed in horror, “Is that the truth!?”
Pei Wen Xuan nodded solemnly in response.
Nobody doubted his words; after all, they witnessed what happened just now with their own eyes. Aside from a Divine Monarch possessing somebody and coming back to life, nobody else could have the strength to nearly kill Yin Xin Zhao in one move. In an instant, it wasn’t just the Cave-Heaven and Paradise disciples who looked at Black Crow Divine Monarch warily. Even the people standing around Yang Kai became anxious and uneasy.
From the actions of Black Crow Divine Monarch earlier, it was obvious that he was not a compassionate man. There was a high possibility that he was subject to shifting moods and killed others casually. If a person like him were consumed by bloodlust, nobody in this place could stop him.
“Don’t be so nervous.” On the other hand, Black Crow Divine Monarch was smiling cheerfully, “This Monarch did not spend so much effort to gather all of you in this place just to kill you.”
“You gathered all of us in this place?” Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows.
“Of course.” Black Crow Divine Monarch tilted his head to the side, “If not for this Monarch, do you think all of you could have arrived here safely? I was the one who removed all the dangers and barriers along the way for you.”
Yang Kai did not doubt those words. His journey here had certainly been very smooth. Logically speaking, that should not have been possible. It was not until this moment that he learned Black Crow Divine Monarch had removed all the dangers and obstacles along the way. [No wonder so many people arrived here even though nobody had ever managed to arrive at the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven after so many years.]
“This Junior has a question,” Ding Yi suddenly spoke up.
“Speak,” Black Crow Divine Monarch turned to him.
“Sir Divine Monarch, you could have quietly cultivated after possessing somebody and coming back to life. Why did you have to gather all of us here? What are your intentions, Sir Divine Monarch?”
This question hit the nail on the head. Everybody wanted to know the answer.
Black Crow Divine Monarch chuckled softly, making him seem rather insidious, “Of course, it’s for the Blood Monster Divine Palace. Why else would this Monarch spend so much effort to gather you all here?”
“The Blood Monster Divine Palace!?” A series of exclamations rang out. Everybody’s eyes blazed with excitement.
It had long been said that the Blood Monster Divine Palace was located in the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, wherein the inheritance and legacy of Blood Monster Divine Monarch were hidden. Anybody who could locate the Blood Monster Divine Palace and pass Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s various tests would be able to inherit everything within the Blood Monster Cave Heaven!
Nevertheless, rumours were just rumours. Nobody had ever confirmed these rumours; after all, nobody had ever found the Blood Monster Divine Palace throughout the years, so how could these rumours be verified?
Be that as it may, Black Crow Divine Monarch had mentioned the Blood Monster Divine Palace!
“Does the Blood Monster Divine Palace really exist? You’re not trying to deceive us, right?” Yang Kai stared at Black Crow Divine Monarch suspiciously.
Black Crow Divine Monarch laughed, “Of course the Blood Monster Divine Palace exists. I don’t mind telling you. The Blood Monster Divine Palace is right in front of you. In this very mountain valley.”
While speaking, he reached out and pointed downward.
They looked down but did not see the Blood Monster Divine Palace anywhere. The mountain valley might be green and lush with beautiful scenery, but there was no sign of a palace at all.
Black Crow Divine Monarch calmly explained, “As long as the barrier is not broken, the palace will not show itself. If you want to find the Blood Monster Divine Palace, you have to destroy the barrier first!”
Yang Kai quickly asked, “What does that have to do with you gathering all of us in this place?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch snickered, “If this Monarch had his full strength… No, with just 10% of the strength I possessed before, it would have not been a problem destroying that barrier. Unfortunately, you have also seen this Monarch’s current situation. The strength I can wield currently is very limited. Although I know the secrets behind the barrier, my strength is not enough for me to break it alone. I need the help of many people!”
Upon hearing those words, everybody understood the situation. They finally knew why Black Crow Divine Monarch had gathered so many people in this place. It was not rare to see barriers like this which required the joint efforts of many people to destroy; therefore, there was nothing strange about his words.
“There’s one more thing.” Black Crow Divine Monarch’s expression became a little solemn, “There is probably a Monster Beast protecting the palace, and if this Monarch’s guess is correct, it is a Seventh-Order Monster Beast!”
“Seventh-Order!?” Everybody exclaimed in surprise. All of them had killed some Monster Beasts during their travels, so they each had a rough idea of the strength of these Monster Beasts. A Fifth-Order Monster Beast was roughly equivalent to a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master. On the other hand, a Sixth-Order Monster Beast was as strong as a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master at the very least. Wouldn’t that mean that a Seventh-Order Monster Beast could exert the strength of a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master? Who among all the people present could resist such a Monster Beast? Even Black Crow Divine Monarch himself could not win against it in his current state.
“You are unable to detect the existence of the Monster Beast because it is sleeping at the moment; however, it will awaken once we begin breaking the barrier. That’s why this Monarch doesn’t just need some people to help him break the barrier. I also need some people to help fend off the Seventh-Order Monster Beast.”
“Are you insane?” Yang Kai jokingly asked. He had already been at a serious disadvantage during his previous battle with Golden Gorilla King at Abundance City. Golden Gorilla King was only at the peak of the Sixth Order, not to mention that he was heavily injured at the time. If Golden Gorilla King was already so powerful, how much stronger would a Seventh-Order Monster Beast be? With their current strength, meeting a Seventh-Order Monster Beast was no different from courting death.