Black Crow Divine Monarch laughed, “A Seventh-Order Monster Beast might be extraordinary, but it’s been asleep for a very long time. It is unknown how much strength it can exert at the moment. Every one of you are the elite disciples of major Sects. I’m sure it won’t be a problem if you join forces and work together to fight it. Besides, this Monarch is not asking you to kill it. You only need to distract it for some time. Once we enter the Blood Monster Divine Palace after the barrier is broken, what can that Seventh-Order Monster Beast do to us?”
Yang Kai ignored Black Crow Divine Monarch’s little speech. Before entering the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, he had hoped to encounter a Metal Element or Yin Element Seventh-Order Monster Beast and obtain the Monster Core by slaying it, but he completely gave up on that idea after his battle with the Golden Gorilla King. A Seventh-Order Monster Beast was not something he could challenge.
Black Crow Divine Monarch continued, “The Blood Monster Divine Palace is where Old Ghost Xue Yao lived. There are countless hidden treasures inside there. If you can obtain some of those treasures, you will surely experience a soaring improvement in your cultivation.”
Although his words were bewitching, not many people were moved. After witnessing the methods Black Crow Divine Monarch displayed previously, many people were very scared of him. He was a Divine Monarch who not only came back to life through possession but also had a deeper understanding of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven than them. Even if what he said was true, even if they could work together to fend off the Seventh-Order Monster Beast and destroy the barrier, who could remove the treasures from beneath his nose? Wouldn’t he take all the good things for himself?
Who would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others? The disciples of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises were not stupid and understood this point clearly.
Black Crow Divine Monarch stretched his arms and shouted, “Everyone, please lend me your strength! This Monarch can only rely on you. Once we succeed, we will split the treasures in the palace according to our respective opportunities!”
Countless pairs of eyes stared at him indifferently, but nobody responded.
Yang Kai sneered, “Black Crow Divine Monarch, I’m afraid you took the wrong approach by trying to borrow our strength to open the Blood Monster Divine Palace. I suggest you give up on that idea as soon as possible.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch looked around after hearing those words, “This Monarch is being sincere. Is nobody going to show some appreciation?”
Ba Liang quickly said, “Divine Monarch, you are a Senior Master and we can only sigh at our inferiority before you. Please help yourself to all the treasures in the Blood Monster Divine Palace. I’m afraid we will have to decline your offer to participate.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch chuckled lightly, “What are you so afraid of? Are you afraid that this Monarch will simply slaughter you once we enter the Palace? If that’s the case… this Monarch can swear a blood oath!”
While saying so, he bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed out a mouthful of blood mist. Both his hands quickly formed seals, guiding the blood mist to transform into a mysterious blood pattern. He faced the blood pattern and solemnly swore, “This Monarch, Hei Ya, will swear a blood oath on his Dao Seal. If you all cooperate with this Monarch to open the Blood Monster Divine Palace, we will split the treasures according to our respective opportunities once we enter the palace, and as long as you do not provoke me first, this Monarch will not harm you. May my Soul be extinguished if I break this oath!”
After saying that, he formed a final seal and the blood pattern transformed into a blood light that shot straight into his forehead. Grunting softly, he staggered backwards and turned a few shades paler.
Upon seeing that, everybody looked at each other in shock. The fact that Black Crow Divine Monarch would decisively swear a blood oath on his Dao Seal was something nobody expected. Moreover, this oath sounded rather sincere. As long as they entered the Blood Monster Divine Palace, he would not attack anyone who did not provoke him. Those words essentially guaranteed their safety.
Of course, they could guess that the more sincere he seemed, the more it meant that he desperately wanted something from within the Blood Monster Divine Palace. Even so, there was no denying that many people became interested after Black Crow Divine Monarch made the blood oath. The main reason for their hesitation previously was their fear of his strength. He could force Yin Xin Zhao’s Identity Token to activate with a single move, which meant if he really wanted to kill them, nobody could stop him. However, things were different now that their safety was guaranteed. In any case, his actions had clearly shown his sincerity.
Yin Xin Zhao and the others looked at each other and saw the interest in each other’s eyes. They were the first batch of people to arrive in this place since ancient times, so there was no saying what kind of treasures they could find if they managed to open the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
Qiu Kang Xian of Clear Mind Heaven asked, “Divine Monarch, can you tell us what kind of treasures can be found inside the Blood Monster Divine Palace?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch chuckled softly, “How would this Monarch know? I’ve never entered the Blood Monster Divine Palace before. Nevertheless, that Old Ghost Xue Yao was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. There must be some treasures inside. Who knows? There might be some Seventh-Order or Eighth-Order cultivation resources within.”
Those words made Qiu Kang Xian and the others breathe a little quicker in excitement. Even Yang Kai’s eyes flickered slightly. Although he could not let his guard down around Black Crow Divine Monarch, he desperately needed Seventh-Order Metal and Yin Element resources. If there really were Seventh-Order or Eighth-Order resources inside, then he had to try his luck no matter what. Even though those thoughts swirled in his heart, Yang Kai revealed nothing on the surface.
Ba Liang considered for a moment before he gritted his teeth and said, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. How can this Ba back down after coming here? Sir Divine Monarch, this Ba Liang is willing to lend you a hand no matter what the others may choose!”
“Good. Very good. Boy, you’re not bad.” Black Crow Divine Monarch looked at Ba Liang approvingly.
Qiu Kang Xian said, “There’s no reason for me to refuse if Brother Ba agrees.”
Ye Cheng of Azure Nether Paradise smilingly chimed in, “This Ye will lend a hand too.”
As soon as these people expressed their stance, more people immediately expressed their willingness to help Blood Monster Divine Monarch break the barrier.
Even so, there were also some cultivators who realised that their strength was inferior to others present. After hesitating for some time, one of them cupped his fist and said, “Sir Divine Monarch, please forgive us. Our strength is lacking and I’m afraid we won’t be of much help even if we joined you. We will take our leave now.”
That person quickly led several of his Fellow Brothers and retreated down the mountain after saying that.
Black Crow Divine Monarch did not stop them. He simply watched their departing backs with a faint smile.
Those people had not walked further than several tens of metres away when a layer of crimson-red blood mist emerged from the ground and enveloped them. Their screams of agony immediately rang out, followed by several energy fluctuations.
The blood mist disappeared as quickly as it appeared. It didn’t take more than several breaths of time before the crimson-red mist vanished out of sight. What entered their sights made them gasp in horror. The cultivators that were preparing to leave just now had been turned into mummified corpses that collapsed to the ground without a shred of vitality.
Black Crow Divine Monarch grinned, “This Monarch even went so far as to swear a blood oath. Who else dares not give me face?” He turned and looked around, “Who else wishes to leave? Reveal yourselves to this Monarch!”
Who else would dare to step forward with such a precedent? Even though those people died a horrible death right in front of them, nobody had noticed when Black Crow Divine Monarch made his move. It was only natural that nobody wanted to follow their footsteps.
As such, he sneered, “I don’t mind telling you. This Monarch has already arranged a Grand Array in this area. Nobody can leave without this Monarch’s approval!”
Yang Kai calmly said, “Don’t wag your tongue so wildly, Divine Monarch, you might bite it.”
Yang Kai had tried to activate his Space Principles just now and discovered that he was not bound by any restrictions. In other words, Black Crow Divine Monarch could not stop him if he wanted to leave.
Black Crow Divine Monarch glanced sideways at Yang Kai, murderous intent overflowing from his eyes; however, he quickly composed himself and snickered, “You’re quite capable, brat. It’s true that this Monarch cannot stop you if you wish to leave. You can escape, but… can the people by your side do the same?”
Yang Kai’s expression immediately darkened. There was really nothing he could do if Black Crow Divine Monarch threatened the people around him. While he might be able to place everybody into the Small Sealed World and leave with them, Black Crow Divine Monarch would surely act before he could finish.
Ignoring Yang Kai, Black Crow Divine Monarch looked at the others and asked, “Does anybody else wish to leave?”
[Leave, my ass! Those who tried to leave died right in front of us! Who would dare try to leave?] Regardless of whether they were willing or unwilling, they had no choice but to follow Black Crow Divine Monarch now.
Pleased with the situation, Black Crow Divine Monarch nodded repeatedly. Then, he turned to look at Yang Kai, “What about you? Are you coming or not?”
Only the people around Yang Kai had yet to express their stance, which meant as long as Yang Kai agreed, then all the pieces were in place.
“Do you agree to let me leave, Divine Monarch?” Yang Kai asked.
“You can try.” Black Crow Divine Monarch smiled brightly in response; however, his gaze swept across Qu Hua Shang, Zhang Ruo Xi, and the others with malicious intent.
Yang Kai was so furious that his teeth hurt. After a brief consideration, he quickly said, “Divine Monarch, I can assist you, but I have a condition.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch burst into laughter, “You want to negotiate with this Monarch? I’m afraid you don’t have the qualifications to do so!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I believe I do.” After saying that, he immediately changed his tone, “You mentioned it yourself, Divine Monarch. There are two main issues. One is to destroy the barrier and the other is to fend off the Seventh-Order Monster Beast. We are completely clueless about the barriers in this place while you seem to know something. In other words, you will be presiding over the process of breaking the barrier. During this time, you will be preoccupied so you won’t be able to do two things at once. As such, you will need somebody else to distract the Seventh-Order Monster Beast.”
“So what?” Black Crow Divine Monarch looked over calmly.
Yang Kai said, “You know the ferocity of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast. Out of everybody here, I am the only one who stands a fighting chance against it. Who else can fight a Seventh-Order Monster Beast?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch snorted, “Many of those little ones have those nameplates. When they are in grave danger, the Divine Abilities within the nameplates will automatically be activated. Forget keeping the Seventh-Order Monster Beast occupied, even killing it won’t be an issue.”
Yang Kai said, “They will need to be in grave danger for that to happen. Do you think they will intentionally place themselves in grave danger and use up the Divine Abilities in their Identity Tokens? Why fool yourself, Divine Monarch? These people are unreliable. You know you can only rely on me to distract the Seventh-Order Monster Beast. You’ve seen what I can…”
At this point, Yang Kai frowned and murmured, “No. Were you waiting for me, Divine Monarch?”
Yang Kai suddenly recalled that Black Crow Divine Monarch arrived here a long time ago; however, it was not until he arrived here that the latter leisurely showed up. It was clear Black Crow Divine Monarch was waiting for him. Upon understanding this point, Yang Kai immediately realised something else. [This Old Ghost planned to use me to hold off that Seventh-Order Monster Beast from the start! This Old Ghost is so sly! I nearly fell for his trick!]
Black Crow Divine Monarch coldly snorted, “Brat, those who are too smart tend to die young.”
Yang Kai burst out laughing, “Divine Monarch, why are you getting angry out of shame?”
Since Black Crow Divine Monarch had planned for him to distract the Seventh-Order Monster Beast in the first place, there was no reason to be reserved, so Yang Kai immediately asked, “Do you think I have the right to negotiate with you now, Divine Monarch?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s expression became gloomy and uncertain for a time before he coldly snorted, “What is your condition? Let’s hear it. But, I’ll say this in advance. If it’s too excessive, then don’t blame this Monarch for acting ruthless.”
“Don’t worry, Divine Monarch. My condition is not excessive.” Yang Kai smiled brightly, “I only need a Seventh-Order Metal or Yin Element material.”
Upon hearing those words, Black Crow Divine Monarch shook his head so hard that it rattled, “I don’t have any.”
Yang Kai said, “Divine Monarch, how can you be so unreasonable? You are a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who came back to life through possession. Although Seventh-Order materials are valuable, they should not be a problem for you, right? Don’t you have any kind of legacy?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch angrily snarled, “This Monarch was trapped in this place by Xue Yao for countless years! What legacy would I have to speak of!? I would not hesitate to give you such trash if I had one in my possession, but I don’t have anything right now.”
He paused for a moment before he continued, “Why don’t we do this instead? Help me open the Blood Monster Divine Palace, and if I find what you need inside, this Monarch will deliver it to you. I’m sure there are some Seventh-Order materials inside the Blood Monster Divine Palace.”
Yang Kai scoffed at those words, “Divine Monarch, do you take me for a three-year-old child?” [If this bastard finds anything good inside, he would never hand them over to me. It’s not the first time I’ve encountered betrayals.]
Black Crow Divine Monarch said, “There’s nothing I can do if you don’t trust this Monarch. It’s just that this Monarch really does not have what you want. Why don’t you change your request to something this Monarch can satisfy?”
Yang Kai rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Since you said that, Divine Monarch, then I won’t make things difficult for you. I’ll change my condition to something you have. That’s right. I’ll take the true Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s expression immediately darkened upon hearing this, “Junior, don’t go too far!
Yang Kai looked at Black Crow Divine Monarch coldly, “Divine Monarch, don’t you think you’re being rather insincere? I wanted High-Rank materials, but you claimed that you don’t have any. Now, I’m asking for the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture. Are you going to tell me you don’t have it either?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch was furious, “Who is the one being unreasonable here!? This Monarch is simply asking for your help to distract the Seventh-Order Monster Beast for a while. How dare you try to covet the Blood Light Scripture for such a small task? It’s unfortunate that this Monarch has only just been reborn and not recovered his strength, or I would have killed you a long ago!”
“You know that if I have to face a Seventh-Order Monster Beast, I will have to risk my life, Divine Monarch.”
“The Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture is the Core Secret Art of that old dog Xue Yao’s Dao of Blood inheritance! This Monarch spent countless years obtaining it! Handing it to another person is impossible! Not unless it’s a dead person!”
“This won’t work; that won’t work. Divine Monarch, are you trying to benefit without giving anything in return? I may be young, but I’m not so easily fooled either.” Likewise, Yang Kai looked annoyed.
Black Crow Divine Monarch furrowed his brow tightly and softened his tone, “Brat, don’t make things difficult for me. This Monarch is unable to fulfil the two conditions you asked for, so why mention them? You’re simply causing everybody to become unhappy as a result. Change your condition. This Monarch will not refuse you if it is within my abilities to satisfy you.”
“Really?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows.
Black Crow Divine Monarch arrogantly said, “Of course. This Monarch will not deceive a Junior like you.”
Yang Kai pretended to think for a while before he finally said, “In that case, please hand over the Blood Principles Restriction Secret Technique in the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture.”
“Why would you need that?” Black Crow Divine Monarch glanced at Yang Kai suspiciously, but a few moments later, he suddenly realised something, “Are you trying to bring somebody out of here?”
He looked Yang Kai up and down, then he grinned meaningfully, “Brat, you beat around the bush for so long, but it seems your real aim was the Blood Principles Restriction Secret Technique.” He seemed delighted to have seen through Yang Kai’s heart.
Yang Kai revealed nothing, “Just tell me whether you’ll give it to me or not.”
The truth was that Black Crow Divine Monarch was reluctant. It was just that he had already rejected Yang Kai twice, and doing so a third time would likely lead to a complete breakdown in negotiations. If that was the case, then there was no need to continue discussing this matter. Besides, the Blood Secret Technique was not related to the core of the Blood Light Scripture even though it was part of it. There was no need to worry about Yang Kai deducing the rest of the Blood Light Scripture from this derivative technique.
Thus, he immediately nodded, “This Monarch can agree to this condition.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch agreed so readily that Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling uneasy, so he frowned and said, “Divine Monarch, don’t try to deceive me. I’ve also comprehended a bit of the Blood Light Scripture myself, so I’ll know whether those Secret Techniques are real or fake. If you dare to play tricks on me, don’t blame this Junior for turning around and betraying you.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch coldly snorted, “Rest assured. This Monarch made a promise to you. I will not cheat. Why do you need to be so suspicious, Brat?”
While saying so, he took out a jade slip. His Divine Sense surged for a moment, seeming to inscribe something, before he tossed the jade slip over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai reached out to catch the jade slip. While maintaining a thread of consciousness to watch Black Crow Divine Monarch warily, he examined the contents of the jade slip.
If not for the experience at the blood lake, Yang Kai would not have been able to determine the authenticity of the information contained within the jade slip. Fortunately, he had comprehended several chapters of the Blood Light Scripture previously and did not find any flaws after he carefully examined the Secret Technique in the jade slip.
The Blood Principles Restriction Secret Technique was not hard to undo, the only issue was that he needed to consume some of his own Blood Qi. [If only I could return to Abundance City. I’d be able to experiment on the cultivators there. That way, I’d know whether this information is real or fake.]
Everybody paid close attention to the conversation Yang Kai and Black Crow Divine Monarch were having via Divine Sense transmission; however, they had no idea what was being said. They saw various expressions flitting across the faces of those two and a short while later, Black Crow Divine Monarch tossed a jade slip to Yang Kai, who then began examining it.
Everybody couldn’t help looking at each other, wondering what kind of deal Black Crow Divine Monarch made with Yang Kai…
A quarter-hour later, Black Crow Divine Monarch urged impatiently, “Brat, are you done? Do you have to study it so carefully? You’ll have plenty of time to study it once we’re out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
Yang Kai put the jade slip away and nodded, “Good.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch looked satisfied, “In that case, let us begin. But, there’s something I have to say in advance…”
He looked around him and his expression gradually became colder as he darkly added, “You will all need to work together to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If this Monarch discovers that somebody is secretly attacking another or holding back, then this Monarch will kill him!”
While speaking, he specifically glanced at Yang Kai and Yin Xin Zhao. It was obvious he knew that these two were not on good terms.
Yang Kai nonchalantly said, “I won’t do anything if nobody provokes me first.”
Yin Xin Zhao cupped his fists, “Divine Monarch, please rest assured. In the current situation, the Blood Monster Divine Palace is the top priority. This Junior understands his priorities.”
“Very good.” Black Crow Divine Monarch laughed, “In that case, this Monarch will explain how we will work together to break the barrier. As long as we can break through and enter the Blood Monster Divine Palace, this Monarch guarantees that you will all gain something!”
Nobody understood the Blood Monster Divine Palace better than him, so it was only natural that he presided over the process of breaking the barrier. In addition, Black Crow Divine Monarch was very well-prepared. Now that he was in charge of coordinating the entire situation, he immediately conveyed order after order. That was not all though as he brought out Array Flags from somewhere and distributed them to the cultivators.
The cultivators gathered in this place numbered a thousand at the very least. Soon, everybody except the people around Yang Kai were divided into sixty-four groups to stand at various positions according to Black Crow Divine Monarch’s arrangement. The leaders of each group were elite disciples from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, each of whom carried an Array Flag with them.
Yang Kai frowned slightly at the sight. Black Crow Divine Monarch had been imprisoned in this place for so many years. Not to mention, he himself was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who came back to life through possession. Logically speaking, he should have a deeper understanding of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven than anybody else, and yet, even with his extensive knowledge, experience, and ability, he still needed to go to such lengths to set up such a Grand Array in order to break the barrier here. Furthermore, there was also a slumbering Seventh-Order Monster Beast that would awaken the moment they began to break the barrier.
[Did Blood Monster Divine Monarch really have the intention to pass down his legacy and inheritance?] Yang Kai seriously doubted that Blood Monster Divine Monarch had truly considered such a thing; otherwise, why would he set such high-difficulty tests? These were not obstacles that ordinary Emperor Realm Masters could overcome.
Be that as it may, it was too late to think about it now. Black Crow Divine Monarch had already begun his preparations. Whether or not they could open the Blood Monster Divine Palace would depend entirely on his methods.
The entire process took no more than an hour before the Grand Array was ready. Black Crow Divine Monarch appeared in front of Yang Kai and solemnly said, “Brat, it will be great if the Seventh-Order Monster Beast does not appear later, but if it does, then I can only rely on you and the people around you to distract it. The others will be part of the Grand Array, so they will be unable to move. Don’t disappoint this Monarch.”
Yang Kai said, “I’ll do my best!” [I have no idea how much strength a Seventh-Order Monster Beast can exert. If I can’t win, then I’ll definitely make my escape. How can I just stay here and wait for death to come?]
Black Crow Divine Monarch clearly read between the lines and understood the thoughts that Yang Kai did not express; thus, he glared at Yang Kai deeply. Nevertheless, there was nothing he could do except try to entice Yang Kai with the benefits, “Didn’t you want Metal Element and Yin Element High-Rank materials? If you help this Monarch distract the Monster Beast, I will surely bring you what you need if I find them in the Blood Monster Divine Palace.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That can be discussed later.”
Needless to say, Black Crow Divine Monarch could not be trusted. He might be showing a kind and friendly facade at the moment, but that was only because he needed him right now. Once Yang Kai’s value vanished, why would Black Crow Divine Monarch bother playing nice?
[But…] Yang Kai was a little excited. [I wonder what element the Monster Beast sleeping in this place is. If it happens to be the Metal or Yin Element… I’ll definitely kill it! I haven’t used the Divine Ability Bead given to me by Proprietress yet. If I do, there’s a high chance I can kill the Monster Beast in one blow!]
Black Crow Divine Monarch transformed into a blood light and departed. By the time he reappeared, he was standing in the middle of the mountain valley. He formed a set of hand seals and shouted, “Get ready! Our success or failure depends on this! Start the Array!”
As he spoke, he reached his hand into the void and pulled out a large banner from somewhere. He opened his mouth and sprayed out a mouthful of blood mist. The large banner absorbed the Blood Qi and immediately seemed to come alive.
The large banner fluttered, flapping loudly in the wind. The cultivators holding the Array Flags at all sixty-four Array Nodes activated them according to the Secret Technique taught to them by Black Crow Divine Monarch. Then, the Array Flags began to resonate with the control banner.
A vibration that came from the depths of one’s Soul resounded through the air. The entire world seemed to shudder for a moment and crimson red mist emerged from the ground before spreading out to cover the entire mountain valley in the blink of an eye.
They had all witnessed the strangeness of this blood mist earlier. The cultivators who fell into it had quickly turned into mummified corpses; therefore, everybody was terrified when the blood mist appeared once more and their scalps tingled with fear.
Black Crow Divine Monarch shouted, “Focus! If you dare to slack off, then don’t blame this Monarch for being ruthless!”
Everybody felt very uneasy. Nevertheless, they could only grit their teeth and continue cooperating with him to activate the Grand Array when they thought about his horrifying methods. Fortunately, the blood mist only lingered within the mountain valley and flowed around their bodies.
The blood mist soon squirmed like a living creature under the influence of those Array Flags and gradually gathered together to form a gigantic array in the mountain valley! A faint outline suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The outline only revealed the tip of the iceberg, but it looked like a part of an enormous palace.
All the cultivators were stunned by the sight of that outline. Only then did they realise that Black Crow Divine Monarch did not deceive them. The rumoured Blood Monster Divine Palace was truly hidden in this place. It was just that it had always been protected by a barrier, so it was never revealed. If not for Black Crow Divine Monarch’s guidance, most would have never noticed any of the mysteries in this place even if they were standing in front of them.
Yang Kai stood at the top of the mountain in his original spot. He looked at the outline and became more certain that Blood Monster Divine Monarch had no intention of passing his legacy and inheritance down to anyone. Everything in this place could not be accessed by a cultivator in the Emperor Realm. Without Black Crow Divine Monarch, it would have been impossible for them to even find any traces of the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
The blood mist twisted and squirmed back and forth within the mountain valley, constantly climbing over the outline of the palace. Over time, the outline revealed more and more parts of the palace while at the same time, the outline became more and more solid.
Next to Yang Kai, Qu Hua Shang, Gu Pan, Zhang Ruo Xi, Lin Feng, Ning Dao Ran, Wei Bu Que, Ding Yi, Chef, Accountant, and Lang Qing Shan were all ready to attack at a moment’s notice. However, there were no signs indicating the appearance of the Seventh-Order Monster Beast despite waiting for so long.
Ding Yi scratched his head and chuckled, “Could Black Crow Divine Monarch have been mistaken? There doesn’t seem to be a Seventh-Order Monster Beast sleeping in this place. With such a commotion going on, any Monster Beast would have woken up a long time ago if they were sleeping here.”
Wei Bu Que grinned, “It’s best if there’s nothing. We can just watch them work; then, we can rush in and search for treasure once the Blood Monster Divine Palace opens.”
Ding Yi reacted like he had found his best friend and looked at Wei Bu Que enthusiastically, “I was thinking so too.”
“Keep your guard up!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted. Although they had yet to see anything resembling a Seventh-Order Monster Beast, there was obviously a reason why Black Crow Divine Monarch was so serious about this matter. It was most likely that there really was a Seventh-Order Monster Beast sleeping in this place.
During the conversation between Ding Yi and Wei Bu Que, a faint and barely perceptible Monster Qi suddenly spread out. It didn’t take long before the Monster Qi became dozens of times more potent. Moreover, the Monster Qi was so pure that it was simply indescribable. Even the Golden Gorilla King could not compare. There was no doubt that the Seventh-Order Monster Beast sleeping in this place had been awoken from its slumber.
Everybody’s expressions froze. The mouths of Ding Yi and Wei Bu Que, who had been joking around, twitched slightly. They realised that their words had jinxed the situation. They had only just mentioned the Monster Beast and the Monster Beast immediately showed signs of appearing.
Yang Kai’s expression was solemn. Spreading out his Divine Sense, he monitored the surroundings. He wanted to know where the Monster Beast would emerge from for, at this moment, there was no sign of it. Even so, just the Monster Qi permeating the air alone was enough to create a sense of terror in their hearts. One could only imagine the horror of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast.
A short while later, Yang Kai looked down and shouted, “It’s coming from below!”
The entire view in the mountain valley was unobstructed, but there was no trace of the Monster Beast at all. Thus, the only possibility was that the Monster Beast would emerge from underground.
As soon as the words left Yang Kai’s mouth, they heard a loud rumbling coming from deep below. It was followed by an earthquake, almost as though a behemoth was crawling out of the ground.
Without any warning, an enormous head suddenly popped out from below the ground, accompanied by a deep roar. A large bloody mouth opened and swallowed up several dozen people standing nearby in one bite, along with the soil they were standing on.
All of a sudden, there was one less Array Node among the sixty-four. Fortunately, Black Crow Divine Monarch had obviously anticipated this issue when setting up the Grand Array. Even though there was one less Array Node, it did not affect the operation of the Grand Array at all. The blood mist continued to drift over the Blood Monster Divine Palace, making it appear more and more solid. It was even starting to show signs of emerging from the Void.
*Hong hong hong…*
The Monster Beast broke out of the ground in the next moment, causing a gigantic pit to appear. Its enormous body was as large as a small hill, with thick scales covering its body forming a powerful defence. The blood mist swirled around the sides of its body but could not corrode it at all.
It was not until this moment that Yang Kai, who had been paying close attention to his surroundings all this while, finally had a good look at the Monster Beast. It was a Star Turtle with a 200-metre-long and 50-metre-tall body. In addition, it was covered in a layer of dazzling yellow light.
Yang Kai was both disappointed and relieved, “An Earth Element Monster Beast!”
He was disappointed that this Monster Beast was not of the Metal Element or Yin Element like what he desperately needed, but rather the Earth Element. He had already condensed an Earth Element Power; moreover, he had used the Dragon Bead of a Great Dragon. There was nothing much to gain even if he killed this Star Turtle.
At the same time, he was relieved that it was an Earth Element Monster Beast. The Earth Element was mainly about defence, so although it would be difficult to kill, the posture of this Star Turtle indicated it had poor offensive abilities so the risk of facing it was minimised to a great extent.
Furthermore, the Star Turtle had been sleeping for many millennia, so at this moment, it was still a little dazed and sluggish from having just woken up. It blankly rolled its eyes around, looking very drowsy.
The cultivators forming the Array Nodes nearest to the turtle trembled uncontrollably. They had witnessed with their own eyes as the Star Turtle gulped up an entire batch of cultivators as soon as it appeared. Therefore, they were scared that it might turn around and eat them too. One should not be fooled by its dazed appearance. Nobody present was its opponent if it decided to attack; after all, its strength lay in its defence. The possibility was high that nobody could put a scratch on it.
One of the cultivators from a Second Class great force gulped nervously and subconsciously took a few steps back. He wanted to hide behind the others to seek a sense of security, but who could have known that his retreat would cause him to fall into the blood mist? There was a series of sizzling sounds and that person screamed in pain. The blood mist crawled up his body like snakes, enveloping him completely. By the time the blood mist dissipated, the man had become a mummified corpse.
Black Crow Divine Monarch coldly snorted while waving the control banner, “Stand where you are! Whoever dares to move about rashly will die!”
Everybody felt a bitter taste in their mouths. It was not until this moment that they realised they were stuck in this situation with no way out. Out of all the areas covered by the Grand Array, only the areas around the Array Nodes were safe. Everywhere else was flooded with the blood mist. In other words, they could only stand at their respective Array Nodes once Black Crow Divine Monarch activated the Grand Array; otherwise, they would have to bear the risk of death.
Yang Kai was delighted when he saw this situation. He initially thought that he and the others had taken on a laborious task while the others had it easy, but it would now seem that fighting the Star Turtle was undoubtedly better than having no say about one’s own life.
He couldn’t help looking in Yin Xin Zhao’s direction, secretly hoping that the Star Turtle would kill the latter. Coincidentally, Yin Xin Zhao also happened to be looking this way. Their gazes met for a moment and Yin Xin Zhao immediately figured out what Yang Kai was thinking; thus, he angrily shouted, “Yang Kai, why aren’t you moving yet!?”
The Array Node he was managing was not that far from where the Star Turtle was located, so he had reason to be uneasy.
Yang Kai calmly called out, “There’s no rush!”
Yin Xin Zhao nearly spat blood at those words. [You might be in no rush, but I’m about to die from anxiety!]
Yin Xin Zhao never imagined that the situation would turn out this way after the Grand Array was activated. If he had known earlier, he would have volunteered to trade places with Yang Kai. At the very least, he would have some control over his own life or death. At this moment, he was unable to move a single step from this spot. Whether he lived or died was completely up to fate. It was a horrible feeling.
“You should act now before it’s too late.” Black Crow Divine Monarch’s voice rang out, “This Monster Beast has been sleeping for aeons, and now that it’s just woken up, its strength has yet to recover. This is the best time to take it down. If you delay, it will be even harder to handle.”
How difficult would it be to inflict heavy damage upon such a defence-oriented Seventh-Order Monster Beast? Yang Kai was not sure if they could put a scratch on it even if everybody on his side used their full strength. Nevertheless, Black Crow Divine Monarch was right about one thing. This was indeed the time when the Star Turtle was at its weakest!
At that thought, Yang Kai nodded, “Since Divine Monarch has said so, then this Junior will comply!” Then, he shouted, “Kill!”
Swinging his arm widely, Space Principles surged to form a huge Moon Blade that broke the void and slashed towards the Star Turtle.
Everybody around Yang Kai swiftly unleashed their Secret Techniques one after another. Colourful lights swept towards the Star Turtle, showering down on its huge figure in an instant.
The people gathered around Yang Kai were a mix of both the strong and weak. For example, many from Emperor Heaven were rather weak. However, there was no shortage of elites like Gu Pan, Qu Hua Shang, and Ning Dao Ran either. The attacks of these Core Disciples from the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises were extraordinarily deadly.
*Hong hong hong…*
Explosion after explosion rang out deafeningly as numerous halos of light from these explosions spread out in all directions. When the lights dissipated, everybody looked over and felt a headache. Although they had known that the Star Turtle would have high defensive strength, they never imagined that it would be so outrageous. Their previous barrage had not even broken through the yellow layer of light surrounding its body, let alone cause any form of damage.
Wei Bu Que grinned, “This bastard sure is tough!”
Yang Kai shouted, “Again!”
Another round of attacks was launched and nobody dared to hold back. The best method to deal with the Earth Element was to counter with the Wood Element. Among the Five Elements, Wood suppressed Earth. Unfortunately, the Wood Element was generally focused on restoration and healing. Few people could comprehend Offensive Divine Abilities from their Wood Element.
Although Yang Kai had condensed his Wood Element Power from the essence of the Immortal Tree, he had yet to comprehend a Wood Element Divine Ability. On the other hand, his originally strong restorative and healing abilities had been greatly enhanced as a result.
There were precious few among the crowd who had realised any form of Wood Element Divine Ability at all, so even if they unleashed these Divine Abilities, the effects on the Star Turtle were negligible. This was a Seventh-Order Monster Beast; therefore, the Earth Attribute light surrounding its body was formed from a Seventh-Order Earth Element Power. It was very difficult to destroy such a barrier without a high enough Order strength.
When everybody attacked at this moment, the disparity between their strength was revealed.
Qu Hua Shang, Gu Pan, and the others were undoubtedly the strongest in the group. They were Core Disciples of their respective Cave-Heavens and Paradises after all. As the future pillars of their respective Sects, they had been vigorously nurtured since young. The power behind their Secret Techniques was amazing, difficult for ordinary cultivators to match up to.
Meanwhile, Chef, Accountant, Lang Qing Shan, Ding Yi, and several others were slightly inferior in comparison. As for the ones from Emperor Heaven, their attacks were quite weak by comparison; however, what they lacked in individual strength they made up for in numbers. Their attacks raining down on the Star Turtle gradually made the light surrounding its body slightly dimmer.
At this moment, the Star Turtle seemed to be slowly awakening and soon it swivelled its head around and looked in their direction. Roaring up into the sky, it immediately began moving. It rushed over towards them at an extremely high speed despite looking clumsy and heavy. Every step it took made a thunderous thud against the ground.
“He’s coming!” Yang Kai shouted at the top of his lungs. At this moment, he did not dare to hold back any longer. Drawing Power from his Dao Seal, Golden Crow’s True Fire spread out and began burning everything before him.
Yang Kai had condensed five types of High-Rank Elements and had managed to comprehend Divine Abilities from two of them so far. One was the Dragon Shield and the other was the Golden Crow Casts the Sun. Be that as it may, it did not prevent him from mobilising these powers in other ways.
The pitch-black flames threatened to burn down the space around them and even the horrifying blood mist evaporated upon contact. When the pitch-black flames reached the Star Turtle’s body, a series of crackling sounds rang out. The khakis-yellow light dimmed further by a considerable extent.
The others continued to provide support while at the same time, they quickly retreated and scattered in all directions. It was not until the Star Turtle approached to within 1,000 metres that its yellow light barrier finally shattered.
Yang Kai was overjoyed by the sight. Without even pausing to think about it, he summoned the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and opened its lid. A dazzling light immediately swept out and wrapped around the Star Turtle.
A loud cry sounded once more. The Yuan Magnetic Divine Light contained devastating destructive power that tore into the softer parts of the Star Turtle’s body that were not covered by its shell, slicing open countless bloody wounds all over its body.
When a dim light suddenly lit up, a sense of terror descended on the world. Everybody felt a shudder going through their hearts. It felt as though they could hear death calling out their names.
Yang Kai looked up and saw that the Star Turtle had opened its large mouth to reveal its jagged fangs. Moreover, there was a small ball of khakis-yellow light the size of a washbasin taking shape in its mouth. The attack was aimed directly at where Yang Kai was standing.
“Watch out!” Qu Hua Shang screamed. Touching her fingers together, she quickly formed a seal and pressed her hand down in the direction of the Star Turtle.
At the same time, Wei Bu Que slashed out with his sword. The whip-like sword light caused all the colours to drain out of the world. Ding Yi summoned Bi Fang’s Fire and stirred the clouds. Lin Feng drew his sword and flicked out countless sword shadows that covered the sky. Gu Pan held a paintbrush in her grip, drawing in the air. An enormous ‘Seal (封)’ character appeared as though printed upon the Star Turtle’s mouth.
Meanwhile, the peach wood sword behind Ning Dao Ran’s back came flying out to transform into a flitting shadow that cut down the stars. Last but not least, Lang Qing Shan, the people of Emperor Heaven, and the others also attacked all at once.
It was an extremely lively scene, with all kinds of blinding lights bursting forth and dazzled their sight. Unfortunately, the Star Turtle was unaffected. It allowed the numerous attacks to simply land on its body as the ball of light spewed out from its mouth like a winding bolt of lightning.
The sword lights shattered and the sword shadows were erased. Moans and groans rang out from all around. Qu Hua Shang was thrown backward like a paper kite, spitting up blood in mid-air. Wei Bu Que was pushed back several dozens of metres by the huge impact force, dragging his feet and creating long troughs in the dirt. Ding Yi’s face was flushed and his body glowed red as though cooked through. Creaking sounds came from the wooden sword in Ning Dao Ran’s hand as slim cracks appeared along its length.
The combined strength of so many elites could not stop a single blow from the Star Turtle, horrifying them all.
In the meantime, the ball of light continued to shoot towards Yang Kai even though the momentum had decreased somewhat.
Yang Kai raised his hand and summoned out the Azure Dragon Spear. Gripping it in both hands, he thrust out. A Dragon Roar resounded, reverberating through the sky as the figure of a Great Dragon seemed to flash out from the Azure Dragon Spear to collide with the ball of light.
In the next moment, the ball of light exploded and a shockwave spread out in all directions. Yang Kai felt a mighty force slamming straight into his chest and the sound of his bones breaking rang out. Several of his ribs were broken in an instant and the bone fragments stabbed into his lungs. The pain was absolutely unbearable. Unable to hold back, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.
The khakis-yellow force raged about wildly. Everybody present was forced back and thrown into a miserable state. Some of the weaker Emperor Heaven cultivators were heavily injured by the impact and collapsed on the spot. It was hard to tell if they were even still alive.
Only Yang Kai advanced instead of retreating. Raging flames blazed in his eyes because he knew that at least half of the people on his side would die in the next instant if it backed down. Black Crow Divine Monarch had valid reason for choosing him to challenge the Seventh-Order Monster Beast. He was the only person who could stand a fighting chance against this Seventh-Order Monster Beast.
Holding his spear in one hand, Yang Kai kicked off slightly and swiftly arrived in front of the Star Turtle. Taking advantage of the latter’s lack of vigilance, Yang Kai flipped himself onto the opponent’s back with several agile leaps. In the next moment, spear shadows rained down endlessly to stab into the vulnerable spot behind the Star Turtle’s neck.
*Du du du…*
Several muffled thuds rang out. The Azure Dragon Spear that had never failed Yang Kai before turned out to be ineffective. Although the defences on the back of the Star Turtle’s neck were relatively weak, that was only in comparison to the other parts of its body. For a Seventh-Order Earth Element Monster Beast like this, every part of its body was as solid as rock.
It was not that the Azure Dragon Spear was weak, but rather that Yang Kai was not strong enough. The Azure Dragon Spear was bestowed to Yang Kai by Ah Da; moreover, it was refined from the corpse of a true Azure Dragon. Yang Kai had never been able to bring out the full power of his spear.
Hundreds of consecutive thrusts might have turned the back of the Star Turtle’s neck into a bloody mess, but such injuries were no more threatening than an insect bite to it. The turtle shook its head and flicked its tail, trying to throw Yang Kai off, but how could Yang Kai comply with the Star Turtle’s wishes? He didn’t budge in the slightest, almost as though his feet were nailed in place.
Needless to say, everybody else did not hold back in this situation. They quickly unleashed their killing moves and attacked the Star Turtle from all directions.
Bursts of light exploded against the Star Turtle’s body, but although these attacks were incredibly violent, they did not cause any effective damage to it at all.
Suddenly, the turtle stopped struggling and its entire body shuddered for a moment. Immediately following that, countless rays of khakis-yellow light flickered and shot out from its body, each ray containing incredible power.
Yang Kai was caught off guard, and as a result, he was hit by one of the light rays and immediately grunted in pain. His body flew high into the air while the others were similarly flustered by the attacks and many were now lying motionless on the ground.
Upon shaking Yang Kai off, the Star Turtle reacted like a Flood Dragon that had escaped its bonds. Its ferocity was greatly magnified and its enormous body thrashed about from side to side. Nobody dared to approach within a radius of a thousand metres.
“Move aside! Leave it to me!” Chef roared furiously, suddenly charging forward. He was holding his kitchen knife in his left hand and a chopping board in his right. His appearance made him look like it was about to butcher a pig or a goat. It was a rather funny sight; however, what he was aiming to butcher this time was a Seventh-Order Monster Beast.
The chopping board in Chef’s hand flew out and rapidly expanded in the wind before it slid under the Star Turtle’s body. It was hard to determine what kind of artifact the chopping board was, but it was emitting a strange and mysterious aura. A Monster Beast as powerful as the Star Turtle was trapped on the chopping board in a moment of negligence.
Chef strode over with a wide grin, “I am the knife and the chopping block, you are the fish!”
As he shouted, his body suddenly swelled and transformed into a several-dozen-metre tall giant. That was not all; the kitchen knife in his hand also became incomparably huge. His expression was so savage that it could only be described as terrifying. He stretched out a large hand and pressed the Star Turtle against his chopping block. The apron around his waist showed the large printed ‘Butcher’ character. At the same time, the kitchen knife in his hand swung down.
For a moment, it looked like Chef was in control of the situation. The Star Turtle seemed no different from a fish that was being cut up in the kitchen.
Everybody was stunned by the sight. They never imagined that Chef had such skill! Such means were beyond the reach of even the Core Disciples from the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises. Even Yang Kai never expected Chef to be so astonishing. He had always believed that Bai Qi was the strongest among all the shop hands working under the Proprietress and only now did he realise that he might have been mistaken. [If Chef successfully advances into the Open Heaven Realm, he will surely end up stronger than Old Bai.]
Every time the knife chopped down, Chef caused dazzling bursts of sparks to shoot out from the Star Turtle’s shell. He was forcefully gouging a white mark into the shell with every cut!
While everybody was in a trance, Accountant flew over with an abacus in hand. His fingers flew across the abacus, shooting out bead after bead that enlarged and came crashing down on the Star Turtle’s head.
*Hong hong hong…*
Every single blow made the Star Turtle’s head dip downward slightly. The Star Turtle’s head was smashed deep into the ground by the time hundreds of beads finished crashing down.
Everybody quickly took out their artifacts and unleashed their Secret Techniques, viciously attacking the Star Turtle.
All of a sudden, Chef’s expression changed drastically as he shouted, “It’s up to you now.”
While saying that, his huge figure shrunk back to his original size like a deflated balloon. The chopping board also flew back to his hand. After returning to his original appearance, his aura was so weak that he could barely stand. Moreover, his complexion was as pale as a sheet.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai immediately understood that the Secret Technique Chef executed just now had consumed essentially all of the latter’s strength. It was not as if Chef could actually transform into such a big giant, it was simply a manifestation of the Secret Technique he used.
Therefore, Yang Kai immediately stopped his indiscriminate bombardment of the Star Turtle and flashed to appear beside Chef while shouting, “Don’t resist!”
Reaching out to grab him, Yang Kai tossed Chef into the Small Sealed World. Since the latter was no longer in any condition to fight, leaving him outside would only put him in danger. Since that was the case, it was better to let him rest in a safe place.
The Star Turtle seemed to have been agitated greatly by Chef’s attack. When it raised its head again, it shook its body hard. Its tail swept out in all directions like a meteor hammer, the power behind each blow so immense that nobody could defend against it. Countless people were thrown into the air and instantly suffered grievous injuries.
Zhang Ruo Xi was about to be hit by the sweeping tail of the Star Turtle. Seeing that she could not dodge the attack in time, Yang Kai flashed to her side and thrust out with his spear. When the mighty impact came, they both crashed into each other and became entangled. Yang Kai quickly got back to his feet and confirmed that she was alright before shouting, “Hei Ya, we’re all going to die here if you don’t do something quick!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch, who was presiding over the Grand Array, coldly snorted at those words, “Brat, don’t you dare shirk your responsibility!”
It was obvious that Yang Kai had not gone all out. If nothing else, he had yet to use the Divine Manifestation that he showed previously. That Divine Manifestation contained an impressive amount of destructive power. Unleashing that move here would surely be of great help to the current situation.
Nevertheless, Black Crow Divine Monarch could not ignore Yang Kai’s plea for help. Should Yang Kai’s side be defeated, his Grand Array would also be affected. He was at a critical juncture to break the barrier and did not wish for all his efforts to be in vain.
Therefore, he waved his large banner despite his dissatisfaction with Yang Kai’s inadequacy. A large part of the blood mist suddenly converged to form a blood cloud that floated towards the Star Turtle and wrapped around it. Immediately after that, the blood cloud condensed into two Blood Beasts that were no smaller than the Star Turtle, as well as countless blood snakes that wriggled like living creatures.
The two Blood Beasts fearlessly flanked the Star Turtle from both sides. On the other hand, the countless blood snakes swarmed the Star Turtle’s body by crawling along the edges of its shell.
The Star Turtle flicked its tail and one of the Blood Beasts immediately exploded, only to regroup immediately in a seemingly immortal and indestructible manner. Thanks to these Blood Beasts, the others had some time to catch their breaths and readjusted their formation. Then, the barrage of Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques resumed once more.
Yang Kai took a small breather. It was true that he had not used his full strength; after all, under these circumstances, he did not dare to exert his full strength. Although the power of the Golden Crow Casts the Sun was explosive, its power consumption was simply too high. He might not have any strength left for self-protection if he consumed too much energy in his battle against the Star Turtle. How could he do something so stupid?
Fortunately, Black Crow Divine Monarch valued the Blood Monster Divine Palace so much that he could not afford to be distracted even though he understood Yang Kai’s intentions. As a result of the two immortal and indestructible Blood Beasts charging the enemy and the countless blood snakes distracting the Star Turtle, everybody’s safety was greatly increased.
Even though the Star Turtle was strong, its sentience seemed to be somewhat lacking. There was no saying whether the cause was its long years of sleep or its inherent nature. Annoyed by the Blood Beasts’ badgering, it fought them endlessly. The battle occupied it so much that it had no time for anything else.
This situation delighted Yang Kai and the others. Before they could rejoice though, the Blood Beasts were destroyed to the point where they could no longer re-condense. Similarly, the blood snakes crawling all over the Star Turtle’s body were destroyed by the Earth Element Power it emitted.
Yang Kai secretly cursed. With no other choice, he stepped forward once more. The Azure Dragon Spear flew out and pierced forward to draw the Star Turtle’s attention. This was something he had promised Black Crow Divine Monarch earlier after all. It was also related to whether the Blood Monster Divine Palace could be opened, so Yang Kai could not simply stand back and watch. Nevertheless, the pressure was as heavy as a mountain. Any negligence could turn into a fatal mistake when facing such a Seventh-Order Monster Beast, so Yang Kai had no choice but to remain alert at all times.
The others provided support from the side, and for a time, they successfully kept the Star Turtle at bay.
Taking a slight breather amidst the pitched battle, Yang Kai glanced in the direction of the Blood Monster Divine Palace and discovered that it had become far more solid in such a short time. It would seem that Black Crow Divine Monarch and the others were making good progress. According to the agreement from before, Yang Kai’s task would be over once the Blood Monster Divine Palace was completely opened and he would no longer have to strive so hard against this Monster Beast.
Meanwhile, Wei Bu Que was secretly shocked. He had heard about Yang Kai’s strength from his Junior Brother, Xu Zhen. He had also heard about how Yang Kai defeated Yu Luo Sha in the Asura Arena of Thousand Birds Star City in one move. Even so, it was one thing to listen to the stories and quite another to witness it for himself. It was not until this moment that he understood how wide the gap between him and Yang Kai was.
Everybody had done their best when facing the Star Turtle, but the majority of the pressure was borne by Yang Kai who constantly charged forward to attack the enemy. Wei Bu Que had to admit that he would have been exhausted in less than an incense stick if he were in Yang Kai’s shoes. He might even face the risk of death. On the contrary, Yang Kai persevered against all odds. The scene might seem precarious and sometimes extremely dangerous, but things also seemed to be in his control.
[Black Crow Divine Monarch truly has a good eye for people. It’s also no wonder that Junior Brother reminded me countless times before my departure that I should try and win Yang Kai over should I meet him. With such talent, he will be incomparable to ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters even if he only achieves that realm upon breaking through.] A ray of light suddenly shot in Wei Bu Que’s direction. Shaking his head, he cleared his mind of the many distracting thoughts and slashed forward with his sword.
With the passage of time, the number of wounded increased. Even Wei Bu Que and the other elites were covered in injuries. There was no need to mention Yang Kai’s condition. If not for his strong recovery abilities and endurance, he would have died countless times over by now.
The strength of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast was terrifying indeed. Despite combining so many people’s strength, they could only keep the Monster Beast at bay. It was impossible for them to kill it.
Yang Kai had the feeling that only a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master had hope of killing the Star Turtle; moreover, it had to be a Fifth-Order or Sixth-Order Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. A Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not capable of such a feat.
With the Star Turtle being held back, Black Crow Divine Monarch was undisturbed and made rapid progress. In the short span of an hour, the Blood Monster Divine Palace was almost fully condensed into solid form.
On the other hand, the Star Turtle’s purpose in sleeping here was probably only to protect the Divine Palace. As such, the further Black Crow Divine Monarch progressed, the more violent and powerful its attacks became.
Yang Kai and the others who were fighting the Star Turtle could feel these changes clearly.
All of a sudden, there was a soft crack. It was followed by a horrifying aura that permeated the air. Immediately after that, a Sword Qi slashed out from Lin Feng’s waist and shot towards the Star Turtle. The Sword Qi swept out wantonly and the Void shattered.
A several-metre-long crack was sliced open, stretching across the Star Turtle’s solid back. Through that crack, they could practically see the wriggling flesh and internal organs inside.
Yang Kai, who was struggling against the Star Turtle at the time, couldn’t help feeling stunned for a moment; likewise, the others were stunned too.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng stiffened and looked down at his waist. In the next moment, his eyes narrowed slightly. The Identity Token at his waist was shattered. In other words, his life had been in mortal danger just now. That was why the Divine Ability Sealed within the Identity Token had been triggered.
He was instantly drenched in cold sweat! He barely even understood what had happened. All he knew was that a yellow stream of light had shot out from the Star Turtle and flew in his direction. It had happened so fast that he had no time to react…
“Good job!” Black Crow Divine Monarch laughed loudly. Another blood cloud wriggled over and slipped into the Star Turtle’s body via that wound to wreak havoc from the inside.
The Star Turtle’s shell and flesh were extremely tough. Even though such a large group of people had been attacking him for half a day, the damage they managed to cause was negligible. In contrast, the Sword Qi Divine Ability unleashed from Lin Feng’s Identity Token had inflicted heavy damage in an instant. How could Black Crow Divine Monarch miss out on such a good opportunity? He took the initiative to attack without waiting for Yang Kai’s call for help.
The blood cloud vanished out of sight and the Star Turtle roared in pain while the pressure on Yang Kai and the others fell noticeably.
“Are you alright, Brother Lin?” Wei Bu Que asked while taking a breather.
Lin Feng slowly nodded, but a trace of fear lingered on his face. Never once had he ever felt so close to death before. He had never been so terrified in his life; not even when he was captured by Kun Sha in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary back then.
It would now seem that it was unrealistic to rely on the hope that the Divine Abilities sealed within the Identity Tokens of the Cave-Heaven and Paradise disciples could kill this Star Turtle. That Sword Qi just now had been indescribably powerful, but even so, it had only managed to open a single wound on the opponent’s back. Based on the outcome of this situation, they could not take the Star Turtle’s life even if they activated all of their protective Divine Abilities.
Nevertheless, it was thanks to this sealed Divine Ability that broke open the tough shell and allowed Black Crow Divine Monarch’s methods to take effect that Yang Kai and the others could catch their breath for a moment.
In the meantime, the Blood Monster Divine Palace was becoming more and more solid. Another quarter hour passed and there was a loud rumble accompanied by an earthquake that shook the entire world. Then, the gates of the Blood Monster Divine Palace slowly opened.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s eyes blazed with a raging heat. Similarly, the cultivators standing at the various Array Nodes looked excited.
“Success!” Black Crow Divine Monarch laughed out loud, “This Monarch will be leaving first.”
After saying that, he ignored everybody else and charged forward. He rushed straight into the Blood Monster Divine Palace and disappeared out of sight. Upon seeing that, the others did not hesitate to follow suit. All of them quickly swarmed towards the Blood Monster Divine Palace, scrambling to be the first!
On the contrary, Yang Kai wanted to curse and scream! That was because the Star Turtle was no longer restrained by Black Crow Divine Monarch following his departure. Like a tiger that had been released from its cage, the Star Turtle’s aura soared wildly.
Yang Kai and the others had barely been able to cope earlier, but the pressure increased sharply at this moment. Several people gathered near the Star Turtle were swept away by its aura and swiftly retreated into the distance.
A battlefield was like a game of chess. One wrong move would lead to another, then another, until everything collapsed. Black Crow Divine Monarch’s sudden departure had left Yang Kai and the others in an extremely difficult and precarious position.
The Star Turtle shook its body. Dozens of figures collapsed on the ground, bleeding profusely as a result. This attack was swiftly followed by numerous yellow bolts of light shooting out from its body, causing the remaining people to panic.
Black Crow Divine Monarch probably never intended to bother about the lives of Yang Kai and the others in the first place. From his standpoint, he couldn’t be happier if Yang Kai and the others were killed by the Star Turtle. That was why he left without the slightest hesitation.
Although Yang Kai struggled hard to fight back, it was difficult for him to block the onslaught of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast.
“Go quickly!” He shouted while stabbing out continuously with his spear.
As soon as the words left Yang Kai’s mouth, the Star Turtle raised his meteor-hammer-like tail. A blinding yellow light gathered at the tip of its tail and a moment later, it moved at lightning speed and smashed down at the place where the most people were gathered.
Qu Hua Shang stood in that spot, her beautiful face drained of all colour. She knew that she would die if she didn’t move, but the Star Turtle’s horrifying aura locked her firmly in place. A feeling that she could not escape in time washed over her. The light in front of her eyes became obscured and the world darkened around her.
Yang Kai felt his teeth nearly cracking at the sight. Manipulating Space Principles, his figure flashed and appeared in front of her as a terrifying wind pressed down on him. He already felt suffocated before the Star Turtle’s attack arrived. [I can’t block this! With my current strength, I can’t block an attack of this magnitude! It’s not enough even if I use Golden Crow Casts the Sun! But, if I can’t stop this attack, then Qu Hua Shang will definitely die!]
In that moment between life or death, an aura flashed through his mind and the Wood Element Power shone brightly in his Dao Seal. An emerald aura flowed out and a great tree appeared out of nowhere behind his back, holding up a huge canopy that swayed in the wind. The tree gave off the feeling that it would stand tall even if the sky came crashing down.
*Hong…*
The Star Turtle’s tail smashed down and the yellow light collided with the canopy of the great tree. The emerald light and yellow light impacted with an explosive sound that shook the world.
Qu Hua Shang stared blankly at the figure standing in front of her, feeling as though some kind of barrier which wrapped around her heart was struck by something and shattered in an instant, making it race faster than it had ever before.
She was one of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Core Disciples. Having been vigorously cultivated by the Sect since she was young, she never lacked for anything. Not only did she have great aptitude and high cultivation, but she also had a beautiful appearance. Countless Senior Brothers and Junior Brothers in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven had tried to woo her in the past.
What she cultivated was the Heartless Dao. In order for her to advance into the Open Heaven Realm, she would first need to experience love. She herself knew that it was only a matter of time before she had to settle down with a man.
Most of the other female disciples in the Sect from her generation had long since fallen in love and became intimate with their partners of choice; however, she had never been able to find a suitable candidate. Hence, she was always honest and straightforward with the Senior Brothers and Junior Brothers who approached her.
It was only when she entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that she encountered a man who could clearly and eloquently discuss Yin-Yang Union Cultivation with her. Although she found the man rather interesting, she did not give much thought to the matter at the time.
After returning to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, she underwent intensive cultivation to absorb all the benefits she received in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. It was not until she finally came out of retreat that she heard many things about Yang Kai.
Feeling appreciative of the life-saving grace she received from him in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, she persuaded her Sect to take a softer approach to win him over instead of trying to kill him. Her status as a Core Disciple gave her some say in making decisions, and due to her constant lobbying, the higher-ups in the Sect agreed. Naturally, the task of winning Yang Kai over fell upon her as the person who proposed this idea in the first place. Besides, she was already acquainted with him so there could be no better candidate than her.
Upon entering the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Qu Hua Shang was not surprised to meet Yang Kai again. She was entrusted with a task from her Sect and had her own Grand Dao to consider as well; therefore, she was much more proactive in approaching him than before.
During this period, she survived through various hardships and even shared life and death together with him. The admiration in her heart grew greatly after she witnessed his abilities and temperament with her own eyes. Despite the mutual protection and unfaltering support during their travels, she only felt that he was a very responsible man. A trace of affection would occasionally bloom in her heart, but she knew that those feelings were a far cry from love.
She had more than once asked herself, ‘What is love?’ Unfortunately, she could not find the answer to her question.
However, at this very moment, when her life flashed before her eyes as the darkness of death enveloped her, that familiar figure had descended from the sky without hesitation to stand in front of her. That figure was akin to a majestic mountain that shielded her from rain and storm…
Qu Hua Shang suddenly felt as though a seed in her heart had germinated and burst out of the ground with great vigour. It was a strange feeling that instantly permeated her entire body. Even though she was standing at the threshold of life and death, she broke out into a smile. Her aura that had gone chaotic when danger loomed over her suddenly cleared up and became calm once more, even becoming more vigorous than before.
*Hong…*
The Star Turtle’s tail came slamming down to crash against the huge canopy. The yellow light and emerald light symphonically blended together. The great tree stood strong below, forcefully holding up the enormous tail.
Everybody was stunned by the sight, and even Yang Kai was taken aback. He looked up and stared at the large tree and huge canopy behind him and a single question flashed through his heart, [What is this?]
In that moment just now, he had instinctively pushed the Wood Element Power in his Dao Seal. It never occurred to him that a giant tree would appear behind him.
Among the Five Elements, the Wood suppressed Earth. What the Star Turtle unleashed was undoubtedly a Seventh-Order Earth Element Power. On the other hand, the Wood Element Power in Yang Kai’s Dao Seal was condensed from the essence of the Immortal Tree. In terms of Order, his Wood Element Power was definitely much higher than the Star Turtle’s Earth Element Power. In addition, these two Elements mutually restrained each other, so it was not hard to understand how he managed to block that terrifying blow.
What Yang Kai could not understand was what he did just now. He was astonished that he managed to comprehend a Wood Element Divine Ability at such a critical moment.
All this while, he had been trying to unlock the mysteries of the Elements in his Dao Seal in hopes of comprehending a Divine Manifestation no weaker than his Golden Crow Casts the Sun. If nothing else, comprehending a Divine Ability or Secret Technique like the Dragon Shield was not bad either. In particular, the Wood Element was the first Open Heaven Power that he condensed, so he had been rather disappointed that he could not comprehend any Divine Abilities from it.
Over the years, Yang Kai had wondered if the Order of the Wood Element Power that he condensed from the essence of the Immortal Tree was simply too high for him to comprehend anything from it. Nevertheless, he knew that some things could not be forced. Everything would remain an unreachable dream if the timing was not right. Correspondingly, everything would naturally fall into place once the moment arrived. Even so, he never imagined that the Wood Element Divine Ability would emerge right here and right now due to necessity!
[Sure enough, the fine line between life or death not only contains great terror but also holds great opportunities!] At the time, Yang Kai simply wanted to save Qu Hua Shang. There were no other thoughts in his head, so he drew on the Wood Element Power in his Dao Seal instinctually, causing the giant tree behind him to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
[This must be a Defensive Divine Ability!] Yang Kai immediately understood the situation. It was just that he did not have time to investigate it carefully. He could sense that the large tree could not withstand the Star Turtle’s aggressive attacks for long; thus, he quickly shouted, “Go quickly!”
Everybody returned to their senses. How could they dare to delay a moment longer? They hurriedly rushed towards the gates of the Blood Monster Divine Palace. Black Crow Divine Monarch was the first person to rush inside while the rest of the cultivators acting as Array Nodes soon followed out of fear and greed. Therefore, those fighting the Star Turtle were the last ones remaining outside.
At this moment, the Blood Monster Divine Palace had been opened so there was no longer any need to fight this Seventh-Order Monster Beast. Since it was impossible to kill this Star Turtle, it was only logical to flee as soon as possible.
One after another, their remaining figures slipped into the Blood Monster Divine Palace. Before leaving, Lin Feng, Wei Bu Que, Ning Dao Ran, and the others each sent a Divine Ability in the direction of the Star Turtle, giving one last burst of effort to help relieve some of the pressure on Yang Kai. Ding Yi also followed close behind with the rest of the surviving members of Emperor Heaven.
Accountant shouted, “Brat, we’re going on ahead. Take care of yourself!”
After saying that, he summoned Lang Qing Shan and the others before they charged into the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
Zhang Ruo Xi was not willing to leave, but Gu Pan dragged her into the Blood Monster Divine Palace by the arm and vanished out of sight.
Qu Hua Shang quietly whispered, “Junior Brother, I’ll be waiting for you inside. Hurry and catch up.”
Her emotions were a little agitated at the moment and for some reason, her body felt soft and weak. She knew that she would only add to his worries if she stayed here, so she forced herself to leave.
Yang Kai grunted in reply without looking back, sensing her aura quickly disappear.
In a blink of an eye, he was the only person left in the entire mountain valley. The great tree condensed from the Wood Element Power was already beginning to falter. It was true that the Wood suppressed Earth. Moreover, this newly comprehended Defensive Divine Ability was absolutely amazing in terms of power. Unfortunately, even the strongest defence could only last so long in the face of a furious attack.
Seeing that the huge canopy of the large tree was about to break, Yang Kai grit his teeth and stared up at the Star Turtle. Space Principles fluctuated around him and he appeared outside the gates of the Blood Monster Divine Palace in a flash.
If possible, he would have preferred to kill the Star Turtle. Although he was not in need of a Seventh-Order Earth Element Monster Core, it was still an invaluable cultivation resource. If he brought this back with him, he might be able to exchange this for something that he did need. It was a pity that a Seventh-Order Monster Beast was not something he could defeat with his current strength. So many people working together had been unable to leave a scratch on that Monster Beast earlier, so what could he do now that he was alone?
Standing in front of the gates of the Blood Monster Divine Palace, Yang Kai gave one last glance at the enraged and roaring Star Turtle before he turned around and rushed inside. The furious roars behind him stopped abruptly. Instead, he was greeted by a vast expanse of white everywhere he looked. Although his Divine Sense was not restricted by anything, he could not detect any other presences in this place. All the cultivators who rushed in before him were nowhere to be seen.
Yang Kai stopped and looked back, only to see that the gates of the Blood Monster Divine Palace were gone, replaced by a completely white world. It was as though there was nothing else in this place aside from the dazzling whiteness that stretched out in all directions.
[Where are the others?] Yang Kai frowned. Judging by the current situation, there seemed to be a strange restriction in the Blood Monster Divine Palace. It might not be harmful, but it gave off an indescribably peculiar feel.
After trying for a while, Yang Kai did not sense any danger; furthermore, he could neither see anything within his field of vision nor detect any life auras within the range of his Divine Sense. It was as though the people who came in before him had vanished without any rhyme or reason. Seeing as it was impossible for them to have gone missing, Yang Kai suspected that they were stuck in the same situation as he. They had all fallen into this world of pure white.
[How can the inside of the Blood Monster Divine Palace look like this? Why was Black Crow Divine Monarch so desperate to enter this place?] Yang Kai was a little worried about Zhang Ruo Xi, but upon further consideration, he recalled that Gu Pan had dragged Zhang Ruo Xi by the arm and entered the Blood Monster Divine Palace together. The two of them were most likely together at this moment. Even if something dangerous were to appear, Zhang Ruo Xi would have Gu Pan taking care of her. At the very least, she would not have to deal with the dangers alone.
With that thought in mind, Yang Kai relaxed slightly. He pondered for a moment before activating the Demon Eye of Annihilation. His left eye immediately transformed into a majestic column of golden light.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation had impressive power and utility, and Yang Kai had never been disappointed whenever he used this skill. However, he gained nothing this time around. He suspected that this was some sort of Spirit Array like an Illusion Array or a Bewildering Array. Seeing as he did not gain anything from the use of his Demon Eye of Annihilation though, it could only mean that there was nothing odd about this place, or that his Demon Eye of Annihilation was not strong enough.
Thinking about it, Yang Kai realised that this was not surprising. This place was the Blood Monster Divine Palace, the home of Blood Monster Divine Monarch. If an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master decided to place a restriction on this place, it would not be something Yang Kai could see through so easily.
Withdrawing his Divine Ability, he let out a sigh. This damned place had nothing. There was only whiteness all around. Furthermore, it gave off the feeling of infinity which made him somewhat anxious.
With no other clues, Yang Kai could only take things one step at a time. He adjusted his breathing and recovered his strength. At the same time, he decided on a direction and walked forward. There was no saying how much time had passed. He even had the feeling that the flow of time in this place was very strange. For that reason, he was unable to judge just how long he had been walking.
It seemed like it was only a moment, but it also seemed like several days had passed. Just as Yang Kai was starting to get frustrated, he suddenly heard a scream coming from a certain direction. His expression stiffened in shock and he hurriedly turned to look in that direction; however, he frowned deeply the next moment. That was because a figure had appeared in his field of vision. It was almost as if that person had been there all along and he simply had not noticed the man all this while.
It was a male cultivator who looked around forty years old or so. There was no way to tell which Sect’s disciple he was, but at this moment, he seemed absolutely panicked. His eyes were filled with terror, as though he had seen something extremely horrifying, and he was running around screaming, “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”
This person seemed to have encountered something extremely terrifying and his expression was filled with fear. Having finally come across another person, Yang Kai could not let this man leave so easily even though he knew that the other party was seemingly in trouble. He moved forward and stopped in front of that person with his hand raised up in the air, “Excuse me, Friend!”
Unexpectedly, that person ran straight at Yang Kai as though he didn’t see him at all.
Yang Kai’s scowl grew deeper. He exerted some strength and stretched his hand forward to stop that person by force, but to his surprise, his arm passed through that person’s body. This scene shocked him greatly but before he could recover from his shock, that person had already passed through his body and ran off.
Yang Kai abruptly turned back to look. There was nobody there at all. It was almost as though everything that happened just now was just an illusion. A disquieting feeling rose in his heart and he felt a chill running down his back.
This damned place was full of mysteries. It was not a place one should stay for long. Unfortunately, he was completely clueless about this place and had no idea how to get out of here at the moment.
After walking for a while, Yang Kai suddenly saw a round platform ahead with something seemingly placed on it. He couldn’t help rubbing his eyes and looking vigilant. That was because he was certain that there had been nothing in this direction when he looked earlier, and yet, this round platform suddenly appeared when he looked in this direction once more.
Holding his breath and focusing his mind, Yang Kai stared forward, frowning. Even so, he could not see what was placed on top of the round platform. He hesitated for a long time before he steadily walked in that direction.
It didn’t take long for him to arrive in front of the round platform. He walked up the short flight of stairs and looked up. What he saw made his expression change drastically. That was because there was a severed head sitting on top of the round platform. Furthermore, the owner of that severed head was Qu Hua Shang!
[How did Qu Hua Shang die here? And, who placed her head here?] He suddenly felt as though his eyes were going to explode from the sight. A ball of rage burned in his chest like a volcano that was about to erupt. He wanted to burn everything in the world.
He had travelled with this Senior Sister from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, mutually supporting each other all the way. If she had not carried him on her back while fleeing desperately, he would have been killed by Yin Xin Zhao in his unconscious state; thus, he had a good grasp of her character by now. It could be said that he already considered her as one of his friends. Be that as it may, she had died in this place! Yang Kai’s heart felt like it had been sliced to pieces by a knife!
At this moment, Qu Hua Shang’s severed head jerked its eyes open and cried out to him miserably, “Save me! It hurts!”
Yang Kai lurched back and retreated slightly, staring in the direction of the head in shock and disbelief. She repeatedly pleaded for help, but his expression slowly became cold and calm instead.
[This is definitely not Qu Hua Shang’s head! It’s impossible for a dead person to speak.] He was almost certain that he had fallen into some sort of Illusion Array. What he was seeing at the moment was nothing more than some kind of hallucination. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he quickly slipped into the Small Sealed World without delay!
He originally wanted to use this method to break free from the illusion in front of him. To his surprise, he discovered that there was something wrong with him when he entered the Small Sealed World. At some point in time, his body had been surrounded by faint traces of energy. This energy emitted a hint of malevolence that lingered and wrapped around his body. If he had not entered the Small Sealed World, he would not have noticed this phenomenon. This bizarre energy constantly twisted and distorted upon itself, creating all sorts of peculiar sights. The illusion he saw just now was definitely caused by this energy.
His expression darkened and he immediately activated the Golden Crow’s True Fire around his body. There was a crackling sound as the traces of evil energy entangled around his body were instantly burned to a crisp. After confirming that he no longer had that bizarre energy around him, Yang Kai finally slipped out of the Small Sealed World and returned to the outside world again. However, he remained cautious this time around. He did not withdraw the Golden Crow’s True Fire and instead coated his body in a protective layer of it.
As soon as he appeared in the outside world, Yang Kai heard sizzling sounds coming from his surroundings. Black smoke rose into the air as though something was being burned by him. It was similar to the scene where he burned off the evil energy inside the Small Sealed World; therefore, he immediately understood something. This weird place was filled with that strange energy and anybody who entered this place would begin to hallucinate as a result.
The Order of this evil energy was not low and was most likely one of the means set up by Blood Monster Divine Monarch to guard this palace. Fortunately, Yang Kai’s Golden Crow’s True Fire was of extremely high Order and was able to fully restrain it. If it were any other cultivator in this place, they would not be able to deal with this scenario.
Yang Kai couldn’t help becoming worried. Be it Gu Pan, Zhang Ruo Xi, Qu Hua Shang, Ning Dao Ran, Accountant, or Lang Qing Shan, none of them had a heritage as great as his. At this moment, they were probably being tortured by those illusions. It was almost certain that all the cultivators who rushed into the Blood Monster Divine Palace had encountered the same situation. Just because he could break free of those hallucinations did not mean that those people had the ability to do so!
Yang Kai looked back at the round platform and naturally Qu Hua Shang’s head was nowhere to be seen. Even the round platform was gone. Thus, he breathed out a sigh of relief. It would seem that what he saw previously was really just an illusion. Qu Hua Shang had not been beheaded after all!
Constant crackling sounds came from around him as the strange energy was steadily burned away. He took a step forward and compared to earlier, he now felt much more clear-headed. A long while passed when he suddenly heard a weak but extremely miserable cry. It sounded like somebody was going through unimaginable torture.
Yang Kai frowned slightly. He did not know whether the voice was an illusion or whether there really was somebody screaming. Just in case, he entered the Small Sealed World once more to check on his body. He confirmed that he was not affected by the evil energy before he returned to the outside world. The miserable cry sounded again, so this time around, Yang Kai could be sure that it really was somebody screaming.
After listening for a while, he followed the source of the sound and headed in that direction. He walked for a while and came to a stop in front of a ball of fire. Then, he stared at the flames solemnly. He did not know what kind of flames these were but even if they were incomparable to his Golden Crow’s True Fire, they were still quite strong. However, what shocked him was not this ball of fire but rather what was inside this ball of fire.
There was a humanoid figure inside the ball of fire. Under the burning of those flames, that figure screamed out again and again. He constantly writhed in pain. Once in a while, he would collide with the flames in an attempt to break free. However, every time he tried to do that, he would be restrained by an inexplicable force that immobilised him.
Yang Kai felt his scalp going numb with horror. The humanoid figure inside the flames was emitting the aura of a Soul Avatar! It was somebody’s Soul!
Ever since he started cultivating, Yang Kai had offended many people, and many of them had also threatened him with all sorts of things. For example, they would threaten to torture him or subject him to Soul Extraction and Refinement! Even so, those people were normally just making threats.
At this moment, he was actually witnessing a person’s Soul being continuously burned by flames but unable to die. This was the process of Soul Extraction and Refinement! The Soul was truly experiencing a fate worse than death!
Yang Kai wanted to see the identity of the Soul within the flames, but could not get a clear glimpse. That person was far too distorted. Moreover… he had the vague feeling that this Soul did not belong to any of the cultivators who came in before him. That was because the person gave off a feeling that he was once very powerful, even though he was incredibly weak now.
Just as Yang Kai was suspiciously eyeing this scene, that Soul suddenly stopped screaming or struggling. A twisted transformation revealed a face staring straight at him through the flames. It was an unfamiliar face that he had never seen before so Yang Kai subconsciously circulated his strength and raised his guard.
“Who is it!? Who is standing there!?” The person shouted through gritted teeth. It was not out of fury. It was simply because he was suffering immense pain from the flames burning his Soul at all times.
Yang Kai frowned and looked into the Soul Avatar’s eyes. Unexpectedly, he discovered that those eyes were unfocused even though the other party was looking in his general direction. In other words, that person probably could not see Yang Kai and simply sensed his presence.
[This person must have been a powerful Master in the past! Otherwise, it’s impossible for a Soul to persist for so many years!] Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking about Black Crow Divine Monarch. [Could it be that Black Crow Divine Monarch is not the only one imprisoned inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? Are there other High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters?]
“Who is standing there!? Speak!” That person yelled impatiently, like a wounded beast.
Yang Kai frowned, “And, who are you? Why are you being imprisoned inside those flames?”
“Me?” The Soul Avatar seemed taken aback, “I’ve forgotten who I am… Wait. You can see me?”
How could Yang Kai know that he was being imprisoned in a ball of flames unless Yang Kai could see him?
“I can see you.” Yang Kai nodded affirmatively.
“That’s impossible. What Order within the Open Heaven Realm are you? How can you see me? This place is the Nothingness Array set up by that old dog Xue Yao. It’s difficult for anybody to see through the mysteries in this place unless they are a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. Don’t tell me… You are in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m only in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm…” Pausing for a moment, he firmly added, “But, I’ll become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master one day.”
“A Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Junior…” That person seemed stunned for a moment but quickly reacted, “Did you condense High-Rank Elements?”
“Indeed!”
The figure immediately understood, “No wonder you can see me. Were you also captured and brought here by that old dog?”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment. [Based on what he said, it is likely that Blood Monster Divine Monarch captured him, extracted his Soul, and left him to suffer the pain of being burned by these flames. How long has he suffered here? How did a Soul survive for so long without being extinguished? And, what did he do to offend Blood Monster Divine Monarch…]
After thinking about it, Yang Kai explained truthfully, “Blood Monster Divine Monarch died a long time ago and the Blood Monster Cave Heaven has turned into a Sealed World. I came here for training.”
“That old dog is dead!?” That person’s expression became rather complicated, muttering to himself for a bit before he burst out laughing, “Hahahaha! Xue Yao! So what if your strength was greater and your fist bigger!? I still lived longer than you!”
Yang Kai lightly coughed into his fist, not knowing what to say. [It’s better to die than to be stuck in this living Hell, neither dead nor alive.]
That person continued to laugh, then he suddenly burst out crying, “If that old dog is dead… then there’s no more reason for me to persevere!”
He couldn’t even remember his own name, but he never forgot Blood Monster Divine Monarch. It could be seen that there was a deep grudge between the two of them. It was also precisely because of that hatred that he had persevered until today and his Soul remained indestructible.
Soon, he composed his emotions once more. Enduring the pain from the burning flames, he said in a surprisingly calm voice, “Junior, please do me a favour.”
“What do you want me to do, Senior? This Junior’s cultivation is low and may not be able to help you.” Although Yang Kai felt sorry for what this man had experienced, he did not dare to talk too much. The main reason was his meeting with Black Crow Divine Monarch previously. All these Old Monsters who lived for countless years were not easy to deal with. He could fall into their trap at the slightest negligence.
The Soul replied, “Rest assured. It’s nothing too difficult for you. I just want you to kill me.”
Yang Kai fell silent. He had seen this person suffering a life worse than death due to the Soul Extraction and Refinement, so he was not surprised by the request. Rather than being stuck in this state, it was certainly better to die.
“Little Friend, are you still there?” The Soul asked tentatively when Yang Kai did not answer for a long time.
“I’m still here.” Yang Kai breathed out lightly, “What must I do, Senior?”
The Soul replied, “My Soul has completely integrated with this Soul Flame. As long as the Soul Flame exists, my Soul will not die. If you wish to kill me, you need to extinguish this fire. I’m sure you’ve condensed a Water Element Power, right? You only need to use it.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Please wait a moment, Senior. I will send you off!”
The Soul, who had been tortured and trapped in pain for such a long time, suddenly seemed to calm, “Many thanks, Little Friend.”
Yang Kai did not say anything else. Activating the Water Element Power in his Dao Seal, he reached out his hand towards the Soul Flame.
His Water Element Power was Seventh-Order, condensed from the Moon Essence back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Although it was technically of the Water Element, it leaned more heavily towards the Icy Attribute; thus, a bone-chilling cold aura permeated the air when Yang Kai drew upon it, seemingly holding a hazy ball of moonlight in the palm of his hand…
Among the Five Elements, the Water extinguished Fire. Using the Water Element Power to destroy the Soul Flame was akin to using the right tool for the right situation. If anybody else were to come here, they might not succeed even if they knew the correct method because the Order of this Soul Flame was not low. Fortunately, Yang Kai’s Water Element Power was more than enough to deal with it.
A chill spread out, wrapping around the Soul Flame. In response, the Soul Flame began to shrink at a rate visible to the naked eye.
The Soul was completely integrated with the Soul Flame, so he immediately noticed the changes, his voice calling out in a somewhat conflicted tone, “I’m finally free!”
Yang Kai asked while working, “Senior, do you have any last wishes?”
The Soul, who was sitting cross-legged within the Soul Flame, quietly waiting for death to come, laughed when he heard the question, “I don’t even remember who I am anymore. How can I still have any last wishes… Oh, that’s right! I think I used to have a Sect. What was the Sect called…” After pondering for some time, he could not remember anything; thus, he could only sigh in resignation, “Forget it. So many years have passed. I’m sure the Sect is gone by now. There’s nothing for me to worry about.”
In that short time, Yang Kai had worn the Soul Flame down with his Water Element Power until it became extremely dim. Even the Soul inside became hazy and indistinct, almost as though he was about to be completely extinguished.
Another short while passed. Be it the Soul Flame or the Soul integrated with the Soul Flame, only a faint shadow of them remained. With a crisp sound coming from the depths of the Soul, the Soul Flame disintegrated and the Soul was extinguished. The last vestiges of the Soul’s voice entered Yang Kai’s ears, “This place is the Nothingness Array set up by that Old Dog. It operates on the principle of the Five Elements mutually reinforcing each other. If you want to find the exit, you must first reverse the flow. Perhaps, you might still have a chance to survive!”
Looking at the spot where the Soul and the Soul Flame had vanished, Yang Kai couldn’t help sighing in regret. He was certain that this Soul was not inferior to Black Crow Divine Monarch. [I wonder what he did to offend Blood Monster Divine Monarch so terribly that he was subjected to the Soul Extraction and Refinement torture, unable to die even after being tormented for so many years.]
It could be seen that Blood Monster Divine Monarch was by no means a kind man. How could such a cruel and ruthless person be so kind as to leave his inheritance behind for others? Without Black Crow Divine Monarch, the Blood Monster Divine Palace would never have been found, much less opened.
Nevertheless, the words that Soul left behind before his death had given Yang Kai great inspiration. He probably wanted to reciprocate the favour. Since Yang Kai gave him eternal relief, he wanted to return the kindness in full.
It truly was as the saying went, ‘When one door closed, a window would open’.
Yang Kai immediately sat down cross-legged. [The Nothingness Array operates on the principle of the Five Elements mutually reinforcing each other. If I reverse the surrounding flow, then the Five Elements would mutually oppose each other.]
He cautiously perceived his surroundings and sure enough, it didn’t take long before Yang Kai detected the pure Five Element Powers in this vast white world. He had failed to perceive this phenomenon previously for two reasons. The first was that he had not investigated this place calmly and the second was that he had been too anxious searching for an exit. It was not until the Remnant Soul gave him a hint that he discovered this phenomenon.
At present, Yang Kai had condensed four out of the Five Elements; Wood, Fire, Earth, and Water Element. As he had yet to come across a suitable Metal Element treasure, he had not condensed his Metal Element Power. Be that as it may, he had the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd which contained the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, so he could use that as a replacement.
After coming to a decision, Yang Kai didn’t hesitate. [Regardless of the circumstances, there’s no harm in trying. It will be great if I can find the exit. In any case, it’s not too late to figure out another solution if I fail to locate one!]
Taking out the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, he opened the lid and focused his mind. He then quietly drew on the four Powers in his Dao Seal and guided the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light out of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd. Following that, he activated them in a sequence where the Five Elements mutually suppressed each other. In an instant, the energy in his surroundings surged violently and bursts of crackling sounds kept ringing out.
When Yang Kai activated the Wood Element Power, he suddenly remembered the Wood Element Divine Ability that he had the fortune to comprehend earlier. The situation had been too urgent back then, so he had no time to study it further. It would now seem that the Wood Element Divine Ability contained more than mere defensive abilities. There were even more aspects to it that he had yet to discover. Unfortunately, the current situation was not the right time to ponder about this Wood Element Divine Ability either. [I have to find a time to research this Divine Ability properly once I leave the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.]
The Power of the Five Elements circulated endlessly, mutually suppressing each other.
Yang Kai separated a thread of his consciousness to monitor the changes in his surroundings; however, nothing happened even after waiting for a long time.
This situation made his heart sink. He did not suspect the Soul of lying to him as, generally speaking, the words of a dying man tend to be the truth. The Soul had been tortured by Blood Monster Divine Monarch for so many years so it was highly unlikely for him to leave behind lies when Yang Kai was the one to relieve him of his suffering. There could only be two reasons for this outcome. Either Yang Kai’s strength was insufficient or the Soul was so confused that he remembered wrongly. The Soul had been tortured for so many years that he forgot his own name, so it was possible that his memory was flawed.
An idea came to Yang Kai the moment that thought crossed his mind. He reversed the Power of the Five Elements once more, instantly transforming the cycle so that the Five Elements mutually reinforced each other!
As soon as he completed the change, he suddenly noticed the faint outline of a step appearing in front of him! Yang Kai’s expression bloomed in excitement, but before he could take a closer look, the step vanished out of sight again.
[I’m confident that what I saw just now is not an illusion. It’s a real staircase, even if it’s only one step…] Stopping the movements of his hands, Yang Kai considered for a brief moment. Then, he repeated his previous action. Sure enough, the step appeared before him again. It was just that the step vanished out of sight once more when he blanked out in astonishment. Soon however, a light flashed through Yang Kai’s eyes and seemed to have understood something.
He breathed out softly and stood up. Activating his Dao Seal and the power of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd, he drew on the Five Elements and the step appeared before him again.
This time around, he did not hesitate. Simultaneously climbing the step, he repeated his previous action once more and the second step appeared…
Yang Kai did not hesitate and stepped forward. The Power of the Five Elements surged around him, mutually suppressing then mutually reinforcing one another in a cycle. The third step appeared under his feet.
In the beginning, Yang Kai moved fast but cautiously. It was not until he verified the conjectures in his heart that he no longer held back. Every time he put his foot down, the next step would appear beneath his feet at a suitable time. The higher he walked, the further he went. His footsteps were steady, almost as though he wanted to walk above the clouds and slip through the barriers of the sky.
He did not know how long had passed, but it felt like he had climbed at least a thousand steps. At one point, he lifted his foot and realised that there were no further steps in front of him. His first reaction was shock. He originally thought that he had made a mistake somewhere and caused something to go wrong as a result, but when he looked ahead, he discovered that he had somehow appeared in a Grand Hall.
Looking back, there was no sign of a staircase and even the world of white was gone.
[I’m out!] Yang Kai felt a mixture of astonishment and joy. The Soul had not remembered the method to break the Grand Array wrongly, it was just that what he recalled was incomplete. It was fortunate that Yang Kai had a flexible mind; otherwise, he might not have been able to escape that strange Grand Array.
There was a whirring noise coming from the side, similar to the pumping of an old and broken bellows. Yang Kai turned to look and immediately became horrified. Taking a large step backward, he retreated into the distance and shouted through gritted teeth, “Hei Ya!”
[I can’t believe I’m meeting Black Crow Divine Monarch here!] At this point, how could he not realise that this old bastard had tricked everybody?
Earlier, Black Crow Divine Monarch had to borrow everybody’s power to break the barrier around the Blood Monster Divine Palace and distract the Seventh-Order Monster Beast guarding it. For that reason, he had given a lot of sweet promises to the others. He even went so far as to swear a blood oath on his Dao Seal, claiming that he would not attack anybody once they entered the Blood Monster Divine Palace as long as they did not provoke him first!
His attitude had been extremely sincere, which was why everybody willingly cooperated with him; after all, the Blood Monster Divine Palace would surely contain many treasures. It was not easy for them to arrive this far, so who would not want to go in and take a look around?
Even Yang Kai had been extremely tempted, but after his experience just now, how could he not understand that everybody had fallen for Black Crow Divine Monarch’s schemes?
Black Crow Divine Monarch clearly knew about the white world. He also knew that anybody who tried to enter the Blood Monster Divine Palace would fall into that Nothingness Array. However, he alone knew the way out. If everybody else was trapped inside the Grand Array and he alone could escape, then wouldn’t that mean that the entire Blood Monster Divine Palace would belong to him?
If Yang Kai had not received guidance from that Remnant Soul, he would not have been able to escape this quickly either. What he did not expect was that he would come face to face with Black Crow Divine Monarch as soon as he entered the Grand Hall.
Similarly, Black Crow Divine Monarch was as shocked as Yang Kai. His eyes widened as large as eggs and he breathed rapidly as though he had seen a ghost, blurting out incredulously, “Brat, why are you here!?”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “That’s what I wanted to ask you.”
Upon taking a closer look, Yang Kai realised that Black Crow Divine Monarch was severely injured and covered in blood.
Black Crow Divine Monarch looked as though he had undergone enormous pressure. Despite his knowledge about the mysteries of the Nothingness Array, it would seem that escaping had still taken quite a lot of effort from him. It was no surprise considering that he had possessed Zhou Yi’s body. Zhou Yi was simply a Great Thousand Blood Land disciple who had condensed Fifth-Order Elements. There was quite a large gap between his foundation and Yang Kai’s.
Black Crow Divine Monarch probably received those injuries during his escape from the Nothingness Array.
Recalling the blood oath Black Crow Divine Monarch made just now, Yang Kai’s expression became calm. [What is there to fear? He is restricted by his own blood oath inside the Blood Monster Divine Palace. As long as I don’t provoke him, he cannot attack me.]
Yang Kai flicked his wrist and put away the Divine Ability Bead given to him by the Proprietress; then, he coldly asked, “Hei Ya, where are the others?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch chuckled, “Why ask when you already know the answer? They are stuck in the same place you just came out from.”
[I was right!] Yang Kai previously suspected that everybody who entered through the gates of the Blood Monster Divine Palace would fall into that world of pure white. Now that he received confirmation from Black Crow Divine Monarch.
This knowledge made Yang Kai so furious that his teeth hurt. The Nothingness Array was not only incredibly peculiar, but also filled with deadly dangers. There was no saying what kind of fate one might face inside that place.
It could be said that everybody had been tricked by Black Crow Divine Monarch. They had helped him open the Blood Monster Divine Palace only to be trapped in the Nothingness Array.
Yang Kai was very tempted to summon the Azure Dragon Spear and stab this bastard to death!
“This Monarch is truly astonished. I can’t believe you escaped that place in such a short time. You truly are extraordinary.” Black Crow Divine Monarch looked at Yang Kai with admiration. The only reason he made it this far so quickly was that he had known about the Nothingness Array in advance. On the other hand, Yang Kai managed to reach this place despite knowing nothing. His aptitude and comprehension ability were simply astonishing.
Yang Kai ground his teeth and said, “The only thing I want to know right now is how I can get them out.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch grinned meaningfully, “You want to save them? It’s simple. You just need to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace. If you successfully refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace, forget rescuing them, it won’t be difficult for you to control the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
Yang Kai stiffened at those words, “Has your aim been to snatch the Blood Monster Cave Heaven all along?”
Based on what Black Crow Divine Monarch said, it was clear that he planned to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace and take control of the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven. How could Yang Kai tolerate something like that? If Black Crow Divine Monarch succeeded in his endeavour, then the lives of all the people in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would fall into his hands!
“Why else did you think this Monarch spent so much effort to come here?” Black Crow Divine Monarch stared at Yang Kai with a measured look and quickly said, “Junior, you’re a talented one. In the future, you will achieve greatness. If you submit to this Monarch, I will share a portion of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven with you. What do you think?”
“Good!” Yang Kai agreed readily, “Tell me how to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace first.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch snorted with disdain, “The opportunity is right in front of your eyes, but you don’t know how to grasp it. Junior, you are so short-sighted. It will cost you your life one day!”
After saying that, his body shuddered and turned into a blood cloud that rushed to the back.
Yang Kai exclaimed, “Where are you going!?”
At this moment, Yang Kai couldn’t care less about Black Crow Divine Monarch’s blood oath anymore. He immediately pushed his Space Principles to imprison the world around Black Crow Divine Monarch. However, the blood cloud abruptly exploded and shot out in all directions. Although Yang Kai managed to trap most of the blood lights, some still slipped through his fingers.
*Xiu…*
The blood lights transformed into several clusters of blood that flew about inside the Grand Hall, but Black Crow Divine Monarch was nowhere to be seen.
Yang Kai gnashed his teeth, knowing that Black Crow Divine Monarch was not afraid of him. Rather, Black Crow Divine Monarch was simply eager to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace and did not want to be held up here. How could Yang Kai allow such a thing though? He immediately chased after Black Crow Divine Monarch.
At this moment, Yang Kai was the only other person aside from Black Crow Divine Monarch who could move freely inside the Blood Monster Divine Palace. If Yang Kai failed to stop Black Crow Divine Monarch and the latter successfully refined this place, he would gain total control over the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Everybody would end up enslaved by Hei Ya as a result. It would be a life worse than death!
Be that as it may, Yang Kai had no idea which direction Black Crow Divine Monarch was heading. The Grand Hall was connected to the rest of the palace and there were many corridors heading in different directions; thus, he could only choose a direction at random in his pursuit of Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Rushing out of the Grand Hall, Yang Kai arrived at a long corridor with rooms on either side. He frowned and came to stand in front of one of the rooms. After investigating with his Divine Sense and confirming that there were no dangers inside, he pushed open the door and entered the room.
What he saw stunned him for a moment. It was probably a woman’s bedroom. Yang Kai might not know the identity of the owner, but the furnishings in the room gave off a feminine aura. It was just that too much time had passed and everything inside had long ago rotted away. The slight gust of wind that stirred up from when he opened the door caused many things to disintegrate into dust.
Yang Kai glanced around and determined that there was nothing of value inside the room. There were no signs of Black Crow Divine Monarch either, so he immediately left. He then pushed open the door to another room and found that it was rather similar to the previous room.
After investigating the rooms one by one, Yang Kai found nothing at all. This area seemed to be filled with women’s bedrooms; thus, he secretly guessed that this place used to be the living quarters of Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s harem. Blood Monster Divine Monarch was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all, so it was not strange for him to have several women by his side. Even so, his women couldn’t survive until today when he himself had already passed away.
Passing through the harem, Yang Kai arrived at another Grand Hall. This Grand Hall covered an extremely large area. Moreover, it was surrounded by strange and seemingly indestructible stones that emitted a constant brilliant light.
Looking around, Yang Kai couldn’t help but shudder. There were many cages inside the Grand Hall. Furthermore, these cages were filled with many Monster Beast skeletons. Some were as small as one’s palm while others were several metres tall. These Monster Beasts came in all shapes and sizes. The list could go on forever. It could be conceived that countless Monster Beasts had once been imprisoned here a long time ago. With the passage of time though, they had reached the end of their lifespans and finally died.
Yang Kai walked over to one of the cages and studied the pile of bones. When he noticed a dull and faded bead among the bones, a sudden thought came to him and he immediately retrieved it.
Upon careful investigation, however, Yang Kai sighed. This dull and faded bead turned out to be the Monster Core of a Monster Beast. Judging from the weak aura remaining in this Monster Core, this Monster Beast used to be a Fifth-Order Monster Beast at the very least. It was just that too much time had passed. The Monster Beast Core had not been properly preserved, so most of the energy within had dissipated. A Monster Beast Core like this had very little value.
Weaving through the Grand Hall, Yang Kai found Monster Core after Monster Core that had long lost their value. He even suspected that some were Seventh-Order Monster Cores; thus, he couldn’t help feeling his heart ache. If these Monster Cores had retained their usefulness, then he would no longer need to worry about cultivation resources.
This place seemed to be where Blood Monster Divine Monarch used to research Monster Beasts. He was proficient in the Dao of Blood and the Dao of Beast Taming, but that was not all. He also managed to modify Monster Beasts so that they only had singular Attributes in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was proof of his supreme attainments in the Dao of Beast Taming.
Unlike in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, the Monster Beast Cores in the outside world would normally have a complex mix of Elements. Not many of them could be refined and used by cultivators directly. However, the Monster Beast Cores in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were different in the sense that they could be used directly as Open Heaven resources. If this method was leaked to the outside world, the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises would surely scramble over themselves to get their hands on it.
[Since this place used to be where Blood Monster Divine Monarch did his research on the Monster Beasts, wouldn’t he have left some notes here?] Yang Kai had a sudden idea and carefully searched the surrounding area. It didn’t take long before he found a few remaining jade slips lying around. He carefully picked these jade slips up and confirmed that they were not damaged. Only then did he immerse his Divine Sense into the jade slips to check their contents.
A short while later, he revealed a look of pure joy. These jade slips might not contain information that fully described the methods to nurture these Monster Beasts, but there were some scattered records within them.
There were many parts that Yang Kai did not understand; however, that was not a problem. Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Huang, would surely be very interested in these research notes; after all, he rose to the status of Great Emperor by cultivating the Dao of Beast Taming.
Yang Kai solemnly put these jade slips away. Afterwards, he circled around the Grand Hall once more. When he confirmed that he had not missed anything else, he finally continued to head deeper into the palace.
There were many Grand Halls and rooms in this place, but most of them were empty. Apart from those jade slips, Yang Kai did not find anything else that was of value. It was not that this place did not contain great treasures, it was just that too much time had passed and many of these treasures had long since lost their spirituality. Take for example the Monster Cores he came across earlier. Some of those Monster Cores were originally Seventh-Order resources. Unfortunately, they had long since lost their effects and became worthless as a result. Yang Kai also found some artifacts that were of very high quality, but their aura was so dim that they could not be refined at all.
It could be seen that the rosy picture that Black Crow Divine Monarch had previously painted in front of everybody was nothing more than a bunch of nonsense. He simply wanted to borrow their strength to help break the barrier of the Blood Monster Divine Palace. There was no saying where he was hiding at the moment. He might even be refining the Blood Monster Divine Palace right now!
Even if Yang Kai wanted to search for Black Crow Divine Monarch though, he had no idea where to even begin. As such, he could only proceed one step at a time.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai pushed open the door of a room and was surprised to discover a large Alchemy Furnace inside. There were many wooden shelves in the surroundings which contained various herbs and jade bottles.
[Is this the Pill Refining Room?] Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat in excitement. Blood Monster Divine Monarch was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so the things that he would keep in this place would surely be of high quality!
Be that as it may, Yang Kai was disappointed once more when he stepped forward to examine the shelves. There were many herbs on the wooden shelves. Not only were they of very high quality, but they also had various barriers and methods cast on them to preserve them. It was just that far too long had passed so most of the barriers had lost their effects, causing these herbs to lose most of their medical efficacy.
It was the jade bottles that Yang Kai held out some hope for. After checking through the rows of jade bottles, he finally obtained some results. Most of the Spirit Pills in the jade bottles had lost their effects, but Blood Monster Divine Monarch seemed to be fairly skilled in Alchemy. Quite a few of the Spirit Pills here had Pill Veins.
Once a Spirit Pill produced Pills Veins, they would retain their efficacy no matter how much time passed as long as they were properly stored. They would be even more incredible if they formed Pills Clouds, in which case their medicinal efficacies would continue to increase with the passing of time.
Spirit Pills with Pill Clouds were extremely difficult to refine. Many Alchemists might never even refine a single Spirit Pill that formed Pill Clouds in their entire lifetime. Yang Kai had refined countless Spirit Pills since he first started cultivating, but the number which formed Pill Clouds could be counted on one hand.
There were no Spirit Pills with Pill Clouds in this place, but there were quite a few with Pill Veins. Moreover, there was quite a wide variety of them. Some were used to facilitate cultivation and some were for healing purposes. There were also some Yang Kai did not recognise. Nevertheless, he swept all of them into his Space Ring without exception.
When he picked up one of the jade bottles to investigate the content, he couldn’t help but frown as it only had a single Open Heaven Pill.
Blood Monster Divine Monarch was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so why would he place a bottle with a single Open Heaven Pill here with such solemnity?
What surprised Yang Kai even more was that this Open Heaven Pill still retained its medical efficacies.
He casually tossed the bottle into his Space Ring, but just as he was about to continue with his search, he froze in surprise. [That can’t be right. If that really was an Open Heaven Pill, then it should have lost all its medical efficacies over the years. It’s impossible for them to be preserved so perfectly. Besides… that Open Heaven Pill seemed a little different from the other Open Heaven Pills that I’ve seen before.]
Yang Kai quickly took the jade bottle out again and opened it and poured out the single Open Heaven Pill. At a glance, there was no doubt that it was an Open Heaven Pill. Both the size and colour of the Spirit Pill were almost identical to that of a common Open Heaven Pill, but even so, Yang Kai could clearly sense that this Spirit Pill contained an energy that was countless times stronger than ordinary. There was also… a faint hint of the World Force leaking out of this Open Heaven Pill.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged as he immersed it into the Spirit Pill to investigate.
*Hong…*
A wave of dizziness swept over him as it felt as though he had tried to sweep his Divine Sense over an entire Small World; his Soul shaken under the oppression of the World Force. That was not all. A distinct kind of Grand Dao aura emanated from this Open Heaven Pill, making him feel enlightened all of a sudden.
Sucking in a breath of cold air, Yang Kai focused his mind and studied the Spirit Pill in his hand intently. It was not until this moment that he noticed that there were countless fine and delicate patterns on this Open Heaven Pill. These patterns intertwined with each other and covered the entire surface of the Spirit Pill, seeming to contain 10,000 Grand Daos within them. These patterns made a person subconsciously yearn to investigate them further.
These were neither Pill Veins nor Pill Clouds. More importantly, this Spirit Pill was definitely not an ordinary Open Heaven Pill.
Yang Kai suddenly thought of a possibility that excited him so much that his hands trembled.
When he set off from the Star Boundary, Zhang Ruo Xi had once explained to him about the use of Open Heaven Pills. Open Heaven Pills were generally used by Open Heaven Realm Masters to increase their strength. They were also the hard currency used throughout the 3,000 Worlds.
It was just that there were limits to consuming Open Heaven Pills for advancement. Generally, one could only increase their Order twice by consuming Open Heaven Pills, and they became completely useless after that.
The cultivators who had reached this point had also reached the limits of their strength; however, those who were lucky enough to find Innate Open Heaven Pills could go a step further!
The Heavens never sealed off all hope, so there was always a path forward, no matter how narrow and dangerous. There was a mysterious Supreme Treasure in this vast universe known as the Universe Furnace. Most of the time, the Universe Furnace was hidden in the Void and it was something most people would never have the chance to encounter. The Universe Furnace drew upon the very essence of the Universe to produce Innate Open Heaven Pills. These Innate Open Heaven Pills not only had incredibly potent medical efficacies but also carried no side effects for cultivators.
It was rumoured that the cultivation and Order of a cultivator could be improved continuously without any risk or hidden dangers as long as one had enough Innate Open Heaven Pills.
Be that as it may, these Innate Open Heaven Pills were extraordinarily rare and a reign of terror would be unleashed every time the Universe Furnace appeared. Even the Cave-Heavens and Paradises would do everything in their power to snatch these naturally-formed Open Heaven Pills. That was why they were considered treasures that ordinary cultivators would never even lay eyes on. Not many people even knew what these Innate Open Heaven Pills looked like.
The Open Heaven Pills circulating in the 3,000 Worlds today were actually imitations of the Innate ones refined by Alchemists in the ancient past. There was a large difference between imitations and the genuine product, be it in terms of medicinal efficacies or effects.
Yang Kai gulped nervously. He was almost certain that this Spirit Pill in his hand was a legendary Universe Furnace Open Heaven Pill!
Thinking about it carefully though, it was not that surprising. Blood Monster Divine Monarch was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it would not be impossible for him to obtain such a treasure.
This bottle contained only one Spirit Pill, but although this one pill did not seem significant or useful, its value was practically immeasurable. Just imagine; a cultivator who had initially broken through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm then spent countless years and energy to finally advance to the peak Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Unfortunately, this was the pinnacle of his or her life and the limit of their Martial Dao.
At this point, they could not increase their strength again no matter how many Open Heaven Pills they consumed or how many cultivation resources they refined. However, this Innate Open Heaven Pill gave a glimmer of hope in that desperate situation! If that were the case, they would probably agree to any condition just to obtain it.
This Spirit Pill was simply priceless!
Yang Kai’s heart pounded with excitement. Regardless of whatever else he gained, this trip to the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would be worthwhile just with this pill alone.
Yang Kai took a moment to compose himself. Although he was almost certain that what he received was the legendary item, he would still need the Proprietress to verify whether it was genuine; after all, she had far more experience and a better eye than him and would definitely be able to tell whether they were real or fake.
Placing this bottle into the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai continued to look around. The results made him very excited. He actually found 5 bottles with Innate Open Heaven Pills! In other words, he now had 5 of these Spirit Pills!
Yang Kai did not know how many Innate Open Heaven Pills an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would need to consume to advance into the Ninth-Order, but since these 5 pills were stored so carefully here, they would definitely be of at least some use!
Compared to these 5 Spirit Pills, all the other gains he obtained up until now could only be regarded as bonuses. Yang Kai quickly stored them away and looted the rest of the Spirit Pills that could still be used. He didn’t even spare the furnace.
Void Land would surely need to refine their own Open Heaven Pills in the future, and this Alchemy Furnace belonged to Blood Monster Divine Monarch, so it would definitely be of great quality. It would be perfect if he brought this back for Wondrous Pill Great Emperor to use.
Yang Kai exited the Pill Room and continued his search. It was just that he seemed to have used up all his good luck now and had no gains for a while after that.
All of a sudden, he heard a loud rumbling sound coming from the depths of the Blood Monster Divine Palace. This phenomenon made his expression change drastically
At this moment, the only one who could move about freely inside the Blood Monster Divine Palace aside from him was Black Crow Divine Monarch. Seeing as he was not the one creating this sound, then it had to be the doing of Black Crow Divine Monarch. Such a large commotion could only mean that Black Crow Divine Monarch had already begun to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
Yang Kai became desperate. He hurriedly followed the source of the sound but could not find Black Crow Divine Monarch no matter where he searched. On the other hand, the rumbling sounds could occasionally be heard from a certain direction in the Blood Monster Divine Palace. These sounds were extremely upsetting.
He searched for another hour only to find no clues, causing him to grind his teeth hard. If Black Crow Divine Monarch succeeded at refining the Blood Monster Divine Palace, then he would be able to control the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven. At that time, everybody’s life or death would be his to control.
Moreover, Yang Kai had greatly offended Black Crow Divine Monarch, so the first person to die would undoubtedly be him. It was impossible to retreat now, not unless the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened again and ejected them all.
Just as he was at a loss for what to do, Yang Kai suddenly had a tingling feeling in his heart and he turned to look in a certain direction while shouting, “Who!?”
What he saw made his expression freeze in surprise. There was a bright figure floating in mid-air and staring at him expressionlessly. This figure looked like a seven or eight-year-old boy. He seemed to exist between the lines of ethereal and corporeal. Moreover, he wore a child’s traditional outfit. His hair was tied into a braid, making him look very soft and adorable. It was just that his expression was so cold that it was terrifying. Even his gaze gave off an air of indifference.
Yang Kai frowned. This child was clearly not a living creature as he could not sense the slightest hint of vitality coming from the other party. The boy was not a dead creature or a Yin Soul either because he did not give off a gloomy feeling. Rather, he gave Yang Kai a vague sense of familiarity. It felt as though they had met somewhere before… But, Yang Kai could not recall where at the moment.
“Child, who are you?” Yang Kai asked, watching the other party warily.
The child swept his eyes over Yang Kai and said, “I can offer you a fateful encounter. Do you want it?”
It was a child’s voice but it spoke in an old-fashioned manner, so it sounded extremely strange to the ears.
“What do you mean by fateful encounter?” Yang Kai remained unmoved.
The child replied, “This world!”
Yang Kai immediately sneered in response, “Such a small child, but what arrogance! What gives you the right to offer this world to me in the name of a fateful encounter?”
The child calmly said, “You only need to swear a Dao Oath to obey me in the future. Then, I can give you this world.”
Yang Kai rolled his eyes and pursed his lips, “Such a small child spouting such nonsense. Aren’t you afraid that the wind might slice off your tongue? I can’t believe you want me to swear a Dao Oath…”
While speaking, Yang Kai seemed to recall something. He looked the young boy up and down, then he exclaimed in astonishment, “Are you the Artifact Spirit of this place?”
He finally recalled why this small child gave him such a familiar feeling. This was clearly the aura of an Artifact Spirit, similar to how Liu Yan used to be. Combined with the child’s seemingly shameless boasting, how could Yang Kai not realise the truth?
The child nodded, “That’s right. I am the Artifact Spirit of the Blood Monster Divine Palace.”
Yang Kai’s expression turned serious, “Isn’t there somebody refining the Blood Monster Divine Palace right now?”
“Yes!” The child nodded.
Yang Kai became greatly anxious, “If somebody is refining the Blood Monster Divine Palace, then why are you still wasting time here with me!? Why aren’t you stopping him!?”
The child shook his head, “I am just an Artifact Spirit. I can’t stop anybody from refining me, no matter who comes to do so.”
Yang Kai frowned at those words, “Didn’t you just say you can give me this world? Doesn’t that mean you want me to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace?”
“That’s right.”
“Why?” Yang Kai was truly puzzled.
“The one who is trying to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace right now is a great enemy of my Master. I don’t want him to inherit the Blood Monster Divine Palace. So, I came to you.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at those words. This Artifact Spirit was the Artifact Spirit of the Blood Monster Divine Palace, so he definitely inherited a part of Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s will. It made sense that he would instinctively hate Black Crow Divine Monarch, and at this moment, the only one who could move around in the Blood Monster Divine Palace aside from Black Crow Divine Monarch was Yang Kai. That meant that he basically had no other choice!