Yang Kai excitedly said, “Sounds good! Hurry up and tell me how to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace.”
The Artifact Spirit said, “You must first swear a Dao Oath to obey me in the future.”
Yang Kai snarled furiously, “How dare a trivial Artifact Spirit speak so arrogantly? You truly don’t know your place!” [Sure enough; this place is a den of rats and snakes. Blood Monster Divine Monarch was not a good thing during his lifetime, so it makes sense that the Artifact Spirit born from the Blood Monster Divine Palace wouldn’t be good either. I can’t believe he wants to control me.]
“Don’t you want the Blood Monster Divine Palace? Don’t you want the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?” The Artifact Spirit looked at Yang Kai curiously, seeming not to understand why Yang Kai would refuse him.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “What is there in this vast world that can compare to my freedom?”
The Artifact Spirit said, “If you can refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace, then everything in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven will be under your control. You will have endless resources at your fingertips. With enough time, you might even grow to rival the heights of my Master. What is losing a little bit of your freedom in comparison? Besides, I won’t make you do anything that will trouble you even if you swear the Dao Oath. I just want to protect myself.”
Yang Kai looked at the Artifact Spirit in surprise, “You even understand the art of temptation! It looks like your sentience is not that low.” Shaking his head, he continued, “But, you don’t need to waste your efforts on me. I cannot agree with your condition.”
There was no guarantee that he would die even if Black Crow Divine Monarch refined the Blood Monster Divine Palace. On the contrary, his life would be forfeited the moment he agreed to this Artifact Spirit’s condition.
The Artifact Spirit scowled deeply.
Yang Kai said, “Black Crow Divine Monarch was a great enemy of your Master. If he is allowed to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace, do you think he will tolerate your existence? It’s a given that he will immediately wipe out your sentience. If not for that, you would not have come to me on your own. Since you need my help, then don’t bother trying to force such nonsensical conditions on me. Why don’t we cooperate instead?”
The Artifact Spirit asked, “How do we cooperate?”
Yang Kai relaxed slightly when he saw the Artifact Spirit’s attitude. This Artifact Spirit might have some measure of sentience, but he was not a living creature. Seeing as he could ask this question though, then there was room for negotiation.
“Take me to Hei Ya. I will help you to stop him from refining.”
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to stop him,” The Artifact Spirit shook his head disbelieving.
“If I don’t try, how will you know?” Yang Kai looked at the Artifact Spirit, “Compared to standing here waiting for your death, why don’t you take a gamble instead?”
The Artifact Spirit fell silent for a while and only after a long time passed did he respond, “Come with me.”
While saying that, he drifted in a certain direction at an extremely high speed.
Yang Kai did not hesitate and quickly followed.
The Artifact Spirit was born from the Blood Monster Divine Palace, so it was only natural that he knew this place better than anybody else. Yang Kai followed closely behind him, twisting and turning inside the various halls and corridors.
After travelling for a whole quarter hour, Yang Kai suddenly found himself inside a Grand Hall. The Grand Hall was completely empty, with only a Grand Array glowing faintly on the ground. At this moment, a figure was sitting cross-legged at one corner of the Grand Array. Who else could it be but Black Crow Divine Monarch who had taken possession of Zhou Yi’s body?
Blood mist was spreading out from Black Crow Divine Monarch’s body. The crimson-red Blood Qi frantically expanded outward, trying to fill the patterns of the Grand Array. Following his unrelenting actions, the entire Blood Monster Divine Palace rumbled in response.
With a single glance, Yang Kai knew that he could not allow Black Crow Divine Monarch to finish refining the Grand Array in this place. Once Black Crow Divine Monarch finished, then control of the Blood Monster Divine Palace would fall into his hands.
It was obvious that Black Crow Divine Monarch had been refining the Grand Array for some time now. At this moment, approximately 10% of the Grand Array had been taken over by him. The places where he refined were filled with blood mist while the rest of the area was still dull.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this situation. He was not too late yet. Even if he rushed over, there was nothing he could do to stop Black Crow Divine Monarch if too much progress had already been made in the refinement process.
“Artifact Spirit, how dare you disrupt this Monarch’s plans!? The first thing I’m going to do when I finish refining this Blood Monster Divine Palace is to extinguish your Soul!” Black Crow Divine Monarch immediately snapped hatefully when he looked up to see Yang Kai and the Artifact Spirit. After saying that, he turned to Yang Kai and snarled through gritted teeth, “Boy, you’re such a persistent little bastard! Why do you keep getting in this Monarch’s way!? Damn you!”
“Enough nonsense, Hei Ya! Hand over your life!” Yang Kai shouted. Lifting a hand, he summoned the Azure Dragon Spear. A black hole the size of a fist swirled above the tip of the spear, containing Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power. When the spear thrust out, everything around it collapsed.
Rupture!
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s expression changed slightly and the layer of blood mist surrounding his body immediately became denser. At the same time, the area around him turned into a Blood Sea.
Yang Kai plunged into the Blood Sea and fervently attacked with everything he had; however, he could not tell North from South or even up from down inside the Blood Sea. He was unable to determine Black Crow Divine Monarch’s location, much less kill him. In the end, he rushed out of the Blood Sea with an extremely ugly expression after attacking fruitlessly for some time.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s mocking voice came out from within the Blood Sea, “Junior, you don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! You overestimate yourself just because you’re a little capable! Your little tricks are nothing more than pitiful tricks in this Monarch’s eyes. If you want to play so much, then this Monarch will play with you. You better play to your heart’s content!”
The Blood Sea squirmed and a large number of Blood Crow’s charged out from it, clawing loudly. The noise they made was extremely distracting as they swooped down on Yang Kai in an overwhelming manner.
Yang Kai quickly raised his spear and thrust out rapidly. Blood Crow after Blood Crow exploded into blood mist, but they could not be killed completely.
On the contrary, Black Crow Divine Monarch did not stop refining the Grand Array during the battle with Yang Kai. In fact, his blood mist continued to spread towards the middle of the Grand Array at even greater speed!
“What you’re doing is not working.” The Artifact Spirit spoke up from the side, “Nobody can stop him anymore once he finishes refining the Grand Array.”
How could Yang Kai not know that forceful methods were ineffective? It was just that he was currently riding a tiger and had no other solutions to the problem at hand.
“Quickly enter the Grand Array to compete with him for the right of control over the Grand Array,” the Artifact Spirit added.
Yang Kai grimly replied, “It looks like that’s the only way!”
With a flicker of his body, Yang Kai swept out his spear and turned countless Blood Crows into mere splattered blood. Then, he arrived at the opposite corner of the Grand Array in a flash. His Divine Sense surged and burrowed into the Grand Array as he frantically began refining it.
Upon seeing Yang Kai’s actions, how could Black Crow Divine Monarch allow this situation to continue? He controlled the countless Blood Crows to madly swarm Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai was as steady as a rock. Separating his consciousness, he continued refining the Grand Array while simultaneously dealing with the Blood Crows. Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was immensely powerful; moreover, he also had the support of a Supreme Treasure like the Soul Warming Lotus. Hence, it was not difficult for him to do two things at once. It was just that he could not move once he started refining the Grand Array, so he could only stand there and become a target for the Blood Crows. This enraged him greatly!
On opposite sides of the Grand Array, Black Crow Divine Monarch and Yang Kai sat. They were both competing for the right of control over the Grand Array. The person who succeeded in completely refining the Grand Array would have total control over the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
As the Blood Monster Divine Palace was the core of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, controlling the Blood Monster Divine Palace was equivalent to controlling the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It could be said that the lives of the natives and Monster Beasts, as well as all the people who entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, were resting on Yang Kai’s shoulders alone.
However, Yang Kai’s expression soon turned ugly. That was because he discovered that Black Crow Divine Monarch was much faster at refining the Grand Array compared to him.
The blood mist had already occupied 20% of the Grand Array in such a short amount of time. It would not take more than a few more hours for Black Crow Divine Monarch to completely refine it. In the first place, he had begun refining before Yang Kai. This increase in speed clearly indicated that Hei Ya was also working hard to move faster. Thus, it would be difficult for Yang Kai to catch up to him at this rate.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and yelled, “Artifact Spirit, help me!”
The Artifact Spirit shook his head and said, “There’s nothing I can do. Although I was born from this place, my Master has restricted what I can do.”
Yang Kai was so furious that he nearly spat blood, “Then, why were you shamelessly boasting that you can give me this world earlier!?”
He thought that he could easily refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace if he cooperated with the Artifact Spirit. Only now did he realise that he was greatly mistaken.
The Artifact Spirit said, “Although I cannot help you, I can explain the mysteries of the Grand Array to you. Whether or not you can comprehend these mysteries will depend entirely on you.”
“Explain them then!”
The Artifact Spirit immediately began teaching, while Yang Kai listened attentively. By combining the information with the situation in front of him, there was no doubt that his refining speed improved greatly; even so, it was still difficult for him to catch up to Black Crow Divine Monarch’s progress.
As time passed, the Grand Array was gradually flooded with two different colours. One was Black Crow Divine Monarch’s crimson while the other was Yang Kai’s black. Nevertheless, it was very obvious that the area occupied by Black Crow Divine Monarch was much larger than Yang Kai’s. In this huge Grand Array, Black Crow Divine Monarch occupied a little more than 60% of the territory while Yang Kai only occupied some 30% or so.
In the beginning, things had remained somewhat peaceful when they were both refining separately, but once all the parts of the Grand Array had been filled with their respective energies, a clash between them would become inevitable.
Looking down from above, the Grand Array that controlled the Blood Monster Divine Palace was like a large plate. Black Crow Divine Monarch currently held some 65% of the plate while Yang Kai held the rest. If they wanted to occupy the entire plate, then they would first have to drive out their opponent’s power.
When their powers bordered on each other, Yang Kai’s body stiffened. He could feel an immense force rumbling towards him from the opposite side, giving him the feeling that the opposing force was unstoppable. Be that as it may, he had no choice but to defend even if it was futile. He hurriedly urged the part of the Grand Array that he controlled and viciously slammed his energy forward.
*Pu…*
Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. On the other hand, Black Crow Divine Monarch just swayed slightly in response.
In this collision, who was stronger was abundantly clear. Black Crow Divine Monarch had obviously occupied the absolute advantage. This was not something that could be helped. The two of them were currently fighting with their respective control over the Grand Array, it had nothing to do with their personal strength.
For that reason, Black Crow Divine Monarch was going all out. Even the Blood Crows that had been pestering Yang Kai all this while vanished without a trace. It could be seen that he had no time to care about anything else.
During their first clash, Yang Kai clearly felt that a part of his territory had been lost. Black Crow Divine Monarch’s energy continuously crept in his direction and gradually occupied the territory that he controlled previously.
Seeing this, Black Crow Divine Monarch laughed wildly, “Junior, stop being stubborn. Obediently accept your death! It will save you some pain!”
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and ignored the other party.
Black Crow Divine Monarch coldly snorted, “Stubborn fool!”
While speaking, he controlled the power of the Grand Array he controlled and it slammed towards Yang Kai once more.
Even though Yang Kai had prepared himself in advance and used all his strength to defend, he was still overwhelmed. At the same time, he lost another part of the Grand Array that he controlled. It gave Black Crow Divine Monarch a chance to take further control of the Grand Array, allowing his progress to reach 70%.
[I can’t let this continue any longer. Although I still control 30% of the Grand Array, it will only be a matter of time before I am completely overtaken by this Old Dog. If that happens, there will be no hope left.]
“Artifact Spirit, is there any other way to stop him?” Yang Kai asked through gritted teeth while struggling to defend.
The Artifact Spirit remained silent.
Looking at the Artifact Spirit, Yang Kai knew that the other party was powerless to help; thus, he couldn’t help feeling desperate.
Under normal circumstances, the Artifact Spirit would have absolute control over the Blood Monster Divine Palace; however, he had said that Blood Monster Divine Monarch had limited his abilities, so he was utterly powerless to help at this time. Otherwise, he would not have gone to Yang Kai for help in the first place.
*Hong…*
Black Crow Divine Monarch guided the power of the Grand Array to slam towards Yang Kai once more. Even though Yang Kai struggled desperately to defend, he was once again driven back, allowing the territory controlled by Black Crow Divine Monarch to expand a little bit more.
The situation was extremely precarious and Yang Kai had almost fallen into a desperate situation.
Black Crow Divine Monarch let out a wicked cackle, “Boy! Let’s see how long you can resist! The moment this Monarch completely refines this Grand Array will be the moment you die!”
Then, he turned to look at the Artifact Spirit, “And you! It was not easy for you to be born and gain sentience. If you acknowledge and repent for your mistakes, this Monarch is not opposed to forgiving you and sparing your life!”
The Blood Monster Divine Palace was not a living creature so it was indeed extremely difficult for an Artifact Spirit to be born out of it. Besides, his current strength was not that great. If Black Crow Divine Monarch could obtain the support of the Artifact Spirit, then it would be easier for him to control the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If that were not the case, why would he bother wasting his time on a mere Artifact Spirit?
The Artifact Spirit remained silent and glanced in Yang Kai’s direction.
Seeming to notice the Artifact Spirit’s gaze, Yang Kai jerked in surprise and quickly said, “Artifact Spirit, don’t listen to his nonsense! Even if you join him now, things will not end well for you in the future!”
However, the Artifact Spirit drifted over and landed behind Black Crow Divine Monarch and bowed deeply, “This Artifact Spirit greets Master!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch burst into laughter, “Good! Good! Good! Obediently stand to the side. This Monarch will speak to you once I deal with this annoying ant!”
“Yes!” The Artifact Spirit immediately stood to the side.
Yang Kai coldly snorted at the sight. [This Artifact Spirit is completely unreliable after all. A two-faced coward. Earlier, he came to me in hopes that I could defeat Black Crow Divine Monarch. I can’t believe how eagerly he submitted himself to Black Crow Divine Monarch after seeing that I am having trouble defeating the opponent.]
Nevertheless, it didn’t matter who the Artifact Spirit recognised as his Master. It did little to change the current situation since he had no power to interfere with the Grand Array in the first place. For that reason, Yang Kai ignored the Artifact Spirit even though he scorned his actions.
Meanwhile, the attacks from Black Crow Divine Monarch were getting stronger and stronger with each passing moment. The portion of the Grand Array that Yang Kai refined had always been smaller compared to Black Crow Divine Monarch’s; moreover, their repeated collisions caused Yang Kai to lose large tracts of his territory.
On the contrary, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s territory grew larger and larger with each clash. This situation created a vicious cycle that quickly exhausted Yang Kai to the bone. It didn’t take more than an hour before the territory that Yang Kai controlled in the Grand Array was reduced to a mere 20%. At this point, it could be said that he was suffering from a crushing defeat.
Although they were both holding the right of control over the Grand Array, Black Crow Divine Monarch was using 80% of its power against Yang Kai’s 20%. It was practically impossible for Yang Kai to resist.
[Have I reached my limits?] Yang Kai grimly asked himself. [If I fail to stop him here, then he will take control of the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Leaving aside whether or not I can escape if that happens, Qu Hua Shang, Zhang Ruo Xi, Chef, Accountant, Lang Qing Shan, and the others will surely become his prisoners. Knowing Black Crow Divine Monarch’s personality, everybody will be better off dead by then!]
[Chef!] Yang Kai abruptly recalled something and his eyes suddenly lit up with hope. Hurriedly activating his Divine Sense, he released Chef, whom he previously placed into the Small Sealed World.
Earlier, Chef had used a powerful Secret Technique against the Star Turtle, one that consumed a massive amount of his strength, leaving him almost completely drained. As such, Yang Kai later placed him into the Small Sealed World for his safety. He had almost forgotten about him.
At this moment, Yang Kai was facing off against Black Crow Divine Monarch and neither side could afford to be distracted, so whoever had an extra helper would surely gain a huge advantage over the other!
As soon as Chef appeared, he took in his surroundings warily. What entered his eyes left him stunned and he exclaimed in amazement, “What’s going on?”
Black Crow Divine Monarch was just as taken aback. Even though he wanted to ask the same question, it didn’t matter how this fatty appeared in this place as it was incredibly disadvantageous for him. The only thing that reassured him slightly was that this newcomer did not seem to be in a good state.
Even though Chef had recovered some of his strength, his complexion was still very pale and his aura was quite weak.
Yang Kai explained the current situation to Chef in the briefest manner possible.
When Chef finished listening to the explanation, he understood the severity of the matter. Thus, he gritted his teeth and glared at Black Crow Divine Monarch, “In other words, everything will be fine as long as I can take this opportunity to kill this guy, right?”
“You can say that, but…”
Before Yang Kai could finish his sentence, Chef summoned his kitchen knife. His chubby figure moved with indescribable agility as he rushed towards Black Crow Divine Monarch and roared, “Old Dog, die!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s expression was incredibly gloomy. Things had reached a critical juncture where he was about to take full control over the Grand Array. He initially thought that this matter would be settled soon, but how could he have predicted that a disturbance would pop up at the last moment?
While Black Crow Divine Monarch was not afraid of Chef, he was forced to split his attention in order to defend against him. Opening his mouth, he spewed out a massive blood cloud that wrapped around Chef tightly.
Yang Kai glanced in that direction and saw that Chef could no longer be seen. All that could be seen were the wriggling and squirming movements coming from within the blood cloud. In addition, violent bursts of energy would occasionally erupt from within the blood cloud. It was obvious that Chef was struggling fiercely!
Yang Kai ground his teeth. There was no time for him to be concerned about Chef’s safety though. Taking this opportunity, he quickly drew upon the power of the Grand Array to counterattack.
Black Crow Divine Monarch had anticipated this move though and pretended that he was being pushed back, retreating slightly before suddenly surging forward with a counterattack.
Yang Kai was caught off guard. Not only did he fail to turn the situation around, but he made the situation worse instead! This outcome nearly depressed him to the point of spitting blood!
*Hong…*
Chef, who had been enveloped in the crimson blood cloud finally broke out at that moment. His eyes were widened with rage and the kitchen knife in his hand glinted with a cold light. He was about to charge forward once more when Yang Kai hurriedly sent a Divine Sense transmission to him, “Attack the Grand Array!”
At this moment, it was unrealistic to try and wrestle control of the Grand Array from Black Crow Divine Monarch; the latter held the absolute advantage in this situation. If things were to continue, nobody would be able to stop Black Crow Divine Monarch once he completely assimilated Yang Kai’s territory.
Since competing for control was no longer viable, then they could only choose to destroy the Grand Array. In the worst case, it would be ruined for good and nobody could try to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace again.
Chef’s eyes brightened and he nodded at those words, “Good idea!”
Following that, he brought his knife slashing down on the patterns of the Grand Array that covered the ground.
Black Crow Divine Monarch paled in shock at the sight and roared, “Junior, you dare?!”
Chef just sneered, “Watch me!”
His attack did not falter in the slightest and the blade light sliced down hard.
At the same time, Yang Kai took the opportunity to counterattack. He needed to distract Black Crow Divine Monarch so that the latter could not interfere with Chef.
A series of clanging noises rang out and sparks flew in all directions. Both Yang Kai and Chef were a little dumbfounded by the situation. Chef’s attack was incredibly fierce, but even so, it did no damage to the Grand Array at all.
Black Crow Divine Monarch burst out laughing at this sight, “Ignorant child! This Control Array was arranged personally by that old dog Xue Yao! It cost him a massive fortune to even just refine its base! How could it be something you pitiful weaklings could destroy? Stop making me laugh!”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened, “Don’t listen to his nonsense! Just keep attacking!”
Chef gritted his teeth and grunted in reply. Leaping onto the Grand Array, he used all his strength to launch a barrage of attacks down on it.
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s expression remained calm though. When he saw that Chef could not damage the Grand Array in any way, he stopped trying to interfere and simply watched coldly from the sidelines.
After attacking for some time, Chef panted for breath and called out, “Brat, this isn’t working. My strength isn’t high enough. I’m afraid this method will not work.”
Yang Kai’s expression was extremely ugly. At this moment, he only retained control over some 10% of the Grand Array. It could be said that he was being pushed into a corner, literally. Black Crow Divine Monarch only needed to attack a few more times to completely remove his energy from the Grand Array. If that happened, Black Crow Divine Monarch would easily refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace and take control of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
[The situation is desperate!] Yang Kai sighed. [It looks like I will have to use the Divine Ability Bead given to me by Proprietress in this place.]
He was very reluctant to use this Divine Ability Bead unless he really had no other choice. Besides, he did not know whether the Divine Ability Bead could destroy the Grand Array. Proprietress might be powerful, but she was only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. How much power her Divine Ability Bead could unleash remained unknown, so it would be a waste if it had no effect on the current situation,
It had been extremely difficult for the Proprietress to refine this Divine Ability Bead, so how could he willingly let it go to waste? But, Yang Kai had no choice now that things had come to this. He had to use it even if he was reluctant. Aside from the Divine Ability Bead, he had no other means to stop Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Yang Kai glared coldly in the direction of Black Crow Divine Monarch, but just as he was about to bring out the Divine Ability Bead, his gaze landed on the Artifact Spirit. A light flashed through his eyes at that moment and a bold conjecture emerged from the depths of his heart in the next moment. Then, he secretly sent a Divine Sense transmission to Chef.
Chef was still gasping for breath, but he raised his brow at those words and nodded almost imperceptibly. Swinging his kitchen knife, he slashed several dozen sword lights towards Black Crow Divine Monarch.
Black Crow Divine Monarch coldly snorted, “How dare a mere ant act so impudent!?”
The blood mist around his body boiled and countless Blood Crows flew out to meet the sword lights. They cawed noisily when they were cut down but still easily blocked the assault.
Taking this opportunity, Chef raised his hand and summoned his chopping block. He casually tossed the block out and it rapidly enlarged, radiating a strange aura as it quickly slid under its target.
At the same time, Chef’s figure abruptly swelled up and became massive. He looked extremely ferocious. The apron around his waist was covered in grease stains and the ‘Butcher’ character stretching across his chest was absolutely horrifying. He grinned savagely as he roared, “I am the knife and chopping block, you are the fish!”
The Artifact Spirit jerked in surprise. He was astonished to discover that he was standing on top of the chopping block without him noticing. Furthermore, he was being restrained by a strange force. He couldn’t help feeling the situation was all rather absurd. At this moment, he felt like a pig waiting to be slaughtered.
How could Black Crow Divine Monarch not realise Chef’s intentions after seeing this situation? He did not know what effects would come from killing the Artifact Spirit, but he did not dare to take this gamble; hence, he roared, “Don’t you dare!”
Raising his arm, he shot a blood arrow in Chef’s direction.
Yang Kai flashed forward. At this moment, he completely gave up on the territory he had been guarding.
If Black Crow Divine Monarch wanted, he could have taken this opportunity to finish refining the Grand Array, it was just that he was distracted in his efforts to stop Chef and failed to notice this point. By the time he realized Yang Kai was attacking, the spear was already rapidly enlarging in his vision. The pitch-black Golden Crow’s True Fire lingered at the tip of the spear and its power was too great for him to simply ignore.
The spear shadows shrouded the sky, looming over Black Crow Divine Monarch. It was accompanied by crackling sounds that rang out endlessly.
Hei Ya gave a furious roar. Under normal circumstances, it would have been easy for him to block this attack from Yang Kai. In the worst case, he could simply dodge; however, he was currently in the last stages of refining the Grand Array, so not only was he unable to move, but most of his attention was also focused on the Array itself. There was no way for him to avoid this attack, much less defend himself.
His entire body was instantly riddled with holes by Yang Kai’s spear and countless large and bloody holes appeared on his body, gushing with fresh blood. Any other person would have died from such injuries, but he had cultivated the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture. He even resurrected on the spot after being split in two by the protective Divine Ability from Pei Wen Xuan’s Identity Token; hence, Black Crow Divine Monarch’s injuries would only cause him to expend his Qi and did not threaten his life in any way.
At the same time, Chef made several consecutive chopping motions with his kitchen knife all while shouting, “Chop chop chop!”
A chilling blade light loomed down upon the Artifact Spirit. Three breaths later, Chef gave a muffled groan. His enlarged body deflated rapidly and the chopping block flew back into his hands. His complexion as pale as a sheet, he muttered weakly, “It’s up to you now.”
When he last used this Secret Technique, he had exhausted all his energy in an instant; thus, Yang Kai had placed him into the Small Sealed World for his safety. Performing this Secret Technique again after such a short time made his condition worsen even more than the first time. Yang Kai quickly appeared beside Chef at that moment, lifted a hand to grab him, and tossed him into the Small Sealed World.
On the other hand, the flesh around Black Crow Divine Monarch’s wounds squirmed vigorously and his injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. At this moment, Yang Kai was no longer opposing him in the Grand Array and it could be said that there was nothing stopping him now. As long as he willed it, he would be able to refine the Grand Array to completion. Even so, he seemed numb to this fact and was simply staring in the Artifact Spirit’s direction with an ugly expression.
Similarly, Yang Kai was watching the Artifact Spirit closely. His spear was held loosely by his side and his expression was a mixture of nervousness and vigilance. His other hand was holding the Proprietress’ Divine Ability Bead; moreover, his strength was circulating wildly, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.
The Artifact Spirit looked perfectly fine, standing there motionlessly as though Chef’s Secret Technique had been completely ineffective on him.
Black Crow Divine Monarch burst out laughing, cackling so hard that he nearly cried; however, his expression began to stiffen in the middle of his laughter.
The Artifact Spirit lowered his head to look down at his body. All of a sudden, he gave a soft sigh and murmured to himself, “This is fine too.”
While speaking, his body shattered without warning and turned into wisps of light that soon faded into nothing. He was just an Artifact Spirit without any real defensive strength, so how could he withstand the ferocious attacks of Chef’s Secret Technique when he could not mobilise the power of the Blood Monster Divine Palace?
The Artifact Spirit was annihilated!
Both the gazes of Yang Kai and Black Crow Divine Monarch turned to look at the Grand Array in unison. Yang Kai’s gaze was cold while Black Crow Divine Monarch’s entire face twitched.
*Kacha…*
A soft sound suddenly came from the Grand Array and they both looked over to see that a crack had appeared in one of its corners.
Yang Kai was overjoyed. How could he not realise that his conjecture had been correct? The Artifact Spirit might have seemed useless, but his very existence was closely tied to the Grand Array. Chef might have been powerless to destroy the Grand Array, but killing the Artifact Spirit was well within his means.
As soon as the Artifact Spirit was destroyed, the Grand Array was deeply affected too. There was no reason to hesitate, so Yang Kai thrust his spear at the crack.
“Don’t even think about it!” Black Crow Divine Monarch roared furiously and a blood arrow shot directly at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai used his Dragon Shields to protect himself while focusing all his strength into his spear thrust.
*Hong…*
A violent force burst forth and the crack in the Grand Array immediately spread outward like a spiderweb.
At the same time, the Dragon Shields protecting Yang Kai shattered to pieces and his body was sent flying out.
*Kacha…*
A series of cracking sounds came from various spots of the Grand Array. Black Crow Divine Monarch hurriedly activated his power to try to stabilize the situation, but unfortunately for him, the damage had already been done. There was nothing he could do to reverse it with his current strength.
It didn’t take longer than ten breaths before the Grand Array completely lost all spirituality and broke apart.
“Damn you, Junior!” Black Crow Divine Monarch felt as though his eyes were going to explode at the sight. The raging flames of fury in him threatened to burn him alive. There was only a little bit left to refine! If he finished refining that remaining bit, then he would have gained complete control over the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. At that time, recovering to his full strength would have been a breeze. However, that little bit was now as wide and deep as a mountain valley. He had fallen short at the very last moment!
There had never been a time where the murderous intent he felt towards Yang Kai had been so intense. Although Yang Kai had ruined his plans back at the blood lake, it had not affected the overall situation. He had managed to possess Zhou Yi’s body and came back to life in the end. Unlike that time though, there was no way to recover from this loss.
A deep sense of regret filled Black Crow Divine Monarch’s heart. If he had known this would happen earlier, he would have slaughtered Yang Kai back at the blood lake. If he had known earlier, he would never have allowed Yang Kai to enter the Blood Monster Divine Palace! But, it was too late for regrets now!
Yang Kai stood up and wiped at the trickle of blood at the corner of his lips before letting out a wild loud laugh, “Hei Ya, let’s see how you refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace now!”
Black Crow Divine Monarch’s voice was low, but his entire body gave off a bone-chilling coldness, “Since I can’t refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace, this Monarch will refine you instead!”
Yang Kai’s heart clenched. He knew that he had truly enraged Black Crow Divine Monarch by ruining his plans. [It looks like this guy is determined to kill me now.]
Before Black Crow Divine Monarch could do anything though, a huge change suddenly occurred. A rumbling sound came from the depths of the Blood Monster Divine Palace, like distant thunder. Both Yang Kai and Black Crow Divine Monarch looked surprised.
Releasing their Divine Senses, they examined their surroundings and it didn’t take long for their expressions to change drastically. That was because the Blood Monster Divine Palace was showing signs of collapse. The surrounding walls came crumbling down one after another, turning the structure into ruins. Similarly, the bedrooms and Grand Halls also came crashing down with a loud rumble.
Yang Kai never imagined that destroying the Artifact Spirit would trigger a chain reaction of this scale. First, the Grand Array had broken apart, and now, even the Blood Monster Divine Palace would soon cease to exist.
Regardless, this was a good thing for Yang Kai. His friends had been trapped inside that strange Nothingness Array and were unable to extricate themselves, so if the Blood Monster Divine Palace was destroyed, then they would regain their freedom. With that thought in mind, Yang Kai’s figure flashed away as his voice lingered in the air, “Hei Ya, I’ll spare your life today. I’ll definitely kill you when we meet again!”
How could Black Crow Divine Monarch allow Yang Kai to escape though? He roared, “Don’t even dream about escaping!”
His entire body shuddered for a moment and a blood cloud that blocked out the whole sky appeared. However, Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so if he was determined to flee, there was no way for Black Crow Divine Monarch to stop him without sealing the world in advance. Yang Kai vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving behind Black Crow Divine Monarch who was so furious that he nearly coughed up blood in response.
The reason Yang Kai fled was not that he was afraid of Black Crow Divine Monarch. The Old Dog might be powerful, but he was not yet an Open Heaven Realm Master. If it came down to a fight, neither of them would come out unscathed. On the contrary, Yang Kai was thinking that the Blood Monster Divine Palace contained many treasures. Now that it was on the verge of collapse, he was anxious to do one last search to see if he could find anything else of value. He barely had any time to search though when the entire Blood Monster Divine Palace fell apart completely.
One after another, numerous silhouettes suddenly appeared in the initial mountain valley, every one of them in a miserable state. All of these people had entered the Blood Monster Divine Palace, but their situation was different from Yang Kai’s. They had been trapped inside the world of white from the moment they entered the Blood Monster Divine Palace, unable to tell North from South or find an exit.
Yang Kai had relied on the power of his Golden Crow’s True Fire and the guidance of a Remnant Soul he helped to break free of that Array, but the others had neither the strength or the luck to do so. It was not until this moment when the Blood Monster Divine Palace collapsed completely that they were freed.
Looking around, there was no trace of the Blood Monster Divine Palace. All that remained in front of them was a huge ruin. Therefore, they couldn’t help feeling shocked. Nobody knew what had happened earlier, but before they could recover from their shock, they heard a gloomy roar. Immediately after that, an overwhelming aura enveloped them.
Somebody shouted in horror, “It’s the Star Turtle!”
The Seventh-Order Monster Beast was still guarding the mountain valley. Having lost all his targets when all the cultivators fled into the Blood Monster Divine Palace previously, how could it hold back when it saw these people re-appear? Countless rays of yellow light shot out like a storm of arrows, raining down on the cultivators. Many of the cultivators were caught off guard and nearly lost their lives as a result.
The Star Turtle had previously been restrained thanks to the efforts of Yang Kai and his allies, not to mention that they had prepared themselves in advance. The current events had happened so abruptly though that none of them could stop the might of this Seventh-Order Monster Beast. It didn’t matter whether it was the disciples from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises or the cultivators from weaker forces. All of them quickly fled for their lives.
Yang Kai was also flying away at the time when he spotted Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan. Each of them was fleeing in different directions. Zhang Ruo Xi was following closely beside Gu Pan. It was likely that Gu Pan had located Zhang Ruo Xi as soon as they were freed from the Spirit Array.
Yang Kai was about to join up with them when a blood cloud appeared in front of him. The blood cloud morphed into Black Crow Divine Monarch’s furious face and his eyes searched the surroundings as his howls rang out endlessly, “Boy, show yourself!”
“Persistent bastard!” Yang Kai was a little annoyed. He knew that Black Crow Divine Monarch was not going to let him go this time, so he stopped trying to chase after Gu Pan and the others; instead, he summoned the Shadowless Veil and covered himself, concealing himself in an instant.
The Shadowless Veil was an absolutely invincible artifact in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was impossible to trace by anybody below the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm, much less Black Crow Divine Monarch who was just a Remnant Soul that did not have such a powerful Divine Sense.
Just as Yang Kai was considering if he should take the chance to launch a sneak attack on Black Crow Divine Monarch, the world rumbled. It was followed by a deafening sound. Large fissures suddenly appeared throughout the sky like ferocious and terrifying wounds. That was not all. Continuous rumbling sounds also came from the deep underground. Countless large ravines suddenly emerged, turning many places into canyons that were thousands of metres deep.
The world split apart and rumbled violently! Cracks and ravines continued to extend outward while at the same time, more scars appeared in the sky.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded for a moment. It took a long while for him to realise what was happening but once he did, a bitter taste filled his mouth as he muttered, “This is bad.”
He never imagined that the chain reaction from killing the Artifact Spirit was not over yet. It was not until this moment that the true extent of the consequences appeared. The entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven was about to collapse!
Thinking about it again, this was not too surprising. Black Crow Divine Monarch wanted to refine the Blood Monster Divine Palace in order to seize control of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. That meant that the Blood Monster Divine Palace was the core of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Now that the Blood Monster Divine Palace was destroyed, it made sense that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would also be affected.
If the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had been completely stable, it might not have been affected so badly. Unfortunately, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was already showing signs of collapsing in recent years. The destruction of the Blood Monster Divine Palace was simply the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
When the Blood Monster Cave Heaven first appeared, there was only one entrance. That entrance had been firmly controlled by the major Cave-Heavens and Paradises. Only disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises had the right to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven to train, gain experience, and search for treasures.
With the passage of time though, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven became more and more unstable. There were signs that it was gradually merging with the Blood Monster Territory. The most obvious sign was that more and more entrances were appearing. This was the result of both worlds colliding and coming into contact with each other.
Consequently, it became difficult for the Cave-Heavens and Paradises to maintain control over the entrances. Things gradually evolved into a situation similar to what happened when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven most recently opened. Everybody would each occupy a spot in the Blood Monster Territory and wait for entrances to appear to enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s opening evolved into a huge event throughout the entire 3,000 Worlds, drawing countless cultivators to this place.
In any case, it was undeniable that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had become unstable. This was something Mo Mei and the others from Abundance City had also mentioned. One day, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would eventually merge with the Blood Monster Territory and dissipate into it. When that happened, the Universe Cave Heaven left behind by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be completely exposed to the outside world.
The collapse of the Blood Monster Divine Palace had simply hastened the timeline.
With the collapse of the world, a scene of the apocalypse approaching spread to all corners of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. The world hummed continuously, as though crying. Countless Monster Beasts hiding in the depths of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven fled for their lives in a panic. The native cultivators living in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven looked up at the sky, ashen-faced with despair filling their souls.
Their ancestors had been captured by Blood Monster Divine Monarch, who then planted a Blood Principles Restriction in them so that they could only live and breed inside his Small Universe. If not for the Blood Principles Restriction, they would have been the happiest about the collapse of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. That was because they could finally be free of the restrictions of this world and head out into the vast 3,000 Worlds instead. Unfortunately, they were trapped in this world and unable to leave because of the Blood Principles Restriction in their bodies. Once they stopped receiving nourishment from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s aura, they would all die!
In the mountain valley where the Blood Monster Divine Palace used to stand, Black Crow Divine Monarch rampaged around as a blood cloud to search for Yang Kai. Everywhere he went, he left a reign of terror in his wake. Countless cultivators had the vital essence of their bodies devoured by him and died on the spot.
Yang Kai remained hidden for some time before he suddenly thought of something and couldn’t help cursing aloud, “Damn it!”
He originally wanted to remain hidden until the end as once the Blood Monster Cave Heaven collapsed completely, he would be able to escape from here and return to the Blood Monster Territory.
Black Crow Divine Monarch would not be able to continue to do as he pleased in the Blood Monster Territory. He was cruel and ruthless. Moreover, he was an Old Monster from the distant past that came back to life through possession. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises would never let him walk free. It was not that they were allies of justice and wished to purge evil out of kindness. Rather, it was that an Old Monster like Black Crow Divine monarch would surely have many valuable secrets on him. His strength was still rather low at the moment, so if they could capture him, then they could interrogate him for information and receive some benefits. At the very least, he knew the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light. Such a Heaven-defying Secret Art would surely tempt some people.
However, Yang Kai suddenly recalled Mo Mei and the others in Abundance City. It was very safe for him to hide there as with the Shadowless Veil concealing his body and his aura, Black Crow Divine Monarch would never be able to find him amidst all the surrounding chaos. However, wouldn’t the people in Abundance City die if the Blood Monster Cave Heaven collapsed completely?
Earlier, Yang Kai even went out of his way to ask Black Crow Divine Monarch for the Secret Technique to remove the Blood Principles Restriction. Didn’t he do that so that he could help the people in Abundance City? Not only were they related to the Proprietress, but Yang Kai also had his eye on their potential. It was almost certain that Mo Mei and the other Great Elders were existences who could advance into the Open Heaven Realm as long as he could save them!
They had lived their entire lives in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, so they had no place to go even if they left this place; therefore, it should not be a problem to take them into Void Land if he could save them. Void Land was currently in urgent need of Open Heaven Realm Masters, so Yang Kai could not let such a good opportunity pass him by.
When that thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t afford to be so cautious anymore. Doing his best to conceal his figure and his aura, Yang Kai hurried in the direction of Abundance City while secretly praying fervently in his heart. [I hope the Blood Monster Cave Heaven doesn’t collapse too quickly. At the very least, please wait until I finish removing the Blood Principles Restriction from the people in Abundance City!]
After flying for some time, he finally stepped out of Black Crow Divine Monarch’s detection range; thus, he was no longer held back by any scruples and increased his speed to a whole other level. Manipulating Space Principles, his figure flickered again and again to reach Abundance City at a high speed.
Humongous Void Cracks would appear in front of him from time to time. These were the signs the World was collapsing. Large tracts of land in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven vanished, flowing into these Void Cracks and disappearing. Under these circumstances, most people would have a hard time moving forward as they would be swallowed into the Void Cracks if they were not careful.
Yang Kai could feel the aura of the Blood Monster Territory coming from these Void Cracks. In other words, there was no danger even if a person was swallowed into them. The most likely scenario would simply be finding themselves back in the Blood Monster Territory. After understanding this point, he felt slightly more at ease. It shouldn’t be a problem for Accountant, Lang Qing Shan, Zhang Ruo Xi, and the others to return to the Blood Monster Territory safely.
Thanks to his mastery of Space Principles, Yang Kai could detect the existence of these Void Cracks in advance; hence, he was not greatly delayed in his travels.
While moving forward, Yang Kai separated a thread of his consciousness and immersed his mind into the jade slip given to him by Black Crow Divine Monarch. He had glanced through the contents of the jade slip earlier, and based on his foundation in the Blood Light Scripture thanks to the few chapters that he comprehended previously, he could basically confirm that the contents of the jade slip were real and this information could indeed remove the Blood Principles Restriction.
It was just that he had never used this Secret Technique before. Even though he was confident he could reach Abundance City in time, time would still be very tight. He needed to practice what he learned from the jade slip in advance. That was the only way he could rescue all the people in Abundance City in the shortest time possible.
The collapse in the World was becoming more and more obvious, so there was a possibility that it would fall apart at any moment. Therefore, Yang Kai became anxious and desperately rushed towards Abundance City. It was just that there was still some distance to go. It would still take at least half a day before he could arrive so all he could do was fervently pray that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would last for a little longer.
Four or five hours later, Yang Kai had already gone over the contents of the jade slip a hundred times. He was very skilful in theory, so now he just needed practical experience to pull it off.
At this moment, a panicked figure suddenly rushed in Yang Kai’s direction like a headless fly. His figure floated about erratically and his complexion was extremely pale. He was a young man in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. It was just that the energy fluctuation coming from his body indicated that the Order of the Open Heaven Elements that he condensed was not very high.
Yang Kai initially planned to ignore this person, but a sudden idea came to mind. With a flash of his figure, Yang Kai arrived next to that person and captured him. At the same time, he did not stop moving and continued to head towards Abundance City.
The young man instinctively fought back after being caught so suddenly; however, the power that leaked out of Yang Kai’s hand shocked him. He could tell that he was not Yang Kai’s opponent at all, so he wisely gave up struggling and simply looked at Yang Kai in puzzlement, “Who are you? Why did you capture me?”
Yang Kai asked, “Are you a cultivator born in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?”
“So what if I am?” The young man gritted his teeth.
[As expected, he is a native after all.] Yang Kai did not waste any time and got straight to the point, “Do you want to live?”
The young man was stunned as he thought to himself, [Isn’t that a stupid question?] Still, he bitterly replied, “Who would want to die if they can live?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Good. I want to perform an experiment on you. If it works, you’ll survive. If it doesn’t…”
The young man sighed and gloomily said, “I don’t know what you want to do, but you don’t need to waste your energy. You’re an Outer World visitor, right? I’m afraid you don’t know, but those who live in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven have a restriction placed on our bloodline. As long as this restriction exists, we can never leave the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. We will immediately explode and die without the nourishment of this World’s aura. Now that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven is about to collapse, we can only wait for our deaths to come to us.”
“I know about the Blood Principles Restriction. What I want to do is remove it.”
The young man was dumbfounded, but immediately after, his eyes lit up, “Do you have a way to remove the Blood Principles Restriction?”
He originally thought that his only option was to wait for death. All the cultivators who lived in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had heard from their Elders that they would die alongside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven once this land ceased to exist. That was because the Blood Principles Restriction would immediately activate without the nourishment of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s aura.
When the changes in the world occurred and the apocalypse arrived, all the native cultivators living in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven suddenly realised that what their Elders mentioned was about to come true. Unfortunately, all they could do was prolong their dying breath. When he had fled from his residence, he never imagined that he would encounter a person with the ability to remove the Blood Principles Restriction. It was only natural that he became overjoyed.
“Yes. But, I have no idea whether it will work!” Yang Kai replied truthfully. He had never experimented with the Secret Technique in the jade slip after all. Only the Heavens knew whether Black Crow Divine Monarch had done anything to the Secret Technique, although the possibility was small.
“Go ahead and try. In the worst case, I’ll just die if it doesn’t work,” the young man quickly said. He originally thought that there was no way to escape death. But now, a chance for survival had appeared in front of him. It was only natural that he firmly grasped this opportunity.
Yang Kai gently nodded, “In that case, cooperate with me and don’t resist.”
While speaking, Yang Kai cut his fingertip and squeezed out a drop of blood. He flicked his wrist, turning the drop of blood into blood mist. After that, he used one hand to guide the blood mist so that it formed into a mysterious seal.
“Go!” Yang Kai raised his hand and slapped the seal against the young man’s forehead. The seal sank into the young man’s body and disappeared.
The young man’s body shuddered slightly; then, an inexplicable look appeared in his eyes.
“How is it?” Yang Kai asked anxiously.
The young man smacked his lips, “I can’t say for sure, but I feel a little more relaxed for some reason.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened, “A little more relaxed?” [If he can feel something, then it can only mean that the Secret Technique is working!]
The young man said, “I can’t confirm whether the Blood Principles Restriction has been removed or not. I will only know when this place collapses completely.”
If he was not dead when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven collapsed, then that would mean he no longer needed the nourishment of this World’s aura. It would also mean that Yang Kai’s methods had worked.
“There’s no need to go to such trouble. I’ll send you somewhere.” How could Yang Kai possibly wait until the Blood Monster Cave Heaven collapsed? It would be too late by then. He tossed the young man in his grasp into the Small Sealed World while speaking. At the same time, he paid close attention to the young man’s condition.
It was not as if he had never thought of hiding the people from Abundance City in the Small Sealed World to bring them out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven; it was just that the limitations of the Blood Principles Restriction had ruined his plans. The Small Sealed World was an independent world, so without removing the Blood Principles Restriction, rashly sending Mo Mei and the others into the Small Sealed World was tantamount to sending them to their deaths.
At this moment, the success of the Secret Technique recorded in the jade slip obtained from Black Crow Divine Monarch depended entirely on the young man’s survival.
Under Yang Kai’s careful watch, the young man entered the Small Sealed World and looked around his surroundings in confusion, not feeling uncomfortable in any way. After a while, he seemed to realise what had happened and threw his head back to release something that seemed to be a mixture of a roar and laughter. The excitement and joy in his heart could not be expressed.
He initially thought that he had no other option aside from death. Unexpectedly, he encountered a person who helped him remove the Blood Principles Restriction and sent him to an unfamiliar world. Although he had no idea what kind of world this was, at least he no longer needed to worry about dying. The feeling of waiting helplessly for his death was not something he ever wanted to experience again!
Yang Kai let out a small breath of relief. It would now seem that the jade slip given to him by Black Crow Divine Monarch was real. The Secret Technique recorded inside had not been falsified.
Thinking about it again, it made sense. The situation had been very urgent at the time, so Black Crow Divine Monarch had no time to do anything after he came up with his request. It was one thing if he was completely clueless about the Blood Light Scripture; however, Yang Kai had comprehended several chapters of the Blood Light Scripture. If Black Crow Divine Monarch had falsified the information, there was a chance Yang Kai might have noticed something. Besides, this Secret Technique was unrelated to the Core Secret Art of the Blood Light Scripture, so Black Crow Divine Monarch was more than happy to oblige.
Now that it had been proven that the Secret Technique worked, all that was left was whether or not Yang Kai could arrive at Abundance City before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven collapsed.
In addition to his joy though, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling troubled. The residents in Abundance City were neither too many nor too few, somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 in total. It would take a lot of time for him to remove the Blood Principles Restriction from so many people. Clearly, he would not be able to rescue everybody. Still, he could only do his best and leave the rest up to fate!
Space Principles fluctuated and Yang Kai’s figure flashed erratically. The shaking in the world had gotten worse, and the World Principles in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven were showing signs of shattering. He became extremely anxious. Even though he was travelling very quickly, it had taken him half a day’s time before he could see the lake where Abundance City was located in the distance.
At this moment, the Spirit Array outside Abundance City had been destroyed due to the changes in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. In the first place, the lake was a product formed from an Illusion Array, not a real existence. At this moment, it had become heavily distorted and Yang Kai could vaguely see the cultivators of Abundance City fleeing in a panic through the Spirit Array’s disguise.
Just before he arrived at Abundance City, an incomparably large ravine suddenly appeared outside Abundance City. It was immediately followed by the appearance of another Void Crack in the sky, as though the sky had been torn apart.
Abundance City, along with several hundred kilometres of land in the surrounding areas, were swallowed up by the Void Crack and vanished in an instant. Screams rang out from all over Abundance City and many of the cultivators turned pale with fear as they stood absolutely petrified.
Yang Kai’s heart sank at the sight! Despite his rush, he was still one step too late. Nevertheless, he did not slow his pace. His figure shifted and he rushed straight into the Void Crack. A wave of dizziness washed over him, but he ignored it. His Divine Sense was fixed firmly upon the land where Abundance City was located as he hurriedly gave chase.
…
The Blood Monster Territory was a vast and desolate void. It was one of the few Great Territories without any great forces or even living creatures.
The Blood Monster Territory was originally no different from other Great Territories with several great forces and many Universe Worlds. However, things changed because of the entrances of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven that would appear at random all over the Blood Monster Territory. These entrances eventually resulted in the instability and collapse of the Universe Worlds, as well as the destruction of the Spirit Provinces. Thus, this Great Territory became dead and silent over time. Only when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened would it become extremely lively once more.
At present, countless cultivators were gathered on top of a large platform in the middle of the Blood Monster Territory. There were as many Open Heaven Realm Masters here as the hairs on an ox, including many in the Mid-Rank.
It was unknown which Senior Expert had brought out the platform, but it had become the base of many cultivators. These Open Heaven Realm Masters had led their disciples here to participate in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, and after their disciples had entered, there was no reason for them to wait around doing nothing. Hence, they gathered here and this place became a kind of shopping district.
With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered together, meeting up with friends or holding an exchange meeting was a great way to pass the time. They might even obtain some unexpected benefits in this place.
At this moment, all the cultivators in the shopping district were staring at the void around them in shock. Half a day ago, some unusual changes seemed to have taken place in the Blood Monster Territory. It started out with frequent space fluctuations, followed by the emergence of large Void Cracks. Many people could even see the situation inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven through these Void Cracks.
“Proprietress, what’s going on?” Bai Qi asked with a frown while looking at the Void Crack located a thousand kilometres away.
The Proprietress’ expression was unbelievably solemn as she observed the situation for a while before shaking her head, “I’m not sure. But, something seems to have happened in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
Yue He suddenly became nervous, “Something happened in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? What will happen to the Young Master?”
The Proprietress remained silent. Yang Kai, Chef, Accountant, and the others were all in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Even so, nobody knew what the situation was like inside. Judging by the situation in front of them though, something major had happened.
After pondering in silence for some time, the Proprietress took out several communication beads and sent out various messages to inquire about the situation.
A figure suddenly flew over from not far away and landed beside her. It was the man with a crown on his head from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, Guo Nu. He asked, “Junior Sister Lan, do you know what happened?”
She glanced sidelong at him and sneered, “How would I know when even Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven doesn’t know?”
Still, he shook his head, “First Inn is renowned for its intelligence-gathering abilities. Did you not hear anything about this?”
The Proprietress might be annoyed with him, but she was in no mood to argue at the moment. Hence, she simply shook her head in response, “This happened too suddenly. I have not received any news. What’s wrong? Are you worried about your treasured apprentice?”
“That kid might have good aptitude, but he does not have much experience with worldly affairs. It’s inevitable that I will worry about him.” Guo Nu sighed. In this field, it was not easy to find a disciple suitable to inherit his mantle. It was only natural that he regarded his Disciple like a treasure.
Bai Qi asked, “Proprietress, could it be that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven is about to close?”
Guo Nu shook his head, “The closing of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would not have created such a huge commotion. The current situation seems a bit more like…”
“Like what?” Bai Qi asked.
Guo Nu said nothing. He simply glanced at the Proprietress, who solemnly spoke, “It looks like the Blood Monster Cave Heaven is collapsing.”
Bai Qi jumped in fright and exclaimed in shock, “The Blood Monster Cave Heaven is collapsing!? Why so suddenly!?”
Although everybody knew that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would collapse and merge completely with the Blood Monster Territory one day, that was something far in the future. Anybody would be surprised to be faced with this situation so suddenly.
“Something is coming out,” Yue He suddenly pointed at one of the Void Cracks in front.
The words had only just left her mouth when they saw numerous figures rushing out of the Void Crack. Upon a closer look, it turned out to be Monster Beasts.
Guo Nu reached out a hand and grabbed at the void. Even though it didn’t look like he had moved, a Monster Beast suddenly appeared in his grip. He gave a slight shake and the Monster Beast exploded into a cloud of blood mist. All that remained was a Monster Core in his hand, “A Fifth-Order Water Element Monster Core. This Monster Beast came from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
Even the Monster Beasts had come rushing out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, which was a clear indication that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was about to collapse.
Not far behind these Monster Beasts, a huge mountain came floating out of the Void Crack. Monster Beasts fled from the mountain peak, leaving several trembling people behind.
Inside the shopping district, a certain Master turned into a giant and rushed into the mountain peak to bring those cultivators back to the shopping district.
“What happened inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven?” Somebody asked.
Those cultivators were only in the Emperor Realm, with the strongest among them being just Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Juniors. Therefore, they were so frightened that they couldn’t speak when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a huge group of Open Heaven Realm Masters.
At this moment, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master squeezed out of the crowd and cupped his fists in all directions, “Sirs, please wait a moment. These are the disciples of my Heavenly Crane Palace.”
The Open Heaven Realm Master who brought them back said, “Don’t worry. We don’t want to cause trouble. We just want to ask a few questions.”
The Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wiped at the cold sweat on his forehead and spoke to those young cultivators, “Answer any questions that these Seniors may ask. Don’t hide anything.”
Heavenly Crane Palace was just a Second-Class great force. Furthermore, it was somewhat weak even among the Second Class. How could this man dare to be impolite in front of these Masters from the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises?
The disciples calmed down upon seeing an Elder from their Sect. Thus, the leading disciple took a breath and said, “This Disciple has no idea what happened either. We were hunting a Fifth-Order Monster Beast when the world suddenly began breaking apart without warning. Then, we found ourselves here for some reason.”
Another disciple added, “Countless Void Cracks appeared in the sky of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Numerous ravines also split the ground open. It was like… like the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was about to be destroyed.”
Many of the Open Heaven Realm Masters turned solemn at those words. How could they not know that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was truly about to fall apart? Judging from the current situation, the collapse of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would not mean its exile to the Void, but rather its dispersion into the Blood Monster Territory.
Many Open Heaven Realm Masters stood on the platform with different expressions on their faces. Some were worried while others were excited.
They were worried about the safety of their disciples. Judging by the current situation, the collapse of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was inevitable. The vast Blood Monster Cave Heaven was bound to break apart and become countless pieces scattered across the Blood Monster Territory. It was an unknown factor as to whether their disciples could return safely; after all, they would be lost forever if they got trapped inside the Void Cracks.
On the other hand, some were excited that Open Heaven Realm Masters like themselves would finally have the qualifications to participate.
Throughout the ages, whenever the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened, the responsibilities of the Open Heaven Realm Masters had always been to escort their respective disciples to the Blood Monster Territory, quietly wait for the Blood Monster Cave Heaven to close, and bring their disciples back to the Sect.
There were many valuable treasures inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven that made their eyes turn green with envy. Unfortunately, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was a Universe Cave Heaven left behind by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. With restrictions in place, there was no way for them to enter.
If the Blood Monster Cave Heaven really were to collapse and countless parts were to merge with the Blood Monster Territory, then they could go around searching for the various treasures that came from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If nothing else, even obtaining a High-Order Monster Beast Core would earn them a fortune.
After recovering from their shock, many of the Open Heaven Realm Masters immediately flew off, heading straight for the depths of the Blood Monster Territory to search for opportunities.
In this short span of time, countless humongous Void Cracks had appeared throughout the entire Blood Monster Territory; moreover, enormous Spirit Peaks and vast Spirit Provinces had appeared out of the Void Cracks. They quietly floated in the void of the Blood Monster Territory, adding some life to this dead and silent space.
Soon, there were Open Heaven Realm Masters swarming all over every Spirit Peak and Spirit Province in search of treasure. Those who found anything valuable were few and far between. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven had been opened so many times before after all, so most of the valuable treasures had already been taken away. Of course, there were also some lucky enough to find invaluable treasures as soon as they arrived.
Be that as it may, those Open Heaven Realm Masters who landed on the Spirit Provinces also revealed looks of great jubilation despite not finding anything valuable.
Somebody exclaimed in amazement, “Such dense World Force!”
The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was a Universe Cave Heaven left behind by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It was only natural that the World Force it contained was extraordinary. The most basic method for cultivators in the Open Heaven Realm to strengthen their power was to enhance the World Force of their Small Universe; therefore, any Open Heaven Realm Master would benefit greatly if they could refine the World Force from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
It was just that cultivators would need to have great compatibility between their own Small Universes and the World Force in order for them to refine a World Force that did not belong to them. Take Old Ancestor Mo Yu for example. The reason he had his eyes on the Demon Realm and tried to conquer it was that the Demon Realm’s aura was highly compatible with his Small Universe. Not only would he not suffer major drawbacks after refining the Demon Realm, but he would also recover from his injuries and improve his cultivation in a very short time.
On the other hand, if their compatibility was low, there were heavy repercussions that could result in one’s own World Force becoming unstable or even damage being done to the foundation of their Small Universe.
The opening of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was a great event that swept across the entire 3,000 Worlds, so there was no shortage of cultivators who came here. As such, there were bound to be some people who met the refining conditions. These people were absolutely overjoyed. Landing on the Spirit Peaks and Spirit Provinces, they quickly used various means to collect them into their respective Small Universes to slowly refine at a later date.
Even though most people did not meet the refining conditions, there was no reason for them to pass up on the Spirit Peaks and Spirit Provinces from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven either. If they brought these Spirit Peaks and Spirit Provinces back to their Sects, the World Force contained within could greatly enhance the heritage of their respective Sects.
For that reason, many battles over the Spirit Peaks and Spirit Provinces broke out across the Blood Monster Territory in a very short period of time. The Open Heaven Realm Masters fought viciously among themselves and some of them would die from time to time.
Even the Proprietress and the others joined in the fight. They collected several Spirit Provinces into their respective Small Universes and placed a seal on them for later use.
The Small Universes of Open Heaven Realm Masters would only turn from ethereal to corporeal when they advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. At that point, their Small Universes would be no different from actual Universe Worlds and could even accommodate living creatures in them. Even so, the Small Universes of Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were not mere decorations either.
Back when Yang Kai first entered the Outer Universe, he had been lured into Duan Hai’s Small Universe. Duan Hai was the Fire Spirit Land Protector Venerable of Seven Wonders Land, but he was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. It could be seen that even the Small Universes of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could accommodate living creatures as long as certain conditions were met and techniques were used. The only difference was that their heritage was not as majestic as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s Small Universe.
The Proprietress and the others had spread out to search for the traces of Yang Kai and the others as at present, the Blood Monster Territory was in chaos. Yang Kai and the others were not yet in the Open Heaven Realm, so they had no means to protect themselves if they encountered danger.
Unfortunately, the Blood Monster Territory was a Great Territory, so it was incredibly vast. Even if they split up their forces to search, it was difficult for them to obtain results in short order. As such, they could only spread the news around in hopes of contacting Yang Kai and the others.
…..
Meanwhile, Yang Kai burst out of the Void Crack in pursuit of the Spirit Province. When he abruptly found himself in a vast and dead environment, he immediately realised that he had returned to the Blood Monster Territory.
Not far away, a large Spirit Province floated in the void. All the cultivators in Abundance City stood on the Spirit Province, looking very uneasy. They might not know what had happened, but they had witnessed the sudden collapse of the world around Abundance City.
Looking around, they found that they were currently in a completely unfamiliar environment. Numerous Spirit Provinces not inferior to the one Abundance City sat on floated about in the void. The World Force was beginning to dissipate and the aura of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven gradually weakened as a result. When the aura of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven completely dissipated, the Blood Principles Restriction in their bodies would immediately burst out. At that time, the only thing waiting for them was death!
Inside the City Lord’s Mansion, Mo Mei and the Great Elders stood side by side. They looked out at the chaotic Abundance City and gave a small sigh. Despite having always known that such a day would eventually come, it was not until that day actually arrived that they realised how weak and powerless they were.
“Everyone, do you have any last wishes?” Mo Mei was slightly ashen-faced, but her tone was calm. She could be considered a person who had weathered many storms in her life, so her mentality was stronger than most. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for a woman to take up the City Lord’s position. Although what was happening before her was literally a world-ending disaster, it was not enough to cause her to panic. Thanks to her influence, the Great Elders also became much calmer as a result.
Pang Duo spoke after some thought, “I still want to go and see what the world outside looks like. Unfortunately, we will never get this chance.”
Gong Yang Xi stroked his beard and smiled, “This Old Master has lived a long time. I don’t really have any regrets.”
Jin Yuan Lang said, “I kind of want to know what the Open Heaven Realm is like. It’s a pity we could not advance any further in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
Mu Qian Xuan laughed softly, “Big Brother Yuan Lang, do you want to try advancing into the Open Heaven Realm right now?”
His expression changed upon hearing those words. What she mentioned was correct. They had already finished condensing their Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers, it was just that they had always been stuck inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, so they could not advance into the Open Heaven Realm. Now that they had broken free of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s limitations, they could advance into the Open Heaven Realm as long as they were willing.
However, he soon shook his head and said, “I’m afraid it’s too late.”
Even though he had never tried to break through before, he knew that advancing into the Open Heaven Realm was not such an easy matter. He would almost certainly explode and die from the activation of the Blood Principles Restriction before he could finish preparing himself for the advancement.
Mo Mei suddenly bowed elegantly, “This Mistress is honoured to have received your help all these years. Many thanks for all your hard work.”
Everybody quickly turned towards her while Pang Duo spoke, “You are far too polite, City Lord. We were only performing our duties. Rather, it is your dedication to Abundance City that I highly admire, City Lord.”
Mo Mei smiled, “It’s not that bad to have your company on the road to the Yellow Springs.”
He laughed loudly, “Let us build another Abundance City when we arrive in the next world. We will behead anybody who dares to look down on us!”
The others roared their agreement.
“What are you talking about so happily?” A voice entered their ears suddenly, and in the next moment, their vision blurred slightly as a figure abruptly appeared in front of them. They jumped in fright and Pang Duo even took a few steps back without realising. After taking a good look at the newcomer though, he exclaimed in astonishment, “Yang Kai!? Why did you come back?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Of course, it’s to fulfil my promise.”
Mo Mei was puzzled, “Promise?” Seeming to recall something all of a sudden, she exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and joy, “Did you find a way to remove the Blood Principles Restriction!?”
When Yang Kai left earlier, he had mentioned that there was somebody who could remove the Blood Principles Restriction in their bodies. He also promised that he would do his best to obtain that method; even so, it had not been long since he left. Despite asking that question, Mo Mei had only asked out of a small sliver of hope. She did not actually believe that he had succeeded.
Contrary to her expectations, Yang Kai nodded in affirmation, “En. I obtained the necessary Secret Technique. I can help you remove the Blood Principles Restriction in your bodies so that you will never be bound by the Blood Monster Cave Heaven again.”
Gong Yang Xi accidentally tore out his beard hairs as his eyes widened when he heard those words and shouted, “Are you serious!?”
Likewise, Mu Qian Xuan’s eyes gleamed, “Yang Kai, you better not be lying to us.”
Yang Kai replied seriously, “Of course I wouldn’t lie to you. I’ve already experimented on the way here. The Secret Technique works.”
Pang Duo was taken aback for a moment, before he burst out laughing, “There’s always a way out! The Heavens have eyes after all! Hahahaha!”
Yang Kai raised a hand to interrupt, “Don’t get so happy just yet. There’s still a difficult problem to solve first.”
Mo Mei seriously asked, “What is it? Can we help? If so, then please speak freely.”
Yang Kai swept his gaze over them and answered in a troubled voice, “There are too many people in Abundance City. Using the Secret Technique depletes my strength. If I do this one at a time, I’m worried that the World Force here will dissipate completely before I can remove the Blood Principles Restriction from everybody.”
There were some 4,000 or so people in the city, so Yang Kai estimated it would take him at least one month to finish lifting the Restriction from all of them. However, the cultivators in Abundance City would lose the nourishment of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s aura when the World Force in this place fully dispersed. The only reason they were safe and sound at the moment was that Abundance City was located on a rather large Spirit Province; hence, some of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s aura still remained.
Yang Kai’s meaning could not be any clearer, time waited for no man.
When Mo Mei heard those words, her expression became grim. If that were the case, she would be stuck with the extremely unenviable problem of choosing who to save and who not to save. Having served as the City Lord for so many years, she knew every single person in the city personally, from the oldest man to the youngest child. All these faces floated in front of her eyes. It would be extremely cruel if she had to choose a person’s death in exchange for another person’s survival at a time like this.
Fortunately, Yang Kai continued, “There is another possibility, but it will be a gamble. If it works, then everybody in Abundance City will be saved. If it fails… Well, we’ll discuss that when that happens.”
Mo Mei immediately asked, “What’s the gamble?”
Yang Kai explained, “I have an independent world. I can collect this piece of land into that independent world and use certain means to lock the World Force in place. It’s just that I’m not certain whether I can maintain and preserve the unique World Force in this land for long.”
If he could preserve the World Force for an extended period of time, then the aura of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would not dissipate so quickly and the Blood Principles Restriction in their bodies would not be triggered. In that way, he could slowly set everyone free. On the other hand, this method would be useless if he could not preserve the World Force for long enough.
Mo Mei’s eyes lit up at those words and she immediately agreed, “If you have a method like that, then please perform it as quickly as possible, Sir Yang.”
Nodding, Yang Kai requested, “Please wait for a moment. I also need you to tell everyone in the city not to resist what happens next.”
He was quite certain that it would not be difficult for him to collect this Spirit Province into the Small Sealed World; after all, his current Spiritual Energy was extraordinary. The main issue was that there were so many strong cultivators in the city as well. If anybody were to resist, it would add great strain to the load. Especially at a time like this where all the cultivators in Abundance City were already on edge. The slightest disturbance could send them into a panic, so it was crucial that they cooperated with him.
Mo Mei and the other Great Elders quickly relayed orders to the people. While comforting and reassuring everyone, they explained the current situation and told them not to resist under any circumstances. The cultivators in Abundance City slowly calmed down and soon there was not a single sound in the entire city, only their uneven breathing and the sound of pounding hearts remained.
Floating in the void above the Spirit Province where Abundance City was located, Yang Kai spread his Divine Sense into the surroundings to cover every corner of the floating piece of land. Even though he had already mentally prepared himself in advance, it was not until he actually attempted it that he discovered his initial assumption was far too naïve.
Even if his Divine Sense was incredibly powerful, his Spiritual Energy was gushing out like a waterfall at this moment. It didn’t take long before his Knowledge Sea was almost drained dry. If not for the Soul Warming Lotus’ continuous nourishment, he would probably be a dry oil lamp before he could even take action.
At times like this, Yang Kai couldn’t help missing the aspect of the Sealed World Bead that could transform into Gun-Gun. After all, Gun-Gun had even devoured the entire Demon Realm.
Everybody watched Yang Kai nervously only to see that his complexion was pale and his body was trembling slightly. Nevertheless, they could sense his overwhelming Divine Sense that was madly spreading out into the surroundings like a tidal wave.
Mo Mei and the others were shocked by the sight. Restrained by the limitations in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, they could only linger in the Emperor Realm for their entire lives. For that reason, their accumulation and precipitation in this Realm were by no means comparable to most other cultivators. Be it in terms of the purity and density of their Emperor Qi or their mastery of their Spiritual Energy, it was rare for Outer World cultivators to match up to them.
However, it was not until they compared themselves with Yang Kai that they understood their ignorance. Just in terms of Spiritual Energy alone, comparing themselves to him was like comparing a creek to the vast ocean.
A whole incense stick later, Yang Kai finally felt his Divine Sense wrapping around the Spirit Province without leaving out a single gap! His eyes, which had been closed all this time, jerked open abruptly and he roared, “Receive!”
The boundary of the Small Sealed World opened and Space Principles fluctuated violently and the Spirit Province became distorted. A series of ripples spread across the surface, then the Spirit Province suddenly disappeared.
Yang Kai exhaled softly in relief. Taking out some Spirit Pills, he stuffed them into his mouth and flashed into the Small Sealed World at the same time.
A large Spirit Province suddenly appeared in the Small Sealed World, its World Force clashing with the ambient World Force, causing the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s aura to dissipate rapidly.
There was no time to rest as Yang Kai hurriedly communicated with the Sealed World Bead to seal the space around the new Spirit Province, preventing its World Force and the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s aura from dissipating.
After working so hard, Yang Kai was so tired that he could see stars dancing in his vision. Nevertheless, the results were gratifying despite the huge effort required. The World Force of the Spirit Province that Abundance City was located on finally stopped dissipating. The preservation of the World Force meant that the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s aura would not disappear; hence, the Abundance City cultivators had no need to fear or worry about the Blood Principles Restriction being activated.
It would seem that Yang Kai’s idea was feasible. A wave of relief washed over him after confirming this fact; then, he informed Mo Mei and the others about the results. Likewise, they also let out a deep sigh of relief.
“City Lord Mo, now is not the time for me to perform the Secret Technique. I’ll come to help you remove the Blood Principles Restriction in your bodies when I’ve settled down in a safe place,” Yang Kai said. The Blood Monster Territory was in chaos at the moment, so even if he wanted to help them, it was impossible for him to do so immediately.
Mo Mei bowed, “Please take care of your matters first, Sir Yang. This Mistress will manage Abundance City. Abundance City is greatly indebted to you for your life-saving grace, Sir.”
Pang Duo and the others solemnly cupped their fists, “Many thanks, Sir!”
Yang Kai returned the gesture and slipped out of the Small Sealed World. Even so, he was in no hurry to leave. He stayed there and took a short rest. All of a sudden, his eyes flickered. He had just noticed something rather interesting. When he was collecting the Spirit Province where Abundance City was located into the Small Sealed World, the Small Sealed World had absorbed the World Force that dissipated from the Spirit Province!
Upon further consideration, he realised that it was nothing to be surprised about. Back when he killed some Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land, the Small Universes in their bodies had collapsed upon their deaths. Accordingly, a portion of the World Force that dissipated and filled Void Land had been absorbed by Void Land to enhance its heritage.
It was said that the Masters of various Cave-Heavens and Paradises would choose to return to their respective Sects when their predestined time of death was approaching. When the Small Universe in their bodies collapsed, their World Force would enhance their Sect’s heritage. In that way, the World Force of those Cave-Heavens and Paradises became incredibly dense and rich with the accumulation of many years. That was also how they grew to their current scale and power.
Being an independent world, it was only natural that the Small Sealed World could devour and absorb World Force from external sources to strengthen itself.
Yang Kai suddenly regretted it a bit. [If I had known earlier, I would have tossed the corpses of those Open Heaven Realm Masters I killed into the Small Sealed World. That way, the Small Sealed World could have absorbed the World Force from their Small Universes!]
Nevertheless, it was not too late to understand this now. He might not be able to kill any Open Heaven Realm Masters at the moment, but there was no shortage of Spirit Provinces in all shapes and sizes in the Blood Monster Territory.
The Blood Monster Cave Heaven had collapsed to form countless Spirit Provinces scattered across the Blood Monster Territory. These were all unowned property. If Yang Kai could collect some of them into the Small Sealed World, the Small Sealed World would surely be greatly enhanced as a result.
In the past, a bold idea had unintentionally formed in his heart. This idea was closely related to the Small Sealed World. If the Small Sealed World could become stronger, then it would only benefit him even more when his idea came to fruition!
All of a sudden, Yang Kai felt that the destruction of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven might not be such a bad thing for him after all. How else could he have obtained an opportunity like this?
After a short rest, Yang Kai immediately rushed in the direction of a nearby Spirit Province. At present, there was no shortage of Spirit Provinces in all shapes and sizes in the Blood Monster Territory. They practically filled the entire Blood Monster Territory, so he could easily find one or two without putting in much effort. It was just that this particular Spirit Province did not contain any native cultivators from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It didn’t even contain the slightest hint of life. Not to mention, it seemed significantly smaller than the Spirit Province with Abundance City.
Yang Kai spent a lot of effort to collect this Spirit Province into the Small Sealed World, but fortunately, there was no need to preserve the World Force of this place, so he simply allowed it to freely dissipate and add to the Small Sealed World’s heritage.
After two previous experiences, Yang Kai was becoming more and more skilful. He collected Spirit Province after Spirit Province into the Small Sealed World. Around half a day later, Yang Kai suddenly realised that he was not the only one doing this. Many other Open Heaven Realm Masters were also doing this!
It would seem that he was not the only one to realise that these Spirit Provinces contained great benefits. Thinking about it again, it was not that strange. The Open Heaven Realm Masters here were not stupid, so how could they ignore the benefits in front of them? This was the World Force of a Universe Cave Heaven left behind by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all.
[As things stand, I have to move faster.] The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was vast, so it broke into countless Spirit Provinces after its collapse. Even so, these Spirit Provinces could not last long with so many people gathering them. It was conceivable that the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven would be divided up among the Open Heaven Realm Masters and cease to exist before long.
Unwilling to compete with the Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai found a relatively remote area and rushed in that direction.
The truth was that he still held a glimmer of hope that he would come across a city similar to Abundance City. There should be many native cultivators within the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. If he could rescue them at a time like this, they would surely bring great benefits to Void Land in the future.
Unfortunately, he collected some Spirit Provinces along the way but did not encounter any native cultivators from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Yang Kai couldn’t help sighing slightly, knowing that these native cultivators would not meet a good end. The other Open Heaven Realm Masters had no way to remove the Blood Principles Restriction even if they collected the Spirit Provinces that had native cultivators inhabiting them. All that awaited these native cultivators was death.
With the passing of time, Yang Kai noticed that the World Force contained in the Spirit Provinces that he collected into the Small Sealed World was getting weaker and weaker. It was understandable; after all, the World Force contained in the Spirit Provinces would slowly dissipate as they drifted about in the void. In the end, these Spirit Provinces would all turn into dead land.
At one point, Yang Kai was floating in the sky above a certain Spirit Province located several hundred metres away. Opening the boundaries of the Small Sealed World, his Divine Sense surged as he made a move to collect the Spirit Province.
However, a violent aura erupted from the depths of the Spirit Province at that moment and smashed his Divine Sense to pieces in an instant. Not only did Yang Kai fail in his endeavour, but he also received some backlash from this encounter. For a moment, he was so dizzy that stars danced in his vision.
Yang Kai was extremely shocked. He had checked the Spirit Province just now and found no traces of life, so where did this violent burst of aura come from?
This aura was clearly hidden somewhere in the Spirit Province. It was only exposed because Yang Kai’s actions had disturbed it. Not to mention, this aura… gave him a sense of déjà vu. It felt like he had encountered it before.
Before he could figure out the answer, an enormous figure emanating a sharp and overwhelming Monster Qi burst out of the Spirit Province. In addition, the figure was covered in dazzling golden light!
Yang Kai took a good look and exclaimed in surprise, “Golden Wolf King!”
[No wonder I found the aura familiar. I’ve actually met this fellow before!]
When Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang were being hunted down by Yin Xin Zhao, he had accidentally stumbled upon a battle between two peak Sixth-Order Monster Beasts. One of them was Golden Gorilla King while the other was a Golden Wolf King. Those two Monster Beasts were very powerful. At the time, the fight was evenly matched and both parties ended up wounded as a result.
It was with the borrowed strength of these two Monster Beasts that Yang Kai had escaped the pursuit of Yin Xin Zhao and the others. He later arrived at Abundance City.
During Yang Kai’s stay in Abundance City, Golden Gorilla King had taken advantage of the time when the barrier over the city had been torn open by Tan Luo Xing to enter and wreak great havoc. In the end, Yang Kai fought him and managed to force him back.
According to the explanation from Mo Mei and the others, Golden Gorilla King was a Sixth-Order Monster Beast that they supported. He also helped Abundance City out of trouble several times in the past. For that reason, Mo Mei pleaded on his behalf after Yang Kai severely injured him. Thus, Yang Kai allowed him to go free.
Yang Kai never expected to meet the Golden Wolf King in this broken Spirit Province after the collapse of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. He gnashed his teeth wondering just how unlucky he could be.
It was clear that the intense battle between the Golden Wolf King and Golden Gorilla King had left both parties heavily injured; therefore, they had both been treating their wounds in hiding. Yang Kai’s actions just now must have disturbed the Golden Wolf King.
The Golden Wolf King and Golden Gorilla King were both peak Sixth-Order Monster Beasts and the grudge between them was not something that was just one or two days old. They were both Metal Element Monster Beasts, so both of them were coveting each other’s Monster Core.
When Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang encountered these two Monster Beasts during their escape, both had been covered in serious wounds. Some of these injuries were fresh while others were fully healed. It could be seen that they had fought each other numerous times. It was just that they were so evenly matched that neither could finish the other.
Upon meeting the Golden Wolf King again, Yang Kai discovered that the other party’s wounds from earlier had not healed; furthermore, new wounds had been added into the mix. The flesh around those bloody wounds squirmed, looking extremely disturbing. In other words, the Golden Wolf King was currently in extremely poor condition.
Yang Kai was capable of pushing back the heavily injured Golden Gorilla King even when he himself was not fully healed; therefore, he was not afraid of the Golden Wolf King in the slightest. As such, he immediately raised the spear in his hand.
A furious roar reverberated through the air and the golden light around the Golden Wolf King’s body shone out brightly. He swiftly moved about on all fours and arrived within several dozen metres of Yang Kai in an instant. Opening his large and bloody mouth as he bit at him.
An overwhelming aura loomed over Yang Kai from above. He could even smell the nauseating stench coming from the Golden Wolf King’s mouth! Just as he was about to engage in battle against the Golden Wolf King, he suddenly became shocked and hastily retreated with a kick of his foot. That was because he discovered that the Golden Wolf King was not in the Sixth-Order anymore. The entire body of the Golden Wolf King was radiating with the aura of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast!
If Yang Kai had not encountered the Star Turtle previously, he might not have been able to judge this accurately. Fortunately, he had fought a great battle against the Star Turtle not long ago. The ferocity of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast was still fresh in his mind. That was why the realisation struck him immediately the moment the Golden Wolf King attacked. This was not the Sixth-Order Monster Beast that he knew, it was a Seventh-Order Monster Beast!
[Is it a different Golden Wolf King? That can’t be. This is the same Monster Beast I met previously. The wounds on his body look very familiar. But, I’m certain it was only at the peak of the Sixth Order when I last saw it. How did it advance into the Seventh Order?] Looking at the wounds on the Golden Wolf King, Yang Kai immediately understood. [This guy probably killed Golden Gorilla King and devoured the latter’s Monster Core. That’s why he advanced into the Seventh Order!]
Both the Monster Beasts had been at the peak of the Sixth Order, so no matter who killed whom, the surviving party would definitely be able to break through because they were only one step away from the Seventh Order. It was impossible for them to remain stagnant at their previous level after devouring the Monster Core of another Monster Beast at the peak of the Sixth Order.
Under normal circumstances, these two Monster Beasts would have been evenly matched; however, Golden Gorilla King had been badly beaten by Yang Kai in Abundance City, causing his already serious injuries to worsen.
[The Golden Wolf King must have taken that opportunity to kill his long-time enemy!] Yang Kai could almost imagine the scenario. The Golden Wolf King had been silently stalking Golden Gorilla King and waiting for a chance to finish him off after he invaded Abundance City. After Golden Gorilla King was driven away by Yang Kai and went into hiding to quietly lick his wounds, the Golden Wolf King finally made his move and dealt the finishing blow!
The Golden Wolf King managed to kill Golden Gorilla King, devour his opponent’s Monster Core, and advance into the Seventh Order. Even so, he had paid a heavy price for his success. That much was evident from the fresh injuries all over his body.
In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s mind. Although he could not prove his conjectures, he was certain that his guesses were not too far from the truth. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help feeling a mixture of fear and joy upon learning that the Golden Wolf King was now a Seventh-Order Monster Beast.
He was apprehensive towards the terrifying might of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast; after all, he had a previous experience with the power of the Star Turtle. Even though so many people had joined forces, they failed to harm the Star Turtle in any meaningful way. The defences of an Earth Attribute Monster Beast were already extraordinary, so nothing need be said about one that was in the Seventh Order.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was happy because the Golden Wolf King’s body currently contained a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core!
Why did he enter the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in the first place? Wasn’t it because he was searching for Metal and Yin Element cultivation resources? Out of all the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, Yang Kai only needed two more. Once he gathered all of them, he would be able to advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Only then would he finally have the qualifications to face all sorts of dangers and create a place for himself in the vast 3,000 Worlds for himself.
[Do I fight or flee?] Yang Kai only hesitated for a moment before he reached a decision.
The Golden Wolf King might be a Seventh-Order Monster Beast, but it had not been long since it broke through. Besides, its injuries had yet to heal. Why else would it be hiding here instead of leaving when such a huge disaster had befallen the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? In other words, it was hard to say whether it could fully exert the strength of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast.
More importantly, Yang Kai had no idea when he might come across another Seventh-Order Metal Element treasure if he passed up on this opportunity!
Kill!
Yang Kai held his spear horizontally by his side. His gaze was fixed on the Golden Wolf King who was charging at him fiercely. While drifting backwards continuously, he gripped the Divine Ability Bead that the Proprietress had given to him in his other hand!
He had always been reluctant to use this Divine Ability Bead. Even when facing Black Crow Divine Monarch or the Star Turtle, Yang Kai had reserved the use of this Divine Ability Bead; however, this was related to a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core. He could not afford to hold back or delay.
After Yang Kai poured his strength into the Divine Ability Bead without restraint, the Proprietress’ familiar aura permeated from the inconspicuous Divine Ability Bead.
The Golden Wolf King was charging straight at Yang Kai when it seemed to detect a great crisis. Its enormous figure halted abruptly in the void and its strangely humanised eyes revealed uncertainty. In the next moment, it turned and fled.
It was also at this moment that the Divine Ability Bead in Yang Kai’s hand shone brightly. A slender jade finger suddenly appeared and gently pointed forward. That movement was absolutely gentle and did not carry the slightest hint of aggression. It was almost as if it was a flirtatious act between lovers, stirring up faint ripples in one’s heart.
However, this gentle movement contained an extremely horrifying power. In an instant, the world was turned upside down. It seemed as though even a Universe World would shatter to pieces if it stood before that finger.
The slender jade finger pressed down in the direction that the Golden Wolf King was fleeing. The Golden Wolf King clearly noticed that it was in a dangerous situation; thus, its figure moved about erratically in an effort to dodge.
A short while later, the jade finger vanished out of sight. On the other hand, the Golden Wolf King had already fled several hundreds of kilometres away.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood frozen on the spot in shock. He was feeling slightly dumbfounded.
[Is that… all?] Nothing dramatic had happened. The Divine Ability didn’t seem to have done anything to the Golden Wolf King either. When he first felt the power contained within that finger, Yang Kai wondered whether it could even kill a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Contrary to his expectations, the results were completely unexpected.
[That can’t be right. Proprietress spent so much energy to refine that Divine Ability Bead. It’s impossible for it to be useless.] As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai quickly chased after the Golden Wolf King.
At this moment, the Golden Wolf King who had fled forward suddenly howled in agony. It stumbled and collapsed in the void, blood mist violently gushing out of all the pores on its body. Even the golden light around it dimmed in an instant.
The damage caused by that gentle finger might not be apparent from the outside, but it was clearly effective on the inside!
Before the Golden Wolf King could get up once more, Yang Kai swooped in and fiercely thrust his spear out!
Blood splattered everywhere. Although the Golden Wolf King tried hard to avoid the blow, this spear stabbed straight into its eye socket and caused it to burst. If the Golden Wolf King had not shifted his head away at the last moment, Yang Kai was certain he could have killed his opponent in one move!
The pain made the Golden Wolf King howl again. The golden light around its body fluctuated and a beam of light aggressively shot out from its mouth, aiming directly at Yang Kai. The destructive power was extremely high.
Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate this attack and dodged aside. Surging his Space Principles, his figure floated about erratically as he rained down spear attacks on the Golden Wolf King like a storm.
An endless wave of stabbing sounds sliced through the air as the Azure Dragon Spear pierced again and again. Although Yang Kai had experienced some setbacks in his battle against the Star Turtle, that was mainly because the Star Turtle’s defences were beyond terrifying.
The Golden Wolf King might also be a Seventh-Order Monster Beast, but it had only just finished its advancement and was also heavily injured. More importantly, the Metal Element was specialized in attacking, not defending; therefore, countless new wounds were added to the Golden Wolf King’s body in the blink of an eye, constantly drawing blood.
Yang Kai swung his spear with the speed of lightning. There were no tricks to his attacks, they were simply a barrage he unleashed without restraint. In spite of his calm exterior, Yang Kai’s emotions were incredibly excited.
[I can kill him! I can kill this Seventh-Order Golden Wolf King! As long as I kill the Golden Wolf King, I will obtain a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core! Then, I will only be missing the Yin Element!]
It was impossible for the Golden Wolf King to do nothing and wait for death under the endless rain of spears. It endured the pain and injuries on its body and fought back with all its strength. Its battle against Yang Kai was fierce. Although it was not an evenly matched situation, it was not a landslide victory either.
The heritage of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast was truly extraordinary. Even if it was just a newly-advanced Seventh-Order Monster Beast, it was absolutely incomparable to a Sixth-Order Monster Beast.
The same logic applied for Open Heaven Realm Masters. A Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master might only have a difference of one Order between them, but it was the difference between a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master and a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. Even 10 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters working together might not win against a single Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
It was not until this moment that Yang Kai was thankful that he had not tried to hold back and had used the Divine Ability Bead given to him by the Proprietress from the start. Otherwise, he would not have been a match for the Golden Wolf King.
Thanks to the gentle finger within the Divine Ability Bead, the Golden Wolf King had been considerably weakened. It was conceivable how powerful it would have been if Yang Kai had not heavily injured it from the start.
A vicious battle ensued. Although Yang Kai inflicted wounds all over the Golden Wolf King’s body, actually killing the opponent would take much more effort. It would take at least an hour or more for him to succeed. Of course, the longer the battle went on, the more advantageous it would become for Yang Kai. That was because the Golden Wolf King’s injuries would only worsen with time and the strength it could exert would also weaken. At some point, it would become easy for Yang Kai to kill it.
However, Yang Kai could not afford to drag things out. He had to end the battle as soon as possible as this place was the Blood Monster Territory. There were Open Heaven Realm Masters everywhere and there was no shortage of Mid-Rank ones among them. It would definitely attract unwanted attention if somebody detected the commotion here. A Seventh-Order Monster Beast’s Monster Core was extremely valuable, so it would inevitably arouse the greed in others and incite their killing intent.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai raised his spear and surged the Power in his Dao Seal. Golden Crow’s True Fire spread out, distorting the void. A Great Sun suddenly leaped out from behind his back and the sound of the Golden Crow’s cry rang out. Inside the Great Sun, a Three-Legged Golden Crow danced happily. The moment the Divine Manifestation appeared, Yang Kai’s aura increased madly.
A look of shock and fear flashed through the Golden Wolf King’s humanised eyes and it hesitated for a moment before turning around and fleeing.
How could Yang Kai allow the Golden Wolf King to escape though? His expression was calm as he manipulated Space Principles to turn the void into a prison, instantly slowing the Golden Wolf King’s movements.
Meanwhile, with the Great Sun perched atop the tip of his spear, Yang Kai thrust forward fiercely.
At the critical juncture of life and death, the Golden Wolf King turned around angrily and shot out a beam of golden light from its mouth to meet the dazzling Great Sun.
A violent collision erupted. Beams of light spread out everywhere and brutal energy ran rampant. When the golden light finally went out, the Great Sun enveloped the Golden Wolf King completely.
A short while later, the dazzling light dissipated. Yang Kai’s complexion was slightly pale as he held his spear and breathed heavily.
Not far from Yang Kai, the Golden Wolf King’s head had been blasted to pieces. The headless carcass twitched slightly as its vitality rapidly faded.
This battle began abruptly and ended swiftly. Nevertheless, Yang Kai was extremely lucky to have killed the Seventh-Order Monster Beast. If the Golden Wolf King had not been heavily injured in the first place and he did not have the Proprietress’ Divine Ability Bead, the only thing Yang Kai could have done upon encountering a Seventh-Order Monster Beast with his current strength would be to flee. It was only because of multiple coincidences overlapping with each other that led to the death of the Golden Wolf King.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Yang Kai flashed over to the Golden Wolf King’s carcass. He swept his Divine Sense over the carcass and quickly found something in the chest area. Thrusting his arm into the carcass, Yang Kai grasped something and pulled his hand out, holding a bloody Monster Core that emitted a golden radiance. The Monster Core was about the size of his fist.
[Seventh-Order! It really is a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core!] The urge to throw back his head and laugh wildly consumed Yang Kai. He originally thought that he would not obtain what he desired from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven this time around, but who could have known that he would gain a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core after the collapse of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven? It truly was a blessing from the Heavens. [Great efforts will be rewarded indeed. I’m glad the Proprietress’ Divine Ability Bead was well-used.]
Before he could put away the Monster Core though, a figure appeared suddenly and landed not far away from him. Yang Kai’s heart sank at the sight. He knew that he would attract the attention of others if he did not finish the fight quickly. Unfortunately, he was still too slow. Both the Proprietress’ Divine Ability Bead and his own Divine Manifestation were incredibly powerful after all, so it would be more difficult for people not to notice if they were nearby.
The person who came was an elderly man. Yang Kai glanced at the man briefly and was surprised to realise that he could recognise this person. He did not know the name of this elderly man and only knew that other people called him ‘Old Hong’. If he remembered correctly, this elderly man came from a great force known as Heaven’s Border.
Back when Yang Kai snatched the carcass of the Golden Crow in the Golden Crow Divine Palace, Old Hong and several other Open Heaven Realm Masters had chased after him.
Afterwards, Yang Kai escaped into First Inn.
When the matter in the Golden Crow Divine Palace was exposed, Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like Old Hong lost the qualifications to participate. And so, Old Hong backed down quickly.
As soon as Old Hong arrived, he glanced at the Golden Wolf King’s carcass with a gloomy expression. His eyelids twitched at the sight, “A Seventh-Order Monster Beast!”
The Golden Wolf King might be dead, but the aura of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast coming from his body had yet to dissipate completely. Being rather knowledgeable, it only took one glance for Old Hong to understand this. He then turned to look at Yang Kai and his gaze immediately became fierce, “Brat, it’s you!”
It was obvious that he recognised Yang Kai. His memory of this boy was still fresh in his mind. There were few who could survive the pursuit of several Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters after all. It had been his first time meeting such a person.
Yang Kai ignored the other party. Quietly taking out some Spirit Pills, he stuffed them into his mouth. Following that, he waved his large hand and kept the Golden Wolf King’s carcass into his Space Ring.
“Brat, hand over the Monster Beast’s Monster Core and this Old Master will spare your life!” Old Hong’s expression was a mixture of excitement and greed. It was a Seventh-Order Monster Beast’s Monster Core after all! He had never seen one in his life. As a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was vastly superior to Yang Kai in terms of identity, strength, and status. However, he had less than a hundredth of Yang Kai’s wealth.
[How many cultivation resources can I receive in exchange for a Seventh-Order Monster Core?] It could be said that Old Hong would never have to worry about money again. How could he not be moved by such huge benefits in front of his eyes? Recalling how Yang Kai escaped in the past, he secretly drew upon the World Force in his Small Universe to seal this surrounding space while he was speaking. As long as he could seal this place, Yang Kai would never be able to escape from the palm of his hands no matter what kind of method he employed.
He was not clear as to how Yang Kai managed to slaughter a Seventh-Order Monster Beast with his trivial Emperor Realm strength. In any case, it was obvious that Yang Kai had a great stroke of luck; otherwise, how could a little brat who was not even in the Open Heaven Realm kill such a powerful existence? The might of a Seventh-Order Monster Beast was such that even he did not dare to face it lightly.
Yang Kai immediately noticed the moment Old Hong made a move. Raising a hand, he tossed a brilliant golden Monster Core at Old Hong and shouted, “Here!”
Old Hong instinctively reached out and grabbed the Monster Core in his hand, but after looking down at it, he nearly exploded with rage, “How dare you deceive me, boy!?”
It was indeed a Metal Element Monster Core, but it was a Third-Order Monster Core that was only worth 10 or 20 thousand Open Heaven Pills at most. By the time he looked up again, Yang Kai was already a black dot in the distance. Yang Kai had taken advantage of his momentary distraction to use Space Principles to escape.
Old Hong felt as though his teeth were about to crack from rage. Having learned from his past experience where this Brat had escaped his clutches, how could he give chase only to be left behind again? He knew that it was unrealistic to catch up to Yang Kai with his abilities alone. Even so, the temptation of the Seventh-Order Monster Core made him unable to give up so easily. Burning his Blood Essence, he struggled to catch up. At the same time, he took out communication bead after communication bead and sent various messages out.
Old Hong would never have informed others if he could enjoy the benefits alone; however, he wouldn’t even be able to catch up to Yang Kai with his abilities alone. He could only rely on others to help. Besides, the value of a Seventh-Order Monster Core was so great that he would still receive quite a lot even if he had to divide his gains with others.
Old Hong’s cultivation and identity might not be particularly outstanding, but he still had some friends. Not to mention, several Open Heaven Realm Masters from Heaven’s Border also came here with him. Be that as it may, he was cautious and did not inform the others about the specific details. He only asked them to help intercept Yang Kai and promised to reward them greatly afterwards.
Somebody soon responded to his message. Overjoyed, Old Hong desperately chased in that direction.
An incense stick later, Yang Kai had only just planted his feet in the void when he sensed World Force surge and lock him in place, creating a sealed space. Yang Kai was shocked as he never imagined that somebody would block the path in front of him. Looking at this situation, it seemed to be targeting his Space Principles. Why else would somebody purposely seal off space around him?
[Did Old Hong call for help?] The moment that thought flashed through his mind, he heard a loud voice entering his ears, “Junior, obediently surrender without a fight!”
Yang Kai desperately pushed his Space Principles again and Moon Blades slashed out in all directions, but could not tear apart the opponent’s World Force that was holding him in place. When he looked up again, he saw a middle-aged man approaching him and cutting off his escape.
The middle-aged man studied Yang Kai curiously. He did not know the reason why Old Hong had sent him a message asking him to stop this young man. It was just that he happened to be nearby and Old Hong promised great benefits, so he simply acted in passing.
Yang Kai’s thoughts flashed through his head like lightning before he immediately shouted, “Who are you? Why are you blocking my way?”
The middle-aged man asked, “And, who are you?”
[Does this guy not know who I am?] Yang Kai opened his mouth to respond, “I am a manager under Madam Lan of First Inn. I have an urgent matter I must report to her and need to meet up with her immediately. If there’s a misunderstanding, please allow me to pass. It will be very serious if Madame blames you for this delay.”
“Madam Lan!?” The middle-aged man jumped in fright. [This kid belongs to First Inn!? What the Hell is Old Ghost Hong up to? Did he swallow the heart of a bear or the gall of a leopard!? How could he dare to pursue somebody from First Inn!? What would happen if that crazy woman, Lan You Ruo, finds out about this!?]
He might not have heard about there being managers in First Inn, but he had no time to think about it either. After frowning and pondering for a while, he asked, “Little Brother, you claim to be from First Inn. Do you have any proof?”
“Madame’s token is right here. I’m just afraid that you might have eyes but fail to recognise her greatness!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. Raising his hand, he tossed a token towards the other party. He could sense the other party’s cowardice, so his courage increased sharply. At a time like this, he could not afford to be polite. It was better to be arrogant instead.
Besides, the token was not fake. It was something the Proprietress handed to him in the past so that he could go around collecting debts. He had been keeping it all this while; hence, her aura was indeed contained inside the token.
The middle-aged man took the token and probed the contents with his Divine Sense and instantly his expression cramped. He could sense a strong residual aura was contained within the token. Although he could not confirm that the aura belonged to Lan You Ruo specifically, it definitely belonged to a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Like Old Hong, he was simply a Fourth Order, so how could he dare to go against a Sixth Order? Furthermore, First Inn was very well-known.
The token felt like a hot potato in his hand; thus, he quickly returned the token and cupped his fists, “So Little Brother is a subordinate of Madam Lan of First Inn. Forgive me, Little Brother. Everything was just a misunderstanding.”
Yang Kai shook his head and impatiently said, “If this is a misunderstanding, then hurry up and release me!”
“Please go ahead, Little Brother!” After confirming that Yang Kai had a powerful supporter, the middle-aged man no longer dared to stop him, releasing his World Force and returning the token.
Yang Kai nodded gently and moved to leave.
The middle-aged man said, “Little Brother, you should head this way if you are looking for Madam Lan. I last saw her graceful figure from afar in that direction one day ago.”
He stretched out his hand and pointed in a certain direction.
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Many thanks. I hope we meet again!”
With a flash of his figure, Yang Kai hurried in the direction that man had pointed.
At present, the Blood Monster Territory was in chaos. Being only in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai did not feel very safe moving alone. It would be best if he could meet up with the Proprietress and the others.
After Yang Kai departed, the middle-aged man angrily took out a communication bead and poured his Divine Sense into it to question why Old Hong had tried to harm him.
Old Hong was rushing over when he saw the message, so furious that he nearly spat blood, “Brother Xu, you let him go!?”
The man surnamed Xu snapped, “He is First Inn’s manager. How could I dare to stop him?”
Old Hong scolded scathingly, “What do you mean by the ‘Manager!? First Inn is just an inn! Why would it need another manager when Lan You Ruo is already there!?”
The man surnamed Xu couldn’t help realising the oddity of the situation when he heard those words. He had been frightened by the reputation behind the names ‘Madam Lan’ and ‘First Inn’ earlier, but now that he thought about it, he realised the truth behind those words. First Inn was just an inn, a place that collected and sold information. Why would it need multiple managers?
Despite feeling cheated, he replied, “Even so, that kid is from First Inn. We can’t afford to provoke them. Old Hong, I suggest that you give up as soon as possible to avoid accidents.”
Regardless of Yang Kai’s real status, the token was not fake. The aura contained within the token had terrified him. More so with the current situation in the Blood Monster Territory. There were disciples from major Cave-Heavens and Paradises everywhere. One could not be fooled by the fact that the other party was only in the Emperor Realm. Who could say which Sect the other party came from? What if he offended somebody he could not afford to? Not only would he suffer misfortune, but his actions might also endanger his Sect.
If this were a more hidden environment, he could have silenced the witness to his crime and be done with the matter; however, it was not easy to silence someone out in the open with so many people crawling all over the Blood Monster Territory. Determined to stay out of this shady business, the man surnamed Xu cut off contact with Old Hong.
Old Hong put away the communication bead and scolded angrily, “Cowardly rat! You are not qualified to participate in this great plan!”
Be that as it may, Old Hong could not be sure whether or not Yang Kai was from First Inn. If that were really the case, then he did not dare to provoke them either. Thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai had escaped into First Inn after snatching the Golden Crow carcass back then. Taking that opportunity to join First Inn did not seem unreasonable.
[In that case, that damned brat might really be part of First Inn!] Old Hong’s heart sank at the thought. [It feels like the Seventh-Order Monster Core will no longer have anything to do with me.]
Nevertheless, it was a miserable feeling to have such a tempting delicacy in front of him that he could only stare at but not eat. Old Hong stood there hesitating for a while. Then, he seemed to recall something all of a sudden. An idea came to him and he took out another communication bead. His expression became very respectful as he poured his Divine Sense into the communication bead and sent a message.
…
Inside the void, Yang Kai swiftly headed in the direction pointed to him by the middle-aged man earlier. At the same time, he took out his communication beads and kept sending messages to the Proprietress, Yue He, and Old Bai in hopes of getting in touch with them.
He was certain that the Proprietress and the others were also looking for him, it was just that they didn’t know each other’s location. The communication beads were certainly very useful and convenient, but they were limited by a certain distance; thus, they would not be able to communicate with each other if they were too far away from one another.
Half a day later, Yang Kai finally managed to contact Yue He. Once they exchanged information on each other’s locations, he finally calmed down slightly. Yue He was relatively close to him, so it would only take her an hour or so to arrive. Not daring to move around carelessly, Yang Kai found a dead Spirit Province nearby and hid there.
The Spirit Province he was hiding on clearly came from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was just that it wasn’t very large, only kilometres wide and long. Several days had passed since the collapse of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, so the World Force of these Spirit Provinces that were not collected in time had dissipated completely and merged with the void, causing these remnants to become barren.
There were not many similar wastelands like this. Some 80% of the Spirit Provinces had been collected. It could almost be said that the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven had basically been divided up between the Open Heaven Realm Masters who came here. This was the first time Open Heaven Realm Masters had benefited from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Unfortunately, this chance only came once. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven had collapsed, so it was impossible for another opportunity like this to arise again.
Before an hour was up, a graceful figure landed nearby. Yue He swept out her Divine Sense and looked around for a bit before she glanced at Yang Kai’s hiding place and called out softly, “Young Master?”
Yang Kai stepped out and took off the Shadowless Veil to reveal his figure.
She hurriedly greeted him and asked in concern, “Young Master, are you alright?”
Her expression was filled with worry. The main reason was that Yang Kai seemed to have experienced various difficult battles. His outer appearance was quite a miserable sight. His clothes were ragged and torn. Moreover, the dried blood crusting his clothes could almost form a complete shell.
He shook his head and said, “I’m fine. Have you found the others?”
Yue He examined his condition carefully and confirmed that he was really fine. Only then did she relax and answer his question, “We found almost all of them; five or six of them are still missing.”
Yang Kai fell silent. Those missing people had probably met with a disastrous end. Before he entered the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, he had mentally prepared himself for this eventuality when his subordinates decided to explore on their own. The Blood Monster Cave Heaven was not a safe place after all. There would always be a risk when going for training, but he could not stop them. If he refused their request and protectively brought them around with him all the time, they would never grow stronger.
Only losing five or six people could even be said to be a great fortune amidst the various misfortunes. Furthermore, those who had survived the Blood Monster Cave Heaven would surely have grown tremendously. This would be of great benefit to their future.
Yang Kai composed his emotions and nodded, “Let’s go see Proprietress!”
Yue He immediately summoned her flight-type artifact and returned the way she came with Yang Kai.
Searching for the Proprietress took quite a lot of time as she was also searching for Yang Kai. It was quite troublesome not to have a fixed meeting place in this vast Blood Monster Territory. It was fortunate that the Proprietress had not been too far away from Yue He in the first place. Half a day later, a familiar-looking ship came into view.
When Yang Kai and Yue He boarded the ship, Lang Qing Shan and others rushed up to greet Yang Kai, cupping their fists as they shouted, “Sir!”
Yang Kai swept his gaze over them and nodded lightly. It was certainly as Yue He had mentioned earlier. There were a few missing from this group of subordinates that he brought along with him.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little sad. These subordinates had been serving under him since the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Having carefully nurtured them over the years, they would surely have been able to advance into the Open Heaven Realm with enough time. The most important point was that they were extremely loyal to him and had accompanied him through many dangerous and life-threatening situations in the past.
Guo Miao was also back, standing beside Guo Zi Yan.
Accountant looked at Yang Kai with his triangular eyes and asked, “Where’s Chef?”
Yang Kai slapped his forehead. He had nearly forgotten about Chef again; thus, he immediately brought him out of the Small Sealed World.
Chef had previously used his knife and chopping block Secret Technique twice in a row, but his complexion was better after recuperating in the Small Sealed World for the past few days. As soon as he came out of the Small Sealed World, he immediately hooked his arm around Accountant. Then, they slipped away into the cabin to do something.
The Proprietress looked at Yang Kai and said, “Smelly Brat, I heard that you caused a lot of trouble inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
She might have remained outside all this while, but she had received all sorts of news following the collapse of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
Yang Kai replied shamelessly, “There’s no such thing. Whoever said that must be slandering me.” Then, he hurriedly changed the topic, “By the way, Proprietress, there was this guy called Black Crow Divine Monarch in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven…”
Before he could finish his sentence, she raised a hand to interrupt him, “The news regarding Black Crow Divine Monarch has spread already. At present, all the Territory Gates of the Blood Monster Territory have been blocked. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises are currently searching for this person’s whereabouts.”
Black Crow Divine Monarch had returned to life via possession. That in itself was not a big deal as he would only have offended Great Thousand Blood Land. The body he possessed belonged to Zhou Yi of Great Thousand Blood Land after all. It was just that he had killed many people in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, including many disciples of the various Cave-Heavens and Paradises. More importantly, draining a person’s Blood Essence was an infringement of a serious taboo.
That was why the Cave-Heavens and Paradises immediately took action to block the Territory Gates of the Blood Monster Territory as soon as the news of Black Crow Divine Monarch was exposed. Anybody who wanted to leave the Blood Monster Territory would have to undergo a strict inspection. They were determined to find Black Crow Divine Monarch.
The Cave-Heavens and Paradises had taken an extremely aggressive approach towards this matter. The first reason was that they wanted to avenge their dead disciples, but a bigger reason was that Black Crow Divine Monarch was an extremely valuable source of information. If nothing else, the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture was enough to make anybody envious. Who would not want such an extraordinary Secret Art? Even if they could not cultivate that Secret Art, they could not let it fall into another person’s hands.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief to hear the Proprietress’ words. If the Cave-Heavens and Paradises were taking the lead to deal with Black Crow Divine Monarch, then things were not going to be easy for that old dog. Nevertheless, Yang Kai had the sneaking suspicion that Black Crow Divine Monarch would not be captured so easily. There was a high possibility that the people deployed by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises would return empty-handed.
In any case, this matter was no longer related to him.
Yang Kai had obtained some benefits from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, so his top priority was to digest them as soon as possible, especially the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core. Just thinking about it made him excited. [Once I refine that Metal Element Monster Core, I will only be one more step away from the Open Heaven Realm!]
“By the way, Proprietress, do you know where the people of Lang Ya Paradise are?” Yang Kai asked.
The Proprietress looked at him strangely, “Why? Did you quarrel with the people from Lang Ya Paradise?”
“I have a friend in Lang Ya Paradise. I want to check up on her.” He had seen Gu Pan escaping with Zhang Ruo Xi when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven collapsed. It was just that he was not sure what happened after that.
She replied, “The people of Lang Ya Paradise left one day ago. If you want to find them, you will have to go to Lang Ya Territory.”
Yang Kai was a little disappointed to hear those words. He had wanted to talk to Zhang Ruo Xi some more, but it would seem that his plan was no longer feasible. In any case, the fact that Lang Ya Paradise had left had to mean that Gu Pan and Zhang Ruo Xi had met up with the others. There was no need to worry about Zhang Ruo Xi’s safety with Gu Pan watching out for her.