The Proprietress looked at Yang Kai strangely, “Forget about Lang Ya Paradise for now. Tell me what happened with Yin-Yang Cave Heaven first.”
“Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?” Yang Kai immediately thought of Qu Hua Shang when he heard the name, hoping she was safe as well.
As such, he subconsciously asked, “What happened with Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?”
The Proprietress gritted her teeth slightly as she snapped, “I’m amazed that you have the cheek to ask me! A representative came to me to propose marriage! They are asking you to marry into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
“Propose marriage? Marrying into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened in surprise, “Y-you are joking, right!?”
The people surrounding them also turned to look at Yang Kai in astonishment. Yue He’s expression was resentful as she bit her scarlet lip lightly, looking like a wife who had been thoughtlessly abandoned.
“Hah…” The Proprietress gave a short humourless snort, “I thought they were joking at first, but they’re not. They even handed me a list of dowry gifts. Would you like to take a look?”
Yang Kai was oozing sweat like a waterfall as he shook his head, “No need. I’m afraid there must be some sort of misunderstanding somewhere!”
The Proprietress gave him a savage look, almost as though she was going to slowly shave off several pounds of flesh from his body, “It’s not a misunderstanding if Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is proposing marriage. I heard that you were very close with Qu Hua Shang in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
[You even know about that!?] Yang Kai was tempted to ask just which loud-mouthed person had told her this information. Be that as it may, this was not something that could be hidden anyway. Many people had seen him travelling with Qu Hua Shang before they arrived at the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
As such, Yang Kai solemnly answered the question, “Senior Sister Qu offered me great assistance in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. I would have been killed if not for her.”
“What happened?” The Proprietress’ eyes narrowed at those words and a chill began lingering around her. She only heard that Yang Kai and Qu Hua Shang had travelled together inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and that their relationship looked very intimate, but she was ignorant of everything else. She had no information about how the two of them had supported each other in the face of several deadly crises.
In response, Yang Kai waved his hand to push the matter aside and simply said, “In any case, I owe a life-saving grace to Senior Sister Qu.”
He was reluctant to elaborate on this matter, not because he was afraid of causing further misunderstanding, but mainly because the person trying to kill him at the time was Yin Xin Zhao from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
The supporter behind First Inn was a Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. If the Proprietress learned about this matter, she would certainly stand up for him, but it would not benefit her if she burned her bridges with Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
She had protected him for so many years, so how could Yang Kai possibly cause trouble for her? As for the grudge of being hunted by Yin Xin Zhao back then, he would exact his own revenge one day!
The Proprietress gave Yang Kai a deep look before finally sighing, “It’s not that I want to speak badly of somebody behind their back. I also know the Qu Hua Shang girl. She is a good person, but she is also a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. It might even be possible for her to inherit the position of Sect Master one day. It’s not a good thing for you if she falls in love with you.”
“Rest assured, Proprietress. I will handle this matter myself.”
She sighed again and said, “In that case, you better take good care of yourself. We’re done here. It’s time for us to head back.”
As for those people who had not been found so far… Even if something bad had happened to them, it was the result of their own choices. On the other hand, if they survived, they would naturally find a way to return to First Inn in Thousand Birds Territory or Void Land; therefore, there was no point in lingering here further.
The ship quickly turned around and headed towards one of the Blood Monster Territory’s Territory Gates.
Inside his room, Yang Kai took a bath and changed into a set of clean clothes. These simple actions immediately refreshed him. Then, he checked his harvest from this trip and smiled brightly.
Strictly speaking, he did not gain many things from this trip, at least nothing compared to his harvest from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Even so, he was very satisfied. The main reason was that he had obtained a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core! This was what he needed the most right now.
However, he was in no hurry to refine the Monster Core. Refining a Seventh-Order Monster Core would definitely take some time, so he had to wait until he returned to cultivate in retreat.
Aside from the Seventh-Order Monster Core, his largest harvest was the 5 Innate Open Heaven Pills formed in the Universe Furnace! These were treasures that would make anybody jealous.
[I should give one of these to Proprietress later. It might allow her to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!] If the Proprietress could advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, then her status and strength would be greatly improved. It would give her the capital to speak even if she stood up against Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
In addition, Yang Kai had high hopes for the cultivators from Abundance City. From the City Lord Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the other Great Elders, down to Deacon Fan Wu Xin and the many ordinary residents, many of them had remained in the Emperor Realm for centuries, constantly improving themselves. In his eyes, they were all seeds that could sprout into Open Heaven Realm Masters. As long as the Blood Principles Restriction in their bodies were removed, they could advance into the Open Heaven Realm at any time! At that point, Void Land’s heritage would soar!
Yang Kai himself had been targeted by various major Cave-Heavens and Paradises, so a strong sense of crisis now existed in the depths of his heart. Unfortunately, he himself had no means of advancing into the Open Heaven Realm any time soon. So, he could only think of other ways to increase the strength of Void Land. Otherwise, how would Void Land fight back if a powerful enemy were to attack one day?
The Seventh-Order Monster Core, the Innate Open Heaven Pills, and the cultivators of Abundance City; these were Yang Kai’s greatest harvests during this trip. The partial method of cultivating Monster Beasts, the Alchemy Furnace, and the various pills obtained in the Blood Monster Divine Palace, and even the fragments of the Blood Light Scripture were only incidental gains. There was no comparison with the former gains that he obtained.
Naturally, there was also his Wood Element Divine Ability. Yang Kai had to take some time to properly comprehend the Divine Ability. At the time, the aura of the Divine Ability had burst out without any warning and came out of him directly. Hence, he himself was not clear how that Divine Ability worked. It was only natural that he had to understand his own methods; otherwise, how would he activate them again when he faced an enemy next time?
[That’s right! Mo Mei and the others are acquainted with the Proprietress. It’s time for me to let them meet.] Yang Kai had not had the time to tell the Proprietress about Abundance City in detail. After considering this, he immediately entered the Small Sealed World. When he swept his Divine Sense over his surroundings, he couldn’t help revealing a look of surprise.
He collected plenty of Spirit Provinces into the Small Sealed World back in the Blood Monster Territory but only the Spirit Province with Abundance City on it had received special treatment. Yang Kai used his authority as Master of the Small Sealed World to seal and contain the World Force of the Spirit Province. On the other hand, he had not bothered to do anything to the other Spirit Provinces. For that reason, the World Force contained in those Spirit Provinces had already begun to merge with the Small Sealed World.
At this moment, the World Force in the Small Sealed World was many times denser than before. As the Master of the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai could feel this difference very clearly.
He secretly sighed to himself. [Truly worthy of the Universe Cave Heaven left behind by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. All I did was collect some broken fragments, but the Small Sealed World experienced such a huge leap in growth as a result. What will become of the Small Sealed World if I devoured the entire Blood Monster Cave Heaven?]
What’s more, the fusion of the World Force would not be completed after just a few short days. The World Force in the Small Sealed World would only become richer and richer with the passage of time. The benefits enjoyed by the Small Sealed World were also extremely beneficial to him! If the idea he concocted in his head could be completed, then his strength would surely be greatly enhanced in a short period of time.
Focusing himself, Yang Kai came to Abundance City with a flicker.
This place had been sealed by him. Consequently, the Blood Monster Cave Heaven aura had been preserved and the people of Abundance City remained safe.
Mo Mei and the others were gathered in one place, so they quickly came over to welcome Yang Kai when they noticed his arrival. After greeting each other, Yang Kai said, “Everyone, I came here to help you remove the Blood Principles Restriction. After that, I’m going to bring you to meet some old friends.”
“Old friends?” Mo Mei was astonished, but she quickly understood the situation, “Is it Big Sister Lan?”
“Exactly!” Yang Kai nodded, “My independent world is incomplete and cannot accommodate Open Heaven Realm Masters, so the Proprietress cannot enter this place. In that case, I can only bring you out to meet her instead.”
Mo Mei revealed a look of pleasant surprise and nodded repeatedly, “Good. I haven’t seen Big Sister Lan for many years. I wonder how she is now.”
He smiled, “You’ll know when you see her, City Lord Mo.”
Yang Kai immediately began using the Secret Technique without further ado. Thanks to his previous experience, it was not difficult for him. It was just that every time he cast the Secret Technique, some of his blood would be consumed in the process.
Numerous seals shot out and entered Mo Mei and the others’ foreheads. Closing their eyes, they perceived their conditions and soon Mo Mei said with a look of pleasant surprise, “Although there is no proof, it feels like something in my body has been freed and I feel more relaxed. I think the Blood Principles Restriction no longer exists.”
Pang Duo, Jin Yuan Lang, and the others also nodded in agreement.
“We’ll know whether the restriction has been lifted after we test it out!” Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged and wrapped around them. Then, he slipped out of the Small Sealed World. By the time Mo Mei and the others realised what had happened, they were already standing in a room.
Yang Kai watched them nervously. Although he was fairly certain that they would not suffer any backlash from the Blood Principles Restriction, there was always a possibility. Under his careful watch, he saw that they were in perfectly fine condition. Thus, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. [Hei Ya might have been despicable, but he at least did not deceive me in this matter.]
“Where is Big Sister Lan?” Mo Mei turned to look around but did not see the Proprietress.
Yang Kai beckoned to them and said, “Come with me.”
Leading them out of the room, he came to another room on the top deck of the ship and gently knocked on the door
The Proprietress’ voice soon called out, “Enter.”
Yang Kai opened the door to see the Proprietress and Yue He sitting opposite each other at the table. They seemed to be discussing something, but their expressions stiffened in surprise when they looked up.
In the next moment, the Proprietress slowly got to her feet. She stared at the people behind Yang Kai in shock, her beautiful eyes trembling slightly. Meanwhile, Yue He couldn’t stop herself from covering her red lips with her hands as she asked in a trembling voice, “Mo Mei?”
Even though so many years had passed, the memories they had of each other had not faded. Both Yue He and the Proprietress had recognised Mo Mei and the others as soon as they appeared.
Mo Mei’s eyes reddened. She walked forward and gave an elegant bow, “Big Sister Lan, Big Sister Yue He, we finally meet again after so many years! Have you been well?”
The Proprietress reached out to lift Mo Mei up, her cherry lips moving as though she wanted to speak, but she couldn’t bring herself to in the end. Her eyes reddened too.
Pang Duo and the others cupped their fists, “Greetings, Senior Sister Lan, Senior Sister Yue He.”
Yue He murmured in a daze, “You… Why are you here? What about the Blood Principles Restriction planted by Blood Monster Divine Monarch in your bodies?”
Mo Mei wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and explained, “It’s all thanks to Sir Yang. He removed the restriction on us. That’s how we broke free of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s shackles to appear here.”
The Proprietress looked at Yang Kai in astonishment, “You can remove the Blood Principles Restriction from their bodies?”
Yang Kai replied, “Black Crow Divine Monarch obtained Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Dao of Blood inheritance. I made a deal with him previously and received the necessary Secret Technique from him in exchange.”
A look of realisation appeared on her face, and she nodded at him. The truth was that she had never forgotten the people in Abundance City even though so many years had passed. After all, Lan Ting Yu had made a promise to them when he was still alive. Following his death, the Proprietress had wanted to fulfil this promise and thought about sending somebody into the Blood Monster Cave Heaven to help bring the people from Abundance City out.
Unfortunately, bringing them out without removing the Blood Principles Restriction was equivalent to sending them to their deaths. Blood Monster Divine Monarch’s Blood Principles Restriction was also extremely difficult to remove; hence, she was strong in will but weak in strength. She never imagined that her wish would be fulfilled by Yang Kai at this moment.
Yang Kai was certain that they had a lot to say to each other; after all, it had been centuries since they last met each other. Besides, Mo Mei would surely want to ask about Lan Ting Yu; therefore, he did not stay for long after bringing Mo Mei and the others to the room. Yang Kai quickly left them there and returned to his room alone.
Returning to the Star City in Thousand Bird Territory from the Blood Monster Territory would take a long time, but Yang Kai did not want to remain idle. His top priority was to completely remove the Blood Principles Restriction from all the people in Abundance City. He might have sealed the Spirit Province containing Abundance City to prevent its World Force from dissipating, but he could not guarantee how long this solution would last. If he failed to free all the people in Abundance City before time ran out, they would be met with a gruesome death.
For that reason, Yang Kai remained inside the Small Sealed World over the next few days and constantly performed the Blood Secret Technique, consuming copious amounts of blood during this process. It was fortunate that his healing abilities were extraordinary; otherwise, he would not have been able to persevere for so long.
There were many people in Abundance City; therefore, Yang Kai decided to temporarily house them inside the Small Sealed World until he arrived at a safe place and could figure out his next course of action.
Four or five days later, Yang Kai was busy working in the Small Sealed World when he suddenly sensed somebody knocking on his door in the outside world. He asked the Abundance City cultivators who were waiting in line to wait for him, then returned to his room with a flash. Pushing the room door open, he saw Mo Mei and the others standing outside the door.
“Sir Yang!” Mo Mei bowed elegantly. Pang Duo and the others also cupped their fists in greeting.
“City Lord Mo, Elders, please come in!” Yang Kai did not know the reason they came to him, but he stepped to the side and invited them inside to talk. After they took their seats, he served them tea and finally asked, “Is there something you need from me?”
Mo Mei explained, “We came here to thank you, Sir Yang. Those of us who were born in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven lived our entire lives there. We have never left that place in our lives, and had very faint hope we ever would. It’s all thanks to your life saving grace that we can finally break free from the shackles of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and be released from the Blood Principles Restriction inherited from our Ancestors. We finally obtained our freedom.”
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “You’re too polite, City Lord Mo. This was a simple matter for me.”
If not for the jade slip he received from Black Crow Divine Monarch, it would have been impossible for him to bring them out. But, with the Secret Technique recorded within the jade slip, this matter was truly not an issue for Yang Kai. All it cost him was some blood and some time.
Mo Mei shook her head sternly, “It might be a simple matter to you, Sir Yang; however, what you did amounts to a life-saving grace for all of us in Abundance City. Such great kindness is not something Abundance City can ever hope to repay. Even… Even now, this Mistress has a request.”
“City Lord Mo, please speak freely. I will not refuse as long as it is within my means to help.” He looked her straight in the eyes.
Hesitating for a moment, she began to speak, “It’s like this, Sir Yang. I heard from Big Sister Lan that you have a Spirit Province called Void Land in the 3,000 Worlds. It is a beautiful place with a vast area…”
She looked a little ashamed of herself. Even Pang Duo and the others looked apprehensive.
Yang Kai nodded, “En, indeed.”
“The Blood Monster Cave Heaven has been destroyed, so we… have nowhere else to go. May we… may we request that Void Land take us in, Sir Yang?” Mo Mei asked tentatively.
Pang Duo and the others sat up straight and placed their hands on their knees, looking very uneasy.
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment, but immediately after, he was overjoyed and burst out laughing, “City Lord Mo, you’re far too polite. What do you mean by take you in? If you are willing to join Void Land, then there’s nothing more that I could wish for!”
He was certain that recruiting the people from Abundance City into Void Land would be easy; after all, he had just saved all their lives and they had nowhere else to go. It was just that he had yet to figure out how to broach the subject. He never imagined that Mo Mei would take the initiative to come and discuss this matter with him.
A moment later, realisation struck him. The Proprietress had probably helped by acting as the middle-man. She knew that Void Land was desperately in need of manpower. On the other hand, Mo Mei and the others were seeds that would eventually become Open Heaven Realm Masters. If they joined Void Land, they would not be the only ones benefiting from the deal. Their affiliation would also be tremendously beneficial for Void Land. It could be said to be a win-win situation.
Seeing how readily Yang Kai agreed to their request, they all breathed a sigh of relief and stood up in unison, “Greetings, Sect Master!”
Yang Kai raised a hand to stop them and smiled at them, “Please don’t be so uptight. In the future, we will all be one family. We can discuss the specific details once we arrive back at Void Land.”
They responded, “We obey your orders, Sect Master.”
Yang Kai was so elated that flowers were practically blooming in his heart. He swept his gaze over Mo Mei and the others, seeming to see them as future Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters! The people in front of him had experienced thousands of years of accumulation and precipitation in the Emperor Realm, so their heritage was extremely impressive. Advancing into the Open Heaven Realm would not be an issue for them. What’s more, he also had the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills. These Spirit Pills would dramatically improve their chances of successfully breaking through. It could almost be said that there was no risk of failure at all.
Pang Duo, Jin Yuan Lang, Mu Qian Xuan, and Gong Yang Xi had condensed the Fifth-Order Elements, while Mo Mei had condensed Sixth-Order Element Powers! And this was just a few of them. When Yang Kai helped to remove the Blood Principles Restriction from the Abundance City cultivators, he noticed that there were quite a few of them who had condensed Fifth-Order Elements.
It could be said that once these people advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, Void Land’s strength would increase by several folds. At the time, Void Land would no longer have a severe shortage of Open Heaven Realm Masters. It would become a true Second-Class great force!
During their conversation, the ship groaned loudly for some reason and came to an abrupt halt. A person’s voice rang out a moment later, “You there, stop! Lower your defences and prepare to accept our inspection!”
Yang Kai swept out his Divine Sense and frowned slightly. Many flight-type artifacts were floating around in the void ahead. Each artifact was magnificent in shape and huge in size. He could tell that they belonged to the Cave Heavens and Paradises at a glance. More importantly, there was a large Territory Gate slowly rotating behind these ships.
A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he vaguely guessed that this matter was related to Black Crow Divine Monarch.
The Proprietress had mentioned that the news of Black Crow Divine Monarch coming back to life via possession had already spread everywhere. All the Cave-Heavens and Paradises were searching for his current whereabouts. For this reason, they even went so far as to seal all the Territory Gates in the Blood Monster Territory to prevent him from escaping. Any cultivator or flight-type artifact that wished to leave the Blood Monster Territory would be subjected to careful inspection; therefore, it was not strange to be stopped here.
Nevertheless, the origins of Mo Mei and the others were a little special, so it would be best if they were not discovered.
After considering everything, Yang Kai said, “Everyone, please hide inside the Small Sealed World for now. I will let you out again once we reach our destination.”
Mo Mei and the others had no objection to his suggestion and did not resist.
Yang Kai successfully placed them back into the Small Sealed World, and when he was done, he moved to the deck.
On the deck, the Proprietress swept her beautiful eyes in Yang Kai’s direction. Seeing that Mo Mei and the others were nowhere to be seen, she knew that he must have hidden them away.
At this moment, everybody had gathered on the deck. Four figures came from the opposite side and slowly fluttered down.
Yang Kai looked at them and immediately felt a little sick. This couldn’t be helped. He recognised two out of the four figures. They were both from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. One was Guo Nu and the other was Yin Xin Zhao’s Master, Chu Liu Shan.
During their time inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Yin Xin Zhao had attempted to murder Yang Kai when he was heavily injured. It was only natural that Yang Kai did not hold a favourable impression towards Yin Xin Zhao’s Honoured Master. Be that as it may, both Guo Nu and Chu Liu Shan were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so they could not be underestimated.
It was not just them. The other two who landed on the ship were also in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
This was not difficult to understand though. The opening of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was a grand event, so the Masters leading the disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises could not have weak cultivations. Those in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm were considered High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no need for them to appear at these kinds of occasions. It was just right for Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to come.
Yang Kai did not recognise the other two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but he could be certain that one of them was from Great Battle Heaven. That was because the people of Great Battle Heaven were very recognisable in terms of the aura surrounding them and their uniforms.
This Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Great Battle Heaven wore a set of golden armour and had a full plate helmet. He also had a longsword at his waist. His appearance was similar to a Great General who just returned from battle. It was a glorious sight!
Yang Kai did not know which great force the fourth person belonged to, but that person most likely belonged to one of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Otherwise, he would have no qualifications to stand here.
“Why do I run into you wherever I go?” The Proprietress looked as sick and tired as Yang Kai as she gave Guo Nu an undisguised look of disgust.
Guo Nu chuckled, “This Senior Brother is relieved to see you so spirited, Junior Sister Lan.”
She coldly snorted and turned to look at the others. Then, she bowed only to the Golden Armour General from Great Battle Heaven, “Senior Brother Mao!”
The man with the surname Mao nodded lightly and cupped his fist, “Junior Sister Lan, this is routine procedure. Please forgive us. As you know, a person called Black Crow Divine Monarch appeared in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. This person is ruthless and cruel. He killed many disciples of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. In order to prevent him from escaping the Blood Monster Territory, all flight-type artifacts and people who want to leave have to undergo a strict inspection.”
The Proprietress flicked her sleeve, “I know. Please go ahead, Senior Brother Mao.”
He immediately gave a wave of his hand, “Check carefully. Don’t let any corner go uninspected!”
Following his orders, a bunch of Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stepped out from behind him and charged into the ship to investigate.
While everybody was waiting on the deck, Senior Brother Mao did not spare all the people who were gathered here either. Yang Kai clearly felt a powerful Divine Sense sweeping over him. It probably belonged to the man surnamed Mao; however, he soon furrowed his brow tightly together. The man surnamed Mao quickly had withdrawn his Divine Sense after a quick inspection, but there was another Divine Sense that was locked onto him the whole time.
Yang Kai could not figure out who the Divine Sense belonged to. The four people standing in front of him were all in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm after all, so the difference in strength between them was simply too great.
He vaguely guessed that the Divine Sense belonged to Chu Liu Shan. That was because this old man was on bad terms with the Proprietress. Not to mention that there was also now a feud between Yang Kai and his disciple, Yin Xin Zhao. It was not strange for him to be paying extra attention to Yang Kai at this moment.
Just as Yang Kai was making guesses in his head, the fourth Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that he did not recognise suddenly spoke up, “Madam Lan, I heard that you have a little one called Yang Kai in First Inn. Which one is he?”
The Proprietress immediately looked at that person vigilantly, “Why are you looking for him?”
That person smiled and replied, “There are some things I want to ask him.” He turned his gaze to Yang Kai and continued, “If my guess is correct, it should be you, right?”
This person probably did not know Yang Kai directly. It was just that Yang Kai’s aura stood out distinctly from among the many Emperor Realm Masters here, so it was not surprising for his cover to be blown.
In any case, Yang Kai didn’t bother to hide his identity either after being called out so directly. There were so many people here who knew him that it made no sense to hide anyway. Instead, he quickly responded, “Yes. Who are you? How can I help you?”
That person smiled and nodded, “You might not know me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union, Kong Feng.”
[Heavenly Sword Union? I can’t believe that this guy does not belong to one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises!] When Yang Kai first saw this person standing beside Guo Nu, Chu Liu Shan, and Senior Brother Mao of Great Battle Heaven, he had assumed that he too was from one of the Cave-Heavens or Paradises. Only now did he realise that this person was the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union.
Nevertheless, Heavenly Sword Union was one of the top Second-Class great forces. As the Union Master, this person was indeed qualified to stand in this place. After all, neither Guo Nu, Chu Liu Shan, or Senior Brother Mao were especially powerful people in their respective Sects. They could only be considered middle-management at most.
Knowing that this person belonged to Heavenly Sword Union, Yang Kai immediately recalled the few Heavenly Sword Union disciples he killed previously. [Is this person here to seek justice for his disciples? That can’t be it. Among those who witnessed me killing them were Qu Hua Shang, Zhang Ruo Xi, and that Lang Ya Paradise disciple called Du Xu.]
Those Heavenly Sword Union disciples had brought death upon themselves by persistently chasing and trying to kill Zhang Ruo Xi and Du Xu. Qu Hua Shang and Zhang Ruo Xi would never expose this matter to the public. [Could it have been Du Xu?]
Sure enough, the smile on Kong Feng’s face suddenly faded and he said, “I heard you killed some of the outstanding disciples belonging to my Union.”
Yang Kai was furious. [As I thought, it was that little bastard Du Xu who leaked the news! Otherwise, there’s no reason for Kong Feng to know about this matter. I should have killed him!]
It was bad enough that Du Xu had focused on running away alone without any regard for the safety of his fellow Junior Sister when they were in danger; however, it could also be said that Yang Kai had saved his life.
[I can’t believe he is repaying a live-saving favour with enmity! If I had known that he was such a despicable villain, I would never have allowed him to live at the time!]
Before Yang Kai could say a word, the Proprietress coldly snorted, “Union Master Kong, rice may be eaten at will, but some words should not be spoken casually. You claim that Yang Kai killed several of Heavenly Sword Union disciples. Where is the evidence?”
She was convinced that Kong Feng did not have any evidence. That was why she countered his question in this manner.
To her surprise, Kong Feng answered lightly, “Naturally, I have the evidence. I was informed about this matter, and I believe that person is not lying. I only came here to confirm the truth.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Those Heavenly Sword Union disciples were blinded by greed and were trying to oppress the weak, so I killed them. What will you do now?”
Kong Feng didn’t seem to expect Yang Kai to be so hard-hearted, so he couldn’t help glancing at him again. He nodded lightly and said, “It’s good that you admit to your actions. It saves this King from wasting more time on nonsense. Since ancient times, debts are repaid with money and murder is repaid with one’s life. You killed several of Heavenly Sword Union’s Core Disciples and caused Heavenly Sword Union to suffer huge losses, including the loss of several talented individuals who were the backbone of the future generation. Don’t you think this King should avenge them? “
The Proprietress did not move, but her aura at the peak of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm permeated the air and her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, “I dare you to try!”
He glanced at her and calmly replied, “Madam Lan, your reputation precedes you. This Kong is aware that he is not your opponent. Besides, I have no wish to fight you. If this boy was unrelated to you, this Kong would have killed him to provide justice for my disciples. But, since you wish to protect this boy, Madame, then this Kong will back down out of respect for you. As long as this boy can provide some compensation, then we can forget about this matter. What do you think, Madame?”
She scowled fiercely, vaguely sensing that Kong Feng’s intentions were not noble; otherwise, he would not have brought up the deaths of his disciples at a time like this. It was just that she did not know what snake oil he was selling. She asked warily, “What kind of compensation do you want? Yang Kai is only in the Emperor Realm. What can he offer as compensation?”
He smilingly answered her question, “You don’t need to worry about that, Madame. This Kong will discuss with him myself.” Turning to look at Yang Kai, he asked, “You don’t have any objections to that, right?”
The rage in Yang Kai’s heart blazed even higher. [If I had enough strength, I would not be wasting time talking nonsense with him! I only killed those Heavenly Sword Union disciples because they were doggedly chasing Zhang Ruo Xi. Why is Kong Feng talking about justice? How ridiculous!]
Unfortunately, the only reason he could stand here today was thanks to the Proprietress’ protection. If he made things difficult, it would only drag her into this mess; thus, he suppressed the rage in his heart and asked coldly, “What do you want?”
Kong Feng calmly said, “Don’t worry. What I want is definitely in your possession. Moreover, it won’t harm a single hair on your head.” All of a sudden, he stopped talking out loud and sent a Divine Sense transmission to Yang Kai instead, “I want that Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Beast Core!”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed at those words. His first reaction was to wonder how this guy knew that he had a Seventh-Order Monster Beast Core, let alone that it was of the Metal Element. However, he soon realised the truth.
Kong Feng learned about the fact that Yang Kai killed those Heavenly Sword Union disciples because Du Xu tipped him off. On the other hand, Old Hong of Heaven’s Border had witnessed Yang Kai obtaining the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Beast Core back then. He could also have tipped Kong Feng off about this matter.
[So, this is his true purpose!]
Yang Kai responded flatly without even thinking about it, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
If Kong Feng had asked for anything else, there might have been room for discussion. Yang Kai was not averse to exchanging money to avoid disaster. Be that as it may, it was impossible for him to hand over the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core. This matter was related to his future. If he lost the Monster Core in this place, he did not know when he would obtain another opportunity like this again.
Kong Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, “Boy, you should think carefully before you answer.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I was wondering why those Heavenly Sword Union disciples were so despicable. Now I understand. If the house is crooked, then the foundation must be too.”
Kong Feng gave Yang Kai a deep look and calmly said, “I hope you don’t regret your choice.”
After that, he stopped conversing via Divine Sense and spoke out loud instead, “A Seventh-Order Monster Core might be a precious treasure, but you are only in the Emperor Realm. Don’t you think possessing something like that is very dangerous?”
“A Seventh-Order Monster Core?” Both Guo Nu and Chu Liu Shan murmured in unison, immediately turning to look at Yang Kai. Even Senior Brother Mao gave Yang Kai a surprised look. It was obvious that they had been kept out of the loop earlier.
A Seventh-Order Monster Core was an extremely rare object. When the Blood Monster Cave Heaven collapsed, everything inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven had flowed out as a result, but as far as they were aware, there was only one instance where somebody had killed a Seventh-Order Earth Attribute Monster Beast and obtained a Seventh-Order Monster Core. Aside from that, there were no other known Seventh-Order Monster Cores in existence. Therefore, it was unexpected to learn about another Seventh-Order Monster Core here.
Chu Liu Shan frowned, “Brother Kong, are you saying that this brat possesses a Seventh-Order Monster Core?”
Kong Feng gave Yang Kai a deep look and said, “That’s right. This boy is quite lucky. It seems he killed a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Beast and obtained a Metal Element Monster Core.”
Guo Nu scowled, “Brother Kong, how did you find out about this? And… how could he possibly have the strength to kill a Seventh-Order Monster Beast?”
Kong Feng chuckled, “You don’t need to be so suspicious, Brother Guo. This Kong learned about this matter from a personal source of information, but there is no doubt about the truth of this matter. I can guarantee that this boy possesses a Seventh-Order Monster Core.”
He paused for a moment and continued with malicious intentions, “I heard that this boy is very ambitious. He plans to advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. He has already condensed many Open Heaven Powers. If he refines the Metal Element Monster Core, I’m afraid it won’t be long before he succeeds.”
Turning to Chu Liu Shan, he cupped his fist, “Congratulations, Brother Chu, Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven will soon have another talented individual!”
Chu Liu Shan’s expression was extremely ugly. If Yang Kai had been somebody from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, he would have been so happy that he would wake up laughing from his dreams for the next month. The problem was that Yang Kai was not from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven. First Inn might have some involvement with Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, but they were ultimately unrelated. Besides, Lan You Ruo had always had a poor relationship with him.
More importantly, his disciple had a life-or-death feud with Yang Kai. If Yang Kai were to advance into the High-Rank Open Heaven, the future of his disciple would be disheartening. [This can never be allowed to happen!]
Looking at Yang Kai, he spoke in a cold voice, “Hand it over!”
Yang Kai glanced sideways at Chu Liu Shan, “What the Hell do you count for?”
“What an impudent Junior!” Chu Liu Shan’s expression darkened.
The Proprietress stepped forward and scolded, “Brazen old dog!”
Chu Liu Shan was livid, “Lan You Ruo!”
Guo Nu hurriedly came forward to mediate the situation. He stood between them, lest they actually got into a fight, “Alright, alright. Calm down, both of you. Stop arguing.”
He turned to the Proprietress and continued, “Junior Sister Lan, you’re not unaware of the boy’s situation. The Seventh-Order Monster Core in his possession is not a good thing for him.”
The Proprietress coldly snorted, “Why bother coming up with such high-sounding excuses when all you want is to snatch the Seventh-Order Monster Core by force?”
Guo Nu shook his head, “Junior Sister, what are you saying? We don’t want to snatch anything from him. If he does have the Seventh-Order Monster Core, we can purchase it from him. Ask him to set a price. As long as the price is reasonable, this Senior Brother will not quibble about it.”
Snorting, she replied, “Let’s put aside whether or not he does have a Seventh-Order Monster Core in his possession. Even if he does have one, it will never belong to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven!”
Turning to look at Yang Kai, she asked, “Do you have a Seventh-Order Monster Core?”
Yang Kai replied decisively, “That’s a groundless accusation!”
Chu Liu Shan coldly snorted, “We’ll know whether he has the item or not if we perform a check!”
“I dare you to try!” the Proprietress glared at Chu Liu Shan.
Chu Liu Shan calmly said, “It doesn’t matter who has the Seventh-Order Monster Core, but it must not be in this brat’s hands. This matter is very important. There is no room for negligence. Lan You Ruo, I advise you not to make a mistake!”
She was so furious that she laughed instead, “This Queen will happily be your opponent if you want to fight. Why are you wasting time with nonsense?”
Saying so, World Force surged around her body.
Similarly, both the auras around Chu Liu Shan and Kong Feng fluctuated violently, seemingly ready to attack at any time.
Guo Nu revealed a troubled expression. He did not want to make an enemy of the Proprietress. Unfortunately, he could only side with Chu Liu Shan now that things had progressed to this point, so he sighed softly, “Junior Sister Lan, why must you do this?”
Yang Kai’s expression was extremely gloomy.
If it came down to a fight, the Proprietress would surely suffer a loss. Although both the Proprietress and Yue He were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, they were still outnumbered. Leaving aside the fact that Chu Liu Shan and the others were also in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, even the Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters inspecting the ships were a formidable force that could not be ignored. It could be said that First Inn would definitely suffer a loss if it came down to a battle.
He was not willing to let the Proprietress and Yue He suffer because of him; thus, he sighed inwardly. [It’s so depressing to be weak. Even if I obtain something good, I can’t keep it. Do I really have to hand over the Seventh-Order Monster Core?]
Yang Kai was extremely reluctant. All the cultivation resources he obtained along his journey were the results of personal effort, great opportunities, and massive amounts of luck.
The Wood Element Power came from the Immortal Tree he obtained in his early years, which happened naturally. He later obtained the Fire Element Power by stealing the Golden Crow carcass from under the noses of a bunch of Open Heaven Realm Masters. It could be said to be a narrow escape from death. Next, obtaining the Earth Element Power was a daunting experience but not dangerous. He had picked up and refined the Monster Core of an Earth Attribute True Dragon. Nevertheless, it was only possible for him to find the Monster Core thanks to the Dragon Source in his body.
His Water Element Power came from the Moon Essence he obtained and refined in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, having to escape from Kun Sha at that time. Lastly, he obtained the Yang Element Power by refining the Seventh-Order Primordial Yang Profound Ginseng. Even that had come with quite a hefty price tag.
It had taken so much effort, and he had struggled so hard just to pave the way to advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. All his efforts had been for the sake of a brighter future. He wanted to set foot in a wider sky and enjoy better scenery.
Obtaining the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core this time had also been a lucky coincidence. Who could say whether he would come across another opportunity like this? What kind of dangers would he face to obtain the cultivation resources he needed again? How long would he have to wait?
Once he refined the Seventh-Order Monster Core, he would only be one step away from advancing into the Open Heaven Realm! How could he reconcile himself with the idea of falling short right at the last moment!? But, what could he do even if he was extremely reluctant? Under the current circumstances, a huge battle was inevitable unless he brought out the Seventh-Order Monster Core. It was a given that First Inn would be the one to suffer if a battle broke out.
The scene was tense and a battle could erupt at any time.
Yang Kai swore ruthlessly to himself, [Even if I have to destroy the Seventh-Order Monster Core, I will never sell it to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven or allow Heavenly Sword Union to get their hands on it!]
At this moment, Senior Brother Mao, who had remained silent throughout the entire situation suddenly said, “Boy, do you have a Seventh-Order Monster Core in your possession?”
Yang Kai looked up and calmly replied, “There’s no such thing!”
Senior Mao Brother nodded lightly, “In that case, there’s nothing to be done here. You may leave.”
After saying that, he waved them away.
Everybody was dumbfounded by this turn of events and Kong Feng shouted, “Brother Mao!”
Senior Brother Mao asked coldly, “How can I help you, Brother Kong?”
Kong Feng exclaimed, “This brat definitely has a Seventh-Order Monster Core in his possession! We can’t let him just leave like that; otherwise, it will lead to a huge problem in the future!”
Senior Brother Mao replied indifferently, “He claims that he does not have one. Why do you keep insisting otherwise? Do you want to snatch his Space Ring from him to check?”
“That…” Kong Feng was suddenly at a loss for words. [I can’t do something so shameless. No matter how brazen he is, this Yang Kai is still just a Junior. How can a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like myself snatch his Space Ring in public!?]
Even he could not act so shamelessly as it would severely tarnish his reputation and face. Otherwise, instead of trying to negotiate with Yang Kai, he would have simply stolen it from him directly.
“Junior Sister Lan, I apologise for the commotion.” Senior Brother Mao cupped his fist at the Proprietress, then he turned to the ship and shouted, “Are you done with the inspection!? If you’re done, then return immediately!”
The group of people who boarded the ship for inspection earlier quickly leapt down. After that, he waved his large hand, “Let them through!”
Nobody objected when he allowed them to pass. Chu Liu Shan and Kong Feng exchanged a glance with each other and were unhappy with the situation, but they were also unwilling to fall out with this Senior Brother Mao. The people from Great Battle Heaven were not to be trifled with.
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Mao!” The Proprietress gave Senior Brother Mao an elegant bow before she drove the ship towards the Territory Gate.
Before they left, Yang Kai’s expression changed when he heard a transmission from Senior Brother Mao, “Take care of yourself, kid.”
He nodded at Senior Brother Mao gratefully. He knew that if not for Senior Brother Mao speaking up at a critical moment, things would not have been resolved so smoothly today.
When the ship passed through the Territory Gate and vanished out of sight, Chu Liu Shan finally said, “Brother Mao, I heard that several Great Battle Heaven disciples became acquainted with Yang Kai inside the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
Senior Brother Mao glanced sideways at Chu Liu Shan and responded lightly, “You are very well-informed, Brother Chu. But, if you have time to worry about Great Battle Heaven disciples, why don’t you spend it figuring out a method to track Black Crow Divine Monarch’s whereabouts instead?”
Chu Liu Shan’s gaze flickered slightly. Staring in the direction of the Territory Gate, he gave a soft snort.
…
At the same time, on the ship, the Proprietress gave Yang Kai a strange look, “Are you acquainted with Great Battle Heaven?”
Yang Kai pondered the question, “Perhaps, it’s because I rescued several Great Battle Heaven disciples in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.”
He couldn’t help thinking about Bu Lian Zhong and the others. Back at the swamp filled with countless Void Cracks, Yang Kai had helped the trapped Bu Lian Zhong and his companions to escape. It could be considered that he had saved their lives. It was just that he was separated from Bu Lian Zhong and the others when they later arrived at the blood lake.
In any case, Yang Kai had not taken such a trivial matter to heart. Rescuing Bu Lian Zhong and the others was just a matter of convenience. He never imagined that his actions would return to benefit him or that Great Battle Heaven would return the favour here.
The Proprietress immediately understood the situation and nodded lightly, “The people of Great Battle Heaven are upright and just. Since you rescued those Great Battle Heaven disciples, it makes sense why Senior Brother Mao reciprocated the favour just now.”
Yue He asked, “Young Master, did you really obtain a Seventh-Order Monster Core?”
Likewise, Old Bai looked over curiously.
These were people Yang Kai trusted friends and allies, so there was no need to hide anything from them. He nodded in response, “That’s right. But, it was a lucky coincidence. The Monster Beast was heavily injured in the first place, and I also used the Divine Ability Bead given to me by Proprietress from the outset. That’s how I managed to kill it.”
The Proprietress narrowed her eyes slightly, “What Elements are you missing now?”
Yang Kai replied, “After refining this Metal Element Power, then only the Yin Element will be left.”
Old Bai was shocked, “Only one left…”
It had not been long since Yang Kai came to the 3,000 Worlds, so it was shocking that he was going to advance into the Open Heaven Realm so soon!
Which Emperor Realm cultivator would not spend decades, if not centuries before advancing into the Open Heaven Realm? Very few people could successfully refine the Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements and advance into the Open Heaven Realm within a hundred years. The main reason was that finding suitable cultivation resources took much time, energy, and money.
This was true for any cultivator, including the disciples from the major Cave-Heavens and Paradises. The only exceptions were Core Disciples like Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan who were carefully nurtured by the Sect and given basically unlimited resources.
Be that as it may, even Core Disciples like them would need to spend some time refining these resources and consolidating their foundations; therefore, it could take between several years to several decades just to refine the necessary Elements. Those with poorer aptitude would take an even longer time.
Soon, Old Bai became excited, “Tsk. Tsk. You’re going to advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm! Brat, you’re reaching the sky in a single step!”
If Yang Kai could advance directly into the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, it would be no different from ascending to the Heavens in one bound. Be it in terms of strength or status, there would be Earth-shaking changes.
On the other hand, the Proprietress and Yue He were not happy; instead, they looked at each other worriedly.
Yang Kai was already being targeted by the major Cave-Heavens and Paradises. Although it could be said that not every Cave-Heaven and Paradise was out to cause trouble for him, there would always be some.
Those Masters had been holding back from making a move personally because they were still concerned about their respective reputations. They did not wish to be seen as oppressing the weak. The main reason for their inaction was that they believed it would take much more time for Yang Kai to grow and develop. However, if news about the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core spread out, some people might become desperate.
“Brat, you should focus on carefully refining the Metal Element Monster Core in retreat once you return. As for the Yin Element… I’ll search for you.” The Proprietress sent a transmission to Yang Kai.
She had warned him against taking this path in the past, but now that he was already so far down it, all she could do was support him as much as possible. She might not be able to acquire a Seventh-Order Yin Element treasure, but she certainly had more connections than him.
“En!” Yang Kai replied respectfully. Suddenly recalling something, he hurriedly took out a jade bottle and handed it over, “Proprietress, take a look at this and see if it will be useful for you!”
This jade bottle contained one of the Innate Open Heaven Pills that he obtained in the Blood Monster Divine Palace.
She took the bottle from him suspiciously, but after opening it and sweeping the contents with her Divine Sense, her expression changed drastically. She quickly resealed the jade bottle and glanced at Yang Kai in astonishment, “Where did you get this!?”
With how knowledgeable and experienced she was, she immediately understood what this Open Heaven Pill was, as well as its true origins.
Yang Kai of course answered her honestly.
Upon hearing his explanation, she returned the jade bottle to him, “This is useless to me right now. You should keep it for yourself. If I ever have a need for it in the future, I will ask you for it then.”
She had advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her cultivation would only reach its limit when she reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Taking this Open Heaven Pill now was a complete waste.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai understood that she was still restrained by the Heart Demon Oath she took in the past after hearing what she said. As long as Golden Rainbow Province and Boundless Altar remained standing, she would never be able to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Otherwise, she could have advanced into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm even without the help of this Innate Open Heaven Pill!
Sighing softly, Yang Kai put the jade bottle away before adding, “In that case, please don’t forget to come to me when you need it.”
Yang Kai also secretly made a vow. [When I advance into the Open Heaven Realm, the first thing I’m going to do is eliminate Golden Rainbow Province and Boundless Altar to resolve her Heart Demon Oath.]
Old Bai probably guessed Yang Kai’s intentions, so he secretly gave him a meaningful look, one that said ‘make sure to call me when that time comes.’
During his advancement into the Open Heaven Realm, Bai Qi nearly failed because of Qin Ji of Golden Rainbow Province and Ling Chun Qiu of Boundless Altar. If Yang Kai had not given him the World Source Liquid at the critical moment, he would not be standing here today. This blood feud never left Bai Qi’s thoughts and was something that would need to be repaid one day.
In the deserted void, a ship sailed forward silently. All the people on board were consolidating their harvest from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Although Yang Kai lost five to six subordinates during this trip, those who came out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven alive definitely had grown leaps and bounds. This experience would be of great help to their futures.
In his room, Yang Kai hid in the Small Sealed World, helping the cultivators of Abundance City to remove the Blood Principles Restriction.
Time passed, and it took almost a month for Yang Kai to finish this task. While helping them to remove the Blood Principles Restriction, Yang Kai took some time to meet and speak with each of them.
He found out that Abundance City had brought up quite a few talents. In addition to the several Great Elders like Pang Duo, there were more than ten people who had condensed the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Elements. Deacon Fan Wu Xin, who ‘captured’ him and Qu Hua Shang back to Abundance City, was one of them.
Although they had not been in the Emperor Realm as long as Pang Duo and the others, and had weaker foundations overall, they were still more than qualified to break through to the Open Heaven Realm.
Furthermore, plenty of other cultivators from Abundance City had condensed Fourth-Order and Third-Order Element Powers.
Yang Kai was extremely delighted about this. If he brought these people back to Void Land, once they broke through in the future, one could imagine a sharp increase in Void Land’s strength in a very short time!
However, the number of Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills needed would be huge too!
Initially, Yang Kai wanted to spare some time to comprehend his new Wood Element Divine Ability, but it seemed he would have to put that aside for now. It was crucial to refine more Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills as soon as possible.
Before leaving for the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Yang Kai had refined some Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, but there were not many, and definitely not enough for those from Abundance City.
Yang Kai estimated he would need at least 500 Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills to barely meet the consumption of the first batch of Abundance City cultivators.
For other great forces, it would certainly not be worth it to exchange a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to secure a single cultivator’s breakthrough to the Third-Order or Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. After all, the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was essentially an extinct Spirit Pill. Anyone who obtained one would regard it as a treasure, leaving it for their Disciple with the greatest potential.
However, Yang Kai could refine this Spirit Pill on his own, and he possessed a large amount of World Source Liquid; thus, he need not be concerned in this regard. Now, his main priority was to enhance Void Land’s strength within the shortest timespan, giving it the capability to protect itself in this 3,000 Worlds.
Yang Kai kept himself busy in his room, refining Spirit Pills without rest. Furnace after furnace of Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills appeared, with each one representing the birth of an Open Heaven Realm Master for Void Land!
After refining for an unknown time, Yang Kai only realized that his job was done when all his auxiliary ingredients were consumed. He calculated the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills he had, coming up with 435 in total. Although there was still a little gap from his initial estimate of 500, it should be enough for now. Not every cultivator would need this Spirit Pill to break through after all. It was unnecessary to waste it on someone who was confident in breaking through.
Nevertheless, for those such as Mo Mei and Pang Duo, Yang Kai had to let them take this pill to assure their breakthrough, even if they were confident.
Opening the barrier of the room, Yang Kai stepped onto the deck, and looked at the scenery of the void around him. He suddenly realized that something was wrong. It should not have taken them so long to return to Thousand Birds Territory from Blood Monster Cave Heaven. He spent one month helping the cultivators of Abundance City to remove their Blood Principles Restriction, and about more than a month refining Spirit Pills. Given that it had been about two to three months, they should have arrived at Thousand Birds Territory by now.
Confused, he took out his Universe Chart to check their position, and was dumbstruck.
“Young Master!” Probably because of noticing Yang Kai coming out of his retreat, Yue He hurriedly came out of her room too.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, and asked puzzledly, “Why are we in Void Territory?”
With the help of the Universe Chart, Yang Kai could easily tell that they were now in Void Territory instead of Thousand Birds Territory.
Yue He explained, “Elder Sister wanted to send us back to Void Land first, then they will return to First Inn of Thousand Birds Territory.”
Yang Kai immediately understood what this meant. The Proprietress was worried that they might encounter some kind of danger during their journey, so she decided to escort them all the way here. His heart could not help feeling a little warm.
“I am going to see Proprietress,” He turned around and walked towards the room on the top floor.
It was necessary to pay the Proprietress a visit after coming out of his retreat, so Yang Kai knocked, entered the room, and had some casual conversation with her. Then, Yang Kai took out a bottle of Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, “Proprietress, Chef and Accountant will surely be breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm soon after returning. These Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills should be useful to them.”
Back then at the auction in Thousand Birds Star City, Yang Kai got the pill recipe for the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill; furthermore, the Proprietress also learnt from Old Bai that Yang Kai had World Source Liquid on him, so she was not surprised that he could hand over Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills so casually.
There was no need for her to refuse as they were really useful for Chef and Accountant. As such, she immediately took the bottle and said, “I’ll accept it with gratitude. When Chef and Accountant reach the Open Heaven Realm Masters, I will ask them to thank you in person.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “No need, we’re friends. I hope they can successfully break through to the Open Heaven Realm as well.”
The Proprietress nodded gently, and asked, “What are your plans after going back this time?”
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai answered, “No matter what, it’s important to refine the Metal Element Monster Core first; after all, such a treasure could only truly belong to me after refining it.”
“As it should be,” the Proprietress agreed, “After refining it, don’t be in such a rush to exit retreat. Stay to consolidate your cultivation. Although you have excellent aptitude, I’m afraid that your foundation will be unstable in the future given that you refined so many High-Rank materials so quickly. Fortunately, it’s not too late. There is still a chance to rectify some minor flaws before condensing the Yin Element Power.”
“Proprietress is wise,” Yang Kai accepted her advice humbly. He agreed that he should spend some time consolidating his cultivation. It was not necessarily good to progress rapidly when it came to cultivating. Although his Dao Seal was incredibly firm due to the Divine Dao Water he had used, it would not hurt him to settle down a little and stabilize his foundation.
During his adventures in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Yang Kai had comprehended a potent Wood Element Divine Ability, but he still lacked a Water Element Divine Ability and a Yang Element Divine Ability. When he condensed his Metal Element Power upon returning this time, he should finish comprehending these. He had a faint feeling that if he could fully comprehend all the Divine Abilities of the seven Elements before advancing to become an Open Heaven Realm Master, it would be of great benefit to him during and after his breakthrough.
It was an inexplicable feeling, but Yang Kai had no doubt about it.
After a few days, the ship finally reached Void Land.
Standing on the deck, the Proprietress praised, “Grandmaster Wu Liang has extraordinary skill indeed. This Grand Array is magnificent. It is so profound that even I can’t see through it. Run this place well. One day, it may be one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises!”
During her last trip here, she brought Grandmaster Wu Liang to patch or arrange a Grand Array for Yang Kai. At that time, Void Land was still Seven Wonders Land, but the current atmosphere had changed dramatically compared to that time.
Yang Kai grinned, “This Grand Array that Grandmaster Wu Liang set up is called the Nine Heavenly Layers and has nine Grand Arrays linked together, including Bewildering Arrays, Illusion Arrays, Killing Arrays, and Trapping Arrays. It’s indeed powerful.”
Grandmaster Wu Liang had excellent skills, but Yang Kai had to give him tremendous support to create this Grand Array. Even though he had made a huge fortune in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had to spend the majority of it for the sake of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. Only someone like Yang Kai would have the courage to support Grandmaster Wu Liang in arranging a Spirit Array like this. If it was any other Second Class great force, they would not have had the financial resources necessary to support such an endeavour.
Cost was also the main reason why it was so difficult for Grandmaster Wu Liang to implement his design before, even though he had conceived of it a long time ago. He had designed the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array many years ago and strongly recommended it to various great forces; however, those great forces rejected it despite their interest after hearing the price tag.
It was only after he met Yang Kai that he was finally able to display his true mastery over the Dao of Spirit Arrays!
After setting up the array, Grandmaster Wu Liang had a burst of inspiration and enlightenment and went into retreat. He estimated that his cultivation would improve after he came out of his retreat.
“En, a good Spirit Array!” The Proprietress did not hesitate to praise.
“There’s nothing special to see from the outside. You’ll understand its true mystery only from the inside. Please enter, Proprietress!” Yang Kai gestured.
Contrary to his expectations though, the Proprietress shook her head, “I’m not going in.”
Yang Kai was startled, “Are you leaving now?”
The Proprietress nodded gently, “This trip away from First Inn has taken too long. It’s not good to delay any longer. Don’t forget what I told you. Cultivate well after you go back.”
Yang Kai was a little reluctant to send her off. Void Land and Thousand Birds Star City were not close to each other, so it was not easy to have them here. Now that they were leaving before even stepping foot into Void Land, Yang Kai somehow felt like he lost an opportunity to welcome them as a host.
However, if the Proprietress did not want to enter, he could not force it either. As such, he just nodded as he replied, “I’ll remember. Don’t worry, Proprietress. I will work hard and not slack off.”
Leading Yue He and the others off the ship, Yang Kai solemnly bid farewell to the Proprietress and the rest. After seeing the ship, Yang Kai beckoned to the rest, “Let’s go home!”
It was Guo Miao’s first time coming to Void Land, and she could not help looking around curiously. She felt that this place was many times better than Blood Swan Continent, where she had stayed before. Although Void Land was also a Second Class great force, Blood Swan Continent could not be compared with it at all!
Yang Kai was the Master of Void Land, so the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array naturally could not stop him from leading his people inside. The alarm activated by the Grand Array startled Bian Yu Qing, who immediately came to investigate, but after finding that it was Yang Kai who returned, she quickly welcomed him delightedly, “Sect Master, you’ve returned!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Many thanks for your hard work, Second Manager.”
Speaking of the people who followed him all these years, besides Head Manager Hua Qing Si, it was Second Manager Bian Yu Qing who had worked the hardest.
Yang Kai was a well-known arm-flinging shopkeeper, always running around all year round while pushing the administrative work onto others. When he was not home, these two women were in charge of essentially all matters in the Sect. Many would feel envious of the two Managers for how much authority they possessed, but these people had no idea how much effort they had put in, and how much cultivation time they had sacrificed for the Sect.
Back then in High Heaven Palace in the Star Boundary, Head Manager Hua Qing Si was there to share the burden with her, but now in Void Land, Bian Yu Qing was doing it all alone.
Recalling the time when he was captured by Bian Yu Qing’s subordinates when he first left the Lower Star Field and entered the Star Boundary, Yang Kai could not help sighing nostalgically. All kinds of memories from the past were still vivid in his mind.
In the Main Hall at the centre of Void Land, Yang Kai sat in the head seat, while Yue He stood behind him. Although she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was as humble as a maidservant, standing by the side to pour tea for Yang Kai.
Below, Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue sat on the left and right. Hearing of Yang Kai’s return, the two of them hurriedly came to greet him. For now, Void Land was lacking Open Heaven Realm Masters, so besides Yue He, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, there were only Lu Xue, a Fifth-Order Open Realm Master, Chen Tian Fei, a Fourth-Order Open Realm Master, and Guo Zi Yan, a Third-Order Open Realm Master. These were all the Open Heaven Realm Masters Void Land had for now.
Of course, there was also Hei He, who was restricted by the Loyalty List, but Yang Kai stationed him outside the Star Boundary to ensure its safety.
In addition, there was the Divine Spirit Heavenly Moon Demon Spider, Zhu Jiu Yin. This woman was extraordinarily strong, and after coming out of Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for such a long time, a good portion of her strength should have been restored, but no one knew what her true condition was at the moment.
Bian Yu Qing’s voice echoed in the Main Hall as she reported the developments and transformations of Void Land during this period of time to Yang Kai. In fact, there were not many changes. The 600,000 people who Yang Kai brought back from the Star Boundary were mostly cultivating in the retreat. All the Great Emperors and Pseudo-Great Emperors had obtained some cultivation resources and now just needed time to refine them, so there would not be many results in the short term.
However, as a result, the expenses for cultivation resources had become shockingly high. Although Void Land was still quite rich, it was clear that it could not handle this rate of consumption for long. If they continued to consume without any means of replenishing, Void Land would eventually be completely drained. Signs had already started showing when Yang Kai departed, but after this period of time, the situation had become progressively worse.
In conclusion, the expenditures of Void Land were overwhelming. Before Yang Kai left, he basically handed over all the cultivation resources he had to Bian Yu Qing and allowed her to distribute them. But now, after listening to the reported figures, there was really not much left, and they would most likely be exhausted soon.
After reporting the spending, Bian Yu Qing continued, “Even taking into consideration the expenditures though, the current income is also pretty good.”
Yang Kai raised his brow as her statement piqued his interest, “Oh? Let’s hear about it.”
Bian Yu Qing turned to look at Chen Tian Fei, and smiled faintly, “Sect Master, just so you know, the biggest income in Void Land now comes from the Gourd Vine, which is under the care of Sir Chen. The Gourd Vine truly lives up to its name as a Divine Medicine. In essence, we can collect a full set of Fifth-Order Yin, Yang, and the Five Element materials once a month. It is truly valuable, and what makes it even more precious is that all of the materials stem from the same source. If a disciple can refine all their Fifth-Order materials from the Gourd Vine, there may be unexpected gains.”
Yang Kai gave a light nod. When he saw the Gourd Vine in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he already had a vague feeling that it would become a foundation to the success of any Sect that obtained it. By the looks of it now, it seemed that he was right.
“Good work, Fatty,” Yang Kai nodded at Fatty Chen Tian.
Chen Tian Fei hurriedly got up. Although he replied humbly, his face was radiant, looking notably proudly. To be honest, it was a boring job to watch over the Gourd Vine, and the task of collecting the Element treasures was not something really worth praising, but he was still glad to be noticed by Yang Kai. Although he was forced to leave his name on the Loyalty List, and his fate was now Yang Kai’s to control, after even a short period of time, he realized the terrifying potential Void Land had. It was many times better than Scarlet Star. Although Void Land was still in its infant stage, it would definitely have the world at its feet in time.
His cultivation was not too high, but he had an exceptionally sharp vision, so he had no doubts about this. Even without the restriction of Loyalty List, he would never choose to leave Void Land. This place had a broad and promising future. If he continued to stay here, he would benefit as Void Land rose. How could he find any place better than this?
Not to mention, staying with Yang Kai could quickly improve his strength too. Until now, he still did not understand how Lu Xue could rapidly reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm after a simple trip out with Yang Kai. Initially, they were both Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and he had reached that realm long before Lu Xue, but she had broken through to the next Order first.
Besides Lu Xue, even Guo Zi Yan reached the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Previously, Chen Tian Fei secretly tried to gain information from Lu Xue, but her lips were tightly sealed, so he could not figure out anything. However, he was not discouraged. He believed that as long as he could win Yang Kai’s trust, sooner or later he would be able to make sense of it all.
Additionally, since he was now in charge of collecting the resources from the Gourd Vine, he believed that he must be able to have a share of the collected resources when he was promoted to the Fifth Order in the future.
The Fifth-Order materials were exceedingly valuable as each one cost on after 1 to 2 million Open Heaven Pills, making a set of seven nearly 10 million. Fatty Chen had witnessed Yang Kai’s generosity towards his subordinates during this period of time, and he believed that as long as he could be promoted to the Fifth Order, he would definitely be able to obtain quite a number of Gourd Vine materials. With that, reaching the Sixth Order would be just a matter of time.
If he left Void Land, where could he find this many resources?
It could be said that Chen Tian Fei had now truly pledged his loyalty to Void Land.
Bian Yu Qing pressed on, “However, there is a problem now. The number of disciples who can refine Fifth-Order materials is limited, and a lot of the materials collected from the Gourd Vine may accumulate.”
The requirements for the Dao Seal of a cultivator to refine Fifth-Order Elements were somewhat high, and only Bing Yun, Wen Zi Shan, and other top Emperors could refine them safely. Therefore, although there were 600,000 people in Void Land, not many of them could refine the Fifth-Order materials. Therefore, as the resources were collected monthly from the Gourd Vine, they would naturally begin to pile up.
“In contrast, Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials are in extremely high demand, and we are short on them. Therefore, without Sect Master’s approval, this subordinate decided to exchange some Fifth-Order resources from the Gourd Vine for the Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials in the Star City. If there is anything wrong about this, this subordinate is willing to be punished.”
Yang Kai beamed, “How could I punish Second Manager for doing such a good job? I should be thanking you instead.”
It was a reasonable move to exchange the Fifth-Order materials that could not be used for Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials that they lacked.
Bian Yu Qing was slightly relieved when she heard him, and further reported, “Inside Void Land, aside from the income of the Gourd Vine, there are the Spirit Fruits collected in the various Orchards. Although Wondrous Pill Great Emperor is deriving the pill recipe for Open Heaven Pills, the progress has been quite slow because he is focused more on cultivating in retreat, so the accumulated Spirit Fruits cannot be refined into pills.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ve solved the matter of the pill recipe and will give it to the Great Emperor later so that he can begin refining pills.”
Bian Yu Qing nodded and continued, “That’s all for the income from within Void land. Regarding the external income, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master named Yun Xing Hua came to Void Land and claimed that it was Sect Master that sent him to manage Void Territory’s Star City. The harvest there is also not bad, and there is a fixed income every month from taxes and rent. I have asked him to exchange all the income into cultivation materials of various Orders and ship them to Void Land.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I did send Yun Xing Hua over, but he is an outsider after all, so it’s difficult to entrust such an important task to him. It’s better to have someone in the Star City to assume proper command.”
Blood Swan Continent was originally Guo Miao’s great force, but after Yang Kai broke through its Sect Defending Array, he forced Yun Xing Hua to leave his name on the Loyalty List. There was a shortage of manpower in Void Land, so Yang Kai had ordered Yun Xing Hua to lead a group of people from Blood Swan Continent to enter and manage the Star City.
Although there was the Loyalty List to guarantee his compliance, and Yang Kai was not afraid of Yun Xing Hua betraying him, he worried that this guy would be tempted by the fortunes he made and would begin embezzling them for himself. In Yang Kai’s plan, the Star City of Void Land needed to be well managed and developed, and it would not be difficult to do so. As long as he threw out the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, the reputation of the Star City in Void Territory would soar overnight. When that happened, it would certainly attract countless people to the Star City of Void Land. The increase of population would bring the Star City to life, and by that time, even if he did not do anything, he could make a fortune just collecting taxes.
For now though, Void Territory’s Star city had no fame to its name and could only be regarded as a medium-sized Star City, incomparable to Thousand Birds Star City, not to mention the Star Cities in the Cave-Heavens and Paradises’ Territories. Although the Star City was making some income, it was not much, so Yang Kai was not worried about letting Yun Xing Hua take charge of it for now. However, when the Star City matured in the future, Yang Kai needed to station someone trustworthy there to manage it.
More importantly, that person needed to be strong enough! At that time, the Void Territory Star City would be bustling and full of all kinds of people. Without enough strength, the one in charge would not be able to maintain order and security.
That person had to be at least a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! Currently, it seemed that Mo Mei was the only suitable candidate as there was no way Yang Kai could let Yue He take charge of the Star City as she had to take care of Void Land itself.
While thinking about it, Lu Xue got up and volunteered, “Sir, let me go to the Star City.”
Lu Xue was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now. If she went to the Star City, Yun Xing Hua would not dare to be presumptuous; after all, he had only just reached the Fourth Order.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “No, Lu Xue. Just focus on teaching in Void Land. The people I brought here from my homeland know nothing about the Outer Universe and the Open Heaven Realm, so I need you to guide them.”
There were only a few Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land. Chen Tian Fei was in charge of the Gourd Vine, while Lu Xue taught the cultivators from the Star Boundary. Almost every day, she had to solve countless questions and doubts of the disciples. It could be said that her task was tough. Even the Great Emperors would ask her for advice during their spare time outside of retreat.
Although in the future, the achievements of Lu Xue may not be as great as those Great Emperors who were refining Sixth-Order materials, she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now and had the experiences they needed most. At this stage, it was no problem for her to provide guidance to the Great Emperors.
Lu Xue sat down after Yang Kai announced what she should do.
Bian Yu Qing continued, “From the current situation, the income of Void Land is sufficient to cover the expenditure, and there’s even some revenue left over, but it will be difficult to maintain in the long run.”
This was because as time passed, there would be more cultivators who condensed their own Dao Seals. Once they had their Dao Seals, they would need Open Heaven materials, which would put more pressure on Void Land’s finances.
It would be fine if there were just one or two of them. The problem was that there were 600,000 people in Void Land!
Hearing that, Yang Kai asked, “Does Second Manager have a solution?”
Bian Yu Qing proposed, “Other than increasing the income of Void Land, I think we can let the disciples go out for training to find resources for themselves. Void Land can support them for the time being, but not for a lifetime!”
Yang Kai kept silent.
Bian Yu Qing added, “It’s an honour that Sect Master showed such generosity and care to the disciples. It’s truly a blessing for them to belong to a Sect like Void Land. But if they don’t contribute, they won’t appreciate their gains. Furthermore, while it’s safe for them to stay in Void Land, if they don’t go out for training, how can they fight alongside Sect Master in the 3,000 Worlds in the future? Flowers raised in the greenhouse will not be able to withstand wind and storms. Back then, when Great Demon God, Mo Sheng, caused disaster in the Star Boundary, everyone from High Heaven Palace participated in the battle. There were many casualties, but the ones who survived grew by leaps and bounds! “
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “What Second Manager says is reasonable.”
He certainly understood this. When he went to Blood Monster Cave Heaven this time, he also agreed to let Lang Qing Shan and the others move separately for training, because he knew that he could not always keep them under his wings. Similarly, he could not protect the 600,000 elites that he had brought back from the Star Boundary forever.
They needed to grow and gain experiences of their own.
“Since Second Manager proposed this, do you have a specific plan?” Yang Kai questioned.
Bian Yu Qing answered, “This subordinate does have an idea. As for whether it will work, I’ll need Sect Master to decide.”
Yang Kai gestured her to speak.
Bian Yu Qing suggested eloquently, “The 600,000 cultivators who came back from the Star Boundary have different strengths. There are the strong ones like the Great Emperors, who have long condensed their own Dao Seals, and are now refining Sixth-Order materials. As for the weaker cultivators, some of their cultivations have not reached the Dao Source Realm or even the Origin King Realm. It’s too dangerous for such cultivators to travel the 3,000 Worlds. Allowing them to leave would be the same as killing them. Therefore, this subordinate was thinking of letting them travel to the Universe Worlds within Void Territory first.”
Yang Kai roughly knew about the situation of Void Territory. Originally, other than Seven Wonders Land which was a Second Class great force, there were 7 third-class great forces, and more than a dozen Universe Worlds.
When Yang Kai occupied Void Land back then, the Masters of these third-class great forces and Universe Worlds paid him a visit. Since Yang Kai had become the ruler of Void Territory, these subordinate forces and Universe Worlds naturally had to pay him proper respect.
“There are many places to seek both training and opportunity in those Universe Worlds. If the disciples go there, not only can it temper their minds and bodies, but it will also let them learn the difficulty of obtaining resources.”
Yang Kai nodded at her suggestion, “This plan seems feasible!”
Seeing him approve, Bian Yu Qing added, “In addition, this subordinate feels that Void Land can follow the contribution system set up by other Sects and the prices of all kinds of cultivation resources should be clearly stated. If the disciples want to get the resources they need, they can exchange with their own contribution points. Of course, the disciples can get them by completing missions assigned by the Sect too, or turning in the contribution points that they obtained through their training.”
Yang Kai had experienced the system of contribution points many times in the past and such a system existed in High Heaven Palace as well. This system was used by many Sects with different names, but they were all similar. Up to now, there were many great forces in the 3,000 Worlds practising the same system.
The fact that the contribution points system was used by many Sects proved that it was helpful to their development.
Yang Kai beamed, “With the help of Second Manager, how can Void Land not be prosperous?”
Bian Yu Qing blushed slightly, “Many thanks, Sect Master, for your high praise. This subordinate only adopted this idea from others.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Whether it’s from others or not, I’m relieved to have Second Managers overseeing Void Land. Just proceed as you mentioned.”
Bian Yu Qing quickly bowed, “Yes!” After a pause, she continued, “Sect Master, this subordinate has another request!”
“En, name it!”
After organizing her thoughts, Bian Yu Qing remarked, “Although this subordinate has been following Sect Master for many years, my personal cultivation is too low for my current position. I was able to assist Head Manager in High Heaven Palace before, but now, it’s really overwhelming for me to support the operation of Void Land all alone. Sect Master, you are always away, and the Great Emperors are all in retreat. If Void Land encounters any trouble, it will be difficult for me alone to make decisions. I request Sect Master set up an Elder Council. If there is any problem, the Elder Council can discuss and act together.”
There were Sect Masters, Protectors, Elders, Deacons and so on in many other positions in normal Sects. Although Void Land had quite a number of people, other than having Yang Kai as the Sect Master, Bian Yu Qing was the only other one who had a specific status, which was Manager. Meanwhile, the rest were just ordinary disciples who had not been given any position yet.
It was not because Yang Kai forgot about this matter, but simply that the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land was far too limited, so it was hard to even appoint people to such positions.
Bian Yu Qing proposed this not only for the development of Void Land, but also to avert suspicion; after all, if she had all the power, it would inevitably cause some dissatisfaction among others. Of course, the main reason was that she truly needed help with the hectic workload.
“Does Second Manager have any suggestions?” Yang Kai asked.
Bian Yu Qing replied, “This subordinate has received a lot of help from Sir Chen and Madam Lu these days, and I ask for their advice at times. They have experience in management and have good cultivation. As such, this subordinate feels that we can allow them to join the Elder Council first, and be the first batch of the Elders of our Void Land!”
Chen Tian Fei was originally one of the Managers of Scarlet Star. Back then, when Zhao Bai Chuan was in retreat all year round to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Chen Tian Fei was in charge of Scarlet Star, while Lu Xue was a Manager from Sword Pavilion with numerous subordinates under her. Because of this, they both had experience in managerial positions.
Hearing Bian Yu Qing’s words, Fatty Chen, who was sitting to the side, hurriedly straightened his back, sat upright and looked in front of him steadily, while Lu Xue just remained indifferent.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Second Manager is right. Fatty Chen, Lu Xue.”
The two quickly got up, stood side by side, and cupped their fists, “Sect Master.”
“You two will establish an Elder Council with Second Manager to jointly manage Void Land. If there are any difficult decisions to be made, the 3 of you can discuss it among yourselves and follow a majority rule for the final decision!”
“Yes!” Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue responded in unison. Fatty Chen did not forget to bootlick, “This subordinate assures Sect Master that he will do his best to assist Second Manager, and develop Void Land without slacking off!”
Yang Kai waved his hand and asked them to sit down again. He next took out several Space Rings and pushed them over to Bian Yu Qing.
Bian Yu Qing wondered, “These are…”
Yang Kai explained, “These are the cultivation resources I obtained during my trip. You should keep them and distribute them according to the situation. As for the Open Heaven Pills, keep some of them in reserve if you can and take the rest to the Star City to purchase more resources.”
Bian Yu Qing accepted the order before scanning the rings with her Divine Sense, and exclaiming, “So much!”
Yang Kai literally spent billions of Open Heaven Pills on his way to First Inn in Thousand Birds Territory to buy the Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials. Just when he spent almost all his Open Heaven Pills, he obtained another 1.25 billion Open Heaven Pills in the Asura Arena, all of which he spent wildly on purchasing items at the following auction and exchange meet. If he had not paid a large number of resources and pills to win the Seventh-Order Primordial Yang Profound Ginseng, there would be even more resources in the rings.
Bian Yu Qing let out a sigh of relief, “With these things, Void Land can still maintain itself for another five years without issue!”
Yang Kai coughed gently into his fist, “I’m afraid it won’t last that long.”
“Why?” Bian Yu Qing looked at Yang Kai puzzledly.
Yang Kai disclosed, “Because Void Land will have a new batch of members joining, and their demand for cultivation resources will certainly be much more than the current disciples from the Star Boundary.”
After saying so, he waved his hand, releasing Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and the other Elders from Abundance City.
Mo Mei and the others were stunned for a moment but then hurriedly saluted when they finally comprehended the situation, “Sect Master!”
Bian Yu Qing looked at Mo Mei and the others curiously, and asked, “Sect Master, these are…” Lu Xue and Chen Tian Fei looked confused too.
Yang Kai introduced everyone and briefly explained the background of Mo Mei and the others. Lu Xue and Chen Tian Fei were dumbstruck, for they did not expect Yang Kai to even bring back so many native cultivators from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. What’s more, they could sense that Mo Mei had condensed Sixth-Order Element Powers. Although Pang Duo and the rest looked a bit old to still be Emperor Realm cultivators, they permeated stable and powerful Fifth-Order Element auras. Once they advanced to the Open Heaven Realm, they would be in the Fifth Order!
“Second Manager, please settle the people of Abundance City down carefully. They will all be our Void Land’s disciples in the future.” Yang Kai ordered.
Bian Yu Qing was delighted, “Don’t worry, Sect Master. This subordinate will make proper arrangements for them.”
What Void Land lacked now more than anything was Open Heaven Realm Masters. These people in front of her were all seeds of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Once they broke through, there would be a sharp increase in Void Land’s strength. How could Bian Yu Qing not be happy?
However, after a moment of excitement, she suddenly understood what Yang Kai meant.
There were not many cultivators from Abundance City, only 3 or 4 thousand. Nevertheless, their needs would only be greater than the 600,000 disciples from the Star Boundary. Although there were a large number of people from the Star Boundary too, their cultivations were quite uneven and the vast majority had not even condensed their Dao Seals, so they needed far fewer resources. However, the cultivators of Abundance City were different. Many people had begun to condense Open Heaven Powers, which was exactly the time when they were extremely eager for the materials of various Orders.
Although Yang Kai brought back a massive amount of cultivation resources from his trip, they would not last long if so many people had to use them.
But overall, it was worth celebrating. Bian Yu Qing could even foresee the scene of the tremendous birth of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land.
Yang Kai turned to look at the several people from Abundance City, and asked, “Mo Mei, how many people from Abundance City can break through to the Open Heaven Realm right away?”
Mo Mei immediately replied without a second thought, “Besides this Mistress and the four Great Elders, there are four Deacons, who have condensed Fifth-Order Elements. Below the Fifth Order, there are at least 300 who can break through to the Open Heaven Realm at any time. However, we have just left Blood Monster Cave Heaven, so we must first become familiar with the outside world before proceeding.”
“As you should.” Yang Kai nodded before taking out a ring, “Here are some Spirit Pills. Take them and distribute them to those who can break through. Take one before they attempt to break through as it will ensure that they can successfully ascend.”
Mo Mei accepted and happily thanked Yang Kai.
To the side, Chen Tian Fei looked at Yang Kai with some surprise, “Sect Master, what Spirit Pills are these?”
Mo Mei and the others had lived in Blood Monster Cave Heaven for a long time so they did not know anything about the outside world and had never been in contact with the Open Heaven Realm before. Therefore, how would they know the hardships and dangers of breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm?
After a cultivator condensed their Dao Seal, they had to work hard to collect all kinds of materials to refine. Even after they gathered the Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers, they may not have the courage to proceed to attempt to break through; after all, their Soul was at risk of being extinguished upon failure. This was why there were countless Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Masters throughout the 3,000 Worlds. Some were limited by their financial resources and could not gather sufficient cultivation materials, while some lacked confidence in themselves or had problems with their cultivation and dared not attempt to break through.
It was for this reason that there were numerous Second-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, as well as many even in the First-Order. Not because these people did not have dreams to pursue, but because the lower the Order one attempted to break through to directly, the lower the impact on themselves would be. Likewise, the lower the risk they would need to take.
The risk of advancing to the Open Heaven Realm was well-known, but there was no way to avoid it, and auxiliary aids or Spirit Pills that could increase the chances of success had all but vanished over the ages.
Although Mo Mei did not fully understand how miraculous the Spirit Pills Yang Kai handed to her were, how could Fatty Chen and Lu Xue not know?
“Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills.” Yang Kai answered casually.
Chen Tian Fei replied with a cracked voice, “Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill? As in, the legendary Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills that have long gone extinct?”
Even Lu Xue had her beautiful eyes widen as she stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
“They’re not extinct anymore. I won the pill recipe for the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill during my trip to the Thousand Birds Territory Star City in an auction. These Spirit Pills were refined by me.”
Chen Tian Fei was stunned on the spot as if he was struck by lightning.
Lu Xue, who had been indifferent throughout the whole meeting, could not help covering her red lips with her hands as she gasped.
Seeing their reactions, Mo Mei and the others finally realized the value of the Spirit Pills in their hands. Although they had never heard of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, it did not mean that they lacked common sense. Earlier, when Yang Kai passed her the ring, she scanned it casually and found hundreds of Spirit Pills inside. She thought that these Spirit Pills were ordinary things that could be easily found everywhere, but now, she learnt how rare they were.
Tentatively looking at Chen Tian Fei, Mo Mei asked, “Elder Chen, is this Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill very precious?”
Chen Tian Fei gulped and started to explain with difficulty, “It’s more than just precious. It’s a treasure that one can essentially never find. It’s said that this Spirit Pill can stabilize one’s Dao Seal during their breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm, greatly improving their chances of success. Moreover, it is rumoured that taking it during one’s breakthrough can help a cultivator experience the birth of a new world, which harmonizes perfectly with the Grand Dao of the splitting Heaven and Earth apart…”
Then, he continued with a solemn tone, “Junior Sister Mo, let’s put it this way. If a cultivator has gathered Sixth-Order Element Powers like you, but their Dao Seal is not firm enough to support their breakthrough, they are likely to fail and die if they insist on it. But with such a pill, their chances of succeeding increase dramatically. In other words, each of these Spirit Pills can guarantee the successful breakthrough of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!”
After hearing what Chen Tian Fei said, Mo Mei and the others finally understood the value of these Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills. Although it seemed to only be a Spirit Pill, it actually represented a powerful Open Heaven Realm Master!
Chen Tian Fei continued, “If you put such a Spirit Pill up for auction, it would be worth at least 10 to 20 million Open Heaven Pills, and that is the absolute lowest price possible. En, you may not know what 10 million Open Heaven Pills means. In the 3,000 Worlds, the value of a Sixth-Order material is generally 15 million.”
Mo Mei’s hand, which was holding the ring, started trembling.
Each of these Spirit Pills were worth 10 to 20 million Open Heaven Pills, and there were some 300 of them in the ring Yang Kai gave to her! Didn’t that mean this single ring was worth billions of Open Heaven Pills?
They had no idea about the value of an Open Heaven Pill, but they did understand the value of a Sixth-Order material as they had only obtained a handful of them even after centuries of accumulation.
“Sect Master, these Spirit Pills are too valuable!” Mo Mei hurriedly looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai waved his hand, and grinned, “What Elder Chen just said is not wrong. A single Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill is worth a fortune, but that is only under the circumstances that they cannot be found.”
Previously at the auction, the price of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill and its recipe was indeed high, costing Yang Kai a great fortune just to win them.
“If a large number of these things were available in the world, their value would naturally reduce greatly. What our Void Land lacks now are Open Heaven Realm Masters, so you don’t have to feel pressured about these pills. I can refine them myself, so I can always make more when they are used up. What you have to do is to assist the people of Abundance City to advance to the Open Heaven Realm as soon as possible.”
Despite Yang Kai’s words, everyone knew that the value of Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills would not drop much even if a large quantity of them became available on the market. No cultivator could be absolutely certain that their breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm would succeed, so as long as they had enough money, anyone would definitely be willing to buy one as insurance.
Before Mo Mei could say any more, Yang Kai stopped her, “This has already been settled. You don’t need to think too much. Just use these Spirit Pills when you should.”
Realizing Yang Kai’s decision was firm, Mo Mei grasped the ring in her hand and bowed deeply, “Many thanks, Sect Master.”
“Good, that’s all for today. Second Manager, please help those from Abundance City settle in.”
Bian Yu Qing received the order and the group followed Yang Kai out of the Main Hall. After Yang Kai released all of the cultivators of Abundance City from the Small Sealed World, Bian Yu Qing led them away.
Yang Kai dismissed Yue He and then returned to his residence with his hands folded behind his back. Knowing that he was heading to see his wives, Yue He did not bother to follow him.
Chen Tian Fei and Lu Xue still remained in Main Hall with somewhat complicated feelings.
After a long time, Chen Tian Fei smiled bitterly, “If I had a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill in the past, I would have been confident in attempting to break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm…”
He chose to break through to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm due to limitations in his aptitude, but if he had a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to secure his breakthrough, he would stand a chance to directly advance to the Fifth-Order. Although there was only one Order difference between the Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order, the difference in upper limits was immense. The highest limit a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could achieve was the Sixth-Order, which was still in the Mid-Rank, but a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could attempt to reach the Seventh-Order, which was the High-Rank.
Lu Xue remained silent. She had always been quiet, but she could also understand Chen Tian Fei’s feelings right now. If she did not obtain a Mid-Rank World Fruit from Yang Kai due to unforeseen circumstances, how could she have the power and achievements she had today?
“Our Sect Master is not a simple man. The future of Void Land… is really worth anticipating!” Chen Tian Fei sighed. Although he did not have as much authority as he did back in Scarlet Star, he was still proud to be in a Sect with such high prospects!
What could he do even if he wielded power in Scarlet Star? Scarlet Star would forever be a small place that could never stand out in the one Star City where it was situated, while Void Land had unlimited potential and would one day rise to become an existence on par with the Cave-Heavens or Paradises! By that time, Chen Tian Fei would also be famous!
…..
When Yang Kai returned to his residence and pushed the door open, he saw Yu Ru Meng, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, and Ji Yao standing side by side, with Yu Ru Meng in the lead.
They had obviously heard the news of Yang Kai’s return, so they had decided to wait here.
As soon as they saw him, happiness covered their faces. Under the lead of Yu Ru Meng, they all saluted and greeted in unison, “Husband, many thanks for your hard work.”
Yu Ru Meng smiled sweetly, Xia Ning Chang and Ji Yao blushed, Xue Yue grinned, while Su Yan lowered her head slightly, her long hair falling from both sides of her ears and resting on her ample peaks.
Yang Kai stared at all of them, stunned.
Yu Ru Meng’s face remained unchanged, but the rest flushed increasingly red.
It was mainly because they had never done something like this before. They were still in retreat previously, but were summoned out one by one by Yu Ru Meng. They still had not gotten used to the situation where they all gathered together to welcome their man back.
With a bang, Yang Kai closed the door again and left the room.
Standing at the door, Yang Kai touched his chin, frowned, and pondered for a long time. He secretly thought to himself that he did not do anything out of line in Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Although that enchantress kept trying to seduce him, he righteously rejected her and did not display any inappropriate behaviour towards her. Thinking so, he calmed down and put a smile on his face before pushing the door open again.
“Husband, why did you do that?” Yu Ru Meng asked puzzledly.
Yang Kai hurriedly answered, “I can’t help but be in such bliss when I see my wives welcome me like this, together. It took me by surprise. I forgot how to behave myself for a while. Please forgive me!”
Yu Ru Meng looked at him suspiciously, “Really? Why do you seem to look a little guilty?”
Cold sweat drenched Yang Kai’s back as he smiled, “Ru Meng, why would you say something so ridiculous? I wasn’t unfaithful to you all, so why would I feel guilty? Heh heh.”
Yu Ru Meng grinned, “This Mistress never accused Husband of being unfaithful… so why is Husband in such a hurry to explain himself, hmm?”
“Am I?” Yang Kai frowned, “Nonsense. There’s nothing of the sort. I’m afraid Ru Meng has misunderstood me. I haven’t seen you all for too long, and I miss all of you very much. Oh, Ning Chang, have you condensed your Dao Seal?”
Little Senior Sister nodded innocently, “En, I have condensed my Dao Seal. Not just me, but everyone has condensed their Dao Seal already. However, Elder Sister Ru Meng said that we should only start cultivating after you come back, so we haven’t condensed any Elements yet.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Ru Meng is right, it is exactly as she says. Come come, let me check everyone’s Dao Seal.”
After declaring so, he spread his arms open and grabbed all the women together without hesitation, pushing them towards the bedroom.
Su Yan, Ji Yao, and Xue Yue all exchanged looks, their faces flushed an even deeper red than before. They naturally knew what kind of ‘checking’ he wanted to perform on them; however, Little Senior Sister in all her innocence still had no idea that she was being led into the wolf’s den, so she continued to boast proudly, “We asked Senior Zhu Jiu Yin to check us once before. She said that we can condense Fifth-Order elements without a problem, and we can directly advance to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future!”
“En, en!” Yang Kai kept nodding, “Since Zhu Jiu Yin said so, it should be right. However, in the end, she is a Divine Spirit, different from us Humans. There could be errors in her judgement, so I still need to check each of you thoroughly.”
“Is that so?” Xia Ning Chang thought about it for a while, and nodded, “It seems like what Junior Brother said is reasonable.”
Yu Ru Meng sneered, “Then Ning Chang, you can be the first one he ‘checks;’ later.”
Xia Ning Chang replied, “En… Ah, Junior Brother, what are you…”
The ladies, whether it was Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue or Ji Yao, had good aptitudes; otherwise, they would not have been able to cultivate to the Emperor Realm in such a short time while still in the Star Boundary. Especially Su Yan, who bore the Ancestral Ice Phoenix Source and possessed the Ice Crystal Jade Body. She had the most outstanding aptitude among all of them.
Their time spent on cultivation was not a lot, but there were never insufficient resources when they were in the Star Boundary, allowing them to build upon solid foundations.
They were restricted by the World Bottle of the Star Boundary and could not be recognized by the World’s Will, so they could not condense their own Dao Seal. Nevertheless, it was no longer the case when they leapt out of the Star Boundary and entered the Outer Universe. Here, it became a simple matter for them to condense their Dao Seals.
Due to their firm foundations, their Dao Seals were also extremely stable.
Zhu Jiu Yin was right. It would not be a problem for them to refine Fifth-Order Elements. As for Yu Ru Meng, she was the Demon Saint of the Demon Race, so she already had her own Dao Seal and had begun to refine Sixth-Order materials like the Great Emperors.
Yang Kai would be pleased enough if the common disciples in Void Land could refine Fifth-Order materials, but since they were his wives, he definitely wanted the absolute best for them.
As such, he took out the remaining Divine Dao Water and distributed it to them.
It was given to him by Zhu Jiu Yin in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Zhu Jiu Yin had lived in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for many years and possessed a lot of valuable treasures. As a Divine Spirit though, the Divine Dao Water was completely useless to her, so she generously gave it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had used some for himself and traded a couple of drops away, but there was still about half of it left. Even though each one of them could only obtain three or four drops now, it was enough to further stabilize their Dao Seals.
One must first sharpen his axe before chopping wood. Ever since Yang Kai left the Star Boundary, he had realized the importance of a Dao Seal to cultivators. It could be said that the future achievements of a cultivator, and even one’s chances of successfully entering the Open Heaven Realm were tied directly to their Dao Seal.
The firmer the Dao Seal, the higher the Order of Elements they could condense, while the chances of failure during the final breakthrough would be smaller too.
Yang Kai and Yu Ru Meng stood guard, while the others entered retreat to refine the Divine Dao Water.
“Does Husband want them to condense Sixth-Order Elements?” Yu Ru Meng guessed Yang Kai’s plan and secretly asked via Divine Sense. At the moment, her clothes are a little untidy, her hair was dishevelled, and her cheeks were still slightly flushed, giving her an extremely seductive air.
Yang Kai grabbed her hand and played with it softly as he whispered, “Entering the Open Heaven Realm is not the end of the Martial Dao. The difference between just one Order is enormous, so if they can have a higher starting point, it will save them many years of cultivation and also allow them to have a more promising future. So, I’ll try to provide them with the best possible starting point.”
“En!” Yu Ru Meng nodded lightly. With a slight tilt, she fell into Yang Kai’s arms, gently stroked the stubble on his chin, and stated in distress, “My Husband has been running around all over the world these past few years. It must have been difficult.”
Although it was her first time hearing about the Divine Dao Water and she had never seen it before, how could anything that could improve a cultivator’s Dao Seal be common? It was definitely a treasure that most cultivators could only dream of.
Everyone wanted such a treasure, so to obtain it, Yang Kai must have gone through plenty of hardships and only succeeded after much hard work.
Yang Kai lowered his head, traced his finger over her ruby-red lips, and asked with a playful smile, “Indeed. How do you intend to compensate your hard-working Husband, Ru Meng?”
Yu Ru Meng glanced up at him shyly, “They are refining the Divine Dao Water. Don’t make trouble. It’s bad to disturb them.”
After a pause, she continued, “It’s not often that you return home. When they’re done, you should go and see Luo’er.”
Yang Kai nodded, “How has Luo’er been doing recently?”
His wives were all here, except for Shan Qing Luo. He could not help it, because when he brought her to Void Land from the Star Boundary, Zhu Jiu Yin instantly felt a familial aura from Shan Qing Luo and immediately took her away. Yang Kai could not stop this, and did not intend to either; after all, this was a good opportunity for Shan Qing Luo too, and Yang Kai believed that with Zhu Jiu Yin’s teaching, Shan Qing Luo would definitely have great achievements in the future.
Yu Ru Meng answered, “I don’t know. Luo’er has been following Senior Zhu Jiu Yin, and hasn’t shown up lately. However, I heard from Su Yan that when they met Luo’er last time, she looked well.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll make time to see Zhu Jiu Yin then.”
The several women did not take too long, only about three days to refine the Divine Dao Water. They opened their eyes one after another, and Yang Kai checked their Dao Seals one by one. After confirming that their Dao Seals were indeed stable enough to support Sixth-Order Elements, he was relieved.
If he did not have the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill with him, he may not be bold enough to encourage his wives to condense Sixth-Order Powers; after all, having the capability to condense such Element Powers was completely different from having the courage to do so. The risks of breaking through directly to the Sixth-Order rather than the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm were orders of magnitude different.
However, Yang Kai did have the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, which could secure their breakthrough in the future.
After ordering them to find Bian Yu Qing to request Sixth-Order materials, Yang Kai departed to Zhu Jiu Yin’s residence.
Other than meeting Shan Qing Luo, he also wanted to know how much of Zhu Jiu Yin’s strength had been restored. She was a Divine Spirit born and raised in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. After escaping the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, she had to adapt to the World Principles of the 3,000 Worlds in order to regain her peak strength.
It had been several years since she left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so in theory, she should have fully recovered.
Zhu Jiu Yin lived in the grandest palace complex which occupied an entire Spirit Peak. There were no outsiders here, only her and Shan Qing Luo.
Yang Kai came to the foot of the mountain, climbed the stairs, and soon reached in front of the palace. He adjusted his clothes as he cleared his throat before cupping his fist, “Senior, Junior Yang Kai is here to visit you.”
The sound echoed back and forth through the mountain peaks.
Zhu Jiu Yin’s voice immediately reached Yang Kai’s ear, “Brat, you’re not dead yet?”
Yang Kai was speechless, “Why did you say so, Senior? You are my Protector. Why do you wish for me to die?”
Zhu Jiu Yin snorted coldly, “It’s true that I’m your Protector, but I can only keep you safe in this small place. Since you like to wander around, what does it have to do to me if you get yourself killed outside?”
In fact, she could not wait for Yang Kai to die in a ditch somewhere outside. If he did, she did not have to guard this place anymore, and could go wherever she pleased with Shan Qing Luo.
Yang Kai was annoyed, and if not for the vast gap in their strength, he would have charged inside to teach her a lesson. Forcing down his grievances, he swiftly changed the subject, “Senior, please show yourself.”
Zhu Jiu Yin snorted, “Just say what you want to say and don’t waste our time. This Queen is really busy and doesn’t have the attention to spare to see you.”
Yang Kai wanted to ask her what she was busy with, but on second thought, since Shan Qing Luo was with her, she probably was doing something related to Shan Qing Luo. Irritated but still willing to compromise, Yang Kai simply asked, “Since Senior has been away from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for a few years, may this Junior ask how much of your strength had been restored? Do you need any assistance from me?”
Zhu Jiu Yin sneered, “How can you help me? I don’t need your help. If there’s nothing else, go back and don’t bother this Queen.”
Yang Kai ground his teeth. He really wanted to grab this woman out and bite her. He proceeded with a low voice, “It’s fine if Senior doesn’t want to show herself, but I want to see Luo’er.”
“Luo’er is busy too. She’s not free. Shoo shoo, go away!”
Yang Kai widened his eyes and burst out, “Senior, this is my Void Land. Not to mention, I am the Master here, Luo’er is my Wife. I just want to see her. Why won’t you allow me?”
“Bite me!” Zhu Jiu Yin sneered.
[I really do want to bite you to death!] Anger filled Yang Kai’s heart so he steeled himself and strode forward. [I was being polite just now for the sake of respect. Do you really think I have to look at your face? Do you think you can stop me from coming in?]
Just as he took one step forward though, a force travelled through the air and smacked him in the face. Yang Kai lost his balance and literally rolled down the mountain.
By the time he got up again, he was already at the foot of the mountain.
Yang Kai looked up at the top of the mountain with clenched jaws. [Zhu Jiu Yin, you crazy woman!]
“Brat, if you have time to bother me, why don’t you use it to study your Void Land? This place… is not as simple as it appears!” The voice of Zhu Jiu Yin resounded around his ears.
“Not as simple as it appears?” Yang Kai was stunned, “What’s not simple about it?” He shouted loudly a few times, but there was no response from Zhu Jiu Yin anymore. He had no idea if the woman did not hear him, or simply turned a deaf ear to him.
In the midst of his anger, a rumble happened nearby. The ground trembled and it sounded like a thunderstorm. Yang Kai turned to it in shock, and saw two huge figures flying rapidly towards him from the mountain forest. When they got close, he saw sticky, slimy fluid dripping from the mouth of one of them, while the other one extended its huge head over to him, its eyes full of joy.
“It’s you two…” Yang Kai was sulking, but his mood improved a bit at the sight. These two giant creatures were the Scarlet Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon that he brought out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Yang Kai had fed them Dragon Blood Pills once in a while since the time in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary; therefore, every time they sensed Yang Kai’s aura, they would run over and beg for food.
Although Yang Kai refined a tremendous number of Dragon Blood Pills in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and the quality was excellent, he had been consuming them all these years, so he did not have many left.
However, Yang Kai had no choice but to sigh helplessly when he saw the pleading looks on these two. He took out ten Dragon Blood Pills, and fed them five each as he said, “This is the last time. You won’t get it anymore.”
Without knowing whether they understood or not, they just swallowed the Dragon Blood Pills one by one excitedly before circling around Yang Kai cordially.
It was not surprising for them to appear here, because Zhu Jiu Yin lived here. They were all from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so they were more comfortable with each other. Furthermore, Zhu Jiu Yin would teach these two from time to time.
Given their somewhat childish behaviour, it was natural for them to stay here.
Yang Kai looked at them and found that both the Scarlet Flood Dragon and the Earth Dragon were more than twice the size from the first time he saw them. The Dragon auras emanating from their body were also much stronger; after all, they both had Dragon Clan bloodlines, though only a trace amount. Nonetheless, the Dragon Blood Pills were extremely helpful to them and had strengthened them to a great degree.
“Zhu Jiu Yin, I will make you pay one day!” Hovering in the sky of Void Land, Yang Kai declared silently with his teeth gritted.
Since Zhu Jiu Yin stated that this Void Land was not as simple as it seemed, and asked him to investigate it carefully, Yang Kai naturally did not dare to neglect her words. This place was the foundation of his foothold in 3,000 Worlds. Not to mention, there were 600,000 people he brought from the Star Boundary here. If anything happened here, how could he face those that remained in the Star Boundary?
But after checking for days, he found nothing at all.
He had lived in this place for quite some time, and did not notice anything strange about it. At most, it was just a Spirit Province where a Second Class great force stood. There was truly nothing special about it.
He took Zhu Jiu Yin’s words seriously because she was a powerful Divine Spirit. That perhaps, she may have felt something.
But now, it seemed that it was either that woman had misled him, or he was too weak to detect it. Yang Kai believed that the former was more likely, which enraged him.
After a few bitter grumblings, Yang Kai gave up on continuing his investigation. He found Second Manager Bian Yu Qing, informed her that he would be in retreat for a while, and told her not to disturb him unless there was an urgent matter.
Bian Yu Qing respectfully acknowledged his orders.
Thus, Yang Kai returned to his residence, went into the secret room and activated the various barriers. He sat cross-legged and focused his mind for three days before solemnly taking out the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core.
The Monster Core was the size of a fist, its entire mass golden, and a strong and pure Metal Element Power surrounded it. When he probed his Divine Sense into it, he could clearly feel the massive energy contained within.
Yang Kai was delighted, but his face remained calm.
It was not easy to obtain such a treasure, and it could be said that he was very lucky to have held onto it. He initially hoped to find the materials he needed in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, but his efforts turned out to be in vain. He had completely given up, especially when the Blood Monster Cave Heaven was collapsing; however, when one door closes, a window opens. Yang Kai bumped into the severely injured Golden Wolf King that happened to have devoured the Monster Core of Golden Gorilla King, allowing it to advance from the peak of Sixth Order to the Seventh Order.
At that time, Yang Kai still had the Divine Ability Bead given to him by the Proprietress!
Part of the reason the Golden Wolf King could defeat the Golden Gorilla King and advance to the Seventh Order was because of Yang Kai. If he had not fought with Golden Gorilla King in Abundance City back then, there would not have been a decisive battle between the two Monster Beasts, both at the peak of Sixth Order. After all, they had fought with each other for many years, and neither had prevailed. It could be said that their strength was always on par with each other.
It was precisely because Yang Kai fought with Golden Gorilla King in Abundance City and greatly weakened it that the Golden Wolf King had a chance to succeed!
It was all kinds of opportunistic coincidences that brought Yang Kai the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core in his hand.
Now, it seemed that it was no longer necessary for him to go to Golden Antelope Paradise, where he was planning to head if he failed to obtain anything from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. After all, he might just be able to find something he needed there. However, he didn’t have to anymore.
No matter how indifferent he looked, Yang Kai was still a little exhilarated in his heart, because as long as he refined this Monster Core, he would be just one step away from the Open Heaven Realm. As soon as he found a suitable Yin Element treasure to refine, he could split Heaven and Earth within himself to create a Small Universe, directly advancing to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. By then, he would have the ability to protect himself in the 3,000 Worlds.
Yang Kai took a soft breath and closed his eyes. Before refining this Metal Element Monster Core, he still needed to make some preparations.
Among the Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers, Yang Kai first condensed his Wood Element, then Fire, then Earth. However, he had not found an appropriate Metal Element. Fortunately, Zhu Jiu Yin handed him the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture, allowing him to skip the Metal Element and condensed his Water Element as well as his Yang Element.
Nonetheless, although the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture was amazing, anyone who used it had to dedicate a part of their attention to maintaining its operation. Once it was interrupted, the Powers inside the Dao Seal would fall into chaos, leading to disastrous results.
When refining his Water Element, Yang Kai spared a part of his focus on operating the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture. Similarly, Yang Kai had to spare another part of his focus when condensing his Yang Element Power.
It could be said that Yang Kai has always been in the state of multitasking on at least three things at the same time. It was a great load on any cultivator who did this, because multitasking on three things would consume a lot of one’s focus. Without a powerful Soul, this could not have been done, let alone fighting with others in this state.
Maybe multitasking on three things would not be too difficult for a short time, but the problem was this circulation could not be interrupted and had to be maintained at all times.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s Soul was much stronger than other cultivators in the same Realm; thus, he was able to maintain this state without making any mistakes.
Now, since he wanted to condense the Metal Element Power, he had to spare another part of his focus again.
Divine Sense surged, and his focus was divided. As the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture was operating, Yang Kai held the Seventh-Order Monster Core with both hands, surged the Powers within his Dao Seal, and began absorbing the Metal Element Power in the Monster Core.
The Metal Element was renowned for its sharpness, and specialized in attacking. As such, the Monster Core’s Metal Element Power had an unparalleled sharpness to it. As soon as Yang Kai absorbed a trace of this Power, he felt a stabbing pain in his physique and meridians, as if a tiny needle had poked into his body, shuttled through his physique and meridians, and pierced his Dao Seal.
Yang Kai’s face trembled while he endured the pain.
Soon, an almost imperceptible golden aura appeared in his Dao Seal, and it began to tremble slightly. The Powers of Wood, Fire, Earth and Water seemed to become a little lively at this moment.
Yang Kai did not know whether it was an illusion, but he did not have time to find out now. Since he had begun to refine the Metal Element Power, he could not give up halfway, and constantly utilised his Dao Seal, absorbing the energy of the Monster Core in his hand.
As time passed, Yang Kai felt as though countless fine needles were drilling into his body, as if thousands of ants were eating his physique, and he had to endure the unbearable pain the whole time.
However, the golden aura in his Dao Seal was gradually growing stronger. With the increase of the Metal Element Power, the rest of the Five Element Powers became more and more active in his Dao Seal. Even the vibration of his Dao Seal became more and more apparent.
The Five Elements were a complete cycle that brought about unity. The process of advancing to the Open Heaven Realm was to integrate this unity into their Dao Seal. Before, the Five Element Powers in Yang Kai’s body were incomplete and could not harmonize with each other properly, so they had to act on their own. But now, Yang Kai has refined the Metal Element Power, and finally gathered all of the Five Elements.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth were gradually integrated with each other in an infinite loop, connecting to each other in an endless and wondrous cycle. The Dao Seal vibrated more and more, and its light flickered constantly.
With the refining of the Metal Element Power, Yang Kai’s aura also became stronger and stronger.
It was not easy to refine a Seventh-Order material, and if it were any other cultivator, they would have to be extremely careful, especially towards the Metal Element Power, because its innate nature to attack and kill was too strong. One mistake would lead to irreparable losses to their own meridians and Dao Seal, possibly even death.
Therefore, the time required for refining would naturally be exceedingly long, ranging from three to five years to more than ten years.
Yang Kai was not worried about this though. His Dao Seal was extremely firm, and among the Five Elements, he had gathered the Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth already. As such, he had great experience in condensing this kind of High-Rank Power.
He refined rapidly, and the aura of the Metal Element Monster Core in his hand disappeared at a visible speed. On the contrary, the golden light in Yang Kai’s Dao Seal gradually expanded.
At a certain moment, when the last bit of Power within the Monster Core in his hand was absorbed and condensed, Yang Kai felt that his mind relaxed, as if a heavy burden was lifted from him. He instinctively withdrew the several parts of his split focus, which had now been spared, and stopped the operation of the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture.
Although the technique was interrupted, there was no sign of disorder with the Powers in his Dao Seal. On the contrary, as the Five Elements in his Dao Seal were complete now, the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth Element Powers mutually reinforced and suppressed one another, forming a complete cycle.
Cultivators had to condense the Elements in a specific order, but the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture negated that necessity. Now that Yang Kai possessed all the Five Elements though, he naturally did not need this technique. It was a great relief for him, especially from the stress of maintaining it.
Yang Kai examined himself carefully and clearly perceived the endless cycle of the Five Elements in his Dao Seal. Following the cycle of the Five Elements, an inexplicable aura was released out of the Dao Seal. This aura felt like a newborn world, like the prototype of World Force, but at the same time not!
The feeling of the complete Five Elements circulating in his own body mutually reinforcing and suppressing each other was even more amazing. Yang Kai had long experienced the World Force; after all, he was the owner of the Small Sealed World, which was also an independent world itself and naturally had its own World Force. However, the Small Sealed World was not his own body, and the feeling that came from his own being at this moment was completely different.
A sudden realization suddenly dawned on Yang Kai, this was the true Half-Step Open Heaven Realm!
Although previously he had refined five Elements to reach the standard of the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm, due to the scattered Powers in his body, he did not form an orderly cycle at all. Therefore, he had not truly stepped into the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm.
But now, he had finally reached the threshold of the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. If he could take another step forward, he would be in the Open Heaven Realm!
Yang Kai concentrated his mind and immersed himself in this wonderful feeling. His Dao Seal constantly vibrated, and each vibration seemed to be a throb from the depths of his heart. The cycle of the Five Elements resonated with his Soul, giving rise to the illusion that his Dao Seal was about to evolve into a World.
And he himself was the creator of this World!
The feeling of dominating the World arose spontaneously, and his mood lifted a little. After condensing the Metal Element Power, Yang Kai stood firm in the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm. He could sense that his strength had increased by another leap. Even though it was not too outrageous, it was certainly different from before.
More importantly, with the completion of the Five Elements, it gave him another trump card to use.
Just when Yang Kai wanted to try a technique he had not used for a long time, a soft noise suddenly came out from within himself. Yang Kai was slightly stunned, unable to react to what had happened.
When the soft noise resounded for the second time, Yang Kai hurriedly examined its source and his face turned deathly pale.