A crack had appeared in his Dao Seal!
Yang Kai was beyond startled, his face turning green from shock. After reaching the peak of the Emperor Realm, the Dao Seal became the foundation of a cultivator. It was where their Grand Dao was stored, the product of a cultivator’s lifetime of hard work. If something went wrong with their Dao Seal, it would be the end of the cultivator.
Yang Kai never thought there would be a problem with his Dao Seal, because it was extremely firm and robust, especially with the nourishment of the Divine Dao Water.
But the most unlikely thing happened, and it happened so abruptly.
Yang Kai drew a deep breath and held it for a long while, focusing his Divine Sense closely on his Dao Seal. A small crack had indeed appeared in his Dao Seal, but he did not feel any discomfort. Instead, he felt light and refreshed.
[What’s happening?]
After waiting for a long while, the movement from his Dao Seal gradually stopped. Yang Kai tried to stimulate the Powers in his Dao Seal, but instead of any hindrance, they flowed smoother than ever. Still, the tiny crack was real, and there was no sign of it healing.
Yang Kai was baffled. Boldly, he raised his hand, and a wave of Sword Qi swirled around his fingertips, one that encompassed all Five Elements.
Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi was a Secret Technique that Yang Kai cultivated a long time ago. Resources of the Five Elements needed to be consumed during its cultivation, but the grade of those resources he used to do so were not very high. With the improvement of his cultivation, this Secret Technique lacked utility and was thus set aside.
However, this Secret Technique was also good because of its unlimited potential. The stronger the Five Element Powers used, the greater the power of the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi. The Five Element Powers that Yang Kai refined to reach the Open Heaven realm were all High-Rank; thus, the current Sword Qi he could use was on a completely different scale from before.
That Sword Qi lingered around the secret room ceaselessly for a long time, and one could imagine how difficult it would be for the enemy to contend against it.
Of course, Yang Kai was not testing out the power of this Sword Qi, but was instead using it to investigate his own Dao Seal.
After a while, he concluded that there was really nothing wrong with his Dao Seal.
Yang Kai frowned, feeling even more confused about his situation. He had no mentor to guide him throughout his cultivating journey, and had been experimenting and fumbling on his own most of the time. Right now, he was secretly worried that something had gone wrong and he was simply unable to detect it.
Feeling uneasy, he opened the secret room and summoned Yue He to ask her for some advice; after all, Yue He was an experienced Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she might know something.
Unfortunately, there was no reply even after a long time! As such, Yang Kai summoned Lu Xue, but there was no response from her either.
Yue He and Lu Xue were the two most powerful Open Heaven Masters in Void Land currently, a Sixth-Order and a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master respectively, and Void Land supposedly didn’t have any urgent matters going on currently, so how could they not reply to him? The only explanation was that they were not in Void Land!
This made Yang Kai’s heart clench tight. Did something happen to Void Land when he was in retreat? Completely abandoning the problems about his own Dao Seal, he hurried out and sent a message to Bian Yu Qing.
Fortunately, Bian Yu Qing quickly replied.
After the two met, Yang Kai quickly asked, “Second Manager, what happened to Void Land? Why are Yue He and Lu Xue not here?”
Bian Yu Qing was momentarily stunned, but then laughed lightly and reassured him, “Sect Master, don’t worry, something did happen to Void Land, but it’s something worth celebrating.”
Yang Kai raised his brow, “What is it worth celebrating?”
Bian Yu Qing pointed up at the sky and explained, “The people from Abundance City are breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm. There are many of them, and it was an important matter, so all the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land are standing guard outside.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai was overjoyed when he heard the news, and his anxiety was immediately relieved. He thought something serious might have happened when he did not receive a response from Yue He and Lu Xue, but now he learnt that they actually left to stand guard for the people of Abundance City.
Yang Kai silently calculated the time and figured he should have taken three months to refine the Metal Element Monster Core in retreat. It was not too long nor too short, and during this period, the people from Abundance City should have familiarized themselves with the outside world and made the necessary preparations to break through to the Open Heaven Realm.
Suddenly feeling excited, he quickly left after saying, “I’ll go take a look too.”
In a flash, he opened a hole in the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array and left Void Land, reappearing in the void alone.
The reason why the people of Abundance City chose to break through to the Open Heaven Realm outside of Void Land was mainly that they were afraid of what damage the failure of their breakthroughs might bring to Void Land.
The breakthrough to the Open Heaven Realm did not have much requirement from the external environment. It could be done in a land rich in World Energy, or in the empty void as it was mainly dependent on one’s own heritage. Yue He and the others were naturally there too.
Outside of Void Land, Yue He, Lu Xue, Chen Tian Fei, and even Guo Zi Yan were standing by, spread out to the four corners of a huge space in the void where Mo Mei, Pang Duo, and several the others sat cross-legged, separated from each other by more than ten kilometres, each of them permeating vigorous auras.
There were not many of them, only 9. Besides City Lord Mo Mei, Pang Duo and the other four Great Elders, the remaining four were Deacons who had condensed Fifth-Order Elements.
Beyond that, there were many more cultivators clustered in another location.
Yang Kai arrived just in time for Mo Mei and the others to break through to the Open Heaven Realm. Without needing to approach, Yang Kai could already clearly feel World Force permeating from them.
He had witnessed Old Bai’s promotion to the Open Heaven Realm before, but he was the only one in that situation. Now that 9 people were breaking through together, how spectacular was the scene going to be? Void Land probably would be the only place to have such a spectacle in the entire 3,000 Worlds.
It was impossible for other Sects to find so many disciples who were all so close to Open Heaven Realm at the same time.
Yang Kai watched for a while, feeling that Mo Mei and others should have no problem with their breakthroughs, but he was still not sure so he flickered towards Yue He.
“Young Master, did you exit retreat?” Yue He was pleasantly surprised to see him. She felt around slightly, sensed the Metal Element Power Element permeating from Yang Kai, and confirmed that he had successfully refined it.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded as he motioned with his mouth to the people in front, “How are they doing?”
Yue He replied, “Everything is going well. I’m certain it won’t take more than three to five days for them to succeed.”
Yang Kai was delighted, “That’s good.”
Yue He covered her mouth and giggled, “Congratulations, Young Master, Void Land’s strength will greatly increase now.”
Yang Kai found what she said funny, then reached out and pinched her face, “You are also from Void Land, we should be celebrating together.”
After pinching her, Yang Kai froze. Although Yue He has always been obedient, he also knew the reason for it, so he had always been careful not to be too intimate with her. However, he was stunned by his own sudden action.
Yue He was also dumbfounded, and the both of them stared at each other.
After a while, Yang Kai cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly, “What’s their condition?”
There were nearly 300 people gathered there looking nervously at Mo Mei and the others, all of them likely cultivators of Abundance City.
Yue He reported, “They have broken through to the Open Heaven Realm already, Young Master. There are 315 new Open Heaven Realm Masters in total, including 35 Fourth-Order, 191 Third-Order, and 89 Second-Order Open Heaven Masters. This number is… quite unbelievable.”
Yang Kai was elated when he heard this.
Before now, the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land could be counted with just one hand, but the sudden rise in numbers to more than 300 of them meant that the strength of Void Land had soared.
With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, Void Land still may not be as good as some top Second Class great forces, but how many years had they been established and developing for? How old was Void Land?
And this was just the beginning. Not to mention that there were even more cultivators in Abundance City that were only one or two steps away from the Open Heaven Realm, the more than 600,000 people brought from the Star Boundary were also all elites. Many people would definitely break through to the Open Heaven Realm in the near future.
But even if the number was not as good as other forces, Void Land was definitely not lacking in terms of quality. Of the more than 300 people who had broken through successfully, 35 of them were Fourth-Order Open Heaven Masters. This ratio was terrifying, and only a special environment such as the Blood Monster Cave Heaven could foster such potential, giving them the time to accumulate and break out of their shells all at once.
Not to mention, there were still 9 more who were still in the process of breaking through.
These 9 people, except Mo Mei, who was about to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, were all going to break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm! Once successful, Void Land’s background would become quite terrifying.
Why did Yang Kai spend so much to set up the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array? It was to prepare for rainy days. The strength of the people who came from the Star Boundary was uneven, and the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land was scarce. If anyone really decided to come looking for trouble, they may not be able to triumph against them. But with the protection of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, they at least would have a safe environment.
However, he did not need to worry about that anymore, unless those Cave-Heavens and Paradises launched a major attack on them. Otherwise, there were only a few great forces in the 3,000 Worlds that could compete with Void Land now.
Excited, Yang Kai suddenly felt much more relaxed.
Although he had occupied Void Land that day by chance, formed a Sect here, then spent a fortune to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, he always felt a little insecure. However, he no longer felt that way. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters guarding Void Land now, this place had now become a true place of refuge for him.
In the distance, the World Force escaping from the bodies of Mo Mei and the others became more and more apparent, giving off a vague feeling that a new world was about to be born.
However, judging from their appearance, it would still take a few days before the real promotion to Open Heaven Realm took place. Yang Kai relaxed and then recalled the reason for coming out of his retreat, quickly asking in a small voice, “Yue He, I want to ask you something.”
Yue He turned her head and asked, “Feel free to ask anything, Young Master.”
Yang Kai reiterated what happened during his retreat, and Yue He could not help getting nervous, “A crack on your Dao Seal?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “Common sense says that when the Dao Seal is broken, even if one’s cultivation is not completely destroyed, they would at least be seriously injured, but… I don’t feel anything is off about myself. In fact, I feel quite comfortable.”
Yue He pondered for a while before asking, “Young Master, will you allow me to investigate carefully?”
Yang Kai nodded, “En. I was hoping you would.”
The Dao Seal was the root of a cultivator, so it was not something to be opened up to others casually. If the other party had any malicious intentions, he would be dead without knowing how he was killed. Nevertheless, Yue He was trustworthy and Yang Kai was confident it was impossible for her to have any ill intentions towards him.
Yue He immediately stretched out and tapped her slender jade finger on Yang Kai’s chest, surging her Divine Sense as she probed him carefully.
After a while, Yue He retracted her finger, a frown on her face.
“What is it?” Yang Kai asked nervously.
Yue He thought carefully before replying, “I didn’t notice anything wrong, but Young Master, your Dao Seal has signs of breaking. This is something unprecedented, and…”
“And what?”
“There are signs of you advancing to the Open Heaven Realm.”
“Signs of breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm?” Shock surfaced on Yang Kai’s face, “What do you mean?”
Yue He explained, “Young Master may not be aware, but whenever a cultivator is about to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, one’s Dao Seal must be broken to integrate Yin, Yang, and Five Elements together with one’s Grand Dao to form their Small Universe.”
She then pointed at Mo Mei and the others, “They are currently in that phase. Once they succeed, they can advance to the Open Heaven Realm. If they fail, the consequences will be dire.”
“Such a thing happens?” Yang Kai was astonished. He really did not know that the Dao Seal would have to be broken while advancing to the Open Heaven Realm. He always thought that the Dao Seal would accompany a cultivator for the rest of their life, but now it seemed that there was no Dao Seal in those within the Open Heaven Realm, because their Dao Seal would shatter and merge into their Small Universe, imprinting the cultivator’s Grand Dao.
Yang Kai then asked with a frown, “But the Dao Seal is critical to a cultivator, wouldn’t it cause irreparable damage to us when it shatters?”
Yue He chuckled, “What Young Master described is the consequences of one’s Dao Seal being destroyed by external forces. For example, if a certain Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master was subjected to a Secret Technique that shattered their Dao Seal, even if this person did not die, their cultivation would be completely crippled. However, when breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, this process is essential, otherwise, how would one integrate their own Grand Dao into their Small Universe? This can be considered as breaking the old to build up the new, that’s why the advancement to the Open Heaven Realm has always been extremely dangerous, and one careless mistake will put all previous efforts to waste.”
Yang Kai had a vague idea now but was still confused, “I am still one step away from Open Heaven Realm, but it is not easy to even take this step. So why did my Dao Seal change like this?”
Yue He did not understand what was going on either, so shaking her head, she replied, “I cannot say, Young Master. Do you really not feel anything wrong?”
Yang Kai answered, “If there was something wrong, I would notice it, but I truly don’t feel anything abnormal, except for the crack in my Dao Seal.”
Yue He pondered for a long time before opening her mouth hesitantly, “Perhaps, it has something to do with the Order of the materials you have refined, Young Master. Throughout the ages, there have been very few cultivators capable of condensing High-Rank Element Powers. Another might not appear for thousands of years, so no one would be able to predict what kind of abnormal situations may occur on the path of cultivation such as Young Master’s.”
If even Yue He could not give him an answer, Yang Kai did not know who else to turn to. She had the highest cultivation and was the most knowledgeable in Void Land, so it was impossible for the others to know more than she did.
Although Zhu Jiu Yin was a Divine Spirit and certainly stronger than Yue He, her cultivation method was completely different from that of a Human’s, so asking her would be pointless.
Seeing him still worried, Yue He comforted him, “But there is a benefit to the situation you’re in.”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “What’s the benefit? Let’s hear it.”
“Young Master’s advancement to the Open Heaven in the future will certainly be easier now as there are signs of your breaking through already. When you gather all of your Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers, your advancement will definitely come naturally without much obstruction.”
Although Yang Kai knew that she was just comforting him, he still felt somewhat relieved and nodded, “I hope so.”
Although talking to Yue He did not solve his doubts and he did not know why his Dao Seal had such a phenomenon, Yang Kai faintly noticed one thing; the long gorge of cultivation between Emperor Realm and Open Heaven Realm could be called a completely new realm, such as the Dao Seal Realm!
This was because when one’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Emperor Realm, they would need to condense their Dao Seal with their own Grand Dao and lifelong cultivation. When advancing to the Open Heaven Realm, one’s Dao Seal would be shattered and integrated into their Small Universe. The formation to the destruction of the Dao Seal was the rise and fall of a Realm, and its characteristics were extremely obvious.
The question was, why did such a Realm not exist?
Since he could not answer such a question, he decided not to think about it anymore. If there had never been the existence of a Dao Seal Realm before, there must be a reason for it.
Five or six days passed by in a hurry while Yang Kai was constantly paying attention to the situation of his Dao Seal. Suddenly, he sensed a notably obvious World Force swaying in the void. Looking up quickly, he saw Pang Duo get up with a smile and stood steadily.
However, at this moment, he was a lot stronger than before. His upright stature felt as though a new World had emerged, and a complete World Force lingered around him.
He has successfully broken though!
At almost the same time, World Forces constantly fluctuated around the void. Jin Yuan Lang, Mu Qian Xuan, Gong Yang Xi, and the others advanced to the Open Heaven Realm within just a half cup of tea’s time. These Great Elders of Abundance City had spent almost the same amount of time cultivating, and the Fifth-Order materials they refined were not much different in attributes, which was why their breakthrough was so close to each other.
After another half-day, Fan Wu Xin and the other Deacons also successfully broke through.
Finally, after another day, Mo Mei completed her breakthrough!
Yang Kai was overjoyed!
Although he gave Mo Mei many Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, which could greatly improve the chances of successfully breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, Spirit Pills were only external aids after all. What truly mattered was their respective will and foundation. No matter how much any external assistance was provided, if one was personally insufficient, there would still be a risk of failure.
Now that they were all successful and no one had failed, it was well worth being delighted about.
Having long noticed Yang Kai’s presence, Mo Mei did not bother stabilizing her cultivation after her advancement to the Open Heaven Realm and flew straight towards him.
Behind her, Pang Duo and the others quickly followed, followed by the hundreds of Abundance City cultivators who had already broken through to the Open Heaven Realm.
In front of Yang Kai, Mo Mei saluted elegantly, “Greetings, Sect Master!”
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to lift her up with a small smile before cupping his fist as well, “Congratulations to everyone on your advancement to the Open Heaven Realm. From now on, like the Great Pengs of legends, spread your wings and soar into the sky!”
Mo Mei replied humbly, “Many thanks to Sect Master for removing the Blood Principles on us, taking us out of Blood Monster Cave Heaven, and giving us such precious Spirit Pills. We will never forget Sect Master’s grace!”
Although Mo Mei’s tone was calm, her expression could not conceal her excitement. She and the Great Elders of Abundance City had long met the requirements to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, but they could not do so because they were suppressed by the Blood Monster Cave Heaven itself. They have lived in that Universe Cave Heaven for generations, and although they knew about the existence of the Open Heaven Realm, they could never reach it. As cultivators, how could they not have the desire to progress further on the Martial Dao?
Even in their dreams, they had never thought that one day they could really achieve what they so desired.
It was Yang Kai who broke them out of that cage, lifted the Blood Principles Restriction on them, and brought them to this vast universe safely. To them, this was tantamount to a life-saving grace and an opportunity to be reborn.
Furthermore, there were the Spirit Pills given by Yang Kai to them. Before their breakthrough, Mo Mei and the others were not aware of the dangers of attempting this breakthrough; however, after having experienced the process first-hand, they realized the various risks of this process. It could be said that if they had no special Spirit Pills, at least a hundred cultivators from Abundance City would have died in this attempt. Even Mo Mei could not guarantee that she would succeed, as it was possible that she could have fallen short just with a slight change in her inner state, resulting in her death.
If even she had no guarantee, what about the others?
However, with the help of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, hundreds of people were able to advance successfully together, and no one was injured. It was nothing short of a miracle!
Mo Mei’s gratitude was completely sincere and heartfelt.
The 300-plus people chanted in unison, “Many thanks, Sect Master!”
Yang Kai chuckled happily, “We are all one family now, there’s no need to be so formal.” After a little pondering, he added, “Mo Mei, you have now reached the Open Heaven Realm, and are also in the Sixth Order, so you and Yue He will be promoted to the positions of Left and Right Protectors of Void Land. I wonder if you are willing to take up this responsibility?”
Mo Mei replied, “It would be my honour, Sect Master.”
Yang Kai nodded and continued, “Good, then Mo Mei, you will be the Right Protector of my Void Land in the future. Additionally, you and the other Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters will join Void Land’s Elder Council. Second Manager will inform you of the details.”
Pang Duo and the others chanted in unison, “We will follow Sect Master’s command!”
Yang Kai guffawed, his face full of exhilaration, and the worries brought about by his Dao Seal were also washed away. He shouted in high spirits, “Today, Void Land has gained a great boon. There won’t be any need to worry about being prosperous in the future. It is Void Land’s honour to have you join us, just as it is this Yang’s honour!”
Mo Mei replied humbly, “Sect Master is too modest.”
Yang Kai continued, “We should set up a banquet and have a good drink to celebrate such a joyous occasion, but you have all just finished breaking through, so you still need to stabilize your cultivations. Let us return to Void Land first. We will celebrate well after all of your cultivations have been consolidated.”
Naturally, no one had any objections. They did need time to stabilize their cultivation and familiarize themselves with the might of the Open Heaven Realm.
Upon returning to Void Land, Yang Kai summoned Bian Yu Qing, informed her about the advancement of Mo Mei and the others, filled her in on the matter of the Protectors and Elder Council, and delegated her to make arrangements for it.
Pang Duo and the others had now advanced to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and indeed were qualified to be part of the Elder Council. As for those Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai gave the responsibility of delegating their positions and responsibilities to Bian Yu Qing.
Yang Kai did not stay any longer and returned to his retreat.
After studying his Dao Seal carefully for a few days, he finally let out a breath of relief when he did not find any hidden dangers. According to Yue He, although the incident with his Dao Seal was strange, it may not be a bad thing. At least it would be much easier for him to break through to the Open Heaven Realm in the future.
Mo Mei and the others needed time to stabilize their cultivation, and so did Yang Kai.
The Proprietress said before she left that the progression of his cultivation was too rapid. Although there would be no problems in the near future, it was difficult to guarantee that there would be no hidden dangers during his advancement to the Open Heaven Realm. There was no other cultivator like him who had condensed six High-Rank Elements in such a short period of time and was only one step away from the Open Heaven Realm.
Even the oddity with his Dao Seal was likely related to this.
Yang Kai naturally had to be careful.
He would not be able to obtain the last Yin Element treasure in short order. Since the Proprietress would be keeping an eye out for him, Yang Kai decided to not worry about it. The Proprietress definitely had much better connections than he did, so if even she was unable to find a High-Rank Yin Element treasure, he wouldn’t either, no matter how hard he tried.
Simply taking this time to consolidate his own cultivation was the best plan for the future.
With a clear mind, Yang Kai relaxed and entered retreat with peace of mind, focusing on exploring the current Powers he had.
“Towering Evergreen!”
Yang Kai’s lips murmured quietly in the secret room as the Wood Element Power in his Dao Seal shone brightly. Emerald light lingered around him, and a towering ancient tree suddenly sprouted behind his back, one so massive its crown seemed to cover the sky.
All kinds of mysterious sensations were imprinted in his heart, and Yang Kai could not help gaining a trace of enlightenment.
This was not a simple Wood Element Divine Ability, but a Divine Manifestation of the same grade as his Golden Crow Casts the Sun!
During his retreat, Yang Kai focused on consolidating his foundation and comprehending his gains, so as to avoid any twists and turns in his future advancement to the Open Heaven Realm. In order to do this, there was no better method than to comprehend the mysteries of his Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers.
As long as he could comprehend the secrets of these Powers within his Dao Seal, he would be able to completely master his strength.
Among the various Powers he condensed, Yang Kai had already comprehended the Golden Crow Casts the Sun from the Fire Element Power, and the Dragon Shield Secret Technique from his Earth Element Power, but he was still clueless about the Water Element, Yang Element, and Metal Element Powers he had condensed. Regarding the Wood Element Power, he came across an opportunity before entering the Blood Monster Divine Palace; however, he was in an urgent situation at that time, so after saving Qu Hua Shang, he hurriedly rushed into Blood Monster Divine Palace, and did not have time to carefully experience his new Wood Element Divine Ability.
Then, after returning to Void Land, he had been busy refining the Seventh-Order Monster Core in retreat until now!
Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised to find that what he comprehended through his Wood Element Power was no mere Divine Ability, but rather a Divine Manifestation!
It was no wonder that Yang Kai was able to block a terrifying blow from the Seventh-Order Star Turtle back then. Despite the High-Order of the Wood Element Power he had condensed from the Immortal Tree, Yang Kai could not believe that he managed to block that attack at the time; after all, there was a huge gap between him and the Star Turtle. Now, he finally understood that he had underestimated the might of this Divine Manifestation.
Divine Manifestations had always been exclusive to High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Only they were eligible to comprehend Divine Manifestation, but that did not mean all of them could. There were many powerful High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who did not have their own Divine Manifestation.
It was a miracle that Yang Kai could comprehend the Golden Crow Casts the Sun as an Emperor Realm cultivator. When the Head Manager of Scarlet Star, Zhao Bai Chuan, saw it last time, he commented that Yang Kai could compete with ordinary Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters with just this Divine Manifestation alone. Thus, one could imagine the power of a Divine Manifestation.
Now, after learning the Golden Crow Casts the Sun, Yang Kai obtained the Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation. If Zhao Bai Chuan knew about it, he would most likely jump out of his coffin in envy.
Finally registering that the towering ancient tree behind him was a Divine Manifestation, Yang Kai could not help guffaw, his mouth opened wide as he let out genuine roars of laughter.
After comprehending carefully for a while, Yang Kai fully understood.
This Towering Evergreen was not just a defensive Divine Manifestation, but also possessed an extremely shocking healing ability. After all, this was the Wood Element Power that was condensed from the essence of the Immortal Tree, so it came as no surprise that it had such utility.
However, this Divine Manifestation was not really helpful to Yang Kai, because his own recovery abilities were already extraordinary, to the point that he did not need to rely on external forces.
The Golden Crow Casts the Sun was an offensive Divine Manifestation, while the Towering Evergreen was a defensive one. With both offensive and defensive abilities and also the newly refined Metal Element Power, there was a sharp increase in Yang Kai’s strength.
After studying it thoroughly for a while, Yang Kai dismissed this Divine Manifestation and began concentrating on comprehending his other Powers.
Being able to comprehend this Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation before the Blood Monster Divine Palace was greatly related to his perseverance in studying his Wood Element for a long time. Ever since he learnt about the Golden Crow Casts the Sun, Yang Kai put in effort to comprehend his Element Powers whenever he had spare time.
It was just that he had not perceived anything all this time. However, it was not because he was working in the wrong direction, but rather that the opportunity had not yet appeared.
Seeing the results now, Yang Kai knew that his efforts over the years had not been in vain, so he would spare no effort in doing so again.
Surprisingly, after half a year in retreat, Yang Kai made another achievement. In the secret room, a full moon suddenly rose slowly from behind him. It was the Moonlight Reflection in the Water, pouring down slowly in the room. The temperature dropped sharply, frost suddenly adorning everywhere in the room, emitting cracking noises.
The Water Element Divine Ability came into being!
He obtained his Water Element by refining a Moon Essence, and it could only produce such an amazing scene because of its Ice Attribute.
However, this Moonlight Reflection in the Water was not a Divine Manifestation, but rather a simple Divine Ability. Compared to Golden Crow Casts the Sun from the Fire Element and Towering Evergreen from the Wood Element, it was an order of magnitude weaker.
Yang Kai was not upset though. Given the rarity of Divine Manifestations, it was already exceedingly lucky for him to comprehend two with his current strength. How could he ask for more?
Now that he comprehended the Golden Crow Casts the Sun from his Fire Element Power and Moonlight Reflection in the Water from the Water Element Power, Yang Kai had gathered both the strength of the Sun and Moon. It was just a coincidence as it was truly rare.
As he thought about it, the full Moon set and the Sun rose.
The Sun rose when the Moon set, while the Sun set as the Moon rose… It was like an endless cycle. At this moment, Yang Kai actually felt that he had gained a deeper understanding of the Dao of Time.
In terms of attainments in the Dao of Time, Yang Kai knew he could not compare to Flowing Time Great Emperor, or even Yang Xiao and Yang Xue; after all, those two were the Inheritance Disciples of Flowing Time Great Emperor and had taken up his mantle. As such, their attainments in the Dao of Time were superior to Yang Kai’s.
Moreover, Yang Kai’s foundation was established on the Dao of Space. All along, he has been painstakingly comprehending Space Principles and did not invest much into the Dao of Time. Back then, it was only by chance that he learnt the Time Flies Seal, but he did not focus deeply on it.
However, at this moment, when he comprehended the Divine Ability, Moonlight Reflection, from his Water Element Power, Yang Kai could not help having a feeling of inspiration. If he could merge these Fire and Water Powers with the Time Flies Seal to form a new Divine Ability, it would definitely be one of his most powerful trump cards!
Without hesitation, Yang Kai started to surge his Fire and Water Element Powers in sequence in the secret room. Sometimes the Sun leapt out, and occasionally, the Moonlight poured down, while the Time Flies Seal fluctuated.
……
In the Void, a ship sailed forward slowly. Many people gathered on the deck of the ship in small groups, talking and laughing. It could be seen that this was a ship of a great force, and all the cultivators on board were the disciples of this great force.
Among the leaders, there was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm was an elderly man, while the two Third-Orders were a middle-aged man and a dignified woman.
An imposing young man stood beside the three of them. He was noble and handsome, and many Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters on the ship would steal glances at him quietly. From time to time, their eyes would meet his eyes, and they would quickly lower their heads shyly, but the young man just smiled gently, which sent the Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters swooning.
“Senior Brother Qi, does Void Territory’s Star City really have a complete set of Fifth-Order materials to be exchanged?” The dignified woman in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm asked, with a hint of disbelief in her beautiful eyes.
“Yes, Senior Brother Qi, we’ve crossed a few Great Territories to get here. It’d better not be false news; otherwise, we would have travelled all the way for nothing.” The middle-aged man also in the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm questioned with a worried face.
The elderly man surnamed Qi stroked his beard lightly and smiled, “Don’t worry, the news is accurate, but it will be up to our own abilities to decide whether or not we are able to obtain these materials.”
The woman could not believe it, “But how could this Void Land be willing to sell their Fifth-Order materials? Don’t they need them?”
It was common to use lower Order materials to exchange for higher Order ones, but never did they expect that someone would be willing to exchange higher Order materials for lower Order ones, especially with other Second Class great forces. Why would anyone do such a thing?
Not to mention it was a complete set of Fifth-Order materials. The so-called ‘complete’ meant that it was a full set of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements materials. If one could get their hands on such a set of resources, it would completely meet the cultivation needs of a Junior who was looking to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, leaving no need to bother seeking out more materials.
The old man surnamed Qi replied, “I don’t know about this, but many people have traded for Fifth-Order materials from them already.”
Indeed, many people have exchanged for Fifth-Order materials from Void Territory’s Star City. Bian Yu Qing had reported this to Yang Kai before. It was because there were not many disciples who could refine Fifth-Order materials, but an enormous number who needed Third-Order and Fourth-Order materials, that she took the materials collected from Gourd Vine to sell in the Star City for the resources Void Land needed.
The move immediately created a sensation in the nearby Great Territories. Fifth-Order materials were neither high nor low in terms of Order. Perhaps, they might not be precious to the Cave-Heavens and Paradises, but they were strategic resources for any of the Second Class great forces. Not to mention those Third Class great forces that may not even know what Fifth-Order materials looked like.
Furthermore, the Fifth-Order materials that were brought out from Void Land were not just ordinary Fifth-Order materials, but obviously stemmed from the same source. If one could refine a complete set of such materials, there may be some unexpected gains; therefore, compared with normal Fifth-Order materials, a complete set of such materials was far more popular.
Initially, only a few great forces from the Great Territories nearby visited Void Territory’s Star City, but as the news spread, more and more people came. Many great forces even did not hesitate to pay a visit to Void Territory’s Star City despite all the obstacles in the journey, just to obtain a complete set of materials from the Gourd Vine.
Bian Yu Qing’s original plan was just to trade something they had for things they were lacking to solve the resource problems of Void Land. Beyond her expectation, she inadvertently promoted the reputation of Void Territory’s Star City.
The influx of cultivators coming and going from Void Territory’s Star City naturally livened up the city. Although it was only a medium-sized Star City and the differences were still significant compared with a large-sized one such as Thousand Birds Star City, the volume of trading in Void Star City had undoubtedly increased by more than ten times compared to before.
Void Star City was Void Land’s private property, so with the increase in trade volume, the tax that could be collected by Void Land would naturally rise too. Yun Xing Hua, who was sent by Yang Kai to take charge of this place, was delighted to see the development and growth of the Star City. He had even begun to consider ways to ask Yang Kai for credit and reward for it.
Yun Xing Hua was forced by Yang Kai to sign his name on the Loyalty List, and he had felt uneasy about it at first. He was worried that if Yang Kai was displeased with him one day, he could scratch his name off the Loyalty List, and his life would end.
On the boat, the old man surnamed Qi turned to look at the young man who had been standing beside him, “Han Jue, our Mountains and Seas Pavilion is prepared to spend all of our savings in exchange for a set of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements materials for you. You have to cultivate hard from now on, so as to live up to the expectations of us old fogeys.”
Mountains and Seas Pavilion used to be called Mountains and Seas Province, but because it had given rise to two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, it renamed itself to Mountains and Seas Pavilion, barely qualifying as a Second Class great force. The original Seven Wonders Land, which consisted of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and several Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Protector Venerables, was more than just a little stronger than Mountains and Seas Pavilion.
But these were the rules of the 3,000 Worlds. Any great force which had Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters assuming command could be classified as Second Class, and any great force with High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would be classified as First Class. Great forces with only Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could only be considered Third Class.
A great force such as the Mountains and Seas Pavilion was not rich in financial resources, and a complete set of Fifth-Order materials was worth no less than ten million Open Heaven Pills.
Under normal circumstances, they would not be able to afford it, giving them no way to obtain Fifth-Order materials.
But when the news of Fifth-Order materials being traded in Void Star City was heard, Mountains and Seas Pavilion could not help being tempted.
This could not be helped as a disciple, the young man named Han Jue, was born in the Mountains and Seas Pavilion with outstanding aptitude.
Mountains and Seas Pavilion was never too ambitious, so even if they knew that Han Jue’s Dao Seal was firm enough to condense Fifth-Order Elements, they did not even consider doing so. They were more than satisfied with him breaking through to just the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
With Han Jue’s aptitude, reaching the Fourth Order was a certain bet. Although they felt as though they had let him down, they had no choice. Mountains and Seas Pavilion needed money in order to continue functioning properly. Where could they find the spare Open Heaven Pills to purchase valuable Fifth-Order materials?
It was at this point that news reached Mountains and Seas Pavilion that Fifth-Order materials could be purchased at Void Territory’s Star City.
The old man surnamed Qi was overjoyed and immediately consulted the Pavilion Master. After explaining the situation, he persuaded the Pavilion Master to support Han Jue’s promotion to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm to the best of his ability!
As long as Han Jue could reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, the entire Mountains and Seas Pavilion would rise to a new height and eventually gain a firm foothold as a Second Class great force.
Of course, the Pavilion Master of Mountains and Seas Pavilion knew this. They did not have much hope before now, for they lacked financial resources, but most of all, there was no way to find appropriate Fifth-Order materials. There might be hope for materials of the Five Elements, for some could be purchased with Open Heaven Pills in various medium-sized and large-sized Star Cities. However, in many cases, even money could not buy Yin and Yang materials.
Since ancient times, Yin and Yang materials had always been much rarer and more expensive than Five Elements materials.
Now though, the Star City in Void Territory was selling complete sets of Fifth-Order materials; as long as they had enough resources or Open Heaven Pills to exchange, it would undoubtedly serve as a glimmer of light in the darkness for Mountains and Seas Pavilion.
Mountains and Seas Pavilion’s Master did not hesitate much and soon decided to strongly support the decision of the old man surnamed Qi, which was why this trip took place. They spent a month on this journey and crossed several Great Territories to arrive at this place.
Loaded on the boat were almost all the reserves of Mountains and Seas Pavilion. In order to successfully exchange for the Fifth-Order set of materials, Mountains and Seas Pavilion was ready to wager everything.
In this way, the old man surnamed Qi’s expectations for Han Jue were naturally understandable.
Han Jue obviously understood this, so he cupped his fist with the utmost solemnity, “Honoured Master, rest assured. This disciple will work hard to cultivate and break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm as soon as possible, never daring to slack off!”
The old man surnamed Qi stroked his beard with a smile, and replied with great faith, “This Old Master is not worried about your aptitude. As long as your temperament can keep up with your cultivation, there won’t be too many dangers in your promotion to the Fifth Order in the future.”
Han Jue respectfully saluted, “Disciple will follow Honoured Master’s teachings diligently!”
To the side, the dignified woman suddenly spoke up, “Senior Brother Qi, someone is approaching.”
The old man surnamed Qi turned his eyes to the front and saw that there was indeed a ship approaching them at an incredible speed, and by the looks of its direction, it seemed to be coming straight at them.
The expression on the old man surnamed Qi’s face changed slightly, and he uttered in a low voice, “These visitors don’t seem to have good intentions, be on alert.”
As soon as the words fell, the ship had arrived in front of them, blocking the way. On the deck, a dozen figures stood and looked at them with cold eyes.
The expression on the old man surnamed Qi and the two Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Mountains and Seas Pavilions turned stiff. That was because the dozen people on the opposing ship were all Open Heaven Realm Masters! Although the leader seemed to only be a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like the old man surnamed Qi, the other side had vastly superior numbers.
Although it seemed like the other party was ill-intentioned, the old man surnamed Qi still cupped his fist, “Qi Chang Ying of Mountains and Seas Pavilion greets fellow travelers. May I know why you have stopped us here?”
“Mountains and Seas Pavilion?” The leading Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master scoffed disdainfully, “What Mountains and Seas Pavilion? I’ve never heard of it.”
The expression on the old man surnamed Qi darkened, and was about to say something when the man suddenly waved his hand and growled in a low voice, “Kill! Don’t leave a single one alive!”
Everyone from Mountains and Seas Pavilion was appalled when they heard these words. They never thought that they would encounter pirates in the void, much less ruthless ones who would kill without a second thought!
How could the Mountains and Seas Pavilion disciples sit still? Not only did they come with all the wealth Mountains and Seas Pavilion possessed, but even the Sect’s hope for the future, Han Jue, was on board too. If something happened to them, Mountains and Seas Pavilion would be completely done for.
Qi Chang Ying immediately shouted, “Retreat!”
When the words fell, the Grand Array of the ship was immediately activated and it drove forward at shocking speed.
He did not back down, because retreating would be futile. The enemy’s numbers were overwhelming, and Mountains and Seas Pavilion was no match for them at all. They could only move forward, hoping to reach Void Star City. As long as they could reach Void Star City, they would be safe, and these people would not dare to cause trouble.
At this crucial moment, Qi Chang Ying made a firm and resolute decision. His thoughts were very keen, and his judgment was even more accurate, but in the next instant, the enemy leader waved his hand and a shocking beam of light struck the middle of their ship. This attack was not something a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could throw out, and a single strike greatly damaged the Grand Array of the ship, shaking it violently and throwing many people to the deck.
Seeing this, Qi Chang Ying’s heart sank as he surged his own strength desperately, struggling to support the Grand Array as he continued their attempt to flee.
More than ten figures had already rushed over from the enemy ship in that time though, and the brilliance of artifacts and Secret Techniques bloomed before swiftly smashing onto the ship.
After a stick of incense, accompanied by a loud bang, the Mountains and Seas Pavilion ship shattered. The violent force from the explosion swept through the disciples, causing countless casualties.
Han Jue, the future hope of Mountains and Seas Pavilion, died instantly without a complete corpse.
Qi Chang Ying’s eyes were about to burst out of their socket when a ray of light slashed towards him. His mind still in a daze, he was too late to evade the blow, which cut through his body. All he could feel was his body almost splitting in two.
The severe pain cleared his mind for a moment. At this moment, no matter how much he resisted, it would be useless, and he would only be dying in vain, so he immediately held his breath, and concealed his aura, quietly suspending himself in the void as if he was really dead.
Each of the miserable cries for help coming from his surroundings represented a disciple on the brink of death. Every scream felt like a knife stabbing through his heart. Despite the excruciating physical pain Qi Chang Ying felt, it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
After a while, everything returned to calmness.
The ten or so enemy Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered. Qi Chang Ying pushed his Divine Sense secretly, and only vaguely heard the words ‘Void Land’ and ‘Senior Yun’ before falling into a coma.
He did not know how much time had passed when he woke up again. Shuddering from the severe pain, he barely stood up, looked around, and saw corpses scattered across the void, all vitality drained from their familiar faces. The fragmented ship was stained with blood, and broken limbs and hashed meat was scattered everywhere.
A mouthful of fresh blood spewed out as Qi Chang Ying growled through gritted teeth, “Void Land, I’ll never forgive you!”
This was Void Territory, the Great Territory controlled by Void Land. Qi Chang Ying did not think to relate the ambush to Void Land originally, because this did not make sense. How could Void Land provoke others and risk their own reputation within their own territory?
However, the few words he heard before he fell into unconsciousness reminded him of something.
As far as he knew, the person in charge of Void Star City was named Yun Xing Hua, who happened to be a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Master, which was equivalent to his cultivation!
If Void Land deliberately spread rumours about them selling Fifth-Order materials and lured victims like them to come with a lot of money just to rob them halfway, it would make sense!
[It’s over, Mountains and Seas Pavilion is finished!] All their wealth was swept away, and even the Sect’s most promising disciple that had a chance to break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm directly died tragically in front of his eyes.
Such a blood feud was absolutely irreconcilable! Qi Chang Ying panted violently for a while before hurriedly taking out a few Spirit Pills and stuffing them into his mouth. He then dragged his damaged body with gritted teeth towards the place where Void Star City sat, his eyes filled with vengeance.
…..
Time flew by, and soon a year had passed. In his secret room, Time Principles lingered around Yang Kai as the Sun and Moon rose and set in an infinite cycle above his palm.
It took a year to finally improve the Time Flies Seal. His comprehension of the Dao of Time and of his own Powers were much greater than before.
Yang Kai had not used the newly improved Time Flies Seal against any enemy yet, but he was sure that it was definitely not inferior to his Golden Crow Casts the Sun, and it could be even better!
Because this move integrated Golden Crow Casts the Sun and Moonlight Reflection in the Water, how could it be weak?
Yang Kai was confident that if a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was caught off guard, this Divine Ability was sufficient to take their life.
One could not guarantee that there would not be one in the future, but throughout the ages, it was absolutely unprecedented for an Emperor Realm Junior to make such an achievement!
While he was still rejoicing, the barrier of the secret room was suddenly disturbed.
Yang Kai frowned. He had left Bian Yu Qing instructions before he went into retreat that unless it was an urgent matter, he should not be disturbed. Now that the barrier has been touched, it was obvious that something major had happened.
“Sect Master, there’s been an accident in the Star City,” As soon as Yang Kai opened the door, Bian Yu Qing hurriedly reported, looking a little flustered.
Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise but quickly consoled her, “What happened, don’t rush and speak slowly!”
Letting her into the room, Bian Yu Qing took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then began to explain.
Something indeed had happened in the Star City, and it was a major issue.
Void Star City had been developing rapidly because of the availability of complete sets of Fifth-Order materials. Many people had been flocking towards the Star City, which increased its population, popularity, and daily trading volume.
However, since about a year ago, it seemed to have also attracted foreign great forces with ill intentions, ambushing and robbing others brutally and ruthlessly.
The news quickly spread to the Star City as these incidents happened in the space surrounding the Star City. Yun Xing Hua was not bothered by it at first; after all, such incidents were not uncommon in the 3,000 Worlds. Now that he was in high spirits ever since he took charge of Void Star City, he had no time to concern himself with such external matters.
However, as time passed, another ugly rumour began circulating. It was said that the robberies and murders were closely associated with Void Land; otherwise, why would Void Land sit idly by and allow criminals to act presumptuously at their doorsteps?
One after another, seven or so great forces travelling to and from Void Star City had encountered mishaps and suffered serious casualties. The site of the murders was even more appalling as not a single survivor was left, and all possessions were robbed.
As a result, the great forces that intended to trade in Void Star City in exchange for resources had all retreated. The most direct consequence was the sharp decline of Void Star City’s popularity and the sharp plummet in the number of cultivators residing in it. The rumours spread like wildfire, and after a brief period of fermentation, even the nearby Great Territories became aware of this situation.
Yun Xing Hua could no longer sit still. He was in charge of the Star City, and the income of the Star City had a lot to do with his position in Yang Kai’s eyes. If he could not even handle such a minor issue, how could he deserve such a good opportunity to be in charge of the Star City? He was afraid that Yang Kai might even punish him.
Therefore, he immediately sent a message back to Void Land to consult Second Manager Bian Yu Qing.
Bian Yu Qing could sense something was wrong. This was obviously the result of someone deliberately causing trouble out of envy of the development of Void Land and its Star City. Regardless of what happened behind the scenes, the tragedies did happen in Void Territory, so Void Land had to give a reasonable explanation.
Bian Yu Qing quickly took action and ordered Lu Xue and her subordinates to investigate the situation around the Star City.
Lu Xue, who was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master, brought more than ten Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Masters from Abundance City with her, quite a luxurious lineup. Unless they had to face a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master, there would not be any difficulties, so Bian Yu Qing was not worried at all. The instructions given to Lu Xue were very clear too, which was to find out who the criminals who caused all this trouble in Void Territory were, and report back immediately.
But it had been a month since Lu Xue left, and Bian Yu Qing still had not received any news from her!
Bian Yu Qing then sent a message to Void Star City, but there was no reply from them either.
She immediately realized that something went terribly wrong, and hurriedly came to report to Yang Kai who was still in retreat.
After listening to her report, Yang Kai’s face turned sullen and remained silent for a while, “It seems that Lu Xue and the Star City must have been attacked and captured, otherwise we would have heard from them already. Yun Xing Hua is a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Master and the Star City has a group of his Blood Swan Continent Masters who are all pretty strong. What’s more, there’s also Lu Xue, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master, who had a team of ten Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with her for support. It’s obvious that the enemy is very strong. There must be at least one Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master among them!”
Bian Yu Qing repeated, “Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master… Doesn’t that mean that it’s a top-tier Second Class great force we’re facing?” To have a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master meant that the enemy was among the top Second Class great forces, “Would anything happen to Elder Lu and the others?”
Although she was the Second Manager of Void Land and stood above almost all others in terms of authority, she had only been in Void Land for a short time so there was still much for her to learn about the 3,000 Worlds. What she was most worried about was the safety of Lu Xue and the others at this moment.
Yang Kai tapped the table lightly with his fingers, his eyes narrowed into slits as he sneered to himself, [Is someone getting impatient?]
He was almost certain that this incident was directed against him.
The road to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm was difficult and filled with obstacles. The Proprietress had told him before that the Cave Heavens and Paradises would never sit by idly and watch him break through directly to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm safely. Qu Hua Shang had also confided in him some ancient secrets about why this was so.
Although he had caught the attention of the major Cave Heavens and Paradises before, because he was still not a threat to them, he had not faced any real danger. Those top Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises could not be seen bullying the weak as they had their status and reputation to consider, which would be besmeared if they were desperate enough to lay a hand on far weaker Sects.
It was inconvenient for them to take action, but their Juniors did not need to worry about such things. Any tragedies caused between cultivators of the same generation would only display one’s lack of aptitude and luck, it was no one else’s fault.
That was why there were some who were set on killing him, while some wanted to form an alliance with him when he was in Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Qu Hua Shang too, wanted to recruit him into Yin Yang Cave Heaven, but the price was that Yang Kai could never advance directly to the Seventh Order, only the Sixth Order!
In short, the major Cave Heavens and Paradises wanted to stop anyone whose ability could exceed their control and challenge their authority and status one day in the future.
This was the same for every Cave Heaven and Paradise.
This was the situation before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened.
However, when Blood Monster Cave Heaven closed, there was a shift in the situation because Yang Kai obtained a Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core!
He had used his Golden Crow Casts the Sun and Dragon Shield Secret Technique more than once and even displayed the Towering Evergreen outside the Blood Monster Divine Palace. He also spent a fortune to purchase the Primordial Yang Profound Ginseng from Ye Jian from Thunderclap Hall at the exchange meeting in Thousand Birds Star City. Anyone who was paying attention would be able to realize he had condensed Fire, Earth, Wood, and Yang Elements, and as soon as he refined the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core that he had newly obtained, how far would he be from ascending to the Open Heaven Realm?
Although directly breaking through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm was extremely dangerous, and no one dared say that Yang Kai would definitely succeed in doing so, what if he did?
They had not been oppressing him openly before because the situation was not yet urgent. The advancement from the peak of the Emperor Realm to the Open Heaven Realm was always a long process, and any accident along the way would be enough to take Yang Kai’s life.
But Yang Kai’s cultivation speed obviously exceeded everyone’s expectations, and there were even rumours now that Lan You Ruo of First Inn was sparing no effort to search for High-Rank Yin Element resources.
Many were aware of the relationship between Lan You Ruo and Yang Kai. Lan You Ruo was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master, so she had no reason to be looking for a Seventh-Order Yin Element treasure other than for Yang Kai.
Rumour had it that she now had a lead on such a resource and had led several subordinates of First Inn to a certain Forbidden Zone. If she succeeded in coming out safely, she might just bring a Seventh-Order Yin Element treasure with her. By then, Yang Kai would have a great chance of breaking through!
It was a matter that could not afford to be delayed any longer. If they wanted to make a move, it had to be done before Lan You Ruo returned. Otherwise, if this Sixth-Order woman went crazy, it would be hard to subdue her without a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master making a move.
Yang Kai was not aware that the Proprietress, Old Bai, Chef, and Accounted had risked their lives to venture into a Forbidden Zone to search for a Yin Element treasure for him, but he quickly realized after learning about the incident in Void Star City and the disappearance of Lu Xue and the others that someone had lost their patience and was now making a move against him!
[Is it the Cave Heavens and Paradises? Not necessarily, the Cave Heavens and Paradises are highly exalted and renowned, so they would not have acted out directly without a righteous cause; otherwise, it would put their reputations at risk. The loss would outweigh the gain.]
[Then, who could it be?] Only a top-tier Second Class great force could dispatch a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. After a little bit of pondering, a figure flashed across Yang Kai’s mind and a sneer appeared on his face.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai ordered, “Second Manager, be patient. Elder Lu and the others should not be in any danger, but they’re most likely captured and restrained.”
As long as that person still desired the Seventh-Order Monster Core he possessed, he would not mistreat Lu Xue and the others. If he pushed Yang Kai past his limits, what would he have to bargain with?
However, this was only Yang Kai’s speculation, and it was really hard to say whether it was accurate or not.
That person also knew that Yang Kai had Yue He, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, with him, and he was also only a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Where did he get the courage to stir up trouble? Unless, he had someone even stronger backing him!
After some thinking, Yang Kai’s confusion slowly cleared. At this moment, Bian Yu Qing’s expression suddenly changed and she took out a communication bead. After reading the message she just received, her face filled with great panic as she announced, “Sect Master, there are many ships coming towards Void Land!”
Yang Kai’s face sank, “Such an ugly appetite.”
Although he had already anticipated the situation after learning that Lu Xue and the others were missing, he did not expect the other party to come so quickly. He had just received the news, and the other party was already at his gates.
“Follow me to have a look,” Yang Kai shot out of the room as soon as he spoke, followed closely by Bian Yu Qing.
They arrived at the edge of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. After opening a window in the Grand Array and stealing a peek, the colour completely drained from Bian Yu Qing’s beautiful face while Yang Kai’s too, looking extremely sullen.
Previously, Bian Yu Qing was only informed by the patrols guarding the Grand Array that many ships were advancing towards Void Land, but the number was not specified. Now, from the glance into the void she just took, it was clear that an overwhelming number of ships was filling the void!
“Why are there so many?” Bian Yu Qing’s beautiful eyes quivered.
Yang Kai did not expect this scene either, but after a little thought, he understood.
If Void Land was really just an ordinary Second Class great force, the other party would probably not dispatch such an overwhelming lineup; however, Void Land’s Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was extraordinary, and the other party was not confident it could overwhelm them with only a slight advantage in numbers, hence they had called out for help from allies.
Yang Kai glanced back at his own Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, sneering coldly in his heart. It seemed that many people would die here today!
“Young Master!” Followed by a fragrant scent, Yue He appeared next to Yang Kai. She was cultivating in retreat before this, but she sensed that Void Land was encountering a crisis, so the first thing she did was to rush here to ensure Yang Kai’s safety. Although Yang Kai had astounding aptitude, he was still only a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master; therefore, his ability to protect himself on such an occasion was quite limited.
Yang Kai nodded to her before glancing up coldly at the void. There were more than a hundred flight-type artifacts there. Each flight-type artifact represented a great force. Even for Yue He, who was not unfamiliar with all kinds of grand occasions, could not help feeling goosebumps arising all over her body, her pretty face turning solemn.
The 3,000 Worlds was vast and full of bloody massacres and fierce battles. Countless people succumbed to death every day. Even the Cave Heavens and Paradises had no way to guarantee their eternal survival, let alone the other great forces. The cycle of birth and destruction of all kinds of major and minor great forces was never-ending. They could establish, soar, weaken, and be destroyed for a variety of reasons…
Just like how Seven Wonders Land’s inheritance was destroyed after being occupied by others.
However, not many great forces would encounter a situation of being besieged by so many foreign forces. For those who had no idea about why this was happening, they may think that Void Land had committed some kind of outrageous crime.
“Yang Kai, your Void Land is vile and cruel! You lured people to your Star City with sinister intentions, intercepting them halfway to seize their wealth and take their lives! Many great forces have been exterminated because of you! Such monstrous acts cannot be tolerated. Devil-spawn, come out and face death!”
A furious howl resounded loudly throughout the sky, echoing back and forth for quite a long time.
Yang Kai turned to look in the direction of the voice. On a certain ship, an elderly man with a ruddy face stood at the bow, fire burning wildly in his eyes, as if he had an absolutely irreconcilable enmity with Yang Kai.
This elderly man was Old Hong of Heaven’s Border. It was this old man who happened to find out that Yang Kai had obtained the Seventh-Order Metal Element Monster Core and chased after him, only to lose him in the end and return in vain.
Soon after, the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union, Kong Feng, came to Yang Kai and tried to coerce him into handing over the Seventh-Order Monster Core. Needless to say, Old Hong must have informed Kong Feng about it; after all, he was the only one who knew about the Seventh-Order Monster Core.
Old Hong was also the first person to stand up and condemn Void Land today.
Yang Kai believed that he did not have any real enmity with this old man. At most, he just teased the old guy when he seized the corpse of the Golden Crow, but it did not cause him to suffer any losses. How could this lead to a deep enmity? Looking at Old Hong’s eagerness though, Yang Kai could only wonder who he was representing this time!
Yang Kai swept his eyes across the flight-type artifacts and soon, he saw Kong Feng of Heavenly Sword Union!
The Heavenly Sword Union ship was extraordinary, which was not surprising considering it was one of the strongest Second Class great forces.
Compared to the artifacts of other great forces, the ship of Heavenly Sword Union was much bigger. There were many cultivators standing on the spacious deck and in the middle were two seats, one of which was occupied by Kong Feng, and the other by a young woman.
They were undoubtedly the owners of the ship. The woman looked young, but the aura that undulated from her body was not inferior to Kong Feng’s. Without a doubt, she was also a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai could observe the situation outside clearly from the safety of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, but anyone on the outside would not be able to see anything on the inside. However, when Yang Kai’s eyes landed on Kong Feng, the latter seemed to sense him. He turned to the place where Yang Kai was standing and revealed a faint smile.
Not only Kong Feng, but the young woman too had seemed to sense Yang Kai’s gaze and looked over before whispering to Kong Feng.
Although Yang Kai had no idea about what they were talking about, by the looks of their behaviour, the woman did not seem to be from Heavenly Sword Union, but rather from a different great force.
Seeing Kong Feng coming here in person, Yang Kai confirmed that Old Hong must be the pawn of Heavenly Sword Union. Back then, it was Old Hong who had informed Kong Feng about the Seventh-Order Monster Core, and now he was the first to jump out and denounce Void Land. Yang Kai wondered what kind of the relationship Heaven’s Border and Heavenly Sword Union had.
“What is that old thing talking about!?” Yue He cursed furiously as murderous intent surged from her body, “Young Master, let me kill him!”
She was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so she could easily kill Old Hong who was just a Fourth-Order Open Realm Master. However, even if she could successfully launch a surprise attack, it would be difficult for her to return safely under the circumstances; after all, there were too many great enemies assembled outside.
Yang Kai raised his hand and stopped her, “Don’t mind him. Just let him bark.”
Yue He ground her pristine teeth as she glared at Old Hong coldly. She secretly swore that if she had a chance, she would take this old dog’s life. She had been in retreat earlier, so she was actually clueless about what was going on outside and why there were so many forces surrounding Void Land all of a sudden, so she immediately sent a Divine Sense transmission to Bian Yu Qing to inquire about the situation.
Bian Yu Qing briefly told her everything she had explained to Yang Kai before. Yue He was a brilliant woman, so she instantly figured out the crux of the matter and couldn’t help turning to Yang Kai with worry.
The accusation of Void Land luring others in and then intercepting them was nothing more than an excuse. It was obvious that someone was using this matter to target Yang Kai!
With Heavenly Sword Union as the head of the assembly of these hundred or so great forces, Yue He could not help wondering which of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were the masterminds behind this, and how many of them were involved and just watching this show?
Yue He clenched her fists. This situation was somewhat similar to what had happened before. Back then, she was just a trivial Emperor Realm cultivator and she was helpless in the crisis. By the time she received word of what happened, that person had already died, leaving her completely heartbroken.
But she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now! She finally had some strength to protect herself and others. Perhaps a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was nothing in front of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but she would never let history repeat itself unless she died!
“Yang Kai, show yourself!” After Old Hong shouted, he was exasperated when Void Land did not react at all. After looking at Kong Feng for instructions, he called once more, “Do you think you can just hide behind your Grand Array? Today, we gather here to seek justice for our dead companions! It’s useless for you to hide in there like a coward. The Heavens have eyes, and wicked beings like you and your Void Land will be judged!”
“Come out now!” Someone suddenly yelled. Like a chain reaction, countless cultivators started shouting together. The scene was so spectacular that the void trembled endlessly.
Inside the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, Yang Kai watched indifferently and turned a deaf ear to these provocations. However, he also understood that this was truly a tough situation to resolve. The most important thing he needed to make sure was the safety of Lu Xue and the others, but he failed to find them even after searching around. Although he assured Bian Yu Qing that Lu Xue should be fine, it was just his own speculation. In truth, he was totally clueless regarding the real situation.
The commotion outside continued for a while, but seeing no response from Void Land, the people began to become furious and annoyed. On the Heavenly Sword Union ship, Kong Feng put down his teacup and waved his hand as he smiled, “Bring them up.”
When the words fell, the hatch of the ship opened up, and a group of people staggered out onto the deck.
The leader of the group was a woman dressed in palace robes. Other than the missing Lu Xue, who else could she be? It seemed that Lu Xue had just encountered a big fight. Blood stains were splattered all over her war-weathered robes, her hair was dishevelled, and her aura was weak. At the moment, she was bound tightly with her hands tied behind her back by a black rope-like artifact.
Following behind her was Yun Xing Hua, who seemed to be in much the same condition as Lu Xue. He too was bound by ropes, looking quite embarrassed.
In addition to the two of them, there were more than 30 Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Some of these people were from the batch of cultivators from Abundance City, while some were from the original Blood Swan Continent group.
Yun Xing Hua was ordered by Yang Kai to take care of the Star City with the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Blood Swan Continent. But now it seemed that he had been beaten and captured!
Lu Xue stumbled and almost fell flat onto the deck. A man, probably only a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master of Heavenly Sword Union, was pushing her from behind. He was extremely rude, pushing Lu Xue while also groping her waist and bottom as he grinned.
Lu Xue turned around and glared at him, but the man was not afraid at all. He was certain that Lu Xue and the others would be dead soon, so he had nothing to fear.
“What are you looking at? Move!” The man bellowed, whipping Lu Xue’s face with the whip in his hand, drawing a streak of blood from her delicate face.
Lu Xue grit her teeth, choked down the anger and humiliation in her heart, and walked up the deck.
“Hehe, Union Master Kong, isn’t it a little rude for you to treat a woman like this? She’s a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all!” On the deck, the young woman sitting next to Kong Feng suddenly giggled as she glanced at Lu Xue. The young woman had a beautiful and innocent look, seemingly only 25 years old. If someone met her for the first time, they would think that she was just a naïve and ignorant little girl.
Only those who knew her well would understand that innocence had nothing to do with this woman. She was as cruel as she was merciless.
This woman was Black Prison’s Warden, Luan Bai Feng!
The Black Prison was a very special Second Class force, because it was literally a prison, one formed naturally in a dreadfully dangerous environment. There were countless Natural Spirit Arrays inside the Black Prison, and if one was not familiar with the safe paths inside, even a High-Rank Open Heaven Master would be at risk of dying.
It was rumoured that although Luan Bai Feng was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, a normal Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not her opponent inside the Black Prison.
There were naturally prisoners in Black Prison, most of which were criminals who committed various crimes in the 3,000 Worlds. Others were individuals who were captured from defeated forces after battles between great forces. Normally such people would simply be put to death, but the Black Prison offered an alternative. Luan Bai Feng was happy to accept all such convicts, allowing them to escape death at the cost of their freedom.
Certainly, the Black Prison was not a safe place, and Luan Bai Feng was not a philanthropist who was happy to give alms. The reason she was willing to accept those Open Heaven Realm Masters was because the Black Prison was rich with a special cultivation resource which could only be collected by Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Luan Bai Feng often paid great forces to bring over Open Heaven Realm criminals to collect resources inside the Black Prison. With this, not only could those great forces get rid of these convicts, they could also make some profit from it. Naturally, many were more than willing to deal with her.
However, it was well-known that none of the Open Heaven Realm Masters who entered the Black Prison ever came out. The harsh environment and various dangers inside could take away the lives of cultivators at any time. Even if they survived there by chance, their cultivations would be devoured continuously. Eventually, the Small Universe in their bodies would be obliterated and they would suffer a fate worse than death.
Due to the special environment of the Black Prison, it had attracted many desperate cultivators seeking refuge, who Luan Bai Feng was more than willing to welcome. In any case, as long as she controlled the entrance to the Black Prison, no one could disobey her.
Every year, there would be countless casualties in the Black Prison, so as its owner, how could Luan Bai Feng be a naïve and innocent woman?
In the entire vast 3,000 Worlds, there were not many people who were as ruthless as her.
Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng were old acquaintances. This time, he invited her to join hands in dealing with Void Land. Since the closing of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Kong Feng had been gathering information about Void Land. As far as he knew, Void Land was once Seven Wonders Land, which was just an ordinary Second Class great force. It was nothing to him, as the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land was said to be extremely limited. Such a great force was simply vulnerable in front of Heavenly Sword Union.
If possible, Kong Feng would have preferred to act alone to seize Void Land. In this way, he could monopolize the benefits of Void Land without sharing with others.
However, he was dreadfully frightened by the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array protecting Void Land. Even a top tier Second Class great force such as Heavenly Sword Union did not have such a Spirit Array guarding its headquarters. It was truly hard for him to believe that Void Land had such a deep heritage.
He had gotten someone to investigate it before, and learnt that the array was arranged by a man named Grandmaster Wu Liang. He initially wanted to search for Grandmaster Wu Liang to inquire about the details of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. Unfortunately, Grandmaster Wu Liang was a lone wolf and did not serve any Sect or great force, so Kong Feng couldn’t track him down even after several months of searching.
In desperation, he could only invite Luan Bai Feng to assist him.
Luan Bai Feng was not weaker than him as she too was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. In addition, they knew each other, so they had the foundation to cooperate with each other. Of course, the main reason Kong Feng sought out Luan Bai Feng was because of her outstanding attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. For her to be able to live in a place where countless Natural Arrays existed, how could she not have a profound understanding about Spirit Arrays?
Among the people Kong Feng knew, Luan Bai Feng was definitely ranked in the top three in attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
With the help of this woman, they could crack the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, making it a simple matter to capture Void Land. However, before that, Kong Feng still needed to send some people to probe the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, so as to facilitate Luan Bai Feng’s analysis.
They definitely had to sacrifice lives to break such a Grand Array, but Kong Feng was naturally reluctant to sacrifice his Heavenly Sword Union’s disciples. As such, he could only gather others to use as pawns. This was what led to the current situation.
It could be said that Kong Feng was the main reason why 100 great forces were gathered around Void Land.
Hearing Luan Bai Feng’s complaint, Kong Feng smiled faintly, “Those who achieve great things don’t bother about small matters. How could we be soft when facing the enemy? If we were, how could we force that brat to show up?”
He secretly criticized, [Like I haven’t seen how cruel you are, Luan Bai Feng. Is it funny to say such a thing at this time?]
Luan Bai Feng replied with admiration, “Union Master Kong is truly a man who knows how to achieve great things. This Mistress appreciates your approach very much.” Then she giggled with her mouth covered, “It’s just that… will that Yang Kai really show up because of this?”
Kong Feng grinned meaningfully, “Void Land was established not long ago, and Yang Kai is just an Emperor Realm Junior. I have no idea how he recruited so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, but since most of his subordinates were captured by me, he will certainly show up. He simply has no choice.”
According to the information Kong Feng had gathered, there were not many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land. Since he captured more than 30 of them at once, Void Land had definitely suffered a great loss. Therefore, he was confident Yang Kai would show up.
Luan Bai Feng nodded slightly, “That would be for the best. It will be easy if he shows up. Union Master Kong, don’t forget to share the benefits with this Mistress when this is all over.” While speaking, she glanced at Lu Xue and the others while licking her lips, as if she saw delicious food in front of her.
“Don’t worry, this Kong won’t go back on his word.” Kong Feng responded casually. Although he and Luan Bai Feng were old acquaintances, he still had to promise her some benefits when requesting her help; otherwise, how could he convince her to assist him? The condition he offered was to give her all the Open Heaven Realm Masters he captured in this battle!
The defeated party in the battle often ended up as captives. For example, when Yang Kai took over Void Land, he captured Chen Tian Fei. If Chen Tian Fei had not offered up the Loyalty List, Yang Kai would certainly have executed the fatty; after all, they had a deep blood feud, and Yang Kai could not guarantee his loyalty at all, so how could he let him live?
However, Chen Tian Fei was quick-witted. He immediately took out the Loyalty List as soon as he realized that he was cornered, allowing him to preserve his life until now.
In general, the fate of such captives was dreadful. Most of them would be brought back to the vanquisher’s headquarters to be killed, because after the death of an Open Heaven Realm Master, their Small Universe would collapse and their World Force would leak out and be absorbed by the Spirit Province, enhancing its background.
Only those captives who could prove themselves to be valuable could be exempted from death!
For other great forces, the greatest value of captives was to kill them in their headquarters to collect their World Force. However, Luan Bai Feng was different. What she needed most in Black Prison was Open Heaven Realm mining slaves; the more, the better. As such, after Kong Feng approached her, they only negotiated for about half a day before finalizing the conditions of their cooperation.
There were already more than 30 Open Heaven Realm captives on the ship at present, all of whom would belong to Luan Bai Feng in the end. It could be said that she had already reaped a great harvest from this trip. And that was not to mention that there may be more Open Heaven Realm Masters waiting for her once they captured Void Land.
Among these more than 30 people, Lu Xue was her favourite by far. There were many ore slaves in the Black Prison, but not many of them were Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like Lu Xue. The value a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could provide there was enormous.
Seeing that Kong Feng agreed to her terms without hesitation, Luan Bai Feng was extremely satisfied with him. Of course, she had no idea that Kong Feng had plans of his own.
Luan Bai Feng did not know that Yang Kai had a Seventh-Order Monster Beast Core, but Kong Feng did. It had only been about a year since the collapse of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, and according to common sense, Yang Kai couldn’t have refined that Monster Core. If he could conquer Void Land, the Monster Core would be his.
Seventh-Order materials were incredibly valuable. Being a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Kong Feng would sooner or later break through to the Seventh-Order. At that time, he would need these Seventh-Order materials to improve his strength. As such, he naturally needed to collect resources like this whenever possible.
However, it was not just the Seventh-Order Monster Core that attracted him. The biggest temptation for Kong Feng was the complete sets of Fifth-Order materials.
It was no secret that Void Land traded numerous complete sets of Fifth-Order materials for materials of other Orders, so Kong Feng naturally knew about it.
Heavenly Sword Union even purchased a set from Void Land secretly.
After a thorough examination, Kong Feng was shocked to find that all these Fifth-Order materials came from the same source! He vaguely believed that Void Land must have a secret method which could regularly produce these Fifth-Order materials; otherwise, they would not have casually traded away so many of them.
If Heavenly Sword Union could gain control over this production method, it would definitely be able to produce more Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the future!
It could be said this material source was a critical component to the foundation of a Sect. How could Kong Feng not be envious of it? To him personally, the Seventh-Order Monster Core was more important, but to Heavenly Sword Union, this method to produce a steady stream of Fifth-Order materials was the most valuable.
If Heavenly Sword Union became more powerful, Kong Feng would benefit from it too. At that time, Heavenly Sword Union may be able to rise to the level of the Cave Heavens or Paradises!
During the simple conversation between the two of them, the Grand Array that enveloped Void Land suddenly distorted for a moment and three figures appeared in everyone’s sight.
Kong Feng raised his brow as he stared at Yang Kai and smiled.
As he expected, Yang Kai could no longer ignore them after they brought up Lu Xue and the others, and had to show up himself. At this moment, Yang Kai’s face was incredibly dark!
Luan Bai Feng, who was sitting next to Kong Feng, stared at Yue He enthusiastically. She had excellent vision so she naturally sensed that Yue He was strong. Unfortunately, because of the distance between them, she could not determine Yue He’s exact Order. She licked her red lips again as she asked, “Union Master Kong, what Open Heaven Order is that woman?”
Kong Feng answered, “Is Junior Sister Luan interested in her? I’m afraid that will be a little difficult; after all, she is also a Sixth-Order!”
“A Sixth-Order?” Luan Bai Feng was obviously taken aback. Given that Void Land was just newly established, it was already beyond her expectation that it could have more than 30 Open Heaven Realm Masters, including a Fifth-Order one like Lu Xue. She never expected Void Land to have a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master too!
The owner of Void Land was just an Emperor Realm boy; how could he convince so many Open Heaven Realm Masters to serve him?
As she thought of this, Luan Bai Feng turned to Yang Kai and saw that although this young man looked dignified and possessed an impressive demeanour, there didn’t seem to be anything else special about him. The gap between the Emperor Realm and the Open Heaven Realm was just too big. How could he get Open Heaven Realm Masters to listen to his orders?
Failing to understand this, she shook her head lightly and chuckled, “Union Master Kong, this Mistress likes that woman very much. I hope that you can help me capture her later.”
Kong Feng hesitated a while before he replied carelessly, “If there is a chance, this Kong will do his best.”
Kong Feng was naturally just brushing Luan Bai Feng off while he secretly cursed her for being insatiable. How could it be so easy to capture a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master alive? Both he and Luan Bai Feng were also just in the Sixth Order. Although Yue He was certainly no match for them in a straight up fight, given that the gap between their overall strength was not too large, capturing her alive would be all but impossible.
If Yue He wanted to escape, he would have no way to stop her. As such, he did not dare to promise too much.
Ignoring Luan Bai Feng, Kong Feng waved his hand as he ordered, “Act according to the plan!”
“Yes!” On the deck of the ship, several men cupped their fists. Then, followed by hundreds of others, they split into ten or so groups and flew out of the ship before scattering in all directions. Soon surrounding the local region.
The leaders of these groups were all Open Heaven Realm Masters, and after getting into position, each of them took out something like a square array plate one after another, and threw them into the void. Then, they formed a set of hand seals and the array plates quickly vanished into the Void. At the same time, the surrounding space solidified.
The changes in the environment were not obvious to others. Even Yue He, who was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, was only slightly aware of some unusual transformation in the surrounding region, but it was impossible to tell what the specific changes were.
Only Yang Kai could sense it so clearly that he could not help snorting coldly, “Old dog Kong Feng, you’re really well prepared.”
He watched the large group of people flying out from the ship, but he did not understand what they were doing. However, Yang Kai immediately understood when the surrounding space changed.
On the deck of the ship, Kong Feng turned to Luan Bai Feng, and nodded lightly, “Junior Sister Luan’s attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays are truly amazing. This Senior Brother salutes you!”
Luan Bai Feng smiled, “It’s the fruit of being forced in order to have a living, it’s not like I had a choice. But with the confinement of my Array, this area has become completely sealed. Even if that boy has high attainment in the Dao of Space, he has no way to escape from here.”
Kong Feng nodded lightly. He certainly learnt about Yang Kai when he inquired about Void Land, and knew that while he was not strong, he was good at escaping. Especially after hearing the report from Old Hong, Kong Feng learnt that Yang Kai had used Space Principles to slip away from even Lan You Ruo of First Inn before. As such, he understood that if he wished to capture Yang Kai this time, he had to use a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array. It would not be easy for even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him to stop Yang Kai once that happened.
Therefore, before they continued, they confined the space around Void Land in order to prevent Yang Kai from teleporting away.
With the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array set up by Luan Bai Feng, Yang Kai had no way to run this time!
They did not arrange this Array earlier because Kong Feng wasn’t certain Yang Kai was in Void Land, but as soon as Yang Kai appeared, Kong Feng immediately ordered them to execute the plan.
Now that everything was set, they just had to wait for the right moment to attack!
Kong Feng turned to Old Hong and exchanged looks with him. After receiving the signal, Old Hong yelled, “Little thief Yang Kai, you’ve finally shown yourself!”
Yang Kai glared at him as he retorted, “Old dog, stop barking non-stop and disturbing the peace. You court death!”
Old Hong grinned, “How dare you speak wildly when facing imminent disaster? The folly of youth indeed!”
Yang Kai did not bother to talk nonsense with him and instead turned to Kong Feng with a clenched jaw, his eyes burning in anger, “Union Master Kong, why did you capture my Void Land’s people? How has Void Land offended you?”
Kong Feng remained silent with a smile, putting on a look like Yang Kai had no right to speak to him. Meanwhile, old Hong continued shouting, “Do you still need someone else to tell you what your Void Land has done? Junior, today you must die!”
Yang Kai glared at him furiously, “Our Void Land has never offended others who have not offended us. I swear to the Heavens and Earth that we have never acted without conscience. Old dog, stop talking nonsense.”
Old Hong sneered deviously, “You really won’t shed tears without seeing the coffin, will you? Little brat, if you don’t wish for others to condemn you, you should not do deeds worthy of condemnation. Since you insist on denying the truth, this King will give you the proof.” He waved his hand, “Please, Junior Brother Qi!”
As he spoke, an elderly man stepped out from the crowd. His face was filled with such lament and sorrow that there seemed to be nothing else that could hurt him anymore. After gaining a stable foothold, he cupped his fist towards Old Hong feebly.
In front of the public, this elderly man was instantly recognized as Qi Chang Ying, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Mountains and Seas Pavilion. There were only two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Mountains and Seas Pavilion in total, which were Qi Chang Yi and the Pavilion Master himself. However, the Pavilion Master of Mountains and Seas Pavilion did not show up most of the time, leaving most matters of Mountains and Seas Pavilion to be handled by Qi Chang Ying. As such, he was known by many Open Heaven Realm Masters of other Second Class great forces.
Old Hong patted Qi Chang Ying on the shoulder with a supportive look, and continued in a deep voice, “Junior Brother Qi, I know that your Mountains and Seas Pavilion encountered a disaster a year ago and suffered great losses. Our Heaven’s Border faced a similar situation, but the culprit is too powerful so we can’t do anything about it. However, murder must be paid for with blood. Now that Heavenly Sword Union is here to seek justice for us, speak your grievances. Under the witness of everyone here today, we must eradicate this evil and return a bright future to the 3,000 Worlds!”
Old Hong’s speech immediately reminded Qi Chang Ying of the tragedy that happened under his watch a year ago. His eyes turned red, and he could not help feeling sorrowful. He turned to the ship where Heavenly Sword Union was located from a distance, saluted and proceeded in a trembling voice, “Many thanks, Union Master Kong. This Old Master has nothing else to ask for today, but vengeance for this blood feud. If this wish can be achieved, I shall die with no regrets!”
After a pause, Qi Chang Ying spoke about what happened a year ago heartbrokenly, how he heard that there were complete sets of Fifth-Order materials being sold in Void Star City, how they gathered everything they had, how they travelled all the way to Void Territory, how they were attacked, and how he managed to stay alive… He disclosed every single detail in his speech.
Old Hong clenched his teeth, “Junior Brother Qi, did you mention that you escaped by faking death, and vaguely heard the words ‘Void Land’ and ‘Senior Yun’?”
Qi Chang Ying nodded slowly, “That’s right! This Old Master also knows that the person in charge of Void Star City is a man named Yun Xing Hua. He has the same cultivation with this Old Master, and matches the person who killed our Mountains and Seas Pavilion disciples! This Old Master lived an ignoble life after that, sneaking into Void Star City to investigate and confirm whether Yun Xing Hua was indeed the one who killed my Mountains and Seas Pavilion disciples. This Old Master swore he would take revenge no matter what!”
Old Hong immediately asked, “What is the result of the investigation?”
Qi Chang Ying shook his head slowly, “Yun Xing Hua lives a reclusive life, and this Old Master didn’t have the chance to see him.”
Old Hong raised his brows slightly, “If I show you Yun Xing Hua, will you be able to recognize him?”
Qi Chang Ying gritted her teeth ferociously, “Even if he were reduced to ash, this Old Master would still recognize him!”
Old Hong nodded, “Good, Junior Brother Qi, look over there, Yun Xing Hua is among that group!”
Qi Chang Ying was stunned before he hurriedly looked to the direction that Old Hong pointed at. After a moment, he widened his eyes and leapt towards the ship with raging murderous intent, “Yun Xing Hua, suffer death!”
Among the captives, Yun Xing Hua was absolutely appalled. He already felt humiliated enough being caught due to his incompetence and was still worrying about his own safety. Fortunately, Lu Xue stood at the head of their group, preventing him from sticking out too much. But now, his face turned white as this unfamiliar old man suddenly rushed towards him to take his life. Unable to care about face any longer, he retreated while shouting horrifyingly, “Mercy, Old Sir, there must be some kind of misunderstanding!”
He was totally clueless about what was going on. He had never met Qi Chang Ying, let alone killed the disciples of Mountains and Seas Pavilion. Ever since he signed his name on the Loyalty List and was sent to Void Star City by Yang Kai, he has been taking care of the Star City conscientiously, in fear of being punished by Yang Kai for any mistakes.
Initially, the Star City was blossoming with activity, but he did not expect a large number of people to attack all of a sudden half a month ago. The people of Void Land failed to defend themselves and were captured, and then were brought here.
Hearing the previous conversations from the crowd, Yun Xing Hua vaguely sensed that someone was conspiring against Void Land, and he was just a pawn caught up in this plot. Previously, he felt a little fortunate that he was not their target, but he did not expect that he would be the first to die.
Qi Chang Ying naturally ignored him. While flying out, Qi Chang Ying slammed his palm at Yun Xing Hua with murderous intent even from thousands of meters away.
Yun Xing Hua was unable to resist as his strength was currently sealed. Seeing that palm strike about to land on him, he could not help exclaiming, “My destined end has come!”
He could only close his eyes and accept death!
But a moment later, the attack did not arrive as he thought it would. It seemed that someone had saved his life. When he opened his eyes, he saw Qi Chang Ying shouting and falling back to where he came from.
Yun Xing Hua was thrilled that he escaped death and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the young woman sitting on the chair withdrawing her fair hand. It was she who saved him!
He glanced at the young woman gratefully. Even though he had no idea who this woman was or why she wanted to save him, he was sure that the cultivation that she had was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Luan Bai Feng brushed her hair back behind her ear and looked at Yun Xing Hua with a smile. Surprised by her action, Yun Xing Hua quickly thanked her.
Luan Bai Feng chuckled, “If you have anything to say, just say it with your mouth. Why resort to violence right away? Life… is very precious. Union Master Kong, do you think so?”
Kong Feng smiled faintly, but he did not say anything.
He knew why Luan Bai Feng wanted to save Yun Xing Hua; it was all because these captives belonged to her. Anyone of them dying was a loss to her; therefore, no one would be allowed to harm her interests while she was present.
After Luan Bai Feng’s interception, Qi Chang Ying acknowledged her terrifying strength and dared not to do it again. Still, he glared at Yun Xing Hua angrily, as if he wanted to peel his skin off.
Old Hong continued in a deep voice, “Junior Brother Qi, please calm your anger. Do you recognize the man who attacked your Mountains and Seas Pavilion that day?”
Qi Chang Ying immediately pointed out his finger, “It was him! He led people to intercept my Mountains and Seas Pavilion ship and killed hundreds of our disciples… None of them were spared!”
As he finished his sentence, he let out a long cry to the sky as two streaks of tears rolled down his cheeks.
Stunned, Yun Xing Hua could not help shouting back, “Old Sir, you’ve recognized the wrong person! I haven’t done anything like that, you should take a closer look!”
“Shut up!” Qi Chang Ying glared at him, his eyes spitting fire, “Despicable bastard, how dare you quibble with me!? This Old Master saw what you did that day with his own eyes, how can I be mistaken!? If this Old Master does not avenge this blood feud, he does not deserve to be human!”
Yun Xing Hua’s lips trembled, and turned his head to look in the direction of Yang Kai desperately, begging, “Sir, this subordinate is innocent, this subordinate has not done it. Sir, save me!”
Then, Old Hong sneered and patted Qi Chang Ying on the shoulder again, “Is Junior Brother Qi sure he’s the one?”
Qi Chang Ying closed his eyes, turned his head, and quickly replied, “Yes!”
There was no way to express the anger boiling in his heart. He could hardly breathe! He has lived for so many years, and he was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so how could he be a fool? He was besieged, completely robbed of his Sect’s properties, and everyone other than him was slaughtered, including his Legacy Disciple who shouldered the future of Mountains and Seas Pavilion. The pain Qi Chang Ying felt was like a knife stabbing through his heart.
At that time, he really believed that Void Land was behind this matter, but after escaping from the claws of death, Qi Chang Ying thought more carefully about it. Why would Void Land do such a thing? Was this not smearing their own reputation for paltry gains? He really did sneak into Void Star City to investigate Yun Xing Hua and quickly discovered that the latter was not the same person who attacked Mountains and Seas Pavilion’s ship that day.
Qi Chang Ying had a feeling that someone was trying to tarnish Void Land’s reputation, but before he could uncover the truth of the matter, Old Hong had appeared and had a long talk with him. After some consolation and intimidation, Old Hong ‘politely’ asked Qi Chang Ying to step forward to identify the culprit, with a promise of heavy compensation.
By that point, how could Qi Chang Ying still not understand what was going on?
Void Land was like a tall tree that attracted the wind, and Mountains and Seas Pavilion was coincidentally involved in this dispute. Qi Chang Ying was probably able to escape the catastrophe and keep his life only because the other party allowed him to.
Now that things have escalated to this point, what choice did Qi Chang Ying have?
He may be able to keep his conscience by rejecting Old Hong’s proposal, but it would certainly offend powerful people. The murderers who dared to blatantly slaughter Mountains and Seas Pavilion’s disciples could even cause trouble at the Headquarters of Mountains and Seas Pavilion. On the other hand, if he agreed to their conditions, he could at least obtain some compensation.
Mountains and Seas Pavilion could not endure any more struggle. With their most prized disciple dead and most of the Sect’s wealth lost, if Qi Chang Ying just returned home like this, Mountains and Seas Pavilion would not be able to recover for hundreds of years. But if he could get some compensation, the future would definitely not be so bleak.
Therefore, even though Qi Chang Ying knew the truth, he had no choice but to cooperate with Old Hong at this moment and lie with his eyes wide open. He had to consider the future of Mountains and Seas Pavilion.
“Boy, Junior Brother Qi of Mountains and Seas Pavilion had identified the culprit in person. It is ironclad evidence! Do you still wish to deny it?” Old Hong rebuked sharply.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “For those determined to condemn others, there is never a lack of evidence!”
As soon as he finished speaking, shouts echoed from all directions. They were the representatives of the victimized great forces from the incidents in Void Territory.
Yang Kai looked around coldly before his gaze stopped at Kong Feng, “Union Master Kong is here in person. Did your allies’ ships suffer from the incident in the Void Territory too?”
Kong Feng smiled slightly, “Indeed. Many of my allied Sects encountered trouble and were robbed of all their property, with countless casualties. Naturally, as Union Master, I am here to seek justice for them!”
Yang Kai returned, “Then what justice does Union Master Kong want?”
Kong Feng tapped the armrest of his chair lightly, “If you are wise, you will deactivate this Defensive Grand Array, bind your own hands and feet, and follow this Union Master obediently. Rest assured, this Union Master will definitely investigate the situation thoroughly. If Void Land is innocent, you will be cleared of all guilt.”
Yang Kai sneered. How could he believe him? However, he still nodded gently, “Union Master Kong’s reputation is well known. I can trust this statement.”
Kong Feng raised his brow, “Since you trust this Kong, what are you still waiting for?”
Yang Kai raised his hand, “Union Master Kong, please wait a moment. I don’t know when I will be back. I must have a word with my family first.”
After saying that, he had already turned around and disappeared into Void Land without giving Kong Feng a chance to object.
Kong Feng frowned, vaguely feeling that Yang Kai was up to no good. However, after thinking about it carefully, Void Land would definitely not be able to resist. In the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy would be a joke.
He did not attack head-on mainly because he was afraid of destroying Void Land. There must be some hidden secrets in this place, so before he learnt the truth, he did not want to make a big move.
After pondering for a while, he spoke quietly, “Junior Sister Luan, your chance has come.”
Luan Bai Feng looked at Kong Feng with a smile, “What is Union Master Kong referring to?”
Kong Feng replied, “Don’t you want that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman? She’s called Yue He, and she obeys Yang Kai’s words. When Yang Kai arrives, you are responsible for keeping Yue He in check while I capture that boy. As long as Yang Kai is restrained, Yue He will definitely not resist, and you can have her in any way you want!”
Luan Bai Feng’s beautiful eyes lit up when she heard the words and her scarlet tongue flicked across her red lips, “That would be best.”
She naturally knew why Kong Feng wanted her to deal with Yue He. The other party was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after all. It’s hard to say who would emerge the victor in a real fight, but if she could capture a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master to be an ore slave, this risk was worth taking, so she did not complain.
While the two were talking, a figure flickered next to Yue He, and Yang Kai reappeared.
Kong Feng was slightly surprised, “So fast?”
He thought that Yang Kai would definitely delay for a while, but who would have thought that he came back as fast as he left.
Yang Kai chuckled, “There’s nothing to explain, Union Master Kong. However, this Junior’s cultivation is low, and it is not safe to travel alone. So I request permission to bring my Left Protector along.” After saying so, he pointed at Yue He.
Kong Feng replied indifferently, “Only her then.”
He had already expected this. With his and Luan Bai Feng’s strength, a single Yue He would not be able to resist their united front.
Luan Bai Feng frowned slightly, vaguely feeling something was off, but most of her attention was drawn to Yue He at the moment, so she did not think much about it.
“Naturally!” Yang Kai nodded.
Signaling Yue He, he stepped forward and Bian Yu Qing, who was behind him, flew back into Void Land.
Kong Feng waved his hand and opened the barrier around the ship.
Yang Kai and Yue He landed on the deck soon after.
In the next moment, Kong Feng and Yang Kai shouted in unison, “Now!”
When the words fell, Kong Feng reached out to grab Yang Kai. Luan Bai Feng’s petite figure leapt up and rushed towards Yue He, who at the same time, raised her hand. A little flower umbrella appeared twirling in the air, then flew sharply in the opposite direction towards Luan Bai Feng and Kong Feng, obscuring their line of sight momentarily.
Yang Kai stepped back and opened the Six Fated Paths Bag. With a light pat, a dozen figures suddenly appeared.
The dozen figures, led by Mo Mei, immediately surrounded Yang Kai as soon as they appeared.
Heavenly Sword Union was a top-tier Second Class great force with outstanding strength. For this trip to Void Land, in addition to Kong Feng, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Master, there were also numerous Fifth-Order Open Heaven Masters, and even more Fourth-Order and Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. This could only be described as a mighty army with the finest arms.
However, among the dozen or so people who suddenly appeared on Yang Kai’s side, Mo Mei was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, while the others were all Fifth-Order. Everyone was momentarily stunned by their sudden appearance.
When they finally came back to their senses, fierce attacks were already bearing down on them.
In a flash, screams and shrieks resounded one after another, followed by splatters of fresh blood and corpses collapsing to the ground.
Beyond all their expectations, in an instant, Heavenly Sword Union suffered heavy casualties, with as many as a dozen of Open Heaven Realm Masters under the Fifth Order being killed, not to mention countless other disciples below the Open Heaven Realm. At the same time, Pang Duo, Jin Yuan Lang, Mu Qian Xuan, and Gong Yang Xi had already rushed towards Lu Xue and the others.
The strength of the Heavenly Sword Union disciples guarding Lu Xue and the others wasn’t anything notable because their prisoner’s had their cultivations sealed.
Seeing these four pouncing towards them like tigers leaving the mountain, these disciples froze in place, not knowing what to do.
A brief hesitation in battle could lead to disaster. With the combination of four Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, the guards were cut down as easily as melons and vegetables, while Lu Xue and the others were dragged back into the encirclement.
At this moment, Yue He shouted in a strained voice, “Young Master!”
As soon as the words fell, the little flower umbrella exploded, and the colour on Yue He’s face drained slightly before a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out of her lips. Her artifact was destroyed, causing a backlash to her Soul and body.
However, there was no other way. This was the only option if they wanted to rescue the captives from the hands of the two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Kong Feng appeared with a livid face and spat through clenched jaws, “Junior, you court death!” He had never expected that in such a situation, Yang Kai would dare to attack first. He cursed silently, planning to give Yang Kai a taste of every kind of torture in the world once he was captured!
However, when he looked up, Kong Feng was stunned for a moment, because scattered all over his ship were broken bodies of countless disciples, including as many as a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters under the Fifth Order.
Opposite of him, a formation of more than a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters circled around Yang Kai as they, along with Lu Xue and the other captives, fled towards Void Land hurriedly.
[How did Void Land gain so many Open Heaven Realm Masters?] Kong Feng was dumbstruck. What made him even more terrified was that the more than a dozen people who suddenly appeared in front of him were all Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and one leading them was a woman in the Sixth-Order!
After escaping from the Little Flower Umbrella’s suppression, Luan Bai Feng swept her eyes around coldly and growled through gritted teeth, “We were too careless!”
She had finally understood where that sense of unease came from before. Yang Kai mentioned that Yue He was his Left Protector, and since there was a Left Protector, there must also be a Right Protector! Now, the truth was revealed that there was another Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in Void Land!
Everything happened too fast. It had only been three breaths from Kong Feng’s and Luan Bai Feng’s entrapment to their escape. Yue He lost her artifact and was hurt, but Lu Xue and the others had been successfully rescued from Heavenly Sword Union’s ship.
Seeing that the people of Void Land were escaping, Kong Feng became enraged from shame, and roared, “Kill them!”
As he shouted, he charged forward together with Luan Bai Feng. They were the strongest among all the people present, so they had to participate if they wanted to restrain the two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land, because the others were not capable of doing so.
World Force flared as Yue He and Mo Mei turned solemn, executing their own Secret Techniques to meet the enemy.
Although they were all Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yue He and Mo Mei had just broken through recently. In comparison, Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng both had more than 1,000 years of accumulation in their current Realm. With the difference in their heritages, their strength would be different too, not to mention that Yue He was injured. As soon as they clashed, one side gained an obvious advantage.
However, although the situation was somewhat unfavourable to Yue He and Mo Mei, Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng still could not take them down within a short period of time.
At the same time, the Open Heaven Realm Masters on the 100 surrounding ships had charged forward together. As they were gathered by Kong Feng this time, they had already become enemies with Void Land. Initially, none of them put Void Land in their eyes; after all, it was just a recently risen great force, so how strong could it be?
But after Mo Mei showed up with more than ten Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, all of them were taken aback. Only now did they realize that Void Land possessed its own mighty army, equipped with the finest arms.
They had the advantage in numbers now that they were fighting against Void Land together, but if they failed to eliminate it today and allowed them to stage a comeback, Void Land would definitely not spare them in the future.
Since they had chosen to side with Heavenly Sword Union, they could only follow through to the end.
Countless Open Heaven Realm Masters from various great forces used their killing moves mercilessly one after another.
The people of Void Land continued fighting while retreating. Although there were two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and more than ten Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they were too heavily outnumbered. After just ten breaths of time, several were already injured. Fortunately, no one was killed; otherwise, Void Land would have suffered a terrible loss.
The wounded immediately stepped back and hid in the encirclement while hastily trying to heal themselves.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and shouted, “Hold on for just a while longer!”
Void Land was just right behind them, and as long as they could enter the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, everyone would be safe.
Kong Feng obviously noticed this too and his eyes burned with impatience as he roared, “Don’t let them escape!”
With a flash, the illusory phantom of his Small Universe behind him, he surged his might even more ferociously. Luan Bai Feng did not hold back either. Her face was as hard as steel as she moved swiftly and kept using killing moves!
The captives were supposed to be hers, but they all were rescued by Yang Kai. How could she tolerate this? At this time, there was no time to blame Kong Feng for gathering inaccurate information; they had to try their best to recapture as many of the people from Void Land as possible.
World Force collided endlessly as rumbling noises resounded continuously.
The short 30 breaths the clash had been going on for felt as though decades had passed.
When the people of Void Land finally rushed into the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, almost everyone was seriously injured, except Yang Kai and the captives, who were being protected in the center. Even Mo Mei had a long wound on her lower abdomen where blood flowed and continued seeping through her robes. Yue He’s pretty face was pale and her aura was somewhat unstable as a trace of blood could be seen on the corner of her lips. The two of them had the strongest cultivation so they were responsible for defending the rear of the group and had subsequently been under the greatest pressure. Pang Duo and the rest were also panting heavily, their vitality roiling somewhat.
It was tough for them, who had just advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, to fight such an intense battle. They simply could not unleash the true might of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm yet. Fortunately, all of them worked together and overcame the immediate disaster. If anyone had made a mistake at that time, everyone in Void Land would have fallen into danger.
The Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was reactivated, isolating the inside from the outside, and the battle paused for now.
A cold aura surged from Yang Kai’s body as he slowly turned around, glanced at Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng, who were filled with frustration, then at the enemy ships, before he took a deep breath before he declared firmly, “If our Void Land survives this disaster, this Yang swears he will visit each and every one of your Headquarters to teach you how to show proper respect in the future!”
Despite his soft voice, it struck everyone’s hearts like a heavy hammer and goosebumps rose all over their bodies while their faces turned pale.
They would not care if they were threatened by an ordinary Second Class great force, because to be able to attack another force’s Headquarter, one had to possess overwhelming strength.
But after witnessing the terrifying heritage of Void Land, no one dared to take Yang Kai’s declaration lightly.
Such a lineup, with two Sixth-Order and more than ten Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, could almost match up to Heavenly Sword Union! This was the heritage that a true top-tier Second Class great force possessed. Other than the Cave Heavens and Paradises, who could stand against such force?
90% of the 100 great forces here did not even have a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master assuming command. If Void Land showed up at their doorstep, they would have no way to stop them. The only result would be the extermination of their Sect.
[Is this the kind of heritage a new great force can have? Just how did Void Land develop so rapidly and obtain so many Open Heaven Realm Masters in such a short time?]
Kong Feng’s face turned dreadfully ugly as he remarked coldly, “Do you think your Void Land still stands a chance? Today, your Void Land will be wiped from the 3,000 Worlds!”
Yang Kai sneered, “Come and try if you can. We’ll see who survives in the end!”
Then he beckoned, “Let’s go!”
Leading the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Void Land, they all turned and disappeared behind the clouds and mists of the Grand Array!
Infuriated, Kong Feng clenched his fist and wanted nothing more than the give chase, but seeing the unpredictable changes of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, he did not dare to take the risk rashly. He turned to Luan Bai Feng and asked, “What can you see, Junior Sister?”
Luan Bai Feng answered with a cold face, “This Grand Array is not even displaying its full might yet, what can I possibly see from it? Union Master Kong, you didn’t tell me that there are so many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land.”
If she had known that Void Land was such a dangerous opponent, she would not have come here. Now that the captives that she obtained earlier were robbed away, it was natural for her to feel disgruntled.
Kong Feng replied while suppressing his anger, “What’s the use of blaming me now? It’s indeed this Union Master’s mistake for gathering incomplete intelligence about Void Land. This Union Master also didn’t expect that Void Land would have so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, but… isn’t this just what Junior Sister Luan wants? If we can conquer Void Land, you will be able to receive many times more benefits than you have expected.”
Luan Bai Feng snorted coldly, “But that can only be achieved if we take down Void Land. Now that the Grand Array has been activated, there’s nothing we can do unless we crack it.”
Kong Feng answered, “I invited Junior Sister Luan here precisely to resolve this issue. Don’t worry, I will arrange for someone to probe this Grand Array for you.”
Luan Bai Feng’s face softened a little bit, and she nodded, “It’s best if you make appropriate arrangements. But I wonder who Union Master Kong wants to assign to take the lead in this battle?”
Kong Feng’s eyes glinted slightly as he remained silent. Given this situation, it was highly unlikely anyone would volunteer to be the vanguard. Although their side looked imposing with 100 great forces seemingly joining hands, the truth was they were nothing but a fistful of loose sand. With the strength and prestige of Heavenly Sword Union, Kong Feng had forced many to support him here; however, those who had come expected the battle to be a one-sided massacre. Now that Kong Feng was facing difficulties, how could he still convince these people to follow his orders?
This was especially true for those who had to lead the first assault, as they would bear the greatest risks.
But… it was exactly because of this Grand Array that Kong Feng gathered so many people here.
Just as Kong Feng was pondering what to do, an elderly man suddenly flew over, stood several tens of meters away from Kong Feng, and cupped his fist, “Union Master Kong.”
Kong Feng raised his eyes and replied faintly, “Brother Gao.”
This person was an Elder of a great force called Azure Clouds Temple. Azure Clouds Temple was also a Second Class great force, but it was not very strong. It was similar to Mountains and Seas Pavilion in that it did not have a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master, just three or four Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Like Mountains and Seas Pavilion, Azure Clouds Temple encountered a similar incident in Void Territory. Its ship and property were robbed, with many of its disciples being killed or injured.
This man surnamed Gao was one of the ones who shouted down Yang Kai earlier, calling for revenge.
With an ashamed look, Elder Gao spoke, “Forgive me, Union Master Kong. I just received a message from the Temple Master that there is an urgent matter which needs to be attended to back at our Headquarters. This Elder must take his leave.”
Kong Feng narrowed his eyes slightly as he glanced behind Elder Gao. A number of people were watching them attentively and Kong Feng immediately sneered in his heart.
It was obvious that after seeing the strength of Void Land, Azure Clouds Temple dared not to offend it further and was attempting to distance itself from this matter. By the looks of this situation, Azure Clouds Temple was not the only force having such thoughts.
Kong Feng knew that once he accepted the request of Elder Gao, more than half of the 100 great forces here would leave.
Kong Feng was enraged, but he remained calm on the outside and asked with concern, “It’s easy for Elder Gao to leave, but if you can’t avenge your blood feud, how can the dead disciples of your Azure Clouds Temple rest in peace?”
Elder Gao averted his eyes as he replied insincerely, “Ten years is not too long for a gentleman to seek revenge.”
Kong Feng nodded, “Since Elder Gao has said so, then this Kong will leave the decision in your hands.”
Elder Gao cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Union Master Kong, for your understanding. This Gao wishes Union Master Kong success!”
Kong Feng smiled and made no comment.
Nevertheless, the moment when Elder Gao turned around, Kong Feng swiftly stretched out his arm to grasp him.
Elder Gao felt a slight pain in his neck, but before he could react, Kong Feng suddenly came close to him.
Elder Gao was puzzled and his eyes widened, “Union Master Kong, you…”
Before he finished, he immediately realized something was wrong with his vision, as if his head was on Kong Feng’s hand. He wanted to look down to check, but he failed to do so.
Kong Feng sneered as he grabbed Elder Gao’s severed head, still dripping with blood, and muttered, “You don’t wish to offend Void Land, but don’t care about offending my Heavenly Sword Union? Ridiculous!”
For a moment, Elder Gao’s eyes almost popped out of its sockets before his vitality quickly dissipated and his consciousness completely faded.
He was just a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was a trivial matter for Kong Feng to take his life once his guard was down.
Kong Feng held the bloody head high and shouted loudly, “The battle is imminent, but this old dog attempted to desert us and disturbed the morale of our army. This Union Master killed him to serve as a warning, I hope that all of you have learnt a lesson!”
After saying that, with a slight push of his hand, the wide-eyed head was sent flying to the crowd, stirring up fear in everyone present.