Sword light flashed in all directions, and murderous intent permeated the air. Many of the Spirit Realm Masters who were originally in formation had already been separated and were now each fighting independently. From time to time, somebody would get injured and collapse in a pool of their own blood.
All of a sudden, somebody rushed onto the battlefield and shouted in a thunderous voice, “Unfilial Disciple, stop this madness at once!”
While speaking, he stood directly in front of Yang Kai with his robes flapping wildly around him. The True Void Sword abruptly halted in front of his forehead, and the fluctuating sword wave pierced his skin. Fresh blood flowed down the bridge of his nose.
Their gazes met, with Yang Kai’s crimson red eyes filled with brutal hostility and destruction, causing the other party’s eyes to contract involuntarily. Despite living for so many years, this man had never seen such wild eyes before.
[Old Man Qi is right, this brat is about to reach his limits, a limit where he can no longer maintain his sanity. Once he exceeds his limits, he will instantly transform into a killing machine that slaughters all living things. At that time, he will completely fall into a state of cultivation dissonance. Without his conscious mind, the entire Profound Pill Sect will surely fall along with him.]
The battlefield riddled with endless fighting suddenly fell into an eerie silence at this moment. Only the repressed groans of the fallen continuously rang out from all around them. Meanwhile, the remaining seven or eight Spirit Realm Masters breathed heavily and did not dare to act rashly.
Yang Kai blinked. The thick crimson red in his eyes resembled fresh blood. His gaze shifted downward and landed on that person’s left hand with six fingers. Then, a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes as though he could vaguely remember something.
That person shouted again, “What are you doing, Unfilial Disciple!? Are you planning to rebel!?”
That man’s expression did not change in the slightest even though Yang Kai was holding a Spirit Armament against his forehead. It went to show his courage and boldness was not ordinary.
The cogs in Yang Kai’s head slowly began to spin, the thick crimson red in his eyes faded slightly, and the Spirit Qi surging wildly around his body gradually subsided. He tilted his head to the side and stared at the person in front of him before muttering, “Honoured Master?”
Now that the fighting had stopped, the murderous intent that threatened to overwhelm his mind was beginning to dissipate and he regained the ability to think.
Naturally, Yang Kai had never seen this man in front of him before; however, the unique characteristic of having a six-fingered left hand was too conspicuous. Anybody capable of sight would notice such a unique feature. Besides, the only people who would appear in front of him at this time could only be part of the higher-ups in Profound Pill Sect.
After combining several facts together, that person’s identity quickly became apparent. It was his fabricated Master, Dan Cheng Zi!
During the years that Yang Kai spent in Profound Pill Sect, it was only natural for him to pay attention to any information regarding his so-called Master. Unfortunately, the Heaven Grade Alchemists in his generation did not know much and he was in no position to ask the Elders of the previous generation for more information.
Fortunately, there was Lan Yin. The two of them would occasionally encounter each other in the Restricted Area, and seeing as she had feelings for his fabricated Master, the two had various common topics to discuss. Intentionally or unintentionally, Yang Kai learned quite a lot about his fabricated Master over the years.
Yang Kai’s fabricated Master was named Dan Cheng Zi. Dan Cheng Zi was the most outstanding and talented Alchemist in Profound Pill Sect. What made him so special was that he was talented in both the Martial Dao and the Alchemic Dao. Not only were his Alchemy Skills superb, but his actual strength was also immense. Thanks to his aptitude that surpassed his peers, he became extremely arrogant.
When the Former Sect Master was approaching his predestined time of death, Dan Cheng Zi believed that he would definitely be the one to take over as the Sect Master of Profound Pill Sect. Who could have known that the Former Sect Master would transfer the position to Baili Yun Sang instead? In a fit of rage, he decided to leave Profound Pill Sect. Although the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect had been searching for his whereabouts all these years, their efforts proved to be fruitless. Nobody knew where he went.
Needless to say, an incident of this nature could not be publicised. That was why only the Elders of the older generation knew about it while the rest of the disciples were clueless about what happened to Dan Cheng Zi. Most people only knew that there was an extremely talented Spirit Grade Alchemist wandering outside the Sect with no news from him.
This information was what Yang Kai slowly coaxed out of Lan Yin through their continuous interactions over the years.
“It has been more than 10 years since we last met. This Old Master thought you didn’t recognise me anymore. It turns out you didn’t forget about him after all!” Dan Cheng Zi’s expression was cold and calm, but a drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead. Nobody could remain completely nonchalant when there was a Spirit Armament pressed against their head with pure murderous intent radiating from it. Therefore, a clear look of relief flashed through his eyes when he heard Yang Kai calling him ‘Honoured Master’.
The crimson in Yang Kai’s eyes faded bit by bit as he spoke, “Disciple is heavily indebted to your kindness, Honoured Master. How could I dare to forget you?”
With just a few simple words, the tense situation eased in an instant. Both of them understood each other’s intentions.
The so-called Honoured Master and Unfilial Disciple relationship between them was nothing but a fabricated reality. Dan Cheng Zi had never taught Yang Kai, and Yang Kai had never studied under Dan Cheng Zi. This was a fact known to all parties involved.
Be that as it may, the current situation required a breakthrough point in order to be resolved. The reason Dan Cheng Zi volunteered to come here was due to this consideration. Since Yang Kai claimed that Dan Cheng Zi was his Master, then Dan Cheng Zi might as well acknowledge the statement. Now that Dan Cheng Zi had paved the way forward, it was only natural for Yang Kai to go along with the story!
There was no need for any prior discussion. In the face of this difficult situation, both the young and the old quickly formed a tacit understanding between them.
“If you didn’t forget, why aren’t you putting away your weapon? Are you planning to kill me!?” Dan Cheng Zi shouted.
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment before he remembered to sheath the True Void Sword, “Please forgive me, Honoured Master! This Disciple had no such intentions!”
Nevertheless, he was puzzled. He had caused a huge commotion in Profound Pill Sect, and even if he did not kill anybody, he had injured many. Moreover, these people were the Masters of the Sect, so if any great enemy were to attack at this time, Profound Pill Sect would be powerless to resist. There was no saying how Profound Pill Sect planned to deal with him after he caused so much trouble.
Still, there was a high likelihood that Profound Pill Sect was willing to reconcile with him since Dan Cheng Zi went so far as to take the initiative to come here; otherwise, there was no need for such measures.
Dan Cheng Zi looked sorrowful, “This Old Master knows that your actions were not intentional. Your aptitude is far too outstanding and as a result, your cultivation improved too quickly. Not knowing restraint and not having a stable enough mental state caused you to suffer from cultivation dissonance, which in turn resulted in a drastic change in your temperament. You nearly caused an irrevocable disaster. Fortunately, the Sect did not give up on you. The Sect used all its power to help you restore order from chaos. Thank goodness their efforts were not in vain!”
Yang Kai stared at Dan Cheng Zi and the admiration he felt for this old fox was almost beyond words. [This old man is undeniably cunning! Not only did he resolve the tense situation in Profound Pill Sect with a few choice words, he also made it seem as though I am now heavily indebted to Profound Pill Sect.]
It was obvious that Yang Kai had come charging into Profound Pill Sect all on his own; however, the story had been changed to one where Profound Pill Sect had pulled out all the stops to help him recover from his state of cultivation dissonance.
Yang Kai was so grateful that he almost felt like crying. He had caused such a large commotion today, and the Sect needed an explanation. This story provided the best outcome for both parties. It would also stabilize the people’s hearts. More importantly, Yang Kai deciphered the hidden meaning in Dan Cheng Zi’s words. Even now, Profound Pill Sect considered him one of their disciples! They had no plans of abandoning him!
Yang Kai did not know whether it was Dan Cheng Zi’s own intention or Profound Pill Sect’s will. Nevertheless, those details no longer mattered. The chance to remain in Profound Pill Sect was exactly what he wished for. He would need to figure out another method to steal the Medicine King Furnace otherwise. At that time, it would be another endless battle.
“Cough…” Dan Cheng Zi lightly coughed into his fist, “Unfilial Disciple, have you not recovered? Why are you staring at me? Is there any untruth in this Old Master’s words?”
Yang Kai quickly shook his head and declared, “What you said is true, Honoured Master. This Disciple has failed and brought shame to you. This disciple will be more diligent in the future, so as to avoid another incident like today!”
Dan Cheng Zi breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in satisfaction, “It’s good that you can think that way. Come with me. We will meet the Sect Master and the Elders.”
“Yes!” Yang Kai responded respectfully, acting as though he was a meek and obedient Disciple.
In front of everybody’s eyes, Dan Cheng Zi flew over to Baili Yun Sang and the others with Yang Kai in tow as the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect watched those two with complicated expressions.
Dan Cheng Zi and Yang Kai had not suppressed their voices during their conversation earlier. Furthermore, those standing in the vicinity were basically Spirit Realm Masters, so every one of them had heard the entire conversation clearly.
Baili Yun Sang and the Elders were all worldly Masters, so how could they not understand the current situation? It was just that the sudden turn of events was beyond their expectations, so they were uncertain about how to handle a Star of Calamity like Yang Kai.
As such, Dan Cheng Zi was the first to speak, “Sect Master, my Disciple has overcome his cultivation dissonance and regained his true nature.”
Baili Yun Sang subconsciously nodded upon hearing those words, “That’s good. That’s good.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Since you’ve regained your senses, you should return and have a good rest now!”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “This Disciple is grateful for your benevolence, Sect Master. It’s just that this Disciple has caused such a huge commotion in the Sect. This incident will haunt me forever, so I wish to request punishment. Please approve my request, Sect Master!”
Baili Yun Sang frowned and glanced at Dan Cheng Zi in puzzlement.
Dan Cheng Zi shook his head so slightly that his movements were practically imperceptible. His response indicated that he did not know what the brat was planning either.
Baili Yun Sang frowned, “It’s not like you meant to cause such a commotion. You were suffering from cultivation dissonance after all. This Old Master understands your situation. There’s no need for punishment. I hope you will be more careful in the future. That will be a blessing to the Sect!”
Those words came from the bottom of his heart. Following this battle, he had a profound insight into the true meaning behind the word ‘terrifying’. Despite gathering all the elites in Profound Pill Sect, they could not stop a single boy who had only just advanced into the Spirit Realm. 80% of Profound Pill Sect’s forces had been heavily injured in this battle, so who could possibly bear the brunt if another battle were to break out once more?
Yang Kai cupped his fist again, “Your magnanimity is boundless, Sect Master. This Junior is undeserving of your kindness. Unfortunately, the incident today started because of me, so if I don’t receive any form of punishment, the disciples in the Sect will surely have trouble accepting this decision. It will eventually lead to unrest within the Sect. For the future of the Sect, this Disciple is willing to receive punishment!”
Baili Yun Sang couldn’t help widening his eyes to stare at Yang Kai and thinking to himself, [What the Hell is this brat up to? Didn’t I say that I won’t pursue this matter any further? Couldn’t he just obediently go back and have a good sleep? Why is he bringing up such nonsense and speaking as though he is so righteous?]
A few of the Elders frowned, but they also knew Yang Kai was not wrong. The commotion today had gotten out of hand, so it would be difficult to appease the people’s hearts without a reasonable explanation.
Dan Cheng Zi frowned and asked, “What do you think is an appropriate punishment for you?”
Yang Kai bowed and quickly said, “This Disciple asks to be confined in the Restricted Area for 10 years to reflect on his mistakes. Honoured Master, Sect Master, please approve my request!”
The talented Heaven Grade Alchemist Yang Kai whose aptitude surpassed all his peers had advanced too quickly in his cultivation and built up an unstable foundation as a result. Consequently, he experienced a dissonance in his cultivation during his advancement into the Spirit Realm and underwent a drastic change in personality. Thankfully, the Sect Master and the Elders did not give up on him. They went to great lengths to save him, and their efforts paid off. They succeeded in turning the situation around! What joyous news!
That was the news that quickly spread throughout Profound Pill Sect in a very short time.
The battle that took place yesterday caused a huge uproar in the Sect, so it was only natural for everyone to be aware of the incident. Nevertheless, not many people actually knew what happened to cause such a commotion. Only those cultivators who participated in the battle understood some of the truth, but even they did not know much either.
In any case, this explanation did not make many people suspicious of the truth when combined with Yang Kai’s violent and murderous aura at the time. Yang Kai’s actions had indeed made him seem as though he was experiencing cultivation dissonance.
After the war subsided, the work of rebuilding was yet another troublesome matter. The explanation given to the public was only to stabilise the hearts and minds of those inside and outside Profound Pill Sect. Besides, the cultivators who were injured by Yang Kai needed time to heal and recuperate.
On the other hand, the most troublesome matter besieging the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect at this moment was Yang Kai’s final request to reflect on his mistakes in the Restricted Area for ten years.
All the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect had gathered in the Reception Hall for a meeting. Those in attendance ranged from the Sect Master down to the Elders, Protectors, and Deacons. Even though so many talented people crowded around inside the Main Hall, the atmosphere was absolutely dismal and gloomy.
The topic of discussion for the day was none other than the matter involving Yang Kai’s request for self-reflection for a period of ten years. It would have been fine if he had requested for any other area in the Sect, but the key point was that the Restricted Area was where the Medicine King Furnace was currently placed. Profound Pill Sect had no choice but to handle this matter with great caution.
Before learning the details of his background, they had allowed him to freely access the Restricted Area, come into contact with the Medicine King Furnace, and comprehend the Grand Dao Divine Tone. Now that they knew that he had ulterior motives, how could they dare to let him come into contact with the Medicine King Furnace? Unfortunately, nobody could come up with an acceptable solution on how to handle this matter.
Staring at the silent crowd below, Baili Yun Sang rapped his knuckles on the armrest of his chair, “Stop pretending to be mute. Let’s exchange some ideas about how we should handle this matter. Great Elder, what is your opinion?”
Being called upon by the Sect Master directly, Wu Feng Hua had no choice but to express his opinion. He was silent for a moment before he said, “That boy knows the importance of the Medicine King Furnace to Profound Pill Sect. Seeing as he dares to make such a request with that knowledge in mind, it can be seen that he is definitely scheming something. I’m afraid that he won’t give up unless we agree to his request. What’s more, judging by the strength that he has displayed so far, Profound Pill Sect wouldn’t be able to stop him even if he wanted to barge into the Restricted Area forcefully.”
That was right. In his opinion, Yang Kai’s final request was not a self-inflicted punishment but a request. It was a request for reconciliation with Profound Pill Sect! Agreeing with the request was the only method to gain some possibility of reconciliation between both parties. If they refused to meet his request, there was no doubt that another battle would break out between them. How the situation would turn out after that remained unknown.
In any case, there was no denying that Profound Pill Sect had taken all the people of Void Spirit Sword Sect captive in Profound Pill City. Even if not a single person from Void Spirit Sword Sect had been harmed, Profound Pill Sect was at fault in that sense.
Baili Yun Sang frowned, “Great Elder, are you saying that we should agree to his request?”
Wu Feng Hua shook his head, “This Elder has no such intentions. It’s just that… this Elder is of the opinion that Little Junior Brother should not have accepted the fabricated Master-Disciple relationship in the first place. If not for that Master-Disciple relationship, we would not be facing this issue now.”
Before Dan Cheng Zi could speak, Lan Yin glared furiously, “Great Elder, have you even thought about what the consequences would be if Little Junior Brother had not done that?”
Wu Feng Hua said, “Judging by the situation at the time, it would not have been difficult to stop that brat even if Little Junior Brother had not done that. It was proven that he retained a shred of his consciousness from the beginning to the end.”
Lan Yin looked like she was about to argue further, but Dan Cheng Zi raised his hand to stop her from speaking and looked up at Wu Feng Hua, “You’re right. He retained a shred of consciousness from beginning to end. That’s why he did not kill anybody in Profound Pill Sect. That’s also the reason why Profound Pill Sect only recorded countless wounded but not a single casualty in the battle yesterday. With that in mind, how should we have dealt with the incident even if we did manage to stop him? That brat is so strong that nobody in Profound Pill Sect can stop him. Do we just let him go? He has been comprehending the mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace for several years now. Not to mention that he also turned over many pill recipes and Alchemy techniques. Will you feel at ease if we let him go free just like that, Great Elder?”
Wu Feng Hua considered the question carefully before he slowly shook his head in response.
It was just as Dan Cheng Zi had mentioned. Yang Kai had comprehended so many mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace. Who could allow him to leave so easily?
“We can neither keep him here nor let him leave. In that case, we can only use this Master-Disciple relationship to tie him down. It doesn’t matter whether it is real or fake. As long as he calls me ‘Honoured Master’, even the fake relationship will become real.”
Baili Yun Sang looked pensive, “Little Junior Brother, did you recognise the Master-Disciple relationship yesterday with this consideration in mind?”
Dan Cheng Zi cupped his fist, “Things were too urgent at the time, so I had no time to discuss this matter with you, Sect Master.”
Baili Yun Sang waved his hand dismissively, “You have always been quick-witted. None of us can compare to you in this regard. You did the right thing. With this Master-Disciple relationship to bind him, that boy will be forced to act with more consideration in the future. Regrettably… that does not solve the problem at hand.”
Dan Cheng Zi said, “What the Sect Master and the others are worried about is simply whether he has any other intentions towards Profound Pill Sect or whether he is a spy sent by another Sect to spy on the secrets of the Medicine King Furnace!”
“That’s right,” Baili Yun Sang nodded.
Dan Cheng Zi slowly shook his head, “In my opinion, these are not problems at all.”
Everybody looked towards him and he continued, “It has not been long since I returned to Profound Pill Sect, and the understanding I have of my ‘Disciple’ is also based only on what you’ve told me. But, it’s precisely for this reason that I can look at the problem from an outside perspective, unfettered by certain constraints. Let me ask you this, Sect Master, has he ever done anything malicious to the Sect in all the years since he entered the Sect?”
“Never.”
“Have you ever seen him in close contact with any other Sects?”
“Aside from Void Spirit Sword Sect, we have never noticed anything of the sort. But, Void Spirit Sword Sect is where he was born, so it is understandable that he has frequent contact with them.
“He has comprehended various pill recipes from the Medicine King Furnace. There have been over a dozen so far. If he had any malicious intentions towards the Sect, he could have selected only a few to contribute to the Sect and kept more of them secret; however, I don’t believe he did that.”
Baili Yun Sang nodded lightly. There had been more than a dozen brand-new pill recipes over the years, which was a huge contribution to the Sect.
“Another point is the battle yesterday. There were no casualties in the Sect, only countless wounded. It can be seen that he cares for the Sect. Besides, if he was a spy sent by another Sect, would they allow him to attack this place all on his own? Wouldn’t they be afraid that an unforeseen accident might occur?”
Baili Yun Sang pondered for a moment and asked, “Junior Brother, are you saying that he was not instructed by a third party to join Profound Pill Sect?”
Dan Cheng Zi shook his head, “He joined Profound Pill Sect completely by accident.”
“What do you mean by that?” Everybody looked at him in curiosity.
He asked in return, “Do you remember how he joined Profound Pill Sect?”
Yu Bo Yang considered the question, “Little Gao encountered him in Heavenly Martial City during a trip there, and they ended up competing with each other in Alchemy. The result was that he refined a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill using our Profound Pill Sect’s recipe. That’s why Little Gao suspected that he obtained the pill recipe from here. After making some inquiries, Little Gao determined that you were the one who taught him in the past, Little Junior Brother. If you had not returned to the Sect without warning the other day, we probably would never have known that it was all a lie.”
Dan Cheng Zi gave a wry smile, “I’ve always considered my talents to be above all others in the Alchemic Dao, with few who are qualified to be my equal; however, after a brief chat with the brat last night, I finally discovered what it means for there to always be mountains beyond mountains.”
Everybody looked at Dan Cheng Zi in astonishment. His arrogance was well-known. If not for that, he would not have left the Sect in anger over the Sect Master’s position back then. Therefore, it was their first time hearing him say something so humbling.
Baili Yun Sang asked, “Little Junior Brother, what did you talk about last night?”
“We talked about how he joined Profound Pill Sect!” Dan Cheng Zi breathed out a long breath, “He is now my Disciple, so it’s only natural for me to show concern for him as his Honoured Master.”
Pausing for a moment, he finally explained himself, “Little Gao was correct. The pill recipe that brat used to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill back then did indeed belong to Profound Pill Sect. I’m sure you all verified that fact yourselves when he first joined Profound Pill Sect, Senior Brothers.”
Wu Feng Hua nodded, “That’s right. We verified that the pill recipe he used does indeed belong to Profound Pill Sect. It’s precisely because of this that we had no doubts about his origins; after all, there’s no way for him to fake the pill recipe. We were convinced that you took in a Disciple while travelling abroad.”
“There is nothing wrong with the pill recipe. What Little Gao misunderstood was that he learned the pill recipe from me. On the contrary, the pill recipe was taught to him by Little Gao himself.”
The crowd was absolutely dumbfounded by Dan Cheng Zi’s words!
Dan Cheng Zi said, “Little Gao is outside right now. Go ahead and summon him to tell us about what happened back then. I’m sure you’ll understand soon.”
While saying so, Dan Cheng Zi clapped his hands lightly. Gao Xin Peng walked in a short while later and bowed to the people in the room before he stood there obediently with his back straight.
Dan Cheng Zi said, “Little Gao, tell us about the details of your Alchemy competition with Yang Kai back then. Don’t skip over even the smallest of details.
Gao Xin Peng did not understand the reason behind Dan Cheng Zi’s order, but he still answered earnestly. The incident might have taken place several years before, but the memory remained fresh in his mind. Under his narration, the scene at the time seemed to be re-enacted before everyone’s eyes.
During this period, Dan Cheng Zi would also ask some key questions from time to time.
A short while later, Gao Xin Peng left in confusion; meanwhile, the entire Main Hall was so silent that one could have heard the sound of a pin dropping.
After a long time, Yu Bo Yang finally gulped nervously before positing, “Little Gao claimed that Yang Kai was always one step slower than him during their competition, from the first step of organizing the herbs to the final step of condensing the pills. Could it be that… that boy was learning on the spot?”
A series of gasps filled the air and everyone’s eyes contained a light of disbelief.
Alchemy was an extremely sophisticated process. From condensing medicinal liquids to the timing of adding herbs, to the control of the Alchemy Flame, each step required extensive experience and long-term accumulation. Even with a pill recipe, an Alchemist might not be able to successfully refine a pill in such a short time. They would often experience countless failures just to accumulate enough experience before they succeeded. Learning a recipe on the spot was simply impossible, much less succeeding in the refinement!
Dan Cheng Zi said, “I didn’t believe it either, but it is the truth. I deliberately used a pill recipe I created myself to test him last night, and the result was similar to the time when Little Gao competed with him. He would always be one step behind me throughout the entire process, but he succeeded in the refinement nonetheless!”
All of the higher-ups in Profound Pill Sect were shocked to their core!
“What… How can anybody in this world be so talented in the Alchemic Dao!?” Wu Feng Hua was so shocked that he was a little incoherent.
Dan Cheng Zi had used a pill recipe he created himself to test Yang Kai. In other words, the pill recipe was not known to anybody except for Dan Cheng Zi himself, but even so, Yang Kai had managed to replicate the pill recipe in its entirety on the spot. Something like that… was too scary to even imagine.
Dan Cheng Zi sighed, “Without such aptitude, he would never have heard the Grand Dao Divine Tone or comprehended the mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace so easily. Don’t even get me started on the pill recipes that he contributed to the Sect over the years.”
Baili Yun Sang was stunned, “If that’s the case, then it was Little Gao who misunderstood the situation back then.”
Dan Cheng Zi nodded, “The brat was in the Ninth-Step Earth Realm at the time, so he was in urgent need of a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance into the Heaven Realm. Unfortunately, his outstanding talents in Alchemy were wasted without a pill recipe. He coincidentally heard that Little Gao would be heading to Heavenly Martial City, so he tried various means to approach Little Gao. On the grounds of competing in Alchemy, he successfully learned the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. You know what happened next. He was young and weak at the time, so when Little Gao asked questions and pushed for answers, he simply went with the flow and things somehow ended with him being recognised as my Disciple through a series of twists and coincidences!”
Baili Yun Sang and the Elders looked at each other with speechless expressions on their faces.
Under those circumstances, who could have imagined that the pill recipe Yang Kai mastered had been learned on the spot? The only reasonable explanation was that a Senior Expert from Profound Pill Sect had secretly taught the pill recipe to him in the past. And, this Senior Expert could only be Dan Cheng Zi, who was wandering outside the Sect at the time.
Baili Yun Sang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “No wonder he claimed that entering the Sect had been an accident. It turned out to be true.”
Yu Bo Yang pondered in silence for a moment, “If that’s the case, then it’s a good thing for the Sect. We were simply worried that he might be a spy sent here by another Sect to gather intelligence on the secrets of the Medicine King Furnace. Judging from the current situation, he is unrelated to any other Sects. On the contrary, his identity as a Profound Pill Sect Disciple can no longer be denied.”
Wu Feng Hua nodded, “What Third Elder said is correct. Besides, he has never displayed his martial strength in all the years that he joined the Sect. If not for the circumstances forcing his hand, nobody would have known how strong he was. It can be seen that he is equally talented in both the Martial and Alchemic Dao.”
Dan Cheng Zi said, “That’s why the Medicine King Furnace is so attractive to him, and why he made such a request yesterday.” Turning to look at Baili Yun Sang, he cupped his fist, “Sect Master, I think it will be fine to agree with his request. But, he has to promise us something.”
Baili Yun Sang looked up at Dan Cheng Zi, “What are you thinking, Little Junior Brother?”
Dan Cheng Zi said, “Over the years, he has comprehended more than a dozen pill recipes from the Grand Dao Divine Tone of the Medicine King Furnace. If he is willing to continue contributing to the Sect, then it is a good thing for Profound Pill Sect. We can let him stay in the Restricted Area for ten years, but if he learns something new again, he must share all his findings with Profound Pill Sect! Since ancient times, the Divine Armament Tournament has been held once every 100 years, but how many people have actually comprehended the mysteries of the Divine Armaments throughout history? How is this not a huge opportunity for Profound Pill Sect? After all, nobody else has been able to comprehend anything of significance from the Medicine King Furnace aside from him.”
Baili Yun Sang did not answer. He was silent for a long time before he said solemnly, “This is an important matter that needs to be further discussed carefully.”
Dan Cheng Zi did not rush Baili Yun Sang when he heard the other party’s answer. That was because he knew that Profound Pill Sect had no other choice aside from this option, unless they could overcome Yang Kai through force and suppress him.
While the meeting was ongoing, Yang Kai went to visit the people of Void Spirit Sword Sect in Profound Pill City.
Su Chang Fa had not changed in the slightest. He was still in the Third-Step Earth Realm, though after such a long time, he seemed to have gotten older. On the other hand, Hong Xiu and Gu Kang Ning’s cultivation had increased substantially. They were now in the Sixth-Step and Seventh-Step Earth Realm respectively.
They had not known what was going on when Profound Pill Sect brought them to Profound Pill City, but they could vaguely sense that something was wrong. Unfortunately, Profound Pill Sect was much stronger than them, so they were powerless to resist in any way. Now that they met Yang Kai again, it was only natural for them to get to the bottom of the matter.
Yang Kai did not explain in great detail. He simply claimed that he asked the Sect to bring them here. Seeing as Profound Pill City was a city born from Profound Pill Sect, it was naturally a much better environment than the backwater mountains Void Spirit Sword Sect used to occupy.
Su Chang Fa and the others were naturally sceptical of his explanation.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai accompanied Su Chang Fa and the others sightseeing in Profound Pill City. The hustle and bustle of the large city was very dazzling to the group of people who came from the rural countryside, so everything was new and interesting to them.
Five days after the battle inside Profound Pill Sect, Dan Cheng Zi personally came to Yang Kai’s cave mansion on Fixed Moon Peak.
“Disciple greets Honoured Master!” Yang Kai came out to greet Dan Cheng Zi, bowing politely.
Both of them knew that this Master-Disciple relationship was a farce; even so, Yang Kai did not neglect to maintain the necessary etiquette. His actions made Dan Cheng Zi very satisfied. Nodding lightly, Dan Cheng Zi said, “Let’s go inside and talk.”
“This way please, Honoured Master!” Yang Kai gestured with his hand, welcoming Dan Cheng Zi into his secluded home. Then, he instructed Wan Ying Ying to brew a pot of tea.
He had sent a messenger to Heavenly Martial City three days earlier to fetch Hua Rong, Yang Huai, and Wan Ying Ying who had remained behind previously.
Everybody took their seats and savoured the fragrance of the tea. Then, Yang Kai asked, “Honoured Master, did you come because the Sect has decided on that matter?”
Dan Cheng Zi raised his eyes to look at Yang Kai and put his teacup down, “A few days ago, you caused a huge commotion and injured countless Sect members. Although your contributions have been significant, exempting you from punishment will not quell the public outrage. On account of your remorse and your sincerity to ask for punishment after the fact, the Sect has decided to accept your previous suggestion. Your punishment is to reflect on your mistakes in the Restricted Area for the next ten years. Are you satisfied?”
Yang Kai hurriedly poured the tea for Dan Cheng Zi with a chuckle, “I’m very satisfied!” Putting down his teacup, he cupped his fist in the direction of the mountain peak where Baili Yun Sang lived, “The Sect Master is wise indeed!”
The corners of Dan Cheng Zi’s mouth couldn’t help twitching at the sight of Yang Kai’s excitement. [In this world, he is probably the only person to be so happy to be punished to reflect on his mistakes for ten years.]
“Cough…” Dan Cheng Zi lightly coughed, “But, there is one more thing you need to guarantee!”
Yang Kai said, “Honoured Master, please speak.”
“If you learn anything from the Medicine King Furnace, you need to report your findings to the Sect immediately.”
“Of course. This Disciple has always done that,” Yang Kai readily agreed.
Having said that, it was true that one could indeed comprehend some Alchemy-related knowledge from the Medicine King Furnace. However, Yang Kai had no interest in such knowledge. Besides, the findings he turned over to Profound Pill Sect were knowledge that he had already mastered long ago.
During his time in the Restricted Area, Yang Kai would only need to provide a pill recipe or Alchemic Dao teaching that did not exist in this world to the Sect every now and then. That would be enough to keep them happy.
“Good!”
Yang Kai poured tea for Dan Cheng Zi again, “Honoured Master, this Disciple has one other thing that I need your help with.”
Dan Cheng Zi immediately looked at Yang Kai vigilantly, “What is this matter?”
It was not strange for Dan Cheng Zi to be so wary. Even having lived for so many years, he had never met a freak like Yang Kai. How could he possibly resolve a matter that even this Small Monster could not? That was why he asked that question so cautiously.
“It is a trivial matter for the Sect.” Yang Kai smiled, “As you know, I was born in Void Spirit Sword Sect, Honoured Master. It is a small and declining Sect that is not worth mentioning in front of a behemoth like Profound Pill Sect. Due to some misunderstandings previously, the people of Void Spirit Sword Sect were brought to Profound Pill City and have now settled down there.”
Dan Cheng Zi nodded, “I know about this. Do you wish for the Sect to escort them back?”
Yang Kai grinned, “It is such a long journey. Don’t you think that running back and forth is very troublesome? Besides, there’s nothing to miss about those backwater mountains. This Disciple was thinking… Since they are already here, they might as well remain. Profound Pill City is so large, so taking care of the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect should not be a problem. Right?”
Dan Cheng Zi glanced sideways at Yang Kai, a deep sense of vigilance in his eyes.
Yang Kai continued, “Several years have passed since this Disciple joined the Sect. I’ve noticed that there is no unified planning in Profound Pill City. There is no City Lord’s Mansion either, much less somebody to manage its day-to-day affairs. Why don’t you assign Void Spirit Sword Sect to manage the city?”
Dan Cheng Zi immediately fumed angrily, “What a large appetite you have! Aren’t you afraid that you might not be able to digest what you eat!?”
Yang Kai smilingly replied, “One won’t know until they actually try, but regardless, it’s still better than to starve.”
Dan Cheng Zi was about to speak again, but Yang Kai raised a hand to interrupt, “A fifty-fifty split. Void Spirit Sword Sect will submit to Profound Pill Sect and help Profound Pill Sect manage Profound Pill City. The profits will be split equally between both parties!”
The words that Dan Cheng Zi wanted to speak were forced back into his mouth. He was silent for a long time before he spoke again, “Profound Pill City is a large city that can generate profits every single day. It is not as if the Sect is unaware of that fact. But, do you know why the Sect never bothered to assign somebody to manage the city?”
“Please enlighten me, Honoured Master.”
Dan Cheng Zi replied, “Profound Pill City started out as a gathering place for the people who came to request pills. Rather than a city, it was more like a temporary camp back then. Over the years, more and more people came to request pills, and with the increasing popularity, the foot of the mountain slowly developed into a village, then a town, then a city. Although Profound Pill Sect could be considered quite well-developed back then as well, it was far from what we have achieved today. Not to mention, most Alchemists are addicted to Alchemy and were consumed by it all day long. How could they have the heart to manage a city? By the time the Sect developed and prospered, the situation in Profound Pill City had already stabilised. It is a huge piece of fat just waiting to be eaten, and for that reason, various great forces from all sides have gathered here. The situation is very messy and not so simple to intervene in.”
After a short pause, he added, “Of course, the main reason is that the Sect is not lacking in wealth. Not only is there no desire to manage the city, but there is no good excuse either.”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “That’s exactly why it is best for Void Spirit Sword Sect to step into this position. Void Spirit Sword Sect has submitted to Profound Pill Sect; moreover, they left their hometown behind. They need the means to make a living. Otherwise, they would starve to death!”
Dan Cheng Zi stared at Yang Kai seriously, and a long while passed before he said, “Thirty-seventy! The Sect will take 70% and Void Spirit Sword Sect will take 30%!”
Yang Kai nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard those words, “What a large appetite, Honoured Master! Didn’t you say that the Sect is not lacking in wealth!? Why must you make things difficult for Void Spirit Sword Sect!?”
Dan Cheng Zi replied angrily, “Void Spirit Sword Sect doesn’t even have a single Spirit Realm Master, how will they manage the situation in the Profound Pill City? The Sect will have to step forward in this aspect. Isn’t it reasonable for us to take 70%? If we actually do this, the Sect will simply be borrowing Void Spirit Sword Sect’s name to take control of Profound Pill City. It can be Void Spirit Sword Sect, but it can also be any random great force! 30% is a lot already. Brat, don’t be too greedy. Don’t forget your place!”
Yang Kai responded solemnly, “This Disciple might be part of Profound Pill Sect, but I am also the Sect Master of Void Spirit Sword Sect. I am responsible for its interests!”
An hour later, Dan Cheng Zi finally left.
A forty-sixty split was the final outcome of their negotiation after a long back-and-forth argument. Yang Kai was very satisfied with the results. Although Void Spirit Sword Sect would only receive 40% of the income, that was still an unimaginable amount of wealth. It was enough to benefit Void Spirit Sword Sect endlessly. In fact, he was originally prepared to accept the thirty-seventy suggestion as a last resort.
Thankfully, Dan Cheng Zi had no wish to disturb the peace that had finally managed to create. That was why he eventually backed down and agreed to the solution of a forty-sixty split after arguing with Yang Kai for a while. With his assurance and facilitation, this plan would most likely be implemented without a hitch. Naturally, Profound Pill Sect would not wish to offend Yang Kai over something like this either.
Not long after that, Yang Kai went down the mountain to where Su Chang Fa and the others were living to inform them about this matter.
When they heard the news, they were absolutely astonished and delighted. They never even dreamt that such a blessing would happen to them in this world. Having gone sightseeing in Profound Pill City for the last few days, how could they not know the prosperity of the city? It just never occurred to them that they would be managing this place one day.
In addition to their happiness, they also felt a certain level of worry about the current strength of Void Spirit Sword Sect. After all, a place like this was simply beyond what a small great force like Void Spirit Sword Sect could manage.
Fortunately, Yang Kai himself had mentioned that they would be relying on Profound Pill Sect to back Void Spirit Sword Sect in this matter. One of the reasons was that they would give Profound Pill Sect a reason to take control of Profound Pill City. The other reason was that Profound Pill Sect themselves did not have the time or the energy to manage this city.
Even so, Su Chang Fa was a worldly man, so how could he not know that the biggest reason for this outcome was thanks to Yang Kai’s mediation? In comparison, submitting to Profound Pill Sect was not that difficult to accept.
For the next half month, the entire Profound Pill City underwent a drastic change. A large number of Heaven Realm Masters and Spirit Realm Masters from Profound Pill Sect frequently went in and out of the city.
A small Sect called Void Spirit Sword Sect also emerged out of nowhere.
With the cooperation of Profound Pill Sect’s higher-ups, Void Spirit Sword Sect quickly took control over the entire city. Needless to say, there were some obstacles along the way, but these obstacles seemed almost comical in the face of overwhelming power.
Yang Kai did not participate in this endeavour and simply watched from the shadows. Once all the dust had settled, he finally entered the Restricted Area to ‘reflect on his mistakes’.
From that day onward, nobody else saw him again aside from his two personal Blood Warriors and the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect with the qualifications to enter the Restricted Area freely.
During the first two years in the Restricted Area, Yang Kai did absolutely nothing. He simply focused all his strength on removing the drawbacks and hidden dangers brought about by cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
His advancement into the Spirit Realm had been too sudden, and he had not been fully prepared at the time. Consequently, the hidden dangers of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law erupted without warning after he devoured a large amount of Red Jade, negatively affecting his mental state. That was why he showed signs of cultivation dissonance during the battle in Profound Pill Sect.
Following the two years of meditative cultivation, his Dragon Vein became increasingly powerful and most of the drawbacks that emerged during his advancement into the Spirit Realm were resolved as a result. Although it had been an extremely dull two years, it was equally rewarding. Yang Kai’s gains were definitely worth the effort he put in.
On the other hand, the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect were growing rather anxious. That was because Baili Yun Sang and the Elders would see Yang Kai in the same posture where he just sat there without moving whenever they went to the Restricted Area. For a whole two years, he just sat there without comprehending the mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace; therefore, Profound Pill Sect gained nothing at all.
Fortunately, the situation improved after two years. Hua Rong and Yang Huai constantly brought in large amounts of cultivation resources into the Restricted Area, and as Yang Kai’s cultivation increased at a steady and safe pace, several extraordinary and powerful pill recipes were also delivered to the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect.
Baili Yun Sang and the Elders were absolutely jubilant. They ecstatically began researching the various pill recipes and Alchemy techniques, thanks to which the level of the Alchemic Dao in Profound Pill Sect soared.
In addition to cultivating, Yang Kai was also refining the Medicine King Furnace. This object was the manifestation of the Divine Armament World’s Source Strength, so refining it was extremely difficult. Despite having entered the Spirit Realm now, there was no way for Yang Kai to refine the Medicine King Furnace completely in a short period of time.
Time flew by. A period of ten years was neither too long nor too short. Ten years was just the blink of an eye to the Divine Armament World, while in the eyes of Profound Pill Sect, this past decade was a period of vigorous development for the Sect.
Originally, there were several Sects known for their achievements in the Alchemic Dao in the Divine Armament World that could compete with Profound Pill Sect. During the previous Divine Armament Tournament, Profound Pill Sect had fought against these Sects for the Medicine King Furnace, and even though Profound Pill Sect came out the winner in the end, the advantage they held was not very obvious.
Now, however, the level of the Alchemic Dao in Profound Pill Sect was far more advanced than those Sects.
All the greatest Alchemy Sects had jointly organised an Alchemic Dao conference one year ago; however, Profound Pill Sect came out on top in both the competitions between the Earth-Grade Alchemists and the Heaven-Grade Alchemists. In particular, seven out of the top ten contestants among the Heaven-Grade Alchemists were Profound Pill Sect disciples. Moreover, all top five spots had been monopolised by Profound Pill Sect. Something like this had never happened before.
The whole world was shaken when this news spread out. The other Alchemy Sects were reluctant to admit their loss, but they could only be resigned to their fate. Meanwhile, Profound Pill Sect cheered when this news reached it. Everyone, from the Sect Master to the common workers, every one of them was filled with great pride.
In terms of the Alchemic Dao, this was the era of Profound Pill Sect!
When drinking, one should never forget the one who dug the well and provided the water. Needless to say, Profound Pill Sect did not forget about the biggest contributor behind the scenes.
The Sect Master and the Elders gathered outside the Restricted Area to wait quietly. Likewise, Yang Huai and Hua Rong stood nearby with expectant looks on their faces.
During the past decade, Hua Rong had advanced from the First-Step Spirit Realm to the Fourth Step. Her cultivation was not slow. In fact, it could even be said that she progressed extremely rapidly.
Yang Huai’s progress was even more astonishing. He had gone from the Ninth-Step Heaven Realm to the Fifth-Step Spirit Realm in this period. His cultivation speed was even faster than Hua Rong; after all, he was only in the Heaven Realm back when she first advanced into the Spirit Realm.
The extreme compatibility of the Secret Art, his long-standing accumulation, and the endless supply of resources were the main reasons for Yang Huai’s success.
Of course, the primary reason for their success today was all thanks to Yang Kai. Leaving aside everything else, it would have been impossible for them to obtain so many cultivation resources without him.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was presently in charge of Profound Pill City, so they took in a large income every month. Even though they only received 40% of the total, that wealth was enough for a small Sect to grow and develop rapidly. Aware of Hua Rong and Yang Huai’s identities, Void Spirit Sword Sect was generous towards these two and would share whatever good things they came across with them.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had accumulated countless contribution points which Hua Rong and Yang Huai could use to exchange for large amounts of resources from Profound Pill Sect. Not to mention, they also had the pills that Yang Kai personally refined for them!
With such an immense supply of resources, even those with the worst aptitudes in the world could shine. What more Hua Rong and Yang Huai, whose aptitudes were fairly outstanding in the first place?
Everybody waited for over an hour outside the Restricted Area, but there was no noticeable movement from the inside.
“Little Junior Brother, is Martial Nephew aware that his punishment ends today and he is allowed to leave?” Baili Yun Sang turned to glance at Dan Cheng Zi.
Dan Cheng Zi frowned, “I mentioned this to him when I visited him several days ago. Logically speaking, he should be aware of this matter. Judging by the time, he should be emerging soon.”
Yu Bo Yang asked, “Could he be comprehending something again? I seem to hear the Grand Dao Divine Tone, but it is too mysterious for me to understand!”
Wu Feng Hua stroked his beard, “He might also be performing Alchemy. Didn’t he ask for many precious herbs to be delivered a few days ago?”
Baili Yun Sang nodded, “If that’s the case, then we cannot disturb him. It doesn’t matter. Let us wait here a little longer. Sooner or later, he will…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he abruptly raised his head and stared blankly at the sky above the Restricted Area.
For some reason, an unpredictable and ever-changing seven-coloured light had appeared in the sky. The light had appeared too suddenly; moreover, it was extremely obvious. Seeing as none of them were blind, it was only natural for them to notice it immediately.
Like Baili Yun Sang, the others all stared up into the sky blankly. Nobody knew what that light was.
Lan Yin shouted, “This light is coming from the Restricted Area.”
Everybody was slightly shaken by her words.
Baili Yun Sang hesitated for a short while before he spoke through gritted teeth, “Let’s go in and have a look.”
Originally, he had decided not to disturb Yang Kai out of consideration that the latter might be comprehending the mysteries of the Medicine King Furnace or performing Alchemy; however, he could not help but investigate the situation now that the strange light had emerged from the Restricted Area all of a sudden. The Medicine King Furnace was far too important after all!
As soon as the Sect Master spoke up, the rest no longer hesitated and single-mindedly rushed into the Restricted Area. Upon stepping into the Restricted Area, they looked up only for every one of them to stare forward in complete shock.
The entire Restricted Area was completely enshrouded in that seven-coloured light. The source of the light was none other than the Medicine King Furnace located in the centre of the Restricted Area!
Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood in front of the Medicine King Furnace, facing the crowd. The white Alchemy Flame danced inside the Medicine King Furnace as he was throwing extremely precious herbs into the Medicine King Furnace in an orderly manner, causing a faint medicinal fragrance to permeate the air.
“This…” Yu Bo Yang was dumbstruck.
“Is he using the Medicine King Furnace to perform Alchemy!?” Dan Cheng Zi nearly bit off his own tongue in shock.
The Medicine King Furnace was the Divine Armament of the Alchemic Dao. It contained the Truth of the Alchemic Dao and the ultimate mysteries of Alchemy. Since ancient times, regardless of their identity, all the people who obtained the Divine Armament would treat it like a precious treasure and take meticulous care of it, for fear of breaking it by accident.
The same went for Profound Pill Sect. The Medicine King Furnace had been placed inside the Restricted Area to keep it safe after they obtained it. Aside from the Sect Master and several Elders, nobody else was even allowed to approach the Medicine King Furnace. Trespassers would be killed without hesitation!
Such a precious object… How could there come a day when somebody would use this Divine Armament to perform Alchemy!? Everybody was dumbfounded. The sight in front of them was something they never even dared to imagine in their dreams.
There was no denying that the Medicine King Furnace was indeed a furnace, but be that as it may, who would think to ever actually use it for Alchemy!? That was something nobody ever dared to consider, and yet, that very scene was happening right in front of their eyes now!
[That’s… just crazy!]
Dan Cheng Zi was about to stop Yang Kai when a wave of great curiosity stopped him in his tracks. [What will happen… if he performed Alchemy using the Medicine King Furnace? What will the pill he refined be like?]
As soon as the thought appeared in his mind, he couldn’t help looking forward to the results instead.
Everybody else seemed to have had the same idea. After overcoming their initial shock, they simply stood there silently and paid close attention to Yang Kai’s movements and the reaction of the Medicine King Furnace.
A short while later, they revealed awed expressions on their faces. They had always known that Yang Kai’s aptitude in the Alchemic Dao was outstanding and several Elders had even seen him refining pills in the past. Nevertheless, comparing his skills back then and his skills now was like comparing clouds and mud. The difference was simply enormous.
Yang Kai displayed all sorts of peculiar Alchemy Skills and exquisite control over the temperature of the flame. Even the Spirit Grade Alchemists who had immersed themselves in the Alchemic Dao throughout their entire lives had to admit that they could not match up to him. Every single movement seemed to contain the secrets of the Alchemic Dao. It was almost as though the person standing in front of the Medicine King Furnace was personally interpreting the truth of the Alchemic Dao.
Not long afterwards, traces of aura appeared in their minds. Even the Grand Dao Divine Tone that usually sounded extremely vague suddenly became clear at this moment. The mysterious Grand Dao Divine Tone echoed in their heads and cleansed their Souls, causing the ambiguity and the chaos to become clear and recognisable in an instant.
Therefore, they became incredibly excited. All of them were Spirit Grade Alchemists. In other words, they had basically reached their respective peaks in the Alchemic Dao of the Divine Armament World. There was no means for them to progress any further. Be that as it may, their encounter today had given them a glimpse of further possibilities, and they couldn’t wait to return to their secluded homes to enter retreat.
A loud rumbling sound pulled them out of that mysterious state. They returned to their senses. Whilst bemoaning the loss, they suddenly saw something even more shocking. Yang Kai was rhythmically slapping the sides of the Medicine King Furnace with both hands. Every blow caused a ripple that was visible to the naked eye to spread out from the Medicine King Furnace. Following the rhythmic patting, the medicinal fragrance in the Restricted Area became stronger and stronger.
The pills were about to form!
The Spirit Grade Alchemists stared at Yang Kai’s movements without blinking, overflowing with curiosity. Nobody had ever used the Medicine King Furnace to refine pills before, so just what would a pill produced by the Divine Armament be like?
Every single person in the Restricted Area held their breath in anticipation, lest the air they exhaled disturbed Yang Kai’s Alchemy processes. After the last blow was struck, Yang Kai used his Pill Condensing Technique. A string of seven-coloured lights suddenly flew out from within the Medicine King Furnace.
Everybody took a closer look in that direction, and only then did they notice that what flew out of the Medicine King Furnace were not lights but Spirit Grade pills glowing with a seven-coloured light! These Spirit Grade pills had rapidly shot out of the furnace in quick succession to form a straight line, thereby creating the illusion that they were a string of lights.
“Nine pills!” Baili Yun Sang exclaimed, staring blankly at something in mid-air. In his field of vision, there were a total of nine Spirit Grade pills, each one perfectly round, flawless, and overflowing with spirituality.
The Elders were shaken to the core.
Nine was the limit. In theory, each furnace of pills could produce nine pills; therefore, producing nine pills in one furnace was a sign of perfection!
In reality, even the most skilled Alchemist rarely managed to produce nine pills. That was because the process would require an Alchemist to fully utilise every bit of the medical efficacy of the herbs during the Alchemy process. Moreover, not even the slightest mistake could be made throughout the refinement. There was no doubt that these requirements were extremely difficult to achieve and only when one’s luck was extremely good could they occasionally produce such a result.
Ever since Baili Yun Sang started cultivating Alchemy until now, he had only produced two furnaces of nine pills. Not to mention, those were Heaven-Grade pills. As for Spirit-Grade pills, even an experienced Spirit-Grade Alchemist like himself was unable to produce nine pills in one go.
If even he was unable to do that, what more needed to be said about other Spirit Grade Alchemists?
Looking at the pills that Yang Kai had refined just now, it was obvious that they were Spirit Grade. Even so, he managed to produce nine at once! The Medicine King Furnace might have contributed to the situation; nevertheless, the ability to perform to this extent undoubtedly showed that Yang Kai’s Alchemy Skills had surpassed everybody here!
Baili Yun Sang couldn’t help feeling old. All of a sudden, he realized something odd. He observed strange patterns on the surface of these pills. Those patterns resembled the meridians in the human body. It was a mysterious sight to see. More so since he had never seen such patterns before.
Under the guidance of his Spirit Qi, the nine Spirit Grade pills were collected by Yang Kai. Even though he had clearly refined a furnace of extraordinary Spirit Grade pills, he scowled fiercely and stood there lost in thought.
Nobody dared to recklessly disturb him, so they simply waited there quietly.
Ten years was not a short time for Yang Kai. He had spent the first two years resolving the hidden dangers of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Afterwards, he spent the remaining eight years cultivating while refining the Medicine King Furnace. At present, he was in the Eighth-Step Spirit Realm! That was not the most important thing though. The critical point was that he had nearly finished refining the Medicine King Furnace. All that was left were the finishing touches!
It was not due to a lack of time that he hadn’t finished, however, nor was it due to some difficulties in refining the Divine Armament. Rather, Yang Kai was certain that he could finish refining the Medicine King Furnace in the next moment if he so wished, it was just that he had a vague feeling that he would immediately be rejected by this world as soon as he took that step. At that time, he would be forced to leave this place.
Thinking about it, that was only to be expected. The reason he came to the Divine Armament World was to refine part of the Source Strength of this world. Once he achieved his goal, he would no longer be allowed to remain here. That was also part of the rules in this world.
However, Yang Kai was not willing to leave just like this. It could even be said that he never imagined that such a situation would occur in the first place.
When he first entered the Divine Armament World, he had assumed that he would need to wait 100 years until the next Divine Armament Tournament to snatch the Divine Armaments. It could now be seen that his assumption had been wrong. Joining Profound Pill Sect and coming into contact with the Medicine King Furnace had given him the chance to refine it in advance.
It was not easy for Yang Kai to enter this Small Source World though, so how could he return without getting as many benefits as possible?
A vague plan suddenly formed in his mind. It was just that he would need careful planning to determine how he could implement it. Gathering his thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly noticed that everybody was staring at him eagerly, so he gently nodded and cupped his fist, “Greetings, Sect Master, Honoured Master, and Elders!”
Baili Yun Sang couldn’t care for pleasantries, so with a mixture of agitation and anxiety, he asked, “Martial Nephew, what kind of Spirit Grade pills did you refine earlier? Can you let me see them?”
“They are Spirit Yuan Pills, which have the effect of aiding Spirit Realm Masters in their cultivation. Didn’t I already hand the pill recipe to the Sect?” While speaking, Yang Kai took out one of the Spirit Yuan Pills and handed it to Baili Yun Sang.
Everybody immediately crowded around Baili Yun Sang as they couldn’t wait to lay their eyes on the pill to take a good look.
Dan Cheng Zi observed and emulated for a while before he frowned and said, “We are familiar with the pill recipe of the Spirit Yuan Pill, but why does your refining process seem a little different?”
Yang Kai explained, “It’s an Alchemy Technique that I created myself. I will prepare a copy for the Contribution Hall later!”
Dan Cheng Zi was satisfied, “Good Disciple!”
Baili Yun Sang held the Spirit Yuan Pill between his fingers and looked at Yang Kai in puzzlement, “Martial Nephew, what are these patterns on the pill? Why do I get the feeling that these patterns contain something extremely mysterious?”
“These are Pill Veins!” Yang Kai took the Spirit Grade pill from Baili Yun Sang’s hands and tossed the pill into his mouth. Crunching noisily on the pill, he finally swallowed and added, “With these Pill Veins, the medicinal efficacies of this Spirit Yuan Pill is double that of a normal Spirit Yuan Pill.”
“What!?” Yu Bo Yang exclaimed in astonishment.
“Double!?” Even Wu Feng Hua was shocked.
Baili Yun Sang was heartbroken, “How can you… How can you eat such a precious thing!?”
Looking at his expression, Baili Yun Sang seemed like he was tempted to rush over to Yang Kai and dig it out from his mouth with his bare hands.
Yang Kai laughed, “Pills are meant to be eaten. But, only I can eat these. Nobody else can eat them. This is the reason…”
While speaking, a humming sound suddenly came from within his body. Immediately after that, Yang Kai’s entire body abruptly swelled. Following the expansion of his body, it seemed to transform into a bottomless pit. An enormous wave of World Energy rushed towards his body, kicking up a gust of wind along the way. Even the Red Jades piled beside the Medicine King Furnace turned into dust in an instant.
*Hong hong hong…*
Following several consecutive rumblings, Yang Kai’s body expanded and contracted several times before he suddenly went back to normal.
Everybody was dumbfounded by the sight!
Baili Yun Sang stared at something by the side with a lifeless gaze. In just ten breaths of time, at least 300,000 Red Jades had been drained of energy and turned into dust. Those Red Jades had been consumed and devoured by Yang Kai in that time! That speed was simply appalling!
But, in this way, the Elders finally understood why Yang Kai claimed that only he could eat these pills. Ever since Yang Kai contributed the pill recipe for the Spirit Yuan Pills, Profound Pill Sect had refined many of these pills for the Spirit Realm Masters in the Sect to consume as an auxiliary to their cultivation. The effects were remarkable and all those who ate these pills claimed that the effects were amazing.
A normal Spirit Yuan Pill already had such powerful effects. On the other hand, a Spirit Yuan Pill with Pill Veins had double the effects. It was certainly not something normal Spirit Realm Masters could bear.
“These Pill Veins… How do you refine them?” Dan Cheng Zi stared at Yang Kai excitedly, his eyes gleaming brightly.
Although it was his first time hearing about Pill Veins, he had witnessed their terrifying strength with his own eyes. If this knowledge could be promoted in Profound Pill Sect, then no other Alchemy Sects would have a future in the world!
“It is not easy to form Pill Veins. It is one part talent and one part effort. Of course, the most important factor is… luck!” Yang Kai pondered for a moment and continued, “En. I’m sure everybody is tired today. Why don’t you all come to Fixed Moon Peak tomorrow? I will teach you about Pill Veins in detail then.”
Dan Cheng Zi nodded lightly, “Good!”
Baili Yun Sang looked at Yang Kai eagerly, “Martial Nephew, can I have another Spirit Yuan Pill? This Old Master wishes to go back and study it.”
“I want one too!” Wu Feng Hua immediately chimed in.
“Cough… This Old Master would like one too,” Yu Bo Yang stepped forward.
Seeing that the other Elders were about to speak, Yang Kai hurriedly raised his hand to stop them, “I don’t have many in the first place. Why don’t you all go to the Sect Master’s place to discuss and research the pill together?”
They exchanged glances with each other. Then, Baili Yun Sang nodded, “Good.”
Yang Kai immediately handed another Spirit Yuan Pill to Baili Yun Sang.
Baili Yun Sang took the pill as though he was accepting a great treasure. Taking out a jade bottle, he stored the pill carefully. After obtaining the Spirit Yuan Pill, he eagerly said, “Martial Nephew, your ten-year retreat ends today. You should go back and get some rest!”
After saying that, he hurried away while the rest of the Elders followed closely behind him.
Yang Kai called out to Dan Cheng Zi, “Please wait, Honoured Master! This Disciple has a question!”
Dan Cheng Zi glanced in the direction where the others were leaving and said impatiently, “What is it? Hurry up.”
Yang Kai secretly stuffed a jade bottle into Dan Cheng Zi’s hand and smilingly replied, “It’s nothing important. Maybe it’s because it’s been so long since I’ve seen you, Honoured Master, I missed you very much!”
Dan Cheng Zi lowered his head to look at the object in his hands and smiled, “It’s good that you are filial!” He looked up again. Glancing at the Medicine King Furnace, he asked, “You used the Medicine King Furnace for Alchemy… Will there be any issues?”
Yang Kai laughed, “The Medicine King Furnace is a Divine Armament, how can there be any issues? Besides, it was born for the sake of Alchemy. It is only because the Medicine King Furnace is too precious that nobody dared to do something like this before.”
Dan Cheng Zi nodded, “That’s good then. You should go back and rest now. You still have much to do tomorrow.”
“I will see you off, Honoured Master!” Yang Kai said.
The sky was slowly brightening on the horizon. Dan Cheng Zi’s sleeves fluttered as he landed halfway up the mountain of Fixed Moon Peak and looked in the direction of Yang Kai’s cave mansion with a strange expression. He had been so shocked by Yang Kai’s Alchemy Skills yesterday that he failed to notice an issue based on seniority.
The brat was one whole generation lower than the Elders, so how could he be so arrogant as to invite everybody over to his secluded home to listen to him preach the Dao about these new Pill Veins!? Logically speaking, he should have reported this matter to the Elders instead! Although it was said that the one who discovered the truth of the Grand Dao first was supreme, proper etiquette should not have been neglected.
For that reason, Dan Cheng Zi had rushed over early in the morning. He wanted to advise Yang Kai to head towards the Spirit Peak where the Sect Master was staying instead. Going by Yang Kai’s behaviour yesterday, he seemed to recognise the Master-Disciple relationship between them. Since he considered Dan Cheng Zi as his Honoured Master, then Dan Cheng Zi was the best person to step forward and speak to him about this breach of etiquette.
Outside the cave mansion, Yang Huai and Hua Rong stood on both sides of the door and cupped their fists in greeting when they saw Dan Cheng Zi approaching them.
Dan Cheng Zi looked lightly at them before walking into the cave mansion under Hua Rong’s guidance. When he looked up though, he couldn’t help being terrified for a moment.
It turned out that Baili Yun Sang and the others had arrived before him. Not only were all the Elders of the Sect gathered in this place, but they were also sitting upright with thin cushions beneath them.
Dan Cheng Zi’s face twitched slightly. The scene in front of him looked very familiar… Upon a closer look, he couldn’t help recalling a scene from when he was still a young boy. It was a scene from the past where he had listened to the teachings of his Honoured Master with many of his Fellow Brothers! So many years had passed that this old memory had almost been forgotten; however, thoughts of those times came surging back today.
The young men from back then had now become world-famous Spirit-Grade Alchemists; even so, the scene in front of him was almost identical to that memory from the past. The only difference was that those handsome young men were now old men with grey beards.
He couldn’t help feeling a little emotional.
“You’re here, Little Junior Brother?” Baili Yun Sang turned back and nodded at Dan Cheng Zi in greeting.
Dan Cheng Zi was taken aback, “Sect Master, why is your appearance so haggard!?”
At this moment, Baili Yun Sang’s eyes were completely bloodshot. He looked like he had not rested for weeks on end. Even his hair, which was usually kept neat and tidy, was completely dishevelled, as though he had run his hands through it countless times.
“Why are you all… so haggard!?” Dan Cheng Zi swept his gaze over the others only to discover that the condition of every single person in the room was no different from Baili Yun Sang.
It was just that their bloodshot eyes were shining with excitement even though they looked a little tired. That was the natural reaction they got after seeing something that was extremely stimulating to them.
Baili Yun Sang gave a wry smile, “The Pill Veins that Martial Nephew showed us yesterday are truly profound and mysterious. We couldn’t learn anything at all after studying the pill for the entire night. Since you’re here, Little Junior Brother, you should hurry up and take a seat. Martial Nephew will probably wake up soon.”
Dan Cheng Zi no longer knew how to bring up what he wanted to say earlier. The initial reason he arrived so early was to advise Yang Kai to head to the Spirit Peak where the Sect Master lived so as to prevent any discourtesy. Who could have known that the Sect Master himself was already here? Judging from how everybody else was also waiting in this place, there seemed to be no complaint at all.
In this world, who could make so many Spirit-Grade Alchemists wait with such patience? In terms of status, there was nobody in the Divine Armament World who had this qualification. Only their yearning for the Alchemic Dao could make these arrogant Spirit Grade Alchemists put aside their dignity.
Therefore, Dan Cheng Zi said nothing else and sat down cross-legged with the rest of them.
Approximately an incense stick later, Yang Kai walked out from the inner room and bowed in greeting, “Greetings, Sect Master, Honoured Master, Elders!”
To his surprise, everybody stood up and returned the bow. Taken aback for a moment, Yang Kai raised his hand and said, “You are all my Seniors. Please take a seat!”
After ordering somebody to serve tea, Yang Kai wasted no time and immediately began explaining Pill Veins. The Alchemic Dao that he mastered far exceeded the scope of what the Alchemists in the Divine Armament World could understand, so he only taught them about certain aspects that they could accept and comprehend.
The higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect listened fascinatedly. From time to time, somebody would ask a question and Yang Kai would answer them one by one. The lecture went on for three whole days.
The group of old men sitting below were not young anymore, and although they had strong cultivation, it was very exhausting for them to remain in such an excited state over such a long period. That was especially true when Yang Kai noticed that their spirits were incredibly high even though they were obviously very tired. He was worried that something bad might happen to them, so he ended the lesson abruptly.
Naturally, none of these eager Alchemists was willing to let this opportunity end, but they knew that what they learned over the past three days was enough for them to take another step further in the Alchemic Dao.
Before leaving, Baili Yun Sang suddenly asked, “Martial Nephew, do the Pill Clouds you mentioned at the end really exist?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Of course, they exist. Pill Clouds are another level above Pill Veins. It’s just that Pill Veins can be forged through hard work and effort, but Pill Clouds can only occur serendipitously.”
Baili Yun Sang frowned, “Even with your talents, Martial Nephew, do you have no confidence in refining the Pill Clouds?”
Yang Kai shook his head in response.
Baili Yun Sang sighed softly, “I really want to see how a pill with Pill Clouds looks! If I could see that, I would be able to die without regrets.”
Yang Kai smiled, “I’m sure you’ll get the chance. Who knows? Maybe you or the Elders will be favoured by the Heavens one day and successfully refine the Pill Clouds as a result.”
Baili Yun Sang waved his hand dismissively, “This Old Master knows the abilities of himself and these old fogeys well. We may not even be able to fully comprehend the mysteries of Pill Veins, let alone Pill Clouds. On the other hand, your Alchemy Skills are superb, Martial Nephew. If you manage to refine a pill that forms Pill Clouds one day, you must show it to this Old Master.”
“Of course, Sect Master!” Yang Kai nodded respectfully.
“In addition, you are now a Spirit-Grade Alchemist. Not only do your Alchemy Skills far exceed old folks like us, but you also contributed greatly to Profound Pill Sect. You are more than qualified to become one of the Elders in Profound Pill Sect. What do you think, Martial Nephew?”
Yang Kai was stunned. He never imagined that Baili Yun Sang would propose something like that. It didn’t matter to him whether he became an Elder or not, so he simply nodded, “I will leave the arrangements to you, Sect Master!”
“Good. After so many years, Profound Pill Sect will finally have another Elder among our ranks! The whole world will celebrate with us!” Smiling, Baili Yun Sang stroked his beard and left.
Dan Cheng Zi looked in the direction that Baili Yun Sang left and patted Yang Kai on the shoulder, “It looks like the Sect Master has high hopes for you. He probably plans to let you take over as the next Sect Master.”
Yang Kai was shocked, “Does Sect Master have such intentions?”
Dan Cheng Zi smiled, “Why else would he be so anxious for you to become an Elder? We are old and might not have many years left to live. Be it in Alchemy or the Martial Dao, your aptitude is the highest in Profound Pill Sect. Handing the Sect over to you is the best choice.”
Yang Kai didn’t know what to say. Ten years ago, he had caused a huge commotion in Profound Pill Sect and nearly burned all his bridges with them. It was difficult to imagine that he was now being trained as its successor.
…..
When Baili Yun Sang said ‘The whole world will celebrate with us’, Yang Kai thought that he had only said those words out of happiness. In reality, news of his Elder Promotion Ceremony was actually spread across the world.
Profound Pill Sect widely distributed invitations, inviting all the Sects in the Divine Armament World to witness the ceremony. As one of the Ten Great Sects, and a great force overseen by Alchemists, it was only natural for everybody to show their respect to Profound Pill Sect.
Two months later, the entire Profound Pill Sect was overflowing with festivities. They had countless guests in attendance, and almost all the Sects in the Divine Armament World with some influence had sent representatives. Profound Pill City was overcrowded at one point, so much so that even the outskirts of the city were not spared.
Throughout history, this was the first time an Elder Promotion Ceremony had ever become a grand event that practically involved the entire Divine Armament World!
Representatives of the various great forces became aware of how remarkable the new Elder of Profound Pill Sect was at this time. If Profound Pill Sect did not cherish this Elder, they would not have held such a grand event; therefore, Yang Kai’s name became known across the world in a single night!
Countless people were filled with curiosity about Yang Kai. Unfortunately, not much information could be inquired about him since he had been in retreat for the past ten years.
The rumours spreading among the people claimed that this new Elder was the reason for Profound Pill Sect’s rapid development over the years. Moreover, this Elder could arouse the resonance of the Medicine King Furnace and comprehend the mysteries of the Grand Dao Divine Tone. He alone had contributed dozens of pill recipes that never existed before to Profound Pill Sect. His contributions had elevated the Alchemic Dao of the entire Profound Pill Sect by a large margin.
Even the Sect Master of Profound Pill Sect, Baili Yun Sang, sighed at his incompetence when it came to his own attainments in the Alchemic Dao. Yang Kai was worthy of being known as the greatest Alchemist in the Divine Armament World!
Needless to say, the other Alchemy Sects refused to recognise this title. During the Elder Promotion Ceremony, they even went so far as to send out several Spirit Grade Alchemists to compete against Yang Kai in Alchemy on the grounds of ‘learning’. Nobody knew the outcome of the competition, but the Spirit Grade Alchemists of those great forces immediately entered retreat after returning to their respective Sects and there was no further news from them afterwards.
The biggest advantage of becoming an Elder of Profound Pill Sect was that Yang Kai could become the Master of a Spirit Peak, owning one all to himself.
He used to live on Fixed Moon Peak, but several other Heaven Grade Alchemists also lived on Fixed Moon Peak. Gao Xin Peng was one of them. Now that he was an Elder of Profound Pill Sect, Yang Kai moved to live on Limitless Peak instead.
After the ceremony, Limitless Peak remained very lively. Several storehouses on Limitless Peak were filled to the brim with gifts from countless Sects. There were so many precious treasures that the very sight would dazzle a person. It took Yang Huai and Hua Rong many days to organise and categorise the gifts with a group of servants.
Inside a quiet room, Yang Kai played with a stone the size of a melon. Both his Spirit Qi and the Space Principles surged as he refined the object in his hand.
Everything in the Divine Armament World was wonderful; however, the greatest inconvenience Yang Kai faced was that there were no storage tools like Universe Bags or Space Rings.
Whenever he cultivated nowadays, he would consume an extremely large number of resources, and it was very troublesome to move these resources around without something like a Space Ring. More importantly, he could not bring much with him if he were to travel outside. He could only carry some pills with him at most.
He had been searching for an opportunity to refine a Space Ring the entire time he had been here; unfortunately, even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice. There were no Space Spirit Crystals in this world, so he was unable to refine a Space Ring. Unexpectedly, he found a strange ore among the gifts sent by one of the great forces. This strange ore had some similar properties to Space Spirit Crystal, which might allow him to use it to refine a Space Ring.
The white Alchemy Flame danced. Since this Alchemy Flame could be used for Alchemy, it was only natural that it could also be used for Artifact Refining. It was just that Yang Kai did not know much about Artifact Refining. That was why refining this object was very challenging. Fortunately, his attainments in the Dao of Space were quite profound, so refining a simple Space Ring should not be a problem.
Several days later, Yang Kai looked at the hideous ring in his hand and sighed softly. There was no helping it given that he didn’t know much about the Dao of Artifact Refining. Although he originally planned to refine a Space Ring, what he actually produced after all that effort was a black and crude ring with no sense of aesthetics at all.
Fortunately, the practicality of the item was not bad even though the appearance was rather ugly. He had used Space Principles to open up a small space inside of the ore, taking advantage of its natural properties, which was enough to hold quite a number of things.
Afterward, he went to the storehouse. When he found some resources that might be useful to him, he stuffed them all into the Space Ring.
Dan Cheng Zi was right. Baili Yun Sang really intended to train Yang Kai to become the next Sect Master of Profound Pill Sect; after all, ten years of dull and lonely retreat combined with Yang Kai’s enormous contribution to the Sect was enough to prove his loyalty to Profound Pill Sect.
Following the Elder Promotion Ceremony, Profound Pill Sect secretly built up the momentum and fervently boosted his reputation. A 30 year old Spirit Grade Alchemist, the youngest Elder, the future hope of Profound Pill Sect… All kinds of praises were added to Yang Kai’s name. For a time, he was in the spotlight of the entire Divine Armament World and the entire Profound Pill Sect was incredibly proud of him!
…
Vanishing Sword Mountain was one of the Ten Great Sects in the Divine Armament World.
The so-called Ten Great Sects were not fixed, but changed with the Divine Armament Tournament that was held every 100 years. Only the Sects that managed to obtain a Divine Armament were eligible to be part of the Ten Great Sects. The title was an honorary title. It was also a symbol of strength to some extent, but that was not always the case.
There was one such Sect among the existing Ten Great Sects. The Sect’s overall strength was not particularly superior. It was only because they had a Heaven-defying person among their ranks who managed to obtain one of the Divine Armaments in the last Divine Armament Tournament that the Sect was also promoted to become one of the Ten Great Sects.
Having survived for over 1,000 years, Vanishing Sword Mountain had a long history. Moreover, they managed to obtain the Divine Armament True Void Sword on numerous occasions throughout the past 1,000 years. Accordingly, the Sect was also periodically listed as part of Ten Great Sects. It could be said that Vanishing Sword Mountain was one of the undisputed leading Sects in the Divine Armament World.
Even without the protection of a Divine Armament, nobody dared to underestimate the strength of this Sect. What more when the Divine Armament True Void Sword was currently in Vanishing Sword Mountain?
In the dark of the night, the full moon hung high in the sky and cold moonlight illuminated the world. A ghostly figure silently appeared out of nowhere on top of a tall building.
Yang Kai stood on the highest point of Vanishing Sword Mountain, looking down on the large Sect that boasted an inheritance lasting over 1,000 years. The True Void Sword around his waist was currently humming like crazy.
Looking down, he raised an eyebrow. The True Void Sword around his waist was something that the Ancestral Founder of Void Spirit Sword Sect spent a lot of resources to forge in the past. It was an imitation of the genuine Divine Armament, but the sword itself was just a Spirit Armament.
Regardless of the circumstances, there would always be a subtle connection between the replica and the genuine object. If not for that, Yang Kai would not have deliberately carried the True Void Sword with him. He could have just stored the sword in the Space Ring.
At this point, Yang Kai had almost finished refining the Medicine King Furnace. He was only one step away from completion. Once he took that last step, he would definitely obtain a portion of the Divine Armament World’s Source Strength. At the same time, this world would also produce a strong rejection force to expel him out of the Divine Armament World. At that time, he would be forced to leave even if he didn’t want to.
It was not easy for him to come here, so it was only natural for Yang Kai to want to acquire more benefits.
The Divine Armament World’s Source had been divided into ten pieces, and the Ten Great Divine Armaments were the physical embodiments of these pieces. If Yang Kai wanted to acquire more benefits, then he would need to refine more of the Divine Armaments!
For that reason, Vanishing Sword Mountain was his first target. That was because the Divine Armament True Void Sword was here!
Yang Kai was very curious as to what would happen if he refined all of the Ten Great Divine Armaments. Would he be able to devour the entire World Force of the Divine Armament World and expand his Small Universe enormously as a result? If that were the case, he figured he would immediately advance into the Seventh-Step Open Heaven Realm!
As for whether he would be discovered, Yang Kai was not worried. His strength had reached a point where he was now unrivalled in the Divine Armament World. There was no need for him to continue living if he was discovered despite moving about so sneakily. What’s more, the Divine Armament was not owned by anybody. Even if he stole the True Void Sword, Vanishing Sword Mountain would have no way of determining the culprit.
The fact that the Divine Armaments had no owners was something he deliberately inquired about from Dan Cheng Zi. That was because he had found the situation very strange when he previously refined the Medicine King Furnace.
Logically speaking, the Medicine King Furnace should have an owner when it was already in Profound Pill Sect. In reality though, Yang Kai had not felt anybody’s aura in the Medicine King Furnace.
Lan Yin also mentioned in the past that there was nobody in Profound Pill Sect who could refine the Medicine King Furnace. If that was the case for the Medicine King Furnace, then it would surely be the same for the rest of the Divine Armaments!
The so-called Armament Masters were simply people who had obtained the Divine Armaments; however, the Divine Armaments were nothing more than weapons that were slightly sharper than Spirit Armaments in their hands. They were completely incapable of bringing out the true power of the Divine Armaments.
Throughout the ages, many heroes had tried to become the true Masters of the Divine Armaments; unfortunately, nobody had ever succeeded. There was even a precedent of being killed by the backlash from trying to refine a Divine Armament.
From the standpoint of an outsider, the Divine Armaments were the manifestations of this world’s Source Strength. If people in this world wanted to refine the Source Strength, they would need to have the vision and the strength to escape the shackles of this world; otherwise, their attempts would only lead to their destruction.
It was just that each Divine Armament also represented various Grand Dao’s of this World, so the benefits that these Divine Armaments could bring were immeasurable even if they were just placed in a hall and studied. Take the Vanishing Sword Mountain’s True Void Sword for example. If a person could comprehend the mysteries of the True Void Sword, they could significantly improve their attainments in the Sword Dao.
Everybody in Vanishing Sword Mountain was trained in the sword. Not to mention, they had obtained the True Void Sword multiple times over the past 1,000 or so years. That was why there were countless Sword Masters in Vanishing Sword Mountain.
The True Void Sword on Yang Kai’s waist continued to hum. The sound was soft, but the hearing of the Masters in Vanishing Sword Mountain was sharp and keen. Nobody noticed his arrival, but they definitely noticed his presence now.
A shout rang out from the shadows, “Who is sneaking around!?”
Numerous sword waves blasted out towards Yang Kai from all directions as soon as those words rang out. In an instant, the place where he had been standing was covered in an inescapable barrage of attacks. When the sword lights subsided, more than a dozen silhouettes had already leapt onto the building’s roof. They searched the surrounding area, but there was nothing there.
“Where is he?” One of them was puzzled and bewildered.
“Could it be that we were mistaken?”
“Impossible. I saw it clearly. There was definitely somebody standing here just now.”
“A person who can escape from beneath our noses must be a High-Rank Spirit Realm Master. Who knows why he is sneaking around. Hurry up and inform the Mountain Lord about this.”
With a few simple words, somebody quickly rushed off to make a report. The remaining people summoned more of their comrades to search their surroundings for anything suspicious.
The entire Vanishing Sword Mountain was thrown into turmoil in a short time. Figures weaved about in the dark of the night and each one surged with Spirit Qi. This display highlighted the immense heritage of this Sect.
At the same time, Yang Kai suddenly appeared in a quiet place.
The True Void Sword at his waist had already been stuffed into his Space Ring. The momentary connection formed from the resonance between the replica and the genuine object was enough for him to confirm the location of the actual Divine Armament, so at this point, leaving his True Void Sword out in the open would only invite more trouble.
Yang Kai stood at the entrance to a certain mountain valley. He turned to look around and saw a stone monument by the side of the stone valley. The characters ‘Sword Pedestal’ were carved on the stone monument.
He raised his brow slightly at the sight. The Sword Pedestal of Vanishing Sword Mountain was famous all over the world. It was also the Restricted Area located in the deepest parts of Vanishing Sword Mountain. It was reasonable for the True Void Sword to be placed here.
Yang Kai stepped inside, his figure flitting about with no fixed pattern. Under the night sky, he looked like a ghost. Muffled groans and the thudding sounds of something heavy dropping to the ground would come from the shadows from time to time. These were the sounds of the secret guards stationed outside the Restricted Area being knocked unconscious.
It didn’t take long before Yang Kai arrived in the deepest part of the Restricted Area.
There was a sword inserted straight into the middle of a stone cistern on top of a round platform. In terms of shape and appearance, the sword was identical to Void Spirit Sword Sect’s True Void Sword, and under the moonlight, the blade of the sword reflected the moonlight with a cold brilliance.
Yang Kai stared at the sword calmly, seeming to hear a vague and mysterious voice in his ear. However, the voice was indistinct and incomprehensible.
The Medicine King Furnace had a Grand Dao Divine Tone. Naturally, so did the True Void Sword. While the Medicine King Furnace contained the Truth of the Alchemic Dao, the True Void Sword contained the Truth of the Sword Dao! If one could comprehend the Grand Dao Divine Tone in this place, one would surely reach the greatest heights of the Sword Dao possible in the Divine Armament World.
There were four men with white hair and white beards sitting at four points around the round platform where the True Void Sword was located. The four of them looked extremely old. The beard of the one with the longest beard was so long that it actually dragged on the ground. One of them wore green robes, another red, another yellow, and the last one wore white. Their respective colours were very distinct.
Yang Kai might have travelled soundlessly when he walked in from the outside, but his movements had not escaped the eyes and ears of these four people. That was why all four of them opened their eyes at the same time and stared at him fixedly as soon as he arrived here.
It was just that Yang Kai had surged his Space Principles, so the space surrounding him fluctuated constantly. Even though the strength of these four old men was horrifying, they were unable to discern his true appearance. All they could see was a humanoid shadow which they couldn’t even tell was male or female.
The four Elders had neither seen nor heard of such strange methods before, so their expressions instantly became solemn.
The green-robed old man asked, “Who are you?”
Yang Kai shifted his gaze from the True Void Sword and swept a glance over them. Then, he gently nodded and said, “I’ve long heard that Vanishing Sword Mountain had four Elders of the Four Seasons. Each one has strength that has reached the peak of the World. Now that I see you today, you truly are worthy of your reputation!”
Although none of them had made a move, Yang Kai could feel the mighty aura of the Spirit Qi coming from the bodies of these four old men. Their Spirit Qi was practically at the limits of this world.
The red-robed Summer Elder quickly said, “We old men have not involved ourselves in the world for a long time, so we were unaware that people like you exist in this world. It seems that great talents are born in every generation!”
The yellow-robed Autumn Elder asked, “Why did you come here?”
Yang Kai grinned, “I came to borrow the True Void Sword!”
The four Elders exchanged glances with each other, but there was no anger in their eyes. The white-robed Winter Elder said, “We have been instructed to guard this place and watch over the True Void Sword. If you wish to take the True Void Sword, you will have to kill us first; otherwise, you will never take the True Void Sword away.”
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Respecting the elderly and cherishing the young are the virtues of my generation. You are not young anymore, so you really shouldn’t be acting so violent. I will leave after taking the True Void Sword.”
While saying so, he boldly strode forward.
The expressions of the four Elders changed drastically. Although they did not seem to have moved, a sword suddenly appeared in each of their hands; then, flashing sword lights attacked Yang Kai from all directions.
None of them had used any fancy moves when attacking him. On the contrary, each move they made was only the simplest of forms. It was just that the terrifying Spirit Qi in their bodies was controlled so that every attack contained immense power.
All four of them were among the strongest Masters of this world, so it could be said that their combined strength was invincible; however, a scene that shocked them to the core appeared before them today. The hazy figure was completely unaffected by their attacks. Step by step, he slowly approached the True Void Sword. The space around him became distorted and warped. At the same time, all the attacks aimed at him were inexplicably extinguished.
An incense stick later, a burly figure rushed towards the depths of the Sword Pedestal. This person was the Mountain Lord of Vanishing Sword Mountain, Ye Cheng!
Somebody had quietly infiltrated Vanishing Sword Mountain, but a search of the surroundings came up empty. That was when Ye Cheng abruptly thought about the Restricted Area and hurried over to investigate the situation.
As he passed along the path, the secret guards who should have been standing watch over the area from the shadows remained silent. His heart involuntarily sank. When he arrived at the Restricted Area, he raised his head to look in that direction and his expression changed drastically. The True Void Sword was gone!
The Four Seasons Elders stood surrounding the round platform, each facing a different direction and motionlessly maintaining a stance with their swords drawn as though somebody had placed a Binding Secret Technique on them. The expressions on their faces were a mixture of shock and rage.
Traces of a battle remained fluctuating wildly around them.
Ye Cheng’s arrival seemed to have triggered some sort of hidden switch. Following a series of rustling sounds from all directions, each of the four Elders spewed out a stream of fresh blood and fell to their knees on the ground in unison!
Shocked, Ye Cheng quickly stepped forward, “Elders, what happened here!? Where is the True Void Sword!?”
An unusual red flush crept up the Spring Elder’s face. He forcefully suppressed his churning vitality and answered the question with a look of shame, “We have failed you, Mountain Lord. The True Void Sword… was stolen by someone.”
Ye Cheng was horrified, “Who would have the ability to steal the True Void Sword from under the noses of the Four Elders!?”
One could not fault him for feeling so horrified. The strength of the four old men standing in front of him had reached the peak. Any one of them could be considered an invincible existence in the world, let alone the combined forces of these four.
Summer Elder shook his head, “We don’t know. The infiltrator’s appearance was unclear. Judging from the voice, he was probably a man; however, his methods are unpredictable and strange. We… are not his opponent.”
Ye Cheng felt all the hairs on his body stand up in horror when he heard those words. According to the Summer Elder, the infiltrator had injured them and then stolen the True Void Sword. Not only that, but they couldn’t even get a clear glimpse of their enemy’s true appearance. If not for his trust in the four old men, Ye Cheng would have wondered whether they carried out the robbery themselves.
“That person who stole the True Void Sword should not have gone far. Mountain Lord, please dispatch the troops to pursue him immediately! Be sure to find out the whereabouts of the True Void Sword! The Divine Armament… cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of outsiders! We will take some time to adjust our breathing and catch up with the rest of you soon!”
Winter Elder waved his hand impatiently, “Hurry up and go!”
Ye Cheng nodded heavily, “Yes!”
Then, he turned around and strode away in large strides.
At the same time, 1,000 kilometres away, Yang Kai flew through the air with the True Void Sword in his hand, quietly circulating his Spirit Qi to refine it.
Thinking back to the battle earlier, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of admiration towards the Four Seasons Elders. Those Four Elders had reached the limits of this world and there was nobody who could stand up against their combined strength. Even with the help his Space Principles, Yang Kai had nearly been injured by those four, forcing him to fight back.
Fortunately, the True Void Sword was now in his possession. He had originally planned to store the sword in his Space Ring, but who could have known that the Space Ring was unable to accommodate this object? Thinking about it again though, it made sense. This sword was the manifestation of 10% of the Divine Armament World’s Source Strength after all. How could a mere Space Ring possibly contain something like that? In the end, Yang Kai could only carry the sword around in his hand.
A short while later, Yang Kai slowly shook his head. He was currently in the Eighth-Step Spirit Realm, so his cultivation was no longer the same as back then. Even so, the process of refining the True Void Sword remained extremely slow. His brief attempt just now had given him the vague feeling that he would need to spend several years in order to completely refine the sword.
Returning to Profound Pill Sect on that same night, he quietly returned to Limitless Peak and entered a secret room to focus on refining the True Void Sword.
Even though Vanishing Sword Mountain immediately suppressed the information, news of the Divine Armament True Void Sword being stolen spread across the Divine Armament World in an extremely short time.
Everybody who heard the news could barely believe their ears. Vanishing Sword Mountain had a long and powerful inheritance. Not to mention, there were as many Masters in the Sect as there were clouds in the sky. It was also said that the True Void Sword was guarded by the Four Seasons Elders who had not shown themselves to the world in a very long time. The strength of each Elder was absolutely staggering. How could anybody in the world manage to steal the True Void Sword from such a force?
Be that as it may, paper could not contain fire forever. Vanishing Sword Mountain refuted the rumours as usual, but disciples of the Sect were constantly dispatched to search the surrounding areas over the next few months. Their actions revealed clues to the people who were interested in the matter.
Nevertheless, it took half a year after the news first came out before the public finally confirmed the truth. The True Void Sword had really been stolen! The entire world flew into an uproar!
Everybody was shocked that a single person could slip through the defences of a top-tier great force like Vanishing Sword Mountain and steal the True Void Sword. At the same time, they were also extremely curious about the identity of the thief. Just who had the ability and the courage to pull this off? It was a pity that the thief never revealed himself, so nobody could figure out anything.
…..
Dan Cheng Zi and Yang Kai sat opposite each other on Limitless Peak located in Profound Pill Sect. There was a tea set placed between them, emitting a delicate fragrance. The purpose of Dan Cheng Zi’s visit today was to learn some Alchemy Techniques from Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was now one of the Elders in Profound Pill Sect, so although he was one step lower than Dan Cheng Zi in terms of seniority, they were on equal footing in regard to their respective statuses. Even so, the older generation of Spirit Grade Alchemists in the Sect hungered for the Alchemic Dao. They were not bothered by matters related to pride or reputation, so they would visit him to ask questions from time to time; likewise, Yang Kai taught them attentively.
Wan Ying Ying knelt by the side, pouring tea for the two of them.
More than ten years had passed, and the Little Junior Sister of Void Spirit Sword Sect was now a Heaven Realm Master herself. In addition, her progress in the Alchemic Dao had improved by leaps and bounds under Yang Kai’s personal tutelage. She had thus become an accomplish Heaven Grade Alchemist.
On the other hand, the other two Junior Brothers who followed Yang Kai to Profound Pill Sect were not quite as successful; even so, they were both Earth Grade Alchemists.
“So, you’re saying that this Master has understood the Hidden Dragon Art wrong.” After listening to Yang Kai’s explanation, Dan Cheng Zi revealed a look of understanding.
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s not a complete misunderstanding. It’s just a slight deviation. You only need to make some slight adjustments, Honoured Master. You will surely have twice the result with half the effort when you condense pills after making these changes.”
Dan Cheng Zi nodded, “En, I understand now.” Pausing for a moment, he put down his tea cup and nonchalantly asked, “You’ve been secluding yourself in Limitless Peak recently. Have you heard about the huge incident that occurred outside?”
Yang Kai looked up at Dan Cheng Zi, “What are you referring to, Honoured Master?”
Dan Cheng Zi stared back with a burning gaze, “Vanishing Sword Mountain’s True Void Sword has been stolen!”
“What!?” Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise, “Is that true!?”
“I heard the sword thief has mysterious methods and that even the combined strength of the Four Seasons Elders could not stop him!”
“That’s unbelievable! The True Void Sword was stolen! I’m sure Vanishing Sword Mountain won’t rest until they find the culprit.”
Dan Cheng Zi nodded, “That’s right. There is a huge uproar over this incident. At the beginning, Vanishing Sword Mountain refused to admit the truth and remained very secretive about it. It’s just that nothing can be kept secret forever. They have now begun to search for the whereabouts of the True Void Sword with great fanfare.”
Yang Kai smiled, “The sword thief is so strong that even the Four Seasons Elders are not his opponent. What can Vanishing Sword Mountain do even if they found the thief? Don’t tell me they plan to snatch the sword back from him?”
Dan Cheng Zi slowly shook his head, “The strength of the sword thief is frightening indeed, but what about his friends and family? Since he is alive in this world, it is impossible for him to be all alone. Vanishing Sword Mountain might not be able to defeat him directly, but they can target him from other aspects.”
“En, that’s true!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Dan Cheng Zi said sternly, “Vanishing Sword Mountain is extremely powerful. They obtained the Divine Armament multiple times over the past 1,000 years. If they discover the sword thief, a huge battle will be inevitable. Many people will die if that happens.”
Yang Kai nodded seriously, indicating his agreement.
The corners of Dan Cheng Zi’s brow twitched, “Brat, do you have anything you want to tell this Master?”
Yang Kai blinked innocently, “Is there something you don’t understand, Honoured Master?”
Dan Cheng Zi slammed his palms against the table in a rage, causing Wan Ying Ying to jump in fright.
Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise, “Why are you so angry, Honoured Master?”
Taking a deep breath, Dan Cheng Zi glanced at Yang Kai impatiently, “Seeing as the Medicine King Furnace has the Grand Dao Divine Tone, it is only natural for the same to hold true for the True Void Sword. Anybody within a certain level of ability and in close enough proximity to the Divine Armament can hear the Grand Dao Divine Tone if they have the opportunity, just like how you heard the Medicine King Furnace’s Grand Dao Divine Tone even though you lived on Fixed Moon Peak at the time. Several Vanishing Sword Mountain disciples are currently in Profound Pill City. One of them is Vanishing Sword Mountain’s most outstanding Sword Child of this generation. He heard the True Void Sword’s Grand Dao Divine Tone countless times when the True Void Sword was still at Vanishing Sword Mountain. If he is in close proximity with the True Void Sword, he will surely be able to sense the presence of the sword!”
Yang Kai looked amazed, “That Sword Child’s aptitude is amazing indeed! With him in action, the True Void Sword will surely be found soon!”
Dan Cheng Zi observed Yang Kai deeply with a suspicious expression on his face. After some time, he finally nodded and said, “It doesn’t matter whether you really don’t know or are just feigning ignorance. This Master will not say anymore. Figure it out yourself.”
After saying that, he stood up.
Yang Kai stood up to see Dan Cheng Zi off, “Have a safe journey, Honoured Master.”
Dan Cheng Zi waved his hand dismissively. Walking out of Limitless Peak, he soared into the sky.
…..
Baili Yun Sang and the other Elders were waiting on Purple Sun Peak and quickly focused on Dan Cheng Zi as soon as he returned.
Baili Yun Sang asked anxiously, “How is it? Is it him?”
Dan Cheng Zi slowly shook his head, “I can’t be certain.”
Then, he gave a brief recount of his probing conversation with Yang Kai earlier.
Wu Feng Hua was solemn, “According to the information from Vanishing Sword Mountain, the strength of the sword thief is absolutely terrifying. Moreover, the sword thief has peculiar and ghostly Movement Skills. It sounds exactly like what that brat did back then. Aside from him, I can’t think of anybody else in this world who could win against the Four Seasons Elders.”
Likewise, Yu Bo Yang nodded, “That’s right. Although he had only just advanced into the Spirit Realm at the time, he still managed to turn the entire Profound Pill Sect upside down, leaving us virtually powerless against him. Now that more than ten years have passed, his strength has only become even more terrifying. It makes sense for the Four Seasons Elders to be defeated.”
Lan Yin frowned, “But, what can we do if he won’t admit to the crime? We can only pray that the sword thief is not him; otherwise, a huge war will surely break out between Profound Pill Sect and Vanishing Sword Mountain. As one of Profound Pill Sect’s Elders, everything he does represents the entire Sect.”
The entire group of people was gloomy, and they sighed heavily.
Dan Cheng Zi pondered quietly, “I don’t think we need to worry too much. That brat is a man who knows what is important. Naturally, it will be great if this is not his doing, but if it is him, he probably has a plan. After all, he dared to attack Profound Pill Sect alone for the sake of the people of Void Spirit Sword Sect. It can be seen that he values relationships deeply. I’m sure he won’t fool around with the lives of his friends and family.”
“It would be the best if that’s the case! I’m just worried that the Sword Child might hear the sword’s voice. There will be no good explanation for that!”
What the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect were concerned about did not happen. The Sword Child of Vanishing Sword Mountain only stayed in Profound Pill City for two or three days before leaving.
When the news was relayed back, the Elders who had been extremely nervous all this while finally breathed a sigh of relief. They vaguely wondered if they had misunderstood Yang Kai. It seemed that the thief who stole the True Void Sword was not him. Nevertheless, who else in this world could achieve such a feat right under the noses of the Four Seasons Elders if it was not him?
Vanishing Sword Mountain went all out and pursued this matter for six whole years. They practically searched the entire Divine Armament World, but there was no sight of the True Void Sword. In the end, they could only give up on this endeavour. They withdrew most of their troops and left only a small group of people to continue the search. Be that as it may, they knew that too much time had passed since the initial disappearance. It was probably impossible to locate the True Void Sword after so long.
Therefore, theft of the True Void Sword became an unsolved mystery.
This incident supported the livelihoods of many storytellers in the teahouses and inns. A mysterious man had infiltrated Vanishing Sword Mountain during the night, challenged the Four Seasons Elders alone, and stole the True Void Sword. This story was retold countless times, the descriptions so detailed that it was almost as if they witnessed the incident with their own eyes.
Less than two years after the incident with Vanishing Sword Mountain finally subsided, another shocking news spread out across the world once more. The Azure Dragon Saber of the Tyrant Saber Sect had been stolen!
It was an eerily familiar tale; one of the Ten Great Sects was attacked and one of the Ten Great Divine Armaments stolen. Eight years later, theft of the Tyrant Saber Sect’s Azure Dragon Saber was practically identical to theft of Vanishing Sword Mountain’s True Void Sword.
Similarly, a mysterious person suddenly infiltrated the Tyrant Saber Sect Headquarters. His figure was ghostly and his methods were unpredictable. Ten of the Tyrant Saber Sect’s top Masters had joined forces to stop him, but they failed and the mysterious thief disappeared without a trace. In front of everybody’s eyes, both man and saber simply vanished out of sight!
The entire world was in an uproar again!
Due to the precedent of the True Void Sword being stolen, the Tyrant Saber Sect did not conceal any information about the incident. They immediately released the news about theft of the Azure Dragon Saber several days after it occurred, and at the same time, they asked the other Ten Great Sects in the Divine Armament World to help in the search.
The incident this time caused a bigger commotion than the last. The theft of the True Void Sword could be explained away by claiming that the mysterious man had deliberately retaliated against Vanishing Sword Mountain due to personal grievances; however, the Tyrant Saber Sect’s Azure Dragon Saber had also been stolen now. That was enough to arouse the vigilance of the other Ten Great Sects.
This sneaky thief seemed to be targeting the Divine Armaments. Thanks to precious experience, the other Ten Great Sects did not dare to take this matter lightly; after all, there was no saying whether the next one to suffer might be themselves.
For a time, the entire Divine Armament World became turbulent. Almost everybody was searching the whereabouts of the thief. Even Profound Pill Sect was no different.
Baili Yun Sang summoned the Elders for a secret meeting and strengthened the protection around the Medicine King Furnace. Intentionally or not, many of the Elders would repeatedly glance towards Yang Kai throughout their discussion, their actions annoying him greatly.
Despite several years of turmoil, the Azure Dragon Saber remained missing. Hence, the Tyrant Saber Sect had no choice but to give up on their search. Such a large-scale search required extreme amounts of manpower and resources that even the Tyrant Saber Sect could not afford forever. In the end, they had no choice but to accept the loss of the Azure Dragon Saber. It was the same decision that Vanishing Sword Mountain made last time.
A few years later, the Ru Yi Parasol of Flower Rain Palace was stolen…
After another nine years, the Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear of Cloud Moon Island was stolen…
Following another eight years, the Thunderbolt Staff of Azure Sea Pavilion was stolen…
For the entire Divine Armament World, these were turbulent and tumultuous times. The name ‘Divine Armament Bandit’ spread across the world. There was nobody who did not know the name. Moreover, the horrors associated with the name were so frightening that they were enough to make children cry at night.
According to the rumours, this person was ten metres tall. Not only was he a brutal and vicious man who employed extremely cruel methods, but his strength was also absolutely horrifying. Moreover, he only stole Divine Armaments. He came and went without a trace. No matter how many Masters were there or where the Divine Armaments were hidden, he would be able to locate the items and effortlessly steal them.
Vanishing Sword Mountain’s True Void Sword was the first to be pilfered. The Tyrant Saber Sect’s Azure Dragon Saber was the second. After those incidents, the other eight Sects with Divine Armaments became on guard.
When the Thunderbolt Staff of Azure Sea Pavilion was stolen, almost all the Spirit Realm Masters in Azure Sea Pavilion had gathered in their Restricted Area. It could be said they could not stop the Divine Armament Bandit despite giving their best efforts. In front of everybody’s eyes, the Thunderbolt Staff was stolen just like that. Not to mention, many people had been injured in the battle. The incident was regarded as a great humiliation for Azure Sea Pavilion.
Before the Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear was stolen, Cloud Moon Island had forged replicas of the Divine Armament. They spent enormous resources to forge three Spirit Armaments that were placed in three different Restricted Areas on Cloud Moon Island. Meanwhile, the Divine Armament Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear was secretly stored in a safe area and guarded by the three strongest Masters of the Sect.
However, the end result was that the three fake Spirit Armaments had been ignored. On the other hand, the genuine Divine Armament was stolen without anyone being wiser.
In a short span of several decades, five out of ten Divine Armaments had gone missing. The five Great Sects with the remaining five Divine Armaments were now in great danger. Seeing as nobody knew who the Divine Armament Bandit was going to target next, each of the five Great Sects couldn’t help feeling anxious.
Be that as it may, there was something that anybody with a discerning eye would have noticed over the years. The Divine Armament Bandit might have extraordinary means, but he had never killed before. All the Masters guarding the Divine Armaments had only been injured at most. Based on this alone, it could be seen that the Divine Armament Bandit was not as cruel as the rumours claimed.
In addition, there was a fixed pattern to the timing of this person’s appearance. He would appear once every seven to nine years, and the intervals never stretched for more than ten years. Nobody knew the reason behind this peculiarity. Nevertheless, this pattern could be confirmed by looking at the timing when the five Divine Armaments were previously stolen.
At present, seven years have passed since the Thunderbolt Staff was stolen. A quick calculation indicated that it was almost time for the Divine Armament Bandit to appear again; thus, the five Great Sects still in possession of their Divine Armaments immediately entered a state of anxiety.
Even the five Great Sects that had their Divine Armaments stolen also dispatched their elites. Their troops were divided and sent to the other five Sects. The first reason was that they were asked by the five Sects to help protect the Divine Armaments. The other reason was that they wanted to use this chance to capture the elusive bastard who had stolen from them.
Be that as it may, those who had seen the strength of the thief knew that his means were far too mysterious. It was basically impossible for them to capture him. Their only wish was to figure out his identity. At the very least, they wanted to catch a glimpse of his true appearance.
…..
Inside the secret room on Profound Pill Sect’s Limitless Peak, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged with his palms facing upward. He was holding a long staff with intricate patterns that was as tall as a person in his hands. The staff would flash with lightning from time to time. This was one of the Ten Great Divine Armaments, the Thunderbolt Staff, which he obtained from Azure Sea Pavilion seven years ago.
It had taken many years, but he finally refined the Thunderbolt Staff. There was only one step left to completion. Breathing out lightly, Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked around him.
This was a secret room that he created himself. There were more than a dozen layers of barriers and seals inside. Moreover, he was the only person allowed to enter this place. Even Yang Huai and Hua Rong who had served him for so many years or his Little Junior Sister Wan Ying Ying had no idea what was inside the secret room. If any outsider were to enter this place, they would surely scream in shock.
That was because the five Divine Armaments that had been missing from the Divine Armament World for many years were stored in this room. They were the True Void Sword, the Azure Dragon Saber, the Ru Yi Parasol, the Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear, and the Thunderbolt Staff!
Each of the five Divine Armaments was wrapped in layers of barriers. There was no helping it. The Divine Armament naturally radiated the Grand Dao Divine Tone. Anybody with the opportunity could hear and comprehend the mysteries of the Grand Dao from these Divine Armaments if they were close enough and had the appropriate aptitude.
Over the years, countless Masters from other Sects visited both Profound Pill City and Profound Pill Sect. Somebody would have noticed something a long time ago if Yang Kai had not taken any precautions. A good example would be the Sword Child who wandered around in Profound Pill City.
With the protection of so many barriers, even if Yang Kai could not isolate the Grand Dao Divine Tone completely, he could dampen it significantly. There would be no problems as long as nobody came too close to the Divine Armaments.
Yang Kai was not afraid of these so-called Masters as his current strength had already exceeded the limits of this world. With the power of his Dragon Vein and his comprehension of the Dao of Space, he could come and go freely even if he was facing the strongest enemies in the world.
It was just that Profound Pill Sect would surely be in trouble if news were to spread. Even Void Spirit Sword Sect that was under Profound Pill Sect would be unable to survive safely.
For the sake of Profound Pill Sect and Void Spirit Sword Sect, certain precautions had to be taken.
More than fifty years had passed since Yang Kai first arrived in the Divine Armament World. During this period, he refined six different Divine Armaments, but he never completed the final step to finish the refinement. He originally planned to gather all Ten Great Divine Armaments. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to give up on his plan after refining the Thunderbolt Staff.
That was because he could clearly sense the rejection force of the world during the process of refining the Divine Armaments over the years. As the number of Divine Armaments that he refined increased, the rejection force grew stronger in turn. At this moment, he was about to hit the limit.
If he went out to search for another Divine Armament to refine, the rejection force would immediately repel him out of the Divine Armament World. That was why he could no longer refine another Divine Armament. It could even be said that he could no longer guarantee whether he could finish refining the six Divine Armaments he already had at this rate.
After spending so many years, it was time for him to harvest his gains and depart this world. At the time, how many benefits he could gain would depend solely on luck.
At that thought, Yang Kai immediately stood up and left the secret room. Summoning Hua Rong over, he asked her about Profound Pill Sect’s current situation.
Hua Rong spoke truthfully.
The deadline for the Divine Armament Bandit’s appearance was quickly approaching, so the five Sects that lost their Divine Armaments previously had dispatched their elite members to help guard the Divine Armaments of the remaining five Sects.
Not only were the Spirit Realm Masters of Profound Pill Sect inside the Restricted Area of Profound Pill Sect, but the people from Vanishing Sword Mountain, Tyrant Saber Sect, and several others were also present. It could be said that both inside and outside the Restricted Area were guarded so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through!
Yang Kai pondered quietly for a moment. Under the current circumstances, it was practically impossible to enter the Restricted Area without being noticed. After thinking for some time though, he waved his hand to dismiss Hua Rong. At the same time, he asked her to summon Yang Huai over.
A short while later, Yang Huai stood in front of Yang Kai, cupped his fist, and spoke in a rumbling voice, “Sir!”
Yang Kai looked Yang Huai up and down, “Big guy, how long have you served me?”
Yang Huai quickly said, “It has been fifty-two years since you took me out of the Blood Warrior Hall, Sir.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Fifty-two years… You’re already reached the Ninth-Step Spirit Realm in that time.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Sir.”
“I have a task for you. It might be dangerous, but it shouldn’t be too difficult as long as you are careful.”
Just like fifty-two years ago when Yang Kai took Yang Huai out of the Blood Warrior Hall, Yang Huai cupped his fist and shouted, “I’m willing to die for you, Sir!”
Having obtained the Divine Armament Sun Chasing Bow in the Divine Armament Tournament several decades ago, Grand Heavens Religion became one of the Ten Great Sects. The Sect had many talents and as many Masters as there were clouds in the sky; however, there were Spirit Realm Masters from the Sect and helpers from the other five Great Sects stationed both inside and outside the Restricted Area of Grand Heavens Religion at this moment. The defences were so tight that nothing could get past them.
Seven years had passed since the theft of the Thunderbolt Staff. A quick count of the years indicated that it would not be long before the elusive Divine Armament Bandit struck again. That was why none of the Spirit Realm Masters guarding the Restricted Area dared to slack off in the slightest. Every one of them had their vigilance raised to the maximum. In addition, they kept their eyes open wide to monitor the surroundings for any suspicious movement.
In the deepest part of the Restricted Area, the Religion Master of Grand Heavens Religion, Cao Kong, patrolled the area with the Left and Right Protectors. His gaze would land on the Divine Armament Sun Chasing Bow placed here from time to time. There was a faint anxiety burning away deep in his heart, as if he could sense that something big was about to occur.
*Xiu…*
The sharp sound of something slicing through the air suddenly came from the periphery of the Restricted Area. Cao Kong abruptly turned and looked in that direction. When he recognised the sound as a warning arrow released by the Masters in the Sect, his expression couldn’t help changing, “What is happening outside!?”
“I’ll go and take a look!” The Left Protector shouted before speeding off in that direction with a flicker of his body. A short while later, he reported back with a mixture of horror and excitement, “Religion Master, that person has appeared!”
Cao Kong’s eyes narrowed at those words, “The Divine Armament Bandit?”
“Yes!” Left Protector nodded heavily.
“He came after all!” Cao Kong drew in a sharp breath. Although he had expected this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling resentful. [There are five Sects that still have their Divine Armaments, why did the Divine Armament Bandit have to target Grand Heavens Religion? Does he think Grand Heavens Religion is easy prey!?] Pushing aside the distracting thoughts in his head, he anxiously asked, “How is the situation?”
The Left Protector revealed a hint of fear in his expression, “This person is very strong. His reputation is well deserved. Our Sect members are currently joining forces with the Masters from the other Sects to besiege him, but he has already incapacitated many of them.”
Cao Kong gasped. The only ones who could be stationed outside the Restricted Area were Spirit Realm Masters. The forces sent by the other five Sects were also outstanding Masters. Despite facing such a powerful line-up, the Divine Armament Bandit had taken out many of them in such a short time. It would seem that the strength of the Divine Armament Bandit was truly unfathomable.
The Left Protector added, “Sect Master, I’m afraid the forces outside will not be able to stop this person. He will slip past them sooner or later. Should we provide assistance?”
Cao Kong pondered for a while before he muttered to himself a little suspiciously, “It is rumoured that this person has ghostly Movement Skills. He can come and go without a trace. When he stole the Divine Armaments in the past, he never fought an extensive battle with the others. He basically left as soon as he obtained the Divine Armament. Why is he engaging in a big fight this time?”
In the middle of his monologue to himself, the realization hit him all of a sudden and he shouted, “A trap to lure the tiger from the mountain! He is trying to lure us away from this place to steal the Divine Armament! Relay the order! Nobody is allowed to move recklessly inside the Restricted Area! Guard the place strictly! Don’t even let a fly in!”
The Left Protector cupped his fists, “Yes!”
“Right Protector!” Cao Kong glanced at another person.
“This subordinate is here!”
“Hurry up and inform the other Sects! Inform them of the situation here and tell them that this is their only chance to capture the Divine Armament Bandit. If they fail to grasp this chance, it will be difficult for them to get another.”
The Right Protector immediately understood the Religion Master’s intentions and quickly replied, “This subordinate obeys!”
Turning around, he pushed his Spirit Qi and soared into the air.
Profound Pill Sect was not far from Grand Heavens Religion, only about an hour away if a Spirit Realm Master flew at full speed.
When the Grand Heavens Religion’s Right Protector personally entered Profound Pill Sect’s Restricted Area to report on the situation, the expressions of the Masters from the five Great Sects guarding the Medicine King Furnace stiffened in shock at the news.
Sect Master Ba Dao’s gaze burned brightly, “That thief has appeared at Grand Heavens Religion!?”
The Right Protector nodded, “Yes. The elites of each Sect are besieging him right now. The Religion Master ordered me to come and inform you of the situation.”
Sect Master Ba Dao shouted through gritted teeth, “Good! Very good! This Old Master has finally caught you by the tail!” Turning around, he shouted at the top of his voice, “Tyrant Saber Sect, hear my command! Come with me to aid Grand Heavens Religion! We’re going to capture that little thief who stole our Divine Armament!”
The other four Sects also rolled up their sleeves, wishing they could fly over to Grand Heavens Religion to teach that elusive bastard a lesson right this very moment.
The higher-ups at Profound Pill Sect glanced at each other before Baili Yun Sang declared, “Profound Pill Sect is also willing to help.”
Sect Master Ba Dao raised a hand to interrupt, “It’s best if Profound Pill Sect’s forces remain here. That thief has strange Movement Skills, so he might wheel around and come here when he sees that the situation at Grand Heavens Religion is disadvantageous for him. It’s best for this place to remain on guard. Fortunately, Grand Heavens Religion is not far from here. If anything happens, we will bring reinforcements as soon as possible.”
Baili Yun Sang nodded when he heard those words, “That’s true. In that case, I wish you all success and victory!”
Sect Master Ba Dao shouted, “We can’t afford to delay. We set off immediately!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a large group of people soared into the sky and vanished out of sight in the blink of an eye.
Hua Rong stood on top of Limitless Peak and gazed in the direction where a large group of people was currently leaving. After they departed, she turned around and entered the hall. Bowing, she reported, “They left, Sir.”
Yang Kai was sitting in the main seat, and when he heard those words, he gently nodded and stood up, “Got it!”
As he strolled out of the hall, he turned to look in the direction of Profound Pill City.
Void Spirit Sword Sect had been developing steadily under the protection of Profound Pill Sect over the past few decades. Not only were there many Spirit Realm Masters in the Sect, but the Sect could also be considered a fairly powerful one in the Divine Armament World nowadays.
He had already made preparations for Void Spirit Sword Sect’s future before he sent Yang Huai into action. Void Spirit Sword Sect would continue to survive in this world even without his presence. With nothing to worry about, he moved swiftly.
“Eldest Senior Brother!” Wan Ying Ying was waiting outside. For some reason, she had the feeling that she would never meet Yang Kai again after today. Although he was clearly so close at hand, he felt so distant for some reason.
Yang Kai raised a hand to rub her head and smiled, “Cultivate well, and take good care of Honoured Master and the others.”
She opened her mouth, “Are you going somewhere, Eldest Senior Brother?”
He nodded, “I’m going on a long journey.”
“When will you return, Eldest Senior Brother?”
“I haven’t decided!” He shook his head and continued with a smile, “Perhaps, you’ll see me again as soon as you wake up.”
“Wake…” Before she could finish her sentence, her vision went dark and she limply fell unconscious.
Yang Kai handed her over to Hua Rong, “Take good care of her.”
Hua Rong took Wan Ying Ying and turned around to enter the hall.
The wind howled, causing Yang Kai’s clothes to flap around him. He looked in the direction of Profound Pill Sect’s Restricted Area and sighed softly to himself, “It’s time to end this!”
He pushed his Spirit Qi, and a humming sound suddenly came from somewhere on Limitless Peak. Immediately after that, five streams of light swept through the air and came to float behind him. These five objects that came in different shapes and sizes were a sword, a knife, an umbrella, a spear, and a staff. The Divine Armaments were crude and simple in terms of appearance. Their brilliance was not obvious. Without knowing the truth, nobody would have believed that these five plain objects were Divine Armaments.
There were only a total of ten Great Divine Armaments in the Divine Armament World. Any Sect that could obtain one of them would receive great blessings from the Heavens; however, there were five Divine Armaments gathered around one person at this moment. Such a sight was bound to cause anybody’s eyes to pop out of their sockets in shock if they witnessed it.
That was also the case in reality.
When Yang Kai activated his Space Principles and appeared in the Restricted Area of Profound Pill Sect, Baili Yun Sang and the Elders guarding the depths of the Restricted Area were dumbstruck by the sight. Every one of them was staring fixedly at Yang Kai and the five Divine Armaments behind him in shock. They couldn’t help feeling as though they were inside a dream.
“Greetings, Sect Master, Honoured Master, Elders!” Yang Kai cupped his fist in greeting.
Baili Yun Sang murmured in shock, “Martial Nephew, these objects behind you…”
On the other hand, Dan Cheng Zi jumped to his feet and scolded through gritted teeth, “I knew it was you, you damned brat! How dare you feign ignorance all these years!?”
Yang Kai apologised, “I’m sorry, Honoured Master. It was an important matter, and I couldn’t tell you.”
Wu Feng Hua’s gaze slowly became horrified, and he swallowed nervously, “Elder Yang, are those objects behind you the Divine Armaments that went missing several years ago?”
“Why ask when you have guessed the truth, Great Elder?”
The colour immediately drained from his face at those words.
Meanwhile, Yu Bo Yang slumped to the ground, “Disaster! This is a complete disaster!”
After hiding for decades, the Divine Armament Bandit who stirred up the entire Divine Armament World turned out to be one of their Sect’s Elders. The consequences would be horrifying if this information was spread to the public. The entire Divine Armament World would rally together to retaliate against them. Even Profound Pill Sect’s status as the top Alchemy Sect would not save them from destruction. This was truly a catastrophe!
Baili Yun Sang suddenly frowned and asked, “That can’t be. If the Divine Armaments are here with you, then the person at Grand Heavens Religion…”
“It’s Yang Huai!” Yang Kai replied.
“Yang Huai…” The group of people were dumbfounded once more.
Dan Cheng Zi was horrified, “Yang Huai is that powerful!?”
When the Right Protector of Grand Heavens Religion came to explain the situation, they had all been listening attentively. The ‘Divine Armament Bandit’ at Grand Heavens Religion had appeared and fought off countless Spirit Realm Masters alone. Not only did he not succumb to a disadvantageous situation, but he also injured many people in the confrontation; otherwise, Grand Heavens Religion would not have come to ask for support. With such strength, everybody immediately assumed that he was the real Divine Armament Bandit. Who could have known that it was just Yang Huai?
“What are you trying to do?” Baili Yun Sang looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.
“You will know what I’m trying to do soon.” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
While speaking, he flashed over to stand in front of the Medicine King Furnace. None of them managed to see how he moved, and by the time they recovered from their shock, he was already standing there.
Six Divine Armaments had been gathered in one place; an unprecedented sight never seen before in history. Even though they were filled with doubts and questions, the scene in front of them had rendered them speechless with shock.
Yang Kai took a light breath. Pushing his Spirit Qi to the maximum, he reached out to grab the Medicine King Furnace with his hands and quickly poured his Spirit Qi into it.
The Medicine King Furnace was the first Divine Armament Yang Kai refined in the Divine Armament World; moreover, it was a Divine Armament that was related to the Alchemic Dao. It was just that he did not dare to take the last step to fully refine the Medicine King Furnace during his ten-year retreat back then. After so many decades, it was no time to finish what he started.
Following the influx of his Spirit Qi, the Medicine King Furnace began to hum and flash with inexplicable brilliance.
It only took a moment before the Medicine King Furnace was completely refined. An inexplicable and indescribable connection suddenly flooded Yang Kai’s mind, giving him the illusion that he was resonating with the world itself. Under this perception, it felt as though the entire world was laid out in front of him and his perception expanded infinitely in an instant.
The Medicine King Furnace was part of the Divine Armament World’s Source Strength, so it was only natural for such bizarre reactions to occur now that it had been refined.