The Medicine King Furnace was completely refined!
Before Yang Kai could even begin to rejoice, a powerful rejection force suddenly came at him from all directions. The force was so strong that the space around him rumbled loudly. At the same time, his figure abruptly became hazy and indistinct. It was almost as though his very existence was now incompatible with the world.
This situation was within Yang Kai’s expectations, however, as he had noticed this phenomenon back when he first reached the final stages of refining the Medicine King Furnace. If not for that, he would not have stopped at such a critical moment to target the other Divine Armaments instead. Now that he had stolen the world’s Source Strength, the world could no longer accommodate his existence.
If this were to happen to a living creature of this world, they would definitely be punished by the world. They would either be extinguished on the spot or survive the catastrophe and escape this world; however, Yang Kai was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. The Divine Armament World could not do anything to him except kick him out of this world using its World Principles.
The higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect were stunned by the sight before them. Although nobody knew what Yang Kai had done, as what they saw had long exceeded the scope of their understanding, they could vaguely feel an enormous and overpowering Will descending and staring down on this small Restricted Area. The phenomenon left them trembling in fear, incapable of speech.
A shout reverberated across the room. Yang Kai desperately drew upon his Spirit Qi. His flesh wriggled when the power of his Dragon Vein was activated.
Over the years, his Dragon Vein had been stimulated greatly. It was mainly used to remove the drawbacks brought by cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Activating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art might not transform him into a 4,500 metres long behemoth now, but the Dragon Pressure permeated the air and lingered around his body to resist the rejection force of the world at this moment.
His slightly ethereal figure became more solid immediately after. Not daring to delay, Yang Kai hurriedly grabbed the True Void Sword and continued the refining process. In the blink of an eye, the True Void Sword was also completely refined by him.
Now that two Divine Armaments had been refined, the rejection force increased by several times. The force caused the skin all over his body to crack open. Drenched in blood, Yang Kai looked extremely terrifying. His figure that had solidified considerably became hazy once more, a sign that he was about to be kicked out of the world.
[I’m running out of time!] Gritting his teeth, Yang Kai grabbed the Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear and repeated the process! The World’s Will seemed to be enraged by his insatiable greed and lightning appeared out of nowhere, striking his body without warning.
A series of explosions rang out as Yang Kai’s skin split open and his flesh was torn apart. Soon, a strong smell of burnt flesh filled the air. When these strange occurrences took place, the higher-ups of Profound Pill Sect perceived that the situation was not looking good; thus, they quickly left the Restricted Area and monitored the situation with apprehensive concern.
Lightning flashed and thunder boomed inside the Restricted Area. The rage of the world made millions of living creatures frightened and uneasy. The situation in the sky was constantly changing as heavy dark clouds filled the air like a thick quilt, making the people feel suffocated.
The Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear was completely refined!
When Yang Kai tried to reach out and grab another Divine Armament however, his hand came up empty. His palm had become ethereal and disordered, almost as though he had no substance. The rejection force coming from all sides was so strong that he could no longer resist!
[I’m at my limit!] Yang Kai sighed in his heart. It had taken so many years for him to steal the five Divine Armaments and slowly refine them. Including the Medicine King Furnace, there were a total of six Divine Armaments. He never imagined that he could only refine three of them in the end, powerless to refine the other three.
In this way, he had wasted some 20 to 30 years’ worth of effort. Nevertheless, this was not a big deal. The flow of time in the Small Source World was different from the outside world. For his actual body, the time he wasted was not much.
He turned around to look at the world one last time, then his vision went hazy. The dizzying feeling of the world turning upside down washed over him and a series of unpredictable lights flashed across his vision. His consciousness was pulled out of the Small Source World at that moment.
By the time he recovered, Yang Kai found himself standing in the void with a strange vortex spinning slowly in front of him. He couldn’t help shaking his head. The memories of living in the Divine Armament World for several decades surged in his head, giving him a wonderful sense of reincarnation. At the same time, the memories of the past slowly emerged.
After some time, he finally recalled that this place was a Restricted Area in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven while the vortex in front of him was the entrance to the Divine Armament World. Back then, he had entered the Divine Armament World through this portal.
There was no time for Yang Kai to think about anything else as his expression suddenly became serious and he quickly sat down cross-legged. A powerful force poured into his Small Universe, one that enriched its heritage and foundation, allowing his Small Universe to expand and improve upon itself.
This force had no source and was seemingly born out of nothing. Nevertheless, Yang Kai knew that the force came from the Divine Armament World. He had refined three Divine Armaments, which was equivalent to obtaining 30% of the Divine Armament World’s Source. In other words, up to 30% of the Divine Armament World’s World Force had been injected into his Small Universe.
As this was a training experience, it was as if Yang Kai had obtained this force through diligent cultivation. There were no dangers or discomfort, and the force could perfectly integrate with his own Small Universe. The influx of the mighty force made his Small Universe tremble uncontrollably and even his Soul was shaken as a result.
A short while later, the situation gradually stabilised. An examination of his body revealed that his cultivation in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm had increased by a large margin. Although he had yet to reach the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, the improvement was more than what he would obtain through many years of intense cultivation.
Xu Ling Gong once mentioned that there were several shortcuts when cultivating in the Open Heaven Realm. Undergoing a training experience in a Small Source World was one of them. It would now seem that those claims were true. Entering the Divine Armament World had given Yang Kai such rewarding results. If he could enter several more times, it would be easy for him to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
[Becoming a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-In-Law sure is beneficial!] Yang Kai joyfully opened his eyes only to see a topless old man covered in scars standing in front of him, staring fixedly at him. Yang Kai did not know whether it was his imagination, but he sensed that the old man seemed to be slightly displeased with him and his expression was rather gloomy.
“Greetings, Ancestor!” He quickly bowed.
The person in front of him was an Eight-Order Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Master and the Ancestor who watched over the entrance of the Divine Armament World. Even Xu Ling Gong had to behave respectfully in front of this man. Yang Kai was no more than a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so naturally he did not dare to act arrogantly in front of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Quite a big harvest you got, brat!” The Supreme Elder spoke without emotion.
Not understanding the reason for the old man’s displeasure, Yang Kai simply answered truthfully, “It’s all thanks to you and Martial Uncle Xu, Ancestor.”
During their conversation, a stream of light rushed over from not far away and arrived nearby in the blink of an eye. It turned out to be Xu Ling Gong, who probably received a message from the Ancestor.
“You’re out?” Xu Ling Gong observed Yang Kai with a measuring gaze, “How was your harvest?”
“Many thanks for your concern, Martial Uncle Xu. My harvest was not bad,” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
The Supreme Elder coldly snorted, “It’s far better than ‘not bad’. The Divine Armament World lost 30% of its World Force in one go! I’ve never seen something like this before!”
Xu Ling Gong was absolutely shocked by the news, “30%!? Are you mistaken, Ancestor!?”
The Supreme Elder’s expression was so dark that he was practically dripping with gloom, “This Old Master has managed and watched over the Divine Armament World for millennia. How can I be mistaken about something like this? If you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself!”
Cold sweat oozed out of Xu Ling Gong’s forehead, and he gave a flattering smile, “Please calm yourself, Ancestor. This Junior simply spoke without thinking. There is no way you can be mistaken.”
Then, he turned to glare at Yang Kai, “Smelly brat, did you refine three Divine Armaments!?”
Yang Kai immediately became guilty, “Uh… maybe?”
Although he did not understand the situation, he could sense that stealing 30% of the Divine Armament World’s World Force had displeased the Supreme Elder to a certain extent.
Xu Ling Gong slapped his forehead, “What… How bold and reckless! Are you not worried that your stomach might explode!?”
Yang Kai sniffed, “I’ve already refined them. You didn’t say I couldn’t refine three of them, Martial Uncle Xu.”
He did not dare to mention that he initially planned to refine six of the Divine Armaments as he was afraid that he would be killed on the spot!
Xu Ling Gong was a little speechless, “I never imagined that you would refine three of them! Most people would be sent back after refining one of the Divine Armaments. How did you do it?”
Yang Kai replied, “I obtained one of the Divine Armaments and refined it until only the very last step. Then, I collected a few more Divine Armaments and repeated the process. Lastly, I refined them all at the same time.”
“That’s possible?” Xu Ling Gong was dumbfounded.
The Supreme Elder snorted softly, “Not just anybody can do something like that. Do you know how strong the rejection force of the world is? Even if your method works, you won’t be able to refine many if you fail to resist the rejection force. To be able to refine three Divine Armaments is a testimony to your capabilities.”
“Many thanks for your praise, Ancestor!” Yang Kai humbly responded.
Xu Ling Gong asked with a frown, “Ancestor, does that mean that nobody can enter the Divine Armament World in the near future?”
The Supreme Elder shook his head, “I’m afraid not. Losing 30% of the World Force in one go is unprecedented. The Divine Armament World has suffered a heavy blow, so it will take at least 100 years for it to recover.”
Xu Ling Gong’s expression was stern, “100 years in the outside world is the same as 10,000 years inside the Divine Armament World.” He smacked his hand against the back of Yang Kai’s head, nearly sending him flying as he angrily scolded, “Look at the good deed you’ve done, brat!”
Yang Kai was silent, but he thought to himself, [How is it my fault? I didn’t know anything about the Divine Armament World before I entered. Only after entering the Divine Armament World did I slowly figure out what to do.]
In any case, it was true that he had enjoyed a huge harvest, so he could not refute anything, lest Xu Ling Gong became angry out of shame.
“Ancestor, this Disciple has a question!” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
Although the Supreme Elder was sullen, he knew that it was not Yang Kai’s fault; after all, nobody told Yang Kai that he could not refine several Divine Armaments. Upon hearing those words though, the Supreme Elder asked back, “Are you curious about what is happening inside the Divine Armament World after your departure?”
Yang Kai was astonished, “How did you know, Ancestor?”
The Supreme Elder snorted, “Every single person asks this question when they come out. It’s only natural to form some attachment to the world after living there for decades and even centuries. It is Human nature!” Pausing for a moment, he finally continued, “Instead of hearing it from this Old Master, you should witness the situation yourself.”
While saying so, he waved his arm lightly and the vortex in front of him suddenly displayed an image.
Yang Kai looked closely and saw that the image was of the scene of Profound Pill Sect’s Restricted Area. A figure was sitting down cross-legged inside the Restricted Area with a solemn expression. Upon a closer look, Yang Kai became shocked and exclaimed, “Isn’t… Isn’t that me!?”
The person in the Restricted Area was identical to him in terms of body shape, appearance, and temperament. There was no difference whatsoever.
“Why am I still there?” Yang Kai was filled with doubts.
Xu Ling Gong explained, “That’s because he is someone that existed in that world in the first place!”
“Existed in that world in the first place?” Frowning slightly, Yang Kai vaguely understood Xu Ling Gong’s meaning.
When he first entered the Divine Armament World, he had become the Eldest Senior Brother of Void Spirit Sword Sect in the blink of an eye. He was around 17 or 18 years old at that point. It was naturally impossible for someone like him to come out of nowhere. He must have truly existed.
After all, the entire Void Spirit Sword Sect had memories relating to him.
“But even so, why does that man resemble me completely in appearance and name?” Yang Kai was a bit confused.
Xu Ling Gong explained, “He may have had a different name and appearance before this, but since you have entered the Divine Armament World for training, the Divine Armament World naturally adjusted itself to you and prepared all kinds of information belonging to you. It is a fundamental adjustment so that anyone who knew him would not find you unusual.”
Yang Kai pondered, “In that case, does that mean that I have been inside of this person’s body all these years in the Divine Armament World?”
Xu Ling Gong nodded, “That is one way to see it, but it is not exactly like that. In any case, Small Source Worlds are strange and unique places. You will get used to it when you come to train a few more times.”
Yang Kai nodded in understanding, then he turned his gaze to the scene in the vortex.
The Yang Kai over there was a pre-existing being, so he would naturally stay behind once he left. Thanks to him worrying over how Void Spirit Sword Sect would fare once he left the Divine Armament World, Yang Kai had prepared many fallback plans.
But now, it seems like his worries had all been unnecessary.
Time flowed differently in the Divine Armament World than in the outside world, and the difference was huge. Yang Kai had only been thinking for a moment, but much had happened in that time.
Profound Pill Sect’s higher-ups had poured into the Restricted Area, but there was no sign of any Divine Armaments. Not only the five Divine Armaments that Yang Kai brought in disappeared, but even the Medicine King Furnace that was originally placed there was gone.
Naturally, everyone was shocked.
But soon, the Grand Heavens Religion and several other Sects that possessed Divine Armaments sent news that the Divine Armaments in their control had all disappeared at almost the same time.
Half a day later, a Heavenly phenomenon appeared. Ten streams of light fell across the world, each one emitting the aura of a Divine Armament.
It was then that the inhabitants of the Divine Armament World realized that a new Divine Armament Tournament was about to begin.
This was something that had never happened before. The Divine Armament Tournament occurred once every hundred years, and it had only been around fifty years since the last one.
Despite not understanding why such changes would come about, every Divine Armament Tournament was a sweeping event that affected the course of the entire world. Every Sect that was strong enough to join the fight would come out to fight for the blessings of their Sect’s next 100 years of progression.
Naturally, the same was true for Profound Pill Sect. Yang Kai saw the group of Spirit Grade Alchemists and Spirit Realm Masters from Profound Pill Sect that he led fly out in the swirling image to compete with the other great Alchemy Sects. Uniting their power, they fought against the other great Sects and eventually took back the Medicine King Furnace!
After that, they fought to snatch up the Divine Armament Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear without even a pause in between.
They were not targeting this particular Divine Armament for any particular reason; rather, it was just in close proximity to them.
This move seemed to have stirred up the hornet’s nest. Profound Pill Sect had always been a Sect that was focused on Alchemy, so even if they fought in the Divine Armament Tournament, they were only there to compete for the Medicine King Furnace; after all, it contained the secrets of the Alchemic Dao, so it was not very useful for the other Sects even if they got their hands on it.
However, this time, Profound Pill Sect’s accomplishments in the Alchemic Dao had greatly improved, so the result of the fight for the Medicine King Furnace was decided early, leaving it with enough time to participate in the other ongoing battles.
The many other great forces who were fighting for the Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear could not tolerate such behaviour, so practically all of them joined hands to attack Profound Pill Sect in an effort to get them to back off.
However, Profound Pill Sect’s achievements in the Alchemic Dao were not all that had improved markedly under Yang Kai’s guidance. Their overall strength had risen by several levels, too.
Especially the two guards who had been by Yang Kai’s side all these years. Yang Huai and Hua Rong, who had strength on par with a hundred Masters all on their own, not to mention the fact that there was also ‘Yang Kai’ there to show his face personally.
A fierce battle went on until the sky turned murky and the earth turned dark, and until both the sun and moon had lost their light.
Finally, the Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear was seized by Profound Pill Sect!
Naturally, Profound Pill Sect were the greatest winners of this tournament. Not only did they regain the Medicine King Furnace, they were also able to take home the Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear. Throughout history, this was the first time that a single great force was able to make away with two different Divine Armaments.
The power of Profound Pill Sect shocked the world, even more so the powers of Yang Kai and his two subordinates.
They never imagined that a Sect that was supposedly only known for their Alchemy would be so strong, and Yang Kai himself was revered as the strongest under the Heavens!
“Just like leaving a Soul Clone behind in the Divine Armament World, it can exert as much power as you have cultivated in the Divine Armament World,” Xu Ling Gong explained while pointing to Yang Kai’s figure that was reflected in the vortex.
Yang Kai grinned, “In that case, I can rest assured.”
He did notice this fact when he was watching the fight earlier, as it was just like watching his Soul Clone exert the same powers he had cultivated in the Divine Armament World. Otherwise, it would be impossible for ‘him’ to be so invincible.
“The lifespan of the beings in the Divine Armament World is not great, and even the most outstanding ones live only a few hundred years. Naturally, as a native of the Divine Armament World, your Soul Clone is also not free from these shackles. In a few hundred years, no matter his cultivation, he will eventually die.” Xu Ling Gong sighed, seemingly filled with some emotion.
“Several hundred is enough.” Yang Kai nodded his head. If he could protect Void Spirit Sword Sect and Profound Pill Sect for several centuries, then his efforts would not have been in vain. There were no Sects that remained prosperous forever, and there was no need for him to think about how Profound Pill Sect and Void Spirit Sword Sect would fare in a few hundred or thousand years.
“Let’s go,” Xu Ling Gong called out to him, “you will eventually come upon the opportunity to enter another Small Source World, so you can take this as a learning experience.”
After bidding the Supreme Elder goodbye, the pair sped off on their way.
Yang Kai followed by Xu Ling Gong’s side and asked, “Martial Uncle Xu, didn’t you say before that there were three Small Source Worlds in Yin-Yang Heaven…”
“Don’t even think about it!” Xu Ling Gong glared at him, “You took away 30% of the Divine Armament World’s World Force after entering it once, are those benefits still not enough for you!? Do you want to ruin the other two as well!?”
Yang Kai scratched his nose embarrassedly, “I was just asking. Martial Uncle Xu need not be so angry.”
Xu Ling Gong coldly snorted and remembered that Yang Kai was still Yin-Yang Heaven’s Son-in-law and the future husband of his treasured Disciple, so he could not help but say, “It is not that this King does not wish to let you enter the other two Small Source Worlds, but they are not as high-level as the Divine Armament World. Small Source Worlds are also separated into different ranks. You can get a lot of benefits by entering and training in the Divine Armament World, but the other Small Source Worlds won’t give you much no matter how hard you train; instead, you will be taking up the places of other Yin-Yang Heaven disciples. For Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, the losses are not worth the gains.”
Yang Kai nodded in understanding, “Are the Small Source World also separated into High, Mid, and Low ranks, just like World Fruits?”
“Yes, you can say that, so you better know how to be grateful.” Xu Ling Gong nodded.
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “No matter what, I must give my thanks to Martial Uncle Xu for granting me this opportunity.”
If not for Xu Ling Gong, then he might not have been able to enter the Divine Armament World and gain such great benefits. He was also a little apologetic to have severely damaged the foundation of the Divine Armament World.
“You are Qu’er’s future Husband, so it is only natural that I would treat you well; otherwise, Qu’er will become condemned to the life of a widow if you were to be killed off outside.” Xu Ling Gong waved his hand generously.
“How is Senior Sister Qu doing now?”
Xu Ling Gong coldly snorted, “She has only been confined so that she may cultivate in a quiet environment, so what do you think? It is for her benefit too. Her foundation is not stable since she has just advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Even if she were not punished in this way, she would still need time to stabilize her foundation. In any case, it is only 100 years. For Open Heaven Realm cultivators like us, it is no more than the snap of one’s fingers, so don’t worry about it. What’s more, her Senior Brother Qing and Senior Sister Su will take good care of her.”
“Then I can rest assured.” Yang Kai nodded, “Now that this is over, I should also be returning. I will come again to visit Senior Sister in a century.”
“Why are you in such a hurry to leave?” Xu Ling Gong stopped him, “Have you forgotten what mess you caused on the Prison Star? You will surely die if you leave like this.”
Yang Kai blinked. Even though it had only been just a short month in the outside world, he had spent many decades training in the Divine Armament World. Many of the memories he had were just like those of a past life. Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai finally recalled, “Thousand Cranes Paradise?”
Xu Ling Gong grunted, “Do you really think that Thousand Cranes Paradise will let you go after you beat Zhao Xing to death on the Prison Star?”
Yang Kai sighed, “Naturally I do not. But it is a blessing, not a curse, and even if it were a curse, it cannot be avoided.”
“It is for the best that you understand that; after all, Zhao Xing was a Core Disciple of Thousand Cranes Paradise. He was expected to advance into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future, and he had only broken through to the Sixth-Order less than 100 years before dying at your hands. One could say that Thousand Cranes Paradise has become incensed after this situation. You must know that anyone who can advance into the Sixth-Order directly is a rare talent, even for the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Only one appears maybe every 1,000 years or so.”
“Yes, I am aware.”
“If it were any ordinary Disciple, then it would not have mattered for them. The rules of my Yin-Yang Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly were public knowledge, and Thousand Cranes Paradise is more or less still concerned about their face. Right now, the reason that Thousand Cranes Paradise is enduring this grudge is because they do not wish to sour relations with my Yin-Yang Cave Heaven; however, if you leave by yourself, Thousand Cranes Paradise will definitely make a move. With their abilities, it will not be a difficult matter for them to get rid of you without anyone knowing. When that happens, there is nothing our Yin-Yang Cave Heaven can say, either.”
“But this Junior cannot hide in Yin-Yang Heaven forever.”
“Wait a few days. I will arrange for someone to send you out.”
Yang Kai pondered about it but did not refuse his good intentions and just cupped his fist, “Then I shall trouble you, Martial Uncle Xu.”
After Yang Kai returned to his temporary residence, Hui Gu immediately came up to greet him, “Sir!”
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback. Only then did he remember how he had subordinated Hui Gu using the Loyalty List during the Dao Theory Assembly on the Prison Star, and also used his power to kill many prisoners.
The several dozen years of training that he went through in the Divine Armament World felt as though he had lived another lifetime, leaving him disoriented about events that took place only days ago in the outside world. So much had happened that everything now seemed a bit surreal.
Qing Kui had specially come to congratulate him when he learned of Yang Kai’s return from the Divine Armament World, and even brought a lot of good wine with him.
The two of them chatted up a storm over drinks, having a good time.
Qing Kui was envious that Yang Kai was able to refine 30% of the Divine Armament World’s World Force. He had also entered the Divine Armament World a long time ago, so he naturally knew about the situation inside the Small Source World. However, like all the other Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples over the ages, he was only able to refine 10% of its Source Strength.
It was not that he did not wish to refine 30% of its power, but rather, he could not.
The Ten Great Divine Armaments were manifestations of the World’s Source. Once refined, one would be repelled from the world, and forcibly staying was a difficult task.
“While you were in the Divine Armament World, Honoured Master personally visited Thousand Cranes Paradise to talk about Zhao Xing’s matter. However, Thousand Cranes Paradise kept an ambiguous attitude, and it seems like they will not be letting the matter go so simply. You should be wary in the future,” Qing Kui warned Yang Kai lightly while draining the wine in his cup.
“I know. Martial Uncle Xu has already told me about this.”
Qing Kui sighed, “In fact, you shouldn’t be blamed for this matter. It was Zhao Xing who first picked a fight with you on the Prison Star. He intended to kill you for glory, so as far as I’m concerned, he inflicted this misfortune upon himself. Regardless, he’s dead, and Thousand Cranes Paradise will surely argue for an explanation. Fortunately, my Yin-Yang Cave Heaven is no pushover, so Thousand Cranes Paradise won’t be able to take any overt actions. Remember though, a spear in the light is easily avoided, but an arrow in the dark may not be so. Nothing so far has indicated they won’t use hidden means to attack you. These old foxes have lived for countless years, after all, so none of them are easy to deal with.”
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Qing, for worrying about me. I will definitely be careful in the future.” Yang Kai nodded.
A few days later, a great ship slowly sailed out from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Two flags flew high, carrying the characters Yin and Yang, the signboard of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Other than the cultivators atop the great ship, there were Yang Kai and Hui Gu, the Master and Servant duo.
At the bow of the ship, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Martial Uncle Xu, I will be off now.”
Xu Ling Gong stood with his hands behind his back and nodded lightly, “Go. Cultivate well when you return to the Void Land, avoid going out without reason and do your best to advance into the Seventh-Order as soon as possible. If you encounter any troubles, then you can get someone to send a message over, and this Monarch will help you.”
“Many thanks, Martial Uncle Xu!”
Yang Kai also turned to Qing Kui and Su Ying Yue, “Senior Brother Qing, Senior Brother Su, I leave Senior Sister Qu under your care.”
Qing Kui grinned, “Rest assured, we will not let Qu’er suffer any grievances.”
“The green mountains will remain…”
“Hurry up and shut up. Shoo shoo!” Xu Ling Gong waved his hands impatiently.
Yang Kai coughed, “Farewell!”
The great ship set out slowly, but in a moment, it sped up, sailing as swiftly as the wind. It was so quick that in just several hours, they had already arrived at Yin-Yang Territory’s Territory Gate.
A dazzling layer of light enveloped the great ship, resisting the shock and vibrations from the warping of space as they passed through the gate. When Yang Kai regained his senses, the great ship had already left the Yin-Yang Territory.
Of course, there were other cultivators on the ship to operate it, so Yang Kai did not need to worry about anything. He just stood on the deck, silently cultivating. Entering his consciousness, he checked on the benefits he gained from the Divine Armament World.
In the Small Universe that existed within each Open Heaven Realm Master was one’s Dao Essence that had been accumulated throughout their lives. In the process of advancing into the Open Heaven Realm, a cultivator’s Dao Seal would disintegrate and dissolve into their Small Universe, and the Dao Seal was the condensed existence of a cultivator’s own Grand Dao.
It could be said that a cultivator’s Grand Dao had completely merged into their Small Universe through this process.
The most fundamental part of Yang Kai’s Small Universe was the Dao of Space. Other than that, there was the Alchemic Dao, Spear Dao, Sword Dao, and so on.
Right now, he was very conscious of the fact that something extra had appeared in his Small Universe. The Dao Essence of the Alchemic Dao and the Spear Dao was much more condensed, but the most significant change was to his Sword Dao Essence.
This was obviously a result he gained from his time in the Divine Armament World. He was able to refine the Medicine King Furnace, the Ten Facets Demonic Shadow Spear, and the True Void Sword, three great Divine Armaments which represented separate Grand Dao had naturally been integrated into his Small Universe.
Not only had the heritage of his Small Universe been strengthened, but even his Dao Essence had been condensed.
If there were living beings existing within his Small Universe, then they would have the opportunity to explore the mysteries of the Grand Dao through the perception and study of these Dao Essences, which would allow them to gain speedy developments in the Alchemic Dao, Sword Dao, and Spear Dao.
However, though Yang Kai’s Small Universe had been brought from ethereal to corporeal, no different from a true High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s, he did not intend to place any living beings inside. Even though his cultivation was not bad, there were still differences between him and a true High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. If he encountered a strong enemy, his Small Universe could be shaken.
If disturbed to a certain extent, the beings living inside of that Small Universe would definitely be affected as well, and in that situation, it would be no less than a natural disaster for them.
And it was because of this consideration that even true High-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators seldom placed living beings in their Small Universes, even though they knew that the existence of such living beings inside of their Small Universe would help to strengthen its heritage and enhance the World Force.
Only those High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who had great confidence in their own strength, or those who do not care about the lives of ordinary beings, would recklessly choose to raise beings in their Small Universes.
While investigating, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and raised his eyes in a certain direction.
What he saw was a ship floating silently in the void. On the deck were two figures, one behind the other, looking in his direction with sharp, piercing gazes.
Even from a great distance, Yang Kai could feel the deep-seated hatred engraved in their eyes!
Yang Kai’s pupils shrank slightly.
“Sir!” Hui Gu had also noticed the unusual situation and quickly moved over, “We have no idea who they are, but they seem to be very hostile towards us.”
Yang Kai was indifferent, “That man is an Inner Elder of Thousand Cranes Paradise, Zuo Quan Hui!”
Hui Gu was shocked, “An Inner Elder of Thousand Cranes Paradise!?”
Any Inner Elder from a Paradise or Cave Heaven was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. Coming to his senses, Hui Gu asked, “Sir, is this the same man who brought Zhao Xing, the one whom Sir killed on the Prison Star?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded.
Because of Yang Kai’s interference, each Cave Heaven and Paradise was forced to send their Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm disciples into the Dao Theory Assembly, and Zhao Xing was the representative from Thousand Cranes Paradise. In the end, he was killed on the Prison Star by Yang Kai.
Zuo Quan Hui was Zhao Xing’s Honoured Master, so how could he rest easy knowing that his Disciple died a miserable death at the hands of another? Once the Dao Theory Assembly ended, he wanted to attack Yang Kai to take revenge for his Disciple’s death but was stopped by Xu Ling Gong. Helpless, he had no choice but simply to leave with Zhao Xing’s corpse.
According to Qing Kui, Xu Ling Gong had specially taken a trip to Thousand Cranes Paradise for that matter, but Thousand Cranes Paradise showed an ambiguous stance.
However, Yang Kai did not expect Zuo Quan Hui to actually be waiting here!
As a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, Zuo Quan Hui was not an opponent Yang Kai could defeat, though escaping should be no problem. As such, he did not panic even after seeing Zuo Quan Hui.
What’s more, this great ship flew Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s banner, so if Zuo Quan Hui dared to attack him, it would be the same as smashing Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s signboard, which would trigger Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s people to try to settle accounts with him.
Obviously, as an Inner Elder of Thousand Cranes Paradise, this point was still clear to him.
Facts proved that Zuo Quan Hui was not a reckless man. Though he had been waiting here, even after seeing Yang Kai, he showed no intention to attack. Only, the murderous look in his eyes was exceptionally intense. He was staring so intently at Yang Kai that he almost seemed to want to stare him to death.
A few moments later, they each disappeared from each other’s view.
Hui Gu heaved a sigh of relief.
On Thousand Cranes Paradise’s ship, Zuo Quan Hui shut his eyes, and his face twisted into a somewhat grim look.
“Honoured Master, are we just letting him go?” The woman who had been standing behind him this whole time asked. This woman did not show up at the Dao Theory Assembly, but her aura, which she had unconsciously been releasing, indicated she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“If I do not let him go, do you expect me to force him to stay?” Zuo Quan Hui took a deep breath and barked through gritted teeth, “Xu Ling Gong, that old fart is too much! He must have suspected that this Monarch would be waiting here for that brat, so he sent him off on a damn Yin-Yang Cave Heaven ship. If I make a move here, then I will be waging war against Yin-Yang Cave Heaven!”
“Does that mean that we can never get vengeance for Junior Brother Zhao?” The woman was reluctant to accept this result.
Zuo Quan Hui coldly snorted, “This grudge is absolutely irreconcilable, so there is no way I will let it be just like that. Xu Ling Gong can protect him now, but he will not be able to do so forever. Come, let us return to the Sect.”
Turning around, he walked into the cabin.
The woman stood on the deck, looking in the direction where Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s ship left with hatred in her eyes. Only after a long time did she finally stomp away.
After ordering Hui Gu to stay and keep watch on deck, Yang Kai returned to his cabin to cultivate and refine some Open Heaven Pills.
Despite knowing that Zuo Quan Hui would not be so reckless as to dare make a move against Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s ship, Yang Kai couldn’t afford to be careless. Who knew whether that old man would become overwhelmed with hatred and do something rash?
Fortunately, as a Thousand Cranes Paradise Inner Elder, Zuo Quan Hui was also bound by all sorts of rules and would not take the risk to provoke an existence as great as Yin-Yang Cave Heaven alone. So, he did not take any action at all, and had long disappeared out of sight.
Cultivation in the Open Heaven Realm was a matter of perseverance. Even though Yang Kai had gained huge benefits in the Divine Armament World and increased his strength greatly, he did not simply rest on his laurels and continued to refine many Open Heaven Pills on the journey back.
After a short period of time, he finally returned to Void Territory.
When they received news of his return, everyone in Void Territory came to greet him.
Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s ship did not linger for long, leaving as soon as it sent Yang Kai safely back to Void Land. Even though Yang Kai tried to get them to stay, they were under orders from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to not remain a moment longer than necessary.
Yang Kai had no choice but to prepare some gifts for them and then see them off.
Half a day later, in the Main Conference Hall, everyone was gathered.
Yang Kai sat boldly and uninhibitedly in the head position, looking out at the masses before him with a gratified look on his face.
When he thought back to the time when he first took over Void Land, there were only a handful of Open Heaven Realm Masters around him, but now, just Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were plentiful.
The Proprietress Lan You Ruo, Yue He, Mo Mei, the three Mountain Lords from Profound Yang Mountain that he recruited from Shadowless Cave Heaven, Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, and Zhou Ya. There were also the two Island Masters who submitted to him on Twin Spirit Island, the couple Hua Yong and Shu Mu Dan, and now, there was the new Hui Gu.
There were a total of 9! And that was without counting Yang Kai himself. If he were counted among them, then there would be 10 of them!
There were some 20 cultivators in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm as well. Lu Xue, Pang Duo, Gong Yang Xi, Mu Qian Xuan, Jin Yuan Lang, Fan Wu Xin, as well as others who came from Abundance City and the Shadowless Cave Heaven.
The ones in the Fourth-Order were even more difficult to count.
Right now, the Void Land could be said to be full of talents!
Compared to other great forces, the ratio of Open Heaven Realm Masters present in each Order was quite abnormal.
A heritage of 10 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was not considered weak even considering the entire 3,000 Worlds. In fact, excluding the Cave Heavens and Paradises, Void Land could be said to be a top great force now.
However, if a great force had 9 Sixth-Order Masters, then there would generally be at least 100 Fifth-Order Masters, or even more; however, Void Land only had around 20 or 30.
The root of all this is that all of the Open Heaven Realm members had entered Void Land halfway through and were not cultivated by Void Land itself, which threw the ratio out of balance.
However, this was not a big deal. The cultivators who could sit here, regardless of their origins and previous state of cultivation, were loyal to Void Land.
News of Yang Kai’s travel to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to participate in the Dao Theory Assembly and subsequently becoming its champion had long spread to the 3,000 Worlds, so Void Land had naturally heard about it, too.
At the moment, Yang Kai had no idea whether to laugh or cry as he was surrounded by congratulations from all directions.
Before going to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, he never expected things to come to this either; however, what happened happened, and no matter what, he was now a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven son-in-law.
Yang Kai also introduced Hui Gu to everyone, and they all welcomed him warmly.
Hui Gu felt a little flattered as to be honest, he never thought that Void Land would have such a strong heritage before he arrived here. He was especially surprised by the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like him.
Without even mentioning the many Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting in the Main Hall, Hui Gu could vaguely feel an aura coming from somewhere deep in Void Land that made his heart clench tight.
The aura was certainly hidden and obscure, but its occasional fluctuation made it impossible to ignore.
This Void Land had to be much more than what he could perceive! There may be more powerful forces hidden inside. However, now was not the time to be asking questions. Since he had already come to Void Land with Yang Kai, he could slowly figure it out in the future.
He suddenly felt as if he had found an amazing boss…
“This time, I won the Dao Theory Assembly, but I also got into a bit of trouble.” Yang Kai looked at the crowd below, “During the Dao Theory Assembly, I beat one of Thousand Cranes Paradise’s disciples to death.”
Everyone was shocked to hear that.
They had already known that Yang Kai was able to win the competition, but they did not learn much else besides that. It was only now that they realized what explosive things had happened during the events of the Dao Theory Assembly.
The corner of Old Bai’s eye twitched as he asked, “What Order was that man’s cultivation, and what was his position in Thousand Cranes Paradise?”
Yang Kai glanced at him and scratched his nose awkwardly, “Sixth-Order Open Heaven. In terms of position… similar to Qu Hua Shang from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
Old Bai sucked in a breath of cold air.
Yue He also frowned, “That sounds like big trouble.”
Suddenly thinking of something, she looked up at Yang Kai, “Is it because of this reason that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven escorted Young Master home?”
Yang Kai nodded sincerely, “During my return, we bumped into a Thousand Cranes Paradise Elder. If not for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s signboard, then I’m afraid he would have made his move right then and there.”
Yue He was thoughtful, “Since that man is an Elder of Thousand Cranes Paradise, then he would not dare to take the risk of offending Yin-Yang Cave Heaven openly, which was why he held back. However, according to this situation, that man will surely not give up there.”
Mo Mei chimed in, “Did Yin-Yang Cave Heaven not say anything? The Dao Theory Assembly was held by them after all. They would be held responsible if anything were to happen.”
“Senior Sister Qu’s Honoured Master, Xu Ling Gong, personally went to Thousand Cranes Paradise to negotiate, but the latter did not give their clear opinion on the matter.”
“In any case, it would be best if Thousand Cranes Paradise is willing to let the matter go; otherwise, there are troops for the enemy, and earth for floods!” Yang Kai waved his hand, “I’m merely telling you this so that you may all be more careful in the future. Don’t be taken advantage of by some unscrupulous people!”
With the current power of Void Land, there was little need for them to worry. They had two mature Divine Spirits to watch over them, and they were also protected by the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. Unless Thousand Cranes Paradise was willing to mobilize several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, it would be impossible for them to do anything to Void Land directly. Heavenly Sword Union that led the Hundred Sects Alliance was proof of that.
Everyone cupped their fists, “Yes!”
Yang Kai then turned his head to Old Bai, “How is Proprietress doing now? Have you heard anything?”
Old Bai shook his head, “She is still in retreat. Advancing to the Seventh-Order cannot be achieved overnight.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Pay close attention to any changes in her situation. If there is news, contact me immediately.”
Old Bai grinned, “Will do.”
“Good, everyone disperse. Go and attend to your own matters. Second Manager, arrange Hui Gu’s accommodations.”
Bian Yu Qing immediately stood up and answered, “Yes!”
Void Land was not small now, but Yang Kai still had little to manage as Bian Yu Qing was taking care of everything. However, this delayed her cultivation efforts a lot. Among those who came here from the Star Boundary, many of the peak Emperor Realm Masters had already condensed their Dao Seals and begun refining resources of the various Orders to make preparations for advancing to the Open Heaven Realm. However, Bian Yu Qing had not even been able to condense her Dao Seal yet.
She had sacrificed a lot for the sake of Void Land.
However, Yang Kai had his own arrangements for her, and he would naturally not neglect her. With the Divine Dao Water, ensuring her future of advancing directly into the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm would be no problem.
After returning to Void Land, Yang Kai had been living a comfortable and peaceful life. Besides refining Open Heaven Pills and some other cultivation resources each day, he would either play chess with Bi Xi or walk around the Star City.
Void Territory’s Star City was now famous all over the 3,000 Worlds, and the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was always in high demand. After all, this pill could raise the success rate of a cultivator advancing into the Open Heaven Realm. Any cultivator with a bit of wealth would want to acquire such a pill; however, the only ones who could refine the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill in this world was Void Land.
The other great forces could not refine this pill even if they got the pill recipe, but this couldn’t be helped as its primary ingredient, World Source Liquid, was too rare. This was something that was created only at the birth of a new world, and in the 3,000 Worlds, which Universe World was newly formed?
The Star City brought great wealth to Void Land, which was enough to supply the cultivation needs of its many disciples. The only problem faced by Void Land was the difficulty in finding Yin and Yang Element treasures for advancing into the Sixth-Order.
These two items were rare resources even for the major Cave Heavens and Paradises, so finding them was extremely difficult. Even though Void Land was not short of money, it had not been able to buy many of these resources over the years.
However, the Great Emperors who came from the Star Boundary, as well as Yang Kai’s Wives, all needed these Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element treasures in order to advance into the Open Heaven Realm. Without these, they could not advance.
Currently, the Star City’s top priority was to acquire these Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element treasures in order to ensure a smooth advancement for the Great Emperors.
While Yang Kai was having a headache over this matter, thinking about where he was going to find these resources, he received a piece of good news.
Gathering Yuan Union’s Lu Jing had come to visit!
According to their deal, Lu Jing followed Yang Kai during the Dao Theory Assembly for protection, which allowed him to return safely from the Prison Star. Otherwise, with Lu Jing’s Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, it was uncertain whether or not he would have survived in that harsh environment.
Before entering the Prison Star, Lu Jing had agreed to pay Yang Kai with a Sixth-Order Yang Element treasure as a reward for keeping him safe.
After the Dao Theory Assembly, Lu Jing returned alongside his Elders to Gathering Yuan Union’s Great Territory, and after much time had passed, he received no news from him. Yang Kai even thought that this guy was going to go back on his word.
Yang Kai never expected Lu Jing to visit in person on this day. It seemed like even though this guy’s cultivation was not very high, he was still a man of integrity.
But upon further thought, Yang Kai realized that this was not strange. Gathering Yuan Union was a mercantile alliance, with merchant ships that did business with many forces across the 3,000 Worlds. As merchants, trust was their greatest commodity, so they would never renege on their debts.
Lu Jing was flattered that Yang Kai received him personally.
In the reception hall, Lu Jing handed over a jade box, “Senior Brother Yang, here is the Purple Yang Jade, a Sixth-Order Yang Elements treasure. Please accept it as this Little Brother’s thanks to Senior Brother for the care he received on the Prison Star.”
Yang Kai did not stand on ceremony and reached out to accept it with a smile, “Brother Lu is too polite. What I did on the Prison Star was just a simple thing.”
Lu Jing responded, “To Senior Brother Yang it may just be a small effort, but to me, it is a life-saving grace. The Masters on the Prison Star were as plentiful as the clouds. A petty Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like me would hardly have survived without Senior Brother Yang’s care!”
Yang Kai laughed, “Brother Lu does not have to be so modest. Even though the Prison Star was dangerous, it was not so perilous that a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could not survive. Brother Lu is so generous, so obviously, Brother Lu has a high status in Gathering Yuan Union, right?”
Lu Jing smiled proudly, “Currently, the Union Master of Gathering Yuan Union is my Father!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “I had guessed as much, but why has Brother Lu only achieved a trivial Fourth-Order with such a background?”
Lu Jing laughed bitterly, “Financial power is not everything. My aptitude was not high, so even reaching the Fourth-Order now has taken my Father a lot of energy and resources. Otherwise, with my aptitude, we would be thanking the Heavens even if I could reach the Third-Order.”
With some thought, it did seem to be so. The most important part that decided one’s initial Order in the Open Heaven Realm was aptitude. Without a strong enough Dao Seal, it was simply impossible for one to bear too strong of an impact, and with that, there was naturally no way of achieving a higher Order.
However, Lu Jing’s status was also not low. His Father was the Union Master of Gathering Yuan Union, which made him the Young Union Master, which was not far from what Yang Kai had guessed before.
“Brother Lu, I have a business deal I want to propose to Gathering Yuan Union; I wonder whether Gathering Yuan Union is interested?” Yang Kai looked eagerly at him with a smile.
Lu Jing laughed in response, “Our Gathering Yuan Union’s doors are always open to new opportunities. As long as there is business to do, we are naturally interested.”
“Young Union Master!” The two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who had been standing by Lu Jing’s side all this while suddenly called out to him before going down to a whisper, “Union Master has asked you to return immediately after delivering the item. He says he wishes to make arrangements for your betrothal.”
Lu Jing’s face turned dark, “I have my own plans for marriage, what is he concerned about?”
The man responded, “That is what the Union Master ordered. Young Union Master, please do not make things difficult for this humble one.”
Lu Jing now had an awkward look on his face.
Yang Kai glanced at the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was speaking with interest. There was no way that he would not know that he was merely speaking like this because Gathering Yuan Union was unwilling to have too many entanglements with Void Land.
Since Gathering Yuan Union mainly focused on trade, they were indeed open to all in terms of business; however, Yang Kai had killed Zhao Xing in the Dao Theory Assembly, which was an insult to Thousand Cranes Paradise. Thus, Gathering Yuan Union was not willing to draw heat onto itself.
When Lu Jing came here, it was likely that his Father had warned him about this beforehand; otherwise, it was unlikely for these Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm guards to overstep their boundaries.
“There is no place for you to interfere when I’m speaking to Senior Brother Yang. Get out!” Lu Jing scolded.
Yang Kai raised his hand, “Since Brother Lu’s Father is thinking of arranging Brother Lu’s betrothal, then I will not keep you here; however, I will be troubling Brother Lu to pass on a message to your Father when you return.”
Lu Jing responded earnestly, “Please speak, Senior Brother Yang.”
“Please report to your Father that my Void Land would like to make developments in the dealing of our Heavenly Yuan Stabilizing Pill. If he is willing, then I will allow the Gathering Yuan Union to represent us in auctioning them!”
Lu Jing could not help but feel moved by the offer and even the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm guard who spoke earlier had a surprised look on his face.
The Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was famous across the 3,000 Worlds. There was no one who had not heard of it. Many people had their eyes on this Spirit Pill, but Void Land was the only producer of it. Others were simply unable to refine it.
Void Land’s Star City was able to reach such a scale solely because of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill. It can be said that this Spirit Pill was practically the foundation of Void Land’s development.
If they were able to get a share in this business, then that would be a big deal for Gathering Yuan Union. They may be able to rise to even greater heights with help from this arrangement.
If Void Land was willing to be generous, then what they want must not be small either, Lu Jing understood that, so he asked, “May I know what Senior Brother Yang wishes to gain from my Gathering Yuan Union?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Gathering Yuan Union’s merchant ships are spread across the 3,000 Worlds. With such a wide range of trade routes and so many eyes and ears available, finding Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element treasures should be no problem, right?”
Lu Jing laughed bitterly at that, “Senior Brother Yang has given me a difficult task. Such resources are very scarce, and that is true no matter where you look.” After a pause, he added, “How many is Senior Brother Yang looking for?”
Yang Kai answered, “Naturally, as many as you can find.”
Lu Jing laughed and pondered for a moment, “This is a big deal, so I am unable to make the decision. Indeed, this matter has to be referred to my Father. So as to not delay matters, I will take my leave now so that I may return to Senior Brother Yang with news as soon as possible.”
Yang Kai did not keep him any longer and stood up, “Let me see you off.”
The two left the hall side by side, and having suddenly thought of something, Lu Jing suddenly went into a whisper, “Has Senior Brother Yang heard something recently?”
Yang Kai glanced at him, “What does Brother Lu mean?”
“About Thousand Cranes Paradise!”
“Thousand Cranes Paradise?” Yang Kai raised a brow and shook his head, “Nothing. What do you know, Brother Lu?”
Lu Jing told him, “Thousand Cranes Paradise’s Elder, Zuo Quan Hui, has rebelled from the Sect alongside those from his lineage!”
Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and stared straight at him.
Lu Jing shrugged, “I’m not joking. When it happened, one of Gathering Yuan Union’s Vice Union Masters just happened to be doing some work at Thousand Cranes Paradise. That is when he came upon that situation. When he returned and reported the matter to my Father, I happened to hear a thing or two.”
“When did this happen?” Yang Kai frowned.
Lu Jing responded, “Counting back, it should have happened around two or three months ago.”
Two or three months, that was around the same time as when he returned to Void Land.
“Why was there no news in the outside world about such a huge event?” Yang Kai was confused.
“There is no way that Thousand Cranes Paradise would want to make a loud announcement of such an embarrassing situation. Zuo Quan Hui is a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and an Inner Elder of Thousand Cranes Paradise. If he rebels from his Sect, then it would mean the loss of face for Thousand Cranes Paradise. However, such a matter obviously cannot be hidden for long. Just watch, everyone will know about it within half a year.”
While chatting, they had already arrived at where Gathering Yuan Union’s ship was docked.
Lu Jing cupped his fist, “Senior Brother Yang, please wait. I will report to my Father about your proposal, and I will come again if there is any news.”
“Many thanks, Brother Lu.” Yang Kai nodded.
After watching Gathering Yuan Union’s ship depart, Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled as he could vaguely sense an impending storm.
Zuo Quan Hui was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and an Inner Elder of Thousand Cranes Paradise, so how could he have turned against his Sect so simply? He was not the only Seventh-Order Master in Thousand Cranes Paradise, and as one of the 72 Paradises, they would surely have some Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters keeping watch.
If Zuo Quan Hui really did turn against his Sect, then he would have been apprehended almost immediately.
From that fact alone, Yang Kai could guess that Zuo Quan Hui’s rebellion was just a show they had put on for the outside world.
Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly was presided over by Xu Ling Gong, who said before it began that this was not a children’s game. It was a competition to choose a suitor for Qu Hua Shang, and no reprisals were to be pursued regardless of the lives lost during its course.
Even though these words were spoken by Xu Ling Gong, he was representing Yin-Yang Cave Heaven! If someone really did try and get revenge afterwards, that would be slapping Xu Ling Gong in the face and smashing Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s signboard. Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would not let the matter rest after such an insult, and even without anyone else to stand up to the matter, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven themselves would put an end to it.
Thousand Cranes Paradise did not wish to make the situation too stiff either and provoke Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s reputation for the sake of a lost disciple. However, Zhao Xing was still a Core Disciple, and he could not die in vain. Thousand Cranes Paradise’s reputation was still important to them.
Zuo Quan Hui’s rebellion from Thousand Cranes Paradise meant he had cut off his relationship with them, and as the deceased’s Honoured Master, he could rightfully avenge his dead Disciple. This matter would have nothing to do with Thousand Cranes Paradise in that case. If Yin-Yang Cave Heaven wished to blame anyone, then the only one they could blame was the rebel, Zuo Quan Hui.
Furthermore, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven may not necessarily come out to say anything about the matter. One was a Cave Heaven and the other was a Paradise. Surpassing Thousand Cranes Paradise to the point where they made such a choice was already Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s limit, and Thousand Cranes Paradise had already taken a step back on the matter. Naturally, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would take a step back as well.
And this step was most likely their refusal to interfere in the feud between Yang Kai and Zuo Quan Hui.
After some thought, Yang Kai quickly worked out the relationships in this matter, and he could not help but sneer. Zuo Quan Hui was blinded by hatred, and he was most likely not going to be letting him go.
Yang Kai was just about to contact Bian Yu Qing when he saw two streams of light coming from the distance as soon as he looked up, and one of them happened to be her.
“Sect Master!” Bian Yu Qing saluted after landing, a troubled look on her face.
However, the person next to her fell to their knees and wailed, “Heavenly Monarch, please do something!”
Yang Kai frowned at them, quickly recognizing their identity, “You are Three Brilliances World’s World Lord, Pang Shao Yuan?”
Void Land was not the only great force in Void Territory. There existed seven Third Class great forces, and a dozen or so Universe Worlds, all of them with history’s far longer than Yang Kai’s reign in this place.
Back then, when Yang Kai established Void Land, these Third Class great forces and Universe Worlds sent their representatives over to congratulate him and even helped a lot to rebuild Void Land.
So, the seven Third Class great forces can all be considered subordinate forces of Void Land, and they were considered allies. The dozen Universe Worlds were essentially considered subjects of Void Land who were able to send over some talents to join Void Land once in a while.
Among the dozen or so Universe Worlds, one of them was Three Brilliances World, and the strongest Master of that world was the man in front of Yang Kai now, Pang Shao Yuan. However, even though this man aspired to achieve the Fourth-Order, or even Fifth-Order, Open Heaven Realm, he was still merely in the Emperor Realm right now.
“Please, Heavenly Monarch, save the people of my Three Brilliances World!” Pang Shao Yuan kowtowed to him, bashing his forehead to the ground in loud thuds.
“Stand up and speak!” Yang Kai reached out to pick him up, confused, “What happened?”
Bian Yu Qing hurriedly explained, “Someone stormed into Three Brilliances World and began slaughtering people indiscriminately. Three Brilliances World has sustained heavy damage. When he realized that things were beyond his ability to handle, World Lord Peng decided to come and seek help.”
Yang Kai’s pupils shrank. Just earlier, Lu Jing had just warned him that Zuo Quan Hui had rebelled from Thousand Cranes Paradise, and now, Three Brilliances World had fallen into danger. He could not help but think of something.
“Luring a snake out of its hole!” Yang Kai’s face turned grim.
Void Land was guarded by two mature Divine Spirits, which was a well-known fact. There was also the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. To break through such defensive power, several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would have to join hands.
Even if Zuo Quan Hui wanted to avenge his Disciple, he would not be foolish enough to come directly to Void Land. He would have to lure Yang Kai out instead.
Three Brilliances World was just caught in the crossfire!
Otherwise, how could Pang Shao Yuan, a trivial Emperor Realm Master, be able to escape? Since Zuo Quan Hui wished to lure the snake out of the hole, it was only natural that he needed someone to pass on the news.
However, Zuo Quan Hui was still a man from a Paradise, and also a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so how could he be so merciless as to lay his hands on a Universe World? It had to be known that Universe Worlds were the foundation of the entire 3,000 Worlds. Was he not afraid of damaging his reputation with such rash actions?
Bian Yu Qing had no idea what Yang Kai meant by that assessment, but she could vaguely tell that something was not right. Void Land possessed extraordinary strength these days, and Three Brilliances World was a subject of Void Land. How could anyone be so brave as to cause trouble under Void Land’s eyes? They were clearly doing this on purpose.
“Heavenly Monarch, we must hurry. Lives are at stake. If we delay any further, then it will be too late. These vile people are strong, and I have no idea what Order of the Open Heaven Realm they are in, but even a single move can cause devastating damage. I’m afraid it would not take too long for them to tear apart the entire Three Brilliances World!” Pang Shao Yan begged anxiously.
Yang Kai nodded, “I know. I will go immediately.”
With that said, he rushed to the sky while urgently telling Bian Yu Qing to pass on his orders.
After watching Yang Kai disappear into the distance, Pang Shao Yuan fell powerlessly to the ground.
Bian Yu Qing reassured him, “World Lord Peng need not worry. Sect Master will naturally deal with the enemy. You should go and rest. I still have things to attend to, so I will not be accompanying you.”
After calling over a Void Land disciple to bring Pang Shao Yuan to a guest room, Bian Yu Qing took out her Communication Bead and sent out a series of messages.
In the blink of an eye, the Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters scattered all over gathered together.
Three Brilliances World was an azure Universe World, which was slightly larger than the Star Boundary. Whether it be in World Energy or World Principles, it was slightly better than the Star Boundary, so cultivating in Three Brilliances World was much easier.
Yang Kai transformed into a ray of light and kept on pushing his Space Principles as he closed in on his destination in merely a cup of tea’s time.
When he looked down from the void, Yang Kai felt so furious that his eyes could pop. The Universe World which used to be azure was now covered in pits and wounds. Even from the void, he could see the large cracks that spanned across the land. Black smoke was rising in the air and hot magma was erupting. Even the seawater was rolling black. Clearly, the world’s vitality had been damaged greatly!
Back then, a single Mo Sheng could stir up a huge mess in the Star Boundary, which almost led to the extinction of all life, so there was no need to mention what an even stronger Open Heaven Realm Master could do if they ran amok in the Three Brilliances World.
For the one behind this, all the living that exist within the Three Brilliances World were merely ants to them, easily slaughtering them without any resistance, which showed how heartless this person was.
Somewhere in Three Brilliances World, a violent energy fluctuation emerged. Yang Kai looked over in that direction. Across a distance of several tens of thousands of kilometers, his gaze pierced through the Void and could vaguely see a person wielding their power recklessly, leaving a reign of terror wherever they passed. A city, inhabited by tens of thousands, was flipped over in just a single blow, annihilating everyone in a mere instant.
“Courting death!” Yang Kai was seeing red and his murderous intent surged. Grabbing the air, the Azure Dragon Spear entered his hand. With a thrust of his spear, Space Principles warped, and he disappeared.
Above the rubble was a figure hovering with fluttering sleeves. There seemed to be wronged spirits lingering about his ears, but the man smiled as if he was enjoying the pleasure of his wanton slaughter. Under his Divine Sense’s perception, there was another city just 1,000 kilometres away where many living beings were gathered.
As he was about to make for the city, a powerful aura suddenly rushed over in his direction that sent a shiver up his spine.
Turning his head back, he saw a lightning flash in the clouds, then came a raging murderous intent, erupting out for all to feel!
Feeling the terror of the incoming blow, the man dared not be careless. With a great roar, soundwaves visible to the naked eye rippled towards Yang Kai through the air.
At the same time, the figure backed away speedily.
Yang Kai continued to give chase with his spear, his strikes flowing in an unrestrained manner, covering the sky in a flurry of spear shadows that rained down on his enemy.
That man, who was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, was obviously very confident in his own strength, and at first, he was able to block Yang Kai’s attacks, but as he continued to clash, both his body and Soul were repeatedly shocked. Eventually, he was forced to cry out for help, “Divine Monarch, save me!”
“Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch?” Yang Kai also finally had a look at this guy’s face. He originally thought that it was someone from Thousand Cranes Paradise who was attacking this place, and there was even the possibility that he might see Zuo Quan Hui himself. Unexpectedly, the one slaughtering the inhabitants of Three Brilliances World actually turned out to be Prison League’s League Master, Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch!
It was too late to wonder why Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch was here though as after he shouted, powerful auras hidden in all directions quickly emerged, one of which made Yang Kai’s heart jump.
Turning around, he saw Zuo Quan Hui appear with a grim look on his face, and the sword in his hand was pointed his way, quickly approaching. His thrust may have seemed simple, but it was able to break through Yang Kai’s spear shadow blockade perfectly and head straight for the spot between his brow.
A feeling of imminent death washed over Yang Kai as he drew in a breath of cold air and manipulated Space Principles, executing his Near Distant Horizon Secret Technique, infinitely stretching the space between him and Zuo Quan Hui.
“Break!” Zuo Quan Hui shouted, shattering the stretched space. Then, the cold glint of his sword tip quickly enlarged before Yang Kai’s eyes.
[Near Distant Horizon was broken!]
Yang Kai’s heart was shaken. Sure enough, the power of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was truly extraordinary, even being capable of breaking through his Space Secret Technique with ease, which was something that had never happened before.
Yang Kai was caught off guard and could only block the blow with his spear.
*Hong hong hong…*
Following a loud series of explosions, a tidal wave of energy spread out in all directions, instantly turning the destroyed city below to ashes, leaving no trace of it behind. Even the ground was cracked open with lines like that of a canyon appearing out of nowhere. Between those cracks, magma gushed out in a spectacular display.
In an instant, the two had exchanged dozens of blows.
Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of Golden Blood and could not stop himself from flying backwards. He crashed headlong into a mountain 100 kilometres away and disappeared from sight.
“Hm?” Zuo Quan Hui frowned, looking surprised.
He was stunned that he was unable to execute Yang Kai instantly despite personally making a move. Judging by the blows they exchanged just now, the heritage of Yang Kai’s Small Universe was extremely powerful, not inferior to a Master at the very peak of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
After a brief pause, Zuo Quan Hui came back to his senses, “Is this the might of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Small Source World? Even so, you will die here today!”
He did not hesitate to break away from Thousand Cranes Paradise and even took in someone like Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch, instructing him to cause carnage in Three Brilliances World, all so he could lure Yang Kai out. Now that Yang Kai was here, if he did not win this fight, then he might not have such a good opportunity again in the future.
With a flick of his sword, Zuo Quan Hui’s entire figure was wrapped in the sword light before he shot off like a flash of lightning!
But before Zuo Quan Hui could arrive, the mountain suddenly split apart and Yang Kai’s figure rose to the sky and headed straight for the void.
Even though he was now in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and his strength had improved greatly thanks to the many opportunities he encountered, the difference between the High-Rank and Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realms was like the difference between the Heavens and Earth. If it were any ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, then they would probably have been killed by Zuo Quan Hui in the first exchange of blows.
Yang Kai was able to escape from death thanks to all the hard work he put in back in the Small Source World. If not for his previous gains in the Divine Armament World, his situation now would be even worse.
Even so, Yang Kai was in a dizzy state at this moment, and his Small Universe was in turmoil.
Before coming here, he had a hunch that Zuo Quan Hui would be waiting in ambush. Just as Pang Shao Yuan said, however, saving lives was like putting out a fire. If Three Brilliances World was in danger, then he did not dare to delay things, so he had no choice but to come over and stop the carnage immediately.
But now, after their exchange, Yang Kai was certain that he was no match for Zuo Quan Hui, so how could he stay here any longer? What was more, if he continued to fight in this place, then Three Brilliances World would really be done for.
After all, there were still countless living beings inhabiting this place, and if Three Brilliances World was shattered from their fight, all the living beings in this world would die without a burial.
“Where are you trying to run!” A figure rushed over from the side; a woman in imperial robes. The woman’s face was scrunched up with murderous intent and her aura flared madly. She was also a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and with a wave of her hand, a colourful belt stretched out across the void, releasing an endless river of stars.
Crashing straight into this river, it was as if Yang Kai had entered a starry sky. In an instant, north, south, east, and west had become indistinguishable.
He knew that this artifact had a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking effect, almost like a Self-Contained World. If he did not break out of this trap quickly, then things will not be good once Zuo Quan Hui caught up to him.
Not daring to hesitate, Yang Kai let out a fierce roar, “Golden Crow Casts the Sun!”
A loud and clear caw broke through the air and a Great Sun rose up. Within the Great Sun, a three-legged exotic bird could be seen frolicking about.
Yang Kai raised his spear to the Great Sun before, stabbing fiercely towards the void.
The Great Sun exploded, and in an instant, the starry sky around him grew dim.
Terrifying Golden Crow’s True Fire swept out in all directions as Yang Kai’s body flew up. When he recovered, he found himself outside of the endless river of stars and not far ahead was a woman’s figure.
With her artifact broken, the woman’s face was slightly pale, and there was a trail of blood trickling down the corner of her mouth.
With fierce determination, Yang Kai raised his spear, preparing to impale the woman with its tip, but it was then that a heavy murderous intent emerged from behind him. Zuo Quan Hui had caught up, forcing him to have to fight back.
World Force collided as Yang Kai’s figure tumbled through the air and endless Sword Qi cut his clothes into pieces. No matter how strong his body was, it was instantly covered in blood from fresh wounds. The terrifying Sword Intent even lingered in his wounds like maggots, burrowing into his flesh and his meridians.
With a shout, Yang Kai forcefully suppressed his wounds, but when he saw Zuo Quan Hui approaching again, he had no choice but to borrow the force of the recoil, turning around and running away!
“Even if you escape to the ends of the Universe, you will surely still die today!” Zuo Quan Hui’s voice came from behind him as he continued to give chase.
Yang Kai wanted to escape using Space Principles, but the might of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was so great that each time he had that thought, the strange Sword Qi haunting his wounds would suddenly erupt, causing him unbearable pain and making it difficult for him to concentrate, which made it even more impossible for him to escape successfully.
Zuo Quan Hui was obviously on guard against his mastery over the Dao of Space. He knew that if he did not contain this ability of Yang Kai’s, then he would not be able to kill him.
“Honoured Master, he’s fleeing towards Void Land!” The woman followed closely behind Zuo Quan Hui, looking in the direction in which Yang Kai was running.
Zuo Quan Hui coldly snorted, “I knew this would happen, but he won’t be able to escape.”
As he spoke, three figures suddenly appeared before Yang Kai. From a distance, one of the men shouted, “You shall not pass!”
Then, the three of them combined their strength to deliver an attack in his direction.
Squinting his eyes, only two of the three men were recognizable to Yang Kai. One of them was Firm Gold Heavenly Monarch, another was Blue Flame Heavenly Monarch, as for the last one, he was someone Yang Kai had never met before, so he had no idea who he was or where he came from.
All the same, Yang Kai cursed in his heart. He knew that these two guys would be here.
In fact, Yang Kai had been on alert for them ever since he saw Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch.
Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch founded Prison League on the Prison Star, and Firm Gold Heavenly Monarch and Blue Flame Heavenly Monarch were his Vice League Masters. During the Dao Theory Assembly, Prison League captured Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan. Later, they also captured a Core Disciple from Azure Nether Paradise as a bargaining chip to negotiate with Yin-Yang Cave Heaven after everything ended.
The end result of that was that the three leaders of Prison League were freed, and they let Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan go while Yin Xin Zhao and the great force behind him had to pay Yin-Yang Cave Heaven a large sum of money.
Now, it seemed like the three from Prison League who were freed were Huang Quan, Jin Gang, and Cang Yan.
It was only natural for that to be so as the three of them occupied the three highest spots in Prison League. If they could obtain freedom, then they would not leave this opportunity for anyone else.
Only, Yang Kai could not understand how the three of them got mixed up with Zuo Quan Hui.
Whether it be Huang Quan, Jin Gang, or Cang Yan, all three men were veterans in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, no worse than Mao Zhe. In a one-on-one fight, they would definitely be no match for Yang Kai, even if it was two against one, Yang Kai might still come out on top. However, there were currently three Masters joining hands now. What’s more, Yang Kai had already been hurt from the fight with Zuo Quan Hui earlier, so he could only dodge when it came to a fight against a combined force like this.
However, this delay only allowed Zuo Quan Hui to close the gap between them.
With a wolf in front and tiger behind, Yang Kai was in a precarious situation!
“Yang Kai, when you killed my Junior Brother, did you ever expect to face this day?” The man standing between Firm Gold Heavenly Monarch and Blue Flame Heavenly Monarch gritted his teeth and snarled at him.
From what he said, it was obvious this man was Zhao Xing’s Senior Brother.
Lu Jing had previously told Yang Kai that Zuo Quan Hui had rebelled from Thousand Cranes Paradise along with his lineage, which meant Zuo Quan Hui was not alone. He had brought all his subordinates and Disciples he could use with him, and this man was one of them. The unfamiliar faces he saw earlier must be the same, including the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman.
“You bastard, you will die here today!” The woman’s voice also sounded from behind.
Looking down, Yang Kai sneered, “You wish to kill me? That will depend on whether you have that ability or not!”
A huge lotus-like ship was rapidly approaching from the void, and before it even arrived, a dense stream of lights shot out from the ship.
The woman’s alarmed voice sounded through the air, “Senior Brother Zhou Ti, watch out!”
Zhou Ti, Jin Gang, and Cang Yan, who were obstructing Yang Kai’s way, had also realized that danger was approaching, and when they turned around, their vision was filled with a brilliant light. One by one, terrifying attacks rained down on them.
The three of them were so shocked that they did not even have time to think how many Masters there were. They just turned tail and fled like frightened birds and beasts.
The moment they made their move, Yang Kai also stabbed at Zhou Ti with his spear, ignoring the barriers of space, reaching the latter’s face as soon as he lifted his hand. A Dragon Roar erupted from the Azure Dragon Spear as if it had truly transformed into a giant Dragon brandishing its claws and baring its fangs, seemingly about to devour Zhou Ti up in one gulp.
Sensing imminent danger, Zhou Ti tried hard to circulate the strength of his Small Universe and formed hand seals to protect his front.
*Chi…*
Blood spluttered out as Yang Kai and Zhou Ti passed each other. When their eyes met, Zhou Ti’s eyes were filled with great terror, while Yang Kai’s only showed mockery. Flipping the Azure Dragon Spear back around, he thrust out at Zhou Ti’s heart with an unstoppable momentum.
As the aura of death enveloped him, Zhou Ti’s face became ashen, but at the critical moment, Yang Kai frowned and pulled his spear back.
*Dang…*
A sword stopped the Azure Dragon Spear, colliding with it with a terrifying World Force. Grunting, blood spilled from Yang Kai’s nose and mouth. Behind the longsword, Zuo Quan Hui faced him with a grim expression. With a shake of his sword, a wave of Sword Qi formed and flew straight in his direction.
Yang Kai was forced backwards while fresh blood constantly spilled from all over his body. Dense cuts covered his skin in a horrifying display.
“Young Master!” Yue He shouted and dashed over to him together with Profound Yang Mountain’s Three Mountain Lords, Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, and Zhou Ya.
When it came to loyalty, none could trump the three of them. The three Mountain Lords were also powerful, all of them being established Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Back in the Shadowless Cave Heaven, they had been forced to write their names down on the Loyalty List and submit to Yang Kai; however, since they had already put down their names, whether they earnestly wished to submit to Yang Kai or were simply forced to, all three of now rushed forward when they saw Yang Kai teeter around the edge of life or death.
If Yang Kai died here, then they would be buried with him, so as soon as they saw him in danger, they all rushed over as soon as possible.
With the combined power of these five, they were finally able to block Zuo Quan Hui’s strike.
Seeing that he would not be able to kill Yang Kai in a short amount of time, Zuo Quan Hui wisely chose to step back. He pressed forward earlier mainly to save Zhou Ti, but now that his goal had been achieved, there was no need for him to pursue Yang Kai further. The most important thing for him to do now was assess the current situation.
The fight that spanned hundreds of kilometres in the void suddenly subsided, but everyone knew that this peace was just an illusion, the calm before the storm.
“Young Master, are you all right?” Yue He looked nervously at Yang Kai, feeling heartbroken to see him in such a state.
Yang Kai looked miserable. His clothes were in rags and there were numerous wounds littered over his body, both big and small. It was rare for him to show such a vulnerable side.
“I’m fine!” Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood. Looking in the distance with a defiant face, he sneered, “Zuo Quan Hui, you want to lure the snake from his cave? Aren’t you worried you’ll lure a Dragon out instead?”
Hundreds of kilometres away, Zuo Quan Hui’s face was still grim. Eyes sweeping over the people by Yang Kai’s side, he spat, “This Monarch has underestimated your Void Land!”
He knew that Void Land’s heritage was not bad, and that they had two Divine Spirits watching over them. Even a Master in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm like him did not dare to act recklessly, which was why he devised a scheme to lure Yang Kai out.
He thought that it would be easy to kill him as long as he was able to lure Yang Kai out, but Yang Kai was much stronger than he initially thought. It was surprising that he was not able to kill him off instantly, but knowing Void Land’s heritage was even more surprising!
They had 9 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and more than 20 in the Fifth-Order!
This lineup was not in line with the information he had received previously. From the intelligence he gathered, Void Land only had 2 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters at most.
Compared to Void Land, his own side only had Zhou Ti, Huang Quan, Jin Gang, Cang Yan, and his female Disciple. There were only a total of 5 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in his service, but Zuo Quan Hui himself was in the Seventh-Order, so he more than made up for the gap in power.
Even so, Void Land was growing at a rate that shocked Zuo Quan Hui. How strong were they when Heavenly Sword Union formed the Hundred Sects Alliance to attack them? It had barely been 10 years since then, and they had already collected so many Masters! If they let this continue on, then Void Land will definitely become a big problem in the future!
“But how can you stop this Monarch with just the few of you? Boy, this Monarch must kill you today!” Zuo Quan Hui shouted as he raised his sword.
Yang Kai grinned, “What a coincidence, that was what I was thinking, too.”
He shouted, “Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, join me in this fight! I’ve never killed a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master before, so today, we will have a taste! The rest of you, corner the rest of our opponents. Don’t let a single one of them escape!”
All of them answered in unison, “Yes!”
Yang Kai raised his spear and pointed it at Zuo Quan Hui, bellowing, “Kill!”
A distance of hundreds of kilometres was merely a step away for Open Heaven Realm Masters, but in a step, in a shout, Yang Kai had already taken the lead and rushed forward.
Earlier, Yang Kai had practically nowhere to escape to as he was chased up and down by Zuo Quan Hui. Now, the elites of Void Land had all come out to face the enemy in battle. As Yang Kai said before, Zuo Quan Hui may have been trying to lure the snake out of its hole, but he had unwittingly lured out a Dragon instead.
Even if Zuo Quan Hui was not killed in this battle, his side would still be wounded, which should teach him that Void Territory was not a place for him to come and go as he pleased!
A battle even fiercer than the one before broke out instantly. Six or seven battlefields formed in the expansive void. World Forces collided with each other endlessly in a heated contest.
Mo Mei confronted Zhou Ti, who was instantly pinned down and only able to struggle passively. Under normal circumstances, Mo Mei would not be Zhou Ti’s opponent; after all, she had only advanced into the Sixth-Order a short while ago. Even if Void Land was there to support her with resources, she still needed time to build up her Small Universe’s heritage.
Zhou Ti had undoubtedly reached the Sixth-Order much earlier than Mo Mei, so his Small Universe’s heritage should be more powerful.
However, Zhou Ti was severely injured by Yang Kai’s spear when he tried to block his path just now. In fact, if not for Zuo Quan Hui rescuing him at the last moment, Zhou Ti might already be dead.
With his injuries, Zhou Ti was unable to exert his full strength to begin with, so it was only natural that he would be overpowered by Mo Mei.
Yue He, on the other hand, chose to fight the Sixth-Order woman. Both sides were on equal footing, so neither was able to do anything to their opponent.
Zhou Ya was slightly weaker when compared to Cang Yan, but her heritage as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was still there, so killing her would still be as difficult as ascending to the Heavens, unless Zhou Ya herself courted death.
Hua Yong and Shu Mu Dan, the couple, had always advanced and retreated together, so with their combined skills, they were able to beat Jin Gang into a bitter state.
Finally, Hui Gu rushed up to Huang Quan at the first chance he got with overwhelming killing intent. He was practically fighting with his life on the line without any concern about whether or not he would be injured. His reckless ferocity caused Huang Quan to jump in fright.
Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch should have been slightly stronger than Hui Gu; otherwise, Huang Quan would not have been able to serve as Prison League’s Master. However, he was forced into a disadvantageous position by Hui Gu in this confrontation.
The reason that Hui Gu was like this was because of his deceased attendant, Bai Mo.
On the Prison Star, he and Bai Mo have been in each other’s company for hundreds of years. The Master and Servant had gone through many ups and downs together, and though Bai Mo’s cultivation was not high, only Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he was extremely loyal to Hui Gu and was even willing to offer his life for him.
It was just a pity that Bai Mo ended up in Prison League’s hands and was crushed before Hui Gu’s eyes by Huang Quan!
After the Dao Theory Assembly, Yang Kai got Hui Gu out of the Prison Star, and from then on, Hui Gu made a vow to kill Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch in order to avenge Bai Mo’s death.
The only issue was, Huang Quan had also escaped from the Prison Star and disappeared.
Who would have thought that Hui Gu would be able to find Huang Quan here? Naturally, he was seeing red when he saw his hated enemy. Despite knowing that he was not his opponent, Hui Gu still decided to confront Huang Quan.
This fight between the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters raged forth like an inferno, each side having both advantages and disadvantages. On the other hand, the fight between the Fifth-Order Masters was completely one-sided.
Among Zuo Quan Hui’s people, there were 4 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. They had also appeared in Three Brilliances World, and had followed Zuo Quan Hui as his loyal Disciples.
None of them could have imagined that this would be their burial place!
The 20 plus Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land all descended on them at once, and the overwhelming gap in numbers was enough to form a lop-sided siege that suppressed them in a very short amount of time.
One by one, Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques were released as World Force flared. Even though the 4 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters fought back desperately, they were still facing a miserable end.
In just several dozen breaths of time, Zuo Quan Hui’s 4 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm followers fell into a dangerous position.
Naturally, this fact did not escape Zhou Ti and the Sixth-Order woman’s attention. Their Disciples and Juniors were being suppressed and sent into a life-threatening situation, so it was only natural that they would want to rescue them; however, how could Mo Mei and Yue He allow them to do so? In fact, their distraction allowed Mo Mei and Yue He to gain further advantage over them in their battles.
A few moments later, amidst a number of screams. The 4 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were all killed. Their Small Universes shattered, and World Force poured out all at once.
When Zhou Ti and the Sixth-Order woman saw this, they were both heartbroken, but helpless.
After the many Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters finished off their opponents, they flew towards the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm battlefield under Old Bai’s lead without even a pause. Splitting up into four different groups, they offered support to Yue He, Mo Mei, and the others.
Within the Open Heaven Realm, the gap between each Order was immense, and the higher the Order, the more obvious the gap became.
A Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could easily deal with the forces of 10 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters combined, and they even had the strength to fight back. Under normal circumstances, what Void Land’s 20 or so Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could do was quite limited.
However, at this moment, their existence had become the key to victory or defeat.
In the battle of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Zhou Ya was outmatched against Cang Yan, Yue He was evenly matched with the Sixth-Order woman, and even Hui Gu was able to suppress Huang Quan for a short amount of time.
Zhou Ti and Jin Gang were both at an absolute disadvantage.
The addition of the many Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters added pressure to the enemy. They may not be able to face any one of these Sixth-order Open Heaven Realm Masters by themselves, but they could take to the sidelines and launch sneak attacks at the right moments. In a life-or-death fight, the pesky Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were extremely troubling and even deadly for the enemy.
Old Bai even had time to check on Yang Kai’s situation.
He knew that the key to winning or losing today’s battle would depend on Yang Kai’s side. If Yang Kai could stand up to Zuo Quan Hui, then this would be Void Land’s win; otherwise, any advantage on their side would be meaningless.
Loud roars filled the void as spear shadows erupted repeatedly. World Force was constantly reverberating as Yang Kai felt like he was constantly treading the line between life and death.
This was not his first time fighting someone in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Back then, when he returned from Shadowless Cave Heaven, he led his men to destroy the headquarters of Boundless Altar and Golden Rainbow Province in order to relieve the Proprietress of her heart demon oath.
They did not encounter much resistance at Boundless Altar with their Old Ancestor making the wise choice of giving up their headquarters to save his disciples, leaving the Spirit Province for Yang Kai to do with as he pleased.
However, Yang Kai had to face off against the Old Ancestor of Golden Rainbow Province, Li Luo Shui, who was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. The two of them fought, and Yang Kai forced his enemy back, finally razing Golden Rainbow Province to the ground and successfully relieving the Proprietress of her heart demon oath so that she could enter retreat in the following days in order to break through to the Seventh-Order.
Luo Li Shui had hastily broken through at the time, and her foundation was not stable, so it was hard to say how much strength she was actually able to exert during that fight.
In comparison, Zuo Quan Hui was one of Thousand Cranes Paradise’s Inner Elders who had advanced into the Seventh-Order who knows how long ago. He had deep roots in that realm and possessed a sturdy foundation, so the power that he could bring forth was far greater than that of Li Luo Shui.
At the very least, Yang Kai had grown tremendously recently. His experience in the Divine Armament World had also greatly enhanced the heritage of his Small Universe, so he was definitely much stronger than he was before. If he were to bump into Li Luo Shui again, then Yang Kai might be able to deal with her without suffering nearly as much.
However, the one he was facing right now was Zuo Quan Hui. An indelible sense of crisis was enveloping him at all times like a sharp blade hanging over his head, about to fall on him at any moment.
Each time he clashed with Zuo Quan Hui, Yang Kai could feel his organs turning inside out and his Soul shaking. The World Force within a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s Small Universe was so powerful that Yang Kai felt as if he was clashing against the entire world each time their blows met.
Even with Mao Zhe and Geng Qing to share in the pressure from the sidelines, Yang Kai still suffered greatly during this fight. Even with the combined strength of the 3 of them, they could not gain any advantage at all.
The fight had only lasted a half cup of tea’s time, but Mao Zhe and Geng Qing were already bloody and showing expressions of fear.
If it were not for the deaths of the 4 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters acting as a short distraction, then Yang Kai would not even have had the chance to catch his breath.
The only thing that Yang Kai could be thankful for was the fact that Zuo Quan Hui did not possess a Divine Manifestation! Even though his moves were all extremely powerful, as were his Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques, he had not shown any signs of having a Divine Manifestation.
[If he still has not cast it, that means he isn’t hiding it. He must be unable to use it!]
It seemed that this Zuo Quan Hui was still slightly worse than Ti Zheng of Myriad Demons Heaven. At least, Ti Zheng was able to use a Divine Manifestation.
The rain of swords fell on them like a waterfall with each sword light containing the might of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Yang Kai, Mao Zhe, and Geng Qing combined their efforts to resist, but the sounds of flesh being penetrated still rang out. Both Mao Zhe and Geng Qing spat blood and were forced back with faces filled with terror.
They had never fought with an established Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master before, so it was only now that they realized how great the disparity between the Sixth and Seventh-Order truly was.
On the surface, it seemed like the three of them were joining forces to fight Zuo Quan Hui, but Mao Zhe and Geng Qing knew full well that Yang Kai alone had already blocked 80% of Zuo Quan Hui’s assault. The rest of the attacks that they each withstood represented only 10%.
Even this 10%, however, was extremely difficult for them to withstand, and they felt as if they could die at any moment.
They were shocked by just how strong a Master in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm could be, but were even more shocked at Yang Kai’s terrifying heritage, though they were no strangers to Yang Kai’s strength. Back then, at Shadowless Cave Heaven’s Profound Yang Mountain, they were able to experience it deeply, but they did not expect Yang Kai to be this powerful!
Though also being in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Mao Zhe had already reached the peak of this realm and with enough resources and opportunity, he could definitely try to make a breakthrough to the Seventh-Order.
However, his so-called peak seemed ridiculous when compared to Yang Kai.
How long had Yang Kai been in the Sixth-Order? If he were given time to reach the peak of the Sixth-Order, could it be possible that even an ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be no match for him?
[How can there be such a monster in this world?!]
Zuo Quan Hui was also shocked that a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was able to last in a fight with him for so long without dying. If he had not seen it for himself, then he would never have believed that it was possible.
Any time that he thought he could kill off Yang Kai, the brat would always find a ray of hope during the critical moment to escape from death. This young boy’s battle sense was simply beyond words, and the heritage of his Small Universe was also abnormally powerful.
Even at the Peak Sixth-Order, it should be impossible for anyone to hold off against the bombardment of a Seventh-Order Master for such a long time, but Yang Kai was able to do just that. Not only was he able to hold him back, he could even occasionally strike back at him.
In shock, Zuo Quan Hui attacked with even more ferocity. Yang Kai, Mao Zhe, and Geng Qing could immediately feel the intensity of the attacks being vented out on them becoming even more violent than before.
In just a short 10 breaths of time, Mao Zhe and Geng Qing were both sent flying with blood covering their bodies.
After knocking back these two, Zuo Quan Hui did not try to take advantage of the momentum he gained to kill them. For him, Yang Kai was his only target, the rest were just extras. As long as he could kill Yang Kai, then it was simply impossible for the others to hold back against his attacks. All of them would eventually face death at his hands.
A myriad of sword lights suddenly gathered into a beam that was being launched straight in Yang Kai’s direction!
In the huge void, the only thing left behind was the light of his sword!
Yang Kai’s pupils shrank to a needlepoint. The crisis that he was facing now was even more intense than any he faced before. He stood in the space between life and death, but rather than retreat, he advanced with spear in hand.
Without a bang, the light exploded into a halo that practically encased half of the void.
From the light’s midst, Yang Kai’s figure emerged. A bloody hole was pierced through his abdomen, but he seemed oblivious of it. There was no sadness or joy on his face as he stabbed his spear out.
Zuo Quan Hui’s face was extremely grim. Gritting his teeth, he bellowed, “A foolish struggle! How futile!”
Blade turning, his sword buzzed. Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm World Force poured into the blade as he pointed it lightly in Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai grinned, “Your Disciple is going to die!”
When he said this, a scream arose from the side. Zuo Quan Hui quickly turned his head towards the sound, only to see Zhou Ti stumble back while holding the stub of his right arm, which had disappeared. Fresh blood was gushing out of the wound like a fountain.
In front of Zhou Ti, Mo Mei’s hands were constantly changing into different seals. One by one, Divine Abilities blasted his way. Behind Zhou Ti, Old Bai also led the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to cast their Secret Techniques to disorient him.
Zhou Ti was in critical danger!
He was seriously injured to begin with, so he was not Mo Mei’s opponent from the start. Then, the addition of Old Bai and the others into their battle further added to his woes. Among all those fighting on this battlefield, Zhou Ti was in the worst situation. He was barely able to resist for a while before one of his arms had been blown away.
Obviously, Mo Mei was not going to allow him even a moment of respite. World Force pouring out, Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques blossomed ceaselessly.
Zhou Ti shouted miserably, “Honoured Master, save me!”
This cry came at just the right moment as Zuo Quan Hui happened to be looking his way. When he saw that Zhou Ti was in danger, Zou Quan Hui could only grit his teeth and head in his direction.
In order to avenge his Disciple, Zhao Xing, Zuo Quan Hui had left Thousand Cranes Paradise without hesitation, bringing along his followers in the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, even offering a handsome reward to Huang Quan, Cang Yan, and Jin Gang for their loyalty, but he never would have expected that not only would he fail to kill Yang Kai, his own Fifth-Order Disciples would be the first to die.
Even though those Disciples were not in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he had still been teaching them for many years, and it broke his heart to see them die such a miserable death.
However, if he could kill Yang Kai and destroy Void Land’s Open Heaven Realm Masters, then he could avenge their deaths and bring some justification to their misery.
However, if Zhou Ti died, then no amount of deaths here would be able to make up for the loss.
This was all about avenging the death of one Sixth-Order Disciple, so he could not lose another in the process or everything would be in vain.
So, when he heard Zhou Ti’s plea for help, Zou Quan Hui did not hesitate to turn around and rush to his aid.
It was at that moment that a Golden Crow cried out as a powerful force fluctuated behind Zou Quan Hui. A Great Sun rose up, lighting up the darkness of the void.
Cold moonlight also set in all of a sudden, complementing the glory of the Great Sun.
When Zuo Quan Hui turned back around to see what was happening, his eyes bulged.
He saw a bizarre scene.
In the void between the Heavens and the Earth, Yang Kai stood with his body covered in blood, hand forming into seals whilst a dazzling Great Sun and Cold Moon hung behind his back.
Both Sun and Moon were shining together!
Even with Zuo Quan Hui’s knowledge and experience, he could not tell what the root of this mysterious power was, but he could feel his mind and thoughts being affected by it even now.
[What Divine Ability is this!?] Zuo Quan Hui was dumbfounded.
He knew that Yang Kai was able to perform the Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation, which was the Great Sun hanging behind his back, but what was that Cold Moon? It did not look like a Divine Manifestation, just the projection of a Divine Ability. Still, under the combined light of both Sun and Moon, a mysterious power surged in the dark. This power was as mighty as it was incomprehensible, so much so that even a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him could not underestimate it.
Sun and Moon intersected as Yang Kai activated his ability. Space and Time Principles surged as he pushed his palm forward.
The Great Sun and the full Moon entwined and began to spin. As the Sun and Moon cycled, thousands of years seemed to pass in a single instant, complementing the Space Principles. Thus, a mysterious Space-Time Strength was born.
Sun and Moon Divine Wheel!
A sense of crisis abruptly weighed down on Zuo Quan Hui. How could he even think of saving Zhou Ti at this moment? Yang Kai’s Divine Ability was beyond the scope of what a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could exert. Even for Masters in the Seventh Order, such a method was practically unheard of.
No matter how exquisite the moves that Yang Kai made before or how amazing his Divine Abilities were, Zuo Quan Hui did not put any of them in his eyes; after all, the power of Yang Kai’s Divine Abilities could not make up for the disparity between their Orders. Even if Zuo Quan Hui knew about Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun, he was only a little vigilant about it.
It was true that he did not have a Divine Manifestation, but the Divine Manifestation exhibited by a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master should not be able to do anything to him. If Yang Kai really did use Golden Crow Casts the Sun, then he had ways to deal with it.
However, the Divine Ability that Yang Kai unleashed at this moment posed a real threat to him.
A cold sword light filled the void, and the illusory phantom of a Small Universe emerged behind Zuo Quan Hui’s back. Like a prosperous world, World Force surged madly. In an instant, Zuo Quan Hui’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven aura reached its peak.
The sword tip was raised to the sky, then swung down! All of Zuo Quan Hui’s cultivation was poured into that one cut, with nothing held back.
The Sun and Moon Divine Wheel arrived in the next instant, and the dazzling light devoured Zuo Quan Hui almost instantly.
A terrifying energy burst out, and a circle of light spread out in the void, stretching for thousands of kilometres, as if the end of the world had arrived.
When the shockwave spread out, everyone felt as if they were standing on a rocky boat in a wild storm that could possibly capsize at any moment.
Behind Yang Kai, Mao Zhe and Geng Qing were both staring blankly ahead, and could not help but recall the scene back in the Shadowless Cave Heaven where they were defeated by this exact move.
Seeing this Divine Ability again, even after such a short amount of time, it seemed to be stronger than on that day.
Calm returned to the battlefield once the aftershocks subsided. Earlier, everyone was trying to protect themselves from the fallout of this clash, so nobody could afford to fight with others.
All eyes were locked on Yang Kai and Zuo Quan Hui. The victor of this confrontation would soon be revealed, so all of them could not help but feel nervous.
In the void, Yang Kai’s face was pale as a sheet of paper, and fresh blood was continuously flowing out from the gaping hole at his abdomen. From his shaky stance, it was clear that he was a lamp running out of oil.
On the contrary, Zuo Quan Hui’s body was intact and without injuries, though his face was extremely pale. He remained in a sword-brandishing pose, but he was unmoving.
Huang Quan and the others were overjoyed at this sight, because it undoubtedly meant that Zuo Quan Hui was able to block Yang Kai’s Divine Ability. In the end, he was a Seventh-Order Master, so this was no surprise!
Exchanging glances, Huang Quan shouted enthusiastically, “Kill!”
In a flash, he broke free from Hui Gu’s side and rushed straight in Yang Kai’s direction with Cang Yan and Jin Gang following closely behind. The other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters did not lag behind either.
The only one who remained unmoving was Zhou Ti. It was a critical moment for him just now, and Zuo Quan Hui was interrupted by Yang Kai’s Sun and Moon Divine Wheel before he was able to save him. With Mo Mei, Old Bai, and the others joining forces to bombard him with Divine Abilities, Zhou Ti was in a miserable state, and it was unknown whether he survived their attacks or not!
4 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters attacked from left and right, but Yang Kai just stood in place, seemingly lacking the strength to even defend himself. It was at the critical moment that Mao Zhe and Geng Qing exchanged glances and rushed over.
“You court death!” Yue He also shouted. Together with the Hua Yong and Shu Mu Dan couple, as well as Hui Gu, they rushed over to rescue Yang Kai.
Another fight broke out, with Void Land holding a slight advantage thanks to their greater numbers. As a result, they were able to repel Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch and his group.
However, the one they were most wary of was Zuo Quan Hui. This Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was still here, so everyone’s hearts were drumming. They did not dare to tangle too much with the enemy and only focused on helping Yang Kai retreat to the side.
To everyone’s surprise, Zuo Quan Hui did not move from beginning to end. He just stayed in the same pose, as if he had turned into a statue.
At this point, anyone with eyes could see that something was not right. Zuo Quan Hui definitely did not stop Yang Kai’s Divine Ability unscathed; otherwise, it was impossible for him to miss such a ripe opportunity to kill off his target.
It was not until everyone led Yang Kai back to safety that Zuo Quan Hui finally staggered. A strange wave of power burst out from his figure as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Honoured Master!” The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman was horrified.
When she looked up, she was shocked to see a piece of flesh the size of a fingernail fall off from Zuo Quan Hui’s face, and there were many small cracks all over his cheek, making it look like dried earth or cracked porcelain.
Not only his skin, but his entire body was also covered in such cracks. Looking past the peeling flesh, they could clearly see a bizarre energy surging within the wounds.
[Honoured Master was actually injured!] The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman was thoroughly shocked and simply could not believe her eyes.
A veteran Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was actually injured by a newly promoted Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Junior… This was simply unprecedented!
Huang Quan and the others were also stunned in place.
Zuo Quan Hui raised a hand to stop the woman from speaking. With cold eyes, he looked in Yang Kai’s direction and asked, “What Divine Ability was that?”
Yang Kai coughed violently and finally spat out a mouthful of blood before grinning, “Why do you care what Divine Ability that was? If it can hurt you, then it’s a good Divine Ability!”
Zuo Quan Hui gently nodded, “This Monarch has underestimated you. From ancient times until this day, the only Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who could exert such tremendous power is likely you!”
Previously, Yang Kai had already displayed power beyond Zuo Quan Hui’s imagination, and he thought that Yang Kai had already been forced to his limits then. Who knew that he would be hiding such a trump card still?
“Is there any point in talking about this now?” Yang Kai looked coldly at him.
Zuo Quan Hui was unperturbed, “Hand Zhou Ti over to me and this Monarch will leave immediately.”
Looking over to the side, Yang Kai saw Zhou Ti coughing up blood and looking exceptionally weak, but this guy was really quite tenacious. Even after receiving the Divine Abilities from Mo Mei, Old Bai, and several others, he actually managed to survive, though he was only barely hanging on.
“What, you want to exchange weapons of war for gifts of jade and silk with my Void Land?” Yang Kai sneered at Zuo Quan Hui.
Zuo Quan Hui shook his head, “The debt of you killing my Disciple is absolutely irreconcilable. This Monarch will make you pay for it.”
Yang Kai frowned strangely at him, “You must be sick in the head. You refuse to end the hostilities with my Void Land, yet you still have the face to ask me to return your Disciple to you?”
Zuo Quan Hui responded, “If you let him live today, then this Monarch will leave Void Territory immediately, and this Monarch will not attack Void Territory’s other Universe Worlds in the future. Our debt will be settled at another date. If you refuse to let him go, then this Monarch might just stay a while longer in Void Territory!”
Yang Kai’s face was grim, “Are you threatening me?”
“If you say I am, then I am!” Zuo Quan Hui looked on, unperturbed, “This Monarch is a Seventh-Order Master. If I truly had any intention of doing something in Void Territory, then you wouldn’t be able to stop me.”
Yang Kai glanced at him, “Is this how despicable the people from Thousand Cranes Paradise are?”
Zuo Quan Hui shook his head, “This Monarch is no longer a member of Thousand Cranes Paradise. Nothing I do has any relation to them!”
“Whether you are or not, you yourself know!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Zuo Quan Hui grumbled, “This Monarch will not quibble with you about this. I will only give you 30 breaths of time to consider. It’s up to you to make the right choice!”
Everyone from Void Land was angered with Zuo Quan Hui’s shameless attitude, but they all knew that if a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were truly to act recklessly in Void Territory, then there was nothing they could do to stop him. The Great Territory was vast, so if they could visit Three Brilliances World today to eradicate its inhabitants, then they could very well go to Golden Sun Continent tomorrow!
Yang Kai glared at Zuo Quan Hui, but the latter seemed unconcerned.
After a while, Yang Kai grabbed Zhou Ti.
Zhou Ti was currently looking even more miserable than Yang Kai. His arm had been blown off, and his body was covered in blood. It was also not known how many bones he had broken during Zhou Ti’s battle earlier, or how many of his organs had been affected. However, a cultivator in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm had strong vitality, so he would not die even with such injuries.
Zhou Ti grinned meaningfully as Yang Kai grabbed him, “So what if you’ve captured me. In the end, you still have to let me go obediently, do you not? Do you have the guts to kill me?”
Yang Kai glanced at him indifferently, “Pitiful weakling, you’re not even worthy of my attention!”
Zhou Ti coldly snorted, “The winner is the King, and the loser is the villain. You can say whatever you want!”
Zuo Quan Hui interjected, “Time’s up. What is your choice?”
Yang Kai looked up at him, “Do you hear the voices of the lost souls in the Three Brilliances World? How many people have lost their family and loved ones on this day? If you want me to let him go, then first ask Huang Quan to ask the innocent souls to see if they agree!”
Zuo Quan Hui’s face changed and the Sixth-Order woman behind him also looked horrified.
*Hu…*
Golden Crow’s True Fire suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s hand and instantly enveloped Zhou Ti.
There was a scream, and the calmness on Zhou Ti’s face was replaced by huge shock. He would not stop struggling or screaming.
Yang Kai squeezed his neck with a decent amount of force. Without moving, he turned coldly to Zuo Quan Hui, “This is just the beginning. If I do not kill every last one of you today, then the resentful spirits who died today on Three Brilliances World will haunt me for life and keep me restless forever!”
Zuo Quan Hui’s face twitched.
Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch, Firm Gold Heavenly Monarch, and Blue Flame Heavenly Monarch all looked shocked.
If it were an ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master saying such a thing, then there was no need for them to pay too much attention to it. However, Yang Kai had already shown how strong he truly was, even being able to hurt a Master in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. If they were to meet him in battle alone, then they would surely die.
There was an unending scream as tears had already welled up around the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman’s eyes, “Honoured Master, please save Senior Brother Zhou Ti!”
However, Zuo Quan Hui did not move. He just stared straight at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grinned, “Do you think he doesn’t want to save him? Can he even do it? Do you think you can do whatever you want in my Void Territory just because you’re in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm? My Divine Ability is not so easy to bear!”
“Well, tell me, does it hurt? Are you in despair? This is what those innocent people in Three Brilliances World were feeling just half a day ago, now, it’s your turn to experience it!”
Golden Crow’s True Fire burned intensely. Even Zhou Ti could hardly resist the power of the flames, and the harsh screams had not stopped since they began. Despite his struggles, he could not free himself from Yang Kai’s grip.
Zuo Quan Hui’s face twitched violently, and World Force was quietly surging in the dark. Another piece of flesh fell from his cracked face at that moment, and with some hesitation, the surge of World Force finally slowed to a halt.
As Yang Kai said, it was not that Zuo Quan Hui did not want to save Zhou Ti, but that he could not! An extremely corrosive power was contained within Yang Kai’s Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, and it was still wreaking havoc within his body and even his Small Universe, causing him much pain and throwing his Small Universe into disarray.
That Divine Ability had actually immensely affected his Small Universe!
Zuo Quan Hui had to focus most of his attention on it to suppress its erosion; otherwise, his Small Universe would constantly be in chaos. At this moment, the strength he could exert was less than 30% of his peak!
He was not sure that he could snatch Zhou Ti back under everyone’s watch and return safely, and even if he could, he may only make his injuries worse.
“Honoured Master… Save me!” Zhou Ti’s miserable cries reverberated in Zuo Quan Hui’s ears. The Sixth-Order woman’s eyes were already filled with tears, and the pain she was feeling in her heart as she watched her Senior Brother suffer such inhumane torture in front of her was indescribable.
Everyone watched as Zhou Ti’s vitality rapidly dissipated and his body gradually burned to a crisp. The Sixth-Order woman could no longer hold back, and with a jerk of her body, she was about to rush over to save Zhou Ti back regardless of the consequences.
A sword light blocked her path though, and the Sixth-Order woman turned around to look at Zuo Quan Hui and asked, “Honoured Master?”
Zuo Quan Hui slowly shook his head.
The last vestiges of hope in Zhou Ti’s eyes quickly dimmed down. He could vaguely understand what was going on and a bitter smile appeared on his face as he no longer tried to plead for help.
A moment later, a surge of World Force burst out and disappeared into the void. Zhou Ti had finally died, and his Small Universe had collapsed.
Yang Kai extinguished his Golden Crow’s True Fire and with a shake of his hand shattered Zhou Ti’s corpse, which had been burned to ashes. Only then did he turn a cold gaze at Zuo Quan Hui, “In order to avenge your Disciple, you are even willing to slaughter the innocent. Did you not think that you might lose another Disciple? But that matters little. One by one, I will send you all to Hell so that you can be reunited there!”
His eyes swept over the five people in front of him, as if to memorize their faces and auras in the depths of his Soul!
Huang Quan and the other two were pale-faced. They thought that they could make a good living if they joined Zuo Quan Hui, but none of them would have expected to encounter such a cruel and ruthless man. If they had known this would be the situation, then why would they even choose to interfere in these muddy waters? Once they were freed from the Prison Star, with their Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm strength, it was completely possible for them to found a Sect somewhere and rule over it freely.
“You have killed two of this Monarch’s Disciples now. This Old Master will not be a man if he does not kill you!” Zuo Quan Hui bellowed through clenched teeth.
Yang Kai sneered, “You speak big words, but if you think yourself capable, then why don’t you try and fight me now? Let’s see whether it will be me who dies or you!”
Zuo Quan Hui fell silent, only glaring coldly at Yang Kai. Flying up, he carried the Sixth-Order woman and quickly retreated. Seeing this, Huang Quan and his two companions also rushed to follow.
Very quickly, they disappeared without a trace!
“Sir, do we give chase?” Hui Gu looked a little reluctant to see them leave without paying any further consequence. Huang Quan was right before his eyes, so he only hoped that he could avenge Bai Mo right here and now. Naturally, he did not wish to see the enemy leave just like that.
“We can’t chase them!” Yang Kai shook his head, “Zuo Quan Hui still has some fight in him; after all, he’s a Seventh-Order Master, he just cherishes himself too much and dares not start another battle now. If we pursue them, then it would only end in great losses for both sides.”
If Zuo Quan Hui had acted recklessly just now, he could have saved Zhou Ti. However, that would only worsen his situation further. At that point, the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel’s after-effects may have damaged the foundation of his Small Universe, causing his strength to decline.
For his own safety, Zuo Quan Hui was even able to abandon his precious Disciple’s life. To put it nicely, Zuo Quan Hui was not someone who was afraid to make sacrifices, but realistically, he was just afraid of death.
Yue He was worried, “But, Young Master… What if they keep lurking around Void Territory?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “That’s not likely. They will not stay in Void Territory after their plan failed this time. They will need to find a place to rest and recuperate. Though, while they may not linger here for long, it’s still better to prepare for the worst and act cautiously… Let’s return to Void Land!”
After the battle, Yang Kai, too, was a lamp running out of oil. If Zuo Quan Hui really intended to continue the fight, then he would have little power to resist. Fortunately, there was the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel to deter Zuo Quan Hui and make him retreat this time.
Soon, the group returned to Void land and each went off to rest and recuperate.
On Dragon Sons’ Peak, Yue He helped Yang Kai over to make a visit to Bi Xi. When Old Man Bi Xi saw Yang Kai’s miserable appearance, he jumped in shock, “What happened to you? You look terrible! Hm? These injuries… This is the power of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Did you fight against one?”
Yang Kai put on an embarrassed grin, “Senior has a keen eye!”
Bi Xi quickly beckoned him over, “Sit down!”
Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei, the two little ones, were also looking nervously in Yang Kai’s direction. When they heard Bi Xi’s words, they rushed over to help Yang Kai to a seat.
After catching his breath, Yang Kai explained, “I must ask for Senior’s help to heal my injuries this time. The Sword Intent of that Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master is extremely difficult to dispel, and I don’t know how long it will take if I have to resolve it on my own.”
On the way back, Yang Kai tried to disperse the Sword Intent which invaded his body, but his efforts only produced minimal effects. The Sword Intent was latching onto him like maggots on rotting bones, and the more he tried to dispel it, the more troublesome it became. So, he went straight to Bi Xi as soon as he returned.
In all of Void Land, the only one who could help him, other than Zhu Jiu Yin, was Bi Xi, and the latter was much, much easier to talk to.
Bi Xi nodded, “Naturally, this is no problem. Tend to your injuries, I will help you from the side.”
“Many thanks, Senior!” Yang Kai nodded his head in thanks and shut his eyes to activate his Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation.
A green light instantly spread out in all directions, and a Divine Tree, shrunken countless times, emerged behind Yang Kai. Its branches hung down, exuding seemingly endless vitality.
Old Man Bi Xi raised his brow at the sight. Even with his knowledge and experience, he had never seen such rich vitality before, causing him to marvel in his mind. The Wood Element that Yang Kai had condensed was definitely something amazing.
With the help of this Divine Manifestation, his injuries could recover in the blink of an eye. As long as the Sword Intent was dispelled, Yang Kai would be back to his old self in no time.
Putting his thoughts away, Bi Xi formed hand seals with both hands and suddenly slapped a palm on Yang Kai’s body. His palm looked soft and weak, but when it hit Yang Kai’s body, it sent a shocking force through it.
*Chi…*
Upon the emergence of a piercing sound, a Sword Qi that was visible to the naked eye came out of Yang Kai’s wound and came straight for Bi Xi’s face.
Bi Xi opened his mouth and caught the Sword Qi between his teeth like a sewing needle.
The needle-like Sword Qi was still twitching restlessly, but with some force, it cracked with a click.
As palm after palm continued to slap down, Sword Qi was constantly forced out of the dense cuts littered all over Yang Kai’s body.
Only after half a day’s work did Bi Xi let out a long sigh and slowly withdraw his power.
Without the Sword Qi to bother Yang Kai, recovering from his injuries was hardly a problem. Even the hole through his abdomen could be restored in short order under the power of his Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation and Dragon Vein.
Another half a day later, Yang Kai opened his eyes and thanked Bi Xi with a tired voice, “Many thanks, Senior!”
Bi Xi waved his hand, “It was nothing. You, on the other hand… How did you end up fighting a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?”
Yang Kai laughed bitterly and explained the events that transpired.
When Bi Xi heard everything and frowned, “These Cave Heaven and Paradise people are far too unscrupulous. How could they lure you out by ravaging the lives of a lower Universe’s beings? That’s simply despicable! However, though the Sixth Order and the Seventh Order are merely one Order apart, the true difference in strength is vast.”
Yang Kai sighed, “Indeed! The might of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master is truly hard to resist. This Junior almost did not make it out.” Eyes turning in thought, he continued, “Senior, though Zuo Quan Hui was forced to retreat, he will not leave peacefully. Sooner or later, he will be back. Even though Void Land’s strength is not low, and we have as many Masters as there are clouds in the sky, we have no High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Nobody can take on Zuo Quan Hui. This time, I was able to injure him by surprise, but it will not be as easy when he comes prepared next time. What should we do if he comes back?”
Bi Xi pointed a finger at him, “Don’t you dare have any funny thoughts about me! Even though I wish to help you with this, I have no good ideas either. My true body is too large and right now, your Void Land still rests on my back, which only makes it more difficult to move around. I can only move freely by returning to my true body and taking on Human Form. Doing that, however, will destroy your Void land entirely.”
Thinking about it that way, it made sense. The entire Void Land sat atop Bi Xi’s body, so it was really inconvenient for him to act.
Bi Xi said, “Rather than seek out his Old Man’s help, you might as well look for someone else.”
Saying so, he silently nudged his chin in a certain direction and whispered, “If she is willing to help, then taking down a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be as simple as waving a hand, would it not?”
Yang Kai felt a headache coming on from these words, “I’m afraid I’m not able to persuade her…” [If she was so easy to talk to, then I would not have come to you in the first place.]
Bi Xi commented, “If you don’t try, how will you know?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and nodded, “Senior is right.”
Saying so, Yang Kai stood up and nodded, “I will take my leave now. I will come back to visit again when I’m free.”
Together with Yue He, Yang Kai left Dragon Sons’ Peak. Yue He then asked with concern, “How are your injuries now, Young Master?”
“Not too serious. Senior helped force out the Sword Qi inside my body, so the rest are just flesh wounds which won’t take long to heal. You also consumed a lot of energy in that fight, so you should hurry back to recuperate. The future is still uncertain, so we must all maintain our peak state at all times.”
Earlier, during the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm battle, Yue He and the Sixth-Order woman faced each other. The two of them were equally matched, so there were no injuries; even so, Yue He had used up a lot of her strength in the fight.
Yue He nodded, “Then, be careful, Young Master. That one is difficult to speak to.”
Yang Kai smiled, “What’s she going to do, eat me? Relax.”
Only then did Yue He leave.
A moment later, Yang Kai stood in front of Heavenly Moon Palace with a glum look.