Heavenly Moon Palace was Zhu Jiu Yin’s place of residence, the woman who was previously Yang Kai’s Protector. They had negotiated a deal with each other when Yang Kai brought her out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary; however, on his last trip to Shadowless Cave Heaven, Zhu Jiu Yin had agreed to escort him, which was outside the scope of their original agreement, which Yang Kai managed to get her to do on the condition that her identity as a Protector would be lifted.
In other words, Zhu Jiu Yin was now free and no longer bound by her Source Oath, so Yang Kai’s life or death no longer had anything to do with her.
If not to take care of and instruct Shan Qing Luo, someone who shared the same bloodline as her, it was hard to say whether Zhu Jiu Yin would still be in Void Land now.
This woman was not easy to talk to. It took a lot of cajoling to even persuade her to do anything in the past when she was still his Protector, so it may not even work at all now.
When Yang Kai heard about the incident at Three Brilliances World, he guessed that it was Zuo Quan Hui’s doing. When he rushed to Three Brilliances World to support them, he had also specially asked Bian Yu Qing to notify Zhu Jiu Yin so he could borrow her strength.
However, from beginning to end, the woman never showed up. It was obvious that she had no intention of intervening in this matter.
This time, it would probably be fruitless even if he begged her for help.
Since he was already here though, he might as well try.
With his mind made up, Yang Kai cupped his fist and shouted, “Greetings, Senior, Junior Yang Kai requests an audience!”
To his surprise, the doors of Heavenly Moon Palace opened immediately after he spoke. Yang Kai raised a brow, wondering when Zhu Jiu Yin had become so hospitable, until a spider thread suddenly shot out from within and wrapped him up.
Shocked, Yang Kai tried to escape, but he was exhausted from the fight with Zuo Quan Hui and was unable to recover much in such a short amount of time. Being taken off guard, he was caught by the spider web and dragged into Heavenly Moon Palace.
Then, the door closed with a thud!
Soon, there was a series of bangs coming from the inside.
A few moments later, the door opened again, and Yang Kai was thrown out like a ragged sack. After rolling a few times, he stood up in a miserable state with his face bruised and swollen. There were even large black marks around his eyes, naturally a result of Zhu Jiu Yin’s fist.
Yang Kai’s lungs were about to explode from anger; still, he cautiously distanced himself from Heavenly Moon Palace’s entrance before gritting his teeth and roaring, “Crazy woman! Why can’t you use your words instead of your fists!?”
Even though the injuries were not serious, it was still a little embarrassing for Yang Kai. He was Void Land’s Lord, after all, so it was a big loss to his face to be seen by the many disciples walking past this scene.
“This Queen will do whatever she wants! If you have the ability, then fight back!” Zhu Jiu Yin’s voice rang out in Yang Kai’s ears.
Yang Kai was indignant, “Senior is a venerable Divine Spirit, this Junior knows he is not Senior’s opponent; however, this Junior has shown great respect to Senior, and the daily offerings have also never been lacking! If there is anything that this Junior has done wrong, Senior can just inform me of it. Why raise your hand against me directly?”
“You wish to reason with this Queen? Fine, this Queen will reason with you!” Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted, “Let me ask you. Are you enjoying yourself as Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s son-in-law?”
Yang Kai’s momentum withered instantly, and his brow twitched, “Senior found out?”
He cursed in his heart, wondering which bastard spread the word around. Zhu Jiu Yin lived deep within Heavenly Moon Palace and essentially never left, so who could have told her about it? But after some careful thought, Zhu Jiu Yin was still a Divine Spirit, so if she wished to seek out information, then nobody in Void Land could hide anything from her.
“What are you feeling guilty for?” Zhu Jiu Yin snickered.
Yang Kai cupped his fist and cleared his throat, “Senior must be joking, there really is a misunderstanding behind this matter. It was not this Junior’s intention!”
“I don’t care whether it was your intention or not, it happened and that’s a fact!”
Yang Kai blinked, “But, what does this have to do with Senior?”
Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted, “Luo’er is so devoted to you, and yet now that she’s in retreat to cultivate in seclusion, you’re out picking flowers and trampling the grass. It is difficult for her to do anything about it, but as her Honoured Master, what problem is there for me to teach you a lesson in her place?”
Yang Kai was speechless. If Luo’er found out about his most recent escapade, the most likely course of action she would take would be to find a way to drain him dry, in various ways. There was no way she would casually raise her hand at him like this insane woman.
As such, Yang Kai brushed her off surreptitiously, “Senior is mighty, whatever Senior says is right; however, there is another matter which this Junior requires Senior’s help with right now.”
Zhu Jiu Yin did not even wait to hear what it was before stopping him, “Don’t even think about it, you brat! This is a problem that you brought upon yourself, so you deal with it yourself; otherwise… If Luo’er were to find out that I, as her Honoured Master, stepped out to do your dirty work for you for the problems that you yourself caused, then would she not blame me for it?”
“Don’t be like that, Senior. Zuo Quan Hui is a Seventh-Order Master. Other than you, no one in my Void Land can best him. This time, we were fortunate enough to be able to force him back, but what about next time?”
“I’ll teach you a method!” Zhu Jiu Yin declared.
Raising his brows, Yang Kai said respectfully, “Please teach me, Senior!”
“Next time you meet Zuo Quan Hui, wash your neck and stick it out… then let him cut your head off!”
Yang Kai’s face darkened in an instant. He was naive to even have hoped to gain Zhu Jiu Yin’s help…
“If you die, then Luo’er will not be tied down by you anymore. Where else can she not go in this vast world with this Queen bringing her along? It would be much better than following a fickle man like you, only to be abandoned sooner or later.”
Yang Kai turned with a flick of his sleeve, “Good, if you won’t help, then so be it! Why slander others in such a malicious manner? Why purposefully be so infuriating!? If I had known that it would be so, then I would never have brought you out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and would have let you stay there until you died of old age!”
There was a bang, and the tightly shut doors of Heavenly Moon Palace flung open as Zhu Jiu Yin appeared and beckoned, “Here, come inside! Let me show you something nice!”
Space Principles surged and Yang Kai hurriedly fled.
Three days later, Void Land’s Main Conference Hall.
Yang Kai sat in the head seat, with many Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting below. The group of people glanced up at Yang Kai from time to time. Old Bai, Chef, and the others were all trying their best to stifle their laughter, but their shoulders were still shaking uncontrollably.
Yue He, on the other hand, had a heartbroken expression.
Yang Kai glanced around at the crowd and said in a tone that was half exhausted, half aggrieved, “If you want to laugh, then go ahead and laugh, why hold it in? Don’t choke yourselves.”
Old Bai and the others finally could no longer hold back and broke out laughing.
Hui Gu said with concern, “Sir, have your injuries not healed? Zuo Quan Hui’s methods are truly despicable. How could…” Before he could finish his sentence, Zhou Ya next to him tugged on his sleeve.
Hui Gu was puzzled. He had been focusing on healing these past few days and had no idea what happened outside. He just knew that Yang Kai came out today and was now sitting with two big, black eyes, making him look both miserable and a little bit funny.
Yang Kai cleared his throat helplessly, “Are you done laughing yet? Let’s get to business!”
Meanwhile, he cursed in his heart. It wasn’t enough that that damned Zhu Jiu Yin kicked and punched him that day, but she even went so far as to use her Source Strength to punch his eyes, leaving black bruises that even a few days later refused to disappear. He had no idea how long it would even take for him to recover.
After hiding for a few days, trying to resolve the situation, Yang Kai realized this wasn’t a problem he could solve in short order, so he decided to just let things be and came out to meet everyone in this state.
Seeing that Yang Kai was starting to get angry out of shame, Old Bai and the others finally restrained their laughter and sat upright.
“Are your injuries healed?” Yang Kai asked.
Hua Yong rose, “Many thanks for Sir’s concern. Our injuries were not severe, so we are all fine after recuperating for a few days.”
Yang Kai nodded, “You should still pay attention to the Madame’s health; after all, she has borne a child just recently. Go and see Second Manager when you return later and get some nutritional tonics to help aid in her recuperation.”
After many years of gestation, Shu Mu Dan was finally able to give birth to a son just half a year ago. Yang Kai had also gone to visit him, and the child was indeed born with great talent and exceptional aptitude. Shu Mu Dan was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm after all, so the child she had been carrying for many years was not one that ordinary people could compare with.
“Many thanks, Sir!” Hua Yong hurriedly responded.
Yang Kai nodded and went on, “Guo Zi Yan has brought news that someone has spotted five people leaving Void Territory, each one with powerful cultivation. There were four men and one woman, so it had to be Zuo Quan Hui and his group.”
Everyone breathed sighs of relief. Even though there was no way that Zuo Quan Hui would linger in Void Territory for long after eating such a heavy loss, it was hard for anyone to say what he would do for sure. It was only now that they finally had a solid confirmation.
If a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Zuo Quan Hui truly did stay in Void Territory and continued committing atrocities throughout the land, then Void Territory would have no good way of dealing with him.
“There is the matter of Three Brilliances World next. Second Manager, what is the situation there right now?” Yang Kai turned to Bian Yu Qing.
Bian Yu Qing responded, “Three Brilliances World has suffered a lot of damage. It is, after all, only a Universe World. With the wanton destruction of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, nearly 20% of the landscape was destroyed, which has caused unrest across the entire Three Brilliances World. Many have died in the disaster. I have already dispatched people to Three Brilliances World to assist World Lord Peng in accommodating the refugees and calming the masses; however, this matter will not be resolved in a short time. If Three Brilliances World wants to restore its strength and vitality, then it would take at least hundreds or even thousands of years. As for the damaged landmass, there is a good chance it will never return to normal.”
Yang Kai said, “Whether the land can be restored or not is a secondary matter. The most important thing is the people. Do your best to fulfil any needs that Three Brilliances World may have.”
“Yes!” After a moment’s hesitation, Bian Yu Qing added, “Sect Master, we should take what happened at Three Brilliances World as a precaution. Should we send people to guard the other Universe Worlds, too?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “There are more than a dozen Universe Worlds in Void Territory. It would take too much manpower to guard them all. Moreover, who can we even send to guard them in our current situation? Zuo Quan Hui’s strength is in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, it would be difficult for anyone present to put up a struggle against him, so it’s useless to go. What’s more… Zuo Quan Hui is still from Thousand Cranes Paradise. He has his own scruples about committing such treachery in Universe Worlds. Otherwise, he would not have used Huang Quan’s hand to wreak havoc on Three Brilliances World in his place. Huang Quan’s reputation is already nefarious, and it’s not as if he hasn’t done similar things before, so it wouldn’t hurt him to do it again. Comparatively speaking, Zuo Quan Hui more or less cares about his own reputation still. For that reason, I think it’s unlikely that he will use a similar method again!”
Everyone nodded lightly at his words as Yue He commented, “If he really did do so, then Thousand Cranes Paradise will definitely suffer criticism and be forced to intervene. Even though rumours say that he and his lineage have all defected from Thousand Cranes Paradise, anyone who is not a fool will know that this is merely a cover. His actions were more or less still tied to Thousand Cranes Paradise’s face, and something as low as raising one’s hand against mortals is something they cannot afford to accept.”
“There’s no need to worry about the Universe Worlds. Zuo Quan Hui has been injured by my Divine Ability, and it will not be easy for him to recover from it. I estimate that he will need around three to five months on the shorter end, but on the longer end, it may take him a year and a half. However, once he recovers, then he is bound to come back for us. Our Void Land still lacks the power to face a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who is determined to seek revenge!” Yang Kai massaged his forehead lightly.
Void Land had two Divine Spirits to watch over them, protecting their Headquarters and Star City, where it was indeed safe and secure. However, it was impossible for Void Land’s many inhabitants to stay cooped up all the time and not go outside.
With a true body that was too large, it was more than enough for Bi Xi to play a defensive role, but not an offensive one in such a situation. On the other end, Zhu Jiu Yin’s anger had yet to subside, so she could not be counted on.
If Void Land had a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the situation could be greatly improved.
The Proprietress was currently in retreat in order to break through to the Seventh Order, but no one could say for sure how long that would take. It may be a couple of years, but it can also be well over 100 years. The uncertainty was too great.
Yang Kai looked down at Mao Zhe, “Head Mountain Lord, provided with the resources, how confident are you in advancing into the Seventh Order in a short amount of time?”
There were quite a number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters present here, but in terms of cultivation and heritage, it was Mao Zhe who was closest to advancing into the Seventh-Order besides the Proprietress.
Mao Zhe had a troubled look on his face and shook his head slowly, “Sir, the difference between the Sixth Order and the Seventh Order is the difference between the Mid-Rank and High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. This is not just about resources. This subordinate has not wanted for resources since following under Sir, but something still feels lacking when it comes to advancing into the Seventh Order. Even if this subordinate were to go into retreat and cultivate, it would not be very effective.”
Yang Kai nodded. Even Mao Zhe was in this situation, so there was no need to talk about everyone else who was further away from the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
“Without power equivalent to Zuo Quan Hui’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, we will always remain on the passive side in a fight with him,” Yang Kai muttered. Then, he looked down at everyone, “Do any of you have any good solutions to this matter?”
Everyone looked at each other, all going deep into thought.
Hui Gu spoke up, “Perhaps we can ask Yin-Yang Cave Heaven for help?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Zuo Quan Hui and his followers did not hesitate to rebel against Thousand Cranes Paradise in order to exact revenge for Zhao Xing. Though, their attempt to make a cover story will only make it more obvious. Anyone with a discerning eye can see what is going on. If not for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s efforts in pressuring them, then it would not stop at being just Zuo Quan Hui and his followers stirring up trouble in my Void Territory, but several Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters!”
Zhao Xing and Zhou Ti may both be in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but their status in Thousand Cranes Paradise was very different. Zhao Xing advanced directly into the Sixth Order, so he had hope of one day reaching the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, making his status much higher than Zhou Ti’s.
Any Core Disciple with Zhao Xing’s qualifications was seen as a treasure for any Cave Heaven or Paradise, so they could not afford to lose them; otherwise, the Sect would do everything in its power to avenge them.
The reason why Thousand Cranes Paradise did not make a big fuss about Zhao Xing’s death was completely thanks to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, because there was Xu Ling Gong to mediate the situation.
Not to mention that asking for help from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would be useless, Yang Kai was personally unwilling to do so as well. It was true that he was currently a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven son-in-law, but Void Land was Void Land and Yin-Yang Heaven was Yin-Yang Heaven. If they were to borrow Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s power in order to resolve this crisis, then it would not be long before Void Land simply became someone else’s subordinate.
This was not something Yang Kai hoped to see.
There was a moment of silence in the Grand Hall. They could not put their hopes on Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and Void Land itself did not have the equivalent power to deal with the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Zuo Quan Hui. No matter how they looked at it, they could only remain passive in this situation.
“Sect Master, we may be able to settle this matter with an advantage in numbers,” Bian Yu Qing suggested thoughtfully.
Yang Kai looked over at her, “Explain.”
The others also turned their heads to her. Any ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator would probably be shaking if they were stared at by so many Fifth and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and begin stuttering, but as Void Land’s Second Manager, Bian Yu Qing, had long been in charge of all of Void Land’s matters over the years, so she naturally would not be afraid of this attention.
“This Mistress’ abilities are paltry, and I do not even know what the Orders of the Open Heaven Realm are like, so if there is something wrong with this Mistress’s opinion, then I must ask Sect Master to please not laugh at me.”
Yang Kai raised his hand, “There is no harm in putting forth a suggestion. Since you are in the Emperor Realm, perhaps you can consider things from a different perspective from us, and that may just reveal a path forward we have otherwise overlooked.”
Bian Yu Qing nodded and continued, “Zuo Quan Hui is in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, so indeed, nobody in our Void Land is his equal. However, when it comes to Masters in the Sixth-Order and the Fifth Order, our Void Land holds the advantage. Since we do not have any Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, nor will any appear among us in a short amount of time, then why don’t we try and surround Zuo Quan Hui with Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters? If three won’t do it, then perhaps five will. If five is not enough, what about ten? If ten still won’t do it, then we’ll use twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. That should be enough to defeat Zuo Quan Hui, right?”
Hui Gu laughed, “Twenty would indeed be enough. Even ants can bite an elephant to death, let alone Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Under normal circumstances, a Master in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm can resist against the combined forces of ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters without issue; however, if Sir was among the ten, then Zuo Quan Hui would definitely be at a disadvantage. Hm… Maybe we won’t even need ten in that case.”
Yang Kai’s strength was clear to all, and it was something that no ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could compare with. In a one-on-one fight, he was indeed not Zuo Quan Hui’s opponent, but a few days ago, with just Geng Qing and Mao Zhe’s help, he was still able to put up a good fight. Though he was constantly at a disadvantage, they were not wiped out in a short time. In the end, Yang Kai was even able to injure Zuo Quan Hui using his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel.
If ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were to team up with Yang Kai against Zuo Quan Hui, it would naturally be no problem for them to suppress the latter.
“But where will we find twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters?” Hui Gu laughed bitterly, “All of our Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are already gathered here. Excluding Sir, we only have nine at our disposal.”
Yang Kai was thoughtful, “What Second Manager means to say is…”
Bian Yu Qing explained, “We have many Great Emperors, as well as several of Sir’s Madams and the Pseudo-Great Emperors. There is even the newly joined Xiang Ying, Fang Yue, and the others who all have the potential to advance into the Sixth Order. These days, they have all been refining various Sixth-Order materials, and what they lack now are merely the Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element treasures. If we had enough Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element treasures, then Void Land would have no problem increasing its Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters by more than a dozen!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at her words, feeling enlightened.
He had been thinking of ways for Void Land to acquire a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in order to deal with Zuo Quan Hui, but Bian Yu Qing’s idea was to have Void Land increase its Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If they had enough Masters in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then that would naturally allow them to fight against Zuo Quan Hui, who was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Sure enough, those who sit in different positions have different perspectives on the same issue!
Currently, there were many from the Star Boundary who were committed in Void Land to advancing directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The Great Emperors, Iron Blood, Hong Chen, Marital Beast, Serene Soul, Flower Shadow, Ice Feather, Heavens Revelations, and Wondrous Pill; his wives, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, Yu Ru Meng, and Ji Yao; the Pseudo-Great Emperors, Yang Yan, Jiu Feng, Li Wu Yi, and Bing Yun; Martial Beast Great Emperor’s daughter, Mo Xiao Qi, Iron Blood Great Emperor’s Disciple, Lin Yun’er, and Yang Kai’s younger sister, Yang Xue… There were a total of twenty-one people at least!
The eight Great Emperors need not be mentioned as they had already been in the Emperor Realm for countless years. Their foundations were strong and they had long developed their own Dao Seals back in the Star Boundary. Due to the isolation of the Star Boundary, the Great Emperors could only further polish their Dao Seals to increase their strength.
Once they leapt out of the Star Boundary, all of their Dao Seals could withstand the impact of Sixth-Order Powers, which gave them the qualification to advance directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, placing them on par with Core Disciples of any Cave Heaven or Paradise.
In comparison, Yang Kai’s wives, and even Li Wu Yi and the other Pseudo-Great Emperors had much shallower foundations, so it would normally be risky for them to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. However, Yang Kai had a treasure like the Divine Dao Water, which could strengthen one’s Dao Seal, which naturally made up for their shortcomings and allowed them to stand at the same high starting point as the Great Emperors.
Once it truly came time for them to advance, Void Land also had the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to help them in minimizing any risks.
Then, there were Xiang Ying and Fang Yue, both of whom Yang Kai had brought to his side from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Both of them were owners of Divine Medicines. Yang Kai had obtained three Divine Medicines from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, namely Pu Bai Xiong, Little Mushroom, and the Gourd Vine. Xiang Ying had obtained the Purple Bamboo that was able to break all Principles, and Fang Yue had obtained the Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus, which improved his defenses several times over.
These two used to be Bearers chosen by Divine Spirits, and had received their greatest support in nurturing them. Both of them have refined Sixth-Order Powers; however, due to their lacking aptitude, it was a huge risk for them to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm directly. When they learned that Void Land possessed Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, Fang Yue was the first to seek out Yang Kai and take refuge with him.
With Yang Kai’s support, Fang Yue opened the Grand Ancient Ruins Shop in Void Star City that specifically recruited the Bearers who were able to come out of the Grand Ancient Runs Boundary alive.
This happened before Yang Kai left for the Shadowless Cave Heaven. After the Grand Ancient Ruins Shop became famous, it did manage to recruit some Bearers, among which was Xiang Ying.
Including these two, Void Land had twenty-three prospects!
Twenty-three people were expected to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the near future. If all of them could succeed, then adding the current nine that they had, then the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that Void Land possessed would become terrifying!
And that was not counting those from the Dragon Clan, who also came with Yang Kai from the Star Boundary!
The cultivation of the Dragon Clan was different from ordinary cultivators. Even though they also needed a lot of cultivation resources, they refined their own bloodlines and Source rather than splitting Heaven and Earth apart in their bodies to enter the Open Heaven Realm.
Once a Dragon Clan member’s bloodline reached a certain purity and concentration, the power that they could wield was no less than that of those in the Open Heaven Realm.
Any mature Divine Spirit would also have power on par with a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
However, it took a lot of time for a Dragon Clan member to refine their bloodline and Source, much longer when compared to the advancement of Human cultivators into the Open Heaven Realm. After all, the Dragon Clan members themselves lived much longer lives.
Even Yang Kai himself had no idea how the Dragon Clan purified their bloodlines further. Other than taking Dragon Blood Pills, he was not sure of any other way. So, in recent days, the Dragon Clan members had all been running over to Dragon Sons’ Peak to seek Old Man Bi Xi’s tutelage.
Tracing back his roots, Bi Xi also had a Dragon Vein, so he was able to give some guidance to the younger Dragons to help them in their cultivation.
The Dragon Clan couldn’t be counted on in such a short amount of time, but those with the potential of advancing into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were worth looking forward to.
Yang Kai looked down towards Bian Yu Qing, “Second Manager, how is our Void Land doing on resources? Are the Great Emperors making progress on their cultivation?”
Bian Yu Qing nodded, “In general, they are doing well. With the Star City prospering, Void Land has no shortage of materials. At least 80% of our earnings are used to barter for cultivation materials in each Order, and it is enough to supply the cultivation needs of the Sect. We have also stockpiled many Sixth-Order Five Elements materials; the only tricky ones are Yin and Yang Element treasures, which are truly too rare. Counting the Sixth-Order Yang Element treasure that Lu Jing of Gathering Yuan Union brought the other day, the Yin and Yang Element materials we have now are only enough to provide for the advancement of three people!”
“Three people…” Yang Kai nodded lightly. Compared to the demand of twenty-three people, this number was truly too small. He pondered for a moment before asking, “If resources weren’t an issue, how long would it take for the Great Emperors to advance to the Sixth Order?”
“The Great Emperors all have deep foundations and their Dao Seals are firm and stable, so they are also able to refine materials quickly. If we had abundant resources, then all the Great Emperors would be able to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm within a decade. The faster ones may only take three to five years.”
Yue He frowned at that, “Even three to five years is still a bit long.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Indeed, it is a long time, but the victor in this fight cannot be decided in a short amount of time either. We have to look at things from a long-term perspective. What’s more, whether it is for the sake of dealing with a fight like this or not, it does not change the fact that Void Land is lacking in Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials, and something has to be done about that.”
Yue He nodded, “Young Master is right.”
Yang Kai sat up straight and raised his voice, “Good, the problem before us is clear. Where are we going to find so many Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials? If you have any good ideas, let’s hear it.”
Bian Yu Qing suggested, “We can continue to offer a premium in exchange for the materials in the Star City, but I don’t think it will do much good; after all, we have been doing the same thing for a long time now and have only been able to acquire a few Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials.”
Yang Kai said, “We must continue it even if the results are not good; after all, any piece is better than none.”
Bian Yu Qing nodded in response.
Mo Mei added next, “Perhaps we can look for the Cave Heavens and Paradises? Why don’t we go directly to them and ask to purchase the materials we need? Those Cave Heavens and Paradises have ruled over the 3,000 Worlds for many years, so they are bound to have accumulated some reserves.”
Yue He shook her head, “It’s useless. In the entirety of the 3,000 Worlds, materials in the Sixth Order and above have always been scarce. Even if those Cave Heavens and Paradises were able to accumulate some of these resources, they would rather stockpile them as strategic reserves. It would be impossible for them to sell them off to others so simply, much less now that we are in a confrontation with Zuo Quan Hui, who has Thousand Cranes Paradise behind him.”
Hui Gu narrowed his eyes, “Then, does that mean that there’s really no other way?”
Bian Yu Qing asked, “Sect Master, didn’t you meet with the Young Union Master of Gathering Yuan Union the other day? Since they are a Trade Company, they should have a way to get such materials, right?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Of course, Gathering Yuan Union definitely has their own methods. Even though Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials are scarce, they will surely be able to get their hands on some; however, the possibility of us working with Gathering Yuan Union is low. They may not be willing to take the risk of offending Zuo Quan Hui and Thousand Cranes Paradise to do business with us.”
If it were a few days ago, then there would still be some possibility of the two of them cooperating with each other; however, after the big fight with Zuo Quan Hui, and the killing of the Sixth-Order Zhou Ti, Gathering Yuan Union will surely hear the news soon. And Gathering Yuan Union had already revealed some fear of Thousand Cranes Paradise, so it made it even more unlikely for them to cooperate with Void Land after what happened.
Mo Mei muttered, “It would be great if there was another Universe Cave Heaven or Universe Paradise like Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Those High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would surely leave behind a rich inheritance after their death!”
Yang Kai laughed, “Even the Universe Paradises and Cave Heavens left behind after the deaths of those High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters may not contain what we need.”
Blood Monster Cave Heaven was the greatest example. Indeed, Yang Kai obtained many great things in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, but he really did not find that many Yin or Yang Element treasures, which showed just how rare these things were.
“I do know of a place that may have what we need, and in a good volume, too,” Old Bai, who was sitting at the side the whole time, suddenly spoke.
“Where?” Yang Kai quickly turned over to look at him in high spirits, at the same time cursing himself for being so muddle-headed. Old Bai, Chef, and Accountant were originally the Proprietress’ subordinates, and First Inn itself was in the intelligence gathering business, so they were the best people to ask if there was anything they needed answers for in the 3,000 Worlds.
The others also looked towards Old Bai.
After some hesitation, Old Bai began, “Do you still remember Luan Bai Feng?”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “Luan Bai Feng from the Black Prison?”
“Yes, her!” Old Bai nodded.
“Naturally!” Thinking back, Yang Kai had met with this woman twice. The first time was when she followed Heavenly Sword Union’s Union Master Kong Feng when he led the Hundred Sect Alliance to attack Void Land. It was during those events that Yang Kai learned that this woman had extremely high attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so she was invited by Kong Feng to crack Void Land’s Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array! She also proved herself to be extremely strong and competent as she was almost able to dispel the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array completely.
After the defeat of the Hundred Sects Alliance, Kong Feng was killed, and Luan Bai Feng disappeared without a trace.
Later, when Yang Kai went to Shadowless Cave Heaven, this woman appeared again and blocked his way together with Heavenly Sword Union’s new Union Master, Shen Liang. Shen Liang was killed in that conflict, but Luan Bai Feng escaped again.
Yang Kai had a deep impression of her; firstly, Luan Bai Feng’s attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays were truly high, and the other was that she was also very good at keeping herself alive. Once she saw that the situation was not right, she immediately retreated.
Two successive generations of Heavenly Sword Union’s Union Masters died in battle, but she escaped both conflicts.
However, Yang Kai did not know very much about her. He knew only that she was the leader of a great force called Black Prison.
Now that Old Bai brought her up, Yang Kai could not help but feel a little puzzled, “Is there something special about this woman?”
Old Bai shook his head, “No, there’s nothing particularly special about her. What’s special is the Black Prison!”
Everyone looked towards him, but only Yue He had a thoughtful look on her face.
Among the many Open Heaven Realm Masters present, more than half of them came from Blood Monster Cave Heaven’s Abundance City. Before meeting Yang Kai, generations of them had been living in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, unable to escape due to the Blood Principle Restriction placed on their ancestors. There were also those who were brought out by Yang Kai from the Shadowless Cave Heaven who did not know much information about the current state of the 3,000 Worlds.
Yue He knew a few things, but not as much as Old Bai did.
“The Black Prison is called the Black Prison because it was a naturally formed prison with all sorts of Natural Arrays within. Its environment is also extremely harsh, so one could say that unless one were very familiar with the place, it is all but impossible to leave alive after entering.”
Yang Kai nodded, “No wonder Luan Bai Feng has such high attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays!”
To live most of one’s life in a place that was filled with countless naturally formed Arrays, one would only be killed if their attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays were not high.
“The Black Prison is such a dangerous place that even if a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master were to step foot into it, they may still not be able to escape safely. Rumour has it that even High-Rank Open Heaven Masters may not be Luan Bai Feng’s opponent inside the Black Prison as she can borrow the strength of all sorts of Grand Arrays there to display a strength far greater than her own.” Old Bai went on, “So, in all the 3,000 Worlds, Luan Bai Feng, and even Black Prison itself have become well-known; after all, not every Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master has the heritage and ability to kill Masters in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “To be able to manipulate and control such impressive Grand Arrays… She’s a remarkable woman indeed. But… what sort of place is this Black Prison?”
Old Bai shook his head, “I do not know either; after all, I have never been there myself. I only know that the place is very strange, and its dangers are no less than the Shattered Heaven.”
“Why would she choose to stay in such a dangerous place?” Yang Kai was confused.
Old Bai laughed, “Men, or in this case, Women die for wealth just as birds die for food. If the Black Prison did not have something attractive enough, why would Luan Bai Feng stay there and not move? Black Prison is rich in a very special cultivation resource, and because it is fully black, it is called Black Stone.”
Mao Zhe was curious, “What’s so special about this Black Stone?”
Old Bai shook his head, “There’s nothing special about the Black Stones themselves, but it is a different story when it comes to what is contained within them. A piece of Black Stone may contain nothing, or it may be hiding Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, or even Seventh or Eighth-Order cultivation materials of various Elements!”
Everyone drew a sharp breath upon hearing this.
Hua Yong could not help but look wide-eyed at Old Bai, “Even Seventh and Eighth-Order materials can be found in these Black Stones?”
Old Bai nodded seriously, “That is what the rumours say. Nobody has seen it for themselves, but it has been confirmed that a good amount of Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order materials have come out of these Black Stones.”
Yang Kai was shaken, “There is no shortage of wonders in the 3,000 Worlds!”
Zhou Ya frowned, “If that is true, then as a cultivator who is merely in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, how did Luan Bai Feng gain control over the Black Prison? For a place as rich in resources as that, wouldn’t even the Cave Heavens and Paradises covet it?”
This question raised doubts in many of their minds.
Old Bai smiled, “Senior Sister Zhou is right. If Black Prison were just an ordinary place, then Luan Bai Feng would not be qualified to control it. It would have long been taken over by the Cave Heavens or Paradises; however, the Black Prison has its peculiarities. Not to mention, the major Cave Heavens and Paradises themselves have abundant wealth already. Who among them do not have their own resource production areas? The Black Prison may not even be worthy of their attention. Secondly, even if the Black Prison is rich in materials, they are extremely difficult to mine. Black Stone is something that only those in the Open Heaven Realm are strong enough to mine, and supposedly, the deeper you go into the Black Prison, the higher the Order required to mine the resources. The harsh environment in the Black Prison should also be taken into account. There are dangers everywhere, and a cultivator’s life may be lost at any moment. Even if they were fortunate enough to escape, their cultivation would still constantly be nibbled away by the Natural Arrays if they lived in such a place for long, which would eventually cause their Small Universe to shrink and collapse, a fate even worse than death!”
After a pause, Old Bai went on, “The price to mine Black Stone in Black Prison is the cultivation and vitality of an Open Heaven Realm Master. This was not something that those Cave Heavens and Paradises could afford to do; otherwise, they would be universally condemned.”
“Those who mine Black Stone in the Black Prison become ore slaves. Due to the harsh environment of the Black Prison, Open Heaven Realm Masters do not have long lifespans there, so the demand for ore slaves has always been great for the Black Prison. Ore slaves come from many different channels. Some are Open Heaven Realm Masters who committed great sins and were then bought by Luan Bai Feng at high prices to become lifelong slaves. Others were malefactors captured by Luan Bai Feng, and there were even those who were simply seized. There are also losers of conflicts between two great forces.”
While speaking, Old Bai shot a glance at Hui Gu, “Senior Brother Hui Gu has been staying in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Prison Star this whole time. In comparison to Black Prison, the Prison Star’s conditions are extremely hospitable. The Black Prison is many times harsher than what he knows.”
Cold sweat ran down Hui Gu’s head to hear that. Inwardly, he was feeling glad that Yin-Yang Cave Heaven did not have any agreements with Luan Bai Feng; otherwise, their convicts may have all been sold to the Black Prison, and they would become nothing more than withered bones.
Yang Kai descended into thought as he speculated, “If that is so, does that mean that Luan Bai Feng had other intentions in mind when she came along with Kong Feng’s Hundred Sects Alliance to Void Land?”
Old Bai nodded, “Kong Feng and Luan Bai Feng have had several business dealings in the past, so they are well-acquainted with each other. He personally invited Luan Bai Feng to crack the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array. Naturally, the most compelling reason for Luan Bai Feng to agree was the ore slaves she could obtain. If Void Land was defeated back then, then all of the Open Heaven Realm Masters would have been taken back to the Black prison where they would mine Black Stone for the rest of their lives.”
“Unfortunately for her, both she and Kong Feng did not expect the heritage of our Void Land to be so great. They tried to steal a chicken but failed and lost their rice, too.” Yang Kai stroked his chin, “In that case, this Black Prison is worth a trip! Luan Bai Feng has been running Black Prison for so many years, so she must have accumulated a good amount of resources by now. If we can bring her to our side, then the crisis that our Void Land is facing will be solved in no time.”
Old Bai shook his head, “I don’t suggest you find her directly in the Black Prison. I mentioned before that the Black Prison has countless Natural Arrays inside of it. Even if you are strong, you may not be able to find her even if you made it inside. And, if you do manage to find her, you may not be her opponent.”
Yang Kai looked at him, “Then, what do you think we should do instead?”
“To advance with stillness!” Old Bai explained concisely, “If there is anyone in this world most interested in the battle between great forces, then it has to be Luan Bai Feng. There is bound to be a loser in every battle, and any Open Heaven Realm Master defeated can become an ore slave she so needs, so she is happy to intervene in such fights, betting in advance the side she takes will win.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “Now that Zuo Quan Hui has engaged our Void Land in a head-on confrontation, we will not be able to hide the battle that took place here a few days ago from prying eyes. News will spread sooner or later, and Luan Bai Feng has caused trouble twice for our Void Land. No matter her original intentions, she has already formed a grudge with us. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters here, we are definitely a huge temptation for her.”
Old Bai nodded, “If news reaches her ears, she will definitely come out to help Zuo Quan Hui.”
Yang Kai got up at once, “We must not delay things. I will go to the Black Prison now. If we are too late… I may not be able to intercept her!”
Yue He hurriedly spoke up, “Young Master, I will go with you.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “This, I can do alone. Zuo Quan Hui may have left Void Territory, but he will definitely leave spies to monitor our every move. I may still be able to act quietly alone, but moving with more people will make it more difficult. In my absence, I will leave you all to take care of Void Territory. Zuo Quan Hui will most likely not raise his hand again on the lower Universe Worlds, so all you have to do is stay here and watch over the Sect, then everything will be fine. Do not fight him head-on before I return!”
Everyone cupped their fists, “Yes!”
Even though Yue He was worried, she knew that Yang Kai was right. With his attainments in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai could move freely and easily by himself. She would only be a burden if she went along with him, so she did not argue his decision.
Many days had already passed since the battle, and nobody knew when news of it would reach Luan Bai Feng’s ears. However, once Luan Bai Feng learned that Zuo Quan Hui was personally launching an attack on Void Land, she may not be able to resist the urge to get involved in the struggle. Time was of the essence, so Yang Kai did not dally for even a moment. As soon as he left orders for his subordinates, he set out.
Using Space Principles, Yang Kai could come and go secretly without fear of being discovered by anyone. While travelling, he continued recovering from the wounds he suffered in the previous battle, and in just a few days, he arrived at the local Territory Gate.
Divine Sense stirring, Yang Kai made sure that no eyes were watching him at the Territory Gate before diving in.
After passing through the Territory Gate and arriving at the adjacent Great Territory, Yang Kai concealed his aura as soon as possible. If Zuo Quan Hui left any eyes behind to monitor the situation, then they would most likely be near the Territory Gates which led to Void Land.
Yang Kai looked around for a moment but did not find anything to be concerned about.
Most likely, Zuo Quan Hui had not had enough time to leave any of his men here; after all, it had only been a few days, and he had the injuries incurred from the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel that required his full and immediate attention.
Since he found no eyes on him even after reaching this place, Yang Kai was able to breathe easy and began acting more boldly. The 3,000 Worlds were vast, and as a lone man, he was just like the water flowing in the sea. Nobody could even dream of catching his tracks.
Even though he had never been to the Black Prison before, Yang Kai was not worried about losing his way with his Universe Chart in hand.
Passing through one Great Territory after another, Yang Kai urged his Space Principles on and on, and in just one month, was able to reach the Great Territory neighbouring the Black Prison.
The Great Territory that the Black Prison was located in was marked as the Black Territory on the Universe Chart!
The Great Territory that Yang Kai was in at this moment was only separated from the Black Territory by a single Territory Gate. After passing through that gate, he would be able to reach the Black Territory without issue.
But before he could ascertain what the situation on the other side of the Territory Gate was like, Yang Kai did not dare to rush in headfirst. If he accidentally came across a Trapping Array, it was possible that he would reveal himself, which would force him into a direct confrontation with Luan Bai Feng. No matter what, fighting in someone else’s territory would always leave one at a disadvantage.
What was more, the greatest problem Yang Kai faced today was whether or not Luan Bai Feng was even in the Black Territory. If she were not here, then everything would have been for nought. Even if she were here, Yang Kai still could not guarantee that Luan Bai Feng would come out from the Territory Gate that he was in front of right now.
From the Universe Chart, Yang Kai could see that there were as many as five Territory Gates leading to the Black Territory that were connected to five different Great Territories. If Luan Bai Feng were to leave Black Prison, then there was only a 20% possibility of her coming out from this Territory Gate.
So, in Yang Kai’s opinion, the most important thing to do right now was to find out Luan Bai Feng’s whereabouts and lure her out of the Territory Gate that he was at.
Though, this was not going to be an easy task. It required patience and cunning.
For the next few days, Yang Kai rested in the area around the Territory Gate. He had decided to wait here for up to two months, and if nothing were to come out of this exercise, then he would take the risk of heading straight into the Black Prison to find out where Luan Bai Feng was.
Fortunately, a person’s aura suddenly appeared near the Territory Gate after just a dozen days. Yang Kai, who was sitting cross-legged cultivating nearby, looked over at the Territory Gate just in time to see a black-robed man leave from the Territory Gate.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. This man had obviously just come out from the Black Territory, and the fact that he could freely leave meant that he was one of Luan Bai Feng’s confidants. From the aura fluctuations coming off of this person, Yang Kai could also tell that he was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
After passing through the Territory Gate, the black-robed man gently shook his head to shake off the discomfort he was feeling. Then, after ascertaining the direction, he sped off into the void.
However, after going for just a short distance, something blurred in his vision and a figure blocked his way ahead.
The black-robed man was stunned and defensively shouted, “Who goes there? What do you want?”
The man ahead grinned at him, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. He suddenly reached out and grabbed him before chuckling, “Come over here, I have some questions that I’d like to ask you!”
A few moments later, the black-robed man stood respectfully before Yang Kai with a meek expression.
Yang Kai looked in satisfaction at the two characters on the eighth page of his Loyalty List, written in fresh blood, ‘Xin Peng’!
With Yang Kai’s current strength, dealing with a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was a simple matter. This Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master called Xin Peng did not even have the opportunity to struggle before he was subdued by Yang Kai.
This man was also very sensible. Knowing that he was not his attacker’s opponent, he immediately begged for mercy. After asking him a few questions, Yang Kai had him leave his name on the Loyalty List.
There were nine pages in the Loyalty List, and eight had been used thus far. Only one page was left, and for this very last page, Yang Kai intended to leave it blank for Luan Bai Feng.
Xin Peng was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so it was reasonable to say that he was now not qualified to have his name placed on the Loyalty List. Yang Kai used to be weak, and did not have many subordinates that he could use, so he did not have the qualifications to pick and choose his followers. That was why he chose to accept Chen Tian Fei, Hei He, and Yun Xing Hua. Now, the Masters among his subordinates were as many as the clouds, so it really was a waste for a trivial Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to take up space in his Loyalty List.
However, Luan Bai Feng was just barely worth the last slot he had!
Yang Kai carefully put the Loyalty List away before glancing over at Xin Peng, “Since you’ve already left your name on the Loyalty List, then you should be able to feel that your life or death is now in my hands. With just a thought, I can decide whether you live or die!”
Xin Peng’s sweat dripped down like rain as he quickly pleaded, “Mercy, Sir! Please be merciful! This subordinate will follow Sir’s lead and obey Sir’s orders!”
Yang Kai said indifferently, “Since I’ve taken you under my wing, then I naturally will not ask you to die.”
Xin Peng raised his eyes meekly at Yang Kai, “Then, is there anything that Sir needs this subordinate to do?”
“I have a question for you. You said that Luan Bai Feng was inside the Black Prison, did you not?”
Xin Peng quickly nodded, “Yes.”
“Can you be sure? Don’t lie to me.”
“It’s definitely the truth, Sir! This subordinate received orders from the Warden to purchase some things just a day or two ago.”
Yang Kai was happy to hear that answer and nodded, “Good.”
Obviously, there was no way that Xin Peng could lie under the effects of the Loyalty List, so Yang Kai was sure that Luan Bai Feng was currently inside the Black Prison. It seemed he had not made this trip for nothing, which made the ten or so days he spent waiting here worth it.
“How many Open Heaven Realm Masters are in the Black Prison?” Yang Kai asked.
Xin Peng thought about it for a moment before asking, “Including the ore slaves?”
“Including the ore slaves, and otherwise.”
Xin Peng gave a quick answer, “Including the ore slaves, there are almost 200. Otherwise, there are only a little over 30!”
Yang Kai was speechless. Based on what Xin Peng said, there are around 200 Open Heaven Realm Masters currently in Black Prison’s confinement. This was no small number as no ordinary great force would generally have such a high concentration of Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, most of them were merely the ore slaves in Luan Bai Feng’s subordination, so there was no need to pay them much attention. If anyone did enter into a conflict with Luan Bai Feng, there was no way they would help. The only ones who had gained Luan Bai Feng’s trust and could come and go freely in the Black Prison numbered around 30 people.
“How many are in the Fifth Order? What about Sixth Order?” Yang Kai asked.
Xin Peng answered, “Reporting to Sir, the Warden is the only one in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the Black Prison. As for those in the Fifth Order, there are seven of them. The rest are below the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Luan Bai Feng is the only Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the Black Prison?”
He thought that the Black Prison would have several Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters at least, so this was a surprising answer; however, this did make the rest easier.
Xin Peng laughed bitterly, “The Warden is a very paranoid person. Even after being in charge of the Black Prison for so long, she never allowed her subordinates to advance into the Sixth Order. Any with the potential and signs of advancing will be thrown into Black Prison’s depths to mine.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “What a ruthless woman.”
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai started with another question, “What were you asked to buy on this trip?”
Xin Peng answered what it was.
Yang Kai nodded, “Go to the Star City to finish your mission. I will wait here for you.”
Xin Peng had no idea what Yang Kai was planning to do, but he did not dare to ask too many questions, so he hurriedly responded, “Yes. Then, please wait here for a few days, Sir. This subordinate will go and return quickly.”
A moment later, Xin Peng left.
Yang Kai stood alone in the void, rubbing his chin and pondering. Right now, he had gotten confirmation that Luan Bai Feng was inside the Black Prison. Now, all that was left to do was to lure her out, and he also had to make sure that she would leave from this Territory Gate.
After studying the Universe Chart, Yang Kai felt much more assured. Even though the Black Territory had a total of five different Territory Gates that connected to different Great Territories, if Luan Bai Feng really had intentions to help Zuo Quan Hui to stir up trouble for Void Land, then there was a great possibility that she would leave from this Territory Gate; after all, this was the closest Territory Gate to Void Land. If she were to choose a different route, then it would take her a trip through at least two extra Great Territories to get there, which would delay her a great deal.
Now, the most critical thing left was to lure Luan Bai Feng out! Yang Kai had some certainty that she would come, but he also did not dare to be too sure.
Six days later, Xin Peng returned from the Great Territory’s Star City. Yang Kai, who was hiding, showed himself and gave him detailed instructions. Xin Peng nodded incessantly, putting Yang Kai’s orders to mind, and a short while later, he jumped into the Territory Gate.
A day later, inside a palace, Xin Peng stood submissively inside. Reclined on the long chair before him was Luan Bai Feng. She was sitting in a lazy manner with a pipe in hand. Faint smoke drifted out from the furnace. With eyes half shut out of comfort, Luan Bai Feng’s nose quivered faintly as the smoke entered and left her nose.
“Have you bought what I asked?” Luan Bai Feng asked.
“Yes, I’ve bought it, Warden!” Xin Peng answered respectfully and took out a Space Ring, offering it to her with both hands.
A woman dressed like a maidservant next to Luan Bai Feng came forward to take the Space Ring before returning to her position.
“You’ve worked hard,” Luan Bai Feng responded indifferently, her long phoenix eyes still semi-shut.
“It is this subordinate’s honour to serve!” Xin Peng flattered her with a big smile, but he did not excuse himself immediately because he knew that Luan Bai Feng would always ask for something else whenever he was sent to procure items from the Star City.
“En,” Luan Bai Feng made a lazy hum in response before asking, “Did anything interesting happen outside recently?”
Staring down at his toes, Xin Peng nodded, “Indeed, there are a few things.”
“Speak!” Luan Bai Feng played with the wisps of smoke in front of her with a jade finger, eyes looking distant.
“Firstly, the result of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly is out. The one who took first place was Void Land’s Lord, Yang Kai!”
“Huh?” Luan Bai Feng’s narrowed eyes opened slightly, and a cold light emerged in them, “That Yang Kai actually won first place? How could he, someone in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, achieve something like that? Are the disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises all wastes?”
Even though she was not present when Yang Kai advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, she would naturally keep herself apprised of his situation now that she had made enemies of Void Land. So, it was not strange for her to know that Yang Kai was only in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Xin Peng answered, “Warden, this subordinate heard that Yang Kai is not in the Fifth Order, but the Sixth Order.”
“Sixth-Order?” Luan Bai Feng’s eyes widened again. Then, she snorted, “Where did you hear that rumour? He was merely a Fifth Order when he broke through, that much is certain. The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of several Cave Heavens and Paradises saw it with their own eyes, so how could that be false?”
“This subordinate does not know where the mistake began, but that man is indeed in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there is no doubt about that. And, during Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly, he even killed a man called Zhao Xing.”
“Zhao Xing?” Luan Bai Feng’s finger paused, a contemplative look appearing on her face, “That name sounds familiar… What Sect is he from?”
“This subordinate heard that he is from Thousand Cranes Paradise, and is even a Core Disciple who broke through directly to the Sixth Order!”
Luan Bai Feng’s eyes, which were narrowed this whole time, widened into circles, and her stern gaze was fixed on Xin Peng standing below, who instantly began sweating from the mountain-like pressure placed on him.
Hearing Xin Peng’s story, she finally remembered who this Zhao Xing was. Indeed, he was a Core Disciple of Thousand Cranes Paradise, and when he successfully advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm a few decades ago, many great forces went to congratulate him. Even she had brought a gift over.
“Is that true?” Luan Bai Feng questioned sharply.
Xin Peng stammered, “This news has already spread among the general populace. Whether it is true or not, this subordinate does not know, but everyone is saying the same thing.”
Blinking, Luan Bai Feng muttered to herself, “Waves do not form without wind. This is a matter that concerns Thousand Cranes Paradise’s face. If it were not true, then Thousand Cranes Paradise would definitely step out to curb the rumours. However, the rumours have already spread to the masses, so it is most likely true… Zhao Xing advanced into the Sixth-Order several decades ago, but Yang Kai actually managed to kill him? Is he really in the Sixth-Order, too? But how did that happen?”
She thought about it for a while, but still could not figure out how Yang Kai could suddenly jump from the Fifth-Order to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Suddenly, she laughed like flowers trembling on a branch, her voice crisp and pleasant to the ears.
She laughed for a while before collecting herself, “How would Thousand Cranes Paradise stay still after Yang Kai killed Zhao Xing? Has Void Land been razed to the ground by them yet?”
“Not yet,” Xin Peng shook his head, “because Yin-Yang Cave Heaven intervened as Zhao Xing’s death occurred in the Dao Theory Assembly. There is no way that Thousand Cranes Paradise can openly exact revenge for Zhao Xing. In the end, his Honoured Master, Zuo Quan Hui, deserted Thousand Cranes Paradise while bringing along the disciples under him.”
“Zuo Quan Hui deserted Thousand Cranes Paradise!?” Luan Bai Feng was shocked. However, a person of her stature and experience only had to think for a moment before understanding the sequence of events, “That old fox! Continue.”
“Zuo Quan Hui led his disciples to Void Territory in order to kill Yang Kai; however, not only was he wounded after entering into a big fight with him, another Sixth-Order Disciple under him called Zhou Ti was killed during the battle!”
Luan Bai Feng was even more stunned at this revelation, “Zuo Quan Hui was wounded? Did you hear that wrong?”
Xin Peng shook his head, “That is what they are saying outside, and the rumours are still going strong in the Star City. If Warden does not believe it, she can send someone to inquire about the matter.”
Luan Bai Feng shook her head. It was not that she did not believe Xin Peng’s words, she just wondered whether there were any mistakes with those rumours or not. After all, Zuo Quan Hui was a Seventh-Order Master, so how could he be injured so easily?
Having suddenly thought of something, she began, “It was the doing of Void Land’s two Divine Spirits, wasn’t it?” Only the two Divine Spirits would be able to hurt a man like Zuo Quan Hui.
Xin Peng answered respectfully, “This subordinate does not think so. From beginning to end, the two Divine Spirits were never mentioned in the rumours. Rather, it was the huge number of Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Void Land. Just the number of those in the Sixth Order was 9. In order to save his Disciple, Zuo Quan Hui was caught off guard and injured.”
“9 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters?” The more she listened, the more confused Luan Bai Feng became. She had been to Void Land before, and if there were 9 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters there at that time, then how could she have been able to return alive?
And, how many years had it been since the Hundred Sects Alliance besieged them? How could 9 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters suddenly appear?
“Right now, Zuo Quan Hui must still be recovering from his injuries. In this subordinate’s opinion, a fierce struggle between two evenly matched opponents will soon take place between Zuo Quan Hui and Void Land now that two Sixth-Order disciples of the former have been killed.”
Luan Bai Feng nodded lightly, “Zuo Quan Hui is still in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm after all. Naturally, if he lost face, then he must get it back. Otherwise, how will he still maintain his footing in the future?” She waved him off, “You’re excused.”
“Yes!” Not daring to say anything more, Xin Peng bowed and left.
Wisps of smoke were still fluttering from the pipe, but Luan Bai Feng was not as interested in it as before. There was an inexplicable glint in her narrow phoenix eyes as if she were thinking about something.
The maidservant next to her began softly, “Mistress, should this subordinate go out and verify the rumours?”
Luan Bai Feng shook her head, “Rumours are not to be believed. There’s no finding out the truth unless we find Zuo Quan Hui and ask him about what happened in person.”
The maidservant answered, “But if Zuo Quan Hui is still in recovery, he must be in hiding. Who would be able to find him?”
Luan Bai Feng rubbed her fingers subconsciously, “That’s right… Who will be able to find him? However, it is true that Void Land is troublesome…”
She also kept tabs on Void Land; after all, a grudge had formed between them, so who knew whether or not Void Land would find an opportunity to come to the Black Prison to seek revenge?
Void Land had gradually been growing stronger, and back then, those guys from the Hundred Sect Alliance went rushing over to apologize one by one while bearing gifts.
Meanwhile, Luan Bai Feng remained in the Black Prison. The environment here was treacherous, and there were also the countless Natural Arrays she could take advantage of. She did not care too much at first, but now, it seemed that Void Land had grown to the point where it could threaten her.
She alone would not be able to solve this hidden danger called Void Land, but perhaps… she may be able to seek out Zuo Quan Hui in order to cooperate with him and eradicate this scourge with his help.
The air was quiet, and a million-kilometre area around the Territory Gate was like a forbidden zone that nobody dared to approach. Even those who were in a hurry were unwilling to get too close.
Everyone knew that this was the entrance to the Black Territory, and they also knew how ruthless a woman Luan Bai Feng was. If they were to bump into her along the way, then they just might be captured and brought to the Black Prison to become ore slaves.
Yang Kai remained alone, quietly waiting.
The bait had been cast, but he could not be sure of whether the fish would take it or not. He had only agreed with Xin Peng that if Luan Bai Feng were to leave the Black Prison from another Territory Gate, he would find a way to inform him about it. That would also give Yang Kai time to adjust his plans.
Five days had passed since Xin Peng returned to the Black Territory, but there was still no movement at the Territory Gate.
On the sixth day, however, the Heavens seemingly heard Yang Kai’s pleas and a ship suddenly sailed out of the Territory Gate. Yang Kai, who was watching for any movements from afar, saw the ship as soon as it appeared.
What was certain was that, indeed, it was one of Black Prison’s ships!
However, he did not make his move immediately because he could not guarantee that Luan Bai Feng was aboard.
Concealing his aura and figure, he continued to watch closely.
At a certain moment, a brilliant light suddenly shot out from the ship. Naturally, it was the signal that he had agreed on with Xin Peng!
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, and his body flashed, lunging towards the boat at the speed of lightning.
In the uppermost cabin of the ship, Luan Bai Feng was sitting on her chair, twirling her finger around her hair with a contemplative look on her face. She had no idea why, but she had been feeling restless since leaving the Black Territory, as if something bad was about to happen.
This feeling made her extremely alert.
It was at that moment that a clear energy fluctuation rippled out from a certain part of the ship. She quickly turned her head to the window and, from the corner of her eye, caught a stream of light erupting and illuminating a large space.
Luan Bai Feng’s face paled. Spreading out her Divine Sense, she quickly detected a person leaving the ship and heading out at high speed.
“Xin Peng!” Murderous intent blazed in Luan Bai Feng’s eyes as she shouted his name through gritted teeth. Even though she had no idea why Xin Peng would betray her, the blinding Secret Technique from before was obviously some sort of code agreed upon by Xin Peng and some other party.
Before she even had any time to think about the situation, Luan Bai Feng quickly felt a familiar aura rapidly approaching her and a voice boomed, “Luan Bai Feng, suffer death!”
“Yang Kai!?” Luan Bai Feng was startled by the voice and turned her head towards the direction where the aura was coming from.
She had encountered Yang Kai twice before, so naturally, she was familiar with his aura.
There, in her vision, she saw Yang Kai rapidly approaching just as she had expected.
Luan Bai Feng’s first thought that it must be some sort of trap, and that Void Land’s army was ambushing her. She could possibly be surrounded at any moment and killed; however, from what she could detect, there was no army, only Yang Kai alone in this place.
“Brat who does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! You court death!” Luan Bai Feng began to move as she screamed, leaping through the window as she formed a set of hand seals and pushed her World Force before throwing out a palm at the approaching enemy.
Even though she did not understand why Yang Kai would come to ambush her by himself, she did not want to miss such a golden opportunity. If she was able to capture Yang Kai, then she would be able to offer him up as a great gift to Zuo Quan Hui. Then, once the battle against Void Land was over, her words would hold much more power, allowing her to get more ore slaves from Void Land.
Even though she did not use her full strength, it was still not something that an ordinary Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to withstand, not even for one in the Sixth Order. She had advanced to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm many centuries ago, so the heritage that she accumulated was extremely rich.
Faced with this palm, Yang Kai simply met it with a sneer as he shouted, “The one who does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth… is you!”
World Force erupted and their auras clashed as the two figures rapidly approached each other!
Luan Bai Feng’s face changed, and her eyes went wide!
[Xin Peng was right, this brat… is really in the Sixth Order!]
The moment their World Forces collided, Luan Bai Feng was able to sense this clearly. The World Force possessed by her opponent was definitely not something that a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator would be able to bring out. Yang Kai was definitely a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and not an ordinary one at that!
Luan Bai Feng had never felt this sort of oppression from any other Sixth-Order Master before. When her own World Force was faced with her opponent’s power, it was smashed apart like it was dry weeds or rotten wood. It was her total defeat!
Jolting in realization of the situation, Luan Bai Feng no longer dared to hold back. With her Small Universe’s illusory phantom flickering behind her, she immediately went all out!
However, she was still unable to block her opponent’s attack. Yang Kai’s palm practically crushed and flattened all the obstacles in front of him. Breaking through the force of Luan Bai Feng’s palm, he quickly cut their distance of 1,000 kilometres to zero.
In the next instant, the large palm enveloped in World Force struck Luan Bai Feng’s towering chest.
Her ribs sank down from the force as a look of horror and shock emerged on Luan Bai Feng’s face. Fresh blood spurted out of her mouth, and her aura deflated significantly.
They were both in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but she could not even withstand a single palm from Yang Kai and was severely wounded with just one hit!
However, this woman had presided over the Black Prison for so many years, so she naturally had some real ability. The moment she sensed she was at a disadvantage, she immediately used the force of the recoil to put distance between her and Yang Kai. At the same time, her wrist turned and revealed an Array Plate; launching it straight in Yang Kai’s direction, she shouted, “Open!”
The Array Plate activated, and the Killing Array that was engraved into it spread out in a flash, enveloping hundreds of kilometres in an instant. A violent power erupted from it, transforming into countless attacks that changed the area within the radius into a slaughtering field.
Luan Bai Feng did not pause, however. Although her Array Plate was powerful, judging from the strike that Yang Kai displayed earlier, she knew it would be impossible to stop him with just that. Her Array Plate would delay him for a couple dozen breaths at the most.
Still, that was enough time. She had barely left the Black Territory, so with a few dozen breaths, she could still return.
As long as she could cross the Territory Gate, with the help of the countless Natural Arrays present within, she could exert a strength that was far beyond her own. Forget Yang Kai being a Sixth-Order Master, even if he was in the Seventh Order, once he was inside her territory, he should not even dream of leaving unscathed.
Having suffered such a huge loss out of nowhere, the hatred gathered in Luan Bai Feng’s heart had already reached the Heavens, so even while she was escaping, she was already thinking of how she was going to take revenge on Yang Kai for this.
However, only 100 kilometres away from Black Territory’s Territory Gate, Luan Bai Feng suddenly stopped and stood in awe, staring at the figure that blocked her path.
Yang Kai stood with a spear in hand that was pointing forward as he grinned widely, “Since I already know about your attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, how could I not be prepared to deal with you?”
“How did you…” Luan Bai Feng was in disbelief.
“You think you were able to trap me in that Killing Array? The Dao of Space is too profound for a woman like you to comprehend!” Yang Kai snickered, “You want to return to the Black Territory? That’s not an option!”
Luan Bai Feng ground her teeth. At the same time as when her body drifted backwards, she summoned three more Array Plates into her hands. However, before she could even toss out the three Array Plates, Yang Kai had disappeared from in front of her.
A great sense of crisis loomed over her. Luan Bai Feng raised her hand and was about to ignore everything else to throw down the Array Plates when she felt a sting in her wrist. Her vision became a blur, and Yang Kai was already in front of her, his broad chest practically pressing against hers as his hot breath blew on her face, “I have a great use for you alive, so don’t force me to kill you!”
Luan Bai Feng looked down to see that her hand that was holding the Array Plates had been pierced through by a spear and was covered in blood!
A cold feeling flooded her from her head down to her toes as Luan Bai Feng froze in place. Her eyes quivered, and her mind was a chaotic mess.
How could someone who was merely in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm possibly be this strong? She could not even fight back in front of this man. It could almost be said that her life or death was in the palm of his hand.
Raising her head, Luan Bai Feng stared at Yang Kai who was right in front of her, gritting her teeth and asking, “What are you going to do?”
Yang Kai grinned, “I told you, I need you alive, so don’t be so nervous. If you obediently cooperate with me, then naturally, there will be no harm to your life.”
Luan Bai Feng blinked, “You want to cooperate with me?”
“A wise person will submit to the circumstances!” Yang Kai nodded. Then, he took out the Loyalty List and said with an amiable expression, “Come, come, come, leave your name in your Blood Essence here!”
Luan Bai Feng glanced at the Loyalty list, and her pretty face sank, “Loyalty List? This thing is in your possession?”
“It’s good that you know it, that saves me the effort of having to explain,” Yang Kai smiled.
Luan Bei Feng sneered, “If I leave my name on the Loyalty List, then won’t I be under your control forever, never to have freedom again?”
“Indeed!”
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I’d rather die!”
Yang Kai looked indifferently at her, “You only have one chance, so choose well. If you pick the right answer, then you get to live. Otherwise… you die!”
Luan Bai Feng turned her head away and snorted, taking up the stance of a woman who was prepared for death.
Yang Kai nodded, “For a woman to have such a backbone… Many men cannot compare to you. That is worth admiring. In that case, let me send you on your way!”
At the end of his sentence, Yang Kai brought his hand down on Luan Bai Feng’s head, and Golden Crow’s True Fire burst from his palm, instantly turning her into a ball of fire.
Miserable screams filled the air as Luan Bai Feng’s entire body was enveloped by the pitch-black Golden Crow’s True Fire. Of course, there was no way for her to die in a short time thanks to her strong vitality; however, her cultivation, which was only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, was not enough for her to extinguish the Golden Crow’s True Fire. In the face of doom, she was cursed to endure indescribable torment and suffering.
“You’re really going to kill me!?” Luan Bai Feng asked as she screamed in agony; after all, Yang Kai told her earlier that he had a use for her alive, yet now he was actually trying to kill her in the blink of an eye. His mood changed faster than one could flip pages in a book!
Yang Kai remained silent as he watched her indifferently with a cold look in his eyes, as if he were seeing her off from this plane of existence.
Luan Bai Feng panicked. Death was a terrifying thought, and though she knew that Yang Kai was merely trying to force her hand with this method, she was still frightened by his ruthlessness and determination. If this were to continue, then she might really die!
“Please spare me, I’ll do as you ask!” Luan Bai Feng shouted.
When Yang Kai raised his hand and grabbed at her again, the blaze of the Golden Crow’s True Fire that enveloped Luan Bai Feng’s body seemed to have a life of its own and quickly returned to his palm.
“You should have said so earlier, then you wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.”
A short while later, Yang Kai received the Loyalty List back from Luan Bai Feng’s hands with great satisfaction. There, on the final page, was Luan Bai Feng’s name written in three large, bright red characters.
From the time that Chen Tian Fei volunteered to put himself on the Loyalty List at the very beginning until now all nine pages had been used up.
On each page was Blood Essence used to write the name of each person.
Chen Tian Fei, Hei He, Yun Xing Hua, Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, Zhou Ya, Hui Gu, Xin Peng, Luan Bai Feng!
Unless one of them died, a new blank page would not appear in the Loyalty List. And out of the nine, as many as five pages were taken up by Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, which helped Yang Kai on many occasions.
Without the Loyalty List, Yang Kai would not have had the confidence to bring the three Mountain Lords of Profound Yang Mountain out from the Shadowless Cave Heaven. Without the Loyalty List, there was no way he could safely cooperate with Hui Gu, much less subdue Luan Bai Feng on this day!
The Loyalty List was a mysterious artifact with great binding force refined by a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master that had been nicknamed Loyalty Demon many years ago. The list was made using the flesh and bone of the Divine Spirit, Xie Zhi.
However, the power of the Loyalty List depended on who was using it.
Even though Chen Tian Fei also held the Loyalty List back then, he was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so the Loyalty List was of little use in his hands; however, things were different when it was passed on to Yang Kai’s possession.
“So, that’s how it is. No wonder Xin Peng had the guts to betray me.” Luan Bai Feng glanced at the Loyalty List with a grim look on her face. She saw Xin Peng’s name on the Loyalty List just now, dispelling all her doubts. It was only natural that Xin Peng would obey Yang Kai’s orders since he was under the Loyalty List’s suppression.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Don’t look so reluctant. It’ll be much better for you to join me than to stay holed up in the Black Prison. There’s a big world out there, so if you’re free, you should go out and have a look!”
Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted, “The winner is the King and the loser is the villain. Anything you say is right.”
Yang Kai then took a glance around and commented, “These subordinates of yours don’t look very loyal!”
Luan Bai Feng was livid.
She had not come out alone today; she had brought some other subordinates with her, but when she was fighting Yang Kai, none of them came forward to help her. Of course, part of it was because Yang Kai had moved so quickly that they did not even have the time to react, but if they were truly loyal to her, then they would naturally have come to save her by now.
In fact, they had only been watching from afar on the ship without any intention of coming closer. They had even taken a stance where they might leave at any moment.
“What are you all staring at? Scram!” Luan Bai Feng’s stomach was full of grievances.
A dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters of different Orders rushed into the ship in an instant, disappearing without a trace.
Luan Bai Feng turned to look at Yang Kai, “Are you satisfied now? My name is already on your Loyalty List. Now, whatever orders you have for me, just voice them.”
“There’s no hurry. What’s more important is to heal your injuries first. I can’t bear to see a beautiful woman like you burned like this either.” While saying this, Yang Kai used his Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation. Wondrous green branches dropped down, enveloping Luan Bai Feng with rich vitality.
Earlier, under the Golden Crow’s True Fire, Luan Bai Feng had tried her best to resist, but she was still burnt all over, with her exposed skin covered in appalling blisters.
They looked terribly painful, but Luan Bai Feng did not say a word about it, which showed how strong her endurance was.
Now, with the surge of vitality from the Towering Evergreen, Luan Bai Feng’s surface injuries healed at a rate visible to the naked eye. While resisting the tingling sensation caused by the technique, Luan Bai Feng turned her face away, “Do not expect this Queen to thank you for such a small favour.”
She had a calm expression on her face, but inwardly, she was quite shocked. Her burns came from the Golden Crow’s True Fire, yet the Wood Element Divine Manifestation that Yang Kai used was actually able to produce such visible restorative capabilities, [Just what Order Wood Element Power did he condense when he was advancing to the Open Heaven Realm?]
Yang Kai was calm, “Now that you have submitted to me, I will naturally treat you well, so I do not expect any thanks from you, either.”
Luan Bai Feng frowned and shut her eyes, enjoying the rich vitality that was healing her wounds. A moment later, she suddenly spoke, “Xin Peng was instructed by you to draw me out, so how much of what he said is true, and how much of it is false?”
“What he told you is basically the truth,” Yang Kai responded with indifference.
Luan Bai Feng’s eyes widened in surprise, “So, it’s true that Zuo Quan Hui was injured?”
“Indeed!”
Luan Bai Feng’s brows furrowed in thought for a moment before she nodded lightly, “You must have been the one to injure him. Your abilities are… a little better than what I expected!”
Even after fighting Yang Kai personally, Luan Bai Feng still could not understand how someone in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm could be so strong.
“Zuo Quan Hui was careless and underestimated his opponent, which allowed me to take advantage of the situation; otherwise, how difficult do you think it is to wound a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?”
“Your Void Land and Zuo Quan Hui have already tossed aside all semblance of civility, yet you choose to run all the way here instead of staying back and watching after your Sect? I may be in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, too, but not even ten of me can match up against Zuo Quan Hui. If you are expecting to use me as a countermeasure to deal with Zuo Quan Hui, then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. Unless… Did you come here just to take revenge? After all, I did give you trouble twice in the past.”
Yang Kai laughed, “Void Land is as strong as iron. Even without me there, there’s nothing Zuo Quan Hui can do to it. I didn’t come here for you this time. Rather than that, it’s the Black Prison that I’m interested in! There are plenty of supplies in the Black Prison, and I happen to be in need of cultivation materials!”
Luan Bai Feng clenched her teeth and snarled, “Shameless!”
Yang Kai chuckled and took back his Towering Evergreen, “Think what you’d like. Now, let’s go. Bring me into the Black Prison.”
Luan Bai Feng glared viciously at Yang Kai before turning around reluctantly, “Follow me!”
After the pair returned to the ship, Xin Peng ran back as well. He seemed very embarrassed to see Luan Bai Feng again, but she did not even spare him a glance.
This woman knew, too, that the reason why her ship would have capsized on calm seas this time was partly to do with Xin Peng, but Yang Kai was the main culprit. Even if she wanted to kill Xin Peng for revenge, Yang Kai would not allow it, so there was no point in doing something useless.
On board the ship, the other dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters were all looking at Yang Kai in awe. They saw with their own eyes how powerless Luan Bai Feng had been when she was forced to submit to Yang Kai, so they had an inkling about just how powerful this man was.
The boat was not too far away from the Black Prison, so it only took a few moments to return.
After passing through the Territory Gate, they soon arrived in the Black Territory.
A dim light enveloped the entire sky. Standing on the deck, Yang Kai looked up and saw there, far away, was a great sun that was giving off light. However, unlike an ordinary Sun Star, this one gave off the impression of a dying old man. There were even black spots forming on its surface from time to time.
Yang Kai had refined the Golden Crow’s True Fire and had the Divine Manifestation, Golden Crow Casts the Sun, which was why he was constantly haunted by an indescribable feeling ever since stepping into the Black Territory.
He could clearly feel that the Black Territory’s sun was about to die!
It was not that he had not experienced the death of a Sun Star before. Back then, when he was escaping Seven Wonders Land, he witnessed with his own eyes as a Sun Star went out, and it was there that he obtained the Golden Crow’s carcass, which in turn allowed him to refine the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
However, he never expected to see such a similar scene again after so many years.
Perhaps, hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years later, the Black Territory’s Sun Star would also burn out.
There was only this one Sun Star in the entire Black Territory as far as the eye could see, so once this Sun Star was extinguished, the entire Black Territory would be plunged into cold darkness.
The dying Great Sun enveloped the entirety of the Black Territory in an air of solemnity.
“This Black Territory does not seem very large,” Yang Kai noted his observations after looking around.
Luan Bai Feng subconsciously twirled her hair with her finger as she commented casually, “The Black Territory wasn’t large to begin with. Compared to the other Great Territories, you can even say that it’s pitifully small. There’s even only one Sun Star. What other Great Territory have you seen that’s like this?”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “You’re right, I’ve never seen one like this before.”
Luan Bai Feng continued, “Legends say that the Black Territory used to be similar to other Great Territories. It was vast, but for some reason, it slowly shrank to the size it is now. Perhaps, once the final Sun Star goes out, the entire Black Territory will cease to exist. However, it’s thanks to this that the Black Territory was left untouched. Otherwise, how do you think that I, a woman, would be able to occupy such a piece of land? The environment here is harsh, so those under the Open Heaven Realm are simply unable to survive. Only those above the Open Heaven Realm can live here. If it were really any kind of prosperous place, then it would long have been taken over by other great forces.”
“En,” Yang Kai deeply agreed with her sentiments. Looking up, he saw the large and small celestial bodies floating silently in the void. The smaller ones were maybe a few dozen kilometres in diameter, while the larger ones may even be compared to the Star Boundary. However, the ones that could be seen were all filled with pits and cracks. Some were even split into pieces.
Those pits and cracks were clearly traces left behind by cultivators.
“These are…” Yang Kai frowned.
Luan Bai Feng explained, “All the objects in the Black Territory are technically Ore Stars that give birth to Black Stones. What you see are the mined-out Ore Stars, and these are only from the outermost region.”
Yang Kai understood and was just about to ask her more questions when Luan Bai Feng waved her hand, “Do not disturb me right now. We have already arrived at the area covered by the Natural Arrays. If you want to die together, then speak freely; otherwise, keep your mouth shut and don’t poke around with your Divine Sense! There are many peculiarities in this place.”
Yang Kai rubbed his nose embarrassedly and kept silent. When he looked around, he saw that all of the Open Heaven Realm Masters on the ship all had stiff looks on their faces, as if something very bad was about to happen.
All eyes were fixed on Luan Bai Feng, and at this moment, the woman had a grave look on her face as she kept forming new hand seals while guiding the ship through the void.
A few moments later, Yang Kai clearly sensed a terrifying power lurking around them. This power felt like it was sleeping, yet could be woken up with the slightest disturbance, bringing about a Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering disaster.
Since he had received Luan Bai Feng’s reminder earlier, Yang Kai did not dare to probe his surroundings either. He was stunned that the Black Territory actually turned out to be this ferocious, and he had no idea how Luan Bai Feng was able to survive in a place like this.
The Black Prison was a dangerous place where countless Natural Arrays were hidden, but this was only what things were like in the outermost region. If one went deeper, then the dangers would only increase.
However, under Luan Bai Feng’s guidance, the ship navigated through the void unharmed, passing one Array after another, but not in a straight line. Sometimes, Yang Kai felt as if they had gone in one large circle, and sometimes, felt they were even spinning in place for a long time. There did not seem to be any standard pattern to it.
In the end, they were met with no dangers on their journey. This must have been a well-travelled route for Luan Bai Feng, which was why she knew where all the risks were and was able to avoid them perfectly.
About a day later, a ruined Spirit Province suddenly came into view. Obviously, this Spirit Province was also a fragment of an Ore Star. It was not very large, much smaller than Void Land, but from a distance, traces of man-made structures could be seen. On the Spirit Province stood a series of connected palaces.
The ship landed in front of the palaces, where a maidservant in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm came out to greet them. The woman was surprised and asked, “Why has Madame returned so quickly?”
Luan Bai Feng’s face was dark, but she did not even say a word since she herself was too embarrassed to tell her that she had been ambushed on the trip and even subordinated by someone else using the Loyalty List.
The maidservant could obviously sense that something was not right with the situation. She glanced curiously at the unfamiliar Yang Kai, but she was smart enough not to ask anything else.
“Get out of here, all of you. Go do your work! If anyone dares let a single word slip about what happened today, I’ll make sure they’ll suffer a fate worse than death!” Luan Bai Feng bellowed at her subordinates.
Everyone scattered like birds and beasts, quickly disappearing without a trace.
“You are also excused,” Luan Bai Feng waved off the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm woman, who simply bowed to her and retreated back into the Main Hall.
Soon, Luan Bai Feng and Yang Kai were the only ones left. She glanced at him before turning around and leaving in a certain direction.
While looking around curiously, Yang Kai followed behind her. After walking for a while, he could no longer hold his curiosity back, “The environment in the Black Territory is indeed harsh, but there are also rumours that if one stays here long enough, their World Force will continuously leak out, eventually leading to their Small Universe’s collapse and a complete loss of cultivation. How come I’m not feeling anything?”
Luan Bai Feng responded without even turning back, “Of course you can’t feel it here. This is only the outermost region. If that damned effect were to happen even here, how would I be able to live here? Once you go deeper into the Black Territory, you’ll naturally be able to experience it.”
Stopping her feet, she turned around and said in an inciting manner, “Do you want to go and try it right now? The deeper you go, the more obvious the feeling becomes!”
Yang Kai grinned, “Even if I decide to go, I’ll definitely drag you along with me.”
Luan Bai Feng’s face darkened. After a cold snort, she turned back around and continued leading the way.
A short while later, the two of them arrived before an exceptionally well-built palace that was enveloped in clear traces of layers upon layers of barriers.
Luan Bai Feng took out a jade token and poured her power into it before swaying in front of the entrance of the palace. A light shot out from the token and, following that, the doors of the palace opened with a click.
After leading Yang Kai into the palace, Luan Bai Feng did the same thing and opened three more doors in succession, each one heavier than the last, with traces of Arrays activating each time.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in awe, “Your skills in the Dao of Spirit Arrays are truly spectacular.”
To this day, the most accomplished Master in the Dao of Spirit Arrays that he had encountered was undoubtedly Grandmaster Wu Liang who had arranged the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, but when comparing the two, Luan Bai Feng was superior. During the siege of the Hundred Sects Alliance on Void Land back then, Luan Bai Feng had attempted to crack the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array after unravelling its mysteries.
Even though the Hundred Sects Alliance suffered heavy losses in the end, resulting in the death of Kong Feng, it was not as a result of Luan Bai Feng’s inability to break the Grand Array, but rather their unpreparedness against their enemy. Void Land’s heritage was simply too strong.
The fact that Luan Bai Feng was able to work out some of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array’s mysteries in such a short amount of time was a testament to her mastery of the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
As the two of them were talking, they arrived at another Grand Hall, inside of which was white jade shelf after white jade shelf with no end in sight. On the shelves were an assortment of oddly-shaped containers of different materials, many of which were made of rare jades and ores themselves.
“What is this place?” Yang Kai asked, raising a brow.
Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted, “Why ask when you already know? Don’t you need a lot of cultivation resources? They’re all here!”
Even though he already had his guesses, Yang Kai still smiled happily when he heard what Luan Bai Feng said, “So, this is your treasury? Very good!”
Divine Sense surging, it enveloped the entire Grand Hall in an instant, taking in everything.
Despite his mental preparations, Yang Kai was still shocked by Luan Bai Feng’s wealth. The cultivation materials placed here numbered at least 10,000.
This was a terrifying number. Even though Void Land could still pull out such a humongous amount of cultivation materials, that was only natural because they had a whole Star City which saw merchants from all corners of the 3,000 Worlds patronizing them every day, bringing huge amounts of resources with them.
For a lone woman like Luan Bai Feng to have amassed such a fortune was simply terrifying.
However, since she occupied a treasure trove like the Black Prison, it was only natural for her to have accumulated such wealth after all the years she spent here.
“What is the Order of the supplies here? And what about the quantity?” Yang Kai asked with glowing eyes.
Luan Bai Feng did not like the look on his face; after all, it was hard to feel good about seeing one’s treasures being snatched away by someone else all of a sudden. Still, she turned away and muttered, “Those below the Fourth Order are unqualified to be stored here. The materials placed here are all either in the Fourth Order or above. On the left are the Fourth-Order materials, roughly 8,000 pieces in total. The centre shelves are for Fifth-Order materials, about 2,000 of them. On the right are the Sixth-Order materials. There are almost 200 pieces, but I haven’t counted them recently.”
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in awe, “You’re probably the richest woman in all the 3,000 Worlds!”
Firstly, without even mentioning materials in the Fourth and Fifth-Order, she actually had around 200 pieces of Sixth-Order materials. It had to be known that each piece would cost at least 15 million Open Heaven Pills each. Two hundred pieces would be worth at least 3 billion!
That much money, belonging to a single person!
How could anyone in the 3,000 Worlds compare with that?
While speaking, Yang Kai’s body had instantly moved towards the area where the Sixth-Order materials were placed and he began looking through them with interest. Suddenly, he turned his head towards the last White Jade shelf and asked, “Is this a Sixth-Order material, too?”
Only a single container was placed on the final White Jade shelf, which made it seem conspicuous.
Luan Bai Feng’s face twitched. She was practically gnashing her teeth as she forced each word out, “That’s a Seventh-Order treasure!”
Yang Kai raised a brow and said with glowing eyes, “Before coming here, I heard that the Black Prison’s Black Stones could even produce materials in the Seventh and Eighth Order. So it is true?”
Luan Bai Feng affirmed, “Of course it’s true; however, the number is extremely low! After all these years of occupying the Black Prison, I’ve only ever encountered a single piece!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Since there is one, that means there will be more. Sure enough, the Black Prison is really a treasure trove!”
With that said, he picked up the container that was holding the Seventh-Order material and opened it up to take a look, discovering that it was a Seventh-Order Metal Element material. Nodding lightly, he casually tossed it into his Small Universe.
Even though Seventh-Order materials were extremely precious and rare, it was not as if he had never seen them before. In fact, most of the materials that he condensed belonged to the Seventh Order or even above that, to begin with.
His biggest goal on this trip was to find the Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials, which was what Void Land needed the most right now.
Turning his gaze to the more than 200 pieces of Sixth-Order materials, Yang Kai rolled up his sleeves and began examining them one by one. There were so many here, so surely some of them would be what he was looking for.
When she saw what Yang Kai was doing, Luan Bai Feng turned her face away in anger and scorn.
Once he began going through the Sixth-Order materials though, the expectation and joy on Yang Kai’s face began to die away. By the time he searched through all of the Sixth-Order materials, Yang Kai’s brow was deeply furrowed.
There were no problems with the Sixth-Order materials themselves as each piece was so pure that it was completely befitting the cultivating needs of any Open Heaven Realm Master. Only, there were hardly any which were of the Yin and Yang Element, the ones he truly needed.
He was able to find one Sixth-Order Yin Element material, but that was it. Besides that, there were also only two Yang Element materials!
Out of the 200 pieces of Sixth-Order materials, only three of them fit his needs. Even though he knew that the Yin and Yang Element materials were scarcer than those of the Five Elements, this ratio was still extremely unsatisfactory.
Turning his head to look at Luan Bai Feng, Yang Kai saw that she was currently gnashing her teeth at him. If not for the restrictions placed on her by the Loyalty List, then she would likely have pounced on him to drink his blood and eat his flesh.
Nobody would be in a good mood after seeing the wealth that they had been accumulating for so many years taken away by someone else in the blink of an eye.
“What are you looking at?” Luan Bai Feng grumbled.
Yang Kai blinked his eyes before he suddenly grinned, “That’s not right…!”
“What’s not right?” Luan Bai Feng frowned.
“You’ve been occupying the Black Prison for so many years, so surely this can’t be everything you’ve gathered so far?”
Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted, “Is this still not enough? How much do you think I have?”
“No, it doesn’t add up!” Yang Kai shook his head, “Yes, Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials have always been difficult to find, but there’s no way that there are only three meagre pieces. You must have hidden the rest elsewhere.”
With his eyes fixed on Luan Bai Feng’s Space Ring, he reached his hand out, “Show me your Space Ring.”
Luan Bai Feng was furious, “Yang Kai, don’t go too far!”
“Hand it over!” Yang Kai looked sternly at her.
Luan Bai Feng gritted her teeth and her chest heaved for a while before she removed her Space Ring and threw it at Yang Kai, as if to take her anger out on him this way.
Yang Kai grabbed it and searched it using his Divine Sense. After a while, he tossed the Space Ring back to her.
There were quite a lot of good things stored in Luan Bai Feng’s ring, and their value could even be described as shocking, but he did not find what he needed.
“Satisfied now?” Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted.
Yang Kai looked at her in disbelief, wondering whether he had made a mistake. After a moment of silence, he began, “The Loyalty List can ensure one’s loyalty. Those who have written their names down on the list cannot resist the holder’s demands, but I have never used this ability on anyone. That is because I believe that since they have come under me, they should at least have a basic level of trustworthiness. Luan Bai Feng, let me ask you one last time. Other than in your treasury here, are you hiding any materials elsewhere? Think about your answer before you speak. Don’t force me to use the Loyalty List.”
Four eyes met, and Luan Bai Feng was furious as she snarled, “The greedy will not meet a good end!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “As expected, you’re hiding more!” He nodded lightly, “Even cunning rabbits have three nests. It’s normal for you to have hidden some elsewhere!”
This woman left most of the resources here to act as a treasury on the surface, but she had secretly hidden the truly valuable things elsewhere so that even if someone did catch sight of this treasury, they may not think more of it.
However, now that Yang Kai was even bringing out the Loyalty List, Luan Bai Feng would not be able to hide it even if she tried.
World Force surging, the illusory phantom of a Small Universe expanded, instantly enveloping the treasury. By the time the illusory phantom disappeared, everything in the treasury had been absorbed into Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
Luan Bai Feng looked at this scene with astonishment before furrowing her brows. For an instant, she could feel a profound aura coming from inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe just now.
What was more… The Small Universe of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master should still be ethereal and intangible, so how could it contain so many items?
But before she even had the time to think about it, she saw Yang Kai grinning at her, “What are you being so upset about? Our fates are tied now. If anything happens to me, then you won’t be safe either. Would it not be good for you too if you handed these things over to me so that I can grow stronger as fast as possible?”
Luan Bai Feng was livid, but she kept silent.
“Come on, lead the way,” Yang Kai patted her shoulder excitedly.
Whether Luan Bai Feng was willing or not, she was unable to refuse Yang Kai’s request now that things had already come to this. So, she had no choice but to lead him to the place where she hid her treasures.
To Yang Kai’s surprise, her private treasury was not located in this shattered Spirit Province, but somewhere else.
Two figures flew out together, heading deeper into the Black Prison.
After flying for four whole hours and passing dozens of Natural Arrays, the two of them finally appeared at a certain place. Luan Bai Feng stood still, and Yang Kai followed suit. Looking up, there seemed to be nothing before them. He could not even find anything suspicious nearby.
“This is the place?” Yang Kai asked.
Luan Bai Feng was still angry and did not feel like responding to him, but she raised her hand and tossed out Array Flags one by one in all directions. Following her actions, Yang Kai could clearly feel some energy ebbing and flowing around them, echoing Luan Bai Feng’s movements.
A few moments later, Yang Kai looked in amazement at a tiny Spirit Province fragment just a dozen kilometres ahead gradually materializing and revealing itself.
This Spirit Province fragment was only a couple of kilometres across, which was pitifully small. It also seemed completely empty without the slightest hint of any vitality.
However, this was the best place for one to hide one’s treasures. If not for Luan Bai Feng’s actions, then Yang Kai would never have been able to sense that a shattered Spirit Province was actually hidden here.
“The Dao of Spirit Arrays is truly a profound thing. Did you hide this place using an Illusion Array?” Yang Kai asked in awe.
Luan Bai Feng continued her movements and grumbled, “This Illusion Array existed here all along. I have merely deciphered it and used it for myself.”
“Even that is amazing.”
After a short while, the Spirit Province fragment was fully revealed. Without even calling out to him, Luan Bai Feng directly closed in on it in a flash. Seeing this, Yang Kai followed her.
Looking around, there seemed to be nothing special in this Spirit Province, but Luan Bai Feng walked in front of a stone wall and began working on opening another array. Soon, the stone wall slid open, revealing a dark cave.
“Everything is inside. Go and get it yourself if you want it,” Luan Bai Feng cut through Yang Kai with a sharp gaze.
Yang Kai laughed, “Many thanks!”
He had no worry that Luan Bai Feng would trick him here. It was simply impossible for her to do anything that may harm him under the influence of the Loyalty List, so he walked into the cave with ease.
An incense stick’s time later, Yang Kai reappeared with a satisfied look on his face, “Let’s return!”
After a pause, he looked at Luan Bai Feng, “You don’t have any other private treasuries left, do you?”
Luan Bai Feng had to take a deep breath to suppress the blood welling up in her chest. Shutting her eyes, she responded in exasperation, “None!”
“I was just asking,” Yang Kai chuckled.
Then, they went back to where they came from. Another four hours went by, and they were back at the original shattered Spirit Province.
After asking Luan Bai Feng for a room and telling her not to disturb him without good cause, Yang Kai went inside and checked his harvest for this trip.
He had not inspected what Luan Bai Feng had stowed away in her private treasury yet, but since she had hidden it elsewhere, it must be things of great value. Obviously, Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials had to be part of it.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged in the room with the goods hauled back from the cave placed around him.
There were only several dozen items, which was not many compared to the main treasury, and just like the ones he saw before, all the materials had been stored in separate containers.
Yang Kai casually picked up a jade box that was the size of a palm and opened it. A pure searing power came rushing out. As he felt the rich power fluctuating, he rejoiced.
This was clearly a Seventh-Order Fire Element material which looked like a Fire Spirit Crystal. Obviously, however, it was much more valuable than an ordinary Fire Spirit Crystal.
The very first material had given Yang Kai a small surprise, which made him even more eager to check out the others.
After picking up another item, he was a little disappointed. It was merely a Sixth-Order Water Element material, so he just casually tossed it into his Small Universe.
He picked up another one, and this time, it was exactly what Yang Kai was looking for, a Sixth-Order Yin Element material.
There were only several dozen items, so it did not take much time to go through all of them. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yang Kai had already gone through everything.
Everything here was clearly what Luan Bai Feng had prepared for her own personal use. There were a total of nine complete sets of Sixth-Order materials, which were valuable enough to buy a small city!
Any Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to refine these directly after picking them up to enhance the heritage of their Small Universe.
Besides that, there were also as many as five Seventh-Order materials. Even though there were no Yin and Yang Element materials among them, they were worth an astronomical amount by themselves.
As he expected, it was right of him to have chosen to come to the Black Prison.
After offering a high bounty for the materials at the Star City for such a long time, he was only able to gather enough materials for three people to advance into the Sixth Order directly. However, just Luan Bai Feng’s two treasuries contained enough to supply ten cultivators.
With this, the resources they needed to advance thirteen people from Void Land into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm had been settled, which was enough to solve their most urgent problem.
However, since he came to the Black Prison, Yang Kai naturally would not be satisfied to just go back. There was little he had to worry about in Void Land right now. Zuo Quan Hui’s injury would take a long time to recover, so there was no way that he would come back to cause more trouble for a while. As such, Yang Kai still had some time to spend doing other things.
If he could get more Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials, then that would naturally be for the best. Even if he were not able to get them, he had to find a way to get them. For that reason, he was very interested in the Black Stones.
After putting all his loot away, Yang Kai walked out of the room to find the physically and mentally exhausted Luan Bai Feng.
“Black Stone?” Luan Bai Feng was lying lazily on a chair while the Fifth-Order maid was crouching in front of her, gently massaging her calves.
Yang Kai sat uninhibitedly by the side and nodded, “Yes. I heard that all of these materials have been mined from those Black Stones. I want to see what those Black Stones are like.”
Luan Bai Feng knew that there was no use arguing with him, so she could only ask the girl in front of him, “Has the latest batch of Black Stones arrived?”
The woman responded softly, “They were brought back three days ago, and they are breaking the stones now. If Madam needs them, I can have some of them brought over now.”
Luan Bai Feng was about to nod when Yang Kai raised his hand, “No need, I’ll go and take a look by myself.”
Luan Bai Feng frowned when she heard this, but she still stood up and nodded, “Come, I’ll take you there.”
After following her for a short while, the two of them arrived at an open square where a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters were busy, World Force fluctuating from their bodies.
Yang Kai looked over and saw that each of them had dark stones of different sizes in front of them. The small ones were only about the size of a palm, but the large ones were as large as a water vat.
Not far away from them was a pile of similar-looking stones.
“So, these are the Black Stones?” Yang Kai asked.
Luan Bai Feng nodded, “En.”
While the two of them were speaking, the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were hard at work had clearly noticed Luan Bai Feng’s arrival, so they all stopped what they were doing and greeted respectfully, “Madam Warden!”
Luan Bai Feng waved her hand, signalling for them to continue, and they did.
Yang Kai watched for a while and said in astonishment, “The Black Stones are dissolving?”
The Open Heaven Realm Masters were all controlling the World Force inside of their bodies to wrap around the Black Stones in front of them. As time passed, the Black Stones gradually became smaller, but nothing seemed to break off or flow away from them. It was as if the dissolved parts of the Black Stone had just disappeared into thin air.
“Black Stones are bizarre things. Only the World Force of those in the Open Heaven Realm is able to dissolve them. As for why that is, I have never been able to figure out,” Luan Bai Feng explained, “What’s more, these Black Stones may contain cultivational resources inside of them, or they may contain nothing at all.”
While speaking, she pointed to one of the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were working at the side, and Yang Kai looked over at him. He saw that despite the fact that the Black Stone disappeared without a trace in his hands, nothing seemed to be left behind. The man shook his head in disappointment before picking up another piece of Black Stone and continuing the process.
“These ore slaves will mine Black Stones from the Ore Stars before bringing them back here to extract resources contained inside of them. That is what the process is, basically. Every last piece of material found in the Black Prison has not been easy to come by…” While saying this, she glared at Yang Kai, “And now it’s been given to you for nothing!”
Acting as if he did not hear her, Yang Kai frowned, “Is there no way to determine which pieces of Black Stone contain materials, and which don’t?”
He watched them for a moment and found that it took a lot of effort for the Open Heaven Realm Masters to dissolve the Black Stones. If it could be ascertained beforehand which pieces of Black Stone contained resources, then it would save a lot of time and effort.
Hearing him say this, Luan Bai Feng grabbed a washbasin-sized Black Stone and tossed it to Yang Kai, “You can try it yourself, but I have no way of verifying it.”
Yang Kai accepted the Black Stone from her and weighed it in his hand, discovering that it was not as light as he expected it to be. After squeezing it with some force, no marks or traces seemed to have been left on the piece of Black Stone.
He was considered to be very strong now, so even if it was not crushed, any piece of raw ore would still crack open if squeezed in his hands. However, this Black Stone was obviously very different in make-up and was also extremely resilient.
Divine Sense surging, Yang Kai tried to investigate the insides of the Black Stone, but it actually repelled his Divine Sense completely, so it was impossible to find out whether something was hidden inside or not.
Yang Kai was surprised. Currently, he was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so his Divine Sense was extremely strong, yet it was still rejected by the Black Stone, [Just what… is this thing?]
After contemplating for a moment, Yang Kai activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation, and his left eye immediately turned into a gold vertical slit.
Looking at it now, he could see something different. Inside of the Black Stone he was holding was the fluctuation of a vague and indistinct pale yellow energy.
Seeing this made Yang Kai’s heart stir. The Demon Eye of Annihilation worked!
Even though he had no way of seeing clearly into the Black Stone, he could be sure that something was inside of this piece, and it was likely an Earth Element material. As for what Order it was, he had no way of ascertaining that. He would have to dissolve the Black Stone to find out.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation had the ability to see through all illusions, and alongside the Black Purgatory Eye, they made up Myriad Demons Heaven’s Core Divine Abilities. These were extremely profound Eye Techniques, and even in Myriad Demons Heaven, only the most elite disciples were qualified to cultivate them.
Yang Kai had obtained his Demon Eye of Annihilation when he was still very weak, and he never knew these secrets either before meeting Ti Zheng.
However, since it was one of Myriad Demons Heaven’s two Core Divine Abilities, the Demon Eye of Annihilation naturally had its own profound traits. Even though his Divine Sense was unable to penetrate the Black Stone and assess the situation within, the Demon Eye of Annihilation could break through some of its barriers and penetrate straight into its essence.
However, Yang Kai’s cultivation of the Demon Eye of Annihilation was not very high, so he could only vaguely see what was inside. If it were truly someone from Myriad Demons Heaven who cultivated these Secret Techniques, then they would obviously be able to have a clearer look inside.
His movements did not escape Luan Bai Feng’s eyes, who was looking at him with some surprise, “You cultivate an Eye Secret Technique, too?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Yang Kai withdrew his Demon Eye of Annihilation and turned to look at her.
Luan Bai Feng shook her head, “It’s nothing. Were you able to see anything?”
“No,” Yang Kai responded casually. Even though Luan Bai Feng could tell that he possessed an Eye Secret Technique, she naturally might not be able to recognize it as a Myriad Demons Heaven’s Secret Technique, so Yang Kai would not try and explain it to her.
However, in order to prove whether or not his ability was right, Yang Kai urged his World Force to his palm, enveloping the Black Stone in it.
Rapidly, it shrank in size.
With his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, especially his World Force, which was much richer than an ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai was able to dissolve the Black Stone at a ridiculously fast rate.
The washbasin-sized Black Stone in his palm completely disappeared before a stick of incense could even fully burn out, and a piece of yellow crystal gradually emerged from it.
Luan Bai Feng looked on in surprise at it and muttered, “Fourth-Order Earth Element. You are quite lucky indeed!”
Yang Kai casually played with the earth-coloured crystal in his hand and said, “What is the probability that a piece of Black Stone would contain cultivation materials?”
“Very small,” Luan Bai Feng responded, “If you’re lucky, then it’s about 30% percent; otherwise, it may not even be 1%.”
“30% is too low.” Yang Kai shook his head. Out of 10 pieces of Black Stone, at least 7 would be empty. How much time and energy would that waste?
“That’s why I told you that none of the resources here came easy. Did you think this place was really so full of treasures that you could just bend over and find a piece?” Luan Bai Feng snorted, but then she frowned, “What are you even looking for? You have already taken away the stash that I have been gathering for so many years. Is that still not enough for you?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s not enough. I still need more Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials.”
Luan Bai Feng frowned, “If you are using it for your own cultivation, then you could just refine using Fifth-Order materials. Even though it will be a little slower, Fifth-Order materials are not as hard to find. Why restrict yourself to only the Sixth Order?”
She obviously thought that Yang Kai was seeking out so many Sixth-Order cultivational materials for his own use.
Yang Kai laughed, “Naturally, I can use Fifth-Order materials for my own cultivation, but what if someone needs to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm?”
Luan Bai Feng was taken aback for a moment, and then her eyes widened, “How is that possible? How could your Void Land have so many people advancing directly into the Sixth Order?”
It had to be known that any cultivator that could break through directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm had hopes of reaching the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm one day, so their numbers are extremely limited. Even in the Cave Heavens and Paradises, such disciples only appeared once every 1,000 years or so. Yang Kai had already plundered plenty of Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials from her, which was enough to meet the advancement needs of 10 whole people, so how could he still be needing more?
Yang Kai did not bother to explain it since it was useless to say anything. Now that Luan Bai Feng had come under his banner, she would naturally understand that he was not just boasting once she saw Void Land’s heritage for herself.
“Don’t just stand there, help them out. Get these Black Stones dissolved and see whether you can find what I’m looking for,” Yang Kai called out to her. Even though there were a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters currently working to dissolve the Black Stones, they were not very efficient. Dissolving these Black Stones was something that happened faster the higher one’s cultivation was, and it was likely related to the potency of one’s World Force.
Luan Bai Feng looked at him in disbelief, obviously still shocked by what he just said, “There probably won’t be any Sixth-Order materials in these Black Stones. No need to bother.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai turned his head to look at her, “Why do you say that?”
Brushing her hair back behind her ear, Luan Bai Feng answered, “I’ve been in the Black Territory for so many years, so I still have some amount of experience. There are countless Ore Stars in the Black Territory, and the deeper the Ore Star, the greater the chance of it producing higher Order materials. The ones we collected here are mainly mined from the Ore Stars near the outer region, so one would be lucky to even find a Fifth-Order material. If you don’t believe me, you can check them yourself.”
Yang Kai had noticed it as well. Out of the resources that Luan Bai Feng’s subordinates found from the Black Stones here, it was true that the highest one only reached the Fifth Order, and the amount was very small. He could not help but frown, “Then, where did you find the ones in the Sixth-Order, and even in the Seventh Order?”
Luan Bai Feng explained, “Naturally, they came from the deeper Ore Stars. Previously I had several Sixth-Order ore slaves among my subordinates, and those things were mined by them. Unfortunately, no one is able to go into the deeper Ore Stars since they’ve passed away, so we are naturally unable to get to them.”
Yang Kai understood, “Is that why you were so eager to intervene when Heavenly Sword Union was stirring trouble in my Void Land?”
Luan Bai Feng remained silent.
Yang Kai stroked his chin, “So to say, in order to obtain Sixth-Order materials, there is no other choice but to go deeper into the Black Territory to mine them.”
“You could say that!”
Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, let’s go.”
“What?” Luan Bai Feng looked at him in shock, seemingly doubting her ears, “What are you thinking of doing?”
“We are going to go to the Ore Stars where the Sixth-Order materials are produced to mine out the Black Stones!” While speaking, Yang Kai reached for Luan Bai Feng, grabbing her by the shoulders, then turning around and flying off.
Luan Bai Feng was agitated and anxious as she shouted, “Let me go, I’m not going there!”
Yang Kai broke out into a fit of laughter, “Since you are under my command now, that’s not up to you to decide!”
“You bastard!”
The dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters who were hard at work watched dumbfounded as their usually terrifying and overbearing Warden was carried away by Yang Kai like a little chick, cursing all the way and disappearing in the blink of an eye. As if they had seen a ghost, cold sweat ran down their foreheads.
In the void, Yang Kai enveloped his World Force around Luan Bai Feng, who was clearly uncooperative, her expression as cold as ice.
“Do you really need to make a face as if you just lost your parents? We’re just going on a mining trip, not to have you killed!” Yang Kai laughed.
Luan Bai Feng answered coldly, “Naturally, it is because you do not understand the dangers deep inside of the Black Territory. Even after managing this place for so many years, I still dare not say that I know the Black Territory like the back of my hand. There are countless Natural Arrays in this place. Once triggered, neither you nor I would be able to escape easily!”
Yang Kai nodded, “That is why I will have to depend on you on this journey. I’m not very proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, but if I die here, you will not get away either.”
Luan Bai Feng gritted her teeth, “I have never met a man as shameless as you before!” Inwardly she was drowning in regret. If she had known this would happen, then she would not have told Yang Kai that Sixth-Order materials could only be found in the deeper Ore Stars. She had moved a rock only to smash her own foot.
However, although Luan Bai Feng’s words were harsh and unpleasant, she was still quite sensible and flexible; otherwise, she would not have surrendered so easily. She knew that she could not resist, so after throwing a small tantrum, she cooperated obediently.
She knew that if she were to slack off here, then with Yang Kai running all around the Black Territory triggering the Arrays, something bad would happen sooner or later, and then she herself would have to suffer for it.
After a half day’s journey, Luan Bai Feng suddenly spoke, “The area we have arrived at will start to get more dangerous. Do not leave my side no matter the cost; otherwise, if you were caught up in a powerful Array, even I would not be able to save you!”
“Got it!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Then, Luan Bai Feng suddenly rubbed her eyelids with her fingers. Looking over, Yang Kai saw that her eyes were suddenly glowing with a purple light, exuding a demonic charm.
Yang Kai raised his brow. It was not until now that he finally learned that this woman actually cultivated an Eye Secret Technique, too. That was the reason why she said what she did when she saw him use the Demon Eye of Annihilation.
She must have noticed Yang Kai’s gaze because Luan Bai Feng explained, “I was born with this Eye Secret Technique, I did not cultivate it. It doesn’t have any offensive or defensive abilities, but it seems to have a natural advantage in deciphering arrays.”
Yang Kai was enlightened, “So that is how you became so proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays?”
Luan Bai Feng’s Eye Secret Technique had a natural advantage when it came to cracking Arrays, and having lived in this Black Prison for so many years, observing and emulating the many Natural Arrays in this place, even someone unlearned in the Dao of Spirit Arrays would be able to grow into a Master in time.
Luan Bai Feng coldly snorted, “How else do you think a poor little girl can survive in the 3,000 Worlds alone?”
“A little girl?” Yang Kai could not stop himself from laughing.
Luan Bai Feng glared menacingly at him.