This was the first official confrontation between Heavenly Sword Union and Void Land, and it was also a battle that was destined to be fruitless.
For Heavenly Sword Union’s side, as long as Yang Kai does not show up, Zuo Quan Hui’s scheme would be impossible to achieve. As for Void Land, they could not reveal the hidden strength in their hand before they had a certain degree of confidence in killing Zuo Quan Hui.
There were now 20 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters participating in the battle and over 1,000 Masters were below the Sixth-Order. Across the million kilometres wide battlefield, everyone was locked in a heated melee and bathed in blood.
Yang Kai, who was sitting on the shattered Spirit Province, gazed over the battlefield and issued a series of orders. More and more Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth Order rushed to the front to solidify Void Land’s advantage.
Since Heavenly Sword Union had decided to follow Zuo Quan Hui’s lead, they couldn’t blame Void Land for not showing any mercy. If they could take advantage of this opportunity to kill all of Heavenly Sword Union Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth Order, it would be a great victory. At that time, Zuo Quan Hui’s group of Sixth-Order Masters wouldn’t be able to accomplish much.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s eyes focused on a certain spot on the battlefield. After he observed carefully for a moment, he raised his hand and called out, “Lu Xue!”
“Reporting.” Lu Xue, who had been standing beside him as the messenger, came forward.
“Go deal with that Myriad Demons Heaven disciple!” Yang Kai directed her in a certain direction.
Lu Xue followed the direction of his finger and soon caught sight of her target. Although she didn’t know what was so special about this Myriad Demons Heaven disciple, since Yang Kai had personally ordered her to do so, she could only faithfully obey.
“Yes, Sir!” She quickly replied, but just as she was about to head out, she suddenly received Yang Kai’s voice transmission and nodded in response, “Rest assured, Sir.”
Her figure flickered as she transformed into a streak of light and sped across the battlefield.
A moment later, Lu Xue arrived in front of her target and slashed her sword towards the Myriad Demons Heaven disciple.
The Myriad Demons Heaven Disciple was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with extraordinary strength. He was currently locked in a fierce battle with Jin Yuan Lang. Seeing Lu Xue join the battle, not only did he not become afraid, he even licked his lips as if he had seen some delicious food.
Lu Xue couldn’t help but shudder as an inexplicable sense of dread filled her heart. Still, she followed Yang Kai’s instructions and sent him a message without a moment of hesitation!
The Myriad Demons Heaven Disciple’s face, which was beaming with fighting spirit, suddenly went stiff. He pushed his Demon Qi madly as he retreated 100 kilometres before raising his eyes and looking towards the distant shattered Spirit Province.
Lu Xue and Jin Yuan Lang could care less about what he was thinking, and attacked from the left and right. But the Myriad Demons Heaven Disciple only parried the attacks, seemingly no longer having any intention of fighting back.
In a two-against-one, with both of them being Fifth-Order Masters, the Myriad Demons Heaven disciple quickly fell into a disadvantageous situation. However, no matter how dangerous the situation was, he was always able to find a way to survive. After fighting for a long time, Lu Xue, and Jin Yuan Lang both sighed in amazement. The two of them had almost killed this man several times, but he still managed to stay alive and kicking.
If it weren’t for the fact that he was clearly a Fifth-Order Master, the two of them would have suspected that he was concealing his cultivation; otherwise, how could he be so lucky every time?
Lu Xue and Jin Yuan Lang didn’t fight with the Myriad Demons Heaven disciple for too long. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a streak of light suddenly shot out from the Heavenly Sword Palace, shooting towards the void.
Seeing this, the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union all used their Divine Abilities to push back the enemies and then used this opportunity to quickly retreat.
Many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters fought while retreating, bringing up the rear for the retreating lower Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Void Land Masters chased after them, but they didn’t pursue them too far. The deterrent force of the Heavenly Sword Palace was too strong, so no one dared to get too close.
“A cornered enemy should not be pressured!” Yue He was the first to stop, and only then did the people behind her come to a half, calmly watching Heavenly Sword Union disciples flee back to the Heavenly Sword Palace.
After a brief period of silence, the Void Land Open Heaven Realm Masters broke into cheers. No matter what, Void Land had won this battle. Although they hadn’t been able to kill any of the enemy’s Sixth-Order Masters, they had killed many below the Sixth-Order, greatly weakening Heavenly Sword Union’s strength.
Under Yue He’s orders, the cultivators below the Sixth Order began to clean up the battlefield. Void Land was currently lacking in supplies, and many people died in this battle. Naturally, the spoils of war had to be collected to replenish their consumption.
Under the leadership of Yue He, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters flew towards Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue. The sudden appearance of these two fearsome Sixth-Order Masters had provided them with timely help. If they had not stopped Pei Wen Xuan and Luan Bai Feng, a portion of Void Land’s hidden power would have been exposed.
“Greetings, Senior Sister Su,” Yue He respectfully bowed. Su Ying Xue had spent some time in charge of Yin-Yang Heaven’s Dao Temple in Void Star City and was also the one who had told Yang Kai about the Dao Theory Assembly, so Yue He naturally recognized her.
“Junior Sister Yue He!” Su Ying Xue returned the greeting.
“May I ask who this is…” Yue He looked towards Qing Kui curiously. Although she had some guesses in her heart, she couldn’t be certain.
After Su Ying Xue introduced the man, Yue He finally smiled and thanked, “So it is Senior Brother Qing Kui. Many thanks for taking care of Young Master when he was in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
“It’s nothing.” Qing Kui grinned, “Junior Brother Yang is now a son-in-law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so naturally we have to take care of our family. Hmm, is Junior Brother Yang on that Spirit Province?”
Yue He nodded her affirmation, “Yes, it’s just that it’s not convenient for him to show his face for the time being. I’m sure Young Master is very happy to see the two of you. Please follow me!”
While everyone was talking, the battlefield had been cleaned up and the Open Heaven Realm Masters returned victoriously.
Inside an impromptu hall hurriedly built on the shattered Spirit Province, Yang Kai stood up and greeted everyone. Yang Kai introduced Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue to everyone, which immediately caused an uproar, but after exchanging greetings, both sides sat down calmly.
“Senior Brother Qing, Senior Sister Su, why are you here?” Yang Kai asked in confusion. Worry was clearly written on his brow, “Furthermore, wouldn’t stopping Pei Wen Xuan cause trouble for you? Will it implicate Martial Uncle Xu?”
If everything went smoothly, Pei Wen Xuan would be able to advance to the Eighth Order! In any Cave Heaven or Paradise, he would be a future pillar of the Sect.
Qing Kui, on the other hand, was lost in shock as he wondered, [Where did these people come from?]
He was so shocked that he didn’t even hear Yang Kai’s question clearly.
“Senior Brother!” Su Ying Xue gently elbowed him.
“Hmm?” Qing Kui was momentarily stunned, but he quickly came to his senses and calmly replied, “Oh, Junior Sister and I have already been expelled from the Sect by Honoured Master, so there’s nothing to worry about!”
After he finished speaking, his eyes swept over Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others, as if he was trying to figure out what was going on.
“What?” Now it was Yang Kai’s turn to be shocked, “Expelled?”
Being expelled from the Sect was not a trivial matter. Generally speaking, only those who had committed grave mistakes would receive such a harsh punishment. The disciples who were expelled from the Sect would be scorned, and they might even be hunted down.
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue were both in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and could be considered Xu Ling Gong’s left and right arms. Even if they had made a terrible mistake, how could they be expelled from the Sect?
But soon, Yang Kai understood and smiled bitterly, “Martial Uncle Xu has put in a lot of effort!”
The so-called expulsion from the Sect was definitely just an excuse to the outside world, just like Zuo Quan Hui’s rebellion from Thousand Crane Paradise. What’s more, since Xu Ling Gog could expel them from the Sect, he could naturally find an excuse to have them return.
Any ordinary High-Rank Open Heaven Master would care a great deal about their face and reputation and might not be able to do this, but Xu Ling Gong didn’t care about such things.
Su Ying Xue indifferently stated, “Honoured Master said that Junior Brother Yang was in trouble and we couldn’t personally help, so he felt uneasy. Moreover, he also had a certain responsibility for this matter, so he sent Senior Brother and me here to help!”
Yang Kai cupped his fist and bowed his head, “Many thanks to Martial Uncle Xu, many thanks, Senior Brother Qing and Senior Sister Su.”
Qing Kui waved off and stated, “There’s no need to be so polite with us. Originally, Honoured Master wanted to come here personally, but… the Sect didn’t agree.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh, “I wouldn’t dare trouble Martial Uncle Xu!”
Originally, he had some complaints about Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Although he was the one who killed Zhao Xing from Thousand Crane Paradise, since the rules of the Dao Theory Assembly had been set long ago, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven should have helped him resolve this problem.
Under the pressure of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Thousand Crane Paradise was unable to publicly and justifiably target Void Land, but Zuo Quan Hui, who had ‘rebelled’, had still caused Void Land to suffer greatly.
Now though, Xu Ling Gong had sent Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue to assist him. And if it weren’t for Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s disapproval, Xu Ling Gong would have personally come to assist him. The resentment in Yang Kai’s heart immediately disappeared.
In the end, it was all because his strength was insufficient, and because Void Land’s reputation was insufficient!
If he was strong enough and had enough prestige, Thousand Cranes Paradise would not have dared to say anything for the death of a mere Zhao Xing.
“We can achieve great things with your assistance!” Yang Kai said excitedly.
Qing Kui smiled bitterly, “I thought the two of us were delivering charcoal in a frigid winter, but who would have thought that we were just adding flowers to a brocade? Even if we didn’t appear today, with your Void Land’s foundation, it should be enough to deal with Heavenly Sword Union.”
As far as they knew, Void Land had nine Sixth-Order Masters, including Yang Kai, so when they saw Pei Wen Xuan and Luan Bai Feng appear, they immediately appeared to intercept them. But apparently, Void Land still had seven newly advanced Sixth-Order Masters in reserve, so they could have handled it with or without them.
When Qing Kui saw the entire hall filled with Sixth-Order Open Heaven Masters, especially the seven who had just broken through to the Sixth-Order directly, he could almost picture another Cave Heaven or Paradise rising within the next few ten thousand years!
“Senior Brother Qing, Senior Sister Su, you have provided my Void Land with great help by coming here. If not for you appearing, when we fought Zuo Quan Hui, we wouldn’t have been able to catch him off guard.”
Qing Kui’s eyes flashed as realization dawned upon him, “So that’s your plan.”
Even Su Ying Xue and he didn’t know that Void Land had so many Sixth-Order Masters, so it was likely that Zuo Quan Hui didn’t know about this either. This point was also clear from the way Zuo Quan Hui had arranged his forces today.
According to the original intelligence, Void Land had eight available Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters apart from Yang Kai, whereas Heavenly Sword Union had a total of ten. Heavenly Sword Union had first sent out eight Sixth-Order Masters to deal with Void Land’s eight Sixth-Order Masters, then sent out the last two to exert pressure. If Yang Kai wanted to stabilize the situation, he would have no choice but to show himself.
Once Yang Kai appeared, Zuo Quan Hui would have a chance to act. This was probably Zuo Quan Hui’s original plan.
The battle between the two sides was not only a life and death struggle between their Open Heaven Realm subordinates, but also a psychological contest.
Unfortunately, Zuo Quan Hui’s luck seemed to be bad. Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue, who had appeared out of nowhere, had foiled his plans. Who knows how he might be venting his anger in Heavenly Sword Palace right now?
“Senior Brother Qing, I only have one question right now,” Yang Kai leaned forward slightly.
Qing Kui stretched out his hand and stated, “Junior Brother, if there’s anything you want to ask, just ask. If I know it, I won’t conceal anything from you.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a low voice, “Can Zuo Quan Hui be killed or not?”
Hearing this, Qing Kui’s pupils immediately shrank. He was taken aback by Yang Kai’s courage and appetite and was suddenly at a loss for words.
Although he and Su Ying Xue had received orders from their Master to assist Yang Kai, they had never harboured any hope of killing a High-Rank Open Heaven Master. From the start, their plan was to protect Yang Kai and retreat to Void Land.
After all, they were from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so Zuo Quan Hui would have some scruples more or less, so he couldn’t just kill them. As long as they could retreat to Void Land, Zuo Quan Hui wouldn’t be able to do anything to Yang Kai with Bi Xi’s protection.
Pondering for a moment, Qing Kui asked, “Is Junior Brother Yang worried about Thousand Cranes Paradise?”
Yang Kai indifferently replied, “I killed Zhao Xing and Zuo Quan Hui jumped out. If I kill Zuo Quan Hui, who knows if Thousand Cranes Paradise will jump out?”
Qing Kui’s scalp went numb. He could not figure out why he had started discussing the topic of killing a High-Rank Open Heaven Master with Yang Kai, but he felt like he was dreaming. After all, how could a High-Rank Open Heaven Master be so easy to kill? Although the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Masters on Void Land’s side was massive, if they were to fight against a veteran Seventh-Order Master, things would not end well for Void Land.
Still, Qing Kui lightly nodded in response, “That’s true, but Zuo Quan Hui’s situation is different from Zhao Xing’s.”
Yang Kai humbly requested, “Senior Brother Qing, please enlighten me.”
Qing Kui waved off and continued with a wry smile, “It’s nothing so profound. Zhao Xing was a Core Disciple of Thousand Cranes Paradise and had a chance to break through to the Eighth Order in the future. After being killed on the Prison Star, Thousand Cranes Paradise needed to regain its face; otherwise, they would become the laughingstock across the 3,000 Worlds. However, with my Yin-Yang Cave Heaven pressuring them, they can’t make a big fuss about it. As Zhao Xing’s Honoured Master, Zuo Quan Hui had no choice but to take a different approach.
“The public news from Thousand Cranes Paradise is that Zuo Quan Hui’s faction betrayed the Sect. Since they have betrayed the Sect, they are rebels and now have nothing to do with Thousand Cranes Paradise, similar to us as we were expelled from the Sect by our Honoured Master, but also quite different.” Qing Kui smiled, “Let’s put it this way, after this matter is settled, Honoured Master can take us back into the Sect, but no matter what, Zuo Quan Hui will never be able to return to Thousand Cranes Paradise; otherwise, Thousand Cranes Paradise will lose all face. This is the price he must pay for his ‘rebellion’.”
Yang Kai raised his brow and added, “If that’s the case, if I can kill Zuo Quan Hui, it would be the same as helping Thousand Cranes Paradise clean up its Sect. They should thank me instead.”
Qing Kui opened his mouth and wryly smiled, “That would be so if all parties were acting in earnest!”
In fact, everyone was aware of the true story behind Zuo Quan Hui’s ‘betrayal’. If Void Land really killed him, Thousand Cranes Paradise naturally wouldn’t show any gratitude, but they also had no right to seek revenge.
Yang Kai nodded, “I understand!”
All of a sudden, Yang Kai felt refreshed. All the troubles that had been haunting him regarding this war were now swept away. Ever since Zuo Quan Hui began targeting Void Land, Yang Kai had been somewhat worried about Thousand Cranes Paradise interfering. If he was alone, he wouldn’t have to think too much about it. After so many years of painstaking cultivation, if he was all on his own, all he would have to worry about is killing Zuo Quan Hui and clearing away their grudge. Alternatively, he could be killed by Zuo Quan Hui and be freed of all troubles.
However, as the Lord of Void Land, Yang Kai had no choice but to worry about the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Void Land disciples.
Now, he had no more concerns after hearing everything from Qing Kui.
Zuo Quan Hui could be killed!
After letting Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue withdraw to rest, Yang Kai finally had time to check the casualties.
In this battle, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t suffer much of an effect, but those below the Sixth-Order had killed nearly a hundred enemies. Although this didn’t sound like a lot, everyone who participated in this battle was an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai didn’t know how many Open Heaven Realm Masters there were in Heavenly Sword Union, but today’s battle was enough to make the hearts of the higher-ups of Heavenly Sword Union bleed.
There were also casualties on Void Land’s side, but they weren’t nearly as high. Less than 20 had been killed, so it was a significant victory!
After the great battle, everyone diligently cultivated and recuperated.
Yang Kai also began strategizing. Heavenly Sword Union had ten Sixth-Order Masters. Void Land originally had sixteen, and with the arrival of Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue, the number had increased to eighteen.
They had eight more Masters than the enemy, and if Luan Bai Feng was included, the gap would grow even larger.
However, because Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others had just broken through to the Sixth Order, they wouldn’t be able to gain any advantage against the veteran Sixth-Order Masters on the enemy’s side, so once they showed themselves and participated in the battle, they would have to fight two against one to be of any use.
In other words, the seven who had just advanced could at most restrain three or four opponents in the same realm.
If Yang Kai wanted to kill Zuo Quan Hui, he estimated that he would need six or seven veteran Sixth-Order Masters to cooperate with him to have a chance.
Void Land’s strength was still somewhat lacking!
After all, once the power of Void Land was completely exposed, if they couldn’t kill the snake, it would become impossible to threaten Zuo Quan Hui again. They only had one chance! As such, Yang Kai needed to be fully prepared and possess decisive strength.
Moreover, the most important problem was that the Heavenly Sword Palace was too close to the Territory Gate. Once Zuo Quan Hui noticed that something was wrong, there was a high chance he would retreat to Flying Smoke Territory. At that time, the question would be whether to give chase or not.
If they pursued, Zuo Quan Hui would definitely ambush them at the Territory Gate, and who among them could resist the sneak attack of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Master? If they didn’t pursue, all their previous efforts would be wasted.
Yang Kai was now having a headache. Zuo Quan Hui’s cautiousness had given Void Land some breathing room, but it also made killing him extremely difficult.
Now that things had reached this point, Yang Kai could only take things one step at a time. The situation on the battlefield was ever-changing, so perhaps he could find a suitable opportunity to act.
Perhaps he could send a message to Luan Bai Feng to find an opportunity to launch a sneak attack on Zuo Quan Hui.
After the first confrontation, Heavenly Sword Palace’s side remained calm for a full two months. Two months later, great waves rose again as a large number of lights flew out, heading straight for Void Land’s encampment.
Void Land had long since taken precautions, so when they saw this scene, they naturally charged forward to meet the enemy.
The two sides once again engaged in a fierce battle in the void, leaving behind dismembered corpses and broken limbs as they retreated.
In the main hall, after taking inventory of the casualties, Yang Kai looked out at the crowd and stated, “Zuo Quan Hui used his connections to gather a number of Second and Third-Class forces. Although it didn’t affect the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, there were quite a few more Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth-Order. Not only did they supplement the losses they suffered during the last battle, their numbers even grew quite a bit.”
Most of the people in the hall were shocked when they heard this. Right now, Void Land’s greatest advantage was the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters they had below the Sixth Order. If they didn’t even have this advantage, the situation would definitely deteriorate.
Qing Kui hesitated for a moment before asking, “Has this been confirmed?”
During this time, he had been staying in this small shattered Spirit Province, preparing for battle at any time, but he had not seen Yang Kai send anyone out to inquire about the situation, so he was naturally curious.
Yang Kai nodded, “En, it has been confirmed.”
The news had come from Luan Bai Feng, and she naturally understood the complete situation inside the Heavenly Sword Palace.
Qing Kui’s eyes flashed as he quickly realized something and began suspecting Yang Kai must have some kind of spy in Heavenly Sword Palace, so he didn’t ask any further.
“Then what is Zuo Quan Hui trying to do?” Hui Gu frowned, “Many of them died today.”
Yang Kai explained, “No matter how many casualties there are, it means nothing to Zuo Quan Hui. All the forces under his command are outsiders with the exception of his last personal Disciple, a Sixth-Order woman named Zi Yan. As long as Zi Yan doesn’t die, why would he care about the lives of others? The battles in the future will only become more frequent, so everyone should be prepared.”
“If he remains hiding and has his subordinates fight to the death, what does he want?” Mo Mei was puzzled.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, “He’s following the same plan as before, trying to wear us down!”
Zuo Quan Hui had sealed the Territory Gate and spread the news that he had an irreconcilable feud with Void Land. As a result, the Star City’s popularity had plummeted and Void Land’s revenue stream had basically disappeared. With so many people cultivating and needing resources, it was natural to begin running short of supplies.
Once Void Land’s resources ran out, Yang Kai would inevitably come out, giving Zuo Quan Hui a chance to act.
If it weren’t for the frequent activation of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, which made Zuo Quan Hui realize something was wrong, he wouldn’t have led Heavenly Sword Union into Void Territory so quickly.
More importantly, Zuo Quan Hui’s plan to lure the snake out of its hole had become hopeless after the arrival of Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue. Since he couldn’t bring out any more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, he could only use his connections, force, or enticement to bolster his numbers.
And when a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master gave an order, how could mere Second or Third-Class forces resist? Whether they wanted to or not, they had to submit and obey his commands.
Currently, all of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the nearby Great Territories, with the exception of a few with powerful backgrounds, had been recruited by Zuo Quan Hui, greatly increasing the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters he had under his command. For the time being, they were still inferior to Void Land, but it was difficult to say if this would remain the case as time passed.
Although every battle ended in Void Land’s victory, there were inevitably some casualties, and the surviving Open Heaven Realm Masters were quite exhausted, requiring them to expend plenty of resources to restore their strength.
It had become a battle of attrition and resources. Without enough resources to restore themselves, Open Heaven Realm Masters would not be able to maintain their full strength at all times, and if they were to fight again, it would be harder for them to hold on. If this continued for a long time, Void Land would eventually be unable to hold on, and at that time, it would become a decisive battle.
When Luan Bai Feng sent this message over, even though Yang Kai was already mentally prepared, he couldn’t help cursing the old dog’s cunning.
Before this, Void Land had been sealed off for three or four years and had already used up countless supplies. Now that the war had broken out, the consumption of resources had become even more severe. If it weren’t for the rich accumulation of the Star City’s resources in the early years, they would not have been able to hold on for this long.
Even so, they wouldn’t be able to last much longer.
In order to coordinate with this strategy, from the second battle onwards, the Open Heaven Realm Masters dispatched by Heavenly Sword Union did not even wear Space Rings. Obviously, it was to prevent Void Land from having the chance to collect spoils of war from the corpses.
After more than a dozen large and small battles, Void Land still held the decisive advantage thanks to their numbers, but they had not been able to collect any supplies from the enemy corpses all this time.
Zuo Quan Hui’s intentions were obvious, and he was not even trying to hide them anymore. He kept sending out his Open Heaven Realm subordinates one after another, leaving Void Land no choice but to fight back.
Usually, every battle was followed by a few days of peace, which was ultimately followed by another battle.
While voices of discontent rose on Heavenly Sword Union’s side, the Open Heaven Realm Masters on Void Land’s side were exhausted.
Both sides had fought countless times in a short span of a year. The number of Open Heaven Realm Masters Void Land had lost had almost broken through the 200 mark. Although the numbers were replenished steadily by the Headquarters, it was still not enough to make up for their losses.
Heavenly Sword Union’s losses were even greater. Their losses were at least three times their enemy’s. The void was filled with the blood of Open Heaven Realm Masters within a million kilometres of the Territory Gate.
Such heavy losses had angered Yang Kai. Several times, he wished he could lead all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to fight Zuo Quan Hui to the death, but after having personally experienced the might of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had no choice but to give up on this idea. Any rash action on his part without absolute confidence could lead to even worse consequences.
Meanwhile, Zuo Quan Hui on Heavenly Sword Union’s side was also extremely annoyed.
Such a long battle had almost exhausted his patience, and Yang Kai hadn’t even shown up once, denying him the slightest opportunity to exact his revenge.
Inside the Heavenly Sword Palace’s main hall, many Sixth-Order Masters were gathered, while Zuo Quan Hui sat above with a gloomy expression.
An Open Heaven Realm Master dressed in Heavenly Sword Union’s uniform rushed in and cupped his fist, “Reporting to Union Master, Yellow Spring Heavenly Monarch’s forces have been surrounded by Void Land and are outnumbered. Heavenly Monarch requests to withdraw and reorganize!”
This kind of battle report would appear almost every time a fight broke out. Although Heavenly Sword Union had gathered a large number of Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth Order because of Zuo Quan Hui’s prestige, their numbers were still inferior to Void Land. And since the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to determine the victor, the side with the greatest number of Open Heaven Realm Master below Sixth-Order naturally held the absolute advantage.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters present couldn’t understand one thing, Void Land was clearly a newly rising force, so where did so many Open Heaven Realm Masters come from?
Zuo Quan Hui picked up a nearby teacup and threw it at the messenger. The cultivator who had sent the message did not dare to move and was hit in the head, which caused him to bleed.
“Wastes! Retreating at the slightest setback? Tell Huang Quan that anyone who dares to retreat without my command will suffer a fate worse than death!”
The messenger trembled with fear and quickly replied, “Yes, Sir!”
He quickly left the hall to relay the message to Huang Quan.
Not to mention how Huang Quan angrily cursed when he heard this order, the group of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hall were also angry, they just didn’t dare to even breathe loudly.
After a long silence, Luan Bai Feng stood up, picked up the teacup, and placed it next to Zuo Quan Hui’s hand, gently consoling him, “Sir, please calm your anger. Void Land’s forces are strong, and Senior Brother Huang Quan is not a timid person. I’m afraid that the situation must be truly difficult to handle, so he requested to withdraw.”
How could Zuo Quan Hui not know this? Only, he had not been able to avenge his two Disciples for such a long time and was now trapped in a fierce battle with Void Land. He had nowhere to vent his anger, which was very frustrating for him. He let out a cold snort and shouted, “A bunch of trash, you can’t take down a mere Void Land even after such a long time?!”
Luan Bai Feng took the initiative to volunteer, “This Mistress is willing to lead a group of people to assist Senior Brother Huang Quan, I hope Sir will agree.”
As Yang Kai’s spy in Heavenly Sword Union, Luan Bai Feng had done a good job of secretly sending messages to the former about Heavenly Sword Union’s situation. With her inside intelligence, Yang Kai knew Heavenly Sword Union’s forces like the back of his hand.
She had even led the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Heavenly Sword Union to fight against Void Land many times, allowing for many of them to be killed.
Zuo Quan Hui’s expression relaxed slightly, “Warden Luan is too thoughtful, then…”
Before he could finish speaking, Pei Wen Xuan stood up and added, “Martial Uncle Zuo, the momentum of Void Land’s forces is overwhelming. Even if Warden Luan goes to support them, I’m afraid she won’t be able to gain any advantage, rather it will cause more casualties. Why don’t we call back Huang Quan and preserve our strength and deliberate over what to do next?”
Zuo Quan Hui looked up at him and knew he was right. In his anger just now, he had not thought things through properly, so he immediately nodded and agreed, “Do as you suggested.”
Once Zuo Quan Hui’s order was relayed, Huang Quan’s troops who were fighting at the front retreated, one by one.
Inside the main hall, Pei Wen Xuan smiled warmly at Luan Bai Feng, who smiled back while cursing in her heart that this brat had ruined her good deed. Otherwise, if she brought her people out, Heavenly Sword Union would definitely suffer even more casualties.
Huang Quan returned not long after, though he was completely unharmed. The one who had fought with him just now was Profound Yang Mountain’s Head Mountain Lord, Mao Zhe. The two of them had fought countless battles and were completely familiar with each other’s tactics by now. Neither of them could do anything to the other unless someone interfered.
However, after having fought for over a year, both sides had formed a tacit understanding. Each of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had their own opponent, so no matter how many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters one side sent out, the other side would send out their corresponding foe.
After returning, Huang Quan begged for forgiveness and received a scolding from Zuo Quan Hui.
After cursing for a while, Zuo Quan Hui calmed down and swept his gaze around, “The situation is quite tense right now, do any of you have any good ideas on how to defeat them?”
The ten Sixth-Order Masters in the hall glanced at each other blankly.
Although everyone knew that as long as Zuo Quan Hui personally took action, he would definitely be able to break this stalemate and even salvage the situation, yet he never did. He had only been sitting in the Heavenly Sword Palace with the Territory Gate at his back. Everyone knew that he was afraid of the Divine Spirit of Void Land.
By remaining here, he could retreat to Flying Smoke Territory to hide the moment anything went wrong. If he really went out and was targeted by the Divine Spirit, Zuo Quan Hui couldn’t guarantee he could escape unscathed.
Everyone understood this, but none of them said anything, lest Zuo Quan Hui lose face.
“Are you all mute?” Seeing everyone fall silent, Zuo Quan Hui coldly snorted, clearly displeased.
Pei Wen Xuan coughed lightly, “Martial Uncle Zuo, it’s actually quite simple to break the current situation.”
Hearing this, Zuo Quan Hui raised his brow, “What does Nephew Pei have in mind?”
Pei Wen Xuan smiled lightly, “At the end of the day, Void Territory is still the enemy’s home ground. As foreigners, it is natural we suffer losses when we fight. If we can move the battlefield out of Void Territory, it will naturally be easier to deal with Void Land.”
Zuo Quan Hui stroked his beard and nodded slightly in agreement, “You’re right.”
The reason why he hadn’t made a move yet was because he was afraid of Zhu Jiu Yin, who could be hiding in the shadows. If he could move the battlefield out of Void Territory, although he couldn’t guarantee that Zhu Jiu Yin wouldn’t follow him, at the very least, when they passed through the Territory Gate, Zhu Jiu Yin wouldn’t be able to hide and would be exposed. He could be prepared then.
However, if they wanted to move the battlefield out of Void Land, it was easier said than done. Although they could retreat to Flying Smoke Territory, if Void Land’s people didn’t follow them, there was nothing they could do.
“What is Nephew’s plan?” Zuo Quan Hui asked.
Pei Wen Xuan shook his head, “I just had this idea, but no way to implement it.”
Zuo Quan Hui couldn’t help but have a look of disappointment appear on his face.
Pei Wen Xuan added, “But other than that, there is another way.”
“Oh?” Zuo Quan Hui raised his brow.
Pei Wen Xuan continued with a smile, “Right now, both sides are on par when it comes to Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters while Void Land holds the absolute advantage when it comes to Masters below Sixth-Order. If we want to break this stalemate, we must start with the Sixth-Order Masters.”
Zuo Quan Hui’s expression changed slightly, “Nephew Pei means…”
“If we could obtain more Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, even if it’s just one, it would be enough to make Void Land suffer!”
They would be able to fight two against one with one more Sixth-Order Master. If they cooperated well, they might even be able to kill a Sixth-Order Void Land Master, increasing their advantage further.
How could Zuo Quan Hui not know this? His heart ached even more for his dead Disciple Zhou Ti just thinking about it. If Zhou Ti were still alive, how could he have so many troubles now? He would have killed Yang Kai and retreated ages ago.
“It’s easier said than done, it’s not so simple to find a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.” Zuo Quan Hui sighed. Although he had used his prestige and connections to recruit many helpers, none of them were Sixth-Order Masters. There were many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Thousand Cranes Paradise, but it was impossible for them to support him openly.
Pei Wen Xuan smiled calmly, “If Martial Uncle Zuo trusts me, you can leave this matter to me.”
Zuo Quan Hui was stunned for a moment before asking, “Martial Nephew, are you thinking of getting support from your Sect?”
If Myriad Demons Heaven was willing to intervene, that would naturally be for the best, but Myriad Demons Heaven was one of the 36 Cave Heavens, so how could it interfere in the struggle between ‘lower’ Sects? Pei Wen Xuan had come here because he had a personal grudge with Yang Kai, giving him a reasonable excuse, but if Myriad Demons Heaven really interfered, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s side would definitely not sit back and do nothing. At that time, it might lead to the two Cave Heavens engaging in battle, blowing the situation up multiple times over.
Pei Wen Xuan replied with a smile, “It’s just a mere Void Land, why bother the Sect? Does Martial Uncle Zuo still remember Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s Yin Xin Zhao?”
Zuo Quan Hui pondered for a moment as a young man’s appearance flashed in his mind before he nodded and agreed, “Of course I remember.” Every youth who was able to directly advance to the Sixth Order became famous overnight, so Zuo Quan Hui was naturally not unfamiliar with them. Moreover, Yin Xin Zhao had also been to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven last time, so he had indeed seen him.
“Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s Brother Yin has a close relationship with me, and has some grievances with Yang Kai. If you send a message to him, I’m sure Brother Yin will be happy to join in the fun.”
Zuo Quan Hui’s eyes lit up, “Is that true?”
Pei Wen Xuan didn’t comment on it, “I’ll have someone send a message over to try. Whether Brother Yin comes or not will be up to him.”
“Good!” Zuo Quan Hui slapped the armrest of his chair, “Then I’ll leave this matter to you, Martial Nephew Pei. If Martial Nephew Yin can really come, he will be of great help to me.”
A strange sense of bitterness rose in Zuo Quan Hui’s heart once he said this; after all, he had to place all his hopes on a newly promoted Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but now that the situation was in a deadlock, the help of any Sixth-Order Master was extremely difficult to obtain.
“Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven isn’t too far from here, just a three to six months long journey. Brother Yin will have replied by then,” Pei Wen Xuan added before getting up to send a message to Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven.
Zuo Quan Hui reprimanded the crowd a few more times before finally dispersing everyone.
In Void Territory, although there were no big battles, there was no shortage of small skirmishes. Almost every three or five days, the Heavenly Sword Palace would launch an attack and Void Land would have no choice but to respond in kind.
In the entire 3,000 Worlds, a battle of this scale was quite rare. Both sides had over a thousand Open Heaven Realm Masters involved, including twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and even a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. This was enough to attract a lot of attention.
Time passed quickly, and soon several months had gone by…
In White Light Territory’s Universe Temple, a group of people walked out of the hall in a file, looking a bit tired and travel-worn.
The Universe Temples were jointly operated by the various Cave Heavens and Paradises. Basically, every Great Territory had one. Many cultivators used the Universe Temples as mediums to travel, saving them a lot of time.
At this moment, several people walked out from White Light Territory’s Universe Temple wearing the same blue and white robes. Their leader was a handsome young man. His aura was not obvious, but his clothes were slightly different from those of his peers, having a few conspicuous golden lines on the sleeves.
After walking out of the Universe Temple, the young man looked around before walking straight ahead as the others followed behind him.
When the surrounding crowd saw this, looks of awe and respect showed on their faces as they quickly gave way, some even started whispering amongst themselves.
“They are Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples.”
“How do you know?”
“They’re wearing Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s robes, I’ve seen them before.”
“What are Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s people doing here, in this poor and backwater place?”
“The actions of the Cave Heaven’s people are not something you or I can fathom. Shh, don’t speak anymore, the one leading them is Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven’s Outer Sect Elder.”
“Outer Sect Elder!? Doesn’t that mean he’s a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?”
“Naturally, in all the Cave Heavens and Paradises only the Sixth-Order Masters are qualified to be Outer Sect Elders. If one is a Seventh-Order, then he or she would be an Inner Sect Elder. Look at the golden thread on his sleeve, that is the symbol of an Outer Sect Elder.”
“I see.”
The surrounding discussions made the young man in the lead look extremely pleased, and as he walked, his eyes became more focused. The few of them simply traversed through the Universe Temple without any intention of stopping. After walking a few streets, they headed straight for the exit.
Suddenly, the young leader’s eyes shone brightly as he turned his head towards a side of the street.
Inside a teahouse, a man and a woman were sitting facing each other. The man was small and thin, and had a cold expression on his face, making him appear taciturn. On the other hand, the woman seemed to be quite curious about everything, constantly glancing around.
When their eyes met, the woman was stunned for a moment before quickly looking away.
“Interesting!” The corner of the young man’s lips leading the group rose and withdrew his gaze before continuing forward. A moment later, he left the Universe Temple and disappeared into the void with his followers.
Half an hour later, in the teahouse, the thin man stated, “It’s time to set out.”
“En,” The woman quickly got up and followed behind the thin man.
A moment later, the two of them left the Universe Temple. The thin man took out a small boat and the two of them entered it. Next, the thin man injected his World Force as the boat transformed into a streak of light and sped off.
Inside the ship, the woman asked, “Senior, you haven’t told me how far we are from Void Land.”
The thin man indifferently replied, “There are still a few Great Territories between us. It’s about a month away.”
“Is Void Land very powerful now?” The woman asked again.
The thin man shook his head, “I don’t know either, you’ll naturally know when we get there…” Before he could finish speaking, the man’s expression suddenly changed as he formed a set of hand seals and the flying ship rapidly moved to the side.
The woman was caught off guard and almost fell to the ground, quickly prompting her to circulate her strength to stabilize herself.
“What happened?” The woman asked in surprise.
However, the man’s expression was cold as he stared at a certain spot in the sky and asked in a grim voice, “Which friend is pulling such a foul prank on me? Please show yourself!”
The woman looked in the direction he was looking, but she didn’t see anything. However, she also had a faint feeling that something wasn’t right; someone had clearly attacked their ship just now.
In the next moment, a few figures suddenly appeared in front of the flying ship, all wearing the same blue and white robes. The leader was a young man with a shadow of a smile on his face.
The man on the ship stared fixedly at their clothes as if trying to determine something. After a long time, his face sank, “People from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven?”
The woman beside him immediately revealed a look of shock as she covered her mouth and whispered, “Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven? One of the 36 Cave Heavens?”
Although she had just broken free of her Universe World’s shackles and entered the 3,000 Worlds, she was no stranger to the information about the Outer Universe. It was not surprising either as she had often sought out this Senior beside her to ask him about things over the years, so she had some basic knowledge.
However, she couldn’t understand why Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, one of the 36 Cave Heavens, would attack them.
“You don’t need to say anything, I’ll handle this!” The man hurriedly sent a voice transmission, instinctively feeling that something wasn’t right. The 36 Cave Heaven were such huge forces that there was no reason for them to target them. Furthermore, from the looks of it, these people were clearly waiting here to ambush them.
The woman nodded heavily.
The man then appeared on the deck and cupped his fist, greeting, “Hei He greets Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Senior Brothers, may I ask what advice you have?”
The leading man smiled at him and asked, “You’re called Hei He!?”
Hei He responded with a nod, “Yes!”
“You’re a Void Land disciple?”
Hei He shook his head.
The man who asked and furrowed his brow, “If you’re not a Void Land disciple, why are you going to Void Land?”
Hearing this, Hei He’s heart trembled. Just as he was wondering why this man knew he was going to Void Land, he suddenly remembered a question his companion had asked him in the tea house at the Universe Temple.
[They must have overheard it at that time.]
“Senior Brother misunderstands, we are not going to Void Land,” Hei He replied calmly; after all, he had not reached the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm for nothing. His many years of experience told him that these Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven disciples in front of him probably had some kind of grudge with Void Land, otherwise they would not have acted like this.
The leading Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder slightly smiled, “You’re not going to Void Land? Do you know Yang Kai then?”
When the young man spoke this name, Hei He was able to remain calm, but the heartbeat of the woman skipped slightly. Although her reaction was very weak, how could she hide it from a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?
The Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder immediately looked towards the direction of the cabin, smiling, “It seems you know each other.”
While the young man was still speaking, Hei He quickly stamped his foot as his World Force erupted, causing the flying ship to turn into a streak of light that flew towards the Universe Temple.
His reaction couldn’t be said to be slow. He had already been vigilant to begin with, so now that he noticed something was wrong, he immediately wanted to flee back to the Universe Temple. As long as he returned to the Universe Temple, no matter what these people wanted to do, they would be safe.
Fighting was absolutely prohibited in the Universe Temple, even for the disciples of the various Cave Heavens and Paradises.
His movements were fast, but the Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder’s movements were even faster as he stretched out his hand and grabbed towards the ship. Under the World Force of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the ship suddenly froze in place.
He then let out a cold snort and clenched his fist as the ship’s defensive Array began to glow.
“Capture them!” The Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder shouted as his subordinates immediately rushed out, each of them using their own Secret Techniques and artifacts to attack the ship.
Hei He turned pale at the sight of the might of these people’s attacks. He was just an ordinary Fifth-Order Master, but these people who had jumped out were all Fifth-Order Masters, and there was even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master leading them, so how could he resist?
He used all his strength to activate the Spirit Arrays on his ship, but they were destroyed in less than a dozen breaths of time. The next moment, a few Divine Abilities shot towards him. Hei He struggled to resist them before flying backward, coughing up blood.
Only then did the Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder stretch out his hand and grab the woman who had been hiding in the ship. The woman’s face was pale from the series of events that had transpired, but she was still someone who had weathered all kinds of great storms, so she didn’t show too much fear. She grit her teeth, staring at the young man in front of her angrily.
“You really know Yang Kai, right?” The young man asked coldly.
The woman refused to answer.
The young man scanned her from head to toe and clearly saw her cultivation. A frown appeared on his face as he muttered, “Strange, you just formed your Dao Seal, yet you have a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to escort you. It seems your identity is extraordinary. Tell me, what is your relationship with Yang Kai?”
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm pressure was extremely powerful, and the woman had just formed her Dao Seal, so she was unable to resist at all. She could feel that her Dao Seal was showing signs of collapsing under this terrifying pressure. Her blood and energy kept surging but it was still impossible to suppress.
“Pui!” She spat out a mouthful of blood towards the young man.
The young man didn’t move at all, but the arrow of blood disappeared under the pressure emanating from him. He immediately slapped the woman with the back of his hand, instantly knocking her unconscious.
“Let her go, if you want to ask something, ask me, leave her out of this. She’s just in the Emperor Realm, she doesn’t know anything,” Hei He quickly rushed over and fiercely shouted, coughing blood and gritting his teeth.
Xuan Yuan Heaven’s Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters promptly surrounded him. Hei He was outnumbered and was easily taken down in a few exchanges. His cultivation was sealed and he was left in a sorry state.
“I gave you an easy way out, but you just had to take the hard way!” Xuan Yuan Heaven’s Sixth-Order Elder coldly snorted. He looked at Hei He, and then at the unconscious woman in his hand before indifferently stating, “There’s no need to trouble yourself, this Elder will investigate it himself.”
Saying so, his Spiritual Energy madly surged towards the woman’s Knowledge Sea.
Hei He’s eyes shrank at the sight of this as he cried out in horror, “How could you use such despicable methods as an Elder of Xuan Yuan Heaven!?” The young man in front of him was actually using Soul Search!
Soul Searching Techniques were extremely vicious. One needed to have absolutely superiority in terms of Soul strength to use this kind of method. However, once a Soul Searching Technique was used, the subject of the technique would either have his or her Soul destroyed, or suffer serious damage to their Soul, so no one would do so casually.
Hei He had never imagined that this young man in front of him, who was a prestigious Xuan Yuan Heaven Elder, would so brazenly use a Soul Search on an Emperor Realm Junior.
The difference between a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and Emperor Realm cultivator who had just formed their Dao Seal was like the difference between the Heavens and Earth. When this Outer Elder used his Soul Searching Technique, the woman was unable to resist.
Her frail and delicate body suddenly started uncontrollably trembling as her beautiful eyes widened in pain. Blood immediately started gushing out of her mouth, staining her clothes red. At the same time, Xuan Yuan Heaven Elder’s expression changed from curiosity to surprise and then to excitement.
A moment later, Xuan Yuan Heaven’s Elder’s Spiritual Energy calmed down and his eyes shone brightly as a sinister grin appeared on his face, “So you came from such a place. Hahahaha, what a surprise! We were really wearing out our iron shoes while seeking our own feet.”
He casually threw the woman in his hand aside. The woman’s eyes were dull and lifeless. Although she had not died, it was clear that her Soul had been severely damaged. Even if she was not dead, she was crippled.
“You’ll die a horrible death for this!” Hei He roared in anger, thinking how his Master had handed over the Star Boundary’s people to him to take care of. He had never thought that the first time he had brought someone out, such an accident would occur. If his Master were to find out about this, he didn’t know what kind of fate he would suffer.
How could a Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven Elder and so many Fifth-Order Masters tolerate Hei He’s outburst? They immediately launched their punches and kicks, causing the latter to vomit blood.
“Bring them along, they’ll make a good present for Brother Pei and Martial Uncle Zuo!”
…
Void Territory, a month later…
The constant struggle between the two sides had left both exhausted, but since a blood feud had already been formed, no one would back down.
Another fierce confrontation came to a close as both sides withdrew their forces.
A short time later, inside the main hall, Yang Kai was checking the number of casualties when a terrifying pressure suddenly spread from afar. Yang Kai’s expression promptly changed as he stood up and looked towards the source of this pressure, shouting, “Zuo Quan Hui!”
[Could it be that he couldn’t bear anymore and has decided to take action personally?]
Many of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Masters in the hall also wore solemn looks on their faces. Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others, who had remained hidden until now were all palming their fists in anticipation. If Zuo Quan Hui were to act, they would no longer have to remain hiding.
However, before Yang Kai could figure out what was happening, Chen Tian Fei rolled in like a ball and reported in a panic, “Sir, there’s something wrong on Heavenly Sword Palace’s side. Zuo Quan Hui is personally pursuing someone.”
“Who is it?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Chen Tian Fei shook his head, the fat on his face rippling as he replied, “This subordinate doesn’t know, it’s too far to see.”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed as his figure flickered and he appeared outside the hall the next moment. He focused his gaze towards the distance before exclaiming, “Luan Bai Feng has been exposed.”
Luan Bai Feng had been hiding well ever since she had joined Zuo Quan Hui’s side, but this time she had been exposed somehow. At this moment, she was fleeing in their direction, leaving a long trail of light behind her. Whereas Zuo Quan Hui and a large group of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was hot on her tail.
[Did she attack Zuo Quan Hui?]
He had previously given Luan Bai Feng an order to find an opportunity to launch a sneak attack on Zuo Quan Hui. Although there was a gap of an entire Order between them, if Luan Bai Feng was careful and meticulous, it was not impossible for her to succeed.
[But why did she choose to make a move now?]
Yang Kai was unable to understand this, but he didn’t have time to think about it and shouted right away, “Senior Iron Blood, please remain here for the time being with the other newly promoted Sixth-Orders, the rest will follow me!”
Since Zuo Quan Hui had made his move, it was only natural that he would not be able to sit still. In his camp, Yang Kai was the only one who could fight Zuo Quan Hui and not immediately die.
Since Luan Bai Feng had been exposed, if he didn’t go to her aid, she would most likely die.
Space Principles surged as he brought ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with him and rushed forward.
As the distance between them shortened, Yang Kai could clearly see the shadow of a huge hand behind Luan Bai Feng grabbing towards her. Luan Bai Feng was fleeing with great difficulty. She seemed to be injured as her snow-white dress was dyed red.
What surprised Yang Kai was that Luan Bai Feng didn’t seem to be alone. She was holding a figure in each hand, but it was difficult to tell whether they were alive or dead.
[Who is it?] Yang Kai slightly frowned.
However, as they got closer, Yang Kai felt a faint connection. This connection was something only those who had left their names on the Loyalty List could have.
His Loyalty List was now filled with the names of nine people, among which was Luan Bai Feng’s who was before; Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, Zhou Ya, Hui Gu were beside him; and Chen Tian Fei, and Yun Xinghua were stationed at Void Land headquarters.
Only Hei He and Xin Peng remained.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai’s heart clenched as an uneasy feeling gripped him.
Space Principles fluctuated even more violently as his figure flickered, rapidly approaching Luan Bai Feng.
The giant hand behind Luan Bai Feng was getting closer, and seeing that she could no longer dodge, Yang Kai could only grit his teeth and take out his Azure Dragon Spear, thrusting it forward.
A huge black ball suddenly appeared on the tip of the spear as World Force burst forth, sending out a terrifying shockwave.
A giant black hole suddenly appeared on the huge illusory phantom of a hand that was grabbing towards Luan Bai Feng, sending out a powerful suction force.
The giant hand collapsed. Although it was still able to grab towards Luan Bai Feng, she barely managed to dodge.
At long last, Yang Kai met up with her. His figure flickered as he directly arrived beside Luan Bai Feng, asking in concern, “Are you alright?”
Luan Bai Feng nodded, her face was slightly pale, “Many thanks, Sir!”
If it weren’t for Yang Kai’s timely assistance just now, it would have been impossible for her to escape the pursuit of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai gently nodded and looked towards the two people in her hand, meeting the gaze of one of them.
The man’s face was covered in blood and his aura was extremely weak. He looked up at Yang Kai with great difficulty and weakly called out, “Sir!”
“Hei He!” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he looked to the other side, only to meet a pair of blank eyes.
“Lan Xun!”
Of the two people Luan Bai Feng was carrying, one was Hei He, the other was the daughter of Bright Moon Great Emperor, the Sect Master of Star Soul Palace, Lan Xun!
[How did Lan Xun and Hei He appear in the Heavenly Sword Palace? What did they encounter?] In an instant, Yang Kai’s mind was filled with thousands of thoughts. His heart was burning with rage at the sight of their miserable state.
“Sir, this humble subordinate has failed you, please punish me!” Hei He clearly only had half his life left, yet he was still thinking about the task Yang Kai had given him.
“Now is not the time to talk about these things, take Lan Xun to our Void Land’s encampment first,” Yang Kai suppressed the fire in his heart and quietly ordered.
Hei He nodded hard as he struggled to stand up. He covered Lan Xun with his energy before quickly retreating.
“Are you still able to fight?” Yang Kai looked towards Luan Bai Feng.
Luan Bai Feng brushed her hair behind her ear, “I won’t die!”
Yang Kai nodded and coldly looked ahead. The Sixth-Order Masters with him stood in a straight line, their auras surging.
10,000 kilometres away, the group of Heavenly Sword Union’s Sixth-Order Masters who were pursuing them suddenly stopped. There were a total of ten of them. Yang Kai’s eyes swept over them one by one before suddenly fixing on one of them.
“Yin Xin Zhao!” Yang Kai’s face sank slightly.
The nearby Luan Bai Feng reported, “He just arrived. I didn’t have time to send you a message. He was the one who brought Hei He and Lan Xun here. I escaped with them, using the excuse of imprisoning them.”
However, escaping from the Heavenly Sword Palace was not an easy task. Even though Luan Bai Feng was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was still severely injured by Zuo Quan Hui’s palm. If it weren’t for Zuo Quan Hui’s trust in her and his lack of vigilance, she probably wouldn’t have had a chance to leave the Heavenly Sword Palace at all.
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai took a deep breath. Although there was no air in the void, Yang Kai still felt a gust of chill blowing over him.
Fortunately, he had arranged for Luan Bai Feng to join Zuo Quan Hui’s side; otherwise, Hei He and Lan Xun would have died today. It was also thanks to Luan Bai Feng’s decisiveness that she had been able to save Hei He and Lan Xun, albeit at the expense of her identity being exposed.
Yang Kai didn’t know why Hei He and Lan Xun had fallen into Yin Xin Zhao’s hands; he could only ask Hei He about this matter later. Moreover, Lan Xun’s condition made him a bit worried. It was obvious from her appearance that she was unconscious and listless. He had no idea what kind of horrid things she had gone through.
Back then, Bright Moon Great Emperor had sacrificed his life for the Star Boundary. Without the Bright Moon Great Emperor, the current Star Boundary would have ceased to exist. Lan Xun was his only blood-related descendant left, so Yang Kai couldn’t allow anything to happen to her.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful. When he brought those 600,000 people from the Star Boundary to Void Land, many from Star Soul Palace had also come with him, but Lan Xun refused. To her, the Star Boundary was the home of Bright Moon Great Emperor who had used his life to protect it, so she was extremely attached to it.
That was why she had chosen to remain in the Star Boundary and Star Soul Palace.
Yang Kai didn’t force her; after all, there were many people who had stayed behind to guard the Star Boundary, including Yang Ying Feng, Dong Su Zhu, and High Heaven Sect’s Head Manager, Hua Qing Si. Yang Kai had also ordered Hei He to guard the Star Boundary, so he thought nothing would happen.
However, something unexpected had happened.
If he had known such a situation would occur, he would have brought Lan Xun along.
But thinking about it carefully, if it wasn’t Lan Xun this time, it could have been Hua Qing Si, or someone else.
Suppressing the roiling emotions in his heart, Yang Kai looked ahead again, but he failed to see Zuo Quan Hui’s figure. Zuo Quan Hui was clearly chasing them, but he was nowhere to be seen.
[That old dog is still as timid as a mouse!]
In the void, over twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stood over 10,000 meters apart, confronting each other
A distance of 10,000 kilometres was akin to a few steps away to a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Any Divine Ability could easily cross this 10,000 kilometres gap instantly.
However, neither side had any intention of being the first to attack.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged as he scanned his surroundings, searching for Zuo Quan Hui’s aura. Being observed in the dark by a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai felt like a mountain was pressing down on him. If he couldn’t find any trace of Zuo Quan Hui, he wouldn’t be able to easily act.
A faintly discernible murderous intent lingered all around, and it did not originate from any of the Sixth-Order Masters in front of him, so it had to be from Zuo Quan Hui, who had concealed himself.
Yang Kai’s body tensed up as his muscles went taut. His eyes were filled with determination. If Zuo Quan Hui dared to make an entrance, he would have no choice but to call out Iron Blood Great Emperor and the others to fight to the death.
After a long and torturous wait, the murderous intent that had been lingering around him suddenly disappeared into thin air. The ten Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters confronting the Void Land cultivators 10,000 kilometres away, suddenly had a change in their expressions at the same time, as if they had received some kind of instruction. The next moment, all of them turned into streaks of light and withdrew.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing that it was Zuo Quan Hui who had ordered them to retreat, and couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
After watching everyone from Heavenly Sword Union retreat more than 100,000 kilometres away, Yang Kai ordered, raising his hand, “Let’s return.”
He still had many questions that remained unanswered and now was not the right time for a decisive battle. It would be better to ask Hei He what happened first before deciding their next move.
Everyone turned around and flew towards the shattered Spirit Province where Void Land’s encampment was located, returning a short while later.
“Go and recuperate first!” Yang Kai ordered Luan Bai Feng before striding towards the main hall.
Hei He, who was the first to return, had already brought Lan Xun into the main hall. She happened to be surrounded by a group of people, while Serene Soul Great Emperor was investigating her situation.
When everyone heard some commotion behind them, they promptly turned. And when they saw that it was none other than Yang Kai, they promptly stepped aside, giving him way.
“How is she?” Yang Kai asked as he grabbed Lan Xun’s wrist and looked down at her.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai’s heart sank. Lan Xun’s eyes were open, but while they should have been lively and bright, they were now dull and lifeless.
Serene Soul Great Emperor replied in a grim and serious voice, “It’s not good, her Soul has suffered a great injury. I can’t repair it.”
“Even you can’t do anything about it?” Iron Blood Great Emperor asked.
Among all the Great Emperors, the one with the highest attainments in the Soul was undoubtedly Serene Soul. His Grand Dao was that of the Soul, so his authority when it came to such matters was unparalleled.
From the first battle with Heavenly Sword Union until now, all the Great Emperors had broken through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm apart from Wondrous Pill and Heavens Revelation.
Hearing this, the other Great Emperors’ expressions became extremely ugly. Naturally, they didn’t feel good seeing their old friend’s daughter in such a state. Their hatred for the person who had caused Lan Xun to suffer was even greater.
Serene Soul pondered for a moment before replying, “Perhaps we can try, but first we need to figure out why her Soul suffered such serious injuries.”
Everyone turned their heads, looking at Hei He. When Hei He had brought Lan Xun here, all the Great Emperors had gathered around to investigate her condition, but none of them had had time to ask.
Hei He replied honestly, “Someone used a Soul Searching Technique on her.”
“Soul Searching Technique!” Everyone was shocked when they heard this.
No matter where, Soul Searching Techniques were considered extremely vicious. Lan Xun was fortunate to make it out alive with only damage done to her Soul after being subjected to a Soul Search. If she had been unlucky, she would have lost her life right then and there.
Serene Soul’s expression became solemn, “If the damage was the result of a Soul Searching Technique, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”
“I’ll give it a try!” Yang Kai suddenly picked up Lan Xun and rushed to the room at the back of the hall. He then activated the restrictions before placing her on the bed and sitting down cross-legged next to her head.
Lan Xun’s Soul was severely damaged from the Soul Searching Technique, and even Serene Soul Great Emperor had raised his hands in resignation, but it was not that Yang Kai was also powerless.
The Soul Warming Lotus was a Supreme Treasure and had the effect of constantly nourishing and repairing one’s Soul. Yang Kai had fought many powerful enemies and suffered heavy damage to his Soul numerous times over the course of his life. If it was anyone else, his or her Soul would have been torn apart, rendering them either crippled or dead, but every time Yang Kai suffered injuries to his Soul, the Soul Warming Lotus quickly mended it.
His powerful Soul was all thanks to the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus over the years.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and bent down, putting his forehead against Lan Xun’s. His Divine Sense congealed into a Soul Avatar before he enveloped the Soul Warming Lotus with it and rushed into Lan Xun’s Knowledge Sea.
Under normal circumstances, if Yang Kai wanted to enter another person’s Knowledge Sea, he would definitely encounter some obstruction or resistance, but Lan Xun’s Soul had been damaged and she was currently unconscious, so Yang Kai didn’t encounter any difficulty entering her Knowledge Sea with the Soul Warming Lotus.
Looking around, Yang Kai saw that the world inside her Knowledge Sea was in tatters, like the scene of the apocalypse. The ground was scorched and torn apart, causing Yang Kai’s heart to ache at the sight. He could almost feel the pain Lan Xun had suffered that day.
Having one’s Soul searched forcibly by someone was definitely not a pleasant experience. It was as if someone was picking apart every part of your life; every scene and every incident. One had to endure the pain of their Soul being torn asunder.
Yang Kai noticed a faint glow in a certain part of her Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai immediately flew over and saw a hazy human figure curled up inside like a baby, sleeping. He could vaguely make out Lan Xun’s outline, but it was indistinct. The dim light was also flickering constantly, as if it would disappear at any moment, but was stubbornly maintaining itself.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to delay and quickly released the Soul Warming Lotus, which lifted up the hazy figure.
A seven-coloured light blossomed in Lan Xun’s Knowledge Sea as the petals slowly closed, wrapping the hazy human figure in the center of the flower while an invisible force nourished her damaged Soul, causing her shattered Knowledge Sea to suddenly calm down.
Yang Kai heaved a light sigh of relief.
With the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus, it was only a matter of time before Lan Xun’s Soul was restored.
Just as he was about to withdraw from Lan Xun’s Knowledge Sea, an image suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s mind. It was a picture of Yin Xin Zhao’s hideous appearance, followed by an indescribable sense of panic and helplessness, causing Yang Kai to feel like he was drowning.
But soon, this scene shattered and the inexplicable emotions that had filled Yang Kai also disappeared.
Yang Kai’s face immediately turned dark and menacing, his eyes burning with fury.
Obviously, the scene he saw just now was one of Lan Xun’s memory fragments. Furthermore, he was able to see this nightmare-like memory and experience everything Lan Xun had experienced because his Soul Avatar had entered her Knowledge Sea.
This panic and helplessness were a kind of trauma to Lan Xun.
Because she was so traumatized by the incident, it had turned into a nightmare that was tormenting her even though she was in a deep coma.
Luan Bai Feng had said that Hei He and Lan Xun were brought here by Yin Xin Zhao, so the one who had used the Soul Searching Technique on Lan Xun was undoubtedly Yin Xin Zhao!
[That bastard deserves to die!]
[However, these nightmare-like memories should no longer be haunting her after the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus.]
Yang Kai took one last look at the Soul Warming Lotus wrapping Lan Xun’s Soul Avatar before slowly withdrawing.
He then returned to the main hall, where everyone anxiously waited.
“She’s fine, but it may take some time for her to wake up,” Yang Kai waved his hand and stopped everyone from asking.
When everyone heard this, they all accepted it as a matter of course. Even Serene Soul Great Emperor didn’t ask any questions. Yang Kai had created too many miracles in his life for them to start questioning him now. Yao Jun may not have been able to do anything for Lan Xun’s severely damaged Soul, but that didn’t mean that Yang Kai couldn’t.
“What happened? How did you get caught by Yin Xin Zhao?” Yang Kai turned to look at Hei He.
Hei He quickly replied, “Reporting to Sir, ever since Sir left back then, this subordinate has been staying at the border of the Star Boundary, safeguarding the tranquility of both it and the Demon Territory without slacking off. Over the years, the cultivation of the cultivators living in the Star Boundary has been improving at an astonishing pace. Young Lady Lan Xun long ago broke through to the peak of the Third-Order Emperor Realm and successfully condensed her Dao Seal. The same is true for Head Manager Hua, as well as Sir’s Honoured Father and Mother. Thinking that there would be no future for them with the current cultivation limit in the Star Boundary, Head Manager Hua came to me and asked me to escort Young Lady Lan Xun to Void Land and report the situation to you while asking you to return to take a look.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai asked in surprise, “My Father and Mother have also formed their Dao Seals?”
The Great Emperors were also stunned.
It wasn’t surprising that Lan Xun was able to form her Dao Seal; after all, she was the daughter of Bright Moon Great Emperor and had inherited the Bright Moon Physique of the Great Emperor. She was also Star Soul Palace’s Palace Master and had an outstanding aptitude. Even before Yang Kai first left the Star Boundary, Lan Xun had reached the Third-Order Emperor Realm. Although she had congealed her Dao Seal a bit quickly, it wasn’t impossible.
Head Manager Hua Qing Si congealing her Dao Seal was also somewhat acceptable.
However, Yang Kai was well aware of his Father and Mother’s aptitudes. The reason why his parents hadn’t followed him to Void Land back then was because they considered their own aptitudes to be lacking. Even if they had come to the Outer Universe, it wouldn’t have benefited them much, so they decided it was better for them to remain in the Star Boundary and guard Yang Kai’s homeland. Although the First-Order Emperor Realm wasn’t high, it was still quite good in the current Star Boundary.
Yang Kai had spent countless resources and effort to achieve even this; so, it was quite hard to believe that his Father and Mother had grown so tremendously in such a short time.
It was not like it was impossible for Yang Yi Feng and Dong Su Zhu to condense their Dao Seals eventually, but it was absolutely impossible for them to have done so in such a short time.
The Great Emperors naturally understood this, which was why they and Yang Kai were so surprised.
This speed… was too fast.
Hei He continued, “It’s not just Young Lady Lan Xun and Sir’s Honoured Parents. Over the years, many Emperor Realm Masters had appeared in the Star Boundary. I’ve never seen anyone’s cultivation rise so quickly, and it’s not just one person, but essentially everyone in the Star Boundary.”
“Why is that?” Yang Kai asked with a puzzled expression. [Could it be that there was something special about the Star Boundary that I hadn’t noticed?]
What’s more, the Star Boundary was ruined by Mo Sheng, and the great battle had nearly caused the entire Star Boundary to collapse, leaving it in an essentially desolate state.
Hei He looked around and hesitated.
Yang Kai stated, “If you have something to say, just say it. No one here is an outsider.”
Hei He replied with a nod, “This subordinate once went to the Star Boundary to investigate, and I believe the reason why it has undergone such a dramatic change is related to the tree Sir planted there all those years ago.”
[The World Tree!]
Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly. If the changes in the Star Boundary were related to the World Tree he had planted, then it was not impossible.
The World Tree was simply too mysterious. At the very least, Yang Kai had never seen anything like the World Fruits that could allow the Open Heaven Realm Masters to advance an entire Order simply by consuming them.
Small Source Worlds were already quite impressive. Yang Kai had gone to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Divine Armament World for life experience; there, his foundation in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm was greatly strengthened. However, if he could obtain a High-Rank World Fruit, he could directly advance from the Sixth-Order to the Seventh-Order. The effects of the two were incomparable.
If the World Fruit had such a heaven-defying effect, the World Tree that gave birth to those World Fruits could surely create mind-blowing miracles.
The World Tree planted in the Star Boundary was a root Yang Kai had brought from the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary’s Primordial Land. Because of the war between the Human and Demon Race, the Star Boundary had nearly been destroyed.
Even if they obtained the final victory and killed Mo Sheng, the Star Boundary was so severely damaged that it could not last for too long. The reason why Yang Kai went to the Outer Universe was firstly to pursue a higher Martial Dao, and secondly to find the World Tree to save the Star Boundary.
Fortunately, he found the World Tree and brought back one of its roots from the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary.
On the day he returned to the Star Boundary and planted the root, Yang Kai faintly felt that there would be some changes to his homeland, and that the cultivators who remained in the Star Boundary would grow together with the Star Boundary as it recovered, perhaps gaining some unexpected benefits.
This kind of opportunity to grow and recover together with the entire Universe World was extremely rare. In the entire 3,000 Worlds, only the Star Boundary which had a World Tree Root planted could have such a chance.
It was just that Yang Kai had not expected this change to occur so quickly! Moreover, the effects were so obvious that even his parents had condensed their Dao Seals.
No wonder Head Manager Hua Qing Si who stayed in the Star Boundary had asked Hei He to come to Void Land to find him. Such a huge change in the Star Boundary was indeed not something that could be ignored.
The hall sunk into silence for a moment before Hei He pondered and added, “Sir, Head Manager Hua did an extensive investigation of all the cultivators in the Star Boundary. Basically, everyone’s cultivation speed is faster than before. What’s more, many newborns have outstanding aptitudes. All the great Sects have now taken in many good seedlings, and with time, they will surely become powerful Masters.”
Yang Kai nodded his understanding, “I understand. Tell me how you were captured.”
Hei He let out a bitter laugh, “When we were passing through White Light Territory’s Universe Temple, Young Lady Lan Xun accidentally mentioned Void Land. Yin Xin Zhao must have overheard her and waited in ambush for us outside the Universe Temple, and then…” Hei He’s face became gloomy; he was unable to continue anymore. He was only a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although Yin Xin Zhao had broken through recently, he was still a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It was a simple matter for Yin Xin Zhao to overpower a Fifth-Order Master like Hei He.
After using a Soul Searching Technique on Lan Xun, Yin Xin Zhao came to the Heavenly Sword Palace with Hei He and Lan Xun through Flying Smoke Territory.
Naturally, Zuo Quan Hui welcomed Yin Xin Zhao’s arrival, not to mention the fact that he brought two gifts along with him. After learning that Hei He and Lan Xun were actually from Yang Kai’s homeland, Luan Bai Feng took the opportunity to escape with them by pretending to take them to be imprisoned.
Fortunately, Luan Bai Feng was proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and had many Array Plates on hand; otherwise, she would not have been able to escape from Zuo Quan Hui’s pursuit.
Be that as it may, she had still suffered injuries, and what happened next was clearly witnessed by Yang Kai.
After learning the whole story, Yang Kai was filled with fear. Thankfully, Luan Bai Feng had acted decisively; otherwise, he would have been pushed into an absolutely passive position.
With Hei He and Lan Xun in Zuo Quan Hui’s hands, it would be quite difficult for Void Land to handle the situation.
If it weren’t for the current predicament, Yang Kai would have immediately rushed to the Star Boundary to investigate whether the changes there were caused by the World Tree he had planted or not.
However, now that Heavenly Sword Union was occupying the entrance to Void Territory and was eyeing him like a tiger eyeing its prey, how could he possibly escape?
“Why don’t I go back and take a look?” Flower Shadow Great Emperor suggested. The Star Boundary was also her homeland, and every resident of the Star Boundary felt a unique connection to it. Although judging by Hei He’s report, the change in the Star Boundary was truly good news, how could they be assured without checking it out completely?
Flower Shadow Great Emperor was also a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now, so it wasn’t a problem for her to investigate the changes in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai was just about to nod in agreement when Jin Yuan Lang rushed in and reported, cupping his fist, “Sect Master, there are some movements on the Heavenly Sword Palace’s side!”
Hearing this, Yang Kai immediately ran outside the hall and looked up. The next moment, he saw the Heavenly Sword Palace, which had been occupying the Territory Gate for over a year, slowly retreating and disappearing into it.
[Zhuo Quan Hui is retreating?]
Seeing this, Yang Kai instinctively had a bad premonition. After a slight pause, he snapped, “Damn it, Zuo Quan Hui is going to the Star Boundary!”
Yin Xin Zhao had used a Soul Searching Technique on Lan Xun. Regardless of how much information he obtained from Lan Xun’s memories, the location of the Star Boundary and the World Tree could not remain hidden at the very least.
The Star Boundary was Yang Kai’s and other Great Emperors’ homeland; furthermore, High Heaven Palace and his parents were also there. If Zuo Quan Hui were to attack the Star Boundary, it would be impossible for the latter to resist.
After all, it was not protected by a Divine Spirit like Void Land was!
More importantly, the World Tree alone was enough to incite Zuo Quan Hui’s greed! Yang Kai didn’t know if the roots he brought back could grow into another World Tree, or if they could bear World Fruits, but something that could change an entire Universe World was definitely far from ordinary!
The act of Heavenly Sword Palace’s sudden retreat to Flying Smoke Territory undoubtedly indicated that Zuo Quan Hui had some kind of plan for the Star Boundary, otherwise he would not have acted in such a manner.
No wonder Zuo Quan Hui had not taken any action just now. A year ago, this old dog had been trying all kinds of means to force Yang Kai to show himself so that he could launch a sneak attack and kill him. But when Yang Kai finally appeared, Zuo Quan Hui had not made a move.
It wasn’t that Zuo Quan Hui was being kind, but rather that he had a better choice before him!
The Great Emperors who had followed Yang Kai out of the hall turned to him.
Yang Kai hurriedly shouted, “All forces, assemble immediately!”
*Xiu xiu xiu… *
All the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the temporary base began to gather around.
Yang Kai swept his gaze over them and ordered, “Don’t try to resist, I want to take you all into my Small Universe.”
Old Bai was shocked after hearing this, “Take us into your Small Universe? Yang Kai, only a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s Small Universe can materialize and contain living beings. You’re just in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm right now, how can you do that?”
Yang Kai replied, glancing at him, “My Small Universe has already become corporeal!”
When he had broken through to the Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai had integrated the Sealed World Bead into his Small Universe, resulting in a rather unique phenomenon. If not for this, it was impossible for his foundation to be so robust, and neither would he have been able to suppress his opponent in the same Order so easily. It was just that this fact was not worth discussing with others.
If it weren’t for the pressing situation and the lack of a large-scale flight-type artifact like the Heavenly Sword Palace in Void Land, Yang Kai wouldn’t have made such a desperate move.
He was bearing risks by taking other Open Heaven Realm Masters into his Small Universe, even if they were his disciples, friends, and family.
Old Bai was stunned!
Yang Kai had already begun taking everyone in. As the Open Heaven Realm Masters below the Sixth Order gave up resisting, they felt a pull enveloping their bodies. By the time they regained their senses, they had already arrived in another world.
Batches of Open Heaven Realm Masters disappeared into thin air one after another, pulled into Yang Kai’s Small Universe. But very soon, Yang Kai noticed a feeling of fullness coming from his Small Universe, a feeling he had never felt before. It was strange and new.
As if she noticed the change in Yang Kai’s expression, Yue He nervously stated, “Young Master, if you sense something is wrong, you should stop immediately! High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters can indeed store living creatures into their Small Universe, but there is also a limit to their capacity, especially since everyone you are taking in is an Open Heaven Realm Master with their own Small Universe. Although it is not a real Universe World, it is still quite a burden for you. If you fight with anyone at this moment, you will be in a really tough spot and will be at great disadvantage.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I understand!”
Having said that, the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters that Yang Kai’s Small Universe could take in continued to decrease, and the feeling of fullness became more obvious.
Over the past year, many Open Heaven Realm Masters had died in the war, but even so, there were still over 1,300 remaining.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yang Kai finally managed to collect all 1,300 cultivators into his Small Universe. At this moment, Yang Kai could clearly feel that his Small Universe was completely stuffed. He felt as if he had accidentally eaten too much and couldn’t even circulate his World Force smoothly.
He understood that it was just as Yue He had said, if he were to fight in this condition, he would definitely be at a grave disadvantage.
What’s more, if anything were to happen to him and his Small Universe collapsed, all 1,300 people residing inside would be buried along with him!
For this reason, a High-Rank Open Heaven Master would almost never be willing to accept another Open Heaven Realm Master into their Small Universe, and lower Rank Open Heaven Masters would not want to enter a High-Rank Open Heaven Master’s Small Universe under normal circumstances. Both sides were at a risk.
Yang Kai turned his head and stated, turning his head towards the Sixth-Order Masters, “I can’t take you in.”
Yang Kai had secretly experimented with Yue He before, and although they were both Sixth-Order Masters and he was able to take Yue He into his Small Universe, the feeling of fullness and discomfort her presence created was far greater than those below the Sixth-Order. Perhaps only when Yang Kai had advanced to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm would he be able to take Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters into his Small Universe without immediately becoming discomforted.
“Hei He!” Yang Kai shouted again.
“Reporting!” Hei He quickly cupped his fist, respectfully greeting.
“I leave Lan Xun to you. Take her to Void Land and hand her over to Senior Bi Xi where she can focus on recuperating!”
“Sir, please rest assured, this subordinate will protect Young Lady Lan Xun to the death!” Hei He nodded repeatedly. He was secretly shocked that his Master had actually advanced to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Some time ago, he had been forced to leave his name on the Loyalty List. Yang Kai was just a mere Emperor Realm Master at that time.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles as he wrapped everyone with his energy before disappearing.
He didn’t pursue the Heavenly Sword Palace because he couldn’t guarantee that Zuo Quan Hui wouldn’t have set up an ambush in Flying Smoke Territory. Although this possibility wasn’t high, he still had to be prepared for even that remote possibility.
If he were to rush into Flying Smoke Territory and be blocked by Zuo Quan Hui, he would definitely be thrown into panic and have his hands tied, especially since his current state was not suitable for fighting.
Fortunately, if he wanted to go to the Star Boundary, Flying Smoke Territory was not the only route.
Furthermore, Yang Kai might not be able to circulate his World Force smoothly, making intense combat impossible, but simply bringing people along with him as he traveled wasn’t an issue. Unfortunately, the people around him were all Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so even if they weren’t resisting, his consumption was quite high.
Yang Kai took out his Universe Chart, checked it, and quickly found a route.
Although this route to the Star Boundary was two Great Territories farther than the one that passed through Flying Smoke Territory, Yang Kai’s Space Secret Techniques allowed him to travel much faster than the Heavenly Sword Palace. If everything went smoothly, they would be able to return to the Star Boundary’s Great Territory before Zuo Quan Hui arrived.
At that time, he would lead the Open Heaven Realm Masters to block the Territory Gate and wait for Zuo Quan Hui to fall into their trap.
Yang Kai kept travelling without stopping, passing through one Territory Gate after another.
After crossing three Great Territories, Yang Kai’s face had already become pale and his body was on the verge of collapsing; he was almost like a lamp that had run out of oil. Continuously using Space Principles while bringing nearly twenty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with him was extremely taxing on him.
Left with no choice, all he could do was let everyone lead him forward while he slowly and silently recovered. Fortunately, the speed of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters wasn’t slow and wouldn’t cause them to fall too far behind.
When Yang had recovered, he used Space Principles once more to lead everyone along.
This cycle thus continued.
It was rare to see so many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters travelling together. So, when they occasionally ran into passing cultivators, others all became terrified and immediately made way for them.
Yang Kai couldn’t remember how long it had taken him to return to the Star Boundary from Void Land last time, but it took him only three months this time.
In the distance, a Territory Gate that stretched across the void appeared before everyone’s eyes. It was the Territory Gate that led to the Great Territory where the Star Boundary was located.
The closer he got, the more nervous Yang Kai became.
Although he hadn’t wasted any time along the way, he couldn’t guarantee that he would be faster than the Heavenly Sword Palace; after all, his group had taken a long detour, so it was possible that the Heavenly Sword Palace had arrived before them.
He was afraid that what he would see after passing through the Territory Gate would be a scene of misery and suffering.
In a flash, the Territory Gate was right in front of him. Yang Kai took a long and deep breath before shouting, “Everyone, be on guard!”
Everyone nodded in unison as they circulated their World Force, ready to attack or defend themselves at any moment.
Yang Kai enveloped the cultivators around him with his energy and plunged into the Territory Gate. After a moment of disorientation, Yang Kai’s group passed through and arrived at their Great Territory destination.
The twenty cultivators promptly spread out, vigilant of their surroundings.
But soon, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.
The ambush and attack they were expecting did not arrive, so it was highly likely that the Heavenly Sword Palace had not arrived yet.
“Is this the Great Territory where Sir’s homeland is located?” Hui Gu asked, whispering to Bustling World Great Emperor.
Bustling World Great Emperor looked in a certain direction but he saw nothing. Nonetheless, he could faintly sense something was calling out to him. Naturally, this was the connection between a Great Emperor and their Universe World, a result of being recognized by the Star Boundary’s Will.
Being in the same Great Territory, Duan Hong Chen immediately sensed the location of the Star Boundary.
“Yes, this is our home,” Bustling World Great Emperor smiled.
“It’s a bit desolate,” Hui Gu honestly voiced his opinion. Along the way here, the closer he got to this Great Territory, the more desolate it became. This Great Territory was lacking all the usual signs of prosperity. As he spoke, Hui Gu took out his Universe Chart and examined it. He found that even the Universe Chart didn’t have a clear description of this Great Territory, only a generic identification.
There were actually a large number of Great Territories in the Universe Chart that were simply marked with designations like A1 or B6, and each of them was a forgotten backwater that Open Heaven Realm Masters never visited because there was nothing of value to be found.
Every Great Territory was vast and boundless, so if one had the time to explore a barren nameless territory in hopes of getting lucky, he or she might as well refine Open Heaven Pills instead to strengthen their foundation.
Bustling World smiled, “If it weren’t for this, we would have long since broken free from our Universe’s shackles. Why would we have been suppressed for so many years?”
Fortunately, this Great Territory was a forgotten corner of the Outer Universe, allowing many Great Emperors to slowly consolidate their foundations over the years, which gave them the capital to directly break through to the Sixth Order.
There were Great Emperors in other Universe Worlds who had been recognized by their World’s Will. In fact, each mature Universe World had their own Great Emperors, but how many of them could directly break through to the Sixth Order? Most Great Emperors quickly broke free from their Universe World’s shackles and didn’t spend a great deal of time consolidating their cultivation, so their Dao Seal’s stability was naturally inferior to that of the Star Boundary’s people and their achievements were slightly worse.
However, even if they knew this, how many Great Emperors would be willing to spend tens of thousands of years to slowly reinforce their Dao Seal? Even if they were Great Emperors, they would not be able to resist the temptation to achieve the Open Heaven Realm as soon as possible, reaching a far greater height of power and status.
The current achievements of the Star Boundary’s Great Emperors were due to chance and coincidences, and had been achieved without much difficulty!
While the two of them were speaking, Yang Kai looked in the direction of the Star Boundary as his eyes glimmered brightly.
He still remembered the last time he had returned to this Great Territory to search for the Star Boundary.
Although he had come to this Great Territory back then, he had to spend a lot of time and effort searching for the location of the Star Boundary because he had been unable to determine if it was even in this Great Territory or not. In fact, he had already searched several Great Territories before arriving here.
But now, he could actually feel the connection between the Star Boundary and himself the moment he crossed the Territory Gate!
He was also a Great Emperor recognized by the Star Boundary’s Will and had the title ‘Void’. So, it wasn’t strange for him to have such a connection.
[But why? If I had this kind of connection the last time, why would I waste so much time searching for the Star Boundary? I could feel it the moment I entered this Great Territory.]
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai faintly felt that this matter was related to the changes in the Star Boundary.
The last time he had returned, the Star Boundary was unstable and on the verge of collapsing. Its Will was about to disappear and the connection between them was extremely faint. So naturally, he was unable to sense it from afar.
However, after he had planted the World Tree’s root in the Star Boundary, the Star Boundary had undergone a tremendous change. Even the living beings in the Star Boundary had benefited greatly from this change. The average rate of cultivation had increased, and the World’s Will had been restored, which immediately strengthened this connection.
Yang Kai even had a feeling that though he was trillions of kilometres away from the Star Boundary, as long as he was in this Great Territory, he could instantly return to it!
When he turned his head to look at the other Great Emperors, Zhan Wu Hen also looked over and asked in surprise, “You felt it?”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Ice Feather Great Emperor sighed, “It seems that the Star Boundary has indeed undergone a tremendous change.”
“I don’t care about the changes in the Star Boundary, what I need to confirm now is whether Zuo Quan Hui has arrived here or not!” Yang Kai’s expression became serious.
Serene Soul slowly voiced his opinion, “Probably not, no matter how fast they are, they couldn’t have been faster than us.”
He had deeply experienced the advantages of the Dao of Space on their journey here.
“It’s always better to be safe than sorry.” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before continuing, “How about this, everyone will stand guard here for now while I’ll return to the Star Boundary to take a look. It would be best if Zuo Quan Hui hasn’t arrived as we can take this opportunity to ambush him at the Territory Gate, but if he has, I’ll send you a message.”
Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen nodded and agreed, “Good, it’s always best to take precautions.”
Yang Kai immediately took out a Space Beacon and handed it over to Yue He for safekeeping before spending some time to release the 1,000 plus Open Heaven Realm Masters he had stored in his Small Universe.
Carrying so many people in his Small Universe along the way, Yang Kai felt like he was carrying a huge mountain on his back, so he was quite refreshed after he had gotten rid of this burden.
“Zuo Quan Hui is a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, everyone must not be careless!” Yang Kai warned again. Although there were twice as many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on their side compared to their enemy, and the number of people below the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm far exceeded their opponent’s, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was enough to fill that gap.
“Don’t worry!” Zhan Wu Hen nodded, “You also need to be careful.”
“I know,” Yang Kai nodded before mobilising his Space Principles, following the connection between his body and the Star Boundary.
The next moment, his figure disappeared all of a sudden.
Everyone was used to this already. After Yang Kai left, the 1,300 Open Heaven Realm Masters spread out in all directions under the leadership of the many Sixth-Order Masters.
Meanwhile, a look of surprise appeared on Yang Kai’s face. This time, when he used his Space Principles, he had a completely different feeling from before.
Generally, when he mobilised his Space Principles, he was able to ignore the barriers of space and instantly teleport from one place to another within a certain range. Although it seemed mysterious to outsiders, everything was under his control.
But this time, he felt that things were somewhat out of his control.
When he followed the connection between himself and the Star Boundary and mobilised his Space Principles, he clearly felt a powerful pull from the Star Boundary, causing his body to involuntarily break through the Void.
This was a completely bizarre sensation for him. Furthermore, he was unable to recover for a long time. He felt as if he was crossing through the Void and falling into an endless abyss, even his Soul and Small Universe began to shake.
After an unknown period of time, the strange sight before him disappeared into thin air and a half-moon-shaped Universe World appeared in his vision.
A familiar aura blew towards him!
[The Star Boundary!]
As expected, Yang Kai was able to return to the Star Boundary directly. Although he had already guessed it would be possible, he still couldn’t help but feel excited.
This time, the distance he teleported was far too great, far exceeding his own limits. This was definitely not his doing alone. The Star Boundary also had a great part in it; otherwise, he would not have been able to accomplish this.
After calming himself, Yang Kai noticed that nearby the half-moon-shaped Universe World, there was another Universe World with a thick Demonic Qi.
[The Demon Realm!]
Yang Kai could clearly feel the familiar aura of the Star Boundary’s Will, as well as the aura of Gun-Gun and his Embodiment from the Demon Realm.
The Demon Realm had originally shattered, but Yang Kai had used his Embodiment to activate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, guiding the Sealed World Bead to swallow and merge the broken pieces before separating the new whole.
Gun-Gun was the Demon Realm, and the Demon Realm was Gun-Gun, but because the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was mobilized by the Embodiment, he became inseparable from the Demon Realm.
The last time he returned to the Star Boundary, Yang Kai had taken 600,000 people with him and left Embodiment in the Demon Realm. Embodiment possessed the body of a Stone Spirit Clansman and had the ability to refine all kinds of impurities, making him the perfect candidate to cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
It could be said that Wu Kuang’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law was made just for the Stone Spirit Clan, so Yang Kai had long since imparted this heaven-defying Evil Art to him.
Yang Kai had no idea how Wu Kuang had managed to resolve the various drawbacks brought about by cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. He had tried cultivating it in the Divine Armament World, and although his cultivation had improved at a rapid pace, the higher his cultivation, the harder it became for him to control his temperament. Fortunately, his powerful Dragon Vein was able to somewhat suppress the side effects, otherwise, Yang Kai would have long since suffered from cultivation dissonance.
After leaving the Divine Armament World, Yang Kai no longer dared to touch the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, lest his mind and temperament become warped.
The two Universe Worlds, the Star Boundary and Demon Realm, were neighbours and quite harmonious.
Looking around, the Demon Realm didn’t seem to have changed much, but Yang Kai could feel a vigorous vitality from the Star Boundary. He even saw a huge tree canopy that covered a vast swath of sky on the top of a tall mountain.
Naturally, this was the location where he had planted the World Tree Root. Over the years, the World Tree’s root had grown to an astonishing height.
Yang Kai was completely speechless. The World Tree he had seen in the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary’s Primordial Land wasn’t nearly this big, so he didn’t know how it grew this large.
Just as he was lost in thought, a familiar aura rapidly approached him. Yang Kai turned to look and saw a black light shooting through the void and appearing in front of him the next instant. When the light dissipated, the figure revealed was that of Embodiment.
When their eyes met. Yang Kai grinned and greeted, “Long time no see!”
“You’re back?” Embodiment also smiled and greeted in an echoing voice.
“I’m back!” Yang Kai took a deep breath. The feeling of chatting with his Soul Clone was quite strange.
Embodiment checked him out from top to bottom before raising his brow slightly, “The things you’ve experienced over the years are truly fascinating.”
Embodiment was formed from a wisp of Yang Kai’s Soul that had entered the body of the dead Stone Spirit, so he could be considered his Soul Clone. As long as the distance between them wasn’t too far, they could naturally communicate with each other. Thus, as long as Yang Kai opened his mind, Embodiment could see everything he had experienced over the years.
“There are many dangers in the Outer Universe. Without any foundation, I could only put my life on the line and compete,” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
“Is someone pursuing you?” Embodiment looked deep into the void.
Yang Kai nodded, “I don’t know if they have already entered this Great Territory, but you must be careful.” His expression became solemn as he asked, “When did the Star Boundary begin to change?”
Embodiment replied, “See for yourself.”
Yang Kai nodded and probed his Soul Clone’s memories without a trace of politeness, quickly understanding everything. As the main body, Yang Kai was naturally able to spy on the experiences Embodiment had gone through.
Although Embodiment had always been stationed in the Demon Realm, the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary were neighbours now, so the changes in the Star Boundary naturally came under his attention.
The changes in the Star Boundary could be described as silent and invisible. After Yang Kai planted the World Tree’s root, confirmed that the World Principles had stabilised and that the Star Boundary was no longer in danger of being destroyed, he left with several hundreds of thousands of people.
The survival and growth of the World Tree had consumed a great deal of the Star Boundary’s World Energy, so in the years after Yang Kai’s departure, the ambient World Energy in the Star Boundary was extremely thin and the rate at which cultivators cultivated was extremely slow. In fact, in those years, no cultivator had been able to break through and advance to a higher realm.
However, after several years, the World Tree began nurturing the Star Boundary which had fed it, causing the World Energy to gradually become denser. The damaged Universe World became firmer and more stable. As a result, not only did the cultivation become faster, even making breakthroughs became easier.
As time passed, this situation became more obvious, and when people discovered this change, the entire Star Boundary celebrated.
The World Tree had already become the Divine Tree of the Star Boundary. Countless people travelled across the mountains and rivers just to pay their respects to the World Tree, even giving it offerings as thanks.
Recently in particular, many cultivators who had poor aptitude had broken through to the Emperor Realm, and those who had formerly been in the First-Order Emperor Realm had all broken through to the Third-Order, many even comprehending their own Grand Dao and condensing their Dao Seals.
The situation of the newly born babies was especially noteworthy. In the past, when the various great Sects took in disciples, it was normal for one in every hundred, or even thousand to be considered. After all, there weren’t many children suitable for cultivation. Even if those with poor aptitudes were taken in, it would not yield any results after spending a great deal of resources on them.
But now, half of the newly born babies were suitable for cultivation, one in a hundred was a talent, and one in a thousand was a prodigy!
When Hei He had previously said that the various great Sects had taken in many good seedlings, this was what he was referring to.
All of this was thanks to the nurturing of the World Tree!
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly as he directed his eyes towards the World Tree.
The World Tree’s nurturing couldn’t possibly be water without roots. It had consumed a large amount of World Energy when it was growing, so where did the energy it produced come from?
He hadn’t looked carefully just now, but now that he was scrutinizing the World Tree pointedly, he did see some traces, though they weren’t very clear.
With a thought, his left eye flashed and a golden vertical pupil appeared.
Demon Eye of Annihilation!
Under this Demon Eye of Annihilation, Yang Kai’s vision suddenly became clear. He saw countless inexplicable energies being absorbed by the World Tree, becoming nutrients for its growth. Furthermore, there were specks of light above the huge World Tree’s canopy, transforming into pure World Energy and spreading into the Star Boundary below.
[So that’s how it is!]
Yang Kai suddenly understood.
The energy fed back by the World Tree was actually coming from the Outer Universe itself. The void of the Outer Universe wasn’t completely empty and desolate; however, even a powerful Open Heaven Realm Master would find it difficult to refine and use this ambient energy. This wasn’t a problem for the World Tree though.
Another example of this was the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array in Void Land which was constantly absorbing the power of the Stars and transforming it into the energy for its regular operation and later use.
However, the efficiency of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, when it came to absorbing the energy of the Universe, was pitiful compared to the World Tree.
Yang Kai could clearly see that under the World Tree’s influence, the Power of the Stars was actively being drawn towards its canopy from all directions, regardless of distance.
In other words, the energy of this entire Great Territory was being influenced by the World Tree.
Embodiment, who was nearby, also gasped in shock. Yang Kai had not blocked his senses, so Embodiment could see what his Demon Eye of Annihilation was seeing. He couldn’t help but mutter, “So that’s how it is. If this continues, I wonder what would become of the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai dismissed the Demon Eye of Annihilation and shook his head, “I don’t know, but it shouldn’t be anything bad.”
Not only would it not be bad, in the future, every corner of the Star Boundary would be a true cultivation paradise. Cultivating here would be countless times faster than in any other Universe World or Spirit Province.
Calming himself down, Yang Kai added, “We’ll discuss the matter of the World Tree later. Right now, we don’t have much time, so I’ll go back to High Heaven Palace first to see my parents. I’m afraid there will be a great battle soon. Although the Territory Gate is quite far from here, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Go find Hua Qing Si and explain the situation to her so that she can make preparations.”
“En!” Embodiment nodded.
Yang Kai utilised Space Principles again as his figure flickered as he disappeared from the spot.
The next moment, the pair had already arrived at the depths of High Heaven Palace.
Without any further communication, Embodiment immediately flew out and sent a message to Hua Qing Si to discuss important matters.
Yang Kai went straight to the Spirit Peak where his parents lived.
There was a forest of bamboo at the peak of a Spirit Peak, and a dense spiritual mist filled the air. Some intermittent sounds were coming from the forest.
When Yang Kai arrived here, he happened to see a group of young children sitting cross-legged in a clearing in the middle of the sea of bamboo, all of them wearing High Heaven Palace uniforms. These little children had their eyes open wide as they stared at a middle-aged man in front of them, listening attentively. From time to time, one of the little kids seemed to hear something incredible and shook his or her head, as if they had received some kind of inspiration.
Yang Ying Feng was currently preaching the Dao.
Seeing this scene, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter. Since when did his Father become so interested in such things? In the past, Yang Kai had never seen him preach the Dao to High Heaven Palace’s disciples. But then again, his Father used to only be a First-Order Emperor Realm Master while many in High Heaven Palace had higher attainments in cultivation than him, so there was no need for him to spend his time on such endeavours.
Now that he had formed his Dao Seal and his cultivation had reached the limit of the Universe World’s capacity, Yang Yin Feng was more than qualified to pass on his Dao to these young disciples.
Yang Kai didn’t disturb him and chose to watch quietly. The anxiety he had felt from facing a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master for so long was now completely swept away and his mind became calm.
With a sudden bang, the loft behind Yang Ying Feng had its door shoved open as a figure rushed out, looking around with wide open eyes, “Is our Son back?”
After being interrupted, Yang Ying Feng frowned unhappily, but understanding the power dynamics in his relationship with his wife, he wisely decided to swallow his anger and grumpily rebuked, “That smelly brat is roaming around the Outer Universe doing who knows what with who knows who! How could he be back?”
Dong Su Zhu frowned and looked around, “Strange, I clearly felt…”
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly stared in a certain direction.
Yang Kai was utterly speechless. He was currently a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and he had come here while concealing his presence. Not to mention Dong Su Zhu, a mere Emperor Realm cultivator, even a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master might not be able to discover him here.
However, Dong Su Zhu had sensed him!
Was this the bond between a Mother and Son? The kind of connection that had nothing to do with one’s cultivation, nor with their strength, but one that was innately formed after spending 10 months in the most intimate contact possible between one life and another?
With a thought, Yang Kai appeared and stared at Dong Su Zhu, smiling even more brilliantly than a flower in morning glory.
Dong Su Zhu was stunned and her beautiful eyes quickly became wet. She let out a cry of joy and rushed towards Yang Kai as swiftly as a gale wind, hugging him tightly.
She was a petite woman, shorter than Yang Kai by a full head, but at this moment, Yang Kai felt an unprecedented sense of care and safety, as if he had returned to the time when he was still in his Mother’s womb. Whether it was the wind or the rain, she would always be there to shelter and protect him from the storm.
Yang Ying Feng also slowly stood up and looked over, rubbing his eyes as if he was afraid he was seeing things.
The group of little kids below had no idea what was happening, so all of them followed Yang Ying Feng’s gaze and turned their heads back to look curiously.
“He’s back, you’re back~! My Son is really back!” After a long time, Dong Su Zhu finally let go of Yang Kai and grabbed him by his arm, jumping up and down like a little girl, crying and laughing at the same time. After carefully observing him for a while, she suddenly pulled him into her embrace.
“Mother!” Yang Kai called out softly as he felt his clothes quickly become wet. He slightly raised his hand and gently patted Dong Su Zhu’s trembling shoulder.
Dong Su Zhu finally recovered from her great surprise after a while and raised her head to dry her eyes. She looked lovingly at Yang Kai as she patted his arms and legs to make sure he was unharmed before heaving a long sigh.
Yang Ying Feng also walked over and sized up Yang Kai before coughing lightly, “You’re back?”
Yang Kai quickly greeted, “Father!”
Yang Ying Feng nodded lightly and glanced behind him, “Alone?”
Yang Kai stated with a smile, “Su Yan and the others are all cultivating in Void Land.”
Yang Ying Feng waved off, “I’m not asking about your wives.”
Yang Kai was a little puzzled. If he wasn’t asking Su Yan and the others, then who was he asking? After a moment of realisation, he replied, “Xue’er is also in secluded meditation in Void Land right now, her cultivation is improving at a rapid pace. Father doesn’t need to worry.”
Yang Ying Feng glared at him resentfully before asking in a dignified tone, “Do I have grandchildren after so many years or not?
[So that’s what he was asking about!] As soon as her husband said this, even Dong Su Zhu, who had been crying just now, perked up her ears and stared at Yang Kai with a burning gaze.
Yang Kai’s face was guilt-ridden as he awkwardly replied, “Your Son has been trying his best!”
Yang Ying Feng was furious, “You impotent little bastard, you’ve so many wives yet you can’t even sire an heir for us? What can I count on you for? Do you want me and your Mother to give birth to a Younger Brother or Sister to strengthen our Yang Family?”
Dong Su Zhu slapped Yang Ying Feng’s back, causing a loud sound as she rebuked with a blush, “What nonsense are you spouting? There are children here.”
When Yang Ying Feng turned around, he saw a group of little children staring at him, so he couldn’t continue. He waved off to the group of little chicks, stating, “That’s the end of today’s lesson. When you return to your room, you should review what you learned. Don’t slack off.”
The children all stood up and under the direction of one of the bigger ones who seemed to be their leader, and gave a proper bow, “Many thanks, Master Ancestor!”
Although the group of kids was young, their manners were excellent. They lined up in two rows and walked down the mountain. When they passed by Yang Kai, they all bowed to Yang Kai too.
Yang Kai, watching them leave, raised his brow and praised, “They really are good seedlings!”
Just now, he had secretly investigated the aptitudes of these children. Although he didn’t perform a complete examination, when he swept his Divine Sense over them, he found that each of them had a clear mind and outstanding aptitude. If nothing went wrong, all of them would be able to easily reach the Emperor Realm!
Yang Ying Feng glanced at him, “If you can sire one, I’m sure it will be better than any of them.”
Yang Kai didn’t dare to say anything.
Fortunately, his Mother’s heart felt bad for him and she slapped Yang Ying Feng again, “Our Son hardly has the chance to return, why are you spouting so much nonsense!”
Saying so, she turned to Yang Kai and comforted, “Ignore him and come with Mother. You must have suffered outside. Why have you lost so much weight?”
Having been left outside, alone, Yang Ying Feng’s face was filled with regret. He beat his chest and stamped his feet, “A doting Mother makes a wastrel!”
A moment later, the family of three started chatting happily for a while inside the bamboo house before Yang Kai finally stated, “I came back this time mainly to check on your situation. Hei He said that both of you managed to condense your Dao Seals.”
Dong Su Zhu replied, nodding, “That’s true. Speaking of which, I must thank Senior Hei He. If it weren’t for his careful guidance all these years, we wouldn’t know how to form our Dao Seals.”
In the Inner Universe, the Emperor Realm was the limit. Only by breaking free from the Universe World’s shackles would one be able to reach a higher Martial Dao. Yang Kai had undoubtedly made the right choice when he chose to leave Hei He to guard the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm. At the very least, under his guidance, his parents had successfully condensed their Dao Seals.
“Let me take a look!” Yang Kai stretched out his hand and grabbed Dong Su Zhu’s wrist, immersing his consciousness and carefully examining it.
A moment later, a look of surprise flashed across Yang Kai’s face.
Dong Su Zhu asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Yang Kai honestly replied, “There is something wrong, but it’s not bad, but rather a good thing. I’ll talk after taking a look at Father’s as well.”
Using the same method, Yang Kai examined Yang Ying Feng’s Dao Seal and the surprise on his face became even more apparent.
“Since this is a good thing, speak up then!” Yang Ying Feng flicked his sleeves.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before replying, “Hei He must have told you about some things, so you must know about the different Orders of the Open Heaven Realm!”
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu both nodded, “Naturally.”
Yang Kai continued, “The Order of an Open Heaven Realm Master determines their strength, while their initial Order is determined by the Orders of Element Powers they condense. The Element Powers are condensed through the refinement of a complete set of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. The higher the Order of the Elements condensed, the higher the Order one will be in when they break through to the Open Heaven Realm. Of course, the higher Order of the material you wish to refine, the firmer your Dao Seal must be!”
Yang Ying Feng summarized, “The Dao Seal is the foundation to reach the Open Heaven Realm!”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “In simpler terms, after an Emperor Realm cultivator condenses their Dao Seal, their future path is basically set. From that point on, what Order in the Open Heaven Realm they can reach depends entirely on how high the Order of the Elements their Dao Seal can withstand.”
“Hei He said that your Father and I can reach the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm with certainty, while the Fifth-Order is possible but carries some risks, so he asked us to ask for your opinion.” Dong Su Zhu looked at Yang Kai somewhat uneasily. The Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm was not a high Order.
Yang Kai nodded, “This is what surprises me.”
He was well aware of his Father and Mother’s aptitude. When they first became Emperor Realm cultivators, he had spent a great deal of effort and resources to help them. In his opinion, even if his Father and Mother’s cultivation had progressed at a rapid pace because of the World Tree, and they had even successfully condensed their own Dao Seals, it would be good if they could reach the Third Order.
Although the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was in the Low-Rank, it was still in the Open Heaven Realm, nonetheless!
Unexpectedly though, his parents were completely capable of reaching the Fourth or Fifth Order!
This was a huge pleasant surprise.
[Is the World Tree’s nourishment really so miraculous?]
After informing his parents of his thoughts, they finally understood what this so-called good thing was.
“What Order are you now?” Yang Ying Feng asked curiously. Although he could feel that Yang Kai had advanced to the Open Heaven Realm, he couldn’t tell his Order. After all, the difference in their cultivation was too great.
“Sixth-Order!”
Dong Su Zhu was immediately overjoyed, “I told you that your Son’s Order will definitely not be low. With the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he could even become an Eight-Order Master in the future. Furthermore, if he can obtain Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace, it’s not impossible to reach the very peak and become a Ninth-Order Master.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Mother, you even know about the Universe Furnace?”
Dong Su Zhu stated proudly, “We haven’t wasted our time all these years. Senior Hei He has told us a lot about the outside world.”
Yang Ying Feng waved his hand causally and interjected, “Enough of that, first take a look at me and your Mother. Do you think we should break through to the Fourth Order, or should we try for the Fifth Order?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “The limit of the Fourth Order is the Sixth Order while the limit of the Fifth Order is the Seventh Order. One ends in the Mid-Rank, while the other reaches the High-Rank, and there is a massive gap between the two. Since there is hope, you should naturally try to break through to the Fifth Order! Father, Mother, don’t worry, there may be some risks if others try to break through like this, but my Void Land has the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilising Pill, so there’s no need to be afraid!”
Unfortunately, he no longer had any Divine Dao Water in his possession, otherwise if he gave it to his parents, there would be no risk for them to break through to the Fifth Order at all.
His Father and Mother’s Dao Seals were quite stable, and what Hei He said was basically correct. They were indeed a bit lacking in trying for the Fifth Order, but it wasn’t too far off. Of course, if they wanted to break through to the Sixth Order, it would be impossible even if they had the Dao Divine Water.
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu may not have any idea what the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilising Pill was, but since Yang Kai had said so, they naturally wouldn’t doubt it.
Yang Ying Feng immediately decided, “Good, just as you said, your Mother and I will try to break through to the Fifth Order. In the future, if anyone dares to bully us, we’ll beat them up!”
“I’ll prepare the materials for you two, please wait a moment.”
Dong Su Zhu seemed to have sensed something and furrowed her brow, “You just returned, but you want to leave right away?”
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before deciding to explain truthfully, “When Hei He brought Lan Xun to find me this time, he encountered an accident. A powerful enemy has learned the location of the Star Boundary and he covets the World Tree, so he is rushing over as we speak, wanting to harm the Star Boundary. I have to stop him!”
Even if this matter could be concealed for a while, it couldn’t be concealed forever. If they could stop the Heavenly Sword Palace at the Territory Gate, it would be fine, but if they couldn’t, Zuo Quan Hui would kill his way to the Star Boundary. If a great battle broke out without any forewarning, it would only make Dong Su Zhu more worried.
Dong Su Zhu immediately asked nervously, “How is this enemy’s cultivation compared to yours?”
“He’s stronger than me, but we have more people than him, so Mother doesn’t need to worry,” Yang Kai comforted.
Dong Su Zhu’s expression became even more worried, “You’re already in the Sixth Order, if he’s stronger than you, doesn’t that mean he’s a Seventh-Order Master?”
Yang Ying Feng stated, “Since a powerful enemy has come, there is no use worrying about it. That Great Demon God was so powerful back then, but he was still killed! I and your Mother only hate that our strength is too low right now so we can’t help you much. You can go and face the enemy without worry. Your Mother and I will take care of the Star Boundary!”
“Thank you, Father!” Yang Kai stood up, “Time is of the essence, so your Son cannot serve you anymore, please take care!”
Saying so, he knelt down and kowtowed.
Dong Su Zhu quickly helped him up and reminded him with tearful eyes, “Be careful!”
Yang Ying Feng coldly snorted, “If he hasn’t left an heir for my Yang Family, how could he dare to die?”
“Nothing good comes out of a dog’s mouth!” Dong Su Zhu glared at him fiercely.
Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fist, “Your Son will take his leave now!”
With a surge of Space Principles, he disappeared from the spot.
Dong Su Zhu stretched out her hand and grabbed nothing but air. She felt as if a piece of her heart was missing, and it filled with melancholy.
The next moment, Yang Kai suddenly appeared inside High Heaven Palace’s Main Hall.
Hua Qing Si was startled for a moment before she quickly stood up happily.