When a person was totally engrossed in something, they couldn’t feel the passage of time.
Yang Kai was now trying to comprehend the secrets of the Universe Temple as he compared it to his understanding of the Dao of Space. Instead of feeling bored, he was completely immersed in it.
The Universe Temple was an ancient building where there was a very abstruse Grand Array. Yang Kai’s eyes would brighten whenever he discovered something new as the new insights allowed him to further enhance his mastery of the Dao of Space.
It took him five years to go through the entire Grand Array. He had noticed many damaged spots in the Grand Array, and only by deducing and repairing the damaged spots could he make it functional again.
Deduction was a taxing activity. Yang Kai had to exert himself every single day, and every time he surmounted a difficulty, his mastery of the Dao of Space would be strengthened.
However, regardless of how engrossed he was, he still felt pressured and isolated doing the same thing every day for years on end. If it weren’t because he was a staunch and determined person, he would’ve gone mad.
Therefore, he would take a stroll outside from time to time. Only by getting enough rest would he be able to be more efficient in his work.
Every time he left the Universe Temple, the Sixth-Order Golden Armour Great General from Great Battle Heaven would immediately approach him in anticipation of any needs he might have.
Nevertheless, this person was completely unresponsive. In the beginning, Yang Kai would still try to talk to him, but he never got any response.
Eventually, he stopped expecting him to give a response. Sometimes, he would talk to himself when he had the urge. Sometimes, he would walk around the outside of the Universe Temple to relax his mind. The Golden Armour Great General would follow him closely as though he was a servant.
There were also times when Yang Kai asked him to get some dishes and wine so that he could enjoy a meal alone.
The Golden Armour Great General never complained about anything. Regardless of what request Yang Kai had, he would do his best to fulfill it. Yang Kai was initially worried that he was being bothersome, but he soon got used to it and became at ease.
When he left the Universe Temple this time, he told the General to prepare a meal for him.
Just in front of the Grand Hall of the Universe Temple, Yang Kai nonchalantly took a seat on an abandoned bench and drank wine on his own. The Golden Armour Great General was just standing nearby. His figure was as straight as a spear while he looked fixedly at the front.
After drinking for a bit, a joyous Yang Kai started talking to himself, “After five years of going through the Grand Array, I’ve found 1,135 damaged spots. Following two years of deduction, I’ve only repaired seven spots. At this rate, it’d take me more than 100 years to finish repairing the Grand Array.”
100 years was neither long nor short. It was the entire lifetime for a long-lived mortal, but for an Open Heaven Realm Master, 100 years would pass in the blink of an eye.
“Brother Jin,” Yang Kai looked up at the Golden Armour Great General. He had no idea what the person’s name was, so he randomly gave him a surname. The other person never protested, so Yang Kai kept addressing him in such a way, “I’m worried that you’ll have to keep me company for a long time, but don’t worry, 100 years is just a rough estimate. It took me half a year to repair the first spot while it was five months for the second spot and four months for the third spot. The speed with which I can make repairs will only accelerate from now on. Perhaps it won’t take long before the Universe Temple is completely restored.”
As usual, Brother Jin remained silent.
Yang Kai chugged down the wine, then rose from the bench before shuffling towards the Grand Hall, “I’ll continue working now. You can get some rest.”
“Why don’t you take a look at other Universe Temples?” An unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
Yang Kai turned around and gazed at the Golden Armour Great General in shock. With widened eyes, he examined the person again.
It wasn’t until a moment later that he broke into a fit of laughter, “So it is Senior Sister Jin, not Brother Jin.”
If the Golden Armour Great General hadn’t spoken on this day, Yang Kai wouldn’t have found out that she was a woman. Furthermore, she actually had a clear and pleasant-sounding voice.
A woman with such an enchanting voice was certainly quite beautiful.
However, during their contact over the years, she had never said a word. Moreover, she looked sturdy in her golden armour, which was why Yang Kai believed she was a man. It never crossed his mind that the person was actually a woman.
After recovering from his shock, he slowly shook his head, “I know what you mean. There are several Universe Temples in the 3,000 Worlds that have broken down, and the damaged spots of these Universe Temples are definitely different. If I take a look at the other places, I wouldn’t need to exert myself to deduce anything in order to find solutions. After all, while this spot is damaged in this place, it might be in perfect condition in another place. However, in that case, why don’t I just look for a perfectly fine Universe Temple and study it? By doing so I could have a reference and easily repair all the damaged spots.”
Senior Sister Jin fell silent.
Yang Kai went on to say, “The reason I’m not going to do that is that it will be pointless if I don’t deduce things myself. By imitating the ancients, I’ll only be walking down a well-trodden path. Only by making deductions myself would the understanding belong to me,” He nodded and inadvertently took a glance at Senior Sister Jin’s chest.
In an instant, she unsheathed her sword from her waist as a cold glint flashed through Yang Kai’s eyes.
Yang Kai hunched his back and dashed into the Universe Temple as his voice could be heard faintly, “Thanks for the meal, Senior Sister. I’ll need you to prepare some materials for repairing the Universe Temple the next time I come out.”
After the door was closed, Yang Kai still felt extremely guilty as he thought that women were truly sensitive. Just now, when he thought of the saying that women with big chests were brainless, he was instantly engulfed in murderous intent. Women from Great Battle Heaven were truly not to be trifled with.
With that said, he had thought about Senior Sister Jin’s suggestion before, but he rejected the idea in the end. It could save him time and effort by emulating his predecessors, but it would do nothing to enhance his mastery of the Dao of Space. If he took a peek at the abstrusity of the Grand Array in advance, he would only be using solutions that were readily available; however, if he could make a deduction and construct the solution himself, he would be rewarded handsomely.
That was the reason he was willing to exert himself in this place.
Just like what he had said, it took him half a year before he found a solution for the first damaged spot, then it took him five months for the second spot and four months for the third spot. The time he would need would only shorten, and eventually, he would just have to take a glance before he could come up with a fix.
Three years later, Yang Kai had successfully deduced solutions for the 1,000-plus damaged spots. Presently, he was seated in the centre of the Grand Array as his World Force undulated. After going through the Grand Array that he had reconstructed in his mind and making sure that there was no problem, he left the Grand Hall.
Unsurprisingly, Senior Sister Jin approached him again.
Yang Kai appeared exhausted, but his eyes remained bright. He then fished out a jade slip and passed it to her, “Please get these materials ready, Senior Sister.”
After taking it, Senior Sister Jin turned around and left without asking any questions.
For the next few days, she was nowhere to be seen. It was apparent that she was in the process of preparing the materials for Yang Kai.
The Universe Temple in this Great Territory was no longer in use since it had broken down, but there was a Star City here. Although the materials Yang Kai needed were expensive, they weren’t rare. Given Great Battle Heaven’s wealth, it wouldn’t take Senior Sister Jin long to obtain what he needed.
After having some rest for a few days, Yang Kai was fully refreshed. He then flew out into the void and closed his eyes before slowly pushing out his fists.
Ten years of cultivation in seclusion in the Universe Temple and deducing solutions to the damaged spots of the Grand Array allowed him to achieve greater heights in his comprehension of the Dao of Space.
After years of cultivation, Yang Kai had divided Dao comprehension into ten levels based on his own feelings. From the lowest to the highest, they were Superficial Contact, Peering Through the Doors, Taking the Initial Steps, Traversing a Familiar Path, Attaining Mastery Through Comprehensive Understanding, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary, Standing Above All Others Within Sight, Summiting the Peak, Transcending the Mundane, and Shocking History and Dazzling the Present.
This kind of classification was clear and it could allow a cultivator to determine their current position in their cultivation. Yang Kai had already passed down this kind of ranking system to those in Void Land and High Heaven Palace.
When he mentioned it to Xu Ling Gong in the past, the latter praised him for coming up with this classification system and said that he could possibly establish an entire standardized system for Dao comprehension. If this method became widely adopted, Yang Kai would be its creator and biggest contributor, and his name would never be forgotten in the history books. When anyone used this system to refer to his or her own comprehension in the future, he would naturally remember the man who invented it.
According to the system Yang Kai had created, his comprehension of the Dao of Space stood at the peak of the Seventh-Level, Standing Above All Others Within Sight, and he was about to achieve a breakthrough to the Eighth-Level, Summiting the Peak.
As his understanding of the Dao of Space improved, Yang Kai faintly felt like he had gained enlightenment into something new.
While he repeatedly pushed out his fists, Space Principles weltered as the Void around him contorted.
He felt as though he was a silkworm that had been trapped in a cocoon. If he could break free from the cocoon, he would be able to make it to the next level; however, he was crestfallen since he was unable to achieve that last breakthrough.
Presently, a golden figure was standing on a spot near Yang Kai as she silently watched his movements. To outsiders, his movements were rather comical as he repeatedly pushed out his fists without any regular patterns. He alternated between slow and fast as though he was an old man who was trying out various exercises. There was no awe or intimidation to speak of.
However, it was these seemingly powerless attacks that caused space itself to shudder and shake.
After a long period of observation, Senior Sister Jin suddenly summoned her halberd. As her World Force surged, she turned into a ray of light and attempted to stab Yang Kai with her weapon.
She didn’t seem to be holding back at all, as though she was determined to end his life while he was distracted.
Her World Force was surging like violent waves, and Yang Kai was forced to turn his head and deal with the halberd with his bare hands. As he drew upon his Small Universe, World Force surrounded his fists.
Following the silent clash in the void, two figures brushed past one another. While Yang Kai’s clothes became tattered, some sparks were also seen on Senior Sister Jin’s armour.
Nevertheless, the woman didn’t seem to have the intention of stopping. As she whirled around, her halberd turned into countless shadows which surrounded Yang Kai, all of them wrapped in thick murderous intent and a sense of ferocity.
Yang Kai kept taking steps backwards, but the movements of his fists still alternated between fast and slow as he clashed with the halberd with various degrees of force and resolved the other party’s fierce attacks.
As the two figures entangled with one another, flickering back and forth as they exchanged places numerous times. Their battle raged across more than 10 million kilometres as they traded countless moves every breath in an intense melee.
Senior Sister Jin from Great Battle Heaven was definitely not a cultivator who made it to the Sixth Order through cultivation in seclusion. She was adept at fighting, so it was apparent that she had quite a number of life-and-death battles in the past.
As she fully pushed her power, she didn’t show any signs of frailty as a woman; instead, she was tough and strong.
Yang Kai took the approach of passively reacting as he was faced with the bombardment of attacks.
They went on to fight fiercely in a radius of 10 million kilometres in the void for half a month.
Then suddenly, there came a moment when Yang Kai’s eyes no longer appeared turbid as his gaze brightened. He had been trapped inside a cocoon for days, and at this moment, he finally broke free from it and became a butterfly.
Faced with the halberd, he didn’t have the intention of dodging; instead, he just gently pushed out his fist.
Despite his seemingly powerless attacks, the impact was tremendous. Senior Sister Jin’s movements came to an abrupt halt as though she was no longer able to circulate her strength smoothly. Her halberd stopped right in front of Yang Kai’s chest.
Yang Kai remained silent with a smile while Senior Sister Jin slowly put away her halberd. Her eyes behind the golden helmet appeared astounded.
“Many thanks for your help, Senior Sister,” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
Over the past fifteen days, Senior Sister Jin used her full strength to battle against Yang Kai, which helped him break through the fog which was clouding his vision and gain enlightenment in battle. If not for her assistance, he would’ve needed another opportunity to take his comprehension of the Dao of Space to the next level.
Now, he had finally made it to the Eighth Level, Summiting the Peak. Besides that, he had also obtained a new technique to deal with his enemies.
“What’s the name of this roguish Divine Ability of yours?” Senior Sister Jin asked.
Yang Kai shook his head with a smile, “It’s not a Divine Ability. It’s just a method of applying Space Principles. I don’t think it’s roguish in any way.”
Senior Sister Jin replied dispassionately, “You trace your opponent’s aura back to its source and directly attack their Small Universe. Once their Small Universe falls into turmoil, they can’t attack or defend. However, if one completely seals off their aura, how are they supposed to use their World Force to battle against you? If this isn’t the method of a rogue that gives an absolute advantage in combat, what else could it be?”
To put it simply, Yang Kai’s new way of dealing with his opponents was attacking their Small Universe by using Space Principles. That was how he managed to easily disperse Senior Sister Jin’s last attack with just a simple punch. Since her Small Universe had been shaken, she was unable to keep fighting regardless of how strong she was.
Even though she could withdraw and then continue to fight, she would be suppressed once Yang Kai used this technique again. That was the reason she directly gave up.
Furthermore, she didn’t really intend to defeat Yang Kai, she just wanted to help him.
The Small Universe was the foundation of an Open Heaven Realm Master as well as their source of power. When Yang Kai was battling against Zuo Quan Hui in the past, his Small Universe often shook as his realm was lower. As a result, he suffered setbacks numerous times. After such an experience, coupled with his newfound knowledge of the Dao of Space, Yang Kai managed to create this technique.
Just like Senior Sister Jin had implied, this technique was quite unscrupulous. Even for High-Rank Masters, it was difficult to directly attack an opponent’s Small Universe, let alone an average cultivator; however, Yang Kai was able to target his opponent’s Small Universe directly by tracing their World Force back to its source using Space Principles.
It was basically impossible to guard against such a technique; however, in order to successfully use it, it still required some luck and patience. The reason Yang Kai was able to easily resolve Senior Sister Jin’s last attack was that he had become familiar with her moves following fifteen days of battle.
“How did you come up with such a roguish technique?” Senior Sister Jin looked curiously at him.
It seemed that Yang Kai could never get rid of that label, so without refuting her, he replied, “I had the luck to witness Purple Jade Cave Heaven’s Shattering Dao Seal Technique in the past and was inspired by it. Some ideas also flashed through my mind when I battled against Zuo Quan Hui. That’s how everything came into place on this day.”
When Yang Kai was in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary in the past, he entered the Primordial Land in order to take part in the Spirit Seizing War. At that time, he was ambushed by someone who used the Shattering Dao Seal Technique, which was a Divine Ability from Purple Jade Cave Heaven. It was a famous technique that was only taught to the most important disciples.
The name of the technique suggested that it was a Divine Ability that targeted a person’s Dao Seal. This Divine Ability was horrifying for people that were somewhere between the Emperor Realm and the Open Heaven Realm. That was because, for those cultivators, their Dao Seals were their foundation. Once their Dao Seal was damaged, they would end up in a horrible state.
The foundation of an Open Heaven Realm Master was their Small Universe, so if there was a way Yang Kai could directly target an enemy’s Small Universe, he could easily gain the upper hand in combat.
Senior Sister Jin nodded and praised him by saying, “This is a rare technique where a weaker person can hope to defeat a stronger opponent. Unfortunately, this technique requires Space Principles as its foundation, so no one else can learn it.”
“Many thanks for your compliment, Senior Sister,” Yang Kai replied humbly.
Given Yang Kai’s current strength, he was practically peerless among those below the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm; however, if he was faced with a High-Rank Master, he would be defeated. He had temporarily possessed the might of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master before, so he was fully aware of the huge gap between a Seventh-Order and a Sixth-Order Master.
Now that he had such a technique though, he wouldn’t be so battered when dealing with a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master like Zuo Quan Hui.
“Among mortals, they call it a cow punch when such an unfair method is used.”
Yang Kai played along and put on a meaningful grin, “Many thanks for giving it a name, Senior Sister! This technique will be called Cow Punch from now on!” Instead of punching a cow though, this technique targeted an opponent’s Small Universe.
Senior Sister Jin fell silent with conflicted feelings. Such an amazing technique was given such a foolish name, which didn’t do justice to its abstrusity.
Just then, a Space Ring flew towards Yang Kai. Senior Sister Jin turned around and dashed towards the Universe Temple, soon disappearing.
The ring contained materials that Yang Kai had asked her to buy. Upon making sure that all the materials were right, he also decided to return to the Universe Temple and start repairing the Grand Array.
He had come up with a plan to repair the more than 1,000 damaged spots in the Grand Array, and with these materials in possession, he just had to execute his plan.
The entire process took Yang Kai a year to finish.
One day, Yang Kai, who felt extremely bored, was seated in the centre of the Grand Array and waited patiently.
The Grand Array had been restored, and even though he believed there wouldn’t be a problem with it, he had to give it a test. He initially intended to do it himself, but Senior Sister Jin rejected his idea. Left with no choice, he could only let her give it a try.
Yang Kai knew that she was well-meaning. There wouldn’t be a problem if the Grand Array had been successfully repaired; however, if there was any mistake, he might come across some danger by using the Universe Transference Law to send himself back to this place from billions of kilometres away.
In the entire 3,000 Worlds, Yang Kai was currently the only one capable of repairing the Grand Array in a Universe Temple. Senior Sister Jin naturally wouldn’t let him take such a risk.
Despite her stern demeanour, she was actually a kind-hearted person. Yang Kai found out about it when she previously helped him achieve a breakthrough in comprehension without him even asking.
However, for all these years, this woman from Great Battle Heaven had never taken off her armour, so he had never seen her face that was covered in the golden helmet.
All of a sudden, the Grand Array started glowing as though fireflies were dancing in the air. As Space Principles undulated, the space in front of Yang Kai started contorting and Senior Sister Jin’s figure abruptly appeared.
After coming to her senses, she nodded at Yang Kai to indicate that the Grand Array had been successfully restored. She then said, “The Sect Masters have told me that once you’re done with repairing this Universe Temple, you’ll have a year to rest. After that, you can come back here, and I’ll take you to the next Universe Temple.”
Yang Kai got to his feet and patted his backside, “There’s no need. Let’s go now.”
After a moment of silence, Senior Sister Jin decided not to persuade him, “Wait a moment, I need to pass my duties to someone else.” She then turned around and left the Grand Hall.
A while later, the two of them flew out of the Universe Temple and headed towards the nearest Territory Gate.
Senior Sister Jin initially intended to summon her flight-type artifact, but Yang Kai rejected her idea. As a Master of the Dao of Space, he usually didn’t need to rely on any artifact to move around when he didn’t have a lot of companions.
In just one month, they moved past more than ten Great Territories and arrived at another abandoned Universe Temple.
This place was also guarded by a Sixth-Order Master from Great Battle Heaven, so the person was from the same Sect as Senior Sister Jin. After the two of them had a brief conversation, Yang Kai was allowed to enter the Grand Hall that had remained closed for years.
With ten years of prior experience, Yang Kai was now far more efficient.
It only took him half a year to identify all the damaged spots in the Grand Array, and it took him another half a year to deduce solutions for them. Following that, he needed half a year to repair it. He could now do it much faster than the first time.
Senior Sister Jin then brought him to the third Universe Temple.
In the entire 3,000 Worlds, only five Universe Temples had been abandoned due to malfunction.
Including the time they spent travelling, it took Yang Kai two years to repair the third Universe Temple.
While they were heading to the fourth Universe Temple, they passed by Lang Ya Paradise’s Territory, so Yang Kai decided to stop by and visit Zhang Ruo Xi since the two of them hadn’t met for a long time.
Since word got out that there was a World Tree in the Star Boundary, all 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises had gathered together there, so representatives from Lang Ya Paradise were naturally sent as well. The Seventh-Order Master from Lang Ya Paradise was pretty amicable to Yang Kai, perhaps because of Zhang Ruo Xi and Gu Pan.
Yang Kai had asked him about Zhang Ruo Xi and found out that she was cultivating in seclusion at that time, so she hadn’t tagged along.
It remained a regret in Yang Kai’s heart.
Since they would pass by Lang Ya Paradise, he naturally wanted to visit her.
However, his wish was not granted. Zhang Ruo Xi had made it to the Open Heaven Realm, and two years ago, she and Gu Pan left Lang Ya Paradise to head to the Star Boundary, so Yang Kai couldn’t see her.
Then, he asked about Zhang Ruo Xi’s Order. Upon learning that she had ascended to the Fifth Order just like what he had expected, he felt at ease.
Since Zhang Ruo Xi and Gu Pan were not around, Yang Kai didn’t intend to stay. On the other hand, those from Lang Ya Paradise were quite hospitable; after all, the Star Boundary had become a household name in the 3,000 Worlds because of the World Tree. Not only was Yang Kai a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, but he was also a Sixth-Order Master, so hardly anyone would dismiss him now.
After turning down various invitations from Lang Ya Paradise, Yang Kai continued on his journey alongside Senior Sister Jin.
A few years later, after testing the fifth Universe Temple, Yang Kai confirmed that the Grand Array had been restored. Then, Senior Sister Jin solemnly fished out a golden token and passed it to Yang Kai with both hands.
With his brow raised, Yang Kai took it and realised that it was pretty weighty. The character ‘Universe’ was engraved on it, but he wasn’t sure what this token was for.
“It’s a Universe Token. The Sect Master specifically asked someone to make it for you,” Senior Sister Jin explained, “With this token, you can enter any Universe Temple and receive the same treatment as a Sect Master of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.”
“Is this considered a reward for me?” Yang Kai raised his brow. He had spent almost twenty years repairing five Universe Temples, which would offer immense benefits to lots of people; however, those Sect Masters were pretty stingy. They only gave him a Universe Token and no other useful benefits.
Senior Sister Jin shook her head, “It’s not really a reward. The Sect Masters hope that when you have a chance to use the other Universe Temples, you can also examine their Grand Arrays. If there’s a problem, they want you to help fix it.”
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, “The Sect Masters are pretty clever, aren’t they? Do they think I’m a free slave or something?”
With a solemn expression, Senior Sister Jin replied, “You can turn them down, but I’ll have to retrieve the Universe Token.”
Yang Kai immediately pocketed the token, “Forget it. I’ll keep it since it’s specifically made for me.”
Senior Sister Jin nodded gently, “Since the matter regarding the Universe Temples has been resolved, I’ll return to Great Battle Heaven now. Farewell!”
Upon finishing her words, she directly turned around and left in a dashing manner. Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile as he watched her leave. Regardless, they had spent the last twenty years together, but she left without any hesitation. She was a true free-spirited person.
The 3,000 Worlds were vast, so they might not have the chance to meet again.
The matter regarding the Universe Temples was an accident of sorts. Yang Kai had never expected that he’d be held up for such a long time. Back then, he decided to take a stroll outside since he wanted to relax. There was a list of things he had to do; however, other than paying a visit to Lang Ya Paradise, he hadn’t managed to complete anything.
Although he had visited Lang Ya Paradise, he hadn’t had the chance to meet Zhang Ruo Xi, which remained a regret in his heart. Fortunately, before his departure, he had told Hua Qing Si that he’d return within 100 years; therefore, even if he didn’t show up for a long time, there shouldn’t be a problem in the Star Boundary or Void Land.
He then fished out a Universe Chart and studied it. Upon confirming his current location and mapping out a route, he disappeared from the spot the next moment.
A few months later, Yang Kai arrived at Black Territory, where Luan Bai Feng personally greeted him.
She was the overlord of the Black Prison and titled herself Warden. In the past, after helping Yang Kai arrange the Space Arrays in High Heaven Territory, she returned to the Black Prison.
She had also brought with her more than 100 Open Heaven Realm Masters from Heavenly Sword Union who had been captured in the war. Although 100 ore slaves was not a lot, they were mostly Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Masters, so the quality made up for the quantity.
It had to be noted that after the epic battle in High Heaven Territory, many of the Open Heaven Realm Masters from both Heavenly Sword Union and Void Land were injured or killed. The people who had survived the cruel battle were no ordinary cultivators.
If any other great force had obtained more than 100 slaves, it would’ve been difficult for them to handle. They would be considered ruthless and cruel if they simply killed these people, but they would also be considered soft-hearted and weak if they released them. However, these people were immensely useful in Luan Bai Feng’s hands.
The Black Prison was a place where Black Stones were mined, and Luan Ba Feng needed a lot of ore slaves to do this. The environment of this place was hostile, and the deepest parts contained a corrosive aura that would weaken the heritage of a cultivator’s Small Universe. As time passed, one’s foundation would collapse apart and their cultivation would be destroyed.
Hence, countless ore slaves had lost their lives in the Black Prison over the years.
Outside the palace, Luan Bai Feng gazed at Yang Kai with displeasure, “Where have you been all these years? I told Xin Peng to head to the Star Boundary and look for you, but you were nowhere to be seen.”
According to the agreement she had with Yang Kai, he was supposed to have visited Black Territory more than ten years ago. Unfortunately, there had not been any news about him. She told Xin Peng to look for him in the Star Boundary, but he had already left. Hua Qing Si also wasn’t aware of Yang Kai’s whereabouts.
If it weren’t because they were connected by the Loyalty List, Luan Bai Feng would’ve thought that he had passed away.
“I was held up by some matters,” Yang Kai replied nonchalantly, “I’m here now, am I not?”
Luan Bai Feng rolled her eyes, “Do you need to get some rest first?”
“There’s no need for that. This matter cannot be delayed. Let’s begin.” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Although the environment in the Black Prison was terrible, this place was also rich in resources. Presently, Yang Kai possessed Void Star City and a 5% stake in High Heaven Star City. The former was a First Class Star City that was comparable to those controlled by the Cave Heavens and Paradises while the latter was a Super Star City that was the first of its kind. Both Star Cities were extremely popular and prosperous. He also had exclusive ownership of a New Great Territory. Since he had so many properties now, he was no longer a poor man.
The two Star Cities and the New Great Territory were like treasure troves that could continuously provide for the needs of those in Void Land and High Heaven Palace.
However, there was a constant shortage of Yin and Yang Element materials in the Sixth Order and above.
Be it in the two Star Cities or the New Great Territory, they could hardly find any Yin and Yang Element materials in the Sixth Order and above.
On the other hand, in the depths of the Black Prison, Ore Stars had a decent chance of producing Yin and Yang Element materials in the Sixth Order and above.
With the continuous nourishment from the World Tree in the Star Boundary, High Heaven Palace was in a favourable position. In the future, they would have a lot of talented disciples and also quite a number of young people who could directly ascend to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
These people needed Sixth-Order materials in order to ascend. Yang Kai still remembered the difficulties the Great Emperors encountered when they were cultivating. At that time, in order to look for Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials, they had spent countless amounts of time and energy. In the end, Black Territory was where the majority of his success was found.
Yang Kai had to come up with a long-term plan so that they wouldn’t need to ask around for such resources in the future.
At the mention of Sixth-Order materials, Yang Kai couldn’t help but recall the resources given to High Heaven Palace by the Cave Heavens and Paradises. At that time, all the High-Rank Masters had come to an agreement that they could respectively get five disciples from the Star Boundary every 100 years, and they had to give High Heaven Territory a set of Sixth-Order materials for each of these disciples.
Yang Kai had already taken into consideration that Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials were extremely rare. Even though the Cave Heavens and Paradises had some of them, they wouldn’t be willing to give them away.
As expected, the Cave Heavens and Paradises really never gave them any Yin and Yang Element materials. High Heaven Palace had collected quite a lot of Sixth-Order Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth materials, but no Yin or Yang Element. All the materials were traded for Fifth-Order and even Fourth-Order materials of the same value.
That was why Yang Kai was vexed.
Despite that, he wouldn’t blame the Cave Heavens and Paradises for being stingy, for Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials were strategic resources to them too, so they wouldn’t bring them out easily.
If Void Land and High Heaven Palace wanted to become as powerful as those Cave Heavens and Paradises, they had to collect these materials themselves and attract a lot of talented people at the same time.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had high hopes for the Black Prison. More than half of the Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials that Void Land and High Heaven Palace would need would likely come from this place.
“This is the Space Array I’ve spent years developing. You need to see if there’s any problem though; after all, I know nothing about the Dao of Space.” Luan Bai Feng tossed a jade slip at Yang Kai.
After taking it, Yang Kai infused his Divine Sense into it and nodded from time to time.
The Space Array was obviously derived from the ones Yang Kai had shown to her before, but it was larger and much more complex.
When Xu Ling Gong told Yang Kai to arrange some Space Arrays in the past, Luan Bai Feng assisted him. This woman was innately talented when it came to the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Yang Kai had only built several Space Arrays with her, but she could already almost master them and even offer some new insights.
Yang Kai had never seen a person more talented than her in Dao of Spirit Arrays. Even Grandmaster Wu Liang, who built the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, was inferior to her.
If it weren’t because she knew nothing about the Dao of Space, she could’ve built this new Space Array all on her own.
After going through the jade slip, Yang Kai nodded, “There’s no major problems, and I’ve marked the places that require small modifications. Let’s discuss it now as we have to further refine the array. There’s no rush in moving the Ore Stars to another place.”
“Since you’re the boss, you have the final say,” Luan Bai Feng appeared nonchalant.
They then sat on the ground as they started drawing something on the soil while having a discussion.
Yang Kai had spent the past twenty years repairing broken Universe Temples. During that period of time, he witnessed the abstrusity of the Grand Arrays in the Universe Temples and comprehended the wisdom of the ancients. As he also reflected upon his own insights, he had gained immense rewards.
The Grand Arrays in Universe Temples and Space Arrays worked in similar ways, so there was something Yang Kai could learn from.
Soon, Luan Bai Feng’s initial plan was almost completely changed. Instead of getting mad though, she greedily absorbed the essence of Space Arrays into her own knowledge.
A month later, Yang Kai let out a long breath and got to his feet, “That’s it. There’s nothing else we could change.”
Luan Bai Feng stroked her glabella and looked up at Yang Kai, “You’re actually pretty talented in Dao of Spirit Arrays.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’ve only studied Space Arrays a little. I know nothing about other Spirit Arrays.”
Luan Bai Feng wasn’t interested in fawning over him, so she just asked inquisitively, “If there’s no problem, I’ll tell them to come over now.”
Yang Kai nodded.
A moment later, several hundred dispirited Open Heaven Realm Masters, led by Xin Peng, arrived at this place. The over 100 people at the front sported conflicted expressions when they saw Yang Kai. They were fearful, mad or resentful.
These over 100 people were the captives from Heavenly Sword Union that Luan Bai Feng had previously brought back from High Heaven Territory.
It was apparent that they had been living a terrible life as all of their auras were unstable. Even though some of them glowered at Yang Kai, they appeared as weak as enraged sick cats.
“Xin Peng greets Sir, and greets Warden!” Xin Peng scurried towards them with a fawning smile. This guy had also left his name on the Loyalty List, and although he had no backbone to speak of, he was a fairly powerful Fifth-Order Master.
Luan Bai Feng extended her hand into the void and grabbed a middle-aged man who glared at Yang Kai. While clenching his neck, she pushed her World Force and sneered, “It seems that some of you still don’t know your place. Regardless of who you were in the past, you’re now the lowliest ore slaves in the Black Prison. This Queen can decide whether you’ll live or die as she pleases!”
While the man had the guts to glower at Yang Kai, he was obviously terrified of Luan Bai Feng. It wasn’t certain what he had gone through over the past few years, but as he hovered in mid-air, he appeared greatly flustered. He was also unable to resist her since she was in a higher realm.
“Ore slaves should behave like ore slaves. If anyone dares to be impolite again, you’ll end up like him.” Upon finishing her words, she exerted more force with her hand. The middle-aged man instantly burst into blood mist as his World Force dissipated.
Luan Bai Feng killed the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with a smile on her face, as though she was stepping on an ant. Although these ore slaves were fully aware of how ruthless this woman was, they were still horrified. All of them hung their heads low to avoid getting targeted by her.
There was no expression on Yang Kai’s face as he didn’t sympathise with them. It was said that might made right, and the loser was always in the wrong. If those from Void Land had lost the battle, its more than 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters would’ve ended up in an even worse state.
“Let’s start,” Yang Kai ordered impassively.
Luan Bai Feng nodded and started making the arrangements. The reason they had to gather all the ore slaves in the Black Prison together was that they were going to create something very important, which required a lot of manpower and resources.
Before Luan Bai Feng returned to Black Territory from High Heaven Territory, Yang Kai had mentioned to her a whimsical idea.
Since Open Heaven Realm Masters could travel across the Void through Space Arrays, there was a possibility that the Ore Stars hovering in Black Territory’s Inner Region could also be moved in the same way.
Of course, in order to move the Ore Stars, it would require a gigantic Space Array.
Previously, Yang Kai used brute force to move an Ore Star to the Outer Region. Not only did that consume a lot of time and energy though, but he also had to keep changing directions and control the speed of travel, which was quite troublesome. If he accidentally crashed into other Ore Stars, his effort would go to waste.
However, if he could make use of the Dao of Space and directly move the Ore Stars, things would become much easier.
Nevertheless, in order to achieve this, they needed to do a lot of preparations in advance. Just like Yang Kai had said, there was no rush in moving the Ore Stars as they had to get everything ready first. If their plan was successfully carried out, their efficiency of mining Black Stones would be significantly enhanced, and their source of Sixth-Order and above Yin and Yang Element materials would be secured.
For the past twenty years since Luan Bai Feng returned to Black Territory, she had been designing this new Space Array. It wasn’t until Yang Kai’s arrival that it could be completed though, because she needed the help of his mastery of the Dao of Space.
Since the Ore Stars in the Black Territory came in all different shapes and sizes, the array had to be flexible and adjustable.
With that as a pre-requisite, Yang Kai and Luan Bai Feng combined their insights of the Dao of Space and Dao of Spirit Arrays before creating this Space Array that had never before been seen in the world.
Over the next three years, several hundred Open Heaven Realm Masters became swamped with work at the palace in the Black Territory’s periphery. Some of these Open Heaven Realm Masters were experts in different skills. For example, there were some who were adept at Artifact Refining. Luan Bai Feng would assign some important tasks to these people while those who were strong but unskilled had to help out from the side.
Yang Kai was on top of everything as he examined every process to ensure there were no problems.
Three years later, sixteen artifacts were finally completed. They were divided into two sets with eight artifacts in each set. One of them was Yin while the other was Yang. They were just like two sides of a mirror.
Due to this characteristic, the complete set of artifacts were named Void Yin-Yang Mirrors by Yang Kai.
Every artifact was actually an Array Board that was made using countless resources. If they were traded for Open Heaven Pills, each individual mirror would be worth approximately 3 billion pills.
If Yang Kai hadn’t owned two Star Cities and a New Great Territory and hadn’t prepared an enormous amount of materials before his departure, he wouldn’t have dared to even attempt this.
Since an array board was worth three 3 billion, the set of sixteen artifacts was worth 48 billion in total. With this staggering amount of money, one could buy several hundred Seventh-Order materials. It was enough to bankrupt any Second Class great force.
Half of all the materials Yang Kai owned had been consumed in this single endeavour, which was why he felt quite heartbroken.
If his plan was successful, he would more than make back his losses and even become filthy rich; however, if it failed, he would suffer immense losses.
Despite being wealthy, he still appeared worried after the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, which consisted of sixteen artifacts, was completed.
He passed eight artifacts, the Void Yin Mirrors, to Luan Bai Feng while storing the corresponding Void Yang Mirrors. After taking a deep breath, he looked in the direction of the Black Territory’s Inner Region and said, “Just wait here and play it by ear.”
Luan Bai Feng nodded with anxiety, but she was already looking forward to this test.
Since such amazing artifacts were made by her, she naturally wanted to find out if these items would work as intended. They had previously carried out an experiment and confirmed that there wasn’t a problem with their functionality, but that was just a trial after all. They didn’t have the confidence that they could successfully move a huge Ore Star.
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai visited the Black Territory’s Inner Region, where there was an eerie force that could erode a person’s Small Universe. The deeper a person went, the faster the heritage of their Small Universe would be shaved away.
With that said, Yang Kai had the Towering Evergreen, so he could ward off this force and reach a location most people couldn’t.
More than ten days later, he felt that he had reached his limit, and if he went any further, even his Towering Evergreen was unable to protect him.
After finding an Ore Star, he started his preparations.
He fished out the eight Void Yang Mirrors he had brought with him. With the arrangements of Eight Trigrams Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui, he placed them around the Ore Star.
He then sat in the Qian spot and performed different hand seals. As Space Principles undulated, he shouted, “Activate!”
The next moment, the eight Void Yang Mirrors started shaking and humming. Rays of lights shot out from the Array Boards and connected with each other.
In the blink of an eye, all eight Void Yang Mirrors were linked. From a bird’s-eye view, one could see that eight Array Boards had formed into an octagonal cage, and in the middle of the cage was the Ore Star that Yang Kai had selected.
Furthermore, the eight Array Boards that had been connected had also formed into a huge Space Array.
At the same time, Luan Bai Feng was waiting patiently in the void at the periphery of the Black Territory. The eight Void Yin Mirrors were controlled by eight Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and were also placed according to the arrangements of the Eight Trigrams.
There came a moment when the eight Void Yin Mirrors started shaking and humming. As rays of light flashed through everyone’s eyes, a huge projection appeared inside the perimeter of the Void Yin Mirrors.
That was the projection of the Ore Star that Yang Kai had selected. It was the exact same size, but it was only an illusion.
Luan Bai Feng arched her brow and yelled, “Act according to the plan!”
The Fifth-Order Masters who controlled the Array Boards wouldn’t dare to be negligent as they surged their World Force into the Array Boards in the appropriate order. Every Void Yin Mirror had to be in sync with the corresponding Void Yang Mirror on Yang Kai’s side.
In the Black Territory’s Inner Region, with a dark gaze, Yang Kai seemed able to surmount space and see what was going on in Luan Bai Feng’s place.
He then used a different hand seal and shouted, “Lock!”
As Space Principles undulated, the sixteen Void Yin-Yang Mirrors flickered and turned ethereal at the same time, as though they would disappear at any moment.
Yang Kai extended his hand with the most serious expression he had ever sported and as he flipped his palm over, he yelled, “Turn!”
A violent force burst out as the eight Array Boards became blurred and then stabilised. They also stopped shaking and humming.
The Ore Star, which was originally trapped by the cage formed from the eight Array Boards, abruptly disappeared.
In the periphery of the Black Territory, Luan Bai Feng looked dazedly at the giant Ore Star that had suddenly appeared before her. Although she already knew this was to be the outcome, she was still astounded when she actually saw the sight. She muttered under her breath, “It works…”
Despite the fact that there was a distance of billions and billions of kilometres between them, Yang Kai had successfully moved the Ore Star to this place with the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
He had pulled off a feat that was rather astonishing.
Xin Peng, who was standing beside Luan Bai Feng, gulped as he appeared awestruck by the Ore Star’s appearance and instinctively asked, “How did he do it?”
Although he was an experienced Fifth-Order Master, the sight before his eyes was still unbelievable to him.
Prior to this day, if anyone told him that a huge Ore Star could be moved from one place to another in an instant, he would never have believed him. There was a limit to a Human’s strength. Even the legendary Ninth-Order Masters could not do something like this.
However, it happened right before his eyes.
Luan Bai Feng smiled as she was apparently in a jovial mood. She then explained, “That guy has spent years building these Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, which is a suitable name. The Yang Mirrors are on his side while Yin Mirrors are on our side. Coupled with his Space Secret Techniques, he flips the mirror over, sending what is on his side over to our side.”
Xin Peng appeared puzzled as he obviously didn’t understand her.
Luan Bai Feng went on to say with a smile, “Take your hand as an example. If you grab something in your hand, it now faces down. After you flip your hand over, the thing will now face up.”
A fawning Xin Peng remarked, “Warden and Sir are truly brilliant. I’ll never be a match for you two. If it’s just like you’ve said, does it mean that these eight Array Boards with us now are the Yang Mirrors that Sir had previously brought with him?”
Luan Bai Feng replied with a smile, “It seems you’re not so foolish after all.”
There were two sides to the mirror, which were Yin and Yang. The sixteen Array Boards were used for positioning. As they flipped, not only was the Ore Star moved to this place, but the Yin Mirrors and Yang Mirrors also exchanged locations. Yang Kai had previously taken the Yang Mirrors with him and left behind the Yin Mirrors. As such, the Yin Mirrors were now on his side.
Xin Peng fell silent for a moment. Even though he was unresigned when he left his name on the Loyalty List in the past, it now seemed to him that he was indeed no match for Yang Kai in any respect. It wasn’t so terrible after all to work under someone like him.
Furthermore, the concept of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors was truly awe-inspiring. The thing Luan Bai Feng gave Yang Kai three years ago was just a draft of the Space Array. If they carried it out according to her original design, there would be some effects as well, but it wouldn’t be so convenient.
The Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were flexible as the cage that was used to localize the Ore Stars was fully adjustable. There was no doubt that it was much better than her original static Space Array.
The Fifth-Order Masters, who controlled the eight Array Boards, were still in a dazed state, so Luan Bai Feng quickly snapped at them, “Stop dreaming and get ready! The next Ore Star will arrive soon.”
It was then that the eight of them started getting ready as they removed their respective Array Boards and flew to another empty space before setting them up again.
In just ten days, another huge projection appeared inside the Void Yang Mirrors. With the prior experience, the eight of them started making a move without the need for Luan Bai Feng to give the order.
A moment later, as the Array Boards started glowing, another Ore Star that was just as large as the previous one was suddenly moved to this place.
On the other hand, several hundred ore slaves had already streamed towards the first Ore Star that had been moved to this place and started mining Black Stones.
Every ten days to half a month there would be an Ore Star, which was originally from the Black Territory’s Inner Region, that was moved to the periphery. In just one year, the originally empty periphery was now filled with more than thirty Ore Stars of different sizes.
This kind of amount was just a drop in the ocean compared to the reserves in the entire Black Territory.
However, no one would underestimate the resources these thirty-odd Ore Stars could produce. They were initially in the depths of the Black Prison, so it was extremely difficult to mine them as even Sixth-Order ore slaves were unable to reach that location safely.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai used a stunning move to transfer them to a safe area such as the periphery.
When Yang Kai previously brought back an Ore Star that was half the usual size, it allowed the ore slaves in the Black Territory to keep on mining for a few years. Now that there were more than thirty Ore Stars, it was enough for them to mine these Stars for 100 years.
If the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors hadn’t shown signs of breaking, Yang Kai would’ve brought even more Ore Stars over.
However, over the past year, the hastily made Void Yin-Yang Mirrors had to bear the pressure of moving many gigantic Ore Stars. Cracks of different sizes started appearing on the sixteen Array Boards, and if this went on, they might come apart at any moment.
These things were extremely costly as each of them was worth 3 billion Open Heaven Pills. Yang Kai did not have the heart to see them break.
Though he still wasn’t satisfied with his current haul, he could only leave the Black Territory’s Inner Region.
Upon his return, he saw the huge Ore Stars hovering in the periphery. When he realised that several hundred Open Heaven Realm ore slaves were already working on the first Ore Star he had brought back, he was pleased.
“The Ore Stars you’ve sent back are rich in resources. So far, we’ve found more than thirty Sixth-Order materials. There are even two Sixth-Order Yang Element materials and three Yin Element materials. Additionally, there are several thousand materials that are below the Sixth Order,” Luan Bai Feng reported while accompanying Yang Kai to have a look at the first Ore Star.
Yang Kai nodded, “All the effort was worth it.”
Luan Bai Feng replied with a smile, “Despite that, it’ll take another twenty years before we can cover the cost of refining the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.”
“It’s fine as long as we can earn it back.”
As they moved forward, the ore slaves respectfully saluted Yang Kai and Luan Bai Feng.
Half a day later, Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and said, “I’ll leave this place to you. Just remember to send the extracted materials to Void Land every two to three years.”
“Got it,” Luan Bai Feng replied, then shot him a glance, “Where are you going?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai decided not to hide it from her, “I’ll ask a senior expert to make something for me, and then I’ll go to the Shattered Heaven. If anyone from Void Land asks about it, you can just tell them the truth.”
“The Shattered Heaven is not a kind place. Don’t get killed over there and drag me into it.” Luan Bai Feng frowned.
Yang Kai smiled and took a step forward as his figure rapidly faded.
There were countless Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds. Every Great Territory was named after the most powerful great force in that place, other than some remote Great Territories which only had generic identifiers, there was no exception.
However, every great force would rise and fall, just like how a person would get sick and die of old age. A Great Territory could be named after a great force because it was the most powerful, but when this great force was destroyed and replaced, the Great Territory would be given a different name.
When Void Land replaced Seven Wonders Land in the past, Seven Wonders Territory became Void Territory.
Therefore, the name in the latest Universe Charts would be changed, while the owners of the older Universe Charts could get them updated or just manually change it.
With that said, there was actually one exception.
In Great Evolution Territory, the most powerful great force was supposedly Heavenly Martial Hall. This great force was much stronger than the original Seven Wonders Land because there was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master assuming command of it.
Supposedly, the Great Territory where Heavenly Martial Hall was located should be named Heavenly Martial Territory; however, since time immemorial, the name of this Great Territory had never been changed in the Universe Charts. It had always been Great Evolution Territory!
Those from Heavenly Martial Hall were certainly displeased with this. By naming the Great Territory after their own Sect, it would be a great way for them to popularise themselves. The 3,000 Worlds was vast, and even though Heavenly Martial Hall wasn’t weak, it still wasn’t comparable to the real behemoths. Although they had a golden opportunity to make a name for themselves, their wish had never been granted, which was why they were disgruntled.
Therefore, the cultivators of Heavenly Martial Hall repeatedly visited Four Seas Union and argued with them in the hope that they could change Great Evolution Territory to Heavenly Martial Territory when making the Universe Charts.
All the Universe Charts in the 3,000 Worlds were made by Four Seas Union, which was backed by one of the 36 Cave Heavens. Their shops could be found in all the major Star Cities, including Void Star City and the newly built High Heaven Star City.
After all, it was extremely inconvenient to move around the 3,000 Worlds without a Universe Chart; therefore, as long as a cultivator had the money, they would buy a Universe Chart. Four Seas Union had made a fortune through this business.
It wasn’t hard to enter Four Seas Union, it was a business entity after all. Those from Heavenly Martial Hall had visited the Four Seas Union countless times, but the name Great Evolution Territory always remained in the new Universe Charts. There had never been a change.
This made the people from Heavenly Martial Hall feel vexed; however, they were weaker than the other party, so there was nothing they could do.
There was one thing they didn’t understand, though. There was no great force in Great Evolution Territory that had anything to do with the title ‘Great Evolution’ now, so why was it so hard for them to change the name?
Several hundred years ago, Heavenly Martial Hall had almost changed its name to Great Evolution Sect in order to take advantage of the name Great Evolution Territory. However, they hadn’t forgotten the hard work their Ancestors had put in to build their Sect, so they ultimately decided against this name change.
Nevertheless, they creatively created a Heavenly Martial Hall Great Evolution Branch as a silent protest against the Four Seas Union.
Although the Great Evolution Branch had been founded, it was basically half-abandoned. Those from Heavenly Martial Hall had spent a large amount of manpower and resources on this project, but they had only managed to nurture several Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The Elders, who initially had high hopes for the Great Evolution Branch, gradually lost interest.
As Yang Kai went through the route in his mind, he went from the Black Territory to the Great Evolution Territory and arrived at a particular spot in the void.
He had been to this place once before, but it was the Proprietress who brought him here. Even though he was on his own this time, he hadn’t lost his way.
After straightening his face, he cupped his fist and shouted, “Void Land Yang Kai greets Senior Ma Fan. Please forgive me for disturbing you.”
No one replied to him from the void while he waited patiently.
After he waited for one hour, two hours, and then the entire day, there was still no one who responded to him.
Yang Kai put on a helpless smile. Even though he had witnessed Senior Ma Fan’s bad temper when he tagged along with the Proprietress previously, and he had a feeling that he’d be turned down this time, he still felt frustrated when it really happened.
Since he had already expected it, he didn’t say anything and simply sat down with his legs crossed.
He believed that Senior Ma Fan would be moved by his sincerity. Regardless, he had to see this Artifact Refining Grandmaster.
In fact, he was jealous of the Heavenly Sword Union for possessing the Heavenly Sword Palace. Not only could it attack and defend, but it could also serve as a flight-type artifact. It was like a moving palace.
If he hadn’t made use of the Star Boundary’s World Force and temporarily advanced to Seventh-Order, and with over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters who maintained a large-scale barrage of attacks on the Heavenly Sword Palace, they couldn’t have stopped this moving fortress from moving forward. Had Heavenly Sword Palace reached the Star Boundary, the situation would’ve been flipped around, and Zuo Quan Hui would have won.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Sword Palace exploded less than five million kilometres away from the Star Boundary following a long and bloody battle. It could be said that Zuo Quan Hui was just one step away from success.
At that time, Yang Kai swore that if there was a chance in the future, he would also build a similar palace artifact for Void Land, that way, when they were faced with something like the Heavenly Sword Palace again, they could defend themselves at the very least.
When he was having a negotiation with the Cave Heavens and Paradises previously, he looked for some of the High-Rank Masters in private and asked them if their Sects’ Artifact Refining Grandmasters could help Void Land build such a palace artifact.
Certainly, Void Land could provide the materials and offer an appropriate remuneration. Yang Kai even offered to exempt those who helped him from paying the Sixth-Order materials required to take disciples from the Star Boundary.
However, all of them had turned him down.
Hong Xiang Ling from Azure Void Cave Heaven, who wanted to get his Disciple married to Yang Kai, was kind enough to offer an explanation. He said that it would take too much time and energy to refine such a thing, and although the Cave Heavens and Paradises were capable of doing it, they would only do so for their own Sects. They couldn’t even meet their own demands for such artifacts, so they wouldn’t offer help to someone else. It was pointless for Yang Kai to ask regardless of what payment he promised.
Yang Kai then asked Xu Ling Gong about it, and the latter gave him a similar explanation.
In that case, he could only give up on seeking help from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Instead, he had his eyes on Grandmaster Ma Fan.
Yang Kai still had some vivid memories of this Artifact Refining Grandmaster. In the past, in order to arrange the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, they needed some items to be served as Array Cores. The Proprietress brought him to this place and pleaded with this Artifact Refining Grandmaster. As a result, the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword and the Heavenly Net Umbrella that had been placed in the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array were made by Grandmaster Ma Fan.
The Proprietress had said that Grandmaster Ma Fan came from one of the ancient Paradises; however, his Sect no longer existed. He was the only one who was still alive as he led a reclusive life in its expansive ruins.
At that time, Yang Kai was a mere Emperor Realm Junior who had just arrived at the 3,000 Worlds, so he knew little about the Outer Universe. He was shocked that one of the Paradises had fallen in the past. As he recalled it now, he came to realise many things that he hadn’t back then.
There was no doubt that Grandmaster Ma Fan’s mastery of Artifact Refining was unrivalled. With the help of the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array, Yang Kai activated the power of Heavenly Executioner’s Sword and defeated the Union Master of Heavenly Sword Union Kong Feng despite being an Emperor Realm Junior at that time, which went to show that the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword was truly incredible.
Since none of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were willing to help, Yang Kai could only hope that Grandmaster Ma Fan would refine a palace artifact for him.
However, Grandmaster Ma Fan wouldn’t respond to him. Since Yang Kai had made up his mind, he naturally wasn’t in a rush. As he was seated in the void, he fished out one of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors that was slightly damaged.
This thing was as large as a house. It wasn’t that Yang Kai didn’t want to make it smaller and more convenient, but rather that he couldn’t. He and Luan Bai Feng knew little about Artifact Refining, while only several Fifth-Order Masters had some skill in it. They had already done their best to refine the current Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
Fortunately, the most important thing was the Space Array, not the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors themselves; otherwise, they couldn’t have succeeded in moving the Ore Stars in Black Territory.
Now, there was a crack that was the width of a finger and several dozen centimetres long on this Array Board that was as large as a house. That was because it had been overused previously.
After examining it for a while, Yang Kai fished out some rare ores and activated his Golden Crow’s True Fire in an attempt to repair it.
However, he was an amateur in Artifact Refining, so how was he supposed to repair it? A few days later, instead of being fixed, the crack had expanded.
Yang Kai scratched his head as he fished out another damaged Array Board and acted recklessly again.
A few days later, the crack on the second Array Board had also been enlarged.
It was then Yang Kai fished out the third one.
The person who was hiding in the void was unable to take it anymore as he felt that Yang Kai was doing more harm than good to such amazing artifacts. Fluctuations of Space Principles were suddenly felt coming from the Void, then a portal swirled into existence in front of Yang Kai.
The next instant, a big, illusory hand extended from the swirl and directly grabbed the Array Boards Yang Kai had fished out back into the Void.
Yang Kai didn’t have the intention of interfering as he took a glance at the portal and let out a sigh of relief. He then got to his feet and stepped into it.
The world seemed to spin around him, and the next moment, he arrived at a different space. Raising his gaze, he could see many Stars of different sizes hovering in the void while circling a single Great Sun. This was like a whole Great Territory.
When he came to this place for the first time, he was a weak cultivator without much experience, so he was unable to see anything special about this place. Now that he had returned, Yang Kai finally understood something.
This was obviously a sealed space. Some Great Expert must have used a stunning Divine Ability to pull this place out from Great Evolution Territory and isolate it from the outside world.
It could be said that this place was the foundation of Great Evolution Territory, the ruins of Great Evolution Paradise. That was the reason the Great Evolution Territory had never changed its name.
Those from Heavenly Martial Hall thought that they were the most powerful in Great Evolution Territory, but they were not aware that there was such an Isolated Territory within Great Evolution Territory.
Only several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters working together would be able to pull out a section of Great Evolution Territory and seal it off, and not without the use of many profound and powerful Grand Arrays.
It was imaginable that Great Evolution Paradise must be truly glorious when they were at the peak of their power. Yang Kai wondered why such a top great force in the 3,000 Worlds had fallen all of a sudden.
He had asked Xu Ling Gong about it before, as the latter must be aware of something, but he never provided any details. Xu Ling Gong just said that fate was truly unpredictable. The Ancestors of Great Evolution Paradise were respectable as they had the bravery to face the impossible head on.
Yang Kai mentioned Senior Ma Fan while having a chat with Xu Ling Gong. That was how he found out some of the information about Great Evolution Paradise.
He followed the aura and saw a grey-haired old man who was seated on the ground with his legs crossed. In front of the old man were the damaged Array Boards as he examined them.
“Senior!” Yang Kai saluted him.
When he previously tagged along the Proprietress to see this Artifact Refining Grandmaster, he had a speculation that the old man was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. However, he was weak at that time, so he was unable to confirm it. Now that he had returned to this place as a Sixth-Order Master, he instantly realised that his speculation was right.
Grandmaster Ma Fan was a Seventh-Order Master, and one at the very peak of the Seventh-Order at that, only a step away from the Eighth-Order.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but admire him. Despite being a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, he had to endure a life of isolation to guard his fallen Sect’s foundation. It must be an unimaginable burden. The old man seemed to have a permanent hunchback because of that.
“You knew that I couldn’t bear to see such a good thing being wasted, so you took them out to lure me out, right?” Grandmaster Ma Fan shot Yang Kai a glare.
Yang Kai put on a meaningful grin, “I wouldn’t dare to pull such a trick on you, Grandmaster.”
“Hmph!” Grandmaster Ma Fan pursed his lips, “You’re just like that little girl, Lan You Ruo. Both of you are intelligent in an annoying way.”
A bashful Yang Kai replied, “Many thanks for your compliment, Senior.”
“When she brought you here previously, I knew that I’d meet you again in the future. How troublesome!”
With a straight face, Yang Kai replied, “Have you forgotten that I owe you a favour, Senior? Of course, we’d meet again.” Grandmaster Ma Fan was previously asked to refine the Heavenly Executioner’s Sword and Heavenly Net Umbrella. However, instead of getting any reward, he made Yang Kai owe him a favour.
Since there was nothing he had to pay upfront, Yang Kai directly agreed to it.
Grandmaster Ma Fan appeared dispassionate as he said with a frown, “What’s the point of getting a favour back from a Sixth-Order Master? At that time, I saw that you had a pretty exceptional aptitude, so I thought that you could directly ascend to the Seventh Order. It turns out that I’ve made a loss.”
Yang Kai gritted his teeth as he finally realised why this Artifact Refining Grandmaster made such a demand back then. It was because the old man believed that he could directly make it to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
He certainly wanted to directly ascend to the Seventh Order as well, but things didn’t go as planned. In the end, he was forced to ascend to the Fifth Order in the Shattered Heaven. Although he had consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit to make up for some of the losses, his limit would be the Eighth Order if there were no additional opportunities.
There were quite a number of Eighth-Order Masters in those Cave Heavens and Paradises. Even Grandmaster Ma Fan could possibly make it to the Eighth-order in the future.
It was true that Yang Kai’s favour was now useless.
“These three pieces aren’t the whole picture. There are more, right?” Grandmaster Ma Fan asked.
“Yes, there are. You do have sharp eyes, Grandmaster.” Yang Kai hurriedly buttered him up as he fished out the remaining Array Boards.
Since this Artifact Refining Grandmaster was interested in these hastily made things, Yang Kai would naturally satisfy him.
The sight of sixteen items as large as houses placed together was pretty magnificent. With a hunchback, Grandmaster Ma Fan placed his hands behind his back and took a walk around these Array Boards.
A moment later, he arched his brow and remarked, “Even though their refinement leaves much to be desired, the concept is quite ingenious. Did you make them?”
Yang Kai honestly replied to him.
Grandmaster Ma Fan nodded, “By flipping these Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, you can move things which are sealed by them across the Void.” He suddenly appeared solemn, “What were you moving that required such expensive artifacts?”
Yang Kai replied with a grin, “Some Dead Stars and Ore Stars.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan appeared slightly surprised, but he soon composed himself and said after a sigh, “Young people like you do like to dream and take reckless actions.”
He then waved his hand, “Take them back.”
Yang Kai was slightly disappointed that the old man didn’t help to repair the Array Boards; however, he didn’t come all the way here to ask this Artifact Refining Grandmaster to repair the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, so he didn’t pursue the matter. He then quickly put away all sixteen artifacts and said with a straight face, “I have a request, Senior.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan repeatedly shook his head, “Go away. I’m not going to listen to you.”
Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter, “Please let me finish my words at the very least, Senior.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan grinned with a shrewd gaze, “There’s nothing else I have, so the reason you’ve come all the way here is to ask me to refine an artifact. Suffering a loss once is enough. I’m not a fool, so why would I do it again?”
Yang Kai replied, “If there’s anything you need, Senior, I can get it for you. To be frank with you, even though this Junior’s cultivation is low, I am now fairly important in the 3,000 Worlds. So, I might be able to fulfill your wish.”
“Oh?” Grandmaster Ma Fan arched his brow, “How important are you?”
A guilty Yang Kai put on a smile, “That will depend on what you need.”
After giving it a thought, Grandmaster Ma Fan suddenly lifted his hand and a drop of darkness appeared above his palm, expanding out like a blot of ink.
A puzzled Yang Kai looked intently at it.
Seeing that the young man knew nothing about it, Grandmaster Ma Fan appeared disappointed. He then retracted his hand as the darkness dissipated. Turning around, he waved his hand, “Leave now. There’s no need to return my favour. If you come again, I won’t open the door for you.”
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t listen to him. Since he had finally entered this place, he had to get his wish fulfilled. Before coming to this place, he had considered asking this Artifact Refining Grandmaster to become a Supreme Elder in Void Land, but seeing his attitude now, he knew that he shouldn’t even think about it. Still he had to get him to make a palace artifact for him.
Yang Kai then raced after the old man and persuaded him; however, Grandmaster Ma Fan just ignored him. Although he had asked Yang Kai to leave, he didn’t kick him out directly, seemingly determined not to even acknowledge Yang Kai’s existence.
That was indeed the case for the next six months as Grandmaster Ma Fan never replied to him regardless of how sincere and persuasive Yang Kai was. The Artifact Refining Grandmaster pretended that he didn’t hear him and never even spared him a glance.
This made Yang Kai feel dejected. Thinking that he could go by the old man’s interests, he started fishing out the rare items from his Space Ring and Small Universe to show him.
The old man never spared them a glance, with the only exception being the strange Purple Qi. Despite being obviously interested, however, he still remained silent.
In fact, Yang Kai still had no idea what this Purple Qi was. He simply snatched it from Luan Bai Feng some time ago.
On the other hand, Luan Bai Feng obtained it from the New Great Territory. After snatching the Purple Qi, Yang Kai put it inside his Small Universe and ignored it. If he hadn’t decided to fish out some things to attract Grandmaster Ma Fan’s attention, he would’ve forgotten about it.
Since Grandmaster Ma Fan appeared interested in the Purple Qi, Yang Kai decided to wear the Purple Qi around his fingers and show it to the old man every day.
Nevertheless, Grandmaster Ma Fan still ignored him.
Yang Kai was defeated in the game of patience with him. Over the past six months, the old man showed admirable determination and resoluteness.
Seeing as how stubborn the old man was, Yang Kai couldn’t help but consider quitting; after all, it was pointless to pester the old man every single day.
One day, Yang Kai was seated in a palace in the ruins of Great Evolution Paradise when he arched his brow and looked in a particular direction. The next instant, he dashed out of the palace.
Looking up, he saw a ray of light rapidly approaching. Judging from the aura, the person was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai was shocked by the arrival of a person in this sealed place; however, he soon realised that something was off. He could only enter this place after Grandmaster Ma Fan opened up the portal while others were unable to come in even if they wanted to.
Could it be that there were other residents in the ruins of Great Evolution Paradise besides the old man?
The ray of light dissipated as a beautiful woman landed on a spot near Yang Kai. She looked to be in her twenties, and while she was clad in a green dress with flowery patterns, her hair had been casually tied behind her back. She had a curvy figure and a demure temperament.
The woman was evidently surprised when she saw Yang Kai. After taking a doubtful glance at him with a pair of clear eyes, she elegantly saluted him, then moved past him and headed to the main hall.
A dazed Yang Kai stared fixedly at her. The woman seemed to have sensed this, so she turned her head and put on a smile.
A moment later, the woman nonchalantly entered the main hall where Grandmaster Ma Fan resided.
Yang Kai could finally confirm that the woman was a resident in this sealed place; she was probably a survivor or descendant of Great Evolution Paradise. Otherwise, she couldn’t have easily entered the hall.
It had to be noted that Yang Kai had been trying to step into the main hall all this time but to no avail. He was simply ignored by Grandmaster Ma Fan.
After waiting for an hour, he saw the woman in green leaving the hall.
Yang Kai waited for her to come closer before cupping his fist, “Void Land Yang Kai greets Senior Sister.”
The woman in a green dress flashed a smile at him, “Are you trying to ask Old Ancestor to make an artifact for you?”
[Old Ancestor!] Yang Kai knew that his speculation was right when he heard that, then he nodded, “Yes.”
The woman smiled with her lips covered, “Did he not agree to it?”
Yang Kai smiled meekly, “You’re indeed intelligent, Senior Sister. The Grandmaster has turned me down.”
A realisation dawned upon the woman as she asked, “Old Ancestor opened up the portal half a year ago. So, you’re the visitor from then. Have you been waiting for the past six months?”
Yang Kai sported a solemn expression, “I believe that the Grandmaster will be moved by my sincerity.”
“There’s no use doing that.” The woman shook her head, “If Old Ancestor isn’t willing to help you, it’s pointless for you to keep waiting. Since you’ve called me Senior Sister, I’ll give you some advice.”
“Please go ahead, Senior Sister.”
“Go back to where you’re from. You’re only wasting your time by staying here.” Upon finishing her words, she playfully winked at Yang Kai and left.
A speechless Yang Kai gave it a thought before racing after her. He soon moved forward alongside the woman.
She seemed to be surprised by how thick-skinned he was and asked, “Why are you following me? I know nothing about Artifact Refining. Old Ancestor has never taught me anything about it.”
Yang Kai grinned, “I’m not asking you to refine an artifact for me, Senior Sister. I just want to have a chat with you.”
“What do you want to talk to me about?” The way the woman frowned was quite charming.
“Anything we can think of,” Yang Kai replied in a perfunctory manner. Although it had been a short time since they came into contact as they had only chatted a little, Yang Kai could see that this Sixth-Order woman was pure-hearted. To put it nicely, she was as innocent as a child. But to put it bluntly, she was naive and gullible.
It was rare for a Sixth-Order Master to have such a temperament. In the outside world, any Sixth-Order Master would have experienced lies and betrayal countless times as they grew up. Even if they were born innocent, they would be influenced by their environment.
The reason the woman in green could keep her temperament was that Great Evolution Paradise was a sealed place.
“But there’s nothing I want to talk to you about,” the woman shook her head.
Yang Kai put on the most harmless smile he could manage and flattered her the best he could, “I found you to be amicable the moment I first saw you, Senior Sister. It’s as though we’ve known each other for a long time.”
The woman blushed as she snapped in a slightly annoyed tone, “How could you say something like that?”
A sincere Yang Kai replied, “I wasn’t teasing you. I was speaking the truth. Please don’t get mad at me.”
The woman seemed to believe him as she started appearing bashful.
Soon, they arrived at a Universe World and landed in front of some palaces.
Yang Kai could see that this Universe World was not a bad place. The World Principles were complete while the World Energy was ample. Its World Force was also strong. It could be considered a top-class Universe World.
Moreover, when he was up above the sky just now, he could see that many people were living in this Universe World.
Some Open Heaven Realm Masters of different Orders were already waiting there. Upon seeing the woman in green, they all called out, “Eldest Senior Sister.”
A man that appeared to be in his thirties asked with anxiety, “What did Old Ancestor say, Eldest Senior Sister?”
The woman replied with a smile, “Don’t worry. Old Ancestor said that the wine you’ve brewed this time is rich and flavourful. He found it delicious.”
Upon hearing that, they started cheering.
It was then Yang Kai realised that the woman in green had gone all the way to send wine to Grandmaster Ma Fan, and the wine was made by these Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, he frowned at the Orders of these people. They were clearly the remnants of Great Evolution Paradise, but their Orders were so low. Apart from the woman in green who was in the Sixth Order, the rest of them were in the Third Order, Fourth Order, or Fifth Order.
Yang Kai could sense that several Sixth-Order Masters were cultivating in seclusion in some of the places in this Universe World, but there wasn’t a single Seventh-Order Master here.
Even though Great Evolution Paradise had fallen, it shouldn’t be so weak. It was apparent that there was a severe lack of powerful Masters here.
A young woman in the Fourth Order noticed Yang Kai and examined him curiously, “Who is this, Eldest Senior Sister?”
The woman in a green dress replied, “He’s a guest who’s trying to ask Old Ancestor to refine an artifact for him.”
The young woman’s eyes brightened when she heard that, “A guest? Does that mean that he came from the outside world?”
The other Open Heaven Realm Masters became excited as well while they looked fervently at Yang Kai. They studied him in a way as though he was some strange and unusual creature.
Yang Kai cupped his fist and greeted, “Void Land Yang Kai greets fellow Brothers and Sisters.”
They suppressed the curiosity in their hearts as they saluted him back and told him their names.
The cheeky young woman in the Fourth Order approached Yang Kai and looked up at him, “Senior Brother Yang, can you tell me more about the outside world since that’s where you come from?”
As the Eldest Senior Sister, the woman in green chided her by saying, “You can’t be so impolite, Junior Sister Cen!”
The young woman named Cen Cen pouted with her lips pressed together and hung her head low in a dispirited manner.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Junior Sister Cen, I’d be happy to tell you about the outside world if that’s what you’d like. It’s not some kind of secret anyway. However, haven’t you all visited the outside world before?”
Cen Cen’s shoulders drooped as she shook her head, “Old Ancestor said that we’re only allowed to leave once we make it to the Seventh Order. It seems that I’ll never be able to leave in my lifetime.”
She was only in the Fourth Order, so even if she directly ascended to that Order, her limit would be the Sixth Order. It seemed that there was no hope for her to make it to the Seventh Order in her lifetime.
Yang Kai was lost for words for a moment before asking, “Why is there such a rule?”
Surprisingly, none of them actually knew the reason. It was the rule their Old Ancestor had set, and no one dared to disobey him. Despite knowing there was an outside world, they hadn’t come into contact with outsiders prior to today.
After pestering Grandmaster Ma Fan for half a year, Yang Kai still couldn’t get him to refine a palace artifact for him. The reason he followed the woman in green to this place was that he wanted to indirectly achieve his goal. He thought that by becoming closer to these remnants of Great Evolution Paradise, he could then ask them to help persuade Grandmaster Ma Fan.
Since he had a favour to ask of them, Yang Kai naturally had to satisfy them first.
The group of people, regardless of their gender or age, hospitably welcomed Yang Kai into a large hall. They were then seated around Yang Kai, including the woman who was the Eldest Senior Sister. They all looked forward to hearing stories from him.
Yang Kai found it funny and sorrowful at the same time.
He didn’t mind telling them about the outside world. Over the years, he had gained quite a lot of experience by venturing to many places, so he began regaling them of sights and scenes they had never experienced before.
Most of the events were pretty boring actually, but when Yang Kai spoke about the times he fell into danger, they would exclaim and become resentful of his enemies as well.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think that these people were too pure-hearted since they had been living in this sealed space for their entire lives. It was no wonder that Grandmaster Ma Fan wouldn’t allow them to leave. If they suddenly entered the outside world, they would’ve been easily deceived and taken advantage of.
He had been ignored by Grandmaster Ma Fan for half a year, but in this place, Yang Kai had become a popular figure. At the thought of this, he couldn’t help but think that fate was truly unpredictable.
Yang Kai wasn’t in a rush to ask them to help persuade Grandmaster Ma Fan either. He had already waited for half a year anyway, so he wouldn’t mind waiting for another six months. There would come a time when his wish was granted.
The Eldest Senior Sister, whose name was Nalan Lu Shui, helped him settle down in a three-storey bamboo house. The environment was clean and serene. When he opened the door, he could see a sea of flowers that were fighting for his attention with their vibrant colours.
However, Yang Kai could never get some proper rest while he was there. There would always be people who looked for him and asked him to talk about the outside world almost every day.
After one month, they gradually became familiar with one another, especially Cen Cen. It seemed she loved making new friends, and Yang Kai could quench her seemingly insatiable curiosity; therefore, in her heart now, while her Eldest Senior Sister was ranked first and the Old Ancestor came second, this visitor named Yang Kai was firmly in third place. All her other Fellow Brothers had to step aside.
Sometimes, Yang Kai would go out to take a stroll and talk to the people here, and soon he had a better grasp of the situation in this Universe World.
In fact, this was the only Universe World where there were living beings in the entire Great Evolution Paradise. Although there were other habitable Universe Worlds in this sealed space, there were no survivors residing in those places.
Supposedly, they were the only descendants of Great Evolution Paradise, but even though their Sect had fallen, they shouldn’t have been so weak. In reality, there wasn’t even a single Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that was born in Great Evolution Paradise in the past 10,000 years. Other than that, the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters in this place was also surprisingly small. Apart from the fact that there wasn’t even a single Seventh-Order Master, there were just over thirty Open Heaven Realm Masters among these remnants of Great Evolution Paradise.
Moreover, none of these thirty or so cultivators had directly ascended to the Sixth Order. Although Eldest Senior Sister Nalan Lu Shui was in the Sixth Order, she made it to her current realm from the Fifth Oder through hard work.
Basically, all these remnants could only directly ascend to the Fifth Order, Fourth Order, or even lower.
It felt as though this place had been cursed by a mysterious power that limited the growth of these survivors.
In fact, Yang Kai had spent some time examining this Universe World, and he found that the number of residents in this place was quite small. Supposedly, given the heritage left behind in Great Evolution Paradise, there should have been many more Open Heaven Realm Masters, and their Orders shouldn’t have been this low.
Yang Kai had tried finding out the reason behind this situation but to no avail, so he could only give up.
What was more surprising to him was that other than Eldest Senior Sister Nalan Lu Shui and some older Open Heaven Realm Masters, the others like Cen Cen had no idea that they were the remnants of Great Evolution Paradise.
They were born and bred in this place, and none of them had left this sealed space before, nor had anyone told them about the history of Great Evolution Paradise.
The glory and honour of this great force that was once one of the 72 Paradises had been forgotten by their descendants, which was sorrowful indeed.
In just three months, Yang Kai had managed to figure out many things.
After that, he returned to the place where Grandmaster Ma Fan lived. The door of the main hall remained tightly shut as he was apparently not welcome to enter.
Standing outside the main hall, Yang Kai sported a faint smile and slowly said, “When I was still a Great Emperor in the past, I broke free from the restraint of my Universe World and arrived at the 3,000 Worlds. Not long after that, I came across an accident and fell into a Sealed World called the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. That Sealed World was truly amazing, but it was also extremely dangerous. Many Divine Spirits lived there and fought against one another. In the middle of Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, there was a secret place that was called the Primordial Land by the Divine Spirits. Only cultivators below the Open Heaven realm could enter that place while the Divine Spirits were barred from entry. I had the good fortune to enter the Primordial Land and compete against many other talented youths for opportunities. Inside the Primordial Land, there was a tree called the World Tree that could bear World Fruits. I had an opportunity to go through some trials and eventually obtained quite a number of World Fruits. I was also lucky enough to have obtained a root from the World Tree itself.”
The person inside the main hall didn’t respond to him, so it was as though Yang Kai was talking to himself. However, Yang Kai knew that Grandmaster Ma Fan must be able to hear him, it was just that the old man didn’t bother to reply to him.
Yang Kai didn’t mind it as he went on to say, “A calamity fell upon the Universe World where I came from, which was the Star Boundary. Powerful cultivators fought against each other there, which caused great damage to the world. On top of that, much of its Auspicious Spirit Essence was consumed. A member of the Giant Spirit God Clan, which was attracted to my dying Universe World, eventually told me that the World Tree could save my home. Therefore, after I obtained the root of the World Tree from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, I returned to the Star Boundary when there was a chance. Then, I found a place and planted the root there. The Giant Spirit God clansman didn’t lie to me. Over the years, the root grew and transformed into a subtree of the World Tree. The Star Boundary gradually stabilised as there were no longer any signs of it collapsing. I thought that matters would end there. I was already lucky enough to have obtained a root from the World Tree, and my wish had been granted since my Universe World was saved. I wouldn’t dare to ask for more. However, I had never expected that saving my World was just the tip of the iceberg of the World Tree’s power. A few years ago, someone from my homeland came to my Void Land and told me some news that would leave me pleasantly surprised. Following the continuous nourishment from the World Tree, the heritage of the Star Boundary became increasingly ample, which allowed cultivators living there to more easily comprehend the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao. The aptitudes of my parents had always been average at best. If there hadn’t been such an opportunity, they would’ve ended up in the Third-Order Open Heaven realm; however, since they were in our homeland and grew together with the World Tree, not only did they manage to condense their Dao Seals far ahead of when I had expected them to, but they could also hope to make an initial breakthrough to the Fourth-Order or even the Fifth-Order.”
The aura in the main hall, which was usually impassive, shook a little at those words.
Yang Kai put on a smile and continued, “Senior, you’ve been living inside the ruins of Great Evolution Paradise all this time, so it’s not surprising for you to be unaware of what’s going on in the outside world. It’s expected that you don’t know that I fought an intense battle against an Inner Elder of Thousand Cranes Paradise, Zuo Quan Hui, in the recent past. In that battle, several hundred Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives, including several Sixth-Order ones. After they passed away, their Small Universes collapsed apart and their World Forces dissipated. However, all that World Force was absorbed by the World Tree subtree, which in turn allowed it to grow even larger and more rapidly. It is now 300 kilometres tall and its roots have spread throughout the entire Star Boundary. The nourishment it returns to the Star Boundary is astonishing. Now, all 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises have gathered together in my homeland, the Star Boundary. An agreement has been reached among us that allows them to respectively take on five disciples every 100 years from the Star Boundary. I’ve also given them a landmass of 500,000 square kilometres each to build Dao Temples for themselves where they can raise talented disciples of their own. In the entire 3,000 Worlds, the Star Boundary is the most unique Universe World in existence. With the continuous nourishment of the World Tree, the Star Boundary is bound to see many more talents appearing. Even if one is not born in the Star Boundary, their future would still be bright if they were nurtured there from a young age. Several hundred years to 1,000 years later, there will be countless people who will be able to directly ascend to the Fifth and Sixth Order directly.”
The next instant, the door, which had remained closed for a long time, creaked open. Yang Kai put on a smile and adjusted his clothes before stepping through it.
Inside the main hall, Grandmaster Ma Fan was seated with his legs crossed as he appeared doubtful with a scowl. When he saw Yang Kai coming over, he shot him a distrustful look.
Yang Kai directly took a seat in front of him and put on a helpless smile, “It’s so difficult to see you, Grandmaster.”
The long grey eyebrows of Grandmaster Ma Fan flapped in the air, “If it’s just like what you’ve said, the tree that has grown in your homeland is just the subtree of the World Tree. Is it really so amazing?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “The Star Boundary and the World Tree are open for all to see. If you don’t believe me, you can go over and have a look. By then, you’ll know whether I’m boasting or not.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan shook his head, “I’ve certainly heard about the World Tree, but I wasn’t aware that it could provide continuous nourishment to the land it is planted in.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I only found out about it recently as well. I guess prior to that, no one knew that the World Tree had such an effect; after all, the Mother Tree lives in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. No one has brought it out and planted it in a Universe World before. That’s why no one was aware of the benefits it could provide.”
“I’ll definitely have a look at the Star Boundary. If you dare to lie to me…”
“I wouldn’t dare to.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan pursed his lips, “Did Lan You Ruo tell you about Great Evolution Paradise?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “The Proprietress never told me anything. I found out about it while having a chat with a Senior from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan sported a milder expression and nodded.
Yang Kai straightened his face and said, “I don’t know what happened to Great Evolution Paradise in the past that caused the great force, which was once one of the 72 Paradises, to fall into such a state. However, the portal leading to these ruins has been sealed off, and you’ve imposed a restriction on Senior Sister Lu Shui and the others that they can never leave this place before they make it to the Seventh Order. Obviously, you’re worried that your enemies will retaliate against them. They may be safe staying here, and if they leave, they might expose their whereabouts. I admire the fact that all of you from Great Evolution Paradise have been patiently growing stronger and preparing yourselves, but it’s said that even the cleverest woman cannot cook a meal without rice. You’ll need more capital in order to get your revenge. Given the situation in Great Evolution Paradise now, how long will it take before the glory of your Sect will be restored?”
Grandmaster Ma Fan shot him a look, “What are you trying to say, brat?”
Yang Kai put on a meaningful grin, “You can find some youths with exceptional aptitudes and send them to the Star Boundary just like the 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises have done. The disciples might turn out to be pretty powerful. Even though this move is risky, I can make some arrangements and ensure that your enemies will not find out about it.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan questioned, “We do have some enemies… but who do you think our enemies are?”
Yang Kai frowned, “Is it not like what I think?”
He thought that the enemies of Great Evolution Paradise must be from one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises; after all, given the power of Great Evolution Paradise back then, they couldn’t be easily oppressed by just any great force.
Previously, Grandmaster Ma Fan made Yang Kai owe him a favour because he could see that the young man had the potential to directly ascend to the Seventh Order and become a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master eventually.
If Yang Kai really made it to the Ninth Order, he would be powerful enough to deal with those Cave Heavens and Paradises.
However, Grandmaster Ma Fan’s words suggested that Yang Kai’s assumptions were incorrect.
The old man didn’t bother to explain anything; however, the World Tree was apparently attractive enough to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have opened the door and let Yang Kai enter.
After giving it a thought, Grandmaster Ma Fan said, “You wait here for a few days. I’ll go out and ask around. If this matter is just like you’ve said, everyone must be aware of it since all 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises have gotten involved. If you’ve lied to me though, I’ll sweep you out of this place and never allow you to return.”
Yang Kai extended his hand to motion for him to go ahead.
Following that, Grandmaster Ma Fan disappeared the next moment.
After the old man was gone, Yang Kai let out a breath with an elated expression. Initially, he followed Nalan Lu Shui back to her place in the hope that she could help persuade Grandmaster Ma Fan to make him change his mind and refine a palace artifact of Void Land.
However, after getting to know more about this place, Yang Kai realised that things were a little different from what he had thought. Now, he no longer needed Nalan Lu Shui to help him. If the old man wanted to restore Great Evolution Paradise to its former glory, he would certainly be tempted by the allure of the Star Boundary.
After all, the focus of all the Cave Heavens and Paradises was on the Star Boundary now, so there was no way the ruined Great Evolution Paradise could ignore it.
Presently, Great Evolution Paradise was like a traveller in the desert while the Star Boundary was like an oasis where there was plenty of water.
Yang Kai stroked his chin as he was in a jovial mood. Now, it was Grandmaster Ma Fan who had to seek his help, not the other way around. Could he try to get more benefits out of this situation?
It was extremely difficult to find such an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, and it would take Void Land an enormous amount of time and energy to nurture one.
Yang Kai wasn’t worried that the old man wouldn’t get any information about the Star Boundary. After such a long time, the existence of the World Tree had become a well-known fact across the 3,000 Worlds. Besides the Cave Heavens and Paradises, there were also many cultivators from Second Class great forces wandering around in the Star Boundary. Before Yang Kai left, many powerful cultivators would visit High Heaven Palace and ask for a place to build Dao Temples of their own.
Certainly, those from High Heaven Palace would never agree to this. The table was only so big and there were only so many seats. All of the seats had been occupied by the Cave Heavens and Paradises as well as High Heaven Palace. Anyone who wanted to obtain a place had to get the permission of those from High Heaven Palace as well as the Cave Heavens and Paradises, so no one would dare to make a scene.
Although those from High Heaven Palace never gave these people any land of their own, they wouldn’t stop those powerful cultivators from obtaining disciples in the Star Boundary as long as they followed the rules. It was their own opportunity to get their desired disciples. Yang Kai was looking forward to the day when the cultivators from the Star Boundary became powerful enough in all the places in the 3,000 Worlds, which was why he never even intended to stop these people.
There were a Star City and Universe Temple in Great Evolution Territory, so it would be convenient for Grandmaster Ma Fan to get the information he needed from these two places as both places were filled with people from all walks of life, and all sorts of information spread around very quickly.
Therefore, the old man returned about ten days later.
Yang Kai was waiting for him in the main hall, but he didn’t get up to greet him when he saw him. The old man was obviously in a different mood. A glimmer of hope suddenly came into his sight just when he had almost given up. Despite his best efforts, he could barely contain his excitement.
The information he obtained from the Star City and Universe Temple proved that Yang Kai didn’t lie to him. There was really an amazing World Tree in the Star Boundary that had attracted the attention of everyone in the 3,000 Worlds. All 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises had set up Dao Temples while many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered together in that place.
The Star Boundary was now touted to be the 3,000 Worlds’ Open Heaven Realm Cradle, which was a peerless honour.
Although Grandmaster Ma Fan hadn’t gone to the Star Boundary to see it for himself, he could confirm that Yang Kai wasn’t exaggerating.
Faced with such a temptation, both the old man and Great Evolution Paradise were unable to resist it; therefore, despite knowing that he had to pay a price by biting the bait, he would still do it.
The old man then took a seat in front of Yang Kai and spoke in a frank tone, “Although Great Evolution Paradise is now a husk of its former self, we used to be one of the 72 Paradises. Just like you’ve given to the other Cave Heavens and Paradises, we’ll also get five disciples from the Star Boundary every 100 years, and I want a landmass of 500,000 square kilometres to use as a Dao Temple.”
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded as he didn’t have the intention of haggling with him over this.
The old man was slightly surprised by his straightforwardness, then he continued, “I don’t know what benefits those Cave Heavens and Paradises have offered you, but we don’t have any rewards to give you now. However, you owed me a favour, and you must have come all the way here to ask for something. I won’t take advantage of you. Just see it as you’ve returned the favour, and I’ll also agree to your request this time.”
Yang Kai put on a grin, “You’re truly a straightforward person, Senior. I won’t stand on ceremony then. Do we have a deal?”
Grandmaster Ma Fan nodded, “However, you’ll have to wait here for a while longer. I’ll have to send the young ones to the Star Boundary and help them settle down before I return and refine the artifact for you.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’m not in a rush for that artifact. You can handle the matters regarding Great Evolution Paradise first.”
He knew that the old man would never be at ease before having a look at the Star Boundary himself. Only when the old man visited the Star Boundary and witnessed its prosperity would the deal be approved.
After a pause, Yang Kai added, “Senior, would you be interested in becoming a Supreme High-Rank Guest Elder of High Heaven Palace? If you agree to it, I’ll offer more benefits to the disciples of Great Evolution Paradise living in the Star Boundary.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan fell silent upon hearing that.
Seeing that the old man didn’t immediately reject him, Yang Kai knew that there might be some hope; hence, he quickly followed up, “There’s no rush in making a decision, Senior. You can have a look at the Star Boundary first, and we’ll talk about it later. To be honest with you, Yu Chang Dao of Free and Unfettered Paradise is now a Supreme High-Rank Guest Elder of High Heaven Palace.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan stared intently at him and remarked, “It seems that the Star Boundary is truly attractive to a lot of people.”
If that wasn’t the case, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t have agreed to becoming a Guest Elder of a Universe World Sect.
Yang Kai put on a meaningful grin.
The old man got up and said, “I’ll make the arrangements for the young ones now. You can do whatever you want here.”
After taking a few steps forward, he turned his head and asked, “What do you want me to make for you this time?”
Yang Kai hurriedly replied, “A mobile palace artifact. I suffered a setback when I was dealing with Zuo Quan Hui previously, so I want to obtain one for my Sect.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan commented, “That will require a lot of materials. You’d better get prepared.”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “I know.”
The old man stopped talking and left the place.
It was pretty troublesome to send the young ones of Great Evolution Paradise to the Star Boundary. First of all, they had to pick out disciples with exceptional aptitudes. Nalan Lu Shui and the others were astounded when they heard about the news. Yang Kai went on to wait in the place where Grandmaster Ma Fan usually lived for one month before he saw the old man again.
After some asking, Yang Kai found out that Nalan Lu Shui was still in the process of selecting disciples, and it would take some time before the matter could be settled.
Yang Kai said, “Senior, it’ll take you half a year to go to the Star Boundary and come back here, so I won’t linger here. After you arrive at the Star Boundary, just look for the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, Hua Qing Si, and she’ll make all the arrangements. Also, you can tell her all the materials that are required to refine the palace artifact. She’ll prepare everything.”
After saying that, Yang Kai passed the old man a jade slip that served as a Faith Token. Yang Kai had written down all the information Hua Qing Si would need.
Grandmaster Ma Fan took it and frowned, “Are you not coming with me?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’m not going back for now as I still have other matters to attend to. I’ll come get the palace artifact when I return to this place in the future.”
“Good.” The old man nodded as he didn’t want to force him. A moment later, he suddenly said, “Take out your Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai grinned from ear to ear as he said, “Many thanks, Senior.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan said, “I’ve never taken advantage of anyone before. Artifact Refining is my craft, and it won’t take me much effort. Since you’ve offered me such great help, I’ll repay you in kind. Regardless of whether I agree to becoming a Supreme High-Rank Guest Elder of your Sect, you can come to me whenever you need to refine artifacts in the future.”
Yang Kai was ecstatic, “Many thanks, Senior!”
Since he had gotten such a promise, it no longer mattered whether the old man would become a Guest Elder or not.
Sixteen Array Boards were then taken out swiftly. Grandmaster Ma Fan asked for many materials from Yang Kai before he started working on them. He certainly needed to repair the damaged parts, but he also planned to remodel them based on the existing foundation.
Just like refining pills, making artifacts required attention to detail. Usually, once an artifact had taken shape, it would require an Artifact Refiner more skillful than the original creator to further refine and improve it. Grandmaster Ma Fan was obviously capable of doing this. It would just take him some time to refine the hastily made Array Boards, which wasn’t difficult for him at all.
When Yang Kai retrieved the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors some time later, the sizes of all sixteen Array Boards had shrunk significantly. Additionally, the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors obviously had been upgraded after the refinement. The consumption of energy it would require to activate this set of artifacts had been lessened and their sturdiness had been improved.
Yang Kai was certainly pleased with it.
Grandmaster Ma Fan would only start refining the palace artifact after he returned from the Star Boundary, and it would take a lot of time. Since Yang Kai didn’t have the intention to wait here, he bid the old man farewell. He wouldn’t need to worry about the materials anyway. By then, Grandmaster Ma Fan would just have to give a list to Hua Qing Si, and everything would be prepared by her.
However, before Yang Kai’s departure, Grandmaster Ma Fan suddenly recalled something as he said, “Leave that Purple Qi here. I can mix it in with the palace artifact and increase its power.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai hurriedly fished out the Purple Qi from his Small Universe and asked curiously, “Does Senior know what this thing is?”
He had previously noticed that Grandmaster Ma Fan was a little interested in the Purple Qi, so the old man could clearly recognise it. The item was certainly terrific since it could catch the attention of an Artifact Refining Grandmaster.
“It’s a Purple Heaven Divine Thunder,” Grandmaster Ma Fan replied, “It’s also called the Purging Evil Divine Thunder which is capable of vanquishing all kinds of wicked and malicious intent.”
“Divine Thunder?” Yang Kai was astounded. The Purple Qi that had swirled around his fingers like a snake didn’t look like lightning at all.
Grandmaster Ma Fan didn’t explain anything as he gently flicked the Purple Qi.
The next instant, an explosive sound was heard as a series of booming thunderclaps rang out. The Purple Qi that originally draped around Yang Kai’s fingers in an obedient manner suddenly became violent, as though it was a beast that would swallow its prey alive.
Although Yang Kai was strong, his fingers still felt numb from the impact.
“It’s a very rare material. Only a pristine and pure Universe World can nurture a strand of Purple Heaven Divine Thunder. Unfortunately, with this thing around, such a Universe World is destined to decline.” Grandmaster Ma Fan took the Purple Qi from Yang Kai’s hand and activated his World Force to suppress it. The violent Purple Qi soon became obedient again.
“Why is that?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
Grandmaster Ma Fan explained, “That’s because the entire essence of a Universe World is absorbed into this thing. How could a Universe World survive such a process?”
Yang Kai seemed to understand something.
As the old man looked at the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder in his hand, he fell into his thoughts. He remembered that in the past, there was a woman clad in red clothes in Great Evolution Paradise who possessed a purple sword that was refined from Purple Heaven Divine Thunder. That woman said that she would destroy all evil in the world with her sword in a clear voice. His memory of it was so vivid that it was as though it just happened yesterday.
At that time, Grandmaster Ma Fan was a Common Disciple who had just joined the Sect.
Time passed by so quickly and in the blink of an eye, he was already an old man with a long grey beard.
“You may leave now. The palace artifact will be ready when you come back next time.” Grandmaster Ma Fan waved his hand.
Yang Kai bowed his head, “Many thanks, Grandmaster.”
An hour later, in a Restricted Area in Great Evolution Paradise, candle-lights flickered inside the ancestral hall. In front of more than 30,000 memorial tablets, Grandmaster Ma Fan said with a smile while his eyes were slightly red, “Sect Master, Elders, Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, I’ve persevered long enough to see this day. There’s hope for Great Evolution Paradise now. Just you wait, I’ll soon lead the descendants of Great Evolution Paradise out to obtain revenge for all of you!”
On that day, a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master arrived at Heavenly Martial Hall’s Great Evolution Branch and destroyed its signboard, though he didn’t harm anyone in the process. The Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were in charge of the Great Evolution Branch, trembled in fear as they had no idea whether they had offended this top cultivator in some way, nor did they know where he came from. They just knew that he was an old man with grey hair and beard.
After he left, the cultivators in the branch hurriedly informed those from the headquarters of Heavenly Martial Hall about it. The Hall Master personally came to look into the matter, but he couldn’t find any answers.
However, after that day, those from Heavenly Martial Hall tactfully stopped using the name Great Evolution for their branch.
A few days later, in the ruins of Great Evolution Paradise, Grandmaster Ma Fan looked down at the selected youths and nodded with satisfaction.
Nalan Lu Shui and the others were surprised to see that their Old Ancestor, who always had a hunchback, was standing tall on this day, as though the burden on his body had finally disappeared.
The Shattered Heaven was a lawless land where opportunities and crisis co-existed. It was rumoured that there were countless treasures in this place; therefore, even though it was extremely dangerous, it could still attract brave souls to step into it.
In a restaurant in the Shattered Heaven Star City, Yang Kai was seated by the window on the second floor. As he looked down at the sea of people, he tutted in amazement.
He previously came to this place to enter the Shadowless Cave Heaven and save the Proprietress. Since he was in a rush at the time, he wasn’t in the mood to look around.
It wasn’t until he revisited the Shattered Heaven Star City that he realised that despite the fact that the city was small and disorderly, there were a lot of valuable items on sale.
Certainly, it might have something to do with his cultivation as well. He was only an Emperor Realm cultivator when he previously came to this place, but now, he was already a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Since his horizons had been broadened, he naturally could see things in a different light.
“I heard that the Shattered Heaven was formed because ancient Great Experts fought against one another and destroyed several neighbouring Great Territories. I wonder what got those ancient Great Experts into such a scuffle,” Yang Kai muttered.
There was a grim-looking middle-aged man who was seated across from him who decided to ignore Yang Kai as he took a sip of his wine.
Yang Kai turned to look at him and put on a smile, “You’ve lived for so long already, so why do you still get mad so easily?”
Wu Kuang snapped, “You should try being trapped in a sack for twenty years!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Well, there was a change of plans. I hadn’t expected that it’d take me such a long time to repair the Universe Temples.”
After Yang Kai left the Star Boundary, his visits to Black Territory and Great Evolution Paradise didn’t take him much time; however, he had been held up for twenty years repairing the broken Universe Temples.
During this period of time, Wu Kuang had been hiding inside the Six Fated Paths Bag while Yang Kai lugged it along with him.
After all, this guy was still a disciple of Myriad Demons Cave Heaven on paper. He had killed Yin Xin Zhao and Pei Wen Xuan before absorbing all of their cultivation. He could hide his whereabouts while he was in the New Great Territory as those from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven and Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven wouldn’t be able to find him there. Nevertheless, if he rashly showed up anywhere else, he would probably be discovered by Yu Huan from Myriad Demons Heaven. By then, it would be hard for him to explain himself.
Therefore, when he learned that Yang Kai was coming to the Shattered Heaven, he told the latter to bring him along.
The first thing that sprang into Yang Kai’s mind was the Six Fated Paths Bag. His own Small Universe couldn’t accommodate Wu Kuang, who was also in the Sixth-Order, as it would render him too weak if he did so. As such, he could only use the Six Fated Paths Bag.
In the past, Yang Kai had used this thing to keep Yue He, who was also in the Sixth-Order, inside it; however, this artifact also had a limit. It could only accommodate a few Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yang Kai had never been able to figure out what the Six Fated Paths Bag was made of that allowed it to keep Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters inside it.
There was no way Wu Kuang could return to Myriad Demons Cave Heaven. Meanwhile, no Sect in the 3,000 Worlds would welcome him. As such, the Shattered Heaven was the best place for him. Murder and robbery were rampant in this cursed place. It was no wonder that a Devil Lord like Wu Kuang would take a liking to it.
Yang Kai had never expected that before his departure, he would be brought to a Universe Temple by Xu Ling Gong to repair it, and he went on to do exactly that for the next twenty years.
As a result, Wu Kuang was trapped inside the Six Fated Paths Bag for twenty years. Anyone would be upset if such an incident happened to them. However, Wu Kuang would never dare to make a rash move despite feeling vexed. If he really tore the bag apart and left, he might be caught. Not only would his future be hanging in the balance, but Yang Kai would also be dragged into the mess.
Wu Kuang then chugged down the wine and slammed the cup on the table before rising from the chair, “Farewell!”
Following that, he turned around and shuffled out of the restaurant.
Yang Kai picked up his own cup and gently called out, “Don’t get killed somewhere.”
Wu Kuang waved his hand without turning his head as though he never heard him. Once he stepped out of this restaurant, he would be like a tiger that returned to the mountain or a Dragon that dove into the ocean. The world would be his to savour.
On a street that was crammed with people, a handsome young man in all white clothes strolled around. Wherever he went, the passers-by would be slightly pushed away from him by an invisible force.
Sensing something, Yang Kai took a glance at this person, and it just so happened that the young man also stopped in his tracks and looked up.
As they exchanged glances, both of them frowned.
Even though Yang Kai was certain that it was the first time he came across this white robed youth, he immediately felt repulsed by him for no apparent reason. It was almost an instinctual reaction, as though it was how it was naturally supposed to be, which was unprecedented for him. Yang Kai wasn’t an arrogant or overbearing individual, and since it was the first time they met, why would he feel such distaste for this young man when they had only exchanged glances? They hadn’t even spoken to each other yet.
Judging from the white robed youth’s expression, Yang Kai knew that the other party shared the same sentiment.
Fortunately, neither of them seemed to want to cause trouble. The white robed youth was apparently in a rush, so he soon retracted his gaze and strode out of the Star City alongside the crowd.
A moment later, Yang Kai paid the bill and calmly left the restaurant.
Outside the Star City, a petite young woman, who had been following the white robed youth, asked, “What did you see, Young Master? You seem displeased.”
The young woman appeared innocent as she held a branch with some peach blossoms on it. As jovial as a monkey, she kept jumping around the young man.
The white robed youth replied dispassionately, “Nothing. I just saw someone I dislike.”
The young woman batted her eyes, “Since you don’t like him, I’ll kill him for you.”
While never stopping in his tracks, the white robed youth shook his head, “There’s no need for that. There are countless people I hate in the world. It’s not like he matters at all.”
In a matter-of-factly manner, the young woman said, “I’ll kill anyone you hate, Young Master.”
The white robed youth didn’t respond to her.
As they spoke, they had already flown out 10 million kilometres.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had also left the Star City. After identifying the direction, he turned into a ray of light and shot forward.
The reason he visited the Shattered Heaven was to increase his strength. An Open Heaven Realm Master had to increase their heritage in order to strengthen their cultivation, which was a painfully long process. Be it refining Open Heaven Pills or various materials of different Orders, it required a lot of time and effort.
For a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to ascend to the Seventh-Order, 1,000 years of cultivation was the absolute minimum requirement. For a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to make it to the Eighth-Order, it would take him several thousand years to over 10,000 years to even make an attempt. As for an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master trying to reach the Ninth-Order, several tens of thousands of years were required.
Yang Kai had no idea whether there were any Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but he had seen several Masters in the Eighth-Order before. Be it the Ancestor who was in charge of the Small Source Worlds in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven or the Ancestors he had seen in the Universe Temple, they were all Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
As for Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai speculated that such people did exist in the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but there wouldn’t be a lot of them. Perhaps there was only one Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in each of those Sects. Yang Kai even speculated that some of the Cave Heavens and Paradises might not have a single Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master overseeing them.
He was now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and due to the various opportunities he had come across, the heritage of his Small Universe was more ample than average. However, he was still some distance away from the Seventh-Order.
In order to increase his cultivation quickly, Yang Kai either had to enter another Small Source World or look for a Temporal River like the one Xu Ling Gong had mentioned before.
Nevertheless, he was unable to use either of these shortcuts. The Cave Heavens and Paradises all had Small Source Worlds, but they were only open for their own disciples. Even Yin-Yang Cave Heaven would never allow Yang Kai to use their Small Source World again, let alone other great forces.
The only way to speed things up that Yang Kai could think of was the Astral Wind Divine Ability that he had come across after leaving the Shadowless Cave Heaven with the Proprietress back then.
It was a Divine Ability that was left behind by a Great Expert in ancient times. Although many years had passed, it still remained intact as it blocked the exit of the Shadowless Cave Heaven. The Astral Wind would gust into Shadowless Cave Heaven from time to time and sweep away the heritages of Open Heaven Realm Master’s Small Universes. It was similar to the eerie aura in Black Territory.
In the Astral Wind Divine Ability, Wind Spirits had been nurtured.
Previously, Yang Kai drew some Wind Spirits in his Small Universe and killed them. After they passed away, they left behind a lot of very pure World Force, which helped strengthen his heritage.
However, Yang Kai was eager to return to Void Land at that time, so he didn’t stay for long. Instead, he memorised the route and thought that he would come back in the future.
The reason he revisited the Shattered Heaven this time was to go after the Wind Spirits in the Astral Wind Divine Ability.
As long as he could attract all the Wind Spirits into his Small Universe and kill them, he would make a huge leap forward on his way to the Seventh-Order.
Yang Kai still remembered that after they left the Shadowless Cave Heaven previously, they went on to wander around the Shattered Heaven for half a year before they ran across a fight between two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. After asking them for directions, Yang Kai’s group kept moving forward for half a month before they arrived at Shattered Heaven Star City.
Since he didn’t have much time to memorise the route back then, Yang Kai wasn’t sure if he could find the Astral Wind Divine Ability this time. However, the Astral Wind Divine Ability covered a vast area, so as long as he knew the general location, he would eventually find it.
Wherever he went, Yang Kai could see cultivators who were in a hurry. Although the Shattered Heaven was dangerous, it was also a battlefield of Great Experts from ancient times where many treasures and hidden Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises were left behind. Therefore, it could still attract many cultivators to fight for opportunities.
Sometimes, Yang Kai would see cultivators getting into bloody fights. He would usually ignore and circumvent these people.
As he went further, Yang Kai encountered fewer and fewer people.
After looking around for half a year, his wish was finally granted as he saw the gigantic Astral Wind Divine Ability hovering in the void.
Although it wasn’t the first time he saw it, Yang Kai was still awestruck by its magnificence.
It was a storm that covered an area of several tens of millions of kilometres as it swirled around, affecting the void around it, making it seem like space was being torn apart.
If a Universe World such as the Star Boundary was hit by such a Divine Ability, it would be ground to pieces instantly. The cultivation of the ancient Great Expert who unleashed this Divine Ability must be inscrutable.
Yang Kai longed for that kind of strength.
Such a Divine Ability could only have been produced by a Master in the Eighth-Order at the very least. However, considering the fact that the Divine Ability had been worn down over time, the person who used it in the past must have been a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
There was no doubt that a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master came from one of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
What was the reason that caused those ancient Great Experts to fight here and even shatter the neighbouring Great Territories?
It was said that all 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises had been united since time immemorial, so why did they fight against one another in this place?