Lang Ya Territory was vast and boundless. It was also the Great Territory where Lang Ya Paradise was headquartered. Even Void Land had its own Great Territory, so as one of the 72 Paradises, it was only natural that Lang Ya Paradise owned a Great Territory too.
Aside from the central area in Lang Ya Territory that was off-limits to outsiders, travellers were free to access all the other areas in the Great Territory. This was basically the case with all the Cave Heavens and Paradises. The reason was that the large-scale Star Cities under their control relied on travelling cultivators to gain popularity. Who would come and do business with them if the entire Great Territory was sealed off? Take Void Territory for example. Aside from Void Land itself, the other areas could be freely accessed by all cultivators.
The group of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters quietly sneaked into Lang Ya Territory; after that, Yang Kai headed to Lang Ya Star City alone while Yu Xiang Die and the others remained hiding outside. If such a large group of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters entered Lang Ya Star City all of a sudden, they would surely attract Lang Ya Paradise’s attention. It would be inconvenient for them to act freely if that happened.
The current plan was for Yang Kai to infiltrate Lang Ya Paradise, learn the identity and whereabouts of the people corrupted by the Black Ink, follow the trail in search of the pure Black Ink clansman, and notify Yu Xiang Die and the others about his findings as soon as possible. It was an arduous task and much needed to be done in short order!
Yang Kai came to the Star City’s Void Dock and, looking around, saw that it was crowded with people coming and going in an endless stream. Any Star City under the control of the various Cave Heavens and Paradises were First-Class and had high popularity. Cultivators from different Great Territories across the 3,000 Worlds would gather in these Star Cities, bringing incalculable benefits to the Cave Heavens and Paradises every year.
If Void Star City had not attracted interest with the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, it would never have become a First-Class Star City; however, in comparison to Lang Ya Star City, Yang Kai discovered that, although Void Star City could be considered to be in the same tier, it was still quite inferior to Lang Ya Star City in terms of heritage. That was understandable, though, as Lang Ya Paradise had existed for hundreds of thousands of years. It was simply impossible for a newly-emerging great force like Void Land to compete.
There was a Master overseeing the dock, and his aura was completely undisguised, revealing that he was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Thus, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling amazed by Lang Ya Paradise’s impressive assets. Even the person in charge of the Void Dock was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. It had to be said that the person overseeing Void Land’s Dock was Jin Yuan Lang, who was only in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai obediently stood at the end of the line, waiting for the Lang Ya Paradise disciples to inspect him. Before it got to his turn, one of the Lang Ya Paradise disciples seemed to receive some instructions and headed straight for him. The Lang Ya Paradise disciple approached him and politely said, “Senior Brother, Martial Uncle Zong invites you into the inner hall.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little surprised. He did not know why he would be noticed by this ‘Martial Uncle Zong’ when he was simply standing in line quietly. Before he could understand the situation though, the Lang Ya Paradise disciple headed to another person and repeated similar words. There was also a third person who received this treatment.
Yang Kai looked at the other two and discovered that they were just like him, giving off the aura of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven. Only then did he realise something, he had not been targeted specifically. On the contrary, all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Masters entering Lang Ya Star City would receive similar invitations.
It was probably for the stability of Lang Ya Star City. Even if there were Masters overseeing Lang Ya Star City in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, if anybody with nefarious intentions were to infiltrate, it would create a huge loss if anything went wrong.
After understanding this point, Yang Kai calmly walked towards the Inner Hall by the side of the dock. There was also a man and a woman following behind him, but he did not know their origins.
Inside the Inner Hall was a middle-aged man sitting behind a long desk. His aura was extraordinary and, as soon as Yang Kai and the other two walked in, he observed them carefully without any reservations. It was not until the three of them had approached that he finally opened his mouth, “Please take a seat.”
Yang Kai and the other two exchanged a glance with each other before they took their respective seats.
The middle-aged man showed no hospitality. According to his self-introduction, he was called Zong Yu Quan and he was in charge of overseeing the dock at Lang Ya Star City as well as inspecting the cultivators passing through.
There was no particular reason for inviting these three over, he simply wanted to question them about their respective origins and backgrounds. That was part of the protocol at Lang Ya Star City since ancient times. While they could ignore anybody below the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, those in the Sixth-Order and above would need to be inspected thoroughly to enter Lang Ya Star City.
The man and the woman reported their respective identities and origins and Zong Yu Quan verified them one by one. After confirming that there were no problems, he gave them each a special token before he released them. Before they departed, he also warned them not to cause any trouble in Lang Ya Star City; otherwise, they would be killed without mercy. Both the man and the woman clearly knew the rules here. It was probably not their first time coming here, so they naturally responded in affirmation.
After the two of them departed, Zong Yu Quan finally turned to look at Yang Kai, “Where did you come from, Your Excellency? Why did you come to Lang Ya Star City?”
Although they were both in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Zong Yu Quan had always maintained a slightly arrogant attitude when facing Yang Kai and the other two. Having been born in one of the 72 Paradises, his heritage was not something that normal people could achieve; therefore, he was indeed superior compared to other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who did not come from the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Yang Kai had been wondering whether he should conceal his identity or tell the truth. It was just that Zong Yu Quan clearly had a method to verify a person’s identity, so concealing his name might be unrealistic. Besides, the main purpose of his visit was to search for the people who had been corrupted by the Black Ink Clan, so it would not be convenient for him to act if he concealed his identity.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not reveal his identity directly. Taking out a token, he smiled and asked, “Senior Brother Zong, do you recognize this item?”
Zong Yu Quan looked up and raised his brow in astonishment, “That is a token belonging to a Lang Ya Paradise Core Disciple. Where did you get it?”
That item was equivalent to a status symbol in Lang Ya Paradise. Only Core Disciples were qualified to possess one. It was impossible for ordinary people to obtain one. Be that as it may, one of these items had appeared in Yang Kai’s hand. It was only natural for Zong Yu Quan to be surprised.
He did not suspect that Yang Kai had obtained this token by killing the owner and stealing the other party’s treasures. If that was truly the case, then Yang Kai would never have had the guts to come here; hence, the only explanation was that he either picked it up from somewhere or it was given to him by one of Lang Ya Paradise’s Core Disciples.
This token was indeed given to Yang Kai by Gu Pan. After returning from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, many of the cultivators who escaped with their lives thanks to Yang Kai’s help had given their respective tokens to him before they went their separate ways. They had invited him to visit them at their respective Sects whenever he had the time.
Gu Pan had given him this token back then.
Yang Kai had thought about visiting Lang Ya Paradise whenever he had the time; after all, Zhang Ruo Xi was staying in Lang Ya Paradise and this token would allow him to visit her easily. It was just that he had been so busy running around for so many years that he only managed to visit Lang Ya Paradise briefly, and upon discovering that Zhang Ruo Xi was in retreat, he swiftly departed. If it was not for the Black Ink Clan, he would not have come here again so soon.
“This is something Gu Pan gave me,” Yang Kai replied honestly.
Zong Yu Quan exclaimed in surprise, “Your Excellency, are you acquainted with Junior Sister Gu?”
“We are friends who faced life and death together,” Yang Kai nodded.
Yang Kai’s answer truly left Zong Yu Quan scratching his head in puzzlement. It stood to reason that he, as a disciple in Lang Ya Paradise, was acquainted with Gu Pan. Although they were not very familiar with each other, they had at least interacted with each other on a few occasions in the Sect.
As one of the few Core Disciples in the Sect, Gu Pan was a rising star who had advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. That was something Zong Yu Quan could not compare with. Besides, for her to give her token to another person, it could be seen that the relationship between them was not superficial.
He pondered in silence for a moment before he finally asked, “May I ask who this Fellow Brother is?”
“Void Land’s Yang Kai!” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
Zong Yu Quan’s eyes immediately brightened, and he stood up, “Are you the same Yang Kai who is Void Land’s Lord and the Star Boundary’s Great Emperor, within High Heaven Territory?”
[I can’t believe I have such prestige now! That feels really amazing for some reason!] Yang Kai nodded reservedly, “It is this Yang!”
An inexplicable glint flashed across Zong Yu Quan’s eyes, and he instantly became much more welcoming, “Oh, my! I’ve long admired you! I’ve long heard about you, but never had the chance to meet you. Now that I see you today, you definitely live up to your reputation!”
“You are too polite, Senior Brother Zong!” Yang Kai nodded his head with a smile.
Zong Yu Quan did not doubt Yang Kai’s identity. Seeing as the Core Disciple’s token had been brought out, there was no benefit to be gained even if this person was an impersonator. That was why he was confident that the person in front of him was Yang Kai even though he had never met Yang Kai before.
After that, they exchanged pleasantries for a little while longer before Zong Yu Quan finally shouted, “Come in!”
The Lang Ya Paradise disciple who guided Yang Kai to this place earlier stepped into the room and cupped his fist, “Martial Uncle Zong!”
Zong Yu Quan said, “Return to the Sect and inform Elder Gu Pan that a friend of hers has arrived in the Star City. Please ask her to come here!”
The disciple glanced at Yang Kai curiously before he left to carry out his orders.
Zong Yu Quan then asked for tea to be served. His attitude seemed to indicate that he regretted not meeting Yang Kai earlier. Even though Yang Kai was a little taken aback by Zong Yu Quan’s enthusiasm, he had no choice except to make perfunctory conversation with the other party.
Zong Yu Quan clearly had great curiosity towards the Star Boundary’s World Tree and asked many questions regarding it. When he learned that the feedback of the World Tree was only effective for cultivators who had yet to condense their Dao Seals and had no benefit towards those who had condensed their Dao Seals and advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, he sighed with regret.
“I wish I had been born 3,000 years later!” He smiled bitterly, “I’ll be honest with you, Junior Brother Yang. Even though I advanced into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm during my initial breakthrough into the Open Heaven Realm, I actually had the qualification to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. But, just to be on the safe side, I chose to advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. If I had something like the World Tree back then, this Senior Brother would have advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm with no problem.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “You are now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm too, Senior Brother.”
Zong Yu Quan said, “That’s different! The limit for the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm is the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, but if I advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm back then, my limit would have been the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The difference of one Order is as vast as Heaven and Earth!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm might only have a difference of one Order, but the gap in strength was like day and night. Just like how a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could easily kill a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master killing a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master required little to no effort on their part.
Back in the Shattered Heaven, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Xia Lin Lang didn’t even have the courage to face Bright Sun Divine Monarch. Furthermore, she had been chased to the brink of desperation.
“Now that we have the World Tree in the Star Boundary, even more rising stars will surely emerge in Lang Ya Paradise. This is all thanks to you, Junior Brother Yang.”
“It was just a coincidence,” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively.
When he first planted the World Tree, he had simply wanted to stabilise the Star Boundary. Who would have thought that it would make the Star Boundary so famous? And now, the small and remote Star Boundary had become the centre of attention of the entire 3,000 Worlds. The name ‘Open Heaven Realm Cradle’ was well-deserved indeed.
“Elder Shi Zheng is a long-term resident of the Star Boundary. You can always visit him if you need anything in the future, Junior Brother Yang. Lang Ya Paradise has a long history with you after all, so it’s only natural that we help each other,” Zing Yu Qian said with a smile.
Yang Kai nodded, “I met Elder Shi Zheng just before coming here. He took great care of me.”
Zong Yu Quan asked in concern, “How is Elder Shi doing?”
Yang Kai smiled, “He is doing just fine.”
After conversing for a bit more, Zong Yu Quan seemed to receive some sort of message. He then said apologetically, “This Zong needs to oversee the dock and verify the information of the people who come and go here. I’m afraid I can’t stay and chat any longer, Junior Brother.”
Yang Kai tactfully stood up, “Please go ahead, Senior Brother.”
Zong Yu Quan nodded, “Junior Sister Gu will be here soon. Why don’t you take a stroll around Star City? There are many treasures that can be found in Lang Ya Star City. If you find anything you like, feel free to let me know.”
“I will!” Yang Kai responded. When he turned around to leave, a strange idea suddenly came to him. He nodded lightly at Zong Yu Quan and murmured softly, “Black Ink Eternal!”
That was what Shi Zheng mentioned before he died. Yang Kai had not understood what those words meant at the time, but he came to understand their meaning after listening to the explanation from Yu Xiang Die and the others.
Those who had been corrupted by the Black Ink generally looked no different on the surface, but their hearts had already undergone a drastic change and they were only loyal towards the Black Ink Clan. Even a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Master like Shi Zheng had shouted those words just before his death. It could be seen just how dangerous the Black Ink Clan’s influence was.
The truth was that Shi Zheng probably lost his sense of self a long time ago; furthermore, these words were most likely a belief that they upheld or some kind of mantra they lived by.
It was not as though Yang Kai had noticed anything out of the ordinary when he said these words at this time. He simply wanted to probe the waters and did not expect any response to his statement.
Contrary to expectations, Zong Yu Quan stared at Yang Kai with a stunned expression for a moment before he reached out to touch his chest lightly and whispered, “Black Ink Eternal!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and turned to leave. Exiting the dock, he turned into a crowded street and quickly blended into the crowd with the help of the stream of people passing by.
A short while later, he came to a halt in front of a shop. Although his expression was normal on the surface, Yang Kai was cursing madly deep down in his heart. [Didn’t they say that the Black Ink Insects were precious, so the Black Ink Clan will only target High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters!? I can’t believe Zong Yu Quan is one of those who were corrupted by the Black Ink!]
This discovery was so shocking that he could barely believe it.
Yu Xiang Die and the others told him that the Black Ink Insects were extremely precious to the Black Ink Clan and converting a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was simply not worth the effort. That was why the Black Ink Clan would only target High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
For so many years, all the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who did not come from any Cave Heaven or Paradise had either been recruited by the Cave Heavens and Paradises or sent to some unknown place instead because the Cave Heavens and Paradises were afraid that these people might be targeted by the Black Ink Clan. At that time, it would only take one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch.
However, a casual probe from Yang Kai had confirmed that Zong Yu Quan was corrupted by the Black Ink!
Looking at the situation now, it would seem that Zong Yu Quan had been probing Yang Kai when he either intentionally or unintentionally mentioned Elder Shi Zheng earlier. In that case, he probably knew about the plan in the Star Boundary too. The fact that he responded without the slightest hesitation when Yang Kai said the words, ‘Black Ink Eternal’ clearly indicated that he believed Shi Zheng had succeeded!
The truth was that Yang Kai would not have been able to escape unscathed during his encounter with the Black Ink Insect if he had not coincidentally obtained the World Spring. Hence, in the eyes of a person corrupted by the Black Ink like Zong Yu Quan, Shi Zheng’s success was only to be expected.
[Just how many people have been corrupted by the Black Ink in Lang Ya Paradise!?] It would seem that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, so Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a slight sense of panic.
He wandered around the Star City aimlessly for some time, but it didn’t take long for a familiar Divine Sense to appear in the surroundings, seemingly searching for something in Star City. It was Gu Pan’s Divine Sense.
Yang Kai quickly responded to her probing. She quickly confirmed his location, and a petite figure descended from the sky a moment later. Many people stopped and looked around on the street, wondering who was so bold as to act so recklessly in Lang Ya Star City. However, they quickly understood upon seeing the clothes she was wearing. Upon seeing that she was from Lang Ya Paradise, they were not surprised by her actions.
“Senior Brother Yang,” Gu Pan landed in front of Yang Kai and nodded in greeting.
“Junior Sister Gu!” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “It’s been a few years since I last saw you, but your noble bearing remains the same!”
The last time he met her was during Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly. In the blink of an eye, nearly 100 years had passed.
She replied, “You seem to have gotten stronger, Senior Brother Yang.”
He chuckled, “I was lucky and came across some opportunities.”
She asked curiously, “Senior Brother Yang, did you come here for something?”
He casually said, “It’s nothing important. I mainly came here to see you.”
Gu Pan studied him seriously for a moment before all of a sudden, she took out a jade slip and turned to face him while speaking calmly, “Senior Brother Yang, please repeat what you said just now.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai asked, somewhat bewildered.
To which Gu Pan frankly stated, “I’m collecting evidence. When Senior Sister Qu comes out from retreat, I’m going to inform her that you were busy picking flowers everywhere while she was in seclusion!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned as black as the bottom of a pot as he protested, “There’s no such thing! Besides, even if I want to mess around, I wouldn’t be interested in your small body!”
Gu Pan giggled, “One may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature. Who knows what kind of special interests you have, Senior Brother?”
Yang Kai looked a little crestfallen as he mused, “Junior Sister, you’ve changed. You were not like this before. You used to be so innocent, but you’re so suspicious of everything now…”
“Haha…”
“Come, have some dried fish!” Yang Kai suddenly took out a large bag of dried fish from his Space Ring.
Meanwhile, Gu Pan continued to point the jade slip at him and used a Secret Technique to record his current actions as she stated, “Look at this, Senior Sister Qu. Senior Brother Yang is deliberately catering to bribe me so I keep silent about his crimes!”
Yang Kai raised a fist and rapped his knuckles on her head. At the same time, he stuffed a dried fish in his hand into her mouth, “Stop fooling around! I came here for a reason!”
Although Gu Pan’s mouth was stuffed to the brim, she did not forget to add another sentence, “Senior Brother is getting angry out of shame and being unreasonable!”
He glanced sideways at her.
Fortunately, she quickly put the jade slip away and swallowed the dried fish in her mouth, “This is not the place to talk. Follow me, Senior Brother.”
While saying so, she soared into the sky, after which he quickly followed behind her.
They soon left Lang Ya Star City and headed straight for the central area of Lang Ya Territory. That was where Lang Ya Paradise’s headquarters was located.
Yang Kai travelled forward with Gu Pan. The space ahead was empty, but he could sense that there was an enormous array covering the entire area in front. Passerbys could not see the inside of Lang Ya Paradise’ from the outside.
When they arrived in front of the Grand Array, Gu Pan took out a token. After a flash of light, a magnificent scene immediately entered Yang Kai’s eyes. Countless small Spirit Provinces dotted the void like Stars, surrounding three large Spirit Provinces that formed a triangle in the middle. Even though they were separated by a distance, Yang Kai could clearly sense the abundant World Energy and dense World Force coming from those Spirit Provinces.
It was not his first time entering a Cave Heaven or Paradise. In the past, he had also seen the heritage of a top great force with a long history during his time in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Nevertheless, Yang Kai could not help feeling amazed by the sight of Lang Ya Paradise at this moment. The Cave Heavens and Paradises truly deserved their reputations. Void Land could not compare with them at all. It was not just a matter of the number of Masters and disciples in the Sect, but also the accumulation of time and inheritance.
At present, what Void Land lacked the most was time.
The area after entering the Grand Array could finally be considered the core of Lang Ya Paradise. This place that was covered by the Grand Array was not a place where ordinary people could enter.
They continued forward and soon arrived at a certain Spirit Province. This Spirit Province was not very big, but it had a beautiful environment. That was especially true for the huge lake in the middle. The lake even had large fish swimming about freely. Surprisingly, there was nobody on this Spirit Province.
Gu Pan explained, “This is where I cultivate. Most of the time, other people will not come here.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help gnashing his teeth in envy. A great force is a great force indeed. Even a Core Disciple can monopolise a Spirit Province without anybody’s interference.
“Why did you come here, Senior Brother?” Gu Pan led him to a bamboo building by the lake and poured him a glass of water.
“The thing is… Elder Shi Zheng asked me to give you a message, Junior Sister.” Yang Kai had given some thought to this matter on the way here. His initial plan was to visit Gu Pan as soon as he arrived here. With her identity as a Core Disciple, it would be easier for him to move around unnoticed.
However, thanks to his experience with Zong Yu Quan, he could no longer decide whether even she was safe or not. A mere Zong Yu Quan had been corrupted by the Black Ink, so wouldn’t a Core Disciple like Gu Pan be targeted too? She would definitely be more valuable to the Black Ink Clan than Zong Yu Quan if she was corrupted.
If possible, Yang Kai did not wish to suspect her; unfortunately, this matter was related to the Black Ink Clan. It was better to err on the side of caution. Otherwise, he might set off a turmoil in Lang Ya Paradise if the truth was exposed. Many people would die if that happened.
“Elder Shi has a message for me?” Gu Pan was a little taken aback. Although she was also a Lang Ya Paradise Elder, she had not interacted much with Shi Zheng in the past. That was why she couldn’t help being surprised.
Yang Kai nodded.
Gu Pan sat opposite him and asked curiously, “What did Elder Shi want to tell me?”
Yang Kai stared at her and spoke in a solemn manner, “Elder Shi said… Black Ink Eternal!”
Zong Yu Quan’s reaction had convinced him that these words could help him distinguish between friend and foe. If Gu Pan responded with those words, then there was no doubt that she was also corrupted by the Black Ink. For that reason, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling anxious as soon as the words left his mouth.
On the opposite side, Gu Pan stared at him blankly before she nodded lightly, “Black Ink Eternal!”
Yang Kai’s expression became a little melancholic, and he couldn’t help feeling heartbroken! [Has this petite and adorable little girl also been corrupted by the Black Ink?]
Suddenly, something unexpected occurred. A paintbrush appeared out of nowhere, and with a surge of Sixth-Order World Force, the paintbrush danced in the air and struck Yang Kai a dozen times in a row.
A chain suddenly wrapped around his body, and a powerful restraining force shackled him firmly in place. Immediately after that, Gu Pan grabbed hold of the paintbrush and made several smooth strokes. Another layer of restraint was instantly layered onto his figure.
Everything happened so quickly, and Yang Kai had been distracted due to his distress at the time, so he had been caught completely off guard as a result. By the time he recovered from his shock, it felt as though there was an entire Universe World bearing down on him. The pressure caused him to hunch over and become breathless.
Gu Pan moved extremely fast. After using a Secret Technique to shackle Yang Kai in place, she quickly soared into the sky without the slightest hesitation. Although both of them were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, she had witnessed his ability with her own eyes.
During Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly, Zhao Xing of Thousand Birds Paradise had also been in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm; even so, he had been killed by Yang Kai almost immediately in their confrontation on the Prison Star. Not only was he a Core Disciple of Thousand Birds Paradise, but he had also advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm some decades earlier than them.
Gu Pan was a Core Disciple of Lang Ya Paradise; nevertheless, she had to admit that she was not very different from Zhao Xing in terms of strength even after 100 or so years of accumulation.
Seeing as Yang Kai had already been capable of killing Zhao Xing easily at that time, the current Yang Kai was definitely not somebody she could fight against. That was why she immediately tried to flee after using a Secret Technique to bind and imprison him. If it were anybody else in their generation, she would have taken the opportunity to try to deal a lethal blow; unfortunately, her opponent was Yang Kai, she knew she wasn’t capable enough, so she chose to escape instead.
Suddenly, Gu Pan felt a large hand grab her ankle. When she turned around to look, her expression became shocked. That was because Yang Kai had broken free of the multiple layers of restraint that bound his body in an instant.
He remained seated in his original position, but his outstretched hand gripped her as firmly as iron shackles. She was flooded with despair! Even though she knew that he was much stronger than her, she never expected him to be so powerful.
“Get down!” Yang Kai shouted, and with a yank of his hand, Gu Pan was unceremoniously dragged downward and slammed into the table with a loud bang. The wooden table shattered and dust flew everywhere.
World Force fluctuated, and the paintbrush in Gu Pan’s hand emitted a bright light, but before she could act, Yang Kai had already placed a palm on her forehead and a heavy power fluctuated out like a sharp weapon.
Pursing her lips, she lay quietly in front of him. Her entire body was stiff, and her clear eyes glared at him fixedly.
Yang Kai grinned, “Junior Sister, why did you attack me so suddenly?”
She calmly replied, “Don’t you know why I attacked you?”
“Please enlighten me, Junior Sister!”
Sorrow flashed across Gu Pan’s eyes as she shook her head, “You are no longer the Senior Brother Yang I know.”
“Who am I, if not me?” Yang Kai bent down and stared at her intently with a sharp gaze, looking as though he was going to eat her.
Gu Pan turned her head to the side and declared, “There’s no point talking. Just kill me!”
He laughed, “Kill you? Won’t that be going too easy on you?”
While saying so, he suddenly reached out his hand and took out a wooden box from his Space Ring. He waved his hand, and World Force fluctuated. It was only after he placed a barrier in all directions that he opened the wooden box. The Black Ink Insect immediately rushed out of the wooden box, only to be caught by him.
Gu Pan had been indifferent even when facing death, but her expression immediately twitched at the sight of the Black Ink Insect as she muttered, “I knew it. You’ve been corrupted by the Black Ink after all. To think that you even have something like the Black Ink Insect.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai looked at her in surprise, “You can actually recognise the Black Ink Insect, Junior Sister. In that case, this will be much easier to explain. Junior Sister, why don’t I show you the true path?”
Closing her eyes, Gu Pan she spoke quietly, “I may not be your opponent, but it is not difficult for me to destroy my own Small Universe.”
Yang Kai simply nodded in appreciation, “I couldn’t have known from your appearance! Unlike your stature, it turns out that your courage is not small, Junior Sister! But, it doesn’t matter. I like those with courage, it makes breaking your bones one by one all the more pleasant! You’re not allowed to cry, Junior Sister!”
Widening her eyes, Gu Pan glared at him, “Go ahead and kill me! If you are planning to corrupt me with the Black Ink, I advise you to give up on the idea. I will kill myself immediately if you dare to release the Black Ink Insect!”
Yang Kai stared at her coldly, his murderous intent surging. Nevertheless, she stared straight back at him without any fear. It was only a long while later that he suddenly released her and placed the Black Ink Insect back into the wooden box. Gu Pan immediately leaped up in response and distanced herself from Yang Kai as much as possible, staring at him suspiciously.
On the other hand, Yang Kai stood up calmly and cupped his fist, “I’m sorry, Junior Sister Gu, I had no choice but to test you just now. Please forgive my discourtesy!”
Gu Pan stared at him warily and asked, “What are you plotting here? If you don’t kill me, I will expose your identity as somebody who has been corrupted by the Black Ink to the entire Lang Ya Paradise. At that time, you will have nowhere to escape!”
Yang Kai grinned, “If I die, won’t Senior Sister Qu become a widow? Are you really willing to do that?”
“Senior Brother Yang is dead already. You are not him!”
Yang Kai knew that it was useless to explain, as no matter how hard he tried, anybody who had some understanding of the Black Ink Clan would no doubt believe that he had already been corrupted when they saw him holding the Black Ink Insect in his hand. Therefore, he simply pushed his World Force to open the portal to his Small Universe and said, “You will understand the truth if you take a look for yourself, Junior Sister. I will explain everything to you once you have confirmed it for yourself.”
Gu Pan looked at Yang Kai suspiciously. His expression looked very sincere, and he did not look like somebody who had been corrupted by the Black Ink. More importantly, if he had really been corrupted by the Black Ink, then his actions just now did not make sense. He could have released the Black Ink Insect into her Small Universe so that she would also be corrupted as well. However, he had not done that!
Bewildered, she poured her Divine Sense into his Small Universe and carefully examined the situation. To her surprise, she was greeted by the sight of tens of millions of living beings thriving in his Small Universe. She saw the ant-like Small Stone Race, the World Spring, and the billowing Black Ink Smoke that had been suppressed and sealed in a certain corner of his Small Universe…
A long while later, Gu Pan finally withdrew her Divine Sense. The hostility on her face had melted away and she looked at him in surprise, “Senior Brother, you…”
He smiled at her, “You believe me now, right?”
“Senior Brother, your Small Universe has already fully materialized!?”
Yang Kai’s face twitched at those words and he snapped, “Is that all you saw?” [You’re focusing on the wrong thing, Junior Sister!]
Gu Pan then asked, “Those billowing clouds that resemble thick, black ink… Is that the Black Ink Smoke?”
He nodded.
She could not understand, “How did you suppress and seal the Black Ink Smoke? As far as I know, that thing is extremely corrosive. If it invades the Small Universe of a cultivator, it will quickly spread out and contaminate them. Eventually, the owner of the Small Universe becomes corrupted by the Black Ink. The only solution to this problem is to sever the contaminated land in the Small Universe as soon as possible. The slightest hesitation will result in dire consequences.”
Yang Kai simply smiled and asked, “Did you see the spring?”
Gu Pan nodded, and in the next moment, realisation suddenly struck her, “One of the Four Universe Pillars, the World Spring!?”
She was not ignorant about the World Spring. In truth, as a Core Disciple, she had already heard about some of the secrets in the 3,000 Worlds that other people did not know from her Honoured Master after she advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Among those secrets included the existence of the Black Ink Clan.
When her Honoured Master told her about these matters, he also mentioned the Four Universe Pillars. That was because the Four Universe Pillars could be said to be the nemesis of the Black Ink Clan. It was just that she had only heard of such things before and this was her first time seeing the actual thing in person, so it had taken her a while to react.
After understanding this point, her entire body relaxed and she breathed out in relief. She spoke in a relieved voice, “In other words, you have not been corrupted by the Black Ink, Senior Brother!”
Yang Kai smiled, “How could I lie to you about something like that?”
Gu Pan was bewildered, however, and asked, “If you’re not corrupted by the Black Ink, Senior Brother, then why did you try to test me earlier?”
The smile on his face gradually faded, and he looked at her solemnly, “Junior Sister, the things that I’m going to tell you may be a little hard to accept. Please mentally prepare yourself.”
Those words made her stiffen in surprise for a moment, then she sighed, “Somebody in Lang Ya Paradise has been corrupted by the Black Ink, right?”
He nodded.
“Is it Elder Shi Zheng?” Gu Pan asked.
Yang Kai was surprised, “How did you know, Junior Sister?”
She responded sadly, “After my advancement into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, my Honoured Master told me about the Black Ink Clan. At the time, he also mentioned the Black Ink Insect and the Black Ink Smoke. Honoured Master said that these two things came from the same source. Moreover, the Black Ink Smoke would only appear following the death of somebody who had been corrupted by the Black Ink. Seeing as you have suppressed and sealed the Black Ink Smoke in your Small Universe, that can only mean that you killed somebody who had been corrupted by the Black Ink. In addition, you came all the way to Lang Ya Paradise and deliberately tested me after meeting me. That can only mean that this matter is related to Lang Ya Paradise. At present, the only person in Lang Ya Paradise who is in contact with you, Senior Brother, is Elder Shi Zheng who was stationed at the Star Boundary!”
“Junior Sister is beautiful and intelligent indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “It was indeed Elder Shi Zheng who was corrupted by the Black Ink. If that were all, I would not have tried to test you as soon as I met you, but the truth is…”
All of a sudden, Gu Pan raised a hand to interrupt him, “Senior Brother, before that, please check my Small Universe and verify my identity.”
Yang Kai couldn’t stifle his laughter as he waved his hand, “No need. I’ve seen your reaction just now, Junior Sister. To be honest, I already knew when I saw you trying to run away. The reason why I continued to test you after that was just to be on the safe side. Please forgive me, Junior Sister.”
“Even so, you should check properly. The power of the Black Ink Clan is extremely treacherous. Only by seeing with your own eyes can you be certain that you will be safe!” While saying so, she proactively opened the portal to her Small Universe.
Helpless, he could only probe her Small Universe with his Divine Sense.
She was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but her situation was different from his. Her Small Universe had not transformed from immaterial to corporeal, so there was no actual substance in existence. Nevertheless, the inside was filled with abundant World Force.
A short while later, Yang Kai retrieved his Divine Sense and nodded his head at her, “It’s fine.”
Gu Pan closed the portal to her Small Universe and cleaned up the shattered table before she asked, “Senior Brother, just what is going on?”
Yang Kai sighed and told Gu Pan about how Shi Zheng had invited him for a private meeting previously.
Gu Pan’s expression became increasingly solemn as she listened. She never imagined that a foreign affairs envoy and Inner Elder of her Sect would turn out to be somebody who was corrupted by the Black Ink. In fact, if Shi Zheng had not tried to corrupt Yang Kai with the Black Ink, his identity would not have been exposed.
The World Spring was extremely rare; therefore, Shi Zheng never planned for the possibility that Yang Kai had refined one. That was what prevented the invasion of the Black Ink Insect and caused the attempt to corrupt Yang Kai with the Black Ink to fail. In addition, Yang Kai had already become a Grand Dragon, so there was no way to silence the witness to the crime.
Furthermore, as long as Yang Kai was in High Heaven Territory, he could borrow the might of the Star Boundary to immediately warn the others stationed there. Once the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters arrived at the battlefield, Shi Zheng was cornered. His only option was suicide! Even if he could have stayed and fought to the death, the final outcome would not have changed at all under those circumstances. He might even end up being captured alive. In that case, a swift death was the best option available to him.
“After discovering Shi Zheng’s identity as somebody who had been corrupted by the Black Ink, we guessed that there might be more people who have been corrupted inside Lang Ya Paradise. There might even be a pure Black Ink clansman hiding in this place. The Seniors intended to come straight to Lang Ya Paradise to investigate everyone one by one; however, I believed that we would only alert the enemy by doing so. That is why I volunteered to take the initiative and see if I could infiltrate the ranks of those who have been corrupted by the Black Ink. If I can figure out who is an enemy and who is a friend, then I might be able to uncover the hiding place of the true Black Ink clansman. That would be the ideal outcome.”
“When I was at Lang Ya Star City’s Void Dock earlier, I was summoned by a Senior Brother named Zong Yu Quan. After chatting for a bit, I casually tried testing him just before we parted ways and confirmed that he had been corrupted by the Black Ink!” Yang Kai quickly said.
Gu Pan was shocked, “Senior Brother Zong has been corrupted by the Black Ink!?”
He nodded solemnly, “Black Ink… Eternal! That was what Shi Zheng mentioned before he killed himself. I don’t know what those words meant, but it’s most likely a firm belief held by the people who have been corrupted by Black Ink. Saying those words to Zong Yu Quan was nothing more than a whim at the time. I never imagined that Zong Yu Quan would respond to me in the same manner.”
Gu Pan understood, “Is that why you used the same words to test me?”
“That’s right. I didn’t expect you to be so decisive and imprison me immediately, Junior Sister!”
Gu Pan explained, “Honoured Master told me about the people who have been corrupted by the Black Ink, so I know about the existence of the Black Ink Clan; however, information on the Black Ink Clan has always been controlled within the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Even the non-Core Disciples in the Cave Heavens and Paradises will not know about these matters. On the contrary, you are not a disciple of any Cave Heaven or Paradise. That’s why I misunderstood you when you mentioned the Black Ink out of nowhere.”
“So, that’s how it is!”
“Senior Brother, this matter is very important. We need to report this to the Sect Master!”
Yang Kai frowned slightly at that suggestion and said, “I’ve thought of doing that, but what if your Sect Master has been corrupted by the Black Ink? All the people who have been corrupted by the Black Ink are currently hiding in the dark. There is no way for us to figure out their identities. The only person I can trust right now is you.”
Gu Pan hesitated before saying, “I don’t think that’s likely. If that was truly the case, then I would have been corrupted by the Black Ink a long time ago. You might not know this, Senior Brother, but Lang Ya Paradise’s Sect Master is my Honoured Master. He is also the one who told me about the Black Ink Clan.”
Zong Yu Quan’s talent and future potential were certainly not comparable to Gu Pan’s, who advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Nevertheless, even he had been corrupted by the Black Ink, so there was no reason why Gu Pan wouldn’t be targeted if that were possible.
After listening to Gu Pan, Yang Kai also felt that it was unlikely for Lang Ya Paradise’s Sect Master to be related to the Black Ink Clan.
“Zong Yu Quan has probably identified me as one of their own. If there exists communication between the people who have been corrupted by the Black Ink, then the news would surely have spread among them by now. If I go and visit the Sect Master at this time…” Still, Yang Kai couldn’t help hesitating.
However, Gu Pan argued, “Lang Ya Paradise has a Dao Temple in the Star Boundary, so it can also be considered as having a cooperative relationship with the Star Boundary. Not to mention, you are a Star Boundary Great Emperor. It’s only natural for you to pay a visit to the Sect Master after coming to Lang Ya Paradise. Even if the people who have been corrupted by the Black Ink learn about this matter, it should not be a problem.”
This was true. As a Junior and a Star Boundary Great Emperor, there was no reason for Yang Kai not to pay a visit to the Sect Master after coming to Lang Ya Paradise as that was just basic etiquette.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he nodded, “Then, I shall trouble you to make the arrangements, Junior Sister.”
“Come with me, Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai walked out of the bamboo building with Gu Pan. Afterwards, they soared off and headed straight for the middle of the three huge Spirit Provinces. Along the way, they passed by many people from Lang Ya Paradise. Most of them would stop and bow politely from a distance when they saw Gu Pan. It could be seen that a Core Disciple like her enjoyed a very high status.
All of a sudden, Gu Pan stopped and bowed to an elderly man who slowly approached them in the void, “Martial Uncle Yuan!”
The elderly man with the surname Yuan glanced at Gu Pan with a smile and nodded in greeting, “Martial Niece, are you looking for the Sect Master?”
She replied, “Yes, Martial Uncle.”
Nodding lightly, he glanced at Yang Kai and asked curiously, “Martial Niece, who is this? He doesn’t look like a Lang Ya Paradise disciple.”
She explained, “Replying to Martial Uncle, this is Void Land’s Lord, Yang Kai. Senior Brother Yang is an old acquaintance of mine who came to visit me while passing through Lang Ya Paradise.”
He was surprised, “Oh? You are Void Land’s Lord, Yang Kai?”
“Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Yuan!” Yang Kai bowed in greeting.
The elderly man with the surname Yuan stroked his beard with a smile, “You’re being too polite. This Old Master has heard your name often in recent days. From what I see, it’s true that talented individuals are born every generation!”
“You are praising me too much, Senior. This Junior is inferior to you in every way. It is impossible to compare with your prestige, Senior!”
The elderly man with the surname Yuan immediately looked pleased at being flattered and laughed loudly, “Boy, you have a keen way with words! Your future is promising indeed!” He then smiled at Yang Kai in a friendly manner, “If you’re not in a hurry to leave, you should stop by my residence. I have lots of fine wines. It’s a pity that I have nobody to share them with!”
Yang Kai nodded cheerfully, “If there are fine wines, then I can’t afford to miss this opportunity. I will definitely pay you a visit one day!”
The elderly man with the surname Yuan smiled in response and waved his hand, “Go on then. The Sect Master is free right now. If you go any later, he might enter retreat.”
“In that case, this Junior will take his leave now,” Yang Kai cupped his fist and continued forward with Gu Pan.
A short while later, Gu Pan sent a Divine Sense transmission, “Senior Brother, do you plan to go and sound out Martial Uncle Yuan?”
If that was not the case, he would not have answered so cheerfully.
Yang Kai asked, “Do you think there is a chance that this Senior Yuan might be corrupted by the Black Ink?”
Gu Pan pondered in silence for a moment before she shook her head, “I don’t know. Martial Uncle Yuan Du is one of the three Vice Sect Masters in Lang Ya Paradise. He is usually very kind and treats the disciples very well. His only weakness is that he likes listening to flattery a little too much. I hope he isn’t one of those who have been corrupted by the Black Ink.”
Yang Kai felt a little speechless. No wonder his casual flattery had made Yuan Du so happy just now. It turned out that Yuan Du liked receiving such praise. As for whether he had been corrupted by the Black Ink or not, there was nobody who could say for sure; after all, if Yang Kai had not come here today, Gu Pan would never have believed that Elder Shi Zheng was also one of those who were corrupted by the Black Ink!
The pair continued forward, and a short while later, they landed in front of a grand palace located in the central Spirit Province. Gu Pan walked inside with great familiarity and came directly to an inner hall. When she knocked lightly on the door, a stern voice soon came from within, “Enter!”
The doors opened slowly. Beckoning towards Yang Kai, Gu Pan took the lead to enter. The hall was not that large, and when Yang Kai looked up, he immediately saw a middle-aged man standing in front of an easel. He was holding a paintbrush in his hand and seemed to be wholeheartedly drawing something.
“Honoured Master!” Gu Pan called out softly.
“En!” The middle-aged man responded without lifting his head or pausing the movements of his hands.
Yang Kai took the opportunity to study the Sect Master of Lang Ya Paradise. Along the way here, he had asked many questions about this Senior and learned that he was called Li Yuan Wang.
Li Yuan Wang was at the peak of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, just one step away from advancing into the Eighth-Order. Even among all the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the various Cave Heavens and Paradises, he was ranked in the top tier.
Seeing him at this moment, his aura was certainly extraordinary. The paintbrush in his hand seemed almost alive in his hands, drawing a beautiful scenery in a single motion. Moreover, the paper spread out in front of him radiated with a faint World Force. This World Force was not the World Force that he mobilised, but rather it seemed as though the drawing itself had become an independent world.
When Yang Kai met Gu Pan for the first time, he had found it strange that she used a paintbrush as her weapon; such an artifact was very rare after all. Judging from the current situation though, it would seem that this was an influence from her Master, Li Yuan Wang.
Yang Kai waited quietly, observing Li Yuan Wang from time to time. Although Gu Pan could more or less confirm that Li Yuan Wang had not been corrupted by the Black Ink, nobody could say for sure. What if he had been corrupted by the Black Ink?
A long while later, Li Yuan Wang finally stopped painting. He took three steps back to study his work before he nodded repeatedly in satisfaction. Without even lifting his head, he called out, “Kid, come here. Tell me, how is this King’s painting?”
Yang Kai was startled when he heard those words, but he responded quickly, “Yes!”
Gu Pan hurriedly grabbed him by his sleeve and subtly shook her head at him, “Don’t go, Senior Brother!”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked at her in puzzlement.
She said nothing and simply shook her head with a troubled expression on her face.
Li Yuan Wang looked up at her and snapped unhappily, “What do you mean by that, little girl? This Master worked hard to produce this painting. What’s wrong with asking your friend to take a look? Hurry up and let go!”
Only then did Gu Pan release her grip on Yang Kai’s sleeve in a helpless manner. She also turned her head to the side, unable to bring herself to watch what would surely happen next.
Li Yuan Wang looked at Yang Kai with a smile, “This little girl has always made such a fuss over nothing. As her Master, I have failed to educate her well. Please do not take her words to heart.”
Yang Kai naturally denied those statements. Walking over to easel, which had been facing away from him the whole time, he finally saw the ‘painting’ and could only draw in a sharp breath of shock.
“How is it?” Li Yuan Wang asked earnestly from the side, “Hasn’t this King’s painting technique simply reached beyond the mundane and ascended to the highest heights?”
Yang Kai looked at the picture scroll in front of him as though it had picked up a dagger and stabbed him in the gut. The ‘masterpiece’ looked like it had a cloud of ink in the east and a drop of ink in the west, all smeared together in what could only be described as a chaotic mess. For a while, he didn’t know what to think and could only say quickly, “Senior, this painting is more. It has not just ascended to the Peak! It exceeds beyond and has reached the extraordinary! It shocks history and dazzles the present! There is a universe within this painting!”
[My conscience… it hurts! It feels like I’m going to suffocate!]
Gu Pan looked at Yang Kai with a shocked expression.
Meanwhile, Li Yuan Wang became absolutely animated, “That’s right! This King has cultivated his painting techniques for thousands of years. In this world, who would dare claim to be the best if this King claims to be second best?”
Yang Kai cupped his fist and said in a low voice, “I cannot speak about the future, but there are definitely no precedents to Senior’s painting skills!”
“En!” Li Yuan Wang nodded repeatedly while rubbing his chin and staring at his own painting. After a long time, he suddenly asked, “You mentioned that there is a universe in this painting. Tell me more!”
[Tell you what? Even the constantly wriggling Black Ink Smoke that is currently suppressed and sealed in my Small Universe looks better than this painting! No wonder Gu Pan tried to stop me from approaching earlier. She obviously knows her Master well. This painting is truly… an eyesore!]
“Go on! Why aren’t you speaking?” On the contrary, Li Yuan Wang did not seem to have any self-awareness and continued urging Yang Kai to speak.
Yang Kai’s impression of Lang Ya Paradise shattered immediately. [Even the Sect Master has such behaviour. It’s no wonder Yuan Du, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who serves as one of the Vice Sect Masters, likes listening to flattery so much! This is a prime example of the saying ‘If the foundation is crooked, the roof will be too!]
Yang Kai held his thoughts in for a long time, not knowing what to say in response. Gritting his teeth, he looked up at Li Yuan Wang and blurted out, “Senior, Black Ink Eternal!”
Gu Pan’s exquisite ears twitched slightly when she heard those words. She stared at her Honoured Master, watching for any changes in his demeanour while secretly drawing upon her World Force.
Li Yuan Wang stared at Yang Kai blankly. A long time passed before he asked curiously, “What did you say?”
Yang Kai quickly waved his hand dismissively, “It’s nothing! It’s nothing!”
The words had just left his mouth when a majestic World Force swirled and surged. The splattering-like drawing on the picture scroll instantly came alive, and the scattered patterns in the painting wriggled incessantly. With a flash of light, the world itself flipped upside down!
By the time Yang Kai and Gu Pan recovered their senses, they were no longer standing in the hall, but instead in some unknown world!
The light in this world was bizarre and the scenery was distorted. Yang Kai looked around only to see that nothing in this world was normal.
Li Yuan Wang was sitting on something that resembled a throne, not far ahead. He leaned forward slightly with one hand under his chin, staring at Yang Kai calmly, but with great hostility. Around him, terrifying bursts of energy emerged one after another to form sharp swords that hummed uncontrollably. Sword Intent permeated the air with overpowering murderous intent.
[This is the world within that painting!] Yang Kai immediately understood the situation. The painting really turned out to contain a universe inside! It was not until this moment that he realised he had underestimated Lang Ya Paradise’s Sect Master. The painting was not a random scribble. It was just that he didn’t know how to appreciate it.
Gu Pan stood nearby, feeling a little shocked. It was obvious that she had also realised the peculiarity of the world within the painting. She had always thought that her Honoured Master’s painting skills were terrible. Who could have known that he had such strange methods?
“Boy, what did you say just now? Can you repeat what you said? I didn’t hear you clearly,” Li Yuan Wang stared at Yang Kai with a sharp gaze. Naturally, he heard everything clearly and was simply seeking confirmation. Pretending not to know anything earlier was so that he could mislead Yang Kai in order to drag him into the world within the painting while the other party remained unguarded.
Yang Kai turned to look at Gu Pan. At this time, it was useless for him to explain, so it was better for her to speak instead.
Gu Pan understood and blurted out a shocking statement, “Honoured Master, Elder Shi Zheng has been corrupted by the Black Ink!”
Li Yuan Wang’s hostility froze abruptly. He could distrust Yang Kai, but he was willing to believe the words of his own Disciple; thus, he asked with a grim expression, “Where did you receive this information? Can it be trusted?”
She nodded heavily, “Senior Brother Yang witnessed it himself and came here from the Star Boundary for this very reason.”
“Tell me more!” He turned to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai quickly repeated what he told Gu Pan earlier. Li Yuan Wang’s expression changed, becoming more and more solemn.
It was not until Yang Kai finished explaining that Li Yuan Wang finally asked, “You managed to test Zong Yu Quan with those words, so you tried to test this King too?”
Yang Kai nodded, of course, he would never say that the main reason was that the terrible painting had rendered him speechless, so he randomly blurted out that phrase.
“Words have no proof. Open your Small Universe, this King wants to check for himself,” Li Yuan Wang stood up. He subconsciously believed that Yang Kai was not lying; otherwise, Yang Kai would not have come all this way from the Star Boundary for no apparent reason. However, this matter was related to the Black Ink Clan, so it was better to err on the side of caution.
Yang Kai felt helpless. His Small Universe had been checked too frequently recently. Unfortunately, this was the simplest and most effective method to determine whether the other party had been corrupted by the Black Ink.
Yang Kai opened the portal to his Small Universe and Li Yuan Wang’s Divine Sense immediately poured in. A short while later, he looked at Yang Kai in shock, “You sure are bold. I can’t believe you dared to suppress and seal the Black Ink Smoke in your Small Universe.”
Yang Kai laughed wryly, “If not for the World Spring, this Junior would not have dared to act so rashly.”
Li Yuan Wang nodded lightly, but just as he was about to speak, he heard Yang Kai saying, “Senior, it’s your turn now!”
His mouth fell open, “Huh?”
Yang Kai stared at Li Yuan Wang and said, “Senior, please open your Small Universe and allow this Junior to inspect it.”
Li Yuan Wang was so furious that he laughed, “You want to check my Small Universe?”
Yang Kai replied seriously, “That’s the only way to confirm that you have not been corrupted by the Black Ink, Senior!”
“If this King had been corrupted by the Black Ink, you would be dead by now!”
“That’s not true. Who knows? Maybe you’re just trying to misdirect us!” Yang Kai shook his head.
Li Yuan Wang looked at Gu Pan and pointed a finger at his head, “Is there something wrong with your friend’s head?”
Gu Pan replied, “Honoured Master, I would also like to take a look.”
Li Yuan Wang immediately looked heartbroken, “Xiao Pan’er, why are you being like this? Is it true that girls will always side with outsiders when they grow up? Your Honoured Master raised you up with such difficulty. Do you think it was easy?”
Yang Kai stepped forward and quickly interjected, “Senior, this matter is too important to simply brush aside. If you insist on refusing to allow us to check your Small Universe, then this Junior can only assume that you have been corrupted by the Black Ink and you do not dare to let others inspect you. If that is the case, please don’t blame this Junior for disrespecting you!”
Li Yuan Wang looked at Yang Kai with a smile, “What are you going to do if this King has been corrupted?”
“Those who have been corrupted by the Black Ink consider me their comrade now. If you and I begin fighting, then this matter will remain unresolved. Those corrupted by the Black Ink will surely become vigilant as a result. If you have not been corrupted by the Black Ink, then you will not want something like that to happen. Senior, please cooperate!”
Li Yuan Wang couldn’t help feeling a headache. Nevertheless, he had to admit that Yang Kai was right.
Now that Yang Kai had given Zong Yu Quan the impression that they were comrades, the latter would definitely have passed the message to the others who were corrupted. Therefore, they would alert their enemies and create needless trouble if a fight were to break out between them now.
Yang Kai could ignore these matters because he was not a member of Lang Ya Paradise; however, as Lang Ya Paradise’s Sect Master, Li Yuan Wang could not disregard such concerns. Gritting his teeth, he turned to look at the sky with a despairing expression, “Good! Go on! Look!”
While saying so, he opened the portal to his Small Universe.
Yang Kai and Gu Pan’s Divine Sense immediately poured into the portal.
Li Yuan Wang’s body shuddered as he woefully despaired, “The humiliation… To have my own Disciple inspect my Small Universe. Not to mention, there’s a man looking around inside my body! Ah! This King has been defiled!”
Yang Kai leaned close to Gu Pan and whispered in her ear, “Has your Honoured Master always been so dramatic?”
Gu Pan nodded with a complicated expression.
Yang Kai sighed, “It must have been hard for you while growing up!”
“Brat!” Li Yuan Wang roared in anger, “This King can hear you! I’m not deaf!”
“Hahahahaha!” Yang Kai withdrew his Divine Sense and nodded at Li Yuan Wang, “There are no problems, Senior.”
“Hmph!” Li Yuan Wang looked extremely upset. With a wave of his hand, the distorted scenery in their surroundings vanished, and the three of them returned to the room from before. He then looked at Gu Pan and warned her earnestly with a serious expression, “In the future, you should not interact so much with friends like this one. It is best if you cut off your friendship and never communicate with each other again, so as not to be led down the wrong path!”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened, “Senior, I’m not deaf either!”
Li Yuan Wang snorted, “So? Do you want to hit me? Go on then, come and hit me!”
“Honoured Master!” Gu Pan glared at Li Yuan Wang sternly, “Please show some propriety!”
Li Yuan Wang coughed lightly and clasped his hands behind his back with the air of a senior expert. He then spoke in a low voice, “At present, we know that Shi Zheng and Zong Yu Quan have been corrupted by the Black Ink. Shi Zheng is dead, and Zong Yu Quan is overseeing the Star City’s Void Dock. I don’t know how many more of their accomplices are in the Sect… This will be troublesome.”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “There is only one thing that we can be sure of right now, the people who have been corrupted by the Black Ink are unable to sense each other.”
Li Yuan Wang glanced at Yang Kai and nodded in agreement after a moment.
If they could sense each other, then Zong Yu Quan would definitely have sensed that something was wrong with Yang Kai’s identity. In that case, he would not have responded to the probe either. Needless to say, they did not rule out the possibility that he was simply playing along to lull them into a false sense of security, but his reaction had been very natural under those circumstances. He did not look like he was carrying out any nefarious plans.
In this way, it seemed Yang Kai would be able to hide himself and infiltrate the enemy ranks successfully.
Gu Pan looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Senior Brother, do you have a plan?”
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment, “The top priority is to invite the rest of the Seniors over. They snuck into Lang Ya Territory with me, but exposing their presence would make things inconvenient, so they remained hidden. If they join us, it will be easier for us to deal with those who have been corrupted by the Black Ink.”
Li Yuan Wang nodded, “I will handle this matter. Give me their location.”
Yang Kai immediately took out a jade slip. With a surge of his Divine Sense, he engraved the location of where Yu Xiang Die and the others were hiding in the jade slip. After that, he handed the jade slip to Li Yuan Wang. With the help of Lang Yan Paradise’s Sect Master, it would be easy for Yu Xiang Die and the others to quietly enter the core of Lang Ya Territory.
“Then, the only thing left to do is to identify those who have been corrupted by the Black Ink.” Yang Kai looked at Li Yuan Wang, “Senior, the Cave Heaven Paradises have some understanding of the Black Ink Clan, so do they not have a method to distinguish between friend and enemy?”
Li Yuan Wang nodded, “There is one!”
Yang Kai raised his brow, “What is it?”
Li Yuan Wang pondered for a short while before he spoke, “The power of the Black Ink Clan is treacherous, but also extremely hidden, so it is very difficult to detect. That is why our Ancestors developed a Spirit Array especially to identify those corrupted by the Black Ink Clan. It is called the Revealing Black Ink Array! All the Cave Heaven Paradises have this inheritance. As long as somebody who was corrupted by the Black Ink stands on the array, their identity will be revealed. That is how we can easily determine who has been infected. But, if we actually do that, we will also need to narrow down our inspection targets. You can’t expect me to summon all the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise and ask them to stand on top of the array for inspection.”
Yang Kai nodded. If they did that, it would be no different from inspecting the Small Universes of others. They would definitely alert their enemy to their movements. At the time, the identities of those who have been corrupted by the Black Ink would be exposed and a huge battle would break out among the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise. The situation would surely go out of control.
“That is why you will still need to infiltrate the enemy and identify who has been corrupted by the Black Ink!” Li Yuan Wang looked at Yang Kai, “In a sense, Lang Ya Paradise is pretty lucky. You immediately figured out Zong Yu Quan’s identity as soon as you arrived, so perhaps you can go from there!”
Yang Kai nodded “That’s what I think too. Hmmm. I will need you to provide me with a list of names, Senior.”
“What list of names?”
“A list of the names of all the people who were on good terms and had close relationships with Shi Zheng and Zong Yu Quan, including both the Sixth-Order and the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters,” Yang Kai said pensively, “I think we don’t need to inspect the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Even if the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are corrupted by the Black Ink, their value isn’t high. I don’t think they will be targeted.”
“Good!” Li Yuan Wang agreed readily, “I’ll prepare a list of names and have it delivered to you soon. Just stay with Xiao Pan’er for now and act as the situation requires!”
“Senior may rest assured, I will handle this matter diligently.”
“I’ll leave everything to you!” He suddenly cupped his fist at Yang Kai with a solemn expression.
Yang Kai responded, “You are too polite, Senior. I might not be part of a Cave Heaven or Paradise, but I understand the dangers of the Black Ink Clan. I may be helping Lang Ya Paradise, but it is also for my own sake.”
Li Yuan Wang nodded. All of a sudden, he turned around and warned Gu Pan, “Xiao Pan’er, take care of yourself. Don’t let any smelly man take advantage of you. If anybody dares to bully you, tell me immediately. I will beat him up on your behalf!”
While saying so, he glared at Yang Kai threateningly.
Gu Pan stomped her feet, “Honoured Master, just stop talking!”
[Having a Master like him is way too embarrassing!]
Yang Kai and Gu Pan returned to her private Spirit Province. An hour later, another person flew over. He was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and Gu Pan’s Senior Brother with a brave and heroic figure. Moreover, he had an extraordinary bearing on him.
Gu Pan introduced them to each other, and Yang Kai learned that the other party was called Dong Peng.
“Junior Brother Yang, I’ll leave this to you!” Dong Peng handed a jade slip to Yang Kai and lowered his voice, “Honoured Master asks that you be careful, Junior Brother.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Many thanks for your concern, Senior Brother. I will act prudently.”
Dong Peng nodded and patted Gu Pan’s small head before he soared into the sky again.
Yang Kai poured his Divine Sense into the jade slip, but after studying the contents, he couldn’t help scowling deeply.
Gu Pan asked in concern, “What is it?”
“There’s quite a lot of names. Take a look for yourself,” He handed the jade slip to her.
The names inside the jade slip were divided into two separate lists. One listed the people who had a close relationship and frequent contact with Shi Zheng while the other was related to Zong Yu Quan. There were nearly 100 names in total. In addition, all of them were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and above. Even those in the Seventh Order numbered as many as eight.
It could be seen from these lists alone just how deep the heritage of the Cave Heavens and Paradises was. The two lists covered only a portion of the Masters in Lang Ya Paradise, so just how many Masters were there in Lang Ya Paradise?
Written next to each name was not just the information on their respective cultivation, but also the positions that they held in Lang Ya Paradise. Among them, there were more than a dozen who were currently not in Lang Ya Paradise. They were probably out on missions, so there was no need to consider these people for the time being. Even so, there were over 80 people left! Yang Kai alone couldn’t check out all 80 of these people one at a time. Doing so would be stupid.
The phrase ‘Black Ink Eternal’ was a convenient method to sound out those who had been corrupted by the Black Ink. As long as the other party was corrupted by the Black Ink, they would surely respond to those words; however, if he simply went up to somebody and said these words, wouldn’t it be awkward if the other party was not corrupted by the Black Ink?
Therefore, this investigation method could not be used too frequently.
On top of that, according to Li Yuan Wang, all the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Cave Heavens and Paradises knew about the Black Ink Clan. They would definitely react in some manner if Yang Kai were to speak those words to them, regardless of whether they were corrupted by the Black Ink or not. Just like how Li Yuan Wang had taken him by surprise and detained him inside the world of the painting!
If Yang Kai wanted to discover the identities of those who had been corrupted by the Black Ink, then he would need to come up with a different method!
Zong Yu Quan was indeed a breakthrough point. Nevertheless, Yang Kai felt that he should not be in such a hurry to contact Zong Yu Quan. It would be inappropriate if he seemed too eager.
Besides, from Zong Yu Quan’s point of view, he had already recognised Yang Kai as his companion, so he was bound to contact Yang Kai even if the latter did not contact him first. Yang Kai would be able to obtain more information from him at that time.
After making up his mind, Yang Kai settled down in Gu Pan’s Spirit Province. There was nothing to do over the next few days, so he went around with Gu Pan and enjoyed the wonderful scenery in Lang Ya Paradise. There were countless Spirit Provinces, each one with its own unique features.
Such a scene, where a man and a woman were inseparable from each other, created many rumours. Many people secretly speculated that Core Disciple Gu Pan had some sort of relationship with Yang Kai.
In the beginning, they did not know Yang Kai’s identity; very few people knew about his arrival here after all. It was just that Gu Pan’s status was special, so he received quite a lot of attention for always being by her side.
After making several inquiries, the general public learned that he was actually Void Land’s Lord. In other words, he was the one who won first place during Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Dao Theory Assembly, embarrassing many Cave Heavens and Paradises in the process.
That was too much! Although Gu Pan held a high status in Lang Ya Paradise, due to her short cultivation time as well as her petite figure, she was considered a Little Sister who never grew up in the eyes of her many Senior Brothers and Sisters; therefore, her many Senior Brothers and Sisters took great care of and doted on her.
It would not have been an issue if Yang Kai and Gu Pan were in love with each other; however, the key point was that Yang Kai was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law! He was bound to marry into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven one day. [Why is he not standing guard for that seductress, Qu Hua Shang, and waiting for her to come out of retreat to complete their marriage ceremony!? Why did he come to Lang Ya Paradise to flirt with Little Junior Sister!?]
What’s more, Gu Pan seemed to be very interested in Yang Kai. She spent all day alone with him, bringing him to this Spirit Province to check out the scenery or that Spirit Province to watch the sunrise and sunset.
For that reason, many Senior Brothers were on the verge of despair. They felt as though the delicate flower that they nurtured and raised with extreme care was about to be devoured by a pig.
By some strange circumstances, while there were no clues regarding those who were corrupted by the Black Ink, the undercurrents began moving beneath the surface of Lang Ya Paradise.
On a certain day, Yang Kai was again following Gu Pan to one of the various Spirit Provinces. He had heard that there was a shopping district for the Inner Disciples of Lang Ya Paradise where many good things could be found.
More importantly, the person overseeing this shopping district was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master whose name was on the list given to Yang Kai by Li Yuan Wang.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little distressed. He had been waiting around for more than ten days now, but aside from confirming that Zong Yu Quan was one of those who were corrupted by the Black Ink, he did not have any other clues. The main reason for going to the shopping district was to see if there was anything wrong with the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master overseeing the area.
However, halfway through their journey, a stream of light sped towards them from an off-angle and blocked their path. This newcomer gave off the aura of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and had a tough and sturdy build. As soon as he appeared, he rudely looked Yang Kai up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.
“Senior Brother Zhong Fan!” Gu Pan glanced at the person who came and gave a bow before she asked, “Can I help you, Senior Brother?”
Zhong Fan was born with a fierce face, so he did not look like a good person from his appearance alone. Be that as it may, he squeezed out a smile at Gu Pan that could make a child cry in his best attempt to appear gentle, “It’s nothing. I heard that you had a guest, Junior Sister, so I came over to have a look.” When he turned to look at Yang Kai, his attitude was no longer courteous. He growled, “Are you Yang Kai?”
“Yang Kai greets Senior Brother Zhong!” Yang Kai bowed, feeling a bit curious. [Why is this guy called Zhong Fan blocking our way? Not to mention, his attitude… does not seem friendly!]
Yang Kai quietly compared the name against the name list and discovered that Zhong Fan’s name was not on it.
Zhong Fan waved his hand and roared angrily, “Who are you calling Senior Brother? Stop trying to get close to me! Boy, eat my hammer!”
Yang Kai was totally confused! [What? Why is he taking out his hammer!?]
He looked up only to see two large sledgehammers appearing in Zhong Fan’s hands all of a sudden. These two sledgehammers resembled ordinary iron tools but under the surging of Zhong Fan’s World Force, the sledgehammers abruptly swelled and became as big as mountains.
Zhong Fan raised one of the sledgehammers high into the air and slammed it down towards Yang Kai in a ruthless move. A furious roar came from his throat, “This King hates unfaithful men the most! If you want to play with Junior Sister Gu’s feelings, then you will have to get through me first!!”
The blow was so heavy that even if there was a mountain in front of them, it would surely shatter into pieces.
Gu Pan’s beautiful face turned pale as she shouted, “Senior Brother Zhong, stop!”
Before the words could leave her mouth though, a gentle force pushed out at her. Yang Kai had stretched out a hand to send her out of harm’s way. Meanwhile, he dodged to the side.
Zhong Fan’s attack subsequently struck nothing. When he turned around to look, he saw that Yang Kai had already appeared at another spot without him noticing.
Yang Kai stared at Zhong Fan helplessly, “Senior Brother Zhong, is there some sort of misunderstanding between us?”
Zhong Fan shook his head and raised his sledgehammer to attack Yang Kai again, “Misunderstanding or not, we’ll talk after I teach you to show proper manners!”
Yang Kai dodged again. The techniques that Zhong Fan cultivated were simple and straightforward. His personality was probably similar in that aspect. The two sledgehammers that were as large as mountains contained great power, but he held them effortlessly in his hands. Even though the power behind his attacks was great, that only mattered if he could hit his target.
If it were ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they might not come out unscathed in the face of Zhou Fan’s vicious barrage, but if Yang Kai, who was a Master of the Dao of Space, could not dodge these attacks, then he would have cultivated all his years in vain.
After missing repeatedly, Zhong Fan was livid, “Brat, you’re as cowardly as a mouse! How could a person like you even think to deceive Little Junior Sister Gu!? Junior Sister, you better open your eyes wide! You should never go after a man with so little courage!”
Gu Pan’s face flushed beet red as she stomped her foot and shouted, “What are you saying, Senior Brother Zhong!?”
“You’re blushing? You ARE blushing!” Zhong Fan’s rage burned even greater at the sight of the red hue on Gu Pan’s cheeks. His aura as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master rose steadily, erupting out of him like a volcano as a roar came out of his mouth, “Ahhhh! I’ll fight you to the death, you bastard!”
“Senior Brother Zhong, the relationship between Junior Sister Gu and I is not what you think!” Yang Kai tried to explain. He had to investigate the Black Ink Clan at the moment, so how could he be in the mood to fight with others? Much less a fight as meaningless as this one.
Not to mention, this place was Lang Ya Paradise. So, what if he won against Zhong Fan? Things would end badly for him if he made an enemy out of all the Masters in Lang Ya Paradise.
Zhong Fan was even more enraged, “How dare you eat then refuse to pay!? I’m going to crush you to death with my hammer, you brat!”
The blush on Gu Pan’s face had already spread to her neck, “Senior Brother Zhong, please stop talking!”
His voice was so loud that half of Lang Ya Paradise would have heard him by now. If rumours spread about this, she would never be able to prove her innocence!
Yang Kai sighed. [This isn’t getting anywhere. This guy is so obstinate. How did he manage to cultivate until the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!?]
Seeing as he could not get through the other party with words, Yang Kai decided not to explain with words. One of the sledgehammers was smashing down on him again, so he dodged and came to Gu Pan’s side. Reaching out to grab her by the waist, he manipulated Space Principles and instantly vanished out of sight.
“Where’d he go!?” Zhong Fan looked around wildly, but there were no signs of Yang Kai anywhere. After searching for some time, he confirmed that Yang Kai had escaped and roared at the sky, “You heartless thief! Come quickly and fight me to the death!”
In a remote Spirit Province, the figures of Yang Kai and Gu Pan reappeared.
Gu Pan looked at Yang Kai apologetically, “I apologise, Senior Brother Yang. Senior Brother Zhong has always been like this. I’m afraid he misunderstood after listening to some strange rumour. He does not have any malicious intentions.”
Yang Kai smiled, “I know. If not for that, I would not have held back just now.”
“Eh?” Gu Pan suddenly turned to the side, “Why are you here, Senior Brother Lin?”
Not far away, under a towering tree, a young man dressed in snow-white robes stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His back was facing them, and his head was slightly raised towards the sky. His posture was suave, but an air of melancholy lingered around him.
They heard him sigh softly, “The trees may prefer the quiet, but the wind refuses to stop!”
Yang Kai and Gu Pan exchanged glances with each other in confusion.
Senior Brother Lin continued, “I had no plans to participate, but since we encountered each other, it would be inappropriate to feign ignorance. In that case… Draw your sword, young man!”
After saying that, he stretched out his arm and a branch fell into his hand. In an instant, Sword Intent soared into the sky and the leaves of the towering ancient tree rustled noisily!
Countless fallen leaves rained down from above, and every leaf transformed into a sharp sword that swirled around the young man. There were at least tens of thousands of them.
Then, the young man raised the branch in his hand and pointed at Yang Kai with a burning fighting spirit!
Yang Kai’s expression naturally darkened.
Zhong Fan, whom he met earlier, had attacked him with a sledgehammer almost on sight, and now, this Senior Brother Lin whom he just met was asking him to draw his sword without any reason…
[Is there something wrong in the head with these Lang Ya Paradise disciples?] Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking of Li Yuan Wang’s eccentric personality and sighed in amazement. [If the foundation is crooked, the roof will be too.]
Senior Brother Lin’s Sword Intent burst into flames as he stared at Yang Kai with sharp eyes, “Sword Masters are killers. This Senior Brother’s murderous intent is too strong. That is why I don’t wish to attack you, much less bully the small and weak. For Little Junior Sister’s sake, I will give you a chance to answer my question. If your answer can satisfy me, then I may be willing to show mercy to you.”
Yang Kai asked helplessly, “What do you want to ask, Senior Brother?”
Senior Brother Lin glanced at Yang Kai before glancing at Gu Pan. Then, he questioned, “Can you be faithful to Junior Sister? I advise you to answer with a ‘yes’. If you answer with a ‘no’, then you will suffer some physical pain.”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Senior Brother Lin, I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood. Junior Sister Gu and I are not…”
Senior Brother Lin gave a long sigh, “Sure enough, you are a heartless thief who eats then refuses to pay! Pay with your life!”
The branch in his hand trembled slightly and thousands of fallen leaves transformed into Sword Dragons. His figure followed his sword, thrusting towards Yang Kai. Everywhere he passed, space was sliced open in his wake.
Yang Kai felt his teeth hurting. Immediately manipulating Space Principles, he grabbed Gu Pan and left with a flash.
“Where is he?” Senior Brother Lin’s attack struck nothing but air, and when he looked around, he couldn’t find Yang Kai anywhere. Thus, he frowned and pondered silently for some time before he let out a long sigh, “Who can be my opponent in this world? Life is as lonely as snow!”
After that, he went back to stand under the towering tree with his hands clasped behind his back and his head raised slightly to look up at the sky.
A fiery-red figure sped over from a distance and landed beside Senior Brother Lin a moment later. This person was a woman with a curvaceous figure and a stunning appearance. It was just that she was enveloped in a malevolent aura right now, and her entire body gave off the feeling that she could not be approached. It was a feeling that made others shudder in fright.
She landed nearby and looked around, her beautiful brow furrowing tightly. Turning to look at the only other person present, she shouted, “Lin Xuan!”
Lin Xuan turned around, but his eyes remained slightly raised towards the sky. He looked down his nose at the woman, “Oh, it’s you, Senior Sister Zhou. Can I help you?”
Senior Sister Zhou quickly said, “I heard that some bastard abandoned Little Junior Sister Gu after thoughtlessly sleeping with her. Who is it?”
Lin Xuan replied, “I think it was a guy called Yang Kai. He was here just a moment ago, but he ran away after getting beaten by me. He couldn’t even take a single blow.”
Senior Sister Zhou roared in fury, “Somebody actually did that to Junior Sister Gu!? Damn it! Where did he go!?”
Lin Xuan casually pointed in a certain direction, “I think he went that way!”
She nodded and soared into the sky, clearly intending to give pursuit; however, she soon turned around and came back. Standing in front of Lin Xuan, she studied him with a suspicious gaze.
He was confused, “Do you need something else, Senior Sister Zhou?”
“Why won’t you look at me directly? Are you looking down on me?” she asked coldly.
His head remained slightly raised, looking up at the sky, as he explained, “Of course not. It’s just that I made some mistakes while cultivating, so my meridians are blocked and I cannot lower my head.”
“So, that’s how it is!” She immediately understood. After staring at him for a short while, she suddenly reached out her hands. She placed one hand on his head and the other hand gripped his lower jaw.
Lin Xuan did not understand and thus asked, “Senior Sister Zhou, what… Gah!”
A strong force came out. Following a loud crack, his head turned half a circle. His head which was originally lifted slightly to the left was now lifted slightly to the right.
Senior Sister Zhou took three steps back and stared at him for a short while before she nodded in satisfaction, “This is much better! I’m going to teach that heartless thief a lesson!”
After declaring so, she took to the sky.
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan remained standing there. His appearance was dishevelled, and he was in so much pain that tears threatened to leak out of his eyes.
“There’s something wrong!” As Yang Kai and Gu Pan rushed through the void, numerous auras seemed to appear and disappear in their surroundings, giving Yang Kai the illusion that he was caught in enemy territory and powerful foes were lying in ambush all around him.
Gu Pan looked apologetic as she whispered, “Senior Brother Yang, I apologise. My Senior Brothers seem to have misunderstood something. It’ll be fine once I explain the situation to them later.”
Yang Kai just shook his head lightly, “There’s nothing for you to apologize for. I know I am innocent. Besides, those two Senior Brothers of yours are merely concerned about you. It’s not a problem. Huh?”
While speaking, he suddenly came to a halt. Two figures were coming towards them. It was a man and a woman, travelling side by side. The man was handsome and arrogant while the woman was beautiful and refined. Both of their movements were perfectly in sync, almost as if they came from the same mould. Even their breathing was the same.
What surprised Yang Kai even more was that these two seemed rather similar in appearance. They were most likely a pair of twins.
Those two approached Yang Kai and Gu Pan with a smile, showing no intention of stopping at all. It didn’t take long for them to arrive in front of Yang Kai, but before he could speak, the two newcomers abruptly began weaving around each other in a circular manner at lightning speed. They soon became a blur of figures that surrounded Yang Kai and Gu Pan.
Gu Pan exclaimed in astonishment, “Senior Brother Ri Hua, Senior Sister Yue Hua, what are you doing!?”
The pair did not answer, but giggling sounds soon entered Yang Kai and Gu Pan’s ears from their surroundings. The laughter that filled their ears sounded both enchanting and demonic and had the effect of disrupting their consciousness.
For a time, Yang Kai felt dizzy and groggy. Using all his strength to shake his head, he managed to suppress and dispel the effects of the noise, but when he looked up again, he saw that the pair of twins had already disappeared into the distance at a high speed. Their voices came from afar, “Hehe… Haha…”
The corners of Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he muttered, “What is with those two?”
There was no answer though. Surprised, he took a careful look around, but Gu Pan was nowhere to be seen. She had clearly been kidnapped by the man and woman pair at some point!
Watching the man and woman taking Gu Pan away, Yang Kai stood on the spot and rubbed his chin in contemplation. [Something strange is clearly going on. Are they worried that they might accidentally injure Gu Pan in a fight? Is that why they tried to take her away? Now that she is gone, will there be a mad torrent of attacks raining down on me soon?]
Yang Kai felt a terrible headache. His main purpose in coming to Lang Ya Paradise was to investigate the Black Ink Clan, so he was supposed to maintain a low profile. Why would he want to have any conflict with the Lang Ya Paradise disciples? It was just that the current situation was very troublesome indeed.
Not daring to remain in one place for too long, Yang Kai turned and sped in a certain direction. This matter had to be resolved with Li Yuan Wang’s help.
Unfortunately, before he could get far, the sturdy figure of a man appeared in front of him.
That man stood there quietly with a long sword in his hands, surrounded by an extraordinary bearing and majestic aura. More importantly, he seemed to be waiting for Yang Kai. When he sensed Yang Kai’s arrival, he opened his eyes and a flash of light seemed to cross their depths. He grinned at Yang Kai and declared, “I’m lucky indeed!”
Yang Kai frowned slightly and cupped his fist, “Void Land Yang Kai greets this Senior Brother! How should I address you, Senior Brother?”
The man answered dismissively, “Wang Gao Yang!”
“So it is Senior Brother Wang Gao Yang!” Yang Kai nodded and asked curiously, “Senior Brother Wang, how did you know I would be coming here? Why are you waiting for me here on purpose?”
Wang Gao Yang shook his head, “I didn’t, but if you ran in another direction, you would find Senior Brother Liu, Senior Brother Zhang, and Senior Brother Zhao waiting for you. That’s why I said that my luck is good indeed!”
“So, that’s how it is!” Yang Kai immediately understood. He had been surrounded on all sides like a dumpling. There were people stationed in all directions, so he was bound to encounter one of them no matter where he ran. He then frowned and said, “Senior Brother Wang, I’m afraid that there’s a misunderstanding. There is nothing going on between Junior Sister Gu and I!”
“I know!” Wang Gao Yang nodded lightly.
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “So you knew, Senior Brother Wang!”
[I finally met a normal person!] Yang Kai was filled with a sense of gratitude. [All the Lang Ya Paradise disciples are completely influenced by Li Yuan Wang. None of them can communicate properly. I’m so glad this Wang Gao Yang seems to be quite reasonable.]
“Since you know the truth, Senior Brother Wang, then…”
“It doesn’t matter whether or not it is a misunderstanding,” Wang Gao Yang interjected before Yang Kai could finish speaking. Raising his sword, he pointed at Yang Kai and said, “I heard that you’re strong! Zhao Xing of Thousand Birds Paradise died at your hands.”
Yang Kai replied grimly, “That was also a misunderstanding!”
The main reason for that incident was that Yang Kai had used too much strength and killed Zhao Xing by accident.
Wang Gao Yang grinned, “I like guys who can fight! Enough nonsense! Fight me!”
After saying that, he swung his sword downward. World Force surged, and a Sword Light sliced through the void towards Yang Kai like a whip.
Yang Kai pursed his lips with a speechless expression. He originally thought that he had encountered a normal person who could be reasoned with, but in the end, this person was still looking for a fight.
Space Principles fluctuated, but Yang Kai quickly noticed that something was wrong. Thus, he swiftly moved to dodge the Sword Light.
Wang Gao Yang moved forward with his sword, and with every step he took, he slashed out wildly. His fighting spirit burned brightly, and he roared with laughter, “How can we be unprepared when we know you are proficient in the Dao of Space? We only allowed you to escape earlier to get you to lower your guard. This whole region has been sealed with a Grand Array. Let’s see where you can run now!”
[Are all Lang Ya Paradise disciples insane!? Just to force me into taking action, they even went so far as to seal this space with a Grand Array?!]
While avoiding Wang Gao Yang’s attacks, Yang Kai earnestly tried to persuade the other party, “Senior Brother Wang, weapons have no eyes. You and I have no bad blood between us. Why must we fight such a meaningless battle?”
Wang Gao Yang turned a deaf ear. However, the Sword Light became more and more violent. In the end, his attacks turned into a raging storm that rained down on Yang Kai as he finally said, “The likes of Zhao Xing would not have survived more than ten attacks at the hands of this Wang. More than 2,000 years have passed since this Wang advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and I am only one step away from the Seventh-Order. The strength of my heritage is incomparable to that of Zhao Xing. Junior Brother Yang, if you dare to look down on me, then you will be the only one who suffers instead.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched at those words. This was his first time meeting a person who praised themselves during a battle. Be that as it may, what Wang Gao Yang said was true; it was impossible for Zhao Xing to be his opponent. Zhao Xing had only advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm one or two hundred years ago, so he could only be considered a newly-advanced Sixth-Order Master. On the other hand, Wang Gao Yang was a veteran Sixth-Order Master. He was not inferior to Mao Zhe and the others. In fact, he might even be superior to them.
Yang Kai sighed, “Senior Brother Wang, let’s stop here. I don’t wish to hurt you!”
The movement of Wang Gao Yang’s hands froze. Immediately after that, he roared with fury, “How dare you humiliate me!? I only planned to punish you lightly on account of your relationship with Junior Sister Gu, but since you have the gall to say that, I’ll deal with you properly!”
While speaking, Wang Gao Yang charged towards Yang Kai as the World Force of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master fluctuated violently.
Yang Kai let out a long sigh. Judging by the current circumstances, it was impossible to avoid this fight. The Lang Ya Paradise disciples even went so far as to use a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array. If he continued to avoid the situation, he would only become more and more passive. Compared to that outcome, he might as well go wild and reveal his true strength. That might make them back down instead.
He took a deep breath and reached his hand out. The Azure Dragon Spear appeared in the palm of his hand, and he quickly said, “Senior Brother Wang, if you insist on fighting, then please excuse my discourtesy!”
When the words left his mouth, the spear stabbed forward.
Wang Gao Yang’s eyes lit up, “Good!”
Sword Light surged and covered the entire sky; however, the excitement in Wang Gao Yang’s eyes quickly turned solemn before it was replaced by shock. That was because the Sword Light that filled the sky abruptly disappeared into nothing when it stabbed towards his opponent.
On the other hand, an extremely majestic World Force came from the front. This force caused him to feel an involuntary sense of suffocation.
*Hong hong hong…*
Following the sound of explosions, a violent force erupted and a brilliant light spread out. Wang Gao Yang’s figure was steadily pushed back.
[I’m not his opponent at all!] There was an incredulous expression on Wang Gao Yang’s face. He was at the peak of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. In other words, he was only one step away from the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
It was not as though there were no other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were stronger than him in Lang Ya Paradise, but there were definitely not many of them. He originally believed that he could defeat Yang Kai easily. Who could have expected this outcome instead?
[Is this really the strength that a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master can exert!?]
Every single collision shook his Small Universe to the core; moreover, the next wave of attacks slammed into him before he even had the time to catch his breath.
When Yang Kai first advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm outside the Shadowless Cave Heaven, even an existence like Mao Zhe was no match for him. Since then, how much stronger had he become compared to the past?
It was true that Wang Gao Yang was strong. Unfortunately, his strength could only be said to be on par with Mao Zhe, so how could he be Yang Kai’s opponent?
Beneath the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai could be said to be invincible. He even stood a fighting chance against a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master if he transformed into his Grand Dragon Form. Otherwise, he could not have lasted for so long during his battle with Shi Zheng.
Thanks to the protection of the World Spring in his Small Universe, there was no need for him to worry about it being shaken by the impacts from opponents in the same Order.
In contrast, Wang Gao Yang soon began to falter under the brutal collision of powers. His Small Universe became unstable, and the flow of his World Force became obstructed. Consequently, the power that he could exert was affected too.
Therefore, he looked extremely vexed. He had never encountered an opponent like Yang Kai before.
Under the never-ending attacks, he retreated steadily and hurriedly shouted, “Wait…”
“Get down!” Yang Kai ignored Wang Gao Yang and the Azure Dragon Spear slammed down wildly with the force of a falling mountain.
Wang Gao Yang raised his sword in defence. There was a loud explosion, then his entire figure plummeted like a falling meteor as he crashed downward.
As Wang Gao Yang was blown away, he didn’t forget to shout at the top of his lungs, “Yang Kai! How dare you abandon Junior Sister Gu after thoughtlessly sleeping with her!? I will never forgive you even if I die!”
The thunderous voice resounded across the void as Yang Kai’s expression instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
[This guy… Even after losing the battle, he does not forget to disgust me one last time!] He felt a slight twinge of regret. [I held back too much. I should have beat him up so badly that he can never speak another word again.]
“Bastard, I’ve finally found you!” A coquettish shout rang out at that moment, accompanied by a fiery-red figure who charged straight at Yang Kai. Without giving Yang Kai any time to react, a pair of tender fists smashed down on his head with an incomparably violent force.
This person was none other than Senior Sister Zhou, who met up with Lin Xuan earlier!
Rushing over from Lin Xuan’s place, she arrived just in time to see Yang Kai defeating Wang Gao Yang. She initially wanted to question Yang Kai thoroughly about the situation; after all, it would have been a happy and beautiful matter if Yang Kai and Gu Pan were in love with each other.
However, thanks to Wang Gao Yang’s remark, she immediately believed that Yang Kai had done something indecent, so how could she be in the mood for careful questioning? They could talk after she beat him up first!
Hence, a vicious wave of Fist Qi swept towards Yang Kai. He immediately held his spear horizontally across his chest in defence.
Following two consecutive explosions, he was sent flying backwards. An indescribably terrifying force ran rampant inside his body, causing the vitality in his chest to churn fiercely.
Meanwhile, Senior Sister Zhou was unforgiving. She stuck so close to him that it was almost as though she was his shadow. Her fists transformed into fist shadows that covered the entire sky, bombarding him indiscriminately with a series of attacks.
For a time, he was beaten so badly that he could barely react out of shock!
This woman who came out of nowhere was much stronger than Wang Gao Yang. Furthermore, her fighting style was simple but brutal. Her punches were not only fast, but each one was also packed with an intense Intent and the World Force of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Any ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be defeated quickly against this kind of opponent.
Having lost the initiative, Yang Kai could only defend desperately. Hundreds of punches struck his body in the short span of a few breaths, and he suffered so much pain that he grimaced.
Fortunately, her attacks did not seem to carry any killing intent. It would seem that she came with the intention of punishing him.
A short while later, Senior Sister Zhou stopped attacking and stood there looking at Yang Kai as she said coldly, “Follow me to go and meet Junior Sister Gu. You will obediently apologise to her and reflect on your mistakes, then you will write a letter to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to cancel your marriage with Qu Hua Shang. If you do that, then this incident will end here!”
Yang Kai shook his head hard, causing a series of cracking sounds to come from his entire body. Looking up at her, he grinned widely, “You are the first woman to ever punch me like this!”
The corners of her mouth lifted, “If you refuse to comply, then I’ll punch you even harder!”
“In that case, I’ll be looking forward to your performance!” A sense of aggression surged in Yang Kai’s heart.
Senior Sister Zhou’s expression became colder upon hearing those words as she asked, “Is Qu Hua Shang that great? You would rather take a beating than dissolve your marriage to her?”
Yang Kai shook his head in response and declared, “There is nothing going on between Junior Sister Gu and I. You are the ones who have misunderstood something!”
She gritted her teeth, “It might have been a misunderstanding if only one person had this misconception, but are you saying that so many people have misunderstood you? You really are a heartless thief after all!! Little Junior Sister is too naïve! Why did she fall for somebody like you!? Good! I’m going to beat you half to death! Let’s see if you will reflect on your mistakes when you’re lying bloody on the ground!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she charged towards him once more. Contrary to her expectations though, Yang Kai did not avoid her charge. He even put away the Azure Dragon Spear in his hands and raised his fists to meet her attacks.
In an instant, the two became locked in a brutal melee, their respective World Forces exploding out wantonly.
…..
“They’ve begun fighting!” In front of a Grand Hall, Li Yuan Wang stood with his hands behind his back as he looked out into the distance. His gaze seemed capable of breaking the barriers of space to clearly see what was happening far away. Next to him stood Gao Ting, one of the three Vice Sect Masters in Lang Ya Paradise.
Gao Ting was also looking in the direction of the battlefield, and upon hearing those words, she turned to look at Li Yuan Wang and asked, “Is this really okay? Yang Kai killed a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm in the past. The children in the Sect won’t be his opponents.”
Li Yuan Wang chuckled, “Of course they’re not his opponents!”
Gao Ting frowned, “Be careful, or you might break their confidence!”
“I want to break their confidence a little, lest they mistakenly believe that they are amazing just because they come from one of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. The 3,000 Worlds has been at peace for so long that the disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises are lacking in real training. They all believe that they stand above the others, refusing to look at those who did not come from a Cave Heaven or a Paradise. If turmoil breaks out one day, they are bound to suffer badly at this rate.”
Gao Ting’s scowl grew deeper, “Is the situation that serious?”
Li Yuan Wang shook his head, “It’s hard to say. Everything is murky right now, but it’s always better to prepare just in case.”
Gao Ting fell silent for some time and did not say anything else. She had initially wanted to stop this whole farce, but there was no reason to stop them if Li Yuan Wang, who was the Sect Master himself, planned to use Yang Kai for training purposes. Besides, facing some setbacks while growing up might not be a bad thing.
“How did the Ancestor respond?” Li Yuan Wang suddenly asked via Divine Sense.
Gao Ting replied, “The Ancestor said that you should go ahead with your plans. He will bear the responsibility!”
Li Yuan Wang nodded lightly, but his gaze was filled with pain, “Who knows how many people will die in Lang Ya Paradise? I hope not too many must be killed.”
…..
In the void, the battle was in full swing! All of a sudden, the two intertwined figures broke apart.
An unusual flush spread across Senior Sister Zhou’s face. She gritted her teeth and glared at Yang Kai, “I’m a woman! How dare you hit me!? I’ll kill you!”
Then, she lunged at Yang Kai with even greater ferocity; however, it didn’t take more than a few breaths for her to be sent flying through the void.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood alone with the air of a person who could hold himself against thousands of men with his strength alone and coldly snorted, “Next!”
A figure flew over and grabbed Senior Sister Zhou by the waist. He looked at her with a warm gaze and asked, “Are you okay?”
She turned away, refusing to let this person see the black eye she was sporting. In fact, she seemed rather bashful as she muttered, “I can’t beat him. This bastard might have a lousy character, but he is indeed very strong.”
The person who came exclaimed, “I’m going to take care of him!
“Be careful, Senior Brother Zhao!” She reminded him.
Senior Brother Zhao nodded and released his grip around her. With every step he took, the World Force aura around him became thicker as his momentum rose higher and higher.
Yang Kai turned to look at this person with a solemn expression.
Senior Brother Zhao stood ten paces in front of Yang Kai. His majestic World Force surging madly, pressing down on Yang Kai as though trying to put pressure on him.
Yang Kai remained motionless, simply standing there quietly as he stared at Senior Brother Zhao in return.
A short while later, Senior Brother Zhao frowned, “Why did you hit a woman?”
He initially wanted to use his rich World Force to intimidate Yang Kai, but who could have known that the other party would be so resilient in the face of his strength? It was only then that he realised his opponent was not an easy target. It made sense when he thought about it. If Yang Kai was such an easy target, Junior Sister Zhou would not have been defeated.
“Sorry…” Yang Kai suddenly muttered with resignation in his voice.
Senior Brother Zhao nodded in satisfaction, “It’s good that you can reflect on your mistakes! But, you shouldn’t be saying these words to me. You should say them to Junior Sister Zhou and Junior Sister Gu instead.”
Yang Kai said, “I’m saying it to you.”
Senior Brother Zhao was surprised, “Why?”
Yang Kai suddenly stretched out a hand. Mid-motion, his hand turned into a fist and he punched it out lightly as he shouted, “Cow Punch!”
Senior Brother Zhao instantly widened his eyes, reacting as though he had been struck by lightning. Opening his mouth, he spurted out a mouthful of blood and at the same time, his body staggered backwards.
Yang Kai sighed in a sorrowful manner, “Activating your World Force so recklessly will only reveal all your flaws to me! I couldn’t help myself. Sorry, Senior Brother!”
Yang Kai could only use his Cow Punch if he could trace back his opponent’s aura to its source. In other words, he had to track the other party’s World Force to their Small Universe in order to attack the latter directly.
In the midst of a fierce battle where World Force was moulded into attacks that were swiftly thrown at each other, it might have taken Yang Kai some effort to prepare; however, Senior Brother Zhao had recklessly and unscrupulously mobilised his World Force in front of Yang Kai. That was equivalent to pointing Yang Kai in the direction of the answer without the slightest concealment.
With one punch, Senior Brother Zhao was defeated!
All the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters watching this battle from the shadows were horrified.
They had witnessed Yang Kai’s battles against Wang Gao Yang and Senior Sister Zhou just now; hence, there was no denying Yang Kai’s strength. Even veteran Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like Wang Gao Yang and Senior Sister Zhou were not his opponents. Nevertheless, the strength Yang Kai displayed had still been within the range of their cognition.
On the contrary, this most recent scene was simply too unbelievable. Senior Brother Zhao, who was significantly stronger than Wang Gao Yang and Senior Sister Zhou, was defeated by a single punch from the enemy and suffered severe injuries on the spot!
[Is he really in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!? Isn’t he a Seventh-Order Master hiding his cultivation?!] Be that as it may, the energy fluctuations coming from Yang Kai’s body clearly indicated that he was only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Bystanders might not know why Senior Brother Zhao became injured all of a sudden, but Senior Brother Zhao himself understood clearly. Although that punch seemed almost powerless, a ferocious force had exploded within his Small Universe in that moment. It caused his Small Universe to shake and tumble, leading his World Force to almost go berserk as a result.
“Next!” In the void, Yang Kai looked around with a majestic and imposing air.
Many of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were eager to make a move earlier, had gone quiet now. Wang Gao Yang, Senior Sister Zhou, and Senior Brother Zhao had all been defeated; therefore, Yang Kai’s strength caused them to feel despair.
How could a cultivator who was not from any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises be so powerful? As far as they knew, the Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises had always been stronger than ordinary cultivators. That was because their heritage was different. Within the same Order, unless there was a huge gap in accumulation, the disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would always be stronger.
Therefore, all the onlookers felt extremely vexed inside their hearts.
Not only had Yang Kai toyed with the feelings of their adorable Little Junior Sister Gu Pan, but after thoughtlessly sleeping with her, he had the gall to abandon her! What’s more, he was unscrupulously and defiantly flaunting his strength in front of them now!
Even though they wanted to help seek justice for Gu Pan, they could not defeat Yang Kai. Going up against him would only bring more humiliation upon themselves. It was to the point where they had already disgraced Lang Ya Paradise completely at this point.
A figure stood on one of the Spirit Provinces, watching the scene from afar. He could not help frowning slightly at the sight. A short while later, he gave a small sigh. Taking a step forward, his figure instantly blurred in place. His movements were neither hurried nor slow, but his speed was extremely fast. By the time he took his second step, he was already standing in the void. On his third step, he had already arrived in front of Yang Kai. His black hair was dishevelled from the wind, but his figure was stalwart and upright. More importantly, his World Force surged fiercely around him.
Yang Kai turned his head to look at this person and grinned, “The heritage of the Cave Heavens and Paradises is indeed extraordinary!”
The people who came to challenge him were each stronger than the last. It started off with Wang Gao Yang, followed by Senior Sister Zhou, and then Senior Brother Zhao. And now, this person’s aura was even more powerful than the previous three.
“Senior Brother Le Mang! It’s Senior Brother Le Mang!” Somebody exclaimed from the shadows.
“Senior Brother Le Mang finally showed up! That bastard is going to get his just desserts!” Another person exclaimed in delight.
“How dare he bully the people of Lang Ya Paradise? That brat is too arrogant! He must be beaten so badly that he vomits three litres of blood!”
“Can Senior Brother Le Mang win against him? I just hope he doesn’t lose. That will really cause Lang Ya Paradise to lose all face….”
“Bah! Sect Master once said that Senior Brother Le Mang is the strongest person beneath the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm in Lang Ya Paradise! How could he possibly fail to defeat that brat!? Not to mention, Senior Brother Le Mang effortlessly took first place in the Sect’s Martial Arts Meeting 300 years ago.”
“True! Don’t hold back against him, Senior Brother Le Mang! Beat him up until his face is black and blue!”
When this Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master called Le Mang appeared, many Divine Senses surged and interweaved in the surrounding void as the others chatted passionately with each other.
Yang Kai glanced at Le Mang, “Looks like you’re quite popular in Lang Ya Paradise!”
Le Mang chuckled, “As the Eldest Senior Brother, I have to act like the Eldest Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai suddenly recalled the memory of his training in the Divine Armament World and nodded lightly, “I was also an Eldest Senior Brother for a time.”
Le Mang’s eyes brightened slightly, “I’m sure we will have many common topics to talk about.”
“For example?” Yang Kai looked at Le Mang with a smile.
Le Mang replied, “For example, enmity should be resolved rather than settled. In my opinion, this dispute is unnecessary. Why don’t you just apologise to Junior Sister Gu or something, Junior Brother? Then, we can exchange weapons of war for gifts of jade and silk instead. What do you think?”
Yang Kai shook his head and said, “I had no intention of starting a fight in Lang Ya Paradise. It’s just that your Fellow Brothers refuse to listen to my explanation.”
Le Mang said, “But, you have to admit to your mistakes if you made a mistake. In this world, it is normal for a man and a woman to love each other. If you can remain faithful to Junior Sister Gu, the Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters will not make things difficult for you. Junior Sister Gu is young and it has not been long since she started cultivating. In the eyes of us Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, she is no more than a little girl. Nobody is willing to let her suffer any grievances. If anybody were to wrong her, then that person will be our enem… gah!” Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly raised a hand to clutch at his eyes. He stared at Yang Kai incredulously, “Junior Brother, why did you hit me? I was still speaking!”
Yang Kai raised his fist, which was as large as a pot, and pondered in silence for a moment, “I apologise, I couldn’t hold back. Please continue.”
Le Mang glanced at Yang Kai suspiciously before he continued, “I’ve heard about you and Qu Hua Shang, but it doesn’t matter. You have not completed your marriage ceremony yet, so you can just write a letter to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to call off this marriage. The reputation of the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples is not very good. How can Qu Hua Shang compare to Little Junior Sister… guh… why did you hit me again!?” He clutched at his other eye and complained a little unhappily, “Are you planning to hear me out?”
Yang Kai was already lunging forward like a tiger rushing down the mountain as he grinned, “You can continue speaking, I’ll just start attacking…”
Le Mang was furious, “Won’t I suffer a huge loss then!?”
While speaking, he charged forward to meet Yang Kai’s attack. Their World Forces collided with each other, and their figures became entangled like spinning tops. For a time, they soared up, down, left, and right, their battle spreading out in all directions across the void.
The rumbling sounds of their battle rang out incessantly, and terrifying energy fluctuations swept out across the world. The two figures moved so fast that most people could not see how the battle was going. There was no telling who was winning and who was losing.
In just a few dozen breaths of time though, the two figures suddenly separated. One person stood proudly while the other collapsed in a miserable state.
The spectators anxiously turned to look in that direction, but the sight that entered their eyes made their blood run cold. The person standing tall in the void was none other than Yang Kai. On the other hand, the person who had been knocked down was the strongest Master beneath the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm in Lang Ya Paradise, Le Mang.
Le Mang’s pitiful voice came from afar, “I might not be able to win against you, but my words are logical and reasonable. Will you admit your mistakes!?”
Yang Kai ignored Le Mang and looked around his surroundings like an eagle staring at a pack of wolves as he asked in a grim voice, “Who else?”
Silence reigned as not a single Open Heaven Realm Master hiding in the shadows answered.
Even Senior Brother Le Mang was no match for Yang Kai, so who else among the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise could defeat him? Thinking about it again, during the battle between Yang Kai and Senior Brother Le Mang earlier, the winner was decided in no more than a few dozen breaths of time! In other words, the gap between their strength was immense. It would have been impossible for the battle to end so quickly otherwise.
It was difficult to believe that an outsider could be so arrogant in their home; unfortunately, Yang Kai was outrageously strong. The Lang Ya Paradise disciples were filled with rage, grief, and indignation. In the battle today, Lang Ya Paradise had been thoroughly disgraced.
“Hmph! Is there no one who dares to fight amongst you?!” Yang Kai declared arrogantly.
All the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise hiding in the shadows felt their faces twitch upon hearing those words. They were already filled with rage and indignation in the first place, but they had no choice but to admit that the opponent was truly powerful; after all, he openly won against the person who was deemed the strongest Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the Sect. That was why they could only hold back their rage no matter how humiliated they felt.
Nevertheless, on the Martial Dao, one generally grew braver after suffering humiliation! Not to mention, this brat just had to add fuel to the fire. He was being far too disrespectful towards Lang Ya Paradise. How could they bear such humiliation!?
“Everybody, attack together! Kill!” A furious roar came from the void and a figure emerged and charged straight towards Yang Kai. His expression was filled with a malevolent aura!
Immediately after that, the second figure emerged, followed by the third and then a fourth…
Yang Kai looked up and saw countless Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters charging towards him. There were people coming from all directions, and they surrounded him tightly in the blink of an eye.
He immediately broke out in cold sweat at the sight. Everywhere he looked, there were Open Heaven Realm Masters surrounding him with savage expressions. Some were threateningly pounding their fists against their palm with loud thudding sounds. Others were grinning at him ferociously while sliding their fingers across their necks in an extremely vivid and threatening gesture.
Forcing himself to calm down, Yang Kai shouted righteously, “Ganging up against me when you can’t win alone… Have you no shame!?”
Despite their anger, they were still Lang Ya Paradise disciples after all, so when Yang Kai questioned them in that manner, many of them looked embarrassed. That was indeed the case. Since they could not defeat him alone, then they could only use numbers. It would be bad for their reputation if word got out about this incident.
“He is a person who has no care for dignity and abandons a woman after thoughtlessly defiling her! He is worthy of public punishment!” Somebody roared furiously.
“Right! That’s right! All have the right to punish such an evildoer!” Somebody else quickly nodded in agreement.
“Don’t waste time talking nonsense with him! Attack together!”
As soon as those words rang out, countless Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters charged forward at the same time and buried Yang Kai in the blink of an eye.
A chaotic mess of World Forces fluctuated as the sound of punches and kicks rang out incessantly. Although many people were sent flying backwards, the openings this created were quickly filled by others.
Somebody who could not squeeze their way in from the outside became so anxious that they hopped from side to side. Whilst trying to squeeze their way in, they even shouted, “Senior Brothers, please move aside! Let me punch him once or twice to vent my anger!”
Yang Kai, who was being kicked and punched by the mob surrounding him, felt as though his lungs were about to burst from fury when he heard that statement.
If this were a life-or-death fight, he might have suffered a disastrous ending after being surrounded by so many people; however, he also might have been able to kill his way out of this encirclement. Regardless of the outcome, he would surely end up heavily injured while Lang Ya Paradise suffered countless casualties.
Unfortunately, this was not a real life-or-death fight. The Lang Ya Paradise disciples might be using a dishonourable method, but they held back in terms of their strength. One should not be fooled by how eager they seemed at the thought of slashing Yang Kai to a million pieces in order to relieve the hatred in their hearts. When they actually made a move against him, none of them dealt a serious or fatal blow. The force behind those punches and kicks could only cause him to suffer some flesh wounds at the most. Nevertheless, it was enough to teach him a lesson.
The kicking and punching continued, and there was no saying how many blows Yang Kai suffered with each passing moment. Fortunately, it did not matter too much since he had his Dragon Scale Armour to protect himself. These clothes were the manifestation of his Dragon Scales, so their defensive properties were extraordinary.
It was just that he could not protect his face. Some of the less scrupulous ones would specifically aim for this obvious opening, and the punches that struck him there left stars spinning around in his eyes.
“Hou…”
When a Dragon Roar rang out, a violent coercive force that was nearly tangible swept out in all directions. Numerous figures were sent flying, revealing Yang Kai who stood in the centre of the crowd that was besieging him.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s face was bruised, and his eyes were so swollen that they were no more than slits on his face. His entire appearance was a dishevelled mess. Glaring at the people around him angrily, he shouted through gritted teeth, “You’re all too much! Do you take this Yang as somebody who is weak and easy to bully!? If anybody else dares to take a step forward, then don’t blame this Yang for retaliating mercilessly!”
The countless Open Heaven Realm Masters who were pushed back earlier stared at him for a moment. Then… all of them charged forward again without saying a single word.
“Shameless!” Yang Kai cursed. His figure dropped downward all of a sudden. When he had fallen by several thousand metres, he abruptly turned around and fled in a certain direction to break out of their encirclement.
Numerous streams of lights followed closely behind him, sticking to him like shadows. Various Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques blasted in his direction as somebody even yelled, “Don’t let that bastard escape!”
He dodged their attacks desperately. It felt as though he had fallen into a sea of Lang Ya Paradise disciples, and there was no way for him to outrun the people chasing behind him.
After suffering the defeat earlier, Yang Kai no longer dared to remain in one place for long. He would only be mobbed by the crowd again if he was surrounded once more. No matter how powerful he was, he could not fight against so many of Lang Ya Paradise’s elite disciples. More importantly, there was no life-or-death hatred between them, so the methods he could use were severely restricted.
Lang Ya Paradise boasted an inheritance that lasted for countless years and had been listed as one of the 72 Paradises since ancient times. Be that as it may, there had never been a day when it was as lively as today in recent history.
On one of the Spirit Provinces, a group of weaker Lang Ya Paradise disciples were listening to the teachings of an Open Heaven Realm Master. These disciples were in the Emperor Realm and below. Although their cultivation was low, they were the future of Lang Ya Paradise. The Martial Uncle instructing them was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. His teachings were generally explained using simple terms so that the disciples could benefit from his lecture.
Just as he reached an interesting point in the story he was teaching, a stream of light rushed past above their heads at the speed of lightning. All the students looked up in confusion, but the one teaching shouted sternly, “The greatest obstacle in the path of cultivation is being distracted. You should remain focused at all times!”
“Yes!” The disciples replied respectfully and quickly returned to their seats to listen intently.
*Shua shua shua…* Countless streams of light flew overhead after, during which someone could be heard shouted, “Quick! Hurry up! Senior Brother is restraining that brat up ahead! The bastard dared to toy with Little Junior Sister Gu’s feelings and refuses to pay after eating!”
“What!?” The Martial Uncle instructing the disciples below became livid upon hearing those words. He stood up and yelled, “How dare somebody toy with Junior Sister Gu’s feelings!? Which shameless man dares to do that!?”
After saying that, he too rushed into the sky.
The disciples sitting below looked at each other. What happened to the words he said earlier about how the largest obstacle in the path of cultivation was distraction and that they should remain focused at all times?
The Martial Uncle instructing the disciples abruptly turned back and looked at the group of disciples, “This is the end of today’s lesson. Go back and cultivate on your own. This Martial Uncle has something important to do right now. I will resume the lecture tomorrow!”
He left again after saying that.
The disciples immediately exploded in discussion with someone saying, “Did you hear that? One of the Martial Uncles claimed that somebody toyed with Martial Aunt Gu’s feelings! Who is this Martial Aunt Gu?”
“I know!” A female disciple said, “It’s that Martial Aunt who advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and is expected to become an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the future! She has a very high status in the Sect!”
“Just who is so daring as to do something like that?”,
“I’m afraid that person will suffer a disastrous end!”
“Hmph! If I meet that guy, I will definitely teach him a lesson! I hate heartless thieves who abandon a woman after thoughtless sex the most! If I can get a lover, I will definitely cherish her for the rest of my life!”
“Who abandoned whom after thoughtless sex!? Tell me! Who abandoned whom!?” A voice suddenly rang out from behind the disciples.
The crowd looked over in surprise only to see a young man standing behind them. His face was so bruised and swollen that his eyes were no more than slits on his face; still, it was clear he was currently glaring furiously at the person who spoke just now.
“You are…” That person who spoke earlier looked suspicious. [I’ve never met this person before. Who is he?]
In the midst of his confusion, the swollen-faced newcomer raised a palm and slapped the one who spoke. A powerful force descended from the skies, and the person who spoke earlier was slammed to the ground with his limbs spread out around him.
“An Open Heaven Realm Master!” The disciples were horrified.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I hate people like you who chatter away so confidently when you know nothing! Junior Sister Gu and I are innocent! What do you mean by abandoning her after thoughtlessly sleeping with her!?”
[This is the person all those Martial Uncles and Martial Aunts are chasing! Why is he here? Then, who is the person they were chasing?]
One of the female disciples swiftly used a Secret Technique and screamed loudly without the slightest hesitation, “Martial Uncles, save us! That heartless thief is here!”
Although she was not particularly powerful, she was still in the Emperor Realm, so how could the Open Heaven Realm Masters nearby fail to hear her shout? The crowd had been chasing Yang Kai when they suddenly lost sight of him, so they were currently searching for his whereabouts. Upon hearing that scream, they immediately came rushing over. Countless streams of light instantly entered Yang Kai’s field of vision once more.
Yang Kai felt his entire body ache at the sight. Glaring at the female disciple, he was astonished to see that the other party actually returned the glare without showing any weaknesses.
“Good, good, very good! You are all too excellent for words!” He gritted his teeth and quickly turned to flee. Needless to say, he did not cause trouble for the disciples in the Emperor Realm and the Dao Source Realm. That would be too unreasonable.
Seeing as he was proficient in the Dao of Sace, Yang Kai could easily escape his pursuers with his Instantaneous Movements once he fled out of the area covered by the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array; however, it didn’t take long for them to discover his whereabouts again.
It was not that Yang Kai’s ability was poor, but rather that he was at an extreme disadvantage due to the overwhelming number of enemies. No matter where he escaped, he would soon be found once more. Then, it would only take a shout for the many hunting Open Heaven Realm Masters to come rushing after him again.
[This is a mess…] Yang Kai was feeling a little speechless. He only came to Lang Ya Paradise to investigate the presence of those corrupted by the Black Ink Clan. Not only did he have no clues regarding those corrupted though, but now he was running around like a rat in the streets with all of Lang Ya Paradise trying to hunt him down.
The attention on him was too great at the moment, so he had to lay low for a few days. It would not be too late to reveal himself again once the commotion had died down.
Needless to say, Yang Kai could not return to Gu Pan’s place. She would surely have many Open Heaven Realm Masters monitoring her, so if he showed up, he would simply be forced to run again. It would only lead to an endless cycle.
[But… the most dangerous place is also often the safest place.] After thinking for some time, Yang Kai quickly came up with a brilliant idea.
A short while later, Yang Kai sank to the bottom of the enormous lake in the Spirit Province where Gu Pan resided. He concealed his aura and pretended to be one of the rocks.
[Nobody will find me if I hide here, right?]
Thinking back on everything that happened today, Yang Kai felt extremely vexed. He came here for the safety of Lang Ya Paradise only to be hunted to the ends of the Earth by them instead. Not to mention, he was beaten up by a large group of Open Heaven Realm Masters. His face was still bruised and swollen from the encounter. [I will definitely have a talk with Li Yuan Wang about this matter. I’m going to make him compensate me dearly for my losses!]
From time to time, Yang Kai would sense the movements of several Open Heaven Realm Masters passing by overheard. It was obvious that the Masters of Lang Ya Paradise were searching for his whereabouts.
In the beginning, the frequency of the Open Heaven Realm Masters passing by overhead was very high; however, with the passage of time, the frequency slowly reduced. It could be seen that the Open Heaven Realm Masters were slowly calming down, so they stopped trying so hard to find him.
After a few days, Yang Kai finally stopped detecting the traces of Open Heaven Realm Masters passing by overhead. Thus, his worries were gradually laid to rest.
Senior Sister Zhou landed on top of a certain Spirit Province. There were several people waiting for her below who cupped their fists in greeting as soon as they saw her, “Senior Sister Zhou.”
“How is it? Did you find any clues?” She asked.
They shook their heads in response, “We can’t find him. That brat is too good at hiding. We can’t detect his aura at all.”
She gnashed her teeth at those words, “I heard from Junior Sister Gu that he is very skilled at the Dao of Space, and excelled at escaping. It would now seem that those words were true!”
“Senior Sister Zhou, let’s just forget it. He is a guest after all. Besides, it’s a fact that we can’t defeat him. Having so many Fellow Brothers bullying him together is simply unreasonable!”
She glared at the person who spoke, “Bully him? Just who bullied whom? That bastard doesn’t even put Lang Ya Paradise in his eyes. Did you forget who claimed that he was invincible in Lang Ya Paradise?”
The others lowered their heads at those words. It had truly been a humiliating experience whenever they recalled that scene. They had to acknowledge Yang Kai’s strength, but it was too much for him to claim that there was not a single person who could fight him in Lang Ya Paradise. If that was not the case, they would not have ganged up on him in the first place.
“But, even if we find him, there is no guarantee that we can do anything to him with our strengths,” somebody said, “We each have our own respective duties to complete. Despite searching for the past several days, our efforts have been futile and we only managed to accumulate a bunch of unfinished tasks as a result. That’s the reason why many of us have already given up the search.”
Senior Sister Zhou’s brow furrowed tightly. What was said was true. She had fought Yang Kai herself, so she knew just how strong he was. With their current numbers alone, they might not be his opponent at all, but she simply couldn’t bear this rage and indignity!
At that moment, the Disciple Token hanging at her waist suddenly flashed a burst of light. It was not just her, the same was also true for the other disciples. She was stunned as she muttered, “An announcement from the Master Sect…”
The Disciple Token was not just a symbol of their identity; it could also be used to pass messages and information between each other. If only her token had reacted, then it might have been somebody sending her a private message. However, everybody’s tokens reacted at the same time, which could only mean that it was an announcement from Lang Ya Paradise.
Holding up their tokens, they all poured their Divine Senses into them. A short while later, their expressions became strange.
Senior Sister Zhou couldn’t help bursting into laughter, “That bastard surnamed Yang, let’s see if you don’t die now!”
The others also looked excited, “It looks like his actions have enraged the Sect Master. That’s why the Sect Master is mobilising all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise to deal with him!
“Won’t that be bad?” Somebody hesitated.
“It is the Sect Master’s orders. What’s so bad about it? What’s more, if we can capture him, then we will have the opportunity to enter the Five Lights World for training! Don’t you want to go?”
“Of course, I do! How can I not want that? The last time Senior Brother Zhao entered the Five Lights World for training, his cultivation rose significantly! It’s a pity that too many people are waiting in line. Even if I could join the line now, it would be hundreds of years before my turn.”
“If you want that opportunity, then don’t hesitate! Let’s form a team. The Sect Master said that there is no limit to the means or the number of people who can act. As long as those who work together succeed at capturing Yang Kai, then they will all be given priority to enter the Five Lights World for training!” Senior Sister Zhou clenched her tender fists with a cracking sound.
“We will follow Senior Sister Zhou!” Several people quickly nodded in agreement.