Inside the Grand Hall, Li Yuan Wang held a steaming cup of tea in his hands. Blowing on his tea, he took a sip and swallowed with a gulp. It was a blissful feeling!
One of the three Vice Sect Masters, Gao Ting, glanced sideways at Li Yuan Wang, “Sect Master, doing this… Aren’t you going overboard!?”
Li Yuan Wang had sent a message to all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Gao Ting herself had also received the message, in which the contents were written as clear as day, “Void Land’s Lord, Yang Kai, displayed extremely defiant and arrogant behaviour recently. Not only did he come to Lang Ya Paradise and cause trouble, but his actions also greatly disgraced the Main Sect. Therefore, I order all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise to capture him quickly. There are no limits on the means or number of people involved. Moreover, anybody who has a hand in capturing Yang Kai will be rewarded with an opportunity to train in the Five Lights World!”
Gao Ting had been stunned upon seeing this message.
This entire farce started out as a small misunderstanding between the disciples. In addition, Yang Kai had remained hidden somewhere to avoid the limelight over the past few days. The Open Heaven Realm Masters pursuing him earlier were beginning to return to their positions and resume their duties, so it seemed that this farce was about to come to an end.
Who could have known that Li Yuan Wang would make a move at such a critical moment? How could the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise ignore the Sect Master’s orders? What’s more, the prize at the end was the opportunity to enter the Five Lights World!
At this rate, all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise would participate. Even the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might get involved…
“How is it going overboard? It’s perfect!” Li Yuan Wang continued drinking his tea without even raising his head.
Gao Ting sighed, “Sect Master, the situation is getting out of hand. I’m afraid it won’t end well.”
“It will be fine!” Li Yuan Wang smiled and waved his hand dismissively, “In fact, it would be best if things got out of hand. We can take advantage of the ruckus to catch a bigger fish…”
Upon hearing this, Gao Ting looked pensive and nodded after a moment, “I understand your intentions now, Sect Master.” Pausing slightly, he continued with a question, “But, Sect Master, are you sure you are not using official matters to exact your personal revenge? You should know that the rumours are just a misunderstanding, right?”
Li Yuan Wang chuckled, “Of course, I know. Don’t you think I understand what kind of person Pan’er is?”
Gao Ting looked at Li Yuan Wang speechlessly, [If you didn’t grit your teeth and look like you were about to tear someone apart when you were saying those words, I might have believed you! You’re clearly using this opportunity to get your revenge!]
It was true that the Sect Master knew that the rumours were just a misunderstanding; nevertheless, such rumours were damaging to Gu Pan’s reputation. It was only natural that he wanted to teach that brat a lesson.
Li Yuan Wang suddenly became serious, “I did this for two reasons. The first reason is that I want to muddy the waters further so that boy can work easily. The second reason is that I want the Lang Ya Paradise disciples to know what it means to always have somebody better than them out there.”
Gao Ting spoke against his conscience, “Sect Master is indeed wise. In that case, let us wait for good news.”
Beneath the huge lake, Yang Kai calmly lurked in his hiding place. He could no longer sense the auras of the Open Heaven Realm Masters passing overhead recently, so the storm was probably over; even so, he did not reveal himself so quickly just to be on the safe side. He planned to remain in hiding for a few more days.
However, all of a sudden, a large group of people radiating tyrannical energy fluctuations suddenly passed by overhead. Their Divine Senses were spread out into the surroundings, searching every corner of the area.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed at the sight as these people were clearly searching for him. [Why are they so persistent? This is so annoying…]
He was secretly glad that he did not reveal himself so rashly, or he would have faced another round of trouble; hence, he continued to wait in hiding.
Yang Kai soon realised that something was wrong though. Logically speaking, he had remained in hiding for so many days now that the Lang Ya Paradise disciples should have given up on their efforts by now. There were no life-or-death grudges between them after all. Even if he beat up a few people, they had returned just as many hits; therefore, they could be considered even.
Those who could cultivate to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were not petty and small-minded people who would go around recklessly forming blood feuds. In fact, there was a chance that they might become friends after exchanging blows.
Who could have known that Lang Ya Paradise would be so persistent? That was not all. The storm that had gradually subsided suddenly took a turn for the worse, and even more people began to search for traces of his whereabouts.
Above the lake, various powerful auras would pass by from time to time. Moreover, they travelled in groups ranging from two to five people. Most importantly, every single one of them was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
[What is going on?] Yang Kai was absolutely confused. After giving some thought to the situation, he took out a Communication Bead to ask Gu Pan about the current situation. He had the means to communicate with Gu Pan thanks to their interactions over the past few days, so his Divine Sense surged, and he sent the message out.
Inside the bamboo building, Gu Pan looked at the siblings, Gongsun Ri Hua and Gongsun Yue Hua, and begged, “Senior Brother Ri Hua, Senior Sister Yue Hua, please let me go.”
Gongsun Ri Hua and Gongsun Yue Hua shook their heads in unison. Gongsun Yue Hua said, “We can’t, Junior Sister. Our duty is to watch over you carefully and stop you from meeting that brat, lest you suffer losses again.”
Ever since Gu Pan was kidnapped by these siblings, the two of them had remained beside her without taking a single step away all this time. At present, she couldn’t even take a step out of this bamboo building, much less inquire about Yang Kai’s news.
Therefore, she was completely clueless as to what was happening to Yang Kai these days. It was just that there had been powerful energy fluctuations recently, but these energy fluctuations soon disappeared. After that, large groups of Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters had formed teams to search the area. In particular, the area around her Spirit Province was carefully searched. Many Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters would come to investigate from time to time.
Hearing Gongsun Yue Hua say this, Gu Pan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Senior Sister Yue Hua, there really is nothing going on between Senior Brother Yang and I. Won’t you just trust me this once?”
Gongsun Yue Hua replied, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but that boy has provoked public outrage and humiliated our Fellow Brothers and Sister. We need to find him and take revenge to regain our honour. Besides, the Sect Master…”
Gongsun Ri Hua suddenly coughed lightly, and Gongsun Yue Hua hurriedly fell silent.
Gu Pan looked from one to the other and suddenly felt an ominous feeling, “What happened with Honoured Master?”
“It’s nothing. Aha… haha… Junior Sister, don’t worry.” Gongsun Ri Hua waved his hand hastily.
At that moment, Gu Pan’s expression changed, “Senior Brother, Senior Sister, I want to take a bath. Why don’t you stand down for a bit?”
The siblings exchanged a glance with each other before Gongsun Yue Hua said, “Then, we’ll be outside. If you behave well, I’ll make something delicious for you later.”
If Gu Pan wanted to take a bath, then there was no reason for them to stay in the same room.
Gu Pan nodded. When the siblings departed though, she closed the room door and set up a barrier. Only then did she take out a Communication Bead. Unfortunately for her, before she could immerse her Divine Sense to investigate the message, a slender, jade-white hand suddenly reached out from the side to snatch the Communication Bead from her.
Startled, she looked up only to see Gongsun Yue Hua smiling at her.
Gongsun Yue Hua reached out a hand and rapped her knuckles on Gu Pan’s head, “Junior Sister Gu, I can’t believe you’ve learned to lie to this Senior Sister now!”
Gu Pan was stunned, “Senior Sister, didn’t you leave the room?”
Gongsun Yue Hua smiled and held up the Communication Bead, “Is this the Communication Bead to contact Yang Kai?”
“No, Senior Sister! Please return it to me!”
Gongsun Yue Hua shook her head, “If it’s a Communication Bead to contact him, then I can’t return it to you. I’m sorry, Junior Sister Gu!”
While they were speaking, Gongsun Ri Hua entered the room. The siblings seemed to be connected in mind. She tossed the Communication Bead to her Big Brother and stopped Gu Pan from acting out.
Then, Gongsun Ri Hua sat down and poured his Divine Sense into the Communication Bead to probe the message contained inside. A short while later, he raised his head and said, “It’s him!”
Gongsun Yue Hua asked, “What did he say?”
He replied, “He is asking Junior Sister Gu about the situation in Lang Ya Paradise. It seems that he is hiding very deeply, so he doesn’t know what has been happening outside recently.”
“Ask him where he is.”
He nodded lightly. With a surge of his Divine Sense, he sent out a message.
Beneath the lake, Yang Kai waited quietly for a moment. When he sensed a return message from Gu Pan, he quickly checked it; however, his expression immediately became strange. After pondering in silence for a bit, he replied to the message with one of his own.
Inside the bamboo building, the Communication Bead fluctuated slightly. Gongsun Ri Hua hurriedly checked the message, but he soon scratched his head in confusion, “What is he saying?”
“What’s wrong?” Gongsun Yue Hua looked over suspiciously. Gu Pan also looked nervous. She was worried that Yang Kai might expose his whereabouts because he was unaware of the situation.
With an affectionate look on his face, Gongsun Ri Hua slowly recited, “The mountains are picturesque, but they cannot compare to the small mole between your brow. It doesn’t matter even if the world is overturned, after all, it’s nothing but transient prosperity compared to you.”
Gongsun Yue Hua snapped with a dark expression, “I am your Little Sister! Who do you think you are talking to!?”
He quickly explained, “That’s what he said!”
Gu Pan was extremely surprised, “Senior Brother Yang said that?”
“That’s right!” Gongsun Ri nodded repeatedly.
Gongsun Yue Hua glanced teasingly at Gu Pan, “And, you said that there’s nothing between the two of you when he is spewing such cringe-worthy words? Although this brat’s character isn’t anything good, it seems he has a sweet tongue. Junior Sister, you’re too naïve. No wonder you were deceived by him.”
Gu Pan only wore an odd look on her face as she asked, “Senior Brother Ri Hua, what did you say to Yang Kai earlier?”
Gongsun Ri Hua replied casually, “Nothing much. I just asked how he was doing. I didn’t dare to ask where he was, for fear of alerting him.”
“What were your exact words?” Gu Pan demanded.
He scratched his face apologetically, “That’s the gist of what I meant.”
“The exact words!” Gongsun Yue Hua also pressed for an answer with a curious look.
Gongsun Ri Hua cleared his throat, “Are you okay, Senior Brother Yang? Did you get hurt?”
Gu Pan breathed a sigh of relief. Gongsun Yue Hua nodded and said, “That’s nothing.”
Gongsun Ri Hua continued, “…Xiao Pan’er, who deeply misses you!”
Gu Pan’s face instantly turned beet-red, and she stomped her feet angrily, “Senior Brother Ri Hua, I’m going to ignore you in the future!”
“What did I do wrong?” Gongsun Ri Hua didn’t seem to understand.
Gongsun Yue Hua pondered for a moment and shook her head, “There’s nothing wrong with that, right?”
“Oh? There’s another message!” Gongsun Ri Hua exclaimed and hurriedly checked the message.
“What did he say this time?” Gongsun Yue Hua asked quickly.
“He said, ‘Enter my heart (Xiang Si Sect) to understand the bitterness of my lovesickness (Xiang Si). In the long term, my lovesickness (Xiang Si) is forever. In the short term, my lovesickness (Xiang Si) is infinite!’ Huh? Which Sect is this Xiang Si Sect?” Gongsun Ri Hua looked confused.
“Moron!” Gongsun Yue Hua smacked her Big Brother mercilessly, “Those are flirtatious words. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. This brat’s mouth is as sweet as honey. Junior Sister Gu, be careful of men like him. Men with honeyed words cannot be trusted!”
Gu Pan sat on the edge of the bed, too exhausted and exasperated to explain anything. Nevertheless, she felt a little at ease. Seeing as Senior Brother Yang was answering in such a manner, then he must have noticed something was off; otherwise, he would never be so frivolous.
“How should we reply to him?” Gongsun Ri Hua asked.
“I’ll do it!” Gongsun Yue Hua volunteered and took the Communication Bead from the hands of her Big Brother. After pondering in silence for a while, she sent out a message with a surge of her Divine Sense.
Deep beneath the lake, Yang Kai held the Communication Bead between his fingers. He raised his brow at the message and murmured softly to himself, “Compared to a night of lovesickness… even the ends of the world are not vast enough to convey this loneliness! Who is this!?”
He could be certain that Gu Pan’s Communication Bead was no longer in her possession; otherwise, she would never have spoken in such a manner. Nevertheless, he was not worried for her safety. She was a Lang Ya Paradise Core Disciple. Even if she had been kidnapped by a pair of twins previously, Lang Ya Paradise’s main purpose was to separate him from her. They had no intention of harming her.
[To think they even tried to contact me by imitating Gu Pan.] Whilst he was feeling speechless, the Communication Bead received another message, “Senior Brother, where are you? I’ll come and find you!”
Yang Kai smacked his lips. [I guess they couldn’t resist asking about my whereabouts.]
After briefly considering his answer, he replied to the message.
Inside the bamboo building, Gongsun Yue Hua announced excitedly, “Found him!”
Gongsun Ri Hua quickly asked, “Where is he?”
She shook her head, “He doesn’t know his exact location either. There are countless Spirit Provinces in Lang Ya Paradise, so he does not know the name of the one where he is hiding. Even so, he gave us some clues.”
Gongsun Ri Hua grinned, “It’ll be easy with clues! Pass the information to our Fellow Brothers and Sisters and ask them to split up to search for him. I’m sure we’ll find him soon!”
Nodding in agreement, Gongsun Yue Hua quickly passed the message on to the others.
Inside Lang Ya Paradise, the Open Heaven Realm Masters who formed teams to search for Yang Kai’s whereabouts suddenly received a communication from the Gongsun siblings. They immediately became overjoyed after reading this message. Although the clues provided were not comprehensive, it was still better than how they were forced to wander around like headless flies right now. As long as they focused their search around the clues, they would eventually discover Yang Kai’s hiding place.
Many Open Heaven Realm Masters instantly began searching with all their might.
In just half a day, they found a Spirit Province that was very similar to what was described in the clues. The first team to discover the place was led by Senior Brother Zhao, who was previously severely injured by a single Cow Punch from Yang Kai. Senior Brother Zhao stared at the Spirit Province in front of him with some hesitation, “It can’t be, right? Is he hiding here?”
Another Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master on the team spoke through gritted teeth, “That brat is treacherous indeed. I can’t believe he was hiding here. It’s no wonder we failed to find him even after all this time!”
At this time, several other teams also arrived here in their search. It was obvious that they had been following the clues. Everybody looked at each other with slightly speechless expressions.
That couldn’t be helped. The Spirit Province in front of them belonged to the Sect Master. The Sect Master had an extremely hectic schedule, so he spent most of his time at the Main Conference Hall located on the central Spirit Province. Although he rarely returned to his residence, there was no doubt that this Spirit Province belonged to him. Under normal circumstances, nobody would dare to come here for no reason.
“Should we inform the Sect Master?” Somebody asked tentatively.
“That brat is as cunning as a fox. I’m sure he noticed the commotion when we rushed over. If we take the time to inform the Sect Master, he will surely escape. Let’s take action first and talk later. Once we capture the thief, the Sect Master will not blame us!”
“That’s true!”
“In that case, let’s begin!” Senior Brother Zhao shouted and took the lead to charge towards the Spirit Province. Everybody else quickly followed closely. More than a dozen Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters swarmed into the Spirit Province in an instant as their Divine Senses spread out unscrupulously, searching for traces of anything suspicious.
A short while later, even more Open Heaven Realm Masters who received the information rushed over. It was not just the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but also the Fifth-Order and even Fourth-Order Masters who had joined in. Even though Li Yuan Wang only sent the message to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, this matter was a raging topic in Lang Ya Paradise, so it was only natural for the news to spread quickly.
Upon learning that capturing Yang Kai would give them the opportunity to enter the Five Lights World for training, even the Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters wanted to try their luck. They could not dismiss the chance that they might be lucky enough to obtain that opportunity despite knowing that it was impossible for them to compete against Yang Kai. It was the opportunity to enter the Five Lights World for training! Normally, only Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had the qualifications to obtain the rights to entry.
In less than an hour, over 1,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered in the Spirit Province.
Li Yuan Wang’s Spirit Province was not considered a Restricted Area in Lang Ya Paradise, but few people generally came here; therefore, it was an unprecedented sight for over 1,000 people to gather in this place. Not to mention that every one of them was in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm and above.
In the beginning, they could be considered restrained and only used their Divine Senses to search for Yang Kai’s whereabouts; however, their methods became increasingly forceful after some time, so much so that they practically dug up the entire Spirit Province.
When Sect Master Li Yuan Wang received the news and rushed over, he saw that the once prosperous and picturesque Spirit Province had become a complete mess. The entire Spirit Province was broken and ruined. Looking down at the scenery below, his brow twitched violently.
When they noticed the arrival of the Sect Master, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters hurriedly bowed in greeting, “Greetings, Sect Master!”
“What are you all doing?” Li Yuan Wang asked grimly.
Senior Brother Zhao stepped forward and cupped his fist, “Reporting to Sect Master, we are searching for Yang Kai!”
Li Yuan Wang felt his chest tighten as he asked in a slightly higher-pitched tone, “If you are searching for Yang Kai’s whereabouts, then why are you searching my residence?”
Senior Brother Zhao replied, “We received solid information saying that Yang Kai is hiding here!”
“Huh?” Li Yuan Wang was surprised, “Where did you get this information?”
“It was sent by Junior Brother Gongsun Ri Hua and Junior Sister Gongsun Yue Hua. They seemed to have discovered the information from the communication between Junior Sister Gu Pan and Yang Kai.”
Li Yuan Wang mulled over this news and vaguely understood how the entire situation came about. He then asked with a stern expression, “Then… have you found him?”
Senior Brother Zhao shook his head, “Not yet!”
“Idiots, the lot of you!” Li Yuan Wang roared furious, “How can you not realise that you’re being led by the nose by the enemy!? How did my Lang Ya Paradise raise such fools!?”
Senior Brother Zhao was extremely stunned, “Sect Master, do you mean to say that Yang Kai is not hiding here?”
Li Yuan Wang was absolutely devastated as he shouted, “If he was hiding here, how could he possibly escape this King’s perception!? Even this King does not detect him anywhere, so how are you expecting to find him here!?”
Senior Brother Zhao bowed his head in contemplation. After a while, he suddenly seemed to come to a realisation, “Disciple understands now!”
Li Yuan Wang looked at Senior Brother Zhao, “What do you understand?”
“The siblings, Gongsun Ri Hua and Gongsun Yue Hua, have defected to the other side. In order to act as decorative thugs, they have deliberately spread fake news to confuse us!” Senior Brother Zhao quickly and enthusiastically declared.
Li Yuan Wang felt something hot and sweet rising up in his throat and nearly coughed up blood as a result. He then looked at Senior Brother Zhao in despair and earnestly gave a warning, “In the future, don’t lower your head when you walk!”
Senior Brother Zhao was confused, “This Disciple does not understand. Please enlighten me, Sect Master!”
Li Yuan Wang sighed, “This King is worried that the water in your head will accidentally spill out!” Turning his head to the side, he waved his hand dismissively, “Scram, scram! All of you get lost!”
When the disciples saw that the Sect Master was in a terrible mood, they quickly ran away in fear. However, Senior Brother Zhao continued to mull over the Sect Master’s words. Whilst walking, he shook his head and turned to the Junior Brother beside him with a puzzled look, “Do I have water in my head?”
The Junior Brother glanced at Senior Brother Zhao and answered cautiously, “Everybody has water in their head, right?”
“Oh!” Understanding seemed to strike Senior Brother Zhao; thus, he hurriedly raised his head so that his nose pointed towards the sky.
A figure suddenly appeared beside Li Yuan Wang. Observing the messy ground below, he smiled lightly, “Sect Master, about that stone you dropped before, does your foot hurt?”
Li Yuan Wang sighed, “That’s quite enough gloating! This is that brat’s first time here, so he couldn’t have known that this Spirit Province belonged to this King. Xiao Pan’er probably just told him about it when she took him on a tour around Lang Ya Paradise.”
Gao Ting nodded, “Now that he is being chased and surrounded by countless Lang Ya Paradise disciples, he is undoubtedly annoyed that you, the Sect Master, are not stopping their movements. That’s why he deliberately invited them here to annoy you.”
“I swear I’m going to get even with him!” Li Yuan Wang was livid.
Gao Ting revealed a look of admiration, “That boy sure is stubborn. Despite being in quite a bind, he refuses to come to you. Honestly, he could have talked to you about the situation and asked you to step forward to put an end to everything.”
Li Yuan Wang coldly snorted, “It’s not like he knows about the order this King issued!”
Gao Ting nodded lightly, “That’s true!”
Meanwhile, many streams of light raced through the sky above the Spirit Province where Gu Pan lived. A very large group of Open Heaven Realm Masters then landed in front of the bamboo building.
Noticing the commotion, Gongsun Ri Hua and Gongsun Yue Hua quickly walked out to investigate the situation, but both of them were taken aback by the sight that greeted them.
“Senior Brother Zhao, have you caught the thief?” Gongsun Ri Hua asked.
Senior Brother Zhao turned his nose up and squinted at Gongsun Ri Hua, “Traitor!”
Gongsun Ri Hua was stunned… [Huh? Why did I suddenly become a traitor?]
Before Gongsun Ri Hua could make sense of the situation, Senior Brother Zhao gestured with his large hand, “Beat him up!”
A large number of Open Heaven Realm Masters sprang out from behind and buried Gongsun Ri Hua under them in the blink of an eye. The sound of kicking and punching came out, mixed with the sound of Gongsun Ri Hua’s cries of agony!
Gongsun Yue Hua watched helplessly as her Big Brother was surrounded and beaten by so many people. She couldn’t help shuddering at the sight. Although she did not understand the situation, she didn’t dare to stop them either!
After a while, the crowd finally dispersed. Gongsun Ri Hua was beaten black and blue and left lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
“Let’s go!” Senior Brother Zhao waved his large hand and flew away arrogantly with a group of people following behind him.
“Just what is going on!?” Gongsun Ri Hua shouted furiously from where he lay on the ground with a badly swollen face. His Fellow Brothers suddenly came to beat him up and left just as abruptly as they came. These actions left him completely confused. [What happened to Yang Kai? Did they manage to capture him?]
Gongsun Yue Hua watched from the side in trepidation. It was fortunate that she was a woman, which made it difficult for their Fellow Brothers to hit her; otherwise, there would have been one more person lying on the ground right now.
Gu Pan hid behind Gongsun Yue Hua, looking apologetic. She had a vague guess about the situation, but she was in no position to explain; therefore, she could only silently apologise in her heart.
Above the lake, a team of three people suddenly turned back after leaving earlier. One of those three people was Senior Brother Zhao.
Senior Brother Zhao held his head high and glanced at the lake below him out of the corner of his eye. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he asked, “Has anybody checked the bottom of this lake?”
The two Junior Brothers beside him shook their heads in unison. The one that looked slightly younger answered, “Although nobody checked the bottom of the lake, many Fellow Brothers have passed by from above over the past few days. Their Divine Sense perception did not detect any abnormalities.”
Senior Brother Zhao shook his head and said, “We can’t be careless. Yang Kai is a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Not to mention, he is extremely strong. I’m certain he has some Secret Techniques to conceal his aura so that he can escape Divine Sense perception. It might not mean that he is not hiding here. Don’t people always say that the most dangerous place is the safest one to hide in? Junior Sister Gu is being placed under heavy watch here. For all we know, maybe that brat likes taking risks!”
The Junior Brother nodded repeatedly, “Your words make sense, Senior Brother Zhao! I’ll go down and take a look!”
“You can’t!” Senior Brother Zhao raised a hand to stop his Junior Brother, “You might be in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but you are definitely not his opponent. If he really is hiding underwater, then you will suffer a tragic fate if you go alone.”
Beneath the lake, Yang Kai held his breath and concentrated with a frown. The auras of the three Open Heaven Realm Masters above him were like bright lights in the dark night, so how could he not perceive them?
[Have my whereabouts been exposed? That shouldn’t be. I have not revealed any flaws. These three are probably hanging around for some other reason.]
Under the current circumstances, he did not dare to move about rashly. He was unfamiliar with the land and the people in Lang Ya Paradise, so finding a new hiding place would not be easy. If he was discovered here, then he would need to continue escaping.
A World Force that seemed rather familiar suddenly surged violently from above. Immediately after that, Yang Kai was astonished to discover that the water in the lake was seething fiercely. The water ascended all at once, as though there was an invisible force pulling it upward. In the blink of an eye, all the water in the lake became suspended in mid-air and the scenery at the depths became unobstructed.
High up in the sky, Senior Brother Zhao’s World Force fluctuated vigorously. He was holding his hands above his head in a lofty manner. It was obvious that the anomaly in the lake was caused by a Secret Technique that he used. The lake might be large, but such a feat was not difficult for a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him.
The two Junior Brothers by the side praised Senior Brother Zhao greatly, “Senior Brother Zhao, you are amazing!”
“Your skills are truly strong and powerful, Senior Brother Zhao! This Junior Brother is impressed!”
Senior Brother Zhao stood with his nose in the air as usual but humbly replied, “It’s nothing. These are just some paltry tricks… Huh?”
Before he could finish speaking, he glanced at the bottom of the lake out of the corner of his eye and noticed something. There was a familiar figure standing there, silently gawking at him.
The other two Junior Brothers also noticed Yang Kai at this moment. They were both surprised and delighted as they shouted, “Your genius truly knows no bounds, Senior Brother Zhao! That bastard really was hiding here!”
At the bottom of the lake, Yang Kai was feeling speechless. [How did you find me when I hid myself so thoroughly? They are not giving me the chance to have a peaceful and quiet life at all! I only came to Lang Ya Paradise for the Black Ink Clan and the people corrupted by the Black Ink. Just what sin did I commit for this calamity to befall me!?]
Looking at the instigator known as Senior Brother Zhao, Yang Kai was filled with resentment!
Senior Brother Zhao suddenly had an ominous feeling, but before he could react, he saw Yang Kai slowly throwing a punch in his general direction.
“Cow Punch!”
*Pu…*
His Small Universe was shaken by the impact. Consequently, fresh blood spurted out of his mouth and his aura slumped instantly. The whole scenario seemed strangely familiar…
“Senior Brother Zhao!” The two Junior Brothers nearby were shocked by the sight.
Before their voices could even carry far, all the lake water that was being suspended in mid-air by Senior Brother Zhao’s Secret Technique came crashing down. This was the result of his Small Universe being bombarded by Yang Kai’s Cow Punch. His Small Universe had been shaken so badly that his World Force could not flow properly.
When the huge amount of lake water came crashing down, the entire Spirit Province seemed to tremble from the impact.
Yang Kai’s figure penetrated the falling lake water and charged towards Senior Brother Zhao with an air of cold hostility.
Senior Brother Zhao’s expression changed drastically as he shouted, “Watch out!”
He struggled to mobilise his World Force and swung his fist at Yang Kai. Unfortunately, due to the severe shock to his Small Universe, he couldn’t even muster up enough strength to rival a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s power with this blow.
Yang Kai raised his hand and parried the attack easily. At the same time, he punched out and hit Senior Brother Zhao directly in the face.
A violent force erupted and stars burst out in Senior Brother Zhao’s vision as he plummeted to the ground like a meteorite falling out of the sky.
The reaction of the two Junior Brothers in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were not slow. When Senior Brother Zhao took the hit, they simultaneously attacked from both sides, using the best Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities they could in that short time, throwing everything they had at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai abruptly turned his head to look at the person on his left and grinned savagely. Under the disbelieving stare of the other party, he took the attack head-on just to close in on him.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was instantly shocked to the core! There were no life-or-death grudges between them, so he had held back in his attack; nevertheless, even if he held back his strength, he was still a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. No ordinary Master could have taken his attacks so lightly.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai had taken the attack head-on without flinching. The expression on his face barely even changed.
Therefore, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wondered whether he had held back too much. The power of his Secret Technique might have failed to come through as a result. Before the thought could finish forming in his head though, a fist slammed into his lower abdomen. An indescribably terrifying force burst out, and he immediately doubled over in pain, his complexion going pale.
“Get down!” Yang Kai flipped around and kicked his victim to the ground. That man crashed down beside the unconscious Senior Brother Zhao.
Having witnessed his two Senior Brothers suffering such a brutal fate, how could the remaining Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master remain ignorant of Yang Kai’s strength? In his desperation, he didn’t even dare to hold back his strength and fiercely urged the power of his Small Universe. His palms transformed into palm shadows that covered the entire sky, looming down on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai ignored the attacks and lunged towards the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Charging straight at the man, he easily countered the attack under the other party’s horrified gaze.
The two of them became entangled in battle, and their World Forces collided viciously. As soon as they exchanged blows with each other though, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master immediately felt an ominous sensation. The heritage of his Small Universe was significantly weaker than the other party’s. Such a reckless fight would definitely end in a loss for him. Unfortunately, he was stuck riding a tiger and could not get down. It was impossible for him to get away from Yang Kai now.
Three moves later, his complexion turned deathly pale and his figure became unsteady. Five moves later, he was seeing stars. His Small Universe was shaking uncontrollably like an ancient building that had just experienced an earthquake. Accordingly, his fighting ability decreased steadily.
“You get down too!” Yang Kai shouted and his palm came smashing down.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master screamed in agony and dropped straight to the ground. His fall created a large crater. Lying in the middle of the depression, he couldn’t find the strength to move at all.
Looking up at the young man descending from the sky, all three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Lang Ya Paradise lying side-by-side on the ground experienced a mixture of extremely complicated emotions.
They were all Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but the other party had defeated all three of them on his own in such a short span of time. Not to mention, it was an overwhelmingly one-sided victory. All parties had held back since they were not fighting a life-or-death battle, but even if it had been a real battle, these three were certain that they would not have fared any better.
[Is he really a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? Is there such a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? How is this possible?!]
Yang Kai landed in front of those three and clasped his hands behind his back. Looking down at them from above, he smacked his lips and asked, “Why did you have to do this, Senior Brothers? Would it kill you to leave me hiding safely below? Why did you have to force me to reveal myself?”
Two of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters looked ashamed, but Senior Brother Zhao remained resolute. Even though he was lying on the ground, his head remained raised slightly. He didn’t even look straight at Yang Kai and only glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes.
Yang Kai noticed Senior Brother Zhao’s posture and wondered, [Is he really that stubborn?]
Thinking about it again, this person had fought Yang Kai twice. On both occasions, he had been injured by the Cow Punch Secret Technique before he could even do anything. It was only natural that he felt resentful inside. After all, it was understandable for disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises to be somewhat prideful of their respective strengths.
At this moment, the Disciple Tokens hanging around the trio’s waists suddenly fluctuated with a weak pulse of energy in unison. They quickly checked the message, and a few moments later, Senior Brother Zhao sighed and said, “It’s our defeat, so we will withdraw now. In the future, we won’t cause any more trouble for you.”
“Quit what?” Yang Kai scowled deeply.
Senior Brother Zhao replied, “The Sect Master issued an order…”
“Senior Brother Zhao!” One of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters nearby quickly interrupted.
The people who successfully captured Yang Kai would obtain the opportunity to enter the Five Lights World for training. That was the order issued directly by the Sect Master himself; however, it would seem that Yang Kai was ignorant of the situation. Since he did not know, then it would be better to continue keeping him in the dark; after all, if the news were to spread that all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise had mobilised against a single person in their own territory, Lang Ya Paradise would undoubtedly lose a lot of face.
Yang Kai glanced at the one who spoke earlier before he turned to look at Senior Brother Zhao pensively, “Are you hiding something from me?”
The person who spoke earlier quickly denied, “No! No! It’s nothing! Junior Brother Yang, you’ve misunderstood me!”
“Is that so?” Yang Kai grinned savagely. Then, he formed a fist with one hand and an open palm with the other. Palming his fist, the thudding sound of flesh against flesh echoed as he approached them slowly.
“We’ve already lost. What else are you going to do to us?” All three of them turned pale with fright.
A short while later, Yang Kai stood in front of the three people whose faces were swollen and bruised and snarled through gritted teeth, “Li Yuan Wang, I’ll get you back for this!”
He never imagined that Li Yuan Wang would use him as a sharpening stone to train the Lang Ya Paradise disciples. Li Yuan Wang had even gone so far as to issue an order saying that the person who managed to capture Yang Kai would obtain the right to enter the Five Lights World for training as a reward.
This was something that had been puzzling Yang Kai recently. After hiding for a few days, it seemed like this incident was going to blow over and things were about to end peacefully. Contrary to his expectations, however, the storm suddenly kicked up again for some reason. The number of people searching for him increased dramatically. Moreover, they were much more enthusiastic than before.
It turned out Li Yuan Wang was pulling the strings all along!
The chance to train inside a Small Source World was an extremely precious opportunity even in the Cave Heavens and Paradises. How could the Open Heaven Realm Masters not go all out with such a reward being offered?
However, there was one thing Yang Kai could not understand.
[Li Yuan Wang knows the real reason I came to Lang Ya Paradise. Since he knows, why is he doing this? Isn’t it better to investigate quietly? Unless… He is trying to muddy the waters? It’ll be easier to blind the fish and catch them all in one fell swoop that way!]
All of a sudden, Yang Kai understood Li Yuan Wang’s ideas and intentions. [Even so, would it kill you to inform me beforehand!? You issued the order without even telling me anything! If not for my strength, the person lying on the ground with a swollen and bruised face would have been me instead!]
Li Yuan Wang’s order could not be concealed. Yang Kai was bound to learn the truth sooner or later. It was only out of this consideration that Senior Brother Zhao and the two others had revealed this matter to Yang Kai lest they suffer at his hands again.
Be that as it may, Li Yuan Wang had issued another order just now. Those who were defeated by Yang Kai would have to withdraw and could no longer participate in this training. There was no doubt that this order was beneficial to Yang Kai. He could not kill the Lang Ya Paradise disciples after all, so even if he defeated them, they could simply recover and make a comeback. If that were the case, it would only form an endless cycle.
[Is he planning to make me fight all of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise!?] There was no saying whether Yang Kai might be able to discover something in the process of fighting, but that was undoubtedly what Li Yuan Wang was aiming for!
It was not to say that this was not a valid method, but… Yang Kai could not help feeling very displeased. For some reason, he felt as though he had been used. Anybody else in his shoes would not have been comfortable with the idea either.
Fixing his gaze upon Senior Brother Zhao and the other two, Yang Kai suddenly thought of something and grinned.
The three of them had been beaten so badly by Yang Kai that they were now traumatised. Thus, they subconsciously shuddered in fear under his seemingly predatory gaze. Senior Brother Zhao, as the group’s leader, plucked up his courage and asked warily, “What do you want?”
Yang Kai responded with a straight face, “Don’t be nervous. You’re Senior Brother Zhao, right? Your Space Ring looks very exquisite. I like it very much! Can I have a look?”
Senior Brother Zhao couldn’t help widening his eyes at those words. [Isn’t this daylight robbery!?]
Most of his wealth was contained inside his Space Ring. If he were robbed of everything, then how was he supposed to survive in the future? Therefore, he immediately clutched at his Space Ring and yelled, “Don’t even think about it!”
[Since Li Yuan Wang wants to muddy the waters, then I am going to do exactly what he wants! However, I refuse to be used for nothing. Seeing as he made the first move, then he can only blame himself if I retaliate in kind!]
Nevertheless, robbing the Open Heaven Realm Masters of their Space Rings was a little too much. Even Yang Kai could not bring himself to do something like that. He only said that just to frighten Senior Brother Zhao and the others so that he could advance by retreating.
A short while later, Yang Kai came to an agreement with those three.
Senior Brother Zhao glared at Yang Kai furiously and snarled, “You’re deranged!”
Yang Kai snapped impatiently, “Stop complaining. Everybody, hand over a set of Sixth-Order materials or items of the same value! If you refuse, then I will hang you up like an offering to the Heavens on that Spirit Province over there!”
While speaking, he took out a bare tree trunk from somewhere and held it in front of him as though he was holding a flagpole. Moreover, the Spirit Province he was talking about was none other than the place where all the weaker Lang Ya Paradise disciples lived.
Senior Brother Zhao and the others couldn’t help feeling a bitter aftertaste in their mouths, almost as though they had bitten into a sour gourd. Unfortunately, they were helpless to fight back when faced with such an invincible enemy. If they were tied to the tree trunk on the Spirit Province in the distance, they would be seen by countless lower Lang Ya Paradise disciples. How could they hold their heads high in the future?
A set of Sixth-Order materials was certainly worth a lot. If these materials were converted into Open Heaven Pills, they would be worth at least 100 million Open Heaven Pills each. Be that as it may, this price was something that the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Lang Ya Paradise could afford to pay.
Comparing one’s dignity to one’s wealth, there was no doubt that the former was much more important.
What’s more, Yang Kai had previously planned to rob them of their Space Rings entirely. If he were to do that, then their losses would only become greater; hence, his price was not unacceptable to these three even though it was undeniably high.
Looking at each other, the three of them each took out some materials to hand to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grinned from ear to ear, “Senior Brothers, you are so magnanimous. This Junior Brother is overwhelmed by your favour!”
All three of them had cold expressions on their faces. None of them said a word as they sat down cross-legged to recover from their injuries.
Yang Kai took several steps forward before seeming to recall something. Digging around in his Space Ring for a while, he suddenly tossed a Spirit Pill to each of them, “This is a healing pill refined by Void Land. The effects are pretty good. You should give it a try, Senior Brothers!”
“Will this cost us money?” One of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters asked warily, clearly still traumatized by the banditry he had just experienced.
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment, “I can name a price if you’d like.”
That Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s expression darkened, and he looked like he wanted to slap himself on the mouth.
Yang Kai burst out laughing, “I was joking. Senior Brothers, please rest assured. This Yang is also reasonable. Since I have received proper payment already, I won’t trouble you any further.”
After saying that, he manipulated Space Principles and his figure vanished out of sight.
Once they confirmed that Yang Kai was gone, Senior Brother Zhao and the other two finally breathed a sigh of relief in unison. All three of them could not understand how the situation ended up like this. It was the Sect Master’s orders to use Yang Kai as the goal of their training exercise, but in the end, not only were they completely defeated, but they also had a set of Sixth-Order materials stolen from them in a twisted manner. It was absolutely heartbreaking!
The trio looked at the healing pill in their hands as though they were looking at a piece of stale chicken. Lang Ya Paradise had their own Alchemists, and the quality of the Spirit Pills refined by these Alchemists was naturally quite impressive. For that reason, they had no interest in the products of outsiders. Nevertheless, there was no denying that this Spirit Pill was something they obtained at a huge cost. Just throwing it away seemed like a massive waste.
Senior Brother Zhao hesitated for a while, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and tossed the Spirit Pill into his mouth. A moment later, he exclaimed in surprise, “The quality of this Spirit Pill… is surprisingly good!”
The two other Junior Brothers were a little surprised to hear his observation; therefore, they quickly ate the Spirit Pill only to discover that it was just as Senior Brother Zhao said. The effects of this Spirit Pill were certainly no inferior to the Spirit Pills refined by Lang Ya Paradise.
Senior Brother Zhao looked thoughtful, “It seems that Void Land has Alchemists with impressive skills!”
Unbeknownst to him, the Alchemy Skills of both the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor and Xia Ning Chang had improved by leaps and bounds after they advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The two of them had condensed their Dao Seals through the Alchemic Dao in the first place, so they naturally had a unique advantage in Alchemy.
Yang Kai suddenly appeared in front of a certain bamboo building. He had no other intentions in coming here. His main reason was only to inform Gu Pan that he was safe. There had been no communication between them since she was kidnapped by the twins a few days ago. Even the messages in the Communication Bead had been clearly sent by somebody who was impersonating her.
Inside the bamboo building, Gongsun Ri Hua sat there with his swollen and bruised face. Gongsun Yue Hua was helping him to apply medicine, but every touch made him yelp in pain. He screamed and cursed, “Those bastards are too hateful! I kindly sent them the information, so why did they come and beat me up!?”
That group of people had come without saying anything or asking any questions and left immediately after beating him up. After suffering this grievance for nothing, his lungs were about to explode from rage.
Likewise, Gongsun Yue Hua was angry, “Next time, we’ll teach them a lesson one by one!”
Meanwhile, Gu Pan sat quietly by the side. Although she had a vague understanding of the situation, she was not in the position to speak up.
At that moment, a familiar aura suddenly appeared outside the bamboo building. She immediately stood up, pushed open the door, and asked in concern, “Senior Brother Yang, are you alright?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m fine. Junior Sister, don’t worry!”
Upon hearing his voice, Gongsun Ri Hua rushed out from behind Gu Pan and glared at Yang Kai furiously, “Boy, how dare you show up here?”
Yang Kai glanced at Gongsun Ri Hua’s swollen and bruised appearance. Blinking in surprise, he suddenly took out a Spirit Pill and held it between his fingers. He waved the Spirit Pill about and asked, “Senior Brother, I have some good healing pills with me. I guarantee that they will cure all your ailments. Would you like one?”
Gongsun Ri Hua was taken aback for a moment. Unable to understand the reason behind Yang Kai’s actions, he shook his head in confusion, “No!”
“No, no, no! You do need it, Senior Brother!” Yang Kai insisted.
“I told you I don’t need it!” Gongsun Ri Hua replied impatiently. In the next moment, his expression changed drastically, “W-What… What are you doing!?”
*Hong hong hong…*
Following a loud commotion, Gongsun Ri Hua found himself lying on the ground, his condition was even worse than before.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was still holding the healing pill between his fingers. Crouching down, he looked at Gongsun Ri Hua and said with a sincere and happy smile, “Senior Brother, I’ll only ask once. Do you want this healing pill? Or, do you want this healing pill?”
Gongsun Ri Hua was on the verge of tears! It all started when a group of his Fellow Brothers came over and indiscriminately beat him up. He had only just applied some medicine and the swelling on his face had not even subsided, yet Yang Kai had suddenly come over and beat him up again!
[I’m a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! I can’t believe I was beaten up twice in the short span of less than an hour! There is no justice left in this world!] At this moment, he felt as though he was the most pitiful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the world.
“Yes yes!” He nodded repeatedly, for fear that his situation would turn bleaker if he dared to say the word ‘no’ again. It made no sense. Why would somebody in this world forcibly give him a healing pill? Just what kind of mentality was that?
Yang Kai’s smile widened even further as he stretched out his hand, “Please pay with a set of Sixth-Order materials or items of equal value!”
Gongsun Ri Hua turned pale from the shock, “This is robbery!”
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment, and then he nodded in agreement, “You’re right. This is robbery!”
[He admitted it! I can’t believe he admitted it!] Gongsun Ri Hua was immediately overwhelmed by Yang Kai’s audacity.
Even Gongsun Yue Hua couldn’t help covering her red lips with her hand, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.
“Hurry up! Don’t dawdle!” Yang Kai urged.
Gongsun Ri Hua hesitated for a while, then he recalled the horrifying and overwhelming strength that Yang Kai had displayed just now. He had to admit that even with his Little Sister’s cooperation, the two of them would be no match for Yang Kai.
It was bad enough that he had been beaten up so badly; however, if his Little Sister was also beaten in the same manner, she would not be able to lift her head high in public again. She was a woman after all.
Sighing heavily, he admitted defeat, “It’s my loss. Brat, don’t get too arrogant. There are so many talented people in Lang Ya Paradise. Somebody will definitely defeat you one day!”
Yang Kai grinned at Gongsun Ri Hua, “I’ll be waiting!”
Gongsun Ri Hua coldly snorted. Taking out a bunch of materials from his Space Ring, he handed them over to Yang Kai.
In response, Yang Kai tossed the healing pill directly into Gongsun Ri Hua’s mouth. He stood up and turned to look at Gongsun Yue Hua, who was standing behind Gu Pan all this time. He grinned and revealed a set of pearly-white fangs that flashed with a cold light.
Gongsun Yue Hua turned pale, “Junior Brother, do you still have more healing pills? I’d like to buy one too!”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “I like how you are so reasonable and easy to communicate with, Senior Sister. I have more than enough healing pills, so I’m sure I can satisfy your needs. How many do you need, Senior Sister?”
“Haha…” She forced a laugh, “One is enough.”
A short while later, both goods and money exchanged hands.
Yang Kai smiled happily and made his last sales pitch, “Senior Sister, if you need more healing pills in the future, please come to me!”
“Of course, of course!” She quickly responded.
Then, he turned to look at Gu Pan, “Junior Sister Gu, I’ll come and visit you when I have finished my business here.”
Gu Pan replied earnestly, “Senior Brother, please take care.”
Gongsun Ri Hua and Gongsun Yue Hua looked at Gu Pan speechlessly. [At this time, the one you should be worried about is not that bastard surnamed Yang! You should be more concerned about your Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, right? Can you not be so obvious about siding with the outsiders!? Who knows how many other Fellow Brothers will suffer losses after this?]
Although they could send out a message to inform the others about the situation, according to Li Yuan Wang’s previous orders, the two of them had already been eliminated from this training exercise. Besides, they would only be suspected of cheating if they sent out a message at this time.
Even though they were extremely unhappy with what Yang Kai had done, they had their pride as Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Lang Ya Paradise; therefore, be it Senior Brother Zhao and his two followers, or the Gongsun siblings, they quietly accepted the reality that they had been eliminated from the game and did not interfere further.
Yang Kai lurked quietly on top of a triangular-shaped Spirit Province.
This entire Lang Ya Paradise training had unfolded without his knowledge. As the ultimate goal of this training, he had to face all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise with his power alone. He might possess extraordinary strength, but he did not dare to claim that he would have the last laugh in this incident. Nevertheless, it was possible for him to obtain some benefits in the meantime.
At present, he controlled two large-scale Star Cities in Void Territory and High Heaven Territory, as well as several Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens in the Shattered Heaven. In addition, he also had the support of the resources in the New Great Territory. Be that as it may, nobody would ever complain about having too many resources.
A set of Sixth-Order materials each, with there being hundreds of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise! If every one of them ‘bought’ a healing pill from him, the benefits he would receive were bound to be rather considerable.
More importantly, the Good Fortune Divine Furnace required large amounts of materials. It was a bottomless pit that would never be filled no matter how many resources were thrown into it. That was why Yang Kai was bursting with motivation at this moment!
After a short wait, several figures passed by overhead. Their Divine Senses surged as they searched for any suspicious traces.
Yang Kai frowned slightly, [Why are there Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters mixed among this team? Aren’t they looking down on me a little too much? How can I tolerate this!?]
Thus, he rose straight into the sky and sped towards the group of four!
Among those four people, two were Sixth-Order and two were Fifth-Order. They were spread out in an awl formation to search their surroundings.
All of a sudden, a violent aura swept towards them from below like a tsunami and they immediately turned pale from shock.
Before they could get a clear grasp of the situation, Yang Kai had already charged straight into their ranks like an arrow released from the string. An overwhelming World Force swept outward at the same time.
The two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were instantly slammed by the impact. Their figures swayed and staggered unsteadily like small boats caught in the middle of a storm. When they hastily stabilised their figures and looked over, they saw that one of their Senior Brothers in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm had been punched in the chest. The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master immediately coughed up fresh blood, and his complexion turned pale.
[Isn’t that… too harsh?] Although they could tell that this punch would not endanger the life of their Senior Brother, injuries were inevitable.
The Senior Brother who was punched in the chest tried to fight back, but the attacker punched him again and again. After that, he dropped out of the sky like a broken paper kite. The World Force lingering around his body also became incredibly chaotic. That was a clear sign that his Small Universe had been shaken violently.
A powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master instantaneously lost all combat capability. It could be seen that the attacker’s strength was horrifying indeed!
The reaction of the other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not slow. He quickly blasted various Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques at the enemy, but he was not in time to change the fate of his comrade. Watching his Fellow Brother collapsing to the ground immediately flooded him with a mixture of fear and rage. Hence, he did not dare to hold back his strength whatsoever.
Be that as it may, his efforts were in vain. In less than ten breaths, he too screamed in agony and followed in the footsteps of his comrade.
Standing in the void alone, Yang Kai looked absolutely dominant. All of a sudden, he turned around to look at the two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Both of these two immediately turned pale as they felt like the abyss itself was staring at them!
“Run!” One of them shouted. Then, they immediately split up to the left and the right as if they had discussed it in advance. Even their two Senior Brothers in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were not Yang Kai’s opponents, so how could two Fifth-Order Masters like them possibly resist? At this point, their only option was to escape. Nevertheless, how could they manage that?
Yang Kai raised a hand and slapped his palm towards the two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as though he was swatting at mosquitoes.
A short while later, Yang Kai happily stood in front of the four battered people and said with deep concern, “Your injuries are terrible!”
The four of them were speechless. [Why are you mentioning the obvious? Besides, who gave us these injuries? I can’t believe he is shedding crocodile tears and pretending to be concerned! What a jerk!]
Even though their hearts were filled with grief and resentment, their strength was certainly incomparable to the other party; therefore, there was nothing they could say in return. They never imagined that a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could have such terrifying strength. It could be said that today they witnessed an eye-opening sight indeed.
One of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who seemed to be the group’s leader, coughed lightly and spoke, “Junior Brother Yang, your skills are amazing and your heritage is extraordinary, we admit defeat!”
Admitting defeat meant that they would be eliminated from this training event, and the chance to enter the Five Lights World for training would have nothing to do with them anymore. Although it was a pity, there was no helping it since they were weak.
As Lang Ya Paradise disciples, they had their own pride; therefore, they admired Masters like Yang Kai to a certain extent.
“My respects!” Yang Kai cupped his fist. Then, with a flip of his palm, a jade bottle suddenly appeared in his hand and he smiled and said, “This Yang has some good healing pills. Please give them a try!”
While speaking, he gave a flick of his wrist and four Spirit Pills flew out, stopping in front of these four.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who spoke earlier nodded lightly, “Many thanks!”
He thought that Yang Kai took out these healing pills due to a sense of guilt for hurting them, so he did not think too much about the other party’s intentions. They each stuffed one Spirit Pill into their mouths without a second thought.
“Hmm? This healing pill is pretty good!” He raised his brow in surprise.
One of the other Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters added, “The taste is also quite nice…”
Yang Kai suddenly reached out his hand, “That will be one set of Sixth-Order materials or items of equal value!”
“W-Wha…?” The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was taken aback.
Yang Kai’s expression became grim, “What’s wrong? Are you refusing to pay after buying something from me? Senior Brother, are you planning to rob me? This Yang might be alone, but I am not easy to bully!”
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was confused, “What did I buy from you?”
[Besides, who bullied who? It’s obvious that the four of us were bullied by you!]
The other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master looked at Yang Kai with a strange expression and asked hesitantly, “Junior Brother Yang, you can’t be referring to the healing pill, right?”
“What else could it be?” Yang Kai responded matter-of-factly.
The group of four were rendered speechless for a time, but in the end the first Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master eventually asked, “Junior Brother, were these healing pills not a gift?”
Yang Kai glanced sideways at the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, “When did I ever say I’m giving them to you? This item is extremely valuable. I was planning to sell it from the start!”
[A single healing pill is extremely valuable? There should be a limit to acting shameless!]
“Hurry up now! Even Senior Brother Zhao and the others bought this healing pill at this price, so you are no exception. This Yang has always been reasonable and fair when doing business!”
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was stunned, “Even Senior Brother Zhao bought this Spirit Pill?”
Yang Kai nodded, “En! The Gongsun siblings also bought a healing pill each from this Yang. If you don’t believe me, you can contact them and ask. I’m sure you have each other’s contact information, right?”
Judging by his expression, he did not seem to be lying. The two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters questioned in their hearts. [Could it be that Senior Brother Zhao, Senior Brother Gongsun, and Senior Sister Gongsun really bought these healing pills? How can the Senior Brothers and Senior Sister tolerate something like that?]
“Ahem, wait a moment please!” The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who started speaking first took out a Communication Bead. His Divine Sense surged as he tried to contact the other party.
“Senior Brother Zhao, this Junior Brother has a question!”
“Oh? Junior Brother Yu? What is it?”
Yang Kai claimed that you bought a healing pill from him. Is that true?”
There was no reply from Senior Brother Zhao.
“Senior Brother Zhao? Senior Brother Zhao, are you still there?”
“I’m here!”
“Is this true?”
“Uhh… That’s the gist of it!”
[What does he mean by ‘That’s by the gist of it’?] Junior Brother Yu could not understand the meaning behind Senior Brother Zhao’s words. Just as he was about to ask more questions, Senior Brother Zhao sent another message, “You should just buy the healing pill, Junior Brother Yu. Exchanging money to avoid disaster is better than being hung on a tree and put on display for all the Junior disciples to see. You can earn more wealth if it is lost, but you can never pick up your face if you lose it.”
[Hung on a tree?] In the midst of his confusion, he saw that Yang Kai had taken out a bare tree trunk that was a couple dozen metres tall at some point in time. Moreover, Yang Kai would occasionally glance over at them while fiddling with some rope, as though trying to figure out the most convenient way to hang them from the tree.
He couldn’t help shuddering in fear and quickly replied to the message, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Zhao! Please recuperate well, Senior Brother Zhao. This Junior Brother will visit you later!”
“You should recover from your injuries first!”
Putting the Communication Bead away, Junior Brother Yu looked at Yang Kai speechlessly. Then, he smiled bitterly and said, “Junior Brother Yang, you sure are good at doing business!”
Yang Kai looked proud, “Of course! How else could I have provided for my family if I was not? Have you understood the situation, Senior Brother?”
Junior Brother Yu nodded. Even Senior Brother Zhao had admitted defeat, so what else could he do? Helpless, he could only bring out resources that were worth a set of Sixth-Order materials and give them to Yang Kai.
Seeing this, the other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could only do the same.
Yang Kai happily received the resources, then he turned around to look at the two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Those two nearly burst into tears!
One of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that looked older said, “Senior Brother Yang, even if I gather all of my wealth, I don’t have that much! I haven’t swallowed the Spirit Pill. Why don’t I return it to you!?”
After saying so, he spat out the Spirit Pill onto his palm and tremblingly handed it back to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression darkened, “It’s all covered in your spit now. Who would want this? This Yang does not have a policy of accepting returns for goods I have sold!”
The Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wailed, “But, Senior Brother Yang, I really don’t have that much wealth! This healing pill of yours… I simply can’t afford it!”
Ordinary Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would be considered extremely wealthy if they had resources worth a few tens of millions of Open Heaven Pills in reserve; after all, they needed to cultivate constantly, so it was hard to retain any balance after buying cultivation resources.
Although a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from a Cave Heaven or Paradise would be in better condition and have more wealth than average, it was still impossible for them to have over 100 million Open Heaven Pills worth of resources just lying around. That was the wealth that belonged only to Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and above.
“That’s right, Senior Brother Yang! We are not trying to deceive you!” The other Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master joined in.
Yang Kai sighed, “I know you are not lying to me, and I also believe that you don’t have that much wealth. But, if you don’t have enough yourself, I’m sure you can borrow some…”
While speaking, he shot a sharp glance to the two people standing beside the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
All four of them were shocked! [Can you really do that!? Isn’t that a little too much!?]
“I don’t have much time. If you’re not willing to pay up, then I won’t force you either; however, I can’t say what kind of consequences you will face as a result!” Yang Kai quickly said when he saw that those two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were hesitating.
The younger Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master asked weakly, “Dare I ask, Senior Brother Yang, what are the consequences?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Have a guess!”
Although Yang Kai did not say anything specific, both of them had an extremely ominous feeling. If they did not buy this healing pill, something very bad would be waiting for them.
The older Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master said, “Senior Brother Yang, our cultivation is not as high as our Senior Brothers. We are only in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Can you… lower the price of this healing pill?”
“You get what you pay for, no? What does this have to do with your cultivation!?” Yang Kai glared.
[Don’t you feel embarrassed saying ‘you get what you pay for’!? Where in this world would you find such an expensive healing pill!?] Despite the retorts in their hearts, they did not dare to say a word. The two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters glanced towards the two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters hesitantly, “Senior Brothers, these Junior Brothers are in trouble. Please help us, Senior Brothers!”
The two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were having a headache. Unfortunately, things had already reached this point. In order to settle this matter, they could only provide a loan to their Junior Brothers. They could not watch without doing anything as Yang Kai hung their two Junior Brothers up on the tree like an offering to the Heavens, right?
“Many thanks for the generosity!” Yang Kai kept his things and smiled brilliantly, “Please focus on your recovery. I won’t disturb you any longer.”
After saying that, he turned and left!
Not long after Yang Kai departed, Senior Sister Zhou, who was dressed in fiery-red robes, rushed over with a group of people. She was shocked to see the four of them with bruised and swollen faces. Not to mention, they looked as depressed as grieving widows, “What happened to you?”
The older Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wept bitterly, “Senior Sister Zhou, why did you only come now…”
“What happened?” She asked with a frown.
Junior Brother Yu sighed, “Yang Kai wounded us, then forcibly sold us a healing pill each!”
Senior Sister Zhou was livid, “How dare he do something like that!?”
However, thinking about it again, it seemed plausible. When she went to cause trouble for him previously, he had not held back either. If that was the case for a woman like her, it only went to show Yang Kai’s brutal nature.
Senior Sister Zhou glanced at Junior Brother Yu again, “Did you say that Yang Kai sold you some healing pills?”
Junior Brother Yu nodded.
She was puzzled, “Why would he sell you healing pills? Is he that kind-hearted?”
Junior Brother Yu replied in a distressed tone, “It’s not out of kindness! Senior Sister Zhou, you don’t understand. That healing pill of his cost each of us a set of Sixth-Order materials!”
“What!?” She was absolutely taken aback. [What kind of healing pill is worth a set of Sixth-Order materials!? That’s over a 100 million Open Heaven Pills per pill!]
Only then did she understand the situation, “He’s selling by compulsion!?”
“That’s right! That’s right!” Junior Brother Yu and the others nodded repeatedly, “It’s not just us. Even Senior Brother Zhao and Senior Brother and Sister Gongsun have been forced to buy those healing pills.”
“Damn!” Senior Sister Zhou gnashed her teeth furiously, “It’s bad enough that he came to Lang Ya Paradise and bullied our disciples. I can’t believe he even uses such a despicable method to make money! Does he think that there is nobody in Lang Ya Paradise that can defeat him!?”
The older Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master added, “Senior Sister Zhou, please take revenge for us!”
She snorted, “Rest assured, he better not let me find him. If I meet him, I will definitely beat him up so badly that even Junior Sister Gu cannot recognise him! At that time, you should sell some healing pills to him!”
He was overjoyed to hear those words, “We’ll be relying on you, Senior Sister Zhou!”
She glanced at them and waved her hand dismissively, “Since you have been defeated by Yang Kai, you should focus on your recovery. Don’t interfere in this exercise anymore.”
“Yes!” They responded politely.
Afterwards, Senior Sister Zhou led her team into the sky and soon vanished out of sight.
A young man in her team spoke up all of a sudden, “Senior Sister Zhou, is Yang Kai really that strong? There were two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Junior Brother Yu’s team. How could they fail to be his opponent when they are fighting two against one?”
Senior Sister Zhou frowned in contemplation for a moment before she answered, “That guy is definitely the strongest Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that I’ve ever met in my life. Even Senior Brother Le Mang is not his opponent. Don’t you dare let down your guard.”
Everybody was shocked by what they heard. Although they heard the rumours that Senior Brother Le Mang had been defeated by Yang Kai, they had not witnessed the situation with their own eyes and were not aware of what transpired at the time. They even assumed that the rumours were exaggerated and misrepresented. They knew Senior Brother Le Mang’s strength after all. How could he be defeated by somebody in the same Order? It was not until they received confirmation from Senior Sister Zhou that they realised the rumours were true.
The person who spoke earlier said, “If that’s the case, then even if we encountered Yang Kai, we might not be able to defeat him!”
They had three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in their team. Nevertheless, based on Yang Kai’s previous performances, they would suffer a miserable fate even if they ran into him with such a force Kai.
Senior Sister Zhou replied, “It doesn’t matter. If we encounter him, then we only need to delay him. I’m sure our Fellow Brothers and Sisters will quickly come to our aid. At that time, he will have nowhere to escape!”
They nodded at her words.
“Where should we go now, Senior Sister Zhou?”
She said, “Yang Kai is proficient in the Dao of Space and excels at escaping. He just defeated Junior Brother Yu and the others not long ago, so he definitely escaped towards the other side of Lang Ya Paradise. Let’s go and search for him there!”
“Senior Sister Zhou, your plan is brilliant! I’m sure we’ll be able to locate Yang Kai now!”
…..
At the place where Junior Brother Yu and the others were recovering, the four of them sat down cross-legged and meditated on the spot. Yang Kai’s attacks earlier were quite heavy. Although they still retained some mobility, it was not easy for them to move around at the moment; therefore, they planned to recuperate for a while before heading back to their respective homes.
Not long after Senior Sister Zhou departed though, two others passed by in the sky overhead. They quickly landed after seeing the four people below. When they saw the miserable condition of Junior Brother Yu and the others, both of them were completely shocked.
One of them asked, “Junior Brother Yu, what happened to you?”
Junior Brother Yu opened his eyes with a sheepish expression on his face, “Senior Brother Wang, Senior Brother Ye, my apologies for showing you such an embarrassing sight.”
Senior Brother Wang looked pensive, “Don’t tell me; did you Junior Brothers encounter Yang Kai?”
If not for that case, there was no other explanation for the situation in front of them. The two of them quietly observed the situation and were shocked. It turned out that Yang Kai had attacked quite ruthlessly!
Junior Brother Yu nodded in embarrassment, but just as he was about to describe what happened, he suddenly looked behind the two newcomers with an expression of fear and terror. They also noticed that something was wrong at the same time and hastily surged the power of their Small Universes to defend themselves.
However, they felt a violent force coming towards them from behind before they could even turn around and were instantly swept up by it. Despite fighting back desperately, they were no match for this force and their Small Universes were instantly shaken, causing them to see stars spinning around in their vision.
A short while later, Yang Kai crouched down in front of his two latest clients, took out a jade bottle, and said, “Senior Brothers, these are the healing pills that Void Land produces. Would you like to try them?”
“What do you mean?” Senior Brother Ye did not understand.
Junior Brother Yu gave an awkward cough from the side and explained the situation clearly.
Both Senior Brother Wang and Senior Brother Ye were completely taken aback. [Can you even do that!?]
Even Junior Brother Yu was stunned. He never imagined that Yang Kai had been hanging around in the vicinity instead of leaving. Yang Kai had not revealed himself when Senior Sister Zhou and the others came by earlier. It was not until Senior Brother Wang and Senior Brother Ye arrived that he suddenly revealed himself and caused trouble for them.
Senior Brother Wang was actually rather carefree about the whole situation. Spitting out some blood, he laughed and said, “Junior Brother Yang, your strength is extraordinary indeed! This Wang is inferior, so there’s nothing much to say. The healing pills… I’ll take one of them!”
Yang Kai turned to look at Senior Brother Ye, “What about you, Senior Brother?”
Senior Brother Ye felt as though he was suffering from a toothache, but he still said, “Give me one too.”
“Senior Brothers, you are too generous!” Yang Kai was absolutely delighted.
Yang Kai received a large number of materials and gave out two healing pills in return. Only then did he say, “You should stay here and focus on recovering. I’ll be taking my leave now!”
After saying that, he stepped forward and vanished out of sight.
Junior Brother Yu looked around suspiciously. Yang Kai had done the same thing previously, but it turned out that he had not left far. There was no saying whether he was hiding nearby again; therefore, Junior Brother Yu had a sneaking suspicion that the same situation was repeating itself.
Soon after, several streams of light rushed over from a distance and quickly arrived above their heads. The person leading this group was a large-bodied man. He looked down in puzzlement and asked, “Senior Brothers, why are you gathered here? Was there a fight here just now? This Junior Brother detected some energy fluctuations coming from here!”
Junior Brother Yu and the others looked up and desperately tried to signal to their comrades to leave as quickly as possible. Having been eliminated from the training, they were not in a position to aid others, so they could only hope that the Junior Brothers who came here would understand their kind intentions.
The person who came blinked his eyes before flying down and landing in front of them, “Senior Brothers, do you have something to say to me?”
Junior Brother Yu and the others slapped their palms against their faces before closing their eyes, unable to bring themselves to watch.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s aura emerged again, seemingly out of nowhere. A violent burst of energy swept out, accompanied by a series of agitated screams. Shockingly, everything became calm again in the short span of several breaths!
Yang Kai stood in front of the Lang Ya Paradise disciples collapsed on the ground with a huge smile on his face, “Senior Brothers, you sure are enthusiastic. This Yang is ashamed.”
Junior Brother Yu looked up at the sky and gave a long sigh. [Which Senior Brother or Senior Sister in Lang Ya Paradise can come and teach this guy a lesson? If this continues on, it won’t be long before Lang Ya Paradise loses all face.]
The new group that just arrived were dazed. There were six of them, with two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and even two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Be that as it may, they had been completely defeated in a short span of time. It was simply unimaginable.
“Come, come, come. Senior Brothers and Junior Brothers, it’s time for some medicine.” Yang Kai enthusiastically took out some healing pills.
…
“Everyone, please recuperate here with peace of mind. This Yang will be leaving first!” After receiving another batch of materials, Yang Kai cupped his fist with a smile and stepped into the Void.
Junior Brother Yu glared at Yang Kai resentfully. [You’ve said those words three times now!]
The six people, who were forced to buy the healing pills a moment ago, remained in a daze. In particular, the two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and two Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were feeling indescribably heartbroken.
Losing a set of Sixth-Order materials was a heavy blow for any Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in Lang Ya Paradise, but such a loss was still within the acceptable range if they remained strong-hearted.
In contrast, this kind of loss was practically a lethal blow to the Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Not to mention, they could not even take out so much wealth at once and were forced to borrow from others to make up for what they lacked.
Junior Brother Yu suddenly stood up, “We cannot stay here any longer. This guy is obviously using us as bait to lure in the fish!”
His words immediately awakened everybody to the situation. Senior Brother Wang and Senior Brother Ye nodded in agreement, “You’re right. If we are gathered in this place, our Fellow Brothers will surely stop to investigate the situation if they pass by. At that time, they will also be implicated in this mess.”
The large-bodied Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master looked at them with an aggrieved look. That was how his team had been lured down previously. He asked sorrowfully, “Why didn’t you leave earlier, Senior Brothers!?”
If they had left earlier, then he would not have come over to investigate out of curiosity. He even specially flew over for this purpose. In the end, he had been struck by Yang Kai who had been hiding in the dark.
Junior Brother Yu replied awkwardly, “I only just understood this myself.”
Senior Brother Wang glanced at the Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters crying desolately over their losses. Then, he made a suggestion, “Send out a message to inform the others that those below the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm should not participate in this training.”
Although the Sect Master did not disallow the participation of those below the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, only those in the Sixth-Order were informed of it. The only reason there were Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters participating in this training was that they were hoping to reap some benefits. In the end, they not only failed to gain any benefits, but suffered great losses instead. They would not be able to recover from such a blow for the next few hundred years.
Junior Brother Yu hesitated, “We have already been eliminated, so this training no longer has anything to do with us. I don’t think it is appropriate for us to send out a message.”
Senior Brother Wang shook his head, “I’m not saying we should inform our Fellow Brothers about his whereabouts. It’s enough if we tell them about the healing pills. The Junior Brothers in the Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm will understand. This doesn’t count as interference.”
The words had just left his mouth when Yang Kai’s figure appeared out of nowhere. Yang Kai stared at Senior Brother Wang blankly and asked, “Senior Brother, your injuries don’t seem to have gotten better. I still have over 100 hundred healing pills with me. Would you like some?”
Senior Brother Wang shuddered at the thought. The corners of his mouth twitched as he replied, “No need, no need. I’m grateful for your kindness, Junior Brother Yang. My injuries will heal just fine if I go back and rest for a short while. Well, goodbye!”
After saying that, he soared into the sky.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai turned to look at the others. They didn’t even bother to be courteous and escaped out of sight in the blink of an eye. Looking at their vanishing backs, Yang Kai clicked his tongue in annoyance, [There goes my bait.]
Needless to say, he was not going to allow them to ruin his chances of making a fortune. If the Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters wanted to participate in this training, then they should be prepared to be injured by him and forced to buy a healing pill.
However, he knew that it was meaningless to stop them from warning the others. The news was bound to spread soon enough. Accordingly, the Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would automatically withdraw from the training. If that happened, then his sources of income would be greatly reduced!
[I can’t remain passive! I have to take the initiative to attack! That’s the only way I can rob… er, recoup my losses to the greatest extent!]
Many years had passed since the last time Lang Ya Territory was so lively. The figures of countless Open Heaven Realm Masters patrolling above each of the Spirit Provinces could be seen. These Open Heaven Realm Masters moved about in teams, spreading their Divine Senses into their surroundings as though they were searching for something. Even though they were patrolling, they remained vigilant at all times. Their World Force lingered around their bodies, always on guard against sneak attacks.
The weaker disciples who did not know what was happening looked up in curiosity.
“What are the Martial Uncles and Aunts doing? Has there been an enemy invasion in Lang Ya Territory?” Somebody asked.
A well-informed person sighed and explained, “It’s not an enemy invasion. We simply have a special guest.”
“A guest? What kind of guest could make so many Open Heaven Realm Masters be dispatched together? I even saw Martial Aunt Zhou and Martial Uncle Le Mang flying around earlier. They were rushing about with very serious expressions.”
“Void Land’s Lord, Yang Kai. Have you heard of him?”
“Sounds familiar. I think I’ve heard of him before.”
“Of course, he sounds familiar. He comes from the Star Boundary, which currently has the World Tree. Didn’t Lang Ya Paradise select a group of disciples with low cultivation and high aptitude to send to nurture in the Star Boundary several years ago?”
“So it’s him!”
“This guest is not simple. He seems to have defeated many of our Martial Uncles and Martial Aunts in the Open Heaven Realm. The Sect Master issued a command to mobilise all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise for a training exercise, with this person as the target. Anybody who can capture him will be rewarded!”
“Isn’t that to say that Yang Kai will have to face all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise by himself!?”
“That’s right!”
“In that case, he must have suffered a disastrous fate by now.”
“That’s why I said this person isn’t simple. The training has gone on for more than ten days now, but Void Land’s Lord continues to roam about freely. On the contrary, no less than 100 Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise have been defeated by him!”
“Wow… Are you serious!?”
“I wish it were fake, but it’s the truth. Ah… It’s Martial Aunt Gu!” The disciple who was speaking earlier suddenly looked up into the sky and stared at the leading figure flying overhead with an obsessive gaze. He shouted at the top of his voice, “Martial Aunt Gu!”
Many other disciples shouted along, immediately setting off a deafening chorus of the name ‘Martial Aunt Gu’.
Above them, a beautiful woman leading several Open Heaven Realm Masters behind her happened to be passing by swiftly. When she heard the voices, she looked down and smiled warmly.
The disciples below instantly went crazy, “Martial Aunt Gu smiled at me! Hahahaha! Martial Aunt Gu smiled at me! I’ll have no regrets even if I died today!”
“Bullshit! Martial Aunt Gu was smiling at me!”
“Junior Brother, you must be blind!”
“You’re the blind one, Senior Brother!”
The disciples were burning with passion. It could be seen that this ‘Martial Aunt Gu’ was very popular in Lang Ya Paradise. It was not surprising; after all, this Martial Aunt by the name of Gu Ling’er was not only extremely beautiful, but also incredibly gentle and helpful to others. Many of the weaker disciples also received her support before.
Therefore, her popularity was high among both the weaker disciples and the Open Heaven Realm Masters. Countless Fellow Brothers secretly had feelings for her, but did not dare to express them, lest they offended her.
While the weaker disciples were going crazy, the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise were also going crazy!
Five days ago, Yang Kai suddenly changed his behaviour. He no longer remained in hiding and instead took the initiative to attack. Following that, the number of Open Heaven Realm Masters who were eliminated from this training soared.
Nobody could figure out what he was thinking, but at present, almost the entire Lang Ya Territory had become his hunting grounds. Their status as the hunter and the prey constantly switched back and forth between Yang Kai and Sixth-Order Masters in Lang Ya Paradise.
There were traces of battle everywhere one went.
After eliminating more than a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai’s various actions finally spread to the public. Everybody learned that he would forcibly sell a healing pill produced by Void Land to his victims after he defeated them. Moreover, the price of each healing pill was a set of Sixth-Order materials!
What’s more, nothing good would come from refusing to buy the healing pill.
There was once a Junior Brother in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm who refused to buy the healing pill. In the end, he was hung up on a tree trunk like an offering to the Heavens and placed on the Spirit Province where the lower disciples lived to be publicly witnessed by all. It was said that the incident terribly traumatised him, and he was too ashamed to show his face in public again.
That was why Eldest Senior Brother Le Mang issued an order. Anybody who was defeated by Yang Kai should choose to exchange money to avoid disaster rather than to humiliate themselves just to save on a set of cultivation resources. After all, the face that they lost could never be recovered.
In this way, all the Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who originally participated in this training hoping to pick up some benefits quickly withdrew in horror. There was no helping it. A set of Sixth-Order materials was simply too expensive for them. Even if they came from Lang Ya Paradise, they could not afford such a price.
Not to mention, judging by the experiences of their comrades who encountered Yang Kai previously, it would seem that Yang Kai would not look the other way even if they were Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Out of all the Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were defeated by him before, who had not bought a Spirit Pill from him?
Yang Kai’s behaviour roused the rage and indignation of all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise. Not only did he abandon Junior Sister Gu Pan after thoughtlessly deflowering her, but he was also earning a fortune from this training! It was simply intolerable!
Nevertheless, it was undeniable that he was extremely strong. Even if two or three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters joined forces together, things would not end well for them if they encountered him.
As the Eldest Senior Brother, Le Mang immediately shouldered the responsibility of coordinating the troops!
At this moment, the identity tokens of many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise would occasionally flash. Numerous Divine Senses poured into their respective identity tokens, and communications flowed endlessly between them.
“Senior Brother Ning’s team has been defeated. They were located in the Purple Clouds Spirit Province. Judging by the traces of the battle, it probably lasted for no more than a quarter-hour. I repeat; Senior Brother Ning’s team has been defeated. They were located in the Purple Clouds Spirit Province. All the Fellow Brothers in the vicinity should increase their vigilance!”
“There were four Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Senior Brother Ning’s team! I can’t believe they were eliminated! How are the injuries of those Senior Brothers?”
“They did not suffer any life-threatening wounds, but their injuries are not light either. It will take ten to fifteen days for them to recover. The complexions of Senior Brother Ning and his team aren’t very good. Senior Brother asked us to work hard to avenge them.”
“Isn’t that bastard being a bit too ruthless!? He seriously injures all the Fellow Brothers who encounter him just so he can sell that healing pill of his. Hateful!”
“You should be careful too, Senior Brother Li. That bastard surnamed Yang likes to turn around and attack the same spot. Several teams have already suffered losses from his tactics.”
“We located Yang Kai at Tiger Roar Spirit Province! Requesting reinforcements! Requesting reinforcements! Ahh!”
“Junior Brother Zhou! Junior Brother Zhou!”
There was no reply.
After a short pause, somebody spoke up, “I’m afraid Junior Brother Zhou’s team may have already encountered misfortune. Don’t panic, Fellow Brothers. Be sure to persevere until the end. We have the advantage in numbers. Victory belongs to us!”
After a moment of silence, someone said, “Junior Brother Zhou’s team may have already encountered misfortune. Don’t panic, fellow brothers, be sure to hold on, we are numerous and powerful, and victory will surely belong to us.”
“That bastard is too elusive! Purple Clouds Spirit Province is in the northeast while Tiger Roar Spirit Province is in the southwest. How did he get there so quickly?”
“The Dao of Space is truly unparalleled and mysterious. Amazing!”
All of a sudden, a Divine Sense fluctuated in all of their identity tokens. They investigated the phenomenon and discovered that it was a message from Senior Brother Le Mang, “All teams are to merge together with others in the vicinity. Make sure that there are no less than five Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in each team. Every team will be responsible for the areas in their vicinity, and they are not allowed to leave their designated areas without authorisation. Those who discover Yang Kai’s whereabouts must report their findings immediately, and the teams nearby are to provide support!”
“We will obey your orders, Eldest Senior Brother!” Everyone responded quickly.
Over the past ten days or so, many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise came to deeply understand Yang Kai’s strength. Two or three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters working together were not enough to match him in battle at all. Four Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were barely enough to fight back, so only five Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had enough combat force to face him.
It was precisely because of this consideration that Le Mang made this adjustment to their formation.
Every team had five Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters working together, and each team was in charge of an area. In this way, it was enough to prevent Yang Kai from moving around undetected. As soon as he revealed his whereabouts, Lang Ya Paradise would be able to take the initiative in the battle.
All the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise had been mobilised. If they were still unable to defeat Yang Kai, they would not have any face left to show.
…..
In front of the Grand Hall on the Main Spirit Province, Li Yuan Wang’s expression was as dark as the bottom of a pot. Gao Ting stood by the side and glanced at him from time to time.
“If you have something to say, then spit it out! Why are you holding back!?” Li Yuan Wang’s brow twitched.
Gao Ting smacked his lips, “That Brat has caused such a huge commotion. How are we supposed to end things now?”
The truth was that there was nothing wrong with Li Yuan Wang’s decision. Using this training to muddy the waters would certainly make things more convenient for Yang Kai to act. In fact, they might even make some unexpected discoveries along the way; however, the current situation had vastly exceeded the expectations of both Li Yuan Wang and Gao Ting.
Yang Kai had eliminated over 100 Open Heaven Realm Masters in the span of ten days. Be that as it may, he remained high-spirited and full of energy. That was not all; he was also making a killing by selling his healing pills by compulsion. He had obtained a large number of cultivation resources from the Lang Ya Paradise disciples already.
Li Yuan Wang had known about Yang Kai’s strength; after all, Yang Kai had killed a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master before. How could the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise be his opponents? Nevertheless, even if one or two people were not his opponents, eight or ten of them should have no trouble defeating him, right? Li Yuan Wang believed that Yang Kai would eventually be captured by the Lang Ya Paradise disciples during the training, which would have provided a satisfactory ending to this debacle. Unfortunately, the current situation seemed to be going horribly wrong.
Leaving aside everything else, just the loss of the cultivation resources by the Lang Ya Paradise disciples was enough to break Li Yuan Wang’s heart! He couldn’t help cursing to himself. [Did you come to Lang Ya Paradise to search for the Black Ink Clan or carry out robbery!?]
Gao Ting had previously ridiculed him for lifting a stone only to smash his own foot with it, and looking at the current circumstances, it would seem to be true!
The changes occurring throughout Lang Ya Paradise were also felt by Yang Kai. The teams he encountered before only had three or four Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters at most. With his current strength, it was not difficult for him to cope with such numbers. Now, however, every team had at least five Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Some teams even had seven or eight!
He couldn’t help feeling troubled. There were so many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that it was tough for him to eliminate them all at once without transforming into his Grand Dragon Form! If he did not eliminate all of them together, then he could not sell his wares with peace of mind.
Of course, the current situation was within his expectations.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise might be a little crooked because of Li Yuan Wang’s unrighteousness, but they were still Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, not fools who had never seen the world or cultivated before. After suffering so many losses, even they had learned their lesson.
That was why Yang Kai believed that it was time for him to change his strategy. If there was no way to defeat an entire team in one go, then he simply needed to attack them twice or thrice instead!
[In the worst case, I can put them on credit! I’ll just go door-to-door to collect my debts from them after the training ends. Yes! What a great idea!] Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling proud of his wit.
The thought had only just crossed Yang Kai’s mind when he suddenly detected a stream of light speeding by over where he was hiding. The aura coming from the stream of light belonged to a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
His eyes immediately lit up at the sight. [That’s another set of Sixth-Order materials!]
With a flicker of his figure, Yang Kai immediately blocked the path of the other party.
Startled, the passing Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master quickly came to a halt and turned pale with shock when he caught a clear glimpse of Yang Kai’s face, “S-Senior Brother Yang!”
Before he could even finish his sentence, the sight of a fist rapidly growing larger filled his entire vision. He hastily pushed his World Force to retaliate, but it was already too late. Even though they were both in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, meeting Yang Kai alone was no different from a fish lying on a chopping block.
In just three breaths, the passing Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was knocked to the ground by Yang Kai and crashed hard into a forest below.
Yang Kai quickly descended and looked at the other party with a smile, “Junior Brother, your courage isn’t small!”
When he first saw that this person was acting alone, he thought that Lang Ya Paradise was using him as bait to lure him into a trap. However, there were no traces of any other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Lang Ya Paradise up until now. It could be certain that this person was indeed acting alone; therefore, Yang Kai couldn’t help praising him. In this situation where all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise were in danger, which one of them did not move about in a large team? There was no denying that this person was bold indeed.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai frowned, “Junior Brother, why do you look so familiar? Moreover, your injuries…”
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master looked like he was about to cry as he said, “Senior Brother Yang, we met each other just three days ago! You gave me these injuries!”
“Huh?” Yang Kai’s expression became strange, “Is that to say that you’ve been eliminated?”
“That’s right!” The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master nodded aggrievedly. Just why was his luck so terrible? He had already been eliminated from the training three days ago. Today, he was simply heading towards another Spirit Province for an errand. He was not participating in the training, so who could have expected that he would be captured by Yang Kai again? How did this make sense!?
Likewise, Yang Kai was a little speechless.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master cautiously said, “Senior Brother Yang, if there’s nothing else, then this Junior Brother will be leaving first.”
“Wait!” Yang Kai suddenly raised a hand to stop the other party.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master felt his heart clench at those words, and an ominous feeling suddenly flooded him, “How may I help you, Senior Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai observed the other party seriously, “I’m sorry, Junior Brother. It seems that my attack was a little heavy-handed. The main reason is that I’m fighting alone, so I have to act a bit forceful in order to persist.”
“It’s okay. They are only flesh wounds; it’s nothing serious. I’ll be fine after recuperating for a few days.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded. Changing the subject abruptly, he asked with ‘concern’, “Would you like another healing pill?”
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master clutched at his Space Ring in panic, “Senior Brother Yang, I already bought one earlier…”
Yang Kai considered for a moment and generously replied, “I’ll make it half-price for the second pill.”
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was rendered speechless.
A short while later, Yang Kai patted the shoulder of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in front of him and earnestly advised the other party, “It’s not safe outside these days, so don’t run around for no reason. You should stay at home and focus on your recovery.”
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master looked absolutely depressed and answered weakly, “Many thanks for your concern, Senior Brother Yang. I’ll be leaving now…”
The wealth that he accumulated with great difficulty over the years had all been lost after encountering Yang Kai twice in just three days. Thus, he vowed that he would not reveal himself again until the training was over! If he met Yang Kai again, he wouldn’t be able to afford another healing pill even if it was at half-price!
He rushed into the sky after saying goodbye to Yang Kai, his tears scattering in the wind!
An hour later, in the sky above Menacing Earth Spirit Province, a group of six people swept past at a high speed while on patrol. All six of them were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The person leading the team was Gu Ling’er, who held high popularity among all Lang Ya Paradise disciples.
Her team originally consisted of three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they merged with a nearby team after receiving Senior Brother Le Mang’s order. That was why they currently had a total of six Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The six of them were in charge of monitoring Menacing Earth Spirit Province and the void surrounding it. They hardly made any stops, their powerful Divine Senses spreading across every bit of ground. The slightest rustling of the wind could not escape their perception.
All of a sudden, the six of them turned to look in a certain direction at the same time. In that direction, a layer of ripples spread out in space, as though a pebble had been thrown into a calm lake. Immediately after that, a figure appeared out of nowhere.
Somebody in the team exclaimed in shock, “It’s Yang Kai! Yang Kai has appeared!”
“Hurry up and notify the others!”
“We found Yang Kai at Menacing Earth Spirit Province! Fellow Brothers in the vicinity, please send aid as soon as possible!”
The message was sent out instantly; then, under Gu Ling’er’s leadership, the six of them swiftly charged towards Yang Kai. Their World Force surged violently, giving him no chance to escape!
They initially thought that Yang Kai would flee, but who could have known that Yang Kai was only taken aback for a moment but chose to stand his ground? In fact, he even charged towards them with a look of joy, as though he was meeting a friend he had not seen in years. Therefore, they were rather stunned by the situation!
There were less than three kilometres between them, and their various Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities had long been prepared. As long as Yang Kai closed the distance a little more, then they could show him what a one-way trip with no return meant!
Yang Kai suddenly raised a hand, and his deep voice reverberated in the Void, “Near Distant Horizon!”
The distance between them suddenly stretched out infinitely!
At the same time, Gu Ling’er noticed that something was wrong and shouted, “Attack!”
Numerous Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques burst out with blinding light, accompanied by a horrifying power that blasted towards Yang Kai. But in the next instant, they all witnessed an incomprehensible scene. The Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques they blasted outward became as slow as a turtle’s movements, pressing forward little by little as though the void had solidified at this moment.
It would not have been shocking if that were all though. What astonished them, even more, was that Junior Brother Liu, who stood to the right of Gu Ling’er, suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai for some reason.
On the other hand, the others got further and further away from Yang Kai! Space had suddenly become chaotic, and they could not distinguish the difference between each other as a result.
Nevertheless, this disorder only lasted for a short moment before it was destroyed by the Divine Abilities they exploded together. The Void soon returned to normal, but when they looked up again, Yang Kai was already nowhere to be seen. He had appeared without warning and disappeared just as suddenly, like an elusive ghost.
“Junior Brother Liu is gone!” Somebody noticed an anomaly and exclaimed in shock.
Their team initially consisted of six people, but there were only five left now. Moreover, they saw Junior Brother Liu appearing in front of Yang Kai for some inexplicable reason only to be punched in the gut by the latter.
Their expressions were ugly, “Junior Brother Liu must have been kidnapped!”
In the Spirit Province where Gu Pan lived, the figures of Yang Kai and Junior Brother Liu emerged. Gongsun Ri Hua, who had been recuperating from his wounds, came out to investigate the situation when he sensed the commotion, but upon recognising the people who just arrived, he immediately turned around and closed the door behind him with a resolute bang. He avoided Yang Kai as though he was avoiding a great disaster!
Junior Brother Liu screamed, “Senior Brother Gongsun, save me!”
Yang Kai looked at Junior Brother Liu quietly, “Senior Brother Gongsun was eliminated a long time ago. I’m afraid he can’t save you!”
Junior Brother Liu had a look of despair on his face and reluctantly said, “Give me a healing pill.”
Yang Kai patted Junior Brother Liu on the shoulder, “A wise man will submit to the circumstances!”
The two teams in the vicinity of Menacing Earth Spirit Province hurriedly rushed over to provide support when they received the message, but by the time they arrived, they saw that Yang Kai had vanished out of sight. Junior Brother Liu had also vanished along with him. There was no need to wonder what was happening. The bastard surnamed Yang was undoubtedly hiding somewhere and coercing Junior Brother Liu into buying a healing pill at this moment. Hence, they all paid silent tribute to Junior Brother Liu!
A message of distress suddenly came from their Identity Tokens again. It was full of panic, “He’s here! He’s here at Wu’an Spirit Province! We have engaged in battle with him. Fellow Brothers in the vicinity, please come and provide aid as soon as possible! Ah! Senior Brother Hua is gone!”
Once again, they paid silent tribute to Senior Brother Hua!
Junior Brother Liu was still reeling from the shock of suffering such a huge loss when a figure abruptly appeared beside him. This was followed by Yang Kai’s reappearance.
Senior Brother Hua, who had been kidnapped and brought to this place, resisted and struggled violently. Catching sight of Junior Brother Liu nearby, he became overjoyed and shouted, “Junior Brother Liu, please help me capture this thief!”
Junior Brother Liu looked extremely awkward as he said, “Senior Brother Hua, I’ve already been eliminated!”
Senior Brother Hua’s mouth fell open in shock, and he stood there blankly. Looking around, he saw that not a single teammate was around him.
Yang Kai cracked his fists and walked towards Senior Brother Hua with a savage grin, “Senior Brother Hua, is it? Who did you just say you wanted to capture?”
Senior Brother Hua quickly dispelled the World Force around him and did his best to squeeze out a harmless-looking smile, “Junior Brother Yang, you must have misheard. I have no intention to capture anybody. Rather, I’ve always wanted to obtain a healing pill from Void Land…”
Inside the building, the Gongsun siblings rolled their eyes in unison. Meanwhile, Gu Pan stifled her laughter.
When Senior Brother Hua finished buying the healing pill, Yang Kai vanished once more. Senior Brother Hua and Junior Brother Liu looked at each other and choked on their tears.
Back at Menacing Earth Spirit Province, the two teams that came to provide support soon left. They had their own sites to monitor, so they could not remain for long. However, Gu Ling’er’s team sent out another distress signal as soon as the reinforcements left. By the time they arrived at the scene again, there was already one less person on Gu Ling’er’s team.
For the next half day, the entire Lang Ya Paradise was thrown into chaos. Yang Kai’s figure was extremely elusive, and somebody would suffer a tragic fate every time he appeared.
The plan that Eldest Senior Brother Le Mang came up with previously could not be said to be wrong. Since Yang Kai was so strong that three or four Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters joining forces could not be his opponents, it was only natural that they had to merge their teams together. The truth was this plan had already shown some effect. At the very least, Yang Kai was not as bold as before. Furthermore, the teams that encountered him were no longer completely wiped out all at once.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai simply became more cunning. He did not confront them directly and turned extremely elusive instead. It was almost as though he had countless Soul Clones. One moment he was there, the next moment he was somewhere else. What’s more, every time he appeared, he would not leave empty-handed.
One after another, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were captured. When the news spread, all the teams were filled with a sense of terror. The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise never imagined that a single person could toy with them so easily. They had always heard about the mysteriousness and unpredictability of the Dao of Space, but it was not until today that they witnessed it for themselves. Therefore, they couldn’t help but admire Yang Kai’s ability to utilize Space Principles so freely.
Gu Ling’er led the remaining two people in her team and hurriedly escaped in the direction of the nearest Spirit Province.
When Yang Kai reappeared at Menacing Earth Spirit Province just before, he had captured another of their team members. With only the three of them left, how could they be Yang Kai’s opponents?
The morale in the team was low. Gu Ling’er and her two comrades rushed towards the nearest Spirit Province as fast as they could. Only three people remained in her team, so it was impossible for them to be Yang Kai’s opponents. It was urgent that they sought protection from another team.
She had already sent a message to the Senior Brother who was leading the team at the nearby Spirit Province. That Senior Brother was also leading his team here in a hurry to meet up with them, lest Gu Ling’er and her comrades suffered a tragic accident before they arrived.
“Why is that bastard targeting us so persistently!?” A Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the team with the surname Sun looked distraught.
Ever since Eldest Senior Brother Le Mang issued the order to change their strategy, their team was the first to encounter Yang Kai and lose their members. In less than half a day, the members of their team had gone missing one by one.
The rest of the teams had also lost some members, but the situation of those teams was by no means as serious as their situation. Yang Kai had targeted them over and over again, causing their original team of six to dwindle down to three. The situation was becoming increasingly terrible. There was a high possibility that they would be the first team to be wiped out completely since they changed their strategy!
“Did we offend him in some manner?” The other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master suddenly raised the question.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master surnamed Sun wailed, “I didn’t offend him! Did you offend him!?”
“I didn’t either!”
Both of them turned to look at Gu Ling’er at the same time. If nobody had offended Yang Kai, then the biggest possible reason could only be Junior Sister Gu Ling’er. That bastard surnamed Yang was a notorious sexual predator after all! It was bad enough that he abandoned Junior Sister Gu Pan after thoughtless sleeping with her, but could it be that he was now interested in Junior Sister Gu Ling’er as well?
As soon as that thought crossed their minds, both Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were filled with infinite anger!
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master surnamed Sun quickly said, “Junior Sister Gu, if that Bastard appears again, you must escape quickly. Junior Brother Qian and I will do our best to hold him back! You must not fall into his evil clutches!”
Junior Sister Gu Ling’er was such a kind and gentle woman. They did not dare to imagine the consequences if she were to fall into that deviant’s hands.
Gu Ling’er’s voice was gentle as she shook her head, “How can I let my two Senior Brothers take such a risk? We are a team, so we should advance and retreat together!”
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master surnamed Sun was extremely touched, and the corners of his eyes became moist. Just as he was about to speak, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master surnamed Qian suddenly shouted, “He’s here!”
Ripples spread across the void once more. That was the sign of Space Principles being manipulated. Besides, Yang Kai’s previous appearances had always been accompanied by these movements.
Sure enough, Yang Kai abruptly appeared a moment later and blocked their path. Looking at the three people in front of him, he grinned from ear to ear.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master surnamed Sun gritted his teeth. Taking a sudden step forward, he stood in front of Gu Ling’er protectively and shouted, “Run, Junior Sister Gu!”
At the same time, he charged towards Yang Kai boldly and without hesitation or looking back. Then… there was nothing else…
Looking at the spot where Yang Kai and the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master surnamed Sun had vanished together, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master surnamed Qian anxiously said, “Junior Sister Gu, let’s go quickly! We can’t let Senior Brother Sun’s sacrifice be in vain!”
Knowing that she had no way to avenge Senior Brother Sun, Gu Ling’er could only nod in agreement, “Good!”
However, Yang Kai reappeared less than ten breaths later and took Senior Brother Qian away with him.
At this point, Gu Ling’er was the only survivor of her team. She gritted her teeth. Shouldering the hope and future of her fallen teammates, she rushed towards the nearest Spirit Province with all the speed she could muster.
In the distance, many streams of light entered her field of vision. It was the Senior Brothers from the nearby Spirit Province who had rushed over to meet her; thus, she couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief at the sight.
The Senior Brother in the lead who was coming from the front had clearly noticed her and enthusiastically called out, “Junior Sister Gu, come quickly!”
Gu Ling’er nodded.
At that moment though, a sudden anomaly occurred. The Void in front of her suddenly collapsed, and a pitch-black hole formed out of nowhere. The black hole was connected to an unknown location and the insides were filled with nihility, causing one to feel dread at the sight.
Gu Ling’er’s expression immediately changed. She rapidly came to a halt and just barely managed to stop before the anomaly. Unfortunately, before she could breathe a sigh of relief, a large hand emerged from the black hole and dragged her into it. All that was left behind was her startled scream!
“Junior Sister Gu!” Senior Brother Dui, who came to meet Gu Ling’er, roared with grief and indignation. He rushed forward in a few steps, but she was no longer anywhere to be found. Even the black hole that appeared out of nowhere had disappeared.
All those who remained felt a little lost seeing this result! On the other hand, Senior Brother Dui’s expression was extremely ugly.
After he received the message from Gu Ling’er, he immediately rushed out to meet her. He never imagined that Yang Kai’s efficiency would be so high as to defeat the remaining three people in Gu Ling’er’s team in such a short time. At the end, he even watched as Gu Ling’er was captured right in front of his eyes.
“Send a message…” Senior Brother Dui looked extremely solemn, “The team led by Junior Sister Gu has been completely wiped out! Menacing Earth Spirit Province has fallen!”
Somebody in the team quickly sent out the message.
The identity tokens that had been flashing incessantly suddenly fell silent. A short while later, the energy in the identity tokens carried by all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters fluctuated violently and urgently as messages streamed into the identity tokens quickly.
“Avenge Junior Sister Gu!”
“If we fail to capture Yang Kai, this Wu will never call himself Human again!”
“He is crazy! How can he bring himself to harm somebody as gentle as Junior Sister Gu!? That bastard surnamed Yang isn’t Human!”
“Has anybody seen him!? I’m going to fight him to the death!”
…..
Gu Ling’er was not only popular among the lower disciples, but also the Open Heaven Realm Masters. In fact, her popularity among the Open Heaven Realm Masters might even be higher; after all, the lower disciples rarely had the chance to meet her due to the difference in status. In comparison, the Open Heaven Realm Masters were different. As long as she was not in retreat for cultivation, she would often interact with them.
The Spirit Province where she lived regularly had Fellow Brothers hanging around eagerly just to catch a glimpse of her face. Some would also pretend to pass by and greet her along the way. They were satisfied just to see her smiling back at them.
Sect Master Li Yuan Wang once tried to find a Dao Partner for her within the Sect, but his efforts failed to come to fruition. There was a rumour that she wanted to focus on her cultivation and ascend to the peak of the Martial Dao, so she had not given much consideration to her future partner. That rumour gave many Fellow Brothers in the Sect great despair and hope all at once.
And now, this woman, who was regarded by many Senior Brothers as somebody to protect with their lives, had been taken away by an outsider like Yang Kai. Not to mention, it was the same Bastard who had previously abandoned Junior Sister Gu Pan after thoughtlessly deflowering her. How could they feel at ease with such a disaster looming over them?
Many of the Fellow Brothers were about to go crazy. They anxiously searched for Yang Kai’s whereabouts, lest an unwanted accident occur when Yang Kai and Gu Ling’er were alone together. However, Yang Kai’s location was a mystery. He was so elusive that there were no clues no matter how hard they searched.
On top of a small Spirit Province, Yang Kai quietly stood in front of Gu Ling’er, who had a wary expression on her face. Meanwhile, his brow was furrowed tightly together with a very troubled look.
Gu Ling’er was also observing him at this moment. Although the entire Lang Ya Paradise had been thrown into chaos thanks to the trouble Yang Kai caused, it was actually her first time meeting him in person.
At first glance, there was nothing special about him. His appearance was extraordinary and his aura was impressive; nevertheless, there was no lack of Open Heaven Realm Masters with similar appearances and auras. There was nothing about him that made him stand out of the crowd. He did not look like somebody who could defeat so many Fellow Brothers so easily.
Unlike the descriptions provided by her Fellow Brothers, Yang Kai looked conflicted. It seemed as though he was making a difficult decision. Despite observing her for some time, he said nothing. In the end, Gu Ling’er spoke first, “I’m older than you, and I’ve cultivated for longer than you. Can I call you Junior Brother?”
Her voice was as soft and gentle as water, which greatly aroused the protective instincts of a man.
“En! That’s no problem!” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively. Strictly speaking, all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise were his Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters. The only exception was the newly-advanced Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Gu Pan.
“What are you planning to do to me, Junior Brother?” She tilted her head to the side, looking pure and innocent. When she smiled, her eyes formed crescents on her face. She did not look scared in the slightest. On the contrary, she smiled and asked, “Are you going to sell your healing pill to me? I heard that all the Fellow Brothers who were defeated by you had to buy a healing pill from you.”
Yang Kai nodded, “The healing pill will definitely be sold…”
“Then, I’ll buy one.” She blinked her large eyes at him, “It costs one set of Sixth-Order materials, right?”
He laughed, “You sure know the market well.”
She pursed her lips and replied, “So many Fellow Brothers have bought healing pills already, it’s only natural that the news has spread. If you don’t want people to know about something, then you have to do it yourself. Isn’t that right, Junior Brother Yang?”
His eyebrows furrowed together slightly, “Are you trying to hint at something, Senior Sister?”
She shook her head, “Nope, I was just saying.” After a pause, she continued, “Junior Brother, I’ll buy a healing pill from you. I’m no match for you anyway, so I might as well withdraw from the training.”
Who could have imagined that Yang Kai would shake his head?
She was puzzled, “What do you mean, Junior Brother?”
[Is he planning to let me off easy?] That was not impossible. She knew what kind of impression she had on men; therefore, it made sense if he turned a blind eye to her for that reason.
Just as she was about to thank him, she heard him speak, “You are not injured, Senior Sister, so you don’t need a healing pill.”
[He plans to let me off after all…] She smiled brightly. Although she knew that her charm was not always a useful or even wanted trait, it could be considered a good thing if she could save on a set of Sixth-Order materials because of it.
However, Yang Kai clenched his fist so hard that his knuckles cracked, “Why don’t I hit you first, Senior Sister, then you will need a healing pill!”
Gu Ling’er was absolutely speechless. [Are you still Human!? You’re a Demon, aren’t you!?]
“Are you joking, Junior Brother?” The smile on her face stiffened.
Yang Kai shook his head and approached her with a serious expression, “This Junior Brother has always been fair in business. Come, come! Bear with me, Senior Sister. I promise not to hit your face!”
Her complexion immediately turned deathly pale, and she staggered backwards weakly.
All of a sudden, he froze and looked extremely conflicted, “But, it’s not good to hit a woman… Haih! I’m such a kind-hearted man who is afraid of harming the innocent after all!”
He raised his head to the sky and sighed with a sorrowful expression.
Gu Ling’er breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Junior Brother, there’s no need to blame yourself. I’ll just buy the healing pill.”
He suddenly looked at her, “Senior Sister, why don’t you do it yourself? I fear that I might use too much strength if I raise my hand against you. It would be bad if I failed to control my strength properly and accidentally injure you seriously.”
Gu Ling’er weakly asked, “Junior Brother, are you serious?”
Her appearance was so pitiful that any man who saw her would surely feel compassion for her; however, this matter was related to a set of Sixth-Order materials, so how could Yang Kai back down?
“Senior Sister, I don’t have much time. Somebody might come and investigate this place at any moment. If somebody were to come, then please don’t blame me for being forceful with you, Senior Sister!”
She stared at him with her pretty eyes, thinking that the man in front of her was quite unreasonable. [I’ve already said that I’ll buy a healing pill from him, so why does he still want to injure me!?]
“Haih!” Yang Kai sighed, “It looks like you’re somebody who cherishes your honour. If that’s the case, then please don’t blame this Yang for being cruel!”
Without wasting any more time, he surged the World Force and reached out a hand towards her.
His palm rapidly grew larger and larger in the field of her vision, instantly covering the entire sky. Although she instinctively struggled to resist, she was horrified to discover that her Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation was ridiculously weak in the face of Yang Kai’s strength. His palm that came slamming down towards her contained the aura of death, and she couldn’t help wondering whether he actually planned to kill her.
“Junior Brother, I’m one of your own!” She suddenly shouted at the top of her voice.
His hand stopped right above her head, and he stared at her with a deep scowl, “What do you mean?”
Not only was she drenched in cold sweat, but her complexion was also extremely pale. She took some time to calm her emotions before she finally looked at him and lowered her voice to a whisper, “Black Ink Eternal!”
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly at those words, and he asked, “Senior Brother Zong Yu Quan?”
She nodded, “Senior Brother Zong sent me a message earlier to inform me about this matter.”
“So, that’s how it is!” Yang Kai quickly understood the situation, and then the power in his hand surged slightly and landed on the top of her head.
Her delicate body flew backwards like a paper kite as a result. She slumped to the ground and looked at him in disbelief, blood trickling out the corners of her mouth, “Why!?”
[I’ve already mentioned that I’m one of his own, so why did he hit me!?]
He slowly walked over and said in a low voice, “Senior Sister, please don’t be mad. Everybody has been injured by me so far, and there are no exceptions. If you were to come out unscathed, then you might arouse suspicions! It works out well now! Here is a healing pill, Senior Sister!”
Gu Ling’er stared at him speechlessly. [Is there something wrong with this guy!? I’m a woman! So what if you make an exception!?]
In any case, he had not attacked her ruthlessly. His strike only gave her some light wounds that she would recover completely from after recuperating for a few days. Taking the healing pill from him, she swallowed the healing pill without another word. She couldn’t be bothered to say anything more to him.
“Senior Sister, you forgot something!” Yang Kai reached out his hand towards her. The meaning behind his gesture was glaringly obvious.
Gu Ling’er was tempted to stab him to death with her sword…
Resources worth a set of Sixth-Order materials were not hard for her to bring out though; therefore, she quickly gathered the necessary resources and handed them to him.
Yang Kai wore a big grin on his face, “Nobody will suspect anything now. By the way, Senior Sister, who else is on our side in Lang Ya Paradise?”
She glared at him, flames of fury erupting from her beautiful eyes!
“Hahaha!” He gave a dry laugh, “I won’t disturb you while you’re recovering from your wounds, Senior Sister!”
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Inside the Void, Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn.
This training, in which he was the ultimate goal, involved all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise. It was something that Li Yuan Wang organised seemingly on a whim. Although he had not interacted with Li Yuan Wang much, Yang Kai could roughly guess his intentions.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai never imagined that he would receive such an unexpected harvest!
He originally thought that Zong Yu Quan was an exception; after all, corrupting the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with the Black Ink was not very worthwhile for the Black Ink Clan. The Black Ink Insects were so rare and precious that it was a given they would choose to corrupt the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters if possible.
The capability and role that people like Shi Zheng could play was much greater than that of Zong Yu Quan or Gu Ling’er. Be that as it may, it turned out that Zong Yu Quan was not the only one in Lang Ya Paradise. There was also Gu Ling’er, and maybe even more…
Just now, Gu Ling’er had been annoyed by Yang Kai’s actions and refused to answer his questions; however, her refusal to respond was already a response in and of itself. It meant that Zong Yu Quan and Gu Ling’er were not the only ones corrupted by the Black Ink among the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise! There were more of them out there!
Yang Kai secretly rejoiced that he had been ruthless against the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters participating in the training to conserve time and strength.
Consequently, he was now known for his brutality. Gu Ling’er would not have automatically revealed herself otherwise. She had assumed that revealing her identity would make him more merciful towards her. Unbeknownst to her, he had another important task at hand and she overplayed her hand as a result.
Yang Kai had been wondering whether he should hold back against the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise, but it would not seem that he actually needed to do the opposite now!
Following the annihilation of the six-man team led by Gu Ling’er at Menacing Earth Spirit Province, everybody in Lang Ya Paradise felt a sense of danger. Yang Kai’s elusive movements left them feeling helpless while his immense strength left them in despair.
In the past, they used to hold great pride in the fact that they came from Lang Ya Paradise. They believed that all the other Open Heaven Realm Masters outside of Lang Ya Paradise were nothing special. Even the Sect Masters of the Second-Class great forces, who were also in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, were not put in their eyes.
However, Yang Kai’s arrival taught them that there were people beyond people. Looking back at their pride and arrogance, they couldn’t help feeling ridiculous. They had been frogs at the bottom of the well, staring up at the narrow sky and thinking how vast it was while knowing nothing.
Half a day later, another seven-man team was wiped out. What happened to them was similar to what happened to Gu Ling’er’s team. Yang Kai would grab one person and leave immediately every time he showed up. By the time they reacted, he had already disappeared; therefore, great hatred and grievances grew in their hearts!
To this day, out of all the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise who participated in the training, almost 200 of them had been defeated by Yang Kai. The remaining people were filled with apprehension and terror. Their Divine Senses swept out across their surroundings at all times, out of fear that Yang Kai would appear out of nowhere to abduct them.
They knew that Yang Kai relied on the mysteriousness of the Dao of Space, so as long as they could limit this ability, it would be easy to overpower him with so many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise.
As the Eldest Senior Brother, Le Mang shouldered the heavy responsibility of avenging his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters who were eliminated from the training and redeeming Lang Ya Paradise’s reputation.
He was the one who had been presiding over the coordination of the teams previously; thus, he had always paid attention to the changes that took place during the training. For some reason, he had been silent for the past few days though. Nobody but his teammates knew what he was doing.
One day, everybody suddenly received a message from Le Mang, “Everybody, please head towards Void Flower Spirit Province. I worked with many Junior Brothers to set up a Grand Array there. If Yang Kai dares to show up, we can form a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking cage and he will not be able to leave unscathed!”
“Senior Brother Le Mang is amazing!”
“This is great! We can finally teach that Bastard a lesson!”
“Quick! Quick! Let’s gather at Void Flower Spirit Province! Don’t linger outside for too long, lest you give him a chance to attack!”
Before this training began, many Fellow Brothers had tried to pick a fight with Yang Kai. At that time, they also used Heaven Sealing Earth Locking methods to stop his movements, but those Arrays or Secret Technique had been activated in a hurry, so the seal was not strong and the barrier was easily destroyed by Yang Kai as a result.
Having learned from that experience, Le Mang specifically gathered several Junior Brothers who were proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays to jointly arrange a Grand Array. The Spirit Array that was completed recently was enough to turn Yang Kai into a turtle that was hiding in its shell.
He did not know how long the Grand Array could trap Yang Kai once activated, but even so, just three breaths would be enough. A three-breath delay was enough for all the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise to surround Yang Kai.
If everybody gathered at Void Flower Spirit Province, then Yang Kai was certain to head there despite knowing that it was a trap. This was the simplest method to carry out an offence by defending!
Needless to say, Le Mang had already considered the possibility that Yang Kai would not appear. The main goal of this training was to capture Yang Kai, so if he did not show up, then there would be no game to play. Unfortunately, the current situation was so dire that Le Mang had no other option but to put his hope in this gamble.
In an instant, the Open Heaven Realm Masters wandering in the sky above the many Spirit Provinces throughout Lang Ya Paradise began rushing towards Void Flower Spirit Province. They summoned their comrades along the way, so it was a very lively scene.
Yang Kai, who was hiding in the dark, could not help frowning at this scene. He could vaguely sense that some sort of conspiracy was waiting for him.
Over the past few days, he had eliminated another 100 Open Heaven Realm Masters from Lang Ya Paradise. A rough count indicated that nearly 300 Open Heaven Realm Masters had been eliminated during this training already. Aside from the several dozen Fifth-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters at the beginning, the rest were Sixth-Order!
The strength of Lang Ya Paradise’s heritage was evident from this fact alone.
Void Land could also be considered to have a mighty army with the finest arms, with not many Second-Class great forces capable of comparing to them in the entire 3,000 Worlds.
Nevertheless, the difference was practically night and day when compared to Lang Ya Paradise! Just in terms of the number of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters alone, Lang Ya Paradise had over 10 times more than Void Land!
That was not hard to understand though as Open Heaven Realm Masters were generally long-lived. As long as they could advance directly into the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, they could slowly take their time to grow until they reached the Sixth-Order.
Lang Ya Paradise had an extremely long inheritance, so after so many generations of disciples, it was only natural to have countless Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Be that as it may, that was only a narrow glimpse of the overall situation. If this was the case for Lang Ya Paradise, then how could the other Cave Heavens and Paradises be inferior? It was not until this moment that Yang Kai fully understood the horrifying heritage of these behemoths.
After the incident with Gu Ling’er, Yang Kai became more and more ruthless in his attacks against the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters whom he captured. Almost everybody was beaten up so badly that they coughed up blood; hence, the number of complaints grew proportionally.
Yang Kai was secretly glad that nobody said the words ‘Black Ink Eternal’ to him again, aside from Gu Ling’er. Although he could not completely rule out that there were more people corrupted by the Black Ink hidden among those who were eliminated from the training, the possibility was not high.
It was certain that the people in Lang Ya Paradise who were corrupted by the Black Ink were in contact with each other. Seeing as Zong Yu Quan had sent a message to Gu Ling’er, he was bound to have sent the same message to the others corrupted by the Black Ink. That was why there was no doubt that those corrupted by the Black Ink already considered Yang Kai to be one of their companions.
Under the threat of being severely injured, if they were truly corrupted by the Black Ink, they would definitely reveal their identities in hopes of escaping their fate.
At this moment, however, when Yang Kai saw so many people gathering in a certain direction, he couldn’t shake off an ominous feeling. If so many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Lang Ya Paradise gathered together, he might not get the chance to attack.
[I have to find out what they’re doing.] As soon as that thought crossed Yang Kai’s mind, he resolutely made a move to intercept a team of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master nearby.
Upon noticing movement nearby, the team of five turned to look in his direction and were shocked, “Yang Kai!”
Despite their surprise, they did not wait around for their defeat. They reacted almost simultaneously and hurriedly drew out the power of their Small Universe. Countless Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities immediately blasted towards Yang Kai.