“But! Before you can defeat me, you’ll still be my Little Brother. Do not forget about your identity!” Big Sister Lan reminded him by saying.
A humiliated Big Brother Huang replied, “I’ll never forget this day.”
After a moment of observation, Yang Kai placated the young boy by saying, “In war, it is normal to win or lose. Keep your chin up, Big Brother Huang. Just go back and continue nurturing your Small Stone Race members and stage a comeback.”
Big Brother Huang grunted and left. It seemed that he couldn’t wait to strengthen and develop his own Small Stone Race members.
Presently, he was only left with his ten Stone Kings and a small number of Elite Guards. It would be difficult for him to make his army stronger in a short time.
On the other hand, Big Sister Lan still had about 100,000 soldiers, which put her at a great advantage. She definitely had a better chance of winning the next battle.
“It’s all thanks to your idea!” Big Sister Lan looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “He’s finally willing to call me Big Sister after so many years. Tell me. What reward do you want?”
“You have a reward for me?” Yang Kai became energetic in an instant.
“Of cour… Nevermind, I know what you want even if you don’t say it.” Upon finishing her words, Big Sister Lan dashed out of the Small Universe. When she returned, she brought back literal mountains of Yellow and Blue Crystals and tossed them to Yang Kai.
Naturally, Yang Kai was ecstatic.
Initially, he thought that he would never have a chance to easily get these Yellow and Blue Crystals again, so it surprised him when Big Sister Lan gave so many to him all at once.
Yang Kai of course wouldn’t turn her down. After thanking her, he quickly sent these materials to the medicine garden.
After the epic war, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan stopped bickering with each other for quite some time. While Big Brother Huang worked hard to develop his own Small Stone Race members, Big Sister Lan was never complacent. Even though she was the winner this time, 90% of her Small Stone Race members were killed. Naturally, she had to quickly replenish her ranks.
If she was drowned in the ecstasy of this victory and never thought about improving herself, she would be the one calling him ‘Big Brother’ next time. This kind of outcome was simply intolerable for her.
Even though both of them were busy, Big Sister Lan would look for Big Brother Huang from time to time just to hear him calling her ‘Big Sister’. While she was satisfied every time, Big Brother Huang only became more furious and further strengthened his determination to get his revenge.
The enlightenment that dawned upon Yang Kai from the battle allowed him to have a better understanding of the Great Nothingness Scripture. He had a feeling that he was just one step away from grasping the core of the Secret Art, but he hadn’t been able to achieve that. That was because he still hadn’t figured out the relationship between Great Nothingness Scripture and the Dao of Time.
On this day, he suddenly detected something and looked in a particular direction.
Presently, Xu Yi was seated with his legs crossed on a boulder by a cliff. All his vitality surged as his True Qi roiled. Above his head were swirling dark clouds and deafening thunder could be heard.
He was showing signs of achieving a breakthrough!
Xu Yi was already in the Third-Order Transcendent Realm, and he would soon make it to the Saint Realm.
That was a very unique Realm. Yang Kai recalled that when he was in Tong Xuan Realm in the past, the highest Martial Dao was the Saint Realm. It wasn’t until he left the place and entered the Star Field that he came into contact with higher Realms.
He already had a feeling that there would be a strange phenomenon when his Third Disciple ascended to the Saint Realm; therefore, when he realised that Xu Yi was achieving a breakthrough, he immediately came over and observed him from up close.
In fact, Yang Kai was there every time Xu Yi achieved a breakthrough in the past, but he hadn’t discovered anything special so far.
However, this time was apparently different.
Before the ascension even happened, the Time Dao Essence in his Small Universe began reacting in a way as though it was trying to resonate with Xu Yi.
Yang Kai had the same feeling when his First Disciple Zhao Ye Bai achieved a breakthrough, but what resonated with him was the Space Dao Essence.
Meanwhile, he wasn’t worried about Xu Yi’s breakthrough. Although the progress of Xu Yi’s cultivation was rapid, he had spent a much longer time in his dreams than in reality due to his unique talent in the Dao of Time; therefore, his foundation was solid.
Certainly, he wouldn’t fall into danger by ascending to the Saint Realm.
When the World Baptism descended on Xu Yi’s head, he didn’t seem to notice at all. Instead of reacting to it, he hung his head low as though he had slumbered off.
It wasn’t until the force reached him that he looked up and stared into the void with a pair of eerie-looking eyes. There was a strange smile on his face.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai frowned.
The World Baptism continuously streamed into Xu Yi as he opened up his body and accepted it. Soon, he was covered in wounds, but as he was faced with the trial, his aura rapidly increased and soon reached the peak of the Transcendent Realm.
The Great Nothingness Scripture was circulated to the fullest as it protected Xu Yi’s vital parts. At the same time, the Time Dao Essence in the Small Universe became increasingly active. Yang Kai could clearly feel that a lot of Time Dao Essence streamed into Xu Yi’s body and was consumed by him following the World Baptism.
Just an hour later, Xu Yi’s aura, which was already at the peak, reached the next stage, and with him as the centre, a pressure wave was seen spreading out.
He had made it to the Saint Realm!
At the same time, the flow of time in the Small Universe seemed to have been affected as the whole world halted for an instant before it began surging ahead again.
The fog in Yang Kai’s mind remained, as he still hadn’t figured out the relationship between the Great Nothingness Scripture and the Dao of Time, but he could clearly feel that the flow of time in his Small Universe had accelerated.
In the past, the flow of time in his Small Universe was two times faster than the outside world, but now, it was three times faster.
This transformation astounded Yang Kai.
It had to be noted that his mastery of the Dao of Time remained in the sixth level, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary. This was a kind of categorisation he had invented and it was only thanks to this level of comprehension that the flow of time in his Small Universe had accelerated prior to this.
Why did he gain such a reward after Xu Yi achieved a breakthrough in his Small Universe?
Was it because of Xu Yi himself? Or was it because of the Great Nothingness Scripture? Could both reasons be valid?
Xu Yi was talented in the Dao of Time, and he had cultivated the Great Nothingness Scripture. Moreover, he had achieved an ascension in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Perhaps this plethora of reasons brought about unexpected changes.
However, Yang Kai felt uneasy.
The reason he selected Xu Yi to cultivate the Great Nothingness Scripture was that he wanted to fully comprehend the Secret Art so that his mastery of the Dao of Time would improve.
But now, while he had benefited, he hadn’t really learned anything new, which was simply incomprehensible.
When he checked on his Small Universe and confirmed that there was nothing wrong, Yang Kai became even more doubtful.
Meanwhile, Xu Yi had awakened as he looked dazedly at his own hands. Although he had experienced a lot of hardship while achieving this breakthrough, his body had been fortified by Yang Kai. Additionally, he had already ascended to the next Great Realm; therefore, he was fine as his wounds had mostly healed already.
“Do you feel any discomfort?” Yang Kai appeared before him and asked.
Upon hearing that, Xu Yi quickly got to his feet and saluted him, “Greetings, Honoured Master.” He still appeared doubtful, “Did I break through?”
Yang Kai nodded, “You’re in the Saint Realm now.”
Xu Yi scratched his head, “I didn’t even realise it. For some reason, I was overwhelmed by sleepiness and dozed off just now. Many thanks for protecting me, Honoured Master.”
He thought that the reason he successfully achieved an ascension was that Yang Kai had been standing guard beside him; otherwise, he would’ve lost his life since he was asleep just now.
Yang Kai stared fixedly at him and gave it a thought before saying, “Since you’ve made it to the next Great Realm, continue strengthening your foundation. You must not become arrogant just because you’re more powerful now.”
“Yes,” Xu Yi replied respectfully, “Disciple will cultivate hard and never forget your teachings.”
When he looked up, Yang Kai was already nowhere in sight.
Xu Yi was very respectful of his Honoured Master. If Yang Kai hadn’t taken him on as a Disciple during the Disciple Recruitment, he wouldn’t have achieved anything great in life given his aptitude. Nevertheless, following Yang Kai’s teachings, he made it to the Saint Realm after just a couple of decades.
He believed that it was just the beginning as he still had a brighter future ahead of him.
Upon receiving Yang Kai’s order, he quickly began consolidating his new cultivation.
In fact, it was easy for him to cultivate, as he just had to fall asleep. His aptitude remained terrible when he cultivated while he was awake.
Over the years, Xu Yi had gotten used to cultivating in his dreams; therefore, he had learned how to slumber off at will.
Presently, Yang Kai was thoroughly examining his Small Universe.
The fact that Xu Yi had brought such a benefit to him by achieving a breakthrough in his Small Universe puzzled him greatly. He would never be at ease before finding out the reason.
Unfortunately, he still hadn’t found a clue after several days of searching.
With that said, it had been established that the flow of time in his Small Universe was now three times faster than the outside world.
Yang Kai decided to ask Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan about it, but they had no idea what he was talking about.
To them, their innate abilities were the most powerful in the world and already transcended all other Secret Arts or Techniques. There wasn’t a need for them to learn anything else.
Left with no other choice, Yang Kai could only give up on investigating.
As a matter of fact, he wasn’t particularly talented in the Dao of Time. The reason he had such achievements was thanks to all the opportunities in the past.
He was most talented in the Dao of Space, which had reached the eighth level of comprehension, Summiting the Peak. He wouldn’t dare to say that no one would surpass him in the future, but rarely had anyone reached this level since time immemorial.
The most talented person in the Dao of Time that Yang Kai knew of was the deceased Flowing Time Great Emperor from the Star Boundary.
If Flowing Time Great Emperor were still alive, he might have been able to fully comprehend the Great Nothingness Scripture given his talent in the Dao of Time.
Yang Kai could only lament that such a gifted person passed away too soon. Flowing Time Great Emperor died for the Star Boundary, and if he hadn’t single-handedly injured Great Demon God all those years ago, the latter would have devoured and destroyed the Star Boundary long before Yang Kai was born.
Fortunately, there were two Disciples who had obtained his inheritance.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were equally talented in the Dao of Time. While Yang Xiao had followed the Dragon Clan members to the Ancestral Land and wouldn’t come back so soon, Yang Xue remained in High Heaven Palace. Yang Kai decided that when he returned to High Heaven Palace, he would ask Yang Xue to comprehend the Great Nothingness Scripture.
Meanwhile, Giant Spirit God Ah Er still did nothing else but eat, sleep, head to his next destination, and repeat.
Every time he dozed off, it would take him a few years to awaken.
On the other hand, the fight between Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan remained intense in the Small Universe. Following his first defeat, Big Brother Huang had learned his lesson as he now tried harder to nurture his Small Stone Race members. He didn’t care how many materials it would cost him to do that.
Certainly, Yang Kai was pleased with what these two were doing.
Big Brother Huang never forgot about the lesson he was taught during the first war. Moreover, due to the disadvantage caused by the previous defeat, he wasn’t in a rush to have a showdown with Big Sister Lan. Instead, he sent out his soldiers in small groups and harassed Big Sister Lan’s mighty army. She had never expected him to be so shameless, so she found it hard to deal with the situation for the time being.
After gaining some advantage, Big Brother Huang brought out all of his armies and defeated the other party in a decisive strike. This kind of outcome surprised Yang Kai, while it was unacceptable for Big Sister Lan.
With that said, regardless of how powerful these two were, they had a good quality; they were willing to admit defeat.
When Big Brother Huang lost the battle the first time around, he gritted his teeth and called her ‘Big Sister’ regardless of how unwilling he was.
It was the same case this time. Nevertheless, it was Big Sister Lan’s turn to call him ‘Big Brother’.
Both of them were haughty, which was expected as they were probably the most powerful beings in the 3,000 Worlds, so it wasn’t surprising that they were arrogant.
Hence, after achieving a clear victory, neither of them would destroy the other party entirely.
Just like how Big Sister Lan spared the lives of his Stone Kings and gave him time to restock and rearm, Big Brother Huang had done the same this time.
It wasn’t that they were sympathetic to the loser, but rather that they just wanted to let the other party know that they were indeed the stronger one, and the loser had to willingly call the winner Big Brother or Big Sister.
For the coming years, Yang Kai witnessed their rapid growth as military commanders.
There were no techniques to speak of during the first battle as they just brought out all their soldiers and had a showdown on an open field. They didn’t intend to direct their soldiers at all.
After respectively losing and winning one battle each though, they seemed to have learned their lessons as they could now skillfully mobilise their soldiers.
As time passed, Yang Kai witnessed all sorts of interesting sneak attacks, ambushes, luring enemies into traps, creating diversions, and luring the tiger from the mountain strategies.
Their mastery of military tactics and formations became increasingly profound as they would fight against one another with their wits every single moment. Yang Kai was awestruck by this.
When he suggested using Small Stone Race members to determine who the winner would be, he had never expected that things would come to such a point.
The entire territory Yang Kai had given them had completely turned into a battlefield.
Their Small Stone Race soldiers had expanded to several tens of millions from barely 1 million and they had spent innumerable materials because of that.
If those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises found out about it, they would surely curse them for being so wasteful.
Nevertheless, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan wouldn’t care about the Orders or amounts of those materials. In order to help their Small Stone Race members grow, they would even feed them with Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order materials!
As a result, the Stone Kings under their command were now quite different from normal ones. Not only were they much larger, but they could also produce more pebbles at a faster rate. The Small Stone Race members hatched from their pebbles were also much stronger from the start.
With their fight being never-ending, it had brought great benefits to Yang Kai.
As the Small Stone Race members were born and died in such incredible numbers, they continuously helped increase the heritage of his Small Universe. Therefore, even though Yang Kai had not cultivated at all recently, his strength had still continued to grow rapidly.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan never rewarded him with any Yellow and Blue Crystals again as they were simply engrossed in the fight of wits among themselves.
Yang Kai was someone who counted his blessings as he had already obtained immense rewards in the Chaotic Dead Territory. No one in history had ever accumulated mountains of Yin and Yang Element material in their Small Universe like what he had done.
Moreover, Yang Kai had been observing his surroundings recently.
When he barged into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside Giant Spirit God Ah Er, the void was filled with Blue and Yellow Crystals and he could easily get his hands on them.
However, as time passed, he could barely see any Blue and Yellow Crystals floating about now.
Some of them were given to Yang Kai by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan and were now sitting in his Small Universe. Some of them were used to nurture the Small Stone Race members.
Perhaps there were some Yellow and Blue Crystals scattered around the Chaotic Dead Territory, but there wouldn’t be a lot of them.
Furthermore, Yang Kai’s arrival had changed the status quo in the Chaotic Dead Territory that had persisted for eons.
Before his arrival, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan never stopped fighting one another. Every time a massive clash took place, countless Soul Clones would be produced that then hacked each other to death. The fallout would spread across the entire Chaotic Dead Territory, which made it a very dangerous place.
Nevertheless, the two of them were now engrossed in nurturing their Small Stone Race members and the danger in the Chaotic Dead Territory slowly dissipated. The Soul Clones had all turned into Yellow and Blue Crystals of different Orders while the giant masses of coloured light stopped clashing with each other.
The Chaotic Dead Territory was no longer dangerous.
This was a fact Yang Kai had inadvertently discovered.
There had always been a protective layer around Giant Spirit God Ah Er since they entered the Chaotic Dead Territory. He would never dispel it even when he was eating or sleeping. It was thanks to this protective layer that Yang Kai had remained safe until now, but there came a day when the protective layer around Ah Er abruptly disappeared.
It wasn’t until that moment that Yang Kai realised the Chaotic Dead Territory had undergone a stunning transformation.
His feelings were complicated upon that realization.
It was just an idea that flashed through his head as he was searching for a way to save himself, so he hadn’t expected it to solve the epic battle that had been ongoing between Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan since time immemorial. Seeing the fight between them had turned into something more peaceful, he actually felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Although he felt sorry for the Small Stone Race members, they were born to attack each other. Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had only magnified this characteristic.
Since the Chaotic Dead Territory was no longer dangerous, Yang Kai felt that it was time for him to leave.
The reason he hadn’t left earlier was that he was unable to do so. Without Ah Er’s protection, he wouldn’t be able to move around freely in the void that was filled with murderous intent.
He was supposed to look for Qu Hua Shang after her 100 years of confinement were up, but that time had passed as he had been held up in the Chaotic Dead Territory for about thirty or forty years. He couldn’t wait to head to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven now.
After he won first place in Dao Theory Assembly and became a Son-in-Law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, he was supposed to marry Qu Hua Shang.
Yang Kai thus found a chance to bid farewell to Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan.
Both of them were shocked upon hearing that.
“Are you leaving?” Big Sister Lan batted her eyes and gazed at him.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “It was an accident that I came into this place. I’m more than satisfied to have come across the two of you as you’ve taken good care of me; however, I cannot stay here forever, so it’s time for me to leave.”
He was genuinely grateful to the two of them. Without them, he wouldn’t have gained so many benefits. It was expected that he was saddened to have to leave them after spending so many years with them.
On the other hand, it seemed Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were fine with his leaving, and she only nodded upon hearing that.
Just then, Big Brother Huang said, “You can leave, but our territories will have to stay here.”
Yang Kai instantly sported a dark expression as his face twitched, “What do you mean?”
Big Brother Huang drew a circle with his hand, “These territories!” He directly included thirty percent of Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
Yang Kai coughed and replied, “No. It’s my Small Universe. I’ll die if I leave behind such a large area.”
Certainly, he wouldn’t die because of that, but his strength would plunge by cutting off such a large area of his Small Universe and his foundation would be crippled, meaning he would lose any hope of achieving another breakthrough in his life.
“Come up with a solution, then. Don’t affect our fight.”
“That’s easy.” Yang Kai was well prepared. Since he had decided to leave, he naturally wouldn’t run away with no backup plan. They wouldn’t agree to it, either.
Small Stone Race members just needed a simple environment to live. He just had to look for a new place for them to develop.
Fortunately, the Chaotic Dead Territory was full of shattered Universe Worlds. He just had to look for a larger shattered Spirit Province so that they could continue the fight freely.
After Yang Kai brought his idea up, Big Brother Huang spread his palms, “There’s none left.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai widened his eyes.
Big Brother Huang stomped his foot, “There were some in the past, but they were all eaten by this guy.”
He was talking about Ah Er.
At that, Yang Kai was speechless.
After Big Brother Huang stomped his foot on the ground, Ah Er, who had been sound asleep, suddenly awakened. This time, he didn’t appear to be sulky as he just charged forward into the distance.
Judging from the direction he was heading, his destination was the Territory Gate.
Since all the shattered Universe Worlds in the Chaotic Dead Territory were consumed by Ah Er, there was no reason for him to stay.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan didn’t intend to stop him from leaving.
It wasn’t the first time Giant Spirit God Clan members visited their territory. Whenever their fight affected a new Great Territory, which resulted in numerous Universe Worlds getting destroyed, Giant Spirit Gods would get wind of it and arrive at this place. After they were done with wolfing down all the shattered Universe Worlds, they would leave.
The two of them were already used to it.
A few days later, the Territory Gate came into sight. Just like how Ah Er entered this place back then, he growled as his body shrank rapidly. The next moment, he plunged into the Territory Gate and disappeared.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s Small Universe remained in place.
His Small Universe was placed on Ah Er’s head, so it had been moving alongside him; however, even though Ah Er was now gone, Yang Kai was left behind.
He couldn’t detect Big Brother Huang or Big Sister Lan making any moves, but he knew that it had something to do with them.
At that moment, he was heartbroken at the fact that Ah Er abandoned him just like that.
Meanwhile, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan directly ignored his depression. To them, they just needed Yang Kai’s Small Universe to serve as their battlefield. As for Yang Kai himself, he didn’t matter to them.
Yang Kai felt his head aching as he watched the two in his Small Universe.
There was no way he could leave this place before solving this problem. With that said, he reckoned that it wasn’t so hard to solve this problem after all.
As he darted his gaze around, an idea soon came into his mind.
“Good, Big Brother Huang, Big Sister Lan. I’ll look for a new battlefield that’s much bigger and expansive than the current one so that you’ll be able to fight more freely. What do you think?”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan exchanged glances before nodding gently, “Go ahead, then.”
Yang Kai said, “I have to leave this place for a short while. This place doesn’t have the things you need.”
On the other side of the Territory Gate, more than ten High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters still steadfastly watched over the Chaotic Dead Territory, just like they had been doing for a long time.
As Yang Kai had speculated, the fallout from the fight between the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer was too horrifying and would affect the neighbouring Great Territories. Once that happened, the entire Great Territory would become a part of the Chaotic Dead Territory.
Therefore, the Cave Heavens and Paradises would always empty the adjacent Great Territories to prevent too many casualties due to the fight. They had been doing this for many, many years now.
When the fight between the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer expanded previously and affected new Great Territories, they would already be empty to begin with; therefore, even though countless Universe Worlds would be destroyed, no casualties had been reported.
That was the reason the cultivators in this Great Territory fled decades ago.
When Giant Spirit God Ah Er dashed out of the Territory Gate, these High-Rank Masters didn’t try to stop him and simply watched him leave. In fact, they were unable to stop him even if they wanted to. Even though there was an Eighth-Order Ancestor around, there was no way they could challenge a Giant Spirit God.
As they watched the Giant Spirit God leave, a Seventh-Order woman suddenly let out a sigh, “It’s unfortunate that such a talent passed away at such a young age.”
The person beside her nodded, “You’re right. A rising star like him was killed just like that. Life is full of uncertainties, isn’t it?”
Another person said, “An ignorant person knows no fear. I suppose he wasn’t aware that he was entering the Chaotic Dead Territory; otherwise, he wouldn’t have the guts to tag along with the Giant Spirit God.”
“I heard that the young man was engaged to a Core Disciple from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Now that he’s dead, I suppose the engagement has been annulled.”
“I heard from the Sect that he had made a significant contribution in the fight to destroy the Black Ink Disciples in Lang Ya Paradise. It was thanks to him that those from Lang Ya Paradise could find and eliminate all the Black Ink Disciples. They had even found some clues that led to the true Black Ink Clansman hiding behind the shadows.”
They were naturally talking about Yang Kai.
When Yang Kai barged into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside Ah Er in the past, many of these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters witnessed it.
At that moment, all of them were shocked.
First of all, no one had ever worked with a Giant Spirit God before, so the people who saw Yang Kai thought that they were just seeing things.
Secondly, the Chaotic Dead Territory was an extremely dangerous place. Even though Yang Kai had entered alongside a Giant Spirit God, they reckoned that his fate would be miserable. He would most likely be killed by the shockwaves of the never-ending fight.
Therefore, after Yang Kai dashed into the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside the Giant Spirit God, they started looking into his identity.
Although they had been monitoring the movements of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer for many years as it was their duty, they still had ways to communicate with the outside world.
Upon asking around, they found out that the young man who entered the Chaotic Dead Territory alongside the Giant Spirit God was a famous figure, not a nobody.
His titles included Star Boundary Great Emperor, Void Land’s Lord, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Son-in-Law and so on.
Previously, the incident regarding the World Tree had spread like wildfire. Even though they were stationed here, these Masters had heard of it. It was already shocking enough that Yang Kai, as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, was able to kill a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. During the Dao Theory Assembly, he defeated all other Core Disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises and won first place. That was why they were also aware that he was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law.
Additionally, it was thanks to Yang Kai’s contribution that those from Lang Ya Paradise were able to root out the Black Ink Disciples and kill them all, which prevented a disaster from happening.
Yang Kai had done many things that were of great concern to the Cave Heavens and Paradises, so he was no longer a nameless figure. That was why they could easily find out his identity by just asking around.
After some calculations, they reckoned that he had come to the Chaotic Dead Territory with the Giant Spirit God after leaving Lang Ya Paradise.
Regardless of how many achievements Yang Kai had made in the past, which included killing a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was still just a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the end. There was no way he could survive in the Chaotic Dead Territory.
They believed that it was the truth. Decades had passed, and the Giant Spirit God finally left; however, the young man that had tagged along was nowhere to be seen now.
No one could survive in the Chaotic Dead Territory for long, not even the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, to say nothing of the fact that Yang Kai was just a Sixth-Order Master.
Although they felt sorry for Yang Kai’s death, they were not close to him after all; therefore, after a moment of silence, they soon talked about other matters.
“Speaking of the Black Ink Clan, how’s the situation in the Shattered Heaven now?”
All of them shook their heads, including the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor, who supposedly knew a little more than the rest, “Although we’ve been looking into it for decades, we haven’t found the whereabouts of the Black Ink Clansman in the Shattered Heaven. They seem to be very well hidden.”
“Have they found other Black Ink Disciples in our forces?”
“No.”
“I suppose the situation is not that bad yet. I wonder how those Black Ink Disciples from Lang Ya Paradise became connected to the Black Ink Clan.”
Just when the Eighth-Order Ancestor was about to speak, his expression changed drastically as he turned to look at the Territory Gate.
Fluctuations could be felt coming from the Territory Gate. It wasn’t the first time they experienced this. The same thing happened when Giant Spirit God Ah Er shot out of the Chaotic Dead Territory. It would also happen when the fallout from the fight between the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer spread.
Now that the Giant Spirit God was gone, there were no other living creatures in the Chaotic Dead Territory other than the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
The Eighth-Order Ancestor felt his heart sinking, thinking that the fight between the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer would soon affect the next Great Territory. The same thing happened barely 100 years ago.
Why would it come so soon?
Without the need for him to give the order, more than ten High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters drew on the powers of their Small Universes to protect themselves while raising their vigilance to the highest.
According to past experiences, the Territory Gate wouldn’t be destroyed too quickly, so they still had time to flee. Once the Territory Gate was destroyed, if they still hadn’t left this Great Territory, they would be killed despite being High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Under their pointed watch though, a figure strolled out of the Territory Gate.
All of them were rooted to the spot as though they had been hit by some kind of binding technique. Even the seasoned Eighth-Order Ancestor widened his eyes as he looked dazedly at the young man, who had stepped out of the Chaotic Dead Territory totally unscathed.
When Yang Kai shook off his dizziness from crossing the Territory Gate, he saw that more than ten people gazing at him as though he was a ghost. He frowned, knowing that they must have misunderstood something.
However, he didn’t intend to explain anything and simply saluted them respectfully, “Void Land’s Yang Kai greets Seniors.”
[It’s really him!]
Although they already found out Yang Kai’s identity and knew that he was Void Land’s Lord, they hadn’t verified this fact as there was simply no way to do that. It wasn’t until this moment that they could confirm it.
These people exchanged dumbfounded glances as they couldn’t believe their eyes. They had always believed that Yang Kai was long dead, and the Cave Heavens and Paradises that received the news must have shared the same sentiment.
A Seventh-Order woman, who spoke earlier, asked doubtfully, “You’re still… alive?”
[What on Earth is she talking about?] A speechless Yang Kai gaped at her and nodded, “Yes?”
Another High-Rank Open Heaven Realm asked in shock, “How are you still alive?”
Yang Kai sported a dark expression, wondering why these people seemed to want him dead when there were no grudges between them.
The Eighth-Order Ancestor seemed to realise what Yang Kai was thinking and explained, “They’re curious about how you survived in the Chaotic Dead Territory. Did the Giant Spirit God protect you?”
Upon hearing this, the others finally realised what was happening. It would only be possible for Yang Kai to survive in the Chaotic Dead Territory with the Giant Spirit God’s protection.
However, after giving it a thought, they realised that something was off. The Giant Spirit God had left some time before Yang Kai came out of the Chaotic Dead Territory, yet he was still alive and kicking even though he didn’t have the Giant Spirit God’s protection for the past incense or so.
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Your insight is truly sharp, Ancestor. It was indeed thanks to the Giant Spirit God that I survived. However, it’s no longer dangerous inside as one can enter and leave without fear.”
All of them were stunned as some of them asked doubtfully, “Are you serious?”
Without going into the details, Yang Kai replied, “I’ve found a… game for the two powerful beings inside to occupy their time with. Now that they’ve switched to a different method of competing, it’s no longer dangerous inside.”
All of them stared fixedly at Yang Kai as though they were trying to figure out whether he was lying.
After pondering on it for a moment, the Eighth-Order Ancestor said in a weird tone, “You said you’ve found a game for the powerful beings inside?”
Yang Kai nodded seriously.
The Ancestor’s expression became more awkward, “Do you know who they are?”
“Of course, I know.” Yang Kai nodded again.
At that, the Ancestor was speechless.
The other High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters traded glances. Some of them even suspected that Yang Kai had gone mad.
The beings inside were the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, who had been fighting against one another since the dawn of time. They had destroyed innumerable Great Territories along the way. No one knew what the cause of the fight was, but they speculated that they were simply incompatible with each other’s existence.
This was a truly irreconcilable feud.
Nevertheless, there was now a young man who said that he had found a new game for these two beings to kill time with so they changed the way they fought?
Was this whole thing some kind of child’s game? Certainly, they wouldn’t believe it.
They would probably find it to be even more inconceivable if they found out that Yang Kai had played this child’s game with them for quite a long time.
“Well…” The Ancestor tried to measure his words as he also believed that Yang Kai had gone mad. Even though Yang Kai had stayed in the Chaotic Dead Territory for decades and eventually stepped out of it safely, which was a feat no one had pulled off in history, it didn’t mean that what he said was true.
The Ancestor asked seriously, “What kind of game is it?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “Will you believe me if I say it’s a kind of strategy game?”
Yang Kai had naturally noticed the Eighth-Order Ancestor’s doubt, and there was something off about the way the other High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters looked at him, as if they felt sympathy for him.
The Eighth-Order Ancestor fell silent.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing to believe Yang Kai, but the latter’s words were just too inconceivable.
Could a so-called strategy game make the two powerful beings forget about the grudges between them that had spanned across the ages? If it were so easy, these people wouldn’t have had to keep guard in this place for so many years.
“It’s expected that you don’t believe me, so why don’t you come with me to see for yourself? You’ll believe me when you witness it in person.” Yang Kai invited him to enter the Chaotic Dead Territory with him.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor instantly put up his guard. If he hadn’t known that Yang Kai had the World Spring, which protected his Small Universe from any external invasion, he would’ve suspected that the young man had been stained with Black Ink and was trying to kill him.
Not just anyone could barge into the Chaotic Dead Territory. Even though Yang Kai had left safely, he might have some special way of achieving it. On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Ancestor wouldn’t dare to put his guard down.
This matter had far-reaching implications. If the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer could live peacefully together, it would be good news for the entire universe. At the very least, the Cave Heavens and Paradises wouldn’t have to worry about their fight destroying more Great Territories.
Over the years, too many Great Territories had been destroyed because of their fight, which was a loss for the entire 3,000 Worlds.
Although the Eighth-Order Ancestor didn’t believe Yang Kai’s words, he still said, “You’ll stay here. I’ll go in and have a look.”
It wasn’t the first time he entered the Chaotic Dead Territory; after all, he was a powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although he couldn’t go deep into the Chaotic Dead Territory, it wasn’t hard for him to momentarily visit the periphery.
In fact, he had entered the Chaotic Dead Territory several times before to examine the situation inside, but he would always quickly withdraw. He wouldn’t be able to bear the repercussions if he stayed there for too long.
There was even once when he obtained a Seventh-Order Blue Crystal almost as big as a washbasin while he was there, which was a huge bonus.
“Be careful, Ancestor,” all of them said with concern.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor nodded gently and fully activated the power of his Small Universe. Then, he summoned a defensive artifact, which turned into a glowing aura that engulfed him, before he plunged into the Territory Gate.
However, barely a few breaths of time later, he dashed out of the Territory Gate.
What shocked them was that the Ancestor was all charred, and his clothes were tattered. Even his hair was in a mess as smoke could be seen billowing from his head. It was as though he had been struck by lightning.
The defensive artifact he had summoned earlier was nowhere to be seen, apparently destroyed in just those few breaths’ time.
A dumbfounded Yang Kai exclaimed, “No way!”
The Chaotic Dead Territory was clearly calm and tranquil when he left, so why did the Ancestor seemingly get struck by lightning after entering it?
While feeling doubtful, Yang Kai dashed into the Chaotic Dead Territory to find out what had happened. The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t stop him in time.
In reality, the Chaotic Dead Territory was still calm and quiet. Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were just standing there and staring at the Territory Gate.
Upon seeing Yang Kai, Big Sister Lan asked excitedly, “Are you done?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s not something that can be completed so quickly. I came back not long after I left, so I still need some time.”
Big Brother Huang frowned, “Why did you come back when you’re not done with your task?”
Yang Kai asked, “Did you two see anything just now?”
Big Sister Lan tilted her head, “Are you talking about that old man? I was shocked when he suddenly barged in, so I gave him a little smack. I didn’t do anything else.”
[Her little smack almost shocked the life out of that old man, literally…]
Yang Kai didn’t know what to say, so he could only try to persuade them, “Please don’t hit him so hard next time. He meant no harm; he just wanted to have a look inside.”
Big Brother Huang snorted, “He should consider himself lucky that he wasn’t killed. Tell him not to come in again. We didn’t settle accounts with him when he came in several times before.”
“Good good.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. It seemed that Big Brother Huang didn’t welcome outsiders into the Chaotic Dead Territory.
He then turned around and bolted out.
Although the Ancestor’s head had been struck, he wasn’t at risk of losing his life. When he saw that Yang Kai come out all safe and sound while he was burnt and battered, he couldn’t help but feel indignant despite being an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai explained, “The thing is… the two of them don’t want to be bothered by anyone. They were displeased when you suddenly appeared, Ancestor.”
The Ancestor nodded gently, “They didn’t intend to kill me.”
If they wanted to kill him, he would be dead. Although he was injured, it was already the best outcome possible.
What was more shocking to him was that these supreme beings who had lived for countless eons were actually two young kids who looked like they were barely over ten years old.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it.
Over the years, no one had ever seen the true bodies of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. He wasn’t sure if what he had seen were their true bodies or just temporary forms they had manifested.
Although he was stunned, he could confirm that the Chaotic Dead Territory was indeed safe now as no horrifying shockwaves were rippling across it. The entire Chaotic Dead Territory was eerily calm.
It seemed that what the young man had said was true.
Suppressing his excitement, he asked, “You said you’ve found a new game for them. Is there anything we can do to help?”
It was wonderful news that the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer had stopped fighting. At the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about more Great Territories getting destroyed.
Upon noticing the change in the Ancestor’s attitude, the other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters gazed at Yang Kai with solemn expressions.
Yang Kai replied, “I could use your help actually.”
“Go ahead.”
“The thing is, the game requires a vast area for them to play freely. However, I’m sure you know that there’s nothing else but the endless void in the Chaotic Dead Territory. Hence, I’ve been tasked with looking for a new board for them to play on.”
The Ancestor pondered on it for a moment before nodding, “I understand. Come with me.”
Upon finishing his words, he led the way.
Yang Kai followed closely.
A few hours later, a gigantic Universe World came into their sight. The Ancestor pointed at the Universe World and asked, “How about this place?”
“It’s good enough. Are there no people living here?”
The Ancestor replied, “There were some residents in the past, but they moved out decades ago. There are no Humans living in this place now. Perhaps there are some low-level beasts.”
Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, please make a move to split up this Universe World so that it’s easier to send into the Chaotic Dead Territory.”
Upon realising Yang Kai’s intentions, the Ancestor raised his hand and pointed two fingers at the gigantic Universe World.
As the majestic World Force burst forth, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel all his pores tightening.
It wasn’t the first time he witnessed an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master making a move. When he was previously hunted down by Bright Sun Divine Monarch, Cheng Yang, the other party had repeatedly attempted to kill him.
Nevertheless, that was different from the current situation. It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised how formidable an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master truly was.
Following the Ancestor’s move, a light penetrated the void and caused the entire Universe World to shake. It then split into shattered Spirit Provinces of different sizes.
The emotions in Yang Kai’s heart undulated. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could also destroy a Universe World, but he could not do it as accurately and effortlessly as the Ancestor beside him.
This was the difference between their Realms.
The force the Ancestor exerted was ingenious. Although the Universe World had turned into countless shattered Spirit Provinces, they were not a jumbled mess; instead, they seemed to have been neatly cut into pieces.
It went to show that this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had precise control over his power.
“I heard that your Small Universe has materialised,” the Ancestor suddenly commented.
Yang Kai didn’t know where the old man had heard it from, but his Small Universe had been probed by numerous High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, so it wasn’t really a secret now.
Therefore, he replied frankly, “Yes.”
The Ancestor went on to say, “In that case, we’ll store these shattered Spirit Provinces in our Small Universes and take them into the Chaotic Dead Territory; however, you must be careful. Use your own power to isolate these Universe World pieces; otherwise, your World Force will be contaminated. When that happens, you’ll have to spend quite some effort to get rid of it.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai replied respectfully.
The two of them made a move together and transferred these shattered Spirit Provinces into their Small Universes. Since Yang Kai was weaker, he couldn’t keep many of the pieces. In the end, he only kept 30% of them while the rest were taken by the Ancestor.
They then activated their own powers to suppress the World Force contained in those shattered Spirit Provinces so that they wouldn’t merge with their Small Universes.
Half a day had passed when they returned to the Territory Gate.
In front of the Territory Gate, the Ancestor was hesitant while looking at Yang Kai with a pair of hopeful eyes.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai said, “Please come with me, Ancestor. It’ll save us time by completing it all at once.”
The Ancestor asked nervously, “But the two of them inside…”
Yang Kai secretly sneered, thinking that the Ancestor was clearly eager to have a look inside the Chaotic Dead Territory; however, he was still reeling from the memory of what had just happened to him. Without Yang Kai’s assurance, he wouldn’t dare to go in again, lest he be killed on the spot.
Therefore, Yang Kai reassured him by saying, “Don’t worry, Ancestor. We’re going in to help. You just have to follow me closely, and they won’t make a move on you again.”
It was then that the Ancestor nodded, “Sorry for the trouble then, Martial Nephew.”
He couldn’t help but feel his emotions undulating. Since time immemorial, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had been trying to come into contact with the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, but no one had succeeded so far. The Chaotic Dead Territory was too dangerous, and no one was able to have a talk with these two powerful beings.
Would he be the one to make history on this day?
Certainly, he wasn’t the first person to do so, but Yang Kai wasn’t a part of the Cave Heavens and Paradises after all, nor could he represent the aforementioned great forces.
After telling the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to keep guard in this place, the Ancestor followed Yang Kai closely and entered the Chaotic Dead Territory for the second time.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were still waiting in the same spot, but their eyes brightened when they saw Yang Kai return.
Their armies were ready for the next battle, so they desperately needed a large place where they could fight against one another freely.
However, when Big Brother Huang saw the Ancestor who was behind Yang Kai, he frowned with displeasure.
The nervous Ancestor quickly saluted them, “Greetings, Seniors.”
Although he was an old man who had lived for a long time, he wouldn’t dare to pull rank in front of these two. He hung his head low and stared at his own feet in a respectful manner while speaking to them.
Big Brother Huang directly ignored him while a displeased Big Sister Lan snorted, “Why did you call us Seniors? Call me Big Sister!”
The title ‘Big Sister’ seemed to be the sweetest music to her ears.
Upon hearing that, the Ancestor was dumbfounded.
[Why did she suddenly ask me to call her Big Sister?] He turned to look at Yang Kai in the hope that the other party could give him some clarity.
Yang Kai thus secretly spoke to him, “These two are a bit eccentric. Just do as they say.”
The Ancestor coughed and then said respectfully, “Greetings, Big Sister.”
“Good!” Big Sister Lan was elated.
Just then, Big Brother Huang snorted.
The Ancestor instantly got the hint and quickly followed up, “Greetings, Big Brother.”
It was only then that Big Brother Huang sported a milder expression.
On the other hand, the Ancestor was clearly embarrassed. He didn’t mind calling them Seniors as it was the most common form of address, but he was puzzled as to why he was asked to call them Big Brother and Big Sister. Although it seemed like he had taken advantage of them, the other old people of his rank would surely laugh at him if the news was spread.
At that moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling gleeful. It was just like how one would feel much better when he saw that he wasn’t the only one who was suffering from some indignity. At the very least, Yang Kai wasn’t the only one who felt ashamed now as someone else was also forced to call these two young children Big Brother and Big Sister.
Yang Kai and the Ancestor had put a lot of shattered Spirit Provinces inside their Small Universes and were continuously consuming their own strength to suppress the World Force from these Spirit Provinces.
Otherwise, once the foreign World Force penetrated their Small Universes, impurities would be formed, and they would have to spend some effort to get rid of them.
This matter couldn’t be delayed, so they quickly fished out the shattered Spirit Provinces from their Small Universes.
Although the Ancestor had precise control over his power and had cut the Universe World into neat pieces, it was difficult to put these shattered Spirit Provinces back together in their original form.
Fortunately, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan didn’t demand them to do so, nor did Yang Kai intend to put these pieces together just the way they were.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan just needed a battlefield where they could fight freely, so they didn’t have any demands when it came to the venue.
Therefore, barely half a day later, an expansive territory that was made from Spirit Provinces of different sizes was completed.
In order to make it easier for them to battle with one another, Yang Kai had intentionally created a rectangular battlefield. In that case, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan could respectively occupy half of the territory and nurture their armies to fight with each other.
After the two of them took a stroll around, they were pleased with their new game board. At the very least, it was much bigger than the previous territory provided by Yang Kai. This kind of territory that was made from an entire Universe World could accommodate billions of lives, which was enough for them to keep on playing this game for many years to come.
The next moment, Yang Kai released the Small Stone Race members that they had been nurturing inside his Small Universe.
The Eighth-Order Ancestor was dumbfounded when he saw the several tens of millions of Small Stone Race members. Despite being an experienced person, he had never seen such living creatures before. He had no idea where Yang Kai had found them, so he speculated that these unique living creatures might belong to the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
It wasn’t easy to help these millions of soldiers settle down, so it took Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan a few days to organize them.
During this period of time, Yang Kai and the Eighth-Order Ancestor had been waiting patiently.
Yang Kai wanted to wait for Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan to settle everything before leaving; after all, he had promised to help them with it. As for the Eighth-Order Ancestor, he wouldn’t dare to say anything in front of these formidable beings.
More than ten days later, all the soldiers had finally been settled in.
It was then Yang Kai bid Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan farewell.
Although they were a bit reluctant to part ways with their new Little Brother, they didn’t intend to make him stay. Before Yang Kai’s departure, Big Brother Huang suddenly said, “Thanks for what you’ve done for us during this period.”
Despite knowing that Yang Kai had gained a lot of benefits from them, they didn’t really care about those things. As far as they were concerned, it was thanks to Yang Kai’s own opportunity and capability that he had obtained those benefits. On the other hand, they had found a more peaceful and useful way to settle the dispute between them that had persisted for so many years upon his arrival.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Don’t mention it, Big Brother Huang. In fact, I should be the one thanking the two of you.”
Big Brother Huang shook his head, “It’s different.”
Big Sister Lan came over and beamed at him, “That’s right. Even though we would respectively lose or win the game, I’ve finally heard him call me Big Sister at the very least. I had never heard him call me that before your arrival.”
There was a haughty expression on Big Brother Huang’s face, “Have you never called me Big Brother?”
Big Sister Lan corrected him with a solemn expression, “You call me Big Sister more frequently, though.”
Instantly, Big Brother Huang felt humiliated and balled up his fists, “I have several dozen million soldiers with me now. I’ll definitely destroy you!”
“Bring it on! It’s not like I’m afraid of you. I have an army as well!” Big Sister Lan replied defiantly.
While they were engrossed in bickering with one another, the Ancestor was quivering like a quail in winter as he was worried that the two of them would suddenly come to blows.
If that happened, at this kind of range, he wouldn’t even know how he died.
He then turned to look at Yang Kai in the hope that the latter would persuade them to stop arguing, only to see him looking calm and collected. Admiration was written all over the Ancestor’s face at that instant.
Seeing that their argument was intensifying, Yang Kai had no choice but to stop them, “Good, stop arguing since there’s a battle ahead of you. I’ll take my leave now. Please take care of yourselves. I’ll visit you again when there’s a chance.”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan shut their mouths at exactly the same time and turned to gaze at him. All of a sudden, they said simultaneously, ““Before you leave, we’ll give you a gift.””
Upon finishing their words, they raised their hands and pointed their fingers at Yang Kai.
No noise could be heard, nor was there any fluctuation of energy or any kind of anomaly at all.
Yang Kai didn’t feel or see anything.
On the other hand, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan stopped responding to him as they dashed towards the newly formed battlefield and directed their own armies to fight with each other. Their fighting spirits had been ignited following the argument as they were now eager to defeat the other party and make them surrender.
With a frown, Yang Kai examined himself, but he still couldn’t feel anything.
He then turned his head and asked, “Did you see anything, Ancestor?”
The Ancestor shook his head, “No.”
He had heard the two of them say that they were giving Yang Kai a gift, and he had also seen them pointing their fingers at Yang Kai, but there was nothing else.
“Do you feel that there’s anything different, Martial Nephew?” The Ancestor asked cautiously. Since the two of them had said they would give Yang Kai a gift, they certainly were not lying; however, the current situation was strange.
Yang Kai shook his head as he didn’t detect any difference in his body.
After pondering on it for a moment, the Ancestor said, “Their powers are inscrutable. Perhaps we’re too weak to discover it. I’m sure the benefits of this gift will manifest in the years to come.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Perhaps you’re right.”
After taking another glance at the newly formed territory, Yang Kai left the place with the Ancestor. The armies behind them had already started clashing with each other.
In front of the Territory Gate, the Ancestor asked with an amiable expression, “Where are you going, Martial Nephew?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “I have to head to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
Upon hearing that, the Ancestor instantly realised his intention. Yang Kai had won first place in the Dao Theory Assembly, after which Qu Hua Shang had been confined for 100 years. After some calculations, the Ancestor realised that those 100 years had passed some time ago. Yang Kai had been held up in the Chaotic Dead Territory, so he wasn’t able to head to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven on time. Now that he could leave though, he naturally had to hurry over.
“I hope you’ll have a smooth journey then, Martial Nephew.” The Ancestor put on a gentle smile.
Yang Kai saluted him and cupped his fist, “Until we meet again.”
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sported conflicted expressions as they watched Yang Kai leave. They had seen how the Ancestor was treating Yang Kai in such an amicable manner, which was something unprecedented. Although they were in the Seventh-Order, which was one Order above Yang Kai, they had never received such a treatment from the Ancestor before.
It was inconceivable that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would treat a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master so cordially.
With that said, Yang Kai was obviously no ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as he was able to enter and leave the Chaotic Dead Territory freely.
“Ancestor… is the Chaotic Dead Territory really safe now?” One of the Masters asked.
After measuring his words, the Ancestor replied, “The status quo has changed, but as long as those two beings exist, it will never really be considered safe.”
All of them nodded in agreement. Although Yang Kai said he had found a new game for the two of them to occupy their time, no one knew how long their passion for the game would last. Perhaps they would lose interest a few years later. By then, another round of devastating fights would happen and destruction would reign once more.
Hence, they had to stay in this place and continue monitoring the situation.
In the void, Yang Kai fished out a Universe Chart to identify his current location. He then charted a route that led to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
After making some calculations, he realised that it would only take him two months to pass through more than ten Great Territories and arrive at Yin-Yang Territory given his current speed.
Most people couldn’t be as swift as he was and it would take the average Sixth-Order Master half a year to reach Yin-Yang Cave Heaven from this position. However, as an expert in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai could enjoy this kind of convenience.
Qu Hua Shang was supposed to have come out of the confinement by now. Yang Kai felt guilty that he hadn’t managed to meet up with her on time as they had agreed.
It was an accident that he came across the Giant Spirit God and was subsequently brought into the Chaotic Dead Territory. Before that, he had no idea that Ah Er was heading to the Chaotic Dead Territory, and he had never expected that he wouldn’t be able to come out until so many years later.
He wondered if Xu Ling Gong would kill him when he arrived at Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
A sense of fear overwhelmed him when he recalled the way Xu Ling Gong held a sword menacingly in his hand.
He decided that he would directly give Xu Ling Gong an expensive bridegroom’s gift in order to appease him. He had obtained a lot of valuable items from the Chaotic Dead Territory, so he was sure that Xu Ling Gong would be pleased.
On his way to his destination, Yang Kai examined himself again. Before his departure, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan said that they were giving him a gift, but they only pointed at him in silence, which befuddled him.
After another thorough examination, he still hadn’t discovered anything.
[Could the two of them have been messing with me? Given their temperaments, it’s not impossible…]
After all, he had already obtained a lot of benefits from the Chaotic Dead Territory, so there was no reason for Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan to give him an additional gift.
Upon that realisation, Yang Kai couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
However, some time after he decided to stop examining himself, there came a moment when he felt that something was off while he was heading to his destination.
The Dragon Vein in his body suddenly started throbbing for no apparent reason. Following that, it became scorching hot just like boiling water.
In an instant, Yang Kai became as red as a cooked shrimp while smoke could be seen billowing from his figure.
His Dragon Vein didn’t stopped rumbling from that point on while a violent force could be felt expanding internally. Yang Kai had a feeling that he would soon be unable to suppress it any longer.
Realising that he was in trouble, he quickly looked around and soon spotted a medium-sized Universe World before plunging into it.
Given his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, he could easily break through the World Barrier of this Universe World and pass through the clouds. A moment later, an ocean came into his sight.
Spotting a huge island in the middle of the ocean, Yang Kai landed on it like a meteorite, forming a deep crater in the ground.
He had used his last bit of power to come all the way here, so he was no longer able to suppress the roiling force in his body.
Therefore, as soon as he landed on the ground, cracking sounds could be heard coming from all over his figure.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s body started expanding rapidly. He uncontrollably let out a resounding Dragon Roar as his petite figure turned into a 10,000 metres long Grand Dragon.
Dragon Transformation!
This time, he wasn’t the one who took the initiative to transform into a Dragon; instead, he had no choice but to turn into a Grand Dragon following the unrest of the Dragon Vein in his body.
Yang Kai felt so scorchingly hot that it was as though he was burning.
Instinctively, he shook his head and plunged into the water as he headed to the depths of the ocean. The deeper he went, the colder he felt.
While he finally felt a sense of comfort, the ocean water started boiling wherever he went. In an instant, the area around him became a vacuum.
He had no idea what was going on with him, but he didn’t feel a sense of danger; instead, he was looking forward to what would soon happen, though he wasn’t sure what that would be.
Yang Kai soon realised what was going on. Following an excruciating pain, all the bones in his body started cracking loudly. His 10,000 metres figure, which was already colossal, was rapidly expanding at a speed that far exceeded his imagination.
He had obtained the Golden Divine Dragon Source when he was still in Tong Xuan Realm in the past. When he came across Zhu Qing in the Star Boundary, he was taught the Dragon Transformation Secret Art by her, which allowed him to tap into the power of his Dragon Vein and transform into a Half-Dragon.
Nevertheless, even after cultivating for many years, he could only transform into a 3,000 metre tall Half-Dragon.
If not for the opportunity in Ancestral Land where he obtained the Crystal Palace of the Dragon Clan and refined a lot of Ancestral Spirit Crystals and Spirit Fruits, it would have taken him thousands of years before he could become a Grand Dragon.
It took Dragon Clan members a painfully long time to grow. Not only the Dragon Clan though, but all Divine Spirits suffered from this problem. That was the reason the Divine Spirits were not willing to leave Ancestral Land. The Ancestral Strength in that place was extremely important to the Divine Spirits as it could greatly reduce the time they needed to mature and grow.
Yang Kai had already planned on heading to the Ancestral Land to cultivate in seclusion after ascending to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm so that he could further strengthen his Dragon Vein; however, that would only happen a long time from now.
He was only in the Sixth-Order currently, so he still had to make it to the Seventh-Order before he could even think of reaching the Eighth-Order.
Given his heritage, it wouldn’t take him a long time to make it to the Seventh-Order, but it would require a long, long time for him to ascend to the Eighth-Order. It could be several thousand years, or even 10,000 years.
With that said, it wasn’t the most pressing issue at hand. Although he could be considered a Pureblood Dragon after becoming a Grand Dragon, Yang Kai was still a Human, and he was most reliant on his Open Heaven Realm cultivation; therefore, he was determined to make it to the Eighth-Order, which was supposedly his limit.
Nevertheless, he had never expected that following a significant improvement in his Dragon Vein in the Ancestral Land, he would see another improvement so soon. Furthermore, this improvement was far more rapid, intense, and violent than the one he had experienced in the Crystal Palace in the Ancestral Land.
He could clearly feel that his Dragon Vein was becoming purer by the breath under the inducement of a strange force. As a result, his figure was expanding beyond his control.
The strength of a Dragon Clan member was manifested in their size. The bigger a Dragon Clan member was, the purer their bloodline was, and the more powerful they were.
His 10,000 metre figure became stagnant after he left the Ancestral Land, but now, in just half a day, it had expanded by several dozen metres.
One day later, it grew by another 1,000 metres.
Even his robust Grand Dragon body was unable to bear this kind of rapid improvement. His bones kept becoming dislocated and restructured while his skin started cracking. Golden Blood started streaming into the ocean, and even his Dragon Scales, which covered his entire figure, started shedding.
Wherever Yang Kai went, he would leave a golden stain in the ocean.
The beasts in the ocean seemed to have detected this metallic tang and soon swarmed over.
Faced with the allure of a Grand Dragon’s blood, these Sea Beasts with low sentience couldn’t resist it as they yearned to become stronger. They opened their mouths wide and absorbed the sea water that contained the golden Dragon Blood with reckless abandon.
Wherever it was, Dragon Blood was a treasure, for the blood contained the secrets behind the Dragon Clan’s power, which was the greatest in the world.
Many Secret Techniques and Spirit Pills required Dragon Blood to complete.
However, Pureblood Dragons were extremely rare, so it was difficult to find their blood. Hence, they could only replace it with the blood of Monster Beasts and spirit beasts that were Dragonkin. Naturally, this solution wasn’t very effective.
The blood that streamed out of Yang Kai’s body wasn’t just Pureblood Dragon’s blood; it was the Dragon Blood of a Golden Divine Dragon. There was no doubt that it was a rarity among rarities.
Just a bit of his blood contained a horrifying power.
Therefore, wherever Yang Kai went, a large number of fish and beasts lost their lives. The initially serene ocean was now filled with carcasses.
His Grand Dragon figure was still expanding while the Dragon Vein in his body was becoming purer. The speed of the purification even made Yang Kai feel a sense of unease.
However, when he became certain about the source of this sudden transformation, all the uneasiness vanished and was replaced by endless joy.
Half a month later, he stopped feeling like he was burning while his Dragon Vein finally calmed down.
On a certain island, Yang Kai remained in his Grand Dragon Form as his colossal figure lay on the beach, nearly occupying the entire island. Although he had benefited greatly from the transformation, he was well and truly knackered. Additionally, despite obtaining a greater power, he wasn’t used to it so he needed to get some rest to begin adjusting.
Under the scorching Sun, his Dragon Scales radiated a golden glow that could dazzle the entire world.
20,000 metres!
After half a month of agony, his figure was now twice as large. His Dragon Form had gone from 10,000 metres to 20,000 metres.
When he was refining Ancestral Spirit Crystals and Spirit Fruits in the Dragon Clan’s Crystal Palace in the Ancestral Land, his Dragon Vein became purer by the day and Yang Kai had thought that such speed was already outrageously fast.
It wasn’t until this moment that he realised he was too naive. His cultivation during that period of time back then was incomparable to his current transformation.
No Grand Dragon in the world could double his size in half a month like Yang Kai had just gone through.
[So, this is the gift Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan gave me before I left!]
He had already figured it out the day after the transformation started. Previously, even though Yang Kai had thoroughly examined himself, he didn’t discover anything out of the ordinary, but that was because he had remained in his Human Form. It wasn’t until he transformed into a Dragon that the gift from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan manifested.
Presently, there were two amazing powers that were swirling about inside his Dragon Bead.
Only when a Dragon Bead developed in a Dragon Clan member’s body would he be considered a Grand Dragon.
Certainly, Yang Kai had a Dragon Bead as well. After he turned into a Dragon, the Dragon Bead naturally rested under his chin. Just like what a Monster Core was to a Monster Beast, the Dragon Bead was the condensation of a Dragon Clan member’s cultivation, so it was extremely powerful.
Yang Kai didn’t detect anything when Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan pointed their fingers at him back then, but their powers had somehow snuck into his Dragon Bead, just waiting to burst out.
The two of them were the ancestors of all Divine Spirits, so all Divine Spirits were like their children and grandchildren.
Hence, despite their nonchalance when they pointed their fingers at Yang Kai, they could easily stimulate the power of his Dragon Vein and rapidly purify his bloodline.
While thankful, Yang Kai also felt quite aggrieved.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan could have explained all this to him, but they acted mysterious instead. Yang Kai initially thought that they were just playing a prank on him, so it surprised him greatly when he realised that there was actually a gift.
This purification process thoroughly exhausted Yang Kai. It wasn’t that he was trying to resist it, but the speed of the purification was a grueling physical and mental test for him. Fortunately, the transformation didn’t take place when he was in battle.
If such a transformation in his Dragon Vein took place when he was in battle, he wouldn’t be able to keep fighting. Instead, he would be injured or even killed when his strength went out of control
It was truly an invaluable gift, but there were a lot of complaints to be had.
Presently, Yang Kai was both elated and worried. The mysterious forces from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan in his Dragon Bead had helped him purify his bloodline and caused his Grand Dragon form to go through exponential growth, but they hadn’t been exhausted yet and still remained hidden in his Dragon Bead.
Yang Kai wondered if they would be activated to give him another pleasant surprise when he was unsuspecting.
This move by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan was like a prank from two young kids. They were previously led by the nose by Yang Kai in the Chaotic Dead Territory, which was why they decided to give him a gift that also served as a punishment before his departure.
They wouldn’t care if Yang Kai would fall into danger because of that.
Realizing this, Yang Kai was speechless.
The powers from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan could help improve his bloodline, but the problem was that he was unable to control the process.
He had the urge to go back to the Chaotic Dead Territory and argue with the two of them.
However, considering the fact that he had gained such a massive benefit, he decided to give up on the idea. He could only think to himself that he had to be cautious in the future. If the powers in his Dragon Bead really exploded when he was in a fight with formidable enemies, he would end up in a horrible state.
There was no doubt that a Dragon Clan member had incredible restorative powers. Although all of Yang Kai’s skin had cracked during the purification process, his wounds were swiftly healed.
While feeling calm, Yang Kai silently sensed the increased power in his body.
When he became a Grand Dragon in the Ancestral Land, he already had the capital to fight with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Now that his figure had grown to 20,000 metres, the average Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be a match for him.
Nevertheless, his power now felt a little strange to him.
As a Human, he was still in the Sixth-Order. If he was faced with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he might be able to go up against them, but he might not succeed in defeating such an opponent. He could hardly cross the huge gap between the Sixth-Order and the Seventh-Order.
However, if he transformed into a Grand Dragon, he could instantly become a match for even a Peak Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai figured he still couldn’t face an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Even though he had no idea how powerful an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm truly was, he had a vague understanding.
As he was lost in though, Yang Kai suddenly heard some splashing sounds coming from nearby and opened his eyes to look out at the ocean.
There seemed to be a big fish swimming under the water. The next moment, the sea water separated to the sides and revealed a sea carp that radiated a faint golden glow. The carp was several dozen metres away from Yang Kai’s head and was staring up at him.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s expression turned awkward.
That was because he could feel that this sea carp had a bloodline that was related to him. It was as though this sea carp was his descendant.
Even though he was previously distracted by the purification of his Dragon Vein, Yang Kai was still aware of the changes that his Dragon Blood had caused to the surrounding ocean.
Those Sea Beasts that had coveted his Dragon Blood and consumed it, regardless of their sizes and strengths, were all dead by now. They were unable to bear the violent force within his pure Dragon Blood.
While Yang Kai’s Dragon Blood had caused countless Sea Beasts to lose their lives, there seemed to be a little survivor here.
The sea carp before his eyes had obviously consumed his Dragon Blood, but it was lucky enough to keep its life.
That was the reason Yang Kai could feel that their bloodlines were connected.
The aura of this sea carp wasn’t particularly powerful, so Yang Kai couldn’t figure out why it could survive after chugging down his Dragon Blood. Supposedly, there was no reason for such a weak living creature to survive, but the sea carp had achieved just that.
Yang Kai could only think that life was indeed full of mysteries. There were many seemingly impossible things in the world that had actually happened. It was exactly because of these things that shouldn’t have existed that brought about endless wonder and amazing changes to this expansive universe.
At this moment, the sea carp was holding a Dragon Scale the size of a dustpan in its mouth. The Dragon Scale radiated a golden glow and exuded a strong Dragon Clan aura.
Apparently, it was a Dragon Scale that fell off from Yang Kai’s figure.
Due to the expansion of his figure, a lot of Dragon Scales had fallen off.
After they stared at each other for a moment, Yang Kai closed his eyes. Although he was amazed by the survival of this small creature, it wasn’t worth too much of his attention.
The most pressing issue at hand for him was to familiarise himself with his increased strength; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to fully use his power when he was in a fight with his enemies.
The sea carp was initially an ordinary Sea Beast, but after consuming the golden Dragon Blood, it now had a faint Dragon Clan bloodline. Therefore, it could be considered a Dragonborn.
The Dragon Pressure from a 20,000 metres Grand Dragon should have a powerful suppression on the sea carp. Usually, a weak Dragonborn like the sea carp could only shiver and hang its head low in front of Yang Kai.
However, the little fish didn’t seem to be affected by this kind of bloodline suppression. Although it was afraid, its eyes were also filled with a sense of yearning.
The sea carp was supposed to have low sentience, but its emotions were now undulating in its heart.
When Yang Kai closed his eyes, the sea carp appeared to be disappointed. As its golden tail repeatedly tapped on the ocean, the sea carp caused the water to splash.
A moment later, it swam forward and crawled on the beach with difficulty before putting the huge Dragon Scale down in front of Yang Kai. Following that, it squirmed back into the ocean and leaped out of the water with joy before swimming towards the depths of the ocean.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes two months later, he saw that there were a lot of his own Dragon Scales in front of him while the sea carp was nowhere to be seen, causing him to wonder where it was.
Yang Kai tilted his head slightly and looked down at the Dragon Scales in silence.
While Dragon Blood was a treasure, Dragon Scales were equally valuable. When he was in Human form, Yang Kai could summon his Dragon Scales around his figure to protect himself.
Even just one piece of these fallen Dragon Scales could be used by a skillful Artifact Refiner to create a sturdy Artifact Armour of extraordinary quality.
There was an awkward expression on Yang Kai’s face when he realised that the things that he had literally shed from his body could well be the treasures in other people’s eyes.
There were about 1,000 Dragon Scales on the beach. It seemed the sea carp had patiently found them from the depths of the ocean and sent them to him.
Just then, a gurgling sound was heard as there seemed to be a ferocious beast in the ocean. The next instant, the sea water separated to the sides and revealed the sea carp’s figure.
When the sea carp previously appeared, it was only 10 metres long, but barely two months later, it had grown to be 100 metres in length. Moreover, the golden glow around it had become much more dazzling as its scales were starting to look less like fish scales and more like Dragon Scales.
There was no doubt that its aura had grown stronger as well. Even though the sea carp was still weak in Yang Kai’s eyes, it had actually experienced shocking growth in just two months’ time.
The sea carp’s eyes had become brighter and more intelligent as well.
Presently, there was a Dragon Scale in its mouth that it had found from the depths of the ocean. Since it had consumed Yang Kai’s Dragon Blood, it could easily locate those fallen Dragon Scales; otherwise, it couldn’t have found so many in just two months.
All the Dragon Scales that the sea carp had found from the ocean were sent to Yang Kai.
As their eyes met, the sea carp leaped into the air as though it was waiting for Yang Kai’s compliment. Then, it stared silently at him.
Faced with the gigantic and majestic Grand Dragon, the sea carp wasn’t frightened in the slightest. Instead, it was filled with joy.
Yang Kai extended his Dragon Claw and grabbed the sea carp alongside a large area of the ocean before pulling them closer to himself. After giving it a thought, he sent them into his Small Universe.
Since their fates were connected in a way, he decided to keep the sea carp.
As for the large amount of Dragon Scales on the ground, Yang Kai didn’t intend to give up on them. Although these things had fallen off from his body, they were all treasures. Sometime in the future, he could send them to Great Evolution Paradise and ask Grandmaster Ma Fan to make some Artifact Armours for him.
Although the sea carp had exerted itself to bring back the 1,000 or so Dragon Scales from the ocean over the past two months, a lot of them remained under the waves.
As a thought flashed through Yang Kai’s mind, all the Dragon Scales, which were scattered around the ocean, seemed to have been summoned as they leaped out of the ocean and turned into rays of light before coming to Yang Kai.
Strictly speaking, these Dragon Scales were left behind after his transformation, so he could easily summon them.
He then dispelled his Dragon Form and turned back into a Human. As he looked in a particular direction, he leaped into the air.
100 kilometres away in that direction, several figures saluted him and watched him leave respectfully.
They were the Great Emperors of this Universe World.
In fact, they had already detected it when Yang Kai broke through the barrier of this Universe World and arrived at this place; after all, they were the Great Emperors acknowledged by the Heavenly Way of this World, so they were fully aware of everything that was going on in it.
However, Yang Kai’s Dragon Pressure was far too intimidating; therefore, even though these Great Emperors had noticed the arrival of a powerful cultivator, they didn’t dare to disturb him. They could only watch over him from a distance.
Over the past two months, these Great Emperors had been on pins and needles; after all, they didn’t know whether Yang Kai was an ill-intentioned person who wanted to harm this Universe World.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai appeared in his Dragon Form and lay on the beach that they realised he was a legendary Dragon Clan member. At that moment, they were overwhelmed by a sense of admiration.
Wherever they were, Dragons were a symbol of the most powerful beings. This Universe World was no exception.
The Great Emperors could also finally set their minds at ease.
After all, they had never heard of Dragon Clan members committing acts of evil or slaughter without provocation, so they could stop worrying. On the other hand, it was their greatest honour to personally see a Dragon Clan member.
When Yang Kai left, they saluted him as it was a form of respect for a more powerful being.
In the meantime, a loud boom sent a shockwave across Seven Stars Sect in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. No one knew what had happened in the Sect as they just felt the ground shaking.
Sect Master Shang Guan Ji and the other Elders quickly came over to find out what was going on, and it didn’t take long before they were dumbfounded by the sight before them.
That was because there was initially a huge and beautiful mountain valley in the Sect, but now, it had turned into a lake.
The lake was filled with clear water that reflected the blue sky.
A doubtful Shang Guan Ji asked the other Elders, “Has there always been such a lake in our Sect?”
All of them shook their heads with Guan Qian Xing replying, “This should be Serene Light Valley. I visited this place yesterday. Why did it suddenly become a lake?”
It was inconceivable that a mountain valley had turned into a lake, and if not for the tremor just now, they wouldn’t have noticed anything at all.
With that said, they were certain that the loud boom had something to do with this transformation.
After giving it a thought, Shang Guan Ji hypothesized, “Perhaps it’s the Ancestor’s doing…”
No one knew how powerful the Ancestor truly was, not just the other great forces in the Void Continent, but even the people in Seven Stars Sect.
These people had tried to probe Xu Yi regarding this matter, but even this Legacy Disciple knew little about it. Yang Kai had never showcased his true power in front of Xu Yi, and even if he did, Xu Yi wouldn’t be able to comprehend it given his current vision.
If Shang Guan Ji were to describe the Ancestor’s power, the only word that came into his mind was ‘inscrutable’.
Everything could be explained if this was really the Ancestor’s doing; however, they still had to find out whether that was indeed the case.
Just when Shang Guan Ji was preparing to head to the Ancestor’s residence, a gigantic shadow suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake. The next moment, a dangerous aura swept out.
“Watch out!” Shang Guan Ji cried out in panic. He was now in the First-Order Emperor Realm, and other than the Ancestor, he was the only Emperor Realm Master in Seven Stars Sect. Therefore, he was the first one to detect the aura.
Before the group even came to their senses, a large golden carp suddenly leaped out of the lake. Under the brilliant Sun, the golden carp radiated a golden glow so bright that these people were almost unable to keep their eyes open.
All of them couldn’t help but narrow their gazes.
*Pfff…*
The next instant, the golden carp sprayed out a mouthful of water at all of them.
With a solemn expression, Shang Guan Ji activated his Emperor Qi and blocked off the water. Soon after though, he realised that the water sprayed out from the golden carp’s mouth wasn’t harmful at all. It was as though the Sea Beast was just playing a prank on them.
Certainly, the golden carp was puzzled by his action. After falling back into the lake, it stared at them for a moment before it became elated. As it flapped its tail, it took in a lot of water and leaped into the air before spraying it at Shang Guan Ji and the others again.
Shang Guan Ji raised his hand again, but this time, he could feel a bit of power from the water sprayed out of the golden carp’s mouth.
As he kept blocking the water, the golden carp increasingly exerted more force until he was unable to fend off the water.
In that instant, the leaders of Seven Stars Sect were all soaked in water, causing them to appear quite embarrassed.
Shang Guan Ji put on a helpless smile, thinking that it must be the Ancestor who placed the golden carp and lake here; otherwise, he couldn’t think of any other possible explanations.
He could clearly feel that this golden carp was significantly more powerful than him. The only reason he had persevered for such a long time just now was that the other party was teasing him.
When Xu Yi came over in a rush and saw Shang Guan Ji and the others in such a state, he was naturally shocked.
As though Xu Yi was their saviour, Shang Guan Ji hurriedly asked, “Martial Nephew, what’s going on with this fish and lake? Has the Ancestor said anything?”
Xu Yi quickly saluted all of them and replied, “Honoured Master was the one who placed the fish and lake here. He told me to take good care of it.”
Upon hearing that, all of them breathed a sigh of relief. Even though they had speculated that it was the Ancestor’s doing, it wasn’t until Xu Yi confirmed it that they could be certain.
Yang Kai had spent some 30 years in the Chaotic Dead Territory. During this period, roughly 100 years had passed in the Small Universe.
Presently, the flow of time in the Small Universe was four times faster than the outside world.
When Xu Yi ascended to the Saint Realm from the Transcendent Realm, the flow of time in Yang Kai’s Small Universe accelerated from two times to three times that of the outside world. Above the Saint Realm were the Saint King Realm, Origin Returning Realm, Origin King Realm, and so on.
When Xu Yi made it to the Saint King Realm and the Origin Returning Realm, the flow of time in the Small Universe didn’t change.
However, when he broke through to the Origin King Realm, the flow of time in Yang Kai’s Small Universe became four times faster.
Now, Xu Yi was already at the peak of the Origin King Realm. If Yang Kai hadn’t told him to suppress his cultivation, he would’ve made it to the Dao Source Realm already.
The growth of Xu Yi was neither slow nor fast. In just 100 years, he had grown from a mortal without any foundation to an Origin King Realm Master. The average person would have been proud of such an achievement, but Xu Yi was different. He was Yang Kai’s Third Disciple and was living in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Furthermore, he had cultivated a Secret Art named the Great Nothingness Scripture that had been passed down from ancient times.
It wasn’t surprising that he had made such an achievement.
The reason Yang Kai told him to suppress his cultivation was that he wanted him to get prepared for ascending to the Open Heaven Realm.
It was just like how he wanted Zhao Ya to suppress her cultivation in the past. The Star Boundary was now a cradle to nurture future Open Heaven Realm Masters, and the lower one’s cultivation, the more benefits they could gain by cultivating there.
Although Xu Yi didn’t have a chance to start his Martial Dao in the Star Boundary from childhood, which would allow him to gain the greatest benefits from the World Tree, he would still achieve great things in life if he started cultivating in the Star Boundary as an Origin King cultivation.
Above the Origin King Realm were the Dao Source Realm and the Emperor Realm. Once he made it to the Dao Source Realm, he wouldn’t gain a lot of benefits by simply heading to the Star Boundary at this point.
Yang Kai planned on making him ascend to the Dao Source Realm in the Star Boundary. In that case, his potential might be fully cultivated, which would allow him to stand a chance to be on par with the growth rate of his Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister.
However, Xu Yi would have to suffer a little because of that.
Over the years, he had mainly relied on his dreams to cultivate; hence, whenever he cultivated, he would doze off, and he was now used to going to sleep every night. Since Yang Kai wanted him to suppress his cultivation and not achieve a breakthrough, it meant that he couldn’t sleep.
Initially, he would always feel sleepy and there were times when he almost slumbered off. Fortunately, Yang Kai managed to awaken him in time so that the latter didn’t have to bear the consequences of ascending to the Dao Source Realm.
Gradually, Xu Yi became used to fighting against sleepiness. When Yang Kai told him to take care of the golden carp, he really felt that this fish had come at the perfect time; after all, there was nothing else he could do since he was not allowed to sleep or cultivate.
Nevertheless, Xu Yi soon realised that the golden carp was simply too naughty. Every day, the fish would soak him in water, which caused him to constantly look disheveled and embarrassed.
The news that there was now a Sect Protecting Divine Beast spread like wildfire. Many disciples came over to see the Sea Beast, and when they saw the golden carp revealing itself, they would all exclaim in amazement.
The idea of a Sect Protecting Divine Beast came from Shang Guan Ji. Regardless of where the golden carp came from, it had to be given the title of Sect Protecting Divine Beast since it was brought to this place by the Ancestor.
Those who saw the golden carp before knew that this Sect Protecting Divine Beast was naughty and mischievous. The golden carp always seemed joyful when there were a lot of people around; therefore, the disciples didn’t mind getting splashed with water as they would always come to the lake to play with the fish, which actually saved Xu Yi a lot of trouble.
While Seven Stars Sect in the Small Universe was bustling with noise, Yang Kai travelled across the void round the clock and finally arrived at Yin-Yang Territory.
Although he had benefited greatly from the gift given to him by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan before his departure, a lot of uncertainties remained. He had no idea when the two forces hidden in his Dragon Bead would act up again, so he constantly had to keep an eye on them.
He was still reeling from the shock after the first experience. Although his Dragon Form and Dragon Vein would grow exponentially when the two forces exploded, it would also put him in a precarious situation.
Fortunately, despite not knowing when they would explode again, Yang Kai had determined that it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai visited Yin-Yang Territory.
However, he had tagged along Su Ying Xue and Qing Kui previously, while this time, he was on his own.
Just like Lang Ya Paradise, those from Yin-Yang Territory wouldn’t restrict anyone from entering or leaving this Great Territory; after all, there was a First-Class Star City in Yin-Yang Territory that was hustling and bustling with activity. If they imposed any restrictions, the popularity of the Star City would be affected.
The reason the Territory Gates of Yin-Yang Territory were cordoned off previously was that some of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had worked together to make things difficult for Yin-Yang Heaven since the Dao Theory Assembly was just around the corner.
Nevertheless, it was obviously different now.
The core area of Yin-Yang Territory was where the Headquarters of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was located. Gazing at it from the void, one could see that the gigantic Spirit Province looked like two Yin-Yang fish with their heads and tails connected.
In the periphery of this Spirit Province that looked like Yin-Yang fish, there were other Spirit Provinces of different sizes. They were all considered part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
With his previous experience in Lang Ya Paradise, Yang Kai was now familiar with how to enter the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Now, he was no longer a nobody as he had become a household name across the entire 3,000 Worlds.
Furthermore, he was a Son-in-Law of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. This identity alone warranted a serious treatment from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Yang Kai headed straight to the Star City and found the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was in charge of the Void Dock. After telling the person his name, he revealed his intention and asked him to send a message to Xu Ling Gong or Qu Hua Shang.
Certainly, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master knew who Yang Kai was. The reason the Dao Theory Assembly was held in the past was to look for a Husband for Qu Hua Shang. The incident sparked a commotion in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Qu Hua Shang was a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and her aptitude and beauty were among the top in the world. Some of the disciples in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven who were a match for her wanted to marry her. Unfortunately, she had violated the rule which stated that all the Cave Heavens and Paradises had to stay united. Faced with external pressure, those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven had no choice but to give an explanation.
The Dao Theory Assembly was the result.
It could be said that the popularity of Qu Hua Shang in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was on par with, if not greater than that of Gu Ling’er in Lang Ya Paradise. After all, Qu Hua Shang was a Core Disciple while Gu Ling’er was not; there was a difference between their statuses.
Initially, the Dao Theory Assembly was a plot devised by those Cave Heavens and Paradises. They were ready to let their Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters get married into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and become a partner of the Core Disciple.
However, a guy named Yang Kai came out of nowhere and forced the Cave Heavens and Paradises to change their strategy, which saved the reputation of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Eventually, Yang Kai defeated all other competitors and won first place, which was shocking for everyone.
After the event, he became a household name across the 3,000 Worlds.
The series of changes that took place during the Dao Theory Assembly caught everyone off guard, especially when the Core Disciple of Thousand Crane Disciple, Zhao Xing, was killed. The consequence of it was that his Honoured Master, Zuo Quan Hui partnered with Heavenly Sword Union to launch a war against Void Land.
On the other hand, many of the disciples from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven were grateful to Yang Kai for what he had done during the Dao Theory Assembly. If he hadn’t interfered, Qu Hua Shang would have been forced to marry a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from one of those great forces.
It would be an intolerable outcome for everyone in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
In comparison, Yang Kai didn’t come from one of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, nor did he have a powerful background. Furthermore, he only made it to the Fifth-Order when he ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, so his future was dimmer compared to Qu Hua Shang’s. It could be said that he was not an equal match for Qu Hua Shang; however, since he had killed Zhao Xing, it didn’t seem unacceptable to let him become a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law.
Cultivators always respected the strong.
After the Dao Theory Assembly, Qu Hua Shang had to be confined for 100 years as punishment for her actions.
Now that 100 years had passed, Qu Hua Shang had stepped out of confinement. Nevertheless, Yang Kai still hadn’t shown up at this point. Instead, they heard a lot of strange news from the outside world.
Therefore, when the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was in charge of the Star City’s Void Dock, saw Yang Kai, he was surprised and doubtful.
After confirming Yang Kai’s identity, he didn’t make things difficult for him as he told him to get some rest in a room and hurriedly sent a message to the Sect.
Certainly, Yang Kai had seen the surprise and doubt in that person’s eyes. He had a feeling that his visit to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven this time wouldn’t be smooth sailing as he had imagined.
With that said, he was here to meet up with Qu Hua Shang following the 100-year promise. With Xu Ling Gong around, he wouldn’t have to worry about anything as the latter would just solve any problems that were thrown at him.
He had come into contact with quite a number of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, including some of the Eighth-Order Ancestors; hence, the mystery and pressure surrounding the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters wouldn’t affect Yang Kai anymore.
Those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven reacted quickly. One hour after Yang Kai sat down, an elderly man, who was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, personally came over.
Upon opening the door, the elderly man looked smilingly at Yang Kai and nodded, “It’s said that the next generation will always be better than the previous one. It’s when I see young people like you that I realise I’m old.”
Yang Kai quickly saluted him, “Greetings, Martial Uncle. You’re still very strong.”
He was puzzled. Initially, he thought that either Qing Kui or Su Ying Xue would meet him and bring him to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven; however, none of them came to this place. Instead, there was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that he didn’t know.
Without reading too much into it, Yang Kai asked, “May I ask your name, Senior?”
The elderly man replied with a smile, “My name is Chen Xiu.”
“So it is Martial Uncle Chen.” Yang Kai saluted him again.
“This is not a suitable place to have a talk. Come to the Sect with me.”
“Yes.”
With Chen Xiu leading the way, it was easy for them to enter Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. When Yang Kai visited this place previously, he was told to stay on a certain Spirit Peak. He had also been to Qu Hua Shang’s residence, so he still remembered the route.
However, Chen Xiu didn’t intend to lead him to see Qu Hua Shang or Xu Ling Gong. Instead, he was heading to an unfamiliar Spirit Peak.
Yang Kai looked around with a calm expression.
Apparently, this Spirit Peak was where Chen Xiu cultivated. Upon arriving at the Spirit Peak, they entered a Grand Hall and each took a seat. Soon, an alluring and demure woman entered the hall. With her head hung low, she appeared to be quite bashful. The bit of redness on her cheeks was as beautiful as sunset.
What surprised Yang Kai was that the woman exuded a powerful aura which suggested that she was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Although her face was alluring, her eyes were as pure as spring water. Her clear eyes reflected everything that she could see. Charm and innocence perfectly integrated into her being, giving her a fascinating attraction.
The woman poured a cup of tea for Chen Xiu before elegantly walking up to Yang Kai.
In an instant, a pleasant fragrance tickled his nose.
“Please have some tea, Senior Brother,” the woman said in a small voice, which sounded as delightful as a silver bell. As she spoke, she took a quick glance at Yang Kai before lowering her gaze.
“Many thanks, Junior Sister.” Yang Kai nodded in response.
The woman started blushing and held the tray in her arms. Then, she strode towards Chen Xiu and stood obediently behind him.
Chen Xiu said with a smile, “She became my Disciple when she was a young child, and has never stepped out of the Sect before. She’s pretty bashful as she has rarely met outsiders. Please don’t laugh at her, Martial Nephew.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “Junior Sister is beautiful and innocent. It’s rare to find anyone with such a temperament in this world.”
When the woman behind Chen Xiu heard his compliment, she hung her head even lower as her chin almost came into contact with her plump chest.
“What happened to you, Martial Nephew?” Chen Xiu didn’t seem to have the intention of talking about his Disciple as he quickly changed the topic.
There was a helpless smile on Yang Kai’s face as he replied, “It’s a long story. After I left Lang Ya Paradise, something happened and held me up for quite some time. Has Senior Sister Qu been released from her confinement, Martial Uncle?”
Chen Xiu nodded, “She was released almost ten years ago, and she had been waiting for you. Unfortunately…”
As he spoke, he shook his head as though he felt sorry for Qu Hua Shang.
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “Did anything happen to Senior Sister?”
Chen Xiu waved his hand, “Not really. It’s just that since you never showed up after she waited for a long time, she decided to cultivate in seclusion. She hasn’t exited even now.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai set his mind at ease. When he saw Chen Xiu’s expression just now, he thought that something had happened to Qu Hua Shang. Now that he knew she was fine, there was nothing he had to worry about.
“Martial Uncle, where is Martial Uncle Xu? What about Senior Brother Qing Kui and Senior Sister Su Ying Xue? Why don’t I see them?” Yang Kai was curious about this point. He was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law on paper. As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Chen Xiu naturally had the right to receive him. However, this matter had something to do with Xu Ling Gong, so he should have been the one to show up.
Even if Xu Ling Gong wasn’t in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven at the moment, could Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue be busy as well?
Chen Xiu explained, “Senior Brother Xu and his Disciples were given an important task, so they left the Sect almost 100 years ago.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “100 years ago?”
It had been 100 years since Qu Hua Shang was confined, and Xu Ling Gong had left Yin-Yang Cave Heaven at around the same time. In other words, not long after the Dao Theory Assembly ended, Xu Ling Gong left the Sect with his two Disciples.
After making some calculations, Yang Kai reckoned that the incident happened after the matter regarding the World Tree in the Star Boundary was settled; after all, Xu Ling Gong was still in the Star Boundary at that time as he introduced the powerful cultivators from the Cave Heavens and Paradises to Yang Kai.
Then, he was also the one who helped persuade the higher-ups to let Yang Kai enter the Universe Temples to study the Universe Array.
Yang Kai had the urge to ask what kind of task Xu Ling Gong was given that the latter still hadn’t returned from after 100 years. However, as an outsider, it wasn’t his place to ask about such things. This task must be important and highly confidential; otherwise, they wouldn’t have asked a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Xu Ling Gong to do it. He had even brought his Disciples with him.
Yang Kai reckoned that if Qu Hua Shang hadn’t been confined, she would have been taken as well.
It was no wonder that he hadn’t seen Xu Ling Gong or any of his Disciples. Upon that realization, he set his mind at ease. Yang Kai was previously nervous as he thought that Xu Ling Gong was displeased with the fact that he hadn’t shown up on time. Perhaps the older man was hiding in the shadows somewhere, just waiting for a chance to hack at him with his sword.
“Martial Uncle, where is Senior Sister Qu now? I’d like to see her. Can you tell me?” Yang Kai asked politely.
Yang Kai found the issue to be thorny as Xu Ling Gong and his Disciples were not in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Other than Xu Ling Gong and his disciples, he basically knew no one else in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
With that said, the other issue he was worried about could be dealt with at a later time.
He was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law, so he supposedly had to get married into the Sect. Nevertheless, he naturally wouldn’t agree to this. It wouldn’t have mattered if he were on his own; however, he was the leader of Void Land and High Heaven Pavilion. He was tangled up in many issues, so it was unrealistic for him to get married into Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
On the other hand, Qu Hua Shang was a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so there was no way they would let her go.
Initially, Yang Kai planned on having a discussion with Xu Ling Gong so that they could come up with a solution that was acceptable for both parties.
He had the intention to offer some compensation to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven since he had obtained immense rewards from the Chaotic Dead Territory. Just by taking out a small part of it he would be able to tempt the leaders of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven to let Qu Hua Shang go.
However, since Xu Ling Gong wasn’t around, there was no one he could talk to about this issue. Having said that, this matter could be delayed for now.
Open Heaven Realm Masters enjoyed a very long life, so the matter between Qu Hua Shang and him didn’t have to be dealt with immediately.
Regardless, he had to meet Qu Hua Shang and find out what was on her mind. If she was willing to leave with him, he wouldn’t mind paying a hefty price for it. Nonetheless, if she wasn’t willing to do so, he wouldn’t force her.
Upon hearing this question though, Chen Xiu appeared hesitant, “There has not been any news about Martial Niece Qu since she started cultivating in seclusion, so it won’t be easy to see her. I’m sure you’re aware that a cultivator is most wary of external disturbance when he or she is cultivating in retreat. If that happens at a critical moment, they will suffer from cultivation dissonance. Or worse, lose their life.”
Yang Kai nodded as he was fully aware of this truth; thus, he cupped his fist and said, “Please tell me where she is, Martial Uncle. I’ll not disturb her as I’ll just wait outside. There will come a day when she steps out of it.”
After pondering on it with a frown, Chen Xiu nodded, “Good. Before Senior Brother Xu left, he told me to help handle the matter between you two. Since you’re here, there’s no way I’ll sit back and do nothing. I can gather some information on your behalf, but you mustn’t be overly anxious about it. Martial Niece Qu is now a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it’s normal that she might spend decades in seclusion. During this period of time, you can just stay here. I’ll come to you if there’s any news.”
“Many thanks, Martial Uncle.” Yang Kai expressed his gratitude.
All of a sudden, Chen Xiu grabbed the Elder Token on his waist and probe it in silence for a while before rising from the chair, “Something has happened in the Sect. I have to take my leave now.”
He then turned to his Disciple, “Wan’er, you have to take good care of your Senior Brother Yang.”
The woman replied respectfully, “Yes.”
Following that, Chen Xiu flashed an apologetic smile at Yang Kai, “Martial Nephew, please wait here for a few days. I’ll inform you if there’s any news.”
Upon finishing his words, he strode out of the hall.
Presently, only Yang Kai and the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master named Wan’er were left in the Grand Hall. Just now, she had been hiding behind Chen Xiu. When Chen Xiu spoke to Yang Kai, she was too bashful to even lift her head.
The situation exacerbated since only the two of them were left now. Her face was as red as blood while she clenched the tray in her arms as though she was trying to seek a sense of security.
Yang Kai looked up at her and happened to see her stealing a glance at him. As their eyes met, the woman quickly looked away as though she was a frightened little animal. She appeared to be on pins and needles.
There was a helpless smile on Yang Kai’s face when he saw her behaving like this. If she wasn’t pretending, she must be very naïve and innocent. However, Yang Kai couldn’t see any traces of pretence, so he reckoned that the woman was indeed just sheepish.
“You are Junior Sister Wan’er, right?” Yang Kai asked in a gentle voice as he was worried that he would shock her if he spoke any louder.
With her head hung low, the woman nodded and replied in a small voice, “Tao Ling Wan…”
Yang Kai reckoned that it was her name; thus, he got up and said, “Please get me a room to stay, Junior Sister.”
Tao Ling Wan seemed to be in a dazed state and she didn’t seem to hear him. It wasn’t until Yang Kai repeated his words that she anxiously walked out of the hall, “P-Please come with me, Senior Brother.”
After a nod, Yang Kai followed her in a relaxed manner as he kept a distance of ten steps behind her.
The pleasant scent coming from the woman was like countless gentle hands that were tickling his heart.
Soon, they arrived at a room. Tao Ling Wan’s head remained low as she pushed the door open and stepped aside, “How do you find this room, Senior Brother?”
Yang Kai didn’t have any demands when it came to the room he had to stay in as he was just waiting for news from Chen Xiu, so he nodded, “Many thanks, Junior Sister.”
Upon entering the room, he realised that the place was small and there were barely any decorations. He then closed the door and took a seat.
He was surprised by the information he had heard from Chen Xiu on this day. It had been 100 years since Xu Ling Gong and his Disciples left Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. He wondered what kind of task they were assigned.
On the other hand, Qu Hua Shang started cultivating in seclusion several years ago. Was she furious at the fact that Yang Kai didn’t show up on time? He felt somewhat apprehensive. Although it was because he had been held up in the Chaotic Dead Territory, that was ultimately his own fault.
If not for his curiosity, he wouldn’t have followed the Giant Spirit God and barged into the Chaotic Dead Territory. He could have just returned to High Heaven Territory after leaving Lang Ya Paradise. In that case, he would have ample time to head to Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
He reckoned that he had to sincerely apologise to Qu Hua Shang when they met again.
Fortunately, Qu Hua Shang wasn’t a small-minded woman, so he believed that she would understand after he explained everything to her.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly furrowed his brow.
After rising from the chair, he opened the door and looked out, “Why are you still here, Junior Sister?”
Just now, he could sense that Tao Ling Wan never moved away from the door. Even the tray was still firmly held in her arms.
“Is there anything you need to tell me?” Yang Kai asked with concern.
Tao Ling Wan quickly shook her head, “Nothing. It’s just that Honoured Master has told me to take good care of you.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “There’s no need for that. Just do your own things. I’m fine with being alone.”
With her head hung low, Tao Ling Wan said in a small voice, “It’s an order from Honoured Master.”
Yang Kai didn’t know what to say. After giving it a thought, he said, “Junior Sister, why don’t you get some rest first? I’ll call out to you if I need anything.”
Tao Ling Wan didn’t say anything, nor did she take any action.
It seemed that Yang Kai was unable to reason with her. He had no idea whether Chen Xiu had told her anything or it was just her nature.
However, it wasn’t like he could let her keep standing outside the room. She wasn’t a maidservant but a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
If the others from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven saw that Tao Ling Wan was standing outside his room as though she was ready to serve him, they would definitely chastise him.
Yang Kai had learned just how influential a popular woman was to the Fellow Brothers of the same Sect while he was in Lang Ya Paradise.
Although Tao Ling Wan was bashful, she was strong and charming. It was expected that she was popular in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
He then persuaded her for a bit, but she never replied to him. Faced with his persuasion, she only kept shaking her head.
This was giving Yang Kai a headache as he had never expected that Chen Xiu would leave behind such a difficult problem.
After giving it a thought, he walked out of the room, “I’ll take a stroll. Please tend to your own business, Junior Sister.”
Without waiting for her response, he directly left.
Instead of doing her own things though, Tao Ling Wan followed him, keeping a distance of several dozen metres. It was as though she was a maid who was ready to serve him at any moment.
The situation had only exacerbated. If those from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven saw it, they would definitely misunderstand him; hence, Yang Kai only walked around for a bit before returning to his room. Seeing that Tao Ling Wan stood obediently by the door again, he decided to just ignore her.
After closing the door, he started cultivating.
He could feel that he was just a step away from the Seventh-Order; in fact, if not for the 100 year promise with Qu Hua Shang, he would have started cultivating in seclusion in an attempt to break through to the Seventh-Order.
However, just by looking at the Proprietress’ situation, Yang Kai knew that he couldn’t make it to the Seventh-Order in a short time. It had been over 100 years since she started cultivating in seclusion, but she hadn’t managed to achieve an ascension yet.
Therefore, he decided to settle the issue in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven before attempting to break through to the Seventh-Order.
With that said, even though Yang Kai had rarely cultivated in retreat over the years, his heritage continued to grow due to the uniqueness of his Small Universe.
Furthermore, with the help of Xu Yi, who cultivated the Great Nothingness Scripture, the flow of time in his Small Universe was now four times faster than the outside world. As a result, the growth of his heritage had also accelerated.
Nevertheless, he had spent quite some effort to nurture more stalks of Profound Yin Bamboo, which required the consumption of the World Force in his Small Universe. If not for this, he would have reached the threshold of the Seventh-Order sooner.
For the next half a month, there was no news from Chen Xiu at all, which made Yang Kai feel doubtful.
Before Chen Xiu left, he had said that he would help gather some information for him. A long time had passed, so he had should have finished such a simple task; after all, he was the Inner Elder of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Moreover, Qu Hua Shang was cultivating in seclusion, so it shouldn’t be hard to find out her whereabouts.
Hence, Yang Kai felt uneasy at the fact that Chen Xiu hadn’t shown up for a long time.
One day, when Yang Kai was cultivating, he suddenly heard someone groaning outside the room. The voice sounded suppressed and awkward.
At that, Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Tao Ling Wan had been standing outside the room, so there was no doubt that it was this sheepish woman who made the noise. Over the past half a month, just like a piece of wood, she had never made a noise or moved one step. Yang Kai felt guilty for that, but there was nothing he could do since she wouldn’t listen to him.
At this moment, something seemed to have happened to her.
Yang Kai listened attentively, but he could no longer hear anything. Just when he was about to use his Divine Sense to check the situation, he suddenly heard a thud, as though something had fallen to the ground.
He quickly got up and dashed towards the door. Upon opening it, he saw Tao Ling Wan curling up on the ground and shivering. Cold air could be seen billowing from her body as it froze the walls and ground around her.
Besides that, the aura coming from her body was clearly unstable.
[She’s suffering from cultivation dissonance!] Yang Kai was flabbergasted.
He couldn’t figure out why this woman was suffering from cultivation dissonance all of a sudden. Recently, she had only been standing outside his room. Yang Kai had never detected her cultivating, so this shouldn’t have happened.
Furthermore, she was now a powerful Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so why would such a thing even happen to her?
Could it be a hidden health concern she was left with when she just started out cultivating in the past?
Without any delay, Yang Kai crouched down and lifted her up. In an instant, he could feel that the woman was cold all over, as though he was carrying an ice block. On the other hand, her figure remained soft and supple, which gave off a contradictory feeling.
Upon feeling the man’s warmth, Tao Ling Wan, who was usually bashful, stuck closer to Yang Kai as though she was trying to merge with him in an attempt to seek his warmth.
Her actions made Yang Kai feel uneasy, so he quickly walked up to the bed and tried to set her down, but he was unable to do that because she had wrapped her arms around his neck and clung on to him like an octopus.
“Junior Sister Tao! Junior Sister Tao!” Yang Kai anxiously called out to her. It wasn’t certain whether Tao Ling Wan had heard him, but she opened her eyes and looked at him with a seductive gaze.
Yang Kai was most familiar with this kind of gaze, which suggested that this woman wanted to bed him. The enchantress Shan Qing Luo and the Charm Demon Yu Ru Meng would always seduce him in such a way.
He immediately realised that something was off.
Without any time to ponder on it, he apologised to her and pressed his palm against her forehead. The next moment, he activated the power of his Small Universe in an attempt to help restore the chaos in her body to order.
This was the most common way of assisting someone experiencing cultivation dissonance, and Yang Kai couldn’t think of anything else to do to help. Moreover, he wasn’t sure about what kind of Secret Art Tao Ling Wan had cultivated, so he was unable to give her the exact treatment she needed.
He was only doing all he could to help her, but it was up to the Heavens to decide whether she would recover. From the looks of it, she hadn’t completely lost her mind as she was seemingly trying to deal with the danger that came with cultivation dissonance.
Surprisingly, the treatment was working.
Yang Kai could feel that the power of his Small Universe could be perfectly absorbed by Tao Ling Wan, without a hint of conflict at all.
This revelation astounded him.
It had to be noted that the Dao every Open Heaven Realm Master was good at was different, so the powers of their Small Universes were never the same. He and Tao Ling Wan had cultivated Secret Arts that were not connected in any way, and they grew up in vastly different environments. Supposedly, even if there were no conflicts between the powers of their Small Universes, they wouldn’t have been perfectly matched.
Nevertheless, such a thing had actually happened.
Tao Ling Wan’s Small Universe had accepted his power without any repulsion. As time passed, she stopped shivering as her body regained some warmth.
It wasn’t until half a day later that Yang Kai retracted his hand.
At this moment, Tao Ling Wan was seated in front of him while breathing stably. Her face was slightly red, and her long eyelashes fluttered.
There was no doubt that she was fully conscious. Previously, she would start blushing just by taking a glance at Yang Kai, but after what she had done following the cultivation dissonance, it seemed she didn’t even have the nerve to open her eyes.
She could feel Yang Kai examining her, so she started trembling again as her face turned as red as blood.
After measuring his words, Yang Kai said, “If you feel any discomfort, you can tell me about it. If everything is well now, you don’t have to say anything.”
Tao Ling Wan remained silent.
Upon getting her hint, Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, you can get some rest here, and I’ll go to another room. Just call out to me if there’s anything you need help with.”
There was a room just beside this one. Previously, Yang Kai told her to stay in that room and stop standing outside his door, but she refused.
Now, Yang Kai had to stay in that room.
However, before he could make a move, he felt two powerful auras approaching from the distance. Upon sensing who they were, he became elated.
That was because he knew both of them. One of them was Chen Xiu, who hadn’t shown up for half a month now. It wasn’t surprising that he was coming, but the other one was Yu Xiang Die.
After Xu Ling Gong and his two older Disciples left the Star Boundary, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven sent Yu Xiang Die to be stationed in the Star Boundary. Yang Kai had frequently come into contact with her, and they had previously worked on the Lang Ya Paradise issue together.
It could be said that Yu Xiang Die had taken good care of him.
Yang Kai had never expected that she was in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven as he thought that she was still in the Star Boundary.
While he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard Chen Xiu say, “What are you doing, Junior Sister? Why did you come here without informing me? If you had told me earlier, I could have prepared a welcome party for you.”
Yu Xiang Die snorted, “Do you think I have no idea what you’re up to? Where’s Yang Kai? Brat, get out here now!”
Yang Kai, who was initially joyful, shrank his neck upon hearing that. He had no idea how he offended Yu Xiang Die that she suddenly became so aggressive towards him.
Certainly, he didn’t dare to be negligent. Chen Xiu didn’t seem like a reliable person. Other than telling a Sixth-Order female disciple to serve Yang Kai, he hadn’t even come back with any information after half a month. Since Yu Xiang Die was here, Yang Kai naturally had to see her.
Before Yang Kai could even respond though, Yu Xiang Die scanned the Spirit Peak with her Divine Sense and instantly found him. The next moment, a figure abruptly appeared in front of his room.
“Martial Aunt Yu,” Yang Kai saluted her.
When he was in the Star Boundary, he was the Great Emperor of the Universe World who was in control of the World Tree, thus allowing him to be on an equal footing with the envoys from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. However, in this place, he was just a Junior.
Yu Xiang Die nodded firmly, but when she caught a glimpse of Tao Ling Wan, who was seated cross-legged on the bed, her expressions changed drastically and she questioned, “W-What did the two of you do?”
An embarrassed Yang Kai quickly explained, “Don’t get us wrong, Martial Aunt Yu. Just now, Junior Sister Tao suddenly suffered from cultivation dissonance for some reason, so I just assisted her. Whatever it was, I was fortunately able to be of some use to Junior Sister Tao. We didn’t do anything else.”
Upon hearing that, Yu Xiang Die’s jaw dropped for a time before letting out an exasperated sigh, “What a disaster!”
Her expression seemed to suggest that Yang Kai had done something terribly wrong, which made his heart skip a beat, “What are you trying to say, Martial Aunt? We really didn’t do anything.”
Just then, Chen Xiu finally arrived. While standing outside the room, he took a glance inside and put on a smile, as though everything was going according to his plan.
Yu Xiang Die turned and glared at him, “Are you happy now?”
Chen Xiu shook his head, “What are you talking about, Junior Sister? I don’t understand.”
Yu Xiang Die delivered a swift kick, but the well-prepared Chen Xiu easily dodged it.
“What are you doing, Junior Sister?” Chen Xiu asked in shock.
Yu Xiang Die said through clenched teeth, “Despicable!”
Upon finishing her words, she ignored Chen Xiu entirely and glowered at Yang Kai before shouting, “Come with me!”